Chapter 14: Last Rights
Edwin Alva sat poised in his luxurious executive chair, seated at the head of the table of what he affectionately called the War Room. Seated in their assigned places about the rectangular surface were the hand-selected members of his elite force, appropriately named the Meta-Superior. Gathered together at this particular moment to discuss final orders before the conclusive strike, the team positioned itself in eager anticipation while the venerable business leader conducted the briefing.
"As I've stated," Alva began, a confident grin casting across his weathered face. "The defeat of the SCU is exactly what we required to excise our plan into full momentum."
"So you want us to start laying the town to waste?" The young female asked, her prim and poised stature exuding a confidence that bordered insubordinate arrogance.
"Not just yet my dear Madelyn, we have only to wait until the fall of Ebon's team."
"And how exactly are they getting taken outta da picture?" the villainous Replikon asked, leaning back in his chair in distinct contrast to the other members around the table.
"Plans have already been placed into effect. Suffice it to say, a little birdie will show them the way. She's quite adept at spying, as you all should know."
"Maybe so, but it would not be wise to put all of your faith in the cards you hold in your hand Mr. Alva." The aged scientist said, his hands tirelessly polishing the laser amplified goggles as he spoke. "A game is won not by what you have in your hand, but what is yet to be dealt. You should take precautions against any unforeseen circumstances. Wouldn't you agree Bernard?"
"The names Brandon...BRANDON you senile old fool!" The red costumed young man said, addressing his brilliant counterpart.
"I agree Dr. Menace," Alva responded, speaking to the aged engineer while ignoring the tantrum of younger physicist. "That is why we always have a contingency...isn't that right?" Alva said, turning his attention back to the shadow that stood against the wall and shielded the businessman's flank.
"That's correct father."
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Static paced about the interior of the large office of the Dakota Youth and Civic Center, sizing the massive Bang Baby up as he tried desperately to make sense of the situation. Not only had Gear been snatched by the Breed, but now this seemingly unknown Meta-human had offered his assistance. It took all of RubberBand Man's persuasion to keep Shebang from declaring a full-out war against the intruder.
"I told you, I'm not here to fight," the massive beast named Grendel said, his eyes staring mournfully at the pink uniformed martial artist. "I want to help you."
"Really, how can we trust you?" Shebang said, her eyes glaring daggers into the larger Bang Baby. "Last time I saw you, you were thrashing Vanmoor School of Science."
"I went there only seeking help...do you think I like being this freak?" The gray-skinned monster said, his head bowed in self-loathing.
"Cry me a river Frankenstein! I don't think we can trust you and I'm not about to trust our lives that you might be lying."
"Interesting," the deep voiced creature said, his eyes matching Shebang's. "You know, the ancient Romans, when defeated, would poison the wells of their enemies before leaving, so their enemies could never again use the land. The poison coming from your lips is enough to kill a city!"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"
"That's enough, both of you!" The pending argument was finally silenced as Mr. Hawkins made his forgotten presence remembered. "I don't know what your past problems may be, but dwelling on them won't help the situation now."
"He's right," Static said, shifting his eyes between Shebang and Grendel. "We have to figure a way around this. Gear's been snatched and we may need all the help we can get. But first," Static said, turning to face the giant. "Tell me why?"
Shifting nervously, Grendel considered which definition of the question would satisfy the hero. Why did he want to help? Why should they trust him? Why take the chance? Uncertain of how to answer, the boy trapped in the skin of the monster responded. "Because I can."
It was a moment of silence before Grendel realized that answer was not sufficient enough to appease the electric hero's inquiry and proceeded. "Since I've become this monster, I only wanted to find someone who would help. But most people reacted negatively towards my appearance." A pause in his confession as the massive figure took a deep breath, his thick chest rising in response. "I was there at the park when the frozen girl attacked the assembly. I saw her getting attacked as well, and then you came to help her. I thought, maybe if you protected people like that, then I could find a place where maybe I belonged. That's why I want to help you...because I there's no where else for me to go."
