The Ultimate DC RPG - Season III

[Carnage27]

Boy Blue
~No Place Like Home~
Part 5
​

The horns of battle sound as the allied army gathers around the Emerald City. I'm at its head, along with the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Winkine general. The Winkies' facepaint and silver spears gleam in the fading sunlight as they shift in their saddles. Above us, Bufkin and the rest of the flying monkeys swarm, small knives and claws ready for the battle ahead. And behind the Winkies, a cadre of talking, ferocious Animals wait their turn.

"You're sure this will work?" the Scarecrow asks me.
​

"As long as your maps are correct, this will work like a charm," I nod. "Cindy knows how to do things quietly. As long as the Wizard's attention is on us, she should be able to free the witches."

Cinderella and a group of Munchkin commandos have infiltrated the sewers and tunnels underneath the city in order to free Glinda who has been imprisoned since the Emperor's takeover, and Elphaba who has apparently been reincarnated and imprisoned as well.

"I hope the person that fed us this info wasn't lying," the Tin Man grumbles. He, as well as the Scarecrow, quickly joined the resistance against the Adversary as soon as the realized they had been dooped. "Or else we're walking into a gigantic trap."

"No time to think about that now," the Winkie says as the gates of the Emerald City open, and out pours an army led by the Wizard's Shock Troops, but also bolstered with goblins and orcs from the Adversary's own troops. "So it begins."

An orc horn blows, and the Winkies charge down the hill towards the city, me in the saddle along with them.

 

[Batman]

"Fall back! All of you!"

One by one, the deadly creatures emerged from the shadows of the deep, their lifeless eyes drifting from each man ahead of them as if they were attempting to decide who to devour first. G'thar's army was brave and loyal, to a fault - but with two men already killed by the nameless creatures, the morale among them was inarguably grim. Only G'thar and Orin, who was desperately trying to get a handle on what he was seeing, held the line ahead of the group and bravely took a defensive stance. The General unsheathed his silver trident from his back, while Orin chose the more personable weapon of a close-range dagger attached to his hip. The two men gave eachother a knowing eye and said nothing. Neither men saw this to be a battle - it was only destined to be a momentary distraction.

"For Atlantis!"

Vaulting forward through the water, both G'thar and Aquaman lunged directly for their inhuman targets and prepared for an attack. But the creatures, sensing the imminent threat, immediately sprang into action by swimming into a frenzy, disorienting the approach almost as if by design. By the time that the two could realize what was happening, they found themselves neck-in-neck with the monsters, overcome with an incredible strength that neither had expected. G'thar tumbled into the shadows, overtaken by several of the beasts at once, as the remaining group set their sights for the Atlantean Guard. Only three remained for Aquaman, who valiantly pushed himself back from a the side of reef to free himself of his attacker's grip.

They were definitely not Atlanteans. And though he had never crossed their path before, Orin knew that only he possessed the gift capable of reasoning with these creatures. Choosing to take advantage of the moment as they circled around him like a pack of hungry sharks, Aquaman stared off into the distance and concentrated hard.

"You don't want to hurt us. And none of us wish to harm you, so begone. Go back to wherever you came."

But before he could finish his plea, Orin watched as the silent creatures began to move in closer, swimming even faster than before and readying each row of razor sharp teeth that were plainly visible. For a moment, he was surprised. No creature of the seas had ever been able to resist Tethys' gift before. But the moment to consider what could have possibly gone wrong was long since over, as two of the three creatures began to dive straight for their prey. All that Orin could do was retaliate.

"Very well. You shall have it your way,"

His warrior's mentality replacing all sense of logic and reason, Aquaman savagely spun around and sliced hard into the face of his enemy with the cold blade of the dagger. Then he ripped it from it's skin and stabbed twice more, believing it would kill it in an instant. He was surprised to realize it wasn't the case, as the creature simply backed away to allow it's bretheren to press on with the attack. What could these things possibly be?

Preparing to once again swipe the blade at his enemies, Orin wasn't given the chance to react as the immensely powerful beasts wrestled him back, trying to bite at his face and arms. Before he knew it, he had dropped the dagger, losing it to the dark of the deep. Gritting his teeth, he instead resolved to finish the fight with bare hands, grabbing back at both creatures and clenching his hands into their jagged mouths and attempting to rip them apart at the jaw. But his attack proved unsuccessful, as he and the two creatures slammed headlong into another reef.

"ARGH!"

The creatures drew blood through their claws, reopening a previously closed wound that had not yet healed from his battle with Poseidon and Ocean Master. Aquaman grabbed hold of the first creature's arm and bashed him across the face with his elbow, connecting a hard fist to the other one's chest. While both were knocked back by Orin's own raw strength, neither sustained any serious harm, lurching back for more. Positioning his legs so that they leaned against the reef, Aquaman launched forward and hit them both with the brunt of his frame, taking them with him as he swam fast through the water.

Tossing them ahead, he stopped himself as they did, almost immediately staring eachother down. Orin only seemed to smirk, despite the harrowing circumstances.

"I feel I should warn you both. I've never easily gone down."

Drawing his sword, Aquaman swiped it at the first's neck and successfully decapitated the beast. Satisfied, he prepared to attack the other. But something horrifying caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, as he looked back at the creature he had just successfully maimed. It's head was already growing back, and the body was far from dead, tripling the rate of even his healing abilities.

Looking down at the sword, Orin defeatedly sheathed it back into it's holster, realizing it had no effect on the creatures. And realized that he was beginning to see that nothing would. They were completely unknown to him, despite his many years of travels across Atlantis itself, encountering hundreds of millions of sealife. These creatures, it almost seemed, did not belong. They were abominations.

"What will it take to kill you?"

He foolishly asked the question as if there was supposed to be some answer. Instead, all that he was given was another merciless attack, as the third rejoined the group after healing it's damaged face to help slaughter their target. Feeling as though he had no other option left, knowing he was far from any sort of useful creature that could help even the struggle, Orin reached to the back of his shirt and produced the gold trident he had recently acquired. The same trident once used by Poseidon himself.

Nothing assured his survival. And he was content with that.

"Come on, then. You want death?"

"Then face it here. Face it now!"

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Oswald strolls through his Aviary on his estate grounds feeding and caring for his birds when he gets a phone call from General Manual Borbon on the island of East LaSerna.

Oswald says, "General how are you old-friend?"

The General replies, "First off thank you for the shipment of guns Penguin they are proving to be most effective, but there is an issue I need help with."

The Penguin replies, "Good to hear what's on your mind?"

The General says, "Penguin it looks as though inspite of your assistance my time here is at an end. I fear I will be needing to leave to a more hospitable place. I was hoping that you could use some of your contacts and arrange it for me."

The Penguin says, "I think that could be arranged where are you thinking?"

The General replies, "Rio or Brazil I have contacts in both places once I get there I can go into hiding."

The Penguin says, "Fair enough my friend, but what of your family?"

The General replies, "They've betrayed me. They've decided to help the rebels leaving me to fend for myself. Ungrateful worms after all I've done for them! I'm on a secure line and about to go into hiding."

The Penguin goes over to his lap-top and punches a few buttons and within seconds is able to pin-point the General's location.

The Penguin says, "Well give me 24 hours and your passage out will be assured."

The General replies, "Thank you my friend. I will not forget this!"

