csyphrett

Desert Storms 3 1987 Mark Hadron looked out the window as the sun came up. He got ready for the new day before pulling out the equipment case from his go bag. It was the smallest they had been able to make their sensor with the electronics they had access to. He supposed it was a wonder that it actually worked. He made his check in call to let Milton and Janie know that they were getting breakfast and meeting the rep from the Israelis after breakfast. He had to make sure Harry was ready to go first. He didn’t let them know about Harry’s prediction, but did inquire if it was possible to airdrop some carbines and lamps if they needed it. Janie said she would make a note so Milton could look into it. After he hung up, he admitted he would feel better with the familiar blue flame close at hand. Surveys of turbulence shouldn’t be dangerous, but he had already seen three cases where the survey stirred up something that didn’t like humans knowing it was there. Burning those monsters down had solved some heinous crimes for the locals when they were done. Hadron had been glad to get out of the charnel houses when they were done. He locked up his room after storing his bag back under the bed. He walked across the hall and knocked on the door to Harry’s room. He listened but didn’t hear any movement. He knocked louder. “What you want?,” asked Harry through the door. “It’s time to go to work,” said Hadron. “I’m going down to breakfast. Get ready.” Hadron walked down to the elevator and headed down. He sniffed the air and followed it to a bar of food and coffee. He got a plate of buns and a cup of coffee. He sat down at the table in the small café. He checked his watch as he ate. Harry was going to miss breakfast if he didn’t get a move on. He wondered how much they would have to do on the first day. He planned to figure out the area of the survey and a route to cover it before they went out. Tomorrow they could actually see the scene. If the area was close enough, and small enough, they could probably handle it today, and fly back the next day. Milton would not like the end of the revenue stream. Harry arrived with hat pushed back and case in hand. He put the case down and grabbed some food before settling at Hadron’s table. He had twice as much as his friend and dug in like a wolf. “You got ten minutes before the rep is supposed to arrive,” said Hadron, sipping his coffee. It was a little stronger than he usually got but he could live with that. “I’ll be finished before then,” said Harry. “You learn to eat fast if you want to get away from the table before a squabble breaks out.” “I can believe it,” said Hadron. Harry seemed to have as big a family as Columbo and Hadron couldn’t keep all of them straight in his head. He just shook his head at a story and kept moving. He had met some of them and they were as quirky as Harry said. He had no doubt that his friend’s ability ran strong in his family. A man in a short sleeved shirt came into the lobby, glancing around. A smile cut through his beard as he spotted the Lamplighters at their table. He turned to approach their table. “Mark Hadron, Harrison Cho,” said the stranger. “I’m Ishmael Levram, the representative from the Department of Psychic Studies and Research. I’m here to show you the survey area, and talk about your technology.” “We’ll call you Ishmael,” said Harry. “That’s what everyone says,” said the representative. He smiled, but it was easy to see he wasn’t a fan of Moby Dick at this point in his life. “What do you need to know about the technology?,” asked Hadron. He wasn’t planning to sell anything. And he doubted Milton would agree to an end to their monopoly. As long as they were the only ones using the lamps and carbines, then there was no worry that someone would do something stupid like collect blue flame until it exploded into a giant demon and started killing people. “I’m interested in how it works, and how you can detect turbulence,” said Levram. “The region has had several problems that were stopped by chance. I want something preventative for the future.” “We can’t give you anything like that,” said Hadron. “We can do the survey and point out where you might have problems in the future. We can’t give you equipment without some kind of binding agreement in place. Plus we’re not sure anyone else can make the lamps, sensors, and carbines right now. They seem to run on mind power at the very least.” “Mind power?,” asked Levram. “I can demonstrate right here before we go out on the survey,” said Hadron. He opened his case. He pulled out a box of electronics and a dish antenna to plug into one end. “This is the clerk.” He pointed the sensor at the clerk and pushed the button. A small black and white screen gave a zero back. He pointed at Harry and got back a two. He knew that was because of his friend’s fortune telling ability. He pointed at Levram and he paused when the Israeli came back with a three. “Borderline superhuman,” said Hadron. “What can you do? Talk to birds? Surround yourself with sand?” “No,” said Levram. “But I have always had a knack with technology.” “Really?,” said Hadron. He put the box back in the case after powering the machine down. “How good a knack?” “I could rebuild your sensor to be easier to carry and have more range while using less battery power,” said Levram. “Really?,” said Hadron. “This technology can be horribly abused in a lot of ways. Why should we trust you with this?” “I can’t really justify my standing,” said Levram. “But I would like to see if I can use this to protect Israel from things coming out of the woodwork.” “You would need a mobile team to protect the whole country,” said Harry. He finished his meal. “How many people are in your department?” “Me,” said Levram. “Of course, I answer to people above me, but I’m the only one in my department right now.” “If we gave your our gear, you would be dead the first time you took something on,” said Hadron. “There’s no way that you could take anything over a five, or six, by yourself. Crenshaw is an eight, and you would be dead in the first five seconds if he showed up here.” “I was hoping that we could work out something where I can set up sensors so I could pinpoint problems and solve them without the actual weapons,” said Levram. “The sensors tend to set off whatever you are looking for,” said Hadron. “You would have agitated monsters exposing themselves to civilians and killing them just because they were spotted.” “I think we should get back to the original problem,” said Harry. “Why did you need a survey in the first place?” Hadron couldn’t help his face telling them he was getting ready to walk away. One of the uses for his sensors would be locating superhumans who didn’t want to be located. Some of them should be located because they were thieves and murderers, but most were just people trying to mind their business. Why should he give any country the ability to round up any superhuman who didn’t want to work for them? The world already knew some governments were doing just that. “There is some kind of problem in the south,” said Levram. “We have observers marking a storm that hasn’t moved. At some point, something has to be done. The department has been asked to look into it, which is why I called your business.” “So you are wondering if some kind of monster or ghost is there?,” said Harry. He pushed his hat back. “I have ruled out other energy being present with my own equipment,” said Levram. “I think we can do that,” said Harry. “I have to say this could go bad by the end of the week.” “How bad?,” said Levram. Harry made an explosion with his hands. “That doesn’t look good,” said Levram. “It’s in the future,” said Harry. “And we can change that if we work hard enough.” “Do you have a shop?,” asked Hadron. “We might need carbines and lamps.” “I would be glad to show you the workshop,” said Levram. “I have requisitioned everything that I could.” “Everything?,” said Harry. “Yes,” said Levram. “Some things have shown to be valuable in some of the cases I have dealt with for the ministry.” “Let’s look at the area,” said Hadron. “Then we’re going to need access if I think we can handle it on our own. If we can’t, we’ll have to get Milton and Dyson here.” “I will arrange a plane to fly them here from New York if that will solve the problem,” said Levram. “Can you do that?,” asked Hadron. “I have tons of surplus in my budget,” said Levram. “Mostly I use it for replacement parts. Chartering a plane and getting it here on top of your fees will be fine.” “All right,” said Hadron. “Let’s look at the problem in person. Then we can decide on what we want to do.” “I have arranged for a flight to the scene,” said Levram. “I have an observation point buried out there so we can set up there until we decide what to do.” “All right,” said Hadron. “Let’s go ahead and do this.” “My car is outside,” said Levram. “The heli is at the airport. We can fly down in a few minutes.” “All right,” said Hadron. “You finished, Harry?” “Almost,” said Harry. “How long have you been with the government, Ishmael.” “A few years,” said Levram. “I earned my position after my conscription. I have been the department since it was created. I was told that other governments have the same thing but I have only worked with the British.” “Haven’t seen any American unit,” said Harry. “We might depend a lot more on the Mark than people think,” said Hadron. “Or they have one guy who’s glad that someone is doing stuff that he would normally be responsible for,” said Harry. “Where’s that report on the bridge troll? Lamplighters blew it up. I still need a report.” “All right,” said Hadron. “Hurry up. I have a bad feeling about this.” “You’ve always got a bad feeling,” said Harry. “You need to relax a lot more, maybe take Janie out on the town.” “Why would I do that?,” asked Hadron. “Because she’s interested in you,” said Harry. “Everybody sees it.” “I would rather not,” said Hadron. The tone of his voice said he didn’t want to talk about it. “Okay,” said Harry. “It’s just one future, but it’s something for you to consider. You don’t want to be alone if something happens to the rest of us. You’ll need her to keep steady.” “If you were to drop dead, I would be fine,” said Hadron. “All right,” said Harry. He shook his head in disbelief. “Shall we?,” said Levram. “I think so unless my friend has more romantic advice for me to dismiss,” said Hadron. “I’m good,” said Harry. “Let me grab some more of these cookies to take with us.” Levram seemed amused. He stood and walked across the lobby. Hadron grabbed the equipment boxes and followed. Harry hurried to catch up with the two of them, putting cookies packed in bags in his jacket pocket. Levram went to a Audi with government plates. He gestured for his guests to take seats as he got behind the wheel. The three of them rolled to the airport for their flight. //321293

