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And we're back in the past and can check the eyrie archive
once again.
Here's where you can find this and more Pliable Lad
Action!:
https://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/Series/Pliable.Lad/
And it's Pliable Lad #2 and 3 by Mike Escutia!
Will Frank Marzan find out what happens to people who
call the Ultimate Ninja -- Ninj?! Will this finally
be the day that Pliable Lad writes "LNH Tour Guide"
on his costume?! And is it time for someone to be
revealed to be a -- CLONE!??????
Find out in...
_
| | Classic
| | =
| | ____ ____ _ ____ ___
| |__ | [] | | [] | | | | [] | | _ \
|____| \__] \__ | |_| \__/ |_|\_\
||
|_| OF NET.HEROES
ADVENTURES #412
=====================
Pliable Lad #2-3
=====================
===============================================================================
CHAPTER TWO: "Caught in the Middle"
"Your boyfriend's getting his butt reupholstered!"
--Ferro, _Legionnaires_ #4
Frank Marzan was busily working on some papers in his office in the
David building. He looked more like a biker than a businessman; his long, black hair hung down past his shoulders, and he wore a black Suicide Squid t-shirt. He was quietly singing to the tune being played on the radio
(K-ACL
106.3-FM, Less talk, More rock): the Spin Doctors' 'Jimmy Olsen's Blues'. A quick glance at the clock told Frank that there was only an hour left before closing.
He had just finished going over a batch of new client applications when
the phone rang. Without bothering to turn down the radio, Frank tossed his
pen
onto the desk and picked up the receiver.
"Sidekicks 'R' Us. You need an assistant, we'll give you a boy wonder!
Frank speaking....Ninj? That you? Long time no hear! How's it going?
What?
You don't say! Really? A jungle island? Sounds outrageous. A tribe?
Jungle
Women?!? You still got a map? Okay, okay. What d'ya need, Ninj? Sorry,
*Ul-
timate Ninja*. Another sidekick? Sure, no prob. Who's the lucky one this time? You don't know yet? Hey, no big deal. In fact, I've got just the
guy.
I'll send him right over. He'll be there ASAP, 'kay? Okay. Say hi to Typo Lad for me. Bye, Ninj."
Frank hung up and flipped through a small book, searching for a partic-
ular listing. He accidentally passed by what he was looking for and wound
up
in the 'G' section, which brought back memories of what had happened not
more
than a few months ago. Finally finding what he was looking for in the 'E'
sec-
tion, he picked up the receiver again and began dialing.
_-<+*+>-_
It was just after four when Pli left LNHHQ. The instructions he had
been given over the phone were to be at the fourteenth alleyway north of
the
corner of Kogutt Road and Savoie Street at five. The intersection of the
two
streets was west of LNHHQ, putting the meeting place in a northwesternly
dir-
ection--but still a bit of a walk.
Which is exactly what worried Pli. Why couldn't these people have gone directly to LNHHQ and ask to meet him there? Why draw him away from the
LNH?
Did they want to capture him and hold him hostage? Was one of the
Net.Patrol's
enemies, such as Defacto, behind it? Was the LNH in trouble? Was the
Net.Pat-
rol in trouble?
Was Panta in trouble?
He walked faster.
Pretty soon, he was walking north on Kogutt Road, but his thoughts were
turned inward, so he failed to keep track of the alleyways.
"Why would anybody want to meet with *me*?", he asked himself. "Why
not Ultimate Ninja? Or Kid Kirby? Or Deja Dude? Or...or *anybody*, for
that
matter? Why me?"
He suddenly looked straight up and shouted "Don't answer that!"
But it was too late. A lone man in spandex jumped out in front of
him, Wolverine claws extended. But, instead of being made of Adamentium,
they
were made of fire!
"Well, well, well.", the man smirked. "Long time, no see, Ply. We've
missed ya."
"We...?", Pli said intelligently.
That's when he noticed that he was surrounded.
"Oh, man.", he muttered. "I gotta stop hanging around Cliche Dude..."
_-<+*+>-_
Ultimate Ninja was in the Peril Room again, running the program in
which he kills the entire LNH...again. He slashed and mashed, killing one LNHer after another. Kid Kirby...California Dude...Bandwagon Chick...Kid
An-
arky...Cannon Fodder...Kid Chivalry...All-knowing Last Chance Whiner Destiny Woman...Catalyst Lass...Lost Cause Boy...Lost Cause Boy?...Deja
Dude....Deduc-
tive Logic Man...Myk-El???....Cheezarr?...What was going on
here?...Continuity
Champ?....Squid Boy....Bandwagon Boy?!?!?
"STOP PROGRAM!", UNinja yelled.
The LNHers who were all still up froze in their places, some in mid-
air.
Suddenly, the intercom beeped. "Ultimate Ninja, please report to the monitoring room."
Grateful for the diversion from the weirdness that had become the Peril
Room, UNinja briskly headed for the door, shouting into the air "Computer!
Mark all remaining targets for double-kill. End program." He wasn't about
to
let anyone luck out.
The ninja quickly walked out of the Peril Room, the blood on his
clothes disappearing as he did. Rushing into the monitoring room, he walked over to Multi-Tasking Man, Deja Dude, and Kid Kirby, who were all gathered around the main viewscreen.
"I thought we agreed that all dead or former LNHers would be removed
from the roster.", the ninja said. His program utilized the most up-to-date roster...supposedly.
"I'm not sure.", M-T Man replied. "Why?"
"I just killed Lost Cause Boy, Continuity Champ, Myk-El, and Cheezarr."
"Oh. I'll fix it. Take a look at this.", M-T Man said, turning to
the viewscreen.
"What's going on?", the ninja asked.
"Pliable Lad apparently responded to a request to meet somebody at
an alleyway north of Kogutt and Savoie.", Deja Dude said.
"And, judging from this," Kid Kirby said, gesturing at the screen. "it
appears to have been a trap."
The ninja's eyes narrowed. "Assemble a strike force. We're going to
teach these people a lesson!"
_-<+*+>-_
Pli was having a bad day. He really was.
It was bad enough that he had had another of those weird dreams the
night before, and, as a result, had not gotten as much sleep as he would
have
liked, but he had once again been forced to give a new LNHer--in this case
Kid
Chivalry--a tour of LNHHQ. This was the fifteenth time he had done that; he was tempted to write 'LNH Tour Guide' on the back of his costume.
That was *before* he walked into the trap.
Pli dodged another attack from the guy with the flaming claws, but the
move left him open for the short one to hit him in the stomach. The
net.hero
doubled over, apparently in pain.
"Good work, Bug!", the apparent leader shouted. "Somebody grab him be-
fore he can recover!"
But before any of them could reach him, Pli turned into a beach ball
and rolled at an astonishing speed down the alleyway. When he was about
twenty
feet away from his attackers, he reassumed his normal shape and took up a
def-
ensive stance.
"Look," he said. "I don't know who you guys are or why you're after
me, but I can assure you that I have done *nothing* to hurt offend you or
your loved ones."
It was a rather impressive line, and Pli was rather pleased with
himself for it.
That was when a giant hand grabbed him from behind and picked him up
off the ground. Pli stretched his neck around to see what was behind
him--and found himself in the grasp of a very large costumed man.
"That was a very impressive line.", the giant said. "But it won't help
you here!"
"Ulp.", Pli said in reply, silently thinking "Can my day get any worse
than this?"
As if in response, a shuriken suddenly appeared in the giant's arm, and
he howled in pain, loosening his grip slightly on Pli. Pli turned to see
Ulti-
mate Ninja and several LNHers standing at the mouth of the alley, poised
for
battle.
"Unhand that net.hero!", the ninja shouted.
"It just got worse.", Pli muttered.
_-<+*+>-_
At the same time that Pli was struggling to free himself from the gi-
ant's grasp (before the LNH engaged his captors in combat), Marty Liefeld
(no
relation to Martin Phipps) was jogging through Net.Central Park.
Not possessed of much wisdom, Marty was not smart enough to jog else-
where. Net.Central park was home to muggers, rapists, and murderers, most looking to terrorize lone joggers. But Marty had been jogging here for the past four years, so he felt perfectly safe. And he always jogged during the day, too.
But for Marty, life was dull. There was no excitement, fame, or con-
troversy for him. He wanted a piece of the pie; he wanted to do something
that nobody would forget, even if they wanted to.
