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Author's Note: Here's the last chapter of the Blue Beetle. I'm not saying this is the end of Josie's story, more like the beginning. She will return but there a couple of stories I want to write before she does. I'd like to thank everyone for their wonderful comments and most importantly Lilith for creating this universe and for giving me the bes hero support. I have to thank djkauf once again for sticking with me till the end and editing all my little mistakes. Stay tuned because in a couple of days the narrative will shift to Chicago where Booster Gold will make her mark on the world.

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Chapter Fifteen:

I paused at the door, holding my hand before I knocked. Brenda was standing next to me, still holding my hand. When I turned and looked at her, there was something there that I hadn’t seen before. But at the same time, I saw her for what she’s always been: my best friend. I’m not sure what more I can say about that. Yeah, I loved her but not like a boyfriend would his girlfriend or now in my case a girl loving a girl. I loved her like a sister. I wished I didn’t. I wish I were still Jaime so I could sweep her off her feet and kiss her until we couldn’t breathe. But I suppose if I was still Jaime, I wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place.

“Are you going to go in?” she asked.

I took a deep breath. “Before I do, I think we should talk about the kiss?”

“You want to talk about it now” She blushed. “Can’t this wait until you’ve had the grand reunion with your family? I’m sure they’re worried sick about you.’

I sighed. She was trying to dodge the conversation. But she was right. I was dodging this moment too. I’m not sure what to say to them. How can you explain to your parents that you’re a superhero and they were kidnaped because of you? I looked down, still seeing myself wearing the armor. I thought about making it go away and manifest normal clothes. But I couldn’t do that. I was tired of dodging the issue. I needed to come out to them, all the way and let them accept me for who I am now. So the armor was staying on until I could explain things to them fully.

“Ok” I said with a sigh. “I’m going in.”

I turned the knob and pushed the door open. The room was good sized, kind of like a motel room. There was a queen size bed, a flat screen mounted on the wall and an armchair in the corner. My parents were sitting on the bed, holding hands. Milagro was in the chair. When the door opened, all three of them looked at me. Milagro’s face lit up and she jumped out of the chair, running toward me. She threw her arms around me and cried into my chest.

“I knew you’d come” she said as she pulled away, tears glistening in her eyes.

I deliberately left my head exposed. I wanted to gauge my parents’ reactions. My mother sat there, speechless, her mouth open. My father just stared at me, his eyes moving from my feet to my head and back again. Neither said anything for a long time. I stepped slowly into the room. Brenda let go of my hand and lingered in the hall. I even let her close the door behind me. Milagro grabbed a hold of my hand. She didn’t seem to want to let it go and that was ok. I didn’t want to let her hand go either. In fact, if I could, I’d hold her hand until she got married. Already she’d been in far too much danger and I’m not sure how I was going to handle it when it happened again.

My mother spoke first: “Josie, is that really you?”

I nodded. “Yeah Mom, it’s really me.”

My father just shook his head, smiling. My mother continued to talk for the both of them. “I don’t understand why are you dressed like the Blue Beetle?”

Milagro beat me to the punch. For once, I loved that she was so pushy. “She’s not dressed like the Blue Beetle, she is the Blue Beetle.”

My mother’s eyes widened even more. “And you’ve been this person the whole time? This isn’t something that just happened?”

I sighed. I walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. It creaked a bit under my added weight but it looked sturdy enough to hold me. I took a deep breath and told them everything. I started with the day I found Khaji in the disused lot and finished with apprehending Amparo. They listened intently, nodding and sighing a few times. When it was over, my mother was teary eyed and did something I wasn’t expecting. She leaned over and wrapped me in a hug. I hugged her too, trying to be as gentle as I could. My father put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a good rub. I didn’t feel it through the armor but I’m sure it was reassuring.

My mother pulled away, wiping her eyes. She looked me up and down. “And this here, it can come off?”

