This predates the version that would eventually be published on Fanfiction.Net. It features the original ending that would have led into an entirely different path from what ended up being the final product… and by “final”, I mean good enough for a year before I decided to go back and tweak it again.
-o-
The Varox was held at bay by weapons fire from the soldiers. The Varox managed a couple of his own shots that knocked down or vaporized three soldiers at best, but could not get a clear shot. Then it occurred to him; there are nuclear weapons in the other room.
The head soldier appointed by Admiral Harris noticed that the bounty hunter was running into the nuclear depot. “HOLD YOUR FIRE!” he commanded, “YOU’LL HIT THE FRICKIN’ NUKES!” The others stopped shooting. The soldier, wanting this situation to be handled carefully, ordered his men to aid in the evacuation of Stone Canyon. “If the nukes go off,” he explained, “I want more people alive than dead.”
The soldier ran after the hunter while the rest ran out. The room had various nuclear missiles and warheads stored here. The fact that one small spark can set these things off made chasing the hunter much more difficult. After a moment of searching, he found the bounty hunter standing in front of a big metal box marked “SUICIDE BOMB” in red bold letters.
The Varox, beneath his mask, smiled, “You managed to find me, human. I’m impressed.”
“Impressing you is the last thing I’m gonna do, freak!” the soldier taunted, although he was scared out of his pants.
“Yes, it IS the last thing,” the Varox said, “that you or anyone else on this planet is going to be doing soon!”
The soldier aimed his blaster at the hunter. The hunter laughed, “Are you actually dedicated to shooting me with that toy blaster?” The soldier didn’t flinch.
“Tell me something,” the Varox asked with a fiendish tone, obviously aware of the soldier’s nervousness, “do you really want to risk an entire city’s well-being for one shot at me? Don’t you know that this suicide bomb will destroy everything and be the catalyst for the master plan?”
-o-
“Master plan?” Admiral Gordon Harris heard the soldier ask through the hidden transmitter that was working perfectly, “what master plan?”
Several members of the Lightspeed core group, including Task Force Admiral Harris, Lightspeed Rescue Commander Carter Grayson, Lightspeed military General Kory Membla, Lightspeed Ranger leader Chad Lee, and other scientists were surrounding the radio receiver. They heard a muffled laugh, presumably from the Varox bounty hunter that they has spent a great deal of time searching for. Carter, not forgetting about the “other party” involved, has a live radio feed linked to Thomas Oliver’s control center, which was being heard by Oliver, Jason Lee Scott, Cole Evans, and Silver Guardians leaders Wes Collins and Eric Myers.
-o-
The soldier aimed his blaster at the hunter’s mask. This did nothing but incite a laugh from the hunter.
“Since you’re going to die anyway,” the hunter said, “it won’t matter if I tell you that we’re preparing this world for the Wraith, the ultimate weapon.”
-o-
In the city limits, the roads are filled with military trucks, common automobiles, armored tanks, and running soldiers. Because of the minor inconsistencies, vehicles were moving slowly. Various officers were directing traffic, but many people were too scared that they abandoned their vehicles on the road and simply ran. A riot was about to occur at the dawn of potential destruction.
-o-
The Varox stood proudly near the SUICIDE BOMB container. If the soldier could see his face, he probably was smiling devilishly. Suddenly, the Varox approached the soldier slowly, promptly the man to raise his weapon, aiming it at the hunter’s head. The Varox stopped when he was almost face to face with the soldier.
“I know about your hidden transmitter,” the Varox said, causing a slight sting in the soldier, “if you are listening to me, here is my demand; let me leave with this SUICIDE BOMB and I will spare the city.”
The soldier was visibly shaken, but he didn’t scream or whimper. In fact, it almost seems as if he wants to blast the Varox’s head off at point blank range. Then again, the Varox could easily dodge the bullet, hit a nuke, and blow the city up.
-o-
The officials within the room decided to go for a vote as whether to answer his demands or reject it. Decision is split fifty-fifty, save for one. All eyes now laid on Carter Grayson, the last man to make a vote. On the one hand, handing that Varox a weapon of mass destruction means committing many lives to die in the near-future. On the other hand, declining the Varox and causing a firefight will result in one of the nukes going off and wipe out the city, which is still filled with people.
Before Carter could drop the final vote, he heard the sound of a loud thud through the intercom. He looked up to see the soldier assigned to negotiate with the Varox on the ground while the monster grabbed hold of the suicide bomb as though it were a toy. Cackling with delight, he placed a tracer on the surface of the bomb and tapped a few buttons, which caused both the Varox and his prize to vanish in a flash of light.
Carter looked away from the monitor to face the other officials, shocked at what they had just witnessed before the arguing began again. However, his thoughts drifted from the situation room to somewhere else. Something that had been lingering in the back of his mind since the whole mess began.
Oliver is gonna be pissed, he thought.
TO BE CONTINUED…
