“Vertigo”
Lian Harper covered her ears and looked for cover. Not even her new Hugga-Tugga-Thugees video could drown out the cacophonic screeching. Her father was singing in the shower again. He had a date with Donna that night, and she couldn’t wait for him to leave. Lian winced as something came from the bathroom that sounded like a cat being strangled. She just didn’t understand how somebody could be that happy taking a bath. Inside the bathroom, Roy was all smiles as he belted out Dude Looks Like a Lady. He’d scrimped and saved and had gotten enough to take Donna out to her favorite restaurant. Following their recent traumatic experiences, he felt like it was due. He smiled. Nothing could go wrong tonight. Donna Troy smiled as she checked her hair. Perfect. “Wow!” Donna turned to see Sharon Tracy standing in the doorway. “You look great!” Donna smiled as Sharon walked up beside her. “Thanks. I’m a little nervous,” she admitted. “I think that Roy’s got something special planned for tonight.” “Oh, really?” Sharon asked. She started rummaging in her dresser as Donna inwardly cursed herself for saying that. “Here we are!” Sharon proudly laid two pieces of lingerie on the dresser in front of Donna. “Panties that say hot stuff and a bra with a contents under pressure label,” Donna said. She looked up and saw the look on Sharon’s face. “I really can’t,” she finally said. “I can’t take your lucky undies from you.” ”Go on,” Sharon said. “They’ll bring you luck.” “I can’t,” Donna said. “I’m already dressed, and I’m not planning on getting that lucky tonight.” “Can I go then?” Sharon asked. “I’m always planning on getting lucky.” Donna shook her head as Sharon wandered out of the room. At 7:01 Donna’s doorbell rang. She shook her head and answered the door. Roy stood on the other side with a smile on his face and a bouquet of flowers clasped in his hand. “Late again?” Donna teased. ”What can I say?” Roy asked. “If Wally can be late for everything, then I should be able to be late once or twice myself.” “Sure, sure,” Donna said as she accepted the flowers and placed them in water. “So where are we off to?” ”I don’t know,” Roy said. “Maybe somewhere special.” “Oh, a mystery man,” Donna said. ”Where’s Bobby?” Roy asked. “Don’t you need a babysitter?” Donna smiled. “No. Miri’s got him at her apartment.” Roy sat down on the back of the couch. “How’s she doing?” ”Better,” Donna said as she picked up her purse. “I don’t think she’s going to stay here for much longer, but I really believe it helps knowing that Deathwing’s been caught.” “I’m glad,” Roy said and glanced at his watch. “If you’re ready, we’d better get going.” “I’m ready,” Donna said as she accepted Roy’s arm. “I’m sure that tonight’s going to be one to remember.” Roy and Donna were ushered to their table quickly by the waiter. As they studied the menus, Donna thought of something that was bothering her. “Where’s Lian at?” she asked. Roy smiled. “She’s spending the night at a friend’s house. Like I said, I don’t want anything to ruin tonight.” Donna smiled demurely as she studied the appetizers. “So thoughtful. I’m almost afraid of what you’re up to.” “Why, Ms. Troy,” Roy said, “Have I ever given you a cause to doubt my chivalrous nature?” Donna fought back a laugh. “Would you like me to start with the A’s?” Roy grinned. “A is for Arsenal, you know.” Donna gave up and started laughing. The waiter appeared and they gave their orders. “As long as we don’t start talking about my A,” Donna said. “Hey,” Roy said, holding his hands up defensively. “I’ve seen you bend steel girders into a pretzel. I don’t want to even think about what you’d do to me.” “Excuse me,” a blond man in a shabby trenchcoat asked. “Aren’t you Roy Harper?” ”Idol of millions,” Roy replied. “You need an autograph?” The man smiled. “No, just you.” “Hey now,” Roy said. “Roy don’t swing like that.” ”Perhaps,” the man said. “But you’ll be swinging at the end of a rope when I’m finished!” He whipped off the trenchcoat, revealing the green costume underneath. “Count Vertigo?” Donna asked. Vertigo raised a hand and used his power. Under its onslaught Donna fell to the floor as Vertigo raised into the air. “Yes,” Vertigo said. “Why are you doing this?” Roy asked, fighting the urge to vomit as the restaurant’s patrons fled. ”I have come across an old debt my family owed,” Vertigo explained. “I am simply doing my part to pay it. It is simply an added bonus that I get to torture you as well.” “Debt?” Roy asked. “What are you talking about?” A sinister smile crossed Vertigo’s features. “You will see in time.” “Vertigo, if I get my hands on you…” Donna started. “I’m sure that the conclusion of that sentence is most unpleasant, so we will avoid it,” Vertigo said as he pulled a small remote from his pocket and pushed a button. He lowered himself and grabbed Roy’s collar. “And now, we bid you adieu,” he said as the two