The Penguin says, "I am sure you won't."

He hangs up the phone and contacts the General's wife.
Oswald says, "Marlene this is Oswald Cobblepot.How are you my dear one?"

She replies, "Not in the mood for games, but always willing to make time for a friend. What can I do for you?"

Penguin says, "I had a most interesting conversation moments ago with your soon to be ex-husband. It seems he is looking to flee the country and I'll bet he takes the treasury with him."

She replies, "Where is he? We've been looking for weeks for him!"

Oswald says, "Now now this information comes with a price."

She replies, "Name it!"

The Penguin says, "Any information of me having anything to do with your husband is destroyed. I don't exist to him. I will send the information on a coded channel through your cell-phone."

Marlene says, "Fair enough Oswald."

Oswald sends her the information he pulled from the cell-phone and within seconds she says, "We got him! Oswald thank you but why are you helping us? You are friends with Manual."

Oswald replies, "As the old song goes you got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em. I see which way the wind is blowing and I've got no interest in standing in the way."

Marlene says, "All-right then. You will always have friends within our new Government when it is established."

Oswald says, "Thank you Marlene.Good Hunting."

Within hours the press is reporting on the street shooting of General Manual Borbon the butcher of East LaSerna.

 

[Byrd Man]

With that Grodd put on his telepathy helmet and locks in on the brainwaves of Jesse and Flash.

He says to them through telepathy, "If you think you're day is done you're right. The day is dawning when you two shall be nothing more than fleeting memories in the minds of the people. Follow the pulse and all shall be revealed."

Grodd then begins transmitting a pulse through the telepathic link.

He says, "The closer you get the stronger the pulse gets. Hurry Hurry though! Who knows what other disasters await you. Besides I've got better things to do than deal with two speed-freaks."

Jesse and I exchange looks.

"Am I the only one hearing this?"

"Strangely, you're not."

"I think we're walking into a trap."

"Possibly. But like he said; the longer we wait, the more disasters he can start."

"Alrighty then. FLASH AND IMPULSE, AWAY!"

I take off, Jesse right beside me as we run through the city, towards this strange signal pulsing through the air.

"I thought we were Impulse and Flash?"

"Please. I get top billing. Always top billing."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Jesse and I exchange looks.

"Am I the only one hearing this?"

"Strangely, you're not."

"I think we're walking into a trap."

"Possibly. But like he said; the longer we wait, the more disasters he can start."

"Alrighty then. FLASH AND IMPULSE, AWAY!"

I take off, Jesse right beside me as we run through the city, towards this strange signal pulsing through the air.

"I thought we were Impulse and Flash?"

"Please. I get top billing. Always top billing."

Grodd smiles with great malice as he watches the speedsters approach.

Humans are so predictable.

Grodd presses a button and the computer equipment is camouflaged.

He then sits in a corner and begins to shiver.

Time to practice the art of deception and channel my inner-Abraham.

He looks over at a reflection of himself and sees a truly sad and frightened gorilla.

Excellent! Who can resist?

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Rhiannon is in her office at Met-Tech finishing up grading papers while enjoying a latte.

Not a bad group of students I got going for me this semester. Although some need some help or to change their major.

She puts her papers in her briefcase and is still moving somewhat gingerly but has shown marked improvement.

At least the ribs have finally healed and the bruising is fading out to a point where I might be able to get a workout in maybe tomorrow. I just wonder how long before the Legion of Doom makes their next move and how the others are handling being hunted down. At least I've had sometime to recover if the Legion tried to attack while I was on the mend no way I could've taken them.

Just then there is a knock at her door. She says, "It's open."

Kent Nelson opens her door and asks, "Gotta minute?"

Rhiannon replies, "Sure come on in."

Kent enters and closes the door. He asks, "I got two tickets courtside for the Knicks-Stallions match-up tomorrow night. Care for dinner and a game as our first real date?"

Rhiannon smiles and says, "What time?"

Kent says, "We'll leave here at 5:00 I know a bar & grill about two blocks from the arena."

Rhiannon replies, "Done."

They smile at each other and after a moment Kent says, "See ya then."

Rhiannon says, "Lookin' forward to it."

Kent leaves and Rhiannon gets ready to leave her office just as she gets a phone call from Pete Ross.

She answers the phone and asks, "What's on your mind Pete?"

Pete replies, "I think life just got a bit more complicated for you."

Rhiannon says, "Of course it does things are going good for me and the universe decides to slap me down for being happy. What now?"

Pete asks, "Can you meet me here in the next couple of minutes?"

Rhiannon replies, "Sure I'm on my way."

She activates the hands-free setting and Rhiannon transforms into The Atom and rides the phone current to Pete's location.

The Atom emerges growing to 6 inches and asks, "What's up Pete?"

Pete looks at her and says, "Plenty."

He pushes a folder in-front of her and says, "Take a look at this..."

The Atom begins reading the folder and says, "Why am I not surprised."

 

[Byrd Man]

​

Jesse and I chase the beacon across town, all the way back to the river and to a rundown warehouse on the docks.

"All the way across town to come right back here. Starting to get tired of this guy stringing us along."

We slow down and start walking through the dilapidated and abandoned warehouse. Jesse and I split up and a few minutes later, I hear it

"FLASH!"

I take off and follow Jesse's voice to where she's standing.

He then sits in a corner and begins to shiver.

Time to practice the art of deception and channel my inner-Abraham.

He looks over at a reflection of himself and sees a truly sad and frightened gorilla.

Excellent! Who can resist?

"What's a monkey doing here?"

"It's a gorilla, not a monkey. Different kind of primates."

"Yeah, I knew that..."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

​

"FLASH!"

I take off and follow Jesse's voice to where she's standing.



"What's a monkey doing here?"

"It's a gorilla, not a monkey. Different kind of primates."

"Yeah, I knew that..."

Grodd sees the two approaching.

No not yet.

He looks frightened and pulls away. Grodd then proceeds to curl up in a ball and look away.

Just a little closer you disgusting and vile sacks of meat and this primate will show what he is truly capable of.

 

[Byrd Man]

​

Grodd sees the two approaching.

No not yet.

He looks frightened and pulls away. Grodd then proceeds to curl up in a ball and look away.

Just a little closer you disgusting and vile sacks of meat and this primate will show what he is truly capable of.

Jesse approaches the gorilla and I stay a bit back.

"Be careful. He's a wild animal. No telling what he might do."

"Don't worry. He's just a bit frightened, is all...come here, guy. We'll get you to a good home."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Jesse approaches the gorilla and I stay a bit back.

"Be careful. He's a wild animal. No telling what he might do."

"Don't worry. He's just a bit frightened, is all...come here, guy. We'll get you to a good home."

Grodd now begins to uncoil and slowly move towards Jesse with the same sad expression on his face.

He says, through telepathy, "Oh foolish girl! I am home!"

His expression changes to that of fear to almost demonic and he uncoils to maximum height. Grodd unleashes his mind-control power over Jesse.

Grodd then says, "Prepare to have your reality altered forever! Kill THE FLASH! NOW!"

 

[Byrd Man]

​

Previously

Spoiler

Cape Town, South Africa
1621 Local Time

The four members of Task Force X walked through the open market just on the outskirts of town in their civilian clothes, their weapons hidden under their clothes. A combination of Afrikaans, English, and Swazi was being spoken by the shoppers and merchants alike. All the chatter pertained to the recent tragedy in Egypt. Superhuman terrorists had destroyed the Aswan Dam and flooded the nearby farmlands.

