Just one of those days.... (Story)
Very Nice Blitz. Please keep it going.
Jump
Sounds like fun... keep going.
Update coming soon enough!
...course, you'll never see CapeMike quite the same way after the story is over, but it should be good for some laughs!
I expect to see plenty of boots to the head.
NITES, FTW
50s: BS/Inv Eng/Eng Blaster Grav/Rad Fire/Stone Brute AR/Kin Emp/Arch Mind/Sonic Dark/Dark Stalker Fire/Kin Thugs/Poison EM/Inv Dark/Thermal
In works: WP/SS Tank Demon/Dark Claws/Elec Brute Elec/Psi Dominator
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I expect to see plenty of boots to the head.
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I expect plenty of boots to my head! >.<
NIce start! Nice energy. Wanna see where this goes.
...and now, back to our show....
....wait, wrong script....
*sound of papers being shuffled*
..previously, on OtakuWars!...wait...that isn't it, either....
*more shuffling*
...meanwhile, back at the ranch............ah, nevermind....
"What was that voice?"
CapeMike blanched; "Um...nothing, Spark-1! Nothing at all! Certainly not a voice meant to narrate to the readers what's going on!"
"W-...what?"
"-sigh-...." CM waved a hand in a suspicious manner in front of Spark-1's face; "...you heard nothing, nothing at all...it was a figment of your imagination, and certainly not an outrageous breaking of the fourth wall...."
Spark-1 blinked dazedly for a moment, then replied, "...huh...guess it was just me...."
CapeMike reacted with a slight start, but not so much as to give away his real reaction; '...that actually WORKED?' He scribbled something furiously on a notepad, then tossed it into a hammerspace in his cape as Spark-1 looked around the center entrance to Portal Corps. "Anyway, once things are linked up between Paragon-Earth and OtakuWorld, the jump should be pretty quick and un-eventful...of course, since I just SAID that-"
"Whoa whoa!" Spark-1 said, raising a hand to cover CM's mouth; "Don't jinx us before we even get started!!"
A few minutes later, the 2 were looking perplexed as a Portal Cors. engineer explained the news...:
"...the dimensional frequencies of both of you don't want to play nice...according to CapeMike's chief engineer on his side, we -could- override that problem, but the power requirements on our end are too steep to risk with the number of missions that some Heroes are on...if something came up during the jump, their medi-ports wouldn't be able to pull them back if they're injured...needless to say, it's something we can't risk."
Spark-1 shot a glare at CM, who was sweatdropping furiously; "Told you."
CM idly waved off Spark-1's complaint, turning to the engineer; "So...you just need more juice, but cant risk losing any Heroes on missions...and with Terra Volta's reactor always on the verge of being raided, that's out...what about a Hero?"
"What??" Spark-1 began; "I mean, yeah, it could be done, I suppose...but if you're thinking what I THINK you're thinking, you'd have to either be insane, an idiot, or -both- to just risk frying yourself! A visit would be nice, but I don't think it's worth risking life and limb, especially someone ELSE'S, and-...CM?"
CM had turned his attention to his communicator embedded into one of his cape lapels and was tapping out a frequency code....
"CapeMike? You're actually going to -call- someone??"
-Meanwhile, in Atlas Park-
"Hey, Barbecue?"
"Yeah, Sparky?"
"Um...you ever get the feeling of sudden, impending doom?"
"...only everytime I get here and see you waiting...."
"Oh, good...for a minute there I thought you were gonna say 'only everytime'-....hey, waaaaaait a minute...." Before Sparky's retort could continue, his own comm system chimed in...; "Aw man...just when I had a snappy comeback prepared, too, and-"
"Oh, Spaaarrrkkkyyyyyy...." CM's voice came through the speaker.
Sparky blanched, and Barbecue snickered in spite of himself; "You were saying something about impending doom??"
-Back at Portal Corps. a few minutes later-
"So let me get this straight, Spark-1," Tezrian began; "You want Sparky to just plug himself in, as it were, throw Eleventymillion or so volts into this thing, and pray that not only do you two get through, but that the feedback doesn't blast him into his component particles?"