That's when he ran into the spaceship. Head against hull. And, just
like Scotty took a fall after hitting his head in Star Trek V: The Final
Fron-
tier, so too did Marty.
Now, you're probably wondering what a spaceship was doing on a joggers'
path. Well, to tell you the truth, it wasn't even *near* the path, and
neither
was Marty, for that matter. They were both in a clearing, off the path,
that
Marty always jogged through to avoid one particular group of muggers--all of them old men with canes and nasty attitudes.
Oh, and the spaceship was cloaked, so if you're going to ask why Mar-
ty didn't see it, don't.
Inside the spaceship itself were two men. One sat at a lab table
working on an experiment, while the other was standing at a computer station watching a monitor with interest.
"Hey, Doc,", he said to the man at the table. "some jogger just hit
his head on our hull."
The other man, who was definitely the elder of the two, got up from
the table and joined him at the monitor. After studying the screen for a
mom-
ent, he fiddled with some controls for a few minutes until some data came up
on another screen.
"He'll be alright.", he announced. "He only suffered a small concus-
sion."
But that didn't make his young friend feel any better. "Shouldn't we
go out and help him?", he asked.
"*No*. Nobody's supposed to know we're here. Stormguard told me *not*
to leave the ship for any reason."
"But Stormguard doesn't know about me.", the younger man said.
"But you might be seen, and then we'll all be in big trouble.
Besides," the elder man said, a small smile crossing his lips. "you're supposed to be dead."
"Oh, yeah.", the younger man said. "Allright." He turned back to the
monitor while the other man returned to his work. "I sure hop the poor
guy's
okay.", he said to know one in particular.
Several hours later, Marty Liefeld would wake up, and, suffering from
brain damage, decide to follow in his distant relative Rob's footsteps and
make
a living writing and drawing bad comics.
_-<+*+>-_
In the middle of the battle between the two teams, the Ultimate Ninja
was enjoying himself immensely. The opposition numbered just over twenty,
but
one of them turned out to be able to create duplicates of himself, making
the
fight that much more challenging for the LNH. And never let it be said that the Ultimate Ninja didn't like a challenge.
Suddenly, he spotted a dark figure running back into the alleyway.
Slicing his way out of the battle, the ninja ran after it. He knew another ninja when he saw it.
Pli was fighting off several members of the other team while helping
to defend some injured LNHers. He didn't want to fight these people, but he wasn't about to let them hurt his friends.
His hands shaped like mallets, Pli knocked back two more 'Knightforc-
ers' (that's what their leader called them when the battle started), but one had plant-controlling powers--he was a plant-man, in fact--and was able to
grab Pli's arm with some vines. But Pli turned his fingers into sharp
knives
(a la Ripclaw of Cyberforce) and started cutting away. The plant-man got
the
idea and let go.
Out of the corner of his eye, Pli noticed the Knightforcers' leader,
whom somebody had referred to earlier as 'Stormguard', follow Ultimate Ninja back into the alleyway. Pli, figuring he could get to the bottom of the
mess he was in by going to the top, followed him.
But, just to be safe, he shapechanged into a cat.
Meanwhile, Ultimate Ninja had reached the mouth of the alleyway. Run-
ning into it, he was surprised to find the other ninja waiting for him. "Finally," the other said. "someone worthy of my skills!"
"Who are you?", UN asked cautiously.
"I am Nightblade of the Knightforce Elite.", came the reply. "And
you?"
"I am the Ultimate Ninja, leader of the Legion of Net.Heroes!"
"'Ninja', yes.", Nightblade said. "But 'Ultimate'? We shall see."
And then he attacked, blades at the ready.
Ultimate Ninja easily dodged the attack, and grabbing a handful of
ninja bush, threw it at Nightblade, catching him by surprise.
"He has ninja bush!", Nightblade thought.
Ignoring his minor wounds, Nightblade attacked again, but this time
he was ready for any sudden offensive moves. But the Ultimate Ninja jumped into the air, twisted around, landed behind and facing the other ninja,
grab-
bed his (Nightblade's) head, and slammed it into the wall, forcing him to
drop his weapons.
"Will you surrender?", UN asked.
"Never!" And with that, Nightblade shot his leg up to kick UN in
the stomach, but the other ninja merely grabbed it (the leg) and twisted it around to a rather painful position. UN then slammed Nightblade's head into the wall again, and again, and again.
"Never...", Nightblade muttered as he passed out. The Ultimate Ninja
could tell that his opponent wasn't conscious, in a death trance, or faking
it,
so he let him fall to the ground.
"Nice job.", said a voice behind him. "Nobody's been able to beat
Nightblade in combat. You're the first."
Ultimate Ninja spun around, his hand on the hilt of his sword, to see Stormguard standing about ten feet away. "You followed me out of the
battle.",
the ninja observed.
"Yes.", the Knightforce leader said. "We need to talk."
"You're right. We do."
The two leaders turned to see Pli coming out of his hiding place behind
some trash cans. Neither of them had noticed him sneak into the alleyway.
"And *he* followed me.", Stormguard observed casually. "Hello, Ply-
max."
"Why did you call me that?", Pli demanded. "That guy with the flaming
claws called me that, too. Who ARE you guys?!?"
"You mean you really don't remember us?", Stormguard asked.
"No. Not one bit.", Pli said hesitantly. "Waitaminute..." His
face took on a look of shock. "The dreams! You're the people from my weird dreams!"
"Ah. So your mind is trying to remember.", Stormguard said. "That's
a step in the right direction."
"But...it's all still vague.", Pli said. "I don't know who...or WHAT
I am..."
"Oh, that's simple. You're Plymax, a member of the Knightforce. Look
at our costumes."
Pli looked at Stormguard's costume, then down at his own. Both were
red bodysuits with blue stripes going down the left-hand side of the chest
and
down the right leg. Both had blue waistbands, gloves, and boots. In short, they were identical.
"Holy cats!", Pli exclaimed. "We match!"
Then Pli knew what he had to ask. Turning to Stormguard, he asked
"Do you know WHAT I am?"
The Knightforcer's expression was one of thought for a second. Then
he looked straight at Pli, and gave his answer.
"You're a clone."
===============================================================================
PART THREE: "Clones, Sidekicks, and Partial Revelations"
"I managed to get by on a combination of wits and some bits of
arcane knowledge."
--Dr. Occult
"I'm a WHAT?!?"
"A clone.", Stormguard repeated.
"I'm...a...clone?", Pli muttered. He was having a hard time accepting
the revelation. The thought of another him--the *real* him--out there some- where was...well, terrifying.
"Well...maybe.", the Knightforce leader replied.
"What do you mean, 'maybe'?", Pli asked.
"Well, there's the possibility that *you* might be the original."
"That doesn't make me feel any better."
"I didn't think it would.", Stormguard said. He then turned to Ul-
timate Ninja, who had refrained from rejoining the battle outside the alley- way to listen to their conversation. The unconscious body of Nightblade,
the
Knightforce ninja, lay on the ground behind him. "Perhaps we should stop
them
before they slaughter each other.", he suggested, gesturing to the battle.
The three heroes (or maybe that should be two-heroes-and-a-dubious- individual-who-may-or-may-not-be-a-hero) were standing in the alleyway
where,
less than an hour ago, Pli was supposed to meet the Knightforce people. It turned out to be a trap, or, at least appeared to be one, and the LNH came
to
his rescue, resulting in a rather fierce battle.
"Yes, perhaps.", the Ultimate Ninja said cautiously. He was still sus-
picious of these people--they *did* attack a member of the LNH--but he
didn't
want any more problems on his hands, so he decided against jumping back into the fray and ending it his way.
Instead, he stormed to the mouth of the alleyway, drew in a lungfull
of air, and shouted "Stop!"
Everybody stopped.
_-<+*+>-_
A half-hour later, the two teams had returned to LNHQ. On their way
over, Stormguard revealed that the Knightforce (henceforth referred to as
KF) had been sent to find and apprehend a super-villain whom they believed
was now in Net.ropolis. The rest of the KFers were made comfortable in the
LNH assembly hall (which, in a few weeks, would be used by Tsar Chasm in his plot to take over the LNH.*), while Stormguard met with Ultimate Ninja, Deja Dude, Kid Kirby, Multi-Tasking Man, and Pliable Lad in the central command room.
