Lucas

"Slightly fewer than we can handle," Dinah says firmly. Her scream didn't disable, so she sweep kicks one as far away as she can on her way to racing towards another, wrestling it to the ground and away from the others.

"Robots usually have 'off' buttons, right?"

(All the while praying: please don't explode while I'm holding you, please don't explode while...)

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"Haven't seen one yet," Duster answers, pinning the kicked bot to a wall with his staples.

"I'm really sorry," whimpers the Porky-bot in Dinah's hold.

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Autor picks one distanced from the others off with a well-placed flash bang. He tosses another up into the holes in the ceiling and waits for beeping. "I don't think anymore are dropping down!" he says. "But be careful!"

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"Oh man."

Dinah, for the record, hates throwing things. She turns away from her friends, and hurls the Porkybot away from her, while rolling backwards to give herself as much distance as possible.

"I say we get out of here."

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A couple of the Porky-bots explode. More drop from the ceiling despite Autor's attempt to stop them.

But all of a sudden, some guys rush into the room!

"Tonda Gossa!" calls Baccio as he jumps out and effortlessly takes out a Porky-bot without exploding it. "Dramatic climaxes are when unruly dudes like us get to shine!"

Shimmy Zmizz beans another. "Seems this Master Porky guy was trying to use us to brainwash everyone. I say it's high time we screw up his idiotic plan!"

"Hah! We ain't gonna let this Porky freak have his way!" Magic shouts.

"We're gonna make you pay for all the bad stuff you've done!" OJ adds. "Get ready! It's punishment time!"

One by one, the DCMC deactivate and destroy the rest of the Porkybots in the room.

"Everyone all right?" Magic asks, offering a hand to anyone who needs it.

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a1enzo

SUDDENLY, MUSICIANS.

"I think we're good, yeah. Thanks for the backup."

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Autor takes that hand, given that one of the explosions happened to knock him down. "Er, thanks," he says, thoroughly confused. "Nice job cleaning up the mess."

He glances around the room. "Think that was the last trap?"

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"Lucas, this is it," says the gruff shepherd that just entered the room. "This is finally it..."

Boney barks and rushes forward, pawing at Flint's hand while Lucas turns to face him.

"Dad...?"

Why are his feet lead when facing his father properly for the first time in three years? Shouldn't he run forward the way Boney did?

"Have we managed to corner the enemy....or have we all been dragged here?" adds Wess as he and others from Tazmily file in. "Hmm. I suppose it doesn't matter either way. Right, Duster?"

Bronson and Alec look around the strange room. Lighter messes with the 2x4 he's hauling on his shoulder while his son Fuel turns circles. Lastly, Dr. Andonuts from the chimera lab approaches the front of the room.

Lucas can't remember the last time he saw everyone together like this. Why here like this?

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"Is anyone hurt?" Autor asks, clearing his throat.

He shifts his feet, trying to find a space for himself in the crowded room, and ends up near Lucas. "Hey. You okay?"

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"Huh?" Lucas goes. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Flint steps closer to Lucas, looking Dinah, Enzo, and Autor over.

But then there's a creaky coughing and wheezing.

"Come a little closer so I can see your face better..."

Lucas looks left, then right, then turns around.

"Oh, is that what you look like? I was the one who brought you here. A traveler who has journeyed to and from past and future. I'm the most clever, most charming, and most trouble-making boy ever...

"Master Porky Minch!"

Chains rattle in the high ceiling.

"I welcome you once again, you weak hangers-on pretending to be the last survivors of this world! Spankety, spankety, spankety! Ahahahahahahaha!"

The chains jerkily lower a bed holding an immensely old man. His skin is wrinkled and almost as white as his hair, his cheeks are sunken in, and his childish t-shirt and denim overalls have been faded by time.

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a1enzo

"That's our virus? Seriously? He's just…"

Pretty creepy, actually, but not in any way Enzo had expected.

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If Autor hadn't just blown up a robot wearing a facsimile of those overalls, he wouldn't have believed the announcement.

"Spankety?" he murmurs, perplexed.

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Dinah steps closer to Lucas, so she's standing next to him, in case he needs it. But she also folds her arms across her chest, distinctly unimpressed.

"Does anyone object if I kick this guy's ass?"