Desert Storms 2 1987- Marty taxied the jet to a rented hangar off the main runways at Tel Aviv airport. He put the headphones on their hook before shutting everything down. He leaned back in his seat. He had learned to fly a little when he was ten. Then he had taken refresher courses after he had taken Watson down, and got Barry back. He hadn’t expected to fly around the world without most of his partners to look at some anomaly out in the desert for his adopted father. “That was enjoyable,” said Ren. “Flying in a plane is better when you can see everything.” “It’s more comfortable than a griffin,” said Marty. “Let’s get our bags and go through Customs. We can look at Barry’s problem area tomorrow. The satellite pictures were out in the desert somewhere.” “Have you been to Israel before?,” asked Ren. “I don’t think I have had the chance,” said Marty. “I don’t know if Barry had someone on the ground to help us either.” “We’ll figure things out,” said Ren. “I have to call Corona to let her know we’re down.” “Finch said to call if there was an emergency,” said Marty. “She’s taking the kids on a walkabout.” “Walkabout?,” asked Ren. “That’s what she said, but I think she is making the kids run laps in the woods around the compound,” said Marty. “So I can’t talk to her for a few hours, and Barry is experimenting on something and won’t pick up the phone until he’s done in the lab.” “So my check in will have to cover both of us,” said Ren. “If there is a problem, Corona can fly up to the place and let Barry and Finch know.” “Looks like,” said Marty. He unstrapped his safety harness and stood. “Let’s see what we can do before we head out to the desert. Barry probably wants us to go out there and sleep in a tent now that we are on the ground.” “I would like a hotel,” said Ren. “I would like to go over the pictures again before we endanger ourselves.” “No problem,” said Marty. “I wish Finch and Corona were here. They are our powerhouses.” “But they aren’t very good at mysteries unless we want to make someone talk,” said Ren. “I don’t see that with some occurrence.” Marty nodded. His wife was many things, but she wasn’t a detective unless beating people senseless for information was what was needed. She did that very well indeed. Corona was even worse unless you wanted the beaten person set on fire. She was excellent at that. Marty grabbed his go bag and jacket and led the way to the exit door in the middle of the jet. Cog might have been big help, but he didn’t want to leave Chicago for another country. Being a ball of metal and a hundred mechanical tentacles made him suspicious of anybody who might come into contact with him. He didn’t want to fend off any attention he might gather from the Israelis while they were on the job. Marty pulled on his jacket as he opened the door to the let the steps down. He pulled on sunglasses as he stepped down to the tarmac. Ren had his carrier bag slung on a strap at his hip, and a briefcase for his suits. He straightened his jacket, and the vest underneath as he stepped out in the afternoon sun. “You’re going to overheat in that,” said Marty. “The black suit is the tradition of the detective on the job,” said Ren. “Besides it is air-conditioned.” “How did you do that?,” asked Marty. “I hypnotized it into being cooler than the surrounding air,” said Ren. Marty smiled as he shook his head. He shouldn’t have been surprised. Hypnotizing clothing was in his friend’s capacity, and need for comfort. He wasn’t a hardbitten private shamus like Mike Hammer. He was a genteel layabout like Nick Charles. He had the wife and kid, all he needed was the dog that was smarter than he was. Marty ran his hand through his hair as they walked toward the terminal. They had to get through customs, then find a hotel and rent a car. The jet hadn’t had room for a car on it like the big one parked under the national forest. It had been parked for almost twenty years. Barry was still getting replacement parts for it to bring back up to state of the art so they could start using it as a mobile base again. The small jet was a replacement for the one the Scouts had lost when the original team had been decimated at Idaville. Ren maintained his silence. He didn’t like to speculate about what a problem could be before they actually started looking at it. He had apprenticed under a master detective and earned his independence in the eight years he had been with the new Scouts. He was teaching his son his methods as well as he could. Corona was teaching him how to control the flames he had inherited from her. Burning down someone’s property was not something she wanted Bond to do by accident. She wanted him to be sure first. “Have your children inherited your powers, Marty?,” asked Ren. “Nope,” said Morgan. “It might have skipped a generation, or no one else might ever get them.” “You don’t seem bothered by it,” said Ren. “Finch wants them to be trained like her,” Marty said. “Adding in what I can do would just cause a lot of problems for all of them. I think it’s better if I sit back and watch for strange animals around the Hub instead of trying to push for them to make an animal that will help them get into trouble.” “What if they are making animals without you?,” asked Ren. “My wife doesn’t need me to bring out the whupping stick,” said Marty. Ren silently agreed with that. Finch was one of the most dangerous people around with her hands. Disciplining children should be child’s play for her. “And if they get bit, it will teach them a lesson about bringing things to life that don’t like them,” said Marty. “It’s the circle of life in action.” “I think you are way too relaxed about the thought your family could be eaten by made up lions,” said Ren. “Naw,” said Marty. “Finch can handle that.” Ren nodded. He had seen Finch in action himself. She could handle a mountain lion. He didn’t want to see the animal she couldn’t handle. They pushed into the terminal and made their way through Customs. Marty presented his passport and opened his bag which was full of folded t-shirts, cargo pants, underwear and socks. Ren presented a folder that said it was a passport, opened his briefcase which scared the inspector, and was let through with a lot of talk. “What do you have in your bag?,” asked Marty. “My library,” said Ren. Marty shrugged as they walked across the terminal. He was used to his friend saying things that couldn’t be true but probably were. He turned toward signs that promised rentals for the tourist on the go. He led the way to the counter. There were a few minutes of talk as he and Ren compared Barry’s pictures to a real map and decided they needed a jeep