Star City- Heroes of Tomorrow IC

[Lunaramblings]

The Atom was a man of science. And he knew it quite well. As the specialized arrow flew toward the cluster he put a hand on each of the heroes beside him. The neural circuitry implant he had recently added to his headpiece activated the belt and the three of them shrank. And as they did they saw what that arrow could do.

As it flew toward them Grundy met it with his fist. The arrow smashed to the ground. And then all hell broke loose. The arrow exploded. If you could call it that. Tiny globules of blackish purple emanated from this detonation. And as the villians attempted to attack these, they devoured whatever energy they met and coalesced into a single mass that was growing qith each attack. Soon Dwarfstar's blades were gone. Nothing but useless hilts where the blades had disintegrated. No matter how much cold or light the growing mass wwas hit with they kept coming. Bigger. Hungrier. Soon Dwarfstar knew it was time to go.

"Screw it. We'll make it up another time. This is too much. Risk is too high. Follow me."

For the second time he pulled a small box from a pouch on his belt. He lobbed it away from the massive thing that was devouring every bit of energy it could. A new hole ripped into being. And the quartet dove in as it dematerialized behind them.

As The Atom regrew the team he pulled a small ball from his belt. Handing it to Artemis he finally spoke. "Anti-Energy given a semblance of sentience by my nanotech. Hit it center mass with this and then cover your eyes. Anti-Matter suspended inside the ball will be devoured by the mass and they will cancel each other out of existence."

 

[ChasNicollette]

Turn-ons: Bullseyes. Turn-offs: Bullshit. (Artemis)

As The Atom regrew the team he pulled a small ball from his belt. Handing it to Artemis he finally spoke. "Anti-Energy given a semblance of sentience by my nanotech. Hit it center mass with this and then cover your eyes. Anti-Matter suspended inside the ball will be devoured by the mass and they will cancel each other out of existence."

Artemis held the ball in her hand for a moment, aghast at all the insanity she'd just witnessed-- that second portable Warp Zone thing was the least of her problems.

Rolling the ball in her palm and then over her knuckles, she shook her head grimly.

"Yeah. Okay. All's well that freakin' ends well. But when my mentor gets back on his feet I'm totally telling him that you stuck Star Trek fuel in my quiver without asking and we'll see how well he takes it. He's really good at hitting targets, I don't care how small you get."

Having gotten a feel for the sphere's aerodynamics and weight, she rolled it between her right hand's thumb and forefinger and whipped it at the heart of the violently violet globules like she was skipping a stone over a lake...

 

[ChasNicollette]

"Run This Town (Posthumus Zone)," by JayZ & Rihanna, featuring E.S. Posthumus. (Rose)

King's card locked onto ShadowPax, and it shot towards her as if it were focused solely on her and nothing else.

Again, ShadowPax met the attack with the parry of mystic steel...

...sparks flew as she deflected the projectile, smacked it upwards, dropping to the floor in a crouch.

It cut through a chunk of the ceiling that fell as if it were made out of nothing but paper... and continued on its way without even slowing down.

The card would follow her every move...

"Scrazzat!" she swore again, bounding aside as the ceiling came down at her, and whipping her head to the side as the card came at her once more--

--she bounded ceilingward, floorward, bounced off of walls, tried to websling crates into the thing's path, but it was unrelenting.

--she dove into one shadow and emerged from another across the room, tried to throw it off the scent, but it only wavered for a moment before driving after her once more.

It was like--

--it was like--

--it had discerned that ShadowPax' best advantage in any fight was her ability to get out of Dodge, and had come down hard on that advantage like a ton of bricks.

Even with blades flashing and flourishing this way and that, sparking and singing as the card ricocheted off-- it would come back an instant later, faster and harder and she would have to whirl all the faster all the harder to beat it back--

"Fine," she snarled. "You want a merry chase?"

As the card dove at her one more time, she gritted her teeth, crossed her swords in front of her, and summoned a bubble of blackness around her that swallowed the card as well--

--and shifted hard into Shadow.

Back into that eerie demi-plane.

But even as she emerged onto her home turf, into that mystical place where science held less sway--

--the card lunged for her, gashed her arm, black black blood fountained down her blue blue limb, she sagged to one knee.

The card wheeled back around, a killshot gleaming in the skull's empty eye sockets, but with an interdimensional lurch, ShadowPax hurled herself back to Earth.

Suddenly deprived of its target, suddenly worlds away from the thing it wanted to kill, the card hovered for a moment like it had done when King had first deployed it. And then the red glow faded back to black, and it fluttered down to the ground, there beside the stone tower and the lake.

Meanwhile, ShadowPax rippled back into reality, clutching at her arm, her dusky blue skin suddenly far paler.

"Huh--hey," she mumbled, crumpling to the floor, calling out to Static-- acknowledging him for the first time, all the while cursing herself for pompously ignoring him earlier. "Hey. Luh--lightning-caster. I-- I could probably use a little cauterizing right now. Please."

 

[ChasNicollette]

"Elevation," by U2. (Rose)

The room was dark-- thick metal walls-- and no windows.

It was important, that. That there were no windows.

He could hear them outside, in the hall, pounding at the door.

One of them was strong-- the one made of brick? --their hits dented the door and you could see their knuckles in each dent.

But he had to ignore that.

Had to focus.

The thick walls were a problem, here in the dark-- they were like a Faraday cage-- maybe his enemies were even jamming him.

But he could get a little signal. Just one bar. All he needed.

He pressed his old beat-up Nokia J-NM01 to one ear, covered the other ear with his hand, listened to the phone dial out-- heard her phone go straight to voicemail.

