PREVIOUSLY … Jaime Reyes received the mysterious scarab thought to belong to Dan Garrett by accident when it was scattered to the far corner of the world – El Paso Texas – in the wake of the wizard Shazam!'s death. Bonding to Jaime, the Scarab revealed heretofore unheard of power and became instrumental in the discovery and defeat of Brother Eye along with the rest of Batman's strike team. Phasing out of the ship in space, Jaime plummeted into our orbit and crash-landed somewhere in the South of the United States, where Guy Gardner/Green Lantern found him. The Oan Power Ring went insane at the presence of Blue Beetle and attempted to kill him. Fighting Guy to a standstill, Guy got control of his mind back from the ring and fled. Leaving Jaime lost, confused, naked and having to find his way home.

NOTE: This story takes place during the One Year Gap.

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Imagine waking up to find an ancient living artifact had grafted itself to you. Imagine that it granted you unbelievable and unexplained powers, making you fill shoes you never wanted. Imagine being a teenager who saved the world only to have to explain it to your parents. Imagine if your world was forever changed. Sound cool? He'll trade you.

BLUE BEETLE: DCINFINITY

vol. 1, issue 1: "Blue Monday"

written by Bowie Sessions

"The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different." – Aldous Huxley

somewhere

Where I am reminds me of home, just not quite. Lots of plains and stuff, but it's not the same. I'm guessing I'm near, though. East Texas? New Mexico? Arizona for all I know. "Hey. Uh. Blue Beetle Rock. If you could … if I could get those wings back, and we could fly home, that'd be … really cool." I think the crickets I hear are native to the area, but they remain sadly appropriate.

What time is it, even? I sigh and stare into the distant lights of that near city and decide to start make the hike. Get over it, Jaime. Pull yourself together. Stop freaking out. Stop freaking out. "HELLOOOOOO!" I scream, hearing nothing but my own echoing voice. The crickets stop, though.

I start running down the hill, towards the highway. I feel tired. I feel like I just went six rounds with a Green Lantern. Oh, wait, I did. I hit the slope of dirt and lose my footing, sending me sliding uncontrollably down the hill. Tripping as I go, I hit the ground and start rolling and skidding uncontrollably. I hit the asphalt of the highway with a wet smack, and feel the cuts, bruises, and newfound road-rash along my hands and knees. Groaning quietly, I shake my head, and realize I'm bathed in a bright white light.

Am I in Heaven?

Then a massive horn is blown and I hear rubber screeching across asphalt. My eyes snap open and I try to get to my feet. That's not St. Peter. That's an 18-wheeler. "Ohsh—"

It comes to a complete stop, just as I stand on my two shaky feet. I stare in horror at the sight before me of the grill maybe a foot in front of me. I saved the world, fought Green Lantern, only to be killed by the Pepsi guy. Almost.

"Hey," I hear his voice as he leans out the front cab.

"You okay, kid?"

That's a loaded question. "Uh. I've been better, thanks."

"Do you need … help?" he asks, hesitantly, staring out at the naked Mexican in his headlights that he turns to dims as an afterthought.

"…yeah, really kinda do. Like, maybe a ride? And… uh … pants?"

El Paso, Texas – Home of the Reyes Family

I wave to the trucker as he drives off and I hike two blocks to my house in a pair of ratty jeans and a flannel t-shirt. Not exactly high fashion, but I'm not being picky. I find my house and try the front door. Locked. Eyeing the doorbell, I give it a serious thought before I decide to walk around back and try my window. Unlocked – makes this easy. Prying it open, I climb inside and breathe deeply. Made it back, no big deal, now I'm home safe and sound.

I do the only reasonable thing someone in my position could do. I strip off my clothes and collapse into bed, pulling my sheet up over me and falling asleep the second my head hits the pillow. Long day.

…

I wake up to the smell of bacon and eggs. That's my favorite things to wake up to, forget Folger's. I pull on a pair of pajamas and stumble towards the bathroom while everyone else is eating. I make it quick, shower, brush my teeth and straighten my hair before I go back to my room and put on some of my own clothes and my spare sneakers.

In about ten minutes, I'm walking out to the breakfast table to see my family arrayed around the table, three places set and eating. Their every action stops as soon as they see me, plates 'klink'ing as forks and spoons collide with ceramic. My mother drops the two drinks she was bringing to the table, shattering them against the floor. "JAIME!" she screams, her eyes wide. My father rushes across the distance, knocking over his chair and swooping me up in his arms. He hugs me tight and lifts me up off the ground.

