posted
Acid Lad knocked on Sundown's door. Silence.
He knocked again, more insistently.
He heard the faintest sound of a whimper coming from inside.
He tried the doorknob but it was locked. Determined, he raised his foot from the floor and a well-placed kick sent the door crashing open. "Sundown...?" He entered the apartment. He again heard what sounded like a pitiful whimper coming from the bedroom. The door was ajar. He pushed it opened and entered.
The sight was almost more than he could bear. His beautiful Sundown was lying on the floor amidst a pool of vomit, blood and Lord only knew what else. Her arms were black and blue. Needles littered her floor and bed. Now he knew why she had been so distant recently, why she had finally disappeared from the LMBE and him.
He bent down and cradled her in his arms. Sundown's eyes fluttered open just slightly and she saw that her final prayer had been answered. "Acid... I love you... so much... I'm a junkie, baby... a loser..."
"Sssssh, baby, you rest." Acid Lad activated his power and sent illusions of Sundown's heroic deeds into her mind's eye. She had saved lives. She had defeated world-beater wannabees. She had been anything but a loser!
Sundown managed to form a smile. "I... did do stuff... I did... help..."
"More than you can know, Sundown." Acid Lad shifted the panorama he projected to visions of the two of them at their happiest together.
She squeezed his hand hard. Acid Lad's tears fell on her face as she breathed her last.
posted
Roller Queen couldn't believe she was sitting here at Fat Al's about to scarf out with Boy 54 and the Cowboy. The truth of the matter was, she had missed him... them.
"RC, you're looking a mite peaked. Have you been out partying too much?"
The Cowboy stiffened noticeably. "Relax, Rhinestone..." Boy 54 interjected. "...we're all friends here, having dinner together like friends do, right?"
"Phsssaw! I noticed your skinny butt didn't even order anything. I don't think I've ever see you eat, Boy!"
Boy 54 turned from Roller Queen and glanced around the crowded diner. Several customers there met his eye contact as he scanned the crowd. He turned back to Queenie and said, "I've... already eaten once tonight. And I'm always... snacking here and there."
Roller Queen giggled, "Yeah I just bet you are."
"Queenie, I've missed you... awfully."
Roller queen stared at the Cowboy. After a moment of awkward silence, she sighed and said, "Same old serious Cowboy. That rugged face would crack and fall off if you were to smile once in a while, wouldn't it?"
The Cowboy stared downward at the table and didn't reply. Roller Queen reached over and touched his chin, turned his face to her eyes. "Cowboy, I was mad as all hell when I first spotted you tonight. But if you recall, coming here was my idea. Let's enjoy it, okay, babydoll?"
Rhinestone Cowboy shook his head "yes" and offered a half-smile/half-grimace that made Roller Queen giggle again. "I have missed you fellas. How the hell are Acid and Sundown doing? You guys gone up against The Boogie Squad lately? Or that crazy werewolf Ruff Trade?"
Before either could reply, the unmistakeable buzz of the LMBE signal alert went off. Boy 54's peace-sign belt buckle and the Cowboy's bolo tie were signalling for the first time in weeks. The Cowboy noticed Roller Queen's skates were also buzzing. "So, you DO still wear the signal."
"Of course, honey-britches. I was curious to see if you would signal for me."
Boy 54 interrupted them, taking a serious tone. "Uuh, this signal is coming from Sundown's pad. I can't even remember the last time she sent out an alert."
Rhinestone Cowboy stood and threw a twenty on the table. "Something's awry here, Boy. Let's go!" He turned to Roller Queen. "You coming?"
She thought about telling him to f#ck off. She thought about how tired she was from the derby. She thought about how she had never wanted to see him again.
She stood and said, "Just try and stop me."
The three left Fat Al's, making the familiar walk to Sundown's apartment.
He was a little shocked that they all arrived together... and a little glad too.
Calling the ambulance for Sundown was the hardest thing he had ever ad to do. He didn't want to be alone right now. He wanted to be surrounded by her things and those that had been her teammates.
He had cleaned her and the apartment up as best he could, but he knew when word leaked out, the press would massacre her. The LMB Experience would never match the greatness of the JSMB in their eyes. And maybe they were right.
"She's gone, guys. She's... singing in the sky now..." He broke down into tears and Roller Queen hugged him close.
"What happened, Acid? Was it one of our enemies?"
"Suicide." he lied through his tears.
Roller Queen's tears started to flow. Boy 54 looked down, almost ashamed, the concept of death foreign to him. Rhinestone Cowboy stared straight ahead, his face showing no emotion.
Finally he asked Acid Lad, "Where do we go from here?"
