[hider=Impulse (Bart Thawne)][b]| Identity |[/b]
Bartholomew Allen Thawne [[i]Impulse[/i]]

[b]| Origin & Backstory |[/b]
A descendent of Flash ally Johnny Quick and villain Professor Zoom, Bart was born in the 30th Century the second of identical twins (the other being his ‘older’ brother Thaddeus). As infants, both children displayed a natural connection to the Speed Force. This also contributed to a lifelong rivalry between the two, in order to determine which was the real ‘fastest boy alive.’ As they grew older, the two adopted ‘hero names’ for this competition, with Bart naming Thad ‘Inertia’ for his propensity to run into things and Thad naming Bart ‘Impulse’ for his tendency to just run head-first without looking at where he was going.

When they were ten, the two boys came to the attention of the Legion of Super-Villains in the 30th Century, who wanted to use the boys in a trap set for the Legion of Super-Heroes. Luckily, Bart and Thad were rescued in time by Cosmic Boy and Bouncing Boy, allowing the heroes to prevail over the Legion of Super-Villains plans. Bart and Thad, as Impulse and Inertia, sometimes hung out in New Metropolis with the Legion of Super-Heroes in order to better train their abilities after that near disaster, but only when they finished their homework.

On one such occasion, about two years later, Bart challenged Thad to a race as the pair were departing their school for the start of a winter break. First to New Metropolis would claim the title of ‘world’s fastest kid.’ As the two were neck-in-neck upon arrival to Metropolis, both boys kept going. As they crossed the northern magnetic pole of the Earth however, something went wrong. A fissure formed within the aura of the Speed Force, creating an explosion that separated the two boys.

Bart fell into shadow, losing unconsciousness as he realized that he was moving away from Thad. When he awoke, he discovered himself on a world that was as foreign as it was familiar. Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, and the Grand Canyon were all there... but he wasn’t in New Metropolis anymore.

[b]| Character Notes |[/b]
UDC Year 3 will be ‘Year 1’ for this character, as his backstory and history occur outside of the UDC continuity. I’m also not precluding the idea that Bart’s future is a parallel one (think Rachel Summers).

[b]| Powers & Abilities |[/b]
Bart is a natural born speedster whose genetic make-up is ‘hard-wired’ to the Speed Force. This does not preclude him from ever being cut off from the Speed Force, but gives him access to the powers and abilities of a Speed Force Conduit for as long as he remains connected to it. This includes the ability to ‘phase’ by vibrating the molecules of his body (intangibility), physical movement at the speed of light (Speed Force Aura), heightened sensory perception, supercharged brain activity (accelerated rate of thought), and accelerated healing. As Bart’s use of the Speed Force taps into his own body metabolism, he is constantly taking in calories to fuel his superhuman speed.

[b]| How is this character different? |[/b]
Oh, where to begin? I’ve melded together the histories of the DCnU Bart Allen and Thaddeus Thawne, making them identical twins rather than having one be the clone of the other (in purest ‘Reverse Impulse’ fashion). I’ve also taken Barry Allen out of the equation, in order to not restrict future Flash players in any regard (there’s no need for Barry Allen to have ever been the Flash), using instead the Golden Age character of Johnny Quick and maximizing upon Bart’s canon relationship to the Thawne family. I’ve also kicked the Cosmic Treadmill to the curb and explained his time travel as a Speed Conduit accident instead, which seems to work better for storytelling purposes.

[b]| What is your goal with this character? |[/b]
Tacos, harassment of Kara, tacos, blatant oogling of Wonder Boobs... er, [i]Woman![/i] Wonder Woman, that’s what I meant, yeah. What was I saying again? Did I mention tacos? They have Taco Bells in this century, don’t they? Oh, and if there’s some Young Justice/Teen Titans stuff going down, there ought to be a Bart. And, in general, this place just seems like it could use some more Bart.

[b]| Sample Post |[/b]

[center][img] http://baku-panda.org/images/UDC_impulse.png[/img][/center]

The Statue of Liberty.

The Eiffel Tower.

The Taj Mahal.

As the young, brown haired boy stood in the shadow of the Great Wall of China, slurping a steaming batch of fresh noodles from off a street vendor cart in Kowloon, he was left in awe and confusion over everything that suggested where he was. This was China, he’d passed through India and France, and started out in the United States. But, if that were true, why was everything so...

A Chinese tourist walked by wearing what looked like some kind of wired earphones. Wired, like actual cables connecting a device!

