Star City- Heroes of Tomorrow IC

[Lunaramblings]

As the children and families left, John Diggle walked down the hallway in the sub-level. He was concerned about Ollie.

He knocked lightly on the door as he began to open it, his helmet in his hand.

"Ollie, you up?"

John opened the door and smiled and hugged Zatanna as she walked over.

"Good to see you hon. You did good work out there."

"John. How are the kids. Sarah? Billy?"

"The rest of the kids are here. Parents are just taking them home. Lance is overseeing it. Sara and Billy are both still missing. But I have someone that claims he knows where they are, and J'onn just showed up. We need to have a chat, the whole team, with this guy. Beetle didn't seem to like him. But he seems okay. Just popped out of the tunnel, dispelled this cloud of darkness with a few word of gibberish..." John stops and looks at Zatanna "Actually, sounded a lot like you when your doing your thing."

Zatanna lost the smile. She knew only a few people had the skill in casting as she did. Herself, her deceased father, and one other. And she was not happy to hear he was her. "John Fucking Constantine. Bastard. You have no idea. He is definitely on the right side, but his means are... questionable. And he is a self serving asshole."

Oliver smiled and shook his head. "You dated him. Ended badly?"

Zatanna stutters for a moment. Trying to deny it. Then settles on answering instead. "Yes. We did. For a short time. There was this Rising Darkness. We worked together. Thought there was something more to him. Then he did something that I can't forgive. He desecrated a friend of mine. Used him as a tool in one of his schemes. I understand why, but I can't forgive it. Listen, he is a good man at heart, but be careful about trusting him too much." Zatanna looks at the trio and shakes her head. Frustrated not only by John Constantine's presence, but by her response as well.

"Okay. Fine. We talk to him. If he knows anything useful, great. If not, and he is wasting our time... nevermind. Lets go. Felicity, think you can call everyone to the... Dig, where is he?"

"Study B. Left him there when we got in. Let's head up, on the way you might want to get dressed." John laughs as he waves a hand at the mostly nude vigilante.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Mrs. Queen's Gambit. (Felicity)

Slipping into the Dojo, Jaime at last relaxed completely, away from people.

"Felicity, call me Jaime. As for what I'm looking for...that's a little complicated."

Jaime began pacing casually about the edges of the mat, gesturing with his hands, knowing Felicity would now be able to watch him on whatever hidden cams and monitoring systems the building had. As he paced, he tried to explain.

While a sacred space like a dojo wouldn't ordinarily have been subject to monitoring, yes, every corner of The Brownstone was covered by CCTV cameras and sensor equipment. Eternal vigilance was the unfortunate but pragmatic price of making yourself a symbol that the unjust would seek to tear down, after all.

Once Jaime came back into mainstream spacetime and his transponder again registered on The Brownstone's floorplan, Felicity defaulted to tracking Jaime with the cameras-- she even had motion sensors track him as he paced in the dojo, panning metronomically back and forth with his movements.

"One thing we can all understand is that this whole situation with the children was a big game. Our attention has been focused away from something that the enemy doesn't want us to notice.

@SmoakonTheWater: Hm. I think that our enemy definitely stood something to gain by taking those kids. But maybe it wasn't their primary objective? Go on.

Jaime bent down and untied his boots, kicking them off and setting them aside, by the door. He walked onto the cool mat and paced slowly in circles, talking to Felicity, and thinking out loud.

"What our enemy might not understand, is that the more complex the plan, the more elements of the person who comes up with it, will be incorporated into the plan. And this is a very complex plan, you don't build or create trans-dimensional hubs-or magical portals- easily or cheaply.

@SmoakonTheWater: Maybe, maybe not. Depends how Clarke's Law the supplier is-- how Sufficiently Advanced.

@SmoakonTheWater: But you're still right-- they had to come from somewhere, and nailing that supplier is a big piece of the puzzle.

Jaime shrugged out of his hoodie, revealing a gray FBI T-shirt underneath.

"Whoever this is, they are like a chessmaster who can see five steps ahead. A strategic thinker. Strategic thinkers tend to have very strong, colorful personalities. Like your husband as an example. He's a very strategic thinker, and you can see parts of his mind within the plans that he devises. For instance, the color green, it's obviously an important symbol for him, he uses it everywhere. That's the sort of thing we're looking for...the patterns that recur. If we can find enough of them, I think I can put together a psychological profile on the person behind all of this."

Jaime stops, his expression grim. "And I think we should hurry. Because at the risk of overusing the chess analogy, I think we just might be in Check."

Though Felicity had paused to smirk wistfully at Jaime's profiling Oliver-- Jaime wasn't wrong about him. And that green motif was absolutely part of what made him tick. He'd even called his nightclub "Verdant," for frack's sake.

@SmoakonTheWater: Jaime, I went to M.I.T. There's no such thing as overusing chess analogies.

@SmoakonTheWater: That said, here, I've got the bullet-points collated. Strap in, it's wall-of-text exposition time again.

@SmoakonTheWater: We've got the kidnapping/murder/jaywalking/bus-jacking combo platter by a mysterious size-changer with stolen PalmerTech.

@SmoakonTheWater: (Jaywalking because he was in the middle of the highway.) And then assault on top of that because he made my husband get red all over his green.

@SmoakonTheWater: Then same size-changer called in some seriously big gunned back up via some unregistered teleportal tech. They mentioned a female player supporting the kidnap in some way.

@SmoakonTheWater: Two of the kidnapped kids, of particular note to our people, have gone off grid big-time, that's still a problem.

@SmoakonTheWater: Big day in Keystone, too. A D-list supervillain named Sidearm got taken out by an unknown masked vigilantess, then a mercenary demolitions specialist named Razer got beat down by some waterbendy heroine, also unknown.

@SmoakonTheWater: According to JS Reservist Static, the latest incarnation of The Royal Flush Gang attacked The Halo Corporation not far from there, and they were thwarted by Static and a heroine he says was called "ShadowPax."

@SmoakonTheWater: (Pft. RFG. I liked those guys best when they were just idiots on motorcycles.)

