In the small reception area of a humble city bank, a usual sight could be seen in the event of a common bank-robbing in progress.
"Gimme all your loot! Or you're shot!" A masked man with pistol in hand demanded from one of the receptionists. The mild-mannered balding man with glasses nodded as his face became as drenched as a dog's wet nose on a hot summer's day. "B...but, there's a problem! It's in a safe! And...and I don't know the combination!" The clerk cried.
Behind the black ski mask, the burglar's face became red with frustration. "You do so know it!" He cried, shoving the head of the pistol into his face. The helpless clerk cowered in fright, and his voice squeaked in ambivalency. "But, sir...I really don't! Please, please don't shoot! I have a dog...who really cares for me!"
The robber bawled in anger and rose his pistol to whip the man across the face, but soon found himself knocked down by a strange blow to the left cheek. He grabbed his ailing face and looked over to his left to see aimed at him a bow, possessed by a young man with black hair, a red-feathered cap, maroon-colored tunic, and small mask that covered his eyes. "Pardon me, but you were in my way," he greeted, pulling yet another one of his trickshot arrows and nocking it into his bow.
Once again he pulled back on the string and let it fly, engulfing the obnoxious robber in a weighted net, who sat trapped and helpless upon the floor like a stray pup. He walked up to the balding clerk. "I'd like to deposit a check please, in my own personal account," He told him. The clerk nodded. "Yes, Mr. Archer, right away sir!" And the clerk continued with the proceedings.
Archer cranked his neck back toward the fallen robber. "Now see how easy that was? Why don't you ask for things more politely?" He turned back once more to the clerk, but as he reached for the receipt of his transaction, the clerk found no one there as Archer vanished in a flash of blue light before his very eyes.
The New Justice Union#3: The Physics Five
What Archer envisioned in the depths of his eyes was nothing like he had ever seen. Dozens of brightly-colored superheroes along with suited tech managers roamed the halls of a vastly built corridor that stretched hundreds of yards above the ground. Outside the tall glass windows floated thousands of twinkling stars in the blackness of the outer regions of space.
"Wh...where am I?!" He asked, completely stupefied. Soon, however, a rather large man, in a silvery-white, shiny suit that covered him from head to toe, whose white eyes were the only visible part of him, pounded his way toward and lowered his head to view the stupefied hero.
"Excuse me, you're in my way," He said, picking up the awed Archer, and setting him down behind him. The large, shiny hero then proceeded to enter the holo-transmitter and disappear without a trace before Kevin Manboat's eyes.
"Well, well, well. You're finally here," a voice behind Archer echoed in a low tone. Kevin looked back to see a dark-blue outfitted man, who harbored a utility belt upon his waste. "Who...wha...where am I?!"
The Blue Panther stepped up to him from outta the darkness. "This is Justice Union headquarters. You've been recruited to help us fight crime."
"Whoa, whoa whoa! I didn't exactly REMEMBER signing up," Archer defended. "I don't wanna join any of your so called 'armies' of super-powered heroes. I'm not like any of you, fighting giant monsters, and saving the world from alien invasions. I stick up for the little guy."
The Panther tapped his foot, a bit peeved by the remark, but soon retaliated. "First off, I don't have super powers either. And I'm still here... most of the time. And Second, suit yourself. Try and find your way back home. You're miles up in space," The Panther replied.
Kevin narrowed his masked eyes, and pointed his thumb inward to himself. "Hey I can figure this transporter thing out!" He said, peering over to the many colorful switches and buttons with which to work with. The Panther smirked at the hero's disillusionment and began to walk away, but then halted. Turning back, he said, "Oh by the way, those giant monsters you're talking about... They tend to step on the little guy."
After pounding on the holo-transmitter machine a few time, Archer finally gave and turned back to the Panther. "Hey, tell me how to get out of here!" He demanded, brandishing his fist.
The Panther looked backward, and strode to the frustrated ranger. "At least give it a look, maybe you'll get some sense knocked into you." Archer, seeing this as the only way, relented. "Fine, if it'll get me off this hunk of metal, you lead the way."
As they began to walk down the halls of the station, a sudden blaring, buzzing sound bellowed throughout the corridors, and a feminine computer-programmed voice began to speak aloud. "Warning! Warning! security breach. Emergency lockdown procedure activated. Warning! Warning!" It clamored continuously.
"What's the deal!?" Archer asked, who shifted into a run, following the Panther who had also done so. "That's what we're about to find out!"
