HenryJonesJr

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

^{The Bug. Gotham City. New Jersey.}

---

Even flying over the city, Gotham gives Ted the willies. While the pandemic may have affected New York to a greater extent than other American cities, causing a spike in crime and a breakdown in order, Gotham was in a permanent state of collapse for as long as Kord could remember. Its streets were a maze of twisting alleys and winding paths, owning to its Gothic design inspirations. When you walked its sidewalks, it was as if the buildings themselves hovered over you, their gargoyles peering down like hungry predators.

He had never liked to visit the place, mostly because of the Wayne murders back in the day. His father had told him all about them, and the similarities between his family and the Waynes led Ted to be paranoid about his father coming here for business. After all, if it happened to one rich family, why couldn't it happen to another? He had gotten over that childish fear, obviously. He came here himself on business often. But there was still something in the back of his mind whenever he was in the town, like an itch he could never quite scratch.

Crime was rampant here, and always had been. It got worse when New York started to clean itself up in the 90s, displacing a ton of, for lack of a better term, goons. What easier way for an out of work criminal to get gainfully employment than to move across the river? So as New York began to rise, Gotham just seemed to get worse. It was tragic, but the city seemed to bring it on itself, continually emrbacing its seedy and corrupt nature.

Whatever was going on at the train station, however, had nothing to do with Gotham's normal level of crime. A terrorist takeover was not the norm, and someone taking a bunch of hostages screamed bad news in Ted's mind. Terrorists didn't take hostages, at least not ones inside a huge, easily breachable building in the center of a city. These guys, whoever they were, wanted to put on a show.

As the Bug made its way towards Gotham Central Station, the proximity alarm started to blare inside the ship. Ted panicked, thinking it may have been an attack from some sentry the paramilitary terrorists had left on the roof, but instead he found that another aircraft was hovering over the train station.

"Kha, any heat signitures inside the aircraft?"

"No, sir."

"So it's hovering there automatically?"

"Why are you so surprised, sir? That is what this aircraft will be doing shortly."

"Yea...I know...I just...thought I was the only one who could do something like that," Blue Beetle was obviously crestfallen at the realization he was not as brilliant as he had hoped. He studied the readout of the aircraft, and saw it had a striking profile. Swooping crescents on each side gave it the appearance of a...bat? Yea, something like that.

"Man, he's even got a cooler gimmick than I do," Ted sighed. Why did he pick a bug?

"There is a heat signiture on the roof, sir," the AI program informed him. "Possibly the owner of said aircraft. Maybe you can ask him on some style points."

"Seriously, I don't know where this sense of humor came from, but I'm going to have to look into it," Ted sighed again and made his way to the center of the Bug, where in a few seconds he'd drop down towards the hostage situation. Before he did, however, he had another trick up his sleeve he wanted to try out. "Kha, dispatch two of the mini Beetles. Have one disrupt the power into the station, have another take out the generator back up the place turns to in emergencies. I want to make sure we're the only ones who can see well down there."

"Understood, sir."

With that, the bottom dropped out from below Ted, and he hung onto the drop rope tightly until it stopped a foot above the roof of Gotham Central Station. He stepped off lightly, and made his way to where Kha had indicated the heat signature was on top of the roof.

What Ted found surprised even him. Hunched over, peering down into the station through the large, glass-domed parts of the roof, was a man dressed, if Ted was being generous, as Dracula mixed with a SWAT officer. A long, flowing black cape hung off his shoulders, a pointed cowl obscured his face, and black and grey tactical armor covered his frame.

Blue Beetle approached, but before he could say anything, the man in black moved like the wind. He swept Ted's legs from under him, and pinned him to the ground with a knee to the chest, fist ready to strike.

The Beetle waved his hands, "Chill, dude! Same team! Same team!"

**********

---

**********

_{IC: Kobra Soldier}
So far, everything had gone as their leader has predicted. The pigs of Gotham were oblivious as Kobra slithered into their presence, the glorious soldiers of the true order coming in through multiple entrances, all dressed in their green and gold. Once they were inside, every soldier found their weapons exactly where their grand leader had told the security guards they had paid off to put them. Gotham was rotten to the core, and there was nothing easier than finding someone in the city to bribe. It was the perfect place for their sacrifice. They would wash the world of the filth of these people, showing the true God that it had servants ready to make the world ready for it.