"Rose," he begged, "call me. I'm here."

The room shook. He ignored it.

"Rose, call me. I'm here."

 

[Lunaramblings]

Artemis held the ball in her hand for a moment, aghast at all the insanity she'd just witnessed-- that second portable Warp Zone thing was the least of her problems.

Rolling the ball in her palm and then over her knuckles, she shook her head grimly.

"Yeah. Okay. All's well that freakin' ends well. But when my mentor gets back on his feet I'm totally telling him that you stuck Star Trek fuel in my quiver without asking and we'll see how well he takes it. He's really good at hitting targets, I don't care how small you get."

Having gotten a feel for the sphere's aerodynamics and weight, she rolled it between her right hand's thumb and forefinger and whipped it at the heart of the violently violet globules like she was skipping a stone over a lake...

The Atom stood for a moment uncommonly silent. He wasn't entirely sure how to respond. Not many people spoke to him that way. He was after all a billionaire and a super hero and a world renowned scientist/philanthropist. However he realized that he had again over stepped some unseeable line. Some how, this was something that he never got used to. People. People are hard. Emotions, expectations, these things were not his forte and he found that it was one of several reasons he had become so close to Felicity. She saw these things. She read the like they were just another line of code. She understood. He grasped blindly for something. A reaso . An explanation. A rationale for his actions. And then he realized. That was what Felicity always tried to get through to him. Those things don't matter when you cross a line.

He knew a fair bit about Artemis. He knew about the abuse. The mind games. He understood her lack of trust. He shouldn't have forced his devices on her. He should have taken the time to offer them. Explain. He shut his gaping mouth and swallowed hard.

"Artemis... I am sorry. I should have been clearer. I thought you might like the surprise. I didn't mean to upset you."

In the moment The Atom may have stood 6ft tall, but he had never felt smaller.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Character. Development. (Artemis)

He shut his gaping mouth and swallowed hard.

"Artemis... I am sorry. I should have been clearer. I thought you might like the surprise. I didn't mean to upset you."

In the moment The Atom may have stood 6ft tall, but he had never felt smaller.

Artemis stood quietly for a moment, remembering those selfsame mindgames-- getting thrust into murderous situations in order to forge her into a living weapon-- gone away into a flashback.

--her father's cold laughter--

But she returned, relatively seamlessly, and squinted at The Atom.

"Surprises I can live without, Professor," she deadpanned.

"But apologies-- those are new," she rolled the taste of it around in her mouth like a connoisseur examining the taste of wine. "I like that. Accepted."

She reached up and patted him on the shoulder. "Besides, whatever catches the bad guys, right?"

Again rolling her injured shoulder, she picked her way over to see if the antimatter had eaten her fallen crossbow-- or her motorcycle.

"Do we still have some kids to round up?"

 

[Deleted member 1306910]

The Ghost of Tom Joad

Jaime stood in the alleyway. looking at the stains and the filth. This was the one, where it all happened. The place he was standing when the blue scarab burst into his life. The night he became the Blue Beetle. He had been 16 years old.

He and his friend Paco had been visiting Paco's cousins in Starling and they had intended to be in Central city that night for the Particle Accelerator to go online at Star Labs. They never made it. Paco's cousin couldn't drive them and they had been unable to get any other ride, so the boys had headed back to the apartment to watch on TV. They had cut through this alley as a shorter route, when a man had stepped out with a knife to rob them. Jaime had always wondered what would have happened if they hadn't, or if they had been just a few minutes earlier, or if the man had decided to mug someone else, or...there were a million what-ifs.

But they had tried to take the short cut and the man had tried to mug them and they had missed the explosion on television. And Jaime had been there when the blue streak of light blasted its way through the muggers chest and into him, knocking him head over heels out of the alley. At the exact same moment the Accelerator went online and malfunctioned, the blue scarab had chosen Jaime as it's new host. His life was changed that night along with so many others.

It was obviously not a coincidence and Jaime had tried to ask the scarab why it chose him that night, what the two events had in common. Jaime knew that that night, a man named Ted Kord had died, having carried the scarab, but never been chosen as its host. He'd never been able to find out why Kord died, or what woke the scarab from dormancy. The only real clue Jaime had was that the events of that night were some kind of static point in the timeline and the Scarab had the ability to see outside of normal space-time.

For all the years they had been symbiotically linked, Jaime still couldn't say he understood the scarab. It was an alien life-form, with a mind of its own and it's own agenda. This was part of the trouble Jaime was having with his role as the Blue Beetle. Which is why he'd come back here, to this place. To the beginning.

Ted Kord and a man named Dan Garret were the only other humans who had been connected to the scarab, and Jaime knew that the answers he sought must be in their stories. Ted Kord had died in Starling City that night and so Jaime would start here, where his life ended. It was time to get some help, from someone who might have access to the records of that time, someone who could give him a clue, a place to start from to trace the man's life back from its end, to the start.

It was time to go to the Justice Society headquarters.

 

[Lunaramblings]

The Martian Manhunter landed in the middle of one of the medical rooms in the hidden lair beneath the Justice Society building. He laid Oliver on the table. He knew he needed attention. He could fly to Plymouth City and get Pieter. But that might be too little too late. He bowed his head before reaching into the ether of psychic communication.

"The Arrow is badly wounded. Beyond the medical attention I can provide. Your help is requested at the Society.

It took only a moment. There was a flash of light beyond the door to the room and it flew open.

