The Creator
A/N: I apologize for taking a little longer. My computer broke down and this might be my last chance to update for a while. Bare with me folks.
Shayera was a detective, a fighter, and most of all, a quick thinker. If it were not for that single trait, the Thanagarian would be a pile of ash at that exact moment. With a precision that would even impress Batman, Shayera blocked the oncoming laser bolt with her Nth metal mace and it harmlesslyricocheted of and into a table. This did not mean that danger was over, however. More laser bolts came flying from the darkness and Shayera dodged, blocked andweaved through the entire barrage.
Dr. Fate, took a different approach as he shot out a blast of purple energy from his gloved hand. The attack apparently hit its mark as a cry of anger and defeat ringed through the room and a dropping noise could be heard. Dr. Fate then cast a spell that caused a pink aura to surround their attacker. The pink energy illuminated the room and within the aura, was a balding man, no doubt in his 50s and was wearing a very tight lab coat, which showed his dangerously skinny figure.
With annoyanceas well as impatience, Shayera came up to the man, holding up her mace as if she was going to strike.
"What do you want?" the man asked, staring fearfully at the mace crackling with energy.
"We have questions and we want answers," Shayera answered calmly, her temper going down but her mace was still high in the air.
"And what makes you think I'll give them to you?" the man said rudely.
"Because if you don't, you're going to be traped in there for quite a few years," Dr. Fate said, standing next to Shayera. "Now, will you answer our questions?"
The man thought about his options for several seconds and suddenly replied, "Fine. Ask away."
"What do you know about the leech creature that was created eight years ago?" Dr. Fate asked, not willing to waste any more time.
The man's eyes seemed to widen with horror. "The...the Verandi Project?" the man stuttered.
"The...Verandi Project?" Shayera repeated, her eyebrow raised with inquiry.
"That was the monster's codename," the man said, his apparent fear growing stronger. "It was named after my teacher, Dr. Verandi."
"Was Dr. Verandi the creator of the Project?" Dr. Fate asked.
The man only nodded weakly.
"Where is he?"
"He died several years ago," the man said faintly, his body shaking in absolute fear.
"Do you know his work? do you have notes?" Shayera asked.
"Over there," the man directed, pointing his finger at a file on a table nearby. Shayera grabbed it and began looking through them.
"This, this doesn't seem to fit the leech creature right," Shayera said, closing the file after finishing her skimming. "The file says that the Verandi Project was a life form that absorbsenergy from the atmosphere and thenuses it to power machines."
"That was the original form of the Verandi Project. But like any living being, it evolves, in this case, at a hyperaccelrated rate. The Project started to absorb energy from living beings and it no longer gave back the energy it took. It also began uneccesarily absorbing energy, aas if it was hungrySoon, it turned into as you say, a leech but feeding on the energy of human beings."
"Is there a way to stop it?" Dr. Fate asked.
"Well, Dr. Verandi did put a fail-safe within the creature's cellular structure. He invented a machine that emits waves that activate that fail-safe. The Project would then break down into liquid form."
"What about the energy it drained?"
"The victims will recover...unless..."
"Unless what?" Shayera said, worry coming over her.
"The creature always leaves a bit of its DNA behind. That DNA can turn into another one of the leeches."
Shayera gasped in horrorbut Dr. Fate seemed calm...for the moment. "So it's reproducing?"
"Not exactly. The spawns would be much weaker than the original and they are merely an extension, whatever they absorb, the orignal would get the same effects."
"Why would you give the Verandi Projectan ability likethat?"
"It was supposed to enable the original to gather more energy."
"And when does the Project do this?" Dr. Fate asked, with a feelling that he would get the worst, and he was right.
"It'll most likely leave its DNA behind on a victim," the man explained.
Shayera and Dr. Fate looked at each other, fearing the worst for their teammates. "The Watchtower."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Whoa," Green Arrow whispered in awe, staring at the room he had just entered. It was on the bottom levels of the Watchtower and they did not spare expense on them. It was about three floors (Green Arrow was on the second), a large spherical machine sitting in the center of the bottom floor. That sphere had a large, glowing column leading up, through the middles of the third and second floor and into the ceiling. Those large floors were transperent revealing the floor above it and were connected by a large staircase winding around the wall. "What is this place?"
"The channeling chamber," J'onn said flatly as he went down the steps to the bottom floor, with Green Arrow following quickly behind. "This chamber is directly above the binary fusion reactor. The sphere's column channels energy from above it, and directly into the sphere, which then powers the reactor."
"That's great and all but what're we doing down here?"
"We're here to activate the system lockdown," J'onn said coming up to the sphere.
"Why? How?" was all Green Arrow could say.
"This sphere has a manual lockdown system, that'll drain energy from the entire Watchtower and then that will enable the system lockdown so that there's no chance of escape."
"But why would you do that?"
"We must, otherwise the creatures might escape or if they cause damage, that might release something dangerous into the atmosphere."
Understanding, Green Arrow asked, "What do we do?"
"I'll enter the sphere and you'll have to switch on the power channlers, and I'll move them around so that the sphere will take in all the energy and store it." J'onn, quickly moved for the sphere but Green Arrow put a hand on the Martian's shoulder.
"What if they get out? Then all this will be pointless."
"We still have to try, it's our duty." J'onn and Green Arrow exchanged smiles and went to work.