Legends of the Flash #17

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Legends of the Flash #17
The Disappearance of Susan Dearbon

Written by Nikolai Peter Fomich (Thefastestmanalive)
Edited by Daniel Dyer (Spider-Man Beyond)

Clothes, discreet and otherwise, surround a king-sized bed. A bottle of champagne is raised in the air and almost misses the bedside table, though does manage to knock over a man's watch. Someone giggles.

"And then what happened, Mr. Scudder?"

Sam Scudder smiles as he downs his champagne. "Well, then I said to the Flash, ‘I'll let you live this time, but only because you amuse me so much!’"

"You didn't! You did?"

Sam nods.

"And what did that Flash say?"

"Nothing! He was speechless. What can I say? I was the better man." He leans down toward her.

"I'm sure you were," and they kiss passionately.

Sam backs away from the sensuous moment and runs toward the bathroom, sans clothes. "Be right back, baby. You can't be too careful."

Smiling at himself in the mirror, Sam Scudder starts laughing. Mirror Master, you devil you. You've got this one in the bag. Thank you Flash and thank you Keith Kenyon. Thanks to the two of you, Mirror Master is now one infamous and devilishly lucky man.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Sam? Sam, I think it's room service."

Scudder begins to move out of the bathroom when the door bursts open. The girl begins to cover herself up and shout.

"Kansas City Police, freeze!"

"Oh shit!" Mirror Master grabs his mirror gun and jumps back into the bathroom and through the mirror. He appears in the champagne bottle's reflection, grabbing as much of his costume as he can in one scoop.

The girl is still yelling as the police rush toward her.

"Sorry, babe. Gotta run."

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"Done." Leaning back in his armchair, Ralph taps a pen against his temple. Though he writes by electronic means, the pen was a sort of anchor to the writers of old, such as his favorites, Edgar Allen Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. His office is a mishmash of dozens of books with several momentums from his travels with Sue and from his earlier life - he had been part of a circus for a brief amount of time, performing contortions and marveling spectators with his uncanny ability to discern remarkable information from subtle observations. On his desk is a picture of Sue, next to it, one of Barry and himself.

Ralph sighs again, looking at the finished work and perusing his last chapter for mistakes. "Five Miles to No Where" is going to be a hit. I can feel it. Ralph frowns. But it's not quite right, is it? There's just something missing. The novella involved a group of bandits stealing the car of two out-of-towners in order to complete their crime, then returning the car so no one could discover their plot. The car owner notices the missing mileage, which leads him to uncover the criminals' agenda. It is a good story. But it's just too easy. Ralph forces himself up. Heading toward the bathroom, he steals a glance of an action figure of the Flash on one of his shelves. Sue always liked to poke fun at "the toy," but Ralph could not help but admire and, to an extent, envy the hero. Not necessarily for the fame, though there was that too, but for the chance to really do something. Washing his face several times, Ralph studies his own features. I shoulda been born a stranger visitor from another planet...

DING DONG

That must be Sue... Heading for the door, Ralph puts on his smile, hoping it looks real enough for Sue not to start asking questions. Opening the door, his smile disappears completely.

"Is there something wrong, officers?"

"Mr. Dibny? Mr. Ralph Dibny?"

"Yes?"

"I'm Detective Curtis, this is Detective Chyre. May we come in?"

"What - what's going on? Did something happen to Sue?"

Detective Curtis strokes his beard and looks sideways at Chyre, who speaks up. "I'm afraid your fiancée has been kidnapped."

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

ZOOM!

Barry Allen does not think. He just runs. I lost Albert. I lost Rita. Even Thawne. I won't lose Sue. He slows down, approaching Sue's brownstone. The Flash takes a deep breath before entering. The ransacked apartment is littered with cops, all of whom both Barry Allen and the Flash know.

Ralph sits in the corner, his fist to his chin, surveying the scene with unflinching scrutiny and a stoic expression.

