Chapter 4: Be Not Idle

Shattering the stillness of the hills beyond Coast City, Liberty Lance powered through the skies with a contrail following him through the cloudless blue. The glittering silver of his chassis, marked only by red and blue striping, created a streak of metal seen from afar as he bobbed and weaved between dusty brown mountains in a test of his maneuverability. He dropped low, kicking up dust in his wake as he followed the graceful bends of the terrain. Colt checked his airspeed and altimeter, noting he was hovering around 450mph.

"Heavier plate must be slowing me down." He murmured. "Engage secondary thrusters." His suit responded and the two smaller afterburners he'd mounted on the legs kicked in with a lurch and propelled him forward as the ground turned into a greater blur. He was a now cruising at 600mph. Ailerons and stabilizer fins kept him level although the increased speed decreased his maneuverability; tight turns were harder to accomplish and he narrowly missed skipping off a ridge between mountaintops. A chime echoed through his helm and for a brief panicking second Colt thought he had clipped the ground. That is until he remembered he had linked his cellphone with his suit's communication systems. He answered, "Colt speaking."

"Hello, Colton. Miss me?"

"Hi again, Mari. Made some progress?"

"All business, hm? Not even gonna ask me how I'm doing?"

"S-Sorry, ngh! Field testing the suit's response times with all the new equipment." Colt replied, barrel-rolling to avoid the sharp edge of a mountain. He arced upwards and keyed the thruster velocity, shooting up and gaining altitude at nearly 100 feet per second.

"Calling while flying? Aren't you a daredevil." Mari teased.

"Ah, yeah… M-Maybe not the safest thing." Colt eased back the velocity and descended, skipping and hopping across mountaintops until he slid to a stop. His afterburners wound down with a whine as he straightened up and took in his barren surroundings. "So… how've you been?"

"Tired but can't complain. I've made arrangements to move the gala to the natural history museum, where they'll let us use part of their geology wing. I have a meeting with the museum curator later this afternoon and I'd like you to be there, help me figure out security arrangements should Intergang try their luck tomorrow night. Can you make one o'clock?"

Colt calculated the distance between his current position and Coast City. "I can be there. Sooner or later, whatever your preference."

"Good. Meet me on the south side of the building." Mari affirmed. "And Colton… wear the suit. It'll make a nice first impression." She hung up and Colt checked his HUD's built-in clock: 11:54am.

"I feel like I should freshen up," his afterburners roared to life again and launched him into the air as he took flight, "put on some deodorant… cologne, should I wear cologne…?"

Later that afternoon…

Seldom did Liberty Lance ever fly through Coast City during the daylight hours, preferring to operate in the darker hours where he could move about with minimal reaction or interference from others. As such, Colt was feeling a little subconscious as he made a beeline for the Joseph Leff Museum of Natural History; a large rectangular building designed in the style of yester-century's architecture. It matched other prominent municipal structures like the city legislature, the original public library, several fire stations, and the first police station.

Colt had never visited the museum on his own, only for school trips as a boy. He preferred the air museum at Edwards Air Force base anyway.

Aiming for the parking lot by the south entrance he decelerated on approach and kicked out his legs, allowing the backwards thrust from his afterburners to slow him down. Reaching the ground he hop-skipped across the pavement as he gained control of his momentum and shut down his afterburners. Mari was waiting for him beside her rented sedan, dressed in high heels, a brown leather jacket, a black tank top, and blue skinny jeans that hugged her hips and thighs wonderously. Her brown skin seemed to glow in the sun beneath her spiked pixie haircut, briefly reminding Colt of a Don Henley song.

"Right on time, flyboy." Mari complimented.

"Well, I did make you a promise." Colt replied, his voice sounding like it was on the other end of a radio via his suit's speakers.

"And you did not disappoint. I like a man who can keep a promise." Said Mari with a smile. "Come on. Let's see if that tin can of yours can fit through the door."

"Uh, the correct word would be 'crate' since this is operating under aircraft principles, but-… er, nevermind." Colt cut himself off as he realized he was geeking out again. Mari continued to smile as they approached, dwarfed by the seven-foot tall electromechanical suit. "I think I might have to use the shipping entrance." Colt commenting, noting his suit was likely too wide to fit in the door.

"Go ahead. I'll let the staff know, they're expecting us." Mari replied.