of some kind to get to where they had to go. The counter lady advised them to get extra water and gas cans if they were going out in the desert. Tel Aviv was a long way from the target, but Marty didn’t know of any airports that far south that would take the Scout jet. Driving seemed their best option at the moment. If they had to fly back, he had a couple of things that would do that for him when he summoned them. “Do we get hotel here?,” asked Ren. “Or start south?” “Let’s get rooms here before we start looking around,” said Marty. “I have been in the air for hours. I want to rest my butt.” “I’ll call Corona as soon as we check in,” said Ren. “Then I can do my review.” “I’m taking a nap,” said Marty. “Then I am going to get some food in me, then maybe I’m going to hit the night tourist spots before I get some sleep. We can take the jeep out early in the morning and look around.” “Sounds like a plan,” said Ren. “We might have come to town over nothing,” said Marty. “If we did, we just get back on the plane and head home.” “We’re here for something,” said Ren. “Barry wouldn’t have sent us to look around if nothing was going on.” “We might not be the experts needed for this,” said Marty. “We might need to call up the Lamplighters and let them do their thing.” “How did that go in New York?,” asked Ren. “We almost lost the city,” said Marty. He checked the key ring against the car in front of him. A driver from the rental car company got out and left the door open for him. “But we worked things out.” Ren paused at the matter of fact way Marty put things. He walked around to the other side and got in the passenger seat. “You almost lost the city?,” said Ren. “Yep, but the Mark showed up with his adoptees and a few other guys pitched in and we closed things and saved the city from being turned into more of a hell than it is right now,” said Marty. He got behind the wheel. “What did you tell Finch about this?,” asked Ren. “Another day at the office,” said Marty. He smiled. “What she doesn’t know keeps my bones from being broken.” “You’re way too confident,” said Ren. “Barry will tell her at some point. You will be in so much trouble.” “Trouble deferred is trouble avoided,” said Marty. “Where’s the closest hotel?” “We should turn left,” said Ren. “There are a few along the water we can check in.” “All right,” said Marty. “If things get bad overnight, I expect Barry will try to call us through the plane. I’ll have to leave him a message about the hotel phone to call.” “Message through the plane?,” asked Ren. “Sometimes he forgets that not everybody likes to sleep in their vehicle and move out when the rooster crows,” said Marty. “Because of his prosthesis?,” asked Ren. “Naw,” said Marty. “He was always like that, even when I was a kid. Do you know how many times I have heard the sun’s up, time to go?” “You counted how many times he said it?,” asked Ren. “Yep,” said Marty. “You can keep that to yourself because you are confirming it was a good idea that Corona and I live in San Francisco,” said Ren. “How do you afford that?,” said Marty. “Afford what?,” asked Ren. “The rent and stuff,” said Marty. “I don’t have to pay rent and utilities where I live,” said Ren. “You hypnotized something to be your house, didn’t you?,” asked Marty. “I do not know what you are talking about,” said Ren. “I’m talking about you seizing something that isn’t a house and making it into a house, and fooling everyone around you,” said Marty. “And I know you are capable of doing that. I have seen you do it.” “Corona would never accept anything that wasn’t a real house,” said Ren. “I am hurt that you would think such a thing.” “I want to see this house when we get done with this,” said Marty. “I know you’re hiding something.” “Again you stab me in the heart,” said Ren. “I think I will never talk to you again.” Marty glanced at his friend as he pulled to a stop in front of the hotel. He knew he was right. He wondered what Ren had turned into a fake house for his family to avoid San Fran’s climbing prices. “I will find out,” said Marty. “You might have to come up with something for me to get away from the kids.” “I think making Finch angry is not worth it,” said Ren. Marty smiled at that. They had thought they were rescuing her from Watson Security when they first met. Instead they were rescuing Watson’s personnel from her, and they didn’t rescue all of them at that. They went in and checked into separate rooms. Marty took time to leave a message that he was down. Then he lay on the bed and went instantly asleep. He woke up with sun going down. He took out a note pad and wrote a note for Ren. He put that in the crack at the bottom of his friend’s door before he headed out of the hotel. He couldn’t remember being in Tel Aviv. He had spent time traveling with the Scouts, and then roaming the United States on his own, and then traveling with the new Scouts. He couldn’t remember any mysteries, or problems, bringing him to the Middle East. He considered that lucky. He didn’t think the other Scouts had traveled much from their homes except Ren. Cog was a special case. He had settled in Chicago and preferred to stay there unless he was helping out with support. Crashing on Earth had put him in the position of not wanting to do anything other than what he preferred. He helped out but complained about everything. But for a non-combatant, he could be just as dangerous as the rest of them in his own way. Marty didn’t push unless he thought the world was going to end and he needed all hands with no exceptions. He personally picked Cog up when that happened and dropped him off when the emergency was over. He thought Cog’s people were territorial and didn’t like to venture too far away from their homes. It made it weird that Cog would even go into space to wind up on Earth. Marty looked for a place to eat and watch the street. He wanted to stay out of trouble, but had never given up the habit of people watching. Once he was done, he would walk around for a bit before heading back to his hotel. He hoped the local criminals left him alone. He didn’t want to be hauled in for feeding some clown to a wood chipper. He especially didn’t want to ask Barry to bail him out for feeding some clown to a wood chipper. He would never hear the end of the jokes that would be spoken at the wrong times. Marty watched the street and enjoyed his food. He paid with his card before heading along the street. He created a hound dog to walk beside him as he went. They talked about things as they roamed the capitol. A few times the dog went on alert and then relaxed. Marty made it back to his hotel and settled in for the night.

