The Courageous Captain Strength

　

  　

 

  　

  　 The Courageous Captain Strength

  By The Blackstar Hour

  Copyright 2015 The Blackstar Hour.

  　

 

  Carl was the kind of 17 year old kid who you just did not want to f*** with. He was 6”2’ and 210 lbs of raw American beef and had the intensity to match. This dude was the All-Star of just about everything, he was practically a god in school and the center of the local community. Everyone knew Carl. In fact even a few of the good old boys (local drunks) had the pleasure of having the crap beat out of them by none other than “The King” himself. However, the truly amazing aspect of young Carl was that he did not allow his awesomeness to inflate and distort his ego. He was a nice kid, reliable, hardworking, honest, trustworthy, a friend to the downtrodden and all around chick-magnet. He was “the dude”, you know? I mean , its like he’s the main dude, what else is there to say... Carl was probably involved in every sport the community had to offer. He excelled in all of them and was nearly always captain or held the equivalent top rank position, as he was a very convincing leader and commander. Everyone liked him, the babes, the jocks, the stoners and geeks, teachers and parents alike. He was friends with everyone and was extremely simple, yet open minded.

 

  Truly, the world was in his hands, he could attain any goal, rule any sport, take out any opponent and have any chick. Fortunately, his ambitions were not so dramatic nor did he wish to step on anyone’s toes. He only desired to be happy, and to be surrounded by a healthy family and good friends. He wanted to graduate high school, go to college, meet the right girl and have a good time. It was not much to ask , yet the simple dreams were wretched from his future in a tragic and unpredictable way.

 

  It was a typical Monday morning, Carl had just arrived at school and was parking in the school parking lot and chatting with some friends nearby. All of a sudden, he heard a horrible crash coming from the street. To his horror, looked upon a dreaded sight: a large pickup truck had slammed into the side of a school bus, packed full of screaming freshmen. Instantly and without even looking over his shoulder, Carl leapt towards the horrific scene. He ran as fast as he could and as he neared the accident, the truck sprouted flames. Carl held back the powerful wave of panic that quickly engulfed this mind, and tried to think clearly about what to do. The bus was laying on its side (unfortunately the side with the door), and somehow the emergency exit was damaged and would not open. Carl noticed that the flames were spreading quickly, and now began to lick the side of the bus. Kids were crying and screaming, hence quickly losing the ability to help themselves. Carl cursed under his breath, tensed his muscles and grabbed hold of the jammed door and ripped the entire thing from its hinges! He began to pull out throngs of hysterical kids, while keeping his eyes on the ever present danger engulfing the bus. At any minute, the fire would hit the gas tank and blow everything up.

 

  Kids continued to pour out of the bus and still in a panic, hovered around basically only getting in the way. Carl snarled at them to “get them hell out of there” . Police and emergency sirens could be heard off in the distance but Carl knew they would not make it there in time, it was up to him to make sure everyone was out of the bus. Black. choking smoke now filled the bus while kids were still inside. Carl lunged in and sought them out. He discovered that most of the people still inside were either hurt or trapped, and could not move on their own. Doing what he could, Carl managed to safely get all of the kids outside just in time as flames now spread into the interior. Still standing near the bus, Carl looked around, and saw that many people were now there taking care of the kids who were injured, while the teachers were trying to calm down the hysterics. Carl’s math teacher looked at him and screamed “Carl! Get the hell out of there!! Everyone’s safe!”

 

  Carl again swore under his breath thinking, the bus driver is still inside. He could no longer hear everyone screaming at him to get out of the bus as he plunged into the steel inferno. Instantly, the force of the heat hit him like a ton of bricks, it seared his skin and scorched his lungs. Fighting against all odds, he struggled forward into the blaze to the front of the bus. The pain was beyond anything he had ever experienced, it felt as though his skin was tearing off and simultaneously millions of nails were forced into his body. He could not open his eyes so he crouched down and felt around for a body. Carl assumed that the driver had been knocked unconscious and was laying around somewhere. The seconds turned into perilous minutes and Carl realized that he was the only one left. He thought “that fat bastard must have took off at the first chance he got!” He turned around to escape but to his dismay, the truck which was impaled midway along the bus exploded, thus sealing off his escape. Raw instinct now took over, fire was everywhere as Carl smashed the thick front windshield; horribly cutting his entire forearm open. His mind was swirling in maddening pain and lack of oxygen, but his strength was not yet depleted. As he pulled himself out through the window the fire finally reached the bus’ gas tank and the explosion ripped through everything. The wave of energy hit Carl and his mind thought no more.

 

  Carl Biscept would have died that day if it were not for the intervention of some of the highest ranking medical specialists in the field, as well as a previously untested and admittedly dangerous experimental drug. Upon his arrival to the hospital, he had lost more that half his blood, 75% of his skeleton was in someway damaged, and had at least 1st degree burns over his entire body. According to the staff, he was done for. Luckily, Carl was a very popular kid and as a result his family had many connections, especially in the political arena. Carl’s parents were desperate, they knew that Carl would fight to recover, they only needed some miracle to keep their son alive. He needed the chance to survive!

