MissKyo

Akemi shook her head slowly at Sam's words. "No, see, it's not your Nemesis...it's a long and confusing story and I'm still not sure I get the whole thing, but this guy called the Clockwork Nemesis wants Professor Winthrop's lap destroyed and presumably wants the Professor dead. Too bad for him that the Professor's lab is in the Defenders of Time base and he never goes out without his sidekick. They'll be alright-they've taken him down, what, twice now?" She grinned. "Besides, they've got more powerful friends than me."

((Posterity and because I don't have the words to explain why the Saga is so fantastic without posting it. >.>; ))

Chapter Six: Through The Looking Glass

“Okay people, the portal goes live in three minutes! Everyone take your positions, and be ready to bring our group home.” Lieutenant Colonel Flynn barked into the microphone, his voice echoing into the large lab below.

Technicians were scurrying around, checking consoles, adjusting cable feeds, and monitoring the large portal machinery as it slowly started to spin up.

Major Semiens, Flynn’s Adjutant approached, carrying a clipboard. “Sir, shall we call in more troops, just in case something goes wrong?”

“No need Major. We’re just recalling the investigation team from Gamma Phi 31-7. It seemed peaceful enough when we sent the team out, so I think we’ll be fine with the men we have down there now.”

Semiens consulted his clipboard. “Gamma Phi 31-7. Isn’t that the dimension…”

Flynn answered without taking his eyes from the activity down on the main floor. “Yes Major. That’s the dimension Professor Winthrop and his lady friend are from. We’re still trying to figure out how they came from that world’s past to our present-day in one hop. Barnes has some ideas about how it could be done, but since he’s gone missing, well, we have to figure it out for ourselves. Speaking of which, has there been any word?”

“None yet, sir. The police are still looking, as well as both Longbow and Vanguard, in case he’s been kidnapped by any enemy groups,” Semiens said, looking over another file on his clipboard.

“Damn. He knows more about this specific case than all the rest of our technicians put together. We’ve got to find him if there’s ever going to be a chance…” Flynn was suddenly interrupted by a klaxon sounding down on the lab floor. He grabbed the microphone and shouted into it, “This is it! Retrieval team stand by!”

As the portal started spinning faster, a pearlescent fog began coalescing in the center of it. Shapes could be seen through the fog, moving closer to the entrance.

Suddenly, a massive bolt of electricity erupted from the portal, striking one of the military guards square in the chest, and knocking him across the room. Alarms began to sound, as a voice calmly said “Medical crews to Portal Bay Sixteen. Repeat: Medical crews to Portal Bay Sixteen.”

As the remaining troops started firing into the portal, a lone soldier came flying out from the other dimension, and rolled down the ramp, landing in a bloody heap. As he began crawling out of the way, he was quickly followed by a hulking shape standing over nine feet tall.

Flynn practically screamed into the microphone “Shut that thing down, now! Send in more troops immediately!”

As the troops fired at the hulking object, a medical team collected both of the injured soldiers, and hustled them out of harm’s way.

The Portal began spinning down, slowly coming to a stop, as the fog cleared.

More troops poured in from both sides of the lab, all shooting at the hulking shape making its way down the ramp. As it reached the foot of the ramp, the deadly hail of bullets finally took its toll, and the shape crashed to the floor with a metallic sounding crunch.

“What in the hell is that?” Flynn screamed at the people below.

After a brief examination, under the watchful eyes and ever-ready guns of the troops, the technicians called up to the control booth with an answer.

“Sir, at first, we thought it was a Nemesis Warhulk. But it appears to be piloted by Clockwork of some kind.”

Flynn’s eyes narrowed as news of this discovery sank in.

“Semiens, get over to Medical, and keep me informed on the status of the man we recovered. I want to know the minute that soldier wakes up.”

“Yes sir.” Semiens replied, and hurried from the room.

Several hours later, in the secure wing of Aquarius Medical, two nurses are discussing their latest patient, and his awe-inspiring visitor.

“Whatever he went through must have been absolutely terrifying! And his clothes! They were ripped to shreds!” the first nurse exclaimed.

The second nurse nodded her head in agreement, “He’s lucky, that’s for sure. And having one of the city’s greatest heroes waiting in his room for him to wake up… What an honor!”

