Foreword: READ THIS FIRST!
This is just a bit of fun I decided to write, involving my favorite comic book universe. It is set in a Pre-Flashpoint Earth that's a lot like the continuity was, before Flashpoint happened. You already know not to take it too seriously... right? LOL
I wrote this several years ago, but decided to resubmit it here on Lit. Just because.
Enjoy the ride, folks! :)
I.D.
*****
Chapter 1: Freefall
I fell through the sky after jumping from the X-98 Imp. Down through the night air I fell over Afghanistan. The wind whipped around me, and I felt the adrenaline pumping through me as I plunged towards the ground at breakneck speed. This was what I had trained for. This was one of the reasons I'd been recruited in the first place. Only this time, I was off the books. I was on a rescue mission. It would be tough, but I was confident in my skills.
Who am I? I'm Adam DeVries. My codename is Caliburn, and I'm a Checkmate Operative. I'm 5'11", 175 lbs. of wiry muscle, medium brown hair and dark blue eyes. My spider silk armored combat suit was dark gray and black and covered my entire body from neck to feet. My mask with Goggle attachment made me look like one of the Superheroes who wear the full masks to hide their identities.
I guess a little backstory is required about how I ended up in freefall over Afghanistan.
***FOUR YEARS AGO***
I was born in Santa Barbara, CA. I grew up in a fairly happy house with my parents. My father was a real asshole, but at least my mom more than made up for that. She was the sweetest woman in the world, and always made me feel loved. All in all, I was fairly normal. I had a part time job on weekends. I took martial arts training, paid for by my dad at first, then me after I discovered how useful it was.
That was before my father came home one night in a drunken rage over some bullshit at work and took it out on my mom. I was 18 at the time, and was well into my Senior Year of High School. It was the week of Senior Prom when it happened, and I was thinking of calling Jenny Saunders to see if she would go with me. Mom and dad had already volunteered as Chaperones for Prom
All thoughts of Jenny disappeared when I entered the house, though.
He had started beating her without warning, calling her all sorts of names while pounding her face to a bloody pulp. When I'd gotten home that night from my Jiu Jitsu class, I could hear the sickening thud of his fist hitting her face and body over and over. I sprinted around the corner into the kitchen, and mom was laying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. I looked up at my father and saw him turn to grin at me sickeningly. His fist and face were covered with mom's blood.
"Your bitch of a mother didn't have my dinner cooked all the way when I got home!" He explained in an insane voice.
That was when I felt the snap inside me. I had been afraid that something like this would happen, but this was beyond my ability to comprehend at first. Then I struck. Years of hand to hand combat training kicked in, thanks to my father wanting me to learn martial arts as a boy. No son of his was going to grow up to be a wimp.
That worked against him now, as I rushed him and grabbed. I shifted my weight and threw him away from her. She was still breathing, and I would be damned if I let him hurt her again. The snap inside me had shown what would happen if I didn't intervene and do what I had to do. I couldn't allow that to happen.
My father stood up and laughed at me. "Do you really think you can stop me, son?"
I didn't answer, but immediately attacked. I struck hard and fast, slamming my fists into his nose, solar plexus, and kicking him in the knees. He went down hard, and I put him in an arm bar that dislocated his shoulder. I had him face down on the floor and slammed my elbow into the side of his head. He stopped struggling, and I rose and ran to where my mom was.
"A... Adam?" Mom lifted a hand weakly to my face.
"It's ok, mom. I'll call 911." I said it as I pulled my cellphone out of my pocket and dialed.
Mom had fallen unconscious and into a coma by the time the cops and EMTs got there. I gave my account of what had happened, and they took my parents to the hospital with my dad being guarded by the cops along the way. I followed in my car and pulled into the parking lot to park. After I was finished parking and shut down my old Civic, I followed them into the ER as they brought mom in. The doctor shooed me away and told me to have a seat in the waiting room. I found a chair and sat down in a heap. I was physically and emotionally drained.
That was where I first saw her in person. She looked like Halle Berry, and for some reason, she was in the hospital in my little town. Her skin was the color of caramel and her eyes were the softest amber-brown I had ever seen. She was wearing a gold colored tank topped leotard that showed off every curve of her gorgeous body, and I couldn't help but stare. She came over to me when she saw the situation with me accompanying my mom as my parents were being brought into the ER.
I sat in the waiting room as she walked up to me. "Hi, my name is Mari. Are you ok?"
I looked up at her. "Hey, I'm Adam. Yeah, I'm fine. My mom isn't, though."
"What happened?" She asked with a concerned look.
"My dad finally lost it on her. He beat her into a coma." I recognized her from someplace, but couldn't place it. I should have, though. I'd had a crush on her for years. That was how out of it I was at that moment. "Look, thanks and all, but do I know you from someplace? You look like Halle Berry." Then I saw the fox head pendant at her throat. "Vixen! Oh wow!"
She smiled. "Yeah, that's me." Oh my God! A member of the JLA was sitting with me in the waiting room while the doctors worked to save my mom!
"What are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be off fighting some super threat to the entire planet or something?" I laughed in spite of the situation.
