Supercape Vignette - Gruevasion 2010

[Geez3r]

Supercape - Gruevasion

 

Supercape had barely arrived in America when the Grue invaded. He had certainly not started being a superhero. True, he had started working on his idea of an unstable quantum lattice of molecules that he could use as a costume - and it was painstaking but hopefully worthwhile work - but actual superheroics was something that was a vague notion at best.

 

When streams of white hot plasma started pelting down from the sky, the alien invaders walked the streets, and the superheroes of Freedom City started fightong back, Professor Quentin Quill had just started work at Freedom University.

 

It was, predictably, pandemonium. Admist all the chaos, some of the scientists had been "asked" to try and analyse the data streaming in from the military and various satellites about the Grue arsenal in space.

 

Quentin had volunteered, of course. As he strode into a ramshakle laboratory, with emergency power only, he found he was paired with professor Liebniz.

 

Quentin felt it was his moral duty to protect the world and the human race. Hence, he had volunteered without hesitation.

 

Liebniz felt it was his moral duty to collate data that he could later publish and thus gain academic prestige. Hence, he had volunteered without hesitation.

 

The two men eyed each other up suspciously as they set about looking at the computers, fax's, and printouts that surrounded them. In the distance, an occassional explosion or sound of artillery fire could be heard. Quentin thought it sounded like the blitz.

 

The two armed soldiers who entered the room didn't help his concentration. One seemed to be a seargant. "Orders of the U.S. Army. Key operations to be guarded at all times" he grunted. The grunt by his side, well...grunted.

 

For all their animosity, Quentin and Liebniz bonded over one thing, they did get excited about science. Poring over the data stream from a military satellite, they started noticing a strange pattern - a Grue Mothership? A Grue Weapon in orbit? they started talking excitedly, almost oblivious to the danger it could represent.

 

"Gracious, look at the gravity fluctuations around this area!" exclaimed Quentin. "Yes, yes, I see them!" answered Liebniz "If we could do a quantum map of the nth space distortions... why, we may be able to track it!"

 

Liebniz was cut short as the but of a rifle from the Grunt crashed down on his head, bringing a moment of agony then unconsciousness.

 

The seargent turned to face Supercape, his features changing to that of a Grue. "You will not defeat our mighty armies, pitiful human!" he shouted.

 

Supercape took a quick look around. Nobody watching, which was good. He decided to feign ignorance and beg for mercy. He wasn't a natural liar, but the words just popped into his head "I'm just a poor boy, give me some sympathy, easy come, easy go, will you let me go?"

 

Any human would have laughed in his face, but the two Grue were unlikely to have an indepth knowledge of fourty year old english rock anthems.

 

At his command, the room filled with a flash of blinding light that completely blinded the two Grue standing before him. As they stood helpless, firing randomly, it was a simple matter for a few pulses of radation to knock the alien invaders out. The few bullets that had strayed his way were frazzled by the forcefield he had erected.

 

Quentin turned back to check Liebniz was unhurt. He was dead cold, but otherwise fine. Sadly, the computer was junked by a stray bullet, and a small fire was eating up the precious data. It looked like the two scientist's wouldn't be helping any more that day.

 

Quentin gazed back at the two unconscious Grue, still glowing a pretty shade of purple, and then at his hand. It seemed he had just taken his first tentative step to being a superhero of Freedom City.