Gotham City
The armored prison transport van with its sole prisoner headed out onto the deserted stretch of highway well after midnight. It's destination: Iron Heights, home to many superpowered villains. The prisoner was no exception, as he had a very deadly power in his possession. As the truck started its journey, the driver and his partner were laughing about the fate of the person they were transporting.
"They never thought they'd catch this guy," the driver said. "But they did, and all because this idiot made one mistake."
"Yeah, asshole, next time you pick a hiding place, be sure it's not a public restroom!" the partner laughed as something hit the ceiling. "The hell was that?"
"Probably some rocks, we are on a cliff," the driver said. "You believe the rumors about this freak?"
"Which ones?" the partner asked. "The one about his kill count, or the one about how he's really a f--"
More rattling was heard, this time from under the truck. "Potholes?"
"These backstreets are shit," the partner said. "We'll be lucky if we deliver this asshole in one piece. I don't know why I signed up for--"
A tree suddenly fell out in the middle of the road. The driver tried to stop, but the brakes had been cut. The truck crashed into the downed tree, shattering the windshield. The driver raised his bloodied head from the steering wheel, seeing his partner was unconscious. He tried to pick up the radio to call for help, but driver's side window suddenly shattered as the driver was pulled out and thrown over the cliff. The door was ripped off of its hinges as the keys to the truck were pulled out of the ignition.
"You know, you guys make this a little too easy," Risk said as he headed to the back of the truck to unlock the doors. Halfway through he stopped and looked at the keys. "What the hell am I doing?"
In the back of the truck, a man in his early twenties was heavily chained, with a device around his head to keep him from activating his powers. The doors were ripped off the hinges as Risk stepped in.
"Hey, buddy, you doing okay?" The man asked as he pulled the device off, revealing a head full of dark blonde hair. He had stubble that was a few days old on his face as he looked up at his rescuer. "Come on, what do we say for me busting my ass rescuing you?"
"Drugged... me," Mindwarp said weakly as his rescuer wasted no time ripping the chains of with his bare hands.
"Freeze!" the other guard said as he held his gun while standing at the door. Risk calmly turned and smirked as he rushed at the guard.
"Oh, come on," Risk said with a laugh. "I just ripped solid metal doors off like they were tinfoil. What do you think I can do to you?"
Seconds later, the guard joined his partner at the bottom of the cliff as Risk returned to the prisoner, helping him sit up.
"You think I'd let you rot in some prison?" Risk said as he slung Mindwarp over his shoulder. "The get away car's not too far from here. I'll take you somewhere where you can recover."
"This is so embarrassing," Mindwarp said as Risk carried him off.
"Hey, at least I'm not carrying you bridal style," Risk told him.
The armored prison transport van with its sole prisoner headed out onto the deserted stretch of highway well after midnight. It's destination: Iron Heights, home to many superpowered villains. The prisoner was no exception, as he had a very deadly power in his possession. As the truck started its journey, the driver and his partner were laughing about the fate of the person they were transporting.
"They never thought they'd catch this guy," the driver said. "But they did, and all because this idiot made one mistake."
"Yeah, asshole, next time you pick a hiding place, be sure it's not a public restroom!" the partner laughed as something hit the ceiling. "The hell was that?"
"Probably some rocks, we are on a cliff," the driver said. "You believe the rumors about this freak?"
"Which ones?" the partner asked. "The one about his kill count, or the one about how he's really a f--"
More rattling was heard, this time from under the truck. "Potholes?"
"These backstreets are shit," the partner said. "We'll be lucky if we deliver this asshole in one piece. I don't know why I signed up for--"
A tree suddenly fell out in the middle of the road. The driver tried to stop, but the brakes had been cut. The truck crashed into the downed tree, shattering the windshield. The driver raised his bloodied head from the steering wheel, seeing his partner was unconscious. He tried to pick up the radio to call for help, but driver's side window suddenly shattered as the driver was pulled out and thrown over the cliff. The door was ripped off of its hinges as the keys to the truck were pulled out of the ignition.
"You know, you guys make this a little too easy," Risk said as he headed to the back of the truck to unlock the doors. Halfway through he stopped and looked at the keys. "What the hell am I doing?"
In the back of the truck, a man in his early twenties was heavily chained, with a device around his head to keep him from activating his powers. The doors were ripped off the hinges as Risk stepped in.
"Hey, buddy, you doing okay?" The man asked as he pulled the device off, revealing a head full of dark blonde hair. He had stubble that was a few days old on his face as he looked up at his rescuer. "Come on, what do we say for me busting my ass rescuing you?"
"Drugged... me," Mindwarp said weakly as his rescuer wasted no time ripping the chains of with his bare hands.
"Freeze!" the other guard said as he held his gun while standing at the door. Risk calmly turned and smirked as he rushed at the guard.
"Oh, come on," Risk said with a laugh. "I just ripped solid metal doors off like they were tinfoil. What do you think I can do to you?"
Seconds later, the guard joined his partner at the bottom of the cliff as Risk returned to the prisoner, helping him sit up.
