HenryJonesJr

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

^{Beetle Base. Westchester. New York State.}

---

Ted leaned back in his chair as the facial recognition information for the STAR Labs scientists that had been involved in the break in the other night. The three of them had all been members of Doctor Jeremiah Duncan's vaccine team, one of the first to develop a vaccine for the recent pandemic. None of this boded well, and Ted had to make sure Duncan was safe. It wouldn't be difficult to do that. Duncan was an old friend of Ted's, and an old lab partner from college. He was a biological genius, and even smarter than Ted was in the field. That was saying something, if Kord allowed himself some vanity. He'd give Jeremiah a call later.

But first he had some new toys to play around with.

The new gauntlets were slightly heavier than the other ones, but considering all the hardware packed into their slim casings, that was hardly a surprise. Kord was flabbergasted that they didn't weigh more, if he was being honest. But the teachings of the Scarab ran deep, and the BB Guns, as he had named them in jest, were proof of that.

"Okay, Kha," he called out to the AI as he stood in the large, open part of his underground base of operations. "Training simulation twenty-five."

In the blink of an eye, a holographic room appeared around him. It was populated by crates, barrels, and boxes, like a small storage facility. It was also filled with eight angry men who wanted to tear his head off, virtually speaking, of course.

The first two came from behind him to the left. He spun and flicked his left wrist down, pointing it at their faces. From the top of the gauntlet came a blinding flash of light. While the men weren't real, the holographic projectors/receptors that created them recognized that this light would stun a normal man for at least a few minutes. The light constructs recoiled in pain, and with another flick of the wrist, a small wire shot from another compartment of the gauntlet. It attached itself to one of the holographic crates, and with a yank from Ted, flew through the air and crashed into the attackers.

Before he could savor the easy victory, three more men rushed from behind him, their heavy footsteps giving away their attempted attack. He spun to face them, rotating his right wrist clockwise and his left one counterclokcwise. From the gauntlets came a compressed blast of air that struck the three of them and sent them flying through the air with more force than Ted had anticipated. He winced as one of them smashed into the far wall head-first with an impact that almost surely would have killed a man. He just needed to knock a man down, not an elephant.

"Kha, tone down compressed air shot by, oh, fifty percent," he commanded as two of the final three training dummies came his way. Instead of using one of the weapons he had already tested out on them, he wanted to try something new. He fired another shot from the zipline shooter, but instead of aiming to turn something into a projectile, he attached it to the ceiling of the room and brought himself through the air. He landed on the other side of the men, and with a quick sweep of the leg, caused both to crumble into a heap.

The final holographic training dummy was the biggest of the men, as Ted had designed the program. The gauntlets were charged by solar radiation, and were still at nearly a full charge, but Ted wanted to make sure he used all the weapons in his arsenal. There were bound to be times where he ran out of charge, or ammunition for one of the various gadgets included in the BB Guns. For those instances, he needed to be ready and able for anything the world was going to send his way.

The brute of a hologram cracked its knuckles as it made its way towards Ted, a little flourish he had Kha add to the training modules. It was always nice to feel like they really wanted to pull his head off if they ever got the chance.

With a large swipe, the hologram attempted to snare Kord in one of its frying-pan-sized hands. Reverting back to his old gymnastics training, he bent over backwards and performed a backwards somersault, putting some distance between him and the much larger combatant. That just seemed to piss the training module off, and it rushed his way, swinging wildly. Blue Beetle easily stayed out of its reach, flipping, twisting, and vaulting away from every potential haymaker.

Ted wasn't merely keeping his distance, though. Every time he escaped one of the blows, he was looking at the hologram's fighting style. Kha liked to switch up what got put into the training scenarios, but this time he just threw in a guy who was bigger and stronger with little to no training. That was going to make this all the more fun.

Blue Beetle waited for the opportune moment, as one of the hologram's mighty fists came crashing down towards him. Ted slid out of the way, and the hologram began to lose its balance. With a flourish, Ted fired one of his new restraining bands at the program's wrist. The U shaped projectile hit the wrist, the momentum causing the arm to come all the way down to the leg, and then wrapped itself around both extremities. The very large man looked like a cartoon bear who got stuck in a honey pot.

Without saying anything, the Beetle delivered a roundhouse kick to his jaw, knocking the hologram out. In another blink, the training program dissolved into nothingness around him.

"Well done, sir," Kha congratulated him. "A new record."

"Thanks," Kord smiled and looked down at his gauntlets. Now he really felt like he could take on anything a criminal threw at him.

"Sir," Kha continued, "while you were training, a new alert on my crime detector appeared. Would you like me to display it?"

Ted was surprised by that. He had thrown together a simple algorithm for Kha that would allow the AI to scan social media, news trackers, and police scanners for possible locations of interest. He figured it would have taken longer for the program to really gain its footing and spit back any results.

"Sure thing."

The surprise faded when he saw the news report now being broadcast on the television. Gotham Central Station was under attack.

"Kha, when did this come through?"

"Just now, sir."

Without another word, the Blue Beetle hopped in the Bug and was off.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

Just a heads up, hoping to have our first side quest up on Friday or Saturday

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT!

@HenryJonesJr has generously accepted the position of Co-GM alongside myself and @Hillan, and will be the architect for the upcoming-and-completely-optional mini-events that we intend to implement in the IC. Henry's proven himself as a capable GM in his own right many times over, a fantastic writer and an all-around great guy, so his expanded contributions to the game are sure to make things alot more exciting.

@Master Bruce

I look forward to torturing your characters

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

^{The Bug. Hovering over Harlem Police Precinct. New York City}

---

Blue Beetle stared at the small drone that floated silently in front of him. It wasn't any bigger than a small Frisbee, though it was shaped much like the scarab whose tech led to its design. It was silent, ran on solar power, and could, theoretically, change its color to suit its environment. Ted had designed it to be able to infiltrate places that were too dangerous for him, and it was going to get its first try out tonight.

"Okay, little buddy," he talked to the thing, even though he knew it couldn't hear him. "Don't get caught. I'd hate to have to self destruct you on your first spy mission."

The drone didn't respond, obviously, and Ted made his way back to the pilot chair. With a flip of a switch, the hatch in the floor of the Bug opened, and the drone dropped out of the craft. In front of Ted, the viewport of the Bug turned into a 360 degree view of the area around the Beetle drone. He took the controls, and flew the little drone down towards the precinct.