He only wished he was on the kill floor when the sacrifice happened, not patrolling the outer corridors of the train station. Even though his master assured him he would reap the same benefits in paradise, he had his doubts.

But suddenly, the sound of broken glass behind him drew his attention. He turned to find a door opening slowly. Without thinking, he fired a round wildly into the door, hitting the top corner, and called out, "INTRUDER!"

@Master Bruce@Polyphemus

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

SIDEQUEST ALERT

The Kobra Cult has attacked Gotham Central Station and have taken a large group of hostages with the intent to ritually sacrifice the innocent people.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

^{Gotham Central Station. Gotham City.}

---

Noel Wright muffled tears as the men in green and gold tactical armor walked around their hostages. The men's heavy boots echoed through the cavernous atrium of Gotham Central Station, the only real sound outside of the small sobs of the other would-be passengers. She hadn't been able to count all of them in the madness that had just occurred, but she estimated there were at least two dozen, probably more. They couldn't all be inside. There would have to be some patrolling the roof and outside. This looked like a professional operation, and that's how it always was in the movies.

She had come to leave Gotham for a bit and visit with her sister down in Metropolis. When she was in line at the coffee shop to get what she assumed would have been the worst cup of coffee in existence, the men in green and gold had burst through the doors, firing their automatic rifles into the air and herded everyone they could into the center of the atrium. Some people had been shot. Some of those ones had been killed. Noel didn't see that first hand, but when screaming stopped after a loud bang, it didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what had gone down.

The uniforms the men wore bore no flag or insignia that Wright was familiar with. The gold on the outfit was odd, almost like they wanted to stand out. Each wore a masked helmet, and each one was painted to look like a snake. If they were terrorists, they certainly weren't shy.

Noel sat comforting a girl no older than fifteen. She had told Wright that her grandmother dropped her off for a quick trip back to her parents in New York. Noel's heart broke for her and her parents, who must be worried sick by now.

Suddenly, a man, in his twenties from the looks of things, stood and rushed at the nearest stormtrooper. Before he could get there, a shot rang out and his head exploded like an overripe melon. Noel pulled the girl in tight, shielding her eyes from the horror. Screams and cries rang out in a wave, as people truly began to panic.

"ENOUGH!" a voice rose above the din, and somehow managed to quiet the panicked people. Noel looked up to see a man in the same colors as the men with guns, except he wore a long, flowing robe instead of tactical gear. The hood of the robe covered his head and made him appear like a large cobra, matching the snake motif seen in the soldiers.

He made his way up to the level above the atrium, and opened his arms wide above the terrified crowd, "Fear not, my children. For you have been chosen. With your deaths, our god shall rise and this world will begin again. For all time hereafter, your names will be spoken with the utmost reverence on this, the holiest of days. So, I promise you, your deaths will not have been in vain."

At that moment, Noel couldn't keep the tears in any longer.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

^{Beetle Base. Westchester. New York State.}

---

Ted leaned back in his chair as the facial recognition information for the STAR Labs scientists that had been involved in the break in the other night. The three of them had all been members of Doctor Jeremiah Duncan's vaccine team, one of the first to develop a vaccine for the recent pandemic. None of this boded well, and Ted had to make sure Duncan was safe. It wouldn't be difficult to do that. Duncan was an old friend of Ted's, and an old lab partner from college. He was a biological genius, and even smarter than Ted was in the field. That was saying something, if Kord allowed himself some vanity. He'd give Jeremiah a call later.

But first he had some new toys to play around with.

The new gauntlets were slightly heavier than the other ones, but considering all the hardware packed into their slim casings, that was hardly a surprise. Kord was flabbergasted that they didn't weigh more, if he was being honest. But the teachings of the Scarab ran deep, and the BB Guns, as he had named them in jest, were proof of that.

"Okay, Kha," he called out to the AI as he stood in the large, open part of his underground base of operations. "Training simulation twenty-five."

In the blink of an eye, a holographic room appeared around him. It was populated by crates, barrels, and boxes, like a small storage facility. It was also filled with eight angry men who wanted to tear his head off, virtually speaking, of course.

The first two came from behind him to the left. He spun and flicked his left wrist down, pointing it at their faces. From the top of the gauntlet came a blinding flash of light. While the men weren't real, the holographic projectors/receptors that created them recognized that this light would stun a normal man for at least a few minutes. The light constructs recoiled in pain, and with another flick of the wrist, a small wire shot from another compartment of the gauntlet. It attached itself to one of the holographic crates, and with a yank from Ted, flew through the air and crashed into the attackers.