Soon the pair entered the main computer lab where Goldman, Psychocess and Eaglet Girl resided. The Panther slowly crept toward Goldman and asked what the problem was. "Someone broke Plasma Wisp out of the detainment room," He answered, but was otherwise occupied at the supercomputer trying to track down the intruders.
"Did you get anything out of him?" Panther inquired. Goldman shook his head. "He wouldn't budge. Nothing we did could shake any answers out of him." Panther slammed his fist into his hand. "I should've been there... I could've gotten something out of him."
Goldman waved him off. "No, you did the right thing. You recruited Archer right? Your job is done. But I still don't understand how anyone could've gotten through. We've upped the security around here ever since the first break in."
"Looks like we could use a little update on our system, huh?" Eaglet Girl smartly suggested. Just then, a blipping red light beamed upon the large computer on what looked to be a small vicinity on a digital map.
"Alright we have their coordinates..." Goldman hesitated and stared at the blinking screen. "What is it?" Eaglet Girl wondered. Goldman spoke, in a most perplexed tone. "It looks like...Plasma Wisp's traveling in space, down to earth."
"That's impossible! How did he escape, and who sent the spaceship? We would've tracked the ship's coordinates before it got here!" Eaglet Girl continued to wonder in confusion.
Goldman nodded. "But the thing is...there is no spaceship. Alright, Eaglet Girl. Assemble a team and get down there pronto. We have the expected coordinates of where he's going to land."
Eaglet Girl looked at the blipping screen and viewed the expected coordinates. Her eyes lowered in disapproval. "But that's...the same place where we met him!" She sternly observed.
"Eaglet Girl, get down there now, and use the emergency transport pad. Psychocess is retrieving another electromagnetic containment device, use it on him and bring him back," Goldman instructed.
The winged heroine assented and soared through the door, where Psychocess met her and handed her the device. Archer watched as the young woman fled like a speeding hawk to an emergency transport pad across the hall. "Ok, so where does this leave me?" He wondered.
Goldman interrupted him. "Quiet, boy, there's something else on the screen." Archer peered on the computer screen once again. This time, there were two blips on the map instead of one. "What's going on?" He asked, but there was no answer. He continued to watch as one after another more red blips began to appear until there were five in all.
"Just as I feared, it's an ambush," Goldman deduced. "We've got to get help down there right away." But before he did that, Goldman turned on a communications link and displayed the telecom on the computer screen to monitor Eaglet Girl's progress. "Eaglet Girl, are you there!? Do you copy!?" He aggressively yelled. For a few moments, there was static, both on the screen and the com-link.
But after seconds, a visual replaced the interference, and Goldman watched as Eaglet Girl was being thrashed by five members of a party, one of them being Plasma Wisp. He then spotted the electromagnetic containment device smashed upon the ground.
"Psychocess, are there anymore of those containment devices?" He asked Laura Rapnaski. Psychocess shook her head. "That's the last one, it'll take a while for the crew to repair."
Goldman sternly observed the action upon the large screen before him. "Arlight, I'm assembling a team to help her. Panther, you lead them down there and..." But as he turned to speak orders to the Panther, he saw no one. "Where did he go?" He asked Archer.
Kevin shrugged his shoulders. "Must've had more important business to take care of..."
Goldman then turned to Laura, and gave her orders. "Psychocess, you take the team down there and help Eaglet Girl fight off those...whoever they are. Make sure to take Shockwave, hopefully she knows how to generate electric fields. Electrolight is on a mission with the Squadron right now. I must look after things up here." Laura nodded, and began her departure. "Oh wait," Goldman halted her. "Take the boy with you too."
Kevin's eyes widened in hysteria. "Are you kidding me?!" He wondered in a maniacal tone. "I just wanted to get out of this stinkin' place!" Goldman seemed to have been ignoring him, intently viewing the screen.
"Well, now you can, Arch, you can show us what you're made of. You're not gonna turn your back on fellow heroes right in front of the action, are you?" He argued. Kevin folded his arms and narrowed his eyes in frustration at the sudden twist of fate. "Well...I would sure like to!"
But Goldman would not listen, and Archer had no choice but to follow Psychocess and meet the other members of his squad at the holo-transmitter.
