Post by cross on Dec 3, 2014 10:18:49 GMT -5
Ultimate Catman #4
God Complex Part 1
"Can you guys hear me?" Thomas tapped on his cowl next to his ear. "Hello?"
"Yes, we hear you Catman." William's voice was preoccupied as he reported in.
"Let Ambush Bug know that it works just fine and it doesn't really have any static. I can hear you guys as if you were right next to me. OH SHIT!" Catman gripped onto the roof of the small car as it sped through the Hub's rush hour traffic. "I think I may have spooked this kid."
"Catman? This is Ambush Bug. Listen, I'm in the police wire and they are trying to keep a distance away from the kid. There hasn't been a single mention of you yet which leads me to believe that they haven't seen you. They don't want to make this into more of a disaster than it already is. In other words, he's all yours." Thomas smiled under his cowl as a young child looked on in awe in the other lane as he sped by holding on for his life to the passing car.
"Cayce, I need a new route to get this kid off the highway. He's trying to make a break for Bludhaven." Thomas listened intently for some sort of directions.
"Okay. If you can, get him to turn onto the next off ramp. That should get you guys into the Rail District." Thomas nodded as if William could see him acknowledging the plan. He reared back and slammed his right claw into the roof of the car.
SHUNKK!
The sudden ripping of the cars roof caused the driver to swerve a bit before correcting. "I've got a good grip into the car now. I really wish somebody else was here to see this happen." Thomas reared back again but this time he pulled back his left fist and slammed it into the drivers side window.
SMASSSHHHH!
The window shattered and Thomas ripped his hand back up and grabbed onto the roof again. With no regard for anyone else on the traffic way, the driver spun the steering wheel to the right and sent the car speeding down the off ramp towards the Rail District just as Cayce had planned. "I got him into the Rail District. How long until HCPD gets to us?"
"You have about two minutes to end this before they get there." Ambush Bug listened to the chatter over the police wire while also listening to Catman on the radio while at the same time watching the GPS display of the Car and Catman. He was in the zone at this point with total focus.
Thomas readied himself and started to bounce a little on his feet. "C'mon, C'mon, C'mon..." He griped tightly to the roof and jumped into a handstand for a split second before swinging his body feet first into the passengers side window. The brute force of Catman's boots shattered the window as he slid into the seat. In one fluid motion he grabbed the driver by the back of the head and slammed him face first into the steering wheel.
HONK!
Blood exploded from the drives nose upon contact and he dropped his hands from the wheel. "Sorry kid." Thomas gave a half hearted smile as the drivers eyes went wide at the sight of a costumed man in the car with him. He quickly punched him in the face causing more blood to explode from the already broken nose. "SUM OVA BITHS!" The young adult tried to curse Catman but the blood choked his speech short. Thomas grabbed the wheel taking control of the cars driving and slammed his left foot onto the brakes.
SCREECH!
Thomas pulled the keys from the ignition and fell back into his seat relieved. "Guys, it's over. I just got the car to stop and nobody was hurt." He breathed a heavy sigh.
"Good. Now cuff the kid or something and get out of sight before the cops show up. I'm on my way now." The Siberian's engine came to life in the small garage. Cayce put on his leather jacket and got in.
Thomas looked over to the drivers seat. "Shit! I've lost the driver."
"Wait. What? How do you lose the driver who is one car seat's length away from you?" Cayce drove out of the garage looking around cautiously so as to not alert any of the neighbors of their extra curricular activities.
"He's running." Thomas got out of the car and spotted his target sprinting for an old railcar scale building just off the side of the road. "Ha ha! I found him. I'm in pursuit now."
"Catman. you have about one minute to subdue him and get the hell out of their. HCPD is almost on you!"
"Thank you Ambush Bug." Thomas rolled his eyes and took off after his prey.
The driver wiped the blood from his face while gasping for air. He rounded the corner of a dilapidated building and slammed against a wall for cover. Ever so slightly he peaked out from the wall looking for his pursuer. "Wrong way dumbass."
