A tall, well-built man with short-cropped blonde
hair walks into the offices of Wayne Enterprises. He stops before the
secretary’s desk and sets down his briefcase. He takes off his
gold-rimmed glasses and eyes the security cameras that are watching his
every move. A small inhuman grin forms on his face as thinks
about what awaits before him. His name is Michael Jon
“Booster” Carter, but many people of this age know him as
Booster Gold. For years he has been known as the comic relief of the
JLA. The never-was that never could have been. Now though he is more
than capable of proving his worth, even if he isn’t in control of
his body. He presses a stud on his belt that transforms his two-piece
suit into his trademark costume. He flashes the security cameras and
the secretary an awkward smile before opening fire upon every one in
sight.
Bruce Wayne sits in his office signing papers that
require his signature. He checks his Rolex for the time when the whole
building shakes.
“What…on earth…?” he says.
He presses a stud that lies hidden underneath the
desk. A small black monitor pops out of the middle of his desk and
shows him the mayhem going on below. His blue eyes focus on the figure
that is trashing his property with a bizarre mischievous grin. He
presses another stud under the desktop and one of the walls turns,
revealing a grey uniform with a large bat emblem on it. Bruce eyes it
for a moment before slipping it on. He then pulls on a book in the
bookshelf next to his emergency uniform rack activating a secret
entrance that he has used on occasion.
Below, Booster is having the time of his life or at
least that what he likes to think so. Tears flow freely from his eyes
as he tries to figure out what could make him do this. He knows the
thoughts in his head are not his own. Yet every attempt he makes to
stop this senseless rampage only makes the being inside stronger. He
hears a woman cry out as one of his blasters clips her leg. The
venomous smile spreads on his face only to meet the boot heel of the
caped crusader.
“Booster, have you gone out of your
mind…?” Batman asks.
Booster turns to Batman, his goggles knocked off
revealing his face. Batman’s face shows a look of pure shock.
Before him it appears as if Eclipso has possessed Booster, yet the left
side of his face is red instead of dark, and he has blue-tinted eyes
instead of red.
“What’s a
matter…detective…Do I scare you?” Booster says in a
dreaded tone that is not his own.
“What in gods name happened to
you…?” Batman asks as he takes measure of the being before
him.
“Your friend isn’t home now,
Wayne… You’re speaking with me now,” the possessed
Booster says.
“Who are you? How did you possess
Booster?” Batman asks in a demanding tone.
“Who are you to order me around…? Heh,
what makes you so special that you’re regarded with such respect?
All of these questions Booster asks himself and never has he ever found
the answer. He envies you for everything you and Superman have that he
doesn’t. That is what allowed little old me into his
heart,” the possessed Booster responds.
“So, you’re a parasite… You feed
on people’s insecurities in order to gain their form and live out
their inner tendencies,” Batman replies.
“And he wins the million dollar prize! Allow
me to introduce myself- I am Envious! I am the God of Envy.--Anyone who
allows envy, jealousy and all those deliciously evil related emotions
in welcomes me into their heart,” Envious says.
“You’re almost as bad as
Eclipso…” Batman says.
“Indeed, you could say that we are brothers of
a sort though he deals with anger. I deal with a much wider
range,” Envious replies.
I’ve got to
buy time until I can think of a way to beat him, Batman thinks
to himself.
Outside...
The GCPD gather in front of the building not knowing
what to expect. They are waiting for their own version of the SCU and
the Commissioner before they do anything. A black limousine drives by
with its driver’s side window partly down. Alfred gives the
building a worried glance. He knows that Master Bruce is the best at
what he does, but still it doesn’t stop him from worrying about
him. He drives up to a lot and parks. He then turns on the police band
radio to see if the GCPD have assessed the situation yet.
“This is a dispatch to all units; Meta human
known as Booster Gold was seen walking into Wayne Enterprises where he
opened fire on civilians. The commissioner wants all units on stand by
as it’s believed he is holding twelve people hostage, including
Bruce Wayne,” the dispatcher says.
