I want to thank Adam K. Roberts for giving me the idea to use Shao Khan as the main bad guy in this story. For those of you who want to know, I started writing this story on Friday, June 12, 1998, at 2:30 PM, Eastern time. I completed a rough draft the next evening. I then corrected some mistakes and finished the final draft on Thursday, June 18, 1998, at 12:47 PM, Eastern time. Okay, enough talk! Time for...

Prologue: N Squared

On September 9, 1989, Videoland was given its greatest hero. A fifteen-year-old boy from Northridge, California, Kevin Keene became known as Captain N: The Game Master. Armed with his Power Pad and Zapper, he led the N Team against the evil forces of Mother Brain.

Mother Brain was defeated in 1992 when Princess Lana sent her into the cellar of Baseball World and sealed all the warp zones. Videoland had won the war. His destiny fulfilled, Kevin returned to Earth through the Ultimate Warp Zone, and his memory of Videoland was purged from his brain.

All was well for a while. But then, a new evil arose. More powerful and deadly than Mother Brain, his name was Shao Khan, the evil Emperer of the Outworld. He seeked nothing less than complete domination of Videoland. Anyone who dared oppose him he killed.

Faced with this powerful new threat, the remaining members of the N Team - Princess Lana, Simon Belmont, Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and Gameboy - came together once again to form a new team - the N64 Team. And, once again, they needed a leader.

This is his story.

Stage 1: Ian

Garrison Residence
Chicago, Illinois
Friday, July 10, 1998
3:20 PM

Ian Garrison came home after a very hectic day at school. He walked into the kitchen, exhausted.

Ian's mother, Julie Garrison, was cutting up some vegetables. "Hi, dear. How was your day?" she greeted with a smile.

"It blew." Ian answered. He walked over to the fridge and opened it. "I had tests in three different classes today." He selected a can of Pepsi and closed the fridge.

"Well, it's the weekend." Julie said. "You've got no classes, so you can enjoy yourself."

"I intend to." Ian popped open the can and headed up to his room.

Ian closed the door to his bedroom and threw his books and folders on the floor. An eighteen-year-old college kid on the football team, Ian stood 5'9" tall. He was well-built, somewhat muscular, and had short messy blond hair.

There was only one thing he wanted to do right now: kick Shao Khan's ass in Mortal Kombat 4.

Ian turned on his TV, plugged in the Mortal Kombat 4 cartridge into his Nintendo 64, pressed the POWER button, and sat on his bed. He selected Sonya Blade as his character and began playing.

He was on the first round when the TV picture suddenly fuzzed up.

"Huh?" Ian asked.

He then saw five cartoon characters gathered around a pedestal.

"What - " he began, but he didn't have time to finish that sentence, for, at that moment, a huge blast of energy shot out of his TV at him.

Ian yelled as the energy surrounded him, grabbed him, and pulled him through his TV screen.

The next thing he knew, he was falling.

Palace of Power
Videoland
3:25 PM

The five figures watched as Ian landed on the floor. They began to approach him as he got to his feet.

"What the hell happened?" Ian asked himself. "How - " He let out a scream when he saw his surroundings.

"Calm down." the woman said.

Ian didn't hear her. He just kept screaming.

"Listen,...please, just...calm down." she said.

Ian didn't stop screaming.

"Shut up!!!" she finally screamed.

Ian shut up.

"Ian Garrison?" she asked.

Ian nodded. "Yeah. W-Where am I? Who are you...people? "

"You're in a place called Videoland." the woman said.

"V-Videoland?" Ian asked.

She nodded. "Yes. It's another universe. All the characters from the video games on your world live here."

"You're - you're kidding." Ian paused. "Right?"

She shook her head. "No. I am Princess Lana, Ruler of Videoland. These are Simon Belmont, Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and Gameboy." she said, introducing the others.

Ian looked at them in disbelief and gave them a quick nod. They nodded back. He looked back at Lana.

"What do you want from me?" Ian asked her.

"We're currently in a state of war with Shao Khan." Lana said. She noticed the expression that had developed on Ian's face upon her mention of that name. "You know him, yes. From Mortal Kombat world."

