Hi Guys!
Happy Saturday! Hope you all are well! I've got a great serving of Fang Chronicles here for your viewing variety!
As always I hope you guys enjoy the Chapter and I'll see you at the end!
Chapter 12: Not Another Friday Morning Part 2
-Ace O' Clubs-
There's nothing quite like a Friday morning in New Metropolis. Edging toward the beginning of the weekend and the end of the work week, most in the city were always looking forward to what exciting things awaited them.
Well, almost everyone.
It didn't matter what day it was for Sparrow, everyday without being in action made him anxious. Thanks to his blunders at the hands of Moon Fang & the Justice League, the paragon had been sidelined to wait in the bar until it became his turn once again.
Not wanting to partake in the disgustiness that was the human world, the Paragon again found himself indulging in the endless supply of booze that the bar had to offer. With Taurus and Thrust gone, alongside an absent Siren the bar for the most part was extremely serene, almost picturess.
Paragon Saber was in the corner meditating while Scorch & Hydro were watching TV in the lounge and Vipress attended to the drinks behind the counter. For the most part Sparrow didn't mind the silence that his comrades had given him, but at the same time he was bored outta his cranium instantly wishing he could somehow get on the action at hand.
The paragon wouldn't have to wait long for action however as soon the doors to the bar opened up. Stepping through the entrance was Black Siren who was carrying an assortment of perfectly wrapped christmas style presents. Stepping up to the bar Siren dropped the load on the counter before twirling in place to show Sparrow her new appearance.
Ditching her motorcycle uniform, Black Siren opted for a half silver top with black and white pants, a half black jacket that covered her shoulders and body, long formal style gloves, a set of goggles on her head and lastly a necklace made from the red pendant that used to be her cloak when she was a titan. "Rum & Coke please Vipress!"
"You got it girly!" She replied before starting to reach for the materials underneath the counter.
"Where the hell have you been?" Was the only question he could pose to the woman.
"Went out for some shopping!" She announced. "I got bored and decided that we all need a change of scenery if we're gonna blend in among these humans!"
Going through the presents Black Siren began tossing them to her comrades around the room before sitting back down next to Sparrow.
"Thanks a buncha Siren!" Hydro & Scorch thanked in union
"Hmph." Saber merely tossed the gift aside as he went back to meditating.
"Well I for one would never look a gift horse in the mouth!" Vipress stated as she took a small peak in the box that was labeled for her. Once she got a good look at the outfit that was chosen for her she gave Siren her drink before shooting her an approval style. "You might be a bitch Siren, but you've got good taste I'll give you that!"
"So glad you like!"
Pushing his present to the other side of the table, Sparrow shot Siren a suspicious look trying to break through whatever game she was playing. "You go away for half a day then come back like a reformed Ebenezer Scrooge, what gives?"
Black Siren's response was a simple innocent shrug of the shoulders as she gradually started to caress the rum and coke in her glass.
"Is that all you got to say for yourself?" He asked. "What if Granny came looking for you or something, what am I supposed to tell her."
"Look I told you I don't know where I was!" She snapped before slamming her drink down in annoyance. "I must have taken a nap or something, cause all I remember was waking up, robbing the store for those garments and coming here!"
"Should have known goofing off as usual!" He mumbled.
"Shut up!"
"Now, now, guys, let's not fight!" Vipress cooed, her voice smooth and easy. "Let's all try and get along for once, after all we're going to be stuck on this rock until one of us succeeds."
"Oh that's right, it's Taurus's turn to lead the mission!" Siren said. "Ugh, nothing more disgusting than that tin head and his pet bull showing us up!"
"I know something you don't know!"
Both Sparrow and Black Siren eyed Vipress with curiosity as she tried to hold back an ever so satisfying grin. Unlike Sparrow's boasting, Taurus for the most part kept the details of his plans hidden under wraps, going so far as to not even telling Granny. With him and Thrust out there in the field, the paragons were left to wonder if he would come back victorious or not. While Vipress's smile continued to grow with every passing moment, she brought her comrades closer while spilling her guts on what Taurus was up to.
