The Poltergeist

The Adventures of the ALL NEW Poltergeist
PART ONE
By
Brian E. Ritenbaugh

TJ Murphy could feel the sweat run down his face, neck and back. The heavy cotton cloak was probably not the best choice for the humid summer night. But he hadn't had time to make a more summer friendly costume. It was far easier to order the cloak from an online costume shop than to make one himself. After all, Poltergeist had criminals to catch.

Wrapping himself in the cloak, despite the heat, Poltergeist levitated himself from his perch on the ledge of the old brownstone across from the Museum and vanished. Anyone watching him would have sworn they saw a silvery and ephemeral figure in the moonlight, a ghost. That was the idea.

As he expected, there was movement on the museum roof. Poltergeist had gotten the tip from "Friendly" Freddy, his most consistent snitch. Someone was going to hit the museum tonight for the Ruby Falcon on loan from the Gotham City Museum of Art and Natural History.

Poltergeist was going to stop them. Invisible to the naked eye, he drew nearer to the would be thieves. Just as he reached the museum rooftop an image came to his mind's eye as another of his gifts manifested. He saw a long black umbrella accompanied by a foreboding sense of danger. It confused him. What could be dangerous about an umbrella?

He reached the rooftop, just in time to hear the thieves' conversation.

"What's so special about this old statue anyway, Boss?"

"The Ruby Falcon is one of the most priceless artifacts in the world. I followed it all the way from Gotham to this diminutive dell and besides, my pugnacious pugilist, I want it."

Poltergeist hovered just behind the duo. They were a mismatched pair. One was broad shouldered and tall. Hired muscle in cheap clothes. The other was short and round. He wore a tuxedo and top hat. Poltergeist noted that he leaned on an umbrella as the other broke into a skylight.

"My advice to you is to stop what you are doing and go home. You will not like the consequences."

The duo spun around, the large one pulled a gun, the short one aiming his umbrella towards the source of the voice. He was off to the left by about a foot.
The short man had spectacles perched on the end of a long beak-like nose and small, squinty eyes.

"You should not involve yourself in something that does not concern you, my mysterious man."

"Is it the bat, boss?"

"Doubtful, we would have been hammered not harangued by now."

Poltergeist closed the distance between him and his foes.

"This is my town," he whispered in the villain's ear. "So that makes it my business."

"Waa! Waa!" The villain jumped and stabbed his umbrella to the side. A blade almost eight inches long jabbed to where Poltergeist had been just moments ago. He finally understood his vision of the umbrella. He also figured out the villain he was up against.

"Why don't you show yourself? Face your enemies instead of hiding in the dark?"

"Actually," Poltergeist informed the villain. "I hide in the light."

Six feet away from one of Gotham City's most dangerous villains, a glint of light appeared as the light Poltergeist bent around his body to make himself invisible was released. He still hovered about three feet above the rooftop. His silvery-gray cloak billowed around him in the wind, but kept his body hidden.  His face was also hidden in the darkness of his hood.  The ghost guardian of New Elmhurst faced the Penguin and his henchman.

Immediately, Penguin's hired gun opened fire. He might as well have thrown the bullets for all the good it did. Poltergeist's strong telekinesis stopped every one of them. For effect, he let them hang in the air until the sound of the gunfire faded away into the night. Then they fell, one by one, clinking onto the roof top. By the time the last one fell, the muscle-bound brute was slammed into the door to the rooftop and rendered unconscious.

"You've only postponed the inevitable, you inhospitable hero!"

Penguin pointed his umbrella at Poltergeist. It opened and began to spin. The blade disappeared only to be followed by smoke billowing from the tip. By the time, Poltergeist cleared the air telekinetically, the Penguin had flown off.

"And I thought penguins were flightless birds."

A groan brought Poltergeist's thoughts back to the ground. Penguin's bodyguard was waking up. Poltergeist had to move fast, before the guy came around completely. He knelt by the prone form and pulled off a gray glove. He placed his fingertips on the thug's forehead. The images, like always, came fast to Poltergeist's psychometric ability. Just as he expected, this guy was a professional. Years of crimes filled his memories; he was still wanted for many of them.

"Well, buddy, looks like I'm making a pit stop before turning in for the night."          



New Elmhurst was a small city located almost halfway between Metropolis and Gotham City. Over the years it had grown steadily from a depressed former mining town to the place to find the best theatrical performances. Almost all of the shows that started in its theatre district moved to the big time. It has also seen its share of crime and big name criminals, not to mention the heroes that fought them, pass through over the years, but it was only about a year ago that it could finally boast one its own, Poltergeist. Although not all of New Elmhurst's citizens were happy and proud of their very own vigilante.

