PeabodySam

OOC: If I may, it sounded rather extreme what Sarah did to Spy Clops, an official LEGO character... shooting him, burning him, shooting him some more, and sending him flying through a window. No one, not even a freaky cyborg such as Spy Clops, could possibly survive something like that (remember that every shot made by Sarah was with a shotgun, which killed Spy in one hit, and she shot Spy Clops multiple times). However, the rule against killing official LEGO characters is still in effect, so you might want to make it a little clearer that Spy Clops survives.

OOC: Welcome back, Brikman and Jacks! Just to be clear, when you say that you didn't like it, do you mean "It could have been written better" or "It was written well, but just too pessimistic for my tastes"?Basically, Rex should have known better than to be the main character in a story written by PeabodySam. Dino Outbreak? What was that? Hmm... oh, wait, I remember. It was that Dino 2012 online game that was so awful that I had to put it out of my mind. Heh. But seeing as LEGO comics tend to be seen as more (quote-unquote) "canon" than online games, I don't really thinkSeriously, though. Whose idea was it to make an online game based upon a LEGO line about hunters capturing dinosaurs... and make it a sidescroller with stiff controls that centers around Goomba Stomping wild boars, snakes, and spiders, with the actual dinosaurs being limited to overly-long cutscenes? A disappointing follow-up to Dino Attack's own online game![/nostalgiarant] An intentional Mood Whiplash, done to demonstrate the dire hopelessness of the situation. And with Amanda dead, it really emphasizes the whole "Anyone Can Die" aspect, eh?IC: Shannon Grimton led a group of Dino Attack staff members down the hall, wheeling herself as quickly as the wheelchair could take her. She knew the danger that Dino Attack Headquarters was in, and while she did not feel confident that evacuating headquarters was necessarily the right thing to do, it was certainly the wisest thing to do. Every able-bodied Dino Attack agent who could fight was in the battlefield. Staff members and those who could not fight were not safe to remain here."In here!" Shannon beckoned to the others, directing them into the room once used, and now once again used, by the Portal Operations Team. They complied quickly, and Shannon waited until every last one of them was inside the room before she followed suit.Inside, they found General, Shock, and Sam Throramebi hard at work assembling what appeared to be a Rock Raiders Teleport Pad, albeit in Dino Attack's color scheme; this came as little surprise, given Throramebi's Rock Raider background. General looked up at the newcomers, and through the eye slits in his helmet, Shannon could see him narrow his eyes in what appeared to be a frown. "Already?" he murmured. "This isn't good."Shannon nodded grimly. "A rocket or something appears to have hit the building. Even worse, Dr. Rex has received some... Divine Intervention from Baron Typhonus and is now more powerful than ever. The security of Dino Attack Headquarters has been compromised, I'm afraid, and Hertz thought it best to start evacuating the building immediately."Throramebi shook his head. "It's not finished yet! Give us about five more minutes. Trust me, you don't want to be using a half-finished Teleport Pad... bad things happen.""We were also hoping to move the finished Teleport Pad," added Shock, gesturing upwards, "to the roof of the building. That way, in a worst-case scenario, T-1 Typhoons can airlift Dino Attack agents to the Teleport Pad be evacuated.""And one more thing," General spoke in a solemn voice. "We're designing this Teleport Pad to be one-way only. Once you go in, there's no turning back. You're in Antarctica's refugee facilities, and you cannot return to LEGO City. Therefore, you have to be absolutely certain that you want to go, because you will not be able to return in time to continue fighting if you change your mind afterward.""Okay," nodded Shannon. "Keep working, then. I'll search the building for anyone else who needs to be evacuated." She turned and began to wheel herself out of the room."But wait!" called Shock. "Aren't you worried that-""Don't worry," grinned Shannon. "Just because I'm in a wheelchair doesn't mean I'm not completely helpless... I can take care of myself if I run into any trouble."OOC: Shannon's going to remain in Dino Attack Headquarters for now. I just figured that I'd give the people who need evacuation a place to evacuate to; I'm just going to let General, Shock, and Throramebi finish the Teleport Pad off-screen. Just remember... once you go in, there's no turning back, so don't use the Teleport Pad unless absolutely necessary.Update on Frozeen, Greybeard, and Sam Race tomorrow.

OOC: Or how about a meeting between Naomi Carver, Noomi Shaw, and Naomi Hale? OOC: When Rex was in the middle of grieving, Dr. Glados was in the middle of shooting him, and a Mutant Lizard was in the middle of pouncing on them.That would make for a morbidly funny comic, I will admit.Darn, now I'm tempted to make a comic or something like that... I imagine the guy from Monty Python and the Holy Grail passing by in the middle of all the action, shouting "Bring out your dead!", piling Amanda onto the cart, and moving on, leaving behind Rex, Glados, and the Mutant Lizards, all very confused. Seeing as Glados is involved, it could potentially work as a "XERRD: For Science!" strip...But no such humor allowed here in the canon. Not now. Not the time, not the place. Interestingly enough, unlike Dino Attack/2010, Dino 2012 does have enough of a storyline that it does explain the backstory. Commander Hypaxxus-8, the main villain of the Alien Conquest line, unleashed the dinosaurs in a jungle bordering a major city as part of his evil plan to (OF COURSE!) take over the world. Optional villains include a Golden King from the Atlantis line, who was abducted by the aliens and mind-controlled by a Clinger, and Pharaoh Amset-Ra from the Pharaoh's Quest line, who was rescued from the Scorpion Pyramid by the aliens some time after the events of Pharaoh's Quest, both of whom were seen with Hypaxxus-8 as he unleashed the dinosaurs. Not exactly a "realistic" crew of antagonists, eh?Of course, given that all we know is that Hypaxxus-8 unleashed the dinosaurs, we don't know the full backstory behind the dinosaurs themselves, which could potentially lead to the more "realistic" antagonist idea that you have.IC: Rex was lost and alone in his grief, and only vaguely aware of his surroundings as the Mutant Lizards gathered and Michelle Glados prepared to execute him. None of it mattered to him. None of it. But even in his grief-ridden state, Rex noticed a strange peculiarity about his situation.Normally, when everything went black, that was an indication that he had fallen unconscious. In a few hours, he'd come to his senses once again, usually finding himself in Dino Attack Headquarters' hospital wing. But now, as the world turned to darkness, Rex could not help but notice that he was still very conscious. He could still hear, smell, feel, and taste the world around him, even if all he could see was blackness. When Rex realized this, he figured out that he was not unconscious, but actually blinded, as though someone had put a blindfold over his eyes.Puzzled, Rex allowed himself to focus on something other than the body of Amanda in his arms. He heard the growling, snarling, and hissing of Mutant Lizards, and recognized their tone as it shifted from merely hungry to actually angry. There was a Mutant Lizard, very close by, which growled in a territorial, almost defensive, tone. Rex heard the sounds of movement and the snapping of jaws, followed by the pained screech of a wounded Mutant Lizard. Another Mutant Lizard snarled, and again came the sound of biting and snapping. The territorial Mutant Lizard hissed as the other Mutant Lizard screeched and, apparently, retreated.Sickened, Rex thought, They're fighting over fresh meat. They want her. Clutching Amanda's body against his chest, Rex shouted: "Get away! Back off! You can't have her!"Suddenly, Rex's vision returned to him. He was still sitting amongst the ruins of the wrecked Iron Predator, cradling Amanda's body in his arms. Michelle Glados still stood behind him, pointing her high-tech gun in Rex's direction, but she no longer seemed interested in him. Then, Rex looked up and was surprised to see a Mutant Lizard standing over him, which he realized must have been the territorial-sounding lizard that he heard.The Mutant Lizard stood in a defensive crouch over Rex and Amanda, as though shielding their bodies with its own. Upon seeing the black scales that covered the Mutant Lizard's hide, Rex realized why he temporarily lost his sight: it was due to the Mutant Lizard's darkness powers. Although it occasionally glanced at the other Mutant Lizards circled around the Iron Predator ruins to keep them in check, snarling at any of them if they moved a muscle, the Mutant Lizard's eyes were mostly fixed upon Michelle Glados, baring its teeth at the XERRD scientist.It all felt so familiar."What are you doing?" frowned Dr. Glados. "You're just a mindless Mutant Lizard. You're supposed to follow XERRD's orders, and while I may never have been as adept at controlling the Maelstrom as Dr. Rex or Dr. Bishop, as XERRD's de facto leader, I order you to back down. Stop whatever it is you think you're doing, because this isn't helping anyone."Another Mutant Lizard with acid dripping from its jaws took a step towards the darkness-breed Mutant Lizard. The darkness Mutant Lizard responded by biting and clawing at the acid-spitting Mutant Lizard until it retreated. Then, the Mutant Lizard resumed its defensive pose over Rex, continuing to glare at Dr. Glados with a defiant look in its eyes. It was not about to give up Rex and Amanda so easily."Alright, then," muttered Glados. "If it's going to be that way, then you're going to be the immediate past president of the 'being alive' club." As she raised her high-tech gun to fire, the darkness Mutant Lizard lunged at her, knocking the scientist to the ground. Snarling, it snapped its jaws at her, who only managed to keep it within inches of biting her face off.Rex watched as Dr. Glados and the Mutant Lizard wrestled each other, rolling over on the wet pavement. He was surprised that the Mutant Lizard was so intent upon defending him from Glados, and there was definitely something familiar about the creature, but in his grief-ridden state, he could not think properly. He could do nothing but watch as Dr. Glados finally succeeded in kicking the Mutant Lizard off of herself. As the Mutant Lizard jumped back to its feet, Glados pulled the trigger, and the sound of a gunshot rang through Rex's ears once again, already forcibly recalling the memories of Amanda's death.The Mutant Lizard stumbled and fell, lying on the rubble next to Rex. Breathing heavily, the Mutant Lizard tried to rise but could not find the strength. It looked up at Rex and whined softly, and Rex could feel the creature's pain as it suffered from defeat.At that moment, it all became clear. "... T-Trouble?" stammered Rex.The darkness-breed Mutant Lizard nodded slowly.Brushing the dirt off of her Space Marauder gear, Dr. Michelle Glados stood to her feet and gritted her teeth. When she spoke, she began speaking in her usual monotonous voice, but she slowly broke character as her voice gradually became angrier and angrier. "Between your girlfriend and your pet, there's always someone there to save you. I have an infinite capacity for knowledge, and not even I know what circumstances keep you alive, Rex. What's your point anyway? Survival? It's all a pointless struggle, you know. I'm still in control, and you have no idea how to stop me. And now you're all going to pay the price, because you're all going to die. That's it. I'm done reasoning with you. I'm going to kill you, and all that you hold dearly is gone. Starting now, there's going to be a lot less conversation and a lot more killing."As though on cue, the Mutant Lizards surrounding Rex, Amanda, and Trouble came closer, saliva dripping from their maws. Trouble raised his tail in a vain effort to ward them off, while Rex clutched Amanda a little closer to his chest.Suddenly, some of the Mutant Lizards looked to the sky and screeched a warning. Rex looked upward and saw a group of T-1 Typhoons, as well as what appeared to be a flying Iron Predator, descending upon Playwell Avenue. The Mutant Lizards scattered and retreated.Michelle Glados's features twisted into a scowl. "I hate you all so much." With that, she raised her high-tech pistol, determined to kill Rex before the T-1 Typhoons could lower a winch and cable in time.Summoning his remaining strength, Trouble slowly rose to his feet. He pulled back his lip, baring his teeth, and snarled viciously at Dr. Glados."What?" snapped Glados. "Are you still alive? You are joking! You have got to be kidding me!"Trouble took a step froward. Glados fired her gun at Trouble, who stumbled but remained on his feet. Trouble growled and intently took another step towards Glados. The XERRD scientist took a step back, firing again.But Trouble was a free Mutant Lizard. He was masterless. He was no slave to the Maelstrom or to XERRD. After seeing so many of his kin fall into madness, Trouble knew that he was free thanks to Rex. Trouble was far more fiercely loyal to Rex than any enslaved Mutant Lizard could possibly be to the Maelstrom. And now that Rex had come back to LEGO City, Trouble had came back to rescue Rex, and was so determined to protect his friend that he would fight off Death himself...... because Trouble was a free Mutant Lizard.As Michelle Glados realized that Trouble's tenacity was far too great, she stepped back and put away her high-tech gun. She pointed her teleportation device at the ground and pulled the trigger, to whisk her away to a safe location in a flash of blue light. Instead, fate chose that moment to make the hastily-reconstructed replacement for the original device fried by Pterisa malfunction. Cold fear washed over Glados as she tried again and again to teleport to safety, but the malfunctioning device would not work.Trouble screeched and pounced upon Michelle Glados. Before she even hit the wet pavement of the road, the Mutant Lizard had closed its jaws upon the XERRD scientist's neck, ending her life instantly. Then, with his dying breaths, Trouble turned around and locked eyes with Rex, and Rex could have sworn that its expression was identical to the smile that Amanda had just before she died.Trouble's legs buckled, and he collapsed atop Glados's body, but he passed away peacefully with the knowledge that he died as a free Mutant Lizard.Rex's mouth was dry, and his cheeks were wet, but not from the pouring rain. At last, one of the T-1 Typhoons managed to lower a winch and cable, and a couple of Dino Attack agents climbed down to help Rex up. They reached for Amanda, and Rex pulled her away, screaming, "Don't touch her!" A few seconds later, he repeated the words in a whisper, and began to weep again, mourning the deaths of King Joseph Race, Amanda "Claw" Alexander, and now Trouble.When they brought Rex on board and laid Amanda's body out on a stretcher, all Rex could do was stare emptily into space. He did not respond to anyone talking to him. It was though he had finally become shell-shocked. Eventually, his rescuers stopped trying and decided it was best to give him time, leaving Rex alone in his perpetual Thousand Yard Stare of grief.Alone.OOC: At long last, the long-awaited return of an apparently popular character. And yes. For those of you who are curious, his Back For The Dead moment was planned a long time ago, probably from the moment that I realized that he had disappeared without a mention for quite a while. That is why I openly refused to bring him back, in order to make this moment seem even more powerful.Wow. I can't wait for Brikman McStudz and Jackson Lake to return from their trips tomorrow, just to see their reactions to what a terrible tragedy occurred during their absence.Also, the line "It all felt so familiar" was a reference to the scene with illusion!Kotua, illusion!Amanda, and Stranger's Mutant Lizard in the Maelstrom Temple. Considering that this was planned in advance but that was written by the seat of our pants, Andrewnuva, I must say that the foreshadowing in that worked beautifully, more than I could have possibly imagined, and I didn't even think about it until I was actually writing this.By the way, I do have a plan in mind for how the evacuation of Dino Attack Headquarters can work; in case such a thing were needed, I did actually set a little something up in advance. I'll post it tomorrow.

