Issue #6, Dec. Yr. 1

---

Long, Long ago in a place not too far away, there were a group of
people bounded together to share in their pain, in hopes of bettering
their lives and humanity in general. They were the Doom Patrol.
Brought together by Niles "Chief" Caulder, they lived, they fought,
they loved, and they died. And they came back, time and time again.
Same people, different people - the faces changed except one,

Clifford Steele aka Robotman.

---

 

FDC presents "Leave Me Where I Am"
by Gary Dreslinski

---

Her tiny white hand rested in his grip of metal. Cliff looked over to his companion with a sigh. For once he was glad of his metal exterior. It meant that she couldn't see the fear he was feeling. Otherwise, succubus or not, there was no way she would be taking the hand of someone capable of crushing it with an idle muscle spasm. Not that he actually had any muscles that weren't artificial, but... he looked back to the man in standing in front of them. His name was Amos Fortune, or it had been at any rate before he was transformed into something more, something of pure power, of pure evil. In his reality, he had used his luck powers to destroy anyone who stood against him. Which of
course meant everybody. Superman, Batman, New Gods, Old Gods, you name it - he had found a way to kill them all. Now though, he was in Hell. Worse, they were both in Hell with him. Even worse than that, when you got right down to it, was the fact that he didn't want them to leave. Of course, Cliff figured, it was also pretty bad that the reason that he didn't want them to leave was the fact that he planned on killing them. That was pretty darn annoying in and of itself.

When you got right down to it, Cliff reminded himself, the man in front of him was still the second string villain Amos Fortune, or at least still had his name, having never bothered to change it to something with more flare. He also reminded himself that his companion, Leah, had more things to worry about than if he was going to accidentally crush her tiny fingers.

He glanced over to Leah and tried a brave smile. Unfortunately he knew that his features really didn't change much to fit his moods. But it felt good to make the effort.

"I don't suppose you have a plan?" Leah asked, gripping his hand tighter.

He improved on his best confident smile. It was completely lost on her. "Of course I do."

"I don't suppose you're going to share it with me."

He looked back at the smirking Amos Fortune, "Just follow my lead" he said, before taking a step forward.

---

Arkham Asylum

She stared out into the night sky. At least she imagined that she was doing that. Deep in her mind, she saw the stars. They had the face of Niles Caulder. They twinkled against the night, showing her everything.

She heard a noise from the corridor and looked up. There was someone slipping around the door. Not through, nor were they walking through the cracks. They simply slipped "around" the physical state that was the door. She wasn't sure how she knew, she just did.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

The man dressed completely in mauve smiled, "Who ARE you?" he demanded.

"I'm Killer Frost" she responded, wishing, for hardly the first time that the shackles around her arms weren't preventing her from using her powers. At least the Asylum had installed the cooling systems to keep her alive. Her room was a block of ice... that occurred to her the moment she noticed she couldn't see his breath when he talked.

"You're not really here." she muttered in disgust.

"You're NOT really here" he muttered in disgust.

She looked around in wonder, when she found herself in the middle of the sidewalk. She looked up at the skyline. She wasn't even in Gotham anymore. It looked like New York. Even stranger - the city seemed to be under attack. There were fires burning all around. Some nearby.

"Die" she shouted at the flames, "DIEDIEDIEDIE" she muttered and lifted her now unmanacled hands. The cold shot forth and slayed the fire, smothering it. The loving cold. The joyous cold. Life bringing cold. She felt the heat of the night, and extended her cold.

Niles Caulder was out there - somewhere. He could help her, he could bring her an end of the cold. The joyous cold. The Life bringing cold. He could bring the warmth again to her flesh. He could bring out the flesh of death.

She looked up at the night sky and thanked the man that wore mauve. She was free at last to seek out the one man who could help her, to death.

---

HUB CITY

Imagine if a city... let's say Gotham, were to have plague upon plague heaped on it. Then imagine if the crime rate were to soar, and if, oh say, an earthquake were to level the city to the point that even the government decided to turn it's back on doing anything more. Then imagining it ten times worse. Imagining doesn't really due justice to the case of Hub City, not even close. For even Gotham in that scenario would have a bit of hope. Even Gotham would not be on the edge of extinction, when an alien fleet popped out from nowhere and began a systematic destruction of the city.

