Justice League: The New Wave (IC)

[ChasNicollette]

A Day in The Life, Part 2. (joint post with Varshanka's Raven)

Berkeley, California.
Raven's Apartment.
Just After 1 AM.
Days After Kobra.
From Here.
********​

Getting the two of them out of the club had been far easier than walking out the front door. With all the girls rather – occupied – by their own activities, Ravens spell had transported them and their clothes from Club shower to Ravens bedroom without a murmur. Several cries and gasps were over heard, but those were from other things. Not spells.

Choosing what to wear to go eat, and find chocolate, was another matter. Raven didn’t normally wear a lot of different things, so her wardrobe was rather limited. Classes. Obtain Food. Work. That’s what she wore clothes for. Studying and eating was in her apartment – no clothing required. Heat and cooling was maintained by spell so she never got cold or warm.

Time for something.. new. Focusing she collected the raw material of creation and brought it forth into shape. Hopefully Death liked it. Standing there she watched Death. La Petite Morte. One of the Seven. The Endless.

Domina didn't have a change of clothes. All she had was what had been on her person when she had been retconned into existence at the stroke of midnight.

So she'd gotten dressed back into her outfit-- black leather, black denim, black lace, with just a dash of yellow, and a glint of silver.

But when Raven-- transformed her attire into-- into--

Domina smiled a slow, lazy smile. "Oh. Wow."

"You look amazing!"

"And that dress! That really takes me back."

Blushing, an unusual accomplishment for her skin color, Raven looked down. “You’re rather gorgeous, if I say so myself." It was a good thing they’d already sated Raven’s urgent need. Otherwise she’d be pile driving Domina into the nearby bed and ravishing her until dawn. As it was, she might anyway.

“What would you like to do first?” She asked, stepping close to Domina and taking this ravishing Black haired Goddesses hands in her own. “The sexy time comes last…” she added, reluctantly.

Domina grinned sheepishly, turning a bit pink in her own right, and giving Raven's hands a squeeze. "Well, they do say... 'best for last,' don't they?"

"What's your favorite restaurant? No, your top ten? We could do a 'pub crawl,' except with food? And then, you know, get desserts-- uh-- to go?"

Looking down at the floor, rather embarrassed, Raven replied. “I don’t have any restaurants that I go to. I just buy simple things and eat in my apartment. Ramen, Yogurt, fruit. Restaurants are for dating. Never been on a date before.”

“There is are some places I’d like to try, if your willing. It’s a Sushi place. I’ve heard they make whatever you want right at the table. The other is a bit.. louder. Umm.. A Rave.” Looking up she hoped that Domina would like to go. She so desperately wanted to go on a date, especially with Domina. And she’d never been to a Rave before. But then there were a lot of things she’d never done before either, but this was Domina’s time. And she’d sit at home watching ‘Friends’ if Domina wanted to do that. Or commercials, or Heaven forbid.. Easter Bunny shows. The Easter Bunny was EVIL.

"I've never had sushi!" Domina mused. "I spent my day a century as a kid in China, once, but I've never gotten to go to Japan. And I've been to rock gigs, there's this amazing singer called Foxglove, I don't know if she's up your alley."

Grinning, bright and spontaneous, Domina didn't take long to decide: "I say we go rave, then get the sushi to go and come here and eat it while we watch-- do you have Mary Poppins?"

"I don't know Foxglove, but I can get Mary Poppins. I have Netflix, it has everything." Raven replied as her fingers began to dance and twirl. "But the nice thing about magic is finding a rave playing Foxglove."

Stepping up to Death she took one pale hand in her own pale fingers. And after giving the lovely pale Goddess a kiss on the cheek she finished the spell, the loud sounds of fast beat pounded around them.

And with the way they were dressed, they didn't even get noticed as special.

For a little while, Foxglove had been the rising queen of acoustic rock, not a bad accomplishment in a post-Lillith Fair world. To hear her music mixed and remixed and sampled and looped like this, it was fascinatingly surreal.

Domina took off her hat and clutched the brim in her hands and grinned so very very brightly. "You hear that? They-- they mixed steel drums in with the hook. That's lovely, that's so intimate-- Foxglove's girlfriend told me a story once about steel drums. ...or... will tell me. I'm not as good at telling the future as my eldest brother, but I remember that much."

She was bouncing to the track and looking around-- "The smell of sweat is exquisite-- you can taste pheromones and joy and desperate excitement-- everyone here is so alive!"

Listening to the sounds for a moment, Raven decided that although it wasn't on her top three list it could definitely be added to her top twenty list. Now all she needed to do was bit-torrent the files and add them to her collection. Or spent a billion dollars on ebay to find and purchase them.

"Dance with me?" she asked sliding past Domina to the dance floor. She wasn't very good at the arm swinging, hand banging, hair twirling stuff, but she had more energy than a billion puppies. And she could learn very quickly, and adapt, to what was around her.

