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#1
DEC 11 |
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As a human, Greta Hayes was always running late. Whether it was for school, getting ready for church or going to a friend's sleepover, Greta always seemed to have trouble getting places within the proper time limit. Ironically enough, the only thing that Greta had ever done on time was take the bath where she would be electrocuted by her brother Billy, who sold her soul in exchange for ungodly powers.
As the Secret, Greta's timing improved but not by much. She would run late for meetings with Young Justice, despite having lived in both of their headquarters. She would be late the sleepovers that Wonder Girl, Arrowette and Empress had arranged. And she would be late for the final mission that ultimately led to Young Justice's disbanding.
A green colored mist rolled into the darkened void, covered in a long, green cloak. With no feet touching the ground, the mist hovered toward someone who was awaiting the new Spectre. Greta Hayes had recently acquired the powers of the Spectre and was now trying to put those powers to good use. Her first real task was to meet someone whose soul had beckoned her to this void, the same place where Greta had found herself upon her first time dying.
The person she was to meet was still getting accustomed to the feeling of death. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and yet had found himself doing both once the realization had hit him that this was not a dream. Dressed in the clothes he had died in, only without the blood stains that came along with his demise, was a small comfort along with the fact that wound that he'd received was also gone.
“What kept you?” the figure asked, his back turned to the new form of the Spectre. He didn't have to turn around to know she was there. It was just something he felt.
“I'm still learning how to properly use these powers,” said the Spectre honestly, her face still hidden under her green cloak. “I apologize for my tardiness.”
“Don't worry, it's not like I had anywhere to go,” said the figure, his back still turned to her. He tried to laugh it off, but his nervousness took its place. “So...where do we go from here? Where do I go from here?”
“Come with me and we'll find out together,” said the Spectre as she held out her hand.
Vince Kennedy turned around and placed his hand into hers, the two vanishing from the void as one.
“Is it gone?” asked the Spectre as she ushered Vince's soul through the cloudy blue skies overlooking Dakota. “The anti-life equation?”
“Yeah,” replied Vince, his bodiless soul looking down over his former home town, down to the destruction caused recently which led him to being taken to Apokalips and, ulimately, to take his own life to protect the anti-life equation from Darkseid. “I mean, I guess. I don't know, it might still be in me but...I can't see it like I could. Like–”
“Your whole view has changed?” asked the Spectre as they arrived at his former high school, right in the former spot where the two had met just days earlier.
Vince said nothing as he looked around at the charred remains of the school. “Why'd you bring me here? I thought you were taking me to Heaven–”
The Spectre looked grim under her cloak as Vince swallowed hard. “Oh–Oh God, I'm going to Hell, aren't I? I mean, I committed suicide, so that means–”
“It gets more complicated than that,” replied the Spectre as she looked at him. “Like I was when my human body was murdered, your soul is stuck between planes…only without the aid of witchcraft like my brother Billy used, your situation is a bit more...dire.”
“Okay...,” said Vince as he saw the burned remains of his own notebooks. “So, what then? I'm just a spirit? A ghost that no one can see?”
“In a sense,” the Spectre told him. “You were meant for many great things, Vince Kennedy, and not even your own death can stop you from fulfilling your destiny. That is why we are here.”
An arm raised under the green cloak as a mist rolled in around the two. As Vince looked around, their surroundings went from the charred remains of the high school to Apokalips. Vince looked pale as he saw he was standing in the exact same spot where he had taken his own life…standing, actually, in a dried pool of his own blood.
“Are you doing all of this just to torture me?” asked Vince as he looked at the Spectre. “I know you weren't exactly thrilled to meet me at first, but–”
“You are one of the few living beings in all creation to actually humble Darkseid,” said the Spectre as she pointed to him, sitting on his throne in a contemplative stare. “Do not fear, he can't see or detect us. You chose to sacrifice yourself instead of turning over the anti-life equation to someone who would use it to wipe out all life.”
“And for my troubles, I get stuck as a living ghost, unable to live, unable to die. What a reward,” said Vince as a tear fell down his face. “I don't even get to go to Heaven.”
The Spectre lifted her arm as the mist transported them away again, this time to Vince's former home.
“Oh, God, not here,” said Vince as he closed his eyes. But even then he could still hear the cries of his family grieving. “Get me out of here, Spectre. Please! I can't take this.”
The Spectre raised her cloak and spirited the two of them away, this time back to the void. Vince wiped the tears away from his eyes. “Why did you show me all of that?”
“To show you that you made a difference in your life,” replied the Spectre. “No matter what you thought to the contrary, your life mattered. Your existence saved the life of all creation and, for that, while you cannot pass on to the next world, you will be rewarded.”
Greta lowered her hood and floated toward Vince, putting her hand in his. As Vince closed his eyes he felt a change coming over him. Greta let go of his hand as Vince saw his form was now made of a dense, smoky substance.
“Vince Kennedy, you still have much to do,” said Greta as she raised her hood to once again cover her face. “Use your new abilities to help those in need. Stay true to the person you are, and one day I shall return for you to usher you to the other side.”
Vince looked down at his hands then back up at the Spectre, who had vanished, leaving Vince alone in an empty field just outside of town.
As the Secret I could feel the world around me…its pain and suffering, its joy and happiness. Now, as the Spectre, those feelings are amplified one hundred fold. I can hear every scream, I can hear every laugh. I can sense every horrific act humans do to each other, and I can sense every noble act they do to make each other's lives more tolerable.
I see my old Young Justice teammates as they move forward with their lives as the Teen Titans. They will know joy and happiness, but will also know suffering and loss. I can see Robin struggle with not giving into the darkness that consumed his mentor; I see Superboy try to break out of the shadow that he feels confined to as the clone of Superman; I sense Impulse's pain as he learns the ways of the world which aren't always fun and entertaining.
I see the world's most iconic hero, whom the world views as a God, doing things that even Gods would find below them.
A train derailed and went off the tracks as Superman was flying overhead. As he rushed down to stop the disaster, he saw a kitten with his supervision in the field where the train was headed. Flying down, the Man of Steel scooped the kitten up in his arms and, while cradling it safely under one arm, stopped the train with his other hand, bringing it to a screeching halt before it could cause more damage or harm anyone. Superman smiled down at the animal he'd rescued, thinking that he'd find it a good home as he made sure the people on the derailed train were all right.
I see the world's most vile villains, who commit the most unspeakable acts… some of them still have decency and compassion among them.
As he sat in his frozen cell at Arkham, Victor Fries stared into the snow globe made in the image of his beloved Nora.
“Someday, my love, we will be united once more,” said Fries as a frozen tear fell down his face. “To feel the warmth of your hand in mine, even if for a mere second, is all I could ever wish for.”
This world is in desperate need of redemption, and that is why I have been chosen. And I will help the world, even if it is one person as a time...
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To Be Continued...
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