LessThanThree Comics Presents » Team Up

Author — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:55:53 +0000

“I have to get this.” Hannah groaned, as she struggled up from her bed, searching for her phone, which was blaring out ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’.
“No. Let it ring babe. I have to go back to college in the morning. This can wait.” Matt reached out and embraced his girlfriend, kissing her on the lips, then the chin, progressing lower and lower. “I’ll make it worth your while.”
“No, that’s my Boomers ringtone. It’s business.” Hannah giggled, as she squirmed out of her boyfriend’s grasp.
“Oh, the Boomtown Rats. Clever. I knew I liked you for a reason.” Matt smiled. “Guess you’d best answer that.”
“I knew you’d understand.” Hannah smiled back, as she found her phone. “Hyper Girl here… Ok… Yep… Lirabite?… Oh, ok… Yeah, I’m just with my boyfriend… Uh huh… Ok… See you soon.”
“Lirabite? Aren’t they the aliens who were in Canada last year?” Matt asked.
“Probably. How do you feel about team-ups?” Hannah asked, as she pulled her costume out of her drawer.
“Team-ups?… Wait… Did Talon ask…? Holy crap!” Matt said.
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.” Hannah laughed. “You’re so cute when you’re being a fanboy. Did you bring your costume?”
“Always. It’s in my bag. I’ll get changed now.” Matt tumbled out of bed, scrambling across the floor to his bag.
“Amateurs…” Hannah rolled her eyes.
“I’ve been doing this as long as you have!” Matt said, pulling his tights on.
“Of course you have sweetie.” Hannah said, putting her mask on.
<><><>
Mr Universe took a deep breath as Hyper Girl opened the hangar door.
“-so I told Ralph I didn’t mind, I’m sure it was the right decision.” Talon was already waiting, talking to The Freak.
“And you’re fine with it? I mean, we all assumed you were next in line.” The Freak replied.
“No, I think I’ve done alright for myself.” Talon said, looking over at the door. “Oh good, you’re here.”
“And Mr Universe accepted our invitation.” The Freak added. “It’s good to see you again.”
Mr Universe’s eyes went wide. “Th-thank you sir.” He stammered.
Talon smiled. “You can face off against Gauss alone, but we still make you nervous? Kid, we owe you our lives; you’re practically one of us now.”
“Not quite one of us though.” Hyper Girl warned.
“Although, if you’re going to be on the East Coast for a while…” The Freak said.
“We’ll worry about it later. The Gibbon just arrived, so we’re taking off. Nymphette is already on board.” Talon said, making her way up the ramp into the Sonic Boom II.
“Oh, Mr Universe is coming out with us today? Should be an easy one then.” The Gibbon said, as he swung through the doorway, getting down on all fours to bound across the hangar.
“Thunderbolt is meeting us there, he was working in Mexico.” The Freak said.
“Of course. He’ll probably beat us there.” The Gibbon said.
<><><>
The Sonic Boom II ducked and wove between the shots being fired upon it from the spaceships that swarmed the Miami skyline.
“Why doesn’t this thing have guns?” Mr Universe asked, as he clung to his seat for dear life.
“It’s technically a civilian vehicle. We’re not allowed.” The Freak said.
“And just how good a pilot is Talon?” Mr Universe asked.
“We’re not dead yet.” The Freak replied.
“Ok, I think we need to take some action. Hyper Girl, you with me?” Mr Universe asked.
“What did you have in mind?” Hyper Girl asked.
“Distract the ships so Talon can get this thing on the ground.” Mr Universe replied.
“Is that ok with you?” Hyper Girl shouted up to Talon.
“You got it. Freak, Gibbon, Nymphette, grab on to something, I’m opening the hatch.” Talon ordered.
As soon as the door was open, Mr Universe and Hyper Girl released themselves and sailed straight out, using their powers to fly.
“Try not to get hit.” Mr Universe said.
