DVANDOM _____ ______ _____ _______ THE CENTURY PACT PART 12 of 12 [ ]__ [ ] [] [ ]__)) [ ] ` [ ]__ #84 - "Neither Bang Nor Whimper" [ ] [ ] [] [ ] \\ [ ] [ ] copyright 1997 Dave Van Domelen [_] [_]__[] [_] \\ [_]___/ [_]____ -------]==+ <*> +==[------- [cover shows Acton Lord standing triumphantly atop a mountain, the rising sun at his back. In one hand is clutched the tattered "100" flag from the cover of #83, and in the other is his Kid Pocky helmet.] Timestamp Square, Net.York. Once someone said that all packets go through Timestamp Square, and while this was no longer as true as it once was, it was still a hub of activity. At one end of the open thoroughfare was the giant So.ny Megatron screen, which normally carried the Net.Broadcasting Company's feed without sound, a continuous ad watching over the people of Net.York City. It had speakers, in fact, but rarely used them because of the power requirements. And the nuisance factor, if it was possible to be a nuisance to those willingly coming to Timestamp Square. But now the speakers blared to life as the screen switched from the network feed to show the face of one of the world's most infamous villains. "People of the world, you have labored long and hard for this moment. Some of you not even aware of who you truly worked for. But it was not in vain...for the New Century dawns today! So says ACTON LORD!" Everyone stopped. Some just stopped for the novelty of the speakers being used, but soon found themselves riveted by the words. Even jaded Net.Yorkers paid attention when someone of Acton Lord's stature had something to say...if only because it would probably let them know which direction to run. "You have known me under many faces in these past months," Acton Lord declared, an inset on the screen flashing through dozens of faces, eliciting a few gasps of recognition from the crowd, "and via many organizations," he added, a list of names scrolling across the bottom of the screen. "But regardless of the details, our purpose has ever been clear...bring about a new order by the end of the century. A better order, one where a man or a woman is measured against humanity...not against net.ahumanity. Where it's not just the rich and powerful who rule, but the people." The crowd started to rumble uncertainly. Many of them agreed with the message he was delivering, but couldn't decide what to make of the messenger. "Together we can be free of the tyranny of the few, free of those corrupted by the power we have given them or let them take. And who better than I to recognize corruption and lead you against it?" Acton Lord implored. "Some of you have seen a taste of where the current state of affairs may lead us, through the dreams I have sent you...do you not know them to be true dreamings? Many of you have already taken the first steps, urging your elected officials to clamp down on the oppressors who are only waiting to take your liberty from you. But now is not the time to rest on our laurels! I urge you, redouble your efforts, for the new era is upon us, and those who choose to remain in the old era...well, don't make that choice, I implore you." The screen went dark and silent, a silence matched by the stunned crowd. No one moved. It seemed like no one even breathed. Then a man reached up, pulled a pin from his lapel, and threw it down in disgust. It bore a stylized "100" over the word "Plan." -------]==+ <*> +==[------- Net.braska. A decommissioned nuclear missile silo sat amid the cornfields, apparently abandoned. But the seal over the top was fake, the farms around it had been bought out and the silo was not as empty as it had been a year before. Nor was the control room empty. It contained two men and an array of sophisticated monitoring equipment decades beyond anything that modern technology could boast, and certainly far superior to the Cold-War-era equipment it replaced. As for the men, they were composed of even more advanced technology, for they were Steelwind and Darkheart, the cyborg minions of DeFacto V, former ruler of time and space. They were nearly opposites, one full of passion and fury, the other as cold as the machinery around him. And, at the moment, they were in full demonstration of this difference. "DAMN!" cursed Steelwind, glaring at the monitors, all freeze-framed on Acton Lord's last seconds on the air. "We can still salvage some of this...I'm activating the Centurions!" he strode over to one of the panels. Darkheart held up a hand without taking his eyes off the screens. "No. That would be suicide." "Why? We have dozens of Centurions out there, all loyal enough not to believe that...that