The Last Daughter of Krypton - IC

[ChasNicollette]

Alfred

Alfred arched an eyebrow, intrigued.

"A Daughta', is it?" he mused.

And he smiled a wondering smile as he glanced out into the night.

Hopes and dreams of all mankind resting on the shoulders of a young woman.

If that don't teach all them bloody chauvinists to fermez their bloody bouches, I dunno what will.

Good for her. Good for her.

"I shall endeavour," he murmured, "to be sufficiently eloquent, and not indulge in unfortunate periphrasis."

 

[AmenRa]

Lionel

He almost dropped the phone.

Of course he remembered Gabriel Sullivan. Plant #3 was the plant that Lex had made a complete mess of, and if not for Sullivan's top-level work, and considerable overtime, Plant #3 would have been closed.

Lionel never did visit the plant, and he never did thank Sullivan.

And now he just heard the same plant manager ask him about The Traveler.

And Gabriel Sullivan had called from the number of the cell phone of the very being of whom he inquired about.

Lionel was quiet for a moment.

And then, in very careful, very deliberate tones, he said, "Where are you? I won't discuss this over the phone, Mr. Sullivan. There is no time."

 

[ChasNicollette]

Gabe

Lionel was quiet for a moment.

A long enough moment, in fact, that Gabe was worried that his phone had dropped the call.

But then, with his perfect, Tony-award-winning diction, Lionel continued: "Where are you? I won't discuss this over the phone, Mr. Sullivan. There is no time."

Gabriel's spine stiffened, and he narrowed his eyes.

And he summoned up all the courage and the madness he possessed, and he replied: "If time is short, sir, I'm going to have to ask you to be concise. But much has happened and much has gone wrong and I'm not positive inviting a potential wolf into a fold full of beautiful lambs is the best way to solve things."

Gabe thought, not for the first time this evening, that he was sure to wet himself. If Lionel pressed the point Gabe could hardly deny the man, but Gabe was going to ride out this courage for all it was worth.

"Who is The Traveler, sir?" he enquired. "And what is this matter that concerns him?"

 

[Lunaramblings]

Dale accepted the tumbler from Pete. Suddenly, outwardly, the kindly doctor once more. "Thanks son. Thirsty work getting bounced all over the astral." Dale grinned. The Tennylson Grin was back.

Dale's voice, grin, and body said one thing. Bu there was something... maybe it was the shadow that seemed to just barely, inhumanly be visible in the deepest bits of his eyes, a sulled chill in his aura, or maybe it was the starkness of reality. But Dale was not Dale. He was something else. He was fury and bloodlust, he was anger and hate. He was a man that had not seen the light of day in a very long time. He was what his father always wanted.

This was a man much like the one Merick had seen in his father's head. This was a man that meant business. The Dale-like man smiled at those gathered.

"Just about time to go to War."

 

[AmenRa]

A small smile crossed Lionel Luthor's face.

A wolf into a fold of beautiful lambs?

And yet Gabriel Sullivan, Plant Manager for LuthorCorp AgroTech Plant #3, was attempting to maneuver himself into a tiered position for an advantage. Sullivan was bargaining. He was negotiating. He was putting his pieces into the playing field in an effort to force Lionel to reveal his knowledge.

Lionel Luthor made the instant decision to give Gabriel Sullivan a promotion.

And also to teach the man a lesson in the warlike world of corporate negotiations.

"Who is the Traveler?" Lionel repeated in a voice that was cool and even.

Luthor waited. A long pause. Silence.

"Your daughter is very computer literate, if my memory serves," he continued. Of course his memory served. Luthor's memory was infalliable. "Ask her to do a search on the word Veritos. And when she finds it, and not the literal Latin translation, you will know about the Traveler. And then perhaps you can answer the question of how you obtained my phone number from him?

"If you have contact with him, and I don't understand how or why you would, but if you do, you must tell him this: tell him 'Zod is here'."

And then Lionel Luthor ended the call.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Gabe

"Who is the Traveler?" Lionel repeated in a voice that was cool and even.

Like the snows from Good King Wenceslas.