Minutes later, Mari was following museum director Ronald Stevenson into the geology wing with Liberty Lance in tow, the high-vaulted ceilings and broad halls providing excellent clearance for the mechanical vigilante to freely traverse the museum's interior. The access corridor led into a central roundel where the basics of geology and the history of geological endeavours in the area of Coast City, dating back to the gold rush of 1879. The roundel branched off into two other rooms where various precious metals and mineral samples were on display for the public to see. Mari looked around with sparkling eyes, already imagining where gala signatures could be placed in an opportunity to further highlight the jadeite and seredibite samples that were the staples of this tour.

"As you can see, Miss McCabe, this particular area of the museum is perfectly capable of accommodating at least one-hundred guests quite comfortably." Director Stevenson stated.

"And with limited access to the rest of the geological exhibits to enhance the gala… oh, it's perfect, Director. I'd love nothing more than to host our show here for its final night in Coast City." Mari praised.

"The museum would be happy to have you… for the small price of a sponsorship." The balding Ronald replied with a twinkle behind his bespectacled eyes.

"Of course. We have more than enough in common in terms of subject matter." Mari agreed before looking up at her towering compatriot. "What do you think, hero? A little less open than tha coliseum was."

Liberty Lance looked up towards the roof. "Does that skylight open?" He asked.

Ronald nodded. "A little, yes."

"Good. I can take position up above and keep an eye on things. Should give me an edge over Intergang if they try anything."

"I hope they don't, for the museum's sake, but we have to keep our options open." Mari affirmed. The aging Ronald started wringing his hands.

"Oh my, yes. Such a terrible thing to happen to you. Whatever could compel such dreadful men to try such a thing?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Mister Stevenson." Mari responded with a shrug. "Hopefully we won't have to find out. In the meantime, I'd be very interested in filling out any paperwork required to rent this space for the evening." Ronald's gaze brightened as he led Mari towards his office and Liberty Lance returned to the outdoors to study the rooftop for himself.

The view from the museum's rooftop was almost staggering in its scope. Colt could plainly see the Two-Mile Mall (as it was the museum's immediate neighbour) and the overpass over the Santa Clara Channel where Highway 101 carried on to the harbor in Presidio. Using the advanced camera systems of his suit, Colt could pick out the towering rides at the Westbury Point Amusement Park next to The Boulevard; the hub of Coast City's party and nightlife. With this level of visual acuity, spotting out of place vehicles operated by Intergang thugs would be a cinch. "I hope."

His phone rang and he answered immediately. "How's the view from up there?" Mari asked.

"As good as anyone could ask for. I can probably spot Intergang long before they get here."

"Don't forget, that Blackrock character kept his suit on under his other suit. We wouldn't know if he was here until it was too late."

"You didn't get a good look at him?"

"Not really. All I remember is black hair, but that could describe about eighty percent of the guests from last night." Colt thought that over for a moment. "Ronald is going to request additional security for the event tonight and the guard hub here at the museum has a direct line to the police so they should be able to respond a little faster."

"Does that put your mind at ease?"

"A little. I've been a hero long enough to know being anxious won't get me anywhere and I've worked with the Justice League long enough to be used to this kind of anticipation. Still, doesn't mean I like waiting around for the bad guys to make a move."

"I've got nothing on the go. I can perform a few patrols while your people setup."

"Keep them brief. If Intergang just happens to be watching our every move, you flying around the museum will be a great big beacon for them." Mari exhaled just quietly enough for Colt to catch over the line. "Then again, I have to announce the gala's relocation anyway, so they'll figure it out eventually." There was a weariness in her voice that he picked up on. Not so much an exhaustion in dealing with the criminal element, moreso a longing for the end of criminality altogether. He recalled what he read about her childhood in war-torn Zambesi, how she was orphaned when her parents were killed by revolutionaries as various 'Generals' attempted to wrest control of the nation from one another. She just wanted some tranquility instead of having to put up with sinful human follies.

"If only they were dumb criminals." Colt remarked, earning a melodic giggle from Mari. The levity in her tone made him feel better,

"If only… Thanks for doing this, Colton. It's nice to have someone as brave and as bold as you around."

"Me? Brave and bold?"

"Obviously. You fought Blackrock and his goons without hesitation. Not a lot of self-made vigilantes can say they'd do the same. So for that, your willingness, and your assistance, thank you."

"Happy to help, Mari." Colt replied, feeling a little better about his involvement in this. "Happy to help."