"He's in the game series," Ian said, "starting with Mortal Kombat II. I - I was just playing MK4, when - "

"When you were sucked through your TV set." Lana finished for him.

Ian nodded.

"That was the work of the Ultimate Warp Zone." Lana explained. "We needed a leader. You were chosen. The Ultimate Warp Zone brought you here...to the Palace of Power."

"Chosen?" Ian asked. "To lead what?"

"Our people to victory against Shao Khan." Lana said. "The Ultimate Warp Zone has provided you with the weapon you'll need." she said, pointing at Ian's waist.

Ian looked down and saw the belt around his waist for the first time. Fastened to the front was a grey Nintendo 64 controller.

Ian looked up at Lana. "Cool. I can move around with this?"

Lana nodded. "Yeah. It'll take some practice, but you'll be an expert in no time."

"Where's my gun?"

"A gun won't do you any good against Shao Khan." Lana said. "He's a real badass. You'll have to learn to use magic."

"Magic?" Ian asked, surprised. "Oh, hey, I dunno if I can - "

"Sure you can." Lana interrupted. "I have."

Ian shrugged and nodded. "Okay, cool. Can you tell me more about all this?"

"Let me give you a tour of the Palace." Lana said. "I'll tell you more about us."

"Lead the way, Your Highness." Ian said.

Lana smiled. "Please, just call me Lana."

Ian smiled. "Okay, Lana."

Lana led the group out of the Throne room. Simon was at the end, grumbling to himself.

Stage 2: Getting Acquainted

"So, with Kevin gone, we needed a new leader. We got you." Princess Lana said.

The group was in the Communications room. Lana was seated in front of the viewscreen, and Ian was seated to her right. She had shown him all of the Palace's records concerning Kevin, Mother Brain, and Shao Khan. Ian read and was told about how Dr. Wily had destroyed Mega Man's old body, and how Dr. Right had created a new one for him. Mega Man's new body was six feet tall and colored a midnight blue. His voice chip had been fried, so a new one had been created for him, and, thanks to some additional programming, Mega Man no longer put the word "mega" in almost every sentence he spoke. Simon, having lost his parents to Shao Khan in 1996, went into a state of depression for nearly a month. He had his hair cut short, and he lost his vanity. He no longer looked in the mirror quite as often, and he wore leather warrior clothes and got into great physical shape. He was still grumpy from time to time, however. Kid Icarus, losing his entire family to Shao Khan, also cut his hair short. He practiced his archery until he was a master. Lana's father, King Charles, was still in the Mirror World, being spared the war entirely. Lana, Simon, Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and Gameboy had all learned to use magic from Link and Princess Zelda of Hyrule, who were their allies. Link and Zelda had gotten married in 1993, and they still were happily married now, five years later. Gameboy was the same as ever.

"And that brings us up to the present." Lana concluded.

Ian nodded. "Cool."

They stood up.

"Ian, you can have Kevin's old room." Lana told him.

"But I shared a room with Captain N!" Simon said.

Lana grinned. "Exactly! Ian, meet your new roommate, Simon Belmont!"

Ian smiled and offered Simon his right hand.

Simon frowned and shook it.

"C'mon, Ian, I'll get you some pajamas." Lana said.

Ian followed her out of the room.

The rest of the N Team members gathered together.

"Six years of having my own room, and now I have to share it with a teenager again." Simon grumbled. "So, what do you guys think of Ian?"

"He seems all right to me-icus." Kid Icarus said.

"Me, too." Mega Man agreed.

"Probabilities of winning the war have increased 12.2% with subject Ian Garrison factored into the equation." Gameboy started, beeping.

Simon shrugged, and they all left the room.

6:00 PM

Ian knocked on the doors to Lana's room. "Lana, it's Ian."

"Come in." she said.

Ian walked inside. Lana was standing by her dresser, holding a picture in her hands.

Ian walked over to her. The picture was of Lana and another guy. They were both smiling. "Is that him? Kevin?"

Lana nodded. "Taken after he'd been with us for one year. We were so happy together, but he wanted to be with his parents again, and I couldn't deny him that."

