Booster Gold- The Series

by Mr. Chaos

My name's Michael Jon Carter and I was born in the 25th century. When my life hit the skids I came to the 21st century to take my place among the greatest heroes the world's ever known. Now, with the help of my robotic ally Skeets, I protect Ion City from harm. In the future I was a failure, in the past I will be a hero, though not like any hero you've ever seen. I am BOOSTER GOLD!

2. Episode 2- Kobayashi Maru

Last time on BOOSTER GOLD!

Michael Jon Carter, rookie quarterback in the 25th century, lost his chance at stardom when he worked with his father to bet on games. By the time he was 29 Michael found himself working at the Flash Museum, his only companion a security droid named Skeets. Inspired by the acts of heroes like The Flash, Green Arrow, and Supergirl, Michael stole equipment from the museum and along with Skeets traveled to the 21st century to become a hero. Planting replicated lost artifacts in the homes of mobsters he defeats, Michael built up the money he would need to start his new career while also gaining the attention of both the President of the United States and mobster Steven Mandragora. When Mandragora sent his cyborb enforcer Frank to eliminate Michael our hero managed to defeat the mandroid and was dubbed Booster Gold by the President. But while Michael lived up his first major heroic act Mandragora faced down his mysterious benefactor: The Reverse-Flash. Angered by Mandragora's failure Thrawne leaves his Enforcer, the mysterious Supernova, to ensure Michael never becomes a hero and Booster Gold's name fades from history.

Hub City- Kord Industries National Headquarters

David Kord leaned against the padded wall of the private gym, a small frown on his lips. He was a thin man with sharp features and just one glance at him told all that he was a man used to getting what he wanted. Not because it was expected or even demanded but through sheer force of will. He would never be called charismatic or be seen as one of those charming billionaires that appeared on reality shows and threw giant New Years bashes. David wasn't a miser either; he didn't sit in some cold office, cackling over the plight of his workers. He was quite simply a stern man, a man with the would to bring what he desired to reality. When he wanted people to do something they did it... be it out of respect, fear, or a mingling of the two.

All save the young man that was currently twirling upon the uneven bars.

The acrobat was just on the cusp of 30, half of David's age but possessing all his brains. But where David was intimidating the younger man was friendly and outgoing. Even as he leapt from the lower bars and twisted, his blue unitard a blur before he reached out and grasped the high bar, David could see the smile on his face.

The owner and CEO of Kord Industries didn't know if he hated that smile or respected it.

"What would your little science geeks say if they could see you flipping around like this?" David asked.

The younger man laughed, slowing his spins until he was merely dangling from the uneven bars. "They would roll their eyes, Uncle." He dismounted and walked over to the chalk bag, tossing it a few times from hand to hand until his palms were covered in the white powder. "Today it is the in thing to be a nerd and be scrawny and weak. 20 years ago you were mocked for it. A hundred years ago it was unheard of. People forget many great scientists were also great athletes. They understood that the body and the mind are linked." Flexing his muscles not for show but to loosen up the young man moved to the pommel horse and began his routine. "We did not become the dominate species because we sat around debating the merits of spear chucking in a cave. Nor did we succeed purely through their fists. Survival of the fittest... that refers to the body and the mind. Too many people forget that."

"Hmmm," David murmured, neither agreeing or disagreeing with his nephew. "I suppose you know why I'm here, Ted?"

The young man, Ted Kord, didn't even pause for a second as he continued to whip his legs and body about the pommel horse. "I suppose you have another brilliant plot to cement me as your successor?"

David scoffed. "Cement nothing. I have told you that you WILL be the one to take over Kord Industries when I pass."

"Can I ask why?" Ted asked. "I'm not joking... as shocking as that is. I don't want to be the Big Shot... you know that. Al has been fighting for years to get you to name him your heir and if you don't want him you could always go with Simon. They're both older... they have a better claim."

"Only fools decide on successors based on age and blood," David snapped as Ted finished up his routine. "I know the uses of your brothers and they are few. Simon is your father reborn and could never handle the power. He is best suited as a second, nothing more. Al would waste it like a gambler with a few coins in his pocket. He sees power as his birthright and demands it like a child wanting their bottle. But you… you shun power, refuse it when freely offered… and when the time comes and you have no choice but to accept it you will be wise enough to know how to use it."

"…am I becoming a CEO or a Jedi?" Ted joked. His uncle merely stared at him and Ted finally rolled his eyes. "Okay, so what scheme have you come up with this time to mold me into the perfect successor?"

His uncle snagged the Ipad he'd set near the door, switching it on and passing it to his nephew, who'd just got done wiping his hands clean of the chalk. "I'm assuming you've seen the news?"

Ted looked down at the Ipad, watching the video of Booster Gold saving the President's life from some sort of cyborg. "Even if I didn't want to," Ted stated. "They're flashing this guy's face so much online you'd think he were a Kardashian." Ted glanced at his uncle. "The Kardashians-"

"I know who they are, you twit."

"I've gone from successor to twit in the span of two minutes. A banner day, huh uncle?" Ted wiggled his eyebrows before finally focusing on the Ipad. "So what's the problem? Mad they ruined a few stone blocks outside our building? I'm pretty sure I asked our insurance guy to get us 'Superhero Insurance'… you know, just in case. Covers fire, flood, ice… whatever gun is being shot at our building…"

David coldly jabbed his finger at the Ipad. "A week ago the world changed once again. Cities have been threatened, the impossible has occurred, but never have any of these… events… occurred with the world watching live let alone to one of the most powerful men on the planet. In the span of half an hour we not only saw just how dangerous this world has become but that there are those with the strength to stand up to such threats and beat them down. Booster Gold is now a household name and our family," he tapped the screen, stopping it so Ted could stare at the image of Booster standing in front of the Kord Industries' sign, "is tied to him."

"…and that's a good thing? Bad?"

"That depends on just what kind of hero this Booster Gold turns out to be." David took the Ipad from Ted's grasp. "Already he is proving himself different from the Flash and the Green Arrow. While those two prefer to remain hidden Booster Gold has stepped out into the light. He openly admits he exists, he is setting up an actual corporation to handle his affairs… intelligent thinking."

"So he's making so extra pocket change selling shirts of himself?"

"Do you realize just how much money is made off the Flash's lightning bolt symbol alone?" David asked. "Calling it pocket change is calling our company a kiosk at the mall." The businessman clasped one hand behind his back and began to pace. "There are reports that he is seeking out companies to 'sponsor' him, to donate equipment to aid in his crime fighting duties. He is seeking out employees to work for him. He has a publicist and from what I've heard he's managed to get Bernard Klein away from the Mayo Clinic to serve as his private physician… the man is privatizing hero work."

"So he's going to be the Halliburton of superheroes," Ted said dryly. "Goodie."

"What do you think of when you hear the name 'S.T.A.R. Labs'?" David asked.

"Particle Accelerator first," Ted stated. "Second is The Flash. We know he's connected to them, rumor is they work with him."

"Indeed," David said. "Two years ago S.T.A.R. Labs' name was a joke. Now they are seen in a heroic light and are once again gathering the interest of donors. Their new owner, Bartholomew Allen, is going to be a VERY rich man. Now, what do you think of when you hear 'Palmer Technologies'?"

"…are they even still in business?" Ted asked.

"Exactly. Ignoring that their founder is dead and his replacement proved herself so incompetent that even Ray Palmer's boot lickers turned on his chosen successor they, and before them Queen Consolidated which now makes up a large bulk of Palmer Tech, have been the target of so many attacks that it is a wonder they are insured.

"I am reassigning you to our offices in Ion City. I have been vastly unimpressed with the work done by O'Jeneus; he is a brilliant engineer but the man can't manage his way out of a paper bag. You're taking over and turn things around."

"Might I point out that I'm also a brilliant engineer and maybe it would be better to keep me in a lab than in an office? No? Okay."

David continued on. "While the business is a priority, of course, you will also be there to evaluate Ion's new hero. If Booster Gold is the hero he is portraying himself to be then I want you to see just what Kord Industries can offer him… and he can offer us."

"And if he is just some glory hog that got really lucky?"

David smiled for the first time since he'd walked in. "Oh, I'm sure you'll think of something… creative to do with him." Ted quirked an eyebrow at that but his uncle merely made his way to the door. "Get dressed… I want you there by tomorrow."

"Love you too!" Ted called out, rolling his eyes.

~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~

"Skeets, do you see them?"

The golden drone was flying a few meters away from Booster, who was scanning the tangled mess that was Ion's financial district. Below them sirens were still blaring but the cops simply couldn't keep up with the heroic duo or the bank robbers that had gotten a 8 minute head start on Ion City's boys in blue. Booster had been ready to make a dive towards the car when they'd made a U-Turn into one of the underground tunnels that littered the city, losing the hero and his robotic partner and leaving them frantically searching for them.

