Star City- Heroes of Tomorrow IC

Venom

Deployment. It felt so much like the old days that he almost forgot that he was not that soldier anymore. Of course the voice inside his head, was the main reason why he was not completely fooled into thinking that he was back in his old squad, the other thing was the myriad of uniforms around him. At that moment he wore what appeared to be blue jeans, a black t-shirt and his trusty leather jacket. Though the only thing that was really there, was the jacket. He just went along, looking around, as the symbiote picked up things he couldn't see nor hear, he was in some sense glad that he didn't have all these super senses on permanently, he would have gone insane long ago.

Artemis made some comment about the cave, but he didn't really take her small barbs to heart and since it wasn't aimed at him, there was no need to actually take it to heart in the first place. Then she seemed to go ape when the butler-ish guy told them that they would have a meal,

"We're-- we're eating? We're sitting and eating like it's Sunday dinner? Nightwing, I've just spent five hours in one compressed metal tube or another worrying sick about my mom, and we're just gonna have a snack, juice and crackers and crayons?" "Arrow, tell me he's not serious. Tell him he's not serious!"

For some reason, beyond the call of duty, had her in an upstart and he had no idea what it could be. Well it was now the time to either back her up, or do as the host offered...oh wait she did say that her mother was the source of her worry. He blinked, she had a mother?

Of course she has a mother, not like she just popped into being

'Oh shut up.'

So make your move Romeo, let's see if you're as smooth on the trigger as you used to be.

He did his best to not rankle at the insult, so he just threw his quarter out there, "I agree with Artemis, we should get out there, but how about getting the info we need first? I don't see why we can't grab a bite, while we get briefed."

Nightwing moved to stand in front of Artemis. Not in a confrontational manner as Batman may have. But in a way of understanding. He knew better than to try to embrace her and comfort her. It wasn't her way. Instead he nodded and spoke.

"Artemis. I know how your heart is pulling you right now. But we do need to, as Mr. Denvers pointed out, gather some information. If you aren't hungry, or if you lack the stomach for food right now I understand. But once we begin, we may not stop for a very long time, so it might be a good idea to top off now. Your choice. But either way, before you run off, you need answers. I won't stop you if you want to go off half cocked, but I will tell you that it is a bad idea, and may lead to more than just your own downfall. Now we have the advantage of surprise. If you go off full of hate, anger, and without resources, you will compromise that. I lost someone that I considered like a younger brother to actions like that. It's your choice."

As he finished the doors to the elevator opened behind him. While the lower section was dungeon like, this was different. Gleaming metallic surfaces were everywhere, from the floors, to the tables, the walkways above. The brunt of this level was suspended over the vast chasm below. There were many items throughout the cave. One side was dominated by a serious of highly advanced computers, lab equipment and a variety of other technological items. In the middle toward the back there stood two gargantuan items. One, a giant coin, easily the size of a small house, the other a dinosaur of similar dimensions. And between these, there was a door. The right side of the cave held a car unlike anything you would ever see on the streets anywhere else. Beside this stood a pair of motorcycles. And finally there stood a bank of large cylindrical cases. Similar to the ones Ollie used for his own outfits. There were several different variations on the suit worn by The Batman. But beside these stood others. There was a very old costume that Ollie recognized as the one Dick had once worn. But beside that stood two other "Robin" styled outfits. One of which was badly damaged, singed, torn, and if you looked closely you could even see some blood still stained the outfit.

As Nightwing led the way across the cavernous lair, they were met by an old man. The same one that had just been made of lasers a moment ago.

Good Evenin' Masters and Madams. It is nice to see some of you again, and for those I haven't had the pleasure, my name is Alfred. I am here to provide whatever means I can." With that Alfred bowed slightly and stepped to the side.

"If only it were in better circumstances Alfred." Oliver extended his hand and was met by a surprisingly firm grasp.

"If only sir."

Tigresses and Their Stripes. (Artemis/Vixen)

TertiusHuman said:

He just threw his quarter out there, "I agree with Artemis, we should get out there, but how about getting the info we need first? I don't see why we can't grab a bite, while we get briefed."

Click to expand...

Artemis shot Denvers a look, eyes narrowing, she'd seen him mix it up with some seriously powerful baddies, she'd seen him froth in combat, seen those sharp teeth gleam, how the Hell was he so.... rrrrhhh... level-headed about this?

"Oh, look who's all into protocol," she grumbled. "They shoulda called you Agent Venom."

She felt more than a little chafed here that not only was The Arrow not taking her side, but he wasn't saying anything...

Lunaramblings said:

Nightwing moved to stand in front of Artemis. Not in a confrontational manner as Batman may have. But in a way of understanding. He knew better than to try to embrace her and comfort her. It wasn't her way.

Click to expand...

Damn right it wasn't her way. She crossed her arms over her stomach and glared up at the taller hero, eyes still Hella narrowed. "Oh, this should be good."

Lunaramblings said:

"Artemis. I know how your heart is pulling you right now. But we do need to, as Mr. Denvers pointed out, gather some information. If you aren't hungry, or if you lack the stomach for food right now I understand. But once we begin, we may not stop for a very long time, so it might be a good idea to top off now. Your choice. But either way, before you run off, you need answers. I won't stop you if you want to go off half cocked, but I will tell you that it is a bad idea, and may lead to more than just your own downfall. Now we have the advantage of surprise. If you go off full of hate, anger, and without resources, you will compromise that. I lost someone that I considered like a younger brother to actions like that. It's your choice."

Click to expand...

Her hair was already thick as Hell, but she bristled more with every sentence. With every syllable.

"Fine," she glowered through gritted teeth. "I'll stay put for your little Norman Rockwell painting. But how the Hell are you going to feel if I lose someone who is my mother if I don't act like that?"

Mari very carefully didn't react to either argument.

She could see it both ways.

But losing a mother...

She didn't quite look at Nightwing at that moment. She'd heard the story behind Nightwing's "little brother." But she also knew how he felt about... orphans.

Lunaramblings said:

...the doors to the elevator opened behind him. While the lower section was dungeon like, this was different. Gleaming metallic surfaces were everywhere, from the floors, to the tables, the walkways above. The brunt of this level was suspended over the vast chasm below. There were many items throughout the cave. One side was dominated by a serious of highly advanced computers, lab equipment and a variety of other technological items. In the middle toward the back there stood two gargantuan items. One, a giant coin, easily the size of a small house, the other a dinosaur of similar dimensions. And between these, there was a door. The right side of the cave held a car unlike anything you would ever see on the streets anywhere else. Beside this stood a pair of motorcycles. And finally there stood a bank of large cylindrical cases. Similar to the ones Ollie used for his own outfits. There were several different variations on the suit worn by The Batman.

Click to expand...

"Whatever," Artemis muttered as she stalked along with the group. "Your headquarters is still cliche. I don't know who funds this crib, but they're overspendy and pretentious."

Lunaramblings said:

But beside these stood others. There was a very old costume that Ollie recognized as the one Dick had once worn. But beside that stood two other "Robin" styled outfits. One of which was badly damaged, singed, torn, and if you looked closely you could even see some blood still stained the outfit.

Click to expand...

...Artemis slowed down and gazed at this quietly, though.

And was given very reluctant, very hesitant pause.

Lunaramblings said:

As Nightwing led the way across the cavernous lair, they were met by an old man. The same one that had just been made of lasers a moment ago.

"Good Evenin' Masters and Madams. It is nice to see some of you again, and for those I haven't had the pleasure, my name is Alfred. I am here to provide whatever means I can." With that Alfred bowed slightly and stepped to the side.

"If only it were in better circumstances Alfred." Oliver extended his hand and was met by a surprisingly firm grasp.

"If only sir."

Click to expand...

"Alfie," Mari grinned softly, and when Alfred and The Arrow finished their manful handshake, she took the elderly gentleman by the shoulders and kissed him on both cheeks. "Been too long, but you haven't aged a day. You have to tell me what moisturizer you've been using."

Nightwing knew the pain Artemis was in. The breaking of her heart as she stood there feeling like every nanosecond of delay was a death-sentence. He had been there. But this was not a situation in which one could go off unprepared. Silently he cursed himself as he realized he was even more like Bruce than he thought. People often accused Bats of being uncaring. Distant. Cold. Nightwing knew better than anyone that this was about as far off the mark as one could be.

