Justice League: The New Wave (IC)

Varshanka said:

“There are other activities for blowing off steam. But if you wish to assassinate digital creatures to do so, then so be it. But I have little experience with.. these types of devices. My leisure time is usually used with other activities.” Reaching over she turned the light off. “So do you like boys or girls? Or both?”

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"Well then I can show you how it works and you can learn the rest as we go along."

He quickly explained the basic controls to Renegade and by the time he had finished, the first round had started.

"I never really were into guys. Not that I am a homophobe, it just isn't my thing. I do prefer women, but so far, Garfield is just not the type to attract one, even though he feels attracted to."

TertiusHuman said:

"I never really were into guys. Not that I am a homophobe, it just isn't my thing. I do prefer women, but so far, Garfield is just not the type to attract one, even though he feels attracted to."

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“Hmm, stop talking about yourself in the third person and you might have more luck. Talk weird like that and people think you’re a sociopath or something. Ever just try asking a girl out?” She asked as she twitched the controllers and lobbed all the grenades she had at a wall. “Well damned. Should be allowed to collect from the dead. Smear their blood on yourself and bash them with the corpses.”

He chuckled, despite the company, he was actually having fun. OK sure Renegade did make the strangest comments at times and always seemed willing to kill everybody or anybody, but Garfield started to enjoy the company. Somebody who understood his powers and knew him for the real being he was.

"I don't talk about myself in the third person around other people. Not sure why I did it right now. And no I never do the asking out thing. I have issues about doing that."

He shuddered slightly and then focused on the game again.

"Stand By You," by Rachel Platten.

Varshanka said:

Smiling Karan leaned back in, her breathing still paused from that gaze. And with lips that brushed lighter than a butterfly on Rose’s neck she breathed. “Darling, I’ll wait A Thousand Years for you. And I’ll always be patient.”

Well as patient as mortal that could – though not necessarily did – move at speeds akin to a lightning strike or a speeding bullet.

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Rose shivered all over all over again, and she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and buried her face in Karan's hair.

No quicker way to her heart than to reference song lyrics.

"'Even if we can't find heaven,'" she murmured, "'I'll walk through Hell with you."

Then she drew away, giving Karan's hand a squeeze, tugging her towards the elevator. "Now, c'mon."

"I know we can fly to the restaurant, but I've signaled us an Uber. I want you to see what a Valentine's Day is really like for people who celebrate it."

She grinned, and a wicked glimmer of tawny Desire danced in her eyes. "And then later we can make it our own."

ChasNicollette said:

And as she turned away from The Sandman, she saw that her phone was again in ready status, and she thought about the rockfella and--

--wondered what he'd say to that same question, after all.

Whether Braggock would want to be part of The New Justice League.

Her thumb dialed-- Dialed.

4. 3. 7. 6.

H-E-R-O.

SssshhCLICK!

"I am... GLORIANA!"

She stopped-- she was a she again this time --and looked down at herself.

Sculpted blonde, elven, beautiful perfection-- superhumanly gorgeous.

"Happy Valentine's Day to me," she muttered to herself, and that was definitely Ruby shining through-- as though the Meggan ectype were instinctively psychically attuning itself to and accommodating the other personality it detected in their shared matrix --but then she shook her head to focus.

She was Meggan. Otherworldly and a mutant.

Capable of immense elemental and energy manipulations, vast superhuman strength... omnimorphic adaptive shapeshifting... and empathy.

And this empath... had some talking to do.

Commanding the winds and the very geomagnetic energies of The Earth to ripple around her, Gloriana soared into the air and reached out with her empathic senses, reaching out for the mind and form of the one called Braggock.

And when he was done his work, his incredible metalwork sculpting with his powers and his devotion and his pathological hyperfocus, when her empathy suggested that he might be ready...

...she descended, and she smiled at him.

"Hello. I am Gloriana-- my friends call me Meggan. We met before, fighting The Extremists, but I was someone different then. I've been lots of people today."

"You have done good work. Stopped who needed to be stopped. Helped who needed to be helped."

"Would you like the chance to do that again?"

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Braggock stared at the woman before him, uncertain what to say. He had never been good with beautiful women, even when he was a man of flesh and blood.

He looked around what had slowly become something of a park due to his efforts, then looked down at his big, stony hands.

"I would get to stop bad guys and save people?"

Braggock considered her words, and that seemed to be what she was saying.

"I have to bring Dash. Dash takes care of me, and I take care of him. He's good with machines and stuff."

The giant stone man ducked his head bashfully and looked at the woman with glowing coals for eyes, that still managed to seem as if they belonged to a puppy.

"And...and...I need my own room. So p-people don't get scared of m-me."

Calling All Phreaks.


Ruby sat in the Lotus position on the roof of the titanic T-shaped building, eyes closed, breathing.

