Memoirs of a RAFian

[Cloak]

Ah.

New chapter. Last chapter of Book #104.

CHAPTER TWENTY:
A Drakon Lean and Dpsb's Secret

Dpsb was flying around, looking for the drakon. With this whole Malevolence collective thjng behind them, the RAFians continued to look for the last escapee from Rosch's menagerie, something the billionaire playboy got jailed for. And, surprisingly, without bail.

Dpsb guessed that the city took public endangerment very seriously. Apt, considering that public endangerment was a real and prescient concern, as well as becoming so commonplace nowadays as to be rather trite. Dpsb was given pause to wonder if they, the RAFians, were in part responsible for attracting these weirdos and things to the city as Bern Bridges all-too-readily and quickly expounded upon in his radio show.

Dpsb searched in his assigned section of the city and forest rather diligently, but found that couldn't find what he was --

Wait a moment. What was that?

A large dash of color against the white snow. It was a deep, poisonous green. It was definitely the drakon, Dpsb thought, though he did not know exactly what a drakon looked like or the type of condition this one would be in. From what he remembered about the descriptions, the drakon was a warm-weather animal, and serpentine in morphology. He tried to remember the briefing. Some drakons breathe fire, though most don't. Some drakons spit acidic venom. All drakons have extremely hard plate-like scales on their skin. Most drakons can paralyze you with their eyes. And they were notoriously and extremely hard to kill. He hoped he was remembering that right. The prospect of returning to school after winter break ended had occupied his mind during that briefing, as he'd have to go back --

No, not the time to think about that.

Dpsb landed rather daintly without a sound, in front of a cranky-looking drakon. Perhaps drakons hibernate during the winter, like other reptiles? Or was it different because it was a warm-weather animal, like the others? In any case, it looked uncomfortable and disgruntled. And hungry.

It glared directly at Dpsb, but he wasn't paralyzed. He wondered if that was a sign of his courage or if the drakon's powers were being sapped by the cold and the snow. Was it weaker than normal? Malnourished?

It struck at Dpsb, but missed. He hadn't moved, and the attempt looked almost half-hearted. Dpsb was smart enough to know what this signaled. The drakon was weakening. It must not have possessed fire breath or it would have been able to warm itself, or perhaps it was extinguished, and that was the reason it managed to survive this long. But Dpsb recalled something else about the drakon -- it was a maneater.

He would have to quickly subdue the creature, as it would be another blow to RAF's PR if it managed to gulp down any of the populace. Dpsb had to subdue it, and, by the looks of thjngs, that wouldn't be too hard.

It struck again, but, this time, Dpsb was caught in its jaws. But it's jaw strength was insufficient to close on the RAFian, who possessed Herculean strength. Didn't help that the cold was sapping its strength. The icy wind didn't help matters, either.

All it could muster was embers and cinders, and it was tapped out of its caustic venom, its acidic salvia. It pressed Dbsp against a snowy rock, and all Dpsb could think of was to shout, "SHAZAM!" and a bolt of lighning pierced the sky. It struck the drakon and Dpsb.

Suddenly, Dpsb noticed a conspicuous lack of resistance. And he backed away, to discover that the drakon was dying. Only it wasn't dying like any natural beast, it was dying like a supernatural one. It was being to hollow into a skin of scales.

And Dpsb's true age as a minor was revealled. He quickly shouted "SHAZAM" and reverted into his known form. And he wondered how he would report this to the others, and if he had kept his secret.

[redtailedsaffa]

... What just happened.

I need background. How can Dpsb fly. WHAT IS THIS CHAPTER.

[Cloak]

Oh, he's a very special boy.

[redtailedsaffa]

You gotta be kidding me.

[Cloak]

Nope. But more on that in "Dbsp Depowered?!" (#834).

New chapter.

BOOK CV:
TITAN VENOM
CHAPTER ONE:
Frosty the Killer Snowman

"Oh my God," Saffa was saying though gritted teeth. "It's not bad enough that we have to put up with things like the Technarchy, symbiotes, Thread, and the occasional rogue Realm Walker, oh no. We have to get attacked by these things!"

"That bathtub of coffee doesn't seem so crazy now, does it?" GH said, with an impish grin.

"Nope," Cloak said, "still doesn't make sense."

"Speaking of things that don't make sense," Saffa said, "how is that a thing?!"

