Untold Tales of the JLI: Easy Like Sunday Morning Chapter Two
Power Girl and Blue Beetle had returned to the monitoring room to work on the main security board. Power Girl was still amazed at how quickly Beetle had gotten over his anger. He was working on the machine as though nothing had happened.
"So," said Power Girl, trying to start a conversation. "What happened to 'Red'?"
Beetle sighed. "It didn't work out. She thought I was keeping secrets from her."
"Were you?" asked Power Girl as she looked up at Beetle.
Beetle stopped what he was doing and turned to her. He put his hands out and slowly turned around much as a model would. His point was pretty clear as he modelled his uniform. "What do you think?" he asked with a sour smile.
"Ever think of just telling her?" Power Girl continued.
Beetle shrugged. "Yeah. The secret put a real big strain on our relationship. But, I DID tell the girlfriend previous to Mel, and that was just as bad. THAT put a strain on our relationship because she was always worried when I went out in costume. Kinda like a cop's wife."
"Damned if you do. Damned if you don't." said Power Girl sympathetically.
"What can you do?" said Beetle as he went to work on a circuit board.
Power Girl thought for a second. "Can I ask you another question?"
"Well," said Beetle, not looking up from the circuit board. "You seem to be able to vocalize just fine, and I'm sure you have the mental capacity to form a question. So... yes, you CAN ask a question." He smirked.
Power Girl stuck her tongue in her cheek and lifted an eyebrow. "MAY I ask you a question?" she corrected herself.
Beetle smiled. "Better. And no. You've been asking me a lot of questions. I hate one-way conversations. So, let me ask a question."
"Okay." said Power Girl wearily. "Go ahead."
Beetle considered his options. "Okay. Why the diet?" he asked.
Power Girl stopped what she was doing and looked at Beetle. "What?"
"You heard me." said Beetle. "Why the diet? You don't look like you need to lose any weight."
"There are a few pounds I'd like to lose." said Power Girl, almost defensively.
"Why?" asked Beetle again. "Me I can see. I let myself go for awhile. But, you? Women diet so that they can look like you! And you already look like you!"
"What? Are you saying I'm perfect?" asked Power Girl with a raised eyebrow.
"No. No." said Beetle with a smile. "Far from it. I'm just saying you already have an absolutely fantastic body! The question is: Are YOU going for the 'perfect' body?"
Power Girl considered what Beetle said, despite the "far from it" and "fantastic body" comments.
"And, if so," continued Beetle. "How do you define 'perfect'?"
Power Girl waved off Beetle's question. "I diet just because..." She hesitated as she searched for an answer. "Because I want to!" Even to her this explanation sounded weak.
"Just something to do?" offered Beetle.
"Yeah." answered Power Girl, who realized that really didn't make too much sense.
"Just something NORMAL to do?" asked Beetle as he cocked his head.
"What exactly are you trying to get at?" asked Power Girl, who was becoming slightly agitated with the line of questioning.
"I think," stated Beetle. "That you diet because it is a NORMAL thing to do. Mundane. Most women on Earth diet at one time or another. And I think you're looking for a little NORMALITY in your life."
Power Girl tilted her head and looked at Beetle through narrowed eyes.
"Maybe." she conceded begrudgingly.
"Hey!" said Beetle. "There's no reason to sweat it. There's nothing wrong with a little 'normal' in your life."
Power Girl gave Beetle a half-smile. "Like YOU would know! Running around in an insect costume. Flying around in a giant mechanical bug. Yeah! You're the poster boy for 'normal'!"
Beetle put on a look of faux-indignation. "I never...ever...said I was normal. Truth be told, I'm EXTRA-ordinary!" Then, Beetle said in his best Jack Nicholson voice, "But, you can't HANDLE the truth!"
"Oh." said Power Girl with a smile. "I can handle the truth. The question is: can you tell the truth?"
"Are you questioning my veracity?" asked Beetle, slightly amused.
"Should I?" responded Power Girl, equally amused.
"I'll have you know," stated Beetle innocently. "I only lie when it's absolutely... and totally... convienant for me to do so."
"That's what I thought." said Power Girl, almost sadly. "You don't have the... SPALDINGS to tell the truth!"
