Back to GatefoldIssue #6 by Tobias Christopher
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Previously, the Fantastic 4 took off to another world, leaving their teenage son, Franklin in the care of his parental appointed protector, the robotic H.E.R.B.I.E.When the two discovered that there was a planet destroying entity heading toward Earth, and no other hero was available, Franklin decided to form his own team to investigate.
Gathering together local paperboy Andy Maguire, robotic teen Adam Aaronson, and tech genius Juston Seyfert, the group went to confront the trio of planet destroying beings. The team seemed to be winning with the aid of Princess Kitanna, an inhabitant of the latest planet to fall victim to the trio.
But in the chaos of the final fight, both the trio and Franklin vanished, leaving no trace of their whereabouts...
Gathering together local paperboy Andy Maguire, robotic teen Adam Aaronson, and tech genius Juston Seyfert, the group went to confront the trio of planet destroying beings. The team seemed to be winning with the aid of Princess Kitanna, an inhabitant of the latest planet to fall victim to the trio.
But in the chaos of the final fight, both the trio and Franklin vanished, leaving no trace of their whereabouts...
"With Great Power"
"We lost Franklin," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as the group returned to the Baxter Building. "
"And my Sentinel," Juston said as he carried an arm full of salvaged parts.
"And all of my people," Kitannia told them. "Thank you for inviting me to come back with you, but I don't think I belong here."
"And what, you belong on a lonely destroyed planet?" Machine Teen asked. "Can you rebuild your Sentinel, Juston?"
"As long as I have this," Juston said as he held up a large round component. "This is what gave the Sentinel life. I can replace everything but this."
"But what about Franklin?" Alpha asked. "He can't be dead. He can't be."
* * * * *
Franklin couldn't feel anything on his body. He couldn't feel that weird itch he got on his back sometimes; he couldn't feel the toes he liked to stretch back and forth when he lay in his bed, doing his homework; he couldn't feel the wound on his arm from the stray bullet that had hit him earlier that day*. Franklin couldn't feel any part of his physical body. All he could do was see the cosmos in front of him.
*(New Warriors #1)
"Where am I?" Franklin tried to say, but could only hear his own thoughts.
"The beginning," A said to him. "We're at the start of the universe, where we were born."
Franklin watched as the stars came into being, along with the rest of the universe.
"It took a very long time for us to realize what we were truly meant for," A said as Franklin watched several thousands beams of light shoot forward. "We were meant to help guide the creativity of the universe. Turn it into such an imaginative place, where everyone would flourish. Music, art, literature, it was when these things came into being that our people truly started to flourish."
"So, what happened?" Franklin asked.
"Technology happened," B told him, his voice also coming from nowhere. "As world's advanced, imaginations began to dwindle. Entire races became slaves to their technology to the point where imagination began to suffer. Less art was being created; less creative songs were being sung; people weren't reading as much."
"Then there were the horrors of war, that killed off entire planets long before we could do so," C said. "Our people slowly died over several thousand years as we watched civilizations several light years ahead of your race fall victim to their electronics, their weapons, their lust for killing each other."
"When we saw that it was just the three of us left, something had to be done," A said. "In order to ensure our survival, we had to destroy those planets whose imaginations have long since been extinguished. So, for the past few years, we've been traveling planet to planet, in search of some small shred of hope that imagination still exists."
"And why did you look like kids when you lost your robes?" Franklin asked.
"We had to take physical forms to use our powers," B said. "And who has greater imagination than a child?"
"We had heard that a fourth brother had survived," A added. "One whose imagination was more powerful than the three of ours combined. The one who would come to lead us again and make sure that imagination would live on forever."
"And you think that's me?" Franklin asked.
"Your powers do exceed our own, or at least they should," A said. "That device in your head had blocked your full potential, but now that it is gone, you will soon be as powerful as us. Join us, brother, and together we can rebuild the universe after we have cleansed it of those who are not worthy. We can bring imagination back."
"By killing everyone? I don't think so," Franklin told them. "You guys have all this power, and you're using it to destroy instead of creating. Some imagination. If you ask me, it's you guys who don't know how to your imaginations. You could be teaching people how to use their minds, but you're just destroying everything. You're worse than technology. I want to go back to my body now."
