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Booster Gold #11.5 - The Man in Black
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Author: ScarecrowSid
Book: Booster Gold
Arc: ★Society
Event: Justice League
Set: 12
Recommended Reading - Justice League Event:
★ Now
“Sir,” Skeets said, hovering into view. “It’s time.”
“Right,” Booster muttered, setting down his copy of the Daily Planet. Newspapers, real newspapers, were one of the few things from this century he enjoyed. They had a kind of charm to them, a nice crackle when they were unfurled that made you want to sit down and take notice. Vid-Feeds in his home century were nice, but they were also limited by what the mega-corps would allow them to say.
“Shall we proceed?” Skeets asked.
“Yep,” Booster said, folding the paper into fourths and stuffing into one of the pockets built into his new suit. He had to admit that the new additions were very helpful, the HUD was far more responsive and the fit was better, the limbs less bulky. “Let’s see what he wants.”
Booster Gold brought the curious “Box” up and held it aloft. It had molded itself to his wrist in the form of thick, flat bangle when the Man in Black had entrusted it to him. Almost as if upon commanded, it snapped free and reformed a small cube, complete with glowing, vein-like circuits running across its faces. A single, luminous circle atop one of the faces seemed to be the point upon which all of the circuits coalesced.
It hung there, suspended in the air for as the ground around him began to rumble. It was the low, consistent rumble that proceeded earthquakes, not the sharp, erratic one that followed buildings falling over. For that, he was grateful.
A point of brilliant white light erupted in the air just ahead of the Box, rippling the scene beyond it and stretching into a series of concentric circles that formed a conic gate. It was something that would have been at home in the twilight zone, and if Booster hadn’t already experienced time travel, teleportation, and too many near misses to count, he would have been worried.
“Once more into the fray,” Skeets chimed, a note of cheer in his voice as he and Booster stepped through the portal.
“Once more into the unknown,” Booster sighed. “Well, after one quick stop.”
★★ Now
“Nice place you’ve got here,” Booster said, staring at the odd proportions of the Atlantean tomb. “Though it raises several questions: Where does his food come from? Where does he use the bathroom? You know, stuff like that."
The Man in Black lay along the floor, his arms spread eagle and staring a the ceiling of the darkened room. The only light was that which Skeets had supplied, and the Man in Black had recoiled from it at first. It had been some time since they had captured him, long enough for the world to settle down and eyes to drift from his prison. The world moved on, as it always did, and he was forgotten.
“Don’t ask stupid questions,” the Man in Black -- though he was no longer wearing black-- muttered. Alone in the darkness, he had stripped himself free of his armor and a skin tight blue suit he wore beneath. He lay naked in shadow, with some of his emaciated, scarred skin revealed by the soft glow of the drone’s light. It was apparent that the pocked, calloused, and perforated skin of his face was not the sole relict of his previous misadventures. Booster was thankful that much of him remained in shadow, this perforated man was not someone he wanted to see naked in any vivid detail.
“I get by,” the Man in Black...no, the Perforated Man, added. He nodded toward a distant corner, and Skeets hovered toward it, illuminating the skeletal remains of a large fish. “Did you bring me what I asked for.”
“Yeah,” Booster muttered. He shrugged off a gray canvas bag and set it down in front of the Perforated Man. “Everything you asked for.” The Perforated Man shot up and reached for the bag, unfurling the flap and reaching into it. There was the crinkle of paper bags as he laid the contents out.
“Triple Big Belly Chicken,” Booster recited, “spicy french fries, Chicken Belly Nuggets, and a Mega Big Belly Burger, no cheese. You know they charge extra for no cheese, right?”
The Perforated Man bit into a handful of fries and shrugged. He frowned at Booster as he swallowed down them down, then said, “My drink?”
“There’s a six pack of Soder at the bottom,” Booster said, kneeling down opposite the Perforated Man. He sighed, then leaned back and sat down with his legs crossed, matching the emaciated villain.
The Perforated Man brought the six-pack out and frowned at it, then glanced at Booster. “I prefer Zesti Cola,” he said. “And this isn’t even cold.”
“Soder are the ones who pay my bills,” Booster replied. “I can’t be seen buying Zesti. Be thankful I brought you anything, you’re kind of an asshole.” The Perforated Man grinned back through his broken teeth before tossing another fry into his gob. He chewed, evidently pleased, and popped one of the pull tabs on a can of Soder. He chuckled as it hissed, then took a long drink and let out a satisfied sigh.
Between bites, the Perforated Man said, “What’s new in the world above?”
Booster retrieved his copy of the Daily Planet and handed it to the Perforated Man, who scanned the front page for a moment.
“Justice Alliance?” the Perforated Man whined. “Dammit Michael.”
“Relax, I’ll take care of it,” Booster muttered. “Eight members: Clark, Diana, Bruce, Hal, Barry, J’onn, Arthur, and…” He trailed off, pointing vaguely at himself.
“Who was that last one again?”
Booster cleared his throat and shifted his legs, “Me.”
The Perforated Man’s buckshot skin stretched in a manner that indicated a raised eyebrow. “You?” he asked. “Since when are you part of the Justice League.”
“It sort of just happened,” Booster replied, scratching his chin. “They need me, Clark wanted to call it the Justice Alliance for f*ck’s sake.”
The Perforated Man chuckled, “He hasn’t changed.”
“No shit,” Booster muttered. “Rebranding us is going to be a nightmare. I need someone credible to call us the ‘Justice League’...maybe Lois Lane. You said you would explain yourself, start.”
★★★ Now
“What’s my name?” the Perforated Man asked.
Booster frowned, “I’m not here to play games. We had a deal, you tell me what all of this was about and how to find Ted.”
“I’ll start with my story,” the Perforated Man mused. “I have a feeling you’ll run off the moment I tell you about Ted.”
“Talk.”
“Not until you guess my name,” the Perforated Man said, taking a drink from his fifth can of Soder. “I even left you a hint, check your pockets.”
Booster rolled his eyes and began rummaging through the various pockets of his suit.
“Not there,” the Perforated Man chuckled. He tapped the center of his own chest, smirking. “Closer to your heart, pal.”
Booster tapped the blue star sigil on his chest, a previously unseen seam over his left breast appeared and he reached into it. Within was a single, silken square polaroid. Booster Gold drew it out and held it up, gesturing for Skeets to come over and light it up. The drone complied.
“No way,” Booster hissed. There were three people in the photograph, standing close together with their arms over each other’s shoulders. To the left was the man he had met months before, the Blue Beetle. To the right was a young woman, strawberry blonde and beaming. She wore a white and gold suit with a single blue star set atop its sternum. Booster glanced from his baby sister, Michelle, back to the Blue Beetle on the left. Between them was a man dressed in blue and gold, grinning and holding up two fingers behind the Blue Beetle’s head.
“What is this?” Booster stammered. He turned the photo over, a note had been scrawled on the back along with three names. Booster read them aloud, “Ted. Michelle. Michael. New York City, 2020…”
“What’s my name?” the Perforated Man asked again, grinning. Booster glared at him, then back at the handwriting. It was his own, there was no doubt about that. This man was a time traveler. This man knew all of his secrets. This man was…
“Michael,” Booster replied softly. The otherwise silent chamber embraced the near whisper and magnified it. Skeets said nothing and simply hovered over the photograph. The silence between them was short-lived, strangled by the Perforated Man popping the tab of his final Soder Cola.
“Just so,” the other Michael mused. “And now it’s time you heard my story…”
Continued in ---> The Perforated Man #1, Coming July 2017.
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