Beetle turned around to look at Power Girl. "Oh ho ho." he said with a smile. "Very low on your part to question my manhood. I get the feeling you want something. Just what do you have brewing in that wicked mind of yours?"
"I ask a question," started Power Girl. "And you tell the truth. The whole truth. And nothing but the truth."
"And then I get to ask you a question?" asked Beetle, trying to get a better grasp on what Power Girl wanted.
Power Girl nodded.
"And you have to tell the truth? The whole truth? Nothing but the truth?" asked Beetle, as he started to enjoy this.
"Quid pro quo!" stated Power Girl.
"Like 'Truth or Dare' without the dare!" said Beetle as he smiled at her. After a second he added, "Don't you know how dangerous it is to play that game with guys?"
"I'm not the one trying to back out of this." said Power Girl in a saccarine sweet voice. "Are you scared?"
Beetle smiled broadly, as he started warming to the idea. "Oh. I'm practically shaking in my bright blue booties!"
"Well?" challenged Power Girl.
"I get the feeling we're playing a little 'cat-and-mouse' game here! But, are you really so sure you're not the little squeeker?" asked a bemused Beetle.
"Only one way to find out. Isn't there?"
"You're on!"
Power Girl and Blue Beetle faced off for an monumental encounter of epic proportions. A battle with the most dangerous weapon in the universe - the pure unadulterated truth!
"Ladies first!" said Beetle with slightly exaggerated bow.
Power Girl considered her strategy. "Should I work him slowly, and then lower the boom? Or go full out at the start?" she thought to herself. "What's the one thing he wouldn't want to tell me?" Power Girl decided to start off slowly in order to lull Beetle into a false sense of security. The game was on!
"Who dropped the water balloon on me last month?" Power Girl asked with just the slightest hint of menace in her voice.
Beetle winced. After a second of soul-search and determining whether Power Girl would kill him or not, Beetle said, "I dropped the water balloon on you... ACCIDENTALLY! I was aiming for Ralph!"
"But, you didn't hit Ralph. Did you?" asked Power Girl ominously.
"That's a second question, PeeGee." said Beetle. "I thought it was one question at a time."
"Nevermind answering it." said Power Girl. "I'll answer it for you. No, you did not hit Ralph. You hit me! Right in the chest!"
"Right there!" said Beetle quickly. "That proves it was an accident. My aim with a water balloon from three stories up is NOT that good. And why would I get your shirt wet when I was too far away to get any benefit out of it?"
"Because you didn't plan far enough ahead." answered Power Girl. "And that was your first question."
"No fair!" exclaimed Beetle. "I was defending myself. That was a rhetorical question."
"A rhetorical question is still a question." said Power Girl resolutely. "Those are the rules. Learn to love them and respect them."
Beetle stood there steaming for a moment. He wasn't sure if he was madder at himself, for asking that rhetorical question, or Power Girl, for not letting it slide. In the end, he decided he was madder at himself, ONLY because he wouldn't have let Power Girl slide if the situation were reversed.
"Okay." Beetle said in a sullen voice. "But, I've got to say that I'm deeply disappointed in your sportsmanship."
"Tough noogies!" responded Power Girl. "Now, let me see..." She thought for a second. "Okay, Beetle. What's your biggest regret?"
Beetle let the air out between his lips as they flapped. That was a tough one! Beetle thought about that one for a minute. "Asking Dan Garrett to help me." Beetle finally said.
"You have to explain." said Power Girl, wanting more of an answer. "You have to answer with the WHOLE truth."
"Dan was the first Blue Beetle." he said as he looked down. "I made a horrible mistake and trusted my uncle. I helped him solve a problem with a robot he was trying to create. I didn't know my uncle was trying create a robotic army because he was hell-bent on world domination. When I found out, I went to Dan for help. Dan was my archeology professor in college and a friend. I didn't know he was the Blue Beetle at the time. We confronted my uncle and a battle ensued. Dan died in that battle, but, not before he destroyed my uncle's army. Before he died, Dan made me promise to carry on the mantle of Blue Beetle."
Power Girl didn't expect to hear this story from Beetle. She suspected that he didn't tell a lot of people how he came to be Blue Beetle. She didn't know what to say, so, she said what everyone says. "I'm sorry, Beetle."
Beetle have the slightest of shrugs. "Y'know, you can call me Ted." he said.
