The SuperStarr Chronicles
Disclaimer: "Sorry you didn't pay your bill!"
Chapter 25: Speed Metal, Part 2!
The Burger Clown, Bayville, New York
Lance Alvers sat in an office. He looked around at the room. It was a rather well-maintained office, nothing he expected from a stereotypical burger joint. The back wall had a row of monitors, showing the feeds from various security cameras. The back wall also had some shelves filled with knick-knacks, supplies, and a small fridge. The walls were painted a relaxing green, and had bulletin boards with clipboards hanging on them. The clipboards had various documents on them. There was also a clock on one of the walls.
The centerpiece of the office was a brown partners desk, with a thin computer monitor on it. The center of the desk had a large green pad on it. The desk was decorated with several more knick-knacks, these ones dedicated to holding office supplies. Lance noticed the cables from the computer's monitor and keyboard went into a hole on the desk. Said hole was clearly meant to be part of the desk. She wore a blue short-sleeved shirt and black slacks, with comfortable brown shoes.
The manager was a slightly-heavyset Hispanic woman, her brown hair done up in a high ponytail, with a couple stray hairs framing her face. Her brown eyes looked over the resume.
"Not much here, Mr. Alvers." Theresa Ramirez stated. She looked up at the brunet teenager.
"We all gotta start somewhere, I guess." Lance shrugged.
"True." Theresa agreed. A slight wistful smile appeared on her face. "I started out as a fry cook myself. I was about your age. So, why do you want this job?"
"You want me to be honest?" Lance said.
"That would be nice."
"Well, the...lady that takes care of me thinks I'm lazy and needs to learn responsibility." Lance rolled his eyes.
Theresa chuckled. "I appreciate the honesty." She smirked. "It's why my parents got me a job here, too." She closed the file folder. "Well, I do need a new cashier." She smiled and held out Lance's hand. "Welcome aboard. Hopefully you'll last longer than the last guy."
"Uh, thanks." Lance shook her hand.
"Can you start next week?"
"Sure, yeah." Lance nodded. "By the way, what happened to the last guy?" Lance asked. "Did he quit?"
Theresa sighed. "No, I had to fire him. He showed up drunk, high, half-naked, and rampaged through the kitchen, screaming he was the Horse God of Vancouver. He then attacked someone trying to order some french fries from the drive-thru, ranting that the customer was some robot tiger demon."
Lance blinked at that. "...wow."
"Yeah. We ended up on an episode of World's Dumbest... because of that." Theresa nodded. She gave an optimistic smile. "But on the upside, thanks to that TV appearance, business has been picking up here by quite a bit."
Lance blinked as he struggled to find some words to answer that. "I...can imagine." He finally uttered out. A short time later, he walked out of the fast food restaurant. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed the Brotherhood House.
"Hulk's Deli. You order, we smash. What you want?" Todd answered.
"Toad, get me Clara." Lance said.
"Here she is."
"Talk to me." Clara Creed answered.
"Uh, hey Clara."
"Hey there!" Clara greeted jovially. "Did your little interview go well?"
"...I...I think I got the job." Lance said. He winced and pulled the phone away from his ear as Clara squealed in delight.
"Ya did good, Earthshaker!" Clara whooped in delight. "Welcome to the working world, kiddo! I'll make you a big bowl of mac and cheese to celebrate!"
"Uh...thanks?" Lance blinked.
The Brotherhood House, a little later
"Yes, that is my ninja star!" The man on the TV said. "Here is yours!" He threw a shuriken. This movie was being watched by Todd Tolansky. The amphibious mutant had a big tub of popcorn in his lap.
"God, I love this movie, yo." Todd snickered. He noticed Craig walk in. "Oh hey there, Darkstar. What's up, man?"
"What're you watching?" Craig asked.
"Ninja Terminator." Todd said.
"Is that one of those crappy ninja movies they made back in the 80s?" Craig asked.
"Yup!" Todd grinned. "It's terrible, but it's worth a laugh to watch." The Los Angelan took a seat next to the amphibious mutant. The two watched the movie in silence. The two then heard the sound of screaming. "Was that Pietro?"
"Yup." Craig nodded.
"What's he doing?"
"It's his turn to make dinner tonight." Craig reminded.
"Oh." Todd deflated slightly. "I hoped it would be Fred's turn, yo. He makes good food."
"Mm." Craig agreed with a nod. "I like his fajitas." He heard more screaming from Pietro. "What is that idiot doing?" Craig frowned as he turned his head towards the kitchen. The two then saw Pietro stumble out of the kitchen...covered in angry lobsters.
