The New Ultimate DC RPG - Season II

[Byrd Man]

"Look, you're coming with us whether you like it or not."

Now I'm just starting to get pissed off.

"Like hell I am."

Producing three batarangs, I dive forward and toss them at the luminous man. For a moment, I expect him to fall out of his hover in pain, with three of my weapons embedded into his face. But to my surprise, they simply hit his aura and begin to burn away. As my shock registers, he extends his fist and I suddenly find myself surrounded by emerald light. Try to move forward, but the light has somehow become solidified. I try to break it with my fist, but it simply sparks with green ember. Dammit, what has he put me in?!

"Non-negotiable."

"Time for you to go."

Green Lantern wraps Batman in a bubble of green energy and takes off into the sky with the bubble levitating behind him.

"Wait up!"

I sigh and turn to the dude in the red mask.

"Uhh, thanks for all your help."

I take hold of Atom again and take off after Green Lantern. He's above a place called Robinson Park by the time we catch up.

"J'onn, does Green Lantern have stable enough now so that you can wake him up?"

~I believe so...I'm attempting to enter his mind...now~

 

[Batman]

Need to get out of this.

My mind races as I'm forcefully taken halfway across Gotham in what I can only describe as a sphere made of solid light. These fools, don't they understand? Arkham will only lead the city into chaos. I have to get back to the Island before they can arm themselves with a proper defense, and these idiots are pulling me even further away with every second. I press myself against the wall of the sphere and try to push my way out, but it's too dense. I've never witnessed anything like it. But I still have to get free while there's still time, so if I can't break out of this, I'll just have to try another method.

Reaching back into my belt, I slip something out of the corner pocket and cover my mouth, placing the object under my tongue while they're not paying attention. Then I tap one of the side capsules and wait for it to burst. In seconds, a large cloud of a vaporized agent erupts from the belt and covers the inside of the structure. After allowing myself a few loud coughs, I finally let the gas take effect and start to feel myself go. I collapse onto the bottom of the structure just as my vision fades to black...

*

"What the hell is... did he just gas himself? J'onn, are you seeing this?"

~I'm afraid that I've lost contact with his mind. He has rendered himself completely unconscious.~

"Jesus. What kind of a man does that to himself?!"

~One who is desperate enough. You will have to awaken him, I cannot access his mind in this state.~

"Right. Let me just set sleeping beauty down..."

It takes precisely fifteen seconds for the tablet that I swallowed to kick into my system. By the time it does, I'm thrust entirely back into consciousness. But as my mind recollects what just happened, I'm careful not to open my eyes or move my body in any way. I can feel myself being lowered, and the slight aura of heat that's surrounding me begins to lift. My fingers touch the side of my belt to produce a few flash grenades, and I feel myself becoming tense. It's now or never.

Springing back to life to catch the three off guard, I toss the grenades into the air and shield my eyes as they explode, instantaneously blinding my captors and giving me enough leeway for a forward attack. From what I can tell, the man in green is the most powerful of the three, so he'll have to be my immediate focus. The Flash and Atom still wrestle to see as I make my way into a roll and dropkick the newcomer directly into the chest, sending him out of his hover and into a nearby tree.

"ARGH!"

As he's still distracted by the attack, I toss another capsule at him that unfolds into a mass of liquid cement, pinning him to the tree before he can recollect his senses. The foam overtakes him as he struggles, effectively taking him out of the equation. With a smirk, I finally redirect my focus onto The Flash, evidently the second most powerful. He rubs his eyes and looks around wildly, trying to spot me in the darkness. But before he can get a good look, I'm already ontop of him, tossing an array of mini-mines around his feet as I somersault into the air.

"Catch me if you can."

He takes one step towards me and finds himself thrown into the air by the successive force of the combined weapons, unable to fight back and unable to prevent The Atom from being tossed with him. They both roll onto the grass nearly another yard away. Content with the distraction, I bolt for the other side of the park and begin to contemplate a strategy to get myself back to Arkham Island.

If they really think I'm going down without a fight, they don't know a damn thing about me.

 

[Byrd Man]

Springing back to life to catch the three off guard, I toss the grenades into the air and shield my eyes as they explode, instantaneously blinding my captors and giving me enough leeway for a forward attack. From what I can tell, the man in green is the most powerful of the three, so he'll have to be my immediate focus. The Flash and Atom still wrestle to see as I make my way into a roll and dropkick the newcomer directly into the chest, sending him out of his hover and into a nearby tree.

"ARGH!"

As he's still distracted by the attack, I toss another capsule at him that unfolds into a mass of liquid cement, pinning him to the tree before he can recollect his senses. The foam overtakes him as he struggles, effectively taking him out of the equation. With a smirk, I finally redirect my focus onto The Flash, evidently the second most powerful. He rubs his eyes and looks around wildly, trying to spot me in the darkness. But before he can get a good look, I'm already ontop of him, tossing an array of mini-mines around his feet as I somersault into the air.

"Catch me if you can."

He takes one step towards me and finds himself thrown into the air by the successive force of the combined weapons, unable to fight back and unable to prevent The Atom from being tossed with him. They both roll onto the grass nearly another yard away. Content with the distraction, I bolt for the other side of the park and begin to contemplate a strategy to get myself back to Arkham Island.

If they really think I'm going down without a fight, they don't know a damn thing about me.

I crawl on my hands and knees and wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth.

"What the hell just happened?"

My ankles feel like they're sprained, it'll take a few seconds for my speed to heal them. Atom is sprawled out on the grass beside me and recovering, Green Lantern is stuck to a tree...somehow...and Batman is running away.

"Atom, I'm down. It'll take me a few moments to get back to speed. You take on Batman, I'll free GL."

 

[Aleksei]

Swamp Thing
The Green Spark
Part Two

My parents never understood why I chose the world of plants to explore. Most people struggle with my choice. They hear how smart I am, and how quickly I tore through academia. They tell me I could do anything and I tell them so what.

They don't see what I see.

If you look out at my window at the swamp than what do you really see. You most likely will see some water, some plants and lots of muck. You might worry about the snake or gator that lurks just under the water. But your missing the bigger picture.

The world of plants is one of the most complex symphonies that exist in the world. Thousands of species come together to form a system. Each species is striving to survive with unseen brutality yet as they struggle against each other, they work together. It is stunning chaos that appears to be simple. I look at all the data involved in an ecosystem and it never gets boring. Even now I can not solve the riddle of life.

Take my formula. Not only have I turned barren soil to lush land but I have brought life back to soil blighted by bio waste. I have piles of data and formulas that I can use to explain why it works, but in truth there is still elements that even I don't understand. There is a moment when the formula mixes with the soil, the briefest of moments, where everything starts. A green spark that I can't explain.