[*This story takes place shortly before The Great Public Domain Caper.
--MRE]
"So tell us again why you're here.", Ultimate Ninja asked.
"As I said," Stormguard began. "we are in pursuit of a super-villain
calling himself Doctor Armaggeddon. We have traced him to this world, and
we believe he will make his move to take over the world soon, quite possibly starting with this city. We want to be ready when he does, and we would
like
you and your people to help us."
"Um, excuse me," Pli interrupted. "but if this is the same guy who's
been appearing in my dreams lately, aren't we going to be in way over our heads? I mean, in the dream I had last night, he defeated the entire
Knight-
force!"
"True, he did defeat us.", Stormguard replied. "But with the combin-
ed might of Knightforce and your people, that will not be the case this
time."
"We will help you.", the Ultimate Ninja said. "*But* then you must
return to your own world."
"Very well."
Ultimate Ninja signaled to the others, who all got up and headed for
the door. "Now, if you don't mind, we have preparation to make.", the ninja said. He and the others left, leaving only Pli and Stormguard in the room. "While we're waiting for this 'Doctor Armaggeddon' guy to pop up, how
about telling me about me?", Pli asked.
"Ah, yes.", Stormguard said. "Well, I guess this is as good a time
as any."
Suddenly, the far end of the room became foggy, and a figure materi-
alized in the heart of the fog. He carried a staff in one hand, and stood dramatically and purposefully. He was also wearing a trenchcoat.
"Your origin must wait, Pliable Lad," the (didja figure it out yet?)
Dvandom Stranger said dramatically (as always). "for there are other mat-
ters you must concern yourself with."
"What are you talking about?", Pli asked skeptically. The last time
the Stranger had appeared to him (a matter of hours ago), he found himself heading for trouble.
"There is a factory on the other side of Net.ropolis. You will find
the answers to some of your questions there.", the Stranger said. Then he vanished.
"Wonderful.", Pli muttered. He turned to Stormguard, who had watch-
ed the encounter quite calmly for one who had never encountered the Dvandom Stranger before. He was leaning back in his chair, his hands steepled in
front of him.
"Perhaps," the Knightforcer said. "you should investigate this fac-
tory now. I assume your friend was serious...?"
"That's the annoying part: he's *always* serious! But he's not my
friend.", Pli said as he quickly left, leaving Stormguard alone in the com- mand room.
_-<+*+>-_
"...And you're saying the Dvandom Stranger told you to investigate
this factory?", the Ultimate Ninja asked.
"Yeah," Pli responded. "just like he warned me about the phone call
I got this afternoon. Only I figured I'd check with you this time."
"Good idea.", Ultimate Ninja growled. Pli took an involuntary step
back. The ninja still had to have a talk with Pli about running off at some stranger's (not Dvandom, that is) request. But that could wait until after this whole mess had been straightened out.
The ninja turned to Deja Dude, Kid Kirby, and Multi-Tasking Man, who
were standing by his ready room door. Deja Dude mouthed something to Ulti- mate Ninja, but Pli didn't see it. UN nodded, and Deja poked his head out
the
door to talk to somebody.
"All right," Ultimate Ninja said. "I'll let you go." Pli was reliev-
ed. "But I'm sending someone with you."
"Come again?"
At Deja Dude's signal, a small boy walked into the room. He wore a blue-and-green jumpsuit with green circles radiating out from a point on
his
chest. His green cape hung down to his knees; it was one or two sizes too large for him.
"Pliable Lad," Deja Dude said proudly. "meet your new sidekick...
Echo Lad!"
"Hi hi hi.", the boy said in a weird, echoey voice. "Nice nice nice
to to to meet meet meet you you you."
"But I don't need a sidekick!", Pli protested. "Who says I need a
sidekick?"
"I do.", the Ultimate Ninja replied. "You have a problem with that?"
Pli couldn't help but notice that the ninja's hand was on the hilt of his sword.
"Ah...um...no," Pli said quickly. "no problem at all!"
"Good."
Pli looked down at Echo Lad, who was watching him expectantly. "I
wonder if Typo Lad started out this way...?", he thought.
"Well well well?", his sidekick asked. "Are are are we we we going
going going or or or what what what?"
"Oh, boy."
_-<+*+>-_
After the doors to the command room had closed, Stormguard remained
in his seat for a moment, his hands still steepled in front of him. He then touched a button on his wrist communicator.
"Stormguard to Doctor Armaggeddon.", he said calmly.
"Armaggeddon here", came the reply. "Report, my twisted doppelgan-
ger of a hero!"
"Everything is proceeding according to plan, milord. These so called 'net.heroes' completely believe that we are on their side. And the one
person
who might be able to see through our deception is too confused to even
*notice*
that something is wrong!"
"Excellent! The Destructron is almost completed, and once this world's greatest heroes are dealt with, I shall rule! MU-HA-HA-HA!!!", the voice
cac-
kled. "Excellent work, my servant! Prepare for Phase Two! Armaggeddon
out!"
Stormguard turned his communicator off and stood up. He had to make
sure the LNH fell into his master's trap. As he turned to leave the room, a smile crossed his face momentarily.
It was a smile of evil.
A few minutes after Stormguard had left the command room, a lone
figure crawled out from under the meeting table and stood up. Dusting him- self off, he looked at the door pensively for a moment before teleporting
out.
_-<+*+>-_
It took Pli and Echo Lad over an hour to walk to the factory. Ultimate
Ninja wouldn't let them take a flight thingie (neither of them knew how to
fly
one anyway), and they had no other means of transportation, so they walked
it.
Pli wore a light blue jacket and jeans, and Echo Lad wore a green
sweatshirt.
The two didn't talk much as they walked. Pli didn't like the idea of
walking the city streets at night (does anybody?), let alone the outskirts
of
the city. And having a newbie to keep an eye on didn't help matters much.
Be-
sides, Echo Lad's voice gave Pli a headache.
Eventually, they reached the factory without incident. Finding a win-
dow on one side of the building, Pli stretched his arm underneath it and un- locked it from the inside. He helped Echo Lad through first, then climbed through himself, after which he quietly closed the window, but didn't lock
it.
The two net.heroes-turned-detectives found themselves standing amongst
several piles of boxes; they were in the storage area. They couldn't see
any-
thing, but they could hear noises coming from other parts of the factory.
Peo-
ple. Keeping low, they creeped closer, winding their way around several
stacks
of boxes, until they could see into the middle area of the factory.
What they saw made their jaws drop.
A large machine, shaped like a cylinder, only with a flat bottom, was
being loaded into a truck by several workers, while another supervised. By
the
front end of the truck, another man pushed a button on a control panel and
two
large doors in the wall slid apart and open, letting what light there was
(it
was night out, after all) spill in through the opening.
"Hurry it up!", the supervisor shouted. "The boss wants the Destruc-
tron in place in a half-hour!"
"Destructron?", Pli thought. "Bomb...!"
Pli leaned closer to Echo Lad, who was equally surprised by what the
two of them found. "We gotta get out of here and warn the LNH!", he
whisper-
ed to his sidekick.
The two net.heroes turned to sneak back to the window they came in through...and found themselves at the business end of a pistol. At the
other
end was one of the factory workers.
"Stand up very slowly.", the man said. The two LNHers complied. "I
found them!", he shouted to the other workers.
Out of the corner of his eye, Pli noticed that the truck had left.
"Well?", said the supervisor.
"Well, what?", the man asked.
"Well, what?", his echo repeated.
This caught everyone by surprise. The accoustics in the factory were
far too poor for any echoes, and yet, one just happened.
Pli looked at Echo Lad, who was watching the man with the gun intent-
ly. "So *that's* how his powers work!", he thought.
"Are you going to shoot them or what?", the supervisor asked, followed
by his echo.
"My pleasure!" And with that, the man aimed the gun right at Pli and
Echo Lad.
Suddenly, there was a flash of silver and the gun barrel fell to the
floor, having been sliced off of the gun. The worker who was holding the
gun
turned to see a trenchcoat-clad figure, sword in hand, standing not more
than
four feet away, and was so surprised that he dropped the gun and fainted on
the spot.
"Kid Chivalry!", Pli exclaimed. "What're you doing here?"
"I followed you.", KC replied. "You're not going to believe this,
but those Knightforce guys are in league with that Doctor Armaggeddon char- acter!"
