HenryJonesJr

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Im sorry, was away this weekend and am a bit behind on writing. F4 are obviously approved

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

ARGUS was everything Booster had assumed it was. A police force that was over-militarized and over aggressive for what they were supposed to be doing. A bunch of military surplus in a country known for having too many guns and too many ways to use them. Body-armored soldiers lined the hall, and the outside of the building. Booster leaned on the sill of a window and watched they run drills in the yard below. It felt oddly familiar to her. She wasn't sure why, and of course Skeets wouldn't tell her. He wasn't good for anything, and being here for a few days had her annoyed with him.

The flashbacks seemed to be at bay, though she was getting more and more inklings about who she truly was. Not enough to make a definitive statement, but enough was coming to her.

She couldn't say the same with her read on her hosts. Nathaniel Haywood was a boy scout, but he was the worst kind of them. All rules, all business, and absolutely no cracks to show in the metaphorical armor. She was good at finding what drove people crazy and using it to really get to the heart of who they were. So far Heywood was about as open as a clam. The longest sentence he had said to her was telling her that the bathroom was down the hall. It was maddening.

"Why are we staying her, ma'am?" Skeets asked from behind her. She turned to see him inspecting the room they had been given at ARGUS headquarters. They called it her quarters, but in reality it was a prison. One she could break out of at any moment, granted, but a prison none the less. ARGUS was all about control. They wanted to make sure people like her were under thumb.

They were here so they could keep an eye on her, and for now she'd let them. She didn't have anything to hide. Hell, she couldn't hide anything about her if she wanted to.

"We're here because our lovely hosts were kind enough to extend us an invitation," she smiled to the robot and then motioned him closer. "Mind hooking up to the suit? I want to run some diagnostics."

Once the robot was attached, she said quietly, "Okay, that was a lie. I need to send an encrypted email off their servers. You can do that, right?"

"Of course ma'am," the robot responded in the affirmative. "To whom will I be sending it to?"

"Sandy Vincent," Booster sighed. She was with Roxxon, sure, but she seemed trustworthy, and that's exactly what Gold needed at this point. Not only was she under ARGUS's "command" at this point, but the Houston operation had left a sour taste in Booster's mouth. She ran by her thoughts into the messsage. On how that ARGUS seemed to show up exactly when the members of Onslaught got away, and how they knew exactly where Irons was being held. Something about it stunk. She wasn't sure if she was being played, but at least Sandy could look into it for her.

"Message sent, ma'am," Skeets confirmed.

"Thanks, Skeets," she sighed. "Let's go see if we can find some food in this place."

"I do not have to eat, ma'am," Skeets corrected her.

"Yea, I know," she rubbed her temples.

---

John Henry Irons sat in a rusted lab filled with sparkling new equipment. Wherever the terrorists had brought him was ancient, but their funding allowed the the top of the line when it came to actually kitting out the lab. On the one wall hung the armor that he was working on, and next to it, inexplicably, was a larger version of it. Instead of making a man the size of a very large gorilla, it would make him the size of an elephant.

That wasn't the baffling thing about it, thought. No, the baffling thing was that no one outside of Roxxon was supposed to know about this particular invention. Outside companies had surmised he was working on human exoskeletons for a while now. Hell, some of them had attempted to poach him away from Roxxon. But this one was top of the line top secret. They had wiped the computers in the North Dakota lab after they moved him as well. The only place these plan were kept was on his laptop. It was impossible.

"Admiring our handiwork, I see," a voice from behind him announced its presence. He turned to find a tall, well-built man in a red-and-black tactical getup sitting behind a pane of glass staring into the lab. He almost looked like Captain America, if Irons didn't know better and the colors weren't wrong. His face was also completely covered, unlike the disgraced American hero. But the makeup of the armor looked similar. Made for quick, sudden movements and flexibility. "I'm sure you're wondering how we got it."

"Don't right care how you got it," Irons was unimpressed. "All I know is you're not gonna get me to finish this. That's what you want, right?"

The man in red and black smiled. Irons couldn't see it, but he sensed it. The man had something planned for this occasion.