Bats was distant, but it was because of his caring that he had to be. He had long ago mastered the ability to compartmentalize his world. To use his emotions like rocket fuel. But to be who he had to be, do the things he had to do, he had to be distant. Had to shut down. But in truth he was a caring and loved the few people he let in fiercely. And he would willingly give his life for every single innocent man, woman or child.

Nightwing stepped to Artemis while everyone else was focused on greetings and settling in. Very quietly, "I will personally come with you if you want. But lets at least get a look at what we have. Distribute some special comms, and maybe put a little fuel in your stomach. I am not asking for a long sit down dinner. Just a few minutes. After that, we will head out." Nightwing stepped away without waiting for a response. He steps to the table and grabs one of the sandwich wraps off of the large platter in the middle of the table and an energy bar from a basket beside it.

Alfred blushes slightly as Mari embraces him. He may be elderly, but he is still a man. For just a moment his mind fleets back memories of his time in military. To a priestess he met while in Africa. He couldn't help but smile as he looked into Mari's eyes and could have sworn he saw his past love looking back for just a second.

"Miss McCabe. Always a pleasure. I have been meaning to ask you something for some time, perhaps when this is over you would entertain an old man and his idle thoughts?" Alfred turns to the others and forces the small grin from his face. "I apologize I didn't set a true amazing meal. I promise for a much better spread when this disaster is averted. Chicken wraps and energy bars will have to suffice for now." Alfred removes what looks like a garage door opener from his vest pocket and clicks it once, opening a hidden room in one wall. As the wall breaks away and slides from view the entirety of the room slides forward. A veritable arsenal of gear appears. "I believe this should suffice."

Venom

Well this was new. Agent Venom. More like Guinea Venom. He said nothing of course, he knew that Artemis didn't mean to snap at him, that she was fretting about her mother and he knew that once they hit the outside, he'd stick close to her. Just in the off-chance that she might need him or at least his help.

Brains

'What?'

Nothing. Just eat chocolate.

He shrugged, snagged two of the chicken wraps and as much of the energy bars that could fit into his pockets and arms. He pointedly ignored the looks and popped six of the bars into his mouth as he moved over to the armory. As he looked the collection over he finished the wraps and then the energy bars ended up inside of him, leaving him with empty wrappers.

He turned back and entered the room again, "Meh." Shrugging his shoulders he dumped the wrappers in a pile since he couldn't see a waste bin and snagged more of the energy bars, scoffing them down as well. "No weapons there that I can use."

Audiomachine-The Legend Begins

ChasNicollette said:

"[Are you avoiding the responsibility?]" Hino Rei wondered. "[Are you no better than them? I thought perhaps the purpose of your quest was to return to the fray, to the front lines, to restore your ability to fight the good fight to the best of your ability. I thought perhaps your tear-streaked face was a sign of more emotional maturity than these celebrity-hungry] otaku. [Was I wrong?]"

But before Jaime could say anything, a tiny shape flitted past his face...

...a literally tiny-- bird-sized! --blonde-haired Japanese young woman with yellow, feathery wings, dressed in a schoolgirl outfit that bared her midriff as the blouse was knotted under her breasts. Crazy Shy Lolita Canary, one of The Super Young Team.

She swooped low in front of Jaime's face, and she searched his features, her language translated by Rei's telepathy: "[Oh, pretty] gai-jin [boy, I have been watching you since you came in, and it breaks my heart to see you cry! It is okay, not everyone has powers or a fancy costume...]"

She wafted low, reached for his hand, went to pull him towards the VIP area like Tinkerbell might tug on Peter Pan. "[Come, come with me, you can be my sidekick for a little while, I'll take you on an adventure. Do you have an icon or power you wish to have? Do you have a special secret identity name? Most Excellent Super Bat is superhumanly wealthy, he can make you a special suit so you can play with us!]"

Click to expand...

There are times in anyone's life when they pause between moments. When they wait between worlds, on the threshold of a momentous decision, a choice, or realization about themselves or the reality around them, that will forever alter the life they had been living up to that moment. It is as if the entire universe pauses, waiting alongside the soul confronting the new truth, for one moment the entire universe truly revolves around that one person, waiting for them to choose.

Jaime tugged his hand back, gently, but firmly. He had been running from himself for too long already. Running from his darkness and his light, from his potential and his responsibility to use that power. Jaime had been hovering on the edge since he was 16 years old, almost, but not quite able to use the full potential of the Scarab.

"I already have a super suit. And it is time that I stopped hiding from myself, and got back in it. I have much work still to do."

Jaime Reyes, at last, after more than a decade of being a super hero...chose to embrace the reason he'd been born. He chose to accept his Destiny. Completely.

"Paralyzed," by Angels and Airwaves. (Supergirl/Rose)


As Kara knelt on one knee beside Rose in the salt flats of Bonneville, there came a chirping in her earpiece--

--it had survived, somehow, all of Savitar!Grant's vibrations, all of that punishment. Cisco Ramon built things to last.

Kara straightened, touched her ear.

"Go for Supergirl."

"Kara," replied Alex, Kara's adoptive sister. "We need you to come in. It's extremely urgent."

Supergirl frowned, shook her head. "Alex, can't it wait? I have to get to Gotham, the weird vibrations I'm getting through Earth's crust are positively nauseating."

After a moment of dead air, another voice came on the line: Hank Henshaw. "Agent Zor-El, this is about Gotham. You need to come in immediately, if not sooner." Another pause. "And bring your new little friend, I'd like a word with her."

Kara squinted, and then glanced at Rose. "...fine. But I'm going on record that I don't like this already."

"I'm on record that I don't care," Henshaw replied, and hung up.

Kara scowled, and then lowered a hand to help Rose up.

"C'mon," she shook her head. "Time to check in with the mothership."

Rose blinked at her. "Like. An actual mothership?"

Kara smiled faintly, tightly. "Well, my mother actually did make me a ship, once. But no, this isn't that nice."

"Oh, well," Rose sighed, and put her hand in Kara's. "We wouldn't want to have nice things, now, would we?"


Rose had to suppress a shiver of dislike as they stepped over the threshold into the bunker, a cluster of activity, monitors everywhere, and one big bank of screens adorning one wall. It was... dark in there.

"I take it there was a lowest-bidder government contractor who had a special on black paint?" she wondered.

Kara smirked.

"Oh, good," a powerfully-built black man rolled his eyes as he approached alongside a slighter, lovelier white woman with brown hair, "another spunky young superheroine with a mouth on her. Like I haven't run into enough of those in this business."

"Speaking of which," Kara nodded as she moved forward and hugged her sister gently, "(hey you), where's Hawkgirl?"

"Agent Saunders is, (hey you)," Alex replied, "overseeing a prisoner transfer at The Gulag, but I'll tell her you were asking for her."

Kara glanced at Rose. "Guys, this is Rose Grant. Rose, these are Hank Henshaw and Alex Danvers, Director and Agent of The Department of Extranormal Operations, respectively. They monitor and intervene against extraterrestrial threats to Earth."

"Uh, hey," Rose waved to them awkwardly, wondering what the Hell she was doing in with a bunch of alien hunters. Her phone's OS was from another dimension, not another planet. Or did that count?

"And just what, exactly," Kara spoke again, glowering at Henshaw, steel in her spine now that she wasn't being polite, "was so urgent that you called me here with her while people are dying by the dozen out in Jersey?"

Alex looked pained.

Henshaw looked smug. He half-glanced at the big map display screen on the wall behind them... and it instantly clicked over to a press conference, mid-broadcast, some Senate Majority Whip or somesuch, Rose wasn't good at politics.

"...effective immediately, in advent of the anticipated full passage of The No Man's Land Act, later today," he drawled with a thick Kentucky accent, "a joint session of Congress has approved only minutes ago a measure amending the existing Masked Vigilante Protection Act, which has been just now signed into law by our sitting President. Should any costumed and/or metahuman hero infringe on the airspace or jurisdiction of any territory declared a No Man's Land, they will lose any protections conveyed by the law, and will be immediately declared an enemy of The United States, and may be declared a traitor thereto."