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Shiv rocked back and forth in a manner similar to an overactive child, all the while cackling as Gear continued to test the durability of the restraints that bound him tightly to the chair. "Heh heh heh...I guess Great Escapes aren't part of your reservoir eh genus boy?"
"First off," Gear said, sighing for dramatic effect as he relaxed his muscles against the thick leather straps. "It's not reservoir, it's repartee...and secondly, you're using the wrong word even in your ignorance. It's resume not repartee."
Shiv screwed up his face as if thinking about the information given to him before shrugging his shoulders and giving up. "I'll tell you what I do know however...I know you're about to suffer extremely if you don't do what Ebon says."
Gear's eyes opened wide momentarily as he recalled the schematics Ebon placed in front of him. From a simple glance, a few of the minor calculations were wrong but even building it with the errors in tact would not diminish its overall function. Before he could comment on this however, the large door barricading the chamber opened as Ebon entered, followed by the remaining members of the Breed.
"So Gear, you ready to talk?" Ebon said, a large clatter of noise sounding throughout the chamber as Hotstreak dropped the crumpled remains of Backpack.
"You're insane Ebon if you think I'll help you build that thing!" Gear said, the anger of his emotions causing him to tug against the restraints once more. "Do any of you realize what he's planning?"
"Shut up Gear!"
Ignoring the warning of the shadow master however, the tech genus continued regardless. "He's not wanting me to build a device to make a third Big Bang...that thing he wants me to build is a bomb that would wipe out every non-Meta-Human in Dakota! Do you guys really want to be involved in this?!"
The swift backhand by the angry, inky villain silenced Gear's desperate plea. "I told you to shut up!" Turning back to face his subordinates, Ebon stared at each as if daring them to challenge him. "Face it Gear, you got no choice. Your outnumbered, out maneuvered and your precious toy robot is scrap metal. It's over Gear."
'Of course,' Gear thought to himself as his eyes immediately shifted to the discarded robot. 'Backpack' When Static had gained access to the Power Pad; Gear had inserted a secondary module into Backpack. A homing device that linked directly to the aged computers of the satellite base and could not be pinpointed by modern tracking means due to the outdated nature of the mechanism. He realized with that simple satisfaction that not all hope was lost.
"Ebon," Gear smiled, trying to sound braver than he felt. "It'll be a cold day in Hell before I help you build that thing."
"Hell...is exactly where you're going Gear."
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Maureen O'Connor was having a bad day. Not only was she a virtual prisoner within the solitary, underground base but the foolish and annoying machines around her would not stop beeping...causing her to lose a great deal of control against the desire to deep-freeze the lot of them.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" She said, her words coming quickly as her hands covering her ears and gazed wide-eyed around the chamber. She wanted to leave...she wanted to make the machines go away. But for some reason she stayed...either out of respect for Static or because she had nowhere else to go, she wasn't sure, but she was quickly losing focus against the annoying screech of the computers.
Walking towards one of the many consoles that lined the walls, Maureen brought her tiny fists against the computer, hoping in some fashion that battering it would cause its deadened silence. "Shut up!"
Regardless of the impractical application of force, Maureen managed to silence the whirling, beeping and pulsing tones in her violent tirade, more than likely pressing the proper button on the console while doing it, leaving only a single, solitary warning alarm echoing through the hidden base. Following the noise, the young woman stared curiously at the singular computer tower, struggling to determine the readings she received.
After a moment of confusion, she finally gave up understanding the computer language and looked for the communicator Static had given her. She felt uneasy using the device, and though her trust of others extended only so far, she felt within herself what needed to be done.
"H-Hello?"