Before he could savor the easy victory, three more men rushed from behind him, their heavy footsteps giving away their attempted attack. He spun to face them, rotating his right wrist clockwise and his left one counterclokcwise. From the gauntlets came a compressed blast of air that struck the three of them and sent them flying through the air with more force than Ted had anticipated. He winced as one of them smashed into the far wall head-first with an impact that almost surely would have killed a man. He just needed to knock a man down, not an elephant.

"Kha, tone down compressed air shot by, oh, fifty percent," he commanded as two of the final three training dummies came his way. Instead of using one of the weapons he had already tested out on them, he wanted to try something new. He fired another shot from the zipline shooter, but instead of aiming to turn something into a projectile, he attached it to the ceiling of the room and brought himself through the air. He landed on the other side of the men, and with a quick sweep of the leg, caused both to crumble into a heap.

The final holographic training dummy was the biggest of the men, as Ted had designed the program. The gauntlets were charged by solar radiation, and were still at nearly a full charge, but Ted wanted to make sure he used all the weapons in his arsenal. There were bound to be times where he ran out of charge, or ammunition for one of the various gadgets included in the BB Guns. For those instances, he needed to be ready and able for anything the world was going to send his way.

The brute of a hologram cracked its knuckles as it made its way towards Ted, a little flourish he had Kha add to the training modules. It was always nice to feel like they really wanted to pull his head off if they ever got the chance.

With a large swipe, the hologram attempted to snare Kord in one of its frying-pan-sized hands. Reverting back to his old gymnastics training, he bent over backwards and performed a backwards somersault, putting some distance between him and the much larger combatant. That just seemed to piss the training module off, and it rushed his way, swinging wildly. Blue Beetle easily stayed out of its reach, flipping, twisting, and vaulting away from every potential haymaker.

Ted wasn't merely keeping his distance, though. Every time he escaped one of the blows, he was looking at the hologram's fighting style. Kha liked to switch up what got put into the training scenarios, but this time he just threw in a guy who was bigger and stronger with little to no training. That was going to make this all the more fun.

Blue Beetle waited for the opportune moment, as one of the hologram's mighty fists came crashing down towards him. Ted slid out of the way, and the hologram began to lose its balance. With a flourish, Ted fired one of his new restraining bands at the program's wrist. The U shaped projectile hit the wrist, the momentum causing the arm to come all the way down to the leg, and then wrapped itself around both extremities. The very large man looked like a cartoon bear who got stuck in a honey pot.

Without saying anything, the Beetle delivered a roundhouse kick to his jaw, knocking the hologram out. In another blink, the training program dissolved into nothingness around him.

"Well done, sir," Kha congratulated him. "A new record."

"Thanks," Kord smiled and looked down at his gauntlets. Now he really felt like he could take on anything a criminal threw at him.

"Sir," Kha continued, "while you were training, a new alert on my crime detector appeared. Would you like me to display it?"

Ted was surprised by that. He had thrown together a simple algorithm for Kha that would allow the AI to scan social media, news trackers, and police scanners for possible locations of interest. He figured it would have taken longer for the program to really gain its footing and spit back any results.

"Sure thing."

The surprise faded when he saw the news report now being broadcast on the television. Gotham Central Station was under attack.

"Kha, when did this come through?"

"Just now, sir."

Without another word, the Blue Beetle hopped in the Bug and was off.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

Just a heads up, hoping to have our first side quest up on Friday or Saturday

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT!

@HenryJonesJr has generously accepted the position of Co-GM alongside myself and @Hillan, and will be the architect for the upcoming-and-completely-optional mini-events that we intend to implement in the IC. Henry's proven himself as a capable GM in his own right many times over, a fantastic writer and an all-around great guy, so his expanded contributions to the game are sure to make things alot more exciting.

@Master Bruce

I look forward to torturing your characters

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

^{The Bug. Hovering over Harlem Police Precinct. New York City}

---

Blue Beetle stared at the small drone that floated silently in front of him. It wasn't any bigger than a small Frisbee, though it was shaped much like the scarab whose tech led to its design. It was silent, ran on solar power, and could, theoretically, change its color to suit its environment. Ted had designed it to be able to infiltrate places that were too dangerous for him, and it was going to get its first try out tonight.