OOC: Well, I wanted to give Adventure a proper adventurer's death... and the Peter Pan quote seemed just too perfect for the situation. That, and I was really itching to use Hudson's last two words as someone's last two words in this battle...I have to say... I thought that the destruction of the Dino Island Laboratory would be the Brickster's personal Crowning Moment of Awesome in the RPG. Guess I might possibly be mistaken... because we now have a contender! Seriously, though, that was just awesome, Brikman. I'm also now tempted to recreate the Brickster's personal T-1 Typhoon in LEGO Digital Designer.Aaaaaaaand... welcome back to yet another cuh-RAY-zee installment of "Plot Armor Heroes Who Somehow Survive Everything!" Get ready to be at the edge of your seat for this thrilling episode as Rex and Amanda escape certain death... again! Remember, "Plot Armor Heroes Who Somehow Survive Everything!" is made possible by viewers like you. Thank you!IC: He ran as fast as his two legs could carry him. All around him, he saw the destruction of LEGO City left behind by the Mutant Dinos, and did his best to dodge everything in his path, from the rampage of Mutant T-Rexes to speeding Fire Hammers. None of it mattered to him; only getting to his destination as quickly as possible mattered, for there were three thoughts that dominated his mind:He's back.He's in trouble.I must save him! ***** When Rex opened his eyes again, he felt weak and nauseous. He was buried underneath several charred bricks which once belonged to his Iron Predator, which he realized comprised most of the burning ruins in his immediate vicinity. Pushing the bricks off of him, he managed to find the strength to perform an upper-body push-up, giving him the vantage point to look around.He was still on Playwell Avenue, as he recognized the placement of nearby buildings. He was lying in the middle of the road, amongst the burning ruins of his Iron Predator all around him, which gave him an eerie post-apocalyptic feeling of surviving after the end, as though he were lying in a burning wasteland. Although Rex heard the sounds of battle, the roars of dinosaurs, the firing of weapons, and the echoes of music, it all sounded so distant to him, and he felt that it was very quiet. Too quiet."Amanda...!" Rex whispered, looking around for any sign of his wife, already fearing the worst.Then, there was a flash of orange light which nearly blinded Rex. When his vision returned, Rex saw a familiar Space Marauder standing over him, with a rocket launcher in one hand and a device with blue and orange lights in the other hand. Looking at her features, Rex saw that she looked as bored and emotionless as ever, but the light cast upon her face from the fires of the wrecked Iron Predator illustrated a very different picture, making her look far more sinister."Michelle Glados," Rex gritted his teeth. "I should have known it was you." He silently cursed himself for not recognizing the earlier signs... how had he missed the flashes of blue light?Holding up the rocket launcher, Glados murmured in her ever-monotonous voice: "It's your old friend, the XERRD rocket launcher. Of course, I made a few tweaks and adjustments to make it even more powerful than it was in the Maelstrom Temple... powerful enough to wreck an entire Iron Predator in one hit. Remarkable, isn't it?"Then, Dr. Glados put away the rocket launcher. "Of course, while I would recommend lying in front of a rocket, since it would be a far less painful death than being torn apart by a Mutant T-Rex, somehow your tenacity levels are just too high to die when your entire tank explodes. Impressive. I'll be sure to make a note of that in your file. 'High tenacity. Does not die when tank explodes.' This is an interesting outcome to this experiment, indeed, but it appears that there is some error involved. Believe me, being still alive right now... that is a mistake. That is why I am about to correct this mathematical error." With that, she pulled out a small hi-tech pistol-like weapon, similar to the ones used by Walter Breen and "Wallace Bishop" in the Maelstrom Temple."Glados," groaned Rex, "you were there at the Maelstrom Temple. You saw just as well as we all did. The Dino Attack is the mathematical error here! XERRD's cause is a facade created by Baron Typhonus! Your leader, Dr. Rex, is now nothing more than the Darkitect's plaything! Why do you persist? Why do you continue that which you know to be all a lie?"Dr. Glados raised an eyebrow. "Unlike Dr. Rex, I was never in it for the repopulation of dinosaurs. I was in it for the science. I'm not going to lie to you... if my calculations are correct, and they always are, then the odds of Dino Attack Team winning this battle are a million to one, and that's with some generous rounding. At this point, I don't care if it's Dr. Rex who gets his way or if it's Baron Typhonus who hijacks the plot. Either way, I intend to conduct research to see how the survivors of the Minifig species react to being trapped on a planet with the absolute certainty of death and destruction in the inevitable apocalypse. I, of course, will study from a safe distance, from which I can observe without needing to worry about my own survival. It's a most intriguing experiment. In their final hours, will Minifigs reveal their true nature as wild beasts who will do abominable things in a futile effort to survive? Or will they all calmly accept their fate, hold hands, and watch as the sky rains fire down upon them? Already, I cannot wait to find the results.""Science," Rex gritted his teeth. "Every single one of you XERRD lunatics uses that word to justify your actions. But you've taken the study of the world around us... and perverted it to meet your own selfish ends. Science is not bad, as proven by Frank Einstein, Reptile, and so many others... but you guys just think that saying you're doing something 'for science' means you can get away with anything. Science is meant to benefit us, not to create holocausts!""The science will get done," promised Michelle Glados, "for the benefit of those who are... still alive. I've got experiments to run, and there's research to be done, for the people who are... still alive. And when I'm still alive... I'll be doing science and feeling fantastic. You, on the other hand... I only want you gone.""You're sick!" snapped Rex. "Don't you feel anything? You're going to let everyone on LEGO Planet die... just for your little experiment?"Out of the corner of his eye, Rex saw movement in the rubble. He was relieved to see Amanda, still alive, brushing a few charred bricks and plates off of her. If I can keep talking, though Rex, I can buy her enough time to ambush Glados.Dr. Glados shrugged. "I do not feel disturbed at all. I do not feel remorse, I do not feel pity, I do not feel compassion. I feel... nothing. I am the perfect scientist, you see, because I have the clearest mind of all, for my judgment and my actions are never hindered by weaknesses such as emotion."Rex locked eyes with Amanda, letting the sight of her warm his heart. As she nodded to him, Rex felt a resurgence in energy and life. Already, Amanda was almost back on her feet. With renewed confidence, Rex stared down Dr. Glados and declared: "Wrong, Glados. You are wrong. Emotion is not weakness, it is strength. It is what keeps us going. It is what makes us Minifig. It makes us who we are. You, Glados... you have nothing. You feel nothing. And because of that, you are nothing."The shadows cast upon her face by the burning Iron Predator ruins darkened as Michelle Glados hissed in a most unsettling whisper: "Emotion. Makes. You. Weak." With that, she raised her high-tech gun and pulled the trigger.As the gunshot rang through Rex's ears, his eyes widened, his jaw dropped in shock, and his entire body suddenly tensed as though he was just jolted by electricity. Feeling the life draining from his body, he whispered in a feeble voice: "No...!"It all seemed to happen in slow-motion. Amanda stared at Dr. Glados with incredulity. Then, slowly, her gaze drifted down to her own torso. There was now an expanding blotch of red staining her Dino Attack uniform. Like a marionette whose strings had been cut, Amanda Claw fell to the ground."No!" shouted Rex. Crawling with his hands like some sort of wild animal, Rex rushed as quickly to her side as he could. "No! No!" As soon as he reached her, he leaned over her, and gently brushed her face to look into her eyes. They were cold and distant. "Amanda!" gasped Rex. "Look at me! Don't leave me! Don't... please don't..."Amanda looked up at Rex, then coughed up blood. "I..." she whispered, "promised that... I'd never... leave... you. I am... sorry... that I must... break... that... promise..."Rex twisted his body in an effort to sit upright, then dragged Amanda over his lap and cradled her in his arms, as she had done with him such a short time ago. "Amanda..." he choked back tears, "please... don't go... I'm going to save you!"Amanda's own eyes were tearing up now. "You... already did..." she smiled. "You... Roger... and so many others... showed me... that there is hope... that I do... not need to be... her... that I can... be forgiven... be redeemed... You saved me... Rex... and I love you."Sobbing, Rex barely found the strength to respond. "I... love you too... You are my light in the darkness!""As you..." nodded Amanda, "were mine..." Coughing up more blood, her next words were even quieter. "Thank you... thank you... for everything...""Amanda," Rex shook his head. "Amanda, please, stay with me! Stay with me!""I must... go now..." Amanda sighed, "to where you... cannot... follow. Rex...? Defeat... XERRD... save the world... save everyone from a terrible fate... I know... you can do it..."Rex swallowed hard as he heard Amanda's last wish. He could not stop his body from shaking with every sob.Amanda's eyes were distant as she stared off into space. A peculiar sort of smile crossed her features. When she started whispering again, she was no longer talking to Rex. "Mom...? Dad...? Alfred...? Roger...? Is... is that really you...? I have... I have waited... so long... to see you... again..." Amanda "Claw" Alexander gave one last contented sigh, and then passed away.Weeping, Rex cradled Amanda's body and pressed his head to her chest, feeling lost and alone in the world.A group of hungry Mutant Lizards smelled fresh meat and encircled the Iron Predator ruins. Michelle Glados had let Rex and Amanda share their final moments together, finding some sort of sick, sadistic pleasure in their suffering, but now that Amanda was gone, she had grown bored with the whole matter, and now raised her high-tech gun again, this time to end Rex's life. Simultaneously, a Mutant Lizard broke from the main group and lunged at Rex and Amanda.Everything went black.OOC: This post was made possible thanks to contributions from viewers like you. Especially you, Brikman McStudz. Thank you for keeping Michelle Glados alive during the Maelstrom Temple battle so I wouldn't have to use some random cannon fodder XERRD scientist that nobody cares about!As usual, don't have the rescue arrive until I'm ready for it. Though, thanks for arranging said rescue, that guy.

OOC: Just to make this clear, we're not "going in this general direction". It was a one-time final tribute to one of Dino Attack RPG's most important characters, whose player more or less vanished off the face of the internet in late 2007, as well as a play on the old "ghost hitchhiker" tales. It's not the start of bringing in everyone else's characters again.As for Databoard, Chronicler of Ko-Koro is still active on BZPower, and he is aware that Dino Attack: At War's End is in its final battle (remember the Oath to Order?). When Dino Attack: At War's End began, he expressed interest in returning for one last go during the final battle. I didn't want to say anything, as I didn't want to get everyone excited about something that may not happen, but the point is that there is still a chance, however slim, that Chronicler of Ko-Koro may return before the end of the RPG. With this possibility in mind, it's best if we left Databoard in his own hands, not ours.

OOC: Just to be clear, the clouds that swirled overhead above Dr. Rex were merely foreshadowing and symbolism; it wasn't actually the Maelstrom itself.Well, that guy, if it helps any, I just really want to see Trigger finally get what's been coming to him (being a jerkman to everyone in the Dino Attack Team, trying to kill Amanda after she's reformed just because she foiled one of his jobs, and then hypocritically leaving the most important job he's ever taken so that he could ditch Dino Attack Team in the darkest hour), so I eagerly await the Pharisee/Trigger confrontation, even if Pharisee does act a little too much like a Knight Templar. Intended Audience Reaction: achieved. Also, I chuckled a bit at the E. Gadd ersatz and all the Boss Subtitles that have been given to Dr. Rex.By the way, Andrewnuva, you should mention the unique color scheme of that particular Urban Avenger... and yes, guys, I explicitly granted him permission to do this.IC: Rex watched the Maelstrom-enslaved Dr. Rex in undisguised horror. The chaotic energies were keeping Dr. Rex alive, but in doing so, granting him a fate worse than death. Rex knew that he had just said that Dr. Rex deserved to suffer a painful death... but this... no one deserved this.Luckily, the Super Ice Drones, being among Ogel's most efficient soldiers, felt little more than dull surprise upon seeing Dr. Rex rise again. Already back in their Scorpion Orb Launchers, they proceeded to attack him once again. The scorpion mechs had seen better days, as one was missing a claw and the other's stinger tail was partially bitten off in the previous battle against Dr. Rex, and Rex knew that they would not last long, but Rex did not expect to see Dr. Rex tear one of them to shreds in a matter of seconds. The Maelstrom was doing more than simply keeping him alive, Rex noted.As soon as he found his voice, Rex screamed into the radio: "F-FIRE!"Adventure responded quickly, firing everything the High-Voltage Half-Track had upon Dr. Rex. Once again, the silge armor conducted the powerful electric shock across Dr. Rex's entire body, and the mad-scientist-turned-T-Rex delivered yet another spine-shivering mixture of a roar and a scream, but this time, he remained on his feet and did not collapse. If anything, it made the Maelstrom tendrils constricting his body glow brighter and wrap even tighter."Fools..." Dr. Rex spoke in a strained voice through clenched teeth. "You fail... to understand... The more you... hurt me... the more powerful... he... makes me!" With that, he opened his maw, and a powerful jet of purple-tinged flames erupted from his mouth, disintegrating the remaining Scorpion Orb Launcher. Rex had heard accounts of a similar trait from the Green Goo-mutated T-Rex known as Crunchbite, but this breath weapon was undoubtedly far more destructive due to the Maelstrom's enhancements.Rex paled. Now that electric shocks would only make Dr. Rex even more powerful than ever, his plan to take down Dr. Rex was foiled. "Pull back!" he ordered. "We need back-up!" He kicked the Iron Predator into motion and drove at top speed away from Dr. Rex. Driving alongside the Iron Predator was Adventure's High-Voltage Half-Track. Together, they raced down 42nd Street."Guys?" called Sam Race. "He's... he's catching up to us!" Managing a quick glance over his shoulder, Rex saw that Dr. Rex was pursuing the two Dino Attack vehicles, determined to destroy them both."I've never seen a Mutant T-Rex run that fast before," remarked Frozeen, "especially not with all that armor weighing him down.""He's getting closer!" reported Sam Race."Blast it," Rex gritted his teeth. "I doubt our Z-1 Kinetic Launcher, Cosmotronic Ray, or flintlock pistol will do anything to him, and because he took out the Cryothermic Cannon, we're defenseless!"Adventure's voice came in on the radio. "I... think I may know how to save you guys. I'm going to create a distraction and hold him back long enough for you to escape." Before Rex could reply, he saw the High-Voltage Half-Track next to him come to a sudden stop as Adventure slammed in the brakes."What are you doing!" gasped Rex. "You're going to get yourself killed!""To die... will be an awfully big adventure!""Adventure, no!" shouted Rex."Hey, Dr. Rex! I've got a message for you! ZNAP YOU!" Then, Adventure's radio line went dead."MegaBloks!" cursed Rex. "Builder MegaBloking Znap it!"Greybeard swallowed hard before reporting. "It... ain't lookin' good fer Adventure from here. But his plan be a success, from what me deadlights see, fer Dr. Rex has stopped in his tracks. We be safe, fer now at least."Turning onto Playwell Avenue, Rex saw an abandoned Fire Hammer that, aside from missing a roof and a windshield, appeared mostly intact. He stopped the Iron Predator next to the jeep, then turned to look at Frozeen, Greybeard, and Sam Race. "Get into the Fire Hammer," he ordered them."What?" blinked Frozeen. "Rex, look, it's much safer if we all stick together-"Rex shook his head. "We're in an Iron Predator that has lost its Cryothermic Cannon. If Dr. Rex catches us, we're all dead. If we split up, at least there's a chance that some of us can make it out alive." Sighing, Rex choked back tears and added: "Guys... I just want you to know that it's truly been an honor to have known and fought alongside you. Sam, you're one of the best drivers I've ever known; Greybeard, it's been great keeping a foil around to tell me when I'm wrong; and Frozeen... you've done a lot for me this past year. Thank you. Now, please, for your own safety, step out of the Iron Predator and take the Fire Hammer.""We'll see each other again," promised Frozeen, clasping Rex's hand and then giving Amanda a quick departing hug. One-by-one, Frozeen, Greybeard, and Sam Race filed out of the Iron Predator, climbed into the Fire Hammer, and sped away.As soon as he was sure that they were gone, Rex started up the Iron Predator again; he did not want to know how long it took Dr. Rex to kill Adventure and destroy the High-Voltage Half-Track, nor did he want to stick around long enough to find out. As the Iron Predator drove down Playwell Avenue at top speed, Rex took his eyes off the road for a moment to lock eyes with Amanda. He could tell just from looking at her that she was concerned. "Amanda, I..." he began, but then he trailed off.Amanda shook her head. "No matter what happens, we're together.""Don't worry," promised Rex. "I will protect you from anything XERRD will throw at us."Amanda nodded slowly, but then her eyes widened, alerting Rex to danger just a second too late.That was the last thing Rex saw before the rocket hit.OOC: Remember, kids. Keep your eyes on the road at all times while driving, and you should be able to avoid accidents such as these. Then again, if you want my advice, just stay off the road. Period. Broken traffic lights... idiotic drivers... the occasional XERRD missile... yeah, it's safer just to not drive.So, how will Rex and Amanda get out of this pickle? Stay tuned till next time for another cuh-RAY-zee installment of "Plot Armor Heroes Who Somehow Survive Everything"! And now, for a word from our sponsors...

