Project Rhodes

Project Rhodes is the fourteenth episode of Young Plumbers: Generations and the seventy fifth episode overall of Earth-19.

Plot
[Paper, Toon, Sci, Nick, Bink, Hornbok, Future Paper, and Future Toon are sitting around a table in the Magister's office.]

[Hornbok]: Are you sure you're work is done here?

[Future Paper]: Are work is definitely done... We stopped the return of Rigon, the future will almost certainly be changed...

[Sci]: Thank you for everything you have helped us with. Without you're help, we may not have stopped Rigon...

[Nick]: I'll ready the time machine...

[He stands up and walks into a back room of the Magister's office.]

[Paper, to Future Paper]: It was nice meeting you, er, me...

[Future Paper]: It's funny, because my thoughts about myself in the past have changed... Probably because I changed what happened to me...

[The camera pans over to Toon and Future Toon.]

[Future Toon]: I really appreciate you're team's help in our mission...

[Toon]: No, I appreciate you're help... We couldn't have done it without you...

[Nick]: The time machine's ready...

[Future Paper and Future Toon look at each other.]

[Future Paper]: Good bye, you guys...

[They walk into the back room with Nick. They stare at the time machine for a moment; it is just a modified Shuffler.]

[Nick]: All you need to do is hit the button, I've already put in the coordinates and time...

[They walk into the time machine.]

[Future Toon]: Thanks for everything...

[The door of the Shuffler-time machine closes. It whirs for a moment, then shuts down, and the door opens.]

[Future Paper]: That was-- It didn't work...

[Nick, worried]: Why didn't it work?

[He opens the door behind him back to the office.]

[Hornbok]: Did they change their minds?

[Nick]: It didn't work...

[Future Paper]: And until it does...

[He looks at Future Toon.]

[Future Paper]: We're stuck here... In the wrong era...

[The camera shows a Orlando school building. It then cuts inside to a classroom, students sitting in desks that are in rows. The teacher is sitting at a desk on the side of the room. One student is standing in the front of the classroom. He appears to be nervous.]

[Student #1, the one standing in front]: For my poem, I chose to memorize Fire and Ice, by Robert Frost...

[He pauses for a while. His fellow classmates wait eagerly for him to recite the poem.]

[Student #1]: Some say the world will end in fire... Some say in ice... From what I've tasted of desire... I hold with those who favor fire... But if it had to perish twice... I think I know enough of hate... To say that for destruction ice... Is also great.. And would suffice...

[He nods his head. Some of the classmates begin to clap, but others begin to scream and shout.]

[Student #2]: Did you guys see that in the window?

[Student #3]: YEAH, it looked like a UFO!

[Teacher]: Settle down, you didn't see anything in the window. It's just a figment of your imagination... You probably thought you saw something out of a movie or video game or something stupid like that...

[Student #2]: No, this was real, I saw it with my own eyes...

[Teacher]: I think this is escalating a bit too quickly...

[There is a flash or bright light across the otherwise barren sky on a dark, cloudy day.]

[Student #4]: How the heck do you explain that?

[Coincidentally, the lights go out.]

[Student #3]: Or that, what's going on!?

[Suddenly, there is a loud static noise and then everything becomes silent. The students and teacher stop arguing as the camera cuts to a corn field, also in Orlando. A large meteor has crashed into the field. Four unknown aliens circle the meteor in small hoverpads. They are also wearing armor. They are speaking an unknown language.]

[Alien #1]: (Here he is. The master's new toy.)

[Alien #2]: (Today is going to be a great new beginning.)

[Alien #3]: (All hail Dexis!)

[Each of their masks open, revealing the aliens to be Rotolysians: three males and one female.]

[Alien #4]: (And all hail Colossus IV!)

[All]: KOLOSAS! KOLOSAS! KOLOSAS!

[Alien #1]: Today, a new age begins!

