What's Next

 

What’s next

 

She sat on the ground and watched him practice.  She had seen him go through heartache and friends do all they could to help him heal.  She was just a dog.  Arisia tried her best to be the loyal friend he needed.  Zac slowly stood turning the truncheons in figure eight patterns in either hand.   When the cape and cowl were up Zac disappeared and became the vigilante hero, the White Shadow.  He no longer knew where he fit in life, but he knew the city still needed a hero.  But what was next?  So many battles had been fought but he still questioned if he had actually accomplished anything.  Lives had been saved; people had been helped but his heart had been shattered.  “Arisia, where do I go from here?  Even if it’s just you and me baby girl this city still needs a hero that they don’t always appreciate.”  He tapped his left gauntlet and keyed in a sequence.  A few miles away the Owl Jet transformed and rose skyward.  He dropped the cowl and cape into place and secured both truncheons to his gauntlets.  The Owl Jet neared, and he tapped into the powers given him by the Celestial and teleported him and his trusty dog onto the jet. There was a sound of glass breaking and metal tearing as they teleported.  He paused for a second and spoke.  “Computer, engage Hero Wave and start scanning for emergencies.  Arisia, it’s time to go do some good.”  The dog rested her head on his knee as he enabled manual control.  He’d been through heartbreak, divorce, the loss of two dogs and multiple team ups with heroes and heroines and fights with villains.  It was time for the White Shadow and Arisia to make a difference in their city once again.  “We need some tunes Baby Girl.”  He stabbed a button with his white glove.  The Owl Jet filled with the sound of guitars and drums as the song “When Lightning Strikes” by Kiss began playing.  “A fitting song by the alter egos of the Four Who Are One.” 

It was far past time he reminded evil doers of the phrase “Don’t make me go all White Shadow on you.”  To the uninitiated it simply meant that with his teleportation powers and martial arts skills someone was going to be hit multiple times and very quickly with fists, feet, elbows, knees and truncheons and it would all hurt a lot!  The White Shadow was back in action.  Arisia the Girl Dragon aka the American Staffordshire/terrier dog named after a member of the Green Lantern Corps was by his side.  

 

He reached for the throttle and was about to pull down on it and that’s when he sensed something.  The Starbearer contacted him with a vision.  “No, no anything but that.”  Arisia whimpered and turned her head at a sound.  The White Shadow heard something behind him clatter and there on the cockpit floor was Crackup.  It was the battle axe that belonged to a good friend and fellow warrior that he had fought beside multiple times.  She was a time displaced friend named Brandolyn.  She was an axe mistress one of the best.  The fact that Crackup was here meant that she had been slain in battle and the axe had returned to the place where she originally transported through time.  “Arisia, we’ve got to find the Psycho Circus and avenge our friend.  But first we need some help.  Computer, bring up the Vixen Force mission files we need to find Courtney Krieger.  I know of no better sniper on earth that I trust more with my life.”   Slowly minutes passed by.  “Ding”. “Cover Girl has been located due west of your location.”  “Send encoded message I don’t want to give out her location in case she’s undercover on a assignment.”  He pushed the throttle and pulled back on the controls sending the jet up into a cloud and hit the hover button.  Arisia let out a low whine.  “It’s okay we’re going to stay here for a response.”