The gruff sounding voice startled him as he turned around to meet Thomas face to face. He backed away slowly with his hands up in surrender. "Man, I'll give you all of the bank money just let me go."
"His name is Cameron Mahkent, Catman." Irwin clicked on the Social Media profile of him.
"Cameron, you robbed the Hub City National Bank. Why in the hell would you rob a bank? Seriously, who robs banks anymore?" Cameron looked into the eyes of Catman terrified.
"H-How do you know who I am?"
"I know everything."
THWOK!
Catman head-butt Cameron in the face dropping him to the ground out cold. Hearing the police sirens in the distance growing louder, Catman ran, weaving through the alleyways of the old district. "Cayce! Where are you?" His voice growing concerned.
"I have about another ten minutes man. You'll have to hide from the cops until I can get there. Try to meet me at the far northern end of the rail yard. I can stay out of sight easier." Catman stopped in the alley and changed directions in his head to the north end of the yard.
"I'll meet you there."
***
"I honestly thought that after taking down Mario Falcone the Hub would kind of slow down on the crime and overall decaying." Catman took off his cowl and tossed it in the back of the Siberian as Cayce slowly drove along the side streets of the city trying to avoid anyone spotting the tank of a vehicle.
"Two things. One, you obviously don't know this city if you thought that that's all it would take. Two, You didn't take down Mario. All you did was send a message. If anything, he will be back in Hub City sooner than we thought." Catman shook his head in disappointment. "Don't lose faith man. We did real good with Falcone. Think about Kitrina."
"How is she adjusting? I've been so busy going on patrol and trying to get into better shape that I really haven't had time to check on her." Thomas said as he removed his Catman gear and put on a t-shirt.
"You need to make time. She is doing fine for what she has been through but trust me, There's going to be some metal scarring there." Cayce pushed the gas pedal down almost to the floor trying to make as much distance between him and the police as possible.
Thomas nodded his head.
***
Cayce walked into the small dining room area of the loft. The table had been moved out and more into the living room to make the area feel more like Kitrina's own space. "Hey Kitrina. We're back." The young girl looked up from her laptop that Irwin had given her. After no more than an emotionless glance she went back to her thoughts.
"Okay, well if you're hungry, we got some take out." At that moment Kitrina looked up and gave a slight smile. Cayce quickly smiled back thinking he had made contact with the distant girl.
"Hey Thomas. I'm glad you're back." Her voice was so quiet it would take a while to get use to it. Cayce turned and noticed Thomas walking down to the garage. As disappointed as he was that she would still talk to no one else but Thomas, he was still happy that this was the chance for him to spend time with the girl.
"Why don't you and Kitrina talk while I go check on Irwin down in the garage." Thomas presented the walkway to the garage as Cayce walked by. "This is your chance. Spend it with her." Cayce whispered as he strolled by making his way down the stairs. Thomas smiled and closed the door behind him. He walked into the living area and sat down on one of the old couches.
"Come here Kitrina." The girl made her way over and sat down on the couch next to the man.
"How are you settling in here? It's been awhile since we brought you here and you've barely said a word to anyone." She looked up at Thomas and smiled.
"How did you stop the bank robber?" She asked completely ignoring Thomas's question.
"I hit him in the face with my cowl." Kitrina had a look of confusion on her face. "I knocked him out." Thomas corrected bringing back her smile and interest.
"How did you get him?"
"I told you, I knocked him out. Are you liking it here?" He tried to change the subject but she clearly had no intent of letting it go his way.
"How did you get close enough to knock him out?"
He sighed and thought about the question. "So there I was getting out of the wrecked car. He was running scarred but had nowhere to go. When I am Catman, I like to try and scare the bad guys. He goes and gets behind a building looking for me, but he's stupid. I go around the other side of the building." She scooted in closer to him as he told her the grand adventure.
***
Cayce walked into the large garage seeing Irwin staring blankly at a few soft glowing computer screens. "Find anything yet?"
