UNIVERSE BOWL VI: PROLOGUE III

             The debris of lost ships falls from the sky, resembling shooting stars.  I recall the losses to both sides; the Kryptonian and Oa deities; the mutant behemoths. Combatants’ lives lost all in the name of a victory to which they will neither see, nor enjoy.  I shake my head at my cynic reflection of the match’s events and the irony which has brought me to this moment.  I continue to walk along a tattered road, ever closer to my locker room.

UNIVERSE BOWL VI: CHAPTER VIII: TURMOIL IN THE TIMBERLAND

            “Scan the area,” states the gruff voice behind the viewport.  “This is where we lost communication with Houslander.”

            “Will do,” responds the doughy, bespectacled man behind the controls of the AT-ST.  The driver looks to the figure who stares through the windshield of the vehicle.  The man’s black gear is emblazoned with a white skull.  The Punisher focuses on the site and nods his head at his friend, Microchip.

            “There,” points Microchip to an AT-ST approximately five hundred yards to their left.  “The AT-ST is stationary. . . The scanner indicates that there are no viable life signatures within the vehicle.”

            The mechanized sounds of the large, two footed vehicle shatters the noise of the forest’s inhabitants as it wades through the terrain. 

            “That’s it alright,” says the Punisher.  The vigilante contemplates the issues associated with their current situation. 

            “I’m going to check it out.  You stay in the vehicle.”

            “No problem boss,” responds Microchip.

            The Punisher leaves the AT-ST, guns drawn, and slowly treads toward Houslander’s AT-ST.   He pulls out a grappling hook from his gear strewn belt and throws it, able to secure the metal onto a latch.  The Punisher climbs the rope and shimmies through the broken window.  He instantly notices Houslander’s gruesome body sitting with a hole in her chest.  Curiously, her hand appears to be in rigor, yet in a position that looks as if it is reaching for a middle panel.  The Punisher manages to open the panel and pulls out a green lightsaber.  Although Houslander was unable to use her weapon in her fight, the Punisher will definitely utilize the weapon should he face any foes.

            The Punisher clips the lightsaber to his belt and begins to climb down the rope.  Suddenly, metal, knife-like projectiles slice into him.  The shiny missiles also manage to shred the rope.  The Punisher falls to the ground, but enters into a perfect barrel roll, armed with the lightsaber.  A slightly wounded Punisher uses his inherent skills to deflect the feathers rocketing toward him from Archangel’s wings.  While Archangel is focused on the Punisher, Microchip presses the trigger of the AT-ST.  The blasts hit the initial X-Factor member, throwing him across the forest.  If not for his enhanced metallic wings, the burst of the AT-ST’s cannons would have killed him.  Microchip continues to barrage Archangel, who manages to avoid a majority of the bursts.  While Archangel shuns the weapons of the Empire’s all terrain vehicle, the Batwing soars into the fray and Red Hood begins to fire at the mutant too. 

            The bombardment of both vehicles is too much for Archangel.  Red Hood’s Batwing shoots a harpoon through Archangel’s left leg.  The X-man screams in agony.  The gun’s line begins to coil, bringing Archangel within the vehicle’s weaponry.  In a fit of self-preservation, Archangel uses his wings to cut into his leg and dislodge the harpoon.  Worthington screams again.   While Archangel focused on freeing himself from his predicament, the Punisher empties a high caliber gun into the mutant’s shoulder region.  Archangel falls to the ground, nearly unconscious due to the loss of blood from his leg and shoulder. 

            Only a short time passes as Worthington is aroused to a semi-conscious state.   He looks up to see the lightsabers of both Red Hood and Punisher.  Archangel slowly rises to his knees, pondering an escape from his current position.  He is not afforded the opportunity.  Although enhanced metal, Red Hood uses his blue lightsaber to sever off the right wing of Archangel while Punisher severs off the mutant’s left wing.  Archangel’s head falls between his knees.  The Highness duo, in unison, lops off the head of Archangel with their lightsabers.  The two then look up at Microchip.

             “You know what to do,” says the Punisher into his communication link with the AT-ST.

            A full barrage of lasers crisps the body of Archangel.  As the Punisher and Red Hood begin to walk back to their respective vehicles, the Quinjet flies to the scene, driven by White Suit Anakin Skywalker.  Skywalker jumps from the Avenger’s vehicle and does two flips in the air, landing perfectly on top of the AT-ST.  Skywalker wastes no time in using his lightsaber to cut a hole in the top of the vehicle.  The Jedi then jumps down to the main cabin.  Skywalker slowly paces toward Microchip.  In an instant, a lightsaber pierces Microchip’s heart. 

            “Nooooo!!!!!” scream the Punisher. 

            Skywalker takes control of the vehicle and sends a fusillade of lasers at the duo.  The two jump into the foliage for cover and in return, Skywalker decides to fight his enemy face-to-face.  The Jedi methodically climbs up the ladder and springs from the vehicle to the ground.  The Punisher leaps from the bushes and fires his guns at his foe.  Skywalker easily deflects the bullets.

            The  Punisher unholsters his lightsaber while Red Hood steps from behind a shrub with his lightsaber ignited.  Skywalker paces toward the pair.

            “I may have white armor,” begins Skywalker, “but. . .”

            Skywalker force leaps next to Red Hood and begins to pummel Todd’s attempted defenses. 

             “. . . I. . .”

  
            Skywalker slices Red Hood in two. 

            “. . . am still. . .”