-Wayne Manor-
"Ryan, oh Ryan, you here girl?" Garfield cautiously clung his body to the corner of the hall, calling Ryan's name quietly while looking for her. When he was met with silence, he knew it was time to mobilize.
Slowly but steady Garfield tiptoed from his bedroom door fully dressed for the day. In his hands the changeling carried a ball of his discarded sheets, pajamas and undergarments that were oh so generously soaked in the seminal fluid. With the manor being so soundless he was secretly hoping to make his way to the laundry room before he was caught by his bestie, in which case he would have to answer a million different embarrassing questions.
The titan gradually took baby steps while keeping his breathing down as much as he could. His heart dropped for an ounce as he stepped on a creaky floorboard but in no time he regained his confidence and kept moving.
He could see the stairwell leading downward, it was just a few feet away from where he was right now. One he was downstairs he was home free, inching a little bit closer the tip of Garfield's foot caressed the top stair.
IT'S THE TOM AND JERRY KIDS!
A boisterous symphony of jazz music followed by an announcer's voice suddenly boomed it's way through the entire mansion. Garfield found himself stumbling massively, caught off guard by the loud noise. Before he could even begin to catch himself, his body lost it's balance sending him over the edge of the stairwell.
Much like a pinball making its way toward the goal, Garfield violently rolled down the long winding staircase all the way until he reached the bottom with a loud 'bang' sound. With his laundry pile rolling away from him, Garfield began to see stars all around him. The changeling couldn't even grasp what the hell was going on, until his eyes peered into the living room, the source of where the noise was coming from.
In the vast room where a sixty inch TV awaited him, his piparoid pal Lunar was planted in front of the television set while dancing wildly and singing along to the catchy tune.
"Big tail, little tail chasin' all around!"
"It's a cat-and-mouse game that never lets down!"
"Well, there's Spike and Tyke!"
, "Droopy and Dripple!"
"Come on and have some fun; it's oh so simple!"
"Lunar." Garfield weakly called out to the tiger cub but he was too caught up in his cartoons to notice.
"Talking 'bout the Tom and Jerry kids!"
"Come on and be where all the action is!"
"Tom & Jerry Kids!"
"The Tom and Jerry kids!"
"The Tom and Jerry kids' new show!"
As the Jazzy tune ended the cartoon intro, Lunar pounced upon the remote using a single paw to change the channel. From the silliness of Tom & Jerry kids came a different type of show, this time Lunar now watched a woman in a blue jumpsuit and an afro singing on a stage while her crowd cheered her own.
"Everyone at home I want you to follow along with the words on the screen, here we go!" An upbeat disco type number started to jam out through the stage as the spectators began dancing. Lunar found himself entranced in the number as he looked at the woman on screen, almost as if she was singing to him. "Hand me down my walking chain, and hand me down my hat. Hurry now and don't be late cause we ain't got time to and me were going out to catch the latest sound! Guaranteed to blow your mind so high you can't come down!"
"Hey y'all prepare yourself for the Rubberband man!" With his eyes trained on the words across the screen, the tiger cub jumped on the table before singing with the lady. "You never heard a sound like the Rubberband man!"
Garfield sweat dropped as he watched the piparoid enjoy himself to the fullest extent. Ryan must have been dead tired for her not to hear how loud the music was going. In any case Garfield had to go back to his mission, fighting against the impact of the fall the teen slowly got up and grabbed his laundry. Watching Lunar from a far Garfield stayed out of sight until the piparoid could be fully distracted so he could sneak by.
"Let's see what else is on!" Lunar chirped as he hit the remote once more. As if he couldn't get more excited than he already was, the piparoid's eyes gave off a certain twinkle as a warthog and a meerkat came on the screen with a certain lion.
"It's our problem free philosophy!" The trio sang with unified friendship while going through the Jungle. All the time an excited Lunar jumped up and down like an untamable spring.
"Now's my chance!" Garfield thought. Without warning he started to move quickly trying to bypass the distracted Lunar.
