VELOCITY
A Justice League Fan-Fiction by neomage
(DISCLAIMER: Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and all characters therein are owned by DC Comics and the Warner Bros. animation studios.)
Chapter 07
Central City Police Department, 4:20 p.m.
"Okay! So much for that…"
Wally pushed himself back from the desk and sighed. He wasn't seated at his regular workstation—now he was in a separate room in the lab, surrounded by shelves filled with chemical-filled beakers and microscopes. In that room was a large table on which sat an impressive-looking computer database, along with several microscopes of varying sizes. On the slide for one of those microscopes, the Petri dish with the melted substance from the metal piece of evidence now sat; meanwhile, Wally typed away at the computer's keyboard, looking intently at the screen as he did so.
"Sheesh…none of this makes any sense!" he grumbled as he typed. "So much for the report…"
"Wally? Have you finished that analysis yet?" the sound of his supervisor's voice came up behind him.
Wally swiveled around in his chair. "Well, I've made some headway, but what I've seen so far doesn't add up at all," he announced.
"How do you mean?" the supervisor inquired.
Wally then gestured to the report he'd been typing on the screen. "I ran the substance's chemical blueprint off everything we had in our computer files, and then tried to do a cross-match over the Internet…zilch."
"So, essentially, we're no closer to identifying this than we were before?" the supervisor raised an eyebrow.
"At least we know this much," answered Wally. "It seems to be a kind of bonding agent that functions like hardened plastic wrap. The way it's set to mold, it makes it pretty tough to get a grip on whatever it's coating once it's had time to settle into place. I was thinking of taking a sample of it over to STAR Labs as soon as I left here today…maybe they'll have better luck identifying it."
"Sounds like a plan," the supervisor nodded. "All right, then. Why don't you take it over to them right now? I'll call them now and let them know you're on your way."
"Yeah, sure, that sounds like a plan," Wally nodded in agreement.
Standing up, he went over to a shelf and took down a small metal box. Opening it, he gingerly placed the Petri dish inside. "All right! Now we'll get to find out what you really are!" he gloated to the box.
"Not that quickly, I'm afraid," the supervisor laughed.
"Well, anyway…later!" Wally nodded to his boss and walked toward the door.
----------
A few minutes later Wally emerged outside the doors of the CCPD, clad in his street attire and holding the box securely under his arm. "Okay…time to speed over to STAR Labs!" he announced.
"Hey, kid! Finished with that metal thing you were supposed to be looking at?"
Glancing up, Wally saw Officers Chyre and Morillo at the foot of the steps. "Oh, hey, guys," he greeted them. "Actually, I got a little far, but I have to take my findings over to STAR Labs for further analysis now."
The two cops looked at each other, then back at him. "Well, we're actually headed that way—wanna ride with us?" Morillo offered.
"Hey, yeah, sure! That would be good!" Wally nodded and jogged down the steps toward them—then stopped. "Uh, where's your car?"
"Zolomon's bringing it around to the front," explained Chyre. "He insisted on coming with us—said he wasn't going to miss Blacksmith Corporation's demo for anything."
"Demo?" Wally had a puzzled look on his face.
"What? You mean you don't know? It was all over TV over the last hour!" Morillo exclaimed, a look of surprise on his face.
"Relax, Morillo; you know how these forensic scientist guys can get—all work and no recreation." Chyre then turned to Wally. "The Corporation's boss was saying that they've got some kind of new product for us cops to use. They're going to be demonstrating it at City Hall in another couple of minutes."
"Hey, sounds pretty good," Wally remarked.
Just then a squad car rolled up to where the three were standing. "Hello again, Wally," Hunter spoke up form the driver's seat. "Are you coming to see Blacksmith Corporation's demonstration, too?"
"Well, actually, I just heard about it," Wally admitted. "But I guess I could stop and see it for a few minutes…just as long as I can get to STAR Labs afterwards."
"Not a problem! Hop in!" Hunter answered.
"I'm calling shotgun!" Morillo shouted.
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The Rogues' Hangout, 4th Street, 4:25 p.m.
There was a section of Central City, somewhere in the middle of the city's layout, where even cops didn't hang around for the fun of it. This area was known as the seediest neighborhood in the entire town. Only a person with extreme guts or foolhardy courage could walk into this part of town unannounced. On the street corners, it was never too difficult to find some rather…questionable characters hanging around. The atmosphere was always one where you had to watch all sides of you at all times, not daring to blink for a moment.
Of course, that way of thinking only applied if you were an ordinary civilian, and only if it was nighttime.
As it was at present, this series of streets could pass for any other in all of Central City. The occasional car passed by on the road; the still-present sunlight emphasized the color of the buildings standing opposite each other. One or two civilians could be seen with groceries, entering the front doors of tall, brick-built apartment buildings.