vanished in a burst of light. Vertigo threw a retching Roy Harper to the stone floor. Vertigo looked down, scowled, and delivered a vicious kick to Roy’s face. “Stop,” the other man said. “He is mine.” ”This commoner vomited on my boots!” Vertigo yelled. Suddenly he realized whom he was talking to and calmed down. “My apologies,” he said. “However, someone such as myself is not accustomed to being treated like this. “I see,” the other man said. He snapped his fingers and his servants scurried forward, lifted Roy, and carried him out. “Excellent work,” the man said. “Your debt is paid, Vertigo.” Vertigo bowed slightly before stepping into the portal and vanishing from view. “Now you are mine, Roy Harper,” the other man said. Roy awoke lying on a bed in a small stone room. He stood and discovered that he’d been washed and was wearing only his smiley-face boxers. Roy examined the walls and floor only to discover that stonecutters had worked them until they were perfectly smooth. The sink and toilet were made so that nothing protruded. The only loose piece on the bed was the mattress. “Great,” Roy muttered. “Only weapons in here are a mattress and toilet paper. That’s stretching it even for me.” He glanced up as the door opened and three men holding automatic rifles targeted him. Knowing when he was beaten, Roy raised his hands and backed up against the far wall. Another smaller man walked in and laid a suit on the bed. He placed the shoes on the floor and turned to Roy. “Dinner will be served in twenty minutes,” he said before leaving. The door slowly closed. The latch had fastened securely before the rifles on the other side were lowered. Roy walked over and examined the suit. “Not even a hanger,” he said. He picked up the shirt and examined it. “Nice fit, and my size,” he mused. “Maybe I get out of this alive they’ll let me keep it.” He pulled the shirt on and started buttoning it. Roy had just finished making sure the knot in his tie was straight when the door opened revealing the guards, rifles at the ready. The small man walked forward and applied a thin cable of electronics to his right wrist. “There we are,” the man said. “Our master expects courtesy from you during the meal. If you attempt any of your usual shenanigans, this device will detonate.” ”So I lose my hand,” Roy said. “If you’re lucky,” the man replied. “More likely, your hand, arm, and most of your right side.” “Well, I’ve gotten quite attached to everything you just described,” Roy said. “Excellent,” the man said. “Please follow me and I will bring you to the banquet hall.” “Lead away,” Roy said. The man led Roy down a stone hallway to a large dining hall, which was dominated by an immense table. A fire crackled in a stone fireplace to one side. Despite the table’s size, only two place settings were set, at the head and foot of the table. The butler (as Roy had begun to think of him) seated Roy at the foot of the table. Another servant appeared and filled a crystal glass with water. “The master will be here momentarily,” the butler said. “Please make yourself comfortable.” A moment later, both servants had vanished, leaving Roy alone. No way they don’t have some gizmo watching me, Roy thought as he sipped his water. He let his eyes roam the walls, searching for any hidden cameras. “Ah, you’ve arrived,” Roy’s host said as he strode into the room. Roy recognized him and half-stood. “Vandal Savage?” he asked. Savage smiled. “Yes.” He motioned toward the table. “Sit. My servants have prepared an exquisite dinner and it would be a shame to waste it.” Roy’s eyes didn’t leave Savage’s even as a servant placed a bowl of soup before him. “What do you want, Savage?” Savage smiled as he sipped his soup from a spoon. “Such disrespect. I am one of your ancestors, you know.” Roy frowned. “Then that’s why I’m here. What do you need? Another heart? Some lungs, perhaps?” ”Hardly.” Savage laid his spoon down in the bowl and studied Roy’s face. “I have been watching you. I believe that you have potential.” Savage leaned forward. “Also, my genetics are particularly strong within you. I have a proposal. Within my study, I have a sample of the meteor that gave me eternal life all those millennia ago. The radiation is still there. I am willing to expose both you and your daughter to it.” ”And what do you want?” Roy asked. “You’re not going to do that for nothing.” ”Quite correct,” Savage said. “I know that you are dating Ms. Donna Troy. I have long pondered what would happen were immortal Amazon organs implanted in me.” ”And if I refuse?” Roy asked. “You’ll detonate this, I suppose?” He held up his arm, exposing the silver bracelet. “I will simply kill your daughter and force you to watch,” Savage said. “Your love or your daughter. Choose.” Next Issue: Roy has to decide whether to sacrifice Lian or Donna! How will he escape this trap, and will they? Previous Issue | Next Issue |
