StarFall Comics
A Division of Pullemouttayerhat Productions
A Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of StarFall Innovations
Proudly Presents:
Swamp Patrol
#6: Uncertain Circumstances
cover: A close up of Alley Cat being hit by one of Arsenal's lasers. Arsenal is in the background.
"Get out of my way, Maggie!"
Marguerite Hawkins stood in front of her daughter, Janice, blocking the bottom of the stairs. Janice was on the last few steps with a suitcase in one hand, and a bag of various belongings in the other.
"But, why...?" The older woman protested.
"I said move!!" Janice screamed, swinging her suitcase.
Marguerite was knocked across the room, colliding with the opposite wall.
With a smirk on her face, Janice strutted out the door, and...
...Marguerite bolted straight up out of sleep. She realized moments later, as she gazed at herself in the bathroom mirror, that she was crying.
"Janice, why can't I make you understand?!"
The soda bottle shattered as it reached the zenith of its arc, the pieces falling in a glimmering snow of particles.
"That's better, Ted," Frank said, "but you should try to get those energy blasts to do more than break things."
"Why? All I seem to be able to do is destroy stuff."
Frank had been training his younger brother as best as he could in controlling his powers, but it was not going well. Ever since his powers had emerged, Ted had become sullen, withdrawn, and very pessimistic. Frank knew adjusting to life as a 'freak' wouldn't be easy for Ted, but he had determined to stick by him. After all, he insisted, he was Ted's brother.
"Let's try another. And see if you can just bump it, without breaking it."
Tossing up another bottle, Ted took aim with the muffler of an old junker that he was using for a rifle. A bolt of blue/white energy burst from the exhaust pipe, striking the bottle. It was immediately vaporized.
"At least your aim's improving," Frank muttered.
"Kay! Why haven't you finished yet?!"
Carter Stevens stormed into the laboratory that he had had built in his mansion's basement. The place was a mess of wires and circuit boards, and the floor was strewn with paneling and precision tools. And in the center of it all was a tall Plexiglas tube, set amid a circle of control surfaces and data processors.
On a ladder, bending over the top of the cylinder, Dr. Jerome Kay was fitting the gem that Stevens had brought him to the end of a long rod of pearl-blue metal. Pausing in his work for a moment, Dr. Kay called down to his employer:
"Mr. Stevens, do shut up. I suppose you might have me build an entire planet in six days, if such had been the terms of my employment."
Carter Stevens did not appreciate being so spoken to, especially when it was by an employee.
"Don't take that tone with me, Kay! Answer the question! Why isn't the suspension tank finished yet?"
"Because," Dr. Kay called back, "a certain annoying little mouse keeps bothering me with his squeaking. Really, if you cannot bring yourself to have some small shred of patience, then you might at least find something useful to do. Hand me up that power coupling, there's a lad."
When Stevens just stood below Dr. Kay, glaring up at him, the technologist put on a hurt expression.
"My dear Mr. Stevens, do forgive my harsh words. I do ask you to remember that but for me your darling bride would have no hope at all of ever leaving that hospital. Now, do be a sport, and hand me that coupling."
Stevens did so, and then left the laboratory muttering to himself.
Dr. Jerome Kay watched his employer depart, then smiled to himself. Such an undisciplined child the man is! he thought. Alas! The fool knows not that his wife is beyond even my aid. But the opportunity! At last, I shall have the very machine I have desired for my experiments!
Pete and Brilliance had the day off. Using the time they had as wisely as they could, the two opted to annoy Shelly and Donna.
"Hey, Shelly!" Pete called as he and Brill came in. "You know your trash can's on fire?"
"I thought I heard you set off a cherry bomb a second ago," she replied. "So, what are you two miscreants up to?"
"Just hanging out." Brill said. "And still trying to figure out all those thefts Alley Cat pulled."
"Yeah, that was weird. Drugs, medical supplies, software, a pair of axels, and a wedding dress. Either that chick's got more going than we can figure, or she's just a very good klepto."
"Think she might be working for somebody?" Donna asked, slithering out of a small hole in the wall. She reverted immediately from a snake-like form, to her natural form. "Found the problem, Shell. You had a mess of insulation wadded in a socket connection."
"Thanks, Donna," the other girl said, and flicked on her computer. "OK, then. Let's say Alley Cat is working for someone. Who?"
"What about those mob guys that hit up Caruthers?" Donna suggested.
"Not likely, kid," Brill put in. "They've been hit pretty hard to try anything in this area this soon. Their thugs are in the clink, so they'd want to keep a low profile."
"And Alley Cat has definitely not been a low profile operator," Pete followed.
"OK. That rules out them. So, who else is there that we know of?" Shelly asked.
