CHAPTER EIGHT: THE TEASDALE IMPERATIVE: PART 5
It felt like old times.
Guy looked over his shoulder and saw Beatriz and Sigrid engaged in conversation. Both women were laughing and chatting as if they had been friends forever. He almost smiled at the thought that Fire and Ice might be a duo once again. It took some getting used to, Guy had to admit, seeing another calling herself Ice Maiden. Guy could not lie, when he had first learnt of Sigrid's presence in the League, he had thought it to be an affront to Tora. Yet, in the short time that he had come to know Sigrid, he realised that there was no way she could replace Tora.
Because she was someone else.
True, there were aspects of Sigrid that reminded him of Tora. She was shy, reserved and easily overwhelmed by a stronger personality. Yet Tora had always managed to maintain her own identity where else Sigrid struggled to live up to everyone else's idea of what she should be. He realised that she feared failure tremendously and her attempts to be gain respect instead of being conceived as a pale imitation of the original, struck a familiar chord inside him. Guy knew all about living in someone else's shadow with intimate knowledge.
When Beatriz had suggested her membership in the Crusaders, Guy realised it was partly for her own benefit. Apparently Beatriz had treated Sigrid rather badly in the League because she was not Tora. She not only wanted the chance to make amends to Sigrid but also because she realised that the new Ice Maiden needed to belong. Once again, Guy Gardner could understand that. At the moment, he reserved judgement on how she would fit into their group. Although, it was nice to know if they were going to be a team, that an Ice Maiden would still count in their ranks.
Stop day dreaming Gardner, he told himself as he studied the small screen on the control panel inside the cockpit of the Blue Beetle Bug. Although he was handling vehicle quite well, he still felt that it ought to be Ted who should be in the pilot's seat flying them to their destination. Jonn should be shouting at them to behave, Booster should be throwing up and he should be in the midst of being a general pain in the ass. Scott would be telling him to comport himself better, whatever 'comport' was supposed to mean. Bea would be showing of her latest costume change while Tora would question why she had allowed Bea to convince her to change her own. uniform.
Damn, he missed those days.
Even more surprisingly, he missed those people. Who would have ever thought of it huh? As much as he liked hanging out with Wargo and the others during the past year, he truly missed the lunacies he shared in the League. Sure, at the times he had thought they were all wimps and his relationship with the League had entered some stormy waters, particularly after Tora had died. In in the end though, they were still friends. Although he had not been present, he had mourned when Rex, Maxwell Lord, the Crimson Fox and many others had died.
He was wool gathering again and Guy wondered why he was so nostalgic. Deal with it later Gardner. He told himself. You're finally calling the shots on your own team, so don't screw it up by getting too emotional.
Guy was grateful that Ted had given him a few lessons in flying the Bug because he was no pilot, that was Jordan's act. Fortunately, the vehicle's controls were smooth and easy to handle, requiring very little human control once its primary systems were engaged. According to the controls, the Bug was moving a faster than a 747. He could well believe it, judging by the speed the snow covered plains and the peaks of conifer forests were racing past them. For a guy who could behave like a complete jerk at times, Guy had to admit Ted Kord was really a genius with the machines. This baby could really fly.
Their destination was a small Austrian - Germanic village surrounded by the magnificent alps. Stagg Industries had built a chemical manufacturing plant here some years ago because of its isolation. During the Teasdale crisis, the League was fortunate that it had been so remote or the rest of the world would have fallen prey to the madman's poison. Hoping to find the Gray Man here was a long shot but it was all he had to go on. Since the Gray Man had exposed his presence to Catherine, it was not unreasonable to assume that he would want them to find him. This was an obvious place as any to reach that end.
Meanwhile, the new General Glory who was seated in the co-pilot's seat, was staring out the window at the spectacular scenery of the Alps. He had been quiet for most of the journey and Guy had the impression that he was overwhelmed with everything that had happened to him in the past few days. While he was a world of difference from the old General Glory, Guy could sense that Donovan Wallace had a quiet strength about him. During their first encounter at the slums, he had seemed larger than life but now he reminded Guy of kid, wading in too deep over his head.