"Your physical body is no more, brother, destroyed by the energy blast, as were our physical forms," A told him. "If you wish to return to your body, you must use your powers to create one. But it will take you several years to-"
POP!
* * * * *
Franklin reappeared in the middle of the lab in the Baxter Building, where his friends were trying to figure out what to do next.
"Frankie!" Alpha shouted as he grabbed Franklin and hugged him tight. "We thought you were dead!"
"I was, kind of," Franklin said as he pushed Alpha away from him. "And I found out a few things about those planet destroying a-holes, and maybe how to stop them. We just need time to-"
The building started to shake as Machine Teen ran to the window. "Uh... guys?"
The Trio, back in their physical bodies, were floating above the Baxter Building, holding their staffs.
"FRANKLIN RICHARDS!" A shouted. "This is your last chance to join us, or we will destroy you permanently!"
"I think you ticked them off," Alpha said. "Let's finish these clowns!"
"We'll have to throw everything we have at them, and then some," Franklin told them. "Can you guys buy me a few minutes? I think I know how to beat them, but I need to focus."
"Franklin, you're not going to take these guys on alone, are you?" H.ER.B.I.E. asked.
"H.E.R.B.I.E., I need you to trust me for once," Franklin said to the robot. "Please. It's time I started acting like the hero that can make my parents, and you, proud. Five minutes, that's all I need, then I'll be there."
The others were already headed toward the roof, led by Princess Kitania. H.E.R.B.I.E. just sighed as he floated toward the door, but first he turned his head back toward his young charge.
"Be careful, Franklin," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "Just don't die again."
As the robot left the room, Franklin took a deep breath. "Okay, I hope I can pull this off."
* * * * *
"He's not coming," A said to his brothers as he looked down at the Baxter Building. "Let us destroy this planet before it becomes a further slave to its technology."
"So sad," B sighed as he closed his eyes and took in the surroundings. "This internet device could have been used for so much more. A learning tool is being wasted on pictures of cats and naked females."
"What's wrong with cats?" Kitannia shouted as she tossed a garbage can at the Trio. B fired at it with his staff, turning it into confetti.
"I got these guys," Alpha said as he flew at them at full speed. The Trio disappeared as Alpha flew right through them. The Trio reappeared as C shot a blast of his staff at Alpha, wrapping him in chains as he fell toward the ground.
"Great," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as he jumped off the building and used his mechanical arm attachments to grab Alpha and gently slow his fall as they landed in the street.
"Great, the only one of us who could fly is out of the game," Juston said as he picked up a laser cannon. "Guess it's just up to us. This is for my Sentinel, you monsters!" Juston shouted as he fired the laser cannon. The Trio avoided the blast as B shot his staff at Juston.
"Watch out!" Machine Teen shouted as he pushed Juston out of the way, taking hte blast in the back. He fell to the ground, unmoving as Juston ran to him.
"Adam?" Juston asked as he nudged his friend. "NO!"
"Let's end this," A told his brothers as the three joined their staffs together. "Destroy the entire building, then we'll move on to the rest of the planet."
"Stop!" Franklin shouted as he ran through the roof entrance. "You win! I'll join you if you just leave my friends alone!"
"Finally, you've seen the light," A said as the Trio floated toward the roof, landing not too far away from Franklin. Franklin held out a hand, telling Kitannia and Juston to stand down.
"That's right, I know now what I have to do," Franklin said as he stood still. "You're right, I am more powerful than you guys. I'm probably more powerful than Squirrel Girl. But you know what? A wise hero once told me that with great power comes great responsibility. His Uncle told him that, and he's probably one of the smartest people on Earth. And he's right, I need to use my powers responsibly."
"Franklin, you're not seriously considering joining these guys?" Juston asked.
"Silence," A told Juston as he turned back toward Franklin. "You have made the right choise, brother."
"Just one more thing," Franklin told them. "I'm not joining you, you're joining us."
"What?" A asked as he Franklin focused his powers and waved his hand. A powerful blast shot out, hitting the Trio as they started to stumble. "What have you done to us?"