"As are we!", the supervisor shouted. Next to him, a man with a rath-
er large gun dropped to one knee and began taking aim at the three heroes. "Fire the sonic cannon!"
The man with the large gun pulled the trigger, and a powerful surge
of energy shot out of the gun--and straight towards the net.heroes.
While Pli and KC found themselves frozen in terror, certain that they
were about to die, Echo Lad, who was standing between them and the workers,
put his hands out in front of him, palms facing the oncoming assault, and
con-
centrated.
To everybody's surprise, the energy wave bounced off of something in
mid-air and began to...well, *echo* back to the workers, knocking them off their feet.
"Run for it!", Pli shouted. The three LNHers bolted for the doors,
which were now closing. Pli stretched his arm out and hit the 'stop' button
on the door control panel, and the doors stopped closing with only a foot of space between them. Pli stretched his way through easily, and KC teleported
to the other side, but Echo Lad almost got stuck in the opening. Pli helped him, and the net.heroes ran off into the night, leaving the workers in dis- array.
_-<+*+>-_
They ran all the way back to LNHQ. Kid Chivalry could have teleported
them all there, but he could only go about twenty feet or so, if that, and
he
didn't even know if he could take passegers (nor was this the time to try
it),
so they decided against it. No need to have further complications.
As they ran, they noticed that the city had suffered a power outage.
"How did you...>pant<...find out what the Knightforce was really...
pant<...up to?", Pli asked as they ran.
"I overheard Stormguard call Doctor Armaggeddon on his communicator.",
KC said. "I think they *serve* that guy!"
"But how do I fit into all this?", Pli asked, though not necessarily
to the others.
"Maybe maybe maybe you you you turned turned turned against against
against them them them.", Echo Lad suggested.
"(Does he always talk like that?) Or maybe they turned bad.", KC
added.
"(I think so.) That would go more with my dreams.", Pli said. "One
of the few things I remember about the Knightforcers--at least the ones in
my dreams--is that they were good guys! (I think he's related to Typo
Lad.)"
"They could be the clones. (That would explain it.)", KC said.
"*Evil* *evil* *evil* clones clones. (I I I heard heard heard that
that that!)", Echo Lad added.
"Wonderful.", Pli muttered.
"(Rats.)", KC said.
_-<+*+>-_
After about an hour of running, they finally reached LNHQ. Not only
were all the lights still out, but it was quiet. Too quiet.
"Don't tell me they all went to bed!", KC said.
"At this time of the night?", Pli said. "Doubtful!"
"Maybe maybe maybe they they they went went went after after after
Doctor Doctor Doctor Armaggeddon Armaggeddon Armaggeddon.", Echo Lad sugges- ted.
"Let's hope not!", Pli said. "We gotta warn them!"
The three ran up the steps to the front door, where Pli entered his
access code into the computer panel. (The security system was on its own
gen-
erator.) The door unlocked, and the net.heroes ran through...
...only to find it completely deserted.
"Tooo tooo tooo late late late.", Echo Lad whistled.
===============================================================================
==========
Next Week: Possibly more Pliable Lad!!!
==========
Arthur "Same Classic Channel. But Same Time? Probably not." Spitzer
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<div dir=3D"ltr"><br>And we're back in the past and can check the eyrie=
archive <br>once again.<br><br><br>Here's where you can find this and = more Pliable Lad<br>Action!:<br><br><a href=3D"
https://archives.eyrie.org/r= acc/lnh/Series/Pliable.Lad/">
https://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/Series/Pli= able.Lad/</a><br><br><br>And it's Pliable Lad #2 and 3 by Mike Escutia!= <br><br>Will Frank Marzan find out what happens to people who<br>call the U= ltimate Ninja -- Ninj?!=C2=A0 Will this finally<br>be the day that Pliable = Lad writes "LNH Tour Guide"<br>on his costume?!=C2=A0 And is it t= ime for someone to be<br>revealed to be a -- CLONE!??????<br><br>Find out i= n...<br><br><br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 _ =
<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0| | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
=A0Classic <br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0| | =C2=A0=
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0=3D<b= r>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0| | =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0_= ___ =C2=A0 =C2=A0____ =C2=A0 =C2=A0_ =C2=A0 =C2=A0____ =C2=A0 =C2=A0___<br>= =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0| |__ =C2=A0 | [] | =C2=A0|=
[] | =C2=A0| | =C2=A0| [] | =C2=A0| _ \ =C2=A0<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0=
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0|____| =C2=A0 \__] =C2=A0 =C2=A0\__ | =C2=A0|_|=
=C2=A0 \__/ =C2=A0 |_|\_\<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2= =A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0||= <br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 |_| =C2=A0OF NET.HEROES<br><br>= =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 ADVENTURES #412<br><br= ><br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2= =A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2= =A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 Pliable Lad #2-3<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2= =A0=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br><br><= br><br><br><br><br>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br><br>CHAPTER TWO: "Caught in the M= iddle"<br><br>"Your boyfriend's getting his butt reupholstere= d!"<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0--Ferro, _Legionnaires_ #4<br><br><br> Frank Marza=
n was busily working on some papers in his office in the <br>David building= .=C2=A0 He looked more like a biker than a businessman; his long, <br>black=
hair hung down past his shoulders, and he wore a black Suicide Squid <br>t= -shirt.=C2=A0 He was quietly singing to the tune being played on the radio = (K-ACL<br>106.3-FM, Less talk, More rock): the Spin Doctors' 'Jimmy=
Olsen's Blues'. =C2=A0A<br>quick glance at the clock told Frank th=
at there was only an hour left before<br>closing.<br> He had just finished = going over a batch of new client applications when<br>the phone rang.=C2=A0=
Without bothering to turn down the radio, Frank tossed his pen<br>onto the=
desk and picked up the receiver.<br> "Sidekicks 'R' Us.=C2=A0=
You need an assistant, we'll give you a boy wonder!<br>Frank speaking.= ...Ninj?=C2=A0 That you?=C2=A0 Long time no hear!=C2=A0 How's it going?= =C2=A0 What?<br>You don't say!=C2=A0 Really?=C2=A0 A jungle island?=C2=
=A0 Sounds outrageous.=C2=A0 A tribe?=C2=A0 Jungle<br>Women?!?=C2=A0 You st= ill got a map?=C2=A0 Okay, okay.=C2=A0 What d'ya need, Ninj?=C2=A0 Sorr=
y, *Ul-<br>timate Ninja*.=C2=A0 Another sidekick?=C2=A0 Sure, no prob.=C2=
=A0 Who's the lucky one this <br>time?=C2=A0 You don't know yet?=C2= =A0 Hey, no big deal.=C2=A0 In fact, I've got just the guy.<br>I'll=
send him right over.=C2=A0 He'll be there ASAP, 'kay?=C2=A0 Okay.= =C2=A0 Say hi to Typo<br>Lad for me.=C2=A0 Bye, Ninj."<br> Frank hung =
up and flipped through a small book, searching for a partic-<br>ular listin= g.=C2=A0 He accidentally passed by what he was looking for and wound up<br>=
in the 'G' section, which brought back memories of what had happene=
d not more <br>than a few months ago.=C2=A0 Finally finding what he was loo= king for in the 'E' sec-<br>tion, he picked up the receiver again a=
nd began dialing.<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 _-<+*+>= ;-_<br><br> It was just after four when Pli left LNHHQ.=C2=A0 The instructi=
ons he had<br>been given over the phone were to be at the fourteenth alleyw=
