PeabodySam

OOC: Baneech? PM received and will likely be taken heavily into account. It's just going to require some cooperation from everybody to make it work. Perhaps, but in a battlefield filled with Mutant Dinos to the point where Snake hasn't even left the city, surely there must have been a less mean-spirited way to show his character and bring him back into the action besides kicking Plastic Serpent while he's down? Of course, given that he was trying to pull this stunt when only a fraction of the Mutant Dinos were actually in the building (with Dr. Rex, the most important target, still far enough away from the building to be unaffected), it would never have worked to the desired effect. However, seeing as we still have a number of important characters (Rex, Hertz, etc.) and things (the Teleport Pad, the Einstein Device, etc.) in the building, and no one down in the basement to stop Firecracker, I decided to tie the original building's fate into how the new building could have possibly survived such explosive power.IC: When Viper and Sam Race arrived in the technology center, the entire area was in ruins. The floor was littered with rubble, broken glass, and damaged machinery. Snapped electrical wires over dripping pools of water sprayed sparks everywhere, and the fires throughout the center were filling the air with smoke.Most disturbingly, although there were a few Mutant Lizard carcasses scattered across the area, most of the blood staining the walls and floor did not belong to any Mutant Dinos.Already, the next wave of Mutant Dinos were breaking into Dino Attack Headquarters, and with the damage caused by all those explosions, they were finding it easier than ever to infiltrate the base. Viper and Race fired their weapons at any living Mutant Dinos they encountered, but had to be careful to aim their shots precisely to avoid shooting any machinery and potentially creating an explosion.After felling a Mutant Raptor, Viper and Sam Race scavenged the area as quickly as possible and discovered, amidst rubble, fire, and pools of blood, the Einstein Device. The fabled weapon looked like a miniature missile, with an outer coat crafted from sleek silver- and blue-hued metals. Nearby, they located a bazooka-esque rocket launcher that appeared to be what the Einstein Device was intended to be fired from."You think it's damaged at all?" inquired Sam Race.Viper shrugged. "If it is, Specs is a techy; he'll know how to fix it. Come on, let's get out of here before any more 'scales' show up!" Viper grabbed the Einstein Device and its launcher, and the two former racers made their way towards the exit.As they passed a broken window, Viper glanced outside and saw the familiar armored and Maelstrom-possessed form of Dr. Rex himself, slowly lumbering towards Dino Attack Headquarters. There was no way he could be stopped, what with that armor that no bullet could pierce, and all that Maelstrom energy wrapped around his body. Surely, Dr. Rex was the biggest and baddest of all Mutant T-Rexes.And, as Viper thought about it, he was now holding in his hands the one weapon that could potentially defeat the biggest and baddest of all Mutant T-Rexes for once and for all.Digger would tell me to wait until the most intense moment to strike, mused Viper. He loaded the Einstein Device into the launcher and aimed at Dr. Rex. Well, MegaBlok that! It's time to bring him down!But as Viper was about to pull the trigger, Dino Attack Headquarters shook again, just violently enough to cause Viper to stumble. Before he could regain his balance, Viper dropped the rocket launcher onto the floor and tripped over it. Sam Race stopped in his tracks and proceeded to give Viper a hand in getting back up. However, when they both looked at the Einstein Device lying the floor, they noticed a few blue light bulbs on its surface were now lit up and flashing."It... wasn't doing that before, was it?" Sam Race bit his lip."MegaBloks!" whispered Viper. "I... I think I just armed the Einstein Device! I don't know if that means it'll go off, or how much time we have until it does... um..." As Viper picked up the rocket launcher, he now saw that it had suffered a bit of structural damage and, try as he may, he could not load the Einstein Device back into the launcher. "This isn't good," frowned Viper."Hurry!" beckoned Sam Race. "We have to bring the device back to Specs! Maybe he can fix it before it's too late!"Gritting his teeth, Viper glared out at Dr. Rex, still visible through the shattered window. "I'll get you soon enough," he promised himself. "You and your scales are all going down!"*****When Viper and Sam Race caught up to Specs, Shadow, Digger, Rex, Frozeen, Greybeard, Gromtin, and Mary Rose on the tenth floor, Specs's eyes widened at the sight of the flashing blue lights on the Einstein Device. "You armed the Einstein Device?" gasped the team leader, and as he raised his voice, it seemed that he was on the verge of lose his reputed composure. "Viper! What did I tell you about the Einstein Device?""Why are you blaming me?" Viper raised an eyebrow."Because I know that you secretly desire to be the one to deliver the final blow! I know you want to be the one who defeats Dr. Rex! But Viper, look... there's still too many of our own units on the battlefield. If the Einstein Device goes off... I don't know for sure what will happen, but I fear that it will place all our lives in danger. The Einstein Device is supposed to be a last resort, not just some toy that can defeat the big bad for us!""Well, why wait?" snapped Rex, earning some stares. "They're all going to die, anyways! Why does it matter if we wait for the Mutant Dinos to kill them first? We might as well go down and bring all those abominations down with us in one swift and clean strike!""Rex!" blinked Gromtin. "I understand that you're eager to avenge Claw, but what you're suggesting is-""Guys, stop it," stepped in Digger, who was raising his arms as though he was trying to physically contain the argument. "I know that we're all on the edge given the situation, but this is no way to be acting in a crisis. Trust me, I've learned that lesson the hard way. I'm all for exciting and intense moments, but this is a time to act calm and reasonable.""You're right," Specs nodded grimly. Rubbing his forehead, he thought for a moment, considering his options. "Perhaps, with some combined effort from some of our elite agents, we can modify the Einstein Device to lessen the risk to our fellow Dino Attack agents. Even with the technology center in ruins, we still have some strong scientists and engineers in the team, like Reptile and Dr. Cyborg.""And it's a device that deals with Maelstrom," added Digger. "Perhaps Zachary Virchaus can lend a hand in that department.""And with skilled fighters like Rotor," murmured Shadow, "we will find the strength to keep the Mutant Dinos where we want them for just a little longer.""Sounds like we have a bit of a plan emerging," Rex raised an eyebrow. "I've learned to hate plans... they never go right. But, if this works... then we can stop the Mutant Dinos for good. Count me in."

OOC: Okay, while Snake vs. Snake was kind of funny, its novelty wore off, leaving Snake vs. Plastic Serpent feeling just unnecessarily mean-spirited.Before I forget, Brikman, I was inspired by your posts to redesign 6037 Witch's Windship. What do you think?So, we've got a Jarate'd-off, Maelstrom-possessed, nigh-invincible Mutant T-Rex, a mad scientist in a giant mech, a witch in her personal Maelstrom Dragon-carried windship, an entire army of mooks, and Mutant Lizards and Raptors infiltrating Dino Attack Headquarters... and it's raining. Sure can't get much worse, can it? Well, thanks to Firecracker, it just did.IC: There was a loud booming noise, like the sound of thunder, and Dino Attack Headquarters shook, as it had been throughout the battle. This time, however, the thunder was much louder, to the point of deafening, and the shaking was far more violent. Those that did not fall to the floor hit the deck as fireballs rose out nearly every stairwell. Mutant Lizards screeched as they were engulfed in the flames, while the more resilient took cover.When it was over, Rex performed an upper-body push-up and surveyed the area. Smoke filled the air and ash covered the floor. The walls were charred, windows were shattered, and there was rubble everywhere. There were some flames that still burned, and the entire area looked as though it had survived a Mutant T-Rex rampage.Still, despite all the damage caused from the explosions, Dino Attack Headquarters was still standing... for now, at least. After the original building's fate, Brick League United made sure that the new building could endure a blitzkrieg and survive. Many walls were reduced to rubble, entire stairwells and rooms had collapsed, but the building's core structure remained mostly intact.Rex's ears were still ringing from the explosion, so when Greybeard shouted "What th' devil?", it sounded muffled and distant."Looks like-" Frozeen paused to cough the smoke out of his lunge. "Looks like Demoman's been having a field day.""A lot of good that drunkard did us," Rex gritted his teeth. "Now, Dino Attack Headquarters is barely on its last legs, and there's still an entire army of Mutant Dinos out there ready to tear it down! Nice job breaking it, hero!" Locating his wheelchair, Rex crawled towards it and, with some insistent assistance from Sam Race, climbed back in.Likewise, Frozeen was helping agent Gromtin climb back into her own wheelchair. Frozeen asked if she was alright, and she reported that, aside from a bit of hopefully-temporary hearing loss, she was alright. "This is elite agent Gromtin," she spoke into her radio. "Agent Shock, can you read me?"After a bit of static, Shock's voice came in. "Loud and clear! What was that?""We'll worry about it later," frowned Gromtin. Glancing at Mary Rose, who was tightly hugging Greybeard's leg, she inquired: "What is the status of the Teleport Pad?""The roof collapsed during the explosion," reported Shock, "but luckily the thirteenth floor held out under our weight. The Teleport Pad has suffered some minor damage during the fall, and Throramebi is currently making some repairs. Other than that, we should be alright to continue evacuating units to Antarctica.""Good. I fear we'll need to evacuate many more units in the next hour."Everyone turned to see the four founding members - Specs, Shadow, Digger, and Viper - walking through the smoke."What brings you here?" inquired Frozeen. "Your team needs you out on the battlefield!"Specs shook his head. "I'm afraid that, given these... recent developments, we've been forced to land our T-1 Typhoon. We have only a short time before the next wave of Mutant Dinos enters Dino Attack Headquarters, and with the structural damage caused by these explosions, I know that this building will not survive. That is why it is of the utmost importance that we retrieve the Einstein Device from the technology center before it is too late.""As a former racer," declared Viper, "I can run down there as quickly as possible and get the Einstein Device before any of those 'scales' can. Sam, you're probably the only one here who can keep up with me in a race. As much as I'd like to say that I did this alone, it's probably a good idea to have someone covering me.""Sure," nodded Sam Race. "I'll accompany you to the tech center. Don't worry guys, we'll be back before you know it!""Just be careful," nodded Frozeen."Don't get yourselves killed," muttered Rex. He wheeled himself towards a nearby shattered window and peeked out the battlefield. Dr. Rex was roaring to his fellow Mutant Dinos, which were still massive in number and still rushing towards what was left of Dino Attack Headquarters. Locking his eyes upon Dr. Rex, Rex whispered, "Come on, Ronald, you sick 4+. We'll end this for once and for all."Although Dr. Rex was too far away and the sounds of battle were surely too loud to carry Rex's voice, the armored Mutant T-Rex seemingly turned to look directly at Rex as though he heard what Rex just said.Rex's heart began pounding, and he clutched his chest due to the pain. Now that Amanda was dead, the chest pain was worse than ever before. In his mind, Rex saw a brief flash of Baron Typhonus, the Darkitect, grinning and laughing in triumph. Gritting his teeth, Rex hissed: "I... won't... let... you... win...!"OOC: Does the Einstein Device count as Deus Ex Machina if it's been in the making since 2009?

