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Post by johnreiter902 on Nov 14, 2018 23:12:24 GMT
This is really interesting. You've assembled a great cast of characters. I don't think I've read a story on the 5 Earths that had such a slice-of-life beginning before. The part about his uncle the scientist who died in prison was tantalizing. On Earth-2, great things always come from criminal scientists who died in the 1940s.
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Post by lee on Nov 15, 2018 22:11:17 GMT
Part 16
The game had see-sawed all night, the Knights and the Dragons never getting farther than four points away from each other. The beginning of the fourth quarter saw the ball brought into bounds by the Dragons with a chance to widen the gap even more for the first time all evening. Everyone was so focused on the action that for several seconds after the scoreboard crashed to the floor, no one reacted. In that moment, Ferris’ men took control of the situation…much like they were in gymnasiums all over Gotham.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a voice said over the loud speakers. “Please direct your attention to the various exits. As you can see, armed men are covering every escape route, so please cooperate and we will be gone in no time.”
The voice paused long enough to allow the spectators to see for themselves how hopeless their situation was, then continued.
“I’m sure there are some of you here that are expecting Gotham’s costumed heroes to come swooping in to rescue you and take us into custody…well, let me assure you that there will be no rescue. At this moment, your guardians are busy trying to protect your city from an alien invasion. Now, please begin to empty your pockets of all valuable and toss them onto the court. This includes wallets, rings, necklaces, and anything else that might be worth something.”
No one moved.
“This was not a request,” the voice said. “Number Two, would you please show these people what will happen if they do not obey?”
One of the hooded men grabbed the Knights’ assistant coach, drug him to the center of the court, and shot him in the leg.
“Thank you, Number Two,” the voice said. “Now, we could have easily killed him, so this should show you that we do not want to resort to murder…”
Number Two put the gun to the injured man’s head.
“…But, if you do not do as you were told, right now,” the voice continued, “then we shall have no option than to start eliminating you and taking your valuables from you dead bodies.”
The reaction was immediate. Wallets began flying from the stands, along with rings, bracelets, necklaces, and other items the crowd considered valuable.
“Number Five,” the voice said. “Would you be so kind as to pick volunteers to gather up the loot?”
The man stepped up behind the Dragons’ cheerleaders and gave one of them a shove forward. Maggie Kwok stumbled and fell, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I thought cheerleaders were supposed be more graceful than that,” Number Five said. He reached down, grabbed the collar of her uniform, and pulled her to her feet. He then patted her behind and pushed her forward again.
In the bleachers, Tommy started to shift his weight, preparing to move. He was stopped when he heard his grandfather’s voice.
“Don’t do anything rash.”
“Someone has to do something,” Tommy whispered.
“You must wait until the right moment,” Grandfather said. “I sense there are others here that can be of assistance; you must wait until they are also ready to act.”
Tommy didn’t like waiting, but he knew enough to trust his grandfather.
Across the auditorium, in the crowd of Knights supporters, two boys were quickly whispering plans of their own.
Seth glanced over at the hooded man guarding the door nearest to where they sat. “I can take him, then slip out and go for help.”
Matt was scared, but he knew he had to help his friend. “What do you want me to do?”
Seth thought for a moment. “If you can make sure I’m not seen, I can lie down and squeeze under the seat, then climb down under the bleachers.”
Matt turned his head slightly so that he could see beneath the bleachers. He knew it was a tight squeeze, but he had no doubts that Seth could do what he said.
“I’m not sure what you boys have in mind,” an older gentleman said, leaning slightly forward so they could hear him, “but I’ve got a good idea. Trust me when I tell you that I can be of help.”
The two boys looked at the old man, not sure what to say.
“I’ve counted seven men, plus the guy on the PA system. I’ll provide the distraction so you both can slip out and go get help.”
“Are you sure?” Seth asked.
“Son,” the man said, with a smile. “I used to pal around with heavyweight champs; these punks shouldn’t be a problem.”
Matt and Seth shrugged, then quietly filled their new co-conspirator in on what they had planned.