@SmoakonTheWater: Static says ShadowPax mentioned an alliance she had with other heroines in the area, maybe masked woman and mer-woman are in with her?

@SmoakonTheWater: Static also reports that some of the tech The RFG used was seriously off the chain. Their android Ace was made with depleted-Promethium components and an unknown dermis-like armor-layer. Queen's scepter had crystalline substances in it that could only be described as "theoretical," and its fusion-energy generators were potentially way more powerful than something that size should be. So, yikes.

@SmoakonTheWater: Apparently there's a big jurisdictional squabble now over the leftovers-- Halo's fighting with The KCPD, ARGUS, and some other shadier government agency for the right to keep the tech. I'm telling Static to just step back from that one.

@SmoakonTheWater: From what Static's been able to tell us, it looks like The RFG got away with a jumpdrive containing schemata for this deluxe robotic mechsuit extrapolated from the original O.M.A.C. and A.T.O.M. designs-- the design got sold off to Halo back when Ray went missing but I guess they mothballed it when he came back for legal reasons? Anyway, that's bad, but it could have been worse.

@SmoakonTheWater: (Speaking of which, maybe it is worse? Because they got away using teleportal tech that sounds suspiciously like the things that our kidnappers used to make their getaway.)

@SmoakonTheWater: And last but not least, there was this big throwdown in Salem, Massachusetts involving magical villains Felix Faust and Klarion-- bum-bum-bum --The Witch-Boy.

(For some reason Felicity felt compelled to add a musical sting to Klarion's name. Weird.)

@SmoakonTheWater: Looks like they badly hurt The Martian Manhunter, but J'onn was rescued and the bad guys thwarted by a pair of unregistered metas that seem to have ranked pretty high on The Palmer Metahuman Scale. (Maybe they're in with ShadowPax' bunch too? That needs investigating.)

Felicity squinted, and kept typing.

@SmoakonTheWater: But I guess they must have been on the level because J'onn just showed up back on The Brownstone floorplan and his biometrics seem to be normal? Normal for a Martian, at least so far as I can tell.

@SmoakonTheWater: ...and that's all the news that's fit to print, I guess? Unless you know something I don't?

@SmoakonTheWater: Actually, hold that thought, Arrow's talking to me--

"Okay. Fine. We talk to him. If he knows anything useful, great. If not, and he is wasting our time... nevermind. Lets go. Felicity, think you can call everyone to the... Dig, where is he?"

"Study B. Left him there when we got in. Let's head up, on the way you might want to get dressed." John laughs as he waves a hand at the mostly nude vigilante.

Nodding quickly, Felicity registered Diggle's presence and Zatanna's disarray-- wow, she'd really gone full-on William Gibson "pathological hyperfocus" while she'd been typing with Jaime-- what had she missed? "Uh, no rush on the getting dressed. I don't get to sit and watch him work out as often as I used to."

But she clicked her earpiece back onto vocal channels and alerted the team: "All available members of The Justice Society, please gather in Study B for a debriefing-slash-briefing. Uh-- rebriefing? Anyway, tl;dr: Study B, everyone."

 

[DeathsKnight]

The first parents arrived and John motioned them through the doors, saying all the calming words that parents would want to hear. He was still trying to figure out if the Symbiote could withdraw all memories, even those he had blocked out when the last parents and child left. Guardian passed him, probably to check on The Arrow, it seemed that something had happened down in those tunnels and it involved the man in the trenchcoat, Guardian seemed much more...relaxed, not so anxious anymore.

No, now stop dwelling on it

'What?'

I will not extract memories, they can be dangerous and damage our link. That is the end of the discussion

John was on the verge of retorting when the comm-link buzzed with new orders. He pulled open the door, 'This isn't over yet' and stepped back into the room he had left not too long ago.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Keeping your (arrrow)head in the game. (Artemis)

Artemis returned to the room where she'd left the kids, finding them ushered out already under the watchful eyes of J'onn J'onzz-- Cool, he's back. --and Quentin Lance. With them there to verify that all kids were going to their proper guardians, there was no chance of the kidnappers sneaking off with any of their victims again by more subtle means.

This was, perhaps fortuitous, that the children were going home-- she didn't have to bust out her somewhat dubious repertoire of kids' songs after all.

Then her earbud spoke to her with Felicity's voice:

"All available members of The Justice Society, please gather in Study B for a debriefing-slash-briefing. Uh-- rebriefing? Anyway, tl;dr: Study B, everyone."

...and Agent Venom walked back in, still without his suit up.

"Hey. You going to the thing?" Artemis wondered. "I can never remember which study is which in this place."

 

[Deleted member 1306910]

While a sacred space like a dojo wouldn't ordinarily have been subject to monitoring, yes, every corner of The Brownstone was covered by CCTV cameras and sensor equipment. Eternal vigilance was the unfortunate but pragmatic price of making yourself a symbol that the unjust would seek to tear down, after all.

Once Jaime came back into mainstream spacetime and his transponder again registered on The Brownstone's floorplan, Felicity defaulted to tracking Jaime with the cameras-- she even had motion sensors track him as he paced in the dojo, panning metronomically back and forth with his movements.

@SmoakonTheWater: Hm. I think that our enemy definitely stood something to gain by taking those kids. But maybe it wasn't their primary objective? Go on.



@SmoakonTheWater: Maybe, maybe not. Depends how Clarke's Law the supplier is-- how Sufficiently Advanced.

@SmoakonTheWater: But you're still right-- they had to come from somewhere, and nailing that supplier is a big piece of the puzzle.

Though Felicity had paused to smirk wistfully at Jaime's profiling Oliver-- Jaime wasn't wrong about him. And that green motif was absolutely part of what made him tick. He'd even called his nightclub "Verdant," for frack's sake.

@SmoakonTheWater: Jaime, I went to M.I.T. There's no such thing as overusing chess analogies.

@SmoakonTheWater: That said, here, I've got the bullet-points collated. Strap in, it's wall-of-text exposition time again.

@SmoakonTheWater: We've got the kidnapping/murder/jaywalking/bus-jacking combo platter by a mysterious size-changer with stolen PalmerTech.

