Rushmore in: 'A pathy for your thoughts?' (Fiction)

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota. 1st August 2009

A summer camp outing had come to see the famous, four-headed mountain on a sunny August day. The Custer City Campers had a bit of a different sight though as they peered out through the windows on their bus.

"I don't know why you've come back here yet again, Rushmore, and frankly I cannot be bothered to find out!" Captain Apathy sighed dramatically, waving his hand in a dismissive fashion. Captain Apathy was dressed in a rather ill-fitting purple costume, with metal bracers and boots plus a ridiculous piece of headgear. His black beard was neatly trimmed and there was a somewat bored look to his eyes.

"You know, Cap Ap?" Rushmore sighed, standing in front of his long time foe. "I'm sick and tired of this." His blue and white starred costume gleamed in the sun, and the red and white armour plates of his boots, gloves and shoulders were pristine and polished.

"That's the whole point of... Captain Apathy!" The Captain laughed, striking a fairly good mad villain laughing pose. The manic chuckling needed work though.

"No, not your powers... which by the way, are some of the lamest out there." Rushmore said, brushing some of his blonde hair from his face. "Look, I'm just back in this state to do something and say hi to my family. Can't you cut me a break? Go take your wife out to that seafood resturaunt she goes on about, or take your kids to the park?"

"No! You're my arch nemesis! And whatever you're up to here, you just can't be bothered to do it! Procrastinate under the power of APATHY!" Captain shouted, holding out his hands as a wave of psychic force rippled outwards.

Tensing up, Rushmore recoiled as the first wave of doubt and tiredness rolled over him, starting to press forwards against it. "Don't... waste... your... time, Captain!"

"No no, don't waste yours! Go home and slump in front of the TV you star-spangled slacker!"

Rushmore gritted his teeth, walking into the relentless rage of restfulness. As much as he hated to admit it, the Captain's lame super power was quite effective. Police would walk away from him and crack open a soda in their car, and by the time they realised what had happened, Apathy was gone with the stolen goods.

"Why do you want to work? It's the weekend Rushmore, you could be doing thousands of better things! You don't care about me, just go back to your Paragon City and eat ice cream in the park!" The wave of apathy increased, and Rushmore started to turn around. He was right, what was he doing here? Why bother to fly all the way back home, when he could be down the beach with his girlfriend-

"I miss him, Jamie..." Joanna said, cuddled up to the alter-ego of Rushmore on his sofa.

"Your brother?" Jamie replied, stroking the dyed purple hair from her face. Her Peacebringer brother had gone missing, and all attempts to find him had come for naught so far.

"I know Josh is still out there. Just... not even Susan or Juan or any of the other psychics in the Unity Vigil have had luck." The Warshade closed her eyes, looking quite sad until Jamie kissed her on the forehead.

"... I'll find him, Joanna. I've got an idea."

"Really?"

Jamie grinned. "Of course. I'm your hero, after all."

Rushmore's stance straightened as his inspiration and mission pushed through to the front of his mind. He was going to ask the Spirit of America, who made her home in Mount Rushmore, to help him find Enlightened Falcon. To ensure that his girlfriend, Penumbral Paradox, had the only member of her family who would talk to her back again.

To be a big damn hero.

"No, Apathy." Rushmore said, turning back to face him. The power of the landmark surged through him as several stones broke away from the ground, spinning round him with a glimmering lighty surrounding them.

"What?! You must! Why waste your time here? Why bother? WHY BOTHER WITH ANYTHING, HERO?"

"Because I'm a hero!" Rushmore shouted, bringing his foot down. The ground cracked under him as the faultline spiked across the rock, erupting under Captain Apathy and sending him to his knees... well, his rear.

"I bother because I care. I care about this country, I care about its people, I care about its ideals. Sure it's hard work, sure it's demanding and tough and dangerous, but someone has to!" Around him, a small flare of light began to shine behind him.

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. And I can do this." Bending down, Rushmore's hands slid smoothly into the earth, before drawing out a chunk of rock. Oddly, it left the ground under him unscathed. "Truth, justice, and CaptainApathyabouttogetstonedsayswhat?"

"... What?" The Captain asked, his expression baffled.

Rushmore flew towards him, raising the rock above his head. "Land of Sweet Liberty." Rushmore grinned brightly, before lightly bringing the rock down to pin the Captain in the crator.

"Curses, foiled again!"

"Yeah, about that... one moment." Rushmore said, his feet touching back down on the ground before walking over to the bus, smiling and waving.

"Hello Children! Welcome to Mount Rushmore. Finished in 1941, it was dedicated to the first 150 years of the U.S of A. Now, do any of you have any foil?"

A young boy ducked his head down, and after a moment showed Rushmore the foil-wrapped sandwiches his mom had packed.

"That's good, thanks, any more? I know it seems odd, but I need the foil to stop the villain over there from using his powers."

The flood of foil clad consumables was more than enough.

"Thanks kids, now, if you go and ask nicely at the tourist center, I'm sure they'll give you a special reward for helping me, Rushmore, do battle with this villain to protect one of the nations treasures." He said, before nodding in thanks as one of the adults came out of the bus with the foil.

Heading back, he sat down besides Apathy and started wrapping the foil around his head. "What is your wife going to say about this, Harold?" Rushmore sighed.

"The usual, she's all fine when I get her free lunches or jewels, but whenever YOU put me away, it's nag nag nag."

"And your kids? How do you think they feel at school, knowing their dad's a sup... a villain?"

"... Cool?"

"No, not cool."

"This smells of baloney... and cream cheese! I hate cream cheese!" The Captain pulled a face, sticking his tongue out.

"I know. Maybe next time the threat of sandwich filling smells will stop you from trying to ruin my weekend."

"I'll be out next time you come back to South Dakota, Rushmore, and when I'm out, I'll bore the hell out of you!"

Rushmore stood up and grinned. "You already do, Harold. Say hi to the police department for me. I have a job to do."

"I'm shaking my fist at you from under this boulder!"

Rushmore walked away, his cape billowing in the breeze rather dramatically as he headed for the base of the mountain. "You keep doing that." He said out loud, before looking to the stone, his voice dropping. "It's me again, and... I need some help, America."

His hands began to sink into the rock as the song of the country began to fill his ears. "Welcome, young Jamie Matthews... you have helped America often, so America will help you..."

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((Awsome story as always Z! I espeically like the little Cameo flashback, but then I would :P))

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(( My word Z... that must be one of the funniest stories I've read in a long time... Captain Apathy is just... just.. just so every corny!

Love your style, didn't see any points for improvement so keep up the good work! ))

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@ShadowGhost & @Ghostie
The Grav Mistress, Mistress of Gravity

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