Adam remained in the jail for hour after hour. The whole time he was waiting eagerly to
turn into He-Man so he could smash his way out, but Grizzlor just wasn’t budging from
the metal bench, where he chewed through a countless amount of human limbs. After a while, Hordak entered the
jail, his long, red cape gliding along the ground, his red eyes shining through into
Adam’s cell. Hordak stepped right in front of the bars, and snarled "What is the
function of that sword that He-Man brought to this world? Why did he bring it?" Adam did not respond. He just stood
there silently, his face blank and expressionless. "WHY?!" Hordak demanded.
"You must know why He-Man came to this world! He sent you into my base to get the
sword back! You know the exact reason, and you will tell me all!" Adam still did not respond. There was
no way he was even going to tell Hordak lies. He did not want this tyrant doing anything
that could possibly harm anyone. The Horde had made this world suffer enough. But Hordak had to have an answer. He
wanted to do all that was possible to stop He-Man from doing whatever he had come to do.
Hordak turned his arm into cannon mode, and aimed it at Adam’s face through the bars.
"You will answer!" he
shouted. But Adam was not afraid. He still
kept silent. Hordak stood there, in front of Adam, for several moments, his cannon aimed
directly in his face. But Adam still would not answer. Hordak restored his arm to its
normal state. Then he said "There’s no use in trying to persuade you. But I will
make you answer before long." "Hey, master, why don’t ya
just kill him?" asked Grizzlor, his mouth full with flesh. "Because this man is the very
person I need to tell me about why He-Man is on our world. He is much too valuable for me
to kill. I must find some way of getting the truth out of him so that I can destroy the
wretched He-Man." He turned back to the cage, and put his face right up to the bars.
His red eyes glowed brightly, their light filling the whole cage. "I will be back
soon." He growled. "You are not yet safe." Then he turned, and left the
room, leaving Adam alone with Grizzlor again. Grizzlor arose from the bench, then
leaned up to the cage, and spat a chunk of flesh at Adam. The meaty flesh hit Adam’s
shirt, leaving a wet stain, then bounced onto the ground. "Don’t think you’ll
come outa this building alive." growled Grizzlor. "The master’ll get the
truth outa you before long. No rebel is ever lucky in the Fright Zone." Grizzlor turned away, and Adam
half-smiled to himself. He knew he could be perhaps the first ‘rebel’ to ever be
lucky in the Fright Zone. But then, perhaps he didn’t need luck. He knew that once he
had become He-Man, he could break out of this place easily. And eventually, Grizzlor finally got
up from the bench and walked away from Adam’s cage. At last the time had come. Adam
peered through the bars of his cage, and saw Grizzlor making his way across the jail to
some sort of large computer system at the end. He tapped the buttons of the computer, and
began to speak into some radio. He was contacting someone elsewhere in the Fright Zone. Adam decided to seize his chance. Now
that Grizzlor wasn’t looking, it was safe. He reached behind his back, pulled out the
sword of power, and said:
"BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL….. I HAVE THE POWER!"
Grizzlor spoke into the radio of the computer system: "Yes Leech, I’ve seen to
that. Meet you tonight by the bar, shall I? You’ll be out tonight, won’t
you?" "Yeah, sure will. When I’ve
cleared up all these trooper circuits I’m goin’ out to look for He-Man, then
I’ll be free." "Okay, and remember we’ve
gotta….." Grizzlor was suddenly cut off from
his conversation by a massive punch to the head from behind. He spun around on his
revolving chair, just in time to see He-Man’s fist come flying towards his
face…………….
"Hello? Grizzlor, are you
still there?" came Leech’s voice, through the machine. "Yeah, he’s still here
alright." answered He-Man. "Unconscious at my feet, anyway." "You bastard….. what have
you….." "Oh, shut up!" replied
He-Man, and threw his mighty fist at the computer system itself. Once his punch connected,
cracks formed all over the machine, then it began to crumble, eventually becoming a huge
heap of metal and wires on the ground. Then He-Man turned, and unlocked the
doors of all the cages in the jail. From each cage a starving, bruised and battered person
ran out and thanked He-Man from their heart. Then once he had set all the prisoners free,
He-Man led them out of the jail, and through the corridors of Doom Tower, smashing to
pieces every trooper who tried to block his way. Then he led them out onto the
launch-pad, where many Horde flying machines were parked. He ran up to one, and with a
mighty swing of his fist, punched its door, which flew open. "Quickly- all board this
one!" He-Man ordered. The people ran eagerly into the machine. Once they were all
aboard, He-Man followed them on. "Does anyone here know how to
pilot this craft?" "Yeah, I do." said one man.
