PRESENTS

#5
FEATURING

Part 3
by Kell Carpenter (barchettaboy@yahoo.com)
in collaboration with Neil Gow (neil.gow@newcastle.ac.uk)

Fast Recap:
Two seconds earlier, the hero known as Sentinel, had been shot point-blank in the stomach by the Flash's nemesis, Rival. He and his partner Hazard forced the four heroes to fight each other with the threat of bombs placed throughout the city of Las Vegas.

Jade screamed. She had just seen her father ruthlessly gunned down before her eyes.

Hazard, Rival's partner, stood stunned near Jade, attempting to take in what had just happened. She saw Jade struggle to get up and go to her father.

Something within her responded to Jenny-Lynn's desperate attempts to go to Alan. Despite her hatred and desire to see these people suffer, she knew about the pain caused by the death of a loved one. How well she knew, and it was all flooding back to her…*

*Infinity Inc. #35 told of her grandfather's death - Archivist Kell

Rival turned to Hazard, speed-force energy coruscating up and down his body and flashing from his eyes. "We're going to go now. Green Lantern should be dead by the time we return, and we'll set to sending the others to join him..." He grinned wolfishly. "…but not before I've savored the speed force within the two speedsters. And there are other delicacies I'll want to consider as well..."

Before either Hazard or Jenny-Lynn could realize he'd moved, Clariss was caressing the captive Jade's hair, not bothering to hide his lustful gaze. She shrieked at him, kicking out pathetically at thin air as he moved away from her clumsy attack.

Appearing next to Hazard, he put an arm on her shoulder. "Time to go, partner..."

Even though she had earlier relished his attention, Hazard now barely contained a shudder of revulsion. Her mind reeled with thoughts she knew she should not have. "Before we go, you tie up the speedsters and drain off some more juice. I'll make sure Jade is securely tied."

Rival was finished trussing up -and further powering down- Jesse and Jay and impatiently waiting before Hazard could even make her way over to Jade.

Noticing this, Hazard turned to him and said, "Why don't you go on ahead? I'll catch up to you at Luxor and we'll start our spree there. I want to make sure she can't get away..."

He waved his left hand, his right playing with the detonator that was capable of destroying much of Las Vegas. "All right. Don't take too long, though..." He was gone almost before the words left his mouth.

Turning back to Jade, Hazard caught a gob of spit from Jenny-Lynn full in the face. "I'll get you for this! I don't know how or when, but you'll pay - BOTH of you...!"

Smiling as she wiped her face, Hazard loosened Jade's bonds. Jenny-Lynn's eyes widened in surprise. Hazard finished untying her. "I know what it's like to lose someone, to not be there and say goodbye. Go to him and make him as comfortable as possible, make the most of your time left with him. Their signal devices are destroyed, so you can't call for help. I've got to go now..."

Jade watched warily as Hazard stood looking at her wrecked sports car.* She shook her head and walked behind one of the abandoned buildings. She emerged in another expensive, fast car and sped toward the Las Vegas Strip. Jenny-Lynn jumped up and ran to her father. He was bleeding badly and drifting in and out of consciousness.

*It was destroyed in a battle between Jay and Rival last issue - Continuity Cop Kell

"D-Dad? Can you hear me?" Jenny-Lynn cradled Alan in her arms as she surveyed the damage. "Don't go, Dad, not yet..." She touched her forehead to his and began to weep harder.

Alan opened his eyes and moaned painfully. With much effort, he reached up and grabbed her head with his right arm. He pulled her head further down, her ear touching his lips. He began mumbling lowly to her, and she was unable to hear him clearly.

"Wh-What? I can't hear y-" She stopped mid-sentence when he forced more air through his throat to emphasize one word: MARK

"What are you talking about? 'Mark'? What does that mean?" She pulled back to look at his face, searching his expression for some clue. Their eyes made contact.