As the soldier’s slowly awakened, he noticed a shape standing by his bed in the dim light of the room.

His eyes focused on a red and blue uniform, as he tried to sit up. “Sir! Is it really you? I’ve got to warn someone! I’ve got to tell them what we…”

“Easy son. Everything’s going to be fine,” the familiar form said, as sparks started leaping from his hands. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”

((Ask and you shall receive! By the way, we love feedback. :P So, y'know, if you have a comment on the story...comment away!))

Chapter Five: The Letter

Officer Freitag entered Rick Davies’ office while talking on his cellphone. “Yeah, I understand. I’ll be right there just as soon as I wrap up some business at D.A.T.A.”

Davies looked up from his desk. “Something wrong, Chief?”

“You could say that. Apparently a technician named Henry Barnes has gone missing over at the Portal Corporation. Normally Detective McLord would handle this, but I’m being called in because this Barnes character was studying our friend’s case,” Frietag grimaced. “Seems that not only is he missing, but all the research he was doing for Charlie is gone too.”

“Well, I don’t mean to make your day go any worse, but something came in the mail today for the Professor, and I figured you’d like to know about it before I give it to him,” Davies said as he reached Freitag an envelope, and several printouts.

Freitag looked at the envelope in his hand as if he expected it to bite him. “New Haven postmark. I’m assuming you tested it to make sure it’s not going to explode, or poison us?”

“Standard procedure for all mail coming from the Rogue Isles, Chief. Full scan with every detector we have, including a couple of psychics from M.A.G.I. It came up clean,” Davies replied,

“But what worries me is the letter itself.”

“You do realize that we’re breaking the law by reading Charlie’s mail don’t you?” Freitag looked squarely at Davies.

Davies grinned, “Yeah, but are you going to arrest me, or aren’t you curious about that letter too?”

Freitag browsed the printouts, which included phychostatic copies of the still-sealed letter. “This new technology gives me the creeps. Who ever thought we’d be able to read a letter without opening it?”

Davies gestured at the printouts. “Just read it, and see if you think we should let him have it or not.”

Freitag sat down in a nearby chair, and started to read the very feminine handwriting...

-----------------------------------------

Seventh day of March, in the Two Thousandth and Eighth Year of Our Lord

My Dearest Charles,

I trust this letter finds you in good health.

You mustn’t worry about me. I am quite safe and am now delighted to learn that I am not alone in this fascinating new time. My host, Lord Richter, recently learned of your arrival in this world as well, and suggested I write to you so that you would know what happened to me, and that I am safe.

After the rather unsettling incident in your laboratory, I found myself staring up at the most amazing thing: A large, clear globe in which rotated several metallic spheres. I must admit, I was fascinated by it, and must have looked quite the rube as I stared. I was then interrupted in a most unseemly fashion by a number of men in uniform. I was rather frightened, and put out, as they were quite a bit rougher with me than was strictly necessary. They brought me to Lord Richter, who explained the situation and apologized for his men’s handling of it. It seems they thought I was one of the ruffians from a nearby place called Paragon City. Since said ruffians are in the habit of attempting to interrupt the peaceful life of Lord Richter’s people, his men are prone to acting first, and questioning later - to preserve the peace.

I have been his guest since then. He has graciously allowed me the run of his lovely estate, including his most impressive library! This home is completely electric, my love! And the things they have built! Tiny boxes that cook in an instant! Machines that do laundry without getting one’s hands damp! The people of this time must have lives of complete leisure with such automated luxuries!

Unfortunately, with Paragon City constantly sending scoundrels and thieves to this peaceful island, it is not safe for a woman to leave the estate without protection. Therefore, Lord Richter has asked that rather than risk myself trying to find you, I extend his invitation for you to visit his estate!

I have missed you so, and our work together. I wait anxiously for your reply, and your arrival.

With all my love,

Miss Mary Cottington

Postscript

I have included instructions for your response. Lord Richter sends his apologies for the rather convoluted plan, but it is so very important to him to keep his people safe from the depredations of Paragon City, that he feels such measures are, unfortunately necessary.

-----------------------------------------

As Freitag finished reading the letter, the Professor wandered in, carrying a large manila folder. “Afternoon, gentlemen. Richard, here is the paperwork on materials I need for the Defenders’ new base. By the way, has there been any mail for me recently?”