TRIPE," he waved at the screens. "In terms of sheer power, we have the LNH and other assorted net.hero groups outgunned. We could launch a strike now, while they're all busy trying to fight Acton Lord, and...." "And what? Even discounting the possibility of a plot device...they DO happen here in this era, remember...what would we accomplish by slaughtering the LNH *right after Acton Lord said to*?" He paused, hoping his point would sink in, then continued, "All we would be doing is convincing the people we were working for him, and we'd also tip our hand by revealing the forces we control. We don't have the strength to conquer the world one person at a time, Steelwind...that's the whole reason we planned it this way. To get people to WANT us in control." "But it backfired, didn't it?" Steelwind fumed. "We were so sneaky about this that we can't just come out and prove it wasn't Acton Lord, because there's no proof either way." "Yes...although I have to wonder if it really *was* Acton Lord," Darkheart mused. -------]==+ <*> +==[------- Kid Pocky turned off the broadcasting equipment and heaved a sigh of relief, deactivating the solid-GIF of Acton Lord. "It's done. We won. Not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with a lie." "Suppose you tell us what that was supposed to accomplish?" Squidman asked, his voice muffled. "After you turn off the forcefield, that is." "Sorry," Pocky said, tapping the switch that controlled the field. "I took the cyborgs' biggest strength and turned it into their biggest liability," he explained. "But you should have figured that out just watching me in action," he added. Squidman nodded dourly, while Kat just looked on, a questioning look still on her face, like she was trying to convince herself she was wrong about something. "They can't prove Acton Lord isn't behind the organizations without revealing that they were...and a conspiracy is a conspiracy," Squidman replied. "Exactly. People want to believe in conspiracies, they connect everything together in neat little bundles, make life easier to understand. Anything that doesn't make sense, or which seems unjust can be blamed on the actions of the conspiracy. And if there's no evidence of a conspiracy, that's just proof that the conspiracy exists and controls those who are supposedly looking for evidence," Kid Pocky looked nervously at some of the readouts while he talked. "By giving people a ready-made Evil Plot to tie these things into, you hoped to erode the Pact's support," Squidman theorized. "Yes. I suppose I could have just used the GIF-projector to become one of them, but as Acton Lord I posed a much more potent symbol of villainy. No matter what I said, people will interpret it through the filter of 'it's Acton Lord saying that, he's evil!' It's been done before, offer yourself up as a target so that people know there's danger, and focus their response on you rather than on whoever the real villain wants them to focus on. I just make a better stalking horse than most," Pocky admitted. "Wait, back up a second. You're talking like you think you really ARE Acton Lord," Squidman realized. Kat finally broke her silence with a quiet, "He is." -------]==+ <*> +==[------- "He's not Acton Lord, see here?" Darkheart pointed at the analysis of the images. "Those are telltales of the GIF technology that Acton Lord used, both in this era and in our time as Iron Eagle." "Okay, now it's starting to make sense. I mean, Charlie Risk is still in that asylum after his brief fling at being Acton Lord, but last time I checked up on his records, there was no sign he'd lost his powers," Steelwind said. "Precisely. And if he's still the chosen vessel of the Corruption Force, and he's still out of commission, this 'Acton Lord' has to be a fraud. Given that Iron Eagle, as Skysabre, worked with Dvandom Force for several months, I'd wager this is their doing." Steelwind interrupted when Darkheart was going to say next by slapping himself in the forehead. "Damn. Damndamndamn. This is my fault. Boxer must have gone straight to them with what he knew after he got away from me." Darkheart nodded. "Yes, it is likely your fault they had the information necessary to so completely discredit us. Remember that next time you ponder indulging your sadistic tendencies. We will simply have to be more careful about recruitment next time, though. I had thought 'John Smith' wasn't exposed to enough of the truth to be dangerous, but apparently I was wrong." "So, now what, if sending out the Centurions is out?" "We retreat, regroup, come up with a new plan," Darkheart replied, steepling his fingers