Captain James Barton listened as the thug spilled his guts. After twenty years as a cop, he thought he heard it all. He also thought that since transferring out of the GCPD to the much smaller New Elmhurst Police Department, he'd see his last vigilante. Last year that had all changed. Criminals began showing up on the precinct steps, tied up and confessing to their crimes. They all claimed the same thing. They were caught by a ghost. They couldn't hit it. They couldn’t shoot it. It would appear and disappear. And it would pin them to the ground or a wall from sometimes ten feet away. Barton didn't believe for a minute that this ghost was nothing more than another guy in spandex. But there was no convincing the thug handcuffed in front of him. The only difference between this guy and the other crooks the spook brought in was this guy was a hired thug to one of the most dangerous criminal masterminds on the East Coast. He said he was hired by the Penguin to steal the Ruby Falcon, on loan from Gotham City Museum of Art and History. Then the ghost showed up and stopped them.

When the professional criminal had finished his confession, Barton had him locked up. He was wanted for a laundry list of burglaries, assaults, armed robberies and several counts of grand theft and larceny.

"Another one brought in by the spook, Captain?"

"Yes and this one has ties to the Penguin."

"The Penguin! What's he doing in New Elmhurst?"

"He's after some statue at the museum. I want you and Bernard over there to check it out."

"Yeah, sure, Captain."

"And, Chauncey?"

"Yeah, Cap?"

"Keep an eye out for the spook. Don't take any chances, but bring him in if you can."

Chauncey frowned at his boss. "You know we'll try, Cap, but we haven't been able to catch him yet."

"It's like he was a ghost." The two officers said in unison.



The late hours TJ had been keeping for the past year had become easier on his mind and body, but there were still had days where his warm bed was much more inviting then his internship at Wayne Tech. Today was one of those days. TJ dragged himself from bed as his alarm clock screamed at him.

He was getting dressed when he heard his roommate, his brother John, waking.

Hey, John.  TJ sent his thoughts towards his brother. You'll never guess who I ran into last night.

"Damn it, TJ!" His brother yelled from his bedroom. "You know I hate it when you do that! Especially first thing in the morning!"

TJ chuckled to himself. His brother and his parents were all aware of his remarkable abilities and the accident that had given them to him. For the most part, they accepted them and what he did at night. But that didn't mean they were used to being spoken to telepathically.

"So," John said, leaning on his brother's bedroom doorframe. "Who did you run into last night?"

"You're not going to believe it"

"Try me. Who was it?"

"The Penguin."

"No way! You're making that up!"

TJ shook his head. "I swear! He and some goon were trying to steal that Ruby Falcon at the museum. I caught the thug, but Penguin flew off."
"I though penguins were flightless birds?

TJ laughed. "That's what I said!"

"Wow, TJ, that's huge. You better be careful. Maybe you should call in some help or something?"

"Oh, yeah, I have the Justice League on speed dial. Here let me give 'em a ring."

John frowned. "Yeah, that won't work. Hey, can't you, you know, send them a message?" John tapped his temple.

TJ shook his head. "It doesn't work that way. I can only send words and pictures to people I've all ready met. I've never met any other heroes."

"Yeah, well then, just be careful. From what I've read in the newspapers, Penguin is a pretty crafty villain. Probably the most dangerous you've come across yet."

TJ nodded. "I think you're right. But don't worry. I think I have the advantage over him. I know something about him and he knows very little about me and what I can do. Besides, he may have all ready left town, given up on the Ruby Falcon."

John raised his eyebrows at his brother. "Do you really believe that?"

"No, not really," TJ admitted.

The brothers were silent for a few minutes. Then John clapped his hands together. "Well, then, Mr. Intern, we better get going. We've got to put the finishing touches on that project today. I heard the Big Boss is coming in to take a look at it."

"The Big Boss? Mr.Wayne? He's going to be there today?"

"That's right. Didn't your psychic powers tell you that?"

"Nope, they were silent on that subject."

"Ah, well then, let's get going."

"Yes, sir, Doctor Murphy, sir."



The New Elmhurst branch of Wayne Tech boasted some of the finest engineers on the East Coast. That included Doctor John Adams Murphy and his graduate student intern Thomas Jefferson Murphy. The brothers worked well together, often picking up on each others ideas quickly and being able to anticipated thoughts and reactions of the other. The project they were currently finishing up was a military uniform for Special Forces units. It was designed to make the wearer invisible to the infrared spectrum, to mask their body heat for infiltration and rescue operations.

Bruce Wayne had other ideas for the project. But he was not about to share those ideas with the design team. He listened carefully as Doctor Murphy explained how it worked.

