Cheap Shot looked at the clock, by his impromptu calculations, there was only five minutes until the robots powered down. His plan would soon be in motion.
After the first hour, their search had been quite fruitless. Mostly because the forest did not have any fruit growing in it.
"So... why do we need these suits again?" asked Happy.
"So we can fight the radioactive monkeys, get their energy and intercept the weather signals and restore order to these people's lives."
"Right... hey look over here!"
Another fantastically good coincidence occurred. Footprints in the dirt.
"Better than nothing... let's follow them." said Two Steps.
Another half hour past, and they'd caught their prey.
"Lactose Intolerant Man?!" said a bewildered Two Steps "I told you to go east!"
"This is east. You were supposed to go north!"
"We did."
Average White Guy came into the group.
"Hey guys, what are you doing out west?"
"What... what's going on?" asked Two Steps "How can every direction lead to the same spot?"
"It's pretty strange. Did anyone find a clue to where Prometheus went?" asked Average.
Unbelievable Man jumped in.
"Hey guys - did you already explore west, east and north already?"
"This is quite the Bamboozling Guzzbubble." said Happy, stroking his chin.
"What?" said the others.
"A Bamboozling Guzzbubble. I took the liberty to read odd facts when I was a kid."
"Care to enlighten us?"
"Well, alright. A Bamboozling Guzzbubble is a spot on the planet where all plains of direction meet due to a disrupted core."
"Huh?"
"That means Zantar - or future Zantar, where we are, has a disrupted core. Probably caused by the crazy weather."
"What's that mean?"
"It means that the core of this planet is melding and will likely spread further and eventually collapse within the next three hundred million years."
"Oh... okay. How does that help us?"
"I'm not sure - but does anyone notice that the mountain up ahead in the distance is giving off steam?"
"Hey you're right!" said Unbelievable.
"If only I knew what that meant." said Happy.
"Wait a second... if Prometheus knows that, would he try to stabilize the core? I know I have...." asked Two Steps.
"Possibly - maybe we should check it out."
"Right on. Let's go."
The superheroes jogged to the foot of the mountain, where it was considerably warm. The radio Two Steps had been carrying became filled with static and incomprehensible.
"Right - so let's go up to the top." said Two Steps, and they did. At the edge of the mountain peak, there was a large crater with steam coming from it. It was much warmer here than it was at the foot of the mountain. They looked down, it was about a forty foot drop into the crater, where it was black rock inside, but quite brightly lit.
"Well - who's going to go in with me?" asked Two Steps from the base of the core.
At the center of the garden, he could here brief shouts of people who must've been letting off tension or something. Should he go see what was happening or go back to the dead and hope everyone was there already?
The two climbed out and went after Scoop's track and trail of cut grass.
When he came to, he was in a small open clearing of the garden. There were various gardeners at work, and two ninjas helping them.
Scoop sat up where he was greeted by a thin wiry old man carrying a small garden shovel with a pin on him that said "HELLO, I'M MARK".
"Hello there, kiddo." said the old man.
"Hi uh... oldster."
"The name's Mark - you're lucky I noticed your incredible fortunate of having shovel feet, otherwise I would've put you to sleep permanently."
"Oh. Uh - thanks. How long ago was that?"
"Four minutes."
"Ah, then they can't have gotten everything yet."
"FOR A DEAD PREDICITION?"
"N-no! Of course not."
"Then what were those quills for?"
"Um... my grandmother."
"Nice try - but I know your grandmother died centuries ago... Scoop."
"Whoah - you know my name?"
"I put the shovels on your feet."
Scoop stuck the memory towel to his forehead. He remembered a young man with the same damned annoying pin that said "HI I'M MARK" on it. He was easing the bleeding where Perrywinkle had bitten his feet off. Then he placed the shovels on. Scoop winced at the memory.
"Yeah... how, how did you survive when my grandmother didn't?"
"Your grandmother was a superheroine - she had the ability to not time travel when time junctions occurred. Caused her death in the end. Should've known she can't live to be sixty eight million two hundred thirty one thousand nine hundred and four years old."
"Gee. Quite a revolutionary thought."
"Yeah - unfortunately, my time's coming to an end, too.
Time travel has unfortunately not brought me eternal youth. It doesn't bring anyone that."
"What?"
"Yeah - just your surroundings change."
"Well that sucks."
"It sure does."
"Operator."
