Last Daughter of Krypton: Legion IC

[Lunaramblings]

Jonah had just glanced away for a second. Then she was gone.

"I always hated when Uncle Bruce did that... heh, they call me creepy." Jonah grinned to himself as he half mumbled. Jonah walks through the now nearly empty theatre. "So, someone mentioned breakfast?"

 

[ChasNicollette]

He kept back out of sight but listened in. as they finished talking Wildfire couldn't help himself.

Brainiac had lost the sentence that had formed in his mind. Complex equations on a mile-long chalkboard, these he could remember in an eyeblink but oh, but oh, to put words together in a string of alphanumerics that made any kind of comprehensible legible intelligible sense, this was suddenly utterly outside the realm of his possibility.

There was a kind of shivery agony, sharing in his embarrassment, blessed and merciful, on Caroline's face. He was supposed to say something. She knew he knew he could...

He didn't have to impress anyone here, there wasn't anyone here to poke fun at the reclusive wound-up-tight genius.

It was so easy for him to verbalise his thoughts and she knew there was something on his mind, she wanted to hear him say it--

"Yeah baby! Give 'em some sugar!"

Brainiac's hand clapped to his forehead and Caroline's face whipped around so quickly it made a miniature sonic boom.

"Sprock," Brainy mumbled, "ERG-1. It would be."

Caroline's face was pure seething-- shouldn't treat him like that-- he's been battered enough today--

--Wildfire was not her friend right now.

"Oh, yeah?" she flexed her jaw and gritted her teeth. "Totally a game to you, 'Fire, isn't it?"

She tilted her head and her neck cracked. "Well. Guess what?"

And she still held Querl's chin in her hand and she tilted his head and she swooped in for the kill.

Locked lips.

Kissed him hard.

Brainiac's emerald eyes went way way wide and all of a sudden he couldn't feel his legs.

Caroline removed her hand from his chin and stalked off, calling over her shoulder at Wildfire: "If it's a game? He wins."

Querl slumped back against the wall of the corridor and slid to a seat on the floor, staring almost catatonic to nowhere.

His fingers touched his lips.

"I... win?"

 

[Lunaramblings]

Wildfire chuckled as he approached Brainiac. Watching Power Girl leave.

"There ya go m'boy! Woo, starting to wonder if you were a little.... ya know.... not that there is anything wrong with that. I mean to each there own right? Brainy you dog!" Wildfire slaps Brainy on the back. "See, little machismo goes a long way there Tinman. Man, I hate to see her go, but I love watchin her leave right?"

 

[ChasNicollette]

Wildfire chuckled as he approached Brainiac. Watching Power Girl leave.

Querl grabbed onto one of the patches of wall-plate Powergirl had distorted with her sudden stop and, combining this with a bit of lift from his Flight Ring, managed to find his feet on the floor.

He stood there for a moment, gawping to nowhere.

"There ya go m'boy! Woo, starting to wonder if you were a little.... ya know.... not that there is anything wrong with that. I mean to each there own right? Brainy you dog!" Wildfire slaps Brainy on the back.

The slap on his back seemed to stir him back to awareness, and he stared at Wildfire like the energy-being had said something either sublimely ridiculous or ridiculously sublime.

Or, well, just plain ridiculous, sublimation need not apply.

"It's purely," he gestured dismissively, "vestigial Oedipal-- Freudian infatuation, strictly--"

"--my mother was a blonde, you see," he attempted, trying to rationalise.

It occured to Querl that perhaps he should thank Wildfire, from one masculine entity to another, but really, the notion was just sort of galling.

"And her behaviour, obviously," he continued, as he smoothed out the front of his uniform yet again, "was meant as a satire of your backwards backwoods thinking on the topic of physical affection."

"See, little machismo goes a long way there Tinman. Man, I hate to see her go, but I love watchin her leave right?"

Brainiac Five paused. And looked at him like a supervillain might look at a comedy sidekick: "You listen to me, Tik-Tok-- since we're using L. Frank Baum character names as pejoratives now --you will extend to that young lady a modicum of respect or I will personally see to it that your component energy particles are fed through the massive particle accellerator that encircles my homeworld's solar system. Are we clear, Tik-Tok? Are we transp? She is a co-worker and a true hero and not some, some... cheerleader fantasy upon whom you can dwell in whatever residual hormonal flux you experience in your energised form."

 

[Lunaramblings]

Wildfire laughed raucously.

Well of all the ungrateful things.... I get that beautiful psuedo-Kryptonian to plant one on ya, and this is what I get? I thought better of you Brainy. I really did." Wildfire laughed raucously. "Gee Brainy, I don't think I have seen you this miffed ever. Heh, listen my little asexual friend, I know a thing or two about dames. And buddy, don't no dame, kiss a guy like that, and not enjoy it. I could practically feel her bio-aura prickling. Trust me Brain-bucket, that little lass wants a piece of ya. Maybe a big piece if your lucky. Course, you could just follow your theory, deny that you have a crush on her, and pretend she doesn't want you to, and go back to you lab. I mean, hey, you do have a nice collection of pictures in there to look at I guess. Course I always prefer the real deal. Just sayin'."

Wildfire slaps him on the back again and begins to walk away.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

The Graveyard Lord uncaged

Zod had known pain.
Zod had known defeat.
But this was the first time Zod knew fear.

Agony coursed through his body as the supernatural fires engulfed every cell in him. Changing him in ways that would have, should have killed even his Kryptonian body, but something, some will, kept him alive as he screamed and screamed.