"The Cool Suit doesn’t actually pull heat away from the body. It absorbs the heat given off and passes it through these gel packs. Its triple layer design keeps the body warm yet keeps heat from escaping at the same time."

"What's in the gel packs?" Bruce asked.

Dr. Murphy answered. The gel was made from a non-toxic, bio-degradable plant based material. The suit also had an outer Kevlar lining, so a rupture was unlikely, but even if it did happen, it would be completely safe.

"Excellent work, Doctor Murphy." 

"Thank you Mr. Wayne. I couldn’t have done it without the help of my talented intern. Have you met my brother TJ?"

"Brother?" Bruce frowned. "I'm not a fan of nepotism, Doctor Murphy."

John nodded. "I understand, Mr. Wayne and neither am I, which is why I had Doctor Foster choose my intern; TJ's work and qualifications speak for themselves."

"I'm glad to hear that. Well done, Mr. Murphy."

Bruce offered his hand to TJ. When the young hero took it, an image snapped to his mind. What he saw shook him. But he managed to cover it well enough.

"Th-thank you, Mr. Wayne."

A few more pleasantries were exchanged, including plans to move the suit into mass production,  then Mr. Wayne left to continue his tour of the New Elmhurst branch of Wayne Tech.

For the rest of the day, TJ tried to put what he saw in his mind's eye behind him and concentrate on his work. It proved to be difficult.

Meanwhile, across town and comfortably set in the local Hyatt Regency suite. The Penguin fumed and planned.

"We gonna spring Eddie, Boss?"

The Penguin turned his squinty gaze towards his ignorant henchmen. He had arranged for six more to arrive earlier that afternoon. 

"No. That hulking halfwit got what he deserved. Besides, we've got plans. I intend to have the Ruby Falcon tonight."

"But, Boss, aren't you afraid of that ghost showing up again?"

"That pesky Poltergeist is no more a ghost than you are a member of Mensa. We'll be ready for him."

Penguin placed a lit cigarette, tucked neatly into a dark holder, into his lips. "We'll be ready for him, indeed."


That evening, while TJ was putting on his costume, his brother stopped into his room.

"You going after the Penguin tonight?"

TJ shook his head. "I'm not planning on hunting him down. But I think he'll probably try to make another attempt on the statue tonight."

"Any visions to show you what's out there?"

"Not a one. The clairvoyance isn't as reliable as the telekinesis or even the telepathy and psychometry." He looked at his brother. "I'll be okay, John, really."

"I know, but one of these days, you might not be."

"It's a risk I choose to take. What else can I do with these powers? I mean…"

John held up his hands in surrender. "Whoa! Whoa! I didn't mean to bring up an old argument. I just want you to be careful. It's an older brother's prerogative to worry about his kid brother, okay?"

TJ smiled. "Okay, John, I get it. I will be as careful as I can, all right?"

"That's all I ask."

Behind TJ his bedroom window slid open without a sound. "See you in the morning," he told his brother as he pulled his hood up to hide his face. Then he vanished. Moments later the window slid closed again. A few moments more and John pulled himself out of his brother's room.


Later, Poltergeist hovered at the edge of the museum rooftop. There was a small piece of yellow police tape sticking out from the door to the roof. Some of the spent bullet shells were gone, probably taken by forensics. And there was a police guard near the skylight.

Something felt wrong to Poltergeist. It wasn't a precognitive warning this time, but more of a gut feeling. He didn't ignore it.

Behind the guard, in the shadows, there was movement. Someone was there. Poltergeist was willing to bet it was not another guard. Silent and invisible he moved closer. As he reached the edge of the shadow, his mind warned him. He launched himself to the side. There was a crack and the smell of ozone. An electrified net whizzed past him, spitting sparks. It landed on the rooftop and went out. He turned back towards its origin point.. This time there was no warning. The net hit him and wrapped itself around him before he could react. Electric currents coursed through him causing his muscles to involuntarily contract and relax. He couldn't concentrate, couldn't think. He fought with the blackness.

Then the currents stopped and he felt himself fall to the rooftop. In those few seconds, he reached out with his mind. He reached for another mind, one he barely knew. He hoped it was enough because the blackness won.


From the shadows, Penguin and his goon squad emerged. They wore goggles with blinking lights in the center.

"Gee, you was right, Boss. These infer red doodads made him look like he was real."

The Penguin pulled the infrared goggles off is face and replaced his glasses. "He is real you babbling buffoon. Now secure him before he wakes up. We've got a Ruby Falcon to steal."