And there were these... things. Vehicles? They moved on the ground, like they were restricted to moving on four wheels. Or two wheels, some of them had two wheels... But they were burning something, as smoke came out of a pipe on the back.

Where were the sky cabs? Where were the hover boards?

For that matter, what were these people wearing?

As if to reinforce the last point, a couple walked by staring hard at the youth with his large, yellow lens goggles atop his head. A short jacket was worn over a unitard-like, quilted, coverall kind of design. But, it wasn’t like he was wearing Metro Kids. This was from Interlac! All the cool kids wore this, from Tameran to Titan. Heck, The John had worn something like this is Twilight IX!

That was another thing, where were the holovid theaters?

Slurping up the rest of the noodles, the youth ditched the take-out box into a trash can halfway between Beijing and New Metropolis. Or... [i]not so new[/i] Metropolis, as the speeding blur arrived at what should have been Centennial Park, only it looked like something out of a holo at the Smithsonian. That was probably his biggest problem with everything he saw. Everything looked [b]old[/b].

Popping open the bag of chips he’d snatched up on the run through Las Angeles, Bart tossed a handful of starch and transfat into his mouth before elevating the goggles from around his eyes and propping them atop his head once again. Continuing to survey the area around him, still surprised that he hadn’t found Thad, the youth strode toward what should have been the MegaPlex 9000 HoloTheater. Instead it some dumb hole in the wall called the Wired City Movie Theater.

What the heck was a [b]movie[/b]? Wait, wasn’t that... two dimensional?

Did that kind of ancient tech every actually exist? Like cavemen and stuff, reading materials on printed...

As he turned his head, Bart observed a man handing what looked like metal coin currency to a vendor and receiving a pulp paper printed news media. And, on that note, he was officially guest starring in the History Channel.

If this was a dream, why couldn’t there be more women? And not like Miss Garren, the history teacher, but like the Olivia’s Secret Succubi women?[/hider]

[hider=Green Lantern (Kai-ro)]Gowi and I discussed this last night. For right now, I'm not dropping Bart. I hope to come back to him later, but in the meantime:

[b]| Identity |[/b]
Kai-ro (Green Lantern)

[b]| Origin & Backstory |[/b]
Kai-ro is a descendent of the ancient and extinct civilization of Nanda Parbat, born on Earth as the off-spring of refugees who escaped the destruction of their homeworld and were successful in integrating into human society centuries ago. Born into an impoverished family living in the Canton region of China, Kai-ro became one of many boys orphaned into the various Buddhist temples throughout the mainland. As a result, Kai-ro is fluent in both Cantonese Chinese and Mandarin Chinese, being formally educated in the latter while more often speaking the former in normal conversation while 'growing up monk' in the Southern Shaolin Temple outside of Hong Kong. Functioning like a boarding school and orphanage, the monastery saw to all of Kai-ro's basic needs while providing for his education in both the traditional schools of thought in addition to physical disciplines provided for by the practice of Chinese wu shu, or kung fu. 

It was during Year 3 of our story's continuity that Kai-ro's story became something beyond that of a simple monk, living and learning in a temple in China. For it was in that year that the Green Lantern [b]Abin Sur[/b] took off his ring and retired from the Corps. That ring was sent to search the universe for one whose will was strong, one who would stand up in brightest day and darkest night. And that ring found a young Shaolin monk named Kai-ro and the ring spoke to him and said, [i]Kai-ro of Earth, you have the ability to overcome great fear[/i].

Transported by the ring to the Corps Headquarters on the planet Oa, Kai-ro found himself indoctrinated into a new order and discipline; that of the [b]Green Lantern Corps[/b]. Graduating from [b]Killowog[/b]'s training, the rookie Green Lantern found himself assigned to the diminutive and grizzled soldier, [b]Ch'p[/b] as a probationary member of the Corps who will finish his training as a patrolman under Ch'p's watchful eye.

[b]| Character Notes |[/b]
A few of Kai-ro's more commonly used NPCs:
[indent]Clarissi [b]Salaak[/b] - [i]The title roughly translates as 'Commander', denoting that this Slyggian from Sector 1418 and veteran Green Lantern is one of the chief administrators of the Lantern Corps, and is responsible for directing the Enforcement branch of the Corps.[/i][/indent]
[indent][b]Kilowog[/b] - [i]Kai-ro's instructor and trainer, a Bolovaxian from Sector 0674 and a Green Lantern.[/i][/indent]
[indent][b]Ch'p[/b] - [i]Kai-ro's supervisor in the field, a squirrel or chipmunk-like alien from the planet H'Iven in Sector 1014 and a Blue Lantern.[/i][/indent]
[indent][b]Aya[/b] - [i]An artificial intelligence which exists as a humanoid robot and the computer of the Guardian patrol ship, [b]Sentinel[/b].[/i][/indent]
[indent][b]Miri Riam[/b] - [i]A Violet Lantern from the planet Lartnec in Sector 1111.[/i][/indent]
[indent][b]Kreavan[/b] - [i]Miri's partner, an Indigo Lantern who looks like a giant eagle.[/i][/indent]