Using the anitgrav generators, the mini Bug was silent and stealthy as it approached its destination. The windows of the detention cells were squat and thin, but by the Bug's calculations the drone would be able to slip through and get in communication with the prisoners inside.

Now he just had to find them.

It was easy enough to track the heat signatures inside the building, but Ted needed to make sure he got a cell with one of the men who had lost the crazy coloring he had found them wearing in the first place. He didn't need one of the other, crazier inmates sounding the alarm. He didn't need to get in a chase with a police helicopter tonight.

The drone drifted silently past the first window and peered in. Ted could see one of the men still swirled with what seemed like every neon color of the rainbow. He seemed to be murmuring to himself as he ran his hands through his snow-white hair, tugging at it as he did. A guard passed by the cell and he yelled something about how they couldn't stop the revolution. How no one could.

"Maybe 'Madniks' aren't that bad of a name after all," Ted mused to himself as he pushed the drone's controls towards the next cell.

Inside that one sat a man with a much more haggard appearance. His white, button up shirt was stained with sweat, the bags under his eyes were the size of suit cases, and it looked as if he had been crying. It took Ted a moment to realize that this man was the one he had knocked out on the roof of STAR Labs before he had entered. On the roof he had seemed to be as lithe and dangerous as the others in his gang, but now he came off as nothing more than a pitiable creature in a cage.

With a sigh, Ted pushed the drone into the cell. It was clear the man had no idea that the small device had joined him, so Ted turned on the drone's holographic projector, and an image of himself appeared in front of the man, who jumped back in fear, "No! You can't make me do anything again!"

"Shhh! Shut up!" Ted put his hands up. "I'm here to help you."

"I don't believe you," the prisoner's eyes were wide with fear, darting back and forth. "Technology like this is the only explanation. Did you implant something in my brain? In all our brains?"

"I didn't implant anything into you brain," Ted shook his head. "I'm the guy that tried to stop you and your friends the other night. And after I knocked you out I watched as you went from something out of a Tex Avery cartoon to what you are now. That doesn't make any sense, and I gotta figure out what the hell is going on."

"Wait...," the imprisoned man looked down at his hands before looking back at Ted, "you're telling me I looked like one of them? One of the others?"

The Blue Beetle nodded his head, "You did indeed. Jumping around like a madman. Talking about anarchy. The whole deal. You really don't remember any of it?"

"Not a second," he shook his head despondently. "The last thing I remembered before waking up in a cell was leaving work. It was late, and I felt someone behind me. I turned, and...that was it."

Feigned amnesia wasn't new in the world of criminal defenses. It was as old as laws themselves, and never had held up beyond a moment's consideration. But Ted felt deep down inside that there was something stranger about all of this. He had watched this very man go from looking like a paint store explosion to what was sitting in front of him. If that was possible, it was damn well possible that the man could have no recollection of his activities while he was in that state.

"Listen, I believe you, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you are set free," Blue Beetle assured the man. "But I'm going to need all the information I can possibly get. You said you were attacked at work. Where was that?"

The man chuckled, "That's the funny thing. I worked at STAR Labs. All of us who don't remember anything do. We all worked in the biotech lab that was robbed."

Kord's mind swam at this admission. This was worse than he had imagined beforehand. Whoever had broken in needed these men's knowledge about their work, which included the vaccine for the recent pandemic. If whoever was behind all this was looking to do some serious biological damage, there wasn't a better place to start. With the technology they had stolen, they could design a vaccine-resistant form of the virus if they really wanted to. Such a thing would be catastrophic to the world.

Before Ted could ask any more questions, however, a huge spotlight from below drew his attention away from the interview with the man. Blue Beetle cursed under his breath, realizing that the police had somehow been alerted to his presence. Could have been a lucky glance from a cop smoking on the roof, he didn't know. All he did know was that he couldn't hang around any longer.

"I have to go," he quickly said to the innocent man. "But I'm not going to leave you to rot in this cell. I promise."

The small drone was recalled, and almost immediately the Bug shot into the dark sky, disappearing out of the view of a police in a blink.

^{Warehouse. Docks. New York City}

---

The multi-colored man stood impatiently in the dimly lit warehouse he was instructed to meet his employer for payment. Under his arm was a small, but powerful, piece of bio-engineering equipment that had been his mission. He didn't care what it did or what his employer wanted with it. All he knew was that he was going to make more money than he could imagine for handing it over. With that money he could really paint the town red...or every color under the sun.

"You're late," a robotic voice, one that seemed to emanate from a computer announced itself from the darkness.

Farley Fleeter had never met his benefactor. All the madman knew was that he had more money than God and was probably smarter than the big guy too. He promised Farley free reign and all the money he could ever want as long as the anarchist did a job for him now and again. Word on the street was the guy was called "The Brain", but Fleeter would never say that to his boss's face...if he ever saw his face of course.

"Traffic is just hell in this city," Fleeter chuckled. "But I have the gene splicer like you asked."

"You had trouble," the passionless, monotone voice responded.

Farley cursed under his breath. Of course The Brain had heard about the weirdo in the blue suit. The men that had been captured almost certainly had blabbed. Why wouldn't they have? No one expected a weirdo in a suit showing up to try and stop them from accomplishing their goal.

"Yes," Fleeter sneered. "Some joker in blue. Was fast. Trained fighter. I thought my men could take care of him. Clearly I was wrong."

A long moment of silence hung in the air between them. The hair stood on the neck of Fleeter. He didn't know why. He was fast and he was agile. Even moreso now than before. But something about the presence of the man that made him what he was unnerved him.

"Unforeseen circumstances must be anticipated," the electronic voice chided him. "Months ago the world did not seem as odd as you now know it to be. Did you truly think you were now invincible?"

"Well, no, but I mean, what are the chanc-"

"Much greater than you can calculate," The Brain cut him off. "While you use your abilities for crime, there are others that certainly will use them for the law. Especially when the 'law' of the city are not to be counted on."

Fleeter's eyes narrowed, "You saying this guy is like me?"

"Unknown without more known observation," was the reply. "But he is a variable that must be understood. Please place the splicer where you stand."

Fleeter looked down before trying to take a step forward. Before he did so however, a deep, angry growl came from somewhere else in the darkness. It wasn't from the same direction that The Brain had been talking to him from. No, this was from behind him. He quickly dropped the device, and was rewarded with a duffle bag of money tossed through the air towards him.

"Thank you, Mr. Fleeter," the robotic voice was gracious. "Now, I would like you to use that money as you see fit. That will draw out our new friend and allow me to analyze him a bit more."