The Flash and Ralph make eye contact and for a moment a silent understanding is held between the two of them.

"Flash! Get over here!"

"Hello, Captain. I heard what happened on the news."

Darryl Frye throws his hands in the air, as if ridding himself of a fly. "Feh! The news." Frye leads the Flash over toward the bedroom as he continues speaking. "They could get Lex Luthor and Mother Teresa mixed up and it wouldn't surprise me. Take a look at this."

Shattered glass lays with abandon on a Persian rug. A candlestick, whose double remains in place on a shelf above the bed, lies several feet away at the head of the bed. The bed sheets are tussled, and a single slipper remains left behind. The Flash clenches his teeth.

"Mirror Master."

Frye fixes his tie, still surveying the scene.

"No sign of forced entry. Broken shards of glass everywhere and very visible signs of a struggle. I'd say you're right about this one, Flash. He is on the loose. Spotted in Kansas City last night at some hotel. Ms. Dearbon would make for a very nice ransom. Her parents are out of town but-" The police captain stops mid-sentence, frowning. "I'm sorry Mr. Dibny, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the crime scene."

"Captain, let me by, please. I have to see the crime scene."

The Police Captain and the superhero look at one another. The Flash nods, and Captain Frye lets Ralph by.

Kneeling, Ralph takes the scene in for several minutes without a word. His eyes move about rapidly, Barry unable to follow Ralph's train of thoughts. Walking toward the mirror, Ralph's eyes pour over the broken mirror. He then heads toward the other side of the room, staring at twin curtains. Finally, Ralph speaks up. "She wasn't kidnapped."

"Mr. Dibny, with all due respect-"

Ralph cuts the Captain off. "Mirror Master, entering through the now broken window, surprised my fiancée, who most likely was reading that book over there," pointing to a book on her nightstand, the book split open to hold her page, "which puts the time of the incident at around 7 and 7:30 PM. Shocked by the intrusion, she picked up the closest object that could be used as a weapon - this candlestick." Ralph motions at the object and turns to face the two veterans of criminal affairs. "But he was too quick - he lunged at her, which is why the blankets on the bed are tussled away from the mirror, and not towards. She wasn't pulled threw the mirror; he came out, to grab her." Ralph lets his words sink in, then crosses to the far side of the room. "His momentum carried them here, to the floor on the other side of the bed - as you can see, part of the sheets were knocked off the bed and toward the ground . But Sue managed to knock him on the head with the candlestick." Ralph begins to turn back toward the mirror, pointed at the slipper on the floor.

"This is the point at which Sue lost her slipper, while running in fear of Mirror Master. Still groggy, Mirror Master used one of his specialized guns to fire a mirror device - the kind that sucks people into whatever location he has preprogrammed into his gun - and he missed. Instead of hitting Sue and trapping her, he hit the mirror, and that is what broke it into so many pieces." Using his index finger, Ralph outlines an area of the mirror without touching it, highlighting a very slight, square indentation where the "bullet" had hit.

"Mirror Master, still dizzy from the knock on the head, thought he had transported her with the mirror device he had fired. Mirror Master then decided to escape - through here." Ralph, having gone back across the room, moves a curtain to unveil another mirror.

"That was a gift from Susan's mother. Even though she hated the mirror, she didn't know where else to put it so left it - covered - in her bedroom. From Mirror Master's position on the floor, however, he could have easily seen the reflective material from underneath the curtain, and realized his escape route."

Captain Frye, the Flash, and the various CSI photographers and detectives are each at a loss of words, having been captivated by Ralph Dibny's display at deductive reasoning. The Flash is the first to speak up.

"Mr. Dibny - that certainly is a valid theory, and I'd even go so far as to say it's more than that - but don't you think that's a lot of information based off deduction alone? We need some scientific proof before we can put full faith behind anything."

Ralph, for the first time since the police detectives had come to his door, smiles. He turns to Captain Frye. "Captain, was there blood on the candlestick?"

