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Inglorious

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Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Fri Apr 12, 2013 10:22 pm

Chapter 1: TV Rots The Brain


Darkness. Pitch black and nothingness. All one would see on the TV set, no men, no women, no cameras. Just darkness. Unsettling darkness with a just as unsettling quiet. Until a voice cut through it like a well-crafted blade.

"Welcome to World News with G. Gordon Godfrey." The voice prompted several spotlights to come on, revealing a large desk. A TV monitor shot on, images of several cities shown. Gotham, Tokyo, New York, Metropolis, London. Finally, the source of the voice stepped into view.

He was an average sized man, a redhead possibly in his mid-30s or early 40s. The carrot topped man wore a nice black suit with a nice red tie, an air of confidence surrounding him. There was a reason why he had highest rated news show on Fox, in America, possibly the entire world at this point. He knew how to speak to people, he knew what they wanted to hear, he knew how to say exactly what they didn't want to hear, but keep them listening.

"I apologize for my rather bleak, rather dark opening to tonight's show. But, it's fitting. Darkness and suddenly light, but this darkness came just as suddenly as my light." Godfrey said as he paced the stage. "Tomorrow Superman will be speaking to the world. He'll be speaking not as Superman, but as the boy who fell from Krypton."

"Yes, Krypton. Space. A planet far from Earth, a planet where they breed supermen, no pun intended. Superman is not like us. He isn't Human. He hasn't had to deal with what we've had to deal with!" Godfrey exclaimed, "When he is faced with a gun he is not at risk. But, when you and I meet the barrel of a gun our lives are possibly coming to an end. We cry, we think of those we love that'll we never see again, that will never see us again so full of life." Godfrey paused, the silence once again filling in the empty spaces for him.

It was nothing but truth. People witnessed it. It was all over the news, all over the internet. Superman could take bullet after bullet and all he had to show for it was a little dirt on his alien skin. Superman was stronger than Humans, he molded him as a champion of Humans.

Godfrey could almost hear the people across the country asking themselves one very important question.

"When will Superman turn and treat us like bugs beneath his red boots?" Godfrey asked the viewers at home, "I for one don't want to-..."

"I was watching that!" Augustus said as he tried to look around Raquel to see his TV, the young woman was working with the fact that Augustus couldn't see through her. "Yeah, you were watching that of all things." Raquel noted, "G. Gordon Godfrey is opposed to people like you. He doesn't want you here." Raquel said.

Augustus was a large African-American man, standing at about six feet and five inches. He was muscular, appearing to be a man who kept himself in shape. Raquel was possibly his opposite, a short, slim African-American woman.

"It's just television." Augustus told Raquel as he stood up from his seat, "Yeah, well, TV rots your brain. Even complex alien brains." Raquel retorted, making her way through the large Gotham City apartment towards the bathroom. "Don't turn it back on." Raquel ordered Augustus as she stepped into the bathroom.

"Bruce invited us to a party, I want to get there on time." Raquel said firmly, shutting the bathroom door. "I'll be ready." Augustus would be ready after he finished watching his program. He waited until he could hear the shower running, reaching out to turn his TV back on.

"...and on top of that they can look like us! They can talk like us! What other aliens are among us?" Godfrey asked as the program continued on the TV screen, "They destroy. The aliens destroy. Does anyone remember the alien Lobo?" Godfrey asked, looking around the set as he awaited an answer.

"Does anyone remember the carnage he left in his wake? What about Mongul and his Warworld? Do we suddenly forget these things before Superman and the Justice League postponed the carnage?"

"I don't see Mongul in chains, I don't see his grave. He'll come back, they always come back. Batman allows The Joker to return. Superman allowed Zod to return. Does anyone remember how close we were to kneeling before him?" Godfrey asked, "There are ways we begin to combat the alien menace."

"The aliens can register, become documented. They can go home. They can be sent home. They are not wanted if they won't play by the rules. But, I admit, I don't want them at all. Call me a bigot, call me hateful."

"Don't call me if Sinestro brings another army here." Godfrey said, spotlights on his sound stage shutting off one by one until there was nothing but darkness.

The bathroom door began to open, Augustus quickly jumped from his seat to change the channel. "I'm going to call a taxi. Take your time though." He told Raquel, "I'm going to grab my nice suit." Augustus said, making his way towards his room as a talk show aired.

Three woman sat on a couch on a large white set. The first was an Asian woman, she donned a purple suit jacket and white skirt. The second woman was a Caucasian woman, a stern, very professional looking woman dressed in a black pantsuit. The last woman was a Caucasian woman, she wore a white skirt and white jacket. She was serious, lacking any specific emotions.

"Welcome back to The Panorama! I'm Linda Park here with Lois Lane and Louise Lincoln." Linda said, "I understand that you have more personal questions Ms. Lincoln, Lois?" Linda asked, "Yes, your good friend Crystal Frost, later known as Killer Frost, passed away recently." Lois said to Louise, "Yes, I know. Why bring this up?" Louise asked, "I've heard from some unnamed sources that you're continuing her work." Lois told Louise.

"The same work that made her who she was. A criminal and a murderer with a power of ice. A female Mr. Freeze. Do you care to comment on these allegations?" Lois asked, "Crystal was a very good friend of mine, I owe it to her to continue with her experiments and take the necessary precautions to prevent the same thing that happened to her from happening with others." Louise answered.

"Do you blame Firestorm for her death?" Lois asked, "Do you hate him? Were you and Crystal something more than friends?" She continued, "Um... Lois?" Linda said, "That's none of your business!" Louise said, "I didn't hear a resounding 'no' to any of those questions." Lois said to Louise, "Did you bring me on this show for this?" Louise asked.

The woman stood from her seat, storming away from the set. "Um... we'll be back with Bruce Wayne's rival for billionaire playboy of the year, Oliver Queen, after this commercial break." Linda said to the cameras.

"Clear!" The director shouted, "What the hell was that?" Linda asked Lois, "Journalism, Linda. You should try it." Lois answered, getting up to make her way backstage. "You're not a journalist anymore." Linda told Lois as she followed, "You can't do stuff like that to people." Linda explained.

"If we did more like that to people then maybe G. Gordon Godfrey wouldn't be beating us in the ratings with his... bullshit." Lois said, "I'm not going lowbrow to get ratings." Linda protested, "Not lowbrow. Interesting. I for one don't want to talk to Green Arr-..." Lois stopped herself as several members of the film crew made their way backstage.

"Oliver Queen," She corrected herself "...about his new fragrance or what bimbo supermodel he's dating now. You might be fine with that, but that's tabloid shit and I want to be remembered for bringing people real news." Lois said, turning to walk away from Linda.

Linda sighed, "What does Clark see in that one?"
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Mon Apr 15, 2013 7:50 pm

Chapter 2: Party Poopers


The taxi approached the gates to a large mansion as several other vehicles were arriving, "Augustus? Are you seeing this?" Raquel asked, facing to the window as they drove up towards the mansion. "This is amazing. The last place I've been to that was even a little bit like this was your place." Raquel told her friend.

"And that incident at Bruce's place with Two-Face. That one doesn't count though because we were almost murdered." Raquel, "Who's place is this?" Raquel asked, "I'm not sure, we can ask Bruce when we find him inside." Augustus told the young woman, watching as the she expressed child-like excitement at the sight of a mansion. It was refreshing. Normal.

Augustus was an immortal, an alien, he saw things like this a lot in his lifetime on Earth. He forgot how good it felt to be looking forward to something. He had been going through the motions for awhile now. Yes, he had his life as Icon, but that involved waiting for the bad to happen.

The taxi came to a stop at the mansion's entrance, a man came to open the door for Raquel, but the woman shot out quickly and was already on her way inside. "Uh... she's... excited. We haven't been out in awhile." Augustus said as he climbed out, "Especially not to a big place like this." He added, slipping a few dollar bills from a pocket to give to the man.

Augustus made his way towards the mansion doors, one of the house staff pushing the door open for him to enter. The main room was large and open. It was regal. Expensive floors, expensive walls, expensive carpet and a large, very expensive chandelier.

Everyone who was anybody was present. Bruce Wayne, the mayor, lawyers, congressmen, senators, people who were famous for being the children of successful people.

"Augustus!" Raquel shouted from across the room, waving the man over. She stood beside Bruce Wayne and another young man. "I was wondering where you ran off to." Augustus told Raquel as he approached the group, "Bruce." Augustus said, quickly shaking hands with his friend, Bruce Wayne.

"Glad you two could make it, Augustus." Bruce said, "How are you enjoying Gotham?" Bruce asked, "It's a lot calmer than I expected." Augustus answered.

"Pleasure to meet ya'." The unknown man said to Augustus, jumping into the conversation. A southern accent coated his words, it fit the smug grin he wore. "John Dallas, this is my little party here." The young man told Augustus.

John Dallas wasn't very tall, a little below average. A small man with a big mouth to compensate. His hair was neat, dirty blonde with a reasonable amount of gel for someone like him. He oozed both confidence and arrogance, undeserved satisfaction with his life. Yes, he was rich and powerful. But, he was rich and powerful because his family worked to be that way.

"Augustus Freeman. This is Raq-..."

"Raquel Ervin, we've been introduced." John told Augustus. The larger man didn't appreciate being interrupted, but not everyone was polite. He learned that in his time on Earth. "So... uh... what are you to get in here?" John asked, "I don't understand." Augustus responded.

"You play football? You're a big guy. Basketball? I could see you being like a Shaquille O'Neal. Can you actually hit a free throw?" John asked, "Why do you think I play sports?" Augustus asked, genuinely confused by the question.

"Come on." John said, "We don't get many... uh... people of your ethnic persuasion at parties like this unless they're playin' sports or makin' some of that rap music." John explained, "A lot of your people get into sports or music, I apologize if you ain't one of them."

