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-------Christmas Eve 2012---------
===The Gotham Royal===
"Remind me why I'm doing this."
Li- Marketing thinks it'll help fix your image.
Sionis- Marketing... What a joke... What's wrong with my image?
...
"Aside from that."
Li- For one, you're not particularly approachable.
Sionis- Good! I don't want calls 24/7!
Li- And you have a penchant for killing people. Which wouldn't be an issue if they weren't *our* people
Sionis- And this party will fix that?
Li- Couldn't hurt. Adjust your bow tie.
Sionis- I'm not going to- Happy?
Li- Quite.
*Li holds the door open, and Sionis walks through into the Ballroom. In one corner, Gaige is laughing about one of his usual fish anedotes, Penguin stands beside him, less than enthused as he slips champagne, wishing he was somewhere else. Tiger Moth smiles weakly, hoping her father will forget about her long enough for her to make her escape.
In another corner, Drury Walker stands beside Gar Lynns, weeping about his impending divorce, as Lynns, unsympathetically, attempts to light a cigarette as discreetly as possible.
Sat by the dance floor, Victor Zsasz tugs on his collar, clearly irritable. It's the first shirt he's worn in a decade. Sat beside him, Edward Nygma attempts to guess the amount of tallies across his body. He's hit by a shrimp appetiser fired by Lawton, who's playing a game of tiddlywinks with his lunch one table over.
The only person who seems content to be here is No-Face, who sits alone, humming Jingle Bells. His lack of lips doesn't seem to bother him that much.
Sionis takes it all in, marvelling at all the vultures he's surrounded by, then pulls Li in close.
"Who the fuck invited Killer "Can't hold a conversation" Moth?"
Li- Must be Lynns' plus one.
Sionis- Right...
...
Sionis- Who invited Lynns?
"Non alcoholic?!"
"I'm sorry, Gar," Walker responds. "But I'm just not in the mood... I mean, why couldn't we just go to Lenny's?"
Gar- Because Lenny's is *also* a bar!
Drury- At least I'm not afraid I'll be murdered there.
Gar- Obviously, you ain't heard what they say about you. ... Look, do you know how many times I had to pester Bookworm to get you here? Now shut up, and get some Christmas spirit down you.
...
"Wait, what do they say about me?"
Walker doesn't receive an answer though, as Lynns is already pushing him through the crowds towards the bar, shoving past a purple clad monstrosity on their way over. The Lightning Bug mumbles a series of expletives their way, while Drury fruitlessly attempts to apologise. "Shoulda just stayed in Drury" he murmurs, as Gar hands him a pint glass of eggnog.
--------Christmas Eve 2014---------
====My Alibi=====
Tonight's showing of "It's a Wonderful Life" is sponsored by Macy's, the newest addition to the Lexcorp family.
"The finest silks, the richest velvets. This Christmas, Macy's is launching their Supervillain range. For the bad boy in all of you. Will *you* go two-toned tonight? Will *you* ask your love the greatest riddle? Will you set *your* heart alight with passion? In store Saturday.
(Macy's and it's subsidiares don't mean to offend victims of supervillainy. If you or a loved one have suffered at the hands of the villainously-challenged, come in store today for a free! Music Meister pin badge!)"!
Ah, commercials... Seems like there's more and more each year. A never-ending barrage of junk... Chuck finishes his eggnog, and nudges Blake's unconscious body.
"Shouldn't have done all that cinnamon, Tom"
Chuck, who wisely refused to partake in the Misfits' new cinnamon snorting tradition (created by Dekker, naturally) glances at Len, now brushing the last of the powder off of the table.
"Merry Christmas, Len."
Fiasko grunts something that sounds vaquely like "You too," before taking out his shotgun, and prodding Blake with its barrel. If asked, he would have claimed it was unloaded. "Wake up, hairball."
Blake- Watizit?
Len- Closing time. There's only so much sentimentality I can take for one day.
Blake- It's Christmas Eve, Len-
Len- And that's why I didn't just shoot you. Get up already. You too, Bug.
Rigger raises his thumb up out from under the counter, and straightens his Santa hat. Blake continues to plead, none of it lands.
Len- You think I want to close up? I have to, before Santa Klaus bursts in, demanding we serve him milk and cookies. Again. Lost some good regulars last time he pulled that.
-------Christmas Eve, 2016-------
====Kringle's Cards and Gifts====
Alison- - And lastly, on Supervillain Slip-Ups, Mitchell Mayo- alias the Condiment King "mustard" been *pretty* embarrassed when, during his attempted robbery of a Big Belly Burger, he slipped on his own cranberry sauce, and landed flat on his face. The embarrassment didn't end there- one annoyed patron proceeded to kick him several times for disrupting their lunch. He must've "relished" that, eh Jack? Back to you.
Ryder- Thanks Alison, and now, we take you to Dean Synder for the weather. Dean?
Dean- Snowstorms are popping up all across Gotham. But these are no ordinary beasts, could it be that the Weather Wizard has expanded his reach as far as Gotham?
"Julian, stop staring at the TV, and pass me that stack of New Year's cards, will you?"
Day frowned. Once upon a time, he would be outside on Christmas, getting up to all kinds of mischief himself. Alas, not today. He pulled his bobble hat tightly over his forehead, and handed his boss the boxes. Not so much as a thank you. Typical. He returned to the till, where he played with a wind-up Nutcracker, amused with the device, when the doorbell chimed.
"Julian!"
Julian- I've got it covered, Mr Ramirez. How... How can I help?
The Joker placed his reindeer antlers onto the desk.
"I'm glad you asked! See, I was on your website, and saw you had a card in stock that read "Sleigh bells Ring," sleigh being spelt S-L-A-Y, love that kinda humour, and I would just *love* to get one sent out to a friend of mine!"
Julian gulped, and prayed that they hadn't sold out.
"Lovely place! I tell you, the things you miss when you're not out and about..."
Fortunately, Day was able to find a box under the desk, and handed him the card. In return, the Joker placed a green and white halibut onto the table, picked up his antlers, and walked out the front door whistling Carol of the Bells. Julian's boss, Mr Ramirez looked at him, and then the counter in disbelief.
...
"Did that louse pay you in fish?"
-------Christmas Eve 2018---------
====The Hall of Justice====
Recognised. Wonder Woman 001. Flash 004. Green Lantern 005.
"Poison Christmas Trees! Poison Christmas Trees! Who does that!"
Ivy- There are plenty of synthetic Christmas trees, but no, humans are only content when they are unceremoniously snuffing out plant life.
Barry- But... I mean, it's cruel, it's diabolical, it's-
Diana- Flash. Focus on the positives. We saved lives tonight.
Barry- It's just... On Christmas Eve? With kids all gathered around the tree, wondering what that big present underneath could be?
Ivy- I wasn't intending to kill them. Only to... irritate them. Make them think twice about chopping down such a unique life form.
Diana- Let us just be thankful we were able to stop anyone from getting hurt.
Hal murmurs something in Flash's ear
Hal- I'm just thankful there's still a few a hours left before midnight... You know what Carol would do if I were late? God, it must be nice to have superspeed..
Barry- It's not as handy as you'd think. Doesn't matter how fast you are, if Abra Kadabra is standing in your way, you're gonna be a couple minutes late, no matter what.
They enter into the monitor room.
Hal- Oh, Bats, it's another one of your villains!
Batman turns around, to greet the new arrivals.
Batman- Ivy. I thought you'd reformed.
Ivy- Unlike you Batman, I keep my word. No killing.
Batman- Hnm. I'm sure you can explain that to Doctor Arkham tonight. I'll make sure she's taken back to Arkham. Securely, this time. Good work, everyone.
...
Hal- Wow, it *really* must be Christmas.
Graflex Super Speed Graphic - Schneider 90 mm f/6.8 Angulon
Kodak Portra 160 processed in Tetenal C-41 (processing difficulties)
Graflex Super Speed Graphic - Nikkor W 240mm F5.6 - Polaroid Back
Fuji FP-100C Silk (bleached negative scan)
---
Base Studies
The meeting of two states; Acid and Base. A chemical interaction of acid sweetness and base aggression.
---
Etudes Basiques
La rencontre entre deux états; Acide et Basique. Une interaction chimique de douceurs acides et d'agressions basiques.
Graflex Super Speed Graphic - Nikkor W 240mm F5.6
Expired Fuji Provia 100 pushed one stop at process in Tetenal E6
This is a rare opportunity folks, as Blur is seldom seen standing still. Possibly the Queen of annoying leg bouncing, Blur is often seen running around town at incredible speed, blowing papers all over the place.
Powers: Superspeed, insatiable appetite (debatably good)
Weaknesses: Short attention span, inability to stand still
Catchphrase: [While poorly multitasking] "See, I can totally cook, watch tv and play videogames at the same time!"
