Prelude To Mundor (A Prologue)

The meta-universe or “multiverse”, a term employed by American psychologist and philosopher, William James in 1895, later used to attribute numerous possibilities to parallel universes. The noun multiverse, “Multi” meaning “Many” and “verse” or versus (part participle of vertere to turn).

In all parallel universes there exist a billion other potential possibilities and likelihoods. Worlds subsist and occupy the same positions in space as other worlds, but never occupying the same universe, and not always at the same time. Interconnected by silent, invisible threads, umbilical cords if you will, these sister worlds have equal mass, but exist in different meta-universes. But the fate of one world always affects the fate of all the others.   

This is a tale of a fated sphere and its sister world, the origin of both their fates…         

This sister world of legends resided in the deepest heart of the known multiverse. Its name was abiding as it was eternal, a world where science and magic existed in mutual perpetuity, and where ancient and mystical castles rose up beside great modern towers, and warriors, and

barbarians fought side by side with space age machines, and guns, including battle axe and sword. And there was also great evil, an evil so powerful that it set out to steal all the magic in the world. Suffering tore through the mage community as those endowed with the gift of magic were attacked all at once as though something, someone was robbing them of their respective powers.

The demonic evil force had forged a weapon so potent it was able to strip the world of its enchantments, drawing all its power and magic to one place like a magnet. 

Not even the gods and goddesses of this planet were safe from its influences. The demon sat beneath the great dome of his mighty weapon, allowing all the energy to enter his body, making him mightier than even the gods.

One hero stepped up to the challenge though. One man with the capacity to subdue the vile creature travelled to the north to do battle with the demon…and won! The demon, defeated, watched on in horror as his evil machine exploded in a blaze and massive inferno, releasing a God particle that came into existence for only a fraction of a second. As the God particle exploded in the sky its power ripped open a doorway to that world's sister dimension, allowing a terrible ripple of energy to leak through its momentary aperture.   

The timeless world was saved. However, there was another world, another planet, a sister planet that dwelt in another parallel dimension. This second parallel world shared an umbilical cord, unseen by the naked eye, though was connected in such a way that if one of these worlds encountered a terrible atrocity, the other would feel it a thousand-fold.

Beyond the umbil-ical cord, beneath a once blue, untroubled sky a technologically advanced culture, a people known as the Mundorians, began to receive attacks from an unknown source. A massive and unexpl-ained energy build up began to show up on the scanners of every research station available. To these Mundorians magic and enchantment were alien concepts. There was commotion as this unknown power seared from the skies above their cities like lightning, as though the end of days had come. Great churning orbs of light began to emerge over the cities causing massive earth tremors. Many people of Mundoria began to perish.

    Eventually things began to calm down. The centuries passed in the blink of an eye. The few survivors of Mundorian history told stories to their children, conveying tales of centuries passed, of a time when technology and dragons existed side-by-side in harmony. They also spoke of the apocalypse that came, a catastrophe that killed off most of the dragons, and ended the great epoch of scientific advancements forever, making magic and sorcery the order of the day. Soon these tales passed into legend and from legend to nothing more than whispers.   

One day technology was forgotten on Mundoria forever. In the end, there was no sign of the cities that had stood for countless years. There was no glass or steel, only brick and mortar. Medieval castles rose from the landscapes surrounded by warring territories, and the world knew only blood and conflict, though peace was always a desire.

This is the story of one such region and one such desire. Though aspirations sometimes come with a terrible price…      

  

Worlds Reverse Part 4

Worlds Reverse Part 4
Written by Scott W. Taylor


Last time on Worlds Reverse: The Trash Commandos have entered an alternate reality of London. Here, half the population have been transformed into a mutated state. The Trash Commandos must find the British Telecom Tower and use its transmitter to change everything back to the way it was. Sadly, though, the tower is surrounded by Malice's impenetrable fortress. And there is a new threat: Bio Boss and his insatiable appetite for mutant souls!