in front of his sallow face. "We have our Centurions and other loyal agents...those who are less loyal will tip their hands in the wake of this setback and can be dealt with. We can bide our time, learn from our mistakes, and strike again when everyone has forgotten about this. But," he grinned, an eerie effect on a face so rarely touched by emotion, "there is something immediate and viscerally satisfying we CAN do. That transmission definitely came from Andale Atoll, or at least was routed through it. Obviously our enemies have the keys to Acton Lord's old base of operations, and we don't want them to be able to use it against us next time." "So we nuke the bejeezus out of Andale Atoll!" Steelwind crowed. "Can I push the button?" "Of course. And any net.heroes present on the atoll when the missile arrives will be pure...gravy," Darkheart purred. "Net.heroes make their own gravy in the oven," Steelwind snickered as he blew the silo's hatch and launched the advanced ICBM. -------]==+ <*> +==[------- "Kat, you're high," Squidman said, disbelief coloring his voice. "I checked up on Kid Pocky as thoroughly as humanly possible...he IS Algernon Berthold, his background checks up 100%. I even sent the results of a power scan on him over to Doc Stomper, who confirmed his powers were what he said they were. Nor is he a GIF-clone, I checked on that." Kid Pocky waited for Squidman to run out of steam, then sighed. "No, Kat's right. I hoped I'd never have to reveal this, but I knew that if I exercised this option," he gestured at the control panel, "at least Kat would figure it out. Come on, I'll explain on the way out...half the LNH has got to be on their way here to defeat me, I'd rather be gone when they get here." "But, how...?" Squidman asked as they made their way back up to the surface. Kid Pocky paused, looking for the best way to say it, then gave up, realizing there wasn't a best way. "All three of us have had a second chance at life, one granted by powers beyond our understanding. You had your death taken by Suicide Squid [Constellation #28-29 - Ed.], Kat was rebuilt by Sig.Ma, and I...well, I almost made it to the SourceCode." "Wait, I heard about your first attempt [The Bellerophon Gambit TEB - Ed.], I would have thought that after that disaster you'd have given up on breaching the SourceCode," Squidman said as they rounded a corner of the corridor hewn into the basalt of the root of the atoll. "For a long time, I did. But I started to question the nature of my place in reality, whether I was a free man or a puppet to the cosmic forces that buffetted me. I tried to cut the strings I saw controlling us, but you stopped me [Dvandom Force #42 - Ed.], probably for the better. Failing to free us all, I decided to concentrate on freeing myself, but I had to distract the cosmic powers of the Looniverse if I was to make it to the Source Code. DeFacto V was a convenient tool to that end..." Kid Pocky was cut off as Squidman slammed him into the side of the corridor. "You brought that madman down on us all just so you could 'cut your strings?!'" Squidman demanded. "No! The broad sweep of his actions was inevitable. If anything, I helped you defeat him by influencing events to bring in Team M.E.C.H.A. as well. My machinations were mainly to ensure that when the final battle came, EVERYONE important would be watching it. And no one would be watching me. It turned out that there was still a guardian at the gates, but I got my one moment of free choice out of the situation anyway." Kid Pocky paused as Squidman loosened his grip slightly. "Your choice?" Squidman asked. "This. A new life entirely, with full control over how I lived it until the time I chose to re-enter the ever-watching eye of the writers. I could have chosen more power, but I'd already tasted more power than I really wanted, and I above all knew the false promise of power. I could even have chosen to take back my former life, become Sig.Lad again and rejoined you as an alternate-timeline version of myself. But I didn't *want* someone else's life, I wanted my own. And I got it...no regrets, until now." Suddenly, a concussion rocked the atoll to its foundation, but the tunnel held. "Enough time for talk later," Kat hissed, "let's get out of here!" Squidman and Kid Pocky nodded, and all three raced the remaining few dozen meters to the exit. When they emerged, they saw in the sky a figure glowing with righteous power and wrath, hurling bolts of cosmic force into the basalt of the island and bellowing, "Foul villain! Show yourself, that Kid Kirby may bring you to the justice you have so long evaded!" The