Here's the story. I hope you like it.
The names and characters depicted in the following story are
trademark and copyright of Leonardo Productions and TTV.
Underdog
in:
THE REVERSE-O-RAY
a story by: John Cole
On a hill overlooking the city, sits an old, neglected,
Victorian mansion. Inside the mansion, is the secret laboratory
of the evil scientist, Simon Barsinister.
"Eureka!" exclaims Simon, "I've finally done it!"
"What boss?" asks Cad.
"I've created the most diabolical invention the world has ever
seen," explains Simon, "with this I shall rule the world! Heh,
heh, heh!"
"What is it boss?" asks Cad, "looks like a water pistol to me."
"This is no water pistol Cad," sneers Simon, "this is the
Revers-O-Ray! With this, I can make anything move in the
opposite direction that it should go."
"Gee boss, how does it work?" inquires Cad as he scratches the
side of his head.
"It's really quite simple Cad," responds Simon, "I simply point
the Revers-O-Ray at any object and when it moves, its kinetic
energy is forced into the opposite direction that it was
traveling...observe." Simon then takes a ball and rolls it
across the floor.
"Simon says, BACK OFF!" says Simon and he shoots the ray gun
at the ball. The ball stops rolling, quivers for an instant,
and begins rolling back toward Simon and stops at his feet.
"Hey that's pretty neat boss. Will it work on anything?" asks
Cad.
"Of course it will, says Simon abruptly. "Let me demonstrate.
Cad, release that mouse in the cage." Cad then walks over to
the table and puts the small white mouse on the floor. It
begins scampering toward the mousehole across the room.
"Simon says, BACK OFF!" exclaims Simon and he hits the mouse
with the gun's ray. The mouse stops dead in its tracks and
begins running backward toward Cad. He passes Cad and continues
running until he slams (tail first) into the lab table.
"Wooo ha ha hah hah hah hah!" cackles Simon.
"Wow!" says Cad with amazement.
"You see Cad," says Simon, "with my Revers-O-Ray, no one will
be able to stop me. Not the police, not the Army, not anyone!"
Simon begins rubbing his hands together. "I shall be ruler of
the world."
"What about Underdog?" asks Cad. "He always gives you
trouble."
"Bah!" says Simon in disgust, "My Revers-O-Ray is so powerful,
it'll even stop Underdog. And I have a plan to make sure that
Underdog will never bother us again! Nothing will stop me! Heh,
heh, heh!"
What is Simon's plan? And what will it do to Underdog? The
answers are ahead in our next episode.........
The REVERS-O-RAY, Part II
Simon Barsinister has created the Revers-O-Ray. A fiendish
device that he plans to use to take over the world. And he has
a plan to make sure that Underdog will not interfere....
"Come Cad," says Simon, "we have work to do." Cad follows
Simon and begins loading some containers into Simon's limousine.
A few hours later the despicable twosome are driving on a
downtown street.
"I don't get it boss," says Cad, "I thought we were going to
take care of Underdog. How come we need to go to the bank?"
"Quiet you fool!" shouts Simon while waving his short arms
around the car, "I know what I'm doing. Now drive!"
Cad follows Simon's orders and stops across the street from the
Two Cent Savings Bank. Simon looks around for a moment then
forms an evil grin.
"Perfect!" exclaims Simon, "Just as I planned."
Cad looks down the street and sees the figure walking toward
the bank.
"Sweet Polly Purebred?" says Cad in a puzzled voice.
"Yes," says Simon, "Sweet Polly Purebred. I knew she would be
here to make her monthly deposit of loose change! She's here at
this time every week!"
"What do you want with her?" asks Cad, "That reporter's
nothin' but trouble."
"You dolt!" says Simon, "She's going to be the bait for
Underdog! Once she calls to Underdog, he'll be here in a matter
of minutes. And once I spring my trap, Underdog will never
bother us again! Heh, heh, heh, heh! Come Cad, it is time."
The two cross the street and follow Sweet Polly into the bank.
Sweet Polly, unaware that she is being followed by Simon
Barsinister, walks up to an open teller window.
"I'd like to deposit some change, please," she says in a soft
voice.