Davies and Freitag glanced nervously at each other without answering…

Chapter Four: Friends and Lovers

"Is he still out there?" Officer Freitag asked Rick Davies, who was staring intently at a monitor displaying a curious scene in Atlas Park.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Rick replied, without taking his eyes from the monitor. "I just wish he'd talk to us, and let us know what's wrong!"

Freitag grinned for just a moment. "I know what the problem is, but solving it is gonna be a pain. Have you looked around lately Rick?"

Davies turned towards the detective, blinking to deglaze his eyes. "No... I've been busy overseeing the installation of this new tesseract technology into hero costumes ever since the Professor gave me the prototype. Why?"

"Look at the calendar son. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day!" Freitag pointed at the holographic date/time display on the wall of Davies' office. "And unless I miss my guess, our brilliant boy out there misses his lady friend something fierce."

A look of horror slowly grew on Davies' face. "Valentine's Day? Tomorrow? Oh God! Caitlin is gonna kill me!"

"You mean you forgot to get her anything?" Freitag asked, trying hard to not grin.

"No, I have a gift for her. A ring, actually. But I forgot to make reservations for the restaurant. And by now it's probably too late! What can I do?" Davies cried as he whipped out his cellphone and started dialing frantically.

Meanwhile, Professor Charles Winthrop, Paragon City's chronologically-challenged hero, was sitting on the foot of Atlas, staring morosely into the distance, thinking back on what (to him) took place just a year ago...

"Charles, I'm freezing! Why must we come all the way down to Salcott in the middle of winter? And why are we paddling along in this ridiculous boat?" Mary asked, while wrapping herself up in several blankets as tightly as she could.

The Professor stopped rowing and smiled at the woman he loved more than anything. "Because my dear, the conditions must be perfect for this experiment, or it will utterly fail."

Mary tugged the blankets even tighter and looked around at the fog-shrouded water. "But Charles, we can barely see three feet around us. And with the holiday and all, I was hoping we could spend the day at home. Just the two of us, where it's warm and dry."

"Holiday? But my dear, today is just a Wednesday like any other," the Professor replied as he tinkered with a small box sitting between them.

Mary stared at the Professor incredulously. "Like any other? Charles Edward Winthrop! Do you mean to tell me you have forgotten that today is Valenti..."

The words drifted off as the Professor threw a last switch on the side of the box. A sudden burst of rose-colored light flared out of the top of the device, beaming straight up into the air and burning off the fog for miles around.

The Professor, smiling, says, "Just watch, my dear."

As they both looked up, the beam began to widen, forming the pattern of a heart forty feet across. Words appeared on the heart, as if written by a gigantic, unseen hand.

"Happy Valentine's Day to my lovely Mary."

As Mary watched the display in rapt delight, the Professor pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket, and opened it. Holding it out to Mary, he whispered, "Darling, will you marry me?"

Mary, distracted by the light show above, looked down at the ring in the Professor's hand. "Oh my. Of course I'll marry you Charles! I've been waiting for you to ask me ever since we met last year!"

The Professor, smiling and with tears in his eyes, slipped the ring on Mary's finger. "In that case my love, press the small pink button on the side of the box facing you."

Mary pressed the button, and the giant heart floating above their heads faded out, to be replaced by the image of a pair of doves, with the words "She said yes!" circling around them.

Cheers rang out from the hitherto hidden crowds on both banks of the river, and church bells could be heard in the distance.

"Oh Charles, you rascal!" Mary exclaimed, as the Professor began rowing towards shore.

Rick Davies snapped his phone shut. "Well, that's done. I had to pull a few strings, but I managed to wrangle reservations at In Front for tomorrow night at eight. But we only have an hour there, because somebody else booked the entire place starting at nine for a private party."

"Good job kid. Did they say who the party was booked by?" Detective Freitag asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Actually, they did. And they asked me to tell you that the flower arrangements just arrived, and they look perfect." Davies laughed as he continued, "What are you up to, you old dog?"

Freitag looked misty-eyed for a moment before answering. "Well, it's not just Valentine's Day tomorrow. It's also the thirtieth anniversary of the day I proposed to Connie. Since you're gonna pop the question to Caitlin anyway, why don't you two join us?"