@SmoakonTheWater: (Jaywalking because he was in the middle of the highway.) And then assault on top of that because he made my husband get red all over his green.

@SmoakonTheWater: Then same size-changer called in some seriously big gunned back up via some unregistered teleportal tech. They mentioned a female player supporting the kidnap in some way.

@SmoakonTheWater: Two of the kidnapped kids, of particular note to our people, have gone off grid big-time, that's still a problem.

@SmoakonTheWater: Big day in Keystone, too. A D-list supervillain named Sidearm got taken out by an unknown masked vigilantess, then a mercenary demolitions specialist named Razer got beat down by some waterbendy heroine, also unknown.

@SmoakonTheWater: According to JS Reservist Static, the latest incarnation of The Royal Flush Gang attacked The Halo Corporation not far from there, and they were thwarted by Static and a heroine he says was called "ShadowPax."

@SmoakonTheWater: (Pft. RFG. I liked those guys best when they were just idiots on motorcycles.)

@SmoakonTheWater: Static says ShadowPax mentioned an alliance she had with other heroines in the area, maybe masked woman and mer-woman are in with her?

@SmoakonTheWater: Static also reports that some of the tech The RFG used was seriously off the chain. Their android Ace was made with depleted-Promethium components and an unknown dermis-like armor-layer. Queen's scepter had crystalline substances in it that could only be described as "theoretical," and its fusion-energy generators were potentially way more powerful than something that size should be. So, yikes.

@SmoakonTheWater: Apparently there's a big jurisdictional squabble now over the leftovers-- Halo's fighting with The KCPD, ARGUS, and some other shadier government agency for the right to keep the tech. I'm telling Static to just step back from that one.

@SmoakonTheWater: From what Static's been able to tell us, it looks like The RFG got away with a jumpdrive containing schemata for this deluxe robotic mechsuit extrapolated from the original O.M.A.C. and A.T.O.M. designs-- the design got sold off to Halo back when Ray went missing but I guess they mothballed it when he came back for legal reasons? Anyway, that's bad, but it could have been worse.

@SmoakonTheWater: (Speaking of which, maybe it is worse? Because they got away using teleportal tech that sounds suspiciously like the things that our kidnappers used to make their getaway.)

@SmoakonTheWater: And last but not least, there was this big throwdown in Salem, Massachusetts involving magical villains Felix Faust and Klarion-- bum-bum-bum --The Witch-Boy.

(For some reason Felicity felt compelled to add a musical sting to Klarion's name. Weird.)

@SmoakonTheWater: Looks like they badly hurt The Martian Manhunter, but J'onn was rescued and the bad guys thwarted by a pair of unregistered metas that seem to have ranked pretty high on The Palmer Metahuman Scale. (Maybe they're in with ShadowPax' bunch too? That needs investigating.)



@SmoakonTheWater: But I guess they must have been on the level because J'onn just showed up back on The Brownstone floorplan and his biometrics seem to be normal? Normal for a Martian, at least so far as I can tell.

@SmoakonTheWater: ...and that's all the news that's fit to print, I guess? Unless you know something I don't?

Jaime paced and read the red text that Khaji Da superimposed over his field of vision, just as it would appear in his HUD display when he was shrouded in the full armor of the Beetle. As felicity sent pertinent data, Khaji Da created sourceless light holograms of the files she uploaded, showcasing them in mid-air in the dojo.

All personnel files of Justice Society members involved in the days events were displayed in a neat column to the left side of the room. The files about known enemies involved in events was lined up in the far right. Jaime waved his hand and the holographic file folders opened and the latest photos of the individuals were displayed in rows in the center of his field of vision. The whole time, the red text ran on in his lower visual quadrant, like a chat at the bottom of a screen.

Every time Jaime ran a finger over, or closely examined with his eyes, any field of piece of information,it glowed with an outline of white, swelling to become the center visual. Jaime read everything Felicity sent him at a pace faster than most humans could have even seen the words scrolling, letting Khaji Da assimilate the information for him. Jaime went into a quasi-auto-pilot state, letting Khaji Das parse information while he let his intuitive faculties play with the overall shape.

@SmoakonTheWater: Actually, hold that thought, Arrow's talking to me--

Nodding quickly, Felicity registered Diggle's presence and Zatanna's disarray-- wow, she'd really gone full-on William Gibson "pathological hyperfocus" while she'd been typing with Jaime-- what had she missed? "Uh, no rush on the getting dressed. I don't get to sit and watch him work out as often as I used to."

But she clicked her earpiece back onto vocal channels and alerted the team: "All available members of The Justice Society, please gather in Study B for a debriefing-slash-briefing. Uh-- rebriefing? Anyway, tl;dr: Study B, everyone."

Jaime, sent a quick pulse to the network, causing his transponder blip to glow and beep twice in quick acknowledgment of the order, leaving his work for now. There was a lot of information with not much to connect it, but the first thought Jaime had was...there were two masterminds behind this, with opposing interests...

 

[DeathsKnight]

He was surprised that Artemis actually spoke to him. Seemed that without the web design and mask he didn't bug her out (little does John know that bug is the operative word in that thought - Ed). He nodded at her, "It is quite volumnious in here indeed. To be honest, I am not sure either. I just figured that since mostly everybody is gathered here, I'll come here and if this is not the right place, just follow them to the right place." He gave a slight smile at his own statement.

Smooth

'What?'

Your courting rituals suck. No wonder you're still single.

'Wait...what?'

Oh please, I can see the way you look at her and even admired her butt. I may be an alien, but I'm not stupid

As the symbiote drew John's attention to it, he realized that there was instances that he had actually "checked" Artemis "out", just...he hadn't realized that he had done it. Stuck in a moment of either flustering or being concerned, he froze up instead. Realized he had the smile stuck to his face, he dropped it and looked around at the others, then back at Artemis.

 

[ChasNicollette]

The (Arrow)Head and The Heart. (Artemis)

He was surprised that Artemis actually spoke to him. Seemed that without the web design and mask he didn't bug her out. He nodded at her, "It is quite volumnious in here indeed. To be honest, I am not sure either. I just figured that since mostly everybody is gathered here, I'll come here and if this is not the right place, just follow them to the right place." He gave a slight smile at his own statement.

