Tundra Strikes Back (part2)
By Sac
The Chronomancer couldn't help but smile. So far, two of the SLJ council had entered the FPL...of their own accord! When he
and Barrabus has first concocted their plan to try and get rid of the SLJ council, make sure that they wouldn't be able to
interfere when they began their attack to on the SLJ headquarters, taking care of their worst enemy in one feel swoop, they
had both come to the conclusion that their purposes would best be served by tricking each SLJ Advisory Council member, and
Uberman himself, into joining the current FPL season. Supercomrade has been easy to fool, using Tundra as bait, with either
Russian realizing what had happened. Elwin had been a little more difficult...or would have been for anyone but the
Chronomancer. A short trip back and the right words spoken in the right ears, and it had triggered a burst of nostalgia in
the old heroine. As the Chronomancer watched Elwin register, then enter the Arena, he couldn't help but laugh. "So easy" he
chuckled, turning away.
Barrabus sat in his room, concentrating. It wouldn't be long now. Once the Sentinels had been destroyed, there would be
nobody to stand in the way of his OWN plans...not even his Fallen compatriots. There was a knock at his door, but Barrabus
ignored it. For now, he had to try and come up with a way to trick the remaining SLJ Advisory council members into joining
the FPL too...no easy task. JOE BIGG GUNNS...he wouldn't be too hard to trick for DollarCorp's contacts within KOMBGs would
ensure that. JBG was indebted to KOMBG for all his equipment. Without it, he would be nothing but an ordinary man, and thus
if they were to "suggest" he join, JBG would be extremely unlikely to refuse. Then there was Captain Khazan and GrayMalkin.
Both would be very difficult to manipulate. In the vampire's case, maybe they could use his lack of self-confidence against
him; try to convince him that his friends in the SLJ thought him worthless, and that he could only convince them otherwise
by entering the league again. "Yes...that may work" Barrabus mussed, scratching his chin. Suddenly his door burst inwards,
and many armored men barged into his room. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" Barrabus yelled, shocked by the intrusion into
his private chambers. "Barrabus, we have been ordered to take you directly to Mr. Dollar. He wishes to speak with you...now!"
spoke the man, the leader of this group of Dollar Corp Special Ops. "No...I think not. I shall NOT be taken anyway against
my own will, especially not by the likes of you!" some of the special ops men, newly recruited or they would have known
better, began to murmur, confused. However, their talk was quickly silenced by a few well-placed punches from the gunnery
sergeant. The captain quickly spoke into a small throat mike, then nodded and turned his head back to speak to his men.
"Men, we are to capture Barrabus...by force! Do NOT kill him, for Mr. Dollar still wishes to speak to him. GO! GO! GO!"
Barrabus scowled and quickly readied himself for battle. "It's been along time since I last had to fight, that is true. But
you men are all dead, to even think of DARING to attack me!" Barrabus turned his head, staring directly into a camera on the
wall. "Bad mistake Dollar." Then the camera burst into flames.
"Damn it!" Devyn slammed his fist down on the council as the vision from the camera suddenly went out. "This was a mistake
Marc. I should have gone myself, instead of sending your lackeys to do the work for us!" Marc Dollar puffed on his Cigar and
then replied. "No Devyn, my Special Ops are more than a match for Barrabus, even if you and he don't think so. I don't like
that he has been making plans behind my back, and it seems he won't tell me about them. So...I will MAKE him talk."
"Somehow...I don't think that will be necessary" said a calm voice that caused both Marc and Devyn to start. "Chronomancer!
How did you...?" Marc started to say, then stopped as he saw the Chronomancer stare at him.
"Barrabus and myself have been making plans, that much is true. But they are to strike directly at the SLJ."
"Tell me more" Marc said, a hint of suspicion still in his voice.
"The plan is simple. We will trick both Uberman and his advisory council into entering the Fantasy Powers League. Without
them, the SLJ will quickly fall apart." Devyn snorted in disgust.
"That's your Grand plan!? Bah! Just months ago, the SLJ council and leadership were formed for the first time! What
difference will it make if they were to go missing in Action all at once? None!" the dark dancer looked angrily at the
Chronomancer, who looked calmly back. "Devyn Soyokaze my good man. Think about it. The Sentinels have quickly adapted, to
the pit now where their council and leader are without them, they would be at our mercy." Marc and Devyn didn't look
convinced, so the Chronomancer quickly continued. "Already we have fooled Supercomrade and Elwin D'larthi, leaving only Joe
BIGG GUNNS, GrayMalkin, Captain Khazan...and of course Uberman himself." Finally, Marc spoke again.