"Thanks man, that'd be perfect," Davies said, his eyes practically glowing. "But you know, it doesn't seem right, us planning to spend Valentine's Day with the women we love, while Charles sits out there worrying over his fiancée. I wish we could do something for him."

"Gentlemen, I believe I have a partial solution for that very problem." a voice said from the doorway of Davies' office.

Both men turned around to see Brighid Moreira, the City Representative standing there, holding a thick file folder.

"And the name of that solution is the Defenders of Time."

Chapter Three: A Shocking Revelation

Deep within the bowels of City Hall, in a little-used office, an unusual meeting is taking place...

The young technician from Portal Corp who was assigned the task of helping Professor Winthrop find his way back home is meeting with someone...

"You a-as-asked to see me s-si-ir?" the Technician stammers, awed by the person he was sent to meet.

"Come in, son, and close the door. I just wanted to see what progress you were making in finding a way for our two visitors from the past a way home."

The Technician thumbs through his clipboard, "W-we-well s-si-sir, we've f-fo-found his target dimension and time, b-bu-but there's been a slight problem with s-se-sending him home. It s-se-seems someone from present-day has tampered with the timestream."

"Go on..." the person sitting behind the desk prompts. "Tell me exactly what you've found."

"Well, s-si-sir, after reviewing the video footage, the equipment the Professor was working on didn't cause the dimensional rift. It did explode, but o-on-only after someone..." the Technician trails off.

The figure behind the desk leans forward slightly. "Make it march, son. You're not going to be in any trouble for telling me what happened."

The Technician visibly swallows, and takes a deep breath, still in awe of the muscular figure sitting casually behind the desk. "O-ok-okay. We have found that someone went back in the past to the Professor's home dimension, caused the explosion, and then opened the rift that sent the Professor and Miss Cottington here."

"And do we know who this 'someone' is?" the figure asks, expectantly.

"Y-ye-yes sir. The f-fo-footage clearly shows you blasting the d-de-device, and t-th-then throwing the Professor and Miss Cottington through the rift." the Technician stammers out, visibly pale and shaken.

In a sudden blur of red and blue, the figure leaps up from the desk and pins the Technician in the corner.

"Who else has seen this footage?" he asks, his hands holding the Technician tightly.

The Technician, shaking, replies, "N-no-nobody, sir, j-ju-just as you asked. B-bu-but sir, I...I have to ask, why, sir? W-wh-why would you do that to them? Y-yo-you're... Everyone looks up to you!"

"Son, being a hero isn't always a pretty job." the muscular figure whispers, just before snapping the Technician's neck.

As the Technician's limp body falls to the floor, the figure continues...

"And sometimes, a hero doesn't feel like being a hero," he mutters as he incinerates the body, papers, and all other evidence in the room with a series of short controlled lightning strikes.

"Yes...why?" Akemi asked suspiciously. For some reason, she had found, people had a tendency to either underestimate Professor Winthrop (and his sidekick) or else threaten them and their friends. She'd learned the hard way that a hero doesn't have many friends who aren't also heroes. "I guess you've heard of him?"

Chapter Two: Dressing Like A Hero

Professor Winthrop had been in Paragon City for just over a month since the Interocitor had exploded, sending him screaming through dimensions from his alternate-history Earth to this world, and he was slowly starting to come to grips with the situation.

Upon being released from the hospital, he had been issued a “Temporary Hero License” and been given quarters at the Department of Advanced Technological Application’s labs in Atlas Park. They hadn’t asked much of him in return, which he found surprising, but they were very interested in his ability to tinker with the odd bits of hardware he found laying around.

Rick Davies, whom the Professor actually enjoyed visiting with, was paying him another visit.

“So, Professor, what have you come up with this time? Is there anything I can get you?” Rick asked, eyeing the metal-covered mannequin the Professor was attaching several unidentifiable bits to.

The Professor paused for a moment in his work, smiling at Davies, “No thank you, Rick. I have almost finished here. As for what I have tinkered together this time, I have decided that since your fantastic city seems to think of me as a Hero, I should at least make the attempt to ‘play the part’ so to speak.

“To that end, I have been constructing a suit of armor to ‘even the score’ as I believe I overheard one of your technicians say.”

Davies ran a critical eye over the decidedly “Victorian” style of body armor hanging from the mannequin in front of him. “Okay Professor, I’ll bite. What does this armor do?”