His eyes blazed fiercely, locking her in his gaze. Slowly, deliberately, he shifted his eyes downward and to the left. She followed his eyes, and saw his left hand, holding his bleeding abdomen. There, placed over his hand, was her own left hand.

He grabbed her left hand in his right, turning it palm-up. She understood now; he was talking about her birthmark. "My birthmark? What about it Dad? It's no help to us now - it's been dead since the Starheart took my power.* What are you trying to tell me?"

*It happened in Green Lantern: Heart of Darkness #3 - Actually-read-it Kell

Without answering, he pressed his palm onto hers. Her birthmark began to itch. Alan's hand glowed, turning a brighter and fiercer shade of green with each passing second. Jade's hand felt as if it were on fire now, yet she couldn't pull away from him. Suddenly, a silent explosion turned her whole world a dazzling green...and then there was darkness.

Elsewhere:

Within the red mists, the crude form of a man had begun to refine itself. The rough, smoky body that had formed in anger when it appeared that Jay Garrick would die at another's hands was smooth and perfect in appearance. The misty man looked at himself and a smile formed in his new face. The effort he had exerted was worth it - he was better now than he'd ever been as a human.

Turning his attentions outward, he checked on the situation that continued to unfold in Las Vegas. Jay Garrick was still alive; weak, but alive. Good, let him stay weak; it would keep him from realizing the danger until it was too late. His smile returned, this time full of evil longings.

Concentrating, his features began to tighten and come into focus. He waved a hand and the mists parted, revealing a mirror-like surface. He looked at himself: a perfect specimen of a man. Blond hair, chiseled facial features, piercing blue eyes. Scanning down his body showed him an athlete's musculature. Together, the body was most familiar to him. He laughed at the irony of the appearance he'd chosen. How ironic!

Turning his attention away from his new body, he absently created clothing to cover his naked form. These were minor additions, nothing to test him now that he'd mastered the mists enough to gain substance. The real test would be closing the distance between here and there; from the unreal hell he was in to the concrete world of mortals.

Concentrating, he began to part the mists. They moved aside as if they were a curtain of red velvet, only to reveal more red mists. He increased his actions, and the mists began to part more quickly. Soon, there was an almost transparent quality to the mists before him. Through it, he could see into reality, to the physical plane. His eyes flashed with triumph, then his brow furrowed as he increased his efforts.

With a sound almost like a moan of pain, the curtain of mists was torn asunder. He was staring through a rip in reality, his doorway to freedom. The mists shook and rumbled as if they were protesting against their violation. Wails and loud groans began to come from all around, an admonishment against capture. He moved quickly through the opening; it would undo all his plans and efforts if he were to be caught.

As his feet came down on solid earth, he smiled. With a wave of his hand, he closed the dimensional tear. His smile grew, and he relaxed visibly. He clapped once, then rubbed his hands together.

"Time to get to work. Let's see how much Gateway University has changed since I've been gone. I'm eager to see what interesting things I might find in their lab..." His smile faded. "...and then I'll pay a Mr. Holt a visit." His smile returned, full of hate and delight at the same time. "Then it's on to Keystone City. Oh, how I've longed for this. Beware, Jay Garrick, beware..."

Las Vegas:

"-enny-Lynn! Wake up! Can you hear me? Wake up!!"

Jade stirred, hearing her name being shouted. "Wha-? What's going on? Where am I?"

Jay Garrick's voice cut through the fog in Jenny-Lynn's head. "Can you get over here and untie us? We've not quite recovered enough to do it ourselves..."

"S-Sure. Here y'go..." Jenny-Lynn reached over to untie them, pulling the ropes off them and the gag off Jesse. "Well? Are you two gonna just sit there, or are you going to help me take care of Dad?" They were looking at her with looks of astonishment on their faces. "What? What is it?" She asked.

Jesse found her voice first. "Y-You untied us from about 50 feet away, Jen. With a big green hand..."

Jade looked down at her father. He opened his eyes and winked at her before passing out from pain and loss of blood. That snapped the rest of them back into action.

