by Adam Oster
“Like I said before, I don’t think I can. But I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
“Do it,” Oscar replied. “Fast.”
“What are you up to, Dad?” Ryan asked.
“We're going to lock Arthur up down here. Make sure he doesn't have any power to do anything whatsoever.”
“Okay,” Alexa responded. “But what does that do?”
“I have a feeling we'll find out pretty fast,” Oscar smiled.
“Ooh,” D.A.W.N. chimed. “That was a lot easier than I thought. I guess it pays to have been the sole operating system down here for so long. I’ve managed to regain control and I'm seeing severe structural damage to all floors. The entire building will collapse in on itself within the next ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes?” Talmadge yelled. “I thought you said we had time. You've got to get us out of here.”
“You're right,” Oscar said softly. “D.A.W.N., please teleport them all back to the surface, yourself included. Oh, and Agent Kent should be down here somewhere. Find him and bring him topside as well, if you can. And anyone else you can find. Just leave me and Arthur.”
“But Oscar--” D.A.W.N. began.
“Do it, now!” Oscar yelled.
The room glowed blue and morphed back into the exterior of the Sun City Convention Center.
Buddy instantly jumped into action. “D.A.W.N., what the hell? Take me back down there now. We can't let Oscar face off against Arthur alone. Not in his condition.”
“But, Buddy, Oscar explicitly told me that--”
“Take me down there, now!” Buddy screamed.
“Okay,” D.A.W.N. said softly.
Buddy glowed blue and found himself standing in the middle of the barracks, once again. He looked around in the darkness and saw the lights of Oscar’s suit, illuminating Oscar as he was laid out flat. He ran to Oscar's side.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Buddy asked.
“Arthur,” he said through a hard exhale.
“What about him?” Buddy asked. “Did you see him? Did he do this?”
“Oh, I did that, alright,” Arthur's voice came from above Buddy's head. “And I'll do much more if you don't return the control of this complex over to me.”
Buddy looked up and saw Arthur staring down at him. His head touched the ceiling twenty-feet above them. He scowled down at Buddy in intense rage. His hands were up on the ceiling, keeping it from collapsing in on them.
“You know I can't do that Flores. You've gone too far. This ends here.”
“I don't think so, Buddy,” Arthur laughed. “Don't you understand? I planned all of this from the beginning. I was the one who brought Memphis back from the dead. I was the one who brought you back to fight him. Aren't you even the slightest bit curious as to why I would find it necessary to bring you back?”
“We don't have time for this,” Buddy yelled up to the crazed man. “This building's going to collapse any minute now. If you just give up, call off your army, we can end this. We don't have to fight anymore.”
“But it's all come down to this very moment, Buddy,” Arthur laughed again. “This is the precise moment I've been waiting for all these years. You in the grips of death, the world above prepared to pay the price for all that's been done. Once you are removed from the picture entirely, it will be only I who can save the world from Damon Memphis, only I who can be seen as the true protector of all that is here. Then I shall finally have true control.”
“This is crazy,” Buddy said as he looked around the room for something he could use to leverage this moment in his favor. “You understand that right?”
“Is it?” Arthur asked back. “Is it crazy to wish to be recognized for what I am, for what we all are?”
“And what's that?”
“Gods!” Arthur said as the ceiling rumbled in his hands. The room tremored with his words as his eyes flashed brighter. “And once I've rid myself of the likes of you,” he smirked, “I shall be declared God Supreme!”
“Only one problem there, bub,” Buddy said, walking closer to the giant in front of him. “I'm pretty hard to kill. And if you let that building drop down on top of us, it's got a better chance of killing you than little ol' Buddy Hero.”
“Ah, but that's where you're wrong. I can’t be killed. Even if this body were to pass away, I will continue. I’ve made certain of that. And although you may not die with the collapse of this structure, I can rest assured that even the ineffable Buddy Hero doesn’t stand a chance in digging himself out from under over a half mile of rubble.”
