by Doc Quantum
In a dimly lit basement laboratory, the Shape slowly began to regain consciousness. His vision blurred, he found himself bound to a gurney, surrounded by the eerie glow of makeshift apparatus. The frail yet determined-looking figure of Doctor Spectro stood nearby, anticipation gleaming in his eyes.
“What… what’s going on?” the Shape asked, dazed. “Ooohhh… Did anybody get the number of that truck?”
Doctor Spectro chuckled. “Ah, the Shape finally awakens. Yes, I know who you are, action-hero. You see, my dear Shape, I have plans for that radiant light within you — plans that will restore my powers and cure my disease… though I’m afraid I hold little hope for your own survival once I take the light from you.”
The Shape’s eyes widened in realization. “You can’t do this, Doctor Spectro! You’ll end up killing me!”
The gaunt figure with pale skin and wild eyes glanced up from his controls, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “Oh, my dear Shape, you underestimate my thirst for power,” Spectro sneered. “I will drain you dry, and no one will be able to stop me.”
“You won’t get away with this!” the action-hero cried. “Release me now!”
Ignoring the Shape’s pleas, Spectro’s attention was diverted by the sound of creaking floorboards in the upstairs living room. Turning to Bruno, he ordered under his breath, “Find whoever that is and bring them directly to me.”
Moments later, after the sound of a brief scuffle, Bruno came downstairs holding two struggling little girls in his arms. Rachel and Stacy Boyd, trembling with fear, had been dragged into the laboratory.
“What are these brats doin’ here?” Dapper Dan cried. “They must’a followed us!”
Grinning, Nevada said, “It ‘pears as if we got some unexpected guests, Boss.”
“Stowaways,” explained Bruno. “Must’a snuck onto the truck while we was loadin’ it. Found ’em snoopin’ around upstairs.”
Doctor Spectro smirked, his eyes narrowing with malicious intent. “Just dispose of them quickly,” he said, gesturing dismissively with one hand. “They’re of no consequence.”
“Whaddya mean, Boss?” Bruno asked, frowning.
“You know what I mean,” replied Spectro. “We can’t afford to leave any witnesses behind at this stage.”
Bruno hesitated, his conscience weighing heavily on him. “But… Boss…. dem goils is just innocent kids… An’ — an’ it’s Christmas Day, fer cryin’ out loud!”
“You heard my orders, Bruno,” said Doctor Spectro. “Now carry them out.”
Bruno’s internal struggle quickly reached its breaking point, and he knew what he had to do. Placing the girls carefully on the ground, he pushed them behind his large form, then lunged at the other crooks, catching them off guard with his swinging fists.
Their eyes widening with hope, the girls seized that unexpected opportunity to move. Rachel whispered to her little sister, “We need to run, Stacy! Now!”
Breaking free from the crooks who fought to move forward to catch them, the girls sprinted toward the stairs. Still, Bruno fought valiantly, buying them precious time.
“Run, goils!” cried Bruno. “Get outta here!”
As Rachel and Stacy made their way upstairs and through the darkened corridors of Angela Revere’s house, they could hear the sounds of a fierce struggle in the basement below.
“Ya filthy traitor!” yelled Dapper Dan. “We’ll deal wit’ you later!”
The girls escaped through the back door into the backyard, their hearts pounding with fear. Bruno continued to fend off the other crooks, but the battle was moving closer to them.
Teary-eyed, Stacy said, “We have to get help, Rachel. We can’t let Bruno get hurt helping us!”
Nodding, Rachel replied, “You’re right, Stacy. We need to find someone who can stop Doctor Spectro and save the Shape and Bruno. But who?”
***
Kevin Boyd raced his beat-up Subaru through the icy suburban streets of Hub City, his face filled with fear — not for himself, but for his daughters. Finally arriving at Angela’s house, he spotted a box truck alongside the building, which he guessed was used to steal the equipment from his lab. Swift action was needed to save Rachel and Stacy.
“I can’t let them hurt my girls,” he said to himself in a determined voice. “I have to do something!”
Kevin’s heart raced as he urgently sped his Subaru toward the house. When he tried to brake to a quick stop in the driveway, however, the sheen of ice proved too slippery for his bare tires. Losing control, he crashed his beat-up old car into the side of the house, the impact sending shards of glass and debris flying everywhere.