[Theme Song]

[The camera cuts to the Plumbers' Academy. Nick is standing in the Magisters' office alone with the new team. The rest of the Academy is deserted.]

[Nick]: Okay, as your new team coordinator, I've got my first mission for you...

[Harry]: Is this going to be a legit mission? Or just a way that you can babysit us?

[Nick]: This is a real mission; you'll be investigating a meteor that crashed near Cape Canaveral yesterday afternoon.

[Figy, sarcastic]: A meteor!? They never actually crash!

[Nick]: Let me rephrase: you'll be investigating a meteor that crashed near Cape Canaveral yesterday afternoon that got up and walked away when government agents started to investigate...

[The recruits look at him.]

[Nick]: It's not unheard of... Well, I've never seen anything like this happen before, but it's not unrealistic... It's probably a living creature, so head to Cape Canaveral and investigate...

[Ray]: Right away, sir!

[The new recruits head off to the docking bay to take a ship to Earth. Nick brings up a hologram of the docking bay and sees their ship take off. He gets rid of the hologram and then heads to the exit of the office when there is beeping sound.]

[Computer]: Incoming transmission...

[Nick]: Require access code, authorization D03

[Computer]: Authorization successful: Commander Nick...

[He waits for a moment to see if the transmission knows the access code.]

[Computer]: Access code accepted, processing transmission...

[Nick's eye widen. A holographic screen appears with a fuzzy image. Two older aged, familiar looking men are on the screen.]

[Nick]: How'd you get this access code?

[Old Man]: Nick, it's me, Paper...

[Nick, enraged]: WHAT?

[Future Paper, furious]: And I want to know where my time machine is...

[The camera cuts to Orlando. The recruits are exiting their ship, which has landed within the Cape Canaveral space compound. A member of the air force walks up to greet them.]

[Air Force Colonel]: Colonel Rozum at your service... Welcome to Cape Canaveral...

[Roy]: You knew we'd be coming?

[Rozum]: We've been expecting the Plumbers to show up. Ever since that meteor crashed...

[Holly]: Well if you don't mind we're just going to go investigate that...

[Rozum]: No, you're not. I have strict orders not to let anyone wander around this base, whether they're on my team or not...

[Figy]: But...

[Rozum]: In the mean time, we'd be happy to give you a tour...

[Rozum turns around the recruits start to follow him. The camera shows three figures standing on top of a building. As the plumbers walk out of sight, the figures jump off the building and head away from the compound. The camera cuts back to Rozum and the recruits.]

[Rozum]: I remember when the Plumbers first formed your team... It's been 14 years... It's hard to believe it's been that long...

[The recruits stay silent and uninterested.]

[Rozum]: I guess I'll show you our training facilities, that might interest you...

[They continue to walk as the camera cuts to the corn field. The three figures from earlier are standing around a scorched mark on the ground, the same place where the meteor crashed.]

[Figure #1, a male]: It couldn't have gotten far...

[Figure #2, a female]: It's supposed to come looking for us... We should just wait here...

[Figure #3, a male]: I think I see it...

[A fourth figure walks up to the other three. It steps out of the shadows of the night, revealing it to be an upgraded version of Colossus. The other three figures step out on the other side, revealing them to be Thebes, Hathus Set, and Abbaddon].

[Colossus IV]: Are you ready, friends?

[Thebes]: Just make it look convincing...

[Thebes quickly draws his sword and jumps at Colossus, striking him in one of his arms. Colossus grabs the blade of the sword with his other arm and snaps it in half. He rips the sword out of Thebes' hand and absorbs both parts into him. He turns both his arms into blades and starts swinging them at Thebes. Abbaddon jumps over Thebes, spins, and kicks Colossus in the head, landing far behind him. Both turn around and stare at each other. Colossus gets blasted forward by a laser from a weapon fired by Hathus Set. He turns as she jumps and kicks him in the face. Colossus stumbles back as Abbaddon blasts a wave of dark energy, forcing Colossus back forward with enough force to send him into the ground.]