“Simply put, aside from enhancing my body’s strength five-fold, the steam-powered body-armor will be capable of harnessing and unleashing static electricity in large quantities for several purposes,” the Professor said, as he attached a large, flat tank to the back of the armored suit.

“Steam-powered?” Davies asked, incredulously, “But Professor, we have made such great advances in miniaturized power sources since your time! Why not go with micro-atomic, or Kheldian Crystal, or…”

“No, no, my dear young man,” the Professor interrupted Davies, “You have all these wonderful advances, but I prefer working with a medium in which I am well-versed. Much easier to repair this way, in case of damage on the field of battle. Besides, I do have a few pieces of that damned Interocitor with me, and they should prove quite capable of making my armor even more efficient.”

Davies looked thoughtful for a moment. “Speaking of that, Professor, my teams have found some more debris from where you first landed in our world. We analyzed them, of course, but can’t really tell much about them. And I was kind of hoping you could shed a bit of light into how they work?” he asked, as he reached the Professor a handful of small objects that looked like marbles with metal rods pushed through the centers.

“Ah, yes!” the Professor exclaimed, “The very parts I need for the electrical generators! These, my young friend, are ‘bead condensers.’ Basically, they take any form of energy, and convert it into electricity. On a rather large scale too, if I remember correctly.”

“Yes, as we found out, just before Lab Bay Six was blown apart from the energy discharge.” Davies said, as the Professor installed the components into the gear-shaped shoulder pads of his armor.

“Oh my. Was anyone injured?” the Professor asked, looking concerned. “It seems that everything about the Interocitor is cursed to do nothing but harm.”

Davies smiled at the Professor’s sudden empathy, which was quite out of character for the slightly uptight, and very British, gentleman. “No, Professor. Six is an automated testing lab we use for unusual or unknown devices. We managed to pump thirty thousand kilowatts into one of those ‘bead condensers’ before it discharged. The three hundred thousand kilowatts it sent back out was quite impressive, too! Can you tell us exactly how they manage to do that?”

The Professor looked sad for a moment before answering,

“Unfortunately, no. All that I can really say of them is that they are part number AB-619 in the ‘Electronic Service Unit 16’ catalog. Now if we could happen to find a copy of that book, perhaps I could give you a better answer.”

Davies, apparently lost in thought, wandered around the mannequin, examining all the components the Professor had integrated into the rust and steel colored battle suit. “Well, Professor, I’ve got a team over at the Portal Corporation working around the clock on trying to find a copy of the book for you. If we can get it, perhaps you could use it to build another Interocitor and eventually return home.”

“That would be most excellent my young friend,” the Professor said as he tinkered with what appeared to be a large pair of metal boots, “but there is no way I could return home again without finding Mary first. Has there been any news on her whereabouts?”

“Very little actually, Professor,” sighed Davies, as he examined a piece of metal hose that ran down the back of the armor to the legs. “But from what the Freedom Corps have been able to tell us, at the same time you appeared in Atlas Park, she appeared in Cap Au Diable. Unfortunately, before any of the Longbow agents could get to her, a group of Lord Recluse’s men snatched her away.”

The Professor laid his tools down on the bench, looking grim. “Then I must go straight away to rescue her.”

Davies laid a sympathetic hand on the Professor’s shoulder. “Until we know for certain whether or not your suit can handle battle, I’d suggest staying away from the Rogue Isles, sir. That’s a very dangerous place that even the great Statesman doesn’t visit often.”

The Professor, summoning every bit of control he could muster, turned towards Rick Davies. “So what do you advise me to do, Richard? Shall I stay here in the relative safety offered by D.A.T.A. and allow my fiancée to be killed by this Lord Recluse?”

Before Davies could answer, a voice called from the doorway of the lab, “No Charlie. We expect you to fight Lord Recluse and get Mary back.”

The Professor and Davies both turned around, startled.

Standing in the doorway, his arms folded casually against his chest, was Detective Frietag.

“Inspector Frietag, my good man!” the Professor exclaimed, rushing forward to shake the Detective’s hand.

“Told you before Charlie, I’m a Detective, not an Inspector,” Frietag returned the Professor’s handshake warmly, a smile playing across his stern features.