The next morning…

Bradley Glenn's cellphone vibrated on the desk, was picked up after the third instance and answered. "This better be good."

"The gala's been relocated to the natural history museum for tonight only. They doubled security and have a hotline to the police. We took so long because we needed to confirm." The voice of Weiss confirmed.

"And did you?"

"Drove past the museum, it's loaded with banners and signs for the thing."

"Okay, good. Come on back." Bradley hung up and slipped the phone into his pocket as he left the office and entered the warehousing area. He looked to the engineers by two suits of armor, one green, red, purple, the other blue and orange. "What's our status?"

"The suits have been checked top to bottom, all systems go. And we just finished uploading the police station schematics to James Distefano. On your word he'll stage a breakout to keep them busy." One of the engineers answered.

"Good. Coltrain, I need schematics for the natural history museum. Get me the electrical layouts, security grids, the works." Bradley ordered and one of the techs scrambled to obey. Glenn carried on to the arming room where a lumbering character in a wife-beater and jeans was waiting with arms crossed.

Arnold Pruett was a husky man who worked out to ensure his muscles matched his bulky physique. Thinning brown hair topped his round face where beady little eyes stared at the world with a hunger to make it his own. Conceited and more than a little arrogant, he joined Intergang and brought the power of his Shockwave armor along so he could make a bigger name for himself.

"What's the word?" He rumbled as Glenn drew closer.

"Gala's been moved to the museum in town, tonight only. They got all kinds of eyes observing things." Bradley answered.

"Heh, I always did like an audience."

"Not like that, you dolt." Bradley hated working with Arnold. The man only cared about destroying things and belting out his name loud enough so everyone could know he was the one responsible, his way of building 'criminal cred' as he called it. He was big and dumb but he was muscle that Bradley needed. He just had to corral him into a strategy. "They're expecting us. So we wait for the gala tonight and all the innocent people that'll be there."

"So what? Crowd's a crowd."

"There'll also be supers there."

A twinkle filled Arnold's tiny eyes and his toothy grin grew to titanic proportions. "Heroes? Now we're talkin'."

"That's the idea. You and I bring the fight to them while the guys do a little smash n' grab for the rocks the boss wants." Bradley explained. "There's some broad with claws and a guy who wears a suit like us. Never seen him before."

Arnold frowned. "I don't like competition. Imma show him who's got the better suit, maybe rattle his to pieces, too!" He chuckled darkly.

Part of his Shockwave armor consisted of a power modulator that allowed him to selectively increase the strength of any one mechanized component, allowing him to achieve great feats of impossible power. His favourite was stomping hard enough to create earthquakes that measured up to 5.1 on the Richter scale.

Bradley had a feeling the Coast City Seismology Institute would be busy tonight.

In addition, Shockwave was outfitted with sonic frequency gauntlets that channeled vibrations into devastating energy waves that could disrupt molecular bonds and shake things to ashes. Bradley had seen it done before to countless inanimate constructs and new that focused power was just what they needed. If anything they could knock the whole museum down and fish out the rocks from the rubble.

"Keep up that attitude. We'll need it tonight." Bradley replied, turning on heel to check in with his engineers. They had a lot of planning to do with the hours of daylight that remained…

Later that same day…

Alone in her hotel room, Mari McCabe continued to prep for the night's affairs and whatever may come. She had done everything in her power to make sure the public event could go off without a hitch and planned for as many possible Intergang eventualities as she could conceive. All the theoreticals had been laid out and now it was just a question of execution. And that started with a phone call to her collaborators, namely Sarah Spencer, denoting her absence from the gala floor.

"Why won't you join us?" Sarah asked over the phone, sounding somewhere between inquisitive and concerned.

"I'm taking some security precautions for the event that require me to be elsewhere." Mari answered as she paced back and forth. It was a half-truth but she didn't have the means to explain it all to her business partner-turned-friend. "I just want to make sure things go smoothly this time. Still can't believe this is happening here and not back in Gotham."

"Tell me about it," the jeweller murmured, "but I'm not convinced this is a good idea. Won't people think you're just running and hiding? Are you sure you don't want to be there in person even for just a few minutes? Just long enough to let people know you're alright?"