(Snows that had damn near killed Wenceslas' page with how cold they were.)

Luthor waited. A long pause. Silence.

And this time Gabriel knew the phone was not at fault. Lionel Luthor was brooding as to how terribly he would crack open Gabe's spirit, how thoroughly he would bury Gabriel's career.

He held his breath and tried not to weep. He succeeded, astonishing himself.

He listened for Lionel's next words...

"Your daughter is very computer literate, if my memory serves," he continued.

Gabe's heart jumped from his chest into his throat so quickly he nearly died. His wide wide eyes riveted to his daughter, standing there among masked men and madmen with the air of being right at home...

He knows she's here. How could he know she's here? He knows she's here.

He's threatening her.

And I can't stop him.

"Ask her to do a search on the word Veritos. And when she finds it, and not the literal Latin translation, you will know about the Traveler. And then perhaps you can answer the question of how you obtained my phone number from him?

"If you have contact with him, and I don't understand how or why you would, but if you do, you must tell him this: tell him 'Zod is here'."

And then click. Gone.

Gabe stared at the phone, setting it down with a shudder.

Lionel Luthor knows of Zod.

Why am I not surprised? Horrified, yeah, but not surprised.

He glanced up at Chloe again.

I can't protect you from him. But I'll be damned if I let him make you do his bidding.

He cracked his knuckles, and set his fingers to the keys, and set about searching for this "Veritos."

 

[camerindrake]

Damian

Damian looked at his father with only one bat ear. Though he dare not call it a bat ear to his face. Actually the inner lining was changed but it was the same cowl that his father war the second year he was the Batman.

Damian responded to his father with a few words to ease his thought of the ripple in time, "Actually, the technology was developed by your company a year ago. The US Navy didn't think it was worth 2.4 million dollars. My predicessor did. Or at least worth the investment."

He then worked on his own cowl for just a bit longer and then put it on. He then looked to Chloe. and tossed her the jump drive with all the extra information he had on it. including extra security programs, "I already loaded them but if you want to double check the code here is the source to the security programs I used."

He then sat down and went into alpha state getting the rest he knew he was going to need but staying conscious to the world around him.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Wraith

"You can confirm your theory by asking the man himself. They're here."

With those words from Chloe it went from all theory and on to practical application.
Once the Chosen One got here, we had just a little more planning and then we would be off to get that piece of the pie that Zod was looking for. Bruce, Pete and I would be heading down to try and sneak past the dragon, to retrieve the treasure for the waiting prince. Hopefully Excalibur would provide him with the power to defeat Zod.

Zod had already showed he had plenty of power, and didn't mind who he killed with it.

Whomever the Martian was bringing, I hope they were ready for the task set ahead.

And I hoped we lived through the next few days, or maybe even hours.

 

[TearsoftheWorld]

Kara saw the Martian Manhunter far above, and though she raced about his exceptional speed outmatched her for the present moment, and he quickly moved on ahead. Still she could follow his trail, glittering for a moment as it illuminated her path to Wayne Manor.

Turning her thoughts towards her parents, Kara secretly wished that she could be with them right now. But she had far more important things to do than just sit around while the Earth's very safety was in jeopardy.

"What can I do?" Kara asked herself.

"You can do anything you set your mind on," Jonathan once told her.

The world was much simpler back then. Sure, Kara had broken a few tables just by banging her fist against them, but at that point in her life she had little control over her abilities. There were a few instances where Kara seemed to push the very boundaries of physics, jumping higher than houses and... well there were a few instances where she felt like she was floating.

Or hovering.

Was it flying?

Maybe she was capable of flight. It'd be a lot of fun, that was for sure.

Wayne Manor was coming up in the distance, and with Kara running at near full-speed, that distance was covered pretty quickly. She came up behind J'onn, slowing down to a normal running pace.

"Nice place," Kara said to herself, checking out the estate. It was a lot fancier than the Kent Farmstead, but then again her family didn't exactly have a lot of money.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Alfred

"Nice place," Kara said to herself, checking out the estate.

"Cheers," Alfred replied, grateful, glancing proudly up at The Manour's elegant construction.