"Then you must pilot it back to
your homes. I cannot stay, as I have further tasks to perform around this place. I am here
to stop the Horde!" A cheer ran through the whole ship as
the people raised their arms to hail this new champion. The man who could pilot the ship
stepped to his feet. "Thank you so much!" he said, laying his hands on
He-Man’s muscular shoulders. "We owe you our lives! And may you succeed in
destroying the Horde’s rule!" "I promise, I will do my
best!" He-Man bade farewell to the people, then left the ship, which blasted off into
the skies. Suddenly he saw a laser bolt seem to fly up from nowhere at the ship. He spun
around to see some troopers firing at it, trying to shoot it down. But this was no tough task for
He-Man. He charged towards the troopers, and dived down swiftly, gripping their legs
tightly and forcing them to the ground, dropping their guns. Then He-Man pulled himself to
his feet, ready to fight the troopers. But there was no need- he had already reduced them
to sizzling heaps of scrap metal on the ground. He shrugged to himself, then ran back into
Doom Tower, to retrieve the sword of protection.
Inside Doom Tower, Hordak was examining the sword, when suddenly Mantenna burst into
the room, his four skinny legs shaking rapidly, his eyes swinging out on their long
stalks. "M…m…..
master….." he gibbered, "I….. just….. saw….. He-Man…..
putting all the….. prisoners… on a Horde Flyer! They….. have…..
escaped!" "What?! He-Man is in the
building!" "Yes!!! He has….. freed the
prisoners!" Hordak slammed the sword onto its
stand, and ran out of the room, pushing Mantenna out of his way. He made his way down the
corridors to the jail, which he found completely empty! "Blast it!!!" he screamed.
"He-Man has let free all of the prisoners….. including that rebel who broke in
earlier! GRIZZLOR!!! Where are you?!!" Stamping through the jail, he found
Grizzlor lying unconscious, a massive heap of fur….. and the computer system
completely smashed to pieces. His eyes glowed bright red, and he
screamed. His deafening, maniacal scream ran through the whole of the building, terrifying
even his bravest warriors.
In the chamber where the sword of
protection stood, Mantenna, terrified by Hordak’s scream, was felled as He-Man burst
into the room, hitting him in the face. He-Man rushed towards the sword of protection,
seized it by the handle, and lifted it from its stand. He turned to run from the chamber.
But just as he reached the door, his way was blocked by a massive cloud of black smoke
which erupted from out of the blue. As the smoke died down, He-Man was faced with the
sinister figure of Shadow Weaver. "So, He-Man." she said,
"You dare to return. But not for long….." she raised her arms, and several
thin, red strips of light shot out from her fingertips. They hit He-Man and coursed
throughout his entire body, causing him to drop the sword of protection. As He-Man
struggled in pain, Shadow Weaver seized the sword. Just then, Hordak entered from behind
her. "We have him, Hordak." she
laughed evilly. "He is ours." "I….. don’t…..
think….. so!" He-Man pulled out the power sword, and instantly Shadow
Weaver’s evil power burst out from He-Man’s body and turned on Shadow Weaver
herself. Her eyes lit up in terror, and she began writhing in agony, jerking through the
room trying to rid her body of her own spell which had been turned against her. She
dropped the sword directly below He-Man- but before He-Man could retrieve it, Adora burst
into the room, dived at He-Man’s feet and seized the sword. "This sword is ours." Adora
said. "Time we destroyed him, Hordak." He-Man instantly noticed the faint
glow around the sword now that Adora had it. She must be the person it was for! But what
should he do? "Just….. destroy him,
Hordak." came the voice of Shadow Weaver. He-Man looked around and saw her writhing
about on the ground like a dying insect. "Blast him with your cannon arm!" "I have a feeling that He-Man
would find some way of evading that." said Hordak. "But I shall still destroy
him! Adora- you know what to do!" He turned to Adora and issued some kind of hand
signal. He-Man had no idea what it meant, but Adora obviously did, as she quickly replied
"Okay, master." and ran from the room. "I don’t know what weapon
you’ve sent her to get," said He-Man, "but I will stop you!" He drew
his power sword, and quickly ran after Adora. He must stop her from getting whatever
Hordak wanted- and hopefully be able to get her out of this building so he could talk to
her properly about the sword. He ran as fast as he could after
Adora, who was not remotely afraid- she didn’t even look back, though she must have
heard his accelerated footsteps as they echoed throughout the halls. Eventually Adora came to a dead end.
