And we're back in the past and can check the eyrie archive
once again.

And here's where you can find Blaze of Glory (and other
Continuity Champ tales):

https://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/Series/Continuity.Champ/

And it's a One Shot!

And we have Blaze of Glory by Jeff "Drizzt" Barnes! Is it time
for the LNH to finally face The Bon Jovi?! Is The Ultimate Ninja
wishing that Rebel Yell or Continuity Champ were here incredibly out of
character for him?! And is it time for another LNH'r to bite the
dust and perhaps give a cryptic last line before they do?!!

Find out in...

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|_| OF NET.HEROES

ADVENTURES #303

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Blaze of Glory
=====================

"Blaze of Glory"
By Drizzt (barnejd@wkuvx1.bitnet)

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"It is not death, it is dying that alarms me."
-Montaigne

"Death is not a foe, but an inevitable adventure."
-Lodge

"Death is the golden key that opens the palace of Eternity."
-Milton

"Death? Isn't she that chick in SANDMAN?"
-Barnes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One morning, the world woke up to discover it had acquired a second moon.
"What do you think it is, Doc?" said the Ultimate Ninja to Doctor
Stomper, who observed the phenomenon on the LNH's sensors.
"I'm not sure. It's metallic in nature - definitely artificially built
by some alien intelligence. Furthermore, I don't believe it exists totally
in phase with this dimension, because its presence has caused no disruption
in the electromagnetic fields of earth."
"Extradimensional? Great," the Ultimate Ninja said, wishing once again
that Rebel Yell or Continuity Champ were here. "Listen, I'm going to go
prepare a strike force just in case it's needed. Keep me informed if you
find out anything."
He walked out of the monitor room, nearly colliding with Typo Lad. "Hey!"
"Soory, Uktinate Nija. Eye kaem too teel yew taht Countiniutee Chomp iz
beck."
"Good. Not a moment too soon. This falls within his sphere."
He walked toward the Champion's quarters, expecting the hero to be there.
Instead, he nearly collided with the Champ, who was sprinting down the
hall.
"CC! We've got-"
The Champ broke in, grabbing the Ninja by the collar. "I know that, you
idiot! Is it true? Is it a large metallic sphere, about 800 miles in
diameter? Does it exist partially in another dimension? TELL ME!"
The Ninja, shocked by such an outburst from the always controlled Champ,
just nodded dumbly. The Champ released him, his eyes focussed on a
place and time far away. "It can't be him. Not again," he whispered.
He whirled, heading for the door. "No more! No more will I live in fear
of him!" Throwing open the door, CC took off toward the heavens. Ultimate
Ninja looked up curiously at the rapidly vanishing figure.
Somehow he knew he'd never see him alive again.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Any word yet?" the Ninja asked Dr. Stomper. The scientist shook his
head.
"No. The last we saw of him, he had somehow found a passage in the craft
and entered. That was an hour ago."
The ninja shook his head sadly. Though he and the Champ had never seen
eye to eye, he respected CC as a warrior. He began to leave.
Just then, the proximity alarm began to beep. Ultimate Ninja whirled,
instantly alert. "What is it?"
Stomper adjusted the monitor. "A man-sized object hurtling toward us.
Sensors indicate its temperature to be indicative of it being on fire.
Looks like it will impact just outside the compound. Can't seem to get a
positive sensor lock on it for visuals." He studied the instruments for a
second, then looked up at the Ninja. "Point of origin - the sphere."
Instantly, the Ninja was up and running, sprinting for the door. Just as
he reached it, a powerful explosion and shockwave rocked the compound,
knocking the Ninja to the ground. He struggled to his feet and ran outside.
There, in a smoking crater, lay a body covered in a tattered orange, green,
and purple costume - Continuity Champ!
As the Ninja approached, he became the first LNHer to gaze upon the face
of the hero. He had unearthly, translucent blue skin. His eyes were milky
white. He *wasn't* human!
Then, a groan emerged from the Champ's charbroiled form. He was alive!
The ninja rushed over to him. "Get Organic Lass!" he shouted at Stomper.
"Now!" He turned back to CC. "It's going to be okay, Champ, I promise.
You're gonna make it through this. You're tough. You can-"
The Champion glared up at him. "Listen, moron... shut... up. I've got
a... cryptic... last line... to deliver... before I... die..."