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Post by lee on Nov 15, 2018 22:12:01 GMT
Part 17
The crook guarding the door nearest the three conspirators, Number Eight, was the first to notice the older gentleman stand up and clutch his chest.
“Sit down, old man,” Number Eight said, stepping away from the door to intercept him.
“Muh…muh…heart,” the man said, as he began to stagger down the bleachers.
“I said sit down,” Number Eight said. The barrel of his weapon raise slightly.
The older man took another step down the bleachers.
Number Eight raised his weapon to his shoulder. “If you don’t sit down, old man, I’m gonna put a lot of bullets in you and the people around you.”
Innocent bystanders began trying to pull the man down to keep from getting killed.
Across the gym, Tommy heard the voice of his grandfather. “Be ready. Your unknowing allies are making their move.”
“You mean the old guy is in on it?” Tommy asked.
“Don’t you think his voice is a little bit loud and a touch too steady for a man having a heart attack? Watch his movements; that man has the grace of a trained warrior.”
“Aside from the old guy,” Tommy asked, “how many of us are there?”
“Counting the young man distracting the thieves,” Grandfather said, emphasizing the word “young,” “there are at least four of you.”
Overhead, the voice of the apparent leader spoke. “Number Eight, is there a problem?”
“Some geezer is having a heart attack,” Number Eight replied. “I’m explaining to him that sitting down would be the best thing for his health.”
“Number Seven, would you assist Number Eight and check on the sick gentleman before his condition deteriorates?”
The crook standing halfway down the court nodded and moved to join his companion.
Tommy was thinking as he watched the little drama play out. “Even with his skills, my abilities, and whatever it is that the other two can do, a lot of people could still get hurt. What about you? Is there anything you can do?”
The ghost’s voice went silent for a moment. “There might be something I can do about the leader of this pack of animals.”
Tommy nodded. “I’ll transform and help the old guy.”
“No!” Grandfather’s voice was forceful. “If you do, I will be unable to do anything.”
The boy started to respond, but sensed that his ghostly grandfather had already departed.
And at that moment, things began to get interesting.
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Post by lee on Nov 15, 2018 22:12:48 GMT
Part 18
Seth was the first to move, leaning forward until he was hidden behind the man seated in front of him. He glanced up at Matt who looked around, his eyes briefly locking with those of a boy across the court who gave him a slight nod.
Matt looked back at Seth and mouthed the word “Go.” Seth squeezed beneath the seat and dropped silently to the floor.
Matt waited a couple of seconds, his eyes quickly finding the boy across the way who gave him a second nod, then followed Seth. As he rolled beneath the seat, he was surprised to see someone slip into his seat. He dropped to the floor and started after Seth.
“You wanna be dead heroes or live hostages?” a voice asked.
Turning, the boys saw an armed crook coming their way. They froze.
Against his better judgment, common sense, courage, and even his will, Matt began to speak. “4G-7E(3X3W)...”
* * * * *
In the announcers booth, the leader was beginning to get frustrated. Leaning in toward the microphone, he started to tell Number Eight to just shoot the old man when his eyes grew wide and his voice refused to sound. The microphone floated up until it was eye level. Slowly, the man reached out only to have the microphone continue to move just beyond his reach.
“Ah, ah, ah,” a disembodied voice said. “Confucius say, a man who wants to make a noise...”
“Yes?” the an asked, despite himself.
The disembodied voice laughed. “Never mind. It doesn't translate well into English.”
Before the confused villain could respond, the microphone shot forward and caught him right between the eyes, which promptly, and painfully, rolled back in his head.
The feedback still echoed in the auditorium as Tommy made his move. He was halfway down the bleachers when he heard his grandfather's voice again.
“I am ready when you are.”
Tommy smile. Touching his chest, he spoke the words of transformation. “Judge me.”
And Kuan Ti did.
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Post by lee on Nov 15, 2018 22:13:46 GMT
Part 19
Distracted by the feedback, Number Eight and Number Seven took their eyes off the old man and looked up at the announcers box for the briefest of moments. The end result of their actions would confound them for the rest of their lives.