She just stopped by a wall, then turned around, leaving He-Man free to come running
straight towards her. He ground to a halt as he reached her, and aimed his sword directly
in her face. She blocked the power sword with the sword of protection, which was beginning
to glow again. Both noticed the glow, and He-Man
said "You can give up now, Adora. I must talk to you about this sword." "Oh yeah?" she replied
aggressively. Then she flicked a switch on the wall, which instantly began to open,
rumbling like thunder. "Bye bye, He-Man." she said, and hooked her leg around
his, hurling him through into the opening in the wall. He-Man found himself inside some
strange small cavity in the wall. But what use to the Horde was this? He could not see any
sign of danger. Or not at first, anyway. He heard a
disturbing sound, like creaking and rumbling at once, and looked up to see spikes emerging
from the ceiling. He crouched down- only to feel a tremendous sharp pain in his knee. As
he jumped up in shock and clutched his knee, he saw that there were spikes coming from the
floor too. And from the walls. From each of
them. The opening through which Adora had thrown him began to close up, and spikes started
to emerge from that, too. And He-Man heard the booming voice of Hordak saying "Enjoy
your death, He-Man. It shouldn’t last too long….."
PART 9: A TREMENDOUS ESCAPE
Without hesitation, He-Man knew he had to act quickly. He hastily thrust his sword back
into the sheath on his back, and reached his arms up, and his legs firmly down. His great
strength halted the floor and ceiling, preventing them from caving in to impale him. But
the side walls were all still closing in….. He-Man quickly swiped his right hand,
breaking off several spikes from the wall to his right. Then he swiped his left hand and
broke off several spikes from the left wall. Now there were too few spikes on those walls
to impale him. So he turned around, quickly but as carefully as possible so that he could
still hold the ceiling and floor away. He backed off as he faced the back wall, and he
kicked it repeatedly, causing the wall to shake violently, until all the spikes had fallen
to the ground. Several of them cut his legs as they fell, but just a few cuts were no
match for a man of his strength. Then he turned around carefully to face the door, kicked
it, and the spikes from the door fell to the ground too. Now there was only the ceiling and
floor to worry about. He-Man kept his left arm firmly holding the ceiling up as he used
his right hand to break off the spikes and throw them to the ground. When the ceiling was
finally devoid of the deadly spikes, He-Man looked down at the ground, which was still
rising up. But there was no need to worry. He-Man knew he would have to make an escape
from this place, as if he stayed around, Hordak would only try more and more traps until
He-Man was too tired to continue. And He-Man could see an easy way to escape. He stood
carefully between all the spikes on the ground, then he looked upwards at the ceiling,
thrust his mighty fist at it, and it began to crack. He-Man crouched down, covering his
head for shelter as the ceiling crumbled and fell down. Many pieces fell on top of He-Man,
but they were no match for the might of his muscular body. Now, with no ceiling in the
way, he was looking up into the beautiful, orange evening sky above. The ground rose
upwards, lifting He-Man to safety. The door collapsed with He-Man’s might, and he
looked down to see Hordak looking up on him, his red eyes blazing with anger, his metal
teeth bared in fury. Adora stood by him, open-mouthed. "So, you fool….."
growled Hordak, "You escape me again….." and he turned his arm into its
cannon mode and fired at He-Man, but the bolt only hit the rising ground. He-Man was safe.
