Sesame, DC: The Superman at the End of This Story

[The Count]

See... Now this is the kinda chapter I like. The fireball crashing down to Earth... Good to get a perspective of how everybody, in their different groupings, noticed the crash. Daphne and Big Bird are getting some good airtime here... Thankfully, they avoided being run over by Ben Hubbard. And the conversation at the end where they're holding Daphne down... Well, I'll let you elaborate on that in the next chapter, along with the stranger in the spacesuit.
Hope for more soon.

 

[muppetwriter]

Chapter Nine​

By the time morning had arrived over Smallville, the following members of Mystery Inc. had no clue where Daphne and Big Bird were. They sat in their motel room, quiet and worried, as Fred tried several times to contact Daphne on her cell phone. Every time he got her voice message, he groaned and hung up the phone in frustration. Scooby and Shaggy felt themselves getting very hungry, but they were too worried about their friends to eat anything. Velma was staring out the window of the room, seeing the magnificent sunset that shined brightly over the vast cornfields outside of town.

“Where are they?!” Fred exclaimed, and Velma sighed before she answered Fred’s question.

“They’d gone to a farm outside of town that’s owned by the Kent family.” Velma said. “They went there thinking that they would find the Kryptonian crystal there.”

“They thought a crystal from another planet would be stocked up someplace in a farm?” Shaggy said, and he & Scooby tried to keep themselves from laughing, but their snickering only offended Fred and Velma.

“This is serious, guys!” Fred exclaimed. “Now we’ve got four missing people on our hands, and we still have to find that crystal in order to get two of them back.”

“Big Bird thought that a guy named Ben Hubbard would know where the crystal is,” Velma said, “Either he’s still at that farm or he’s here in town.”

“Well, let’s find this Ben Hubbard and ask him where Daphne and Big Bird are.” Fred said, and they were about to leave the motel room, until the door opened and two dirtied figures entered. It was Daphne and Big Bird, looking happy, disgusted, and amazed all at the same time. Fred, Velma, Scooby, and Shaggy were extraordinarily surprised to see them there, so much that they each wanted to give Daphne and Big Bird a hug, until they noticed how dirty and smelly they were.

“Does it take that long to nab one crystal?!” Velma asked, while pinching her nose. “We’ve been calling for hours! What took so long?!”

“From the looks of your clothes and the smell that fuming this room, I’d say you had gone horseback riding.” Shaggy said, and Daphne smiled, not seeming to be a bit offended over his remark.

“For your information, we were lying in mud, which is the perfect thing to clear up a complexion.” Daphne said. “And speaking of information, we found out who the people that kidnapped Mac and Frankie are.”

“You did?” Fred said, surprised. “Who is it?”

“Do you guys remember the Sleaze Brothers?” Daphne asked.

“Remember them?” Shaggy said, and he & Scooby looked very angry. “Those creeps stole one of the grandest sandwiches that Scoob and I made six years ago, when we rode one of the lamest rides in their lame carnival. Since that day, we’ve been just itchin’ to get payback.”

“Well, it looks like you might get after all, Shaggy,” Big Bird said, “Because the Sleaze Brothers are the ones that have kidnapped Mac and Frankie, with help from Lefty the salesman…well, that is, he was a salesman.”

“But they’re not the masterminds behind this crime.” Daphne said. “While my makeup was being washed away by the mud on my face, I found out that the kidnappers are working with the greatest thief of all time, Carmen Sandiego!” The name sent a shiver down the spines of Fred, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby, just like it had with Daphne’s, when the Sleaze Brothers utter the name in her ear.

“Carmen Sandiego.” Fred uttered. “That would explain everything.”

“Indeed, it does.” Velma said. “The interest in the Kryptonian crystals, the interest in the new planet, and she might’ve kidnapped Mac for the knowledge of it all.”

“One of the brothers did say that Mac ‘knew too much’,” Daphne said, “But he also said the same about Frankie.”

“Frankie only heard about the info on the new planet in one night. What else would she know about it?” Shaggy asked, and he thought a little more about it. “Maybe she knew something that none of us did.”

“The only thing Frankie knows is how to find a good place to listen to punk rock.” Velma said. “But never mind about her. I just wanna know how Daphne and Big Bird were able to avoid Lefty and the Sleazes long enough to escape and come back with all of this information.”

“We didn’t escape.” Big Bird said. “Superman came and rescued us!” The Mystery Inc. gang just looked at Big Bird oddly; neither of them believed the bird—though Daphne wanted to, but being that her eyes were blinded by mud at the time, it was hard for her to believe anything that she didn’t see.