"Okay, little buddy," he talked to the thing, even though he knew it couldn't hear him. "Don't get caught. I'd hate to have to self destruct you on your first spy mission."

The drone didn't respond, obviously, and Ted made his way back to the pilot chair. With a flip of a switch, the hatch in the floor of the Bug opened, and the drone dropped out of the craft. In front of Ted, the viewport of the Bug turned into a 360 degree view of the area around the Beetle drone. He took the controls, and flew the little drone down towards the precinct.

Using the anitgrav generators, the mini Bug was silent and stealthy as it approached its destination. The windows of the detention cells were squat and thin, but by the Bug's calculations the drone would be able to slip through and get in communication with the prisoners inside.

Now he just had to find them.

It was easy enough to track the heat signatures inside the building, but Ted needed to make sure he got a cell with one of the men who had lost the crazy coloring he had found them wearing in the first place. He didn't need one of the other, crazier inmates sounding the alarm. He didn't need to get in a chase with a police helicopter tonight.

The drone drifted silently past the first window and peered in. Ted could see one of the men still swirled with what seemed like every neon color of the rainbow. He seemed to be murmuring to himself as he ran his hands through his snow-white hair, tugging at it as he did. A guard passed by the cell and he yelled something about how they couldn't stop the revolution. How no one could.

"Maybe 'Madniks' aren't that bad of a name after all," Ted mused to himself as he pushed the drone's controls towards the next cell.

Inside that one sat a man with a much more haggard appearance. His white, button up shirt was stained with sweat, the bags under his eyes were the size of suit cases, and it looked as if he had been crying. It took Ted a moment to realize that this man was the one he had knocked out on the roof of STAR Labs before he had entered. On the roof he had seemed to be as lithe and dangerous as the others in his gang, but now he came off as nothing more than a pitiable creature in a cage.

With a sigh, Ted pushed the drone into the cell. It was clear the man had no idea that the small device had joined him, so Ted turned on the drone's holographic projector, and an image of himself appeared in front of the man, who jumped back in fear, "No! You can't make me do anything again!"

"Shhh! Shut up!" Ted put his hands up. "I'm here to help you."

"I don't believe you," the prisoner's eyes were wide with fear, darting back and forth. "Technology like this is the only explanation. Did you implant something in my brain? In all our brains?"

"I didn't implant anything into you brain," Ted shook his head. "I'm the guy that tried to stop you and your friends the other night. And after I knocked you out I watched as you went from something out of a Tex Avery cartoon to what you are now. That doesn't make any sense, and I gotta figure out what the hell is going on."

"Wait...," the imprisoned man looked down at his hands before looking back at Ted, "you're telling me I looked like one of them? One of the others?"

The Blue Beetle nodded his head, "You did indeed. Jumping around like a madman. Talking about anarchy. The whole deal. You really don't remember any of it?"

"Not a second," he shook his head despondently. "The last thing I remembered before waking up in a cell was leaving work. It was late, and I felt someone behind me. I turned, and...that was it."

Feigned amnesia wasn't new in the world of criminal defenses. It was as old as laws themselves, and never had held up beyond a moment's consideration. But Ted felt deep down inside that there was something stranger about all of this. He had watched this very man go from looking like a paint store explosion to what was sitting in front of him. If that was possible, it was damn well possible that the man could have no recollection of his activities while he was in that state.

"Listen, I believe you, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you are set free," Blue Beetle assured the man. "But I'm going to need all the information I can possibly get. You said you were attacked at work. Where was that?"

The man chuckled, "That's the funny thing. I worked at STAR Labs. All of us who don't remember anything do. We all worked in the biotech lab that was robbed."

Kord's mind swam at this admission. This was worse than he had imagined beforehand. Whoever had broken in needed these men's knowledge about their work, which included the vaccine for the recent pandemic. If whoever was behind all this was looking to do some serious biological damage, there wasn't a better place to start. With the technology they had stolen, they could design a vaccine-resistant form of the virus if they really wanted to. Such a thing would be catastrophic to the world.

Before Ted could ask any more questions, however, a huge spotlight from below drew his attention away from the interview with the man. Blue Beetle cursed under his breath, realizing that the police had somehow been alerted to his presence. Could have been a lucky glance from a cop smoking on the roof, he didn't know. All he did know was that he couldn't hang around any longer.