Tossing her hat onto an empty tabletop, and hanging her coat over the back of a chair, Domina grinned at Raven as she silked by, and followed delightedly into the nexus of the dancefloor, calling after her. "This music is so loud! It doesn't just drown out speech it practically drowns out higher thought processes-- one day a lot of centuries ago, I spent one local solar day as a crystalline intelligence whose hive mind communicated entirely by vibrations and micro-expressions, it's kind of like this! All you have left is the feel of the beat and the facial contortions and body language of those around you, so primal!"

Then she put her hands as fists up in the air, pumping them up and down with the rhythm of the beat, moved deep into Raven's personal space, and gazed beatifically into Rae's eyes as she started shimmying to the music--

--well tomorrow I'll sleep in the ground again, but tonight I'll sleep with you--

--the lyrics were morbid but the mix was fast and light--

--was the song about death or was it about life?

It didn't matter.

Right now they were the same thing.

Oh yes, they were definitely sleeping together tonight.

Falling into the rhythm and beat Raven began to bounce and sway. She even felt something that might have been called joy creeping into her soul. And a smile on her lips. But she wasn’t sure. She could SEE when she was near Domina. See flows of energy, and Domina was right. There was just so much COLOR here. Like the music was alive. The colors were a living breathing entity of LIFE.

She wasn’t touching the ground again. And didn’t care. She wasn’t floating very high, maybe an inch, and with this crowd no one would notice. Moving with Domina she danced. She felt alive. Maybe even more so than Domina. Hard to tell.

Having Domina in her personal space didn’t bother her. Not like when others got to close to her. Instead having Domina. Death. So close felt, calming. Peaceful. And it hit her. She’d read a book once, Bearing an Hourglass, the girl in the book had a date with death. As two people. A girl and a guy – that was Death.

And she was here. Right now. On a DATE WITH DEATH!!!!!

Pulling Domina even closer Raven kissed her. Trying to communicate just what Domina was giving her in this moment. This day of Life in all her days of Death. Tomorrow could wait until midnight came. But for now, Raven had everything she ever wanted. She’d give up her magic to keep this. She’d give up being her fathers warden.

Just for this kiss.

To share this - happiness - with another.

Oh yes, they were definitely sleeping together tonight.

Not that much actual sleep would be involved. But a bed, sheets, and two naked bodies were guaranteed.

Domina framed Raven's face with both hands, her fingers sliding up under the sweep of purple hair on either side of Raven's head, and she kissed and kissed and kissed this beautiful woman-- lived a life most abundant right there in that moment, the taste of love and lust and affection and allure and life, life, life...

...when she pulled back, she cheekily trapped Raven's lower lip between her teeth, nipped it, then released it and grinned at Rae delightedly.

A new song came on, this wasn't Foxglove anymore, something else, Domina didn't know it offhand, but she pressed all up against Raven and shook and quivered to it, shimmying her shoulders and grinning-- grinding up against Raven with every beat and breathing her in with every breath...

...living with her every second she was alive.

Shivers sliced up and down Raven's spine as Domina touched nerve endings she hadn’t even realized were erogenous zones. At least when they were touched like that. Having Domina in her space, so very in her space, was turning Raven on again. And the music wasn’t hurting either. Even as Domina moved, Raven moved, writhing was more accurate. Vertical sex with clothes on was close as well.

Grinning back at Domina, Raven wanted this night to last forever. And so she moved. She writhed and twirled. Twisted and turned. Never leaving Domina’s space. She danced. Danced happy and joyful.

Three hours later, they were out again in the night.

They had worked up quite a sweat dancing in the hot jampacked crowd of the underground club, and the February air felt shivery, goosebumpy cold on Domina's skin. She chugged a too-expensive bottle of water like it was the stuff of eternal youth, and tossed it into a recycling bin before jumping up to walk tight-rope style along a park bench.

"That was amazing! The beats and shouting! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"

The Energy of the crowd had been very.. invigorating. Good thing Raven’s power didn’t come from life energy, or she’d have been a bloated beached whale ready to explode.

"So Sushi. SoHo or.. Japan?” She asked, a smiling almost ready to grace her lips and eyes. “I think Japan would be better, but it’s your night so you get to choose.”

Domina hopped down from the bench, and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Japan does sound tempting, but I don't know how much Japanese I remember right now. Which Soho are we talking about, here, the one from London or New York? I like the one in London, that's where my apartment is. Well, sort of."

“You can speak Japanese, especially with a little magic.” Raven replied. “But if you’d rather English, then we have to go true English with London. New York SoHo sounds bad for Japanese fish.. other side of the planet and all.”

"London it is, then!" Domina declared triumphantly. "Peachy keen!"

Blinking she realized what Domina had said. “Wait, you have an apartment, in London?”

"Well, sort of," Domina grinned sheepishly. "It's complicated. I mean, I wouldn't be the first Endless to own property in The Waking World. Dream had an office in London at least as recently as 1915. An office!"

