H.o.T. Presents:

BLUE & GOLD

By: Danny Medrano

NEED A BOOST? PT. 1

Hub City, Illinois

Hub City; like anything else in Chicago, a very urbanized and street oriented city. Hub city is a prime example of such an observation. Hub City has seen dark days since the actions of Intergang, but the people of the city had persevered and one such of perseverance was the standing building of Kord Industries. The last beacon of a good history the city itself has. Of course there is another piece of Hub City that stands to this day for the people which comes inside of Kord Industries itself.

Kord Industires, CEO's office

"Sir, I'm sure it would help if you would actually look at the documents." A young brunette with her hair done up in a bun said to a man leaning back in a chair.

"Jeez calm down Kendra." The man said not moving.

"Sir this is very serious, with the promethium project being redesigned and the original notes being looked over we need you to look them over and be sure that-."

"Hey Kendra, how do you feel about drinks after work?" The man said sitting up in his chair smiling. The man was well built, short dark brown hair and light blue eyes. He wore a blue button up with the sleeves rolled up.

"MR. KORD!" The young woman yelled at the man. The man plugged his ears quickly with a smile.

"Kendra," The man said, "I'm sorry calm down, and I told you already call me Marcus." The man (Marcus) rose from his chair and stood up turning to look out the giant window looking over the city.

"Tell professor Natsumi that the formula for the promethium project must be altered by first irradiating it then keep watch for any catalyzing effects." Marcus added walking over to his door and opening it. "But tell him the work would be best after a night's sleep and fresh eyes. I'll take a look myself tomorrow." Marcus smirked and the woman walked by him, "Have a nice night Kendra, see ya bright and early." He winked before closing the door behind her.

"Marcus." A light monotone voice said,

"Yes?" He asked turning around and walking back to his desk and taking a seat.

"Observing you at work has been confusing."

"For you? That's possible?" Marcus asked the disembodied voice.

"I may be sentient but I'm still an artificial intelligence. I still learn as I go along."

"I thought A.I.'s were made to assess situations and make the best possible outcome?" Marcus asked hitting lightly the bottom of his desk with his fist and on the bottom a small compartment opened revealing a big blue button.

"That's one of the variations of A.I. yes, there are others such as-."

"Zoot, c'mon man not now please."

"Don't call me Zoot Marcus, my name is Khaji Da."

"Yeeeaaahhh…..I'm gonna stick with Zoot, okay Zoot?" Marcus said with a smirk pressing the button and a large tube surrounded Marcus and caused him to start moving upwards in the tube.

"Marcus I would rather-."

"Any good stations playing Zoot?" Marcus said interrupting "Zoot" as they made their way up the tube and ending up in a large room where a large number of things are; the biggest thing however was a large giant machine that was in the shape of a blue beetle.

The voice let out an audible sigh; or an attempt at it anyway. Soon a police ban began to be heard by Marcus as he walked through the area passing several large bits of machinery some looking like they were being worked on and some just scraps. He walked past everything till he reached a large monitor and struck a few keys prompting the turn on of the monitor showing a blue beetle.

"Password…" A voice said from the computer.

"Kord Mark 4." Marcus said. The screen of the monitor changed showing several programs running and a news channel as well.

"Welcome back Mr. Kord." The computer said as Marcus took a seat in front of the computer and began typing and running several checks.

"I believe you should change your password sometime Marcus." Zoot said as Marcus began looking over the programs.

"What do you mean?" Marcus asked stopping but continuing to watch the programs at work.

"Well your password isn't that hard and if anybody knows you well could easily gain access to everything that you run from here."

"Which is why I encrypt the data with a mix of your tech and my own design making it only possible should someone who knows me thoroughly, has connections to your race and has Batman level intelligence ever gains access here." Marcus said standing up and going over to a something covered in a large tarp. "Now how many of those kind of people do you know of Zoot?" Marcus asked taking hold of the tarp with one hand and yanking it.