Kara's eyes bulged in her head. "No. No, you don't understand, I have to help those people. My friends will be going into that mess, no matter what the law says, I can't let them face that without me--! You can't honestly buy into this travesty, Henshaw!"

Director Henshaw waved dismissively, and the screen switched back over to the map that it had displayed before. "While ARGUS will handle any of your non-alien friends that violate that edict, it doesn't matter what I 'buy into,' Agent Zor-El. Even though the DEO is funded by a coalition of interested nations, its charter respects the sovereign laws of each nation in which it operates, including this one. If you attempt to intervene in Gotham, you will be disavowed, and you will be in our crosshairs just like all those escapees from The Phantom Zone and Fort Rozz. How many of your friends, how many innocent lives will you be able to help once we take you down with low-grade Kryptonite and throw you in the aforementioned Gulag under red sunlamps for the rest of your unnatural life?"

Supergirl closed her eyes and stepped back, obviously thoroughly torn by this, bent into excruciating knots-- she clenched her fists at her sides and her knuckles popped, and she muttered through her teeth. "This is what he was trying to do. Grant. He was trying to hold me up so that law would be in place. Stop me from getting into Gotham--"

Hank, meanwhile, seemed to relish every moment of this, like he was daring her to push him to that point. "Speaking of which, doesn't The Gulag have a certain Firestorm working for them at the moment? He could synthesize full-strength Kryptonite, couldn't he? Just in case you were to be executed for treason? I'm sure he could be convinced, considering how miserable we could make it for his wife, as she's imprisoned in that very same facility."

"That's enough, sir," Alex snapped, "you've made your point."

Hank crossed his arms over his chest. "Have I, Agent Danvers, Agent Zor-El? ...made my point?"

Kara nodded grimly. "Sharp as a tack. Fine. I can focus on threats outside of Gotham's borders. Leave Dr. Snow out of this, she's paying her debt to society. I'll play ball."

"Good," Henshaw nodded, and while he didn't seem... disappointed, as such, that she didn't test his wrath, he instead seemed pleased that he had won one over on her.

"Speaking of which," Kara squared her shoulders grimly. "I just fought Christopher Grant, the supervillain who attacked The Halo Corporation up in Keystone a month ago."

"Saw it on the news," Alex replied, wryly, referencing Kara's tendency to get on camera, something they'd quibbled about since the first time Kara had caught a crashing plane in the sky over National City.

Kara's eyes sparkled at the sibling snappy patter, but that didn't deter her: "I observed a couple of energy effects that you guys might be able to scan for to track him. The signature of his Dial, for instance, and a teleport residue-- but that might be magical, you might not be able to track that."

"Not since S.H.A.D.E. dropped off the radar, no," Alex shook her head, but gestured to a console. "But c'mon, show us the other thing. My specialty might be in xenobiology rather than particle physics, but we just might have a guy for that."

As Supergirl and Agent Danvers moved to that console, Hank watched them go, and then didn't look at Rose when he spoke to her: "I suppose you're wondering why I asked you to come along."

"Only about twelve times while I've been thirdwheeling here awkwardly," Rose admitted, intentionally turning up her mouthiness in the face of this jerkwad who'd just put Supergirl through the emotional wringer.

Hank nodded, swung his gaze to her. "In watching the footage of yourself and your father's fights, I noticed something interesting about your respective 'Dials.'"

He gestured to her. "May I?"

Warily, Rose took her phone out of her pocket and handed it to him. "While I'm not sure 'may you' what, exactly, don't bother trying to confiscate it. It always comes back to me."

Hank made a dismissive noise. "While getting to take apart alien artifacts is always like Christmas to me, that's hardly my first thought." He turned the phone to face Rose, the H-Dialer App and its H-rune glowing back at her. "You see this letter? Roughly equivalent to our--"

"Letter 'H,' I know," Rose frowned.

Henshaw quirked a brow, bemused. "You can read it?"

Rose hesitated. "Sort of. Mostly. Instinctively. It's-- harder when it's all spelled out, but individual letters are easy."

"Fascinating," Henshaw mused. "You see, this alphabet is called InterLac. I'm sure Agent Zor-El would have told you the same thing if she wasn't busy being a punching-bag for your old man, but it's like-- a universal language between aliens, it's what they speak to each other when they're off-world, like an interstellar Esperanto. The vulgarisms are quite vivid, especially the misogynistic slang. Both your Dial and your father's display letters of that language. The idea that you or he can identify its alphanumerics is... intriguing."

Then Henshaw turned the phone's screen back to face him and he... frowned.

"Hm. ...and that's not the only thing that's intriguing."

He frowned deeper, looking like he was trying to light a fire with his brain--

--the screens of the surrounding DEO bunker started to flicker, the lights buzzed louder, techs and analysts uttered dismay, hurried to save their work--

--but then it all stopped, the systems steadied, and Henshaw handed the phone back to Rose looking... vaguely disgruntled. "...here."

Rose stared at him in mingled bewilderment and curiosity, subconsciously hugging her phone to her like he'd tried to gouge out its SIM chip or something. "What the Hell was that?"

"Exposure to extraterrestrial energies," Henshaw explained, "has recently made me a metahuman. I now possess the ability to psychokinetically inhabit machinery and computers-- even xenotechnology. I was going to talk to your phone, find out what made it tick, what its creators wanted-- but its neuropsychic firewall is... robust. Like nothing I've ever seen. It's attuned to your soul, Rose Grant, and it'll accept no substitutes."

Rose paused, and stared down at the phone in her hands. "But what... what does that mean? I mean, I get the words, my boyfriend was supersmart, he talked like that all the time, but-- attuned to my soul-- what does that mean?"

Henshaw shook his head, and didn't quite smile ruefully. "As I end up saying far too often in this line of work... fucked if I know."

Echelon. (J'onn)

Nevyn_Black said:

Jaime tugged his hand back, gently, but firmly. He had been running from himself for too long already. Running from his darkness and his light, from his potential and his responsibility to use that power. Jaime had been hovering on the edge since he was 16 years old, almost, but not quite able to use the full potential of the Scarab.

"I already have a super suit. And it is time that I stopped hiding from myself, and got back in it. I have much work still to do."

Jaime Reyes, at last, after more than a decade of being a super hero...chose to embrace the reason he'd been born. He chose to accept his Destiny. Completely.

Click to expand...

The Universe, indeed, appeared taken aback. Or at least the diminutive superheroine did.

The look on Crazy Shy Lolita Canary's face was without price.

The number of boys who had refused her, she could count on one hand. Even the gay ones had jumped at the chance to run around with the superheroes for a little while-- if not at the chance to jump her.

But before she could rise to the full power of her umbrage, before she could blast Jaime onto his ass with her catchphrase sonic scream--

--Hino Rei waved her hand subtly, Jedi Mind Trick, and Crazy Shy Lolita Canary looked bewildered for a moment... then wheeled about and flew back over to the VIP enclosure.

And then J'onn J'onzz' voice rang clear and powerful in Jaime's head.

"You are ready."

The world blurred.

They were gone.

They stood in The Garden of The Gods, Colorado, before the rock formation known as The Three Graces. Hino Rei was J'onn J'onzz once more, broad-shouldered and beetle-browed and verdant and mighty.

"I have always loved this place on your planet. While the precise hue of the red stones is not quite the same as my beloved native Mars, it is close enough for me to indulge a certain... nostalgia."

"This is also a place of spiritual significance to many of the peoples indigenous to this region of the continent. So it is appropriate."

J'onn faced Jaime, crimson eyes gazing into the younger sentient's soul.

"Just as the history of Krypton was downloaded into its children's subconscious via their neurotechnology, the young of Mars were telepathically infused with the wealth of our world's ancient knowledge... the paratexts."

"Thus do we learn of the primordial oceans in which swam our amphibious ancestors, thus do we learn of the aboriginal toad-kings with pyramids filled with gold. Thus do we learn, billions of years in our past, of B'arzz O'oomm. He was a member of our species who encountered an 'emerald demon stone' that tried to possess him, turn him into an agent of conquest for a faraway species-- but thanks to the telepathic intervention of tribal elders, prototype Manhunters of Mars, and his own shapeshifting prowess, he was able to free himself and reach a detente with the demon stone, becoming incredibly powerful. He was later subdued by a faction of Pale Martians during a great and terrible civil war-- the stone was torn from him and he was slain, though the effort cost his enemies dearly."