"Chronomancer...I have to admit, I am interested. Very well, I will call of my special operations men from Barrabus. But IF
your plan succeeds, both myself and Devyn will wish to know." The Chronomancer nodded, and was gone just as suddenly as he
had appeared.
---
"So I am to find and secure this fossil?" Tundra asked. X nodded. "But...what then?"
"Then, I will find you and relieve you of the fossil." X said. Then he was gone.
"Ah...I HATE it when he does that." Tundra said, scowling. Since his defeat of Angelic Inferno, Tundra had been resting up,
waiting for his next fight. But while most of the other fights for this round had been announced, his had not. Still, he
didn't have time to worry about that now. Tundra spent most of the rest of the try exploring the Arena, trying to find where
this supposedly valuable fossil had been hidden. Finally, he managed to learn from an arena official that it was being
displayed in the main arena. As odd as this sounded, Tundra wasted no time in making his way quickly there.
---
"So..." Devyn said. "Did you tell him?" X lighted a cigarette then answered.
"Of course Mr. Soyokaze. In fact, the arena "official" I planted should have told him about Kaseki by now."
"Excellent" replied Devyn. "Good. We have no further need of you" Devyn said, but X was gone before he had even finished
speaking.
---
As soon as Tundra entered the arena, he knew something was wrong. Spectators were lined up all around the Arena, as if
waiting for a match to start. He felt nervous, but then decided not to worry. With his powers, he wasn't worried about the
police or any of the "heroes" that infested this place. The fossil itself rested on a pedestal near the center of the Arena,
with no guards in sight. Tundra approached it slowly. "Well...getting this was much easier than I thought" he mumbled under
his breath, still feeling edgy, though he couldn't say why. The reason made itself apparent a second later then the "fossil"
suddenly moved. Before Tundra's shocked eyes, the fossil seemed to suddenly grow legs and arms, and then attacked him. Acting
out of desperation, Tundra quickly knocked the creature away from him. "What is this!" he roared. It was then that he became
aware of the voice speaking over the loud speakers for the first time. While he had heard them saying his name as he entered,
Tundra had ignored them, so focused had he been on gaining the fossil. "I have been tricked...but why?" he wondered. He
didn't wonder for long, as the Fossil, named "Kaseki" according the one speaking, was upon him once again. Not yet ready to
deal with Kaseki, Tundra turned and began to run, quickly blasting some icy energy at the creature to distract it. But
instead of running, he bounded across the Arena at a great leap. Kaseki too seemed surprised by this sudden change. Tundra
smiled though. "Low Gravity. They have activated the Lowe gravity. So...Kaseki is to be my opponent this week." Tundra
stopped, and turned back to face Kaseki, his hands and his eyes both glowing light blue, a slight trace of mist emanating
from his hands. "SO BE IT!" Tundra roared. He raced towards Kaseki, his speed aided by the Low Gravity of the arena. But
before the super villain could stop himself, he crashed head first into his opponent. Kaseki wasted no time, and began to
claw and scratch Tundra, until it was thrown away by a huge blast of icy energy. As soon as the blast struck it, Kaseki
stopped moving. "HA! Nothing can stand up to my power!" Tundra yelled. He turned away, and began to walk towards the exit.
Buy no sooner was his back turned, then Kaseki revived. Tundra heard the creature, and was shocked to see it back on it feet,
no worse than it had been before. "But how? It was not able to avoid my attack..." It was then that tundra noticed something
about the creature. It's shell. "Maybe..." He murmured. Kaseki quickly bounded over to Tundra, and began to attack him again.
Tundra barely dodged aside, quickly kicking Kaseki away. "Wait...the creature's body...maybe if I attack the body..." Tundra
throught. This time, he waited, watching Kaseki. As before, the creature boudned towards him, hissing in fury and it prepared
to attack. But Tundra was ready for it. Catching it in mid air, he wrapping his large arms around Kaseki. The creature
hissed in fear, but couldn't get free. "Now, I will crush you!" Tundra roared. He began to squeeze his arms, applying
pressure on Kaseki's shell like body. There was a cracking sound, and then Kaseki went limp, its' arms and legs retracting
into its' shell like body. Tundra let Kaseki drop to the ground. He had defeated his opponent once again. Tundra quickly
walked over to where a camera was position. Grabbing, he roared into the microphone that was attached to it "DO YOU NOW SEE
THE POWER OF THE FALLEN?! WE CAN NOT BE DEFEATED!" turning his back, Tundra stalked from the arena.
---
Later that day, Devyn smiled as he watched Tundra's tirade after the matched had ended. "Excellent. Things are proceeding
better than I even dared hope!" The Dark Dancer then began to laugh, a hollow laugh, which echoed throughout the Fallen
Tower.
