Posted by on April 28, 2001 at 00:18:58:
In Reply to: I found all the Exile stories... they are as follows... posted by Exile on April 28, 2001 at 00:09:40:
Exile #21
Throughout the times and trials of Derek Foreman's short career as Exile, one thing had remained constant his sanity.
Until now. Even the Dark Knight had been astonished at his choice to take on Reject after his power had been severely drained, and added with the fact that he was already in rough shape.. Things definitely didn't look good.
Currently, both Exile and DK were walking through the shadowy corridors of the asylum.
As if to add to the grim mood, none of the patients made a sound as the two walked by, as if acknowledging the depth of their situation.
One madman with almost identical power to the younger of the two walking the halls.
Always a fight between the forces of good, and that of evil.
It had driven the lad to kill once. Would he lower himself to do it again.
Only time would tell.
Finally, as if to break the growing tension as the two came closer with every step to the young hero's adversary, the Dark Knight spoke.
"Don't you think you should go back to the island and rest? I'm sure Valeria's dying to know if you're alive."the veteran hero gruffly admitted. "I can handle this freak."
"No."
"What!?" blurted DK, becoming even more astonished with the hero's contradiction of him.
"Reject's mine... he killed her.... and I'm going to kill him."
"Look kid,"The protector of GMY started while taking long strides to keep up with the determined hero. "I have a friend who took this route. Believe me, it's a hard life."
"And being lied to your entire life isn't?? Lied to by those you love and care for, only to find out you are one of three people with the combined power to destroy this universe? THAT ISN'T A HARD LIFE???" Exile countered while stopping in the center of the long gothic hallway.
"Right....now."
"Wha--?"
Suddenly, a section of the floor beneath Exile seemingly vanished, and he was left fighting gravity with his weakened flight power to stay aloft.
"Need a hand."
"Yeah. Thanks."
The main chamber, this was the room the Hooded Hood once used as his seat of power. This is where most of his sinister plans were hatched.
Although the Hood is dead and buried... and evil stench still hovered here.
The stench has a name you know.
It's Reject.
A psychopath who went missing from Parodiopolis State penitentiary years ago.
They never searched for him.
Now he's too powerful for them to handle.
He's even become a handful for the Lair Legion, because he's been granted all of his nemesis attributes, adding it to his own power, making him that much more lethal..... that much more deadly.
And now, he just stares blankly out of the asylum's gargantuan windows. Gazing across a city that would become his in a matter of hours.
He now had an army.
Soldiers of the same genetic code.
They were all Exile. Tainted with this Monarch of Evil's blood.
He would have the city oh so soon.
And he'd have Valeria as well.
He'd been watching her. And, in the short time he'd been spying on his ‘comrade' of sorts, he'd gotten to know her quite well.
Her hobbies, her likes and fears.
And other things as well.
He couldn't wait to exploit his power, to order her to do a he wished.
This sadistic fantasy of his would come true.
Provided nothing interfered with his foul plans.
"Mr. Mason." Dr. Valium said in greeting. "The battalions will be awakened and online in a matter of minutes."
In the time Valium had spent as the Hooded Hood's accomplice, he'd picked up a few, trades one may call them, gene slicing and the ability to regrow an entire meta-human was one of them. And the battalions he'd referred to, were definitely more than one meta-human.
"Good, Doctor." The emissary of evil boomed. "But please... call me.... REJECT!"
"As you wish sir."
It'd been forty-five minutes since the two heroes started walking the grotesque wing of the asylum. And they'd made quite alot of progress, but were bewildered at the lack of security.
"We're near the end."
"And you'd know that because??"
"I feel it.. He's here.. "
"How true my friend." the arch-villian seethed.
"DK you can leave now. Get the legion."
"Why? You even said you could handle him."
"He's not alone."
"True again, are you expecting a prize? With the money you possess I don't believe you'd need it."
"What're we talking for? I want to get back to Val if you don't mind."
"....Well then... How does it go? Have at thee."
"With pleasure."
With those words the massive battle begins.
But instead of attacking head on as the young hero once did normally, he took a side route and allowed the villian to strike first.
After recovering from the initial energy blasts and combined uppercuts and right and left hooks, the hero staggered to his feet.
"That all you got? I'm amazed you beat me the first time." he said as he wiped the blood off his lip.
"Ahh, spoken like a true hero. Always skeptics."
Again the hero faltered, and the villian took more ground and began attacking quicker and more brutally. This last time he nearly took off the hero's head with a volley of spinning energy blades which had embedded themselves in the wall and dissipated.