The last group therapy meeting had been very productive.

Dr. LaGrieve had suggested mediation as a way to help regulate their emotional levels. And he'd suggested a day or two away from old haunts-- stepping out of their comfort zone, so to speak.

So she'd teleported out here to spend a couple days in one of the spare rooms in The Titans' sister tower on The West Coast.

And so far-- so far it had been pretty good. None of the usual triggers. Way fewer reminders about-- former partners.

Just a little bit of calm, there in a hoodie and yoga pants as she breathed in... breathed out... and listened to a guided relaxation mp3 on her phone.

But then her phone started buzzing, and Ruby's cheek twitched.

Did I forget to put it on silent? I swear I--

--it buzzed again, and she grunted, yanking her earbuds out of her ears, popping the slider open and--

A text message, from a contact she didn't recognize: Call this number. And then get ready to JUMP.

Then another: It's a matter of life and death.

"Some kinda damn phishing scheme?" Ruby grimaced.

But sighed. And called the number--

--it rang--

--but instead of an answered call, the screen flickered, a download progress bar appeared on the screen--

"Fuck, malware--"

But then the numbers lit up on the keypad-- 5-8-6-7.

Ruby frowned. "Jump?"

And-- almost on autopilot-- she dialed those numbers.

J-U-M-P.

Her screen lit up-- blinding bright--

And--

CCCRAAAAAACK

--the world ripped open--

--Ruby flinched, leaning back--

--some kinda portal?

And of all things, a flying DeLorean straight outta Back to The Future whooooshed out of that portal, engines whiiiiiining, before swerving in mid-air out over San Francisco Bay and swooping back around to The Tower's rooftop.

Wheels that had rotated horizontally to form repulsor-lifts straightened out vertically again-- wheels as well as landing gear, and the outrageously modified DeLorean landed with a creak and a thump.

Ruby was up on her feet, staring in bewilderment, and she caught herself mumbling--

"A flying car?"

"A flying car that actually works?"

Cleft for Me.

Nevyn_Black said:

Braggock stared at the woman before him, uncertain what to say. He had never been good with beautiful women, even when he was a man of flesh and blood.

He looked around what had slowly become something of a park due to his efforts, then looked down at his big, stony hands.

Click to expand...

They looked like big, strong hands, didn't they?

Nevyn_Black said:

"I would get to stop bad guys and save people?"

Click to expand...

Meggan smiled softly, warmly. "They don't call us The Justice League for nothing."

Nevyn_Black said:

"I have to bring Dash. Dash takes care of me, and I take care of him. He's good with machines and stuff."

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"Of course," Meggan nodded. "There's an approval process. But you were of help to us, and it's a new tradition that those who help us get a shot at joining the team. If Dash helps you help us, then I will see he gets that shot too. When you are ready, contact New Justice League Headquarters in Metropolis, and tell them Hotline sent you-- that is who I am when I am not... someone else."

"We have an engineer, too, Natasha Irons. Perhaps she and Dash will be friends."

Nevyn_Black said:

The giant stone man ducked his head bashfully and looked at the woman with glowing coals for eyes, that still managed to seem as if they belonged to a puppy.

"And...and...I need my own room. So p-people don't get scared of m-me."

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"There are dormitories in our headquarters. Members get them as a matter of course."

Her wild-yonder blue eyes searched his own brimstone gaze, compassion and... empathy... etched into her expression.

And she reached up with one hand, and touched his face, stroking the gleaming, thrumming obsidian of one cheek with a gentle thumb.

And she... synchronized with him.

Her body began to change. No longer this Galadriel-esque vision of statuesque beauty... she metamorphosed, transmuted on the molecular level-- mimicking his body's igneous structure...

...not crudely, as Grunge had done, a simple one-to-one transposition of properties, but an infinitely painstakingly yet intuitive becoming.

Not just synchronizing with his physical structure, but with his powerset, with his mind, with his... soul.

She grew bigger. Taller. Craggier. More... volcanic.

Her pointed ears faded into the sides of her head as her facial structure shifted to mirror his-- just with a subtle feminine je ne sais quoi to it.

She was slightly shorter than he was, and she still had to look up to gaze into his eyes.

And she rumbled, with a voice so very much like his, she rumbled: "I am not scared of you. Let's start with that."

"And then we will show the rest of the world that it is only the unjust who need fear you."

Then she stepped back.

And what passed for a smile on their black glass faces graced her countenance.

"Now. The fault lines you passed through to get here with The Sandman tell me you come from Keystone-Central."

"Would you like a lift home?"

TertiusHuman said:

"I don't talk about myself in the third person around other people. Not sure why I did it right now. And no I never do the asking out thing. I have issues about doing that."

He shuddered slightly and then focused on the game again.