OOC: Played TF2 for the first time in a long time, and I joined Atton Rand for a few rounds of capture/defend at GravelPit. He was a Medic, and I was a Pyro. We won some, we lost some, but we sure had a lot of fun through it all. Oh, darn, I just remembered a line of dialogue that I wanted to use (I came up with it while reading your post, Jacks, but forgot about it when I was actually writing) which would have been perfect for the situation. Seeing as it isn't plot pivotal (but instead more important to understanding character), I guess I'll just go back and edit it in, but here's the line in question:"You... You are the reason... You are why I... did all this... You! You're.. the cause of all this! This... this is all... your fault!"See, because if Katerina's story is accurate (and I'm willing to bet it is), then the separation of Ronald and Catherine was truly Ronald's Start of Darkness. Everything he's done (and everything that's happened to him, including his fate worse than death) is a result of this. So, of course, the Darkitect would find it much easier to break Dr. Rex's will by redirecting the blame towards Katerina herself, not the situation. You're on the right track, but as I recall, his name was not MacRaptor; it was Mr. Pilkington. But perhaps I've said too much... Hooray for Rosalina expy!IC: Frozeen and Sam Race ran down a hallway in Dino Attack Headquarters, firing upon Mutant Lizards and the occasional Mutant Raptor along the way. Greybeard ran after them, but kept his pace slow enough to ensure that Mary Rose could keep up, as he did not want to let the little girl out of his sight."Yeah," explained Sam Race along the way, "when my dad and I took a tour around headquarters, they said that the communication department was right around - oh my Builder!" As they rounded the corner, they were shocked and disturbed to find the entire area left as a burning ruins, as though a rocket had hit the area and took out an entire section of this floor."No," whispered Frozeen. "She... she must have escaped in time...!" With that, the Alpha Team agent turned on his heel and ran in the opposite direction, desperate to find elite agent Gromtin. After recovering from his shock, Sam Race caught up to Frozeen, while Greybeard lagged behind to keep Mary Rose safe.At the far end of a long hallway, Frozeen was sure that he saw someone in a wheelchair. However, the hallway was also host to at least half-a-dozen Mutant Lizards, who knew that a handicapped Minifig would be easy prey, and were sprinting down the hallway with saliva dripping from their jaws. "No!" shouted Frozeen. He pulled out his personal handheld laser gun and fired at the Mutant Lizards. Although he downed a few of them, the survivors adapted quickly and made quick, random movements to throw off Frozeen's aim. They were outrunning him, and despite his athletic training in Alpha Team, Frozeen knew that he would not reach the end of the hallway in time."Shannon!" he cried out a warning. "Look out!"The Minifig in the wheelchair, who thankfully turned out to be agent Gromtin after all, turned her head and saw the advancing Mutant Lizards. In response, she pressed a button on one of the wheelchair's armrests. Suddenly, a minigun, a laser device, and a rocket launcher popped out of her wheelchair, and every weapon was aimed at the Mutant Dinos. A short round of bullets, lasers, and rockets later, there were no Mutant Lizards left standing.When Frozeen reached Shannon's wheelchair, he was panting for breath and wiping sweat from his brow; having survived Alpha Team training, this was not from any physical stress, but rather from the stroke of fear for Gromtin's life. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright," he whispered, unable to raise his voice any higher. "When I saw the mutants infiltrating the building... and I saw the communications department in ruins... I..."Gently tapping her wheelchair's minigun, Shannon grinned. "As I said, my brother got me interested in technology and engineering. Now, you'd think I would sit in a wheelchair for a few months and not make a few modifications? Besides, the Mutant Lizards needed a lesson in ballistics."By this time, Sam Race, Greybeard, and Mary Rose had caught up to Frozeen and Shannon. "I've been meaning to ask you," murmured Frozeen. "How did you end up in a wheelchair? I know now's probably not the best time, but...""... but might be the only time," completed Shannon. "Very well, I suppose. I was trapped on the third floor of a building infested with Mutant Raptors. While I fought them off as best as I could, I knew I was outnumbered. So, as I detonated an explosive to take care of the rest, I did the natural thing and jumped out a window. Broke my legs upon impact, but I still had enough strength to turn around and fire my Cosmotronic Ray at one Mutant Raptor who jumped out after me. Since some of the doctors here refused to let Enter and Return operate on me, I've been confined to a wheelchair until my legs heal. But don't worry, I've made the best of it."Staring at the impressive weaponry of the super-wheelchair, Frozene nodded. "I see. Look, Shannon, I...""Uh, guys?" called Sam Race. "We've got some company!"A large swarm of Mutant Lizards of all breeds emerged from a nearby stairwell and were looking for prey. Although Shannon fired her wheelchair weaponry at the Mutant Lizards, even more Mutant Lizards appeared behind the group. Greybeard cussed loudly and tried to slash with his cutlass, but it was quickly knocked aside by a camouflage Mutant Lizard. To top it off, a Mutant Raptor appeared among the group of Mutant Lizards.Suddenly, some of the Mutant Lizards began to screech and scatter. Narrowing his eyes, Frozeen saw a Dino Attack agent enter the scene, firing a Sonic Screamer that was duct-taped to a flamethrower. The lethal combo of sound and fire drove away the Mutant Lizards, but the Mutant Raptor held its ground and roared. In response, the Dino Attack agent whipped out a Cosmotronic Ray and opened fire, felling the great beast, and then proceeded to pull out a shotgun and end its life for good.Only after the Mutant Lizards were chased away did Frozeen recognize the Dino Attack agent... by the fact that he was in a wheelchair."Rex?" whispered Frozeen. "Is that you?"The Dino Attack agent shot a glare at Frozeen, which surprised the Alpha Team agent. For a moment, although the face was definitely Rex's, it was as though he did not recognize the agent at all. Then, Rex seemed to realize that it was Frozeen, Greybeard, and Sam Race standing there, for he nodded grimly."Blow me down!" grinned Greybeard. "We be hearin' rumors that ye be down!""Those rumors were true," Rex narrowed his eyes. "I was down... but now I'm back. And I swear to Builder that I'm not done here until every single one of these MegaBloking sons of 4+ Figures are dead. For too long, they've wreaked death and destruction upon the world... now, it's time for them to pay."Frozeen was taken aback by Rex's sudden change in attitude; this was completely unlike the friendly idealist he used to know. It took him a moment, but he put the clues together fairly quickly. "Amanda...?" he whispered.Rex shook his head, and only now Frozeen saw that his cheeks were wet.Horrified, Frozeen's jaw dropped. Greybeard shook his head in disbelief, as the memories of his dreams came flooding back with the image of Amanda Claw hanging from the very noose which took the life of "Bad Luck" Beatrice. "I'm so sorry," whispered Sam Race.Rex scowled. "Sorry? Don't pity me! I don't need your pity! If you want to waste your time with useless apologizing, then I have no use for you. Make yourself useful and assist me in killing every last one of these abominations! No one shall rest until we've sent them all to MegaBlokland! Now, come on!" With that, he turned his wheelchair and began wheeling himself down the hallway.Although Frozeen was relieved to know that Rex was still alive and had rejoined the fight, he was disturbed by Rex's change in character and news of Amanda's death. As he reflected upon the latter, Frozeen remembered the promise that he had made to himself and realized that he was still standing next to Shannon. Locking eyes with her, Frozeen spilled: "Shannon, I know this is crazy, and you probably think that I'm a moron and a fool for waiting such a long time to tell you and finally telling you on the brink of the world's destruction, but I love you, and I still love you, and I've never stopped loving you, even when I told you that I didn't, that was a lie, because I actually loved you, and there's no way that I'm going to let the world end without telling you that I still love you, and-""Peter," interrupted Shannon. Although the tone of her voice was harsh with urgency, the look in her eyes was soft and understanding. "I know, Peter. I always have known."Frozeen could not muster any more words, instead averting his eyes and blushing."Um, look, guys," Sam Race, feeling a little awkward, bit his lip. "We should probably get going."The others agreed, and began to follow Rex through Dino Attack Headquarters. "Ye know," Greybeard whispered to Frozeen, "thar be somethin' about Rex that be shiverin' me timbers. It be not just that he be lustin' fer revenge, says I. It be... well... th' way he spoke, an' th' look in his eyes... he be remindin' me o' Dr. Rex."Frozeen felt the blood drain from his face as he realized that what Greybeard said was, indeed, the horrible truth.