sun's reflection off his armor was barely brighter than the energy Kid Kirby himself was generating. "I figured he might be the first of the LNH to make it here," Kid Pocky said, almost absently, his gaze transfixed by the display of might before him. "Ho! Kirby!" Squidman shouted between cupped hands. The wielder of the Power Kirby paused in his barrage and looked down. "Ho! Squidman! How come you to be here a'fore the assembled Legion?" he asked, dropping down to land by them. "Have you dealt with the villain already?" Kat looked at Kid Pocky, then Squidman, then asked, "Truth?" "Truth," Pocky nodded. "Yes," added Squidman. "Kid Kirby, the Acton Lord you saw was a projection, created by Kid Pocky. Acton Lord is not actually behind the things he claimed on television." "Then, why?" the Kirbian asked. "Because we knew we couldn't expose the true villains before it would be too late," Kid Pocky replied, his helmet back on so he wouldn't have to look the hero in the eyes. "They covered their tracks too well, and were on the verge of convincing the world it didn't need or want net.heroes." Kid Kirby's face was hidden behind his all-covering armor, but even so he managed to convey an expression of mild disdain. "And so is it ever with your band, Squidman? As with Acton Lord's attempt to sever the Looniverse from its ties to the Writers, your solution will work only if none know of it?" Squidman nodded slowly. "Pfah. Once you were known as 'Secret Dvanders,' and to my mind the name is apt still, for you are always in secrets wrap't," Kid Kirby spat. "But I will keep the confidence, tho' it gnaws at my soul to lie to the others." "You have my thanks again, Kirbian," Squidman said. "I owe you far more than I could repay already." "A true hero does not keep an account of his good deeds like a banker, expecting repayment...hark! What approaches?" he looked to the sky, eyes capable of tracking the motion of a mote of cosmic dust through a solar flare picking out motion high above. Kat adjusted the sensors on her visor to screen out the sun and track motion. "I see it too...coming in on a ballistic path. Either the LNH is really in a hurry to join Kirby in kicking butt, or...." Saying nothing, the Kirbian leapt to the air, wind swirling in his path as he flew towards the incoming object. "Cover!" Squidman shouted, pushing the other two back into the tunnel and slapping the panel that closed the blast hatches. For a moment, nothing. Then the island was rocked by a shockwave more powerful than those Kid Kirby had been unleashing minutes before. -------]==+ <*> +==[------- "A KSTK InstaPoll(TM) taken just minutes ago shows that an overwhelming 75% of the city favors repeal of the recent net.hero ordinance...even with the high margin of error on the InstaPoll(TM), that's a pretty strong condemnation of a policy supported by 58% of the city only yesterday. We go to Karen Kim on the street for some public reaction...." Mayor Wade muted the television and looked at his watch. There was a sudden breeze, and then Macroman was standing in front of his desk. "You're late," Wade muttered. "Sorry, I was busy making sure some of the minions in this plot got taken off to jail," Macorman replied. "So, now you're here, gloat away." Macroman shook his head. "I'm not here to gloat, Mayor. I just wanted to ask you one thing." "Will I strike down the ordinance?" "No...I think that's going to happen sooner or later anyway, given some of the looks on peoples' faces I saw out there. I wanted to ask, though, does any of this change your opinion? You told me the other day that you personally favored the law, even though it was passed mainly because of popular demand. Now that you've seen what everyone else has...?" Mayor Wade sat back in his chair. "No. I still think that letting net.heroes have the run of the country is a bad idea. Yes, Acton Lord said the same thing just now, but give me some credit for being able to separate the message from the messenger. There's a lot of people out there who I don't like, but who I agree with on at least some points. I mean..." the mayor paused, searching for a sufficiently strong comparison, then continued, "Hitler thought highly of marriage, but that doesn't mean I'm going to divorce my wife." "But the people..." Macroman started. "Yes, the people have more trouble separating the message from the messenger. But just because I bow to the will of the people doesn't mean I'm a weathervane, changing my own opinions to suit the climate of the city. As mayor, I've learned that sometimes I can lead, sometimes I can only follow, and other times I have to get out of