“Block the door!” Fallenz commanded.
The Phoenix lunged forth. With hands waving furiously, she cast a magical wall of force. It filled the entrance to the portal room and pushed against the troops inside. They fell back, literally; the wall sent the front ranks rolling like oranges. It continued to push until they all fell back into the entrance room just inside the cave. The troops who managed to remain upright fired everything they had at the Phoenix. Her other wards stopped some of the shots, and she dove for cover to avoid the rest. While out of sight, she crawled to the entrance and took position out of sight to the side. The force wall remained intact and impassable, and now its source was inaccessible to the Nemesis troops. They reacted by shooting blindly into the room, blanketing every visible spot of cover with explosions, shrapnel, and poison gas.
Grog’s booming laugh could only barely be heard over the roar of the Nemesis ordinance. “I hoped to block it with their corpses, but this will suffice for the moment!” He poked his head around the corner and taunted, “Come, fools! Face Grog and die!” His head almost disappeared in the smoke from the return fire, but he merely ducked back behind the corner and straightened his helmet, laughing the whole while.
The Phoenix sensed something huge crash into the barrier, and her hands contorted into claws from the effort of trying to keep it out. “There’s something pushing through! I can’t hold it off for much longer!”
Warbow risked a peek to check on the scene. Pushing through the ranks of Nemesis soldiers and filling the doorway were a pair of Warhulks, backed up by another Fake Nemesis automaton: doubtless the commander of this force. The barrier shone and shimmered as they pressed against it. Step by tortured step they trod to the doorway. Thinking quickly, Warbow drew a grenade arrow, nocked it, darted out from cover and snap shot the arrow at the leading war machine. It flew straight and true, and detonated against the carapace of the lead Warhulk. The explosion did not penetrate the hull, but that was not its intended purpose; the Warhulk was bowled over from the force of the blast and, once its feet no longer contacted the ground, it could no longer resist the push of the magical barrier. The Warhulk rolled back into the other war machines, knocking them over as well. The trio continued the avalanche until they rolled into the lesser troops. Crunching sounds presaged the slackening of fire from the entranceway.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Warbow sprinted to the side of the doorway where most of his companions already lay. He announced, “I knocked the big stuff over, so that should buy us a few seconds. What can we do with that?”
The Phoenix grunted with effort as she replied, “You didn’t get them all! There’s one still up, and I can’t do anything to stop it!”
All heads turned to the doorway. It wasn’t one of the huge Nemesis war machines that strode effortlessly through the force wall, but a smaller figure in bronze armor with glowing blue trim. None of the heroes could mistake it for anything other than what it was: a duplicate of the hero Positron.
“So that’s what Grog was talking about…” Fallenz mused.
From his spot on the opposite side of the doorway from Fallenz, Grog spotted Positron as well. With a mighty bellow, he swung his gigantic sword in a deadly arc and connected solidly with the automaton’s neck. The collision did not separate the head from the shoulders, as was the usual result of Grog’s swordsmanship. Instead, it barely caused the duplicate to wobble. Grog’s countenance shifted first to confusion, then anger. The massive sword wound back as Grog prepared to strike again. His second stroke was interrupted by a short blast of radiation, and the burly warrior checked his swing to preserve the contents of his stomach.
As he did when confronted by the fake Manticore, Flog leapt to attack, once again unaware that this was not one of his old foes but a robot duplicate. Stone flew with primal fury and smashed into the automaton with explosive force; chips from the mallet flew everywhere and pattered off the rock walls and deck plating with a sound like rain on a tin roof. The blow would have sent almost anyone flying through the air yet, as with Grog’s sword, Positron held his ground and calmly blasted Folg in reprisal. The sickening yellow blast hit him square in the chest, burning flesh and animal hide alike. Flog’s stench redoubled.
Molly quickly evaluated the situation. “I know radiation. The more he hits them, the more vulnerable they’ll be to attack and the weaker they’ll become. We have to end this quickly.”
Fallenz barked, “Lucius, you and I will jump in. The rest of you, do what you can without getting shot!”
Lucius held his sword high and dashed across the gap with a cry of, “Have at thee, Quasi-tron!”
“No, [censored] it!” Fallenz howled. “I was gonna name this one!” He charged after Lucius.
Lucius made it across the open entranceway with little fuss but Fallenz, who was following, lacked the protection of a surprise appearance, and received the full effect of the Nemesis soldiers and automatons’ firepower. Bullets and explosive shells blasted into his side, ripping great gashes in his bio-armor and flipping him head over heels. He landed hard and crawled behind cover. The overengineered Nemesis architecture provided excellent protection from bullets. It was less effective against shrapnel and poison gas; they both worked around or through the gaps in the structure and continued to attack Fallenz, worming into his flesh through cracks in the armor. Pinned down and bleeding, Fallenz hunkered in what cover he could find and tried desperately to think of a way out.