[b]| Powers & Abilities |[/b]
Kai-Ro is the youngest Green Lantern ever inducted into the Corps (youngest both in absolute age and relative to his species' normal biological development). He radiates serenity and a calm willpower beyond his years, and yet can still enjoy life with the wide-eyed wonder appropriate to his age.

- [b]Green Lantern Ring[/b], which allows Kai-ro to create green constructs from the sheer force of will and imagination. The ring also provides a protective aura around his body, enabling him to fly in atmosphere or the vacuum of space, and allows for faster-than-light travel in space.

- [b]Martial Arts Master[/b] in Chinese Wu Shu, specifically Tai Chi Chuan and Shaolin Crane Style martial arts.

- [b]Meditation Training[/b] as a Shaolin monk allows Kai-ro to center himself and maintain his emotions in check even in the most dire of circumstances.

[b]| How is this character different? |[/b]
Admittedly, Kai-ro isn't much of a character to begin with. He appeared in maybe 3-4 episodes of the cartoons, primarily the two-part episode of [i]Batman Beyond[/i] where he first appears and it isn't until the [i]Justice League Unlimited[/i] comic books that he gets any kind of backstory. This character stays true to much of that, except that this Kai-ro has Abin Sur's ring whereas the DCAU Kai-ro has John Stewart's ring, but I hope to focus on more of a police procedural drama than the typical [i]Green Lantern member of the Justice League[/i] stories - developing the Lantern Corps as actual interstellar law enforcement as opposed to just a dude with a ring chillin' on Earth when he's supposed to be responsible for a multitude of planets. Kai-ro's story will bring him to Earth, certainly, but on a transient basis. The point is to portray Kai-ro and the GLC for what it is: COPS in space. 

[b]| What is your goal with this character? |[/b]
I covered most of this in the section above, but to reiterate my goal is to tell a police procedural drama that takes place in the conceptual framework of the Green Lantern Corps. It's Interpol in space. Smugglers. Fringers. Drug runners. White collar crime and good old fashioned homicide. Interstellar navigational safety. And the classic disaster response. My goal is to tell a story about a character whose purpose is to serve and protect. 

[b]| Sample Post |[/b]

[center][img=http://baku-panda.org/images/UDC_Kairo.png][/center]

[i]In the greater cosmos, the people are protected by two sides in the interstellar justice system; the [b]Lanterns[/b] who investigate crimes and the local authorities who prosecute the offenders. The call came in at seventeen forty-seven, Oa Standard Time. A domestic disturbance on an asteroid base out on the edge of space in Sector 2814. That makes it my problem. My name is Kai-ro. I carry a ring.[/i] 

[b]| A S T E R O I D • B L U E • H E A V E N |[/b]

The small spacecraft exited out of the singularity, a blue glow radiating from the ion drives as power was diverted to the sublight engines, the kinetic force combining with the resulting inertial to propel the pristine vessel toward the massive rock which hung like a rogue planet against the backdrop of space. Inside the space craft, a feminine voice echoed and said, "We have entered Sector 2814, quadrant Gamma-9. Adjusting vector for approach to space station [i]Blue Heaven[/i]."

"Domestic disturbance," the squirrel-like creature growled, blowing smoke from a distinctly non-regulation cigar as he barked, "What are we now, marriage counselors?"

Bringing a hand up to his face, the young Chinese boy waved the smoke away from his face despite knowing all-too-well the futility of his actions. In such a confined environment, even with Aya's carbon scrubbers working at maximum efficiency to recycle the air quality, the noxious odors continued to burn at his nostrils everywhere in the ship. "Blue Heaven is a private enterprise. WIthout local government law enforcement, it is necessary for the Corps to provide for community police protection in order to prevent this quadrant becoming a..."

"Yeah, yeah, [i]I'm[/i] not the Poozer here, kid," Ch'p growled, interrupting the young Green Lantern before blowing smoke in his face. "This is, what, third time we've been out?"

"Fourth," Kai-ro corrected, coughing as the smoke choked the back of his throat.