Malice stood looking out over the long path stretching outwards between him and the tower. On either side of the path stood the Reality Corps, Bio Boss' personal security guards. The floor beneath his feet vibrated as the guards saluted and brought their collective feet stomping down to the floor in unison. There must have been a thousand of these men and women, all dressed the same, all wearing the same white and contrasting black armour and helmets. Each one stood shoulder to shoulder. 


     Malice felt like they were saluting him, but he was merely the acting commander and chief. The real big cheese here was the Bio Boss, the true evil behind it all. 

    Malice took one step and with each progressive step he felt the exhilaration, the prestige of having these personal guards stand flanking him like he was the big bad, the main villain. 
   He gave a smile as he walked the path, down towards the fortress' sanctum. As he neared the end of the path he could see the large view screen before him flicker to life. The bulbous, green face of Bio Boss appeared.
   'Report' the Boss ordered.  

  'The transmitters have been reverse engineered to augment signals trapped by our dish' Malice replied, looking up at the screen. The Bio Boss looked pleased. 

   'And what of the portal generator?' 

   'The portal generator is complete and awaits your order to begin transporting your spawn here, to our world.'

   'Good, good!' Squawked the Boss. 'They are hungry. The mutants of this world will feed them until they are strong enough to help me take full control of the Department of Fact and Reality, and then...I will be Lord High Ruler of the multiverse!'

   Malice's smile broadened.   

    'And I will rule the world, this world, as well as those that dwell in all those alternate realities. All those versions of London, Paris, New York! Every iteration of them shall fall under my jurisdiction!'

    'Not so fast, Malice!' Bio Boss hissed. 'You will be governor. You shall Govern Earth and all those other Earths, but you shall be required to report to me! Do not forget that! Bio Boss out!'

   The screen went dead. 

    Malice remained silent momentarily as he allowed those last fading words sink in. 

    Finally he turned to the leaver that would activate the portal, and pulled it.

   

The Trash Commandos remained at a distance behind a snowdrift. Unseen by the fortress' surveillance cameras they lay in wait, planning their next move. The two units had been deployed, surrounding the complex, awaiting the word. 

    Commander Trash lay flat on the snow with a pair of binoculars trained on the enemy complex. He looked thoughtfully at his new suit he was wearing, the suit his parallel counterpart wore before he died in combat. He still couldn't get over the fact that he looked incredibly like a comic book hero. However, the suit had the capability to camouflage him. Turning a dial on his utility belt, he watched as the suit turned black, then a deep purple, and finally white to approximate the snow. 

    'Follow my command. Stay here until I give the word. Then move in.'

    Before Cinderella could object Commander Trash had left for the complex. As he neared the base of the complex he noticed the back pack attached to the rear of his suit. There was a button at the base of the pack that had the word "flight" marked clearly next to it. He pressed the button and suddenly two large wings telescoped outwards from his back. 

   'Wow! I'm liking this' he smiled, as he took off from the ground. 
   He glided up with the air current until he reached a ledge. Finally, he was inside. Several of Bio Boss' personal security personnel guards sat up as he entered. 
   'Who are you?' one of them shot. 
   'You guys are ugly!' Commander Trash responded. 'And you-you have a face only a mother could love. Though I guess even she must find it a stretch sometimes, eh.'
   'Show some respect'  another one of them began posturing. 
  
   'We are the elite!' another one of them grunted.
  'I am Mace Face. My iron spikes will make short work of you!'
  'And I am Eyesaur' another promptly declared. 'My eyes will be the last things you see!'
  'I am Scare-Hare!' another introduced himself. 'I will fill your moments with deep and terrible angst!'
  Finally the last one stood up and spoke:
  'And I am War-Head!'
  'Nice to meat you guys, really' Johnathon Trash replied flippantly. 'But I'm very busy. Now step aside!' 

Major Malice watched as the portal began to open. 
  'Is it not beautiful?' Bio Boss said as he walked into the room. By his side, chained like a mongrel, was his pet Sabre-Tear. Its eyes narrowed as Bio Boss chained it to a sturdy post, mostly for everyone else's safety.    

   'Good boy' the Boss spoke, patting the vicious Sabre-Tear on the head. 
   He looked over to the direction of the portal. Beyond the whirling, sparking event horizon something large was beginning to stir. 