"Excuse me?" Raquel asked, "Now, I don't mean any harm, but that's just the way things are." John said to Raquel, "You of all people should know that. You did say you grew up in Paris Island, right? How many of your childhood friends are playing ball right now or makin' gangster rap in a basement?" John asked.

"We should go over here." Bruce told Raquel, attempting to pull her along with him. "No! This racist asshole shouldn't be allowed to say things like that!" Raquel exclaimed loudly, "I could have swore we believed in freedom of speech in this country. Am I wrong?" John asked as many of the party goers began to turn their attention to the scene unfolding.

"Don't ruin the party because of historical fact, Raquel." John said, only digging himself into a deeper grave. "Gotta' have fun, get rid of that baggage."

"That's enough." Augustus told John firmly, "It's not baggage. It's historical fact, as you've already said. I-... my great-grandfather lived as a slave, his son had to endure racism, my father had to endure it. I was hoping we lived in a time where after four generations I wouldn't have to." Augustus said to John, "Bruce, we're leaving. We'll see you later."

Augustus turned to head for the exit, Raquel following behind him. As they approached the exit, the doors shot open.

Several men and women wearing monster masks made their way in. They were armed with pistols, assault rifles, shotguns and a few carried canisters filled with an unknown substance.

"Sorry to ruin the fun, but I have to wonder..." Came a voice from outside, "...why wasn't Jonathan Crane on the invite list?" The origin of the voice became known as a man dressed as a very evil, very demonic, scarecrow stepped into the room.

"In light of that, I decided to show up anyways. Not as Jon Crane, he wouldn't do things like this on his own."

"For the rest of the night I am and will only be addressed as... Scarecrow."

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:14 am

Chapter 3: Nothing To Fear


"Who the hell do you think you are?" John said, storming towards Scarecrow. "It's not about who I think I am, it's about who I know I am." Scarecrow told John as his goons grabbed the billionaire. "No, let him go. He can't do anything to me." Scarecrow ordered, his thugs releasing John immediately.

"Can't do anything to you?" John asked. He was offended. He was rich, he was athletic, and he was a black belt in Judo and Wing Chun. He could do anything he wanted to some skinny freak in a costume who hid behind a gang.

John threw a punch towards Scarecrow, the villain stepping aside to easily avoid the punch. "Too slow." Scarecrow taunted, "I'll show you slow!" John once again threw a punch at Scarecrow. Before the punch could get close to Scarecrow a yellow cloud shot out at John's face, stopping the man in his tracks.

"Are you afraid yet?" Scarecrow asked, "No, you will be in a few moments." The masked man said to John.

"No. No!" John shouted, the man was seeing something that sent him reeling backwards. The man slammed into a wall, eyes opening up wide. "You can't be repossessing my things! I'm rich!" John exclaimed. Others didn't know it, but John was experiencing his biggest fear at the time.

Going broke.

"One down. Let's take care of the others." Scarecrow said, "Show me what you're afraid of." At those words Scarecrow's goons broke the nozzles from the canisters they held, throwing and rolling them around the room as yellow gas shot and began to blanket the room.

"Bruce? Where are you?" Raquel began to lose herself, searching through the yellow clouds for her friends, "Augustus?" She couldn't see them, she couldn't hear them. A man slammed into her, sending her to ground. "Oh, I'm sorry, are you okay?" The man asked, kneeling down beside Raquel.

Augustus wandered back towards where he had last saw Raquel, "Raquel, I'm on my way!" Augustus said loudly, stepping through the gas to see Raquel. She was on the ground, on top of her was a police officer. "Got you now! You Paris Island parasites are going to get enough of ruining my city!" The cop yelled at Raquel.

"Get away from her!" Augustus shouted, charging the police officer. He grabbed the police officer by his shoulders, "Hey! what are you doing?" The cop asked, "Keeping a promise." Augustus told the cop before tossing him to the other side of the room and into a wall.

"Hey! Stop it!" A man yelled, pouncing Augustus. "Calm down, it's Scarecrow's gas. Whatever you're seeing isn't real." The man was a real cop, he had been in Gotham for years, he knew what was going on. He built up an immunity to Scarecrow's fear gas. He wasn't completely immune, but he had time to at least save some people from the madman.

"Officers! I need help!" The Gotham police officer shouted, several others finding their way over. The police officers piled on top of Augustus, attempting to restrain him.

Raquel raised her head in time to see what was happening. It was chaos. Gotham city was in chaos. Tanks, soldiers and jets were everywhere. And there was Augustus, soldiers piled on top of him. "Alien scum! You don't belong here!" A soldier shouted at Augustus.

"Leave him alone!" Raquel yelled at the soldiers, scrambling to her feet. The young woman threw a punch at a soldier, sending him flying a few feet. The woman turned quickly, her leg raising and the heel of her feet finding the jaw of another soldier.

It became a brawl within the mansion. People accusing people of being The Joker, or Two-Face, some crying in corners because they were seeing wolves or bears. Spiders and roaches. Their deepest, darkest, fears rising to the surface.

Scarecrow was thrilled. Giddy with excitement.

"This is wonderful!" He said, "So much fear! I can taste it!" Scarecrow told his men, "We can taste it too, boss. Tastes like victory." One of Scarecrow's goons said. Seconds letter that same thug found himself wrapped up in what appeared to be rope and then pulled upwards.

"Oh no..."

Another of Scarecrow's goons was dragged into the cover created by the yellow gas by a large shadow.

"He's here... I was hoping he wouldn't be..." Scarecrow said, "But, I'm ready." Scarecrow stood still as his men were taken out by an unseen force.

As Raquel and Augustus fought off their attackers, different to both, but not at all what they thought. Syringes were suddenly jammed into the necks of the two, almost immediately removing the influence of Scarecrow's fear gas.

"Don't call me Batgirl." A woman said, drawing the attention of Raquel and Augustus. The woman was dressed in a black batsuit. It was similar to Batman's, the difference being the color of her boots, gloves, belt and the bat logo on her chest. All were red.

Even her hair was red.

"It's Batwoman. Woman." She said, correcting anyone before they spoke. "It's enough that I have to be in his shadow, but I'm not sixteen." The woman said, stepping back into the gas. She was gone as far as Augustus and Raquel knew.

"Finally." Scarecrow said, "We can get down to it, Batman." Scarecrow's hands slipped behind his back slowly and discreetly, he had something in store for his enemies. "It's over, Scarecrow. But, I don't expect you to come quietly." A rough voice told the man.

The yellow gas began to clear out, revealing the silhouette of a tall, dark figure. "Glad you could make the party." Scarecrow said to the figure, "Come now, Batman. Let's engage in some good ol' fashioned pugilism." Scarecrow said.

Batman stood quietly, Batwoman stepping out from behind him. "You hit girls?" She asked, "Sometimes." Scarecrow answered, "Good!" Batwoman shot through the air, attempting to pounce Scarecrow.

Suddenly Scarecrow threw a punch at the woman before she was close enough for him to connect. A yellow fist moved through the air, slamming into Batwoman and sending her flying and crashing into a wall.

"Did I forget to mention that I made a new friend?" Scarecrow asked, "A nice man, an alien. He gave me this yellow ring. Not a fan of his name though."

"Sinestro..." Batman said, "We have a winner!" Scarecrow shouted, "I'm making you work tonight, Batman."

"Work for your victory."

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Mon Apr 29, 2013 4:33 pm

Chapter 4: The Party Isn't Over


Batman charged Scarecrow, barely avoiding attacks thrown at him by the villain's yellow ring. "You're less nimble than you used to be!" Scarecrow taunted as Batman closed the distance. The hero reached out for Scarecrow, as soon as his gloved hand round the fabric of Scarecrow's costume a hand made of energy shot up from beneath to grab him.

Batman was stopped in his place, the hand attempting to squeeze every inch of life out of him. Scarecrow paced the hero, the unseen expression on his face was one of glee. He, the often underestimated Scarecrow, was going to be the one to finally kill Batman. So many had tried, so many had failed.

"Look at you. Fearless as ever, but you don't need to be afraid to die." Scarecrow told Batman, "I won't make the mistake of talking too much, of giving you time, as much as I want to make you afraid." Scarecrow said, the yellow energy hand that held Batman morphed into the image of Bane.

"Maybe this would be ironic, Bane breaks the bat again. But, not the real Bane. My Bane." Scarecrow taunted, as his faux-Bane lifted Batman over his head. "Or maybe... maybe it can be the man you fear the most." Scarecrow said, "Yes... him."

The energy swirled and moved, the yellow apparition of Bane disappearing gradually. It was then that the yellow energy came to form into a faux-Superman.

"We already know your fears about Superman, about most of those with superpowers, going out of control. Myself, The Joker, Two-Face, we're nothing to Superman. To people like The Flash. You should be right to fear them." Scarecrow told the still silent Batman.

"I'm not afraid of them." Batman finally told Scarecrow, "I'm afraid of what will happen if I'm not there to stop them. But, you should be more afraid."

"Of what?" Scarecrow asked, "What do I have to fear?"

"The man to your left." Batman answered, prompting Scarecrow to look to his side. Augustus stood beside the villain, a fist flying towards Scarecrow. Scarecrow attempted to divert the energy from his ring in front of him, a wall beginning to form. The wall of yellow energy was no match for Augustus' strength.

The man's broke through the barrier, slamming into Scarecrow's face and sending him flying towards the exit. Scarecrow hit the front steps of the mansion, quickly trying to scramble up to his feet.

Augustus flew out of the mansion as Scarecrow stood up, the villain turned quickly to Augustus. He attempted to fire a blast of energy from his ring, only to find Augustus' palm slamming down on the ring. The energy was stopped before it had a chance to go anywhere.

