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04

"Exclamations and Elucidations"

By Ed Ainsworth

 

Two Years Ago: The Beginnings of the "Continuity Police"

"Welcome to Qwerq. This is the Writer speaking to you through the hyper-spatial drift of memetic consciousness. I'm bleeding the words of the 2 dimensional universe directly to you through 4-D."

The Ultra Marines, currently made up of 16 Metahumans, stand, and lay in the deserts of Australia , listening with furrowed eyebrows and confused expressions. Except for Pulse 8.

"Consider me the Deus Ex Machina of the piece. I am the Ghost that resides outside of your world, I am writing your scenarios but from this moment onwards, and I step back and watch you become "real". I am performing literary magic to make you independent of my will. You're now fully formed people, three dimensional constructs in a two Dimensional world."

"From this moment onwards, inter-narrational space will be inhabited by 4-D's consciousness, and myself. We exist in the memetic consciousness of yourselves, constantly connecting you to the plot-pieces, and sub-plotting of your lives. Nothing is secret, nothing is private from me."

"What's Happened to 4-D, you never explained what actually happened to the core Four." Asked Tasmanian Devil quietly.

"I know; the first four issues were more of a prologue if anything, for me to get involved in such a large cast. The core four were isolated deliberately, 4-D was split into all four of her dimensions, and she is currently inhabiting linear space, 2 dimensional space, 3 Dimensional space and the 4 th Dimension of inter-narrational space."

Pulse 8 Steps forwards and waves the few pieces of paper in front of the group. He takes a deep breath and speaks quietly.

"I hold in my hands the writers notes for the next few issues. Notes holding the key to our movements, we can choose to obey them, or not. We've truly been given a chance to differentiate ourselves from common superheroes. Even Superman has no idea of his destiny, but we have the writer on our team."

War Maker One steps next to Pulse 8 and Addresses the team directly.

"We have a number of objectives to fulfill in our first manifesto. According to the notes we have a number of dangling plot threads that need to be removed from Continuity. We've going to have to act as retcon or resolution; Pulse 8?"

"Thank you, Scott. First two Items - Colourblind Green Lantern and Owlwoman are stranded on the C.O.R.E base, as well as the out-come of the C.O.R.E battle between Chrysalis, Jack O'Lantern, Goriko and Mermaid. Suggestions?"

"What do the notes say, Pulse 8?" Vixen stepped forwards, hands on hips as she waited for a reply.

"We're to extract Chrysalis first, her new evolutionary state is essential to the make up of this planet, apparently." Pulse 8 rendered a 3 Dimensional Holographic image.

"According to the notes, she will stabilize an insectoid insurrection which will be mirrored in the core Universe. Earth 1 Its called."

"That it?" Vixen inquired, looking back at the rest of the assembled cast. "Can Huntsman put some clothes on as well; it's starting to disturb me how he can so casually wander around naked."

"I second that motion. It's like looking at an orangutan's head every time I look down," spoke Flow.

"It's decided then. Fleur, Vixen, Huntsman, you're taking on the new Chrysalis, and the rest of the group. They are apparently severely damaged. Knight, I want you Impala and Anatu to go to the space station and engage in some large scale Ultra-Violence."

"Hold up." Knight held his hand up, and removed his helmet, revealing his heavily scarred face.

"This is then. The universal man turns out to be someone controlling our Destiny and we don't even question the authenticity of it? I mean, he pissed us around before, what's to stop the bugger doing it again?"

[[That would be where I come into the equation, Cyril]]

"CHRIST!" The knight nearly fell over, as Squire rubbed her ear gently, and twitched her eyes. She saw AND felt that. It was a most disquieting experience.

"You're part of it all then, 4-D? You can completely confirm and allay my fears then?" Knight questioned, looking nowhere in particular, as she flickered into view in front of him, making him jump once again.

"You're not really showing yourself in a great light here are you, Cyril?" Squire pointed out, a slightly smirk pulling at her lips.

"I'm always going to be paranoid, Beryl. After all what's our mantra? WWBD."