All the while the stranger laughed. He was still laughing when Aethyr and Nam-Ek arrived. Still laughing when he froze them in place, but left them aware as Zod burst into flames, his ragged clothing burning away, skin peeling from charred muscles. His eyes popped and ran down his cheeks, sizzling and steaming.

And still he screamed. And then silence fell as the kneeling charred bones steamed in the sunless sky.

"Can't make a omelet without breaking some eggs. Time to get cooking." Said the stranger. He lifted his palm to his chin, and blew a small yellow spark out of his mouth, that floated lazily over to the corpse, impacting with it's forehead.

Immediately a column of reddish hellfire blazed up, shrouding the corpse in flames and burning it's way through the low, violent clouds. Ash and charr flaked off the skeleton, as unholy runes sprang to hellish light along the bones, then were soon covered by sinew, muscle, tendon, and finally skin and hair. IN the space of a minute, Zod once again stood whole.

The only sign that anything had happened was the fact he was now naked, and the hellfire blazing out of his eyes.

"You who were once mortal have now been reborn. You are no longer Zod of Krypton, but Zod, Scion of Hell. Rise, my child. It is time for you to leave this wasteland. You have places to go, things to see, and souls to release into my embrace."

"Yes, my Master. There are those who I so dearly wish to visit. Especially one who so loves a good fire." said Zod. He then motioned to the two frozen Kryponians. "What of them? My truest companions. Not even death at the hands of the humans could keep them from my side? They desire revenge as much as I do. Aethyr especially would love to have the red haired human in her hands for a long time. She can be very creative on how to keep someone alive, while begging for death."

"I have looked inside them, and I approve." He motioned to them and they were free. Both moved to stand next to Zod, looking a little wild in the eyes.

Lucifer waved his hand again and clothed Zod once again in the garb of a Kryptonian general.

"Now go. I have given you what you need to leave this place. Go forth, and make them all kneel before you, and in doing so, kneel to me."

Fire erupted around him, and in a heartbeat he was gone, leaving a steaming patch of glass where he had stood.

"I have power now my love. Power to crush worlds. Power to take my revenge on the house of El, and the pitiful planet she calls home. I have the power to walk between worlds, and in doing so, will bring those worlds to their knees. Let us go."

Zod lifted his hand to the quivering mass of flesh and bile, and the zoner's body erupted into a column of flame.

"Follow me, and we go forward into our destiny." said the newly anointed Scion of Hell.

The three stepped forward into the flames, and vanished, leaving the ashes of Zods latest victim cooling in the winds of a sunless land.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Wildfire laughed raucously.

Well of all the ungrateful things.... I get that beautiful psuedo-Kryptonian to plant one on ya, and this is what I get? I thought better of you Brainy. I really did." Wildfire laughed raucously. "Gee Brainy, I don't think I have seen you this miffed ever. Heh, listen my little asexual friend, I know a thing or two about dames. And buddy, don't no dame, kiss a guy like that, and not enjoy it. I could practically feel her bio-aura prickling. Trust me Brain-bucket, that little lass wants a piece of ya. Maybe a big piece if your lucky. Course, you could just follow your theory, deny that you have a crush on her, and pretend she doesn't want you to, and go back to you lab. I mean, hey, you do have a nice collection of pictures in there to look at I guess. Course I always prefer the real deal. Just sayin'."

Wildfire slaps him on the back again and begins to walk away.

The fusion being turned to leave and Brainiac was, much to his astonishment, cut to the chagrined quick.

"The pictures," he mumbled, "are anatomical reference material in case of-- in case of-- emergency. Archival footage and sensory readouts, I'm not like that-- I don't--"

He hesitated.

Clawed a hand through his hair.

Gritted his teeth. Scrunched his eyes shut and--

"ERG-1," he scowled. "Thank you. It appears I owe you one. Or. Perhaps. Several."

 

[Wyldfire]

Asteroid GX-3396, five parsecs out of U.P. space.

"Duplicate boy, status report? We are still on approach, we will be in the Unaffiliated zone in moments. Are there any sign of the Wanderers or the menace they spoke of?" Evolvo lad said into com. Sev Tcheru was anxious. The com should have been able to provide visual, but something had happened on that asteroid. It was one of the few that had an atmosphere, so it had seemed to be a natural spot for the meeting. What had happened there, and why was the planetoid so damaged?

"Sev, I wish I could tell you. Really I do," Ord Quello's voice was audibly shaken and there was a retching sound in the background. "Dev, try to keep your lunch down okay? What did you find? Oh my God! Sev, get the rest of the team down here asap. We just found what was left of Psyche."

"Found what's left? Have you lost your sprocking humanity Ord? She looks like she was eaten by acid from the inside out! Like some fragging acid thing.." There was that retching sound again.

In his evolved form this was almost unbearable. He was only getting snippets and none of them were good. "Please, Dev-Em, Ord, I need facts here. How can I help you if I do not know what to expect?"

"Evolvo lad this is Atmos," even the ever arrogant Atmos was shaken by the scene on the asteroid. His voice shook as he said "I have found the remains of Tyroc. He appears to have been crushed. This is nagging at me from something I've read before. Like a huge hand just crushed the life right out of him before he could muster a scream."

Troy Stewart had joined the Wanderers after he had been banished from his native island home of Marzal. He couldn't face the Legion again. They had been the reason he had eventually been banished for almost destroying the island. He had joined the Wanderers to forget, to get away from it all. He had succeeded in that at least. He was away from it all now.

"Thank you Atmos, we will be planet side in moments."

