Three Years Ago
Risk had managed to get through the building's high-tech security, including laser grids, alarms, attack dogs and endless loops of the Jem & The Holograms movie which was meant to induce vomiting upon sight. But the risk was worth it as he approached the vault, where behind door he'd find his prize. Beside the vault was a keypad with a numbering system. Enter the right code and the door would open; the wrong code would result in the police being summoned.
Risk looked at the keypad carefully before punching it at hard as he could, shattering the keypad and opening the vault instantly. As soon as the door was open, Risk viewed his prize.
A full carton of limited edition Ecto-Cooler.
Picking up the box, Risk carried it toward the exit and passing by an unusual sight along the way. A body that was crouched in a crawlspace with his eyes closed. Wondering if the young man was dead, Risk reached a hand out to touch him, just as an electric looking surge flew into the body. He opened his eyes and gasped as Risk jumped back.
"Get away from me!" Mindwarp shouted as he sprung up and started running. Risk grabbed his prize and ran behind him When they were near the exit, several heavily armed guards were waiting with guns.
"That's him! He's the one who killed the boss! Kill them both!"
Risk and Mindwarp just smirked at each other, knowing that they were about to have some real fun without even saying a word to each other. That was the start of Risk and Mindwarp's long and troubled relationship.
Risk had managed to get through the building's high-tech security, including laser grids, alarms, attack dogs and endless loops of the Jem & The Holograms movie which was meant to induce vomiting upon sight. But the risk was worth it as he approached the vault, where behind door he'd find his prize. Beside the vault was a keypad with a numbering system. Enter the right code and the door would open; the wrong code would result in the police being summoned.
Risk looked at the keypad carefully before punching it at hard as he could, shattering the keypad and opening the vault instantly. As soon as the door was open, Risk viewed his prize.
A full carton of limited edition Ecto-Cooler.
Picking up the box, Risk carried it toward the exit and passing by an unusual sight along the way. A body that was crouched in a crawlspace with his eyes closed. Wondering if the young man was dead, Risk reached a hand out to touch him, just as an electric looking surge flew into the body. He opened his eyes and gasped as Risk jumped back.
"Get away from me!" Mindwarp shouted as he sprung up and started running. Risk grabbed his prize and ran behind him When they were near the exit, several heavily armed guards were waiting with guns.
"That's him! He's the one who killed the boss! Kill them both!"
Risk and Mindwarp just smirked at each other, knowing that they were about to have some real fun without even saying a word to each other. That was the start of Risk and Mindwarp's long and troubled relationship.
ISSUE #13 (August 2018)
Written by Tobias Christopher Featuring: Impulse
Bart Allen
Conner Kent
Adam
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"Rush - Part Three"Today
"How are we supposed to help Jase like this?" Wyatt asked. "Wouldn't it just be faster to run?" "I don't run," Opie told him. "And we'll find him. We have to." Opie peddled the 10-speed bike as fast as he could with Wyatt sitting on the handlebars. "Where are we?" Risk asked as he carried Jase over his shoulder. "This is one of the places I lived at when I got to the States and didn't have enough money to afford a place," Mindwarp said as they broke into an abandoned factory. "Should be nice and private for our needs." "Great, let's get this little bastard tied up so he can't run away," Risk said as he dropped Jase to the ground. "Then we can start the fun." Not too far away, an officer was watching the duo, recognizing Mindwarp from the news. The famed assassin that was nearly impossible to catch. "If I can take that guy in, I'll be a hero..." "You lost your powers, too?" Connor Kent asked as walked down the street with his former Young Justice teammate Bart Allen. "What are the odds?" "I didn't lose them, they're still there... sorta," Bart said while they visited a hot dog cart. "Inertia impaled me through the heart while my speed was gone. When everyone else got their speed restored, the metal rod that was stuck inside my chest deflected the energy. Jase tried to restore my speed, which he did, but it didn't heal my wound completely. I have a tear in my heart, Connor. And if I even use the tiniest fraction of my speed, it'll kill me." "And they can't just... operate?" "Not without killing me in the process," Bart told him. "My speed will still heal any other part of me that's damaged, including surgical cuts. They wouldn't be able to cut me inch without the wound starting to heal." "That sucks, man," Connor told him as he watched Bart pile on the mustard, relish, and ketchup. "But at least your powers are still there. Brainiac ripped all of my Kryptonian DNA right out of me before his ship exploded. My powers were destroyed with that ship. Now I'm totally human and can't keep up with Chris and Jon." "I'd give just about anything to be able to be a hero again." Bart said as he took a bite. "Needs more chives." "Who says we can't be heroes? We lost our powers, not our bodies," Connor said. "Look at Tim, he's a badass and he never had powers." "He's also had years of training under one of the toughest fighters on the planet," Bart reminded him. "It'd take years to reach that level, and I know levels, I've beaten every video game ever made." "Even Bebe's Kids for the SNES?" "I'm not God, Connor." "Look, I'm not planning on dying anytime soon," Connor told him. "So let's do it, Bart, you and me." "Look, Connor, I like you, but I never thought about that kind of relationship. Well, maybe that one time, but it was a very confusing time of my life and I'd just seen that movie about the two cowboys on the mountain--" "Not that kind of 'do it', Bart. I meant let's be heroes again," Connor