"General." Guy called out. "You okay?"
Donovan let out a nervous sigh and nodded. "I'm alright." He replied. He did not look fine however and after a moment, added. "I don't know whether this was such a good idea."
"Don't worry." Guy said trying to allay his fears. "It gets easier as you go along."
He thought of what it had been like when he first received his Green Lantern ring, how afraid he had been to screw things up. In some ways, that had not changed. He still worried but now he just hid it better. The only reason he had not turned into a complete wreck was because a bad tempered Biloxian assigned to be his drill instructor would not give up on him. Kilowog had been tough but he had also been the best friend Guy ever had. Guy was not going to give up on the General. It was least he could do to honour the memory of two very dear friends.
"This Gray Man," Donovan replied. "He's nothing I've ever faced before. I could be more of a problem than a solution. I don't want to let anyone down but I'm scared."
"Scared is a good thing to be." Guy returned understanding completely. "It means you're thinking." However, Donovan's doubts still lingered and Guy added. "Look, I know this is more than you bargained for on our first mission together but believe me, the threat is real. The first time we took this guy down, he was forty eight hours away from completely taking over the world."
That probably did not do a lot to reassure him, Guy thought in retrospect.
"Did you know Joe for very long?" Donovan asked in an effort to change the subject. He needed to get his mind over what lay ahead.
"A couple of years." Guy replied.
"What was he like?"
"Well," Beatriz announced her presence by entering the conversation. "He was Gary Cooper."
"Gary Cooper?" Guy looked over his shoulder at her. He and Beatriz shared a love of old movies but even he had had not heard her describe anyone like that. As he thought about it however, Guy realised that she was not far wrong. The old General Glory was just like Gary Cooper. Honest and forthright to a fault, no matter what the situation.
"Yeah," she nodded. "Gary Cooper. He always behaved like a gentleman."
"You just liked him calling you 'little lady'." Guy dead panned as she draped herself over the back of his chair.
"Little lady?" Donovan laughed. "Really?"
"Yeah," Beatriz joined in. "And he would blush whenever you asked him about his girlfriend Claire."
"I don't think I've ever seen a man blush." Sigrid chuckled. "He must have been awfully sweet."
"He was." Beatriz said fond. "He was one of the greats."
Guy glanced over at Donovan and remarked. "Just don't call me Skipper."
************
Until Stagg Industries had built its chemical manufacturing plant on the banks of the Inn River in Germany, the villages of surrounding Worgi mostly survived on arable and pastoral farming as its main source of income. The establishment of a well resourced industrial giant enticing workers with American dollars had led to a temporary boom for the local villages in the area. No longer where their youth leaving in droves to find work in the larger towns like Schaapsburg and Kriegerstaad. Instead they were choosing to stay in the villages, now that there was an alternate form of steady employment at an industrial complex close to home. For a while, it was a prosperous time for all.
Until the Plague came.
It was a subject seldom spoken by the villagers because no one wanted to remember when their tiny corner of the world had been host to an abomination. It was said that forces older than the gods had been unleased that day and the power of the universe was suddenly centred on Worgi. When the evil was washed away, so was the chemical plant and the end of the prosperity they had enjoyed. For the villagers however, the departure of Stagg Industries was not a hard burden to bear for they had seen the darkness they had seen unleased within them because of it.
Suddenly, a simpler existence did not seem too large a price to pay for an untainted soul.
Thus things returned to its slow and lethargic pace in these highland villages. With the beauty of the alps surrounding them, along with forest of tall conifers, it was easy to forget those troubled time and soon life slipped back into the routine it always had. After the Teasdale Incident, Guy and Fire had returned to the villages, mainly to perform clean up duty after the villagers had returned to normal. Back then, the inhabitants seemed shell shocked by what had taken place, not to mention the state of their homes after the dust had settled. The villages were very nearly reduced to rubble and Guy saw months of slow rebuilding ahead.