Thinking about this spark is the closest I come to being spiritual. Every morning I stare at the swamp and think about the spark. It must exist out there to. Some unknowable element of life that makes it all work. If I stare into that swamp long enough it almost feels like it is looking back at me. I wonder some times if it is pleased with my work.

The quiet moments are nearly gone now. Two days ago I sent the video to my buisness partners. Soon the world will know what I have done, what is now possible.

I thought had at least a few more days before the rest of the world would come to my swamp. I though I had days, but as it ends up I had less than 24 hours to live.
​

 

[Aleksei]

American Vampire
Streets of Gotham

I miss mobsters. When I was in Gotham last the mobsters still ruled this town. I use to be a mobster so I always had a special place in my heart for organized crime. Mobsters built this country, most people have forgotten that.

In the early 80s the mob still ruled these streets. The Haitians only had a small little territory and I imagine the goomba's kept them around because they had access to many lovely black market substances. They had just one street and not even the whole street. Five blocks of dirty city filled with jerk chicken shacks and Caribbean thugs dressed in Mob garb.

Now the freaks run the city. Not just the big freaks with the make-up or mask, but the gangs have changed too. Use to be the streets had a code to them, and tradition. Crime families passed territories on to their children and waged noble street wars. Now everybody wants to be a gang leader and an endless parade of young upstarts scrabbled for a corner.

The Haitians have not expanded much but they still hold their street. It is as ugly as I remember it.

"Hey man, not that I am in any place to ask seeing that I am pretty sure I am lucky to be alive. But whats with the glasses." asked the bartender who I don't care to learn the name of. He is talking about my sunglasses. It is two in the morning and I am wearing dark shades. I guess it stands out with the good old boy gear I wear most days.

"Your right, your in no place to ask." I reply as we reach the doors to the grocery store that use to belong to that Haitian witch. It was closed of course, with shutters locked, but a light was on in the back.

So we knock and after a few moments the door creeks open. Standing there is a massive man with long gray dreads and a faint scar right down the middle of his face. He recognizes me right away.

"Hello Omar, been a while."
​

 

[MST3K 4ever]

As The Atom slowly sits up in the grass she hears the following phrase:

"Atom, I'm down. It'll take me a few moments to get back to speed. You take on Batman, I'll free GL."

She shakes her head and just stares at Flash for a second and Flash says,
"Get going! We don't have time to discuss this. GO!"

The Atom begins to float.

The 6 inch lady takes on the guy people in Gotham refer to as the most dangerous man alive. Sure no problem and after that I'll go bench press Wayne Towers and walk on water.

As she catches up to Batman The Atom takes a deep breath and steadies herself.

Don't think...act!

She reduces down to microscopic size and floats in-front of Batman.

I'll hate myself later but now....

The Atom then quickly enters into Batman's nostrils and makes her way to the brain.

Okay Batman if you won't listen to us, then maybe you'll listen to your body.

The Atom begins wailing on Batman's inner-ear.

Sense of Balance and a nice touch of vertigo ought to slow him down, but can't overdue it we're gonna need him later.

She then floats to his heart.

Now for something that'll really bring you to a halt although with his heart going a mile a minute and if I mis-time this I could end up getting crushed, but gotta do it! Need to really get his attention.

She waits for the heart to expand and then delivers four sharp and quick blows to the heart. After the punches she floats back out the way she came in.

That ought to at least slow him down for a moment and should buy the guys more time.

The Atom returns to 6 inches and floats in-front of Batman. She says, "Believe it or not we're here to help you Batman. Think for a minute think about your actions and what led you here does it make sense?"

 

[Batman]

Almost made it. I'm -!

By the time I've nearly made it to the center of Robinson Park, my center of balance is suddenly thrown off as my head begins to violently ache. Clutching at my temple in agony, it takes all of my effort not to trip over myself as the momentum from my sprint is compromised, sending me rolling onto the grass field below. The ache continues and only becomes more unbearable, as if I'm being assaulted from the inside. Admist my scramble to try and stand, ultimately failing at it as I succumb to sudden vertigo, I begin to realize what's happening. It has to be The Atom. I haven't experienced much of her powers in action, but I've witnessed the bizarre phenomena of her microscopic stature enough to guess that she's able to manipulate her mass. Dammit, she's literally invaded my body. Trying to stand again, my focus becomes more inward than outward. Where are you now, you little...

That's when my entire world suddenly stops. The pain that overcomes me is quite possibly more than I can bare. Feeling a tightness in my chest, I grab at my ribs and try desperately not to panic as the realization dawns on me. But it's too late. Within seconds, I feel the successive agony begin to rise up from my corse. And I can't even begin to imagine having felt a worse pain in my entire life.

"ARGH!"

My heart. She's attacking my heart.

And with no possible way of counteracting the attack while she's still inside, I'm left with no choice but to take it. But the pain, it's excruciating. As if I'm being stabbed in the chest repeatedly without any real close to help soften the wound. It's the most vulnerable I've ever been, physically. And with each hit, it only gets worse. By the fifth, I can't even see straight.

"ARRRGH!"

My knees buckle and I fall flatly on the ground, unable to comprehend what's just happened to me. My breath shortens and I'm beginning to perspire. Anxiety is creeping in. What in the hell has she done to me?!

Keep it together. Got to... keep it...

Rolling onto my back and trying not to vomit from the shock - though it might certainly help me in this case, I feel a small compression of air begin to flow from out of my nasal passage. She's leaving me. My blood runs cold in a mix of extreme anger and satisfied relief. With an attack like that aiding her, she'd be able to do an amazing amount of damage. Brain tissue, nerve endings, it would all be left subjected to her manipulation. And I start to silently wonder. Given the vast array of superhuman powers that have manifested over the past decade, are metahumans really as much of a risk to us as the media believes? I used to believe otherwise, that we could co-exist in peace. Now I'm not as sure.

It doesn't matter. None of this pointless struggle matters. Not as long as Arkham Asylum's corruption runs rampant across Gotham. If these "heroes" were as well-intentioned as I believed them to be after the encounter in Metropolis, they would understand my plight and allow me to do this. Maybe the corruption runs deeper than I imagined. Maybe Dr. Crane has paid them all off to keep his underground operations under the radar. In some ways, I wouldn't be surprised.

"Believe it or not we're here to help you Batman. Think for a minute think about your actions and what led you here does it make sense?"