She shrugged. "It's just-- you won't actually find my apartment in London. It's in The Sunless Lands. But if you die, like, temporarily? Like, die and come back? You get to sit in my apartment as kind of your waiting room. And if you look out the window, you'll see Soho, as though you could walk out the door and downstairs and be there among the shops and the people. Thea Grant's been there lots of times, I'm not sure if she remembers, though."

Grinning like she had a new present, Raven asked. “Sushi in Japan, or London, or both? And then we find where your apartment looks out to? Like, could you identify scenery?”

She grinned at that. "Oh! That sounds amazing! Let's get sushi from Japan, and bring it to London, and I can show you where I live! ...sort of."

So many things to learn about Death, and so little time. And if someone died and came back, did they visit with Domina? Or just sit there alone? Could they leave the apartment? Was there a door? Was it locked? If it was unlocked, what if they went up the stairs, or down? Did that determine which way they went, Heaven or Hell? Did they get hungry, was there food, a stove, could they cook? A bed to um.. ‘sleep’ on?

She was jealous. She knew she was. But she couldn’t stop her lips moving. “Why does she visit you?”

Domina blinked, her exultation at the great idea they'd just come up with fading somewhat at the evident dismay in Raven's normally impassive eyes.

"Well. I don't mean to be telling stories out of school. But you remember, in The Despairing, how I told you Zatanna's hung out with me when she's died in the past only to be resurrected? Thea-- Thea has a curse invoking Ixchel, goddess of jaguars and midwifery, cursed to have nine lives-- and each time she dies she is rebirthed back into life by the midwife wildcat goddess a bit less human and a bit more wild and a bit more cat."

"Nothing happens between us, I promise. It's not like I go carrying on with just anyone, you know. I mean, I love... everyone. But not like that."

She paused, quietly, touching the ankh necklace that dangled from her neck, sober ache in her eyes.

"It's forbidden for mortals to love The Endless in a romantic sense. For the Endless to love mortals. But today I'm mortal. Today I'm not... Endless. Not really. So you and I can... you know... just this once. Without causing a cataclysmic imbalance in reality that would wipe whole civilizations off of the face of The Earth."

“Who forbid it?” Raven asked. She was curious, but doubted Domina would or could answer it.

Domina smiled faintly, distantly, a quintillion light-years away. "Who decided there would be gravity? Who decided there would be light? ...it was before that."

She’d upset Domina and it was making her feel bad. “What if someone wasn’t exactly mortal. They well… couldn’t die?”

Domina bit her lip. "Dream has... has dated some immortals. There was an Oan, once, before they were Guardians of The Universe. There was Calliope, the Muse, they had a son together, Orpheus. He just broke up with an immortal witch named Thessaly, he's not taking it well. But everyone dies eventually, Rae."

She looked away, eyes aching. "I'm the one who takes them when they do. As soon as I touch them, that's it, that's their lifetime. And at the end of this universe, I'll be all that's left, putting the chairs on the tables and shutting off the lights and locking up behind me."

Stepping close, she tilted Domina’s eyes to meet hers, and after a soft kiss Raven rested her head on the other girls shoulder. “Sushi..”

Domina shivered at that kiss. At all the things it promised. Happiness. Adoration. Life.

And she smiled a gentler, happier smile at the weight of Raven's head on her shoulder, reaching up to run fingers through Raven's perfect purple hair...

"Sushi."

"And then my place. Sort of."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

"Two. Weeks. Ago. Your world used a world to destroy our world. You owe us a planet. And we will take this one, and carve new empires upon it with flags stained by your long-dried blood and the saline left by your tears."

He scoffed. "Next question."

Carin paled even more upon hearing those words, and for her that was hard to do. Not only had these people lost their planet, but another on had been lost as well. That meant that two whole planets with populations roughly the size of their own Earth's had been snuffed out in an instant and somebody on their own Earth had done it.

Batman was listening to everything that the leader was saying. But as soon as the data from G.R.I.D. he began to formulate what he thought might be the best matchups.

This Cade individual could take on Velocity and maybe that walking mountain that showed up to help out during the fight with the Titans.

He sent those target designators to the others along with those he'd like to take them on.

As soon as her communicator beeped she glanced down and got the information from it. It seemed Batman wanted her to go up against the Feral looking beast that they had called Cade. Luckily G.R.I.D. had done some preliminary scans so she would not be rushing in blind. Pulling them up she read them.

Individual designated: 'Cade.'

Skeletal structure molecularly bonded with unknown metallic substance (element? compound?). Analysis suggests tensile strength and resilience on the order of depleted promethium, possibly surpassing it, functionally indestructible. Teeth and fingernails fully replaced with same substance. Four bionic retractable claws housed in each forearm capable of being deployed in fractions of a second, also composed of same substance.