"Uhm. Good to see you guys, too," I offer weakly at the overenthusiastic morning greeting by my parents.

"Where have you been?" My mother cries as she hurries over, ignoring the disaster on the kitchen floor. Even my lil' sis Milagro comes to tears and runs over to me to grab me by my lower torso and snuggle tight from behind.

"I was in … the shower…" is the only answer I have to this weird assault. They act like I've been gone forever.

"You've been gone forever!" my father verifies, letting me go and looking me in the eyes. He's in tears. My FATHER is in tears. One time I was a kid, dad and I were riding bikes. Taking a curb wrong, my dad crashed and slammed his head into concrete, developing a steady trickle of blood from his skull. He stood up, coughed and told me he didn't need me to help him up. Same dad, five years later, is crying over me at breakfast. I'm worried.

"What do you mean? I know I got in late, but—"

"Late? You've been gone since Wednesday!" my mother cuts in, crying out angrily and joyously all at once.

"Making this Thursday, yeah, I know," I counter, shrugging out of my dad and Milagro's grip as I can't help but puzzle their weirdness.

My father, mother and Milagro are all silent as they stare at me in confusion, before Milagro offers her first words of the morning, "…Jaime, it's Monday."

I can't say I'm not shocked. Oh God, I've been gone like a week now. What the hell kind of excuse can I even try to give them? I disappeared in the morning on Wednesday. I had this great excuse about Paco and Brenda taking me on Senior Skip Day early or something… but there isn't much in the way of a 'Senior Skip Week', no. "I… uh … I need to … get to school…"

It's the best I can think to say as I duck past them, slinging my bookbag over my shoulder and heading out the door away from a stunned family.

"JAIME!" I hear cry out, as the door slams behind me.

School Bus; en route to school

It's weird getting on the bus. The last time I got on this bus, I was just Ol' Fashioned Jaime. Now I'm Jaime Reyes, The Blue Beetle, Savior of Earth and Screw-Up of the Reyes Residence. Weirding this out even more is that I've mysteriously skipped out on the two people I care most about--

"Jaime!" cries out Brenda, concerned.

"Where've you been!" Paco pitches in while they both gesture me to the back of the bus. Big ol' Paco forces another kid to get up and move, clearing a space for me. I sit with them and offer a forced smile, running a hand through my mess of hair.

"Uh, hello! Earth to Jaime! You've been gone like forever!" Brenda reminds, waiting for any response.

Weakly, I grin to both of them while thinking of just how I'm supposed to explain what happened to me. I don't have to lie to them, do I? They're my best friends and they'll stick with me. "Remember that whole … beetle rock thing we found? The weird stuff I said I saw? It kinda … went crazy and I – seriously. What? Why are you looking at me like – I'm serious! The world went crazy, I had to go to outer space with Batman and save Earth and then Green Lantern tried to kill me after I got back and – I'm not kidding!"

Paco stares in confusion that turns to anger when I apparently don't correct myself. "We were really worried about you," Brenda answers for them both.

"Kinda were hoping you'd be straight with us."

"I almost died! I had to hitchhike home naked. I'm not joking!"

They just stare at me some more. "You skipped prom. Gina was pissed," Paco tells me, flippantly.

"That was Friday!" I say, with surprise.

Paco rolls his eyes, before he answers me, "Yeah. We know. We were there. You were off 'in space' with Superman."

I don't think before I correct him, "Superman wasn't there." I don't think I won points with that one.

The ride to school is silent the rest of the way. The sign I haven't seen in a week – BOWIE HIGH, greets us: Once a Bear, Always a Bear.

Whatever.

Bowie High School, First Period

"—now if you'll all please take seats, I'll begin passing out the—" my math teacher begins as I get out my books.

"Mr. Reyes, put your books away, we're having a test. If you were here last week, maybe you'd have known," Mrs. Kendrick fixes me with an evil glare as I slide my books back away, taking out a pencil and sighing in frustration. I am so dead.