   'They come!' Bio Boss warned. 'My children! They are arriving.'
   One by one, they emerged from the swirling vortex. Their hunger knew no remorse. They filtered out into the room, looking for mutants to consume.
   

                   

           'There!' the Bio Boss remarked. 'Soon they will feed on as many mutants as we'll be able to supply. They shall grow strong and powerful, powerful enough to help me take over all of creation!'

Commander Trash clapped the dust from his hands as he walked away, leaving a pile of Bio Boss' men laying in a crumpled heap on the ground. 

   'So long, dopes' he muttered as he made his way to the controls. Quickly he deactivated the security network surrounding the complex. He sent word the other Trash Commandos outside, letting them all know that it was now safe to enter. 

   

   Within the main part of the building Bio Boss stood at the tall view screen and watched as the glass panels sitting atop the mighty dome began to extend further outwards. 

    'The mirror's transforming capability will allow the other half of the population to undergo a full mutation' he spoke. 'Then, feeding time!'

   'I wouldn't count on it!' shouted Danny Mult from high upon a lofty ledge. He was sporting an arm mounted laser gun. He aimed and fired it at the screen. The feed exploded in front of Bio Boss. This quickly prompted a swift response from Bio Boss' troops. Before long, the room was filled with the exchange of fire. The Trash Commandos swiftly sprang into action. Dirk Gumbo began to elongate his elasticated body, forming a massive slide long enough for the other Commandos to traverse.

'All aboard!!' Gumbo shouted as one by one the Commandos rode down his coiled, elongated body. Each one taking the offensive as they arrived on the ground. 

   'Lock down the tower!' Bio Boss raged. 'Lock it all down! The transmitter must not be reached. No one in or out!'

   Malice looked up and saw his old arch enemy glide in from above. He pointed and yelled:

   'Trash?! But I thought you were dead!'          'Do I look dead to you?' answered the Commander as he launched himself at his enemy. Malice fell backwards. 

  Bio Boss goaded his children to attack the Commandos. Each one fired beams from the tips of their tentacles. Commander Trash picked up a rifle and commenced firing at the creatures. Several of the monsters were stopped, much to Bio Boss' horror. 

    'No! My children!' he yelled. 

     

  Swiftly, Cinderella stepped up to one of the beasts. As it turned out Commander Trash wasn't the only Commando to receive a new costume. She had been given a nanometic-fibre suit and cape, capable of augmenting her powers. She transformed into an even larger dinosaur, larger even than the previous one.  Two of Bio Boss' babies cowered and ran back towards the portal. Two more remained and bravely faced down the dinosaur, training their deadly beams upon the terrible lizard. Some of the other Trash Commandos watched, amused that Cinderella was easily whooping these beast's asses as if they were mere harmless tadpoles. 

   Commander Trash went to the controls. Ford followed him.        'We have to gain access to the transmitter' instructed Ford.          'I know. I know. What do you think I'm trying to do' offered the Commander as he jabbed at the buttons. 

  'Come on! Come on!' one of these damn things must get us access to the transmitter!'

  Major Malice took the opportunity while Commander Trash had his back turned. He drew a gun from his belt and aimed it directly at the mutant. 

   Jay "Wheels" Malloy noticed what he was going to do and faster and faster he began to rev his wheel. 

  'No you don't, Malice!' he shouted, charging straight into the path of the villain. Malice was knocked and thrust into the air, bursting through the ceiling of the dome, and out over the London horizon. He didn't even have time to know what had hit him. 

       

   'Well that takes care of that load of garbage' Trash commented, looking up at the hole in the ceiling above him. 'Thanks, Malloy.'

   Trash commenced pressing the buttons on the panel before him. But nothing seemed to work. 

   In the end he decided to pull his rifle out and just fry the panel. The ensuing destruction of the equipment brought the shields down, and the way to the transmitter was left clear. 

   'It's done!' shouted ford, gleefully. 'We can get to the transmitter!'