"Thomas Wayne bought this place years ago as a manner of retreat from the occasionally oppressive atmosphere of his hometown," he explained, giving the girl the living history tour almost as a matter of instinct. "Apparently, the house was designed and built by the same architect as The Wayne Mansion just outside of Gotham, hence the remarkable similarities in layout and such."

He held out to her the folded-up protective garb, the visored hood laid daintily atop it.

"Are you," he hesitated, "her?"

(The "h" wasn't quite capitalised, the way he said it. But almost. He said "her," but it was almost "Her.")

"Just on your right, going in," Alfred explained, "there's a little sitting-room with sliding doors recessed into the entry arch, you can pull 'em closed. And you can put this on, if you want. Protection against the meteor rocks, which I'm told are discomfiting to you. The mask will hide your face, if your identity's of concern. Masta' Bruce sends this... with his regards."

He paused again, briefly, and got a look of mild disorientation on his face, like there was a hiccup that wouldn't come out properly.

"You'll have to forgive me, M'Lady," he apologised. "I'm not quite familiar right yet with the protocol of providing attire to them who'll save the world. (I suppose this is something one gets used to in time.)"

 

[AmenRa]

The Martian Manhunter

He stood with his arms folded across his massive chest, his cape draping smartly across his shoulders, as Alfred Pennyworth introduced Kara to Wayne Manor.

He nodded slowly in answer to Alfred's question. Yes, this is she: the Last Child of Krypton, the embodiment of Hope for Mankind.

He thought quietly to himself as he prepared to step through Wayne Manor's doors.

This is Rose's time. These are her peers, and it is only right that she should introduce Kara to them. I have done all that I can here. Now it is their time to face their destiny.

 

[AmenRa]

Lionel

He sat and stared at his Blackberry after ending the call with Gabriel Sullivan.

Things were going all wrong.

Zod had not been foretold. The ancient prophecies that Veritos had consumed and deciphered had not described this evil. There had only been two aliens, both benign, and one of which Lionel had already met.

And what was this consciousness that spoke to him now? How was this possible that Lionel Luthor knew of a world of ice and crystal? And how was it that he sought to deliver a message to a child he did not know?

Why him?

Luthor shook his head and sighed.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Pete, Ceri, Bruce, Chloe, Jamie, and Gabe

Pete backed away from Dale, giving Merick a worried, sympathetic look.

'Now,' he seemed to note to his classmate, 'that ain't right.'

As he backed up, he backed into Ceri, who had shrugged briefly out of her jacket and was putting on one of those vests. (She hadn't worn a vest in years, wasn't her style in the slightest. But recent events had shown her that she was not as good as once she was.)

Pete winced apologetically to Ceri, who simply shrugged, and glanced at Dale like they had greater concerns. Which they did.

Between the crazy man who may or may not be fighting the urge to kill all of us-- though the fact that he may actually be fighting those urges rather than actually killing us is a point of respect, to be certain --and the loose cannon Dale's apparently become, I'm not sure we're exactly 'good to go,' here.

Ceri slid her jacket back on.

It still fit nicely.

Bruce arched an eyebrow inside the mask.

Weapons contracting, he mused. I miss the days when my family's empire was built solely on real estate. Mister Earle will have a lot to answer for when I take back the company's reins. Still. Beggars can't be choosers.

I'm supposed to turn down an advantage like this?

I don't think so.

Chloe jacked in the jump-drive and, quick as she could, ran her eyes along the code while it compiled into her program launcher.

It was elegant, and it was brilliant, and based on reporter's instincts and feminine intuition, she didn't think it was entirely Damian's style. She wondered if someone had programmed this for him.

"This is really good," she murmured, and looked up to ask him... but then his life-signs changed on the monitor in the corner of her screen and Damian looked like he had gone off somewhere in his head.

She paused with her mouth open, and she closed her mouth.

"Meditative state," Jamie suggested, also looking at Damian. "Good way to recharge when one's not got the time or the ability to sleep. Works really well for some people, provided you can clear your thoughts."

Jamie sounded vaguely envious, though he might have been making a conscious effort to dampen this. (Apparently, he had trouble sleeping. And clearing his thoughts.)