As Agent Venom seemed amused by his own logic, Artemis gazed at him like a hawk-- if only for a moment.

'Boyfriend,' Batgirl had called him.

Hell of an age difference.

Still he's not uncute. For a guy who says 'voluminous.'

I mean, he's no Nightwing.

Stuck in a moment of either flustering or being concerned, he froze up instead. Realized he had the smile stuck to his face, he dropped it and looked around at the others, then back at Artemis.

As that smile ran away from his face, Artemis shook her head and unstuck her own eyes.

Why the Hell am I thinking this? I'm gonna beat that Batgirl like a redheaded stepchild, putting these thoughts in my mind.

Like you have time to date, Crock.

You're spending your nights with a married man already.

...but not in the fun way.

Speaking of which...

...her hand flourished up and tagged her earbud, looking down and away as she conferred with someone not in the room.

"Hey, Boss-Lady?" Artemis asked Felicity. "Which study was B, again?"

Artemis could practically hear Felicity goodnaturedly roll her eyes before she rattled off directions.

"Right, then," Artemis smirked faintly. "Right this way."

And led said way to Study B.

 

[DeathsKnight]

Venom

Of course the right thing to do would be to follow, but John knew that he'd most likely end up doing what the symbiote had called him out on. Of course stuck in laborotories and small cells answering evaluation records, he didn't get to see many females. And none of them in the suit that Artemis wore. So cautioning himself not to get ahead of himself, he fell in to step next to her, still allowing her to lead, but now able to not syare at her.

"What is your opinion on the new Speedster? He seems a bit too fast for his own good, especially in the reaction to thought department."

 

[ChasNicollette]

Up to date on his shots? (Artemis)

"What is your opinion on the new Speedster? He seems a bit too fast for his own good, especially in the reaction to thought department."

"Dude, you're not wrong." Artemis glanced at John as they walked, quickfire glance, nope, gaze not lingering too long again, nope. "And I have some serious questions for The Flash on this topic."

"He's like he never learned to walk, only to run."

"And he's like a little kid at heart. A seriously ADD little kid at heart."

"But it's a good heart."

She squinted.

"Annoying as Hell. But good."

"...I think."

 

[DeathsKnight]

John grinned at her summarization, for some reason Barry seemed to have picked her for his social interactions. He was also aware that she was covertly looking at him, that is where the spider senses of the Symbiote came in handy, he could feel her gaze on him even if he didn't see it, perhaps she had seen him looking at her?

Took you long enough

'What do you mean?'

Finally admitting you've been checking her out

John suppressed a groan, to Artemis he said, "Two Speedsters with good hearts, makes me glad that I'm on our team." He frowned, "Just hope it is the right team, it feels like the right team, feels like the right thing to do. But during my stint in the Army I had been asked to kill. Question is if that was for the right reasons and the right team as well."

He shook his head and looked at Artemis, giving her a smile, "Just ignore that part, sometimes I over-think stuff. Back to Bart and Barry, I wonder how much pizzas they can manage in one go with that metabolism of theirs"

 

[Lunaramblings]

He shook his head and looked at Artemis, giving her a smile, "Just ignore that part, sometimes I over-think stuff. Back to Bart and Barry, I wonder how much pizzas they can manage in one go with that metabolism of theirs"

A blur of red streaked through the hallway. Coming to stop before John and Artemis. "Last time I counted I did 14 large pepperoni and extra cheese in a sitting. Think I could have done more if Captain Cold hadn't picked that moment to rob a bank." Barry leaned nonchalantly on the wall grinning his trademark hand in the cookie jar grin.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Moving Targets. (Artemis)

John grinned at her summarization, for some reason Bart seemed to have picked her for his social interactions.

Artemis would be lying if she said she hadn't wondered about that herself. Maybe just because she seemed closest to his physical age? Physical because he acted more like a tyke hopped up on cotton candy in a funhouse than a teenager...

Maybe on some parallel world she'd been in love with his second cousin or something. What a weird, shivertwitch-inducing thought.

John suppressed a groan, to Artemis he said, "Two Speedsters with good hearts, makes me glad that I'm on our team." He frowned, "Just hope it is the right team, it feels like the right team, feels like the right thing to do. But during my stint in the Army I had been asked to kill. Question is if that was for the right reasons and the right team as well."

Artemis did twitch then. Well, her eyebrow did, involuntary spasm.

Her father's big, meaty hands doing a long slow clap as he laughed in his graveyard growl of a voice--

--Jade narrowing her eyes at Artemis through her murderous Maneki Neko mask as her sai gleamed at Artemis' throat--

--and Artemis' arrow quivering half an inch from one of Jade's narrowed eyeballs, a deadly Gotham City standoff--

Yeah. I think I know what that's like.

He shook his head and looked at Artemis, giving her a smile, "Just ignore that part, sometimes I over-think stuff. Back to Bart and Barry, I wonder how much pizzas they can manage in one go with that metabolism of theirs"

Artemis harrumphed. "All the crunches I've gotta do to get these killer abs..."

She shook her head. "Still. As someone wise once said, 'any pizza is a personal pizza if you work hard and believe in yourself.'"

A blur of red streaked through the hallway. Coming to stop before John and Artemis. "Last time I counted I did 14 large pepperoni and extra cheese in a sitting. Think I could have done more if Captain Cold hadn't picked that moment to rob a bank." Barry leaned nonchalantly on the wall grinning his trademark hand in the cookie jar grin.

Artemis changed gears fast enough that it might impress even The Scarlet Speedster. "You. Don't think I've forgotten about those questions I wanna ask you, I don't care how often you run for the hills."

 

[DeathsKnight]

John was kind of startled when Bart flashed past them to stop right in front of them, wearing that cat-got-the-canary smile. 14 pizzas and he could have gone on, not bad.

We can do better

'Its not a contest'

Just saying

He caught Artemis' retort and chipped in with, "I can tie him down." It came out wrong and he could feel his blush starting in his neck, "I mean that I can probably try and stick him to the floor long enough to answer you." OK now he sounded like the geek trying to impress the popular girl and he hated himself for it.

