______ _________ _____ ____ ____ _______ _____ ___ ___ | | | | / _ \ | \| | | /\ \ / _ \ \ \ / / |BLiP| | |~~~~~ / / \ \ | | | | \/ | / / \ \ \ | / | | | ~~~~~| | ~~~ | | | ____ | / | | | | | | | #5 | | |~~~~~ | ___ | | | | | | | /\ ~| \ \ / / | | | | | | | | | | | |\ | | | | ~~ / \ ~ / | | ~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ [Cover has Fan.Boy cowering in the centre bottom, surrounded by various members of the LNH, such as the Ultimate Ninja, Master Blaster, and... Fan.Boy. Behind them stands another being, but his face is hidden.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I awoke in a fever, the bedclothes were all soaked in sweat. She said 'You've been having a nightmare. But it's not over yet.'" - Sexual Revolution -- Roger Waters --------------------------------------------------- Trumpet Man drew in breath, brought his trumpet to his lips, and blew. He knew that this was fairly drastic torture, but it was richly deserved. The object of his wrath was a shopkeeper, who had refused to serve him merely because he was attending to a customer who had suffered a heart attack. Really, as if any customer (pleb) could rate anywhere as importantly as an LNHer. As the musical 'notes' disrupted the air, Trumpet Man observed with pleasure their effect on the hapless shopkeeper. If he hadn't needed his breath for playing his trumpet, he would have laughed mightily. With one ear, he heard someone muttering. The words were something like "^&^&, &%&!, !&^@." Wow... that was... wow.. _actual_ punctuation... he had heard _actual_ punctuation. That was... wow... Trumpet Man shook off the trance, and realised that he had stopped playing while he had gaped foolishly at hearing mere punctuation. Turning to the speaker, he quickly threw Flight of the Bumblebee at them, then lowered his trumpet to see who had assailed him. His features paled visibly (although, after his performance, no-one was conscious to see them), as he looked at the face of the second most powerful being in the Legion of Net.Heroes. _-~-_ Trumpet Man flew through the air with the unconscious body in his arms. He was also sweating. Not from the air, that was cool enough, but from the thought of the punishment he would receive from everybody who was his superior. (At the last count, this was every other member, except for Criticism Dude, of course.) He dropped through the air, and landed delicately outside the building that housed the Legion. Even from here, he could here a familiar voice shouting inside. "Unless you want to become a vile species of toad, I suggest that you learn how to answer phones properly!" Trumpet Man raised a foot to kick the doors open, seeing as how his arms were full, when a thought struck him. Hang on, that voice. It's familiar because... He looked at the body in his hands. It was familiar because it belonged to the person currently lying unconscious in his arms. Trumpet Man felt relief flood through him. Although he was sure someone was going to get into trouble for this, he no longer believed it was him. He kicked the doors open triumphantly, and marched in. He was right! Standing in front of him, extruding his usual fury, was the same person he was carrying in his arms. When the other person saw who it was, or, more importantly, saw who Trumpet Man was carrying, he gaped. "What the smeg...?" Trumpet Man had the brief pleasure of seeing the second most powerful LNHer totally flabbergasted for a moment. However, that moment was short lived. "Get him into medbay. I want Doctor Trampler on this straight away." Trumpet Man hurriedly disappeared in the direction of the lifts. _-~-_ When Fan.Boy finally awoke, it was to a very puzzling sight. He was lying on a bed, in what was probably the medlab, and standing above him were two figures he knew quite well. One, the man he knew as Doctor Stomper, was familiar to him as he was the fifth person Fan.Boy had met when he came to the LNH. The other person was familiar as... well, it was himself. On his other's face was a similar frown of confusion. "Well, what is it?" "He's you," said the Doctor. "Physically... genetically, he is you. Probably an alt.self," he mused. "Wonderful. What do we do with him?" Fan.Boy spoke up. "Can I ask something?" "No," replied his other self. Fan.Boy asked anyway. "Who are you people?" His other self seemed to struggle against something, but finally gave in. "We are the LNH. We're heroes that help keep the earth free from evil. Without our control, only chaos would rule." Fan.Boy blinked. "Say what?" "We are the rulers of the world. We dictate how everyone lives. Without our protection, evil would have a free hand in this world." "Almost correct," boomed a voice behind them, causing the two who stood to swing around rapidly. In the