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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:26:00 GMT -5
Hall of Justice: He rolled over in his bunk. Sollis had been given residence inside the Hall of Justice itself, until the Justice League could discern the veracity of his warnings. They had searched for Boom Tubes, for anything that could contain a doomsday device from Apokolips, and they had raced to a small town where a meteor had struck, but whne they had arrived… They found only traces of alien rock. Sollis sighed. It was hear. It was deadly. And it was intelligent. The Earth would die. And the Doomsday creature would travel to the next world closest to this one. And then one by one, the lights of this universe would be snuffed out. “Lightray.” He jerked up out of his bunk, and his costume formed over his body in a flash of bright light. He spun around, but could see no one. “Who is speaking?” His eyes, eyes that had viewed such wonders on the edge of creation, in the centre of the Source, darted about the room. He always found his senses were dulled when he travelled to Earth, as his body adapted to it’s new mass and new size, but still, the senses of a God were still that, the senses of a God. His hand shot out, and grabbed a tiny creature, the size of a fly, but comprised of tiny mechanics. “This is Steel! I’m sorry, I can’t just walk into the Hall of Justice unannounced, but the Guardian and Caesar, the entire MCU in fact, have just been taken out in an explosion at their HQ. We’re needed!” Lightray nodded, released the small bug, and then shot out of the room. Worrying could wait. Right now… The situation demanded action.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:26:19 GMT -5
Metropolis Central: “--We’re needed!” Steel moved his gauntlet, with an inbuilt communication device attached, away from his mouth, and then looked to his left, as a rumble of sound and light filled the area. Lightray had arrived, skidding to a stop. “I am here, what can I do?” “We need to clear the rubble so paramedics can get into the--” Steel blinked and Lightray was already moving, hefting massive loads of rock and debris to the sides of the roads, until there was room enough for an ambulance to make it’s way through. “--That could work too.” Lightray looked up at the smouldering side of the building. “Who is inside?” Steel paused, filtering through reports in his main database. “The entire Major Crimes Unit. Caesar was logging out. The Guardian had just logged in. Maggie Sawyer hasn’t left her office for 32 hours.” “Then we best get her out, friend.” Lightray began to hover off the ground. “Are you coming?” You couldn’t tell if Steel smiled beneath his helmet, but not far away, a man sits behind a desk, his eyes glazed over, controlling that suit of armour that calls itself Steel. John Henry Irons grinned, and powered up the servos in the boots. His back itched, electronic impulses that were not his own racing down his spinal cord. Just because he’d been at this for over a year, didn’t make it any less painful. The building was a mess. Smoke drifted out of the large hole in the wall, whilst police officers lay on the floor, their ear drums damaged, some bleeding. The Guardian lay comatose, as did Caesar, in the room where the hole resided. Maggie Sawyer’s office. “Jim!” Steel began to shake the Guardian, and he groaned in pain as his eyes fluttered to life. “Are you ok?” “MAGGIE!” Harper jerked up, and began to unzip his shield frantically. “Something’s happened to Maggie.” Steel looked around, and replied. “What? Where is she?” Caesar was the one to answer that question, “She’s gone.” “What do you mean ‘gone’, Caesar?” inquired Lightray. Caesar nodded solemnly, “her consciousness has been replaced by an ancient spirit, one that is mentioned in many Irish legends.” Harper shook his head as he pulled out his glistening gold shield, “What do you even mean?!” “A sídhe,” continued Caesar, “a Banshee. A bringer of death, and now it’s running free in Metropolis!” “It’s not a sídhe, or whatever the hell that is! It’s Maggie!” Harper turned, and headed into the office floor. “And I’m bringing her back in.” “Harper…” Caesar chased after his friend, and placed his hand on his shoulder, only to have it shrugged off. “…” Jim stopped in his tracks, surprising Caesar, and then he span around. “Ok, magician, I’ve humored you for a good month and I’ve seen what you can do. I’m not a fan of magic or the supernatural but I conceded that there might be a need for someone like you on the force, because no matter my views, there is a force out there we don’t understand that you do. I’ve defended you, I’ve supported you, and now I’m collecting on all that and asking you straight: How do I help Maggie?” “I don’t know, Jim, I’ve not thought about it yet I don’t…” “THEN YOU’RE OF NO USE TO ME!” spat Harper, “START THINKING ABOUT IT OR I WON’T…” He hesitated, and trailed off. “You’ll what, Harper? You’ll kick my ass?” Caesar rolled his eyes. “No” replied the hero. “Or I won’t be able to handle it. I can’t handle anymore of my friends dying.” He pressed a button on the elevator and it pinged to life. He entered it, looked across the room at Lightray, Steel and Caesar, and then pressed a button. Time to get serious.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:26:40 GMT -5
Metropolis: So many names. So many voices. So many SOULS. She can hear them all gnashing and gnawing for release, but she has to breathe, has to… “What am I doing?” Maggie Sawyer slumped over in an alley, her clawed hands scraping at the concrete ground. Her entire body felt… Wrong. She gagged, and a voice emerged from her lips that was not her own. “We must punish the one who did this to us. The one who trapped us. Who hurt us.”“I… I don’t understand.” “HE HURT US! HE VIOLATED US!” Maggie spat the words. Her mouth ached, her skin burnt, and she began to float up in the air. “AND WE CAN SMELL HIS SIN.”