 

  The Mayor was immediately contacted and subsequently got a hold of the governor. Within twenty minutes, a team of the top surgeons and physicians were assembled and more were on the way. Carl went into surgery while his parents negotiated their son’s life. After a few minutes, the doctors determined that little could be done to save the young man. Soon after, discussions arose pertaining to young Carl’s pending demise and the administration of suitable care. That plan changed in a split second as the doors flew open and a odd ball group of doctors rushed in. They were wearing typical hospital jackets yet wore masks fashioned after the mysterious and amazing crime fighter known as “Blackstar”. A brief silence settled upon the operating room. It was clear to Mr. and Ms Biscept that awe was heavily distributed on the medical personnel. One of the masked specialists began to speak quickly to the Biscepts. “Time is of the essence. We have an experimental drug which could save your son, but it is potentially toxic and we do not know what it may do to him.” Both parents simultaneously replied with; “DO IT. Instantly, the procedure commenced. Right away, IV’s were drawn and the compound, a sluggish, bright blue liquid, coursed into every major vein in Carl’s legs, arms, and neck. Not even two minutes had passed before the surgeons were stunned, as before their very eyes, torn organs and obliterated blood vessels began to mend! “Holy S@#t!!, I can’t believe my eyes” exclaimed a veteran surgeon. “Believe it”, replied one of the specialists dressed like Blackstar “Carl Biscept will live, but at what cost....”

 

  The following days were torturous for Carl’s parents, as he descended into a coma despite his remarkable physical condition. Actually, after the admin
istration of the wonder drug, the surgeons had little to do but sew Carl back together and watch in unbelieving awe as the large incisions healed and disappeared within moments. That was how things went from that point, Carl had even become the superstar of the hospital and the medical world. His parents spent each minute of the day by his side for almost two weeks, until that amazing day when Carl finally came out of the coma in nearly perfect health. He did, however require extensive physical therapy as the first side effect surfaced: almost total loss of muscle coordination and movement! Yet Carl was mobile in no time, he had experts (Blackstar’s team of specialists ) working with him daily and studying his every movement and behavior. The doctors determined that it was no longer necessary for Carl to stay at the hospital after just 3 days (post coma).

 

  When Carl returned home, he practically witnessed a parade around his house as the neighbors, friends and just about the whole community threw a massive welcome-home party. It was upon his return home that Carl, as well as his physical therapists noticed the next emerging side effect: rapidly increasing stamina and strength. Over the next several months, Carl’s progress showed no limit! He quickly surpassed his prior skills and continued to show remarkable improvements in everything. At the end of the second month of ’rehabilitation’ he was lifting five times more than his previous maximum, and running for ten times the distance. Despite the fact that there were, so far, no adverse reactions, Blackstar’s team was growing concerned about Carl’s future. With the parents’ consent, they began extensive psychological and neurological testing in hopes of identifying any changes in Carl’s brain chemistry and/or personality. As usual, Carl proved to be the ideal test subject. Perhaps it was his simple-mindedness that made everything so easy, but it worked to his advantage. The Blackstar team felt confident that Carl was not posing a threat to himself or anyone else. But the crucial question still lingered in everyone’s minds: To what extent will Carl’s new abilities develop?

  It soon became obvious that Carl was...well, enhanced. Once he figured out how to float in mid-air for several seconds at a time, he knew that he was no longer just another kid. He could not ignore his gift, his previous life was now over. His previous accomplishments now seemed vain and petty. Despite his father’s pleas, Carl could not justify using his new “abilities” to further his sports career. This induced many debates in the Biscept family. His father argued: “Listen Carl, you can achieve anything now, why not be a sports mega star? I mean, you could be a world champ kid, an Olympian !!!” His mother pleaded: “Oh dear, I just want you to be happy and be a good boy. Do what feels right in your heart, but remember that you could hurt people if you’re not careful.”

 

  One day, one of the medical research directors from the Blackstar Team suggested that Carl could enroll in a summer program and learn to control his powers. The Bicepts were given as much time as they needed to make a decision. It did not take long, they all agreed that it was the best option. Carl finished high school as the local hero (the bus driver was fired), and subsequently joined the Blackstar Team’s Summer Camp For Idle Hands. That summer, Carl changed from a kid to a man as he quickly became the respectable hero that the civilians know as Captain Strength.

 

  Epilogue: Carl continued his work as Captain Strength full time for over a decade. Many of those years were dark and turbulent due to the atrocities committed by the evil forces of the dreaded empires of Feirzambis and The Masslord. Indeed, it is fair to state that the war on Fisk could not have been won without Carl, as well as several other key members of Blackstar’s crime-fighting organization, including lifelong friend and peer :Spectacular Man. Often they beat back the evil tide and saved the day against all bloody odds. In the years following the Masslord’s defeat. Carl continued to play an active role in the “squad”, less so in the crime fighting department; but more towards research and development of technology and resources pertaining to national and world security. As Earth eventually embraced the genesis of space inhabitation and exploration, and Blackstar’s crime-fighting organization was increasingly associated with NASA, Carl became America’s leading astronaut. He spent the majority of the 2nd half of his life traveling throughout the Milky Way Galaxy, and personally supervised and assisted in the establishment of a great number of human space colonies. Carl lived to be 134 years old when his amazing powers finally began to wane, and the characteristic features of old age took their toll with an alarming pace. Having lived a long, happy and prosperous life, Carl departed from Earth for the last time on a mission from which he would never return. His vessel is said to have traversed the known boundaries of the Milky Way Galaxy on April 17th, 2103 at 3:22 A.M. and forever lost communication with headquarters. Throughout that entire day, all of the free nations of the world celebrated the life and achievements and departure of one of Earth’s greatest heroes and champions. Carl Bicept 1969-2103

  End.