I smiled and nodded. I raised my arm and showed her. I willed the armor away and everyone gasped as the armor oozed up my arm, showing human flesh underneath. Then I willed it back, showing them it went both ways. My mother asked a few more questions about the armor and then Milagro chimed in. She started blabbering about everything I could do. That kept my parents entertained for a few minutes. I got off the bed and wandered toward the bathroom. I did say this place was like a motel room didn’t I. I went inside and shut the door, sighing.

“Your parents took it better than I thought they would.”

“They’ve always been kind of open minded. Even if they weren’t I couldn’t keep it a secret from them anymore.”

“So where does this leave your superhero gig?”

I smiled. I think Khaji was spending way too much time with me. Where the hell did she pick up the word “gig”? But then again she’d been picking up a lot of modern slang. This was just the first time I’d ever really noticed. She and I were One now. Before I would have been freaked out by that, especially when she was insane and power mad. Now I kind of liked the idea that she was here to give me moral support and talk to me when I didn’t want to be alone.

“Do you think we could be a real superhero? I mean not doing this when the situation calls for it but actually going out and looking for the bad guys.”

“If that’s what you really want to do then I’ll support you. If you don’t I’ll still support you. You and I are partners now. Where you go, I will follow.”

I smiled. “You don’t have much of a choice about that.”

We both shared a laugh. There was a knock on the door and I heard my sister’s voice. I looked at myself in the mirror and willed the armor away. As soon as it was gone, I willed up some clothes. I didn’t do anything too fancy just jeans and a t-shirt. Then I turned and opened the door, Milagro was standing there. She frowned when she saw me in my civvies.

“Do you wear those under the suit?”

I shook my head. “They’re not real.”

She reached for my shirt, grabbing my sleeve. “It feels real to me.”

I rubbed her head and she slipped into the bathroom.

I walked over to the bed and sat down, huffing as I did so. My mother hugged me from behind, wrapping her arms around me. I kind of fell back, resting my head on her lap. She held me there, stroking my hair. It felt good, it felt like I was a kid again and there wasn’t a care in the world. I laid there for a long time, closing my eyes as my mother took care of me. I was so tired. I wanted to fall asleep but I knew there was so much more to do.

Khaji interrupted my happy time. “Olivia just radioed you, she had to subdue Amparo. She’s got her tied up and the police are apparently on their way.”

I groaned. “How long?”

“About an hour or so. Should we make ourselves scarce?”

“What does she want to do?”

“She can’t stay around but she doesn’t think it’ll be a problem for you. She wants to talk to you to explain.”

I sighed and sat up. My mother stopped stroking my head. “Is there something wrong honey?”

“A hero’s work is never done,” I said as I slid off the bed. “The Green Arrow needs me. I need you three to stay here until I get back.”

Milagro was the only one who complained, but my father stopped it with a look. I walked out of the room, finding Brenda waiting for me in the hall. She grabbed my hand as I passed and wrapped me in another hug. Everyone wanted to hug me today. The only one who didn’t was my father, which was strange seeing how overprotective he’s been lately.

“I need you to wait with my family,” I told her as we pulled away. “I have to take to my companion in green. I won’t be long.”

I didn’t wait for her to say anything. I left her standing there and went back to Amparo’s room. Olivia was standing near the couch, looking at something. When I came over, I saw Amparo lying on her stomach, her hands tied behind her back. She was unconscious, the arrow in her shoulder now gone.

“What happened?”

She tried to make a run for it. I had to hit her in the back of the head with my bow and tie her up. She’s a feisty one.”

“Khaji said you wanted to talk.”

She nodded. “We need to clear out of here soon. I gave the cops a call, told them there was something strange going down in the desert and told them where to find the place. We’ve got about an hour before the boys in blue storm the place.”

“Do we have transport?”

She smiled. “Mia’s already taken care of that. The only question is, do you guys want to stay here to be interrogated or should I make room for you in my getaway vehicles?”

Like she really needed an answer to that.

________________________________

We were all standing outside in groups: my family and Brenda consisted of one; Posse consisted of the other. Olivia sort of stood between us, keeping an eye on the gangsters. I was currently walking to talk to Damper. He was standing with a tall, leggy blonde, rubbing her stomach gently. This most have been the famed Bonita. I looked past them to another couple I didn’t expect to see: Paco and Luce. I figured she was probably with him when he was grabbed but why they were with Posse was beyond me.