"You think I'd let you rot in some prison?" Risk said as he slung Mindwarp over his shoulder. "The get away car's not too far from here. I'll take you somewhere where you can recover."
"This is so embarrassing," Mindwarp said as Risk carried him off.
"Hey, at least I'm not carrying you bridal style," Risk told him.
ISSUE #11 (May 2018)
Written by Tobias Christopher Featuring: Impulse
Bart Allen
Adam
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"Rush - Part One"Central City
Several Days Later Customers were passed out on the floor of the convenience store, and the cashier was laying over the counter while the green mist flowed through the air. The only one left standing was the villain who had spread the gas to begin with. "How dare you be out of blueberry mini-muffins!? Now all of you shall face the wrath of... THE GREEN CIGARETTE!" the man with giant smoking green cigarette said. "My knock-out gas rendered all of you vulnerable, and now you shall--" "Uh, I just came in for a half-gallon of milk, should I be concerned about any of this?" Impulse asked as he looked around. "YOU!" the Green Cigarette shouted, recognizing the costume. "My mortal enemy, Impulse! I have not forgotten you!" "Do I know you? I think I'd remember a mutant cigarette," Impulse told him as a gas erupted out of the Green Cigarette's filter. Impulse quickly spun, swirling all of the gas up into a funnel and running it outside. "I hope that's not what they put into the hot dogs." A few seconds later, the Green Cigarette had been knocked out and tied up, with money for the milk laying on the counter. Impulse rushed through the front door, where Bart was making breakfast. "Got the milk!" impulse said as he changed out of his costume. Jase Allen sat down in his pajamas as Bart brought the food over. "Eat up, then get ready for school," Bart told him. "It's your first day and you shouldn't be late. While you're there, I can get to my job interview. We're almost out of money." "You didn't have money put back before you died?" Adam asked. "Not much, I could always rely on my powers to make money before," Bart told him. "Doing odd jobs in different cities, playing the slots in Vegas, selling stuff on e-bay and hand delivering it, stuff like that. Now I have to earn it the old fashioned way." "Prostitution?" Jase asked as Bart just stared at him. "I watch of lot of HBO now." "No, although I probably could-- nah," Bart said as he got past the thought. "Just go get ready for school." "What are you going to do today, Adam?" Jase asked as he ate as fast as he could. "I've been reading books at the library, I believe with the help of home repair books, I can spruce up this house and make it more efficient," Adam told them. "With some energy saving tips, we could save money on expenses." "Whatever helps," Bart said as Jase raced upstairs and came back down in his school clothes. "Just don't go overboard, we don't want to draw attention to the fact that two speedsters and an android boy live here." "So... I shouldn't go around telling people that at school?" Jase asked. Richard Ullman High School "Okay, Jase, you can do this," the young speedster said to himself as he walked down the crowded hall. I just have to find 'homeroom'. Cool, I only just got here and I get to go home to my room." Jase wasn't paying attention where he was going as he stared down at the schedule in his hand, and ended up bumping into a larger student. Three twelfth-graders started laughing at the new kid. "Who let the shrimp into our school?" one of the boys asked. "The preschool's down the street, runt." "I'm actually in the seventh grade," Jase told him. "It's my first day here, do you want to be friends?" One of the boys picked Jase up by the shirt and shoved him against the lockers. "I think I'd rather run you up the flagpole by your underwear." "Joke's on you, I'm not wearing underwear," Jase told him. The bully reared his hand back to punch Jase, who moved his head in time for the bully's hand to hit the locker. He screamed in pain as the other two rushed toward him. "Ooh, a quarter," Jase said as he ducked down just in time for the other boys to collide with each other. "This must be my lucky day." "What is going on here?" a teacher asked as she stepped out into the hallway. She was tall, had black hair, and wore glasses. She saw Jase standing there, with the three much larger bullies on the ground. "Who is responsible for this?" Everyone pointed their fingers toward Jase. Meanwhile, another senior was standing back, having seen Jase's split-second use of his super-speed. Jay Young started opening his eyes as he stared up at an old water damaged ceiling. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a yawn as he sat up on an old king-sized bed. The room was small and cluttered, with only the bed and a nightstand. Jay stumbled as he got of the bed, realizing he was in his boxers. Hearing noises from the other room, Jay carefully made his way to the living room, where Cody Driscoll was playing a videogame from the couch. "Cody?" Jay asked in a raspy voice. "Look who decided to wake up after five days," Cody told him. "If you're hungry, there's cold pizza and chicken in the fridge, along with some beer. Didn't have time to load up on food between keeping an eye on you and trying to beat this level." "Two questions?" Jay asked, his heavy Australian accent becoming more clear as he looked in the fridge, grabbing a piece of chicken and a beer. "Where are we, and where are my pants?" "Huh, I would have thought the pants thing would have been your top priority," Risk said as he focused on the game. "You kind of... soiled yourself on the way here, so for the moment what you're wearing is your entire wardrobe. And as for the other thing, welcome to Casa de Driscoll. When my mom died, I inherited her vast