.

.

The Second Continuum wormhole was known to always lead to a random time and place in the future, but how far in the future?  She could be anywhere from next week to a billion years.  Fiver got up, brushed the little bit of dirt off her otherwise clean pressed white suit, and started down the road.  She had a few bumps and bruises, but none worth mentioning.  At least, not from Fiver Clubb, captain of the SS Firebolt.

Before long, she heard a loud, somewhat nasal voice call out, "Fiver Clubb!"

Fiver turned and looked all around, but saw no one.  "Who is it?" she called out in a demanding voice.

No one answered.  She started down the road again, but suddenly, a small man appeared standing directly in front of her as if having appeared out of thin air.  He was less than a meter tall, and had pointed ears.  He wore a sort of medieval suit with a feathered cap.  He looked like an elf.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Fiver.

"Who do you think that I am?" he responded.

Fiver took a small scanner from her pocket and took a reading on the little man.  She found that his body was emitting intermittent spikes of omega radiation.  She knew from prior experience that there was only one form of life which produced this type of radiation in this manner.  "You're a Dehuman."

"Not affiliated with the family business, I'm proud to say.  I'm more the freelance type.  My name is Puck."

"Then get out of my way before I hit you with a hockey stick."

Dehumans were, of course, a race of modified humanoids who ran an interplanetary Mafia.  But Fiver's distain for the Dehumans was not limitted to their loyal ranks.  Fiver tried to walk around the elfin creature, but he teleported himself to be once again directly in her path.  Curious, she tried to scan him once again, but Puck shattered the scanner.  Fiver tossed the broken parts aside.

Fiver glared at the creature.  Her brown eyes flashed blue, as they often did when she was angry or about to use her psychokinetic power.  But she decided against it.  Her power required a great deal of energy, and she didn't see fit to waste it so soon on an unfamiliar planet.

"I just want to welcome you to the planet Aardvark," he said, "and to ask you to play a little game with me."

"Aardvark?"  Fiver rolled her eyes.  Only one of her own crew could have come up with a silly name for a planet like that.  She wasn't in the mood for games, but she had to know how to get back to her own time.

"I'm going to level with you.  I've just been blown here from the early twenty-first century.  What I want to know is what year it is, and if there's any way to get back."

"Manipulation of time?" said Puck, "That's exactly the game I had in mind!"

With that, Puck snapped his fingers and disappeared.  At that moment, Fiver had the strange sensation of being in several places at once.  But the moment passed, and Fiver regained her composure.  She continued along her path, muttering to herself.  She knew that this young Dehuman was going to be trouble, but she had no idea how exactly.

Soon, she came to a fork in the road.  Fiver decided to...
 

"There's only one bomb pack, and it can only disrupt the field for a split second," said Blue Wolf, "Only one of us is going in there."

"Got it.  I'll let you know how it turns out," said Fiver.

Blue Wolf threw Fiver a look letting her know that he intended to be the one to go in.  Fiver responded with the exact same look.

"The bomb uses a force scrambler charge.  It'll disrupt the barrier, but when the field closes, it'll send a shockwave through the screen.  The alarm will be triggered.  That'll give you the opportunity to get in.  As soon as the doors open, and the attack drones are launched, you go immediately to the closest entrance."

Fiver put the charge in place.  The blast opened a fissure in the field, and Fiver dove through.  The building was heavily shielded with no doors except for those used to launch the drones.  Automated cannons were perched on the roof, as were five launching tubes.

Just then, the alarm sounded.  The five launching tubes began to rotate.  Fiver activated the decoy unit to draw the weapons' fire.  She used her antigrav boots to launch herself over the roof.  The aerial drones were launched, and the tubes were only open for a moment.  Fiver dropped into one of them as it was passing by her position -- pipe #1.  It closed behind her.  She found herself in a hangar full of fifty drones.  They were active.

"It's showtime," she said with a smile.

Using her skillful leaps with the antigrav boots, and her developing skills with the fighting wand, Fiver fought off the attacking drones.  After she had destroyed the last of them, she quipped, "They don't make aerial drones like they used to."  She now turned her attention to the one door in the room.  It was locked.

The wand was out of power, but her boots still had a charge left.  Luckily, their power cells were interchangeable.  Fiver used the power from the boots to recharge the wand and smash the lock from the door.  From here, she would have to fight at ground level.

The hallway was unlike the hangar.  While the hangar and the outside of the base were metallic, the corridors were made of what looked like simple white plaster.  Assuming this was not what it appeared, however, Fiver struck a blow with the wand as a test.  The wall absorbed the energy.  This entire base was some sort of regenerative energy screen -- indestructible.

Soon, Fiver came to a fork in the hallway.  She decided to go...
 
 

...left.

...right.

Following along this path, she soon came to a locked door.  She raised her Trellian fighting wand...
 

Blue Wolf arrived.  His men did not.

"We were ambushed," he said, "Aerial drones.  They killed my men and took back the equipment.  I managed to save one bomb pack."

"Will it break through the force field?" asked Fiver.

"It'll only disrupt the field for a moment.  Only one of us is going in there."

"I think we both know who that is," said Fiver, causing her eyes to glow with psychokinetic energy.

Blue Wolf nodded, because he knew that she was right.  "The bomb uses a force scrambler charge.  It'll disrupt the barrier, but when the field closes, it'll send a shockwave through the screen.  The alarm will be triggered.  That'll give you the opportunity to get in.  As soon as the doors open, and the attack drones are launched, you go immediately to the closest entrance."

"Got it."

"One other thing.  We found out that the reactor core is protected by a force field.  We couldn't get the exact frequency.  You'll have to find a way to disrupt it once you get in there."

Fiver put the charge in place.  The blast opened a fissure in the field, and Fiver dove through.  The building was heavily shielded with no doors except for those used to launch the drones.  Automated cannons were perched on the roof, as were five launching tubes.

Just then, the alarm sounded.  The five launching tubes began to rotate.  Fiver ran toward a ladder which was set along the side of one wall.  As the tubes opened to launch the drones, Fiver telekinetically smashed them into one another and into the cannons.  Using her power, she stopped one of the drones in one of the rotating tubes to brace the door open, while she dropped into it -- pipe #2.  She landed in a hallway.

The hallway was unlike the outside of the building.  While the outside of the base was metallic, the corridors were made of what looked like simple white plaster.  Assuming this was not what it appeared, however, Fiver attempted to shatter a piece of the wall with her mind.  The wall absorbed her energy.  This entire base was some sort of regenerative energy screen -- indestructible.

Just then, an army of tiny tanks started rolling toward her.  This was absolutely no challenge for Fiver, who shattered them all with a glance.  "They don't make tank robots like they used to," quipped Fiver.

The tanks appeared to be guarding a locked door.  Fiver concentrated her energy on the door...
 

"There's only one bomb pack, and it can only disrupt the field for a split second," said Blue Wolf, "Only one of us is going in there."

"Got it.  I'll let you know how it turns out," said Fiver.

Blue Wolf threw Fiver a look letting her know that he intended to be the one to go in.  Fiver responded with the exact same look.

"The bomb uses a force scrambler charge.  It'll disrupt the barrier, but when the field closes, it'll send a shockwave through the screen.  The alarm will be triggered.  That'll give you the opportunity to get in.  As soon as the doors open, and the attack drones are launched, you go immediately to the closest entrance."