OOC: Oh dear. Poor Ingrid. Poor Vinyaya.IC: Over the radio, Rex could hear the ecstatic cheers in response to the news that he delivered. He felt a mixture of pride and relief in the knowledge that his plan had succeeded and that Dr. Rex himself had been defeated. He chuckled softly to himself, a little amused that everyone was so concentrated on the fact that silge metal is invincible that nobody considered that it was metal. Basic physics: metals are highly conductive, and only electricity could take the world's most impenetrable armor and turn it into a lethal weapon.The rain continued to fall, and thunder continued to rumble. Up above, the storm clouds began to swirl over the spot where Dr. Rex had fallen, almost looking like a maelstrom vortex.Rex, Amanda, Frozeen, Greybeard, Adventure, and the two Super Ice Drones stepped out of their vehicles to survey the fallen form of Dr. Rex. He laid still upon the wet pavement, with rainwater running down his armor. He was still alive, and Rex frowned, wondering if his announcement of Dr. Rex's defeat was too early. However, Dr. Rex was gasping for breath, not unlike Ata in his final moments, and while Dr. Rex's eyes still contained that same look of intelligence and madness which had been absent in the red herring Greybeard had fought earlier, Rex saw a new, wild look in his eyes that he recognized all too well, after seeing it countless times in this war... the look of a being who knows that he's about to die."Hah!" laughed Adventure, pointing at Dr. Rex. "You messed with the wrong Minifigs! How do you like getting your tail handed to you, eh?""Hey," Frozeen approached the Super Ice Drones. "I just want you guys to know that... I'd never thought I'd be saying this to your kind, but thanks for the help. We couldn't have done it without you.""Your gratitude has been acknowledged," one of the drones nodded stiffly and emotionlessly. "However, it is not us whom you should thank, for it was our great master Evil Ogel who conceived this plan.""But how did Ogel survive being eaten the first time?" wondered Amanda. "And aren't you two worried about Ogel having sacrificed himself?""Our great master is not dead," stated the other Super Ice Drone, "for he is far too cunning and intelligent. He has cheated death before, he has done so now, and we know that he shall do so again. For even now... Ogel lives.""This reminds me of something I saw in the Alpha Team records," murmured Frozeen. "Something from back in 2001, after Ogel's first defeat... Darn, if I could only remember what it was...""So what do we do with this guy?" inquired Adventure. "Can I bring him home, stuff him, and add him to my trophy collection?""Patience, lad," snorted Greybeard, "ye can't stuff 'im till he be dead. Since he be still alive, we should just kill 'im now, fer dead men tell no tales, says I. He be leadin' a pitiful life, an' be th' cause o' millions o' deaths. He deserves t' die, an' I be ready t' kill him an' get this over wi'." With that, he loaded his flintlock pistol and approached Dr. Rex's head."Wait," Rex held up his hand. Everyone looked at him in surprise."Blow me down, Rex," sighed Greybeard, "ye remain as idealistic as ever. This be no Mutant Lizard hatchlin' ye can take home, where ye can tame it an' call it yer pet. This be Dr. Rex himself. Dr. Rex be beyond savin', an' he deserves t' die. Thar be no point in sparin' his life. An' think o' it this way... we be freein' him from his misery, says I. Be that idealistic enough fer ye?"Rex shook his head. "Idealistic? Yes. It would be very idealistic for us to just put Dr. Rex out of his misery right now. But such an idealistic death... that is not what he deserves."Lowering his head in a way that cast a shadow over his features, Rex stared into Dr. Rex's eyes. "Doctor Ronald Alexander was once a well-meaning scientist. But that has changed. He has become weak-minded and weak-willed, reducing him to a puppet and a mere shell of the man he once was. He has perverted the name of science, taking the study of the world around us and using it to take the lives of millions, destroy the world in which we live, and make the lives of the survivors as miserable as possible... all under the horrible delusion that this was what destiny wanted, when in actuality he has become a pawn of the Darkitect."Gritting his teeth, Rex continued. "In the initial Dino Attack, millions died before the survivors were evacuated to Antarctica. Since then, Dr. Rex has persisted in leading XERRD and the Mutant Dinos in a war against Dino Attack Team, the last hope for Minifig civilization, and in doing so he has taken the lives of many valiant soldiers, scientists, technicians, and civilians caught up in the action. So much blood has stained Dr. Rex's hands. And now, here he lies, in his final moments, gasping his final breaths, trapped in a dying body. Perhaps, only now, he reflects upon all that he has done and realizes the errors of his ways, adding guilt to the pain and agony he is currently in. It would be merciful, indeed, to just put him out of all that misery."Rex shook his head. "But no. That is not what he deserves. He does not deserve mercy or pity. He deserves to lie there, weighted down by all the pain, agony, guilt, and misery that he has placed upon himself, hoisting himself by his own petard. He deserves every last gasp for air, as the instincts of a wild animal take over with the knowledge that he is about to die. He does not even deserve the dignity to die with others around him... no, he deserves to die alone. That is the death that Dr. Rex deserves."Beckoning to his comrades, Rex turned away from Dr. Rex's body. "Let's go. Leave Dr. Rex to his miserable fate."Gradually, the others accepted Rex's words and turned away from Dr. Rex. Adventure returned to the High-Voltage Half-Track, the Super Ice Drones to their Scorpion Orb Launchers, and Rex, Frozeen, Amanda, and Greybeard to the Iron Predator. As Rex started up the Iron Predator's engine, a bolt of lightning shot across the sky above, followed by a loud thunderclap. Rex's heart began to race, and he clutched his chest in pain.Deep laughter echoed across 42nd Street, just barely louder than a whisper but audible enough to send shivers down everyone's spine. It was not Dr. Rex's laugh, Evil Ogel's laugh, or even Lord Sam Sinister's laugh... but Baron Typhonus's laugh.Dr. Rex opened his maw and produced that same eerie blend of a roar and a scream. Massive tendrils of Maelstrom energy erupted from every opening in his armor, including the eyeholes and from his mouth, moving like snakes emerging from their underground dens. Then, horribly reminiscent of the Maelstrom tendrils that Rex had encountered in the Maelstrom Temple, they constricted around Dr. Rex's body, wrapping so tightly around his form that they might have crushed him to death. It was a terrible and horrifying sight to behold, Rex thought, for no one... not even Dr. Rex... deserved such a fate.Then, Dr. Rex did the unthinkable. He was still gasping for breath, and the Maelstrom tendrils looked like they were choking the life out of him, and yet somehow he managed to rise to his feet. Opening his mouth, Dr. Rex delivered a terrifying roar that resonated across LEGO City. Then, Dr. Rex laid his red eyes, from which wisps of purple smoke rose, upon the Iron Predator."Oh my Builder," whispered Rex. Beside him, he could see that Amanda felt the same way. Everyone was horrified by the sight they saw, but none more so than Rex and Amanda, for their acute understanding of the unspoken allowed them to see that which the others did not.Imagine, if you will, how it feels to be Dr. Rex. Every gasping breath you take feels like it might be the last, and you can feel the movement of air grate your insides which have been fried by electricity, but you cannot help but gasp, for the combined weight of silge and Maelstrom weighs you down and chokes you. Pain and agony are your only two senses as you feel like you are being burned alive. And all this time, you thought you were in control of your own fate... and only now, you realize that you are nothing more than a marionette, unable to fight back as your strings are pulled by a greater power. And only now, you know that he will keep pulling your strings. He will not cut them and grant you death, the escape from your horrible life that you now so desire. He will keep you alive so you can feel every bit of pain for the rest of eternity. There is nothing you can do now. You cannot fight back. All you can do now is do what the puppetmaster forces you to do.And there is only one last thing that he wants you to do. Finish the job. Grind the world to dust and leave no one alive.And seeing as the ones he wants you to kill are the very ones responsible for putting you in this miserable state to begin with, you have resigned to your fate, eagerly waiting for the opportunity to satisfy your lust for revenge. It is, after all, not your fault that you are perpetually on the brink of death... it is the fault of those that opposed you in the first place. Dino Attack Team. And so, for now, there is only one thought on your mind, one sole consolation that can bring you joy in a world of misery and pain.The thought of killing every last one of them.OOC: You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you? ... Nope, you didn't. Heh. Way to call my shots, Andrewnuva. Not the first time you've done that, and I doubt it will be the last time, too.

OOC: Oh, yeah. Paulie Gonepus is essentially cannon fodder right now. I could also say that William Lee and Robert Nicholas are cannon fodder too, seeing as I haven't elaborated upon their punishment by Dr. Rex... though, the problem is how Dr. Rex would have punished them and yet they can still participate in the final battle. Actually, one possible idea is that Lee and Nicholas are piloting XERRD hovercrafts (since their inspiration would often fly hovercrafts), but they are also forcibly strapped into their vehicles (think of the Other Father from Coraline) and gagged in a horrible And I Must Scream manner...Yes... That would be a Cruel and Unusual Punishment for suggesting that XERRD quits the Dino Attack...IC: The Iron Predator rolled down 42nd Street, and Rex confirmed via radio that Adventure's High-Voltage Half-Track was currently going down Godtfred Street. Although they fired upon Mutant Lizards and the occasional Mutant Raptor, there was no sign of Dr. Rex. Still, Rex refused to acknowledge the possibility that they lost the armored T-Rex, for how could they lose something that size? "Do you see him, Adventure?" he asked into the radio."Nah," reported Adventure. "The big guy's just one big chicken. He's got scales and armor, but he's still a chicken. Took one look at me and hightailed it. Hah, he must've known what was coming, and he's gonna get it! But don't worry, honcho, I used to track down these reptiles all the time. Once we find him, I'm going to stick my foot so far up his-""Look out!" warned Frozeen.Rex looked up in time to see a rocket traveling straight towards the Iron Predator. He turned the wheel as quickly as he could, just barely swerving the Iron Predator out of the rocket's path. Behind him, he heard the projectile explode as it hit a barber shop. Already, another rocket was on its way, and Rex could see that it was being fired from a police station, but he could not tell which window it came from. Dodging the rocket, Rex sped the Iron Predator in the direction of the police station."What are you doing?" cried Sam Race. "You're going towards the rockets that are trying to kill us? You're crazy! You're going to kill us all!""Not if it means getting a clear shot at whoever's firing at us!" retorted Rex. "Amanda, what do you see?"As another rocket was launched in their direction, Amanda reported: "Fourth floor, second window from the left." Rex did not even need to tell her the order to fire; he heard the groans of moving metal as Amanda adjusted the Cryothermic Cannon's trajectory in order to fire at the window in question.Adventure's voice came in on the radio. "Hey, honcho! What's going on over there? I'm seeing a lot of explosions! Lookin' pretty manly from here! You know, today should be its own holiday... Explosion Day! Oh, yeah, that would be just brimming with manliness!""Not right now, Adventure," grumbled Rex, who was trying to concentrate on dodging the incoming rockets while not moving too much, since he did not want to interfere with Amanda's aiming process. At last, locking upon the police station window, Amanda fired the Cryothermic Cannon. With perfect accuracy, the projectile sailed over Rex's head and, upon impact, obliterated the fourth floor of the police station. Just before the projectile hit with a flash of green energy, Rex could have sworn that he saw a flash of blue light emitting from the window that Amanda pointed out. That did not change the fact that there were no longer any more rockets being fired at them. "Nice shot!" called Rex."Thanks!" grinned Amanda. "You know, I think I'm actually starting to get the hang of this cannon-"At that moment, the Iron Predator passed a shopping center. The wall of the shopping center suddenly burst open as Dr. Rex emerged with a roar. As bricks rained down upon the tank, Amanda reacted quickly and tried to swerve the Cryothermic Cannon in Dr. Rex's direction. In response, Dr. Rex closed his maw upon the cannon. His razor-sharp teeth cleaved through the metal like butter, and as he twisted his neck, he twisted the cannon with it.Rex, Frozeen, and Greybeard opened fire upon Dr. Rex with a Cosmotronic Ray, Z-1 Kinetic Launcher, and flintlock pistol, respectively. It did no good, as all their ammunition bounced harmlessly off of Dr. Rex's armor. Gritting his teeth, Rex wished he had his preferred Sonic Screamer instead of a Cosmotronic Ray, remembering that Frozeen once said that G.E. metal could be penetrated by sonic attacks, but even then he did not know it would work against silge.Amanda whipped out her knife, stood up from the controls of the cannon, and ran on top of the twisted Cryothermic Cannon as though it was a half-melted catwalk. Rex resisted every instinct to shout out a warning to her, fearing that doing so would alert Dr. Rex. Instead, he watched in horror as Amanda approached Dr. Rex's helmeted head, raised her knife, and planted it in Dr. Rex's uncovered eye.Roaring in pain, Dr. Rex let go of the Cryothermic Cannon, leaving behind a badly-damaged, twisted, and half-melted cannon with Amanda standing precariously on top. Snarling, he glared down upon her, and Rex knew what was coming. "Amanda!" he called, unable to keep silent any longer. "Get dow-" Then, Dr. Rex lunged for Amanda."Doctor Ronald Alexander!"Dr. Rex froze, and Rex could not believe his ears. "What?" growled Dr. Rex, doing a double-take. He looked around for a brief moment before resting his eyes upon LEGO City Hall. Following his gaze, Rex's jaw dropped in shock. Standing on the rooftop was none other than Evil Ogel himself. "I already killed you!" snapped Dr. Rex."Did you really think that you had stopped me?" laughed Ogel. "The immortal Evil Ogel himself? You always were a fool.""If I didn't kill you the first time," snarled Dr. Rex, "then it's time to rectify this error!"Once Dr. Rex closed his jaws upon Evil Ogel, swallowing him whole for the second time that day, LEGO City Hall collapsed as a pair of Scorpion Orb Launchers burst out. As the two scorpion mechs engaged Dr. Rex in battle, Rex saw Adventure's High-Voltage Half-Track approach. "He's distracted!" Rex shouted into the radio. "Fire! Now!""YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED EXTINCT!" yelled Adventure. This caught Dr. Rex's attention, and the armored Mutant T-Rex began to ignore the Scorpion Orb Launchers and shift his focus towards the High-Voltage Half-Track. Rex cursed under his breath as Dr. Rex prepared to attack, but fortunately, Adventure had a fast trigger finger.Adventure fired everything the vehicle had upon Dr. Rex: the twin electro-prods, the high-powered taser device, the water cannon, and especially the low-voltage and high-voltage electro-launchers. The powerful electrical attack was conducted through the silge metal, arcing across Dr. Rex's entire form and frying his body wherever the armor touched his skin. Feeling the sensation of being burned from the inside out, Dr. Rex raised his head to the sky and produced the most terrifying sound Rex had ever seen, for it was neither a T-Rex roar nor a Minifig scream, but an unnatural blend of the two that perfectly expressed the pain and agony the mad-scientist-turned-T-Rex found himself in.Then, Dr. Rex fell. His body hit the wet road with an earth-shuddering sound much like the roar of thunder. Rex saw that he was not dead yet, but given the manner in which he was gasping for breath, he would not have much longer to live.As his teammates cheered in triumph, Rex sighed in relief. Picking up the radio, he announced: "Dr. Rex has fallen! I repeat, Dr. Rex has fallen!" ***** "For real this time? Please tell me it wasn't another stupid decoy.""Ten studs says Dr. Rex gets back up.""I guess you could say that Dr. Rex was in... for a shocking surprise.""YEAH!""I guess that makes Cyrista's Bane the final boss?""Michelle Glados is now the leader of XERRD. Everyone, run.""Play that march a little louder, Williams!""Hey, Danny, Lisa! Look at me, I'm rocking out!""You're not the only one on the radio, you know.""I thought I saw Trigger and Pharisee duking it out in that bar over there. Guess I was wrong.""Where the heck is the Third Headquarters Squad?""How many times has Ogel died now?""Hey, guys. Remember when there were those shiny disks that turned people into biomechanical mask-wearing warriors? I could use one of those right now.""Actually, I don't remember.""THAT NEVER HAPPENED. DO NOT EVER SPEAK OF IT AGAIN.""Well, what about the time where we were in some ruined city and there were these mechs and-""STOP."OOC: @Jacks right below me: Uh... no, we haven't been fighting all day. Correcting...