Jesse was the first speedster off the ground. She helped Jay up onto unsteady feet, then they made their way over to Jenny-Lynn and Alan. "What should we do?" Jesse asked.

Jade got to her feet, gently laying Alan on the ground. "My first instinct is to try and get the bullets out, but the green power won't grab the wood. Maybe we should get him to a hospital?"

Jay nodded. "That's the best option available to us. Let's get Alan some help, then we'll take care of Clariss and Hazard..."

"Okay, then let's get this show on the road. All aboard the Jade-1 transport...!" She scooped her father up in a gentle cocoon of green, then extended it out to form two chairs for Jesse and Jay. Once they were seated, she encased them in a bubble and they shot up into the sky and toward Las Vegas.

Jesse stole a glance at her roommate. She smiled as she saw the exultant expression on Jenny-Lynn's face as she flew them toward the city.

Hazard pulled up in front of the Luxor Hotel. She saw Edward Clariss pacing in front of the outrageously expensive 36-story pyramid-shaped resort, barely able to contain the speed force coursing through him.

As soon as he caught sight of her, he sped over to her. "Where have you been? I've been waiting here for HOURS…!" Speed force lightning flashed from his eyes.

"Hey, calm down, Clariss! It's only been 15 minutes…" She noted the surprised look on his face. "Must be all that extra speed force, partner. Makes the time creep by for you, I bet. Well, don't worry, we'll get you moving now."

He smiled. "Good, all this inactivity is killing me. What's our plan for this one?"

"We're going to play it a bit differently than we originally planned. I'll go to the roulette wheel. This time, instead of me working my 'magic' on it, you'll work off some of that nervous energy by staying invisible and moving the ball to whatever number I pick. Sound okay?" She raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"That'll do for a start. Let's go!" He was gone, leaving a wind in his wake. Hazard rolled her lucky dice in her hand nervously. She wondered if she hadn't gotten in over her head on this one...

Jesse and Jay paced the floor. They were worried about Alan, and Jenny-Lynn had been gone for a long time.

"How do you think he's doing?" Jesse asked Jay.

Jay shrugged. "I wish I knew. I hope Jenny can get back quickly, though. I'd hate for anything to happen and her not be here..."

Jesse nodded. "Yeah, I-" She was interrupted by a green glow outside the window. "Jenny-Lynn! You're back!"

A green bubble passed through the wall and into the waiting room. Inside was Jade and her step-mother, Molly Scott.

Jay hugged Molly tightly, taking her to a seat to fill her in on what little he knew was going on since Jade's departure to pick her up.

Jade smiled a tired smile and sat next to Jesse. "The old Jade-1 is getting a real workout today. I got Molly here as soon as I could, since you guys aren't up to, uh, speed right now."

Jesse wrinkled her nose. "Bad pun, roomie. No news yet on your dad, but I think I have some news." Everyone looked her way.

She stood and spoke her father's formula, the mantra that allowed him -and now her- to gain access to the speed force. Small crackles of energy formed around her for the briefest of moments before absorbing into her skin.

She smiled, winked, then disappeared in a red-and-gold blur. Seconds later, she was back, her smile broader. "Ta-DA!! Looks like Rival has his mind on other things besides blocking my access to the speed force." She looked at Jay. "How about you? Any speed coming back?"

"No, not yet. I think you're not in the fore of Clariss' mind, so you're not his priority. He wants to see me completely cut off and ripe for killing, I'm afraid..."

Jesse wore a concerned expression. "That's going to make it tough to stop them, I'm afraid..."

"What's next?" Jade asked.

"You'll need to see me..." A strange voice interrupted their happiness. They turned toward the voice and saw a doctor standing in a doorway. "Your, uh, friend, is doing fairly well. I was able to remove the bullets without a problem; fortunately, they missed most of his major organs. If they hadn't, well, let's just say that this wouldn't be a happy moment..."

Molly burst into tears, and Jay moved to her side to comfort her. "Can we see him now, doctor?" Jay asked.