The line of killer snowmen lined up again, each ten feet tall with the stereotypical three balls making up their body with the smallest being their head. They had three coal buttons on each of their midsections, animated sticks for arms and hands, frostbitten carrots for noses, emotionless black coals for eyes. They had flappy mouths liked with sharpened coal teeth. They were alive, hostile and dangerous -- to non-RAFians.

Their snowy bodies were caked with dirt and grim on the bottommost ball, and they seemed to be tinged pink on some of their upper sections, but Cloak hoped that he was just mistaking that for something else, otherwise . . .

"They're killer snowmen," Abby said, matter-of-fact. "What's the big deal?"

"It's just the utter ludicrousity of it," Saffa said. "And I'm not even sure 'ludicrousity' is a word."

"I would have thought you'd be used to it by now," Cloak said. "It's been at least a year since we've been chugging along like this."

"Surely there have been more . . . uh, more gimmicky missions other than this, right?" GH asked.

"Can't think of any off the top of my head," Cloak said, "but let's just go ahead and end this, and stop playing around with the ice ifrit's little belated Christmas gifts. Prepare yourselves."

Cloak used his mastery over the Fire element to reduce all these killer snowmen into mere puddles and he was surprised how quick this was. It was over.

"Well, that was a nice little diversion," GH said.

"You're still not getting your cigarettes back," Cloak replied.

"Damn."

[guitarhero01234]

More of the bathtub jokes plz? They are absolutely beautiful.

Also, I'd assume those cigarettes would have gone stale by now.

[Cloak]

Eh, Realm Walkers don't smoke, so we don't know a lot about it.

New chapter.

CHAPTER TWO:
The Serum

Malice had came upon the formula to a very unique serum. It was toxic green in color, and had a rather average and mediocre viscosity. She was not planning on using it on herself, of course. She wasn't that dense.

But she chose not to disseminate it herself. That would be too direct, and she felt that's one reason why her previous scheme failed. She had to be more hands-off, more discreet, and more indirect. Fortunately, she knew enough of human nature to know that they could be greedy, greedy, greedy little things.

She could use that. She could use that to advantage.

She stole into a seedy research facility, it was named "Family First, R&D" or some other iverly saccharine thing that belayed it's true, rather questionable, policies and overall nature. Here she planted the cylindrical container, rather like a transparent thermos, upon the desk of one of the put-upon workers. Then she vanished from the place.

This should prove to be entertaining. Yes, very entertaining indeed.

***

It didn't take long for this canister to be noticed.

"What's this?" said one of the underpaid workers, looking at the canister. He didn't know what it contained, but was curious about it. He thought it resembled that fatal drug called Venom, though with noticeable discrepancies.

"Manny Glottis!" demanded a commanding voice. "What do you have there?"

"Nunya," Manny said, in reply.

"Nunya? What this 'nunya'?" this swaggering, fat man with a thin mustache spoke in very arrogant tones.

"It's nunya," Manny said, "as in 'nunya business', Dominic."

"Don't you speak to me like that, boy!" Dominic spat.

"You aren't my boss, Sluggard," Manny challenged, resorting to the formalities of referring to people by their surnames. "You're not even my supervisor. Just because you've written a few adoxographies doesn't me that you're hot --"

BAM!

Sluggard just fatally shot Glottis, without a moment's hesitation or a second thought. Manny was the only one that never walked around on eggshells around this creep, the heir to the Poltroon fortune. Unfortunately, this fortune would probably protect him from any charges, as the 1% of this country mostly get slaps on the wrists for this kind of thing, while the book was thrown at the poor.

Dominic Sluggard ****ed the gun again, in challenge, as he said, "So, anyone else gonna get mouthy?"

No one said anything. They knew that the Poltroon family, who Sluggard was maternally related to, and the only current heir to the fortune. It didn't make any real sense how thst worked, as he did not bear their name. The Poltroon family were reknown for not being really useful, their fortune coming from the stock market and the black market, and thst was the only known venues.

It also was speculated they had ties with the Knights of Humanity, which have never been officially substantiated.

"That's what I thought," he said, sneeringly. "Now that there's no dispute who owns that, and who owns you, analyze the chemical composition. Find out what it does. If you need test subjects, the streets are littered with plenty."

He paused as Manny Glottis's body was taken away and his murder in the process of being covered up. It seemed that Sluggard was untouchable, and he most certainly thought that he was.

[redtailedsaffa]

Lovely naming schemes.