Acid Lad wiped the tears from his face and replied, "I think it's time we made it official. I think it's time for the LMBE to end. We've already started to move on anyway, right? The world doesn't need us. We don't need us..."
Rhinestone Cowboy turned and walked out of the aprtment without a single word.
"RC...?" Roller Queen had to fight down the urge to follow after him, to see what was wrong.
Already hurting, Acid Lad vented, "What the hell is his deal? Jerk."
Surprising even himself with his protectiveness, Boy 54 intervened. "This, and, well... other stuff has been hard on him too."
Roller Queen again hugged Acid Lad close. "Forget him, Acid. You know how he is."
The Cowboy's thoughts raced as his boots pounded the pavement.
Acid Lad's gotten too weak. I've only gotten stronger. I'll banish it ALL from my mind. The LMBE. Queenie. EVERYTHING. Everything but the mission.
Dr. Butz stared at Acid Lad. Acid Lad met his gaze until he could bear it no longer. "WHAT?!" he half-asked, half-yelled.
"I was merely contemplating the progress you have made, Lad. When you first came to me for assistance weeks ago, you were on the verge of a breakdown. You are now on the verge of a breakthrough."
Acid Lad scoffed.
"Do not sell your accomplishments short, Lad. The young man that first came to my office wallowing in despair over his girlfriend and the instability of his group has triumphed over the loss of both of them."
"Triumphed? Nah. Just still living. I've gotta believe everything happens for a reason. Sundown, the LMBE, my whole mess of a life... for a reason."
"As do I, Acid Lad. As do I." Dr. Butz let out a slight chuckle and suddenly Acid Lad wanted nothing more than to be away from him.
posted
From the Obituary of a Nashville, Tennessee Newspaper
AARON ELVIS LYNNE, 24
...body was "shredded", say local officers...
...found several pair of platform shoes containing gadgets such as catapults and hydraulic stilts, known to be the primary weapon of former LMB Experience member Platform King.
posted
Boy 54 exited his apartment and cut through the alley beside it. It was time for a thorough night of club-hopping. He had thought he could make it one more night at home, but his hunger had built from a moan to a deafening wail in the week since Sundown died. He had to feed tonight.
Only a few feet into the alley, he realized he was not alone. Somebody was watching him... wanting him so badly, he began to drink in the desire without even trying. He was starved. He realized he could feed on a desire this strong all night. He hadn't even had to activate his empathic power. And he was so tired of being alone.
"Who's there? I feel you. I want to see you."
He continued drinking the lust that emanated from the dark alley. He couldn't have resisted even if he had wanted to.
"Come out. We can go to my apartment."
The shadows moved and the form of a man appeared. Boy 54 could tell he was well-dressed, a nice-looking middle-aged man positively swimming in lust. And this man would belong to Boy 54 tonight.
"Come over here. Touch me."
The stranger approached Boy 54 rapidly then. Boy felt the desire from the man, so strong now it felt like it was slapping him. Stabbing him. He had never felt such a strong surge before.
The stranger backed Boy 54 up against the alley wall. He touched his face, moved his rough hand across his cheeks, and then rested the hand on his neck. Boy 54 did not resist as the stranger pulled him in for a kiss. He was in a state of euphoria that he had denied himself for a dangerous length of time.
Such a powerful lust, stabbing at him, stabbing at him.
So high was Boy 54 from his feeding that he didn't realize he'd been cut until his arm brushed something warm and wet. He broke from the kiss and looked down. Red. As his eyes opened full in realization, the stranger's hand tightened around his throat. He used the full weight of his large body to pin Boy 54 to the wall as his free hand plunged, plunged, plunged the blade again and again.
Boy 54 tried to seize control of the man's mind, but his effort was futile. He was unable to stop the man's attack. The stranger whispered in his ear as he continued his brutality, "Surprised, little Boy? You pathetic, mind-controlling, lecherous sodomite! You can't control me. You can't make me want you more than I already do--- dead."
With everything turning black, Boy 54 whispered, "But I can't die."
"You don't age, fool, but all creatures can die."
The last sound to touch Boy 54's ears was a satisfied chuckling.
Minutes later, the shadowy man exited the alley, his grisly work done, his mission accomplished. It had been a most exciting experience for him. Most exciting and satisfying, indeed.
posted
Roller Queen sipped her morning coffee, which isn't quite true because she never got up before noon. She looked at the newspaper half-interested. A headline caught her eye:
SECOND LMBE MEMBER FOUND DEAD
She yelped as she spilled coffee on her hand. She sat the cup aside and continued reading...