"I have to go," he quickly said to the innocent man. "But I'm not going to leave you to rot in this cell. I promise."

The small drone was recalled, and almost immediately the Bug shot into the dark sky, disappearing out of the view of a police in a blink.

^{Warehouse. Docks. New York City}

---

The multi-colored man stood impatiently in the dimly lit warehouse he was instructed to meet his employer for payment. Under his arm was a small, but powerful, piece of bio-engineering equipment that had been his mission. He didn't care what it did or what his employer wanted with it. All he knew was that he was going to make more money than he could imagine for handing it over. With that money he could really paint the town red...or every color under the sun.

"You're late," a robotic voice, one that seemed to emanate from a computer announced itself from the darkness.

Farley Fleeter had never met his benefactor. All the madman knew was that he had more money than God and was probably smarter than the big guy too. He promised Farley free reign and all the money he could ever want as long as the anarchist did a job for him now and again. Word on the street was the guy was called "The Brain", but Fleeter would never say that to his boss's face...if he ever saw his face of course.

"Traffic is just hell in this city," Fleeter chuckled. "But I have the gene splicer like you asked."

"You had trouble," the passionless, monotone voice responded.

Farley cursed under his breath. Of course The Brain had heard about the weirdo in the blue suit. The men that had been captured almost certainly had blabbed. Why wouldn't they have? No one expected a weirdo in a suit showing up to try and stop them from accomplishing their goal.

"Yes," Fleeter sneered. "Some joker in blue. Was fast. Trained fighter. I thought my men could take care of him. Clearly I was wrong."

A long moment of silence hung in the air between them. The hair stood on the neck of Fleeter. He didn't know why. He was fast and he was agile. Even moreso now than before. But something about the presence of the man that made him what he was unnerved him.

"Unforeseen circumstances must be anticipated," the electronic voice chided him. "Months ago the world did not seem as odd as you now know it to be. Did you truly think you were now invincible?"

"Well, no, but I mean, what are the chanc-"

"Much greater than you can calculate," The Brain cut him off. "While you use your abilities for crime, there are others that certainly will use them for the law. Especially when the 'law' of the city are not to be counted on."

Fleeter's eyes narrowed, "You saying this guy is like me?"

"Unknown without more known observation," was the reply. "But he is a variable that must be understood. Please place the splicer where you stand."

Fleeter looked down before trying to take a step forward. Before he did so however, a deep, angry growl came from somewhere else in the darkness. It wasn't from the same direction that The Brain had been talking to him from. No, this was from behind him. He quickly dropped the device, and was rewarded with a duffle bag of money tossed through the air towards him.

"Thank you, Mr. Fleeter," the robotic voice was gracious. "Now, I would like you to use that money as you see fit. That will draw out our new friend and allow me to analyze him a bit more."

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

Alright, so. I think the easiest way to solve lower activity rates is to inspire more interaction opportunities. And the most effective way to do that, without arbitrarily forcing people to start writing collaborative posts together, is to incorporate linear story elements into the RP.

My suggestion, as I've laid out in the Discord, is to utilize mini-events or "sidequests." As has been the status quo over the last several years, these games now tend to have end-of-season GM events that are wide-spanning crossovers able to pull in every player and character at once. As was witnessed in the previous two games, these are very successful and positively viewed. And they tend to bring together players who may not have ever written together in that particular RP. I say we take that concept and miniaturize it down.

A sidequest would be relatively simple: one of the GMs puts up an IC post detailing some sort of natural crisis or criminal act in a section of the world some of our characters would be close by to. For instance, half-a-dozen high-skilled individuals breaking into a California facility where weapons-grade plutonium is held. That GM would then post in the OOC announcing that this is a mini-event and that any player who can reasonably get their character there to react to this crime-in-progress may choose to do so, and would list a small checklist of what would likely need to be achieved in order to resolve this sidequest. For example: prevent the theft of plutonium, with a bonus objective of apprehending those responsible. The players that choose to respond can then resolve this sidequest as they see fit without further GM action. If multiple players respond, they now have an easy opportunity for their characters to interact. If only one player responds, that's fine, too, as the sidequest still serves to make the world we're writing in feel more lived-in.