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“You should try it sometime, the results could surprise you. Hell you might even get laid.” Renegade told him. “Hell you are kinda cute.” She added as she died – again. “Hmm, just like real life. I keep dying, but get back up. They die and don’t..”

Karan was still wondering what an Uber was when it pulled up in front of them as they stood on the sidewalk. Figuring Uber was a new term for rent-a-chariot, she helped Rose in before following. She was fairly certain Athena and Aphrodite had a joint hand in the creation of Rose, cause she was perfect.

Varshanka said:

“You should try it sometime, the results could surprise you. Hell you might even get laid.” Renegade told him. “Hell you are kinda cute.” She added as she died – again. “Hmm, just like real life. I keep dying, but get back up. They die and don’t..”

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He chuckled, "OK OK, since your drink is finished and you have died enough times to amuse me, I think we can go hit that pub now. I hope they serve milkshake though, I just love myself a good milkshake."

He switched off the console and collected the other remote. He gave her a grin, "And I just asked you out. Two flies in one hit."

Girls' Night.

Varshanka said:

Karan was still wondering what an Uber was when it pulled up in front of them as they stood on the sidewalk. Figuring Uber was a new term for rent-a-chariot, she helped Rose in before following. She was fairly certain Athena and Aphrodite had a joint hand in the creation of Rose, cause she was perfect.

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More like Epithumia, and Oneiros, and Teleute, and Olethros, directly or indirectly, but who's counting?

Rose grinned as Karan gave her a hand into the car, so chivalrous, her lady knight in mysterious Kryptonian shining armor...

As the driver pulled away, Rose pressed her head against Karan's shoulder, curling up in her girlfriend's lap, Rose murmured softly...

"Whatever else happens tonight... I love this. I love you."

So preoccupied was Rose Walker with the beautiful blonde woman in the car with her, that she didn't even register the presence of two other women as the Uber made its way into the New York City traffic.

A breathtaking pale woman with even paler hair, dressed in black... so lovely she might even be an Amazon herself... nervously flagging down a taxi of her own.

And a redhaired girl-- couldn't be more than sixteen, from the lines on her face-- idly puffing on a whistle between her lips as she gazed intently up at a window of the apartment building.

From Here to Eternity.


"--ZAM!"

His voice and the thunder of the lightning were one as Captain Marvel emerged from the crack in spacetime torn open by the magic of gods...

...and into the main hall of The Rock.

There, with the graven images of The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man. There, with the mighty stone throne of SHAZAM-- and there, with SHAZAM himself.

Sparks arcing around him as he stepped forward, he pulled his hood up over his head and dropped to one knee.

"Wizard."

"I'm sorry to bug you."

Ancient beyond reckoning, older than the roots of mountains and uncounted by the years of Man, The Wizard SHAZAM smiled faintly, stroking his beard.

"You are always welcome here, Nathaniel Fawcett. What troubles you, my Captain?"

Chucking his hood back, Cap rose to his feet, and smiled an aching smile. "This thing that went down in Seattle. I don't... I don't know how to handle it. Even the Wisdom of Solomon is stumped. We're always talking in school about respecting everyone's bodily autonomy-- it's still kinda weird for me that my body changes when I speak your name with intent, but I always remain mostly in control, just with the voices of the gods and heroes whispering in my head."

SHAZAM smiled sadly. "And a demented spirit from another plane, another page of The Book, it wrested that control from you... and now you doubt your worthiness?"

Nathaniel Fawcett shrugged Captain Marvel's shoulders. "I've never quite gotten the 'worthiness' thing. I've rolled with it because it seemed the thing to do. I figured I'd just be myself and listen to my heart-- and Solomon-- and things would work out. But now I'm not so sure."

"I feel like I should have-- fought it off. That Dreamslayer thing. Like... exorcised myself or something. The fact that I didn't is... that's Hella uncool."

He rubbed the back of his head, and closed his eyes. "Should I have this kind of power if dark beings like that can just... puppet me? Use that power against people I never had a grudge with? People who are pretty much trying to be good, just like anyone? And I kind of feel like... if I'm thinking this way, if I'm distracted... maybe I should take a break. Hang up the cape and hood for awhile. Just be... mortal, instead of mighty."

SHAZAM's sad smile deepened, eyes older than skies aching with sympathy. "This is... familiar."

Cap hesitated. He didn't need The Wisdom of Solomon to realize what SHAZAM meant. "The other one. The Captain Marvel before me. You never talk about her."

"It is her story to tell," SHAZAM said simply. "And she tells it in her own way. Her service is missed on this front of the war against The Darkness. Scarcely more than a tenday ago, she partook of my power for only moments, and employed it to tremendous effect. But perhaps she will come around again. She is not lacking in courage, even without Achilles."

"I felt something, out there that day--" Cap hesitated. "That was her?"

"Indeed," SHAZAM nodded sagely.