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

Alright, so. I think the easiest way to solve lower activity rates is to inspire more interaction opportunities. And the most effective way to do that, without arbitrarily forcing people to start writing collaborative posts together, is to incorporate linear story elements into the RP.

My suggestion, as I've laid out in the Discord, is to utilize mini-events or "sidequests." As has been the status quo over the last several years, these games now tend to have end-of-season GM events that are wide-spanning crossovers able to pull in every player and character at once. As was witnessed in the previous two games, these are very successful and positively viewed. And they tend to bring together players who may not have ever written together in that particular RP. I say we take that concept and miniaturize it down.

A sidequest would be relatively simple: one of the GMs puts up an IC post detailing some sort of natural crisis or criminal act in a section of the world some of our characters would be close by to. For instance, half-a-dozen high-skilled individuals breaking into a California facility where weapons-grade plutonium is held. That GM would then post in the OOC announcing that this is a mini-event and that any player who can reasonably get their character there to react to this crime-in-progress may choose to do so, and would list a small checklist of what would likely need to be achieved in order to resolve this sidequest. For example: prevent the theft of plutonium, with a bonus objective of apprehending those responsible. The players that choose to respond can then resolve this sidequest as they see fit without further GM action. If multiple players respond, they now have an easy opportunity for their characters to interact. If only one player responds, that's fine, too, as the sidequest still serves to make the world we're writing in feel more lived-in.

If no one responds, though, after say a week or two, then the GM will then write a second, closing post in the IC detailing the success of the criminal's plans. No one resolving the mini-event would mean "consequences" in that civilian life could be lost, or the criminals could now be even more dangerous the next time. In the same example as above, the criminals now have weapons-grade plutonium and could return in several weeks now holding the city of Los Angeles hostage by the threat of a dirty bomb - thus upping the stakes for a future sidequest. These are the sorts of "consequences" that make the world feel lived-in and real - it's not just what our characters do that build the world, but also what they don't do - while at the same time not feeling like a punishment for choosing to ignore a particular sidequest.

This method, I think, should spur a lot of interaction with minimal effort - GMs would only need to write a single, relatively brief IC post for each sidequest, or two if it is not resolved. It would also help expand upon the world we write in, filling out the backdrop events and giving more opportunity to include these sorts of stories that often don't make sense in our solo arcs. And, further down the road when it makes sense for a year one story, these sidequests can be used to introduce minor comic book villains that may not be utilized otherwise. And, they can even be used to tie-in to the overall season-ending event, whether directly or indirectly, so we can truly feel like said major event has been built up to. There's a lot that can be done with this method that doesn't require any drastic change.

As someone who went into this RP with the intent to fully interact with others this time, but can't always rationalize teaming up with certain characters under normal circumstances, these sidequests could be very beneficial.

Introducing a new sidequest every two weeks or so could be a great way to improve activity, inspire inter-player interaction, and create new, interesting story beats that feel even more like the comic books we all love and enjoy.

@Retired

I really, really like this idea.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

^{Kord Mansion. Westchester. New York State}

---

After returning from dinner and placing his precious, precious leftovers in the fridge, Ted once again made his way towards his private lab. It was nice today felt normal after his escapades the night before. Going into this, he worried he would be consumed with his adventuring. So far, so good on that front at least.

The pain in his jaw had finally died down, and the swelling seemed to have gone away as well. It was honestly a miracle it wasn't broken, probably thanks to the stabilizing protection of his cowl. Still, if he was going to continue doing this, he was going to need a way to take on multiple goons at one time. He was a good fighter, and had trained with many senseis across the globe during his travels with Dan, but he wasn't good enough to take half a dozen on without some assistance.

"Welcome home, sir," Kha said as Ted took a seat at the computer. "The renders you asked for are complete."

"Great, put them up on the display," Ted responded to the AI, letting out a belch to make some more room in his stomach around all that beautiful beef. He was going to need to do a serious workout tomorrow to make up for all that he ate. Couldn't be fighting crime with a protruding gut now, could he?

Instantly, on the screen in front of him, Kha's renders of the plans he had started working on this morning appeared. Wanting to get a more comprehensive view, had instructed, "Give me these in the holograms."

"Understood, sir."

He spun his chair around, and the air directly around the computer came alive with blue light. Now around him floated a light construct of his plan. The image was something like a gun. It almost looked like a ray gun from an old sci fi movie, like Flash Gordon would be using it to defeat Ming the Merciless. Instead of the normal, sleek firing area there was a bulbous top with a sort of antenna sticking out of it.

With a swipe of his hand, he exploded the build, sending the components of the gun out in a snowflake like pattering. He could see the self defense mechanisms he had baked into the weapon. A flash LED that could temporarily disorient attackers was pretty standard. Police had used flashbangs for years, and at least this one wouldn't come with an explosion. The other device that he had built into it was a powerful compressed air canon. Using version of the antigrav generators, he had managed to create a blast of air strong enough to send a man flying. By his calculations it could take an elephant off its feet...not that he'd ever try that.

Outside of the crowd control measures he implemented, he also added some Swiss Army Knife-like features, including a cutting laser and a grappling hook using a fine, strong wire, not unlike that used in the bug.

It was a solid start overall, but something still bugged him about it. The gun would only work when he had the jump on his enemies. If he got in a situation like the other night, he might be disarmed rather easily. He could program the gun to only work if he had it in his possession, sure. But even if his enemies couldn't use it against him, it would do Ted no good if it got knocked from his hands.

"Kha," a thought came to him, "display the Beetle suit. Exploded view of the gauntlets."

Without a word of acknowledgement, a hologram of the suit appeared next to the gun. The suit was mostly made up of a light weight, metal alloy weave fabric. It was lightweight, durable, and protective. But he had put thicker armored plates on strategic places. Elbows, knees, wrists, those sorts of things. The gauntlets that protected his wrists wrapped around half of his forearm. While they were just made up of kevlar and the same ballistic fiber that made up the suit, he saw the opportunity to make them more.

Moving like a man possessed, Ted's hands flew through the air, combining the components of the gauntlets with the components of the handheld gun. The resulting apparatus was bulkier than the old pieces of armor, but not to the point of being cumbersome. The tech learned from the Scarab allowed a phenomenal amount of micro sizing components. It could have been the next microchip if Ted could perfect it.

"Okay, Kha, run some diagnostics. I'll check on them in the morning."