"Hand sensor is still receiving one life sign, it's Re-animage, but it can't pin point it. I'm switching powers to Dawnstar to see if I can't pin point it."

"Bloody Nass, this place is making me sick. Like I'm around Kryptonite...." Dev-Em began, "Holy Grife! Ord watch out it's........" and the signal went dead.

"Monstress, Life Lass, get us planet side NOW!" Evolvo lad all but yelled. They had to get down there. Whatever had happened to the Wanderers had all been part of a trap.

The ship hit atmo at a hard angle, coming in hot. She watched the fiery trail it left behind it as it made it's blatant approach. Fools. Overconfident fools. They all were so confident that they can take any threat. That the universe isn't a scary place.

She watched as the ship neared landing and said "Precious, I bore of my toy. Show these fools my displeasure." with a thought to her companion, her love, the body was thrown. As it cleared past the radiation it hardened back into the mighty body it had once been. Dev-Em's body went straight through the nose of the ship and tore it to pieces as he went.

Monstress was struck by shrapnel and knocked unconscious before she had time to realize what was happening. Life lass wasn't so lucky. She managed to stay conscious as she and Monstress hit the ground and bounced to a halt. She knew she was hurt and hurt badly. She faded in and out of consciousness for what felt like an eternity. Then she watched as Gas girl's unconscious body hit the ground next to her.

"Well men, looks like we've got another party here." a voice said from above her. It had a mechanical note to it, like part of the vocal chords were a machine. Oh no. They were a U.P. problem, not a Lallorian one. How could they be here. She looked up and there they were. Tharok, the Persuader, and Mano. Then she noticed Mano was holding something close to him. Her mind knew what it was but her sanity kept trying to slide away from it. They'd all heard Dev-Em being sick over her and here Mano was holding her body like a..... Oh god no! Nonononono. Like a lover.

Mano looked up from the body and looked down at Monstress and said "I want the big one. Maybe there'll be enough of her that she'll last until I finish."

Somi Gan felt madness rising up in her. He was going to do to Candi what he did to Psyche. And what was that crunching sound behind her? She turned her head so she could see. It could have maybe been mistaken for a hill or a building except for the clear dome showing it's brain case.

Somi threw up. These people had always been evil, but this was insanity. Validus was eating. Eating the remains of the rest of the Wanderers. Aviax, Elvar, the Controller that had saved them. Tears began and madness overcame her.

Evolvo lad had managed to not be found by the Five. But with the current situation he knew there was only one answer. He allowed himself to devolve into his most primitive and powerful form.

Sev launched himself at the enemy that were between he and his tribe. He had to protect them. Had he kept more of his more evolved self he would have thought twice before committing. As the cave man like Evolvo lad flew towards Tharok and Mano, the Persuader had brought up the Atomic axe and spun it in an arc. He cleanly caught the other about mid drift. The axe bit into the ground like it had encountered no resistance. Sev Tcheru hit the ground in two cleanly parted pieces.

Duplicate boy cracked an eye lid to see where the enemy were. What he saw was the body of Tyroc. The ex Legionnaire. The man who had a flight ring on his lifeless hand. Ord managed to not give himself away as his best friend died. He'd avenge Sev just as soon as he got the warning out. He slowly reached out an keyed the ring to transmit it's emergency beacon. The thought that ran through his head as he began to drag himself to his feet was "Good bye Salu. Wish I could have seen you at least one more time."

The five turned in unison as Ord got to his feet saying "Hands off those girls you sick freaks." He switched to Ultra girl's powers as they advanced on him. "Hurry Salu," he thought to himself, "Don't let us all die in vain here."

The fight began.

 

[ChasNicollette]

'I was tired of January.
I was tired of June.
I felt a change a-comin'.'

Liz departed the cabbie's company, slipping her Ring hand back into the pockets of her trousers. A simple interface with the meter had rewarded the cabbie considerably. Considerably. She couldn't use the Ring for personal gain, but The Guardians would forgive her something of an expense account for profile-lowering purposes.

Liz stood upon the walkway and gazed up at the building before her. Glass, pretty.

The Time Institute was a museum, now.

The first Time Institute had been begun in York, Pennsylvania, in 2008, but that had since faded into obscurity.

The second Time Institute was in Metropolis, Kansas.

It had been started in The 27th Century as a way of deterring time travellers, a place in which to keep all confiscated time travel technology, which in that period of time had been made illegal.

In the late 28th Century, this attitude was relaxed and such laws repealed, as catastrophic events were allayed by visitors both from the distant past and the distant future, and mankind was suddenly reluctant to prosecute or persecute their saviours. At that point, The Time Institute was made part of Metropolis University, and was dedicated to the history and the study of time travel.

Presently, the Institute's head was Circadia Senius, but today she had not yet arrived to unlock the doors.

The Institute's most dedicated student, however, was a young prodigy by the name of Rond Vidar.

If there was a fact or a theory or a rumour about time travel, he knew it. He lived it. He was time travel's biggest fan-boy.

And as Liz Greystone strode in through the glass doors (through them, through them, a subtle fourth-dimensional shift, easy as breathing in your sleep), and trotted her black boots across the tiled floor of the lobby, she could tell immediately she was in for a rather bemusing treat.

There were statues.

She recognised John Fox. Jonah Hex. Rip Hunter.

Matthew "Matt" Ryder standing next to Waverider.

Booster Gold. (She remembered meeting him when he was a little boy. She'd had his rookie card.)

Even those superfast Speed Metal robots.

All the classic historical time travellers of yore.

And, where applicable, there were models of the machines which these men and women used to turn back the clock, to spin the wheels of time widdershins.