"What's the--" Cap shook his head. "--what's the deal, with me and her? What makes us both The Chosen Ones? How can you have more than one Chosen One? ...she's not like my secret sister or something, is she?"

SHAZAM snorted dismally, dismissively, through his long nose, and lowered his eyelids halfway. "No. What do you think this is, Star Wars?"

He sighed, and shook his head. "No. But times are stark, and dark, and the war wages on. So many of my Captains from so many pages of The Book have been taken by The Darkness. The Marvel Family of Earth-5, Captain Batson of Earth-395, Thunder of Earth-24, Captain Thorvel of Earth-32, Maximum Marvel of Earth-14, Captain and Mary Marvel of Earth-25, Doctor Marvel of Earth-2... the list ranges long and every name upon it is a break upon my heart. But the fight goes on, now and throughout Eternity and its alternities. And in times of Great Darkness, Fate must... hedge its bets. And choose another Chosen One to rise should the first Chosen fall."

Captain Marvel processed this for a moment. "So I'm the back-up. Does... since she's still out there... does that mean I can be... unChosen? Just... for a little while?"

SHAZAM looked pained. "My dear boy. Heavens no. You cannot be unChosen by Fate. Now that you are connected to The Rock of Eternity, forever will the brand of its lightning be interwoven with your soul. Your predecessor cannot escape her Chosenness, only deny it. Even Teth-Adam, my Captain from millennia ago, my greatest shame-- even his soul still carries the mark and power of his Captaincy reincarnated in this age as Theo Adam--"

"Black Adam," Captain Marvel's face furrowed in a frown as Nathaniel felt that bleak fury even now. "The one who killed my parents."

"Yes," SHAZAM agreed, with sincere sorrow and apology.

"So I've gotta carry on like this," Cap murmured quietly, gazing down at his hands. "Find a way to live with it. To still do good with it."

"Your story is yours to tell, Nathaniel," SHAZAM reminded him. "But I hope that you choose to tell a story of a brave hero who did not back down, not even in his hour of greatest darkness."

Captain Marvel closed his eyes and curled his hand into a fist with determination.

"Yeah. Holy moley. Okay, Wizard. I'll try."

But then he opened his eyes again. "So if she... doesn't come back... and I... fall in battle? What happens then? Are we all out of Captains and-- doomed?"

SHAZAM smiled faintly, with gentle irony and the rasp of a voice as aged as commandment stone: "No. There is another."

Cap managed to laugh at that. "Old Man. Did you just tell a joke? What the crap, the world must be ending, this is serious."

"It is ever so serious," SHAZAM nodded. "But what is the point in safeguarding the soul of humanity across the pages of The Book if we cannot smile in the light every so often? Rejoice in your humanity, and enjoy the company of your fellow mortals, Captain. They may help you find the peace and reassurance you seek. Do some good for them, and they may do some good for you as well."

As sagely and as Zen as he could manage, Captain Marvel nodded. "Okay, Wizard. I'll try to do that too. --unless you're going to tell me there is no try?"

SHAZAM chuckled roundly, one palm pressed upon his long, long beard. "Oh no, my Captain. Try is all there is, until you succeed. Keep trying, Nathaniel Fawcett. For you, and for all of us."

Cap grinned a reply: "I'll tr--" then he paused, stopping himself, and rephrased, with gentle import. "I will."

"Excellent," SHAZAM nodded his approval.

Then Cap tilted his head back, and bellowed the name--

"SHA--"

Lightning flashed its storm of light, and Marvel was gone.

Leaving SHAZAM alone in the darkened hall to brood. And to contemplate next moves.

And then SHAZAM flickered... and he shimmered out, as though he were a hologram that had been disengaged.

In the distance, if one strained to pick it up in the depths of The Rock's eternal caverns... one might hear children laughing.

ChasNicollette said:

As the driver pulled away, Rose pressed her head against Karan's shoulder, curling up in her girlfriend's lap, Rose murmured softly...

"Whatever else happens tonight... I love this. I love you."

So preoccupied was Rose Walker with the beautiful blonde woman in the car with her, that she didn't even register the presence of two other women as the Uber made its way into the New York City traffic.

A breathtaking pale woman with even paler hair, dressed in black... so lovely she might even be an Amazon herself... nervously flagging down a taxi of her own.

And a redhaired girl-- couldn't be more than sixteen, from the lines on her face-- idly puffing on a whistle between her lips as she gazed intently up at a window of the apartment building.

Click to expand...

Karan saw without seeing the aforementioned ladies. She was more focused on the girl in her arms, the head on her shoulder, and the words just spoken. Reaching up with one hand she tipped Rose’s chin with a finger and kissed the most beautiful girl in the world on the lips. “I love you.”