Captain Frye's face goes slightly red, and Barry suppresses a smile of his own. "Well, yes. Yes there was."

Ralph turns back towards the Flash. "I'm sure a DNA test will support my findings. That is Samuel Scudder's blood."

Barry nods his head in agreement, but Captain Frye speaks up now. "Mr. Dibny, you've given us an excellent theory to work with. But there's one thing that someone with as sharp a mind as yours cannot have overlooked. If this is all true, then where did Sue Dearbon go?"

Ralph's gaze drifts toward the broken mirror. "That, is the mystery."

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"He figured all that out? Our Ralph?"

Barry nods his head, taking another bite of his macaroni and cheese. It is his third plate - his metabolism never seemed to let up. "You should have seen him, Iris. I've always known Ralph had a knack for observation, but to actually see it at a real crime scene... It makes me wonder..."

Iris cuts off his train of thought after chewing threw one of the last bits of her steak. "But more importantly, do you think he'll be able to find Sue?" Her voice and her eyes synchronize to a saddened countenance, and part of Barry feels guilty that he cares just as much about Iris' reaction to Sue's disappearance as to the disappearance itself.

"If anyone can, it will be Ralph." He smiles, slightly. "Besides, he's fighting for something priceless. You can't beat that kind of motivation."

Iris smiles and Barry reaches over toward her hand. The sound of Barry's cell phone kills the moment. She gives him that look she always gives when they are interrupted in such a way.

"Allen here. What? I'll be right there."

"What is it, Barry?"

Getting up, Barry takes out his wallet and leaves a twenty and a five dollar bills. "They've found him." Kissing Iris on the cheek, he begins to leave the restaurant.

Iris mouths the words “be careful” but is unsure if Barry notices. She curls her hair with her index finger as she watches him leave.

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

BLAM! BLAM BLAM!

Mirror Master avoids the police bullets by ducking behind the corner of one of the shops in the mall. Inside, frightened customers take cover, hiding behind clothes racks and counters.

"Guess they're not using rubber bullets." Mirror Master heads toward the cash register, using his hands to lift him up and over the counter.

"C'mon, fill this up, lady! I ain't got all day." This was a bad idea. How much money can I get hopping from store to store in a shopping mall?

Police officers turn into the store and begin heading towards him. "Freeze, Mirror Master!"

"That's a bluff blue, and you know it!" Grabbing the bag of cash, he hops through the surface of the cashier's glasses, and ends up in the reflection of the police officer's badge. Knocking the cop out with a punch, he is about to steal the police officer's gun when a red hand grabs him and throws him out of the surface and back into the normal plane. Flung into the store parallel to the one he had just robbed, Mirror Master falls into a rack of stuffed pink bears, a larger bear falling on his face. Removing the bear, Mirror Master groans.

"Oh, not the Flas-" Mirror Master has almost no time to react, when the Flash begins running toward him. But the Flash slips on some of the bears and stops his run, giving the Mirror Master enough time to tackle him. Backhanding the Flash with his gun, the Mirror Master is then propelled backwards by a violent, one-handed shove. Mirror Master fires a mirror-device at the Flash, but misses. It hits the store window behind the hero, and begins sucking in surrounding things into its vortex for a moment before it shuts down. The Flash finally gets up, finding the Mirror Master no where to be seen.

"Where's Sue Dearbon?" The Flash hears the Mirror Master's laughter echo, seemingly from everywhere. A giant display of Central City made of Legos, held high by wires from a base to attract shoppers from the second level of the mall, begins crumbling down on the Flash. Not noticing it soon enough, he begins to run, but trips as Mirror Master sticks his foot out from a fallen, reflective sign.

Mirror Master laughs harder. "Oh, Flash," Mirror Master says from a floor panel directly underneath the Flash's face. "You're always good for a laugh."

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

"Flash? Flash?"

I hate waking up this way.

