Post by C_Miller on Jan 16, 2012 13:17:25 GMT -5
Ultimate Justice Society of America #5
Legacy Pt. 5
Jack Knight, Jessie Garrick, Sand Hawkins, Rick Tyler and Rose Montez were returned to their holding cell almost immediately after the outburst at the dinner with Vandal Savage. They had been nearly silent for twenty minutes since they came back, contemplating their fate.
Rose cleared her throat. “I… um… I’ll volunteer… when they come for one of us.”
Jack shook his head vigorously. “No. No one’s going to volunteer and no one’s getting executed. You got that?”
“Jack… you all have something or someone to live for. I don’t. Pretty much never have… it’s okay.”
Jack remained adamant by throwing up his hands and shaking his head firmly. “I can’t do it. I can’t have that on my conscience, cutting into my beauty sleep.” He winked at her in the darkness as he spoke, trying to mask all the hints of his British accent.
Sandy nodded. “I have to agree with Jack…”
“Wasn’t looking for it.”
Sand continued. “My father told me how important the legacy is. I feel it… can’t you feel the electricity in the room?”
“Sorry, I think that’s just me.” Jessie rubbed her fingers through her hair and little bolts of static electricity rose from her fingertips, which highlight the shit-eating grin she had on.
Just then, they heard footsteps come down the hall, getting closer to their cell with each passing step. They stopped and a shadow fell over the small window and when they looked up they saw a pair of icy blue eyes glaring at them. “You have one hour to choose who it will be… I’ll be back then.”
Jessie shot up and bolted towards the door. “You’re Paula Crock’s daughter… aren’t you?”
The woman stared at her cautiously. “What’s it to you?”
Jessie looked down at her shoes in response to the intensely angered voice that shot out from in front of the bars. “You… you’re mother… she meant a great deal to my father… they… they were friends.”
“Jess. What are you doing?” Rick approached her as he asked with a bit of a quaver in the back of his throat.
She shook her head and pushed him off. “Before all this, your mother was a member of the Justice Society of America… that means something and even if she threw it away… you don’t have to.”
The woman let out a little bit of a growl and stormed off. Jessie remained at that spot until she heard a loud slam of the door to the dungeon.
***
“So you’re a musician?” Doctor McNider asked Delilah Tyler who was sitting in the seat across the aisle of the SR-71 Blackbird from him. Her “costume” was barely existent and left precious little to the imagination. If he was caught staring, he would just fane actual blindness.
She nodded her head vigorously with a winning smile on her face. “Well, kinda… they don’t actually let me play anything or write songs, but I sing and dance. I’m surprised you’ve never heard of me.”
“I don’t really follow the Top 40. Too loud. I generally prefer a nice jazz trio.” He stated matter-of-factly.
She chuckled sadly and McNider turned to Charlotte who had elected to go along with them as a teleported would be extremely useful in a rescue mission. “You’re doing it wrong.” She whispered.
“I’m sorry?”
Charlotte rolled her eyes, even though they were covered by her hood and mask. “She was totally flirting with you.” Charlotte made a huffing sound as he turned back to Delilah.
“So… you can turn invisible?” Dr. McNider asked her with genuine curiosity.
Her blank expression turned into a bright smile as she nodded. “Sure can.” She pressed a button on the bronze bracelet that was on her right wrist, but to Charles’ eyes, nothing happened.
“I… I can still see you…” Delilah looked down confused at her bracelet and then here belt.
Charlotte looked over towards Delilah’s general direction but shook her head profusely. “Nope, Doc… I can’t see her.”
“Your ability has to do with light, correct?” She shrugged. The belt was given to her by her ex-boyfriend, she didn’t invent it. “I’m going to assume it does. Light has very little to do with my sight. In fact, light prevents my sight. There’s a chance I’d be able to see you better in your invisible form without these lenses.”
She blushed a bit and disengaged her invisibility. “I can also walk through stuff.”
“Fascinating.” He looked back at Charlotte who was giving him a thumbs up and he caught the eye of Ryan Choi who was laughing under his breath, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
Towards the front of the jet, Jay Garrick and Rex Tyler sat in near total silence, contemplating the fates of their two children, Jessica and Rick. Neither of them had the best relationship with their children, but Jay’s was infinitely better. She seemed to be avoiding him lately, but he assumed that she was just busy. Rick, however outwardly despised his father.
“We’re going to get them back, Rex.” Jay earnestly told his friend.
Rex cautiously nodded. “I hope so… My son… Rick. He told me that he hated me the last time we spoke… and then I told him that he was a disappointment. That can’t be the last thing we said to each other… it just can’t be.”
“I know, my friend… we’ll get them back.”
Rex lazily ran his fingers thorough his hair while keeping his eye fixated on an indescript point in space. “When has the Justice Society ever done any good?”