"Any updates on that?" Flag said under his breath, the embedded microphone in his back right molar picked it up.

"I got my people working on it," Waller replied. "Far as I can tell, it wasn't Jihad. The current theory the Company is kicking around is that it was those superpowered freaks who crashed that UN meeting while we were in Nigeria. Doesn't matter right now. Important thing is that you extract our man in Cape Town. He may have intel relating to the attack."

"Right. Flag out."

Flag killed the signal and turned to his team. Nightshade was dressed in all black, sunglasses covering her pale face. Lawton was in jeans and a black t-shirt, a cigarette hanging out his mouth. The Squad's newest member, the man who called himself Dr. Polaris, actually had the audacity to dress in a suit and tie for the mission. Flag himself was wearing his yellow shirt and jeans.

"Alright. Spread out and cover me. Nightshade will stick close while Deadshot and Polaris work the edges of the market and look out for anything suspicious."

"Whatever," Polaris grumbled. "I should just run away right now. I still think that your talk about a bomb in my head is a load of bull****."

"You run, Polaris? I won't detonate the bomb. I'll command Deadshot himself to take you down."

Lawton smiled and winked at Polaris. "The colonel ain't lying. He gave me a set of special ceramic bullets to take you down with. No a bit of metal on them."

"Enough jawing. Time's wasting here. Get to work."

The two men began to walk through the crowd while Flag and Nighshade walked together through the market. Flag counted off stands and vendors, stopping at a wall beside the sixth vendor on the right side of the market. Nightshade watched the crowd as Flag felt the bricks on the wall, stopping when he came to a loose one halfway down the wall. Flag pulled the loose one out and reached into the hole. There was a scrap of paper inside the hole. Flag took it out and put the brick back in its place, making a tiny tic-tac-toe grid on the brick with a piece of chalk. Flag and Nightshade walked away and went back into the market, emerging a few minutes later with Nightshade and Polaris behind them.

"What's it say, Rick?"

Flag straightened the paper out and looked at the words scribbled on it.

"It says 'meet tonight, 0300. 520 Kloof Street, the Gardens."

Flag stuffed the paper into his jean pocket and activated the bluetooth in his ear.

"Waller, I just serviced the dead drop. The meet is on for three am in the downtown area."

"10-4. I'll start arranging an evac for the five of you now. Head over to the meet site and start securing it now. There should be a sniper rifle for Lawton in that care package I sent with you."

"Roger that. We're on our way. Flag out."

Cape Town, South Africa
0257 Local Time


Rick Flag leaned against the side of the building and did his best to fit in as the bar patrons on Kloof Street began to file out into the street. Last call had come and gone, now old drunks and young college students alike staggered towards cabs and headed home. Flag briefly made eye contact with Nightshade as she passed by him. She was wearing civilian clothes, a weapon concealed in her pants leg. Polaris was somewhere further up the street, watching from that side of the street for their contact. Lawton was above them all, perched on a rooftop with a sniper rifle, scanning the scene below.

Flag watched as an Olive skinned man in jeans and a jacket slowly walked by. The man stopped and turned around, walking up to Flag with his cellphone out.

"Excuse me," the man said. He had a slight Arabic accent. "My mobile seems to have lost its charge. I need to call my step-sister who lives in Arkansas. May I borrow yours?"

"Sorry," Flag said with a shrug. "I have a phone, but it's with my sister, who also lives in Arkansas."

"Ah, well. Maybe our sister could join a knitting circle."

The man walked off and Flag watched him go.

"We got our man," he whispered into the micro comm in his back molar. "He gave the confirmation code. I'm following. Eve, Polaris, say with me."

Flag pushed off the wall and slowly walked a hundred or so yards behind the man. Nightshade followed him from the other side of the street. The man ducked into the alley and Flag followed. When he turned the corner, the man was waiting for him.

"Hey there, Colonel," he said, his accent disappearing. He pulled out a rag and rubbed his face, revealing a white face underneath the makeup he wore.

"You're Waller's inside man?" Flag asked as the man pulled off the black wig and ran his fingers through his blonde hair.

"I am indeed," the agent codenamed Nemesis said. "And I have got some seriously scary intel for the Wall."

 

[Batman]

Dodging gunfire at a rapid pace.

Twelve angry and armed men ready to have me killed.

Nursing a recently broken foot as I limp along into light sprints.

Only having got into this mess to save a teenage brat who thinks she's Batman.

And I'm pretty sure I'm on my period.

It's official. This is definitely not how I wanted to go out. But all that leaves me behind as the concrete explodes infront of my feet, giving way to richocheted bullets that nearly tore me apart. I've only managed to glance back once ever since I started running, but it seemed pretty clear that the group that was attacking had split up into two - one to mow me down, the other to take care of the redhead. I would feel sorry for abandoning her to them, but why the hell should I care? She was stupid enough to leap in blind and take on these trigger-happy morons. I'm not her mother or her surrogate, so she can look after herself. I just need to concentrate on keeping myself alive. Barely five minutes into this, and I haven't got the chance to hit anybody. Need to fix that little injustice, don't I?

"There! Down that alley!"

Drat. And here I was hoping they had already wasted their ammo. My ingenuity kicks in and I leap for the nearest fire escape, quickly climbing the metal ladder just as the group of five - maybe six - armed milita-styled mercenaries come rushing into the area at once. I don't know whether it's that part of my mind that always wants me to leap into the line of fire, but I momentarily consider leaping off of this thing to take them all on. Except that there's also a logical side of me, that part of my mind that I rarely ever use, telling me that the "leap into the line of fire" is literal in this case. So I haul ass up the escape, watching and dodging as the bullets create sparks that slice through the metal.

You know, I could swear I hear the sound of one of them getting a text, just as I make it to the ledge of the roof.

"****, get after her! The boss wants her and the girl!"

My eyes widen as I hear them begin to climb the fire escape aswell.

What on Earth could make them want to chase me across half the city? They know I didn't see anything, and I know that no one in this city's stupid enough to go roof jumping for any man. Unless they happen to wear a mask and cape, that is. And furthermore, I'm getting quite curious as to who their boss is. Someone out to make a quick profit on alot of collateral damage? Distraction, maybe, to take away from something bigger?

Gah, enough with the curiosity, Selina. You know the relation between it and cats.

I make it onto the roof, but unfortunately, the injured foot finally gives way just as I'm about to make it partway to the otherside. It's too painful for me to ignore. I find myself falling, tripping and hitting the ground hard on my side, making it even worse. In agony, I clutch my injury and roll, trying to keep momentum going so that I can get back up as quickly as possible. Which doesn't work, as the pain only increases.

"Ahh! ****! ****! ****!"

Had to take on that crazy samurai woman, didn't I?

Of all the obscene times...

"Well, well. Look at that."

My eyes tearing up from the pain, I manage to glance up with grit teeth as they all assemble on the edge of the roof. Each smiling to themselves, like wild animals who've just managed to bag their meal of the day. Loaded weapons at the ready. I can't help but feel like this is really going to be it, as they all begin to slowly circle me. I don't even bother getting up off the ground. It's finished, I'm done for.

