The DCFuture Underground Fan Fiction Group
acknowledges that DC Comics owns the name Damage and
ALL DC-created characters and retains complete rights
to said characters.  These concepts are used WITHOUT
permission for NO PROFIT, but rather a strong desire
to peer into the future of the DCU.  We also
acknowledge that the concepts and original characters
introduced here are the intellectual property of the
author.

** The events in this issue take place WELL before
And Justice For All issue #7

        Time is precious.  The first years of life are
especially so.  This is true not only for the child,
but for the parents as well.  Every second Jack loses
with his wife and daughter is a priceless commodity he
can never retrieve.  Every tick of the clock is
another lead brick weighing on Jack's heart.
        Did you think he was going to let this drag out
forever?  Jack has wasted enough time getting used to
the strange world he's been thrust into.  Enough
jokes, enough "super-hero" camaraderie -- it's time to
take his life back... by force.

Damage DCF LS Issue 6
"The Siege Part I"
Written by Oliver Kiemschies
Edited by Jason Tippitt

Introduction: Puzzle Pieces

June 5, 2112 -- 7:00 a.m.
Headquarters of Horse
Quarters of Metallo v2.1
Cleveland, Ohio

        With a burnt-out computer chip in his hand, Todd
Forester stood outside Metallo's quarters, knocking on
the door.  "Hey, Metallo!  Are you in there?"
        Todd carefully opened the door and peeked inside.
"David told me about this thing you can do with
chips."
        Todd began to scan his eyes across the room.  He did
not want to spy on the robot.  Actually, he *did* want
to spy on him; he just didn't want to get caught.  "A
bit Spartan."
        There was no great surprise to Todd to see a powerful
work station.  It was equipped with the specialized
interface which allowed Metallo to directly connect
with computers.  Todd had seen this before and had
been amazed as he watched Metallo's liquid metal
tendrils flow into the unique interface.
        Beside the workstation was a bank of storage drawers
containing various minerals and elements.  There were
carbon, silicon, quartz, and numerous others.  Todd
was aware Metallo 'ingested' these substances to
repair, maintain, and upgrade himself.
        In the far corner, there was an empty tub, which had
no tap nor drain.  Next to it there was a bed.  This
was the second most confusing thing about the room to
Todd.  The bed appeared to have been slept in.  The
most confusing thing in the room was that Fever's
jacket was hung on the bedpost.
        Between the workstation and the tub was a simple
silver cylinder 6" tall and 3" across. It took Todd a
few minutes to recognize it from Jack's description.
This was the cylindrical form Metallo had defaulted to
after his battle with Jack.  Todd surmised that it
must be Metallo's dormant form.
        "Oh, hope I didn't wake you," he apologized and left.
        He continued down the hall, back to the work area.
As he opened the door to the large room, his jaw
dropped when he walked right into Metallo.  "Todd,
David said you were looking for me."
        Todd looked behind him to the closed door of
Metallo's quarters.  "But if you're here.... how.."
        Metallo cocked his head in confusion.
        Todd suddenly remembered the chip in his hand.
"Could you do the chip trick?"
        Metallo smiled and popped the chip into his mouth.
He held out his hand, and soon the repaired chip
surface in his palm.
        "Cool... Hey, my watch has been running slow lately,"
he said as he started to remove his watch.
        "Metallo," interrupted Damage as entered the room.
"It's time."
        Don, Troy, Metallo, and Jack disappeared into Troy's
office, leaving Todd with David and Teri.  "What's
that all about?" asked Todd.
        "Need-to-know basis stuff," David answered.  "This
way if anyone captures you, you don't have to worry
about being tortured for information.  For amusement,
perhaps, but not for information."
        "Has anyone seen my Jacket?" Teri questioned.  "I'm
always leaving that damn thing somewhere."