“Excuse me?”
Rex shook his head. “Back in Nam, we lost Paula, Jake and even Ted for a time. It’s led to our families being hunted and killed and now our children… what good has it ever done anyone?”
Jay mused for a second. “Well, there was that one time where we saved all of New York City. Right after Starman came back and we re-opened up our doors to new members. And as painful as it all ways, we did save a lot of lives in Vietnam.”
Sadly, Rex buried his head in his hands to hide the tears that had begun to roll down his face. “The sins of the father are now being paid for by our children. Where is the good in that?”
“Maybe it just means that now we need the Justice Society more than ever…”
Before Rex could respond to Jay’s statement, the computer’s voice went through the cabin. “Approaching Savage Castle in Kahndaq.”
Rex cracked his knuckles and swiftly nodded his head. “Okay, Jay. Game time.”
***
The group sat in near silence for another hour without the guard who Jessie had deduced was Paula Crock’s daughter returning to select a child of the Justice Society to be executed. That only added to their apprehension.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps echo through the corridor of the dungeon and stop near their cell. Hesitantly, Jack turned to Jess who was situated to his left. “I need you to charge the second she opens the door. I don’t think we can win this one, but we’re certainly not going down without a fight.”
Jess nodded. Gone was her typical reluctance and fear and the only thing that was running through her body was rage and electricity. However, the dungeon did not open. The group heard a voice come from outside the door. “Use wisely.”
They then saw a pill bottle fly through the bars and landed next to Sand’s feet. Slowly, he reached for it and examined it in his fingers. “What… what is this?” He asked in a voice that revealed that his weakness persisted.
“Miraclo…” Jessie exclaimed in a hushed excitement. “Rick… can you take some.”
Jack shook his head emphatically. “I read my Dad’s journals… Miraclo does crazy things to your body. I don’t recommend it.”
Jessie gave Jack a look of disbelief and disapproval. “This could be the best chance we have to get out of here. Just because your Dad led the original JSA doesn’t give you the right to dictate us to stay here and wait for death.”
“Jess… we aren’t having this conversation.”
Suddenly, Rick grabbed the pill bottle out of Sand’s grasp. “Rose, Jessie, I need both of you to back me up.” He broke open the bottle, took out a pill and swallowed it, feeling a rush of adrenalin flow through his body. “Let’s do this.”
Jess smiled widely at him. “Let’s do this? What is this, a Michael Bay movie?” She stood up and got in position towards the door with Rose Montez following suit. He gallantly cracked his knuckles and charged towards the door, breaking it open the second he made contact.
Rose and Jessie ran out of the portal behind him and saw the hallway was clear and free of opposition. Jess looked behind her and signaled to Jack who picked Sand up and walked him out on his weight. The group looked around to form a plan of attack when Sand found a piece of folded up paper leaning up against the wall outside their cell. He indicated towards it and Jessie grabbed it. “This is a map…”
“Read quickly. I only have an hour…”
Jack, Yolanda and Jessie all looked over the paper and found a room that was circled in red ink with a glyph shaped like a sword in the middle. “This could be the armory…” Yolanda whispered to no one in particular.
The rest of the group nodded. “They’re probably keeping my Cosmic Staff there… and Sand’s gas guns. We should go there first… so we all can help out… Not just the ones with power.”
Jessie shook her head. “I can run and get them myself.”
She got into a running position when Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. “No. We go alone or not at all.”
Sand nodded. “I… agree.”
“It’s settled then. Rick, lead the way.”
***
In the jet, the costumed heroes sat in a hushed apprehension as they zeroed in on the castle in the center of Kahndaq. The rest of the group fed off of Rex and Jay’s worries for their children and prepared for the worst. Once they situated the jet over the castle, the team got up and into attack position.
Rex pressed a button on the front console causing the hatched open on the floor towards the back of the jet. He walked towards the hatch and addressed the group with hushed intensity. “Okay, Delilah and Choi, you two will be the first in to survey the area. Spoiler and McNider will follow. Jay and I will stay up here for support…”
The team nodded and Ryan and Delilah positioned themselves over the hatch. “Dee… I apologize in advance for this…” Ryan began to shrink down and jumped up, falling into her costume, just above the clasp that fastened her costume over her chest.
Delilah sheepishly smiled and pressed a button on her bracelet before she stepped out onto the ramp. “Here goes nothing…” With that, she jumped down and when her feet touched the roof of the castle, they went right through.
After a few moments, the comm. system activated and rang out through the jet. “We’re clear. Send in Spoiler and Dr. Mid-Nite.”
Rex looked at the pair and nodded. Charlotte grabbed Dr. Mid-Nite around the waist and they both disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.