“What do you mean you will continue?” Oscar asked, struggling to return himself to a seated position. Buddy ran to his side.
“Ah, Mr. Reed, the ever intrepid scientist, needs to know how everything works, does he? Unfortunately for you, I’m not a villain from a bad action movie. My master plan will not be revealed until it has been completed, which shall be long after you’re already dead, I’m afraid. Die happy knowing that you allowed all this, that your silence created this beautiful moment.”
“You’re crazy,” Oscar yelled. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”
“Oh, my dear, dear Oscar. If only you had been paying attention, you would know that this is the only way it ever could have been. This is how I designed it to be, right down to the death of both of you in this hole.”
“Well, Arthur, I guess that means you leave me no choice,” Oscar said, struggling to stand, but ultimately succeeding. “Buddy, you may want to stand back a bit.” Oscar pressed some buttons on his wrist device.
“What do you think you’re up to now, Oscar?” Arthur growled. “Do you think you are going to save the day with some great heroic feat? We both know you’re too much of a coward to ever do anything that dare encroach on your own comfortable life. Every version of you I’ve ever fought against has been the same, too unwilling to do what needs to be done.”
“Every version?” Buddy asked.
“Ah, but you've never met the Oscar who knows he's about to die, have you? D.A.W.N., activate new initiative Delta Omega Alpha.” A blue light glowed around Buddy as Oscar's suit beamed a bright red. Just as the world melted away around Buddy, he saw a flame burst out from the Red Rocketeer, causing the entire complex to shake terribly. As Buddy reappeared on the grass outside the SCCC, he felt a violent rumble occurring beneath him.
Alexa ran to Buddy's side and helped him regain his balance. “Where's my dad?” she asked anxiously.
“No time,” Buddy yelled, pulling on Alexa's arm as he yelled to the rest of the group. “Run!”
Buddy ran as fast as he could pulling Alexa behind him as the ground gave way. Alexa finally recognized what was happening below and removed herself from Buddy's grip as she ran alongside him.
“Go,” Buddy yelled, “you're fast, get out of here.”
“Not without you,” she screamed back.
Ryan lifted into the air, pulling Talmadge with him. The two hovered above the newly crafted sinkhole.
Buddy glanced over his shoulder and saw D.A.W.N.'s mobile unit being swallowed by the earth. He tripped over the cracking ground and lost his balance. Alexa grabbed his hand and he returned to his feet. Buddy leaped into the air and landed twenty feet away, just outside of what was now a giant crater where the Sun City Convention Center used to be, reaching several hundred feet deep. D.A.W.N.’s mobile unit glowed blue, disappeared, and reappeared behind the group.
“Whoa,” Buddy exhaled. “That was quite the trip.”
“Doesn’t look like we’re out of trouble yet,” Ryan said from overhead.
Buddy looked up and saw Jeff's army headed in their direction, looking as ominous as ever.
“I thought the whole point in staying down there was so that you guys could end Artie's connection with these guys,” Alexa stated.
“Yeah, that was the idea,” Buddy replied, “and I have a hard time imagining that Flores actually lived through what happened down there.”
“So,”
Talmadge asked, “what does that mean? I definitely don't think we can fight them all off.”
“Yeah, especially not now that we're a couple men down.”
The army approached the hole in the ground and landed within, forming what appeared to be a search party. Methodically, the men and women scanned the earth and dug into it, hunting for something within the wreckage.
“What are they doing?” Ryan asked.
“If I had to guess,” Alexa offered, “I’d say they’re looking for something.”
“Flores?” Ryan asked.
“Vaporized,” Buddy answered. They ain’t gonna be finding anything of him anytime soon.”
“Well, at least it looks like they haven't noticed us quite yet. How long do you think that's going to last?” Ryan asked.
“Well, they’ve got a long way to go if they’re going to dig all the way down to where Flores was. If that’s what they’re doing anyways,” Buddy answered. “So, let's do a quick recap of who's around and see if we can't come up with some idea as to why these black-suited robots are still all zombified or whatever.”
