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Post by Admin on Apr 25, 2006 20:23:48 GMT -5
"The Beginning, Pt. 2" Written by Chase Magnett
Cover by Borize
Edited by Brandon Herren |
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:48:20 GMT -5
A Place; closer than you would believe.
U’qaro stood still, horrified at the sight before him. The monsters from the darkness poured out of the opening he had created. “What have I done? To save the few I have damned the many.”
Un’jura appeared beside him. “I see you have lost your faith. Or has it abandoned you?”
“Quiet. I see no reason to turn to petulance.”
“Perhaps it is time to let your mind slide. Time does not need to restrain you.”
“No. Time is dangerous.”
“I see what will happen. I know who it is also. You have been warned.”
U’qaro turned to rebuke his brother only to find a gray mist quickly dissipating in his place.
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:48:59 GMT -5
Present, Salt Lake City
Robotman’s visual sensors shuddered with the sudden impact of sunlight. He tumbled forth out of the strange dark zone and into the brisk air of Salt Lake City in the springtime. Continuing to tumble, he had a brief moment to consider how far below him the ground really was. Twenty-five feet below the portal he felt his frame shudder against the cement, several bolts popped out of his elbow and rolled across whoever’s lawn he had landed on. He had just begun to lift himself back up when a ten foot tall Rita Farr landed on him.
“Would you mind rolling over?”
Rita didn’t respond, her eyes phased like a veteran of Vietnam. She stared dazedly out at the horizon as Negative Man and Mento hit the ground to either side of her yelping as they touched down.
Mento stood up indignantly. “I suppose you were too busy to catch us Robot?”
Robotman twisted himself out from beneath the much larger Rita. “I was in a bit of a jam and don’t you ever forget to put the ‘man’ at the end of my name!”
Mento laughed at him. “It’s alive and now it wants feelings.”
Robotman took a step toward Mento raising his fist in the air. “Why I oughta… You runt, you rat bastard!!!”
The crackling form of Negative Man pulled itself around Robotman. “He’s not worth it Cliff! Don’t stoop to his level.”
“I believe you mean climb.”
Negative Man grunted as he pulled himself tighter to hold Cliff back. “Shut up!”
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:49:31 GMT -5
Dr. Niles Caulder stared down at the DOOM Patrol in horror. The darkness swirled and reformed itself above their heads as they shouted at one another.
They’re bickering like children, Caulder thought, they’ve just come back to be killed!
Niles reached into his coat and pulled out his automatically issued handgun. He had not used it since the day he had become paraplegic. He brought the muzzle of the gun to the lab window and pulled the trigger.
His wheel chair shuttered backward as glass poured into the central yard of STAR Labs. Sirens and red lights went off at the noise and a mechanical voice sounded. “There has been a code-red. Please escort yourself to the nearest secure facility. Stay calm. I repeat, stay calm.” Niles shuddered at the bleating of the siren, no wonder he was hearing screams. Who could keep calm with that noise?
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:49:48 GMT -5
Mento quit laughing and froze. A gunshot echoed above their heads, and seconds later the sound of sirens filled the air. He looked up and saw the darkness spreading out above him.
Negative Man pulled himself back to his own body and began to gulp at the air like a fish out of water. His body shuddered uncontrollably around him. “Th-th-th dah-dahk-nuh-ness…”
Mento began to concentrate above him pulling the air in and pushing the darkness back. Sweat began to brim around his forehead; he continued to fight the strange monsters above him until a large brass fist sent him flying into a flower bed.
Robotman jumped from his right to left foot, swinging his fists like a boxer. “You can’t trick me with no fake gunshot. I can see past your tricks. What now, huh!?!”
“Cuh-cuh-cuh-cliff! It wuh-wasn’t uh-uh trick!”
Robotman turned to see the spasming body of Negative Man staring into the sky. He turned his head in the same direction.
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:50:39 GMT -5
A piece of the darkness broke free of the portal and spiraled downward towards Rita. Its spattered body twisted into a solid shape. It looked like a wasp with a hundred wings made of shards of glass. Two bulbous eyeballs strained out of its head and its mane of greased black hair rippled in the sunlight. It let out a screech as it tumbled closer to the prey.
“Crap on a stick!” Robotman ran to Rita, leaping off one foot he tackled her just like he was in the NFL again.
The screeching thing hit the grass, rolled onto its side and stood, its inky eyes staring at Cliff.
“You don’t hit a lady, ‘specially not when I’m around.”
The thing brought itself to Cliff’s challenge. It leapt forward, it’s wings swirling around it in a mad spiral. Robotman braced himself against the ground and felt the thing tear into his chest sending shrapnel spinning out. Cliff brought his fists up and sent them down onto the things back.