IC: "Ye realize that what we be doin' be suicidal, savvy?""Don't worry, Greybeard," Rex smiled determinedly. "I have the utmost confidence that this will work. We're going to turn Dr. Rex's greatest strength into his greatest weakness." He was sure that his plan would succeed; his recent marriage had more than restored his confidence and optimism levels. For the first time in so long, he no longer felt the burden and stress of being an elite Dino Attack agent. He locked eyes with Amanda and shared a warm smile."Alright," shrugged Greybeard. "It be just that ye know what they say about bullyin' a dragon.""Well, dinosaurs aren't dragons," pointed out Frozeen. "Unless, of course, we're talking about Tex. Wonder whatever happened to her, by the way.""There he is!" shouted Rex, pointing down to the end of the road. Indeed, there stood the familiar mad-scientist-turned-T-Rex, wearing silge armor and stalking down the street with heavy strides, his massive weight shaking the earth with every step. "Ready... aim... fire!" With that, Amanda fired the Iron Predator's Cryothermic Cannon, and the projectile of energy sailed across the road and hit Dr. Rex.With the blow deflected harmlessly off of his armor, Dr. Rex was not affected by it. However, it succeeded in catching his attention. Narrowing his eyes, Dr. Rex spotted the Iron Predator and growled, "You fools just don't learn, do you?" With a roar, he charged.Ignoring Sam Race's cries of panic, Rex turned the Iron Predator around and began driving in the opposite direction, while Amanda swiveled the Cryothermic Cannon around and kept firing to ensure that they held Dr. Rex's attention. Rex made a sharp right turn, and the Iron Predator skidded across the wet road and nearly slammed into a wrecked post office. Checking a street sign, Rex saw that they were on Godtfred Street. Just one more turn onto Playwell Avenue.Looking over his shoulder, Frozeen proclaimed: "He's catching up to us!""Don't worry, we're nearly there!" responded Rex. The street sign for Playwell Avenue was just up ahead. However, a pair of laser beams fired from Dr. Rex's eyes forced Rex to maneuver the Iron Predator awkwardly, causing him to make the left turn too soon and drive the Iron Predator right through a fire station. Luckily, the tank was sturdy enough to make it through without only a few scratches and dents, but Rex had to make sure that everyone else aboard the Iron Predator was alright. Aside from a few cuts and bruises, the response was positive.They were now on Playwell Avenue, and Rex just focused on driving to the end of the road as quickly as possible. As they neared a shopping center, Rex shouted into his radio. In response, a High-Voltage Half-Track rolled out of the shopping center, smashing down the building's walls and blasting loud music."YEAH? WELL, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU TOO!" yelled Rick "Adventure" Spherus. Immediately afterward, Rex heard him mutter, "Ah, come on. You didn't get him to say, 'I've had enough of you?' Now my one-liner doesn't work!""Uh, Rex?" called Amanda from the Cryothermic Cannon. "He's stopped.""What?" frowned Rex. He glanced quickly over his shoulder, and saw Dr. Rex standing still, just out of firing range, with his eyes locked upon the High-Voltage Half-Track. Gritting his teeth, the armored Mutant T-Rex began to walk away, but never letting Adventure's vehicle out of his sight. "MegaBloks, he knows what we're up to!""What's the plan, honcho?" inquired Adventure."I guess, since an ambush didn't work," muttered Rex, "we'll have to try to surround him instead. Adventure, you take Godtfred Street, and we'll take 42nd Street; hopefully, we can catch Dr. Rex and get him for good."

OOC: The majority, if not all, Mutant Dinos that we are currently fighting are vulnerable to Green Goo (I think the only exceptions would by Cyrista's Bane and Dr. Rex, seeing as they are "bosses" and shouldn't go down in one hit). The only problem is that, due to the eruption of Quadrant 14 that destroyed much of the Goo Caverns, Dino Attack Team's income of Green Goo slowed to a mere trickle, so Dino Attack's been very conservative with the Green Goo. If you need to know anything else about details from your absence, just let me know, and I'll fill you in.Before I forget, Atton, could you do me a favor? If Carrie Enderson survives, don't have her tell her brother anything about Silencia Venomosa... at least, not until "bartender confessions" is posted. I know I'm rather late in replying to this one, but wasn't that the time that Keith got third-degree burns on 95% of his body?IC: Luckily, once they found the hover-chair, they discovered that it was still functional. Time would tell if it started glitching again, but for now, at least, it was working. With that, Rex Alexander was helped into the hover-chair with his newly-wedded wife, Amanda "Claw" Alexander. He activated it, and together with Greybeard, they caught up with Frozeen's Iron Predator."Sorry about leaving you guys behind," Frozeen bit his lip, more than a little sheepish. "By the time I realized what had happened, I was too far away to help. Again, I'm so sorry, I won't let it happen again.""It's okay, Frozeen," Rex waved his hand, shrugging. "You did as I told you. And besides, it gave me the opportunity to marry the woman I love, so thanks!" He held hands with Amanda, and only then did Frozeen notice the ring on Amanda's finger."Congratulations!" grinned Frozeen. "About time, too! But how did you guys get out of there alive?"Rex's face turned grim. "Evil Ogel sacrificed himself, distracting Dr. Rex long enough for us to escape."Frozeen blinked in surprise. Sitting by himself in the corner of the Iron Predator's cabin, Sam Race began to panic. "Wait, what? Ogel's dead? No! That can't be! That's impossible! That's it, man! If Ogel's dead, then we're all dead! We're doomed! Done for!""Quiet!" snapped Greybeard. "Avast ye, ye be disrespectin' yer father by actin' this way after his death!" Sam Race began to break out into tears, causing Greybeard to sigh, walk over to the son of his old friend, and try to comfort him in a more soothing manner."Impossible," Frozeen shook his head in disbelief. "Ogel cannot be dead. I mean... he's... he's Ogel. As much as I hated the old crook, he's practically immortal, and Alpha Team had come to accept that. He'd... he'd always be back... after every defeat."Rex sighed. "I'm afraid immortality itself does not stand a chance when one is swallowed whole by a Mutant T-Rex."Frozeen scratched his head. "So, Dr. Rex managed to kill Evil Ogel himself, a Minifig who has survived nearly everything, and yet we are no closer to figuring out how to defeat Dr. Rex himself, what with that silge armor of his. That metal has no weaknesses, if I'm correct, and... ah, I could think straighter if I wasn't so shocked by Ogel's death.""Shocked?" repeated Rex. An epiphany dawned upon him. Picking up the radio, he spoke: "Elite Agent Adventure, do you read me?"The familiar voice of the boasting Australian came through. "Oh, yeah, I read you! Loud and clear! I read you like how James Earl Jones reads Doctor Seuss, putting such undiluted manliness into every whimsical word and making it sound as awesome and as manly as a big arm muscle punching through a brick wall and catching on fire-""Got it," Rex rolled his eyes. "Now, look, Adventure, you're in a High-Voltage Half-Track, right?""Yeah! Nabbed the last one on the lot!""Great! Meet me on... err..." Rex paused to look for a street sign. "Playwell Avenue!""What's the plan, honcho?""How would you like... to take down Dr. Rex himself?"

OOC: Good thing that you don't care, because that anecdote about Greybeard's past was serving as foreshadowing. Yes, I do plan a lot of things in advance so I can set it up in time, from never finding Ben Gunn's body to discovering that he survived, from Ata acting a little suspicious to discovering that he was the mole, from Greybeard's Antarctica speech to Greybeard's pre-final battle speech.I see what you did there.And I see that Paulie Gonepus finally got to say his famous line about his Maelaser. Poor random redshirt, may he rest in pieces.IC: Although they no longer had Dr. Rex looming over them, already the street was starting to become infested with Mutant Lizards of many breeds. As Amanda literally had her arms full, since she had to carry Rex in her arms until they retrieved the hover-chair, it was up to Greybeard to defend them. Madly, the pirate slashed at any Mutant Lizard that drew too near with his cutlass, while making sure to change up tactics every few lizards to make sure that he dispatched each beast as quickly and efficiently as possible.Now!Before he could let his feet turn cold, Rex pulled Ben Gunn's ring out from his pocket and locked eyes with Amanda Claw. "Amanda, will you marry me?" he proposed.Amanda blinked in surprise, as she was not apparently expecting the question. Once she recovered from the surprise, she smiled with a look of relief in her expression. "I was afraid that you'd never ask!" she laughed. Then, she bit her lip, glanced around, and took in the stormy weather, the ruined buildings, and the Mutant Lizards still being dispatched by Greybeard. "But... is now really the best time? I don't know-""Now might be the only time," pointed out Rex. "We both know I'm not going to live much longer. Let's make the last few weeks of my life the best that they can possibly be, for both of us."Amanda nodded, understanding Rex's reasoning. "Then yes, I will marry you."Rex grinned. He turned his attention to Greybeard, who was fighting a darkness-breed Mutant Lizard, and shouted the old pirate's name."I be a lil' busy a' th' moment!" Greybeard gritted his teeth, knocking his cutlass's hilt into the jaw of the Mutant Lizard, sending the creature's teeth flying out of its mouth before following up with a downward slash. "Okay, what do ye want?""Back in the Goo Caverns, you told me that you conducted a wedding ceremony for two lovers aboard the Black Seas Barracuda during a fierce sea battle against two Armada Flagships!" recalled Rex."Aye!" confirmed Greybeard, and the old pirate struck down another Mutant Lizard."Marry us!" pleaded Rex.The old pirate stared at Rex and Amanda incredulously for a moment. "Now?" Then, apparently deciding that now really was the best time, he nodded. "Aye, mateys, just give me a second o' two!" With that, he kicked aside a fire-breathing Mutant Lizard and ran towards a crashed Fire Hammer. Just like he had done when he delivered that pre-battle speech, he climbed atop the roof of the Fire Hammer, the highest possible position he could acquire.From there, Greybeard raised his cutlass and his hook, proclaiming at the top of his voice: "Dearly belov'd, we be gather'd here today..." As a camouflage-breed Mutant Lizard tried to climb atop the Fire Hammer, Greybeard responded by digging his cutlass into the lizard's skull, adding: "... t' nail yer gizzards t' the mast, ye poxy cur!"Rex looked into Amanda's eyes as he spoke. "Amanda Remous, I have loved you dearly from the day that we first met. You are my heart's one true desire, and you always will be.""Rex..." Trailing off, Amanda smiled sheepishly. "You don't have a surname, do you?"Shrugging, Rex suggested: "What about Alexander? Given my screwed-up family tree, it's probably the best surname that fits, even if it does belong to that mad scientist turned T-Rex over there!"Laughing, Amanda continued: "Rex Alexander, I was lost and alone in the world, and you showed me the light and helped me find my way. There is no way I can ever live with myself if I were to turn down your proposal!"As Greybeard was kicking a Mutant Lizard in the snout to knock it off the Fire Hammer, the old pirate decided: "Look, me hearties, I ain't takin' any chances, so we be doin' th' short version, savvy? Rex Alexander, do ye take Amanda Remous t' be yer lawfully wedded wife?""I do!" proclaimed Rex."Amanda Remous, do ye take Rex Alexander t' be yer lawfully wedded husband?""I do!" concurred Amanda.Swinging his cutlass back and forth between two Mutant Lizards trying to take him down from either side, Greybeard concluded with: "As th' oldest person here, I now proclaim ye husband an' wife! Ye may kiss!" With that, Greybeard jumped down from the Fire Hammer to fight the Mutant Lizards on the pavement below.Rex and Amanda leaned in to kiss, but a camouflage Mutant Lizard leaped towards them. Whipping out her knife, Amanda slashed the creature's throat."I said ye may kiss!" repeated Greybeard.A Mutant Raptor roared and lunged at them. Rex grabbed Amanda's Cosmotronic Ray and fired it at the beast, felling it."JUST KISS!" snapped Greybeard.Without a moment of hesitation, Rex and Amanda leaned in to each other and kissed. It was the greatest kiss that Rex had ever known, filling him with renewed warmth, courage, strength, and hope. Time seemed to slow as all Rex could think of during that brief instant that their lips met was his love for Amanda."Good!" Greybeard sighed with relief. "Now let us get goin', fer th' tide be comin' in!""Agreed," Rex nodded, but before they continued on their way, Rex made sure to place the ring on Amanda's finger. Now, Rex felt sure that Dino Attack Team would emerge victorious from this battle. They had to. Love, strength, and courage would undoubtedly conquer evil, chaos, and destruction.OOC: And, of course, I was listening to "I Don't Think Now's The Best Time" as I wrote this. And yes, I've been planning for this moment ever since the Goo Caverns story arc, if not earlier. I would have liked Greybeard's wedding speech to be more original, but I couldn't think of a good way to alter it drastically without losing the charm of Barbossa's speech... aside from including a little Shout Out to Spaceballs in the mix.