medbay doorway stood a 6 ft 7 spandexed figure. The suit was predominantly white, with red boots and blue gloves. He wore no mask, and his face was set in a sneer. His head was crowned with white hair. The two people who stood over Fan.Boy immediately knelt. "My liege," they intoned. Fan.Boy gazed at the new figure, who returned the stare. "You are in need of correction once again, Faq Boy." Fan.Boy's other self, who was evidently called Faq Boy, winced at the sound of his name. It was not spoken politely. "_We_ do not rule the earth. *I* rule the earth. I merely share my benevolence with you." "Yes, my liege," said the Doctor quickly. "And we are grateful for the great honour you bestow on our humble unworthy selves." "And rightly so, Doctor Trampler. For who should not fear... the Roster King!" At this point, Fan.Boy decided that he would rather listen to Guitar Man again than face this man. (At least he now knew, after reading Guitar Man #6, that GM's melting wasn't his fault.) The Roster King turned to Faq Boy. "Who is this person that looks like you?" "He appears to be one of my alt.selves... sir." "Hmm, interesting. Remind me to add it to your entry sometime." "Yes, sir." The Roster king addressed Fan.Boy. "What is your name?" "M..my name?" "Yes, yes, spit it out." "I'm Fan.Boy." "Really," said the Roster King, throwing a sideways glance at Faq Boy. "How droll. Oh well, carry on." "Yes, sir. What would you like done with him?" asked Faq Boy. "Oh, throw him in a cell below for now. I'm sure I'll find some interesting use for him sometime." "Certainly, sir." Faq Boy and Doctor Trampler each grabbed one of Fan.Boy's arms and dragged him off the bed and out the door. _-~-_ While they were transferring Fan.Boy to a cell, he tried to find out more about where he was. "Who was that man?" "The Roster King? He runs this place. In fact he runs the entire world. Oh, the Prodigal Samurai would like people to believe that he is in charge of the LNH, especially after he killed the Southern Shouter and tried to rape his girlfriend, Slinking Lass, before she escaped, but we all know he's just a figure head." "Prodigal Samurai? Southern Shouter? Slinking Lass?" "Of course, you're from an alt.dimension aren't you? Here, try reading this." Faq Boy drew out a roll of paper from somewhere and held it out in front of Fan.Boy so he could read it. "What is it?" Fan.Boy asked, peering at the paper. "The LNH Faq. I'm in charge of it. That's why I'm called Faq Boy." [Extract from the LNH Faq. Section 3] 3.0 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) .1 What is the LNH? .2 Why should I care about the LNH? .3 What if I don't read comics? .4 Is there a roster of members available? .5 Well, this is all great, but I can't get alt.comics.lnh on my system. Should I commit harri-kari? .6 How do I join this noble assemblage? .7 How is the LNH expanding beyond Usenet? .8 Who is the most powerful LNHer? .9 What are the rules of the LNH? .10 What sources of LNH information are there? .11 What is/was the 2 1/2 Month Gap and Beige Noon? .12 What is the NTB, and how does it relate to the LNH? .13 What is the New Reader's Oath? .14 Why not split the LNH? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.1 What is the LNH? A.1 The Legion of Net.Heroes is a group of beings brought together by under the kind leadership of the Roster King, who knows what is best for everyone. (All praise him.) To belong to the LNH is to belong to the best. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.2 Why should I care about the LNH? A.2 The Roster King cares for you, and you love your King. All care for the LNHers and obey them, and any who don't are inflicted with the worst punishment. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.3 What if I don't read comics? A.3 If you don't read comics, you wont understand the LNH, or its kind and wonderful leader, the Roster King. Misunderstanding the Roster King is not advised. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.4 Is there a roster of members available? A.4 The almighty Roster King holds the roster and controls its information. Any request for viewing this sacred document should be submitted in writing. (See the section labelled "Petitions.") -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.5 Well, this is all great, but I can't get alt.comics.lnh on my system. Should I commit harri-kari? A.5 Yes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.6 How do I join this noble assemblage? A.6 Apply to the Roster King, via the Prodigal Samurai. (See the section labelled "Petitions,") -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.7 How is the LNH expanding beyond Usenet? A.7 An electronic temple is being created on TIM for donations and worship of the LNH. It can be reached at yay.tim.org 5440 on telnet. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.8 Who is the most powerful LNHer? A.8 The Roster King, of course. He who controls the entries controls those who the entries belong to. Second is Faq Boy. He who controls information controls knowledge. He who controls knowledge, controls the people. (All under the Roster King's kind and benevolent guidance, of course.) After them is the spokesperson for the LNH, the Prodigal Samurai. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.9 What are the rules of the LNH? A.9 There is one rule. Obey the Roster King. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.10 What sources of LNH information are there? A.10 There is only the FAQ and the Roster. No other information is necessary. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.11 What is/was the 2 1/2 Month Gap and Beige Noon? A.11 This is when the rebel traitor, the Southern Shouter, tried to take control of the LNH from the Roster King. His reign lasted 2 1/2 months before the Prodigal Samurai was able to wrest control back from the Southern Shouter. Beige Noon was the worst atrocity performed by the Southern Shouter during this time. He, with his fellow traitor, Slinking Lass, delivered the LNH into the hands of Fan.Dom of the Alt.Ra where they suffered the tortures of licensing. After being placed on the Villains Roster, the Roster King was able to change Fan.Dom's STATUS to dead, saving the LNH. (All praise the Roster King.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.12 What is the NTB, and how does it relate to the LNH? A.12 The Net.Travellers Brigade is the police force for the Roster King. They are the law when the Roster King is not available for his benevolent judgement. They are wise and dutiful. Trust them and obey them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.13 What is the New Reader's Oath? A.13 "I, of my own free will, accept the leadership of the Roster King, and will obey him in everything. All praise the Roster King." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q.14 The LNH seems a bit crowded. Why don't we split it into individual teams? A.14 No. If this happens, the Roster King would not be able to keep his benevolent eye on everyone. We need his leadership. All praise the Roster King. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Extract ends] Fan.Boy winced. This was definitely not a pleasant place to be. By now, they had reached the cells, and Fan.Boy had one last question. "Why are you answering my questions? Bad guys aren't supposed to." "We are not 'bad guys'. We're in charge, therefore, we're the heroes. I answer questions because that is what I do. Faq Boy, answerer of faqs." The door slammed behind Fan.Boy with a sense of finality. _-~-_ Faq Boy sighed as he entered the cafeteria. He really didn't need this sort of thing. He had enough trouble making sure people weren't sticking knives into his own back. Now he had another back to look out for. He had to keep Fan.boy safe as he was sure that Fan.Boy was his ticket out of here. He went over to the sideboard and cast his eyes over the range of sponges that Sponge Lad had created. Picking up a piece of raspberry and blue cheese sponge, he wandered over to a bench. Someone sat down beside Faq Boy and he looked up to see Pistol Whip holding a piece of cheese and onion sponge and sporting a large bruise on his right eye. Faq Boy smirked. "Been putting the moves on Self-Evident Sis again?" "Shut up," muttered Pistol Whip. "Wouldn't have hit me if the Roster King had let me keep my quick-draw powers. She wouldn't been so rude with a gun facing her." Criticism Dude was nearby, mopping the floor. "Moan, moan, moan. Don't you do anything else?" Pistol Whip turned on Criticism Dude angrily. "Oh yeah, at least I wasn't possessed by some silly demon and make fun of the Roster King all the time. The only reason you're still here is because the King finds you amusing. That, and the fact he needs a janitor after killing off Cleanliness Kid. At least I still got powers." "Oh. Have a bad love life and take it out on me. How original. What do you do next? Stomp out of the room in a huff?" Pistol Whip stood up, knocking back his seat. His fists were clenched at his side, ready to take a swing at Criticism Dude. "Leave it alone," interrupted Faq Boy. "You know how the Roster King likes his play thing. You don't want to end up like Cleanliness Kid, do you?" Pistol Whip slowly sat down again. Cleanliness Kid had been an example to them all. After saying "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" once to often, the Roster King had added to his ADD.NOTES entry: "Suffers from acid running through his veins" and everyone watched as Cleanliness Kid slowly