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Location-City Hall
Mayor Isabelle Godfree reclined in her officer chair, her fingers massaging the unpleasant throb that had settled in the core of her temples. The recent public opinion poll had not been favorable and she fought desperately to devise a means by which to undo the damage done to her public image. The defeat of the SCU had been most disheartening, and though she considered calling in members of the National Guard to help put down the Meta-Human crisis, the fear that Dakota would become nothing more than a police state had caused the drastic shift of opinion in many of the residents.
"Fools, the lot of them..." Mayor Godfree spouted aloud, not caring who heard her or in what context they would conclude her words to be. She was tired of the political gambit she ran and was quickly losing. But regardless, backing down now would indicate either weakness or failure of policy that her opponents would quickly capitalize on. She could not risk either.
Some of her more vocal supporters however had suggesting calling in support from publicly recognizable Meta-Humans, such as the Justice League or Titans, but her experience with the Justice League was little better than with their current Bang Babies, a fact she quickly pointed out. The last time the League had arrived in Dakota, the giant spaceship had destroyed a large portion of the southern port district, which cost considerable money and finances to bring back into working order. Not least of which was the individual attacks, one between the twin Green Lanterns that had destroyed large portions of the city, and worst of all was the arrival of the Joker into the very heart of Dakota.
No, the other Meta-Humans were no better than the current population, irresponsible and seemingly godlike, wanting mere humans to worship their existence for saving their lives despite the countless strain their never-ending battles had on property. If the population were to worship anyone, it should be their elected officials.
"I see Machiavellian Politics wears even your restless soul, eh Madam Mayor?" The intruding voice spoke as the thick office door was closed behind his silent entry.
"I'm not in the mood for your cracks Vyers," the mayor said, not bothering to look at the man. "You're my political advisor, tell me how to fix this!"
The man named Vyers shifted his weight slightly, more out of boredom than nervousness, as he stared at his demanding employer. "The only way is to rescind your policy. Public opinion favors the so-called heroes of Dakota too much for them to turn their backs on them. That became increasingly evident by the SCU's defeat. The unit was never designed to attack Meta-Humans, only aid in suppressing them. Even the model unit in Metropolis has Superman supporting them." Another pause as the political advisor proceeded to light a cigarette, ignoring the "No Smoking" sign posted against the wall. "Of course, you should already know this, as it was in my initial report."
The mayor sighed again as she returned to massaging her temples, effectively as she chose to block out the warnings. "Begin the slander campaign as well as the edited video of the SCU attack. We have to convince the public that Static and the rest of his cronies were involved in the assault along with the Meta-Breed."
"You realize a campaign like this will come back to bite you in the ass..."
"I don't pay you to argue with me Vyers, your paid to do your job and that is protecting me."
Nodding his head once, the tall, dark skinned man exited the room before making his way to the public relations department. 'When was it,' he wondered, 'that protecting the mayor included helping her commit political suicide?'
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"H-Hello?" the voice echoed in silent shyness through the Shock Vox and Static turned from the assembled heroes and took up his communicator. "Is someone there?"
"Uh...Maureen?" Static asked, his eyes narrowing in silent concern as he wondered what had caused the often-frightened young woman to contact him. "This is Static, what's wrong?"
"Um...I'm not sure," the voice called out, leaving many in the room in doubt of the girl's emotional stability. "There's some machine here beeping and it won't shut up. I don't know what to do..."
Static's hand tightened around the boxy transmitter as the frightful realization of the information came to him. "Alright, I'm on my way, just stay calm."
Turning back to his friends, Static eyed each with an uneasy expression, not knowing what the situation might entail. "We need to get over there." The young man stated, his eyes turning to focus on Talon. "You should stay here Teresa, I don't want you getting hurt any worse than you are."
"No way Mr. Hero, I'm going." The feathered Bang Baby said, defiance shining in her eyes. "I owe that woman who threw me to the ground and I'm not about to let you go this alone."
"He's not alone Talon, we're with him!" Shebang said, stepping forward to place herself between the former criminal and her leader.
"Whatever," the winged young woman said, indifference echoing from every word. "I'm still going. My leg's almost healed already and I have a score to settle."