[Colossus IV]: You're all weaklings... Maybe if you weren't so busy trying to prove which one of you was the strongest, then you'd have beaten me by now?

[Abbaddon]: What's that supposed to mean?

[Colossus IV]: You're not trying to help each other. You each want to be able to take the credit for beating me!

[Hathus Set]: That's not true at all!

[Thebes]: He's just trying to distract us.

[Colossus chuckles and then stands up and prepares to charge at Thebes and Hathus Set. Abbaddon stands behind him, ready for the attack. Colossus charges and Abbaddon follows him. Thebes and Hathus charge in the opposite direction, and Colossus jumps, sending the three young villains colliding into each other.]

[Hathus]: Abbaddon, what are you doing following him? That wasn't the plan!

[Abbaddon]: You saw me doing that? Why'd you charge back?

[Thebes]: Stop fighting you two. Colossus will...

[He looks around the corn field.]

[Thebes]: ...get away.

[He continues to look around the corn field and then brings his hand up to his communicator in his ear. The camera goes split screen, with Dexis in his ship on the other side.]

[Dexis]: Report?

[Thebes]: The Plumbers sent their youngest members to the base. We also practiced our diversion.

[Dexis]: Excellent, I will contact when you need to proceed.

[The camera cuts to Rozum and the recruits at the training facility. There is a large gym that can be seen through the windows on one side of the hallway, and on the other side, there is a large open room.]

[Rozum]: Well, pick a side...

[Harry]: What do you think this is, a training exercise? We're not training, pal...

[Rozum]: Why not...

[Chris]: If you didn't notice, you're not our boss, the Plumbers are...

[Figy]: And we're here to investigate, you're lucky we're following along with your requests...

[Rozum]: You are Plumbers, but you still have to follow Earth laws, and right now the government has told me to tell anyone in the area to not wander around, so until we hear otherwise, you're not going to do so...

[Holly]: You still can't tell us what to do... So if you want to stop doing that, it would be greatly appreciated.

[Rozum]: You know what, fine, investigate the fields, but none of my men are helping you...

[Holly]: Thank you...

[Rozum]: Actually, there's... nothing, you can go investigate...

[The recruits begin to walk out. Ray leaves last, and nods at Rozum before closing the door to the training corridor. The camera cuts to the recruits walking in the field near the base.]

[Reg]: That guy was starting to annoy me...

[Ahmad]: I think we can agree on that...

[Reg]: But how are we going to agree on how to find a living meteor?

[Chris]: It's probably not even a meteor, more likely it's a living creature that crashed...

[Reg]: Well, yeah...

[Voice #1, a male]: Plumbers are always so close-minded...

[The recruits stop in place and look around.]

[Ray]: Who's there?

[Voice #2, a female]: Who says it was only one living creature?

[Voice #3, a male]: And who says that the creature has to be alive?

[Thebes, Hathus, and Abbaddon jump down in front of the recruits.]

[Roy]: You two... and... another?

[Holly]: How are you three dead creatures?

[Thebes]: Oh, we're not the ones who crashed.

[Suddenly and rapidly, Colossus IV jumps over the three young villains, smashing his fist into the ground and turning his head up to look at the recruits.]

[Thebes]: He is...

[Commercial]

[The camera cuts back to the Plumbers' Academy. Nick is talking to Future Paper and Future Toon via the holographic screen.]

[Nick]: I'm so confused, you're Paper?

[Future Paper]: You don't remember? Toon and I came back in time to help save the galaxy from Rigon, but when we tried to go back, the time machine was broken. You said that it would take 10 years to recharge the engine.

[Nick]: I completely forgot, I'm sorry... It's been sitting in a back room of the office this whole time.

[He looks at a door to a back room and then walks over to it and opens it up. The time machine is sitting there, not having been touched in 10 years. He walks back to talk to the old plumbers.]