Augustus began to squeeze Scarecrow's hand, "I could break it. I could crush it right now." Augustus told him, "But, I'm not like you. I don't cause pain to people who don't deserve it." Augustus said, attempting to remove Scarecrow's ring.

"Not today!" Scarecrow shouted, the energy that had been building up in the ring suddenly firing into Augustus' face. The man was sent flying back towards the mansion slamming into the walls and back into the ballroom.

Raquel quickly approached her friend, kneeling at his side. "Are you alright?" She asked him, "I am. But, I imagine Scarecrow's used that ring to escape already." Augustus answered.

"You'd be right about that." Batwoman said, "Green Lanterns can fly with theirs, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the first thing Scarecrow learned to do with his ring."

"Where did you just come from...?" Raquel asked, "It's a Bat-Family thing, I doubt they know how they get into places sometimes." Augustus told Raquel as he stood up.

Several of the party guests approached Augustus, most keeping their distance. "You took a direct hit from that yellow ring and went through a wall, but you don't have a scratch on you. How is that?" One of them asked, "Luck?" Augustus answered, "No, you have superpowers." Another guest suggested.

"Not a lot of black heroes." John Dallas said, having been rescued earlier from his fear of actually having to work for his money. "That narrows it down." The man said, letting the ignorance flow from his lips.

"How'd you get your powers?" John asked, "Radioactive spider bite? No, that's dumb. Who gets their powers from radioactive spiders? Wouldn't you be more likely to die from something like that? Are you an alien?" John asked Augustus, "I don't mind if you are, but... it'd be nice to know."

John did mind, and some of other guests agreed. They were wealthy, they had much to lose if aliens invaded again, if Superman decided he was ruler.

John was a supporter of alien registry, he and his father planned to throw money at congress and the UN to make sure it came to be.

"No. I just... got lucky." Augustus said, pulling Raquel along towards the exit. "Feel free to come around any time!" John called out to Raquel and Augustus, "Hopefully we won't have to deal with... this next time." John added, "Where's Bruce?" He asked.

"That's my cue." Batwoman said, dashing towards the giant hole in the wall. The woman glanced to Augustus and Raquel as they were leaving before disappearing into the night.

"That was... fun first party in Gotham." Augustus said to Raquel, "Yeah..." She said, almost sounding disappointed. "Let's go see a movie, hopefully without Two-Face or the Joker deciding to make it their venue." Augustus said, grabbing hold of Raquel.

While everyone else was focused on the aftermath of Scarecrow's attacked, Augustus took the time to propel himself and Raquel into the night sky unnoticed.

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Thu May 02, 2013 10:15 pm

Chapter 5: What Could Go Wrong?


Day 45, September 23, 2011.

A storm knocked out most of the power, but I have most of the backups keeping the generator up. I've had much of Crystal's research left to work with, so not much would be lost by the computers going down. That Superskank Lois Lane has been searching for me since the interview.

But, I imagine with Superman's press conference today she won't be focusing on me for much longer. Less media attention is good for this experiment and for me. Crystal's experiment was controversial even before she became Killer Frost. Continuing with it, following in her footsteps won't be looked at as anything good by most.

Paying homage to my friend who went psycho and murdered people while slowly killing herself in the process. That doesn't look good on my resume.

The power's back on, I need to find my camera.

Dr. Louise Lincoln.


A recording would begin, showing a dark-haired woman dressed in a lab coat and a pair of glasses fumbling to place the camera on a tripod for a moment. "I went to Harvard, but I can barely work this thing." The woman said to herself, soon righting the camera.

"I'm Dr. Louise Lincoln, and I'm performing these experiments for my fallen friend, Crystal Frost." Louise said to the camera, "I think I've found the fatal flaw." She said, "Crystal died because she absorbed too much energy, it weakened her. What if the energy could make one stronger?" Louise asked, stepping away from the camera.

The woman pointed towards her massive thermo-chamber, "It's the same one Crystal used, I hired some people to move it for me when she was dying. I messed around with it, now it works better." Louise said, "I'm going to enter and I'm going to recreate the experiment, but this time I have a plan. Using heat, energy, to prolong life. Humans powered on solar."

Louise headed towards the chamber, it's appearance was comparable to jet engine from the outside. On the inside it was completely white, empty, and vast.

"Wish me luck." Louise said, calibrating the instruments that powered the machine. The machine began to hum loudly, the inside lighting up. The lights in the building would flicker for a moment, but soon they seemed to be working just fine despite the power drain.

Louise turned towards the machine, shedding her coat to reveal a tight bodysuit. The woman stepped inside, "Computer, begin." The woman could be heard saying even over the hum. The hum from the machine began to grow louder.As it did the lights within the building flickering on and off with increasing rapidness.

Soon the lights would burst, leaving the room in darkness save for the light from the thermo-chamber. Louise could be heard screaming at the top of her lungs over the hum, the light from within the chamber growing brighter. "Emergency. Shutting down all operations." Said a voice from the computer.

Seconds later the chamber exploded outwards, the camera went flying from the explosion slamming into a wall before falling to the ground. There was the distinct sound of static, the room lit up by the glow of fire.

Louise dropped to the ground in front of the camera, gasping for air. The woman raised a hand to the fire, seeming to suck it into her palm. The fire entering her body seemed to give the woman a burst of strength, she was suddenly feeling lively.

"Yes... I did it!" She said, snatching the camera and getting to her feet. "I did it!" Louise shouted, bringing the camera up to her face. Her hair had taken on a blue hue, her skin a pale blue, her eyes had even turned blue. "What...? I thought... it doesn't matter. I've done what I set out to do." The woman said, ignoring her appearance.

Despite seeing that her features had changed the woman was proud of herself. She was stronger, better. She didn't need her glasses anymore, everything was clear.

She spun around, looking at the destroyed room. "Time to clean up..."
Last edited by Saarai on Mon May 27, 2013 10:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Thu May 09, 2013 10:08 pm

Chapter 6: A Song Of Frost & Flame


A blue woman boarding a plane, especially one who wasn't one of the world's heroes, would have surely ended with Louise being detained. Who knows how long that would be? Who knows if the government would experiment on her? Or worst, take credit for her invention?

Louise stepped out of her lab into the cold, glancing around at the Canadian wilderness that spanned hundreds of miles in every direction. It was barely morning, she had lost track of time, but it couldn't be before noon. Could it? She was so busy dealing with her new look and basking in the fact that her experiment worked that the world around her ceased to matter.

But as soon as she came back to our reality everything began to matter even more. He had to die. Firestorm had to die. He killed Crystal, it was all his fault. He could have saved her, but instead he let her die. If Louise was there she could have done something. She could have made things right.

The rage built up in the woman, snow and ice swirling around the woman's body in increasingly violent ways. "I have to go..." She said to herself, eyes searching for a vehicle. She had gotten there by helicopter, but she had no way to call her contact. Then it hit her. The solution to her problem.

"I can bring energy into myself... can I fire it out like a propulsion system? Become a human rocket ship?" Louise aimed her palms downward, focusing as hard as possible with releasing the energy in her body through her hands. The woman strained and fought with herself hard, until finally energy shot out and propelled her up into the air.

She came plummeting down only seconds later to slam into a snow bank. "Practice makes perfect..." The woman said, getting up to her feet and once again attempting to fly. "Up, up, and... holy shit!" The woman said, shooting off into the air. This time she didn't come crashing down, but her flight pattern was sporadic at best, legally a DUI at worst.

"New York City... here I come..."

Meanwhile in New York City...

"New York City! Here I come!" Virgil Hawkins shouted, stepping out of the airport terminal with his arms stretched out wide. His luggage littering the sidewalk. Virgil was a young man of African-American descent. The young man had dreadlocks that reached just below his shoulders, he donned a pair of black cargo pants, a black T-shirt donning Captain Marvel's signature thunderbolt, and a blue hooded sweatshirt.

"Virgil! Virgil!" A female voice shouted, "Virgil, can you focus for a second?" The unknown woman asked, prompting Virgil to spin around to see a young African-American woman dressed in a dark pantsuit. "Sharon!" Virgil yelled, charging the woman and tossing his arms around her. "It's been so long, big sis." Virgil told the woman.

"Virgil... I saw you a week ago. We did a video chat last night..." Sharon informed her brother, "Yeah, but... I'm so excited! New York City! The Big Apple! The City That Never Sleeps!" Virgil exclaimed, "Yeah... you might want to take that down a notch." Sharon told Virgil with a smirk, "Come on." She said, gesturing for her younger sibling to follow.

"My car is over here."

"You have your own car?!" Virgil asked, grabbing his luggage and following behind his sister. The Hawkins siblings got into Sharon's car, starting their drive into the city. "So, where do you live?" Virgil asked, "I never did tell you, did I?" Sharon asked, "Queens. I've got a place in Flushing." Sharon answered.

"Ever meet anyone famous?" Virgil asked his sister, "I met The Flash once. Typical superhero emergency." Sharon answered, "It was fun." She said as they entered the city proper, as the car moved along the expressway something slammed into the path of the vehicles, causing many cars to swerve and crash.

"What was that?" Sharon asked, slamming on the brakes. A cloud of smoke and fire shooting up from the apparent crash site. It was then that about a dozen men, all donning very tight black uniforms with no features and glowing neon trims descended from the sky.

"Firestorm! Get up and fight me like a man!" One of the identical men shouted, he and the others floating above the carnage. "All of me!" Another shouted, "I don't mean to sound conceited, but... there's enough of me to go around if you want to call some Leaguers."

"You're going to go do your hero thing, right?" Sharon asked, looking to Virgil. The young man was already in the process of changing into his costume. "It's my job." Virgil told his sister, "No, it's not. You need a way to pay rent. I don't think you get a paycheck doing this stuff." Sharon said as Virgil climbed out of the car.