Making his way back up to the mansion, Kord stopped off in the large drawing room off the main foyer on the first floor. This was once his father's cigar smoking room and lounge where he entertained business associates and friends. The dark wood and old furniture gave it the appearance of the salons of old, but Ted had given it some modern updates, including a large TV and a pool table. He wasn't a smoker, but there was nothing like watching a game with friends in your own personal sports bar.

Ted poured himself a small glass of bourbon and took a seat, flipping on the TV as he did so. On came the local news, and what he saw on the screen made him sit up in the plush chair he had started to relax in. The chyron that ran along the bottom of the screen read "Technicolor Thieves in New York?"

The reporter on the screen was standing outside STAR Labs in Harlem, "What started out as a normal breaking and entering took a turn for the weird when police arrived on the scene and found something they didn't expect."

With a screen cut to earlier in the day, a police officer appeared on the screen, "Yea, well, when we arrived on the scene we found multiple suspects either unconscious or restrained. Some of which were, as we initially believed, painted in weird, hippy-like patterns. We later discovered that their skin was permanently like this. The reason for this is unknown."

Cutting back to the reporter, "And the strangeness doesn't end there. The men who are currently in custody who weren't oddly colored claim they have no recollection of being at STAR labs or how they got there, while the so-called 'Madniks', the term the police are using for the multi-colored criminals hearkening to their 60s-esque appearance, have told police that they were accosted by a man dressed in all blue. Whatever the case may be, the suspects are being held at a local precinct until their preliminary hearings. Strange times out here in Harlem. This is Melody Case, reporting from STAR Labs."

"Madniks? Come on people," Ted shook his head. Ridiculous bad guy names aside, the report was fascinating. The men who had the color drain from them after he had knocked them out claimed to have no clue why they were involved in the heist. How that was possible he had no idea, but then again they went from looking like cartoon characters to normal people. So weird was going around these days.

One thing was certain, however. Ted needed to speak to these men. Even if they had no idea why they were involved in a break in, at the very least they had been chosen by the mastermind of the crime for a reason. If he could figure out that reason, maybe he'd be able to figure out what was really going on.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

^{Kord Sciences Building. Manhattan. New York City}

---

Ted leaned back in his chair and peered out the floor to ceiling windows that lined his office. While Kord Sciences didn't have the largest building in New York, he still had one hell of a view of the city he loved. Buildings lined his vision like impeccably drilled army ready to march. Well, an impeccably drilled army made up of soldiers with hilariously differing heights. The thought made him chuckle, and then he was embarrassed that he laughed at his own internal monologue.

He was proud of what he had here. It wasn't the largest building, but it was his. Made by the efforts of him and his scientists, Kord Sciences had become a true force for good in the world. No longer was his name tied up in the military industrial complex, and he could be secure in the knowledge that would be a permanent fixture.

Before he could get too comfortable with everything he had helped build here, Beatriz da Costa came bursting into his office. The tall, tanned woman had her long, curly hair pulled back into a bun, and wore a suit covering her thin frame. Dark, piercing eyes stared at him with the intensity she brought to her work, and which scared him just a little bit. Beatriz was a whiz when it came to marketing and PR, but Ted always thought she missed her call as a model due to the striking looks that were probably considered stereotypical when considering a Brazilian woman. Of course he had never said that to her. That would be crazy. In fact, he probably should never have thought that. It'd probably get him in trouble one way or another.

"You know you run this company right?" her eyebrow cocked at him, a playful smile hidden behind faux annoyance. "Coming in halfway through the day is not how CEOs usually do things."

"No?" he asked. "I thought that was part of the whole appeal of it. That and the oodles of money, of course."

"Very funny," she shook her head. "I set up an interview with USNN for tomorrow about the climate projects."

Ted twirled around in his seat with annoyance and groaned, "You know I hate interviews."

"Mhm," she responded condescendingly. "I also know that every time you do one our stock price goes up a few points."

Nodding with approval, he responded, "I do like that."

"It's almost like I know what I'm doing," he face morphed into a mask of mock surprise. He liked her, if he was being honest. She was fun, and brought some much needed life to the office. Kord loved being around other scientists, but even he had to admit they were far from the best company when it came to water cooler banter.

"Yea, yea," he wave her out of the office. As she was at the door, he teased, "You're a pain in my ass."

"Excuse me?" she turned back with fire in her eyes. "What did you say about my ass?"

"I-I...no...I didn't-"

"Oh my god you should see your face," she cackled as she left the office.

"That...that was not funny," he sighed.

Before he could actually get down to work, his computer alerted him that Dr. Olafsdotter was calling in from the Arctic Circle. He patched the call in, and a holographic screen popped up from his desk displaying the Norwegian scientist. The striking blue eyes and so-blond-it's-almost-white hair that were her most striking features hit Ted like a stiff breeze, "Mr. Kord, it's been a few weeks."

"Dr. Olafsdotter," he smiled, always being entranced by her Scandinavian beauty, "I'm sorry about that. I've been busy."

"So have we," she smiled broadly. "The machine works."

That made Ted sit a bit higher in his chair, refocused on business and not the beautiful woman, "It works? Like we thought it would?"

Tora had come to him with a theory that through a natural chemical procedure she could recover Arctic and Antarctic ice that had been loss from climate change. He had worked with her to develop a solar powered machine to facilitate the chemical process without the need for an operator. For the past three months she had been experimenting with it.

"Better," her eyebrows raised. "In fact, the issue we're running into now is that it runs too well. We almost froze over the entire bay before we shut it off."

"Woo!" he slapped his desk in triumph. "Working too well is better than not at all. Tora, you've made my day."

"Yes, I think I will return to New York to work on the levels for now. I love my home, but I could use some warmth," she shivered, drawing her blue parka closer to herself.

"Great, can't wait to see you. I'll have everyone over my pool to celebrate your return to livable latitudes," he responded, and instantly realized that was a highly, highly inappropriate offer.

She was slightly taken aback, but didn't seem offended by the idea, "Oh. Well. That would be nice. I look forward to seeing you as well, Mr. Kord."

Mr. Kord...I am totally getting a sexual harassment suit

---

^{Garrett Household. Westchester. New York State.}

"Ted, would you talk some sense into my son?" Joan Garrett asked as she served Kord a big plate of her brisket, Ted's absolute favorite. He wouldn't have missed this for the world. Growing up as the second Garrett son more or less, it was always his favorite. No one could make brisket as tender as Joan's. Still, he missed Dan every time he was here for dinner. It just wasn't the same without the family's patriarch. "Allison is just waiting for a ring and he keeps dragging his feet."

