"AH!" Gasper jumped, seeing himself in completely different surroundings. He was in the cockpit of the Stormrunner, his home for the past four weeks. It'd been a good three weeks since they laid Taran to rest, and since, Steve had thrown himself into making the ship fly faster, shoot harder, and work above the 100% standard he'd always held. Three short weeks, he hadn't even known existed. Most of his days, he was in the various parts of the ship, fixing wiring, welding durasteel plates, and so forth. His few fleeting moments of sleep were filled with dreams, of the future, or his past, but tonight's concerned him. He put his hands to his face, and held them there, then rubbed his eyes, and looked at a chronometer. Seven A.M. Nodding to himself, he sat up, and turned on the main computer deep with in the ships hold, and looked at the statistics screen. His reading was interrupted though suddenly, with a worried ZealPropht standing behind him.
"Are you okay?" She asked in a softer then usual voice. Steve looked up, then back down at the screen grimacing. She was the last person he wanted to see right now.
"I'm fine, just really busy, can we talk later?" He replied.
"Well, I'm concerned dear, you haven't been out of the ship for days, and I'd love to know why you've been avoiding all of us. People are worried Steve." She watched him shake his head, then stand up and face her.
"They don't need to be worrying about me. Just working."
She countered. "For well over 4 days. How much sleep have you gotten?" He mumbled an answer, then walked to the Engineering pit, and dropped down. "How much." She demanded again. Steve looked up at her, and closed his eyes.
"Ten hours. Are ya happy?"
"No."
"Why are you bothering me about it?"
"Because I'm worried about you. I haven't seen you in days Steve, we had a practice session in the arena yesterday you never showed up for, and-"
"I was busy." Came a cool reply from the pit at he worked with one of the hydrospanners.
She was hovering down behind him when he looked up. A grimace on her face, and Lord knows what else flowing through her mind, he thought.
"I order you to get out and do something."
"Hon, if you haven't looked at the roster, I've been around a little longer, plus, I'm an independent, which means only Brian and Saul order me anywhere." Zeal glared at him, wanting so much to wring his neck for the comment, but for the time being kept her cool.
"Fine, be that way. Sit and mope about everything. Probably the only thing you're good at." He whirled around, pointing the tool at her.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"It means that if you don't get out of this depression, I'm going to have Brian and Saul declare you unfit for duty. Then, I'm going to lock the command codes to any and all vehicles, till you have no way to get off this island and you have to face me about what ever is going on in your life, and why you are being so damned pig headed about everything." Zeal gave him the coldest stare she could muster. Steve looked at her for a second, and caved in. Slumping against the ladder leading up, he shook his head, lowering it to not have to look her in the eyes.
"I've been working here because the next time Repike is around, I'm going to vape his ass. He's going to be sucking cold, black void. I'll turn him and whatever fleet he's got into slag."
"By the guru's, Steve! You damned fool! You think you and this piece of crap can do any good. Boomerang played us for suckers, and literally beat the snot out of-" She stopped herself, and realized what he was doing this for. Standing beside him now, she took a hand, and caressed his cheek. "It's Taran, isn't it. You're going up there to get revenge."
"No, I'm doing it so you guys down here won't have to put up with that weasel's crap"
"Look, I know Taran's death was hard on you, but we have to move on. He'll be with us Steve, I can still feel him around, but do you think he'd want you to shut yourself off from your friends?"
"No," he shook his head, "Hon, please, no psychobabble, I'm doing what I need to do."
"I want you to just stop. For one night, let's get off the island, forget our jobs, and just break loose. Brian's authorized leave for all of us." She corrected herself. "Well, he did a week ago, but he's giving everyone a little leeway. Just come with me. I promise, if you don't have fun tonight," she took a deep breath, "I'll help you with modifications on your ship." Steve looked at her for a few moments, and smiled for the first time in weeks.
"All right. But, I'm gonna hold you to that."
"I knew you would, and I'll pick you up at 1700, we have reservations at 1850." Zeal was getting ready to hover out of the pit when he chuckled.
"You had this all planned, didn't you." She stopped, leaned forward, and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You're too predictable." She rose out of the pit, and left the ship. Steve could only laugh at his predicament.
Steve looked to the two new passengers later that day as he was waiting for Zeal to arrive. The pads of Nanaki's paws were barely audible, but Saul's booted feet could be heard from the ramp on. The Dragoon looked up from the pit where he was working and chuckled.