"Yeah... yeah..." Virgil, said, slipping a mask over his eyes to conceal his identity from anyone who decided to be an amateur filmmaker. "I'm serious, Virgil!" Sharon called out as her brother ran towards the crater in the road.

"Need some help?" He asked, glancing into the crater to find a man in an orange and red costume, the top of his head seeming to be on fire. "Your head is burning, dude." Virgil told his fellow hero, "Very funny, man. If you really want to help, let's kick Multiplex's ass. Uh... all of his asses."

The hero stood up, pointing towards Multiplex and all of his duplicates in the sky. "Piece of cake, I've fought Holocaust and Zod." Virgil said, "I'm Static, by the way." The young hero informed his new ally.

"Firestorm." The other hero told Static. "Welcome to New York."

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Mon May 20, 2013 12:50 pm

Chapter 7: Multiple Personality Disorder


"Need help to fight me?" Multiplex asked Firestorm as Static slid a rectangular sheet of metal from his pocket. "You carry metal around with you all the time?" Firestorm asked, "Eh, I've got stranger habits." The hero joked, "It'll make sense in a minute." Static told Firestorm.

"He can multiply, obviously, got to find the original." Firestorm informed Static, "Should be easy with two of us, he's gotten stronger." Firestorm said, "Well, let's not waste any time!" Static charged forward, tossing the sheet of metal out in front of himself.

He jumped forward, the metal sheet almost instantly expanding into a circular shape. Static's feet were attracted directly to the flying disk, said disk continuing on it's path towards Multiplex.

"Makes sense that you'd need help, every since I got this yellow power ring I've been unstoppable." Multiplex said, "Wait? What did he just say?" Static asked, yellow energy shaped like a fist shooting out from Multiplex's power ring to hit the hero. The young man was sent flying back, electricity shooting out from his palms to send him flipping upwards away from the ground.

As Static descended his flying disk boomeranged out towards him, his feet once again finding it perfectly.

"Did I not mention that part?" Firestorm asked, "Wouldn't have hurt to say something sooner." Static said.

The two heroes regrouped, "Ever fought a Yellow Lantern?" Firestorm asked Static, "Once. With help. From Superman." Static answered. "Okay, uh... Multiplex isn't exactly a trained Yellow Lantern, maybe we can out think him." Firestorm suggested, "All of him?" Static asked.

"I'm getting bored!" Multiplex yelled, "I guess I'll have to be the one to make an effort." Multiplex said, "Go!" He shouted, his doubles flying down towards Static and Firestorm.

Static fired blasts of his electromagnetic energy at the doubles coming his way, Firestorm followed the other hero's lead. Heated blasts of energy finding their marks against the body of the doubles.

The two young heroes maneuvered expertly around the doubles, firing blast after blast as they got closer to the original Multiplex. The villain was confident in his abilities, he had a power ring, his doubles, his brute strength and he figured that he had the upper hand.

As the two heroes got closer and closer, Multiplex balled up a fist. His yellow power ring growing brightly. Multiplex flew forward, yellow energy wrapping around his hand.

Electromagnetic energy wrapped Static's entire body, his eyes glowing as he and Firestorm approached Multiplex. It was clear that whatever was going to happen would be explosive, destructive, blinding.

At the last possible second Multiplex was pulled downward, he let out a scream not knowing what was happening. For all he knew it was Satan taking him to hell for his sins.

Multiplex slammed around into the ground, creating yet another crater. "What?" Multiplex asked, glancing around to find his attacker and see exactly where he was. A man in a dark blue jumpsuit, deep orange boots, gauntlets, utility belt, holsters, and a metal mask that was split down the middle by the two contrasting colors.

The left side was deep orange, exposing a single eye. The other side was dark blue, completely covering that half of his face.

The man was armed with several handguns, a katana on his back, grenades, daggers. He was a walking armory. He reached out for Multiplex, grabbing the man and lifting him up.

"You!" Multiplex shouted, raising the power ring to the man's face. The man placed a hand gently over the ring, covering Multiplex's entire fist. "Really?" The masked man asked.

"Why isn't it working?" Multiplex asked in regards to his power ring, "Because, you fear me more than I'll ever fear you." The masked man said, the crunching sound of Multiplex's hand only drowned out by the man's pained screams.

Static and Firestorm couldn't do much but watch, "Is that... him?" Firestorm asked, "Yeah..." Static answered, "Deathstroke." Static told Firestorm.

Deathstroke slipped the power ring from Multiplex's broken hand, tossing him away like garbage. Before turning to walk away. "We can't let him leave with that!" Static said, "Agreed! Let's go!" Firestorm cried.

The two heroes charged Deathstroke quickly, intent on stopping the legendary assassin. Once they were close the man turned on a heel, a roundhouse kick find it's way onto Firestorm's cheek. The hero was subsequently knocked to the ground.

In the same motion Deathstroke fired off another kick, this one hitting Static dead in the nose and sending him reeling back. The young hero regained his composure, but as soon as his eyes found Deathstroke again a dagger was flying towards him.

Static let out a pained grunt, the dagger digging deep into his chest. "Hello again, Virgil. Goodbye again, Virgil." Deathstroke said as Static dropped to the ground from his flying disk, succumbing to his wound.

Firestorm got to his feet quickly, searching for Deathstroke. The assassin was long gone, but there was Static. Bleeding out on the concrete his first day in New York City.

"Static!" Firestorm yelled, rushing to his new friend. "I'll get you help!"

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Mon May 27, 2013 10:08 pm

Chapter 8: Killer Frost Redux


Firestorm scooped Static up into his arms, he knew he'd be able to get the young hero to a hospital before an ambulance could even arrive. There was just the matter of keeping Static's identity a secret. Firestorm flew off towards the hospital, lowering his head enough so that it reached his hands.

"Got it." He said as he tapped his right ear, "Justice League, this is Firestorm. I have someone who's badly hurt. One of us. We're near JFK heading into the city right now." Firestorm said once he had opened communications with the Justice League. "Firestorm, this is Hawk. Who do you have?" Hawk asked.

"Someone named Static." Firestorm answered, "Static? I know him. Uh... Huntress , The Question, and some of the Teen Titans are nearby. Raven is with them, bring them to her." Hawk told Firestorm, "Meet them underneath the Queensboro bridge." Hawk said.

"Got it, I'll be there soo-..." Firestorm was cut off when a blast of blue energy hit him, almost causing him to drop Static to his death. "What the hell?" Firestorm turned to see a woman floating in the air near him, "Deja vu?" The woman asked.

The woman had pale blue skin, blue hair, and blue energy swirling around her hands. "You're not Crystal. Who are you?" Firestorm asked, "Don't you say her name! You don't deserve to say her name!" The woman yelled, firing a blast of blue energy at Firestorm. The hero was ready this time, narrowly evading the attack.

He had to get Static to safety before he could fight, if he and the other heroes outnumbered this woman maybe she'd back off.

"Sorry, I can't stick around and chat." Firestorm told the woman, "People to meet, things to do. The usual." The hero said, flying off again towards the Queensboro bridge. Of course, the blue woman followed right behind him. She was intent on catching up to the young hero and taking her revenge.

"Afraid?" The woman shouted as she flew behind Firestorm, "Of you? Not really. Just in a hurry, you're going to make me late." Firestorm retorted, "You'll learn to fear Killer Frost eventually." The woman said, "That's what the last Killer Frost said. Be more creative." Firestorm taunted.

This only served to anger the new Killer Frost, she raised her hands in front of her. She pushed all of her anger to the surface, channeling it all into a burst of energy that slammed into Firestorm and sent him spiraling out of control. The young hero couldn't keep Static from slipping from his grasp, "Damn it! No!" Firestorm yelled.

Static began his descent towards Earth, towards what would surely be the end of his life. That was until a pitch black hand swooped in to keep him from falling further. The source of the hand became clear to Firestorm once he was able to right himself.

Raven, the source of the hand, donned a dark purple leotard and hooded cloak, she floated away with Static. He wasn't going to heal himself. Two other women and a young man flew nearby, making it clear they would aid Firestorm.

The first woman was almost completely black, parts of her body and her eyes giving off a teal glow. The other woman had long black hair wore a black sleeveless unitard, it appearing to have stars of various distance within it. Almost as if it was the imagine of an actual place within the universe.

When her body moved, so did the stars as if whatever was transmitting the imagine was moving as well.

The last person, the male, donned a red and black bodysuit. On the front was Superman's crest, it was clear who this young man was. Anyone who didn't live under a rock knew who it was.

"Glad you could make it." Firestorm said, "I can handle her on my own." He said, gesturing to the new Killer Frost. "Are you sure?" The woman in the star unitard asked, "Yeah, I got this, Donna." Firestorm answered, turning to Killer Frost.

"Alright, it's just you and me." Firestorm said, "Good. I'll enjoy this." Killer Frost told the young hero.

"We'll be close." Donna told Firestorm, leading the other two heroes away from the fight. Firestorm could handle himself, an amateur Killer Frost would be nothing.

Right?

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Wed May 29, 2013 11:45 pm

Chapter 9: Legacy


On the streets of Queens, Raven stepped in front of a moving vehicle. The car screeched to a halt, "What are you doing, you freak?" The driver shouted angrily, "Saving a life." Raven said, with a flick of her wrist tearing the top of the car off. She floated the dying Static over to the car, placing him down on the back seat.

The driver of the car was ready to scream obscenities at Raven until he saw the young hero bleeding out. He was roughly the same age as his own son, "Can I help?" The man asked just as Donna and the other two heroes flew down to the street.

People on the street began to crowd around the heroes, "It's Superboy!" A woman shouted, "Wondergirl! Marry me!" A man yelled from the crowd, "It's Donna Troy, I'm not Wondergirl anymore." Donna informed the man, "No one ever knows my name. Past or otherwise." The black-bodied hero mused in a distinctly Indian accent, "They'll catch on one day, Kiran." Superboy told the woman, "The name Solstice might be hard to remember though." The young man added.