No evidence of the Teasdale Incident remained however, when he flew the Bug over the villages. Using Ted's advice, Guy kept the vehicle on silent running so the villagers would not be alerted to their presence for the moment. While the villagers of Worgi were a pleasant lot, they were simple and superheroes could be somewhat frightening if one was not accustomed to them. The Bug landed in a clearing about half a mile from the nearest village. Between the four of them, it took less than ten minutes to reach its outskirts.
Walking into the small community was like walking into a page of an earlier century. There was a distinct lack of gyprock, brick veneer and weatherboard siding. The homes they saw were constructed in Tudoresque style with mortar and cement. The roads leading into town were paved with cobblestone and brick fences flanked the sidewalks until they emptied into the main square. However, they knew something was wrong almost immediately.
"Where is everybody?" Sigrid broke their silence.
"I don't know." Beatriz answered, starting to feel a little uneasy. It was early afternoon and yet the streets were devoid of life. The only sounds to be heard were that of the livestock in some fenced paddocks and the birds flying overhead. The silence seemed to deepen the further they advanced into the village.
"Everybody, start frosty." Guy ordered. His Vuldarian senses were practically roaring with discord now.
"Maybe there was some kind of disaster." Donovan suggested, although he did not sound very convinced. Other than the lack of human life, the village seemed undisturbed. It bothered him as they entered the central business area, that none of the shops were closed. Butcher shops, bakeries, the shoemaker's, they were all unlocked. Doors were wide open with windows and canopies drawn so that potential shoppers could view the wares. Whatever had happened to the villagers had taken place suddenly.
They entered the village square, which was marked by a statue in the centre of the large courtyard. Surrounding it was the local church and what appeared to be a school house. As the group stepped into the square, a flock of birds that had been nesting at the foot of the statue took flight, making Sigrid jump a little.
"This is starting to make me nervous." She admitted.
"Starting to?" Beatriz retorted, unafraid to reveal that this situation was starting to get to her. If she were facing an open threat, it would be easier for her to deal with than this overwhelming silence. As it was, the serene beauty of this region observed earlier had disintegrated into something sinister. Suddenly, it felt as if they were all that was left of life in the whole world.
"All right, all right," Guy broke in before this got out of hand. "I guess its safe to say he was expecting us." He let his gaze move across the courtyard, hoping to get some sense of life anywhere but there was none. He supposed the next alternative was to look indoors. Privacy or not, the mystery had to be solve before they left this place. If the Gray Man had been expecting them, then the villagers were their responsibility.
"Do you hear that?" Donovan spoke up suddenly.
"What?"
General Glory's repertoires of powers, besides super strength, flight ability and invulnerability, were also a heightened state of hearing and vision. While he did not possess X Ray vision like the Blue Beetle or Superman, he could see better as well as father. His aural senses were also enhanced so he could hear a pin drop a mile away. "I heard a door."
"A door?" Sigrid exclaimed and immediately looked around.
"I hear footsteps." Donovan continued speaking, starting to move around as his ears picked up more audio information. The tension in all of them started to rise steadily and Guy could sense danger was coming. His Vuldarian biochemistry had been genetically engineered to prepare his for such events. Suddenly his own senses became more acute as he was becoming primed for responding to an attack.
"They're coming." Donovan spoke.
Sure enough, the sound of movement set the village alight. Footsteps could be heard against the cobblestones approaching them. They emerged from every alley, behind every fence and through every open door from the darkness. They emptied into the square like water gushing over the embankment until the super group known as the Crusaders were undoubtedly surrounded. They advanced far enough into the courtyard to encircle the new arrivals in a ring of bodies.
"My god look at them." Beatriz was the first was to say it.
Guy looked and he could not say he was surprised. He supposed that he should have expected this the moment they entered this village and found it as silent as a tomb. Somehow, he should have realised the Gray Man was playing his sick game with them using familiar ground. The people of Worgi looked at back at them with yellow eyes, wide and feral, with no semblance of anything civilised inside them. They glared at him with their teeth bared, pointed and white. As they cast their gaze on Donovan, Beatriz, Sigrid and himself, he heard them snarling like animals. He had no doubt in his mind then, that none of these poor souls would hesitate to tear each of them apart with their bare hands.