"Well, maybe if you'd busted some heads the first, second, or [i]third[/i] time, we wouldn't be out here again," the H'lven chipmunk snapped.

"There was no criminal complaint alleged and therefore it would be unconscionable to impose..."

"I'll show you 'unconscionable' if you don't shut up and arrest something," the grizzled Blue Lantern barked, waving with his cigar toward the back of the cockpit. "Now hit the beat, kid."

There were creatures in this world - in this [i]universe[/i] - who tested the patience of even the most virtuous monk. With a sigh, the young Green Lantern hung his head as he resigned himself to the fact that Clarissi Salaak had, for whatever karmic slight Kai-ro may have caused in a prior life, partnered him with just such a creature. "[i]Kao yao[/i]," the youth muttered in Chinese as he started toward the airlock.

"Yeah, [i]moo goo gai pan[/i] to you too, kid."

The comment from the H'lven reached Kai-ro's ears just as he started through the exit of the cockpit, drawing his shoulders up in the only tangible display of irritation. [i]Peace. Compassion. [b]Peace...[/b][/i] the boy repeated to himself, drawing in a deep breath which he let out slowly as he did the right thing and just walked away. As he stepped into the airlock, the boy brought his right hand up, adjusting the distinctive ring on his middle finger. A green aura enveloped his small form, as the exterior hatch was pulled away like a curtain to reveal the naked cosmos outside. Gently, the boy's foot drifted from off the deck as he floated freely into the vacuum awaiting him.

Space could be frightening the first time. There was no concept of up or down. No compass points with which to orient the mind. Some never overcame the vertigo. But Kai-ro? Kai-ro felt like this was true freedom. Putting his arms by his side, the child ducked and then pushed himself out through the void like a dolphin sliding through the sea. Gliding across the emptiness, the youth arced upward to arrive at an airlock that would give entry to the asteroid base. A pulse from his ring and the door parted for him, and Kai-ro stepped inside.

A century before, the asteroid had been cored out by a mining corporation. Left an empty shell, the remains of the mining station had been hastily converted into a port of call for people out on the fringe of this part of space. Pirates. Smugglers. Drug runners. The Green Lanterns knew that [i]Blue Heaven[/i], as it had come to be called, was nothing more than a waypoint from criminal elements drifting through the sector. But suspicion didn't amount to evidence, and so the Green Lanterns could do little more than keep an eye on the station. Still, it remained a lawless wonderland. A ghetto in space. Trash crunched under foot, along with something squishy that Kai-ro immediately tried not to think about as he made his way inside of the shoddy asteroid port. 

B37T4-A, or Big Bertha, had originally been programmed as a lab assistant for a chemical company. Later advances in robotics and artificial intelligence design had led to Bertha being thrown out with the trash, but instead of being resigning herself to being reduced to scrap, the rusted automaton had wound up opening a bar out on Blue Heaven. There, she'd met up with a waste disposal unit that everyone called 'Marty' and the two had mixed like oil and water. Their passions for one another were, perhaps, impressive given the limitations of their designs, but that passion led to destructive behavior - usually by Bertha - which was of increasing concern to the residents of Blue Heaven.

That alone was concerning. It took a great deal for someone who lived on Blue Heaven to [i]want[/i] to call the Lanterns.

As the young Green Lantern walked through the doors of the bar, an ion bolt buried itself into the wall about three feet to the left and two heads higher than he stood. The smell of residual gas coolant gave credence to the notion that such hadn't been the first shot fired, which would explain why someone would have been willing, if not eager, to call the Lanterns. In space, with the risk of the hull being compromised, [i]no one[/i] won a gun fight. 

Bertha was behind the bar, plugged into a voltage converted that had obviously made her onboard components drunk from the power surge. In one of her reedy, articulate limbs was a relic of the Trandoshan Civil War, a gas-powered ion bolt caster that was little more than a high-tech slug thrower. "You [i]whore[/i]," the robotic bar tender managed, loudly slurring her words as her servos were unable to precisely calibrate for motion. The rifle waved wildly toward a squat, dirty-looking robot. "I... I kill you and... and that automated hussy!"

"Perhaps we could begin by placing the weapon on the..."

"Bertha, my love! My binary blossom, it was nothing!" Marty's roughly synthesized voice interjected, as the squat box-like robot seemed to dance from side to side. "A thirty second upload in a parallel connection, I swear! She means nothing to me!" 

Turning toward the squat machine, Kai-ro looked sternly over at the waste robot and offered, "I do not believe such protests will be effect..."

