Rex Rogue And The League Of Teenage Supervillains

by C. H. Aalberry

  RoboRodent didn’t really care if he was a villain or a hero so long as he got a chance to unleash his robot hordes. His simple approach to life was one of the reasons that he and Rex were such good friends – it was impossible for Rex not to like a guy whose idea of fun was road testing a rampaging robotic rodent Godzilla.

  Flux remained unconvinced, but her Hyper Speeder was the only way that Rex could get enough people to stage an assault on Icarus. He needed her, and she knew it.

  “What about you, Flux? Ready to save Newtopia?”

  Flux hesitated.

  “I mean… I grew up there, I kind of like the place, but we aren’t the saving–the–world kind of people. Why should we get involved? Leave it up to the superheroes; they love this sort of thing,” she said quickly.

  “Yeah… but things have changed. You know what the Psychic Psycho is capable of. We understand if you are scared, though, I heard Green Dart is up there,” said Rex, smiling in a knowing way.

  “Scared? Of Green Dart? Why?” Flux cried out.

  “People are saying he’s faster than you, Flux.”

  “What? What people? When we get to Icarus I’m going to find him and– “

  “So it’s settled,” said Rex with a smile.

  Everything was falling into place exactly as he had planned.

  “I have a way to kill the Psychic Psycho, but getting me close enough to use it is going to take every trick we have. Riot Master knows what we can do, and he’ll be waiting for us. Look, this is everything I know about the Icarus,” Rex said, throwing a wad of paper onto the table.

  The supervillains pored over the information. They checked the maps and layouts, noted which superheroes had returned to the Icarus, and considered how their power might be countered. After a few minutes it became obvious to all of them that there was a problem.

  “We can’t do this alone… the Icarus is just too large,” Code Cutter said at last.

  The other supervillains had to agree.

  “The Newtopian special forces can help us,” said Rex. “They are trained for this sort of thing.”

  “That’s still not enough,” said RoboRodent.

  Rex nodded; he had known the others would come to the same conclusion he had, but as usual he had a plan ready to go. The only problem was that his League was not going to like it.

  “We could do it if we get some help from the superheroes,” Rex said.

  The others stared at him in shock and disbelief. Chaotica fell out of her chair in surprise with a loud crash, and Rex had to help her up again.

  “What what what WHAT?” demanded Code Cutter.

  “Superheroes? More like stupid zeroes. We don’t work with them,” said Flux.

  “Well…” said Chaotica slowly, “the idea of fighting beside our foes does appeal to me – the mayhem would be delicious – but we just came from the temple trap that sent most of their teams to hospital. I doubt any of them want to hear from us now.”

  “The smart ones kept out of my trap… which means they are still in a good shape for a fight. All we need to do is convince them that the Psychic Psycho is far more dangerous than we are,” pointed out Rex.

  “I guess. We just need someone who they will listen to but who we can actually work with, then,” said RoboRodent.

  “That’s my job, I presume,” the Grim Shadow said, stepping out of the shadows.

  CHAPTER THIRTY: MY ENEMY’S ENEMY

  Proper preparation and planning prevents pathetically poor performance and subsequent horrifying death. This is as true for you as it is for your minions.

  –Rex Rogue’s guide for aspiring supervillains, unpublished.

  The supervillains all turned and raised their weapons, but Rex yelled out for them to stop.

  “Everyone calm down – I invited the Grim Shadow here to help us co–ordinate our attack with the superheroes. I chose her because she is one of the few superheroes with half a brain.”

  That got a reluctant mutter of agreement from the supervillains. They all had history with the Grim Shadow, and she had beaten them as often as they had beaten her. That was as good a record as any superhero had ever managed with the League, so she certainly had their respect. Rex had chosen Grim Shadow as his ambassador to the superheroes carefully: she was dangerous, she was a maverick, and she had a certain dark style that even the supervillains couldn’t help but admire.

  “Well… okay, but after tonight we all pretend this never happened and everyone goes back to doing what we do best,” said Chaotica, and the others nodded.

  “So what is this, a meeting of the world’s most wicked villains?” the Grim Shadow asked.