Chloe glanced from Doctor James David Hamilton to David Damian Cain, and she smiled a wan little smile.

"I've done a little meditating," she nodded, "couple of times. Self-hypnosis, helps me piece together an especially cluttered crime scene. Read about it in a book."

"Oh?" Jamie blinked. "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?"

Chloe chuckled faintly, a little embarrassed. "Carolyn Keene."

Gabe was staring at his computer screen, his hands immobile on the keyboard.

Oh, he shivered, in an uncharacteristic moment of vulgarity: Shit.

 

[camerindrake]

Damian

Damian now back in his cowl and in alpha state let the persona of the Black hood take shape. Though really it was more of a change in his demeanor than anything. His facial structure took more of a deeper scowl. his eyes were still open so he saw Chloe had looked towards him probably to ask him a question.

Damian now using the voice of Black Hood, a voice sounding like it was coming from a deep dark place, says, "Don't worry I am still here, What is it you wanted to ask?"

 

[ChasNicollette]

Jamie and Chloe

Damian now using the voice of Black Hood, a voice sounding like it was coming from a deep dark place, says, "Don't worry I am still here, What is it you wanted to ask?"

"Oo-er," Jamie blinked, a little bit under his breath, a little bit impressed. "That's not entirely uncreepy."

Chloe, quickly shrugging off her momentary embarrassment, gave Damian a pointed look while indicating the laptop screen.

"Who wrote this security code?" she wondered. "It's a work of art. Was this you?"

 

[camerindrake]

Damian

Black Hood thought for a second about how much he could say, then answered, "Her name is Jade Canary, adopted daughter to Black Canary. She is a heroine and information analysis used by the likes of Organizations which are just fledglings in this reality. She was trained by a predecessor. Most of us now are second or third generation hero's or vigilantes. I classify as vigilante cause of past failures to curb my training by the League of Assassins. If i gave into my inhibitions on one of the things that my... predecessor made law. I would have a kill count almost astronomical as some of the serial killers I take down. However my failures they are enough to keep me awake at night. I was incubated and trained to be a killer. I rebelled. I fight the urges every night I go out there. The few years I was able to know my father was enough for me to turn to the life of redemption. A hard road to say the least."

Black Hood by this time had turned his head and had closed his eyes though do to the cowl no one could see the emotion play across his face. other than his jaw setting. The anguish would have been almost enough to make someone cry for him. He didnt know why he opened up so much. He made sure to leave out as many names as he could. He missed his father for the little time he was able to get to know him. He had come to respect the man known as Bruce Wayne, The Batman. in his reality he wore the mantle of the bat with honor. His failures were few. But he had to cheat to keep from killing. Using well placed concussion grenades. Low impact explosives at select locations in buildings. If forced to hand to hand combat thats where he fails. He doesn't know any self defense styles. Every style he knows is made to maim or kill. He doesn't try to knock someone out. All he knows is how to send his fingers through the persons skull or his fist to cause a heart to explode. It takes a conscious effort to use nonlethal strikes. If he had the chance to learn from his father he would be a better man. That Black Hood knew.

He finally says one last thing, "If you choose to live a life behind a mask, I know one thing that can't be taught but must be learned. A lesson I wrestle with on a daily basis simply because I never had the chance at a normal life. Balance. Learn to balance your life behind the mask and a normal life. Because if you don't the that fine line between sane and insane becomes a very thin line indeed. Once you go over that edge, its nearly impossible to come back from. You are no longer," Damian points to Merick then Pete then to Chloe, "Merrick Tennyson, Pete Ross, Chloe Sullivan. You become the mask. Like, Merrick what call sign have you thought for your name? How bout you Pete?"

 

[AmenRa]

General Zod

They toiled long hours into the humid night, sweating and sweltering in an unrelenting tropical heat. They were dingy and dirty, muddy and soured from digging away in the soil.

But they were getting closer.

They knew they were digging for treasure, but they did not know what the treasure truly was. They had hoped to find jewels, gold, or even some artifact they could sell on the market, if not here, then somewhere abroad where open street markets catered to the super-rich. Someplace like Marakesh or Iskenderun.

