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ajremixSince the prologue was so short, chapter 1!
Again, thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dinahqueen for the beta.
Title: The Inventor 01
Fandom: DCU
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1340
Characters: Ted, Skeets
Summary: Eras don’t end, they merely change. Protecting was what Skeets was built for.
Prologue
Skeets floated through the window, sensors streaming every miniscule bit of data- filtering, analyzing and filing everything away as trepidation (or, as he was an artificial construct and thus unable to feel any kind of human-like anxiety, analytical caution) prickled over his circuits. He already knew what he was going to find, knew it before his sensors locked on, studied, confirmed who it was hiding behind crates and shadows. Skeets knew before he gave a cursory excuse for leaving the time lab, knew before he understood the contents of the message, knew before he recognized the source, knew because there were only a select few who could send him a message directly and those that could he had left in Arizona.
There was one other that shouldn’t have been able to for the mere fact he’d been dead for almost two years.
“Please step to the middle of the floor,” Skeets said evenly, the security protocols from so long ago easily accessed, “hands away from your body. Refrain from making any sudden movements and remain stationary as I scan and confirm your identity.”
The robot could see the silhouette of the body, its heat signature, the tech it kept, vital signs, any anomalies on all spectral, audio and electromagnetic spectrums before it- hands becoming visible first, empty and palms up, then a foot, then the darkness pulled back like a shroud -came into the light.
“Hey, do what ya gotta do.” Were Skeets anything less than a self-aware cybernetic being, the voice, the grin, the very being of the person before him would have twisted his internals. Instead, he merely flew in slow circles, scans running and confirming that this was, indeed, the former Blue Beetle. He ran the scans again and again, but all results were the same. Despite minor wounds and broken goggles, Ted Kord was alive and well.
Skeets floated backwards until he was out of arm’s reach, body tilted downward and doing a rather good impression of staring impassively at the man. Ted spread his fingers out and managed to shrug questioningly without moving. “So? The jury still deliberating or what?”
“I have determined that you are one healthy and living Ted Kord.” Asides from the slight bob of his anti-gravity thrusters, Skeets didn’t move. “Forgive me for my continued skepticism, but I find it rather improbable that you happen to be said healthy and living Ted Kord.”
Gloved hands went to his hips and Skeets’s sensors analyzed the way he stood, the subtle shifts of weight and posture and all matched the data he’d gathered on Ted over the years. “Yeah, I kinda figured this would be a bit hard to swallow. That’s why I asked you to come out here without Booster.”
“Your return would be difficult for him to cope with. He’d finally come to accept your death after losing you for the third time.”
The pliable line of Ted’s mouth pulled into a grimace. “With how he looked just before I left, I-“ He blinked hard, all tracks of thought screeching to a halt in his head was practically audible. “Third time?”
“I am assuming you are unaware of the Black Lantern incident?”
“What’s a Black Lantern?”
“Reanimated corpses that fed off fear, rage and, apparently, ripping out people’s hearts.”
“...and I was one of these Lanterns?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” Ted said slowly, trying to work his brain around that piece of news. “So how did they reanimate a corpse that wasn’t de-animated? Or that they didn’t have?”
“A very good question.”
The two stared at each other for a long, quiet moment.
“You have no idea, do you?” It was more statement than question.
“No more than you.” Skeets lowered himself a few inches until he was almost at Ted’s eye level. “I’m sure you can understand my hesitance in allowing you to meet with Booster until I’m certain you will not disappear, die or attempt to put your hand through his chest.”
“No, no, I think those are some pretty valid concerns.” Ted crossed his arms, head tilted slightly. “Besides, this gives me the chance to find out from you if this is decent enough time or if I actually do have to go and get myself killed.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Are there any OMACs hanging around?”
“None.”
“That killer satellite?”
“Destroyed.”
“Max?”
“Dead.”
“Meta casualties?”
“Many.”
A fearful frown pulled at Ted’s lips. “Who?”
“Of those that have died I believe the ones that would concern you the most,” Skeets hesitated for a moment, unable to calculate a more tactful way to say it, “would be Rocket Red and Elongated Man.”
Ted’s face went pale and his hands shook on his arms. “Dimitri and Ralph?” He put a hand to his face and from the creases between his eyes, Skeets could tell that, while Ted mourned for his friends and felt guilty for not being with them in their final moments, the temptation of time travel was niggling at him to save them. The thought was visibly pushed away as Ted asked, “The world isn’t in any sort of peril or anything, is it?”
“No. The present is in rather the same condition as it was before your death. Relatively peaceful with brief bouts of normal human-induced chaos. Ice has also been resurrected.”
“Tora’s back? That’s great!” He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “I’m guessing I’m not going to be getting a better present than this, so I think it’s safe to assume I don’t need to get myself shot in the head.”
“I’m rather curious as to how you managed that.”
