From Beyond the Stars, To Behind These Bars

~After watching the masked Guardian leap out of view, officer Chad Hutchison waited for a count of thirty before he moved toward the back of the Illinois Currency Exchange. Keeping his Glock 19 trained on the unmasked criminal whose robbery had been interrupted, the policeman glanced through the shattered pane of safety glass to assess the condition of the second thug, and determined that he was still incapacitated. Officer Hutchison turned his attention back to the standing criminal, and pointed over the man's shoulder at the wall. "Face the wall, get on your knees, and put your hands behind your head. Now!" Barked the cop, eliciting a flinch from the captured crook. The thug complied slowly, all the while grumbling under his breath about his poor luck, and poorer life choices. Hutchison holstered his service pistol before carefully climbing over the service desk, taking great effort to disturb as little as he could. Listening to the criminal still muttering under his breath - currently cursing his partner's parents for raising such an incompetent thief - Hutchison pulled a pair of leather gloves from his pocket and slipped them on.

  His hands sufficiently covered, the officer then reached into one of the larger pockets of his patrol vest, and pulled out a plastic bag containing a Linebaugh .500 revolver. Officer Hutchison took a moment to collect himself, and drew a deep breath to steel his nerves. He took careful aim at the back of the kneeling thief's head and rested his thumb on the pistol's hammer. "President The Donald thanks you for helping to make America great again." The criminal had little time to ponder the intimation of the phrase, as the sound of the revolver cocking made the meaning a bit clearer. A thunderous gunshot rang out in the night, a second following close behind. Moments later, the policeman rushed out the shattered front door of the Currency Exchange, his service pistol once again clutched in his bare hands. Officer Hutchison took a moment to aim his sidearm up at the roof, then slowly lowered the weapon before replacing it in the holster, just as he'd been instructed to.

  Hutchison wasn't sure why he was supposed to point his gun up at the roof before he radioed dispatch, but the orders - and the hefty "late Christmas bonus" - had come from the captain, so Chad figured he didn't need to understand, as long as he did what he was told. After calling in to dispatch, Hutchison took another deep breath to steady himself, and prepared for the next part. He had never been one to seek fame, but like it or not, he was about to get his fifteen minutes.~


~Her eyes closed, Bonnie Blue ran the tip of her tongue over her ruby red lips, enjoying every last drop of the thin film of flavour her Climax had left there. She'd been introduced to this delightful pleasure some time ago, but nobody else had been able to compare once she'd been shown how to do it herself. Bonnie allowed a small sigh to escape as she opened her eyes, and swept her gaze across the mingled patrons of the Drunken Dragon, none of them concerned in the least with her actions. The Daughter of Time lowered her glass and set it on the bar top, then began to replace the liqueurs used in the creation of her cocktail, arranging them by country of origin. The Disaronno Amaretto went with the Italian alcohols, the Tempus Fugit Creme de Cacao in the "Liqueur" subsection of American boozes, and the Briottet Creme de Banane was placed with the French spirits; Alex Richards might lead a chaotic life, but he took his libations very seriously. Bonnie and the other Guardians were more than welcome to mix their own drinks, but they'd been warned the privilege would be revoked if they messed up Alex's organizational system.

  Blue gave her used glass a quick rinse before stepping back around to the other side of the bar, one of the wall-mounted flatscreen televisions catching her eye as she did. Bonnie had had no interest in whatever vapid 21st Century "entertainment" that had been in progress, but the news report that interrupted immediately snared her attention. An attractive woman with coffee-toned skin filled the screen, with a small insert of Jay Omega's face in the corner beside her. "Good evening. I'm Dawn Hasbrouck, bringing you a special news bulletin. Police are warning Chicago citizens to be on the lookout for this man, James Megaron - known to use the alias Jay Omega. Megaron is wanted for questioning in regards to a double homicide earlier this evening. He was last seen fleeing the scene, and should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. If sighted, please contact the police immediately. No further details are available at this time..." The news anchor kept talking, but Bonnie was no longer listening. Instead, she was making her way toward the back of the bar, and the entrance to the old warren of underground bootlegging tunnels the Guardians had repurposed.