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:28:44 GMT -5
Meanwhile: He pulled on the jumpsuit. It was bulkier than his old uniform, but ever since that had been ruined he’d had to wear this. He felt relieved that Ted Kord had answered his calls and was working on a new uniform for him, but this would have to do for now. He felt like a soldier once more, his belt able to contain grenades, ammunition, but also handcuffs, a radio, trackers and sensors, all needed for his new role in the force. He walked over to the armoury and began to fill his pouches with things. “How could you put me through this? Or is this a new facet for my character? My pain? My loss?” “Harper?” Caesar stepped inside the armoury, and sighed. “I’ve been thinking, and I think I know what you have to do.” He paused and looked around. “Who were you talking to?” “I don’t know anymore. Give it to me straight, Caesar, what’s going to have to happen?” The magician began to pull something out of his sleeve. “We’re going to have to burn it out of her.” “What are you thinking?” “Possessions can some time hold… Fragments of spirits inside of them. And if someone with enough grief, or of similar enough soul, reads it? Touches it? Those two spirits can mesh together. Basically, Jim… We’re going to exorcise that demon bitch out of her.” Jim smiled grimly. “I best start believing in magic then, eh?”
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:29:22 GMT -5
Metropolis: He placed the books on the shelves. One day, he would have to alphabetise them, but for the time being her knew where everything went. But when his son inherited this place… It would be hard for him to run a mess like this! “BEAAAAAARCHAN!”“Hullo?” Eddie turned around, and saw nobody. “Huh.” “WE NEVER FORGET!”The front of the shop blew off, the windows shattered and pages flew everywhere. Eddie was confronted by a horrendous sight, a black and white demon, with a skull for a face and a long licking tongue slathering around it’s mouth. “Oh. My. Lord.”