When he arrived at the transport pad, his eyes met with four other distinct figures in colorful costumes. Psychocess was among them, floating in the air in her green costume and cape. "Meet your team members for this...unexpected mission," she introduced. "I, as you know, am Psychocess," she began. "This is Shockwave," she pointed to a red-haired girl in a yellow suit, who was able to shoot electric sparks out of her hands. "Over here, we have Stargirl," her hand swayed to a young girl with brown hair, a blue mask upon her face, red mini-skirt, and a yellow star upon her white t-shirt. "And this, this over here, is Cywind," she said, pointing out a slightly-curly, brown haired young woman, outfitted in lighter green attire.
Archer viewed each one of them. "Ah, all women. I'm the odd one out...again," he said. But before he knew it, each of them were disappearing, and he too with them.
At the scene of the crimes was Eaglet Girl, who was downfallen onto the ground in front of them. Psychocess rushed to the ailing heroine and checked to see if she was alright. "I'm fine, just help me fight them off..." she said. But Psychocess had other plans. "I must retrieve the electromagnetic device and return it to the station, but these other four will fight with you," Laura explained. She then proceeded to grab the pieces of device, tap into her com-link and vanish once again.
"Well, well, well," an opposing, low, voice echoed from the distance. "If it isn't more of the Injustice Gang ready to take us on..." He continued. This man was wearing a peculiar suit, colored white and purple. Another, who sported red bolts atop her head mask with ponytail hanging, wore a white suit outlined with red, and another woman, wore some sort of giant contraption suit that was gray with black lines, and large, circular wrists and ankles. On her chest was the letter 'G.'
Plasma Wisp also floated above, enflamed in green, and still below him was the fifth member, whose costume composed mainly of brown, and he had the letter 'F' upon his chest.
Who seemed to be the leader, the purple-white outfitted man, spoke up first. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. I... am Matterman!" he yelled aloud. "This is my brother, a bit slick at times...Friction Man!" He pointed to the man with an 'F' on his chest, who in turn got into a triumph fighting stance. "Over here, we have my beautiful, and deadly quick, Kinetica!" He introduced the woman with the bolts atop her mask. "Up there, we have...Gravity Girl! No relation..." he pointed to the 'G' suited woman. "And of course, you all know our escaped convict friend...Plasma Wisp!"
They all came closer together. "And we...constitute of... the Physics Five!" He courageously outbursted, preceding the formation of power stances worthy of the Power Rangers.
Kevin rubbed his hand down across his face. "You've got to be kidding me...Again!" He cried in hysteric hopelessness. "I came down here...for this?!"
Soon the Physics Five erupted in all directions, targeting their opponents of choice.
"I'm takin' you out, Yankee Doodle!" Friction Man cried out to Archer noticing the feather in his hat. Kevin raised his fist at his new enemy. "Not on my watch!" And then raised his leg to take a step...but soon found out he could not. He struggled with his feet and cried, "Hey what's the deal!?"
Friction Man hollered, "That's all thanks to Gravity Girl! Wahaha!" Archer viewed in the sky a floating Gravity Girl with an outstretched hand holding him down. Soon Friction Man was gliding upon the grass with perfect ease, as if he were ice skating on a slick, frozen pond.
"I'll end this!" His arm went to retrieve his bow, but as he picked it up, the rough wooden texture became as slippery as ice and landed on the ground before him. Friction Man hollered in laughter as Archer struggled to retrieve his bow. "Buahahahaha! What's wrong Yankee Doodle, slippery hands!? Buahahaha!"
After much struggle against the heavy gravity, Archer was able to pick up his bow while his opponent was off guard. He quickly retrieved an arrow, and nocked into his bow, and sent a punching glove reeling Friction Man's way, slamming his face senseless.
The frustrated villain rubbed his cheek in pain. "Argh! You hit! Well, I got somethin' for ya man!" He then glided to a large rock sitting upon a prairie, and pushed it with ease, removing all friction into the direction of the immobile hero.
"Wahaha! Try getting out of this one, Puffy-head!" He bellowed with joyous laughter. Kevin braced himself for the oncoming, devastating blow... but just in time came Stargirl, hurdling her first against the large boulder and crushing it into small pebbles.
She then let out a firecraker from her gloved palms at the floating Gravity Girl, who in turn was struck by the blast and fell to the ground, freeing Kevin from his immobilization.
Archer was relieved to have his feet moving again, as he ran in place. "I suppose I should thank you for that one..." He spoke.
"We're just getting warmed up!" Friction Man retorted. And so the fight ensued... |