Raven floated quietly over Static, dark energy wrapping around the young man's body. "Call for paramedics." She said to the driver of the now wrecked car, "He'll need blood, I can heal his wound, but I can't replace his blood." Raven noted.

"I wish Cyborg was here, he could just scan him and see what his type was." Donna said, "Doesn't the League keep files on known heroes?" Superboy asked, "I'll contact the Watchtower." Solstice told the other heroes, slinking away from the group to make the call.

Her eyes drifted upwards to the fight in progress, watching as Killer Frost and Firestorm exchanged blows.

Firestorm took a blast of energy to the chest, reeling back, as he righted himself Killer Frost flew at him. She slammed into the hero, taking him through the air to slam hard into a steel beam of the Queensboro bridge.

"I'm going to feel that in the morning." Firestorm said, slamming an elbow into Killer Frost's nose. The woman grabbed her face at the soft crunch of her nose bone, putting some distance between herself and her enemy. "And she'll be feeling that." Firestorm taunted.

He stared the blue woman down, looking her over for a moment. "I know you...?" He said, not entirely sure he was making a statement or asking a question.

Firestorm looked to the ID card still clipped to Killer Frost's tattered labcoat. "Louise?" He asked, "We know that name." Firestorm said, "We?" Killer Frost asked, "It's nothing." Firestorm muttered.

"We're sorry, Louise. For Crystal, for what we did to her and for what we did to you." Firestorm said sincerely, floating towards Killer Frost slowly. The villain kept some distance between herself and the hero, crimson trickling from her nose and contrasting with the pale blue of her skin.

Killer Frost seemed unsure how to react to the kindness, to the sincerity in Firestorm's words. She could tell that in some way he cared about Crystal too, she just couldn't place it. Not yet.

"I-..." She began, trying to find the words. "I'm..." She paused again, "Go ahead, say it." Firestorm told the woman as he closed the gap between them. Anyone could fight with fists and explosive superpowers, but the greatest superpower of all would always be words. Kind words.

"I'm not." Killer Frost said, grabbing Firestorm by the arm. The woman slammed her palm upwards into the hero's elbow, dislocating the joint and breaking the bones around it. Firestorm raised his other hand to Killer Frost's face, firing a blast of energy into her that sent her flying back and down into the water between Manhattan and Queens.

"Bitch!" Firestorm yelled, "I mean, seriously." The hero said, flying down towards where he'd last seen Raven take Static. Paramedics were showing up on the scene, maybe Firestorm could get his joint put back in place. He'd been blown up, shot, slammed into steel beam, stabbed, but an out of place joint was the single most painful experience in his life at that point.

"Damn it. A little help." He said, coming down to stand besides Superboy. "Dislocation?" Superboy asked, "Let me handle that." Superboy told Firestorm, "Yeah, right, you bench press tanks, no thanks, man." Firestorm answered.

"Not always." Superboy informed Firestorm matter-of-factly.

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Tue Jun 04, 2013 2:45 am

Chapter 10: Gods & Titans

or

Blood Of The Brother


Firestorm, despite being as durable as he was, still suffered from having joints and bones. That was a downside to being a humanoid that wasn't a Martian. As the paramedics began to tend to him and Static, news crews were already arriving. Cameras just waiting to be shoved in the faces of the young heroes.

Among the cameras and reporters was none other than G. Gordon Godfrey. He was already out to speak with people about Superman's upcoming speech, but this event here was something else he could run as well. Had to keep ratings up.

"Donna Troy!" Godfrey shouted, pushing through the crowd of reporters to jam his microphone in Donna's face, "Do you care to comment on the villain Multiplex possessing a Yellow Lantern ring?" The man asked, "Those are alien in origin, are aliens giving weapons to our criminals? Is the alien Sinestro planning to return?" Godfrey asked the young woman.

"What? I wouldn't know, you should be asking the League. We're Titans East." Donna answered, "Titans East? Still technically part of the Justice League, it's why you get to operate, even if you're outside of the law. The laws that bind people like me who have no superpowers, or magic." Godfrey said loudly.

"Hey, back off." Superboy said, coming to stand in front of Donna and Godfrey. "Or what?" Godfrey asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or I'll-..." Superboy paused, looking around the many cameras and microphones pointed in his direction. He looked back to Godfrey, seeing a faint smirk appearing on the reporter's lips.

Superboy almost fell into Godfrey's trap, not this time. "I won't tell you. I have an idea, you won't be harmed, but your ratings? Not sure how they'll do when one of your rivals gets to sit down with my whole team as we answer questions, some personal, about this and the threat of aliens invading again." Superboy told Godfrey.

"I think it'll be an exclusive as well, insider information straight from the Teen Titans. What the people really want to know." Despite the S shield on his chest, it was clear that Superboy took pointers from his fellow Titans rather than Superman. He was channeling a little Nightwing.

Godfrey snarled, peering directly into the Kryptonian clone's eyes. It was almost as if he was looking at someone who was his sworn enemy, someone he truly hated.

"I'll lay off." Godfrey said, again masking his other emotions in favor of his Conservative persona, "For now." He added.

Back at Sharon's apartment, the young woman was just getting home. The battle between Multiplex and Firestorm had tore up part of the road, so many detours to be had. Sharon tossed her large purse down on her couch, scooping up her TV remote from the same couch.

Sharon headed for her kitchen, turning on her TV as she walked. "Let's see how Virgil's doing." She said to herself, flicking through the channels until she found the local news.

"This is Christopher George with channel thirteen news, New York. Earlier today local hero Firestorm and the Dakota hero, Static, fought a fierce battle against the superpowered villain known as Multiplex." The reporter on the screen said, "During the fighting the hero Static was mortally wounded."

Sharon had grabbed a can of soda, popping it open and bringing it up to her lips. But, as she heard those words she nearly drowned herself with the soda and spit it out. "What?! Virgil!" She yelled, looking to the TV.

"The Teen Titans are on scene now, the Titan known as... Raven, known daughter to the infamous demon god known as Trigon. Trigon is known to be worshipped by the Cult of Blood, led by the villain known as Brother Blood." Christopher continued.

Sharon rushed to grab her purse, as soon as she had it in hand she was out the door. She had to go make sure her brother was alright.

He had to be alright. He was a superhero.

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Wed Jun 05, 2013 11:54 pm

Chapter 11: Riddle Me This


Back in Gotham City...

Augustus woke up from his nightmare, nearly letting out a scream before forcing it back down. All of the fear gas was out of his system, but the encounter with Scarecrow had brought his deepest first about Raquel to the surface. Her criminal past. Everyone she knew from Dakota wasn't in prison, or dead, or turning over new leafs.

There was no telling who would knock on that door and ask for a favor from Raquel, and no telling if she'd do it for them, no telling what the favor would be. Augustus was deathly afraid of Raquel being sucked back into her old life.

The man shook off the thoughts, climbing out of his bed and letting his eyes find the clock on his wall. "Noon already?" He asked, "Well, it's not the latest I've slept." Augustus said to himself, "Raquel, you home?" He called out as he approached his room door.

"Out here with an unexpected guest." Raquel called back to Augustus. The man stepped out into the living room to see The Question standing near the front door to the apartment and Raquel seated on the couch.

"And, to what do we owe this visit?" Augustus asked, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the faceless detective.

"One half League business, one half needing a favor." The Question said, "Yellow power rings. You're familiar with them, right?" The Question asked, "Yeah, Sinestro's people use them. Scarecrow had one last night." Raquel answered, "Exactly, Scarecrow had one. So did Multiplex in New York. Icicle Jr. We've even heard reports that Black Manta has one." The Question explained.

"What does that have to do with us?" Augustus asked, "Black Canary, Batwoman and I are following leads of our own. Deathstroke's been taking the power rings. Batwoman found Scarecrow dead last night, Icicle Jr. and his wife, Tigress, ended up in the ICU this morning." The Question answered.

"We're pursuing that lead, trying to find out who's employing Deathstroke and why." The Question said, "We've got another lead though, one more unexpected and that would surely take too long to follow if we want the Deathstroke trail to stay hot." The Question reached into his coat, slipping out a green origami question mark.

"How are you two with Riddles?" The Question asked, "You're going to need to get good fast." He said, tossing the origami question mark to Raquel before turning to head to the exit. "Wait? Not going to tell us where to start?" Raquel asked the faceless detective.

"It's in your hands." The Question said, "Good luck." He added, stepping out into the hall and shutting the door behind him.

"I guess we should get started." Augustus said, moving to take a seat beside Raquel as she opened up the origami question mark. It unfolded into a neat square, it contained a riddle, one of the Riddler's trademarks. Each word that made up the riddle written in different forms of handwriting with varying sizes in letters.

It was as if a group of people had all written a word, or a letter each. Or someone was very good at forging handwriting. Too good.

"Ready?" Raquel asked, "Yeah." Augustus answered, the two taking the time to read the riddle together. It read;

The sun rises in the West, that's where the day begins, to find the next clue you must confront the night and all it's sins, you're on the right track if you're at the End.

"Well, I don't get it." Raquel said, tossing the paper down. "Gonna give up that quickly?" Augustus asked, "It's easy. Look at how the W in west is capitalized, and the E in end is capitalized." Augustus said, "Yeah, I see them." Raquel told the man, "So what?" She asked.

"If west is where the day begins..." Augustus trailed off, raising an eyebrow at Raquel. "East is where the day ends." Raquel said, "As for the night and sins, those are more clues." Augustus said, "We're going to the East End." He said.

"That's... suicide." Raquel told the man, "Not for Icon and Rocket." Augustus informed the young woman, "True. I'll get my stuff together." She said, getting up to her feet and heading to her room.