Chapter 1: Preliminaries

Headquarters of Horse
Don's Office

        Everyone sat around a small table.
        "Do you think you're ready, Jack?" Don questioned.
        "I'm *past* ready."
        "Metallo, is your equipment ready?"
        "Fully programmed."
        "Don?"
        "Ready, willing, and able."
        "For a price?"  Don grinned.  "Let's face it -- other
than Jack and Metallo, we're all in this for a price."
        The others squirmed.
        "Okay, maybe there's more, but this little knitting
circle exists to make a profit, doesn't it?"
        "And you all stand to make quite a bit from this
exercise," commented Jack.
        "Tomorrow, then," Don Finished.

***

Ross-Tech Labs Main Lobby

        "Welcome to Ross-Tech labs, where tomorrow begins
today," greeted the receptionist.
        "My name is Kevorkian, Dr. Jack Kevorkian.  I have an
interview with Mr. Cartman about the Physical Chemist
position," lied a disguised Todd Forester.
        He wore several small image manipulator patches on
his face to subtly alter his appearance. In many cases
these were better than the larger, more powerful
units.  Though they couldn't alter appearances as
dramatically, they were virtually undetectable and
almost never failed.
        "Yes, sir, I'll check on that for you," she said as
she consulted her terminal.
        "Room 834-B.  Use the 3rd elevator on the right...
it's um... the only one working right now.  There is a
kiosk at the door as you exit.  It will show you how
to get there."
        Todd Forester entered the elevator and noticed how
bad of a state of disrepair it was in.  It took all
his self-control not to laugh.  The door opened, and
he spotted the 8th-floor kiosk.  Todd activated its
query mode.
        "Where is the absolute nearest restroom?"
        The kiosk mapped the direction for him.  He made his
way to the bathroom and entered the stall farthest
from the door.  He performed a quick scan with his
PAD.  "Good, close enough to the heart of Ross-Tech.
Let loose the nano-mites of war!"
        He opened a small container and spilled a few grams
of what appeared to be gray dust into the toilet.  He
rechecked his PAD and grabbed the toilet handle.  He
smiled evilly.  "Fly, my pretties, fly."
        He flushed the toilet, and the gray dust began to
spiral into the Ross-Tech plumbing system.  An air
bubble shot back up through the toilet and splashed on
the image manipulator patch on his chin.  The
sanitation chemicals interacted with the disk, and a
half-inch of his chin began to disappear and reappear.
        "Crap!"
        He verified the nano-mites were on their way and ran
to the mirror to check his disguise.  Todd panicked
when he saw his on again/ off again chin, and tried to
pull the specially bonded disk from his skin.
        "Ouch, ouch, ouch!!!"
        The door opened, and a surprised woman entered the
restroom.  Todd's hand quickly went to his chin.
"Women's room?"
        The woman nodded.
        Still holding his chin, Todd exited the restroom and
took the elevator back down.  As he passed the women
at the receptionist desk he held his chin and smiled
at her.  "Physical chemist!  What was I thinking, I'm
a chemical physicist."

***

Later that evening in Teri's quarters

        She lay in bed, unable to sleep.  She stared at the
ceiling, thinking about her allies.  They had all
grown to mean so much to her in such a short time.
She'd been trained for battle since she was a child,
but this was different.  She curled herself into a
fetal position.  Teri couldn't stand the idea of
loosing even one of these idiots, who had become like
family to her.  Some of them moreso.
        As if to respond to her fears, she felt the arm of
her new lover envelop her.  She looked down at his arm
and could see the faint moonlight shine off the
silvery appendage.  This made her smile.  He was quite
handsome in his new form, but he still found color too
difficult to bother with on a casual basis.  She could
feel him envelop her, as she was calmed by the age-old
act of spooning.  Doing so with a shape-shifter turned
out to be more soothing than her previous experiences.
        "You need to get some sleep, sweetheart.  We have a
big day tomorrow."
        She snuggled close to her new soul-mate, and, with
the assistance of a low-frequency nano-massage, she
drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 2: First Wave
June 6, 2112 -- 7:00 a.m.
Ross-Tech Labs
13th Floor, Communications center.