"Look," RubberBand Man intervened, silencing Shebang's obvious upcoming rebuttal. "We don't have time to argue. We have to find out what's going on and rescue Gear...we've no time for petty rivalry."
"He's right," Static said, stepping forward and taking the role given to him by the others. "We haven't time for this. Whatever is happening in the system of the Power Pad could be our only lead to finding Gear so we need to go now."
"No, what we need," Grendel said, a smile crossing his massive face, "Is a plan...and I have one, but we need to find the place first."
"Then lets go."
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"It has started," Alva said with pleasant satisfaction, glaring once more at his assembled force. "We just got word from our little spy that Static is preparing to assault Ebon's team.
"Son," Alva said, turning to his own child as he began giving orders. "I want you to take Replay and Starburst. Monitor the situation, but only become involved if it is congruent to our plans, is that understood?"
"Of course father," the young man said, his dry, barely tolerable tone not escaping the elder Alva's notice. Though he wore the costume many were familiar with, he no longer held the various belts of Bang Baby gas to summon his powers; those forces were now fused with his genetic structure, the result of his overdose of the gas.
"Good," Alva continued. "I want York to monitor the situation. Give him continuous updates of the battle. When the time is right, York will notify the police. Madelyn dear," Alva said, pausing to address the young woman. "I want you, Replikon and Dr. Menace to remain here. We need to monitor their progress and if things become too involved, then you should go to assist, is that understood?"
"Certainly Mr. Alva," Madelyn said, not at all happy either with the assignment but willing to suppress her distaste for the good of her own objective.
"Excellent, then begin."
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Puff floated aimlessly about the hideout, absorbing what her mind had just observed from the blue prints she had finally studied. She had no problems with theft or other random acts of violence, but what Ebon was planning was nothing short of genocide, and on the scale of something a sociopath would conceive. The thought brought a sick feeling to the pit of her stomach.
"What's wrong Puff?" the voice asked before the vaporous Bang Baby realized she had floated into the meeting room and was confronted by Ebon and the other members of the Breed.
"Why didn't you tell me what you were planning Ebon?" Puff asked uncertainly, scanning the members for some hopeful support against the Shadow Master. "You're planning to wipe out the city?"
"Yeah..." the ebony villain said, a smug grin crossing his attention. "That should get their attention, don'tcha think?"
"I don't get it Ebon," Gear finally said from his fixed position. "When did you ever resort to killing?"
"You obviously ain't read my file then Gear, I was locked in juvie for two years before the Big Bang, for trying to kill a cop. I'd have done it too if my brother hadn't stopped me. Always the softie. But killing ain't no skin off me...I'd have don't worse than that if I could...and now, I'm going to do just that."
"This is insane Ebon!" Puff blurted out, wishing at once she could take back the words as the others stared at her in silent persecution. "W...what you're talking about is murder!"
Scanning the group before her, Puff watched as Hotstreak and Shiv shrugged their shoulders, the latter looking almost excited by the proposition. Chainlink and Slipstream both seemed impartial towards the suggestion, street life being what it was required violent messages after all, while Jersey smiled smugly, suggesting the idea had been hers all along.
"You know what they say Puff," Ebon said, advancing on his frightened ally. "You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs."
"You call mass genocide making an omelet?" The new voice spoke as the collected villains turned to see Static standing aboard his flying disc just inside the open window that faced the city. "Remind me never to ask you for any of your recipes."
"Well, well, the hero finally showed." Ebon said, ignoring the electrical discharge that began to build off the intruding young man.
"One way or the other Ebon, it all ends today!"
-To be continued
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Evilness indeed, to end the chapter at the pivotal fight scene. Just horrendous of me, ne? Well, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update, as I'm going to be moving into my new apartment next Friday and have a lot of stuff to take care of between now and then. Hopefully I'll get it updated soon but just wanted to warn everyone. As always, reviews are appreciated. Danke