"Um...yeah?" Spark-1 said, shrugging innocently; "It was CapeMike's idea...but I seriously doubt even Sparky will go for that and-"
"...and not only will you earn the adoration of Paragon City for such a feat," CapeMike was saying to Sparky, "but I hear Ms. Liberty really goes for the gung-ho brave types-"
"LET'S ROCK AND ROLL!!" Sparky's shouted reply nearly knocked CM off his feet as he spread his arms out wide and began charging up quite a bit of electricity!
Spark-1 and Tezrian turned to see the sudden shuffle and the former nearly yelled, "Hold on, Sparky! You're supposed to be on the OUTSIDE of the sphere!!!"
Tezrian groaned aloud, already trying to calculate the potential collateral damage this was going to cause as Spark-1 lunged at the sphere in attempt to clear Sparky and CM away.
Even CM had to sweatdrop as the power reached a crescendo and Sparky strained to contain it, but kept right on going....
"To infinity, and beyon-"
-BOOM BOOM BOOM-
...
...
...
For a few moments, all Spark-1 could see were little motes of light sparkling and dancing around his field of vision, dark as it was, then what sounded like a muffled voice began to resolve itself....
"-the love of Mako-Sama, what caused that power spike?! Nearly fried the transporter system! Aplus, get up here!!"
Spark-1 cleared his head at nearly the same moment he realized he was flat on his back...and NOT where he had been what seemed like just a few moments before...all he could remember was throwing up a desperation force-field bubble just as everything went white and-
"Man, you o.k.? CapeMike, ya' better get over here, your pal's down and Sparky's still saying something about 'full of stars'!"
A small form leaned in over Spark-1's field of view...a small black DUCK, to be exact...the bubbler muttered out loud, "Oh yeah...I'm dead...I've GOT to be dead...."
"Nah," the duck said, startling Spark-1 into a sitting position, which he immediately regretted as his head began spinning; "you're quite alive...but I'd seriously consider a change of clothes...you're pretty singed."
CM suddenly darted into view, trailed by a green blur; "Mallard! How is he?"
"Not bad, really," the duck said, turning and looking up at CapeMike; "but I'm hoping you've got some spare outfits laying around!"
Spark-1 risked shaking his head again to make sure he wasn't seeing things; "Wait a second...we made it?" Then someone CM had mentioned to him before popped back into his memory and he looked at the duck; "Wait...THAT'S Mallard?! I thought...um...he wasn't really a duck!!"
"Hehehe;" Mallard replied, "Nah...I'm really what you think I am...a little talking black duck...who just happens to be CapeMike's 2nd in command here!"
"Nice exposition there, Ducky."
"Thanks boss...convenient too, eh?"
Before anyone else could react, a loud thump against a nearby wall got their attention and all eyes turned to a VERY dazed looking Sparky....
"But mommy! I don't want to go to school today...I want to stay home and bake cookies with you-" A second encounter with the wall quickly silenced any further commentary from Sparky as he collapsed in a heap on the floor of the transporter room.
"...why am I not surprised that he's here too?" Spark-1 said, more to himself than anyone around him.
CM's reply was almost instantaneous; "Artistic liscense, plus the fact that one author wanted to pay back the other?"
"What??" Spark-1 said....
"Um...never mind...I'll explain it later...." CM turned to Mallard, who was trying to beat back the smoke from a control panel by rapidly flapping his wings; "Yo, Ducky! Make sure these 2 get to the main medical bay...didn't actually think things would go THIS haywire this fast......and have Aplus tell me how long it's going to take to get the transporter system here back online....looks like Spark and Sparky are going to be here awhile whether they like it or not...may as well make 'em feel at home!"
===========================
To be continued!
Author's notes: Sparky, Barbecue Chicken, and Tezrian all appear courtesy of Sparky's creator, who was gracious enough to allow CapeMike to appear in 2 issues of Sparky's own webcomic...thanks, Sparky!
Meanwhile, back on.....oh wait, we're already where we're supposed to be...o.k., so I'm outta practice!! Us announcers don't get a lotta work when a series hasn't been going in awhile and furthermore-
"Boot to the Head!!" -thwap-
....yeah, I'm just gonna....lay down or something..... X_x
"Jeez," CapeMike muttered to Mallard; "He gets the opening line in nearly every post, and he's got the nerve to complain?"