The old man, moving faster than anyone could have imagined, threw a quick, powerful elbow that caught Number Seven in the nose. Those who actually witnessed the move would later swear they heard the crunch of cartilage from their seats in the stands.
When the man dropped his gun to grab his ruined nose, the old man hooked it with the toe of his shoe and kicked it toward mid-court. Using his momentum, he pivoted on the ball of his other foot until he was facing Number Eight. He drove his knee into the man's thigh and his fist into the man's jaw.
Before Number Eight hit the ground, Number Seven felt the old man's hand on the back of his neck and his legs being kicked out from under him. Through the tears caused by his broken nose, he saw his companion's face rapidly growing closer to his own. Even the old man winced when the faces collided.
“I must be getting old,” he muttered as he looked for the other gunman.
* * * * *
Behind the bleachers, both Seth and the gunman looked at Matt.
“Hey, kid,” the gunman said. “This ain't math class.”
“Matt, dude, what are you doing?” Seth asked.
Matt ignored them both and continued speaking. “6X9R4Z(2Y7E)8BC.”
When the final syllable was out of his mouth, Matt felt his body begin to change. The initial transformation began inside the boy's body. It felt like someone had injected molten steel into his muscles that was cooling and hardening instantaneously. His clothes began to strain against his body's added mass. Next, his perspective began to change. Both Seth and the gunman appeared to be getting shorter, something which seemed to cause them no small measure of alarm. It wasn't until his head touched the bleachers that Matt realized it wasn't their size which had changed, but his own.
Seth was the first to recover from seeing his friend grow to almost 6 ½ feet and double in weight. “Hit him!”
The punch was a clumsy one, but even a clumsy punch could have adverse effects on it's intended target when backed by the kind of power that now surged through Matt's body. His fist caught the man in the shoulder, dislocating it in the process, and spun him hard into the wall just as he was raising his weapon to fire.
The man managed to fire a three-round burst as he spun. The first bullet struck Matt in the right shoulder, the second caught him dead center in his chest, and the third grazed his thigh and buried itself in the floor.
* * * * *
Hearing the gunfire, Tommy (now Shen Lu Kai) leaped over the heads of the spectators in front of him. In mid-air, he drew his swords and brought their tips together, transforming them once again into the emerald staff. He landed in a couch near Maggie and Number Five.
“I would strongly suggest you step away from the girl, place your weapon on the floor, and surrender,” Shen Lu Kai said.
The man caught Maggie by the arm and jerked her closer. Using her as a shield, he pointed his weapon at the would-be hero. “What if I don't?”
Shen Lu Kai slowly raised the staff over his head. He adjusted his grip and the staff reverted to its original form. Lowering the swords, the hero spoke. “Are you a just man?”
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Post by lee on Nov 15, 2018 22:15:24 GMT
Part 20
Number Two realized that things were not going as planned, and he wasn't sure what he should do. It would be easy to raise his weapon, switch to full-auto, and kill as many people as possible. He had also been in Gotham long enough to know that doing something like that would mean there was no place on Earth he could hide where the Justice Society or their allies wouldn't find him. Thoughts of the Spectre being the one who found him was enough to send a shiver down his spine.
Looking around the gymnasium, he studied the faces of the spectators. After seeing the commotion caused by the old man and whatever was going on on the Dragons' side of the court, Number Two realized it wouldn't be long before others in the stands would start taking action. The team leader also seemed to be having problems in the announcers' booth.
With no other option available aside from doing something that would bring the men and women in the colorful union suits, the man decided it was time to contact the big boss. He removed a small hand-held radio from a zippered pocket, looked at it for a moment, then took a deep breath. Still seeing no other options, he pressed the button and began to speak.
* * * * *
What is it with this town and its attraction to heroes? Iron-Hat thought as Number Two told of everything going south. “Who else knows about me?”
“Just the boss and me,” the man assured him. “The others are just hired muscle we have worked with before.”
Iron-Hat thought for a second. “If you can get out, do so. The fewer people who know about me, the better.”
“What about the boss?”
