Unlimited Legends #18 (Featuring the Spectre)

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Unlimited Legends #18
The Deadman and the Ghost

Written by Ryan Bush (Watchmen12)
Edited by Daniel Dyer (Spider-Man Beyond)

Featuring...

Ten Years Ago[/center]

"Hello, Jim Corrigan, it’s time to go,” said a voice in the darkness.

Slowly, Jim opened his eyes and found himself starring at a young woman. She was wearing all black, from her tank top to her pants, and was deathly pale. Around her neck was a golden ankh.

“Hello, Earth to Jim, time to go, we have to hurry,” she said as she held out her hand.

“Who… who are you?” as Jim took her hand and stood up, noticing that his body was still slumped in the chair.

“You know who I am,” she said as she started to draw him close to her.

Jim just stood there for a second, and then it dawned on him. “You’re Death, aren’t you?”

“Home Run, Jimmy, now lets go,” and then she pulled Jim close to her, and Jim couldn’t help but hear the sound of beating wings.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Somewhere Else (or more accurately a place called Limbo), still ten years ago

“Odd, this isn’t where people usually end up,” Death said as they both were standing in what seemed to be an endless realm of mist.

“Where exactly are we?” Jim asked.

“Well, in a bridge zone, exactly which one I don’t know.”

Suddenly a loud voice echoed though the mist. “Leave us, endless one, I have a job for this man and I do not want you to interfere.”

“Oh, I know what’s going on. Well, be seeing you, Jim, bye,” she said as she faded away with a wink.

“Um, what is going on? And what is this job?” asked Corrigan to the voice.

“First, I have a question for you, do you wish for vengeance against those who killed you?”

“Yeah, I do!” Jim said, not realizing that he was almost screaming.

“Would you be my vessel of Vengeance? And return to your world and dispel vengeance on those who require it.”

“Yes.”

“Then you shall be my vessel.”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Eight Years Ago

“Welcome to the Hills Brother Circus, Home of the Death Deifying Aerialist, the Deadman…” began the ringmaster as a new night of performances began.

Boston Brand had been a circus performer for awhile now, and had even earned himself the nickname Deadman. The reason was, because of all of his death deifying tricks he performed, he should already be dead.

And this even had given rise to the rumor that Boston doesn’t fear death, but he does.

The ringmaster finished his opening monologue, time for the show to begin.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Seven Years Ago

Jim Gordon had lost a lot of sleep on the Corrigan murder case. The Commissioner after Loeb, a guy called Granger, had tried to put someone else on the case, but it always seemed to fall back into Gordon’s hands.

With a cup of coffee in hand, he took another look at the evidence. They had an eye witness at the scene, saying that the old commissioner, Loeb, had killed Corrigan, and that he was also the mob boss Benson. If Loeb didn’t just disappear after the murder then no one would have believed him. But that still doesn’t explain the many pillars of salt, and the green cloaked person he kept babbling about. I wonder who he was.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Ten Years Ago

Loeb, (or Benson), was getting ready to have some fun with the would-be-Mrs. Jim Corrigan. But all those plans went to the wayside when a figure suddenly passed though the wall. He clad on a long green cloak, with the hood pulled over his head. On top of that, he was deathly pale.

Loeb quickly whipped out his hand gun and began to fire at the ghost. But the bullets just passed though him, and one even hit one of his henchmen.

“Loeb, the presence has marked you as one who needs to suffer for your crimes, and for the deaths of these two innocent people,” said the ghost in a voice that would make any Drill Sergeant wet himself.

“You will not take me alive, Spectre,” said Loeb to, well, the Spectre.

“I was hoping you would say that,” said the Spectre with a smile.

The Spectre took a step closer. Loeb then turned the gun on Claire and shot her in the face.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” said the green cloaked ghost as he took another step closer to the commissioner/mob boss.

But the hired muscles had finally gotten over the shock of a man passing though a wall and attacked the Spectre.