"Pardon?" asked Vixen

"What Would Batman Do." Cyril said perfectly seriously.

"You've got to be joking, of course?" Vixen spat out in disbelief. She'd not heard anything so ridiculous in her life.

"I am deadly serious. Batman gets to job done, and he's hard and quick and powerful without ever having to give into super-powered colleagues." Cyril explained, as Vixen could barely contain her laughter.

"Have you met Batman? He scares the crap out of me."

"Yes. I've worked with Batman, as has Beryl. But we're off topic here." Cyril replaced his helmet and gripped the hilt of his mace.

"Come then. How do we get there, we're in a different universe now." Huntsman asked, still completely naked.

"Simple. Prepare for total immersion in liqui-space. You're going to need 4-D and myself to navigate. Watch your heads." Pulse 8 stated, the Cosmic Keyboard appearing in front of him, with the holographic Representation of 4-D appearing at his side, as her physical body, a shimmering idea of sub-spatial communication walks towards them.

"Team one. Prepare for Continuity Immersion. On my Mark step through 4-D and into Earth-1." Pulse 8 stated, his fingertips working over the keyboard with a flurry of bleeps and blurts, almost musical, like high pitch whale song.

Fleur stepped forwards, swords held loosely in her hands as she takes an audible gulp, Vixen and Huntsman behind her.

"Hold up." War Maker One Steps forwards, placing his hands on Fleur's Shoulders.

"No nonsense, this time, team. As you move through 4-D, you're going to experience what's referred to in the notes as "Issue Drag", the Continuity blips out occasionally, apparently for months at a time, between "issues". We don't normally notice it, but you might feel it moving through 4-D. In addition to this, Pulse 8 is editing all of our ideaoplasmic forms. Basically, you'll all be receiving upgrades to your abilities and whatever items you hold with you. All of us will be learning and taking cues from Pulse 8, 4-D, the Writer and the notes now."

"So, we really are something different, oui?" Fleur inquired, smiling at War Maker, whilst running a hand through her hair.

"We really are. Now do your duty, and your jobs, and when you return, we'll have done our part for the dangling sub-plot issues." War Maker one replied, removing his hands and gesturing towards the iridescent glow of 4-D.

Vixen shared a mutually affectionate look with her new lover, Impala, before stepping into and through 4-D, closely followed by Fleur and Huntsman.

The world around them warped, energies moving past them at incredibly speeds, almost as though they were the ones moving at super-speed before reaching the moment referred to as "Panel Freeze". They could see the individual moments of time reduced to panels in a comic-book. Each moment depicted an event, a conversation or a look shared between people, an action or a time frame. Vixen's enhanced senses suddenly made her vomit as she realized that all of this was real, and the moments, the little bits where nothing was occurring, when she moved her hair, or twitched her fingers without thought were lost forever to the casual reader. 3 Dimensional space cut out the mundanity and normal factors of life from the equation.

The spaces between the panels slowly began to fuse, into a double page spread of action. Vixen saw herself, and everything she'd just realized forever commemorated and stored in comic-book form on the double page spread. Her actions and movements captured on a series of inset panels, littered around the page, and tilted at right angles, like pictures stacked together forming a meandering path across the page, her thoughts and feelings realized as text boxes.

4-D opened an aperature inside the Japanese building, leaving Vixen, Fleur and Huntsman on their knees, panting and clutching at their stomachs. Transition across ink-space and Panel-Freeze often left travelers confused and unwell. Vixen was the worst hit, her senses still reeling, reaching out to find out what in fact was real. She smelt salt and vinegar, and her tongue stung with a salty sweet taste.

Huntsman was the first up, Vixen could see his boots, made from the tanned hide of animals, leather straps wrapped around his feet, as he flint-stone axe, gleaming with Baltic fury twitched in his hands. The black coal markings depicting runes and letters ran across his waist and along his spine, resulting in great black bars running 45 degrees to his flesh, and across his face. He grunted loudly as he noticed the changes, before nudging Jack O'Lantern with his foot.