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:30:49 GMT -5
Meanwhile: He thought it through. What had happened? He saw Maggie. Gave her the book. Banshees were written about in red ink. Red ink. His eyes widened. Why didn’t he think of this before?! He moved his hand down the thin pages, and licked his finger, then touched the print again. It smudged. He put his finger on the tip of his tongue and tasted it. Blood. Old blood. Ancient. Sídhe. So Eddie… Eddie had to have something to do with this? Maybe. It was barely a lead. But it was a lead none the less. Lightray was present, Steel was coordinating the rescue effort up above. Harper spoke the words to Caesar, and the magician nodded, and they vanished in a whirl of his wand. Metropolis: Her screams made him feel like his brain was liquefying. His fragile frame quivered and shook as the screams became louder and louder and he fell to his knees, pain overcoming him. “YOU WILL SUFFER ETERNALLY FOR YOUR SINS!”“W-W-We’ve never met in my e-entire life!” “LIES!”“Maggie.” Silver Banshee span around, and saw Jim Harper, the Guardian, standing on the street. Caesar and Lightray stood behind him, the magician whispering beneath his breath. “NOT MAGGIE!”Harper pointed a gloved finger at her. “Oh, shut up. Of course you’re Maggie.” “WE’LL KILL YOU!”Caesar grinned. “Nice use of plural, freak show.” “Do not disrespect her, Caesar, she is still Maggie beneath that frankly ugly exterior…” “YOUR ENCHANTMENTS WON’T WORK, LITTLE MAGICIAN. AND YOU… ANGEL OF LIGHT… ARE NOTHING TO US. YOU CANNOT STOP OUR CRUSADE.”Lightray pouted. “No need to be rude.” Caesar smiled. “Shame.” The Guardian approached her slowly. “Why are you here?” “HE VIOLATED US! KILLED US!”The Guardian shook his head. “You’re too old to have been killed by him, sweetheart.” “BEARCHAN KILLED US!”“THEN YOU’RE GETTING REVENGE ON THE WRONG GUY!” Spat Harper. “This is Edward Phillip Birch. I’ve known him all my life and he’s nothing but trouble, but not the kind of trouble YOU accuse him of being!” “H-Harp…” Eddie struggled to put a hand out in front of him, reaching for help. “YOU DON’T KNOW THE TRUTH.”“Then tell me! Stop hurting people!” “TELL HIM, BEARCHAN!”Caesar rolled his eyes, and whispered to Lightray, “this is getting ridiculous.” “It is the Guardian’s play,” surmised the New God, “let him handle it.”
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:31:12 GMT -5
“H-Harp…”
The Guardian’s eyes narrowed. “Eddie?”
“M-My family emigrated here… They anglicised our name… Bearchan to Birch…”
“SEE!” screamed the Silver Banshee. “SEE THE TRUTH FROM BEHIND HIS LIES?”
“Oh, so you’ve just shown us a coincidence. He. Did not. Kill You. You’re an age old spirit somehow bound onto the body of a police officer: someone I care for deeply.”
The unholy voice stammered, and then another came from Maggie’s voice. “J-Jim?”
Harper jerked forward, only for the light in the Banshee’s eyes to fade once more. “COME NO CLOSER!” She began to scream, and Harper threw up his shield, deflecting the supernatural Sonics inside the shop, to the left of Eddie. The walls could have been paper, for all the good it did them.
Harper looked up over his shield, a crack shooting through the near indestructible surface. He grimaced, and then his eyes widened. “Eddie?”
“W-What?” The elderly bookseller turned, and looked over his shoulder, to see a hidden room exposed, containing strange weaponry and devices. “Oh, G-God I can explain…”
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:31:46 GMT -5
Harper ignored the Banshee and walked past Eddie, and picked up one of the many weapons. Silver Banshee floated in the air, her tongue licking about her mouth. “This is… Intergang weaponry. Earth/Apokolips hybrids. What is this, Eddie?”
“I… I…”
“You did it again, didn’t you?” Grimaced Harper. “But you’re not a kid anymore! You’ve got no excuse! DAMMIT EDDIE, I DEFENDED YOU AND NOW YOU DO THIS!”
“HE IS A LIAR!”
Harper threw up his hand. “Shut up!” He grabbed Eddie and picked him up. “There were three groups on the streets of Metropolis during the Apokolips invasion before Luthor got a cease fire called. The police, slaughtered by Doomsday. The Parademons, killing indiscriminately. And Intergang, taking advantage of the chaos, pillaging banks and jewelleries. Anything they could get their hands on. And this… This shows that you’re nothing better than what THAT THING describes you as!” He dropped him, and walked out the shop. “Fine, Banshee. End it. Kill him.”
“H-Harp!” Eddie dragged himself toward his old friend, clawing at his black boats. “You can’t leave me…”
“PREPARE TO DIE, BEARCHAN!”
“N-No!”
Maggie stuttered. “I…”
“DO IT!”
Harper signalled for Caesar not to move. In the magician’s hand was a small trinket, burning red around the strange emblem that was carved into it. Lightray’s eyes glowed bright white, and he was aching to do something.
“I CAN’T!”
“HE DID THIS TO US!”
“Y-You did this!” Maggie twitched, her body fluctuating from human to demon. “I’m not… Killing… A defenseless… Man!”
“I CAN--”
“This is my body!”