My eyes dart to the side as a six-inch tall woman in spandex enters my field of vision. Ignoring the sheer ridiculousness of that reality, I growl back at Atom and begin to reach up to squeeze her into submission. Except...

Except I can't answer.

Arkham. I've known that the Island has housed dangerous psychotics all of my life. I've routinely brought several to their doors, in a manner of speaking. But this new thought of corruption... it seems so...

No. I can't fall for this. They're just trying to confuse me. They're part of it, they have to be. Anyone could see how corrupt Arkham really is. Gotham has suffered for years, and they don't like it because I finally found the root of it all.

Deciding to go with a different method of attack, I simply give into a hard inhale, and exhale doubly so. It sends her flying for a good few inches, leaving her disoriented and distracted long enough for me to gain composure over my body. Head's still throbbing and my chest aches, but I'm starting to feel like I can stand again. Getting onto my knees, I tap twice at my gauntlet and raise my palm, displaying the miniature chamber underneath my wrist. I had mostly used it for fog effect before tonight, but in Atom's case...

"It doesn't have to make sense. Not if I know that it's right!"

Smoke billows out of my gauntlet and coats her in an smoldering cloud. From my vantage point, it's only a small fraction of a vial's worth of chemical fog. But for her? She might aswell be on the top floor of a burning building. There's nothing to breathe in that concoction. Which means that she's got nowhere to run.

This is confirmed whenever she falls out of the small cloud, choking for dear life. I crawl over to her and consider smashing her under my palm, enough to put her in the hospital for well over a month - but it'd be a waste of my time.

"You'll understand. You'll all understand. This has to be done."

Weakly stumbling back to my feet, I lean against a tree for a couple of seconds before continuing on.

I just hope to hell that they didn't bring Superman.

 

[Byrd Man]

"It doesn't have to make sense. Not if I know that it's right!"

Smoke billows out of my gauntlet and coats her in an smoldering cloud. From my vantage point, it's only a small fraction of a vial's worth of chemical fog. But for her? She might aswell be on the top floor of a burning building. There's nothing to breathe in that concoction. Which means that she's got nowhere to run.

This is confirmed whenever she falls out of the small cloud, choking for dear life. I crawl over to her and consider smashing her under my palm, enough to put her in the hospital for well over a month - but it'd be a waste of my time.

"You'll understand. You'll all understand. This has to be done."

Weakly stumbling back to my feet, I lean against a tree for a couple of seconds before continuing on.

I just hope to hell that they didn't bring Superman.

"Hey there," I say as I appear by Batman's side. "How about a little fire, Scarecrow?"

I bend down and grab the edges of Batman's cape with my hands and rubbing it at super speed, causing friction until it catches on fire. I let him deal with the fire and speed over to GL, rubbing my hands across his cocoon so fast that the heat breaks him free of his prison.

"Thanks for that," he says with a nod.

"No problem. Let's go kick some bat-ass."

We both turn and charge Batman, who's still dealing with his fiery cape.

 

[Aleksei]

American Vampire
My Night with Mama Felix
​

Back in the 80s I did not walk into Mama Felix grocery dragging a scared bartender behind me. I strode up in my best suit and a suitcase filled with a hundred thousand dollars. The thought had occurred to me to leave the case empty and just kill everyone inside instead. To be sure that would be the easy way but who knows what kind of trouble would come my way if I killed a nun and a voodoo lady in the same week.

So I knocked on the door ready to conduct some business. The store was filled with bodies back then and the air was heavy with smoke. If I still used my lungs I would have gotten a contact high. The guy at the door seemed to be made of muscle and wore a purple suit. He looked like a pimp who worked out a whole lot and who had eaten many smaller pimps.

The front room was filled with young bucks smoking and acting like fools. All there eyes were on me but I was not concern. So far I had seen nothing I couldn’t handle without a second thought. But if this voodoo lady could suspend Cassidy in mid air than some caution would be needed.

The back room was quieter. The was crate of food and a card table. Mama Felix sat at a table in the back, dressed for cocktail hour. She was a tiny, severe woman who wore a wicked set of beads that had an unnatural quality to them. I knew right away this was not a woman to mess with.

Cassidy, the stupid mick, was sitting at the card table flanked by two men who I would learn were Mama Felix’s sons. Omar was a large man with a impressive scar and even more impressive dread locks. Than there was Jean, a bean pole in a sharp suit and an unsettling smile. Cassidy had his leather punk clothes back on and was holding a stake in his hand and he looked mighty nervous.

“Well this is quite the party. Thank you for letting my friend put his clothes on.” I said as the uber pimp closed the door behind him. Mama Felix just laughed, her lungs rattling as she did it.

It was Jean who talked. “Oh yah this is gran party except your friend spent kob he didn’t have.”

“Right and that’s why I got this case of ummm…kob. But if I give this to you how do I know my friend will be okay.”

“You don’t” said the old lady. Each word was very deliberate and her voice gave me the shivers. “Take off ye glasses boy. I don’t chat with someone when I can’t see their eyes.”

I take off the shades showing the star shaped gold scar where my left I use to be. “You mean eye.”

“And what…if you powers don’t work on me.” I said as I toss the case to Jean and start to move towards Mamma Felix. She grinned showing a mouth filled with gold and old teeth. Than she motioned with her hand that was wrapped with some type of old cloth. It was such a pretty sight to see her so confused.

“You see, Mamma. I am a new breed. The old rules don’t work with me.” I said showing a grin of my own. Than a whole lot of things happened at once.

Omar came at me first, while Jean ran to protect his mother. Omar was a large man but I was more than just a man. I tossed him behind me hoping he would hit the pimp doorman. Sadly as I made a b line for Mamma, Cassidy was summoned by her magic to block my path.

Man I hate voodoo. Cassidy is not an old vampire but he is a quick one. He is not pulling any punches either because he has that witches angry magic inside him. I have no choice but to let my beast out. My jaw unhinges letting my fangs grow and my hands quickly turn to claws as they strike Cassidy. He flies back into the card table giving me a few moments.

“Enough, you have your money. Give me my Irishman.” I scream. It has the desired effect. Even that scary voodoo mamma seemed concerned.

“ya, were done here.” She says with a wave of her hand. Cassidy simply let out a grown, brushing cards and poker chips off his leather jacket.

“thanks mate,” was all that stupid Irishman could say. Than we started to head out the door. I figured that was the end of that, but as I was walking out I could hear that old lady muttering. She was cursing me and that is why I am stuck in Gotham now.

That is why I am in Mamma Felix grocery so many years later talking to Omar, who is now an old man and hoping somewhere in this old building is a way out of this city.

 

[trustyside-kick]

OOC: Previously...