On one of those streets, snugly nestled amidst the architectural maze of this part of the town, there was a bar with a neon sign hanging over its front. The sign's lights weren't blaring now, of course, as it was daytime; but there was a sign on the door that said "OPEN," a sure indicator that the place was open for business. From the street, one could hear moderate rock music playing inside the bar.
But if a newcomer to Central City were to go to the bar's window to look in, that newcomer would be surprised. From the window, one could easily see what was inside: the bartender's counter, the big cabinet of drinks behind said counter, several seats and tables all around, and two big pool tables, as well as a dartboard on the wall. Tough-looking men sat here and there with drinks in hand. Beautiful young women and older, hardened matrons served as waitresses, walking about with notepads to take orders or trays to deliver orders. But if one took a closer look, one would also see that among the patrons were people dressed in elaborate, some might say eccentric, costumes, colorful and definitely out of place in such an environment—and yet, neither they nor the more normal-looking patrons would take much notice of it.
For this bar, the newcomer would eventually have to know, was the very spot where the super-villains of Central City hung out when on a break.
And at this particular hour, there were quite a few costumed villains seated all around in the bar. And they, along with the other patrons, were looking up at the television screen that had been built into the wall above the bartender's counter.
"Good afternoon, everyone; I'm Linda Park for Channel 4 News," the pretty reporter on the screen was currently saying. "Right now you're joining us live at City Hall here in Central City, where in just a few moments we'll be treated to a special display courtesy of Blacksmith Corporation. Earlier today the company's CEO, Amunet Black, indicated that this display would prove beneficial to the city's local police department, so we can expect that our men and women of law and order will, come end of the day, be better able to protect and serve than ever before. Now, if you'll just glance behind me, you'll see that there are a lot of dignitaries pulling up to City Hall right now…"
Immediately there was a low murmuring in the bar, even as the reporter continued chatting on-screen. The conversation was now all about this supposed upcoming enhancement to the police; it was particularly vocal at some of the tables where the super-villains were sitting.
"So…the cops are going to get upgrades now, huh?" one man wondered. He was brown-haired, dressed in a striped green and yellow body suit, with a yellow emblem on his chest and a black domino mask on his face. "I wonder what kind of top-up they'll be receiving?"
"Could you not start with the 'top' catchphrases today, Top?" the man sitting across the table from him asked irritably. This one was clad in a black body suit, but also wore a torso-vest, armbands and leg-bands that each had seven different colors of the rainbow. On his face he wore a pair of light blue goggles.
"Do you have a problem with my catchphrases, Rainbow Raider?" Top asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It just gets so irritating to hear them after a while," Rainbow Raider answered. "At least try talking without using the 'T' word every now and again. It won't kill you, plus your language will have a bit more…color."
"Pfft. Says the guy who uses color-based catchphrases every day," Top scoffed.
"Hush now about that…what are we going to do?" another man sitting alongside them asked fretfully. He wore an odd-looking costume, green with white circles, and what appeared to be a green nightcap on his head. On the table in front of him he had a big flute. "If the police are going to get upgraded, and by such an important company such as Blacksmith Corporation, what does that say for our chances here in Central City?"
"Would you stop being such a pied pansy, Pied Piper?" Top grunted. "For all we know, these 'upgrades' could very well turn out to be new types of firearms or body armor or something like that. And since when has any of that ever stopped us Rogues? When it comes down to us versus the cops, we're on top of the world!"
Rainbow Raider rubbed his fingertips against his temples. "Anyhow…I personally don't think we should act all yellow while this new upgrade or whatever is allowed to be showcased."
"And what would you suggest—breaking up the gathering at City Hall?" Pied Piper asked. "That would work, except—do you remember how some of the other Rogues tried to disrupt the Flash Museum's opening ceremony, and got captured and sent off to prison for it?"
"Actually, the way I hear it is, the Trickster sold them out before they could even do anything," Rainbow Raider remarked.
"If that's true, then he'd better not show his face around this neighborhood for a while," said Top. "Because I know three guys who'll be more than happy to break his legs. And if it was me he double-crossed, he'd get a lot more than his legs broken." And his lip curled upward in a nasty smirk.
"Still, all said and done, we can't be complacent about this," and Pied Piper nodded toward the TV. "Because if we don't do something now, then next thing we know the police will be swarming all over the city, driving us out like rats!"
"You're just being overly paranoid and jumpy, is all," Top answered, stretching in a bored manner. "Heck, if I felt like it, I could easily get a hold of that upgrade and they'd never be able to catch me."
"Arrogant, as usual," Rainbow Raider grunted. "What would you do—spin your way out of trouble? I'm amazed you don't turn greener than your own costume when you do that."
"Yeah, well, at least I don't become colorblind when I spin!" Top retorted.