Thumper noticed me first, nodding his head at me in greeting.

Damper turned and smiled as he saw me approach. “You are one crazy chica,” he said, shaking his head. Then he held out his hand. I took it and we shook. “I owe you the world.”

I smiled. “You can start with our deal. I helped you and now you’ve got to leave me the hell alone.”

He nodded. “I am a man of my word.”

“Is it true?” asked Scour as he hobbled over to me. “Did you really take down the Bottom Feeder?”

I looked over at Probe; she smiled and shrugged.

“I pounded him into the floor.”

“Man I wish I could have seen what that bastard looked like afterwards.”

When we all shuffled down the stairs and passed through the famed room of my ultimate showdown, Olivia and I were expecting the worst. What we found was a large hole in the floor and nothing else. Apparently Bottom Feeder had done his part, got his ass kicked and took off for the hills. We searched a couple of nearby places but he was long gone. One of the back exits had the door torn off it so I’m guessing he ran off sometime after I beat him to a pulp. Hopefully my beating was enough to scare him off retaliation but for some reason I knew I’d be seeing him again.
Scour and Thumper starting making jokes at the thing’s expense and I slipped off over to Paco. He was standing with his arm around Luce’s waist, looking like he belonged. It was kind of cute actually. When he saw me, he let go of her and did something I wouldn’t have expected. He walked over and wrapped me in a hug. I hugged him back; he was one of my best friends after all. When I pulled away, I thought I saw tears in his eyes.

I looked past him to Luce. “What’s the deal?”

She shrugged. “I was with Posse for a while. When Bonita and Esteban were taken, I bailed.”

I looked back at the group and saw the last member. He was tall, dark and brooding. He must have been Esteban. I turned back to her. “You going back with them?”

She shrugged again. “I might try the normal life for a bit” She grabbed Paco’s hand, giving it a good squeeze. “And see how that goes.”

I smiled and left them, walking back over to Olivia. She was still eyeing the gang-bangers, waiting for them to do something stupid. They were eying her too but I think it was more out of fear than anything else. When I walked up, she looked at me and smiled.
“I’ve got three SUVs coming. They should be here before the cops get here. Hopefully our presence here will go unnoticed but sometimes these things have ways of getting out.”

“You think Amparo will talk?”

She shook her head. “Not likely. If her boss is who I think he is, then chances are she’ll be dead before she reaches the police station.”

I nodded. I’m not sure how I felt about that.

She looked over at Brenda, who was currently standing with Milagro, the two of them engrossed in conversation. “Does your friend know what she’s going to do now?”

“My mother wants her to stay with us, at least for a while. From there I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“Well if she needs a place I have plenty of room to spare. The same goes for you and your family.” She looked over at them. “Your father is a valued employee.

I have a lot of empty houses; I’d love to help out.”

I smiled. It was a nice offer but my father would never go for it. I think she knew that but she asked anyway. She was that kind of person.

The three SUVs arrived right on time. Olivia handed over one to Posse and told them it was theirs to do with as they wished. The six of them piled inside, leaving the driver standing in the sand. They tried to talk Luce out of her decision to leave but she was adamant. So they took off without even looking back. The only thing I was going to miss about them was Probe. Even though she and I had our differences, I kind of thought of her as a friend. I might have not wanted to see Posse around but I wouldn’t mind seeing her from time to time.

My family filed into the second SUV , my sister convinced Brenda to go with them as well. My mother gave me a kiss and my father finally gave me a hug. While we were hugging, he told me we’d talk about this whole hero business later. Mia was sitting in the front seat of the third one, her laptop open on her lap. Olivia, Paco, Luce and I filed into the back. Paco and Luce kept staring at the Green Arrow, Luce in fear and Paco in awe. Olivia never took off her hood. I could see where she wanted to remain anonymous. I think it kind of annoyed Paco a bit, especially because he figured out I knew who she was.
The drivers took us to the Queen private airstrip. No one asked any questions. I think Olivia was happy for that. There was a different plane waiting for us though. I guess she didn’t want my family to put two and two together. This new plane was a little charter, it was just big enough for all of us, especially seeing as Olivia and Mia stayed behind. But she did take me aside before I boarded.