"Using my powers responsibly," Franklin said as the Trio started shrinking into their clothes, which fell to the ground. Franklin's nose started bleeding as he fell to the ground.
"Franklin?" Juston asked he ran to him and helped him sit up. "Are you okay?"
"Used my powers too fast," Franklin said. "Had to practice transforming stuff downstairs to get this far. Valeria won't be happy that I turned her Transformer into a My Little Pony."
"Transforming? What did you do?" Juston asked.
Kittania used the toe of her boot to kick at something small that was moving inside of A's shirt. A whimpering was heard as a golden retriever puppy poked its head out. A dachshund puppy and a dalmatian puppy started wriggling out of B and C's clothes.
"Puppies? You turned them into puppies?" Juston asked.
"I mode locked them," Franklin told him as H.E.R.B.I.E. and Alpha flew back onto the roof."They're just powerless puppies from here on out."
"How'd you lock their powers?" H.E.R.B.I.E. asked.
"They think they're puppies, they don't remember they have powers," Franklin told him.
"You can do that? I didn't know you could do that," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him.
"Neither did I," Franklin told him. "And it hurt like hell when I did it, so that's something I'm never doing again."
"So, we won, right?" Alpha asked as he looked at Juston, holding Machine Teen in his arms and crying. "Right?"
* * * * *
"I'm fine, H.E.R.B.I.E.," Franklin said as he sat in the lab while the robot examined him.
"You're not fine, you just got access to all of your powers," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "I need to see if I can fix that neural inhibitor before your father gets home."
"Maybe I don't want it fixed," Franklin told him. "It's time that I was trusted with my powers. You just can't tell my parents about this yet. I need time to work with them, get used to them."
"You want me to keep this a secret from your parents? Are you insane?" H.E.R.B.I.E. asked as he looked at Franklin. "Well, you did save the Earth and probably countless other worlds. Fine, I'll keep it a secret. For now. But if one thing goes even slightly wrong..."
"Thanks," Franklin said as he hugged him. "I think maybe the Trio was right, H.E.R.B.I.E. The world needs imagination. Maybe I can use my powers to bring some of that back once I get the hang of them."
"One problem at a time, kid," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "Right now, we've got a room full of teens and puppies that are going to look to you to lead them."
"Are you saying that I can start my own super hero team?" Franklin smirked.
"Under my strict supervision, and pending your parent's approval," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "I am still your parental appointed guardian."
"There's no one else I'd rather have watching my back," Franklin told him.
* * * * *
In the other room, Andy was playing with the puppies as Kitannia watched him.
"Seriously?" Kitannia asked. "Those are the things that destroyed my planet."
"Yeah, but they're so adorable," Andy said as he held the golden retriever up. "I want to take one home with me."
"Go for it," Franklin said as he walked into the room. "They're powerless now. We just need to find homes for the other two. Kittania, I'm sorry about your planet, but you're more than welcome to stay here in the Baxter Building until you find something better."
"I guess I have no other choice," Kittania told him. "I am the last of my species. I am alone in this world."
"You're not alone," Andy said as he put an arm around her and Franklin. "You've got us and this team. Right, Franklin?"
"Team? No, no, no, we are not a team," Franklin laughed. "Are we?"
"We can be the New Avenging Justice League of Titans Society!" Andy shouted.
"Or how about the New Warriors?" H.E.R.B.I.E. asked as he floated into the room. "That team disbanded recently, so the name's open."
Franklin was about to reply as Juston walked into the room. The others turned their attention his way as Juston brushed his hair out of his eyes.
"How's Adam?" Franklin asked. "Could you fix him?"
"No," Juston said. "His electronics had been fried beyond repair, so I had to... use other parts that were lying around the lab. One piece was so rare that I had to... give it to him."
"He used his special Sentinel component?" H.E.R.B.I.E. asked. "Didn't you say you can't rebuild your Sentinel without it?"
"It was the Sentinel or Adam," Juston said in a low voice as he sat down. A tear fell down his cheek knowing his best friend was gone forever. "Adam needed it more."
Adam walked out of the lab, buttoning up his shirt as he looked at his friends. "He gave up his best friend to save me. I don't know how I'm going to repay him."