The enigmatic LMB Experience member known as Boy 54 was found murdered in an alleyway beside his apartment complex early this morning, police say.
Police reports state that he died from multiple stab wounds and strangulation.
Boy 54, an alleged homosexual, is the second member of the LMB Experience to be found dead in a week. Sunflower, the young woman with the ability to cast shadows and girlfriend of LMBE leader Acid Kid, was found dead in her apartment last week from an apparent suicide through drug overdose.
The LMB Experience has proven to be an embarassing blemish on the record of the Justice Society Message-Board, who officially renounced the group a few years after they sanctioned it.
Current public opinion favors the JSMB coming out of retirement and forcibly dissolving the sex and drug-addled antics allegedly perpetrated by the LMB Experience. As of this writing, not one member of the JSMB has stepped forward to...
Roller Queen wadded the paper up and hurled it across the room. "Bastards can't even get the f##king names right... RRRRRRH!"
Her anger quickly gave way to sorrow as the realization that Boy 54 was dead hit home. "Boy.." she wiped a tear from her face. "...I thought you would be the one to live forever."
Two of her friends were dead now. And there were friends she hadn't bothered to call in weeks. Months even. Well, that was going to change.
She pulled her list of phone numbers from underneath the phone, and stared at all the names.
"Belle... never really knew her so well... Aaron.... oh God, how is anyone gonna tell him about Boy54?... Frank... Heh. Maybe later... Kenny... nah, he's always stoned...
Torra. Girl, I've missed you. Let's see what you've been up to..."
She dialed the numbers beside the name Torra Robinson.
posted
Acid Lad sat in Dr. Butz' office staring at the old photograph. It was, to the best of his knowledge, the last picture ever taken of the united Justice Society Message Board. Rumour had it, it was taken just before they disbanded following a witch-hunt by the Un-American Activities Committee in the 50s.
Legends such as The Loser, Lard Knight, the Green Miasma, Ultra-Lass, the Sub-Humanoid, Whip Lash, Doctor Mid-Day and the Lady Patriot were smiling up at him.
Even the enigmatic Phantom Ghost, War Rrren and The Concillator were there. And Flying Squirrel with Squirrely the Boy Rodent. Scrapper Man and Slugger, the Boy Battler... what in the world had ever become of them?
His thoughts were interrupted by Butz' voice... "Are you going to stare at the photograph all day, Lad, or are you going to talk to me about the recent tragedy?"
Acid Lad replied, "The 'recent tragedy' was beyond my ability to change. Boy 54 had been heading down a dark path for months. It caught up with him. I'll miss the kid, but he had been nothing but miserable for a while now."
Dr. Butz snorted, "You have changed, Lad. You haven't partaken of any drugs in your last two visits with me."
"I don't need 'em anymore, Doc. They don't take away the pain and I don't need the powers anymore. Let someone else try to save the world. Someone the world wants, like these guys..." Acid Lad waved the picture of the JSMB.
He then pulled a lighter from his pocket and lit the picture.
"What are you doing?"
"It began with this picture. The JSMB gave it to me when we formed the LMBE. Now it ends with it. I'm saying goodbye to a legacy. I'm saying goodbye to my failure to live up to it. I'm saying goodbye to you, doctor, and hello to me."
Acid Lad rose and exited the office. Dr. Butz stared at the picture burning in his ashtray. As the smiles of the gaudily-dressed men, women and boys turned black and fell to ash, he frowned.
Some doors, once opened, can never be closed, Lad. As you will learn all too soon.
posted
Rhinestone Cowboy watched a newscast from the sidewalk outside Yuwanna TV. This was how he had learned Boy 54's fate. He was startled by a familiar voice calling out behind him.
"Whatcha doing, honey-britches?"
He started walking and didn't acknowledge Roller Queen.
"That sure was s#itty what you did last week, walking out on Acid, on all of us. Not going to Sundown's funeral... it was s#itty and mean."
He continued to walk even though she had skated up alongside him, keeping pace with him.
"Yoou f##king ignorant redneck! You think you're made of stone. Don't need nobody anymore, huh? Well, don't be f##king calling me when they come after you!"
The Cowboy came to a dead stop. He turned to Roller Queen, targeting her with an exaggerated sneer. "They who, exactly?"
"Got your attention, huh?"
"Not really. Just wanna know who THEY are." He flailed his arms around in a mocking way. "Who do you think has balls enough to come after me? Hell, woman, I've beaten werewolves. I've faced down freaks three times my size! Now go on home. You and me are kaput, the LMBE is kaput. Just... leave me alone." He resumed walking at a quick pace.