"Not long after this, our world was visited by The Guardians of The Universe, and they promised that those who sent the demon stone would be brought to task for attempting to conquer our world. They were, in turn, impressed by the efforts and credo of our Manhunters."

"But all of this is needless exposition. All you need know is this-- I remember the telepathic intervention. And though I am alone, I believe I am sufficient to the task."

"Now that you are ready, we can begin."

He raised his hand, and he placed it atop Jaime's head. Again, this was not unlike a holy benediction-- the healing hands of a miracle-worker of old.

"Prepare your frontal cortex."

And thus J'onn J'onzz dove into Jaime Reyes' mind...

...seeking to renew a severed bond, to awaken the sleeping Khaji Da now that Jaime was awake to greet him, to reconnect the disparate strands that would allow communication to flow from one mind to the other.

The Right Tools for The Right Job. (Artemis/Vixen)

Lunaramblings said:

Nightwing stepped to Artemis while everyone else was focused on greetings and settling in. Very quietly, "I will personally come with you if you want. But lets at least get a look at what we have. Distribute some special comms, and maybe put a little fuel in your stomach. I am not asking for a long sit down dinner. Just a few minutes. After that, we will head out."

Click to expand...

Artemis squinted at him.

Perhaps her squints didn't have quite the same laser-sharp piano-wire scathe as Batman's, but they were effective enough. "Look, I already said I would play along. Stop beating a dead... whatever animal a 'nightwing' is supposed to be."

Grimacing, she approached the table and, since she'd already had protein bars today, she grabbed a chicken wrap and sullenly sunk her teeth into it while leaning against a wall. She even gave "Agent" Venom a glower as he started pigging out-- what was even her problem? She'd referred to him as "Agent Venom" before in her head, but it had been respectful of his training, not pejorative of his by-the-bookishness.

She put on a prickly show-- and her prickles went more than just skin deep, but seeing that empty uniform had rankled her more than she'd ever admit. Like seeing Arsenal's old uniform in The ArrowCave from when he went off to be "Red Arrow" and be half of the world's second most dysfunctional couple with Jade. Sure, Roy was still alive out there somewhere, but that uniform represented severed ties... and broken promises.

Lunaramblings said:

Alfred blushes slightly as Mari embraces him. He may be elderly, but he is still a man. For just a moment his mind fleets back memories of his time in military. To a priestess he met while in Africa. He couldn't help but smile as he looked into Mari's eyes and could have sworn he saw his past love looking back for just a second.

"Miss McCabe. Always a pleasure. I have been meaning to ask you something for some time, perhaps when this is over you would entertain an old man and his idle thoughts?" Alfred turns to the others and forces the small grin from his face. "I apologize I didn't set a true amazing meal. I promise for a much better spread when this disaster is averted. Chicken wraps and energy bars will have to suffice for now."

Click to expand...

"Trust me," Mari grinned softly, having no idea that Alfred had served in Ghana and perhaps met her mother's grandmother-- before her family had made the trek to Nigeria; she was a model, men looked at her longingly all the time. "I'm so glad it's not tuna."

She frowned, though: "But Alfie, what's on your mind? If it's a question I can answer now, I'd love to. I learned a long time ago to not let things go unsaid, you never know how a day will change your life."

Lunaramblings said:

Alfred removes what looks like a garage door opener from his vest pocket and clicks it once, opening a hidden room in one wall. As the wall breaks away and slides from view the entirety of the room slides forward. A veritable arsenal of gear appears. "I believe this should suffice."

Click to expand...

TertiusHuman said:

He moved over to the armory. As he looked the collection over he finished the wraps and then the energy bars ended up inside of him, leaving him with empty wrappers.

He turned back and entered the room again, "Meh." Shrugging his shoulders he dumped the wrappers in a pile since he couldn't see a waste bin and snagged more of the energy bars, scoffing them down as well. "No weapons there that I can use."

Click to expand...

"Yeah," Artemis harrumphed, chewing and swallowing a mouthful of wrap. "Bats isn't big on guns, I hear tell. Guess he wouldn't have any ammo for that railgun you call a back-up sidearm."

But she took a turn in the armory, nevertheless. She already had her bow and arrows, and her reserve crossbow. But sitting on a rack on the wall was a katana in a saya, and for some reason this called to her. She plucked it and slung it over her shoulder.

And then she noticed a blowgun with a bunch of knockout darts. She grabbed this, too. Seemed like it would be something that could come in handy.

Mari touched Alfred on the shoulder. "I'm listening, I promise. But no reason I can't walk and talk."

Vixen was primarily dependent upon her Tantu Totem for battleground effectiveness, this was true. But Oliver had insisted on training her in combat for field certification-- and now that her Totem was getting glitchier than ever, it seemed like it was a better time than any to fall back on that training.

She picked up a pair of telescoping Escrima sticks, because of course that was Ollie's preferred training method-- but this was a specialized set that could combine and extend into a bo staff, or reconfigure into nunchaku, or fire out grappling cables, or deliver taser shocks. Small but versatile, and she could strap them to her back or to an outer thigh without terribly impeding her flexibility for animal stuff.

"Never tell me I don't know how to accessorize."

Artemis squinted at him.

Perhaps her squints didn't have quite the same laser-sharp piano-wire scathe as Batman's, but they were effective enough. "Look, I already said I would play along. Stop beating a dead... whatever animal a 'nightwing' is supposed to be."

Nightwing couldn't help but smile. "The name's a long story. But I appreciate your point."

Grimacing, she approached the table and, since she'd already had protein bars today, she grabbed a chicken wrap and sullenly sunk her teeth into it while leaning against a wall. She even gave "Agent" Venom a glower as he started pigging out-- what was even her problem? She'd referred to him as "Agent Venom" before in her head, but it had been respectful of his training, not pejorative of his by-the-bookishness.

She put on a prickly show-- and her prickles went more than just skin deep, but seeing that empty uniform had rankled her more than she'd ever admit. Like seeing Arsenal's old uniform in The ArrowCave from when he went off to be "Red Arrow" and be half of the world's second most dysfunctional couple with Jade. Sure, Roy was still alive out there somewhere, but that uniform represented severed ties... and broken promises.



"Trust me," Mari grinned softly, having no idea that Alfred had served in Ghana and perhaps met her mother's grandmother-- before her family had made the trek to Nigeria; she was a model, men looked at her longingly all the time. "I'm so glad it's not tuna."

She frowned, though: "But Alfie, what's on your mind? If it's a question I can answer now, I'd love to. I learned a long time ago to not let things go unsaid, you never know how a day will change your life."

Alfred nodded but found it near impossible to force the words to come up. They had been buried for so many decades.

"Yeah," Artemis harrumphed, chewing and swallowing a mouthful of wrap. "Bats isn't big on guns, I hear tell. Guess he wouldn't have any ammo for that railgun you call a back-up sidearm."

But she took a turn in the armory, nevertheless. She already had her bow and arrows, and her reserve crossbow. But sitting on a rack on the wall was a katana in a saya, and for some reason this called to her. She plucked it and slung it over her shoulder.

And then she noticed a blowgun with a bunch of knockout darts. She grabbed this, too. Seemed like it would be something that could come in handy.

Mari touched Alfred on the shoulder. "I'm listening, I promise. But no reason I can't walk and talk."

"Ms. McCabe, many years ago when I was serving in the military I spent a great deal of time in Africa. In particular there was a small village in Ghana. Forgive me, but there was a woman there whom I cared very deeply for. And you are her spitting image. Unfortunately, rebellion struck, and I chose to help her evacuate while my unit held off the rebels. I never did find her when the dust settled... I apologize Ms. McCabe, when one gets to my age they start to take inventory of the regrets they have accumulated, and that is chief among mine."

Zack Hemsey- Don't Get In My Way

ChasNicollette said:

And then J'onn J'onzz' voice rang clear and powerful in Jaime's head.

"You are ready."

The world blurred.

They were gone.