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Entrée Sud, proche rue de Bagnolet 75020
Fujifilm X-M5
7artisans 35mm f/0.95
Kodak Portra 400 V2 (fujixweekly recipe)
SOOC
© Maxence GUILLAUME
Hit and miss
What looks like a bolt of lightening streaks through the streets of Gotham. It winds and twists through the streets, the alleyways, until finally, it settles in the docks. Two figures have been following the bolt: The Amazon, and the Emerald knight. They have a mission. A mission from God. Well, the next best thing. The two figures descend from the sky and approach the bolt, now standing still, but crackling with electricity. The speedforce is a pathway to many abilities, some considered by many as unnatural. Superspeed, phasing, even time travel. Barry Allen, the Flash, knows all these powers well. He calls out to the Amazon and the knight. "This is the place. It's the closest match to the location Nygma gave us".
The Amazon nods and signals the Knight. They rise, before flipping in mid air, and diving into the ground. It shakes, as if an almighty force had struck it.
Cracks form in the ceiling of the base. Then, suddenly, they break open, like wounds, spilling dirt and rocks. The Flash is the first in the room. As always, Barry Allen likes to be the first. He circles the room before slamming on the breaks, sending powerful gust of wind whooshing around the room. The other two, Wonder woman and Green lantern descend, like gods, from the break in the ceiling. They land, their feet gracefully touching the floor, as if they are weightless. They're ready for a fight. The Amazon has looked forward to this. But she is left disappointed. The base is empty, deserted.
"Shit" the knight mutters under his breath. This is bad. He knows how the Amazon gets when facing any kind of disappointment. He takes a moment, deciding whether it is worth speaking, saying that no one is here. He knows that she is one to take out her anger on others. Although he wasn't there, he heard rumours about what she did to Hawkgirl. It is the Flash who is first to speak. "They're gone, took everything with them".
Wonder woman is angry. She has disappointed her lord, and if there is one thing Diana hates, it is failure. She rips her helmet of her head, flinging it to the floor. "Flash, search through that door" she snaps as she steps towards it, fists clenched. She grabs the mighty iron door, at least 6 inches thick, and rips it open, the metal wrenching and squealing as she does so. The Flash zooms through the doorway, or what's left of it.
Throughout all this, Green lantern remains silent. He has decided that the best course of action for him is to remain silent until he finds anything worth mentioning. So, he floats up, and begins scanning with his ring. He knows he'll find nothing, but he scans nonetheless. He floats around the room, his ring making feint blipping noises as it flicks through different modes. Thermal, X-ray, even geiger counter. Nothing emerges. The base has been abandoned for some time.
The Flash returns, racing into a chair and reclining. He has found nothing. There is no sign of hostiles, as he expected. "Nothing, looks like they've been gone for a while, I'd estimate about a week."
Wonder woman clenches her fist, fury burning in her heart. She has failed, and she does not tolerate failure, even her own. She slowly walks back across the room, stooping low to retrieve her helmet, hardly breaking pace. Anger and hatred burning within her, she ascends the steps, towards the doorway. Without warning or expectation, she slams her helmet covered fist into the doorframe, smashing through concrete with an almighty cracking sound. Nygma is a dead man.
usb resting on a cd
The blue USB port is also known as USB 3.0 or SuperSpeed (SS) USB. It was introduced in 2008 and offers a data transfer speed of up to 5 Gbps, which is more than 10 times faster than USB 2.0. In addition, it can transfer data in both directions simultaneously.
==Gaige's Submarine==
It had been twenty minutes since the Tiger Shark had left the submarine and descended into the bowels of the Asylum. Since then, the Walker siblings had received no further communication from the outside world. The boys were sat across from one another, playing with Pokémon cards as part of a flimsily constructed game to pass the time; To his detriment, Simon was only using Electric Types, a fact that, coupled with a series of good bluffs, Axel was using to his advantage. Having spent the first five minutes looking over her twin brother's shoulder, awwing at the wide-eyed creatures that made up his deck, Kitten was now sat by the command console, her brow furrowing as she noticed a single blip on the targeting monitor. Coming in fast.
Unnaturally fast.
Then it was gone; there was no impact, no hole in the hull, just a slight, almost electrical, humming, no louder than a household refrigerator's quiet buzzing, as an unseen spectre passed through the metal walls. Almost unnoticeable against the rattling of the Tiger Shark's vessel. Almost. Kitten reached under the desk, she knew Grandpa Gaige kept an extra shotgun below the table, but just as she found the barrel, a gloved hand grasped her wrist.
"That, is an awfully big gun for such a small girl," its' owner tutted.
The voice cut through the quiet like an axe through bone. His red eyed stare bore into her soul, its' menace matched only by its' accompanying sadistic grin. And as her eldest brother watched on, frozen, it was like he was back in that bathroom.
"I will squeal. Really loud," Kitten warned, her defiance doing very little to mask her terror.
"Try. You'll find it's awfully difficult to make any sound with a hand through your vocal chords," Thawne responded, his free hand vibrating inches from her throat.
A globule of snot-like green slime shot out of Axel's gun, narrowly missing Thawne's head at it splattered across the back wall of the sub, sizzling away at the metal plating. Thawne lowered his hand, fascinated to see what the siblings' next move might be. "Get lost, asshole," Axel demanded, his hand gripping the handle of his Snot Gun.
Thawne's beady eyes shot between him and his brother, his smile never faltering, even as he released his hand from Kitten’s wrist. "Ah, good. You're short one, but I'm glad the rest of you made it here, safe and, well, perhaps not 'sound.' How old is the youngest now? Four? Five? I've been gone for a while, time... Well, let's say it ran away from me. You'll have to forgive me."
"Never."
Thawne glared at Axel with a newfound, if brief, respect. "Hm. Isn't this nice? The spawn of the Anti-Batman vs the progenitor of the Reverse-Flash dynasty. Do you know what your exhibit in the Flash Museum says, 400 years from now? 'Born to a criminal father, Axel Walker was a delinquent tag-along to the notorious gang of Rogues, never quite achieving the same level of fame as his mentors Captain Cold and Heat Wave. Using another man's title, another man's tools and another man's costume, he did little to leave his mark as The Trickster. Following his premature death, no one else dared take on the mantle.' Just something to look forward to." With that, he turned to Simon, now aiming his own pistol at the Professor, beads of sweat on his brow. "You can put down the gun, 'Lightning Bug,'" he chuckled dismissively. "In this metal hearse, you'd only be killing yourselves. Unless... I've misjudged you. Unless you'd cook your own siblings just for a chance to finish me off," he grinned, goading him with sadistic pleasure.
No, of course he wouldn't. His father's son through and through, Simon's arm dropped to his side. Limp. Deflated.
"No, I didn't think so," Thawne smirked at him triumphantly.
Axel however, stared back, stone-faced. He wouldn't rise to Thawne's taunts with another juvenile response. Not after everything he'd done. He killed his brother. He was helping Joker, putting his dad through god knows what. Now he had Kitten. He had his sister. There was a time for games, for tricks. But this wasn't it. That, was what their dad taught him. He pulled the trigger and... nothing.
Thawne yawned, placing a snot canister onto the table beside him, and smiled. “Ha. Tricked you.” Sure enough, Axel checked his gun: empty. Seizing her opportunity, Kitten ran, reaching the relative safety that her siblings provided, and wrapping her arms across Simon's torso. Thawne, of course, had let her. Whether she was one foot or twenty away was irrelevant, if he'd wanted her dead, he would have killed her already. He would have killed all of them already.
He hadn't, of course, and that worried Simon more than anything else. He reached into his utility belt, and retrieved a small remote, awaiting Thawne's twisted explanation:
"Come now. You're no good to me dead. Not yet. Not here. Not when I can simply... wait an hour and rip what remains of your father's heart from his chest. Your dear old dad will break free of Billings' little lightshow. He may be an idiot, but he's a tenacious one. And call it an old professor's intuition, but I have little faith in the ability of a washed up, drunken D-Lister to keep him docile. No. No, your father should bear witness to your deaths. Simon knows the merits of a well-executed execution, don't you?" Thawne asked. He walked towards them slowly, purposefully prolonging the game, like a cat playing with its prey. Red lightning crackled beneath the sole of his boots, rattling against the metal floor.
Simon swallowed, finally noticing Thawne's belt. Red, with a circular dial in the center. "That belt... That's how you survived. How you're back. You killed Krill-"
"Oh, nothing so crude," Thawne scoffed. "Abner is, however, soaked in multiversal energy. Why, he could almost be mistaken for a speedster, all those tachyons floating around him... And the Speedforce is no more all-knowing than the early AIs of the 21st century, struggling to identify traffic lights and road signs and fingers."
"So you traded him for your freedom."
"That's right. With The Polka Dot Man serving my eternal sentence in the Speedforce, I was able to slip away, free of consequence. But perhaps I’ll send you there to keep him company. How does that sound?"
"Sounds like a load of poop!" Kitten shrieked, standing in front of her brother like a shield.
"Kitten, don't taunt him!" Simon warned her.
"I don't think you quite grasp the concept of superspeed," The Professor cocked his head in a pitying manner, then shot behind her. "Stupid, girl."
Kitten smirked. "Nah, I do, I just wanted to get you in position."
Simon pressed the remote, and twin blast doors shot out, sealing Thawne in the brig, but only for a moment; The siblings sprinted forwards, using their minimal headstart to pull the hatch open and lower the ladder; they didn't have long, seconds at most, but hopefully that was enough. Thawne was already phasing through the doors, neglecting the belt, perhaps out of pride. Kitten went first, then Simon. Axel went last, as but soon as he reached the top, Thawne gripped his arm.
