DC Mayhem Presents: Sensation Comics #7 - Truth or Dare

DC Mayhem Presents: Sensation Comics #7 - Truth or Dare

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Aliki sat down in the only available chair at the massive table, her host standing at the other end. Even though the man claiming to be the Calculator was represented by a holographic doppelganger she still was reluctant to drop the scalpel she had pocketed earlier.

"Now isn't this nicer then stabbing me through the chest?" Calculator asked as a guard brought in a tray carrying a bottle and two shot glasses.

"Not really." Aliki grumbled.

"As expected you're thinking with your adrenal gland, hardly surprising since you actually get enjoyment from physical altercation." Calculator sighed. "But I implore you, stop being a fool and use your head for a few seconds, then ask me your questions."

"Who killed Margot?" She spluttered, pain and anguish bubbling under her calm façade.

"So pedestrian." Calculator sighed as his holographic duplicate threw a completed Rubik Cube over his shoulder. "As such I'll answer your question with a simple answer; I didn't. But I can tell you something, from the report I can tell you she was killed by a shot ricocheted off a watch tower through the security fence."

"A random shot?!" Aliki yelled as she got up from the chair, slamming it to the floor and knocking the bottle of vodka aside. "How could this happen?!"

"It wasn't a random shot." Calculator answered coldly. "Calculations initially suggested that but then I looked at the variables. A straight shot would have resulted in a double through and through. I assume you know what that means?"

"It means that they wanted to keep me alive." Aliki gasped. "But why and for what purpose? Unless...I'll ask again; did you kill my sister?"

"So you do have a brain inside that incredibly pretty head." The Calculator purred. "I can calculate how to make the shot, but only around fifteen individuals in the world can actually pull that off. Among them are people such as; Deathstroke, Deadshot, Gunhawk and Pistoleta but alas none of them were anywhere near Switzerland at the time of the shooting. Now we need to speak of another issue."

"What issue?" Aliki asked. "I still have questions, how did Margot's mutilation give me powers? Did you know she was pregnant?"

"To answer that I need to start long before you and your sister robbed that bank. Back to when I was like you, incomplete and the punching bag for every cape on the block. It was after a spectacularly bad beating that I had my epiphany. I wasn't cut out to play fisticuffs with such moronic brutes, I had a higher calling."

"What solving Rubik Cubes and being the patent holder of snark?" Aliki asked as the Calculator held up another completed cube before pushing it out of view.

"Funny, and if only." The Calculator snorted. "Now sit down and stop interrupting me. That moment when my head was ringing I saw a way to become the person I was meant to be. I could use my skills in another way." He stated as Aliki sat down again. "I formed an information network, the best in the world and for three years I made easy money, at least until that troglodyte asked me the fatal question."

"How do they get the tiny Ms on the M&Ms?" Aliki suggested.

"Oh that's child's play and stop interrupting you aggravating child!" The Calculator spat. "I had wealth, respect and power then that second class mobster Mr White came to me and asked me to tell him who the bat is. It was a challenge, one I looked forward to."

"Please everyone knows Batman is actually a woman." Aliki purred as she stabbed her scalpel into the table. "So you got in over your head and got what you deserved."

"Hardly, I got worse. I should have quit but arrogance plaid her hand and I hired the greatest system analysers in the world to run my network while I hunted down the Bat. And as I did they took over, made me redundant, and made me a laughing stock."

"And this affects me how?" Aliki asked as she scratched a cartoon face with crosses for eyes into the table. "Tell me before I get bored and just leave."

"I was replaced by my inferiors." The Calculator snarled. "So I found people who had potential but for whatever reason had never seized it. You are just one of the few I've been watching. It's unfortunate that your sister is deceased she has so much potential as did the child. Tell me are you familiar with a Mr Raymond Jensen?" Aliki shook her head. "No well it matters not your sisters child was showing genetic markers similar to his. The chance of him being the father is almost too hard to calculate."

"What does the death of my niece have to do with this craziness?" Aliki snarled as she rested a hand on the scalpel.

"That transferable genetic marker allowed us to map your sister’s potential onto your own genetic system. It's why your strength, speed and agility have or will be double what it was before; theoretically we could add the genetic potential of other blood relatives as well if we had the time." Calculator announced. "Think of it as a family deal." He added a wry smile. "Now for business, I have given you new potential, a favour you must repay."

"And what if I say no?" Aliki stated as she recovered her scalpel and threw the blade through the hologram's head. "Force me into this and you'll be sorry."

"I know who the shooter is, the one who killed Margot" Calculator stated. "Help me and I'll tell you who he is. Now do I assume that I have your attention?"

Uh oh, looks like things are progressing. ;) Interested to see who the shooter is! Also added to the library.

@joygirl: Yep so do I. Shall I continue with Sensation Comics for now or shall I continue the series under a new title. Either way I'm fine as long as I can expand the character selection a bit.

@impurestcheese: I don't usually enjoy cliffhangers but this one was pretty good. So to be clear, the fewer direct blood relatives that Aliki has the more powerful she is (therefore, she's at her theoretical peak)?

@dngn4774: Thanks and yes but only when the genetic relay has been encoded to her own chromosomes.

@impurestcheese: Once again another excellent chapter, and honestly I wouldn't call that a cliffhanger like the others did, but more so a segue into something else. My only issue with this is that it's not exactly a complete tale, but rather an introduction through a much smaller tale. A story as you know has a beginning middle and end. You're inciting action was the death of Margot, and Aliki's motivation is to find her sister's killer. For Aliki's story, you have just touched on the beginning, but what could also be considered the inciting action for your story is Aliki waking up in Calculator's lair, and her goal becomes to find out where she is and what happened, and that climax is reached when she finds Margot's body and meets Calculator. In that sense you have a complete tale, so in a way you could say that you have a tale within a tale. In saying that you have completed your trial, and done so admirably. My advice is that in the future when having to write a story to a certain length, be sure that you don't end on a segue, but rather carry through with the falling action and a resolution.

Another slight pet peeve of mine are pregnant characters. Although you're pregnant character is dead, I just ask you to be very careful in how you handle the whole deal surrounding it. I've seen pregnancy and familial matters surrounding a child go horribly so many times, and that's because 99% of the time it usually comes off as unbelievable, so my advice there is to exercise caution.

On a final note, congratulations on completing you're trial, and welcome to DC Mayhem official member Imp. I'm looking forward to your future work.

@delphic: Sure thanks for the comment. The child shouldn't be mentioned to much just to alleviate some of your fears.

@impurestcheese: So long as you handle it well.

@impurestcheese: Trust me I'm a doctor (or will be as of January next year)

@impurestcheese: Haha! You @'ed yourself :P