The loud commotion disrupted everything happening inside. Enraged, Doctor Spectro emerged from the basement, his flickering light-based powers reflecting his anger.
“Who dares to interfere with my plans at such a critical juncture?” Spectro cried, stepping out of the destroyed living room into the front yard. He quickly spotted the stunned driver emerging from the completely totaled Subaru.
Smoke billowed from the car’s engine as Kevin stumbled out, still in his pajamas and dazed from the crash, but determined. “I’m a single dad!” he declared, fists clenched at his sides. “And I’m here to save my little girls!”
“You’ll pay for this, interloper!” Spectro growled, raising one frail hand to unleash his remaining powers upon the hapless young man.
Doctor Spectro’s body began to glow with powerful red light. Just as he was about to strike, he suddenly stopped when he noticed a huge shadow moving over the house. “What in the world–?” he muttered, turning to look up into the sky.
The advanced flying craft known as the Bug had arrived, and with it, the heroic Blue Beetle, champion of Hub City.
As the Bug hovered above, Blue Beetle descended from it on an extendable cable lift. Landing a few feet in front of Doctor Spectro, the action-hero stood ready to thwart the villain’s ambitions.
“Doctor Spectro, I presume,” said Blue Beetle. “Your light tricks won’t work on me.”
Recognizing the famous action-hero, Spectro clenched his teeth in frustration, realizing that his nefarious plans faced yet another obstacle. “Blue Beetle! Neither you nor any other costumed buffoons will stop me this time!”
Swiftly engaging Doctor Spectro in hand-to-hand combat, Blue Beetle’s agility and combat skills proved a formidable match for the fading powers of the villain. As Spectro shot blast after blast at the action-hero, Blue Beetle dodged them easily.
Kevin watched in awe as Blue Beetle fought the villain, a renewed sense of hope filling his heart. He was not alone in this fight. “Blue Beetle!” he cried. “Please — he’s got my daughters!”
Focused on the fight, Blue Beetle nonetheless heard Kevin’s plea and nodded in determination, redoubling his efforts against his frail but still-formidable foe.
Down the street, Angela Revere arrived at the chaotic battleground in her car, pulling up to her driveway. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the ruins of her once-pristine home. On her front lawn, Blue Beetle and Doctor Spectro clashed in an intense battle, causing further destruction all around.
“Oh my goodness!” Angela cried, looking horrified as she emerged from her car. “What happened to my house?”
Amidst the chaos, Kevin spotted Angela and saw the danger she was in. Desperately running toward her, he shouted, “Angela, watch out!”
Kevin managed to tackle Angela to the ground just as a deadly beam from Doctor Spectro’s weapon whizzed past them. Angela looked up at Kevin, gratitude filling her eyes.
“Kevin?” she cried gratefully. “Y-you saved my life!”
Catching his breath, Kevin glanced around and watched the ongoing battle. Shaking his head, he said, “I’m sorry for crashing my car into your house, Angela. But right now, we need to find Rachel, Stacy, and the Shape. They’re still in danger, and we can’t get through the front! Where’s your back door?”
“It’s… in the back,” she replied.
The two made their way toward the back of the house, where the sounds of the struggle on the front lawn still echoed. A big, burly man appeared to be protecting Rachel and Stacy from two sinister-looking men trying to catch them. However, the big guy was clearly reaching his limits. He staggered like an exhausted boxer in the eighth round, looking as if he was about to keel over.
“Girls!” Kevin cried, grateful that they were still alive.
Rachel and Stacy spotted their father, and their frightened faces lit up with joy. “Daddy!” they cried in unison.
As the fight continued, the battling crooks blocked Kevin’s path, preventing him from reaching his girls.
“I can’t get to them!” Kevin shouted in frustration. “It’s impossible!”
With Angela clutching behind him, Kevin shouted to his girls, “What happened?”
“We stowed away on the crooks’ truck and got caught!” explained Rachel.
“Yeah, but Bruno saved us!” added Stacy. Peering at Angela with a curious look, she asked, “Who’s the pretty lady with you, Daddy?”