"Looks like the kitty cat didn't land on her feet, eh?"

The rest of them chuckle, aiming their weapons at different parts of my body. The most noticeable target being directly at my head.

"Finish her. Boss didn't say anything about getting 'em alive."

I close my eyes and prepare myself for the worst.

Then something really unexpected happens.

"Keep those trigger fingers handy, fellas!"

The girl - the one that, last I saw, was running for her own life in the opposite direction of me - suddenly appears out of nowhere on a cable and swings directly into the first and second of the men that were going to gun me down. Bullets start flying and I only just manage to roll even farther off to the side, slipping the whip out of my belt and unravelling it for use. Redhead manages to hold her own against them, performing a sweep kick that knocks down three at once and smashing her knee into a fourth's nose.

Okay, seriously. Just who the hell is this kid, and where can I get her moves?

She then swipes a gun away from one of them and bashes the brunt of it between his eyes. Then gives him a smile as he crumples onto the ground, tossing the weapon away behind her. "Uh-uh, that's not very nice. Someone oughta teach you some manners."

Lost in her own gratification, she doesn't see it as one of the ones on the ground retrieves his weapon and aims. I quickly vault forward and lash out with the whip, slapping it hard out of his hand and leaving a considerable mark. He clutches his palm and screams out, leaving me the opening to kick him directly in the face.

The girl looks back and smirks.

"Nicely done."

"Thanks."

I admit that I didn't say that in a very appreciative tone, but I honestly don't know how to feel about this one. She's got moves and she seems to know how to handle them in a fight with armed combatants, but I'm sorry. She doesn't look a day over seventeen. And it certainly doesn't help that she's dressed up in that ridiculous homemade costume.

"Hey, you gonna be alright?"

I look over at her, confused. "What?"

"The ankle. You looked like you were in serious pain."

"Oh, that. Yeah, I'll be... wait a minute! No, I've got something to ask you! Why the hell were you down there in the first place?! You could have been killed!"

Her smile turns into a frown, before that in itself turns into a stern scowl.

"I could ask you the same thing. At least between the two of us, I could've handled my own back there."

I can imagine the shades of red that my cheeks are turning as I angrily look back at her.

"Don't you spin this around on me! I'm not the kid here!"

At first, she's taken aback. Then she places her hands on her hips and growls back.

"Neither am I!"

Yeah, I'm not going to like this girl.

"Wait, hold on. How the hell did you escape so fast? You couldn't have gotten that far from the shop, unless..."

"Oh, she had a little help, in that department."

I spin around, startled by the male voice that comes from the other side of the roof. At first, I honestly believe that despite his comatose state, Wayne managed to pull himself together and return to the night. But no, what I'm greeted with is something far less spectacular.

And it doesn't have a face.

"No hello? Not even a 'How are you on this lovely evening'? I see how it is, attractive cat-lady..."

"Name's The Question. You can call me Question for short. And I'd like to ask you a few of those."

 

[Andy C.]

PREVIOUSLY

Spoiler

"No....this was not meant to be," Brother Blood says, picking himself up from beneath the rubble. "You should have been asleep for the transference to begin....you should not have awakened!"

Blood hurls a blast of dark red fire towards Rachel, who is still surrounded by swirling black. Whatever kind of energy they're throwing around, the stuff coming from Rachel is clearly stronger--it deflects Brother Blood's attack without her even making a conscious reaction to it.

"I said STOP!" she yells, and the swirling black cloud becomes a wave, rushing forward and obliterating everything in its path. I hit the deck and it passes over me, but Brother Blood is caught in it and swept off his feet.

"Aaaaargh!" he shouts, tumbling head over heels before slamming into the back wall.

I scramble to my feet and make my way towards Rachel. Brother Blood is pinned to the wall, but she keeps pouring that inky black energy at him. It washes over him, and he writhes in agony, his costume torn to shreds, his skin peeling off in patches.

"Please, listen to me," I say, getting as close to Rachel as I can without her swirling black force field knocking me back. "You have to stop; you're going to kill him!"

Not too long ago, I had made the decision to take a man's life. I was obsessed with it, consumed by the need to see that man dead.....and it nearly destroyed me. Had Mister Wayne not taken his mask off when he did, I would have ended his life and ruined my own.

I can't....I won't.....let my only friend do the same thing to herself.

"N--....NOOO! STOP!" Blood screams in pain, flickers of red flame igniting around him before being swallowed up by the blackness as he tries in vain to summon his own powers.

"Please, you've got to listen to me," I plead with her. "This isn't a path you want to go down. Believe me."

I'm not sure if she can even hear me; she seems focused on turning her new powers against her kidnapper. Cautiously, I take another step forward, stepping into the black cloud around her.

"Whatever it is he said you are, it doesn't matter! You don't have to be that! You can be whatever you choose to be......but you have to choose to let go...."

I step through the cloud, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Rachel....please.....let go."

Finally, she turns her eyes to me, and blinks. Just like that, the black cloud of energy around her dissipates, and the tattered Brother Blood falls to the floor in a heap. She shakes her head like she's snapping out of a daydream, then stares at me, confused.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Brother Blood pulling himself to his feet.

"This is not over," he snarls. "You will be mine, daughter of Trigon. And as for you, boy....I will make sure you watch our union just before you die."

He raises his hands, and I'm fast on the draw with a net-launcher. However, before the net reaches him, he vanishes in a flash of red flame. I run to where he was standing, but he's gone. Nothing on the thermal imaging either. He's just....gone.

I turn back to Rachel, but when I approach her, she backs away.

"Get away from me!" she shouts, panicking. "I don't know what's going on, I don't know what they did to me, or how I did that. What's happening to me?!"

"I don't know," I say, trying to keep my voice carefully level. "But it's over now. You just have to come with me and we'll get everything--"

"No, no, I'm not going anywhere with anyone," Rachel says, a growl in her voice. "I just....I just need to be alone."

"Calm down," I say, "you just have to--"

"Leave me ALONE!" she yells, and suddenly the inky black energy erupts from her hands, throwing me back.

"Ngh!" I grunt as I hit the concrete floor. Quickly springing back to my feet, I see Rachel propel herself into the air, the black energy stretching out in front of her and ripping apart the roof of the old cathedral.

Stone and metal rains down all around me as I pull out a grapnel gun and fire it upwards. The state that she's in, she's a danger to herself and everyone else in the city.

The line goes taut and pulls me out into the Gotham night as the cathedral collapses upon itself, sending a huge cloud of dust into the sky. Rachel flies through the air, still in a panic, probably not helped by the fact that she's suddenly discovered she can fly and doesn't know how to control it yet. I spread out the folds of my cape and dive off of the rooftop, the cape's memory-cloth going rigid and forming a glider wing as I fall. Pulling up sharply, I follow after my friend through the city streets.

"Come back!" I call after her. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Granted, I don't know what she's doing either, but I'd like to think I could figure out a way to help somehow.

"Get away!" she shouts back, hurling bolts of black towards me, shattering windows and concrete as they burst against the buildings around us. "Don't make me hurt you!"

As I start to lose altitude, I realize that I'm not going to catch up with her simply by gliding; I've got to be able to propel myself as well, or she's going to get away.