OOC: Heh, we go from a day of lots of posting... to a day of barely any posting. "Nein!" declared Dietrich Luzwheit as he slammed his fist down upon the computer desk. "Zirty zecondz!"Barely louder than a whisper, Ivan Tzenovich murmured: "Twelve seconds."Bob Rutherford stared at Ivan and clapped his hands together. "Yeah, they're screwed." With that, Ikaag, Lahka, Gromtin, Dr. Miner, Skorpeo, and countless others also gathered around the computer in City 25896 nodded in agreement. Err... sorry to burst your bubble, but despite making this reference to LOST's ending, I'm actually not familiar with the source material. It's just that LOST's Gainax Ending is so infamous that it reached the ears of even non-LOST fans such as myself. Well, our "rough plan" was that my post would have Dr. Rex feeling ashamed and fighting back at the Darkitect. And, in a way, this did happen (as noted in my previous OOC, the Maelstrom tendrils basically were Typhonus's response to Dr. Rex's fighting back). This might have worked (as I was writing by the seat of my pants, no guarantees, and we'll never know otherwise), but seeing as Katerina made sure that she threw in that "I renounce you as my brother" bit, there was no way I was going to let the Darkitect not use that little detail to utterly break Dr. Rex's will. So, in the end, nice job breaking it, Katerina.Also, the comment about "out-bluffing each other simultaneously" brought these two Brawl in the Family strips to mind. Heh.IC: Despite Bill Ding's valiant efforts to build a blockade out of the wrecked Fire Hammer, it was only a matter of minutes before Frozeen, Greybeard, and Sam Race encountered Mutant Lizards running through the halls. Frozeen fired his weapon and Greybeard slashed with his cutlass to fell the beasts, while Sam the ever-quick just kept running. He would dart into one room, quick check to see if anyone was there, and immediately rejoin his partners to report his findings. Once or twice, they found Dino Attack personnel in trouble and saved them from the dinos."Thar!" Greybeard pointed with his hook at the door to the conference room. "That be th' room I told Mary Rose t' take cover in!"A few hungry Mutant Lizards smelling fresh meat were swarming into the room once used for mission briefings. Bellowing, Greybeard charged forward and slashed madly with his cutlass, bringing down most of them. The Mutant Lizard in the lead was just out of his cutlass's reach, so Greybeard pulled out his flintlock pistol and fired, and his aim was true.As Frozeen and Sam Race followed Greybeard into the conference room, they saw the old pirate looking around, frantically looking for the little girl. He became increasingly desperate and worried as he saw Mary Rose nowhere in sight. Calling her name over and over again, he checked under the table, behind the cabinet, everywhere he could imagine. When Greybeard laid his one good eye on a pool of blood in the corner of the room, he cried: "Mary Rose! Granddaughter, where be ye?""Grandpa?"The voice came as soft as the wind, but directed Greybeard's attention to the air vents above. Through the grating, he noticed a pair of eyes peering out at him."Mary Rose!" laughed Greybeard, relieved to see that the little girl was still alive. "How did ye get up thar?""I'm good at hide-and-seek," whispered Mary."You said that you found her hiding in the dumpster of a Mutant Raptor-infested neighborhood," murmured Frozeen. "I wouldn't be surprised if that experience taught her a few important lessons in survival.Suddenly, they heard the familiar roar of a Mutant Raptor, and saw the beast standing outside the room. Sam Race quickly ran to the door of the room and slammed it shut, then turned a key to lock it closed. He stepped a few paces back as the Mutant Raptor rammed itself against the door."You can't lock a Mutant Raptor out of a room," frowned Frozeen. "They're too smart!"A newspaper slid into the room from under the door. The Mutant Raptor slammed into the door again, knocking the key out of the doorknob. The key fell right onto the newspaper, which slid back under the door back out into the hallway. They heard the sound of the key clicking in the doorknob, followed by the Mutant Raptor opening the door with a vicious snarl.Although Frozeen prepared to fire his weapon, Greybeard stepped forward and raised his cutlass. "Lower yer firearm," whispered Greybeard. "This be me fight, says I!" As he confronted the hungry Mutant Raptor, Greybeard pointed his cutlass at the beast and gritted his teeth. "Yer kind took me eye an' Mary's parents, an' gave nothin' back," growled Greybeard. "That shall be all that ye be takin' from me, says I! Ye have come fer Mary Rose, but I won't let ye have her!"The Mutant Raptor growled and lunged towards Greybeard. The old pirate darted to the side and slashed with his cutlass. The blade of his sword cut into the side of the Mutant Raptor's face, leaving a scar across the dinosaur's eye. "An eye fer an eye!" declared Greybeard as he swung his cutlass again.The Mutant Raptor knocked the sword out of Greybeard's hand. Snarling, it tackled Greybeard to the floor. Unable to let the fight continue without intervention, Frozeen and Sam Race stepped in to fight the raptor. The only thing they succeeded in was pulling the beast off of the old pirate, but they were quickly knocked down by a swing of the raptor's tail.Just then, with a loud clang, the section of the air vents where Mary Rose was fighting fell from the ceiling and crashed down upon the conference table, depositing Mary right in the middle of the action. This immediately caught the Mutant Raptor's attention, and the creature quickly assessed that the defenseless little girl was far easier prey than the three older men. Baring its teeth, the Mutant Raptor stalked towards the conference table, as Mary Rose backed away in futility."Git away from her, ye bilge rat!" screamed Greybeard, who charged at the Mutant Raptor with his retrieved cutlass at the ready. Before the raptor could react, the old pirate jumped onto its back and thrust his sword into its hide. As the Mutant Raptor bellowed in pain, Greybeard made a few more strikes with his sword, swiped at the raptor's lips with his hook, and finished it off by planting the cutlass into the Mutant Raptor's skull. With a pained whimper, the Mutant Raptor collapsed, with Greybeard standing victoriously over its carcass."Grandpa!" cried Mary Rose as she ran towards the old pirate with her arms stretched wide. "You saved me!"Sheathing his cutlass, Greybeard met Mary Rose in a much-needed joyous embrace. "I be so sorry fer leavin' ye here!" whispered Greybeard, who sounded on the verge of tears. "But I be here now, and I be protectin' ye from them beasts! I won't let them git ye! Ne'er!""Okay," frowned Sam Race. "So, we rescued Mary Rose. What now? It's too dangerous to bring her with us.""Sam," decided Frozeen, "escort Greybeard and Mary Rose to the Teleport Pad in the basement as quickly as-"A voice came in on Frozeen's radio. "Attention! This is agent Shock! Due to the Mutant Lizards and Raptors infiltrating headquarters at an alarming rate, we've been left with no choice, and so we activated the self-destruct mechanism of the Teleport Pad in the basement. All personnel in need of immediate evacuation must travel to the rooftop! We are nearly finished building this pad.""Darn," murmured Frozeen. "Greybeard, if you can protect her, Mary Rose can come along with us while we search for agent Gromtin. We'll bring her to the rooftop to be evacuated as quickly as possible."OOC: Okay, so who caught the reference? No, not the obvious Aliens reference that I was building up to for a while (only to have Greybeard's thunder stolen by Sarah Bishop), I mean the other reference.

OOC: What's this? Two IC posts from PeabodySam in one day! Blasphemy! But seeing as we're moving along at a rather fine pace at the current moment, I figured I'd post that which I chose not to include in my previous IC.EDIT: Oh! I almost forgot! Gary MegaBloking Oak is on XERRD's side? We are screwed! ... oh, wait. Blaire Darkling's declaring a truce? Whew! Heh, what did you expect? Dr. Rex to suddenly be "Oh please, forgive me?" Well, that might have been the case, but I literally waited until you posted to write Dr. Rex's response because I wanted it to be a logical (for Dr. Rex) response to whatever Katerina had to say. As he was renounced as her brother, I took that idea and ran with it, with Dr. Rex's inherent brotherly love for his sister being absolutely crushed as a result.Although, as I was writing it, I originally wanted to have an "argument" between Dr. Rex and the Darkitect, with Dr. Rex wanting not to hurt her but the Darkitect urging him to do so... it's mostly intact, but the Darkitect's lines have been removed and replaced with more Maelstrom pain and constriction, since I felt it would be a lot more powerful that way.Although, I have to say, your writing Dr. Rex for the previous scene was spot on. I especially liked the anecdote about their childhoods, as it excellently conveys Dr. Rex's inability to cope with loss, which provides the roots of his actions today. Really emphasizes the idea that Dr. Rex, for all the horrible war crimes he's committed, is a tragic villain.IC: "Holy Znap!" gasped Frozeen as Dr. Rex demolished the great wall which served as a protective barrier on the perimeter of Dino Attack Headquarters. He watched in horror as Mutant Lizards and Mutant Raptors, gathered at the armored T-Rex's feet, rushed forward over the ruins of the wall, heading straight for Dino Attack Headquarters.In only a matter of seconds, Frozeen calculated, the Mutant Dinos would reach the doors of Dino Attack Headquarters. Despite the building being constructed to withstand Mutant Dino attacks, there was no way it could be protected from such sheer numbers. The great door to Dino Attack Headquarters's garage was sliding down, but Frozeen knew it would never close in time."Shiver me timbers!" whispered Greybeard. "Mary Rose be in there...!""Shanno - I mean, agent Gromtin, too!" added Frozeen in a terrified shout. "She's in a wheelchair... she's a bio engineer and tech expert, not a fighter... she doesn't stand a chance against them!"Sam Race narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the steering wheel of the Fire Hammer. "I've lost my father today," he gritted his teeth. "I'm not going to let anyone else die." Before either Frozeen or Greybeard could ask what he was doing, Sam slammed his foot on the gas pedal and floored it. The Fire Hammer raced across the rubble that was once the protective wall, plowed through a few Mutant Lizards running towards headquarters, and crashed through the front doors of Dino Attack Headquarters. Bricks and shards of broken glass flew everywhere, and Frozeen and Greybeard ducked to avoid getting hit by the debris.The quickest to recover, of course, was Sam Race. He pointed to someone who appeared to be a mechanic, since he wore a blue mechanic's jacket with white sleeves and a white hat with the Octan logo on it, who was staring at the mess made by the Fire Hammer's dramatic entrance. "You! See how quickly you can take apart this Fire Hammer and build a barrier or something to keep the Mutant Dinos out for a little longer!""Got it!" nodded the mechanic, already running towards the Fire Hammer. "Building is my middle name, after all! Actually, it's my first and last name. Heh, I actually only just noticed that.""Good to see you, Bill Ding," nodded Frozeen, who hopped out of the Fire Hammer and helped Greybeard step out. "Now, let's find Mary Rose and Sha - I mean, Gromtin before the Mutant Dinos do!" ***** "Okay, Kat. What did we learn today? Do NOT make the big scary mad-scientist-turned-T-Rex angry!""Attention all Dino Attack personnel! This is agent Shock speaking. If you need to evacuate to Antarctica, you have only a few minutes remaining until we destroy the Teleport Pad in the basement; we cannot afford to let any Mutant Dinos get near it. We are now constructing a Teleport Pad on the roof of Dino Attack Headquarters.""It's a sure good thing that those Rogue Knights and Chinese soldiers arrived. We need all the help we can get against these Inferno agents and Fright Knights!""Orders from Digger! T-1 Typhoons, keep fighting the Mutant Dinos, and shoot down any Maelstrom Dragons and Inferno crafts, too! Dino Air Trackers, prepare to airlift units to the rooftop Teleport Pad for mass evacuation.""Darn it! I was shipping Vinyareno!""Mutant Dinos are inside the building! I repeat - Mutant Dinos are inside the building!""All our base are belong to them?""That's it. From now on, we're shooing out the clowns. If you want to make jokes or funny references, stop. Now is not the time. Use the comm chatter for serious communication now!""... Ah, you're no fun anymore!""I heard that! Who said that?"

