Author's Note:
Welcome back, all.
There's not many notes I need to make, but I did want to make one thing clear I didn't last chapter, that being the locations I talk about are relatively close to being completely accurate. For example, last chapter, the torched Aiken Center is a real building on a real campus in Vermont. I mention some real-life locations in the chapter you're reading now also. I just feel it helps the realism of the story.
If you've any questions or comments (about the story, potential grammar mistakes or mistakes of other natures), please let me know via either personal message or a review. Either is perfectly fine.
Hope you enjoy this installment.
Lastly, I do not own DC, nor do I work for any companies or businesses mentioned in the story.
"Can you tell me why we're here again," Lieutenant Samuel Kotter impatiently asked, taking a few gulps of his now cold coffee.
Doctor Light sighed, and turned from the passenger window to the police officer on her left. "I've explained before, Lieutenant," she began politely, though her civility was waning, "I tracked down key members of the Midway City Disciples gang to Spokane, and when I interrogated one of them, it led me here. There is going to be a robbery sometime tonight," she continued, motioning to the set of buildings in front of the parked cruiser, "at Argent Laboratories. If the gang gets what they came for, being batrachotoxin, or BTX, then your police department is going to have a hell of a mess on their hands."
The lieutenant sighed. "This is just conjecture, though," he began, checking his watch and seeing the lateness of the hour. "It's almost 1:30 am anyways. Did it occur to you that maybe these Disciples guys just lied to you? You know, tell you they're robbing Argent, yet wind up in Portland sticking up a Wells Fargo?"
Doctor Light shook her head, and after taking a deep breath, replied, "Listen, I understand your frustration. I'll be the first to admit that dealing with gangs is not my specialty, and I don't much enjoy it. That said, I am positive the information I received was correct, and believe me, if this gang gets this stuff, then I promise you, people will get hurt. You guys don't need to help me out, but I hope you see the importance of this issue."
"Ma'am, I have three cruisers parked around this facility, and have for the better part of five hours now. Personally, I don't object to helping out a hero when they need it," Lieutenant Kotter said with a pained smile, as though he rather did object, "but we can't keep this up all night."
"With all due respect," Doctor Light replied, her eyes no longer on the lieutenant, but back on Argent Laboratories, "I don't think Redmond is the type of place brimming with criminal activity. I don't think you have much to lose."
Kotter shrugged. "That may be. We occasionally get trouble from Seattle, but you're right – for the most part, Redmond is pretty peaceful. Even so-"
"Shh," Doctor Light said suddenly, spying a small group of guys in hoodies approaching from across 152nd Avenue. "See those guys," she motioned with her head. "They're carrying book bags with them, and I don't think they're students."
"Yeah," Kotter replied, eying them as best he could, "and the high school's nowhere near here. What's your plan?"
Doctor Light remained silent as she watched the men cross 152nd, privately glad the lieutenant was on board. "I can probably take them myself pretty easily," she said cautiously, "though if they have weapons of any kind, I would appreciate some backup."
Kotter pulled out his walkie-talkie, and said, with urgency, "Miller, Lathrop, you read me? Over."
The reply came back swiftly, crackling, but still quite clear. "We read you. What's happening? Over."
"I see five individuals dressed in hoodies approaching Argent Labs from 152nd. Don't know if they're in your vantage point yet but keep an eye out. Doctor Light is going to make an approach, and she may require backup should heavy weaponry be present. Over."
"Ten-four. Over and out," the voice replied.
Kotter looked toward the hero next to him. "You good to go?"
"Always," she replied confidently, then quietly opened the cruiser door and exited the vehicle.
From his binoculars, watching the scene below, Robert DuBois could tell that the situation was about to get ugly. Truth be told, though, when he thought about it, he wouldn't have it any other way.
I could warn them, he mused, carefully following his guys from above, occasionally looking over at the costumed woman's approach, but at this point, there's no way they can get in and out with the batrachotoxin anyways. Shame, really.
