Training 4 Trouble
Training 4 Trouble
In the heart of Anarchy City, New Jersey under City Hall a crowd of assorted furs has gathered. Staircases of metal that almost look like they belong to some Escher painting crisscross the train over which the administration of the municipality is maintain with atriums on either side give the whole area a nice airy feeling. Rodents, felines, canines and other assorted furs stand around in the snow bundled appropriately for the season as a steady rain falls to wash said wintry leavings away.
A black furred grizzly bear in what can only be described as a dark harlequin outfit of black and red diamond squares makes his way to the podium followed by a panda bear in a red Kung Fu martial arts uniform with a golden dragon motif. Already on the podium is a buffalo in a business suit flanked by a quartet of gorillas in similar attire. All of those on the podium glare at the bear as he ascends as if his very presence in an affront to their sensibilities.
"Where's War Horse?" The buffalo demands to know. "We asked for Sentinel support for this event. We expected him or Shell at least not an ex-super villain and the Martial Arts Madame."
"War Horse and Shell are both busy elsewhere, Mister Mayor," the panda girl answers, "Demolition and I are all that's available since it was specifically requested that certain Sentinels not attend."
"Certain members are not conducive to the promotion of Law and Order, Dragon Fist," Mayor Iron Eyes Capote growls, "but Impostor could be anywhere with his abilities."
"Demolition is here at MY request, Mayor," a booming voice calls from behind as a very male hippo in Disco finery ascends the platform with a stern look from behind his goggled shades.
"Of course, Hippo Daddy-O," Mayor says through gritted teeth as the elder superhero corrects him for his earlier statements. .
"So," Hippo Daddy-O asks, "where is the first train of the new Meandering Express?"
Almost as if on cue a maglev bullet train pulls into the station amid some fanfare. The Mayor steps up to the podium to speak when a cacophony gives him pause. A lady rabbit with a rainbow colored spiked Mohawk and wearing an outfit that just covers what it needs to while making her look like a clownish punk bounces on top of the train and starts tossing grenades like party favors.
"Here's some sparklers for ye folks!" She announces. "Courtesy of the Ill-Humor Man!"
"Pun-Punk's right kiddies!" A chimpanzee in a uniform that is the reverse of a Good Humor Man yells as drives an evil looking ice cream truck into the crowd. "But I couldn't do it alone..."
"They had help from, me!" A white rat in the uniform of mad scientists since the term was invented. "Mad Lab Rat! For such a special occasion such as this!"
"Krauts! Japs! Commies! Hippies! Pinkos! Yer all gonna die to bring True Americana back to the forefront where it belongs!" A zombified redneck pig in Army fatigues yells to everyone from the back of the truck as he tosses out grenades even faster than Pun-Punk.
"Somebody dug up Bugaboo Bailey!?" Hippo Daddy-O yells incredulously as he recognizes his old foe. "How far in the ground do we gotta put you down?"
"ZomBombs Away!!!" Bugaboo Bailey yells as Demolition, Dragon Fist and Hippo Daddy-O go to work.
Knowing full well that if those grenades explode they will disperse zombie plague into the crow the trio work to catch and diffuse/destroy the bombs. Premature destruction of the canisters causes the destroyer to be subjected to the effects of the plague but does not disperse beyond his or her general vicinity. Unfortunately for Bugaboo Bailey all three heroes are immune to the ravages of the disease by various methods so they can bust the bombs with impunity.
Bugaboo Bailey is yelling insults as his initial plans are thwarted, conservative religious rhetoric that is better not repeated, but he is especially critical of Dragon Fist whom he calls a whore who should be in the kitchen and not doing "Men's Work" acting as a superhero. Pun-Punk glares at Bugaboo Bailey but says nothing as the Ill-Humor Man crashes his truck in such a way that all four of them can invade the train as random furs in the crowd boards the train. Hippo-Daddy-O also boards with Demolition and Dragon Fist close behind.
Mad Lab Rat takes over the computer and electrical systems for the train that serves as it operational systems before donning an engineer's cap and scarf. Upon gaining full control of the locomotive, Mad Lab Rat shuts and seals the doors revving up the speed. Pun-Punk bounces up and down the length of the train tossing domino masks hither and yon.
Anyone who picks up a mask feels a compulsion to put it on and those that do don a mask have their darker impulses come to the forefront: A group of males crowd a female passenger, specifically a cow, and molest her. A group of females take the opportunity to strip tease and/or pick pocket males while soliciting for other favors.
Hippo Daddy-O has his wallet lifted by a lioness as she gives him a blow job while Dragon Fist knocks out any female that even approaches Demolition in a seductive manner. Pun-Punk responds to this by giving the panda a rabbit punch that lays her out for a minute. Demolition's pockets are not easily seen or felt, much less accessed, being an ex-super villain tends to make a hero a little more street smart than others.