“If he isn't answering, the the capes have already got to him,” Iron-Hat said. “Meet at the rendezvous point; I will have further instructions for you there.”
Without waiting for Number Two to reply, Iron-Hat ended the conversation. “Well,” he muttered to himself, “at least none of the other groups seem to be having problems.”
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Post by lee on Nov 15, 2018 22:16:09 GMT
Part 21
With the sudden burst of gunfire from behind the bleachers, Number Two knew things were about to get out of hand. “No shooting,” he began to yell. “No shooting!”
As if in response to his command, Number Six came flying out from behind the bleachers and struck the wall at the end of the gymnasium. Fortunately for him, a larger, padded, floor mat with the school's logo was attached to the bricks and lessened his impact; he ended up merely unconscious.
Number Four was closest to the fallen man and ran to check on him. After seeing his cohort would not be getting up anytime soon, he turned his attention—gun raised—to the bleachers. Had it not been for Number Two's command of no shooting, he would have cut loose at the very large man in tattered clothing who emerged from beneath them.
“Drop the gun,” the newly-transformed Matt said to the man.
“Back off,” Number Four replied, “or I will drop you where you stand.”
Matt glanced down at the fallen crook. “That's what he tried to do, and, well, you see how that ended.”
Number Four glanced down. Before he or Matt could continue their “conversation”, Seth charged around his friend and caught the crook around the neck with one arm while kicking the man's weapon out of his hand. He let his momentum carry him and the man to the ground. Seth landed solidly on his backside while his opponent's face collided with the floor.
Matt reached down and helped Seth to his feet. “You're nuts,” he said, grinning.
“Yeah?” Seth asked. “Well, maybe just a little.”
The two friends shared a laugh before Matt pointed to the unguarded door. “Go get help.”
“And leave you here by yourself?” Seth asked.
“I won't be alone,” Matt said. “The old guy is here.”
“Yeah. I'm sure the two of you can stop these guys,” Seth commented.
“Well, us and the dude in the green armor.”
Seth stepped past Matt and looked out on the court. “Hmm. How did I miss him?”
“Are you going or what?”
Seth turned back to the door while Matt made sure to stay between his friend any trigger-happy gunmen. As he reached for the handle, he paused.
“What?” Matt asked.
“Didn't that idiot say something about an alien invasion?” Seth asked.
“Are you scared?”
Seth grinned. “Not a chance. I'm just thinking how much more fun I'm going to have than you are.”
Matt grinned as well. “Jerk.”
As Seth ran out the door, Matt whispered, “Be careful, dude.”
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Post by lee on Nov 15, 2018 22:17:00 GMT
Part 22
Number Five looked at Shen Lu Kai. “What kind of stupid question is that? Would a just man do this?” He gave Maggie a shove and pointed his weapon at the young man.
Beneath his helmet, Shen Lu Kai smiled. “No, but a foolish one would.” With the cheerleader safely out of the way, he brought his swords up faster than his opponent could react.
Momentarily dumbfounded, Number Five could only watch as his weapon fell to the floor in pieces. Left holding only the grip, the man flung it to the floor and took a swing at the young hero.
Stepping back, Shen Lu Kai let the punch pass harmlessly by, and returned his swords to their scabbards.. In retaliation, he put one hand on the man's shoulder and gave a push. The man's momentum carried him completely around where, when he was about to face Shen Lu Kai again, he encountered the armored fist of his foe.
Number Five went down.
“Are you alright?” Shen Lu Kai asked Maggie as he helped her up.
She started to answer, but could only scream.
Number Five, a large cut over his right eye, was back on his feet and grabbed the young man around the throat from behind. “You'll die for that,” he growled as he began to tighten his grip.
“Not by your hands,” Shen Lu Kai replied seconds before snapping his head back.
The sudden impact of Shen Lu Kai's helmet against his face loosened Number Five's grip.
Shen Lu Kai spun and caught the man in the ribs with a vicious blow. There was a loud crack and the man went down. Though still conscious, he made no further attempts to rise.