Myra Ferman looked out over the destruction the alien invasion had wrought. Correction - was still causing. Their craft continued to sweep down, firing on the city. Correction - HER city. As the mayor, she had tried to hold the center. But, as the saying goes - that can't go on forever.

The fleet was seeing to that. Worse were the shock troops. Khunds in heavy armor that were driving people from their homes with wholesale slaughter.

She had called Vic... it was the only thing she could think of. If somehow he could come, if somehow he could... save them all one last time.

But he hadn't come. Not yet anyway. Or, if he was here, he hadn't gotten to her yet. Maybe he had come back, to die in the place that had spawned him.

A blast nearby, a shout... she clenched the alien rifle to her chest. She had taken it from one of the many bodies on both sides in the street. Now, it was the only civilization. Izzy was out there somewhere, the other piece of what was left. That, and Vic. She thought of him again and smiled. Maybe for the last time. The shouting was getting closer.

She looked up at the night sky and watched the stars, waiting for the end...waiting for a sign.

A blue streak sped across the sky, followed by an explosion. The shouting starting going the other way. She dared a look through the rubble she was hiding in - all that was left of the Hub City Chamber of Commerce.

What she saw was a woman dressed in black leather in the middle of the street with a full sized Khundian booted foot sticking out of her mouth. The woman took another gulp, and the foot followed the rest of the body.

The woman belched. "Next!" she yelled at the retreating shock troops.

She looked up to see a blue energy form bouncing between space craft. Everything it touched exploded on impact. Myra could hear the screams of those within the craft as they were consumed in the flames, and the laughter from within the blue energy. She momentarily felt sorry for the people in the craft... under she realized that these were the same people... using the word loosely, who had been destroying her city without mercy.

"Excuse me miss... can I be of assistance?" she heard the voice behind her, calm, in control.

She turned and met him face to face. He was rugged, and carrying the biggest gun she had ever seen. Impossibly big. There was no real way that man could have been really been carrying it and standing up right at the same time. But, as long as he was with the people fighting the aliens, she chose to overlook that for the moment.

"You're with them?" she asked, motioning toward the fray.

He nodded with a smile. "Yes ma'am. We're the good guys."

"Thank you" she said, "I was afraid we were all alone out here."

He put a hand on her shoulder and gave her his best confident smile. Unlike his metal counterpart, when this Cliff Steel did it - you FELT it in your bones. "No one is alone - not as long as the Doom Patrol is around."

---

Vanity

Very few cities love themselves. There is always a love-hate relationship in the hearts and minds of each and every person who dwells there, a tearing apart at a molecular level that threatens the stability of society within even at the greatest moments.

This is true everywhere. Even in a place that called itself Vanity. The social structure seemed to be perfect - the architecture seemed to be a perfect blend of gothic and modern. Even the hero, Aztek, seemed to be better than advertised.

But, even then, the city hated itself. It tried to tear itself down time and time again. Now though, the aliens were doing what the dark side of the city hadn't been able to.

When the alien fleet had arrived, no one batted an eye. Sure, they weren't Metropolis, but everyone knew what happened when the aliens came... They made some threats, fought the heroes, destroyed a little property and left with their tails tucked between their legs. But this time though, there were no threats. There were no heroes. And it wasn't just property damage. It was wholesale carnage.

Blasts brought the city down to rubble within minutes. Nothing higher than the local bar was left standing. A city that had once prided itself on reaching for the stars, had the stars grind them back into the mud before anyone could react.

There were no heroes - no hope... No...

Vines lifted themselves up from the ground high into the air, replenishing themselves faster than the aliens could destroy them. The vines reached high into the air, entwining the entire fleet in midair.

The citizens of Vanity heard the aliens plead for their lives, heard them plead for mercy. Then they heard the vines laugh. After all - everyone knows that the Kudzu knows no mercy.