"I'm scanning now," Skeets stated. "The car they stole has a telematic device installed for insurance purposes. I've determined the signal and I'm working to track it."

Booster, realizing there was nothing he could do, moved into a hover, looking around the streets for any speeding cars. "Who the hell robs a bank nowadays? I mean, come on… next we'll have to rescue some woman from a monorail track while a guy with a long moustache watches up rubbing his hands together."

"Perhaps it's not best to debate the strategy of men who rob banks in broad daylight," Skeets said before twisting to his right. "They are attempting to hide in an offshoot of lower Giffin Street. We'll have to retrieve them."

"Right," Booster said, a determined grin on his face. "Well, they might be lame but-"

BUZZABUZZ! BUZZABUZZ!

The smile instantly fell from his lips.

"Brie?" Booster said, a flick of his eyes causing the comm in his goggles to turn on. He forced his voice to be a bit cheerier than he felt as he went into a dive. "Can this wait? Kinda in the middle of something."

"I'm sorry, sir, but it simply can't," his assistant said, the boredom practically dripping from her words. "Dr. Klein would like to schedule an appointment with you."

"…then do it," Booster said as he entered the tunnel, Skeets following on his heels.

"When would be a good time for you?" Brie asked.

"I don't know, what does my calendar say?"

"Hmmm… not sure."

"Not sure? You're the one that makes my calendar, just pick a day!" Skeets turned towards one of the tunnels and Booster nodded in silent agreement.

"I'd prefer if you just told me, sir. Also, the painters want to know if they can begin painting now."

"Yes, of course," Booster said quickly.

"Very good. I'll tell them to wait till you get back so you can tell them."

"Just tell them yourself!" Booster complained.

"I don't have the authority to do that."

Booster's face twisted in annoyance. "I am giving you the authority."

"I'm not sure you have the authority to do that."

"…I'm the head of the company!" Booster shouted. He heard a click and looked up just as the van the bank robbers turned on its tail lights… and opened its back door to reveal three of the robbers standing there in black ski masks, wielding a- "Why do they have a chain gun!?" Booster screamed, his forcefield flaring up as the criminals opened fire.

"The painters, sir? I wasn't aware they had one."

Booster's left eyebrow twitched even as the bullets pounded against his forecfield. "Brie?"

"Yes sir?"

"Please go find the termination paperwork. I think I'll be firing someone when I get back."

"Do you want me to stay on the line?" his soon to be former assistant asked.

The bank robbers stopped shooting, staring at Booster in confusion; the blue-and-gold clad hero was just standing there, hands on his hips as he argued with seemingly no one. "No, you can hang up."

"I'll just put you on hold," Brie said.

"Do not put me on-"

"CLICK! Snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen. A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the queen."

Booster slowly turned to stare at Skeets. "Who decided to make the hold music-"

"I believe it was you," Skeets said, cutting him off. The drone's metal shell had been designed to take far worse than a 21st century bullet though the 'ting-ting-ting' of the bullets bouncing off of his form had been a touch annoying. "When Miss Brie asked you what she should play when putting people on hold you said, and I quote, "It can be the soundtrack from Frozen for all I care". It appears she took you for your word."

Booster glowered before turning towards the bank robbers. "I'm going to work out some of my anger issues. You stay here."

"Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"…permission to sing along?"

"…fine."

Skeets made the sound of one clearing their throat even as Booster began marching towards the van, his eyes blazing with annoyed fury while the criminals hastily began reloading their gun. "Let it go! Let it go!" Skeets sang as Michael ripped the offending weapon out of the van, tossing it aside before he set about tossing the criminals about like ragdolls.

~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~

An hour later and Michael Jon Carter landed in his unfinished office and ripped off his goggles, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. Skeets flew in a few seconds later, still humming with the song though a look from Booster saw the little drone quickly clam up.

Sitting on a plush couch, going over some marketing graphs, was a tall 40-something man with a lean face and bushy moustache who was wearing a white dress shirt and slacks. Spotting the hero the man stood up and offered him a water bottle.

"Bad day Booster?" the man asked.

"Depends, Dirk" Michael said, taking a long swig. "Crime fighting wise… real well. Caught a gang of bank robbers that were packed way more heat than they should have been."

"Well, it isn't an epic supervillain battle but sometimes it is nice to have an easy day. I'm sure the public prefers you handling the occasional common criminal instead of turning their city into a battleground with whatever lunatic decided to dress up like a panda bear and ride around in a bamboo tank."

"Yeah I… wait. Is there really a panda-based villain?"

"No."

"Oh," Michael said, trying not to sound too disappointed.

Dirk chuckled, clapping him on the back. "Though, now that I think about it, a Panda villain would be pretty cool for the kids. Always hard to legally produce action figures based on actual villains but nothing says we can't make up our own… strictly for the toyline, of course! I'll call up Mattel and get them to work on it. Now, what has you upset?" Michael looked over at Brie's desk which was now cleared of all her personal affects and Dirk gave him a sympathetic shrug. "I was listening in and figured it would be better to just get her out of here before you showed up."

"Thanks, Dirk," Michael told the man. He looked around the unfinished floor and let out another sigh. The walls weren't painted, only half the furniture had arrived, and they'd only go the WiFi set up two days ago. "We're nowhere near ready, though. I don't have a full staff hired, my headquarters is still a mess, the offices are half done… how does Curtis Holt manage to do all this?"

"Who?"

Skeets quickly chimed in. "Just someone Michael read about… a minor businessman." Dirk accepted this and ambled a few steps away, allowing Skeets to whisper, "Curtis Holt hasn't even founded Cyberwear yet."

"Right," Michael said before saying louder, "It just feels like there are too many things coming at me at once. I'm setting all this up and fighting crime and fielding a billion different things…" He took another long hard swig from the water bottle. "Even half the hires I've made so far don't feel right. Brie was a ditz, I'm not happy with who we got to run the science division… other than you and Bernie I feel like firing everyone and starting over again… or opening an ice cream shop."

"That would make me happy," Bernie said as he walked into Michael's public office. The new head of BG International's medical division was in his mid 50s, balding, with a personality that was a mix of the Nutty Professor and a kindly grandfather. While some scoffed at his casual nature the man was a genius when it came to the body and one of the greatest medicinal professionals in the world. It had taken a lot of meetings and pleading to get Bernie Klein to pull up stakes and hitch his wagon to his star. Already the man was getting his division into working shape and Michael was thrilled that, at the very least, one part of his company was actually working as he'd envisioned. "I love soft serve personally." Klein motioned for Michael to remove his costume's top. "Let me take a look at you… I hear you were shot at."

"Forcefield absorbed all the impacts," Michael complained. Though he'd brought Bernie in to be a division head the man had decided he was his personal physician and demanded to look him over after every outing.

"And you can still die if you get shot wearing a Kevlar vest. Your forcefield might be stronger but let an old man worry and look you over." Michael did as asked, removing his cowl and top and hopping up onto Brie's empty desk, allowing Bernie to begin looking him over. "I see your wounds from your battle with the cyborg are fully healed."

"Like I said they would. The nanites-"

"Aren't doctors. They are little robots that are programmed to do a job. I don't care how advanced they are, that is always risky. If I can get you patched up without ever having to use them again then I'll be happy." He looked at Skeets. "And no offense, my little friend, but what is to stop the nanites from being hacked so that they might, I don't know, turn you inside out?"

"Nothing," Skeets said before Michael could speak. "If someone could get to them, of course…"

"And there you go. Now, why do you want to open an ice cream shop?"

Michael hissed as Bernie ran his much-too-cold hands along his naked abs. "Because it feels like my company is in tatters."

"You're just starting," Dirk said, trying to reassure his client. "Things will be fine! You can manage."

"Him?" Bernie asked. "That's the problem, Dirk: he's taking too much on. You need to delegate."

"To who?" Michael asked. "You? Dirk? One of you want to be my Chief Operations Officer?"

"God no," both men said at the same time.

"And thus my problem," Michael complained as Bernie moved on to inspect Michael's back. "I can't find anyone else I trust to handle everything and thus have to do it myself. But I'm not suited for any of this… I openly admit that! I'm supposed to be going out fighting Deathstroke, not micromanaging a bunch of people in cubicles." Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's just… I don't know if I'll ever be able to get things together."

"Please don't worry, Michael," Skeets said, hovering over. "I am sure that things will work out in the end."

"I hope so Skeets, I hope so."

~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~

Somewhere in the Pennsylvania Wilderness…

"The 100 was my idea, you know," Steven Mandragora said casually as he casually walked through the hall of his mansion, passing by paintings worth thousands and sculptures that had gone 'missing' from museums and private collections across the globe. "Too many in my business want to see things remain the same. We use the names and titles that have been passed down for centuries and the structure of our families remains the same as it did back in the old country. Yes, our business ventures evolve but the basic model remains the same. How we handle threats to our families and our wealth remains the same. "Why change now?" so many ask. "It has worked in the past and it works today so why throw good money away?" So small minded."

