"Prison Break Pt. 3"
For the JLU2001 Fanfiction Group
By: Brent Lambert
"Ms. Harper can we get a move on please! We have hungry customers waiting outside for a halfway decent meal! I swear girl you can just be as slow as molasses sometimes. I bet your momma had the hardest time potty training you. I tell ya that just has to be some of the hardest times. Your momma is a saint for putting up with a child as slow as you. Jeebus gal them plates are at a lean. You gonna have them folks food all messed up and every which a way!"
Halo struggled with all her might to ignore the babbling of her senile manager, Ms. Coon. That woman could talk on and on about nothing and swear she was talking about world important affairs. Any other day Violet (among other names) could put up with it, but today she just wanted to crack. She hadn't been able to sleep at all. The whole thing about the Yughagi Mancur was just bothering her to no end. She couldn't get it off of her mind.
Now the jewel is lost, but it can be found. You must find the searcher if you are to avoid the hunter
That part of the message was what bugged Halo the most. Just who was the searcher she needed to find and who was the hunter she needed to avoid? The part of her that was Marissa Baron hated to be given only a bit of something and have the most important part held away from her. As she served out the double hamburgers and bacon melts she just wanted to scream. Frustration at the Aurakle's message was building up within her.
"Girl aren't you going to give those people some refills! They look like they're about to die of thirst. You know they're related to Millie Jean and if Millie Jean is the kinda gossip I think she is she'll talk to Bertha Wells about how you tried to dehydrate her kinfolk. Then Wells will tell her whole uppity lil church and it'll probably get back to boss man. Lord knows boss man is always trying to keep his uppity folks happy. I'd hate to see you lose your job over some uppity folks sweety. So go on and give them their refills."
I swear just one more word from this lady and she's going to get flung out of the door.
"Rough day?" Cody, one of Halo's younger co-workers, asked. He usually always saw Ms. Harper smile while serving even the rudest customers. Today she seemed to be a bit off. Even with the regulars of the little diner.
"You could say that. The sleep has been at an extreme minimum," Halo replied fighting back the urge to yawn as she headed out into the sea of people and gave an elderly couple their unsweetened teas.
"I tell ya Cody! If we all moved as slow as Harper we'd all die of starvation cuz we wouldn't get to the blasted store to buy us some groceries. Tarnation gal you gotta get some of that lard out ya ass! Not literally of course. You have a beautiful figure. I use to have one like that myself back in high school. The boys fell all over me. I was the star of the show. Even won Prom Queen at the Senior Prom. Those were the days. Before I started popping out chilluns."
My word in Heaven. I feel for those poor children a thousand times over.
"She's in there? Man to go from Batman protégé to diner waitress? She's taken quite a nosedive for the worse," Captain Cold said with a slight hint of disappointment in his voice as him and his companions looked upon the diner where Violet Harper was now said to be working.
"Not all those with powers seek lives filled with chaos and destruction. I hate dragging her into this. Are you sure she knows something?" Starfire asked a bit anxious at tearing into Halo's new life and thrusting back in the super heroic life. It was a world that Starfire was accustomed to and quite enjoyed on occasion. Halo had her fair share of tragedy though that gave her a different opinion of the situation.
"Its not her that knows something. It's the Aurkale that lives within her. That creature is ancient and its knowledge expansive. If it can't define exactly what it is that I think I'm looking for then nothing else can," Kanto explained the taste of the hunt salivating on his lips. He was one step closer to understanding and finding the treasure that he felt would make him more powerful than Darkseid could ever hope to be.
"Lets go in there and interrogate the woman already!" Knockout yelled growing impatient with the constant back and forth of her companions. With all their talking they could have gotten the information they wanted and be on their quest.
"NO! We wait until she leaves her place of employment. I will not see you tear down the life that she is trying to build for herself. Do that and I will make you regret it. Star of Creation or not," Starfire said with a menacing snarl.
