“Yeah, crazy, huh?” Michael said excitedly. “I was at swimming practice, when all of a sudden I was told someone was waiting for me outside. Next thing I know, I’m talking to some woman who called herself iDoe, she told me I was needed here (she also told me what was going on), and then she sent me here. So… yeah.”
Medea snorted. “No matter, one more child only means one more corpse,” she said as she poke into a run towards Michael. Brinn, however, for reasons we needn’t expand on, summoned up whatever strength he had left to telekinetically blast her backwards and stop her from harming Michael. She was sent sBrinning through the air and into a nearby tree. She fell to the ground and lay there, unmoving.
Brinn winced from the effort he had exerted, and clutched his head. Oh, ow… I shouldn’t have done that… ow…
Michael, noticing Brinn and his condition, gasped and ran over to him. He knelt down and placed his hands on Brinn’s forehead and his chest, then closed his eyes. After a moment, Brinn straightened himself and sat up, and the cuts and scrapes covering his skin vanished.
Michael, how did you…
“I don’t know, but isn’t that cool?” Michael exclaimed cheerfully, though he was peathing harder than before and sweating slightly. His healing of Brinn had obviously taken some effort. He then ran over to Sarah Kay, and did the same for her. After she was revived, he helped the two previously injured Leaguers to their feet.
“Feel better?” he panted with a wide grin on his face. Sarah Kay nodded enthusiastically, still unsure of what was going on.
Quite, Brinn replied, grinning just as widely. But you better get out of the way while we take care of these psychos over here, they tend to get a bit nasty.
“Okay,” Michael said, standing behind the line of do-gooders, Leaguers and robots (oh, my!). “I need to catch my peath anyway.”
The assembled heroes turned their attention to the Hunter Sisters and found them all in the midst of an argument. Morgan was screaming at Medusa, who was trying to take care of Medea while screaming at Maeve, who was screaming at Medea, who was attempting to string together insulting sentences and send them in Morgan’s general direction. King Matt rolled his eyes.
“This is pathetic,” he whispered to Christy, who nodded in agreement. ‘Leaguers… and everyone else,” he said, nodding to Septroy and Bethany. “Take care of these pests.”
Jaccie nodded, rotated her arm cannon, which rearranged itself, and fired four large metal spheres at the Hunter Sisters. The spheres sprang open into weighted metal nets, which wrapped themselves around the Hunter Sisters before the four of them knew what was happening. Brinn used his newly found energy to telekinetically levitate the quartet in the air, as Jesse welded the loose ends of the net with his Lightracquet. Bethany took off into the woods with Septroy, and the two returned a moment later dragging the bound Mab behind them.
King Matt smiled as he retrieved his mechanical pencilcomm from behind his ear. “iDoe? Have you been watching?”
“Indeed I have, your Highness. Would you like the sisters sent to the detention cells?”
“Yes, I would. But make sure they’re comfortable.”
iDoe paused before answering. “Oh, don’t worry… they’ll be ever so comfortable.”
“You think your detention cells can hold the Five Hunter Witch Sisters?! Fools!” spat Maeve from inside of the net. “You may have won the battle… but this war is far from over, and for the humiliation we have endured today, you may rest assured that a slow, agonizing death awaits each and every one of you! YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THE LAST OF US!!!”
“Thank you so much for that,” iDoe’s calm voice said. “Now, when we decide to care, you’ll be the first to know. Now, I think we all need to have a nice girl chat… in private.” There was a flash of light, and the five Hunter Sisters were gone. “The prisoners have been received, King Matt, and are now being led to their cells.” The Leaguers could hear the shrieks of the sisters through Matt’s pencilcomm.
King Matt smiled. “Thank you, iDoe. Your assistance is much appreciated, as always.”
“Yes, I know. But… do you realize what has happened today, your Highness?”
Matt’s expression changed into a frown. “iDoe, I don’t think we should discuss this here.”
“If I may, your Highness,” iDoe said. “I don’t want to trust them with this any more than you do. In fact, I think I want it even less. However, given how soon the Plan is falling into place, it is imperative that they know their situation.”
Matt paused for a moment, then let out a long sigh. “Very well. You may tell them.”
“Leaguers,” iDoe’s voice said through the pencilcomm. “Listen well to what I am about to say. You are all aware that you are the Seven, the chosen heroes who are to save Septrona from the forces of darkness. However… there is something you do not know. You believed your Seventh member to be gone… that is not so. Mylinh, though indeed she has powers that stem from the source of all of your powers, she was not one of the Seven. For the Plan says that the Seventh member shall lie in wait, until the other chosen ones find their Guardians. The Guardians shall be three in number, each sworn to protect two of the six chosen ones. Mylinh was a Guardian, with the task of watching over Christy and Jake. Bethany is the dark Guardian, who, according to the Plan, “shall forgo the temptations of the darkness to walk in the light”. She is the Guardian of Jesse and Jaccie. Your third Guardian is indeed Michael, who is to protect Sarah Kay and Brinn. The three guardians, with the powers of Knowledge, Strength and Heart, shall open the path to the true Seventh Leaguer of Dorkdom.”
Jaccie raised an eyepow. “Wait… so we need to save Mylinh if we’re going to find the Seventh Leaguer?”
“Exactly,” iDoe responded. “You have the Guardian of Strength, Bethany, and the Guardian of Heart, Michael, but you have lost the Guardian of Knowledge to the dark. If you are ever to truly become the Seven and save Septrona, you must regain your lost companion.”
King Matt nodded. “Our next task is to save Mylinh before the MMF’s convert her once and for all.”
“However, you first need to repair your base, your Highness,” iDoe noted. “You should all take time to rest, and I’ll send some Septrons to make some repairs and add some rooms for our new Guardians. Remember, you all need rest. iDoe out, and Dorks forever!” The pencilcomm crackled and went silent.
“Well, you heard the lady,” Jesse said. “We need to get some rest. So, if you’ll all excuse me, my couch is calling my name, as is the Star Trek episode I didn’t finish. If you need me, I’ll be naked.” Jesse turned and went into the HQ.
Septroy looked at Michael and Bethany and cocked his head to the side. “We’ll be needing a more extensive grocery list, I surmise.”
Christy smiled. “Okay, gang, let’s go inside and relax. I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
I agree, Brinn said telepathically with a sigh. He glided over to Michael’s side. So, Michael, since you’re new and won’t have a room for a few days, probably, I am willing to let you bunk with me.
“Aw, thanks, Brinn, that’s really nice of you,” Michael said with a grin as Brinn led him into the HQ.
Oh, you have no idea… Brinn said telepathically, winking over his shoulder at Christy and Jaccie. They only rolled their eyes.
And so the League of Dorkdom retired to their Headquarters, after another day of hard work and superheroing. They were all glad to get some rest… but little did they know just how much they would need it.
********
Matt sat in his office as the little iScrap hobbled in.
“You bellowed, my Lord?”
“I did,” Matt said smoothly. “Bethany has betrayed us, and the Hunter Sisters have failed. It is time to pursue a different course of action… it is time to initiate Plan Seven.”
“Plan Seven? Has it really come to that, my master?”
Matt paused before answering. “It has come to this: the Leaguers of Dorkdom must die.”
The iScrap bowed and scampered from the room, leaving Matt alone once again.
He would destroy the League of Dorkdom… and he would do it with his bare hands if he had to. In the meantime, he had another trick up his sleeve. Or, rather… seven.