They stood in The Garden of The Gods, Colorado, before the rock formation known as The Three Graces. Hino Rei was J'onn J'onzz once more, broad-shouldered and beetle-browed and verdant and mighty.

"I have always loved this place on your planet. While the precise hue of the red stones is not quite the same as my beloved native Mars, it is close enough for me to indulge a certain... nostalgia."

"This is also a place of spiritual significance to many of the peoples indigenous to this region of the continent. So it is appropriate."

J'onn faced Jaime, crimson eyes gazing into the younger sentient's soul.

"Just as the history of Krypton was downloaded into its children's subconscious via their neurotechnology, the young of Mars were telepathically infused with the wealth of our world's ancient knowledge... the paratexts."

"Thus do we learn of the primordial oceans in which swam our amphibious ancestors, thus do we learn of the aboriginal toad-kings with pyramids filled with gold. Thus do we learn, billions of years in our past, of B'arzz O'oomm. He was a member of our species who encountered an 'emerald demon stone' that tried to possess him, turn him into an agent of conquest for a faraway species-- but thanks to the telepathic intervention of tribal elders, prototype Manhunters of Mars, and his own shapeshifting prowess, he was able to free himself and reach a detente with the demon stone, becoming incredibly powerful. He was later subdued by a faction of Pale Martians during a great and terrible civil war-- the stone was torn from him and he was slain, though the effort cost his enemies dearly."

"Not long after this, our world was visited by The Guardians of The Universe, and they promised that those who sent the demon stone would be brought to task for attempting to conquer our world. They were, in turn, impressed by the efforts and credo of our Manhunters."

"But all of this is needless exposition. All you need know is this-- I remember the telepathic intervention. And though I am alone, I believe I am sufficient to the task."

"Now that you are ready, we can begin."

He raised his hand, and he placed it atop Jaime's head. Again, this was not unlike a holy benediction-- the healing hands of a miracle-worker of old.

"Prepare your frontal cortex."

And thus J'onn J'onzz dove into Jaime Reyes' mind...

...seeking to renew a severed bond, to awaken the sleeping Khaji Da now that Jaime was awake to greet him, to reconnect the disparate strands that would allow communication to flow from one mind to the other.

Click to expand...

Sand swirled in the dust storm, the circling stormwall not moving away from the village as it should, but scouring it eternally, forever stuck in one spot. Jaime covered his face with his T-shirt and listened for a voice he knew was waiting.

"Set my people free!"

Jaime moved tow3ard the sound of the voice, repeating the same refrain, somehow coming from all directions, but Jaime still knew the location of the source. He felt the sand particles blasting his clothes, tearing into his skin, but the pain was as nothing compared to his desire to get to the source of that voice.

"Set my people free! Set my people free! SET MY PEOPLE FREE!"

At last, Jaime burst through the storm wall, into the eye of the storm, the center, where sunlight fell down on the form of Dan Garret, who looked at Jaime.

"Help me set my people free, and I will help you protect yours."

"Khaji."

The storm went away.

They stood in a vast black void full of stars, beneath their feet, the glowing blue ball of the earth, the huge golden sun on the other side at the moment. Down below, lights showed the shapes of continents.

Next to Jaime, standing with him in the void, was a much younger version of himself, perhaps six or seven years old in appearance. Young Jaime looked down at the earth very seriously, cute face all sombre.

"Khaji? What is this?"

Little Khaji looked up at Jaime, tears in his eyes.

"How could you think I would ever let you hurt them, Jaime? You taught me what a conscience is. You taught me that we are supposed to protect those weaker than ourselves. Almost everyone is weaker than ourselves."

A feeling of great shame overcame Jaime. "I'm sorry. I lost confidence in both of us and became afraid. I lost my way and then I thought I had lost you."

Khaji smiled, showing gaps in his little mouth, where baby teeth had fallen out. The smile was so bright and loving and trusting that it made Jaime smile back. Khaji reached out and unashamedly took Jaimes hand.

"Silly. You can never lose me. You know why?"

Jaime smiled and squeezed the little hand inside his own. "Because, you're me. And I am you. We are One."

Khaji faded and Jaime Reyes stood on the desert plain in The Garden of the Gods, body now encased in the sleek black and blue carapace of the Blue Beetle suit.

"Are you done being afraid, Jaime?"

"Yes, Khaji. Are you ready to fight?"

"Yes."

Blue light exploded outward from the Beetle, a shockwave of power that blew everything not rooted in the earth onto it's ass, as the being of two minds in one body shot skyward on a column of actinic blue fire.

Anyone standing below would realize that the blue flame was headed to the east and north, to Gotham City. Anyone intelligent would pity the fool who got in it's way, or tried to stop it.

"There are no atheists in foxholes." (Vixen)

Lunaramblings said:

"Ms. McCabe, many years ago when I was serving in the military I spent a great deal of time in Africa. In particular there was a small village in Ghana. Forgive me, but there was a woman there whom I cared very deeply for. And you are her spitting image. Unfortunately, rebellion struck, and I chose to help her evacuate while my unit held off the rebels. I never did find her when the dust settled... I apologize Ms. McCabe, when one gets to my age they start to take inventory of the regrets they have accumulated, and that is chief among mine."

Click to expand...

Strapping the batons to her thigh, Mari paused and gazed quietly at Alfred.

"I--"

--she blinked a little rapidly.

"Hold on, I'm not sure I can process this. That's-- that'd be a Hell of a coincidence. A lot of villages got messed up in Ghana in the 50's and 60's, Nkrumah was a bad time. I'm tempted to swat this away with-- 'are you saying all black people are related?' 'Are you saying all black people look alike?'"

"But-- mom and dad used to tell me about how mom's family escaped strife back in the day. That could easily have been my great-grandma."

"Yeah, they-- they got away safely. Settled in Nigeria. Which, you know, didn't work out so well in the end. But they might never have made it if it wasn't for you. My parents never would have met--"

She wrapped him up and hugged him, kissed him on the shoulder-- gently, she wasn't sure if he was in the triple digits for age right now--

"Thank you, Alfie."

Savior. (J'onn)

Nevyn_Black said:

Blue light exploded outward from the Beetle, a shockwave of power that blew everything not rooted in the earth onto it's ass, as the being of two minds in one body shot skyward on a column of actinic blue fire.

Click to expand...

The Martian Manhunter's hand sprang from Jaime's head as two minds welded and melded--

--he was not, as such, rooted to The Earth.

But he was a being of surpassing power. He was not blown onto his ass.

He was blown backwards almost ten feet, the soles of his boots scraping across the red rocky surface of The Garden of The Gods. And that... was impressive. He flung up his arm to shield his eyes from the azure conflagration-- it was not the fire of oxidation, his great weakness, but the heat still gave him pause.

Pause to think and pause to watch.

Nevyn_Black said:

Anyone standing below would realize that the blue flame was headed to the east and north, to Gotham City. Anyone intelligent would pity the fool who got in it's way, or tried to stop it.

Click to expand...

"H'ronmeer be with you," J'onn J'onzz intoned, inclining his head to trace Jaime's arcing flight with impossible eyes. "You are The Blue Beetle at last."

Dark Side of The Moon. (Chris Grant)


Christopher King Grant had been Dialing a long, long time, and had gotten very, very good at it.

He could Dial any of his remaining seven ectypes and not experience any personality overlap with those of the originals. In fact, he retained his facial features and his red hair-- essentially, his Dial now layered the ectype onto him, rather than transforming him. He could reDial at will, without having to hang up or time out first.

Now? He was The Scavulture.

From one of those rare, often transitory border worlds that brushed up against other regions of The Multiverse, and Omniversal Hypertime as a whole, The Scavulture was Christopher King Grant's only remaining Fusion Dial, and thus resistant to Operator technology. Hardly the most powerful in his repertoire of seven, especially when compared to the raw power of Black Adam, or Savitar, or Sonar, or even Storm Boy... The Scavulture made up for this somewhat with versatility.

He could fly with great stealth and agility, and many of his cybernetic enhancements possessed mystical powers by which he could accomplish great feats. Take his Evil Eye, for instance, or his Neuron-Claw. In preparation for a coming battle against a great and nameless Enemy, The Scavulture had amassed quite the arsenal of artifacts-- and one of these enabled him to teleport vast distances.