"It says we have to confront the night, we'll go there later on when the sun starts going down." Raquel called out, "Fine by me." Augustus answered, leaning back on the couch.

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Sat Jun 15, 2013 12:42 pm

Chapter 12: Dark Nights


Night began to fall on Gotham City and the rest of the east. Night was when all of the real monsters came out, all of your bad dreams and every psychopaths sick fantasy was going to play out a few times before the break of dawn. Static lay motionless in a New York City hospital, still recovering from the wound inflicted upon him by Deathstroke.

He missed Superman's speech, that would probably be the only thing on his mind once he came to. That and the fact that the doctors who worked on him took a peek under his mask, they knew who Static was. But, they had made a promise to a grieving sister. The secret was safe.

Icon stood atop the roof of his apartment building, eyes finding the light from the Bat-signal displaying a familiar symbol on the cloudy night sky. "Ready?" Rocket asked as she climbed the last few steps of the fire escape leading up to the roof. "Whenever you are." Icon told the young woman.

The two heroes shot off into the sky towards Gotham's East End, the city was much different at night. Cops and criminals were brawling, drunken people were having equally drunken slug fests outside of bars and nightclubs, but the real evil was taking it's time to show itself. Or maybe Icon and Rocket weren't looking hard enough for it.

"Look, there's The Question." Rocket said, pointing down at the street. The Question stood in an alley, several armed men approaching the cornered detective. "Should we help?" Rocket asked Icon, "I think that's a good idea." Icon answered, but as soon as the two heroes began to change course they noticed something in the shadows.

"Wait." Icon told Rocket, the two heroes stopping to watch the scene unfold.

"It's over, Black Mask isn't going to take any more of your shit." One of the gangsters told The Question, "You're going to die here like an animal." Another taunted, "I have a question for you." The Question said to his assassins, "What's black, red and right behind you?" The Question asked.

"What?" A gangster asked, before his brain could process the question he was wrapped in what appeared to be a cloak and dragged into the darkness of the alley's many shadows. The other men turned to look for their comrade, opening fire on every part of the alley that seemed to be a little too dark.

The Question charged the men who had now turned their attention elsewhere, the faceless hero grabbed two of the men by their collars. He lifted them both before slamming them face down, as he did this the cloaked figure would descend from above the alley.

It landed atop one of the gangsters before immediately leaping to another to take them down with a hard kick to the face, "There's more than one bat in town with moves." It said, a feminine voice coming from the dark figure. She stood up to reveal her black and red costume and cape, it was once again the Batwoman.

"Got some runners." Batwoman said, gesturing to a few men who were taking the chance to run. They weren't going to stick around just to get beat up if they had a choice in the matter.

Before they could get out of the alleyway they found themselves faced with a blonde haired woman donning a black unitard and a black jacket. "You know who I am, right?" The woman asked, "Black Canary." One of the men answered, "But, you're still going to try to fight me, right?" Black Canary asked.

The men looked between each other for a moment, attempting to charge Black Canary while they had the advantage of numbers. This tactic would prove useless, the woman would let out a deafening scream. The scream grew in pitch, bringing the men down to their knees as their brains began to succumb to the pressure.

"That's how we do it." Black Canary boasted.

"Guess we aren't needed down there." Rocket said, flying off towards the East End once more. "It would have been nice to thank Batwoman. She's almost as hard to get to as Bruce." Icon said as he flew behind Rocket.

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Sun Jun 30, 2013 4:55 pm

Chapter 13: Those Who Own The Night


The two heroes flew over the East End, searching for any signs of where they had to go. "See anything?" Icon asked, "Not a damn thing." Rocket answered, "Want to head down?" Rocket asked Icon, "It's not like we can't handle pimps and gangsters." The woman explained.

"True. Let's go." Icon began to fly down to the ground, Rocket in tow. The closer they got to the surface the more unsettled they got by it. Gotham's East End was a place many citizens of Gotham would probably relate to hell on Earth. A haven for the most depraved criminals, low-lives and the scum of the Earth.

The denizens of the East End took time out of their busy lives to watch the two heroes descend on them, it wasn't that they were anything special, capes and cowls came around the East End often. Just not like Icon and Rocket. Super superheroes, they weren't like Green Arrow, or Huntress.

"I'm feeling really out of place here..." Rocket muttered, "You'll be fine." Icon told Rocket, "We can handle anything this place throws our way." He continued, eyes once again searching the area for any signs of where the Riddler wanted him and Rocket to go.

"Maybe he ran into some problems. Food poisoning. 'Cause I don't see jack that looks like it's leading to more riddles." Rocket said, "I don't know if food poisoning is the problem Nigma ran into..." Icon told his partner, "What?" Rocket asked, being turned by Icon to see the man they were looking for.

The Riddler was in a seedy bar, pistol aimed up at the infamous Deathstroke as he fought off the Riddler's bodyguards. "You think I wasn't ready for you?" The Riddler asked, "I have heroes on the way. Good ones. Batman." The Riddler told Deathstroke, "You're going down, Mr. Terminator." The Riddler taunted.

"You might have been prepared for me." Deathstroke said as he snapped the neck of one of Riddler's men, soon grabbing another by the throat and tossing him outside. He did this all while keeping his eye on The Riddler, advancing closer with each death.

"I'll pay anyone who kills Deathstroke handsomely!" The reformed villain yelled, but no one in that bar was stupid enough to go face to face with Deathstroke, The Terminator. That was suicide, and there were more pleasant ways to meet your end.

Deathstroke reached for his own pistol, unfazed by the fact that The Riddler already had a gun trained on him. Riddler could only wonder what was going through Deathstroke's head. Why wasn't he afraid? He could die. Riddler could kill him with just one well-aimed shot to the face.

The ever stoic Deathstroke continued his slow approach, "What's wrong with you? Why aren't you afraid?" The Riddler asked, "I have a gun!" He screamed, "Because you'll be bleeding out and dead in five minutes." A feminine voice said from behind The Riddler.

A dark-skinned Asian woman slowly slid placed the end of a sai to The Riddler's neck. The man's would-be assassin had long black hair, she donned a short green kimono and equally as green thigh-high boots. "What's wrong, Edward? No Riddles for me?" The female assassin asked.

"Didn't have one in mind for you, Cheshire." The Riddler said calmly, resigned to his fate. He was going to die, but if he died he was going to die getting the last laugh. "That's unfortunate, I've got one for you though." Cheshire told The Riddler.

Rocket broke off into a sprint, soon flying towards the bar and through it's window towards Cheshire. Icon did the same, his target being Deathstroke. Icon slammed his fist into Deathstroke's face, sending the man flying into a wall.

Rocket wasn't as lucky, as she flew towards Cheshire the green-clad assassin took the time to jam her sai into Riddler's throat. "I had a good one ready for you too." She said just before Rocket slammed into her.

The two women hit the bar counter, Cheshire raising a foot to Rocket's gut and pushing her back. Before Rocket could regain her balance Cheshire was lunging at her, a well-placed kick connecting and sending Rocket down to the floor. Cheshire pounced her, still bloody sai coming up and then down towards Rocket's chest.

Rocket grabbed the assassin's wrist, keeping the weapon at bay for the time being. "Told you something would happen!" Rocket shouted to Icon.

The hero was having issues of his own, he found himself on the defense from attacks from the ruthless, extremely quick Deathstroke. Deathstroke was only human, right? How could he possibly hold his own against someone like Icon?

What Icon seemed to forget was that Deathstroke held his own against, defeated, the man, the mere mortal, who held his own against Superman. When you put the man who owned the night on his back, you had some claim to ownership as well.

And it was going to be a long night for the two heroes who found themselves on the wrong end of it.

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Sun Jul 14, 2013 8:05 pm

Chapter 14: Dead On Arrival


The Riddler stood with the help of the bar counter, green suit darkened by his own blood. The man held a hand to his neck, barely able to contain his blood as is, the sudden loss of so much leaving him disoriented. But there was always a chance he could survive, right?

The Riddler wasn't a man who was supposed to die like this. He was supposed to die with a legacy. A bigger legacy than this. He was supposed to be the biggest villain-turned-crime fighter around. He always went for the gold.

As the two sides faced off, Icon and Rocket against Cheshire and Deathstroke, Riddler dragged himself along the bar. The reformed villain nearly collapsed, dropping down to a knee. Eyes finding something very interesting under the counter, maybe his luck wasn't running out.

"Give up." Deathstroke said Icon as the two men circled eachother in the middle of the ruined bar. "Not a chance." Icon told Deathstroke, "He's probably dead by now. Or he will be soon. My job's done." Deathstroke informed Icon, "Give up and let me go about my day. I have other work to do." The mercenary said.

"And let you get away with murder? No. I saw what happened to Static because of you. He's alive, but I'm still pissed." Icon told Deathstroke, "Do you know who else is pissed?" He asked, tilting his head to the right. Deathstroke barely turned his head before Rocket charged him and shot out an energy blast that sent the mercenary flying.

Cheshire attempted to lunge at Rocket from behind, only to find herself grabbed by Icon and tossed out of the broken window into the street.

"You look like you're having a bad day." A woman in a skintight catsuit told Cheshire as she approached from an alley, "Whatever, Cat-girl." Cheshire said to the woman as she pulled herself up to her feet, "It's Catwoman." The woman corrected Cheshire, pulling a mask up over her head.

It was complete with cat ears.

"What are you doing here? We're busy." Cheshire told Catwoman, jerking a thumb inside the bar to the sight of Deathstroke single-handedly holding his own against both Rocket and Icon.

"I need your help for something a little more... self-serving than what our mutual employer wants." Catwoman said to Cheshire, "I'll fill you in when you're done here. I'll find you." The enigmatic thief told her assassin counterpart. "This better be on the level, Selina." Cheshire said before charging back towards the bar.