If no one responds, though, after say a week or two, then the GM will then write a second, closing post in the IC detailing the success of the criminal's plans. No one resolving the mini-event would mean "consequences" in that civilian life could be lost, or the criminals could now be even more dangerous the next time. In the same example as above, the criminals now have weapons-grade plutonium and could return in several weeks now holding the city of Los Angeles hostage by the threat of a dirty bomb - thus upping the stakes for a future sidequest. These are the sorts of "consequences" that make the world feel lived-in and real - it's not just what our characters do that build the world, but also what they don't do - while at the same time not feeling like a punishment for choosing to ignore a particular sidequest.

This method, I think, should spur a lot of interaction with minimal effort - GMs would only need to write a single, relatively brief IC post for each sidequest, or two if it is not resolved. It would also help expand upon the world we write in, filling out the backdrop events and giving more opportunity to include these sorts of stories that often don't make sense in our solo arcs. And, further down the road when it makes sense for a year one story, these sidequests can be used to introduce minor comic book villains that may not be utilized otherwise. And, they can even be used to tie-in to the overall season-ending event, whether directly or indirectly, so we can truly feel like said major event has been built up to. There's a lot that can be done with this method that doesn't require any drastic change.

As someone who went into this RP with the intent to fully interact with others this time, but can't always rationalize teaming up with certain characters under normal circumstances, these sidequests could be very beneficial.

Introducing a new sidequest every two weeks or so could be a great way to improve activity, inspire inter-player interaction, and create new, interesting story beats that feel even more like the comic books we all love and enjoy.

@Retired

I really, really like this idea.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

^{Kord Mansion. Westchester. New York State}

---

After returning from dinner and placing his precious, precious leftovers in the fridge, Ted once again made his way towards his private lab. It was nice today felt normal after his escapades the night before. Going into this, he worried he would be consumed with his adventuring. So far, so good on that front at least.

The pain in his jaw had finally died down, and the swelling seemed to have gone away as well. It was honestly a miracle it wasn't broken, probably thanks to the stabilizing protection of his cowl. Still, if he was going to continue doing this, he was going to need a way to take on multiple goons at one time. He was a good fighter, and had trained with many senseis across the globe during his travels with Dan, but he wasn't good enough to take half a dozen on without some assistance.

"Welcome home, sir," Kha said as Ted took a seat at the computer. "The renders you asked for are complete."

"Great, put them up on the display," Ted responded to the AI, letting out a belch to make some more room in his stomach around all that beautiful beef. He was going to need to do a serious workout tomorrow to make up for all that he ate. Couldn't be fighting crime with a protruding gut now, could he?

Instantly, on the screen in front of him, Kha's renders of the plans he had started working on this morning appeared. Wanting to get a more comprehensive view, had instructed, "Give me these in the holograms."

"Understood, sir."

He spun his chair around, and the air directly around the computer came alive with blue light. Now around him floated a light construct of his plan. The image was something like a gun. It almost looked like a ray gun from an old sci fi movie, like Flash Gordon would be using it to defeat Ming the Merciless. Instead of the normal, sleek firing area there was a bulbous top with a sort of antenna sticking out of it.

With a swipe of his hand, he exploded the build, sending the components of the gun out in a snowflake like pattering. He could see the self defense mechanisms he had baked into the weapon. A flash LED that could temporarily disorient attackers was pretty standard. Police had used flashbangs for years, and at least this one wouldn't come with an explosion. The other device that he had built into it was a powerful compressed air canon. Using version of the antigrav generators, he had managed to create a blast of air strong enough to send a man flying. By his calculations it could take an elephant off its feet...not that he'd ever try that.

Outside of the crowd control measures he implemented, he also added some Swiss Army Knife-like features, including a cutting laser and a grappling hook using a fine, strong wire, not unlike that used in the bug.

It was a solid start overall, but something still bugged him about it. The gun would only work when he had the jump on his enemies. If he got in a situation like the other night, he might be disarmed rather easily. He could program the gun to only work if he had it in his possession, sure. But even if his enemies couldn't use it against him, it would do Ted no good if it got knocked from his hands.

"Kha," a thought came to him, "display the Beetle suit. Exploded view of the gauntlets."

Without a word of acknowledgement, a hologram of the suit appeared next to the gun. The suit was mostly made up of a light weight, metal alloy weave fabric. It was lightweight, durable, and protective. But he had put thicker armored plates on strategic places. Elbows, knees, wrists, those sorts of things. The gauntlets that protected his wrists wrapped around half of his forearm. While they were just made up of kevlar and the same ballistic fiber that made up the suit, he saw the opportunity to make them more.