[Cloak]

Well --

Sluggard
1. A person who is lazy, stupid, or idle by habit.
2. A person slow to begin necessary work, a slothful person.
3. A fearful or cowardly person, a poltroon.

Poltroon --An ignoble or total coward; a dastard; a mean-spirited wretch.

Glottis -- got from Grim Fandango.

New chapter.

CHAPTER THREE:
Titan Tests

The workers had collected a few homeless people to test this unknown chemical on. They didn't discriminate. They were willing to take homeless men, women, and children in, on the promise of a hot meal and a cot to sleep in for the night.

The smarter ones knew to avoid Trogan horse-type of offers like this. But, like with all conceivable groups, not all of them were smart. At least seven people, starved and malnourished, desperate for a bite to eat, took them up on their offer.

They got their meals, but then they were strapped up and their extraneous outer coverinfs removed so that the serum could be injected into their shoulders. It was just a small amount per each street person. Some scientists had qualms, but most didn't, explaining just how seedy this facility was.

Four of the homeless people couldn't survive the sudden release of endorphin and adrenaline. The shock to the system was far too much for them to handle, and they died a painful death.

The surving three however, survived. Their bodies ballooned up to Bane-like proportions. It also caused extreme facial and muscular disfigurement,.even to the point of uncovering and exposing their spinal colum, which grows some Lugia-like plating along it. The shock to their system and the painful transformation had rendered them functionally insane, and in almost animalistic, bestial way.

Their strength was amplified in proportion with their muscle growth, naturally. Their restraints could barely hold them, otherwise all the scientists would all be dead. Shooting them wouldn't do much, as their healling processes were accelerated. They also had no loyalty.

They presented their findings to Sluggard, and he was pleased with most of it.

"How controllable are they?" Sluggard asked.

The scientists were fearful. They didn't want to give an answer that would get them shot.

"I believe I asked a question," Sluggard said dangerously.

"Well, um, sir," a quaking man said, stepping forward, "um, they are . . . they aren't."

BAM! THUD!

"Now," Sluggard said, blowing the smoke away from the barrel of his gun, "what was that answer?"

No one said anything.

"I thought so," Dominic Sluggard said. Then he looked disparagingly at the lifeless body on the ground. "Now, figure out a way to control those inoculated with the serum, and get rid of this filth."

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FOUR:
Titan Thugs

Eventually they discovered a way for them to be controlled by attaching a device that appeared similar to the "Amplifier" Equip Spell card from "Yu-Gi-Oh!" and bracelets/bracer things that was somewhere between Wonder Woman's bracelets ("Bracelets of Submission") and the Genie's golden cuffs. These cuff-bracelet-bracer things were chained to a collar that resembled a reinforced control collar. This allowed Sluggard alone control over these behemoths which towered over the scientists and Sluggard's usual thugs.

Sluggard had no aspirations for global conquest or anything of that nature. The only reason he wanted control over these horrid brutes was purely for monetary gain. To increase his already exorbitant wealth, which he had already garnered by basically stealing it from the poor and middle class, like those in his 1% echelon. He operated fully under the philosophies of "greed is good" and "whoever has the gold makes the rules".

He also believed strongly in the fact that he was effectively untouchable. He believed strongly that he and his desires were above the law, and he was frankly entitled to do just whatever he pleased. This was his world, he believed, other people just lived in it.

However, he, in his sheer arrogance, tended to be stupid and sloppy at times. He wasn't as smart as he liked to imagine himself to be. He was having his monstrous thugs rob stores of high-end products and jewelry, unaware if he was leaving clues about his connection to the robberies. He was so assured that he would simply buy off whatever judge, lawyer, cop, or politician to help him seem like the victim instead of the victimizer.

Of course, what he failed to realize was that not everyone would be so easily swayed by money. That not everyone would compromise their intergrity and morality for a quick payoff. He believed that every man, woman, and child had their price, and he would easily be able to buy their silence. Heck, he just murdered two people in the last two days and not so much as an investigation was started, his two victims apparently not important enough to be of any concern to law enforcement. Which Sluggard may or may not have greased their palms.

His thugs, infused with what he decided to call Titan, were causing extensive property damage and stealing property. And yet, the cops did not intervene. And yet, they were not called in. Perhaps it was a good thing, too, as they would be ill-equipped to deal with these titans.

And Sluggard had secured the secrecy from the scientists as well. It was really simple -- all he had to do was threaten to cut out their tongues and feed them the severed appendage. And he wasn't above doing just that. He ruled over these people with fear -- it was a wonder why he didn't attract a Sinestro Corps ring.