"Telephone Man?" said Scoop incredulously.
"Wha...?"
Scoop waved his hand telling Mark to keep quiet.
"Yes, it's me again. This Gaslum fellow is quite a character. Sweats in waterfalls, too."
"Telephone Man, why are you calling me?"
"I can't find your friends anywhere."
"What do you mean? Two Steps and Unbelievable went back in time to get more superheroes."
"Oh, really? They must be in a Bamboozling Guzzbubble then."
"What's that?"
"I forget. But I can't contact them there."
"Alright - well what's up?"
"You're at a point in time where many things are coming together. Magic energies are high. Keep on the lookout. There's both desireable and undesireable powers."
"Gotcha. Bye."
*click*
"Who was that?" asked Mark.
"Some crazy guy from the past."
"Operator. I heard that."
"Yeah," said Scoop "Pretty crazy. Listen, I should probably be going soon, but before I do... how did you get here?"
"There's been a rift in the fabric of time. Someone's causing problems with time and there's loops and furious storms of violin cases."
"Well... lay off the crack. I'd best be going."
"Wait. Take this with you. It's your big toe on a chain."
"I... I... uh, thanks." said Scoop taking the toe, and placing the chain around his neck.
"If you're ever in the area again... don't hesitate to come say hello."
"Yeah, well... see you, Mark."
And Scoop walked out of the gardens, passing by the cardboard cut-out tower again. Why was his past coming back to haunt him over and over? 'Oh well', he thought, 'Best not to dwell on the past...'
He continued across the crater, noting that there was oddly enough, many fossilized fish bones. 'So close to fishskin suits!' he thought.
He crept along, and suddenly where he stepped the ground shook a little. He continued with caution, but eventually he fell through the ground to a small enclave below. There lay a man in white bandages, much like a mummy.
"Whoah. You alright?"
"Hmmfmgmh."
"Hey - you're not going to get any help with an attitude like that."
"Hpphmfftme"
"Yeah, alright... hang on."
Two Steps unveiled the bandaged man. It appeared to be someone with a thick, black, hairy moustache. He had large eyes and thick, black, hairy hair to match his moustache and he looked worried.
"So..." said Two Steps, unsure of how to start a conversation with him.
"Thanks - but we've gotta get out of here. This mountain top's gonna blow in less than thirty minutes!"
"How do you know?"
"How don't I know?"
"Are you Prometheus?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm not helping until you give my friends and I... fishskin suits."
"Fine, fine, whatever. Let's go."
"All I've got is this radio."
"Nutter... well, looks like no fishskin suit if you can't get me out."
"Hm..." hmmed Two Steps as he thought about how to get out.
A few moments later he ate the hamburger, and then looked up disgustedly.
"That was horrendous."
"Pardon me?" asked a server.
"This hamburger was absolutely horrible!"
"Well, you ate it."
"Of COURSE I ate it. I was hungry. I expect a good meal, though."
"Well, yes."
"And you gave me crap on a bun."
"Well, no."
"Yes you did. This hamburger would've tasted better if I'd taken her head," he pointed to a waitress at another table "ripped it off, mashed it up and added crap to it and jammed it on the bun it would've tasted better than this."
"Would you like Weather Fries with that?"
"NO! If they're anything like the hamburger, they'll taste even worse than if I hurled and ate my own barf."
"Sirrah, I must challenge thee to a duel."
"Stupid, I must be going." said Cheap Shot checking the clock. Ten minutes had passed.
"We'll settle this later. Grapefruits at three o'clock."
"Sure... keep dreaming, burger boy."
"We WILL meet again. Oh yes, we will."
"What are you doing?" said Prometheus incredulously.
"Quick! Down the mountain!" said Two Steps gesturing frantically with his arms to get moving.
"We're not even out of the pit."
"This is true... I guess."
"Look - we have to get out of this pit."
"Here! Climb the extension cord."
"Uh... okay."
The two climbed out and, once reunited with the other superheroes, hey all rolled down the side of the mountain. The ground began to shake, though. And the superheroes began to run very fast, as the volcanoe behind them began to erupt. Bizarrely enough, though - it did not erupt with magma and molten rock, but a white spray of odd energy that looked like a fountain of fog spouting up at a rapid rate.
The superheroes turned around and stared at it in awe.
"Operator... Operator. Hello? Hello?"
The superheroes were to mystified to respond.
The systems not connected to the ship were quickly depleting.