The ground rose higher and higher,
until it elevated through the roof of Doom Tower. He-Man jumped off the rising ground, and
stood triumphantly atop the tall skyscraper, admiring the magnificent view around him. The
exquisite orange evening skies of Etheria, with their burning red sun, overlooked the
masterful complex of the Fright Zone, its many skyscrapers illuminated beautifully by the
sunlight, their many windows shimmering with light. This was an evil place alright- but
unlike Skeletor’s Snake Mountain, this city could actually be seen as beautiful. Then He-Man caught sight of a
strange-looking object, in silhouette, flying towards him. It appeared to be some kind of
beetle-shaped machine, its legs moving rapidly through mid-air, somewhat comical-looking,
yet filled with splendour. The machine flew closer to He-Man, and he saw that it was a
flying vehicle, with Carlos at the controls, Glimmer sat beside him. "Good evening, He-Man."
Carlos said. "Somehow I knew you’d make it." He-Man stared in puzzlement at the
strange vehicle. "But….. what’s this exactly?" "It’s my new vehicle, that
I knocked together today!" replied Carlos. "I call it the hover-beetle!" "But….. why does
it….." "Look so strange? Hey, are you
going mad, my friend? It works doesn’t it?" He-Man laughed. "Yeah, I suppose
so! But how did you know I might need help?" "Ah, I can just sense these
things. You got imprisoned in Grizzlor’s jail, didn’t you?" "Yes!!! But how did you
know?!" "Ah, I just happen to know these
things." Glimmer threw her head back in
laughter, her bright purple hair almost soaring over her head. "He may be a pain in
the arse, but Carlos knows everything! Now jump in, He-Man- we don’t want to waste
time, do we?" "I guess not!" He-Man leapt into the seat behind Carlos and
Glimmer. Carlos punched the controls, and they zoomed off into the beautiful evening sky. "Hey, wait a second-"
Glimmer suddenly said, "where’s Adam? Wasn’t he here too?" "He….. erm," began
He-Man, "You see… well, he’s not here because….." "You know," interrupted
Glimmer, "you remind me of Adam a bit. Just the way you reacted then. You’re not
brothers, are you?" "No- I have no siblings
actually….." "And you reminded me of Adam
then too! Just your tone of voice, your presence….." she looked around at him,
and smiled slowly. "I know your secret, man. You ARE Adam, aren’t you?" Carlos looked round, and chuckled
quietly. "She’s a clever girl, is Glimmer. She’s not fooled too
easily." "Erm…… yes, okay
then!" said He-Man. Glimmer stared into He-Man’s
eyes in admiration. "You know, He-Man….. or ‘Adam’." she began,
"I think I could find out lots of interesting stuff from you!" "Erm….. I guess so." "Then just wait until we get
home. You and I must get to know each other- seriously!"
PART 10: THE RECOVERY OF THE HORDE
Lying slumped on Hordak’s throne in the main hall of Doom Tower, was a long black
shroud, with bony green hands poking out from the sleeves, and red eyes shining out from
the hood, dimly. Shadow Weaver was helpless for the first time in years. Bending over her was another red-eyed
figure, gently stroking her bony arm. This figure was mostly covered in black metal
armour, making up his complex, semi-electronic body. Hordak was having to nurse Shadow
Weaver for the first time ever. He held her sweaty, green hand in his
palm, and clenched it softly but firmly. His eyes shining at her in sympathy, he stroked
the black sleeves of her veil, running his arm gently down her smooth black shroud. "He….. beat…..
us." Shadow Weaver stammered weakly. "He….. is….. too…
powerful." "He-Man is surely very
powerful." Hordak said softly, in sympathetic tones. "But he has not won yet. He
had to escape from this place- because he knew he would only end up dead if he stayed. He
is therefore partially afraid of us. So we will make sure that we tire him out and he will
lose." "But….. how….. can
we… destroy….. him? He is….. too… dangerous for the Horde." "He is, Shadow Weaver,"
Hordak replied, gazing softly into her elegant red eyes, somewhat weak but beautiful.