        Agnes Witherspoon sat at her desk, thinking about how
happy she had been ever since she left Metropolis.
The cost of living was less here, and of course
insurance was a fraction of what it cost in
Metropolis.  There was a good reason for that.
Metropolis had super-hero battles.  Sure, they weren't
as many as they were a century ago, but it was still a
hot spot.
        Cleveland, on the other hand, is much more calm.
Superhero battles were rare.  There was the green guy
last spring.  That stunt with the elevators that
Damage pulled last month was actually exciting at
first, but by the tenth time she was taking the
stairs, the excitement had worn off.
        She heard a light tapping on the window.  She looked
up to the window and saw a woman in yellow, orange,
and red hovering in front of the window.  She seemed
to be wearing some kind of very small jet pack.
Something started to melt into the window.
        It took Agnes a few moments to realize that what was
appearing on the window were words.  She got up and
walked over to the window.  She was finally able to
resolve the message:
        GET OUT NOW!
        Agnes turned around and left her office.  On her way
out, she thought to herself about how she's been
hearing such nice things about New Coast City.
        After the secretary was safely gone, Fever pulled
away from the building and concentrated on the window,
liquefying it almost instantly.  She quickly attached
her equipment and began to activate the codes she had
brought with her.  She noted her system was now
interacting with the nano-mites her boyfriend had
given Todd the day before, granting her access to the
two systems she needed.
        **Do you wish to activate evacuation notice?**
        "Yes.  Ten-minute delay."
        **Do you wish to deactivate all subsequent
communications?**
        "Yes."
        That was about the limit of access the nano-mites
could grant her to the communications system.  It
would take only minutes for Ross-Tech to be able to
re-establish communications.  She checked her watch.
It would be nine minutes until the internal security
circumvented her countermeasures and detected her.
She activated the system to which the nano-mites had
granted her far greater access, and therefore far more
ability to do damage.
        "Initiate Sanitation Disruption File."
        **Activation Confirmed.  Catastrophic sanitation
disruption in 2 minutes.**

***

Ross-Tech Lobby, Receptionist Desk

        "Hey, Michelle, I'm gonna hit the head."
        "God, Russ, you could show a little more decorum; you
are a receptionist, after all."
        "All right, I'm going to utilize the facilities," he
mocked as he walked into the nearby restroom.
        Thirty seconds passed, and a frightened Russ ran from
the restroom.  "Dear Mother of God, call a plumber
now!"
        "What's wrong?"
        "You DO NOT want to know; just get a plumber ASAP."
        Five men in plumber's uniforms entered the building
and approached the receptionist's desk.  "You guys got
some plumbing problems?"
        "That was quick?" probed Michelle.
        "Ayah, all this stuff is networked ta computers these
days.  Every time ya flush, it's online.  Ya got
little computers right there that measure frequency
and volume a' flow, and send it to us.  We knew ya had
a problem before you did."
        "Are you our regular contractors?" Michelle asked.
        Suddenly all the phone lines at the receptionist's
desk began to light up.  She began to answer the lines
in rapid succession.
        "Yes, ma'am, we're aware of the problem."
        *Click*
        Yes, sir, the third-floor executive washroom, you
say?  We are aware of the problem."
        *Click*
        "New pair of shoes ruined?  Yes, we are aware of the
problem."
        "I don't care!" screamed Russ.  "Just let them in!"
        Michelle nodded, and the five plumbers entered the
elevator, and descended to Sub-Basement level 3.  The
five men made their way to an empty utility room.  One
man pulled a PAD from his toolbox and did a quick scan
of the room.
        "Clear."
        Four of the men deactivated their image manipulators,
revealing them to be Jack, Troy, Todd and David.  The
fifth merely turned silver.
        "What the hell kind of accent was that?" Troy asked
Todd.
        Todd shrugged his shoulders.  David scanned the room
with his PAD again.  He centered in on a panel on the
wall.  "Jack, would you like to do the honors?"
        Jack ripped the panel from the wall, exposing an
array of wires.  Todd and Metallo proceeded to attach
equipment to the exposed wiring.
        "All standard communications channels *except* our
pre-selected ones will be off-line in two minutes,"
commented Todd as he checked the equipment.
        "Good.  David, Todd, you're with me.  We'll contact
Jack and Metallo again when we reach the tenth floor.
Good luck."
        Jack and Metallo manned two computers that were now
connected to the wiring array.
        "Alright," commented Jack, "let's find my wife and
daughter."