His prosthetic one.
With a press of a button, Axel released it, dropping it and Thawne to the floor. The Professor smiled in amusement. Then he noticed the beeping.
"Tricked ya."
The resultant explosion tore a hole in the sub; seizing his chance, Axel emerged from the top hatch, wet and down an arm, but otherwise unharmed, joining his siblings on the shore. Even as the sub was swallowed by the sea, there was no sign of Thawne, although none of them ruled out an unseen, speedy exit.
"You have a bomb in your arm?!" Kitten gasped, at last, as she picked sand out of her hair.
Axel, rubbed the base of his stump, a slight smile on his face. "Had, yeah."
~-~
Drury was sat in a waiting room, surrounded on all sides by Gotham’s wayward souls. Garth, bless him, stayed with him as he waited, however his presence alone did not fully allay Drury’s stress. As he sat there, all he could think of was the poor souls with broken minds brought here out of desperation and necessity. Since he’d taken office, there had been improvements in poverty rates, crime, unemployment... But no matter how hard he tried and how many bills were passed, there was always going to be some people that slipped through the cracks. Drury sighed. If only there was a place they could go to, a proper psychiatric clinic, like an asylum-
Drury looked up: The waiting room was empty; it was just him and Garth, as it always had been. And everything he was troubled by, his doubts and concerns, had faded away quicker than the memory of a once-vivid dream.
“Ah, that’s us,” Garth turned his head towards the opening door and Drury’s stomach lurched. The back of Garth’s head was, well, it was gone. His scalp was torn open, his skull was fractured and the mashed remains of his brain were poking through the open cracks. It was like he’d fallen from a great height, and landed head-first onto solid ground. “Sir?”
“Coming,” Drury shivered, as he rose from his seat, unable to look Garth in the eye. The room was empty, but those doubts were once again swirling around his troubled mind.
~-~
Drury’s foot tapped against the floor involuntarily, synchronised with the ticking of the grandfather clock positioned behind his psychiatrist’s bald scalp. Scratching the back of his hand, again, subconsciously, he finally spoke up: "The visions, Doc. They're back."
The doctor leaned forward, his fingers steepled; a beam of sunlight bouncing off his tinted-red glasses. "Have you pondered the significance of such hallucinations, Mr Mayor?" he inquired, in a tone that implied curiosity rather than empathetic concern.
"Sure, it means I'm losing my mind; that's unexpected," Drury said bitingly.
The doctor smiled, politely, not warmly. "I see that, if nothing else, your wit continues to occur, Mr Mayor. Consider this, you see these horrible visions, because you truly believe that you don't deserve your success; the adulation of your public, the love of your family, the loyalty of your friends; so, your brain manifests these illusions as a form of punishment. Imposter syndrome is well documented, I have numerous patients suffering it, but none have symptoms quite as dramatic as your own."
“And Batman?” Drury asked, worried what an imaginary, black-clad figure of the night might say about him.
The doctor rose from his desk, tucking in his chair, as he walked towards the large window on his left. “Ah, yes. The superhero of your daydreams. But look at this city. Do you think we need a protector, dressed in a cape and cowl, diving off rooftops?”
Drury stayed seated. “I don’t know-“
“No,” the doctor cut him off firmly, sitting back down and adjusting the golden nameplate on his desk; embossed in large black letters was the name ‘Professor Hugo Strange,’ a name that Drury swore meant something else to him in another life. “The Batman is merely a manifestation of those same fears. You fear you’re not doing enough to help the city, so you have invented a guardian to cross the lines you can’t.”
Drury's eyes widened, as blood dripped from the doctor’s eye onto the papers below. A cracked glasses lens denoted the place a bullet had entered Strange’s skull. Isolated and afraid, Drury scrunched his eyes shut. Soon, Strange’s words were drowned out by a melodious whisper in his ears and, when at last, Drury reopened his eyes:
There was no bullet. There never had been.
"My suggestion,” Strange finished. “-Is that you take a drive; somewhere, anywhere, where it is just you and nature. Where you can think and reconcile with the part of yourself that believes your victory is unearned, false."
==Metropolis: The Bowman Estate==
As the group of five made their way through the dusty, abandoned halls of Bowman’s Manor, Nygma never failed to indulge himself in one-sided, self-gratifying conversations, even if the rest of the party would have preferred he didn’t. “Interesting, isn’t it?” he mused to Kuttler, softly caressing the barrel of his gun as he reminisced. “The last time we were on the same side, we held a truce to stop Cobb. And here we are again. Poetic, almost. And you, William, you were Cobb’s right hand man.”
“My alternative was death,” Tockman rolled his shoulders. “So, yes, when the offer arose, I chose time.”
“The last time we were on the same side, Sionis executed my daughter, a crucial piece of ‘trivia’ you withheld to ensure my cooperation,” Kuttler frowned, disputing Nygma’s recollection. “And while you were playing parlor games, I was severing his connection to 17 missile silos. I am a man of science, Edward, just as you claim to be. I would not expect you to be swayed by arbitrary coincidence.”
“I can’t help it if I see patterns, Noah,” Nygma exhaled. “It’s always been one of my greatest assets. However, there remains one riddle that I still can’t figure out. How did Drury Walker sway you to his side?”
“He didn’t,” Kuttler sighed, removing his violet-tinted glasses and wiping the lenses with a matching cloth. “Thomas Blake did.”
“The Catman?” Nygma giggled. “Come now. You were a married man, last we spoke.”
“Don’t.”
“Why not?”
The glasses were back on, hiding Kuttler’s puffy red eyes behind purple glass. “Do you want the honest truth? Because, despite subjecting me to an obscene amount of innuendos, Thomas Blake was the first person in three years to offer his condolences. But I shouldn’t be surprised by your apathy. You never were above murdering children to make your point.”
Nygma raised his palms in the air, at last relenting. “Poetic,” he repeated, quieter this time.
"Jesus, I’ve heard less bickering from the bleeding Gallagher brothers," Jenna muttered under her breath.
As they at last arrived at the library, Nygma raised his cane, brushing along the worn out spines of Bowman’s collection, until he arrived at Long and Awdry’s book, ‘The Birmingham and Gloucester Railway.’ Like he were hooking a rubber duck at a carnival, Nygma pulled the book forward, and the bookcase retreated into the wall, revealing a tight shaft. He clapped his hands together, and ushered Mayo forward.
"Ah, Mr Mayo," he spoke in a palpably patronising drawl. “I do believe your skills are required,” he beamed, as he wrung his hands together.
"Really?" Mayo asked, inhaling a bubble of snot back up his nostril as a demonstration of his commitment to their mission.
Nygma nodded, and promptly shoved him through the awaiting opening. As Jenna moved to intervene, voicing her protests, Tockman raised his arm in front of her, blocking her path. Concurrently, as Mayo plummeted to the bottom of the shaft, Nygma pricked his ears up as he recorded his descent and the subsequent impact made by his landing. "16 feet," he concluded with a satisfied smile.
Jenna and Kuttler both glowered at him. Tockman, meanwhile, stifled a chuckle beneath his clock-like helmet. The coup de grâce came when, shining a light from the base of his cane, Nygma announced to the others that: "Oh, silly me. There was a ladder!"
Massaging his bruised backside, Mayo looked up as the others joined him at the bottom. “How did you know I wouldn't die?” he asked Nygma at last.
“Hm? What's that now?” Nygma asked airily, answering Mayo’s question in an indirect way. “I took a, shall we say, 'calculated' risk. You are, after all, the least valuable amongst us.”
“Least valuable?” Mayo gasped with tear-filled eyes, his chin wobbling.
“Surely; The ranking goes myself, Noah, Tockman, the woman and you.”
Nygma paused for a second, as he savored the hurt expression on Mayo's face. "Oh, I see. They give you a brand new costume and teach you to wear your underwear on the inside and you think you're part of their team? Their star quarterback who passes gas instead of pig skin? No. No, I'm afraid not. You're their mascot. Didn't you know that? I wonder, if there is even a brain between your wax-laden lugs."
"Hey, it’s alright,” Jenna promised, tenderly wrapping her arm around Mayo. “You didn’t break anything, did you?”
Mayo shook his head, his head retreating into his shoulders like a hurt child's. “I don’t think so.”
“Ignore his mewling. We don't need him,” Nygma warned.
“Listen!” Jenna rose to her feet, wiping the dirt off her knees. “He saved our necks at the Royal. With a cart of sauce and pure determination. So, cut him some slack, you... knobhead."
Kuttler raised an amused eyebrow. It wouldn’t have been his chosen insult for Nygma, and he certainly had dealt out quite a few over their shared careers.
His cheeks red and his pride bruised, Nygma took a deep breath. "That speaks less to his strength, more to your weaknesses. But have it your way. A jar of gherkins won't stop Cobb."
~-~
Drury exited his car, slightly perturbed; he wasn't sure what exactly had brought him here, to this place of rolling hills and cheery townsfolk. Professor Strange said he needed the fresh air; Gar told him he needed to face reality. So here he was, wherever here was.