"Well, you two could figure it out while you're fighting crime with our team," Andy told them. "I mean, if you don't have anything better to do."
"I guess I have time in my schedule for that," Adam smiled. "What do you say, Juston?"
"What the hell, I have nothing to go home to now," Juston told him as one of the puppies tugged at his pant leg. He picked the dachshund up and looked at it. "I guess neither of us have anything to really look forward to, do we?"
"I guess that leaves you me," Adam said as he picked the dalmatian up as the puppy licked his face.
"You know, the Baxter Building is pretty big, and Kittania's going to be staying here for a while," Franklin said as he thought about it. "Why don't you guys stay here, too? At least until we find a better place for our team."
"The New Warriors?" Andy asked hopefully.
"The New Warriors," Franklin smiled as everyone put their hands in.
Epilogue 1
"We're home!" Johnny said as the Fantastic Four returned through the dimensional portal. "It is good to be out of that technicolor hell! I'll be in my room, watching Turner Classic Movies."
"Did Franklin stay out of trouble?" Reed asked H.E.R.B.I.E.
"Can't answer, I have to recharge my battery," the robot said as he quickly floated out of the room.
Valeria headed to her room, which looked like a miniature version of Dexter's Lab, and locked the door behind her. She sighed as she layed down in her bed and looked over at her nightstand to find her favorite Bumblebee action figure, and instead finding a Rainbow Dash stuffed doll.
"Franklin's been in my room again," Valeria said with fire in her eyes. "He. Must. Pay."
Epilogue 2
Adam and Juston were laying on a blanket on the roof of the Baxter Building later that night, staring up at the stars.
"You really think Franklin was one of those guys?" Adam asked.
"Nah, I think they were just desperate to find someone else like them," Juston told him. "Franklin just fit the bill, so they rolled with it."
"So you think there's another one of those guys out there?" Adam asked.
"Yeah, right," Juston said as he continued to stare up at the stars. "And even if there was, how pissed would he be at us enough to come to Earth?"
Epilogue 3
A small spaceship landed on what remained of the planet Riff as several astronauts roamed around with their faces hidden under their helmets. They returned to the ship shortly after to make their report.
"The entire planet is dead, sir," one of the explorers said to their leader, a large humanoid cat creature sitting in the back. He looked just like Kitannia, only much bigger and more muscular. "No one is left."
"This is what peace and tolerance has gotten our people, I warned them," the cat creature said. "Well, if we are truly the last survivors of our race, then we must ensure our survival by destroying anything that threatens us."
Next: The New Warriors get an unwanted new team member in the form of Franklin's little sister!
"And my Sentinel," Juston said as he carried an arm full of salvaged parts.
"And all of my people," Kitannia told them. "Thank you for inviting me to come back with you, but I don't think I belong here."
"And what, you belong on a lonely destroyed planet?" Machine Teen asked. "Can you rebuild your Sentinel, Juston?"
"As long as I have this," Juston said as he held up a large round component. "This is what gave the Sentinel life. I can replace everything but this."
"But what about Franklin?" Alpha asked. "He can't be dead. He can't be."
* * * * *
Franklin couldn't feel anything on his body. He couldn't feel that weird itch he got on his back sometimes; he couldn't feel the toes he liked to stretch back and forth when he lay in his bed, doing his homework; he couldn't feel the wound on his arm from the stray bullet that had hit him earlier that day*. Franklin couldn't feel any part of his physical body. All he could do was see the cosmos in front of him.
*(New Warriors #1)
"Where am I?" Franklin tried to say, but could only hear his own thoughts.
"The beginning," A said to him. "We're at the start of the universe, where we were born."
Franklin watched as the stars came into being, along with the rest of the universe.
"It took a very long time for us to realize what we were truly meant for," A said as Franklin watched several thousands beams of light shoot forward. "We were meant to help guide the creativity of the universe. Turn it into such an imaginative place, where everyone would flourish. Music, art, literature, it was when these things came into being that our people truly started to flourish."
"So, what happened?" Franklin asked.