"Okay...Ted." Power Girl responded, trying the new name out. "You can call me Kara."
"I thought it was Karen." said Beetle.
"It is." replied Power Girl. "But, my friends call me Kara."
"Alright, Kara." said Beetle with a slight smile. "My turn! Did you- or do you still- have a crush on Ted Kord?"
Power Girl almost audible groaned as she rolled her eyes at that question. Beetle wasn't going to let that go, and he had gone for the bombshell right away. Power Girl hesitated for a few seconds.
"Don't tell me you're giving up on the first question!" said Beetle, a little disappointed. "Wait 'til I tell the other you can't hang with the 'big boys'."
"I'm gonna answer!" snapped Power Girl quickly. "And in no way, shape, or form are you one of the 'big boys'!"
"I'm waiting." said Beetle with an amused expression.
"Okay!" said Power Girl finally as she stared at the ceiling. "I admit it. I might have had the smallest of crushes on you at one time."
"Geez! Put all kinds of modifiers in your answer next time!" said Beetle, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "I thought this was suppose to be the WHOLE truth and NOTHING BUT the truth!"
"Alright. Alright." said Power Girl. "I had a crush on you. Happy now?"
Beetle smiled broadly. "Surprisingly, YES. I am happy. Every guy needs to have his ego stroked every now and then. And to have said ego stroked by a beautiful woman..." Beetle let the thought trail off. "AND 'happy now?' was a question. So, it's my turn again."
Power Girl winced. She had to be more careful next time. She couldn't say anything because she'd already called Beetle on his rhetorical question. "Okay. But, I've got to say that I'm deeply disappointed in your sportsmanship." Power Girl parroted Beetle's earlier comment.
"Hmmmm." said Beetle. "I get the feeling you are neither loving nor respecting the rules here, Kara."
"Just ask your question!" said Power Girl hotly.
"Sooo many questions." said Beetle as he tried to decide which to ask. "But, I guess I'll go for the follow-up question. Why Ted Kord?"
Power Girl really had to think about that one. "I really don't know." she said honestly. "You were appearing on a lot talk shows. You had a lot of interviews out. I thought you were... interesting. You came off as young and exciting. Funny and smart." Power Girl thought for a second and shrugged. "Plus, I thought you were cute!"
Beetle's smile widened. "Gotto love that ego stroke!" he said.
"You know, I'm going to put my next question aside for this one. What is it with this 'ego stroke' thing?" asked Power Girl.
"It's why guys go to strip clubs." said Beetle. "Sure, there are naked women there- and that's a BIG attraction. But, I think most guys go to have attractive women pay attention to them. I KNOW they're getting paid to be nice. I KNOW they're being nice to get tips. But, there's just something that feels so... so... GOOD about having an attractive woman appear so interested in you." Beetle added quickly, "Especially attractive naked women!"
Power Girl shook her head. "Do you know how pathetic that sounds?"
Beetle shrugged. "I know. But, you said you wanted the truth. AND that was a question, so, I get two this turn!"
Power Girl groaned. She didn't mean to ask that question, but, she couldn't help herself. "Okay." she said. "You get two questions."
"I'll take it easy on you this turn." promised Beetle. "Question number one: which of my interviews did you like the best?"
That seemed like a pretty innocuos question to Power Girl. She thought about it for a second. "I really liked that interview you gave in Playboy." she answered.
At the word 'Playboy', Beetle's eyebrows shot up and he looked at Power Girl. Power Girl caught this.
"I only bought it for your interview!" she said shaking her head at Beetle's crystal-clear dirty thoughts.
"I usually say that I buy it for the articles when someone catches me buying it." said Beetle with a smile. "Which leads to the follow-up question: what did you think of my centerfold?"
"Ha. Ha." she said. "You know you weren't the centerfold!" She knew what Beetle was getting at, but, decided to throw him a bone.
"Okay." said Beetle with relish. "You bought a Playboy AND you LOOKED at the centerfold! Otherwise, you wouldn't have known it wasn't me in the centerfold!" Beetle smiled mischievously.
"OR it could be because Playboy doesn't put guys in their centerfolds!" said an amused Power Girl.
"Really?" said a faux-shocked Beetle. "Then, what did Hef do with those pictures I posed for on the bearskin rug? I feel so...DIRTY now!"
