(disclaimer: all characters in this are either based off of a different character from actual fiction or a real fiction character. Either way, I don't own copyrights for any of them. I don't own the rights to the dc multiverse either. If this is not very good, this is my first fanfic. So I think of this as more of practice.)
Operation Vertigo: An Earth-53 Tale
Featuring
Rorscratch
Chapter 0: Prologue
Los Angeles is a city full of weird and interesting people. most notably it's criminal element, especially tonight. It was a good thing, only a few people knew it, though. For if they did, the whole city would be trembling in fear. For the world's greatest terrorist was in town for a plan that could induce nationwide panic and kill most the city as well. Now here is where it begins…….oh one more thing I almost forgot. on earth-53 animals and humans are on the same level or more specifically half of them. You see only half the population of every species are like that. The half humanoid of them ain't eaten now, so the non-humanoid half is used for food. The rest ain't. Now with that last part out of the way, we can begin.
There are a lot of unpleasant people on this earth, but one in particular, Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot or the suicidal assassin, was truly unique. While most hit men want to survive the job, Floyd wanted to die in a spectacular fashion. The reason why I will not say because while he may be a character, it happens to be a every long tale which I don't want to go into.
Either way he had a job all lined up for him. He just had to find the meeting place, pier 51. Two minutes later he found the pier. There were two people waiting for him. Oh, did I say people, I meant dogs. Seeing what they were, Floyd made a hiss begin in his throat. See Floyd was a cat. A cat who really, really hates dogs.
"This better have a huge payoff," he thought.
The first dog, an eighty something old pug named Gustav Fiers also known as the gentleman, was an international criminal who was believed dead. After a failed attempt at outdoing the world's greatest criminal mastermind (whose name or alias I will not divulge) and nearly getting killed by a mercenary he hired named the Chameleon. But he got arrested shortly after and got medical attention. He was looking at life in prison if he hadn't been rescued by his brother Karl, who was the other pug. He was also known as the Finisher, an assassin like Deadshot.
One major difference from most though was his age. He was in his early nineties, but he still wanted to go kill people for money. There was a handicap though. He was too old, to do it the way it's usually done. This wasn't a problem though because he preferred bombs, missiles, lethal traps, and lethal gas to firearms.
Floyd said, "Alright you two this had better be good or else you're cat food. In case you didn't know I really hate cats." The gentleman did not look scared at all. That guy had survived the Titanic, the Hindenburg, and various attempts on his life like a cockroach and still came back for more in terms of either money or defeat. plus he probably had a bodyguard somewhere in hiding. Sure he knew a smidgeon of judo, but not enough to make him a formidable opponent.
A small chuckle came out of his mouth. Then he spoke "of course I know that, but I only represent the man that wants to hire you."
"Yeah, well if he wants to hire me why didn't he come here himself then?" Floyd asked, "He isn't in the country yet" the Gentleman replied in his thick Austrian accent
"If that's true then who is he?" Floyd snapped. His patience was wearing thin as ice. The gentleman walked over and handed him a sheet of paper. Floyd's eyes grew to the size of plates when he read the name.
The gentleman then said "Listen up, Floyd, our employer wants you to be the instigator of his latest terrorist plot"
"What do I have to do?" Floyd asked curious (he is, a cat after all)
"Kill the president of the United States of America as well as his vice-president and the secretary of state." The Gentleman said.
Floyd thought a second before asking, "How much does this job pay? You know I don't come cheap."
" Five million dollars." the Gentleman replied without a second thought
Floyd gave his answer, "Where do I sign on this contract."
Chapter 1: Who I Am
If you ever take a good look at the world around you you'd notice the world is a lot different then back when you were a kid. It's a darker place than most people realize. Now some people, like optimists, think otherwise. But not me, see I'm smart enough to avoid many kinds of trickery, from propaganda to spin doctrine, and I'm something of a pessimist.
But I'm even more unique. See unlike you, I live in a place called earth-53. You probably never heard of it. That's okay because it's another universe. You live on the hardest one to get to of them all - Earth Prime. Almost all other universes are referenced in works of fiction. We usually just don't realize it. I learned all this from a version of me from earth-231, an earth nobody likes to go to. Because out of all the earths in the multiverse that one is the darkest and second most disturbing.
The man who told me all this was a man named Walter Krovics, aka Rorschach. He appeared to die at the hands of a fellow superhero named doctor Manhattan. But being nigh omnipotent, he instead banished him from that earth and gave him the power to open up portals to anywhere, but earth-231.
Anyway he showed up here and warned me of what would happen, and I tricked dogter mutthattan (doctor Manhattan on my earth), into destroying a hologram of me instead……..and rewired Veidt's monster so it would turn their hair into rainbow afros instead. I told the governments of America and Russia where to find the man who thought he could avert World War Three by tricking them into thinking aliens destroyed NewYork.
When they found out what happened, they went where Veidt lived and beat him within an inch of his life. That was five years ago. I was twenty back then and now well it's 2009. (See it happened in 2004, instead of the 1980's on my earth)
After the whole Veidt Affair, I relocated to Los Angeles to spend more time with my cousin. I won't say who she is, though maybe some other time. But first I went to three cities. I wanted to get some new stuff for crime fighting seeing as I was relocating, (plus Veidt is still mad at me for wrecking his plans, and I most certainly do not want to end up like the Comedian and getting in a yearlong coma,).