Joan wasn't wrong on that end. Dave's girlfriend might have already killed him if she wasn't so patient. And it wasn't from a lack of Dave's desire to be with her, more his own ineptitude in reading social situations. If Ted constantly put his foot in his mouth when it came to talking to the opposite sex, Dave just missed every hint ever laid at his feet.

After chewing and swallowing his first big bite, savoring every note of flavor he could, Ted laughed lightly, "Joan, if he ever listened to anything I said you'd have a few grandkids by now."

"Yea, but not any legitimate ones," Dave quipped, earning a light slap on the back of his head from his mother. "Hey, lighten up, Mom."

"She's not wrong, buddy," Ted shrugged. "It's time to settle down."

His eyes narrowed at Kord, and with a point said, "I'll propose to Allison when you ask Tora out."

Ted's eyes widened with horror as Joan turned her attention to him. Kord damned his friend's innate ability to turn any sticky situation he was in around on someone else.

"Who is this Tora?" Mrs. Garrett's eyebrows perked up.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, "She's that environmental scientist and engineer working on our Arctic ice project. And if you really want to know, she's coming back to New York next week...and I may have invited her to the mansion pool because she mentioned how she wanted to get back to the warmth?"

"Oh buddy you are so bad at this," Dave winced with sympathy.

"Well, what did she say to that?" Joan attempted to be positive, but it was clear even she felt he probably made a mistake with that one.

"She...didn't seem offended? Seemed like she'd be for it? Crap, I have to have a company-wide pool party at my house, don't I?" Ted groaned.

"Yes. Sounds like it, dude," Dan laughed through a bite of brisket.

Star Wars: Legacies (Always Open)

^{Black Spire Outpost, Batuu}

---

Huc put his hands in the pockets of his flight jacket and stepped out of Oga's cantina and back onto the streets of Black Spire. It was now after midday, and the denizens of the outpost were milling about in greater numbers, most of them giving any Stormtroopers that they happened to come across a wide berth.

The simple life that was the everyday for the people of Batuu was something Huc appreciated. The planet had largely been too remote to be touched by the war, and too forgotten for people to go out of their way to use as a base of operations or training ground. It was a gateway to Wild Space and the Unknown Regions, but there were hundreds of worlds like that. Batuu was special in that it was forgotten.

Well, at least until now.

He made his way through the markets of Black Spire on his way to Doc Ondar's, perusing the wares as he went. He passed the creature seller where Yu'Li had purchased Fuzzball, the precocious Loth-cat that was at this moment probably scratching Huc's pillow to ribbons. He'd love to get rid of the beast, but he'd never do that to Yu, who'd be heartbroken in that case. As much as he found the animal annoying, he'd never do that to his friend.

Above the skyline of the Outpost, the tops of the vast forests that covered most of Batuu could be seen, and above them stood the great, dark spires of petrified wood that gave Black Spire its name. Once, long ago, Batuu's great trees towered higher than any beside the great wroshyrs of the Wookiees. Some great calamity struck them long ago, and now they stood as great pillars of stone hovering over the Outpost like the bones of the planet.

Heading through the market, he nodded to the merchants he knew. One of them tossed him a piece of fruit in payment for some medicine Huc had brought to the planet on their last stop. He bit into it appreciatively, the blue, sweet juices flowing freely.

At the end of the crooked marketplace street sat the large, round, windowless building that housed Doc Ondar's Den of Antiquities. It honestly was Huc's favorite shop on the planet. It contained more history than he had ever seen before. He couldn't afford any of it, but he always loved sifting through the Ithorian's stock. A lot of it was junk, but Doc assured him some of it was priceless beyond measure.

The doors to the store slid open, and Huc entered. Immediately the stale, slightly-damp smell of the store hit him, like if time itself if it could be distilled into a scent. He rounded the corner and the familiar sight of Doc's merchandise greeted him. Piles of rugs, tapestries, and textiles from countless cultures littered one corner. A stuffed wampa from the ice planet Hoth rose menacingly over a counter full of carved trinkets. A second floor terrace held shelves of ancient blasters and weapons. On the wall behind the main desk, helmets of various warriors were hung, a Mandalorian one shone in the light. Above him, snaking around the ceiling of the rotunda was the skeleton of a great see creature of some unknown world, its serpent-like head staring down towards the floor as if it was poised to strike.

Huc wished it would, for standing in front of the desk and speaking to the Ithorian proprietor was a short, pale man flanked by two stormtroopers. Huc moved as if he was looking at the merchandise, but did his best to get a good look at the man. He was small, and frail looking. He looked to be at least seventy cycles old, and his pale skin hung on the bones of his face as it it was to fall off at any moment. He was clothed in velvet robes of dark purple, and a hat to match. Huc assumed he was some sort of old Imperial dignitary that managed to get a hold of a Star Destroyer and was now shaking down anyone he saw fit.

"<These are my wares,>" Huc heard the Ithorian shop keeper, in the species' trademark low, rumbling voice, assured the Imp. "<There is nothing of the matter which you speak of.>"

So the bastard was looking for something in Doc's stocks. Made sense. The Imperials were always after weird crap. The rumors were Palpatine was a fanatic for old Jedi relics. For what reason, Huc could never figure. The Jedi were little more than stories across the planets. Some of the older guys in the Corellian Resistance claimed they saw Jedi during the Clone Wars, but few believed them. Jedi were generals in the wars, and then the Empire got rid of them. That's all even the most informed person knew.

"Hmmm," the shrill, high voice of the warlord came like the whine of a busted engine. "I have been told the map was on Black Spire Outpost. I will not leave here without what I seek. I will return tomorrow, and I hope that you manage to find what I'm looking for. For your sake."

As the man turned to leave, his cold, grey eyes caught Huc's. They narrowed menacingly, and he snarled as he exited the shop.

Once the Imperials had gone, Huc turned to Doc, "Didn't know you were expanding your clientele."

"<The have forced themselves upon us,>" the Itorhian was irate. "<I do not know how long I can refuse them.>"

Huc felt his ears perk up at this, "So you do have whatever they were looking for?"

The Ithorian sighed, the flaps on its neck it used for speech rumbling as it did so, "<Yes. But I cannot give it up. It may be better if I let them kill me.>"

"To hell with that," Huc shot back. Doc was nothing but a kind old man running a junk shop. There was no way he was going allow the Imperials to kill a friend. "You have something the Empire wants? I have a very fast ship that can take it away from here."

