Important-Please Read, Editing Changes: I went back and made some editing changes in the previous chapters. Senator James Greer was originally Senator Kelly, but I changed it to avoid confusion with the Kelly from the X-Men. Vic was also originally the older brother, not the younger brother. I've recently started reading back issues of The Question though and it states that he was dropped off at the orphanage when he was six months old. I want to keep Vic's background as close as I can to the comics while also trying to fit this into the JLU universe. I've also recently read the Watchmen, so there'll be some Rorschach and other Watchmen references coming up.
Shades of Avarice
Chapter 4: Bradvn
Hub City
KBEL Daily News
"Police so far have little to report on the Bradvn murder. Detective Alejandro Soliz claims that they are 'close' and will apprehend the murderer 'very soon.' Yet, of course, another sterling example of the incompetence of Hub City's finest."
"On a related note, Mayor Myra Fermin will hold a press conference tomorrow at 9:30 in the morning. For KBEL News, I'm Vic Sage."
Vic Sage took a sip of water as the cameras clicked off. He hid a grimace as his boss, Finch, came storming over. The balding, overweight man shoved a finger at the investigative reporter.
"Sage!" Finch sputtered.
"Is there a problem?" Vic asked dryly, knowing full well what was coming. This wasn't the first time that he and Finch had bumped heads. However, his boss knew full well that the television ratings had gone up since investigative reporter Vic Sage had joined KBEL News. He also knew that if anyone was going to find the truth, it was Sage.
"Let's see," Finch continued angrily. "How about 'another sterling example of the incompetence of Hub City's finest'?"
"I seem to remember when you had me cover the collapse of the Newton Avenue Bridge," Vic countered calmly. "As I remember it about a hundred of Hub City's 'finest' sat on their thumbs while I saved a kid, who if you remember, ended up drowning because they didn't want to risk their necks on a collapsing bridge."
Finch didn't have a reply to that. Taking that as his cue, Vic turned to go.
"Sage," Finch finally said, somewhat calmer. "You may be our best reporter and you may be a friend of the Mayor, but that won't save you if you ever cross the line."
"And what line would that be Finch?" Vic asked.
He didn't receive an answer.
……………………………………………………………………………………….
"The incompetence of Hub City's finest. I like it," Professor Aristotle Rodor, or "Tot" said, sipping on a cup of hot tea. The inventor of the Question's Pseudoderm mask and Charles Victor Szasz's former college professor eyed the younger red haired man now digging through his refridgerator.
"Seriously Charlie, when are you going to bring that young lady of yours to meet me?" Tot asked.
"It's Vic now, Tot, not Charlie," Vic retorted automatically. "How many times do I have to remind you?" Tot waved him off.
"Vic, Charles, the Question…the one I first met was a young punk college student named Charlie."
"If you keep that up, I'm never bringing Helena here. Who know what kind of horror stories you'll tell her?"
"Oh," Professor Rodor smiled. "I can think of plenty. I seem to remember a young nineteen year old digging through the trash of a certain sorority house because he thought they were engaged in satanic rituals."
"They were," Vic replied stubbornly, still embarrassed that he had been caught red handed back then. Luckily his professor had been more amused than angry.
Luckily for him that he hadn't been caught by someone else.
"This is serious Tot," Vic finally said, settling down in the armchair next to Professor Rodor. "Bradvn's murder…I can't find a motive."
"VII," Tot muttered. Vic had filled him in on the details. "Seven sins?"
"That was my thought," Vic admitted, biting into a sandwich. "I've been looking into Bradvn's past. There's strong evidence that she was going to run against Myra in the next mayoral election."
The professor raised an interested eyebrow.
"Who were her supporters?" he asked. Vic stood up and grabbed a file off of the kitchen counter and handed it to Tot. His former professor opened up the manila folder and thumbed through its contents.
"Senator Keene?" Tot asked. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he one of the opponents of the Justice League?"
"He opposes all vigilantes. He and some of his supporters tried a while back to introduce a bill that would outlaw vigilantism. It failed obviously, but there was some backing for it, especially after the Watchtower blew up Cadmus facilities."
"What's his connection to Bradvn?" Tot asked. Vic pulled out a sheet of paper from the pile in Tot's hands.
"Bradvn was in close contact with Keene before she died. There was also a transfer of $20,000 to a private account of Bradvn's, but listed under a false name."
"A transfer from Keene?"
"I'm not sure," Vic admitted. "Things aren't adding up. Why assassinate someone who you were personally bankrolling for an election?"
"Why carve VII into a dead woman's face?" Professor Rodor added distantly. Vic leaned closer to his old teacher and cast him an intense look.
"Something big is going on, Professor," Vic said quietly. "I can feel it. There's a lot more to this than meets the eye. I don't like it."