[Nick]: Did you happen to figure out how to fix the time machine?

[Future Toon]: I did some investigating... I have no idea how to fix the time machine, but I know only three people in the galaxy who could help us...

[Nick]: Who?

[Paradox, appearing]: Azmuth, myself, and...

[Nick turns around and sees Paradox.]

[Nick]: How do you always manage to get past security?

[Paradox]: I don't have time to explain...

[The four wait quietly for a moment.]

[Nick]: So who's the third person?

[Paradox]: Excuse me?

[Nick]: The third person who can fix a time machine?

[Paradox]: Oh...

[Future Toon]: You see, the third person who could help is... dead...

[Nick, shocked]: Who is it though...?

[Future Toon]: Maybe you misunderstood... In order for Paper and I to get back to our own time, someone must sacrifice their own life...

[The camera cuts back to the field near Cape Canaveral. The nine recruits are fighting Colossus IV along with the three young villains. Paul and Harry are fighting Thebes in one area of the field. Harry charges at Thebes, jumps, tries to spin kick him, but he misses. Thebes ducks over him and hits him with his sword. He turns and slices at Paul, who forms a sword using his armor and slashes back at Thebes. Thebes lights his sword with dark fire and slashes away at Ray, who deforms the sword in exchange for a sonic cannon. He blasts it at Thebes, who is slowed down by the weapon. Behind Paul, Chris, Reg, and Holly fight Abbaddon. Holly uses her telekinesis to blast a gust of wind at Abbaddon. He counters with a blast of electricity as Chris and Reg stand watching, awkwardly.]

[Reg]: I don't know much strategy; what do we do?

[Chris]: We fight; we usually don't use any strategy...

[He jumps over Holly and blasts fire at Abbaddon, cutting off the electricity blast. He sends a magical blast at Chris, who avoids. Reg morphs into a bird as he flies over. He then morphs into a lion as he lands near Abbaddon. He charges at him and then morphs into a bear and knocks him him with his paw. Abbaddon slides back and glances behind him at Roy and Figy fighting Hathus. Roy sends lasers out of his cannon at Hathus, but she jumps and spins sideways to avoid all of them. She rushes forward and punches Roy in the gut and then kicks him back before raising her arms to shield herself from a punch from Figy. He hits the shields on her wrists several times before she decides to sweep kick him and make him fall over. Roy fires an exploding arrow at her, which knocks her back. He turns and looks at the fight around him. He sees Paul and Harry fighting Thebes, with Harry avoiding a slice from Thebes and then punching at him, only to miss and get knocked back. He turns and sees Chris, Reg, and Holly fighting Abbaddon, and losing badly. He turns again and sees Ray and Ahmad, off in the distance fighting Colossus IV. The camera cuts to them. Ahmad is on his knees as Colossus IV charges at Ray. He forms a white energy shield, but Colossus immediately rushes through it, shattering it and continuing for Ray. Ray jumps and sprays Colossus with a white energy laser as he jumps over him. Ahmad slowly gets up and then jumps and glides at Colossus, charging his arms with electricity as he knocks Colossus back for a bit before getting knocked to the ground. Ray turns around and forms a white energy hammer as Colossus forms two and they charge at each other. Ray ducks under the first hammer swipe and then hits Colossus in the gut with his own hammer. It shakes Colossus briefly, but he hits Ray with his other hammer and then disbands them and forms his arms into electric whips. Ray rolls to avoid a whip as Ahmad electrocutes Colossus from his spot on the ground. Colossus turns and sends one of his whips at Ahmad, who catches it and uses it to pull himself off of the ground. He pulls Colossus towards him and then punches him backwards. Colossus snatches his whip out of Ahmad's arm and then forms his arms into chain saws as he charges at Ahmad. He jumps back and flies backwards as Colossus charges at him and Ray follows. Ahmad looks behind him and sees the others fighting. He looks and sees Harry and Thebes standing at odds, with Thebes' back turned towards Ahmad.]