"C'mon. Can't you finish this up quick, I've got more pressing problems then you."
".........This...I doubt."
This time though, Exile takes his cue to attack and creates a katana roughly half his height and slices the villain's arm.
"Look kid, I have a friend who took this route. Believe me, it's a hard life."
In the mind of Ex, his pain, the agony of his first true love stopped, and it was replaced by a face, a face of a person he'd never met, but certainly heard alot about. He was the Messenger. And it was happening again.
The good honest hero was turning into a feared vigilante but no....... not this time.
Exile dropped the sword.
"What's a matter? Can't spill blood. Oh wait... you already did... whoops looks like you can't be a hero anymore."
"Shut up."
From his position on the roof's skylight, the Dark Knight and his usual compadré FFF stood and watched as the fight restarted. They watched as Derek began to lose grip on the villain... he was being beaten again.
"Time to break in?" Foom suggested, being the only Legionnaire DK called.
"Nah, the kid said he wanted to do this himself... let ‘im."
"He is losing."
"He still has an ace up his sleeve. I know it."
The blows only rained heavier and quicker to Exile, he knew he didn't have it in him to get in another good attack.
But for some reason all he could hear was a sharp crackle in his ear.... like there was energy around him..... and the blows stopped.
"That wasn't in his file!!!! Get Thompson down here! NOW!!!!" shouted Marshal Quinn to a short, stocky man in a lab coat, who happened to be typing on a computer and broadcasting the fight direct to Quinn's office.
The technician rose from his chair and scurried out of the room, and Quinn was left with his thoughts.
Exile rose to his feet and looked down at himself. True enough, he was surrounded by a thick covering of Inter-dimensional energy, which looked as if it were half burning, and half trying to electrocute his suit.... but he couldn't feel anything.
".........holy shit."
"I hope you didn't expect me to roll over sand die that quickly, Mason.... cause I'm not that kinda guy." retorted the hero, smirking the entire time.
"You can't win...... VALIUM!!! NOW!!!!"
"Wha--?"
The floor beneath the castle-like asylum rocked violently, almost causing the fighters and onlookers to loose their balance.
Ex looked between the grand velvet curtains that accented the multi-paneled window and his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Those clones with over take the city in minutes... get the bad guy.. or save the city.... your choice."
Those velvet curtains began to toss out the broken window... the hero was gone.
Next: Another clone story.......... ohhhhhh.... yeah.. right. Well like it... cause I'm not changing the story! ;)
Exile #22 "London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down..."
It's noon at the Wilbur Parody Memorial Park.
The sandboxes, swings and other assorted toys are usually filled with children young and old.
That was before the attacks.
Now the Park is covered in bodies, babies, children, adults... they didn't spare any.
And..... its all my fault.
I can only stand and mourn like the people's family members would, after this ordeal becomes concluded.
But I do see a stirring..... one is alive!!!!
I run to the child's side... and look into her frightened eyes.... I try to calm her... but she only cries more.... then the cry shifts to the sound of the sickening gargle, as a crimson streak flies under my arm... and the child ceases to exist.
They hadn't left.... One moved from behind a large Elm near the washrooms.
But he wasn't like the others... he was the creator....
"W---Why" the hero stuttered between sobs of pain.
"Because I could." Reject simply replied.
That's when I woke up.
"HE'S COMING TOO!" yelled NTU-150 as he patted yet another one of his spectacular inventions. This one was originally a an amplifier... but with a few simple modifications, it had become an abomination to the average eye, and the savior to a younger hero.
"Wha....Where are they??"
"Who? Lisa's downstairs getting some warm towels for you hun.. And I think my ever-so-dashing husband is bragging to fleabot and Yo on how he found you doubled over in the park." informed Cheryl, no bout her experiences at being a PR official gave here a certain... edge when it came to delivering the facts.
"The park..... was...he there?"
"Slow down hun, looks like you've been sleeping in a BFI bin. You'd better get some rest."
"Buh... but the Legion... they'll need me."
"No buts. You're starting to sound like a little kid----"
"THE GIRL!!!!!!... Di... Did she make it?"