You really have no clue with woman do you

The symbiote's smug remark made him blurt out loud, "Like you have any idea." He realized that he was still standing with Artemis and Barry and he managed a sheepy smile, "Sorry, I'll just shut up now."

 

[ChasNicollette]

"In a mad world, only the mad are sane." -Akira Kurosawa. (Artemis)

Artemis stared at The Flash for a moment, blinked once owlishly, and then swung an incredulous gaze around to Agent Venom. Did this answer questions about him? Or just... raise more?

"And here I thought," she deadpanned, "what with the weblines and all, I already knew exactly how you swing."

 

[DeathsKnight]

He shouldn't let his jaw drop, yet it did, he shouldn't be flustered, yet he was. He knew that if the symbiote wasn't forcing their psychic link to the max to prevent him from blubbering like a fool, he would have most likely went something like: "I...no...I...me...men...huh-uh...no...female...yup...yes...I mean...girl good." But instead he managed to close his mouth and gave her a wry smile, "I only use webs to swing and I do not prefer men thank you." He motioned to the hallway, "How about we get to that meeting, I'd ask Bart to lead, but I can't really see him to follow him."

 

[ChasNicollette]

The silver arrows of The Goddess Artemis signify a mercy killing.

He shouldn't let his jaw drop, yet it did, he shouldn't be flustered, yet he was. He knew that if the symbiote wasn't forcing their psychic link to the max to prevent him from blubbering like a fool, he would have most likely went something like: "I...no...I...me...men...huh-uh...no...female...yup...yes...I mean...girl good." But instead he managed to close his mouth and gave her a wry smile, "I only use webs to swing and I do not prefer men thank you." He motioned to the hallway, "How about we get to that meeting, I'd ask Bart to lead, but I can't really see him to follow him."

"Good to know," Artemis shrugged, ow. "I don't judge."

"...well, that's not true, I judge all the time, but not about that."

"However you get down, get down."

She was babbling. Channeling Felicity.

I'm supposed to be the taciturn sardonic one, not the motormouth with a foot half-crammed in.

Still, if you're going to have a creepy spider goop-suit, you might as well get creative with it.

Take that tongue for instance--

NO.

I AM NOT A GODDAMN HENTAI CHARACTER.

Ears turning pink, she stormed ahead of them.

"Fine, I'll lead the fucking way," she growled.

"Now stop staring at my ass!"

 

[DeathsKnight]

John could hear the symbiote's chuckle, then he looked at Bart. "I wasn't...didn't...oh whatever." He followed Artemis as she stormed ahead to the library.

You are such a niny

'Shut up'

You had the chance to get to know her, to talk to her and instead you talk of two other men. You sound very...

'Shut...Up...'

And in his mind sounded the voice of Jeff Dunham's puppet named Peanut

IIIIIII'mmmmmmm gay

'Go jump off a bridge'

Sure and I'll even glide down and flip you the bird

He had no choice, he had to smile at that. The symbiote was so much a part of him, that it knew exactly how to push his funny buttons. It even managed to give him a visual of how it would glide on the drafts and flip the bird at John.

'You're nuts'

And you like me that way, now promise that we'd go out and have a drink. It's been way too long since you had that rum that you're so fond of. I want to taste it as well, not just have memories of it.

'If I promise will you stop needling me about being single and not knowing how to handle women?'

A short silence

Spoilsport...

Then

Deal

'OK then I promise that I'll find a way for us to get some drinking done'

Good

 

[Lunaramblings]

Barry laughs at the interactions between Agent Venom and Artemis. Mostly he laughs because he wasn't sure until know if the thing that had bonded to the soldier had allowed him to keep a sense of humor. Barry takes a moment to make eye contact with Artemis. Not wanting his jovial nature to belie the truth.

Barry continued to grin as he shrugged. You have questions, maybe I have answers. You and the boss are the ones that do all the secrecy and cloak and dagger stuff. Me, I tell it like it is. Usually anyway. I promise, once we get this pow-wow done and over, I will answer as many of your questions as I can... I am a former KC Jitters Trivia Champion. So, I mean, I can do questions. Are they gonna be multiple choice?" Barry couldn't help but laugh. He stretched a little and nodded as if confirming something, more to himself than anyone else. "You deserve answers. And I am pretty sure I know your questions. See you in the Study." With another blur of motion he was gone again. Just a faint streak of red tracing down the hall.

Oliver and John were just sitting at the long table, one on either side of John Constantine when Barry zipped into the room. He locked eyes on John Constantine for a moment. Studying the face that he hadn't seen in a very long time. "John?" Barry had already pulled his mask back and was smiling and gaping at his friend. "It's been... too long. You never did get back to me, how are things with---" Barry didn't get to finish his sentence as Guardian cut him off.

"You know this guy?"

John had risen to his feet, a lopsided grin forming on his face. "Oy, Mr. Twinkle-Toes! Too long mate. And yeah, you could say we know each other. Helped one another through some dark places. Wouldn't rightly be 'ere wit out yer boy 'ere." John had barely taken two steps when Barry met him at the table and they hugged.

"Barry, you know my history. 'Nough o'it 'tleast. I ent got many friends these days. You know how I tend to go through em. But, you, old son, you are a sight. Glad you found yer way home mate. I told you there was a light in you."

Barry let go of his friend."When I... when I went away for a while. After, After the Flashpoint Incident. You guys know how messed up I was. Well, I went to Ravenscar. And I met John. We were both dealing with losses. With failing our friends. And we bonded. We helped each other. And when it turned out the facility was being used for some type of magical meat packing plant, John helped me shut it down, get the place turned back around. I don't think I would have been able to come back from Ravenscar without his help."

"Barry, you did what you did. I may've been there, but couldn't've done nothin there without your help. We brought each other home. I took yer advice Barry. I've tried to make could. Too many good people were lost in helping me to hide away and not take the fight to the bastards who took 'em. And you were right. Things worked out with my... family. Which is why I came here. Didn't mean to. Not exactly, but when I did and saw what was what, I had to get involved.

