Chapter 1: The Gateway
The warp is a distortion of space and time. As the name suggests it twists and turns. At the centre of those twists and turns is the gatekeeper himself, the mercurial Warp King. On the surface he looks like a cross between Willy Wonka, aMississippi riverboat gambler and the Terminator. His power is limitless but is mostly restricted to his control over who or what ends up in different dimensions.
It was he who sent AK Girl, Wondervixen, Hyper Rob, Rotecol, Anty and Monsieur Tux to Earth. Mega Fox soon followed, struggling to establish control on his own. But for some people who entered into the warp they ended up somewhere very different entirely.
Squirmy was Mega Fox’s lieutenant. His main power was the ability to use his liquid metal squirrel form to change into different shapes. His nickname came from his ability to squirm through gaps. However it was equally applicable to his crawling, overly passionate loyalty to Mega Fox.
Now though the little blue creature was separate from his commander, the army he worked with and the battle on the planet Animal Kingdom. Instead he was alone on a desolate planet.
“This is…inadequate.” He scowled. All he could see was gunky green swamp rivers, rocks and nasty looking fruit. As a robot he had no need for food. It all seemed like the worst possible place to be left alone.
Time passed. He kept himself occupied by developing his powers. Another trick that was slightly less pleasant was the ability to shoot a substance called biofreeze with his body. This strange goo seeped from his body. Anybody who came into contact with it felt their body instantly freeze and become temporarily powerless.
Oh how he wished he could prove himself to his commander. Surely if he could escape from this place they would respect him. Squirmy, the great one, would be the one who defied this “void.”
“The void? That’s a cool name for this place!” grinned Warp King, emerging from one of his portals. “Oh hi, I don’t believe we’ve met…”
Chapter 2: Warp King’s Whimsy
As stated before, Warp King was a mercurial fellow. He was prone to whimsy and often fancied changing things purely for the sake of it. Here was a challenge, he mused to himself. This pathetic robot creature loves Mega Fox, worships the ground he stomps on. How funny would it be to turn him from an unquestioning servant to Mega Fox’s greatest enemy?
“I love what you’ve done with the place” laughed Warp King. “It’s very…well, it reminds me of that film. You know the one, got the green guy and the one with breathing problems in it?”
“I don’t watch films” Squirmy scowled “I have no need for entertainment.”
“Oh so you’re not like Mega Fox then” quipped Warp King. “I’ve seen how he manipulates people. He even does it with the minions who serve him.”
Warp King dodged a blast of biofreeze shot from Squirmy. “Ooh looks like I’ve touched a nerve!” Warp King giggled. Squirmy’s eyes glowed red with anger, the blasts from his body peppering the air like a raging hail storm. Warp King dodged them all, his giggle tormenting Squirmy. “Oh come on is that the best you can do, midget?”
Squirmy’s face went from blue to bright purple. “YOU DARE MOCK ME?” he yelled. His body bulged, becoming gigantic and muscular. He gripped Warp King in his fist. “You think I am afraid of you? You are nothing more than a cosmic novelty act!”
In seconds, Squirmy’s body had returned to normal. Only now he was floating upside down in the sky. Warp King pointed and laughed. “I may be a novelty act, but I’m the only show in town.”
“Let me show you something” Warp King smiled, displaying a giant screen that filled the sky. He showed Mega Fox talking with Insect Girl, saying how he had created her to keep Caramel Girl under control. “Look at that- he turned that poor young woman into a freak just so he could keep that criminal under control.”
He paused for dramatic effect. Squirmy seemed unmoved. “Mega Fox is tactically astute.” He countered. “He is showing that he is aware of the flaws of humans. He is using that caramel wielder to destroy AK Girl, while at the same time developing creatures that could potentially destroy her.”
Oh boy, thought Warp King. This is going to be harder than I thought…
Chapter 3: A Cunning Plan
Warp King left Squirmy alone in The Void. Given that it existed outside the conventional idea of space and time there was no way of being sure how long he spent out there. It could have been years or minutes.
What he had left with him was something to be angry about. Warp King was supposed to be Mega Fox’s ally, the one who supplied him with the means to wipe out those feeble animals. Oh how he hated them!
He consoled himself with the moment when he saw AK Girl inflate in front of his eyes. How he would love to see that awful creature powerless again. Then they would all see he scowled to himself. Mega Fox would lavish praise on him. That would be a joy he grinned.
Warp King emerged from another portal, almost as if on cue. “How’s tricks, Little Boy Blue?” he laughed. “Are you thinking about how you could destroy AK Girl and show everyone who’s boss?”
“What gave you that impression?” snarled Squirmy. Warp King pointed out the moss and stones arranged in the shape of various things that resembled foxes. They all also seemed to be smashed into pieces.
“You know, Mega Fox really hates AK Girl” Warp King teased. “He hates her so much he…”
“I get the point” snarled Squirmy. “What’s your point?”
“The point my beautiful little tree dweller is that if you could deliver her to Mega Fox he would probably say how brilliant you are.” Warp King giggled. To further illustrate the point, the sky was dotted with crude illustrations in the stars, eventually showing Mega Fox patting Squirmy on the head. He saw Squirmy was not impressed. “Too much?”
“Anyway, I have a proposal for you.” Warp King then made a drum appear in order to do a drum roll. “How would you like to be the one that destroys AK Girl?”
Squirmy literally puffed his chest out, bulging into he towered over the Void. “Yes!” he beamed. “I will crush her!”
Warp King’s smile faded. It all seemed a bit crude. He then brightened. “AK Girl is a psychic, right?”
Squirmy, a little hesitant, nodded. “I am aware of that.” He said, rather defensively.
“Well, her powers come from her mind. How cool would it be to destroy her from the inside?”
Squirmy looked baffled. He did not have the power to do this. “Your proposal makes sense.” He admitted. “However I am not a psychic. I cannot enter into her mind.”
“You can’t” Warp King admitted. “However, I have got two guys that can.” He clicked his fingers, revealing two grey looking aliens in suit. “Say hi to Z1 and Z2, the Zedites!”
“Greetings, Squirmy. I am Z1”
“And I am Z2” They both said. However the greetings were about as warm as a shaved polar bear.
“We can offer you a gateway into AK Girl’s mind.” Squirmy seemed hesitant. Something seemed wrong. Surely the Consortium would not agree to this?
Warp King sensed Squirmy’s hesitation. “Trust me, Squirmy” he beamed. “This is your chance, your moment. With these guys, you will be the one who destroys the biggest threat to the power of the Consortium.”
Z1 and Z2 turned to Warp King and smiled. He had delivered as promised. Unfortunately for him, he did not realise what he was about to unleash…
For Squirmy, he felt that he would achieve his moment. For all the mental torture he had gone through, he would make AK Girl pay…
Chapter 4: A Bad Feeling
On Earth, Vibes clutched her head. She felt a bizarre throbbing. A rush of visions followed, a lot of them unpleasant. She could see Sally give her a pitying look. This is ludicrous she thought, doing her best to laugh it off.
“Are you ok, Vibes?” Sally asked. “It’s okay, you can tell me.”
“It’s nothing” Vibes insisted. But she knew it wasn’t. She knew something was about to happen. What she didn’t realise was that the biggest test of her powers was about to come…