“And as I have told you, Inspector, my name is Charles, not Charlie,” the Professor replied good-naturedly.

Rick Davies watched the two men bemusedly. The Professor was the only person who could make the “Detective with an Iron Face” come close to smiling.

After a few more “friendly” exchanges, the Detective resumed his stern posture. “What it comes down to Charlie, is you have to learn to walk before you can run. I know you’re a brilliant egghead scientist, but how are you in a fight?”

The Professor thought for a moment before answering. “Well, I can certainly hold my own in a fair stand-up boxing match, but I don’t believe Lord Recluse and his men would be willing to follow the Marquess of Queensberry rules, would they? Hence the reason I have designed and built this battle suit.”

“So when will the suit be ready, Professor?” Davies asked.
The Professor resumed tinkering at the workbench, “Just as soon as I finish installing these bead condensers into the electrical generators, Richard.”

As the Professor installed the casings for the generators on the shoulders of the battle suit, Frietag’s police radio gave a sudden squawk, and the Detective listened intensely to the radio broadcast.

“Looks like you’re getting it finished just in time, Charlie.” the Detective grimaced, “A villain named Comatorium is robbing the Atlas Park bank. Think you’re up to stopping him as a test of this steampunk tuxedo?”

The Professor hurriedly began changing into the rust colored body armor as he replied, “Well Inspector, I’ll certainly try my best.”

Davies appeared lost in thought for a moment. “Wait Professor! If you go out there to fight a villain, you’re going to need a name! The press will be calling to find out who the newest Hero in Atlas Park is, and you certainly don’t want them to know your real name.”

As the last pieces of the Professor’s costume settled themselves into place, he flipped a switch on the chest of his new body suit. A chugging sound issued from his back, and wisps of steam rose from the joints. “Well then, I suppose you can call me ‘Steampunk Charlie’ for now.”

Charlie has graciously allowed me to repost his original story, The Strange Saga of Steampunk Charlie, in the Roleplaying section.

You can find it here.

It's the precursor to all of the other stories he has written and starts off the timeline of all the other stories he has written since then, including Cat's Eyes. Enjoy!

((I had permission to repost this from the author, Steampunk Charlie. Enjoy!))

The Strange Saga of Steampunk Charlie

Chapter One: The Arrival

"Okay Charlie, let's go over this again. You're not a registered superhero, but you used the city's emergency teleportation system. Now I have two questions for you. One, how did you do it, and two, why? Are you working for the Rikti?" Officer Frietag asked the slightly bewildered man lying in the hospital bed.

"Officer, I do wish you would stop calling me 'Charlie.' My rightful name is Professor Charles Winthrop III, and I demand to be released immediately! I must check up on Mary, and return to my workshop!"

Frietag looked thoughtful for a moment. If this guy's story checked out with the eggheads over at Portal Corp, then he had a longer trip "back to his workshop" than he thought.
"Tell me this, Charlie..." Frietag was enjoying calling the man by this diminutive... "What year is it, again?"

The man on the bed stared at Officer Frietag as if he had grown a second head "Why, it is the year of our Lord, Eighteen Hundred and Eighty Three. Are you daft, man? I am starting to suspect that you aren't an officer of the law at all, and that I have accidentally been taken to a madhouse! 'What year' indeed!"

Before Frietag could respond, a young man wearing a lab coat and carrying a clipboard leaned through the doorway of the room. "Officer? I need to speak with you for a moment. We got the results back that you asked for."

Frietag stepped out into the hall after telling Professor Winthrop to "Stay put, or else," and asked the technician, "So is this guy a nutcase, or what?"

"Unfortunately we can't use Portal Corp's 'dimensional watcher' technology to confirm a person's sanity, Officer, but we did find out that the gentleman in that hospital bed is telling the truth." the technician said.

"What?? You mean this guy really is from 1883?" Frietag exclaimed.

The technician glanced at his clipboard before answering... "Not exactly, sir. He IS from 1883, but not OUR 1883. You see, he comes from an alternate dimension's version of 1883, where the fictional 'steampunk' technology really existed. We set the watcher to the same frequency as the equipment he appeared with, and recorded the last 20 minutes of his existence there. I have it on this portable DVD player if you'd like to see it."

Frietag took the proffered DVD player and watched the video. At first the screen was awash in random swirling colors.

