Some have noted that my story covers alot of ground. Which is how I actually want to approach this-- more like the script for a movie or comic book, rather than a fully fledged novel. My basic goal is to fill in the blanks of the backstory from the games without conflicting with already established game continuity. Part of keeping things true to the original games, is also being true to the spirit of the games by attempting to make the stories humorous. Because I feel the Keen series as a whole is very comedic. After all, the bulk of Tom Hall's inspiration came from Duck Dodgers cartoons and the premise of Keen itself is pretty absurd if you think about it. Not saying, my stories are going to automatically be funny, I will certainly try and people will decide that on their own.
I also thought that adopting the moniker "Commander Keen: Defender of Earth!" would be helpful, so people can differentiate between my style and other fanfictions attempting to retell the original games. This is what they also do with comic books, like the difference between Ultimate Spider-man or Amazing Spider-man-- each follows different storytelling styles and situations.
So here goes:
- Commander Keen: Defender Of Earth! -- The Invasion of the Vorticons: Part One: Prologue
Billy Blaze, eight year-old genius, was hard at work in his clubhouse. His project: The Extra-stellar Telescope 9000. Billy had just finished it and was adjusting its parameters so he could have a closer look at the farther reaches of space. But just as a strange object appeared in his scope, something most terrible happened; his mom yelled out to him from the backyard porch for him to come to bed. Billy was frustrated but knew if he ignored her the fourth time there would be consequences. So he replied "alright…mom". Billy turned off his telescope and put the screwdriver back in his clubhouse, on a table. Also on his table was a radio he was constructing but he put it on the backburner to finish the telescope and his "big" project. He then closed the door of his clubhouse that had the sign "keep out" on it, which gave him a false comfort.
The clubhouse was made out of crude wooden boards he nailed together. He knew he could've tried harder in its construction but it was all he needed for privacy and shelter of his projects. Before Billy could pull himself away and go inside the house he had to pat his "big" project goodnight, which just looked like a big lump under a tarp. He then reluctantly shuffled across his lawn to go inside his house, as he walked by his favorite tree he pushed the tire swing in defiance and let it swing back. Billy opened the screen door to the kitchen, took the stair case to the left and tromped up stairs.
When he was getting in bed his mom asked from the downstairs kitchen "Billy, are you all ready to go sleep?" he replied "yes, mom" and got in bed; Billy knew if he complied it could give him a sooner chance to be alone. His mother made her way upstairs and tucked him in. After the lights were off and door closed, his eyes were awake; he knew he had to check that telescope and thought to himself "I can't sleep when there's interstellar things out there…". He then jumped off his bed, and traded his sleeping garb for his standard clothes; he pulled out his brothers football helmet, that he was hiding under his bed, then out of his closet he grabbed his classic purple shirt, jeans and one of his most critical articles of clothing, which were red converse shoes. He jumped back on his bed and posed, the voice of a nasally announcer played in his head "Commander Keen-- defender of Earth!".
Meanwhile, a distant space craft is flying through space, she looms towards her destination. She almost has eyes, which glow. She has a growl; the rumble of the sheer power of her weaponry. Her claws, her talons thirst for battle. The ship continues to hurl through space.
Later on Earth, around 2:00 am, an alien ship lands in a distant part of the USA. Its crew is most fervent in their beliefs. They make a pilgrimage to what is considered by them to be a sacred place. The structure has markings on it so travelers will know where they are, these markings read in big, glowing letters 'TOYS R US". The aliens come out of their ship and ransack the building in a fury. Coming out of the store with bags full of toys-- such as teddy bears, hula hoops and skateboards, they get back in the ship. The vessel then stops at a nearby Costco because the crew is thirsty.
- Commander Keen: Defender Of Earth! -- The Invasion of the Vorticons: Part One: Chapter 1
The next day Billy barely got out of bed. The first thing he knew he had to do was get ready for school, which he did, but while phasing in and out of sleep. Eventually he moseyed down stairs to the dining room; empty but evident of some recent usage. His head leaned against his arm as he poured himself Sugar Stoopies; he put in more that morning to give him a sugar rush. He wanted to kill two birds with one stone, which was to hide from his parents that he was tired and also so he could keep awake at school. If his parents noticed his sluggishness it would be a major non-sequitur for them. Thus there would be questions, which always happened when they would have Billy go to bed early on "school nights" and see him drained the next morning. He also wanted to be awake so he could fit in time to draw some diagrams during recess.