"It means no worries for the rest of your days!" Timing his jumps with the beat of the song, Lunar began sprinting from furniture to tables all around the room. At first the piparoid was doing well with his jumps, but as he pounced upon the coffee table he upset the balance and sent a vase on the table flying across the room.
The force of the vase smashing against Garfield's face was enough to send him backwards and onto his ass once again. To add insult to injury he lost the grip on his laundry, as he went backwards the soiled products spilled across his body and covered him fully like he was a ghost. "That freaking hurts man!"
Despite the television blaring so loudly, Lunar somehow heard the voice. The piparoid gave a look of panic as he was greeted to the sight of the creature covered in bed sheets.
"A monster!" Lunar shouted
"L-L-L-Lunar!"
"Eek and it knows my name!" Following his sense of urgency the piparoid dashed through the living room and guarded the stairway. "Darkseid must have sent you, I'm not gonna let you hurt my pal Garfield!"
"N-N-N-No L-L-Lunar." Was all Garfield could make out, between his dazed nature and trying to get the soaked sheets and garments off of him.
"Lunar, why do you have the tv so loud!" Ryan suddenly called out as the front door opened. The woman stay with a handful of bags before being greeted to the sight of Lunar and the cloaked figure. "What the hell?"
"Ryan watch out Darkseid sent him!"
Just hearing the name Darkseid sent Ryan wilder into action. Dropping the groceries to her foot the woman pounced upon the figure and pinned him to the floor. Once he was fully secure Ryan sent three consecutive punches to the person's face. "Who are you?"
But Garfield couldn't answer as his entire vision once again became assaulted with dizzy stars."I duh I ahh!"
"I said who are you?" She questioned again before slamming another fist against the figure's face. When they refused to answer her Ryan found herself pulling off the sheets from the individual, her face scrunched up in embarrassment and horror as she realized who was underneath the sheets. "Oh my God Garfield, I'm so sorry!"
"Hey, how come you're dressed as a monster Garfield?" Lunar asked with curiosity.
"Gar speak too me bro!" A sorrowful Ryan cried as she shook him by his shoulders.
"I'm ok, I'm ok!" He uttered as he slowly started to come back to reality.
A relieved expression crept upon Ryan's face upon realizing that her friend was ok, the expression would not last long however as the smell of the sheets invaded her nostrils. "Wait, that smell is that sem-."
The last word fell on deaf ears as Garfield melted into a puddle of embarrassment.
-Elsewhere-
-New Metropolis-
-Meta-Human Detention Center-
Fortunately for Garfield he wasn't the only one whose morning was getting off to a rather rocky start. In downtown New Metropolis at the Meta-Human Detention Center, a lone prisoner's day was about to start off with its usual unpleasantness.
But of course how could one expect to have a good day when his home was akin to that of prison.
Inmate 515263.
A tall, skinny black male with brown eyes, and perfectly done dreads that went across his head.
Stirring uneasily in the rock hard mattress that was his bed, the lone male tried to avoid the sunlight that pierced in through his one window while the usual noise of the facility boomed in the background behind him.
"Yo Virgil!" A detention center guard called out as he snuck up to the bars and began pounding as hard as he could. "Time to get up man!"
"Just five more minutes please!" He groaned.
"You know it doesn't work like that man!" The guard replied. "You know what time it is, get up, get naked, get in that shower and get dressed for the day!"
"Ugh fine!" The unpleasantness was displayed across his face as he stood up groggily from the mattress.
"Good man, oh and don't forget you're gonna have visitors this morning!"
"Say what?"
"Yeah some lady from Highfathers tower, better put on your Sunday best man!" With that the guard left Virgil alone with his thoughts. As the inmate shook off the tiredness and began to strip for the shower, his thoughts turned into what the guard just said.
A visitor?
Who in the world would be coming to visit him?
-LexCorp-
-Underground Parking Facility-
The corridors of darkness were the perfect place for the vermin of New Metropolis to hide, or in this case Taurus & Thrust. Having moved from their resting spot in the park, the paragons now kept themselves stationed in the parking structure above the building.