“I’ll tell you and Booster at the same time. It is okay for me to see him now, right?”
Logic calculated that reuniting Ted and Booster would be an emotionally stressful event no matter how long it was put off, but Skeets couldn’t help a measure of (concern, fear) hesitation. “You should also,” he said slowly, “tell this story to Dr. Hunter, Michelle and Jaime as well.” Perhaps with others present it would be easier for Booster to handle seeing Ted again.
“Jaime’s the new Blue Beetle, right? I’d love to see the kid again. But who’s Michelle?”
“She’s Michael’s twin sister.”
Ted’s eyes went wide under his cowl. “His sister? She’s alive?”
“Dr. Hunter saved her and brought her to the present.”
“Hee, I think this present is getting better and better! You think you can get ‘em all to come here?”
“It’s possible.”
Ted’s wide grin fell to something hesitant and uncertain. “Skeets,” he said softly, “you know I’d never hurt Booster.”
Not intentionally, Skeets didn’t say. Just as he didn’t say how painful it was, how furious Booster had been to fight Ted’s corpse or how nothing had broken Booster so thoroughly and so often as Ted’s death.
“I will inform you when everyone will be able to come, it may be a day or two. I suggest you not leave before then. Will you be in need of anything?”
“Nah.” Ted slapped one of the nearby crates. “I had this place stocked up with enough supplies to last months, I’m good.”
“Very well, then,” Skeets gave a little bob, “I will be in contact.”
He left the warehouse and Ted behind, quietly re-analyzing the meeting and everything he gathered on Ted during that short time. Perhaps he was being overly cautious- perhaps even paranoid -but there was a measure of distrust Skeets had for the entire situation. Not of Ted or the authenticity of who he was, Skeets merely didn’t want to risk Booster’s emotional wellbeing after it had taken him so long to stabilize again.
Guardian was too strong a term for the position Skeets suddenly found himself in, but he took that mantle without a moment’s hesitation, already planning on ways to keep a close watch on Ted. He would protect Booster, even from his best friend if it came down to it. Booster would not be hurt again. Not so long as Skeets could stop it.
Again, thanks to
dinahqueen for the beta.Title: The Inventor 01
Fandom: DCU
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1340
Characters: Ted, Skeets
Summary: Eras don’t end, they merely change. Protecting was what Skeets was built for.
Prologue
Skeets floated through the window, sensors streaming every miniscule bit of data- filtering, analyzing and filing everything away as trepidation (or, as he was an artificial construct and thus unable to feel any kind of human-like anxiety, analytical caution) prickled over his circuits. He already knew what he was going to find, knew it before his sensors locked on, studied, confirmed who it was hiding behind crates and shadows. Skeets knew before he gave a cursory excuse for leaving the time lab, knew before he understood the contents of the message, knew before he recognized the source, knew because there were only a select few who could send him a message directly and those that could he had left in Arizona.
There was one other that shouldn’t have been able to for the mere fact he’d been dead for almost two years.
“Please step to the middle of the floor,” Skeets said evenly, the security protocols from so long ago easily accessed, “hands away from your body. Refrain from making any sudden movements and remain stationary as I scan and confirm your identity.”
The robot could see the silhouette of the body, its heat signature, the tech it kept, vital signs, any anomalies on all spectral, audio and electromagnetic spectrums before it- hands becoming visible first, empty and palms up, then a foot, then the darkness pulled back like a shroud -came into the light.
“Hey, do what ya gotta do.” Were Skeets anything less than a self-aware cybernetic being, the voice, the grin, the very being of the person before him would have twisted his internals. Instead, he merely flew in slow circles, scans running and confirming that this was, indeed, the former Blue Beetle. He ran the scans again and again, but all results were the same. Despite minor wounds and broken goggles, Ted Kord was alive and well.
Skeets floated backwards until he was out of arm’s reach, body tilted downward and doing a rather good impression of staring impassively at the man. Ted spread his fingers out and managed to shrug questioningly without moving. “So? The jury still deliberating or what?”
“I have determined that you are one healthy and living Ted Kord.” Asides from the slight bob of his anti-gravity thrusters, Skeets didn’t move. “Forgive me for my continued skepticism, but I find it rather improbable that you happen to be said healthy and living Ted Kord.”
Gloved hands went to his hips and Skeets’s sensors analyzed the way he stood, the subtle shifts of weight and posture and all matched the data he’d gathered on Ted over the years. “Yeah, I kinda figured this would be a bit hard to swallow. That’s why I asked you to come out here without Booster.”
“Your return would be difficult for him to cope with. He’d finally come to accept your death after losing you for the third time.”
The pliable line of Ted’s mouth pulled into a grimace. “With how he looked just before I left, I-“ He blinked hard, all tracks of thought screeching to a halt in his head was practically audible. “Third time?”
“I am assuming you are unaware of the Black Lantern incident?”
“What’s a Black Lantern?”