"Of course. Follow me please..." The four of them -Jay, Molly, Jenny-Lynn, and Jesse- trailed along behind the doctor as he wound his way through the hospital's corridors. He stopped abruptly before a door. "Here we are. Keep it brief; he's in serious need of rest..."

They pushed through the door and saw Alan lying in bed, a series of tubes and wires connecting him to stabilizing machinery. Molly's tears flowed anew, and Jade drew in a sharp breath. Alan looked his age at this particular moment, and they were all reminded that the hero business was dangerous indeed.

Jay stepped up with Molly to Alan's bedside, each placing a hand on his arm. Alan stirred, smiling at them when he focused on their faces.

"wh-what's th' fusss...?" He looked pained as he spoke, his voice raspy from the anesthesia and the respiration tube from his surgery. "ev'thin' gon' be fine, mol...jus' fine..." He managed a wink, then looked to Jay. "you look path'e'ic, pal..." then his face turned dark. "gi' 'em hell f'r me, 'kay?" Jay nodded, squeezed his arm, and turned to make room for Jesse and Jenny.

The doctor motioned for him to come into the hall. "Mr. Garrick? Perhaps I need to take a look at you; you look, well, terrible..."

Jay looked into the window set into the wall next to Alan's room. His reflection stared back at him a stranger. His beating at Rival's hands had left him black and blue with bruises and swollen features. His left eye was a slit, his lip split and raw, and his gums ached terribly...not to mention the rest of his body. Without the speed force, he felt so OLD...

He pushed the defeat out of his mind. Instead, he recalled seeing Clariss shoot his best friend, as well as the look of pain and horror on Jenny's face as she watched too. He thought of the unknowing people of Las Vegas and the threat to their safety that Clariss posed. He felt himself grow angry, much angrier than he ever remembered. An idea hit him, and he snapped out of his reverie.

He turned back to face the doctor. "Thanks, son, but I'll be fine." He held up a hand to silence the protest. "Trust me; I've been doing this since before you were a gleam in your daddy's eye; I know how to take care of myself. Thanks for your concern, though..."

Jesse and Jade stepped out into the hallway. The three heroes huddled, planning their strategy against Hazard and Rival.

"Jesse, you find out where they've gone. They shouldn't be too difficult to find, just try to get something on a casino security frequency about large jackpots or unusually lucky winners. That'll be our pair..." Jesse sped off to find a radio.

Jay turned to Jade. "You still have the power?"

"Yes, but I don't know how long it'll last. What do we do?"

"You worry about Hazard. If she was sympathetic enough to help you go to Alan, she can probably be talked down or taken with a minimum of resistance." His face turned darker. "Leave Clariss to the speedsters. I have to get my speed back. It'll take mine and Jesse's tie to the speed force to deal with him and keep him from detonating those bombs..."

As if hearing her name, Jesse appeared beside them. "I found a security radio and listened to all the channels. I think they're at Mandalay Bay." Jade whipped up a transport and the three heroes were off to stop Hazard and Rival's spree...

Hazard's plan had gone horribly wrong. Rival's long sojourn on the fringes of the speed force had made him a running anachronism. The technology of the modern world was throwing him off in maddening ways.

He didn't understand that the slot machines were no longer a series of tumblers and gears and cogs; these machines were a sophisticated mix of digital display and micro-computer, rapidly selecting random combinations of displays from miles of complex programming code. Clariss had vibrated a hand into the side of the first one he encountered and fried the whole thing in a spectacular array of blue sparks and stinking ozone.

Unable to contain his surprise, he lost his concentration and dropped his vibrational frequency. Much to the surprise of the blue-haired grandmotherly type sitting beside the now-ruined slot machine, a man in a variant of the Flash's costume suddenly materialized beside her.

Clariss was further confused when the old frail woman he'd expected to faint dead away suddenly -and savagely- attacked him with her bucket of tokens. Before he realized he could run away at super speed, she'd clocked him across the helmet with a resounding CLANG and was coming at him again in a menacing manner.