"Mrs. Kendrick, I had a family emergency, my uncle died and we had to go the funeral--"

She stops me before I can finish, venom in her voice. "Your parents called here every day looking for you, even came by in person and asked me if I'd seen you – Mr. Reyes, it's your life to ruin if you want to. But I'm not going to tolerate your lies. Please leave this class and come back when you're feeling more honest."

I sit in shock for several seconds. It passes and I realize just how screwed I am. Putting my pencils away in my bag and standing up, I cuss under my breath. I realize the mistake instantly and she snaps her eyes to me like daggers. "In fact, Mr. Reyes, I think you need to take this note to the Principal."

I cuss again.

Principal's Office

The principal, a middle-aged woman who breaks stereotype by not wearing any glasses, greets me as soon as I open the door, eyes casting up to me. "Mr. Reyes," she greets, acknowledging me as if she hadn't just called her secretary to tell me to go in.

"Hey – uh, hi, ma'am," I offer as firmly as I can.

"Can you tell me why you've been called into this office?" she asks and so I begin to supply the note that she takes from me quickly. I sink into my chair a bit, nervously looking around the office.

"I disrupted class," I tell her, blankly.

"What did you do that was disruptive?" is her staged question.

I shrug my shoulders before responding, "I lied and said I skipped class because of a family emergency, and couldn't take the test cuz I wasn't ready cuz of it. She told me to leave class. I kinda, y'know, swore. Cuz it pissed me off. So she sent me to see you."

There is a long silence as she looks over my attendance records and grades. "You're doing very well in classes this semester, Jaime. Your SATs are high enough for almost any college you could want. Just think about that, especially when you come in for detention after school."

I groan. She endures it.

Bowie High School, Second to Third Period

Is there a word for how tired I am right now? I'm trying to endure Mr. Harmon's American History class, and am wavering desperately. I don't hear a word, but somehow I manage to keep my eyes open and answer the questions correctly when called to do so. I don't really think I'm fully cognizant of what I even say; maybe it's just a lucky guess, but it seems to make the teacher happy and leave me alone to keep wrestling with the Nap Monster.

That's one hour down, but it's the next class where I truly hurt. I hate Science, but I keep attentive as best I can. Mondays are my heaviest class days. I start to nod off and behind my eyes I see flashes of blood spraying across my face. I see dreams of a variety of strangely colored shells on the backs of Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus Rexes, thriving… I see fire… I see the image of a flying man in some classic-Egypt-movie clothes. The world spins and all I can hear is – "Mr. REYES!"

Someone nudges me and my eyes blink open. Oh, God, I fell asleep. "Mr. Savad?" I ask, with a wince, shrinking back in my chair.

"Thank you for…" I swear I can hear him. I'm not asleep anymore, am I? I don't think so. All I know is that as I glance around I see out the window four people dressed in black, wearing sunglasses and covered in weird tattoos … beating someone to death.

"Oh my God! You've got to stop them!" I cry out, desperately, leaping out of my seat and running to the window. The room erupts in action and people launch to the windows to see what I'm talking about, while the teacher insists we all settle down.

"There's nothing there…" a few whisper, and the teacher looks out to see what I'm screaming about.

"They're RIGHT THERE! Can't you see them? They're KILLING him! Right now—right outside!" I beg them to see, and point right at it.

The teacher isn't taking any of it. "Mr. Reyes, please sit down!"

I force the window open and scream, "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" The four of them suddenly stop, and turn to stare at me, right in the eyes. One of them takes down their sunglasses. They have no eyes.

All of them turn to run, and I'm pulled back in by the collar. "Mr. Reyes, report to the Principal."

I swear again.

Principal's Office

"I'm not lying to you! I saw it right there. There was four people in all black, with—" I decide to skip the 'no eyes' situation, "—sunglasses, they were trying to kill someone!"

"We looked into it," she tells me. "There was no one there. Your entire class room was looking at the same place and no one saw anything, Mr. Reyes."

"…fine. Whatever. Let someone die on your school campus. See if I care!"

There is a frozen silence between us, while she examines my sincerity and studies her own limits for frustrating students. She finishes her evaluation, apparently.

"You were doing so very well in classes," she begins. "Is this really the way you want to begin your adult life? I don't want to see you back in here at all this week. Is that perfectly understood? I want you to go see the nurse. Maybe you have a fever. I really want to believe you're just sick. Please leave, before I lose my patience."

She gestures at the door. I sigh, and force myself out of the chair, walking down the hall to the Nurse's Office.

