Touring Joe and
The Red Death

BYTIT:

So here I am, clad in itchy wool, with a steel pot for a hat, and two tanks of pressurized high test strapped to my back. These are not good signs. I guess I should just be happy I've got two arms again.

GIJOE:

Listen up, we don't have much time. Our nemesis, The Nasties, have aquired a biological weapon of mass destruction. Our intelligence assets in their ranks believe the source of the contagion is extraterrestrial. Its code name is The Red Death. Once the contagion is released, it vaporizes and reproduces rapidly. It attacks the tissues of the lungs and liquifies them. Those afflicted effectively drown in their own blood. Combined with The Nasties' aerial burst rocket technology we don't stand a chance against this scourge.

The only thing that's kept this new plague in the lab so far has been the lack of an antidote or vaccine. If The Red Death is released, the entire human race would be wiped from the face of the Earth.

Unfortunately, there's a new player in the game, and it's not human.

BABS:

I see where you're going with this. The Trolls are undoubtably responsible for the plague. Since they aren't human, they're not susceptable to it. They're just using The Nasties to obtain a convenient delivery system.

Ordinarily I'd look to TJ to take command, but nobody's seen him since before the leap. It's up to us to take the initiative on this one. Let's move out.

There's the Troll. It's prepping that rocket for launch.

How can we stop the launch? If I use the bazooka the contagion could be released without being destroyed. The Red Death would be loose on the world.

I could torch the launch site with the flame thrower, but if the payload vents too quickly, some of it might escape the flame. The Trolls would win again.

You two are a lot of help. Anybody got any other big ideas?

wump.....Wump......WUMP

TJ:

I've got one. Let me handle it. I've already got the situation well in hand.

Oh my, TJ, you're so BIG.

I bet you say that to all the guys, Babs.

I'll explain what happened after we destroy this payload. My arms are long enough that I can start a slow vent of the contagion without breathing any of the gas.

Bytit, make sure you start spraying flame as soon as I open the valve.

Burn baby, BURN!

Now let's send our friend here on a little trip. We'll take out the warehouse where the Red Death is stored. We can load the rocket with enough flammables that it will sterilize the whole site.

We'll need to update the flight controls to get a ground burst at the warehouse. I'll need a computer for that. Babs has the radio pack. That's the obvious comm link to the Station Lab, but where are we going to find a computer in this pre-transister era?

I've got something that should do the job. As soon as I saw where we were headed I knew there wouldn't be any electronics on hand. I conjured up this slip stick just before the matrix gelled. I think the Troll plan was to corrupt our technology and set us back so they could dominate us. Luckily, I remembered how engineering was done before electronics. Thats when I started thinking big.

Okay, we've reset the flight controls. Our little pal here should have a nice front row seat to the end of The Red Death stockpile.

ASTRAL:

Looks like you guys kicked some serious Troll butt. There are no signs of infection in the other network cells. We're bringing you folks back home.

Job well done.