“Thanks sweetie. What would I do without you?” Hyper Girl deadpanned, as she blocked laser fire with her photonic shield.
“I have no idea.” Mr Universe replied, as he dodged an oncoming ship.
<><><>
Thunderbolt flew through the air, a loud roar following along behind him, as he flew at top speed. As he moved, the Miami skyline appeared on the horizon, rapidly getting bigger and bigger. It didn’t take him long to spot the swarm of alien ships flying around the buildings, shooting at two tiny figures in the air. Moments later, he recognised one of the figures as his team-mate, Hyper Girl, and rushed to her aid.
“Hyper Girl! Where is the rest of the team?” Thunderbolt asked, as the sky began to darken, thunder rolling in the background.
“In the ‘Boom, Talon’s going to try landing the thing. We’re up here distracting the ships.” Hyper Girl replied, as she blasted away at a space ship, her blast ricocheting straight off the forcefield that surrounded the ship.
“And this is…?” Thunderbolt asked.
“Oh, right. Honey, this is Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt, this is Mr Universe, my boyfriend.” Hyper Girl said, as she idly deflected another laser blast.
“Hi.” Mr Universe said, waving as he began using his powers to tear chunks off the ship that had fired at Hyper Girl. “Usually I’d start freaking out because I got to meet you, but I’m a tad busy right now.”
“Of course.” Thunderbolt replied, as a bolt of lightning destroyed another ship.
“That is so cool!” Mr Universe gushed.
<><><>
Nymphette looked around. “So if the fliers are up there, fighting the ships, what the hell are we supposed to be doing down here?”
“Saving civilians.” Talon said. “Those ships did some serious damage before we turned up.”
“Or we could take care of that.” The Gibbon pointed at the two ships that had landed three blocks away.
“True.” Talon said. “Ok guys, we’ve all fought Lirabites before. They’re strong, they’re tough, they’re fast. Freak, you’ll head down the middle, charge in, swinging. They can’t hurt you physically, and they’re not likely to fire their blasters at close range. Gibbon and I will flank you, we’re just as quick, and almost as strong as them, so we should be pretty effective. Nymphette, find a water source and hit them hard, but try to keep your distance.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.”
“Ok. It’s Boom Time.” Talon said.
The Freak began charging forward, letting out a primal scream as he crashed into a crowd of the reptilian extraterrestrials, followed closely by his teammates.
Nymphette looked around, trying to find a faucet or a fire hydrant, but to no avail. Sighing, she reached up and touched the communicator on her left breast. “Thunderbolt, make it rain baby.”
“You got it.” Thunderbolt buzzed back, and the heavens opened up.
“Alright then, time to get wet.” Nymphette said, as she began directing the raindrops, sending streams more powerful that firehoses at the Lirabites, knocking them flat on their backs. “That’s right you slimy bastards, take it!”
“That girl scares me sometimes.” The Gibbon muttered, as he uppercut a Lirabite, sending it sprawling.
“Amen.” The Freak said, tossing another two after it.
<><><>
“… So I figure if I hit just the right frequency…” Mr Universe said, as he sent out a wave of electromagnetic energy directly at an oncoming ship. Moments later, the power cut out, and the ship went crashing to the ground.
“Very nice work.” Thunderbolt said, as he swung Mjolnir, crashing it straight through the hull of the ship.
“Thanks. You too.” Mr Universe said, eyes wide.
“Ok, honey… You think you could do that again?” Hyper Girl asked.
“Of course, that was just a test run. Time for the full wave.” Mr Universe said, summoning all his strength.
“Don’t overdo it babe.” Hyper Girl said.
“I got it… Just be ready to catch me.” Mr Universe said, before throwing out his arms. The gesture was pointless, but he did like to look the part.
As the invisible wave of energy erupted from his body, ships began dropping like flies.
It was Thunderbolt’s turn to be amazed. “Incredible.” He said, as he watched a dozen ships just fall out of the sky.