"We're getting out of here." Guy said simply.
"We're just going to leave them?" Donovan stared at him mystified.
"Look at them," Beatriz declared knowing what concerned Guy now. "Do you think they are in any shape to be reasoned with?"
"Yes, but we can't just leave them!" The young man insisted. "We have to help them."
"We can't help them until we get the Gray Man. This stuff they got inside them makes them zombies for this guy. Whatever he tells them to do, they will do, got that? If that means tearing us to pieces, we're chuck meat!" Guy snapped. They were wasting time. The villagers were simply holding position now because they had not been given the go ahead to attack. The Gray Man knew the Crusaders would not harm them. No matter what they had become.
"Uh people," Sigrid suddenly spoke up, her voice a little hushed. "I think we've got bigger problems." She had been studying the villagers while her companions had been in debate. It now looked as if their time had run out. The low rumble of snarls that had accompanied the villagers had risen to a fever pitch now and even Sigrid could recognise the climax of their savage control. That control snapped with a unified roar, before the break of running feet against the ground thundered into the air.
"Ice!" Guy shouted. "We need a wall around us!" Now!"
Finally someone needs an ice wall, Sigrid thought absurdly.
She concentrated hard, pouring as much power as she could into surrounding them completely with a wall of thick ice that was metres high. Even as the wall began to strengthen, she could see the faces that were ramming into it with nothing but demented fury behind them. The temperature around the heroes dropped immediately as cold air became trapped in that confined space.
"That ought to keep them away for now." Sigrid replied as the other stared at the ferocity of the people behind the wall. At the moment, the villagers were trying to penetrate the wall by slamming their bodies against the ice. They did so with such force that they were starting to leave blood where they had impacted.
"They'll kill themselves trying to get to us." Beatriz said, staring in horror at the faces beyond the ice. She could see children amongst the horde.
"We've got to get out of here and warn the local authorities. They've got to quarantine this entire area before the outbreak spreads!" Guy stated. "General, I need you to fly Ice to the Bug and then come back and get me."
"No." Sigrid shook her head. "You need me to maintain this wall." She knew why Guy was doing this. He was trying to protect her because he did not want her hurt like the former Ice Maiden.
"Like hell I do." Guy retorted. "This ain't up for debate." He turned to Donovan. "Get her out of here now! "
"But..." Sigrid started to protest.
"Please Ice," Beatriz pleaded guessing what was running through her mind. "There's nothing personal about this decision, we need to make a retreat. At the moment, you are vulnerable."
"All right," Sigrid nodded, certain that Beatriz was not lying to her. "Let's go."
"I'm not leaving you here." Donovan told Guy. "You said it yourself, they're infectious. You could become one of them."
"Not by a long shot." He replied. "Besides, Fire's here. If the wall comes down, I'm sure she'll keep it hot enough to give me a couple of minutes before you get back. Now do as you're told! You're wasting time arguing with me!"
Reluctantly, Donovan knew Guy was right and immediately grabbed Sigrid. "Hold on."
General Glory soared into the air taking Sigrid with him. Beatriz took flight with him but did not leave the area. Instead she hovered above Guy, trying to get a bird's eye view of what was taking place beyond the wall. "Guy, it looks like the entire village has been infected!" She shouted down at him. She also noticed that some of the villagers had started out of the courtyard, following the General and Sigrid's path out of town on foot. "Some of them are going after the General!"
"Go after them!" Guy ordered. "We can't have them trying to bust into the Bug with Sigrid inside when the General comes to get me!"
"Guy.. Warrior," she corrected remembering his code name. "I am not leaving you here!"
"Babe, I can take care of myself!" Guy shouted. Did everybody on this team have trouble taking a simple order? "Get your butt over there NOW!"