Physiology suggests accelerated metabolism, injury resistance, speed, strength, reflexes, senses-- and a regenerative healing factor potentially rivaling that of a Czarnian. Metagenetically active, though the metagene expresses itself differently than known human metagenetic sequencing-- on the 23rd x-chromosome.

Possible military training. Extremely dangerous.

Oh joy. So she was going up against someone that not only had an advanced healing factor, but superior strength, speed and reflexes, plus a nigh on unbreakable skeletal structure. However if that was not tough enough he had claws, teeth and fingernails that could cut or bite through her in an instant, so no pressure.

She would be faster than him of that she had no doubt, but one slip up and he would probably gut her like a fish. Her other problem was that Batman had teamed her up with an unknown. She looked across at the walking pile of rock that she was supposed to fight with and shrugged. He didn't even know it yet as he didn't even have a communicator and talking to him in the middle of a fight was going to be hard without one.

Well she would just have to do her best. For now she just waited for the go signal, silently tapping her communicator to indicate she had received her orders and was ready to act.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

"Two. Weeks. Ago. Your world used a world to destroy our world. You owe us a planet. And we will take this one, and carve new empires upon it with flags stained by your long-dried blood and the saline left by your tears."

He scoffed. "Next question."

Connor was still coming to terms with the group of people he found himself facing when their leader Lord Havok told them exactly why they were here. Oh great, not only was he totally outclassed by every individual there but they were all out for revenge for their planet and so where extremely pissed off.

He shook his head and wondered what he was doing here. Hell he was just a guy that could shoot really well and knew a few fighting moves. He didn't have super strength or speed, he couldn't fly. Then he looked over at Batman and a wry smile passed over his face and he glanced over at the Rider. Well if Batman could do it, then so could he, especially if Danni was out here.

Batman was listening to everything that the leader was saying. But as soon as the data from G.R.I.D. he began to formulate what he thought might be the best matchups.

He'd like G.A. and Renegade to take on the male known as Carney.

He sent those target designators to the others along with those he'd like to take them on.

Connor checked out the message then looked towards his target. God the guy was creepy but he knew enough not to underestimate him. Heck Batman's toughest opponent had always been the Joker and look how screwy that guy had been.

Checking the data stream G.R.I.D. had sent he began to get a feel for the guy.

Individual designated: 'Carny.'

Seemingly baseline human genetically. Brain chemistry suggests a dangerous form of unstable, unpredictable 'super-sanity' transcending conventional madness a la individual designated 'The Joker.' Moderate superintelligence.

Possesses array of technological artifacts visually based on human toys and pranks, but augmented with highly advanced nanotech of indeterminate origin, likely extrasolar, near-Coluan in complexity.

Extremely dangerous.


...uploading data to NJL smartwatches at full available link-speed.

Okay so the guy himself wasn't that much of a threat, but he had plenty of gadgets that were. Simplest solution was to take out him as quickly as possible in a way that didn't allow him access to any of his 'Toys'. If Renegade was in full mercenary mode and was thinking the same thing then she was probably thinking of just shooting the guy in the head.

Activating the com-link between them he began to discuss a plan with her.
"So what do you think our best course of action is? I vote to take him out real quick before he can sick anything on us. I have several arrows that might do the trick, but you have way more experience than I do, so I am happy to follow your lead."

 

[ChasNicollette]

There are Two Kinds of People.

The one that appeared to have Atlantean dna could take on Aquagirl, with the help of the one called Rebel.

Aquagirl blinked at that message across her watch. Sure, it would be good to have the ultra girl getting her back-- Rebel seemed like good people-- but hijo de puta, why the Hell was this new RoboBat sending a minnow against an orca?

Lorena flexed her hands, tried to remember the things that Mera had taught her, tried to remember her combat training-- Aquaman had fought Superboy before, right? That thing at Pearl Harbor? That was... sort of the same thing as this, right? ...except she didn't have a pod of humpbacks with her.

She tried to catch Jo's eye, toss her a quick bro-nod, if Rebel was down with this then she could be steely too...

The beautiful Red head psychic he'd need to match up with Martian Manhuntress, and because he knew how over protective she was Wondergirl. That way Wondergirl would make sure that MM would stay protected.

So it was redheaded psi versus redheaded psi, huh? That was-- that was fair, Rose supposed, flexing her hands at her sides. But it looked like this one was being controlled by Dreamslayer, just like The Titans had been, shouldn't they be trying to save her?

Not to mention, the pyrokinesis part had Rose a little on edge.

But Karan would be with her. There was nothing she couldn't beat with Wondergirl at her side.

She bit her lip, but focused her gaze and balled her hands into fists. Time for a Fight Song.

The man with the funky helmet could take on Beast Boy and Hotline.

Atmos didn't have Ruby's smartwatch-- it had transformed with her clothes. But of course he still had The H-Dial, and Ruby had set it to pick up the LexIcon's frequencies as well as those of her T-Comm. So when G.R.I.D.'s data came through, and Batman's rundown, Atmos was able to glance down at the phone's alien screen and crow, noisily, with little care who might hear him--

"YES! A PLANETARY THREAT! At last, an opponent worthy of my fury!"