Mandragora paused, considering a painting that depicted Jupiter throwing a thunderbolt at a group of selfish, blasphemes humans. "My uncle can trace his lineage back to the times of Roman, when man believed that storms were the work of the gods. What kept many in line in those primitive days was the believe that there were these all powerful, all seeing beings that could deliver justice upon those that committed crimes against them with a merely flick of their hands. As man grew out of such childish thinking some realized that the only thing holding them back was their own imaginary boundaries. And then a select few decided that if the gods weren't real then their positions of power were up for the taking. One merely had to extend their hand and the lightning would be theirs. This is how things have gone for centuries.

"But now the pendulum swings back. The gods are real… but instead of togas they wear spandex. But the lightning bolts they hurl… oh, they are the same as the ones grasped by Jupiter." Mandragora smiled as he stared at the white-bearded Jupiter. "Thus we come to another opportunity… to continue on as we always have or to seize this moment. I have chosen the second. If those that seek to dethrone us now are 'super' so too most we become su-"

An otherworldly screech filled the air and the painting, along with much of the wall, was reduced to melting sludge.

Supernova lowered his fist. "You were not hired to wax poetically and I'm not here to listen to your pathetic gibberish."

"Yes," Mandragora said, a bit less confident, "of course. As I was getting to… The 100 project has seen me collect all manner of assassins, killers, thieves, and other manner of criminals and bring them into my service. Some are merely gifted men and women, mortal as myself or… " he made to point at Supernova but the masked Enforcer merely stared him down and Mandragora thought better of it, "…myself. Others have abilities, be they blessings from the Particle Accelerator or some other event. Each has a specialized purpose and much as one selects the correct gun for a killing I too select the correct member of my 100 to see a mission completed. Of course, the equipment and knowledge our employers have been kind enough to supply has only made them all the more deadlier."

"And who have you selected this time?" Supernova asked, a mocking edge to his words.

Mandragora ignored the taunt, leading Supernova into a sitting room where the selected criminal was waiting. The man was dressed in dark blue body armor with copper pads upon his arms, chest, and knees. A heavy domed helmet sat on the table next to him. His gauntlets and boots were also made of thick copper and had circuitry running throughout them. The man had a thick neck and large fleshy face with a wide nose and small grim mouth that was currently pressed into a thin line.

"Allow me to present Arnold Pruett. He used to run one of my construction companies during the day and at night he… well, let's just say when someone felt they didn't need to pay their debts he gave them a visit."

"You beat them until they paid," Supernova stated, not beating around the bush. "And this serves us how? Do you believe the Legion is in need of a gaudily dressed kneecapper?"

The mob boss smirked. "Using the data stolen from Palmer Industries my scientists were able to produce Mr. Pruett's armor. Add into this the tech specs the Legion provided and Mr. Pruett is a walking tank who can manipulate vibrations. He can bring down a building or liquefy someone's brains inside their skull."

The masked Enforcer for the Legion of Doom looked Pruett over. "Will you be able to kill Booster Gold?"

"That depends," Pruett said and Mandragora shot an angry glare at him for that answer. The look disappeared with the killer's next words. "Does Ion City need to be still standing when I'm done?"

"He'll do," Supernova said. "What do you call him? Or is he another 'Frank'."

Mandragora grinned, his teeth gleaming as he said, "Shockwave."

~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~

The next day found Michael still with no assistant, a mountain of papers he had to go over, and a brand new headache to deal with.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Michael asked, staring at his laptop. He was dressed in a cream-colored dress shirt and slacks, his legion flight ring and force field belt the only parts of his costume he visibly wore. He'd only gone to his living quarters (which were in the bowels of the newly rechristen Haylcon Tower) to shower and try and get some sleep but his mind had been to active and after a few hours he'd taken the private elevator back up to the main office and begun tackling all the work that still needed to be done. Forms to fill out, requests to go over, interviews to schedule… it was almost enough to make him long for the museum.

Almost.

At the moment he was sitting with Dirk, his public relations officer going through a binder filled with t-shirt designs. While Michael had been able to get started by selling off some antiques he knew he couldn't rely on that little cash cow forever and thus had begun phase two: merchandising. T-shirts, posters, action figures… people were currently hungry for all this Superhero and Michael planned to take full advantage. Not just of himself but of all the new heroes; Dirk was very close to obtaining rights to the Flash's look and Michael had plans for Superclothing… once the world got a glimpse of the Maid of Might.

Unfortunately what should have been a fun morning discussing slapping his logo on hoodies had been ruined by what was currently on his screen.

"Who?" Dirk asked before holding up a picture of a shirt for Skeets to look at. "Too dark?"

"Too dark," Skeets agreed.

"This… guy. This guy who's decided he's my arch enemy or something."

Dirk perked up at that. "You already have one? Usually takes a few months for some loony to declare themselves the new Big Bad."

"Big Bad? Really?" Michael asked.

"It's from Buffy. Very popular, trope-friendly. So, what is this guy's power?"

The hero leaned back in his chair and turned his laptop around so Dirk could look at it. Skeets, for his part, merely got a visual on the address and downloaded the page directly. "Busting my chops, apparently."

Dirk frowned, looking over the website. "'Booster Gold… Secret Supervillain or Unwitting Illuminati Pawn'. Not that catchy of a title."

"It doesn't matter what the title is!" Michael complained. "This guy is claiming I'm either some sinister monster who is plotting to destroy Ion City or that I'm being used by an evil cabal to further their goals."

"To be fair the article below yours discusses the dangers of the little plastic things at the ends of shoelaces and how they connect to the occult."

"So he's the local quack," Dirk said, brushing off Michael's concerns. "Every hero has them. Green Arrow has half his city wanting him gone and you still find people who are angry the Flash keeps breaking their windows whenever he does his sonic boom run by. You can't let this get to you, champ."

"Do those other wackjobs have their websites come up as the Number 1 hit on Google when you search a hero's name?" Michael turned his computer back to him and began to type. "Green Arrow… first hit is about him dealing with Ragm… some guy in rags who wanted to kill a CEO. Flash… a blog praising him for stopping a robbery. Booster Gold… crackpot saying I eat babies!"

"I don't think he says you eat them… merely that you might be harvesting their souls." Michael glared at Skeets and the drone said quickly, "I'll just shut my big processor now."

"Listen Michael, I researched this guy and you can't let him get to you. He's just a nut."

"… that's it? That's all you have to say? I'm getting smeared and you, my PR guy, thinks I should just shut up? Seriously?"

"It's better than acknowledging him. This guy, Vic Sage, he's a kook that makes other kooks go "Man, tone it down". Sage ain't even his real name… he hides everything about himself because he thinks the government and their alien overlords are out to get him and he is the last beacon of truth in the world. You begin arguing with him and he'll think that you are hiding something and just dig in. You let him have his fun and soon he'll get bored and go back to demanding to see the President's high school diploma."

"… fine," Michael said with a grunt. "But if he keeps claiming I'm the cause of global warming I'm flying him to the moon."

"What a heroic and noble thing to say," Ted Kord said, stepping into Michael's office. "Wish I'd be around to hear the scholars debate that one in 200 years. "Do you think noble Booster Gold would have left the man on the moon or merely taken him there to see it?". Sorry to barge in but your assistant is an empty chair. I drew a smiley face on a post-it though and slapped that on there… that should work." He held out his hand. "Hi. Ted Kord. I tend to be an asshole."

Michael looked down at the extended hand. "Uh…"

"It's called a handshake, genius. I invented it."

"I don't believe that is true," Skeets said.

Michael looked Ted over before shaking his hand. "Michael Jon Carter, aka Booster Gold."

"I thought superheroes were supposed to have secret identities."

"I thought Ted Kord was some old guy with a bad combover. Unless you are the old guy then I want the name of your plastic surgeon."

"That's my father."

"So Ted Kord Jr.?"

Ted shook his head. "Nah… I got the first name only. Ted Stephen Kord."

"My dad wanted to name me after him… mom got him to make do to middle name and shortened."

"…why?"

Michael shrugged. "Because Jonar means 'he who fails'." Ted raised an eyebrow at that and Michael said, "Long story. So what can I do for you, Ted?"

Ted flopped down on the couch, stretching out with a sly smile on his face. "Oh, just being friendly. See, I just got transferred to Ion. Going to be running the Kord Industries' regional headquarters that is here. You might remember it? It was the nice building you planted that cyborg in the expensive suit in front of? Anyway, since I am just a few blocks away I realized that made us neighbors… and what kind of neighbor doesn't stop by and say hello to everyone?" Ted threaded his fingers together and placed them under his chin, fluttering his eyes at Michael. "Hiya neighbor!" he cooed.

"…this is going to be painful, isn't it?" Michael asked.

