Story Snippet

[Adam]

[COLOR=white]For the last few years I've been working on a fantasy fanfiction story which I hope to complete within the next six months. Unfortunately the plot thread which would make it suitable for posting here doesn't begin until three-fourths of the way in. Naturally that was the part of the story I wrote first. I decided to post the scene here and I welcome all comments. First, though, a little backstory is necessary.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]Backstory: A being that identifies himself only as the Collector has abducted twenty exceptional children from varoius times and dimensions. Each child was at the brink of death before being snatched away and replaced by a mindless genetic replicant. The Collector explained to the twenty children that he had saved them so they could participate in his combat tournament. Each day at 9:00 A.M. he would teleport them from the living quarters to the Dying Fields, a varying environment of his creation. Those still alive at 5:00 P.M. would be returned to the living quarters for food and rest, and the next day the process would repeat itself. The final one left alive would be given his freedom. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]Some of the kids were eager to kill and win. Others were reluctant, but willing. A small group led by Justin Stewart, the Blue Turbo Ranger, renounced killing anyone and urged others to defy the Collector. This scene comes right after breakfast on the fourth day. At this point only four people are left: Kenny of Highlander fame, Colin the Anointed from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, an alternate Alexander Mogh raised by Kurn from Star Trek: The Next Generation and Justin Stewart, the Blue Turbo Ranger from Power Rangers: Turbo. Alexander and Justin have an alliance for now and a tenative friendship. Justin's best friend here was Solan, the son of Xena. He alone of all those present had no combat skills or special powers and relied on Justin and the other members of the group for protection. Near the end of the third day he screamed up at the sky that he couldn't do this, he didn't know how to fight, and the Collector removed him. He hasn't been seen since and Justin fears the Collector has killed his friend. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white]Instead of transporting them to the Dying Fields after breakfast, the Collector orders them through a door which appears in the dining area. The scene picks up from there . . . [/COLOR]


