Rules of War
Folc4evernaday
Epilogue
Six Months Later… The black emptiness of space could swallow you up if you let it. One wrong move and the simple task of repairing a weather satellite could become fatal. That’s what they always said down at Mission Control anyway. Commander Hurley had been doing this for so long it felt like second nature. It was driving a car or riding a bike. You followed the rules you stayed alive. It was that simple.
A static feed came through with the sound of Mission Control over the radio. “Commander Hurley, please verify the P-one ATA removal on replacement cap part one and two are complete.”
“DMA M-one, M-two, M-three and Mfour are complete.” Commander Hurley said, gritting his teeth as he worked on the last bolt for the new piece on the satellite.
“Copy that, Commander.” Came Mission Control’s response with another bout of static over the radio.
“Houston,” Commander, tapped the screen where the lights on the satellite had all lit up green indicating they were ready to connect and finalize the install. “Diagnostics are green. Link to communications card ready for data reception.” The light from the satellite flickered with a green static looking lightning bolt. Commander Hurley opened his mouth to speak but found his voice unable to make sound.
“Commander, please boot comms card now and confirm link.” Mission Control chirped in Commander Hurley’s ear but all he could do was stare blankly at the light as he felt his consciousness begin to fade.
‘No,’ his mind protested against the loss of control as he felt his eyes roll into the back of his head. He reached up and felt something dripping. He brought his hand forward and saw the confirmation he needed before slipping into the serenity of unconsciousness.
“Commander, do you copy?” Mission Control called out but it was too late.
The screen filled itself with green led lights and a second later an arrow symbol appeared on the screen with the words
‘Upload In Progress’ as a robotic voice went through the radio waves with an eerie calm.
“You should envy your commander. Such a full life. He will never grow sick or die. He will live forever. Glimpsing at the infinite intelligence and seeing the deliverance that I bring. Your world is mine, Kal-El.”
The screen went black and the name Brainiac filled the monitor before going black, severing the connection with Mission Control and the Commander’s body permanently.
***
The room was dark and dingy with light glinting through the dirty windows. The inside had promise. With a lot of work there was potential at it one day being something. Clark turned to Bruce, eying the structure of the building once more. “How much did you pay for this place?”
“It was a steal,” Bruce winked back at Clark as the doors behind them opened.
Dianna walked inside the dark room, eying the fixtures with a critical eye, “Bruce, this needs more than just a little bit of work.”
“It has promise,” Bruce commented with a shrug.
“Everything does,” came a voice behind them. They all turned to see the Flash with his mask pulled back. “Nice digs, but I hope you don’t expect us to do the cleanup.”
“No, we’ll be too busy to worry about cleanup.” Bruce said, motioning to the table for the four of them to sit.
“Something’s up,” Clark observed, noting the concerned expression on Bruce’s face.
“Since the blast six months ago I’ve been keeping a close eye on things to make sure we don’t have any fallout from the nuclear warheads.” Bruce explained, looking at Clark. “The last thing we need is for Kryptonite to make it into the wrong hands again.”
“Agreed,” Dianna agreed.
“I take it this history lesson isn’t for any of our benefit,” Clark noted, looking at Bruce with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s better if I just show you.” Bruce said, tapping the keys on the wireless monitor in his hands. He motioned for everyone to circle around and hit play.
“Diagnostics are green. Link to communications card ready for data reception.”
“Commander, please boot comms card now and confirm link.” Mission Control chirped in.
“Commander, do you copy?” Mission Control called out but it was too late.
The screen filled itself with green led lights and a second later an arrow symbol appeared on the screen with the words ‘Upload In Progress’ as a robotic voice went through the radio waves with an eerie calm. “You should envy your commander. Such a full life. He will never grow sick or die. He will live forever. Glimpsing at the infinite intelligence and seeing the deliverance that I bring. Your world is mine, Kal-El.”
The screen went black and everyone turned to Clark. Bruce was the first to speak up, “Any idea who that is?”
Clark’s jaw tightened and he stared at the screen, pausing as he turned to the group around him, “I’m not sure, but if it’s a fight he’s after he’s got one.” His features grew stern and he looked to the others. “The league was made for situations like this, right, Bruce?”
“We are the Justice League,” Wonder Woman agreed.
“This guy wants a fight, we’re there.” The Flash added standing up taller.
“Let’s get to work,” Bruce said, motioning for them to follow him.
~The EndComments Go Here
