I may have said it before but…man it feels so good to be back here at HQ, even if it is away from my home planet. For now I'm just sitting here in the main living area with my new family, the Loonatics. Noticeably missing from our group presently is my brother Tech and his friend and lab assistant Rev. Everyone else is probably wandering where they are just like I am but right now we're busy listening to Zadavia. She has called to check in on things and Ace had just finished filling her in about the whole second cloaking ordeal with Dark Matter.
"I'm so glad you were able to put an end to Dark Matter's plans Loonatics. I just wish it didn't cause so much suffering for you Cobalt and for Rip as well."
"Ah no worries Zadavia," I countered.
"Yeah…it wasn't anything we couldn't handle," Rip added.
"You two were very brave. I've been impressed with how much an asset to this team you two have been despite not having any superpowers."
"Well…we can't take all the credit. The others have helped train us well to handle ourselves in any situation. Also my younger bro Tech has been a big help. Speaking of Tech…is anyone else just a little bit curious where he is right now? I wouldn't think he would want to miss out on speaking with you Zadavia."
"That goes for Rev too. I wander what they could be working on that would be more important than this."
What happened next could only be described as down-right comical. My bro Tech came stumbling in laughing himself senseless. Following not far behind him came Rev with a particularly smug look on his face. All of us, including Zadavia, were at a loss as to why my normally serious brother was now giggling like a little school girl.
"Eh…what's so funny there Tech?" Ace asked.
"…Rev…silencer…backfired. Won't….stop…tickling me…Rev…please…shut it off already."
"Yup…didn't I say that karma was so...ho…ho gonna get you pal? I said it would and it did which is pretty amazing considering half the time I say things like that, they don't end up happening and my words just amount to a load of wishful thinking and…"
"Rev….just…shut it off…before I wet…myself or something."
"Well gee Tech you know I would but wouldn't you know, clumsy me done broke the off button on the remote and the only thing I can do to make it stop is to enter its self-destruct sequence."
"But…but…fine…anything…the sequence is 3…7…9…2…star…4…7…pound. Enter it…hurry before I laugh myself…to death."
"Um…guys…we may want to shield our eyes as I suspect this will be a big blast. Let's get behind the couch. Zadavia…"
"I'm already taking the proper precautions," she said turning her head away so the bright flash would not hurt her eyes.
As usual Tech packed way more explosives than needed to destroy the little spider-like device. We all popped up from behind the couch in time to see Tech regenerate himself.
"(panting) Hey Zadavia. Nice seeing you again."
"You too Tech and you as well Rev. I was going to ask you two if you were keeping out of trouble but you've just answered that question. Cobalt…what is that you are humming? It sounds very interesting."
"What…oh…I'm sorry. I didn't really think I was humming out loud. It's nothing big, just a really old tune that helps lift my spirits some when I'm missing Cassie is all."
"It does sound interesting," Lexi offered.
"Sounds slow and depressing to me," Duck said.
"Duck!" everyone exclaimed.
"What…well it does? Geez…no one likes a critic."
"Don't get too upset with him guys. He's not that far off. It is a rather slow tune and some might find it a little depressing. It's the basis of the genre, at least what I've studied of it. It's a genre centuries old that's practically died away mainly due to repeated attempts to popularize it. It's been rendered unrecognizable as you might have guessed. Anyway the artist, George Strait, was a master of this lost genre from the late 20th to early 21st century. He must've been great considering some of his recordings are still around centuries later. The particular tune I'm humming is "You'll Be There."
"Eh…why don't you sing it for us Cobalt," Ace requested.
"Yeah…I've heard you sing before in the shower," Rip added. Sometimes you a bit off key, but it's far better than my brother's singing."