  Commander Trash hardly noticed a slimy tentacle reaching round his foot. The long appendage coiled round the Commander's leg and raised him up off the floor. One of Bio Boss' children had him. Bio Boss smiled gleefully as he watched the Commander dangling helplessly. 

    'You may have destroyed many of my offspring' he began, gloating. 'But I have one left. Goodbye, Commander. I trust you will have a slow and painful demise.'

  

      Commander Trash was drawn toward the creature. The creature looked at him hungrily. It was like a giant spider and the Commander was being lured like a fly towards him. 

   'Bight this!' 

   At the last second, the Commander pulled his rifle on the creature. 

   'No!!!' the Bio Boss roared. 'My baby!!!'

   The creature shot back and was sucked back into the portal. 

   'Damn you!!!' he screamed. 

   Bio Boss touched a sensor device on his cuff and was no more. He had vanished, where to, no one could say? Ford was already in the tower, preparing his reality wand, hooking it up to the transmitter. 

   'Hold on to your hats!' 

   He pulled the lever and bang, the transmission was being activated. All around the glob the effects were beginning to take hold. All the mutants were being reverted back to their natural state. Ford smiled satisfactorily. He had succeeded to put everything right again. He and the Trash Commandos could finally return to the respective homes. 

Everyone present said their goodbyes. Commander Trash, Danny Mult, Cinderella Frankenstein, Dirk Gumbo and Malloy said their farewells to the Commandos of this universe: Sergeant Seedling, Eyes-Off, Rag-Tag, Dino-Mo, Chilli Dog, Endive, Cos, and The Fungus. 

  Back in their own version of London again, Commander Trash turned to Ford and asked:

   'So will you go back to you employment at the agency?' 

   'I'm thinking I'm going to take it easy for a time. I never enjoyed my job anyway' Ford answered. 'I want to travel the universe. I want to be able to sit upon an asteroid, get out my paints and easel and paint a nebulae, or a gas cloud. always been in and out of dead end jobs. Never able to fit in. Always wind up being scapegoat, conducting menial labour. I've always known I could be something more than that, you know?'

   'Well, whatever you decide' Commander Trash said, 'I'm sure you'll be a success.'

   Ford and the Trash Commandos said their final goodbyes and suddenly Ford was gone. 

   'I'm going to miss that little guy' spoke Cinderella wistfully.

   'As will I' added the Commander. 

   'Well, chances are we're now stuck in a world where we five are likely to be the only mutants left in this world. We'd probably have been better off had we stayed in that other London along with Seedling and the others' Gumbo sighed. 

   'Maybe' Commander Trash stated. 'But we belong here. Whatever happens we have a world to rebuild. The humans are still going to be disorientated after we changed them back.'

   'Couldn't we have at least asked Ford to change us back before he went?' asked Malloy. 

   'I asked him' Commander Trash responded. 

   'And?'

   'He said it wasn't quite time yet. He said we still have much to do. If we are to succeed in rebuilding our world then we are going to need all our mutant abilities. Trash Commandos! We have a job to do!'

                                        The End.  

  

                                                                             

    

Worlds Reverse Part 3

Worlds Reverse Part 3
Written by Scott W. Taylor


Last time in Worlds Reverse: Ford and the Trash Commandos find themselves in an alternate reality of Earth. Here humans are mutants, and conversely mutants are the natural higher forms of life on the planet. The Trash Commandos have come into contact with an organisation lead by Sergeant Seedling and his men, and Commander Trash had a counterpart in this world too who died defending his people from the mutant insurgents. Also, Bio Boss is at large and possesses the power to eat mutant souls.





Sergeant Seedling agreed to allow Commander Trash view the shrine where the other Commander Trash was buried. It seemed morbid, especially when he was asked to visit his own casket. But it wasn't his, was it? The casket belonged to that other version of himself, the one who died defending his world from the mutants. 
    'Here we are, sir' one of Seedling's escorts showed Commander Trash to his counterpart's shrine. 
  'What is that?' the commander asked, pointing to what looked like a strange, black Unitard and cowl presented on a coat stand. It looked like something a dark superhero would wear in one of those comic book movies.



