Retribution's Last Stand

rpetras 3/2012

The Final Battle

It is 2005, and Retribution has had a long run, with great success. But their greatest foes have always been the duo of Sword and Shield. Sword in generally killed in every encounter, but he is reincarnated, each time his magic blade takes a new host. Shield, it seems, can not be stopped only deterred. The massive ice blasting alien has survived the depths of the ocean, the rigors of space, and the center of at least one volcano.

Freefall's tactic of distracting him with idle chit-chat (somehow, they had become friends) obviously failed to work once Freefall left the team. FF would come back if called (and at his flight speed, would rarely take long) but the destruction they were able to wreak was too much, they had to be stopped once and for all.

Se.A.L. had a plan, but it would require many former members to work together, and it was very, very dangerous. Surmising that much of Shield's invulnerability was due to his ability to slow his own molecules, if they could generate enough heat, and do it INSIDE the alien giant, he would be overcome. They had to lead Shield to an area with no population in order to do it.

Freefall, Rake, Reformer and others were brought in to drive the evil duo to the rendezvous, while Genesis, Se.A.L and Preacher hid in position. Once they were close enough, Genesis used his Psychic Surgery abilities to get his hands inside of Shield. He then ignited his Pyrokenesis. Preacher kept up the heat outside, thwarting Shield's ice attacks. Se.A.L.'s adaptive powers allowed him to ignore the temperature fluctuations, and he helped hold the giant in place.

Freefall was dispatched to quickly take care of Sword, and the others, unable to stand the multiplying flames had to fall back. The Preacher brought his hellfire up to supernova temperatures, and Genesis multiplied the flames with his psychic powers. Shield, meanwhile, tried to drop the temperatures of their attacks. But he was eventually overcome.

Shield Falls

The conflagration detonated like a nuclear bomb. Se.A.L.'s ability to cope with the wildly fluctuating temperatures had been overcome during the battle, and he lost an arm, leg, part of his wing appendage, and had burns over 100% of his body. Preacher was vaporised in his final burst of heat, and Genesis had pushed his body far beyond the limit.

Freefall, who had been unable to get near his friends because of the heat, took Sword's mystic weapon, wrapped it in his jacket, and flew off at top speed, and wasn't seen again.

Se.A.L. would eventually recover ... to a point. Walking with a limp and heavily scarred. His extra limbs are conspicuously missing. But he adapted, and the scarring has been reducing over the years.

Shield's remains were taken to an undisclosed location.

The site in the desert where the battle took place glistens as glass where the desert sand was fused. It is a memorial to the lost heroes.