“He really is, isn’t he?” Hyper Girl swooned, as she caught her boyfriend’s motionless body. “Looks like it took a lot out of him.”
“It took more out of them.” Thunderbolt said, pointing at the remaining ships, as they retreated into space.
<><><>
Mr Universe came to on the Sonic Boom II, Hyper Girl sitting by him, his hand in hers.
“It’s about time you woke up. You missed the press conference.” Hyper Girl said.
“Does that mean I’m not on the team?” Mr Universe asked groggily.
“Not this time babe, but you impressed them. I’m very proud.” Hyper Girl said, kissing him.
“What more could I ask for?” Mr Universe replied, a huge smile on his face.
The lovebirds ignored Nymphette’s chortle at that, too interested in each other.

LessThanThree Team-Up #1: Hyper Girl and The Gibbon

Author — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 23:44:48 +0000

The Gibbon struggled to keep up with the speeding van below him. Even in peak hour traffic, they were getting away from him. He swung from ledge to streetlight to balcony, sailing over the top of the traffic.
He couldn’t believe it had taken him this long to catch Rama in the act. This was his fourth heist in two weeks, and The Gibbon had been across town each time. Rama had been targeting universities all across New York, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of technology.
That was how Gibbon knew that Rama would strike NYU’s science labs, and was the only reason he was anywhere near the building when the van came screaming from the freight entrance.
In hot pursuit, Gibbon couldn’t help but wonder what Rama’s motive was. Rama was hardly a scientist, there was no way he could have possibly had a use for the equipment he was taking. He almost definitely didn’t have the connections required to sell the specialised equipment on the black market. That meant someone was hiring him. But who? And why?
The van screeched to a halt, to avoid a collision with a cab. It roared back to life, but had given Gibbon enough time to catch up, as he swung down and landed on top of the fleeing vehicle.
As he clung on for dear life, he hoped that Rama was as dumb as he thought he was, and would just assume he had lost his tail. If not, he was in for one wild ride.
<><><>
Hannah regretted her decision immediately. In the heat of the moment, she had decided to dive out of the path of the oncoming van, instead of simply flying over the top. She could have been perfectly fine, but instead, she had landed flat on her face, grazing skin from her nose, cheek and hands.
Someone was going to pay for that. And she had a good idea of who…
Minutes later, she emerged from the alleyway, clad in her pristine Hyper Girl costume, before using her photon control to launch herself into the air.
It didn’t take her long to find the van in the dense traffic. It had only travelled a few blocks away, and was distinctive, if not for its erratic driving pattern, then for the costumed man hanging onto the top, trying his hardest to not be dislodged.
She raced towards the van, leaving a faint trail of white light in her wake. She caught up within moments, flying alongside it. Closer now, she recognised The Gibbon from his almost-regular appearances in the newspapers and on the television.
“Need a hand?” She shouted over the roar of rushing air.
“It certainly wouldn’t go astray.” The Gibbon replied drily.
“You should probably get off that roof then.” Hyper Girl instructed.
Gibbon merely nodded, before using his augmented strength to launch himself from the roof of the van using only his hands, catching an overhanging streetlight, and swinging around it to stop his momentum.
The moment he was safe, Hyper Girl turned her attention back to the van. Using her powers, she focused a beam of light into a high-powered laser, burning a hole through the van’s front left tyre.
The van began to spin out of control, but Hyper Girl was ready for it, blasting a crater in the bitumen ahead. As the van span, it hit the uneven ground and began to roll over, sliding a few yards on its side, before coming to a complete stop.
Hyper Girl landed on the ground next to The Gibbon. “Hi.” She said.
“Ummm… Hi.” The Gibbon replied, somewhat perplexed.
“I’m Hyper Girl, what’s in the van?”
“I’m The Gibbon, and in that van is Rama, and the science equipment he stole.”
“Rama? Big guy, right? Way strong?”
“That’s the one.”
Before Hyper Girl could ask any more questions, the driver’s side door of the van snapped off its hinges and flew through the air, before Rama squeezed his huge bulk through the opening left behind.