"Gee thanks," both me and Rev replied. I then thought about it and decided that I would. I was a little nervous about just how well it would sound without any music to back me up but…
Hope is an anchor and love is a ship, time is the ocean and life is a trip
You don't know where you're going, 'till you know where you're at
And if you can't read the stars, well you better have a map
A compass and a conscience, so you don't get lost at sea
Or on some lonely island, where no one wants to be
From the beginning of creation, I think our maker had a plan
For us to leave these shores and sail beyond the sand
And let the good light guide us through the waves and the wind
To the beaches in a world where we have never been
And we'll climb up on a mountain, y'all we'll let our voices ring
Those who've never tried it, they'll be the first to sing
Whoa, my, my
I'll see you on the other side
If I make it
And it might be a long hard ride
But I'm gonna take it
Sometimes it seems that I don't have a prayer
Let the weather take me anywhere
But I know that I wanna go
Where the streets are gold
'Cause you'll be there
Oh, my , my
You don't bring nothing with you here
And you can't take nothing back
I ain't never seen a hearse, with a luggage rack
So I've torn my knees up prayin'
Scarred my back from fallin' down
Spent so much time flying high, till I'm face first in the ground
So if you're up there watchin' me, would you talk to God and say,
Tell Him I might need a hand to see you both someday
Whoa, my, my
So I'll see you on the other side
If I make it
And it might be a long hard ride
But I wanna take it
Sometimes it seems that I don't have a prayer
Let the weather take me anywhere
But I know that I wanna go
Where the streets are gold
'Cause you'll be there
Oh, my , my
Cause you'll be there
Oh, my ,my
As usual I was on the verge of choking up toward the end of the song but I managed to hold it together. I couldn't say the same thing for my audience. Even Ace and Duck had tears rolling down their cheeks.
"That was…very nice Cobalt. Thanks for sharing. Now Loonatics, there was some serious business I wanted to discuss with you. It has to do with Black Velvet. I would like you to officially remove her from your supervillians database. From her recent actions, I don't think she deserves that designation. I'm afraid though that she still needs to answer for her earlier attempt at blanketing Acmetropolis in darkness."
"Zadavia…you can't be serious!" I exclaimed feeling a bit agitated. "That wasn't her fault. Dark Matter was behind that as well. She was under his…"
"Stop right there Cobalt," she commanded in a stern voice I've never heard her use in the short time I've known her. "I know this is hard for you to hear Cobalt but it has to be said. We can't be 100% sure that she was being totally controlled by Dark Matter. As far as all the visual evidence shows, she was in complete control of not only herself but an entire army of shadowmen. I'm not going to ask that you physical arrest her and turn her into the Acmetropolis authorities. At the least, she should be thoroughly debriefed in order to determine the extent of her involvement and from that, decide if the local authorities need to be notified."
"She's right doc," Ace replied sympathetically. It is our duty to make sure she pays for past crimes, despite what she's done recently."
"Yeah…she seems like a chick who can't be controlled by anyone," Duck replied. "Besides…she had enough control to steal Dark Matter's shadow curse ability.
"Yeah," Tech started in. "You have to remember Cobalt that I was captured by her and she used that curse on me to get me to do her bidding. It may not be the case now but back then, she had…"
"You know what, just stop right there Tech. I hear all your concerns and I understand why you hold them but…you don't know her like I do. I think it's time you did," I said as I threw down the voice transcripts Vivian had left for me and stormed out.
"Where are you going Cobalt," Zadavia commanded.
"You wanted her to be debriefed; well I'll do that for you. While I'm gone you can listen to those. Once you've done that then maybe you'll understand why she had her temporary moment of insanity."
I was half-expecting them to come after me but they gave me my space. I went by the VSA building where I found both Dr. Raines and Vivian had returned. Dr. Raines graciously gave me some time to talk to Vivian in private. She was obviously tense about relieving her dark past but she understood I had to ask. Before telling me about her time as Black Velvet, she admitted to me that she was concerned about what her future held. She was sure that she would still stay and help Dr. Raines but…time would tell. After she told me her story, I returned to HQ but not before sharing in what would be my final kiss with her. Back at HQ, based on the recordings I left and what I told them that Vivian said, they decided that no further action needed to be taken with her. I could still since some distrust from Duck and Tech. Maybe in time they will soften up. It's been a trying day for me and I'm so tired at the moment. It's time for me to go on and get some sleep. Just before sleep can come, I play the scene over and over in my head, the one that Vivian spoke to me about back at VSA earlier this evening. The time of her greatest vulnerability, just after the meteor strike. With her precious sight compromised and everyone she cared about possibly dead and gone, Dark Matter had no problem feeding on her grief.
"What's going on…where's Luther?!" Vivian exclaimed as she began to grope around a small room. She had been lying on what felt like a standard hospital bed. "Why are the lights off in here? Turn them on now."