Moving like a man possessed, Ted's hands flew through the air, combining the components of the gauntlets with the components of the handheld gun. The resulting apparatus was bulkier than the old pieces of armor, but not to the point of being cumbersome. The tech learned from the Scarab allowed a phenomenal amount of micro sizing components. It could have been the next microchip if Ted could perfect it.

"Okay, Kha, run some diagnostics. I'll check on them in the morning."

Making his way back up to the mansion, Kord stopped off in the large drawing room off the main foyer on the first floor. This was once his father's cigar smoking room and lounge where he entertained business associates and friends. The dark wood and old furniture gave it the appearance of the salons of old, but Ted had given it some modern updates, including a large TV and a pool table. He wasn't a smoker, but there was nothing like watching a game with friends in your own personal sports bar.

Ted poured himself a small glass of bourbon and took a seat, flipping on the TV as he did so. On came the local news, and what he saw on the screen made him sit up in the plush chair he had started to relax in. The chyron that ran along the bottom of the screen read "Technicolor Thieves in New York?"

The reporter on the screen was standing outside STAR Labs in Harlem, "What started out as a normal breaking and entering took a turn for the weird when police arrived on the scene and found something they didn't expect."

With a screen cut to earlier in the day, a police officer appeared on the screen, "Yea, well, when we arrived on the scene we found multiple suspects either unconscious or restrained. Some of which were, as we initially believed, painted in weird, hippy-like patterns. We later discovered that their skin was permanently like this. The reason for this is unknown."

Cutting back to the reporter, "And the strangeness doesn't end there. The men who are currently in custody who weren't oddly colored claim they have no recollection of being at STAR labs or how they got there, while the so-called 'Madniks', the term the police are using for the multi-colored criminals hearkening to their 60s-esque appearance, have told police that they were accosted by a man dressed in all blue. Whatever the case may be, the suspects are being held at a local precinct until their preliminary hearings. Strange times out here in Harlem. This is Melody Case, reporting from STAR Labs."

"Madniks? Come on people," Ted shook his head. Ridiculous bad guy names aside, the report was fascinating. The men who had the color drain from them after he had knocked them out claimed to have no clue why they were involved in the heist. How that was possible he had no idea, but then again they went from looking like cartoon characters to normal people. So weird was going around these days.

One thing was certain, however. Ted needed to speak to these men. Even if they had no idea why they were involved in a break in, at the very least they had been chosen by the mastermind of the crime for a reason. If he could figure out that reason, maybe he'd be able to figure out what was really going on.

DC Universe: Genesis - Justice For All

^{Kord Sciences Building. Manhattan. New York City}

---

Ted leaned back in his chair and peered out the floor to ceiling windows that lined his office. While Kord Sciences didn't have the largest building in New York, he still had one hell of a view of the city he loved. Buildings lined his vision like impeccably drilled army ready to march. Well, an impeccably drilled army made up of soldiers with hilariously differing heights. The thought made him chuckle, and then he was embarrassed that he laughed at his own internal monologue.

He was proud of what he had here. It wasn't the largest building, but it was his. Made by the efforts of him and his scientists, Kord Sciences had become a true force for good in the world. No longer was his name tied up in the military industrial complex, and he could be secure in the knowledge that would be a permanent fixture.

Before he could get too comfortable with everything he had helped build here, Beatriz da Costa came bursting into his office. The tall, tanned woman had her long, curly hair pulled back into a bun, and wore a suit covering her thin frame. Dark, piercing eyes stared at him with the intensity she brought to her work, and which scared him just a little bit. Beatriz was a whiz when it came to marketing and PR, but Ted always thought she missed her call as a model due to the striking looks that were probably considered stereotypical when considering a Brazilian woman. Of course he had never said that to her. That would be crazy. In fact, he probably should never have thought that. It'd probably get him in trouble one way or another.

"You know you run this company right?" her eyebrow cocked at him, a playful smile hidden behind faux annoyance. "Coming in halfway through the day is not how CEOs usually do things."

"No?" he asked. "I thought that was part of the whole appeal of it. That and the oodles of money, of course."

"Very funny," she shook her head. "I set up an interview with USNN for tomorrow about the climate projects."

Ted twirled around in his seat with annoyance and groaned, "You know I hate interviews."

"Mhm," she responded condescendingly. "I also know that every time you do one our stock price goes up a few points."

