章 91: Chapter 91 : Harvest's appearance
[Author note : To recap for those who haven't read the IMPORTANT author note the last chapter... I will go back to posting 1 (one) chapter a week starting next week. I won't state (again) why.
The other fan-fic I'll be posting (on Patréon for the moment), is about a mutant who flees his home after his X-gene awakens, frightened by his parents' possible reaction and his appearance that has completely changed. When he discovers the extent of his powers, he settles down and comes back... Here's for the appetizer.
Now for what you can expect : At the moment, the story is more slice of life than action oriented. Unlike a certain teenager bitten by a radioactive (or experimental subject) spider, he doesn't dive into crime fighting as soon as he discovers what he's capable of. He trains, experiments and discovers new things, pretty much every day. Besides, the nature of his power doesn't allow him to do that, just yet... And that's it for the teaser !
Now, if you're interested in knowing more, read more chapters or check out other stories, you can visit my Patréon page (e instead of é) by searching for Cathbel on their website. The story I just teased will start next week. Also, comments, reviews and stones are always very much welcome ! Enjoy !]
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As the two groups were facing each other, a strange phenomenon happened inside Ned's mind. Something he never believed happen, and that was often foreboding according to fiction… He saw his life flash before his eyes.
Well, maybe not really. Could he really be considered like Edgar Stark ? The body that housed his mind was gone who knew where… Another thing that wasn't entirely true. Ned knew one of the likely location where his true self could be found : the Metal's base in the ocean somewhere near the Arctic circle.
In addition, what he saw wasn't actually his (Edgar's) whole life, like they say in books and movies. It was actually short video of what he went through in the last few days. From a failing mind and an overtaken body, he lost both to find himself trapped in a dark place. His children explained how they had 'saved' him and the reason why he felt trapped. Then, the new body and before he even had time to truly acclimate himself to it and his new status, he went and tried to play hero again.
A real wonder whether or not he had truly recuperated his full cognitive abilities. It didn't take a genius to understand that what he was doing was a foolish endeavor. He knew his children : they would survive and maybe even thrive. Even if, by some misfortune they 'died', only their bodies would be lost. As tech spirits, and unlike Ned who's consciousness was held in a phylactery, their core code was saved periodically on his server under his house, and in space in his satellite. So, Harvest would be unable to take them from him !
As for the Teen Titans… Except for Kid Flash, Solstice, Superboy and Aaron, Ned didn't know them. And more importantly, he didn't feel like he owed them anything. Now, Aaron had disappeared a while ago, and the others… Kid Flash, he found him obnoxious and Solstice… Well, they made the pair, Ned believed ! Superboy was the only one he could bear the presence of, despite his fiery temper.
Now, he wondered about his presence here. Unlike his children, he didn't have an extra life. This one was already more than he thought he would have. And the Culling ? As the name implied it was designed to lower the number of metahumans and subvert the remaining few into Harvest's army. It was a bloodbath. A place and event where human decency was something shelved into a dark corner, forgotten. And the worst of it all ? The madman's targets were young, malleable people so that it was easier to break and remold them in his twisted image…
If Ned recalled correctly (which, given his new state was almost a sure thing), Harvest's vendetta against Metahumans stemmed from a terrorist or supervillain attack his family was a victim of… And so, he went on a warpath, trying to exterminate each and every powered individual in his time. His time being the 31st century, where the Legion of Superheroes oversaw most of the laws over many planets. And then, the man went back in time and changed his M.O. Instead of outright genocide, he decided to weaponize them for his own ends.
Superboy, the 'natural one', son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane was probably his first test subject for this new approach. He nurtured his hatred of all things considered 'unnatural', powered, alien and the like. Ned wondered if the child saw how much of a paradox it was. He also wondered if Harvest's supposed 'love' was real at all. Then again, perhaps in the twisted mind of the man, it was in a way.
