LNH20: Generation 2.0 #6

Martin Phipps martinphipps2 at yahoo.com
Sun Jan 29 01:33:43 PST 2012


                               Generation 2.0 #6

                                      Flashback

  Louis Allen, a freelance reporter on assignment with the Daily
Packet, was being escorted around LNH HQ by the LNHer known as
Flashback. The came across Walter "Wikipedia" Brown, Juliana "Amazon
Lass" Almeida, Edward "E-Boy" Boyd,
George "Google Lad" Patel, May and Jay Nguyen in one of LNH HQ’s many
lounges.
  “These people seem to be a bit young to be in the LNH,” Louis
remarked.
  “Oh my brother and I aren’t in the LNH,” May said.  “We’re staying
here because it is the safest place for us to stay right now.”
  “How so?” Louis asked.
  “Before you answer,” Flashback said quickly, “I should tell you that
Louis is a reporter.”
  “Oh,” May said.  “In that case I shouldn’t say anything.”
  “The reason we are here,” Jay explained, “is related to an ongoing
police investigation.”
  “Fair enough,” Louis said.  “So who does want to tell their story?”
  “What do you mean?” Walter asked.
  “I want to know all I can about the LNH.  Flashback here can help
you by creating holographic images of your memories.”
  “It’s more accurate than if you were asked to recall the memories
yourself,” Flashback explained, “and people will be able to see what
you saw.”
  “In 3D!” Louis said while making a sweeping gesture with each hand
moving in opposite directions.
  “Sounds cool!” Edward said.
  “Oh, I don’t know,” George said.  “I don’t know if I would be
comfortable with that.”
  “You can just tell me about yourself then,” Louis said.
  George nodded.  “I used to be the sidekick of Google Man.  Actually,
Google Man didn’t have any super powers: he was just a good fighter.
He relied on me to find the bad guys.  You see, I have the ability to
find anything or anyone just by thinking about them.  On my last
mission with Google Man…”  George looked away.  “He was killed by the
Yahoo.  I don’t think anybody here wants to see that.”
  “Fair enough,” Louis said again.  “How about you?”
  “Me?” Juliana asked.  “I was an innocent bystander here in
Netropolis witnessing one of the LNH’s many battles with
extradimensional entities when I got exposed to retrocotheric energy.
It changed me, made me stronger and faster.  I’ve only been in the LNH
a few months and I haven’t been on many missions.  I guess the LNH
doesn’t want me to get hurt again.”
  “Again?”
  “Yeah,” she explained, “I got pretty badly beaten up in the LNH’s
battle with the Lycopersicons.  If you don’t mind, I would rather not
relive that.”
  “Alright,” Louis said, “so who would like to show us some of their
memories?”
  “I will,” Walter said.
  “What do you want to show?” Flashback asked.
  “I want to show how it all started for me!” Walter said.
  “Sounds interesting,” Louis said.  “Let’s see what you remember!”

  Walter was in his mother’s womb.  He felt content.  Suddenly he felt
the walls of his mother’s uterus closing in around him.  He gradually
was turned around so that he was facing downwards.  Slowly he felt
himself being pushed out through his mother’s vagina and into the
hands of the doctor making the delivery.

  Flashback stopped the process.  “That was your birth,” she
complained.
  “Yes,” Walter said, “it was.”
  “I think Louis would like to see something more related to the LNH.”
  “Such as?” Walter asked.
  “How’s about I show everybody the day I joined the Legion?” Edward
suggested.
  “Sounds good!” Louis said.

  The Legion holds tryouts every year.  The process takes a few
weeks.  Hopefuls line up outside LNH HQ and are brought in, one at a
time by a receptionist, to a room where Doc Nostalgia, January Frost
and Fearless Leader are all seated together behind a long desk.  The
applicants all have numbers on their chests so the three of them can
keep track of who is who.
  “And you are?” Fearless Leader asked.
  “Edward Boyd.”
  “And what can you do?”
  “What don’t I show you?”
  “Be my guest.”
  Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out a tissue.  Then Doc
Nostalgia sneezed.  Edward offered him the tissue.
  “Well?” Fearless Leader said.  “We’re waiting.”
  “I think that was it,” Frost said.  “He pulled out the tissue before
Doc sneezed.”
  “Amazing,” Fearless Leader said, sarcastically.
  Edward nodded.  “That’s my power.  I always pull out of my pocket
just what I need.”
  “Really?” Fearless Leader.  “Do it again.”
  Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out seventy-five cents.
  “Well, it worked,” Fearless Leader said.  “You’ve got bus fare
home!”
  “What were you thinking of calling yourself?” Doc Nostalgia asked.
  “I was thinking of calling myself E-Boy!”
  “Not E-Lad?”
  "No, I think E-Boy has a better ring to it."
  Doc Nostalgia looked unconvinced.
  “Well, look,” Fearless Leader said, “we haven’t got all day.  So
let’s vote, shall we?  I say ‘No’.”
  “I say ‘Yes’,” Doc Nostalgia said.
  “Me too,” January Frost said.
  Fearless Leader sighed.  “That’s two yes’s.  Welcome to the Legion.”

  “Wait,” George said.  “Is that really how it happened?”
  “I pulled it directly from his memories,” Flashback said.  “It must
be.”
  “But it looked like an episode of American Idol.”
  “That is how the LNH recruits new people,” Walter said.
  “But then why was Fearless Leader wearing a white T-shirt?”
  “It was a hot day that day,” E-Boy said, “which probably also
explains why he was so grumpy that day.”
  Louis nodded.  “Indeed, from what I can tell he is usually nicer to
people.”
  “Oh but he can be really tough with people sometimes,” Juliana said.
  “Do you want to explain what you mean by that?” Louis asked.
  “Look,” George said, “I’m afraid if you want us to say anymore then
you should explain what this is all about.”
  “Alright.  I'm a freelance reporter on assignment with the Daily
Packet.  I more or less grew up among net.persons, so the editor
thinks I'm the man to tell your story.  The story of the LNH, I mean.
What I am doing is spending some time among you to get to know the
Legion better.  I promise to tell the story from your point of view
and make it fair. ”
  “And Fearless Leader is okay with this?”
  “He approved it himself.  He even suggested that Flashback here
assist me in doing it."
  “But we’re not under any obligation to share our memories, are we?”
George asked.
  “Not at all,” Louis said.  “It’s purely voluntary.”
  “In that case,” George said, “I think we’re done here.”  His
companions agreed.
  “That’s fine,” Louis said.  “You’ve all been very helpful.  Thank
you very much.”

                                        THE END


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