"I wouldn't steer you wrong, Jade!" Catwoman shouted after the woman before heading off to take care of her own business in the East End.

Inside the bar Cheshire dove onto Icon's back, digging her poisoned nails into his face. "You might be a big strong man, but eyeballs tend to be squishy all the time. You aren't Superman." Cheshire taunted.

"True. That's why I'd hit a lady." Icon said, grabbing Cheshire's wrists and pulling her nails from his face easily. Though the scratches were deep enough to leave lasting marks on the hero's face.

Cheshire wrapped her legs around Icon's waist, attempting to keep the hero from separating her from his body. "I'm not going anywhere!" Cheshire told Icon, "Yes, you are!" Rocket said, turning her attention from Deathstroke to fire a blast of energy at Cheshire.

The blast hit it's mark, pushing Cheshire away from Icon and down to the dirty floor.

Deathstroke raised his sword up, approaching Rocket from behind with clear intent to cut through the young hero's body. "No!" Riddler shouted, lifting a sawn-off shotgun towards Deathstroke. The man didn't hesitate this time, almost immediately firing a shot that sent Deathstroke reeling and eventually stumbling into a table.

Again Riddler collapsed, the lack of blood in his body taking it's toll on him. The green-clad reformed villain was breathing slowly, Icon and Rocket rushing towards him.

"Edward, you're going to be okay." Icon told the man, Rocket climbing over the bar counter in an attempt to help Riddler. "Don't lie to me..." Riddler breathed out, "I'm going to die... go to... to... Godfrey." Riddler told Icon and Rocket.

"Godfrey? The talk show host?" Rocket asked, looking towards Icon before turning her attention back to Riddler. "He knows more... than he lets on..." Riddler said, closing his eyes. "What do you mean? Hey! Wake up!" Rocket yelled at the man, it was clear after a few seconds that he was dead.

Rocket lowered her head, accepting the fact that a man died in front of her. But, it was hard to get over her failure as a hero. It would be for a long time.

"Let's call the League." Icon said, the sound of a single gunshot catching his attention as it echoed through the East End. Icon couldn't help but notice that both Cheshire and Deathstroke had disappeared from the scene.

"Damn it..."

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Mon Jul 29, 2013 8:20 pm

Chapter 15: Life & Death

or

On The Verge


Sharon sat in the crowded waiting room of the Queens hospital. It wasn't any more busy than usual, but the news of Static's injuries brought in fans, reporters, police officers and a few local heroes to show their support. Sharon liked that her brother had some many admirers.

Well, he did help save the world that one time. Most people would probably earn a few points with the population they saved from total annihilation at the hands of an alien or supervillain.

A young male doctor pushed through the crowd to enter the waiting room, "Ms. Hawkins." He said, gesturing for Sharon to follow him after getting her attention. Sharon stood up, following the doctor through the crowd of reporters, police officers, admirers and superhero friends of her brother.

"How is he?" Sharon asked the doctor as they got close to Virgil's room, "He's doing better, but.. there's still a chance that he could die. The dagger that the one-eyed man used on him punctured one of your brother's lungs. We're going to keep him for awhile, make sure he's really stabilized and then I can give you peace of mind." The doctor told Sharon.

"Thank you." She said, "If there's anything you need, just let me know. Ask for Dr. Rovin." The doctor told Sharon, offering the woman a comforting smile before heading off.

Sharon watched Dr. Rovin for a moment, her eyes catching site of a young tattooed Asian woman marching through the halls before finally making her way into Virgil's room.

Sharon could barely look at her sleeping brother. It was like seeing him dead despite all of the medical machinery he was hooked up to. "You uh... look like crap, Virgil." Sharon said, smiling slightly as she moved to take a seat beside her brother.

"This is my fault, I should have told you to wait. Kept you in the car instead of letting you go out there and get hurt." Sharon told the unconscious Virgil solemnly. The young woman couldn't help but beat herself up. Her brother, her baby brother, was on the verge of death and she couldn't have prevented it.

She thought she could, at least.

Sharon took hold of her brother's hand, squeezing it firmly. Seconds later the door to the room flew open, several people piling in to see a startled Sharon jumping from her feet.

The new group consisted of a young woman with long black hair, black jeans, and a purple crop top. The Ankh necklace she wore stood out to Sharon as well. Then there was a bigger man in a red and black letterman jacket, glasses and a baseball cap tilted low to obscure his face.

Last to join was a young man with brown hair, he wore jeans and a white t-shirt. He smiled at Sharon, "Uh... hey... we didn't expect him to have visitors." He said to her.

"Who are you?" Sharon asked, "Friends." The girl answered, "I'm Rachel." The young woman said, introducing herself to Sharon. "This big guy is Connor, that's Ronnie." She continued.

"Ronnie Raymond, and yes, I am single." Ronnie said to Sharon, his words prompting the woman to make a face. "Right. How'd you all get in here?" Sharon asked, "There are cops and capes all over the place."

"About that..." Ronnie began, "You're all superheroes, aren't you?" Sharon asked, "Not superheroes." Rachel answered, "Just connected." Rachel told Sharon, walking past her to head over to Virgil, she leaned over to examine the sleeping hero.

Ronnie's eyes found Rachel's lower back tattoo of a raven before drifting lower, "We just wanted to come check up on him." Connor added, stepping in front of Ronnie to obscure his view. "We'll be out of your hair soon." Connor continued.

"We should actually start leaving now. Connor and I have things to do for school." Rachel told Sharon, gesturing for Connor to follow as she head for the exit. "Yeah, this is my last year, so... I should scoot too. " Ronnie said, following behind Rachel.

"I hope he does better. Sorry we couldn't be any help." Connor said to Sharon, waving to her. "See you around." He added, heading towards the exit to join his friends in the hall.

"Strange bunch..." Sharon muttered to herself.

Out in the hall the three young people watched as several men and women shouted down the halls. A diverse group including a young female African-American doctor, an older, muscular African-American man, a heavily tattooed and Asian woman and Dr. Rovin.

"Yo, doc, what's going on?" Connor asked Rovin as he walked by, "Hm? Oh... uh... family drama among the Pierce family, I'm trying to get them somewhere... quieter." Dr. Rovin said, stopping for only a moment to explain.

"None of my business. My business is to find out who this new Killer Frost is." Ronnie told the two, "I'll catch you two around. You especially, Rachel. We can have a hot date." Ronnie teased, heading down the hall with a shit-eating grin on his face.

The grin disappeared once he thought he was far enough away from the others, he was serious about finding out who the new Killer Frost was. The teenage hero couldn't help but feel like the death of Crystal Frost could have been prevented, that he could have been the one to prevent it.

Ronnie pulled his cellphone from his pants pocket, tapping a few buttons and then holding it up to his ear. He waited a few seconds until someone picked up.

"Dr. Stein, it's me, Ronnie, I'm coming by your place. We need to talk."

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:19 pm

Chapter 16: Burning Desire


Professor Martin Stein sat behind his desk in his classroom at the New York Institute of Technology. Busy after a long few days, after a ghost from his past had showed up unexpectedly, he was focused soley on his work. The college professor had fair skin and greying brown hair, he stood at about 5'10" and had an average build for an adult man. Professor Stein also donned a pair of horn-rimmed glasses over his brown eyes.

He heard the sound of a door swinging open, never once raising his head to see who it was. "That was quick, Ronnie." The man said, "Lex, actually." Professor Stein's visitor corrected, the voice prompting the professor to raise his head.

Coming down the steps from the entrance to the classroom was billionaire Lex Luthor. Bald, dressed in an expensive suit and walking with the swagger of a man who had nothing to fear, nothing to lose and all the power that it took to corrupt lesser men.

"What do you want?" Martin asked seriously, peering through Lex Luthor as if he could see the man's true self. "Really?" Lex asked, "Not even a, 'Hey. How are you?', for me, Professor?" Lex asked as he approached the other man's desk.

Martin remained silent, his lack of words said much to Luthor. The man before him didn't trust him at all. "Oh, please. Don't tell me you believe that alien. Don't tell me Superman's lies have gotten to you too." Lex said to Martin, "If I was as bad as he says wouldn't I be in prison by now?" Lex asked.

"Wouldn't most vindictive Wall Street capitalists?" Martin asked in a monotone. His words and delivery prompted Lex to laugh, the businessman genuinely found the joke funny. But, it was a time of business and not pleasure. He had finally get down to why he even showed up in the first place.

"I know you're Firestorm. You and that kid." Lex told Martin, "Really? I'm Firestorm? Wait... me and some kid are both Firestorm? That's absurd, Alex." Martin responded, "Please, professor, don't insult my intelligence. It'll always end badly for you." Lex told the professor.

"And, you don't threaten me, Alex. That'll always end badly for you." Martin retorted. The two men remained silent, exchanging glares for a few moments until Luthor finally turned on a heel and spoke.

"I can see this will be a waste of time. I'm going to go, but this won't be the last time we ever meet." Lex told Martin as he headed for the exit. "It helps me to think we won't see eachother again." Martin told Lex, watching the businessman as he approached the exit. The door to the class swung open, Ronnie stepping in just as Lex was leaving.

Lex glanced back at the class for a moment as he stepped down the college building's halls, nearly bumping into a man dressed in a large hooded sweatshirt. "Emos..." Lex muttered as he continued on.

Back in the classroom Ronnie pointed towards the exit, "Wasn't that Lex Luthor?" He asked as he approached Professor Stein's desk. "Yeah. It was." Martin answered, "That guy's a dick." Ronnie said, Martin picking up a textbook and throwing it at the young man to hit him in the face.

"What was that for?" Ronnie asked, "Watch your mouth." Martin told the younger man, "Yeah. Whatever." Ronnie muttered under his breath. "About that lady we fought yesterday. She knew Crystal and you apparently know who this Killer Frost doppelganger is." Ronnie said to Martin.