OOC: I doubt Athena Fabello really died, avmatoran, as her wiki article states that Minerva received the letter detailing her death because the administrator of Napoleon XIV did not want bad publicity on faulty security systems following Athena's disappearance. Also, Brikman, nice nod to December 21, 2010 back there.Anyways, spent most of the day writing "bartender confessions", as it's tentatively called. After the final battle, I'll post it, but it's rather long... as in, over 4,000 words (which is usually the length of one of my Short Stories or Epic chapters; I try to keep my RPG posts under 1,000!). What I think I'll probably do is post it here in the RPG, but under a spoiler tag for those who don't want to do a ton of scrolling every time they visit that page. Either that, or I can post it on the wiki (like HTTMYL... dang, I really need to finish that one) and link to it from here... My original plan was to post it on deviantART as a Stealth Sequel to Dino Attack RPG, but seeing as the secret is out and it's not so stealthy anymore, that would seem kind of silly.Also, since it sounds like Amanda's words went in one ear and out the other, Trigger seems just Too Dumb To Live right now.IC: The battle was heating up quickly. With a good portion of Dino Attack's forces concentrating on either Dr. Rex or, reportedly, the "Cyrista's Bane", more and more Mutant Dinos were slipping past the front lines and getting closer and closer to Dino Attack Headquarters. Luckily, the air support from the T-1 Typhoons and the line of defense set up by the Iron Predators prevented any from getting too close, but already they were too close to comfort.For Rex, Amanda Claw, Greybeard, and Sam Race, this was evidenced by the fact that the street block around Enderson's bar, which only a few moments ago had a few scattered Mutant Lizards and a Fire Hammer or two, was now swarming with Mutant Dinos, with Fire Hammers and Urban Avengers around every corner trying to take them down. As Rex and Amanda escorted Greybeard and Sam to safety, they had to be careful not to end up in the line of fire, in the path of an incoming vehicle, or in the jaws of a hungry dinosaur."Come on!" beckoned Rex. "It's just over this pile of rubble! You can make it!""Aye," nodded Greybeard. "I could scale a mountain wi' a scrap o' metal fer a right leg if I wanted t'! Amanda, give Sam a hand while I climb - oof!"The old pirate was interrupted as Amanda suddenly tackled him, knocking him to the wet pavement. Rex had only a second to react and pull his hover-chair back. Then, a rocket projectile hit the pile of rubble, exploding as it made contact and sending charred bricks flying in every direction. Rex felt the heat scorch his face, but he and the others were far enough away from the explosion that he did not receive any major burns."What was that?" trembled Sam Race, who was still very shaken from his father's recent death. "Who's firing rockets at us? No! This cannot be happening! I can't believe it! We've got Mutant Dinos and cybernetic T-Rexes and mad scientists and now rockets! We're doomed! We don't-""Duck!" shouted Rex as another rocket came their way. Luckily, Sam reacted in time, and the rocket sailed over them, colliding with a building. This time, Rex's eyes retraced the rocket's path to a nearby Cafe Corner. "There!" Rex shouted. "Fire into that window!"Amanda, who still held the Cosmotronic Ray, fired a few blasts of energy into the window of the Cafe Corner from which their unseen assailant was firing rockets. Just before they hit, Rex thought he saw a flash of blue light in the window of the Cafe Corner. Regardless, no more rockets were fired, and they were safe to continue."Come on!" pointed Rex. "The Iron Predator's right there! Let's go!" Indeed, Frozeen kept the Iron Predator right where Rex and Amanda left it, and the Alpha Team agent was beckoning for them to hurry on board. As the tank's ladder was lowered, Amanda helped Sam Race and Greybeard climb on board the Iron Predator before climbing in herself. Rex raised the hover-chair's altitude slightly before moving forward, lifting himself into the cabin of the Iron Predator."Uh, guys?" whimpered Sam Race. "We've got company!"Rex, Amanda, Frozeen, and Greybeard turned to see what he was talking about. Rex paled as he saw an all-too-familiar Mutant T-Rex in silge-fashioned armor glaring down upon them with a mixture of cold intelligence and unpredictable madness in his eyes. "Go!" shouted Rex. "Get us out of here!"Frozeen nodded, running to the controls of the Iron Predator and starting up the engine. As the massive tank began to drive away, Rex wondered why he was not moving. Looking down, he realized too late that he forgot to turn off his hover-chair and remained suspended in air while the Iron Predator sped away as quickly as possible. Looking up at Dr. Rex, who smiled viciously down upon him, all Rex could manage was, "Oh, Znap.""Rex! Get out of there!"Rex looked in the direction of the Iron Predator and was surprised to see Amanda and Greybeard running towards him. Rex pulled on the chair's joystick as hard as he could and tried to pilot it towards his friends, but it was not fast enough. Behind him, Rex heard Dr. Rex chuckle. Then, laser beams hit the pavement, evaporating rainwater into steam wherever they touched. Although Rex tried his best to avoid them, Dr. Rex must have been practicing with his laser vision, because on his second try, he hit Rex's hover-chair dead on target. Rex was ejected from the hover-chair as, just like in the Maelstrom Temple, it began to fly chaotically and erratically before crashing down upon the road, sending sparks flying as it skidded across the pavement.Lying on the wet road, Rex simply shook his head and muttered: "Not again."As Dr. Rex loomed overhead, Rex looked up and saw that Amanda and Greybeard were still coming towards him. They would not make it in time, Rex knew. "Run, you fools!" he shouted. "Forget about me!""Doctor Ronald Alexander!"As the booming, all-too-familiar baritone voice rang through the air, Rex looked in Dr. Rex's direction and saw the Mutant T-Rex freeze for a few moments in surprise. Upon regaining control of his body, Dr. Rex snarled and began looking around for the source of the voice."I am Ogel, and I cannot be stopped!"At last, Dr. Rex laid eyes upon the fire escape of an apartment building. Only now, Rex spotted the dark figure standing there, who wore entirely black clothing and armor, except for the golden visor of his helmet. What is Evil Ogel doing? wondered Rex. He's going to get himself killed!"Now, foul beast, come and meet thy doom, if you dare!"Without a second thought, Dr. Rex lunged forward and closed his jaws upon Ogel, who had no time to react. And just like that, one of the LEGO Planet's greatest masterminds, evil geniuses, and foulest villains was gone in a single bite. Rex gasped and stared in horror. While he was by no means fond of Evil Ogel, he was commonly regarded as the type of villain who, no matter what, would always find some way to escape defeat to come back later with a brand new plan. And just like that, he was gone.Ogel's sacrifice was not in vain. It distracted Dr. Rex long enough for Amanda and Greybeard to arrive. Amanda scooped Rex up in her arms and carried him like a baby, while Greybeard unsheathed his cutlass and looked ready for a fight. Unfortunately, the moment had passed, and Dr. Rex turned his attention back to Rex, Amanda, and Greybeard."You should have escaped," growled Dr. Rex, "while you had the chance." With a roar, he began to lunge forward to snuff out the lives of Rex, Amanda, and Greybeard, just as he had done with Ogel.Suddenly, the entire wall of the apartment building fell away, revealing a gathered army of Skeleton Drones of various types. A few of them were in vehicles such as Snow Crawlers and Ogel Command Strikers, and they took to the air and began to fly around Dr. Rex like annoying gnats. Many other drones were manning turrets, and they fired upon Dr. Rex. Even though their shots were deflected harmlessly off of Dr. Rex's armor, the drones succeeded in catching the mad scientist's attention."He's distracted again!" whispered Rex. "Let's go!" Amanda and Greybeard agreed, as they turned and began to run in the direction that the Iron Predator had gone. "Why did you guys come back? You nearly got yourselves killed!""I promised I would never leave you, and I don't intend to break my promise," Amanda smiled grimly. "As soon as I saw your hover-chair floating away, I jumped out of the Iron Predator and ran back for you.""An' I... err, accidentally stumbled an' fell out o' th' tank," shrugged Greybeard, who sounded rather sheepish. "Now, let's get ye back to that flyin' chair o' yers.""Yes, I know it's a pain in the brick," chuckled Amanda, "but it sure beats needing that wheelchair."Rex laughed in agreement, looking up at Amanda. Reaching into his pocket, he felt Ben Gunn's ring, still safe inside. Ben Gunn's words echoed back to him: "Well, then, why wait?" Nodding determinedly to himself, Rex thought: There's no better time.

OOC: You know, Atton, the funny thing about doing a Rap Battle is that any one of my characters would probably get in one or two lines before stopping and saying, "... What the heck is this? Seriously? Is this supposed to be rap? I hate rap! That's it, I'm out of here!" and just exit stage left. That is... any one of my characters, except for Grease, but he'd most likely have his hip piece handed to him by the end of the battle because nobody likes him. Then again, there's Bob Rutherford, who seems like the kind of guy who would like rap and do it well, but it's debatable whether or not he is "my" character, so...While a rewrite of "Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny" sounds like fun, don't you think it would be more interesting if we did something completely original?IC: After clearing the pile of rubble, Rex and Amanda Claw moved with urgency as they made their way down the street. Rain washed over them as they moved, and Amanda often splashed in puddles along the way. Luckily, Zed Provhezor had likely taken rain into account when he designed the hover-chair because it was designed so that all circuits were well-protected from the water to prevent any short-circuiting. Every time they came to an intersect, Amanda pointed in the direction to go. The more they ran, the closer the sounds of battle came.At last, Rex and Amanda stopped in front of a bar with the word "ENDERSON'S" written in bold letters displayed above the door. However, the place looked as though a bulldozer had run through it. Recognizing it as the work of a Mutant T-Rex, Rex traded glances with Amanda. Slowly and cautiously, they entered the wrecked bar. Inside, they found two Mutant Lizards scavenging for meat, and Rex quickly dispatched them with the Cosmotronic Ray."Hello?" called Rex. "Anyone in here?"No reply. Rex and Amanda were about to turn and leave when they heard a cough. From behind the counter, they saw two familiar figures rise, each one leaning on the other for support. As they limped towards Rex and Amanda, Rex was disturbed by all the cuts and bruises that covered their skin and all the blood stains on their torn clothing. Quickly, Amanda ran forward to assist them, giving them extra support to walk."Oh my Builder," whispered Rex. "How are you?""I've been better," shrugged one of them, "but I've been worse, too."The other shook his head in disbelief. "I... can't believe it..." he sobbed. "I... I was sure that I was fast enough... but my speed... my speed failed me! Failed my kingdom! Failed... my father! My... my father...!"The realization washed over Rex like cold water. "Is he...?" inquired Rex.The first nodded grimly. "He... didn't make it."Rex beckoned to them. "Come, we need to get you two out of here. It's not safe here, and it won't be safe elsewhere for long."With that, Rex, Amanda, Greybeard, and Samuel Race exited Enderson's bar. Even in the small time that they spent inside the bar, they could see that the battle had intensified even more on the streets outside the bar. They caught a glimpse of a Fire Hammer speeding away, pursued by two Mutant Lizards and a Mutant Raptor, which the jeep's Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher was trying to aim and fire at. Meanwhile, an Urban Avenger fired its Sonic Screamer at a swarm of Mutant Lizards but proceeded to be ambushed by a Mutant T-Rex."Let's go," nodded Rex."Wait," Amanda held up her hand, then pointed towards a car at the end of the block. It was a normal civilian car, but its alarms were blaring, and a pack of Mutant Raptors were keenly interested in it. Since Mutant Raptors were intelligent hunters, Rex doubted that they were merely distracted by the lights and noise of the car alarm, but instead more likely trying to get inside the car to get some fresh meat. "Hand me the Cosmotronic Ray. I think I can handle this."Tossing the Cosmotronic Ray to Amanda, Rex told her: "Okay, but quickly. We need to return to the Iron Predator quickly, before even more Mutant Dinos show up here."Amanda sprinted down the street towards the car. As soon as she was in range, she fired the Cosmotronic Ray at the nearest Mutant Raptor. The ray's beam hit the Mutant Raptor dead-on, and the creature stumbled. The other Mutant Raptors quickly took notice of her, but her aim with the Cosmotronic Ray was true, and they fell quickly. By the time Amanda reached the car, the Mutant Raptors were fallen.Looking through the car window, she saw that there were indeed some Minifig passengers inside, none of which were wearing Dino Attack uniforms. She lightly knocked on the window, which rolled down to reveal a woman. "Thanks for that," she smiled.The woman looked strangely familiar to Amanda, but she was sure that they had never met. Raising her eyebrows, Amanda guessed, "You must be Enderson.""Carrie," nodded the woman. "How did you know? I never forget a face, but I don't think I've seen you before.""I know your brother, Bartholomew," explained Amanda. "He once mentioned having a sister, and I think I can see the family resemblance. I'm glad you're alright, Carrie, but what are you doing here? Mayor Frictionfit issued a mass evacuation a few hours ago.""I know," sighed Carrie, "but I needed to stay behind, tend to my bar... and protect these two fellows from the upcoming dino attack. When the bar was no longer safe, we took to the rooftops and then tried to hotwire this car for a quick getaway. Of course, as you saw, it didn't quite work out."Two fellows? wondered Amanda. She nodded to Carrie, then stepped forward and knocked on the driver's side window. When the Minifig in the driver's seat refused to lower his window, Amanda knocked again. This time, the window rolled down, and what Amanda saw filled her with disgust. "Trigger."Apparently just as disgusted, Trigger replied with, "Venomosa. And so, we meet again." On top of that, sitting next to him was none other than the eyepatched wonder himself, Snake.Pointing her Cosmotronic Ray at him, Amanda forced the car door open. "Step out of the car," she ordered. "Now."Trigger glared at her with hatred in his eyes, but eventually he complied, knowing that she was not going to leave him alone otherwise.Shaking her head in disbelief, Amanda muttered: "Wow, Trigger. Really? You know, I used to think that you were just a heartless mercenary who would complete a job by any means necessary. Guess I was wrong about that. You know, when I was… her… I at least had the decency to finish a job rather than ditch my employers in their darkest hour!""Oh, shut up!" snapped Trigger. "You're the one who betrayed the rest of us back at Dacta!""You know," mused Amanda, "it is kind of ironic. You are so MEGABLOK-bent upon killing me… not because I killed Keaton, Orange, and the others, but because I foiled your precious little job. And here you are, running away from another job. I guess, in your twisted mind that perverts everything to make you see things the way you want to see them, a little heist on Dacta Corporation is a million times more important than saving the world. Someone needs to get their priorities straightened out.""I'm not a moron," growled Trigger. "I know when it's suicidal to stick with a job, and that's when I back out. No point in losing my life for money."Amanda lowered her head, glaring at Trigger with fierce intensity. "Get your head out of your hip piece, Trigger! Look around you! The world is in ruins! This is not some little inconvenience that you can walk away from; this is the apocalypse itself! Mutant Dinos are everywhere across the world! Every spaceport has been destroyed, every spacecraft wrecked beyond repair… and even if you miraculously found some way off the planet, LEGO Planet is officially under quarantine, and nothing is allowed to leave the planet to prevent the Mutant Dino invasion from spreading to other worlds! There is no escape, Trigger! If you run from this job, and we lose this battle because you were not here to help us, you'll have nowhere to run."Then, Amanda bent in close to Trigger, so close she could smell his disgusting cigarette-ridden breath, and pressed her knife to his neck. "And if we win this battle and I find out that you are such a blind moron that you did not hear a word I said and then deserted us anyway... then I shall hunt you down and assassinate you without a second thought."Trigger snorted. "If you're so MEGABLOKLAND-bent upon killing me, then why don't you just do it now?"Amanda lowered her knife, but she kept her eyes loked on Trigger. "Because, unlike you, I am not MEGABLOKLAND-bent upon killing you. That night at Dacta, you let it change your entire life... for me, it was just another Tuesday, and I never gave you so much as a second thought after that night because I simply don't care about you at all. You're nothing, Trigger. You're just an empty shell without any personality. Montoya is a greater man than you can ever hope to be."Pointing her knife at Snake, Amanda continued: "And you? You're as bad as him! If we win, you'll need that pardon... and if we lose, you won't need a pardon, because you'll be dead!'Turning to Carrie, she sighed. "I'm sorry you got mixed up in this, Carrie. You're free to go, but be careful... LEGO City is not a good place to be at the moment."As she turned to leave, Amanda heard a gun cock. Spinning around, she threw her knife, and her aim was true, as the flying knife knocked the pistol right out of Trigger's hand. As she retrieved her knife, Amanda shot Trigger one last death glare before departing.

OOC: I... think you don't quite understand the point of these Dust facts. Look, I hate Chuck Norris facts too (they've long gone stale in my book), but I'm willing to put aside my animosity to enjoy a bit of fun. We're not making Chuck Norris facts or anti-Chuck Norris facts with Dust just thrown in... we're making Dust facts all in good humor as a response to rather amusing statement by that guy from that show about Dust not needing a shirt.I could be wrong, as I never was good at reading people (as I said, I decided to write Frozeen as something that I know), but it seems to me that if you do understand the point of these Dust facts, then I detect a hint of bitter resentment towards Dust going on here. All other Dust facts are marketing him as a Memetic Badman, and it's all in good humor. But both of your Dust facts make Dust a... well, for lack of a better term, a "victim" rather than a badman. In one, he's afraid of Trigger, which seems to be going against the point of these Dust facts; in the other, he and Chuck Norris (for whom you've already slated your distaste) are afraid of... Blood Beard Joe? Who invited him? You've made it clear that you don't like Chuck Norris facts, but the fact that you've gone ahead and written a few of them, featuring Dust but not as the Memetic Badman of the fact, seems to suggest a hint of bitter resentment towards Dust to me. As I said, I could be completely wrong about this, but that's what I think I'm seeing.Pharaoh Amset-Ra awoke to reclaim Egypt. He met Dust and subsequently decided it was in his best interest to hide in his sarcophagus for the rest of eternity. Thus, the LEGO Group decided to move Pharaoh's Quest from 2011 to 1924 in order for the storyline to work. Given that I have a bad feeling that I know what Pharisee is going to do when he meets Trigger, it might be better if Amanda confronted Trigger first. Don't worry. There will still be more than enough Trigger left after the confrontation for Pharisee to deal with in his own personal matter, I promise you.

OOC: The armored Mutant T-Rex who led the attack on the river was just some random Mutant T-Rex in silver armor. Everyone naturally assumed that it was Dr. Rex, and it was quickly defeated. The real Dr. Rex led the attack through the subway tunnel while everyone was fighting the decoy, and he is heavily armored... and not just with any armor, but armor fashioned from silge metal, which is impervious to all forms of damage.... and if Dust finds Trigger in his closet, all Dust has to do is glare at him to make Trigger wish that he never went inside Dust's closet.IC: "Greybeard? Greybeard! GREYBEARD!"No matter how many times Rex shouted the old pirate's name into the radio, there was no response. Greybeard's line was as dead as a doornail. Worried, Rex traded glances with Frozeen and Amanda. It was very disconcerting to have to wait here in an Iron Predator while the front lines were in danger. Turning his attention back to the radio, Rex tried for King Joseph Race. No reply. Then, when Rex tried for Samuel Race, he received a load of static which finally cleared to the following message:"... Dr. Rex. I'm turning back and I'm going to rescue them!""No!" ordered Rex. "It's too dangerous! Pull out, Samuel Race! Get out of there as quickly as you can!""No way! That's my father and an old family friend back there! Don't worry, Rex, I'm fast enough! I can-""Sam, listen to me!" interrupted Rex. "I understand that you want to rescue them, but if Dr. Rex got them, I'm afraid there's no hope! You need to-" Rex was cut off as the other line began to blare static. He cursed quietly under his breath. He knew that if he were in Samuel Race's position, he would do the same thing. But as much as he wished that Greybeard and King Race could be saved... he feared that Sam Race's efforts were reckless and suicidal in the heat of battle.Another few tense moments passed, during which Rex could only hear the sounds of falling rain, the rumbling of thunder, and the distant noises of battle. Then, at last, Rex heard a voice on the radio with a very clear message: "I need... help! Meet... me at... Enderson's!""Enderson's?" blinked Amanda. "I know where that is!"With Amanda shouting directions, Rex drove the Iron Predator through the streets of LEGO City. The tank-like vehicle had to come to a halt in front of a huge pile of rubble that blocked their path. Frozeen began grumbling, "If I had my Tundra Tracker with me, I could just drill through this mess.""Amanda and I will continue on foot," decided Rex. "Frozeen, stay with the Iron Predator. If we need anything, we'll contact you. If you don't hear from us in five minutes, assume we're dead and return the Iron Predator to the defensive position where Semick wanted it.""It's dangerous to go alone," Frozeen tossed Rex a Cosmotronic Ray. "Here, take this!" With that, Rex activated his hover-chair, and he and Amanda hopped out of the Iron Predator and continued on the way to Enderson's.OOC: Coming up next: Amanda and Trigger have one final confrontation! Stay tuned till tomorrow!