When she and Dr. Mid-Nite rematerialized on the floor of the castle, they saw Ryan and Delilah exploring the area. “My lenses are detecting a beam of light particles emitting from that device you’re carrying... what is it?”
Ryan smiled widely. “It’s designed to pick up The Flash’s signal, since her molecules are… unique to say the least. According to it, she’s about half a mile north by northwest.”
They all looked at each other and began walking in their direction.
***
Jack, Jessie, Rick, Rose and Sand arrived at a heavily fortified doorway that was exactly where the map said the armory was. “Jess, can you?” Jack asked when they arrived.
Jessie emphatically shook her head. “I’m sure they have the same guards on this as well… and I don’t exactly want to run face first into a brick wall again.”
Reluctantly, Jack agreed. “Rick?”
Rick nodded. “I can try.” He took a stiff punch at the wall, which remained relatively unharmed, save for a couple of cracks that jutted from the impact point. “This is going to take too long…”
“Sand, feeling better?”
The tall blonde man winced. “If I go into my sand form, I don’t know if I’ll be able to rematerialize.”
Jack cracked his neck. “Okay, Rick, it looks like it’s all you. We’ll cover you.”
Rick nodded and went to attack the wall with all of his might. Suddenly as he was about to take another punch, his cousin Delilah’s face pop out from the door. “RICKY!” She came out of the door completely carrying the Cosmic Staff and the sand guns and gave Rick a bone crushing hug.
“Dee? What are you doing here?”
She pulled back and smiled widely. “We’re here to rescue you, cuz.” She reached her arm back through the door and pulled out Proton, Dr. Mid-Nite and Spoiler.
“Can’t let you do that, silly girl.” The entire group of nine spun around and saw Tigress charging towards them with an army of Kahndaqans who were carrying spears and swords. “NOW!”
A barrage of arrows flew towards them with Jessie catching all of them out of the air before they could hit her friends and colleagues. “Okay team, let’s go! LET’S GO, SOCIETY!” Jack yelled as he charged up his Cosmic Staff and took a shot towards the crowd.
The group began to scatter and engage the army in one on one combat. Delilah, Sand and Spoiler tried their best to stay out of the fight, but they managed to take out one or two when the line broke. Jessie struggled hard to break into a fighting rhythm, as she was not able to vibrate through the walls in the narrow corridor. Proton impressed everyone, as he remained slippery by shrinking and growing to different sizes to evade being struck.
Dr. Mid-Nite did his best to reach the front of the battalion so he could throw down a couple blackout bombs without obstructing the view of his colleagues, just his enemies. Just as Charlotte took her eyes off the fight for a second, she saw one of the warriors charge towards them, but before he could get there, Rick jumped between them and slammed his head against the wall. He gave them a quick smile and went back to the fight.
Charlotte looked back at the fight and saw that Jack was in a one-on-one fight with Tigress. “I was sorry to hear about your father… I liked him… I pleaded with Vandal to spare him…”
Jack smashed her in the face with his rod and shot her with a blast when she was knocked backwards. “You betrayed him. I have nothing to say to you?”
While he spoke, she took a dagger from her pocked and slashed his chin with him, leaving blood gushing from his wound. “Betrayal? I may have betrayed the Justice Society, but they betrayed the entire human race. Fighting for a government like the United States. Think of how many wars would have been spared without them. VANDAL IS RIGHT!”
Just then Rose jumped into the fight with Tigress and Jack by scratching Tigress viciously across the face, causing her to scream in agony. “STUPID GIRL!” With the same knife that she cut Jack with, Tigress slashed Rose across the throat. She quickly grabbed her throat, just as Paula was about to go for the killing blow, an arrow shot right through her hand.
“ENOUGH, MOTHER!” Everyone turned and saw the woman who Jessie identified as Tigress’s daughter hanging from a rafter near the ceiling, holding a bow. She jumped down with agile grace and landed directly in front of her mother as she knocked another arrow. “Let them go.”
Paula glared at her daughter with a look that could kill. “Artemis, what are you doing?”
“Rectifying your mistake that you made in Vietnam.” Artemis let the bowstring go, shooting another arrow that lodged into her mother shoulder. The entire group’s eyes grew wide and Charlotte let out a small whimper. There was something disturbingly blunt and crass about the exchange and violent occurring in front of them.
Tigress winced at the pain, but didn’t let it faze her too much as not to show any weakness. “You insolent child, you know nothing of Vietnam.”
“I only know you walked out on your friends.” Artemis knocked another arrow and aimed the bow towards her mother.
Paula Crock let out a cackle. “Those who stand for nothing will fall for everything. That seems to describe you, Child. Your father will hear about this.” With that, Artemis fired an arrow into her chest, causing her to cough up blood and fall where she stood.
As soon as she fell, the warriors began to charge the group again, causing them to run down the hall without aim. After a short while, Artemis took the lead. “Quickly, follow me!” She led them down a series of winding hallways until finally they were out in a courtyard.