Oliver had been sitting back listening. Watching. He was pretty good at judging the veracity of a man. But John was... unique. He could be almost impossible to read. But if Barry trusted him... then that was enough. Ollie learned over a decade ago, sometimes, you had to trust the gut of your team. Trust them to make the call. And there were few he trusted more than Barry.

"Let's save the rest for the others." Oliver reached for his ear piece and spoke out. "J'onn, or whoever, are the families gone?"

Lance responded. "They're gone. I pulled a couple favors. Everyone is being taken to safe houses. ARGUS is watching. Hope you don't mind. I went by Canary's and "borrowed" her extra piece. I want in."

Oliver grimaced and spoke back, "You know I value your point of view, but Lance, this is beyond what you should be involved in. I can't have you at risk."

Lance began to push the issue when Barry responded. "No disresct, but he's right. Please, sit this one out. Maybe take a couple days and visit Joe. He could use a visit."

Lance shook his head. He knew that the guys were right. At his age his best years were a distant memory, and if he tried to force it he was likely to get himself killed. Hell he had heard they took Oliver down, and he barely had pulled through. If they had that kind of skill, he was nothing. "Fine. But you keep me posted. On the books or not. We go back enough that you owe me that much."

"You have my word. Whatever goes on, we keep you in the loop." Oliver disengaged his comm. Clearly agitated. He looked up at the door, just as Artemis and Venom opened it.

Once everyone took their seats, Oliver nodded to Constantine, clearly deferring for him to share whatever he knew.

John Constantine stood, put a cigarette in his mouth but didn't get a chance to light it as he began.

"Right then. Some of yous know me. My name is John Constantine, Exorcist, Demonologist, and M-" John grinned to himself as he stopped. "And Petty-Dabbler in the Dark Arts of Witchcraft, Wizardry, and Necromancy. I don't usually come pal about with you spandex types, but there is a major war coming. We are at the dawn of the 13th, and many say, last, age of Magick. This means doors are opening that are not meant to be open. Powers are awakening. Magick is reentering our world. Not Vegas strip conman with busty sidekicks, but honest and true magick. Much of it as dark as any you can imagine. I fight against the darkness. I have done it before, and I will keep doin it til I ain't got the breath in m'lungs to do it any more. But now our worlds, their crossin'. The shenanigans this morning. Here and elsewhere. Not long ago, a the first seal broke. The seals that hold back magick from flowing into this world and running rampant. There are only 3 left. There was 4 when I first decided to come 'ere. But that bleedin' sod Wizard broke another this morning."

Constantine wiped his eyes with one hand and played with his lighter. "Faust, the bloke from Salem, he was tryin' to break the next. Your kids, the two that are missing, they are now part of this. There is a place, a place between the worlds. It is known as The Rock of Eternity. It is a place where great Evil is imprisoned. It is also the source of great good. And the Wizard, no name, just The Wizard, he decided to use your kids to unleash that good." John could read the crowd. He knew that the first thought would be of sacrifice. He chuckled."The kids are alive. I saw'm m'self. But they ent just yer kids no more. They are... more. They have a great power within them now. And you lot are gonna need to help them. Because that power, it is incredible, and if they were seduced by the Darkness, this world would be in for it. I reckon they will turn up soon. Safe'n sound. But watch. Think. Guide 'em. If you need me, o my team, we're a call away. I can't undo what has been done. They chose the power willingly. But they will be a great danger if they begin usin' tha' power without a guide. Too much for such young kids. It will eat them up, turn them dark and evil. Jus' be cautious wit em."

 

[Deleted member 1306910]

Jaime had come in behind Artemis and the strange man in the leather jacket, watching the interplay between them, keeping himself contained and quiet, lagging behind just far enough that he wouldn't be noticed.

He silently told himself that was was NOT stalking them. Barry had most likely noticed him, but he'd kept his mouth shut. Jaime had kept ambling as if he wasn't in any particular hurry to get anywhere. The others had seated themselves by the time he slipped silently through the door and found a corner.

"Right then. Some of yous know me. My name is John Constantine, Exorcist, Demonologist, and M-" John grinned to himself as he stopped. "And Petty-Dabbler in the Dark Arts of Witchcraft, Wizardry, and Necromancy. I don't usually come pal about with you spandex types, but there is a major war coming. We are at the dawn of the 13th, and many say, last, age of Magick. This means doors are opening that are not meant to be open. Powers are awakening. Magick is reentering our world. Not Vegas strip conman with busty sidekicks, but honest and true magick. Much of it as dark as any you can imagine. I fight against the darkness. I have done it before, and I will keep doin it til I ain't got the breath in m'lungs to do it any more. But now our worlds, their crossin'. The shenanigans this morning. Here and elsewhere. Not long ago, a the first seal broke. The seals that hold back magick from flowing into this world and running rampant. There are only 3 left. There was 4 when I first decided to come 'ere. But that bleedin' sod Wizard broke another this morning."

Constantine wiped his eyes with one hand and played with his lighter. "Faust, the bloke from Salem, he was tryin' to break the next. Your kids, the two that are missing, they are now part of this. There is a place, a place between the worlds. It is known as The Rock of Eternity. It is a place where great Evil is imprisoned. It is also the source of great good. And the Wizard, no name, just The Wizard, he decided to use your kids to unleash that good." John could read the crowd. He knew that the first thought would be of sacrifice. He chuckled."The kids are alive. I saw'm m'self. But they ent just yer kids no more. They are... more. They have a great power within them now. And you lot are gonna need to help them. Because that power, it is incredible, and if they were seduced by the Darkness, this world would be in for it. I reckon they will turn up soon. Safe'n sound. But watch. Think. Guide 'em. If you need me, o my team, we're a call away. I can't undo what has been done. They chose the power willingly. But they will be a great danger if they begin usin' tha' power without a guide. Too much for such young kids. It will eat them up, turn them dark and evil. Jus' be cautious wit em."

Jaime felt like someone had kicked him in the chest with the strength of a mack truck. He'd had the experience, so it was familiar, but this was an emotional blow, not a physical one. His breath left him and his heart pounded. Khaji Da was trying to show him something...images of glyphs of some sort...they looked ancient egyptian...Jaime couldn't concentrate...he blinked rapidly, shaking his head.

