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The Quest for the New Jersey Tomato

It all started in the Holy Mountains of Azur. The Sword of Eternal Unity shined forth upon all the land from a cliff on high. The civilizations of all the world raised praises to the Sword every year in a mass ceremony in which all the peoples of all the lands came together to worship, and formed an unbreakable union of all the nations that would guarantee peace and prosperity for the next year... until one day...

There was a young and ambitious Swiss scientist by the name of Albert Curon. Albert was too ambitious. He was bent on coming up with an invention that could earn him all the riches in the world... the greatest invention ever! He sought to create this invention by any means necessary.

Albert became an evil man. He became obsessed with his invention. Everyone who knew him tried to stop him. He wouldn’t let them! He set up a secret laboratory in a cave in the mountains of Rorshach, Switzerland. He worked endlessly in the lab. He lost interest in humanity, the Sword of Eternal Unity, and all things good. However, he failed in all his attempts... until one day...

Albert was working as he normally did when suddenly he saw a strange apparition float through the caves! He called to it. It did not answer. He called it names. It did not answer. He called it all the names he knew! It did not answer! Finally, in his anger, he cursed it in the name of Satan! It answered in a roar! “That is I!”

The apparition suddenly transformed into a flaming monster! It called Albert forward, and the scientist found he could do nothing but obey. Then, the evil Satan, enemy of man, bent on destroying the unifier of all mankind, the Sword of Eternal Unity, spoke to Albert. “I will make you a deal. I will give you this invention you desire, but you must promise me something...” Albert nodded impatiently awaiting his task. Satan boomed “You must ensure that the gift I give to you shall find its way to every ocean, to every river, to every lake, to every brook, creak, puddle, and raindrop! Then, you shall have your riches young Albert.”

Albert could not believe it! It was the greatest offer he had ever had, and he immediately without question agreed. Satan's flames disappeared into the cave ground, and left where the flames stood, a puddle with a cloth in it! Albert grabbed at it, thinking it must be some sort of armor cloth... he was wrong. Instead, he found it was the softest cloth he had ever felt! Albert took off his garments and dropped them in. They came out softer than even the cloth had been! Satan had given him Fabric Softener!

Albert immediately began its swift distribution. He found the chemical composition of the Fabric Softener with his scientific instruments and mass produced it. He made millions, then billions, then trillions, then zillions... there was no end! After he was richer than he could imagine, remembering his agreement, he bought planes, boats, helicopters and trucks... and he dumped the liquid into every body of water from oceans to puddles!

Little did the world know... Satan was smiling from the Underworld. The next year, they gathered for their world ceremony at the foot of the Azur Mountains to pay tribute to the Sword. It was a cloudy, chilly and eerie morning. There was a huge clap of thunder and then... buckets and buckets of rain! The world looked up to the Sword and they couldn’t believe their eyes... the metals were bending! The Sword was decaying! It was slowly becoming a puddle! People rushed up the mountain to cover it, but when they arrived, it was too late. The Sword was destroyed. It lay in a puddle of mercury and iron, never to be seen in its former glory ever again.

Without the Sword, the infamous Year of Chaos began. The world became disunited without the Sword. Wars sprung across the Earth. The world fell into disarray. Nations and civilizations crumbled. The world seemed doomed.

But there was hope. A former schoolmate of Albert Curon, a wise, old, and respected American scientist named Colonel Johnson of the military forces of the United Nations of Earth, decided to set about finding out what happened. He secretly took a sample of the rain, the Sword, and set to work.

Col. Johnson secretly called an international panel of scientists together to release his findings. A delegate scientist from each nation that had survived the Year of Chaos came together. Col. Johnson revealed what had happened. He described how the Fabric Softener had become one with the Earth’s water systems, and during evaporation, it rose to the atmosphere where it condensed. When it rained down, it was the perfect catalyst for the decay of the Sword!

The scientists all studied the liquid, and traced certain elements to a cave in the mountains of Rorshach, Switzerland. They traveled there, and they found traces of the Fabric Softener. Interestingly, they also found burns mixed in with all traces of the liquid! They examined the burns and found that these were not Earthly burns... they knew what had happened. These burns were the burns of Satan! Satan had brought this chemical... this Fabric Softener was all part of his plan! A look at Albert Curon’s documents they found in the cave affirmed the panel’s suspicions. They knew what they had to do.

After learning of Satan’s plot to ruin Earth, the secret panel of scientists became the protectors of unity. They convinced their governments to stop the fighting, but they kept Satan’s plot a secret. They hired a mercenary, Andre Weldy, to assassinate Albert Curon and destroy the remaining production facilities of the Fabric Softener. Then, they went to work trying to piece together a way to remake the Sword. They found that they needed a power from a holy source... they needed the legendary New Jersey Tomato.

Col. Johnson was too old, but he had two outstanding students that were perfect for the job, Arthur Fruchtman and Chris Adell. They were dedicated to restoring unity and happiness in the world and they were some of his most intelligent students. He sent for them from his base in New Jersey. He sent them to train in Idaho under the cover of "potato farmers." When Andre had completed his mission, and the time was right to begin the quest for the Tomato, he called Arthur, Chris, and Andre back to the New Jersey Base. They climbed aboard planes and set out for New Jersey, but Satan conjured up storms to stop them!

Arthur and Chris had to crash land in Wayne, Pennsylvania. So that Satan could not find them, they stole the uniforms of two local military school cadets and they disguised themselves by assuming the roles of the two cadets at the military school. Col. Johnson learned of this and immediately enrolled there as a teacher. They would have to begin their quest from there.

Andre Weldy disappeared on his way back to the New Jersey Base after destroying the last factory in Brazil. He was supposed to meet Arthur and Chris and join their party, but now he could be anywhere! His last contact was made somewhere in Virginia. Andre has valuable information about fighting Satan’s minions of possessed creatures and is the fiercest fighter in the group.

There are many allies in the quest! Locals from our military school who wish for the military to once again be the glorious military of Earth and not just America, citizens who want to end the fighting, and other allies who believe in unity and seek to rebuild the Sword!