Fic: Nothing Left to Lose - Beside Myself
I have had such a weekend and I am way wired, so here, have some fic.
Nothing Left To Lose: Prologue
Title: Beside Myself
Author: Katzedecimal
Characters: Pied Piper
Rating: G
Summary: Piper learns that boom tubes can cross more than just distances.
The boom tube snapped shut behind him. He looked around then walked a little ways down the street. Looks like Central City, he thought. He spotted a familiar street name and shrugged, Took a boom tube just to go across the bridge? Oh well, beats public transit. A noise distracted him and he looked around to see Oh my god!
One of the hounds leaped, nearly knocking the man off the... whatever he was surfing on. It looked like the five-line staff used in musical notation, only it appeared to be solid. The man struck back with the brass oboe he carried, then put the instrument to his lips and peppered the beasts with what appeared to be solid eighth-notes. You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me, Hartley thought, staring. That boom tube had taken him across more than just the bridge.
One of the pursuers fired an arrow and Hartley stared in shock. The arrow exploded, knocking the man off his surf-staff. The hounds were on him immediately. "Listen," said Speedy, "Loneliness plus alienation plus fear plus--*" The shriek of Hartley's hypersonic cannon drowned him out and knocked him and the hounds to the ground.
"Come on!" Hartley darted forward and seized the other man's arm, "Close your ears! Turn off your hearing!"
"What?!"
"Can't you do that? Here," Hartley handed him a small pyramid as they ran, eyes searching desperately for a place of safety.
"In here!"
"Aw man..." That was the last place Hartley wanted to be. No, this is the second-last place I want to be. The last place is out there with those possessed monsters. He sighed and played his 'don't notice me' tune. Gradually the sounds outside faded, leaving them in the silence of the grave. Mausoleum, to be precise. 'Do you sign?' he gestured.
The other man nodded, 'Yes. I was born deaf.'
'I know,' Hartley signed. He pointed at the pyramid, 'That will keep you from hearing them. If you listen to what they have to say, you'll become like they are.'
'What are they? And who are you?'
Hartley sighed and pushed back his hood, 'I'm you.'
The Pied Piper stared at the Pied Piper. 'You're.. me? Henry Rathaway? But you're what, a good twenty years younger than I am?'
You're in your fifties and you're still wearing tights and polka-dots? And what are those, Trickster's elf shoes? At least I had the decency to wear thigh-highs. 'Hm, there's a difference, then -- my name is Hartley Rathaway,' he signed, 'I was experimenting with boom tubes and got here by chance.'
'Boom tubes?! Are you from Apokalips?'
'No, but I've been there,' Hartley signed. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, 'Those capes out there... they've heard something called the Anti-Life Equation. It destroys their minds and will and puts them under the domination of someone called...'
'Darkseid,' Henry finished, 'I know about him. He's the bastard who killed Trickster.'
'Your Trickster's dead too?'
Henry nodded, grief on his face. 'Couple of years ago. Darkseid tried to invade, place was swarming with his Parademon guys. Trickster tricked him but took a couple of Omega beams for it. Poor kid.'
'I'm sorry,' Hartley sympathised then frowned, 'Kid?'
'He was only twenty-six when he died. He was the best friend ever. We stuck together like bacon and eggs,' Henry reminisced, 'I was coming here to visit him. Today's the anniversary.'
'You were married?'
Henry gaped, 'Of his death!! And how would you...' He let his hands fall, blushing under Hartley's sympathetic smile.
'Another difference then - you're still in the closet.'
'Well duh! You know how people are, they so much as think you're a homosexual, they'll lynch you! Besides, he was half my age...' Henry looked away, 'It would've felt wrong, even if it did have a chance.'
Hartley nodded in sympathy. He picked up his flute and one of his rats slipped out from beneath his cloak and scuttled out. After a few minutes, the rat returned. 'She says it's clear,' he told Henry.
Henry was staring from him to the rat and back again. 'It talks. You talk to rats.'
'Don't you?'
'Ah, no... That's a little strange.'
'She's my friend.'
'It talks.'
'She's not an it,' Hartley signed primly.
Piper and Piper stared at each other for several moments. The rat sniggered. Finally, Henry sighed and signed, 'Thanks for the save. I was about to call my Blatt.'
'Your... what?'
He made a face, 'My Blatt. It's a giant music note. A.. sentient... giant music note....' His fingers trailed off under Hartley's stare. He gave up, 'It thinks it's in love with me so it's extremely protective of me. But once it's summoned it's bloody difficult to get it to go away again, so it's a weapon of absolute last resort.'
'You have a giant sentient music note that's in love with you.'