"Oh, sorry."
"You... must... stop him..."
"Who?"
"Dimwiticus..."
The Champ stiffened slightly, then slumped, his weight sagging in the
Ninja's arms.
"No," the Ninja whispered. Basic-Mysterious-Cosmic-Dude's prediction had
come true for the Champ just as it had for Rebel Yell.
Organic Lass ran up with her medi-kit and began examining the Champion.
"It's too late," the Ninja said through tears. "He's dead."
Other LNHers had come up. Catalyst Lass cried softly on California Kid's
shoulder as he held her. Kid Kirby looked on in disbelief and horror. The
ninja gently laid CC's head on the ground. Organic Lass desperately
serached for any sign of life.
Others had a different reaction. "Maybe death's not the same for... um,
for whatever he is?" Bad-Timing Boy put in hopefully.
The Ultimate Ninja turned on him in anger. "Dead is *dead*, you moron!
He's dead; he's not coming back!!!"
"Yeah," Sardonic Boy agreed, "The Champ's worm food now."
UN turned around and punched him in the face. The snide-remarking LNHer
toppled to the ground without a peep.
"I can't believe he's dead," Kid Kirby said.
"Believe it," the Ninja said grimly. "We meet in five in the war room."
He carried the dead hero's body back to LNHQ.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"CC was the most powerful of us all! We don't stand a chance against
whatever
could take him out!" A chorus of "Yeah"'s accompanied Sig.File Lad's
pronouncement.
"Didn't it occur to any of you that, if CC attacked it, it could be a threat
to this world, this entire dimension even?" Doctor Stomper said.
The bickering continued, back and forth. At last, the Ninja stood and
motioned for silence. "We owe it to the Champion to avenge him, to bring
in his killer. I'm the leader, and that's what we're going to do - end of
story."
"But first, we need to know what we're facing."
"Right. We have CC's funeral, then we search through his stuff for
clues." The ninja leaned across the table. "Whoever or whatever killed
him, CC knew it. We need to know the nature of our foe as well."
A despondent, and typically angry Sarcastic Lad looked away from the group.
"Hmmmph! Nobody gave to shakes when Flats died," he said under his breath.
"Now everybody's all broken up over the Champ assuming room temperature. It
ain't fair."
"Maybe it's because, compared to the Champ," sniped Doctor Stomper,
"Flatulence Lad made a pretty pathetic hero. Ever think of that?"
Out of deference to the situation, Sarcastic Lad held back his urge to
lunge at the doctor, opting instead to mark the comment to act on it in
the future. "@%)(*@#^(*^!@ jerk," Sarc said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Friends," Self-Righteous Preacher proclaimed, "we are here to honor the
memory of a fallen hero, one who gave his life in sacrifice for this world
and its people, one who died for each and every one of you here. Would
anyone care to speak before we plant the poor sucker."
Kid Kirby stood. "Verily, though I am but a new Legionaire, I felt a
kinship to Continuity Champ, a bond that all warriors for that which is
good and right and true and cosmic share. You will be missed, my friend."
"Anyone else?"
Obscure Trivia Lad spoke up. "Obscure Trivia Lad is not good with words,
seeing as how Obscure Trivia Lad refers to himself in the third person and
has the tendency to forget anything important he had to say."
"So get on with it!" a bandaged Sardonic Lad said, earning a painful
Vulcan nerve pinch from Ultimate Ninja.
"Obscure Triva Lad made these for each of us to wear." He pulled out a
box filled with orange, green, and purple-striped armbands labelled with
CC's logo. "Obscure Trivia Lad thinks they will help us honor the memory
of one so dear to us." He sat back down and began passing the armbands
around.
"Would anyone else care to speak of our fallen comrade?"
The Ultimate Ninja walked up to the front. "None of us really knew that
much about Continuity Champ," he began, "not very much at all. He hid his
origin, identity, and past from us. Meaning no disrespect, he was hard to
get along with. Yet, for all his weaknesses, for all his alien nature, he
was..." The ninja chonked up. "...he... was... the most human... man... I
ever knew..." He sat down quickly.
Self-Righteous Preacher closed his generic, non-denominational religious book
and nodded to the pallbearers.
They hoisted the closed coffin into the grand mausoleum and CC was
placed into the ground.
The Ultimate Ninja regained his composure. "Assemble in CC's quarters in
ten minutes. We're going to find out who or what this 'Dimwiticus' is. And
then we're going to kick his butt."