“THERE’S THE JET!” Ryan yelled, pointing towards the sky. It was clear that Jay and Rex saw them too, as the jet began to zero in on their location. To buy them some time, they turned around and engaged the army for a second time.
After a few moments, they felt the jet hovering over top of them. “Okay, guys, time to move out!” Jack called as he took another two warriors out with a blast from his cosmic staff. Immediately after Jack gave the order, Dr. Mid-Nite tossed a large blackout bomb towards the army, obscuring the group in darkness.
Charlotte took this as her chance and began to grab people, staring with Dr. Mid-Nite and teleported them to the jet one at a time. After most of the group was onboard, Jack grabbed Jessie and flew up to the jet with the Cosmic Staff. “Is everyone onboard?” Jay cried as Charlotte teleported onboard with Delilah.
Rose shook her head with vigor. “No. Artemis is still down there!”
The group hesitated for a second as she was the one that captured them and drugged them and on top of that, she murdered her own mother. But, on the other hand she did help them. Without the group coming to a decision, Charlotte disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.
Everyone peered down at the battle through the hatch where Artemis was engaging them all on her own. Suddenly, Charlotte appeared next to her in a similar puff of pink smoke, but before she could grab her, a brick flew in their direction and collided with her head. “NO!” screamed Dr. Mid-Nite from his place on the jet.
She fell hard, her body lifeless. Without thought, Rex Tyler took a pill of Miraclo from his bottle and swallowed it. “Son, I love you.” Rick didn’t even have time to respond before his father hit Jack across the face, taking his Cosmic staff and jumped out the hatch.
“DAD!” It took both Jessie and Rose to hold him back as he dove head first into the battle, jumping in between Artemis and Charlotte and the rest of the army,
He looked at Artemis who looked him in the eye after firing her last arrow. “You look just like her…” She nodded.
“I apologize for what she did…”
Rex threw up his hands. “No need. Now take this and get the girl up to the jet. I’ll cover you.” Artemis nodded again and followed his instructions. When he saw that they were both on the jet, he turned towards the army. “Well, it’s been a long time.” He cracked his knuckles and charged them.
Back on the jet, the entire group watched in horror as Rex was over run when Sand jumped up from his place on the floor and closed the hatch. Rick turned around and tried to engage him, but the rest of the group held him back. “Rick… your father’s not coming back… I’m so sorry.” The older man pulled him into a tight embrace. When he pulled away, Jessie took over and remained holding him for the rest of the flight home.
***
Rex Tyler’s funeral went without a hitch, except for the immense pain that the pallbearers felt when they lifted the casket and were reminded that no one was in it. Moving eulogies were given by Jack Gordon, Jay, three of his sisters, Delilah, his wife Wendi, his daughter Erin, but Rick was nowhere to be found. Jessie said that he needed to be alone today, which made Wendi burst out to tears for the first time since she learned of his death.
After the funeral, the crowd began to disperse and go their separate ways. Some went to their assigned bedrooms in the subbasement of Camelot, but others made their way home for the first time in a week. Jessie however, went to find Rick who was in the room given to him in the main part of the mansion. She hesitantly knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” came a gruff voice from the other side of the door. Jessie however took this as an invitation to enter the room. When she was in, she plopped herself down on the bed next to the desk where Rick was working. “I didn’t say you could come in.”
She reached out to touch him, but pulled her hand back at the last second. “You need to talk to someone. I’m your oldest friend, possibly your only friend.” He grunted. “We need to stick together.”
“Says who?”
She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly realized she couldn’t answer that question. “I want to help you, Rick. I… I really care about you. When Barry died…”
“Barry wasn’t your father, Jess. You have no idea… don’t insult me with pretending you do.” There was venom in Rick’s voice that absolutely hit the core of her.
A tear slipped from Jessie’s eye as she pulled him into a tight embrace. “You don’t need to do this alone.”
Rick grunted out a curt laugh. “Wasn’t it you who told me that our line of work is by nature lonely. Or was that to justify hooking up with Wally, yet never being able to date him. Of course you did end up getting engaged to him… how did that turn out, luv?”
Before he was able to finish, she vigorously slapped him. His stomach sank when she got up to leave the room in haste. “You always do this, Rick. To your father, to your sister, to your mother, to me. You can’t shut the world off and expect us to be here when you need us. Tell me… how do you plan on dealing with your guilt?”
Rick looked down at his desk, which led Jessie to follow his gaze. On the desk was a sewing kit and black fabric that was already beginning to take form. “I may not have agreed with him, but my Dad spent his entire life fighting on the side of good and now because of me, that fight ended. We’re entering an age of heroes… and that age needs an Hourman…”
With that, he threw the fabric that turned out to be a hooded cloak over his head. “I am Hourman.”