Irwin rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "I have checked everything I can think of. Kitrina Falcone doesn't exist. Sorry, The name Kitrina Falcone doesn't exist. Maybe she isn't actually Mario's daughter."
Cayce pulled up a stool and sat down. "I have heard a lot of ate up stories about the Falcone family but I have never of heard them ever using their own as sex slaves."
Irwin turned around to face Cayce. "It could be her way of dealing with the situation. She becomes Mario's slave. He likes her and decides to keep her. He breaks her mentally and she copes by believing that she is the daughter of the guy. I'm willing to guess that her first name is actually Kitrina but she may not be able to remember her real last name anymore."
Cayce thought about the hypothesis. "Check the backlogs of missing children reports from the last five years. We will see what we can find from there." Schwab nods to the request and goes back to the computer.
"What about school and friends and having a normal life?" He continued typing on his computer.
Cayce ran his hand over his shaved head thinking about the question. "The normal life she deserves is gone. As much of a shit hand as it is, life dealt her it and now its up to her to be able to handle it. Give her a couple more weeks to get back into the routine of normal life and then we will discuss enrolling her into school and other things."
***
William walked up the stairs towards the place he called his home. He could hear a faint laugh as he got closer to the door. He knew that it wasn't Thomas laughing. Smiling, He opened the door and entered seeing Thomas sitting on the couch with Kitrina watching the local news. As soon as he had entered though the laughing was gone and Kitrina's face was set in stone at a dull monotone setting. The laughs and happiness looked like they had died right as he had entered he room. He knew he had ruined the fun the two had shared.
"There he is again!" Thomas burst out as the news showed the face of Cameron Mahkent and the headline of "Captured". "That's him before I busted his nose. Wait and see if they show him after." Kitrina leaned forward in anticipation staring at the TV screen. "HA HA!" Thomas cheered in victory as the news showed footage of Cameron being brought into the police station. Cayce looked at the face of Kitrina just as she flashed a quick smile.
***
The police officers led Cameron into the station and sat him down next to an officers desk. "Watch him. I'm going to go get the finger print supplies." The officer turned and made his way into a back room. Cameron looked around at the chaos of the Hub City Police Station. Police men and women flooded through the building trying to talk over the loud chatter of everyone else. The Hub and it's crime didn't sleep and the police could only do so much before breaking.
"Hey!" Cameron turned to see the largest man he had ever laid eyes upon approaching him and his watch dog of a police man. "The Chief wants you upstairs in her office."
The officer looked confused. "What the hell does she want now? Can you watch him?"
The huge black man knelt down next to Cameron as the officer made his way up the stairs to his bosses office. Even kneeling down the man was still taller than Cameron was when he was standing. You need a drink or anything while you wait?
Cameron nodded. "Yeuh." The broken nose had been bandaged but his voice was still nasally annoying.
The officer reached into his pants pocket and handed the young man a slim can of what looked to be an energy drink. Cameron looked the can over and took the officers offer. "Whut kind ov stuff id dis?" He questioned.
"Its some kind of soda that the station has. It's pretty good I think." Cameron turned the can in his hand. The label read 'Big Bang!!!'
"If you don't want it then you don't have to drink it." The giant of a man reached out for the drink but Mahkent waved his offer off.
"Danks." Cameron popped the top and began to drink the soda. The officer rose back up off of his knee and looked down at Cameron as he drank.
"Good luck kid. See you around." The man turned and walked towards the police station door and exited the building leaving Cameron alone next to the officer desk.
Mahkent finished the slim can of Big Bang and let out a loud burp. "Where the fuck is officer....Where the fuck did you get that?!" The police man getting the fingerprint supplies had returned. He ripped the can of Big Bang away from Cameron and threw it down. "This isn't Gotham damn it! we actually take this police shit seriously. Who the hell gave you this?" Cameron opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He tried again but this time could feel his throat starting to close shut. As panic started to set in he tried to stand up but his legs felt like jelly and he collapsed to the tile floor.