The distance, for instance, of 238,900 miles.

Having accomplished his goal with the remaining Kryptonian of this world, preventing her from entering Gotham until she was legally bound to remain at bay, Savitar!Grant had carved a doomsaying message into the salt of Bonneville and then redialed to become The Scavulture. And thus he had teleported to The Moon, which was why Kara had not been able to see him anywhere on Earth.

This was not, perhaps, as self-defeating as it sounded.

Many alien species had visited The Earth in its formative years, and more recently. The Kryptonians, The Pale Martians, and other, even older races. And one of those species, for reasons of its own, had left behind a pocket of life-sustaining atmosphere in a cavern on The Moon, as it had done on the The Moons of many an Earth throughout The Multiverse. In fact, The Scavenger-- one of the components of The Scavulture's fusion --had his lair in just such a cavern.

And thus, wings furled around him, seated in the Lotus position in this oxygenated cavern in The Blue Area of The Moon, Scavulture!Grant sought further instructions.

Ever since he had escaped to this Earth from The Exchange but failed to immediately corrupt the Dials of this Earth using Halo's H.A.L.O. Array, he had engaged his secondary assignment: becoming part of the local branch of InterGang and furthering The Master's long-term goals. He knew not the plan for Gotham City, as it was not his to know, The Master's will was unquestioned-- but he knew that The Supergirl and other "heroes" of her power level were not to interfere until the final phase of this operation had reached completion.

He might even have killed her, had Rose not--

Hm.

Rose.

She had only limited ectypes, thus far. And no training, and almost as little experience. But any Dial could make anyone a nuisance, such was their power and versatility. And she was nuisance enough.

The likelihood of two members of any family each encountering a compatible Dial remained incalculably small. It had to be engineered somehow. The Wizard must have arranged for Rose to encounter such a Dial, that she might prove a nuisance to her father. What other explanation was there?

But he was her father yet, and he would teach her the respect and deference due a father-- whether it by beating it into her, or corrupting her Dial with Anti-Life with all the others. All would be one.

For now...

...for now, his Evil Eye pinged, and a beam of dark red light emanated therefrom, projecting a hologram of his Drill Sergeant, his greatest instructor, one of the fingers of the grim granite right hand of The Master Himself.

"Status," she croaked, with a voice like gravel.

"The American Congress has enacted the first stage of the law," Scavulture!Grant replied, closing his human eye in deference. (He would have bowed his head, or groveled, as appropriate, but he needed his Evil Eye to project the hologram.) "And I have kept the Kryptonian female outside of The No Man's Land long enough for it to take effect. Perhaps I would even have slain her-- the Savitar ectype has some fascinating applications --were it not for my daughter's interference. She will be a formidable cog in any machinations to cement The Master's hold on The Exchange."

"I require further instruction-- there is still the matter of The Martian, if he chooses now to return from his leave of absence, it might not go well for our Network or InterGang. Perhaps I should strike preemptively--"

Another ping sounded in his cybernetic implants, and he hesitated. As part of his paranoiac preparations for that nameless Enemy, The Scavulture had a sophisticated alert system in place for when certain powers were in ascendance-- powers he might exploit or defend against-- and one of the greatest such threats rang in his brain like an alarm bell.

The holographic stony crone squinted. "Grant. Do not waste my time. Your scrambler may have prevented any Jump Dialers from following you from The Exchange, but Boom Tubes are not nearly so easily circumvented. I will come there myself and feed you to The Dog Soldiers."

"I beg your forgiveness," Scavulture!Grant hurriedly explained. "But it seems that the off-mode Reach Infiltrator has come out of hibernation and is now flying at maximum atmospheric velocity towards The No Man's Land."

"You have sufficient power in your Villain Dial to deal with this insect," she spat, "do not come crawling on your belly for such trivialities, or The Master will deem you unworthy and sever you from your power. The mere fact that you remain alive after your failures is proof of The Master's waning mercy."

"I have precisely the ectype I need," Scavulture!Grant agreed. "But the Kryptonian remains problematic, and The Marvel Children may provide a deleterious distraction until I can disrupt the mystical energy pattern that confers such mightiness upon such mortals. And then there is The Martian. I may require... reinforcements."

She sniffed. "The irony is as astounding as your temerity. Very well, go. Intercept the Infiltrator. I will petition The Master for the resources you... require. Should the Children engage you, disable them but do not slay them-- I have such plans."

"Thank you, Granny," Scavulture!Grant inclined his head. "I love you, Granny."

Granny Goodness' mouth was pressed into a thin, expressionless line. "Do not test that love's patience, Christopher."

"All is One," Scavulture!Grant promised.

And dissolved from sight into a mystical ambient-matter space-fold.

To Earth.

Goodbye Blue Sky. (Chris Grant)

The Blue Beetle cut a blazing swath across the sky, searing and soaring.

The miles from Colorado to New Jersey would winnow away in a fistful of minutes.

But it was in the sky over


that that countdown clock would find itself... interrupted.

A craggy, aged, winged figure dressed in green with long, shaggy red hair would fold out of the space directly in Jaime Reyes' path.

And just as suddenly as he materialized...

...he would blast a crimson blast of mystical energy out of his Evil Eye, aiming to hit The Beetle dead-center and blow him out of the sky.

ChasNicollette said:

The Blue Beetle cut a blazing swath across the sky, searing and soaring.

The miles from Colorado to New Jersey would winnow away in a fistful of minutes.

But it was in the sky over

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
********​

that that countdown clock would find itself... interrupted.

A craggy, aged, winged figure dressed in green with long, shaggy red hair would fold out of the space directly in Jaime Reyes' path.

And just as suddenly as he materialized...

...he would blast a crimson blast of mystical energy out of his Evil Eye, aiming to hit The Beetle dead-center and blow him out of the sky.

Click to expand...

Traveling so fast was a new thing for the Beetle, at least in atmosphere. When one is moving at those velocities, the maneuvering becomes problematic. Of course, Khaji was scanning in all frequencies and in all dimensions for any threat, so Jaime was alerted the instant the figure appeared in front of them, but there still wasn't much time to do anything about it. Khaji threw up an electromagnetic force field around them as fast as he could, but some of the mystical energy still got through, causing a shower of fiery embers to spray outward as the shield failed.

Unfortunately for the winged figure, and the Beetle as well...Jaime never even slowed down, just lost control of his flight and began to tumble, still at the same velocity and in the same horizontal path...

Welcome to The Machine. (Chris Grant)

Nevyn_Black said:

Khaji threw up an electromagnetic force field around them as fast as he could, but some of the mystical energy still got through, causing a shower of fiery embers to spray outward as the shield failed.

Unfortunately for the winged figure, and the Beetle as well...Jaime never even slowed down, just lost control of his flight and began to tumble, still at the same velocity and in the same horizontal path...

Click to expand...

Again, the magical teleportation effect wreathed Scavulture!Grant, and as Blue Beetle careened forwards he plowed through the empty space which Scavulture!Grant had oh-so-briefly occupied.

He wasn't gone for long, however, as the winged villain shimmered back into being-- he'd teleported all of twenty feet to his own left.

His craven, craggy face peeled open in a sadistic grin.

Oh, this would be even easier than he thought.

Still, best to not take any chances against an entity so infuriatingly adaptive as a Reach Scout.

"ReDial!" he snarled.

And another energy effect rippled through him, changing him from green to red as quick as a stoplight.

SssshhCLICK!

And he became armored, covered in a segmented shell reminiscent of Jaime's... indeed, like its negative image. Instead of blue and black, it was red and black, with glowing eyes and accents of a sickly, phosphorescent green...

"I am THE SCARLET SCARAB!" he crowed.

"...and you are about to find, 'Blue Beetle,' that your Reach has exceeded your grasp!"

Ice Cube- Right Here, Right Now (Jaime)

ChasNicollette said:

Again, the magical teleportation effect wreathed Scavulture!Grant, and as Blue Beetle careened forwards he plowed through the empty space which Scavulture!Grant had oh-so-briefly occupied.

He wasn't gone for long, however, as the winged villain shimmered back into being-- he'd teleported all of twenty feet to his own left.