"All depends on how rough you like it," Ted teased.

Michael, for his part, leaned back in his chair and laughed. "God, you are either going to drive me insane, kill me, or be my best friend."

"Can't we do all three?" Ted asked.

"I can't tell if you two are fighting or flirting," Dirk complained.

Rather than address that Ted motioned for Michael to spin his laptop around; after a moment the blond did so and Ted rolled his eyes. "Vic Sage. Dear god is that man a crackpot."

"You've dealt with him too?" Michael asked.

Ted's smile fell. "The man is convinced my Uncle David is some insane madman building an army of robots in his basement."

"He isn't?" Michael asked with a smirk.

"Nah, he's just a dick. And he's the reason I'm here; see, after you decided to use our headquarters in Ion City as your personal playground he wants me to get a gauge on how you are." Ted looked down at one of the binders Dirk had left out, which showed all manner of proposed Booster Gold merchandise. "He's heard about what you're trying to do..."

Michael's face lit up. "And he wants to partner up?!"

Ted held up a hand, never looking up from the binder. "He wants to explore if he should even consider it. I'm here to make sure you're-"

"What? A good man? Being truthful?"

"I was going to say 'not running around in your underwear licking light sockets' but that works too."

"That was yesterday," Skeets chimed in. Ted, Michael, and Dirk all looked at him and Skeets tilted his entire form downward. "Ah, so everyone else can joke but I can't. Understood."

"The point," Ted said, ending all jokes and moving on to matters at hand, "is that Kord Industries can't just sign on with someone sight unseen. We need to make sure that you are the real deal."

"Oh, my boy Mike is!" Dirk stood up and began to make his way towards the door, motioning for Ted to follow. "Well, why don't I take you down to the conference room and I can show you the presentation we've got set up for potential investors and partners. We put a lot of work into it... break down where we want to be in five years. We at BG International aren't looking to be a flash in the pan... we want to take superheroes to a whole new level. Really break outside of the box. An entire multimedia attack, vision and mission statements... Mike here isn't just some do-gooder running around in his pajamas fighting talking gorillas. He's going to reinvent the superhero business. Come on, the presentation is great... we want to get a video, a highlight reel if you will, but right now all we have is the computer program that lays everything out."

"Oh goody," Ted said with mock sincerity, "PowerPoint slides. Tell me there will be pie charts."

"This is going to go well," Michael muttered to Skeets as he stood up.

"This is a part of business," Skeets reminded his friend. "If we wish to achieve our goals we have to play by the rules."

"And when have you known me to ever do that?" Michael asked.

Before the drone could reply the entire building shook.

"Uh... what was that?" Dirk said.

"Something not good," Michael said, already moving to unbutton his dress shirt. "Last time I checked Michigan doesn't have Earthquakes."

"Technically, while rare, earthquakes can happen in the state," Skeets said helpfully. "On September 2th, 1994, a 3.0 earthquake was felt-" The building rumbled harder this time and alarms began to go off. "Not the point."

"Exactly," Michael said, tossing his shirt to Dirk only to miss him and hit Ted. The brunette stared in confusion as Michael began to unbuckle his pants.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ted asked, yanking the shirt from his face.

"Changing," Michael said, hopping on one foot as he yanked off his dress shoes.

"Mike, is this really the time?" Dirk asked. "I'm sure it was just a little tremble, nothing more!" He gestured at Ted. "We have guests."

"Entertain him while I'm gone," Michael said as he finally freed himself of everything but his underpants. He grabbed his goggles and his gauntlets and put them on. "As much as I would love your money and whatever else you got to offer I need to make sure everyone is okay."

Ted folded his arms over his chest, his smile wiped away as he stared the man who was wearing only his boxers and a gaudy belt down. "And if I decide to be insulted you stripped down and flew off?"

"Then I thank you for your time and I'm sorry it didn't work out!" Michael said even as he jogged towards the large bay window, Skeets' activating the wireless controls and having the window swing open. Michael touched a button on his belt and his suit 'grew' over his skin. It took only a few seconds for the nearly naked Michael Jon Carter to be replaced by the eye-catching Booster Gold. "Come on Skeets!"

"Coming!" Skeets called out, turning as he buzzed out the window. "I apologize for us cutting and running!" he called out as he and Booster flew out the window.

Ted looked at Dirk, the PR man smiling weakly. "Uh... want to get to that presentation now?"

"Are you able to monitor them?" Ted asked.

"I... no, sorry, I'm afraid not... what are you doing?"

"Channel 52," Ted said as he hurried over to Michael laptop and closed out of Sage's page. "They have livestreaming on their website." He quickly clicked on the Breaking News link and waited for the livestream to buffer. "There... there he is... oh man."

Dirk swallowed staring at the small, grainy image of a swaying 15-floor tower. "That's the Dematteis Building."

And racing towards it was Booster and Skeets.

~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~

"What are you picking up?" Booster called out as he flew towards the building.

Skeets took a moment before declaring, "Police and medics are 2 minutes out. Multiple calls to 911... reports of injured."

"Going to be a lot more if we don't clear the building!" Booster shouted, flicking his eyes to turn on his infrared. "I've got 10 people on the 5th floor, 7 on the 9th, and 4 on the 14th." He frowned as he sweep his eyes over the building. "Are you getting anything about any other buildings being damaged?"

"No, Michael," Skeets said. "A few reports of shaking, a filing cabinet tumbling over in an office building a block away, power out at the grocery store on 5th but only the Dematteis Building has been seriously damaged."

Booster's jaw worked before he went into a dive. "You ever get the feeling things don't smell right."

"As I do not have a nose..." Skeets said. "Might I suggest you begin at the top floor? They appear to be trapped and I should be able to get the stairwell clear for the ones on the 5th."

"Got it," Booster said, moving into an ascent while Skeets used his laser to cut through a window on the 5th. Booster landed lightly and scanned the floor, quickly finding the quartet working to try and move a piece of collapsed ceiling away from the exit. One was clearly the big boss while the two others were most likely direct reports. The last was... "Brie?!"

"Oh... hello sir," Booster's former assistant said. "If you are here to beg me to come back I am afraid I've already found a new position."

"I'm not... never mind. Come on, I'm going to get you guys out of here." Booster hurried over to the four and the big boss shoved Brie and the younger of the two directs towards him.

"Get them out of here first!" the man shouted.

"I'll be back for you!" Booster shouted, the younger employee hurrying over and wrapping Booster in a bear hug.

"Sir, would you like me to cling to Mr. Gold?" Brie asked. "Or would you prefer him to hold me while I attempt-"

"Oh for the love of-" Booster wrapped his arm around her and lifting off, diving out of the window. The two workers he'd rescued cried out but Booster easily slowed his descent until he nimbly landed in front of a paramedic. "Wait here!" he told the medic before hurrying back to the 14th floor. "Told you I'd be back." The boss opened his mouth to reply onto for the building to tremble once more. Booster grabbed the second man just as the floor gave way and the big boss fell through the floor. "NO!" Booster shouted, extending his forefield around the man he was holding before diving into the hole, managing to catch the falling businessman before he hit the 12th floor. "Damn it, the whole this is falling apart from the inside!" Heft the big boss into a more stable position Booster aimed his right arm and fired off a quick energy blast that ripped a hole in the side of the building, giving him and his charges enough space to get out.

"Thank you," the second worker said the moment they touched back down.

The businessman nodded. "Indeed."

Booster merely nodded, flashing a grin. "Hey... it's me! Ion's #1 hero!" He turned back to the building. "Skeets, the whole thing is turning into a house of cards. How are things on your end?"

In his comm Skeets replied, "I have cleared the stairwell and I'm leading my group to the ground floor. The 9th floor is still occupied."

"I'm on- wait." Booster looked to the right of the entrance. "Skeets, I'm seeing someone lying down on the ground floor in the back on the first floor."

"Scanning," Skeets said. "Yes... yes, there appears to be a man trapped under some rubble."

"Can you get to him?" Booster asked, taking a step forward.

"No. My stairwell is on the opposite end of the building."

Booster looked up at the 7th floor before making a decision. "Skeets, you won't be able to lift that block. I'll rescue the guy on the ground floor, you get your group out and go for the last set."

"Will do," Skeets stated as Booster flew through the doors of the Dematteis Building, not even bothering to blast them.

Twisting past a reception desk, Booster flicked off his infrareds as he neared the trapped victim, landing and grabbing hold of the heavy piece of ceiling that had the man pinned. "Don't worry, I've got-"

One moment he was standing next to the downed man. The next he was crashing into a pillar, his forcefield the only thing that kept him from becoming a bloody smudge on the concrete. He pulled himself free, staring in confusion and anger as the 'victim' easily tossed away the slab of concrete and began to approach, punching one gauntlet-covered hand into another. Booster fell to the ground only to feel the earth tremble with every step the 'victim' took towards him.