“I know you’re still undecided about all of this” she said, referring to the superhero life. “But if you decide it’s really the life for you, give me a call. You and I worked well together, I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

I smiled and we shook hands.

_____________________________________

Life returned to normal. I know that’s kind of strange to say considering everything that’s happened, but it’s true.

I settled back into things like any normal person. After returning from the desert, we went home. We set up Brenda in my room. I gave her the bed and took the floor in a sleeping bag. I think it worked out pretty well. She had fun with it. Because she didn’t have many girl friends growing up she never got a real sleep-over. So she tried to do the things you’re supposed to do at one. So that night, we painted each other’s nails---hey, I did a half way decent job---and she taught me how to braid hair. Milagro came in too; the two of us were closer than ever now. We ended the night with the typical pillow fight and fell asleep after nearly dropping dead with exhaustion. I know what you’re thinking and no she and I still haven’t talked about the kiss.

When I woke up, I got a shock of my life. Brenda was lying on the floor next to me, wrapped in my blanket. I sat up and looked down at her. She was sleeping so peacefully. I reached down and brushed a strand of hair across her face. As I stared at her, I wondered if I loved her like anything other than a sister. She was very pretty in a tomboy type way. I liked her laugh and the way her nose wrinkled when she got excited. She knew me, too. I think she knew me better than anyone else in the world, including myself some times. I didn’t have to hide anything from her either because she knew it all.
But could I give her my heart?

“She’s been sleeping by your side for a few hours now.”

I sighed. “I think she’s in love with me.”

“Her serotonin levels were highly elevated when she kissed you yesterday. But I’m not sure if that was the moment or if it was true love.”

I groaned, rubbing the heels of my palms into my eyes. “What do you think? Do you think I can have a relationship with her?”

“That isn’t the question. The question is are attracted to her?”

I stared at her some more. But there was no spark. I tried to make it come for her sake but there was nothing. I groaned. How do you tell your best friend that you love her like a sister and not any other way? I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. Instead, I slowly slipped out of the sleeping bag. The shifting fabric jostled her awake. She sat up, bleary eyed. She looked confused for a second until she looked at me and smiled. I smiled back.

“How did I get on the floor?”

“I was hoping you could tell me.”

She smiled. Then leaned forward, trying to kiss me. I turned my head and she kissed my cheek. I think that did it. When I turned back around, she was giving me this look. I sighed. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. I knew I had to tell her that I didn’t like her as much as she liked me but I was hoping my actions would speak louder than words. Ok, so I’m still a little bit of a guy. I mean, I wish I were in love with her. Hell, I’d do anything to look at her the way she looked at me. But there just wasn’t anything there. I’m not sure why I liked guys now---in fact, it made my skin crawl---but there was no denying how I felt.

“Brenda, look I…ummm….”

She smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek. She gently grabbed my hand. “I know and I’m sorry. I tried to ignore it but there it was. It’s been there since the day I saw you at Paco’s, when you wanted me to cut your hair.” I nodded, even though I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t even remotely girlish back then. “I’m not sure what came over me then but it was like a switch. I’ve always had this leaning toward girls. I’ve tried to like boys, I even thought of asking you out once just to see if it was true. But no matter how much I’ve tried I can’t help feeling something for girls.”

I sighed, resting my head on her shoulder. “Aren’t we the pair? You liking girls and me liking boys, if only we could switch.”

We had a good laugh.

Then she groaned. I lifted my head. She pinched her nose. “When’s the last time you’ve showered.”

I groaned. It was only yesterday but after the workout I got storming that place, I probably smelled pretty rank. I started to get to my feet but she beat me too it. She pushed me back down and made a mad dash for the bathroom. I jumped to my feet and took off after her. The little snot. When I catch her, I’m going to make her pay. She slipped into the bathroom before me and locked the door. I pounded on it for a few seconds then I heard her laughter from the other side.