  “Sure. I’m Rex, currently also Duke Terror, and you know the rest of the crew. This is the League of Teenage Supervillains, the most talented and destructive teenagers the world has ever seen,” Rex said proudly.

  “Teenagers?” the Grim Shadow asked in surprise.

  “Teenagers.”

  “Wow! Your criminal records make you seem much older. I don’t know how I feel about working with a bunch of juvenile delinquents… can I trust you?” the Grim Shadow asked.

  “Can we trust you? We have never let a superhero see us together like this, you know!” said Code Cutter.

  “Everyone calm down! Look, we may be villains, liars and thieves, but no–one here wants to see Newtopia get destroyed,” said Rex.

  “They do have the best pizza,” conceded the Grim Shadow.

  “Plus I actually live there,” said Code Cutter as if the thought had just occurred to her.

  “Exactly. So we need to work together,” explained Rex patiently.

  The Grim Shadow joined the planning. She knew more about the Icarus’ defenses than even Rex did.

  “They invited me up once when I let them think I might want to be a part of the self–righteous fancy dress party that they call a superhero team. I spent a few nights poking around in places that I wasn’t meant to until they threw me out, but I left a few sensors here and there to keep track of their defenses,” she explained.

  “Sneaky,” said Rex in approval.

  “Thanks. The bad news is that they have just boosted the shields to prevent teleporting in and out, so we will need a different plan of attack. I can get a small crew of flying superheroes into the Icarus to bring down the station’s defenses… but only for a few seconds, so you will need to get in fast.”

  “Fast is my specialty,” said Flux, twitching in excitement.

  “Fine. Our attack will draw out their defenders, leaving you relatively free to move around. The station controls are in the Team Icarus headquarters, so if we can get control of them we can stop the station falling out of the sky.”

  “That won’t help us stop the Psychic Psycho,” Chaotica pointed out.

  “No, it won’t, but it’s a good start.”

  “First we secure the controls, then we take out Riot Master and release all the superheroes under his control. Together that should be enough to slow the Psychic Psycho down,” Code Cutter said.

  “But not take him out,” said RoboRodent.

  Rex winked.

  “I can do that. Just get me close and then stay out of my way. Now, is everybody ready for this?” Rex said.

  The villains and the Grim Shadow nodded – it was as good a plan as they were likely to make at such short notice, so there was nothing more they could do but commit to it.

  “How are we going to stop Riot Master from taking control of us, especially if the Psychic Psycho has been boosting his powers?” asked Chaotica.

  Rex pulled out a roll of aluminum foil. He tore of a piece, shaped it into a simple hat and dropped it on Chaotica’s head.

  “That should protect you,” Rex said.

  “Are you… serious?” the Grim Shadow asked skeptically as Rex handed out more hats.

  “Deadly serious. Now, everyone put your hats on, I don’t want to have to fight my allies.”

  “Allies? A strange thing for us to be, but allies we
are, joined together to save the world,” the Grim Shadow said, extending a hand to Rex.

  “Allies… but only for a day, so don’t get used to it,” Rex said.

  He ignored her hand but gave her the tiny nod of approval that supervillains use on special occasions. She grabbed Rex by the front of his shirt and pulled him in close.

  “I don’t trust you, Rex Rogue,” she hissed. “Why are you going to the Icarus?”

  “The Psychic Psycho killed my parents, so I want him dead,” Rex whispered back, and the Grim Shadow nodded.

  “Then we have something in common. We shall be united in our revenge, if nothing else.”

  The Grim Shadow leapt into the air and disappeared into the silent darkness.

  “I really like her,” said Chaotica.

  “Sure, she’s great, but why did you bring her here, Rex? Now she knows about this place!” complained Flux.

  “This place was getting dull anyway. I found an underwater city recently that will make an amazing base for us. It has an indoor shark tank and everything.”

  “Well… okay, but those sharks had better be adorable. Now, let’s get villainous!”