She looked into his eyes and saw how deadly serious he was about this. Beatriz told herself to put her feelings aside because he was right. She flew over the savage hordes of villagers and sighted those who were pursuing Sigrid and the General. They had no hope of catching either superhero but finding the Bug was not an option. In those precious minutes before General Glory returned with Guy to the vehicle, Sigrid would be completely alone. While Beatriz had confidence in her ability, all it took was on bite from the infected villages to turn Sigrid into one of them
Beatriz flew in front of the group and immediately sent a column of green flame to block their path. Fortunately many of these European villages were built with walls and enclosed streets with only one avenue of entry or exit. With one blast of flame, she managed to seal off the street leading out of town. The villagers snarled and hissed at her in rage as she curbed their halt and for the moment, Beatriz believed that they were stopped.
Until they began stepping into the fire.
"No!" She shouted at them impotently. "What are you doing?"
If they could even understand her, they certainly paid little attention. Beatriz watched in horror as they stepped into the wall of fire, oblivious of the danger until the burning began. As if lemmings being led into the sea on some suicidal quest, Beatriz watched them walk willingly into the flames. She could see those who had penetrated the wall flaying their arms in agony as they were incinerated alive. Her stomach tightened into knots of horror as she saw their clothes and hair burning, trying to fend of the fire from their flaming skins. The air became thick with the stench of their flesh and Beatriz had to turn away from the spectacle, unable to bear the sight it.
However, she could still hear them scream.
**************
The wall in front of him was covered in blood. Against the ice, he could see pieces of skin, hair and broken nails embedded in the melting surface. They were relentless in their determination to reach him and Guy could only watch helplessly as they battered their bodies against his only means of protection. The stress of their bodies slamming against the ice was starting to form hairline cracks. Guy knew it was only a matter of time before those fractures would become cracks and the entire structure would come crumbling down around his ears. He was not afraid of becoming infected by the Teasdale serum because he was more than able to protect himself.
However, his Vuldarian defense systems were extreme. In trying to defend himself, he could end up injuring these people beyond their ability recovery. At full strength, he could easily give Superman a run for his money. Even if he did hold back when he engaged the villagers face to face, he could not guarantee he would not harm them. Where the hell was General Glory? He cursed to himself as he felt splinters of ice from the crumbling wall bite into skin. Knowing they had weakened the ice formation renewed their determination to bring the entire structure down. All around him, Guy could see them continuing their assault on the ice enclosure with savage force. They were throwing themselves harder and harder against the ice, with no thought as to the damage they were inflicting upon themselves. They were frenzied like creatures possessed by demons.
Instinctively, his arms began to morph as he saw a large chunk of ice break off the wall and shatter against the cobblestone path. He could see Beatriz up ahead and knew that she was powerless to stop them. Even if she did choose to send a blast of green flame to protect him, she would succeed in doing is making the wall melt faster. If worst came to worst, he knew she would take measures to protect him no matter what the consequence of her actions.
A larger crack formed and as their bodies pushed against the wall, Guy saw it starting to shake and buckle underneath the pressure. His hands morphed into weapons and reluctantly, he prepared to fire at the villagers when the wall finally came down. Realising that their quarry's protection was about to be demolished gave the villagers added incentive to smash it harder. Suddenly, the walls started shaking and with a sinking feeling, Guy knew he had run out of time.
"I guess its lucky we dropped in." The Blue Beetle declared announcing his presence.
Guy swung around and saw Ted and Zatanna standing behind him. "You said it." Guy said never feeling happier to see either of them. "Get us out of here! That wall is about to go!"
"What no hello?" Ted quipped.
"JUST DO IT!"
Zatanna was already concentrating on doing just that. "!guB elteeB eht ot su ekaT" She stated just as the wall collapsed around them. Guy had just enough time to see the villagers lunging for them when suddenly everything disappeared around him. The last thing he remembered hearing was Ted's voice making a parting comment.
"Gee, do you think its the Vuldarian men who get premenstrual?"