She slowed to a halt when she found the Police Box.

She hesitated, and adjusted her scarf, and gazed at it for a long long moment.

It was elevated upon a little pedestal and it was beautiful in its simplicity.

It was quite a good replica. Right down to the Yale lock and the typographical errors in the little sign on the outside. She was almost tempted to scan it with her Ring...

The door creaked when it swung inward, and she arched her eyebrows when a lad stumbled out, dressed in a long dark coat and a brown pinstriped suit.

But his Chuck Taylor shoes were red.

His hair was black and not styled quite right and his eyes were green and he was neither tall nor skinny enough.

But the attempt was there, and that impressed Liz.

"Nice cosplay," she remarked, easy as you please.

He blinked, he blinked, he hadn't seen her there, he popped on a pair of Buddy Holly glasses and he scrutinised her. "We're, uh. We're not open yet."

"Oh, the glasses," Liz nodded. "Nice touch, nice attention to detail, but it's not quite right."

He paused, suddenly self-conscious, and glanced down at himself. "What do you mean, it's not quite right? I put this outfit together based on the most reliable eyewitness accounts, and those were not easy to come by."

"It's the shoes," she tutted. "He only ever wore the white Chucks with the brown suit. The red Chucks went with the blue suit, the black Chucks with the tuxedo. Except when a very good friend gave him a pair of green ones, then he started wearing those exclusively."

He blinked at her again, and slowly slowly removed the glasses.

"Who were you, again?" he frowned.

Liz' piercing blue eyes danced in the approximation of a smile.

"I'm either the best friend you ever had," she mused, "or you'll hate me forever."

He squinted at her. "Well. I suppose. Only time will tell?"

"Truer words," Liz agreed, and then removed her Ring hand from her pocket, curled the glove into a fist and gestured at the young man with her Ring.

"Scan."

*Identity confirmed.*

Rond Vidar blinked in the green green light. And gazed in a mixture of wonder and horror at Elizabeth Greystone.

"Don't be afraid."

 

[AmenRa]

The Martian Manhunter

J'onn had left the Cave and Remnant, and he flew swiftly across the countryside, of which was the sprawling metropolis of North America.

J'onn was invisible, but even if he were not, his great speed would have rendered him such.

He touched down lightly on the roof of the L-shaped building that was the Legion Headquarters. He reverted back to the form of R. J. Brande, and then he took a seat on a chair. The chair was somewhat out of place amongst a tangle of communications uplink dishes and hyperwave focusing towers. But, it was a chair sat amongst them nonetheless, accompanied by a small table and a few other chairs.

Brande sat and let out a sigh. It had been a busy day.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Jonah grinned to himself... Jonah walks through the now nearly empty theatre. "So, someone mentioned breakfast?"

M'onel moved on, he headed for the doors.

"Go 'head," he murmured. "I'll meet you down in the cafeteria. Tell Mr. Kem to put a fresh pot of caff on."

"I need to borrow a page from Valkyrie's book," he shook his head as moved out into the hall. "I need some breathing room."

And so he ascended, he took a lift to the roof, fully intending to fly as high as he could...

He was going to go for orbit and spend sometime in the silence, the hypersignal radio chatter background noise to his superperceptions.

But as the lift doors parted and as he levitated from the roof, his blue cape spilling all around him, he realised he wasn't alone.

His boots touched back down to the roof surface.

A little bit chagrined that his solitude had been so impermanent, but simultaneously glad that it was Brande, old wise brilliant Brande that had caused the impermanence... Lar "M'onel" Gand walked over to the seating arrangements and sat beside the brilliant activist and industrialist.

"I, ah," he cleared his throat. "Mister Brande, I hope I'm not interrupting. If it helps, I came up to be alone. Maybe we can be introspective together?"

 

[AmenRa]

"I, ah," he cleared his throat. "Mister Brande, I hope I'm not interrupting. If it helps, I came up to be alone. Maybe we can be introspective together?"

"Interrupting?" Brande responded. "Not at all, not at all. Please, sit, and let's talk. Talk, and talk."

Brande stroked his mustache. "I've been meaning to ask you, and get an answer, you see, about your name. No, no, not that name, the other name I've heard.

"You see, I know some things about things, and some things about nothing at all. But one of the things about things I know is that the name M'onel is Martian in origin. That planet is called Ma'aleca'andra, you know, in the original Martian tongue.

"So, anyway, how did you come by this name?"

 

[ChasNicollette]

"Interrupting?" Brande responded. "Not at all, not at all. Please, sit, and let's talk. Talk, and talk."

M'onel nodded easily, and adjusted his sitting position in the chair, draping the cape over the back of it. It fluttered in the building's high-altitude winds, most of which were blocked by those aforementioned comm arrays.

"Thank you, sir," he nodded respectfully. "What would you like to talk about?"

Brande stroked his mustache. "I've been meaning to ask you, and get an answer, you see, about your name. No, no, not that name, the other name I've heard.

For a moment, Lar had a little bit of a panic.

Please don't dredge up those memories, sir.

Bad enough Jaymie Greystone stumbled on them by mistake...

But it turned out the question regarded a different name entirely.

But the memories still were jagged.

"You see, I know some things about things, and some things about nothing at all. But one of the things about things I know is that the name M'onel is Martian in origin. That planet is called Ma'aleca'andra, you know, in the original Martian tongue.

He agreed quietly. "Mars was an Earthly God of War," he remembered. "And Ma'aleca'andra was the Martian equivalent? Hence the substitution."