Of course he did, John, Irons thought to himself. He's an international terrorist, not an idiot.

The terrorist stood and motioned towards a screen on the other wall of Irons's lab. He flicked a switch and it came to life, revealing a woman and her daughter sitting at a kitchen table, laughing over dinner.

As soon as John saw them, he shot out of the cot he was in and smashed his fists against the glass, "If you touch them I will kill you."

The terrorist laughed softly, "Doctor Irons, you are in no position to harm me. But you are in the perfect position to help your sister and your niece. Finish the armor and nothing will happen to them. It's as simple as that. You have two days."

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

The four brothers stood on the roof of the closest climbable building they could find after emerging from the sewers. Raph was happy to see that it didn't have a roof deck. He didn't know what the hell people wanted a roof deck for, but annoyingly every building was putting one on. It made getting around the city unnoticed kind of hard.

Freaking humans.

The city smelled differently tonight. Raphael wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was the way the wind was coming off the river, or maybe the humans had put their trash out on the wrong night in this part of the city. He wasn't sure. But he had an inkling it was something more than that. His senses had been dulled by adrenaline and endorphins flowing through his body at an increased rate. He had waited so long for this day, the day he'd get to take out all his anger and frustrations on people who deserved it.

Raph knew such thoughts ran counter culture to what his father had taught them, and he did his best to stay centered on the moment. He knew he'd need to in order to keep his brothers safe. The last thing he needed was to lose another sibling on a night out in New York. He'd die before he let that happen again.

"So where do we head, fearless leader?" he slapped Leo on his shoulder. The elder gave Raph a narrow side-eye, and Raphael shrugged with a chuckle. Leo and him could butt heads at times, but it was usually in the heat of a fight. Raph wasn't dumb enough to think he could formulate a plan better than his brother. But in a fight? He was for sure the best in that category.

"I figure we'll hit where Alopex saw the Hand the other night," Leo laid out the plan. "They probably won't be there, but it's a start. And who knows, we might get lucky."

"I love gettin' lucky," Mikey moved his brow up and down in a suggestive manner.

"You have no clue what that means," Raph rubbed his temples with a thumb and forefinger.

"Yuh huh!" Mikey shot back before leaning over to Donni and whispering, "What does it mean?"

"I'll tell you when you're older," Donnie patted the smallest turtle on the head. "Sounds like a solid plan, Leo. Lets go so we can stop these mystical demon worshiping ninjas. That way we can get home and get cracking on the murderous unicorns plaguing central park."

"Ha! Good one, Donnie," Mikey chuckled. "Unicorns."

"Droll, Donnie. Droll," Leo mumbled. "Remember, these guys are the real deal. Keep your heads, and don't do anything rash."

Raphael noticed Leo was looking at him, "It is pretty ironic that rash and Raph rhyme, huh?" Let's get the job done."

---

She pulled her jacket close against the cold and tried not to make too much eye contact with anyone she passed. Not only was she disobeying the will of the student newspaper, she was in a neighborhood small, red-headed college students rarely tread in. Usually she didn't have a problem strolling through dodgy places with friends, but going it alone was a different story. She needed to get in, and get out.

April had gotten a tip from a friend of a friend whose father was on the police force that there were reports of shady, robed individuals meeting with mob-types in a warehouse in this area. It wasn't much to go on, but April needed all the help she could get, and maybe putting her neck on the line would end up reaping some major rewards. And hopefully wouldn't involve running from gun fire and katanas or something.

A long, dark alleyway beckoned, and she sighed to herself, "Well, April, you're in it now."

The ladder that her contact had told her about was right where it was supposed to be. She took a deep breath and climbed up. She found the small fire escape landing empty, and pushed her way through the metal, rusted door. It scraped against the grated flooring inside, sending a screeching echo reverbirating across the large, empty space inside. She winced, but knew there was no one inside.

April readied her camera and began taking pictures. There were signs of the meeting the other night. A large table was setup in the center of the warehouse, eight seats around it. An ashtray at one of the seats still had the stub of a used cigar teetering on the edge. April cursed herself for not bringing a kit to do some finger prints. Naming names would really make a story sing. No one could have ignored her after that.