He slid down the riverbank, and frowned: a man was standing in the water, ankle-deep; his shoes were cast aside, and his trouser legs had been rolled up; he was dressed in a white shirt and a black waistcoat, which matched his distinctive bowl cut.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone else would be here," Drury apologised.
"It's alright," the man nodded, skimming a stone across the water. "Plenty of river for the both of us."
"Right," Drury agreed, nodding. "I'm Drury," he introduced himself, twirling the strap of his lanyard around his finger. "Drury Walker."
"I know who are," the man responded briskly, tossing another stone. "What brings you out of Gotham, Mr Mayor?"
"Dunno... Suppose I fancied a drive." Drury paused, finding it odd the man had not yet introduced himself, and odder still that a man who lived two hours away from Gotham recognised him by his face alone. He certainly didn't know Bludhaven's Mayor.
"Well, here's as good place as any," the man nodded once more. "I like to come here sometimes. To think. To escape. To cast aside the pain and regret and just... take a moment, to take a breath, to take it all in, because it won't last. None of this," he finished, a solemn resignation in his words.
Drury leaned in closer, intrigued now; he rolled up his sleeves, and picked up a small pebble of his own. "Missed the sign coming in, swerved trying to avoid a trucker... What's this place called?"
"You never could see the signs..." the man whispered under his breath, as he tossed a final stone, the biggest yet.
"Havenrock."
Drury’s brow furrowed. Why did that name ring a bell? The man had stopped throwing stones, his gaze diverted by a figure stood on the other side of the river.
The sun in his eyes, Drury squinted, as he struggled to make out the figure. It was an orange silhouette without any discernible features, as though perpetually out of focus. The almost-person stared back, or at least it appeared to; it didn't have eyes, but a black swirl in place of any facial features. Drury had thought, or rather hoped, it was just an art installation, but the hairs on the back of his neck were telling him otherwise.
“You had better go,” the man exhaled, a slight bitterness to his tone that hadn’t been present before. “He doesn’t like it when you go off script.”
~-~
The first thing Nygma spotted, as they entered the bunker proper, was a metallic skeleton sprawled across the floor; using his cane like a crowbar to pry the head loose, Nygma picked the metal skull off the floor and stared into its hollow eye sockets. "Alas poor Phillip, I knew him well."
"I knew him," Kuttler responded.
"Yes, I'm aware,” Nygma answered back.
"No, the line is "Alas poor Yorick, I knew him." No 'well.'"
"He's 'no' well,'" Jenna gestured at Nygma, whispering to Mayo in an attempt to comfort him, who in turn sniffled appreciatively.
"Yes, perhaps I was mistaken..." Nygma replied with a pursed smile, hot air escaping his nostrils.
"Perhaps," Kuttler returned his smile. He tapped the far-most wall with his knuckles, privately noting that it wasn't as reinforced as the others. Lexcorp engineering at its’ finest... He stepped back, and rejoined the others at the center of the room.
“I think he’s… hibernating,” Jenna hypothesised, gazing at the huge cluster of monitors. Cobb’s ghostly silhouette was present on the screens, but dormant, as though he were sleeping.
“That means he's drawing all his energy to Arkham. Good, now's our time,” Kuttler nodded, seating himself behind the center keypad.
"Those look like DNA strands," Tockman observed, gesturing to one of the smaller monitors.
"They are. Cobb's genetic structure has been completely digitised. I think I should be able to alter the command chain, feed in the cancellation code. On auto, he's not going to notice until it's too late,” Kuttler keyed in a few basic commands, then reached a lock screen.
"Nygma, that's you. You're up. Nygma?"
No response. He was probably still sulking about his Shakespeare misquote. Kuttler exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose before asking again.
“Nygma.”
No sooner had Kuttler swivelled his chair around, did a loud bang fill the room. The chair, moved back. Kuttler’s lilac shirt turned red. He slumped forward, and when he could stay upright no longer, he hit the floor, and his glasses shattered. And holding the smoking gun, a victorious grin on his face, was Edward Nygma.
“Riddle. Me. This. What do the dead dream of?”
“Mein gott,” Tockman gasped, his native tongue slipping through. “What have you done?”
“An excellent question, Mr Tockman. And I do so like questions,” Nygma replied, his gun still raised.
“What are you doing?!” Jenna protested.
"Apologies for the subterfuge, Noah, I perhaps over-emphasised your usefulness..." Nygma smiled, obnoxiously raising his voice to drown out Kuttler's gurgled gasps for breath. “In actual fact, I would be as dim-witted as, well, Mr Mayo over there if I were not to peruse this fabulous new library you've found for me. What Cobb knows; I'll know. And Cobb is connected to every computer, phone and database on the planet. Account numbers, passwords... Nuclear codes."
“Mr Kuttler, it’s gonna be OK,” Mayo panicked, in truth, trying to reassure himself more than he was Kuttler, as he attempted to stop the bleeding with a stack of paper napkins.
"No, it won’t be," Nygma teased, leaning on his cane as he watched Mayo’s farcical attempt at a medical operation. “Oh, sorry about your daughter,” he scoffed, adding insult to injury. “But it’s just like I said. Poetic.”
“Please, Mr Kuttler, please be Ok” Mayo begged. Kuttler was now muttering something about walls, barely coherent as the blood began dripping from his mouth.
"WOULD YOU STOP INTERRUPTING ME YOU INTELLECTUAL TOADSTOOL?!" Nygma shrieked. The cane swung forward and hooked itself into Mayo's cheek, carving into his face. "Where was I? Ah, yes- I was TRYING to bid farewell to the only man who ever matched my intellect. Will you let me gloat?”
Kuttler spat a mouthful of blood from his lips, his cheeks drained of colour, as he battled with his failing body to deliver a final message to his opponent. “You’re not... You’re not as smart as you think-”
“You’re right,” Nygma frowned, leaning in closer to his years-long nemesis. “I’m smarter.”
But Noah Kuttler never heard him. If he had, he would have surely lectured him on the illogical fallacies behind his last remark. Instead, he had died with the satisfaction that he had wiped that smug, arrogant smile off of the Riddler’s face. If only for a moment.
"You murdering piece of shit-" Jenna spat, adopting a fighting stance.
"Oh, please, don't insult me, Ms Duffy,” Nygma rolled his eyes. “I am not about to engage in fisticuffs with a 100 pound girl.”
"Funny, was gonna say the same about you,” she glowered, her fists raised.
Nygma’s smile faltered, just for a second. “Oh, Mr Tockman? I'd say it's time you partnered with someone who appreciates your talents. Wouldn’t you?”
Tockman looked at Riddler, at Duffy and Mayo, and then at Kuttler’s body, sprawled out on the floor in an ever-growing puddle of his own blood.
"Don’t-" Jenna warned, her eyes red.
“Apologies, frauline,” Tockman sighed, bowing his head, as he took his place at Nygma’s side.
Nygma smirked, with triumphant vindication. "Oh, and just so that you're aware, my cranium is completely phallus-free."
Graflex Super Speed Graphic - Nikkor W 240mm F5.6
Expired Fuji Provia 100 pushed one stop at process in Tetenal E6
The Suicide Squad's first mission was to intercept a buy between a wealthy bussiness man, and a crook. Everything went to plan, until the Suicide Squad saw what the delivery was: a fully fuctional Amazo Android, which had just been activated.
1130 PM, Hamburg, Germany. A Warehouse at the docks.
As the lid of the box fell to the floor, the Amazo Android stood up. Steve Trevor reacted quickly by shooting at his head, but it proved inafective, as the Android had Superman's powers.
Steve: "Crap, everyone get back, don't get too close! Boomerang, get Augustus out of here!"
Captain Boomerang: "Sure thing, Trev! You guys enjoy fighting Mr-Gonna-Destroy-Us-All-Android!"
And with that Captain Boomerang grabbed Augustus and took off.
Deathstroke: "Cold, Freeze his arm, Trevor, keep his attention!"
Ice came out of the end of Captain Cold's arm, right at Amazo's left arm. Trevor kept firing at Amazo, but with no succes. Deathstroke ran at Amazo, one of his Swords in one hand, and a small grenade in the other. Suddently a bright red stream came out of Amazo's eyes, right at Trevor. He quickly ducked, just by the last second. Deathstroke threw his grenade, but Amazo, using Flash's Superspeed, catched it. But only a second later Captain Cold's Ice stream hit Amazo's left arm, freezing it emediatly. Just then a BEEP came from the grenade, and it exploded. Deathstroke had made some modifications to most of his Armory, and he had made some modifications to this grenade. So the explosion was Two times as big as it would have usually been, actually blowing his arm off. Amazo screamed, and his Lazer Beam turned towards Deathstroke. But he saw it coming, quickly ducked and started running.
Deathstroke:" COLD! Think you can quickly make an Ice wall ?"
Captain Cold: "Sure, why ?"
Deathstroke: "Make one and take Meinhardt behind it, 'Mazo's beam'll come around soon! Trevor, take Cover!"
Trevor quickly rolled away as Cold grabbed Meinhardt and made a wall of Ice between him and Amazo, just as Deathstroke ran past him, followed quickly by Amazo's beam. The Ice wall barely held it's own against Superman's heat vision, but Cold kept the Ice coming, making sure the beam wouldn't pass.
Deathstroke: "Floyd, you still there ?"