The tarp fell and there before Marcus stood a large glass case where a suit stood. The suit of the second Blue Beetle; Ted Kord, Marcus smiled looking at the suit. "While that number is few there are few who fit the description Marcus. Thomas, Jonathan, Michael."

"You know better than to mention them like that Zoot." Marcus said looking over the suit, "Especially Michael." Marcus added as he took out a wallet and opened it to reveal a picture of Marcus as a young teen with an older man with blonde hair and what could best be described as a salesman's smile.

"Ahh, forgive me Marcus, sometimes I still need to be reminded of the filial identity you shared with Michael."

"Don't worry about it." Marcus said shaking his head putting the wallet back, "After all you're only a sentient piece of Alien tech fused to my spine that gives me a whole bunch of cool stuff." Marcus added with a chuckle.

As if on cue an alarm sounded from Marcus' computer. Turning his head, the monitor brought up a feed from a camera in a building with a number of men in overly colorful costumes and multicolored hair. "I didn't know the clown father was based on true events." Marcus said looking at the monitor.

"The feed seems to be coming from the Hub City Savings and Loan." Zoot replied,

"A bank?" Marcus asked, "That's old school."

"There seems to be a number of hostages should we get going Marcus?" Zoot asked,

"You're really asking?" Marcus asked, "This is our song Zoot. First things first; suit up." After saying that a blue light surrounded Marcus' body and his clothes are replaced with a dark blue costume with a with a silver line on his upper torso, metallic blue boots and gloves form on his feet and hands and forming over his face was a mask connecting to the body portion of the costume, leaving his mouth exposed and his eyes were covered with a pair of blue covers that lit up once finished. "Liiiike a glove."

Marcus smirked and looked at Ted's costume and really it looked just like it save for a darker color and no yellow goggles and the bb gun which remained with Ted's costume. Marcus then looked towards the giant mechanical looking beetle and lights began turning on inside. "Zoot, you're a mind reader buddy." Marcus said with a smile and began moving quickly to the Giant Bug.

"Well I would pretty much have to seeing as we are connected and have a telepathic link." Zoot said. Marcus sighed as he walked into the bug's open hatch and took the cockpit seat.

"Alright Zoot," Marcus said pressing some buttons on the console in front of him and a humming began in the bug and the bug itself began moving downwards and stops in an open sewer tunnel. "Let's get blue."

"…"

"What?" Zoot remained silent and the bug began floating above the platform it stood on and began moving forward flying over the water. "Zoot c'mon." Marcus said as the bug sped up and moving through the tunnel until a large opening was for him to exit through. "Zoooooot!" The bug then flew up into the air and flew through the city.

"You know you talk when you want but never when I have something to talk to you about. Did I upset you in some way?" Marcus asked with a smirk as he flew through the city.

Hub City Savings and Loan

The Bug hovered over the city specifically the Hub City savings and loan building. Marcus stood near the hatch of the Bug. "How many hostages do we have exactly Zoot?"

"Five civilians, ten workers and five security officers."

"So…twenty people?"

"Yes."

"This means I have to be careful don't I?" He asked as the hatch door opened and he looked down to the building.

"I'm afraid it does Marcus."

"I never get to have any fun." Marcus said taking a step out of the Bug and flying down to the roof of the building. "Zoot."

"Ahead of you Marcus." Zoot said as Marcus' back began to glow and wings formed at Marcus' back and begun flapping quickly. Marcus then used the wings to slow his descent and landed softly on the roof.

"Where would I be without you Zoot?" Marcus asked with a smile.

"Probably if not dead several broken limbs and severe internal injuries." Zoot replied. Marcus just shook his head and moved to the ledge of the building and saw several police cars out front and a large crowd of people watching from the outside.

"Ahh, men in blue, don't know why but I feel some sense of compatriotism when I see these protectors of the law." Marcus said with an approving glance at the men who were keeping the civilians back making calls to get hostage negotiators and a few munching on donuts. "…Nevermind." Marcus said shaking his head.