"Who the hell are you?" Booster demanded, flexing his fingers.

"Shockwave," the 'victim' said. "And unfortunately for you there is a price on your, hero. Boss wants you dead and I aim to please." The killer slammed his fist down, Booster managing to roll away and get back to his feet. He fired off an energy blast that hit Shockwave's armor, scoring it but doing little else to halt his slow steady walk towards the gold and blue hero. "Now then, I suppose I could have tracked you down-" He was cut off as Booster fired another blast at him, Shockwave frowned but continuing forward, the building trembling with his approach, "-but I think tricking you into a collapsing building was good enough."

"You… you risked all these people… just to find me?!" Booster shouted, firing twin blasts at the deranged man.

Shockwave was pushed back a foot but soon braced himself and began to walk forward. His armor was beginning to at last show the wear and tear from Booster's shots but still functioned perfectly well. The hero tried to fly around, get off shots from different angles, but Shockwave was relentless, a lumbering behemoth slouching towards him. Booster's gauntlets were strong enough to drill into 2 feet of solid concrete with a single shot… and yet against whatever armor Shockwave was wearing it was merely making dents and scratches. He should have been able to blast a hole through the armor (and perhaps the madman's chest as well) but found himself frustrated that his foe was batting away his attempts like one would wave away a pesky fly.

"Hey, don't blame me!" Shockwave said with a laugh, holding his arms out wide. "I knock the buildings down, you get the people out. Not my fault you suck at your job." Shockwave looked up, a bit of plaster raining down on him. "Hmmm… I sure do hope everyone is out… building's about the collapse."

Booster let out a roar and rushed Shockwave, tackling him and driving the two into a wall. Shockwave reached up and Booster briefly saw that his chunky gauntlet had a glowing hole in it before a whining buzz filled the air and the villain grabbed his shoulder.

"What you are feeling now is equivalent to a 5.7 magnitude earthquake," Shockwave said with a laugh, squeezing Booster's shoulder harder. "According to the man who made my suit at this close of range that's enough to make your bones begin turning into dust-"

Booster reached up and grabbed Shockwave's wrist, a fierce smile on his face as he showed he was none the worse for wear.

"…but apparently you have tricks of your own," Shockwave muttered.

"Yup," Booster said as his forefield took the brunt of the attack. He reared back and punched Shockwave in the face, taking dark delight in the feeling of the man's nose breaking under his knuckles. "You like shaking things up?" Booster shouted, grabbing at a seam in the armor and pulling on it, yanking off a chunk of the armor plating. "I'll give you shaking!" Booster delivering three strong jabs to Shockwave's armor before unleashing a point-blank blast to his chest, the armor crumpling and sending his foe flying back. "I'm going to rip you out of that suit piece by piece and then prep walk you naked to the police station… the far one at the edge of town. And it's a cold afternoon!"

"Yeah… you do that," Shockwave said, blood gushing down his face from his broken nose. "Oh, you got me good! Haven't had a break like this since I was 14." Shockwave wagged his finger at Booster. "I like you, which is why I'm gonna be honest with you and not let you make a huge mistake."

"And what is that?" Booster said, taking a step towards him.

"The mistake would be taking me in."

"Why? Because you have so much to offer me?" Booster asked. "See, that's the funny thing about setting up your own business… as weird as it sounds it makes it really hard to buy me off."

"Not referring to that," Shockwave said, pointing up. Booster's eyes drifted up only for Shockwave to activate the vibration blasters in his boots, causing the floor beneath the two to tremble and shake. Booster's eyes snapped back on him but Shockwave waved him off. "Uh uh uh! This whole thing is about to collapse and I'm guessing there are still people trapped up there. You can either waste time dealing with me or go make sure no one dies." Shockwave backed away towards the door. "Your pick."

Booster looked up at the ceiling, then back at Shockwave, before letting out a growl of frustration. "Skeets! The man responsible for the earthquakes his heading out the back! I have to get the people out of the building!"

"Oh, that's not fair," Shockwave teased before slamming his palms to the ground and unleashing a massive quake. Booster stumbled as the building began to come apart all around him. "Next time, hero!"

"Skeets!" Booster shouted, taking to the air. "Shockwave-"

"Mihcael, the building is collapsing!" Skeets yelled, panicked. "You have to get out of there now!"

"There are people still up there, Skeets!"

"You'll never get there-"

"I have to!" Booster bellowed, zipping up through the second floor and then the third, He switched on his infrareds, spotting the huddled workers 20 feet above him and 40 feet to his right and began to weave through falling debris, blasting pieces that were too big for him to squeeze by. "Skeets, tell the medics to be ready, I'm gonna-"

A massive hunk of concrete slammed into Booster, driving him down. He spun around, blasting it into dust, but more large chunks were raining down on him, pushing him back towards the ground floor. The walls trembled and then, with a hideous groan, the floors above him lost the battle with gravity.

"NO!" Booster screamed, reaching out towards the rapidly shrinking thermal images of the workers even as the entire building came down on top of him.

Back at BG International Ted and Dirk stared at the screen in horror as the Dematties Building collapsed down on top of the hero.

~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~

Mandragora watched the footage on Channel 52, his face an unreadable mask. The shot had been played at the top of every hour and though the crime boss had now seen it 4 times he still studied it with the same intense gaze as he had the first time viewing it. It started off rather smooth, a nighttime pan across the crumbled remains of the Dematties Building, fire crews and rescue workers picking through the wreckage. And then, 20 seconds into the footage, there was a blast of yellow light and the camera jumped as operator struggled to track Booster Gold as he burst out of what should have been his tomb. The hero hovered in the air for a moment, looking at the rubble, before flying away.

"This scene took place 8 hours ago in Ion City. Booster Gold, the hero responsible for saving the President from the cyborg assassin a week ago, confronted a man we have learned goes by the moniker 'Shockwave'. While Booster and his partner Skeets were able to rescue a majority of the men and women trapped in the building during Shockwave's rampage 7 people lost their lives when the building collapsed on top of the hero. Dirk Davis, Booster Gold's public relations agent, issued a stated, saying "Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of this terrible attack." He went on to say-"

Mandragora turned the TV off and moved to look at his laptop and the video screen that was filled with Shockwave's bruised face. "Tell me… what do you call that?"

"Damn good television," Shockwave chuckled. "Would have been better if the bastard had stayed down-"

Mandragora slammed his fist against his desk, his breakfast trembling as he did so. "You had one task! One! Kill Booster Gold! All you managed to do is kill a few people and let the whole world know your name!"

"Technically my code name-" Shockwave said, only to grow quiet when he saw just how angry his boss was. "Not the point, I guess." He shrugged, feeling a lot bolder being well beyond his boss' physical reach. "Still, this works well for you, right? You want to ruin this man and I just broke his spirit. You… you should have heard him yelling." Shockwave laughed. "It was like music. Haven't heard someone bellow like that since I dealt with that teamster and his pretty little daughter-"

"We do not need to ruin him if he is dead," Mandragora hissed. "If he were an established hero then yes, we'd need to chip away at his image, bring him down in the eyes of the public, ensure no one followed in his footsteps. But he is new, green… he has one victory under his belt. You kill him now and you wipe away everything. He will be forgotten within a week, another flash in the pan. But you had to get showy and now he has a chance-"

"To what?" Shockwave asked. "Come back and make some daring move? You didn't see him, boss… he's done, his body just doesn't know it yet." Shockwave touched the tape on his broken nose. "And I have just the thing to seal the deal."

~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~

"At this time Booster has not comment but he will address the media as soon as he can. Thank you." Dirk hung up the line and moved to the next. "Yes? No... no, I'm afraid that Booster can't do an interview with you tonight, sir. Yes... yes... you have to understand that he simply can't dedicate time he needs to track down Shockwave to a sit-down interview. We will... yes... we will contact you if matters change. Thank you." Dirk hung up the phone and looked at Skeets, who was hovering just a few feet away. While it was hard for a robot to 'look nervous' Skeets was somehow managing to pull it off despite not having a face. "These are the worst days. I've had to do the 'day-after' calls a lot and they always suck. Yeah, when you are truly in the wrong you either bluff your way through or have to eat your own hat. And when you are innocent you can go with indigent anger. But this?" He waved his hand towards the bank of television screens. While some were playing shots of different news stories (unrest in the middle east, a sporting event, the latest celeb scandal) most were discussing the Dematties Building and Booster Gold. "No one wins here."

"At least the press has been fair," Skeets pointed out. "They aren't blaming Booster for the collapse."

Dirk glanced at the firmly shut door of Michael's office. "I'm glad someone isn't."

The elevator dinged and Ted stepped out, looking about the office space. It was striking how quickly moods could change; the day before things had been light and airy with a sense of frantic chaos. Now it felt like a solemn graveyard where all were afraid of speaking too loud lest they wake the dead.