“Okay,” Alexa complied. “Well, first, I think you need to answer the question of where my father is.”
“Um,” Buddy stammered, “well.”
“It’s a simple question, Buddy,” Alexa stared as a tear welled up within her right eye. “Where’s my dad?”
“He’s in the same place as Flores,” Buddy said as he pointed to the center of the crater.
“But,” Alexa stumbled. “But—“
“You said Flores was vaporized,” Ryan said slowly.
“He saved the day,” Buddy added. “After all is said and done, it was your father who managed to take care of Flores.”
“What happened down there, Buddy?” Alexa screamed.
“I couldn’t stop him. I tried, but he had this whole thing set up where D.A.W.N. teleported me out right as he set his suit up to explode. I—“
“His suit exploded?” Ryan asked. “But I never set it up to be able to do that!”
“It was part of the initial design,” D.A.W.N. answered. “He didn’t want his technology to fall into the wrong hands. The whole Bunker was set up to do the same.”
“So, Dad’s—“ Alexa stopped.
“Sorry, kid,” Buddy said as he put an arm around Alexa’s shoulder. She buried her face into his chest.
“But the whole reason we went down there—“
“I know, kid. I know. I think he was happy to go down like this. I think he felt like it was his destiny, his payment for—“
“What the hell’s going on here?” Agent Kent yelled as he walked up to the group.
“Kent!” Ryan frowned. “So you got out alive?”
“I guess so. What’s up with those black-suited freaks out there?”
“We were just trying to figure that out,” Buddy answered. “It seems like they’re under some sort of mind control. We had thought it might be from Arthur, but well--”
“Nevermind,” Kent cut in. “I don’t care.” And with a pop he was gone.
“Ass,” Buddy muttered.
“There is another option available, chum,” Zero’s voice came from D.A.W.N.’s external speakers.
“Zero!” Buddy yelled. “Are you alright?”
“Nothing time won’t heal. I’ve been trying to get out of this damned contraption for what feels like hours now, but D.A.W.N.’s keeping me locked inside.”
“It’s for your own good, Zero, darling,” D.A.W.N.’s soft voice chimed.
“Thank God, you’re still alive,” Alexa added.
“So, what's the other option?” Ryan asked.
“Simple,” Zero answered. “Perhaps the true nature of their current hypnotized state does not derive from the Flores family at all.”
“Okay,” Buddy allowed, “so, where would it be coming from?”
“There is only one foul being I am aware of that can produce this kind of absolute loyalty in a person,” Zero answered. “Only one villain who has ever created an army of drones who would bend to his every whim. In fact, I have a hard time understanding why you didn't think of him in the first place.”
“You mean Damon?” Alexa asked. “Like when we fought him the last time?”
“I do indeed, sweet Alexa.”
“But he wasn't Damon until a little while ago. Plus, this is all Arthur's doing, isn't it?”
“I think I see where Zero's going with this. Flores was saying how he planned all of this, planned Damon's return, planned my return, how he planned everything. He must have known, somehow, that I would be able to take away Damon's memories, that I would be able to change him into this empty shell of a man. Flores must be the one who's responsible for bringing him back. Flores must be the one who re-programmed him into thinking he was Murphy. Flores must have then also used him to create his army of drones.”
“That’s completely ridiculous,” Talmadge joined in. “How could he possibly have known all of that? He’d have to be able to predict the future in order to—“
“Sal!” Buddy clapped his hands together. “Now it all makes sense.”
“What are you talking about?” Ryan asked.
“You know Sal, right? The guy who hangs out at the diner? When I first met Flores, he told me that Sal was his uncle, and that he had the power to tell the future. What if Arthur used Sal to make his plans, used him to see what he would need to do to set all this in motion?”
‘That’s devious,” Talmadge frowned. “And complicated.”
“No one’s ever said Artie wasn’t one to take the hard route.”