[Ahmad]: Harry! JUMP!

[Harry hears this and jumps as Ahmad flies too quickly for Colossus to react as he charges forward and collides with Thebes, knocking both of them to the ground.]

[Colossus]: Apologies for the miscalculation, master...

[Thebes]: None needed, I was distracted...

[He turns and points his sword as Paul, who was preparing an energy blast from an arm cannon.]

[Thebes]: ...But not that distracted.

[Ray and Harry remain flying in the air as Thebes points the sword at Paul as Colossus stands there, calculating his next movie. He looks over at the rest of the group, which has now become one massive brawl. Abbaddon blasts a large stream of lightning at all five Plumbers as Hathus slowly gets up on the other side of the recruits, recovering from some previous attack. She looks at the Plumbers and then over at Colossus and sees Ray arrive near Colossus. He doesn't notice him, so she runs turns to him and fires an energy blast next to Colossus, which Ray notices and blocks with a white energy shield at the last second. Colossus notices Ray and turns to face him as Hathus gets knocked forward by a punch from Figy. She turns and roundhouses Figy backwards, and then sees that Abbaddon is being surrounded by Holly and Roy. Chris, Reg, and Figy surround Hathus as all the fighting ceases; both sides seem evenly matched.]

[Thebes]: An interesting draw to say the least... Remind me again why we were fighting...

[He looks at Ray, who is standing at odds directly in front of Colossus, who is basically back to back with Thebes.]

[Ray]: I don't need to remind you. Anyone who's worked with the Elite is an enemy of the Plumbers...

[Abbaddon]: But do you understand what that means? Do you know what you're fighting against?

[Paul]: We know what the Elite want...

[A siren starts to go off at the Cape Canaveral base.]

[Roy]: Just great...

[Hathus]: That sound pleases me...

[Thebes]: Agreed. That siren means that our diversion was a success.

[Commercial]

[The camera shows the four Rotolysians from the beginning standing in a room at the Cape Canaveral base. They are in what appears to be in the main room of the base, and many NASA and military personnel are unconscious on the ground, not including Rosum. The Rotolysians stare at a computer, ignoring the alarm as they continue to transfer files onto a disk.]

[Rotolysian #1]: (Hurry, the alarm went off, we have to get going.)

[Rotolysian #3]: (The transferring is almost finished.)

[Another few moments pass without another sound.]

[Rotolysian #3]: (Okay, it's done, we can go.)

[The Rotolysian disconnected a cable as another Rotolysian smashes and destroys the computer. They run out of the room as the camera cuts back to the field.]

[Holly]: So this whole fight was a diversion?

[Colossus]: Not only that, but a test for my new upgrades...

[Colossus continues to stand at odds with Ray.]

[Thebes]: I'll remind you that we have nothing to gain here. As long as you're trapped in this field you can't stop us...

[He grins and then closes his eyes. Colossus, Hathus, Abbaddon, and Thebes each make a portal appear that takes them away. The portals close and the villains escape before the Plumbers can react. Holly lands as the Plumbers relax their positions and look around them.]

[Paul]: Gone, just great...

[Ahmad]: What could have happened at the base? We should head back...

[The camera cuts to the nine Plumbers at the Cape Canaveral base. They are in the room that the Rotolysians were in; Roy and Chris are untying a previously captured Rozum while the others stand around, looking at the vandalized computer equipment and unconscious personnel.]

[Rozum]: It's unfortunate that we don't have better security... Of course the siren goes off when the computers are hacked, but not when there is an intruder in the base...

[Ray]: We're sorry, we couldn't tell that it wasn't you earlier...

[Rozum]: I don't blame you, there's nothing you could have done... I just wonder what they took, there's absolutely no way of knowing...

[Harry]: Yeah, but we know who they took it for... All of the villains are basically working together...

