Previously on Blessed Inversion Golden Age…
Darcy has gone missing and Black Ice has joined with the Khonshu Squadron to help find her and other missing people. After an encounter with the eccentric Inversion Jojo, Black Ice is given a new costume and a lead in his mission. Going to investigate a secret lab beneath Eclipse Labs. While he intended to do it alone, he is intercepted by Doctor Khonshu and the Khonshu Squadron. Together once more, and accompanied by a new member, the group begins their investigation…
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Black Ice/Henry “Hal” Sharp -Superhero. Cryokinetic Inversion |
Doctor Khonshu/Kreon Galanis -RajTEK R&D. Genius Inversion |
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Achilles/Eddie Vasquez -Detective. Cybernetic arm |
Dragonfly/Marco Oliver Jr. |
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Arbiter |
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“Did you have a plan?” Doctor Khonshu asks as the elevator continues to descend to Basement Level 5.
“Go in, find the bad guy, kick his or her ass, then save the kidnapees.” Black Ice replies without hesitation.
“You really think it’ll be that easy?”
Black Ice exhales somewhat annoyed and asks. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“We have no idea who or what is waiting for us. We don’t know how many threats there are. We don’t know if the kidnapped Inversions are even here and if not how illegal us being here even is. And those are just the ones off the top of my head. I could easily go on.”
“I know already. But I’m not waiting if they really are here. Doesn’t matter if it’s smart or not. All that matters is doing the right thing no matter how scared or pissed I am. If I don’t then I’m not much of a hero.”
Doctor Khonshu didn’t very much like how naïve and reckless Black Ice was. How easily he went headlong into danger simply because of the greater good no matter the cost. He preferred approaching everything with a level head and knowing what you were getting yourself into. The less unknown variables the better. Yet, he also found it somewhat endearing. That he’d be so blindly heroic despite the fears he tried to mask. “Let’s hope it doesn’t backfire on you.”
Once the elevator doors open, Black Ice & the Khonshu Squadron arrive at the secret laboratory. Though it was called a laboratory it looked more like a large empty pearly white warehouse. Fluorescent lights triggering from above as they walked in deeper. The faint hum of generators permeating the air.
“Is it supposed to look like this Doc?” Arbiter asks upon seeing how barren the place was despite clearly being functional.
“Potentially.” Doctor Khonshu begins examining his Khonshu Drives onboard computer. “Even if they knew we were coming you don’t just clean out a lab in minutes. There’d be something left behind.”
“Inversion maybe?” Achilles suggests.
“No…this is all science. Black Ice, I need you to create a light mist of snow.”
“O…kay…” Black Ice didn’t know what Doctor Khonshu had planned but he does as requested. Lowering the temperature of the room and creating a light flurry. Just enough to see the snowfall but not enough to blind them. The snow stopping on the air as if something was there. As more snow fell it reveals row after row of spherical containers leading to the back of the room.
“Cloaking technology? I’m almost impressed.” Doctor Khonshu notes. Hiding his concern about this development. If it were just an Inversion kidnapping other Inversions or the mafia it’d be one thing. But with this level of technology, there was much more at stake.
“You can disable it right?” Black Ice turns to Doctor Khonshu. He looks up from his wrist-mounted computer at Black Ice, snaps his fingers, and releases an EMP through the room. Disabling the cloak and revealing the spherical containers are containment cells holding all the kidnapped Inversions.
“Guys, I know I’m new but how many people were we looking for?” Arbiter asks while examining the nearest containment unit. The person sealed inside seemingly unconscious.
“About two dozen.” Achilles responds. “This is at least twice that amount.”
Without a word, Black Ice runs off on his own to search for Darcy. His eyes quickly scanning each containment unit as he passes. Not wasting more time than was needed. Only stopping when he hears a woman’s giggle. “Hello?” he stops and looks around.
“Hello.” A woman with jet black hair down to her back made of pure golden energy says as she floats towards Black Ice. While her body lacked some features, it was clear that she was beautiful. But more importantly…he knew her…
“Darcy?” Black Ice was relieved to see her but shocked to see she was made of energy. “What…when did you…”
“Darcy?” She furrows her brow confused. “That was my old name wasn’t it?”