said in frustration, now remembering how confusing his talks with Bart were in the past. "Fuck not having powers, we'll find different ways to fight. Are you with me?" "Well, we can't let Jase and this new Superboy have all the fun, can we?" Bart asked with a mischievous smile. "Let's get a few more hot dogs and talk about this over a pizza." Adam was still at home, swinging a sledgehammer while shirtless, which was weird because androids don't sweat. He had work gloves on and a pair of goggles over his eyes as he took one last swing. "That deals with the termite problem," Adam said. "Now I can start remodeling the attic." "Okay, wake him up." Mindwarp put a finger on Jase's forehead to wake him. The boy gasped as he was heavily tied to a chair in the middle of a large empty room. "Go get the rusty pliers from the truck," Risk said as he turned to Mindwarp. "I want to start by pulling his fingernails out." Risk turned his head back to the chair, where the seat was empty with a bunch of ropes laying on it. "What the--" "Hey, I found a vending machine on the next floor full of candy!" Jase said as he carried an armful of snacks into the room. "It's still good if it's expired, right?" "What? How did you-- GET BACK IN THE CHAIR!" Risk shouted. "i'm trying to torture you!" "Like that movie about the puppet who makes people miserable?" "Yes, exactly like the Justin Bieber movie! Now sit down!" "Okay," Jase said as he took a seat and opened a candy bar, biting down into it before a realization dawned on him. "Wait a minute... this has raisins in it. I don't like raisins." Risk was about to dig a knife into him when Jase zipped away again, causing Risk to fall forward into nothing. "Is there a feeling deeper than hate? Because this kid's making me feel like I hate him beyond any rationale hatred." Risk said. "Cody, maybe we should just let the brat go," Mindwarp told him. "Killing a kid that hasn't done anything to deserve it doesn't feel right. I mean, I can, will, and have been willing to kill anyone who deserves it, but this? I don't know, man." "Hasn't done anything to deserve it?" Risk asked as he stood up. "He killed my mom, Jay. He took away the only person in the world who meant something to me." "What about... me?" Mindwarp asked in a hurt tone. "I thought we were friends. I thought we were--" Risk immediately realized what came out of his mouth and knew he'd hurt his only friend. "Jay, I-- I didn't mean--" "It's cool, forget I said anything," Mindwarp told him. "I need some air. Come find me when you're done dismembering the kid." Before Risk could get to him, Mindwarp had walked out of the room, just as Jase rushed back in with more candy. "Peanut butter, my favorite," Jase said as he sat down. "Hey, where's your friend? I brought him some candy, too. I got enough for all of us. You like peanut butter?" "I don't want candy, I want revenge," Risk said. "You took something away that was very special to me." "I'm sorry," Jase said as he stared down at the ground. "Bart taught me not to steal from people, so if I took something from you, it was an accident." "Bart?" "He's my big brother and he's the greatest person I know," Jase said as he stared up at Risk. "I've known him since I was born. He takes care of me and makes sure I eat and take showers and makes sure I don't get into trouble like the time I wandered into the club with the naked women dancing onstage. Who takes care of you?" "My mother, when she was alive," Risk told him. "But she died a while ago." "So who takes care of you now?" Jase asked. "Who takes care of you when you're hungry or too tired to get up to your bedroom after staying up all night watching Tyler Perry movies?" Wyatt and Opie were following the trail as they got closer to the warehouse. "This is it," Wyatt told him as the bike came to a stop. "How do you know?" Opie asked. "I don't know, I guess I just kind of... feel it," Wyatt said. "Jase has to be in there. But how do we save him?" "I'll focus on that," Opie told him. "Once we get to him, you just worry about getting out of there with him." "Opie, you barely know Jase. Why do you want to rescue him so bad?" "I have my reasons," Opie said as he continued toward the warehouse. "Just know that I don't want to see that kid hurt." Mindwarp had walked outside to get some air, where he took a seat under a tree not too far away. He needed time to think about what Risk had said and the two young men really meant to each other after three years of being partners in crime. In his entire life, Mindwarp had never been able to trust anyone. Not anyone at the orphanage, not anyone he'd met while becoming a hired assassin; and no one he'd known at any point in his life. Cody Driscoll had been the first and only person he'd ever met that Jay had ever been able to trust. Three Years Ago As the henchmen of the person Mindwarp had assassinated were knocked out all around them, Mindwarp stared at Risk as he held his box of Ecto-Cooler. "I guess I should go, got a hot date," Mindwarp lied. "Nice meeting you, mate." "Same here," Risk said. "Maybe I'll see you around." The two started walking away from each other as Risk whistled to him. Mindwarp turned around as Risk smiled at him. "You know, this Ecto-Cooler probably has an expiration date on it, and I can't drink this much juice on my own. Maybe some night we can hang out. If you don't have a hot date that night." "You know, I can probably postpone things for an hour or so, she'll understand," Mindwarp told him with a smirk. "I have been wanting to try that stuff. And I am parched. Assassinations really take it out of you." After that night, the two started going on further adventures together across the country. Risk stealing highly valuable items and Mindwarp killing for money. The two were a match made in Hell. Now As Mindwarp leaned his head back and closed his eyes, the police officer was hiding not too far away with his gun drawn. The criminal Mindwarp had a reputation as a killer, so he'd have to be taken in with extreme force. A few bullets in the torso should get the job done... TO BE CONTINUED... |