Nate, I wish I got this finished before you started your next story, but either way, here is my addition to “Smashing The Atom.” Enjoy!
Smashing the Atom: Epilogue (Arbalest, Knockout Rose, Ivy Isotope and Short Armed Law created by TheNate)
“Amy….AMY!” “Oh, sorry, Arclight! I was just lost in thought.” “First, I told you before, when you’re here in the Protectorate’s headquarters, you can call me Martha. Second, if you’re thinking of what I guess you’re thinking of, understand that we all face defeat.” “But, Arc…I mean, Martha, you weren’t there. You didn’t see the look in his eyes! One Armed Bandit has NEVER been so violent. I mean, the guy’s a thrill seeking thief and a techie geek genius before anything else. He’s never really done anything violent before. Yeah, he’ll set off traps to put people in peril to cover an escape, but nothing lethal. And definitely nothing so hands-on! I always thought if I got beat, it would be by somebody like Half-Life, catching me off guard and finally making good on his threat to pound me into the ground. I never thought I would be beaten by somebody with NO superpowers at all! And to top it all off, he found a way to sap all of my powers. I was as helpless as a kitten back there!” “Well, even with your powers drained as they were, I doubt you would lose your invulnerability.” “Again, Martha, YOU WEREN’T THERE! HE WAS ABOUT TO BASH MY SKULL IN WITH A LEAD PIPE!!! The guy found a way to totally strip my powers. How the hell was I supposed to know that there would be lead lined walls blocking all traces of radiation in that place? He built a robot that looked just like me and could copy my shockwave punch! And when I hit that thing, I scraped my knuckles! I haven’t seen my own blood since years before that accident that kicked in my mutation. Like, since I was a kid skinning my knees. And adding insult to injury, he dressed his robot in a black costume just like my newest one. I really liked that suit, but I can’t wear it any more without being looked at as suspect!” “Amy, everyone knows by now it wasn’t you.” “DAMN IT, MARTHA, THAT’S NOT THE POINT! I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!…..Oh, God! I’m so sorry for yelling at you, Martha.” Amy slumped down and softly began to sob. The young hero was totally overcome with emotion. The woman known as Arclight sat on the floor next to Amy and gently held her. Amy felt somewhat comforted. She always admired this powerful woman; powerful in so many more ways than just as a superhero. Amy was grateful for the woman she called her second mother, and at this moment really appreciated the shoulder to cry on. “Amy? Did it ever occur to you that maybe it wasn’t the Bandit? Or at least, not the Bandit that you know? Could it possibly have been an imposter? Or maybe even another alternate Earth One Armed Bandit?” Amy also appreciated her friend’s levelheaded sense of logic. “You’ve already met one alternate you that is evil and an alternate One Armed Bandit who is actually a lawman on his Earth.” “Oh, great. So now there’s an alternate One Armed Bandit who’s also a psycho killer? Don’t all of you guys have that Cosmic Consciousness thing going on? Can’t you just look into the universe and see this stuff and just go and stop all the evil alternates?” “It doesn’t work that way, Amy. And even if it did, what right do we have to go to another world and upset their balance?” “Well damn it, it seems OK for these guys to come here and upset our balance! My balance, in particular! ” “Amy, calm down. Now listen to me! You have a very special gift! Your’s is the power of the atom, part of the powers of creation. It is very important for you to learn and understand the nature, as well as the science behind your powers. Believe it or not, you have the potential to become one of the most powerful beings on this planet! We will teach you but you have to be willing to accept our training.” “Oh, damn! More training?!? Isn’t it enough to just go in and kick ass?” “Obviously not, and watch your mouth, young lady! You call me your second mother, I expect just as much respect! I’m quite sure you don’t want to hear Miss X lecture you about battle tactics after all the time you told us she spent training you in that area. Just be glad I was a teacher before I became a superhero, and I’m also a mother. I know how to relate to you.” “Thank you, Martha. I’m willing to learn all you have to show me.” “First, we need to talk to Black Hole. Her Cosmic Consciousness is the highest level of all of us. We’ll find out if there is some type of anomaly or gap in space-time allowing these alternates to come through to our Earth. It’s actually not as easy as it may seem to cross dimensions. Black Hole is the only one of us who can do that without any special conditions or apparatus. She can actually make her own rifts in space-time.” “Yeah, well, let’s find out what she can tell us about this.” At about the same time, the One Armed Bandit was busy in his hideout, reviewing hacked security footage from the area of Amy Atom’s battle. He was particularly interested in Arbalest’s specialized uranium bolt and Knockout Rose’s capsaicin delivery system. But his interest was even more piqued by the tall, white-haired man in the red and black formfitting suit with the dollar sign insignia. “Who the hell is this guy??? Not another one? And a killer at that! This is not good for my reputation! And how did he pull off stripping Amy Atom of her powers? I tried that lead lined trap bit and she still kicked my ass! Could it be that this guy has technology on his Earth that doesn’t exist here? Time for me to dust off my inter-dimensional gate projector and do a little earth hopping!” to be continued…?