***

Ross-Tech Labs Penthouse

        Duane Smithson sat at his desk, going over the daily
reports.  A faint gurgling sound came from his
washroom.  He lowered his glasses and looked at his
washroom door.  A thick green liquid began to ooze
from under the door.  He activated the comm-link at
his desk.
        "Get me maintenance," he barked.
        "Right away, Mr. Smithson."
        Suddenly sirens began to whoop.
        *Attention!  Attention!  This is not a drill.  This
is an evacuation notice.  Proceed to the designated
evacuation routes and evacuate the building
immediately.  Repeat, evacuate the building
immediately.*
        Smithson activated his comm-link again, but this time
heard only static on the line.  He tried several other
channels, all with the same result.
        "Computer, what's wrong with communications?"
        *All communications operating within user defined
parameters* responded Smithson's personal computer.
        "Computer, reboot communication protocols.  Restore
defaults from protected files."
        *Please enter Smithson verification codes.*
        Duane entered the codes into his personal keypad.
        *Thank you.  Communications reboot will complete in
one minute.*

***

Ross-Tech 13th Floor Communications center.

        Terri watched as Smithson's security codes flashed
across her screen.
        "Thank you, Mr. Smithson."
        She activated the secure channel to her teammates,
and downloaded the stolen codes to both teams.  Once
finished, she stepped back and released a volley of
fireballs at the communications computers.

***

On board Ross-Tech's single functional elevator.

        David monitored an incoming message on his PAD.
        "We have the code."
        "Excellent.  If Teri's on schedule, she will have
destroyed the communications system."
        "What about the secure back-up system, presumably
somewhere in the basement?"
        "Ross-Tech uses the Cook 3000 communications systems;
it would usually take seconds to switch to back-up,
but since it was in the process of booting, it should
delay communications by another 20 minutes."

Chapter 3: Double Back

Ross-Tech Labs Penthouse

        Smithson removed an old-style walkie talkie from a
desk drawer.  "Mr. Baginski.  They're here.  Instruct
your security leaders to watch the key physical
targets outlined in our response plan.  Also, please
send in our guest."
        "Yes, sir."
        Duane removed a four-inch silver orb from the same
desk drawer.  He opened the black control panel he had
used to murder Big Jack and depressed a silver button
on the panel.  The orb levitated from his hand and
hovered.
        Smithson's office door opened, and Don Dawson entered
alone.  He looked nervously at the floating orb.
        "Don't worry, Mr. Dawson: it doesn't have much of an
appetite for flesh.  So where should it start
looking?"
        "Start in the basement, level 3."
        "Sub-basement level three," he instructed the orb.
        The orb flew to the air vent.  It morphed around the
grating and disappeared into the heating ducts.
        "The Cook 3100 will have communications up in a
minute.  They'll be expecting it to be down longer."

***

Aboard the Ross-Tech elevator

        The elevator stopped, and the doors opened.
        "Tenth floor, everyone off."
        The men exited and began to sneak down the hallway as
David monitored his PAD.
        "Through this set of doors.  The main financial
systems are in a vault at the back of this room,"
indicated David.
        "Well, gentlemen.  Our future awaits us through these
doors!" exclaimed Todd.  He threw open the door.
        "I couldn't agree more," said one of three armed
guards who had been on the other side of the door,
with weapons drawn.
        The smile on Todd's face faded.  The comm-link on the
guards' belt activated.  "Mr. Baginski!  Report."
        "Financial Systems Annex secure, sir."