and painfully melted through the floor. It was something that had personally given Faq Boy nightmares for the following year. Someone else walked into the cafeteria, and Faq Boy was happy to see that it was Polysyllabic Woman. Pistol Whip and Criticism Dude were also happy. One thing about life under the Roster King's rule, the female LNHers had to wear skimpy outfits. Polysyllabic Woman had long become used to this, and now managed to carry herself with pride, but the brief tug on her mini-mini skirt gave away her remaining uncomfortableness with the uniform. Going over to Faq Boy, Polysyllabic Women said "The Roster King demands your personality immediately in his accommodation on the concurrent ascending level." Faq Boy sighed. Most people would have said "*He* wants to see you upstairs in his room", but not Polysyllabic Women. Pushing himself away from the table, he got up and headed for the stairs. _-~-_ Faq Boy knocked on the door and opened it when he heard "Enter." He went into the room and found the Roster King seated behind his desk, signing papers. The King waved him to a chair, in which Faq Boy waited silently for the King to finish whatever he was doing. The King put the piece of paper aside and looked up. "Tell me about yesterday afternoon." Faq boy managed to look puzzled. "What do you mean?' The King looked skeptical at Faq Boy's ignorance, but didn't question it. "I mean, how was Gallant Lad able to go to Ca.net.da and rescue the people there? Did I not expressly forbid anyone to interfere in the experiments I was carrying out there?" "Yes, sir." Faq Boy was squirming in his chair. He knew full well that Gallant Lad had gone, and that he, Faq Boy, had done nothing to stop him, and could only hope that the Roster King hadn't uncovered his part in the affair. "Well, what happened? How was he able to leave?" "Um, Suggestive Lad was on monitor duty at the time, but we experienced a power fluctuation at the time, during which time Gallant Lad left. We found out too late to stop him." Faq Boy hoped the sweat on his head wasn't visible. He pushed his glasses up to cover his nervousness. The Roster King sat back. "Interesting." Leaning forward again, he thumbed the intercom on his desk. "Have Suggestive Lad report here now. Oh, and bring in Gallant Lad as well." Faq Boy wondered what this was all about, but forbore to say anything. Only moments after Suggestive Lad turned up, Gallant Lad was brought in under guard. Gallant Lad had been beaten up, and his face bore markings of several bruises. Across his back, gashes in his trenchcoat offered testament to the whip lashings he had received. Suggestive Lad silently gloated at Gallant Lad's condiction. "Well, Suggestive Lad," said the Roster King. "As you can see, we have caught our traitor." "Indeed, sir." Faq Boy observed a mad gleam in Suggestive Lad's eyes, and felt less pity for whatever was to befall this man. "Perhaps, considering he caused the power failure while you were on duty, you might have some idea as to what we can do to... illustrate our displeasure." Suggestive Lad licked his lips. "I do have one idea, sir. Perhaps we could alter his teleportation ability, so that random molecules teleport at random times. He would just fly apart, piece by little piece." Faq Boy shut his eyes. He didn't really want to be a part of this. Unfortunately, the Roster King wasn't going to let him off that easily. "What do think of that, Faq Boy?" the King asked pointedly. Faq Boy opened his eyes and saw that the King was looking directly at him. "A very worthy torture, sir," he said in a quiet voice, unable to even glance in Gallant Lad's direction. "Indeed." The King reached into a pocket and took out a small piece of paper. Without even seeing it properly, Faq Boy knew it was Gallant Lad's roster entry. The King picked up a pen, and began writing. ------------------------------------------------- | | | NAME: Gallant lad | | POWERS: Superhuman agility, short range | | telporter(max 20 ft), clings to walls. | | Some psychic abilities. | | ADD.NOTES: Sometimes black trenchcoat gets in | | the way of movement. | | Carries two swords w/ him. | | Has smattering of obscure knowledge. | | Can perform some skills, but not very | | well. | | Recently contracted a deadly disease, | | which causes his molecules to randomly | | teleport. | | | ------------------------------------------------- Gallant Lad finally made a sound. "Noooo!" This quickly turned into a scream of anguish as parts of his body seemed to dissolve as the component molecules moved in random directions. Soon, nothing was left of him but a black trenchcoat which fluttered to the floor. Suggestive Lad grinned the whole way through. Faq Boy felt like he was going to throw up. "Now," said the Roster