Ondar looked behind himself towards the back room, where the old Mon Calamri that helped him clean the store was moving some boxes around. The Ithorian lowered his voice, "<Come back after I close. We can talk then.>"

---

^Later
"So you took a job. Without finding out what we'd be carrying," Yu chuckled as the three members of the Dawn crew made their way back to Doc's.

"Or how much we're getting paid," Gor added in.

"That's a very good point," the Togrutan agreed. "Your bleeding heart is gonna get us killed one day."

"Hey, I'm not gonna-" Huc cut himself off as some Stormtroopers passed by. He continued in a quieter voice, "I'm not gonna let the Imps get what they want. And I'm certainly not gonna let them kill Doc. Besides, Oga paid us an Emperor's ransom for those weapons. We got money enough to spare for a while."

Gara had be unusually generous with the fence work this time. Huc had no idea why, maybe she had found a motivated buyer for a few crates of blasters. Still, something didn't feel wholly right about the whole thing.

Batuu at night was a sight to behold. Brighter than most planets at night thanks to its two moons which reflected the light from the tri-star system, it was as if the planet at night was in a perpetual form of twilight. Outside of Oga's, which was always crowded, the streets of Black Spire were almost deserted this time of day.

"Always seemed weird that Black Spire shuts down so early," Gor commente.

Yu looked at him out of the corner of her eye, "How would you know? You're usually at Oga's still."

"Well, I mean, it's what I heard," he shrugged.

The three of them made their way to the back of the shop, which Doc had instructed Huc to head to earlier. After a few knocks, the door slid open to reveal the Ithorian, "<Come in. Come in. Did anyone see you?>"

"Don't think so," Huc shook his head, glancing behind himself. "Didn't see any buckheads on the way."

"<Good. Good,>" Doc allowed them access and ferried them past the main shop area and into the back stock room. He slid his hand along the back wall of said room, an grasped a light pole that hung there. With a flick of the wrist, the light turned to the side and an almost imperceptible click could be heard on the other side of the wall. Almost silently, the wall moved back an revealed a tight, rocky passageway that snaked into the cliff that Doc's was built next to.

The four of them pressed through the cold, slightly damp stone, Gor with more difficulty than the others. After a few winding turns, they found themselves in some sort of natural antechamber. The walls curved up into a natural dome, with a hole at the top where the moonlight was filtering in, allowing them to see. Out of the rocks poked crystals that caught the moonlight and reflected it back as brilliant hues of green, blue, violet, and yellow. As soon as Huc passed into it, he felt a surge run through his extremities, almost like the air was charged with energy.

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room on top of a tattered tapestry was the old Mon Calamari, eyes closed in some sort of meditation. But he looked different. The simple coveralls and smock he wore to help stock and clean Doc's shop were replaced by a flowing light tan outfit with a brown robe covering it. Beside him, open cases of what looked like metal scraps sat.

His eyes opened as they approached, the light orange skin peeling back to reveal distinctive and expensive Mon Cal eyes. He looked up at Doc, an unsure expression on his face, "These are the ones?"

"<They are more than they appear,>" Doc assured him.

"Okay, wait," Gor shook his head as he stepped forward. "Rask? Rask is the cargo? I've gotten drinks with this guy. What's the Empire want with you?"

The Mon Calamari closed the cases in front of him and folded the tapestry he had been sitting on, "I am the cargo, Gor-Nada. Me and my meager effects."

Huc didn't see anything but credits at this. A simple ferry job was never a bad option, and all he had to do was outrun one measly Star Destroyer? Sounded like an easy pay day.

Yu wasn't convinced, "Yea, Rask. No offense, but you're a glorified stockboy. Why is there some Imp warlord looking for from you?"

The old amphibious alien sighed, he looked to Doc once more, "You are sure they are to be trusted?"

"<They look like pirates, but they are honorable. They always look to do what is right,>" the Ithorian assured him.

"Aw, thanks, Doc. I knew you liked us," Huc chuckled. "He's right. We have the opposite of love for the Empire. And I have the fastest ship out in this whole sector of space. We can get you past that Destroyer. No problem."

Their potential charge stepped forward and looked into Huc's eyes. He wasn't sure what the Mon Cal was getting at, but he looked as if he was peering into the privateer's soul. After a few moments, he signed again and closed his large eyes before beginning to explain, "The Imperial that was here was one of Emperor Palpatine's Sith acolytes. A fanatic to Palpatine's power."

Huc, Yu, and Gor all exchanged glances. Huc shrugged. None of them had any idea what he was talking about.

"Oh, excuse me," he laughed, almost croaking as he did so. "Sometimes I forget most in the galaxy do not know what we knew."

"Who is 'we'?" Yu asked, taking a seat on one of the crates, clearing interested in what Rask had to say.

"The Jedi," Rask responded with a slight smile. "Thought I supposed calling myself on of them has not been true since before the Empire was born. But once I was Rask Char, Jedi Knight and Commander in the Grand Army of the Republic."

Huc's jaw hung open in amazement. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Yu on the edge of her seat and on the other side of him Gor looked like he had been hit with a stun bolt. A real life Jedi was like stumbling on an undiscovered coaxium mine. Most people in the galaxy thought they were nothing more than myth, thought some of the old timers in the Resistance swore up and down they had seen some during the Clone Wars. There were rumors that the Rebel leader Luke Skywalker was one of them, but that's all.

Yet, Huc could almost sense the sadness and bitterness in Rask's voice when he told them his titles. Whatever had caused Char to leave the Jedi had left a deep scar on him.

"I...I don't believe it," Gor chuckled, his large upper body shook with happiness. "I didn't think I'd ever see another Jedi in my lifetime."

"And I never thought I would ever need to reveal myself," Rask admitted. "I came to Batuu to live a peaceful life hidden from the galaxy. But the Empire has found me. And what I know is far too important to fall into their hands. So now I ask you for help."

Huc didn't need to ask the other crew members. He knew what they had to do, and there was no way he was going to pass up the opportunity to travel with a Jedi, "We'll leave now. No need to waste any time. Duck should have the Dawn fueled up by now anyway."

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

^{Kord Mansion. Westchester. New York State}

---

Light began to filter through the drapes of the palatial master bedroom of the Kord Mansion, rousing Ted from a restful sleep. As he began to stir, pain shot through his head like a lightning bolt. His jaw throbbed with waves of agony, and the back of his head felt like it had been kicked by a horse. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, and was happy to note that outside feeling like his head was trying to escape his body, nothing else seemed injure.