Deadshot: "I'm still here Slade, enjoying the action."
Deathstroke: "You got a good shot at Amazo's head ?"
Deadshot: "Sure, why ?"
Deathstroke: "When I scream now, shoot it! Just don't ask!"
Deathstroke threw some sticky blue stuff (another invention of Slade's) at Amazo's head, wrapping itsef all around him, even stopping the beams to come out soon. Deathstroke quickly threw himself to the floor.
Deathstroke: "FLOYD, NOW!"
Deadshot had his shot lined up, and was just waiting for Deathstroke's call, emediatly he took the shot. The bullet didn't penetrate Amazo's 'Skin', but it set off a a few sparks, which ignited the blue stuff into a fireball which completly destroyed Amazo's head. The now life-less body of Amazo fell back into the box. Trevor got up.
Steve Trevor: "Go--- Good job team...."
He activated his Comm link.
Steve Trevor: "Waller ?! We destroyed the Amazo."
Amanda Waller: "Is it still in one piece, can some of our Scientists make some tests with it ?"
Steve Trevor: "Well.... um... as long as they don't need the head, beccause that is pretty much none existent...."
Amanda Waller: "...."
Steve Trevor: "Waller ? You still there ? Right, guess not. Team, let's move out, won't be long until Police or something like that'll turn up. Safe House B everyone, incase we have to split up."
____
Okay, first off: I'm sorry that this is so late, I had been meening to upload it, but I just never got around to actually finishing the desc. and all, so again: my apologizes. And if you look at the date this pic has been taken then yeah.... :P
Well anyhoo, I will try to continue these stories on a weekly basic if possible. :)
Hope you guys like it. :D
Graflex Super Speed Graphic - Nikkor W 240mm F5.6 - Polaroid Back
Fuji FP-100C Silk (bleached negative scan)
---
Base Studies
The meeting of two states; Acid and Base. A chemical interaction of acid sweetness and base aggression.
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Etudes Basiques
La rencontre entre deux états; Acide et Basique. Une interaction chimique de douceurs acides et d'agressions basiques.
TEP Ménilmontant, La Terre d'Écologie Populaire Ménilmontant est un équipement urbain / jardin public collectif du 11e arrondissement.
Fujifilm X-M5
7artisans 35mm f/0.95
Kodak Portra 400 V2 (fujixweekly recipe)
SOOC
© Maxence Guillaume
Before I tell you story you need to believe in the impossible. Have you done that? Great. My name is Barry Allen and I am the fastest man alive. My mother was murdered when I was 11 by a man In yellow suit. My father went to prison wrongly accused of killing her. I was hit by lightning almost 5 years ago, I went into a coma and woke up 4 years ago last week, with a new found power of superspeed. Now this man in yellow I have never met, but one night I felt like I was being watched I went to the window and guess what I saw? Yup, the man in yellow. Anyways Wally still hasn't answered any of my calls, ever since him and Linda started going out I haven't seen him as much. I turn to my good friend Cisco, he has been helping catch these metahumans that have been terrorizing the city.
“Hey Cisco! I had a date with Iris, let me know if there is an attack.”
“Alright! Have fun, but not to much fun.” He winks at me as I speed out the door. Iris West is Wally’s aunt. They haven't talked much since Wally isn't my student anymore. I have trained him for 3 years. He wanted to go off on his own. He got a new suit and he took off with the Titans he still lives in Keystone City, and I see him on a regular basis, but it hasn't been the same without him. Anyways Iris looks amazing tonight.
“Hi Barry,” she smiles at me as I sit down.
“This is a nice place. How did you get a reservation?”
“I know some people.” We start laughing.
“Barry, robbery at Central City bank!” That's Cisco.
“Iris I-”
“It's ok Barry. Go.”
“I am so sorry. I guess I will use that rain check.” I smile at her and she smiles back. I can never tell if she likes that I am the flash or not.
“I'm on it Cisco!” I run to the bank. I don't even have to go in before a man comes running out with a submachine gun rapid firing and whatever he sees.
“Hey!” He turns to me just as his chest freezes. Captain Cold walks out from behind him.
“I didn't really need him. I knew if it was just a simple minded robber you wouldn't come prepared for me.”
“So you killed him?!” He shrugs.
“Look, there are four bombs placed around the bank you can go save the bank and everyone in it, or you can catch a flaming truck about to run into city hall. But you can't do both.”
“Yes he can,” I turn around to see Wally. I can tell Snart is just as surprised as I am to see him here. He quickly freezes the ground in front of him a runs.
“You get the bank I got the truck.” He says to me as he speeds off. I run into the bank grab all the bombs and run them out into ocean and come back to help Wally out the flaming truck out.
“Wally! You run down to city hall and clear everyone out of the building! I will put out the flames. When your done come back a remove the wheels.”
“Got it.” I run about 500 meters I front a the truck and start spinning my arms creating a vortex the takes out the flames. I take off the first two tires while Wally comes back and takes off the rest.
“Just like old times Barry.” I smile at him.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Alright guys that's issue one let me know what you thought about it also would like to know what villains I should bring in!
December 24th
“Lullay, thou little tiny child, sleep well, lully, lullay. And smile in dreaming, little one, sleep well, lully, lullay.” A man in his mid-30’s sings, attaching an arm to the left shoulder.
“Oh sisters two, what may we do; To preserve on this day. This poor youngling for whom we sing, sleep well, lully, lullay. Farewell, lully, lullay.” He grabs two eyeballs, wiping the dust before pushing them into a head resembling that of an exoskeleton.
“Herod the king in his raging, set forth upon this day. By his decree, no life spare thee, all children young to slay. All children young to slay” the song is drowned by the sounds of an electric screwdriver screwing on some ominous mask onto the head.
“Then woe is me, poor child, for thee; And ever mourn and say. For thy parting, neither say nor sing, Farewell, lully, lullay. Farewell, lully, lullay.” He presses some buttons on the endoskeleton’s chestpiece before sealing it with screws.
“And when the stars fill darkened skies, In their far venture, stay; And smile as dreaming, little one, farewell, lully, lullay. Dream now, lully, lullay.” He lets out a smile before walking to the railings, where out the window, reveals dozens of Superman action figures being loaded up into trucks and driving off.
“And now,” He pulls out a controller from his left pants pocket before pressing a button. “Is the Toyman’s time to shine.” He remarks, letting out a smirk.
--------------------------------------
Metropolis
“I’m home!” I could hear Lois yell out from the living room.
“Welcome home.” She hangs up her coat and looks around the living room, the chimney lit and the tv playing It’s a Wonderful Life.
“Nice setup, Clark.” I give a warm smile.
“Why wouldn’t I give my loving wife a warm welcome.” She gives me a quick peck on the lips.
“Where’s Jon?”
“He’s sleeping, he told me he wants to wake up early to meet Santa.” She lets out a laugh.
“That silly boy, I remember when he tried that with the tooth fairy.”
“Yep. I had to spend an hour calming him down explaining why the tooth fairy didn’t exist.” She rolls her eyes.
“Like you’re perfect?”
“I am Superman.”
“Pfft, shouldn’t count.” She mutters before we share a small laugh.
“So how about you pick a movie while I get leftovers and some of Ma’s homemade eggnog.” I head to the kitchen to open the fridge and I hear the sound of a door opening.
“Is that you Lois?” I ask loudly
“What?”
“Are you opening a door?”
“Clark what are you talking about, I’m still here.” I look back to see her still at the couch.
“Then who?..” I rush up to the second floor with Lois right behind me, I stop at the end of the hallway to see Jon’s door slightly opened. I fully open the door to see Jon still asleep in his bed with something small at the end of his bed. What looks to be, an action figure of me? One that immediately turns it’s head and it’s eyes glow red.
“Oh no. Get ba-” Is all I say before it flies right at me, causing me to fly against a wall, it lands a small but hard punch at my cheek. I grab it by the body and throw it as far as I can, breaking the window as a result. I look to Jon, still sleeping.
“Good thing he’s a heavy sleeper.” I pick him up and take him to Lois.
“Go to the bedroom and lock the door, and make sure to call Maggie.” I grab and put on my suit in an instant.
“What are you planning on doing?” She asks. I look back at her.
“What I usually do, now stay safe.” I open the broken window and take off. I feel a harsh pull on my cape, throwing me into the ground. I get up in an instant as it’s eyes glow and shoot it’s laserbeams at me. I dodge before it flies right at me. I attempt to disable it by grabbing it’s body again, but it uses it’s strength push against my grip. I’ve got very few options. At the last minute, I use my freeze breath, causing the functions in the action figure to be immobile. I throw it at the ground at superspeed, breakng it in an instant.
“Just to be safe.” I huffed out.
“So an action figure tries to kill me, most likely made by Toyman. Which still leaves a few questions.” I suddenly hear tons of sirens
“Well one of which was just answered, and of course it was the one I was hoping wasn’t going to be answered.” I fly off to follow the sirens.
2002
I wake up from my exhausting rest.
“Hey kiddo.” I hear from my side. I turn to see a good friend that I met a while back who’s been letting me take the guest bedroom. A bar owner named Bibbo.
“Hello Bi-Bi-Bobbo.” I stutter out. He gives a soft smile.