  Twenty minutes later the League gathered back in the library with a small army of their favored and most dangerous henchpeople. Chaotica had brought her butler who was still wearing his apple suit but had added a chaos–caster and a rocket launcher to his ensemble. Beside him stood a handful of men and women in an eccentric mish–mash of colors and odd clothing. They looked like the members of some demented circus had robbed a war museum. They were juggling hand grenades, chainsaws and sunflowers, and one was riding a unicycle.

  “But why is that man dressed as an apple?” asked Flux.

  Flux had brought a dozen minions in super–charged armor that allowed them to move faster than a speeding bullet, but she was still a little jealous of Chaotica’s eccentric collection of minions.

  “I’ll never understand where she gets her people from… but they do have style, if not brains,” said Rex.

  A hundred drones were hovering in neat rows in the air. They were all different shapes and sizes, and each was armed with some form of exotic weapon.

  “Everyone gets a drone assistant,” said Code Cutter from the largest drone. “Get one of them near a computer and I’ll be inside the Icarus mainframe before you can blink twice.”

  “Good,” said Rex, inspecting the drones.

  “And you all know my new toy,” said RoboRodent.

  He was standing next to his robotic horde. Swiss’ huge body was dented and burnt in places, but had added a trio of enormous laser cannons to its shoulders, and it carried a belt of tools and weapons. The robot opened its giant mouth to expose rows and rows of super sharp teeth that could cut through steel.

  “That thing is even scarier than last time… and is that a missile rack?” asked Rex approvingly.

  “Order: Attack??” roared Swiss.

  “No! Ah… the voice commands are still a little rusty,” apologized RoboRodent.

  “Still good, though. Swiss is even bigger than the one you fought Captain Amazing with.”

  “Yeah… and more powerful. This time Captain Amazing doesn’t stand a chance,” said RoboRodent confidently.

  “Order: initiate laser lance?”

  “No!”

  “What about you, Rex? What will you be bringing to this party?” asked Chaotica as RoboRodent tried to talk Swiss out of attacking everything it saw.

  The League nodded eagerly. They knew Rex was the richest and most powerful of the teenage supervillains. Rex smiled; he had a reputation to uphold, and he was not about to disappoint.

  “I’m sure you have all heard of Steel Samantha,” he said, waving at his head goon.

  The League nodded in approval; everyone knew Steel Samantha. She had her own crew of hardened goth goons armed with chrome weapons decorated with skulls. They looked very unhappy, and seemed keen to spread their unhappiness around as soon as possible.

  “And this is Mad Robbo, my tracker. He insisted on bringing some of his friends along. They might look a bit rough, but last time we went out they tried to tackle Captain Amazing head on.”

  “Cool,” said Chaotica, but she didn’t sound too convinced.

  Bluey pulled out a crow bar, bent it into a “u” shape, and took a bite out of one end. He chewed the metal into a ball and spat it out.

  “Cool,” said Chaotica more sincerely.

  “There’s more. I’ve got a personal score to settle with the Psychic Psycho, so I’m willing to commit my all of secret reserves to our little outing. Come have a look,” Rex said, slipping his Duke Terror mask on.

  Outside the library stood a hundred hardened pirates, raiders and rogue ninjas led by none other than Colonel Razor who Rex had broken out of prison for the day. They were Rex’s toughest and craziest minions, a group specializing in taking down superheroes with rocket nets and plasma cannons. Each of the mad warriors wore a suit of Newtopian armour to defend themselves against superhero attacks, and they had decorated their breast plates with Duke Terrors skull–like emblem. They were a rough crew bound to strike fear into anyone who saw them.

  “Nice,” said Flux with real enthusiasm.

  “How on Earth did you get so many suits of Newtopian body armor? That’s the stuff their elite secret services use to fight superhumans. The best I’ve ever managed to steal is a single helmet, and that wasn’t easy!” said RoboRodent in awe.

  “Yeah, well after tonight I’ll give you a suit. Now, let’s go save the world and then pretend we didn’t.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET ROCKET LAUNCHERS

  Entrances and exits are important; make the effort to ensure yours are stylish.

  –Rex Rogue’s guide for aspiring supervillains, unpublished.