“I-I’ll explain later,” Kevin replied. Turning to the big guy, he shouted, “Bruno, you’re a hero! Hang in there, buddy!”
“Wha–?! I’m a… hero?” Bruno repeated, dumbstruck. A smile passed over his face as he thought about it for a moment. Then, with a frown and a surge of determination, he summoned his last reserves of strength and delivered a powerful blow to his fellow enforcers, knocking out Dapper Dan and Nevada before collapsing to the ground himself.
Kevin and Angela rushed forward, and the girls immediately leaped into their father’s loving embrace, tears of relief streaming down their faces.
“Girls, I’m here, I’m here!” cried Kevin. “You’re safe now.”
Angela looked over at Bruno, who now wore a proud if exhausted smile. “Thank you, Bruno,” she said gratefully. “You saved their lives.”
Bruno weakly raised his thumb in response before the crook-turned-hero passed out from exhaustion.
***
In the dimly lit basement laboratory, the Shape battled through the haze of consciousness, his head throbbing as he struggled in vain against his restraints. Sweat dripped down his forehead, obscuring his vision as the lasers stolen from the laboratory where he was first given life slowly drained his life force. Panic gripped him as he looked around and realized Doctor Spectro was slowly killing him, the sinister machine above whirring and blinking with ominous purpose.
Struggling to keep from passing out again, the Shape muttered, “No… can’t let this happen!”
Determination surged within him as he contorted his form, straining to escape. However, his shape-shifting abilities had been greatly diminished by the device, and the many tight bindings over his form held firm, thwarting his efforts.
“Come on, come on!” he cried through gritted teeth.
As the Shape fought to free himself, he inadvertently dislodged a control panel on the Spectroscopic Neutrino Regenerator. A shower of sparks erupted, flames ignited, lights flickered, and the machine’s humming grew dangerously louder.
Startled, the Shape redoubled his efforts, harnessing his innate abilities to break free. With a burst of strength, the restraints finally snapped, freeing him from the table, though he was left on the wrong side of the toppled equipment that had been set ablaze.
Weakened by his ordeal, the Shape tried to make his way through the inferno, fearful but determined. The impending disaster, no longer able to be stopped, was loud enough to be heard from outside.
Abandoning his battle with Blue Beetle, Doctor Spectro ran back into the half-destroyed house and to his basement laboratory, only to find it in flames and the Shape loose.
“You!” cried Spectro furiously. “How dare you ruin my plans!”
“Wait!” the Shape said desperately. “The equipment — it’s gonna explode! We need to get outta here!”
“Bah!” cried the old villain, desperate to keep his efforts from being all for naught. Focusing the machine on himself, he vowed, “This machine has already stolen some of your light, and I mean to have every last lumen of it for myself!”
“Please, Spectro!” pleaded the Shape. “We can still make it out alive — if we work together!”
Consumed by his lust for power, Spectro turned to face the Shape, his eyes ablaze with madness. “I won’t leave — not when ultimate power is within my grasp!” he screamed.
“Can’t you see you’re gonna destroy yourself?” the Shape cried, but the villain’s only answer was a fit of coughing from the smoke.
Undeterred, the Shape reached out in an attempt to save the old villain from himself. Yet his stretching powers had only begun to recover, and he had run out of time. He had to escape before they were both killed.
The Shape managed to pull himself out through a narrow window to the side of the house, but he couldn’t just let the old man die. “It’s going to explode, Spectro! Get out while you still can!”
But it was too late. The room was suddenly enveloped in a blinding explosion that blasted the Shape away from the window.
As the Shape crawled out onto the front lawn, covered in dirt and scratches, he struggled to regain his senses as Blue Beetle rushed toward him, looking concerned.
“Shape, is that you?” cried Blue Beetle. “Are you all right, pal? What happened in there?”
Further explosions began to rip through the laboratory before the Shape could form a response.
Within the crumbling basement laboratory, Doctor Spectro frantically and futilely attempted to salvage his damaged machinery. The energy surged beyond control, culminating in a catastrophic explosion that consumed both villain and laboratory alike in a blaze of light, destroying the rest of the house as well.