OOC: And so, another one bites the dust. Parody Failure? Square Peg, Round Trope. A Parody Failure is when you try to parody a subject by doing something... but what you're parodying was already acknowledged or done by the subject matter. For example, the Snake vs. Snake fight would be a Parody Failure because it was supposed to parody the similarities between Snake Plissken and Solid Snake... but Metal Gear already fully acknowledges and embraces the fact that Solid Snake is similar to Snake Plissken, making the parody unnecessary. Mistakenly thinking that a former construction worker named Spike is named after Foreman Spike from Wrecking Crew is... not at all what this trope is about. Heck, it's not even a parody, so how could it be a failure?And really, this is coming from the guy who did not realize that Amanda's corpse was still with Rex, in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by Mutant Lizards and about to be killed by Michelle Glados, and followed with an OOC message telling no one to interact with them.... I'd think you'd be a little more understanding about making errors while reading other peoples' posts. Which reminds me, I do have another chapter of Five Years Too Many written up. I should probably get around to posting it.IC: "Dino Attack... turned you... against me...!"Dr. Rex thrashed around, feeling muscle spasms all over his body as he struggled to remain still despite Baron Typhonus's urging, despite the Darkitect pulling his strings. The physical pain was greater than ever, and Dr. Rex wished for nothing more than to simply die.But now, even worse was the emotional pain. If it weren't enough that he only now realized that he was little more than the Darkitect's plaything, Dr. Rex now had seen his sister, his dearly beloved Catherine, again, after so many years of being forcibly separated... and she had just disowned him. He remembered all too well the pain he suffered from losing her the first time. Now, like a musical motif, a dark reprise of those memories was now playing."I... cannot..." Dr. Rex, aghast at Catherine's words. "No..." Unable to even put his thoughts into words, Dr. Rex delivered a terrifying roar that was so loud that it nearly deafened those nearby.A violent muscle spasm shook Dr. Rex's entire body. The Maelstrom energies constricting his being tightened their grasp."She's... my sister...!" panted Dr. Rex, although it was unclear who exactly he was talking to. "I cannot lose... not again...!"One tendril of Maelstrom energy wrapped itself around his neck. It constricted tightly, choking Dr. Rex and causing him to thrash about violently again. Although Dr. Rex tried to roar again, his breath was stopped by the Maelstrom energy, silencing his cry of defiance. Katerina took a step back, for all the good that it would do.When Dr. Rex found the strength to look at Katerina again, his eyes appeared to be ablaze with fury and madness. The Maelstrom energies around his body glowed brighter than ever, and his form almost appeared to be burning in a purple inferno. "Fine!" he spat, and Kateirna could hear pure hatred dripping from his words. "You dare... to renounce... your own brother...? Then you... are no sister of mine...! You mean nothing... to me now! I shall... destroy... all... and I shall start... with... you!"Dr. Rex roared, and Katerina took a step back, for all the good that it would do. It disturbed her to see such a brilliant, if misguided, scientist descend to such feral besity. As Dr. Rex, with his maw opened wide, lunged at the building where Katerina stood, he was stopped for a third time by an all-too-familiar voice."Doctor Ronald Alexander!""You!" growled Dr. Rex, snapping his head towards a nearby parking garage sponsored by Octan. Sure enough, through the purple haze that clouded his vision, Dr. Rex recognized Evil Ogel standing there, alive as ever. "How many times do I have to kill you?" Without even waiting for the evil mastermind to respond, Dr. Rex charged towards the parking garage and, as soon as he was close enough, swallowed Ogel whole. Already knowing the pattern, Dr. Rex open his maw as a jet of purple-tinged flames erupted from his mouth, incinerating the entire parking garage. It pleased Dr. Rex to hear the shouts and cries of a hidden Skeleton Drone army in the instants before they died.Turning back to the three-story building where Katerina was, Dr. Rex was infuriated to see his sister nowhere in sight. Not wanting to leave any chances, Dr. Rex rammed his body against the building, smashing it against his armored hide. Then, he repeated it again and again, until the entire building was reduced to a pile of rubble. Before the dust even settled, Dr. Rex breathed fire over the ruins, surely incinerating anyone who could have survived the building's collapse.Turning his attention back to Dino Attack Headquarters, Dr. Rex saw through the purple haze that there was a large barrier protecting the building's perimeter. A few snipers remained on the wall, those that were smart enough had already fled. In a matter of mere seconds, Dr. Rex demolished the entire wall, and there was Dino Attack Headquarters on the other side, vulnerable as ever.Dr. Rex raised his head and roared to the heavens. The army of Mutant Lizards and Mutant Raptors gathered at his feet rushed forward, eager to claim Dino Attack Headquarters. In less than a minute, they would break into the building.In his pain, Dr. Rex's agony had turned to anger, the only fuel that kept him going. Talia Kaahs had been turned against him. XERRD no longer accepted him. Catherine, his own sister, had forsaken him. He was left with nothing but his Mutant Dinos, and Dr. Rex now knew that they too did not truly see him as their leader, for he was merely a puppet to their true master, the Darkitect. Dr. Rex had nothing. Nothing but his pain and his anger.Now that Catherine had renounced him, Dr. Rex knew that he would not hold back any longer. If he had nothing, then nothing mattered to him. It would not matter if Catherine or Talia stood in his way; he would slaughter them both like animals. When he was finished with Dino Attack Team, killing every last one of them and grounding their headquarters to dust, then nothing could ever stop him.Everything was about to come to an end.And then you'll kill me, right?Later.OOC: Oh, yes! I am so happy that we got that long-anticipated Ronald/Catherine reunion in. Unfortunately for both of them, it happened at a very inconvenient time for Dr. Rex... but now, there's no hope for redemption. Dr. Rex has had quite a few moments... but I can safely say that he's truly "snapped" for good this time.

OOC: Yes, they are. Unfortunately, that means that our "prototype" friend has no such lightning abilities, as it was created before the Maelstrom was added to the formula. The Fr-what? The French Visorak have taken over Kini-Nui? The French Fries are rebelling against the world's most incompetent elite agent? The French Toast is causing Dell Conagher to wield dual sub-machine guns? The French are forming an angry mob and attacking me for thinking that just because it begins with "Fr" that it must be French? And the Nazarelda shippers rejoiced. Oh, yeah. Those were the days... though, I suppose, now that I've begun reading Discworld for real, these references might turn intentional one day. That is, if I ever finish The Color of Magic... ... Now it's Atton Rand's turn to feel that way! Per chance, is this Spike who worked in construction at all related to Foreman Spike from Wrecking Crew? Wow, you even managed to find a way to slip in the "BLAH!" that normally accompanies the Lazer! Anyways, that was a very enjoyable read and certainly a satisfying death for Paulie Gonepus.IC: From aboard their personal T-1 Typhoon, the founding members continued to oversee the Dino Attack Team's struggle against the Mutant Dinos. Although Cyrista's Bane had not only been defeated but also now pledged its allegiance to the Dino Attack Team, the battle against the cybernetic T-Rex was costly and broke the front lines long enough for Dr. Rex to gather a Mutant Dino army. Now, as the Maelstrom-possessed monster charged towards Dino Attack Headquarters, Specs knew that it would not remain safe much longer.As much as Specs hated to do so, in case Evil Ogel or any other power-hungry villain was listening to the radio, he had no choice but to contact the technicians and weapon designers. "What is the progress of the Einstein Device?" he inquired.The radio crackled to life with the voice of one of the lead engineers. "Almost finished! It'll be done in about a half-hour, I'd say."Specs frowned, seeing the Mutant Dinos drawing closer and closer to headquarters. "We don't have a half-hour." As a technician himself, Specs wished for a moment that he were not obligated to lead the team so he could help the others in designing the weapon that could very well bring their salvation. "I understand the importance of taking your time, but we cannot afford for the Mutant Dinos to get to the Einstein Device before it's ready.""It will be ready," promised the engineer.Next, Specs checked with the Portal Operations Team. "What is the progress on Operation Antarctica?"General's voice came in through the radio. "We've finished building a Teleport Pad to Antarctica's refugee facilities in the basement. So far, only those in need of medical attention and those who absolutely cannot fight have been sent through. We intend to build another Teleport Pad atop Dino Attack Headquarters so that T-1 Typhoons and Dino Air Trackers can airlift entire units to be teleported to safety... as well as provide everyone a place to fall back to, should Mutant Dinos start entering the building.""Good," nodded Specs. "But work quickly. If Dino Attack Headquarters is overtaken... we may have choice but to teleport as many units to Antarctica as we can.""Yes, sir," agreed General. "Shock, Throramebi, and I will assemble the Teleport Pad as soon as we reach the rooftop. We shall honor the memory of Libo!""'Honor the memory'?" blinked Digger, who was eavesdropping on the conversation. "What happened to Libo? I mean, last I saw, he was still alive, even during... well, you know... that incident.""Dropped a bridge on him," muttered Shadow, a little bluntly."Oh, come on," frowned Viper. "Be serious.""No, it's true," Specs shook his head sadly. "When I sent the reformed Portal Operations Team across the globe in search of XERRD's teleport pads, Libo was with them. At one point, their journey brought them to Japan, and they found the country overrun with Mutant Dinos commanded by Hybrids. After disabling XERRD's local teleport pad, they were pursued across the nation by the Mutant Dinos. When they reached the famous Stone Tower Bridge, Libo lagged behind to give the others a chance to escape. When the Mutant Dino army tried to cross the bridge, Libo brought it down... but he was still on the bridge when it collapsed.""That's a shame," sighed Digger. "That guy did so much for us, only to die without much recognition or fanfare.""We'll worry about the memorial service later," grumbled Shadow. "Now, we should be thinking about giving these Mutant Dinos a taste of their own medicine... destruction and carnage."OOC: Yes, I know I dropped a bridge on Libo, but I honestly saw no other direction for his character to go. He kind of hit a dead end, in more ways than one. Besides, I did (once... maybe twice) foreshadow the likelihood that he would not survive the Dino Attack.Whenever you're ready, Jacks. It's your move, after all.EDIT: Oh, wow. While I was writing that, that guy finally wrote that Pharisee/Trigger confrontation. Ah, yes. It was most cathartic indeed to read Trigger finally get what was coming to him from a mile away.