Oh well, no need to worry about that now. At least she had proof they were meeting here. Now all she had to do was set up the small, battery powered camera she had brought to record any meetings that came after. April climbed back up towards the fire escape, placed the long-lasting camera in a corner no one would see it, and headed back outside, closing the door behind her.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

<Snipped quote by HenryJonesJr>

I would think so. You're the one who encouraged me to apply.

@Master Bruce

#Collusion

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Batman is obviously accepted

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

An early chill laced the air of Empire State University as April O'Neil trudged towards what she assumed would be outright rejection.

"No," Professor Fenwick shook his head without looking up form the papers he was grading. To April O'Neil he looked like a large, predatory bird hunched over a kill. His beak of a nose did the trick, though his unkempt hair helped give him a look of a vulture. His eyes were always intelligent. too much so, if April was being honest. His writing class was her hardest, even if she thought it was one of her best skills. Fenwick was the kind of professor that just assumed no student could live up to his standards.

Fenwick also happened to be the faculty editor of the ESU student news organization, and the bane of April's existence.

"Professor, there are multiple eye-witness reports!" she protested. "None of the main publications have even toughed this, and you're not even going to let me do some digging? This could be huge."

"We're a student publication, Ms. O'Neil," the professor droned. "We're not the New York Times or Gotham Gazette. We write about things that affect student life-"

"Having killer ninjas in New York doesn't affect student life?" April interrupted.

The teacher held his hand up, "Not as much as faculty changes, school administrative policy, and the like. Sports! Our football team is nationally ranked for the first time in recent memory. Write about that."

She rolled her eyes hard at the condescension, "Fluff and garbage. That's all that is. Professor I want to report on the real news."

"And you'll have plenty of opportunities for that in the future, when you graduate," Fenwick finally looked up at the young, redheaded girl who was currently staring daggers into him. "But I'm not going to authorize you to investigate dangerous criminals whether they're real or not. I'm not having a student killed on my watch. That's my final word on the matter. Now go home and proofread your paper that's due tomorrow."

With nothing more than a grumble, April turned and headed back towards her apartment.

---

The steel of Leonardo's blade sang against its scabbard he checked the edge of the blade. It was as sharp as always, and he placed it back into its holder with care. His father had always told them to treat their weapons with reverence. They could be used to take the lives of their enemies, meaning they were not toys. They were to be respected, as was the idea of taking a life. Leo had never done that, obviously. But if Splinter was right about what they were up against, it meant that he may have to sooner rather than later.

"You ready for this, bro?" Raph asked as he wrapped his knuckles up. "All this time training. All this time preparing. We're finally going to crack some skulls."

"You're not gonna be a liability out there are you?" Leo furrowed his brow. "I'll leave you like a redshirt. Don't think I won't."

Raph laughed and smacked his brother on the shoulder, "Bro you are such a nerd. But I love you. Don't worry, I'll only attack with the go ahead of Space Fleet."

"It's Star Fleet, but I appreciate the attempt," Leo chuckled.

"Hopefully the Force will be with us!" Mikey smiled broadly as he twirled his nunchuks.

Donnie sighed, "Wrong sci fi property, Mike."

"Whatever, let's go out on the town boys!"

"Form up, Mikey," Leo nodded to his younger brother. The three other Turtles came up around their elder brother. For all their differences, for all the things their family had been through, even the loss of Artie, had led to this. He knew Raph was ready. He knew Mikey might have some trouble focusing, but he was one of the most creative fighters Leo had ever seen. And for all Donatello's doubts about the path their father had set them on, Leo knew that deep down Donnie would fight with his family to the last.

"Guys, the day we've been waiting for has finally come," he looked each of them in the eye in turn. "We're going to the surface. For real this time. To use all the training we've had for damn near our entire lives. And we're going to make sure that no one threatens the people above without hearing from us. Not the Hand. Not the Foot. Not the Shredder. I don't care if the goddamn devil shows up, we're taking that bastard down."

"Hell yea," Raph nodded in agreement.