Knockout was about to pounce on the Tamarian, but a calming hand from Kanto stayed the Fury, "We're going to do this Starfire's way for now. But if things get out of hand we're going to take over."
"Fine, but if you get out of hand I can't say what I won't do," Starfire warned.
"Fair enough," Kanto replied.
Violet Harper plopped on her couch and took a deep, long breath. It had taken all her willpower not to vaporize Ms. Coon in a way reminiscent of the new War of the Worlds. On top of that if another customer had spilled their soda on her she was going to start rolling heads out the door. Of course to top off the day Cody almost set her apron on fire. He'd be the last person she would get mad at though. At least he was genuinely concerned with her mental state throughout the day.
"Halo we need to talk."
Rising up quickly from her comfortable position on the couch Violet looked behind her to see Starfire standing by the curtains. Looking dumbfounded Halo said, "You were the last person I ever expected to pay me a visit. Did Nightwing send you because Batman told him to?"
Laughing Starfire shook her head, "No. Dick has a bit more sense than that. I've come on my own. Like I said. We need to talk."
Violet digested all that she had been told and finally said, "Guess my dream had a point after all."
"Which is precisely why we need you to try and access the Aurkale within you. If at all possible," Kanto said.
"Just to let you know. I'm still a bit freaked out I'm having a super villain convention in my living room."
Starfire grinned, "Trust me. It's not as bad as spending almost a whole day with them."
Halo smiled at Starfire and sat back to begin concentrating. She wasn't even really sure how to go about this, but she needed to clear her thoughts. Give way to the Aurkale. Let him take over. Trying to clear her mind wasn't working one bit. She kept thinking about Captain Cold going berserk and making her house an igloo. The thought of Knockout sitting on her furniture drove her up the wall. As big as that brute was she was probably breaking the frame. But then she thought of Starfire and the desperation she must have been under to ally herself with these people. Halo knew what it was like to feel alone and she could only imagine the tremendous loneliness that Starfire must feel everyday. To know that you are one of a kind in the entire universe must be a chilling thought. It was that thought that allowed Halo to submerge herself.
"I think its working. She's starting to glow purple," Captain Cold said hoping that things could finally really get rolling like he had hoped they would have quite a few hours ago. Honestly, he had expected Halo to take some lotus position or something while doing her switcheroo. In actuality she had just plopped herself down on a couch and went to meditating. It wasn't dramatic, but hey if Snart wanted entertainment he knew of plenty of places he could get it.
Starfire slowly began to inch away from Halo, "Be ready to fight! That's no longer Halo!"
Before Knockout could even reach out and give the first blow a large beam of orange energy hit her and sent her flying through the wall and two other apartments. An elderly woman screamed at the sight of the muscular female crashing through her wall. She had simply been enjoying her daily dose of Wheel of Fortune, but today would be different. With energy that she didn't knew she had, she leaped over the unconscious body of Knockout and ran out of her door.
"The Aurkale isn't present. We're dealing with Violet Harper!" Starfire explained as she flew forward ready to slam Halo out of the nearby window. With hateful eyes Halo blasted the Tamarian away with a repulsion blast that sent her right over Knockout and into another apartment.
Looking back at Starfire the assassin of Darkseid pulled out a sharp edged boomerang and flung it forward at Halo. The weapon hit Halo in the waist and sent her flying out the window that Starfire had intended to send her through. Halo would be unable to fly as the weapon would stick to her waist and only gain more mass as she descended to the Earth below.
"Cold immobilize her!" Kanto ordered harshly as he ran to the window to look and see how far Halo had to go before hitting the ground. He needed her and the Aurkale in her to survive. A smack with the concrete might not help in that endeavor.
"Move out of the way then!" Snart yelled as he pushed Kanto to the side and aimed his gun out the window and sent down a blast that encased Halo in a very thick ice cube.