King, turning to Suggestive Lad. "What punishment shall you suffer to teach you the error of allowing mere power fluctuations to interrupt your duties." Suggestive Lad's eyes widened as he realised the import of the King's words. "No," he gasped, and vanished. The King clicked his tongue in irritation. "Now where's he got to?" Faq Boy rubbed his stomach, still nauseous. "He probably transported himself to another newsgroup." The King took out another piece of paper. "Silly boy. Hasn't he realised anything by now?" He peered at the paper and read aloud "'Power of suggestion. Ability to transport himself between newsgroups. Energy blasts'." He thought for a moment. "Right, those blasts go," he said, striking a line through the power description. He wrote for a moment. "Now. 'Ability to transport himself between newsgroups, but returns after a minute'. That should have the desired effect." Half a minute later, Suggestive Lad re-appeared, surprised. "Wha?" He concentrated in the King's direction. "Don't you feel like being kind to me?" The King laughed. "Have you forgotten? You can't affect me. Now, what punishment would be fitting..." He wrote for a moment on Suggestive Lad's roster entry. "Under ADD.NOTES, I have added 'Must have medication once every twenty four hours, or suggestion powers overwhelm mind and he becomes a mental retard'. And," the King glanced at his watch. "I do believe it has been several _weeks_ since your medication." Suggestive Lad's last normal expression was one of absolute terror before idiocy befell him, and he started drooling. Faq Boy looked away, deciding to visit the medbay for some Quik-eze before too long. The guards carried the shattered being of Suggestive Lad away. The Roster King lounged back in his chair. "You are dismissed... for now." As Faq Boy reached the door, he continued. "I want you to interrogate this 'Fan.Boy'. I want a full roster description." "Yes, sir." Faq Boy left, heading for the medbay. _-~-_ Fan.Boy was bored. He had been stuck here for hours. He had caught up on his net.reading. He had been fed (at least, he assumed the asparagus sponge was meant to be food). He had even formed a theory as to what had happened. Somehow, like Particle Man, he was now bouncing through strange dimensions, where the LNH stood for values different to those he was used to. However, having done all this, there was now nothing to do except wait for the inevitable torture and interrogation. He couldn't even swap stories with other prisoners, the doors being to thick to talk through. Thinking of this, the door moved. Fan.Boy jumped backwards in surprise as the door swung open and guards came through. He was grabbed and hauled through a passage way and then thrown into a room. The room had two chairs and he was roughly thrust into one. In the other chair was his opposite, Faq Boy. Although Fan.Boy studied his familiar with interest, the only real difference he could see was the costume. His other self wore no cape, but had a black body suit, with a white and green striped belt. In the center of his chest was a question mark surrounded by a red circle with a diagonal slash, meaning that there were no questions allowed here. On the left side of this was an "F", on the right was a "B". Faq Boy sighed and got out writing paper and a pen. "Right. let's get this over quickly shall we? I'm sure we've all got more important things to do. Name?" "You know my name," replied Fan.Boy. "Um, are you going to torture me?" "I'm sure we don't need that... unless you're into that sort of thing?" "No, no, no. Not particularly," assured Fan.Boy quickly. "It's just that thats the way interrogations are supposed to go. You ask questions, then proceed to beat me up irrelevant of the answers." "Just answer the questions and there'll be no need for that sort of thing. Besides," Faq added, uncomfortable. "The Roster King will be able to provide far too much of that sort of thing for anyone's pleasure." "Pleasure? Look, I may be bisexual, but I'm not depraved." "I know that. We are supposed to be the same remember?" "Well, more or less." Fan.Boy frowned over something. "If you're the second in command why are you called Faq Boy?" "How do you mean?" "Why 'Boy'? Why not 'the Faq Man'?" Faq Boy grimaced. "It's the King's way of reminding me of my station. Happy? Now, what are your powers?" "Well, I can stun people with my ability to pronounce punctuation." "Like?" Fan.Boy shrugged. "Like... @#$@ you, #%$#%%%." (Faq Boy blinked. "And what's that supposed to achieve?") (Fan.Boy gaped. "You aren't impressed by actually hearing the punctuation?") (Faq Boy shook his head.) (Fan.Boy turned and looked at the guards. Following his gaze, Faq Boy saw them staring ahead, mouths hanging open. "Ah, I see," he said.) He wrote on the paper. "Anything else?" "I can read everything that's ever been posted on a news.group." "Handy, I suppose," Faq Boy admitted as he wrote this down. "Anything else?" "Not as far as I know. What are your powers?" "Me? Well, I look after the FAQ, and know the answer to any commonly asked question." "Like: why has no-one ever overthrown the Roster King?" Faq Boy looked at Fan.Boy sharply. "I merely ask for the information," Fan.Boy said, smiling. "The Roster King has one very important line in his roster entry. 