"Ralph - Mr. Dibny." Ralph extends his hand to help the Flash up. "Are you all right?"

The Flash stretches up, and cracks his neck. "I'm OK - I just wish I hadn't let Mirror Master get away." The Flash looks at Ralph, softening his tone. "He might have had a lead on Sue."

Ralph surveys the scene, his gaze turning toward the broken store window. He continues staring, not speaking for several minutes.

"Mr. Dibny? Ralph? Is something wrong?"

"Hm? Oh, no, Flash." Ralph turns toward the superhero, his eyes set. "Actually, I was wondering if you could get me all the surveillance videos for this store and the hall way directly outside."

Flash turns his head in thought. "Well that's something you'd have to take up with Captain Frye..." Flash looks at Ralph. "But I'll put in a good word. And I'll keep my eyes open for Sue. It's only been two days. There's still hope." The Flash takes off, leaving Ralph alone at the crime scene.

"There's always hope."

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The sunshine highlights Barry's features. He tries to move closer to Ralph on the bench, but cannot seem to escape the light completely. They had sat there for several minutes already, in silence. Barry looks over to his friend. Ralph's gaze seems to be elsewhere.

"Ralph, Captain Frye wanted me to tell you that he approved your request to review the surveillance tapes. I'm going to the lab soon, if you want a ride."

Ralph doesn't respond. He just looks up to the sky. Finally he looks at Barry. "You know, I never understood how you and Iris were so much in love. Don't get me wrong, Barr, I was happy for you - am happy for you. I just never got it - until I met Sue. Now... I can't imagine living any other way."

Barry puts his hand on Ralph's shoulder and gives him a slight smile. "Let's go."

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The tape rewinds back and Ralph plays it again before deciding it has nothing to offer him. Barry had come back to check on him periodically - he even brought some Yerba Mahtae for Ralph. South American teas are his favorites. Drinking some of his tea and putting in the new tape, Ralph watches the images carefully, not wanting to miss a single detail. Here it comes. Let's see if this camera caught what I'm looking for. Before the tape can continue, he hears a loud knock, followed by the opening of the door.

"Ralph!"

Ralph turns in the chair. "Barry? What's up?"

"We've found him, Ralph, we know where Scudder is hiding. I did some tests on some kind of soil left behind from his boot, and it turned out to be lion manure."

"Lion manure? Oh, the old circus!"

"Right! I'm going to Captain Frye right now. But I figured I'd let you know first - and that you'd want to come."

Ralph gets up, ready for action, but looks back down. "I can't, Barry. Not yet. After I'm finished with these tapes, I'll come. The police and the Flash can handle Mirror Master better than I can - and my number one priority is finding Sue."

Barry puts his hand on his friend's shoulder in acknowledgment. "I understand. Take care. And good luck."

"You too." Barry leaves the recording lab in a hurry. And be careful.

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

ZOOM!

You're not getting away this time, Mirror Master. Jewels are one thing. But I won't loose a friend. The Flash gets to the old amusement park and circus a full ten minutes before the police can reach the abandoned site right outside the city. The seats of an old ferias wheel shake and creak at the added wind from the Flash's arrival. Dusk was approaching, and the entire park seemed to capture the sense of being half-dead. The Flash thinks he sees a shadow, and races toward a prize booth. He sees nothing inside the booth and moves on. Picking up speed, the Flash begins searching from tent to tent. At his fifth tent, the Flash continues the routine only to find a bomb. He races out, escaping the brunt of the explosion but still receiving a piece of it. Falling forward and hitting his chin on the dirt, he lands next to a green boot. Looking up, he sees Mirror Master with both hands on his hips.

"You know, Flash, we've got to stop meeting like this." Mirror Master aims his gun and fires multiple times but misses as the Flash twists away and gets up.

"Ah ah, you can't touch me, Flash. Unless you want to see Sue Dearbon anywhere other than a morgue."