He shot a blazing grin at Beast Boy. "My verdant zoological comrade, soon you shall know the glory of fighting alongside an Uncanny Amazer!"

"'Uncanny' indeed," Doctor Diehard glowered, eyes narrowing to slits, as though that adjective held some importance to him.

 

[ChasNicollette]

"Are you trying to make me look stupid?" "You don't need any help from me."

Activating the com-link between them he began to discuss a plan with her.

"So what do you think our best course of action is? I vote to take him out real quick before he can sick anything on us. I have several arrows that might do the trick, but you have way more experience than I do, so I am happy to follow your lead."

Carny giggled to himself, juggling that Viewmaster along with a bunch of rubbery-looking high-bounce balls, the kind you would get out of the little toy dispensers outside of grocery stores.

"Oh, now, who's calling who 'sick?'"

"'I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell.'"

"It's so comforting to know that there are so many people in this world sicker than I am."

 

[Varshanka]

Barracuda narrowed her eyes.

"Your language lacks subtlety, sellsword."

"I shall enjoy crushing your tongue to paste beneath my heel while it is still in your skull."

“Been tried by bigger armies than you. Better looking armies to. Anybody every tell you just how ugly of a shit mouth you are? Fuck I’ve seen corpses blown to shreds that were better looking than you. And I made most of those corpses.” Grinning Renegade asked. “So when you get fucked.. who wears the bag over their head and how much do you have to may them?”

 

[Varshanka]

"Them's fightin' words, frail," growled the clawed one who had been named Cade, grinning at her with indestructible metal teeth, murderously sharp.

"An' they'll make a fine plaque on th' wall, once ol' Tracer here hangs yer head up there by yer pigtails."

“You should use pink nail polish, it’ll set of the gristle between your teeth,” Karan replied looking at the crude asshat. “But then so would my boot. But you might eat my boot.”

 

[Varshanka]

"Praise the Deity," Carny whooped in an aw-shucks Appalachian accent, comically slapping his knee, "an' pass the ammunition!"

Tipping it’s head in a nod the Rider hefted a shield that glowed with the fires of damnation and a sword that screamed with the anguish of all the damned of eternity. “Yes, Praise your Diety, you who are about to die.”

 

[Varshanka]

"Let's pay that piper now, shall we?"

“Pay the piper and pay the butcher, it’s time to string the fiddle and time to dance.” Raven intoned. “For what it’s worth. I’m sorry so many died. I’m sorry you think we started this. And I’m sorry for you.”

Unleashing her spell, she didn’t cast it her Batman selected target, she instead focused her spell on Dreamslayer. He liked nightmares? How about the nightmare where he lost? The dream where he was nothing? The fantasy where everyone laughed at him. Mocked him for being such a pitiful little piece of worthlessness. Thing is they weren’t her ideas. She was ripping them straight from the titans. Their nightmares folded back onto themselves, and force-fed to Dreamslayer. And fuel by her power, her pain, and The Riders rage.

Black beams of darkness that sucked up color and light and even other darkness around them, focused on Nightmares skull.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Enter Night. Exit Light.

“Pay the piper and pay the butcher, it’s time to string the fiddle and time to dance.” Raven intoned. “For what it’s worth. I’m sorry so many died. I’m sorry you think we started this. And I’m sorry for you.”

Unleashing her spell, she didn’t cast it her Batman selected target, she instead focused her spell on Dreamslayer. He liked nightmares? How about the nightmare where he lost? The dream where he was nothing? The fantasy where everyone laughed at him. Mocked him for being such a pitiful little piece of worthlessness. Thing is they weren’t her ideas. She was ripping them straight from the titans. Their nightmares folded back onto themselves, and force-fed to Dreamslayer. And fuel by her power, her pain, and The Riders rage.

Black beams of darkness that sucked up color and light and even other darkness around them, focused on Nightmares skull.

Nightmare didn't have a skull.

He almost remembered having one.

And when Raven flushed all those nightmares at him...

...he just started laughing.

The beautiful redhead's mouth echoed with Dreamslayer's voice.

"For a woman who ne'er cracks a smile, much less a joke, you sure have a funny way of waging war with me! I was born of this! I AM this!"

"Let me give you a little master class in Dream. You'll know him as Morpheus, Oneiros, Lord Shaper, Opener of Ways, Lord L'Zoril... so many names... and for every name, for every planet in this universe, a different aspect of himself. Now imagine... imagine a different aspect of Dream for every universe, and each one of those, splintered into facets across each such creation. All of them the same Dream. But all of them a different persona, a different... incarnation."