[Rozum]: I understand... So, are you leaving?

[Chris]: I think we are...

[Rozum]: I'll keep in touch if we discover anything...

[He nods his head as the Plumbers leave the base. He sighs as the camera cuts back to the Academy. Nick, Future Paper, Future Toon, Paradox, and recently arrived Azmuth are still in the Magisters' office.]

[Nick]: Okay, now that Azmuth is here, we can begin, right?

[Paradox]: Yes, you may wonder why the three people are needed, and why I haven't been able to tell out for 10 years, but know this... Azmuth and I are the mediators between the galaxy and its superiors, if you will. The superiors exist outside of everything; they are the manipulators of time and maintainers of orders involving all of space-time. The rules I constantly say that I am not allowed to break? They are the ones who made them. Once someone breaks the rules, the rule is that there must be at least 10 years until their punishment begins, in order to consider all factors and all consequences of the violation.

[Future Toon]: Is that why it has been 10 years? Did someone break the rules?

[Paradox]: Yes, you two...

[Azmuth]: By going back in time and changing the events of the past, you have broken the rules of space-time, causing who knows whta to change in the future. By changing minor details in the past, anything seemingly unrelated can be wiped from existence or changed, and anything new can randomly be created.

[Paradox]: It has now been over 10 years, and as Azmuth and I are the mediators, we are here to hand down your punishment... When I said that someone needs to die in order for you two to return to your original time, I meant that only one of you can go back. The other will die here. We will not choose who gets to live and who gets to die, we will only send you, and the rest will be left up to fate... This comes with a warning: if the survivor tempts fate again by breaking the rules once more, they will perish... I'd also like to say that I do not make the rules, I only follow them...

[Future Toon]: Do we have to go back?

[Paradox]: If you choose not to, both of you will survive...

[Future Toon looks at Future Paper with a worried look.]

[Future Toon]: Is it worth the risk?

[Future Paper]: I want to know how we changed the future... I want at least a chance...

[Future Toon]: Agreed...

[Paradox]: Farewell...

[Paradox takes out his locket and opens it. A wave of blue light comes out of it and warps Future Paper and Future Toon away. Paradox closes the locket and turns to Nick.]

[Paradox]: You will not speak of this to anyone...

[Nick]: But--

[Azmuth]: We don't make the rules...

[Paradox]: We only follow them...

[Paradox teleports himself and Azmuth away as Nick is left alone in the office. The camera cuts to a small village. A graveyard is seen, and there are two men standing in a graveyard. It is raining, and the men are standing near each other, but not next to each other. Each is carrying an umbrella. One man looks at the grave and then turns to the other man.]

[Man #1]: Are you new to this village?

[Man #2]: No...

[He turns to the other man, his face now visible. He is Future Paper, the survivor of the return journey.]

[Future Paper]: I was here a long time ago... Long in my experience anyway...

[The other man looks at him and then recognizes him.]

[Man #1]: Paper...? Is that you?

[He looks at the man and stares at his face for a while.]

[Future Paper]: No way... Brian?

[Future Brian]: Yeah... And Paper, maybe we should leave the graveyard...

[He looks down at one of the graves and then looks back at Paper.]

[Future Paper, worried]: Why?

[Paper walks forward and then looks down at one of the graves. It is Bink's. He looks around and sees the graves of Nick, Will, Sub, and all the other recruits except for Sci and Toon.]

[Future Paper]: They're all... dead?

[Future Brian]: You two mysteriously disappeared one day... Sci vanished days later... The team broke up soon after that, and we tried to reunite, but...

[Paper kneels down at the grave and starts to cry. Randomly, Brian kicks him in the head, knocking him unconscious. He takes out a communicator.]

[Future Brian]: I've found him. Paper, the Guardian, has returned, and I've captured him...

[Voice, in the communicator]: Excellent, now that we have both of the people we need, we can proceed...

[Brian grins.]

[The End]