But he clearly had no fear of repercussions for his actions, no matter how heinous. It would always inevitably get spun into being from "affluenza", like that was an excuse that held up any logical water.

[Cloak]

New chapter.

CHAPTER FIVE:
Call on the RAFians

This kind of damage did not go unnoticed, by both the populace and the RAFians. There was a conspicuous lack of intervention by police. If any showed up, it was woefully insufficient for the case. They were bandying some ludicrous story about gangbangers or whatnot -- Cloak wasn't paying attention to the cover story, as he was far too accustom to this act of propaganda as it was particularly favored by some of the more crotchety Coucils.

Naturally, Richard dispatched a team to investigate, since the local law enforcement apparently didn't think enough to investigate (and those good cops that wanted to were told off for it, as Police Chief Hasselback was in Sluggard's pocket -- figuratively speaking, of course). He chose Cloak, Underseen, Ash, Saffa, Sakki, and Dpsb.

They readied to go, when --

"When there's trouble you know who to call -- the RAFians!
From their HQ, they can see it all.  The RAFians!
When there's evil on the attack,
You can rest knowing they got your back.
'Cuz when the world needs heroes on patrol,  the RAFians GO!
With their superpowers they unite.  The RAFians!
Never met a villain that they liked.  The RAFians!
They've got the bad guys on the run.
They never stop ‘till the job gets done.
'Cuz when the world is losin' all control,
The RAFians GO!  The RAFians GO!
One, two, three, four, GO!  The RAFians!"

"Are you done, GH?" Cloak said, without even looking up from his task.

"Well, it was supposed to be a 'in-transit' sort of song," he explained.

"With that, we had better get going then." the Realm Walker said, stoically.

"Wait," Faerie said, "you do realize that the police might think that we're overstepping our bounds here. You know, exceeding our authority."

"Then they should have decided to do some investigating," Parker piped up, savagely. He had about as much patience for political and societal corruption as Cloak did.

"They probably were paid off," Cloak replied, jaded and dark. "Corruption like this, it was old before the Earth bore life."

"Cloak, we gotta go." Saffa said. "God knows that we're probably gonna hafta shoulder the blame for it, thanks to idiots like that Bridges guy."

Cloak nodded, heart heavy, and said, "Let's go."

[guitarhero01234]

Shouldn't this be chapter 5?

[Cloak]

Oh! Yeah.

Well, out of 105 books, I've only made that mistake twice (maybe three times). That's good, I guess.

Stupid auto-capitalization. Made me sound huffier than I intended.

New chapter.

CHAPTER SIX:
Investigators Inquiry

The six RAFians arrived on the scene, to find it deserted. The few stragglers around shot them venomous looks.

"Uh," Dpsb said, "why are they looking at us like that?"

Saffa sighed heavily, "Isn't obvious? They already blame us for the damage."

"But we didn't do anything!" Dpsb protested.

"Welcome to being a scapegoat," Cloak said, dully, as he examined the extent to the damage that the Titan thugs caused, though he did not know what caused it. "Member for years . . ."

"What?"

"Never mind," Cloak said, quickly and repressively.

"This damage is extensive." Sakki pointed out. "The door is just a massive hole. And the other businesses have similar holes. And they're huge."

"All the immigrant Tetramands here are law-abiding though," Underseen said, "not that there are very many of them on-planet."

"No," Cloak said, continuing to examine the scene. "A Tetramand would a bit more sloppy than this, and noticed."

"Who couldn't have noticed this?" Ash asked. "Even a blind man would have been bound to notice all the noise that this would cause."

"There's something more to this," Cloak said. "Something that we're not seeing."

Sniff. Sniff.

"That scent," Cloak said. "That smells like Venom."

"What's that?"

"An illegal chemical," Cloak said. "Venom is a highly addictive super-steroid. The drug is usually injected in a constant supply into the base of the neck, and it would instantly transform someone into a huge, hulking mass of unbridled physical strength comparable to a Tetramand with only two beefy arms. However, as the drug wore off or when the user was cut off from its constant supply, their body will return to its original state with unnerving rapidity or sometimes even weaker than their original strength. It would be at this point the user would suffer from massive, debilitating withdrawal. Usually accompanied by terrifying hallucinations."

"How do you know so much about it?" Dbsp asked.