Nodding with approval, he responded, "I do like that."

"It's almost like I know what I'm doing," he face morphed into a mask of mock surprise. He liked her, if he was being honest. She was fun, and brought some much needed life to the office. Kord loved being around other scientists, but even he had to admit they were far from the best company when it came to water cooler banter.

"Yea, yea," he wave her out of the office. As she was at the door, he teased, "You're a pain in my ass."

"Excuse me?" she turned back with fire in her eyes. "What did you say about my ass?"

"I-I...no...I didn't-"

"Oh my god you should see your face," she cackled as she left the office.

"That...that was not funny," he sighed.

Before he could actually get down to work, his computer alerted him that Dr. Olafsdotter was calling in from the Arctic Circle. He patched the call in, and a holographic screen popped up from his desk displaying the Norwegian scientist. The striking blue eyes and so-blond-it's-almost-white hair that were her most striking features hit Ted like a stiff breeze, "Mr. Kord, it's been a few weeks."

"Dr. Olafsdotter," he smiled, always being entranced by her Scandinavian beauty, "I'm sorry about that. I've been busy."

"So have we," she smiled broadly. "The machine works."

That made Ted sit a bit higher in his chair, refocused on business and not the beautiful woman, "It works? Like we thought it would?"

Tora had come to him with a theory that through a natural chemical procedure she could recover Arctic and Antarctic ice that had been loss from climate change. He had worked with her to develop a solar powered machine to facilitate the chemical process without the need for an operator. For the past three months she had been experimenting with it.

"Better," her eyebrows raised. "In fact, the issue we're running into now is that it runs too well. We almost froze over the entire bay before we shut it off."

"Woo!" he slapped his desk in triumph. "Working too well is better than not at all. Tora, you've made my day."

"Yes, I think I will return to New York to work on the levels for now. I love my home, but I could use some warmth," she shivered, drawing her blue parka closer to herself.

"Great, can't wait to see you. I'll have everyone over my pool to celebrate your return to livable latitudes," he responded, and instantly realized that was a highly, highly inappropriate offer.

She was slightly taken aback, but didn't seem offended by the idea, "Oh. Well. That would be nice. I look forward to seeing you as well, Mr. Kord."

Mr. Kord...I am totally getting a sexual harassment suit

---

^{Garrett Household. Westchester. New York State.}

"Ted, would you talk some sense into my son?" Joan Garrett asked as she served Kord a big plate of her brisket, Ted's absolute favorite. He wouldn't have missed this for the world. Growing up as the second Garrett son more or less, it was always his favorite. No one could make brisket as tender as Joan's. Still, he missed Dan every time he was here for dinner. It just wasn't the same without the family's patriarch. "Allison is just waiting for a ring and he keeps dragging his feet."

Joan wasn't wrong on that end. Dave's girlfriend might have already killed him if she wasn't so patient. And it wasn't from a lack of Dave's desire to be with her, more his own ineptitude in reading social situations. If Ted constantly put his foot in his mouth when it came to talking to the opposite sex, Dave just missed every hint ever laid at his feet.

After chewing and swallowing his first big bite, savoring every note of flavor he could, Ted laughed lightly, "Joan, if he ever listened to anything I said you'd have a few grandkids by now."

"Yea, but not any legitimate ones," Dave quipped, earning a light slap on the back of his head from his mother. "Hey, lighten up, Mom."

"She's not wrong, buddy," Ted shrugged. "It's time to settle down."

His eyes narrowed at Kord, and with a point said, "I'll propose to Allison when you ask Tora out."

Ted's eyes widened with horror as Joan turned her attention to him. Kord damned his friend's innate ability to turn any sticky situation he was in around on someone else.

"Who is this Tora?" Mrs. Garrett's eyebrows perked up.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, "She's that environmental scientist and engineer working on our Arctic ice project. And if you really want to know, she's coming back to New York next week...and I may have invited her to the mansion pool because she mentioned how she wanted to get back to the warmth?"

"Oh buddy you are so bad at this," Dave winced with sympathy.

"Well, what did she say to that?" Joan attempted to be positive, but it was clear even she felt he probably made a mistake with that one.

"She...didn't seem offended? Seemed like she'd be for it? Crap, I have to have a company-wide pool party at my house, don't I?" Ted groaned.

"Yes. Sounds like it, dude," Dan laughed through a bite of brisket.