"Move it Green-Jeans." She grinned and put a hand on J'onn's shoulder as she squeezed by. Gently she placed her hands on the pale, weak body of Oliver Queen. One hand on his heart, the other on his head. "You weren't kidding. Get the Missus here. Tell her I said I still owe her that bottle of wine. Gonna take a while." She shrugged off the old jacket and used her foot to pull a chair to the table as she sat and began her work. Chanting slowly, methodically under her breath, she closes her eyes. Focusing her will.

"Htlaeh sih erotser! Htlaeh sih erotser! Htlaeh sih erotser!"

J'onn nods and reaches out to Felicity. "He is in good hands. Though she requests you join us. And that she still owes you wine." In an instant the message was sent. J'onn knew these women well enough to know that if there was any levity, it meant that she was confident that Oliver would be fine. Growing up in a family lineage of entertainers, she knew the importance of levity in dire consequences.

J'onn turns his attention to the other matters at hand. Again searching the ether he reaches out. He smiles slightly as he touches the mind of the man he seeks.

"Welcome back Jaime. I will meet you in the lobby when you arrive. I have something I wish you to look into. If you don't mind."

 

[DeathsKnight]

Venom

The result of the arrow was not quite what he had expected, he was in full-battle mode now, ready to kick ass and kick ass and then take names...but there was nothing and nobody to fight at that moment. He straightened and the symbiote toned down the suit, the muscles slowly dissipated into the lean musculature that it normally was. The fangs detached from his teeth and slid back into the mask, he looked around, making sure the area held no immediate threats.

"We will have to ask the others, I have this feeling that this isn't over. Those four kept referring to a lady and if she wanted the children for a reason she will not give up easily if she can send out heavies like those."

My sentiments exactly

'I know.'

 

[ChasNicollette]

A Hard Drive. (Felicity)

J'onn nods and reaches out to Felicity. "He is in good hands. Though she requests you join us. And that she still owes you wine." In an instant the message was sent. J'onn knew these women well enough to know that if there was any levity, it meant that she was confident that Oliver would be fine. Growing up in a family lineage of entertainers, she knew the importance of levity in dire consequences.

Felicity was already moving--

--once she'd gotten what she needed from those archive macros she could ping DNA databases on the go.

Her car was waiting at the curb as she hurried down Queen Consolidated's front steps, praying all the while that her heels wouldn't break.

She threw herself into the backseat and-- before she keyed the partition to give her privacy and security-- requested of the driver: "Hall of Justice, please."

This wasn't a huge violation of secret identities. QC was a public contributor to the non-profit that funded The Justice Society, Felicity showing up on their doorstep was a matter of course.

But she didn't want the driver to see her panicking-- and she had work to do.

"Thank you, J'onn," she replied aloud, as she didn't trust her thoughts to send correctly and she figured he could superhear her even through the soundproofing of the car's secure compartment.

She smiled faintly, vaguely reassured by that aforementioned levity-- not completely giving up on panic stations, but easing up a little. "And oh, thank God, Zee. Tell her to get on that wine thing, though, I'm gonna need it later. Would it kill her to say 'Napa Valley' backwards?"

Hauling open her PalmerTech laptop, she established a secure uplink to the server core that ran her office array and the one in The ArrowCave.

Popping her earpiece back in her ear, she joined back in with the team's comms: "Atom. I've got-- you're not gonna like this."

"I've got a hit on Kenyon's DNA from crimes committed since his supposed death. That's not a surefire hint he's not as dead as a dodo's doornail, but it's close to one."

"Two criminals, separate murder scenes, bludgeoned to death. They picked up his DNA at each scene, but since they only compared it to living people in the databases, his didn't get a hit. Get this, his DNA was found under each vic's fingernails, but not on skin samples-- on gold flakes."

 

[Deleted member 1306910]

J'onn turns his attention to the other matters at hand. Again searching the ether he reaches out. He smiles slightly as he touches the mind of the man he seeks.

"Welcome back Jaime. I will meet you in the lobby when you arrive. I have something I wish you to look into. If you don't mind."

Jaime was just setting his foot on the first step of the Society building, when the telepathic message caught him by surprise. He needed to himself, as if to an internal conversation and ran up the stars. He walked over to the front dark, noticing some broken display cases, and presented his ID to the security guard on duty.

"I'm Jaime Reyes, I have an appointment with someone."

At the same time, he reached out and sent the thought to J'onn: "Send me an update packet on the situation?"

 

[ChasNicollette]

Skull and Crossbows. (Artemis)

The result of the arrow was not quite what he had expected, he was in full-battle mode now, ready to kick ass and kick ass and then take names...but there was nothing and nobody to fight at that moment. He straightened and the symbiote toned down the suit, the muscles slowly dissipated into the lean musculature that it normally was. The fangs detached from his teeth and slid back into the mask, he looked around, making sure the area held no immediate threats.

Artemis glanced back at Venom and winced. "Okay, I guess I prefer you this way, but God if that isn't the squickiest weight-loss-slash-orthodontics program I've ever seen."

"We will have to ask the others, I have this feeling that this isn't over. Those four kept referring to a lady and if she wanted the children for a reason she will not give up easily if she can send out heavies like those."

Picking up her crossbow-- one corner had gotten a little eaten, but she could still fire it --Artemis folded it up and hooked it on her hip. Her eyebrows bunched.

"There was this guy, back in the day, in Gotham-- before my time, but Arrow is kind of a sadist about old casefiles-- The Dollmaker. There was another guy here in town with that name, different M.O., but this older guy? He had a lady and her husband working for him, kidnapping children. Think it could be her again? Or some new lady, hired by the same guy? That was-- what, forty years ago? She'd be super old by now. Some kind of 'crime granny.'"

