Emergence 2.13b (Patreon)

Emergence 2.13b

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MOUNT JUSTICE

August 14, 00:24

“It doesn’t make sense!”

Zeke's voice echoed throughout the cavernous mission room, his frustration and disappointment reverberating off the cold, stone walls of the Cave. The thirteen-year-old paced back and forth across the spherical central chamber, his footsteps ringing out against the polished floor that also served as the team's training area. He’d been silent for hours, stewing in his room while Captain Atom had simply remained in the mission area, a silent sentinel caught in his own thoughts, but finally he had to speak his mind.

"Captain, I don't understand why you're holding me back," he said, his tone edging dangerously close to a whine despite his best efforts to keep it in check. It was surprisingly hard, the words seeming to catch in his throat as he tried to express himself.

"The whole team gets to go out and try to clear your name, and I can't help?" he continued, raising his hands in the air in a gesture of exasperation before dropping them back to his sides in defeat. "It's not fair."

Captain Atom, the silver-skinned, statuesque man who had been standing motionless in the same position for the last few hours while the Team left on the mission, remained silent for a moment. His arms were crossed over his broad chest, his glowing yellow eyes fixed on the young hero before him.

Come on, Cap, Zeke thought, his mental voice tinged with frustration. Give me something here. Anything. Just don't leave me hanging like this.

But when the Captain finally spoke, his words were not the ones Zeke had been hoping to hear.

"The reason they're handling the mission, and not you, is exactly that," he said, his voice deep and resonant in the empty room. "They're clearing the name of Captain Adams while you're focused on clearing mine."

Zeke frowned, his head rolling back slightly as he let out a groan of frustration. "But Cap, I-"

"No buts," Captain Atom cut in, shaking his head firmly. "I respect and appreciate your desire to do right by me. But this is a mission to resolve a miscarriage of justice.  I need objectivity and focus. Personal feelings cannot come into play here, especially with your… external knowledge.” 

External knowledge... Zeke shook his head, crossing his arms over the chest of his sleeveless blue bodysuit as he stared back at the adult hero. "I was kinda surprised when you gave us... I mean, them," he corrected with a roll of his eyes, "the mission in the first place, Nate."

He emphasized the Captain's name, his tone making it clear that this was personal now. No pretenses. Just two people, mentor and student, trying to understand each other.

"I told you who framed you a while ago," Zeke continued, his voice rising slightly in volume as he spoke. "I thought you would handle it... personally."

Captain Atom's glowing yellow eyes narrowed to near-slits, the pupilless orbs intensifying in their glow as he tightened his arms over his chest. The room seemed to heat up slightly, the air growing thick and heavy with an almost palpable tension.

Zeke's eyes widened at the sudden change in atmosphere, the young man taking an instinctive step back as the Captain seemed to exude an almost physical aura while standing perfectly still. Whoa, he thought,mental voice tinged with a mix of awe and fear. I've never seen him like this before.

"If..." the silver-skinned man began, his voice low and dangerous. He paused, his jaw clenching tight as he seemed to struggle with his words. "If I had handled it personally, I cannot guarantee that I would have been able to control myself to any degree worth mentioning. I am already in some degree of trouble with the brass for not showing up to meet with my superior for the last few months and there’s only so long I can use League business as an excuse."

Zeke blinked, a sudden realization hitting him like a ton of bricks. Oh... oh no.

He thought back to the conversations he had had with Captain Atom, the bits and pieces of information he had gleaned about the man's past. He knew that the Captain had been framed for murder, that he had been unjustly imprisoned and experimented on. But he had never really considered the full extent of the man's anger.

“Every member of my team was against me," the Captain continued, voice oddly calm in a way that was far less comforting than it should have been. “Polk, Yarrow, and Eiling, every single one of those men on my team and in the court was against me, lying to face, laughing on the inside, and they killed the one other person who had an interest in truth and justice. And that bastard of a General couldn’t end it there, could he?” 

The Dilusteel-covered hero shook his head, closing his eyes for a few long seconds as he went on. “I always knew he was dirty. But to take my wife from me? My children? There are lines no man should cross, Ezekiel. Lying to her and my children, filling their minds with hate against me for decades. My daughter still believes in the goodness of a dead man, but my son… my son hates me as much as you can hate a dead man, blames me for abandoning him and for staining my uniform…”

The sidekick in blue stood silent, fiddling with his gloved hands as he stood nervously in front of his mentor. Wow…

"I would rather not have to fight the entirety of the Justice League due to engaging in actions that would likely lead to a United States General becoming compromised to a permanent end," Captain Atom stated, his cold voice gaining a distinct edge that sent a shiver down Zeke's spine. "That would likely be a conservative estimate of my actions. After all, I am considered a living nuclear weapon for a very good reason. My son already considers me a criminal and murderer. I have no desire for him to add domestic terrorist to that mental tally."

Zeke swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. He had never heard the Captain talk like this before, had never seen him so close to the edge of losing control. It was a harsh reminder of just how much the man had been through, how much he had suffered at the hands of people he trusted.

I'm sorry, Cap, he thought, his mental voice tinged with regret. I didn't mean to push you like that. I just... I want to help. I want to make things right.

But he knew that the Captain was right. This wasn't about personal feelings or desires. It was about justice, about righting a wrong decades old. "I understand," he said aloud, his voice soft but firm. "I'll stay here, like you asked. But if you need me, if there's anything I can do to help... just say the word."