Roller Queen called out to him, "We're TARGETS, RC! Sundown and Boy 54 weren't the first! Torra's dead!"
The Cowboy paused. "The Living Afro? She went back to California when she got knocked up."
"They... they scalped her, RC. Someone was strong enough to rip out that living hair of hers. I've been doing research..."
"REEEEEEEEsearch," he called back mockingly, "What, didya get a diploma from roller derby college?" He continued walking on, shaking his head and laughing.
Roller Queen held her head down in defeat. He was too hurt to listen to her. She had been stupid to come to him first. Acid would listen to what she had to say. He had to, if he valued his life.
posted
Roller Queen barged into Acid Lad's apartment without knocking. "Acid? Acid, where are you?"
"Back here!"
She entered his bedroom and couldn't believe her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Packing. I'm leaving the city, Queenie. Decided I wanna see what country living is all about."
"Have you flipped your f##king lid? You're just running away!"
"Queenie, you have your Derby. Rhinestone has his obsessions. What do I have? Nothing. And no one. Not a thing. I'm leaving, no matter what you say."
"Don't bet on it." She reached into her equipment bag and pulled out a short stack of papers. "Check these out first." She threw the papers on the bed beside where he sat packing.
Intrigued, Acid Lad began rummaging through the papers. He almost instantly regretted it. "Jesus H. Christ!"
"Keep looking. It gets worse."
"My... GOD..."
"Thee's no way we can deny it, Acid. We're worm food if we split up."
Acid Lad put down the papers. "What about Rhinestone? Have you told him?"
"The damned asshole wouldn't even listen. He wouldn't give me a chance to--"
posted
Rhinestone Cowboy was praying some punk would try to mug him. He wanted nothing more than to spot some hood trying to jack a car. Anything to get his mind off of--
What the hell did she mean, "targets"? Of course they were targets. Targets for every single criminal they had ever put down. Not that he had to worry about any of the criminal scum he encountered since Queenie had left him. He had made very sure of that.
Damn, it was if world peace had suddenly happened or something. Not a single misdeed tonight. Not even a wino peeing on the sidewalk.
What's the deal? S'like no one remembers how dangerous these streets are. People walking their dogs, joggers running unafraid, dressed up city-slickers taking a stroll...
"Hello, Rhinestone Cowboy."
The Cowboy was unprepared for that. The city slicker spoke to him. No one ever spoke to him, except the hookers. And the criminals, begging for mercy.
"Howdy."
"Slow night for you tonight, eh?"
The Cowboy immediately went on the defensive. "And what would you be meanin' by that, fella?"
"You know very well what I mean by that." The man swung. The punch connectly savagely and the Cowboy hit the pavement.
The Cowboy spit out blood and a tooth. As he stood, he said, "Mister, I wanna thank you. You just made my night."
"This isn't a game, fool." The second punch lifted Cowboy's feet from the ground and sent him flying backwards. He landed hard. He had never-- never-- been hit so hard. Not even by the werewolf Ruff Trade.
Though his vision had gotten a bit blurry, he saw the man advancing on where he lay. He also was aware that all the pedestrians had fled. He was alone.
He activated his power suit, planning to catch his breath while his attacker was blinded by its brilliance.
But the light had no effect. He snarled as he picked the Cowboy up by the collar of his shirt, "Light-diluting contacts, moron."
A third punch sent the Cowboy crashing to the pavement again.
He tried to fight the blackness. He couldn't pass out...
As his vision went dark, the last thing he saw through the haze was the maniacal grin of the stranger reaching for him again.
posted
Roller Queen and Acid Lad kept a quick pace in their search for Rhinestone. They knew in what part of town they were most likely to find him.
As they watched, Acid Lad's thoughts were on the collection of papers, newsclippings and notes Queenie had given him.
Dead. Every last one of them were dead. Not even the most inconsequental, short-term member of the LMBE had been spared. For God's sake, Belle had been gutted like a fish. And Platform King-- Well, Acid Lad was actually relieved Boy 54 hadn't lived to find out how he had died.
Sure, most of them weren't very good heroes. Some of them weren't even very good people. But all of them had deserved better than that.
Their limited powers or goofy gadgets were unable to save them from whatever evil was stalking them. Then Acid Lad thought about his own eroding powers... and Roller Queen, who boasted only a paranormal balance ability.
"We should contact the JSMB."
Acid Lad was grateful for the distraction, and replied, "Don't even know how any more. When they cut us off, they just up and vanished. "Sides, most of 'em haven't seen any action in 20 years."
"You were the only one of us there from day one of the LMBE, Acid. What were they like, the JSMB?"