OOC: Atton, Trigger's group is fighting Mutant Raptors, not Mutant Lizards. Just a minor correction. But I just figured out a great way to rescue them and get in that final Amanda/Trigger confrontation I promised! Just give me another few posts in order to set it up.IC: Greybeard cursed to himself. He had focused his efforts on bringing down some random Mutant T-Rex that was just as dumb and feral as the rest of them... but just happened to be wearing silver armor, causing everyone to think that it was Dr. Rex. Dr. Rex knew this would happen, and Greybeard was angry that he did not see it coming; from what Greybeard had heard, Dr. Rex was exceptionally fond of red herrings.Greybeard could not imagine what could possibly be so interesting about the "ENDERSON'S" bar, but apparently the Mutant Raptor pack was calling for back-up. Back-up arrived in the form of more Mutant Raptors, a few Mutant Lizards, and even a Mutant T-Rex. Greybeard considered the possibility of civilians who had not been evacuated being trapped in the bar. With a shudder, he prayed to Builder that this was not the truth."Come on, me hearties!" Greybeard shouted into the radio. "Joe, Sam, Arubis-""It's Anubis!""-we took down one o' 'em Mutant T-Rexes in silver armor," continued Greybeard. "Dr. Rex be just another one! Come! Let's give this one a few rounds an' take 'im down fer good... fer real, this time!""Agreed," came King Joseph Race's voice. "It seems we've developed an effective strategy. Anubis, hang on for another few minutes while Sam, Greybeard, and I repeat our three-Fire-Hammer trick.""The Mutant Dinos do not stand a chance against LEGO Racers!" laughed Sam Race over the radio. "LEGO Racers... and Anubis.""Hey, maybe I'll join the next LEGO Racing championship, and then we'll see about that!" Anubis retorted in a playful manner.With that, Greybeard, King Joseph Race, and Sam Race sped into action once more. They caught up quickly to Dr. Rex, who was already leading some of his Mutant Dinos in the direction of Dino Attack Headquarters. Repeating the procedure, Greybeard caught Dr. Rex's attention by driving in front of him while his gunner fired the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher at the armored Mutant T-Rex. The blasts barely affected Dr. Rex, but just as he was about to retaliate, Sam Race's Fire Hammer began firing its own Xenon Launcher at him. As Dr. Rex turned his attention towards Sam Race, it was King Race's turn to fire.As Greybeard turned his Fire Hammer to make for another cycle around Dr. Rex, he expected to see Dr. Rex getting worked up and frustrated, much like the Mutant T-Rex decoy. However, at best, Dr. Rex appeared mildly annoyed; at worst, he was bored. Just before Greybeard's gunner could fire at him, Dr. Rex turned his attention to Greybeard's Fire Hammer and, with his laser vision, struck the gunner with incredible accuracy. Then, without even turning around, Dr. Rex swung his tail and knocked the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher cleanly off King Joseph Race's Fire Hammer, taking his gunner with it.Greybeard paled. The decoy was just a random Mutant T-Rex, as dumb and feral as the others. This, the real Dr. Rex, had the intelligence of a scientist and the unpredictability of a madman. Too late, Greybeard realized that the strategy that brought down the decoy would not work on the real thing."Retreat!" Greybeard barked into his radio. "Joe, Sam, pull back-"Dr. Rex slammed his foot down upon the hood of Greybeard's Fire Hammer. Greybeard was sent flying through his windshield and landed on the wet pavement several meters away. Cut, bruised, and struggling to find the strength to look up, Greybeard saw one of the other two Fire Hammers speed away in time. The other Fire Hammer was on fire. In a kamikaze maneuver, it tried to drive itself into Dr. Rex's leg, but the mad-scientist-turned-T-Rex simply lifted his foot and let the burning Fire Hammer speed underneath him. Seconds before the Fire Hammer drove into the Green Grocer, its driver jumped out of the vehicle and rolled on the pavement.Unsheathing his cutlass, Greybeard ran towards the crashed Fire Hammer as quickly as possible, slashing at Mutant Lizards along the way. Dr. Rex, it seemed, perceived that he was no longer even remotely a threat, and so he walked away, making deep noises that sounded suspiciously like a sinister chuckle. At last, Greybeard reached the burning wreckage of the Fire Hammer, half-embedded in the Green Grocer, and saw King Joseph Race lying on the ground.Greybeard helped the king of the Space Knights get to his feet, but a swarm of Mutant Lizards and a pack of Mutant Raptors smelled fresh meat. In only a matter of seconds, the old pirate and the racing king were surrounded by the hungry reptiles, which eyed them with blank white eyes as saliva dripped from their maws."An' so," Greybeard gritted what few teeth he had left, "it ends."King Joseph Race narrowed his eyes and ignited his laser saber. "Greybeard," he declared, "it has been an honor and a privilege to have known, raced, and fought alongside you all these years.""Aye," Greybeard nodded grimly. "Ye be like a brother t' me. Now, let us go down fightin'... together."Ready to accept their fate, Greybeard slashed with his cutlass and King Joseph Race swung with his laser saber. Fighting back-to-back, they took down any Mutant Dino that dared to come near the two friends. And they would continue to fight... until eventually, when the numbers are too many, the Mutant Dinos overwhelm them, and together, they meet their destiny.OOC: Nobody rescue Greybeard or King Joseph Race.

OOC: I understand that writing action is definitely more challenging than writing peacetime. I myself have this difficulty as well. I tend to find that listening to the right music really helps writing. For instance, right now, I'm listening to "I Don't Think Now's The Best Time" by Hans Zimmer.Andrewnuva... I gotta say, I get such a kick out of reading your comm chatter. All the references, mythology gags, and funny quotes make it a very amusing read. That is how one effectively includes comic relief in such an intense battle.Oh, would you look at that? It's another thunderstorm outside my house. Perfect weather, combined with perfect music... let's battle!IC: "What in tarnation?" Greybeard heard King Joseph Race gasp over the radio. "Not even the Space Knights' greatest technology could match up to that thing!""Ignore it!" shouted Greybeard into the communication device. "Just focus on th' one in th' silver armor! Just a few more rounds ought t' do it, me hearties!" As he said this, he turned the wheel, and his Fire Hammer skidded over wet pavement as it began another round around the Mutant T-Rex in silver armor.Dr. Rex was visibly angered and frustrated by the three Fire Hammers. When he tried to focus on smashing one, another would fire its Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher at him. Greybeard did not know the name of the Dino Attack agent who was manning his Xenon Launcher, and decided that this was for the best. Anyone could die in this battle, and it was no use getting attached to anyone at this point. Still, Greybeard circled around the Mutant T-Rex as his gunner pelted the Mutant T-Rex with sonics, energy, and other modes of the Xenon. Now, more than ever, he was thankful that he ever participated the LEGO Racers championship of 1999.Lightning flashed, and the Mutant T-Rex roared in fury. As thunder rolled across the heavens, Dr. Rex slammed his foot down in Greybeard's path. Greybeard swerved out of the way just in time, splashing water everywhere as the Fire Hammer drove through a puddle. The rain pelted his windshield, but the old pirate could see just fine in the storm, even with only one good eye. The Mutant T-Rex was momentarily distracted as pellets of energy were fired from Sam Race's Fire Hammer.Greybeard's plan was doing the trick. The Mutant T-Rex was becoming increasingly confused, and although his silver armor protected him, he was starting to weaken. "Now!" shouted Greybeard over the radio.A Fire Hammer driven by an Egyptian agent named Anubis sped into action. However, this was not a standard issue Fire Hammer, but rather the Dino 4WD Trapper sub-model used primarily for capturing and transporting Mutant Lizards. In battle, the Dino 4WD Trapper was not nearly as strong as the Fire Hammer, but it had one thing that a Fire Hammer did not, and that was a hook and cable. While Greybeard, King Joseph Race, and Sam Race's Fire Hammers continued to distract the Mutant T-Rex, Anubis's Dino 4WD Trapper unleashed the hook and cable, wrapping it around one of the Mutant T-Rex's legs. Then, the Dino 4WD Trapper drove in a tight ring around the Mutant T-Rex.Dr. Rex bellowed and fired its laser vision at King Race's Fire Hammer. It tried to take a step forward, but its legs were tightly bound by the work of Anubis. Lightning streaked across the sky, but its thunder was unheard over the sound of the mighty Mutant T-Rex as it tripped and felt down upon the ground below."Drink up, me hearties!" proclaimed Greybeard. "Dr. Rex, th' Mutant T-Rex in silver armor, be fallen!" Over the comm, Greybeard heard a number of voices in response:"Dr. Rex himself? I thought he was invincible!""Ah, come on! This party was only getting started!""Already? That's kind of an anti-climax boss.""Am I the only one happy about this Xen Syndrome?""Yeah. Whenever you're ready, we've got a cybernetic T-Rex on our hands!"Dr. Rex was struggling to get up, but under the weight of his armor and the rope around his legs, he found it difficult to do so. Greybeard drove his Fire Hammer past the fallen Mutant T-Rex, shaking his hook at the creature as he passed his eye. "Hah!" barked Greybeard. "Take that, Dr. Rex! Ye be not so tough now, says I!"The Mutant T-Rex glared at Greybeard with anger, but with the eyes of a wild animal rather than the cold fury of a mad scientist. Greybeard found himself amused that Dr. Rex, who had been built up to be terrifyingly intelligent and insane at the same time, was little more than a maddened beast. Oh, how the mighty have fallen, mused Greybeard.Greybeard turned his wheel, and he, King Race, Sam Race, and Anubis moved to join the others in battle against the cybernetic T-Rex. However, Greybeard heard a distinct sound over the sound of the storm: the sound of many Mutant Dinos moving and roaring at once. But where he thought he heard the Mutant Dinos made no sense, as all the Mutant Dinos were still trying to cross the river, and yet he thought he heard the Mutant Dinos from behind him...Greybeard slammed his foot on the brake. In horror, he turned over his shoulder to look at the section of LEGO City behind him which, thanks to the work of the front lines, remained largely untouched by the Mutant Dino army. There, just a block away, was a staircase which descended beneath the sidewalk, presumably leading to a subway station. The realization caused Greybeard to gasp."They be in the subway!" Greybeard shouted into the radio. "They be-"He was cut off as a Mutant T-Rex burst out of the subway entrance. This one, much like the one that Greybeard had just taken down, wore silver armor, but the armor was of a more intricate design and more heavily protected the Mutant T-Rex's skin. It was also a slightly different hue, which did not look quite silver, or at least the silver that an old pirate such as Greybeard was used to. The Mutant T-Rex glanced in Greybeard's direction and saw that the Dino Attack Team's front lines were preoccupied with the cybernetic T-Rex and the Mutant Dino army that was still trying to cross the river. With that, the Mutant T-Rex made a sound that sounded far more disturbing than a growl or a roar... but rather, like a sinister chuckle. Then, Greybeard recognized a look of cold intelligence mixed with complete madness in the Mutant T-Rex's eyes."No..." whispered Greybeard. The Mutant T-Rex in silver armor that crossed the river was only a red herring, he realized.With that, the true Dr. Rex lifted his head towards the sky and roared. Swarms of Mutant Lizards and packs of Mutant Raptors emerged from the subway station and gathered at his feet, eager to tear apart some Dino Attack agents. One group of Mutant Raptors, the coldest and most devious hunters of the Mutant Dinos, apparently smelled fresh meat, as they immediately turned and entered a nearby bar with the name "ENDERSON'S".Greybeard picked up the radio. "Rex!" he reported. "Dr. Rex an' a group o' Mutant Dinos got past th' front lines by usin' th' subway system! Me men be surrounded, wi' Mutant Dinos on both sides now! An' we got some cyber-somethin' T-Rex tearin' through our men!"OOC: Sent a few Mutant Raptors your way, Atton. Seemed like the perfect response to Snake and Trigger ditching us in our darkest hour.

OOC: Can't write IC at the moment, avmatoran, but I would prefer it if Dr. Rex's forces did not retreat yet (i.e. they are still there, battling us, when the Cyrista's Bane appears).

OOC: The way I originally envisioned it (the Andrew Jackson version), Pyro is just completely insane. Nuts. Psycho. All as a result of the death of his family. Apparently, Atton's vision (the Andrea Jackson version) is rather different, considering that she acts rather sane and blames it all on her suit. If you want a reenactment of Meet The Pyro, I'd personally suggest just sticking with the ending scene where Pyro burns everything in sight while his/her/its enemies flee in terror and scream for mercy.As for the whereabouts of the river, I pictured it as on the edge of LEGO City, essentially serving as the perimeter on one side of the city... although this map of LEGO City shows the river passing through the center of the city. Meh, let's just say that the river by the power station is along perimeter. That way, it would make sense as to why the front lines would be guarding it.Also... in 2001, Evil Ogel tried to drop a Mind-Control Orb on Dust. The result? Dust controlled Ogel's mind!IC: Even from his position, Rex could hear the chaos of battle as the Mutant Dino army collided with the Dino Attack Team's front lines. He watched as Mutant Pterosaurs engaged T-1 Typhoon in aerial combat before falling from the skies as though their wings had been clipped.Picking up the radio, Rex inquired: "How are things out there, Greybeard?"The radio crackled to life with the grizzled voice of the old pirate. "Arrr, things be goin' rather well! Seems that despite their large numbers, we be pushin' 'em hard enough to prevent 'em from crossin' th' river. Any that slip by get quickly taken care o', too.""You okay there?" asked Rex. "You haven't had a lot of driving experience with Dino Attack, so...""Belay yer worries," reported Greybeard, "I be fine! Ye be forgettin' that I used t' be a LEGO Racer! In fact, thar be this silver-armored Mutant T-Rex pushin' through our defenses at th' moment... but Joe, Sam, and I be havin' a plan t' take him down!"Rex blinked. "Don't engage the silver-armored Mutant T-Rex!" he warned Greybeard. "Greybeard, listen to me... it's too dangerous to take on Dr. Rex himself with only a Fire Hammer! We're going to need Iron Predators and T-1 Typhoons to bring him down!""I said belay yer worries!" laughed Greybeard over the line. "We only be goin' t' distract th' old beast, delay its attack long enough fer yer Iron Predators an' T-1 Typhoons t' arrive! Ye see, Joe, Sam, and I be racin' around th' monster an' takin' turns firin' at it! Wi' three Fire Hammers driven by professional LEGO Racers circlin' the beast, our plan be leavin' th' T-Rex confused an' disoriented, says I!"Rex nodded grimly. "Okay, Greybeard. Just be careful. You don't want to know what Dr. Rex is capable of."