Demolition pulls Pun-Punk by the ears and gives her a good spanking that gets her wet and horny; not to mention distracted as he almost cuffs her as part of the discipline the bear metes out. The Ill-Humor Man hits Demolition with a boxing glove gun to force him back that earns him a dark look from Pun-Punk. However, while his action saves Pun-Punk it also focuses Demolition on him and delivers the tired old line after donning Groucho glasses before the bear lays out the chimp with a single powerful punch.
Bugaboo Bailey watches the Ill-Humor fly past him on the way to dreamland and drops two things: ZomBombs and a boom box. A bull, a coyote, a jaguar, an ox, a ram and a monkey who looks like Seer, one of Demolition's team mates on the Sentinels of Freedom, instantly turn into zombies from fast acting zombie plague as the boom box starts to play Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in an endless loop. With Bugaboo Bailey as their leader, the troop of zombies advances on the super bear.
Demolition sighs and shakes his head before getting into a defensive stance. Hippo Daddy-O is making his way towards the boom box when a zombified Seer stops him. He knows he has to show some restrain as in some cases the zombie plague can be cured and the fact that these citizens were innocent bystanders just a few seconds ago but they surround and protect the one that the bear wants to shred so while he is doing his best to keep himself in check it's getting increasingly difficult for him.
A choreographed series of bites pisses Demolition off as he does lash out and send the ox bouncing off the walls; leaving brain juice behind to stain the walls. Inwardly Demolition grimaces as he knows that if wasn't dead already he just killed him. The jaguar is next to get a hard landing but he and the coyote are folks Demolition recognizes as genuine villains, henchmen for hire like he was once but unlike him never went beyond the lifestyle of your typical rent-a-thug especially if you minor powers to back it up.
As the battle rages the train enters PayrollPark a large cemetery and memorial park with statues to honor the dead. Hippo Daddy-O's now dead team mate, the Puritan, a mystical ram with highly conservative Protestant view whose magic was kabalistic in nature, put this area to surround City Hall as a reminder to whatever politicians served here of the potential consequences of their actions. The name was a compromise and a grim joke between them that cases the hippo hero to pause and sigh as Bugaboo Bailey salutes those interred here.
An undead ram in the combined religious attire of both a Protestant priest and a Jewish rabbi watches the train go past. He smiles at his old hippopotamus friend but hardens his gaze at the undead in the train. The train moves ion the underground before the Holy undead can do much else.
The tracks underground are dimly lit as the train speeds through. A troop of militant looking moles in mining gear scuttles past doing maintenance although Demolition is suspicious. Underground in AnarchyCity is the province of the Underminer and his gang.
Unbidden the sound system starts to play the classical piece "In the Halls of the Mountain King" by Edvarg Grieg. Seer is trying to find Mad Lab Rat and end this crazy train ride but he's having little luck. At one of the stops a rabbit girl in business attire is among those getting on as well as twin Siamese cat business men; Dragon fist is just getting up and recognizes both the rabbit and the cats.
The rabbit's business suit starts out as gray flannel then turns pastel pink as she herself goes from steel gray to neon blue. Dragon Fist directs Demolition's attention to the bunny and they both smirk. No matter what she wears, Kaleidoscope's color changing powers give her away.
Dragon Fist then turns her attention to the Siamese cat brothers Ping and Pong whom she knows as a tag team of assassins who tend to work freelance but between the Triads and the Yakuza they're rarely hurting for money. Ping and Pong notice her as well and the hate radiating from their collective glare would be intimidating if it weren't for the fact that she's kicked their tails before. Seer looks over at them and grins which puzzles the brothers as to what could be so funny until they pass out from a double noggin knocker performed by Demolition that draws a disapproving glance from Dragon Fist as Seer's grin broadens.
Pun-Punk recognizes her sister as the Meandering Express shoots into the Aero-Tube which forms an enclosed Moebius strip in the Money Market, the financial district of Anarchy City. Bull Stock enters the Express a car ahead of the main action as the unscrupulous business man and secret crime kingpin takes not of the cat fight between the rabbit sisters and positions himself in a good seat to watch and not be observed himself. Unfortunately for him, one of a very few who knows what kind of slime he really is outside of his own organization saw him and has taken note of the fact that he is here: Demolition did some body guarding for him as a favor for Lady Thumperdoom.
Demolition moves to block Bull Stock's view of the fight and while at first the bull is annoyed, he then realizes who the bear is and gets a little nervous. Bull Stock has been VERY careful to keep his shadier dealings hidden and unconnected to his legitimate holdings. There is almost nothing to connect the rogue financier to his crimes but a possible link to his misdeeds seeing the light of the law stands before him.