After a moment's hesitation, he snarled and reached out toward her with one crackling arm. Before he could grab her, however, she was gone and he was flying through the air uncontrollably.

Thanks to his current hyper-fast senses, Clariss felt as if he was slowly floating in mid-air. Calmly, he twisted and created a small whirlwind with his hands to slow and stop himself. He landed on both feet, gentle as a feather, then turned to see what had happened to the little blue-haired harridan.

"Wha-? How can this be?" Clariss said. Stuck in "fast mode", it came out: "Whahowcanthisbe?"

Jay and Jesse were standing where the little old lady had been. They were both crackling with speed force themselves, and they shared a determined look.

"We're going to put a stop to this, Clariss. Right now..." Jay nodded and then he and Jesse shot forward in a blurry streak of reds, yellows and blues toward the Rival. The villain cursed as the two speedsters attacked, throwing blows at them. The three soon were speeding around the as the fight began to move...

Hazard was nowhere to be found in the ; Jade hadn't seen her at all, and Jesse's initial "quick scan" didn't find her either. So, Jenny-Lynn took her search to the skies of Las Vegas. She flew over the Vegas Strip, searching all the major hotel/ resorts. Then cruised around the side streets, looking to see if Hazard was hitting some of the small-time establishments. Her search yielded nothing; Hazard seemed to have all the luck on her side...

Frustrated, Jade climbed higher in the Nevada sky, taking advantage of the green power to help her search and to enjoy it while she could. She headed out toward the desert, following 147 as it wound North and East toward the Alamo Mine.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of sunlight. Turning in the direction of it, she saw a silvery sports car racing into the desert. She smiled a rather mischevious smile...

Hazard was pushing her car as fast as she thought was safe. She had the top down and was singing at the top of her lungs with the tape deck. "Roll the Bones" was one of her favorites, and she kept up quite well with Rush as the song rolled on.

She wondered if Clariss had been beaten yet. Pity about the plan, but she had enough money in the trunk to set herself up quite comfortably and wait for a more opportune time to clean out the rest of the Vegas casinos.

She looked down at the speedometer, which read 95. Looking out the window, she saw that the road stretched straight far into the horizon. Smiling, she pushed the car up past 100, to 115, then farther until she settled in at a cruising speed of 130.

She laughed giddily. "I almost feel like I'm FLYING...!" She leaned her head back and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she WAS flying. About 100 feet off the ground, to be exact...

She screamed, stomping the brake and frantically downshifting. Nothing happened. It was then that she noticed the green glow around the car. Jade floated down and sat next to her in the passenger's seat.

"Nice car! I see it can really fly, hm?" Jenny-Lynn winked at Hazard.

Hazard folded her arms and began to pout. "Ver-y fun-ny, Miz superhero..." she turned and looked at Jade. "So I guess I get to go back to prison. Crap..." Hazard sighed as Jenny-Lynn nodded.

"First stop is Las Vegas P.D. From there, it's probably most definitely prison..." Jenny-Lynn hesitated, then continued. "Uh, thanks for, you know, letting me loose to see to my dad. It meant a lot..."

Hazard smiled sadly. "No big deal. I know what it's like to wish you'd been there. Glad I could do that for you..."

Rival was nearly insane with anger. He had led Jesse and Jay on a chase through Las Vegas that had caused several millions of dollars worth of damage, much of which had been caused by the two heroes smacking Clariss around.

Clariss was so angry that he was not thinking straight. He had gravitated toward the roads, because he could "borrow" the energy from the moving cars and give himself an additional speed boost, since he wasn't able to properly drain more speed force from the two heroes. However, his plan backfired when traffic was halted and the streets evacuated due to their battle.

By sheer luck, he managed to elude his pursuers for a brief moment. Jesse and Jay stopped for a moment to assist a little girl who had somehow gotten away from her parents and into the "war zone". Clariss took advantage of their kindness to clear his head and think.