Power Girl couldn't help but laugh at that. Power Girl could actually picture Beetle lying on the rug, chin resting in hands, blowing a kiss to the camera. The picture in her mind's eye was so vivid and absurd that Power Girl started laughing harder and harder. Tears started streaming down her face.
Beetle stood back and watched Power Girl descend into a fit of laughter. He thought his little joke was mildly amusing, but, not side-splittingly funny. "What's so funny?" he asked.
Power Girl tried catching her breath. "Y...you on a b...bearskin rug...NAKED!" And she had another fit of laughter.
Beetle raised an eyebrow. "Man, talk about a reverse ego-stroke..."
As Blue Beetle stood there watching Power Girl laugh- AT HIS EXPENSE!- he realized that he'd never seen her laugh before. Sure, he'd seen her smirk, smile condescendingly, and flash her pearly whites once in a while. But, he'd never seen her laugh outloud.
"You should do that more often." Beetle said quietly.
"W-w-what?" said Power Girl as she was wiping tears out of her eyes.
"Laugh." said Beetle simply. "I get the feeling you don't do it often enough. And it really does become you."
Power Girl had to admit it was true. She really didn't laugh too much. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had laughed this hard. It felt good! But, she had an image to maintain, and being seen laughing uncontrollably didn't fit that image. As she quickly composed herself, Power Girl realized Beetle was still looking at her.
"What?" she asked.
Beetle had his head to his side, just staring. It was like he had been trying to figure something out.
Power Girl didn't like that. What she liked even less was the look of almost sadness on Beetle's face.
"Nothing." said Beetle quickly.
"No. Not 'nothing'." said Power Girl. "What?"
Beetle smiled. "You really are uptight. Aren't you?" he asked.
"What do you mean 'uptight'?" asked an offended Power Girl.
"Uptight." replied Beetle. "Afraid of letting people see you as anything but tough and serious."
"That's not true!" stated Power Girl.
"Isn't it?" asked Beetle. "When I commented that you should laugh more, you put that wall of yours back up. God forbid anyone should see you laugh! Enjoying yourself? SHOCKING!" Beetle put his hands on the sides of his face to emphasize the point.
"I laugh plenty!" said Power Girl emphatically.
"Really?" asked Beetle. "When was the last time you had a good laugh? And NOT in private. In front of someone else."
Power Girl was starting to get agitated. "None of your damned business!"
"I bet it hasn't happened in a long, long time." said Beetle. "That would ruin your rough and tumble image. It would let people know you're human!"
"Maybe it's because I'm NOT human!" shouted Power Girl. She was shocked to find her eyes beginning to tearing up. But, she was damned if she was going to let Beetle see that! She stormed out of the room.
Despite Power Girl's best efforts, Beetle had seen the tears welling up in her eyes. There's nothing like a woman crying to make a man feel like utter crap, especially when said man knows he's responsible for the tears. And that's how Beetle felt- like crap!
"Nice going, stupid!" thought Beetle. "You had to keep goading her. Didn't you? Couldn't leave well enough alone?" Beetle mentally called himself a few choice names and then went after Power Girl.
Beetle found Power Girl sitting on the steps of the staircase in the foyer. She wasn't crying. She wasn't moving. She was just staring down at her feet.
Beetle didn't know what to say, so, he started with, "Kara, I'm sorry."
"No." said Power Girl, never looking up. "You're right. I do build walls between myself and others. I don't let people get too close. But, not because I'm afraid to show them I'm human. It's because..." Her voice trailed off. "It's because I'm afraid I don't measure up."
Beetle sat down next to her on the step. "Measure up to who?" asked Beetle.
Power Girl shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I don't know." she answered honestly. "Superman. J'Onn. I don't know." She glanced over at Beetle. "You know, I thought I was Kryptonian. I had all of Superman's powers. He accepted me as his cousin. Only I wasn't Superman's cousin. Or Kryptonian, for that matter. Then, I find out I'm Atlantean. Now..." Power Girl put her head back down. "Now, I don't know what to think!"
"You only ever have to measure up to yourself." said Beetle gently.
Power Girl blinked and looked at Beetle again. "That would sound almost profound," started Power Girl. "Until you realize that's just b.s."
Beetle's eyebrows went up. "That's not b.s..." Beetle started, but, Power Girl cut him off.