John Wayne, Tom Mix, and Lee Powell materialized in the entrance and blazed away. The higher pitched chatter of their guns joined the chorus of reports from outside the room, and the Nemesis army switched targets. Some charged for the opening, trusting in their fighting spirit and the long reach of their bayonets to reach and defeat the phantom cowboys. They yelled their battle cries in their last few lunging steps and stabbed ineffectually into the bodies of the movie men. Before they could switch to more vulnerable targets, a sheet of ice formed under their feet, and they all fell down, victims of the super-slick surface. Warbow rolled into view of the opening and loosed another high-explosive arrow. The resulting blast once again cleared the opening of foes. Captain Glacier crawled into view of Fallenz and threw a cloud of healing nanobots at him. They swarmed over his body, worked their way under the bio-armor and into his wounds, staunched the blood flow and sealed the wounds shut in mere seconds.
Fallenz poked his head up. Captain Glacier gave him a grin and a thumbs-up. Fallenz nodded his thanks, then did a double take as he saw who was blocking the entrance. “The Duke? You brought out The Duke? Molly, you’re the best!” It was silly, but Fallenz felt better protected, and he smiled broadly under his facemask.
“Don’t get used to it, Fallenz. That’s your taste in movies, not mine!”
Fallenz was well acquainted with MonochromeMolly’s taste in movies; he resolved to remind her of this incident later when there was time for teasing. For now, though, there was only time for the blade. He leapt full into the air and flew at Positron, resolving to bring him down as fast as possible.
The fight didn’t look like it was going their way. Grog hewed at the fake Positron with his massive sword, scoring hit after hit but, not only did the duplicate of the famous hero have all the debilitating radiation attacks of the original, he also posessed at least equal durability. Flog swung, but more cautiously now; whatever the source of his protection, it appeared to be failing him. Though covered in burns, Lucius fought undiminished. Each hit with sword or mallet was answered in kind by a blast of radiation that easily penetrated whatever protection the three carried. Fallenz could see that it wouldn’t take long before each of his companions were rendered defenseless.
Fallenz swooped by Positron’s head and slashed at it as he passed. The blade scraped along the helmet to little effect. He changed course, flew up to the rocky ceiling, then cut off all thrust and let gravity take over. Fallenz fell practically on top of the fake Positron and used his weight, downward momentum, and all his upper body strength to power his Talsorian blade. The blade’s field generators screamed as the attack slammed home with the force of a car crash. Positron showed his first sign of weakness as he was sent sprawling onto the floor.
Fallenz took a quick look at Grog. The humongous warrior panted and wobbled slightly. He looked pale and, most alarmingly, sported a sheen of sweat on his brow. “You OK, big guy?” Fallenz asked.
“I haven’t felt this bad since that curse of sobriety,” Grog declared. “Fear not. It will pass once I have severed his head from his shoulders!”
Positron stood to do battle. Grog threatened the construct with the point of his sword. “Dare mess with Grog, eh?” The Positron duplicate still did not speak as a response to the threat. It replied by casting a wave of radiation from its body that burned and ate away ate the four fighters, and followed up with a sickening bolt into Grog that made him practically glow.
Fallenz’ arrival to the fray didn’t have a telling effect on the damage output, but he did give them a desperately needed chance to back away. Flog, Fallenz, and Lucius danced in and out, striking hard then jumping away as Positron counterattacked. Their evasive maneuvers didn’t always work, but each attack that missed them kept them in the fight that much longer. There was no subtlety to this fight; it was purely hammer and tongs, and the side that could last the longest would be the winner.
Neither Fallenz nor Lucius chatted while fighting the automaton. The fake Positron likewise fought in silence. Flog roared incoherently. Grog kept up a steady stream of threats, insults, and boasts as he hacked and chopped with his gigantic broadsword. He also did not back away from the automaton. He stayed up close and personal. Whether from his patter, proximity, or some other factor, the duplicate paid more attention to Grog than to the others. After a series of blasts, he waved his hand and saturated the burly warrior with radiation that spread throughout his body and continued to radiate, affecting the rest of his companions.
Fallenz edged away from Grog and the radiation that emanated from his body. “Dude, get clear!”
“Don’t be stubborn, Grog,” Molly added from across the room. “Move back and wait for the effect to wear off.”
“No!” Grog thundered, sounding more healthy than he looked. “I will not retreat! I will not fall! No one defeats Grog! NO ONE!” With that last declaration, he activated the most dangerous spell woven into his armor. His body now glowed with a different power altogether, a protective ward that dwarfed the previous enchantments but could only be sustained at the cost of his life energy. While active, he was unstoppable but, once it wore off, he ran the risk of being killed by the very enchantment that protected him.
Grog pulled a flask from his belt and downed the contents in a single draught. Another glow of power added to his body, this one giving the hint of supernatural vitality and health. He casually tossed the flask away and growled, “Positron must pay for all the trouble he put me through!”
Puzzled, Captain Glacier inquired, “What ah you talking about?”
