flashback -- References Doom Patrol #91

Dec 23, 2009 06:47

He had been planning and re-planning this for months ( Read more... )

"flashback", the chief, doom patrol, elasti-girl, mento, robotman, negative man

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heart_of_steele January 18 2010, 02:23:36 UTC
Cliff studied the bomb for a moment, then better angled his torso so that his chest camera got a good shot of it.

"C'mon Chief," he said, tapping the side of his head to activate the communicator built into it. "Don't go tellin' me you've never seen a bomb like this before. Ain't you the resident egghead?"

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nation_doomp January 18 2010, 02:34:52 UTC
"It's nitroglycerine based, and it looks like the trigger is set for motion. The slightest jolt could set it off."

There's a pause over the com line. "Rita, I think you could get inside the mechanism if you decreased your size enough. You'll need to become about five inches high."

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nation_doomp January 18 2010, 03:08:09 UTC
Rita nods. "Can do, Chief." She shrinks down to the required size, stepping into the mechanism after she does.

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nation_doomp January 18 2010, 03:19:51 UTC
It's a cramped place, even for someone of her size. There's a dizzying array of circuit boards, wires, solder, and chips put together with the cohesion of a David Lynch film.

"We're going to have to look for the fuse mechanism. Unfortunately, this 'Technobomber' hasn't used anything resembling standard wiring. We're going to have to check the circuit board. Rita, is there anything that looks like a silver circle on the largest board?"

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heart_of_steele January 18 2010, 03:40:50 UTC
Cliff's robot-eyes and sensors enabled him to keep a pretty good fix on Rita in the bomb.

C'mon, Rita... You can do this...

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nation_doomp January 18 2010, 04:12:57 UTC
She glances around, until she finds the silver circle. "I see it. Just tell me what to do, Chief."

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nation_doomp January 18 2010, 04:33:41 UTC
"You'll need to disconnect it - be extremely careful. First, undo the largest wire going to it..."

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nation_doomp January 18 2010, 04:40:18 UTC
"On it." She does so, cautiously.

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heart_of_steele January 18 2010, 04:43:53 UTC
In the meantime, Cliff is keeping an careful eye and ear out. Which also gives him a good ear for other things.

Freaks...

Why'd we have to get these weirdos?

Where's Superman when you need him?

Betcha they caused this in the first place...

It never failed. No matter how much good they did, they would never be as well regarded as the JLA or the Teen Titans or the Challengers or even the freakin' Metal Men.

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nation_doomp January 18 2010, 05:01:29 UTC
He's not the only one hearing the comments. However, there's not just the things said that he's able to perceive, but all the things that people just don't say out loud.

I don't think they can do it...
Please, Jesus, let it work...
I wonder if I can still get my car out of there. How am I going to explain this to my insurance guy?
Damn it, they interrupted me in the middle of a critical phone call. I'm going to lose thousands!

The input he's getting from the crowd almost drops him to his knees. It's like the dinner party from hell, and he thought those were bad before. For a second, Steve considers ripping the thing off his head to make it stop.

He manages to throw up in a trash can, and try to compose himself. Find Doom Patrol. Find the minds focused on the bomb and not all the petty garbage he really doesn't care about.

And that's when he hears them. It's stunning, and he knows it's them because he's spent the last five months studying them and trying to learn how they worked ( ... )

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nation_doomp January 18 2010, 04:45:44 UTC
While she's doing so, there's a spark! The wiring isn't stable!

"Rita! The circuit's developed a short! Get out of there now. Larry, take Negative Man and get that thing as high as you can before it blows!"

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realdowner January 18 2010, 05:46:09 UTC
"-- yeah, I bench weights occasionally."

Larry hasn't really been paying attention. There are couple of smokin' hotties on the cordon that apparently dig the 'Imhotep in a lycra onesie' look. Damn that %&!#-blocking sonuva...

"On it, Chief. Okay ladies, how 'bout a little trust exercise?"

He throws himself into the not-really-waiting arms of the two police officers, the Negative Spirit powering through his chest and after the device. Diving for it, the anthropomorphic eclipse recoils suddenly, hissing with pain.

"Aaah--!!" comes Larry's stifled cry from the other side of the room, "No use, I'm getting some kind of interference... is it too late for me to vote we high-tail it?"

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nation_doomp January 18 2010, 16:36:04 UTC
If he stopped long enough to process it, that would have hurt. Telepathy's a bitch, but a useful one. This is worse than trading futures.

Negative Man and Elasti-girl haven't taken care of it, and there's too much nitro even for Robotman's construction. Looks like it's on him.

"Gentlemen...and madam, step aside. The name is Mento, and I'll be your bomb squad tonight."

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nation_doomp January 18 2010, 19:15:32 UTC
It's rare that the Chief is thrown. The mystery man in the wheelchair seems to have a superpower of his own - knowing things he oughtn't, and usually well in advance.

"What? Doom Patrol, this newcomer is not authorized."

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heart_of_steele January 18 2010, 20:14:47 UTC
Cliff grimaced, in as much as he could. "Fellah, that has got to be the ugliest set of long johns I've ever seen."

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nation_doomp January 19 2010, 01:12:14 UTC
"Some of us majored in engineering, not fashion." He pats Cliff's shoulder and casually strolls up to the bomb, shaking his head.

Well, technically, his second degree was in engineering, but that's not relevant now ( ... )

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