"Now rememebr. We are ninja. We strike hard. Defend. Protect. Then fade into the night. Now let's go kick some shell."

---

"He said no, April," Irma Langenstein sighed as she pushed her thick rimmed glasses up her nose. "I don't know why you're so obsessed with this anyway."

Irma was a great friend, but April had never found her to be all that ambitious. She wanted to go to the party her boyfriend had invited them to. April would normally be in for that, but she was on a mission.

"Irma, if I'm ever going to be a great reporter, I'm not going to do it covering college football and quality changes at the dining halls," April protested as she grabbed her camera and put her hair up. "It's time I stop asking for permission and start asking for forgiveness."

"Oh girl that is so cliche," Irma rolled her eyes.

"I know, shut up," April stuck her tongue out at her. "Don't wait up."

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

The Green Hornet is approved, obviously.

As for the rest of the roster, if people haven't checked in at the very least, I'm taking people off the roster.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Booster leaned back in the chair she had been sat in at the ARGUS facility, already rolling her eyes at whatever questions they were going to ask her. So far, from what she had seen on the news, these ARGUS clowns were doing far more harm than good. Policing people who were just trying to help others out was something that would always end poorly, especially if they were going to do it with an iron fist.

That was quite literal, too. Nathaniel Heywood literally had fists of metal, and he was about as stiff to match. She had never met anyone in her life as dedicated to being a boy scout as Hawthorne. She figured all the Captain America-like iconography was to make up for the fact that Steve Rogers had been declared a murderer for taking care of Stryfe. The man was still on the run as far as the rumors went, and Booster was happy to hear it. From where she stood, he did exactly what needed to be done regarding that monster.

But of course the government didn't see it that way. No, they clutched their pearls and saw it as a great injustice that the man who forced innocent people to rip each other limb from limb wasn't going to get a fair trial. It was bullshit. Booster believed in a fair trial as much as anyone, but intentional terrorism on that level? No, Steve Rogers did exactly what he should have done.

She had been having to fight the visions from coming to her while she was in custody. Something about being around this place, with its armed guards, government officials, and lapdog superheroes brought something back to her. But she couldn't let them take over. Last thing she needed was them committing her or something.

Heywood took a seat across from her and folded his hands over one another. As he did, each made a clink, one after another, almost like wind chimes fluttering in the breeze. It was an intimidation tactic, showing how much raw power he had in his body. How much ARGUS had done for him. It was obvious that they had given him his powers, even if no one would say it. He came out of nowhere right after Steve Rogers disappeared. All too convenient if you ask me.

"So," he began as Booster let out a huge sigh. "Is there a problem?"

"My problem is getting marched in here like a criminal," she leaned over the table. "My problem is you people thinking you're helping."

"And you are? Abandoning your post to try an play hero and allowing the enemy to get to Doctor Irons?" he looked amused. It was an odd effect with his metal skin. "And not doing anything when you did but get played by a terrorist? Yea, you're doing a ton to help."

"I'm sorry, Captain Shiny Ass, what were you and the knockoff stormtroopers doing besides showing up way too late?" she shot back. "Granted, late for government workers is relative and all. You guys union? How many breaks do you get?"

"Make all the jokes you want, but we're not the ones who look like they're in league with Onslaught," he shrugged and flipped through the file he brought into the room with him.

"That's preposterous!" Skeets protested.

"Don't get me started with you," Heywood pointed at the hovering robot.

"Don't point at my robot, jackboot," she retorted.

"The fact remains that you showed up on the day of the Stryfe Incident. You embedded yourself into Roxxon's enhanced guard program, and then you basically hand deliver an important scientist right to the enemy," the metal man shrugged. "Seems to me that's a little too convenient."

"You kind of left out the part where they dropped a building on me," Booster added in.

"Where you weren't really harmed at all? Also convenient."

"Listen, I can't help the fact that I'm incredibly powerful and no villain can put me down," she smiled sarcastically. Becoming more serious, she added, "Point me in the direction of this Onslaught group and watch. I'll have Irons back within a few days."

