Part 2
Rita sighed as she closed the door to Larry's apartment. She wished he would find someplace else to live as he could certainly afford a better, more comfortable apartment. She wondered if, in some way, he was punishing himself by staying in such a dreadful place.
As she began the descent of the stairs she passed a young woman coming the other way. The young woman was aged around eighteen to twenty years of age and wore a short black leather jacket over a bright blue tee-shirt and tight leopard-skin leggings. Her hair was dyed blood red, spiked and short. As she approached Rita she smiled politely but then stopped as if she suddenly recognised her. "I know you, I think?"
As the youngster stopped on the narrow stair, Rita was also forced to stop and face her. The girl continued: "Aren't you Rita Farr, the swimmer?"
Rita paused unsure whether to make an acknowledgement. After a moment's hesitation she did however say: "No. Rita would be in her seventies by now but she passed away a few years back."
"Passed away? I didn't know that. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
"She was my aunt. I'm also called Rita; I was named after her."
"You look just like her."
"Yes, that's been mentioned before."
The youngster seemed ready to continue the talk: "Have you been visiting the recluse in 4B?"
Rita smiled politely but was not inclined to chat. "He's an old friend." Rita then stepped past the girl and continued on her way.
The girl however, was not to be put off: "My name's Enid [Bassett]. It was nice meeting you. Perhaps we'll bump into each other again?"
Rita turned and smiled back but she did not reply.
Larry continued to watch the news report about the strange occurrences in the scrap-yard with growing interest. Finally, he decided that he had to see for himself what was happening even if that meant going there without Rita.
He didn't move from his chair – he didn't have to. Instead, an eerie black figure rose from his seated body and, for a moment, stood in front of him before disappearing like a bolt of black lightning through the window and across the dark and rainy sky towards the city-docks.
The Negative Man flew through the sky like a streak of black lightning and it quickly arrived at its destination. There in a clearing of the scrap-yard, a large hulking giant was breaking up scrap-metal into manageable pieces and feeding them into a large pit that was being continually bombarded by what looked to be a laser. Also standing near the pit was another being and this one was clearly a human sized alien replete in pale green space-suit and goldfish-bowl helmet. The space-suited alien was supervising the operation.
As the Negative Man swept down over the pit, the alien noticed its passing and watched it as it circled above. The alien then activated a small hand-held device that sent forth a purple ray striking and encircling the Negative Man. He was thus captured within a translucent sphere from which he could not escape.
The sphere containing the captured hero slowly floated towards the ground stopping at about four feet off the ground where it continued to float unsupported. The alien then approached and seemed to study the captured man. Try as he might, the Negative Man could not pass through the energy of the sphere's walls and with time passing he did not know how he was to return to his comatose body in the apartment.
Enid Basset lingered in the corridor outside the door of Trainor's apartment. She seemed to be in a quandary as to what to do next. A young man of Enid's age approached.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Thinking," Enid replied.
"What about?"
"The guy in there." She indicated Trainor's room with a twitch of her head. "I think he's in danger."
"So what?" The young man, Johnny Drake, went to grab hold of Enid's arm but she resisted his attempt to pull her away. Johnny shrugged his shoulders and turned back towards their room.
"Johnny, can you open this door?" she asked.
At this request, he turned back to Enid and lowering his voice said: "You want to break-in?"
"Sort of … I told you: I think his life is in danger."
Johnny smiled and reached into a pocket. He pulled out two long thin pieces of sturdy wire and took a close look at the lock. "Make sure no-one else is about." He then inserted the wire into the lock while Enid kept watch. It was only a moment before he opened the door. "That was easy," he announced. "Come on; before we're seen." They both then hurried into Trainor's room and shut the door.
"Jeez!" Johnny hissed seeing the bandaged figure sitting comatose in the chair. "Is he dead?"
Enid approached Trainor and felt for a pulse. "All the bandages make it difficult to be sure … but, yes, he's alive."
Johnny looked around the room: "It doesn't look like he's got anything worth stealing."
Enid hissed a warning: "You're not to steal anything!"
"Yeah, like I said." Johnny raised his hands in defeat. Instead, he opened the fridge and was pleased to find a can of soda there which he took.
He immediately opened the can, drank, and returned to Enid. "Want a soda?" Enid was standing next to Trainor and holding onto his arm. Her eyes were shut. "Oh, are you doing your thing?" he asked.
"Yes," Enid replied without opening her eyes. "Now, shush!"
"Okay … Let me know when it's over." Johnny wandered over to the TV set and crouched down close to the set to listen to the programme. After lingering there for a moment he found something on the floor next to the set. "Hey! Here's his cell-phone." Immediately, Enid snapped out of her trance.
"Let me see that!" She snatched the phone off Johnny and began searching through Trainor's contacts. She pressed the button on 'Rita' and waited for an answer.
"Hi, Larry!" Rita's voice sounded friendly and unconcerned.
"This is Enid. We met on the stairs, earlier."
"Where's Larry?" Rita's voice was instantly marked with her concern for Larry's whereabouts.
"He's unconscious in his room," Enid answered.
Rita paused for an instant before asking: "How long has he been unconscious?"
"I'm not sure … At least three or four minutes."
"Right, I'll be there as soon as I can … In a few minutes at most!"
And with that, Rita broke the call.
"Who'd you call?" Johnny asked.
"His girlfriend."
"Why'd you give her your name? If you wanted to do the decent thing, you should have just given your message and then hung up. Now you're involved. You're an accessory to burglary and I'm the burglar."
"It'll be alright. We're not burglars. We could get a reward for saving this guy's life."
"Yeah, in your dreams."
"Go if you don't want to stay."
"There's no point. You gave … whoever … your name and address. I might as well hand myself in right now!"
A few minutes later, Rita arrived at the apartment. She went straight to Larry. "Has he moved at all?" Rita demanded.
"No. I think he's still alive though."
"Have you called for an ambulance?" Rita then asked.
"No …. Do you think we should?"
"No," Rita answered with certainty.
Rita straightened up and took off her raincoat to reveal that she was wearing a one-piece tight-fitting outfit comprising a long-sleeved vest and short-skirt – both in a matching green. Her appearance was very much to Johnny's appreciation: "Wow," he commented. "That's some get-up!"
Enid glared at Johnny for an instant before returning her attention to Rita. "I know who you really are," she said.
"Oh, and who's that?" Rita replied.
"He's Larry Trainor, the Negative Man, and you're Rita Farr, that is the original Rita Farr and not her niece. You're Elasti-girl."
"Elasti-girl?" Johnny laughed. "Like from the Incredibles?"
"Shut up, Johnny," Enid snapped. "This is real not a cartoon. They were the Doom Patrol."
"That's right," Rita said. "We were the Doom Patrol." Rita then took Enid's hand and spoke just to her. "Don't call the police or an ambulance. Neither can do anything for him now."
"What's happened to him?" Enid asked.
"The Negative Man can leave Larry's body for sixty seconds without Larry being harmed …" she explained.
Enid interrupted Rita: "But this has been far longer than sixty seconds?"
"Yes so Larry should be dead, and he isn't …. I have to find out what has happened to him and I think I know where he has gone."
"I see … What can I do to help?" Enid asked.
"Nothing … except … you could stay here with him until I return."
Rita squeezed Enid's hand and smiled. She then hurried back out of the apartment heading for the docks.
Johnny looked at Enid. "It's raining and she didn't take her raincoat," he observed dryly.