Post by johnreiter902 on Jun 18, 2024 0:45:36 GMT
Lightning in a Bottle
By aarnathx
Sitting at the console of the gigantic machine, Alexander Luthor watched the glowing screen intently as the most recent readings he’d taken scrolled across it. A smile slowly lifted his lips. As his fingers danced across the keyboard, Alex hummed a few bars of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to himself.
To both side of the machine stood a complex looking antenna array, and suspended in the air between them were three gyroscope rings of varied sizes slowly spinning within one another, hovering over a small metal platform. Tendrils of electricity jumped and crackled between each antenna and the spinning rings, filling the air with noise and the smell of ozone. Beneath the rings, the machine rumbled in its deep bass voice.
Reaching over to the side, Alex twisted a dial over to its maximum setting.
“Here goes nothing,” he muttered to himself, as the machine’s humming intensified.
Almost instantly, the lightning increased in its intensity. Light from the bolts cast crazy shadows across the walls behind the scientist, but he paid them no mind. Every iota of his attention was riveted on the spinning rings and the platform they hovered above. Gradually, the lightning spitting from the antennas began coalescing in the center of the rotating rings.
“Excellent,” Alex mused. Reaching over to his side once more, he pulled three levers in quick succession.
Beneath the platform, a small hatch opened in the top of the machine, allowing a third, smaller antenna to emerge. It began to emit a reddish light, directed at the platform. Power cells imbedded in the lower surface of the platform began absorbing the crimson light, channeling it through cables and towards the center of the platform’s upper surface where it began to merge with the accumulating electrical energy. As the new energy began mixing with the electrical discharge, the mass of energy began to seethe, like a barely contained animal desperate for release.
Deep within the ball of light, a shadow began to form. At first, the darkness was indistinct- little more than a shapeless blob. As time passed, the shadow began to gain more human definition; arms, legs, head and torso could be identified.
* * *
With a final burst of light and electricity, both the machine’s hum and the mass of energy died off abruptly, leaving the figure behind. Crouched down on the platform, his head lowered as he gasped for air, the room’s light glinted off the figure’s helmet. Slowly, with shaking legs, the lithe man stood. Garbed in red boots and a yellow uniform with crimson lightning bolts crossing over his shoulders and down to his chest, the newcomer slowly looked around the unfamiliar room.
“Where…Where am I?” His voice cracked and rasped from disuse.
Grasping a glass of water and holding it out to him, Alex smiled. “You’re back on Earth, Mr. Chambers.”
“Chambers?” Taking the glass, he drank it down swiftly. Shaking his head slightly, the man tapped his chest. “That’s my name?”
“Yes. Your name is Johnny Chambers,” Alex explained. “You also go by the name ‘Professor Zoom, the Reverse-Quick.’ You’ve spent the last few years inside what’s called the ‘Speed Force.’”
“Speed Force?” Scratching his chin in thought, Johnny nodded slowly. “Yeah, that sounds… familiar.”
“Do you remember how you got there?”
“I remember… a fight,” Johnny said. “Screams… running… bright light… someone shoving me… and I remember someone laughing.” Shrugging helplessly, Johnny Chambers reached up and unsnapped his helmet’s chinstrap. Removing his helmet, Chambers ran a hand through short cropped, sweat-plastered blond hair. His blue eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
“My name is Alexander Luthor,” the scientist replied, handing Chambers another glass of water. “Drink this. Aside from the water, it has some chemical compounds in it to help you with your memory.”
Taking it from his hand, Johnny tentatively sipped it, making a face as he did so.
“Yuck. Bitter.”
Alex shrugged apologetically. “Sorry about that.”
Downing the remainder of the glass, Johnny swooned briefly. “Whoa! What the Heaven was in that?”
“Like I said- chemical compounds to help you with your memory,” Alex patiently explained once more. “Speaking of which, do you remember anything more about your past life?”
Setting the glass down, Johnny Chambers nodded. “Yeah. I was the original Johnny Quick’s secondary lab assistant. After he had that accident in the lab which gave him his speed-powers, and that junkie trash Jerry McGee hooked up with him, I was pushed off into the background.” Shaking his head, Johnny sighed. “I knew it was only a matter of time before Jerry killed Johnny, took his place, and came after me. That’s why I secretly re-created the experiment that gave Johnny his speed-powers, and gave them to myself.”
Alex’s eyebrow rose. “So, you DON’T need Mach-1 or Speed4S to gain your powers?”
Chambers shook his head. “Nope.”
“Good.” Leaning closer, Alex smiled. “That being the case, I’ve got a business proposition for you.”