Who gets jurisdiction if someone does want to arrest DeSantis? I noticed that some of the more recent interviews, he has tried to veer from taking responsibility CES

Dan Didio the man who ruined Reboot, ruined DC Comics. Who knew? CES

Columbo night brings us Andrew Stevens as the murderer trying to run a double bluff. Peter Falk doesn't get to do his typical antics here since this one was all about the drama CES

Read Wrecked as Isiah and Dodson try to help a woman find her mother and stop mercenaries from getting away with murder CES

midnight in the garden of good and evil CES

yes CES

Pattern Ghost took mine. I would like real time tracking on any money a politician gets. Richard Burr is supposedly facing an investigation on 80k he made which could have been due to insider trading. And if they can prove it, I would like all of his assets stripped off. Also I would like to get rid of civil asset forfeiture except after the case has gone to court and the suspect has been convicted. I have seen too many stories of police just taking people's money and property on a claim and they can't get it back without going to court, and they can't get the whole sum or the property back most of the time. If you think someone is a doper, prove it. Otherwise, quit raiding people just because they have money they intend to use for things. I would also like to get rid of Qualified Immunity in most cases. It shields people in authority from having to pay for intentionally bad decisions. I would rather they have a day in court and if they lose, they should pay the price instead of I'm a senator/police/judge and I can do what I want CES

I remember terror birds kicking Atomic Robo's butt. he does not have a good track record against creatures that should be extinct but arent CES

It was Columbo night as Columbo matches wits with a killer dentist played by James Read who murdered his wife's lover and tried to frame her. Jo Anderson was the wife. She looked like a young Gillian Anderson in this. Nancy Walker, Ed Begley, Dick Sargent all played themselves as poker players CES

The only one Bucky will be able to trust is the Red Guardian CES

That's on me. I apologize, Vlad. I kept seeing Un Cleveland for some reason. CES

I think Cleve is right. I think every time a DC character gets a new movie team, they go back to the origin for whatever reason. I think the newest Batman is the first one that didn't have it as part of their reboot. CES

Thanks Ternaugh. I can't believe he thought that was a good idea CES

I have to agree with Joe. There are two proposed places being fought by residents since one appears to be at the end of a development with no way to get to a main street except through the development and the other is supposed to be right at the entrance of another development behind a shopping mall. There was another development nixed by Clemmons. The spot was in the same area as others already there close to the shopping strip on Clemmons Rd/Stratford Rd CES

Aquaman was the leader. Four new guys Steel, Vibe, Gypsy and Vixen were on the team. Martian Manhunter and Zatanna were old crew. This led to the first and only team up with Infinity INC since Steel and WW2's Commander Steel were related. Then Crisis happened and the team was reorganized again but Infinity was ripped apart and most of its members scattered and treated fairly poorly except Mr Bones CES

this is straight out of the first CSI. I wonder how they connected him to the crime unless the SUV was his SUV that he left in the neighborhood CES