OOC: Welcome back from your trip, Andrewnuva!You know, it's a shame that the trailer for Mann Vs. Machine didn't come out before the final battle started, as it would have provided excellent pre-battle inspiration. Ah, well. But at least I figured out a way to incorporate it into Project: LEGACY... Sorry about the late reply... Sure, go ahead.IC: The Fire Hammer skidded across the wet road, splashing a large puddle and sending water flying into the air. As the Fire Hammer lacked a windshield and a roof, Frozeen and Sam Race were soaked to the bone by now from all the heavy rain, while Greybeard's pirate longcoat was waterproof enough to keep his clothes underneath dry."Come on!" Frozeen gritted his teeth. "We need to intercept the Mutant Dino army heading to Dino Attack Headquarters! Maybe we can incapacitate a few dozen Mutant Lizards before they reach the building!"As the Fire Hammer turned down Christiansen Street, lighting flashed directly overhead, immediately followed by the great crack of thunder, roaring above the howling wind like a massive explosion. The brief second of light provided by the flash lit up the area around them, and even Greybeard could see the movement of many Mutant Dinos. They were not all marching down one street, but their numbers were so great that they were forced to swarming down whichever path was available. Frozeen shuddered to think of what happened to the front lines in order to allow so many Mutant Dinos to break through.Although Frozeen heard cries of triumph over the radio regarding the apparent defeat (and subsequent allegiance) of the so-called Cyrista's Bane, the cybernetic Mutant T-Rex that he had heard so much about but never actually saw in battle, he could tell that victory was still not in their grasp. "Looks like we've got a Zerg Rush on our hands," reported the Alpha Team agent. "I suggest we start falling back to headquarters before it's too late.""Fire th' cannon, me hearty!" shouted Greybeard once the Fire Hammer was close enough to the Mutant Dino army.Frozeen aimed and fired the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher at the Mutant Dinos, making sure to switch up modes every few shots to prevent any Mutant Lizards from adapting to his strategy. Sam Race floored the gas pedal and rammed the Fire Hammer into the Mutant Dino army, and Frozeen winced as he heard the crunching of bones under the jeep's wheels and saw the occasional carcass fly up onto the hood. After the Fire Hammer plowed through the Mutant Dinos, Frozeen noticed that one of the headlights was now broken."Careful!" shouted Frozeen. "This Fire Hammer's seen better days; unless we do some last-minute modifications to this thing, I don't think it can survive another charge like that!""You know," shrugged Sam, "all those years ago, I laughed at Workman Fred for thinking that a digger could be a good racer. Right about now, I'm wishing that I had one of those.""If we find one lyin' around," suggested Greybeard, "then 'we got t' build like crazy', says a certain maniac Redbeard knew once, an' then maybe this Fire Hammer be better suited t' plowin' through th' Mutant Dinos."Already, Frozeen saw a number of Fire Hammers, Urban Avengers, and the occasional Iron Predator driving in the direction of Dino Attack Headquarters. Driving away from headquarters, but sticking around close enough to fire at the Mutant Dino army with pistols and rifles, was a Fire Hammer driven by Lord Sam Sinister, and it appeared that Mr. Cunningham and possibly even Rudo Villano were also riding the same vehicle. The Brickster wasn't the only one out to have a good time during this battle.Still, it wasn't enough."If Dr. Rex and his army gets any closer to headquarters," Frozeen gritted his teeth, "then it won't be a safe place for much longer!" He thought of Shannon Grimton, confined to a wheelchair and overseeing communications, and shuddered at the thought of her being trapped in Dino Attack Headquarters when Dr. Rex arrives. I won't let that happen, he promised himself.

OOC: They say laughter is the best medicine, so... I don't always use emotes, but when I do, it's because I cannot properly express my thoughts in words.As for my thoughts on this image? :superfunny:You know, I think that might be the first time I've ever used an emote on BZPower's new forums. I honestly can't remember the last time I used an emote, even on the old forums... funny, considering that my posts back in my noob days were covered with third-degree emotes on 95% of their bodies. Oh Ole Kirk Christiansen, I was laughing so hard at that.Okay, so now that we all had our laughs, it's time to switch back to serious gear.IC: The T-1 Typhoon landed on one of the helicopter landing pads atop the roof of Dino Attack Headquarters' garage. With Dr. Rex and the Mutant Dino army moving closer with every second, it would not be a safe place for long, but an announcement over the radio made it clear that anyone who needed to be evacuated quickly had to return to Dino Attack Headquarters immediately.The elite agent who piloted the T-1 Typhoon shoved Andrew Jackson off the helicopter. The mad arsonist was now wearing a balaclava that covered most of his face and muffled all his rambling to incomprehensible mumbling; he did not seem to even notice, for he kept on talking anyway. A few more agents took the stretcher carrying Amanda's body and took it off the helicopter, ready to bring it to the morgue. Only Rex did not move, still staring straight ahead with the unwavering Thousand Yard Stare.They were greeted by Shannon Grimton, who, despite being confined to a wheelchair, made it her personal duty to help all Dino Attack agents at the headquarters. She was clearly overworking herself, but she did not let that deter her, instead becoming even more determined. Shannon looked solemnly at the stretcher as it passed by, knowing fully well what the shroud-covered body meant. Looking into the helicopter, she saw Rex sitting there, unmoving. "Excuse me," she stopped the elite agent pilot, "is that elite agent Rex?"The pilot nodded. "Yeah. Unfortunately, he's been completely unresponsive, and I don't think he's going to budge.""Where's his hover-chair?" inquired Shannon.The pilot sighed and shook his head. "We were unable to recover it when we rescued him."Shannon raised an eyebrow. "Well then, regardless of whether or not he is suffering PTSD, he's completely immobile unless we find him a wheelchair. I've got a spare wheelchair in my room; keep an eye on Rex until I get back.""With all due respect, agent Gromtin," frowned the pilot, "but it would be faster if I were to retrieve the wheelchair. Besides, you look like you've been working a lot... take a breather for a moment."Sighing, Shannon nodded, knowing that he was right. She quickly gave directions to her room and where to find the spare wheelchair. When the other elite agent departed, Shannon wheeled herself as close to the T-1 Typhoon as she could manage. She looked up at Rex, who made no motion to show that he was even aware of her. "Rex," murmured Shannon, "I know you don't want to hear this, and there's nothing I can say or do that will ameliorate things, but... I truly am sorry to hear about Amanda."Rex was silent. However, despite his blank expression and his complete lack of movement, his mind was far from empty. Instead, thoughts bounced around inside his head like gas particles inside a container, speeding up and raising in pressure as the container is heated by a Bunsen burner.Amanda is dead.Lust for revenge!Trouble is dead.Set the world on fire!Everyone is dying out there.Make Builder pay!They are to blame!Monsters, freaks, abominations!Kill every last one of these sons of MegaBloks.They killed them!Revenge!Fire!Amanda died.There is no hope anymore.Lost.Trouble was killed by his creators.Innocence is dead.Lost.Then I defy you, stars!Burn it all!No.Their deaths will not be in vain.They died for a cause.Amanda, Trouble, King Race...Everyone out there who is fighting and dying...They fight for freedom.They cannot lose.Not to chaos.I will not let them.No.I will not.I shall see to it that they win.I shall see to it that they are avenged.I shall see to it that the Maelstrom suffers in MegaBlokland for all eternity.I shall see to it that I have my revenge.Rex's features hardened as a shadow passed over his face. He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. For the first time since he was rescued by the T-1 Typhoon, he spoke, and with every word, he felt the lustful fires of revenge burning inside of him as the faces of Amanda, Trouble, and all those who had died in this war passed through his mind."This has been more than anyone can bear," whispered Rex, "but we will persevere."

OOC: Nice work there, avmatoran!You know, the perfect boss theme for Cyrista's Bane, in my opinion, would probably be the "Forgotten Beasts" VG Megamix by razanak7. Since the megamix mashes together the final boss themes of BIONICLE Heroes and Epic Mickey (plus "Nemesis King Koopa", which is used for the first 2/3 of the final battle in Super Mario Galaxy), it's quite fitting for one of the RPG's final bosses. More importantly, the use of "Nemesis King Koopa" and "Vezon's Awakening" gives it a feeling of raw feral power, like that of a T-Rex, but the electronic underscore provided by the Metroid tracks gives it that cybernetic twist. Meh, pretty sure none of the rest of us can legally drink anyway, except for PeaSam, what with him being a centenarian, and possibly Atton depending on what part of Canada he's in.Hah, I don't drink either. And when I do, it's on religious occasions, and only when my relatives fail to hear me when I say "Grab. The. Grape. Juice!" Three glasses of wine on Passover go a long way... but I digress. Anyways, the whole "drinking game" thing was a joke (but you probably already knew that, in fact, I know you do, so why am I telling you?[/infomaniac]), poking a little humor at a depressing subject such as the fact that Kate starts crying in every other post she appears in. Don't worry, I'm aware that you guys are underage, but that shouldn't stop you from trying with apple juice, grape juice, cranberry juice... but, as I said, be careful. Even with apple juice, it can prove fatal.IC: As the Third Headquarters Squad walked through Dino Attack Headquarters, Demoman fell behind, mumbling incomprehensible gibberish. Suddenly, the others heard Demoman as he began laughing hysterically. "Hey guys, get a load ah this!" called the explosives expert."Demoman, get back!" Elizabeth's eyes widened. "It's one of them Mutant Dinos!""I call 'im See," grinned Demoman, who was sitting on the snout of a Mutant Raptor. "See, it's short for Velo-SEE-raptor!" He laughed as the Mutant Raptor gently nuzzled him. Although it was baring its teeth, the Mutant Raptor almost appeared to be smiling."It's too dangerous!" called Firecracker. "Get out of the blast radius before I blow this lizard up!"The Mutant Raptor growled, but Demoman patted the Mutant Dino. "Why?" frowned Demoman. "We're ol' friends, See and me! Hah, we gonna do stuff together! We gonna defend points, steal an Oscar from a doctor, go an a treasure hunt in New Zealand, get captured by snipers an' hippies, win the game by throwin' some hats on fire...""That's interesting," noted Pyro. "Look at this Mutant Raptor. I'm not sure, but it looks... different... from all the other ones.""It's sure acting friendly," mused Elizabeth."See?" grinned Demoman, who had taken the bandana off his head and wrapped it around the head of the Mutant Raptor. "I told ya they were all a bunch ah wee lassies! Now it's on like..." He trailed off, apparently forgetting where he was going. See the Mutant Raptor didn't mind, and once again bared its teeth in a mock-smile as Demoman laughed."Fine, it can come with us," muttered Firecracker. "Now we have to get going quickly! We're not going to blow this taco stand if we sit around all day playing with this lizard!"OOC: Hope you don't mind me adding an extra member to the Third Headquarters Squad, Atton, but I've been looking for something to do with the prototype Mutant Dinos that followed Pterisa north. Still don't know about the Mutant Lizard and Pteranodon, but I wanted to give Demoman a Mutant Raptor sidekick as a shout-out to the Rappy "n" Demo videos. Don't worry, Atton, "See" the Mutant Raptor is Maelstrom-free and completely loyal to Dino Attack Team.