"This looks like the spot Thrust!" Using a small tablet-like device Taurus had a holomap pulled up showing off an impressive display of the entire LexCorp Facility. Once he and thrust got to a certain spot in the parking garage, he marked it much like a pirate would mark his spot for treasure.
"Find?" Thrust queried with a puzzled look upon its face.
"Yup this is the spot, from here upward is a straight shot to Mercy Graves Office!" Taurus replied. "Once we're up there we'll have entire access to LexCorp technology!"
"Distraction!"
"Yes Thrust don't worry I have this all planned out!" Taurus responded with a sinister grin as he showed off his power bracelet. "Hail Darkseid!" Proudly calling out his transformation phrase the bracelet sparked with green energy before coating Taurus in his paragon armor.
"Me Transform?" Thrust asked in confusion while pointing at himself.
"No, don't transform, I only changed because I need to do something real quick!" Loading in a golden cog from his belt, Taurus waited patiently as his rocket launcher materialized in his hands. Now with the weapon he peered through the single scope, aiming it at an isolated section of LexCorp. "Gotcha!"
Once the target was in sight Taurus pulled the trigger, launching a single grenade toward the building. On contact with one of the windows the grenade exploded, lighting the entire top half of the structure in a wall of searing flames.
Just as he planned, the minute that the grenade exploded alarms began blaring through the facility as security advised all personnel to evacuate. Taurus and Thrust kept their position from where they were at as LexCorp workers began to flow out the building by the hundreds.
Within the next five minutes, emergency response teams were mobilized to the area to contain the blaze and rescue any survivors. While the workers at LexCorp scattered all throughout the outdoors to safety, the two paragons found themselves liberating a free door and up a nearby elevator that allowed them to scale up the building.
"What did I tell ya Thrust, like moths to a flame!" Taurus bellowed proudly as he de-transformed back into his normal form. "Cause a little mayhem, get them out of the building and the office is ours for the taking!"
"Security?" Thrust once again questioned as he pointed to the single camera eye watching them from the elevator.
"I told you to stop worrying, I've got it under control!" He scolded.
The elevator soon reached the top floor of the CEO's office allowing the duo to have fully infiltrated the structure.
The office of Mercy Graves was much bigger than most corporate offices allowed by other businesses. The walls of the space were painted a bright sky blue while pictures of the former CEO Lex Luthor were hung up on the walls. The floor itself was constructed of glass tiles with a golden letter L printed on each individual tile. Mercy's office had a large rectangle window overlooking most of metropolis while other rooms in the office lead to either her private bathroom or the emergency exit to the rest of the facility.
While the room was impressive for an office space, Taurus was more interested in the center of the room, where a steel desk the size of an oversized grand piano awaited him. Embedded inside the desk was the mainframe of a touch screen computer that was similar to the tablet that Taurus was carrying with him now.
"Thrust watch the doors!"
The beastly paragon followed orders and placed his entire backside to the elevator in case anyone decided to come up. While his comrade was busy Taurus made himself comfortable at Mercy's desk by sitting down with his tablet in hand.
Being in Cyborg's body gave Paragon Taurus the knowledge he needed when it came to all things mechanical. With his tablet he made quick work of the security that guarded Mercy Graves computer, and in no time he was scrolling through all the files that contained everything near and dear to LexCorp.
What he was after only he knows, but all the same it wasn't going to bode well for those that were his enemies.
End of Chapter 12
A special shoutout goes to my friend Bia for that amazing artwork of Raven as Black Siren. This is my first time using artwork in one of my fics and I gotta say I love what she did!
For those of you guys out there that like the fanart and would like some done of maybe your characters or something else, you can look her up on Reddit. Her name is u/Foreign-Ad-576. She also has created more fanart of the Paragons which will be released as we go on in later chapters.
But that's Chapter 12 guys! As always I'll be back soon with the follow up chapter. I just need a bit more time for my usual edits and such.
Remember to comment, kudo, and bookmark!
Arigato!
Z!