 

[Lunaramblings]

:::At the scene of the Fight:::

The Atom watched Venom change form again. Intrigued, he noted that he would love to spend some time researching that being that had bonded with the man beneath the suit.

He nodded as Venom and Artemis talked.

"There are only a few women that have the sort of finances to call in heavies like this. Unless she is using some other form of payment. Or is a middle...woman. Anyway. Best we get moving. Find Guardian and the kids."

"No need." The Guardian spoke as he stepped out of the shadows of the smashed subway entrance. Using his shield to lever a large portion of collapsed wall out of the way."All accounted for except Sarah and Billy. Take the kids. I am going back."

"No. I have a specialist coming. We need to get the children to safety. If they return, possibly with reinforcements, the children must be taken care of." The tone of J'onn's voice in their minds was not a request. And while he knew John was going to resist, he also knew that John would see the bigger picture.

"Fine. Get your specialist in here. We get the kids out, and safe. Then I am coming back."

::: Across Town :::

Jaime was just setting his foot on the first step of the League building, when the telepathic message caught him by surprise. He needed to himself, as if to an internal conversation and ran up the stars. He walked over to the front dark, noticing some broken display cases, and presented his ID to the security guard on duty.

"I'm Jaime Reyes, I have an appointment with someone."

At the same time, he reached out and sent the thought to J'onn: "Send me an update packet on the situation?"

Before the civilian security/doorman had a chance to respond a door off the main hall opened. A tall dark skinned man smiled and nodded to the desk operator.

"It's okay Doug. He has an appointment with me. Mr. Reyes, if you please, my office is right this way."

Doug nods and smiles back. "Oh okay Mr. Jones. Oh, while your here, I wanted to thank you. I went to see the man you told me about. I didn't really believe in hypnosis, but he did something. Since then I haven't even thought about wanting a cigarette. It's almost like I can't even imagine wanting to smoke again."

John Jones, security coordinator for the JS Museum, smiled a little too knowingly. "It was my pleasure to refer you. I thought he would be able to help. Say hello to the family. By the way, I will be covering the building from my office. Please lock up and head on home. There has been an incident."

Doug looked concerned for a moment. Until a sense of calm overcame him. He nodded and walked toward the door. He engaged the security system, locking down the building. He just smiled and waved as he walked out.

As Doug descended the steps the specially designed glass walls of the front of the building darkened. Now blocking viewing from the outside. John became J'onn.

"It's been too long Jaime. I would prefer we had more time to catch up. But there is an issue. A bus of children were hijacked. The team tracked them down. Arrow was hurt badly. Zatanna is treating him. The Guardian was retrieving the children. However, there was something... off. The place was different. I could sense that there was more to that place then was easily apparent. The fact that two of the children disappeared, seemingly escaping but did so into a tunnel that ended in 30 feet with no escape lends credence. I would appreciate if you could take a look at the scene. We need to figure out what this place is, and if the children are safe. I have been following progress and I believe The Guardian has just about made it out with other children."

J'onn paused. He looked at Jaime. Truly looked. "It is obvious you came with your own agenda. I know that you have seen your share of evil and darkness. And I will do all in my power to guide you in the quest you have now begun. However, right now, these children need you. One of them is John's daughter. I have lost a daughter. I would not see anyone endure that fate, not if there is a chance we can prevent it. Once this is taken care of, I assure you, we will help you with your research."

 

[Lunaramblings]

Popping her earpiece back in her ear, she joined back in with the team's comms: "Atom. I've got-- you're not gonna like this."

"I've got a hit on Kenyon's DNA from crimes committed since his supposed death. That's not a surefire hint he's not as dead as a dodo's doornail, but it's close to one."

"Two criminals, separate murder scenes, bludgeoned to death. They picked up his DNA at each scene, but since they only compared it to living people in the databases, his didn't get a hit. Get this, his DNA was found under each vic's fingernails, but not on skin samples-- on gold flakes."

Atom was moving toward the kids when he got the message. In an instant he froze. "Fel, come again. Did you say Gold?" The super-computer like brain of Ray Palmer kicked into overdrive. He ran through every project that he could think of that Kenyon had initiated, consulted on, or touched. He didn't have to think hard. He was afraid he may know how he survived.

"Felicity. When your done, look into project MIDAS. It was a military design we briefly worked on. One of Eiling's projects. Not sure if the details will be in the mainframe. You may have to hack my personal terminal. I will get to you guys when I can and explain it." Ray had a knot in his stomach. If Kenyon was alive and using the tech he had stolen, could he be part of this? If so that meant that Ray was at fault. If anything happened to Sarah or Billy it would be his fault. Ray had to force himself to focus on the kids. Shifting his focus he joined Guardian. "Kids, I bet you know who I am, and maybe even my friends here. Listen, we are going to get you all home safe."

"I saw we bring them to the Brownstone. Our building is about the most secure in the city and we have a large enough space that we can house anyone that feels unsafe upstairs. Guys, we're bringing these kids back to you." Guardian struggled to focus on getting the kids to safety. He knew that Sarah and Billy were tough. They should be okay, but he needed to find them. But he also trusted J'onn. He would do what was needed. Get them home, then get back to the tunnels.

 

[Deleted member 1306910]

As Doug descended the steps the specially designed glass walls of the front of the building darkened. Now blocking viewing from the outside. John became J'onn.

"It's been too long Jaime. I would prefer we had more time to catch up. But there is an issue. A bus of children were hijacked. The team tracked them down. Arrow was hurt badly. Zatanna is treating him. The Guardian was retrieving the children. However, there was something... off. The place was different. I could sense that there was more to that place then was easily apparent. The fact that two of the children disappeared, seemingly escaping but did so into a tunnel that ended in 30 feet with no escape lends credence. I would appreciate if you could take a look at the scene. We need to figure out what this place is, and if the children are safe. I have been following progress and I believe The Guardian has just about made it out with other children."