"Wikipedia, probably," Saffa said, blithely.

"It actually comes from seeing it in action," Cloak said, standing up, for he had been examining the rubble upon the floor. "In another Realm, though."

"Another Realm? You slut," Sakki teased. "I thought this Realm and you hand something special."

Cloak was not amused.

"Wait, you said it was illegal," Dpsb said, "then that must mean that it's rare."

"I believe so," Cloak said, "I imagine that it's not easy formula to duplicate or manufacture. But I do not know for sure."

"But why take it all?"

"Ignorance," Underseen said. "The user may not know what it could do, or the consequences."

"Or might not care," Ash pointed out. "They may not even care about the ramifications as long as it satisfies what they want then and there. Not to mention that there are some people who are just not good in thinking 'if-then'."

"And, of course, unlawfulness also has the nasty downside of encouraging downplayed overindulgence." Cloak said. "Or the use of far more dangerous and, sometimes, more volatile chemicals or substances."

"So, it's a big gray area. Got it." Dbsp said.

[Dylan]

... What just happened.

I need background. How can Dpsb fly. WHAT IS THIS CHAPTER.

Outside of Acting and drawing and reading and hanging out with friends and ****posting on 4chan and reddit, flying is very fond hobby of mine

also,

CHAPTER TWENTY:
A Drakon Lean and Dpsb's Secret

IZZ MAE

[Cloak]

O . . . kay . . . Dbsp. . . .

New chapter.

CHAPTER SEVEN:
The Attempted Payoff

"Still," Ash said, still obviously disconcerted, "there should be more people around. This is quite the spectacle. Surely, the proprietors would be around seeing the damage to their businesses? But no one. It's a ghost town."

"They could be scared," Safa said, looking at the rubble now that Cloak had finished his examinations of it. "All the security cameras seemed to have been destroyed, as well."

"Someone had to be directing this," Dpsb said. "This is just too systematic to be just a wild, crazed man hopped up on Venom."

"He has a point," Sakki said. "Look. The dry cleaner, the laundromat, the carwash -- all untouched. But the electronics store, the jewellers, the bank, the car lot -- all vandalized and robbed. All the high-end stores. And the low-end ones completely unbothered and unharmed."

"Hmmm . . ." Cloak said, thinking about another possibly, about a more devious scheme. "Perhaps whoever is truly behind this wishes to frame --"

"Excuse me," came a reedy sort of voice.

 All six RAFians turned to look at a man who quite possibly be a grown-up Randall Weems from Disney's "Recess" -- curly, low-cut hair, broad mouth, stooped posture. He was dressed in a black suit and tie, holding a briefcase almost ludicrous covetousness. Think Gollum and that ring, or whatever.

"Well?" Sakki said. "Out with it."

"My employer asks if you don't investigate this, this happening." he said in a smarmy sort of manner that rankled the RAFians. "If you would just look the other way, just ignore it, he can make worth your while."

Silence.

"Seriously?" Sakki said, dryly sarcastic.

"Oh, very much so, miss." the reedy guy said, oblivious to the nature kf the question.

"Are you actually trying to pull this?" Saffa asked, with a raised eyebrow. "Are you aftually trying to bribe us?"

"Oh, miss!" the reedy guy said. "'Bribe' is a strong word. We'd prefer to call it a 'reasonable monetary transaction'."

"Don't try to spin this, pal," Cloak growled. The reedy man actually took a step back. Cloak could be intimidating when he got like this. "I know your ilk. Spinning torture as 'advanced interrogation techniques'. Spinning bribery as 'donations'. Spinning corporate welfare as necessary."

Cloak stalked closer, just close enough that the reedy man coukd make out his feline face without being in danger from being inadvertently killed by Cloak's Realm Walker corona, his Realm Walker aura.

"Listen, bub, we RAFians don't play like that." he said, with the other five nodding approval. "We can't be bought off. We do not bow down to rich, lazy, no-good," -- he let out a fierce snarl that was a Realm Walker curse that was untranslatable in English -- "like your Veiled employer can get away with what he pleases. Everyone needs to be held accountable for their actions. Regardless of their personal wealth or celebrity."

"If you continue to investigate here," the weedy man said, taking a more formal, yet hostile, stance, "he shall not be responsible for your deaths -- er, fates."

"Was that a threat?" Ash asked, voice echoing Cloak's contempt. But the man was walking away. Cloak had to fight a feline urge to chase him down and bring him down like the pig that he was.