"He in there?" Ted asked; there was no need to clarify 'who'.

"Yeah... says he doesn't want to speak to anyone," Dirk said with a sigh. "I keep telling him he needs to buck up. The mayor came out and said it wasn't Booster's fault, the police cleared him of any wrong doing, and almost all the blame from the victims' families is focused right on Shockwave where it belongs. Booster needs to be out there, the public seeing him save the day... not moping in his office."

Ted just stared down Dirk and soon the PR man was squirming. "You are just a lovely human being, you know that?"

"What?" Dirk said in confusion as Ted went to Michael's office. "What?!"

Ted shut the door behind him and took in the rather pathetic sight of Michael sitting on the floor, his legs stretched before him. He was wearing the dress shirt he'd had on the day before but it was unbuttoned and gave the world a peak at the blond's ripped upper body. He was fiddling with his goggles, turning them back and forth, spinning them around, running his fingers along the lens. He had the air of a dejected warrior, of the quarterback who'd fumbled the winning touchdown or the power forward who'd gone for a dunk and only got air. He'd closed the blinds but a few bars of light still managed to splash onto his face. Ted waited for a moment before he sat down beside the hero.

"You a fan of Star Trek?" Ted finally asked.

Michael shrugged. "Nah... before my time."

Ted quirked an eyebrow at this. "They just put a movie out..."

"Trust me... before my time," Michael said, the smile that tugged on his lips never forming in his eyes or words.

Ted dropped that little curiosity and said, "In 'The Wrath of Khan', which is the best damn movie... not just in the series but overall and now I am going to force you to watch it... they have this thing called the Kobayashi Maru. It's a training test. See, there is this thing, the Neutral Zone... the Federation, those are the good guys, made an agreement with some of their enemies that they'd never enter the Neutral Zone; if they do so it is an act of war. Well, in the test cadets at the Academy fly a simulation of a starship that gets a distress signal from the Kobayashi Maru. It has a bunch of people on board and the ships gone into the Neutral Zone because it broke down." Ted glanced at Michael, making sure he was paying attention, before continuing. "Now, at first you have two options: first is you follow guidelines and don't go into the Neutral Zone; that means the Kobayashi Maru is doomed and you are ensuring the crew and passengers die.

"The other option is that you fly into the Neutral Zone and risk a rescue. Now keep in mind that doing so means you are breaking all these treaties and if you get caught you are going to start a war... a BIG war. But maybe you figure that you can handle it, that you are smart enough or fast enough, and that you can get in, beam in the survivors, and get out. Problem is once you get into the Neutral Zone Klingon Birds of Prey... those are ships with cloaking-" he saw Michael just staring at him with half-lidded eyes and Ted grimaced, "Not the point, okay, moving on. Anyway, these ships decloak and attack you. You try to run... they outflank you. You try a bunch of cunning moves, they outsmart you. You manage through grit and luck to take out the ships... and 10 more appear. You can't win."

"This is a very rousing pep talk," Michael said dryly.

"Shut up I have a point," Ted said. "It is a No-Win Situation. You do nothing and you doom innocent people. You try and do good and people die. You can't ever achieve perfection."

"And what?" Michael interjected. "This is my Kobayashi Maru? I should accept that I can't win?"

"No because that is stupid," Ted stated simply. When Michaal glared at him Ted held up a hand, asking for some patience. "Here's the thing... Starfleet did the test to see how a captain would react in the face of death. What would be their response, how would they deal with utter failure. That this would inform them of what type of captain the cadet would be. But I've always thought Starfleet ended the test too soon... that the real measure of a man... or woman so we aren't sexist... isn't how they deal with defeat but what they do after."

Michael, despite his gloomy mood, found himself asking, "What do you mean?"

Ted looked up at the ceiling. "In the movie the first person we see do the Kobayashi Maru is a Vulcan named Saavik. She takes the test and once it is done she argues that it wasn't fair. She complains that the deck was set against her. She doesn't let it go either. It bugs her, you can tell, and she is trying to find a way to prove that she should have won and would have if only the test had played nice.

"Later we learn how Captain James T. Kirk handled the Kobayashi Maru: he tried a few times and when the system continued to cheat he decided to cheat right back. He reprogrammed the test to allow him to win... easily!" Ted smiled. "And that is my point. Kirk didn't pout or mope because he failed. He didn't try and prove that it wasn't his fault. He accepted his failure and then moved to ensure it didn't happen again."

Ted finally locked eyes with Michael. "People died. You couldn't save them. Maybe it was your fault, maybe it wasn't. I weigh on the side it wasn't... maybe you could have gone to them first but you don't know if Shockwave would have brought the building down when he got tired of waiting. Or he could have fled and attacked more buildings and caused even more damage and destruction. None of us know. The question isn't 'what should I have done'. It should be 'what will I do next time'. Do you accept the No-Win Scenerio... or do you tell it to piss off?"

"You make it sound easy," Michael said.

"Of course, I ain't the hero. There is a reason I'm not the one in spandex. I'm just the rich guy with the dickish uncle." Ted hopped up and offered his hand to the blond. "So... what do you do now?"

Michael looked at Ted's offered hand and after a few moments Ted began to pull away, figuring Michael wasn't interested in leaving his funk. But the moment his hand twitched Michael grasped his forehead and heaved himself up.

"Screw the Kobayashi Maru," Michael said firmly, a determined glint in his eye.

"Damn straight." Ted looked around the office. "Now, if it were me I'd focus first on how to get things organized in here."

"I believe I can help with that." Ted and Michael turned, both startled by the arrival of a tall, dignified man with a British accent and the air of one who had held the reins of power and knew how to use wield them. The man smiled and offered his hand. "Walter Steele."

"Uh... Michael Jon Carter," Michael said. "And this is my... I'm not sure what he is..."

"I'm just a bored rich guy," Ted said with a smirk.

"...that, Ted Kord."

"A pleasure to meet you both." Walter walked over to Michael's desk and set his briefcase on it, popping it open. "Now then, I was informed by an interested third party that you were seeking someone to be your Chief Operational Officer. I've been looking both for a change of pace and scenery and thought that Ion City would be a lovely place to set up new roots." Walter smiled politely. "And helping a superhero? That does sound like exciting work."

Michael, in a bit of a daze, walked behind his desk, fumbling to button up his shirt so he looked a bit more presentable. Ted moved to leave but Michael shook his head, motioning for him to join him. Ted shrugged and grabbed a spare chair. The blond hero took Walter's offered resume, eyes widening as he scrolled down the past experience. "CFO for Starling City National Bank and before that you ran Queen Consolidated?"

"You used to work in Starling?" Ted asked. "And... you're still alive?" He considered what he'd just say. "Granted, you aren't a candidate for mayor..."

Walter, with a frown on his features, stated dryly, "My wife was Moria Queen... a candidate for mayor who was killed by Deathstroke."

"...Ted, go stand in the corner and look pretty," Michael said, He turned to Walter and stated. "Alright... you're hired for the next 3 minutes."

"Pardon?" Walter said.

"You have 3 minutes... prove to me I should extend your contract."

Walter considered Michael for a moment before smiling. "You're more savvy than you let on."

"I majored in business with a minor in history. More than just a pretty face in a fancy costume. 2 minutes and 30 seconds."

Walter, with a nod, reached into his briefcase and pulled out some folders. "I took time to look at your current hirings and positions of need. Other than COO you need a CFO but that shouldn't be a problem once we have things set up properly. You've done well selecting top talent; you aren't just going for the flashy name that will generate buzz. Dr. Klein will do well leading your medical department and while he tends to focus a bit too much on what PowerPoints said Dirk Davis is a respected name. I feel your biggest misstep is Dr. Jacobs; don't get me wrong, he is a fine man and would do well enough running your sciences division but he is someone rooted in the established. What you are attempting to achieve here is rather bold and I think you need bold talent to push the limits of what this company can do not just for you as a superhero but for society as a whole. You are seeking to do more than support yourself, correct?"

Michael nodded and Ted watched, rather impressed, as Michael held the line against Walter Steele. "In the beginning it will be about me, yes, but that is because I am marketable. The investors will want to put their money in Booster Gold. But my hope is that within 3 years we are able to branch out into other areas... developments in medicine, computers, tech, so on. By Year 5 I'd like to see my heroic activities be little more than another facet of BG International and by Year 10 have this company competing with the likes of Wayne Enterprises and, no offense Ted, Kord Industries."

"None taken," Ted said, a touch in a daze at how quickly Michael had slipped into CEO-mode.

"Then I would suggest you move Jacobs to a smaller position or letting him go and hiring Dr. Tracy Simmons. She is a brilliant physicist and her work on black holes is quite impressive. I have her contact information here... her father is an old friend. I'm sure we can lure her away from Mercury Labs."

Michael looked over the sheet. "Bold is good but risk always holds danger... and becoming the first open superhero- shut up Ted- means I'm taking on plenty of risk. How do we counter that?"