Fiver put the charge in place.  The blast opened a fissure in the field, and Fiver dove through.  The building was heavily shielded with no doors except for those used to launch the drones.  Automated cannons were perched on the roof, as were five launching tubes.

The alarm sounded, and the five launching tubes began to rotate.  Fiver climbed up a ladder to the roof.  The cannons fired at her, but her astral screen shielded her from the blasts.  Just as the aerial drones launched through the tubes, Fiver dropped herself into the one nearest to her position as it passed by -- pipe #3.

She landed in a sort of storage chamber filled with drones and robotic animals, most of which were still under construction.  Apparently, this was Iago's newest line of security.  The doors were heavily armored, and only one was left open.  She walked into the hallway.

The hallway was unlike the previous chamber.  While the storage chamber and the outside of the base were metallic, the corridors were made of what looked like simple white plaster.  Assuming this was not what it appeared, however, Fiver attempted to scratch some of the plaster from the wall with the heel of her shoe.  The wall produced a sort of rippling effect, as though it were distributing the vibrations.  This entire base was some sort of regenerative energy screen -- indestructible.

Just then, she heard a noise.  From around the corner came a robotic wolf -- active!  It looked at Fiver with a look as though it were a real animal about to attack its prey.  Fiver responded likewise.  The wolf lunged toward her!

Fiver grasped the wolf in the air!  They wrestled on the ground, with Fiver holding the creature's metal jaws open with her hands, and the wolf's claws swiping at Fiver, putting a deep gash in her forehead.  Fiver wrapped her legs around the beast, and her arms around its head and twisted with all her strength, and in doing so, ripped the robot's head clean off, sending a shower of sparks!

Fiver stood up.  "They don't make robot wolves like they used to," she said, and tossed the head to the ground.

She walked on, soon coming to a fork in the hallway.  She decided to go...
 

...left.

...right.

Following along this path, she soon came to a locked door.  It wasn't as heavily shielded as the rest of the base, so she decided to kick the door in.  She got herself a running start...
 

Fiver fired her lightning gun at the force field.  It was blown clean away.  An alarm sounded, and a series of rotating pipes opened from the roof of the base.  A fleet of aerial drones was launched.  Fiver blasted them into dust in a matter of seconds, and then did the same with the automated cannons on the roof.

"They don't make 'em like they used to, eh?" quipped Blue Wolf.

Fiver and Blue Wolf moved closer to the base.  There were no doors.  Only a ladder which led to the roof.  Fiver decided to make her own door, and fired her weapon at the base.  The lightning gun blasted a hole in the base's metallic exterior, but underneath was a white plaster, which seemed to have just absorbed the rest of the energy harmlessly.

"What the hell?"  Fiver looked at her weapon.  "It shoots through steel, but it won't put a dent in plaster?"

"It must be some sort of regenerative energy screen," said Blue Wolf.

"Indestructible," added Fiver, "Guess we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."

Fiver started to climb the ladder, when she noticed that Blue Wolf had stopped moving.  He appeared to be in some kind of suspended animation.  Soon, she heard a familiar laughing in the distance.

"Puck!"

Sure enough, the elfin creature appeared standing sideways on the wall of the base.  Fiver pointed her weapon at him in a threatening manner, and motioned her head toward Blue Wolf, indicating that she wanted him released.

"That's not the way the game is played," said Puck, "Only one player is allowed in this building at one time...  Unless that player is really five players, and yet still just one."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You'll see!" laughed Puck as he disappeared.

Fiver looked back at Blue Wolf.  "I'll be back for you," she said, and proceeded to climb the ladder.  On the roof were five drone-launching tubes arranged in a circle, and apparently designed to rotate while the drones were being launched.  Fiver fired her weapon at all five.  The hinges were damaged on all of them, but only one fell open -- pipe #4.  Fiver dropped herself into the pipe.

She landed in a room made of the same white plaster she had seen from the outside -- lined with radiation-proofing.  There was a large metal door with a locking mechanism.  This must be some sort of retreat position in case of a reactor malfunction.  Fortunately, the door wasn't built to withstand the blast of a lightning gun.  She took aim...
 

"There's only one bomb pack, and it can only disrupt the field for a split second," said Blue Wolf, "Only one of us is going in there."

"Got it.  I'll let you know how it turns out," said Fiver, who was now beginning to feel stronger.

"You're in no condition to go in there, Black Panther."

"But I'm in no condition to try again if you fail," Fiver pointed out, "I'm dying.  If I blow the reactor, I won't be any worse off.  If I fail, you can always find another bomb pack and try again."

Blue Wolf nodded because he knew that she was right.  He stood back.  Fiver placed the bomb pack against the force field.

The blast opened a fissure in the field, and Fiver dove through.  The building was heavily shielded with no doors except for those used to launch the drones.  Automated cannons were perched on the roof, as were five launching tubes.

Fiver ran without stopping to a ladder along the side of the building just as the alarm sounded.  The five launching tubes began to rotate.  She knew that the cannons would fire as soon as she got close.  There was only one option.  Fiver set her Trellian fighting wand to overload and hurled it in the direction of the cannons.  The blast drew their fire, while Fiver leaped onto the roof and made a mad dash for the nearest pipe as it whirrled by -- pipe #5.  As the aerial drones were launched, Fiver jumped past them into the pipe.

(She knew that the wand was her only means of penetrating the reactor's shielding, but since she knew the frequency of the force field, she could adapt another weapon -- if she could find one in time.)

As she slid down the tube, she could feel the poison taking its full effect.  She now had mere seconds...
 

She was apparently in a small cave.  In front of her, was a pile of rocks cemented together, as if someone hurriedly constructed a false wall.  She was standing next to something large covered by a magneflux tarp.  (These tarps were used back during the Delonian wars to hide objects from sensors.)  Fiver pulled back the tarp to find the debris from a crashed spaceship.  Its technology was highly advanced, but inoperative.  Its outer hull was made from a gold-like material -- possibly vibranium.  The engines, computer system, and life support were damaged beyond repair, as were the disrupters.  But one front weapon was completely unharmed -- a front gun which appeared to be a rifle of some sort.  It was designed to function as either a ship's weapon or as a handheld weapon.

When the match burned out, Fiver began examining the weapon by touch.  It had a shoulder strap, a safety and a trigger, but that's all.  There was no controls for settings.  No place to recharge it.  Nothing which might be an energy indicator.  In fact, there didn't seem to be any parts to it at all.  It felt almost like a fake weapon.  To test it, Fiver released the safety.  No sound.  She aimed her weapon in the direction of the false wall, and pulled back the trigger...

KABLAM!!

Light poured into the chamber.

Two things shocked Fiver.  First, that the barrier was completely incinerated by what looked like a bolt of lightning, leaving the surrounding cave walls melted at the perimeter, and second, the fact that the weapon had no recoil whatsoever!

Fiver returned to the cabin of the Citronian to ask what it was.  He looked it over (with his naturally superior Citronian eyes).  He was amazed.

"This weapon isn't made out of matter," he said, "It's not energy either.  I think this is the lightning gun."

"Lightning gun?"

"I've only heard rumors about it," he said, "but they say that this weapon is the only one of its kind, hand-crafted by the Immortal Watchers of the Galaxy."

Fiver had met the I.W.G, and knew that they were by far, the most powerful beings in the known universe.  Fiver was now ready to take on the Dark Lord Iago.  She marched, weapon in hand, toward the city.