Harper nodded slowly to his partners, and Caesar whispered a word, and suddenly the necklace was around Maggie’s neck.
“AND I’M IN CONTROL!” Her body expunged the demonic influence as the rune on the necklace burnt into her flesh. She twitched and jerked, and then fell to the ground, into the arms of James Harper.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:32:24 GMT -5
“Maggie, are you ok?” He gently placed her to the ground, and Caesar removed his cape and wrapped it around her exposed body. The gold and blue clad hero moved her hair away from her cheek and grimaced. Her scar was gone. But had it been replaced by something much deeper?
“J-Jim…” She moved a quivering hand to his helmeted face. “Y-You were going to l-let me kill him…?”
Harper shook his head. “No.” “W-Why?”
“Because I had faith in you.” He gently kissed her forehead, and then turned to Caesar. “Get us to the hospital.”
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:32:44 GMT -5
Part 3: Epilogue One: Light emanated from her belt, the long golden lasso hanging loosely down her calf. She didn’t like coming here. Bad memories from the year gone by. She had to fight her friend down in this cavern, and even a warrior born felt regret from such events. He was working in silence, sparks of blue light showering the smooth section of the cave that was reinforced with steel. The workshop. The chassis of something incomplete sat in the corner, half covered in a tarp, whilst the man himself… Was hunched over something, his long cape draped across the floor. Thick goggles covered his mask, and he held a strange soldering iron type device in one hand, and some strange otherworldly instrument in the other. “Bruce.” He didn’t react. “ Bruce!” He shuddered in his seat. That voice of hers. A voice that could lead a nation. A voice that could command an army. “I’m busy.” “I don’t care.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “What are you doing?” Bruce spoke through gritted teeth. “Clark is missing. Arthur isn’t answering summons. Something is wrong and we’re at half strength!” She nodded slowly. “I know. I spoke with J’onn though, he says Clark’s adopted mom was sure he’d be back. Bruce interrupted bluntly. “But we can’t find him! He’s a beacon, Diana! His body is full of solar energy and Adam Strange would’ve found him by now!” “Bruce! She’s his mother. For Hera’s sake, let it be. He’ll come back, maybe he just needs time…Have some--” “I don’t believe in it.” his words stopped her dead in her tracks, his grim interruption enveloping the cave for minutes. “Not now. There’s no reason to.” Diana smiled grimly, and then changed the subject. “What are you working on?” Bruce removed his goggles and moved his chair back. “We’ve tried the entire universe, Diana. We can’t take any chances anymore. And if he is gone, there’s only one thing we can try now.” “And that is?” Bruce hesitated before he replied. What he was about to say was something that had cost them a lot. Darkseid had attempted to conquer it, people had been known to become lost in it, and only one person truly knew how to travel in it… “The multiverse.” He picked up the small spherical device he had been working on, a chunk in the centre missing. “I’ve built this using the schematics provided by Ted Kord.”
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:33:28 GMT -5
“Ted Kord?” Gasped Wonder Woman, “Blue Beetle? How can he have his hands on equipment such as that?”
“Chronos.” Diana nodded in understanding. Chronos had battled Blue Beetle on many occasions, the fights always ending with the villain’s defeat and incarceration, but also his eventual escape. Bruce continued, “Ted recently recovered the schematics to Chronos’ time suit, and I’ve taken what I know and a bit of something else… To make this.”
“What is it?”
“A probe. It’s going to travel through the multiverse and seek out the one man who can help us. The man who left Ray Palmer and Niles Caulder schematics that allowed me to complete this device. The man who travels from reality to reality, and who has complete records of the past, present and the future.” Bruce began to program the small machine, and then took the final part of the device, a shield with the words ‘Justice League’ emblazed upon it, and clicked it into place.
“You don’t mean…”
Bruce activated the device and it shimmered and shook, spinning in front of the two heroes. “I do.” The device whined and howled, until, suddenly, it popped out of existence.
“So… What now, Bruce?”
Bruce sat back down, and hunched over, resting his head in his arms. A cold reply settled, sending chills down the Amazonian warrior’s spine.
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:34:03 GMT -5
"We wait."