"What's a little CTE in the name of justice?" he grumbled to himself as he got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. Ted flipped on the light once there, and recoiled from the stars it made him see. He fumbled around for the medicine cabinet and found some ibuprofen which he quickly downed with some water.

"Good morning, sir," Kha's voice came from one of the small, disk-like devices Ted had installed across the sprawling house. "Shall I start breakfast?"

"Sure thing," he grumbled and turned on the shower. He rubbed his jaw as the pain medication began to work its magic, "Two eggs, some of that veggie sausage, and some fruit would be good. Nothing I have to chew too much."

The device beeped, understanding the command. Somewhere on the lower level, Kha's lone, physical body sprung out of its charging port and made its way towards the kitchen. While Ted realized the potential issues that could arise from artificial intelligence, he couldn't help but try it out. After all, if he restricted what Kha could learn, the AI would theoretically only become as advanced as Ted wanted it to be. The body came about when Kord got tired of making his own meals. The robot wasn't perfect, it tended to underseason things, not having tastebuds and all that. But it meant that he could spend more time in the lab.

After a hot shower that helped to relax his tired muscles, Ted made his way to the kitchen. He passed through the cavernous, ornate hallways of Kord Mansion, covered in mahogany and ornate windows. Priceless art his father had collected lined the walls, and very little signs a family had ever lived there joined them. Thomas Kord had never been a nostalgic man, and after the death of Ted's mother when he was only three, Thomas retreated from emotions completely.

Why they ever needed a house this big, Ted had never understood. There were only three of them, and the extended family only ever consisted of his uncle Jarvis, who was still the CFO of Kord Sciences. It turned out to be a boon now that Ted was on the road he was on, but for decades the big house just felt like an empty void that stood as a status symbol more than a home.

When he reached the kitchen, he found the robot had already plated his food, a new record. It was floating a few inches off the ground using some of the same anti-gravitational devices that kept the Bug in the air. The robot's body was little more than a meter-tall, thin column with four retractable, telescoping arms that came from the center. On top was a circular, ocular sensor so it could see where it was going. It was primitive, only an early prototype, but it was a start.

"Kha, what's my schedule for the day?" he asked as he finished off the last of his meal.

"Your weekly telecon with Dr. Olafsdotter is in one half hour," the AI responded. "Ms. da Costa has also requested your presence at Kord Sciences. The meeting invite mentions more media appearances to talk about your efforts during the recent pandemic."

Sighing deeply, he realized it was going to be a long day. Tora Olafsdotter and Beatriz da Costa couldn't be more different, aside from the headaches they caused him.

Tora was a brilliant environmental scientist from Norway who was working on a pet project of Ted's to re-stimulate the growth of glaciers across the planet as a way to fight climate change. Paired with Doctor Von Furth's prototype nuclear reactor, they stood a good chance at stabilizing the planet's climate. Both projects were Kord's most expensive, and Ted had faith in them. At least when Tora wasn't pushing to go faster than the tech allowed at this point.

Beatriz, on the other hand, was his Brazilian head of PR and marketing. She was always on him to get in front of television cameras to play up the company's efforts during the pandemic and for the climate change initiative. But Ted hated being on camera more than about anything else, much to her chagrin. Still, she believed in what the company was doing, and he valued that from a marketer. It was easier to sell what you believed in.

"Let them know I'll be in after lunch," he responded to the AI. "I want to do some work in the lab this morning before heading in."

"Understood, sir."

He did just as he said, and made his way towards the cavernous library of the home. Two stories tall, with the ridiculous bookcase ladders most people just think are from movies, the library smelled of old dust and dry paper. It was honestly one of Ted's favorite rooms in the house, even if he didn't get time to read as much as he liked. He used the home theater more, and he was slightly ashamed of that.

He passed by the plush reading couch and sidled up to one of the bookshelves. He reached for a copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and pulled. Instead of coming free from the shelf, however, a mechanism clicked and the bookshelf shuttered. The bottom portion slid back and then to the left, revealing a lift behind it, which Ted took down to the lab.

His father had installed this as a covert way to get down to his garage without anyone knowing. Ted had found it after taking possession of the house. He had the garage sealed off from the outside, and turned the garage into his personal lab. And only he knew of the secret elevator entrance.

The doors of the lift opened and revealed the cavernous lab. It held the Bug, his suit, and various lab stations he had set up for potential gadgets to use in the field. He plopped down into a rolling chair and scooted over to the large super computer station and fired up the system.

Almost, instantly, his video conferencing system alerted him to an incoming call from David Garrett, the son of his mentor and his best friend. David was working as head of security for Kord Sciences. Ted looked behind him to make sure none of his equipment was visible, and flipped on the screen, "Dave, what's up man?"

"Ted-," Garrett's green eyes widened at the sight of his friend. "Holy crap, dude! What happened to your face?"

"Ah," Ted pressed on his jaw where he had been kicked. "Lab accident. Tried overcharging one of the anti-grav generators I've been working on, and it punched me in the face."

"You gotta be more careful, Teddy," David shook his head, his long brown hair slung back in a man bun that Ted never missed an opportunity to make fun of. "All alone in that house. You could die and we'd never find you. You need a girlfriend."

Ted rolled his eyes, "Sure, with all my free time."

"Excuses, excuses, buddy," Dave shrugged. "Listen, mom wants to know if you're gonna come for dinner tonight. She made enough brisket for an army."

He had forgotten he was having dinner with Dave and Joan. Ted was completely wrapped up in his little project, and was glad that Dave called to remind him, "You know I wouldn't miss that for the world. I'll see you tonight."

The call was ended, and Ted brought up the data collected by his goggles' built-in cameras. After flipping through the images, he stopped at the best view he could get of the man who was clearly leading the other men. He attempted to run his face through the police databases. After a few moments, the computer came up with no results, claiming the face's swirling colors inhibited analysis.

"Damn."

With that outburst, he felt another wave of pain roll through his jaw and his neck. Rubbing it slightly, he called out to the AI, "Kha, open up a new Blue Beetle project file."

"Title, sir?"

"Crowd control."

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

^{STAR Labs. Harlem. New York City}

---

The Blue Beetle hit the ground quietly, the small gravitational dampers he had installed on his boots and the knuckles of his suit doing their job as designed. He flipped open the padded gauntlet on his left forearm and pressed one of the buttons underneath, shooting the ripcord back up into the Bug and sending the craft to hover higher, ensuring it was out of view from prying eyes.

