47 Conclusion #47
Observing Whisperwind's dramatic exit after casually removing the boulder like it was a light snack, I couldn't help but sport a mischievous grin. "She's got that 'I'm-offended' breeze going," I remarked, chuckling and casting a glance at Ted.
He rolled his eyes, probably filing my antics under 'Things That Annoy Me.'"I'd be annoyed too if someone treated my life story like elevator music," Ted said, giving me a reproachful look. "Anyway, are we going in or just hosting a nature show outside?" he added, gesturing theatrically toward the now-opened cave entrance.
I gave Ted a nonchalant nod. "You go do the spelunking thing... I'll play the vigilant hero and scout the surroundings. Gotta make sure no surprise parties are waiting to ambush us," I declared with a wink, and without waiting for Ted's response, he headed into the dark cave.
"Don't forget, I call dibs on the shiniest piece of loot," I shouted after him, leaning against a nearby tree as if it held the secrets of the universe.
Unfazed, Ted retorted without looking back, "You already swiped the Father Box! Remember our deal – the first pick of the cave goodies is mine! I'm next!"
"Yeah, but the Father Box was outside the cave, wasn't it?" I replied with a grin.
"Damn it! I completely forgot about that! You greedy..." His grumbling faded as he ventured deeper into the cave, leaving me to my one-sided debate with the tree.
As Ted vanished into the cave, my confident grin faded, replaced by a grimace of pain. My knees decided they'd had enough of the hero act and buckled, sending me crashing down onto all fours. The air stuck in my throat, and I grunted, claws digging into the dirt.
It was a feeling of helplessness, an unwelcome reminder of my vulnerability. The seconds seemed to stretch at the time, creating an eternity within that oppressive darkness.
I might have acted careless about the entire situation, but it was all just a stubborn act fueled by my own foolish pride. In those moments when I was trapped in Darkseid's looming presence, time slowed to a crawl.
In the clutches of the God of Evil and Tyranny, I felt a profound weakness, a helplessness that was beyond any I'd experienced before. Every fiber of my being rebelled against the vulnerability, and I despised it with a passion.
The seconds ticked by, each one a reminder of my own powerlessness, and my hands shook as I clawed at the ground beneath me. I gnashed my teeth, frustration and defiance swirling in my chest.
"Darkseid... I'll make you pay," I muttered through gritted teeth, only to be halted by the protective barrier of my Guardian Veil. My determination surged despite the physical limitations. "A hundred times... a thousand times... even if it's the last thing I do in my life," I declared, pausing to catch my breath.
Standing on shaky knees, I sighed, realizing Rattigan observed my mini-meltdown from a short distance. "I must look like a pitiful sight to you, rat," I quipped with a bitter smile.
Rattigan responded with a series of chitters, which I didn't understand for the first time, his expression unreadable, before hopping onto my shoulder.
"Why do I feel like those chitters of yours were oddly comforting?" I mused, receiving another chitter that translated to, "Don't overthink it, human."
Shaking off the moment, I plastered my usual grin on my face and sauntered into the cave's entrance. The darkness inside seemed like a welcome refuge compared to the suffocating presence of Darkseid.
...
Lounging on the floor of my New York apartment, I was practically the cat that got the canary, grinning ear to ear at the alien gadget smorgasbord spread out before me.
A delightful mishmash of Apokoliptan tech lay in disarray – energy blasters ranging from sleek sidearms to hefty blunderbusses, energy shield generators for that extra layer of intergalactic security, a mind-scanning gizmo to detect brainwashing and control shenanigans.
Then there was a translator implant that promised to turn me into a polyglot prodigy, and to top it off, an adaptive camouflage cloak that could give Harry Potter's invisibility cloak a run for its money.
Now, I'd love to boast that I understood the inner workings of these marvels, but reality check – the energy blasters and the translator implant were pretty much my wheelhouse. Stick that translator behind my ears, and voila, babel fish mode activated. Aim the barrel of the blaster at the bad guy, and boom-- he's got a hole in his stomach.
Full disclosure: I wouldn't have cracked that code without Ted's genius-level tech savviness. But hey, credit where it's due.
The abandoned Apokoliptan outpost might have been the hand-me-downs the parademons scoffed at, but let's not kid ourselves – these were goodies that could make Tony Stark weep with jealousy.
The technology was lightyears ahead of anything regular Earthlings could cook up in the next century. By regular Earthlings, of course, I don't mean the Lex Luthor and Ted Kords of this world.
If such people put their minds to it, they could probably invent something even better in less than a year, but that's neither here nor there.
Sorting through the alien tech bonanza turned out to be a diplomatic nightmare. The snag? Limited quantities of these extraterrestrial gizmos. On one side, we had personal-use treasures like energy blasters – perfect for yours truly.
On the other, there were groundbreaking technologies that could catapult Earth's science into the future, and Ted, being the tech genius he is, wanted his hands on all of it. I can't blame him; my reverse engineering skills weren't exactly setting the world on fire.
We hit a roadblock in our loot-sharing escapade. Ted argued that I lacked the finesse to utilize these wonders for the greater good, and honestly, he had a point. But surrendering everything to him? Not on my watch.
I might not be a tech whiz, but I had the system, my secret ace in the hole for tinkering with this high-end alien gear.
Without spilling the beans about the system, I pitched my brilliant plan. Post-adventure, I intended to start a company, gather a brainy squad of scientists, and set them loose on reverse engineering the alien wonders.
Eventually, we'd roll out innovative products and rake in the big bucks. Ted, of course, couldn't just hand over the goods without a guarantee.
After heated negotiations, a compromise emerged from the alien gadget summit. I'd snag all the combat-ready devices and those nifty translator implants. In return, Ted got dibs on everything else, with the condition that he'd share the blueprints once he deciphered the extraterrestrial secrets.
Down the line, when it's all said and done, we'd hash out who got the rights to develop and sell which technology. Tada! Problem solved, and we avoided a potential alien tech feud.
With a cool ten million safely nestled in my bank account as our agreed-upon payment for the alien tech intel, I was primed and ready to roll out my grand schemes.
Gotham loomed as my first destination; I needed to recruit the brainiacs, starting with none other than the icy Mr. Freeze. But, there was a crucial pitstop on my agenda – a little something to ensure I wouldn't fall victim to mind control antics again.
In the vast playground of the system, I scouted for the perfect defense, and there it was – a permanent mental barrier sitting pretty in the system's shop.
Said to be to be ten times mightier than the mental warding talisman, it was a no-brainer. Without much ado, I dove into the system's shop, swiped my virtual credit card, and snagged it for a cool 800 points. The aftermath? A humbler points balance of 530.
Oh, the nostalgia of being points-strapped, like the good ol' days when I didn't have an overabundance of points—seems like just yesterday I was swimming in over 2000 of them.
"Time to tighten the belt and embrace the life of a frugal spender..." I mused, putting the alien gadgets into my shadow storage and standing up. "Goodnight, big guy," I said as I passed by Rattigan, resting on his improvised throne before throwing myself into the bed.
The cheeky rodent twitched his whiskers with an air of self-importance and didn't even bother to chitter at me before closing his eyes and returning to his beauty sleep.
...
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