"That would be a question for Vi--"
"So then I grabbed him and leapt up about twenty feet in the air and jumped into the car and tore off, with half that little brigade on my tail..." "So.. You mean you just stuck him in your Volkswagon after picking up groceries and brought him here." returned the former first-lady of the Lair Legion, shorting Visionary's valiant tale of life or death. "Ummm........no........it's a Volvo.... uhh....... Cheryl." continued the artificial member of the newly reenstated League of Regulars as he walked to / hid behind his wife. "Even if you were on your way home from picking up groceries... your still a hero to me, dear." "Just one question... what are you glowing.. I thought that was your cousin's department." "I dunno... it happened when I was fighting Reject.... one second all my power was gone.. Then next I almost couldn't control it all." "Hmmm..... well, you'll need a sensor sweep anyway to make sure your not bleeding internally." NTU remarked as he rolled an ex-dishwasher next to the guest bed. And plugged it into a computer socket in the wall. "HALLIE, would you mind." "No prob. Just gimme a sec while I scare the wits out of Donar." "Oy.... computers. Can't you multi-task??" NTU said as he waited for the usual hum of the machine to start up. "Not with the piece of junk Vizh bought. Latest model my ass." As the sweep progressed, and showed the results on the small Liquid-crystal screen attached to the roll-around monstrocity NTU was astounded by what he saw. Now, Jamie would you mind washing the dishes somewhere else while Derek ---" "--Rick." "While Rick here tells us what happened." "But... well... he should definately know about this..." "What is it?" "It looks like your internal organs were yanked out of a 40 year-old. I think the sudden increase in power must've accelerated your aging... Any by the way, Cheryl its not a dishwasher any--" Enty started but then turned when he saw the scowl across her face, unplugged the machine from the wall socket and moved it into his new lab and let Exile tell the story of his past few days. When the younger of those gathered finished he immediately asked about the condition of the Legion. "Not good." Lisa reported. "There's thousands of.. well.. yous, attacking the city. But the LL seems to be making some progress." "We need to cure your aging before any one leaves this room... and I know just the person for the job... " "........." "Dreamcatcher Kokopelli Foxglove. Lisa, if you may." "I summons CrazySugarFreakBoy! "Hiya Ex, where's my new Thor #5?" "Oh fine, one Thor comic comin--" "WAIT!" HALLIE interrupted, "My scans show that any increase in power and "Aging?" the wired wonder questioned. "His internal organs are aging because of a gigantic increase in power. We need you "Why can't Lisa just--" "No, I can't summon him while he's teleporting. And he seems to be doing it non-stop." "YOU GAVE MY COUSIN DRUGS!!!" "NO!!! I gave him some of my speed!" "At this rate your never getting that comic." "LIKE FLASH, IDIOT!" "Yeah. But I'm running back and forth right now... it's good to be the king." "Dream," cut in NTU, "You've got to get Bry to go into the past an take bring another Exile here, I figure he's the key to this mess." "And what about this Exile?" "He stays here until I can either find a cure for the aging or rig up a temporary solution." "Dream?" "Yeah Ex?" "Take this.... it was my mother's......if I don't make it... give it to Val. And Dream... Godspeed." "Same to you."
the aging will increase tenfold."
to get Goldeneyed."
"That's because.. I, uhh... shared some speed with him."
"Pipe down you two!" Cheryl butted in, "We have more pressing matters, please continue Jaimie. But first... CSFB! don't you have to be in contact with the person to share speed?"
About five seconds later above Lair Mansion.
A blinding streak of gold, orange and neon green light is seen flying through the sky holding several ‘Exiles' for lack of a better word, in midair.
"So y'see we've gotta go back in time to..."
"Hold on, man... last time I had to carry myself home. I dunno if I want to do that sort of thing again."
"But Derek's life is at stak--"
"Problem solved." said Nats cooly in the driver's seat of the Aunt Sally. "Road Trip anyone?"
Next: The race to save the planet is on, Dreamcatcher Kokopelli Foxglove aka CrazySugarFreakBoy! Races to give Bry the plan and Exile fights for his right to live. Exile #23
You're rolling over in your sleep.
You cannot rest... you have too much on your mind.
You are... were a hero.... you're just a common murderer now.
You killed.
You have a good life.
You killed.
You've got good friends.
You killed.
You've saved a city from near oblivion countless times... but... you... killed.
You're Exile.
And now... you're dead.
Sup' with the Reaper indeed.
-----
Somewhere between 1969 and the Stone age...
"What a time to run outta gas." exclaimed Nats as the floating Ford Econoline glided to a halt somewhere in the mid-80s.
"I thought you said you filled up in 1876???" yelled Goldeneyed over the blare of CSFB!'s latest choice in Retro music... which happened to be a ceremonial bongo-type drum he'd ripped off from some African tribe.
