I am back with another chapter for the story about my favorite speedster in DC comics. I apologize to anyone who is annoyed at my update schedule that is essentially comprised of chapters completed whenever I am able to write. Sadly, I might have underestimated the required effort behind writing three separate fanfics at once.
I will continue to do my best to post new chapters as soon as possible.
And now, enjoy the next chapter.
I keep forgetting how boring school is by the time that summer winds down bad we have to return. Hell, I actually look forward to it slightly before I remember that it is a hell hole that has lured me back into its clutches.
"I feel like I am going to kill myself," I say. "My senior year of high school and I am finally in my birth city. This should be awesome. I forgot one simple fact. The school." I slump down on the desk.
Bree just laughs from where she is sitting in the spot next to me. "Come on," she says. "Don't be such a big baby. We are back in Central city after six years. This should be a breath of fresh air, especially after Gotham. I am glad to be getting away from all of the drama that goes along with living there. You were super depressed before we left in May."
"That was mainly due to that fucking fiasco with Harley," I say from my position face down on my desk.
"Yeah, her," Bree says. I can practically hear the scowl in her voice. I admit that I don't expect her to be Harley's biggest fan, but this was a problem even when we were dating. I just chalk it up to girl drama that I have one to many Y-chromosomes to understand.
"Just because my parents finally got the chance to move back doesn't mean that this school is magically better than somewhere else," I say.
"What about the old friends that we can reconnect with now that we are back?" she asks.
I am about to ask 'Like who?' when I see somebody enter the classroom that I automatically remember. Iris West, my very first crush. I barely recognize her because for her, puberty was very, very kind.
She is wearing a green t-shirt that holds her fairly large chest in such an arousing way. Her jeans look painted on. Her brunette hair frames her face with a strand of hair that hangs across the right side of her face. I feel the distinct urge to brush that strand behind her ear before placing a soul searing kiss on her full lips. That kiss would turn into a make out session which could evolve however it may. Ideally, it would end with me bending her over the teacher's desk and getting reacquainted with her in the best way possible.
No, August! Stop objectifying women. Take her on a date before peeling off her clothes and worshipping every inch of fair, perfect skin. Working down from her collar bone too...
Goddamnit, not again. I knock myself out of the trance to see a displeased expression on Bree's face.
"Really," Bree asks. "Your mood flipped like a literal light switch. Just because you were entranced by a girl's boobs."
"Not entirely," I refute. "After all, I was sad just a few minutes ago. And here you are, with quite the nice pair yourself."
Bree seems to lose her ability to come up with an intelligent response after this. She just sputters and turns to the side, looking at the wall so that I can't see her face. I wonder what is up with her. I was just making a valid counterargument and she practically shuts down. Like every man who has come before me, I do not understand women.
I turn back towards the front of the classroom just in time to see Iris notice me and Bree.
"August Heart and Bree Allen," she says with a smile as she walks closer. "It has been a long time. How is Central City treating you after being away since elementary school?"
"I can't complain," I say. "It is great to see such a familiar face after so long. I have to say, I barely recognized you when you first walked in."
"I can proudly say that puberty took well," she says. "But I can see that Bree can say the exact same thing."
I started to take a drink from a water bottle I brought when Iris asked a question that I was in no way expecting. "So Bree, are you and August together?" Bree immediately begins blushing but I have another reaction entirely.
The sheer surprise at her saying that led to me inhaling enough water to be classified as a drowning victim. I proceed to hack and cough up all of the water that went down the wrong tube. Bree and Iris have worried looks on their faces after my little mishap.
"What did you ask?" I finally get out once my air supply is no longer compromised by my drink.
"I asked if you two are dating," Iris says. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I say, waving off the concern. "That was nothing. To answer your question, we are not dating. I am currently single. Why do you ask?"
"Since you are single, I was just wondering if you wanted to go to to the movies with me on Friday," Iris says.
"Sure," I say. "That would be great. I would love to have a chance to catch up."
"Great," Iris says. "Then it's a date." With that she takes her seat at another part of the room with the rest of her friends.
"Cool," I say to myself. "I guess I know what I am doing on Friday."
I turned to talk to Bree, but she was staring directly forward without looking at me. Oh, no. She is giving me the silent treatment. But I didn't even do anything!
"Bree, come on," I say. I gently push her shoulder. "What did I do?"
Her only response to my question is to cross her arms over her chest. That is the sign that I have learned meant that she did not even want to talk to me anymore. Past experience has shown that I just have to give her space when she gets like this. I have tried to talk to her before, but it just increases the duration of her silence.
I groan and drop my head down to the surface of my wooden desk. Today sucks even more.
Lex Luthor was impatient. He normally has the patience to wait for years before a properly structured plan finally came to fruition. However, upon the eve of what would likely be his greatest achievement l date, he was eager to get it over and done with.
Part of his state of mind is due to the fact that this was the culmination of my different endeavors combined into one great project. This would have any creator anxious to see the results of their labor.
The other part, however, stems from the fact that such a a staggering project of such a high level of importance was bound to attract attention if it to long to complete. With the impact encompassing the entire planet, it would not be out of the realm of the possibility for the Justice League to get wind of it.
The last thing that Lex needs is for those insufferable do gooders to ruin this. If even a whisper got out about this, then the Alien Boy Scout might try and find him or worse, the Detective.
Lex turns to the panel of computer screens as they turn on. Each displays one of the most notorious super criminals that existed in the world.
Ra' Al Ghul, the cutthroat leader of the League of Assassins. The premier group contacted for any significant hit that is ever pulled off. While they are not responsible for the death of every target in the world, they are the single largest organization in the business. He is dressed in a dark colored Arabian outfit with a green collared cape.