"When people thought I was Superman's cousin, people treated me differently." explained Power Girl. "When they found out I wasn't, it was like I let them down. Like I let HIM down! Disappointed them. I disappointed them by NOT being something they thought I was." She shook her head. "You wouldn't understand!"
Beetle considered what Power Girl had just told him. "I think I do." he said. "When I first started, people wanted to compare me to Dan. But, I didn't have his powers. And I felt a lot of people were disappointed in the 'new Blue Beetle'. I couldn't 'measure up' to him."
"You were just human." said Power Girl quietly.
"Yep." said Beetle, a slight smile crossing his lips. "Just human."
"But," Power Girl started. "At least you know what you are. I don't even know that! I'm not Kryptonian. I'm not sure I'm human! Sure, I'm Atlantean, but, imbued with powers! I only need an hour of sleep a day. I don't feel heat and cold...I'm not sure I can feel anything! I'm suppose to be human, but, I don't even know if I am!"
Beetle considered what she had said as Power Girl looked back down. Beetle took his right glove off.
"Either this'll work," thought Beetle. "Or I'm going to a Parisean hospital!" As Beetle licked his finger, he thought, "Man, I hope the food in the hospital is good!" With that, he stuck his saliva-covered finger in Power Girl's ear.
Power Girl let out a yelp and clapped her hand over her ear, narrowly avoiding taking Beetle's finger off in the process. She had a shocked look on her face as she looked at Beetle. "What the HELL do you think you're doing?" she practically screamed at him.
"Oh." said Beetle non-chalantly. "I thought you couldn't feel anything."
Disbelief was in Power Girl's eyes. "A WET WILLIE!" she said. "I'm here pouring out my soul to you, and you give me a WET WILLIE!"
"No." said Beetle slowly. "You were sitting here feeling sorry for yourself, and I gave you a wet willie."
Beetle never saw her hand move, it was that quick. She slammed him up against the staircase wall and kept her hand on his chest. "I. WAS. NOT. FEELING. SORRY. FOR. MYSELF." she uttered each word clearly as her eyes flashed with anger.
Power Girl had put some considerable pressure on his chest, but, Beetle managed to say, "Yes. You were."
Power Girl pulled her hand away from Beetle's chest. "What the Hell do you know anyway?"
Beetle rasped in a breath of air. "I know enough to recognize someone feeling sorry for themself." he said. "I have enough first-hand experience to know that."
Beetle took another breath. Thankfully, the second one went down easier than the first. "You were sitting here talking about not being able to feel heat and cold. Yeah well, you CAN feel them. You just have a higher resistance to them. And you could damned well feel a wet finger in your ear!"
Power Girl shot Beetle a dirty look, but, she kept listening.
"As for 'measuring up' to others," said Beetle. "No one I know refers to you as a 'second-rate Superman'. They think of you as a premier hero- A FIRST-STRINGER- in your own right!" Beetle rubbed his sore sternum and winced. "A premier hero with a wicked temper!"
The more she thought about what Beetle said, the more her anger faded. But, the more her anger faded, the worse she felt about slamming Beetle up against the wall.
"You like to live dangerously, don't you?" Power Girl asked Beetle.
"Oh, yeah." said Beetle sarcastically, still rubbing his sternum. "I live for having beautiful blondes slam me into walls!"
"Are you okay?" she asked, the concern genuine.
"Nothin a week in the hospital won't fix!" answered Beetle with a slight smile.
"Did you really have to stick your finger in my ear?" asked Power Girl with raised brow.
"It seemed like a good way to make a point and shake you out of your doldrum. Plus, it was either my finger or my tongue." replied Beetle, as he looked up at her with a smirk. "I went with the less fun choice."
Power Girl just stared at Beetle for a second, as if trying to make up her mind about something. "You know," she said. "You're alright... in your own messed-up way!"
"Stop." said Beetle with a grin. "All your praise will turn my head."
"With all our personal crisises- crises?-" Power Girl shrugged her shoulders. "We're never gonna get that damned security board finished."
"Oh." said Beetle, a little sheepishly. "I can get that done in half an hour."
Power Girl froze as what Beetle just said registered. "What? I thought-"
Beetle shrugged. "I just wanted the company. I figured you were stuck here until I got it fixed anyway, so..."