Temple of Morpheus
The Dreaming City
The Himalayas

Angered and offended by Orm's constant belittlement to the God of Dreams, Morpheus starts to pound away like an ferocious gorilla on the magical forcefield spell that Ocean Master has encased himself in. He is a God and the being before him is nothing more than Poseidon's lap dog. Sent here by a God who was too scared to face Morpheus himself in the God of Dream's opinion. Almost as though he was not worth Poseidon's presence. And he will not be treated as such.

"I am more than saddened that you have yet to begin to yield, Morpheus. It should be more than evident, God of Dreams, that you are out of your league. Do you not realize why I chose to slaughter the very city most dedicated to your teachings and principles?"

And that is when Morpheus halts his barrage of attacks, and slumps to the floor. Ocean Master chuckles as his forcefield disperses by his will and walks closer towards the defeated God as he towers over him. He kneels down, lifting up Morpheus' lowered face by the chin with his right hand.

"Gods rely on the worship of followers for so many things. Life, a sense of fulfillment and pride...and power. I have stripped you of your power, God of Dreams. As you have poorly tried to punish me for desecrating your temple and the bodies of your followers I have torn out any possible sense of pride or fulfillment. There is but one thing left to take, Morpheus."

Piercing the God's chest with the mechanical claw of his left hand, Orm delivers a truly fierce blow. A blow in which the God of Dreams can do nothing more than shriek in response to as the Ocean Master starts to twist his arm about, causing more and more damage as he does.

"M--m-mercy...please."

"Then be wise, God of Dreams, and answer my request so that I can make the rest of what it is to come less painful."

Like an old dying man reaching up, the dying God has reached his senses, and touches the forehead of Orm Marius with the tip of his finger. Images start to flood as Morpheus starts to envision the inner workings of Orm's mind that he claims to haunt his dreams. A few seconds later, he is done. Seen all he has to see.

And the God of Dream, while at the moment is dying, yet begins to smile and chuckle.

"Heh...heheh...hehehahaha."

"You mock me as I--"

"No...not you...Poseidon. For when you discover what has truly transpired concerning your past...you will bring him Death's cold embrace as well..."

Angered, Orm Marius pulls his arm out of the dying God's body, and lays him down. Unable to control himself as the words confuse him, he starts to re-envision his haunted nightmares on purpose this time. But as he does so they are too much for him to bare that he pulls himself back together, and demands clarification from Morpheus.

"What...what are you talking about?"

"Those...aren't your past experiences that you are reliving as nightmares and dreams, Ocean Master...they are not even rea--

And the body of Morpheus goes limp as his spirit finally fades him.

 

[Batman]

"Hey there," I say as I appear by Batman's side. "How about a little fire, Scarecrow?"

I'm going to kill that kid.

Seconds after Flash appears beside me, I begin to feel an extreme heat begin to resonate off of the top layer of my costume. At first, I only suspect that it's an aftereffect of my recovery from Atom's blows, similar to a momentary shock induced fever. Then I stop, realizing that it's not the case at all. Something's actually burning, I can smell the material's combustion and see the steam is beginning to rise. Tilting my head back, my eyes go wide as a trail of fire begins to crawl up the spine of my cloak, heading dangerously close to the vulnerable lining of my back. Spinning around wildly, I grab the ridges of the cape at both ends and begin to violently shake it in an attempt to douse the flames. Doesn't work nearly as well as I hope. Got to get it off!

Realizing that it's not a simple matter of detaching the piece from my cowl, given the nature of it's attachment, I roll across the ground to keep the fire at bay and jam my fingers into my belt to find the miniaturized phosphate dispenser. After saving Jason's life from the fire at Gotham University, I figured it'd be wise to keep an extinguishing agent around in case of similar emergencies. Finally securing it, I spray out a light coating and manage to save half of the material before it can completely burn. Little more than it's exoskeleton remains from the bottom half as I retract it.

That's a couple grand down the drain. I'd be angrier if I didn't have spares.

"Hold still, crazy man!"

My attention shifts to the emerald beam of light that's flying at me at considerable speed. Tossing the extinguisher away, I somersault just out of the path of the giant hard light construct of a hand that nearly catches me. My eyes widen at what I've just witnessed, as the hand dissipates into the air while he tries to conjure up something else. Who in the hell is this one supposed to be? Probably calls himself "Lightray", or something equally as moronic.

"Forgive me if I don't oblige."

Tossing out several batarangs as I vault towards him, I can barely manage to see him smirk as the aura that surrounds him glows considerably brighter.

"Not a fast learner, are ya?"

"On the contrary."

The batarangs each collapse and split themselves in mid-air, revealing their true purpose. Electrical transmitters, containing at least 500 volts of power each. Combine them and it's well over the lethal amount to be used against a single human being. I've never used them in succession, but to someone with such a unique form of protection, I might aswell see what they can do. To my surprise, he actually manages to disintegrate two of the transmitters before they reach him. But his focus on the two leads to exactly what I suspected - his aura begins to lose it's glow. Whatever his power is, it works partially off of concentration.

The other transmitters hit his chest and shoulder. And while he tries to wrench them off of his body, they discharge in time, giving him enough of a shock to send him reeling back in pain. All things considered, he's lucky. By the time that the transmitters reach their target, their electrical output general lessens to a lower volume. What he's receiving is the lowest possible taste of what they can really do at close range.

"YAAAH!"

Not to say that it doesn't hurt like hell.

Content with the other's momentary elimination, I turn my attention towards The Flash as he just begins to ramp into his more superhuman velocity. Deciding to once again change my approach of dealing with these bizarre powers of theirs, I shoot my grapple up until the nearby trees and swing into the air. Can't glide anywhere because he managed to take that advantage away, but I can still gain momentum with the zipline. Speed. Have to counteract speed.

As I latch onto a tree branch, I can hear Flash running after me at a monstrous pace, possibly even defying gravity in order to sprint up the trunk. Have to think about this one. By all accounts, the Central City media circuit considers him to be faster than the speed of light. What's faster than that? Unless...

"Oracle. Activate countermeasure sixty seven."

The material of the inside of my cowl suddenly thickens, overtaken with a dense layer of protective balm to help add something between it and my skull. More importantly however, I'm using it to overlay my eardrums, already sensitized by The Atom. Tapping the right capsule of my belt, I remove it and click both ends, waiting for the vibration to kick in before it acknowledges activation.