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[COLOR=#000000] [COLOR=white]Without further hesitation Justin followed his friend through the door.[/COLOR] [COLOR=white]The room they had entered was roughly sixty feet by thirty, and completely bare. Light emanated from the white walls, floor and ceiling, providing illumination equivalent to a noontime day. Another steel door had been set in the far wall, the only feature to mar the chamber?s spotless anonymity. [/COLOR][/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] Colin and Kenny had stopped roughly in the center of the room. The former was calm and impassive, while the latter glared at Justin and Alexander as they came to stand next to him. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] Once they were all gathered together the Collector spoke. "I HAVE A NEW CANDIDATE FOR THE CONTEST", he announced without preamble or apology, ?A BEING I BELIEVE TO BE A SUPERLATIVE FIGHTER. SHOULD HE SURVIVE YOUR COMBINED AGGRESSIVE EFFORTS, HE WILL BE ALLOWED TO TAKE HIS PLACE AS A PARTICIPANT." [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] What? Why would the Collector admit another contestant now, so close to the end of the tournament? And how was the new guy supposed to last against all four of them at once? Well, three of them at once, anyway. He wasn?t about to get involved in this, at least not on the side of hurting the kid. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] Maybe Alexander wouldn?t either, if he could just talk to him for a minute. Convince him that it wasn?t honorable to fight four against one, maybe. If the two of them worked together they could easily save this new kid. It would feel so good to save someone. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] He turned to Alexander, but his partner?s attention wasn?t focused on him. Alexander was hefting his bat'leth eagerly, more than ready to slice and dice. Colin remained as impassive as ever while Kenny grinned savagely and called out, "Bring him on, Collector!" [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] "AS YOU WISH,? the mysterious being replied. The door at the opposite end of the room slid open and Justin's jaw dropped when he saw who stood behind it. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] The figure in the doorway was at once familiar and alien. It was Solan, but not as they had last seen him. The young boy had changed a great deal in the past eighteen hours. The first difference to strike the suddenly silent observers was his obvious increase in stature. He was considerably bigger, a full half a foot taller, with an astronomically better build than he had possessed yesterday. Then Solan had been a classic ectomorph, tall and thin; now he was easily the most mesomorphic boy Justin had ever seen, a living model of masculine strength and power. His face was more mature and more handsome, while his eyes had gone from the color of a summer sky to a cold, icy blue. His long, golden-blond hair fell past his shoulders as before, but the headband his adoptive father Kaleipus had given him was gone. The rest of his attire had likewise been altered. Solan was now garbed like a gladiator, wearing little more than leather and muscles. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] The modest vest he had donned previously had vanished; his new, very revealing outfit shamelessly flaunted his fantastic physique and phenomenal physical development. Two thin cross-belts crisscrossed his deep chest and snaked around his broad shoulders before merging with his belt. The minimal covering did little to hide his proud, powerful pecs and left his chiseled, rock-hard abs available for anyone's inspection. His very muscular arms and legs were likewise bared for the entire world to see, and admire. A sword sheath was strapped to the rear junction of his costume and a chakram hung from a hook at his belt. The finishing touches were the pair of breaches and fine leather boots he was wearing. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] With his new garments and truly spectacular build Solan appeared every inch a warrior. He looked like a young Greek god, and the remaining four kids eyed the half-naked blond muscle-boy with a mixture of amazement and disbelief. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] Smirking at the consternation he had caused Solan stepped into the room and advanced toward the others. He moved with a smooth, feral grace, like a tiger about to pounce. His body language was completely relaxed and self-assured, without a hint of his former fear and nervousness. The boy Colin and Kenny had once labeled easy prey instead gave the impression of being an extremely dangerous predator. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] Solan halted ten feet from them, his right hand flashing to the circle of steel at his belt. He threw it like a Frisbee, straight at Alexander! The Klingon ducked in the nick of time, narrowly avoiding decapitation. The lethal disc bounced off the back wall and ricocheted off the east wall, flying right back into Solan's grasp. Laughing aloud he returned the ring to its hook and unsheathed his sword. The long, mirror-bright blade was clearly a two-handed weapon, but Solan wielded it effortlessly with only one hand. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] The astonishment which had held the group spellbound was fading, and its collective hostility was skyrocketing. Beyond all hope Solan had come back--and his insane aggression was going to get him killed if Justin didn?t do something fast. The Ranger moved to the forefront of the group, deliberately blocking Alexander with his own body. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] ?Solan, stop it! You don?t have to try to fight. I won?t let anyone hurt you.? [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] In response Solan leapt high into the air, performing a perfect somersault and landing right in front of Justin. Before his feet even touched the ground he lashed out with his sword, catching the edge of the Turbo blade and sending it flying. An instant later Justin was sent sprawling by a devastatingly powerful kick to his chest.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] The remaining three contestants immediately rushed Solan, while Justin labored heavily simply to draw a breath. It felt like he had been kicked by a mule! Though the incredible size and definition of Solan's muscles had foreshadowed the fact, Justin was still amazed at how strong the other boy had grown! There had been more force behind his mighty kick than there had ever been behind any of the blows delivered by Divatox's minions. Then there was his unmatched speed and agility to consider. His ten-foot leap and mid-air flip had been worthy of a professional acrobat. How the hell had he gotten so strong, so quick? The Collector must have enhanced Solan, greatly increasing the Grecian?s size, strength, swiftness and coordination. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] A myriad of question concerning his transformed friend clamored for his attention, but they were all firmly set aside. There would be time to seek answers later. Right now his first priority had to be safeguarding Solan's life. Even with whatever the Collector had done to him it seemed doubtful that he could survive against the remaining three kids alone. The Blue Turbo Ranger staggered to his feet, ready to save Solan, but he soon saw that it was Alexander, Kenny and Colin who needed saving.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] Alexander told him later that after the dramatic downing Solan had backflipped out of range. Alexander had charged forward with the bat'leth, but Solan's damnable bastard sword had easily parried every thrust and chop. It had been almost like the traitor was playing with him! Eventually Alexander had tried a full chest cut, but the center of his crescent weapon met his opponent's down turned blade. A quick movement sent the bat'leth high and Solan had followed up by slamming the pommel of his sword into his foe's ridged forehead. Justin regained his feet at the same time Alexander slumped to the floor, unconscious. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] In the meantime Colin had run over and seized his Turbo blade, while Kenny circled around behind Solan. The blond warrior-boy confronted Kenny first, taking the latter's short sword away from him with two strokes and shattering his jaw with a backhanded punch. Kenny crumpled, weeping and spitting out teeth by the score. Solan then turned his back on Kenny and disarmed the Anointed One with his chakram. The young vampire hesitated, unsure of whether to advance or retreat. Solan solved the problem by throwing his great sword like a spear, skewering Colin through the stomach. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] Justin stared disbelievingly at his friend, whose expression was one of unabashed exultation. Then the blonde?s focus shifted to him. Solan stalked toward the Turbo Ranger, grinning in apparent anticipation of what was to come. That cocky, evil grin was the most frightening thing Justin had seen yet. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] Without hesitation the teen black belt slipped into a defensive stance, preparing to fend off his friend?s assault. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Solan, but it seemed the feeling wasn?t mutual; the overgrown, strong as an ox twelve year-old was obviously ready to rip him apart. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] "Solan, stop!" the Blue Turbo Ranger shouted desperately. "I don't want to fight you! I'm your friend!" The blond boy made no reply and the gloating voice of the Collector once more filled the room. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] "I'M AFRAID SOLAN ISN'T HERE ANYMORE, JUSTIN. MEET THE WARRIOR PRINCE!" [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] Justin's eyes widened in partial recognition of the title, but there was no time to consider its implications; Solan was upon him. Justin launched a snap kick at his friend's face, hoping to end things quickly. The Warrior Prince easily dodged the kick and seized Justin's upraised ankle in his steel-strong left hand. The sheer power of the younger boy's grip made Justin wince, but worse was yet to come. With a twist of his wrist Solan snapped the bone like a twig and contemptuously flung the now-crippled Ranger to the floor. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] Unable to bite back a scream of pain, Justin clutched at his injured ankle and stared fearfully up at his proud conqueror. The hefty young Hercules looming over him looked capable of crushing the fallen Ranger underfoot! [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] "THE TEST IS OVER," the Collector declared. "THE WARRIOR PRINCE HAS WON." [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] Solan sneered down at Justin and flexed his tremendous muscles in triumph. Even the brave Blue Turbo Ranger couldn't keep from quailing at the sight of Solan's softball-sized, strength-filled biceps. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] ?YOU WILL BE GIVEN TIME TO RECOVER BEFORE THE CONTEST RESUMES? the Collector went on. "FOR NOW YOU MAY RETURN TO YOUR QUARTERS." [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] The door slid open and Solan departed at once, pausing only long enough to retrieve his sword from a moaning Colin. Then Kenny got up and staggered away, followed by the wounded nosferatu. Justin tried to stand, but almost passed out from the pain in his ankle. He sank back down with a sob. Then he called out to his only remaining ally. "Alexander! Alexander, wake up!" [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] The prostrate Klingon stirred and opened his eyes, groaning as he did so. "Wha . . What happened?" he asked woozily. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] It was a damn good question, and at the moment he had only one answer to give. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=white] "The Warrior Prince happened," Justin responded grimly. [/COLOR]