"What're you to up to?"
"Not much," came the gruff growl of Nanaki, "but Saul wanted you and I to talk about our experience on the Guardian's Island."
"Nothing to talk about Saul. I don't know anything." The man in the crew pit replied matter-of-factly.
Saul arched an eyebrow, wondering about the ruse. "Gasp, you know the guy, Brian and Zeal said something about it."
"Guys, you know as well as I do that what I tell you and what I don't tell you is my business. We've never had this problem before. Look, after I get back from tonight, you can interrogate me any which way you want, but right now, I'm not talking. I think you two know the way out." Nanaki looked up at the Star Commander and shook his head, bearing a fang or two.
"I'm sure you understand also that in the three weeks that you've been away, we've lost the last five bases." Saul noted.
Steve closed his eyes, wondering. "Great. Fine, I'll talk, but no specifics, I'm just throwing ideas out."
"That's all I would expect from you mien freund." His superior replied. Steve put his tools down and wiped his oily hands on the dark cloth. Grasping a rung to the ladder, he climbed to the top, and led them to the "commons" of the ship. It was sparse, a few chairs, a sectional booth with a Hologram Game Table in front, and a food prep station. Circling the table, Saul sat down while Nanaki tried to get comfortable in the booth. Steve brought over a stool, and turned the table on.
"So, what do you wanna know?"
"Do you have a flat map would could use?" Nanaki asked. Steve nodded and brought up a hologram on the table. Saul pointed to where they were and a small flag rose out of the display.
"Currently, we are the only organized base left. Most of the defenders we've placed around the globe have either been wiped out or gone underground and have yet to contact us." Saul pointed out.
"Meaning they're wiping us out any chance they get. Do we have any reserves?"
"Some. We are in the middle of locating them as we speak." Replied the beast.
"Nanaki stated that he was the only one on the ship that he knew of." Steve nodded, taking in the information.
"Red's a warrior. Repike only respects those that can fight. Apparently," he nodded towards Nanaki, "he liked you a lot. Did he take any blood samples?" The beast shook his head.
"Yeah, I was a pin cushion for a while. Then the tests stopped and I was left alone, other then when those bastards bothered to stop by and mock me." Steve chuckled for a second until Nanaki gave him a snarling look.
"Just playing around Critter. Sorry. Anyway, alls I can tell you about this guy right now, is he's bad news, and we'll need everything we've got to even try and defend us let alone the planet. The times that I've been around these guys, they had a ton o' backup, and I betcha dollars to Deutschmarks they'll be coming after us next." Saul leaned back in the booth he was sitting in, shifting from side to side, avoiding Nanaki's tail.
"Are you sure it's safe to be off the island right now? You two might get in trouble tonight."
"Saul, when have you known me not to cause trouble?"
"He's got a point Saul." Nanaki agreed with the Dragoon. "But if what I saw three weeks ago is any indication of his ability, I'd say both him and Zeal can easily take on an army of those demons."
Steve snorted. "That's a bit much Critter, but thanks for the vote of confidence. Saul, I'll take along a transmitter, the minute it flares up on the 'puter here, the cavalry can come and save us."
A shadow moved about under the boarding ramp. Gathering all the information he needed, he darted for cover every chance he could get, then meticulously found his way back to a communications station with no witness's noting his appearance.
"This'll win me some points." He said as his hands dance across the keyboard in from of him.
***
Repike gazed out at the blue planet before him. Standing in his private conference room, he pondered his next moves, along with the matter of the Dragoon. The door hissed open, and Boomerang entered, but Repike ignored it.
"Master, our source within the LOF complex has reported that target's ZealPropht and Gasper S. Keltner will be off the island. They verify it, as they have reservations on a harbor cruise in Athens." The Apprentice reported.
Repike turned sullenly. "Fine, do what you need to do Boomerang. Don't come back here without samples of DNA, or without their heads."
"Yes, your lordship." Said the Flash's second-in-command. He left the room, his booted feet clacking on the floor of the hallway. The shadows in Repike's conference room shifted, and the sound of leather creaked.
"Are you okay baby?" The seductive voice said. Repike turned, and stared daggers.
"No, because I don't have the element of surprise anymore. By revealing myself, I have given them clues to our whereabouts. The Dragoon knows who I am. And I am sure he will hunt me down."