I take one hand away from the glider-cape and go for a loaded grapnel gun on my utility belt. I aim for the roof of a nearby building and fire. The shot goes a little wide, hitting the air conditioning unit on the building rather than the ledge, but it will work. I activate the grapnel's winch, zipping me up the line with an alarming speed. As I reach the end of the line, I let go and soar high over the building, giving myself the boost I need to keep up with Rachel.

"You're going to hurt somebody!" I shout again, the wind drowning out most of my voice. "Just calm down, and--"

*BLAM!*

A bright green bolt of energy whizzes past me, clipping Rachel in the shoulder. She spins downward, tumbling out of the sky and landing on the roof of an apartment complex.

I spread out the glider wing to catch more air, slowing my flight so I can land on the same rooftop. I run towards Rachel, but another bolt of energy impacts in front of me.

I look up and see a strangely familiar face.

"I do not wish to harm either of you....but I am putting a stop to this destruction now!"

....and just when I thought the situation couldn't get more complicated.

I'm getting extremely tired of running around the city tonight. I'm getting extremely tired of being completely in over my head, trying to stop one thing I don't understand from happening, only to be interrupted by something else I don't understand.

Mostly, though, I'm just getting extremely tired. Between chasing Brother Blood's cult across town, getting my strength sapped from me by what I really hate to call a "magic" energy blast before actually fighting Blood, and then chasing Rachel even further across town in her panicked flight, I'm amazed I'm still standing.

And I still have to keep my only friend and a stunningly beautiful energy-slinging vigilante from blowing each other to pieces.

"Why can't you leave me alone?!" Rachel snarls, flailing her arm towards Starfire. In response, the inky black energy surrounding her slings forward in a whiplash motion.

"You are causing needless destruction and putting people in danger," Starfire says, flitting through the air as if she were swimming through it, and blasting Rachel's attack apart with energy bolts of her own. "I must restrain you so you do not endanger this city!"

"I'm just trying to get out of here!" Rachel says, the energy around her contracting into a bubble that deflects the incoming counterattack from her redheaded opponent. "Everyone I've met tonight has tried to kidnap or kill me, and I just want to go home!"

Consumed by her fear and her anger, Rachel turns the black bubble into a wall and hurls it towards Starfire. She blasts through it, however, and dives towards her like a missile.

It's now or never, Grayson; you've got to put a stop to this.

Summoning up the last strength I've got in my reserves, I charge into the fray, diving between the two girls, pulling a pair of bolas from my utility belt and flinging one at each of them. Raven's energy field blinks out like a soap bubble being popped as the cables bind her arms to her waist, and Starfire tumbles to the rooftop when the constraint wraps around her.

I hit the deck in a forward roll, stopping flat on my back, gasping for breath.

"Okay...." I say between breaths. "Now then.....can we all please....just....calm down....for a second?"

Both of the girls glare at me as I pull myself to my feet.

"If you don't let me go, I swear...."

"I demand you release me. I do not wish to cause harm, but--"

"Nobody here.....wants to hurt anybody, right?" I say, holding my hands up in a surrendering gesture. Both of them nod. "So.....why the hell are we fighting?"

When neither of them gives an answer, I continue.

"What we've got here," I say, finally catching my breath, "is a failure to communicate. I'm going to let you both go, but only if you can both give me your word that you won't attack each other again. Just....be cool, okay?"

Both of them give me an annoyed look, as if to say "she started it," then after a few moments, agree.

"Fine," Rachel spits.

"I will not attack, so long as she does not attack first," Starfire says warily.

"Okay then....good. Great. Cool," I say, walking over to Rachel first. She bristles when I put my arms around her waist, to get to the tangle where the bola tied itself up, pulling her closer so I can look over her shoulder to see what I'm doing.

"Do you mind?" Rachel growls.

As I untangle the cables, I realize that I could have just walked behind her and untied it that way without the enormous invasion of personal space, and my face goes hot with embarrassment. I back away, clearing my throat, then step behind Rachel and finish untying her that way.

I can't even make eye contact as I step away from her, my face turning about as red as my costume, and walk over to Starfire.

"This is very uncomfortable," she states with an almost robotic matter-of-factness.

"You're telling me," I say, a thin layer of sweat beading on my forehead as I try with all of my might to keep focusing just on the cables, and not on.....everything else. On the smell of jasmine in her flowing red hair. On how soft her tan skin is. On the absolute perfect curves of her bare midriff, or her long toned legs. On the fact that she is, without question, the single most beautiful creature I've ever seen--with the possible exception of Batgirl-- and that I'm just inches away from her.

Needless to say, untying the bola takes a little longer than I wanted, what with all of the.....distractions.

"Thank you very much," she says, her voice a gentle lilting now that the fighting has stopped.

"Yeah, um, no problem," I say, before looking back at Rachel. "I, ummm, I think some introductions are in order. Starfire, this is Ra--.....Raven. Raven, this is Starfire."

Both of them suddenly put their guards back up as soon as I mention their names.

"I wish for you to explain yourself," says Starfire, her eyes glowing bright green. "How do you know my name?"

"We teamed up a few months ago, remember?" I say, confused. "In Chinatown, you and I busted up those gun-runners working for Richard Dragon's Triads. You remember, right?"

She raises an eyebrow.

"That is not possible," she says. "I only arrived here a few days ago."

Now I'm even more confused.

"Wait, what? That's....she looked exactly like you, same powers and everything!"

Starfire gasps.

"My sister! You saw her?"

"I, um....I guess....."

Oh, my God......there's two of her?

"Then she is on this world after all," she says, her voice a mix of both satisfaction and concern, that feeling of being right about something bad. "I pursued this girl because I thought it might have been her, but.....if she truly is here.....I am sorry, but our relationship is....complicated...."

"And what about me?" Raven says, her outrage near the point of boiling over again. "How do you know my name? Nobody knows that name!"

"Oh. Um. Right," I stammer. "I guess I should introduce myself."

It's a bad idea to say my real name out loud in public, but Rachel should know my new identity--after all, she came up with the name.

"Call me Robin," I say, looking her in the eye.

Raven's eyes grow as big as saucers.

"You cannot be serious....." she finally says. I smile weakly and spread my arms in a noncommittal "ta-daa" gesture.

"Okay, now that we all know each other by name," I say, "I think it might be a good idea to clear the air on a few more things. So....where should we start?"

 

[Byrd Man]

Grodd now begins to uncoil and slowly move towards Jesse with the same sad expression on his face.

He says, through telepathy, "Oh foolish girl! I am home!"

His expression changes to that of fear to almost demonic and he uncoils to maximum height. Grodd unleashes his mind-control power over Jesse.

Grodd then says, "Prepare to have your reality altered forever! Kill THE FLASH! NOW!"

Holy crap!

IT'S A ****ING TALKING GORILLA!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Oh my God!" I say, stunned and amazed. "I don't....I...well, I....I mean...I..."

"RARH!" Jesse yells out, attacking me at super speed. I step back and dodge her wild swings. She's fast, but I'm still faster.

"Impulse?! What'swrongwithyou?!"

"KillFlashKillFlashKillFlash!"

I side step her and trip her up with my feet. She falls to the ground and I turned to the...talking gorilla. Or the dude dressed up as the gorilla. Maybe it's CGI?

"Alright, Doctor Zaius, what did you do to my sidekick?!"

 

[Batman]

Somebody tell me what the hell is going on.