Legacy Pt. 5
Jack Knight, Jessie Garrick, Sand Hawkins, Rick Tyler and Rose Montez were returned to their holding cell almost immediately after the outburst at the dinner with Vandal Savage. They had been nearly silent for twenty minutes since they came back, contemplating their fate.
Rose cleared her throat. “I… um… I’ll volunteer… when they come for one of us.”
Jack shook his head vigorously. “No. No one’s going to volunteer and no one’s getting executed. You got that?”
“Jack… you all have something or someone to live for. I don’t. Pretty much never have… it’s okay.”
Jack remained adamant by throwing up his hands and shaking his head firmly. “I can’t do it. I can’t have that on my conscience, cutting into my beauty sleep.” He winked at her in the darkness as he spoke, trying to mask all the hints of his British accent.
Sandy nodded. “I have to agree with Jack…”
“Wasn’t looking for it.”
Sand continued. “My father told me how important the legacy is. I feel it… can’t you feel the electricity in the room?”
“Sorry, I think that’s just me.” Jessie rubbed her fingers through her hair and little bolts of static electricity rose from her fingertips, which highlight the shit-eating grin she had on.
Just then, they heard footsteps come down the hall, getting closer to their cell with each passing step. They stopped and a shadow fell over the small window and when they looked up they saw a pair of icy blue eyes glaring at them. “You have one hour to choose who it will be… I’ll be back then.”
Jessie shot up and bolted towards the door. “You’re Paula Crock’s daughter… aren’t you?”
The woman stared at her cautiously. “What’s it to you?”
Jessie looked down at her shoes in response to the intensely angered voice that shot out from in front of the bars. “You… you’re mother… she meant a great deal to my father… they… they were friends.”
“Jess. What are you doing?” Rick approached her as he asked with a bit of a quaver in the back of his throat.
She shook her head and pushed him off. “Before all this, your mother was a member of the Justice Society of America… that means something and even if she threw it away… you don’t have to.”
The woman let out a little bit of a growl and stormed off. Jessie remained at that spot until she heard a loud slam of the door to the dungeon.
***
“So you’re a musician?” Doctor McNider asked Delilah Tyler who was sitting in the seat across the aisle of the SR-71 Blackbird from him. Her “costume” was barely existent and left precious little to the imagination. If he was caught staring, he would just fane actual blindness.
She nodded her head vigorously with a winning smile on her face. “Well, kinda… they don’t actually let me play anything or write songs, but I sing and dance. I’m surprised you’ve never heard of me.”
“I don’t really follow the Top 40. Too loud. I generally prefer a nice jazz trio.” He stated matter-of-factly.
She chuckled sadly and McNider turned to Charlotte who had elected to go along with them as a teleported would be extremely useful in a rescue mission. “You’re doing it wrong.” She whispered.
“I’m sorry?”
Charlotte rolled her eyes, even though they were covered by her hood and mask. “She was totally flirting with you.” Charlotte made a huffing sound as he turned back to Delilah.
“So… you can turn invisible?” Dr. McNider asked her with genuine curiosity.
Her blank expression turned into a bright smile as she nodded. “Sure can.” She pressed a button on the bronze bracelet that was on her right wrist, but to Charles’ eyes, nothing happened.
“I… I can still see you…” Delilah looked down confused at her bracelet and then here belt.
Charlotte looked over towards Delilah’s general direction but shook her head profusely. “Nope, Doc… I can’t see her.”
“Your ability has to do with light, correct?” She shrugged. The belt was given to her by her ex-boyfriend, she didn’t invent it. “I’m going to assume it does. Light has very little to do with my sight. In fact, light prevents my sight. There’s a chance I’d be able to see you better in your invisible form without these lenses.”
She blushed a bit and disengaged her invisibility. “I can also walk through stuff.”
“Fascinating.” He looked back at Charlotte who was giving him a thumbs up and he caught the eye of Ryan Choi who was laughing under his breath, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
Towards the front of the jet, Jay Garrick and Rex Tyler sat in near total silence, contemplating the fates of their two children, Jessica and Rick. Neither of them had the best relationship with their children, but Jay’s was infinitely better. She seemed to be avoiding him lately, but he assumed that she was just busy. Rick, however outwardly despised his father.
“We’re going to get them back, Rex.” Jay earnestly told his friend.
Rex cautiously nodded. “I hope so… My son… Rick. He told me that he hated me the last time we spoke… and then I told him that he was a disappointment. That can’t be the last thing we said to each other… it just can’t be.”
“I know, my friend… we’ll get them back.”
Rex lazily ran his fingers thorough his hair while keeping his eye fixated on an indescript point in space. “When has the Justice Society ever done any good?”
“Excuse me?”