Mari paused to gaze out the window at the sun-backed city and contemplated how much of a better idea that was and how it made sense. But she couldn't bring herself to accept it, not when her experience with the Justice League had taught her otherwise. If she was going to play hero tonight, it needed to take priority above anything, social reputation included. "As much as I want to, this requires I be there from the start." Mari explained, and it was technically the truth this time. "Just tell the guests that I'm behind the scenes with security making sure another attempted robbery doesn't happen again. That should placate them." She was banking on news spreading and was fairly confident it would work.

"If you say so." Sarah answered with a sigh, sounding unconvinced. Mari wondered if there might be some sort of fear mixed in, prompting the jeweller to desire strength in numbers.

"I'm only doing this for tonight, Sarah. I promise I'll be out on the floor with you and Professor Anderson at the next show."

"Alright. See you later, Mari." The line went dead as Mari hung up, tossing her phone on the bed as she glanced one more time at the spare green dress draped over a chair. She wished she was wearing that number and showing off the gemstone pendants that had knit this idea together but, alas, circumstances called for some vastly different apparel tonight.

Her Tantu Totem was still around her neck so she fixed a pair of earrings shaped like the teeth of long-dead predators. "Can't win 'em all." She murmured to herself, removing her jacket and reaching for her special duffle bag. "Time to go to work." Her hands withdrew her Vixen costume from within and she tossed it on the bed as she started changing…

With a few granola bars shoved into the pockets of his coveralls, Colt was seated comfortably in Liberty Lance as his armored suit rocketed across the multicolored skies of Coast City. He had a feeling tonight was gonna be a long one as he engaged in a stakeout waiting for Intergang to pounce. He'd never done something like this before… It was one of the many firsts he could check off from across the past few days.

"Never teamed up with a real hero… Never tried to take down a criminal organization… Never played bodyguard for an event like this…" His thoughts were wandering and both his stomach and mind were giddy with anticipation, fluttering between that nervous excitement on the cusp of attempting the never-attempted. The roof of the museum came into view and he eased off his pulsejets to slow his arrival while the suit's altimeter counted down his proximity. He touched down and skipped forward, executing a perfect stop as his armor's gyros kept him upright.

Powering down the flight systems, Colt triggered the armor release and freed himself for a moment, stepping down onto the concrete-metal rooftop to get a scope of his surroundings before he was encased in metal for the rest of the night. The Liberty Lance armor was as ready as could be, much moreso than the man piloting it was. Colt walked to the edge and looked down, turning away from the beautiful sunset as he eyed the handful of cars filling the parking lot. More would follow, undoubtedly, which meant more people to protect.

Protecting people. Something about that chosen burden, the responsibility of innocent lives, made him feel alive. It was what the Air Force did; every pilot risking their wellbeing for the sake of protecting nations. For Colt it wasn't a thrill but a dedication of intellect, a hobby turned job, a skill turned career. It tugged at something deep within him. An ignition of a sort. Once that flame had been fanned, nothing short of death could put it out. Despite its complications and inevitable hardships Colt would always admit (quietly, to himself) that this is what he was made to do.

He just barely missed the sound of feet landing on the rooftop. "Hey, stranger." Mari's familiar voice greeted him. Colt turned around,

"Hello again, Mari-" he trailed off as his gaze roamed across her stunning attire. Supermodel Mari McCabe in all her fancy, high-end appeal had been replaced with the superheroine Vixen. She was dressed in the same orange-gold jumpsuit with black accents that he saw in front-page news headlines… and now had first experience with how much cleavage its low cut really exposed. He swallowed, forcing his eyes to not stare at her dark skin that, in the contrasting light of day, stood out all the more thanks to her skintight suit. She was impressively curvaceous in person.

All of a sudden, the styling of her hair made a lot more sense to him. The spiked pixie cut seemed out of place for a glamorous, famous fashion model, but as Vixen it seemed to match her innate wildness. Colt blinked and realized that he understood a little more about Mari. Despite being a model she was a superhero by nature and no amount of fancy clothes or expensive makeup could hide that. "Cat got your tongue?" She asked with a grin, forcing Colt to realize he'd been staring.

"S-Sorry." Was all he could murmur while his cheeks burned. Vixen watched him for a moment longer out of her own amusement.

"I'm surprised to see you out of armor."

"I wanted to get a feel for the environment. Don't always get a chance when the armor is sealed off." Colt quickly answered, thankful for the shift in topic. "Can't stay out for too long. Without the suit, I'm nothing." Vixen dwelt on his answer as Colt ambled back towards Liberty Lance. "That, uh… Your totem-thingy. How's it work?"