Zod, however, cared nothing for this. He stood there in his black clothes, unaffected by the heat or mosquitoes that plagued the workers. He stood and watched like some great spectre.

And then he heard it.

It was not very loud, but it was there. A shrill, keening sound.

A sound meant only for Kryptonian ears.

 

[TearsoftheWorld]

Kara nodded her head as Alfred gave her a 'brief' history of the house, including who bought it and for what reasons. But she knew that the history lesson wouldn't last, and it was only a matter of time before he would come to the realization that she was the one they were expecting.

She glanced at the gear he held out for her, and she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

It was a look that blankly read: "Uh?"

Apparently Alfred had already anticipated her wanting to know. Or perhaps he just wanted her to be safe. The gear, he explained, was for her protection against the meteor rocks. She took the items he held out for her, though she really didn't feel like she would be hidden under the mask.

"I'm not quite familiar right yet with the protocol of providing attire to them who'll save the world. (I suppose this is something one gets used to in time.)"

"I'm not exactly familiar with it either," Kara said.

It was all still very new to her.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, Kara heard the shrillest sound in the world. Almost instantly she dropped the clothes, her hands clutching her ears.

Something had been found... something very important.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Wraith

"You become the mask."

I could identify with that. I was so easy to get lost in the power of my armor and the forces attached to it. I could so easily tip over the scale, become the monster that i looked like.

"In some ways we all have masks, tho some are more obvious than others. The one thing a mask gives us is a gift.."
Shadows swirled around me and I stood before them in my normal human form again.
"we can take the masks off."

 

[Lunaramblings]

Dale stopped fingering the shotgun and stared up at Damian.

"A mask is what we make it. You choose to wear yours, but for some it is chosen for them. If you choose to embrace the Mask too much, for too long, you cease to exist. You become The Mask. The you that has always been is lost. Call it what you will."

"The man I saw... was that you? Merick was staring at hs father, lost.

"Not here. Not now. There is too much to explain. But this I will say, Merick, you must choose your own destiny. Make of the gifts you bear what you can. You will be tested, and you must pass."

"When did you go all enigmatic on me? Fine. Later. Lets deal with what we have at hand." Merick turned his attention to Damien "Listen bud, I don't know you. Not that I really want to. I have no plans to break out the spandex and gather a handful of cliches to shout in battle. This is life, not the funny pages. If I ever need a secret identity I am sure something will come up. Til then... I am Merick Tennylson, son of Dale; grandson of Edmund, brother of Tommy. That is sure as hell good enough for me."

 

[ChasNicollette]

Pete, Bruce, Jamie, Ceri, and Chloe

"With due respect to my unmasked hermano, here," Pete replied, (indicating Kyle), "and to my spandex-hatin' fellow freshman," (indicating Merick) "Luke Cage didn't need no moniker. Went by 'Power Man' for alla what, five minutes? And his girl Jess Jones ain't used a codename in God knows how long."

He shook his head.

"I don't gotta hide nothin'," Pete replied, holding up the ski mask from his pocket, the one Bruce had given him, "to be who I am. This mask goes on my face, it ain't stayin' on there any longer than it has to."

"Some people are born to be symbols wrapped up in mystery," Bruce noted, nodding. "Other people are symbol enough on their own. My parents were symbols to the people of Gotham, activists and visionaries, and they never wore masks."

Jamie glanced at Ceri, and Ceri at James.

They said not a word on the topic of codenames.

Pete, evidently set to thinking by Bruce's comment, looked down at the mask in his hands, and then glanced at the mysterious symbol on the left side of his jacket's chest. Red and black and gold.

"S'pose if I hadda pick somethin'," he mused, "it would start with an 'R.'"

Chloe smiled faintly to herself.

She already had a name. Had had one for a couple of years, now. A hacker handle, inspired by Ezekiel 3:17...

'Son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me.'

"Watchman," obviously, wouldn't go for her. And besides, it wasn't like her to rip off Alan Moore unnecessarily. And "Watchwoman" was too much of a mouthful. She'd messed around with "Watchdaughter," briefly, and that had a ring to it, but there was something much more obvious, much better.