the way. Give it a few days and we'll see which one this is. Perhaps, once the shock is over, people will realize they were right in the first place." "And perhaps, once the shock is over, people will realize they were wrong in the first place," Macroman countered. "We'll see. But for now, you're not here legally. Leave before I have to ask for an escort to take you...." Macroman was already gone. "...out." -------]==+ <*> +==[------- "Radiation count is normal," Squidman said, consulting a device from one of the many pouches on his costume. "Either it wasn't nuclear, it was very 'clean,' or Kirby got to it before it armed. Maybe a Boom Tube." "Ballistic missiles arm at the top of their arc," Kat pointed out. "Still, the door isn't glowing red-hot, and there's no serious radiation, so it's probably safe to go out." The door was opened, and light flooded in. Looking up, they saw a second sun in the sky, one which was rapidly dissipating and dimming. Nearby, the D-Star seemed to be intact, although there was no telling if the electronics had been knocked out until they went in to check. "Wait," Kat said, looking up through the polarized filters in her visor. "I think I see something coming down." "Kirby?" Kid Pocky asked. Kat shook her head slightly. "No...wrong shape. Hard to get a gauge on the size or distance, but I don't think it's another missile, either." A piece of debris clanged to the ground. Kid Kirby's head, frozen in a grimace of determination. "Oh...my...God..." Kat whispered. "He's...?" Kid Pocky gingerly picked up the head and turned it over. Inside were partially fused circuits and KirbyTech gears and cogs. "He's...he *was*...a KirbyBot. The real Kid Kirby's probably halfway across the galaxy fighting the minions of Dimwiticus or something of that nature," Kid Pocky noted as he set the head back down. Squidman's radiation detector started to bleep more insistently. "Let's get to the D-Star...looks like we're starting to get a little fallout. My guess is that was a clean fusion bomb, but the missile casing and KirbyBot pieces that survived the explosion are going to be dusting this island with radioisotopes." Kat and Pocky nodded, and all three headed for the jet. The KirbyBot's head blindly witnessed their departure moments later, then slowly dissolved into Kirby Particles so that none might delve into the secrets of its construction.... -------]==+ <*> +==[------- Shane nervously watched the gas gauge on the car he had stolen as it wavered near "E." Steering was a little sluggish, thanks to the crude hotwiring job he'd done...when you can bend metal in your hands, defeating anti-hotwire collars is a snap, but he'd overdone it a little. He's also managed to fry half the car's electronics in the process, including the radio, air conditioning and headlights, but as long as he made it where he was going before the whole thing gave up the ghost, it wouldn't matter. And frankly, after hours in the cold water of a storm sewer, he really didn't mind the late Spring heat. He looked into the rear view mirror again to check for police. He didn't know how far into the government the Pact's tendrils had reached, but he was driving a stolen car, so at best he'd be delayed by the police. As conspicious as it was, though, it beat running alongside the road at twenty or thirty meters per second in his armored form. He needed to warn Dvandom Force that his cover had been blown...if it wasn't too late. Unfortunately, he'd never been out to the new base of operations Dvandom Force was using. He knew where it was on a map, but in the gently rolling semi-forested hills of northern Illi.net it was easy to drive past one of the tasteful and understated estates without even noticing who owned it...if you saw it at all. Suddenly, he discovered he needn't have worried. A yellow "CAUTION - NET.HEROES" sign decorated the side of the road, with a smaller sign below it detailing precautions people needed to follow if they were going to continue driving on that road...don't stop for hitchhikers (especially ones wearing concealing trenchcoats and sunglasses in inappropriate weather), seek cover at the first sign of combat, etc. etc.... Within minutes, Shane was pulling up into the long drive leading up to the King Estate, and his borrowed car gave up the ghost just as the house came into sight. Relieved, but still cautious, Shane got out of the car and walked up to the entrance, hoping whoever was on security would recognize him and not activate whatever deathtraps the base was surely littered with.... A clicking sound to his left caused Shane to dive for cover behind a tree