After a few moments, these resolved to show what appeared to be a cross between Frankenstein's laboratory, and a cabinetmaker's shop. Standing in the midst of all the brass and metal instruments were a woman in a long blue dress, and a man wearing a long sleeveless leather coat, who was instantly recognizable as the gentleman currently lying in the hospital bed.

"Oh Charles, I'm so terribly afraid! You know what the manual said about using non-standard parts while assembling the Interocitor!" the woman exclaimed.

Professor Winthrop turned away from the large console he was working on to say, "Mary my dearest, I am quite certain the Amalgamated Interocitor Company merely said that to make certain their customers stay loyal. Besides, it would take days to get a new Cathermin tube. Not to mention the expense! I have calculated that I can replace that overpriced tin can with a part machined by myself."

"But Charles," the woman asked, "are you certain you can get the new part to have an inindium complex of +4?"

"My dear, I have been an inventor for nigh on 30 years now. Ever since I was a wee lad and created my first clockwork teddy bear. Please have more confidence in my scientific abilities!" the Professor said as he finished hooking a cylindrical object to the console.

After a few more minutes of wiring various other components to the console, the Professor stepped back, and while wiping his hands on a towel said, "Finished! My dear, once we activate the Interocitor, we will change the world of science forever!"

Mary, looking unsure of the large machine, said, "But Charles, what exactly does the Interocitor do?"

"Why, there's no limit to what it could do. Assembling a row of brick houses in less than an hour would be a cinch." the Professor said, with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Charles, do you really think Man is ready for this kind of power?" Mary asked, tears of delight brimming in her eyes.

Instead of answering, the Professor simply grasped a large multi-colored knob on the front of the machine, turning it to the left. A large triangular screen on top of the console began to pulsate with strange colors while a high pitched hum filled the air.

The Professor wrapped his arm around Mary's shoulders as they watched the machine.

"It's working, Mary! It is actually... Wait!" he exclaimed, as the swirling colors suddenly brightened and the hum grew to an ear-piercing screech.

Suddenly, before either the Professor or Mary could react, the machine exploded.

The screen of the DVD player went blank.

"What? Is that it? This 'Interocitor' they built exploded, and he ended up here?" Frietag asked the technician.

The technician consulted his clipboard again, before answering. "Well, as far as we can tell, yes. The 'Interocitor' malfunctioned, and transported them across dimensions to our world. Once the professor landed in Atlas Park, the emergency transport system detected certain devices he had on his person, and mistook him for a Hero in trouble."

Frietag frowned, "Well, then I guess the Chief was right. This guy has the makings of a Hero, at least until we can find a way to send him home."

"A wise choice, Officer," the technician remarked, "especially considering that we have no idea how to send him home, yet."

"Yeah, at least it'll help him stay out of trouble. And I'm sure D.A.T.A. can help him adapt to present day. I'll call Rick Davies in a..." Frietag stopped talking for a moment, "Wait a minute! You said 'transported them'. Are you telling me that the girl is still out there somewhere?"

The technician looked pensive for a moment, "Well, we aren't exactly sure. But a dimensional rift with the same signature as his was located..."

Officer Frietag grabbed the technician by the collar "Why didn't you say so before? We need to send a medical team to bring her here immediately!"

"Well, sir, there's a slight problem with that..." the technician sputtered.

Frietag growled "Do tell. Why haven't we sent anyone to help her yet?"

The technician, shaking and sputtering, finally managed to squeak out, "Her rift signature places her somewhere on Rogue Isles..."

"Oh come on!" Akemi Ai exclaimed, on her feet and armed as soon as her name was mentioned. She walked over to the already-subdued automaton and poked it in the head with her foot. "I already told your Lord Nemesis that I'm not interested! Really, how stupid can you get? No means no, you metal madman, and I know you have a camera or something on this guy, or at least a wire. I am not going to help you! Besides, why would anyone want to kill Professor Winthrop? He's just a harmless inventor, leave the poor guy alone!" With that, she kicked the automaton again, her booted toes connecting to his chin with a satisfying clanging noise. The head popped right off and rolled to a stop in the yard. Akemi moved to sit back down, shaking her head. "Honestly..." Turning back to the rest of the group, she added, "Thanks for jumping him. This Nemesis bonehead is getting really annoying..."