“So, what this all comes down to,” Ryan continued, “is that Damon's somehow still controlling these people even though he isn't aware of it, right?”
“Right!” Buddy clapped his hands in excitement. “So all we have to do is get Damon to stop controlling them and call it a day, right?”
“Sounds like a plan to me, chum.”
“There's only one real problem with that,” Talmadge joined in.
“Yeah?”
“We don't even know where that Murphy guy is, do we?”
“What about the army down there? Shouldn’t we be concerned about them?” Alexa asked.
“They’re looking for something,” Ryan offered. “And I’d be willing to bet it’s the same thing Jeff was trying to get from Arthur. Either way, I don’t think they’re going to be any trouble for the time being.”
“But, what could they possibly be looking for?” Buddy asked, “Jeff’s already got a whole giant army at his disposal.”
“A remote control for Damon?” Ryan offered.
“Would they really need that?” Talmadge asked. “From what I’ve seen, it seems like that Jeff guy can mimic the abilities of anyone else. Why would they need to control Damon when he can just be Damon?”
“That's right!” Alexa exclaimed. “How could I have been so stupid? Obviously that’s how Jeff’s been controlling them. But, if they’re still doing what Jeff wants them to do, does that mean Jeff’s still alive?”
“Seems likely,” Ryan answered. “Which means that we’ve got to find him in order to deal with that army.”
“But, they don’t really seem to be doing anything for us to be worried about right now, right? I mean, there’s no reason we should have to fight them, is there?”
“Although I hate to turn down the opportunity for a fight, I would have to agree, chum.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re locked inside D.A.W.N. for the foreseeable future anyways,” Buddy responded.
“Actually,” D.A.W.N. answered, “I am mending Zero as we speak. He might be in a fair amount of pain, but should be able to assist you in your crime fighting duties within only a few minutes.”
“You can do that?” Ryan asked.
“There is truly no limit to what I can do, Ryan, darling,” D.A.W.N. cooed.
“So, what’s the plan?” Talmadge asked.
“I believe we are discussing that precise
question currently, Young Bee,” Zero replied.
“Actually,” Talmadge said, “I'm going by The Cryp-Master now.”
“You sure?” Alexa questioned.
“No good?” Talmadge asked.
“No, Young Bee,” Zero said, “no good.”
“Fine. I'll come up with something.”
“Alright, back to strategy,” Ryan changed the subject. “D.A.W.N., you were the one who teleported Damon out of The Bunker, right? Where’d you put him?”
“I had started the teleport process, yes, but something took over mid-destination computing. I have no clue where he landed.”
“So, Damon's out there somewhere, burning like a dwarf star. Jeff's out there somewhere controlling an army. The army is in front of us, looking for who knows what from The Bunker. Is that it?”
“That seems to be an appropriate summation to me Little Red,” Zero said proudly.
“Okay,” Ryan continued. “So, what does that mean for us?”
The group paused in thought.
“Really?” Talmadge asked. “No one has any ideas at all? I thought you were supposed to be this amazing superhero team, ready to jump into action at any moment. You all seem to be worse at coming up with a plan than most of the kids who hang around in costume at the Cons.”
“We don’t even know where to start,” Buddy defended. “And I don't see you coming up with any ideas.”
“You want an idea? Fine. So, what's our first priority? Seems to me that we have three issues to deal with, finding and disarming Damon, finding and disarming Jeff, and trying to keep that army over there from finding whatever it is they are looking for.”
“Once again, an appropriate summation,” Zero spoke.
“I think the only thing we can really put down as a lower priority is keeping the army from finding whatever they are looking for,” Buddy offered.
“Maybe,” Ryan said, “but seeing as we don't know what that is, I'm not sure we can completely count that out.”
“Sure,” Buddy replied, “but would that matter if we find Jeff and deal with him?”
“Depends on if we can do that fast enough,” Ryan shot back. “In fact, taking out Jeff might not even matter if those guys find whatever they’re looking for. I might be willing to say keeping them from finding it is the most important thing we could do.”