"Technology happened," B told him, his voice also coming from nowhere. "As world's advanced, imaginations began to dwindle. Entire races became slaves to their technology to the point where imagination began to suffer. Less art was being created; less creative songs were being sung; people weren't reading as much."
"Then there were the horrors of war, that killed off entire planets long before we could do so," C said. "Our people slowly died over several thousand years as we watched civilizations several light years ahead of your race fall victim to their electronics, their weapons, their lust for killing each other."
"When we saw that it was just the three of us left, something had to be done," A said. "In order to ensure our survival, we had to destroy those planets whose imaginations have long since been extinguished. So, for the past few years, we've been traveling planet to planet, in search of some small shred of hope that imagination still exists."
"And why did you look like kids when you lost your robes?" Franklin asked.
"We had to take physical forms to use our powers," B said. "And who has greater imagination than a child?"
"We had heard that a fourth brother had survived," A added. "One whose imagination was more powerful than the three of ours combined. The one who would come to lead us again and make sure that imagination would live on forever."
"And you think that's me?" Franklin asked.
"Your powers do exceed our own, or at least they should," A said. "That device in your head had blocked your full potential, but now that it is gone, you will soon be as powerful as us. Join us, brother, and together we can rebuild the universe after we have cleansed it of those who are not worthy. We can bring imagination back."
"By killing everyone? I don't think so," Franklin told them. "You guys have all this power, and you're using it to destroy instead of creating. Some imagination. If you ask me, it's you guys who don't know how to your imaginations. You could be teaching people how to use their minds, but you're just destroying everything. You're worse than technology. I want to go back to my body now."
"Your physical body is no more, brother, destroyed by the energy blast, as were our physical forms," A told him. "If you wish to return to your body, you must use your powers to create one. But it will take you several years to-"
POP!
* * * * *
Franklin reappeared in the middle of the lab in the Baxter Building, where his friends were trying to figure out what to do next.
"Frankie!" Alpha shouted as he grabbed Franklin and hugged him tight. "We thought you were dead!"
"I was, kind of," Franklin said as he pushed Alpha away from him. "And I found out a few things about those planet destroying a-holes, and maybe how to stop them. We just need time to-"
The building started to shake as Machine Teen ran to the window. "Uh... guys?"
The Trio, back in their physical bodies, were floating above the Baxter Building, holding their staffs.
"FRANKLIN RICHARDS!" A shouted. "This is your last chance to join us, or we will destroy you permanently!"
"I think you ticked them off," Alpha said. "Let's finish these clowns!"
"We'll have to throw everything we have at them, and then some," Franklin told them. "Can you guys buy me a few minutes? I think I know how to beat them, but I need to focus."
"Franklin, you're not going to take these guys on alone, are you?" H.ER.B.I.E. asked.
"H.E.R.B.I.E., I need you to trust me for once," Franklin said to the robot. "Please. It's time I started acting like the hero that can make my parents, and you, proud. Five minutes, that's all I need, then I'll be there."
The others were already headed toward the roof, led by Princess Kitania. H.E.R.B.I.E. just sighed as he floated toward the door, but first he turned his head back toward his young charge.
"Be careful, Franklin," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "Just don't die again."
As the robot left the room, Franklin took a deep breath. "Okay, I hope I can pull this off."
* * * * *
"He's not coming," A said to his brothers as he looked down at the Baxter Building. "Let us destroy this planet before it becomes a further slave to its technology."
"So sad," B sighed as he closed his eyes and took in the surroundings. "This internet device could have been used for so much more. A learning tool is being wasted on pictures of cats and naked females."
"What's wrong with cats?" Kitannia shouted as she tossed a garbage can at the Trio. B fired at it with his staff, turning it into confetti.
"I got these guys," Alpha said as he flew at them at full speed. The Trio disappeared as Alpha flew right through them. The Trio reappeared as C shot a blast of his staff at Alpha, wrapping him in chains as he fell toward the ground.
"Great," H.E.R.B.I.E. said as he jumped off the building and used his mechanical arm attachments to grab Alpha and gently slow his fall as they landed in the street.