*ZEEEEEEE*

The Flash is suddenly thrown out of pace, rolling around on the ground in complete agony. The answer was sound, the only thing that could possibly compete with light. And what I just hit him with was a sonic pitch that's loud enough to shatter a 5-foot thick sheet of glass. More than a thousand times louder than a pitch only a local dog might hear. As I suspected, I notice Flash's nose begin to bleed, and the sides of his cowl dampen as well. Turning off the device before his skull can manage to crack, I place it back on my belt and leap out of the trees, resuming my path towards the entrance to the park.

Call it my own personal echolocation.

 

[Byrd Man]

As I latch onto a tree branch, I can hear Flash running after me at a monstrous pace, possibly even defying gravity in order to sprint up the trunk. Have to think about this one. By all accounts, the Central City media circuit considers him to be faster than the speed of light. What's faster than that? Unless...

"Oracle. Activate countermeasure sixty seven."

The material of the inside of my cowl suddenly thickens, overtaken with a dense layer of protective balm to help add something between it and my skull. More importantly however, I'm using it to overlay my eardrums, already sensitized by The Atom. Tapping the right capsule of my belt, I remove it and click both ends, waiting for the vibration to kick in before it acknowledges activation.

*ZEEEEEEE*

The Flash is suddenly thrown out of pace, rolling around on the ground in complete agony. The answer was sound, the only thing that could possibly compete with light. And what I just hit him with was a sonic pitch that's loud enough to shatter a 5-foot thick sheet of glass. More than a thousand times louder than a pitch only a local dog might hear. As I suspected, I notice Flash's nose begin to bleed, and the sides of his cowl dampen as well. Turning off the device before his skull can manage to crack, I place it back on my belt and leap out of the trees, resuming my path towards the entrance to the park.

Call it my own personal echolocation.

My ears are ringing, my head feels like it's a wet sponge, and blood is trickling down my nose. He kicked our asses...again! I still can't figure out how he did it once, let along twice.

I stand up on shaky legs and look around. Atom is coughing with her hands on her knees and GL is on the ground, catching his breath.

All the while Batman is getting away.

"Alright, much as I hate to say this, we have to go after him...again. We need a plan. Here it is: I cut off Batman's escape, Atom you distract him while GL takes out the knockout punch? Sound good?"

Atom nods at me while I help GL up on his feet.

"Alright, here we go. Ready? Break!"

Like a quarterback that's been sacked one too many times, I put my hands on my hip and take a deep breath before taking off after Batman, skidding to a stop a few feet from him.

"Going somewhere?"

I begin to whip my arms in circles, going faster until I create enough wind to push him away from me and back the way he came, right to where Atom is floating around Batman's head and smacking him with punches and kicks. He attempts to swat at her while fighting against the wind.

I think I have him figured out. When he's focused, he can kick anyone's ass. You break his concentration, you can break him.

"Hey!"

Batman looks up to see Green Lantern floating above him, a giant green construct of a fist coming out of his ring and aimed right at Batman.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

The Atom sees Green Lantern's fist taking aim at Batman and floats out of the line of fire.

Still reeling from the wind of the flash and Batman's smoke bomb she uses all her powers and control just to stay focused on the task at hand.

She yells out, "J'onn anytime you wanna step in would be fine with us!"

The Atom then lands in the grass and guesstimates where Batman will land if GL's punch connects.


If he still gets up and does his bull in a China Shop routine I'm gonna be ready for him. Just have to watch those attacks too many of them could do permanent damage. Note to self when this all over vacation time. Either the Bahamas or...Barbie's Malibu Ranch.

 

[trustyside-kick]

Temple of Morpheus
The Dreaming City
The Himalayas

Orm Marius tugs on the dead body of Morpheus, as though in doing so it will cause him to explain himself. But the villainous agent of Poseidon can try all he wants: not another peep is going to utter from the mouth of a dead God. He rips off part of the garments that the God of Dreams was wearing and uses it to wipe off the grayish blood on the mechanical claw on his left hand. And as he pays attention to it for really...the first time in...well the first time ever, he grows curious.

He fidgets with his fingers, and the mechanical claw like hand reacts as such. The input from his brain perfectly brings the expected output. He really does feel like he is moving his mechanical fingers. But...

But...why is there a sense of doubt now? Why is there such great fluidity? He comes to compare it with his right and natural hand, and they are equally dexterous. He moves them both together. They are perfectly in matching synchronization. How could he have missed this?

Could it be because he never gave the accessory any attention?

Curiosity gets the best of Ocean Master master, as he takes off the mechanical claw that has been covering his left hand like that of a glove. And as it is finally fully removed, the disciple of Poseidon wears a ghastly look as he bears witness to the sight before him. He drops to his knees, utterly and completely speechless for a moment, and cries out to the heavens.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

He looks again, and there it is.

A complete, perfectly healthy, perfectly...natural left hand.

But this cannot be so. Why, he...if he closes his eyes he has clear and evident proof of memory of one of the sharks ripping his left hand clean off. It was why he awoke as the Ocean Master with the mechanical claw-like 5-fingered hand attached to himself.

"Mo...Morpheus was right...It's not...real. None of that I know is real. Then...what else about my past is untrue?"

Gritting his teeth, and slipping the mechanical claw-like glove over his 100% healthy left hand, Orm Marius vows to get answers once more. Channeling massive magical power as he starts the incantation of a teleportation spell, his blood boils with such anger and hate while his mind practically becomes lost in confusion and concern.

Has it all been a ruse?

A second later, he is gone from the decimated Temple of Morpheus and Dreaming City. He just killed the God of Dreams because another deity of Olympus told him to. He has been made a fool. A pawn. He will have words with the God of the Seas.

 

[Spike_x1]

They're all gone. All of the soldiers and guerrilla fighters of Pokolistan have fallen or retreated, and I wonder how much progress I've really made as I float down and land amidst dozens and dozens of unconscious bodies.

"This is for your own good," I tell them, as if they could hear me now. I'm finding that it helps to reassure them of my cause as much as myself, in spite of the solitude I've created for myself here on the battlefield. It's the closest I can get to feeling a sense of comfort in what I'm forcing myself to do.

But I have doubts. That should go without saying, considering I just toppled almost the entire fighting force of a small country, but there are times when it's as if I'm not in control of myself here. It's like I can almost see another, darker person pulling my strings when I catch sight of my reflection in a puddle of water or a shard of glass...

Spoiler

But it's just my imagination and conflicted conscience playing tricks on me. Of course I have reservations about what I'm doing. I would have to be insane not to, but I also know that I'm the only one who can get things like this accomplished. I can't trust the other members of the Justice League, or even anyone else in the global superhero community to properly clean up this trash that's been rotting our world to its core.