   'It was the vest your counterpart wore in his final battle with the mutant insurgents' explained the other. 'You- I mean, he...He fought bravely in the end. What a hero.'
   'I'm no hero' Trash argued. 'I just do my duty. I'm a soldier.' 
   'This is no time for modesty, Commander' the Sergeant remarked. 'I too witnessed Commander Johnathon Trash in battle. The battle suit you see before you almost protected him against the mutant onslaught. The threads are produced from both an electrochromic and photochromic material, which means that it changes its tincture when certain elements come into play. In short, it has its own camouflage capability.'
    Commander Trash stepped closer to the shrine, and the costume that hung there like some kind of homage to a superhero. 
    'It is your battle suit...that is, if you want it it's yours.'     
   
    In the main command centre the other Trash Commandos were getting to know their extra-dimensional counterparts. One of them stepped forward and appeared to be made entirely out of cloth, patched together haphazardly like a plush doll made up of different patterned material. His name was Rag-Tag. Another member of the team had large ears and red skin who went by the name of Chilli Dog. 
   'Be careful of his temper' Sergeant Seedling warned.
   Chilli Dog raised his flame thrower and shot a column of fire in the air above his head. 


   The reptilian commando with the protective plates on his back was Dino-mo. His armour plated muscles began to ripple as he flexed. Then there was Eyes-Off, the spy with the eye, and another eye, and yet another eye lodged in his chest, as well as eyes in his hands. He had eyes just about everywhere! 

   Sub-Human-Thing was the next to introduce himself. He was the boffin, the brains behind it all. He was the most odd looking of creatures. But his appearance was nothing more than a facade, a shell as it were. With a simple command his outer body split in half to reveal a monkey sitting there at a control panel, right there inside the creature's midriff. The monkey waved at the Trash Commandos rather whimsically and said,
   'Hi, pleased to meet you.'
   The next to introduce himself was a two-headed individual that appeared to have foliage and lettuce leaves growing from his body. 
   'Im Endive' one head introduced. 
   'And I'm Cos' the other chimed in. 
   'Curiouser and curiouser' exclaimed Dirk Gumbo, making a reference to one of Lewis Carroll's greatest books.
   'But why are we here?' Cinderella asked as she turned to Ford. 'Are we simply here to rectify a mistake you made? I'm starting to wonder what is actually going on here. Ford? We arrived from our own dimension. We arrived here in a mirror-alternate world. Moments later two strangers arrive with the ability to feed off of mutant life-force energy. I saw the look on your face when we were showed the video footage of those two arriving. I saw that look...It was like you knew them. Year feared them.'
   Ford knew that he could not keep any secrets. 
   'His name is Bio Boss' Ford answered, a little apprehensively. 'He is one of the higher echelons working at the reality corps. He's like, over security or something. I've never seen him in the flesh, so to speak. But we've all heard of him. Even his name inspires fear. In the Department of Fact and Reality his surveillance equipment was everywhere. No employee could fall out of line and not have security not know about it. Everyone was afraid of him, the Bio Boss, the man who kept us all in line.'

   'And now this Bio Boss is taking mutant souls as if they were nourishment to him' Cinderella observed. 
   'I really don't know about that!' Ford shot, clearly afraid. 'I just know what I know!'
   'We have to stop him, whoever he is' Cinderella stated finally. 
   'How?' Ford questioned. 'You are mutants! He eats mutants!'
   'Ford' Cinderella said, looking down at Ford. 'What he is is reneged. What he is is a danger to every mutant life in this multiverse. He has to be stopped!'
   Ford placed his hands to his face in abject fear. 
   'Oh what have I done? What have I done?'
   'Whatever you did, Ford' Cinderella spoke with almost pin-point certainty, 'I doubt you were to blame.'
   'What?' Ford questioned. 
   'Sounds to me like your superiors made the call, and then made you the scapegoat. They made such a good job of covering their own tracks that they made even you think it was your mistake, your mess, all of this. Reality reshaped! Reality tampered with, and all to create a new race of mutants...ripe for the plunder. Why, we mutants are nothing more than cattle for the Bio Boss. He consumes us and he forced you to create us, create us part of his food chain. The Bio Boss is beyond reproach. Just as you were fired for a mistake you never made. And the rest of us get...eaten.' 
   Ford's eyes looked distant as the realisation of Cinderellas supposition began to sink in.   
   Then, without warning, the lights in the room, as well as the computer equipment went off, only to return a moment later, then flicker off again. 
   'We have saboteurs in the main generator!' shouted Chilli Dog, looking at the live feed. 
   Suddenly the door to the main HQ slid open and two commandos walked in with a mutant prisoner. 