OOC: In case anyone's interested, I finally drew up Dr. Rex's Mutant T-Rex form in Flash, as he was first mutated, while wearing silge armor (note that the uncovered underbelly and jaw is non-canon and strictly artistic license), and while possessed by the Maelstrom. Seeing as I really cannot go too far forward with Dr. Rex's attack on Dino Attack Headquarters until Cyrista's Bane is defeated, I guess it's time to answer some questions from the Adventurers' Island mission. As I said in our Steam chat, these questions can be answered with some creative thinking. Heh, reminds me of the various Dino Attack RPG doodles of mine, only a fraction of which I've actually scanned and uploaded onto deviantART... You know what, avmatoran? I actually fully support this notion. I've felt kind of bad about rejecting some of your various proposals and ideas (such as way back when you tried to say that Dr. Cyborg was Dr. Rex's brother), but I actually see no problem at all with this idea and I rather like it. Okay, guys! Ready for a really depressing drinking game? Read Dino Attack RPG, and take a shot every time you read the above sentence (or something close to it)! Warning, this may be fatal. Do not drive after attempting this game. Seeing as Dr. Nicholas is also a one-off reference character, it wouldn't make much sense to make him leader either. But I'm more than willing to see Dr. Cyborg take over.IC: Lord Sam Sinister von Barron could hear the distant sounds of battle. He felt Dino Attack Headquarters shake as though it were caught in the middle of an earthquake. Between the explosions in the battlefield and the thunderclaps in the heavens, it might as well have been an earthquake. Still, Lord Sam Sinister walked with an unwavering regal air as he passed through the Dino Attack prison complex.Chuckling to himself, Lord Sinister contemplated how, only a short time ago, he had been locked in one of these cells. Now, he had returned, but not as a prisoner. Stopping outside one cell, Sam Sinister cleared his throat to get the attention of the cell's occupant: an overweight hunter wearing a dark-gray jacket and a brown fedora.Mr. Cunningham looked up and was surprised to see him. "Lord Sinister!" he stammered. "I-""Quiet!" hissed Lord Sinister. "Do you want to alert the entire Dino Attack Team to what I'm about to do?" With that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys that he had stolen. As soon as the cell door was open, the Lord von Barron rushed inside, grabbed Mr. Cunningham by the jacket, and pulled him out of the cell."My lord," Mr. Cunningham shook his head, "it ain't my fault that I failed to capture the alpha female T-Rex-""Well then, mis amigos. I cannot say that I am surprised to see you here, Señor de Barron."Lord Sam Sinister stiffened. He scowled as he turned to face the occupant of another cell, who was wearing a clean and expensive white suit, and immediately recognized him as none other than Señor Palomar."Enjoying those bars, Palomar?" inquired Sinister. "They're quite fitting for you. I imagine you'll need to get used to them, for you'll be seeing them for a long time.""I hope you're proud of yourself," retorted Palomar. "You're a lying, cheating scum of a lord. I offered you a chance to make a name for yourself back on Adventurers' Island, and instead you saw to my fall while you profit from it. You're a dishonorable man, Lord Sinister.""You can always trust a dishonorable man to be dishonorable," smirked Lord Sinister. "It's the honorable ones who always do something stupid. Evidently, as I'm not the one behind bars and you were captured thanks to me, I must not be the so-called honorable one.""You act as though the Adventurers' Island mission was your victory," scowled Palomar. "You act as though the Dino Attack Team should honor and respect you. Evidently, as tu amigo Cunningham just described, you deserve none of it. You sent one of your henchmen to hunt the alpha female T-Rex after our little talk in the XERRD Fortress, knowing fully well that the Dino Attack Team sought her allegiance. It does not take a Frank Einstein to determine that you were... convinced by me to join XERRD, but backed out at the last moment in the Maelstrom Temple when you thought you could profit from the other side.""Oh, is that what this is all about?" mused Lord Sinister. He chuckled softly. "I'm no Evil Ogel, but even I can mastermind plots and manipulate others to benefit me in the end. For you see, Señor, during our little... discussion in the XERRD Fortress, I overheard you giving orders to Doctor... ah, Doctor Penta Gonapus, was it? You were intend upon either killing the alpha female queen... or worse, corrupting her. Now, while it is indeed quite true that I intend to add her stuffed body to my trophy collection one day, that is not the reason I ordered Cunningham to hunt her.""What?" blinked Mr. Cunningham. "Lord Sinister, I ain't followin' here..."Lord Sam Sinister placed his hand on Mr. Cunningham's shoulder. "I had only a short amount of time to act, and so I did what any man of power would do in my position... I called upon my own men to do the job. I needed to ensure that Hexa Gonapus would never complete the mission, but I could not afford to waste time filling Cunningham in with the details. He's far too dimwitted to get it, anyway.""Excuse me?" frowned Cunningham, balling his hands into fists.Ignoring Cunningham, the Lord von Barron continued. "I gave him the orders to follow Rex, Claw, and the savage to the Ugalego temple and to set up traps to catch the alpha female T-Rex. I'm not naive enough to believe that she would simply leave her temple and walk into a trap; the traps would never have worked... trust me, I know from experience. However, Octo Gonapus would never see it coming. He'd walk into those traps. I saved the alpha female's life, and Dino Attack Team has me to thank.""I don't believe it," snorted Señor Palomar."You see," smirked Lord Sam Sinister, "You could say that I was being dishonorable... in order to be honorable. As for now... there's a lot of dinosaurs out there, and Mr. Cunningham and I are going on a hunting trip. It's open season for dinosaurs, after all!"OOC: If anyone wants to write about Lord Sinister and Mr. Cunningham joining the battle, feel free to do so.

OOC: Wow, an overwhelming response for Version 2. It's a good thing that our unnamed elite agent gave him a uniform, or else it would have been "some unshaven, sweaty guy in his underwear talking into some agent's ear"... I shudder at that mental image. I laughed so hard at that quote. Although, "Doctor Paulie-MegaBloking-Gonapus" would probably be more phonetically accurate.As for Gonepus/Gonapus, I honestly don't care which way it swings. Heck, I'm not even sure if the original name is Octagonapus or Octogonapus (is it spelled like octagon or octopus?), so... yeah.IC: "Stay clear of that hovercraft there," murmured Frozeen."Don't worry," Sam Race narrowed his eyes. "When I'm behind the wheel, I'm practically the fastest thing alive... he'll never land a hit on me!" With that, he turned the wheel, steering the Fire Hammer out of the way of the XERRD hovercraft.The hovercraft was vaguely egg-shaped, predominantly silver in color with a few red and black highlights. A Space Marauder sat in its cockpit, pulling switches and nobs to control the craft's flight. Laser beams were fired out of the hovercraft's weaponry, striking the wet road mere instants after the Fire Hammer maneuvered around their path."Shiver me timbers, what be wi' them XERRD lunatics?" grumbled Greybeard from the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher. "Even wi' Dr. Rex possess'd an' Dr. Glados in Davy Jones's locker, they be not lowerin' their swords, raisin' their white flag, an' callin' a truce!""As long as this 'Darkling' fellow is in charge," muttered Frozeen, "it seems that XERRD will keep on fighting. Let's take this guy down. Greybeard, can you get a clear shot?""Aye!" reported the old pirate. He fired the Xenon Launcher on electricity mode, but having only one good eye, his depth perception was off, and the projectile was too far to the left to hit the XERRD hovercraft. "Blast! Whose idea be it t' put th' one-eyed pirate in charge o' th' cannon?""Fine!" shouted Frozeen. "We'll switch places!" As Frozeen climbed out of the Fire Hammer's passenger seat and tried to climb to the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher, he nearly fell off the moving Fire Hammer as it swerved out of the way of the XERRD hovercraft's wrecking ball, which was suspended underneath the craft by a chain. As the hovercraft flew past the Fire Hammer, Frozeen got a better glimpse of the Space Marauder pilot, and was surprised to see that he was forcibly strapped in, with mechanical arms gripping tightly onto his limbs and a metallic plate placed over the lower half of his face.Once Greybeard was sitting in the passenger seat and Frozeen was seated behind the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher, the Alpha Team agent switched to sonics mode and aimed the launcher at the hovercraft, which was spinning around for another go, ready to slam the wrecking ball into the Fire Hammer. Frozeen fired, and the sonic attack shattered the chain connecting the wrecking ball to the hovercraft, dropping the large ball to the ground. Sam Race swerved the Fire Hammer out of the ball's way, while the hovercraft was on a collision course with the Xenon Launcher.Frozeen waited until the proper moment, then jumped off the Fire Hammer and landed in the cockpit of the XERRD hovercraft as it passed by. The XERRD pilot, who was wearing a red Space Marauder jacket over black clothes, turned to look at Frozeen, and through the XERRD scientist's goggles, Frozeen could recognize the look of someone being forced to do something beyond their will and being unable to do anything about it. Taking out a miniature laser device usually used by Alpha Team agents to open locked doors, Frozeen cut through the robot arms gripping onto the Space Marauder. As soon as one arm was free, the Space Marauder tried desperately to free the other, and Frozeen helped him out. Then, with both arms free, the Space Marauder pulled a joystick and crashed the hovercraft into the pavement.The Fire Hammer pulled to a stop beside the fallen hovercraft. Frozeen helped the XERRD scientist pull the metallic plate off his face, unveiling a bushy mustache over his upper lip. Now able to speak again, the Space Marauder sighed in relief. "Oh, thank you!" he grinned. "You Alpha Team agents are able to use those gadgets for tasks beside snooping as usual, I see.""Who are you?" interrogated Frozeen."Dr. Robert Nicholas," the XERRD scientist introduced himself. "I'm a XERRD scientist and engineer, a certifiable genius with an IQ of 300." Looking up and seeing Greybeard and Sam Race stepping out of the Fire Hammer, Robert Nicholas grinned. "Ah! You know what they say... the more, the merrier!""An IQ of 300, hmm?" mused Frozeen. "Then how did a genius like you find himself strapped down in a XERRD hovercraft?"Dr. Nicholas's smile faded. "Well, you see, I was recruited into the organization for my intellect. And when we first started the plans for the Dino Attack, I thought it was a good idea at the time... to conquer the world and create a utopia? Looked good on paper, at least! But then, as the year went on, the Maelstrom and the Mutant Dinos started sliding out of our grip... rather like Chaos in the hands of Kotua, both in 2004 and in 2010."Frozeen blinked in surprise. "How did you...?"Dr. Nicholas laughed. "You see, I myself was rather interested in using Chaos as a weapon for XERRD. However, when I researched what happened when Kotua thought he could control Chaos six years ago, and then witnessed for myself when history repeated itself earlier this year, I decided that Chaos was far too much of a loose cannon. But I digress."Glancing in the direction that Dr. Rex and the Mutant Dinos had gone, Dr. Nicholas shuddered. "I started to see Dr. Rex falling into madness, and I realized that the Maelstrom was the cause. The Dino Attack was out of our control. I, along with my colleague Dr. William Lee, suggested to Dr. Rex that we quit while we're ahead... his response was to restrain me to this hovercraft, force me to participate in this battle, and be unable to even scream.""What happened to Dr. Lee?" inquired Frozeen."He's in a hovercraft, too," shrugged Dr. Nicholas, "but I can't imagine where he is in the city at the moment. Anyways, it sounds like, once Blaire Darkling is defeated, XERRD will be without a leader. I may very well rise to the occasion and give myself a promotion, assuming no one else beats me to it...""If you were the leader of XERRD," frowned Frozeen, "would you surrender to Dino Attack Team?"Dr. Robert Nicholas gave a crooked smile that Frozeen immediately distrusted, for it looked a little too power-hungry for the Alpha Team agent's tastes. "Why, of course!" chuckled Dr. Nicholas. "That's right, the great Dr. Robert Nicholas has reformed!"OOC: I honestly don't care whether or not Dr. Nicholas actually becomes XERRD's leader if/when Blaire Darkling relinquishes the position. If anyone has any better ideas, feel free to voice them.