I turn my attention to the sirens that have been blaring from the Capitol Building of Pokolistan several hundred miles away. Over the dull wailing, I can hear the panicked leaders within the building desperately calling for aid from neighboring nations. Every one of their means of communication suddenly go dead as I disconnect all power sources from the complex.

I can't have the countries that I'm targeting next knowing that I'm coming for them when I'm done with Pokolistan.

 

[Batman]

Too bright. It's too bright. Can't see what he's creating now, have to go off of instinct. And my instinct's telling me that I'm going to have to move fast to escape this. With a counterattack already in mind, I start to run for it in order to build enogh momentum to dive out of the way. But as I keep going, I'm alarmed to find that the glow illuminating the park emcompasses everything around me. It's literally following me and giving no space to manuever back into the shadows. I consider the trees again, but my vision's cut short as everything goes white. Finally, I feel myself begin to stop in place, realizing the levity of the situation. Like with Atom's attack, I'm going to have to take this now and hope that it doesn't slow me down. Arkham needs me, and the city needs me. I'm not giving the fight up until I'm dead. They can do whatever they wish to stand in my way, I'll simply...

Just then, something hard collides with my entire body. The pain takes me in it's hold, thrusting me backwards into the air, and then...

Nothing.

*

~Enough. You must calm yourself.~

I open my eyes, and discover that I'm surrounded by darkness. Neverending shadows for miles, shifting up and into place around me. I can't see Gotham or Robinson Park, or any of the people trying to stop me anymore. Can't feel the air around me or smell the burnt material of my costume, eiother. For all that I can tell, there's not a single living soul here - except for me and the shadows. I don't understand. Have I died?

~Thankfully not. I assure you that I've merely rendered your mind into the depths of your own subconcious.~

Under the circumstances, I'd normally be more alarmed that some voice of an unknown origin is speaking to me. But to be honest, I think it's far from unknown. I recognize it from when I tried to aide the effort against the worldwide epidemic in Metropolis. Another one of the metahumans, one that I haven't encountered tonight. The one that claimed he was from Mars. I've seen you before. Who the hell are you?

~There isn't much time to be had, so I must explain myself quickly. I am J'onn J'onnz, and ours paths have indeed crossed before. I am here to bring you back into your own state of mind.~

Sneering back, I think to try and attack him. But my body remains entirely rigid, unwilling to move or comply with my thoughts. I don't know what he's done to me, but it does nothing but confirm what I had already suspected. The metahumans have banded together in a conspiracy to stop me from realizing my goals and putting a stop to the injustices that Arkham Asylum has inflicted on Gotham. They must be in league with the police, it's the only way to explain their prescence here.

J'onnz merely stares back at me, shaking his head. As if he knew what I was about to accuse him and the others of before I could say a word.

~Your mind has been clouded by foreign thoughts and motivations that are unnatural to your own.~

"Unnatural"?

My 'motivation' here is to stop an evil from hurting my city. You and the others have done nothing but stand in my way.

~The evil that you have turned against is not your enemy tonight. There is another, one who has manipulated your mind. Manipulated the minds of us all, using our abilities towards the goal of turning the world against us.~

I scoff, trying desperately to turn away and find a path out of here. I don't have time for his lies.

~Then perhaps it would be best to show you the truth.~

Did he just read my...?

Suddenly, the shadows around us dissolve, giving into a chalk white landscape. I see five of us, aligned next to eachother in a lineup. It's me, Flash, Atom, and two others. We're walking out into the landscape, unwilling to acknowledge the other. For a moment, I start to think that this is just a trick to try and keep me distracted. But J'onn J'onnz's voice gives way into an actual being, and I see him standing next to me. My mobility completely restored as he touches my shoulder.

~Together against the being Star'ro, the five of you stood proudly as an unbeatable alliance. One of you even used the term of a Justice League to describe the magnitude of your heroic efforts. But in the face of your arrival, an entire world was left in the shadow of fear. Your deeds, though well-intentioned, were left shrouded by the mystery of your true potential for a greater good... or a greater evil.~

We begin to break further apart, as I suddenly see Flash take off ahead of us. He appears closer to J'onn and I, grabbing up bags of money along his path and smirking to himself as police officers appear, failing to apprehend him. I start to move in order to put a stop to his reign, but J'onn grabs me again, narrowing his eyes.

~It is merely an illusion. There is a powerful telepath, one that took an interest in the Justice League more than most. Using it's own abilities, it tapped into the minds of you all while you were at your most susceptible. The Flash was the first to feel it's power's drastic effects, convinced that his naivety of right and wrong was too great. The result left him willing to steal from innocents.~

The Flash fades away, replaced by a more normally scaled version of The Atom. As J'onn speaks, she shrinks down to a miniature size and begins attacking men in black. I begin to wonder to myself what I'm seeing. Government? Secret service?

~Similarly, The Atom was convinced that she was unloved and unwanted by those she cared the most for. As a result, her talents were put to use in an attempted assasination of a man of great influence and power.~

Why are you telling me this?

J'onn waves his hand, dissolving the illusion.

~To allow you to understand the nature of what has happened. The telepath preys on your subconscious insecurities in order to enact what it sees as your true motivations.~

What does that have to do with...

~You were the third.~

I raise an eyebrow at that, as the illusion turns into a copy of me. At first, nothing seems out of the ordinary. Until I begin to see myself in the midst of combat, fighting off the thugs that were patrolling the grounds at Arkham. If he thinks he's trying to prove a point, I've failed to see it.

~This was reality as seen through the telepath's eyes. You were convinced, beyond rational thought, that Arkham Asylum had been overrun by an absolute corruption. When in reality... it was only overrun by your heightened state of aggression.~

My mind can barely process the change at first. It seems so miniscule that it's beyond notice. But as I continue assaulting the inmates that I saw as Blackgate prisoners, my comprehension is even further vexed at the realization that dawns upon me at seeing only their uniforms change. What I saw were orange jumpsuits and tattoos. But if what J'onn is showing me is, infact, the reality...

I attacked innocent guards.

That isn't possible. Even under the affects of some sort of external 'manipulation', I would have easily been able to discern the...

No. What you're showing me is a lie. I won't believe this.

~Then perhaps you should believe your own instinct. At the time of this telepathic disturbance, you must have felt some form of an overwhelming sense of disarray.~

I don't have to listen to any of this. You're trying to throw me off.

~Think back, Batman. Allow your mind to become unclouded. Allow yourself to regain that indomitable will that helped us save this world... and be free once again.~

My mind begins to see flashes of what transpired in the hours before tonight.

I see myself in a hospital. I... only just remember why, but barely.