I'm serious. Someone please explain to me when, where, and how the world plunged into this downward spiral of insanity. Because it's the only thing I can tell myself to stop from guessing the obvious: that it isn't the world that's gone insane, but that it's really me. Well, if that's the case, I think this is the point where I'd need to be committed, because I'm having an out of body experience that doesn't bode well to justify any claim of a rational mind. Here I am, on a Friday night with nothing to do, standing on a rooftop in a tight leather catsuit in the freezing snow, locked in a staring match between a redheaded teenage Bat-wannabe and a man who's wearing the tackiest looking suit and jacket I've ever had the misfortune of seeing.

And if that wasn't bad enough, he doesn't have any facial features. I'm honestly not sure whether that's supposed to be a mask, or he's just one of those genetically altered super-people from out of town, but it's really starting to creep me out. Yet that isn't even the worst part. The worst part about the guy is that despite any attempts to ward it off through awkward silence, he won't stop talking.

At. All.

"...so I leaped out of the shadows, just as Batgirl here was in a bind, and set off a series of dashing maneuvers that, frankly, everyone should be jealous of. Because they are some seriously dangerous techniques."

Bratgirl, which I'm going to start calling her in place of a name that - as far as I'm concerned, she hasn't yet earned - merely folds her arms over her chest and loudly clears her throat in order to interrupt the yammering idiot. Thank god.

"Really? Because I actually caught a glimpse of those 'techniques'. You threw sand in their eyes."

Eyebrow raised, I look over at the faceless man, who simply shoves his hands in his pockets and looks towards his shoes.

"Well, that's... that's not all I did..."

"Yeah. You also started tapdancing."

"It wasn't tapdancing! It was a ceremonial battle stance. From... India. I think."

Bratgirl gives him an eyeroll. "Whatever. You were so tapdancing. And you weren't even good at it, either."

Finally realizing that I've had enough of this... whatever you'd classify it as, I really don't even care... I finally step between them and push both back, indicating the streets below us. These two want to butt into my affairs? Fine. On this occassion, I'll allow it. But the least they could do is make themselves useful instead of bickering like idiots.

"If I could interrupt storytime for a moment. You two do realize that a crime syndicate just invaded the rural downtown area, right?"

Bratgirl is the first to react to this, walking past me and scoping out the buildings.

"Crime syndicate? What on Earth makes you think that?"

I shoot red a glare.

"Maybe the fact that they've been taking over the local buisinesses left and right? I have reason to believe it started with the hospital, but that area was put on lockdown. Nobody's getting in there. The rest..."

"Hmm. Curiouser and curiouser. What would a bunch of creeps with high-powered rifles want out of random chaos?"

"How the hell should I know? I was about to look into it before a certain adolescent jumped the gun and set off the first attack."

"Hey, if I had known that they were apart of a much larger group, I would have taken on a different tactic. There was nothing to say that this was something bigger than a simple robbery, so I'd appreciate a little less hostility."

I look away. Fair enough point, kid, but I still don't like you enough to apologize. You reek of teenage naivety - not to mention some cheap, dimestore shampoo.

"My turn to interrupt, ladies. Now, I'm no detective... actually, that's a lie. I am a certified detective and I just like the turn of phrase, but that's not the point. The point is if I were to try and pinpoint a pattern to hit up for profit, I'd say that there are a select few buisinesses that they either haven't cornered or are in the process of cornering."

Joining us at the roof's edge, he points out towards a building standing a couple of blocks away.

"Notably, that one. The Gotham City Post Office, one of the only businesses still open at this hour of the night. Less of a hassle to deal with alarms when you've got a staff on hand to hostage up. Logic dictates that they wanna keep the police guessing and chasing loose leads, so the best way to do that is to strike the open businesses first."

Surprisingly, his logic isn't that terrible. They would want to keep a low profile, wouldn't they? And to do it by bursting in on public buisnesses in plain sight, while a few of them trip the alarms across town... it's all actually kind of a sound strategy.

The problem is, the man's assuming that they're worried about the police at all. What if Gordon's unit is lined up in these guys' pocket? Paid off to look the other way, while the guns go about wrecking up a few places. I wouldn't put it past anyone in the MCU, especially after dealing with them on a constant basis. They're the type of scum that would welcome a handout, no matter where the money was coming from. Still, Alfred said this didn't seem to be about money, and I'm willing to believe him. Pinpointing their motive is the key to figuring out how to stop all this.

"I can tell that you're stunned speechless by my brilliant reasoning, so please, let's just get the congratulations out of the..."

"No, actually, you may be wrong. I'm in contact with someone who's seen these guys up close, and the way he made it sound, they didn't seem too concerned with money. These aren't robberies in progress, these are blatant attempts at intimidation. The problem is figuring out who they want to intimidate."

Question defeatedly shrugs off his ill-concieved theory and steps aside, pulling the collar of his trenchcoat up above his jaw to shield himself from the cold.

"Let me guess. Your contact is of the giant, menacing, supernatural form variety. Kinda like a Bat?"

Bratgirl seems to react to this, looking directly to me.

"Wait. You know him? You know The Batman?"

Yes, I know him. Better than either of you hopefully ever will. But I swore to keep his secret a secret, and that's what I'm gonna do. These two don't need to know how much insight I actually have on Gotham's Dark Knight. Or the fact that he's momentarily out of action just when we need him the most.

"I've... come across him, sure. But that isn't who I was referring to. Batman and I don't exactly run in the same circles."

"Consider yourself lucky. Guy's an *******."

"Tell me about it..."

Ignoring the fact that it seems as though Wayne left a less-than-desireable impact on these two clowns, I wrap my arms around my body and begin to shiver off the cold. We're not going to do much good by standing up here and doling out theories about what these people are up to. Now's the time to act, and get this settled before it turns ugly.

"Look, forget Batman. He's not around now, but we are. And I don't really like either of you, but if we stand even a chance of putting these goons on ice, we need to trust eachother for a fleeting second and take them on at seperate points. Agreed?"

The two look at eachother, then back at me.

"Who are you again?"

"Yeah. Not that I necessarily disagree, but I feel like I'm the seasoned professional here. I should be the one to make with the fancy speeches..."

Snarling, I turn around and crack my whip at the air, letting it latch onto a nearby suspended flagpole.

"I'm Catwoman, and tonight, I'm gonna make sure that these streets belong to no one. Especially the mob. You can either join the cause or stay the hell out of my way."

Leaping off of the ledge, I swing up into the air and make for the financial district - which is only about four blocks from where we were.

"Choice is yours."

Maybe if I hurry, I can stop this city from tearing itself apart tonight.

Provided those don't start messing things up any further.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Holy crap!

IT'S A ****ING TALKING GORILLA!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Oh my God!" I say, stunned and amazed. "I don't....I...well, I....I mean...I..."

"RARH!" Jesse yells out, attacking me at super speed. I step back and dodge her wild swings. She's fast, but I'm still faster.

"Impulse?! What'swrongwithyou?!"

"KillFlashKillFlashKillFlash!"

I side step her and trip her up with my feet. She falls to the ground and I turned to the...talking gorilla. Or the dude dressed up as the gorilla. Maybe it's CGI?

"Alright, Doctor Zaius, what did you do to my sidekick?!"