“Yeah, that’s…uh…cool, Big Bird.” Fred said, with a fake smile, just before he came close to Daphne and whispered in her right ear. “What really happened?”

“Martha Kent had shown up with her son, Clark, and threatened to call the police if Lefty and the brothers didn’t leave the premises…that’s all.” Daphne murmured, but Big Bird could hear every word they had said, making him offended that the gang still didn’t believe him.

“I’m telling ya, Superman saved us!” Big Bird exclaimed. “He wasn’t wearing his special costume at the time, but he came and he lifted Lefty and the brothers high in the air and flew off the ground and around the clouds, long enough to scare them to the point where they just ran off in their truck and never came back! He saved us! He did!”

“Take it easy, B.B.” Shaggy said. “We believe you, man.”

“No, you don’t.” Big Bird said. “You’re just saying that to calm me down…and it’s not working. Oh! I’ve never felt this frustrated since I tried telling everyone about Snuffy!”

“Man! You still trying to convince everyone that dude’s real?!” Shaggy exclaimed, and Big Bird just shook his head, as he started making his way towards the door.

“Just forget it.” Big Bird said, in a defeated tone. “I’ll never convince anyone that I really met him. I’ll be at the diner across the street if you’re looking for me.” The gang watched the disappointed yellow bird as he left the room; they really felt sad for him, only because of his extremely active imagination.

“Poor thing.” Daphne said. “I want to believe him; but my eyes were so filled with mud, I could only go by what I heard and that was Martha Kent scaring off Lefty and the Sleazes.”

“This is only a phase, Daphne. You know that.” Fred said. “In two years, he’ll start telling everyone that he’s friends with a guy who climbs up walls and wears a mask.”

“Let’s get back on subject here, people. No offense to Big Bird, but my cousin’s safety is more important than a wild imagination.” Velma said. “Daphne, were you able to see if Ms. Kent knew anything about strange out-worldly crystals?”

“She couldn’t tell me anything.” Daphne said. “But her son told me that the meteorite that fell from the sky last night contained a crystal that he trusted us enough to loan.” Daphne reached into her purse and pulled out the Kryptonian crystal. As they all stared at it, it sparkled in their amazed eyes; it was almost as if it had a hypnotic hold on them.

“And he actually gave this to you?” Velma inquired.

“Actually, he gave it to Big Bird, who then gave it to me.” Daphne said, and she noticed how her companions had gone from looking amazed to being a little suspicious. They did the math in their heads, but none of them were able to work up a reasonable conclusion. “You guys don’t think that…Big Bird?” None of them said anything; instead, they just continued staring at the crystal, wondering what they should do next.

Meanwhile, inside the Smallville Café, Big Bird entered to find the same number of customers and employees from last night, which he found to be a little odd. What really surprised him was seeing Rowlf the Dog still playing the café’s piano; however, he was playing the tune to “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning!” After asking a diner employee if they served birdseed milkshakes and getting a “no” in reply, Big Bird walked over to the piano and had a chat with Rowlf.

“Good morning, friend.” Rowlf said. “I play this tune almost more than I’ve seen the movie…and that way too many times.”

“I really like it.” Big Bird said. “I hear my friend Bob sing it every morning. He even sings it during other times of the day, like the evening, the afternoon, or while he watching stars in the sky at night.”

“That must be one happy guy to sing a song about mornings during other parts of the day.” Rowlf remarked.

“Oh, yeah.” Big Bird said. “Everybody’s always happy at Sesame Street.”

“Sesame Street?” Rowlf said, intrigued by the name of the place.

“The neighborhood that I live on in Metropolis.” Big Bird said, and Rowlf’s memory seemed to have kicked in that moment, as he put two and two together.

“You know, I think I’ve finally recognized you from someplace.” Rowlf said. “I knew the moment you came in with that other dog and his human companions that I’ve seen or heard of you from someplace.”

“You have?” said Big Bird, feeling a bit honored. “Well, I wouldn’t be surprised. Everyone in Smallville probably knows who I am.”

“That’s because everyone in Smallville knows who Clark Kent is.” Rowlf said. “That kid was one heck of a hero in this town. Saved me once from one giant hole that I dug up one day in the fields. There was no possible way I could’ve climbed out of that hole by myself. But when Clark flew in and rescued me, I couldn’t have been more relieved that my life had been saved by the one and only, ‘Superboy’.” Big Bird was surprised that an ordinary dog/piano player like Rowlf actually knew Superman himself.