"So, anyway, how did you come by this name?"

He smiled, such a tiny tiny distant smile. "Well. If you ask Querl? He'll insist it's not actually Martian at all, but a contraction of the local word 'mangonel.' Because apparently all I'm good for is throwing rocks."

Lar took a moment to chuckle half-heartedly at this. And then shook his head.

"She told me," he murmured, "that it was the scientific Martian term for a 'rogue planet,' a planet without a solar system, simply drifting through space. The literal translation, she told me, was 'he who wanders.' (Caused a bit of a trademark ruckus when I first showed up, seems there's a whole team called 'The Wanderers,' I didn't want to infringe.)"

He steepled his hands between his knees and stared in amongst his fingers.

"Her name was Raya," he reflected. "And she was beautiful. Kryptonian beautiful, you know what I mean. She escaped into The Phantom Zone when her cradleworld went bust, that's where we met. She gave me a name from her childhood, according to her some gentleman from her past had been Martian."

He lifted his head and stared out across the nigh-endless Metropolis skyline.

"She got out. Thousand years back. I helped her escape, her and her dearest love."

"Thousand years is a long time. Been tempted to look them up, see where they were buried, see if they had kids. But I don't wanna know the ending, I just wanna keep thinking that it was a happy ending."

"Hope they had a good life together."

 

[AmenRa]

Brande

"Her name was Raya," he reflected. "And she was beautiful. Kryptonian beautiful, you know what I mean. She escaped into The Phantom Zone when her cradleworld went bust, that's where we met. She gave me a name from her childhood, according to her some gentleman from her past had been Martian."

Brande suppressed a smile and a chuckle. M'onel's description of Raya-Sen was indeed correct. She was Kryptonian beautiful. So, he had met her in the Zone. And, someone from Raya's past had been Martian. That had been he, J'onn J'onzz, as advisor and lawgiver to Jor-El and the Kryptonian Science Council.

"She got out. Thousand years back. I helped her escape, her and her dearest love."

"Thousand years is a long time. Been tempted to look them up, see where they were buried, see if they had kids. But I don't wanna know the ending, I just wanna keep thinking that it was a happy ending."

"Hope they had a good life together."

Brande was quiet for a moment. How to explain this to the Daxamite without giving the source of his knowledge away?

"It is safe to assume that Raya and Var-Sen have a good life together," Brande said matter-of-factly. "The History Archives here at Legion Headquarters will explain that Var-Sen and Raya currently govern a distant world called Sanctuary. It is well outside controlled space, and a forbidden destination for any travelers. I believe it is protected not only by them, but by the Guardians. However, I don't think there has been any contact with either of them for some time."

It was true, for J'onn had not heard from his friends on Sanctuary for many, many years.

"The Bussard Wormhole connects Sanctuary to our sector. Perhaps, if one were to be silent and invisible, they could travel there to say hello. Not that I condone illegal activities. For that matter, of course, there are other forms of communication available.."

 

[ChasNicollette]

He had been given a serum that kept his lead-poisoning in remission.

He had been exposed to the light of a yellow Sun.

His species was far enough removed from Kryptonians that Kryptonite could not touch him.

M'onel was invulnerable to a lot of things.

But this...

...left him stunned.

Alive.

After all this time.

Kryptonians, huh?

Survivors. Always survivors.

He sat there, and then he stood, and he ran his hands through his hair, eyes wide as could be.

He turned and he smiled faintly at Brande.

"Of course," he murmured. "Bussard Wormhole or not, we wouldn't want to disturb the big Do Not Disturb sign."

He crossed his arms over his chest.

And in folding those arms, he seemed to fold in on himself a little.

Happy couple.

He attempted to continue the conversation: "Well, if the rule is against setting foot on the planet, one could initiate an omnicom signal, send the beam through the wormhole, link up that way. Or perhaps the interstellar range of an alpha-class telepath wearing a psi-amp..."

He nodded slowly. Slowly.

And there was a strange kind of reluctance thereabout him.

Not quite fear. But a kind of... anxiety.

What was it with these heroes, who could face down galaxy-sundering threats but fell apart when it came to just being friends with people?

"Have to time the call carefully," he mused. "Wouldn't want to interrupt them during dinner. People always call during dinner."

He turned and he gazed out at Metropolis once more.

"I'll call them," he seemed to promise himself.

"Soon."

 

[ChasNicollette]

Rond Vidar gazed at her hand.

Her left hand.

They sat at the foot of the pedestal with the mock-up of the blue box behind them, and they discussed things.

"At the height of it," she explained, "there were 7,200 of us, two to each of the 3,600 sectors of space. But now there are only 1,000 of us."

Rond smiled faintly, and shook his head, a little bit disbelieving. "Shortage of qualified applicants?"

This was at least partly ironic. Because in no way did Rond Vidar believe he was "qualfied" for the life she was describing.

"That's true, to an extent," Liz agreed, surprising Vidar. "But also there was a guiding force, a living planet whose gravity and unimpeachable conscience could guide the Rings unerringly to new bearers once a Lantern had fallen. But then he, too, fell. And without him, the process by which new Lanterns could be selected became that much more complicated.

"My granddad," Liz confided, "has a knack for black holes. Apparently his people invented them? So he made one, he made a black hole that The Guardians could use to propel the Rings through intergalactic space on graviton tendrils... but that was only half of the equation. Judging the goodness and the fearlessness of a sentient's heart. The Guardians can spot the hallmarks from a distance, but a true evaluation can only be done close-up."

"So I'm being weighed and measured," Rond mused, "am I?"