Rex shook his head. “Back in Nam, we lost Paula, Jake and even Ted for a time. It’s led to our families being hunted and killed and now our children… what good has it ever done anyone?”
Jay mused for a second. “Well, there was that one time where we saved all of New York City. Right after Starman came back and we re-opened up our doors to new members. And as painful as it all ways, we did save a lot of lives in Vietnam.”
Sadly, Rex buried his head in his hands to hide the tears that had begun to roll down his face. “The sins of the father are now being paid for by our children. Where is the good in that?”
“Maybe it just means that now we need the Justice Society more than ever…”
Before Rex could respond to Jay’s statement, the computer’s voice went through the cabin. “Approaching Savage Castle in Kahndaq.”
Rex cracked his knuckles and swiftly nodded his head. “Okay, Jay. Game time.”
***
The group sat in near silence for another hour without the guard who Jessie had deduced was Paula Crock’s daughter returning to select a child of the Justice Society to be executed. That only added to their apprehension.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps echo through the corridor of the dungeon and stop near their cell. Hesitantly, Jack turned to Jess who was situated to his left. “I need you to charge the second she opens the door. I don’t think we can win this one, but we’re certainly not going down without a fight.”
Jess nodded. Gone was her typical reluctance and fear and the only thing that was running through her body was rage and electricity. However, the dungeon did not open. The group heard a voice come from outside the door. “Use wisely.”
They then saw a pill bottle fly through the bars and landed next to Sand’s feet. Slowly, he reached for it and examined it in his fingers. “What… what is this?” He asked in a voice that revealed that his weakness persisted.
“Miraclo…” Jessie exclaimed in a hushed excitement. “Rick… can you take some.”
Jack shook his head emphatically. “I read my Dad’s journals… Miraclo does crazy things to your body. I don’t recommend it.”
Jessie gave Jack a look of disbelief and disapproval. “This could be the best chance we have to get out of here. Just because your Dad led the original JSA doesn’t give you the right to dictate us to stay here and wait for death.”
“Jess… we aren’t having this conversation.”
Suddenly, Rick grabbed the pill bottle out of Sand’s grasp. “Rose, Jessie, I need both of you to back me up.” He broke open the bottle, took out a pill and swallowed it, feeling a rush of adrenalin flow through his body. “Let’s do this.”
Jess smiled widely at him. “Let’s do this? What is this, a Michael Bay movie?” She stood up and got in position towards the door with Rose Montez following suit. He gallantly cracked his knuckles and charged towards the door, breaking it open the second he made contact.
Rose and Jessie ran out of the portal behind him and saw the hallway was clear and free of opposition. Jess looked behind her and signaled to Jack who picked Sand up and walked him out on his weight. The group looked around to form a plan of attack when Sand found a piece of folded up paper leaning up against the wall outside their cell. He indicated towards it and Jessie grabbed it. “This is a map…”
“Read quickly. I only have an hour…”
Jack, Yolanda and Jessie all looked over the paper and found a room that was circled in red ink with a glyph shaped like a sword in the middle. “This could be the armory…” Yolanda whispered to no one in particular.
The rest of the group nodded. “They’re probably keeping my Cosmic Staff there… and Sand’s gas guns. We should go there first… so we all can help out… Not just the ones with power.”
Jessie shook her head. “I can run and get them myself.”
She got into a running position when Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. “No. We go alone or not at all.”
Sand nodded. “I… agree.”
“It’s settled then. Rick, lead the way.”
***
In the jet, the costumed heroes sat in a hushed apprehension as they zeroed in on the castle in the center of Kahndaq. The rest of the group fed off of Rex and Jay’s worries for their children and prepared for the worst. Once they situated the jet over the castle, the team got up and into attack position.
Rex pressed a button on the front console causing the hatched open on the floor towards the back of the jet. He walked towards the hatch and addressed the group with hushed intensity. “Okay, Delilah and Choi, you two will be the first in to survey the area. Spoiler and McNider will follow. Jay and I will stay up here for support…”
The team nodded and Ryan and Delilah positioned themselves over the hatch. “Dee… I apologize in advance for this…” Ryan began to shrink down and jumped up, falling into her costume, just above the clasp that fastened her costume over her chest.
Delilah sheepishly smiled and pressed a button on her bracelet before she stepped out onto the ramp. “Here goes nothing…” With that, she jumped down and when her feet touched the roof of the castle, they went right through.
After a few moments, the comm. system activated and rang out through the jet. “We’re clear. Send in Spoiler and Dr. Mid-Nite.”
Rex looked at the pair and nodded. Charlotte grabbed Dr. Mid-Nite around the waist and they both disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.
When she and Dr. Mid-Nite rematerialized on the floor of the castle, they saw Ryan and Delilah exploring the area. “My lenses are detecting a beam of light particles emitting from that device you’re carrying... what is it?”