“You know Superman, too?!” Big Bird exclaimed, and Rowlf quickly shushed him; Big Bird covered his beak, looking around to see if anyone heard him—thankfully, no one had. “Why do you think he revealed his powers to you?”

“He might’ve thought I was just your typical dog who wouldn’t know any better.” Rowlf said. “Little did he know that he rescued what would one day be the only dog to ever play the only piano in Smallville’s only café.”

“Wow.” Big Bird uttered, with his surprise quickly being replaced by his sorrow, as he remembered how his Mystery Inc. friends neglected his fact on having a history with the Man of Steel. “I bet no one believes that you met Superman before he became Superman.”

“Well, it’s probably best if they don’t, my big yellow friend.” Rowlf said. “You see, when you’ve learned Superman’s big secret, it’s like you’ve taken an oath to a secret club or something; this club being for Superman fans. If you go around telling everyone that you knew Superman before he became Superman, then you’ll break the oath you made to the club and be kicked out for sure, because people will know who he really is, and they’ll go to Clark and ask him endless questions. And Superman’s greatest enemies will become Clark Kent’s greatest enemies, coming after those he cares about the most.”

“Wow.” Big Bird said, taken aback by Rowlf’s words. “I never saw it that way before.”

“So you see why it’s important that you keep your beak closed and that I keep my muzzle shut about Supes’ secret?” Rowlf asked, and as Big Bird nodded, a freshened-up Daphne stepped into the café and found Big Bird standing next to Rowlf and the piano.

“Big Bird, let’s get you cleaned up, before we head back to Metropolis.” Daphne said, and as she lead him out of the café, Big Bird looked back at Rowlf, who made a zipping gesture across his mouth as a way of telling Big Bird not to say anything about a history with the Man of Steel anymore. Upon leaving the café with Daphne, Big Bird nodded in agreement.

END OF CHAPTER NINE​

 

[The Count]

Very much goodness here sir.

1 Shouldn't it be "sunrise" since it's morning?
2 Shouldn't it be "strange other-worldly" instead of "out-worldly"?
3 Nice nod to Spidey and Snuffy in the scene back at the motel.
4 Rully good wisdom dispensed by Rowlf at the cafe.
5 Something I'm not sure I followed is why Mystery Inc. is afraid of Carmen? They say that she's the one criminal who would drive them out of business if they captured her... Don't you mean she's the one that would put them out of business if they "never" captured her instead?
Just got a little lost on that one.

Rully good stuff hope for more soon.

 

[muppetwriter]

5 Something I'm not sure I followed is why Mystery Inc. is afraid of Carmen? They say that she's the one criminal who would drive them out of business if they captured her... Don't you mean she's the one that would put them out of business if they "never" captured her instead?
Just got a little lost on that one.

Well, they're not afraid of her. They just never been able to capture her, because she's so slick. And when they said that she is the one criminal who would put them out of business if they captured her, they meant that in the sense that Mystery Inc. would finally retire from the crime-solving business, having put away the greatest criminal of all time. They consider that to be their trophy prize for all those years of detective work.

However, there is a mystery about Carmen Sandiego that's bigger than what the gang expected, and when they discover what that mystery is, they'll think twice about retirement.

 

[The Count]

OK... Thanks, I think.

 

[muppetwriter]

If you're still at a loss, Count, then I could just call it a typo and say that the Mystery Inc. gang are in fact scared that they'll never catch Carmen and that she'll put them out of business.

 

[The Count]

Oh sorry... Understood what you meant when explaining, it sounds fine. Just... Bigger mystery? Threw me off a bit, but don't worry... Just save that bit of info for whenever you feel it should be revealed.

 

[muppetwriter]

I can tell ya one thing: Carmen's mystery is a bigger one than Gonzo's from the X-Men/Muppets saga.

 

[muppetwriter]

Chapter Ten​

Outside the city of Metropolis, there was a nicely established manor nestled in the countryside; none other than the greatest thief of all time, Carmen Sandiego, owned both it and the property surrounding it. Only a day after their encounter in Smallville, Lefty and the Sleaze Brothers arrived at the manor in their truck; they were each mortified over what they had gone through in Kansas, and none of them were certain of how they should break the news to Carmen. Upon entering the manor, a man wearing a black fedora, dark sunglasses, and a black suit and tie greeted them; the man was one of the many VILE agents guarding the entire manor. His outfit was the exact same one that was worn by every agent in the organization, but that wasn’t the weirdest part of them; they all appeared to have no emotion whatsoever.