"Zoot, activate stealth mode." Marcus then became transparent and a cover went over his mouth as he moved silently down the building. "Weird." Marcus whispered. "There's basically no one in the building, zoot can you do a search through the building see if there are any people being held up somewhere?" Marcus didn't have to hear a reply because almost instantly Marcus' blue goggles became monitors showing around the building and moving to a group of people bound together at the first floor with multi-colored dressed men with bright wigs walking around with weapons. "Okay," Marcus said mentally forming a blaster out of his hands. "Looks like this wasn't just a hoax." Marcus said as he moved to where the people were and from the top of the stairs began his attack.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" He yelled jumping from the top of the stairs at the men. "NOW ENTERING THE BUILDING A MAN WHO MAKE YOU WISH YOU HADN'T GOTTEN OUT OF BED TODAY," Marcus fired several shots from his blaster at several who had stopped in their tracks, "THE BLUUUUUUEEEEE BEEEEETTTTLLLLEEE!" Marcus exclaimed as he hit one of the men by landing on his shoulders and using him as a spring board flipping forward and spinning in mid air to land in front of the hostages.

"No autographs please." Blue said as he became corporeal again and smirked. Without looking back Blue moved his hand back to the hostages and said, "It's okay people everything's fine you've got the Blue Brawler here to make sure these punks go down the right way...that's what she said." He honestly couldn't resist adding that joke to it.

"Uhmm...Marcus." Zoot said,

"Not now Zoot, I'm doing my hero-." Blue was interupted by the sound of people moving behind him and as he turned around to look behind him he saw the hostages standing with guns in their hands. "...Crap."

Blue ran across the room and jumped behind a desk which looked like a front desk to some office building. "Crap, I hate ambushes!" Blue said as he hid there waiting for the bullets to subside, which according to Zoot, wasn't going to be that soon. "What happened to twenty people inside Zoot? You said twenty hostages."

"Forgive me Marcus." Zoot said, "They hid the remaining in civilian clothes in preparation for you it seems."

"Me?" Marcus yelled "Why me?"

"THIS IS FOR THE MAD MEN BEETLE!" One man in a bright red wig but a painted yellow face yelled.

"Mad Men?" Marcus asked, "What's this got to do with emmy award winning AMC shows?"

"I think these men mean it a different way Marcus..." Zoot said.

"What do you mean?"

"Mad Men that's the name of one of the groups of villains your father fought during his time as Blue Beetle. The originals are behind bars but they have been known to have children and they like their fathers have criminal records."

"You know," Marcus said looking over his cover every now and again, "When parents want their kids to take part in the family business it's usually something like accounting, being a chef, a cop maybe…but since when did being a professional thief become acceptable for career day?"

Marcus wasn't new to a standoff situation but he still wasn't great at it so he began thinking trying to find a way out of it. "Why does Jon always have to make this stuff look easy?" Marcus asked as he tried thinking of a way out…without getting lethal.

"Marcus I think-."

"ZOOT!" Marcus snapped quickly, "I'm thinking."

"But Marcus."

"Zoot, I don't have the time man."

"Marcus…"

"WHAT!" Whatever Zoot was going to say to Marcus was suddenly drowned out by multiple bright yellow blasts strike a number of the Mad Men and a laugh sounding from above them. "What the…?"

"Get on your feet little boy blue." Marcus' eyes went wide behind his goggles because above him was a woman, but it wasn't the fact that she was a woman that surprised him….not completely anyway. The woman was wearing a black and gold costume, her midriff exposed, a gold outlined star on her chest yellow visor, golden gauntlets that were glowing with the same yellow energy that struck the Mad Men.

"Zoot…." Marcus said, "Please tell me I'm not imagining that."

"You are not Marcus," Replied the sentient being, "In fact, that is who I was trying to tell you about."

"Hey, Beetle!" The woman yelled down looking at Marcus. "Why don't you and I make these cirque du solei rejects see stars? Blue and Gold style." The woman smiled down at Marcus and he just stared up at her.

TO BE CONTINUED!