The idea of the world changing...magic becoming ascendant. Jaime did not know if he and Khaji Da could exist in such a world. They would be like cripples in a world of supermen...

 

[ChasNicollette]

"My charade is the event of the season." (Felicity/Artemis)

Barry laughs at the interactions between Agent Venom and Artemis. Mostly he laughs because he wasn't sure until know if the thing that had bonded to the soldier had allowed him to keep a sense of humor. Barry takes a moment to make eye contact with Artemis. Not wanting his jovial nature to belie the truth.

Barry continued to grin as he shrugged. You have questions, maybe I have answers. You and the boss are the ones that do all the secrecy and cloak and dagger stuff. Me, I tell it like it is. Usually anyway. I promise, once we get this pow-wow done and over, I will answer as many of your questions as I can... I am a former KC Jitters Trivia Champion. So, I mean, I can do questions. Are they gonna be multiple choice?"

"I'm an Arrow," Artemis harrumphed as she stalked on. "My questions are gonna be direct and to the point, and don't you forget it."

Barry couldn't help but laugh. He stretched a little and nodded as if confirming something, more to himself than anyone else. "You deserve answers. And I am pretty sure I know your questions. See you in the Study." With another blur of motion he was gone again. Just a faint streak of red tracing down the hall.

"Later on, Fleetfeet," Artemis grumped, even though he was already out of earshot, and kept walking.

*********​

As Oliver and Diggle were sitting with the blond guy who smelled like something out of a Raymond Chandler story, Felicity was taking a few quickfire phone calls with her administrative assistant in the office, reviewing a multimedia presentation-- typo on the seventh slide, why does everyone always forget the hyphen in 'Geo-Force?' --and preparing to update archival data based on Smelly Trenchcoat Man's stunning revelations. Her world never stopped spinning.

She glanced up with a soft smile when Barry showed up and embraced STM with a bromantic hug. She and Barry had put their might-have-beens behind them long ago, but that didn't mean she didn't still have a soft spot for The Scarlet Speedster. It was good to see him smile. And if Smelly Trenchcoat Man had helped Barry through his low points, well, more power to him, she could overlook the aura of tobacco smoke that caused olfactory mnemonic flashbacks of her mom's cocktail waitressing...

Felicity watched Oliver watch the goings-on, and smiled faintly before correcting the typo and reuploading it to the QC cloud. Vigilante by name, vigilant by nature. She wondered what Diggle thought of all this-- caught up in a whole new whirlwind of information when all he wanted was his daughter back. Poor guy.

After a quick but passionate confab with Quentin, Artemis led a number of others into the room--

--Artemis met Felicity's gaze with a quick nod. Boss Lady.

Felicity adjusted her glasses, and nodded back, that faint smile still in place. Thanks for coming back in one piece.

Felicity couldn't help but notice that Artemis looked uncomfortable. Socially uncomfortable?

As if in response to Felicity's unspoken wonder, Artemis quickly distanced herself from John Denvers, codename Venom. Had something happened out in the field, or was this-- Artemis not being all that good at coping with humans? She'd come a long way while posing as Felicity's P.A., but a childhood of violent conditioning would take serious healing yet.

Artemis quietly gravitated to stand next to the man that Felicity-- of course --recognized as Jaime Reyes, positioning Jaime between her and Venom almost defensively.

Yeah, this was a social gaffe, Felicity would bet her secret stash of Bitcoin on it, Artemis wouldn't retreat from a physical conflict. Well, that's not good.

Once everyone took their seats, Oliver nodded to Constantine, clearly deferring for him to share whatever he knew.

John Constantine stood, put a cigarette in his mouth but didn't get a chance to light it as he began.

So his name was John, not Smelly Trenchcoat Man-- another John.

Between Diggle, Denvers, J'onzz, and now Constantine, they had enough Johns in here to start their own boy-band. JohnX4? No-- 'J-Hypercubed.' ...then she wondered how many of them could sing.

Constantine spun a tale that widened more than a few pairs of eyes in the room-- including Felicity's and Artemis' alike, though Felicity couldn't help but grimace at the reference to Vegas.

Magic had always been a wild-card, this inexplicable something that didn't belong either in the world of urban bowslinging vigilantes like Oliver or science-heroes like Ray or Barry, with good friends like Zatanna and Mari McCabe being the notable exceptions. And now it was getting wilder? Well, that wasn't good.

"Four seals," Artemis harrumphed. "Isn't it supposed to be seven?" She paused. "I saw a movie one time."

"Actually," Felicity squinted through her glasses, "it's supposed to be 600, but they only needed to break 66 of them." It was her turn to pause. "Am I the only one here who watched 'Supernatural?'"

Artemis scoffed, though good-naturedly. "Sorry, boss-lady, I find your taste in classic television dubious. Doubt anyone else here even remembers the network that was on."

Felicity sighed dismally, and turned her attention back to The Fourth John, the one called "Constantine." "There's one thing I can't grok about prognosticators and petty-dabblers in magic, mister. And that's the fact that you guys--" sorry, Zee "--always seem to turn the vagueness up to eleven. What happened to the kids? Are they metas now? There's a lot of people in this room who love Sarah and give a crap about Billy. Why can't you just be straight about this?"

Jaime felt like someone had kicked him in the chest with the strength of a mack truck. He'd had the experience, so it was familiar, but this was an emotional blow, not a physical one. His breath left him and his heart pounded. Khaji Da was trying to show him something...images of glyphs of some sort...they looked ancient egyptian...Jaime couldn't concentrate...he blinked rapidly, shaking his head.

The idea of the world changing...magic becoming ascendant. Jaime did not know if he and Khaji Da could exist in such a world. They would be like cripples in a world of supermen...

Artemis wasn't a detective, as such, but she was no slouch in reading opponents, body language, that was crucial in a fight. And the adorable Mexican guy looked like The Devil was cranking dubstep on his grave.

"Hey," she murmured low to Jaime, with a squint that said if you puke I'm not cleaning it up, "you okay?"