The man named Bloodsport didn't feel overly negative about the new development, though. Sure, he'd have relished getting his hands on the overly toxic chemical compound and potentially weaponizing it, but at the same time, he had his doubts the moment he hired the Disciples, and he wasn't one to set his hopes high. At least I get a show out of this, he considered, readjusting the bandanna on his head and focusing his binoculars on the heroine just yards away from the unsuspecting gang members. At least I get a show.
Get their attention and blind them, Doctor Light repeated in her mind, that being her sole plan at the moment, as shaky a plan as it was. Get their attention and blind them.
As always, coolness ran through her body, and she knew without a doubt that taking down these guys would be a piece of cake. Confidence had long been the pillar of Doctor Light's success, she felt. If you don't believe you can do it, she often thought to herself, then you probably won't be able to.
The moment of truth, she thought, as she shouted, "Hey, stop right there!"
The reaction from the gang members was quick, much quicker than she thought it'd be. Worse, guns were pulled. Doctor Light gritted her teeth as the first gunshot rang out into the relatively quiet night, and she quickly brought forth a stunningly dazzling flash of light.
Even though the gang members were indeed blinded, Doctor Light knew she wasn't completely victorious. Staggering backwards slightly, the blood seeping through her costume made it obvious she'd not come out unscathed.
A solid white beam of light materialized and slammed into the two closest men, and Doctor Light was pleased to see it undoubtedly knocked them both out.
"Hey, lay down your weapons," shouted a voice – a police officer who just joined Doctor Light from the stakeout – to the remaining three gang members. Whether they weren't listening or didn't care, Doctor Light didn't know; they shot wildly without seeing in the direction of the voice.
As swiftly as possible, she threw her arms out to the police officer and just in time, created a hard light barrier, the bullets bouncing off the newly-formed wall. It disappeared as she turned back to her attackers, shouting "Are you guys insane? You shot at law enforcement!"
"I can't see a damn thing, lady," one of the goons began, "but I promise you, when I get my eyesight back, I'll-"
Another round of shots rang out, from both the police officer and another of the gang members. Who shot first, she really didn't know. Taken off-guard, Doctor Light dodged to the side. However, based on the following screams of pain, both sides took casualties.
Damn, I thought this was under control, she frantically thought, as she saw three other officers running in their direction. "Stay back," she yelled over her shoulder. "I'll take the last two." Before someone else gets hurt, I hope.
Though her power was decreasing rapidly (the lack of light was really doing a number on her), with the remainder of her strength, she threw her arms in front of her and created a beam of pure energy, colliding with the two assailants left standing, knocking them off their feet. They landed ten yards away, the firearms flying from their hands.
Gasping at the pain in her right arm, she pulled it to her chest, turned around and hollered, "There's an officer down. You should be safe to approach now."
Officers quickly did so, and Doctor Light shambled over to 152nd Avenue, where a cavalcade of ambulances and police cruisers were speedily pulling in, sirens blaring loudly and flashes of light shining brightly against the dark night. Lieutenant Kotter was standing next to the nearest ambulance, glaring over the now chaotic scene. Doctor Light dragged her feet toward the vehicle, rubbing her temple with her good hand.
"Didn't go too well, I see," Kotter said, noticeably unsympathetically. "You should get your arm patched up. Check in with the station once you're done."
Doctor Light sighed. "Will do, Lieutenant," she replied, utterly defeated. "Will do."
Bloodsport smirked.
Well, that was fun.
He walked back and sat down on the rooftop, cross-legged. I may not have gotten the batrachotoxin, Bloodsport contemplated, but that still went relatively well. Nothing like a gunfight to get the blood pumping.
He sat there, motionless, for thirty minutes more, just listening to the sirens and screaming, the chaos and the turmoil. And he loved every minute of it.
"Yes, he just got here ten minutes back. He's lost a lot of blood," the doctor replied, after Doctor Light had asked him the condition of the shot officer, "but I don't believe he's in critical condition. He'll likely pull through. Now hold still," he added sternly, "I need to sew you up."
Doctor Light groaned, and braced herself.