"The two of you were in love." Ian realized.

Lana nodded, then she started crying.

Ian turned her around and hugged her tightly.

She looked up at him, and the two of them just stared at each other for a moment.

Just then, Simon ran into the room. "Your Highness, - " He stopped short when he saw Ian hugging her.

Ian and Lana looked at Simon.

"Yes, Simon, please continue." Lana said.

"Shao Khan's attacking Megaland!" the vampire hunter said.

Lana quickly opened up her dresser and took out a belt. She put it on. On the front of the belt was a Nintendo 8-bit controller.

"That's it, isn't it?" Ian asked. "The original Power Pad."

Lana nodded. "Yes, now come on!" She ran out of the room after Simon.

"But I haven't had any practice yet!" Ian said.

"It'll have to wait!"

Capital City
Megaland

Shao Khan and his forces had already caused serious damage. Ian yelled as he stumbled over a dead body.

"Get used to it, kid." Simon said simply. "This is war."

Lana spotted the evil Emperer. "Shao Khan!"

Shao Khan spotted her. "Ah! Princess Lana! And to what do I owe this visit?"

"I want to introduce to you our new leader!" Lana said.

Ian stepped forward. "I am Captain N64, leader of the N64 Team!"

"A child?" Shao Khan laughed. "You can never be my better!"

"We'll see about that!" Ian yelled.

"You're going down, Shao!" Mega Man said with a smile.

Lana looked at Ian. "Remember that spell I taught you on the way to the warp?"

"Yeah."

"Now you'll get a chance to use it."

"Prepare to die, mortals!" Shao Khan yelled.

"Get behind us, Ian! We'll defend you!" Mega Man said.

Ian did. Lana, Simon, Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and Gameboy fought Shao Khan and his forces, protecting Ian so the inexperiences newcomer wouldn't get himself killed.

Suddenly, the Princess was knocked down to the ground.

"Lana!" Ian yelled. He ran to her.

"Ian! Stopicus!" Kid Icarus yelled.

Ian arrived in front of Lana just as Scorpion was approaching her. Ian quickly chanted off a spell, and a fireball came out of his hands. It hit Scorpion and knocked him down to the ground.

Ian turned around and helped Lana to her feet. "Are you all right."

Lana nodded, holding her left hand to the side of her head.

Ian then turned to Shao Khan and hit him with a fireball. As he was about to return fire, he realized that his forces were being depleted very rapidly.

"Retreat!" Shao Khan ordered. He pointed at Ian. "I will not forget this, Captain N64!"

And so, that crisis was over.

Lana looked at Ian and smiled. "That was very brave of you, coming to my rescue like that."

"I...couldn't let you die." Ian replied.

They hugged, and then Lana kissed him on the lips for a second.

Simon looked away in disgust.

Welcome To Warp Zone

Ian quickly learned all he needed. The rest of the team, Link, and Zelda taught him magic. He learned to use his Power Pad very well. He saved the team more times than they could remember. In fact, he grew so popular that some people in Videoland said he was even better than Captain N! This greatly worried Shao Khan, and he vowed he would have Ian Garrison's head on a pike.

Ian and Lana grew closer and closer. Ian soon moved out of Simon's room - and into Lana's. This didn't exactly make Simon happy, but he learned to adjust to it, and soon there were no more hard feelings between them.

The N64 team befriended many allies against Shao Khan, including Sonia Blade, Jax, Stryker, Johnny Cage, Sub Zero, and a few others. Every day, the strength of the alliance grew, and the strength of Shao Khan's forces lessened.

Stage 3: Flawless Victory

Palace of Power
Videoland
Wednesday, September 9, 1998
1:00 AM

"Ian, wake up!"

Ian woke up and yawned, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Never mind that!" Lana said. "Get up! Shao Khan's forces have crossed over from Outworld and are attacking Mortal Kombat world!"

Ian quickly got up and got dressed.

Mortal Kombat

The fighting was fierce. Shao Khan had definitely brought enough forces to keep everyone busy. The N64 Team fought bravely, using martial arts and magic spells. Soon, all of Shao Khan's invasion force had been elliminated.