"I was the facet of Dream for Angor, 'Earth-8--' Nocturne of The Endless. Near a hundred years ago, I was returning to Angor after a lengthy, arduous campaign in a distant galaxy, my energies spent, ready to draw new strength from the dreams of Angor's sleeping humans-- but I found my self trapped-- imprisoned--"

"--a dark, stony god with eyes the color of blood ablaze, using the stolen power of The Omni-Gauntlets of Universe-8-- he had been trying to trap my sister Necro-- whom you would know, haha, biblically as Death-- trying to convince her to ally with him, to snuff all life in that universe-- that he might create a universe of the dead toward some dread unknowable end."

"When he saw he had captured me, instead, that Necro had eluded his grasp, well, he flew into an ungodly wrath, tormented me for decades, intricately and intimately and brutally as you please. He knew that if he just killed me, a new aspect of Dream would regenerate, take ascendance to supplant me, so instead he stripped away all of that which was Dream about me... all of that which was good and hopeful and daydreaming, stories with happy endings... and left only its antithesis, its nemesis... NIGHTMARE."

"You cannot defeat me with such paltry negativities. They are blood and bone and meat and drink to me. Might as well put out a forest fire with a wooden match! And something tells me, Moaning Myrtle, you don't have nearly enough positive thought energy in you to light a Christmas bulb!"

"But me? Me, I've got unfettered access to the limbic system of one of the most powerful psychokinetics on Angor and I. AM. LOVING. IT. To wit, Shadow Suparṇa?"

And at a gesture from Dreamslayer, the gorgeous redhead unleashed a telekinetic blast-wavefront that could reduce an entire diamond mine to powder... aimed at Raven's heart.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Rattling Sabres.

“You should use pink nail polish, it’ll set of the gristle between your teeth,” Karan replied looking at the crude asshat. “But then so would my boot. But you might eat my boot.”

"Eat it, shit it out, an' come back fer seconds," Tracer snarled gleefully. "Cannibalism's just another protein ta me. Shoe-leather'll just be a fun appetizer."

"Talk is cheap, frail. Throw down or go home, what's it gonna be?"

 

[ChasNicollette]

"We all float down here."

Tipping it’s head in a nod the Rider hefted a shield that glowed with the fires of damnation and a sword that screamed with the anguish of all the damned of eternity. “Yes, Praise your Diety, you who are about to die.”

Carny just kept juggling, just kept giggling. "Oh, if I had a penny for every time I've heard that one, I'd be a penny richer... but not a penny wiser!"

 

[ChasNicollette]

"I am the rocks of the eternal shore. Crash against me, and be broken!"

“Been tried by bigger armies than you. Better looking armies to. Anybody every tell you just how ugly of a shit mouth you are? Fuck I’ve seen corpses blown to shreds that were better looking than you. And I made most of those corpses.” Grinning Renegade asked. “So when you get fucked.. who wears the bag over their head and how much do you have to may them?”

"My many consorts grovel for the opportunity," Barracuda thundered.

"If they are deemed worthy, I permit them to gaze upon my countenance in the act. And they worship me still the more."

"Perhaps you will worship me at your last breath, as you gaze on my face with the light going out of your eyes! IMPERIA REGINA!"

And she blurred at Renegade with all the raw power of a Superman-- all the speed, all the strength-- and none of the restraint! Renegade had not been there to fight Val-Zod, could she possibly be prepared for such power, such wrath?

 

[Lunaramblings]

As Dreamslayer spoke of his tragic past The Sandman reeled. His guess wasn't far off. If this being was an avatar of Dream for his realm, he was everything Morpheus was to this one. That changed things. Not only was his power unimaginable, but in addition spilling the blood of The Endless presented problems that even The Sandman didn't feel like comprehending.

M'gann... can you link me to the rest of the team? I know this Dreamslayer. And so do you. We cannot face him directly. Even if we win, we lose." The Sandman sent this thought, hoping M'gann was still listening.

As the wave of power struck at Raven, The Sandman readied for Battle. Summoning forth all the power he could from the Mantle of Dream, The Sandman shifts his stance, he waits for the Hell about to be unleashed.

 

[Varshanka]

Karan

"Eat it, shit it out, an' come back fer seconds," Tracer snarled gleefully. "Cannibalism's just another protein ta me. Shoe-leather'll just be a fun appetizer."

"Talk is cheap, frail. Throw down or go home, what's it gonna be?"

“Interesting that you keep calling me frail, is it because you don’t know my name? Maybe it’s a term of disgust where you come from. Doesn’t matter really. I don’t offend easily. Personally I’d rather you just went away, but I won’t throw the first punch if that’s what you’re asking.”

 

[Varshanka]

Renegade

Activating the com-link between them he began to discuss a plan with her. "So what do you think our best course of action is? I vote to take him out real quick before he can sick anything on us. I have several arrows that might do the trick, but you have way more experience than I do, so I am happy to follow your lead."

“Highlander,” Renegade replied to Green Arrow as she moved, a swaying motion as she saw the blur that was a psychotic bitch jumping her.