Tonight, while she may have prevented the robbery at the lab, was in Doctor Light's mind, a complete atrocity. An officer got shot, she herself got shot, and the local police department (rightly so) weren't thinking too fondly of her at the moment. What a great hero I am, she bitterly reflected. I even went in there with a rough plan, and it still came out half-cocked. Damn-
"Rough night, Doctor," a strong, yet gentle, voice asked.
She looked up, and her heart rate, which was already increased, felt as though it turned up a notch higher. Standing in front of her, in the Redmond Medical Center, was Green Lantern, who just a bit over a week ago helped stave off an alien invasion. At that moment, embarrassing as it may be, she lost all sense of composure.
"You're right, it's really not been going too well," she replied, acutely aware her eyes were beginning to tear up, which was most unlike her. Doctor Light was not one to easily get emotional. "In fact, it's been downright lousy."
"Hey, I know," he said in a soothing tone, moving closer toward her (her doctor had left earlier, which she guessed she must have missed), "I've had some pretty terrible nights myself. Don't punish yourself too much, though; no one would have expected those gangbangers to shoot after they were already blinded. It's not your fault."
"Just shut up," Doctor Light replied, angrily sniffling. "You weren't there – you don't know whose fault it was."
He stared intently at her for almost a minute before replying, his pitch unchanged. "I know whose fault it wasn't."
With her good arm, Doctor Light wiped the tears off her face, turning away from the hero. The only hero in this room, she mentally amended. "Listen," she said, not making eye contact with him, her anger having ebbed away from her voice, "I know you're trying to help, but now's really not the time."
"On the contrary," he replied without missing a beat, "now's the best time to talk about this. If you can't live with a relatively small failure, then how do you expect to deal with the type of stuff the Justice League goes through on an almost daily basis?"
This caught Doctor Light by surprise. "Wha-what," she began, stumbling, "do you mean? Justice League?"
"I came down here to offer you a position with the League," Green Lantern calmly explained, "we're expanding, in part due to the recent invasion, and we undeniably have a place for you. That is, if you're willing to accept."
"Even after tonight," she asked, hating the pouting inflection she inquired with.
"Was tonight the first time you felt you failed," Green Lantern shot back at her, the previous gentle nature of his voice slowly draining. "Cause if not, I'd recommend you suck it up. A cop got shot, and sure, that's not good, but at least he'll pull through and go home. Hell, you're lucky only one cop got shot – it could have been a total bloodbath. Stuff like this happens. If one occurrence can throw you off your game, then I honestly don't know if you have what it takes to join the League."
This fired Doctor Light up, and she heard herself bark back, "I've been fighting criminals for the last five years. Sure, it may not be anything compared to you hotshots, but I've definitely paid my dues. Am I ready for the League? Perhaps not completely, but if you don't think I could do it, then what the hell are you doing here now?"
"That's what I wanted to see," Green Lantern replied, surprising Doctor Light by smiling. "Fire."
"Does that mean I'm in," she asked, a blush coming to her cheeks. "I mean, yelling at a superior isn't the best way to start-"
"Don't worry about it," he replied nonchalantly. "Welcome to the Justice League."
With a handshake, Doctor Light felt as though she solidified her place in life. A member of the Justice League, she considered. Way to go, Kimiyo. You did it.
Nearing 2:00 am, Bloodshot still hadn't moved from the rooftop, and the chaos below had almost fully subsided. A firefight was fantastic, but even better, the stillness that followed, allowing for endless contemplation.
It was only when he heard footsteps nearby he quickly grabbed for his gun lying to his side, but before he could, someone had kicked said gun away.
"The hell," he muttered, standing upright, facing a much older, white man, wearing, of all things, a monocle.
"Mr. DuBois," he said, his tone polite, "it's a pleasure to meet you. I have a proposition that you may be intrigued in…"
The starry night above absolutely enamored Monocle. As Bloodsport walked away, in agreement with the former's plans, Monocle smiled. It's easier than I thought. Much easier.