"Yes ma'am," responds the teller and begins counting the coins
that Sweet Polly has placed on his counter. At that very
moment, Simon steps to the center of the bank lobby and pulls
out the Revers-O-Ray gun.
"Hands up! Everyone! This is a robbery!" exclaims Simon.
"It's a robbery!" shouts a customer.
"Someone's robbing the bank!" shouts another customer.
"Help!" screams a young woman.
"Call the police!" yells the bank manager.
"Wahhhhhhhh!" cries a small baby in a stroller.
"Give me all the money in the bank, or else! Ha ha ha heh heh!"
cackles Simon.
"Simon Barsinister!" exclaims Sweet Polly, "you'll never get
away with this!"
"Of course I will Sweet Polly," answers Simon, "who will stop
me, hmmmmmm?"
"There he is men, get him!" shouts the bank manager as he
points to Simon. Two armed security guards race out from behind
the tellers' windows and head toward Simon.
"Simon says, BACK OFF!" shouts Simon and he fires the
Revers-O-Ray gun at the two guards. They stop in mid-stride and
begin running backward. With a -THUD-, they slam into the wall
behind them.
"Hooo hah hah hah heh heh!" laughs Simon in amusement. "Now
give me the money! And to make certain there isn't any more
trouble...Cad seize Sweet Polly Purebred."
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" screams Sweet Polly in a high pitched voice as
Cad grabs her by the shoulders. "Underdog! Underdog!" shouts
Sweet Polly and she begins to cry..."Where, oh where has my
Underdog gone? Oh where, oh where can he be?"
At that moment just two blocks away, humble, lovable Shoeshine
has just finished another shine job. "Thank you kindly, sir,"
he says as the customer gives him a quarter. Then his ears pop
up - he hears Sweet Polly's cries. "Oh no! Sweet Polly's in
trouble!" he says to himself. He quickly dashes around the
corner and runs into a nearby phone booth. A moment later, the
phone booth explodes and our hero, Underdog, is standing amidst
the debris.
"When Polly's in trouble, I am not slow! It's hip, hip, hip,
and away I go!" says Underdog in a firm voice. With that he
dashes into the sky and using his super-sensitive hearing,
determines that Polly is in the bank building below him. He
races down and crashes through the roof of the bank. Underdog
lands on the teller's desk with pieces of the ceiling falling
all around him. "There's no need to fear, Underdog is here!"
he exclaims.
"Oh, Underdog!" shrieks Polly, while still being restrained by
Cad.
"Let Polly go, I say to you. Or I will turn you black and
blue!" demands Underdog.
"Never!" says Simon defiantly.
"Very well Simon, you wretched man. If you won't do it, I
certainly can!" says Underdog and he charges toward Simon.
"Simon says, BACK OFF!" shouts Simon and he fires the
Revers-O-Ray at Underdog.
Simon scores a direct hit and Underdog is covered by the ray
beam from the insidious Revers-O-Ray gun. How will it affect our
hero and can he rescue Sweet Polly? The answers lie ahead in
our next episode.....
The REVERS-O-RAY, Part III
When we last left our hero, Underdog was rushing to save Sweet
Polly from Cad's clutches. And Simon Barsinister has just fired
the fiendish Revers-O-Ray gun at Underdog.
"Simon says, BACK OFF!" shouts Simon.
Underdog stops in midair. "What?" he says aloud and begins
traveling backward crashing into the wall behind him.
"It worked! It worked! Whoo ha hah hah hah!" cackles Simon.
Underdog, lying in the large hole in the wall that he just
created, flops onto the floor. He shakes his head and stands
up, albeit shakily.
"Hey boss, he's coming back," says Cad as he points toward
Underdog.
"Just watch, Cad," says Simon confidently.
"That ray gun's power is quite a lot. But here I come again,
ready or not!" says Underdog and he prepares to fly to Simon
and Cad. But instead of flying toward them, he flies up and
backward, crashing into a light fixture on the wall. He falls
onto the floor, dazed.
"Heh, heh, heh!" laughs Simon happily, "You see Cad. I
modified the setting on the Revers-O-Ray just for Underdog. The
effect is PERMANENT! He'll never walk, run, or fly straight
again. He'll always move backwards! Wooo hah hah hah hah!