And she blurred at Renegade with all the raw power of a Superman-- all the speed, all the strength-- and none of the restraint! Renegade had not been there to fight Val-Zod, could she possibly be prepared for such power, such wrath?

"My many consorts grovel for the opportunity," Barracuda thundered.

“Grovel to be executed for being forced to see that ugly mug is more like.” Renegade quipped as she continued moving. Bitch was fast, but slow doesn’t survive getting fights with long fangs.

"If they are deemed worthy, I permit them to gaze upon my countenance in the act. And they worship me still the more."

“Do many vomit when they do?”

"Perhaps you will worship me at your last breath, as you gaze on my face with the light going out of your eyes! IMPERIA REGINA!"

“Nah, had the chance to worship a deity once. Great in bed as well. But he was rather a self important bull headed prick as well. And his wife was a peacock strutting bitch. Reminds me of you.”

Flying backwards from the punch that shattered her sternum, she landed in a crumpled heap, rolling to a stop some distance away. “Well, if that’s the best you got..” she quipped, “You might want to start training with the ladies, cause you punch like a little boy.”

 

[Varshanka]

Raven

"But me? Me, I've got unfettered access to the limbic system of one of the most powerful psychokinetics on Angor and I. AM. LOVING. IT. To wit, Shadow Suparṇa?"

And at a gesture from Dreamslayer, the gorgeous redhead unleashed a telekinetic blast-wavefront that could reduce an entire diamond mine to powder... aimed at Raven's heart.

Raven's wrist twisted, arcing through time/space like a conductor at the greats operatic symphony of all creation. And a barrier flared between them, shunting the blast. Deflecting it towards Havok even as her other hand danced, writhing across a sympathetic harmonic resonance, sounds that could have been words still tumbling from her lips.

 

[ChasNicollette]

Sweet Dreams are Made of This.

M'gann... can you link me to the rest of the team? I know this Dreamslayer. And so do you. We cannot face him directly. Even if we win, we lose." The Sandman sent this thought, hoping M'gann was still listening.

Oh, and she was. M'gann didn't bail on her friends.

<"Eddie, I'm here! I'll tell Rose, but I don't think we can connect with the rock guy, something about the refractive properties of his geodermis.">

<"But I don't understand, how can this be Lord L'Zoril? How can this be Morpheus? Through some... glass darkly? It doesn't make any sense!">

As the wave of power struck at Raven, The Sandman readied for Battle. Summoning forth all the power he could from the Mantle of Dream, The Sandman shifts his stance, he waits for the Hell about to be unleashed.

Raven's wrist twisted, arcing through time/space like a conductor at the greats operatic symphony of all creation. And a barrier flared between them, shunting the blast. Deflecting it towards Havok even as her other hand danced, writhing across a sympathetic harmonic resonance, sounds that could have been words still tumbling from her lips.

Lord Havok sniffed disdainfully.

And the instant before the blastwave hit him, a spheroid forciefield flared to life around him, absorbing and diffusing the impact.

"None may touch HAVOK but that he wishes it."

"Even from a distance. Have a care for your crossfire, Dreamslayer."

M'gann's voice spoke to Rose now, under the guise of her paracortical "subconscience," conversing with her at the speed of thought. <"Rose. I'm here. We need to focus. Raven's at the top of her game right now but there's no telling how catastrophically powerful that 'Shadow Suparṇa' is, we need to fly interference for her. And at the same time-- they're monitoring all of our coded transmissions, you need to link the team's minds like we tried before in Keystone-Central, I'll help you scatter the psionic spectra so it's less detectable, but we need to be able to exchange intel and tactics without them sniffing out our every move...">

"Okay," Rose murmured, "I'll try..."

Flinging out a counterblast of telekinesis to try and rattle Shadow Suparṇa's cage, at the same time she sent out telepathic feelers to the rest of the team... she remembered linking the minds of the huddled bloodmage victims in the Sports Complex on Kobra Day, how it had been like second nature, how she had had to be careful not to link their minds too well, too completely...

...she tried to recapture that feeling...

...and she was about to say something...

Shadow Suparṇa flung up a hand and parried the teke-blast as though swatting a fly, and then her eyes flickered saffron gold--

--"Dream of fire."--

--an avian emblem flared to life behind her like the pyrokinetic equivalent of Raven's shadowy soulself, and a great fiery talon lashed out across the distance, raking Rose from the air as she screamed and fell to the lunar dust, clutching her head, skin crisping, hair igniting--

--M'gann was screaming in her head and her heart and Rose was screaming aloud right along with her--

--her mindlinks fell away before they even connected.

And Shadow Suparṇa turned her conflagrationary attentions to Raven...

...unleashing a storm of fire at her in the form of a titanic raptor of pure flame diving for its prey, Raven a sparrow in the beak of a thunderbird...

 

[ChasNicollette]

That Smilodon Smile.

“Interesting that you keep calling me frail, is it because you don’t know my name? Maybe it’s a term of disgust where you come from. Doesn’t matter really. I don’t offend easily. Personally I’d rather you just went away, but I won’t throw the first punch if that’s what you’re asking.”