Ryan smiled widely. “It’s designed to pick up The Flash’s signal, since her molecules are… unique to say the least. According to it, she’s about half a mile north by northwest.”
They all looked at each other and began walking in their direction.
***
Jack, Jessie, Rick, Rose and Sand arrived at a heavily fortified doorway that was exactly where the map said the armory was. “Jess, can you?” Jack asked when they arrived.
Jessie emphatically shook her head. “I’m sure they have the same guards on this as well… and I don’t exactly want to run face first into a brick wall again.”
Reluctantly, Jack agreed. “Rick?”
Rick nodded. “I can try.” He took a stiff punch at the wall, which remained relatively unharmed, save for a couple of cracks that jutted from the impact point. “This is going to take too long…”
“Sand, feeling better?”
The tall blonde man winced. “If I go into my sand form, I don’t know if I’ll be able to rematerialize.”
Jack cracked his neck. “Okay, Rick, it looks like it’s all you. We’ll cover you.”
Rick nodded and went to attack the wall with all of his might. Suddenly as he was about to take another punch, his cousin Delilah’s face pop out from the door. “RICKY!” She came out of the door completely carrying the Cosmic Staff and the sand guns and gave Rick a bone crushing hug.
“Dee? What are you doing here?”
She pulled back and smiled widely. “We’re here to rescue you, cuz.” She reached her arm back through the door and pulled out Proton, Dr. Mid-Nite and Spoiler.
“Can’t let you do that, silly girl.” The entire group of nine spun around and saw Tigress charging towards them with an army of Kahndaqans who were carrying spears and swords. “NOW!”
A barrage of arrows flew towards them with Jessie catching all of them out of the air before they could hit her friends and colleagues. “Okay team, let’s go! LET’S GO, SOCIETY!” Jack yelled as he charged up his Cosmic Staff and took a shot towards the crowd.
The group began to scatter and engage the army in one on one combat. Delilah, Sand and Spoiler tried their best to stay out of the fight, but they managed to take out one or two when the line broke. Jessie struggled hard to break into a fighting rhythm, as she was not able to vibrate through the walls in the narrow corridor. Proton impressed everyone, as he remained slippery by shrinking and growing to different sizes to evade being struck.
Dr. Mid-Nite did his best to reach the front of the battalion so he could throw down a couple blackout bombs without obstructing the view of his colleagues, just his enemies. Just as Charlotte took her eyes off the fight for a second, she saw one of the warriors charge towards them, but before he could get there, Rick jumped between them and slammed his head against the wall. He gave them a quick smile and went back to the fight.
Charlotte looked back at the fight and saw that Jack was in a one-on-one fight with Tigress. “I was sorry to hear about your father… I liked him… I pleaded with Vandal to spare him…”
Jack smashed her in the face with his rod and shot her with a blast when she was knocked backwards. “You betrayed him. I have nothing to say to you?”
While he spoke, she took a dagger from her pocked and slashed his chin with him, leaving blood gushing from his wound. “Betrayal? I may have betrayed the Justice Society, but they betrayed the entire human race. Fighting for a government like the United States. Think of how many wars would have been spared without them. VANDAL IS RIGHT!”
Just then Rose jumped into the fight with Tigress and Jack by scratching Tigress viciously across the face, causing her to scream in agony. “STUPID GIRL!” With the same knife that she cut Jack with, Tigress slashed Rose across the throat. She quickly grabbed her throat, just as Paula was about to go for the killing blow, an arrow shot right through her hand.
“ENOUGH, MOTHER!” Everyone turned and saw the woman who Jessie identified as Tigress’s daughter hanging from a rafter near the ceiling, holding a bow. She jumped down with agile grace and landed directly in front of her mother as she knocked another arrow. “Let them go.”
Paula glared at her daughter with a look that could kill. “Artemis, what are you doing?”
“Rectifying your mistake that you made in Vietnam.” Artemis let the bowstring go, shooting another arrow that lodged into her mother shoulder. The entire group’s eyes grew wide and Charlotte let out a small whimper. There was something disturbingly blunt and crass about the exchange and violent occurring in front of them.
Tigress winced at the pain, but didn’t let it faze her too much as not to show any weakness. “You insolent child, you know nothing of Vietnam.”
“I only know you walked out on your friends.” Artemis knocked another arrow and aimed the bow towards her mother.
Paula Crock let out a cackle. “Those who stand for nothing will fall for everything. That seems to describe you, Child. Your father will hear about this.” With that, Artemis fired an arrow into her chest, causing her to cough up blood and fall where she stood.
As soon as she fell, the warriors began to charge the group again, causing them to run down the hall without aim. After a short while, Artemis took the lead. “Quickly, follow me!” She led them down a series of winding hallways until finally they were out in a courtyard.