"Great, the only one of us who could fly is out of the game," Juston said as he picked up a laser cannon. "Guess it's just up to us. This is for my Sentinel, you monsters!" Juston shouted as he fired the laser cannon. The Trio avoided the blast as B shot his staff at Juston.
"Watch out!" Machine Teen shouted as he pushed Juston out of the way, taking hte blast in the back. He fell to the ground, unmoving as Juston ran to him.
"Adam?" Juston asked as he nudged his friend. "NO!"
"Let's end this," A told his brothers as the three joined their staffs together. "Destroy the entire building, then we'll move on to the rest of the planet."
"Stop!" Franklin shouted as he ran through the roof entrance. "You win! I'll join you if you just leave my friends alone!"
"Finally, you've seen the light," A said as the Trio floated toward the roof, landing not too far away from Franklin. Franklin held out a hand, telling Kitannia and Juston to stand down.
"That's right, I know now what I have to do," Franklin said as he stood still. "You're right, I am more powerful than you guys. I'm probably more powerful than Squirrel Girl. But you know what? A wise hero once told me that with great power comes great responsibility. His Uncle told him that, and he's probably one of the smartest people on Earth. And he's right, I need to use my powers responsibly."
"Franklin, you're not seriously considering joining these guys?" Juston asked.
"Silence," A told Juston as he turned back toward Franklin. "You have made the right choise, brother."
"Just one more thing," Franklin told them. "I'm not joining you, you're joining us."
"What?" A asked as he Franklin focused his powers and waved his hand. A powerful blast shot out, hitting the Trio as they started to stumble. "What have you done to us?"
"Using my powers responsibly," Franklin said as the Trio started shrinking into their clothes, which fell to the ground. Franklin's nose started bleeding as he fell to the ground.
"Franklin?" Juston asked he ran to him and helped him sit up. "Are you okay?"
"Used my powers too fast," Franklin said. "Had to practice transforming stuff downstairs to get this far. Valeria won't be happy that I turned her Transformer into a My Little Pony."
"Transforming? What did you do?" Juston asked.
Kittania used the toe of her boot to kick at something small that was moving inside of A's shirt. A whimpering was heard as a golden retriever puppy poked its head out. A dachshund puppy and a dalmatian puppy started wriggling out of B and C's clothes.
"Puppies? You turned them into puppies?" Juston asked.
"I mode locked them," Franklin told him as H.E.R.B.I.E. and Alpha flew back onto the roof."They're just powerless puppies from here on out."
"How'd you lock their powers?" H.E.R.B.I.E. asked.
"They think they're puppies, they don't remember they have powers," Franklin told him.
"You can do that? I didn't know you could do that," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him.
"Neither did I," Franklin told him. "And it hurt like hell when I did it, so that's something I'm never doing again."
"So, we won, right?" Alpha asked as he looked at Juston, holding Machine Teen in his arms and crying. "Right?"
* * * * *
"I'm fine, H.E.R.B.I.E.," Franklin said as he sat in the lab while the robot examined him.
"You're not fine, you just got access to all of your powers," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "I need to see if I can fix that neural inhibitor before your father gets home."
"Maybe I don't want it fixed," Franklin told him. "It's time that I was trusted with my powers. You just can't tell my parents about this yet. I need time to work with them, get used to them."
"You want me to keep this a secret from your parents? Are you insane?" H.E.R.B.I.E. asked as he looked at Franklin. "Well, you did save the Earth and probably countless other worlds. Fine, I'll keep it a secret. For now. But if one thing goes even slightly wrong..."
"Thanks," Franklin said as he hugged him. "I think maybe the Trio was right, H.E.R.B.I.E. The world needs imagination. Maybe I can use my powers to bring some of that back once I get the hang of them."
"One problem at a time, kid," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "Right now, we've got a room full of teens and puppies that are going to look to you to lead them."
"Are you saying that I can start my own super hero team?" Franklin smirked.
"Under my strict supervision, and pending your parent's approval," H.E.R.B.I.E. told him. "I am still your parental appointed guardian."
"There's no one else I'd rather have watching my back," Franklin told him.
* * * * *
In the other room, Andy was playing with the puppies as Kitannia watched him.
"Seriously?" Kitannia asked. "Those are the things that destroyed my planet."
