By Science Betrayed - part 3
by Phishhed

Ben Franklin park was a scene of utter chaos. Parents frantically searched for children. Children cried for the lost mother or father. Vendors scrambled to gather their scattered wares. The circus grounds looked like the aftermath of an earthquake.

When Minute Man arrived puffing lightly after the long run, most of the Freedom Force were already there. "Stars and Bars!, what's going on here?"

Alche-Miss replied, "Apparently, our friend just wandered through the fairgrounds. He seems to affect peoples minds just by being near them."

"What's wrong with Mentor?" asked Minute Man nodding towards the alien who was slumped over on a park bench.

"The poor fella's exhausted from helping these people get their heads back on straight."

Minute Man could see Liberty Lad carrying a small child through the crowd. Microwave was scanning the area with his sensors. Every few seconds Bullet would zip by.

"Where's the Urchin?" asked the masked patriot.

"Present location of unit designated Sea Urchin: Freedom Fortress." Microwave had finished his scans and returned to the group gathered around the Freedom Flyer.

Bullet arrived in a puff of wind. "The little un wouldn't leave ManOwar's side. She's a plucky one , that girl."

Liberty Lad had apparently been relieved of his small burden and joined the rest of the team as Mentor got up from the bench. Freedom Force began to discuss their options. "This is what we know of his powers so far....."

Sirens could be heard around the city, lots of sirens. The phone lines at the police station were jammed with reports of monsters, disturbances of all types .Street thugs were turning themselves in to the police trembling in fear. Common citizens were found wandering aimlessly in the streets. Traffic accidents sky rocketed. Patriot city was in trouble.

Patrick, who now thought of himself as Flashback, was hovering quietly over a dark alley. listening to two thugs discuss Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle when a woman stumbled by the alley entrance. The thugs immediately followed.

"Well, well, well, look what we got here", said the first goon. The woman paid no heed. The second goon ,stepped in front of the dazed girl. "Hand over the purse lady"

As the woman slowly turned her glazed eyes to the man before her, a voice boomed out of the darkness above them. "Unhand that woman evildoer!...heeheehee I always wanted to say that."

The thugs, startled looked up and saw a man sitting in the air over their heads.

Flashback had his legs crossed beneath him, hands on his knees like a Buddhist at meditation. He dropped slowly to about three feet above the ground. His hands closed into fists and he brought them close to his face.

As Louie started to raise Mr. Bat for a good swing at this loony's head, he felt it. His head began to spin and the colors of the floating man's costume began to shift and change, Louie's brain shorted out .Tom was pulling his thirty-eight from his waistband when the strangers hand's shot out and flew open. "BOO!!"

Flashback was ready to put a scare into these guys and wanted to try out his new trick again. He concentrated on the one with the gun. Picturing the most frightening thing he could imagine he threw out his hands palm out and 'pushed'. A bright orange beam lanced out striking the goon in the face. .

Tom was drawing down on the multicolored maniac in front of him when it hit, There was a flash and suddenly he was surrounded by nightmares, winged, scaly, slimy creatures from his darkest dreams. He screamed "Monsters, monsters from the id!" and he ran down the alley; monsters at his heels.

The goon holding the bat just stood there not moving. the pink poodle with the purse stumbled away.

Flashback laughed to himself "My work here is done." He rose into the night once again.

Liberty Lad had heard the screams, jumping rooftop to rooftop he arrived at the scene just as the flying madman zoomed off..

"Golly who is this guy?" LL. He reported in to Mentor. "I spotted our guy. He's moving towards the library, and get this, he's glowing."

"Very well Nick, Bullet is on his way. I will inform the rest of the team." replied Mentor.

With the Ant out of town and two on the injured list they had no one to watch the scanners at the fortress. Freedom Force had scattered across the city, assisting where needed but always on the lookout for this new menace. Now that he had been located they converged on the library, hoping to get there in time.

As Flashback flew through the night, he headed for one of his favorite places. It was always so peaceful there, about time someone shook things up! He grinned to himself and flew faster.

He was disappointed when he reached the library; it was closed.

Flashback glanced at the clock built into the front of the building, just after midnight. "Well," he thought "Somebody will be along to entertain me soon." He flew up and sat on the peak of the roof directly above the doors.

Minute Man, Alche-Miss, and Mentor were in the Freedom Flyer. Microwave had been on patrol and was teleporting himself across town as fast as he could. Mentor guided the car in for a landing on the street in front of the landing.

"Be careful team! This madman is dangerous." said Minute Man as they piled out of the car.

Liberty Lad slipped out of the shadows. "He's on the roof, just sitting there."

"Bullet here, I've got the back covered if he tries to get away."

Mentor had that faraway look in his eyes that he got when using his mental powers. "I sense a mind of incredible power! AAUUGH! It is chaos! He ...ohhh" He collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Alche-Miss rushed to his side.