"You mean you could've had it fixed awhile ago?" asked Power Girl, not believing what she was hearing.
"By myself, I would've been done an hour ago." said Beetle with a shrug. "With your 'help', it was taking a little longer."
Power Girl leaned back and rested her head on a step. She closed her eyes and smiled. "You really do like living dangerously!" she said as she shook her head.
Power Girl and Blue Beetle went back to the monitoring room. Power Girl let Beetle work on the security board by himself, but, she stayed "to keep him company". She was quite honestly amazed at how fast Beetle worked. Then again, she figured he BUILT the system, so, it wasn't really surprising he could REBUILD it.
"I think you found your calling." said Beetle with a grin as he looked up from what he was doing. "Supervisor!"
"I'm just making sure you don't screw up." said Power Girl with a smile. "Or that you don't waste time again!"
"Isn't that the definition of a supervisor?" asked Beetle.
"Uh-uh." said Power Girl. "I believe when we left off, it was MY TURN to ask a question."
"If you must." replied Beetle as he placed a circuit board in the security board.
Power Girl thought for a second. As she smiled, she asked, "What's the one thing no one knows about?"
Beetle looked up. "If I answer that question, then someone would know."
"Does that mean you forfeit? Wait until I tell everyone you can't hang with the 'big boys'!" said Power Girl with a smirk.
"If you're one of the 'big boys'," said Beetle with a smirk of his own. "Then you've really been keeping a huge secret!"
"Just answer the question, wise guy!" said Power Girl.
Beetle stopped working on the security board for a second. "If you tell anybody- and I mean ANYBODY- about this, I'll deny it 'til my dying breath!"
Power Girl was intrigued. "Well, don't keep me in suspense. 'Fess up!"
Beetle closed his eyes and answered. "Deep at heart," Beetle tapped his chest. "I'm a romantic. I'm a sucker for a good love story. 'Casablanca'. 'The Princess Bride'..."
That answer totally caught Power Girl off-guard. She could not picture Beetle- or Ted Kord, for that matter- sitting and watching a love story. "Nooo." she said with a smile.
Beetle just grinned sheepishly and shrugged.
"Do you cry?" asked Power Girl with a smirk. She couldn't resist the dig and was trying to get a reaction out of Beetle.
"NO!" exclaimed Beetle. Then, added, "Well, hardly ever... AND that was two questions! Now, I get two questions...AGAIN!"
"Okay." said Power Girl, still grinning at Beetle's revelation.
"I guar-en-DAMN-tee that I win on one of these next two questions!" stated Beetle emphatically. "If I don't, I'll forfeit the game to you. No more 'Mister Nice-Beetle'. I hope you're ready."
"Oh. Hit me with your best shot, Mr. Love Story!" said Power Girl with a big grin.
"Alright. You admitted to having a crush on me." started Beetle with a wicked grin. He let that hang there for a second. "BUT... did you ever have a FANTASY about me?"
"Oh, C'MON!" said Power Girl in exasperation. Beetle's question had wiped the grin right off of her face. "You're a dirty, little, horny bast-!"
"Hey! Hey! Watch the language!" Beetle warned. "Or we'll have have to change it from PeeGee to PeeGee-13!"
"You would ask that kind of question." complained Power Girl.
"Well, of course I would." said Beetle as he smiled. "But, you don't HAVE to answer. Just admit defeat and say, 'Ted, I just can't compete with you in the field of honesty.'!"
Power Girl stewed. She couldn't decide which would hurt her pride more: answering the question or not answering the question. She was an extremely competitive person and really didn't want to lose their little game. But, just on principle, she should refuse to answer it. She bit her lip and narrowed her eyes as she tried to solve her quandry.
"Yes." Power Girl finally said through gritted teeth.
Beetle was stunned. BEYOND stunned. He didn't actually think Power Girl would answer the question just on general principle alone. And, if she did, he was expecting a "no", not a "yes". His mind was on the verge of a meltdown from the possibilities. Literally, dozens of thoughts were flying around in his brain.
"Really?" he asked in a shocked voice, and immediately winced at his own stupidity. THAT was not the follow-up question he wanted to ask. AND it cost him the game. "SON-OF-A-!"