Desert Storms 1987- 1 Mark Hadron realized as he stepped out of the airport that the air felt better than New York’s. He pulled on sunglasses as he looked around. This was his first time in another country, and he wanted to enjoy some of it before he had to go to work. Harry Cho adjusted his fedora as he paused beside his friend. He looked around until he saw a cab stand. “Let’s catch a ride to our hotel,” said Cho. “Then we can figure out whatever we’re supposed to be doing.” “What we’re supposed to be doing is a scan of local energy readings,” said Hadron. “I don’t see how that is going to help anyone since we’re the only ones who knows what it means, and what we should be looking for. On the other hand, the Israelis are paying us a ton of money for the survey, and Milton says we need it so we can expand our operation.” “We need it so he can expand his hat collection,” said Cho. “You’re wearing a hat,” pointed out Hadron, pointing at the fedora on his friend’s head. “I have one hat, not six hundred,” retorted Harry. “He’s like Imelda Marcos and her shoes.” “I admit the wig stands might be a step too far,” said Hadron. “Exactly,” said Harry. “And it’s creepy too.” Hadron smiled. Harry asked the driver for a lift to the Hilton when they reached the cab drivers standing around the marker post where they were supposed to pick up their fares. One of the men waved at his cab, and gestured for them to get in. “We’re going to have to rent a car while we’re here,” said Hadron. He sat down in the back with his go bag on his lap. “We can’t afford a cab everywhere we’ll need to go.” “Maybe we can get a driver,” said Cho. He tilted his hat back as he sat down on the other side of the seat. He had a duffle he propped up between them. “I don’t know why they would want a scan for turbulence out here. The lines should be changing all the time.” “I doubt it,” said Hadron. He looked out the window as the car rolled through the hot sun. This close to the Med brought in cooling winds sometimes, but not now. “We’ll see when we talk to the clients.” “They probably want to use the turbulence to power something like a giant robot,” said Harry. “Autobots! Let’s roll out!” “I doubt it,” said Hadron. “I expect it’s something like a new style of power plant powered by the natural energy. I would think there were obvious drawbacks that wouldn’t make it feasible.” “Like what?,” asked Cho. “Well, that much energy being pulled in means that eventually you are going to start generating ghosts, or opening rips,” said Hadron. “Then you have to shut everything down, go to backup power, restart when the lines calmed down whenever that is.” “And if they don’t calm down?,” asked Cho. “Then you better be able to live with what is going to happen,” said Hadron. “Might be a second, or third, level apocalypse. Not enough to affect the whole world, but enough to reroute the lines and leave a lot of things wandering around that you don’t necessarily want wandering around.” “Like that thing in Mrs. Havershim’s attic?,” said Cho. “Exactly like that,” said Hadron with a sigh. “Excuse me,” said the driver. “What do you do?” “We chase ghosts,” said Hadron. “The government has asked us to come over here and look around for hauntings.” “Pardon me for asking,” said the driver. “That’s what we do,” said Hadron. He pulled a business card out of his wallet and passed it over. Lamplighters ran across the top of the card in blue letters. “If you have a problem with some kind of ghost, we’ll check it out for you. We’re only going to be in town for a couple of weeks so we’ll have to charge you for a flight back.” “Ask for the discount,” said Cho. He smiled. “We’ll burn up two ghosts for the price of one.” “But it’s the most expensive one,” said Hadron. “Our financial guy won’t let us offer anything else.” “Boy, let me tell you,” said Cho in a passable imitation of his friend, Milton. “We ain’t bagging a type ten electrical whatsitz and a type two spirit beast, and only charging for the spirit beast. Anybody can kick the hind end off a shadow cat.” “Does your friend sound like that?,” asked the driver. He put the card in his console. “He’s from Texas,” said Hadron. “That explains that,” said the driver. “Your hotel is up here on your right.” “Thanks,” said Hadron. “We don’t have our equipment with us, but if you do have a ghost problem, we’ll fix it for you one way, or the other.” “I’ll keep that in mind,” said the driver. He doubted he would ever have a spirit problem. Once he let these two kooks go, he could find normal fares to drive around the city. Hadron and Cho got out of the cab. They looked around as they headed into the Hilton. The driver shook his head as he drove off. “Do you really think they would try to harness the turbulence?,” asked Cho. They headed for the front desk to check in. “There’s always someone doing something stupid,” said Hadron. “Look at what we do.” “We did save the city, possibly the world,” said Cho. “The Mark and Scry saved the world,” said Hadron. “They just gave us credit for some reason.” “Because we did most of the work,” said Cho. “We’re the only ones who know how to do what we do. Reservation for Cho and Hadron.” “I don’t think that’s right,” said Hadron. “Magicians know how to do what we do.” “But they don’t,” said Cho. “Your rooms are on the fourth floor,” said the clerk. She eyed them from behind her computer screen and the large counter where she stood. “416 and 415.” “Thank you very much,” said Cho. Hadron led the way across the lobby to the elevators. He wondered if he was grumpy because he didn’t know why they were on the other side of the planet for a survey, or because he needed something to eat. His stomach told him he needed something to eat in a loud way. “I think we should stow our bags and see if we can spend some of the local currency on food,” said Hadron as they waited on the elevator. “I don’t see why not,” said Cho. “Are you going to last that long?” “I’ll be fine,” said Hadron. He pushed the button to send the elevator to their floor. “I have to call Janie to tell her we’re here and everything is okay so far.” “I think she’s sweet on you,” said Cho. “Milton said the same thing,” said Hadron. He stepped out of the elevator and used his card to open his door. “Give me five minutes.” Hadron put his go bag under the bed. He looked around the two rooms of his suite, then the bathroom. It was like every other hotel he had ever visited except for the view outside his windows. Paisley walls, bed, couch, television, desk, chest of drawers. He wondered how much Milton had made the government agree to pay before he even got on the plane. His friend was a shark when it came to money. Hadron picked up the green phone receiver and pushed the international code for the States, and then the full number for their company headquarters in New York. He had talked with Milton about getting radio phones, but their finance man was watching the tech columns for a deal. “Lamplighters,” said Janie Hillsmeir after he listened to the ring for a few seconds. “How can I help you?” “It’s me, Janie,” said Hadron. “We’re down in Tel Aviv and waiting for the rep to meet us tomorrow.” “Get back as fast as you can,” said Janie. “Milt and Dyson are having problems with a phantom in the subway. He’s leading them around by their noses.” “I’ll do what I can,” said Hadron. “We don’t even know what we’re supposed to be surveying yet.” “Be careful,” said Janie. “Check in tomorrow night. Milton is going to want details so he can write the bill up.” “Okay, Janie,” said Hadron. He shook his head. He wondered how much Milton was going to try to overcharge the Israelis for their services. Milton was in the wrong job to charge people for services rendered since they were there to stop problems from beyond. And do research on the side. He still did research. Most of it was bent on how to kill the spirit that had suddenly sprung into existence and was causing problems. He hadn’t done real research since he dropped out of college. He hadn’t wanted to do that, but he couldn’t keep up with his studies and help with the business like he needed. And the job was making him money and giving him a view of the strange that he had looked for all his life. He hadn’t expected how mundane it would seem after the last year of dealing with things and trying not to get killed. The others seemed fine with it. He took a moment to get a grip on things so he didn’t scream into the phone. It wasn’t Janie’s fault about how things had turned out. “I’ll call in tomorrow, Janie,” he said. “This is the phone number, or I guess you can call the front desk and ask to be transferred to our rooms.” He gave her the number. “I’m in 415,” said Hadron. “Harry is across the hall in 416.” “I got it, Mark,” said Janie. “Watch yourself.” “I do all the time,” said Hadron. “I’ll call in tomorrow. I don’t know when.” “Right, Mark,” said Janie. “Good night.” “Good night, Janie,” said Hadron. He put the earpiece on the receiver gently. He had to get dinner, and then look at what he needed for tomorrow. He had left parts for a scanner in his go bag. It wasn’t long range, but he could build another one out of bought parts if he needed it. He wondered why they had called the company as he walked out of the hotel room. He locked up before knocking on Harry’s door. Ghostbusting was not something most rational people looked on without derision. They should have turned down the credit the Mark gave them for the save in the city. Then he wouldn’t be dealing with people across the ocean from his home. Harry seemed to be enjoying himself. “Hey, Mark,” said Harry. “Nothing looks bad for tomorrow, but if we stay and do a complete survey, we might have a problem.” “Reading?,” asked Hadron. Harry nodded. He had a talent for fortune telling with cards. He wasn’t hundred percent yet, but he was close most of the time. If they were going to have problems in their line of work, then they might need to have lamps and weapons shipped from home. Milton would love the extra money he could charge for an active job. “Yep,” said Harry. “What are we going to do?” “We’re getting dinner, then I have to look over the request paperwork we were sent, then I’m turning in,” said Hadron. “Do a reading tomorrow after we meet the rep and see if anything changed.” “After that?,” asked Harry. “We figure out how to get our gear and light some monster up,” said Hadron. “That’s what we do.” They rode the elevator down to the lobby. //316765