"By making your division heads, your CFO and COO the members of your board. Klein loves new fields of study but he doesn't have his head in the clouds. I myself have always looked for new challenges but have most of my experience in well-tested institutions. By working together we can ensure that expectations remain on level and that we don't stick our necks out too far." Walter looked at his watch. "And that is actually 5 minutes."

"I extended your contract 4 minutes ago," Michael said with a grin, extending his hand. "We'll work on contract and salary asap but unless you suddenly decide to begin punching me in the face I'd say the job is yours." Michael paused. "Hell, you could punch me and I'd still keep you on."

Walter chuckled. "I'll remember that."

Michael was about to say something when Bernie, Skeets, and Dirk ran into his office. "Hey guys! Meet our new COO!"

"Yeah, that's great, shake hands later," Bernie said in a rush. "Michael, turn on Channel 52... it's Shockwave."

Michael fumbled for the remote, switching on the TV and turning it to the designated channel. The screen flickered and then they were all watching a shot from an aerial cam of the Batista Bridge. Cars were in deadlock and they could see a few people cowering behind their vehicles as Shockwave marched up and down the one clear patch of the bridge, occasionally raising his arms and making broad wild motions.

The reporter's voice cut in. "We have received word from those on the bridge that the man believed to be Shockwave is threatening to collapse the bridge if anyone attempts to leave. He is demanding that Booster Gold come and, according to one witness who called in, "Try and save some more lives", end quote. Shockwave is the man wanted for the destruction of the Dematties Building-"

Michael muted the TV, already gathering his gear.

"You know this is a trap, right?" Ted stated.

"Yeah," Michael said, strapping on his goggles as he went into his private washroom to change. "But I don't have much of a choice." He tried to take on a lighter tone. "Wrath of Khan has a happy ending, right? Bad guy defeated, heroes save the day?"

Dirk frowned. "Nooooo... Spock dies-OOMPF!"

Ted removed his elbow from Dirk's gut. "Yeah... give'em hell."

"Before you leave," Walter said as Michael excited the bathroom in his costume, "I'd like to be on comm. I believe I can help you here."

"We haven't gotten the comms set up yet," Michael admitted.

Walter looked at Skeets. "You are rather advanced... you're telling me you can't dial a telephone number?"

Skeets dipped a bit. "If I could blush I would do so now."

"Connect to my tablet," Walter said, pulling a device from his briefcase and powering it on. "Mr. Kord, can you sync me to the TV?" Ted quickly nodded. "Mr. Davis, I need headsets for all of us. We can't afford to play Operator here. Dr. Klein, keep watch on the news and ensure that this isn't a diversion for a bigger assault." Michael, who'd moved to the window, glanced at Walter who shrugged. "You hired me to manage operations... this is me managing."

Michael gave him a thumbs up before diving out of the window, Skeets fast on his heels.

"Can you hear us?" Skeets asked after a few moments.

"Yes," Walter said as Dirk ran back in with a handful of headsets, Ted pausing from getting the TV set up to sync it to Walter's tablet. Putting the device in his ear he said, "Skeets, can we get visual?"

"Of course, sir," Skeets said just as Ted linked the tablet to the TV. Those in the office were treated to a POV shot of the city racing by them, Booster and Skeets whipping around buildings and diving up and down to avoid any obstacles. It was like a roller coaster on crack. "We are nearing the bridge now."

"Michael, before you engage I'd like to get a look at this Shockwave," Walter said.

"Got it," Booster said, coming into a hover at the shoreline. The Batista Street Bridge spanned across the Ion River, which fed into Lake Michigan. Normally full of people hurrying along from one side of the city to the other, the bridge was now the site of fear and chaos as Shockwave continued taunting Booster and the news copters that were flying overhead. "Okay, his armor is still dinged up so that is a plus."

"Think you can hit him from where you are flying?" Bernie asked

"Oh, easily," Booster said. "Won't do much good. That armor is a tough nut and the man wearing it is tougher, as hard as it is to believe. This isn't some wimp who got himself a powersuit... this guy is a bruiser and the armor only makes it worse."

"How did he create the earthquakes?" Walter asked. Ted had managed to put the video solely on the TV, allowing Walter to use his tablet freely.

"His gauntlets. They had this weird... it's hard to describe, it was this weird hole but there was something inside of it. He said he used vibrations... he grabbed me and if I didn't have my forcefield he'd have killed me with a touch."

"Can you zoom in?" Walter asked. Booster did so, taking his goggles to the limit, but was rewarded when the older man murmured in confirmation. "Of course."

"What is that?" Klein asked.

"Someone mind cluing me in?" Booster called out. "Shockwave isn't going to wait forever!"

"It's a miniture Markov Device."

"Shit," Dirk murmured. "Tell me you're wrong."

"Guys! Clueless hero!" Booster reminded them.

Walter forced himself to remain calm. "The Markov Device was created by Unidac Industries... and was used by Malcolm Merlyn to cause the Starling City earthquake."

"...and this guy has several of them strapped to his body?!"

"I would make a joke about shocking developments but this isn't the time or place," Skeets said.

Walter quickly began to tap his tablet. "I'm pulling up the schematics."

"You have those?" Bernie said in surprise.

"I have friends in interesting places," Walter said simply. "Alright, now it looks like-"

"Give it here," Ted demanded, yanking the tablet from Walter. "Let the man with degrees in engineering handle this. Booster, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Ted. Your dick of an Uncle going to be okay with you helping the unknown variable?"

"He can shove off if he does," Ted said, looking over the schematics. "Okay, so originally they were going for smaller but Unidac... yeah, yeah, that make sense. They were forced to increase the size of the devices because, if used too long they had a tendency to shut down. Fine if you want a small pulse but if you need to create a nice big earthquake then not so hot. They were able to add a coolant system to the larger model Merlyn used but I doubt those gauntlets or boots have anything like that."

Booster considered Ted's words. "So I need to get him to use the gauntlets on me."

"Michael, I advise against that!" Bernie exclaimed.

"My forcefield-"

"Have you fieldtested it? Truly found out its limits?" Bernie challenged. "It gives out and you are dead."

"I don't do this and those people are." Booster set his face in the same expression he wore when going for a final touchdown drive. "Alright, taking out the gauntlets then I worry about the boots." Before his team could respond Booster was already racing towards the bridge. "Skeets, I want you to circle around... we need to frustrate this guy. He wants to poke my buttons I'll poke his."

"What do you mean?" Skeets asked.

"I've had teammates like this idiot," Booster said with a grim smile. "You tell them to do what you want and they buck and snort. But you taunt them just right…" He flew in, landing in front of Shockwave, and raised an eyebrow as he took in the villain. "Well… most guys just text me when they want to see me. You certainly don't know how to play hard to get." And then, with all the dignity in the world… he puckered his lips and made a few kissy noises.

Shockwave glared at him and Booster watched in interest as rage, confusion, disgust, and maybe even a bit of curiosity danced through the villain's gray matter.

"Did the building hit you so hard it gave you brain damage?" Shockwave asked with a scoff, trying to take back control of the situation. "Or maybe the poor innocent people you failed to save broke your fall."

Booster felt his anger bubbling but tapped it down, forcing the look of the cocky jock onto his features. "Nah, that was a love tap. I'm tough like that. I see you are still using the same tricks to compensate for your deficiencies?" He looked around the bridge, nodding his head in approval. "Went bigger to cover up this time… smart."

"What are you rambling on about?" Shockwave asked, holding up his gauntlet and letting a thrum of vibration run through it. He took a step and the bridge swayed.

"Careful there," Ted warned in Booster's ear.

Booster made no show that he heard him. "You remind me of my father. He had this thing… see, where I grew up there were these very strict rules about vices. Grambling, drinking… if you wanted to do any of that, you couldn't just walk into a bar like you can here. Which is amazing, I will say! Anyway, you had to go to the worst of the worst places. And those types of dives… well, they attract the worst of the worst. My father took me with him a few times; let me drink a beer, laugh as I got drunk. He liked watching me try and stumble home. But other nights he was in the mood for something else." Booster began to pace, Shockwave following his progress, tense and ready. "He would find the biggest, toughest guy, a guy everyone knew could take down everyone in the bar and he'd… well mock is a gentle word for it. He get the guy all riled up, really push his buttons. And then, the moment this guy cocked his fist and was ready to throw the first punch…" Booster smirked. "My old man would grab me and shove me in the guy's way. Really startle him. Sometimes I'd get off with a shove, sometimes it was a kick. Honestly it didn't matter because the moment the big tough guy was focused on me my dad would grab the baseball bat he knew the bartender kept hidden behind the bar and he would just go to town!"