'Invulnerable to every LNHer.' Kind of puts a damper on things." Fan.Boy nodded his head in reluctant agreement. "Right. Now, any addition notes I should know of?" "Well, I'm a fan of every LNH story ever published. Kind of what gives me my name. Also, I know all the subplots and secrets that characters have. Seeing as how they're written down, it's easy to read them." Faq Boy wrote this down. "Fair enough. Anything else?" "Well, I'm a WC." "Wissy? What's that?" Fan.Boy blinked. "A Writer-Character. Means I'm based on some part of my writer's personality." Faq Boy openly showed his puzzlement. "How do you mean, 'Writer'?" Fan.Boy gaped. "You don't know about 'Writers'?" Faq Boy shook his head. "They're the people that write the postings," Fan.Boy explained. "They're the ones that put us through these ridiculous stories. Some characters think that they control their very actions and emotions, but I don't believe it. As I see it, they control the situations, but they can't control us." Faq Boy listened carefully to all of this. "What are you talking about?" "Writers. They write these postings, and we live them. How do you think all these things happen. The Net and everything?" "They just are. It's a reality that we know and are quite happy to accept without needing to create some kind of religious being to explain it all." Fan.Boy shied away from that topic. There were too many channels taken up with religious discussions already, and he didn't want to be the one responsible for increasing it. Faq Boy finished writing up Fan.Boy's roster entry. "Is that it?" "I guess so." "Right then." Faq Boy motioned to the guards to take him away. "Hang on. Can you put me in a different cell?" asked Fan.Boy. "It's so boring by myself." Faq Boy nodded. "All right." He addressed the guards. "Take him to cell 16." The guards looked surprised. "Are you sure? That's the cell of-" "I'm quite aware of who's cell it is. And I'm not used to having my orders questioned!" "Yes, sir!" Fan.Boy was marched away. _-~-_ Fan.Boy stumbled over the door-jam, and bere ly missed having his foot caught in the door as it slammed behind him. He straightened up and saw, true to his word, that Faq Boy had placed him in a cell with someone else. In the corner, quivering slightly, was an old man, wearing a wrinkled red spandex suit. Going over to him, Fan.Boy thought he saw some resemblance to someone in his universe, but was unable to place it exactly. Fan.Boy crouched down beside the old man. "Hello?" The figure stirred slightly, showing that the old man was aware of him. "Hello. I'm Fan.Boy. Who are you?" The old man mumbled something, and rose slightly. "Mm. Yes, I had a name once. Mm. It was.. it was.. Yes, I remember now. It was Gumperson Lord." Fan.Boy no idea what the old man was talking about. "I am the living incarnation of Gumperson's Law..." "Er, what's that?" "The, er, probability of a given event, um, occurring is inversely p..p..proportional to its desirability." Fan.Boy suddenly clicked on who this person was an alt.self of. He had a feeling that, in whatever dimension Writers lived in, his Writer would have a lot of explaining to do. "What happened to you?" asked Fan.Boy. "Mm? Isn't it, mm, obvious. The last thing I wanted to happen to be was to be captured by the LNH. Therefore, mm, thanks to my own powers, I was captured immediately." "When did this happen?" How long had Gumperson Lord been trapped here, that he was now so old. "Ur, it was.. um.. five years ago." "Five years? Surely you didn't think you think take on the LNH at your age." "You fool!" snapped Gumperson Lord. "Do you think I want to be this old? Of course I don't. That's the bloody point, isn't it?!" Fan.Boy backed off. "All right. Don't get steamed." Gumperson Lord fell back, gasping a bit. "Oh, don't mind me. I'm just an old fool, babbling away. It's, um, been so long since I had anyone to talk to. Um, mm, you're not going anywhere, are you? You're stuck here like me, aren't you?" A plan had formed in Fan.Boy's mind by this stage, and this was just the line he had been hoping for. "No, of course not," he assured Gumperson Lord. "Not if you don't want me to." "No. I'd quite like someone to stay here. Give me someone to talk to." Of course, as he said