* * * * *
Number Two took a quick glance around the auditorium. Everyone was down with the exception of Number Three, and he looked on the verge of panic. He was in the process of raising his weapon, an action that would surely bring the capes down on their head. Thoughts of shooting the man himself crossed his mind, but it didn't come to that. Two young men, obviously football players from the way they tackled his wild-eyed companion, removed his need for action. He was now the only one left standing and knew all eyes would soon be turned towards him.
He started to speak the word Gregorian told them to open the portal to the rendezvous point, but with heroes so close, regardless of who they were, he thought it would be better to put some distance between himself and them first. He bolted to the nearest door.
The sudden movement caught both Matt and Shen Lu Kai's attention, although they were too far away to do anything to stop him.
“Get him!”
Matt turned toward the voice. It was Chris—one of the football players standing over Number Three.
“We've got this,” Chris continued. “Stop him.”
Matt nodded. He glanced at Shen Lu Kai as they both started towards the door. They were almost there when the door flew open and Number Two came staggering back in before falling to a heap at the two heroes' feet.
Seth stepped in rubbing his hands together. He looked at Matt and grinned. “Look who I found wondering around outside.”
Matt looked at the crumpled form on the floor.
“Not him,” Seth said. He threw his thumb up indicating someone behind him. “Him.”
The black and gold figure of Paragon stepped in. “He said you guys had a situation in here,” he looked around, “but it seems to have taken care of itself.”
Several attendees had taken the initiative and began to tie up the criminals. While they did, the old man made his way to the small group of heroes. Shen Lu Kai was the first to speak to him.
“You really handled yourself against those two,” he said.
“Like I told this one,” he smiled at Seth, then glanced at the transformed Matt, “and his friend, I've been in a fight or two in my lifetime. Sam Skinner, pleased to meet you. You kids handled yourself pretty good.”
“Thank you,” Shen Lu Kai replied.
Seth cocked his head as though something just popped in his head.
“What is it?” Matt asked.
“Didn't one of these losers say something about aliens earlier?” Seth asked.
“I saw several before you found me,” Paragon said, “but, it was like they weren't there.”
“That's what I mean,” Seth replied. “I was so busy trying to find someone to help, I didn't see a single alien...just a bunch of people running around like idiots.”
Shen Lu Kai spoke up. “When I first entered the auditorium, everyone was looking up, watching something. When I looked up, I didn't see anything.”
“So,” Sam said, “either we are being overlooked by these aliens, or...”
“...Or,” Matt continued, “something else is going on. What should we do?”
Sam took a deep breath. “I think I need to make a phone call.”
End Book One
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Post by lee on Nov 15, 2018 22:18:12 GMT
This is really interesting. You've assembled a great cast of characters. I don't think I've read a story on the 5 Earths that had such a slice-of-life beginning before. The part about his uncle the scientist who died in prison was tantalizing. On Earth-2, great things always come from criminal scientists who died in the 1940s. I'm glad you liked it up to this point, and I hope you enjoy the rest of my little story.
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Post by johnreiter902 on Nov 16, 2018 12:28:53 GMT
This was a great story! I can't find any information on Matt's uncle, but obviously his formula gives strength instead of speed powers. Does Seth have an interesting background like the other two? I'm glad you wrote this, keep up the good work.
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Post by lee on Nov 16, 2018 18:16:26 GMT
Matt's great uncle actually fought Johnny Quick back in the 40s.
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Post by lee on Nov 16, 2018 18:17:32 GMT
Oh, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
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Post by DocQuantum on Nov 21, 2018 21:37:34 GMT
Just finished reading the whole story. It was fun and entertaining. I’ll echo John’s comments above about the opening, and add that you do such a good job at fleshing out your characters before the “action” begins that it was easy to follow despite the fact that these are almost all new characters.
I liked the legacy aspect you brought to each and appreciated that you linked your earlier Times Past story about Nanking here.
Looking forward to your future plans for these characters. Will they team up again?
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Post by DocQuantum on Nov 21, 2018 21:40:36 GMT
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Post by johnreiter902 on Nov 22, 2018 3:48:48 GMT
BTW, for easy reference, could you give a list of the heroes and their powers?
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