"I must even admit it myself. But as an army, the Horde is more powerful. We will
eliminate him in the long term, and in the end he will be remembered as nothing but a mere
nuisance. What we need is some kind of super-powerful invention….. and also, you must
find out the secrets of the sword he brought with him." He looked to his right, where
the sword stood on a pedestal, its jewel glimmering brightly. Force Captain Adora was
standing beside it, guarding it. Hordak laid his hand gently on Shadow
Weaver’s shoulder, then said "Just wait there, my darling. You will recover
soon." Then he got to his feet, and walked towards Adora. "So you’re keeping this
‘instinct’ you describe under control?" he asked her. "You can stop
yourself from handling this sword?" "Yes master, I am now beginning
to control myself, and I will not handle the sword again. But I must tell you, it is very
hard for me not to handle it. I am completely convinced it is having some kind of effect
on my mind. And although I’d never admit this to anyone but you- it’s actually
frightening me. It’s starting to make me feel guilty about all the murders I’ve
committed. It’s starting to make me have second thoughts about my alliance. But this
is madness….. I’m an evil bitch, I always have been, and been proud of it. And
I’ve always loved the Horde….. this sword seems to be trying to make me turn
against you." Hordak seemed worried by Adora’s
words. It was disturbing to think that the girl he had brought up to the Horde’s ways
may actually be turning from him. He gazed at the sword. It almost caused him to vomit.
The jewel just seemed to shine brightly with extreme goodness. And Hordak, ever since his
early days as a simple fighter, had hated the presence of anything good. It made him feel
so uncomfortable. Looking back across the room to
Shadow Weaver, who was lying with her head drooped to the ground on his throne, he said
"I think we should keep this sword away from Adora, Shadow Weaver. She says it is
having some kind of effect on her mind….. and what if it begins to affect ours too?
We must keep it in a very safe place." Shadow Weaver lifted her head slowly,
and said, groggily: "Yes, Hordak. Keep it away from Adora. Move it to my private
room. No-one else but you can venture in there. I will study it very closely when I have
recovered." "Fine." said Hordak. He
shouted to Senador. "Senador- remove this sword, and the pedestal, from this hall.
Place it outside Shadow Weaver’s private room. I will move it inside later. Keep a
close watch on it before I arrive." The large, golden figure of Senador
came marching towards Hordak from across the hall. "I will, master." he said,
and he lifted the pedestal on which the sword stood, and carried it out of the hall. After Senador exited, and the door of
the hall slammed shut, Hordak said to Adora "Stay here, Adora, and take care of
Shadow Weaver. I will go to watch the slaves working, while I think of the best way to
destroy He-Man. I am proud of the slave empire in the Fright Zone. The rebels never
managed to free those fools we captured from Bright Moon….. now they’re working
in the mines, while the troopers construct further plantations elsewhere. It will at least
be a relaxing atmosphere for me, while I think of what we should do." "Okay, master." replied
Adora. "And Hordak….. you know I’m always at your service, don’t you?
I’m not going to leave you for the rebellion." Hordak gazed straight into
Adora’s beautiful green eyes. "I know, Adora. You are having problems, but I
will help you. Just speak to Shadow Weaver if you need help while I am away." "Okay, master." Adora
replied. "You and Shadow Weaver have always been so good to me." They bade each other goodbye for the
time being, then Hordak departed, and ventured out into the streets of the Fright Zone,
eventually descending into the mines. There were thousands of
poverty-stricken slaves working there, being hurried along by Hordak’s cruel robots.
And they had no way of escaping. And this mine led out onto slave valley, where many
slaves worked day after day, and where the torture was at its most extreme. Hordak had made many people suffer.
But he was proud of it. And there was one more person whom he hoped to make suffer soon. He-Man.
PART 11: ADAM’S RECOVERY
At the rebel camp, in the midst of the Whispering Woods, the atmosphere was generally
high, one of excitement and triumph. The rebels were overjoyed that Adam had managed to
enter the Fright Zone and come out alive, and most viewed him as being a true hero, much
to Adam’s pleasure. There was also a lot of talk about He-Man, who Adam, Carlos and
Glimmer said was on patrol, still seeking the person of his quest. He-Man had earlier
freed the prisoners from one of the jails in Doom Tower, including Adam, before escaping
from Hordak’s most feared trap- the spiked walls trap, which he had then destroyed.