The city was run down -- except for the castle in the center.  A medic was carrying a boy whose legs had been injured.  Maintenance droids were clearing away a piece of a crumbling building.  Robotic guards and mutants walked the streets.

Most people seemed worried by the sight of Fiver and her weapon, but they didn't really do anything about it.  All but one.

He was standing in a dark alley.  He had blue hair.  Even the stubble on his face gave a bluish tint.  Other than that, he appeared human.  "Who are you?" he asked, "And why are you carrying the virtually legendary lightning gun?"

"You first," said Fiver.

"They call me 'Blue Wolf,'" he said.  He appeared to be skilled at keeping his voice down and avoiding being seen, and Fiver instinctively trusted him.

Blue Wolf, in an equally surprising act of trust, asked her to cooperate on a mission, and assigned her the codename "Black Panther."

Fiver laughed to herself...  Usually, she would be the one assigning names to things and people.  Fiver wondered if she had found a sort of kindred spirit.

"You know, some of my people were planning to raid a storage building for weapons, and go after the Dark Lord's reactor building.  It's what powers his central computer, which in turn, guides all of his robotic drones.  But now that I see that weapon of yours, I think we can skip the raid on the storage building and go straight for the reactor."

"I like the way your mind works," said Fiver.

So off they went, Blue Wolf, and "Black Panther..."
 

Just then, there was a blue flash and one of the other doors was blown open.  A woman walked into the reactor room dressed in a black hooded cloak.  She pulled down her hood, and Fiver was shocked to find herself staring into the face of an exact duplicate of herself!

By the expression on her face, it appeared that the second Fiver was just as confused as the first.  "I'm guessing this has something to do with Puck," said the black-cloaked Fiver.

Suddenly, one of the other doors was kicked open, and a third Fiver entered the room.  This one was unarmed and slightly injured.  Blood dripped from a gash in her forehead.  The third Fiver stared in confusion at the first two, but before she could say a word, the remaining door -- the armored one -- was blown in by and incredible blast of energy.  As the smoke from the blast cleared, a fourth Fiver Clubb walked into the room carrying an enormous energy rifle.

"What in the hell...?"

Strange that Fiver #3, who was standing closest to the incinerated door, wasn't the least bit fazed by the blast.  That's when Fiver #1 noticed a device attached to her belt -- possibly a shield of some sort.

Fiver #1 was about to suggest that the last Fiver had probably arrived, when a noise was heard from above.  A small hatch in the ceiling opened, and a badly wounded Fiver dropped from the chute.  She was bleeding from her arm, and her clothing and her skin were scorched from weapon fire, but this didn't seem to be the worst of it.  Her face was pale, and her eyes were dark.  She looked around the room, but seemed to lack the strength to stand or speak.

Fiver #1 propped Fiver #5 up slightly.  Fiver #5 looked at the Trellian Fighting wand in Fiver #1's hand.  "Five angstrom wave at five THz," said the fifth Fiver with a tremendous effort, "It's five by five."

In an instant, the fifth Fiver collapsed to the floor.  She was dead.

"What's she talking about?" asked Fiver #2.

"She's talking about the frequency of the force field," said Fiver #3.

Fiver #1 adjusted the settings on her fighting wand accordingly. "I'll need somebody to hold the wand against the force field long enough to destroy the core."

"No problem," said Fiver #2.  She levitated the wand up toward the ceiling, bringing into contact with the force field.  The field began to fluctuate.  Soon, the force field deactivated.

"My turn," said Fiver #4.  She aimed her huge gun at the now exposed reactor core and fired.  The reactor exploded destroying the entire complex.  Fiver felt herself thrown...

Fiver awoke lying in the middle of a field of scorched debris.  She opened her eyes.  The Trellian fighting wand fell toward her, and instinctively, she reached out with her mind and caught it.  Her psychokinetic powers had been restored.  The other Fivers were gone.

She now had memories of things she apparently had not done.  She wore a black cloak that once belonged to a witch.  On her belt was an astral screen generator.  It protected her from the explosion of the reactor.  There was a gash in her forehead, but it was not severe.  She had received it in a fight with a robotic wolf.  Hanging by a shoulder strap was a "lightning gun."  This energy rifle was the only one of its kind.  It was said to have been invented by the Immortal Watchers of the Galaxy.  She felt dizzy for a moment, but only for a moment.  This may have been the after effect of the poison gas which she inhaled.  She had a clear memory of dying and seeing the face of Charon just before the reactor exploded.

As she stood up and looked around, she saw Blue Wolf standing just outside the perimeter.  He was motionless as if in some suspended animation.

Just then, Fiver heard the sound of clapping.  Puck appeared standing in front of her.  "Congratulations," he said, "You've won."
 

Fiver stepped out from the corner.  "How did you...?"

"I keep a watch from a distance," said the Zhelian, "You're not from this planet.  You're dressed much too well.  Zyxnian.  Telekinetic, if the mutants haven't gotten to you first."

Fiver had had only brief contact with the Zhelians, but they were often considered a naturally suspicious race.

"You're very perceptive," said Fiver, "But what do you mean, 'if the mutants haven't gotten to me?'"

Fiver entered the cabin.  The Zhelian explained.  "Only the witches are allowed to use telekinetic power...  at least they call themselves witches, they're really just genetically enhanced thugs for Iago.  If anyone spots you using telekinetic powers, they'll inject you with counter-agent, usually through a dart gun.  It permanently blocks your psychokinetic abilities.  Here, let me give you something."

The Zhelian lifted up the cushion of an old beat-up sofa.  Underneath was a magneflux tarp -- used in the days of the Delonian wars to hide objects from sensors.  Underneath the tarp was a collection of valuable items.  "Just in case I ever need something to bargain with."  She pulled out a long black cloak.

"What's this for?"

"Wear this, and people will think you're a witch.  They'll leave you alone."

"Thank you," said Fiver.

"You can thank me by destroying Iago.  With this, you may be the only one who can do that.  He lives in Darklord Castle -- the only castle left on the planet.  Head back toward the city."

And so, Fiver put on the cloak and was off to face the Dark Lord Iago.
 

"You first," said Fiver, getting to her feet.

"They call me 'Blue Wolf,'" he said, "we pulled you off the street before Iago's guards could pick you up.  The mutants are quick with their dart guns, but they're not programmed to take you into custody.  That's the robots' job.  They're probably out looking for you now."

"Bring 'em on," said Fiver, "I can take 'em."

Blue Wolf could tell by her clean suit that she was not native to this world.  "I don't think you understand what's happened to you.  That was no knock-out dart.  That dart contained a psychokinetic paralyzer.  You're not telekinetic anymore."

Fiver immediately tested this assertion by trying to lift objects in the room.  She could not.  She glanced in a mirror hanging on the far wall, and saw that her eyes were dark brown.  Normally, when she would exert psychokinetic force, they would be glowing bright blue.

"How long does the effect last?" she asked him.

Hesitantly, Blue Wolf answered, "Unless there's some antidote we don't know about, forever.  There are witches who work for Iago -- at least that's what they call themselves.  They're actually nothing more than specialized mutants.  If there is an antidote, they might..."

Fiver was not prepared to kiss her telekinetic powers good-bye forever, but for the moment, she was more concerned with overthrowing the Dark Lord of this planet.  Blue Wolf admired her spirit, and so he invited her to join his men on a raid of one of Iago's storage bases.  He assigned her the codename "Black Panther."