Or at least they tried too, after the first one nailed him in the back with a chair, he got up and turned towards them. Turning half into pillars of salt, the other half he chained to the floor.

But when he turned his attention back to Loeb, he discovered that he was gone. Angry with himself, he turned all but one of the chained thugs into salt as well.

“You, I have a job for you,” he said to the only living thing in the room. “When the police arrive, I want you to tell them that Loeb and Benson are one and the same. If you don’t, I will do far worse to you then what I did to them,” pointing to the pillars of salt.

And then the Spectre left the building.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Six Years Ago

Coast City, I always liked performing in Coast City. The crowds here know how to go to circus. At least the active military special today will be fun.

Boston Brand was sitting in his trailer, thinking, when Mrs. Brand entered.

“You’re not planning on doing the death drop, are you, Boston? You know I have a heart attack every time you do it.”

“Yes, honey, I am planning on the death drop. why? Because it is our most successful stunt in the whole act.”

“I still don’t like it...” If Mrs. Brand wanted to say more, it was stopped by a knock at the door.

“Come in,” yelled Boston.

The man who entered was young and very well built, complete with a little girl hanging on his arm.

“I’m sorry we are not hiring, Mr…”

“...Jordan, Hal Jordan, and I am not looking for a job. You see, my niece, Helen, she wanted to meet you and the ringmaster said it was okay.”

“Okay, nice to meet you, Helen, what part of the circus do you like the most?”

Shyly she responded, “The animals mister.”

“I like the animals too. Actually, that’s how I first started in the circus, taking care of the animals,” then looking at the clock on the wall of the trailer. “Look at the time. My show is about to begin. How about my lovely wife takes you to see ALL the animals, would that be nice?”

“Yes,” she responded.

“And what do we say to the nice man?” said Hal to his niece, Helen.

“Thank You.”

“And you’re welcome,” he said as he left to perform his act.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

One Year Later

Another show. I don’t like Chicago as much as Coast City, but a dollar is a dollar, thought Brand as he was about to begin his act at the top of the Big Top.

“And now the death defying aerialist, Deadman, will perform his world famous Death Drop, without the safety of a net,” said the ringmaster in the, well, the ring.

Brand watched them as they pulled the net away and thought of his wife, how she was about to have a heart attack.

Brand waved to the audience as the spotlight trained onto him. Odd that guy with a hook seems to have a gun. But pushing out of his mind Brand leapt into space.

BLAM!!

Brand, Deadman, fell to the floor, many stories down. The circus crowded around his body, while others tried to keep the masses away.

But you see, Brand saw all of this.

“Hey I’m over here! Can’t you see me, you ninnies?”

“Actually, they can’t see you, Boston Brand,” said a woman’s voice from behind him.

Brand turned around to see a woman’s face in the sky, “Who are you?”

“My name is Rama Krishna and I have a job for you, Deadman.”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Two Years Ago

“Congratulations, Gordon, on that promotion to Commissioner,” said a cop to Gordon as he was moving his stuff into his office.

After an Internal Affairs Investigation, Commissioner Granger came up with a lot of dirt, Gordon was promoted.

“Montoya, see me in my office,” he barked across the room.

The woman that entered was obvious of Latino decent and was recently promoted to detective.

“Montoya, I have a favor to ask of you. You see, about eight years ago, a partner of mine was killed. Now I have spent the last eight years investigating it, and would like to continue, but now being Commissioner, I don’t think I will have the time, so I was wondering if you would like to try to solve it. The file’s right here.”

“Yes sir, I will try.”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Ten Years Ago

The Spectre was hovering above the residence that once belonged to Claire.

He watched as the police arrived, spearheaded by Corrigan’s old friend, Gordon.

He watched them head inside and he listened as the man he left started to squeal out everything he was told to talk about.

He watched as Gordon left the building and saw him break down in tears.

He watched as a young police officer barfed in the bushes.

He watched as the police dragged out the only survivor.

He watched until they all left.

Then he left, to hunt down his murderer, to hunt the man that killed Claire.

To Be Continued