I am The Watchtower.

 

[AmenRa]

Mm

The Martian Manhunter reached for Kara, concerned as she dropped the items she was holding and covered her ears. While his own hearing was even more acute than hers, she obviously was hearing something only she could hear.

Something only someone born of Krypton could hear.

And that meant only one thing.

Water had been uncovered.

J'onn J'onzz held Kara as the shrill, pulsing sound assaulted her.

"Concentrate, Kara," he said to her, "focus. Tighten your grip upon it until it subsides."

A singular thought came from a keen intelligence that rested within Wayne Manor. J'onzz had bonded with this mind, and the thoughts sometimes flowed freely. Especially this one, because it was a statement of identity, a statement of strength.

I Am The Watchtower.

The Martian Manhunter recognized it instantly, and he returned its solidity with a thought of equally important news.

Indeed you are. He thought to her. And we are out of time.
We have no more time.

 

[TearsoftheWorld]

OOC: short post, my brain hurts

"Tighten your grip upon it until it subsides."

The piercing sound continued to infest the young Kryptonians mind, until finally it had ended. Kara blinked a few times as she stared at the ground, confused as to what had happened to her. She had tried focusing her attention on the sound, and she knew that it was far, far away.

She remembered that time in school when it sounded like everything had been given a megaphone... but this time it was different.

"What happened?" she asked, finally regaining her bearings.

"What was that sound I heard?" Kara asked, looking to the Martian Manhunter for answers.

 

[camerindrake]

Damian

Damian sat there thinking He remembered hearing about the man that was Two Face.* He read in his fathers journals that Two Face once was the man Harvey Dent.* A visionary in the city of Gotham.* He believed the system could work if one but tried.* He was then scarred by the mob.* It was an acid gun.* Ceramic.* It meant that it couldnt be traced by a metal detector.* Harvey got half of his face covered before the Acid hit.* What peaple didn't know he had been suffering from repressed anger issues which had began manifesting in an alternate personality.* Big Bad Harv.* with the burned flesh Harv or Harvey no one knows for certain refused to take skin grafs in the the hospital.* Thats when it hit him.* Harvey was known when he was in Internal Affairs as Harvey Two Face.* Why hide it Harv thought.* Harv was in control.* He was Two Face.* The mob got rid of the pesky DA but now they had a bigger threat one that made up his mind with but a flip of a coin.* Damian looked at them all asked,* "Have any of you read the Watchmen. I simply ask because in it there is a man who became almost a god in a sence. He stated for all his power he was but a puppet who could see the strings." He then shook his head and then said, "Not saying I believe it but I had but two choices, either I become a heartless assassin or become a knight of vengence. To me there wasn't but a choice at all."

He then pulled out one of his explosive bat shaped shurikens and handed it to Merrick, "Examine it closely. Do they use that kind of force in your funny pages."

 

[Lunaramblings]

Merick looked at the shuriken.

"I don't know where it is you come from, but, here, I don't need the funny pages for things far worse than your toys. Look at the news, the world needs saving. Our world, the world left in our care, and what do we do? We kill senselessly, we take what we want and throw the rest off. This thing, sure, its nice and all, but it isn't the type of thing to keep me up at night. See, this still requires a human hand to guide it no? Well, as long as we inconsiderate plague-bearers continue to be willing to use these types of force, then the world will always require people like those we have here. A weapon is a tool. As is a hammer, a pen, a paper clip. It is the intent of the user that defines the problem." Merick looked around the room.

I pledge this, no matter what, I am not going to roll over. I am not going to give in. For each and everyone of you, I will bleed. I will fight. I will give all I have, unto death and beyond. I expect no less from anyone else. We move ahead, into the darkness, but none shall go alone. We are the fringes. We are the Freaks. We are the ones that do what no others are willing to do. Ladies, Gentlemen, WE ARE THE OUTSIDERS!"

As Merick finished his sentence he seemed to practically burst into waves of Emerald colored energy. His eyes flaring. He drops the shuriken to the table and grins.