Local Talk
Disclaimer: I only own Kid Razor and Sonic Blue. Everyone else belongs to their respective owners. And here's your quote: "Blow it back to God." - Rene Belloq, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Author's Note: This is set during RogueFanKC's "Insanity is Part of the Job Description", part of the lead-up to "Kingdom Hearts: Mutants of Twilight".
Cincinnati, Ohio
A figure stood on top of the Carew Tower. The Tower was the tallest building in the city of Cincinnati. And the figure was growing very impatient.
"Come on..." Kid Razor scowled. "Where the hell is he?" Normally, Razor operated in Cleveland, a city nearby Cincinnati, but Razor had come to The Queen City to visit a friend. Razor didn't have many friends in the superhero community due to his attitude towards other heroes, but one Razor considered a brother.
Sonic Blue was the Local Hero of Cincinnati, a technologically-empowered hero. Spencer Allen Burton was a young genius and track athlete who built the armor that gave him his power. Sonic Blue was a speedster, and his armored gauntlets could also fire sonic energy waves. The blue armor (Spencer chose to color his armor blue because it was his favorite color) combined with the sonic weaponry was what got him the codename Sonic Blue.
The Fearless One's superhuman hearing then heard a certain high-pitched whine. The whine made Razor smirk. That whine was heard when Sonic Blue was running.
A blue streak raced up the side of the building. Thanks to his incredible speed (and a good long running start), Spencer was able to defy gravity and race up the wall. Just before gravity could take hold again and force Spencer back down to Earth, the young genius managed to reach the top.
"About damn time, man." Razor grumbled. "For a speedster, you're not very punctual." The Fearless One told the Iron Speedster. Spencer's armor design was inspired by his inspiration, Iron Man. The armor was predominantly bright blue with silver at the neck, upper arms, and upper legs. Silver lightning bolts were painted on the shoulders, tips meeting at the chest. The blue helmet had a silver faceplate with a blue visor, and the top of the helmet looked like the helmet of Jay Garrick, the original Flash, only with blue wings on it instead of gold. The faceplate retracted around the mouth area, and the mouth formed a smile.
"I got caught in traffic." Spencer chuckled. The young genius held up a bag. "I also had to make a stop at Subway.
"Cool." Razor nodded. "The Kid of Rock could use a sandwich." Spencer took out a sandwich, a bag of chips and a soda, and handed them over to Razor. The two teenage heroes walked over to the edge of the building, took seats, and started chowing down.
"I love this building." Spencer explained. "You know why?"
"The Kid of Rock likes to go up to the tallest building in Cleveland and proclaim to the world that he rules it." Razor shrugged. Spencer shook his head. "What? The Kid of Rock does rule the world."
"Well, I like this building because it gives me a great view of the river." Spencer explained, pointing out the Ohio River. "The view is so beautiful up here."
"Whoever owns this building should charge people to come up here." Razor chuckled. "Get some money pumping into this town."
"You should talk." Spencer chuckled. "Cleveland isn't exactly a boom town anymore either."
"Are you kidding?!" Razor's jaw dropped. "Do you know how much tourist money the Kid of Rock brings to Cleveland? People from all over the freakin' world, if not the whole universe, come to see the Kid of Rock! The Kid of Rock is the greatest superhero of all time."
"Oh, brother." Spencer sighed. He looked down at the city.
"Yo man, what's eating you?" Razor frowned.
"From up here, Cincinnati looks so beautiful, doesn't it?" Spencer sighed. Razor shrugged.
"Yeah. So?"
"When you get down to street-level..." Spencer sighed again. "You see that the city can get pretty ugly." Razor then realized what he was talking about.
"That anti-mutant riot you broke up last week." Razor remembered. Spencer grunted.
"It makes me sick, Razor." Spencer sighed. "It really does."
"So?" Razor scowled. "Those anti-mutant folks. Anti-magical. They're all morons. Don't let it get to you."
"The problem is Razor, people seem to want to follow the morons."
"Because the morons are always the ones who spit out the easy solutions." Razor rolled his eyes. "Think about this, man. You ever read Harry Potter?"
"All the books, why?" Spencer blinked.
"Wow. I didn't know you liked Harry Potter. I thought, being a techno-nerd, you'd hate that stuff."
"It's a nice change of pace." Spencer answered. "And the books are well-written." The young hero then frowned. "It's just..." He looked down at the city. "Since when did everything go to hell in a handbasket?"
"Ever since that stupid Nexus garbage in 'Frisco." Razor grunted. "When those Charmed chicks got exposed." (1)
"Oh, yeah. I remember hearing about that on the news." Spencer remembered.
"The Kid of Rock is not surprised those jerks in the Justice League didn't ask our help." Razor scowled.
"Well, Razor, they probably figured we were busy."