Not fifteen yards away, Ted could see the two men guarding the rooftop entrance. His goggles enhanced his vision in the dark, and what he saw surprised him. The two of them looked like they had been in a paint store explosion. Clearly divided streaks of technicolor swirled on them like they were something that popped out of a fun house. Each of them had white hair that almost seemed to glow even in the darkness. To say they looked bizarre would be an understatement, but then again he was dressed in a blue, beetle-themed getup, so maybe he wasn't the best judge of such things.

Moving silently as he could towards them in the shadows, he listed in on their conversation, attempting to gleam anything he could from their conversation.

"Why the hell are we here?" one asked the other. There was something odd about the way he talked, as if he was partly here and partly not. "I thought we were going to tear this city apart? That we'd really wake the normies up."

"There's gonna be plenty of time for that," the other one responded, that one with less of a tranced cadence. "Boss said he needed something here. So here we are."

"What does he need?" the first one asked.

"Dunno," the second shrugged. "Doesn't pay me to ask questions."

"Does he pay you to look like unicorn vomit?"

Blue Beetle sprung into action with a quip he couldn't help but blurt out. Catching the two men by surprise, he swept the leg out from the closest one, being the one that sounded like he was half drunk in their discussion. He fell backwards, hitting his head on the roof which in turn knocked him unconscious.

The other rainbow criminal yelped with surprise and lept backwards in a twisting backflip. The man's agility was surprising, almost superhuman. But Ted didn't let it throw him too much. He tracked the colorful criminal through the air and kicked off the ground to reach his landing point. When Ted reached it, the acrobatic criminal sprung back once again, attempting to land on his hands to escape once again. Instead, Ted managed to snag the man's foot out of the air and slam him into the roof. He crumpled, and Ted took the opportunity to zip tie his hands and feet together with a proprietary restraint he had designed.

"Who the hell do you think you are!?" the technicolor goon yelled at Ted.

"I'm the Blue Beetle, nice to meet you. Oh my god did I just say 'Nice to meet you' to a bad guy? Gotta work on my witty retorts."

"What are you, some kind of cop?" the criminal stopped struggling against his restraints, realizing it was in vain.

"No, I'm what the cops should be," Ted responded without thinking. That's what he wanted. It's why he started this project in the first place. Too often he saw things that turned his stomach on the nightly news, especially in the wake of the pandemic and the unrest that followed. If he could be better, if he could show that there was a better way, maybe he could affect some real change in the city. "What are you, a reject from Burning Man?"

Still got it, Teddy boy.

"We are the chaos that is the true state of every man. We are the kaleidoscope of emotions that society tells us to hold back."

"Ah, so you're coo-coo, got it," Blue Beetle responded as he made his way towards the door. Before he reached it, however, he noticed the unconscious man he had taken down first had reverted from the brightly colored state to looking like a normal guy. It made absolutely no sense, but Ted didn't have any time to stay and figure out how that worked. He had business inside.

Stepping into STAR Labs felt odd to Ted, he had to admit. They were technically a competitor to Kord Sciences, even if the two had worked together in the past. This lab, if he remembered correctly, was more focused on the biological sciences. They had been one of the spearheads in the development for the vaccine to the recent pandemic.

That thought sent alarm bells off in his head. If someone was here, they could be stealing information on the vaccine or the virus itself. In the wrong hands, that could lead to devastating consequences.

He brought up his HUD again, and saw the six remaining criminals were farther in the building on the floor he was now occupying a room at the end of the hall. As ted approached, he saw that the door was closed. He flipped the setting on his HUD, bringing up the heat signatures in said space. One of the intruders was leaning against the door, and Ted had to smile to himself for that.

Rearing back, he slammed into the door, flinging it open and slamming the man behind it into the wall. He bounced off back towards Ted, who slapped a quick set of restraints on his hands and pushed him into two of his friends.

"Well, looks like it's time to go," a tittering voice said from the other side of the room. Ted looked up to see another multi-colored menace, but he was different. The colors on his body wavered and waned like a lava lamp in full tilt. His white hair looked like it crackled with energy. He took something off his belt and tossed it at a window behind him. The device created a small explosion, and the rainbow many tossed a pack over his shoulder and made his way towards it. Before he jumped, he called to his men, "Make sure he doesn't follow."

With that he jumped, and something cracked on the back of Ted's head. As he was distracted by the human kaleidoscope, one of his goons had circled around and hit Blue Beetle with a chair. The suit was strong and protective, but that didn't mean it made Ted impervious to pain. He saw stars and dropped to one knee to try and regain his bearings. He sensed another strike, and rolled out of the way. Unfortunately, he rolled right into a kick across the jaw from another one of the goons.

Pain shot through his face, and he quickly realized that this was not going the way he expected it to. The one who kicked him attempted another swift strike, but Ted's instincts and Judo training kicked in. He shot out with a hand and pulled on the outstretched leg of his attacker. Using his momentum against him, the Beetle directed him into the guy with the chair. Their heads collided into one another, and each crumpled to the ground.

The stars started to fade from his eyes as he stood and readied himself for the two remaining interlopers. One sprung over a table in a head first attempt to spear the Beetle, who spun out of the way, allowing the man to crash through a table on his own.

The last man standing was larger than his counterparts, and cracked his massive knuckles as he approached Blue Beetle. He lashed out with some devastating looking punches, but Ted easily avoided them, even in his semi-punch-drunk state. The man was big, but he was slow and clearly untrained. Meanwhile, Ted had decades of gymnastics and martial arts training behind him. Ted studied the pattern of attack, and waited for his opportunity. The man missed wildly with a right hook, which Kord spun around and delivered a spinning elbow to his chin. The blow felled the big guy, and Blue Beetle got to work restraining the incapacitated criminals.

Heading to the hole in the wall, he pressed the button on his gauntlet again, and almost instantly the ripcord up to the Bug lowered in front of him. He zipped up and checked the scanners for any sign of the leader. There were none, and he cursed at himself under his breath.

"Good job, Teddy boy. Blew it on your first night out."

Talking to himself brought shooting pain through his jaw. He flipped back his cowl and looked at his reflection in the glass of the Bug. He could dimly see the swelling starting where he was kicked. Sighing once again, he instructed the Bug to return home on autopilot while he went to go get an ice pack from the small first aid section of the airship.