"Trust me, you wouldn't want to have them on right now…at least…not in your current condition," a familiar voice said from just behind her. She knew at once that the figure behind her was Harold Sykes and she grew more fearful. She managed to suppress that added fear as she began to speak to him. "What have you done to me Harold? What's going on here? Oh God…where's my right arm?!" she exclaimed as she felt the metal cannon-like implement where her arm should have been.
"For starters Vivian, I saved your life. Don't you remember? There was a meteor strike in the bay. You took some serious thermal damage from that to your right arm."
"So that's what that was. What about Luther? Where is he?!"
"He took the full brunt of the energy from the impact. His sheer mass might help him survive but I'm skeptical. As for Cobalt, the young coyote you use to date; I can only assume that he perished as well as, for all intents and purposes, your sight as well."
"My sight…no…you can't be serious."
"Here…put these specs on. They will help you see even if only in shadows. Bright light would most likely do irreversible damage to your already scarred retinas. You also have cataracts on both eyes from the thermal radiation. Some might theorize that your condition is reversible but…I sure wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."
"Oh I'm sure you're enjoying every minute of this Harold. The woman who ruined your plans three years ago now losing everything she holds dear, including her sight. I was gonna ask why you didn't just leave me to die but now I know why…you want to watch me suffer."
"I do have to admit that that was my original intention. Now though, I'm thinking that you might be a valuable asset to me. It is why I've passed some of my…special gifts…onto you Vivian. You see Vivian…the day you made the light wave eliminator practically blow up in my face, you changed me. No…not emotionally or spiritually or anything else abstract. I mean you physically changed me. I became a walking shadow, nothing but black except for my eyes. I even had this cool cloak that seemed to be a permanent part of me. With these things came powers, extremely useful powers. I can float through the air, I can create a legion of holographic shadowmen to go to battle for me, and a power I've deemed the shadow curse. With this shadow curse, I can reach into anyone's mind and turn them into my slave. I could demonstrate that one right now with you but…I'd rather have you as a willing ally than as a soulless zombie."
"And just why would I willingly side with you? Besides the fact you did save my life, you're still a sociopath in need of some serious…"
Before she could finish her tirade, Harold used a little of the shadow curse, just to put her in a more receptive frame of mind.
"Now Vivian, you will give into me sooner or later for…I am Dark Matter. I am the ultimate master of complete darkness. I can cloud anyone's mind, even one as bright as yours. You will forget your friends and your lovers and focus on the here and now. The reality of your current situation is that you're nothing. You no longer can stand in the bright sunlight of a warm, summer day. You are doomed to spend the rest of your pathetic life in the darkness with me. As for the people nearest and dear to you; Luther, Cobalt, Paula, Drake, and Dr. Raines; they are all dead and gone. They won't be here for you anymore. You must forget about them and focus on one thing, how to make the rest of the world suffer this injustice with you. Join me most powerful Black Velvet and help bring this dark matter onto the world."
From that point she couldn't remember much of anything till after her site was restored by Dr. Raines. She figured that she had fallen under Dark Matter's spell, letting her anger and grief shadow her past good deeds and giving rise to Black Velvet. At some point after that she figured that she became so powerful that Dark Matter was taken by surprise. He ended up fleeing from her and going into hiding but not before she completely stole his most significant power, the shadow curse. The rest of the powers he had freely giving her soon after he saved her life. The shadow curse he hadn't been prepared to bestow on her. So she took it from him. Still…this wasn't Vivian Summers, the young lady who thrived in the light, but Black Velvet, a blinded and scorn woman under partial control of Dark Matter. Yes it was her own dark desires to spread her suffering that helped to fully form Black Velvet but it was still Dark Matter that opened that door.
Well thanks to me and Dr. Raines, that door was permanently shut as far as I'm concerned. I wish she would have returned with me. She might have proven a valuable asset for us. She still needs some time though, I understand that. She has yet to completely reclaim herself as she once was. I tried to tell her that the chances of her completely regaining her past were miniscule but, this is Vivian I'm talking about. When she has her mind set on something, you can forget about it. I hope things work out for her. I can still feel her lips on mine as we shared that last tender moment together. I finally drift off to sleep with the vision of her lovely face etched in my mind. Goodnight wherever you may be my precious Black Velvet.
The End