From now on, everyone will have to call him Blunderdog, heh heh
heh, 'cause he'll never do anything right again! Ha ha ha ha!"
"Gee boss," says Cad, "you're a genius!"
"I know," says Simon, "Come Cad. Now that Underdog's out of
the way, I can become dictator! No one will challenge me or
I'll use my Revers-O-Ray on them! I'll be master of the world!"
"What about her boss?" asks Cad, still holding on to Sweet
Polly.
"Release her," says Simon and motions her away, "we don't need
her anymore." Cad releases Polly and she falls to the floor.
Simon and Cad walk out of the bank laughing.
Polly rushes over to Underdog, who is sprawled out on the
floor. She lifts his head. "Oh Underdog, what have they done
to you?" she asks.
"No matter what I do or say, I seem to be going the opposite
way," he responds, still somewhat dazed.
"Here, let me help you," says Polly as she helps Underdog to
his feet. He manages to stand, but is still some what shaky.
"Can you walk?" she asks.
"Right now I cannot fly, let me give walking a try," answers
Underdog. But as he lifts his foot, he immediately starts
walking backward and he trips on his own cape. With a great
THUD, he falls backward onto the floor.
"Oh, Underdog!" exclaims Polly and she sheds a tear.
"Underdog is powerless!" shouts a man in the bank.
"What will we do?" asks another person.
"Who will save us?" screams a lady.
"Wahhhh!" cries the baby, still sitting in his stroller.
Underdog manages to stand up again with Polly's help. Again he
tries to walk, but once again he walks backward and trips on his
cape. He sits up and says, "Try and try as I may, I just keep
moving the wrong way."
"Oh, Underdog!" exclaims Sweet Polly sadly, "Whatever will you
do?"
What will Underdog do? And how can he stop Simon Barsinister?
The answers coming up in our next episode....
The REVERS-O-RAY, Part IV
Underdog has been zapped by Simon Barsinister's diabolical
Revers-O-Ray gun. And now he can only move backwards.
"Underdog," said Sweet Polly, "Why don't you try walking
backwards. Maybe that will make you go forward."
"That idea had some merit, I'll give it a try if I can bear
it," replied Underdog. He then slowly tries to walk backward
and, to his great surprise, he moves forward. Slowly, he
wobbles and staggers toward the front of the bank. He stops
outside and looks toward Polly. "I can't catch crooks moving
this way. I'm afraid this was my last crime fighting day," he
says sadly.
"No Underdog! We need you to help defeat Simon Barsinister,"
said Polly. "There must be a way for you to learn how to move
like this. Please try."
Realizing that Polly is right and that Simon Barsinister must
be stopped, Under nods and begins furiously trying to fly in his
new condition. For hours he zooms around the city, slamming
into the sides of buildings and crashing into the ground. He
tries as any great hero would, but the effects of Simon's
Revers-O-Ray keep him disoriented and unable to move in a
straight line for very long.
Meanwhile, Simon has been watching Underdog's attempts from a
monitor in his lab. "Whooo, ha, ha, ha, ha, hah! Oh look at
old Blunderdog!" he exclaimed, "He can't do anything right."
"Yeah boss," says Cad, "you really fixed him good."
"Underdog will never bother us again!" said Simon
triumphantly. "And now, to broadcast my demands to every nation
in the world." Simon turns a few dials on his giant control
panel and picks up a large microphone.
"This is Simon Barsinister. I am broadcasting this message to
every nation in the world. If you do not do as Simon says and
elect me dictator of the world, I will use an amplified version
of my diabolical Revers-O-Ray and paralyze every nation on
Earth! My Revers-O-Ray has already taken care of the mighty
Underdog...so you see there is no hope of escape from my
clutches...heh, heh, heh. You have one hour to comply." Simon
then pressed a button on the console and put the microphone down.
"Gee boss, you think they're gonna do it?" asked Cad.
"Of course they will. Without Underdog to interfere, no one
can stop me!" shouts Simon. "I shall be ruler of the world!
Come Cad, let's have a quick lunch before I hear their answer."
Meanwhile, Underdog was still trying to learn to move in a
straight line in his "reversed" condition. He had just crashed
into a tree in a park, when Sweet Polly came running up to him.