"In a sense," Liz nodded. "Weighed and measured. And if you pass muster? Deputised and initiated into a brotherhood three billion years old. There's a potential in you which thus far has only gathered to it the dusts of history, the dusts of history yet to come. But in the study of that history, the taking to heart of adventures that would challenge the forces of Time itself, believing wholly in that pioneering spirit, that indomitable Will... therein lies your gateway to something amazing."

Rond thought this over. But still he found himself dubious.

"1,000 of you," he murmured. "And I'm to be one-thousand-and-one."

"Think of it," Liz suggested, with a kind of cool and unshakable reverence. "1,001 Emerald Knights."

Her Ring then fluttered softly in her head and in her heart, and the green green core of the Ring itself gave off green green sparks.

She frowned at her Ring.

But before she could ask it what happened--

*Given ostensible alliance with Legion of Superheroes personnel, have attuned self to local omnicom frequencies. Monitoring.*

*Distress signal detected. Incoming, priority one.*

"Full power," Liz instructed, and the Ring disengaged standby mode.

Her disguise swirled and slithered around her, dissolving into molten emerald plasma and reforming instantly into her Green Lantern uniform.

Depthless shadow crawled and scrawled across the whites and the blues of her eyes.

And those blackened blackened darkened darkened eyes swept 'round to gaze at Rond Vidar.

"No time for debate," she declared. "Are you in or out?"

Rond hesitated.

Time didn't stop. Time didn't wait. He sort of hoped the whole thing would come to a freeze-framed stop, give him a chance to think, to breathe, to weigh and to measure...

...but nothing happened.

Time and Tide wait for no man.

He swallowed his fear. Swallowed it deep.

And so held out his hand. "I'm in."

 

[Wyldfire]

Legion H.Q. S.P. liason Shvaughn Erin.

When the heroes slacked it was the norms that cleaned up after them. Shvaughn had been the liason between the S.P. and the Legion for a year and more. She liked the job. Really she did, but when people like Nah were allowed monitor duty it meant she worked a whole hell of a lot more. Like now. It had been mundane with the exception of a legend being found (again).

Now there was a distress signal coming through on the Legion's private wave length. One Brainiac Five had made sure was well hidden. It was one only used by the rings that made a Legionnaire.

"Incoming emergency signal Zeta, flight ring nuimber twenty eight. Troy Stewart, a.k.a. Tyroc. Priority alpha distress signal. Asteroid GX-3396, sector 3396. Warning, warning, warning. Location outside of current United Planets boundaries."

Oh bloody Nass! She immediately keyed the intercom "Assemble all available Legionnaires! Emergency signal incoming! We have a Legionnaire in distress! Main conference room!"

 

[ChasNicollette]

"Save one breath for me..."

M'onel was still on the roof.

He was standing on the edge of it, the very edge of it, his cape flying out behind him in the winds, blue and big as the sky.

She immediately keyed the intercom "Assemble all available Legionnaires! Emergency signal incoming! We have a Legionnaire in distress! Main conference room!"

He stiffened, he could practically hear Shvaughn's pulse thudding in alarm across the intercom signal, even through the walls and roof of the building, even over the rushing wind, it was clear as bells.

Lar's gaze dropped down the side of the building.

Main conference room.

Right.

Going down.

He stepped off of the roof and he dropped like a stone.

********​

Caroline was in her room, sitting in her hammock, rocking the hammock from side to side with little puffs of her arctic breath, first turning her head one way and then the other, Newtonian physics...

She couldn't believe how furious she'd been with Wildfire, she'd acted on impulse. She'd kissed Brainy on instinct, utterly akin to the same instinct with which she'd punched Wraith through a wall.

But she'd underestimated how he'd respond to her. He really really wanted her to kiss him, how long had he wanted that?

She touched her lips.

How long had she wanted that?

This was too weird.

Just as she was afraid she'd be crushed under the weight of such emo-tastic introspection, the intercom blurted...

"Assemble all available Legionnaires! Emergency signal incoming! We have a Legionnaire in distress! Main conference room!"

Her lip twitched.

She dove out of the hammock and sprinted across the room and in an instant later she was clad no longer in jeans and t-shirt but in her Powergirl uniform.

True to form, no "S" adorned her chest. Instead of The Symbol of The House of El, the Symbol of "Hope," she instead had a Kryptonian glyph akin to the letter "P."

This was the symbol for "Fire." And also, quite appropriately, for "Power."

"Right then," she nodded to herself in the mirror, her red cape flourishing behind her.

And then she was gone.

*********​

VM3 was sitting holding a mug of caff; it was steaming hot but she didn't seem to notice.

Breakfast had been good. Huevos rancheros made by none other than Tenzil Kem, Senior. He was proud as punch that his little boy was attending the inaugural class of the brand-new Legion Academy.

Soon as Tenzil, Junior turned 16, man, that would be his year. His daddy couldn't wait.

(Jaymie wondered if her father had ever been that proud of her.)

But right now, Jaymie was content to have just had sit with beautiful company.

Jo really was. Quite beautiful. Jaymie really hoped that the "Sultry Ultry" crack didn't catch on as a nickname, she didn't want to be responsible for that little bit of embarrassment. She didn't want to embarrass such a beautiful, powerful lady.

She sipped her caff.

But then the P.A. system flickered to life.

She immediately keyed the intercom "Assemble all available Legionnaires! Emergency signal incoming! We have a Legionnaire in distress! Main conference room!"

She downed her caff, slammed the mug down, was on her feet before she could even think about it.