“It’s Bibbo, but I’ll let it slide, kiddo.” He gives me a light pat before getting back to cleaning the bar. I’ve been hanging around the bar since I made it to Metropolis.
“Want something?” He asks while wiping the table.
“No thanks B-Bobbo.”
“Again, it’s Bibbo.” But he shrugs it off.
“How about some TV to pass the time?” He grabs the remote and starts flipping through channels, I notice something from the Metropolis news channel.
“N-News.” He looks at me, slightly confused before flipping back to the news channel.
“People are in an uproar at the upcoming election with Clay Irons competing with current CEO of LexCorp, Zeiko.”
“LexCorp. You’d think after the founder goes to prison, the company would be gone.” Bibbo scoffs at the mention of the company.
“I’m surprised it hasn’t died yet.” I ignore him and keep watching.
“We got to talk to one of the electees, Zeiko himself.” The reporter then walks to him.
“So Zeiko, what can you tell us about this election that’ll be different compared to the others?” He chuckles before replying.
“All I can say is, it’s gonna be one hell of a surprise.”
“Could you elaborate?”
“Apologies, I must be going.” He says before heading inside the building.
“Well you heard it here folks! Be sure to tune in next week for-” He flips the channel to an airing of Dexter’s Labratory.
“Sorry kid, wasn’t a huge fan of tha-” He stops when he notices my gaze.
“You okay?” He asks, shaking my shoulder, causing me to get out of my daydream.
“Sorry, was reminded something.” Something tells me whatever Zeiko was referring to, it’s not gonna be good.
“Me have to go now. Me be back soon-ish.” Before I’m able to leave, I hear him shout.
“Two o’clock ” I turn back to him.
“I’ll be closing by then.” he finishes before walking to the back.
“Thank you B-Bobbo.” I leave the bar.
-------------------------------------------------------
I arrive at the facility, wearing a purple costume a nice lady made for me that has an odd belt. I walk inside the facilty, which seems almost abandoned. And yet, the electricity seems to be working, by my guess, it’s like it was abandoned on purpose. I suddenly hear the sound of a car arriving, and then a flash, within seconds, I run as fast as I can with my superspeed to get out of the building before it explodes. I’m about a dozen feet from the explosion
“I’m surprised you’re still alive.” I hear near me. I get up to see Zeiko himself. With someone who looks to be wearing the same clothes I was wearing years ago.
“I gotta admit, you’re stonger than you look. Very bizarro looking, but who am I to judge a book by it’s freakishly deformed cover.” I stand up, eyes aimed directly at him.
“P-Psycho!”
“It’s Zeiko, eh, but it doesn’t matter at this point.” He snaps his fingers, gesturing the boy towards me, with great speed, he pushes me at a tree, grabbing me by the neck and giving me a hard uppercut, sending me through several trees and far up in the air. He finishes it off by flying at me, grabbing me by the neck and throwing me right into the ground, leaving a small crater. I attempt to get up, only for him to grab my head and slam it back into the ground.
“You d-don’t d-do this. Y-You need not to do.” I say, trying my best to stay awake. He tilts his head slightly, he shrugs off the confusion and attempts to finish me off with a harsh jab. I roll to the side just before the impact hits me and use my heat breath to throw him off for a brief seconds before I fly as high as I can away from him. Unfortunately, I’m not fast enough as he grabs me with both arms around my body and pulls me down into the ground, crashing into a half-dozen trees. I stumble trying to get up and find him on the ground, unconscious. I look closer to see a small black pellet on his neck. I accidentally grab it too hard, shattering it. I turn to the sounds of people getting closer, I glance back at his unconscious body.
“Darn it.” I mutter out, grabbing his body and carrying him with me out of the woods.
Graflex Super Speed Graphic - Schneider 90 mm f/6.8 Angulon
Galaxy Hyperspeed Direct Positif Paper with sepia and gold toning
Graflex Super Speed Graphic - Schneider 90 mm f/6.8 Angulon
Galaxy Hyperspeed Direct Positif Paper with sepia and gold toning
S.H.I.E.L.D. CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT Level 10
Director and Need-To-Know Personnel Only
S.T.R.I.K.E. Team Lima-Operation Trigon: After-Action Report
Agents Assigned:
James Montgomery Falsworth, Level 8
Lance Hunter, Level 8
Eugene Thompson: Level 7
Objective:
Retake the S.H.I.E.L.D. Cargo Vessel Hammond from Mercenaries led by rouge ex-agent John Garrett.
File
Thompson: You guys aren’t gonna tell me what the 084 is? Really?
Falsworth: Mate, there isn’t a way to describe it. You’ll see, ok. We’re approaching the drop zone. Hunter, check in with Juliette, see where they are.
Hunter: Hell no. You do it yourself, Montey.
Thompson: What’s the problem with Team Juliette?
Hunter: My bi--
Falsworth: Ex-wife. It’s the “Avengers” STRIKE Team. Black Widow, Hawkeye, Mockingbird, and Captain America are all on it.
Hunter :Na, mate, Captain America is out searching for his mate Bucky. I got a friend up in the Arctic, they say they found a left arm up there that they think is his.
Falsworth: Man, if Bucky’s still kicking, my family might be the only one from the War that got old!
Thompson: So, you guys know, like, the Avengers?
Falsworth: Flash, When you work at S.H.I.E.L.D. you meet the Avengers. A lot.
Hunter: Helps when Montey has an in with Cap.
Thompson: What kind of “in”?
Falsworth: My family is a family of soldiers. My Great-Grandfather was MIA in the Great War, well, officially anyway. He died, but they had some bad records back then. Whatever. My Grandfather was in the Second World War. He operated under the Howling Commandos as Union Jack. That’s how we know Cap. We’ve got huge ties to those heroes. Hell, you know that Android, the Human Torch?
Thompson: Isn’t he with the Fantastic 4? And, I thought he was human.
Falsworth: Na, mate, the old one. The original. He saved my Aunt Jackie’s life through a blood transfusion, gave her superspeed. The list goes on. My dad even took up the name “Union Jack” during his time with the Howlers under Fury.
Thompson: Why don’t you?
Falsworth: Because my dad, my grandfather, they sure as hell were more deserving of the name than me. We’re at the Drop Zone. Let’s go.
Thompson: It’s not Venom. It can’t be. Venom didn’t arrive until recently. And he’s the only one who’s been to Earth. I mean, his, uh, kids, descendants, yea, that, were, um, born here. It’s not one of them. We’re fine. But, if it is, I mean, what it did to Spider-man, Peter, or, well, they are the same, but, this “secret identity” thing is confusing. But, what it did to him, to Eddie, I hope it’s not. I really do. Deploying parachute, ok, good, good, landing on the deck. Pull out my MP7, and we’re moving.
Falsworth: I take point, as usual, as we advance across the deck. Our main objective is the cargo hold, which is on the other side of the boat, 3 floors down. Only stairs are on the port side, and we landed on the starboard side. Not gonna take a lift, that’d be suicide. X-Ray is the “Suicide Squad”, not us. Whatever. We come across an enemy patrol, and I motion for the team to halt. We take our picks, and execute. 3 down. I motion to Hunter, and he gets out the ties. We rope up the bodies, and tie them to the boat. Not disrespecting them buy dumping them in the water, but still keeping them out of view. Good, time to move on.
Hunter: After we hide the bodies, we move towards the cargo entrance. Fury went to great lengths to keep this thing secret. When we get there, it’s not even there. It makes no bloody sense! Montey enters in the keypad or something, and we all go through a hidden trapdoor in the boat. The door must have been a whole meter thick, and it was solid steel! We close it up behind us, and Montey turns on the lights. We sweep through the cargo hold, before we get to a secret room. A secret room inside of a secret room, more accurately. Hope the damn door doesn’t explode on us or something.
Thompson: You’ve got to be kidding me. You’ve got to be kidding me!! Why?! WHY?! Of course it’s a freaking alien Venom like thing. Why?! Great. Well, at least it’s secure. Right? Right?
Thompson: You’re kidding me, right?
Falsworth: Nope. Sorry kid. The squishy nature of it creep you out?
Thompson: No. It’s an alien parasite thing! Like freaking Venom!
Falsworth: What do you mean? What do you know about that?
Thompson: Crap…
Thompson: The Venom thing in New York? It’s like an Anti-Spider-man.
Falsworth: And you think that this thing is the same as “Venom”?
Thompson: My friend, he was, uh, taken over by Venom. I saw it, once. It looks just like that. The form, the movement, everything.
Hunter: Great, bloody great. I saw that thing on TV once. Not pretty. You know how to kill it, mate?
Thompson: No. I mean, maybe. I know how to incapacitate it, and I guess it could be killed in the same way.
Falsworth: Alright then. Hunter, radio--
Hunter: I swear if you ask me to radio my ex-wife one more time…
Falsworth: Just call them, Hunter. Maybe you’ll end up talking to Barton, or Romanov.
Hunter: Fine.
Falsworth: Thompson knows more than he’s telling us. S.H.I.E.L.D. never released any info about Venom to anyone. No-one could have see it’s un-bonded form that we don’t know about. Fury doesn’t miss anyone. Ever.