The duck shrugged; "Yeah,...wait, are we even paying him?"
"Pay? ..........uhoh....." CapeMike quickly decided to change the subject before he wound up in even more trouble than he likely already -was-; "So, how're Spark-1 and Sparky?"
"Medical says they're gonna be fine...Sparky's likely still alive because of his inherent abilities, and Spark-1's own forcefield took the brunt of the energy discharge...damn near fried those artificial arms of his, though...have to say I'm impressed they're still intact."
CapeMike shook his head, actually concerned, "Man...just when you figure you've got something worked out...."
--------------------
In medical, Spark-1 was just closing up what appeared to be a personal recording log when a still slightly-singed looking Sparky appeared from around a corner.
The Bubble-Defender looked up; "Man, are you o.k. Sparky?"
"Yeah...I'm picking up a few dozen radio transmissions thanks to all that juice in me...confusing, but MAN, if even -half- of what I'm hearing is true, we're in a place that you'll never believe!!"
"I -already- don't believe it, Sparky...for one, I thought that, for a moment, I was stuck inside a wall just before I blacked out, and....it's like we've been blown into an episode from some sci-fi anime...."
"Yeeeeah, about that 1st feeling;" Sparky said, slightly nervously; "I also heard that you -were- stuck in a wall for a moment during that transport...Aplus, that engineer, was pretty torqued about it, too...seems he chucked a few folks out an airlock for it!"
Spark-1 chuckled; "Heh...good one, Sparky........wait...you're not kidding, are you?" Before he could consider the implications of what he'd hear, a nearby door opened, and CapeMike walked in.
"Well! Good to see the both of ya' are in one piece....more or less...ehehe...."
Both Sparky and Spark-1 chose to ignore the rather large sweatdrop that CM appeared to be trying to hide as the Scrapper went on....
"Well, it looks like you're able to get up and about, so c'mon, and I'll give ya the dime tour, starting with the main lounge."
"Where -are- we, anyway?" Spark-1 asked, getting the impression that CM was trying to hide something.
"Ah, you'll see soon enough...I'd have us teleported there, but...ah...I'm pretty sure you're not interested in that just yet, are you?"
-------------------------------
A few minutes later, in a spacious lounge saw Sparky's face practically glued to a window.... "It...it really -is- full of stars!!"
"Geez," CM said amusedly, "You'd think he's never been in orbit before!"
"Um...hello? 21st century, still?" Spark-1 countered; "But still...are we -really- in space?" He couldn't help but stare out a nearby window as well, observing a number of smaller ships flying around with a moonbase that LOOKED like a colossal white-colored Luna-P(1) looking over the horizon of a very much Earth-looking planet 'below' them....
"Oh yeah...nothing quite like the view from and AT home, is there?" CM laughed; "Guess you're interested in knowing what you're actually flying in, aren't ya?"
Spark-1 could only nod, still rooted in his view....
CM tapped one of his lapels; opening a comm channel; "Yo', Ducky, can we get a recon flyby from a nearby unit? Lounge area 3...."
Shortly, a YF-19(2) broke from it's recon formation, and began to make it's way closer to the viewpoint that CM, Spark-1, and now Sparky were using...; the 3 looked over at a nearby monitor which was showing a real-time view from the underside of the nosecone area of the fighter...; several Astelions(3) were performing combat training maneuvers around a small carrier of nondescript origin, and the 2 fighters were being shadowed by a pair of YF-21s(4).
Mallard's voice came out over the monitor's speaker; "O.k., Emerald-6, swing around, and give us the scenic view of the Io-A."
The monitor's view shifted quickly, but not abruptly to show....
"Good Lord." Spark-1 muttered; "We're on....that?"
"I want one for Christmas!!" Sparky said, going for his wallet, before remembering it had been left in Atlas Park...likely stolen(again) by a Hellion.