ay north of the <br>corner of Kogutt Road and Savoie Street at five.=C2=A0 = The intersection of the two<br>streets was west of LNHHQ, putting the meeti=
ng place in a northwesternly dir-<br>ection--but still a bit of a walk.<br>=
Which is exactly what worried Pli.=C2=A0 Why couldn't these people hav=
e gone<br>directly to LNHHQ and ask to meet him there?=C2=A0 Why draw him a= way from the LNH?<br>Did they want to capture him and hold him hostage?=C2=
=A0 Was one of the Net.Patrol's<br>enemies, such as Defacto, behind it?= =C2=A0 Was the LNH in trouble?=C2=A0 Was the Net.Pat-<br>rol in trouble?<br=
Was Panta in trouble?<br> He walked faster.<br> Pretty soon, he was walki=
ng north on Kogutt Road, but his thoughts were<br>turned inward, so he fail=
ed to keep track of the alleyways.<br> "Why would anybody want to meet=
with *me*?", he asked himself. =C2=A0"Why<br>not Ultimate Ninja?= =C2=A0 Or Kid Kirby?=C2=A0 Or Deja Dude?=C2=A0 Or...or *anybody*, for that<= br>matter?=C2=A0 Why me?"<br> He suddenly looked straight up and shout=
ed "Don't answer that!"<br> But it was too late.=C2=A0 A lone=
man in spandex jumped out in front of <br>him, Wolverine claws extended.= =C2=A0 But, instead of being made of Adamentium, they<br>were made of fire!=
<br> "Well, well, well.", the man smirked. =C2=A0"Long time,=
no see, Ply.=C2=A0 We've<br>missed ya."<br> "We...?", P= li said intelligently.<br> That's when he noticed that he was surrounde=
d.<br> "Oh, man.", he muttered. =C2=A0"I gotta stop hanging = around Cliche Dude..."<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 _= -<+*+>-_<br><br> Ultimate Ninja was in the Peril Room again, running = the program in <br>which he kills the entire LNH...again.=C2=A0 He slashed = and mashed, killing one<br>LNHer after another.=C2=A0 Kid Kirby...Californi=
a Dude...Bandwagon Chick...Kid An-<br>arky...Cannon Fodder...Kid Chivalry..= .All-knowing Last Chance Whiner Destiny<br>Woman...Catalyst Lass...Lost Cau=
se Boy...Lost Cause Boy?...Deja Dude....Deduc-<br>tive Logic Man...Myk-El??= ?....Cheezarr?...What was going on here?...Continuity<br>Champ?....Squid Bo= y....Bandwagon Boy?!?!?<br> "STOP PROGRAM!", UNinja yelled.<br> T=
he LNHers who were all still up froze in their places, some in mid-<br>air.=
<br> Suddenly, the intercom beeped. =C2=A0"Ultimate Ninja, please repo=
rt to the<br>monitoring room."<br> Grateful for the diversion from the=
weirdness that had become the Peril<br>Room, UNinja briskly headed for the=
door, shouting into the air "Computer! =C2=A0<br>Mark all remaining t= argets for double-kill.=C2=A0 End program." =C2=A0He wasn't about = to<br>let anyone luck out.<br> The ninja quickly walked out of the Peril Ro= om, the blood on his<br>clothes disappearing as he did.=C2=A0 Rushing into = the monitoring room, he walked<br>over to Multi-Tasking Man, Deja Dude, and=
Kid Kirby, who were all gathered<br>around the main viewscreen.<br> "= I thought we agreed that all dead or former LNHers would be removed<br>from=
the roster.", the ninja said.=C2=A0 His program utilized the most up-= to-date<br>roster...supposedly.<br> "I'm not sure.", M-T Man =
replied. =C2=A0"Why?"<br> "I just killed Lost Cause Boy, Con=
tinuity Champ, Myk-El, and Cheezarr."<br> "Oh.=C2=A0 I'll fix=
it.=C2=A0 Take a look at this.", M-T Man said, turning to <br>the vie= wscreen.<br> "What's going on?", the ninja asked.<br> "P=
liable Lad apparently responded to a request to meet somebody at<br>an alle= yway north of Kogutt and Savoie.", Deja Dude said.<br> "And, judg=
ing from this," Kid Kirby said, gesturing at the screen. =C2=A0"i= t<br>appears to have been a trap."<br> The ninja's eyes narrowed. =
=C2=A0"Assemble a strike force.=C2=A0 We're going to <br>teach the=
se people a lesson!"<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 _-<= ;+*+>-_<br><br> Pli was having a bad day.=C2=A0 He really was.<br> It wa=
s bad enough that he had had another of those weird dreams the<br>night bef= ore, and, as a result, had not gotten as much sleep as he would have<br>lik= ed, but he had once again been forced to give a new LNHer--in this case Kid= <br>Chivalry--a tour of LNHHQ.=C2=A0 This was the fifteenth time he had don=
e that; he<br>was tempted to write 'LNH Tour Guide' on the back of = his costume.<br> That was *before* he walked into the trap.<br> Pli dodged =
another attack from the guy with the flaming claws, but the<br>move left hi=
m open for the short one to hit him in the stomach.=C2=A0 The net.hero<br>d= oubled over, apparently in pain.<br> "Good work, Bug!", the appar= ent leader shouted. =C2=A0"Somebody grab him be-<br>fore he can recove= r!"<br> But before any of them could reach him, Pli turned into a beac= h ball <br>and rolled at an astonishing speed down the alleyway.=C2=A0 When=
he was about twenty<br>feet away from his attackers, he reassumed his norm=
al shape and took up a def-<br>ensive stance.<br> "Look," he said=
. =C2=A0"I don't know who you guys are or why you're after<br>= me, but I can assure you that I have done *nothing* to hurt offend you or<b= r>your loved ones."<br> It was a rather impressive line, and Pli was r= ather pleased with<br>himself for it.<br> That was when a giant hand grabbe=
d him from behind and picked him up<br>off the ground.=C2=A0 Pli stretched = his neck around to see what was behind<br>him--and found himself in the gra=
sp of a very large costumed man.<br> "That was a very impressive line.= ", the giant said. =C2=A0"But it won't help<br>you here!"= ;<br> "Ulp.", Pli said in reply, silently thinking "Can my d= ay get any worse<br>than this?"<br> As if in response, a shuriken sudd=
enly appeared in the giant's arm, and<br>he howled in pain, loosening h=
is grip slightly on Pli.=C2=A0 Pli turned to see Ulti-<br>mate Ninja and se= veral LNHers standing at the mouth of the alley, poised for <br>battle.<br>=
"Unhand that net.hero!", the ninja shouted. <br> "It just g=
ot worse.", Pli muttered.<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
=A0 _-<+*+>-_<br><br> At the same time that Pli was struggling to fre=
e himself from the gi-<br>ant's grasp (before the LNH engaged his capto=
rs in combat), Marty Liefeld (no<br>relation to Martin Phipps) was jogging = through Net.Central Park.<br> Not possessed of much wisdom, Marty was not s= mart enough to jog else-<br>where.=C2=A0 Net.Central park was home to mugge= rs, rapists, and murderers, most<br>looking to terrorize lone joggers.=C2=
=A0 But Marty had been jogging here for the<br>past four years, so he felt = perfectly safe.=C2=A0 And he always jogged during the<br>day, too.<br> But = for Marty, life was dull.=C2=A0 There was no excitement, fame, or con-<br>t= roversy for him.=C2=A0 He wanted a piece of the pie; he wanted to do someth= ing<br>that nobody would forget, even if they wanted to.<br> That's whe= n he ran into the spaceship.=C2=A0 Head against hull.=C2=A0 And, just<br>li=
ke Scotty took a fall after hitting his head in Star Trek V: The Final Fron= -<br>tier, so too did Marty.<br> Now, you're probably wondering what a =
spaceship was doing on a joggers'<br>path.=C2=A0 Well, to tell you the = truth, it wasn't even *near* the path, and neither<br>was Marty, for th=
at matter.=C2=A0 They were both in a clearing, off the path, that<br>Marty = always jogged through to avoid one particular group of muggers--all of<br>t= hem old men with canes and nasty attitudes.<br> Oh, and the spaceship was c= loaked, so if you're going to ask why Mar-<br>ty didn't see it, don= 't.<br> Inside the spaceship itself were two men.=C2=A0 One sat at a la=
b table <br>working on an experiment, while the other was standing at a com= puter station<br>watching a monitor with interest.<br> "Hey, Doc,"= ;, he said to the man at the table. =C2=A0"some jogger just hit<br>his=
head on our hull."<br> The other man, who was definitely the elder of=
the two, got up from<br>the table and joined him at the monitor.=C2=A0 Aft=
er studying the screen for a mom-<br>ent, he fiddled with some controls for=