"Knockout and Starfire! Get up and hurry downstairs to the street! Snart and I shall need your assistance!" Kanto commanded as he leaped out of the window with a cat's grace.
Captain Cold looked at Kanto waywardly and turned up his nose, "I'll be damned if he thinks I'm jumping out a window."
"You don't have a choice!" Knockout exclaimed as she wrapped one of her arms around Snart and leaped out of the window.
Kanto landed on the street without flaw and looked upon the ice cube that Cold had imprisoned the out of control Halo in. Unsheathing an energy sword Kanto approached the ice block knowing full and well what was to come next. He was a trusted warrior of Darkseid and despite his sly nature he had much more brutality and foresight than his companions got the chance to see.
Halo's glowing body was quickly melting away the ice as she surrounded herself with a heat beam. Slowly the water began to trickle and chunks of ice collided with the concrete. Seeing this Kanto broke into a full sprint and leaped up into the air. His sword extended in length and the weapon went right down the middle of the cube, striking Halo across the shoulder. Harper fell into unconscious as the energy weapon overloaded her nervous system.
Seconds later Knockout with Captain Cold in hand landed on the ground. Kanto looked at them discontented, "You move too slow! She could have become a problem."
"You're an assassin for Darkseid. Please don't act like you haven't fought worse," Starfire said as she descended to the ground.
"We need to move before we have the cops on our ass," Captain Cold demanded, as he broke free of Knockout's grip. He felt as small as a pea when that woman took hold of him the way she did. If she weren't flying through the air with him in tow he would have frozen her solid.
"No! I'm going to get the information we need and now!" Starfire yelled as she barreled forward and smashed through the already weakening ice. The Tamarian wrapped one strong hand around Halo's neck and flew with her into the air.
"Where is the Yughagi Mancur?" Starfire demanded.
Halo smiled, "For me to know and for you to find out!"
A repulsion beam ripped forth from Starfire's chest and sent her tumbling through the air. It had been a powerful attack and Starfire was knocked out cold. Halo was pleased with her attack and descended to the ground where Kanto and the others were poised for attack.
"You three are unworthy of the Aurkale's knowledge!" Halo exclaimed as she entrapped the three in a strong tractor beam. With a sinister smile Violet Harper faded away and gave way to the Aurkale.
"You shall have your taste of my knowledge," the Aurkale said as it overwhelmed the three minds with the various knowledge it possessed. They were weighed down with the rise and fall of civilizations, the birth of new technologies, the clashing of alien egos, and all other things that entailed a culture's birth. The knowledge was too much for even Kanto to handle and all three passed out.
The Aurkale lifted the three up into the air and launched them off into the horizon as if they were rag dolls and then the ancient alien of the Source turned to the broken Starfire who was weakly descending out of the rubble she had created.
"You on the other hand are indeed worthy of my knowledge," the Aurkale said with a gentle smile.
"Why the struggle?" Starfire asked between painful breaths.
"Kanto and the others needed to be disposed of. Don't worry. You will see them again."
Starfire's eyebrows perked up at that comment, "What do you mean?"
"My precious child. The item you seek is hidden beneath the very surface of Apokolips. It is there you must go if you dare to seek out the Yughagi Mancur," the Aurkale explained knowing the dread and disappointment that it was filling Starfire with.
Balling up her fists Starfire said through gritted teeth, "Anything for Tamaran."
Starfire lived for her people and even though they might be gone she would never stop living for them. Tamaran called her name and even if that voice was calling from Apokolips it was where she would go.
Author's Notes
Hey guys this is the first piece of Brent Lambert Presents at JLU and I must admit that it turned out far better than I could have ever anticipated that it would have. I had fun working with all these characters that Curt chose for me and I'm having a grand ole time writing for JLU. I definitely have more stories in mind for this site and look for an announcement very soon as to the nature of that. See you guys around and bug Curt so he'll write his BLP piece faster.
-Brent C. Lambert