Rama was well over six feet tall, almost bordering seven feet, and was pure muscle from head-to-toe. His most distinguishing feature, however, was not his size, but the full set of horns atop his head, causing him to bear a striking resemblance to a water buffalo.
“I liked that van.” The powerhouse stated simply.
“You should probably have driven it a little more safely then.” Hyper Girl retorted.
“Hyper Girl, right?” Rama asked. “Oh, he’s gonna love this.” He added, when Hyper Girl nodded.
“Who’s gonna love this?” Hyper Girl asked.
“His employer, I assume.” The Gibbon replied.
“That would be correct.”
The heroes spun around to see a man in his fifties, clad in a bright green costume, complete with cape and helmet, floating in the air behind them.
“Radon!” Hyper Girl and Gibbon both exclaimed.
“Of course, I would have liked it more if you hadn’t screwed up the delivery Rama.” Radon continued, almost ignoring the heroes.
“Sorry boss. Can we waste ‘em now?” Rama asked.
“I suppose you can have the monkey. The girl is mine.” Radon said.
“You wish!” Hyper Girl shouted, as she flew high into the air.
“Fleeing is not an option!” Radon replied, following after her.
“I guess that just leaves us, Monkey-Man!” Rama shouted, as he lowered his head for a charge.
Gibbon laughed, as he leapt over the top of his oncoming opponent, sending the villain crashing into a nearby building.
“We’ve fought dozens of times, and that move has only worked twice. I think you need a new opening move.” Gibbon taunted, as Rama climbed out of the twisted wreckage of the doorframe.
“How’s this then?” Rama asked, pulling a gun from his jacket.
“That’s most definitely a new move.” Gibbon said.
<><><>
“Just letting you know,” Hyper Girl dodged the radiation wave Radon had fired at her, “I wasn’t running away, I was just getting you away from the bystanders.” Hyper Girl returned the blast with one of her own.
“Girl, you’re free to believe what you want to believe, but you and I both know that your abilities pale in comparison to mine.” Radon threw up a shield, absorbing her attack.
“I seem to recall you telling me our powers were the same, just different wavelengths.” Hyper Girl flew around behind Radon, blasting at him again.
“You keep using the same tricks girl, you need to expand your arsenal.” Radon surrounded himself with a sphere of energy.
“Says the guy who’s had the same shtick for decades.” Hyper Girl commented drily.
“Silence!” Radon lassoed her with a beam of energy.
Hyper Girl screamed in pain, as the radiation burned at her skin.
“You dare disrespect me!” He pulled the lasso tighter, forcing the heroine to scream louder.
<><><>
The Gibbon somersaulted under Rama’s gunfire, before using his forward momentum to leap at the villain. He sailed through the air feet-first, grabbing Rama’s gun and kicking off the powerhouse’s chest.
“You’re really not very good at this, are you?” The Gibbon asked.
“And what are you going to do with that?” Rama asked.
“What do you think?” Gibbon asked, tossing the gun aside, sending it sliding across the ground and into a stormwater drain.
“That damn thing cost me $1000!” Rama shouted, his face turning red, and nostrils flaring.
“You probably should have taken better care of it then. It’s just not your day, is it?” Gibbon asked.
“You’ll pay for that.” Rama said, advancing on The Gibbon.
Hyper Girl’s piercing screams cut through the air from above.
“No I won’t.” The Gibbon replied, scaling the side of a building, moving far out of his enemy’s reach.
He kept climbing, it was what he did best. Ever since he woke up in that lab, his body augmented to resemble that of an ape, elongated arms, stronger muscles and modified joints. He was perfectly suited to scaling the urban jungle.
Once he had reached the appropriate height, he leaped from the building and tackled Hyper Girl, pulling her out of the grasp of Radon’s binding, and sending them both crashing into the next building. Clutching the teenager under one arm, he used his free hand and feet to scale the rest of the building.
