Post by johnreiter902 on Nov 6, 2019 21:20:00 GMT
by Lee (April 18th 2007)
Prologue
May 12, 1966The bright eyes of Eric Mercury began to fill with tears as he
looked up at the sad face of his father. His bottom lip began to
quiver and he started to cry.
Merco, known briefly to the world as Mercury Man, glanced down
at the infant he cradled in his arms. He bowed his head and gave his
son a gentle kiss on the forehead.
"Hush, little one," he said, softly. "I know you miss your
mother as much as I do, but we will get through this loss."
At the reassuring sound of his father's voice, the baby stopped
crying. Wiggling his little hand free of the blanket wrapped around
him, Eric touched the man's lips.
Merco took his son's wrist between his thumb and forefinger and
kissed his tiny fingers. A soft gurgle let him know that his son had
settled down. Turning his attention back to the new grave and granite
headstone of his wife, he knelt down.
"My dearest Erika," he began. "How can I stay in this world
without you? How can I raise our son in a world that is determined to
destroy itself? The nations have already replenished the nuclear
weapons that I destroyed nearly four years ago. Even after leaving
your world's leaders on my devastated homeworld for one of your Earth-
weeks, they returned just as anxious to destroy themselves as ever.
"Other men and women have begun donning colorful costumes, but
they use their abilities merely to defend their respective nations
and their allies. If they were to band together, world peace would be
easily attainable. Instead, their narrow-minded loyalties make them
little more than sentient weapons."
Merco paused and looked down at his son. Eric slept peacefully
in his father's embrace. After kissing the child's forehead again, he
began to speak once more.
"Saying good-bye to you once was hard enough," he said, "but, to
say good-bye a second time "
The lump forming in Merco's throat prevented him from saying
anything else. Instead, he stood up, adjusted Eric in his arm, then
picked up and tossed a military-style rucksack filled with baby
supplies over his other shoulder.
After a final, longing look at his wife's name carved into the
granite, Merco, the Mercury Man, rose slowly into the air. He sensed
the invisible field of life-sustaining energy surround him, and once
he was satisfied, he rocketed up through the stratosphere and soon
disappeared into the blackness of space.