“Old name? What are you talking about Darcy?” he continues to try and talk to Darcy as the Khonshu Squadron arrives. Keeping their distance at the behest of Doctor Khonshu who can infer what’s happening.
“When my powers blossomed I was reborn just as you were. It’s why I picked the name, Spectralia, isn’t that why you picked the name Black Ice?”
“No, don’t you remember my voice at all?” Black Ice takes off his bandanna mask. “It’s me, Hal.”
She looks at Black Ice’s unmasked face but her expression remains unchanged. “I think I knew someone named that.” she stops and begins to float lazily around Black Ice. “But he must not be important if I can’t remember him.” her words devastated Black Ice. All his concern and worry for her. His mission to save her and she doesn’t even remember or care about him.
“Are you responsible for this?” Black Ice asks while putting his mask back on. Trying to focus on what needed to be done and not how he felt.
“No…and I don’t care who is.” she responds casually.
“What happened to you Darcy?” he thought to himself. This wasn’t the Darcy he remembered falling for all those years ago. “You’re safe now Darcy, we should get you and the rest of these people out of here.”
“No, I still have work to do.” Spectralia stops floating so she’s facing Black Ice and the Khonshu Squadron behind him.
“…Work?”
“I’ve been finding Inversions for tests. I don’t know what for but it’s something only I can do.”
“Please don’t make me have to fight you Darcy.” Black Ice pleads. Her calm expression turning into one filled with rage.
“My name isn’t Darcy. It’s Spectralia!” her body glows brightly before firing a beam of golden energy at Black Ice. Instinctively, his body becomes encased in ice. The beam makes contact with his now frozen chest and reflects off to the side. Grazing one of the containment units and piercing the wall of the basement.
The time for talking had now passed. All that remained was taking down another rogue Inversion. Whether he liked it or not, Black Ice knew what he had to do. But he didn’t want to face her. How could he after all the effort he’s done to save her in the first place? Spectralia pulls her right arm back and lobs an orb of energy at Black Ice. But he can’t even bring himself to raise a hand to defend himself. Thankfully, Doctor Khonshu had no such issues. Using his Khonshu Drives to pull Black Ice toward him.
“Khonshu Squadron, take her down!” Doctor Khonshu orders.
Achilles takes the lead; raising his robotic right arm with thumb raised and both his index and middle finger pointed at Spectralia. His middle finger, index finger, and palm glowing with neon blue energy. He reaches for his palm, grabs hold of the energy, and pulls it back. Creating an energy arrow. The Khonshu Lens’ he wore acting like a HUD with a crosshair to guide him. Achilles lets loose the arrow which soars through the air, striking Spectralia in the shoulder. Unfortunately, with her entire body being made of energy all it does is get absorbed upon contact.
“Did you just shoot me?!” Spectralia lashes out and fires beams of energy from her eyes at Achilles.
“I got you!” Arbiter steps in front of Achilles with left arm raised. His Khonshu Guard activating and creating a gravity shield that protects the pair. Discharging the beam around them and damaging several of the containment units. “Shit, I can fix this!” Arbiter acts quickly; opening up his pool cue case and assembles it. He then uses his powers of Air Pressure Manipulation to form a compressed sphere of air pressure the size of a Billiard Ball. Pulling back his Khonshu Cue like a pool player, he takes aim and thrusts the ball towards Spectralia. Flying through the air magnificently and virtually unseen. Striking Spectralia in the cheek as it soared pass her.
“The hell?” she rubs her cheek mildly annoyed. “Was that supposed to hurt me?”
“Crap.” Arbiter blurts out. He had never used his powers against another living person. He also didn’t want to risk harming any of the innocent hostages. As such, he restrained himself. Unfortunately, he had restrained himself too much.
Seeing how ineffective Arbiter’s attack was, Doctor Khonshu takes matters into his own hands. Both literally and figuratively as he traps Spectralia in a Gravity Well. “That’s enough of that. Let’s just calm down shall we?”