"You know, this is all just conjecture. How are we supposed to get the guy responsible for this without any real evidence, to say nothing of putting him away?"
"Then let's go find some," Pete said with a quirky grin.
Dr. Jerome Kay mounted the last component, while an impatient, nervous Carter Stephens watched every move.
"All finished. Now, if you would take hold of that cable by your foot..."
There was just the slightest sound of metal on glass as Alley Cat expertly applied her glass-cutter to the jewelry store window. Removing the circle she had cut, her hand reached in, and plucked out an intricately designed necklace of precious stones set in platinum. With a smooth swift motion, she retracted her hand, and deposited her prize in her carry bag.
"Hey! You!"
Alley Cat looked up in surprise. Brilliance and Ted were running towards her at full tilt, Ted with his cap gun drawn. Her reaction was just as graceful as when she had claimed her prize, and the bolt from her pistol crossbow lodged itself in the gun's barrel.
Ted was so surprised that he dropped the gun, but Brill charged forward, and was thrown over Alley Cat's shoulder. By this time Ted had recovered his toy gun, and took aim at the burglar's retreating form.
"Brill! Duck!" he shouted before he fired.
The bolt of energy that lanced out from the butt of the dart, still stuck up the barrel, struck Alley Cat's carry bag, totally disintegrating it. Ted's response was suitable apt:
"D'oh!"
Alley Cat was out of sight around the corner in the next instant.
"Nice shooting, Ted." Brill commented, getting up off the ground. "At least your aim's improved."
Ted only gave a low growl.
"So she got away, again. And we're responsible for destroying valuable property? Ted, you've got to at least try and control your shots' power levels."
Brill, Frank and Ted were gathered in Caruthers' office, facing a very irate public servant.
"'Try' to control...?" Caruthers sputtered. "You disintegrated a $900,000 necklace! If I didn't know whose side you were on I'd...!"
"Hey, I'm trying, OK?!" Ted fired back. "I'd like to see you try to cope with being a walking arsenal!"
Frank decided to stop this argument before it got intense. "Now hold it! Look, we're all tired and it's late. Inspector, Ted really has been trying to control this ability of his, and it really isn't easy. "
"Alright! Alright! Since I don't really have anything to hold you for, and there's no evidence of your involvement, get outta here."
Frank, Brill, and Ted left the office before Caruthers could change his mind, as he did have they're testimony.
The ride back to Frank's apartment was made mostly in silence. Ted finally grew impatient with the lack of anything from his older brother, and let it out.
"OK, so I need more work with my ability! You know I've been trying! What? Just because I can use anything as a gun I'm suddenly a menace? I mean...!"
"Ted." Frank interrupted. "It may sound like I'm turning on you, but it has to be said. If you don't learn to control your power a lot better, then you will be a menace."
Ted sat it his seat, staring at Frank in disbelief.
"Frank, not you, too?"
"No. Not me. You. Ted, I can only help you so much. Until you start wanting to be helped, I can't do any more than I've done. Your aim's improved, yes. But, unless you learn how to control the power level of your energy shots..."
Frank let off there, allowing the idea to sink into his brother's head.
"Frank," Ted said after a while. "I can't control it. I try, but I can't! It's like that weak laser I shot when it first started never happened! I..."
"TED!"
Ted stopped where he was, clearly in a state of breakdown. Frank placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Ted. Remember, no matter what, I'm here for you. Nothing will change that. And Brill, Pete and the others are behind you, too. Whatever else, we're gonna get this thing under control."
Frank turned into his apartment's parking lot, and shut off the car.
Alley Cat watched as Brill left his car at a street side parking spot, and followed him towards the garage. Brill had driven his own car back from the police station, and wasn't certain how to approach Ted's problem. If only the kid'd get some confidence in himself Brill thought. He's got plenty of potential, but no stamina. There's gotta be somethi...!
Brill was hit in the back, and sprawled forward. Alley Cat stood over him with a foot on the back of his neck.
"You ruined a perfectly good heist, but worse, you destroyed a one of a kind piece to my collection! Give me one reason for not snapping your neck right now!"
Without a word, Brill twisted around and up, toppling Alley Cat off of him. His motion continued in a single, swift motion, as his hand came around to slam the butt of his palm into her stomach. His blow was deflected, as Alley Cat regained her balance. The two faced off, the tension mounting. Then a window banged open, and a voice rang out.
"Hold right there! I've phoned the cops, and got a shotgun pointed right at you!"
"Thank Ronald Reagan! An NRA member to the rescue!" Brill shouted.
Alley Cat turned to flee, but the gun gave its report, and she went down with an injured leg. Brill was on her in a moment.
"I'm not exactly sure of how this is done," he admitted with a grin. "But this is a citizen's arrest."