“You snooze you lose.”

“Welcome to my world” said Milagro as she walked out of her room, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

I sat in the hallway and waited. Twenty minutes later, the water shut off and Brenda opened the door. She was wearing only a towel, her hair dripping wet. Apparently, she wasn’t the turban type of girl. I got to my feet and looked her up and down. My eyes went to her chest and I smiled.

She turned a bit green. “What is it?”

“I’m so much bigger than you.”

I laughed. Her mouth dropped open and then she swung at me. I ducked the punch and slipped into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I laughed my ass off as I locked it. I heard her pounding on it for a few seconds. I sighed and walked over to the mirror, wiping Brenda’s condensation from it. The girl staring back at me had the funniest smile. But it was a cute smile; it was my smile. I leaned forward and stared at her, blinking my eyes and sticking my tongue out. When I first saw her, I was so scared. Now as I looked at her I couldn’t help but feel content. She was me and I liked her.
I stripped off my shirt and dropped my pajama bottoms on the floor, standing in the middle of the room naked for a moment.

“Have you made a decision yet?”

“About what?”

“You’ve had some time to think about it, I was wondering if you’ve decided to take up the superhero business full time.”

I turned back to the mirror and smiled. I flexed my muscles, grinning. “Oh yeah” I said aloud. “I can so do this.”

________________________________________

“What the hell is this? Do those guys really have suction cups on their arms?”

There were five or six of them, running along the walls, wearing these freaky orange spandex costumes. When Khaji intercepted the police call about some unusual bank robbers, I thought I was going to encounter guys dressed like Presidents or Clowns. But these guys really were the most unusual dorks I’d ever seen. When I first arrived at the scene, they were in the midst of emptying the cash registers of the bank into large burlap bags. When they saw me, they actually had the gall to attack. It was kind of pathetic really, seeing as they clearly weren’t Metas.

That’s when they sprang to the walls. I already thought they were funky enough but seeing them rolling along the walls like acrobats, I nearly wet myself from laughing so much. These guys were ridiculous.

“I don’t think your enemy appreciates being laughed at.”

“C’mon Khaji, look at them, they’re a bunch of freaks.”

“Says the girl in the blue pajamas.”

I groaned. I’d only decided to be an official superhero a few days ago. You remember right, I was in the bathroom about to take a shower. After that, I had a long talk with my parents. They weren’t too keen on the idea at first but in the end, I convinced them it was the best thing for me to do. My father was the one who caved first. Remember him, Mr. Over Protective Papa. He told me to be careful and make sure I watched my back. My mother stood there speechless, her mouth open like a goldfish. But in the end, she came around too. I only told them about it as a technicality. I was going to do it whether they liked it or not.

That’s when Khaji and I decided on a new look. It’s not that I didn’t like the armor; I thought it was fantastic. But we both agreed that it would only be used in emergencies. It was a way to conserve energy and make sure it didn’t cut out in a fight. So we came up with this cool blue jumpsuit. We manifested it like my clothes. It was skin tight and flexible but it could also stop bullets and was damn near impossible to tear. I got this really cool beetle symbol on my chest too. To top it off I thought up these really cool yellow google things for over my eyes, they looked kind of like bug eyes. I mean anyone who saw me would still think I was the Blue Beetle so there was no harm in a little image remodeling.

Khaji was just grumpy about the whole thing because I refused to change my name. She hated the fact that the press called me the Blue Beetle. She was a Scarab after all, not a beetle. She felt I should have called myself the Blue Scarab. Even though it was kind of cool, with the new outfit, I felt that people would think we were two different people. Yes my ego played into it a little bit but every once in a while you have to ride the coat tails of fame a little bit.

“Who are you?” asked one of the freaks clinging to the wall, there were suction cups on his legs too, so he looked like an orange wall clingy.

“I think that’s my line buddy,” I said, staring up at him.

He huffed. “We’re the Squid Gang.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. I mean come on, seriously. “You’re joking, right?”