His craven, craggy face peeled open in a sadistic grin.

Oh, this would be even easier than he thought.

Still, best to not take any chances against an entity so infuriatingly adaptive as a Reach Scout.

"ReDial!" he snarled.

And another energy effect rippled through him, changing him from green to red as quick as a stoplight.

SssshhCLICK!

And he became armored, covered in a segmented shell reminiscent of Jaime's... indeed, like its negative image. Instead of blue and black, it was red and black, with glowing eyes and accents of a sickly, phosphorescent green...

"I am THE SCARLET SCARAB!" he crowed.

"...and you are about to find, 'Blue Beetle,' that your Reach has exceeded your grasp!"

Click to expand...

Jaime course corrected and reoriented himself, to stand upright, facing the new threat. The sight of which gave him pause, but not so much as the words the figure spoke did. He hesitated.

"Did...did he just, actually say that out loud?"

"Kill it. Kill it until it's dead."

The Blue Beetle raised both arms and let loose with a barrage of plasma bolts like twin 20mm anti-aircraft cannons.

The Mission. (J'onn)


J'onn J'onzz took a moment to stand there in the sight of the (slightly rattled) Three Graces before turning to go--

--he had done his part for the heroes, and was content to go back to working behind the scenes to keep his friends and compatriots safe.

He would help, as ever, as needed, as called for, a mighty guardian indeed. But his own soul-searching, his own vision quest was not yet done.

But then.

But then two voices cried out as one in surprise and alarm from the skies over Pittsburgh, interrupting a meteoric, heroic rise.

He turned, and he gazed north, and he gazed east.

And his eyes narrowed. Jaime was giving as good as he got, of course. But this intervention was... ominously timed.

"No."

The Martian Manhunter, too, exploded from the ground in flight.

"Start the Machine," by Angels and Airwaves. (Supergirl/Rose)


An alarm sounded in The DEO substation outside of National City, and a technician raised a hand as she shouted: "Director Henshaw! Agents! That particle signature we just entered into our search filters-- it's active!"

Kara whirled, narrowed her eyes. "Again. Already? Busy day for Chris Grant."

Rose's heart shot into her throat, and she hurried away from Henshaw to Kara's side. "Where? Where is he?"

The technician glanced, startled, at the newcomer, but Supergirl gestured impatiently. "If you're not gonna answer her, answer me. Where?"

"Pittsburgh," the technician stammered.

Kara nodded, and held out her hand to Rose. "Time to make good. You coming?"

"Lin--Kara, no, she's not trained!" Alex protested. "She's not an Agent!"

"Agent Zor-El," Hank thundered, "I forbid you--"

Rose clapped her hand into Kara's.

And they were gone.

Henshaw groaned, and put his face in his palm. "One of these days..."

"...she'll be the death of us, I know," Alex winced.

Henshaw lowered his hand, and grunted. "I was going to say, 'one of these days, I'm going to kill her.'"

Alex squinted at him. "Forgive me, sir. You have this cultivated air of-- forbidding. I never know when you're joking."

Henshaw smiled faintly, grimly, and stalked off. "Funny how that works."

We're not in Kansas anymore...

This is a place for the hopeless. Death and destruction are all that the people of this place know. War is not simply something that happens, it is a culture, it is THE culture of this charred and pock-marked Hellish wasteland.

Deep in the bowels of this corrupted and vile world exists The Necropolis. A prison of sorts. And it is here that Max Mercury is held. His body is beaten and battered and through advanced technology his connection to the Speed Force has been severed. Max lays there in agony. But he is not alone. Many shapes and forms move within the darkness. Too weak to even speak, he waits for one of this things to tear him apart.

One of them moves closer. A great black wolf. As it approaches it lowers it's head, nuzzling Mercury. Pushing him into a sitting position. Gentle the creature pushes him into one of the corners. As other beings begin to move closer the wolf lets out a low guttural growl and lays over the shivering and bleeding speedster.

Mercury, barely conscious raises a hand a sets it on the beast's back. For just a moment they lock eyes, and even in this darkness, Max is sure he saw more than just an animal intelligence. He sees something much deeper. Before he can contemplate this however, he drifts back into unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, many miles above the Necropolis, in a large fortress sits a throne room. A dark being sits, shrouded in shadows, upon this throne. A large, monstrously intimidating figure, he sits with his hands steepled, listening carefully to the elderly woman before him.

"Master, the work with our secret weapon comes nicely. Grant requests reinforcements. His distraction with the Kryptonian went well. He may even have taken her out of the equation had his daughter not arrived. I ask humbly My Lord, that if we can take her that she is mine. She could be most useful."

The figure leans forward, his grey skin cracked and rock like. His eyes burning with a red, hateful glow. GRANT HAS PROVEN CAPABLE. SEND HIM ASSISTANCE. GRANT HAS CLAIMED HIS CHILD. IF YOU WANT HER DISCUSS IT WITH HIM. THOUGH HE MAY BE AMENABLE TO YOUR... TUTELAGE. WITHHOLD THE SEVEN. PROVIDE YOUR EARTHBOUND MINIONS. AND SEND THE ANDROID. THEY SHOULD PROVE MORE THAN ENOUGH, HOWEVER I WANT TO BE KEPT UPDATED. IT IS VITAL THE REACH INFILTRATOR, KRYPTONIAN, AND THE CHILDREN BE KEPT FROM GOTHAM. FOR NOW AT LEAST. IF YOUR MINIONS ARE SUCCESSFUL YOU CAN TAKE THE CHILDREN FOR YOUR OWN. I FIND IT MOST INTERESTING TO THINK WHAT YOU MAY DO WITH SUCH YOUNG AND POTENT BEINGS."

"Understood Master. The Guardian's child and her mate will be a great asset and I will make them yours. What a glorious champion they will be for you My Lord. Your Will Shall Be Done." With that the woman bows and turns on her heel hurrying out of the chamber. She is only just out of the room when she starts barking orders.

"Another Brick in The Wall (Part I)," by Pink Floyd. (Chris/J'onn/Supergirl/Rose)

Nevyn_Black said:

Jaime course corrected and reoriented himself, to stand upright, facing the new threat. The sight of which gave him pause, but not so much as the words the figure spoke did. He hesitated.

"Did...did he just, actually say that out loud?"

"Kill it. Kill it until it's dead."

The Blue Beetle raised both arms and let loose with a barrage of plasma bolts like twin 20mm anti-aircraft cannons.

Click to expand...

The plasmic ack-ack stormed at Scarab!Grant, and he grinned, leveling an arm cannon of his own--

--immediately projecting a very similar forcefield to the one Blue Beetle had used to save himself from Scavulture!Grant's Evil Eye-- except instead of surrounding himself with the field, he shoved a wall of force at Blue Beetle, hard. The plasma bolts shattered as the force-wall steamrolled into them, bugs on a windshield, and it would slam into Beetle, too, if he did not evade-- perhaps not a windshield, but a flyswatter.

As the wall stampeded through the air towards Beetle, Scarab!Grant buzzed straight up into the air, up, getting higher ground and overlook-- and his other arm configured into a mortar-launcher, firing off a single shell down at The Beetle. The shell almost immediately split into a dozen smaller bomblets, each of which were keyed to detonate in proximity with Blue Beetle--

--releasing clouds of chaff that would occlude Beetle's sensors and communications and, if it made physical contact with Beetle himself, would aggravate his Infiltrator's nanotechnoorganic immune response, agonizing and weakening Beetle through his own antibodies, if only momentarily.

As the bomblets scattered, he crowed: "Straight to business, then! If a simple pun gets you so bent out of shape, I'm glad I didn't use the one about the 'reach-around.'"

It was then that Blue Beetle's friends arrived, one right after the other--

--The Martian Manhunter blurred to a stop in the air.

--then Supergirl appeared in the sky over the nearby Byrnes and Kiefer Building, dropping Rose to land in a crouch on the roof before swooping up to engage the enemy-- "We've got your back, Blue! And a score to settle!"

"Two's company," Scarab!Grant opined, "three's a crowd, I don't even know what five is-- so let's uninvite some guests!"