on the right and slam his fist onto the patch of his chest that activated his transformation into armored warrior. He was rewarded with the gentle pinging sound of water from the automatic sprinklers bouncing off his metal skin. "Sorry, I should've turned them off," came a voice from the now-open doorway. The voice belonged to the owner of the house, Stanley King III, the former Cheeez Arrow. "Come on in, Shane...I think we just won." -------]==+ <*> +==[------- "...and that's that," Squidman finished, sitting back down in his chair in the meeting room. Kid Pocky sat nervously at his left, and Kat to the right. Everyone else exhibited various degrees of stunned shock, except for the VAXX, who seemed rather unsurprised. Not that anyone expected him to be shocked. Sidewinder was the first to speak. "If any of you are even THINKING of quitting over this, you're in serious need of some sense slapped into you," he said forcefully. "We accepted Skysabre into our group with hardly any fuss, and all he'd done to prove himself was fight an even greater evil... this time, Acton Lord has relived an entire LIFETIME trying to redeem himself, I think we should take that into account." "No, you're right," Anna sighed. "I think that the Dream we all had [Dvandom Force #77-78 - Ed.] proved that of all of us, he's probably the most deserving of our trust now." There was general nodding and assent, although Boxer seemed a little disturbed that the man he'd followed for years of his life [Dvandom Force #46-47 - Ed.] was being dismissed so casually. "I'm sure this is going to take some time to sink in," Squidman took the floor back, "but for the time being I'm willing to accept Kid Pocky for who he is now, not who he once was. And besides, we have more pressing business...the Pact." "We beat them, didn't we?" Doug asked. "Did we?" Squidman countered. "We stopped their current plan, yes...but we stopped DeFacto's plan as well, and his minions escaped to bring all of this down on us. We can't just be satisfied that the Pact has been halted for the moment...we need to seize the moment and go to the root of the problem, before any more seeds can be spread. This all happened because we let loose ends dangle, but no more. This time we don't leave any unfinished business to grow into the next crisis. There may be a next crisis anyway, but I'll be damned if this time it's because of our carelessness." He slammed a fist down on the table. "NO MORE LOOSE ENDS!" ============================================================================ Next Issue: Like the man said, no more loose ends. "Loose Ends" begins next issue, with Dvandom Force aggressively hunting down the remnants of the Pact...but will they go too far? ============================================================================ Author's Notes: Well, so ends the Century Pact...except it's not really over, is it? Originally, I'd planned on a huge battle royale in #83-84, with Kid Pocky revealing his identity (possibly even re-assuming it) and using his former resources to help fight the war. But things change as you write. For one thing, I started to see how a big confrontation wouldn't stop the Pact anyway, because they wouldn't let themselves be drawn into one until they were in such a good position that even a major loss in battle would only be a minor setback. Plus, as writers who wanted to participate in things left, slowed down or got bound up in other committments, I realized I didn't need to make things so epic anymore, that I didn't have to provide hooks for a half dozen other stories to hang from like I did with the Robot Invasion arc. So I didn't really feel guilty about bringing in the focus of the story, having less spill over, and making the climax more mental than physical. In many ways, the climax of the arc is the final lines of #83, with this issue being wrap-up and explanation, a denounment that I usually stick at the 12n+1 position (#13, #25, #37, #49, #61 and #73 all have elements of denounment to them). In another way, of course, the arc isn't really over, I've just extended it several more issues for "Loose Ends," which I still need to plot out exactly (main decision being: top to bottom or bottom to top?). Given how expository this issue is, I hope there's nothing that needs explanation down here in the Notes, except for a bit of credit: Kid Kirby created by H. Jameel alKhafiz, inspired by the works of Jack Kirby, used with permission. Same goes for KirbyBots. Boom Tubes created by Jack Kirby, not used with permission, but I think you all can overlook that point since I just mentioned them in passing, eh?