"AAAAAAAGH!" He howled. "PINCERS HURT!" The speedster stumbled around, leaving Craig and Todd utterly dumbfounded.
"...the hell is he doing?" Craig asked.
"I think he's tryin' to start an aquarium, yo." Todd answered. Pietro stumbled back in the kitchen. Then noises could be heard of the speedster knocking over a pot, water splashing, and the silver-haired youth's screaming got louder.
"I'm going to end up deaf because of that dimbulb." Craig grumbled, rubbing his ear.
The Xavier Institute
"We're all here, Professor." Cyclops announced. He looked around, and noticed someone was missing. "Well, almost all of us." The group heard the door to the room hiss. They saw Jillian walk in, clad in her Shadowoman costume.
"Sorry I'm late, everyone." Jillian said. "I had to run some errands."
"Ah, it is good that you are here, Miss Woods." Xavier gave her a nod and a smile. "I was just about to brief the X-Men about a potential new student."
"Cerebro detected another mutant?" Scott asked.
"Indeed. This one in Cincinnati, Ohio." Xavier confirmed with a nod. He punched up an image of a skinny black-haired teenage boy, his eyes covered by thick black glasses, and having freckled cheeks. "This is Eugene Walker. Cerebro has detected him using his emerging mutant power."
"What kind of power does he have?" Storm asked.
"Hydrokinesis." Xavier answered.
Evan raised his hand. "Uh..."
"Water manipulation." Kitty explained.
"Oh." Evan nodded.
"Hopefully, we'll have better luck getting this Eugene kid to join us than we did with Eileen Harsaw." Scott recalled. (Author's Note: In the "Phantazia of the Rock Opera" storyline)
"I hope she's doing okay, considering all she went through." Jean remarked.
"Ah don't blame her for not wantin' to join the X-Men, considering...well, all of that." Rogue added.
"I have been talking to her parents, as well as Miss Harsaw herself." Xavier said. "She has been doing rather well."
"Oh yeah, you've been counseling her." Scott recalled.
"I've heard there's been a new superhero running around Cleveland." Kurt recalled.
"Indeed." Xavier pulled up the Cleveland Plain Dealer's website. It showed an article about Kid Razor fighting what appeared to be a very large muscular man wearing a black tank top, blue jeans and brown boots. The man had long black hair in a small ponytail. He was also covered in brown fur, and his head was like that of a woolly mammoth. Alongside the mammoth-man was a what appeared to be a kunoichi clad in a dark blue and pink outfit. She was holding a sword, and on her back was a quiver of arrows.
"Who are Razor fighting there?"
"The mammoth-man is called Tusk." Xavier explained. "He is believed to be a mutant himself. And the ninja woman is called Poison Arrow." He then smiled. "Miss Lee was very helpful in identifying them."
"Oh of course." Scott muttered.
Evan noted another figure: A teenage girl in a purple costume with a hooded cape. "Hey..." He pointed her out. "Isn't that...?"
"Yes, that is her." Xavier nodded. "Evidently, Kid Razor had convinced her to help redeem herself by becoming Cleveland's newest local superhero: Phantazia."
"Well, at least we know that she is doing some good with her powers." Jean pointed out optimistically.
"I think her costume looks a little...goofy." Kitty said.
"We can play fashion critic later." Scott got everyone back on track. "Tell us more about this Walker guy."
Meanwhile, in the hangar of the X-Jet, two of the "New Mutants" were hatching a little plot of their own.
"...You know Jubilee, I'm beginning to think that this is not such a good idea." Amara admitted as she and Jubilee quietly sneaked their way towards the X-Jet. "What if this ends up being all for nothing? What if the X-Men just turn around? What if they don't end up meeting Sonic Blue?"
"Girl, you can't let that kind of negative thinking rule your life." Jubilee said.
"You got lucky." Amara pointed out. "You could have just as easily not encountered Kid Razor."
"I didn't think that for one minute." Jubilee countered. "And look what happened. The power of positive thinking."
Amara blinked. "...I have this feeling that you are slightly insane."
"I have that rep." Jubilee shrugged. She opened up the jet's door. "I cannot believe they didn't do anything to make sure the jet can't be snuck on board again." Amara blinked as Jubilee opened the locker door. "Ah, I can understand why. They've been busy." Jubilee shrugged. "Here you go!" She put a small paper bag in Amara's arms.
"Wait, what is this?" The geokinetic blinked.
"Sandwich and box of juice. It'll be a long flight, a snack will be handy." Jubilee advised sagely. "By the way, did you go to the bathroom earlier like I told you?" Amara nodded. "Alright, then! Have fun!" She closed the door.