“THERE’S THE JET!” Ryan yelled, pointing towards the sky. It was clear that Jay and Rex saw them too, as the jet began to zero in on their location. To buy them some time, they turned around and engaged the army for a second time.
After a few moments, they felt the jet hovering over top of them. “Okay, guys, time to move out!” Jack called as he took another two warriors out with a blast from his cosmic staff. Immediately after Jack gave the order, Dr. Mid-Nite tossed a large blackout bomb towards the army, obscuring the group in darkness.
Charlotte took this as her chance and began to grab people, staring with Dr. Mid-Nite and teleported them to the jet one at a time. After most of the group was onboard, Jack grabbed Jessie and flew up to the jet with the Cosmic Staff. “Is everyone onboard?” Jay cried as Charlotte teleported onboard with Delilah.
Rose shook her head with vigor. “No. Artemis is still down there!”
The group hesitated for a second as she was the one that captured them and drugged them and on top of that, she murdered her own mother. But, on the other hand she did help them. Without the group coming to a decision, Charlotte disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.
Everyone peered down at the battle through the hatch where Artemis was engaging them all on her own. Suddenly, Charlotte appeared next to her in a similar puff of pink smoke, but before she could grab her, a brick flew in their direction and collided with her head. “NO!” screamed Dr. Mid-Nite from his place on the jet.
She fell hard, her body lifeless. Without thought, Rex Tyler took a pill of Miraclo from his bottle and swallowed it. “Son, I love you.” Rick didn’t even have time to respond before his father hit Jack across the face, taking his Cosmic staff and jumped out the hatch.
“DAD!” It took both Jessie and Rose to hold him back as he dove head first into the battle, jumping in between Artemis and Charlotte and the rest of the army,
He looked at Artemis who looked him in the eye after firing her last arrow. “You look just like her…” She nodded.
“I apologize for what she did…”
Rex threw up his hands. “No need. Now take this and get the girl up to the jet. I’ll cover you.” Artemis nodded again and followed his instructions. When he saw that they were both on the jet, he turned towards the army. “Well, it’s been a long time.” He cracked his knuckles and charged them.
Back on the jet, the entire group watched in horror as Rex was over run when Sand jumped up from his place on the floor and closed the hatch. Rick turned around and tried to engage him, but the rest of the group held him back. “Rick… your father’s not coming back… I’m so sorry.” The older man pulled him into a tight embrace. When he pulled away, Jessie took over and remained holding him for the rest of the flight home.
***
Rex Tyler’s funeral went without a hitch, except for the immense pain that the pallbearers felt when they lifted the casket and were reminded that no one was in it. Moving eulogies were given by Jack Gordon, Jay, three of his sisters, Delilah, his wife Wendi, his daughter Erin, but Rick was nowhere to be found. Jessie said that he needed to be alone today, which made Wendi burst out to tears for the first time since she learned of his death.
After the funeral, the crowd began to disperse and go their separate ways. Some went to their assigned bedrooms in the subbasement of Camelot, but others made their way home for the first time in a week. Jessie however, went to find Rick who was in the room given to him in the main part of the mansion. She hesitantly knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” came a gruff voice from the other side of the door. Jessie however took this as an invitation to enter the room. When she was in, she plopped herself down on the bed next to the desk where Rick was working. “I didn’t say you could come in.”
She reached out to touch him, but pulled her hand back at the last second. “You need to talk to someone. I’m your oldest friend, possibly your only friend.” He grunted. “We need to stick together.”
“Says who?”
She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly realized she couldn’t answer that question. “I want to help you, Rick. I… I really care about you. When Barry died…”
“Barry wasn’t your father, Jess. You have no idea… don’t insult me with pretending you do.” There was venom in Rick’s voice that absolutely hit the core of her.
A tear slipped from Jessie’s eye as she pulled him into a tight embrace. “You don’t need to do this alone.”
Rick grunted out a curt laugh. “Wasn’t it you who told me that our line of work is by nature lonely. Or was that to justify hooking up with Wally, yet never being able to date him. Of course you did end up getting engaged to him… how did that turn out, luv?”
Before he was able to finish, she vigorously slapped him. His stomach sank when she got up to leave the room in haste. “You always do this, Rick. To your father, to your sister, to your mother, to me. You can’t shut the world off and expect us to be here when you need us. Tell me… how do you plan on dealing with your guilt?”
Rick looked down at his desk, which led Jessie to follow his gaze. On the desk was a sewing kit and black fabric that was already beginning to take form. “I may not have agreed with him, but my Dad spent his entire life fighting on the side of good and now because of me, that fight ended. We’re entering an age of heroes… and that age needs an Hourman…”
With that, he threw the fabric that turned out to be a hooded cloak over his head. “I am Hourman.”