"I need some help over here!" The officer cried out as Cameron's body began to shake uncontrollably. Four police officers surrounded him and rolled him onto his back. Cameron's eyes rolled into the back of his head and the shaking suddenly stopped. "GET A DEFIB UNIT OVER HERE NOW!" With in seconds another officer had joined the growing crowd carrying a defibrillator. Mahkent's shirt was cut off and the paddles were out and charged.
"GET BACK!" The paddles pressed against the young man's bare chest and the police office pushed the activation button.
ZAB!
Cameron's upper body lifted off of the floor from the jolt of electricity and slammed back down. His eyes exploded open and he gasped for air. After the sudden intake of oxygen into his lungs he exhaled.
"What the fuck?" The officer exclaimed as he set down the defib unit. Cameron's eyes glazed over in a cool blue color as he took another breath.
Without warning, his breath changed to a blast of liquid ice and lifted the police officer off of his feet and froze him in mid air. Every officer in the building was now watching as the frozen police man fell to the floor shattering into hundreds of pieces.
"FREEZE!" Guns were drawn and all were aimed at Cameron.
"What's happening?" Cameron tried to plea but another artic blast exploded from his mouth freezing two more police men in place. He lifted his hands up in surrender. Two blasts of liquid ice erupted from his hands this time. He could hear gun shots but none of the bullets had made it to him. He closed his hands into fists and the bursts suddenly stopped. Getting to his feet he could see the frozen bullets all on the ground. Looking around the precinct, Cameron saw and could feel his creation.
"This is good." Smiling, he raised his arms to each side of him and opened his hands releasing more liquid ice blasts. He looked up and opened his mouth taking in a deep breath of the already cooling air. More liquid ice shot out of his mouth freezing the ceiling of the large police headquarters.
***
"THOMAS GET IN HERE!" Cayce stood watching the TV with Kitrina still sitting on the couch. Thomas hurriedly shut the refrigerator door and ran to the living room.
"We are here live at the Hub City Police Department where reports are coming out that some sort of attack on the precinct is in process." The news reporter ducked behind the local news van as the camera continued filming the front door of the building. As Thomas watched he could see the ice building on the front door.
"What the hell is that behind the door?" Thomas questioned as Cayce squatted down in front of the TV to get a better look.
"Don't know. Looks blue whatever it is." As Cayce was staring at the blue form, the doors to the building ripped off from their hinges and fell in front of the news crews gathered around the building.
"Someone is coming out from the building now. What is that?" The camera continued filming as a humanoid form of living ice emerged from the frozen police building. The figure looked at the news anchor and the camera man and moved toward them. The frozen man looked into the news anchors eyes.
"Do you fear me?" The iced over form grabbed the woman by the back of the head gently waiting for an answer.
"What are you?"
"A god." The woman's eyes grew wide and turned blue as a thin layer of ice enveloped her head. She dropped to the ground not moving. The man of ice turned to the camera. "Come get me Cat. Round two begins where round one ended." Suddenly he opened his mouth and roared into the camera. The feed cut to static.
Cayce got up and looked at Thomas. "Think he's talking to you?"
"No. I think he was talking to superman. Yes, he was talking to me." Thomas opened the door and made his way to the garage.
***
Schwab spun in his chair and saw Thomas enter the garage. "I presume you all have seen the meta?"
Thomas zipped up his suit and adjusted his cowl to fit his head more comfortably. "Yeah. I need to you in my ear at all times on this okay? I am going to need as much help as possible. Meta's are something I'm not trained for."
Schwab nodded and turned back to his screens. "You aren't going without me." Cayce entered the garage followed closely by Kitrina. "This is a team effort Thomas."
"Bullshit! This stopped being a team effort when that living icicle walked out and killed a woman on live TV. I'm going on this one alone. Help Ambush find a way to beat this thing." Catman closed the door to the Siberian and the engines roared to life.
Cayce angrily turned to Schwab to try and help in any way he could. Irwin looked over his shoulder. "So are we calling this thing Icicle now?"