After being checked by the VILE agent, Lefty and the brothers were taken upstairs to Carmen’s office, which was an enormous room with lots of portraits of Carmen herself, accompanied by displays of all the valuable items that Carmen had stolen over the five years that she had spent living a life of crime. Lefty and the Sleazes had entered that room many times before; but every time they had, they were intrigued by everything Carmen had displayed in it. However, their admiration was shortened once their eyes were locked on the desk that sat near a gigantic window, with a view of the Metropolis city that was miles away. With her chair facing the three, Carmen spoke with an eerie hint of calmness in her voice.

“You didn’t get the crystal, did you?” Carmen said.

“Riiiight.” Lefty replied, though he really didn’t want to. “But something…or should I say, someone kept us from getting it.”

“Let me guess…Superman?” Carmen said, and Lefty & the Sleazes were surprised that she knew, just as she tossed something backwards to them, which Sam caught at first but then dropped. Lefty bent over and picked up the object that Carmen had thrown; it was a copy of the Daily Planet that had a photograph of Superman himself on the cover. The headline read in big, bold words: “Superman Returns!!” It explained how Superman rescued a malfunctioning jet plane before it had crashed into a baseball stadium.

“Uh, yeah…we just found out that he’s…” Sam said, but Carmen—as before—finished his statement for him.

“Back?” She said, as she swiveled her chair around to where she was facing the three criminals. “I send you three to do the simplest thing I could possibly assign you, and you foul it up, just like that!”

“Hey, listen, Sandiego,” Sam said, getting frustrated, “You’re the one who came to us! If you want to find someone else who can get these crystals for ya, then I suggest…”

“I suggest you keep your mouth shut, Sleaze!” Carmen shouted, her voice echoing throughout the room and the rest of the manor. Sam immediately kept quiet, fear quickly replacing frustration. “So you got your butts handed to you by Superman, at the same time you failed to retrieve the crystal.” As she spoke, she got up from her desk (in a very sultry way) and moved towards them. “You know, each and every time you guys do something brainless, I find a better reason to turn you into supermen.”

“We’ll get the crystal for you, Miss Sandiego.” Sid assured. “We just need a better plan.”

“Forget it.” Carmen said, moving back to her desk. “While you three were off in the town of ‘Yee-Haw’, a few of my agents and I were able to infiltrate the Vanderworth estate and get back the second Kryptonian crystal that Mr. Luthor stole from us.” She pulled out a key from one of her trenchcoat pockets and used it to unlock one of the desk drawers, which she was keeping the once stolen crystal in. “So, not only do we have the crystal that Luthor had obtained, but we also have the one that the child and his friend had as well.” While Carmen was pulling the second crystal from the drawer, she pulled the one that she stole from Mac out of another trenchcoat pocket. The two Kryptonian crystals that Carmen held close together in front of her astounded lefty and the Sleazes.

“Great.” Sam said, with a smile that quickly faded. “But there’s still the problem of getting that third and final one.”

“How much do you wanna bet that the bird and his friends from Mystery Inc. got it?” Lefty asked.

“I’m willing to bet your lives on that.” Carmen said, with a wicked grin. “Knowing Mystery Inc., they’re always one step ahead of me. But, fortunately, I always find a way to get one step ahead of them.”

“You’ve got a plan, Miss Sandiego?” Sid asked.

“Don’t I always.” Carmen replied. “While we were infiltrating the Vanderworth estate, I was able to find some notes that Luthor has been making on this master plan that he’s going to unveil soon on the world. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see what exactly it was that he’s planning to do, but I have found out a bit of intriguing information.”

“And what’s that?” Sam asked, just before Carmen reached into another desk drawer and pulled out a laptop and a compact disc. Setting the laptop on her desk and turning it on, she inserted the disc on the side of it afterwards, bringing a holographic image of a huge crystalline building that she immediately had shown to Lefty and the Sleazes.

“My friends, this is where we shall take the crystals to activate the gateway leading into the new planet…the Fortress of Solitude.” Carmen said, and Lefty & the brothers were impressed over the crystal structure of the complex. “It’s Superman’s ‘secret citadel’; somewhere where he can go to take a load off his mind. And it’s also a place where you can learn valuable bits of information that pertains to Superman’s former home of origin, Krypton.”

“I bet there are thousands of valuables in that pad that we can steal and make tons of money off of.” Sam said, shortly before Carmen slammed the laptop shut and glared into Sam’s eyes.

“We are not going to make cash off of crystals from another planet!” She yelled. “We are going to use them to go to a planet that I wish to be the supreme ruler of! Yes! I’d like billions of people to bow down to one of the greatest kings of all time!” Sid couldn’t help but to notice the error that Carmen made in her last statement.