Long moments passed as the smoke cleared to reveal only utter destruction. Blue Beetle cautiously surveyed the wreckage of Angela Revere’s suburban house, seeking any trace of Doctor Spectro’s remains. But only a heap of ruined machinery could be seen.
Moments later, the stunned Kevin Boyd and Angela Revere emerged from the backyard, Rachel and Stacy in tow. The two little girls, still in their action-hero Underoos, stared in wonder as they beheld the famous Blue Beetle standing before them.
“Where is he?” asked Angela, looking around. “What happened to my uncle — Doctor Spectro?”
Examining the wreckage, Blue Beetle replied, “It seems he either perished in the explosion or somehow escaped, Miss Revere. But if he’s still out there, the Sentinels of Justice will find him.”
With the explosion, ambulances and emergency crews soon began arriving. The police took charge, preparing to detain the three crooks who were now at the mercy of the law.
“All right, don’t give us any trouble,” warned one of the officers as he sternly eyed the badly beaten crooks. “We’ve read you your rights.”
As the handcuffs clicked into place, Kevin stepped forward, a plea in his eyes. “Take it easy on Bruno — he’s the one who saved my little girls. He deserves a chance to turn his life around.”
The officer paused, glancing at Bruno skeptically. Feeling touched, Bruno made a silent vow to change his path. He smiled and said, “You take care o’ dem goils o’ yours.”
“I will,” Kevin assured him. “And thank you for protecting them.”
Bruno nodded. “Hey, what else could I do? It’s Christmas, after all!”
Blue Beetle approached the Shape, whose recuperative powers had fully restored him. “You, my friend, are a shape-shifting marvel! Would you consider joining the Sentinels of Justice? We could use someone with your unique talents.”
“Would I?” the Shape cried, his eyes widening in excitement. Transforming the top of his head into helicopter blades, he captured everyone’s attention as he rose into the air, crying, “Whoop-eee-eee-eee!”
He pretended to lose control, then fell back to the ground, comically morphing into a bouncing rubber ball at the last moment.
Blue Beetle chuckled. “We could all use an action-hero who can lighten the mood a bit. So what do you say, Shape? Will you join us?”
The Shape, still grinning as he bounced in place, nodded enthusiastically. “I do! I do! I do!”
Kevin, Rachel, and Stacy rushed up to the Shape, offering their congratulations and saying their goodbyes.
“We’ll miss you, Shape,” Rachel said, looking sad.
Her eyes brimming with tears, Stacy asked, “Will you promise to visit us, Mr. Shape?”
Bending down to wrap his arms around them in his malleable form, the Shape assured them, “I’ll visit as soon as I can. You kids ain’t seen the last of me, that’s for sure!”
Nodding in approval, Kevin turned to Angela, whose face flushed bashfully.
“I-I know we got off on the wrong foot,” she began. “I’m so sorry for my role in your lab getting looted. I’m afraid none of that equipment is salvageable.”
“All I care about is that my girls are safe,” Kevin assured her. “And you helped save them. You got Blue Beetle to come here, right?”
“Well, I called my boss, who called Blue Beetle in, but I guess so, yeah,” she replied, adjusting her glasses. “I’ve… got a lot of explaining to do at work, too.”
“I’m sure it’ll be all right once everything is settled,” said Kevin. “I mean, I know what it’s like to have an uncle who doesn’t exactly have your best interests in mind. We have a lot in common.”
“Daddy likes you,” interrupted Stacy. “Don’t you, Daddy?”
Kevin’s face flushed red. “Well, I… I guess I do.”
“Aren’t you gonna ask her out?” suggested Rachel.
Kevin laughed. “I, uh, would like to see you again, Angela.”
Moved to tears, Angela nodded. “I like you too, Kevin. Maybe we’ll meet again someday, once my life gets back to normal.”
Ever the gentleman, Kevin flashed a warm smile and suggested, “Why not come over tonight for dinner? We can’t let a pretty girl like you spend Christmas Day alone in the rubble of her destroyed house, now can I?”
“We’re having turkey and mashed potatoes!” Rachel said excitedly.
“And stuffing!” added Stacy.
Her smile growing, Angela nodded and said, “I’d love to.”