***

Duane Smithson's office

        "One down."
        He activated a holographic map of sub-basement level
three.  A blinking green light indicated the position
of the floating orb.
        "Special team to sub-basement level three," he spoke
into his comm-link.  "Follow the bouncing ball, as it
were."
        "Please elaborate?" came a low, dull voice over the
comm-link.
        "Please maintain close proximity to the anti-nano
device.  Retrieve Jack after it's completed its
mission."
        "Acknowledged," answered the emotionless voice.
        The blinking light changed from green to yellow.
        "Bingo."

***

Sub-basement Level 3, Utility room

        "It's no good," complained Jack.  "Even with the
security codes, Sarah and Lori's whereabouts aren't on
any of the general systems."
        Metallo stopped working and looked up.  "It's
coming."
        A silver disk slid under the door.  It reformed into
the silver orb and hovered two feet in front of
Metallo.
        "My termination is eminent."
        The orb flew toward Metallo and lodged into his
chest.  Electricity arced around him, destroying his
and Jack's equipment, but Metallo never cried out.
Jack backed away to a safe distance.  Metallo's eyes
went dark.
        Jack slowly approached him and reached out to touch
him.  Metallo's form lost all cohesion and collapsed
in a pile of dust on the floor.  A few of Metallo's
pieces of static hardware could be seen in the dust
pile.  There was no sign of the orb.
        Before he could react, the door burst open and four
large, familiar cyborgs burst in.  On their chests
were the designations Unit 6/23C, Unit 6/23D, Unit
6/23E, and Unit 6/24F.
        "Renegade genetic subject secure.  Renegade robot
destroyed."

***

12th Floor

        An unconscious guard lay at Fever's feet.  She had
knocked him out by rapidly heating a volume of air
just in front of him.  The rapid expansion produced a
shock wave which knocked him out.  She held his helmet
in her hands, and had been listening to the voices
over the comm-link in the helmet.
        She was concerned when she noticed his communications
equipment was active so early.  She was downright
worried when she heard the financial annex had been
"secured."  Troy and his team should have been there
by now.
        When she heard the "renegade genetic subject" had
been secured, she wanted to cry.  But when she heard
the "renegade robot" robot had been destroyed, she
wanted to explode.  So she did.
        The windows on the south side of the twelfth floor
exploded out in fire and rage.  A team of guards
rushed to where the explosion had originated.
        The point-man aimed his weapon at Fever.  She was
covered in soot and drenched in sweat.  The man
couldn't help but be frightened by the wild look in
the woman's eyes.
        "Freeze."
        "Burn," replied Teri.
        The guard dropped to his knees and burst into flames.
 In a moment he was nothing more than a charred
corpse.  Even with the air filters they wore, the
guards behind him were sickened by the smell of
burning flesh.  They didn't have to endure the smell
long, though, because soon they too were ablaze.
        Teri walked passed the charred bodies.  Sweat was
stinging her eyes and had completely soaked her hair.
Two more guards approached from the hallway behind
her.  She turned towards them, and a fireball greeted
both men.  Teri exited the twelfth floor, leaving the
screams of burning men behind her, and she began to
make her way to the penthouse.

*** End of Issue 6

Coming in Issue 7: The Big Finale

Visit the Letters Column at:
http://home.sprintmail.com/~olliejk/Fan_letters.html

Suggested Music for this Issue:

Chapter 1) Preliminaries
- Fever's bedroom scene:
        Night Ride Across the Caucasus by Loreena Mckennitt
- The bathroom scene
        Don't Drink the Water by The David Matthews Band

Chapter 2) First Wave
        Banditos by the Refreshments

Chapter 3) Double Back
- Most of the chapter
        Loser by Beck
- Fever's Rage
        Crush by Garbage