"Louise Lincoln, she was another student of mine here. She was Crystal's best friend." Martin explained, "I fear that her love for Crystal has made her insane the way Crstyal's love for me did to her in the past." Martin said solmenly.

"How do we find her?" Ronnie asked, almost immediately after he finished asking his question the door to the class flew open. Standing at the door was a mysterious figure in a large hooded sweatshirt. They raised their hands towards Martin, firing a burst of energy at him.

"Doc, move!" Ronnie shouted, scrambling to get out of the way as Martin ducked down behind his desk. Pieces of the wall fell down on Martin after the energy hit it, "Holy shit." Martin said loudly, "And you told me to watch my language?" Ronnie called out, taking cover behind some of the student desks.

Ronnie peeked out to see Martin's would-be asassin, watching as they began to remove the pants they were. "They're getting naked." Ronnie said, watching until the assassin removed the sweatshirt.

It was a woman and she had pale blue skin, blue hair, and blue energy swirling around her hands. She also donned a dark blue unitard, seemingly for mobility. It was the self-proclaimed Killer Frost. It hadn't occured to Ronnie that if she was Louise Lincoln she'd know exactly where to find Professor Stein.

"Come out and die, Martin!" Killer Frost yelled, "Come on! I dare you to try to apologize for Crystal you washed-up loser." Killer Frost taunted, firing blaster after blast near the desk that Martin hid under.

Ronnie glanced towards the desk, knowing he wouldn't be able to get to it and become Firestorm with Martin without Killer Frost putting him down for dirtnap.

"Fuck it..." Ronnie said, glancing towards Killer Frost and then getting up to run. But, as soon as he got to hise feet he was grabbed the woman. She had a tight grip on the back of his neck and lifted him from his feet, it was clear from his struggling that Ronnie was rather helpless.

"I'll snap his neck if you don't come out and show yourself." Killer Frost told Martin, holding Ronnie up high for the college professor to see. "Okay." Martin said, standing slowly to face his soon-to-be killer.

"Just... put him down, that's all I'm going to ask of you. This isn't his problem. What happened with Crystal and I, to your friend, is all my fault and we should be the only ones who have to deal with the aftermath.." Martin said to Killer Frost.

She thought on it for a moment, taking her sweet time before finally tossing Ronnie to the side. "I only need you to die anyways." Killer Frost said, glancing towards Ronnie. As soon as her eyes found Martin he was raising a gun and opening fire. A bullet struck Killer Frost in the stomach, the woman lashing out and whipping her blue energy all over the room.

"Leave!" Martin yelled at Killer Frost, "I will kill you." He told the woman seriously, Killer Frost had no intention of leaving, but on the other hand she wasn't faster than a speeding bullet.

With a frustrated and anguished scream the woman rushed out of the classroom, knocking down student after student who were searching for refuge from what they thought was a gunman as she left.

With a sigh Martin fell to the floor, back against the wall. "I'm probably going to be fired." He said, "At least we aren't dead and I'm still pretty." Ronnie joked, rubbing his bruised neck.

The two chuckled quietly, but their laughter was followed by a long silence other than the sounds of police officers running down the halls and shouting as they converged on the classroom.

"Dr. Stein?" Ronnie asked, "Yeah, Ronnie?" Martin responded, "Why do you have a gun?" The young man asked.

"It's uh... complicated..." Martin answered, "It's just complicated..."

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Re: Inglorious

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Saarai on Sat Aug 24, 2013 8:24 am

Epilogue


"Freeze!" A police yelled at Killer Frost as she emerged from the college building she had just used as a venue for her revenge. She had gone through a back entrance into the college building, there weren't too many officers on scene yet. But, there were several students on the campus watching.

If anyone was going to take her seriously she had to do something they wouldn't forget any time soon. "Freeze? With pleasure!" Killer Frost yelled, suddenly raising her palms at the surrounding police officers. Before they could react the woman was unleashing a hellish swarm of ice and cold which froze anyone unlucky enough to be too close.

Others succumbed to cold, waiting to die from the sudden cold consuming their body. It was barely fall and it looked like people were going to freeze to death.

Satisfied with her actions, Killer Frost shot off into the sky. She had to put some distance between herself and the murders she had just committed. Especially while she was losing blood from the gunshot wound in her stomach. She didn't get too far when she felt something tugging on her.

The woman found herself being pulled from her flight path against her will. She panicked, searching for any indicator as to what was going on. "Green Lanterns? No, why would they be here?" She asked herself, noting the lack of green energy around her. "What the hell?"

Killer Frost descended into an alleyway, where a limousine and several people stood. A short man wearing a hooded sweatshirt which all but concealed his face and identity. Deathstroke and Cheshire also stood in the alley, disinterested in what was going on. They were just mercenaries. Why should they care?

The driver side door and the passenger side door of the limo opened up, two women both dressed in suits stepping out. The driver was a tall Caucasian woman with long blond hair tied into a single braided ponytail. She moved to the back seat while the second woman, a tall dark-skinned woman with long braids tied into a ponytail, stepped up to the front of the limo.

Killer Frost found herself sat as the driver opened the limo door. Out stepped Lex Luthor himself. Businessman, philanthropist, and to some, criminal mastermind.

"Lex Luthor? Really?" Killer Frost asked, "In the flesh." Lex responded with a smile, taking a few steps towards the blue-skinned woman. "I've come to make you an offer." He told her, "I don't need whatever you're selling." Killer Frost responded.

"You do, actually. You need a team." Lex informed the woman, "Really? Fuck off. I don't need anything." Killer Frost said, turning to leave the alleyway. "I know who Firestorm really is." Lex said, stopping the vengeful woman dead in her tracks. "I can tell you who they are, I can give you everything you'll need to kill them." Lex said.

"More importantly, I can give you allies in your fight against the Justice League when they come after you. Like-minded people who have some grudges to take care of and realize we can't do it alone. Not always." Lex explained, "We've all had injustices done to us by these so-called heroes."

"Why not return the favor?" Lex asked Killer Frost, the woman turning to address him. "What did they do to you?" She asked, "Like I said, injustice." Lex answered.

Concurrently in Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, Queens, New York...

Sharon sat beside her brother, watching as he slept through his coma. It had only been two days, but she was hoping he would suddenly awaken. That Virgil would get up and be at 100% in no time. But, it was wishful thinking. She had faith that he'd survive, but she wasn't sure how long he'd be out for.

Dr. Rovin pushed the room door open quietly, "Sharon?" He whispered, "Yeah...?" She answered, never taking her eyes from her comatose brother. "You should go get something to eat." Rovin told her, "You've been here for hours." He continued, "Come on, I'll buy you something." The doctor offered.

Sharon nodded, standing up from her seat to head for the exit. Before she reached the door she turned back, "My purse." She told Rovin, reaching down for the purse beneath her seat.

Before she could bend over to grab it Virgil shot up, startling the young woman and causing her to scream. Virgil, being just as alarmed, screamed as well. Hearing the flatline from disturbing the medical instruments attached to himself the young man's eyes opened wide.

"I'm a zombie!" Virgil shouted, "What?" Rovin asked, "No. You were in a coma." Rovin explained, opening the door to the room and gesturing for nurses and doctors.

"You almost scared me to death!" Sharon explained, "I wonder if you would have come back as a zombie. I've seen stranger things happen." Virgil joked, "I need to go. I need to go after Deathstroke. One-fourth revenge, three-fourths figuring out what he wants with yellow power rings." Virgil said, trying to stand up.

He only found himself pushed back down by his sister. "No, you just woke up from a coma. You'll open up your wounds, bleed out, and you won't make it to the elevators. Deathstroke isn't going anywhere." Sharon said, "If you try to leave I'll call dad." She threatened.

"You wouldn't." Virgil said to his sister, "Try me." Sharon retorted, "Dr. Rovin, make sure my brother doesn't do anything stupid." Sharon ordered, "I'll try, but... boys will be boys." Rovin joked as doctors and nurses entered to take care of Virgil.

"Come on, let's get some food in you." Rovin said, gesturing Sharon out of the room. He couldn't help but notice that she had a smile on her face, it was the first time he had seen her smile since she had been at the hospital.

"Silver linings..." Rovin muttered to himself, leading Sharon on.

The night before, Gotham's East End...

A single gunshot, different from the others that usually inhabited the East End of Gotham City, caught the attention of every thug, pimp, vigilante, cop, prostitute, beggar, mercenary and snitch in the area.

Blood pulled on dirty concrete of an alleyway, the tortured screams of a woman replacing the echo of the gunshot. Piercing the sudden silence that had befallen the crime ridden city.

In a blink of an eye someone was dead. Someone loved by the sounds of it.

Icon and Rocket flew through the air as quickly as they could, intent on finding the source of the screams. "This way!" Icon shouted to Rocket, leading her down towards the alleyway. It was littered with bodies, gangsters and thugs mostly. Some were just wounded or knocked out cold, others were dead and gone.

Bullet wounds, knife wounds, bashed heads. This was a gangland skirmish, or a message by massacre. But, among the gangster and thugs, among the lowlifes were a few people who were out of place.

"Whoa..." Rocket said to herself, examining the bodies. "Black Mask's men and some of Two-Face's." Icon told the younger hero, his eyes catching the sight of the crying woman hunched over with a bleeding man leaning against her. It was clear that he was dead.

The two were bound together, all she could do was sit there and let him rot next to her.

"Rocket... call the League..." Icon said to his protege, "Yeah..." Rocket muttered, turning away from the woman and her deceased love one.

Rocket raised her right forearm where she wore a device on her wrist similar to a watch. "Rocket to Watchtower..." The young hero said somberly, "Rocket this is Watchtower. What's the situation?" A man answered, "We've got a man down..." Rocket answered.

She went silent for a moment.

"We have a hero down..."

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