Timeline 5000 BC- The Murmur tries to summon the Destroyer and is opposed by Nobody, Cain, Memphis, Al-a-Din, The King and Mr. Multiverse in the Destroyer. The line of Kings is created by the Destroyer. The creature that would be known as Mr. Multiverse was created to stop the Destroyer in the Will of the Universe. 1670- Bill Crenshaw is killed by a pirate hunter known as El Rey (The reincarnated King) in Crenshaw. 1885- Bertram Chandler, the current King, deals with a river problem for a town in King of the Wild West. 1925- Bobby Benson is born. 1935- Bobby Benson takes over from Cain in the Heir. He becomes the Mark. 1938- Sir Laurence Fletcher starts the Commando X program with its first recruit, James Rafferty. The mission is to investigate smuggler Mick Brown for the Secret Service. 1940- Frank Flanagan decides to become the Protector in the Shield. The Mark brings the USS Armand in to NYC Harbor after it was struck by a torpedo. Barry Nicklaus sets a record for highest a human has been in the air. The Promethan saves people from a fire. 1941- Frank Saxon becomes the Rocket and helps defeat Doctor Rainey Sybil in Flight of the Rocket Man 1945- Roscoe Burly musters out of the Army, and joins the Middleton Police Department. 1954- Timmy Strangehold is born. 1955- Barney Strife takes over for Joe Carlson as Herocles in Inherit the Monsters. Tooty Strangehold is born. 1956- Enemies of The Mark wound him and kill his friends and fellow spark bearers. He lethally retaliates against them. Will Williams and Ann Baker were killed. The Mark’s human side was wounded. Barberossa, Dr. Rainey Sybil, the Butterfly, Koal, and the Spine were all killed by The Mark in the End of the Light. 1959- Marty Morgan is born 1960- Jim and Darby Strangehold die in an accident. Their children go to live with their only living relative, Dr. Dale Strangehold. 1964- The Hazard Scouts help the Park Service with an animal enrager. 1965- Doctor Dale Strangehold helps Sgt. Roscoe Burly and the Middleton Police Department deal with a monster in Dr Strangehold, Ectoplasmic Detective. 1969- The Mark helps his alternate Earth counterpart, Captain Spark in Across the Divide. The Hazard Scouts are decimated by an unknown enemy in Showdown in a Small Town. Only Marty Morgan, the Animal Boy survives. 1976- Cassie Troy cements her prophetic abilities by stopping a summoned monster in a church for the life of her friend, Hector, in Cassie’s Knife. She is abetted by Nobody. 1979- Marty Morgan leads Corona, Cog, Finch and Ren against Watson Security and their superpowered minions, The Squad, and rescues Barry Nicklaus and Cortez from imprisonment in Revenge of the Scouts. 1981- Bond Tamagochi is born 1982- Mark Morgan is born 1984- Melinda Morgan is born. 1986- The Mark meets Eleanor, Carrie, and Money. He introduces them to Spiffy, and Cassie Troy in the Sisters. Mark Hadron develops his lamp and begins to gather the original Lamplighters in Light the Lamp. 1987- Eleanor, Carrie, and Money find out about the other Marks and are adopted by the Mark. The Lamplighters are credited with saving New York by the Mark in the Vault. The Shooting Stars are blasted into space. 1988- Sam Starn becomes the second Captain to take after his sister. 1990- Eleanor, Carrie, and Money help the Robot Rangers fight a building come to life in Tokyo in the Robot Ranger Rescue. 1992- Pablo Estevez introduces his trainee, Henry Harkness, to his mentors and Cassie Troy at the Good Eats Diner in the Four Musketeers. The Morgans and Bond take Stella Marston Scouting in the Woods 1995- Shirou Morita becomes M-37 after touching an orb left over from the Apartment Man’s attack on Tokyo in M-37. Stephen Scry loses his identity and goes on the run from the Sons of Set. 1996- Dr. Yamada tests a radioactive coat for M-37 in Testing for M-37 1997- M-37 responds to an earthquake in M-37's First Flight. 1999- Darla Huitt is born. Moshe Levram is born. 2000- Stephen Scry and Memphis confronts Steven Scry at Last Stop, Nevada in Meet Yourself. Tanner Lerner is born. Sara Levram is born. 2002- Lynette Harkness is born to Henry and Martha June Harkness in Happy Birthday. 2010- Jason Parley gains the sword of the King during a bust of cultists and their summoned monster in Return of the King. Al-a-Din and his butler deal with a bombing in Master and Servant. Memphis helps Moshe and Sara Levram against the Dog Maker in Duel in the Desert. Tanner Lerner and Darla Huitt gain their powers from a meteor in Ink Buttons. 2014- The Lamplighters are decimated. Three are killed. Mark Hadron lost an eye and had a hand punctured. 2015- Jane Hillsmeirer talked to Mark Hadron about restarting the Lamplighters in The Hermit. Jason Parley, the modern King, threatened a deal of nonagression with the local mobster in A Parley. Denver McGinty picks up Kisara, Princess of the Genn, on the side of the road and drops her off in New York City in Girl on the Road. The basis for Lamplighters West is formed when four women ask Mark Hadron for help dealing with Crenshaw the ghost pirate in Splinter Cell. Marcel Hobart is the first new recruit for the new Lamplighters in the Interview. Rangifer Tarandus, The Reindeer, evades the Black Wolves while trying to save a town in Norway in Special Delivery. Patty Page, Kathy Baker, Lin Qi, Jean Lopez form the Lamplighters West and take on Crenshaw with the help of Mark Hadron in Blue Flames in San Francisco. Roland Givens is embedded with seven spirits by Amenophis and the Sons of Set despite interference from Tanner Lerner and Lynette Harkness in Button Pushing. Bobby Iger and Maria Garcia-Lopez join the Lamplighters after a talk with Harry Cho in Recruited. Ken Aioki is hired to be a Lamplighter in the Last Spot. 2017- The Mark is killed by the Queen of Genn in Make Your Mark. Lynette Harkness helps fight the invasion in her training suit in New Girl. Marty Morgan dies leading the Hazard Scouts, the Lamplighters, M-37, the Robot Rangers, and others against the Queen of Genn in The Scouts Hold the Line. Tanner Lerner and Darla Huitt take part in the battle for New York in Push All the Buttons. The Fairy Man and his princess help the magicians close the door on the Queen of Genn in Going Home. The Shooting Stars return from space in Stars in the Sky.