"Yeah, sure." Razor smirked. "Whatever. It's not like they ever cared about the hard work us Locals put in when it came to protecting our homes."
"I'm sure they appreciate it." Spencer countered. "Anyway, seeing that anti-mutant mob...it really disturbed me."
"I thought we'd be used to 'em by now." Razor shrugged. "What disturbed you about this one?"
"...They were going after this guy with purple hair for holding hands with this girl." Spencer explained.
"So? Isn't that what couples do?"
"Yeah, but the guy dyed his hair purple. He wasn't a mutant." Spencer explained. "They just saw his hair and thought he was a mutant. Thank God I got there in time. Who knows what they would've done to him."
"That guy should be counting his blessings that Cincinnati had its own hero." Razor grunted. "Because we all know Superman wouldn't have given a damn. Nor Captain America. Or the Craptastic Four."
"Classy, Razor." Spencer rolled his eyes, biting his sandwich. "They have to deal with the big stuff. We handle the small stuff."
"I can handle all kinds of stuff." Razor snorted. "Anyway, the Kid of Rock thinks that those anti-mutant guys are so completely stupid. But unfortunately, the morons have the money and the power."
"Yeah." Spencer sighed. "And unfortunately, people tend to listen to the aformentioned morons."
"Yeah, but it's not the money and power that makes 'em listen, Spence." Razor continued. "Wrap that ridiculously high IQ of yours around this: People are scared. Not the Kid of Rock, of course. But People are scared."
"I don't blame 'em." Spencer admitted. "I've seen what Zatanna and Jennifer Kale can do if they get mad."
"I was complimenting them, man." Razor groaned.
"By grabbing their rear ends?" Spencer frowned.
"They have great asses, man." Razor laughed. "Not the Kid of Rock's fault they can't take a compliment. Anyway, let me explain to you something, Spency. Magic's been something that was thought of as fictional for centuries. Ghosts, demons, goblins, spooks, all that stuff. All fictional, right?"
"Uh..." Spencer blinked.
"Lemme finish." Razor continued. "It's rude to interrupt the Kid of Rock. The Kid of Rock didn't think much of that stuff either...until he met Ronnie Rocker."
"The Ghost Rocker." Spencer nodded. "I've met him quite a few times."
"How do you think the Kid of Rock felt when he first met Ronnie Rocker's ghost?"
"I can imagine that you must've been surprised." The blue-armored young hero guessed. Razor nodded.
"Yeah, he was surprised." Razor admitted. "Nowadays, he's used to it. He's seen all kinds of weird stuff. But when he first met Ronnie...The Kid of Rock was surprised. He had no idea ghosts were real. Over time, the Kid of Rock learned that demons and gods and spooks and aliens and the like were real, too."
"Weren't you a little spooked?" Spencer wondered. Razor shrugged.
"Not really." Razor admitted. "It stood to reason. If ghosts existed, what else did?"
"True."
"I think what people are so freaked out about when it came to magic stuff is that they thought it was all imaginary. Fictional. Like vampires and Eskimos." (2)
"Quoting Homer Simpson, are we?" Spencer chuckled. Razor shrugged.
"Anyway, I think that's why people are so horrified. People have made up stories about changelings stealing babies, the Jersey Devil, and now there's the possibility that those things are very real."
"And considering some of the legends and tales people know..." Spencer realized. "I get it. I know what you're trying to say. Things that people assumed were fictional for centuries are suddenly revealed to be very real? Yeah, that'll really mess up your day."
"I can imagine that messing up Graydon Creed's day, heh heh." Razor chortled, sipping his drink. "Speaking of Creed, do you really believe all that garbage he spews out about mutants?"
"You know me, Razor. I take everything that man says with a grain of salt." Spencer frowned. "If you ask me, I think he's jealous because many mutants have superpowers and he doesn't."
"For some mutants, their powers already make their lives difficult." Spencer nodded in agreement. "Like that Rogue girl from the X-Men. I heard she can't touch people."
"Yeah, the Kid of Rock feels so bad about that." Razor nodded. "Poor girl dreams about nailing the Kid of Rock, yet never can. It must be hell for her."
"Oh, I'm sure she's suffering." Spencer rolled his eyes.
"Hey, why don't you build a gadget for her to help shut off her powers?" Razor suggested. "I'm sure you could pull it off. You're good at the techno-geek stuff."
"I suppose I could..." The young hero scratched his chin in thought. "I'd have to figure out how her powers work, though. But I do think that it's possible." (3)
"Hey, there's another little project for you to work on." Razor grinned.
"Oh, and speaking of magical stuff, I've been hearing rumors that a whole bunch of magical guys are gathering at the Ghostbuster headquarters in New York." Spencer suddenly remembered. Razor's face turned hard. (4)
"Do not mention the Ghostbusters." The Kid of Rock 'n' Roll snarled.