“Uh, don’t you mean one of the greatest queens of all time?” Sid said, and Carmen made a shallow expression after she realized her own mistake.

“Oh, yeah…right.” Carmen said, and Lefty & the Sleazes turned to each other with strange looks on their faces; neither of them would’ve ever expected a super intelligent thief like Carmen to make a small mistake like that.

“Riiiight.” Lefty said. “So, getting back on the real issue at hand, how exactly are we gonna get that third and last crystal from our adversaries?”

“Now that the detectives from Mystery Inc. know about my interest in the crystals, they’re going to be turning to their friends at the ACME Detective Agency for help finding out where I am.” Carmen said. “And since the computers that ACME use in their headquarters are so advanced nowadays, I’m guessing that they’ll find the exact coordinates to our location within an hour.”

“An hour?!” Sam exclaimed. “In that case, we’ve got to bail out of here, ASAP!!!”

“No use trying to hide from them, Sleaze.” Carmen said, while drinking a cup of what appeared to be coffee, but was black enough to look like oil. “Like I said, their technology is very advanced, and it’d be useless to run.”

“So what do you suggest we do?” Sam asked, with a hint of hostility in his voice, which angered Carmen a little.

“First, I suggest you get the base out of your voice, before I have one of my agents turn you into guacamole that I would be happy to dip some nacho chips in.” Carmen said, and Sam immediately toned himself down, even though it really made him feel weak taking orders from a woman. “The detectives have the crystal that we’re looking for, and we have the crystals that they would like to take away from us, in order to keep our plan from happening.”

“So you think we should play a game of cat-and-mouse with them, in order to trick them into coughin’ up the last crystal?” Sid asked, and Carmen smiled at him, while applauding.

“Very good, Sid.” Carmen said, and it was difficult to tell if she was being sincere or sarcastic, since she was using a combination of both in her voice. “Now I see who has the most brains out of the two brothers.” That comment really steamed Sam up; he had always seen himself as the one with all of the brains, seeing as how he was always coming up with new schemes. But he was able to keep himself from mouthing off to Carmen again.

“Thanks, Carmen…I mean, Miss Sandiego.” Sid said, and he looked at her with dreamy eyes, remarkably captivated by her stunning beauty, as well as her great intellect.

“Yes, since the detectives literally have no clue what I plan on doing with the crystals and because ACME’s mainframe has no record of the exact location of the Fortress of Solitude, I think that should be the perfect place to lead them to.” Carmen suggested. “That way, they won’t see the trap that we’ll spring on them, upon entering the Fortress. It’s the perfect way to get the last crystal that we need to open the portal to the new planet.”

“Where exactly is the Fortress of Solitude again?” Sam queried.

“Up north in the Arctic, of course.” Carmen said. “I guess Superman built it there, just so anyone who doesn’t like the cold won’t go near it. Unfortunately for him, I like the cold.”

“Yeah, but I don’t.” Sam said.

“Then I suggest you dress warmly, Sleaze,” Carmen said, “Because the jet that’s supposed to take us there is going to leave in ten minutes.” With that said, Carmen headed out of her office, leaving Sam and Lefty feeling uncomfortable and Sid madly in love. Sam and Lefty could already feel themselves getting very cold, just thinking about the freezing atmosphere of the Arctic; but it was an unbearable love for Carmen Sandiego that kept Sid warm.

“The things you gotta do, just to obtain powers far greater than Superman’s.” Sam said. “But, just think of it, once we do get powers like Superman, we won’t have to worry about freezing our heads off. And we probably don’t have to take any more orders from Carmen Sandiego, because we’ll be far more powerful than she’ll ever wish to be.”

“Riiiight.” Lefty said, while Sid gave the both of them a shocked look, figuring out what they had in mind. He wanted to speak up and defend someone he truly loved, but his cowardice was what kept him silent.

END OF CHAPTER TEN​

 

[The Count]

Another rully great chapter. Just a few little things.
1 "reason to turn you into supermen.”
Bit lost... Is the plan to actually turn these three into super-powered supermen?
Or let them be captured by Superman, taking the wrap for her?
2 Shouldn't it be "intelligent" when talking about Carmen's little mistake?
3 Me thinks it's spelled "A-r-c-t-i-c".
4 When talking about the Fortress of Solitude, the first "where" is out of place.
Instead of "It's where Superman's secret citadel where he goes..." shouldn't it be "It's Superman's secret citadel where he goes..."?
Hope this helps... And I'm curious to see how the story will be advanced now that you've got Carmen horning in on Luther's plan, and Superman returning to town when Super Grover thinks he's the superhero to protect the city in his absence.