Cincinnati, OH
Three people emerged from the American Sign Museum. These three people were Spencer Burton, Raven, and the Doctor.
"I still cannot believe that there is a museum dedicated to signs here." Raven stated, looking at Spencer and the Doctor. "I mean, how silly is that?"
"That's something I have always found about humans." The Doctor smiled. "Your species has a knack for taking things that are seemingly mundane and making them fascinating, no matter what the dimension. You made signs into a window to learn about your history. How far you have come...and how much you still need to grow."
"Aren't you from an Earth colony?" Spencer looked at Raven. "Surely there were museums in it."
"Yeah, but they were never my thing." Raven shrugged. "I was always an action girl at heart. I never liked sitting in a school hearing the teacher babble things all day long. I was hoping to one day get the hell out of the colony, go into space, and find some adventure." She looked at Spencer. "Be careful what you wish for."
"You got your wish, but not the way you wanted it."
Raven nodded. "Yup. Not long after my sophomore year at university ended, the Daleks attacked and conquered my home. I became part of the resistance."
"That was how we met." The Doctor explained. "My TARDIS crashed into the colony, and naturally, the Daleks were none too happy to see me. Ka Faraq Gatri, they call me." He noticed a confused look on the teenage inventor's face. "It means 'Bringer of Darkness' or 'Destroyer of Worlds' in their native tongue."
"I heard them call you 'The Oncoming Storm' a couple times." Raven remembered. She then chuckled. "It amazed me that those space fascists actually feared anything, much less an odd man in an ancient police box." She then chuckled. "Oh, it was glorious when you sent those pepper pots packing!"
"Well, I did not do it alone, my dear." The Doctor smiled.
"Is that why you continued traveling with the Doctor?" Spencer asked.
Raven nodded. "Pretty much. After he helped drive the Daleks off, he stayed and helped rebuild the colony for a while. He would entertain people by telling stories of his past adventures."
"One perk of being a long-lived Time Lord that has traveled time, space, and dimension? A nearly never-ending supply of anecdotes." The Doctor chuckled.
"Well, I felt that there was nothing for me on the colony anymore. My love of adventure was calling." Raven continued. "So, when the Doctor was leaving, I asked him to take me with him." Her smile widened. "And I never regretted it. I've gotten to have so many adventures. I've met so many interesting people, seen incredible sights, and helped save the multiverse."
"Don't you miss your family?" Spencer asked.
"Don't have much of one, really. Just my aunt Wendy." Raven said. "I do go and visit her every now and then. Let her know that I'm alright."
"Well, that's good to hear." Spencer smiled. "No offense Doc, but I would get pretty homesick if I traveled with you for a good while."
"None taken, my boy." The Doctor chuckled warmly in assurance. "It is perfectly understandable." He looked around, taking in the sights of the city.
"I am curious about something, though." Spencer said. He looked at Raven. "Why did the Daleks attack your world?"
"The planet Raven's home colony was rich in a certain crystal." The Doctor recalled.
"Yeah, the crystals had these special properties." Raven added. "Evidently, the Daleks wanted to use them as a new power source." She shook her head. That was in the past. The Daleks would never bother her home again. "Is there anything else of interest in this city?"
"Well..." Spencer rubbed his chin in thought. "We do have plenty of other museums here. I know the Art and History Museums are quite nice. We also have the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center..." He heard a ringing. "Yeah, that's mine." He pulled out his phone. "Huh."
"What is it?" Raven asked.
"Check this out, Doctor." Spencer showed his phone to the Doctor. The Time Lord skimmed the article.
"Well, that is fascinating." The Doctor noted.
"Yeah." Spencer nodded.
"What are you two nerds babbling about?" Raven glanced at the screen, then playfully rolled her eyes.
"Well, my dear Raven, you did say you wanted to see something interesting here." The Doctor smiled at the young woman.
"I dunno..." Raven frowned at what she was seeing. "I was kind of hoping along the lines of getting to watch some wrestling or martial arts show or boxing or something like that."
"There is a local pro wrestling promotion that does shows all over Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Pennsylvania." Spencer recalled. "I've been to a couple of their shows. They're quite entertaining." He saw another news article on his phone. This one made him frown. "Oh, dear..."
"What is it?" Raven asked.
"Several teenagers and young adults have been vanishing over the past few weeks." Spencer said. "I've been looking into it myself..." His blue eyes widened. "Oh God..."
"What is it?" The Doctor asked.
"That name. And that photo." He pointed at his phone's screen. "I know him!"
"Really?" The Doctor asked.