Fiver laughed to herself...  Usually, she would be the one assigning names to things and people.  Fiver wondered if she had found a sort of kindred spirit.
 

"I'm guessing this has something to do with Puck," said the witch-cloaked Fiver.

There were two additional doors in the room, one of which was heavily armored.  Suddenly, the less armored one was kicked open, and a third Fiver entered the room.  This one was unarmed and slightly injured.  Blood dripped from a gash in her forehead.  The third Fiver stared in confusion at the first two, but before she could say a word, the remaining door -- the armored one -- was blown in by and incredible blast of energy.  As the smoke from the blast cleared, a fourth Fiver Clubb walked into the room carrying an enormous energy rifle.

"What in the hell...?"

Strange that Fiver #3, who was standing closest to the incinerated door, wasn't the least bit fazed by the blast.  That's when Fiver #2 noticed a device attached to her belt -- possibly a shield of some sort.

Fiver #1 looked like she was about to speak, when a noise was heard from above.  A small hatch in the ceiling opened, and a badly wounded Fiver dropped from the chute.  She was bleeding from her arm, and her clothing and her skin were scorched from weapon fire, but this didn't seem to be the worst of it.  Her face was pale, and her eyes were dark.  She looked around the room, but seemed to lack the strength to stand or speak.

Fiver #1 propped Fiver #5 up slightly.  Fiver #5 looked at the strange weapon in Fiver #1's hand.  "Five angstrom wave at five THz," said the fifth Fiver with a tremendous effort, "It's five by five."

In an instant, the fifth Fiver collapsed to the floor.  She was dead.

"What's she talking about?" asked Fiver #2.

"She's talking about the frequency of the force field," said Fiver #3.

Fiver #1 adjusted some settings on her weapon.  "I'll need somebody to hold the wand against the force field long enough to destroy the core."

Fiver #2 wondered why Fiver #1 was asking for help.  Something must have happened to this one which was blocking her telekinetic powers.  Fiver #2 decided to jump in.  "No problem," she said.  She levitated the wand up toward the ceiling, bringing into contact with the force field.  The field began to fluctuate.  Soon, the force field deactivated.

"My turn," said Fiver #4.  She aimed her huge gun at the now exposed reactor core and fired.  The reactor exploded destroying the entire complex.  Fiver felt herself thrown...

Fiver awoke lying in the middle of a field of scorched debris. She opened her eyes.  She saw the wand falling toward her, and so she caught in telekinetically in the air.  The other Fivers were gone.

She now had memories of things she apparently had not done.  She was still wearing her witch's cloak.  On her belt was an astral screen generator.  It protected her from the explosion of the reactor.  There was a gash in her forehead, but it was not severe.  She had received it in a fight with a robotic wolf.  She was now holding the wand -- a Trellian fighting wand -- a sort of variation on a phaser.  Hanging by a shoulder strap was a "lightning gun."  This energy rifle was the only one of its kind.  It was said to have been invented by Immortal Watchers of the Galaxy.  She felt dizzy for a moment, but only for a moment.  This may have been the after effect of the poison gas which she inhaled.  She had a clear memory of dying and seeing the face of Charon just before the reactor exploded.

As she stood up and looked around, she saw Blue Wolf standing just outside the perimeter.  He was motionless as if in some suspended animation.

Just then, Fiver heard the sound of clapping.  Puck appeared standing in front of her.  "Congratulations," he said, "You've won."
 

Fiver watched as the mutant scanned the cave with his ocular implants.  After a while, he gave up and turned to walk the other way.  Just then, his sensors detected Fiver.  He started aim his hand toward Fiver, but she jumped out of the bushes, before he could use whatever attack method he was planning.  He telekinetically threw the mutant against the rocks, knocking him unconscious.  Fiver entered the cave to find out what he was looking for.

The cave wasn't very deep -- only about about ten meters.  Figuring that this mutant was probably following a fixed program, he would have trusted his sensors implicitly.  Fiver used her psychokinetic powers against the rocks, hoping to break away any loose pieces.  And she did.

A false wall broke away, apparently made hurriedly.  Behind it was something large covered by a magneflux tarp.  (These tarps were used back during the Delonian wars to hide objects from sensors.)  Fiver pulled back the tarp to find the debris from a crashed spaceship.  Its technology was highly advanced, but inoperative.  Its outer hull was made from a gold-like material -- possibly vibranium.  The engines, computer system, and life support were damaged beyond repair, as were the disrupters.  But one front weapon was completely unharmed -- a front gun which appeared to be a rifle of some sort.  It was designed to function as either a ship's weapon or as a handheld weapon.

Fiver carried the weapon out into the light to examine it more closely.  It had a shoulder strap, a safety and a trigger, but that's all.  There was no controls for settings.  No place to recharge it.  No energy indicator.  In fact, there didn't seem to be any parts to it at all.  It looked almost like a fake weapon.  To test it, Fiver released the safety.  No sound.  She aimed her weapon at a rock in the distance, and pulled back the trigger...

KABLAM!!

Two things shocked Fiver.  First, that the rock was completely incinerated by what looked like a bolt of lightning, leaving a large burned crater in its place, and second, the fact that the weapon had no recoil whatsoever!

Fiver returned to the cabin of the Citronian to ask what it was.  He looked it over (with his naturally superior Citronian eyes).  He was amazed.

"This weapon isn't made out of matter," he said, "It's not energy either.  I think this is the lightning gun."

"Lightning gun?"

"I've only heard rumors about it," he said, "but they say that this weapon is the only one of its kind, hand-crafted by the Immortal Watchers of the Galaxy."

Fiver had met the I.W.G, and knew that they were by far, the most powerful beings in the known universe.  Fiver was now ready to take on the Dark Lord Iago.  She marched, weapon in hand, toward the city.

When she arrived, she spotted a boy lying on the ground, injured. A large piece of debris was on top of his legs.  (It looked like it had fallen from one of the old crumbling buildings.)  Fiver levitated the debris from the boy's legs.

People around her seemed frightened by this...  even more so than the large rifle strapped over he shoulder.  Suddenly, she felt a something sharp hit the back of her neck.  She lost consciousness.
 

Just as she entered the city, a piece of a crumbling building fell, and it would have landed on a small boy standing below, if Fiver hadn't reacted.  She caught the chunk of debris with her mind and set it aside.  This seemed to frighten people.  Just then, Fiver felt something sharp hit the back of her neck.  She lost consciousness.
 

It seemed that the first two Fivers to arrive were just as confused by the situation as the third.  Fiver #3 was just about to ask if the first two knew anything, when another door -- a heavily armored one -- was blown in by and incredible blast of energy.  As the smoke from the blast cleared, a fourth Fiver Clubb walked into the room carrying an enormous energy rifle.

"What in the hell...?"

Fiver #3 was standing relatively near to the blast, but fortunately, the astral screen generator protected her from harm.  Assuming the Fivers could destroy the reactor core, the screen would probably be just as effective against a meltdown.

Fiver #1 looked like she was about to speak, when a noise was heard from above.  A small hatch in the ceiling opened, and a badly wounded Fiver dropped from the chute.  She was bleeding from her arm, and her clothing and her skin were scorched from weapon fire, but this didn't seem to be the worst of it.  Her face was pale, and her eyes were dark.  She looked around the room, but seemed to lack the strength to stand or speak.