Booster licked his lips, a mocking sneer on his face. "You're no different than my old man… you know you can't beat me one on one so you put innocent people in the way just to distract me and get the cheap shot. And hey, if it works!" Slowly, steadily, Booster turned his back to Shockwave. "But the problem with that is… everyone knows you only won because of a cheap shot. They know you're a fake… nothing more. So come on… take me down. Threaten some innocents, throw a puppy into the water, make some babies cry. We both know that straight up… you don't stand-"

Shockwave let out a roar and rushed Booster, his armor-covered fist colliding with Booster's stomach. The hero grunted, his forcefield trembling but holding firm even as the vibration-enhanced punch rocked the gold-and-blue hero. Booster moved to punch the armored killer but Shockwave just twisted, allowing Booster's hit to go against his shoulder before he went in for a series of quick punches to the head. The hero staggered back, in a daze, and Shockwave grinned as he leapt at him, delivering a nasty falling sucker punch to the back of Booster's head. The hero hit the ground and groaned, though he did manage to roll onto his back and catch Shockwave's boot stomp before it could hit him or the bridge.

"Michael, disengage!" Walter called out.

"I agree with Mr. Steele!" Skeets proclaimed. "I'll distract him-"

"NO!" Booster roared with a voice laden with pain.

Back at GB International Dirk looked at Klein. "What happens if that forcefield breaks?"

The doctor shook his head. "Depends on the hit. He gets his hands on his back he could make it feel like Michael decelerated from 100 mph to nothing in a microsecond. The whiplash would snap his spine. He grabs the head and he could scramble his brain. If he-"

"Thank you Mr. Positive!" Ted snarked before yelling, "Damn it, Michael, get the hell out of there!"

Booster was in no position to comply, however. He was swaying on his feet, his punches feeble as Shockwave played with him, easily moving out of the way even with his decreased speed. "I… I think this might have been a mistake, coach."

"Skeets, do something!" Bernie pleaded.

The drone continued to hover, waiting. "…Michael has this."

"What he has is a concussion!" Ted shouted. "Get him out of there!"

Skeets didn't move.

Shockwave caught Booster's latest wild punch and moved into a wrist grab, snatching the hero's other arm as he moved to try and free himself. With a cocky laugh Shockwave spread his arms, Booster grunting in pain as the villain activated his gauntlets.

"I was never going to destroy the bridge, you idiot," he taunted as Booster gasped in agony. "It look like I can swim in this damn thing? I didn't want them to be fodder I wanted them to be bait… and then to be witnesses. I want them all to watch as their hero dies!" He ramped up the vibration and Booster screamed to the heavens. "That's right! That's right! Let them all hear you-"

There were two pops, like logs cracking in a fire, and suddenly it was Shockwave's turn to cry out as his gauntlets overloaded. The villain let go of Booster, hurriedly trying to remove his gauntlets even as the overheating electronics and metal burned his skin, only to stumble back as Booster headbutted him.

"One… one more thing I forgot to tell you," Booster panted, doubled over, his eyes on the pavement as he weaved. "Right before my dad picked out his target he'd tell me, "Boy… you better make this look convincing!". I learned early on how to sell a punch." Booster's head snapped up, his body straight and strong, no signs of the pain that moments earlier had been so evident on his body. "I got real good at flopping."

Shockwave's eyes went wide but he couldn't even shield himself before Booster flew at him, wrapping his arms around him and thrusting them both into the sky. Shockwave tried to fight back but the golden hero merely threw him into the air and began to blast him with his gauntlet shots, juggling his foe as he bounced through the air.

"Skeets!" Booster shouted and his partner rushed in, firing as well. Soon Shockwave's armor was being torn from him, chunk by blasted-away chunk, the man not so much crying out for mercy as merely crying as he was taken apart.

After about two minutes Booster finally let his foe drop to the ground, Shockwave twitching as the rest of his armor crumbled off him like it was made of eggshells. Booster landed and reached down, raising the goon's head up so he could look him in the eye.

He said no words. He just decked him hard, shattering his nose again and knocking the man out cold. Booster looked to the crowd, the public staring at him in shock.

"This is where you snap your photos, folks!" he called out, beaming as people hurried to pull out their phones and capture his victory.

~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~

In Mandragora's office there were no smiles and no photos being taken. Instead there was merely one nervous mob boss and one angry Enforcer.

"A… setback," Mandragora said. "Nothing more. Next time-"

"Get out," Supernova said. The heavyset criminal didn't have to be told twice and he quickly fled, leaving the masked man alone staring at the TV.

Supernova's hand curled into a fist.

"Michael…"

~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~

Ted looked down at his glass and frowned. "When you said we'd have a drink to celebrate I assumed you meant champagne or at the very least a beer." He swirled the sugary red liquid and looked up at Michael. "What are you, twelve?"

"What?" the hero said, once more in his dress shirt and slacks. "It has electrolytes in it!" Dirk and Bernie, used to their boss and his odd tastes, merely raised their glasses and drank. Skeets hovered nearby, a little party hat on his shell. "So Ted, I suppose I should be thanking you."

"Damn right you should. I'm the one that figured out how to defeat Shockwave… you owe me big time. Like real liquor."

"Not for that but thank you." Michael leaned back in his chair, draining his glass with one long swig. "I meant for calling Walter. He's going to work out great."

Ted chuckled lightly. "Normally I love accepting praise for things I didn't do but… I didn't call Walter Steele. I've never met the guy, never talked to him…"

Michael cut the man off, waving away his comments. "Yeah yeah, you two want to keep pretending that he just happened to show up. Fine fine."

"Michael," Ted said, his smile dropping. "I didn't call him."

The hero considered this before laughing. "Okay… yeah, you didn't call him." He stood up and walked over to Ted, wrapping an arm around him. "I guess I do owe you a beer for saving my butt. Come on." He led Ted out of the room, his voice tapering off as he walked towards the elevator. "Now, I don't drink but I bet there are plenty of people willing to buy me a glass so you can drink them all for me…"

Bernie and Dirk shared a look before chuckling.

"I fear what they will be like in the morning," Skeets said.

"Better babysit them, Skeets" Dirk suggested.

"Will do," the drone said, hovering out the door only to pop back in. "Which one of you contacted Mr. Steele?"

Dirk and Bernie both shrugged, only to look at the other in confusion.

"I didn't call him," Dirk said.

"It wasn't me." Bernie frowned, looking down at his drink. " Ted?"

"…had to have been. Just being modest or playing a joke." Dirk lifted his glass only to stop before he actually took a sip.

The two fell into an uneasy silence.

~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~

In his hotel room Walter Steele loosened his tie before moving to his laptop. He sat at the oak desk, pausing before he flicked on a small, rather benign looking black box. The device let out a small ping before sending out a signal that would block listening device in a 40 foot radius. Once that was settled he logged onto the private chat, waiting for the familiar face he knew was on the other end to answer.

"Walter."

"Hello Oliver," Walter Steele told his stepson. "Things went according to plan. I've been hired to run BG International."

"They suspect anything?"

"They might have, had it not been for Shockwave," Walter stated. "Please thank Ms. Smoak for the schematics on the Markov device. They were quite helpful."

Oliver Queen nodded. "And Phase 2?"

Walter nodded. "Tomorrow I will begin hiring in the new employees. Mrs. Diggle has provided me a list of ARGUS agents who will be able to blend in seamlessly. By the end of the month we will have complete knowledge of BG International."

"I heard that Kord Industries might be looking for a partnership."

"That remains to be seen. Mr. Kord will be a wild card." Walter pursed his lips, considering his next statement carefully. "Oliver… when you came to me and told me everything…"

"I should have done it sooner," Oliver said. "I'm… learning from my past mistakes."

"And I am thankful I have earned your trust but that isn't my point. I would like to know what the endgame is. You have me keeping an eye on Booster Gold… I think I deserve to know why."

Oliver was silent for a long time. "If… and this is a big if… he turns out to be a true hero, someone who can and will do good in the world that I want to foster that. I can't be everywhere at once and I'll have my hands full in Starling and building a new team. I trust you though to make sure he becomes the hero he could be."

"And if he isn't?" Walter asked. "If it turns out he is little more than a con man? Or something worse?"

The pause was even greater.

"Goodnight Walter."

And with that the computer screen went black.

~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~BOOSTER~

NEXT TIME ON BOOSTER GOLD!

Michael Jon Carter life has begun shaping up nicely. With Walter Steele helping him set up BG International and his heroic career making him the talk of Ion and the world around it feels like everyone is thinking about Booster Gold.

Though some more than others.

In Central City Michael's work has attracted the attention of an obsessive man. He's thought himself the spurned lover of Lisa Snart, believed himself Captain Cold's greatest arch foe, burned with hatred when the Flash got the love of the city that HE deserved… and now his twisted mind has turned its focus and rage on Ion City's golden hero.

And when one is the focus of Chillblaine's deranged anger… no one is safe.

A cold wind comes blowing in next time in "A Chill in the Air"