Sliced Bread: Finale
The all powerful Wind Duster! The mighty Freight Train! The enigmatic Dark Arrow! Formed together due to events that are better left unspoken and lead by the brain power of CBTF Director, Morris Pfeifer and Head of Public Relations, January Morgan, they are the Response! The World's 'Greatest' Superheroes!
It's happening.
"Am I the only one who's wondering why Maystrike is still here?"
Wind Duster shivered slightly from his vantage point, his skintight suit was doing nothing to protect his flesh from the cold of the air whipping around him. He was clinging to the side of an apartment building, waiting for the moment that he'd rehearsed earlier with the rest of the team. He was outside, obviously, above the windowsill of the room where his target was waiting, below on the streets were several armed CBTF guards standing by the entrance to the building preventing people from entering.
"I've handled it."
Morris Pfeifer stared at the computer monitors screwed to the white painted walls surrounding him. There were 5 in total, one of them showing an image of the apartment entrance, the second monitor showed Wind Duster clinging for dear life to the apartment wall, Pfeifer couldn't help but smirk slightly at the thought of his 'friend' in such an uncomfortable position... it was strange, yet Pfeifer tried to enjoy the little things about his job. The next monitor, planted upon the building's rooftop showed a lone figure dressed in black standing on the edge of the roof with a black bow at the ready. He was wearing blood red goggles across his eyes and a different outfit to the one he had previously worn the other day, for obvious reasons.
"Why am I stood here?" Maystrike asked, holding his finger to the communication device in his ear. "I should be with Hawser." He muttered, referring to Freight Train. "There's nothing I can up here."
"You stay right where you are!" Pfeifer snapped before turning towards the next monitor, he witnessed the large figure of Freight Train waiting outside leading to the targeted room.
"Is it too late for a bathroom break?" Freight Train asked, nerves filling his voice, an odd twitch developing in his right hand's fingers and his whole body beginning to shake.
"Freight Train... you just went a few minutes ago..."
"I have a nervous bladder."
"...I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Pfeifer sighed, he glanced at the final screen... a shadowy outline was stood in the middle of a run down apartment with several laptops scattered around him. "Who IS this guy?" He asked, keeping his voice away from the mic so that none of the team could hear how unorganized he was.
"His name's.... 'Name' Lime." Ms Morgan answered, she was reading from her tablet and was seated by the entrance to Pfeifer's office. "I swear I'm telling the truth. We picked him up a few hours ago when the vigilante Peacekeeper took him down."
"Peacekeeper..." Pfeifer thought about the name for a second. It didn't ring a bell. "Have our contacts in the News reported his escape?"
"Yes sir. As far as the public knows, Name Lime has escaped from Police Custody."
"And our telepath's got her hooks in him?" It was wise to make absolutely sure. The thing woman with grey hair and golden eyes seated next to Morgan gave a slight nod, clearly focusing on other matters. Morgan nodded to Pfeifer, the Director nodded to nobody in particular and looked once more at the monitors.
"Then let's go." He ordered to the team. He pressed a button on the control panel before him and almost immediately the monitors began to crackle with static, a similar effect was happening all throughout Indigo City. Through the static, the black outline of a figure's head began to form.
"Citizens of Indigo City." The Telepath behind Pfeifer muttered, the words were repeated on screen. "Today is the day of your judgement. Your skies will burn, your cities will be burned to ash... and nobody.... not even your greatest heroes will be able to prevent the coming fire."
"Alright. Go." Pfeifer pressed another button on his panel and the image on the monitor changed showing the camera view of the apartment where Name Lime was staying. Again... this image would be shown throughout Indigo. After several seconds.... the door exploded into splinters as Freight Train crashed through in his gigantic form.
"Give up, Name Lime!"Freight Train yelled, his voice crackling with the camera. The figure of Name Lime reached into his coat's pocket and pulled out a pistol, pointing it at the Carrier. "You can't win!"
"BAH! Freight Train! What hope do you possibly have of defeating me?! You're alone! Pathetic!"
KRASH!
The glass of the apartment's window shattered as Wind Duster smashed through and rolled into the room. He stood next to Freight Train, summoning a wind to make his cape flow behind him.
"He's not alone!"Wind Duster said, reading his lines like he was reading them right off the script. "Surrender!"
Pfeifer flinched slightly as he spoke into the mic. "Alright, Maystrike..." He muttered. "You're up..."
A dark figure stepped into the room... Pfeifer didn't see how he'd entered.... he only knew that his bow was drawn. Maystrike stepped forward next to Wind Duster before stepping slighty to the side upon realizing who he was stood with.
He said nothing. Just aimed his bow.
"Three of you?!"Name Lime reached into his pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a type of grenade. "THEN YOU SHALL ALL DIE TOGETHER!"
Pfeifer cringed slightly at the script. Ah well... the Telepath released her control over Name Lime before the pain started.
"What? Where am-"Name Lime started to say before being shot in the shoulder by an arrow. He yelled in pain and dropped the grenade object to the ground. It began to flash bright red, Wind Duster whipped his arm towards it, knocking it across the room into the corner and grabbed the screaming Name Lime before teleporting back to his teammates. Freight Train pushed the three men into the corner of the room and threw his body above them as a shield just as the grenade exploded into a bright flash of orange fire.
Pfeifer leaned forward slightly as the smoke cleared... four figures emerged. All of them were completely alive and fine... and the whole thing had been broadcasted live across Indigo.
"Great work, guys." Pfeifer told the Response before turning towards the telepathic woman. "Now restrain Maystrike." He instructed her.
Before the Marine could react, his mind was filled by the CBTF's head mind reader. It was better safe then sorry... he didn't want another Axe-Man incident taking place.
He leaned back in his chair and took a deep, long breath. Ms Morgan stood behind him, a large grin spread across her face just as the News began broadcasting live coverage right outside of the apartment building.
"We did it...." She stated.
"Thank GOD." Pfeifer groaned. "Now we can finally get back to business!"
____________________________________
TV Reporter, Deborah Dane had JUST won an award. She just didn't know it yet... she was 34 years old, she'd been working in Indigo City for the past 12 years and had been an employee of Channel 6 Action News for the last 4. She was about to make news broadcasting history.
More so then Toby Burrows had the other day, anyway.
"Wind Duster!" She yelled, running towards the figures emerging from the quarantined apartment, Deborah's camerman dashed behind her, camera at the ready. "Wind Duster!" She yelled again, much louder this time. It was like her life depended on it. She saw one of the Carriers turn slightly and she seized her chance. She hopped over the protective barrier and held out her microphone towards the costumed vigilante staring at her in surprise. The man's allies all crowded around him as the cameras began filming. Debroah looked at the Response, the team of heroes that had been.... 'busy' recently. She thought about her next few words and decided on a very simply question.
"What's happening?" She asked.
It was at that moment when Deborah Dane won her very first award. The large, red costumed figure stepped forward and smiled at the camera.
"What's happening?" He repeated. "What's happening... is amazing. We're the World's Greatest Superheroes." His hands reached out and he pulled both Wind Duster and Alan Maystrike towards him and grinned. "We.... are the Response."
The End
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