Men of Mystery

Mad Scientist

Craig Crent walked around town talking to his sources; he was looking for information on who had killed Frank Thorpe. None of his informants knew anything, although Crent wasn't sure he believed him. They all seemed scare, as if talking about it won't make them a target of whoever or whatever was going on.

"Perhaps," Craig thought, "I should disguise myself and live on the streets for a while to see if I can learn what's going on." That might work or he could try a more direction approach.

That night the cyan sentinel of the city, Cerulean, leapt across the sky of the city, landing outside the home of a suspected gangster, Red Nelson. Climbing into an open window, the man in the blue found Nelson enjoying a brandy in his well-appointed study.

"Wha.." said Nelson as Cerulean came in through the window. He realized Cerulean immediately. "What do you want? I've done nothing wrong."

"Nothing that can be proved ... yet. But I'm not here about you or your gangster friends. I want to know who killed Frank Thorpe?"

Nelson shrugged. "No one knows."

"Someone knows and I think you've made inquires." He grabbed Nelson by his shirt and lifted him out of his leather chair.

"All right!" said Red. "I did ask around, but there's nothing concrete only rumors."

"I'm listening."

"Well the most popular rumor is a guy named Lyster has got a way to create mindless hulks. He grabs homeless people off the street and injects them with a serum that turns them into mindless servants. He's the one who sent the gunman that killed Thorpe."

Cerulean put Nelson down. "Why did Lyster want Thorpe dead?"

"To take over and send a message to the rest of us. He's in control now."

"Where is he?"

"If I knew that," said Nelson, "I would've sent some boys to see him."

"All right. I'll find him."

Cerulean left Nelson's house and went to visit Linus Trent also known to Cerulean as the Scarlet Avenger. After quickly summarizing his conversation with Nelson, Cerulean asked, "Know anything about Lyster?"

"Yes," replied the Trent. "Lucas Lyster, a one-time scientist with some strange theories. He disappeared from public view months ago. Guess we know why now."

"He'd need a lab to create this serum of his. Where might that be?"

"On the edge of town where most of the industrial buildings are."

"Okay. I'll go take a look and let you know what I find."

"Very good," said Trent. "Good luck."

Cerulean smiled. "We'll need more than luck to sort this one out."

Cerulean leapt over to the industrial side of town. Here factories with tall brick towers that belched out black smoke turned out all manner of goods from automobiles to steel to clothes to processed foods.

Surveying the area, the cyan sentinel saw nothing out of the ordinary until he noticed a hulking figure enter one of the more remote buildings. This factory had made shoes once but no longer actively producing anything. Yet the smokestacks still venting a noxious stream of dirty air.

Curious as so what might be going on, Cerulean entered the building through the same door as the mysterious figure he had seen. Waiting on the other side of the door were two men, large and broad like the man Cerulean had spied, but with blank expressions on their faces. The held guns, which they used as soon as the door was open. The bullets bounced off Cerulean and he grabbed them both and slammed them into each other.

They collapsed on the ground and did not move, but the noise from the fighting brought five more large men, shambling forward from the room next door. Cerulean raced over to meet them as they entered, punching each other. They each fell over and were still.

"Good," said the man in blue. "No more interruptions." He glanced around and saw the inner room had scientific equipment in it. Something was being made here, But Cerulean couldn't tell what.

A radio speaker sounded with an eerie voice. "So we meet at last. I am Lucas Lyster. If you have hearing this recording then you have bested my men, my zumbis. A pity they were very useful and without the equipment in the lab you are standing in, I cannot make anymore. I expected you will wreck the lab so I will have to more on to other pursuits. Until our paths cross again."

Cerulean shifted his jaw frustration. Lyster had anticipated someone discovering his operation and was prepared to cut it away without some so much as a blink of an eye.

But what were these other pursuit? Cerulean had a bad feeling about that. Still the scientist had been right about one thing, Cerulean had to smash this equipment so no more zumbis could be made.

He set to work and then returned to Linus Trent's home to update him.

"We'll have to keep an eye out for Lyster," said Trent. "He's a dangerous man."

"He can't hide forever," said Cerulean. "We'll find him."

"I'm not so sure. He's a clever man."

The man in azure clothes climbed into a window. "Cleverness won't help him against my fists." 

He jumped out into the night.

"No," said Trent after his visitor was gone. "But it might prevent you from ever getting a chance to use your fists."