It's hours earlier. The Gotham night. Chinatown.

Richard The Dragon.

An assault. The blood.

I could have stopped it.

Catwoman. Something about...

Selina Kyle. Catwoman is Selina Kyle.

And the doctor that I saw in my dream. She was...

I...

~Yes. I sense it. You're beginning to see the truth once more.~

There was a woman. Someone who needed me. She asked me to... we were supposed to stop a criminal. And then she, I...

~It was your guilt. That was the key that was missing.~

I drop to my knees, overcome with regret.

I remember all of it now. Catwoman learning my identity, convincing me to try and help her find a human trafficker. The fight with the two assassins. Learning that The Dragon was the key. But in my rage over the corruption in Chinatown, I was consumed with the idea of sending him a message. And because of that, I wasn't able to help her overcome an assault. She barely survived, and it was my fault for letting myself get caught up in that need for vengeance so much that I couldn't have saved her. Now she's suffering in a hospital, and I...

It's all so clear to me now. I would never attack Arkham in any sort of rational state of mind. If I were to do it, it would have been thoroughly handled with plans and proceedures put in place to ensure the safety of everyone there. I've always felt that Arkham's staff have provided a nessecary service to the city. I've even donated funds to ensure that they be given the proper technology to help treat the criminally insane.

But at the time - I felt such hatred for them. I was so convinced of their evil that I was willing to burn the entire Island down. And now I can't even remember how I could have convinced myself of such a warped sense of reality.

Which means that J'onn is right. There is a telepath at work.

And I've been used in order to hurt the innocent.

All of those people. I attacked them... when they didn't deserve it.

~It is an unfortunate reality. But know that in my struggle to bring you back, I saw the horror in your mind. There was still apart of you that knew the true Batman would never be a contributor to such chaos.~

What do you mean? What struggle?

~You saw it as something else.~

Once more, I'm treated to a recreation of my own actions.

"Oracle, patch me into the control module for the front gate of Arkham Asylum."
Do You Really Think That's Such A Wise Move, Mr. Wayne? Maybe You Should Think This Over. You Don't Seem Like Yourself Right Now.
~Do you really think that's such a wise move, Batman? Maybe you should think this over. You don't seem like yourself right now.~

Oracle. That's why it was acting so irregular. Through my haze, J'onn was trying to warn me. But I only saw it as the program's insubordination.

~I can see the last of your doubts fading with the deeper realization. The League will need your skills to disperse this threat and restore the others. Without your understanding of the capacity for the mind's darker desires, we are lost. Will you help us?~

Without a word, or even a glance, I simply nod.

Whoever's done this to me has to pay. I won't tolerate being used as a puppet.

~Awaken.~

***

My eyes flutter open. And I breathe.

I've returned.

 

[Byrd Man]

My eyes flutter open. And I breathe.

I've returned.

Batman's eyes snap open and I back away in a hurry.

"OhGodhe'sbackformore!"

GL thrusts his arm out and wraps Batman in a protective bubble.

~Batman is awake, now. He has come to his senses.~

"Much as I like to trust you, Marvin, I'm going to see for myself."

With Green Lantern keeping the barrier up, I walk over and stand a few inches in front of Batman, the emerald energy wall the only thing separating us.

"Hello, Batman. Do you recognize me, the Flash? I'm your old friend, you know from that one time we hung out and saved the world...uhh...lovely weather we're having, aren't we?"

 

[Batman]

Everything from the fight comes back to me at once. My chest still aches, my head's pounding, ears are buzzing. Upper torso's feeling slightly numb. Whatever I was hit with, it was more than enough to do the job. I can tell I've been unconcious for at least a few minutes. But the important thing is that whenever I start to move, I can feel that I'm the one that's making the decision now. Even to breathe in feels like a new freedom after going out of control for that long. Slowly, I begin to push myself up, calmer and far more mindful of my surroundings. Have to stumble for a moment before I can regain a proper sense of levity. End up backing into something solid - seems to be a barrier made of hard light. The others are infront of me, and judging from their expressions, they're evidently not as confident in my current state of mind.

"Uhh... lovely weather we're having, aren't we?"

Flash. Out of the other options availible to me right now, he's the most likely for me to trust. Casually walking forward, stopping just a few inches behind the emerald wall that seperates us, I intentionally shoot him a look that causes him to jump back. Then pause, and finally shake my head. I had to do it once, at least.

"Next time? Don't burn the cape."

 

[Byrd Man]

Flash. Out of the other options availible to me right now, he's the most likely for me to trust. Casually walking forward, stopping just a few inches behind the emerald wall that seperates us, I intentionally shoot him a look that causes him to jump back. Then pause, and finally shake my head. I had to do it once, at least.

"Next time? Don't burn the cape."

"Duly noted," I say in a tiny voice.

"So this is Batman?" Green Lantern says from behind my shoulder. "He doesn't look that tough."

"Well, he did kick our asses..."

"Twice."

"Yeah, yeah, you kicked our asses twice. I think it's safe to drop the barrier now, GL."

The wall between Batman and I disappears.

"I take it you're up to speed, pun intended, on the situation? Three are down with two to go...but the last two won't be easy."

 

[Batman]

The wall between Batman and I disappears.

"I take it you're up to speed, pun intended, on the situation? Three are down with two to go...but the last two won't be easy."

"You might be underselling it."

In the months after the epidemic passed, I've been having Alfred use some of his time to pull together the beginnings of a private database for known superhuman phenomena across the world. The incident with the "Justice League" gave me pause, to say the least, when it came to the metahuman movement that I had basically felt it nessecary to ignore leading up to that day. But standing next to people that could bring down buildings, defy the laws of physics - and read minds, apparently - put the situation in an entirely new perspective. People with that sort of incredible power shouldn't be allowed to go unchecked. And while I have yet to discern whether or not I can even trust these people, there is a variable that I didn't consider. Were it not for their intervention, I would have done something I'd regret for the rest of my life tonight.

For that much, I owe them the effort against the remaining two.

"What do you mean by that? You don't think we can handle them?"

"I've been collecting sightings of the metahuman population for months, and my research has to keep coming back whenever it comes to Superman. Even with all of the data availible, I have reason to believe that we haven't even seen a fourth of his capabilities."

"Hold up, a fourth? How bad is that?"

"There are at least several thousand metahumans living in seclusion in the United States. As of right now, want to know how many are more than powerful than Superman?"

He hesitates, but nods.

"None."

 

[Byrd Man]

"There are at least several thousand metahumans living in seclusion in the United States. As of right now, want to know how many are more than powerful than Superman?"