He wasn’t laughing. Instead, he snapped his fingers and his goons snapped into action. Two of them came at me first. The great thing about the armor was that I could still use parts of it without using the whole and draining the energy. So even though I couldn’t go full force, my hands and feet were fair game. I formed the armored gloves on my hands. The first Squid got to me and I drove him to the pavement with a swift kick to the chest. The second landed a few feet away and charged me, whipping out a long metal staff. He brought it toward my face but I blocked it with my forearm. Then I grabbed it and slammed it as hard as I could into his forehead. He stumbled backwards, falling over his fallen companion.

The guy on the wall hissed. “Four and Five, get her.”

I looked up on the wall. Clearly, he was Number One; Two and Three were the guys he must have sent first. Four and Five were the two guys on either side of him, looking at him and then at me. They finally looked at their two friends on the ground. I’m not sure which one of them bolted first. But they took off pretty fast. Number Six turned a pale of green and threw up. His suction cups gave away and he fell off the wall. I didn’t even have to knock him out; he did it himself.

Their leader, Number One, looked at me. He put on a sheepish smile. “Maybe we can work something out.”

I glared at him. He dropped his bag of money and scurried up the wall, faster than Four and Five.

There was a loud round of applause behind me. I turned around, looking at the crowd gathered. Most of them were the bank patrons but there were lots of other people there, too. I smiled and waved. A couple of flashes went off.

“This might be a good time to make a quick exit.”

I nodded. “Sorry guys, I gotta go.”

I took a deep breath, the wings sprang out of my back and I took off, the sounds of police sirens wailing loudly below me.

God it felt kind of good being the hero.

Epilogue:

It coursed through the stars, going at speeds uncalibrated by any known velocity. Its destination was close and its mission very simple: conquer. The planet chosen for it was one of many; there were hundreds just like it out there. Every one of them was small and insignificant but ripe for the picking. This one was no different. The people there were primitive, barely infants as far as It was concerned. They would be easy to conquer, just like so many countless worlds that They had conquered before.

The planet was close now. It could sense the oxygenated atmosphere. Already It had passed several other planets in this small solar system. First, it was small insignificant ones then one with several rings. A few moments ago, it was a gas giant and now It just passed a dead red husk. The husk was once something to behold. There were countless stories about its people and its civilizations but they were long gone. Wiped out by war and destruction. Its people knew about those ones, the Green Skins, the ones of cunning and superiority. Once they would have been a target too but no longer. Anything that was left of that great civilization was long gone.

It sensed its destination. There was a small moon, tiny and miniscule. Then there it was: the planet of Its destination. They sent one here before, eons ago. The One was the first of many. It was the Scout, one of the Infiltrators sent to secure information and report back. They lost contact with it centuries ago and feared it had been deactivated. Until It came back online. It started broadcasting again, sending out mass amounts of information. The planet was ripe for the taking now, its people were advanced enough to put up a fight but weak enough to snuff out. That’s why It was sent. It was supposed to find the Other and see why the Other stopped broadcasting. When It found the Other It was supposed to assess the situation and discern the appropriate punishment. If the Other refused than It was to terminate the Other.

It reached the planet. The oxygen enriched atmosphere swirled around It as It made Its way toward Its destination. It triangulated the Other’s position, locking onto its built in radio transceiver. Even though the Other had deactivated most of those functions, it still sent out a rudimentary homing signal. All of Them had one, including It. It headed for the west coast of one of the primary continents, moving much faster now, trying desperately to zero in on the Other.

It found the Other’s trace signature in a coastal city and headed for the Other’s last known activation area. It aimed for the shadows, slowly down as it landed. It flung itself onto a wall and scanned the surrounding area. There were primitives everywhere, flashing blue and red lights on top of the primitive combustion vehicles. The Other was just here; It could sense it. But the Other was gone now, hidden inside its primitive host. It would need one of Its own to survive on this barbarian world. It continued to scan the crowd and found one of Its liking. The fair-haired boy had a good physique, he was healthy and he would be divine for what It needed to do.

For It was Djo Zha of the Reach, an Enforcer class and it was sent to conquer.