  As Blue hastened through the tunnels, she brought the news report up on her W.E.I.R.D. with a few keystrokes; the worrisome bulletin was ready to go before she even walked into the small alcove Jay Omega was currently using to shoot a promo for his match against "Showtime" Sebastian Reid. Bonnie hated to interrupt, but this was rather important. Luckily, it seemed Jay was winding to a close, anyway. "...Jay Omega is the superior performer, in every aspect. But for me? For me, it's 'Showtime'!" The Omega Man was saying as Bonnie entered the alcove; her worried expression caused his easy smile to slip as he laid eyes on her. "Jay, you need to see this; I think we've got a problem." Blue said apprehensively. Omega made the universal hand gesture for "cut", and the quadrotor camera drone he had been using stopped recording, then flitted away to upload the footage. Bonnie brought up her W.E.I.R.D. and indicated Jay should do the same, then flicked the queued video in his direction. Omega watched in silence, his confusion growing as the video progressed.

  When the bulletin finished and Jay looked up, he found Bonnie biting her lower lip. "Jay, please tell me you didn't shoot anyone earlier tonight." The de facto leader of the Guardians pleaded fervently. Omega tugged unnecessarily at the open collar of his flannel vest before he responded. "Well, I mean, I totally shot someone earlier," he began, causing Bonnie's eyes to widen in shock and horror, "But I sure as shit didn't kill anyone, let alone two people. I don't know what this is supposed to be, but I'll tell you straight up that it's bullshit." The Daughter of Time relaxed visibly at Jay's assertion, and let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding. "I'll get my legal team on it in the morning, nothing's gonna happen before then, anyway." Omega puffed at the joint in his hand, then offered it to Bonnie, who gladly accepted. "Besides," The Omega Man continued, "Unless the Wave changed more than we've determined, I should still have diplomatic immunity." Blue filled her lungs with smoke and felt the calming effects almost immediately, though only to a minor extent. Jay seemed rather self-assured, but Bonnie was still a little worried.~


~Another victorious Pay Per View event appearance under Omega's belt had a smile on his face as he worked his way through the backstage area. Sebastian Reid had been a little more challenging that Jay had anticipated, and now The Omega Man was looking forward to the hot shower that would wash away the sweat he'd broken. That anticipation soured into disappointment as Jay rounded a corner, and found a pair of Chicago's finest standing outside the door to the Guardians' locker room. Omega's face became a mask of pleasantries as he approached the law enforcement agents, already certain of their purpose. "Gentlemen, how can I be of assistance?" Jay asked, drawing the policemen's attention. One officer - Schuett, his nametag declared - drew his pistol and leveled it in Omega's direction. The other officer - Parker, according to his nametag - pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt, and approached Omega slowly and carefully. "Put your hands on the wall and spread your legs, I'm not going to ask you a second time." Officer Parker instructed in a clear, firm voice.

  "Jeez, buy me dinner first." Jay joked, then rolled his eyes when he got no reaction. Omega sighed heavily but did as he was told, and Parker began to frisk him under the ever watchful gaze of officer Schuett. "You guys are serious? Man, I tell ya, this is not going to end well for somebody, and that somebody ain't me." Satisfied that there was no weaponry on Omega's person, officer Parker brought Jay's right arm down, pulled the hand behind his back, and locked a handcuff in place around the wrist. "James Megaron, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent; should you waive that right, anything you say may be given as evidence in court. You have the right to legal counsel during questioning; if you cannot afford an attorney, a public defender will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?" The Omega Man chuckled in answer as Parker brought his other arm down, and cuffed his wrists together. "Do you understand these rights--" Omega interrupted impatiently before the officer could ask a second time. "Yeah, yeah, lets just hurry this up, all right?" Jay said, a touch heated that he'd have to wait for his shower.~