Vandal Savage, the immortal warrior that has killed and ruled across millennia. He is The single oldest human in this cabal by a fair margin. While Ra's lasted for over six centuries with the liberal use of the Lazarus Pits, Vandal has been around since fire was perceived as magic. He has influenced the growth of the world as the man behind the curtain, leading civilization as an invisible tyrant. He is dressed in a blue military uniform with a prominent scar across the bridge of his nose and extending onto both cheeks.
Klarion, the witch boy. A Lord of Chaos, a being in the same weight class as Doctor Fate. He is dressed in a suit and tie with his familiar Teekl, an orange and black cat that lounges in his arms.
The Brain, a renowned genius that placed his brain in a machine to allow him to endure for longer than his original body would allow for. He is housed in a column like form with a clear top revealing his brain and a skull 'face' on the front.
Black Adam, the magically super powered dictator of the nation of Kahndaq. He was granted the combined powers of six Egyptian gods by the wizard Shazam to be a magical guardian of the world. However, he was not pure of heart, which led to him betraying the wizard and using his power for his personal gain. He wears a black suit marked by the golden lightning bolt in the chest. He has a black cloak that compliments his suit.
The Joker, Gotham's Clown Prince of Crime. He is the anti-thesis for everything that Batman stands for. The chaos to his order. He was added for two main reasons. His unpredictability could be an asset in the long run, and he would have been a detriment if he became involved down the road and took the fact that they skimmed over him poorly. He mainly serves to tell what he think are jokes, primarily about killing people. Klarion is the only one who seems to enjoy them. He is dressed in a purple suit with a wilting flower in the breast pocket, a look of sinister glee in the his green eyes.
Reverse-Flash is a blurry outline of speedster in a yellow suit cloaked with red lightning that streamed over their body. They had approached the Lex in his home office and said that they were from the future and wanted to contribute to the project. Technology decades ahead of anything in production was added under a single stipulation. None of them ever touches any speedsters that exist in the past, present, or future.
Queen Bee, the ruler of the desert state of Bialyia. Her use of pheromones to suggest and manipulate others leads to her wielding a substantial weapon in the global political dogfight. She is a cunning and shrewd woman who is as deadly as she is beautiful. She wears an elegant golden dress due to a political party that she recently left from.
Finally, Black Manta, terror of the seas and nemesis of Aquaman. He was a pirate that utilized high tech weaponry to steal from any vessel on or below the ocean. He has had related conflicts with Atlanteans and has access to much of their technology for his own use. He wears a black suit with an enlarged helmet equipped with two red lenses that produce his signature laser blasts.
"I believe that you all know why we are here," Lex says.
"Yes, yes," Klarion says. "We know how much you like to make dramatic speeches. Can we hurry this along?"
"I agree with Cat Boy," Joker says. "I have other pressing matters. Plotting the death of Batsy is an art that requires constant refinement. You already sold us on this a while ago."
Lex schools his expression, but if he was a lesser man, he would have gritted his teeth in annoyance at the two members proven to have the shortest attention spans.
"Well, I guess that I will just have to make this short," Lex says. "With the collaborative efforts that we have made, building and stealing any and every piece of technology and magical artifact around the world that we could get our hands on, our ambitions have finally come to their conclusion."
He turns presses a button on the keyboard in front of him and a live feed plays from the secret lab that they had built their device piecemeal. It displays on each of their connections. It shows a large machine in the center that is full of interlocking sections that have developed into something that looks simultaneously like it constructed to plans and slapdash shoved together.
"The Quantum Probability Engine," Lex says. "Designed to act as a catalyst to the meta-human dilemma. While there have been a few teams of meta-humans in the past, notably the Justice Society, the Justice League, and the Teen Titans, this is all a linear development. It is progressing at a standard pace. The same with all of their adversaries. If we want humanity to become more than we are, we must not settle for linear. We must look for exponential.
"With the activation of this machine, the entire world should experience a shift in the speed that 'superheroes' and 'supervillains' come out of the woodwork. It doesn't just lead to the gift of powers, but also places the thought to be more than just normal. Since there will be more heroes, there will be more villains. If there are more villains, this will prompt the rise of more heroes. It is an increasing system that leads to a record growth in meta-humans as well as some people that just make themselves exceptional. With the addition of the materials procured by Klarion, Black Adam, and Black Manta, this will encompass the magical populations as well."
"So, how long until we turn on the machine?" Black Adam asks.
"Why wait?" Lex asks. "All in favor of starting a new chapter of human history?"
Every single person on the monitors mods in agreement. The Brain just says, "Aye."
Lex nods as well. "So, it is decided." He presses another button on the keyboard and the Quantum Probability Engine begins to cycle up. Different part so fit light up as charge carries throughout the entire system. A low thrum is heard through the surveillance camera that they are watching the event through. The sound begins to pick up in volume and frequency as the machine builds up to a crescendo, its lights becoming as bright as spotlights.
All at once, the machine detonates, sending a shockwave of energy our as it explodes. The security feed cuts as the entire lab is promptly destroyed from the use of the machine. However, it performed its job perfectly. Sensors picked up the wealth of exotics forms of matter and energy that rushed outward from the site of the QPE. Satellite sensors show a global spread of the particles before they seem to fade into the planet.
"Welcome everyone," Lex says. "To an age of wonders."
And with that, another chapter has run its course.
I had the idea for the emergence of all the superhumans to be stemming from the supervillains after seeing the Young Justice show.
I am planning on having the start of the speedster awesomeness to happen in the next couple of chapters.
Until then, I hope that you have enjoyed my work. Please review, favorite, and follow. Until next time.