---

Later

The aliens were gone from the planet. Far above, somewhere out in space, earth's heroes were making their stand against the forces of evil*.

(* And YOU can check out the action in the incredible Cold Armageddon: Final Fury! - GD)

The man known as Cliff Steel watched the heavens in disgust. "That should have been us" he muttered, "We should be the ones up there, reaping the glory... I bet they can't even finish the job right without us...I bet..."

"Then why aren't we there boss?" The Geek asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

"They never asked." Cliff sighed, "Everyone else got the call to go up. But not the Doom Patrol. We got mop up duty."

"Couldn't we have just..." she started, but he cut her off with a glare.

"No, we couldn't. They have to ask you. They have to WANT you there. No one cared if we were there or not, not in the long run." he turned to the Blue Snake and Zone, "I think, my friends, that it is time for them all to WANT us. No - I think it's time for them all to NEED the Doom Patrol."

The Zone bowed. The Blue Snake only smiled to itself and crackled with energy.

---

Hell

"You want to do WHAT?" Amos Fortune asked with a look of horror. Cliff didn't need to look over to Leah to know that her face probably looked about the same. That was one of the few advantages of being in the body of a robot. No one could read your expressions. No matter what...

"It's simple really - heads we go free. Tails - We stay here and you do to us what you will."

"Why should I take the chance? I have you here. You're completely at my mercy, and we all know it. I could erase you with a but a thought..."

"But you haven't."

"Pardon?"

"You are one of the most powerful beings in the universe...according to what you've said..."

"It's true" Amos insisted indignantly. "THE most powerful being in ANY universe in fact... almost..."

"Almost?" Leah started to ask, but Cliff lightly squeezed her hand. "One problem at a time" he thought to himself, hoping she got the message.

The fact that it died on her lips made him believe that she had read him correctly.

"So, you're great and powerful - and we're just bugs to you right?"

"Exactly." he sneered.

"And yet - here we still stand. You haven't just wiped us out with a thought. Excuse my feeble brain here, but that tells me that you want something a bit more out of us."

"I want to play a bit before I exterminate you."

"And what can be more playful excitement than a simple bet. You ARE a betting man I seem to recall."

Amos Fortune smiled, "But of course. What is all of existence than one big bet. One I aim to win."

"Then - why not one more. A simple game really. A coin toss. One little coin - heads we go free, tails we die. Sounds pretty easy to me...but then again, I'm not the all powerful one here."

Amos nodded, as if thinking it over. He looked over with a grin, "What is to stop me though, from killing you on heads instead? Wouldn't THAT be a fun game as well? The destruction of hope?"

Cliff sighed inwardly, he had hoped Amos wouldn't have thought of that bit, but he quickly grabbed onto his answer, "Your word will bind you to the action." he spat out before he could think too much about his reply.

"True" he heard Amos saying. He looked back through his cletched eyes, then opened them wider, hoping that Leah hadn't noticed the moment of self doubt. She smiled at him, and squeezed his hand in a supportive manner. "You are an interesting man Cliff Steel, no matter the reality" he said, with a fair amount of respect in his voice.

"Thank you" Cliff replied, rebounding from the shock. He took the moment to jump on the question, "Does this mean you accept our terms?"

Amos stopped for a moment. A long moment. Cliff waited for the end to come as his gambit failed before truly beginning. Then, finally, the dark god of luck nodded. "Where is the coin we shall use so that I might examine it?"

"I thought that you could provide that." he said, completely without guile in his voice.

Amos was a bit taken aback, but reached into his deep pockets and pulled out a single quarter. He reached forward and placed it in Cliff's hand. "Examine it if you will" he stated as a matter of course.


Cliff looked it over. It appeared to be a normal twenty-five cent piece from the United States of America. It even carried all of the marks he was used to, for all he knew, it was a quarter from his own America on his own Earth.

His own Earth... Cliff held the quarter, staring at it for a very long time. A single piece of normalcy in the middle of hell, deciding his and Leah's fate... who would have thought it possible.

Cliff smiled to himself as he handed the quarter back to Amos. "I trust you to flip it." he said.