J'onn paused. He looked at Jaime. Truly looked. "It is obvious you came with your own agenda. I know that you have seen your share of evil and darkness. And I will do all in my power to guide you in the quest you have now begun. However, right now, these children need you. One of them is John's daughter. I have lost a daughter. I would not see anyone endure that fate, not if there is a chance we can prevent it. Once this is taken care of, I assure you, we will help you with your research."

Jaime could barely meet the fierce red gaze of the Martian Man Hunter. They were so alike, these two. Both Law Enforcement officers, both hunters of men. Both Loners and Guardians of their world, both more powerful than most beings could dream of, potentially. But as far as Jaime knew, J'onn had never murdered anyone.

He quickly nodded, staring at the floor. "Of course, I'll help. It's children. Even Khaji Da must realize this is a cause worth fighting for. Give me the location of the scene and I'll head over immediately."

 

[ChasNicollette]

Fletch Lives. (Artemis)

"'Only a few,' huh?" Artemis harrumphed. "Well remind me to thank the gender disparity in income for making our list of cash-flush female suspects so short."

She jogged over to her bike, surveyed it for damage-- miraculously, it had survived collapsing light-scythed buildings, bouncing balls of antimatter, and the occasional fastballed automobile. She tugged her helmet off of the handlebars and paused a moment before putting it on.

"Hey, Mister Manhunter, uh, sir," Artemis squinted up at nowhere, answering the telepathic signal, "I dunno what kinda specialist you got for finding kids that's more specialized than we are-- unless you're bringing in The Goddamn Batman. We've come this far, let The Guardian look for his little girl."

Locking her helmet over her head, she slung her leg over the bike and idled it over to The Guardian, The Atom, and the crowd of kids.

"As for escort detail, I'm good with that," she drawled, remembering a conversation she'd had with Felicity earlier. "I just hope one of you guys knows more children's songs than I do."

 

[ChasNicollette]

"The ability to find appropriate expression for one's thoughts." (Felicity)

"'MIDAS,'" Felicity chuckled, her fingers chattering on the keys and then flourishing on the touchscreen, "you military-industrial complex people and your acronyms. ARGUS, ATOM, OMAC--"

She paused, and frowned. "No, wait, was OMAC an initialism? I mean, it's not a real word, but you can pronounce it as one--"

A window loaded, and Felicity abandoned her attempt to parse The English Language.

"Yeah, personal terminal, one of Eiling's-- like Grodd wasn't bad enough--"

"--uh-- soldiers infused with fleets of nanites, harnessing and amplifying the body's electrochemical and kinetic energy, producing superhuman strength and invulnerability-- though after the first test subjects suffered heavy-metal poisoning, they switched the primary ingredient to gold with a short-chain discrete poly-ethylene glycol monolayer, causing the nanites to be less immune-reactive--"

She squinted.

"--with the curious side effect of transmuting the outer layers of the soldier's skin to a living, organic gold. Weird."

"Ultimately they cancelled the project because it was deemed too expensive and unworkable. Also it was probably hard to do stealth missions when SEAL Team Six looked like James Cameron's Oscar collection."

Felicity made a little hm noise. "SEAL. Acronym."

 

[Lunaramblings]

Guardian and Artemis were just finished a head count and round up when Barry pulled up with a school bus. Still in his Flash costume he smiled through the open door.

"Figured this would be more practical to bring the kids. Less fun than if I ran them, but more practical."

The Guardian nodded. "Good job. You guys got this?"

"Of course. Good luck. Call if you need us. Be careful."


:::Meanwhile, somewhere beyond the tunnels of Star City.:::

You really think that was fair? They're kids. I might be a bastard, but even I wouldn't have done that. John strode through the door of what looked like a medieval throne room. Running his hand over one of the busts as he went. He walks toward an elderly man wearing a robe, with long white hair.

"Don't touch that beggar. I have told you not to sully my court with your presence."

"Ey, ye' did. But since you seem to be a right wanker I don't listen so well. There's a problem."

"And I have solved it. The Age has begun, and the Storm has come."

"Not that one. Listen old man, yer friend, he's awake. Won't stop blabbin' at me. Can't get a break. For a bloke with no physical form he's down right chatty."

Impossible. There is no bearer. He should be in Slumber. What did you do?"

"Me? I came home from stopping a demon from takin' over lower manhattan and found him ramblin' about the coming of his Vessal. Look, it's coming to you. Not many places are safer than my place, but this is one. I have too many dangerous objects for his magic to be trickling through."

"It must stay. Jasper was a member of the Order. It was his sworn duty to protect the Vestments until a new Vessel was named. When you took possession of the Winter Manor, you took possession of this oath and will fulfill it unless you wish to pay the consequence." As the elderly man spoke his voice boomed like thunder and lightning danced within his eyes.

"Calm down grandpa. Listen. Fer now it stays. But I take no responsibility for what he does now that he's awake. Vessel er not, he has power, and I doubt he intends to spend the rest of time dusty on my shelf." With that John turned and walked back down the hall, disappearing as he reached the end.

 

[Deleted member 1306910]

The Blue Beetle flew over the City. It was dark and alien and menacing. Anyone who was unfamiliar with what it was, might be frightened. Anyone who knew for sure might be terrified. It was glittering black carapace and glowing blue insets, with strange, sharply upswept prongs encircling the head. The glowing yellow eyes peered into spaces between spaces, following a trail few beings could have seen.