“Hahahaha, you think you can stop me?” Spectralia mocks Doctor Khonshu.
“Considering I already have? Yes, yes I do.”
“So cute you think that…Now that I’m free…” Spectralia begins surging with energy within the Gravity Well. Her face turning sour. “I’ll never be held back again!” her body erupts with light within the Gravity Well. Blinding Black Ice and the Khonshu Squadron.
Doctor Khonshu was above all else a stubborn man. He wouldn’t allow his Gravity Well to fail and cost both him, his allies, and a number of innocent civilians their lives. If he could keep Director Todd at bay* then surely this would be child’s play. Or so he had believed…His Khonshu Drives were designed to manipulate the gravitational force between multiple objects. Unfortunately, energy was not something he could easily manipulate. Something he had not up to this point accounted for. The Gravity Well ripples and swells as he tries to contain and turn the energy inward. Feeding it back into Spectralia in a loop that only builds up her power even more. Finally reaching a climax that explodes skyward. Piercing through the basement ceiling and continuing unimpeded into the clouds miles above.
With a disaster fast approaching, Doctor Khonshu shows why he’s the leader and prioritizes. Releasing Spectralia and focusing his Khonshu Drives on stopping the ceiling from caving in on top of them. “Black Ice, Dragonfly, go help on the surface! You two, get these people awake and out of here!” he orders without missing a beat.
“R-right.” Black Ice does as he’s told and launches himself skyward with a pillar of ice. His eyes glancing at Spectralia briefly as she disappears amidst the destruction. He wanted to chase after her with all his might but he knew what was more important.
After the initial energy blast; glass shards and rubble began to rain on the streets below. The path of the beam carving through the skyscraper at an angle. Destabilizing it enough to begin tilting to the side. Just waiting to fall into the skyscraper across the street and create a hellish cascade of destruction. Black Ice reaches the main level and skates out of the lobby to the street so he can get a clear view. But his arrival is just in time to see the building toppling over towards the street below. The sight of the falling building froze Black Ice in place. His mind silent and unable to fathom what his body should do. While Black Ice was unable to move, Dragonfly flew fearlessly towards the building. Growing back to his normal size and greater still. From the size of an insect to the size of a 10 story building. A feat that caught everyone who saw the giant suddenly appear and stop the building’s descent by surprise. His legs straining under the weight and cracking the ground beneath. The sudden stop of the building’s descent shattering all the windows and sending several people still trapped within tumbling outside.
“I got you!” Black Ice finally refocuses. Putting his hands on the ground and creating an icy slope to catch the people as they fell. Allowing them to slide down from it to the snow bed he made below. Unfortunately, ice is far from soft and the initial landing was nowhere near a gentle one. They’d need to visit a hospital but at least they’d be alive. Same for two dozen people unable to avoid the falling glass.
“Can’t…hold this…” Dragonfly says. His voice deep and booming like a fog horn.
“Please let this work.” Black Ice thought as he manipulates the ice slope into forming two massive pillars of ice to keep the building in place. He then fires a beam at the opposite end of the street to create a third ice pillar. “Almost done! Just hold on a little longer!” he calls out to Dragonfly as he quickly switches to forming a fourth ice pillar. “I think we’re good.”
“You’re sure?” Dragonfly asks hesitantly. Unsure if he should let go of the building or not. But before he can decide, a beam of golden energy strikes him from above. Piercing his right side. “ACK!” he cries out in pain. Blood raining from his wound down below like a broken water tower. For a moment he stumbles and releases the building. But it’s weight is too great to for the pillars to support. Forcing Dragonfly to once more return to holding it up. The strain even greater on his now wounded body. His legs and arms shaky as he does his best.
“Marco!” Black Ice calls out. Concern overriding his concerns about secret identities. His eyes focus on the source of the beam to discover none other than Spectralia. If he wanted to save the civilians nearby as well as Dragonfly…he’d need to defeat his old love and former friend now turned villain…
Next Issue
Blessed Inversion Golden Age Chapter 12: Spectralia
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