The voice's owner sauntered over to Repike, putting a hand on his chest, running it down his six-pack, and to his groin. "That means he will come after you, and then, you can kill him. But I think you should make him suffer. It is your right."
"Yes. But I think Boomerang will play the part well for the time being." He grabbed her hand, and squeezed hard enough to break the bones. She smiled at the pain, breathing heavily, aroused by the strength.
"Soon dearest, soon you'll be rid of him and be rid of the world that rejected you." She left in a hurry, preparing for her own mission.
***
"So where are we going?" Steve asked to his date/co-pilot.
Zeal looked at him and smirked. "The courses are preset-"
"WHAT! How…no, why did you play with the navigational systems?" He interrupted.
"Because I know it'll spite you." She only got a grumble. Laughing, the two continued on course for about ten more minutes, when they landed on a small pasture. ZealPropht hit a button, and a large whirring sound was heard. The ground fifty feet away lifted by hydraulic lifts, revealing a garage with two vehicles. One, by the looks of it was an armored assault craft, and the second, a sports car. Pulling out the keys to the latter vehicle. Steve whistled at the sight, and looked to her.
"I get to drive this, right?" Zeal hit him in the arm, smiling.
"It's not that easy to drive in this you know." She pointed to herself in her dress, and he had to admit that it wouldn't be easy for her at all. Heading to the car, he opened the door and seated her, then got in on the other side, and sped off as the garage closed behind them.
Half an hour later, they were on a boat with champagne glasses in hand. Walking to the bow of the ship, the watched the cruiser pull off it's docks, and out into the harbor of Piraiévs in Greece. The ship set sail to the south, at a good 20 knots an hour, and the two enjoyed the landscape of the islands. Their first serving was called, and Zeal led Gasper back down to the main deck where their table sat.
"I don't have to eat this…do I?" He smiled politely, pushing the salad aside.
"No, but it would have been nice if you tried a bite." She replied, working on building a forkful of vegetables. Steve carefully forked a small piece of lettuce, and looked at it. "Well, go on." Zeal laughed at his situation. He only glared back, as he took the bite of green roughage. Finding it not to his tastes, he quickly swallowed, with a large gulp of water to help it down.
"Happy?" He raised his eyebrow, looking at her. She grinned, showing pearly white teeth.
"Not really, but what am I going to do? Tie you down and force-feed you?" She pointedly took a big bite of salad off her fork and pointed with it at his plate. "C'mon, at least eat the bits with dressing on it," she said around the bite she was chewing.
"You owe me," he reminded her, sourly moving his salad plate back in front of him. He stabbed the lettuce bits as if he expected them to run off his plate and he had to make sure they died horrible deaths before consumption.
"Who do you think is paying for this?" Steve grunted some response that was just as well Zeal didn't understand. As he ate the disgusting greenery on his plate, the two fell silent, one enjoying her meal, the other about to be sick. <I>The things we go through for love,</I> the Dragoon grouched. <I>She owes me BIG TIME for this!</I> Not having anything else to do while he stalled eating the salad, he looked around the dining room of the ship.
It was a large room, surprisingly, for this size of boat. Almost every table was occupied with some sort of couple. There appeared to be newly weds at a table kitty-corner to their own table and an elderly couple was apparently celebrating some form of anniversary, not to mention the various other couples who, like Steve and Zeal, were simply out to enjoy themselves. And most of them are enjoying their salads too, a nasty part of his brain pointed out. He cast a glare over at Zeal who was smiling a little smugly as she used the last bit of her salad to clean up the salad dressing on her plate.
"Don't do that!" he snapped. "Stay out of my head." Zeal just shrugged and grinned wider.
"Sorry," she said, but she didn't sound like she meant it. Thankfully, the waiter showed up and removed the salad plates in preparation for the next course of the meal. As Steve watched him leave, feeling oh so happy that he had successfully avoided eating any more of the salad then he had to, a flash of red caught his eye. It was a woman. She had purple-black hair that fell in waves down her back and was wearing a form-fitting red dress that left little to the imagination. It seemed designed not so much as to cover her body but to give an excuse to expose generous amounts of leg and cleavage. Steve felt sure that if she bent over, she'd be falling out of that thing...on both ends. And to make matters worse, she was watching him. When she noticed that she had caught his attention, she smiled coyly and lifted her wine glass to her lips that were just as red as her outfit. Before taking a drink, she seductively ran her tongue around the rim of the glass, her eyes promising carnal delights. As she swallowed, a drip of the wine escaped the corner of her mouth and she lifted a manicured finger to wipe it away before sticking that finger into her mouth and making lewd gestures with it. Steve shivered with something between desire and disgust and broke eye contact. As sultry and inviting that woman had seemed, there was just something completely wrong with her. She looked like the real deal, but like a painting, she could just be a reproduction to fool the gullible.