Bowie High School Campus

The classes passed slowly, especially since I wasn't in all of them – the Nurse's office was a long process before she pronounced me 'healthy but maybe insane' and referred me to the school counselor. That was an incredibly awkward conversation. Finally, it was my lunch period … and I realized I had no way to pay for it and no meal card. After a few people lent me a dollar, I was able to buy a burger and a soda from the BK in the cafeteria and head outside to hunt down my friends.

Fortunately, I find just who I'm looking for. "Paco, Brenda, there you guys are!" I call out to them with relief as I hustle over, moving to quickly sit with them at their bench. They look a mixture of surprised and annoyed as I sit.

"Hey, look, I wanted to – I wanted to prove to you what we were talking about, about how—"

"How you were in space with Wonder Woman?"

"Wonder Woman wasn't there, either, it was just Batm—look, I'm serious. I need you guys to understand. I need to tell someone about all this craziness. I can't … I can't handle this on my own, just … please. Before you totally decide I'm a jerk, just – let me show you, okay?" Paco and Brenda look between each other and make their distinctive nervous gestures, scratching their head and examining their thumb respectively.

"Make it quick, we've got next period in a few minutes," Brenda allows with a smile. I don't waste a minute as I get up and lead them out of here.

"Where are we going?" Paco asks.

I stop and look at him, to explain the obvious, "Hey. I'm a superhero, okay? I need to keep this a secret."

"Yeah, whatever, dude. And Superman's a superhero – he doesn't keep his face a secret or anything."

"He's an alien! He doesn't have a secret identity."

Brenda shrugs as we move behind the bleachers. "Okay. This is good enough, right? Show us. I totally don't buy it, though. But it would be pretty cool to have our own superhero…"

I stand there and start focusing, clenching my fists together and breathing harshly as I try to stretch my arms and have it form… nothing. "Just one second…" I tell them to their doubting faces, as I begin making a constipated expression.

"Any second now! Come on, Blue Beetle! Blue Beetle … ON! Blue Beetle … GO! …activate interlock! Dynatherms connected! Megathrusters go! Let's form … Blue Beetle!" I say desperately, muscles tensing and relaxing as I try every trigger I know from cartoons.

They just kind of… stare at me. Brenda leans over to Paco. "You think he's finally totally lost it?"

"Totally," he whispers back.

Somewhere Else

"He knows of us," they whisper, staring through trees to the site of a young Mexican making weird arm gestures and yelling at himself, with a freckled young Irish girl and an oversized Mexican boy watching.

"How? No one can see our kind. We're at the edges of life."

"This one folds it inward. He sees through the barrier. He might be our answer. He might be our way out."

They do not look at each other. There's no reason to; none of them have eyes.

Bowie High School Campus

"Beetle Form Activate!" I futilely try again and then sigh, quitting. I look around and my eyes stop on Paco.

"Oh, this worked when I met Batman – punch me!" Paco does as I ask, and I double over when he hits me in the gut. I gasp, eyes wide and hold myself.

"…okay… didn't work…" I breathe, trying to pull myself back together.

Paco snickers. "I don't know. Made me feel pretty good," he says with a maliciously joking smile on his lips. Brenda elbows him.

I try to think outside the box as I stand up fully. "Brenda … you got that taser?" I ask after a minute. She looks at me wildly and then nods slowly. I gesture for it. She looks at me even crazier, but gets it out and hands it to me from her purse. Taking it, I look at the controls and breathe as calmly as possible.

"The voice in me, it gets … idunno, hungry, when it sees batteries and stuff, so I bet—" I thumb the trigger, trying to psyche myself up.

"Jaime, no! The joke's over!" Paco says, rushing towards me.

"I'm not joking," I state before I shove it into my stomach and hit the button. ZZZAKT! I convulse for a second, electricity amping through me until suddenly…

I briefly scream in pain and buckle to my knees, dropping the drained taser as a blue carapace erupts over me, a pack hooking over my shoulders from my spine and sending a thin layer to coat my arms and face hastily. I come to my feet and look at them both with a quirked smile.

"Believe me now?"

They stare at each other and then back at me. "Dude…"

The five-minute bell rings. I shake my head and focus tightly, while they just stare in horror, not awe. I collapse to my knees again only to start sweating and crying, holding my fist in my mouth to stop from screaming in pain as the beetle retracts into me. I can't even describe the sensation. It's as if the armor is cutting through my flesh to hide underneath it.