 

[DeathsKnight]

John sat and listened with growing apprehension as John Constantine spoke, if not for his once-off meeting with Zatana, he would never have known that real magic existed, Venom on the other hand seemed to know about magic, he could not use it, he could not even learn it, something about his make-up preventing that. This lead to one thing though, he could withstand some magical attacks, he wasn't sure how he knew it though and due to the nature of the work done on him in the lab, John could understand why there would be gaps in the symbiote's knowledge.

Now he listened and he could see faces around him reflecting his own feeling of being sick at the stomach. But he guessed that most of them will just bounce back in an instant, perhaps on Guardian would not, since his daughter was now not the normal girl she had been this morning. He gave a soft sigh and ran a hand over his face, this day was growing dramatically stranger and stranger, but wasn't that what he wanted this morning? Action?

Be careful what you wish for

'You sound like my mom'

Smug reply, I know

 

[Lunaramblings]

Constantine looked at Felicity as she asked him for clarification. He was fairly good at sizing people up. He didn't sense that she had any magic to her, and she didn't seem to be a metahuman, a term Constantine had only learned when he met Barry. But she was sharp. She was clever. And there was something about her...

"Meta-Human doesn't quite cover it love. More akin to what your boy with the Scarab has gone through. A... cohabitation, of sorts. Not exactly possession, but that's 'bout as close as I can getcha."

J'onn J'onnz had been standing in the back of the room, listening. And deducing. "The heroes that took on the duo in Salem. And healed me. I thought, for a second, I felt something familiar in their minds, but some other force was blocking me from digging deeper. It was them. Somehow adults and empowered. I have never been fond of Magick."

"Oi! Right in one Jolly Green. But not aged. Just...transposed. See, the power that they accepted, it binds them to some of the greatest powers that the mortal world ever knew. When they manifest, they take a composite form of the beings that power them. Their physical form is transformed, reshaped. They pull a great deal of power from another realm. This ent yer average possession. It is a binding, mind, body, and soul, of the host and the Powers of SHAZAM. The 6 most powerful of the Gods of old, each bringing powers and talents of their own. In the past, it was always one. Are they twins? That's what I can't work out. See, this power, it bonds with those that are flesh and blood reincarnations of the original wielder. Only one force in the world can seperate them. A magical cheat code if you will. A code created by The Source. Meant to reset. But it don't just reset them, it resets everything. That's what they're meant to safeguard. Be champions of good to prevent the perversion of magick that the Darkness seeks."

Diggle looked like someone had hit him square in the gut. He was trying desperately to process the information that he was getting. His daughter, changed, different, and it was his fault. He let her get taken. He took too long. He should have just gone on his own. Maybe he could have stopped this...

"Dig. There is nothing to be done. I have seen magick before. It typically has a way of doing what is meant to be done. But such is the fate of all Dig. Just as it was my fate to watch my world fall. It was Sara and Billy's to ascend to something more. We will guide them Dig. It will be okay."

Diggle nods, covering his face with his hands. Then he hears it.

"It's cool Dad, we weren't gonna tell you. Not yet. Not til we got used to it. But I guess its out. Am I grounded?" The door hadn't opened, yet there she stood in the doorway. Sara Diggle. No longer in the guise of her new alter ego, again just the little girl.

 

[Deleted member 1306910]

Artemis wasn't a detective, as such, but she was no slouch in reading opponents, body language, that was crucial in a fight. And the adorable Mexican guy looked like The Devil was cranking dubstep on his grave.

"Hey," she murmured low to Jaime, with a squint that said if you puke I'm not cleaning it up, "you okay?"

And everything stopped. The world stopped spinning, Jaimes mind cleared, his heart settled into an even beat. Her face was the center of everything.

Jaime smiled hesitantly-

"Meta-Human doesn't quite cover it love. More akin to what your boy with the Scarab has gone through. A... cohabitation, of sorts. Not exactly possession, but that's 'bout as close as I can getcha."

Jaime blinked, glancing sharply at Constantine.

"It's cool Dad, we weren't gonna tell you. Not yet. Not til we got used to it. But I guess its out. Am I grounded?" The door hadn't opened, yet there she stood in the doorway. Sara Diggle. No longer in the guise of her new alter ego, again just the little girl.

Well...this was interesting. At least he was distracted from his emotional issues.

 

[ChasNicollette]

"One Way Out," by Two Steps From Hell. (Rose)

"'Reinforcements,'" Robby hesitated.

"Dials," Rose mumbled. "All over the world. And you want to find their Dialers. So... road trip?"

"A fantastic idea," Chris smirked softly. "And not unheard-of."

But then he glanced at the room around them, out at the world, out at Keystone.

"But no. We need something more immediate, or our side is going to get crushed beyond all hope of victory. We need to act quickly. But I can't tell you here, I've gotten carried away and revealed too much already. We're too out in the open. Too many windows."

He seemed to go away for a moment, like Rose did on rare occasions when she was remembering the odd memory from one of her Heroes. Except, as Rose and Robby watched him and wondered, this memory could well be Chris'-- memories of extradimensional war and even terrestrial terrorism in the heart of Lower Manhattan.

"So many cities in this world," Chris mumbled disjointedly. "All made of glass."

Then, abruptly, he turned on his heel and stalked towards the door. "Get your things. Robby needs to go to work."

For the second time in quick succession, Robby again hesitated. "Wait, me?"

 

[DeathsKnight]

Venom

A voice spoke from a very unexpected direction and not one to handle surprises with the same dead-pan surety of the seasoned heroes, John found himself on his feet, chair falling over, the jumpsuit already morphing into the Symbiote, the mask flowing so fast into place, it felt like it snicked or even flicked into place. Wicked claws protruded from the fingers as he whirled on the source of the voice...only to find that it was not a threat. Immediately he felt foolish, the worst thing for a sniper was the unexpected, reaction to unexpected have to be almost instantanious if adjustment was needed.

Still didn't manage to lessen his shame, his heart was hammering even as the mask flowed back and the claws withdrew. He cleared his throat, muttered a sorry and picked up the chair, sinking down into it and staring at the table top in front of him. Even the symbiote was silent, the incident a huge source of shame for the both of them and the both of them refused to look up and see the ridicule of the others.