5CRU- Wind Duster Reborn #1

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TommytheHitman

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Present Day...

A dark figure scurried across the concrete rooftops, black outfit hidden amongst the shroud of night surrounding him. As the figure leaped towards the nearest building it became abundanty clear that desperation and fear were what was forcing the man to flee for his life.

"We've got sight of Brooks, sir."

A bright, white spotlight shot down from the clouds revealing the metal chasis of a military helicopter rising above the rooftops, a gunner at the side was holding what seemed to be a machine gun. Brooks, the man they were chasing skidded to a halt, staring at the black behemoth before him. The lettering on the side of the copter revealed the letters, 'CBTF'.

"Take him down."

The gunner did as instructed, the whir of his machine gun sounding similar to that of a shrill scream as the weapon fired orange bolts of fire at its target. The soldier's target leaped to the side out of the line of fire before rising up onto his feet and running back in the direction he'd arrived.

"Target is bolting, sir."

"Don't let him escape!" The gunner's commanding officer snapped, his voice filled with pure hatred and venom. "Take Wind Duster down!" The chopper rose through the air and continued its pursuit.

Mark Brooks dared to glance over his shoulder before leaping, his breathing was heavy and sweat dribbled down his forehead before being crushed beneath the fabrics of his mask. The sight of the black chopper right behind him was enough to fill his heart with dread. Mark felt a surge of adrenaline flow through him... and without a moment's hesitation he jumped the wide gap between buildings.

Mark felt what he thought was an explosion of relief fill his body as he fell towards the opposite rooftop. Then he realized it was actually his kneecap exploding from the bullet that had just passed through it. His body missed the rooftop edge entirely with his body instead landing brutally into an open dumpster below.

THUNK!

The stench of hot garbage filled the air, it was summer... and Amber City clearly reflected the current weather patterns of the season. Mark Brook's groans of pain joined the stench, the sound of soldiers surrounding the dumpster only added to the futility of the entire scenario. Mark felt a stabbing pain in his back... followed by a stabbing pain all over his body, possibly due to being stabbed... he couldn't tell. He realized that just because a dumpster looked like it was filled with soft, plastic bags it didn't ACTUALLY mean that they weren't also filled with sharp, jagged objects. Several faces peered down at the broken, battered vigilante's body.

"He's down, sir." Mark lowered his head back into a puddle of warm, garbage water and closed his head. Liquid dripping from the hair sticking through the cuts in his mask.

"I repeat. Wind Duster is down."

2 Years Earlier...

"You're going down, Markie Mark."

Mark's eyes snapped open, his hand tensed around his weapon as the target shot straight towards him. Mark Brooks shot towards the small, purple disc in the vain hope of preventing the thing from entering his goal. He missed by a mile and any chance he'd once had of winning disappeared along with the disc when it vanished inside his goal.

KAKLACK!!

The sickening sound of the disc smacking against the end of the air hockey table registered in Mark's ears. Up above his head, the red LED lights blinked several times signifying the end of the game.

4 - 7

"Dang it..." Mark grumbled.

"WOOH!" Mary Brooks thrusted her arms up into the air in exaggerated triumph. Her brown hair jumping up with her for a couple of seconds before returning back to its normal state. "Take THAT!" She yelled, a red smile spreading across her mouth. Usually games of Air Hockey ended with her husband doing the exact same ritual she was currently performing. Mark tried to look irritated... and lowered his head towards the table in an attempt to hide his own smile.

"I'd rather take YOU home." He answered, looking at his wife after a couple of seconds. The two of them stepping away from the table. Mary patted him on the back.

"It's alright, hon." She said. "It's alright to lose sometimes." Mark wrapped his arm around her shoulder and the two headed towards the exit to the arcade.

"I let you win." Mark lied in a vain attempt to restore some amount of dignity to his name.

"Yeah." Mary snorted, the two of them stepping out into the night air, the doors closing behind them. "Right." The two of them turned in the general direction of home and began walking. "What time is it?" She asked after a few mintues of silence had passed. Mark glanced at the bronze watch upon his wrist.