Fiver #1 propped Fiver #5 up slightly.  Fiver #5 looked at the Trellian Fighting wand in Fiver #1's hand.  "Five angstrom wave at five THz," said the fifth Fiver with a tremendous effort, "It's five by five."

In an instant, the fifth Fiver collapsed to the floor.  She was dead.

"What's she talking about?" asked Fiver #2.

"She's talking about the frequency of the force field," said Fiver #3.

Fiver #1 adjusted the settings on her fighting wand accordingly.  "I'll need somebody to hold the wand against the force field long enough to destroy the core."

"No problem," said Fiver #2.  She levitated the wand up toward the ceiling, bringing into contact with the force field.  The field began to fluctuate.  Soon, the force field deactivated.

"My turn," said Fiver #4.  She aimed her huge gun at the now exposed reactor core and fired.  The reactor exploded destroying the entire complex.  Despite the effectiveness of the astral screen, Fiver felt herself thrown...

Fiver awoke lying in the middle of a field of scorched debris.  She opened her eyes.  The Trellian fighting wand fell toward her, and instinctively, she reached out with her mind and caught it.  Her psychokinetic powers had been restored.  The other Fivers were gone.

She now had memories of things she apparently had not done.  She wore a black cloak that once belonged to a witch.  The astral screen generator was still attached to her belt.  The gash in her forehead, seemed to be much smaller, as if only one fifth as severe.  Hanging by a shoulder strap was a "lightning gun."  This energy rifle was the only one of its kind.  It was said to have been invented by the Immortal Watchers of the Galaxy.  She felt dizzy for a moment, but only for a moment.  This may have been the after effect of the poison gas which she inhaled.  She had a clear memory of dying and seeing the face of Charon just before the reactor exploded.

As she stood up and looked around, she saw Blue Wolf standing just outside the perimeter.  He was motionless as if in some suspended animation.

Just then, Fiver heard the sound of clapping.  Puck appeared standing in front of her.  "Congratulations," he said, "You've won."
 

He told her that this was the year 2407, and that this planet was ruled by someone calling himself "The Dark Lord Iago."  He was an invincible tyrant, taxing the people into poverty for well more than a century.  He lived in Darklord Castle at the center of the city, and saw no one in his chamber except for his mistress, Lady Proton.  They say she has the power to render a superhuman powerless just by being in his presence.

(Fiver had never met Iago before, but knew of him -- a very dangerous being from the planet Tencar, who found a way to reconstruct his body at the subatomic level, giving him immortality.  He would have been hailed as a living medical marvel if he didn't conquer every planet he encountered.)

Fiver looked around the city for a few minutes...  It was clearly a slum, and it looked like it extended onto a planetary scale.  Robotic guards were posted everywhere, and mutants walked the streets dressed in some sort of uniforms, most carrying bags.

Just as Fiver was watching a particular mutant walk into the city, a piece of an old building cracked and started to fall toward a small boy standing below.  Fiver reflexively caught the debris with her mind, and set it aside.  For some reason, this seemed to frighten people.  Just then, Fiver felt something sharp hit the back of her neck.  She lost consciousness.
 

The first Fiver was holding a baton-shaped weapon in her hand which produced a red glow from each end.  The second, for some reason, was wearing a long black cloak with a hood pulled back.  Fiver #3, who was standing closest to the incinerated door, wasn't the least bit fazed by the blast, but she had some other injuries.  Blood dripped from a gash in her forehead.

Fiver #1 looked like she was about to speak, when a noise was heard from above.  A small hatch in the ceiling opened, and a badly wounded Fiver dropped from the chute.  She was bleeding from her arm, and her clothing and her skin were scorched from weapon fire, but this didn't seem to be the worst of it.  Her face was pale, and her eyes were dark.  She looked around the room, but seemed to lack the strength to stand or speak.

Fiver #1 propped Fiver #5 up slightly.  Fiver #5 looked at the weapon in Fiver #1's hand.  "Five angstrom wave at five THz," said the fifth Fiver with a tremendous effort, "It's five by five."

In an instant, the fifth Fiver collapsed to the floor.  She was dead.

"What's she talking about?" asked Fiver #2.

"She's talking about the frequency of the force field," said Fiver #3.

Fiver #1 adjusted the settings on her fighting wand accordingly.  "I'll need somebody to hold the wand against the force field long enough to destroy the core."

"No problem," said Fiver #2.  She levitated the wand up toward the ceiling, bringing into contact with the force field.  The field began to fluctuate.  Soon, the force field deactivated.

"My turn," said Fiver #4.  She aimed her lightning gun at the now exposed reactor core and fired.  The reactor exploded destroying the entire complex.  Fiver felt herself thrown...

Fiver awoke lying in the middle of a field of scorched debris.  She opened her eyes.  The wand fell toward her, and instinctively, she reached out with her mind and caught it.  Her psychokinetic powers had been restored.  The other Fivers were gone.

She now had memories of things she apparently had not done.  She wore a black cloak that once belonged to a witch.  On her belt was a device called an "astral screen generator."  It protected her from the explosion of the reactor.  There was a gash in her forehead, but it was not severe.  She had received it in a fight with a robotic wolf.  She was now holding the wand -- a Trellian fighting wand -- a sort of variation on a phaser.  The lightning gun was still strapped over her shoulder.  She felt dizzy for a moment, but only for a moment.  This may have been the after effect of the poison gas which she inhaled.  She had a clear memory of dying and seeing the face of Charon just before the reactor exploded.

As she stood up and looked around, she saw Blue Wolf still standing in suspended animation, but he had now been moved to a point outside the perimeter.

Just then, Fiver heard the sound of clapping.  Puck appeared standing in front of her.  "Congratulations," he said, "You've won."
 

LIKE HELL SHE DID!

She went in!  She did SO go in!  I mean, why the hell WOULDN'T she go in?  Come on!  Really!
 

She went inside the building, and found a door marked "Witches Only."  Naturally, she entered.  Inside, three women were dressed in black hooded cloaks.  They levitated Fiver into the air.

It stood to reason that these "witches" were, in fact, agents of the Dark Lord Iago who were licensed to use telekinesis.  If this is true, then there must be an antidote for the paralyzer she had received.

The witches threw Fiver against a wall.  Fiver pretended to lose consciousness immediately.  They put her down and moved in closer to examine her.  As soon as their guard was down, Fiver sprang -- too quickly for the witches to react.  She struck them, knocking them out in three quick blows.  (She had trained as a boxer.)  Next, she began examining the room.

In a locked cabinet (which she promptly smashed open), she found several bottles of glowing liquid -- the antidote.  She drank down the contents of one, and looked in a mirror.  Her eyes were now glowing bright.  She smashed the rest of the bottles to be on the safe side.

Just then, there was a noise outside.  She looked out the window to see that a piece of debris from one of the crumbling buildings had fallen and landed on a boy, pinning his legs.

Fiver took the cloak off one of the witches and put it on, figuring that the mutants would mistake her for a witch and leave her alone.  Then, she quickly ran outside and lifted the debris from the boy's legs.

As she continued to walk down the street, people seemed to give her a wide berth and avoid eye contact with her.  All except for one man.  He stood in a dark alley, staring directly at her.  He had blue hair but looked otherwise human.  Even the stubble on his face gave a bluish tint.  "Who are you?" he asked.