Fate could have teleported all of them to the conference room in the blink of an eye. Jo could have rounded them all up at Ultra-speed...

But Valkyrie M3 was wiping her mouth on her sleeve and was running for the door.

No time to be scared.

There'll be time to be scared later.

Not right now.

Just go.

Let's go.

********​

Brainiac clamped his repaired force-field belt into place.

The power source had been amped up somewhat.

Apparently, the sheer power of Wraith's darkness field had subtracted photonic electromagnetic energy from the force field with each concussive strike. Drained it like it sapped all light.

Brainiac Five had incorporated an electrogravitic membrane around the EM field so as to prevent a recurrence of this event. An extra layer of protection.

And if gravity could curve a ray of light, maybe it would hamper darkness-projections as well?

Time to test that theory--

"Assemble all available Legionnaires! Emergency signal incoming! We have a Legionnaire in distress! Main conference room!"

He paused. His eyebrows scrunched.

Grife.

If it's not one thing around here, it's another.

Bad enough I'm having heartsorn nympholeptic fits regarding Harrison...

(I just wish M'onel would keep his oeillades to himself.)

In any case, this turn of circumstance may have the adscititious benefit of enabling me to field-test...

He ran for the door.

********​

Garth was leaning on the ropes of the boxing ring in the gym, leaning on the ropes right near the turnbuckle, and was watching his sister down on the floor beat the crap out of the heavy bag...

"So then she says she looks much better in blue," Garth complained. "What am I supposed to do with that? It's like she's asking me to think naughty thoughts in her presence."

Ayla paused in the middle of a muay thai "Supergirl punch," staggered to a stop, and scowled at him from below her short reddish-blonde hair.

"First of all," she grunted, pushing her bangs back out of her face, "not really looking to hear about my twin brother's naughty thoughts. Second of all, I'm not sure I'm the best person to be advising your love life, since for the last year or so I've been carrying an inexplicable torch for a sentient who switches genders eight times before breakfast..."

Garth chuckled. "'Not that there's anything wrong with that.'"

Ayla snorted, pulling her towel from her belt and wiping her forehead. "Funny."

"Assemble all available Legionnaires! Emergency signal incoming! We have a Legionnaire in distress! Main conference room!"

The twins looked at each other.

As twins can often do.

And thought the same thought. No Titanian link required.

As twins can often do.

Garth vaulted from the turnbuckle and down to the gym floor and Ayla hurled her towel in the general direction of the bench and they were gone just like that they were gone, sprinting.

********​

M'onel stopped dead in mid-air, and lifted his fist to knock upon the window.

"Please," the voice came from behind him, behind him, seventy stories up, he turned and looked.

The Green Lantern woman. "Allow me."

She levitated there, wreathed in nephrite jade light.

And behind her, in a bubble projected by her Ring, was a man dressed very much like the fellow who had saved him from The General and The Zone.

A different man, though, unless this Doctor had been capable of changing his appearance at will...

"You," he frowned at her.

"Me," she agreed, utterly deadpan. "Although, I could just be a lookalike. I get that a lot. Apparently I look virtually identical to my late Great-Aunt Claire."

Her eyebrow twitched in an expression vaguely analogous to a smirk. "You might say I'd be a dead ringer."

(The man in the bubble slapped his hand over his eyes and dragged the palm down his face. "Oh, that hurt.")

But M'onel was no longer in any mood for wordplay.

"Is this the thing that he warned us about?" he demanded. "'The Graveyard Lord?'"

Rond's eyebrow arched. "Graveyard what-now?"

Liz shook her head at both men. "I'm only flying slightly less blind than you are, and my instruments aren't exactly trustworthy: The Book of Oa's taken some hits over the last few hundred years. If we're going to find out what this is about, we'll have to do it the same way as everyone else."

M'onel's cheek muscle flexed. "Right."

Liz gestured at the window by which they were hovering, and a circular gap irised open in the plaztanium, a green plasmic circle swirling, an interruption in the pane, perfectly sized for man woman and bubble to float through. "So let's go find out."

M'onel made a gesture at the woman; he was keeping a very close eye on her.

And then he flew through the gap, and Liz followed, towing a wide-eyed Rond Vidar behind her.

The gap closed when they were in, and the bubble faded, depositing Rond on his own two feet on the conference room floor.

By this time, most everyone was there.

"So, uh," Rond attempted, merman out of water, "what'd we miss?"

 

[Lunaramblings]

Jonah as back in civilian garb. Something he had never done before. He had always been so careful. Didn't want to give anyone too much time to look him over. They might notice that bit of family resemblance to one of those statues. Now it didn't seem to matter. He was just finishing a Cadbury Flake bar, on he had pilfered from his room in his tower. Uncle Mer always sent huge baskets of Cadbury for Christmas. Then there were alarms. At his mere thought the raiment of Fate had returned. He once more donned the Helm. In a heartbeat he was gone from the bench where he had sat alone in the atrium.

"Fate reporting for duty."

Wildfire had been about to head for the gym when the alarm was sounded. Instead he found himself streaking through the halls to meet the rest of the Legion.

"A guy can't even get in a decent work out in this joint!" Wildfire eyed Ayla nearby. "I mean, I was up to 400, no 4000 push ups! What's the story Shvaughn. Better have a good reason for interrupting my work out."

 

[Wyldfire]

Jo followed Valkyrie answering the call. She looked about at who all had joined them. Most of the team seemed to be present. Then she met her eyes. Bloody Nass, she had to be back from her leave didn't she. No matter what the mission was Jo knew she had to go. She couldn't be here with Tinya around.