He felt as if he was clawing his way through tar. It was heavy and thick. He had trouble drawing a breath. He arms and legs wouldn't obey his mind. But that didn't matter because his mind was too fuzzy to give coherent commands anyway. Ahead of him a dim light appeared. Slowly it grew stronger. He reached for it, pushed towards it. Centuries later, Poltergeist opened his eyes.

He was hanging upside down. He could see the Penguin standing in front of an empty glass case. The Ruby Falcon glittered in his white gloved hands. The goons stood empty eyed beside him. Poltergeist tried to reach out with his mind and grab the statue from the villain's hands. Nothing happened. He tried to growl out a threat, but his mouth and voice wouldn't obey his commands. He managed a weak grunt. But it was enough to get the Penguin's attention.

"Well, well. Look who's awake." Penguin looked at Poltergeist with sanguine interest. "I must admit you were a challenging chum at first, but in the end nothing more than a mere nuisance."

Poltergeist grunted again.

"Ah, yes. You are wondering why you can't move. Simple really. A low amperage current is being run through your body. Nothing to cause any permanent problems, but sufficient to keep you out of the way."

Penguin signaled to his goons to head out.

"At least, I don't think there will be any permanent damage. Don't worry, someone will find you in the morning. Ta Ta, my agonized antagonist."

The villain and his goons were halfway up the rope ladder towards the museum's skylight, when Poltergeist heard a low hum. It grew closer until, finally, it ended in a shower of sparks.

The current stopped flowing thorough his body. It took a few moments for the last of the muscle spasms to subside. But when they did, Poltergeist burst from the net in a shower of wires.

When he looked around he found that his desperate message had indeed been received. He managed to get to his feet just as the Batman took out the last of Penguin's six goons. The Penguin, however, was just vanishing through the skylight on his helicopter umbrella.

"I don't think so." TJ launched himself in a silver gray blue into the air and through the skylight. He didn't bother to put up his hood or wrap himself in his cloak. When he burst through the open skylight, he reached out with his mind and caught the whirling umbrella.

"How about a ride, Penguin!"

Poltergeist pulled the Penguin through loops and figure eights. He bounced the rotund villain around until he begged for it to stop. Finally, Poltergeist ripped the umbrella apart and used the pieces to tie up the villain. Then hero, crook and statue floated back into the museum. Batman was waiting beside the six thugs, now tied up.

Poltergeist placed the Ruby Falcon back into its case and put the Penguin with his goons.

"Thanks for coming." Poltergeist looked at the dark cowled hero.

"How did you know I was here?"

To prevent the criminals from overhearing, TJ answered telepathically.

I know you remember my face. We met at your company. When we shook hands I had a psychometric vision. I saw you putting on the cowl.  Your secret is safe with me.

Poltergeist pulled on his hood and wrapped his cloak around himself. From outside came the sound of police sirens.

"I hope mine is safe too. I've got to go. The police…"

"The office building to the east. We need to talk."

Batman shot his grappling hook out the skylight and ascended. Poltergeist was right beside him. Minutes later the two vigilantes stood face to face on another rooftop.

TJ answered all the questions Batman put to him. He was asked about how long he'd been working in the city. How he caught the crooks. How his powers worked, how he got them and what he knew his limit to be. He told Batman how he stumbled across the Penguin and how he was caught. They finished when Batman was satisfied with the answers. The sun was peaking over the horizon in the east.

A very tired Poltergeist dragged himself home. He barely managed to keep himself invisible as he slid through his bedroom window. He didn't bother to remove his cloak. He just fell into bed and passed out.


"TJ! TJ!" Hands rudely shook his still tired body. He weakly shoved them away and tried to reclaim the sweet oblivion of sleep. "TJ! Wake up!"

Wearily, TJ opened his eyes. He found John leaning over him with a wide grin on his face. "How'd you do it? Where'd you get the material? Why didn't you tell me you were making one for yourself?"

TJ groaned. "What are you talking about, John?"

"What do you mean, what am I talking about? Come on! Get up!"

John all but dragged TJ from his bed and downstairs to the living room. Standing in the center of the room was a silver gray Cool Suit wrapped in a matching, and all weather appropriate, hooded cloak.

"What the…?"

TJ couldn't believe what he was seeing. Right there in front of him was the ultimate Poltergeist costume. There was something sticking out of the belt on the waist. TJ pulled it out. He smiled as he looked at it. It was a small white business card. The only thing on it was the symbol of a bat and two neatly written words: Good Luck.

"Whoa! You met Batman? You know Batman?"

"Yeah, just last night."

"Did your powers tell you who he is?"

"Sorry, John."

With a thought, TJ caused the costume to float off its stand. With a flourish of the cloak he telekinetically put the costume on. It fit perfectly.

"I can't tell you."

Poltergeist vanished.


END