Shao Khan was fed up. "You fools! I'm tired of you interfering in my conquests! Well, soon you will all pay dearly for this! Soon, the entire universe will be mine!"

Shao Khan cast a magic spell. A warp opened, and he ran into it.

"A warp zone-icus!" Kid Icarus yelled.

"Follow him!" Ian ordered.

Ian, Lana, Simon, Mega Man, Kid Icarus, and Gameboy went into the warp.

Stage 4: Alpha and Omega

Palace of Power
Videoland
Saturday, September 9, 1989
7:55 PM

The N64 Team found itself in a golden corridor.

"The Palace!" Ian said.

"Shao Khan must want to take over Videoland from here!" Simon said. "We must stop him!"

They quickly went in search of their enemy.

Suddenly, Lana stopped short. She was looking at a wall.

"What is it?" Ian asked.

"That painting." Lana said. "It was destroyed nearly nine...years...ago. That son of a bitch!" She turned and ran towards the Throne room.

The rest of the team took off after her.

"Any idea where he's headed?" Ian asked her.

"To the beginning of everything, Ian." Lana said, her voice filled with panic. "And, quite possibly, the end."

"I'm afraid we can't hold out much longer." Lana said sadly. She faced Kid Icarus and touched his hair. "Kid Icarus, your loyalty has never diminished."

"Just doing my duty, Your Highnicus." the archer replied.

Lana knelt in front of Mega Man and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Mega Man, you've fought bravely and well."

Mega Man bowed. "A pleasure to serve you, Your Worship."

Lana stood up and faced Simon, placing her hands over her heart. "Simon, you've been our anchor in a long and terrible storm."

Simon smiled, full of himself. "I know."

Lana looked at all of them. "I thank you all for your efforts. I only wish it didn't have to end this way."

Suddenly the lights dimmed, and a bright glow came from the center of the Throne room.

A voice boomed: "Do not give up hope yet, Princess."

Lana gasped, then looked at Simon, who was holding her. He grinned widely.

She shoved him away. "Simon, let go of me." she said in an impatient tone.

Simon was disappointed.

The four of them gathered around the pedestal.

"There are powers beyond those with which you are familiar." the voice continued. "The Legend of Videoland foretells of a young warrior, from another land, and shall warp into our world and leads you to victory! He is Captain N: The Game Master! Behold - the Ultimate Warp Zone!"

The four of them stepped away from the pedestal as the Power Glove rose from it and impacted against a wall. A warp zone opened.

Suddenly, Shao Khan walked into the Throne room. "Now I enter this warp a conqueror! Yess!" He ran towards the warp.

Just then, the N64 Team ran into the Throne room.

"No!" Lana yelled in horror. "By the Power Glove, no!!!"

"C'mon!" Ian yelled.

The N64 Team ran into the warp.

Keene Residence
Northridge, California
Saturday, September 9, 1989
7:59 PM

Kevin Keene was losing badly to King Hippo in a game of Punch-Out. His fingers repeatedly hit the A and B buttons on his NES Advantage.

Suddenly, the picture fuzzed up.

Just then, the bedroom window glass was smashed to pieces as Shao Khan entered the room.

Kevin looked at him in surprise. "What the - "

Shao Khan approached him. "So,...we are now face to face, Captain N! In one future, you become the great leader of the N Team. But time...shall take a different track now."

The door to Kevin's room burst open, and the N64 Team came rushing in. Duke, Kevin's dog, ran past them, out of the room, barking like crazy.

"We're too late!" Lana yelled.

"And now, Captain N," Shao Khan said, "in memory of Mother Brain, for the glory of the Outworlders, for the Videoland that is rightfully ours, and mine to rule, farewell!"

Lana reached for Ian's hand. Ian took it.

Shao Khan laughed. "Say good-bye to the universe, N64 Team! The future had changed! Yesss! The N Team loses! Mother Brain triumphs! And you - you no longer exist!!!"

"Neither will anything else soon." Lana added quietly.

And then Shao Khan fired at Kevin, and all that is and was was consumed in that fire.