Stars in the Sky 2017 Sam Starn wondered if he was going to die. Walking trees were all around him. Why had he flown into New York? That was a dumb question. He knew why he had flown in. His strategist had asked him for transport and he had agreed. He just hadn’t known what would happen would happen. Seeker had known because she had kitted up with her heavy assault gear. She must have thought he would run when he saw how bad things were. Maybe he would have. “All right, Cap,” said the third member of their team in his ear. “I’m coming in on the trees to your right. I think I can punch a hole for you two to get through.” “Moving,” said Sam. He jumped across a car hood, ran to a wall cutting him off from a small park beyond, and scaled it in a second. He dropped down on the other side, baton in hand. The Rocket came down and turned at the last second. Blasts from his power caught the nearest trees in their wooden faces and knocked them over. He flew up in the air. Sam dropped fire extinguisher foam on the burning trees as he ran through the playground. He left the invaders trying to light themselves back up before the Rocket came back and did something to them. Seeker was somewhere ahead, moving toward some unknown goal. She carried her rifle at the ready. She had opted for a long coat to conceal the body armor and equipment she wore. A dark face mask covered her round features. Her eyes glittered copper sometimes when she moved under street lights. Occasionally the rifle spoke. When it did, a dead tree fell with the flame escaping its body. Sam’s team was at the edge of the deployment. He had heard of big hero battles before he put on his mask, but that had seemed removed from what he and his team did. His sister had been the Captain before him. She had led a team that had vanished during an assault on a mad scientist lair. He found her lair and trained up to replace her. He had changed the colors on his copy of her uniform to stand out and make his own way. Seeker had joined after he had established himself. She said she needed work to hone her ability. Just picking stocks made money, but wasn’t helping her skill any. She wanted it to be better than that. The Rocket had found out about what they were doing and asked to join them. He had already been a hero for a while, a legacy from World War Two. They needed someone who could do high speed chases and air searches. He was perfect for that. And his dad had been on the Stars with Sam’s sister when the team had disappeared. It had felt wrong to turn him away. So the three of them had trained up with Seeker taking any weapon she could from any armed bandit they caught up with. Half of the things she was carrying was stolen from crooks they had taken down in the middle of their crimes. Rocket’s grandfather flew by over head. He pulled one of the flying platforms into a roll. The crew fell out as the ship rolled into the ground. He flew off to find someone else he could knock out of the air. Sam knocked a tree out of his way with his shoulder. He told some onlooker to get clear and try to move away from the battle. They didn’t need for a civilian to be stomped into the ground while they were trying to protect the city. The civilian waved at him with a lit cigar and strolled down the road. Sam headed along the road, leaping over anything in his way. He had worked for hours to learn how to move smoothly over obstacles. He paused when he saw someone using the roof of a building to shoot out in the night. “Seeker?,” Sam said into his radio. “Can you see me south of a sniper shooting into the park?” “That’s me, Captain,” said Seeker. “I’m giving cover fire for others fighting down there.” “Can you point me and Rocket in?,” said Sam. “We’ll help take care of this.” “Uncle Steve is down there with some of his friends,” said Seeker. “He’ll probably shoot a flare now that you’re close enough to help out.” A rocket flew into the air and exploded in a cloud of fireworks. That must be my mark, thought Sam as he raced deeper into the park. The embers slowly faded away as they fell. Sam rushed forward. Seeker’s Uncle Steve used to adventure back in the day. He had met the man a couple of times. He had probably flown in to help Seeker when the news of the battle had broken out. The Captain saw the older adventurer in the middle of a pack of wolves. The wolves had too many eyes and teeth. He supposed they were shock troops of some kind. He noted some other costumed adventurers with the retired aviator. He decided he could introduce himself when he had saved the day. He booted the nearest wolf from behind as he charged up on the scene. The animal flew out of his way and landed with a whimper. It jumped to face Sam with a growl on its lips and a glare in its eyes. “Seeker says hi,” said Sam. He readied himself for an attack from the wolves. His baton didn’t seem that much of a threat to them. A bullet streaking through the park punctuated his statement. “You kids shouldn’t be here,” said Uncle Steve. He unloaded his shotgun into the wolves from his side of the ring. Some of them went down, while the rest scattered. “This is some end of the world stuff going on here.” “Seeker would have tried to come on her own if we tried to back out,” said Sam. He booted another wolf out of his way. “She’s really stubborn.” The two Rockets did a fly by to try to keep the sky over the park clear of the enemy. They attracted some weird birds that they allowed to chase them before using their jets on them. Sam looked around. Why were they holding the park? They should move out to the other side and push the trees back where they would be easier to take apart. The weird animals could be rounded up by Animal Control, or some other agency, and taken in when this was over. “Am I too late, Steve?,” asked a man in a dark suit, blasting wolves out of his way with glances. “No, Steve,” said Charlton. The adventurer adjusted his old pilot’s hat. “Are you sure you can do this?” “I guess,” said the other Steve. “I still think Memphis could help you more.” “Your talent is the only thing that can help us,” said Charlton. “Cap, this is Stephen Scry. Steve, this is the Captain from the Shooting Stars. When the push comes, Steve, that’s when we’re going to need you the most.” “I got it,” said the man in the dark suit. He rubbed his hands together. “I haven’t done anything like this in a while. I’m going to need a second to warm up.” “The push is getting ready to happen,” Charlton said. He looked up at the sky. “Marty is getting ready to do his thing.” Sam wondered what was going to happen. He looked up too. Explosions marked purple light blasting the enemy from the sky. Giants appeared as a giant flaming tree emerged from the cloud bank that had issued the trees and invading species. He wondered again how he had thought he would make difference in the face of the power being thrown around, when the Mark had been killed like that. A kaiju appeared on the street. It rushed forward and helped the giants with the tree. It roared a blast of fire against the enemy. “This is it,” said Charlton. “This is the end.” “Once I get started, I won’t be able to defend myself,” said Scry. “We’ve got you,” said Charlton. He blasted a crow out of the air. Blue flame blasted across the city. It went through the tree queen. She staggered back into the cloud. Letters of light formed to disperse the cloud. “Now, Steve,” said Charlton. He kept an eye on the park. Sam took the other side. He wasn’t worried. Seeker had a rifle away from the fighting. The Rockets were in the air overhead. Other costumed adventurers were spread out away from his position. He saw one of the Finches using something for batting practice and winced. An eye of light formed around Scry. He stood still and closed his eyes. Sam heard the sound of pages snapping in the air. Another cloud ring formed in the park. The grayness thinned to reveal a place of gray stone on the other side. Costumed and masked people jumped through the door, looking around at the park. They held themselves ready to fight. The magician let go of his spell and the cloud collapsed. He held himself together, taking deep breaths to steady himself. Sam looked at one of the people who had come through. She wore almost the same costume he had in blue. He couldn’t keep a grin from his face. “Amanda?,” he put his baton in holster. “Amanda?” “Sam?,” said the woman. “Why are you wearing one of my costumes?” “Where have you been?,” asked Sam. “What happened?” “Not now,” said one of the other heroes. “We’re still in trouble.” “It’s almost over,” said Charlton. “The main enemy has been defeated. The rest is the clean up.” One of the others took to the sky, reuniting with the Rockets. Sam grinned as the three flew through the air. They chased each other. “I think we have some catching up to do,” said Amanda. “We’ve been stranded for thirty years.” “The current situation is an invasion from another dimension,” said Sam. “We’ve lost the Mark, and who knows who else. I have a couple of partners helping me, and Captain Charlton figured out how to get you back somehow.” “Steve did it,” said Charlton, gesturing at the man in the dark suit. “But the rest will have to wait until we make sure the park is clear, and the enemy hasn’t decided to kill civilians since they might be stuck here.” “I think we can handle that part,” said Amanda. “This is more masks than I have ever seen.” “It’s one of the bigger assemblies,” said Charlton. He pushed his cap back. “The excitement is dying down. We’ll be gathering our dead until morning. You folks should go ahead. There’s a place south of here. We’ll meet there in a couple of hours.” “Thank you,” said Sam. He shook Charlton’s hand, then Scry’s. He was all grins. “Everyone safe?,” asked Seeker over the radio. “Yes,” said Sam. “We’re moving south. Your uncle said his group would catch up with us now that the fight is almost done.” “I have one more shot to take, then I am on my way,” said Seeker. He nodded, despite knowing she couldn’t see him unless she was looking at the group with the scope on her rifle. “Why are you wearing a version of my costume?,” asked Amanda. “I found your files and decided to take over for you,” said Sam. “Seeker and the Rocket decided to pitch in. We’ve been doing okay.” “I have so much to catch up on,” said Amanda. “Wait. Why were you going through my stuff?” “The county foreclosed on your house,” said Sam. “I went in and cleaned everything out and put it in a storage unit. I’ll give you the key when we figure out what to do.” “All of my friends must think I ran off,” said Amanda. “They know you were missing,” said Sam. “I don’t know how you can explain this to them. You might have to say you were stranded and couldn’t call.” “This is going to take some getting used to,” said Amanda. “Thirty years is a long time to be away from home.” “The worst part is people got over you being missing and moved on with their lives,” said Sam. “Except for me.” “It will be like coming back from the dead,” said Amanda. “I’m not ready for that yet.” “Let’s find this place Cap Charlton was talking about and see if we can get some food, and I’ll try to explain some of the things that have happened since you’ve been gone,” said Sam. “I admit I never thought I would see you again.” “Same here,” said Amanda. “We built a base out there to survive. Baseline could never quite get us close to home. The call today, tonight, had come out of the blue. When we get out there, someone will find that place if it is still standing and go I wonder what happened here.” “That’ll be a couple of centuries at least,” said Sam. “Maybe,” said Amanda. “We found some things out there we can use to expand the space programs here.” “So you’re going to be an astronaut?,” asked Sam. “I don’t see why not,” said Amanda. “There might be some trouble ahead,” said one of Amanda’s group. He wore a mask with an eye on it. “Sean, this is my brother, Sam,” said Amanda. “Sam, this is Sean. He’s our recon expert.” “Nice to meet you,” said Sam. “Okay,” said Sean. “Are we looking into this?” “I don’t see why not,” said Amanda. //314801