I first went to Central City to learn acrobatics from a vigilante named The Spirit. In one month I mastered many tricks from tightrope walking to complete back flips and from bounding off walls, and how to break a fall from at the most five stories with either little or no injury.
Then I went to a secret house located 5 miles out of Riverdale (the closer to the middle of nowhere the better) which was the residence of the thought dead, and retired Sly Cooper who lived there with his wife former Interpol inspector, Carmelita Fox. His son, Rodney Cooper, and his new gang carry on the Cooper legacy now and read the thievius racoonus behind his back. That coupled with what the spirit taught me, increased my athletic abilities by ten times what it originally was and taught me how to move so silently I could make no noise at all, and so slow that I won't show up on motion sensors, plus an extensive knowledge, of security systems.
Then I went to a greyhound in New New York named Matt Murdock who also moonlights as a vigilante named Daredevil. He helped me by teaching me how to heighten my senses to almost metahuman levels effectively giving me danger sense. I was a formidable opponent even before that. I could use almost anything as either a weapon or a tool. I was strong enough to break bones very easily. I was also smart, very smart, plus incredible powers of timing, balance, code breaking, climbing, hacking, driving, and explosives handling. I also practiced shooting with guns until I could shoot a fly from ten feet away.
I also follow a personal code of one rule - I don't kill unless I'm not in a very good mood and unless they're Kobra members. (don't ask) The acrobatics came naturally to me because you see I am a cat. In fact that was what helped me in choosing my name. See my costume consists of a trench coat, a scarf, black pants, a fedora, and gloves. But the last and most recognizable part of my costume is a white mask with inkblots all over it that change pattern with my emotions. My mask looked like a Rorschach test, so naturally I took the name Rorscratch.
But since this story is not going to my world, I may as well give you my real name, it's Walter Katrovics. No laughing now that really is my name. Now that I told who I am, Who are you?" the other figure coughed "My real name no, but my pen name of course. It's etrigan112524. I come from earth prime as I already noted. I came here to see if you could narrate the time. You stopped the greatest terrorist in your world's winning streak, two years ago?" Rorscratch sat down in a nearby chair, and said "Well, it goes something like this……"
Chapter 2: The Craziest Hood You Ever Saw
It started with me going on patrol. I was tracking down the strangest hood I ever saw. His name was Winslow Schott, Jr. aka, the toymutt. On earth prime he was an enemy of a fictional hero named Superman. However, on my earth he is a dog and a very strange one at that.
I slipped in the hotel he was hiding in. He was talking on the phone with somebody. "Yes, Gustav, the machine I was suppose to build you is complete. I delivered it this morning." He was still yakking on the phone so I slipped up behind him and stabbed him with one of the tranquilizer darts I keep in my pocket. (I normally would have used pressure points, but he wears a strange mask that looks like a doll's smiling head that was thick enough to block bullets). He nodded off very quickly. When he did, I hung up the phone and then called the police. As I finished the call, I heard an explosion from town hall, so I pulled out my grapple-gun, swung up to the rooftops, and began the trek to city hall.
One minute before the explosion
Karl Fiers had already slipped poison into the drinks of everyone at a meeting that the president, vice president, and the secretary of state were lucky not to attend. The dead bodies belonged to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Heath and Human Services, Secretary of Housing and Urban Redevelopment, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
"If only I could kill the last three people the boss wants dead. but I may as well not be greedy. After all I got to kill all these guys. "Now it's time to leave my mark," he thought to himself as he pulled out a detonator bomb, set it up, and spray-painted a flag on the outside wall. Then slipped out the back. As he left, he activated the bomb. Chuckling to himself, he thought "if the public thinks this was deranged, that's nothing compared to what's next."
Chapter 3: Murder (almost)
When I got there, I took the body count - fourteen bodies in all. I suspected that the cause was either a political killing or a terrorist bombing. It could've been revenge, but I doubt it. When I looked outside, the room for clues though I got a pretty good idea who bombed them. I saw a spray painted flag, on an Intact wall, the sign of the finisher. This was good to know,. After all, that guy works for two bosses, and the first one. The second Red Skull has been dead for years.
After being gunned down by the first Red Skull, the second one being an Vlataviaian, American hating, terrorist, named Count Vertigo. Now I knew the link between all the dead men was that they all could replace the president if he got killed. However, the only three people missing were the President, as well as the Vice-President and the Secretary of State. Then I realized that the president was having a speech today, and Floyd Lawton was in town. And anyone who has been keeping a close eye on the criminal underworld like me would know that Floyd has an unhealthy obsession with not just dieing in a spectacular fashion, but also winning the assassin of the year award for once, instead of Deathstroke the Verminator.