Never had a single citizen on Etheria thought that trap was remotely possible to escape
from. Inside one of the rebel huts, Adam
and Glimmer were talking endlessly, getting on like a house on fire. Carlos stood by them,
fiddling with a few electronic devices, and interrupting the conversation now and then. "So, you defend Eternia,
then?" said Glimmer. "How long have you been doing this for?" "Two years." said Adam,
"And life is very tiring for me. What annoys me the most is the way that I have to
pretend to be really weak and cowardly….. so everyone views me as being a complete
lazy slob, basically. Even my father. My mother knows me a lot better….. in fact, I
think she reckons I’m He-Man, but just won’t admit it. But my father is always
so concerned about me when he has no need to be….. even Teela, the woman I love,
calls me a slob." "The woman you LOVE?!" said
Glimmer, with a touch of jealousy. "Tell me more about this ‘Teela’." "Well, I’ve grown up with
her, basically- she’s been the closest to a sibling I’ve ever had. And I’ve
always had feelings for her….. she just fails to recognise them. She is also the
daughter of the Sorceress, but she doesn’t know it. She’s adopted by
Man-At-Arms, and her real father was killed in battle before she was even born. You’d
like her, if you got to know her." Glimmer looked a little
disappointed….. clearly because Adam’s affections were already set on another
woman. But Glimmer would try her best. "How does Teela feel about
He-Man?" Glimmer asked him. "Oh, she adores him."
replied Adam. "That’s what’s even more annoying….. how she loves me so
much as He-Man, but basically finds me a bore as Adam. You know, Glimmer, it’s good
to be able to talk to someone who actually knows that I’m He-Man, and doesn’t
criticise me as Adam. It’s very refreshing….." Glimmer smiled, and gently laid her
hand over his. "I like you better as Adam." she said. "Who wants to go for
a muscle-bound hero with extreme strength, anyway? It’s such a boring choice. I like
someone who’s a little….. different." "That’s even more
refreshing." Adam said, smiling back. "I’ve had so much credit as He-Man
and so little as Adam that it’s become almost depressing." "Just remember I’m always
here for you, even when you’re on Eternia." Carlos looked up from his device that
he was fiddling with. "Hey Glimmer, don’t get those hormones going wild, hey
girl?!" "Shut up, Carlos!" Glimmer
replied. "I’m 18 now, I’m no longer a ‘little girl’. Just
remember I’m the leader of the rebellion, okay?" "Hey, chill it girl. You know
me." Glimmer sniggered to herself.
"Hey, yeah. I sure do." She looked at Adam playfully, pointed at Carlos with her
thumb, and mouthed ‘pain in the arse’. Adam laughed silently. This girl sure was
fun to be with. But he remembered that he still had
to free the sword of protection from the grasp of the Horde, and try his best to
communicate with Adora. He would have to go back to the Fright Zone sooner or later. But
it was going to be harder than ever. The sight of He-Man would instantly cause chaos, so
he could never go as He-Man, but now that Hordak knew that Adam was
‘accompanying’ He-Man, he could easily get captured as Adam, too. But he knew
that no matter how hard his task, he had to perform it, to carry out the mission that the
Sorceress sent him on, and also to ensure the safety of Etheria. How guilty he would feel
when he left this planet behind, without a saviour! But he would have to return to Etheria
sometimes, to help fight the Horde….. but trying to save TWO planets would be too
much for him! But he knew he couldn’t think
about that now. He would have to leave for the Fright Zone fairly soon. First he decided
to contact his best friend, back on Eternia. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his
mobile communicator, and punched in Man-At-Arms’ number. There was a series of beeps,
and when they had stopped, he heard Man-At-Arms’ voice: "You’re through to Duncan,
the royal Man-At-Arms. May I help you?" "Hi Duncan, it’s Adam
here." "Hi Adam, good to speak to you.
How’s this quest of yours going?" "Okay, but very difficult. I
will try my best. I will explain all to you when I come home. But how are things back on
Eternia? I’ve been a little worried about what Skeletor’s getting up to back
there, with no He-Man to help out….." "Don’t worry. There’s
plenty of warriors here to keep Skeletor at bay. He tried to attack yesterday with some
sort of machine, but Stratos and Mekaneck managed to stop him. We’re okay back
here." "Good to hear that."
replied Adam. "But what about He-Man….. with He-Man being absent at the same
time as me, aren’t people getting suspicious? I’m damn sure that some people are
starting to suspect that I’m He-Man." "Don’t worry."