"What'd they do to get you so mad?" Spencer sighed.
"The geniuses tried to blast Ronnie Rocker." Razor remembered. "They came to Cleveland on some kinda ghost alert. They tried to trap Ronnie. The Goth tramp threw her trap and got Ronnie stuck inside it. Didn't even give Ronnie a chance to explain himself."
"It was an honest mistake, Razor." Spencer rolled his eyes. "I'm sure they were sorry."
"I made sure they were sorry." Razor grimaced.
"You know Razor, you really didn't need to do that to them." The blue-armored teen frowned at the blond super-rocker. It was another infamous incident involving Razor coming into conflict with more of Earth's heroes. It was well-known that his love of the spotlight and disdain for the other heroes got Razor into a lot of trouble. "You threatened to introduce their heads to their butts if they didn't release Ronnie."
"Nobody puts a friend of the Kid of Rock's in a ghost trap." Razor shrugged. "Those morons didn't keep that rule in mind, so I had to..." A smirk crossed his face. "Remind them." The young genius sighed.
"I shouldn't be surprised." Spencer shook his head, taking a bite of his sandwich. "You always have to be a jerk towards others, don't you?"
"Hey, the other heroes treat the Kid of Rock like a joke." Razor scowled. "You know what happened the first time I met Superman?"
"Oh, here we go again." Spencer groaned. "I remember this."
"The Big Blue Butthead said I had an attitude problem." Razor scowled. "I gave him an attitude problem."
"You know, he was trying to help you out."
"I didn't need him." Razor grunted. "I'm not going to change anything about myself because Superman has a problem."
"I met Superman once myself." Spencer remembered with a smile. "He and I teamed up to take on Mr. Fahrenheit and Metallo."
"Kissed his ass, huh? Typical." Razor snorted. Spencer sighed.
"Razor, looking up to a hero and 'kissing his ass' are not the same thing."
"They are to me." Razor countered. "Why would the Kid of Rock look up to heroes that never helped out the people of Cleveland? That were never even seen there before the Kid of Rock showed up?"
"And why would the other heroes be so willing to trust someone who only thinks about himself?" Spencer reminded. "Razor, I think of you as a brother, but a lot of the things you do tend to grate on me. Like your constant berating of other heroes. I can't stand it."
"They're just jealous of me." Razor chuckled. "Come on, man. You have to admit, your life got a lot more fun since you met me."
"And I got into a lot of trouble because of you." Spencer grunted. "Remember the Star Stop?"
"Hey, I saved your life, man." Razor recalled. "If it weren't for the Kid of Rock, God knows what that fat alien nutjob would've done to you. If the Kid of Rock didn't care, he would've left you there."
"Yeah, I'm sure." Spencer sighed. The two teens ate in silence for a while. "...you've been hearing the rumors?"
"What rumors?" Razor blinked. "Look, Spence, it's really obvious that..."
"I mean the rumors that something really bad is coming." The young genius looked over at this rocker friend. "Think about it, Razor. All those mystic heroes gathering at the Ghostbuster headquarters...that's never a good sign."
"True." Razor shrugged. "Either a major crisis or a magician's convention is coming. Neither are good news." Spencer's jaw dropped. "There was a magician's convention in Cleveland last week. All hell broke loose. Someone had a little too much to drink. Don't ask."
"Don't worry, I'm not going to." Spencer shook his head. "I got a baaaad feeling in my gut, though. I got a feeling something really bad is coming."
"Yeah, the Kid of Rock hasn't heard much from a certain immortal old enemy of his." Razor scowled. "And it means only one thing when Selene vanishes like that: She's either plotting something big, or she's involved in something really big." The Fearless One grunted. "The Kid of Rock also has another feeling, pal."
"What's that?" Spencer blinked.
"That when this big thing does go down..." Razor's green eyes grew hard. "We Locals are going to get shafted."
"Why?" Spencer blinked.
"Because we always do." Razor grumbled. "The League, the Fantastic Four, the Ghostbusters, they have no respect for us Locals. We bust our asses protecting our hometowns, and what does Superman do? He just says 'Nice job' and flies away....if we're lucky. Those 'big-time' heroes don't even give the Locals one iota of respect."
"Actually, Supes gave me some good advice." Spencer countered. Razor rolled his eyes.
"He gave me some advice, too." Razor growled. "He said..." The Fearless One's voice then took on a mocking impersonation of the Man of Steel's: "Razor, you have a lot of potential, but you care more about showing off than getting the job done. You care more about putting on a show. You seem to be more interested in the glory than saving lives." The Ultimate Rockstar growled. "Big Blue moron don't know me. Disrespects me in my own town, in front of the Kid of Rock's own people. He ever talks to me that way again, the Kid of Rock will introduce his head to his-!"