Grodd raises an eyebrow at the Scarlett Speedster and says, "The 'Planet of the Apes' reference I find amusing actually, but unlike those simpleton humans in suits I assure you I am very much real!" !"

Grodd flips behind The Flash and back and says, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Grodd! I have been looking forward to meeting you Flash, and sending you on your way to your final reward."

Grodd then begins to maneuver to higher ground and says, "In terms of your sidekick what I did was a variation of this."

Grodd fires a telepathic bolt at The Flash and says, "Nothing can compare to the power of the mind!"

 

[Byrd Man]

​

Grodd raises an eyebrow at the Scarlett Speedster and says, "The 'Planet of the Apes' reference I find amusing actually, but unlike those simpleton humans in suits I assure you I am very much real!" !"

Grodd flips behind The Flash and back and says, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Grodd! I have been looking forward to meeting you Flash, and sending you on your way to your final reward."

Grodd then begins to maneuver to higher ground and says, "In terms of your sidekick what I did was a variation of this."

Grodd fires a telepathic bolt at The Flash and says, "Nothing can compare to the power of the mind!"

"Ahhh!"

I fall to my knees, grabbing my head in pain. It feels like someone's driving the tip of a steel toed boot into my skull.

"KillFlashKillFlashKillFlash!"

Oh, God...

WHAM!

Jesse connects with a super-speed punch to the jaw. Even though she probably weighs about a hundred and five pounds, the speed and inertia behind her punch floors me. I smack against the floor and lay there for a second, semi-conscious and groaning.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

"Ahhh!"

I fall to my knees, grabbing my head in pain. It feels like someone's driving the tip of a steel toed boot into my skull.

"KillFlashKillFlashKillFlash!"

Oh, God...

WHAM!

Jesse connects with a super-speed punch to the jaw. Even though she probably weighs about a hundred and five pounds, the speed and inertia behind her punch floors me. I smack against the floor and lay there for a second, semi-conscious and groaning.

Grodd leaps next to Jesse looks at her and says, "Stand down my servant."

Jesse takes a step back and stands in an almost Zombie-like trance and Grodd approaches the fallen hero.

Grodd picks The Flash up by is throat and says, "Normally I find touching you sacks of flesh utterly vile, but since I am about to end your life I don't mind it as much."

Grodd begins to apply pressure and says, "I Can feel your pulse. I will take great joy once it stops, and a word of advice when you see the bright light run to it! HA HA HA HA!"

Grood's laugh begins to morph into a primal roar.

 

[Byrd Man]

Grodd leaps next to Jesse looks at her and says, "Stand down my servant."

Jesse takes a step back and stands in an almost Zombie-like trance and Grodd approaches the fallen hero.

Grodd picks The Flash up by is throat and says, "Normally I find touching you sacks of flesh utterly vile, but since I am about to end your life I don't mind it as much."

Grodd begins to apply pressure and says, "I Can feel your pulse. I will take great joy once it stops, and a word of advice when you see the bright light run to it! HA HA HA HA!"

Grood's laugh begins to morph into a primal roar.

"No," I say feebly. The gorilla's grip is like a vice. I gag and struggle for air, kicking in vain. Wait...duh.

I start to vibrate my body at super speed, becoming intangible and slipping through Grodd's grip.

"You'refast,butnotfastenough!"

I land six super quick punches to Grodd's stomach, chest, and head. He can use his cute little psychic attack thingy, but not if he's too busy to concentrate. While Grodd staggers from my blows, I run around the warehouse to pick up speed. I kick Grodd in the stomach with all my inertia and moment, knocking him up into the air.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Pete asks, "What doesn't surprise you?"

The Atom replies, "That the CIA has hired people who are borderline psychos. This guy..." she looks at the name again "Sylbert Rundine makes Charles Manson look well-adjusted and saintly. I mean come on Pete his psych evals have more red flags than all the NFL coaches over the last five years!"

Pete presses a button on his phone and says, "Beverly no phone calls and reschedule my appointments if necessary. I'm gonna be dealing with paperwork for most of the day."

He doesn't even wait for a response as he releases the button.

Pete says, "When our advisories began to get more and more creative we saw the need to start thinking outside the box in terms of our responses and tactics. Rundine was a former Counter Intelligence operative within Naval Intelligence. He has a razor sharp mind, a keen eye for planning an OP, and pretty much no conscience. He was kicked out because some viewed his methods for getting a job done and getting information as rather extreme and, in my view, almost barbaric. He went onto become a part of the Black Lance Mercenary crew until fate somehow brought him to our door and eventually someone else decided to take him off our hands to spare the agency any noticeable trouble."

The Atom says, "I'm afraid to say the name of who took him off your hands.

Pete pulls out another file and pushes it in front of The Atom and says, "You probably can guess it; Amanda Waller. This is the part where it gets complicated for you."

The Atom takes a deep breath and begins reading the file labeled "Dwarf Star"

When she is done she floats up to Pete and says, "So let me see if I got this, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. THE CIA recruits a psycho, Waller takes him off your hands, and then uses a Dwarf Star fragment they found to give him the exact same powers I have and then he disappears. Is that the gist of it."

Pete says, "For the most part let me fill in some blanks for you. Waller wanted you from the get, but realized with your mom around it wasn't going to happen. So she selected Rundine for operation Dragon Fly. He was intrigued by the concept. A killer who can't be caught and gets backing from the U.S. Government it was his dream job. However Waller saw the danger with him."

The Atom says, "Well at least Amanda has some common sense."

Pete replies, "Don't give her too much credit yet. Rather than walk away and keep Rundine under lock and key she tried to use an experimental process. Personality restructuring very risky and not approved by us, but Waller was never one for rules and regs. So she was hoping to create an Ethan Hunt type of operative. Someone who was loyal to the agency but still could think and act on their own. Instead though of getting Ethan Hunt she got Michael Myers. As soon as it was over Rundine found a way to escape and not long after that Waller began to hatch her scheme to get to you. Rundine is now a for hire assassin his price 20 million dollars."

The Atom asks, "Why doesn't he go after Waller? And should we consult her about this situation?"

Pete replies, "They are so much alike he feels a certain indebtedness to her. Call Waller about this? I'd rather sell the Agency and the Pentagon to North Korea. She is out of this and heading up her own covert unit which is fine with me she is off our side of the street. If we call her we might as well prepare for another round of the fox in the hen-house and this time she might be there for good."

The Atom asks, "Pete why are you telling me all this?"

Just then Pete's phone buzzes and Pete answers, "I said no interruptions Beverly."

She replies, "Sorry Director Ross but a certified letter has arrived for you."

Pete says, "Okay Beverly bring it in."

The Atom floats away and hides on a bookshelf. Once Beverly leaves she floats back down and Pete opens the envelope.

It contains a note with the words Always Thinking Of Murder
and a DVD.

The Atom sees the note and says, "That's a message for me isn't it?"

Pete replies, "Yeah. We've got several operatives who were tracking him and they all have died in very mysterious ways, but they all had one thing in common. A note to the body that said Metropolis bound with a letter A, or a T, or an O, or M in it. He wants to take you out Atom."

The Atom sits on a paper weight and bows her head. She looks up and says, "All-right let's watch the video."

 

[Andy C.]

"I would say your coming here would be a pleasant surprise," said Vandal Savage, with a wide beaming smile that one could never really tell whether it was genuine or sarcastic, "But that would imply that I didn't expect it. Still, I am very glad you've come to your senses and joined the wave of the future."

