The Kryptonite Collar
Author: Lcross.
(originally posted at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SuperheroesDefeated )
Part 2 “Kr”
The whirling sound of machinery comes to life and the lead door shifts slightly and begins to slowly slide open to the right on heavy steel tracks mounted above and below the lead door. As soon as lead door cracks and begins to slide open an intense glowing green light pours out of the lead cubical and illuminates a significant portion of the basement. As the door slides open wider the green illumination intensifies. Superboy instinctively raises his hands over his eyes and with a yell of terrified pain he realizes too late that he has blundered into some kind of a trap that has been set for him. Superboy tries in vain to shield himself from the bombardment of the strange green radiation, but the rays are much too powerful and he can already feel himself quickly weakening. Superboy is completely confused as he struggles and his super strength wanes. In desperation Superboy staggers toward the door blindly and manages to push the button labeled “CLOSE” hoping to reverse the door and close it. Unfortunately the perpetrator of the clever trap had thought of Superboy’s initial response and the door does not respond to the command and keeps opening; Superboy frantically pushes the button wildly in quick succession but the door keeps opening. His hopes are dashed and Superboy covers his eyes with one of his forearms and staggers blindly backwards completely confused as he twists wildly and reels in pain as the lead door fully opens and stops.
Superboy struggles to clear his head from the pounding pain when he hears a voice say coolly from the stairwell landing,“Superboy, you should have heeded the sign: ‘Authorized Personnel Only!’ Professor Cho found the green meteor rock that is causing you so much distress this morning in western China; he calls it kryptonite….I call it simply “K.” Superboy listens in disbelief as he futilely tries to regain his composure. He is now thoroughly exhausted and Superboy can only cower from the rays emanating from the strange green meteor that has somehow sapped him of all his mighty superpowers. In one final act of desperation Superboy futilely tries to distance himself from the kryptonite but his strength fails and he stops and doubles over slightly clutching his stomach tightly, gasping to catch his breath as he starts to sweat profusely. His face is contorted in pain and tears run down his face as his clear blue eyes stare at the familiar figure blocking the stairway in disbelief. It is young Zach and he has a wicked grin on his face. Superboy sways and weaves struggling to remain standing; the bright green rays illuminate the basement and suck mercilessly at Superboy’s remaining strength. Zach simply gives Superboy an evil grin and points to a wheeled cart in inside the lead cubical. Superboy stares dumbfounded at a wheeled cart within the lead cubical. On the cart are several large green glowing meteor rocks and an empty lead trunk. On top of the pile of green rocks is a cruel looking stainless steel collar fused with tiny glowing green studs formed from fragments chipped from the meteor.
Zach enters the basement walks coolly over to Superboy, who has fallen to his knees and is on all fours on the basement floor. His crimson cape is draped over his body and Superboy’s head is hanging in pain. Zach kneels down and playfully pats Superboy on the back and says, “We knew you’d come snooping around here sooner or later. We were ready for you Superboy! You stuck your nose in the wrong place this time!” Zach rises and walks over to the cart inside the lead cubical and picks up the green glowing steel collar and walks coolly back towards Superboy.
As Zach approaches Superboy gasps in a choking and labored voice, “What is that thing?” Instinctively, Superboy gathers all his remaining strength and struggles to his feet and staggers clumsily away from Zach and the green glowing collar
Zach replies in a harsh voice, “It’s a harness for your mighty superpowers Superboy! A collar fused with small precisely measured and weighed kryptonite studs! Once the collar is locked around that strong neck of yours you will be powerless….and quite helpless!”
Superboy is dumbfounded at the reply…a harness for my superpowers? How is this possible? What is kryptonite? What happened to my superpowers? What do Zach and Professor Cho want with me? These and other questions race through Superboy’s mind as he continues to stagger unsteadily backwards until he is backed up against the lead wall of the cubical; Zach follows slowly and stands directly before Superboy menacingly and teases Superboy with the green glowing steel collar in his hand. Superboy can retreat no further and leans weakly back exhausted against the lead wall completely at Zach’s mercy. The teenager smiles wickedly as he grabs Superboy’s large muscled bicep and pulls him gently away from the lead wall and then stands facing Superboy his head slumped forward. Superboy can find no will or strength to resist … the boy, who is 6 inches shorter and over seventy-five pounds lighter, extends one arm and places one finger on Superboy’s shoulder and then pushes down. Superboy slumps easily as Zach effortlessly pushes Superboy down onto his knees in front of him. “That’s better Superboy. You are way too tall for me to put this collar on you while standing,” laughs Zach as he walks behind the kneeling “Boy of Steel.” Superboy gasps a drained, exhausted sigh as Zach smoothly fixes the green glowing flexible steel collar around his strong neck. Zach roughly adjusts the length of the collar so that it is cruelly tight, making sure the pointed kryptonite studs dig into the skin of Superboy’s neck; he then closes the collar hasp. Zach produces a pen-like instrument and touches it to a slot in the hasp; Superboy groans as hears a clicking sound as the computerized locking mechanism of the collar engages. Zach cheerfully pulls the pen-like instrument from the collar and happily shoves it into his pant pocket. With the collar locked tightly in place…the pointed kryptonite studs of the collar dig deep into Superboy’s skin…the direct contact with kryptonite evaporates any remaining trace of Superboy’s superpowers. The collar has effectively muted Superboy’s mighty superpowers. Zach’s plan has work. HE HAS CAPTURED SUPERBOY!
Continue…