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This sends Porky into another cough-laughing fit.

"You resorted to blanking your memories to create a new world where humanity's past failures would never be repeated... How stupid can you be?! No matter how much you change the rules, no matter how much you refuse to admit defeat, in the end, the creatures known as 'people' will always sign their own death warrant by acting out of stupidity and evil. And then...mankind will be gone for good."

He gives a feeble shrug aimed towards Lucas.

"You could've been happy, if only you would've done as I did and obediently followed the visionary, selfish desires of a great hero..."

Porky wheezes and tries to catch his breath.

"Why is it you struggle to cling to life with such puny minds, pitiable bodies, and feeble hearts?"

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"Aren't you doing the same?" Autor points out quietly. "Creating armies of robots to serve and immortalize you in your old age?"

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Porky heaves out another laborious laughing-coughing fit.

"Get a load of Four Eyes!" he chortles. "We'll have to send you to the Chimera Lab and weld your mouth shut. We can yank out your busted eyes and fit you with a better pair while we're at it."

Lucas edges in front of Autor. Porky clears his throat.

"Well, no matter. The curtain is about to fall on this pathetic little play of yours. Because, soon, the power of power will be mine. The world and everything in it has been my oyster so far, and now I'll end it all by acquiring the ultimate power."

The ancient annoying kid next door laughs himself into gasping.

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a1enzo

Enzo snarls softly. Out of the corner of his mouth, he asks the locals and Lucas in particular, "Any reason we can't just delete him now?"

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Haven't you ever heard of a dramatic monologue? Autor thinks, gratefully stepping behind Lucas.

"He probably has shields or something," he murmurs. "In any case, it's unlikely he'll stop yammering at us."

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Or something is an apt description. Anyone trying to move any more than a few inches will now find their feet in a thin but gummy slime generated from Porky's bed mech.

"Though everything so far has been fun and games, I've given you many a concession. I was bored out of my mind and wanted to play something more thrilling, you see. But now that we're face-to-face like this, I won't hold anything back.

"My slave... My lifeless son will pull the final Needle for me. And, the moment he does, the Dragon should awaken and do as I want. At which time, I assume you fools will turn into garbage or dust or something and finally disappear for good. Ahaha, I'll admit, that is kind of sad. But I would be crushed under the weight of boredom if it were any other way.

"Do you understand now? Do you understand the sadness Master Porky bears now that he's godlike?"

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"Eww," Autor says at the gummy material, trying unsuccessfully to lift his feet.

The start of Porky's speechifying is the standard dreck, but by the time the old man starts talking about his motivations derived from boredom, Autor sets his teeth.

"Would you please be quiet?"

Porky isn't, of course.

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Of course.

His next laughing fit peters out and he exclaims, "Oh! You love your little dramatic plays, so this couldn't have come at a better time for you! It seems the seventh and final Needle has just been located deep underground, below here."

Porky hacks out more laughter, absolutely giddy.

"I assume you want to pull it too, right, Lucas? Why not go and check it out then? I'm even being fair enough to tell you where it is. That really will make this game all the more fun! But I think I'll use my shortcut to give myself a head start, if you don't mind! Bring it on! If you can catch up to me, that is! Here, you can use this elevator all you want! Spankety spankety spankety!"

The chains jerk and hoist Porky's bed back up just as the floor beneath Lucas and his friends suddenly drops down

once,

twice,

and then falls under completely.

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a1enzo

"Fraaaag! I really hate that guy!"

Think fast, think fast. He could grapple the edge of the pit, but that'd leave everyone else falling. The last needle is down, if Porky was telling the truth, and it sounds like pulling that is a better bet than trying to go back up and kill him, seeing how that just went. He doesn't have enough line to gently lower himself 100 storeys, and that still wouldn't help the others. Options...

"Guys! Try to grab onto me! My forcefield... the impact..."

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Oh, Autor thinks, that jerk!

He has a flotation potion in his pocket, but he doesn't know if it'll last long enough--a minute or so at most--but thankfully Enzo's command interrupts his depressing mental math. After trying to breathe against the wind, Autor swims over to Enzo and tries to snag his foot.

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a1enzo

Enzo stretches his leg in Autor's direction, and splays his limbs out for the others to catch.

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