He hesitates, but nods.

"None."

I dry swallow hard and rub the back of my neck.

"Heh...that's- that's not good. Umm, GL, can you do me a favor and put a bubble thing over my head?"

"I don't understand..."

"Just an energy construct around my head."

I turn my back to the two men as Green Lantern wraps my head in the emerald energy.

"OH MY GOD!" I scream out loud. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!! HE'S GOING TO KILL US! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"

I stop suddenly as I notice the sound is off. Turning around, I notice the looks on Batman, GL, and Atom's faces.

"You didn't make the bubble soundproof, did you?"

"Nope. Not one bit."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

I dry swallow hard and rub the back of my neck.

"Heh...that's- that's not good. Umm, GL, can you do me a favor and put a bubble thing over my head?"

"I don't understand..."

"Just an energy construct around my head."

I turn my back to the two men as Green Lantern wraps my head in the emerald energy.

"OH MY GOD!" I scream out loud. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!! HE'S GOING TO KILL US! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!"

I stop suddenly as I notice the sound is off. Turning around, I notice the looks on Batman, GL, and Atom's faces.

"You didn't make the bubble soundproof, did you?"

"Nope. Not one bit."

The Atom looks at Flash and says, "Now that we've had our panic session let's get it together and come up with a strategy.

She steadies herself and says with a smirk, "Besides taking on the Man Of Steel in a straight line so we can be slaughtered one by one."

The Atom continues, "We have a couple of wild cards in the deck. One he doesn't know about GL and two I can do the covert-sneaky-sneaky thing. Our known assets are Flash's speed and Batman's ability to come up with potent attacks at a second's notice."

She then sits on Flash's Shoulder and says, "We also need to keep in mind Wonder Woman. None of us are going to shove her down with one hand either."

The Atom looks at the assembled group and says, "So Gentlemen what's our next move?"

 

[Batman]

"Hh."

I try and make my reaction less than obvious to the mention of Wonder Woman. While roughly the same amount is known about her potential level of power, at this point, I do have more of an edge against her than most - I share something of a history with her. Years ago, during my tour of duty with the US Military in Afghanistan, I encountered an expert tactician by the name of Diana Prince. She had been serving a few months longer than I had, but she was one of the few that managed to keep me in line after I attempted to disobey some of my more primary directives. Diana's sense of survival inadvertently helped teach me how to cognitively map out a strategy to survive a hostile environment with limited time and limited resources - a skill that I've been using with some success well after my service.

There was also a time, very briefly, where I might have considered her as something more than a valued ally in the battlefield. But that was before I experienced real love - and subsequently, real heartbreak. I quickly moved on after leaving, and I imagine she did aswell. But we both grew into very different people, so to find Diana back in my life after all of these years is troubling. But it still means that compared to Superman, I at least know what I'm getting into by knowing some part of what she used to be. And that may be the only advantage we have against the two of them.

"The strategy is straightforward. If we bring one back, we stand a chance against the other. In terms of strength, Wonder Woman seems similar enough to Superman to parallel. But as I said before... we don't know his limits."

I narrow my eyes at the group, to stress the seriousness of that claim.

"Wonder Woman would be our best weapon to use against him. We need to find her first, and hit hard. She could easily kill any of us."

My gaze shifts directly to The Flash. "And before you panick, that's not a guarantee. I'm just saying that now isn't the time to make mistakes. Understand?"

 

[Byrd Man]

"Wonder Woman would be our best weapon to use against him. We need to find her first, and hit hard. She could easily kill any of us."

My gaze shifts directly to The Flash. "And before you panick, that's not a guarantee. I'm just saying that now isn't the time to make mistakes. Understand?"

"Yeah, I got it...uhh...Mister Batman...uhh, sir."

~I've located Wonder Woman. If you follow my directions I will get to her present location.~

"Alright, let's roll out. How are we...going to do this? I can hold Atom in my hands, but Batman is a little more...uhh solid.""

GL creates a bubble around Batman and lifts him up into the air.

"He can hitch a ride with me."

I nod and hold my hand out for Atom. She shrinks down and floats into my palm.

"I think we're about to go down in history as the weirdest carpool ever."

 

[Aleksei]

Swamp Thing
The Green Spark
Part Three

Go to sleep...

Go to sleep...

I have not slept in three days, I know I should sleep. But I can't shut my brain off. I have had doctors that wanted to try to give me pills to help me sleep but I was never interested. I would rather suffer the pains of insomnia than mess with my brain chemistry.

I will just get up and zone out for a while, see if that helps. With a sigh I roll out of bed and walk over to my main computer station. Bringing up four separate screens I flop down in my chair rubbing my eyes. Two screens run the long form of the current working formula and the one that had existed right before. Then I run various test results from the last five days. On the big screen I run the video of the first successful test. I can't help but smile.

When the first bullet strikes my main monitor I don't understand what is going on. Shards of glass and sparks fall on me. Even then I couldn't quite process what was going on. It all started to make sense when more bullets crashed into my equipment that was followed by the piercing pain of a bullet striking my shoulder.

As I dive down and roll under my desk, more pain jolts through my body. I am pretty sure that I have been shot in the leg. Looking beyond my chair the first thing I see are glowing lights that I later realized were night vision goggles. Than I see the red glow of automatic fire.

Beyond the pain a single thought dominates my mind. I must save my formula. So I scramble towards the back coolers where my formula is kept.

I must save my formula...

White light fills the space of my lab and than a wave of heat. Another bullet strikes my body and I fall to my knees. As I crawl to the back room I realize that the heat was building and the gun fire had stopped. They had stopped firing because they knew I was a dead man.

By the time I reach the back door my lab is engulfed in flames. I throw it open trying not to see the wall of flames consuming my life's work. I can loose the lab as long as I save the formula. I grab two tubes. The back room has no windows so I must go back into the blaze but all my thoughts are getting foggy. I am dying, this is what it feels like to die.

When I push open the door, everything is on fire. I live in a glass house, but not a single path of escape doesn't involve running through fire. Why do I even try? I am near death surrounded by destruction. Yet despite all this I rise to my feet, coughing up blood as I do so.

I must save my formula...

With the last will left in me I run for the nearest window. I jump though the fire and out the window. The tubes in my hand explode as I push through the fire. The explosion tears my body apart and flings me into the swamp.

I am dead in the water. The last of my formula is burning my body. All is lost.

Yet as I stare into the murky water something strange happens. I am sure I must be dead. I don't believe in any higher power, so now that the last of my life force has spilled out, only darkness should greet me. But instead I see light. Its not the white light you see in the movies, but a glorious green light.
​