"Earth to Steve, come in Steve," Zeal joked, waving a hand in front of his face. He blinked and looked up at her. "You spaced out there for the longest time. What's up?" "Don't turn. She's watching us, and I don't like it."
"Who is?" Zeal asked, fighting the urge to swivel around and rubberneck to see whom he was talking about.
Instead of answering her question, her date simply said, "Meet me up on the second floor by the bow. I'll be up in a moment, and watch for anything suspicious." He nodded to Zeal, who looked blankly at him. When he used that tone of voice, it generally meant danger. Casually, she reached for her purse and pushed back her chair so she could stand up, laying her napkin on the tabletop.
"Okay…don't cause any trouble." She warned, though her face was a carefully constructed facade of cheerfulness.
"Hey, it's me."
"That's what I was afraid of." She smiled politely, and acted like she was excusing herself from the table. Keeping an eye on "Red", as he chose to call his target, he waited for Zeal to walk past her table and up the stairs to the second floor. The woman acted completely oblivious to Zeal, as if she were just another stranger and to be ignored. Standing, he pushed in his chair, and walked past he towards the restrooms. Taking a quick left, he got to the staircase, and looking around, jumped up them. Walking out the door, he saw his love standing by the railing. He noted the few other people on deck but no one seemed to give off the same feeling as that woman had.
"Any trouble?" He asked his date..
"None, how's your girlfriend downstairs?" She replied with a snide remark.
"Don't Zeal. I'm just trying to save our rears till we get back onto mainland."
"What's this all about anyway? Who are we in danger from? I wasn't picking up anything from the magic fields," Zeal stated, leaning back against the railing. Steve did the same and put an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close. It wasn't the tender gesture it seemed, however. He used the move to pull her closer so he could lower his voice.
"Did you see that woman in red? You must have. You passed right by her table."
"Her? Well, yeah, the tramp is kinda hard to miss," Zeal said, ruefully. "What about her?"
"I don't know," Steve admitted. "She was watching us, well, actually, it was me she was watching. She appeared to have no interest in you when you walked by."
"That's a relief then. I'm glad she's only interested in you," Zeal smirked.
"No, hon, I'm serious. She is bad news, I'm telling you. I can't put my finger on it, but she just seemed so...I don't know. Fake, I guess. I was getting major bad vibes from her. I can't explain it. But I do know we should definitely get off this ship as soon as possible."
"That can be arranged. I'm sure the captain wouldn't mind escorting you two off...in pine boxes!"
Steve and Zeal jumped up from their relaxed positions and instantly assumed battle stances. "That voice...Only one evil idiot I know would say a line as cheesy as that!" Zeal commented, scanning the deck for the source of the voice, as were the few other people on deck.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my favorite playmates…" Steve turned slowly around...and found himself looking at the masked Apprentice of Flash, Boomerang.
"Dammit." Steve felt to his side, reaching for a weapon that wasn't there to begin with. ZealPropht's eyes began to glow with a purple hue, and a bright light blinded the two men. When it cleared, she was now dressed in her battle armor. The people on deck gave the three warriors odd looks and slowly started edging away.
"Looks like she wants to play, but what about you Gasper? Gonna go home and cry?"
"Screw you. Let's rumble." He said, ripping off the long sleeved shirt, revealing only a wife-beater underneath. Flexing his arms, he got into an en guarde position, waiting. Boomerang Flash turned around, and with careful summoning, several spouts of water rose from the sea. Beings of pure seawater jumped onto the deck, ready to fight. When that happened, the passengers on deck lost their nerve and ran screaming back below deck.
"Zeal, see to the passengers. I want you to get them off the boat."
"When they see an armor-clad girl, a masked man, and a dozen fish-creatures fighting on deck, I think they'll get the hint!" she snapped sarcastically. "You can't seriously be considering taking this guy on. Hello in there! He'll kill you?" Steve looked at her, his brow lowering.