Fury is gonna be so disappointed in you three. Letting him down like this. But whatever, it’s not like I care. I’m just happy I can finally be whole again.
KAAAAAABOOOOOOOOOOOM
END FILE
Outcome:
STRIKE Team Lima was found incapacitated by Team Juliette, with the primary objective missing.
__________________________________________________
Yea, so, this is a bit late. I’ve gotta stop putting deadlines up, I keep failing to honor them. Anyway, back to the original format. I think it’s for the best. Build isn’t anything super special, but hey, it works. Expect more to come soon!
Also, I have a build and a custom done to showcase, so I’ll likely post the next S.H.I.E.L.D. after those are up. Thanks for viewing, if you all enjoyed! If not, well, then still, thanks for viewing.
Graflex Super Speed Graphic - Schneider 90 mm f/6.8 Angulon
Galaxy Hyperspeed Direct Positif Paper with sepia and gold toning
-^- Central City Hospital -^-
"J-Joe?"
Barry's half lidded eyes stared at the bald man, fast asleep in a chair. His gaze shifted to his arm, catching the IV. It was only then he realized he was in a hospital bed. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to move, and it felt like he'd been jumped on by a gorilla.
He then caught sight of Jay, standing outside the room. He opened his mouth to call for him, but the words came out strangled and breathy. Raising his hand through the pain, he snapped his fingers, sending a small burst of air to tap the window.
Jay turned to the noise, immediately rushing into the room. The sound of the door opening and closing awoke Joe, who immediately leapt to a stand.
"Barry!" Joe shouted, grabbing onto the blond's hand, breathing heavily. "Barry what… what the hell happened to you!?"
"I… dunno…" he lied, struggling to speak. "Everything… was a blur…"
"You… you could've… " Joe started, stopping himself with a deep breath, squeezing Barry's hand tighter. "You're lucky Flash was around."
"Sorry… Joe… hurts to talk…"
I… just… just rest, son," Joe mumbled, letting out his breath. "Just rest."
Barry looked to Jay, but his eyes struggled to stay open.
"Listen to your father, kid," Jay said, nodding to Barry. "You can rest a bit."
Barry wanted to stay awake, tried to, but his body betrayed him. His eyes fell shut, sending him into a deep sleep.
-^- West Household, 2 days later -^-
Joe entered the house, rubbing his tired eyes.
"Hey dad," Daniel said, waving to his father from the couch. He sat with a cup of coffee on the table and textbook in his hand.
"Shouldn't you be at CCU?" Joe asked, tilting his head to the side.
"I would be," Daniel said as he stood from the couch, closing the textbook and walking over to his father, "if it wasn't Saturday. You've been running nonstop since Barry was in that accident… he didn't come back with you?"
"No… The Flash, the old one… he offered to have an old friend check him out," Joe mumbled, hanging his head on the rack, along with his coat. "He wants to make sure what caused the accident wasn't…"
"A meta attack," Daniel said, placing his hand on his father's back and leading him to sit on the couch. Daniel stared at his father. He'd seen him overwork before, for much longer periods than this. It was different now though. His eyes didn't just look tired, but terrified. "Dad, you okay?"
"I'm fine," he said. "Just tired is all."
"You don't look 'just tired' right now," Daniel replied, catching the trembling of his father's hand.
"Daniel, believe me-"
"Dad, you don't have to lie to me."
"What if it was Eradicator…"
Daniel froze at the name, a cold chill running down his spine. His father's eyes screamed in fear, his breathing was harsh and unorthodox, and his skin looked cold to the touch.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, he reachout out, rubbing Joe's shoulder. "Dad, it wasn't," Daniel said, taking a deep breath. "They said he was likely hit by a truck… you know that's not… not his way of doing things."
"I-I know… Daniel, I just," Joe paused, lowering his head. "What if it was? What if instead of Flash finding him broken and bloody in the street, he was just a pile of ash. Would he have even found him? Would one of my son's just disappear with no knowing of whatever happened to him?"
"But it wasn't Era… erad…" Daniel paused, closing his eyes and calming himself down. "It wasn't h-him… he hasn't made an appearance since the new Flash arrived… he's a ghost dad… one that you shouldn't live every moment being afraid of."
"I know I shouldn't… but…" Joe stopped, rubbing his eyes. "I'm sorry Daniel, I didn't mean to..."
"You don't have to be sorry, dad," Daniel said, smiling at the older man. "This time of the year… it's hard on all of us."
"It doesn't matter, you shouldn't have to see your father like this."
"And you shouldn't have to hide away your emotions just to look strong for us." Daniel replied. "I promise you, anyone would say you're the strongest man in the world."
"Nah…" Joe chuckled, "that's you… and Barry… and August. The three of you have all gone through so much and you're all still so good. You know the saying, all it takes is one bad day? You three show me that it isn't always true. You show me what it truly means to be strong."
Daniel smiled, leaning in to hug Joe.
"We learned from the best."
-^- Keystone City -^-
Barry walked into the Garrick household, smiling slightly at the grey-haired woman who bore a worried frown. "Hello… Mrs. Garrick," he said, waving to the woman.
"Barry," she mumbled, grabbing his hand and guiding him to the couch. "I told you not to call me that, I'm Joan."
"Right, right… my bad," he said, sitting down and leaning his head back. "Jay… what happened back there?"
Jay took a seat in the reclining chair across from the couch. "Edward Clariss… the Rival happened," Jay said, staring down at his hands. "He's… he's the most dangerous villain I've ever faced."
"He was… so fast…" Barry said, taking a sip from the glass of water Joan had brought him. "It's like everything was moving in slow motion compared to him… even me."
"He's faster than before…" Jay said, shaking his head, "so much faster than the last time."
"You… don't sound sure…"
"That's because… that's because I killed Edward Clariss 30 years ago," Jay said, staring at the picture of him and Alan sitting on the fireplace.
"What? Jay I thought… I thought Mardon-"
"Mardon was…" Jay said, pausing as he sighed. "Clariss was different. That's what I told myself for a very long time. That he was a monster, who's addiction took every ounce of humanity he had. I told myself no prison could ever truly hold him… and that someone needed to end him…"
"Addiction?" Barry asked, tilting his head to the side.
"Velocity 5… it was a chemical combination similar to the one you, Wally, and even myself were affected by… except it was crude…" Jay said as he stood, grabbing a notebook and pen from the side table.
"The metagene is something every human possesses. A single strand of DNA that is never completely alike, even for people like me and you," Jay explained, drawing a double helix on the paper. "While every human may have one of these metagenes, not everyone can activate it. Only a small percentage of people do, whether it be from birth, trauma, or outside conditions. Wally was lucky that he didn't have a defective gene… if he did…"
Barry breathed a sigh of relief. "So… you're saying Clariss used this V5 to activate his gene?" he asked, leaning forward in his chair.
"No, Barry," Jay mumbled. "Clariss' metagene was defective. He used my blood to create V5 and give him artificial speed… but the side effects were… taxing."
"And you… you killed him?"
"I thought I did…" he said, tossing the notebook onto the coffee table and leaning back, hands rubbing his temples. "It was the day I left the Justice Society… I was ready to…" Jay paused, closing his eyes, "I was ready to end everything. I'd killed a man… then told myself I was just. If it weren't for what happened in Zandia I would've taken my own life."
"Jay… you told me that saving everyone is an impossible task… and that sometimes we make the wrong call even if we think it's right," he said, leaning forward.
"It was my job to-"
"We aren't gods, Jay…"
Jay's eyes widened, staring at his protege.
"That's what you said right? That sometimes we will stumble… but we just have to get back up?"
"Barry you just…" Jay started, pausing and looking down, a tear slipping from the corner of his eye. "You… Wally has a pretty good teacher ready for him…"
"What can I say?" he asked, smiling at the man. "I learned from the best."
Jay chuckled lightly, before his mouth flatlined. "Barry… there's something I need to tell you… about Clariss."
"I'm all ears."
"It… he… you and your brother Malcolm; the two of you used to play baseball, right?" Jay asked, looking up at Barry.
"Huh?" Barry mumbled, nodding his head. "I-I mean, yeah… I don't think I've ever mentioned it though…"
"You had a chore list posted on your fridge… you made beds and cleaned toys while your brother helped in the kitchen…"
"Jay… how do you?"
"When I first made contact with you… I saw their murders, your mom and brothers," Jay revealed, closing his eyes. "It was… some kind of Speed Force memory link? I'm still not entirely sure, but he was there that day. He murdered them, then flaunted it in front of you."
"Wh-What?" Barry asked, dumbstruck.
"Clariss killed your mom and brother," he said again, sighing. "I don't know why… or what drove him to do so… but I watched it happen."
"N-no…" Barry mumbled. "You're wrong… it wasn't Clariss."
"Barry, I'm so-"
"Listen to me, Jay!" Barry yelled, grabbing the older man's attention. "I… I've lived that day every single night for the past 15 years. Tripping off the bus, running past the sprinklers, helping Ms. Thomas carry in her groceries… the creak of the slightly opened door." he explained as his hands shook. "He was… he was like a black and red mist, one that was made up of pure darkness and hatred and fear… but for just one moment, one single second that he used to raise his bloody hands and taunt me, the mist disappeared… and I saw him for what he was…
"A man in yellow."