"Yeah." Spencer nodded. "His name is Eugene Walker. I met him a week ago..."
Shaw High School, Cincinnati, Ohio, A week earlier
"Oof!" Eugene Walker grunted as he fell to the floor.
"Well, well, well..." A smirking teenage boy walked up to him. He was a slightly heavyset kid, wearing a green t-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of black sneakers. "Lookit what we have here." John Fletcher remarked. "Somebody didn't put their trash in the bin."
"Urgh, what do you want, Fletcher?" Eugene grumbled.
"Saw you lookin' at the Fleming chick." John noticed. "She's a smokin' hottie, so I thought I'd do her a little bit of a service by tellin' you that you had better not be around her again. You better not even be looking at her again, or I will put you through a goddamned wall."
"What do you care, Fletcher?" Eugene sneered as he got to his feet. "You afraid she might find me more interesting to hang around than you?"
Fletcher growled in rage. "Oh, you must really want to die, don't you?"
"Is there a problem here?" A girl's voice asked. Fletcher turned around and saw Spencer Burton standing there, with crossed arms and a frown on his face. Standing next to him was a Korean-American girl, wearing a Captain America t-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. She also wore a yellow sash with "Hall Monitor" on it in red lettering.
"Yeah, there's a problem here." Fletcher jerked his thumb at Eugene. "We got a bitch infestation here, and I'm the only one here trying to clean it up."
"Classic projection, Johnny." Eugene mocked.
"I saw the whole thing, Fletcher." Penelope Park frowned. "Get your butt over to the principal's office."
"And what're you going to do, lady?" Fletcher sneered at the girl. He then noticed Spencer. "And oh look, it's Spencer Burton. What's this nerd doing here? You standing up for your little boyfriend here or something?" He scoffed. "Figures you'd swing that way." Penny's frown deepened at that.
"Oh, I'm just here to see the inevitable fireworks that'll go off if you mess with Penny here." Spencer smiled. Penny let out a little giggle. After all, Penelope Park had been training in Taekwando since she was little. "Also, I'm not fond of bullies myself, Mr. Fletcher."
"Oh, really? Well, you're going to hate this!" Fletcher moved to throw a punch at Spencer. However, Spencer easily dodged it, and Penny knocked him flat with a punch. She grinned at Spencer as he hauled Fletcher to his feet.
"...who dat? Who dere?" A dazed Fletcher groaned, making the other three teens chuckle.
"As I predicted." Spencer remarked.
"I'll get him to the principal's office." Penny said. She smiled at Spencer. "You keep out of trouble, Burton. You aren't getting any free passes because you're cute." She warned in faux-seriousness.
"You know me, Penny." Spencer snickered.
"I am the Lizard Queen..." Fletcher mumbled out as Penny took him away. The inventor turned to Eugene.
"Are you alright, Eugene?" A concerned Spencer asked.
"It's fine. That jerk doesn't scare me. I'm used to it at this point." The dark-haired boy assured.
"That doesn't make what he's doing to you right, my friend." Spencer said. He noticed Eugene rubbing his head. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm good." Eugene nodded. "I've just been getting some headaches lately."
"You should get that checked out." Spencer said. "Headaches can be a symptom of something serious."
"I'll be alright." Eugene assured. Unknown to either boy, later that day, John Fletcher would attempt his revenge, and it would lead to Eugene Walker discovering his hydrokinetic powers...
Present Day
"Oh, dear..." The Doctor frowned. Spencer's own frown deepened.
"Doctor, I do apologize for this, but I was wondering..."
"Say no more, lad." The Doctor assured. "I would be happy to help."
"Same here." Raven agreed. "After all, I get the feeling we're going to be in for quite an adventure here. And I love a good adventure."
"Huh." Spencer looked at an article on his phone. "Well, this is also interesting."
"What is it?" Raven asked.
"Well, this man has claimed that he has created a new geothermal plant." Spencer pointed out. He pointed at the photo on his phone. "This is Marvin Wilson of Wilson Technologies."
"I take it that this Mr. Wilson is quite a prominent figure in your universe." The Doctor noted.
"Some call him the Tony Stark of the Mideast." Spencer said. "The man's company creates electronic devices. He's also known for doing many philanthropic works throughout Cincinnati."
"Well, that doesn't sound interesting." Raven frowned.
"On the contrary, Raven." The Doctor said. "I find it quite interesting."
"If ya say so, Doc." Raven rolled her eyes. "You know I'm an action girl at heart."
"I want to look into this myself." Spencer agreed. "But I do think finding Eugene is the priority. Still, I can't help but feel that they're connected somehow..." He rubbed his chin in thought.