Captain Atom nodded, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly at Zeke's words. "I appreciate that, Zeke. And I promise, if there's anything you can do to assist in this investigation, I'll let you know. But for now, the best thing you can do is trust in your teammates and let them handle this."

Zeke nodded, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I do trust them, Cap. They're the best of the best. If anyone can clear your name, it's them."

The Captain returned the smile, his metallic features softening slightly. "I know they are. And I know they'll do everything in their power to uncover the truth. But it's not going to be easy. There are a lot of powerful people who have a vested interest in keeping the past buried. They'll do whatever it takes to keep their secrets safe."

Zeke nodded, his expression earnest as he looked up at his mentor. "Cap, I-"

But before he could continue, the words dying on his tongue as Captain Atom held up a hand, effectively cutting him off mid-sentence. The silver-skinned hero's other hand went to his ear, pressing against the communication device that kept him connected to the outside world. Zeke's brow furrowed, a slight frown tugging at his lips as he watched his mentor's face, the man's expression shifting from one of patient encouragement to something far more severe in the blink of an eye.

"...General Eiling..." Captain Atom said, his usually calm and measured voice taking on a cold, hard edge that sent a shiver down Zeke's spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up in response.

The boy froze, eyes widening as he watched the Captain's expression shift once more, this time from one of distinct displeasure to actual shock, the man's glowing yellow eyes seeming to flare brighter for just a moment. Whatever he was hearing on the other end of that line, it wasn't good news. 

That much was obvious.

"Ironfire? What? I thought he was locked away," Captain Atom said, his voice tinged with a mix of disbelief and anger, the normally stoic hero's emotions bleeding through his usual composure.

Ironfire? Zeke blinked a few times, his brow furrowing as he tried to place the name. It sounded familiar, like something he had read about. He's another villain the government made trying to make another Captain Atom, right? The second one?

A rush of memory came to the forefront of his mind, bits and pieces of information he had gleaned from his extensive knowledge of the comics. Yeah, that's right. He nodded to himself, the pieces clicking into place. He was one of Eiling's guys who went crazy because he was trying to kill Major Force or something.

But even as the thoughts raced through his head, Zeke couldn't shake the sense of unease that had settled over him, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something’s wrong here.

"I'll be right there," Captain Atom said, his voice firm and no-nonsense as he spoke into the communicator, a sense of urgency in his tone. "Atom out."

He lowered his hand, turning to face Zeke with a grim expression on his metallic features, the lines of his face seeming to deepen with the severity of the situation. The boy swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry as he met the Captain's glowing yellow eyes, a sense of trepidation washing over him.

"Cap?" he questioned, his voice barely above a whisper, the single word laced with a mix of confusion and concern.

"That was the General," Captain Atom announced, somewhat unnecessarily, his voice heavy with the weight of the information. "Ironfire, a rogue member of the Major Force project” — Major Force Project? Zeke blinked in confusion — “just broke out of containment and is attacking a military base in Iowa. I have to go."

He was already moving as the last sentence left him, his body a blur of silver and red as he rushed towards the Zeta tube teleporters that would take him closest to his location, wind billowing up behind him with the speed of his movement.

"Wait, Ca-" Zeke called out, hand outstretched as if to stop him, but it was too late.

"Captain Atom One-Two," The Zeta-Tube's automatic voice went off as the spherical teleporter shone with yellow light, the brightness of it forcing Zeke to shield his eyes for a moment.

Just like that, the Captain was gone, leaving Zeke standing alone in the cavernous main hall of Mount Justice, the sound of his own breathing the only thing to break the silence that had settled over the space.

Zeke stared at the spot where his mentor had been just a moment before, confusion etched onto his youthful features for a second before it shifted into something more contemplative. So we're investigating the General and one of Captain Atom's villains who used to work for the General just happened to escape on the same night and the General finds out about it to call the Captain personally. Zeke nodded slowly, the sidekick wearing a wry smirk as he put the pieces together in his mind. Why does this smell like a huge load of crap?

His gaze flicked upwards as he mentally summoned his active mission screen, said screen appearing in its usual blue-hued translucent glory, the text floating in the air in front of him.

Shadows of Doubt

Nathaniel Adams has once again become the center of attention. Captain Atom, trusting in your unique skill set, tasks you with a mission of grave importance: dive deep into the shadows, sift through the labyrinth of lies and evidence, and uncover the truth behind Adams' story to clear his name.

Objective:

Investigate the case of Nathaniel Adams and determine his innocence or guilt.

Success: 10000 XP, + 5 to [Stealth], Highly Increased Reputation with Captain Atom, Severely Reduced Reputation with General Wade Eiling.

Failure: Misinformation, Decreased reputation with the Justice League.

Bonus Objective:

Complete the investigation without engaging in any combat yourself.

Bonus Objective:

Prevent General Eiling from destroying any evidence linking him to the crime.

His blue eyes narrowed as he read over the objectives, a sense of determination settling over him. Looks like I gotta take care of that second objective personally, he thought to himself, already mentally mapping out his next move. Can't let Eiling get away with this. Guy’s a major dickwad and he’s not even a supervillain yet.

He took a deep breath. It wasn't going to be easy, that much he knew for sure. But he also knew that he couldn't just sit back and do nothing, not when Captain Atom was so close to the edge like this.

Alright, Zeke, he thought to himself, squaring his shoulders as he turned towards the teleporters. Let’s go beat up an old man.