-To be continued in The Gathering Storm
By aarnathx
Sitting at the console of the gigantic machine, Alexander Luthor watched the glowing screen intently as the most recent readings he’d taken scrolled across it. A smile slowly lifted his lips. As his fingers danced across the keyboard, Alex hummed a few bars of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to himself.
To both side of the machine stood a complex looking antenna array, and suspended in the air between them were three gyroscope rings of varied sizes slowly spinning within one another, hovering over a small metal platform. Tendrils of electricity jumped and crackled between each antenna and the spinning rings, filling the air with noise and the smell of ozone. Beneath the rings, the machine rumbled in its deep bass voice.
Reaching over to the side, Alex twisted a dial over to its maximum setting.
“Here goes nothing,” he muttered to himself, as the machine’s humming intensified.
Almost instantly, the lightning increased in its intensity. Light from the bolts cast crazy shadows across the walls behind the scientist, but he paid them no mind. Every iota of his attention was riveted on the spinning rings and the platform they hovered above. Gradually, the lightning spitting from the antennas began coalescing in the center of the rotating rings.
“Excellent,” Alex mused. Reaching over to his side once more, he pulled three levers in quick succession.
Beneath the platform, a small hatch opened in the top of the machine, allowing a third, smaller antenna to emerge. It began to emit a reddish light, directed at the platform. Power cells imbedded in the lower surface of the platform began absorbing the crimson light, channeling it through cables and towards the center of the platform’s upper surface where it began to merge with the accumulating electrical energy. As the new energy began mixing with the electrical discharge, the mass of energy began to seethe, like a barely contained animal desperate for release.
Deep within the ball of light, a shadow began to form. At first, the darkness was indistinct- little more than a shapeless blob. As time passed, the shadow began to gain more human definition; arms, legs, head and torso could be identified.
* * *
With a final burst of light and electricity, both the machine’s hum and the mass of energy died off abruptly, leaving the figure behind. Crouched down on the platform, his head lowered as he gasped for air, the room’s light glinted off the figure’s helmet. Slowly, with shaking legs, the lithe man stood. Garbed in red boots and a yellow uniform with crimson lightning bolts crossing over his shoulders and down to his chest, the newcomer slowly looked around the unfamiliar room.
“Where…Where am I?” His voice cracked and rasped from disuse.
Grasping a glass of water and holding it out to him, Alex smiled. “You’re back on Earth, Mr. Chambers.”
“Chambers?” Taking the glass, he drank it down swiftly. Shaking his head slightly, the man tapped his chest. “That’s my name?”
“Yes. Your name is Johnny Chambers,” Alex explained. “You also go by the name ‘Professor Zoom, the Reverse-Quick.’ You’ve spent the last few years inside what’s called the ‘Speed Force.’”
“Speed Force?” Scratching his chin in thought, Johnny nodded slowly. “Yeah, that sounds… familiar.”
“Do you remember how you got there?”
“I remember… a fight,” Johnny said. “Screams… running… bright light… someone shoving me… and I remember someone laughing.” Shrugging helplessly, Johnny Chambers reached up and unsnapped his helmet’s chinstrap. Removing his helmet, Chambers ran a hand through short cropped, sweat-plastered blond hair. His blue eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
“My name is Alexander Luthor,” the scientist replied, handing Chambers another glass of water. “Drink this. Aside from the water, it has some chemical compounds in it to help you with your memory.”
Taking it from his hand, Johnny tentatively sipped it, making a face as he did so.
“Yuck. Bitter.”
Alex shrugged apologetically. “Sorry about that.”
Downing the remainder of the glass, Johnny swooned briefly. “Whoa! What the Heaven was in that?”
“Like I said- chemical compounds to help you with your memory,” Alex patiently explained once more. “Speaking of which, do you remember anything more about your past life?”
Setting the glass down, Johnny Chambers nodded. “Yeah. I was the original Johnny Quick’s secondary lab assistant. After he had that accident in the lab which gave him his speed-powers, and that junkie trash Jerry McGee hooked up with him, I was pushed off into the background.” Shaking his head, Johnny sighed. “I knew it was only a matter of time before Jerry killed Johnny, took his place, and came after me. That’s why I secretly re-created the experiment that gave Johnny his speed-powers, and gave them to myself.”
Alex’s eyebrow rose. “So, you DON’T need Mach-1 or Speed4S to gain your powers?”
Chambers shook his head. “Nope.”
“Good.” Leaning closer, Alex smiled. “That being the case, I’ve got a business proposition for you.”
-To be continued in The Gathering Storm