"[i]Upload!?[/i]" Bertha echoed, drawing both Marty and Kai-ro's attention to the chemist-turned-barmaid at the distinctive sound of the caster bolt being drawn back. "[b]UPLOAD!?[/b]"

"Upload? No, I didn't upload in her..." Marty uttered weakly.

This was, in the boy's mind, exactly what a train wreck in slow motion must look like. "[i]Go se[/i]," the child swore under his breath, as a large green shield appeared between himself, Marty, and the bar as several ion bolts slammed into the willpower construct. This was [i]not[/i] what he'd envisioned when he'd been chosen as Green Lantern.

"I had reconstructive surgery for you!" Bertha barked, pausing her barrage as she gestured toward what were obviously a new set of oscillating processor tubes across the front of her torso.

"Yes'm, those are nice," Kai-ro quipped vapidly, not entirely certain that made sense, and less so just what he was saying, but it made sense to say something as he gestured with both hands for her to put the caster down. "We can talk about this rationally and without the need for viol..."

"[i]Bitch[/i], you best recognize that's [b]my man![/b]"

There were very few times that Kai-ro would have offered the opinion that discussion was a useless endeavor. As the automated food processor came wheeling into the bar, however, the Shaolin monk had to resign himself to the fact that [i]this[/i] was one of those times. 

"Oh, [i]hell no![/i]"

As Bertha roared and snapped up the rifle, the spry, young Green Lantern was already in motion. Quick as a snake, a sweep of the boy's leg had sent the Trandoshan rifle skidding across the bar top, as a series of green handcuffs snapped onto her reedy limbs. "Weapons discharge in an enclosed space environment is a class five misdemeanor," the youth asserted in a matter-of-fact tone. "I believe some time apart on Oa will help in alleviating this conflic..."

"[b][i]GET YUR HANDS OFF MY WIFE![/b][/i]"

As he turned, Kai-ro saw Marty lunging for him, as the food processor came wheeling after. "That's my man!"

Had he mentioned that he hadn't signed up for this?[/hider]

[hider=Gizmo]
[b]| Identity |[/b]
Mikron O'Jeneus (Gizmo)

[b]| Origin & Backstory |[/b]
Growing up in a junkyard outside of New York, the descendant of Irish immigrants who never caught a good break, young Mikron O'Jeneus had already earned the nickname [i]Gizmo[/i] by the time he could walk. With an intelligence that challenged the public school system at the far end of nowhere any parent wanted to raise their kids, the state education system found it impossible to test the boy for how effortlessly he passed. The elementary and middle grades bored him. Advanced placement classes intended for graduating high schoolers gave him little more than [i]pause[/i]. As a child, he outperformed every graduating valedictorian in the state of New York. That was when a routine pediatric examination turned up the possible reason why. Gizmo had an extremely rare form of brain cancer, which caused parts of the brain that were usually not active to form new connections in the brain.

Gizmo's already impoverished family was financially crushed with medical bills, which was when the H.I.V.E. first approached the family. Originally offering a grant to cover the medical expenses, two years ago the H.I.V.E. approached Gizmo's family with a scholarship offer than couldn't be turned down, but it involved a boarding school. Unlike his parents however, Gizmo was eager to cut ties to the ordinary and mundane people he felt were holding him back from achieving his real potential. The foundation - the [b]H.I.V.E.[/b] - were all too eager to let the boy unleash that potential and all of the demons that came with such unfettered brilliance in such an immature person. Paired with fellow students [b]Jinx[/b], [b]Ambush Bug[/b], [b]Mammoth[/b], and [b]Shimmer[/b], Gizmo began an intensive set of training exercises that were the first tests to ever actually challenge him. Gizmo was recently dispatched to Gotham City, New Jersey as part of a [i]field trip[/i] for the H.I.V.E. protegees. This [b]Fearsome Five[/b] now waits in the Narrows of Gotham, awaiting the command to unleash chaos and terror on the city of the Batman.

[b]| Character Notes |[/b]
No NPCs of note at this time.

[b]| Powers & Abilities |[/b]
Gizmo actually possesses no super human powers or abilities. He possesses a genius level intellect in mechanical engineering, allowing even the most innocuous item to become a weapon of unparalleled destruction in his hands. Gizmo has a childish fantasy about gadgets and where science and technology collide is the point at which Gizmo is most dangerous. He has already created a number of gadgets and devices which seem remarkable for his age, including an anti-gravity vest and tablets capable of remote hacking data systems through WiFi, making him a dangerous technological terrorist. Gizmo most often carries a harness or backpack like device of his own design, which may incorporate either a weaponized jetpack or spider-like, multi-segmented exoskeletal limbs. Without his gadgets however, Gizmo is otherwise an ordinary young boy.