"Well we are going to point you that way, and we're going to be right next to you get to where we're headed," he smiled the smug smile of a jackass who knew there wasn't going to be any way the opposite could happen. "Welcome to ARGUS. You've been conscripted."

"Bullshit," it came out half a laugh, half a statement. "I have a contract."

"Ah yes, your precious money. Tell me, how does it feel to sit on your high horse and judge me for being a government stooge while you collect money from the private sector to showboat and sell some product," Citizen Steel responded coldly. "Awfully hypocritical, no?"

"At least I'm not leeching off the taxpayer," she smirked. In truth she didn't care about someone working for the government. But Heywood's buttons were easy to press, and she was going to do just that. It was going to lead him into a mistake. He'd give up some nugget of information she could use.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes. Good. She was getting through. "Roxxon has signed you over to us until this opp is over. Welcome to the taxpayer's dime, Booster Gold. Maybe since you're so against it you'll help us wrap up this Onslaught problem quickly."

"Would be the first time the government ever wrapped anything up quickly, huh?" she laughed.

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

Incense smoke wafted through the dojo as the four turtles sat on their heels, their knees on the ground.

Splinter paced in front of them, leaning on his cane as he did so. Once Leonardo had returned from his excursion to the surface, the master had gathered his sons in the dojo, but that was nearly half an hour ago. Since then, he has been silent, pacing the floor, searching for the words to say to his children.

What he would say would change everything for them. It would make them targets. It would thrust them into war.

"Ever since our transformation," Splinter began, finally, "I have known we were special. That we were changed for a reason. What that reason was, I could not be sure. Still...I have always remembered things from before we became what we are, unlike the four of you. Some of those memories were nothing more than vague shadows, dancing in a flickering flame. Some were solid and formed like moving statues. They were where our training came from. They were why I was always certain some threat was on the horizon, even if I could not remember what it was."

He took a seat in front of his children and exhaled a deep breath, rustling the fur around his mouth, "Most of my memories were of the latter variety. Until recently. Slowly it is as if my mind has been opening like a man digging out of his own grave. My past, everything that has happened to me, is flooding back into my mind. Which is why I shut myself off from you. For that, I apologize."

"We understand, father," Leonardo tried to console his sensei. "I can imagine that was a difficult time."

"Brown-noser," Raph muttered under his breath before receiving an elbow to the shoulder from Leo.

Mikey chuckled.

Splinter merely smirked. His sons were still children, even if they were trained in the art of ninjutsu. Being shinobi did not change their nature. He was heartened by that. He just hoped they would be able to keep their spirits in the trials to come.

"Thank you, my son," Spinter continued. "As I sifted through my memories, attempting to piece together my life, I remembered how I came to be at your side. Before I was on the streets, I was the pet of a man named Hamato Yoshi. Yoshi had come to America from Japan with his wife, Tang Shen. The two were happy and in love, and at some point, Shen purchased me as a pet. I spent my time in my cage watching my master run exercises in his own dojo, teaching young ones as I did you."

"Whoa!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "He was like your sensei, sensei!"

"Indeed," Splinter smiled at the youngest turtle. "His teachings were stored in my mind, only usable after our transformations. But he was a fierce warrior, and the guardian of a terrible secret."

He stood again, turning his back to his sons, the red robe he wore was the color of dried blood in the candle light, "Hundreds of years ago in Japan, there was a clan of shinobi called The Hand. While I have taught you to use ninjutsu with honor and to defend the weak, The Hand had no such scruples. They served a demon, a tengu, aonly known as 'The Beast'. They worked for power above all else. Few knew what the Beast, if it did exist."

"Nothing more than a fairytale, I'm sure," Donatello scoffed.

Leo wasn't sure. He put his hand into the pouch on his belt and ran his finger over the mask Alopex had given him once again.

Leo looked over at Donnie. While Don was admittedly a scientific genius, he had closed him off from their father's spiritual teachings. Don didn't believe in chi or yokai or tengu. He believed what was in front of him. What he could feel. Leo felt his brother was weaker for it, and hoped he would see the light.