            Skywalker spins around and lops off the head of the Punisher who is immediately next to the Jedi.

            “SKYWALKER!!!”

            The white suited figure looks at the two men, their lightsabers on the ground next to them.  Knowing that he will not have the need to use more than his own, Skywalker walks over the weapons toward the Quinjet.

UNIVERSE BOWL: CHAPTER VII: ANARCHY AT ARKHAM

            The passing clouds swallow the sun in the plains area of the Playoff Planet.  A short time transpires as the overcast sky becomes a raging gambit of thunder and lightning.  The clown prince shambles through the muddy ground.  Approximately one hundred yards in front of him, the Joker notices a dilapidated barn surrounded by a wooden fence.  He presses against the fence and scans the building.  As a flash of lightning ignites the sky, the Joker now recognizes the structure for what it truly is.  The building morphs into an exact scale replica of Gotham’s famous Arkham Asylum.  The Joker shakes his head in confusion, yet laughs nonetheless.  The jester pushes through the wrought iron gate of Arkham and trots to the lone building, his M202A1 Flash rocket launcher in tow.  Lightning crashes in the sky and the shadow of a twisted clown is spawned from the glare.  The front door creaks as the Joker enters into the building. 

            This truly is Arkham, he says to himself.  What a treat for me! My home turf!

           The Joker slowly paces across the floor.  The deviate cocks his head.  He hears the flapping of wings.  The Joker readies himself for a fight. 

            “Come out.  Come out,” cackles the Joker, “wherever you are!”

            The Vulture swoops down and hits the Joker from behind.  Although the Joker strikes the ground at the impact of the blow, he manages to hold onto his weapon.  The Joker slowly rises from the ground.

            “I heard,” grunts the Joker, “that vulture tastes like chicken!”

            The Joker presses the weapon’s ignition and the rocket screams from the launcher, barely missing the Vulture.

            “Missed me you cackling imbecile!” replies the Vulture.

            “Merely a distraction,” states the Joker in a matter of fact manner as he fires the second rocket into the ceiling above the Vulture. 

            The Vulture is unable to avoid the shockwave of the blast since it throws him to the ground.  While attempting to gain his senses, the area of the ceiling where the rocket struck collapses onto the flying villain.  The Vulture is trapped under the rubble, but he manages to gain ground in his escape.

            “May be overkill,” says the Joker,  “but what the H#ll?”

            The Joker fires another rocket which storms into the rubble, obliterating the Vulture and the area around him.   A green piece of suit, feather and flesh land on the Joker, who wipes the debris from his lapel and, with his finger, puts the detritus under his nose. 

            “Not sure about the taste,” laughs the Joker, “but sure smells like chicken.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

            The Joker begins to walk away from the Vulture’s remains when he notices that the wreckage begins to shudder.  He turns around and aims his weapon at the area.  A layer of sand shimmies from the location toward the Joker.  The sand rises and sculpts itself into the Sandman.  Sandman’s fist solidifies and smacks the Joker across the floor.

            The Joker is slow to rise.  He sees the Sandman walking toward him.  The Joker manages to reach his weapon.

            “Time to fly - pun intended for your dead friend there,” laughs the Joker as he runs down the hall. 

            A pumpkin bomb brushes across Joker’s suit and explodes to his left.  The Joker is rattled, but he manages to turn around long enough to fire a rocket at his pursuer.  The Hobgoblin’s glider easily manages to avoid the projectile and its rider continues his pursuit of the enemy. 

            A symphony of pandemonium erupts as both pumpkin bombs and rockets are launched from the Hobgoblin’s hands and glider at the Joker.  The walls around the duo are decimated and water engulfs the area as something is struck by the projectiles.  

            The Joker lies on the slick ground without his rocket launcher.  As Hobgoblin is about to kill the maniac, his glider is hit from behind by a blue fist.  The Hobgoblin careens out of control and the glider throws its master off.  Kit Fisto, with his blue lantern ring, floats to the skirmish. 

            “You may have bungled the mind of my associate,” says Fisto, “but a Jedi does not succumb to such mind tricks.”

            Electro arcs from behind the Jedi and places both hands around the skull of Fisto.

            “Don’t need mind tricks,” says Electro, “but I’m going to fry your brain anyway.”

            The full amplitude of Electro’s ability rip through Fisto and a bright light of the Horsemen is suddenly and unexpectedly extinguished.  The Joker’s jaw drops in shocked anguish.   The Joker’s twisted mind realizes, that in this league, no matter how powerful of a character one may be, anything can happen. . . and no one is safe.

            The Joker laughs at this terrifying thought.  He then notices four metallic legs curl around the corner. Doctor Octopus stands in front of the Joker.
 

            “I am impressed that an adulterated imbecile such as yourself lasted as long as you did.  What is even more impressive is the fact that your Jedi was of no use to you.  Laughable. . . as are you.   

            The arms of Doctor Octopus surround the Joker.  The Joker’s laughs commence and are soon extinguished as he is ripped apart by the robotic arms. 

            Hobgoblin, Electro, Sandman and Doctor Octopus join Mysterio.  Arkham Asylum slowly dissipates into the shambling barn to which the Joker’s vision truly was. 

            “Never ceases to amaze me. . . ” begins Mysterio, “the human brain.  I have to admit that I am surprised that my toxin I placed on the gate was able to work on a twisted mind such as the Joker, but it has worked before and I’m sure it will work again.  Didn’t even need it for the Jedi; no wonder why Order 66 was so successful. ”