"You first," said Fiver.

"They call me 'Blue Wolf,'" he said, "and you're no witch."

Seeing his practiced efforts to avoid being noticed or overheard, Fiver decided to trust him -- to a point.

"Iago's witches wouldn't have stopped to help that boy," he continued, "and your cloak doesn't hide your shoes very well.  Those shoes look practically spit-polished.  Not the shoes of someone from this planet.  So I ask you again...  Who are you?"

"I'm the one who's going to save your planet's ass," she said with a proud smile.

For some reason -- some instinct -- Blue Wolf chose to believe her.  He took her aside and whispered, "The Dark Lord's robots are controlled by a reactor.  My men and I are planning to recover a supply of confiscated weapons, and use them to attack the reactor building."

Blue Wolf was not about to take a woman in a witch's cloak to the storage base, so he gave her directions to the reactor building with plans to meet her there.  The base was protected by a solid-energy screen, which could only be penetrated by a carefully calibrated explosive charge to be supplied by Blue Wolf's men.
 

The drones killed off the members of the group, except for Fiver and Blue Wolf, who were apparently better at fighting off robots than the others.  The drones started to fly off with the bags of supplies.

Fiver picked up a weapon which had fallen on the ground -- a baton-shaped weapon which produced a red glow from each end.  (She later learned from Blue Wolf that this was called a "Trellian fighting wand.")  There were two drones still within range.  She hurled the weapon at the...
 
 

...first drone.

...second drone.

The team wasted no time, and made a direct line for the reactor building, Fiver struggling to hide her efforts to keep up.  As the group started moving past the edge of a steep cliff, a swarm of aerial drones swooped in from behind the trees!

The drones killed off the members of the group, except for Blue Wolf, who was apparently better at fighting off robots than the others.  The drones flew off with the bags of supplies.

Fiver was unharmed only because she had collapsed on the ground unable to fight.  (The poison had suddenly taken a stronger effect.)  By the time she recovered, it was too late.  Fortunately, she still held her fighting wand and bomb pack.

Regardless of all this, Blue Wolf and Fiver had to carry on.
 

Eventually, she came to a cliff, where a small group was making their way through the woods.  Each of them was carrying a bag of supplies.  They were being led by a man with blue hair.  Even the stubble on his face gave a bluish tint.  Other than that, he appeared human.  "Who are you?" he asked.

"You first," said Fiver, getting to her feet.

"They call me 'Blue Wolf,'" he said.

"They call me someone not native to this planet," said Fiver, cryptically.

"I thought as much," said Blue Wolf, "Your suit's too clean, and your shoes look practically spit-polished."

Blue Wolf must have instinctively trusted Fiver, because he freely told her that their plan was to destroy the reactor which powers Iago's robot control computer.  He even invited Fiver to join them.

But before Fiver could say a word, the group was attacked by a swarm of flying robots -- aerial drones!

The drones killed off the members of the group, except for Fiver and Blue Wolf, who were apparently better at fighting off robots than the others. The drones started to fly off with the bags of supplies.

Fiver picked up a weapon which had fallen on the ground -- a baton-shaped weapon which produced a red glow from each end.  (She later learned from Blue Wolf that this was called a "Trellian fighting wand.")  There were two drones still within range.  She hurled the weapon at the...
 
 

...first drone.

...second drone.

Fiver continued down the left path, and soon, she came to a small cottage.

Inside, there was an obviously poor man -- a Citronian.  Fiver asked him the year.

He told her that this was the year 2407, and that this planet was ruled by someone calling himself "The Dark Lord Iago."  He was an invincible tyrant, taxing the people into poverty for well more than a century.  He lived in Darklord Castle at the center of the city, and saw no one in his chamber except for his mistress, Lady Proton -- rumored to have the ability to render any superhuman powerless just by being in his presence.

(Fiver had never met Iago before, but knew of him -- a very dangerous being from the planet Tencar, who found a way to reconstruct his body at the subatomic level, giving him immortality.  He would have been hailed as a living medical marvel if he didn't conquer every planet he encountered.)

He started to tell her about the conditions of the planet (basically one enormous slum), but stopped short, when he saw three mutants approaching in some sort of uniforms, one carrying a bag.

The Citronian said that they were tax-collectors -- brainwashed by nanites, and that Fiver should hide herself.

Fiver...
 
 

...hid herself.

...chose to fight the mutants.

Fiver awoke lying on a small cot in a dank back room.  The first thing that she noticed was that her weapon was gone.  Standing over her was a man with blue hair.  Even the stubble on his face gave a bluish tint.  Other than that, he appeared human.  "Who are you?" he asked.

"You first," said Fiver, getting to her feet.

"They call me 'Blue Wolf,'" he said, "we pulled you off the street before Iago's guards could pick you up.  The mutants are quick with their dart guns, but they're not programmed to take you into custody.  That's the robots' job.  They're probably out looking for you now."

"Bring 'em on," said Fiver, "I can take 'em.  Just give me back my gun."

"Ah yes, the lightning gun," said Blue Wolf pulling the weapon from its hiding place, "I've heard rumors about it, but I didn't think they were true."

"It my experience," said Fiver, "a lot of things to unlikely to be usually are...  and I usually end up having to deal with them.  I guess you figured out by now that I'm not native to this world."

"The clean suit and spit-polished shoes were kind of a dead giveaway," said Blue Wolf with a half-chuckle, "Then I guess you don't know what was in that dart they hit you with."

Fiver had just assumed it was a tranquilizer.  She waited for Blue Wolf to continue.

"That dart contained a psychokinetic paralyzer," he said, "You're not telekinetic anymore."

Fiver immediately tested this assertion by trying to lift objects in the room.  She could not.  She glanced in a mirror hanging on the far wall, and saw that her eyes were dark brown.  Normally, when she would exert psychokinetic force, they would be glowing bright blue.

"How long does the effect last?" she asked him.

Hesitantly, Blue Wolf answered, "Unless there's some antidote we don't know about, forever.  There are witches who work for Iago -- at least that's what they call themselves.  They're actually nothing more than specialized mutants.  If there is an antidote, they might..."

Fiver was not prepared to kiss her telekinetic powers good-bye forever, but for the moment, she was more concerned with overthrowing the Dark Lord of this planet.  Besides, she had a much stronger weapon -- the lightning gun.

Blue Wolf, in a surprising act of trust, tossed her weapon to her.  He asked her to cooperate on a mission, and assigned her the codename "Black Panther."

Fiver laughed to herself...  Usually, she would be the one assigning names to things and people.  Fiver wondered if she had found a sort of kindred spirit.

"You know, some of my people were planning to raid a storage building for weapons, and go after the Dark Lord's reactor building.  It's what powers his central computer, which in turn, guides all of his robotic drones.  But now that I see that weapon of yours, I think we can skip the raid on the storage building and go straight for the reactor."

"I like the way your mind works," said Fiver.

So off they went, Blue Wolf, and "Black Panther..."
 

The wand landed just at the edge of the cliff within reach along with one bomb pack, a remote-controlled decoy unit, and one pair of antigrav boots.  It wasn't much, but it would have to do.
 

The only things at the edge of the cliff were one of the bomb packs, and one other device.  Even the wand was lost.

Fiver picked up the strange device.  "What's this?" she asked.  It hooked easily onto her belt.