"Maybe, my son," Splinter turned to acknowledge him. "But that is not where this story ends. For one of the ancient Hand's greatest warriors broke from his masters and blasphemed. The young ninja lord was named Oroku Saki, and he claimed The Beast itself had granted him power. He broke from The Hand and created its opposite, The Foot. While the Hand would maneuver its plans behind the scenes, the Foot would stomp on the throats of their enemies. Saki was ruthless, and if he was the host of the demon, he showed it. In short order, The Foot had most of Japan under their control. Saki was known as the Shuredda, the Tengu Shogun."

"That's incredible," Raph thought about the logistics. "To dominate a whole country in such a sort order."

"But he was stopped in the end, by an alliance between the Hand and the shoguns of Japan," Splinter continued. "Two enemies came together to stop their enemy. At least for a while. But there was a myth, possibly started by the Shurreda, that if his helmet and arm blades were reunited with his corpse, the Tengu Shogun would return."

"Oh come-" Donatello was cut off by a look from Master Splinter.

"The pieces of armor was guarded by the line of Saki's elite guard, being passed down from generation to generation as they were constantly hunted," the rat continued. "All the while, it was hunted by the Shoguns' own shinobi. None wanted the Shuredda to return. Eventually, the armor was taken from the Foot. The shoguns' men found the arm blades, the Hand the helmet. Their locations were known only by a select few, and that too was passed down through their lines. My master Yoshi was the last of the Shogun shinobi line."

"Wait, so he knew where the arm blades were?" Leo realized. "He came here to America to hide. To make sure Saki wasn't revived."

"Yes," Splinter nodded. "The Foot began to reemerge in Japan, and Yoshi was afraid that they had found out that he was the last to know of Shuredda's location. So he took his pregnant wife to New York, believing they would be safe there."

"But they weren't," Mikey groaned, knowing what was to come.

"No," Splinter sighed, the sadness in his voice was evident. "The Foot found our home here in New York. In their attack, my cage was knocked open and I was able to escape. Their leader at the time was a girl no older than you are now. She threatened to kill Shen if Yoshi did not reveal the secret of Saki's baldes. He did so, and she killed her hostage anyway, leaving Yoshi to his shame and failure. I watched as my master took his own life in the ritual of seppuku, his body falling next to Shen's, their eyes locked on one another even in death."

Leonardo could see the wet streaks of tears running through the fur around Splinter's eyes, and his heart broke for his father. To witness all this tragedy, brought on by such dishonorable actions, brought anger to his heart.

"Monsters," Raphael growled, outwardly showing the same anger as Leo. The two were more alike than different, Leo was just better at keeping his emotions in check, or at the very least masked. "The dishonor. The barbarity. You always taught us to be better than that."

"And as I said, The Foot has never believed in honor," Splinter closed his eyes and tried to compose himself. "And now they are our responsibility to stop."

The brothers looked at each other. Leonardo could see the determination in everyone of them's eyes save for Donatello, who had never been excited at the thought of fighting. Leo wanted to stop the Shuredda before he could finish his goals. Raphael wanted to bring someone so dishonorable to justice. Mikey wanted to avenge Yoshi and Shen. Even Don felt a twinge of anger at the story.

Splinter said with an air of destiny, "I believe we were created to stop the Tengu Shogun from being revived. While my master was never able to see his child take up his burden, we can do so. We are the last of the Hamato line, as unorthodox as we are. We are tasked with finishing Oroku Saki, once and for all."

"But sensei," Mikey asked, "where can we even start to find him?"

"Easy, Mike," Leo said, tossing the mask onto the floor of the dojo. "The Hand are in New York. Alopex saw them. If they're here, the helmet might be as well. We find the helmet, and we stop The Foot before they can bring him back."

Splintered considered the proposition, "Very well. But be careful, my sons. The Hand are not to be trifled with. And if The Foot are indeed on the hunt, I fear we will find ourselves in grave danger. Remember your training. And remember that we are family, and nothing can stop us when we stand together."