"Underdog! Simon Barsinister has demanded that the world elect
him dictator. If we don't, he'll paralyze us all with his
reverse beam. What shall we do?" cried Polly.
"My ring," says Underdog weakly.
"Your ring?" asks Polly.
"The secret compartment of my ring I fill, with an Underdog
super energy pill," he responded. At that moment, he tapped
the side of his ring and it popped open revealing a vitamin pill
inside.
"Of course. Here..." said Polly. She took the pill from the
ring and put it in Underdog's mouth. Underdog's ears began
wiggling and Polly could almost swear she saw his eyes light up
with small "U"'s like the one emblazoned on his chest. He
immediately jerked into an upright position. He was completely
renewed and full of vim and vigor.
"Oh Underdog," said Polly while batting her eyelashes, "you're
back to normal."
"I'm afraid the effects of the ray haven't gone yet. I'll
still move backwards, just with a lot more pep," answered
Underdog.
"What will you do?" asked Polly. Underdog began thinking.
Calculations and ideas began flooding his mind. Suddenly, the
answer was clear to him and his face was beaming with hope.
"I can defeat Simon and cure myself too. But I will need some
help from you," answered Underdog in a strong voice. "Now
here's my plan...."
Simon Barsinister returned to his lab and activated his
viewscreen. "Let's see how soon they will surrender to me, eh
Cad?" he said.
The viewscreen came into focus. It was a news broadcast with
Sweet Polly as the news anchor.
"And so dear friends, once again we will depend on Underdog to
help us in time of need," she said.
"What?!" shouted Simon.
"Underdog has found a way to negate the effects of Simon
Barsinister's Reversing Ray. He is currently working on the
anti-reverse ray device at the Central Research Laboratory on
Oak Street. And it should be finished before nightfall..." she
continued.
"So, Underdog thinks he can escape from my Revers-O-Ray," said
Simon. "Well, I'll go down to that lab and give him such a
burst form my Revers-O-Ray that he'll even think backward! Come
Cad!"
Simon and Cad raced to the Central Research Lab on Oak Street.
after searching a few of the labs, Simon discovered where
Underdog was working. He burst into the lab and saw Underdog
working in the next room. "Watch this Cad, I'll get him through
that doorway and he'll never be the same again!" Simon adjusted
the Revers-O-Ray gun and pointed it at Underdog. Underdog
caught a glimpse of Simon through the corner of his eye, but
continued to work.
"Simon says, BACK OFF!" shouted Simon and he fired the ray
through the doorway. but to Simon's amazement, the ray bounced
off in another direction. It hit Underdog, who was actually
standing behind a large screen at the side of the room. The
"doorway" had actually been a mirror positioned so that anyone
entering the room would think there was someone in the next
room! Underdog was jarred slightly when the ray hit him, But he
quickly lunged toward Simon and Cad. He grabbed the
Revers-O-Ray gun from Simon and smashed it into a million pieces.
"But how?" shrieked Simon, "I made sure you would have been
permanently reversed!"
"It's true you hit me with your reversing beam of light, but
that mirror has helped set things to right," exclaimed Underdog
and he then grabbed both Simon and Cad and bumped them
together...hard. They fell on the floor, unconscious. Just
then, the police arrived on the scene.
"I'm sure we'll be needing to thank you again Underdog," said
the officer in an Irish accent, "without you, we would have been
servants to these two fer sure."
"My hero," sighed Sweet Polly, "I'm going to reward him with a
big kiss."
Underdog quietly GULPS to himself. He then says, "Yes, I am a
hero the whole world knows, so it's hip, hip, hip, and away I
go!" He then leaps into the air and flies right through the
ceiling, showering everyone in the room with pieces of drywall.
As he flies across the sky, several people look up into the sky
and say....
"Look! In the sky.."says one man.
"It's a plane!" says an older man.
"It's a bird!" says a younger man.
"It's a frog!" says a young girl.
"A frog?" asks the third man.
"Not plane, nor bird, nor even frog. It's just li'l old me..."
says our hero and he then crashes headfirst into the window of
an office building. While sitting on the table, where an
important business meeting is taking place, he giggles and says,
"Underdog!"
END STORY
(
geocities.com/soho)