"It's an astral screen generator," said Blue Wolf, "It's a personal force field, but it only works on energy.  Matter could still penetrate."

Well, it wasn't much, but it would have to do.
 

As she continued to walk down the street, people seemed to give her a wide berth and avoid eye contact with her.  All except for one man.  He stood in a dark alley, staring directly at her.  He had blue hair but looked otherwise human.  Even the stubble on his face gave a bluish tint.  "Who are you?" he asked.

"You first," said Fiver.

"They call me 'Blue Wolf,'" he said, "and you're no witch."

Seeing his practiced efforts to avoid being noticed or overheard, Fiver decided to trust him -- to a point.

"Iago's witches wouldn't have stopped to help that boy," he continued, "and your cloak doesn't hide your shoes very well.  Those shoes look practically spit-polished.  Not the shoes of someone from this planet.  So I ask you again...  Who are you?"

"I'm the one who's going to save your planet's ass," she said with a proud smile.

For some reason -- some instinct -- Blue Wolf chose to believe her.  He took her aside and whispered, "The Dark Lord's robots are controlled by a reactor.  My men and I are planning to recover a supply of confiscated weapons, and use them to attack the reactor building."

Blue Wolf was not about to take a woman in a witch's cloak to the storage base, so he gave her directions to the reactor building with plans to meet her there.  The base was protected by a solid-energy screen, which could only be penetrated by a carefully calibrated explosive charge to be supplied by Blue Wolf's men.
 

"He takes everything to keep us living like animals," said the Citronian, "It makes him feel like a god to us."

"Don't worry," said Fiver, "I'll figure a way to stop him."

Before the Citronian could say anything doubtful, Fiver was off, following the mutants discreetly.

When they came to an intersection, they went in three different directions.

Fiver chose to follow...
 

"You first," said Fiver, helping him to his feet.

"They call me 'Blue Wolf,'" he said, staggering a bit.  "Where's Puck?"

"I don't know," said Fiver, "He's playing some sort of a game with me."

"Yeah.  Me too."

Blue Wolf explained that his ship was caught in a temporal vortex, and blown onto this planet...  He learned from Puck that he had another self on this planet.

The stranger left the cave, staggering as he went.  Fiver continued along ultimately reaching a heavy armored door.  There was a plate next to the door -- some sort of handprint scanner.  The scanner appeared to be damaged, exposing the wires.  Fiver crossed the wires -- and luckily, the door opened!  On the other side, was a long corridor with a light at the other end.
 

She entered.

She didn't bother entering.

Fiver dropped from the chute and landed in the reactor room.  The reactor core was suspended near the ceiling and protected by a force field.

Fiver looked around, and was startled to see four exact replicas of Fiver herself!  "Great," she thought to herself, "I'm the only one who got poisoned."  She tried to stand up to talk to the others, but at that moment, she felt a flush as if the life were finally draining out of her.  One of the Fiver replicas helped to prop her up.  This replica was holding a Trellian fighting wand.

Fiver knew that she had been poisoned while uncovering the frequency of the force field.  If this other Fiver hadn't experienced that timeline, she might not have discovered the frequency.  "Five angstrom wave at five THz," said the dying Fiver.  Apparently, this was Puck's idea of irony, making five Fivers take on a force field with this particular calibration.  "It's five by five," she said as she collapsed to the floor.

She blacked out for what seemed like a moment, and a sort of numbness took over her body.  Soon, Fiver found herself floating above her body.  She was dead.

"What's she talking about?" asked one of the other Fivers who was wearing a black cloak.

"She's talking about the frequency of the force field," said another Fiver, who had a deep gash in her forehead.

Suddenly, the room seemed to vanish into a mist, and another figure appeared.  It was Charon -- the Grim Reaper.

"I guess you have some ideas about taking me away," snapped Fiver.

"I wish," said the Reaper, "Citizens of the galaxy have been dying and undying since the Insanity Syndrome.  First it was Ironhand, then Shawn McGhee and Eric Bills decide to come back from the dead, and after that, this whole crossroads turned into one big revolving door policy for Astro-Nuts!  Puck screwed with your destiny...  Yada yada yada...  You get to come back to life."

"I'm good with that," said Fiver.  Suddenly there was the sound of a tremendous explosion.  Fiver felt herself thrown...

Fiver awoke lying in the middle of a field of scorched debris.  She opened her eyes.  The Trellian fighting wand fell toward her, and instinctively, she reached out with her mind and caught it.  Her psychokinetic powers had been restored.  Charon was gone, and the other Fivers were nowhere to be seen.

She now had memories of things she apparently had not done.  She wore a black cloak that once belonged to a witch.  On her belt was a device called an "astral screen generator."  It protected her from the explosion of the reactor.  There was a gash in her forehead, but it was not severe.  She had received it in a fight with a robotic wolf.  Hanging by a shoulder strap was a "lightning gun," a very powerful energy rifle said to have been invented by the Immortal Watchers of the Galaxy.  It was the only one of its kind.  The dizziness from her experience passed quickly.  She was alive again, and there wasn't a trace of the poison gas left in her system.

Fiver had memories of resetting her fighting wand.  She remembered levitating the wand to the force field.  She remembered firing the lightning gun into the reactor core and destroying the entire complex.  And yet, she also remembered being dead during these events.

As she stood up and looked around, she saw Blue Wolf standing just outside the perimeter.  He was motionless as if in some suspended animation.

Just then, Fiver heard the sound of clapping.  Puck appeared standing in front of her.  "Congratulations," he said, "You lose."
 

The dart hit Fiver in the shoulder.  She pulled it out, but was already feeling dizzy.  She collapsed to the ground.

She awoke some time later in the home of the Citronian.  "What happened?" she asked.

"You were hit with a psychokinetic paralyzer," he said, "I'm sorry, but I don't know if there's an antidote or not."

Fiver wasn't about to kiss her telekinetic powers good-bye forever, and the Citronian could see that she wasn't about to give up.

"There are people who use psychokinetic powers," said the Citronian, "They call themselves witches, but they're not.  They're agents of the Dark Lord.  I've seen them going in and out of a cave not far from here."

Then if there is an antidote, it's in there.

The Citronian showed Fiver to the cave, but that was as far as he would go.  Fiver entered to find a well-stocked, but heavily damaged base of operations.  No one was present.  The entrance to the cave was hidden by leaves and vines, and had it not been for the Citronian's enhanced vision, no one would have found it.  As Fiver looked around, she found nothing that looked like an antidote, but she did come across two doors.  Fiver went in...
 
 

...the first door.

...the second door.

Fiver stepped on a trapdoor and landed in a small room.  In front of her, was a heavy metal gate, blocking off a tunnel leading toward the castle.  To her left was a storage bin -- empty.  To her right was a transparent door into some sort of storage room.  The sign on the door said "Witches Only."  The room contained several bottles of glowing liquid -- possibly an antidote for the psychokinetic paralyzer.  Behind her was an automated door -- very strong.

None of the doors would have broken under the impact of the wand, so she set the wand to overload, and placed it against the hinges of the Witches' door (the weakest position.  Then, she hid inside the storage bin for protection.

KABLAM!

The door was blown open.  Fiver retrieved one of the bottles, and quickly drank down the contents.  She looked in the mirror, and very soon, her eyes began to glow bright blue!