He realized that his speed force store was actually larger than the others', due to the large amount he had drained from them earlier. This meant that his disadvantage was an illusion. He cursed himself for allowing them to play with his emotions. He smiled cruelly, his confidence growing...

He was waiting for them in the middle of the street when they returned from their return of the little girl. Jesse and Jay skidded to a halt about 100 yards away from him. They stood on either end of the street like gunfighters in an old western movie.

"Give it up, Clariss! You're out of options!" Jay shouted.

Clariss laughed hatefully. "You must be joking, Jay! I have much more of an edge on both of you speed-wise. I'd say you were both probably still far below top capacity after the draining I gave you. Besides, I still have bombs planted all across town. Why don't YOU give up?" He folded his arms across his chest and smiled smugly.

Jay smiled his own unpleasant smile. "If you're counting on those bombs, you can scratch them off your list, Clariss. Jade took care of those while we were playing with you earlier..."

Clariss' triumphant smile wavered. "Impossible! I'm the only person who knew their location. You're bluffing!" He brought out the detonator and held it up for them to see.

"Go ahead, then. You're obviously one of those stubborn super-villains who have to see for themselves that their plans are in ruins. Press the button, Eddie...but don't be too surprised when nothing happens..." Jesse taunted him.

Clariss pressed the button on the detonator…and nothing happened. He was stunned. "How? How could this be? HOW?!?"

Jay shook his head. "Jade got Hazard to tell her where you'd been during your partnership. From there, the two of them figured out where you probably would've put them. You were so wrapped up with our distraction that you didn't have time to think about using the detonator. It's over Clariss..."

Clariss was enraged. "NEVER!! I'm TWICE the speedster either of you are right now; you'll never be able to stop me. I'm going to kill you both..." Clariss took his first step toward them; he'd be upon them in less than a second.

Jesse spoke her father's formula to access the speed force. Jay turned to her and said "I'm sorry, Jesse. I wish I didn't have to do this..."

Before she could ask him what he meant, Jay had grabbed her and began draining speed force from her. Before Clariss could reach them, Jay had taken all Jesse had to offer. He easily side-stepped Clariss' attack and gently set Jesse down. He then took off and raced after the villain.

He overtook him and the two began to fight. Blows rained at super-speed between them. Both were taking a dreadful beating. Jay managed to break loose and took the opportunity to run. Clariss smiled and said "Coward..." before taking off after his foe.

They raced around the world. Jay pushed himself hard, and Clariss was keeping pace with him. Their surroundings were a blur and lightning began to form around them, the speed force crackling as they ran yet faster. Jay wore a determined look, his eyes narrowed and his head low. Clariss' eyes were wide and mad, his mouth twisted as he focused on catching and killing his foe.

So focused was Clariss that he didn't realize what Jay was doing. Jay knew exactly. As they raced and the speed force was flashing wildly about them, Jay let up, almost imperceptibly, but enough to allow Clariss to catch up to him.

Clariss grabbed Jay, and, just as Jay had suspected, began to draw speed force from him. Jay pushed himself again, drawing more and more from the speed force. Clariss began to glow and spark, and was now dragging Jay.

Jay broke his grip on Clariss and began to decelerate. He watched as Clariss glowed brighter and fiercer than ever before. Clariss knew what was happening; he'd been through this before. As before, however, he couldn't stop it from happening. He was being drawn into the speed force, and even as Jay retreated from the edge, he thought he could hear the others that had gone before him speaking to him.

"Wh-what?" Jay asked aloud. "Barry? Johnny? Is that you...?"

Before the blinding flash of light that came when Clariss was captured again by the speed force, Jay was sure he heard them again. He smiled to himself and then he was alone...

EPILOGUE I

Jade, Jay, Jesse, and Molly all stood around Alan's bed.

According to his doctors, Alan had made it past the critical time and would be all right after a normal recovery period. His brush with death had forced him to face his fears about Molly's cancer and they had spent long hours discussing treatments and how they would work together against it.