fortune, which includes this trailer, a roll of toilet paper, and a bottle of ketchup in the cupboard. Shake it up before you use it or you'll just get ketchup water." "This is it? This is your grand hideaway?" Jay asked, practically devouring the entire piece of chicken within seconds. "What do you want, we're not exactly master criminals," Cody said as he stared up from the controller. "Maybe you could use some of that sweet assassin money to set us up with something." "You mean the money that went into fixing your little... problem?" Jay asked as he sat down next to Cody. "We need a big score to put us in the red, and me into a comfortable pair of jeans." "Well, Central City isn't far from here," "The Flash's city?" "He can't touch what he can't catch," Cody smiled. "You and me? The biggest fucking adrenaline junkies alive? Willing to go to places other criminals wouldn't dare dream of going? We'll OWN Central City within 48 hours." "Still gonna need some pants, though," Bart stared up at the building that he'd been sent to by the mysterious letter. "I shouldn't judge things by their looks," Bart said, shrugging it off as he entered 'Evil Co.'. "Ah, Bart, I've been expecting you ever since I learned you were in need of work," the man behind the desk said. He had short-cut blonde hair, a goatee and was wearing an eye patch with the letter 'E' on it. "Evil Eye?" Bart asked as he sat down. "How did you know I needed a job?" "It's Edward, now," the man said as he folded his hands while leaning forward. "And I keep track of all of my schoolmates. Although admittedly, you did manage to fall of my radar for quite some time." "Well, I was dead for a few years, but I'm feeling much better now," "Good to hear, now on to the matter at hand," Edward told him. "You were always a real go getter, Bart. I could use a man like here at Evil Co. Oh, don't worry, it's just a name. We're not really a corporation, just a small business. A really big small business." "So, what is it that you do here?" Bart asked. "Lot's of things, Bart. We do lots of things for lots of people," Edward told him. "That's we do here, Bart: Things. Many things that get things done, involving stuff. So, are you in?" "Well, I do have a kid brother and an android to support," Bart told him. "Sure." Adam was dragging a wagon filled with lumber down the sidewalk as he looked at a list of supplies he needed. "Lumber? Check," Adam said. "Now I need nails." "Hey, where's all the lumber go?" a construction worker asked. "Oh, well. Sorry, kids, no new orphanage today." "Why are your pants so tight?" Jay asked as he tried to button the blue jeans he Cody had given him. "I burn a lot of metabolism," Cody told him as he pulled a shirt on. "You know, you could just use your powers to just go get some new clothes." "I can't," Jay said. "Not after the last time when I left my body alone for a job." "You could have called me," Cody told him. "I would have watched out for you while you worked. I'm sorry for the fight we had that night. I feel responsible for you getting caught." "It's in the past," Jay told him. "You came to get me, it's hard to stay mad at you for going all the way to Gotham for me. So, are we doing this or not?" "Yeah, we're doing this," Cody smirked. "We'll get your mojo back, too. Come on, partner, let's go kick some ass." "Jase Allen," the teacher said as she looked up from the file to the boy sitting across from her. "I knew a Bart Allen once." "My big brother's name is Bart! Maybe they knew each other," Jase said with a straight face. "Oh dear God," Carol Bucklen said as she realized that this boy was connected to her former boyfriend. What was worse is that she quickly realized that Jase was her student. "G- go take your seat, Jase, class is about to start." "Take it where?" "Excuse me," Adam said as he approached the hardware counter. "What's the sturdiest bandsaw that you have in stock?" "Aren't you a little young to be using a bandsaw?" the early twenties' looking clerk asked. "Aren't you a little too old to be wearing a bowl cut?" "Fair point," the clerk said. "Aisle 11." Jase took his seat in the back, sitting next to a boy around his age. He had shaggy blue hair and was dressed in 90's grunge clothes. "You're the kid who beat up the seniors," the boy said. "That was awesome." "I did what now?" Jase asked. "My name's Wyatt," the boy said. "It's okay if you don't want to talk to me. Nobody else does." "I like your hair," Jase told him. "I'll talk to you. I'm Jase. Why don't people want to talk to you?" "I think it's the hair," "What's wrong with your hair? Blue's a nice color. You don't see many people with that hair color." "It's not by choice, I was born with it," Wyatt told him. "Messed up genetics, I guess. Kind of like your... orange eyes." "What's wrong with orange eyes?" Jase asked. "My brother says that they make me unique. I like not looking like everyone else. It makes me unique." "I never thought of it like that," Wyatt told him. "Like what?" Wyatt just stared blankly at him. "I think we're going to get along great, Jase." "So, where do we start?" Jay asked as he walked down the street with Cody. "A bank? A museum? A Krispy Kreme?" "There," Cody said as he pointed to the high school. "Come again?" Jay said. "Pretty sure there's nothing of value in there." "Oh, but there is," Cody told him. "I wasn't entirely honest with you, Jay. There's a reason I picked Central City. You see, when my mom was dying, she told me something about her past when I young. She had another kid while I doing time in a juvenile detention facility. A kid that she never told me about, that she had to give up for adoption because my... antics were putting us in debt. I only just tracked him down to this city. He's in there." "And you want to meet him?" "I want to kill him," TO BE CONTINUED... |