'...yes...'
'And you think I'm strange?'
Nothing Left To Lose: Prologue
Title: Beside Myself
Author: Katzedecimal
Characters: Pied Piper
Rating: G
Summary: Piper learns that boom tubes can cross more than just distances.
The boom tube snapped shut behind him. He looked around then walked a little ways down the street. Looks like Central City, he thought. He spotted a familiar street name and shrugged, Took a boom tube just to go across the bridge? Oh well, beats public transit. A noise distracted him and he looked around to see Oh my god!
One of the hounds leaped, nearly knocking the man off the... whatever he was surfing on. It looked like the five-line staff used in musical notation, only it appeared to be solid. The man struck back with the brass oboe he carried, then put the instrument to his lips and peppered the beasts with what appeared to be solid eighth-notes. You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me, Hartley thought, staring. That boom tube had taken him across more than just the bridge.
One of the pursuers fired an arrow and Hartley stared in shock. The arrow exploded, knocking the man off his surf-staff. The hounds were on him immediately. "Listen," said Speedy, "Loneliness plus alienation plus fear plus--*" The shriek of Hartley's hypersonic cannon drowned him out and knocked him and the hounds to the ground.
"Come on!" Hartley darted forward and seized the other man's arm, "Close your ears! Turn off your hearing!"
"What?!"
"Can't you do that? Here," Hartley handed him a small pyramid as they ran, eyes searching desperately for a place of safety.
"In here!"
"Aw man..." That was the last place Hartley wanted to be. No, this is the second-last place I want to be. The last place is out there with those possessed monsters. He sighed and played his 'don't notice me' tune. Gradually the sounds outside faded, leaving them in the silence of the grave. Mausoleum, to be precise. 'Do you sign?' he gestured.
The other man nodded, 'Yes. I was born deaf.'
'I know,' Hartley signed. He pointed at the pyramid, 'That will keep you from hearing them. If you listen to what they have to say, you'll become like they are.'
'What are they? And who are you?'
Hartley sighed and pushed back his hood, 'I'm you.'
The Pied Piper stared at the Pied Piper. 'You're.. me? Henry Rathaway? But you're what, a good twenty years younger than I am?'
You're in your fifties and you're still wearing tights and polka-dots? And what are those, Trickster's elf shoes? At least I had the decency to wear thigh-highs. 'Hm, there's a difference, then -- my name is Hartley Rathaway,' he signed, 'I was experimenting with boom tubes and got here by chance.'
'Boom tubes?! Are you from Apokalips?'
'No, but I've been there,' Hartley signed. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, 'Those capes out there... they've heard something called the Anti-Life Equation. It destroys their minds and will and puts them under the domination of someone called...'
'Darkseid,' Henry finished, 'I know about him. He's the bastard who killed Trickster.'
'Your Trickster's dead too?'
Henry nodded, grief on his face. 'Couple of years ago. Darkseid tried to invade, place was swarming with his Parademon guys. Trickster tricked him but took a couple of Omega beams for it. Poor kid.'
'I'm sorry,' Hartley sympathised then frowned, 'Kid?'
'He was only twenty-six when he died. He was the best friend ever. We stuck together like bacon and eggs,' Henry reminisced, 'I was coming here to visit him. Today's the anniversary.'
'You were married?'
Henry gaped, 'Of his death!! And how would you...' He let his hands fall, blushing under Hartley's sympathetic smile.
'Another difference then - you're still in the closet.'
'Well duh! You know how people are, they so much as think you're a homosexual, they'll lynch you! Besides, he was half my age...' Henry looked away, 'It would've felt wrong, even if it did have a chance.'
Hartley nodded in sympathy. He picked up his flute and one of his rats slipped out from beneath his cloak and scuttled out. After a few minutes, the rat returned. 'She says it's clear,' he told Henry.
Henry was staring from him to the rat and back again. 'It talks. You talk to rats.'
'Don't you?'
'Ah, no... That's a little strange.'
'She's my friend.'
'It talks.'
'She's not an it,' Hartley signed primly.
Piper and Piper stared at each other for several moments. The rat sniggered. Finally, Henry sighed and signed, 'Thanks for the save. I was about to call my Blatt.'
'Your... what?'
He made a face, 'My Blatt. It's a giant music note. A.. sentient... giant music note....' His fingers trailed off under Hartley's stare. He gave up, 'It thinks it's in love with me so it's extremely protective of me. But once it's summoned it's bloody difficult to get it to go away again, so it's a weapon of absolute last resort.'
'You have a giant sentient music note that's in love with you.'
'...yes...'
'And you think I'm strange?'