TertiusHuman said:

He chuckled, "OK OK, since your drink is finished and you have died enough times to amuse me, I think we can go hit that pub now. I hope they serve milkshake though, I just love myself a good milkshake."

He switched off the console and collected the other remote. He gave her a grin, "And I just asked you out. Two flies in one hit."

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“A bar and a beer isn’t a date, unless a sucker punch is involved and some serious bloodletting. A missing tooth or ten.” Smacking him on the ass as she walked past she snickered, “Don’t forget presents. Sniper rifle, ammo, a nice blade. Black Roses. Belladonna. Something nice and pretty.”

Mary and Grim: Boyajian killing time

Boyajian had sometime to kill. Marx was busy with the requisition, which left Boyajian to continue surveillance. He did it at range upon one of the observation decks at Belvedere Castle. Marx got the Otaku to push through some orders and misdirection, so the whole Castle was closed down to authorized personnel. He was authorized.

He took a break from staring through the scope at the tree. He took out the piece of paper again. It was ridiculous to stake everything on a crumpled sheet of paper. Still, he liked looking at it all the same. A weird, almost sentient blot of ink lived in the center of the paper. Even the folds in the paper, and there were thousands of them, seemed intentional. At least some of the time, if he was looking at it the right way, in the right light. He rolled it up, convincing himself that it was necessary to rehearse and re-rehearse everything. Or was it hearse and rehearse?

Boyajian raised the cylinder and looked through it, but a trick of the light made the inside impossible to see through. It was just black. He tried to remember if Chicago had said it needed to be lit after putting the bits of the tree in the center or not. Just smoke it? Boyajian shook his head and raised the rolled up paper to his lips. He liked this part the most whenever he practiced. He inhaled like he was taking a drag from a cigarette. His mouth and lungs tingled. What would the real thing be like?

He coughed, lowering it and trying to catch his breath before he blacked out. He shifted his gift to increase his lung capacity and the feeling faded. Despite the potential to asphyxiate, he was looking forward to the next opportunity to practice. Since he had several more hours to kill, Boyajian didn’t see any problem with practicing again. He glanced through the scope long enough to confirm the tree was still there and no one suspicious was nearby. Then he unrolled the paper and looked at the splotch of ink before rolling it back up and inhaling again.

K-pax

“Ugh, do I have to?” Grimsby added a low backdrop of static to the call in preparation for faking a dropped call. He was pretty sure it wouldn’t work, but he really really didn’t want to go.

“Yes.”

“C’mon I hate that place. I got all the feeds up. Everything is being collated, mined, and tagged. I even reached out to a few locals to kick of bids over the feeds. Chums in the water. What more could you want.”

“You have been holding out on me.”

“What?” Grim had Four run system diagnostics, even going so far as to assess the electromagnetic spectrum around the room. Four didn’t find anything and Watcher reported that passive data mining of all their combined feeds and sprites didn’t only put a breach at .06392.

“I heard from another CI…”

Grim tossed his bowl into his sink with a loud crash. He let the noise carry over the audio feed. He kept Watcher on monitoring all their feeds for the raid on a fucking tree of all stupid things and left lamentation to Prime. #2 took over, being only a functional approximation of Grimsby by something that was far more advanced, had its advantages when dealing with asshats.

“And?” Grim said after ten seconds had passed.

Prime had convinced a smoking hot blonde, who yeah was a little emo and might be border line suicidal, but still she was good looking. He’d convinced her over the course of weeks to go to the rave with him tonight. Hacker chicks, goth emo ones especially, were flighty. She’d hook up with someone else if he didn’t show. It could be months before he could bring her around.

“And not disclosing your full ability set voids your agreement.”

Grimsby as #2 didn’t have the same urge to chew on the inside of his left lip like Prime would. He did have the same urge to binge on ramen, but now wasn’t the time to give in to that. If he had kept Marx updated on his full ability set, there was no fucking way he’d ever get out. The man would always find a way to pile on more indentured servitude. John was right, a life's debt wasn’t repaid so easily even if Grim was buried beneath a pile of shit as a result of trying, but fuck John. Prison and years of putting up with Marx and whomever else the man whored him out to. Fuck them all.

“Yeah, you don’t want me on the run, Marx. You don’t want your superiors to know my full ability set, because I’d become Lex’s property not yours. So let’s quite comparing our dicks already.”

“Your going. I want you close.”

“Fine. Whatever.” Grim sighed and rolled his eyes. “If I go catatonic-”

“If you hold back, I’ll put a bullet in your head.”

“My nomophobia is almost as bad as my biemusgetosmartphobia,” Grimsby said, feeling his mouth dry out at the thought. “I can’t. I mean what if she really is some gateway to Nature. Fucking fu-fu nature. Luddite anti-technology field generation. Black out. Game over man. Game fucking over. I ca-”

“You will. It’ll be dark, and I’ll need your light.”