OOC: Again, if Trigger is so certain that Dino Attack is fighting a losing battle, then he has nowhere to run. Then again, if Silencia Venomosa herself couldn't get that through his head, I don't think anyone can.IC: "Get your hands off of me! Get off! Do you know who I am? I'm the man who's going to burn your house down!"To say that Andrew Jackson was very irritated would be an understatement. It seemed that his stroke of bad luck had gone from bad to worse. Now, not only had someone stolen his belongings, but in response for trying to smoke out whichever son of a MegaBlok did it, the other Dino Attack agents demanded that he shut up!"Yeah, yeah," groaned the elite agent who had grabbed him and taken him aboard a T-1 Typhoon. "Are you mad? You're running around in your underwear, without any weapons, and you won't stop shouting into the radio when everyone else is using the comm chatter to coordinate a proper defense! Here, put on this Dino Attack uniform... make yourself look decent. I'm sick of looking at you like this."Grumbling to himself, Andrew Jackson took the uniform that wasn't his and put it on. The ex-firefighter didn't always look like a dirty, sweaty, pale, and unshaven homeless bum; before the Dino Attack, some of his friends told him that he looked like he could have been a famous historical figure. But after that tragedy and the ensuing war, Andrew Jackson could care less about what he looked like. Ironically for a former firefighter, he now looked as though he had not touched a single drop of water in the past few months, not even to wash his hands, much less bathe himself.As soon as Andrew Jackson put on the Dino Attack uniform, the elite agent gestured towards the back of the helicopter cabin and said, "Now get back there and keep quiet. We're getting you out of here as soon as we can, Mr. Jackson, so I suggest you stay out of the way."Rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath, Andrew Jackson walked into the back of the cabin and saw another Dino Attack agent sitting there, staring straight forward. Beside the Dino Attack agent was a stretcher, and although the Minifig placed on the stretcher was covered with a sheet, Andrew Jackson immediately knew what it meant. "Oh, good!" he grinned. "More dead bodies! Are we going to cremate them afterwards?""Be quiet back there!" shouted the elite agent from the cockpit. "Show some respect!""Respect," grumbled Andrew Jackson as he took a seat beside the other Dino Attack agent. "Bah! I'm the one who deserves some respect around here! They all call me 'mad', 'psycho', 'crazy', 'maniac'... but I'll show them. I'll show them who's mad! Oh, yes! I'll show them, and then I'll light them on fire, and laugh as they scream and burn, and-""If I hear one more word that has anything to do with pyromania," ordered the elite agent, "then I'm going to force you to wear a balaclava to muffle your voice!"Andrew Jackson rolled his eyes. He turned to look at the Dino Attack agent sitting beside him. He barely noticed that the other agent was still staring straight forward, having not moved a muscle since Jackson boarded the T-1 Typhoon. Furrowing his brow, Andrew Jackson looked over the other Dino Attack agent. "Hey, wait..." he realized. "I know you! Hey, remember me? We worked together on the LEGO Island mission! I helped out in the attack on the XERRD laboratory! Oh, man, that was fun! By the time I was done there, every Mutant Dino, XERRD scientist, and Inferno goon had third-degree burns on 95% of their bodies!"The other Dino Attack agent didn't respond at all. He just kept staring straight ahead.Jackson didn't mind; instead, he kept on talking. "Didn't see much of you after that, though. I helped out the team in the desert area, though I hear that there was a lot of action in the jungle too. Meh, I suppose they kept me out of the jungle so I wouldn't burn it down in mass deforestation... which, of course, would have taken care of all those pesky Mutant Dinos who deserve to burn anyways, and I burned them too, out the in desert, and it would've been fun to see the whole jungle on fire! Hah! But no, they kept me in the desert. The desert's fine too; very hot out there, and the sun is the king of all blazing infernos."Leaning in closer, Andrew Jackson continued in a low voice: "Now, nobody's believing me, but after we got back from a successful mission, I celebrated in the mess hall with Demoman... he's a real party animal, you know... had a few drinks... and then I woke up, locked in my room, and all my stuff is stolen! I later found out there was a mole hunt going on, and a lot of Second Headquarters Squad's members were killed. Too bad that I was... out... or else I could have smoked that mole out for you guys, even if I had to burn Dino Attack Headquarters to the ground to do it! I'm a master spy checker, by the way. But nope... I was out cold, and some son of a MegaBlok took all my stuff! And when I find out who did it, I swear, I'm going to make sure he burns in MegaBlokland for it, just like all those Mutant Dinos!" Andrew Jackson caught himself, controlling the volume of his voice and checking to make sure that the elite agent in the cockpit did not hear.The other Dino Attack agent was still unresponsive."You know," nodded Andrew Jackson, "I like you. You're the kind of person who doesn't talk back. Not like my eldest daughter, anyway. Oh, she was a sweet little girl enough in her youth, like most girls her age. And then, when she became a teenager... that's when she became a rebellious little brat who hated her folks for... you know, no reason other than being a whole generation older than her. Typical rebellious teenager crud. And then she ran away with someone named Sam... haven't heard from her since. Not that I care anymore... it's not like she would ever do something to help her old man, even in these dark times."Glancing out the window, Andrew Jackson sighed. "It wasn't always like this, you know. I used to be a firefighter... I used to stop fires, not start them. But then when I came home one day and found my house burned to the ground, my family trapped inside, and these Mutant Lizards... these little sons of MegaBloks to blame... that's when I gave in to the urges that every Minifig has buried deep within. For you see... deep down, we all just want to see the world burn. We want to give in to our destructive tendencies and watch the inferno. And there's nothing that can trigger this urge quite like your lust for revenge! Oh, yes! That's what happened to me! As I set a Mutant Dino on fire... I love every moment of it, and I lust for the moment that I can set the next son of a MegaBlok on fire! They burned my home, they burned my family... and now, they burn for it! It's like I always say..."Leaning in close, Andrew Jackson whispered into the other Dino Attack agent's ear: "Make life rue the day it thought it could put you through MegaBlokland... by taking the fires of MegaBlokland and bringing them back to LEGO Planet!"Although the other Dino Attack agent still did not respond, Andrew Jackson patted him on the back. "Just remember that!" he grinned. "There's nothing quite like the lust for revenge, for when the world burns you, you burn the world back! You just want to set the world on fire! You laugh as everything is absorbed into a blazing inferno! Arson and pyromania become your best friends as you kindle, char, inflame, and ignite! You burn up the world, and you're really a fright! And only then will Builder know that He should have known better than to hand you combustible lemons!" Andrew Jackson laughed manically.Groaning, the elite agent entered the cabin and grabbed Andrew Jackson by the arm. "That's it," he grumbled, "I'm getting you a balaclava!""Remember what I said!" called Andrew Jackson as he was dragged out of the cabin. "Lust for revenge! Set the world on fire!"And while the other Dino Attack agent, none other than elite agent Rex, did not move so much as a muscle, he heard Andrew Jackson's words as they echoed in his head.OOC: Okay, so the way that I wrote Andrew Jackson is vague enough to allow for two possibilities.Version 1: Andrew Jackson is just some random Dino Attack agent who, by means of Remember The New Guy, participated in the LEGO Island mission. When he was talking about fighting in the desert, he was referring to the desert of Adventurers' Island. When the Dino Attack squads from across the world returned to headquarters, he celebrated with Demoman... and woke up, missing his belongings thanks to a Noodle Incident. Like many other Dino Attack agents, he lost his family in the initial invasion and joined the team to avenge their deaths, so there's nothing to raise an eyebrow at about that.Version 2...

OOC: Don't worry, all's well.Nice to see new minifigs, Jacks! Also, your version of French Fries is closer to how I imagined him (mostly due to the color scheme), although it would be up to Atton Rand which version is more "canon".Ah, so Matthew Vherestorm's "vhereabouts" are revealed! Of course, I didn't make the connection between Vherestorm and Darkling... until I saw Nazareno enter the scene, and then I immediately put the pieces together.IC: From behind his balaclava, Specs frowned as he surveyed the battlefield aboard the founding members' personal T-1 Typhoon. Dr. Rex and his forces were approaching the Dino Attack Headquarters at an alarming rate, and they were no closer to figuring out how to stop the armored Maelstrom-possessed Mutant T-Rex. Actually, the technicians back in the lab were still finishing the Einstein Device, which could possibly bring their salvation, but Specs and the other founding members agreed that it was too much of a liability to use in anything other than an absolute worst-case scenario.Einstein designed the device to counteract Maelstrom energies, thought Specs, but based upon the blueprints, it could be potentially lethal to anyone with a Creative Spark. It needs Imagination to destroy Maelstrom, after all."Pteranodons on your right, Shadow," called Digger. Shadow nodded in response, aiming the helicopter's dual Sonic Screamers and firing upon the Mutant Pterosaurs."So, any new ideas on how to take down the Big Bad?" inquired Viper. Specs had quietly observed that Viper had been very eager to know about Dino Attack Team's plans to defeat Dr. Rex. Viper already called dibs on the Einstein Device, if it needed to be used, which was met with Specs's disapproval; obviously, if the Einstein Device needed to be fired, no one was going to wait for Viper to show up and do the honors.Specs shook his head. "I'm thinking, Viper.""Got it," Viper rolled his eyes. "Just don't think all day.""Any word from Rex?" asked Digger. Given Rex's morals, he and Digger got along well, and Digger was concerned by the recent tragedy that had taken place.Specs sighed. "He's still unresponsive. The death of agent Claw took a lot out of him, and he won't talk, listen, or even look at anyone. We may have to finish this battle without Rex's help. Given the recent death of elite agent Adventure, it's a loss that will be... difficult to afford, with one elite silenced in addition to another elite dead, but we must persevere.""I'm detecting movement across the river," reported Shadow. "There's still a few Inferno Super Airborts transporting troops, but now there's a few unidentified vessels approaching the city."Curious, Specs turned around and looked out at the river. Digger handed him a pair of binoculars, and as the team leader looked through the binoculars, he was surprised by what he saw. There were a number of battleships that looked too archaic to have come from anywhere other than Castle Cove, and they were accompanied by a fleet of Chinese junks flying the flag of Emperor Chang Wu. As the Rogue Knight Battleships and Emperor's Ships approached the Super Airboats, they engaged the Inferno vessels in combat. The Chinese soldiers fired crossbows and muskets at the Inferno agents, while the Rogue Knights boarded the Super Airboats and slayed all aboard. Once or twice, Specs thought he glimpsed the black tentacles of an Ogel Mutant Squid reach out of the water, grab hold of an entire Super Airboat, and pull it under the surface, never to return."It appears," mused Specs, "that our allies Lord Vladek, Lord Sinister von Barron, and Evil Ogel have sent us some... reinforcements to protect the river from the forces of XERRD and Dr. Inferno.""In our darkest hour," grinned Digger, "help shall arrive!""It would be nice," grumbled Shadow, "if Alpha Team's promised reinforcements could arrive as quickly as possible. We need them right now!"OOC: Just to satisfy all the comm chatter comments about the founding members, I've sent them out on a T-1 Typhoon. I also wanted the alliances with our favorite villains to pay off during the final battle; while Ogel's already done his stunt and the Brickster's currently having too much fun, I thought it would be nice to see Vladek and Sinister send help as well.