The madman's voice suddenly echoed over the battlefield :
« Marvelous ! Now it is time… For the final Culling ! Choose who will stand with the Ravagers and choose who will… die ! »
Ned looked up to see the man, posing melodramatically on a rock spur overlooking them all. His hand were outstretched, and his alien-looking face (like in the horror movie Alien), was 'looking' up at the nonexistent sky. It was obvious the man had worked on his dramatic act…
Ned's face (Lucio's, really) crumpled in dissatisfaction. His earlier misgivings were dashed in the view of this most hated enemy. Well… hated might be a strong word. But at the moment, all he really wanted to do was smack the guy around a couple of… hundred times ! He could take it anyway !
So, before it all devolved into a free-for-all brawl between superheroes, Ned spoke up :
« Oh ! If it isn't… » He paused, and grabbed his chin as if thinking. Soon, he frowned and scrunched his eyebrows. « … can't remember. Are you the host of this party we crashed ? Have to say, it sucks ! »
For the first time, Harvest noticed this weirdly dressed young man with dreadlocks. Indeed, he couldn't recall his face from his files… And he made a point of knowing every one of the possible candidate to join his Ravagers. So, if he didn't remember, it was probably because he was not very important or…
« Crashed ? Party ? » He muttered to himself, his act falling slightly. When it dawned on him that an intruder managed to sneak into his most secured facility, annoyance and anger were soon to flare up.
This young nobody intended to what ? Foil his carefully laid plans ? Because that was the only possible reason for someone to try and 'crash' the Culling. However, what the fool overlooked was that he was now in the belly of the beast. Nobody was allowed to disrupt his plans !
With a growl, he called :
« Ravagers ! » Soon, other people joined the madman on his rock spur, flanking like they were shooting a bad action movie or something. Ned recognized most of them, even though they weren't that notable. Side characters, with generic powers for the most parts. Some had interesting stories and characters. Like Caitlin Fairchild who originally wasn't a character of the DC franchise. She belonged to the Wildstorm universe that was fused with DC's when they bought the rights and stories. How did they explain this, though ? Ned didn't read this part… Probably one of their world shaking/ending events. Blackest Night, Flashpoint or something else. Might even have been Doctor Manhattan's involvement. The question about her now was… Was it the original Caitlin or her clone ?
Rose Wilson was another interesting personality. She was Deathstroke's daughter. But unlike her father, she had a conscious. And according to the fandom, she was characterized as 'good'… Or was it 'neutral' ? Anyway, she wasn't an all-out bad guy. Which begged the question of why she was here… It was ironic that she was standing next to Fairchild however, since Deathstroke was supposed to be the one to kill the original Fairchild.
And then, there was Omen. Now, this girl was supposed to be a hero. Maybe even a Titan. This New 52 reality really shook things up quite a bit. And his own involvement probably didn't help any… Not to mention the existence of the Wizarding world.
Damn ! So many variables to account for. He might as well flush his knowledge down the toilet as things were. Not only his children, himself and now his 'Evil-self'… He probably motivated Harry, Ron and Hermione into becoming heroes. At least, that's what he hoped for and would encourage them to do… England needed some heroes, too.
He watched and thought as the true enemies lined up, looking down at them. He could almost predict what Harvest would say next…
« There are too many contenders, still… Go and kill, my Ravagers ! Start with him ! » And he pointed his clawed finger right at Ned.
Called it ! Ned thought. And what a petty man, he was. So much for being an enlightened man of the 31st century. Though enlightened probably was a word you could qualify a bigot of his caliber…
Before they sprung into action, Ned managed to say a few words :
« Just so you know… Unlike the Titans and the kids here. I don't mind getting my hands dirty if it means ridding the world of scum like your boss. So, yeah… Come down and fight. But don't expect to leave here, alive ! »
His children stilled at his words. They all wondered if it was a veiled advice of some kind… Should they give it their all, even if it meant killing their opponents ? According to Ned's updated data on the Ravagers, there were a few that weren't completely bad. Though, on the other hand, the others deserved a deep dark cell where they should be left forgotten. Death, though… Could they take their lives ?
Ned had bloodied himself in the Battle of Hogwarts. But it wasn't so for the other two children who participated… At least, they didn't kill any humans (or so they believed). As for the others, they were still newborns comparatively. And this was their first large scale conflict. Still, they affirmed their resolve. Now wasn't really the time to think ! Only do !
The next moment, the momentary dull and silence erupted in motion and sound as the groups moved towards one another.
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