"He does have a point." Spencer shrugged, interrupting Razor. "You are known more in the superhuman community for your bad attitude and arrogance than your heroism. It does give them the idea that you care more about being admired than making this world a better place."
"We all want to make the world a better place, Spence. That's why we're heroes, that's a given." Razor rolled his eyes. "It's like why people go into music. Because they love the music, that's a given. But like rockers, superheroes are also admired and respected. What's wrong with enjoying that? Just because Superman considers it a sin doesn't make it wrong. I can imagine that even he has moments where he enjoys being as admired and as respected as he is. He's got an ego too, he's just not willing to admit it."
"Many of the other heroes don't let their egos run wild like you do." Spencer frowned. "Many of the other heroes think of you as an egomaniac who cares more about glory and admiration than fighting for what's right." Razor grinned.
"Like the Kid of Rock cares what they think. They're just jealous of my greatness. If they got a problem with the fact that the Kid of Rock is more awesome than any other hero around, they know where to find him."
"Whatever." Spencer rolled his eyes. "I think that's the problem. You think so highly of yourself that you can't see the way your words and action affect others."
"And you get so starstruck by other heroes that you can't see that they don't give a damn about anyone but themselves." Razor countered. "I'll bet you that if they were presented with the choice to help the Local Heroes during a crisis and have a barbecue, they will bring out the steaks."
"Why do you think that, Razor?" Spencer frowned. "I can't see Superman doing that to the Locals. Or any of the other heroes."
"They're people just like us, Spence. They hold grudges."
"I know what that's about, Razor." Spencer sighed. "You're angry at them because they don't treat you like a god. You're just mad that they don't bow to you and treat you like a god."
"I'm angry at them because they keep looking towards heroes that don't deserve to be admired!" Razor grunted. "Like Captain America. The other heroes look to that old relic for inspiration. Why him?! What made him so great?! He acts like the people of my hometown or any other Local Hero city don't matter."
"You have any proof of that?" Spencer crossed his arm, frowning in disbelief.
"When I first met the guy, he had the audacity to disrespect the Kid of Rock in his hometown in front of his fellow Clevelanders. It's like taking a sledgehammer to a man's prized '57 Chevy." The young genius then burst out laughing at the Ultimate Rockstar's statement. "What? What's so funny?!"
"You think he insulted your pride." Spencer laughed. "That's why you hate Cap so much! That's why you think he has no respect for the Locals!" The blue-armored teen chortled some more. "I heard about that meeting. Cap tried to give you some constructive criticism, and you lost it! You ended up looking like a little brat." Razor growled as he replayed that day in his mind. He was still furious at Cap for causing him to be humiliated like that.
"Oh, shut up." An embarrassed Razor grumbled. Spencer chuckled. "Not one of the Kid of Rock's better moments."
"I'll say." Spencer agreed with an amused smile. "They still talk about it on YouTube." Razor rolled his eyes.
"The Kid of Rock would kick the ass of the guy who created it if there weren't so many funny videos in it."
"Yeah, I know you love that one video with Tony Stark and the girl falling into his arms and causing him to fall over." Spencer chuckled. (5)
"Yeah, that one is hilarious." Razor nodded with a laugh. "Starkie just said that women fall for him, he holds his arms out, and the woman falls onto him. The timing was perfect!" Razor laughed. "In that one particular second, the cosmos were perfectly aligned. The planets, the stars, the comets, the pieces of Superman's homeworld, were all perfectly in place. Some of the best comedy comes from those one-in-a-million moments."
"Yeah." Spencer agreed. His helmet beeped. "Ah, man..."
"What's up?"
"My armor's just got a call." Spencer explained. "Reflector is at it again."
"That cheap Mirror Master ripoff?" Razor scowled. "What is that skank up to?"
"She's trying to swipe some old mirror from a museum." Spencer sighed, getting up. "Since you're here, you wanna help me out here?"
"Sure." Razor shrugged. "The Kid of Rock could use some laughs." The Fearless One took off in an aura of rainbow light, and Sonic Blue leapt off the building, slowing his descent's speed by moving his arms in a circle at super-speed. The two heroes went into battle, not knowing that a short time from now, the Gathering of Twilight would descend upon the world...
Thanks for reading!
(1) – See "Nexus Nevermore"
(2) – A nod to Homer Simpson.
(3) – In my fic "The Starr Chronicles", Sonic Blue built Rogue a power-controlling watch after he and the X-Men joined forces to defeat the Cybermen.
(4) – In RogueFan's one-shot "Insanity is Part of the Job Description."
(5) – A nod to the fic "YouTube Gold", an Iron Man fic.