Elsewhere in Cincinnati
A tall thin dark-haired man stared up at the large construct. A proud smile was on his face. The construct was two stories tall, looking like a large gray ring with a quartet of flat gray pillars arranged in cardinal directions. Mounted in the pillars was a large cylindrical capsule with a equally large drill at the bottom. Long black hoses went from the top of the capsule to special holders on the pillars.
Marvin "Marv" Wilson looked at this creation with pride. His gray eyes shone with joy. He never imagined his life would lead him here. Who would have thought that spending a boyhood taking apart and building old computers would lead to this? Starting his own computer company, and now going to help lead his beloved hometown of Cincinnati towards becoming a leader in geothermal power?
"Are you well, Mr. Wilson?" A electronic-lilted voice asked. Wilson turned around and saw a figure march towards him. The figure was a tall metallic being, wearing what looked like a silver space suit with a black-armored chest, white gloves, and white boots. The head was pitch black, with a silver face. The head also had black handlebars on it. The features of the face were simple, Marv looked at the alien cyborg.
Most would look at this alien being with...a degree of suspicion. It was understandable. After all, an alien invasion was the reason the First Line fell all those years ago. The government tried to cover it up, but there was no way they could hide that. There was an attempt to revive the team in the early 1990s, but they were always stuck in the shadow of the original First Line. Despite that, the New First Line lasted into the late-2010s.
Marv wasn't too worried. After all, these aliens weren't the ones who brought the First Line down back in the 1980s. These aliens didn't have tripods, for one.
"I'm fine, thanks." Marv said. He smiled at the machine. "I can't believe it. I mean, I had a lot of trouble with the new designs I had. I did want to go to Stark or Richards, but..."
"Their activities as part of this world's superheroic community did not allow them to prioritize it." The alien cyborg said.
Marv nodded. "Yeah. I mean, don't get me wrong. What they do is important. But I think this project will help revolutionize things. Imagine all of Cincinnati being powered by this here geothermal plant."
"Indeed." The alien cyborg concurred. Marv looked at the extraterrestial being.
"Are you sure you guys want your role in this a secret?" The entrepreneur asked. "I mean, I do think you deserve some credit for this. I don't want to..."
"We do not do these things for attention." The Cyber Leader told him. "We wish to uplift races that have the potential to become great. And humanity has that potential."
"I have to admit, the technology is something else." Marv agreed. "And I do admit, I am a bit honored that you think our humble species is somehow worthy of your gifts..." He noticed the cyborg get still. "Are you alright?"
"I am well, Mr. Wilson." The alien said. "I must confer with a colleague."
"Well, don't let me get in your way." Marv smiled. The alien nodded and walked away. It headed towards a hidden chamber located within the new plant. It then saw another alien cyborg, this one identical to the first, except this one's cheat armor and head were silver. "Report." The cyborg commanded.
"The human has escaped, Cyber Leader." The silver-headed metallic being stated.
"Which human?" The Cyber-Leader asked.
"The one we discovered had the genetic mutation." The Cyberman clarified. "It granted hydrokinetic powers. We are looking for him."
"Make sure he is found. Eliminate him if you must, but keep it discreet." The Cyber-Leader ordered. "This Earth is a great danger to us, and it must be destroyed. It has a growing number of costumed protectors, both superhuman and standard baseline...as well as an increasing population of humans born with paranormal abilities like the hydrokinetic. There are humans like this 'Anthony Stark', 'Reed Richards', and 'Henry Pym', helping humanity make great scientific and technological leaps. It has also made contact with other races native to other planets. This Earth is too great a threat to our empire for its existence to continue. And this Cyber-Bomb will ensure that it will no longer be the case."
Woof, this was a bear to finish! I am s o glad I got this done at last! I also wanted to come up with a punny name for this storyline that would reference something, like "Night of the Daemons" referenced Night of the Demons, but I couldn't think of one.
Tusk and Poison Arrow are supervillains that are, appropriately enough for a superhero inspired by my love of classic rock and heavy metal, inspired by songs. Tusk came from the Fleetwood Mac tune of the same name. The drumbeat at the beginning of the song made this image of an mammoth-man appear in my mind's eye. And Poison Arrow came from the ABC song of the same name. Poison Arrow was originally created for a future Infinity Crisis story in which she'd be a villain of Ozel Ozlazur, the Flash of Earth-199999.
Raven's description of how she and the Doctor met is a nod to the series bible of "The New Doctor Who", an animated series that the BBC and Nelvana were developing in the early-1990s after the original Doctor Who series was canceled in 1989. She also came from that series bible.