a few minutes until some data came up<br>on another screen.<br> "He&#=
39;ll be alright.", he announced. =C2=A0"He only suffered a small=
concus-<br>sion."<br> But that didn't make his young friend feel =
any better. =C2=A0"Shouldn't we<br>go out and help him?", he = asked.<br> "*No*.=C2=A0 Nobody's supposed to know we're here.=
=C2=A0 Stormguard told me *not*<br>to leave the ship for any reason."<=
"But Stormguard doesn't know about me.", the younger man =
said.<br> "But you might be seen, and then we'll all be in big tro=
uble.<br>Besides," the elder man said, a small smile crossing his lips=
. =C2=A0"you're<br>supposed to be dead."<br> "Oh, yeah.&=
quot;, the younger man said. =C2=A0"Allright." =C2=A0He turned ba=
ck to the<br>monitor while the other man returned to his work. =C2=A0"=
I sure hop the poor guy's<br>okay.", he said to know one in partic= ular.<br> Several hours later, Marty Liefeld would wake up, and, suffering =
from<br>brain damage, decide to follow in his distant relative Rob's fo= otsteps and make<br>a living writing and drawing bad comics.<br><br>=C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 _-<+*+>-_<br><br> In the middle of th=
e battle between the two teams, the Ultimate Ninja<br>was enjoying himself = immensely.=C2=A0 The opposition numbered just over twenty, but<br>one of th=
em turned out to be able to create duplicates of himself, making the<br>fig=
ht that much more challenging for the LNH.=C2=A0 And never let it be said t= hat<br>the Ultimate Ninja didn't like a challenge.<br> Suddenly, he spo=
tted a dark figure running back into the alleyway.<br>Slicing his way out o=
f the battle, the ninja ran after it.=C2=A0 He knew another<br>ninja when h=
e saw it. =C2=A0<br> Pli was fighting off several members of the other team=
while helping<br>to defend some injured LNHers.=C2=A0 He didn't want t=
o fight these people, but he<br>wasn't about to let them hurt his frien= ds.<br> His hands shaped like mallets, Pli knocked back two more 'Knigh= tforc-<br>ers' (that's what their leader called them when the battl=
e started), but one<br>had plant-controlling powers--he was a plant-man, in=
fact--and was able to<br>grab Pli's arm with some vines.=C2=A0 But Pli=
turned his fingers into sharp knives<br>(a la Ripclaw of Cyberforce) and s= tarted cutting away.=C2=A0 The plant-man got the<br>idea and let go. <br> O=
ut of the corner of his eye, Pli noticed the Knightforcers' leader,<br>= whom somebody had referred to earlier as 'Stormguard', follow Ultim= ate Ninja<br>back into the alleyway.=C2=A0 Pli, figuring he could get to th=
e bottom of the<br>mess he was in by going to the top, followed him.<br> Bu=
t, just to be safe, he shapechanged into a cat.<br> Meanwhile, Ultimate Nin=
ja had reached the mouth of the alleyway.=C2=A0 Run-<br>ning into it, he wa=
s surprised to find the other ninja waiting for him.<br> "Finally,&quo=
t; the other said. =C2=A0"someone worthy of my skills!"<br> "= ;Who are you?", UN asked cautiously.<br> "I am Nightblade of the = Knightforce Elite.", came the reply. =C2=A0"And<br>you?"<br>=
"I am the Ultimate Ninja, leader of the Legion of Net.Heroes!"<b=
"'Ninja', yes.", Nightblade said. =C2=A0"But '=
;Ultimate'?=C2=A0 We shall see."<br>And then he attacked, blades a=
t the ready.<br> Ultimate Ninja easily dodged the attack, and grabbing a ha=
ndful of<br>ninja bush, threw it at Nightblade, catching him by surprise.<b=
"He has ninja bush!", Nightblade thought. =C2=A0<br> Ignoring =
his minor wounds, Nightblade attacked again, but this time<br>he was ready = for any sudden offensive moves.=C2=A0 But the Ultimate Ninja jumped<br>into=
the air, twisted around, landed behind and facing the other ninja, grab-<b= r>bed his (Nightblade's) head, and slammed it into the wall, forcing hi=
m to<br>drop his weapons.<br> "Will you surrender?", UN asked.<br=
"Never!" =C2=A0And with that, Nightblade shot his leg up to kic=
k UN in<br>the stomach, but the other ninja merely grabbed it (the leg) and=
twisted it<br>around to a rather painful position.=C2=A0 UN then slammed N= ightblade's head into<br>the wall again, and again, and again.<br> &quo= t;Never...", Nightblade muttered as he passed out.=C2=A0 The Ultimate = Ninja<br>could tell that his opponent wasn't conscious, in a death tran= ce, or faking it,<br>so he let him fall to the ground.<br> "Nice job.&=
quot;, said a voice behind him. =C2=A0"Nobody's been able to beat = <br>Nightblade in combat.=C2=A0 You're the first."<br> Ultimate Ni= nja spun around, his hand on the hilt of his sword, to see<br>Stormguard st= anding about ten feet away. =C2=A0"You followed me out of the battle.&= quot;,<br>the ninja observed.<br> "Yes.", the Knightforce leader =
said. =C2=A0"We need to talk."<br> "You're right.=C2=A0 = We do."<br> The two leaders turned to see Pli coming out of his hiding=
place behind<br>some trash cans.=C2=A0 Neither of them had noticed him sne=
ak into the alleyway.<br> "And *he* followed me.", Stormguard obs=
erved casually. =C2=A0"Hello, Ply-<br>max."<br> "Why did you=
call me that?", Pli demanded. =C2=A0"That guy with the flaming<b= r>claws called me that, too.=C2=A0 Who ARE you guys?!?"<br> "You =
mean you really don't remember us?", Stormguard asked.<br> "N=
o.=C2=A0 Not one bit.", Pli said hesitantly. =C2=A0"Waitaminute..= ." =C2=A0His<br>face took on a look of shock. =C2=A0"The dreams!= =C2=A0 You're the people from my weird<br>dreams!"<br> "Ah.= =C2=A0 So your mind is trying to remember.", Stormguard said. =C2=A0&q= uot;That's<br>a step in the right direction."<br> "But...it&#=
39;s all still vague.", Pli said. =C2=A0"I don't know who...o=
r WHAT<br>I am..."<br> "Oh, that's simple.=C2=A0 You're P=
lymax, a member of the Knightforce.=C2=A0 Look<br>at our costumes."<br=
Pli looked at Stormguard's costume, then down at his own.=C2=A0 Both =
were<br>red bodysuits with blue stripes going down the left-hand side of th=
e chest and<br>down the right leg.=C2=A0 Both had blue waistbands, gloves, = and boots.=C2=A0 In short,<br>they were identical.<br> "Holy cats!&quo= t;, Pli exclaimed. =C2=A0"We match!"<br> Then Pli knew what he ha=
d to ask.=C2=A0 Turning to Stormguard, he asked <br>"Do you know WHAT =
I am?"<br> The Knightforcer's expression was one of thought for a = second.=C2=A0 Then<br>he looked straight at Pli, and gave his answer.<br> &=
quot;You're a clone."<br><br>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br><br>PART THREE: &quo= t;Clones, Sidekicks, and Partial Revelations"<br><br>"I managed t=
o get by on a combination of wits and some bits of <br>=C2=A0arcane knowled= ge."<br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0--Dr. Occult<br><br><br> "I'm a WHAT?!?&=
quot;<br> "A clone.", Stormguard repeated.<br> "I'm...a.=
..clone?", Pli muttered.=C2=A0 He was having a hard time accepting<br>= the revelation.=C2=A0 The thought of another him--the *real* him--out there=
some-<br>where was...well, terrifying.<br> "Well...maybe.", the =
Knightforce leader replied.<br> "What do you mean, 'maybe'?&qu= ot;, Pli asked.<br> "Well, there's the possibility that *you* migh=
t be the original."<br> "That doesn't make me feel any better= ."<br> "I didn't think it would.", Stormguard said.=C2= =A0 He then turned to Ul-<br>timate Ninja, who had refrained from rejoining=
the battle outside the alley-<br>way to listen to their conversation.=C2=
=A0 The unconscious body of Nightblade, the<br>Knightforce ninja, lay on th=
e ground behind him. =C2=A0"Perhaps we should stop them<br>before they=
slaughter each other.", he suggested, gesturing to the battle.<br> Th=
e three heroes (or maybe that should be two-heroes-and-a-dubious-<br>indivi= dual-who-may-or-may-not-be-a-hero) were standing in the alleyway where,<br>= less than an hour ago, Pli was supposed to meet the Knightforce people.=C2=
=A0 It<br>turned out to be a trap, or, at least appeared to be one, and the=