"Gentlemen," CapeMike began...you're onboard, and viewing, the flagship of the MakoChanian(5) faction, the MakoChanian Starship 'Io-A', named for one of Jupiter's moons! Second to bear the name and modeled on the classic SDF-3 ship-frame, she measures in at 2 miles in length, can transform into a -really- big mecha , has a full compliment of fighters and support craft, and laughs at warp-9 travel! I use her when I'm not taking care of business planet-side at MakoPlex and-"
"MakoPlex?" Both Spark-1 and Sparky said at the same time.
"Personal city-base and official headquarters of the faction, I'll tell ya' more about it once we're down there soon and-"
"Geez, CapeMike," A fourth voice spoke up from a nearby table, "'dime tour' nothing! And you're forgetting about -me- , again?"
CapeMike visibly flinched as the other 2 turned to see the last person either expected to actually BE there....
"Romathom?!?!"
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To be continued....
(1) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...rtypNathan.gif
Original art by Nathan Bashore
(2), (3), and (4): Bonus cookie if you actually know what I'm referring to in these....
(5) Basically, the MakoChanian faction on OtakuWorld believes that SailorJupiter is the greatest SailorSenshi, CM taking this belief to a violently new level, as will likely be evidenced soon enough!
Having a bit of trouble fleshing the next part of the story out...it's scripted in my head, but I really wanna make sure it comes off perfectly...may be delayed a few days....
"Yeah, me," Romathom said, half-resigned; "what, you were expecting Lord Recluse?"
Sparky shrugged; "Not exactly, but I mean...everyone's been -wondering- what happened to you!"
All eyes turned to CapeMike, who was already trying to calculate the best escape route...; "Weeeeeeelll........ah...I needed SOMEONE to use-er...convince to help me test the system out...."
"...and he somehow -got- me to, wouldn't ya' know." Romy finished; "guess the only reason I got here in one piece was my going Super' at the last moment...kinda burned me out, and I've been stuck here since while I -thought- he was trying to find a way to get me back to Paragon City!"
"Geez, Romy, stick me on a crucifix, why don't you....oh wait...you actually tried that already." CapeMike sweatdropped.
"Yeah, and I woulda gotten away with it too, if not for Zeus!"
At the mention of his name, Zeus, Mallard's(rather large) Rottweilier companion trotted into the room, causing Sparky to jump into Spark-1's arms!
The former stuttered for a moment, then said, "Niiiiiiiice doggy, sweet doggy........please don't eat me."
Mallard snickered; "Eh, don't worry 'bout it; he won't eat anyone except NO's...I think."
Spark-1 blinked; "'NO's'?" He suddenly remembered a comment earlier about Aplus tossing someone out an airlock....
"Ah you know, Nameless Otaku!" The duck continued; "You know how when the aliens attack or war breaks out and such in anime, how all those nameless extras standing or milling around are killed to make a dramatic point?" Spark-1 nodded, not liking the sound of where this was going as Mallard thought for a moment, then went on; "Same thing here...NO's are -always getting killed off in some manner here...half the fun's in trying to predict how it's gonna happen and what kind of collateral damage is gonna be involved!"
Sparky finally fell out of Spark-1's arms as the latter incredulously replied, "Still, deaths are -deaths-!" He turned to CM, who seemed all too happy that the subject had abruptly been changed; "And you haven't tried to -stop- it?"
Mallard laughed, "Tried? Who do you think owns the OtakuWorld records for most NO's killed in a single post, story-arc, AND career?!"
"Trifecta, baby." CM nodded sagely.
"Well," Spark-1 said, resigned to the absurdity of it all; "that -would- explain that incident last month in Faultline...."
"Hey, that building was slated for demolition anyway!"(1)
"...and the Talos statue incident."
"Eh, it needed a good sand-blasting."
"...-and- when Sister Psyche nearly tossed you through the hospital wall?"
"...let us never speak of that episode again."
"...AND when-"
"BOOT TO THE HEAD- yooowwwww!" CM's retaliation was abruptly rejected as Spark-1 instinctively activated his Personal Force Field, causing the former's foot to ricochet off at an odd angle, causing the Scrapper to fall flat on his backside.