OOC: By the way Brikman, I couldn't resist the urges, so I broke down and made it after all. Here's the Brickster's T-1 Typhoon!IC:"Hang on guys, I'm adding Dr. Rex to the 'Turns Red' page on TV Tropes.""I don't think now's the best time for that. Watch where you're driving-""Wouldn't 'Turns Purple' be more accurate, though?""Um... heh, heh. Nobody needed a fire hydrant there, right? Do we have any firefighters on this team?""Yes.""Okay, to all you firefighters, I apolo-""My fellow Dino Attack agents, this is Andrew Jackson speaking. I would make an announcement. Whichever one of you sons of MegaBloks took my stuff, you're as dead as all those other Mutant Dinos! I swear to Builder that I'm going to find you and burn you alive! You're all going to burn! BURN! BURN IN MEGABLOKLAND! BURN STUFF! BURN IT ALL, IT MUST BE BURNED!""Okay, what's this guy's problem?""I don't know. Why does Dino Attack Team keep hiring these psychos anyway? With Kotua, Chupacabra, Duke, French Fries, Pyro, Baldrick, and others that I'm probably forgetting, this place is more of a nuthouse than Napoleon XIV Mental Institution!""... OR I'LL BURN WHERE YOU LIVE AND I'LL BURN YOUR HOUSE WHEN YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT AND BURN YOUR MOUTH!""Dang. Whoever took this guy's stuff, I suggest you give it back. I'm kind of getting tired of listening to him rambling.""Just ignore him. He'll shut up.""... AND I'LL BURN YOU AND I'LL BURN YOUR MUTANT DINOS AND I'LL BURN YOUR FOOD AND I'LL BURN SO MUCH APPLE JUICE THAT THEY WON'T BE HAPPY IN PARAGUAY ANYMORE!""... eventually.""So, um... Wow, you didn't miss a shot, Gaston! You're the greatest hunter in the whole world!""Gaston? That was Belle. Gaston deserted us at the beginning of the battle. Dirty coward. He could have used some lessons in manliness from Adventure.""STUPID MUTANT LIZARD! I'D BURN YOU IF I STILL HAD MY STUFF! YOU TOO, MUTANT RAPTOR! I'D BURN YOU ALL!""... okay, seriously, this guy needs to shut up. All in favor of muting his mic-spam?""Turn off that radio," muttered Sam Race, who was furrowing his brow and pursing his lips. "It's really unfitting to the current mood."Frozeen sighed. "Sam, I know that you're still upset about your father's death... and I understand. I too know what it's like to have lost a father, and I know that nothing I can say or do will make up for how you feel right now. But we need to stay updated on what's going on elsewhere on the battlefield, and that means listening to the comm chatter. You guys didn't hear anything about Amanda yet, right?""I got me one hand on th' wheel," grumbled Greybeard, "an' me one eye on th' road. An' yet, I be listenin' as hard as I can, an' I be not hearin' a single thing about Amanda since that message about Rex bein' down. I hope that lass be safe, says I.""Me too," Frozeen nodded grimly. "I can't believe that Rex is down. I hope that just means that he's merely out of the fight at the moment... not that... well, you know. And no news on Amanda... that's concerning." He swallowed hard, unable to properly discuss his feelings. If anything happened to them so soon after their marriage, he thought determinedly, then as soon as I see her again, I'm not going to waste any time. I'm going to tell Shannon how I really feel."I told you," shuddered Sam Race. "We're dead! We're all dead! It's hopeless! Anyone can die!""Sam!" snapped Greybeard. "Quit yer bellyachin' back there! Yer father would not want ye bawlin' yer deadlights out like this... he depended upon ye t' be his successor t' th' throne, an' he wanted ye t' be an even greater king than he ever be! His sun has set... it be up t' ye t' make sure his son be risin'!"Frozeen caught notice of a pack of Mutant Raptors attacking a nearby Agent Supertrike further down the road. Now that the Agents stopped fighting with and started fighting alongside Dino Attack Team, Frozeen felt obliged to help out the Agent in trouble. However, as he grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked through them, Frozeen scowled as he saw that the Agent in question was none other than Grease."What be that ye see?" inquired Greybeard.Part of Frozeen wanted to tell Greybeard, Oh, nothing. Let's just keep going. But as tempting as this was, Frozeen knew it was not the right thing to do. As Alpha Team and Agents were both allied with Dino Attack Team, it would be wrong to leave a fellow ally for dead. Besides, as much as Grease was a troll and a bully, Frozeen knew that leaving him to die would make Frozeen no better than Grease.Gritting his teeth, Frozeen reported: "It's an Agent in trouble. Let's go help him."The Fire Hammer drove towards the Agent Supertrike, which was already shredded to pieces by the time they arrove. Frozeen leaned out the window and fired at the Mutant Raptors with his Cosmotronic Ray. As they sped by, Frozeen reached out, grabbed Grease's hand, and hoisted him into the Fire Hammer.Looking at his rescuers, Grease snobbishly crossed his arms and pointed his nose in the air. "Well, if it isn't the 'old schoolers'. An Alpha Team agent, a classic pirate, and a Galactic LEGO Racer. As out-of-date as ever. What the heck do you think you're doing? I didn't need your help!"Frozeen glared at Grease. "Look. I don't have to like you, and you don't have to like me, but we're allies now, and you've got to shut up and just accept the fact that we need to put our differences beside us and work together for a common cause. Now, if you're not so grateful about the rescue, then there's an abandoned Urban Avenger right there which is currently not attacked by a pack of Mutant Raptors.""And so I will," muttered Grease."Besides," Frozeen murmured, his voice dripping with verbal irony, "I'm sure you would have done the same for me."The Fire Hammer stopped beside the abandoned Urban Avenger in question. As Grease stepped out of the Fire Hammer to take the other vehicle, Frozeen heard the heavy footsteps of an approaching Mutant T-Rex. On a nearby perpendicular street, Frozeen saw the horribly-familiar armored Mutant T-Rex that was Dr. Rex, his armor laced with constricting Maelstrom tendrils, leading a large group of Mutant Dinos of all sizes."They're heading right for Dino Attack Headquarters!" gasped Sam Race. "We... we gotta warn them! Greybeard, let me drive... I'm much faster driver than you are.""Now that be th' spirit!" grinned Greybeard, glad to see Sam Race starting to return to his old, confident self.Frozeen thought about Rex and Amanda, who let him, Greybeard, and Sam Race out of the Iron Predator to give them a chance of escape in case Dr. Rex caught up to them. He wondered, for a moment, if Dr. Rex actually did catch up to the Iron Predator. With a shudder at the thought of the consequences, Frozeen decided not to dwell on that.Rex and Amanda are still alive out there, he assured himself.*****"Okay, seriously. Someone please stop this Andrew Jackson guy, he's reduced to speaking Angrish.""AHRMMAHR FAHRRAHRN MAHRH FLAHRMAHRTHRAHRWAHRR GRAAAAAAAAAAHR!""Danny? Has Lisa been tearing this guy apart too? He sounds a lot like Johnny right now.""Does Specs have any spare balaclavas? He should hand one to this guy. Maybe it would muffle his speech to just incomprehensible gibberish that no one can hear.""You know, the way this guy is acting, you'd think that he's the victim of identity theft or something.""Sounds like he'd get along just fine with Pyro to me. Maybe he should join the Third Headquarters Squad."OOC: Had way too much fun with the comm chatter this time, poking humor at something that's been bugging me for a while. Sorry about the Mood Whiplash, though... might want to see a physical therapist for a speedy recovery.

OOC: Had a feeling you would say that. Evidently, someone missed this exchange... Even if Frozeen doesn't remember, Andrewnuva199 sure does. And it was perfectly foreshadowed and set up to to show that Ogel did not really die. Don't believe me? Go back to July 6, 2012, and read my post again. Knowing what you know now will make things a lot clearer.For the record, I've never seen an episode of Buffy, so it was not an intentional reenactment.EDIT: Okay, so I had to reply via phone, so I couldn't post my full thoughts just yet. Now that I'm on an actual computer (oh, man, typing is so much easier than texting!), I'll elaborate a little further.The problem is that Ogel's "death" was clearly staged like a death and intended to make everyone (in-universe, at least) believe that he had actually died. It's only by the fact that he evidently did not actually die, as shown by his reappearance at LEGO City Hall, that we know otherwise. However, even so, looking at my IC post on July 6, 2012 will show that I set up this event in advance, so that some people (for example, Andrewnuva) could put the pieces together and figure out that Ogel never really died, even before his reappearance at LEGO City Hall.With Spy Clops's defeat, there's nothing to indicate that he survived other than the fact that he's an official LEGO character so it's against the rules to kill him. After being shot multiple times (by a weapon that can kill in only one shot), burned in close combat, and flying through a wall, no one can survive that. If he weren't Spy Clops and he was just some random cannon fodder, he'd be dead. There's no indication IC of his survival, and I don't mean that you even need to say that he survived at the end... instead of just saying that Sarah barged in there and fired her shotgun at him, you could have been a little more specific and said that she fired at his mechanical legs, which definitely won't kill Spy Clops and would be easy to repair, ensuring his survival. Just saying that he was shot with a shotgun is vague enough to sound like he could have been shot in the chest, in the arms, or even the face, two of which are fatal and one of which can still cause blood loss.In essence, if you're going to go all-out on an official LEGO character (without properly setting up in advance that he was faking his death, as was done with Ogel), make sure that there is some indication of his survival. Even if you just say that he was shot only in the mechanical legs, that's much better than just saying that he was shot. Otherwise, as I said, you could replace "Spy Clops" with "Red Shirt" and, with the "no killing official characters" rule out of the way, it looks like No Kill Like Overkill with a healthy dose of No One Could Survive That.

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."