Bull Stock takes out his cell phone and makes a phone call to a Hong Kong fixer to put out a hit on Demolition. That fixer assigns the target to Ping and Pong who are just recovering from Demolition's sneak attack. Ping and Pong look at each other and smile as the change into mirroring costumes of Terrorist, Infiltrators and Killers Incorporated which includes matching tiki masks.
Seer moves to help Demolition when he gets a tap on the shoulder that turns out to be Mad Lab Rat. Mad Lab Rat gives Seer a face full of super chloroform that knocks him out before going back into hiding. But then again it's not as if Demolition actually needs help.
A smirk creeps up on Demolition's muzzle as the twins forget that they used to spar with him occasionally when he was still using his strength for criminal endeavors. When Ping and Pong come out at him as one that's when Demolition starts to spin like a top. Both brothers get a forearm smash to the face simultaneously that staffers them.
Before either brother can react Demolition grabs Ping and uses his head to smash Pong and knock him out. After knocking Pong for a loop Demolition releases Ping in a centrifugal slingshot maneuver to attack the Ill-Humor Man in order to get him to release Dragon Fist from his stranglehold and the angry panda bear gives the chimpanzee a flurry of fists after they both recover.
A stallion in super high tech powered armor and a turtle with rocket boots fly outside the tube the train is traveling are attempting to access control panels to gain access to the enclosed tracks as the maglev train shoots past them and plunges into the Atlantic. AnarchyCity is connected to the U.S. Navy undersea base code named: Atlantis via the same tube train system and it is on this section of track that the Meandering Express is hurtling along. At Atlantis Station, Mad Lab Rat and Bugaboo Bailey jump ship so to speak along with Bull Stock.
The three villains nod to each other as the battle between Pun-Punk and Kaleidoscope continues as the sisters trade insults as well as punches between them. Dragon Fist, Demolition and Hippo Daddy-O chase after Bugaboo Bailey and Mad Lab Rat but two of the heroes have to pause when they see them talking to the tycoon.
"What the yiff is going on?" Hippo Daddy-O asks of nobody in particular. "Is Bull Stock being taken hostage?"
"Unlikely," Demolition replies. "Bull Stock is one of the hidden bosses of the Secret Seven Syndicate."
"He's what the group calls one of its Shadow Sovereigns?" Dragon Fist asks, to which Demolition just nods, "You're sure?"
"I know how squeaky clean he seems," Demolition says in defense of his position. "But I worked with on some his more...less than legal endeavors."
"Back when you were one of the bad guys" Hippo Daddy-O asks and gets a solemn nod. "I thought he was involved in something shady. His record's too clean. Fairy tale spotless if you catch my drift."
"But nobody can get a good enough look at his books to see of they've been cooked so to speak," Dragon Fist says with a conspiratorial nod. "But this proves nothing. Looks like they're going for the hostage angle."
"There he is!" A voice calls behind them.
"I see him, brother!" Another voice calls.
"Round two, here we go!" Demolition calls as he turns around to face Ping and Pong.
"You won't," Ping starts.
"Trick us," Pong continues.
"AGAIN!!" Ping and Pong yell in unison.
"Take care of these turkeys and catch up," Hippo Daddy-O as both Demolition and Dragon Fist turn to face Ping and Pong.
"Uh, oh!" Ping says as he realizes they have to deal with both bears.
"Not Good!" Pong agrees.
"Hut one! Hut two!" Demolition calls as gets into a three point stance.
"We must," Pong starts excitedly.
"Flee!" Ping finishes in the same sense of desperation.
Ping and Pong start running back towards the Meandering Express when Demolition sprints after them. Dragon Fist giggles when Demolition hits the twins with a double clothesline. She somersaults after him and gives the brothers a butterfly kick as they recover from Demolition's attack.
War Horse and Shell fly in as Ping and Pong fall to Dragon Fist's attack. Mad Lab Rat pulls a remote out of his coat pocket and points it at the train. After pressing a button he announces:
"Well, Shell, so nice of you and your boyfriend to join us. I've just started a countdown on the train, it will be leaving soon and will detonate somewhere in AnarchyCity if you don't diffuse it in time. Good luck!"
"I think we left your friend Seer aboard as well." Bugaboo Bailey says with a smirk.
"Sentinels Assemble!" War Horse cries out as Shell flies to diffuse the bomb.
"Let's take care of this Star Spangled Simpleton," Bull Stock suggest to his compatriots.
While War Horse's back is turned to them, Bull Stock, Bugaboo Bailey and Mad Lab Rat shoot him with their blasters. Everyone but Demolition is surprised by this act of cowardice as the three villains board a monorail that takes them deeper into the complex. Rat like robots the size of walker tanks with the ability to shoot lasers from their tails dig their way up from the ground.
Slowly but surely War Horse recovers from his sneak attack as Demolition just tears into the roborats with wild abandon. The train takes off just as Shell makes it inside to diffuse the bomb. Kaleidoscope and Pun-Punk take each other out as Dragon Fist struggles with how she can help when a chameleon hands her a blaster rifle.