"12:33." He answered.

"Why do we have to go home so early?" She asked. "Deborah's at home, babysitting Daisy. Why don't we just stay out a bit longer and enjoy ourselves?"

"I've got to open the shop tomorrow."

"You could always phone in sick."

Mark and Mary both smiled at each other. Both holding hands in the somewhat romantic area they were currently standing in. A hobo walked by giving off a loud, hacking cough similar to a cat with a furball lodged in its throat.

"Well..." Mark sniggered slightly. Both were a little drunk... both were a bit too old for this sort of thing.... both of them didn't care in the slightest. "What's the worst that could happen?"

As if on cue a bright orange flash appeared in the otherwise black sky up above. Mark's head snapped towards it instinctively. Mary was staring at it as well... suddenly the warmth of the summer evening had disappeared as the orange flame grew ever closer. His wife shivered... Mark pulled her closer.

"What is that?" Mary asked as the flame was joined by a dozen more of the same source.

"Shooting stars?" Mark took a vague guess. It was the alcohol talking. The two glanced at each other... Mary smiled somewhat nervously before stepping forward.

"I'll make a wish." She said before closing her eyes.

1 Year after the Great Impact.

"How does it fit?"

It felt like a piece of crap.

"It feels great, honey."

Daisy Brooks had spent the last 18 minutes tearing through her father's 'wardrobe'. It had taken her that long to realize he didn't have anything that went with the black and blue colour scheme of the costume Mark had been gifted. So with no other option she had torn the beige hood from her father's coat and attached it to his poorly constructed costume's neck. She was quite talented with that sort of thing really...

"What's with the toilet paper?" Mark asked.

Daisy had used about five rolls of toilet paper and stuffed it down her father's shirt.

"You're not very muscular." She replied. "You're not going to look heroic or brave to ANYONE if you go out like..." She pointed at her father's somewhat slender frame. "Well... that. Stuffing paper down your shirt will make people think you have abs. Even though you don't."

It was a somewhat fair point... her father decided to avoid questioning his daughter further... and instead decided to walk towards the nearby window of their small apartment.

"What are you doing?" Daisy asked as he opened the window. Mark pulled down the beige hood of his black and blue costume. A smug look on his face as he stepped out onto his building's fire escape.

"I'm going to fight some crime." He told her before disappearing in a flash of bright purple energy.

He didn't know it at the time... but that was the beginning of the end of the life he knew.

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Alexander_Wolffe

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@tommythehitman: Wow. I think the little addition you made at the end of this one was fantastic.

Like I said in the PM, I loved the issue. Can't comment a whole lot since it's only one issue, but I still loved it. Can already feel the completely different tone and personality of the series.

Mary's scene was extremely ominous. And Daisy's was just... Heartbreaking. Was just a kick in the gut, reminding me how long we've worked on this series and how far we, along with the characters, have come. And the foreboding warning from that scene was actually, well, scary.

Fantastic issue. Can't wait for another.

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TommytheHitman

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Alexander_Wolffe

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TommytheHitman

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#6  Edited By TommytheHitman
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Alexander_Wolffe

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@tommythehitman: *whispers hesitantly* ...Is that his first act as a super hero?

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TommytheHitman

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Alexander_Wolffe

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@tommythehitman: *whispers back* it was issue 2. That's what I was talking about when I said how far we've come.

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TommytheHitman

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@alexander_wolffe: My mistake... but I don't make mistakes... so somehow it must be your fault.

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batkevin74

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@tommythehitman: it just seems like an echo of what I've read before. Very familiar, like an Elseworlds or What If and giving us some extra background details. Onto two

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knightofthechronicle

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@tommythehitman: Now that was pretty awesome (and I see the resemblance to Justice League 1 you were talking about). Kind of wondering how far off it's going to veer off from the main series though

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TommytheHitman

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@knightofthechronicle: The main series is the main concern. However the 'Reborn' series will begin to veer pretty far off the beaten path.