50.Mickey said a little thankful prayer for the meditation his mother had made him do. It had allowed him to do many things. Including the repetition ability to give people powers. Before this battle he had only been able to give one person one power once time. Now he could do the same thing with the same person over and over. That was possibly the greatest thing his schooling had given him.
This was going to be a cornerstone to the battle plan he had put together. His was the chess board now.
The turning wheel of the disco ball was rotating slowly, but no eye could scan the clearing and not wonder what its part in this game would be.
The first move belonged to the Sleepless Knight.
He looked around at the forces set against him. He didn’t look concerned in the least. He was the most confident countenance Mickey had ever seen.
What happened next took place in a span of less than 30 seconds.
Shastan leapt into the air, and his face grimaced as he went twice as far as he had estimated he would. Taken so by surprise the blast of flames from Rugglestump knocked him back down to the ground.
The Super Immorti grunted and stood, but was unable to lift himself from the ground. He didn’t even feel the second blast of flames.
Then he pushed himself off the ground and found himself facing himself flying in the air. Before he could strike his reflection disappeared.
He slammed back into the ground and nearly lost consciousness. As he pushed himself to stand, a giant human appeared and smacked him with a powerful stroke and he flew into the side of his saucer. Suddenly pain shattered his concentration.
Something was falling from above that nearly cut through his skin. It was like the purest acid he had ever encountered.
In real pain he looked up to see a boy with his tights down around his ankles, and a constant flow of yellow substance streaming down at him.
Before he could take aim at the boy, he found himself flying away from the saucer and hit by the tail of a flying dragon.
He grabbed the tail and would have held on, except the dragon was now crashing to Earth, with a mass of unbelievable proportions.
On the ground he was picked up by the flying boy who shouted, “Batter up!” He was then dropped with the same kind of mass infesting him as had been on the dragon a minute before.
Then it was gone and he was just in mid-air.
Racing towards him was Maria, so he readied himself for the impact from the superhuman woman, but instead was hit from behind by the giant human flying through the air at a prodigious rate of speed.
After the impact he found himself falling to the ground again.
“Ya’ ain’t playing with kids anymore,” The older brother said.
“Well actually he is,” Said the younger one, “He just can’t measure up.”
He hit the ground and an immense dragon smashed down upon him with a mass that could have leveled a mesa.
Mickey waited till he crawled out from under the dragon, and turned up the disco-ball’s speed. It also added some music as it went.
“Recognize that, Punk?” The acid boy said, “It’s my favorite song for you.”
Shastan exploded and jumped towards the boy who had dared speak to him thus, only to find he was going at double the speed and distance he had planned. He ran head first into one of his robots, demolishing the thing.
That was the first 30 seconds.
At this point the forces from the base entered the battle. They were attacking the Robot circle with the ferocity of a mother bear protecting her cubs.
The robots were fighting valiantly, but Mickey knew that is was Shastan that had to fall. He also knew that he didn’t have long before the evil guy started to catch on to what was going on.
“Attack Plan B!” Mickey shouted, and everyone gave him their planned hi-signs.
Suddenly there were two of Mickey standing on either side of the disco-ball.
The song “Another One Bites The Dust” rang out though the woods.
As angry as Mickey had gotten, now Shastan was even more insane with emotion.
“Now,” Mickey thought, “we got you.”
Shastan flew straight up 100 feet and began a dissent that would be fatal to all who got in his way.
Only suddenly there was no one in the clearing.
He hovered in the center of the woods.
There was a terrific battle going on yards away, but there was no one here.
Then, he was aware of the McCauley boy, grinning childishly at him, flying only a few feet away.
Then there was another one, on the ground.
The music blared, fanning his rage.
The air above his head rained acid on him.
Flame came from an unseen source below.
Then he was batted by something he also couldn’t see.
Then he slammed into the ground again.
“You’ve been angry so many years,” Maria’s voice whispered in his ear, “Maybe it’s driven you insane.”
He slapped at the source of the unseen voice, and may have hit something, but couldn’t be sure.
The music changed to “They’re Coming To Take Me Away!”
He now knew what the problem was.
That damn ball was some kind of super weapon. That was what he was going to have to destroy.
He walked, taking care not to try to fly, over to the disco ball.
Mickey was standing by, and looked worried as he approached.
“After I destroy this,” Shastan growled, “Then you will all die by my hand.”
“Not the Omegatron 13?” Mickey gasped.
Shastan raised his foot and smashed the device. The music stopped.
He had won.
Mickey took a walkie-talkie out of his pocket and turned it one, “He guys, bring out the Omegatron 14, will ya’.”
At this point several invisible people carried at least five more of the devices onto the clearing ground, all playing “Yummy Yummy, I Got Love In My Tummy,” for no good reason.
A blast of fire snapped Shastan back to the moment. He turned to answer the attack and was thrown by his own strength, which was more than he thought.
Salt water splashed on the cuts from the acid and inflicted some severe pain.
Robots were falling on the sidelines.
He was confused in a way he didn’t think possible. The only thing he truly trusted was his own power, but now that wasn’t trust worthy.
“Surrender, we’ll sign a truce with you,” Mickey said.
“Never,” Came the answer and his hand reached out and it wrapped around the throat of the boy.
Mickey felt the air stop entering his body, and he feared he would pass out.
© 2005 by C. Wayne Owens