Silence descended over the table as the last remark sank in. Then Top shifted a little uncomfortably in his seat. "Sorry. Low blow."
Rainbow Raider shrugged. "Never mind. I was out of line myself."
"Well, whatever." Pied Piper stood up. "I'm not going to just sit around and wait till that new upgrade gets passed to the police."
"Now, now, are you going to go down to City Hall all by yourself?" Top asked.
"Well, I don't see you two moving—all you're doing is insulting each other, like you do every single time you sit together in this bar!" Pied Piper snarled between clenched teeth.
"Don't be seeing red all of a sudden, Piper," Rainbow Raider said soothingly. "You're not the only one this police upgrade will affect, after all. And besides, strength in numbers, correct?"
"Yeah," Top nodded in agreement. "And with us three, those schmucks at City Hall will never know what hit them. So, let's pay them a little visit, shall we?" And he stood up as well.
----------
Justice League Watchtower, 4:30 p.m.
Mr. Terrific tapped his fingers on the edge of the console as he watched the news on the screen. "Looks like Central City's pretty prominent today," he remarked.
Just then the doors behind him opened, and in walked Green Lantern. "Did I just hear something about Central City?" he asked. "Something happening there again?"
"Yeah," Mr. Terrific nodded. "Blacksmith Corporation's putting on a demonstration for new police equipment at Central City Hall. They should be starting up in another couple of minutes."
"Blacksmith Corporation?" Lantern raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever heard of it…"
"Not many people would," Mr. Terrific admitted. "From what I know, the company's been operating in Keystone City for quite a number of years; they only started setting up shop in Central City about three months ago. They specialize in setting up low- and middle-tier industries and development of technology for the bioengineering field, but their CEO, Amunet Black, has managed to make herself quite a fortune from her endeavors. Apparently, though, she's never really been one for the spotlight, unlike companies like Lexcorp or Wayne Enterprises."
"A low-profile lady…guess that explains why she's not in the media limelight," Lantern remarked. "Also makes me wonder about her authenticity…"
"Well, you shouldn't have too much to worry about as far as her criminal record goes," Mr. Terrific told him. "From what few official reports can be dug up about her, she's got no prior problems with the law or the government. And as for her company's work, all of it has been approved by the suits up at the White House."
"Well, that's pretty convenient, don't you think?" Lantern asked doubtfully.
"Maybe—but then again, you do have to give her the benefit of the doubt," said Mr. Terrific. "After all, right about now she IS going to showcase something that'll greatly improve the quality of the Central City police force's work. But…I'm a bit worried…"
"About?" asked Lantern.
"Well, with such an important event about to happen down there, it's pretty likely a couple of the Flash's enemies might see fit to get involved," Mr. Terrific replied. "I went through the super-criminal database, and it turns out quite a few of Central City's rogues have been off the security radar as of late. And Flash probably has his own hands full with his day job after having to stop the last bunch of villains a couple hours ago, so…"
"Okay, I get the message," Lantern spoke up. "I'll drop down there and keep an eye out for trouble."
"Right." Mr. Terrific nodded.
----------
Central City's City Hall, 4:33 p.m.
The squad car pulled up alongside several others that had congregated along the street leading to City Hall. "Okaaaaaay…guess more people were hyped about this thing than I expected," Wally remarked as he watched several people walking in the direction of City Hall's building.
"If traffic's snagged up like this, we're going to have to walk the rest of the way," and Morillo opened his door and stepped out.
"Yeah, got that right," Chyre agreed. "They'll probably have designated parking for the big-shots and reporters covering this, anyway."
"Let's just hope we're not late," Hunter sighed as he pulled himself out of the driver's seat, pulling his cane after him. "It'd really get to me if we couldn't get to see what they'll be contributing to the force."
"In that case, let's get a move-on!" Wally said eagerly, breaking into a jog.
"Not so fast, Wally," Hunter called after him. "Some of us can't run, remember?"
At that reminder Wally stopped. "Oh, right. Sorry."
"Good. Now we can all go together." Chyre then spoke to Wally. "Hey, kid, how about you leave that box of yours in the car? You've had it on you the whole time we were on our way here…"
Glancing down, Wally saw that the cop was right—he was still holding on to the box with the evidence sample. "Heh…I guess it would make a lot more sense to not have this thing on my hands…"
Walking back to the car, he dropped the box on the floor behind the driver's seat; then he stood back while Morillo locked the car. "Now…" Morillo chuckled as he pocketed the keys. "Let's get going!"
----------
Further up ahead, closer to City Hall, Linda Park was standing by her news van, carefully applying her lipstick while looking into her compact mirror. Standing nearby, Marla regarded her with some faint amusement. "You do remember that that's how Mirror Master and those other guys managed to infiltrate the Flash Museum that time, right?" she smirked.