“Oh, yeah the light…” Grimsby said. So maybe Marx didn’t know his full power set after all. “Sure, I can lob a Daylight spell or three.” It was telling that he played basically a vanilla Dungeons and Dragons wizard in Athos. But something as infinite as magic needed paradigms, so what if he leaned on his awkward preteen obsession with D&D. Only John knew the full extent of it, and then only because he needed someone to talk to about it. Not that John was ever going to be useful as a mentor or peer, but it was nice to have someone who you’d known long enough that even when they were making fun of you they weren’t.

“I expect you there in an hour.”

“Yeah sure, but ah, your mate…”

“Mate?”

“Friend, your guy, Boyo-”

“Agent Boyajian.”

“Yeah, the chap at the castle.”

“What.”

“He isn’t looking so good.” Grim called up the only camera with an angle on Agent Butthead. “Dunno, want me to forward the feed? He’s ah, smoking something?”

“Fifty-four minutes.” Then Marx dropped the call.

Grim shrugged.

“Do we really care if this thing falls through?” Prime asked, “Because I for one would love to see them fall on their asses.”

“Or more,” #2 said. “We should prepare some exit strategies.”

“Besides John, you mean?” Four asked.

“Yeah, maybe we should have double downed on teleportation,” #2 said.

“It’s not exactly in our wheelhouse,” Prime said. “Unless we are Kevin Spacey.”

“I’d rather we take our body along.”

ChasNicollette said:

Force equals mass times acceleration. Which meant, even an object with near-infinitesimal mass could have the force to do ridiculous amounts of damage if it was flung with enough acceleration. And acceleration was what a speedster did best.

The stony fragments hit Girder with nearly the force of rail-gun rounds, shattering on impact and causing sparks to fly. The heavy hitter's rusting metal body creaked and groaned in protest, and he roared, slamming a fist into the ground at the pain. "HRRAAAAAGGHHH!"



...no, what was bad luck was breaking a mirror. Seven years of it. An important number, seven.

And as those pebbles sped towards McCullough at impossible, well, velocity... McCullough shattered into a thousand thousand glassy shards.

And then he flickered back into existence a few steps away, grinning the devil's own grin, hands on his hips. "Och, me sweet summer bairn. Ye really thought it would be tha' easy tae do me in?"

And then Blacksmith herself stepped through the portal, grimly grinning, her body a far more elegant fusion of metal and flesh than was the misshapen Girder.

"As for your little distress call, my dear little pretender, I'm a mechanokinetic. Your commlink's not going to do you a bit of good unless I say so. You're quite on your own. And things are just. Going. To get. Worse."

"This isn't Saturday morning cartoons-- are you old enough to remember those? We're going to take you apart and your drawn-and-quartered body will be a long reminder to those who would test the patience of the regime of New Rogues."

She tilted her head. "Now, speaking of which... are those vestigial cyborg parts I hear? This is going to be so much fun."

"ROGUES! CONVERGE!"

Out of the sky dropped Magenta, looking grim and determined. She laid a cool, firm hand on Girder, exerted magnetic force... and the rust claiming his body withdrew, his damage repaired, and with a leering grin he stood again. "Thanks, Maggie."

"Of course," Magenta nodded.

Descending with Magenta came The Weather Wizard, grinning, twirling his wand, summoning the winds to his aid... and The Trickster, bounding down the skies on anti-gravity sneakers.

And before the portal shimmered closed, three more figures stepped through it.

Murmur, knife-wielding doctor gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Plunder, a cop from across the river in Keystone who had taken his skills from the gun-range to the dark web, a gun for hire almost on the level of Deadshot or Scorpion, if not Deathstroke or Renegade.

And... oozing and rippling and smirking... Lady Clayface... who had apparently found new allies after escaping the Kobra debacle.

"Gurrrrl," Trickster chortled. "Outrun this."

Click to expand...

Velocity Grimaced on the outside. Inside a litany was running through her mind.

"OhShitOhShitOhShitOhShitOhShitOhShitOhShitOhShitOhShitOhShit....I am so dead."

One villain she could have handled without too many problems, two in a pinch. Three was really pushing it, but this lineup was certain death for her if she tried to go up against them all at once especially Blacksmith. If what she said was true then she was going to be getting no help either and she was not going to be able to port out. That really only left one option.

Velocity turned tail and ran. She went from a complete standstill to full speed in the blink of an eye straightaway from them. Her best bet was to get as far away from them, call in the rest of the team and deal with them that way.

What was the use of trying to deal with them by herself and getting killed in the attempt and no one knowing of the threat. Her time with her other team had taught her the folly of that and the benefits of a strategic withdrawal, and this was what this was, it was not running away.

Yeah she just had to keep telling herself that.

ChasNicollette said:

John's reaction was... less than stellar. He grimaced. Went pale.