His arm cannon reconfigured-- glowing green like his eyes, like the accents on his armor-- and unleashed a stream of that choking green stuff, hitting Supergirl square in the crest and blasting her into Penn Avenue below, screaming in agony, her skin and veins turning smoldering poisonous green everywhere the stabbing bolt touched her.

Kryptonite. Adaptive Reach technology-- he could generate it just as easily as Firestorm, if not more easily.

Scarab!Grant powered up for another shot, grinning his sadistic grin.

J'onn's eyes bulged in his head. "KARA! NO!"

And dove to shield her with his body, ramping up his molecular density to its maximum that he might block any radiation as thoroughly as lead.

But that arm cannon instantly reconfigured, and instead of another blast of Kryptonite, a jet of superheated flame gushed out of Scarab!Grant's weapon and washed the super-tangible Martian in the one thing he truly feared. Fire. (Speaking of "firestorm"...)

J'onn's flesh ignited in an instant and now it was his turn to scream.

Scarab!Grant whirled to face Blue Beetle, his grin never wavering.

"Oh, where do we get these wonderful toys, hmmm?"

"Still, you heroes are resourceful, intrepid, I'm sure your numbers and raw power would overwhelm me eventually, after all, I am just one man with a bug in his ear."

But then, as if on cue--

BOOM

--a teleportal opened up, depositing Solomon Grundy and Dr. Light.

BOOM

--another, placing into the air above Pittsburgh a scarred, dented, robotic looking figure who flew aloft on whirling winds.

BOOM

--and another, unleashing half a dozen armored troll-like beings with winged flight systems and extraterrestrial weaponry.

"Ah. Well then," Scarab!Grant nodded, gleefully.

"I stand corrected."

"Plenty of party-crashers to keep your friends socialized, while we can continue our discussion uninterrupted."

His arm cannons were hands again, and he beckoned to Blue Beetle, bring it on, bring it on, bring it on.

"...just remind me, where were we? I think it was your turn to say something funny."

ChasNicollette said:

Strapping the batons to her thigh, Mari paused and gazed quietly at Alfred.

"I--"

--she blinked a little rapidly.

"Hold on, I'm not sure I can process this. That's-- that'd be a Hell of a coincidence. A lot of villages got messed up in Ghana in the 50's and 60's, Nkrumah was a bad time. I'm tempted to swat this away with-- 'are you saying all black people are related?' 'Are you saying all black people look alike?'"

Click to expand...

Alfred suddenly looked appalled as he tried to protest. "I certainly never would have meant to suggest anything of the sort. I... I..." Alfred's usually unflappable manner was clearly shaken. Rarely does he find himself on this end of an interaction.

ChasNicollette said:

"But-- mom and dad used to tell me about how mom's family escaped strife back in the day. That could easily have been my great-grandma."

"Yeah, they-- they got away safely. Settled in Nigeria. Which, you know, didn't work out so well in the end. But they might never have made it if it wasn't for you. My parents never would have met--"

She wrapped him up and hugged him, kissed him on the shoulder-- gently, she wasn't sure if he was in the triple digits for age right now--

"Thank you, Alfie."

Click to expand...

"Ms. McCabe, I want you to sincerely understand that I meant no such racially insensitive meaning. Honestly Miss, there are VERY few women of any race who can claim to look anything like you. Your beauty is far beyond what most could ever dream of my dear. However, as I said, you remind me so much of her. Down to your... accessories." Alfred gestured meakly at the Tantu Totem that hung from her neck, swaying tantalizingly just above her bust.

"I have for some time wondered if there was a connection. I spent the best few years of my life in that village. Well, of my private life anyway. However, if things had not changed I would not have been blessed to come into the service of Master Thomas and would not have had the pleasure of raising Master Bruce. Neither of which I regret in the least you understand. Alfred thought cautiously for a moment.

I owe a great debt to your family Miss McCabe. When I arrived in that village, I was lost. I was a monster. I had lost my way. It was your apparently Great Grandma that saved me. In more ways then one. I... well I believe maybe I have already said too much Miss... Alfred's voice clearly cracked a bit as he spoke of his time in Ghana. For just a minute, the hardness in his eyes was gone. The strick posture of his stance had faultered, and it seemed he had been lost in memories, both pleasant, and not. Alfred leaned forward and softly embraced Mari once more. Gently as he pulled back, he stops and softly kisses her on her forehead. Something more dances behind his eyes. Something... different. An unspoken truth? A sense of loss and longing? It was hard to say what exactly dwelled in the vault that was the heart of this complex man. A vault that had been locked and all but forgotten for a very long time.

Across the room Ollie was meandering through the armory. Like Mari he selected a pair of batons. He also takes an extra utility belt from the table. Unsure what it will contain he knows Bruce well enough to know that it will be useful. He slings the belt, this one a black with grey pouches, across his chest like a bandolier. He selects a couple pair of bolas, and grabs an extra quiver, one of many he had sent to Bruce to store in spare sites across Gotham in case he was ever needed.

Nightwing is sitting at a desk in the other room for the moment. Working on rerouting the comms that the Bat-Family typically use. "We have an issue. They are jamming most modern means of communication. However, they can't really prevent radio communications. It just won't be secure. Anyone with a ham radio can pick it up. I had to override the digital tuner and some of the software to realign an analog reception override. It will work, and once we can get to one of the communication towers we can try to reestablish outside communication. In the meantime, this is what we are stuck with." Nightwing moves toward the group handing out earpieces attached to what looks similar to a Walkman. "Sorry, the box is a signal booster. Without it the signals here are so jumbled that we may or may not be able to get through all that noise. Venom, will you be able to... assimilate... this? Not sure how that works? Ted and Barry are back at the Brownstone trying to work on a work around; Until they do, or we can get a tower and satellite array up and running, we are SOL. So, what I am thinking is that we send the ladies to check on Artemis' family. Venom, if you can take the communication array, Ollie and I will try to make contact with our allies in the city and take out as many Markov devices as we can. Did I miss anything?"

Ollie grins as he appraises Nightwing. "Looks like you are a bit more of a team player than Bruce. You have a decent plan. Everyone good with assignments?"

Venom

Lunaramblings said:

"Sorry, the box is a signal booster. Without it the signals here are so jumbled that we may or may not be able to get through all that noise. Venom, will you be able to... assimilate... this? Not sure how that works? Ted and Barry are back at the Brownstone trying to work on a work around; Until they do, or we can get a tower and satellite array up and running, we are SOL. So, what I am thinking is that we send the ladies to check on Artemis' family. Venom, if you can take the communication array, Ollie and I will try to make contact with our allies in the city and take out as many Markov devices as we can. Did I miss anything?"

Click to expand...

He took the box and looked it over, 'Well?'

It can be done.

'So no sonic problems?'

Not with the incoming signals no. Even the earpiece should not pose a problem. We're good to go.

John detached the earpiece and handed it back to Nighwing, placing the signal booster inside his jacket where nobody had to see the assimilation happening...and with nobody he meant Artemis. She of course will know that it happened, but he didn't want to place more stress on her by doing it openly. For a brief moment he did wonder why he was so worried about her feelings.

"We will go secure comms, nice and stealthy, black ops all over again."

He felt that insane grin of the symbiote on his lips, "Perhaps even do a little wet work while we're at it."

Khaji and Jaime were one. Their minds interwoven like a tapestry, no separation between them, no hesitation or moments of doubt. As soon as the expanded sphere of sensory paraphernalia brought data back, the interwoven mind of J'K'Ahaime calculated and implemented the plan. Blue Beetle entered Reach Space, jumping between moments and traveling not through, but under and around the space between he and Chris/Red Beetle, bypassing completely his cloud of nanotech and the energy shield wall. As he flew through the space between moments, Beetle was aware of shocks of negative energy as some force opened the teleportation tunnels.

It was much like the experience of being a submersible under the ocean surface as someone dropped depth charges...Beetle dodged from side to side, juking to avoid the disruption of the teleport portals opening and closing. He emerged from Reach space in front of Chris/Red Beetle, and did two things instantly;

He deployed his Beetle wings, transparent but dense pieces of his armor, sending them flipping through the air and toward Kara and J'onn, attempting to cover J'onn with the shields.

He also extended blades from his forearms, elbows, knees and heels, spinning like a tornado of steel toward Chris Grants face.