"I'm glad to see you two working together against this. I knew that would be your best bet to beat this thing." Jay said to Molly and Alan.

Alan grinned. "Okay, you told me so. Maybe I am a stubborn old man after all..."

"I could've told you that a LONG time ago, Dad. You could've saved us all a lot of trouble and come to me instead of getting yourself shot..." Jade laughed.

Alan became serious. "Jenny, I wanted to talk to you about the return of your powers…" She cut him off.

"It's already starting to fade out, Dad. I've got a fraction of the juice I had even a couple hours ago." She had a wistful smile on her face. "I'm just glad I had a chance to use them again. It's so much different without them..."

"Well, I'm just glad we got Clariss taken care of without any casualties. He was a nasty one..." Jesse turned to Jay. "...speaking of nasty, why didn't you at least TELL me you were gonna pull that little speed force stunt, Jay?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

He shrugged. "I knew that you'd never agree to it. That's the main reason. The other reason is that you're young and have your whole life ahead of you. If I had been caught up with Clariss and unable to return from the speed force, it would've been okay. I could never forgive myself if that happened to you..."

"Well, just don't do it again..." Jesse shook her finger in his face.

"Okay, okay!" Jay laughed. "I've got to run, folks; I'm going through Joan withdrawal..." He gave Alan a handshake and the ladies a peck on the cheek, then touched the brim of his helmet in a salute. "See you later...!" He was gone in a rustling of bedsheets and curtains.

EPILOGUE II

Jay arrived home in just a few minutes. He was bone-tired after the beatings that Clariss had given him, and all he wanted was to soak in a hot bath and hit the sack. Coming in the front door, he called out "Joan! I'm home...!"

"Oh, hello Jay. I'm in here in the kitchen..."

He crept up behind her and put his arms around her. "Hey there good lookin'; whatcha got cookin'?"

She pushed him off. "Stop it, Jay. I'm in the middle of making dinner..."

"Oh, come on! You can come back to dinner in a minute. Give me one of those Joan Garrick "welcome home" kisses..." He pulled her to him and puckered up.

Joan pushed him away more forcefully. "Jay! I told you I was in the middle of making dinner! For goodness' sake, just leave me alone..." She turned back to her cooking.

Jay took a step back, unsure of what to do. "A-all right, Joan. I'm just going to go up and take a bath..." He turned to leave the room.

"That sounds nice, Jay..." Joan said as she worked. With her back to him, Jay couldn't see the ugly smile forming as she worked...

NEXT ISSUE:
Something's not quite right with Joan. Could it have something to do with the red mists? No rest for the weary as we begin a storyline called "Spirits in the Material World"...

Fast Talk:

Going back and looking over these five issues as a whole, this issue stands out as a significant marker in the timeline of my life. Why? In the interim between issues four and five:

-I started graduate school to begin work on a Master's degree in Library & Information Science.
-A former colleague and close friend passed away after a long battle with cancer.
-I learned that I was going to be a father.
-We lost our baby.

That last event was the hardest for me to deal with. In lots of ways, I'm still working through it and trying to find my way. In the course of that working through, things -fan fiction being one of said "things"- have been put in perspective for me. Life is a fragile, delicate thing that we all take too much for granted. I've come to really value things like family and friends a lot more in the last couple of years.

One friend in particular that was there for me during that time was Neil Gow. Not only did he exhibit the patience of Job during my long struggle with writer's block (and generally not seeing the importance of fan fiction), he was there for me with encouraging words and kindness in my real-life struggles. Neil, I just want to thank you again for your help; you are an incredible friend.

Now, I'm coming up on the end of my MLIS degree and am excited by the possibilities inherent in the DC HEROES world. I hope this excitement will give me a new lease on my life in fan fiction. Keep your fingers crossed…!

Thanks for listening to me reflect a bit. Let me know what you think about this issue and the ones to come. Send me your comments at barchettaboy@yahoo.com.

See you all next time.