"I did... ummm... does Whiskey count as an Omega Flux battery?"
"Greeeat..... Ya want something done right you always have to do it yourself."
-----
The giant Makluan leader of the Lair Legion hated one thing almost as much as mentions of his name in the same sentence as "the Bad Thing" and Shopping with Lisa for her ever-so-popular toys.
It was a PR conference..
But not just any, he got the wondrous duty of relaying what happened after an Exile-clone decided it'd be neat to pick up a bus full of people and see how far it could fly.
And did it ever fly.... right through a wall into the home of wealthy industrialist/criminal mastermind Thadeus Raven.
It was sheer luck that Reject himself tore the roof off the LL's small convention room and took on the Draconic Legionnaire.
At least the reporters shut up.
-----
Your eyes feel as if they'd explode.
That light.... it beckons you... yet rejects you.... and then you plummet into the darkness.
A voice...... here?
Where is here?
You look yourself over.... then try to get your bearings. Only to be assaulted by the ghosts of a life past.
You see some who are familiar to you.
Others who aren't.
Each one gives you more grief than the other. And you break down to your knees.
"Derek Foreman.Your time has come."
"You must pay for your sins."
"No."
"Why is he here then?"
"Because Beelzebub. He's the chosen."
"The one who will bring the battle to a standstill? NO!"
"Still thy tongue demon. We have much work to do."
-----
The Makluan morphed back into his smaller, more agile form.
Sure, he'd taken some hits, got a couple more scars. But the villain... the villain was left with two broken limbs and a gash across his face.
Without the almost regal suit.. Reject was but a man, a small, pitiful little man who took joy in controlling those around him.
He wouldn't be doing so from inside a jail cell. Thought the mighty Makluan.
-----
"Yon spirits hath be high for creatures who dost have no future!" bellowed the Earth's resident Ausgardian as nine clone assaulted him.
"I always knew ew had the power to destroy a god." one clone seethed as he knocked the enchanted-baseball-bat-with-a-nail in it from Donar's grasp.
"Yon stupidity is thine downfall worm! It hast be time to KICK YON ASS-ETHS!"
A feared look stretched across the faces of the clones.
Then the electricity seared them to ashes.
-----
Parodiopolis, August 4th, 1995
Derek walks the streets of Hells Bathroom towards the place, he and Jack Thompson call home.
That was before an orange van ripped through the time-space continuum and stalled next to him.
"I TOLD YOU THE WHISKEY WOULD WORK!" yelled a triumphant Nats, obviously reveling in his victory, for he never got many with the Parodyverse super-team.
"Dumb luck and intuition." CSFB! said as he slid the side door open and grabbed Derek off his feet. "Home William."
The engine turned over, and returned to the normal roar.. And the van shot back into the future with its cargo.
-----
The LoR had witnessed the loss of friends and team-mates before.
All hung their heads in mourning.
Exile had died but ten minutes before.
Yo hugged his/her purple bunny.
Lisa Hugged her son.
Vizh hugged Cheryl.
NTU, just stood there, until Tina strode up beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
He was dead.
-----
Derek surveyed his surroundings, only to notice he was strapped to a twelve foot tall cross.
He looked down in front of him. To see a young boy, with dirty blonde hair standing in a single beam of light that emanated from somewhere above him.
The boy was dressed in a flowing white robe. Standing with his head down to the hero.
He looked up, and revealed a pair of glowing, icy blue eyes.
"You know who I am, Derek. It wasn't good of you to stop praying. Your mother misses your contact."
"God?"
"Yes. The almighty, the powers that be. I know you are wondering. Where you are, how you'll get out, and if you are really dead...
I am not at liberty to answer the first two questions, but the third... yes. You are dead."
"..."
"But not entirely, your soul is very much alive. You yearn to pay penance for what happened in the park. But you do not need to. The other will pay entirely."
"You must bring him here for us. You know how."
"In death you've received some unique gifts. But you will never be seen as Derek Foreman again.
You are now the equalizer. You fight to maintain the equilibrium between the forces of Heaven and Hell.
Should Hell win, Armageddon.
Should Heaven, the Rapture.
Either means certain death for your world."
"There are more like you. Each planet has its own heaven and hell. And of course all are governed by us."
"Or different incarnations of us."
"You are a force of both good and evil."
"You are Exile. And you are going back. Leave."
After this... the bonds have released you. But then... as if you are slammed into a wall. You slump to the floor. And arise covered in a monstrosity.
Not metal, not organic.
Your finger... now a claw.
What are you?