Just then, the armored door opened, and a mutated woman entered wearing a black hooded cloak.  (The door immediately closed behind her.)  Upon seeing Fiver, the woman tried to reach for the bottles (she must have accidentally lost her powers).  Fiver shattered all the bottles with a glance.  Then, she levitated the witch into the air, slamming her into the wall to knock her unconscious.

Fiver looked down at her would-be assailant and said, "Nice cloak.  I think I'll take it."  It fit nicely.

Next, she turned her attention toward the gate.  She concentrated...
 

Without any weapons, Fiver knew she had to sacrifice her astral shield.  She converted the power cells of the unit into a makeshift explosive, and placed it against the hinges of the Witches' door (the weakest position.  Then, she hid inside the storage bin for protection.

KABLAM!

The door was blown open.  Fiver retrieved one of the bottles, and quickly drank down the contents.  She looked in the mirror, and very soon, her eyes began to glow bright blue!

Just then, the armored door opened, and a mutated woman entered wearing a black hooded cloak.  (The door immediately closed behind her.)  Upon seeing Fiver, the woman tried to reach for the bottles (she must have accidentally lost her powers).  Fiver shattered all the bottles with a glance.  Then, she levitated the witch into the air, slamming her into the wall to knock her unconscious.

Fiver looked down at her would-be assailant and said, "Nice cloak.  I think I'll take it."  It fit nicely.

Next, she turned her attention toward the gate.  She concentrated...
 
 

This room must have been used fairly often (judging by the fresh dirt on the floor).  She decided to hide inside the storage bin for someone to arrive.  She waited.  For a very long time, she waited.

Finally, the door through which she entered opened again, and a mutated woman entered wearing black hooded cloak.  (As with Fiver, the door immediately closed behind her.)  Fiver watched patiently, as the woman placed her hand on a plate next to the door.  It scanned her handprint and opened.  As soon as the door was open, Fiver sprang!

Upon seeing Fiver, the woman tried to reach for the bottles (she must have accidentally lost her powers), but Fiver was too fast for her.  She grabbed her, picked her up, and slammed her against the wall, knocking her unconscious!  Fiver looked down at her unwitting helper and said, "Nice cloak.  I think I'll take it."  It fit nicely.

Fiver retrieved one of the bottles, and quickly drank down the contents.  She looked in the mirror, and very soon, her eyes began to glow bright blue!  As insurance, Fiver shattered all the bottles with a glance.

Next, she turned her attention toward the gate.  She concentrated...
 

The transporter controls were heavily damaged, but it looked like there were three locations already preset into the system.  None of them appeared to lead to Darklord Castle.  Fiver hated transporting, but since the door was sealed shut, and her telekinetic powers were non-functional, there was no other choice but to beam out.  Fiver pressed one of the buttons, and stepped onto the pad.  She selected location...
 
 

...A.

...B.

...C.

Blue Wolf and "Black Panther" broke into the storage base easily -- too easily.

"The main thing we need is a supply of force scrambler charges.  They'll allow us to pass through the shielding."

The bomb packs containing the scrambler charges were in a secure vault along with several other weapons and devices confiscated over time.  The door was protected by a force field.

Fiver decided to...
 

...hotwire the force field.

...disrupter blast the force field.

After a few seconds of fiddling with the wires, the force field dropped.  Fiver and the others retrieved as many weapons as they could, including bomb packs just strong enough to get through the shielding around the reactor building.

Now it was time to attack.
 

Next, Fiver and the others retrieved as many weapons as they could, including bomb packs just strong enough to get through the shielding around the reactor building.

Now it was time to attack.
 

"Get out of there!" yelled the muffled voice of Blue Wolf from the other side of the barrier!

Fiver...
 

...continued firing.

...stopped firing and hotwired the force field.

With a flash of blue light, the gate was ripped off its hinges.  Fiver went through and headed down the long tunnel.

When she reached the other end, she found another large door, which she also tore open with her newly restored powers.  On the other side, there was a man waiting for her.  "Welcome, Miss Clubb."

Fiver had met this man during a previous mission.  A time-travelling trickster by the name of Amgine.  He had an annoying habit of asking people deadly riddles.

"Why am I not surprised to see you here," said Fiver.

"I would say 'we meet again,'" said Amgine, "but that would hardly be accurate.  You see, from my point of view, we haven't met yet -- at least not in person.  I have dreams that are prophetic.  I know that sometime very soon, I'll become a god, or at least, a god-like being.  I'll begin travelling time, and I'm not sure what exactly happens after that.  Whatever it is, I'm looking forward to it.  I know that I'll meet you for the first time at a later date...  or an earlier one...  or a sideways one..."

"What the hell are you babbling about?!" she yelled.

"As you can see, I'm not quite as powerful yet as you remember me.  Right now, I'm just a servant of the Dark Lord."

"Well, whatever you are, out of the way," said Fiver.

"You would talk to a man destined to be a god that way?"

"'Destined' means 'not yet,' and I'm already the middleweight women's boxing champion on the planet Zyxn."

"Ah, yes.  I've seen some of your fights on old tapes," said Amgine, "Here's something you haven't seen."

Amgine activated a small viewscreen on the wall panel.  The image shown was the solid energy screen surrounding the reactor building.

"What are you showing me?" asked Fiver.

"Watch closely," he said.

Fiver noticed that Blue Wolf was now standing in suspended animation outside the field perimeter.  Just then, there was a gigantic explosion.  The solid energy screen disappeared.  In the middle of the field, there was a pile of scorched debris, and in the middle of that pile of rubble was an exact replica of Fiver Clubb herself!

"What is this, the future?" she asked him.

"No, this is the present," said Amgine, "There are actually two of you.  Puck's idea of a game.  That other Fiver got to the reactor core and destroyed it.  You made a wrong turn and ended up here."

The Fiver on the viewscreen got up.  She was holding a large energy rifle in one hand and a wand-like weapon in the other.  She wore a tattered black cloak over her suit, and she had a deep scratch in her forehead.  She looked around the debris field, soon becoming fixated on the motionless Blue Wolf standing in the distance.  Suddenly, Puck appeared.

As Puck and the other Fiver were exchanging words (the other Fiver's a little more harsh), Amgine shut off the screen.

"You see?  Every time you make a choice, Puck splits you into numerous timelines.  Some of these timelines converge, and then two become one.  Sometimes they don't converge.  In other words, as long as Puck has you playing his game, you'll actually be in several places at once."

"Well, that other me might have destroyed the reactor," said Fiver, "But she's not going to beat me to Iago."

"Now you know how to play the game," smiled Amgine, "Ready for round two?"
 
 

"Isn't it obvious?" said Puck, "I split you into several different timelines, and then I reintegrated you into one.  Four of you beat the reactor and survived.  One of you died.  There's another one, but she didn't make it to the reactor.  That Fiver is in Darklord Castle."

"Why?  Why do any of this?"

"It's a game!"

There was no sense arguing with this sprite, so Fiver turned her attention to Blue Wolf.  "What's going to happen to him?"

"I'll release him," smiled Puck, "after you've gone."

Without another word (except for some non-specific grumbling), Fiver started marching toward Darklord Castle.  She was ready.  She wore a witch's cloak and an astral screen generator.  She carried a Trellian fighting wand in her hand and a lightning gun hanging from her shoulder.  Her telekinetic power was at full, and she had another self already inside the castle.  The Dark Lord Iago wouldn't know what hit him.