I am shaking and sweating when Paco steps forward to help me up. "I don't think that's a power, Jaime. I think … I think that rock did something to you … made you, like, a monster, like—"

"I'm not a monster," I protest, snapping angrily. Partly from the pain. Partly from denial.

"Okay, we just … we all gotta get to class," Brenda reminds us. We split paths, and rush back to school campus.

Deep in the woods behind us, four people dressed all in black with sunglasses smile.

But you wouldn't see them if you looked.

Home of the Reyes Family

School ended, but I didn't feel like coming home to questions and accusations again. I've had enough of it for the day, even if I knew I had to face it at home eventually. I studied at the library after detention was over and lost myself in doing homework I'm way behind in… until my stomach started to burn. I thought about getting some burger or something – until I realized I was still broke.

Which is why I came home, I guess. Its dinnertime and I let myself in, bookbag slung around my back. Taking it off over my shoulder, I drop it by the door and walk in to he dining room, hands firmly and guiltily stationed inside my pockets.

There is a pregnant silence as my family stares at me. Accusation and hurt is evident in all their eyes. "We tried to call you," my mom offers quietly.

"I … don't have my cellphone. I lost it when I was gone," I give them the truth to that. I think it burned up on re-entry somehow underneath my armor. My armor keeps my clothes on normally. I know that much.

There is a long silence, and my dad kicks out the chair at the end where my place is set. I move into the extended chair and sit, not able to meet their eyes while I pull it forward and consider the food.

"Would you like something to drink?" My dad asks, his voice a very carefully regulated rage. I nod my head nervously.

"What're you thirsty for…" his eyes close, fist clenching as he stops at the threshold to the kitchen.

"Where the HELL were you! We thought you were KIDNAPPED! That you were DEAD! Not so much as a word! Do you know we spoke to the police EVERY DAY you were gone! Did you know that!"

I can't remember ever feeling smaller than I do right now. Do I have a super power to make them okay? I wonder if I have some kind of mesmerism, that'd be handy about now.

"ANSWER me when I speak to you, Jaime!"

"No, sir," I whisper out, face turned towards my plate. I move to try to get something to eat and my father rushes over. He slaps the spatula out of my hand, picks up the meatloaf dish and hurls it. The glass shatters and meatloaf smears across the dining room wall.

"I should beat you like my father did me! I told your mother you were smart, responsible – maybe could give you a job! But look at you. LOOK AT YOU! You just … leave! Leave everything! Not so much as a word!" My dad's voice is pure fury.

"Let the boy explain—" my mother tries to reason with him, but he doesn't have any of it.

"Where did you go! Did you drink? Get laid? PARTY? Was it FUN? Was it worth putting us through this! I can not believe this. Not so much as a WORD! I can not BELIEVE you would do this to us."

"Dad, I – I didn't mean to, I just … a friend wanted to head out, and I just … did. We … went away and I just didn't think about it—"

My dad is seething, "I trusted you. WE trusted you! This is my home, and you need to respect us! You are not an adult yet, and the way it looks, I don't think I like the adult you are going to become!"

I shake my head, staring at my plate and shrinking into my seat. "Do you want me to explain, or do you want to just keep yelling at me?"

"I want to keep yelling!" My father screams, and just as suddenly falls silent. There is a long, angry silence. My family refuses to meet each others' eyes while my father picks his chair up and sits back down. Nobody moves.

"Just eat," dad orders us all quietly, voice deflated from spent anger.

"But the meatl—" I begin to ask, and one look from him is all I need to go for some extra mashed potatoes.

END

Why is Jaime dreaming of alien worlds? How will his friends handle the burden of his secret? What is going ON with those creeps only Jaime can see? Will Jaime be able to make up the work to graduate? How many licks does it take to get to the chocolaty center of a Tootsie Pop, anyway? The world may never know!

All this (maybe!) and more when Blue Beetle gets the chance to be a hero on his own. Will he meet the challenge? (Well, duh.)

See you next month, and remember, to those about to rock: We salute you.

-Bowie

Note from the Author: Having researched El Paso, I discovered their largest school is Bowie High. I could not resist. Please send all pun-justified floggings by courier.