"Zeal, get the passengers off the boat now! That's an order." There were no more words from him, as he concentrated. She sneered at the arrogant young man.
"As if I'd ever take orders from you, baka!" Zeal yelled back. She looked between him and Boomerang and abruptly gave Steve a fierce hug. "If you get killed, I'm going to be very angry with you!" she said gruffly before racing off.
"Kill her, and quickly. We are only here to kill the two, no more." The demons nodded, splashing off in pursuit. Turning back to the Dragoon, he pulled out his Atma Demon Sabre Luceid. The large blade blazed with dark energy, which Steve could feel burning through his own magical aura. "Have you met my sword? I know it met one of your friends a while back, and it always loves the taste of blood."
"You've really got an ego, don't you?" Boomerang rushed him, slamming his sword down upon the railing where Steve was standing seconds early. The blade cut through the metal tubing that made up the railing, leaving a slag of cleanly cut metal. Lifting it up once more, he swiped again, nearly hitting Steve. Diving, he swept Boomerang's legs, twisting the Apprentice up and tripping him. Steve got up just as fast, and kicked the weapon out of Boomerang's hand. The glowing blade flew over the railing into the bay below them. Boomerang snarled, and instantly let out a blast of fire that blew Steve into the windows that contained the bridge, flying through and shattering them, hitting the far wall. The passengers on the second floor screamed and jumped up from their seats, trying to back away from the combatants. Steve groaned while picking himself up as Boomerang jumped through, powering up another blast.
"What's all this commotion?" The Captain of the ship ran up from the cowering crowd. "You two, I say, stop this at once! I'll have you both arrested for this!"
"Shut up, old man!" Boomerang laughed as he calmly blasted a hole in the captain's chest. The man's face barely registered shock before he fell to the floor, dead. The passengers saw this and fled for the exits as fast as possible. The crewmembers were none the braver, it seemed, and instead of helping to calm the panic, they seemed the biggest instigators of it.
"Ready to die?" Boomerang asked pleasantly, standing over the fallen Dragoon. "It's such a shame that our little fight couldn't last longer, but all good things must end, as they say." He shot another blast, but was countered by the lightning shield Steve now held in his hands. It deflected and floor, blasting a large hole in the wood and metal.
"You idiot! You wanna sink us all?" Steve said, letting the shield dissipate back into his magic reserves, and summoned up his fighting energy.
"No, but I can fly, how about you?" The masked man replied.
Zeal ran through the halls, trying to lose the demons that were behind her. She shoved her way through masses of people that were running around in a frenzy. "Move! Get out of the way! Get off the ship!" she shouted, throwing a glance over her shoulder at the water creatures that were gaining on her. The passengers had no trouble complying with her demands since one look at the fishmen with their razor sharp claws and teeth and their armor-like scales was more then enough to send anyone leaping overboard in a panic. Most people had done that to begin with. Quite a few of them had simply jumped into the water, since it wasn't so very far down.
Finally, she reached another dining room that was empty of people. "This looks to be as good a place as any," she said, turning and bringing up her shadow star launcher. Pointing her wrist, she fired five stars of magic in a successive order, impaling them into a water demon's body. The demon fish dropped, trampled into the deck as two others charged, yelling a garbled sound. The first slammed into her, as Zeal hadn't enough time to dodge. She was thrown down to the deck, with the other landing on top of her. The fish-man straddled her prone form and grabbed her long green hair. Pulling it up, her head rose to see another fishman slip towards her. "You slimy pile of seaweed-eaters are going down," Zeal growled, using an elbow to slam behind her and hit the fishman on her back in the groin. The fishman rolled off of her, holding his crotch area. Getting to her feet, she made a gesture of invitation to the group of water demons that had surrounded her. "Well, c'mon! You wanted to play? Then let's play!" As one, the demons lunged at her. Her shadow stars had little affect against their hard scales and even her Shadow magic didn't seem to do much damage. There were just so many of them and it was becoming harder and harder to maintain a magical barrier to keep them away.