"Ah-ah-ah! Watch the language!" said Power Girl, as she started to smile. "The answer is yes. Really. And you lose." Power Girl smiled smugly at Beetle.
"I don't suppose you'd care to share some details?" Beetle asked hopefully.
"You'll NEVER know the details!" stated Power Girl through a seductive smile. "Suffice it to say, you were extraordinary!"
Beetle groaned as he put the last circuit board in place and closed the access panel. He smirked at Power Girl and said, "Do you really think it's better to leave it up to MY imagination?"
"Nice try." replied Power Girl. "But, that's all it'll be. YOUR imagination!"
Beetle raised an eyebrow. "No. No. I hate to correct you, but, it is YOUR fantasy." With that zinger, Beetle flipped a switch and both the main security board and the monitoring station lit up.
"You're never going to let me live that down. Are you?" asked Power Girl.
Beetle smiled. "Never."
"And I suppose you're going to go back and have a good laugh about it with Booster." said Power Girl, a note of disapproval in her voice.
"I wasn't planning to." said Beetle with a shrug as he packed his tool case and gathered the remainder of his equipment. "Give me a little credit. I CAN keep a secret."
Beetle pointed to his mask. "Could you hand me that?" he asked.
"Sure." Power Girl said as she picked up the mask. She looked down at the Beetle's mask and wiped away some lint off of a lens with her thumb. She looked up at Ted Kord's face. She hated to admit it, but, she was starting to feel sad that Beetle had to go. Sure, he could be a huge pain-in-the-ass, he was highly unorthodox, and he obsessed on the carnal, but, dammit, he did make things interesting. He made her laugh and open up about herself. He kept her on her toes. What could have been a long day seem to fly by. It chagrinned her to admit it, but, she was going to miss him!
"Are you going to hand it to me or are you planning to keep it?" asked Beetle with a smile as he held out his hand.
Power Girl handed Beetle his mask.
"Thanks." said Beetle as he prepared to put his mask back on. Before he could, Power Girl stopped him.
"Ted," she said. "Before you go, there's something I've got to know."
It sounded harmless enough to Beetle. He shrugged and said, "Okay. What?"
Power Girl placed both her hands on either side of Beetle's face and kissed him deeply.
As Power Girl locked her lips to Blue Beetle's, Beetle froze. He expected her to ask a question, not kiss him. NOT THAT HE WAS COMPLAINING! "Man!" he thought as Power Girl continued the kiss. "For someone who can deflect bullets off her skin, she's got really soft lips!"
Beetle felt himself responding in kind to Power Girl's kiss. He placed one hand on her back and the other on her hip. Apparently, Power Girl had no problem with that as she moved her hands away from Beetle's face. She draped one arm around Beetle's neck and started running her hand through Beetle's hair, up the back of his head.
Beetle's eyes almost rolled back into his head. There were certain spots on the male anatomy that responded well to a woman's touch. The back of Beetle's head was one of those spots. "Ooohhhh! THAT'S the spot!" he thought.
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Meanwhile, at the New York embassy of the Justice League International, J'Onn J'Onnz had not been surprised by the reaction he received when he informed the others that they were "on-call" today. There had been a lot of complaining, kvetching, moaning, and crying. And that was just Booster. The rest were almost as bad.
The only one who didn't complain (other than Ice, who rarely ever complained because it wasn't in her nature) was Blue Beetle. And that was only because J'Onn hadn't heard anything from Beetle since he'd sent him to the Paris embassy. It had been hours since Beetle had gotten there, and J'Onn was sorely tempted to try to raise him on his communicator for a status report. But, J'Onn didn't because he figured if Beetle ran into trouble he'd contact him.
It wasn't uncommon for Beetle to forget to call in when he was working on a project. Beetle tended to have "tunnel vision" when he was working on something that interested him. The main security board in the Paris embassy certainly feel into that classification, as electronics were of his specialty.
J'Onn found it slightly amusing that Power Girl was "trapped" there with him. Power Girl was willful, ill-tempered, and volatile. Being alone with Beetle could be a considerable undertaking for even the most patient of people. For someone not known for patience (like Power Girl), it could potentially be maddening! Beetle could be thoroughly charming or completely miserable to be around depending on his mood. (J'Onn had read Beetle's psych tests. "Idiosyncratic" and "mercurial" were the terms most often used.) Power Girl's only advantage in dealing with Beetle was her appearance. She was quite attractive, and Beetle had a tendancy to try to impress attractive women. In other words "show-off". J'Onn smiled slightly as a multi-hued blue peacock analogy came to mind.