I decided to investigate the hotel he was at to see if my hunch was right. I reached the hotel in 10 minutes. Just as I was about to enter, I heard a door open, and someone dialing a phone. I heard Lawton say "is it time yet for the job boss?" I didn't hear what the person on the other side said, but I had a pretty good idea what because I heard, Lawton promptly shout "YES YES YES I CAN ALMOST FEEL THAT ASSASSIN OF THE YEAR AWARD NOW, I'M ON MY WAY NOW" Lawton quickly slammed the phone down and ran and put on his battle suit.
Oh yeah, one thing I forgot to mention about him was that in addition to being an expert with all firearms and projectile weapons, he also has a costume with firearms and a scope integrated into it, plus a stash of grenades he keeps in a satchel. It also has flashy colors all over it in hopes someone would shoot him. I shadowed him all the way to an apartment building across from were bush was giving his speech. He entered a room and was about to shoot the president when I threw a paperweight I found at his head. It took him completely by surprise, but even dazed Deadshot still was deadly. He leveled his wrist guns and fired several rounds.
Fortunately, his reflexes were somewhat marred by the blow I gave him. Enough for me to jump over his head and then deliver a stunning blow to his head and knock him down. I had him tied up before he could get up then I said "all right Floyd this is the third time I've done this to you, but I'm not interested in the tally. I'm interested in who had the nerve to hire you. So, who did?" I saw a shiver run over his whole body. This was interesting to know as he only feared three people - Count vertigo, the Joker, and telemarketers. (don't ask, we didn't)
Now seeing as how the joker was currently locked up in Barkham asylum at the moment. As for telemarketers, it was very unlikely that they would hire him to assassinate the United States president. The only logical reason was Count Vertigo. I said "it was Count vertigo, wasn't it" It didn't take too long to get him to talk "Yes, I was hired by the count," he admitted. I shook him violently and yelled "where is he then?" Floyd swallowed hard and stammered "the observatory just outside town, but you won't stop him, nobody cannot even you" I left him and went home as quick as I could and switched the license plate. (I don't want people to find out who I am as I really, really don't want to end up like the first Nite-owl and get beaten to death in my own house.) After all, there's no buildings to swing from to travel in my usual way, so I turned on the car and set out .
Chapter 4: One Cat Preemptive Volunteer Fire Department
I drove up to the observatory and got out. The building looked empty at least from the outside. Finding the doors locked proved no problem to me. I just picked the lock on the door and snuck inside.
As I snuck through the hall, I saw the door to the men's room open and out stepped The Gentleman. He saw me. But before he could rat me out, I threw a tranquillizer dart at his neck. In a few seconds, he was sleeping like a baby as he lied asleep on the floor. I rummaged through his pockets and found two things - 1.a magnum and 2.a set of earplugs. I knew I could keep Vertigo's power from effecting me. As I entered the telescope room, I saw that someone had heard Gustav fall unconscious. Namely his brother, Karl, who had been on a catwalk installing a minigun. He had just finished. He also had a bazooka with him. When he actually saw, he said, "you get out here before I blow you to pieces."
But I said, "you and what army?"
"This one," he yelled and pulled up his bazooka and fired al three rounds in quick succession. I managed to dodge all three but before I could shoot a line he opened fire with the minigun. It was close behind me. I barely managed to dodge it in time, but I managed to get a line shot up there. When I got up, I beat Karl within an inch of his life. After that, I tied him up and dangled him three feet above the ground. Then I pocketed his magnum and looked in the break room to find the staff bound and gagged. After untying them I noticed something I didn't before. It was some bizarre machine that looked like the Toymutt built it. As I studied it, I heard a voice say "impressive isn't it, American fleabag."
I looked behind me to see a Russian blue wrapped up in a cloak with what looked like a cybernetic monocle on his right eye. It was Count Vertigo himself. "Let me tell you a story," he said "you see I wanted to do something more devastating to this miserable worthless country then what that lucky amateur Bin Laden did, so I had the recently incarcerated Toymutt make me this gadget. It absorbs sunlight and will at the push of a button refract the light in the form of a heat ray. This one contains enough light absorbed to let me burn the whole city down to the ground.
After that he held back his head and howled with laughter. He was so absorbed in it he didn't notice me put in earplugs and pull out the magnums, but did see them when I blasted every single shot into the machine thus wrecking it and causing an explosion that put a big hole where the wall was. I had already jumped away before the explosion happened. Vertigo had just stopped laughing by this time and instead was standing still mouth held open speechless in shock. But the shock soon changed to murderous rage "I-I-I'll kill you for this!" he yelled focusing his energy he tried his vertigo power on me. But to his surprise it didn't work "what the." He didn't get a chance to answer. I threw a mighty wallop right in his face, but that didn't knock him out just made him groggy. Then I noticed him pull a Shiv out from under his cloak and tried to stab me. He never got a chance though because I used the last dart in my pocket and tranquilized him. Didn't see it coming after he fell unconscious. I tied him up and called the police. Then I went home to mark my case files and have the lasagna I saved from the night before. I named this one operation: vertigo. "so there you have it" Rorscratch said "now can I go back my lasagna is getting cold"
"If you insist," Etrigan112523 said and pressed a button and sent him back to his house
The End
(Send some reviews, please. I somewhat value the reader's opinion. Oh and originally I had a different idea for chapter 2, but decided against it)