She shrugged. "I tracked down Prometheus here and brought him down. He was using a warehouse on the waterfront as his headquarters. He's being checked out by the doctors before I take him back to Blackgate."
"Cool." It was all I could say.
"Who was the man they brought in at the same time as your mother?" She asked.
"My... father." It hurt to even say the word. He wasn't my father anymore, as far as I was concerned.
"Did you...?" She asked, and I just nodded with my head down.
"You might have just saved your mother's life. You are a hero, Adam." She smiled.
The JLA member that I'd had a huge crush on for years had just called me a hero. That was a new high point in my life. I smiled at her. "Thanks, Mari. You're a hell of a hero yourself. I've heard about some of the stuff you've done, and even saw one of your fights on the News."
"I have an advantage, Adam. This totem pendant gives me the abilities of the animal kingdom. What you did, you did without powers." She placed her hand on my chest. "What you did came from in here."
Her touch was like a lightning surge in my chest that spread throughout my body. That was when I made the decision that I wanted to do what she did. I wanted to fight against criminals, terrorists, and anyone else who would hurt innocents like my mom.
"Thank you, Mari. I mean it. That means a lot to me." I smiled and covered her hand with mine. I squeezed it and she smiled at me.
"Adam DeVries?" The doctor asked as he approached us. I looked up at him.
"That's me, sir. What is it? Is my mom going to be ok?" I stood up and Mari stood with me.
"Your mom is in a coma, son. I won't sugar coat it for you. Your father really hurt her. She's stable for now, though." I felt the anger burning inside me.
"What about him?" I asked through gritted teeth.
"Your father? He's conscious now and being questioned by the Police." He told me. I pushed past him and walked quickly toward where my father was laying with the cops standing over him.
"Was it worth it, Frank?" I demanded with pure hatred in my voice. "Mom's in a coma because of you! Was it worth it?" I blindly shoved Detective Reynolds out of the way and my father's good eye went wide as I slammed my fist into his face again. "Did it make you feel like a big man, Frank? Did it make you feel good to beat your wife and the mother of your son until she was nearly dead!? You sack of shit!" I raised my fist again as he raised his hands to try and stop me. I slammed my fist down again, snapping his nose. I raised my fist a third time, but a strong yet feminine hand caught mine and pulled me back away from him before the cops could intervene.
When she'd pulled me out into the hallway, I spun on her, but she spoke first. "Adam, look at me. If you take revenge on him, you would be no better than he is. Calm down and let the police do their job. Ok?"
Her words stifled the anger and I saw she was right. I took several deep breaths to calm down. "Y... yeah, Mari. Thanks. You know, you're a lot nicer than I thought you'd be." I smiled nervously.
"I'm just a regular person like you, only with superpowers." She chuckled lightly, and I laughed along with her.
"Hell, Mari, if I thought you'd accept, I'd ask you to my Senior Prom this coming Friday." Nobody was going to believe this at school.
"Who says I wouldn't accept? When is it?" She asked.
"Umm, it starts at 6:30 Friday evening. Are you serious?" I asked with an incredulous smile on my face.
"Barring an emergency that I can't otherwise avoid, I would love to go with you to your Prom, Adam." Mari smiled and kissed my cheek. "Do you have a tux already? You look to be about Dick's size. He's a friend, and if you need one, I'm sure I can get him to let you borrow one."
"Ye... yeah, I have one already." I still had my tux from the last year, and had already gotten it altered to allow for my growth since then.
"Good. I hope you know how to dance. I like a man who can dance." She grinned mischievously like a... well, a Vixen.
I COULD dance. I was actually proud of that. In addition to my father's insistence on me taking martial arts classes, my mom had insisted that I also learned to dance.
I smiled, in more familiar territory now. I was able to stop seeing the Superheroine in front of me, and just saw the lady I was going to take to Prom. Her skin tight outfit that showed off a healthy cleavage between her breasts was only a minor distraction now.
"As a matter of fact, I can dance. I just hope I meet your standards, Mari." I smiled at her.
"I get the feeling you will, sweetie." She smiled back.
"Ms... Err, Vixen?" A doctor called to her from behind her. She turned.
"Yes, doctor? Is my prisoner ready?" She asked, all business for the doctor.
"Yes, ma'am. We have him sedated still and the blindfold over his eyes as you ordered. We've checked him out, and he's ready to be taken into your custody." The doctor nodded and smiled nervously at her.
"Thank you, doctor. I'll be there in one moment." She nodded back to him, and he turned and walked back towards where the villain was being detained.
She turned back to me. "Do you have a cellphone, Adam?"
I pulled it out of my pocket and flipped it open. "Yes, ma'am. What's your number?"
She gave me her number and I programmed it in, then called her. She picked up and smiled as she saved my number in hers.
"Thanks, sweetie. I'll wait for you to call, and I will be here Friday night for our date." She leaned up and kissed me on the cheek again.
I took a chance and drew her in for a hug. "Thanks, Mari. For stopping me from doing something I would have regretted for the rest of my life, and for being here for me."