“Reanimated corpses that fed off fear, rage and, apparently, ripping out people’s hearts.”
“...and I was one of these Lanterns?”
“Yes.”
“Okay,” Ted said slowly, trying to work his brain around that piece of news. “So how did they reanimate a corpse that wasn’t de-animated? Or that they didn’t have?”
“A very good question.”
The two stared at each other for a long, quiet moment.
“You have no idea, do you?” It was more statement than question.
“No more than you.” Skeets lowered himself a few inches until he was almost at Ted’s eye level. “I’m sure you can understand my hesitance in allowing you to meet with Booster until I’m certain you will not disappear, die or attempt to put your hand through his chest.”
“No, no, I think those are some pretty valid concerns.” Ted crossed his arms, head tilted slightly. “Besides, this gives me the chance to find out from you if this is decent enough time or if I actually do have to go and get myself killed.”
“What would you like to know?”
“Are there any OMACs hanging around?”
“None.”
“That killer satellite?”
“Destroyed.”
“Max?”
“Dead.”
“Meta casualties?”
“Many.”
A fearful frown pulled at Ted’s lips. “Who?”
“Of those that have died I believe the ones that would concern you the most,” Skeets hesitated for a moment, unable to calculate a more tactful way to say it, “would be Rocket Red and Elongated Man.”
Ted’s face went pale and his hands shook on his arms. “Dimitri and Ralph?” He put a hand to his face and from the creases between his eyes, Skeets could tell that, while Ted mourned for his friends and felt guilty for not being with them in their final moments, the temptation of time travel was niggling at him to save them. The thought was visibly pushed away as Ted asked, “The world isn’t in any sort of peril or anything, is it?”
“No. The present is in rather the same condition as it was before your death. Relatively peaceful with brief bouts of normal human-induced chaos. Ice has also been resurrected.”
“Tora’s back? That’s great!” He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “I’m guessing I’m not going to be getting a better present than this, so I think it’s safe to assume I don’t need to get myself shot in the head.”
“I’m rather curious as to how you managed that.”
“I’ll tell you and Booster at the same time. It is okay for me to see him now, right?”
Logic calculated that reuniting Ted and Booster would be an emotionally stressful event no matter how long it was put off, but Skeets couldn’t help a measure of (concern, fear) hesitation. “You should also,” he said slowly, “tell this story to Dr. Hunter, Michelle and Jaime as well.” Perhaps with others present it would be easier for Booster to handle seeing Ted again.
“Jaime’s the new Blue Beetle, right? I’d love to see the kid again. But who’s Michelle?”
“She’s Michael’s twin sister.”
Ted’s eyes went wide under his cowl. “His sister? She’s alive?”
“Dr. Hunter saved her and brought her to the present.”
“Hee, I think this present is getting better and better! You think you can get ‘em all to come here?”
“It’s possible.”
Ted’s wide grin fell to something hesitant and uncertain. “Skeets,” he said softly, “you know I’d never hurt Booster.”
Not intentionally, Skeets didn’t say. Just as he didn’t say how painful it was, how furious Booster had been to fight Ted’s corpse or how nothing had broken Booster so thoroughly and so often as Ted’s death.
“I will inform you when everyone will be able to come, it may be a day or two. I suggest you not leave before then. Will you be in need of anything?”
“Nah.” Ted slapped one of the nearby crates. “I had this place stocked up with enough supplies to last months, I’m good.”
“Very well, then,” Skeets gave a little bob, “I will be in contact.”
He left the warehouse and Ted behind, quietly re-analyzing the meeting and everything he gathered on Ted during that short time. Perhaps he was being overly cautious- perhaps even paranoid -but there was a measure of distrust Skeets had for the entire situation. Not of Ted or the authenticity of who he was, Skeets merely didn’t want to risk Booster’s emotional wellbeing after it had taken him so long to stabilize again.
Guardian was too strong a term for the position Skeets suddenly found himself in, but he took that mantle without a moment’s hesitation, already planning on ways to keep a close watch on Ted. He would protect Booster, even from his best friend if it came down to it. Booster would not be hurt again. Not so long as Skeets could stop it.
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no subject
Date: 2010-03-05 12:13 pm (UTC)I love how you've written Skeets - his voice and his robo-ness (and despite that, his humanity). He feels so *perfect*, protecting Booster not on a physical but on an emotional level that makes it obvious that, robot or not, he really, really cares about him.
Considering how un-human-shaped Skeets is, I've always been kind of amazed by how wonderfully human he seems in the comics, and this is such a lovely extension.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-05 09:59 pm (UTC)Skeets was perfect. Ted was perfect. Skeets was perfect all over again.
You best be getting the next chapter to us soon!
no subject
Date: 2010-03-08 08:19 am (UTC)Glad you like it so far^^
no subject
Date: 2010-03-08 08:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-07-09 05:17 pm (UTC)