"That's a lie, Mirror Master. You didn't kidnap Sue. You've never even killed anyone. I'm betting that whole assassin bit was just so you could get your hands on Keith Kenyon's equipment."

"A very interesting theory, Flash." Mirror Master raises his weapon and points it at his enemy. "But not worth the life of a young woman."

The two stand still for a few moments before police sirens pick up in the distance.

"Damn it!" Mirror Master turns for a second at the distraction, only to see the Flash race away.

He's right, I can't take the risk. But the police should keep him busy while I can check this place out - and make sure Sue's not trapped somewhere in the park. Besides, Mirror Master won't leave without his loot. I just have to find where he hid that first. Approaching a lit tent, the Flash enters slowly, cautiously. Inside, he finds the stolen money. Not Sue, but not too bad, either. I wonder if -

"Help!"

Flash turns, surprise overtaking him as he sees the Mirror Master with Sue, as a hostage. "Sue!"

"As you can see, Flash your gamble didn't pay off. I know what you're thinking - that you can move faster than I can pull this trigger. And it's true. You can. Even with my jerk reaction, you could save the lovely Ms. Dearbon over here. But what's faster, Flash - your speed or the preset code in my gun? It will fire if any part of me moves faster than a normal human being is capable of. That means no touching."

The Flash looks at Sue's frightened, unsure face. He sighs, a visible sign of relenting.

"Good choice."

"Let's try another option."

Flash and Mirror Master both turn their heads to look at Ralph Dibny, who had entered the tent moments before. A quick right hook knocks Mirror Master down and out for good. The image of Sue Dearbon flickers several times before disappearing.

"Ralph? That wasn't Sue?"

"A hologram, Flash." Ralph kneels down, moving Mirror Master's head up, which promptly falls back down. He picks up Mirror Master's gun.

"How did you get here? And how did you know?"

Ralph gets up and heads towards his friend. "Finding this tent wasn't too hard. I just followed Mirror Master - he took out most of the police, but nobody is hurt too badly. As for Sue, that was easy. I know where she is."

"You do?"

"At the lab, I found something right before the police left. I found what I was looking for - proof."

"Proof? Proof of what?"

Ralph points the Mirror Master's gun at the pack of cigarettes on a table close by. As he fires the weapon, the pack disappears into the pocket dimension which the Mirror Master used for his crimes and then promptly reappears close by. Ralph then calmly takes out a piece of gum. Putting the gum in his mouth, he places the silver, reflective gun wrapper on a table close by. Stepping back, he aims it and fires. A slight vortex unfolds, lasting all of thirty seconds.

"It's not suppose to do that," the Flash says, surprised. Ralph puts the gun down.

"I know. Watching the tape of your battle with Mirror Master, I saw that side effect occur when the "mirror bullet" shot out and hit another reflective surface. In the crime scene, we couldn't figure out where Sue went. But we did see that Mirror Master fired his weapon, and it hit the mirror. I believe Sue was sucked into that pocket dimension of his - and we've got to get her out."

* * *

[Spider-Man Beyond]

He had been searching for hours. From one section to another, hoping across different sections of the pocket world. Ralph remained on the outside, shooting flares into a certain open portal every fifteen minutes so that the Flash could find his way back. How does Mirror Master navigate all this? Something to ask when he regains consciousness. Running further, Barry thinks he can see the glimmer of a ring in the dark. He smiles.

"Flash!"

"Ms. Dearbon! I'll get you in one second. Your fiancé is waiting for you on the other side." Racing down the strange, spiral and stair-less causeways, the Flash picks up Sue up in his arms. A flare is shot out, as they ascend. Racing towards Ralph, Barry delivers her from his arms.

"Ralph!"

"Sue!" The two embrace, tears in both their eyes. Captain Frye opens his mouth, no doubt to ask for a statement. But the Flash nods towards the door before he can say a word. Getting the message, both men leave the lovers to themselves.

The End
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