Acid Lad remembered. Several members of the JSMB donned cape and cowl a final time to attend the press conference announcing the launch of the LMB Experience.
"They were private. They all wore masks, something most of us never did. They were... REAL heroes. They were, y'know, just above us. Better. Been years since I've seen any of 'em. I just... dunno. Lotta water under the bridge since then."
The two continued the search in silence for a while, until Acid Lad spotted a familiar figure of a man walking toward them. A man he had never planned on seeing again.
"Yes, well. It's good enough for you, isn't it? I'm unafraid. I've studied self-defense techniques." Dr. Butz glanced at his watch. Acid Lad noticed his knuckles were badly scraped. "But I really must be moving along. Good to see you, Lad. And you, Miss...?"
"Queenie."
"Yes, of course. A pleasure to meet you. I'm sure I'll be seeing you both. Around." Without another word, Dr. Butz continued walking. More swiftly than he was before, Acid Lad noticed.
When he was out of earshot, Roller Queen asked, "Who's the hunk?"
"Please. He's too old for you. Anyway, he is... or was, really... my psychiatrist."
"WHAT?" She stared at him in disbelief.
"My shrink. I had to talk to somebody when things started to fall apart. No one else was around, or even wanted to be."
"You just... surprised me, that's all. Well, he's still a hunk."
They continued walking in silence a further.
"You know what I don't get?" Quenie said.
"What?"
"All those deaths... And none of this news ever came back to us? These were our friends. And we never knew."
"It's not like we bothered to keep in touch with them. Keep tabs on them. Is it?"
"I guess... I guess not. Not really."
"None of us really cared about each other. When they left te LMBE, they wanted it over. For good. All of them. They were saying goodbye to 'Belle Bottom', 'Frisbee Frank', 'Living Afro'. Just like..." Acid Lad paused there.
Queenie finished for him. "Just like you're saying goodbye to 'Acid Lad'."
"You got me there."
They were so engrossed in the conversation that they almost stepped on Rhinestone Cowboy's body.
posted
Acid Lad finally managed to calm Roller Queen down, but the truth of the matter was, he wanted to scream his head off, to scream and never stop.
Rhinestone's face was an unrecognizable mass of blood and bruises. He had been beaten unmercifully before he died. Maybe even after.
As a final indignity, he had been stripped of his Stetson, boots, LMBE-signal bolo tie, and his power-jacket.
Queenie gasped as if she couldn't find her breath. Acid Lad said, "Queenie, we've got to notify the police..." She shook her head between gasps, agreeing.
"If I hadn't talked down to him... he might have listened to me... Acid, this is my fault..."
Acid pulled her close and said, "He was mad at you... at me... at the world..." He let himself trail off, finding his attempt at comfort both futile and ridiculous.
"Acid, we're all that's left. We're next."
He bent his head down a bit to look directly into her ice blue eyes. "That may be true, Queenie... but we ain't going down easy."
posted
Hours later, Acid Lad found himself at Roller Queen's highrise apartment.
"Roller Derby must be paying pretty well."
"Oh, I get by okay." She had stopped crying after the police had arrived on the scene. She seemed to be heavy now with the onset of acceptance.
"You know, I admire your detective work."
"Yeah, the library sure didn't know what to think of me. Talking to Torra's granddaddy is what started the whole thing. He was the one who told me about her. He was still so hurt. And I could tell, even though he was very nice to me, I could sense that he blamed the LMBE..."
Uncomfortable silence for a moment, finally broken by her yelling, "WHO is doing this to us?!!? Acid, I checked... ALL of our major busts are still in prison or dead. Even the ones in the archives from before I joined. Who else would want to do this?"
"Could be a minor bust, Queenie... or some psycho with an imaginary grudge..."
Psycho. Acid Lad had thought himself to be going psycho when he first visited Dr. Butz. Dr. Butz... and his abused knuckles, and his being so close to the scene of Rhinestone's demise... Dr. Butz, whom Acid Lad had spent hours talking to about the LMB Experience... telling things, personal things he probably shouldn't have told...
"Uh oh."
"What?"
"Will you be okay here for a while? I need to go check on something."
"Are you f##king S#itting me? You are NOT leaving me here alone."
"I'd actually be relieved for you to join me. But listen, you got any drugs here?"
"Huh?"
"Weed, acid, coke, 'ludes? Anything at all? I have a feeling I'm going to need it."
"uuuh... you always acted pretty straight even when I knew you had to be f##ked up on all that s#it you were popping, Acid. but I really don't think now is the time for you to--"
He cut her off. "TRUST me, Queenie. C'mon now, I need something strong."
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