Billy quickly ate his cereal while looking around to make sure his parents weren't in the room; after the third bowl he was now a live wire. He looked around and noticed that both his sister and brother had left for school. When glancing down at his watch he knew he was already late. As he ran out the door he thought to himself "Man oh man! Do I wish I had a watch that would alert me of stuff!" Not that Billy was unaware of Nineteen-Nineties technology-- as there was a watch out there that would indeed tell him such things. He just had a knack for making things himself, so he could battle the "incompetence of man's mainstream technology".
He got to the sidewalk and looked down the street, but the bus had already left. He put out his thumb to hitchhike, but the cold wind of the cars going by only left him one option. He ran into his room and grabbed one of his beloved possessions-- his pogo. To put his pogo skills to the test he bounced in zigzag pattern down the street. He finally got to the school before the bus, but at the expense of the pogo spring, which was out of whack. He looked down at it and thought "hmm, maybe I could fix it later" and put down the pogo next to the bikes in the rack, outside of the school and tied a chain around it to prevent theft. Running inside, he made it just in time to endure learning stuff he already knew, until he could work on his diagrams when he got a break.
During lunchtime, Billy tried to blend in at the cafeteria by squeezing in around a large groups of kids, so he wouldn't be spotted by a bully. When he would sit in the corner by himself it only meant he was an easy target, especially for being an eight year old nerd. Being a nerd at that age meant that the chances of getting beat up increased six years early before High School. So sitting with kids that might give him some minor mockery is far better treatment than getting beat up, because getting a swirlie was not as much of a fallback in dignity as it was fulfilling his personal deadlines.
When Billy sat down he had just moved from another table. Immediately he started erasing the scribbles of his previous tormentors but forgot to look up at who he was sitting with. These were not just some hyper eight year olds on pixy-stix. Instead these were the big kids, whom were held back a few grades. However, these kids didn’t make fun of Billy right away; instead just give that cold stare, because they were almost pinching themselves that someone of his status would even think of sitting with them, as they had a new victim when this group dealt "mockery" they usually left their biological version of a carbon footprint. Billy blanked and couldn't believe what he just did. Before he could close his folder and get up a shadow loomed over him-- the group's leader had returned with a lunch tray. It was Mortimer McMire-- Grand Bully of the school and brother of Molly, Billy's babysitter. Dressed in his normal wear of a black t-shirt and jeans, with red Vans on; he pointed at one of Billy's drawings.
"What's that?? Mister THREE FOURTEEN??" he demanded.
Billy was still stunned so the only idea he had in his mind was to answer him, nervously.
"Uh, it's a space ship"
"What?? Do you actually believe those hoaxes that life is out there in space?? No wonder your IQ score was lower than mine!"
Just as usual, Mortimer had to remind him of that eventful day, when he and Billy took that school IQ test. Billy got 314 and Mortimer got 315. Billy took the test in hoping that it would give him a higher standing with his peers if he had something to show for his "techno babble". Instead it just soured things for him, because now he was only one that was almost equal to the IQ of the biggest bully in the school, thus there was some competition. Also, being a smart bully only made things worse-- not only did he beat people up, he had an intellectual side to it. Those who couldn't spot more than one image in gestalt illusions or guess mathematical formulas got instant swirlies, but that was for the feeble minded. Billy got special treatment: his formulas were usually from high calculus classes and the Gestalt images were more intricate. Not that Billy was unable answer the questions, Mort would just make him answer them after he was worn out from trying to escape. He also got his own personal "signs" taped on his back, instead of a "kick me" sign it was "kick me AND punch me".
Billy did not find any safety when around any of the other bullies, because Mortimer kept them all on his side. He did this by helping them cheat their way to the fourth grade, thus he had some muscle. Mortimer was the best thing who came to their group; a kid who was not held back that would provide them leadership into the next grade. However he still had slacker tendencies, because he approached his intelligence more from an arrogant point of view. For instance he would not do his homework but aced the tests-- he was smart and lovin' it. He was known in class for always sitting in the very back, eyeing his next victims.
Billy's time was running out and Mortimer was impatient to deal out bullying; he already put his tray down to cross his arms. So to stall some time Billy thought he would compliment Mortimer. He scooped his folder up and took a step back "I, uh, liked your dummy exhibit from the science fair, last year, Mortimer." Mort gave him a nasty look "You mean the exhibit that got LAST place??" Billy looked down and was kicking himself for not remembering that. But just as Mortimer was about to raise a fist the bell rang and Billy ran with his drawings to class.
That night Billy was on top of his clubhouse with the telescope, he moved it up higher in a futile determination that it will help him see closer into space. "I don't care what he says, I just know there's life out there. Now where was that object I found? I haven't seen it since I first finished my 'scope. I stayed up almost all night looking for it.". He started turning his scope to the planets, so he could get a better look at them, but there was only so much he could see. He then looked down at his tarp
"I think it's time to start working on my big project."