“Master Bruce….” Alfred says and
he then says a quiet prayer…
Batman stands firmly in front of the being in front
of him. Beneath the god lay the man Booster Gold who Bruce knew to be a
good man, but how was he to reach him? And how far did this
monster’s control extend? He would have to indulge in a test.
Hopefully, if anything of Booster was still in there he would have
nothing to worry about, but if he was wrong… No, he did not want
to think about if he was wrong.
“So, Booster, what makes you think we should
pity you? Do you think it’s our fault how your life turned out?
You never had your mind on the game. You always had your eye on the
glamour and glitz. That is why your life is in the crapper. We have had
nothing to do with what’s happened to you and you know it,”
Batman taunts.
“No! You belittled him! You treated him as a
joke! He was a clown for your own amusement!” Envious says as he
tries to hold on to his host.
“We never ever said those words
Booster… It was your own indulgence for the fame and money that
caused your downfall. That doesn’t mean your heart is not in the
right place,” Batman counters as he continues forward towards the
possessed Booster Gold.
“No! You think of him as unprofessional! You
have no respect for him whatsoever! The only person you respect is Superman!” Envious shrieks.
“I respect him because he earned my respect a
long time ago. Despite what you do or have done, I think you and Blue
Beetle have your hearts in the right place. It’s just the matter
of getting everything else there,” Batman replies as he inches
closer to the possessed Booster.
Envious starts to feel his grip let go and howls as
he flees from Booster’s body into a red diamond in the palm of
Booster’s hand. Batman takes it and quickly puts it into one of
his pockets. Booster slumps to the ground and vomits on the floor as he
thinks about what he has done. Batman stands over him with an
indifferent gaze. He knows that it wasn’t Booster’s fault,
but whose fault was it that landed Envious in Booster’s hand?
About a week later, The Justice League’s moon
base stands empty as Booster enters. He knows the Batman wanted to meet
him here for a reason, but he doesn’t know why. He looks around
noticing that everything seems perfectly clean given the tendencies of
some of the team members. Though he notices what looks like
women’s underwear draped over a seat. He walks up to it and pulls
on it with it yelping in pain.
“Plas? What are you doing in the shape of
women’s underwear?” Booster asks.
“I was hopin’ that Diana or one of the
ladies might try ta slip me on thinkin’ I was a pair of theirs,
but obviously it didn’t work,” Plastic Man replies with a
wide grin.
“Where’s Batman?”
“You mean tall, dark, and brooding? He’s
in the Monitor Womb,” Plastic Man replies.
“Thanks, Plas!” Booster says as he heads
towards the Monitor Womb…
Batman sits perched in the suspensor chair watching
the flittering holographic images of crises that are happening all over
the globe. He takes mental notes of ones that could be of problems to
the world at large and files it away for later reference. As his eyes
scan the images of the southwestern continent, Booster walks in.
“You’re late…” Batman says.
“Sorry…I got held up at Star Labs. They
gave me a full check-up and so did Zatanna. None of them found
anything,” Booster replies as he walks up to view the monitors.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
Batman leans back in the suspensor chair and turns
it in Booster’s direction. He stares at the young man with a gaze
that most parents give their children. It is a look of indifference
that hides his emotions almost perfectly.
“You believe you’re not in the League
because we don’t think you’re good enough…
It’s actually quite the opposite. The reason you’re not a
part of the team, Booster, is that you fail to grasp what being a hero
is all about. But I think after your most recent problem you’re
starting to learn,” Batman says.
“Is this a good thing?” Booster asks as
he scratches the back of his head and has a sheepish look on his face.
“In a round about way, yes it is. Maybe
someday you will have a place again in the League, but for now, stay
out of trouble…” Batman says as he dismisses Booster.
Booster walks out of the room and a smile crosses
his face. He then shakes his head at the thought of Batman actually
complementing him.
He steps onto the teleport platform and beams back
home…
Presents.....