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:34:27 GMT -5
Epilogue Two: “Argh,” He wailed, crashing into a heap of trashcans in an alleyway. His weakening was usually gradual, and he was still getting used to this new state, and occasionally lost control of his body. He clutched his sides, warily panting. “Are you okay?” a voice asked from the dumpster beside him. He glanced over and saw a homeless man reaching his hand out to him. “No…no, I’m not.” He smiled honestly and took the man’s hand, helpfully being lifted back up to his feet. “Thank you, I needed that.” The homeless man simply replied with a friendly smile before turning back to his newspaper. The other lingered in the alleyway for a few minutes, regaining his strength while Metropolis citizens walked by giving him the same suspicious look. “Where do you think he is?” inquired the homeless man, browsing the back pages of the Daily Planet. “Who?” asked the other, oblivious to the city’s wonderment. The homeless man only pointed to the ‘S’ insignia printed next to an article in the paper. “Oh, him. Maybe…he needed a vacation?” The bum chuckled, nodding his head. “Imagine that.” He continued to read, and then looked up again. “You’d think the people of Metropolis would be taking care of themselves better though while he was gone.” “Why’s that?” “Because the people of this city have the potential. I’ve been here for fifty years, and I observe people of all class and society everyday. They just need someone to show them the way. And Superman has done that. You’d think after all his heroism people would take a hint, right?” The other could not help but laugh under his breath. “What you don’t believe in them?” “No…it’s just:” The other man took a pair of glasses from his pocket, and placed them over his eyes. “I agree.”
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2007 23:34:42 GMT -5
Epilogue 3: Metropolis:
Today: “What is this?” Lex Luthor paced the room, clutching a copy of the Daily Planet. “That infernal woman! That infernal Lois Lane!” He threw the paper at Glory. “This is an outrage!” “What are you going to do, sir?” The front page read in bold: ‘ The Truth Behind Lex Luthor; An expose on LexCorp’. The page was torn and ripped, Luthor angry at what he had read. “Sue, obviously. And… other things.” “Sir?” “I need to deal with Lois Lane once and for all. I’m sick of that conniving witch sticking her nose into my business.” Luthor paused, and looked at the telephone. “Get me our man at the Daily Planet. I have chores for him to begin.” To Be Continued…
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Post by HoM on May 3, 2007 8:38:02 GMT -5
If you are like me, this is the part of the issue you've been looking forward to! Very sorry for the delay, so without further ado... ACTION COMICS PRESENTS:
Escape To Krypton! [/i] Part Three: " The Strange Case of Mizzer Lucian Crowley" Written by Roy Flinchum from a concept by House Of Mystery Edited by House Of Mystery[/center]
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Post by HoM on May 3, 2007 8:39:15 GMT -5
Lucian Crowley stood with his back to the tree. The cool night air made his skin tingle, or maybe it was the anticipation of what he was about to do. Lucian cleared his mind; ready to reach out. This one would bring even more media attention, and he could be sure to expect an engraved invitation from the Justice League, after all, that guy Atom got in after helping, and what was his power? Being small. Lucian was sure to get invited after he solved this case, he thought.
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Post by HoM on May 3, 2007 8:39:58 GMT -5
Belle raked the remains of her dinner into the cat's bowl. The large tabby came over and tentatively investigated the offering with a twitch of his nose. Deeming it worthy, he began to eat with gusto as Belle patted him on the head.
“There ya go, Rocky, eat up.”
Belle placed the empty dish in the sink and began to run the water. The phone rang. She picked up the cordless handset off the counter and punched the talk button with a soapy finger.
“Hello?”
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Post by HoM on May 3, 2007 8:42:22 GMT -5
“Ms. Jackson, this is Cat Grant, we talked briefly yesterday. I would like to schedule a more in-depth interview with you tomorrow, if that would be O.K. with you?”
“I don’t know Ms. Grant”, Belle continued to wash her few dirty dishes. “Some of the residents and I are planning a community watch program and that--.”
Cat interrupted. “That’s great Ms. Jackson, that’s just the sort of thing the viewers should hear.” Belle opened the cabinet to put up the dish, and suddenly her mind went fuzzy. There on the top shelf back in the corner, He could just see it, Belle Jackson’s, Microwave Mom’s microwave emitting device. He forced her to pick it up. He could feel the weight of it in her hand, like a heavy flashlight, the cold metal against her warm skin.