Absolute Comics - Season Two: The Monster Within

It didn't take long for Skeets to track down the metahuman terrorist. The future AI was indespensible when it came to stuff like this, and Booster couldn't have been happier to have the little guy by her side, even if he was a bit of a spaz now and again. Without him she'd be lost. Well, even more lost than she already was in a completely different time with no memories, which, to be honest, was incredibly hard to comprehend.

"Closing in, ma'am," Skeets added into the comms. "The bike trails lead to this warehouse."

Booster soared over the building, one of many in this old industrial area of Houston. Didn't look like anything out of the ordinary, but she couldn't take any chances. This person had already leveled a quarter of the city. Going in blind could lead to her being buried under a pile or rubble.

"Got any weird readings?" she asked the AI.

"Weird...readings?" the artificial voice was obviously confused.

"You know! Energy signatures! Radiation levels! I dunno! Weird readings!" she responded with frustration.

"No weird readings, ma'am," the robot answered promptly.

That's all she needed. Booster looped around over the warehouse, skimming over the roof of the building by a few inches. When she reached the other side, she dove down and smashed through the second floor windows. Old, weakened glass rained down on the concrete floor below. Booster landed with a soft, metallic thud and powered up her weapons, "I know you're here. Come out before I really have to hurt you."

Digital warning signs went off in her visor, and she just managed to get out of the way of the explosion that followed. A small one, almost like a grenade blast. She had managed to throw up a shield to deflect most of the concussive force, but it still rattled her. So did the ones that followed. Blast after blast reverberated off her shields, and a fourth one broke it completely, sending er flying backwards. Booster slammed through one of the large crates. When she came through the other side and hit the ground, she saw the contents of the box spill out like a white, spherical waterfall. One of them rolled and bounced lightly off her foot.

Baseballs.

"You know, you really are as dumb as the rumors say," a seductive, confident voice came from deeper in the warehouse. From the darkness stepped a blond, shapely woman with striking blue eyes dressed in a white and pink catsuit. She could have been Booster's sister if you looked closely enough, the hero thought. As she approached, she tossed one of the baseballs up and down. One second it was an ordinary, everyday ball. But after one toss up it began to glow with energy. She tossed it by Booster, who reflexively recoiled. It exploded behind her, sending her sprawling forward onto the concrete. "Don't you know a diversion when you see one?"

Groggily, Booster retorted, "Don't you know a bad outfit when you see one? You sponsored by a bubblegum company or something?"

"No, hero," the woman tittered with delight. "Some of us do what we do in service of ideals greater than ourselves."

"Yea?" Booster was amused. "And what's that?"

"To bring it all crashing down," she smiled broadly and shrugged as she rolled another ball towards another one of the boxes and ran. As the ball flew through the air, Booster saw that the box it was headed towards was glowing as well. All she could do before the explosion was throw up a shield around her and Skeets as the massive ball of energy erupted around them and brought the warehouse down in an avalanche of steel and debris.

Darkness engulfed her.

---

The concussive blast blew away the last of the debris away and Booster stepped out into the sun yet again. Dust from the collapsed building filled the air, but it was still the sun none the less. She dropped down and took a seat on the pile of concrete and steel.

Skeets detached from the back of her armor and flew around to look at her, "Ma'am! You heard her! It was a distraction! Doctor Irons is in danger."

"No, Skeets," she shook her head and kicked a bunch of rocks down the pile. She watched as they hopped and clanged against the rest of the debris. "Irons has already been taken. There's no way she was in this alone. I am in a world of shit."

"Damn straight you are," a confident, authoritarian voice said from behind her.

Turning, she found the dust starting to clear. From inside it came armored trucks, armed soldiers, and hovering aircraft she had never seen before in this time. But at the head of them all was the owner of the voice. His skin reflected the now strong sunlight like a human lighthouse. The metallic epidermis was red, white, and blue like some sick ripoff of Captain America. She felt one of her visions coming on, but fought against the feeling. Passing out in front of who she assumed was ARGUS's main man wouldn't be the best look, and after today she figured she'd already be down enough sponsors.

Citizen Steel offered her his hand, "You're going to have to come with us. ARGUS wants to have a little chat."