Spark-1 started in surprise, then muttered almost to himself; "Whoa...THAT never happened before."
"Not surprising, really." Mallard said; "We've learned that for some reason, artistic liscense likely, people's latent powers or abilities get much more potent here...explains why CM didn't try to take over Paragon-Earth as soon as he arrived."
"Huh...answers a few more questions, I guess."
Their discussion was interrupted suddenly as the sounds of a ruckus behind them revealed that CM and Romathom had gotten into a brawl over CM landing on Romy's tail; the stress of the situations had obviously boiled over....
Mallard groaned aloud; "Not AGAIN!" The fight quickly progressed into the classic anime-styled 'dust cloud' fight, with various limbs jutting out of various parts of the cloud at rather various moments.
"Again??"
"Yeah; 3rd time this week, actually...thankfully it's never serious...." A spasm, and onlookers saw Romy trying to bash CapeMike with a large mallet...another spasm, and CM had Romy in a figure-four leglock....
"Utterly insane, I tell you...."
"Get used to it, man...happens every day!"
Within a minute, the fight had degraded into the 2 having to call each other childish names....
"Poophead!"
"Stinkyface!"
This would have gone on for a few more minutes had an announcement over the main comm system not indicated that orbital re-entry was complete and that MakoPlex would be in sight in moments.
Spark-1 went over to a viewing portal as the blast shields withdrew and gazed out...; "So um...where's this citybase?"
CapeMike was at the portal in a blur and laughed; "When I say 'citybase', I mean 'CITYbase'."
Spark-1 actually managed a sweatdrop; "You mean...that ENTIRE metropolis...that place has got to be the size of New York City!"
"Heh," CM chuckled; "Damn, I'm good, aren't I? We better get to the bridge so we can get the best view of docking, c'mon!"
================
To be continued.... yeah, it's still a bit rushed, but a freakin' headache won't let go of me....
Also, I've allowed Spark-1's creator to make periodic replies here as a different side of the story, so to speak...you'll see what I mean!
(1) The ensuing 3 'incidents' referenced here are ideas I've been tossing in my head for 'shorts', featuring CapeMike and company that may yet be written someday....
For at least the 4th time in the last minute, Spark-1 shook his head in bemusement....
"...and you're wanting me to come visit...what was it...OtakuWorld...?"
CapeMike nodded vigorously; "Why not? I've been here in Paragon City more or less for 3 years now...and aside from Romathom, and a few of The Elite members, no-one else here has ever bothered to ask about where *I* come from!"
"Possibly because it'd scare them even MORE?"
"Haha. Very Funny. It -is- to laugh." CM said, sweatdropping slightly; "...and besides, Sparky, you need to lighten up a bit...can't go around being all 'Mr. Moody' just because of your ar-...ah...that situation...."
Spark-1 sighed lightly, realizing he wasn't going to get out of this one very easily.... "...and you're SURE the transporter technology your world uses can work with Portal Corps' to bring someone -aside from you- there and back?"
"Hey, if it doesn't, one, I'll deal with my Chief Engineer in a manner that will....amuse me, heh...and two, you won't be around long enough to regret it...." CM grinned as Spark-1 reacted to that in precisely the manner he'd expected, then went on, "KIDDING! But seriously, 'cmon, visit! Some of the things you'll see will make Paragon City look like a kindergarten by comparison...it'll be a BLAST!"
"Which is -exactly- what worries me, CapeMike."
"Sparky...I am shocked...shocked and appalled that you would accuse me of letting you get into trouble there, hehe!" His face became gentler; "...I promise nothing -too- bad will happen while you're there...at least as long as I'm around...."
"Wellllll......." Spark-1 shrugged once; "Guess I can find out if that saying, 'you only live once', is true and-"
"WHOOHOO!" CapeMike suddenly shouted, and slapped Spark-1 on the back; "I'm telling ya', this is gonna rock!"
To be continued?
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For quite awhile now, I've been wanting to write a story about the place where CapeMike comes from, and what might happen if someone from Paragon were to visit...the ideas have finally begun to come together in my head!
So if you wanna see the mayhem that's about to erupt, just let me know and I'll see what I can do!