The Journal reports that a certain Mr. Cheeseboro will be spending his prison time in a wheel chair after signing a plea deal for murder. His other charges will run at the same time according to the paper. Mr. Cheeseboro is a victim of bad luck because while he was shooting his victim, his accomplice was shooting him. CES

Reporter Salvatore Crespi has reported the truth his whole life. He has dug into things that he shouldn't have and caused some damage to the hierarchy in his city. Wounded at dinner, Crespi spent his time recovering. He discovered that his near death had awakened an ability to events as if he was actually there. That allowed him to go back to the paper and report on things which caused even more problems. But he had also created the masked identity of the Historian to act against those who wanted to stop him from letting the truth be free. CES

Wasn't a reboot. Was an elseworlds. They don't even use that. And everyone involved has been fired for whatever reason. I know rumor said Berganza the editor liked to harass people in the office. A reboot on the main line is Wonder Woman was made out of clay, is really Zeus's kid, recently became a heroine, served with the JSA in WW2 as did her mother, became a warrior princess, or Green Arrow and Green Lantern are 25 years older than their friends in the League because Editorial forgot how old they were supposed to be, or Cyborg being a founding member of the League and gutting his history with the Titans, changing his age to be older than Nightwing when he was the youngest Titan at one point. Same thing with Black Lightning so he could have teen age daughters. Everything happened is how DC is handling their mainline continuity now. CES

No surprise there since Trump destroyed official documents coming across his desk. CES