Positron blasted Grog in the stomach. Unlike the last hit, this attack only served to enrage Grog further. He hammered relentlessly at Positron, all the while roaring his complaints. “This coward sent me to do his most menial tasks. Me! The mighty Grog!” He hacked at an outstretched arm, severing cables in a shower of sparks. “Go here and fight these worthless zombies!” He swung underhand, slamming his sword into Positron hard enough to force him to step back. “Go there and fight those weakling mages!” The sword came down on top of Positron’s head. “Take this to Azuria!” Now it slashed across Positron’s middle. “Take that to Azuria!” Grog battered Positron’s outstretched arm aside, spoiling his aim. “Speak to some wench on my behalf!”
“Grog, are you calling Paula Dempsey ’some wench’?” Molly protested.
“Leave him be, Molly,” Fallenz chided. “He’s in one of those moods.”
Heedless of the conversation around him, Grog bellowed, “The mighty Grog is no messenger boy! I will KILL HIM for this insult!” He roared and redoubled his efforts to murder the fake Positron.
Molly continued to try and correct Grog but, before she could begin, Fallenz noticed and cut her off. “Not now! Let him use it while it lasts.”
Molly nodded in acquiescence. “Then let’s try to shorten the fight. She waved her hands at Positron, and saturated him with radiation of her own. “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander!” she quipped as her radiation interrupted the fake Positron’s power flow and weakened his armor. “And this goose will be well cooked when I’m finished!”
One of Warbow’s special arrows impacted onto Positron, showering him with a powerful acid. “Don’t forget to baste him!”
Captain Glacier sprayed Positron with a stream of cryogenic fluid. A crust of ice formed on the armor. Though it did not immobilize the robot duplicate, it did slow its movement and attack speed. “I’ll freeze the leftovahs!” he added.
It was all Fallenz could do to keep from laughing as he rejoined the fray. The robot duplicate of Positron was still up, still fighting, and still dangerous, but the momentum of the fight had clearly turned. Grog drew all Positron’s attention to himself, and was proving to be remarkably resilient. Lucius, Flog, and Fallenz took chunk after chunk out of Positron’s armored hide. The ministrations of Warbow and MonochromeMolly weakened the duplicate, and Captain Glacier kept the front line fighters in the action. With everyone working towards the same goal, the outcome was now a forgone conclusion, and after a few more minutes of furious fighting, the fake Positron finally gave out and collapsed to the floor.
Flog hit it a few more times just to be sure.
As soon as the duplicate stopped moving, the Phoenix wailed, “I can’t keep this up much longer!”
“You’ve done great,” Fallenz praised. He turned and spoke to Flog in a conspiratorial tone. “Hey, Flog, maybe these are the guys who took the mastodons. You should go ask them about it.”
“FLOG SMASH!” The caveman bellowed and lunged for the entranceway. He passed effortlessly through the force wall. Crunching sounds echoed in the confined space.
Grog strode purposefully after Flog. Not willing to let him go unchecked after taking so much damage, Fallenz called out after him, “Hey, big guy! You all right?”
Grog turned slowly to reply. His massive form blotted out the light, shading his face and accenting the look on it. Fallenz’ eyebrows raised a fraction at what he saw. Blood, sweat, and grime caked his face, but that wasn’t what gave Fallenz pause. He could never forget Grog’s love of fighting and, in all the times he’d fought alongside Grog, Fallenz usually remembered him as having a bloodthirsty grin on his face. This time was different. No mortal rage could match the look Grog wore now. He wasn’t going after the Nemesis troops to fight them; he was on a mission of murder.
“Never better,” Grog growled.
“Um… OK… have fun!” Grog turned without a word and marched out of the room. Screams of shearing metal rang out.
Fallenz peeked his head around the corner. After a glimpse, he pulled back and said to the Phoenix, “I think it’s safe to drop your spell.” She dropped her arms with a relieved sigh and slumped onto the ground to rest.
“You’re not going after them?” asked Lucius from over Fallenz’ shoulder.
Fallenz turned and just shook his head.
Lucius frowned, and took a look for himself. He retreated as quickly as he advanced. “Ah.”
“Yeah.”
Ater a moment of silence, Lucius inquired, “So… what did you intend to call our duplicate?”
“Hmm? Oh, that. I was gonna call him Poser-tron.”
“Poser-tron?”
“Yeah. Not the real Positron, he’s just a poser. A wanna-be.”
“I see.”
Fallenz leaned up against the wall. “It doesn’t look like there’s anything more for us to fight.”
“For now.”
“While Grog and Flog are busy, you mind showing me whatever you pointed out earlier?”
“Not at all.” Lucius walked away from the raucous slaughterfest. Fallenz followed closely. The rest of the team just watched them in silence as they moved away. With puzzled looks on their faces, they got up from their positions, moved to the entrance, and took a look at the source of the noise. One quick glimpse later, each backed away and followed Fallenz and Lucius, being careful not to make any noise that would attract the attention of their more bloodthirsty companions. The crunching, shearing sounds and cries of agony and fear continued uninterrupted for some time to come.