“Ms. Jackson”, Cat continued. “If you and your watch group go on the show, maybe whoever is doing the killings will see it and back off, this could be a great service to your community.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely do the interview Ms. Grant, how about first thing tomorrow morning, here at my apartment?” He forced her to say.
“Uh ok," stammered Cat, surprised, "Great, I’ll be there around 9:30 with the camera crew so we can get everything set up.”
“Great, see you then Ms. Grant.” Belle heard herself say. She dropped the phone into the sink, placed the microwave emitting device under her chin and pushed the button. Belle Jackson’s brain evaporated in an instant as the radiation charred the ceiling above.
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Post by HoM on May 3, 2007 8:43:51 GMT -5
Cat Grant clicked her cell phone shut.
“Well, that was easier than I first thought it was going to be.” She swiveled around in her office chair to face her producer. “We’ll meet Ms. Jackson in the morning and tape our interview and use that as part of the live segment.”
“Captain Sawyer and the Guardian are not going to like that.” Dan said.
“Dan, this is news, real news. I finally have a chance to make a name for myself and do something besides the ’12 Ways to Reach the O by Yourself’ pieces I’m usually handed. I’m not going to let them ruin this chance for me. Besides, I can take care of myself.” Cat reached into her purse and withdrew a small silver gun, only slightly larger than a cassette tape.
“And what are you going to do with that?” Dan asked. “These people are metas, you might as well have a water pistol.”
“It’s small, but effective.” Cat responded. She touched a colored button on the side and a high pitched whine filled the room, “A little present from a contact at star labs. It fires a ceramic plug that discharges a 20 kilojoule charge upon impact. It’s enough to make Superman stop and shake his head for a few minutes.”
Dan stood and slung his camera bag over his shoulder, “Superman, really?”
“Who do you think tested it?” Cat powered down the gun and put it back in her purse. She held open the door and followed Dan out. “See ya' in the morning. Don’t be late.”
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Post by HoM on May 3, 2007 8:45:32 GMT -5
Maggie threw down the folders on her desk. Her morning coffee had done nothing to improve her mood. She was not looking forward to another installment of Krypton Square. Police work was hard enough but combined with the meta element and Ms. Grants insistence on being everywhere they were, the investigation into the multiple deaths that occured on the Square was not going well.
Maggie’s cell rang. She flipped it open.
“Sawyer here.”
“Captain Sawyer, you better get down here right now.”
Grant, Sawyer thought. Damn I should’ve looked at the caller I.D.
“Look, Grant, I don’t have time for this . . .”
Cat interrupted. “I’m in Krypton Square, Belle Jackson’s apartment; you better get in touch with Guardian and get down here.”
“Is this another interview? Because I really don’t . . .”
Grant interrupted again. “She’s dead, get down here now.”
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Post by HoM on May 3, 2007 8:47:41 GMT -5
“Oh my God, Belle.” Jim Harper almost whispered as he stood at the window of Belle’s apartment. Maggie heard him and turned. She opened the window and Jim stepped through. “I’m sorry, Jim. I know you knew her.”
From where he stood in the living room Jim could see Belle's body sprawled out in the kitchen floor. Blood pooled around her. Jim walked into the kitchen avoiding MetroCSI who skittered around the small apartment taking pictures, picking up things with tweezers and putting them into plastic bags. Maggie followed close behind.
“We had more than a passing acquaintance years ago, yes.” Jim kneeled at Belles body. The top of her head was nearly gone. Jim instinctively looked up and saw bits of hair and flesh stuck to a charred area of the ceiling.
“Find the weapon?” Jim asked.
“No, whatever she used was pretty powerful though, no marks or smears in the blood so she was dead instantly.” Maggie said.
Jim lay down on the floor with his ear to the ground. “Who called it in?”
“You’re not going to believe it. Cat Grant, she was also the last one to speak to her, called her last night to set up an interview." She cocked an eyebrow as she watched Harper lay on the floor, "What are you doing?”