"Whaaa.." Leah started, "Are you crazy?"

Cliff turned to her, letting go off her hand for a moment. "No matter what happens here, know that I love you."

She stared at him with wide, wild eyes for a split second, then all emotion vanished from her, "I love you too" she said, standing by his side to watch the coin toss.

"Shall we?" Amos cackled as he made a dramatic pass with the coin between his fingers, relishing the moment.

Cliff nodded. He saw Leah follow suit.

"Then - let's make you history..." Amos said, as he threw the coin flip through the air.

HEADS

TAILS

HEADS

TAILS

Amos licked his lips, waiting for it to land. Waiting for his luck to come down the winner.

HEADS

TAILS

HEADS

Leah watched the coin flip, fearing that everything she had gone through, all chance of a normal life - of Tim, was gone in an instant. She looked to Cliff for a moment, "You better be right" she thought to herself, but didn't break the silence to voice it.

TAILS

HEADS

TAILS

Cliff didn't watch the coin at all. He simply reached into the empty space in front of him and felt for the nearest seam. His hand reached around the invisible and intangible, using Amos's luck that perfumed the air as his base, and grabbed a tight hold.

HEADS

TAILS

HEADS

Cliff tensed his muscles and tore the seam apart in one mighty motion.

Hell is a nexus of realities, it has been said. A nexus of all that is, and all that might be. It is one of those special places, where possibilities come together.

When Cliff ripped opened the seam of that nexus, it poured out into Hell itself, flooding over the dark realm with it's inhabitants.

The coin neared the ground. Amos licked his lips as he watched it's edge touch the ground. The coin teetered and started to fall... until a red, white and blue shield flew through the air, close to the ground, knocking the coin out of play and slamming into the feet of Amos Fortune.

The dark god of luck cried out in pain.

"Who dares?" he demanded.

"We do" a man in a costume similar to the shield stated clearly.

"We do" his words were echoed from the mouths of an army of Superman, each from their own realm.

"We do" Jack Knight stated, as the leader of the Justice League.

"We do" They said, one after the other. The rabbit Supergirl and the demon wearing a beanie. A boy with an amulet. A group of frightened but defiant children.

"We do" Tantalus of the New Mutants said, feeling the strength of his reunited teammates at his back - and knowing that this could be their finest hour.

"You sure do bet that we do Larry" a mountain's worth of Badgers exclaimed as they leapt into the air at Amos Fortune, pressing the attack.

Fortune batted them aside with a motion of his hand, but found himself under wave after wave. Mutants and metahumans, gods and demons, madmen and Madman - wave after wave he took down with a mere look. And wave after wave came at him.

He tapped deep into the luck, finding Flashes of every possibilities there in form and energy, draining away the pool. He found something more surprising. He found Amos Fortunes in various groups- all looking horrified.

"Guess this just isn't your day" Cliff smirked as another volley of Supermen hit him for all they were worth. Some of them went down with various magical and kryptonite poisonings. More of them got through though.

Amos Fortune went down, hard. His head bent to the side in an unseemingly manner. A new group of heroes went forward, ones with knives and ones with claws. The Supermen tried to tell them not to. The Batmen told them not to listen, and enforced their opinions with a glare.

In the end, that which was the dark god Amos Fortune lay broken and beaten layed dead in Hell. A million heroes left, a million stayed to continue fighting the good fight, against some other great evil.
Billions more lay in their own graves. Cliff looked hard at those, seeing his own face quite a few times staring back at him. "It's hard" he said to no one in particular. "Sometimes it's just so hard."

A hand gently inserted itself into his own. He turned to see Leah, smiling at him. "I know." she said, with regret in her voice, "Let's go home..."she stopped, "Your home I mean, I think that's where I need to go now."

He nodded, and followed the path he had seen others follow through the newly created rift, using his memories of Jane as an anchor.

"So - you love me huh?" Leah smirked.

He turned sharply, "That was just a ..." he stopped himself, "You know what I was saying..."

She shrugged, "Of course dummy" she sighed, "But it was funny to see the look on your face..."

---