"Yeah, but they're so adorable," Andy said as he held the golden retriever up. "I want to take one home with me."
"Go for it," Franklin said as he walked into the room. "They're powerless now. We just need to find homes for the other two. Kittania, I'm sorry about your planet, but you're more than welcome to stay here in the Baxter Building until you find something better."
"I guess I have no other choice," Kittania told him. "I am the last of my species. I am alone in this world."
"You're not alone," Andy said as he put an arm around her and Franklin. "You've got us and this team. Right, Franklin?"
"Team? No, no, no, we are not a team," Franklin laughed. "Are we?"
"We can be the New Avenging Justice League of Titans Society!" Andy shouted.
"Or how about the New Warriors?" H.E.R.B.I.E. asked as he floated into the room. "That team disbanded recently, so the name's open."
Franklin was about to reply as Juston walked into the room. The others turned their attention his way as Juston brushed his hair out of his eyes.
"How's Adam?" Franklin asked. "Could you fix him?"
"No," Juston said. "His electronics had been fried beyond repair, so I had to... use other parts that were lying around the lab. One piece was so rare that I had to... give it to him."
"He used his special Sentinel component?" H.E.R.B.I.E. asked. "Didn't you say you can't rebuild your Sentinel without it?"
"It was the Sentinel or Adam," Juston said in a low voice as he sat down. A tear fell down his cheek knowing his best friend was gone forever. "Adam needed it more."
Adam walked out of the lab, buttoning up his shirt as he looked at his friends. "He gave up his best friend to save me. I don't know how I'm going to repay him."
"Well, you two could figure it out while you're fighting crime with our team," Andy told them. "I mean, if you don't have anything better to do."
"I guess I have time in my schedule for that," Adam smiled. "What do you say, Juston?"
"What the hell, I have nothing to go home to now," Juston told him as one of the puppies tugged at his pant leg. He picked the dachshund up and looked at it. "I guess neither of us have anything to really look forward to, do we?"
"I guess that leaves you me," Adam said as he picked the dalmatian up as the puppy licked his face.
"You know, the Baxter Building is pretty big, and Kittania's going to be staying here for a while," Franklin said as he thought about it. "Why don't you guys stay here, too? At least until we find a better place for our team."
"The New Warriors?" Andy asked hopefully.
"The New Warriors," Franklin smiled as everyone put their hands in.
Epilogue 1
"We're home!" Johnny said as the Fantastic Four returned through the dimensional portal. "It is good to be out of that technicolor hell! I'll be in my room, watching Turner Classic Movies."
"Did Franklin stay out of trouble?" Reed asked H.E.R.B.I.E.
"Can't answer, I have to recharge my battery," the robot said as he quickly floated out of the room.
Valeria headed to her room, which looked like a miniature version of Dexter's Lab, and locked the door behind her. She sighed as she layed down in her bed and looked over at her nightstand to find her favorite Bumblebee action figure, and instead finding a Rainbow Dash stuffed doll.
"Franklin's been in my room again," Valeria said with fire in her eyes. "He. Must. Pay."
Epilogue 2
Adam and Juston were laying on a blanket on the roof of the Baxter Building later that night, staring up at the stars.
"You really think Franklin was one of those guys?" Adam asked.
"Nah, I think they were just desperate to find someone else like them," Juston told him. "Franklin just fit the bill, so they rolled with it."
"So you think there's another one of those guys out there?" Adam asked.
"Yeah, right," Juston said as he continued to stare up at the stars. "And even if there was, how pissed would he be at us enough to come to Earth?"
Epilogue 3
A small spaceship landed on what remained of the planet Riff as several astronauts roamed around with their faces hidden under their helmets. They returned to the ship shortly after to make their report.
"The entire planet is dead, sir," one of the explorers said to their leader, a large humanoid cat creature sitting in the back. He looked just like Kitannia, only much bigger and more muscular. "No one is left."
"This is what peace and tolerance has gotten our people, I warned them," the cat creature said. "Well, if we are truly the last survivors of our race, then we must ensure our survival by destroying anything that threatens us."
Next: The New Warriors get an unwanted new team member in the form of Franklin's little sister!