The dust had not even begun to settle when it reached up and grasped Cliff’s wrists. Its mouth opened exposing rows upon rows of needled teeth. A hiss of molten darkness came from its flattened nostrils, smelling faintly of sulfur.
“Try this on for size!” Robotman opened his mouth and bit the monsters face tearing away more than half of its head. Darkness swirled away out of its brain cavity and the body dropped away to the ground before collapsing in on itself. Cliff spat out the shrinking cloud of darkness and looked back up.
The same twinkle that had filled his eyes before his wreck returned once more. “Bring on the bad guys!” The shadows soared down upon him.
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:51:03 GMT -5
The form of the portal has disappeared completely, covered by the emerging shadows. Larry could do nothing, but stare in horror as the monsters continued to come out. Robotman stood above Rita screaming at them. His chest hung in shreds, exposing too many vital pieces of machinery. Larry knew that Cliff would die before the things touched the shocked Rita, but Robotman looked all too ready to die.
Another convulsion jerked Larry’s head away and his shoulders spun underneath him. He began to cough into the dirt, bringing dust up onto his bandaged face. The gritty taste filled his mouth making him cough more. He urged himself to let go and free his negative form, but he couldn’t.
The electricity crackled over him and he only shuddered worse. NO! I have to do this. I won’t stop. I have to save them. I have to! RITA!!!
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:51:25 GMT -5
Dr. Caulder let out another shot into the shadows to no avail. “Stop it! Let them go!”
He released the chamber of his gun and began to reload. The bullets tinkled like wine glasses as they vibrated in his half open hand. He muttered under his breath. “I let you down once. Never again. Never again.” His right hand continued to load the gun and his left took a flask out of his jacket and tipped it back against his lips. The cold, wet slap of reality hit him along with the whiskey. His hand cast the bottle aside and he spat out the unforgiving liquid.
“Never again.”
Then, like a fallen angel, a crackling black form soared up into the fray.
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:51:44 GMT -5
Negative Man felt his body fall limply against the ground as he flew towards the monsters. He extended his arms outward of his body and crashed into them. The black tumbled away from his instantly, letting out a series of blood curdling shrieks that covered the noise of the sirens.
Several of the smaller monsters imploded upon contact, their fragments fading as they fell. Their shrieks and flailing motions sent ripples through his body, but to little effect.
Negative Man laughed to himself as he pulled one of the larger creatures close to him, cracking and finally crushing its body.
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:52:26 GMT -5
Tick, Tick, Tick
U’qaro heard the clock in his head.
Tick, Tick, Tick (iT’s CoMiNg FoR aLl Of ThEm)
“I can’t let this happen. I have to fix this.”
Tick, Tick, Tick (I’m CoMiNg FoR tHeM, tHeY wIlL aLl DiE)
U’qaro concentrated and the world melted away from him and was replaced by darkness. “I’ll stop you.”
TICK, TICK,TICK (YoU cAnNoT sToP dEaTh)
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:52:53 GMT -5
The first thing Rita saw was the blurred green of grass. The second thing she saw was a living shadow fall dead to the ground directly in front of her.
Rita rolled over, peered into the sky, and screamed. Darkness swirled down out of the clouds towards her. Robotman and Negative Man battling it the best they could. Cliff latched on to one of the smaller creatures that had bypassed Larry and tore it, limb from limb.
“AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
Cliff turned to Rita, slapping an insectile shadow to the ground, “Run!”
Rita stood trembling, now at her regular height of 5 feet. She took a single step forward, before falling. Rita hit the ground hard, her elbows scraped against the concrete leaving bloody skid marks. She turned on her side and began to cry, her eyes squeezed shut to the darkness around her.
Suddenly, she was lifted up off the ground and something began to run with her. “Stop! Please don’t kill me!”
Cliff cradled her to his chest. “Don’t worry. I ain’t gonna let no one hurt that pretty face of yours.”
Rita opened her eyes. ‘What’s happening?”
Cliff stopped and bent forward on his knees, all of his joints creaking and squealing from his slightest movement. “I don’t know, but what’s important is that you stay safe. You need to go wake up Mento and tell him to use his helmet to stop all this.”
Rita stared at Cliff, tears brimming up once again.
“C’mon be brave now sweetheart.”
Rita shook her head up and down, a single tear sliding down her left cheek.
Robotman patted her shoulder, “Good girl.”
Then he was torn up into the sky, two of the shadows had grasped onto his shoulders and weren’t letting go. Robotman brought a fist around to his back and slapped one of them to the ground, before the other sent him tumbling to the ground.
Rita started running over the yard, her eyes tearing and searching for Mento. Turning around she spotted him, to her right, slumped against a wall. Her feet trembled beneath her as she continued to run towards him. “Mento, please get up!!!”