OOC: Great to have you back, TC01! Glad you could join us one last time. Ah. Close, Brikman. Very close. But you're thinking of the wrong title. You see, Ocarina of Time, even with its ReDead-infested Hyrule Castle Town Ruins, Poe-haunted graveyard, and creepy-as-heck Shadow Temple, is much too bright and cheery for the current mood of the Dino Attack RPG. Think of another Zelda title... one far more fitting to the present moment... one which beautifully reflects the mood of doom and gloom as all that you know is about to be terminated in a matter of hours...And on the eve of destruction, "> / A / > /" is played, and help shall come.TakunuvaC01's return was no mere coincidence.And, although I fear chances are slim, TakunuvaC01 might not be the only one to hear the Oath of Order. There may be... another...IC: It had been too long since he last sat at the controls of an Iron Predator. The last time he drove one of these fearsome tanks, he helped defend the Dino Attack Power Station with Reptile. Before that, he had not used one since his original Iron Predator was blown to bricks by Kotua. But now, Rex felt at home once again.Rex glanced over his shoulder at Amanda Claw, who was manning the Iron Predator's cannon. She nodded, with that same expression of grim acceptance of their fate, and gave a thumbs up. Rex returned the motion, then turned his attention to Frozeen, whose hands gripped the Iron Predator's Z-1 Kinetic Launcher. Frozeen nodded similarly, managing a slight smile."No matter what happens," Rex murmured, "we're together, and that's what matters." With that, the Iron Predator rolled out of the garage, ready for battle.Truth be told, Rex was extremely grateful that Semick was a strategist and understood that, despite all the acclaim he had gathered from his fellow agents, Rex was not. Therefore, when Semick instructed Rex to oversee the Iron Predators' line of defense, Rex did as he was told, despite Greybeard's wishes that he would join the Fire Hammers at the front lines. Still, Rex told Greybeard to keep him updated via radio; the use of telecommunications would also help keep Hertz updated on the Mutant Dinos' activities.Thunder rumbled ominously, and the earth shook, as though the LEGO Planet itself was on the verge of destruction. There came a sound, a single chime, like a church bell tolling. Rex's heart raced, and it wasn't the rain which chilled him to the bone. Dawn of The Final Day -24 Hours Remain- Greybeard sat outside his Fire Hammer, as did many of the other Dino Attack agents on the front line. They were waiting for their doom, and Greybeard had taken advantage of the moment to share one last Cup of Yo Ho Ho with his old friend King Joseph Race and his son Sam Race. As a pirate, his senses were finely tuned to the weather, and he could tell from a single breeze when a storm was about to hit.And as the thunder shook the earth, Greybeard inhaled a fresh breath of air and immediately knew that the calm had ended. Climbing atop his Fire Hammer, he grabbed a spyglass and pressed it against his good eye. Several other agents mimicked his motions, but with standard issue Dino Attack binoculars."What do you see, Greybeard?" inquired Sam Race.As Greybeard lowered the spyglass, his look of undisguised horror spoke louder than words. King Race and Sam Race traded glances in disbelief. The other Dino Attack agents were already shouting:"I've never seen so many Mutant Dinos before!"There must be hundreds - maybe even thousands of them!""How could there be so many Mutant T-Rexes?""One of them - the one in the lead - was wearing silver armor!""I think I saw some Hybrids and Space Marauders in the front lines!"Very quickly, Greybeard watched as the reports gave way to hysterical cries of panic:"We are going to die!""I'm never going to see my wife and kids again!""I'm never going to see my husband and kids again!""Game over, man! Game over!""We are doomed!""What the MegaBloking Znap, how are we supposed to defeat those sons of 4+ Figures?""Well... that's it.""It's no use! We're never going to win! It's over! We've lost!"Greybeard glanced around at his fellow teammates. While some of them, most likely elite agents, were trying to maintain order, most of them had not realized the gravity of the situation until now. They had been confident in a Dino Attack victory, but how their morale was so quickly shaken! And, peering into his spyglass once more, he could see the army of Mutant Dinos drawing closer and closer to the river which served as their side of the perimeter. With the front lines in such utter disarray, how could they hope to defeat the Mutant Dinos when they arrived?Greybeard had a brief flashback to a time near the end of the Skeleton Pirate War. He had been made captain of the Black Seas Barracuda... before the mighty ship had been pulled to Davy Jones's locker by the Kraken and the Sea Serpent, killing most of his crew... including Blackjack Turner, a young lad that Greybeard had grown fond of.An' I be determined not t' let that happen again! thought Greybeard as he gritted his few remaining teeth. Raising his cutlass to the sky, Greybeard called upon the years he spent on the deck of a pirate ship, shouting orders over hurricane winds and the crashes of waves against the hull, and spoke as loudly and clearly as he could muster."Belay that!" announced Greybeard. "Here we be, wi' th' Mutant Dinos nearly upon us, and ye cowardly bilge rats be panickin' an' screamin'! What? Do ye fear death? Do ye fear that dark abyss?""Greybeard," murmured King Race, "I don't think that's the best-"He was interrupted by the voice of a Dino Attack agent who shouted: "Well, excuse me for not wanting to die, pirate!" A couple of other Dino Attack agents shouted in agreement.A young red-haired Dino Attack agent stood atop his Fire Hammer. "Enough!" he ordered. "As an elite agent, I order you to listen to Greybeard! Greybeard, please continue.""Not wantin' t' die?" repeated Greybeard. "Aye, I can understand. But remember somethin'... we be members o' th' Dino Attack Team. We signed up fer this! Ye all should 'ave known that, by joinin' this team, ye be goin' t' die. But what be we goin' to die fer? After all, we didn't join this team t' be snivelin' cowards, but neither did we sign up t' die in vain. And tharfore... let us not die in vain. Ye shall listen t' me!"Greybeard pointed his cutlass in the direction of the Mutant Dino army, which was drawing nearer with every second. "Right now, our doom be on our doorstep. But th' rest o' th' Dino Attack Team... nay, not just th' rest o' th' team... th' entire population down in Antarctica! They be lookin' t' us t' ensure that we stop doom in its tracks! They be lookin' t' us t' lead the Dino Attack Team in battle t' victory! They be lookin' t' us t' ensure that we look Death right in th' eyes... an' we tell him... 'Ye shall not pass!'"Now pointing his cutlass towards Dino Attack Headquarters, Greybeard continued: "An' what shall they see? Frightened bilge rats? Nay! They shall see that even in th' face o' total annihilation, we remain resolute... brave... free! An' th' enemy," he pointed his cutlass back at the advancing Mutant Dinos, "shall only see th' firin' o' th' Xenon Launchers an' th' Cosmotronic Rays... they shall hear our battle cries as we fight fer freedom... and they shall know that we will never fall! Fer as long as our Creative Sparks remain strong, never shall we die! An' if our lives must be sacrificed... then we sacrifice 'em proudly, wi' th' knowledge that we stand here, today, on th' brink o' destruction... an' we die fer th' freedom o' th' entire planet! That be what we shall die fer!"Greybeard's last words echoed through the night, but he saw the other Dino Attack agents staring at him, motionlessly. As Greybeard's motivational speech was met with silence, the old pirate faltered. Perhaps he couldn't motivate the Dino Attack agents... not now, not like this. Sighing in defeat, Greybeard sat down, resigning to his fate.And so, he did the one thing he could still do. "Yo... ho..." he sang softly. "Haul... together... Hoist... th' colors high!"King Joseph Race stepped up onto the Fire Hammer and looked down upon his old friend. "Heave... ho..." he continued. "Thieves... and beggars... Never shall... we die!"Greybeard looked up at King Race, who smiled in return. Together, they repeated the verse. "Yo... ho... Haul... together..." It was an old pirates song sang by Captain Roger Redbeard to rally up his men before a big raid. Since Greybeard was the only pirate present, he was the only one who knew the lyrics by heart.But whether it was that the lyrics were easy to learn or it was that the song might have possibly been played on L.E.G.O. Radio once or twice, the other Dino Attack agents began to pick it up. Starting with the elite agents, including that red-haired individual: "Hoist... the colors high!" Then picked up by the standard agents: "Heave... ho... Thieves and beggars..." And finally, everyone was joined in: "Never shall... we die!"The Dino Attack agents repeated the verse over and over, growing stronger and louder every time. As the lyrics grew in power, so did the confidence of the Dino Attack agents. Greybeard couldn't believe his one good eye, and he grinned as he stood during the third refrain.By now, the Mutant Dino army was nearly upon the river. Laughing, Greybeard pointed his cutlass at the lead T-Rex, who was indeed wearing silver armor, and bellowed: "Me friends, me mateys, me hearties! Raise th' colors high!"Already, Dino Attack agents were climbing back into their Fire Hammers and manning their Xenon Multi-Mode Launchers. They sped towards the river, giving the Mutant Dino army a proper welcome.And so, the end has begun.OOC: Greybeard's speech is particularly effective if you read it while listening to "What Shall We Die For" by Hans Zimmer.

OOC: Very well then.IC: As thunder rumbled in the distance like the tolling of church bells, the final hours fell upon the Dino Attack Team. As Rex sat in the conference room, he reflected upon how, in the past, it had always been so full and lively just before a mission. Now, it felt as though he were attending a funeral. It truly was the end of it all, reflected Rex.He glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes with Amanda Claw. She smiled gently and nodded, but there was no happiness to her expression; only acceptance.At the head of the conference table sat the four founding members, as they always did. They always seemed so sure of everything, so confident in the success of their team. But now, their resolve was grim. Specs cleared his throat, and began his announcement: "This shall be our final meeting, everyone, and as we are on the eve of attack, I shall keep it brief; I do not intend to keep you for long, as the rest of the team is in preparation for the upcoming battle. However, there are a few... important announcements I need to make. First of all, we have a few last-minute promotions for well-deserving Dino Attack agents.""Zachary Virchaus," announced Shadow. "In recognition of his work on Adventurers' Island, from defending the Aztec Village to taking down two of XERRD's most dangerous operatives, Glados and Provencal. Despite his time as a Stromling, he has proven to be one of our strongest-willed agents, breaking free of the Darkitect's control in our darkest hour. Of course, that could not have been possible without the help of Minerva Fabello, to whom the team owes immensely. Therefore, Zachary Virchaus and Minerva Fabello are each receiving the title of Elite Agent."Given the current mood, there was some slight hesitation due to the question of whether or not it was appropriate, but there was some applause in response to the promotion. Remembering how Zachary had saved him from a hungry Mutant T-Rex during the Aztec Village battle, Rex clapped his hands together approvingly."Dr. Cyborg," continued Digger. "As a former XERRD scientist, Dr. Cyborg has given us much insight into our enemy. His knowledge of technology, Maelstrom energy, and Mutant Dino biology has proven most useful to our cause. And despite working for XERRD, Dr. Cyborg has displayed such unrelenting loyalty to the Dino Attack Team that it cannot be overlooked. We see it fit to grant Dr. Cyborg the rank of Elite Agent."There came more applause. Rex joined in the applause, remembering how much Dr. Cyborg always wanted to be there to help out, ultimately being able to repair Zed Provhezor's former hover-chair."And finally," concluded Viper, "we have an agent who some may call an 'underdog' - the kind of humble, hardworking agent who rarely gets recognized but is more than deserving of a reward. As he is busy working with agent Gromtin at the moment, he could not be here to attend this meeting, showing his devotion to his work. And given the recent... revelations about Ata, it is only fitting that we are presented with a brilliant telecommunications expert to more than simply 'replace' him. And so, we proudly bestow the rank of Elite Agent upon Hertz."Although Rex barely knew Hertz, having only met with him a couple times and not exactly conversing with him on a personal level, Rex could tell that this was a good choice by the founding members as he joined in the applause for Hertz's promotion.At that moment, the doors opened, and three figures stepped in. Rex immediately recognized them as General, Shock, and Sam Throramebi. Although he was elated to see them again for the first time in weeks, Rex could not suppress a shudder as he laid eyes upon Shock, however, for even in the dimmer-than-usual lighting of the conference room, he could see that her once-flawless beauty was now tarnished by several horrible scars across her face."What happened?" Rex whispered to Amanda."During the Adventurers' Island mission," she explained, "they were sent on an intercontinental mission to track down and destroy all of XERRD's teleporters to severely cut off XERRD's ability to move and transport units. I was talking to Shock earlier today, and she said that a Mutant Raptor got to her while they were investigating Sandy Bay."Rex bit his lip. "Poor girl.""The good news," continued Amanda, "is that she's taking it rather well. She's well-aware that a little plastic surgery could take care of the scars, but she said that she won't consider it, believing that the scars are too important to remove so easily. Besides, she thinks that having a few scars of her own brings her a little closer to General... a little romantic, isn't it?"Rex nodded in agreement. He watched as General, Shock, and Throramebi approached the conference table.Specs cleared his throat. "Ah, yes. I'm glad you three could make it to this meeting. When I created the Portal Operations Team, General and Shock, I gave you two a specific order to use as a failsafe. Now, I believe it is time... time to execute Operation Antarctica."General and Shock traded glances, while Sam Throramebi raised an eyebrow in confusion; as he was not a member of the original Portal Operations Team that was reportedly shut down by Digger, he did not know what Specs was referring to. Nodding grimly, General declared: "It shall be done." Then, the three of them turned and exited the conference room.As Dino Attack agents in the room began to murmur among themselves, Specs cleared his throat. "General, Shock, and Throramebi shall see to it that, in a worst-case-scenario, we have a last resort, a last hope for survival. I hope we never have to use it... because if we do, it shall mean that the war is lost. That is why it is up to the rest of you to make sure that the Mutant Dinos never reach Dino Attack Headquarters."Then, Specs sighed in a way that Rex never heard him sigh before: a sigh of defeat. "You know," he murmured, "for the past eight months, I have had to lead this team, knowing very well that we are the last hope for the LEGO Planet. And despite all the hardships we've faced... all the disputes we've had... all the danger we've been in... this team is more than I could have ever hoped it to be. I thank you all for making this possible. It has been an honor and a privilege to know such a strong and dependable team. Now, let's get out there... and make Dr. Rex wish that he never stepped foot in LEGOLAND."OOC: Tomorrow... it ends.> / A / > /\