LNH came to<br>his rescue, resulting in a rather fierce battle.<br> "= Yes, perhaps.", the Ultimate Ninja said cautiously.=C2=A0 He was still=
sus-<br>picious of these people--they *did* attack a member of the LNH--bu=
t he didn't<br>want any more problems on his hands, so he decided again=
st jumping back into<br>the fray and ending it his way. =C2=A0<br> Instead,=
he stormed to the mouth of the alleyway, drew in a lungfull<br>of air, and=
shouted "Stop!"<br> Everybody stopped.<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2= =A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 _-<+*+>-_<br><br> A half-hour later, the two tea= ms had returned to LNHQ.=C2=A0 On their way<br>over, Stormguard revealed th=
at the Knightforce (henceforth referred to as<br>KF) had been sent to find = and apprehend a super-villain whom they believed<br>was now in Net.ropolis.= =C2=A0 The rest of the KFers were made comfortable in the <br>LNH assembly = hall (which, in a few weeks, would be used by Tsar Chasm in his<br>plot to = take over the LNH.*), while Stormguard met with Ultimate Ninja, Deja<br>Dud=
e, Kid Kirby, Multi-Tasking Man, and Pliable Lad in the central command<br>= room.<br> [*This story takes place shortly before The Great Public Domain C=
aper.<br>--MRE]<br> "So tell us again why you're here.", Ulti=
mate Ninja asked.<br> "As I said," Stormguard began. =C2=A0"= we are in pursuit of a super-villain<br>calling himself Doctor Armaggeddon.= =C2=A0 We have traced him to this world, and<br>we believe he will make his=
move to take over the world soon, quite possibly<br>starting with this cit= y.=C2=A0 We want to be ready when he does, and we would like<br>you and you=
r people to help us."<br> "Um, excuse me," Pli interrupted. = =C2=A0"but if this is the same guy who's<br>been appearing in my d= reams lately, aren't we going to be in way over our <br>heads?=C2=A0 I = mean, in the dream I had last night, he defeated the entire Knight-<br>forc= e!" =C2=A0<br> "True, he did defeat us.", Stormguard replied=
. =C2=A0"But with the combin-<br>ed might of Knightforce and your peop= le, that will not be the case this time."<br> "We will help you.&=
quot;, the Ultimate Ninja said. =C2=A0"*But* then you must<br>return t=
o your own world."<br> "Very well."<br> Ultimate Ninja signa=
led to the others, who all got up and headed for<br>the door. =C2=A0"N= ow, if you don't mind, we have preparation to make.", the ninja<br= >said.=C2=A0 He and the others left, leaving only Pli and Stormguard in the=
room.<br> "While we're waiting for this 'Doctor Armaggeddon&#=
39; guy to pop up, how<br>about telling me about me?", Pli asked.<br> =
"Ah, yes.", Stormguard said. =C2=A0"Well, I guess this is as=
good a time<br>as any."<br> Suddenly, the far end of the room became =
foggy, and a figure materi-<br>alized in the heart of the fog.=C2=A0 He car= ried a staff in one hand, and stood<br>dramatically and purposefully.=C2=A0=
He was also wearing a trenchcoat.<br> "Your origin must wait, Pliable=
Lad," the (didja figure it out yet?)<br>Dvandom Stranger said dramati= cally (as always). =C2=A0"for there are other mat-<br>ters you must co= ncern yourself with."<br> "What are you talking about?", Pli=
asked skeptically.=C2=A0 The last time<br>the Stranger had appeared to him=
(a matter of hours ago), he found himself <br>heading for trouble.<br> &qu= ot;There is a factory on the other side of Net.ropolis.=C2=A0 You will find= <br>the answers to some of your questions there.", the Stranger said.= =C2=A0 Then he <br>vanished. <br> "Wonderful.", Pli muttered.=C2=
=A0 He turned to Stormguard, who had watch-<br>ed the encounter quite calml=
y for one who had never encountered the Dvandom<br>Stranger before.=C2=A0 H=
e was leaning back in his chair, his hands steepled in <br>front of him.<br=
"Perhaps," the Knightforcer said. =C2=A0"you should invest=
igate this fac-<br>tory now.=C2=A0 I assume your friend was serious...?&quo= t;<br> "That's the annoying part: he's *always* serious!=C2=A0=
But he's not my<br>friend.", Pli said as he quickly left, leaving=
Stormguard alone in the com-<br>mand room.<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2= =A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 _-<+*+>-_<br><br> "...And you're saying the Dv= andom Stranger told you to investigate<br>this factory?", the Ultimate=
Ninja asked.<br> "Yeah," Pli responded. =C2=A0"just like he=
warned me about the phone call<br>I got this afternoon.=C2=A0 Only I figur=
ed I'd check with you this time."<br> "Good idea.", Ulti= mate Ninja growled.=C2=A0 Pli took an involuntary step <br>back.=C2=A0 The = ninja still had to have a talk with Pli about running off at some<br>strang= er's (not Dvandom, that is) request.=C2=A0 But that could wait until af= ter <br>this whole mess had been straightened out.<br> The ninja turned to = Deja Dude, Kid Kirby, and Multi-Tasking Man, who<br>were standing by his re= ady room door.=C2=A0 Deja Dude mouthed something to Ulti-<br>mate Ninja, bu=
t Pli didn't see it.=C2=A0 UN nodded, and Deja poked his head out the<b= r>door to talk to somebody.<br> "All right," Ultimate Ninja said.=
=C2=A0"I'll let you go." =C2=A0Pli was reliev-<br>ed. =C2=A0= "But I'm sending someone with you."<br> "Come again?&quo= t;<br> At Deja Dude's signal, a small boy walked into the room.=C2=A0 H=
e wore a<br>blue-and-green jumpsuit with green circles radiating out from a=
point on his <br>chest.=C2=A0 His green cape hung down to his knees; it wa=
s one or two sizes too<br>large for him.<br> "Pliable Lad," Deja = Dude said proudly. =C2=A0"meet your new sidekick...<br>Echo Lad!"=
<br> "Hi hi hi.", the boy said in a weird, echoey voice. =C2=A0&q=
uot;Nice nice nice<br>to to to meet meet meet you you you."<br> "= But I don't need a sidekick!", Pli protested. =C2=A0"Who says=
I need a<br>sidekick?"<br> "I do.", the Ultimate Ninja repl=
ied. =C2=A0"You have a problem with that?"<br>Pli couldn't he=
lp but notice that the ninja's hand was on the hilt of his <br>sword.<b=
"Ah...um...no," Pli said quickly. =C2=A0"no problem at al=
l!"<br> "Good."<br> Pli looked down at Echo Lad, who was wat=
ching him expectantly. =C2=A0"I<br>wonder if Typo Lad started out this=
way...?", he thought.<br> "Well well well?", his sidekick a= sked. =C2=A0"Are are are we we we going<br>going going or or or what w= hat what?"<br> "Oh, boy."<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0=
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
=A0 =C2=A0 _-<+*+>-_<br><br> After the doors to the command room had =
closed, Stormguard remained<br>in his seat for a moment, his hands still st= eepled in front of him.=C2=A0 He then<br>touched a button on his wrist comm= unicator.<br> "Stormguard to Doctor Armaggeddon.", he said calmly= .<br> "Armaggeddon here", came the reply. =C2=A0"Report, my = twisted doppelgan-<br>ger of a hero!"<br> "Everything is proceedi= ng according to plan, milord.=C2=A0 These so called<br>'net.heroes'=
completely believe that we are on their side.=C2=A0 And the one person<br>= who might be able to see through our deception is too confused to even *not= ice*<br>that something is wrong!"<br> "Excellent!=C2=A0 The Destr=
uctron is almost completed, and once this world's<br>greatest heroes ar=
e dealt with, I shall rule!=C2=A0 MU-HA-HA-HA!!!", the voice cac-<br>k= led. =C2=A0"Excellent work, my servant!=C2=A0 Prepare for Phase Two!= =C2=A0 Armaggeddon out!"<br> Stormguard turned his communicator off an=
d stood up.=C2=A0 He had to make<br>sure the LNH fell into his master's=
trap.=C2=A0 As he turned to leave the room, a<br>smile crossed his face mo= mentarily.<br> It was a smile of evil.<br> A few minutes after Stormguard h=
ad left the command room, a lone <br>figure crawled out from under the meet= ing table and stood up.=C2=A0 Dusting him-<br>self off, he looked at the do=
or pensively for a moment before teleporting out.<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 _-<+*+>-_<br><br> It took Pli and Echo Lad over = an hour to walk to the factory.=C2=A0 Ultimate<br>Ninja wouldn't let th=