Trying her best to concentrate, despite the demons slamming against her shield, she teleported ten feet away from where she was being pummeled. Staggering, he threw her hands out, and grabbed some of the magical energies from the various candles on the tables. Flames shot out from her fingertips, turning one of the fish-men into an immolated pile of burning flesh. The others looked at their comrades, and shot water from their mouths, hitting ZealPropht in the face, snapping her neck and sending her into wall. Her back hit and dented the metal. When they deemed her to have had enough, they stopped. Her body fell limply to the floor and didn't move. If they had done their job correctly, they had snapped her spine with that water blast. The fish chortled and floundered over to her. It nudged her with one webbed foot. Seeing nothing, it turned, but felt a sharp slash in its neck, a shadow star sticking out. It grasped its throat, and fell over, dead. Zeal struggled up, placing a hand to the wall for support. She forced a smile towards the other demons that were making noises of surprise.
"You can't...beat me...so easily..." Drawing on what little strength she had left, she whispered two words, just as the demons gained enough courage to rush her. But they never reached her. A large black portal opened up and sucked them all in. Then it closed, drowning out their terrified gurgles. "Black Hole," Zeal chuckled, albeit painfully, her neck feeling as though she was going to be suffering a severe case of whiplash for the next month or three. "Gets them every time."
Steve was hit in the face yet again by the solid fist of Boomerang. Staggering back, he felt the fist nail him in the stomach, followed by a sweep at his legs. Falling to the ground, he rolled quickly; avoiding the stomping Boomerang would have given him. Spitting out a little blood from the split lip, he lowered his brow.
"What do you want!"
"My master requested your head on a platter, I intend to serve him with it." He summoned his sword from the depths of the sea, grabbing its hilt. Swinging the sword as a test, the blade gleamed with unholy light. "Now I'm gonna take your head!" The blade swung away from Steve, as he watched a star hit Boomerang's wrist. Looking back, he saw an injured Zeal. Lunging back, he got an en guarde position once again.
"You okay?"
"In a matter of speaking." She replied. The two Legionnaires looked at
Boomerang, ready to fight. "How touching, a boy and his dog," Boomerang laughed cruelly. "I see you survived my little school of fish-men. Well, no matter. There are more where they came from." He raised his arms above his head. Steve and ZP readied themselves. The wind blew coldly across them as Boomerang started his spell of summoning. "Come forth, my loyal allies! Destroy these meddlesome hu...hum...huARCHOO!" He sneezed. Zeal blinked. Steve could almost see the sweat drip on the back of Boomerang's head.
"You're not a very good henchman, are you?" Steve inquired. Boomerang stomped a foot on the deck.
"You, shut up!" He raised his arms again. "Come forth ANYBODY!" And just when they thought things couldn't get weirder, they heard a popping sound and a portal opened. "Ha! See?! Now you will meet your demise!" A figure wearing gray armor stepped through. This was a minion he had never seen before. Boomerang felt sick. Things like this never happened to other villains, why him?
"I seek the beings known as Gasper and ZealPropht!?" The knight lowered to the ground, and looked at the three combatants. "I have tracked them here! Where are they?" Gasper and Zeal looked at each other and then at Boomerang who was laughing like an idiot with one arm behind his head.
"Great, two nearly omnipotent beings on their side…are we ever going to get a break?" Stepping forward, Steve addressed the new fighter. "What do you want with us?" Zeal tried to pull him back, but failed and prepared for a new assault. The Gray Knight looked at them, and shrugged.
"Nothing with you. I am looking for-"
"ZealPropht and Gasper, we know. That's us," Zeal supplied helpfully. The being in armor gave them an accusing look.
"No you're not. Your power levels are through the roof compared to theirs." Boomerang stood aghast, the made his remark.
"You've got to be kidding! These two are weaklings, besides they're my prey! You have no right to them!"
"But, you summoned him to destroy us!" Zeal protested. Boomerang rushed up and put a hand over her mouth.
"You be quiet, Little Miss Know-It-All!" he hissed in her ear. "I didn't summon this guy at all. I don't know where he came from!"
"Um, Zeal, do you know this guy?" Steve asked out of the corner of his mouth to her.
"No." She replied, shaking loose of Boomerang who was now hiding behind her and peeking over her shoulder.
"So who are you people? Hold on." In the Gray Knights hands appeared a script. Squinting his eyes, Steve looked at the script and read the title.
"Reality Clash? What the hell is that?"
"Well, it's where I should be. Uh, what's your name?" The knight said to the apprentice.