Dawnstar entered the room as the rest began asking questions. She stayed to the back of the group.

Shvaughn looked at the assembled Legionnaires. "It's a distress call from Tyroc's ring. Class Omega distress. His biometrics are showing no life signs. It would seem that Tyroc has died on Asteroid GX-3396. So you tell me if it's important Wildfire. I think this takes a little bit of precedent over machismo."

Erin knew that was uncalled for but she wasn't going to apologize for it. Wildfire was possiblly one of the most abrasive of the team. "I've gotten authorization from the U.P. to use the Threshhold gateway. Co-ordinates have been programmed in. You'll be a click away from his ring signal."

 

[Lunaramblings]

Wildfire runs his hand over the backside of his helmet. "Damn straight. Anyone what says different would have to answer to me. Now, whats the situation Red? We ain't got all day, we got a legionnaire down."

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Legion HQ. various locations

Rokk was in the records room. In the silicon and light brains of these machines were answers he desperately wanted to know. Who was Kyle Greystone? Did he still have ties to Wayne-Tech or was that part of his life over? (Practically all the robots and computers in Metropolis were Wayne-Tech products.) Were there any more immortal descendent's of his running around?

And mostly, could he be trusted. With the information he had pulled up about Brainiac 1-3, he didn't really blame him for striking first, and he only had fragments of information to pull from.

He was bout to start referencing more history material when his ring throbbed with a emergency message

"Assemble all available Legionnaires! Emergency signal incoming! We have a Legionnaire in distress! Main conference room!"


History would have to wait. Cosmic Boy was out, moving as fast as he possibly could to the conference room.

********************************************************************************************************​

Saturn Girl was enjoying a blissfully hot shower. She still got the giggles over Garth's face, though she also got this funny feeling in the pit of her stomach when she thought about him sometimes too.

She didn't have time to fall in love. Telepaths had to be twice as careful with love. He'd have no secrets from her. Past dating disasters had made her very reluctant to try this again.

But she just couldn't get him out of her head.


"Assemble all available Legionnaires! Emergency signal incoming! We have a Legionnaire in distress! Main conference room!"


Imra was out of the shower and dressed in seconds. She literally flew to the conference room, arriving just behind the others.

********************************************************************************************************************​

"Computer, give me a timeline of major events from the Earth year 2100 to present day, in English this time."

*Referencing "English"... Working.... Estimated translation of documents in 1.27 hours*

"Why so long?"

*Document is 4 terabytes in size. English is a dead language. Translation will take 1.27 hours.*

I sighed. "OK, where is the television?"

The computer turned it on for me. Couldn't understand a word since it was in interlac but at least it gave me an idea what people were wearing in this time.

I was so going to be taken out by the Fab Five's ancestors. Probably with a bazooka.

Then something came across the intercom. I couldn't understand the words, but the tone, that I understood.

"Computer, Translate last intercom message."

*Assemble all available Legionnaires! Emergency signal incoming! We have a Legionnaire in distress! Main conference room!*

Maybe I should stay put. I'm not a member of this club. But my daughter, she trusted them. And there was that little girl that looked so much like my Ceri.

"Computer, give me a blueprint, marking where I am and where the main conference room is."

In seconds I had a map of where I needed to go. Pretty close. Shadows swirled around me and I was masked in my armor. I tightened my hands into fist, knuckles crackling.

"Thank you computer." I said, then embraced the shadows and moved to the conference room emerging in a slightly darker area in the back of the room.

"Mind if I join in?" I asked, most likely startling the hell out of some of these kids.
"

 

[Lunaramblings]

Timber Wolf and Chameleon were among the last to arrive. They had been having a bite in the lounge when the call went out. As they arrived Timber Wolf grinned a bit at Wildfire. If there was anyone in the Legion with a bigger mouth than Timber Wolf, it was Wildfire.

"Way to think fast Wildfire."

Chameleon smiled as he looked over at Aayla. "Now, Brin, you and Wildfire can trash talk each other later. For now, let's try to figure out what the sprock is going on." Cham made his way over to the newly arrived Wraith. He had heard all about the situation. Word had spread quickly. Quicker even than the word about Power Girl and Brainy. He keyed his translator to English.

I believe they call you, Wraith, Yes? I am Chameleon. I know how difficult it can be to be unable to communicate effectively with those around you, and what it is to not be trusted. If you need anything, I would be honored to be of assistance."

Fate smiled as he heard the words spoken by Cham. Then he tapped Wraith on the shoulder. "If you would like, I can use my magic to help you comprehend the Interlac. It is what I have been doing. Good to see you Uncle Kyle. I have missed all of you guys." Fate nodded at Cham. Cham here is a good guy. One of the first to accept me as a new member. From the sounds so far, a legionnaire has been killed. Transmitted a distress beacon before he died though."

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Wraith

"I've been using magic to do that Jonah. It's one of the few spells I can do here." I said to my nephew. He wasn't a blood relative, but he was definitely family.

"My thanks Chameleon. We had a rough patch at first, but I believe it got worked out. Now, there anything I can do to help?"

 

[AmenRa]

Brande

M'onel had left him alone on the roof when the alert message was broadcast.

Brande waited a few moments, and then he vanished from visible sight. He became intangible, the molecules of his body invading the spaces of the floors below him, the same way he had earlier descended into the Batcave.

He rematerialized outside the conference room, inside a supply closet that was, oddly, stocked with Oreo cookies. He exited the closet and strode as quickly as he could, despite the assistance of a walking cane, to the conference room.

"Status report," he said as he entered the room.