Despite what Power Girl might have thought, J'Onn didn't send Beetle there to drive her nuts. Beetle was there because he was the most qualified to repair the system (afterall, he did build it). Driving Power Girl mad was a just an unavoidable potential side-effect.
In J'Onn's estimation, in a League that tended not to take itself seriously enough, Power Girl tended to take herself TOO seriously. J'Onn felt she put on veneer around others. Never letting her true self show through. He knew others saw her as a super-powered hothead who had absolutely no sense of humor. J'Onn sensed that there was more to her than that. Although he had never read her mind, he was convinced there was a far more complex person there than what Power Girl showed. She was just afraid to show it and was quite content to be perceived as just a "hotheaded powerhouse".
Beetle, on the other hand, J'Onn knew was far more complex than people thought. J'Onn had occasion to read Beetle's mind. He wouldn't admit it to others, but, it was...fascinating. (For instance, J'Onn would never use the word "fascinating" around Beetle for fear of the inevitable Mister Spock jokes.) His mind worked incredibly quickly, but, was often sidetracked with other thoughts. And a lot of those thoughts were unorthodox, to say the least!
On the surface, Power Girl and Blue Beetle were polar opposites. BUT, under the surface, they had remarkable similarities. Both were exceptionally smart. Both had stubborn streaks. And both had insecurities about their place in the "superhero community".
J'Onn thought they could wind up fast friends if the circumstances didn't go against them. Either that or Power Girl would kill Beetle in a pique of anger.
J'Onn stopped in his tracks at that last thought. "Maybe contacting Beetle would be a good idea afterall." he thought.
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Oddly enough, Power Girl and Beetle both had the same expression on their faces. As they laid on the floor of the monitoring room, clothing strewn about the room, they both realized that the moment might have gotten out of hand. Fires were lit. Inhibitions were forgotten. And passions exploded. The aftermath saw them lying there, both staring at the ceiling with a look of shock on their faces.
"WOW!" they both said in unison to break the silence. And quickly looked at each other.
They started laughing, but, were interrupted by the beeping of Beetle's communicator. Beetle quickly got up and started sifting through his clothes until he found his belt. He pulled the communicator out of the pouch next to his holster. "Yes?" he said, in an almost guilty voice, into the communicator.
J'Onn's voice came through the communicator. "Are there any problems there?"
Beetle looked around the room quickly. "No." he answered slowly as gave a slight shrug.
"How are you progressing?" J'Onn asked.
Beetle looked down at Power Girl. She winked and gave him a "thumbs-up".
"Pretty well, apparently." said Beetle as he smiled.
"Do you need assistance?" asked J'Onn.
"No." said Beetle as he raised an eyebrow and a smirk came to his face. "I think I've got it cov- YEEEOWTCH!"
"What was that?" J'Onn asked quickly.
"Nothing. Nothing. I just got my...finger pinched." said Beetle as he rubbed his sore buttock. Power Girl bit her lip to keep from laughing. Beetle shot her a dirty look. "That's gonna leave a mark!" Beetle thought.
"Any estimates on when you'll be done?" J'Onn inquired.
Beetle thought about it for a second and looked toward Power Girl. She shrugged her shoulders. Beetle was mesmerized by the sight. Wonderful things happened when Power Girl shrugged her shoulders. Apparently, flight wasn't the only way she defied gravity.
"An estimate, Beetle?" asked J'Onn again, shaking Beetle out of his trance.
"It could take all day!" said Beetle quickly.
"Very well." said J'Onn, satisfied with the answers. "Keep me informed of your progress."
"Yes, mother." said Beetle as he switched off the communicator and tossed it on the pile of clothes.
"You do realize that if you keep him informed," said Power Girl with a grin as she looked up at Beetle. "That would be considered 'phone sex' with a Martian."
Beetle "tsk"ed her and shook his head. "Did you find out what you needed to know?" he asked.
Power Girl considered her answer for a second. "No." she stated.
With that, she grabbed Beetle by the wrist and dragged him back down to the floor beside her.
THE END