"You never do," Tot murmured quietly. "Charlie…be careful. Lord knows I stressed enough when you disappeared for a week. If I could, I'd go over and kick that Waller woman in the ass myself for what they did to you."
Vic allowed himself a brief smile at that.
"You'll have to wait…Helena's the first in line," he said. Professor Rodor gave him a sly grin.
"I'm starting to like this girl," Tot said. "Can't wait to meet her."
The professor watched as Charles Victor Szasz began to pull on his trench coat. The younger man carefully checked to make sure that he had his Pseudoderm mask hidden in the small hollow compartment in his belt.
"Going out tonight again, I see," Tot stated. Vic pulled on his fedora.
"I might have to get slightly illegal. The Question's good at slightly illegal," Vic Sage answered. He buttoned up his long coat.
"Charlie…"
"I told you, it's not Charlie anymore."
Tot ignored him. They had this argument every time. It drove his former student insane.
"Charlie," Professor Rodor continued anyway. "About your brother…I'll see what I can find out while you're out skulking around town."
"Thanks Tot."
Vic was closing the door when he heard Professor Rodor suddenly call after him.
"Remember Charlie, you'd better bring that Helena here! I'm tired of waiting!"
Vic quietly shut the door, pretending not to have heard the aging professor. It annoyed Tot when Vic pretended not to listen to him.
…………………………………………………………
"The Hooded Justice?" Green Arrow asked. He eyed Captain Atom as the superhero shuffled a deck of cards.
"He's a new superhero that has been currently active in Great Britain. He filed a request last week to join the League," Atom answered. He pushed five cards towards the green clad archer.
Green Arrow stared at his cards before laying one down and drawing a replacement from the stack of cards.
"They going to let him in?" he asked.
"That's what I've been told," Captain Atom answered. "Wonder Woman told me that he would be here on Thursday."
Green Arrow wondered what the new Leaguer would be like.
……………………………………………………………………….
A lone figure stood by an open window, watching the growing darkness in Hub City. Hub City…a city more notorious for its crime than even Gotham City.
At night, the vultures came out. Vultures to feed and scavage on a decaying city.
"Report," Greed ordered. A tall figure, half hidden in the shadows, bent respectfully towards his leader.
"All is as expected. They told me to come up on Thursday to process my paper work.
Greed smiled as he turned towards the other Sin. The faint lights of nearby neon lights reflected dully off of the other man's demonic mask.
"Make us proud Gluttony," Greed murmured. "Be the best damned superhero you can be."
…………………………………………………………………
The Question softly hummed an old song to himself as he stepped around some broken beer bottles. He turned down a tight corner of a dark, rank alley and nonchalantly kicked open a rotting door. He stepped carefully through and slipped silently down a dirty set of trash covered cement steps.
Ah…the sludge of Hub City. How quaint…how charming…how absolutely disgusting.
Conveniently for him, he knew that a man named Lev Goncherova conducted business down here. A former Soviet spy, the man now made his money on the blackmarket selling weapons, drugs, women…
Information.
"Who's there?" A heavily accented voice boomed. The Question paused as he heard a familiar metallic click.
Ah…a Beretta? They tend to be favored by former spies, if I recall.
The Question stood silently in the shadows as he listened. Goncherova probably wasn't alone. Hmm…
Unfortunately for Goncherova, the Russian had no patience. Fortunately for the Question, he himself did.
One minute passed.
Two.
Three.
"Who's there?" the voice cried again, this time more distressed.
Four minutes.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Then…
"As I walked out in the Streets of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day…" Vic began to sing, first softly, then increasing in volume.
"I spied a young cowboy, all wrapped in white linen
wrapped up in white linen and cold as the clay."
The Beretta fired, ricocheting off of the cement steps. Vic slipped closer to the back room. He was now certain that Goncherova was alone.
"I see by your outfit, that you are a cowboy,
These words he did say as I slowly walked by..."
"Shut up! Shut up! Who's there?!"
"Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story,
For I'm shot in the breast, and I'm dying today."
"Who the hell is out there??"
The Question swung into action, racing into the room and knocking the gun from the Russian's hands. He twisted the man around and applied force to a pressure point in each of his arms.
"Who the hell are you??"
"That," the Question murmured softly into his ear, "Is the question."
…………………
Chapter notes: Myra Fermin, the mayor, is a former…ahem…romantic….friend of Vic's. Senator Keene and his proposed anti-Vigilante bill was inspired by the Keene Act from the Watchmen, which outlawed vigilantism.
Professor Aristotle "Tot" Rodor was already explained in the chapter, he's Vic/the Question's closest confidant (except now for Helena.) and the inventor of his mask.
The song Vic is singing is the 'Streets of Laredo.'
Vic's mention of the collapse of the Newton Avenue Bridge and the drowned kid is an incident from the Feb. 1988, No. 13 Issue of The Question.
The Hooded Justice was a superhero in The Watchmen. He inspired the one in this story.