Turned away. Lit a cigarette.

Shuddered.

"'New' Rider. If by 'New' yeh mean about two fhousand years uv menacing me an' me ancestors-- even The Holy Roman Emperor knew about that New Rider."

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Connor nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I know how bloody old she is, but I also know how old the entity that is riding her is so don't give me any guff. just get on with it"

"As for your 'Justice League of Arsepains,'" he drawled, glaring at Arrow, "I was there the night that lot 'ad their first go-'round up against the starkers raving mad Superman. If it wasn't for me tapping that Silver Bullet tot for some speed lightning, Waterboy'd be deader'n a dodo's doornail. Yeh know the reason I didn't stick around? THAT. BLUDDY. RIDER."

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"So you have personal history. Way I see it that should make it easier for you to find her or am I wrong? If you are trying to avoid something, chances are you are going to want to know where that thing is at all times," he said grinning at him.

John squinted, and flicked away that astral projection of a cigarette, exhaling one last billow out of smoke out of his mouth and nostrils as he opined: "Bollocks."



"'Oo the bluddy 'Ell knows why," John flipped Green Arrow a British 'two-fingered salute,' "but I'll give yeh two guesses. Eivver she wants to Penance Stare me brain into oblivion an' leave me droolin' into a puddle the way I 'aven't since th' electroshock in Ravenscar, or she wants t' rip me soul out uv me body 'olesale, an' rip it into four equal pieces like some kind uv 'Ellish King Solomon."

"She's a wild card," Zatanna pointed out. "Even your morally ambiguous 'arse' knows we can't afford to let an entity like that running around the planes off its... well... chain. This is exactly the sort of thing you became The Hellblazer to fight. It's not like you to 'wee your trousers' and 'do a bunk.'"

"Strrrrreeeewwwfh," John snarled, hands in his hair. "One uv these days, I wish someone'd call Custer for gigs like this."

"This is my favor," Zatanna reiterated. "And I'm calling it in. No-one's owing anyone anything because this is squaring you with me, John. But you're doing this. For what it's worth, I'll help. I can bind her long enough to keep you alive. ...probably."

John went uncharacteristically silent for a long, long moment. And then muttered: "Fine."

Then he squinted at Connor again.

And grinned a slow, darksome grin: "Still, yeh look like yeh can make yehrself useful, eh? Remember kids, chi is key."

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"Yeah I know all about chi. Th monks that trained me kept drilling it into my head. Unfortunately it is a concept I have yet to fully grasp," he grimaced.

Looking at Constantine he shrugged. "Well if you say it is the only way to save her then I guess I will be mastering it rather quicker than I thought. Nothing is going to stop me from bringing her back,and I do mean nothing," he growled. "Now lt's get this show on the road. You get me to where I need to be, tell me what I need to do then stand back. I will get it done."

Varshanka said:

“A bar and a beer isn’t a date, unless a sucker punch is involved and some serious bloodletting. A missing tooth or ten.” Smacking him on the ass as she walked past she snickered, “Don’t forget presents. Sniper rifle, ammo, a nice blade. Black Roses. Belladonna. Something nice and pretty.”

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He jumped when she smacked his behind, it was the first time he had been slapped on a buttock outside of punishment and he found it...weird.

"I am sure there will be sucker punches simnce you want to teach me brawling."

He waggled his hand, "Black roses I can organize, but not tonight. If I don't bore you to tears and you decide to never come around again, then I will have the roses and perhaps a nice blade for you."

He shrugged on his black jacket with green trim and activated his image inducer. Then he opened the door for her,

"You may not like it, but after you."

It's not much, but it's better than nothing. STOP. Billie Time

“Ma'am, if you would please follow me this way. I believe Mr. Wayne is expecting you.”

“What?”

Her hand had no sooner reached for the pen on the counter when a chipper woman had stepped from behind the front desk and gave her the sunniest smile she had seen this side of a waitress at a short order diner. That coupled with being told she was expected, especially when she had still been debating the merits of her own plan on the way here was enough to set her off kilter. There was something about an unexpected friendly face that always made some small part of her want to run. Maybe it had something to do with her childhood, one too many kind words used to hide the slap to the face that was coming, but she was hardly one for the arduous journey that was introspection. She took a step back from the receptionist, slipping a little on the polished marble.

“How did?”

Okay. Everything was okay. It had been her decision to come here and regardless of how or why she was expected, the important thing was to just yank out what gadgetry might be inside her and get the hell out of dodge before she got tangled up in anything too complicated and messy. This was the future right? There probably cameras everywhere. Of course security(or whomever) could see her coming. Blue hair didn't exactly blend either. Billie forced herself to take steady breathes, stand straight, smile back, and at the very least do her damnedest not to look like some skittish deer caught on the highway. She had already been guided to an elevator that apparently needed a key to be activated. There didn't seem to be any easy to turn back once she entered it and what she actually knew about Bruce Wayne could have filled a thimble, but she was smart, more or less. She could figure out why some rich guy would have a vested interest in a strange younger woman.