“Crap, they’ll get away.” Hyper Girl groaned.
“Considering the alternative, I’m glad I saved you instead.” Gibbon replied.
“I’ll be fine. Lets go.” Hyper Girl stood up and jumped off the building, floating in midair.
“They’re gone, aren’t they?” Gibbon asked, as he climbed up on the ledge to see for himself.
“Yeah. Looks like it.” Hyper Girl said, before cursing.
“Don’t sweat it. They’re stockpiling gear, they’ll show up again.” Gibbon said.
“Knowing Radon, it’s something to make him more powerful. He likes amplifying his own abilities.” Hyper Girl said.
“So he’ll reveal his hand soon. Try to conquer the city, no doubt.”
“Hope you didn’t have any plans for this week, looks like we’re going to have to be on alert.”
“Waiting for Radon and Rama sounds a lot better than TV Dinners and Seinfeld reruns.”
<><><>
“And if you do not grant me sole rulership of the island of Manhattan before noon, I will destroy one skyscraper per hour until you do!” Radon announced from the top of the building, live on six networks.
Hannah jumped from her spot on the couch. “Got you, you bastard.”
<><><>
“They’ve got ten more minutes.” Rama looked at his watch.
“Calm down. We need to give them time. The deadline is just to make them hurry.” Radon explained.
“Are you sure this doohickey will work?” Rama cocked his head towards the large piece of machinery that dominated much of the rooftop.
“Of course I’m sure. I just aim this at my target, and focus my powers here.” Radon explained.
“I get how it works, I just want to know if it actually does work.” Rama asked.
“I doubt you really understand the inner workings of my masterpiece.” Radon said.
“I don’t really think he has to.” The Gibbon swung up to the top of the building. “You’re not going to get the chance to use it.”
“Must you heroes always interfere?” Radon asked, blasting at The Gibbon, a hint of exasperation in his voice.
“It’s kind of our thing.” Hyper Girl said, as she deflected Radon’s blast with one of her own.
“Both of you again?” Radon shouted. “Fine, you will be our example!”
Radon’s power amplifier spun, pointing itself directly at Hyper Girl.
“Oh, that can’t be good.” Hyper Girl said.
Radon began cackling, as he fed energy into his amplifier, which fired at Hyper Girl, the teen hero barely ducking out of the way, as she felt the air sizzle around her.
She didn’t have time to taunt her opponent, as he adjusted the amplifier, pointing it at Hyper Girl’s new position. Hyper Girl flew out of the way before he could fire, forcing the shot to go wild. The villain began firing wildly, blasting at Hyper Girl over and over again.
The Gibbon watched helplessly from the ground, unsure of what to do. His back exploded with pain, as Rama drove his head into his back. “I guess that makes three times that move has worked.” Rama taunted, as he stood over Gibbon’s prone form.
“And that makes it about a hundred times that this move has worked.” Gibbon replied, kicking Rama’s legs out from under him, sending his bulk crashing to the ground.
Gibbon formulated his plan, and moved into position. Rama got to his feet, enraged.
“Now what are you going to do?” Gibbon taunted.
Rama lowered his head and charged.
“Oh, how predictable.” Gibbon yawned, before leaping over the top of Rama.
Rama realised what he was doing, and tried to stop, but it was too late. He charged directly into the amplifying machine. He was instantly showered in sparks, as the machine began spluttering and smoking.
“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Radon shouted, as his energy blasts suddenly had a backlash from the damaged amplifier, causing Radon to be hit by his own attack, rendering him unconscious.
Hyper Girl floated back down to the rooftop. “Wow. That was easy.”
“Yeah, Rama’s not too bright. I’m glad you’re faster than Radon is, otherwise you’d be vapour.” Gibbon said.
“I’m glad too.” Hyper Girl said. “This was fun. We should do it again some time.”
“I’m sure we’ll run into each other again sometime, this is New York after all.”
“Can’t wait.”
<><><>