Guardian turned his head over to the other side. “Where’s Ms. Grant now?”
“I told her that if she didn’t leave I would shut her down. She’s on the street, her and the camera guy getting public reaction, I believe she called it. Harper what are you doing?”
Jim reached under a small cupboard. “Looking for this”, he pulled out the device that had dropped out of her hand at the moment of her death, and held it up to Maggie. “This is what killed her, her microwave rod.”
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Post by HoM on May 3, 2007 8:51:29 GMT -5
“I am the new world order! All Meta-humans will bow to me or suffer the fate of those before!” Someone shouted from the street below.
Guardian and Maggie ran to the window. A man in a purple unitard and yellow cape bounded from the gathered onlookers toward Cat Grant and her cameraman. He landed, twirled around and fired an energy blast into the crowd.
Guardian was through the window, leaping into the crowd as Maggie sprinted out the front door and down the stairs. Guardian landed in the middle of the dispersing crowd in front of the mother and small child that had been caught off guard when the power blast was fired and the crowd parted. Guardian held his shield against the torrent of energy as it splashed and spit across its golden surface.
“You! Hands in the air-- Now!” Maggie shouted from the entranceway of the building, her gun drawn and leveled with rock steady accuracy at the perps chest.
“Yes, officer! Take me in, I am responsible for the ghastly murders plaguing Krypton Square!” The mans hand’s lifted high above his head erupted with energy that arced toward Maggie. With the skill and grace of an acrobat she lept to the side dodging the deadly energy. She landed with a roll and came up ready to take the shot, before she could pull the trigger. Guardian grabbed the mans shoulder and spun him around, meeting him with an uppercut from Guardians shield.
Such was the force of the blow, the man flew up into the air and onto the roof of the apartment building.
“Dammit it, He was out! Guardian had knocked him out with one blow.” He hadn’t counted on that. Crawley watched through binoculars from the rooftop across the street. He had to be the one to take him down.
Guardian jumped onto the window ledge of the building, grabbing the ledge above he ran up the side and somersaulted, grabbing the roof ledge flipping over onto the roof, where the unconscious perp lay. Guardian approached carefully making sure the man was out, his shield before him at the ready.
Jim heard Maggie swing the door to the roof open; he could smell the bluing on the gun and knew it was drawn and ready.
“He’s out Captain.” Jim knelt at the limp form.
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Post by HoM on May 3, 2007 8:53:57 GMT -5
Maggie deftly withdrew some cuffs from her waistband and snapped them on the purple clad man, several rows of buttons ran across the bar that held the cuffs. Maggie touched several of these in order and the cuffs beeped and began to glow. “Power dampener cuffs, new gift from STAR labs.” She stated, answering Jim’s question before he asked. The man began to stir. “I can’t let them take him.” Crawley thought. “This ruins everything!" Suddenly Crawley had an idea. "No maybe not! Not only can I save the day, I can bring in a cop killer, but I’m gonna need a little help.” Crawley’s mind reached out. Oh yes. There, that’s gonna be sweet. “You! What’s your name?? Maggie shouted at the purple dressed man. “I … I … .I… “, he stammered. “Jim, you know this guy?” Maggie asked. Jim Harper stared blankly into space. Maggie turned from the groggy man and faced Guardian. “Guardian! Are you alright?” Maggie shook him by the shoulder. “Huh, yeah, I’m fine, Captain, just a little lost in thought. I'm sorry what were you saying?” Guardian shook his head as if clearing his mind. “Do you know who this guy is?” Captain Sawyer and Guardian turned back toward the man who was now standing his hands still in the cuffs in front of him were now glowing brighter. “The cuffs! They’re overloading!" Maggie shouted. Guardian tensed ready to spring. “Stop! Don’t move.” A voice from behind them called. Guardian and Maggie slowly turned. Cat Grant walked toward them a small gun in her hand, the weapon emitting a high pitched whine. “Nobody move”, she said. “We’re all gonna stand right here and die.” To Be Continued!
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Post by mockingbird on Jul 24, 2011 19:01:30 GMT -5
To let us know what you think of this issue, please visit the letters page here!
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Post by mockingbird on Jul 25, 2011 20:15:59 GMT -5
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