((Yay Devious!))

"That was...weird. I wonder who that guy was?" Akemi said, thinking out loud. "Generally when people knock on the door they don't just stand around staring at people until some policeman or something distracts them...maybe he was afraid of us?" She looked around at the group. "There are three draconians and at least one hero of the city in here, after all..."

((We're all jammed until Khell posts...if no one else can think of a way to fix this up and get past it, we're probably going to have to skip out of this thread.))

Chapter Five of Shift is up.

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Second, nice work on the Griefers article, Kyo-Chan. I have some food for thought for Part II if you're still working on it.

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I'm always working on it, TonyV. PM me whatever you can think of. I like what you've got up there-you sure you don't want to write for the Scoop, too?

After the "Hazards of Getting Involved" articles, I have at least two more "Get Involved!" articles planned.

Muahahahahaha!

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((Curse you all for being inside a house. I wanted to do something funny, but now it'll just look fishy. ))

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(There is nothing wrong with things looking fishy. Doooo eeeet!))

Akemi slid to the floor, sitting on her knees, and held out one finger to the tiny dragon. "Pleased to meet you, John." she said. "If you're not an alien, if you're from here, too, where exactly are you from? I think we'd all know if a nation of draconian people was found..." she directed at no one in particular.

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"Though...why are you carrying an arsenal like that...?"

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Akemi shrugged, a tiny embarrassed smile on her face. "It's not really an arsenal, really...I mean, there's only the two of them..."

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"Okay, so, Am I the only one here who doesn't qualify as some type of hero?"

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"I'm not!" Akemi quickly answered. "A hero, I mean. I'm a...I guess a sort of hero in training, you could say...I mean, I want to be a hero someday...eventually..." She let the end of her sentence trail off as they entered Sam's house. "You have a very nice house, Mr. Winston. It's very homey." she said politely as she took a seat on one of the couches. She slid her backpack off and placed it on her lap, crossing her arms over it to make sure it would stay in easy reach.

This is a pic titled Catch Me! that one of my friends did as a favor to me. Merry (really late) Christmas, Charlie!

Chapter four of Shift is up.

"You mean, he just stands in one spot every day? But Positron's a hero, isn't he? Shouldn't he, like, be fighting villains or something instead of just standing there all the time?" Akemi turned to Sam again, a confused expression on her face as she quickened her stride slightly to keep up with her taller companions. "I thought heroes were supposed to protect the city, not act like decorations for it...OUCH!" Suddenly, she tripped. As soon as she landed, she scrambled for the items which had fallen out of her backpack-two identical sais, flashing brilliantly in the sun-and stuffed them back into the bag. "Uh, sorry...I'm such a klutz...first I ruin Mr. Winston's groceries, and then I trip and get in everyone's way...sorry!" She climbed back to her feet, slightly unsteady, and adjusted her backpack straps, blushing red.

((If I am, it'll be soon. ))

"That was amazing! Why would anyone hit you?" Akemi asked, her comments not loud enough to be heard over Mrs. Troy's assessment of Sarah's dry skin and the Peacebringer's joke about heavy objects. She shrugged as her words went by unnoticed and turned to Sam. "I'll come along too, if you don't mind..."

((Sorry it's so short...damn 10 am Positron...))

((Well, they were leaving, so it doesn't matter. xD I like what you did with them better! ))

Akemi turned to the two newcomers in the group and observed them critically from behind her warm expression. They certainly looked normal, but there was something quite otherworldly about them, like they fit in the space they occupied just slightly wrong. "Nope, nothing wrong here," she smiled. "Just some spilled milk, that's all. We were discussing heroes."

As the little group became a small gathering, the clique of Outcasts across the street vanished down an alleyway behind them, grumbling in low voices to each other. Even if they had wanted to attack Akemi and Sam Winston, once the Peacebringer had arrived on the scene they would have only had a slim chance, and with two more women arriving (one of whom carrying something that looked suspiciously like a weapon) they didn't have a prayer.

Akemi saw them go out of the corner of her eye. Good riddance to bad garbage... she thought to herself, turning back to eye the bag strapped across the taller woman's back. It was an awfully large bag, and she couldn't help but wonder what it contained.

Chapter 3 of Shift is up, and I think it's pretty clear now that we aren't in Kansas anymore.