  Flux leapt into the Hyper Speeder’s chair and started mashing buttons.

  Chaotica sat beside the radar screens and Code Cutter’s drone and RoboRodent slid into the engineering stations. Rex just strapped himself in next to Flux. She was pushing buttons and twiddling dials at such a speed that Rex could barely follow as lights blinked on and off in quick succession. Jenny stayed in the corridor, invisible and quiet.

  “Engines are dangerously hot and ready to fire,” called out Code Cutter.

  “Set!” answered Flux eagerly.

  “Sensors are online,” added Chaotica.

  “Set set!”

  “Is everyone strapped in?” asked Rex.

  Not everyone was, but Flux didn’t care.

  “Set set set! Boom!”

  They took off so fast that they broke the sound barrier within seconds. The Hyper Speeder began to shake and rattle alarmingly.

  “Slow down!” begged RoboRodent, but Flux ignored him.

  “Icarus coming up in ten… nine… seven… um…two one there it is!” Chaotica called out.

  The Icarus was covered in hundreds of defensive turrets that began firing as soon as the Hyper Speeder was in range. Flux dodged through the fire with ease, but the guns weren’t the only thing defending the Icarus.

  “The Grim Shadow’s teams should have taken down the defensive shields by now,” said Flux.

  “They haven’t,” called out Chaotica.

  “Damn. Hold on everyone, we have to go around again!”

  Flux pulled the Hyper Speeder into a wild loop that took them out of range of the Icarus’s guns. Chaotica checked her sensors again, but there was no change in the shields.

  “Never mind, let’s try anyway!” said Flux.

  The Hyper Speeder plunged towards the Icarus. Chaotica was holding her breath and RoboRodent was hiding his eyes as the Icarus grew larger and larger.

  “Do I want to know what happens to us if we hit the shields at full speed?” asked Rex.

  “No, no you do not. The good news is that it would be over quickly.”

  “Ah. Well, let’s hope the Grim Shadow succeeds, then,” said Rex, thumbing his telepor
t belt controls just in case.

  “The shields are down!” said Chaotica.

  They only had a second to make their landing, but for Flux that was more than enough time. The Hyper Speeder rammed into the Icarus, pushing through its armor until the craft burst into a park. The Hyper Speeder slammed to a stop, and everyone was thrown forward into their harnesses. A green superhero was already flying towards them – it was the Green Dart, but he was flying both badly and slowly.

  “He must be under Riot Master’s control. Everybody get out get out get out!” ordered Flux.

  Flux exited the Hyper Speeder by a hatch in the roof and flew right at the Green Dart. They impacted with a loud bang and separated into blurs of color and action. Flux’s minions began setting up gun turrets around the Hyper Speeder, moving at a blur until the area around it was bristling with all kinds of nasty defenses.

  “That’s Green Dart taken care of, and our escape is secured,” said Rex, “so let’s get to the Icarus HQ and stop this thing falling out of the skies!”

  They ran quickly with Code Cutter’s drones leading the way, followed by Rex’s soldiers in front and Chaotica’s minions in the rear. RoboRodent’s metal army ran and flew around them in a wave of sharp teeth and long whiskers. They were led by the goliath figure of Swiss, and Rex almost felt sorry for any unfortunate superhero that got in the huge robot’s way. Almost.

  “The Grim Shadow says her teams are dealing with squads of police under Riot Master’s control and can’t help us, so I guess we are on our own,” Code Cutter said.

  “Good, they would only slow us down,” said Chaotica as she blasted a tree with her chaos caster. The tree changed into the skeleton of a swordfish wearing a traffic cone as a helmet and then burst into pink flames.

  A dozen superheroes flew slowly towards the villains. It was clear from their clumsy movements that Riot Master was struggling to control the numerous superheroes he had under his control.

  “Steel Samantha, I believe this work is for you,” Rex said.

  She nodded solemnly and led her squad of gothic goons down the street. They were armed with harpoon guns, laser rifles and chrome clubs that ended in nasty spikes. Rex and the other villains ran on as the sounds of a massive fight broke out behind them.