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Posted by Blue Beetle
on 8/17/2008, 10:48 pm
76.84.93.240
The rain pounds against my body, each drop feeling like it weighs a ton as it collides. Above me through the maelstrom I can vaguely see the military Helicopters hovering. The spotlights mounted on them reflect off the rain giving my surroundings a more desolate feel.
This is hallowed ground- the place of America's newest and what many are calling its "Greatest Disaster". The "crater", it had just appeared in the middle of the city, taking with it the buildings and people that had once occupied the space. It seems almost serene even with everything going on, it's strange. My body jolts as a bolt of electricity shoots down from the thunderheads above. My knees buckle as I slide down the edge, dirt and debris cutting through my suit.
As I regain feeling in my legs, I begin to get back up to my feet. My right knee gives out and I'm forced back into a crouch as a rumble of thunder rolls across the sky. In the center of the crater stands a lone man, I can see his silhouette even with the lenses of my goggles cracked and broken. His hands look to be glowing, I hope that it's just the exhaustion playing with my mind.
"This is Trish Tilby reporting live from Opal City. The city has been shut down and is now considered a hazard zone by the United States Government. The President has declared a State of Emergency..." I turn off the TV and look out my office window, the fall sun beating down on Lake Michigan.
I had left Gotham a week ago, come back here to my home in Chicago to check on the progress of some of KordOmniversal's projects. I want to restablish myself, with my company, with my friends. It was nice to be home, it was nice to feel comfortable again to finally have a quiet night. That was until Opal, the Bug's been on standby since I heard the news. I'm going to leave as.....
"Penny for your thoughts?" Melody Case, the real brain behind KordOmniversal stands in the door way to my office. She's dressed in a business suit as usual; the blonde highlights in her hair shimmer in the office light. She shuts the door as she walks further into the room. "Terrible what happened in Opal...."
"Yeah....." It's the only word that I can force out of my mouth; I'm not sure what else to say.
"I heard on the news that President has declared a State of Emergency and asking for any help from the Cape community that he can get..." She stops, noticing that I have drifted off again.
"Ted is something wrong? Did Wayne give you the boot because if he did I'll send him my resignation right now, in fact I'll fly to Gotham and shove it so far up his....."
"I have something I need to tell you..." My right hand shakes as I move it towards the lower right hand drawer of my desk. I didn't think it would be this hard, it's like I'm in the 12th grade again asking Becky McGowon to Homecoming. This is a decision I've been dealing with since I returned. I owe her, don't I?
"Ted what's going on?" Her heels click against the tile. She takes a step back as I throw the object that had spent most of the week in the dark in her direction. By the look on her face as she catches it I expect her to scream. Instead she just stares at the yellow goggles as if she and the mask are having a conversation that I'm not a party to. After a minute in the most awkward silence that's ever been recorded her eyes finally fix on me. I merely shrug as she bites her bottom lip preventing any words from escaping.
"Melody, I'm...."
"God it's me Margret...." My words are hushed the rain continuing to fall from the sky, I think the storm is getting worse. The dark blue robes that the man standing in the eye of the storm wear swirl in the wind. His name is Albert Desmond; he's one of the Flash's Rogues. It's funny for the longest time I wished I had a gallery of villains that I could fight, hell I would have given a finger for an arch-nemesis. But now after spending time in Gotham and after everything that's happened, I'm not sure if I could handle it.
Desmond goes by the name of Doctor Alchemy; he's an actual Doctor too, which makes him more dangerous then the usual costumed crazy. As I inch closer to him I swear I can hear him talking to himself, the language sounds like Latin although with the storm raging around us I can't be sure.
"I figured they'd send one of you to try and stop me." I freeze in my tracks; I think I've been found. "I was expecting one of the Flashes; maybe and Avenger or two but I guess even you will be able to serve a purpose."
"Sorry to disappoint, at least you can tell you're friends in Blackgate that you lost to me. On second thought you might want to leave that part out, it might just make things worse." My left forearm tingles, the sensation creeps its way up towards my shoulder. As I get closer to Alchemy his full attention focuses on me. I was right about his hands although now his entire body seems to be enveloped in a red aurora; his eyes glow as if he's possessed.
"Quid Pro Quo, Mr. Beetle."
"Sir, Booster will surely be displeased, even he knows the quantum and temporal rules that...."
"Listen Skeets. One I think the only rule Booster knows is how to break the rules. Second you guys thought I was Batman remember? I'd rather not be mistaken for someone else if I can help it. I mean what's the point of all this if I'm going to just be remembered for being Batman?" The Bug's Nest is quite, Booster had taken Melody out on a date leaving Skeets and I to watch over "his" city as he likes to call it.
"Surely there are worst things to be remembered as I mean you could have been remembered as..." He stops mid-sentence as I finally break the eleventh layer of encryption on the little guy. It had taken the better part of five hours to get past the first ten, compared to those this one was a piece of cake.
Skeets had been a guard/security drone at the Museum of Yesterday in a future version of Metropolis allowing him access to thousands upon thousands of records even though most of the ones from our time had either been destroyed or distorted by the 31st Century. Ever since I first met him and Booster my curiosity has been festering in the back of my head. Our little trip into the future only made things worse, and now I finally am getting to the bottom of things.
I type in a quick keyword search, images stream onto the large monitor in front of me. I recognize the armor as Jaime's apparently he turns out better then I would have guessed. Dan would be proud to see him carry on the legacy he started. I freeze the computer on one image. The mask is mine, the hood is covered in blood the goggles smashed, and unfortunately there are no words to go with it. No matter how hard I try my eyes won't refocus on something else.
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