this, the chance of Fan.Boy not staying here rose dramatically. The door swung open, with no-one outside, begging to be used as an escape by Fan.Boy. Taking his cue, Fan.Boy leapt through the door. "Wait, wait," he heard from behind him. "Don't go, mm. Stay here and talk to me." As he heard this, Fan.Boy knew that the one place he wouldn't end up coming back to was here. Fan.Boy walked quickly down the corridor, making sure no-one else was in sight. Luckily, no-one was. He opened the door at the end, and entered the gymnasium outside it. Thankfully, this LNHQ was built just like his one. He crossed to the stairs, and carefully made his way up. On the first floor, he peered into the lobby, but no-one was about. Taking his chance, he crept out of the stairwell door and made for the front door. Behind him he heard the ironic sound of clapping and suddenly knew how Princess Leia felt in Return of the Jedi. Turning slowly, he saw in the cafeteria doorway the Roster King, someone else who was dressed in a very ceremonial outfit, who also wore a sword at his side, and Faq Boy. Funnily enough, Faq Boy was being held by guards, one who had his hand over Faq Boy's mouth. "I was waiting for something like this," said the Roster King. "I think it's time to find out your combat abilities. The Prodigal Samurai here," he indicated the ceremonial figure beside him, "expressed a wish to kill you, and, call me whimsical here, I'm rather inclined to grant it. Don't worry though. Far be it to send me to your death unaided. Faq Boy here shall die with you." He clicked his fingers. "To the Peril Pit everyone." Guards grabbed Fan.Boy and, in a sense of deja vu, dragged him away. _-~-_ Elsewhere, in the normal reality we know of as our Looniverse, a poker game was in session, the Ultimate Ninja dealing. He quickly dealt out cards to everyone, then looked at Parking Karma Kid for his call. PKK moved his hand towards his chips, then paused. "Don't you think," he said slowly, "that we're missing someone? Someone vital to our group, and someone whose very essence makes us stronger?" "Yeah," agreed Bandwagon Boy. "We all miss Decibel Dude." "Well," said Cheesecake Eater Lad. "More like Samantha Spoon." The men nodded. True, so true. Oh, well, there was always repeats of _Flying High_. _-~-_ The Peril Pit was subtly different from the Peril Room Fan.Boy knew. Instead of hi-tech machinery and state-of-the-art projectors and safety nets, the Peril Pit was a very large hole in the ground, filled with rubble, spikes, and pitfalls. Fan.Boy was thrown into the pit, but managed to land without any major damage. Faq Boy was also thrown in, and also escape without harm. No sense in taking away any of the Prodigal Samurai's fun. Above them, the Roster King sat in a large ornate chair. Around him were gathered several LNHers, some of whom Fan.Boy recognised as Master Blaster, Sarcastic Lad and aLLiterative Lass. Something told him that these people weren't the ones he knew and adored. Perhaps it was the jeers, perhaps it was the stone throwing, or maybe it was the subtle hand gestures, but something told him. "I have suspected you for a long time, Faq Boy," said the Roster King. "I know that you were responsible for Stretchable Dude living for the extra week, even though he helped that wretched mutant leopard girl to escape, and this more recent Ca.net.da incident. When Fan.Boy arrived, I thought I would wait for you to help him escape, then I could kill two birds with one stone." He motioned to he Prodigal Samurai, who flipped into the Peril Pit and landed lightly. "Let your final duty commence." "Wait," called Faq Boy. "What about all the years I have faithfully served you? Who will look after the FAQ?" "That is no longer your concerned." The Roster King took out something that Faq Boy instantly knew was his own entry. The King brought out a pen and made two slashing lines through the entry, then let the paper go. Faq Boy watched as it, his career, and even his life, fluttered down onto the broken floor beneath him. This must have been a signal, as Fan.boy saw the Prodigal Samurai take an impressive stance, sword drawn and held out in front of him. Fan.Boy turned to Faq Boy. "Come on. Together, we could take him down." However, Faq Boy was still looking at his entry, caught in a trance. Giving up on his alt.self, Fan.Boy turned, drawing breath to pronounce some devastating punctuation. Before he could say anything, the Prodigal Samurai's foot landed on his throat, causing Fan.Boy to collapse, grasping at his injured larynx. Although he fell backwards, the Samurai's sword still cut into his stomach, opening it, and allowing his intestines to escape. Fan.Boy crumpled to the ground, his insides strewn about him, permanently out of the fight even through