Minute Man was completely astonished. He had never seen Mentor falter from a mental attack before. He turned and looked up at the raving rainbow above and heard a faint voice singing. "Minute Man he went to town a flying in his air-car, then he got zapped and ran away a screaming for his moommmyyy!"

Light lanced down from the roof and struck the hero in the chest.

Minute Man stumbled, then looked wildly around. "Nooo, we can't win!" He began to run.

Microwave appeared behind Flashback in a splash of light. "Positive threat identified" Flashback was turning around when Microwave's fist struck him and he flew backward off the roof, landing a few feet from the gathered heroes.

Patrick was taken by surprise, he thought he heard a sound and turned to look when something hit him. A moments weightlessness and a sudden stop. He looked up and saw that he was surrounded by comic book freaks, he began to laugh again. "Wow, how did I come up with you guys?" he said.

Alche-Miss was dumbfounded. A two story fall onto concrete and this guy was laughing. "Golly" was all Liberty lad could say. Bullet zipped around the corner as Microwave jumped down from the roof.

Alche-Miss began to chant a spell, Liberty Lad rushed forward and gave Flashback the old 'one-two'. "Socko!"

Flashback looked at him and said, "You're gettin on my nerves kid."

He swatted the boy away like a fly. Bullet ran in and started pounding, dancing here and there then darting back. Flashback hardly noticed. Alche-Miss concentrated, waiting for a moment when Bullet was clear. As she let fly the Curse of the Goddess, she could have sworn the man was staring her in the eyes, even though she couldn't see his face. It was completely covered in a swirl of colored cotton.

Flashback looked at the beautiful woman before him; she had red hair just like,....like...

Something brushed over him, like an icy wind, distracting him. He looked around and saw a silver pinball bouncing off him over and over, Robbie the robot was aiming a flashlight at him and the girl was waving like a crazed teen at a Beatles concert.

The tumult around Flashback was getting too intense, the whirling silver blur, the stuttering echo of multiple voices. He wanted it to stop.

He raised his arms straight out from his sides, palm out like a cop directing traffic. He began to spin in place, lights strobing and flashing about him.

Nothing was working! Bullet had hit the man about fifty times, Microwave had blasted so much radiation at him that the robot had to pause and recharge his weapons. "My spells do nothing!" thought Alche-Miss.

The air began to glow and flicker around them. The man spun around in a circle shouting "Leave me ALONE!!" and there was a huge explosion of light and sound.

When it was over, The Ant was standing before Alche-Miss. Dominion warriors had him surrounded and one of them was about to shoot him in the back. Acting quickly she repulsed it back into the wall of the library. She followed with an Arcane Bolt, then ran in for an up close and personal.

Bullet bobbed out of the way as Microwave readied for another shot, then there was a flash like lightning. When his eyes cleared, he saw Sea Urchin wounded on the ground in front of him and a raptor was charging her. Bullet jumped in and struck six quick blows, the creature went down.

Flashback giggled as the cartoons in his head started to beat each other up. The pinball bounced off the annoying little snot for a moment, then rolled after Yankee Doodle. The tin-man and party girl were going at each other hard. He watched and laughed.

"Initiating defense protocols." Microwave had taken several hits before his programming overrides kicked in, he stood up and swung his fist . The energized punch staggered the Alche-Miss unit. He followed up with a radiation beam just as another bolt struck his chest.

Circuits were damaged but Microwave's back-up systems analyzed the situation. "Current conditions do not compute. Self is member of Freedom Force. Alche-Miss unit is member of Freedom Force. Alche-Miss unit is attacking self. Conclusion: Alche-Miss unit is malfunctioning. Solution: Alche-Miss unit must be disabled."

Microwave brought up his fist again, and charging his capacitor to maximum struck Alche-Miss hard in the jaw. She went down and didn't get back up.

Bullet had smashed the red white and blue dinosaur about nine times when he heard Minute Man's voice issue from the slavering jaws, "Bullet, why? ooohhhh." Confused, he shook his head to clear it and saw The ultra-patriot at his feet. He turned ,furious now, and sprinted back towards the costumed nutcase that had caused all this.

The fastest man on earth was only steps away when his target suddenly rose in the air. Too late to stop himself he smashed face first into Microwave. The mechanical man flew back into the wall again and slid to the ground spitting sparks. Bullet stood stunned. Suddenly a boiling green mist enveloped him, burning all over, he tried to get away but collapsed only a few hundred feet away.

Flashback was getting bored with this. The sky was calling to him, the stars waved and beckoned. he rose into the air. There was a crashing sound at his feet and he looked down. Directly below him was that stupid pinball. Flashback thrust out a palm and sprayed the green mist at it. when the mist faded the orb was gone.

"Gotcha." Once again Flashback shot up into the ink black sky, and once again failed to see the movement behind him. A black figure stepped out of the shadows, human in shape but blacker than the night around it. The figure surveyed the prone figures scattered about and then looked into the starry heavens and whispered. "Perhaps, ....perhaps you have the power, power enough to fill..... The Void."

To be continued...