Jaime was following something almost instinctively...it was a feeling deep inside, like a subliminal pattern in the electromagnetic field of the city. There was something...

Jaime sent a message to all the members of the Society his suit could reach.

"This is the Blue Beetle. I'm tracking a signal of unknown origins, some sort of frequency vibration against the backdrop of the city. If anyone else on this channel is picking up anything unusual, please convey the coordinates to Mrs Smoak. I will be at the tunnel entrance in less than 5 minutes. Keep me informed of any changes. Beetle, out."

 

[DeathsKnight]

Venom

He watched as the children got brought out of the underground tunnels, listening to the discussions and it seemed that he was back on back up duty. That suited him just fine, that bout with Grundy had really given him a run for his money and it was a fact that he needed some rest, even with the symbiote's battle juice coursing through his veins he could feel that his body needed a few minutes' respite.

We should go down there

'Only when told or asked to do so yes. Right now we should look after those children and get them safely home.'

The symbiote made something that sounded a lot like a grumble, but didn't push the issue. At times they still had their differences, but once a soldier, always a soldier and John was a soldier, the fact that he lived with a biological weapon inside of him didn't change any of that.

Let's get going then.

'All right'

With a graceful leap he landed on the top of the bus, he made a quick survey and then sat down, legs crossed and hands next to him.

Really?

John grinned, "Really."

 

[ChasNicollette]

That Nottingham Twang. (Artemis)

Barry pulled up with the bus, and Artemis arched both eyebrows.

Partly out of--

oh, yeah, I guess the kids weren't walking home

--and partly out of--

why does it surprise me that he knows how to drive?

--and partly out of--

I feel like I should be annoyed by this, like, Flashes are everywhere at once, I coulda commandeered a civilian vehicle

Atom gives me magic Deus ex machina arrows and The Flash shows up with wheels

I guess this is part of running with the big dogs, huh? socializing with The Society?

It's like dealing with The Arrow's always-one-step-aheadedness except like times seven

--she shook her head.

"This is the Blue Beetle. I'm tracking a signal of unknown origins, some sort of frequency vibration against the backdrop of the city. If anyone else on this channel is picking up anything unusual, please convey the coordinates to Mrs Smoak. I will be at the tunnel entrance in less than 5 minutes. Keep me informed of any changes. Beetle, out."

Oh, great, she muttered in her head, the specialist is another bug guy.

It wasn't that she was speciesist.

Or even bug-phobic, or whatever--

--entophobic?--

--it wasn't like she curled up into a ball and cried when she and Arrow had fought The Black Spider.

But--

--it was that damned Caterpillar.

From Alice in Wonderland.

She had serious issues with that movie-- not just that movie, all forms of that story.

But that Caterpillar was just-- creepy-crawly as Hell.

Guess it makes sense, though, right?

I'm the spare Arrow, we got a spare superspeed guy now, I guess we need a spare guy who suits up with a creepy bug motif second skin that grows out of his freakin' body--

She put a palm on her helmet visor.

--no, no, I'm cool, I'm cool.

Artemis keyed her commlink. "Sorry, Double-B, I left my tuning fork arrow in my other quiver."

She watched Venom leap to the top of the bus, and put a hand back on the handlebars of her bike.

"But my GPS still works."

She glanced at The Guardian. "Good luck. Bring our girl home. And her boyfriend."

And then she glanced at The Atom. "You taking the bus, or do you want to hitch another ride? Only you gotta promise me you're not making any more unauthorized changes to my inventory, okay?"

 

[Lachiyous]

Impulse

Let one, let all. Envision. Envision -- meta-like -- a world, within. Another, one. Because, that's....really. What a simulation. What virtual reality, was. A doorway, to another. Practiced environment. For the better or worse. Wherein, if all else fails. It didn't matter. It couldn't matter. It NEEDN'T matter.

Because the imitation, wasn't. Real.

But, what upon ever. If. Now hear one out. If one wasn't, quite. Distinctly aware, of. The difference. Betwixt, what was supposed to be. Artificial. And what wasn't...

What then?

Perhaps, more actual time. More significant, moments. Had been experienced, from within. The world within, the other. More 'hours clocked', within the game.....than in the everyday. Than in the 'here and the now'. Than in what, was so casually. Referenced as life.

So. How did one, approach that?

And more importantly, what of...the individual? The one, whom-so-ever. Might not know, might not be privy. Might not even, be of the present. Mindset. That anything were to be. Amiss. Or could even, hope. To acknowledge. The difference. Between either, world.

How could such a person?
How could he?
How could...Bart Allen, if and only because of simplicity's rule -- he did NOT know any, the better?
========================================================================
Before. [The location nearest to the subway entrance. Within Star City]

"Bart. Listen. This is not a simulation. Not a program. Not a test. This is real. Your not in the chamber. Your in my world. The real world..." the Flash began, tending to the youth. In his confusion. That which was brought about, by. The psionic communication, of the Martian Manhunter's.

The teenager blinked, the unsettling. Sensation from the, telepathy. Unresolved, from what Barry. Was going on about. Something about real. Real worlds. What did he mean by that? And. And....children? It was when, the hand. The older, more mature. Speedster's hand, was placed. Upon his shoulder. That was, what made him. Turn. Toward the man. Bart's yellow pools of, uncertainty. Cast out, to him....

"Your the last thing I have that is truly like family. I can't risk losing that. I need you safe while we do this..."