“Ah, umm no. I'm not like that. I mean, I came here to make a business proposal.”

The receptionist arched a delicately plucked eyebrow at her fumbling, but instead of deigning to comment, she just smiled in what the flustered woman decided was meant to be a polite I-am-totally-not-judging/laughing-at-you-or-my-boss-but-all-of-my-friends-are-hearing-about-this-later kind of way. Tense seconds passed where Billie staunchly refused to acknowledge that she might just be a bit out of her depth with this whole subterfuge thing. Thankfully the elevator door chose that moment to finish its' descent and ding open. With a nervous laugh, she attempted to change the subject instead.

“So, the elevator?”

“Yes, ma'am. This is Mr. Wayne's private elevator. It will take you straight to his private floor. There Ms. Bordeaux will escort you the rest of the way.”

Not wanting to risk another awkwardly long pause and telling herself that the worst that could happen is having to fend off a perverted old man, she obligingly stepped into the strangely quiet elevator.

TertiusHuman said:

He jumped when she smacked his behind, it was the first time he had been slapped on a buttock outside of punishment and he found it...weird.

"I am sure there will be sucker punches simnce you want to teach me brawling."

He waggled his hand, "Black roses I can organize, but not tonight. If I don't bore you to tears and you decide to never come around again, then I will have the roses and perhaps a nice blade for you."

He shrugged on his black jacket with green trim and activated his image inducer. Then he opened the door for her,"You may not like it, but after you."

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Chivalry in the twenty-first century? Probably not. More than likely he just wanted to look at her ass. But that was fine. He had a nice ass as well, in his human form anyways.

Once they were in her local car. She followed his directions to a bar. Than passed it for someplace a little rougher. If he wanted a beer she’d get him a beer. Not some milkshake. She didn’t take him to her preferred location – it was one of those placed that would have been called a “Murder Den” back in the day.

This place wasn’t the best, but there were far worse places in town. And she knew them all. She’d walked in and out of every Murder Den in the world, hell she’d killed someone in each of them. So she knew where not to take him.

Inside the bar they skipped the tables and took a spot at the counter, her back to the door. Virtually begging someone to start some shit. She’d dropped cash on the counter and taken the bottle of Everclear from the bloke behind it, pouring herself a glass and Beastly a shot.

Tapping her glass against his she winked. “Here's to some fun.”

If only Renegade had known that chivalry wasn't dead and that Garfield had no intention to scope out her ass. In fact, it had only dawned on Garfield that Renegade was in female form when she asked about his sexual preferences. He wasn't surprised when she drove to a completely different bar, he knew that in order for her to have fun, there had to be violence involved and not the digital kind. Also he had to admit, looking at the other patrons in the place, he actually came in with one of the better-looking ones.

OK he wouldn't call her hot or sexy, perhaps most people would and could, but he just felt that after he had seen all forms of Renegade, the normal definitions just didn't fit at all. As they clinked glasses, he hoped that he had more of a blue whale constitution and not that of a flea...

"Down the hatch."

He took an experimental sip, found it not too bad and downed the rest. He gave a muffled cough and an unsuppressed shudder ran down his spine. He placed the glass down and worked his tongue against his hard palate.

"Let's try that again. I suggest that I go slower."

TertiusHuman said:

"Down the hatch."

He took an experimental sip, found it not too bad and downed the rest. He gave a muffled cough and an unsuppressed shudder ran down his spine. He placed the glass down and worked his tongue against his hard palate.

"Let's try that again. I suggest that I go slower."

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“Moonshine or Absinthe?” Renegade replied with a grin. “And please for the love of any god out there.. you have had alcohol before? Other than beer.”

Looking around the room she was wondering who needed to get their teeth kicked in the most.

"Ehrm...whatever you deem good enough to have another drink of."

He wondered why she looked around after asking him about having had drunk anything before. He had a peek himself, careful not to attract attention to himself.

"Well since I have turned the legal age a few months ago, I have not drunk anything. Dont want to slip up and look like some Martian yah know."

TertiusHuman said:

He wondered why she looked around after asking him about having had drunk anything before. He had a peek himself, careful not to attract attention to himself.

"Well since I have turned the legal age a few months ago, I have not drunk anything. Dont want to slip up and look like some Martian yah know."

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“Martians aren’t as cute.” Renegade replied offhandedly as she scanned the bottles. “Everclear is the strongest they got. But you’re a virgin so it’s out of your league anyways.” Shaking her head she order him a Morgan and coke. “Drink about three of those and you should start to relax.

“You do know how to dance, yes?”