he was still alive. Just. Faq Boy finally turned away from his entry to find the Samurai facing him. "I had hoped he would be more of a challenge," said the Samurai, in a measured tone. "Will you also disappoint me?" Faq Boy shook his head,but whether it was to deny the Samurai's statement, or to clear his head, no-one was certain. He drew the FAQ from someplace, and also brought out a pen. Flipping to the question about who was the greatest LNHer, he made to bring up the pen to change it, but found himself staring blankly at the stump of an arm he now had. He looked up, confused, and saw the Samurai shaking his head. "No," said the Samurai. "That is not the true way." He swished his sword about, causing Faq Boy to fall back, or be impaled. As Faq Boy retreated, he tripped and fell on the rubble, Tumbling backwards, a short spike pierced his the back of his leg just above this knee. Faq Boy screamed as pain shot through him. The Prodigal Samurai looked at the damage he had caused without even the slightest bit of effort. He glanced upwards at the crowd. The LNHers were booing the poor performance, and even the Roster King looked disappointed. "Finish them off," he commanded. The Prodigal Samurai nodded and took a step backwards. "I had asked for this battle hoping to find strength and force. Fan,Boy was right. Together, you would have taken me. Now, not even a Ronin would pity your plight." The Samurai took a step back and raised his sword. Pink swirl whirled around him, and a little eddy encircled the bottom of his sword scabbard. Faq Boy had seen this before, but didn't understand the significance. Fan.Boy did understand, but was unable to more than groan. As the eddy played around the bottom of the scabbard, it glowed and protective little guards popped out, defining a handle. Reaching down, the Samurai gasped the hilt and drew another, glowing, sword from the bottom of the scabbard. Crossing the two swords in front of his face, causing power to crackle around them, the Samurai brought them down to his feet, then drew them up in wide arcs, leaving behind paths of light. "It's whammy time!" cried the Samurai, as flung his swords forward. The paths of light focused into beams, one flying towards each of the defeated opponents. Both Fan.Boy and Faq Boy lit up from head to crotch, then they exploded. Blood and gore splattered onto the landscape. Some of the LNHers above were forced to look away, but the Prodigal Samurai merely twirled his swords and posed. "Ta-dah!" Splash page: Focus is on a piece of paper, Faq Boy's entry. To the left can be seen a pool of blood, with a finger just visible. ------------------------------------------- |\ /| | N\ME: Faq Boy / | | POW\RS:Controls the FAQ, and throug/ it | | \controls the knowledge peop/e | | k\ow, and therefore, cont/ls the | | peo\le. / | | Also, \as the ability/to know the | | answer \o the most /requently | | asked que\tions. / | | ADD.NOTES:Is keep\r o/ the LNH FAQ. | | Is the secondXmost powerful | | LNHer, afte/ th\ Roster King. | | Has an al/.self c\lled Fan.Boy. | | Was dis/overed to b\ a traitor | | by Pi/tol Whip, who h\s taken | | ove/ as keeper of the F\Q. | | I/ to be executed by the \ | | /Prodigal Samurai. \ | | / \ | | /Nightmare." \ | |/ by Jamas Enright \| ------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEXT ISSUE: What? Is it over already? Is it really that easy to kill a fan? Will there be a Fan.Boy #6? (well, duh) Find out in Fan.Boy #6: "Return of a non-Legend." -------- Credits: Poker scene cameoed with permission. All the others belong to me (although I may disown this fact if challenged.) Some may have noticed that the LNHers above bear a striking resemblance to certain members of the real Legion of Net.Heroes. Below is a chart for the mentally deficient to show who was who. As for who owns the real LNHers, well, Martin posts the Roster fairly often, read that.... if you can trust it... :) --------------------------------------------------------- | My LNHer | Real LNHer | --------------------------------------------------------- | The Roster King | Master Roster Man/List Lad | | Faq Boy | Fan.Boy | | The Prodigal Samurai | The Ultimate Ninja | | Trumpet Man | Guitar Man | | Doctor Trampler | Doctor Stomper | | Souther Shouter | Rebel Yell (Southern Sentinel) | | Slinking Lass | Lurking Girl | | Sponge Lad | Cheesecake Eater Lad | | Pistol Whip | Master Blaster | | Self-Evident Sis | Sister State-the-Obvious | | Criticism Dude | Sarcastic Lad | | Cleanliness Kid | Squeaky Clean | | Polysyllabic Woman | aLLiterative Lass | | Suggestive Lad | Deja Dude | | Gallant Lad | Kid Chivalry | | Stretchable Dude | Pliable Lad | | Gumperson Lord | Acton Lord | ---------------------------------------------------------Back to the Index.