Man-At-Arms replied. "Even when you’re on Eternia, there’s still some times
that you’re away, and unable to help as He-Man. And if people do work it out,
it’s still no big deal- the Sorceress can always erase it from their minds." "Yeah, guess so. By the way,
I’ve made quite a few new friends here on Etheria. I hope you can meet ‘em
sometime. There’s this guy called Carlos who found out my secret….. he’s a
scientist, just like you, and has come up with some….." he began to whisper,
"pretty weird inventions. Well, they seem weird, but apparently he gets upset if
anyone calls them that. but anyway, you and him have a number of skills in common…..
I’d like to get you together." "Then I look forward to meeting
this Carlos! I eagerly await your return!" "Yeah, I don’t know when
I’m coming back….. but hopefully not long. Anyway, talk to you later Duncan. See
ya soon." "Yeah, see you Adam." There
was a series of beeps to end the call. "Who was that?" asked
Glimmer. "That was Man-At-Arms, who I
told you about." he looked over at Carlos, and whispered to Glimmer "Hey, do you
think Carlos heard that about him?" Glimmer laughed. "I don’t
think so, he’s too busy messing about on that device of his!" Just then, Carlos suddenly shot up
and shouted "What are you saying, Glimmer, you dirty little whore?" "Hey, cool the language,
man!" Adam laughed to himself, shaking his
head. "You two are like siblings, with your squabbling! Anyway, I have to be off,
now. I’ve got to get that sword back from the Fright Zone." "You’re very brave,
Adam." said Glimmer. "Call for me if you need me." Adam said "I will," then he
got up, and left the hut. Out in the clearing of the woods, the
rebels were training as usual. One of the rebels, a young archer who called himself Bow,
was firing arrows at a target on a tree. By him was a friend of his, a woodsman called
Exa, who was bent over, gathering up logs to use for fuel. Bow missed the target, and the arrow
accidentally hit Exa in the buttocks. Exa shot to his feet, shouting
"OWWWWWWWW…… Bow you literally are a pain in the arse!" "Erm….. sorry." said
Bow, picking up the arrow. "I didn’t mean to….." "Just make sure you get better
with that firing, I’ve lost count of the many times your arrows have missed!" "Erm….. yes. I’m
probably not as good as that guy there." He pointed to Adam. "Perhaps you’d
like to do some firing practice?" Before Adam could answer, Glimmer and
Carlos came out of the hut, and Glimmer said "Adam’s got other things to do,
Bow. He’s going back to the Fright Zone!" Bow’s eyes opened wide, and he
said "Oh dear you’re not are you? But you’ll get captured. Oh, you
fool….. stay in the safety of Whispering Woods!" "Hey, you cunt, don’t call
Adam a fool!" said Glimmer, in sarcastic tones, but deep inside, meaning the insult
seriously. "Adam’s the bravest guy
round here." said Carlos. "He sure can show the Horde a thing or two. I love the
way he smashed those troopers, anyway. No need to fear for him, Bow." "Oh no, of course not!"
said Bow. "You’re a very brave man, Adam. I salute you." "Erm….. okay….."
stammered Adam, then looked away from Bow, becoming eager to get away from this place. Exa
turned to him and said "I hope you fare your best, Adam." "Oh, and by the way," said
Carlos, "If you get in danger, don’t call Glimmer, call me. I’ve got this
new radio thing here." he handed Adam a small black device, with a series of buttons
on. "Just press the red button and you’re through to me." "What are the other buttons
for?" "They’re to regulate sound.
The blue one turns it up, the white one turns it down, and the green one beeps out swear
words. Hey, don’t look at me as though I’m mad, there’s lots of easily
offended people out there, aren’t there?" "Er, yes okay." Adam looked
up and noticed Glimmer was trying to stifle laughter, which rather motivated his sexual
instincts. "I’ll be going now." "Good luck." said Glimmer,
before mouthing "Call me, not Carlos!" Smiling at her, Adam left the
clearing, and ventured into the depths of the wood, ready to face all the dangers that
would face him when he emerged. At Doom Tower.
After a while, Hordak entered the
jail, his long, red cape gliding along the ground, his red eyes shining through into
Adam’s cell. Hordak stepped right in front of the bars, and snarled "What is the
function of that sword that He-Man brought to this world? Why did he bring it?" 