"It taps into Earth's morphogenetic field: a life force that flows through the animal kingdom." She answered simply, although the word-salad gave Colt pause for a few moments as he digested it.

"So… you're connected to every animal on the planet…?"

"And I can tap into their strengths and abilities at will." Vixen affirmed. "I guess you could I wouldn't be here without it." She cocked her head, watching Colt dust off the interior components of Liberty Lance as though purposefully delaying his return to its confines. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you really live in your own little world, don't you?"

"Not the first time I've been accused of that." He said quietly and Vixen felt as thought she pressed too close to a nerve. She changed up her tactics,

"You're a smart guy. Must be great at Trivial Pursuit. Know anything about modelling?" She wondered, curiously prying to see where his head-knowledge ended.

"Well… not really. I mean, I've seen a few billboards… and walked past a couple Victoria's Secret shops. That, uh, That kinda modelling s-sure does it job." Colt chuckled nervously.

Vixen offered a rueful smile. "I know, sex sells. I know that pretty well."

"Done enough swimsuit shoots, huh?" Colt remarked off-hand. He immediately regretted his choice of words. "Sorry. That was rude." He apologized.

The seconds of silence that followed were tense and awkward. Vixen continued smiling passively but her expression was devoid of all mirth. "You ever read any stories about the entertainment industry? How it's a make-or-break race to try and get somewhere that seldom involves talent and more or less is about cavorting with the right people?" Mari continued, not waiting for an answer. Her smile was gone now. "The world of modelling is not that different. I've been around the block a few times, I learned how to secure myself however I could when I was still feeling it out. I don't think you'd understand it. It may look like it's all glitz and glamor on the surface; lots of money, fancy clothes, attention, contracts… but modelling is a cesspool of drug addicts and sex parties behind the scenes. If you're not quick on your feet and shrewd in your judgement, you'll wind up in the wrong crowd and be stuck there for good. I did what I could to avoid it, I didn't want that to be in my life. But it's hard, trying to stay away from that side of it when it's in your face all the time. Gets exhausting. Too many cave to it. Too many lose themselves in it. The number of women and girls I've seen suffer… won't do me any good to bring them up again." She turned away from him, gazing out across Coast City as glass and steel shone with a rainbow of caramel, pink, and orange. "Modelling is only easy if you don't care about selling your soul." It was elegantly put and stirred Colt, the veil parting a little further so he could catch a glimpse of Mari's soul.

He knew more than he originally let on; a memory of reading an exclusive article on the Daily Planet's website where Lois Lane interviewed former model Darci Mason about her tell-all book after she left the fashion industry springing to mind. Her experience had not been as nearly as rosy as Mari's was, far more harrowing when she got caught up in the lie that she needed to do everything the industry's big-names wanted her to do in order to make it. She had fallen down a dark path because of it and now her redemption had come in the form of finally leaving it behind and ripping away the veil that kept it out of the public eye.

"You've worked hard to get where you are," he observed while climbing into his armor, "and you'd set a fine example to any other woman in the industry. They're lucky to have someone like you around." His words were concise and resonated with Vixen, stirring her as she broke from her reverie to look at him. There was a warmth to his comment that she took heart in, a genuineness that made her feel in ways she hadn't felt in a long time. "I can't relate. Part of me wishes I could. But the fact you know all this makes you a better person for it."

Vixen smiled and said nothing until Colt was hidden from view, at one with Liberty Lance again. "Been a long time since I've been complimented like that… Thank you, Colton. I think I needed that after all this." She glanced back at the city becoming enshrouded by the twilight hour. Lights were flicking on across Coast City, their vantage point offering them views of the adjacent channel overpass and Two-Mile Mall, and off in the distance the glimmering attractive glow from The Boulevard and the colorful rides of Westbury Point. "But the night is young and Intergang is still out there."

Together they strode towards the skylight over the geological exhibit and Vixen flicked open several of the window panes while Liberty Lance looked on. "I take it you're here to join me in striking back." He mused.

"I'm not taking any chances this time." Vixen replied. "Plus, being in costume saves me ripping another dress."

"Did you ever consider just letting them take it? Placing a tracker in the jewelry and stopping them at their source?"

"I did, briefly. But I'd rather stop them altogether than take that risk. Intergang is crafty and always have more than one ace up their sleeve."

Liberty Lance nodded, noting the concern knit into Vixen's face. "We'll stop them." He promised. "One way or another."