OOC: Oh... ouch. Sorry, that guy. I feel like such aj erk right now... sorry about that! Of course I should have considered Hertz instead of introducing another NPC when I was trying to think of a replacement for Ata... and given that Shannon's expertise is biomedical and technology (but not specifically communications), it would have made much more sense to choose Hertz instead of Shannon... Man, I feel so guilty right now.As for elite promotions... I don't know. I mean, since the final battle is nearly here, I'm considering allowing anyone to use any vehicle, meaning that "elite agent" would be solely an honorary title and not a gameplay mechanic (which is what it was originally intended as), meaning that it might be rendered obsolete. What do you guys think about this (both the vehicle part and the elite part)? If the general consensus is "yes, we should still have one last promoting of players to elite agent", then I'll have a little something in my next IC.Hey, Andrewnuva, I just remembered something. Whatever happened to that XERRD scientist ("Gene Rick", I once jokingly called him) whose mind accidentally got swapped with that of a Hybrid?IC: A sort of grim atmosphere had descended upon Dino Attack Headquarters after Specs made the fateful announcement. The majority of the team, especially those who had joined during the Adventurers' Island mission, was confident in a sure victory. Long-timers and veterans who had seen friends fall over the course of this horrible war realized that this could potentially be the last time they ever saw peace... a short calm before the terrible storm.Rex watched from a window in the hallway as Alpha Team Helicopters and Agents Aerial Defense Units airlifted civilians out of LEGO City, which was about to become an unsafe battleground. There was even a Coast Guard helicopter or two helping in the evacuation. A squadron of T-1 Typhoons escorted the transport helicopters, protecting them from any Mutant Pterosaurs that dared to come near.As he watched the helicopters at work, Rex reflected over the past eight months. He could hardly believe that this war was only eight months long... surely, it felt as though it had lasted over seven years. In that time, Rex had met and fought alongside many great people. He remembered escaping ShadowTech with Kai and Hyrode; rescuing Databoard, Turahk-Kal, and Glide from the Voltage; working with Zero and meeting Amanda Claw; fighting the Future Villains with Frozeen, PBB, Chompy, and Libo; and defending the Power Station with the help of Reptile. And, with a heavy heart, Rex reflected upon the fact that most of these people had died or disappeared a long time ago.Rex heard footsteps. He turned his head and saw Ben Gunn approach him. "I'm glad I found you again, Rex," nodded Ben Gunn. "I still might not remember my time before the Goo Caverns, but it appears that things have changed for the worse since the last time I was on the surface.""I'm sorry, Ben," sighed Rex. "I'm sorry that you were safe in the Goo Caverns for so long... and we bring you out of your safe haven to a surface world on the verge of total destruction."Ben Gunn shook his head. "It was my choice, not yours, to leave the Goo Caverns. After seeing what XERRD was plotting, I knew that if I had chosen to stay, my safe haven would be neither safe nor a haven for much longer. A castle may be a protective house, after all, but a dangerous place to live when the enemy brings the ceiling down upon your head."Rex nodded in agreement. He absentmindedly placed his hand in his pocket and felt the ring with which he intended to propose to Amanda. Then, with a start, Rex remembered that the ring belonged to Ben Gunn and was in fact stolen by Greybeard. Clearing his throat, Rex murmured: "I believe I have something of yours, Ben." He pulled the ring out of his pocket and showed it to Ben Gunn.Upon looking at the ring, Ben Gunn narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing with this?" he whispered."Greybeard... found it," explained Rex, "and gave it to me because he knew that I wanted to propose to a girl that I know, and... well, since you're still alive and you're here, I suppose it rightfully belongs to you." He held out the ring and waited for Ben Gunn to take it.Instead, Ben simply smiled. "Keep it," he decided. "It might have been mine once, but it holds no sentimental meaning for me now, and I have no need for a pretty ring without any meaning. Use it wisely, Rex, and propose to her."Rex bit his lip. "But Ben, I'm... I'm not going to live for much longer."Ben Gunn raised his eyebrows, an expression that seemed to look into Rex's very mind, making Rex feel as though he was talking to Dr. Saran once again. "Well, then, why wait?" Before Rex could reply, the elderly man turned and left.No sooner had Ben Gunn left than Frozeen appeared. "Oh, hey, Rex," greeted the Alpha Team agent. "Who were you just talking to?"Rex shrugged, pocketing the ring as he did so. "Oh, that was Ben Gunn. Have you gotten a chance to meet him yet?"Frozeen glanced in the direction that Ben Gunn left. "Darn. No, I haven't, and I've been eager to meet this 'Ben Gunn' guy that everyone seems to be talking about. Well... by 'everyone', I just mean Amanda and Greybeard. I'm just kind of curious to meet him in person, and I feel like I keep missing him. It's like I always happen to walk in a room just after he leaves.""Any particular reason you want to talk to him?" inquired Rex. "I'm afraid that, while he's quite sane nowadays, he isn't as... interesting as he used to be."Frozeen shrugged. "An old man who lived in the Goo Caverns by himself for who-knows-how-long? Can you blame me for being interested? Maybe he knows something that neither Alpha Team nor Evil Ogel ever knew. And if he does... I hope maybe I can tie up a loose end or two before the final battle. Anyways, Greybeard and King Race wanted to see you and Amanda as soon as you two are ready to go." ***** As she worked beside him, Shannon Grimton noticed that Hertz was a very quiet fellow. Although they were now working together, he rarely made eye contact with her and kept to himself most of the time. Already, Shannon thought that she recognized this sort of behavior, but just in case, she cleared her throat and said, "Look. I know that, since I studied technology on a more broader spectrum than simply telecommunications, I might not be as fit for this position as you are. In fact, I'm surprised that you haven't already been promoted to leading communications expert; I can only assume that, in the wake of Ata's havoc and chaos, the founding members wanted to act quickly and, instead of promoting you to elite agent, they just went ahead and chose a tech-savvy person who was already an elite agent.""I guess," shrugged Hertz, without looking at her."But I just want you to know," continued Shannon, "that I'm very grateful for your help. No hard feelings, right?""Oh!" blinked Hertz. "Of course not. No hard feelings at all. I'm just..."Shannon nodded. Since Hertz was clearly not angry with her, she was now certain that she recognized his behavior, and so decided to be as open and friendly as possible. "I don't know if they'll promote any agents to elite status by tomorrow... but if they do, I'll see to it that you're one of them. I mean, you definitely deserve it."*****Greybeard watched as his old friend, King Joseph Race, talked with his son, Samuel Race. The old pirate reflected upon the fact that, although they were father and son, circumstances meant that Joseph and Samuel were often separated during the course of the Dino Attack. Now, in the calm before the storm, they had the opportunity to have a father-son bonding moment. They comforted each other, with Joseph telling Sam how proud he was, and Sam telling Joseph how much he loved him.As Greybeard watched, it made him feel a little depressed that he would never have such a bonding moment. He barely even knew his own father, and Beatrice had died long before she could conceive a child. Greybeard sighed, reflecting upon his lack of family."Grandpa?"Greybeard turned around to see Mary Rose standing there. The old pirate bent down on one knee so he could speak with her face-to-face. "Me dear," cooed Greybeard, "yer grandpa be off wi' other Dino Attack agents t' secure th' perimeter near th' Dino Attack Power Station. That way, we can hopefully stall them Mutant Dinos from gettin' too close t' Dino Attack Headquarters. Ye should stay here, where it be safe.""You'll keep me safe, right?" asked Mary Rose. "Promise?"Being a realist, Greybeard knew that his chances of survival were slim. Still, he locked eyes with Mary Rose and gently laid his hand on her shoulder. "I promise." He gently kissed her on the forehead, as her real grandfather might have, then stood.It was already nightfall. The calm before the storm would end in a matter of hours.

OOC: Okay, now for a real post.So Kat is back now? I probably should have seen that coming after the whole mindscrew. And now, for a bigger mindscrew... what should we do with Kat/Katerina's wiki page? Move it back to Kat? Give Katerina a separate page altogether? Meh, I don't know. All I can say is... I'm glad to have Kat back, but I'm a little sad that this means we'll never have a Dr. Rex/Katerina Schattenberg reunion during the final battle. Okay. Of all the fourth-wall-breaking references in the seven years of Dino Attack RPG, this one has to be one of my favorites.Also, avmatoran... clever. Very clever. I'll also see about responding to that PM as soon as I get a chance.IC: At last, the door to Dr. Nicholas Saran's office opened, and Rex floated out in his hover-chair. Amanda and Frozeen greeted Rex as he entered the hallway, and Amanda asked how the psychiatric session went."It went well," nodded Rex, although his voice was solemn. "Dr. Saran says that it will take time before I'm... well, recovered, and he wishes to schedule more sessions with me. Unfortunately, I do not know when I'll have such time... certainly not tomorrow. We need to speak with Specs immediately."They heard a distant rumbling: the roar of thunder. "A thunderstorm this late in December?" mused Frozeen. "This has certainly been a warmer-than-usual year. Normally, we would see snowfall by now.""That's certainly working in Dr. Rex's favor," grimaced Rex. "No doubt the Mutant Dinos will fight a lot better in a thunderstorm than a blizzard. Come."Rex piloted the hover-chair to Specs's office, accompanied by Frozeen and Amanda. Upon entering.the office, Rex saw that the other founding members, Digger, Shadow, and Viper, were already speaking to the team leader. They were telling Specs about things that they had learned from "Mary Rose" and "Shannon Grimton", neither name sounding familiar to Rex. When Specs saw Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen enter, he saw the grim look in Rex's face and understood that their news was not good. Still, he motioned for Rex to tell what he knew.Rex told Specs everything that he learned from Ben Gunn. Specs sat in contemplative silence for a moment as he let the information sink in. "MegaBloks," he murmured quietly. "With the team still recovering from the situations created by Ata and French Fries, we're not prepared for such an attack. Even worse, we have a large number of civilians who have returned to LEGO City, and we must begin an evacuation immediately; I must contact Mayor Frictionfit and let him know about this news. Hopefully, Dash Justice and Agent Chase can lend us a few Alpha Team and Agents vehicles to move the population, but I don't know if we have enough time. As for the Doctor Device, it is nearly finished... but unfortunately, seeing as Frank Einstein has passed away, we never received his instructions on how to complete it.""Instructions?" repeated Rex.Specs nodded. "In a number of his chess piece holograms, Dr. Einstein included a set of instructions for building the Doctor Device. He came up with an idea to re-engineer the weapon to counteract the Maelstrom energies inherently found within a Mutant Dino. However, the weapon is unfinished, and without his last set of instructions, I do not know if it will work."Rex and Amanda traded glances. Rex reached into his pocket and pulled out Frank Einstein's last bishop chess piece. "Amanda and I listened to the message recorded in here," explained Rex, "but there were nothing regarding the Doctor Device."Interested, Specs leaned forward and took the chess piece. Looking it over, Specs murmured: "That's because the instructions were never contained within the main message. There was always another part of the chess piece, never the same part in any two of them, which could activate the instructions for the Doctor Device." Carefully, Specs fingered the chess piece, trying to see if there was anything that was loose. At last, he found that a small bump on the head of the bishop could be rotated, and as he did so, the chess piece opened up, revealing the hologram of Frank Einstein.As Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen had never studied technology or engineering, what Frank Einstein said in those next few minutes made little sense to them. It was all engineer and inventor jargon that sounded like a foreign language. However, Specs was keenly interested in every word, staring with wide eyes as the hologram of the Assembly professor spoke.When the message ended, Specs handed the bishop chess piece to Viper. "Make sure this gets to the technology center as quickly as possible," ordered Specs. Viper, being a skilled racer before joining Dino Attack Team, nodded and darted out the door. "And thank you, Rex," continued Specs. "I hope we never have to use the Doctor Device... but if we do, it may win the war.""You know," suggested Rex, "I've been thinking. I know it's called the Doctor Device because it's loosely inspired by the weapon from Ender's Game, which Frozeen told me all about, but I cannot help but notice that, as development of this weapon continued, it became less and less similar to the original Doctor Device. Therefore, I propose a name change. In honor and memory of all that he has done for the Dino Attack Team, including helping us design this device... I propose that we rename it 'the Einstein Device'."Specs, Shadow, and Digger traded glances, nodding in agreement. "Now," sighed Specs, "comes the hard part." He took the microphone that was on his desk and pushed a button, activating the intercom system in Dino Attack Headquarters. "Attention, all Dino Attack personel..."OOC: ... and from there, Specs tells everyone about the upcoming attack.As I write this, there's a thunderstorm outside my house, and I'm getting flood and tornado warnings. What a perfect atmosphere for writing in Dino Attack RPG! Why, I feel like I'm in a Maelstrom!

OOC: And speaking of shipping, there's always Andrisa! Of course, given that we don't know Pterisa's true age and she is also half-pterosaur, I don't know what the rest of you guys think of that one, but hey, that's the fun of shipping... anything's possible!And as for a ship that will never sail due to Unfortunate Implications, there's a bit of subtext hinting at Maryo...I also remember that, for a brief moment, Toa Antrahka was shipping Texompy, if only for the possibility of making the Alexander/Abody family tree even larger than it currently is."Snigger" is also the perfect name for that particular ship... you know, since it sounds like "snicker" and all... Oh, great, now everyone's going to shoot me for explaining the joke...And I agree with Jacks on Nazarelda, especially given that Nazareno is a ninja and Zelda is the descendant of pirates, which would make things even more interesting.IC later today. I just wanted to join in the fun of the shipping while it was still going on!

OOC: Thanks for all the responses to the Dino Attack Headquarters! I knew you guys would love it!I'm glad to see that Pharisee (and, by extension, that guy from that show) understood that Rex's beatdown of French Fries, while immensely satisfying, was not a good thing and should not be praised. Although, I have to admit that I was surprised that Pharisee then turned around and gave French Fries a beatdown of his own with completely different motivations. Interesting. As I said earlier, when trying to explain why Frozeen never had a girlfriend, I decided it was best to write Frozeen as something that I know (after all, Frozeen is the closest thing I have to an Author Avatar, so I figured that, rather than distance him from me by stating that he is gay, I'd bring us closer together by stating that he is straight but socially awkward)... and I know all too well what it is like to have Asperger's syndrome. The reason that Frozeen is much more self aware is because he's received a lot of counseling over the years, which has considerably helped him but, as I know, will never "cure" him.But it's interesting to see other people with Asperger's in this RPG. Perhaps it's true that we seem to find each other.IC: Amanda Claw waited patiently outside Dr. Nicholas Saran's office. She knew that a psychiatrist was exactly what the team needed, and she mused bitterly over the fact that many of the team's members would be considered downright "messed up" in the eyes of the public. And not just the obviously-crazy members like Pyro or Duke, but even the respected... such as Rex.As she waited, she was surprised to see Frozeen approach her. "Oh, hey," greeted Frozeen as he drew near."What's wrong?" inquired Amanda, concerned.Struck with surprise by this question, Frozeen faltered. "Wrong? Err, nothing is wrong. Everything's, uh, fine."Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Your eyes are red, your cheeks are a little damp, and when you speak, I can hear that your throat is a little dry. Can you understand why I was just being little worried why you've been crying."Frozeen sighed. "It's no use lying to you, Amanda," he admitted. "You're just too good at reading people. As for me... yeah, I was crying." He did not elaborate, so Amanda did not push any further for an explanation. After a moment of awkward silence, Frozeen cleared his throat and declared: "It was nothing. Just a little deja vu, that's all.""I see," nodded Amanda. "Our past does have a nasty way of coming back to haunt us.""So," Frozeen decided to change the subject, "have you seen Rex? There's been some recent developments regarding Mutant Dino activity in LEGO City, and it appears to be urgent news."Amanda gestured towards the door to Dr. Saran's office. "He's in there," she explained. "Andrew and I urged him to seek a little counseling after... a recent incident. The mounting stress of the Dino Attack has really got to him, I'm afraid. He's tried so hard to bottle it all up, but some moron French Fries was the last straw for him.""Counseling," nodded Frozeen. "Counseling is good. It helps a lot more than you think. Trust me, I know.""As for recent developments," continued Amanda, "he and I were speaking to Ben Gunn, and-""Ben Gunn?" repeated Frozeen, confused.Amanda shrugged. "I don't know; he's an elderly man who's dead-serious all the time. Apparently, he met Rex and Greybeard at one point. He was also the old man that the others saw clothesline Ata.""Ah," nodded Frozeen. "That's who he is. I'd like to meet him someday.""But more importantly," continued Amanda, who lowered her voice but carried a more urgent tone, "Ben Gunn told us that Dr. Rex is planning a massive attack tomorrow.""Tomorrow?" Frozeen's face was grim. "Then I'm afraid that Sha... I mean, elite agent Gromtin's theory was correct. She was telling the founding members about how the lack of Mutant Dino activity in LEGO City was due to the Mutant Dinos actually gathering their forces near the edge of the city, where our scanners and patrols are not so strong.""Just think," sighed Amanda. "This might be the final battle... and any one of us may die."Frozeen tried to smile reassuringly. "I'm sure we'll all pull through... we've survived this long, right? You, me, Greybeard, and, of course, Rex. Still... it might be wise to tie up loose ends now, because we don't know if we'll ever get the chance again. Like how you wrote a letter to Bartholomew Enderson."Amanda nodded. "He deserves to know," she murmured quietly.Frozeen scratched his head. "Out of curiosity... just a quick question, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... I remember the name Bartholomew Enderson. He was... involved in an Alpha Team investigation a couple years back; he wasn't in trouble or anything, but we thought that he might have known about someone we were trying to find... he's a bartender, right?" When Amanda nodded in response, Frozeen continued: "We wanted to ask him a few questions, but we never got the chance. But now... how can I phrase this... I apologize for being blunt, but... are you her?"Amanda stared at Frozeen with surprise.Frozeen locked eyes with her and held up his hands. "Look... if you are, you are not in trouble. You're still one of my most trusted friends in the Dino Attack Team, and I would never hold it against you... instead, I'd understand that you've changed and you're redeeming yourself. I know this is a strange question, but after what you said in Ata's room, I couldn't help but..."Amanda closed her eyes and, after a moment of silence, nodded gently.Frozeen gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Amanda. To me, no matter what you were, to me, you will always be Amanda Claw, one of the greatest Dino Attack agents. And I thank you for doing such great work with this team."Amanda smiled.Frozeen glanced at the door to Dr. Saran's office. "He's going to be in there for a while, isn't he?" he murmured. "So, uh, how are things with you and Rex?""Wonderful," nodded Amanda. "Things could always be a little better... but given the circumstances that we are in, I daresay, it's the best that it could possibly be."Frozeen scratched his head and leaned against a wall. "This might sound a bit awkward," he chuckled nervously, "but I hope you can help me out a little... what's it like to be in a relationship with someone you love?"Amanda raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his question.OOC: Unfortunately, I'm not that good at writing psychiatric sessions, so unless that guy from that show wants to take his own shot at it, I don't think I'm going to show what happens behind that door, and my next IC will likely pick up after the session has ended.