To this, he rose. To his feet, and. Stood, straight. Up. The bewilderment -- at least, the physical representation of it -- upon his face. Slowly. Seeped away. As he allowed, the crack. Of a smile, on his face. Although, possibly. Maybe. The youth, couldn't process. Tremendously, the gravity of the situation. He could have sworn, he heard. Family. Coming from the lips, of the Scarlet One. One -- he -- couldn't be sure. But SOMEthing about....that word. Well it made him smiiiiiiiiiiiiiile.

Yeah. The shoulders loosened up. The dazzle came back, to his. Yellows. And yeah, he. May have been, smiling. For no apparent reason at all---!

...until the gentlesome, probe. And/or communicative buzz, from one. Green tinted, hairless. Glowing red irised person. <>The Arrow is down. I have him. He will be fine. Back up teams, move in....<>

GAH! Hands on his ears, as if. To snuff out, the. Sound. The voice. The...same one, from before. It wasn't that, it hurt. Or even scared him. But...it certainly...he couldn't explain! Since he didn't know. What was happening--! No one had told him. Taught him. Defined the world of psionics, before. How could he possibly, react. Than in puzzlement?

"...wass'at....sound? turn off. turn off! Log out. LOG OUT--!" and then, he heard no more. Of it. Of the voice, inside his head. Hands, still. Upon his ears, "shielding" him.

Look left.
Look right.
Look up.
Look down.
Left. Right. Up. Down. LeftRightUpDown.

Phew! Pant. Pant. "ClearClearCleeeear! 'Sokay. 'Sallgood now.." Protective hands, no longer. Encasing his ears. Thuuuuuuuuumbs up, to the man before him.

But The Flash, had something different. Entirely, to speak to him about! "Ok. Bart. This is your time kid. Help me. We need every civilian in a 1 mile radius evacuated. Gone. Get them to the high school on Ignacio. Can you do that?"

Blinkblinkbliiiiiiink's? Help. Civilians. High school? He studied the older man's face. Watched his lips, as they addressed him. Tried, to listen. To everything -- anything -- that was, being. Said.

"...You want to wear the suit, you want to be a hero. Time to step up. Get moving. RUN!" With that, the individual. Barry. The man charged, with his. Care. Was gone!

Where'd he go?
Why'd he go?

Help.
Every civilian.
High school.

1+2=3

"OhOhOhOhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" A mission. That's what THIS, was! "Haha. Doh..." Eyes alight. Griiiiiiiiin a'plastered. Visor back on!

*FFFFSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooooooosssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh*
========================================================================
Between.

The hero business, thrust. Unto. That, something. The rookie, of a teenager. With the mind, of one. Perhaps. Much youuuuuuuuunger.

Every step.
Every move.
Every notion....perfectly, executed. No mistakes.

HAH!

And then, the channel changed. To the tune, of one. Bart Allen, racing. This. This way, and that. Allllllllllllllllll over. Some. Sometimes, empty. Handed. And by himsef. Other times, with a. Some, one. As intended. The destination? WHAT destination?

*FFFFSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooooooosssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh*

"HangHangHaaaaang on!"

*FFFFSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooooooosssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh*

"FunFunFun, y'know?"

*FFFFSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooooooosssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh*

"WhatMakesAWoodChuck...UmUm...ChuckWood?"

*FFFFSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooooooosssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh*

"Moooooooo-vie? Wass'at? CanYouShowMe? 'Kay, CoooooolCooooooool. Let's rollllllllllllll!"

*FFFFSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooooooosssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh*

PantPantPaaaaaaaaaaant. So. Tired. So Huuuuuuungry. "...need....the muuuuuuuunchies---"

*FFFFSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssssooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooooooosssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh*
========================================================================
Now. [At the aftermath fight scene. Within Star City]

The point. Hopefully. If anyone, were paying mind. Was the effort. The kid. Well, for all he brought to the. Table. Which, realistically....was as of yet, unknown? He at least, brought. Effort. And plenty of enthusiasm!

That much, could not be denied.

Even if his marks. His intended targets -- there was a time, where he was grabbing anything he could see....in order to 'help' out, such as cats, dogs, and even inanimate objects....he brought a couple of chairs and even a television set with him! -- or. Destinations, were a little. Less clear. More blurry. He almost never, went to the same. "Safe spot", twice. Much less the Ignacio High School.

But. Maybe. And. All the same?

He attempted. He tried. He....gave it his, 'all'. And, erm....civilians -- as interpreted loosely of course -- were, evacuated!

So when, he finally bumped back into The Flash. He made no effort, to hold back. His purest of all, elation. Hugging the man, before him! And that's when Barry had decided. To round up the school bus vehicle. Bart naturally became the, first. Passenger, to ride on.

Quickly.

Checking.

Out.

The View.

From.

EVERY.

Single.

Window, of the bus. At once! Having never, ridden. Something like this. Before. His face, stuck. To each. To every. To aaaaalllllllllllllll the windows. Intaking. The experience. Living the experience. LOOOOOOOOOOOOV'ing the experience!

"ThisIsGreat, ThisIsBeast. GreatNBeast! WhereWeGoin', WhereWeHeadin'??" He couldn't contain himself, as he fired off his enthusiasm to. His caretaker, the school bus driver!

And whether Barry responded or not, the vehicle. 'Finally' came to a halt. And so did, Bart. Inside. And that's when they arrived, at the scene. Together.

And he saw them.
And he griiiiiiiiiiinned, merrily.
And he waved.
And he waved, again.
And he waved, s'more.
And grinned, s'more.

From within, from behind. Each window. That he could spot, the people outside. A genuinely, happysome. If not, the mite. Ecstatic. Bart Allen, greeted. All those, that he could. How he could. In the way, that he could!