em take a flight thingie (neither of them knew how to fly<br>one anyway), a=
nd they had no other means of transportation, so they walked it.<br>Pli wor=
e a light blue jacket and jeans, and Echo Lad wore a green sweatshirt.<br> =
The two didn't talk much as they walked.=C2=A0 Pli didn't like the = idea of<br>walking the city streets at night (does anybody?), let alone the=
outskirts of<br>the city.=C2=A0 And having a newbie to keep an eye on didn= 't help matters much.=C2=A0 Be-<br>sides, Echo Lad's voice gave Pli=
a headache.<br> Eventually, they reached the factory without incident.=C2=
=A0 Finding a win-<br>dow on one side of the building, Pli stretched his ar=
m underneath it and un-<br>locked it from the inside.=C2=A0 He helped Echo = Lad through first, then climbed <br>through himself, after which he quietly=
closed the window, but didn't lock it.<br> The two net.heroes-turned-d= etectives found themselves standing amongst<br>several piles of boxes; they=
were in the storage area.=C2=A0 They couldn't see any-<br>thing, but t= hey could hear noises coming from other parts of the factory.=C2=A0 Peo-<br= >ple.=C2=A0 Keeping low, they creeped closer, winding their way around seve= ral stacks<br>of boxes, until they could see into the middle area of the fa= ctory. =C2=A0<br> What they saw made their jaws drop.<br> A large machine, =
shaped like a cylinder, only with a flat bottom, was<br>being loaded into a=
truck by several workers, while another supervised.=C2=A0 By the<br>front = end of the truck, another man pushed a button on a control panel and two<br= >large doors in the wall slid apart and open, letting what light there was = (it<br>was night out, after all) spill in through the opening.<br> "Hu=
rry it up!", the supervisor shouted. =C2=A0"The boss wants the De= struc-<br>tron in place in a half-hour!"<br> "Destructron?",=
Pli thought. =C2=A0"Bomb...!" <br> Pli leaned closer to Echo Lad= , who was equally surprised by what the<br>two of them found. =C2=A0"W=
e gotta get out of here and warn the LNH!", he whisper-<br>ed to his s= idekick.<br> The two net.heroes turned to sneak back to the window they cam= e in <br>through...and found themselves at the business end of a pistol.=C2= =A0 At the other<br>end was one of the factory workers.<br> "Stand up =
very slowly.", the man said.=C2=A0 The two LNHers complied. =C2=A0&quo= t;I<br>found them!", he shouted to the other workers. =C2=A0<br> Out o= f the corner of his eye, Pli noticed that the truck had left.<br> "Wel=
l?", said the supervisor.<br> "Well, what?", the man asked. =
=C2=A0 <br> "Well, what?", his echo repeated.<br> This caught eve=
ryone by surprise.=C2=A0 The accoustics in the factory were<br>far too poor=
for any echoes, and yet, one just happened. <br> Pli looked at Echo Lad, w=
ho was watching the man with the gun intent-<br>ly. =C2=A0"So *that= 9;s* how his powers work!", he thought.<br> "Are you going to sho=
ot them or what?", the supervisor asked, followed<br>by his echo.<br> =
"My pleasure!" =C2=A0And with that, the man aimed the gun right a=
t Pli and<br>Echo Lad.<br> Suddenly, there was a flash of silver and the gu=
n barrel fell to the <br>floor, having been sliced off of the gun.=C2=A0 Th=
e worker who was holding the gun<br>turned to see a trenchcoat-clad figure,=
sword in hand, standing not more than<br>four feet away, and was so surpri= sed that he dropped the gun and fainted on<br>the spot.<br> "Kid Chiva=
lry!", Pli exclaimed. =C2=A0"What're you doing here?"<br=
"I followed you.", KC replied. =C2=A0"You're not going=
to believe this,<br>but those Knightforce guys are in league with that Doc= tor Armaggeddon char-<br>acter!"<br> "As are we!", the super=
visor shouted.=C2=A0 Next to him, a man with a rath-<br>er large gun droppe=
d to one knee and began taking aim at the three heroes.<br>"Fire the s= onic cannon!"<br> The man with the large gun pulled the trigger, and a=
powerful surge<br>of energy shot out of the gun--and straight towards the = net.heroes.<br> While Pli and KC found themselves frozen in terror, certain=
that they<br>were about to die, Echo Lad, who was standing between them an=
d the workers,<br>put his hands out in front of him, palms facing the oncom= ing assault, and con-<br>centrated.<br> To everybody's surprise, the en= ergy wave bounced off of something in<br>mid-air and began to...well, *echo=
* back to the workers, knocking them off <br>their feet.<br> "Run for = it!", Pli shouted.=C2=A0 The three LNHers bolted for the doors,<br>whi=
ch were now closing.=C2=A0 Pli stretched his arm out and hit the 'stop&= #39; button<br>on the door control panel, and the doors stopped closing wit=
h only a foot of<br>space between them.=C2=A0 Pli stretched his way through=
easily, and KC teleported<br>to the other side, but Echo Lad almost got st= uck in the opening.=C2=A0 Pli helped<br>him, and the net.heroes ran off int=
o the night, leaving the workers in dis-<br>array.<br><br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2= =A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 _-<+*+>-_<br><br> They ran all the way back to L= NHQ.=C2=A0 Kid Chivalry could have teleported<br>them all there, but he cou=
ld only go about twenty feet or so, if that, and he<br>didn't even know=
if he could take passegers (nor was this the time to try it),<br>so they d= ecided against it.=C2=A0 No need to have further complications.<br> As they=
ran, they noticed that the city had suffered a power outage.<br> "How=
did you...>pant<...find out what the Knightforce was really...<br>&g= t;pant<...up to?", Pli asked as they ran.<br> "I overheard Sto= rmguard call Doctor Armaggeddon on his communicator.",<br>KC said. =C2= =A0"I think they *serve* that guy!"<br> "But how do I fit in=
to all this?", Pli asked, though not necessarily<br>to the others.<br>=
"Maybe maybe maybe you you you turned turned turned against against<b=
against them them them.", Echo Lad suggested.<br> "(Does he alw=
ays talk like that?) =C2=A0Or maybe they turned bad.", KC<br>added.<br=
"(I think so.) =C2=A0That would go more with my dreams.", Pli s=
aid. =C2=A0"One<br>of the few things I remember about the Knightforcer= s--at least the ones in <br>my dreams--is that they were good guys! =C2=A0(=
I think he's related to Typo Lad.)"<br> "They could be the cl=
ones. =C2=A0(That would explain it.)", KC said.<br> "*Evil* *evil=
* *evil* clones clones. =C2=A0(I I I heard heard heard that<br>that that!)&= quot;, Echo Lad added.<br> "Wonderful.", Pli muttered.<br> "=
(Rats.)", KC said.<br> <br>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 = =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 _-<= ;+*+>-_<br><br> After about an hour of running, they finally reached LNH=
Q.=C2=A0 Not only <br>were all the lights still out, but it was quiet.=C2=
=A0 Too quiet.<br> "Don't tell me they all went to bed!", KC =
said.<br> "At this time of the night?", Pli said. =C2=A0"Dou=
btful!"<br> "Maybe maybe maybe they they they went went went afte=
r after after <br>Doctor Doctor Doctor Armaggeddon Armaggeddon Armaggeddon.= ", Echo Lad sugges-<br>ted. =C2=A0<br> "Let's hope not!"=
, Pli said. =C2=A0"We gotta warn them!"<br> The three ran up the = steps to the front door, where Pli entered his<br>access code into the comp= uter panel. =C2=A0(The security system was on its own gen-<br>erator.) =C2= =A0The door unlocked, and the net.heroes ran through...<br> ...only to find=
it completely deserted.<br> "Tooo tooo tooo late late late.", Ec= ho Lad whistled.<br><br>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br><br><br><br>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D<br><br>Next Week: =C2=A0Possibly more Pliable Lad!!!<br><br>=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D<br><br>Arthur "Same Classic Channel.=C2=A0=
But Same Time?=C2=A0 Probably not." Spitzer </div>
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