[b]| How is this character different? |[/b]
This interpretation of the character borrows heavily from the [i]Teen Titans/Teen Titans GO![/i] re-imagining of Gizmo as a preteen boy genius who would be a foil for Cyborg. I think there's a lot of potential for the re-imagined Gizmo outside of a comedic series, so I admittedly haven't changed much. One difference is borrowing the name of the mainstream version of the character and the only other is that I've explained the baldness as a result of childhood cancer treatments.

[b]| What is your goal with this character? |[/b]
Blatant harassment of Gowi. Also, taking over Jump City with a robot army (provided Robin doesn't show up without pants).

[b]| Sample Post |[/b]
[center][img=http://baku-panda.org/images/UDC_Gizmo.png][/center]
The mechanical wings flared out, leveling the small boy in the air as he prepared to dive into a canyon-like divide between two walls. Already, a number of concussion grenade tipped [b]RPGs[/b] were shooting up from weapon mount points along the smooth, metal walls below. [i]Just like Beggar's Canyon back home[/i], the bald-headed youth thought, dropping a pair of green goggles down over his eyes before he made the suicide run. Reaching into the pockets of the mechanics coveralls he wore, the boy produced two disc-like objects, which proceeded to unravel themselves into multiple plates, each resonating with a different frequency or magnetic signature.

The explosion was deafening, drowning out the gleeful shout as the child's short frame shot from out of the debris cloud as he dived from out of the air and into the confined space of the canyon. Columns shot up from out of the floor and the walls, creating an obstacle course that required the youth to maneuver over and under objects with sparse seconds with which to calculate the margins of error. Point defense cannons were popping up next, as the boy tapped a [i]Playstation[/i] like controller on the wrist of his suit. Bomblets detached themselves from the exo-skeletal wings, streaking through the air to take out the anti-personnel weapons.

This was a race, but he was competing against himself. Trying to improve his time and performance over the last time he'd run this course. That made it a challenge, and Gizmo liked challenges. He didn't get enough of them.

As the boy neared the end of the canyon, the walls and the floor shot columns out in unison, intertwining to form a barrier. It had stopped him last time. But not [i]this time[/i]. Pressing a button on the front of his vest, the boy's harness detached, continuing to sail on as the bald-headed youth tumbled to the ground. He didn't have the finesse of Jinx. He hit the ground hard, rolling with a grunt as he came up sore and painful. But as he looked up, the jetpack collided with the wall, its warhead arming and sending chunks of the twisted, scorched debris showering the canyon. Bracing himself, the youth held up a hand to shield his face as the flaming bits of wreckage rained down like hail around him. As the smoke began to clear, the youth lowered his arm and grinned wickedly at the sight of the passage blasted straight through the wall.

"Scorch me, baby!" the youth uttered, breaking into a run as he made for the exit. Leaping up, the youth gingerly watched his feet as the industrial-quality soles came down on sharpened points of broken and smoldering metal. Picking his way through the tunnel he'd blasted, the young Gizmo dropped down to the floor on the opposite side. He dropped to a three-point crouch, flipping the goggles back up on the top of his head as he stood to face the final challenge between himself and the finish line.

Mammoth stood between them, the giant teen pounding a fist into his palm and grinning as though giving testament to what he planned for Gizmo.

"Aw, [i]crud[/i]," the boy muttered to himself, propping back to his feet. In a blur of motion, his right hand ducked into a cargo pocket on his thigh, whipping an object through the air toward the lumbering oaf of a teenager. "End of the line, snothead!" the eccentric technopath shouted defiantly.

Unfazed, Mammoth merely caught to object in one hand, closing his fist around it as though ready to crush it as he turned his palm toward his face to see what it was. The teen was perplexed for a moment, then held the object out as he glared at the boy. It was an old Motorola flip phone. "Want me to call your [i]mommy[/i] for you?" the giant boomed.

The familiar Motorola ring tone heralded an explosion, as the battery overloaded and broke open the packet of sand and salt peter that had been stashed inside. What happened when those came together with the internal metals of the phone components was nothing short of Fourth of July beautiful. "[b][i]Science[/i][/b], mothercruncher," Gizmo shouted in triumph as Mammoth hit the floor, unconscious. "Can you hear me now?"[/hider]