"'Frail' means woman," Tracer grinned his deadly, pointed, Indeliblium teeth.

"Fer obvious reasons. But seein' as yer Martian concubine just got flambeed, m'thinkin' maybe ya got more pressin' business ta attend."

 

[ChasNicollette]

Breach.

Flying backwards from the punch that shattered her sternum, she landed in a crumpled heap, rolling to a stop some distance away. “Well, if that’s the best you got..” she quipped, “You might want to start training with the ladies, cause you punch like a little boy.”

"I punch like a full-grown blue whale," Barracuda snarled, launching up into the air and coming crashing down knee-first, aiming to dash Renegade's skull to blood and bonedust.

"And my bite? Like a megalodon!"

 

[ChasNicollette]

Laying out the G.R.I.D.

Lysl cried out into Milton's mind's ear: Milton! Engage targets! Defend yourself!

Morph Ball Bombs: unlocked. This provides the capability to drop small short-fused spherical explosives while in Morph Ball configuration, of low blast radius but highly-concentrated concussive force. Their rawmatter cost is negligible, permitting you a functionally infinite supply.

Spider Ball: unlocked. This will enable you to traverse vertical and upside-down surfaces in your Morph Ball configuration.

Screw Attack: unlocked! An offensive adaptation of the kinetic envelope from Speed Boost, this enables you to somersault into your enemies encased in destructive, disruptive energies.

These invaders pose a threat not just to this planet, but this reality! If they make good their attempt to conquer the Earth, and discover The Mothership hidden within its crust in the Kawatche caverns, then so much more will be lost than just your birth-world!

 

[Zet_Cross]

Lysl cried out into Milton's mind's ear: Milton! Engage targets! Defend yourself!

Morph Ball Bombs: unlocked. This provides the capability to drop small short-fused spherical explosives while in Morph Ball configuration, of low blast radius but highly-concentrated concussive force. Their rawmatter cost is negligible, permitting you a functionally infinite supply.

Spider Ball: unlocked. This will enable you to traverse vertical and upside-down surfaces in your Morph Ball configuration.

Screw Attack: unlocked! An offensive adaptation of the kinetic envelope from Speed Boost, this enables you to somersault into your enemies encased in destructive, disruptive energies.

These invaders pose a threat not just to this planet, but this reality! If they make good their attempt to conquer the Earth, and discover The Mothership hidden within its crust in the Kawatche caverns, then so much more will be lost than just your birth-world!

At this GRID shifts into Morph Ball mode and roll rushes his target, Gorgon. "Hey there eight legs. I'd say your ego is the size of planet but I've seen Ego, yours is bigger."

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Velocity had been listening to Cade banter with Karan but as soon as M'gann started screaming along with Rose and he taunted her with that fact, she couldn't stand back anymore. She had to distract him enough so that Karan could get to M'gann's side as soon as possible. She only hoped that Braddock would back her up in some way.

Zooming in she began running super loops around him creating a mini tornado around him. She had been going to hit him but had then remembered the intel. His whole skeleton was laced with super hard metal so punching him would be like hitting a construction site. Sure she could vibrate her hands, but until she found the right frequency it would still hurt like hell.

Faster and faster she ran, her plan was to either cause him to be sucked up into the vortex, or suck the air from his immediate area and cause him to black out.

 

[Aussie_Wolf]

Well Renegade had decided to go rogue on him and pick a fight with the imperious looking Barracuda so Connor was left to deal with Carny all by himself. Looking at the man he knew this was not going to be as easy as it looked, but he was not going to be sucked into getting involved into a physical fight with him if he could avoid it.

Quickly he pulled and shot three normal arrows at the balls he was juggling. At any given time there was a point where each was out of his control, having left his hands and flying through the air. That was the point at which he shot knowing where the ball was going to be in the arc and where to place his arrow.

As the third arrow left his bow, he reached over his shoulder and drew another one and let fly. This was another one he had developed with the help of the Atom. It contained a super adhesive foam that covered a person entire body but still enabled them to breathe through it. The one arrow head contained enough to cover 4 or 5 people so it should be enough to deal with him.

 

[ChasNicollette]

The Tentacular Spider-Man.

At this GRID shifts into Morph Ball mode and roll rushes his target, Gorgon. "Hey there eight legs. I'd say your ego is the size of planet but I've seen Ego, yours is bigger."

Dr. Mortimer Gorgonzola snarled in startlement, astonished as the spherical G.R.I.D. raced towards him, but instantly reacted by rearing up one of his mighty prehensile extensible tentacles and bringing it smashing down, aiming to punch G.R.I.D. like spiking a volleyball deep into the moon-rock.

"Don't give me that half-baked Freudian pseudoscience-- you're as bad as that insipid, inferior Bug, prattling nonstop nonsense! Well, I will splatter you like I never got to splatter him!"