From the man in the, protective suit.
To the blond archer, in green threads.
To the black costumed, being...that just jumped up. Over. And atop. Of...

THUD!

??

Hm.

To the children. Kids. Boys and girls. He beeeeeeeeeeeam'ed over, to the open entrance of the. Vehicle's doors. To take a better, gander. And couldn't help, himself. Or get, beyond. Himself. And the silly, warm. Expression on his face. He once more, waaaaaaaaaav'ed his hand. And in a burst of joy, allowed escape. From his griiiiiiiiiiiinn'ing lips, "HiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii's!"

WaveWaveWaveWaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave's!

Not a single, storm. Cloud. With Bart Allen, could ever. Be present!

"Haha."
========================================================================

 

[Lunaramblings]

Barry couldn't conceal his grin as he drove the bus with Bart zooming all about. He had calmed down a bit now that the situation had been deescalated. The kid had tried. He got people, pets, and personal items out. He at least tried his best. So what if a few of those were confused, lost, in their underwear on a street corner. Barry could fix that in a second. But the Kid had done good.

As Bart loomed out and greated the children Barry again smiled. "S'Okay, kids. You know who I am right? The Flash! Well, this is my friend. My family. He's here to help. Come on aboard!"

Artemis keyed her commlink. "Sorry, Double-B, I left my tuning fork arrow in my other quiver."

She watched Venom leap to the top of the bus, and put a hand back on the handlebars of her bike.

"But my GPS still works."

She glanced at The Guardian. "Good luck. Bring our girl home. And her boyfriend."

The Guardian was about to respond when his voice got caught in his throat. BOYFRIEND... the word had not been something he even considered. They were kids. But... oh no... The Guardian nodded and tried not to look completely put off. "It's on."

And then she glanced at The Atom. "You taking the bus, or do you want to hitch another ride? Only you gotta promise me you're not making any more unauthorized changes to my inventory, okay?"

Ray looked sheepishly at the ground. "Sorry. Won' happen again. You have my word. If you don't mind, I would love a lift. This might be the only time I ever say this, but figure you'll beat Flash to the brownstone."

The Martian had been distracted. He was registering something very strange. It seemed that there was another disturbance. In Keystone. An attack on a lab facility. And on a mall. And something else. In Salem. Tourists at one of the Witch House tours were being attacked. And someone new was there. A mind he had never touched.

"Apologies. There are incidents in play. I will reconvene with you all when I return. Beetle, please check the junction point. Be careful. It is unstable. And I sense there is a lot more at play than we currently realize."

With that J'onn J'onnz took flight. He tore through the atmosphere. Into sub-orbital space, using the gravitational pull of the Earth itself to increase his fantastic speed, a sort of whip effect. He tore back through the atmosphere as he reentered. Only the insubstantial nature of his current form preventing him from burning badly on reentry. The same property preventing the detrimental effect of his speed on the world around him. He landed, becoming material again in the historic court room of the Witch History Museum.

 

[Lunaramblings]

The Guardian did a quick check of his gear. Making sure he had everything in order. He surveyed the damage while waiting for Blue Beetle to land. There was a fair bit of collateral damage. A lot of it in fact. But that is what he Justice Society was there for. Grant checks would be cut from Queen, Palmer, and others. The structural damage to the buildings would fixed. Likely there were already aid workers on their way.

That was a key difference. Years ago, when the Merlin incident occured, many people just left, ignored their neighbors, the injured, the lost, the displaced. But now, after so many attacks, situations and the like, not only Star, but many cities had changed. People rallied. They had hope. People like Oliver had given it to them.

The Guardian tapped his earpiece. "Beetle, I am headed in. Follow my tracker. Thank you for your help." John tapped his shield and brought the energy shield flickering to life, drawing a futuristic looking pistol with his other hand. He grimaced as he began to pick his way back down the tunnel.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Darting Off. (Artemis)

The Guardian was about to respond when his voice got caught in his throat. BOYFRIEND... the word had not been something he even considered. They were kids. But... oh no... The Guardian nodded and tried not to look completely put off. "It's on."

Inside her helmet, Artemis smirked.

Putting even the mighty John Diggle on his back foot had been a pastime of The Arrow since time pretty much immemorial. Artemis had used the term "boyfriend" colloquially, but it was amusing to know she'd inherited that skill, too, at least to a certain degree. Of course, The Guardian never went too long without returning the favor to Ollie, so Artemis could expect some kinda comeback any time now.

Totally worth it.

Ray looked sheepishly at the ground. "Sorry. Won' happen again. You have my word. If you don't mind, I would love a lift. This might be the only time I ever say this, but figure you'll beat Flash to the brownstone."

"Well," Artemis considered, "I'm on sidecar detail, this isn't a race." She paused, and smirked faintly again. "But since you put it that way, I'm totally taking point. Even beating him by a few yards is still beating him. All aboard that's comin' aboard."

The Martian had been distracted. He was registering something very strange. It seemed that there was another disturbance. In Keystone. An attack on a lab facility. And on a mall. And something else. In Salem. Tourists at one of the Witch House tours were being attacked. And someone new was there. A mind he had never touched.

"Apologies. There are incidents in play. I will reconvene with you all when I return. Beetle, please check the junction point. Be careful. It is unstable. And I sense there is a lot more at play than we currently realize."

"Fly safe, Martian," Artemis murmured. "Thanks for the cookie."

Someone would have to come back for Ollie's bike at some point. Unless Felicity could remote it?

Again, Artemis twisted her handlebars and revved her engine. "C'mon. Let's get this show on the road. No telling how quick those guys can patch up and Warp Zone back in."