        
   It was a female mutant with dark skin, and appeared to be some kind of doctor, going by the white lab coat she was wearing. 
   'We found her loitering near the generator room' one of the commandos reported. 
   'What were you doing in there?' asked the Sergeant. 
   The woman remained silent. 
   'Very well, take her to detention level C.'
   'You humans have no right to threaten our existence!' the captured female shouted suddenly. 'We were never a threat to you, but you gave us no option but to retaliate!' 
   'Retaliate?' Cinderella repeated, looking at the female askance.
   'Yes!' the female responded sharply. 'All we wanted was to be left alone. But you people persecute and attack us! It wasn't our fault that our appearances were altered! Its not our fault that we look the way we do!'
   'Hold on, lady! Wind the tape back a moment' Dirk Gumbo threw up his hands. 'You said that these people have mistreated you and your people?'
   'Yes!' replied the female quickly. 'We are mutants! We are aberrations!'
   'Yes you are' answered the Sergeant. 'And as such we can't allow random elements such as you running freely around the city, causing trouble. Take her away!'
   'Wait' spoke the Commander. 'She has caused trouble, undeniable. But it sounds to me that it is you people who forced her down this path, and forced those just like her as well.'
   The Sergeant could barely believe that it was Commander Trash himself who was advocating the actions of the female mutant. 


   'Now it seems' he continued, 'that either out of fear or hatred, it has been the humans of this world who have sown the seed of rebellion amidst these mutants. Those that attacked us with choppers, and with guns when we arrived on this world. They attacked us...because they thought we were a threat. Why do you think, Sergeant, they thought we were a threat in the first place?'
    The Sergeant was silent as he began to understand what the commander was saying. 
    'Because we saw them as a threat first. We attacked them. We drew first blood and that was all the reason they needed to retaliate. Now then, we have the ability to change these unfortunate people back to their former selves. We can make them normal again. We succeeded back on our world with the help of a large transmitter located within the British Telecom Tower. We can do it here. This world must have a similar transmitter like the one we used in our reality.'
   Sergeant Seedling thought for a moment. 
   'That place you identified as the British Telecom Tower' said Chilli Dog, 'is now a highly fortified compound. Not even our troops can get in.'
   'Mutants?' Commander Trash questioned. 
   'Major Malice' answered Eyes-Off. 
   Dino-Mo went on to explain: 
   'He set up that fortress about ten years ago to surround the very transmitter that mutated half the human population in the first place. No, I'm afraid Chilli Dog is correct, no one can get in.' 
    Chilli Dog pushed a button on the console, relaying an image on the screen, and then another image. Commander Trash could barely believe his eyes. The sheer feet of engineering and skill it must have needed to build such a structure, it defied belief. The entire complex appeared to be covered in elaborate structures, accentuated by towers with protruding sculpted sculls and gargoyles, and spires. It looked like something bang out of a horror movie. At the upper most pinnacle was placed a large dome with what appeared to be a gargoyle-like face leering out over the vast white tundra as if to ward off would-be attackers. Above the dome were two or three large glass panels. No doubt they were made of the same substance of glass that mutated the poor people of this world.     

               
   Behind the dome was a pyramid structure with what looked like an eye in its centre. This structure had a look about it that gave it a rather mystical appearance.  
   'As you can see' said the Sergeant, 'there is no way in.'
   Commander Trash looked down at Ford and the reality wand in his hand.
   'I think there might be a way' he said. 






                                            To be continued....