Her shouts were drowned out by a buzzing behind her; the shadow Cliff had knocked from his back was now closing in on her!
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:53:11 GMT -5
Caulder continued to watch Negative Man batter away at the shadows. He could feel the red hot roar of triumph rushing up inside him. They’re going to make it! They’re going to make it!
Then the electricity that bound Larry Trainor’s negative form shuddered and disappeared. The black entity recoiled to his body, strained under the daylight. Caulder looked at Trainor, unconscious and trembling on the ground.
All that was left to fight the beasts was Robotman, trembling under his own weight, and Elasti-Girl running towards Mento.
“Rita watch out!” Niles saw a shadow descend upon her, preparing for the kill. Then Rita was gone. Caulder rubbed his eyes and strained them against the ground. The shadow appeared terribly distraught at the disappearance and was gnashing its teeth at the air. The grass shivered ever so slightly. An inch tall Rita continued running towards Mento under the unmowed grass.
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:53:37 GMT -5
TICK! TICK! TICK! (Y!oU cANn!oT stOp ME!)
U’qaro reached out to the portal, formless it washed through his hands.
T!CK! T!CK! T!CK! (i Am eTE!rnAl ! ! I aM Of ! LegeN!D!!!)
Darkness, cold and hot, damp and dry, came about U’qaro. “You are not for this world Unspeakable One!” He continued to strain at his portal, it gave way only to be pushed back.
TICK!! TICK!! TICK!! (I am DeATh BriNGeR, iT is MiNe TO tAKe)
The presence of U’qaro’s “Unspeakable One” formed in front of the portal and prepared for its descent.
A medical technician at S.T.A.R. Labs peered into the portal and saw the thing. The technician fell to the ground, unable to see, speak, or think. His thoughts swept with darkness, the only thing his body could do was die.
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:54:27 GMT -5
Robotman’s left arm fell to the ground. With the soft thunk, Cliff realized he was falling apart. The dead shadows littered the ground around him, slowly fading away. But more continued to come down at him. Cliff brought himself down to his knees and reached for his arm, hoping to reattach it before death. He stood back up and waited, but death did not come.
Cliff saw the shadow beasts torn away from their places, thrown by some intangible hurricane. The force that struck them left them strewn miles away in a thousand pieces. Rita sat next to Mento, his helmet perched clumsily on her head. She was crying tears of joy as the monsters melted away.
“Good girl! Now close that damn portal, finish this!” Cliff waved his left arm, held by his right hand, through the air cheering her on. Rita let the smallest smile escape and turned her eyes farther upward, but did not see the “Unspeakable One” above her. The portal shuddered and began to retract.
One small shadow slinked away. Its dark tones changed and shifted. Taking shape it slithered down into a storm drain, its path was left brown and sterile.
The small fragment from a beast killed by Negative Man grew as it killed every living thing in its path. The grass shriveled and insects became frail, eventually crumbling. The thing’s only thought was of destruction. All it left behind was the strong scent of death.
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:55:09 GMT -5
U’qaro’s forearms squeezed outwards like ripe melons, ready to burst. “Close, damn you!”
TICK!!!TICK!!!TICK!!! (iT I!s oV!Er!)
The portal shuddered and began to envelope itself. The creature that even darkness feared screamed. U’qaro peered outward and saw little Rita far pouring her mind into the portal, she was saving the Earth.
Tock…tock…tock…(NOOOOOoooooo!!!!)
The opening closed and imploded in on itself. The impending shockwave of light tore through the creatures of the dark leaving many dead. The darkest beast slunk away.
Tock…tock…tock……
(I WiLl haVe yOur HeaRt EldER)
Rita Farr fell to the ground next to Mento. Her mind had been pushed beyond its limits and needed time to rest.
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:55:33 GMT -5
Dr. Niles Caulder rolled himself out onto the battlefield, which had once been the courtyard of S.T.A.R. Labs. He looked around and saw his DOOM Patrol, not one left standing, but all of them alive. The wheels on his chair propelled him towards Robotman.
“It’s… good to see you Cliff.”
Robotman’s head slowly swung around. “Doc…?”
Niles held his arms wide open. “So many years…”
Cliff leapt off the ground and brought his arm around Caulder. “Oh thank god. Where’d you come from? What the hell happened?”
Niles began to cry. “A lot’s changed Cliff. I thought I lost all of you!”
Robotman brought Niles closer. “We’re back. We saved the world and it’s going to be OK now. We’re home.”
Dr. Caulder sobbed into Robotman’s shoulder. “No you’re not. It’s 2006.”
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Post by Brandon on Apr 25, 2006 21:56:24 GMT -5
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Post by mockingbird on Jul 28, 2011 14:10:03 GMT -5
To let us know what you think of this issue, please visit the letters page here!
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