"Boomerang Flash, Apprentice of Repike, soon to be co-ruler of the universe, the all powerful henchman of the greatest evil the world has ever seen-"
"And bad anime villain." Zeal said under her breath. Boomerang growled at the woman, but she ignored him. So instead, he stepped from behind her and walked over to the visitor. Pulling out a script of his own, he compared it with the others. Steve and Zeal joined them. The four searched for a minute, then the Gray Knight looked up.
"You don't by chance have a fiancé by the name of Sara, do you?" Zeal looked at Steve and the two burst out laughing. "What's so funny?"
"Just a mutual friend. No, I'm seeing this beautiful woman right here."
He pointed to Zeal, who blushed a little. Boomerang ignored the nonsense with a roll of his eyes.
"Well, then I must be in the wrong place, dreadfully sorry, boy my face must be red." Zeal could almost see the sweat drop on his helm. "Boy, when the Board hears about this, they won't be happy. I'm really sorry to ruin your fight. If there's anything I can do, just let me know." He said. Putting away their scripts, the two villains looked at each other.
"I hope you won't report this to Villain's Equity Union, this would look really bad on the record, Mr. Boomerang."
"I more then understand. Do your worst brother." What proceeded looked like a handshake between friends, and the Gray Knight left the three. Boomerang put his script away, and looked at the couple.
"Well, this has pretty destroyed our chances of having a good battle. It's too bad, Repike will not be happy with me about this."
"Not much ya can do there B-man, we didn't know this was gonna happen.
Besides, what's with ruining my date?!" Steve consoled and yelled at the same time.
Boomerang sighed, summoning his sword to his sheath. "Well, you know…I can't let you people rest that much. With us taking-Wait, can't go into that, we all know the script, and this part hasn't been told yet."
"So what do we do?" Steve replied. Zeal shrugged and spoke the first thing that came to mind.
"I say we just leave it at that. Come on Steve, let's go home. Repike and
Boomerang can beat the snot out of us at a later date." She pulled on his arm.
"Sounds good to me. Senseless destruction is fun and all, but only when ordered by the Master," Boomerang added.
"I can see your reasoning," Steve said. They turned to leave.
"Hey wait! I have to say my little parting lines!" the Apprentice of the
Flash objected. He cleared his throat and assumed the classic villain pose that is meant to intimidate and sneer at the heroes. "I will let you go. But remember, the Flash will destroy you, we will crush the Legion…you know the speech."
"Uh, huh. Bye now," Zeal said, hooking arms with her date.
Boomerang watched them vanish in a dark flash, feeling a mixture between relief and disappointment that his perfect little battle had gone awry. "Oh well, there is always next time," he said pleasantly, strolling along the deck until he reached the best vantage point there was. He looked over the harbor and breathed deeply of the salt air. "This is a really nice boat," he said at last. And then after a few moments of feeling almost cheerful, his mind registered something. "I HATE boats!" Whirling around, he gathered power and blew half the boat up with one mighty spell. And as the wreckage started to sink, he snickered with wicked glee, happy to be back to his old evil self again.
The woman in red let the portly shipman help her off the plank leading down to the dock. Thanking him, she walked at a brisk pace to a secluded ally, and brought out a communications transmitter from her purse. Hitting the button to activate it, she started her report. "This is Agent 2 reporting in."
"This is control, Agent 2. Please report."
"Boomerang Flash screwed up...again. He has let the two targets slip though his hands, they are alive, and heading back to their main base as we speak. Requesting further orders."
"Please standby." There was a brief moment where no sound was heard as orders confirmations were processed. Finally, "You are to report to the Master immediately. Over."
"I will be there in ten minutes." And at that, a bright flash signaled her disappearance from the Earth's surface.
......To Be Continued
Author's notes: As always, the big shout out to ZealPropht for help on this chapter. Couldn't do it with out ya. Other praises go to Nanaki for the realization that Boomerang is probably a helluva lot stronger then I give him credit for, and that I'm sorry about. This chapter more or less becomes a turning point, as we start to accelerate into even more action (as if there hasn't been enough.) and towards the major plot of the story. Expect a lot of twists coming up, and maybe a few surprises. As always, feedback, rants, raves, etc. are more then welcome @ gaspersk@hotmail.com. Tell me what ya think. I'd be more then welcome to hear from you all. Thanks, and see you next chapter.