"You Alive, Little Man?" He asked, his voice suddenly lowered, and his expression shifting to almost confusion.

"Oui, we've all changed, have we not?" Fleur ran a hand through her hair as she crouched down next to Mermaid, brushing the young woman's shock of white hair with her fingertips. Her costume remained the same, pure white with a simple symbol on it, but she possessed a belt, with her twin swords hanging from slings and a collection of similarly shaped knives hanging from the back of the belt.

"They are in a bad way, non?"

"Certainly looks that way." Vixen got to her feet unsteadily, and moved herself along the wall of the Japanese building.

"Urn. 4-D is updating me through internal-narration. We've got to isolate Chrysalis and find Goriko. They're important to the general plot. Find Goriko, Fleur. Huntsman.are you smelling what I'm smelling?"

"Salt and Vinegar, Yes?"

"Yeah. Where is that coming from?" Vixen narrowed her eyes, sniffing the air, despite the over-whelming nature of the scent.

"Wait." She grips her animal pendant, moving towards what appears to be an over-whelming source of "Red".

"Good Lord. This is Chrysalis." Vixen placed her hand on the cocoon in front of her, the insides moved uncomfortably, which caused her to fall back onto her backside, and emit a gasp of shock.

Fleur kicked the door open, holding the Japanese girl in her arms, the mind of Goriko.

"I 'ave found her. Is that Chrysalis?"

"Yes, it is, Fleur. Huntsman, get Jack ready, I want to try something. I need his lantern, and Fleur, I need Goriko awake. This makes no sense."

"Why? What are you planning?" Huntsman turns around to her, gripping the hilt of his axe more tightly.

"Chrysalis was a Butterfly looking type of woman, Correct?" Vixen began.

"Oui."

"Butterflies are the final metamorphosis of Caterpillars. Lepidopteron are known for having the most powerful flight muscles of insects, and also for having the most energy consuming diet."

"Oui, but this is relevant because.?"

"Because it looks like Chrysalis is in a Cocoon again, which is completely unheard of for ANY lepidopteron and she is giving off some very, very strange signals."

"Such as?" Huntsman asked, as he emptied the entire contents of a water cooler over Jack, who gasped and spluttered as a result, staring hazy eyed up at him.

"Wha the Bloody?"

"Not Now Jack. Just give me your Lantern." Vixen held her hand out, waiting to receive it, whilst removing her Animal pendant.

"I want to try and see what's going on. This entire area stinks of salt and Vinegar, which is a strong indicator of Folic acid, an important chemical in most insects composition, PARTICULARLY Ants. So, the question I'm going to put to you now is this."

"Why is a butterfly woman smelling like an Ant, and reversing her initial meta-human "evolution", and WHY is this important to the plot?"

Jack looked at Huntsman and then to Fleur, who was laying Goriko down and trying to raise her gently.

"C'n someone fill me in here? Because, I have'ta say I'm bloody lost."

"It'll all be clear once we've connected you up to 4-D and the writer, jack. Right now you have to trust me. Is Goriko awake?" Vixen asked, taking the Lantern and putting it on top of the Cocoon, the Animal Pendant firmly grasped in her hand.

"Oui."

"Goriko, this is VERY important, I know you don't speak in normal English terms so I put it to you as this.

Folic Dreams;
Words of Ants;
Butterfly Wing Beats;
Tomorrow Comes?

Goriko's eyes filled with energy, she understood the Haiku, and what was being asked of her, despite lacking the connection to the Internal-narration. She lurched forwards, her heart skipping a single beat, as she yelled out the chemical composition for Folic acid, and the genetic soup components of Chrysalis.

"What're ye planning?" Jack asked, cradling his broken bones.

"Scientific Magic, Jack. I'm tapping into the Red with my pendant and magic with your Lantern, and using Goriko as a bridge to modern magic, mixed with science to see what is.OH!"

The entire teams head snaps back as their vision is flooded with imagery of what it's like inside the Cocoon.

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Next Issue: Ultra Violence! Womb for Change! The True Nature of the Writers Notes!