"Not your specialty, I know," Impostor says to Dragon Fist. "But it will work on Mad Lab Rat's toys."
"Thanks, Impostor," Dragon Fist says before they both get shot by Bugaboo Bailey who celebrates his aim before he's out of range.
"Get back in the kitchen where you belong, woman!" Bugaboo Bailey screams with a laugh as if this was one big joke.
"I'm going to fuck you up royally when I get my paws on you, Bailey!" Demolition swears as he trashes a robot rat tank.
"We have to find them first," War Horse warns as he blasts away with his suit's built in weapon systems. "But what's billionaire Bull Stock doing with them? Hostage?"
"Conspirator is more likely," Demolition informs. "He and the other two shot you."
"WHAT!?!" War Horse yells in disbelief. "Hippo Daddy-O was right, there is something sleazy about that bull."
"We can settle his hash when we catch him," Demolition states, "By the way, where is Hippo Daddy-O?"
"Right here with you, my brothers!" Hippo yells as trashes a bot. "I almost doubted you, Demolition, Bull Stock showed me his true colors when he shot War Horse."
"These things seem to have some sort of Hydra circuitry," War Horse observers, "There seems to be no end of them."
Then the robots combine themselves into one dragon sized monstrosity with multiple heads and tails.
"I had to open my muzzle," War Horse states ruefully.
"Well, look on the bright side," Hippo Daddy-O says with a smile. "Now we can gang up on the sucker!"
"You have a point there," Demolition accedes then looks at War Horse. "Can you get airborne?"
"I see where you're going," War Horse says with thumbs up and a nod.
"We got here as fast as we could," A very stretchy ferret says as she, a lady cobra with an obvious athletic cup and a lady badger teleport in.
"Is Mad Lab Rat up to his usual shenanigans?" The badger in the super hero equivalent of a hockey goalie's uniform asks.
"More than likely," the rainbow scaled cobra says as she flies over the giant robot and arcs lightning between her hands.
"Rainbow Serpent, Stretcher Truth and Goalie, good to have you with us," War Horse states, "We need a team effort on this."
Goalie uses her teleportation abilities to set up a kind of point defense system so each time the monster robot tries to blast someone or something the laser beam shoots through a portal to the outside harmlessly. Rainbow Serpent is throwing bolts of lightning at it while making it rain in the domed city. War Horse is blasting the robot as best he can while Demolition and Hippo Daddy-O tears it apart physically.
Deep in the bowels of Atlantis the experimental metropolis is a secret detention center for uber powerful super villains. Floating naked in a tube is a Bengal tigress who is as beautiful as she is deadly. Only while she is dreaming of Armageddon is the world truly safe from Madam Entropy.
Mad Lab Rat gazes lovingly at the ultimate femme fatale as Bull Stock looks over the extortion demand speech they have planned for Bugaboo Bailey to read on national television. The demand is a simple one: pay up or they let Madam Entropy out of her cage. Bull Stock will be manning the camera to make sure his involvement is not immediately apparent but he will get a share of the profits.
Bull Stock is getting the camera set up when the Sentinels teleport in. Demolition made his change of heart here so he knew full well this could be one of the trio's destinations. Mad Lab Rat makes a move for the release switch when War Horse shoots him while Demolition renders Bugaboo Bailey into a collection of spare parts on general principal.
Despite his protest of being a hostage, Bull Stock is taken into custody along with his confederates. One phone call once in police headquarters to his lawyers gets him sprung extremely quickly with the apologies of the mayor himself. As for the bomb Mad Lab Rat planted on the Meandering Express; that turned out to be just a sick joke he set up as a distraction.
Iron Eyes Capote publicly calls for an indictment against the Sentinels until footage is leaked of Bull Stock shooting War Horse in the back. No indictment comes down but Capote secretly calls for the head of whoever hacked his signal and showed the scenes that made him look like a fool. While the information will never turn up, it was Demolition and Hippo Daddy-O working together as part of their mutual respect for each other and their lack of respect (to put it mildly) of the Mayor.
Back at Sentinel Headquarters Dragon Fist is naked and in a hot tub with Demolition when the botched news conference is re broadcasted on the late late news. The bears giggle as they watch the news with their hands in each others groins. Dragon Fist is riding Demolition when Capote reacts in shock to what the so called "Pillar of the Community" does to the power suit hero of the city and has to explain himself.
Kaleidoscope tries to insinuate herself into then of the bears but instead gets picked up by Rainbow Serpent for some fun. She pouts and protests since Rainbow is not as satisfying to her as Demolition but Kaleidoscope allows herself to be carried away anyway. Both bears hear the rabbit's protest, smirk and then carry on with their own love making.