"Charming as ever, Savage," said Doris Zuell, her tone formal and business-like as she eyed the cavernous interior of the Legion of Doom's hidden fortress. "You've got quite an impressive operation set up here. I assume you bought it with the money you stole from the UN?"

"Actually, most of it came from my own pocket," Savage said as they strolled along the polished black floor, past computer banks and holographic displays in an appropriately sinister red. "You would be amazed how much interest can accrue on a few ducats put away during the early Renaissance. The UN money is being put towards other projects."

"Like the job you pulled on the Aswan High Dam," Zuell said, and Savage nodded. "That was quite the impressive display of destruction; I have to wonder how you expect to top it."

"We're just getting warmed up, my dear," Savage said with a grin. "Ivo is working on a cyber-attack that will knock out power grids on the entire Western Hemisphere. Killer Frost is in the process of overloading an ice sheet in the Antarctic Circle that, once it breaks off and falls into the ocean, will create a mega-sized tsunami that will submerge everything from New Zealand to Japan. Zeus will then hit the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva--"

"You're attacking Society-funded targets now?" Zuell interrupted him.

"Luthor has one just as big underneath his tower in Metropolis," Savage said in a placating tone. "While the Justice League may be able to interfere and stop some or even most of the oncoming disasters we have in store, it's inevitable that one or two will slip past them, and the world will be absolutely devastated by their failure. Millions will die, nations will be shattered, and the world as they know it will simply cease to be."

Zuell nodded.

"Then what is the plan after that?" she asked.

"Quite simple," said Savage. "There isn't one. The media labels us as super-powered terrorists, but that's inaccurate. Terrorists use violence and destruction to get what they want. But not us; violence and destruction is what we want."

"If you don't mind my asking, why?"

"Mostly because being confronted with such vast and utter destruction will force humanity to evolve and adapt in order to survive," he said, echoing the speech he gave to the UN after assassinating the Secretary General. "But if I'm being perfectly honest, I'm doing this because, after a few thousand years, it becomes incredibly difficult just to find something to keep yourself amused. The Society wants to rule the world, but I'll tell you from experience that ruling the world is not what it's cracked up to be. Much more entertaining to cast yourself in opposition to the whole thing."

"You're an intriguing man, Savage," said Zuell, a wry smile on her face. "I think I'd very much like to work for you."

"Of course you would," said Savage.

He knew, of course, that no matter what he said, Zuell would volunteer her services to him. After that very loud and very publicized 'falling out' with Lex Luthor, he knew that it was only a matter of time before she came knocking at the Legion's doors. She was still very much under Luthor's command, no doubt sent here to spy on the Legion for him.

Very well, Savage thought to himself. A double-agent can work both ways.

"So," he asked, clapping his hands together, "When would you like to start, and how many people would you like to kill?"

 

[MST3K 4ever]

"No," I say feebly. The gorilla's grip is like a vice. I gag and struggle for air, kicking in vain. Wait...duh.

I start to vibrate my body at super speed, becoming intangible and slipping through Grodd's grip.

"You'refast,butnotfastenough!"

I land six super quick punches to Grodd's stomach, chest, and head. He can use his cute little psychic attack thingy, but not if he's too busy to concentrate. While Grodd staggers from my blows, I run around the warehouse to pick up speed. I kick Grodd in the stomach with all my inertia and moment, knocking him up into the air.

​

Grodd slam onto the concrete floor! FOOM!

The impact creates a small crater and Grodd lays there for a moment.

Underestimated him...won't happen again.

Grodd takes a deep breath and gets to his feet. He tries to act as though the attack had no effect on him.

He looks at the dust and pieces of floor in his fur. Grodd flicks them off and says, "Impressive. So this sack of flesh has teeth. Tell me something Flash are you ready to kneel before Grodd?"

Grodd snaps his fingers twice and there is a low pitch sound.

Grodd says, "You hear that sound. It has no effect on me, but you on the other hand it is in sync with your bio-rhythms specifically your brain waves. If you move so much as 1/4 of an inch then within a matter of seconds this sound will do things to your equilibrium that shouldn't happen to even a worm such as yourself."

With that Grodd begins dancing around as though he were hearing a symphony and says, "I think I'll call this one scarlet speedster bites the dust!"

 

[Byrd Man]

He looks at the dust and pieces of floor in his fur. Grodd flicks them off and says, "Impressive. So this sack of flesh has teeth. Tell me something Flash are you ready to kneel before Grodd?"
​

Grodd snaps his fingers twice and there is a low pitch sound.

Grodd says, "You hear that sound. It has no effect on me, but you on the other hand it is in sync with your bio-rhythms specifically your brain waves. If you move so much as 1/4 of an inch then within a matter of seconds this sound will do things to your equilibrium that shouldn't happen to even a worm such as yourself."

With that Grodd begins dancing around as though he were hearing a symphony and says, "I think I'll call this one scarlet speedster bites the dust!"

"Yeah, well, I call bullsh-"

My body tenses up as I move. My calves and legs freeze, dropping me to the floor. My whole body seizes up and spasms at super-speeds.

"Iiiiiimmmmmppppuuuullllssseeeee," I cry out to Jesse through my clamped jaw. "Hhhhhhhheeeeellllllllpppppp mmmmmmmeeeee!"

 

[MST3K 4ever]

"Yeah, well, I call bullsh-"

My body tenses up as I move. My calves and legs freeze, dropping me to the floor. My whole body seizes up and spasms at super-speeds.

"Iiiiiimmmmmppppuuuullllssseeeee," I cry out to Jesse through my clamped jaw. "Hhhhhhhheeeeellllllllpppppp mmmmmmmeeeee!"

Grodd flips over to Flash and crouches whispering, "She can't help you. If I told her to go run off the end of the dock and stay at the bottom of the bay she would without question. Or to go rob the diamond exchange she would. I own her my very own superhero at my command."

Grodd stands upright and says, "But I'm not without mercy!"

Grodd raises his foot over Flash's head and says, "You hear that sound. It's the sound of your brain ripping itself to shreds. Now let me help you to eternity!"

Grood begins to bring his foot down.

 

[Byrd Man]

Grodd flips over to Flash and crouches whispering, "She can't help you. If I told her to go run off the end of the dock and stay at the bottom of the bay she would without question. Or to go rob the diamond exchange she would. I own her my very own superhero at my command."

Grodd stands upright and says, "But I'm not without mercy!"

Grodd raises his foot over Flash's head and says, "You hear that sound. It's the sound of your brain ripping itself to shreds. Now let me help you to eternity!"

Grood begins to bring his foot down.

Still vibrating and spasming, I feel Grodd's foot phase through my head and hit the floor. He keeps stomping at my head, each time passing through it. He starts to growl and get mad. Out the corner of my eye, I see movement. He's losing his concentration, there fr his grip on Jesse is fading.

Grodd lets out a loud bellow and tries to smash into me again, to no avail.

"("3X2(9YZ)4A")!"

That's when Jesse, free of Grodd's mind control, crashes into him like a freight train. The two tumble across the warehouse and crash through the far wall. During their little spin in the air, Grodd's wide body takes out the machine tuned to my brainwaves. The spasms stop and I stand up, running across the warehouse to where the two of them broke through the wall.