"Yellow?" Jay asked, an eyebrow raising.
"It was only for a second, but I saw yellow… and black and red," he explained, sighing as he looked down at his shaking hands. "What you said, it's true. The chores, baseball… but I know what I saw, even if everyone in my life has told me otherwise."
"I… I have no reason not to believe you," Jay said, leaning forward, "especially not with the way Clariss was."
"What do you mean?"
"He-"
"Jay!" Joan shouted, causing Jay and Barry to both shoot up from their seats. The two entered the kitchen, spotting Joan who stood staring out the sliding door.
"What's wrong?" Jay asked, stepping up next to her.
It was then he saw the message burned into their lawn, the flames glowing in the black of night.
Greystone Park. Your Rival.
Barry turned upon seeing the message stepping out of the kitchen and towards the front door. "I'm going," he said, a look of determination on his face.
"You can't fight the Rival, Barry, he's too strong for you," Jay said, following after him and grabbing onto the blond's shoulder.
"I don't have a choice, Jay…" Barry said, turning his head back to his mentor. "I can't just let someone get hurt."
"You think I want that to happen?" Jay asked, letting go of Barry and stepping towards the display stand holding his old costume. "He's too strong for you alone…"
Barry's eyes widened. "Jay, you don't need to do that," he said, shaking his head. "You put down the helmet for a reason…"
"And maybe if I never did…" he mumbled, opening the glass of the case, pulling the helmet down, "maybe I could've prevented things that happened. I could've helped the Mardons, stopped the Eradicator, maybe even this man in yellow…
"Besides, I'm not letting you finish my fight," Jay said, placing the silver helmet on his head. "Not without me, at least."
Barry smiled slightly, nodding at the man. "Then let's do this, Flash."
"Not just yet," Jay said, placing a hand in front of Barry. "We have one more stop first."
-^- Central City, Greystone Park -^-
Barry stepped into the park, his fingers sparkling with lightning. Sat on the fountain, one leg perched, was Clariss. His smile stretched across his face as Jay stepped up next to Barry, fully adorned in his classic costume.
"For someone with superspeed, it sure took you a while to arrive… and it seems you've brought a friend," Clariss said, hopping off the fountain and rolling up his trenchcoat's sleeves. "Not that it matters to me, I'm not afraid of ghosts."
"This ends here, Clariss," Barry said, narrowing his eyes at the villain. "I'm not gonna let you hurt anyone."
"Do you include yourself in that?" he asked, red lightning sparkling around him. "If you are then hahaha… you shouldn't lie, Barry."
"How are you still alive, Clariss?" Jay asked, taking a step forward.
"How are any of us still alive?" he fired back, shrugging in a mocking manner. "It just means we haven't been killed properly. You should've taken after me, Garrick…" he said, his gaze shifting to Barry, "I made sure Nora and Malcolm were dead before I left."
Barry's fists clenched tight and his teeth grit together. His green eyes narrowed, gold sparkling across them. "I know you didn't kill them, Clariss," he said, letting a harsh breath from his nose. "Lying about it won't do you any good."
"Why would I lie?" Clariss asked, bringing his hand to grasp his chin. "If I recall, Malcolm wore white pajamas with little fire trucks all over them… his blood hid the design pretty well, if I say so myself."
Barry's lip quivered, his breath stuttering. Jay placed a hand on his shoulders, squeezing him lightly. "Barry, calm down…" Jay mumbled, his eyes shifting to Clariss, who stood smiling. "Like you said, it wasn't him."
"Nora had a nice smelling pot of soup on the stove," Clariss said, gaining both heroes' gaze. "I should've left her alive a bit longer, she seemed like a woman who'd make a great soup, can you attest to that, Barry?"
"Shut… up!" Barry screamed, blitzing Clariss.
"Barry, no!" Jay shouted, watching as the boy ran at a smiling Clariss. Taking his helmet off, he flung the metal like a frisbee.
Clariss caught Barry's dashing punch, raising his arm to strike the hero down. His head whipped to the side, using his open hand to catch Jay's helmet instead. Barry took the opening, pulling his fist free and sweeping at Clariss's legs. The villain reacted quickly, zipping back, just out of Barry's range. Shifting his head to the right, he moved out of Jay's swing, the blast of air that followed nearly taking his head off. Holding Jay's helmet with both hands, he swiped upwards, knocking the golden age hero off his feet. Barry rushed forward once more, sending a flurry of punches at Clariss, each missing their mark. Raising his arm, he deflected a strike, sending it into Jay's now standing form, knocking the man back down. Clariss raised his foot and slammed it into Barry's back.
Barry hit the ground hard, Clariss' supercharged kick likely breaking one of his freshly healed ribs. Jay reached a hand out, helping to lift him from the ground. Barry looked at Clariss, who's smile hadn't moved an inch.
"Barry, you need to keep your head in the game," Jay said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know more than anyone how easy it is to let him get under your skin… but you can't let him. We just need to hold out a bit longer."
"Y-yeah…" Barry mumbled, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, right. Hold out."
"Are you strategizing... in front of me?" Clariss asked, pausing before he began to loudly cackle. "That is… truly amusing… especially since you haven't laid a finger on me."
"You're as cocky as ever," Jay said, patting Barry's back and turning to the hooded man. "It's always been your downfall."
"I'm much different now, Garrick."
"I've noticed… you don't twitch anymore," Jay said, taking a step forward. "Why is that?"
"So you've become a detective in your old age?" he asked, Barry noticing the way his smile faltered for a moment. "Anything else you've noticed with those keen eyes of yours."
"Not really… Clariss…" Jay said, taking another step.
"You say my name like it's something special."
"Am I saying your name?" Jay said, eyes peering upwards. "Or someone else's? Let's find out."
"What are you-"
Clariss turned his head, eyes widening at the glowing ball of yellow energy speeding towards him. He tried to move, but it was too late, the blast striking him in the chest and slamming him into the fountain, causing it to crumble.
Barry looked up at the open window of the nearby building, spotting Eddie, hands glowing with yellow electricity.
"So, he's calling you?" Eddie asked, sitting at a newly installed booth in Vulcan's Veggies. "Last two times you've fought, Barry ended up in the hospital… and you…"
"Yes," Jay mumbled, looking down at the ground. "It'll be different this time though. Before I was… clouded by anger and fear, I felt responsible for every life he'd taken. This time… this time I won't be alone."
"Mr. Jones, we know that you swore off ever using your powers again, but…"
"You need me…" he said, standing from the booth and hobbling towards the backroom. "I told myself I'd never use that curse again."
"We understand if you can't, Eddie," Jay said, frowning slightly as Eddie entered the room. "Believe me, I-"
"I told myself I'd never use my powers… and yet," he said, exiting the room with a pair of black gloves with silver trim on, "until I met Barry and was brought back into all of this… I hadn't truly smiled since… not since I lost my baby girl."
"Eddie…"
"I've sat out the fight longer than you have. I've watched the JSA fall, I watched you lose hope…" Eddie said, sparking his hands with electricity. "It's about time I did something with this curse."
Jay smiled at Eddie, tipping his helmet to the man standing on the rooftop. Eddie gave him a small salute, before retreating into the building. Jay turned to Barry, his smile flattening. "Let's get him, kid," he said, Barry nodding as the duo neared the fountain.
Clariss sparked with yellow lightning, groaning as he pushed himself to a stand out of the shallow water. He panted, hood falling down and folding behind his neck. "I'll admit…" he mumbled, messy blond hair flowing in the wind, "that was a good plan… I'm impressed you could land a hit on me."
"I thought something was off," Jay said, eyes narrowing at the man.
"I thought… didn't say Clariss was a college professor?" Barry asked, staring at the man. "An older one at that? He almost looks like me."
"It's not Clariss…" Jay mumbled, watching as the blond man's smile spread across his face. "I'd thought something was strange back at Eddie's when he first attacked… and especially now. Velocity changed him, his skin was a veiny grey and he twitched with each slight movement. His hair was black too… who the devil are you?"
"Ah, right," the man said, his voice shifting from the gruff, booming tone it had been to one much lighter, but still filled with the same dark malice. "I'd gotten so used to being Clariss… I kinda forgot I wasn't."
"What's going on?" Barry asked, looking over to Jay. "Where's Clariss? Who are you?"
"Oh… Clariss has been dead for what… 30 years now?" he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I tend to lose track of time that isn't my own.
"So he did die that day…" Jay mumbled, looking downwards.
"If Clariss is dead… then who the hell are you!?" Barry asked, watching as the mysterious man smiled. "And how do you know my name… what happened to…"
"C'mon, Barry," he said, vibrating his body rapidly, "Don't go acting like you forgot, you just told Jay about me before you got here."
Barry's eyes widened as the red trench coat and black uniform faded, revealing a bright yellow suit with black and red highlights. The cowl mimicked his own, only an inverse of the colors, as did his chest and lightning emblem. Red lightning sparkled off his body as the vibration stopped, showcasing his glowing red eyes and devious smile.
"Y-y-you…" Barry stuttered, pointing at the man with his mouth agape.
"Me."
----------------------------
NEXT TIME: Menace of the Reverse-Flash!