"Oh, shut up," Linda snorted as she finished applying the lipstick—but in the same moment she snapped the compact mirror shut.
"Well, anyhow, we should get ready to broadcast again," said Marla, picking up her video-camera.
"Marla, so far all we've been doing is getting coverage of the ever-growing crowd of spectators," and Linda waved a hand to indicate the people who were congregating close by. "The people from Blacksmith Corporation are obviously not here yet—not even the Mayor's party is here! It's just a waste of time broadcasting right now!"
"Ever hear of being fashionably late, Linda?" Marla asked somewhat indifferently, hoisting the camera onto her shoulder. "These big-shots have that right. Get used to it."
"Uh-huh," Linda snorted, making a half-hearted attempt to smooth her hair back with one hand.
"Look! They're here! They're coming through!"
Visibly startled, Linda spun around—and saw a sleek white limousine coming up the road toward them. "Whoa…!"
"Told you so," Marla smirked.
Quickly Linda turned to face her camerawoman again, this time frantically brushing her hair back with her fingers while gripping her microphone in one hand. "Marla! How's my hair? Is it good?"
"It's fine, Linda," Marla assured her. "Now, just breathe deep. Just breathe."
Swallowing, Linda steadied herself with the mike in hand. "Okay," said Marla as she steadied herself as well. "And you're on in four, three, two, and…!"
Linda nodded. "Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to this special live broadcast from Central City's City Hall. I'm Linda Park, reporting for Channel 4 News. If you're just joining us, we're here to bear witness to a special demonstration that will be given by Amunet Black, CEO of Blacksmith Corporation; a demonstration of a new piece of equipment that will subsequently be donated to the local police department to improve their crime-fighting tactics for the better. Now…"
She turned and gestured toward the white limo, which had by now pulled over to the curb. "At this moment, a party from the Mayor's office has just arrived in her personal limousine. Look, there they are right now…"
Marla shifted the camera a bit so the focus was on the Mayor's car. True to Linda's word, alighting from the vehicle were the Mayor and her personal entourage. "There's the Mayor there, along with her bodyguards," Linda spoke on. "And…"
Suddenly, immediately coming out of the car after the Mayor's group, was a tall, very voluptuous woman. Her hair was coal-black; her skin was perfectly tanned, with not a hint of a stretch-mark or pimple on it. Whereas the Mayor was wearing a simple brown business suit with a skirt, this newcomer was wearing a dark blue pants-suit, making her seem almost masculine save for her physical features that pointed out the obvious. She was wearing spike-heeled shoes, but apparently had no trouble walking in them the way she might walk in flat-soled shoes. Her face was a picture of perfect calm, even amidst the noisy clamoring of the surrounding crowd.
Linda had paused in her reporting to stare in awe at this woman. Marla, still pointing the camera in the Mayor's general direction, looked at her partner out of the corner of one eye. "Linda…" she hissed as loudly as she dared.
"Huh?" Hearing her name snapped Linda out of her seeming trance of admiration. "Oh, uh, yes—that right there is the CEO of Blacksmith Corporation herself, Amunet Black. It seems she and the Mayor had prearranged to come to this event together…okay, there they go now, through the crowd, to the front of City Hall, where this gathering will be addressed in just a moment."
She stepped forward, making her way into the crowd; Marla took her cue and followed after her. All the while, the camera kept a lock on the Mayor and Ms. Black as they and their party went toward the front, going through the humongous gathering. They watched as the group made its way up the steps to the podium, where a large microphone was ready on a stand. "Okay, there they are now," Linda spoke into her own mike. "Apparently the Mayor's going to speak to everyone right about now."
The Mayor stepped forward to the prearranged mike. "Good afternoon, everybody," she began. "First, let me thank you all for coming out today. This day marks a moment of change for the people of Central City, and especially for the future of our state of law enforcement. Today, our very own Blacksmith Corporation will be showing to us their newest product, a product that will revolutionize our police and make their work of protecting us and upholding the peace even simpler than ever before."
There was some light applause at that.
"And now," the Mayor continued, a smile on her face, "please help me to welcome to the mike, the founder and CEO of Blacksmith Corporation—Ms. Amunet Black!"
During the Mayor's introductory note, Ms. Black had been quietly standing behind her not making a movement or uttering a sound. Now, though, as the applause from the crowd started again and grew louder in welcome, she stepped forward with a small smile on her lips. And then those lips parted as she prepared to speak to the mass gathering…
CHAPTER 7 COMPLETE! CHAPTER 8 COMING UP!
(NOTE TO BE MADE: Some might feel that there are enough villains making appearances in this story already—but I say, a number of them that are appearing only got two-second cameos in the JLU series, and never got any speaking parts, while others obviously never even appeared on the show…so let's just sit back and enjoy the villains actually getting some character development!)