Question Lad stood on the rooftop of the Keyes Communications building and looked down on the city streets. Tonight he was looking for someone called Hydrangea Woodville who was wanted for killing her husband in Bayville. She emptied the bank accounts, attempted to collect the life insurance, and managed to get on a plane to Charltonburg. Bayville was more well-known for its good schools and mansions than crime and mud, so it was a shock to the community. This woman was involved in multiple charities and appeared to be a good citizen, but her records led to dead individuals, which is why the police asked Question Lad's aid. They suspected she may have superpowers.
He decided to head in the direction of Magnus University, which is a place the Woodvilles donated significant sums of money. He needed to get a better understanding of her character before he could continue on the investigation. Question Lad paused at Utopia Cafe, which was under new ownership following the recent problem with the gangster known as the Eraser. It was a pity such a beautiful place was right next to these bad neighborhoods.
Question Lad was passing by the bike rack when he heard the sound of metal being hacked by a saw. He turned to see a girl, who had to have been no older than twelve, trying to steal a bicycle. He decided to confront her, and she point the knife at his mask.
"This is my bicycle! I am not in Violetta or Verde, just leave me alone!" She said in a low and unsteady voice.
"No, this does not belong to you," Question Lad said. He quickly disarmed the girl, who began to off to the campus. Question Lad wanted to chase her, but it was clear she had super-speed. ~~~~ Magnus University, Legion World Branch
The girl regretted trying to take the bicycle tonight. She decided to keep running as long as possible--which could be a very long time. She bought this power from a traveling witch because her "boyfriend" wanted to be initiated to the Blue Bottle gang. He was put in juvenile hall yesterday because his hand accidentally got stuck in a wall after trying to steal something.
She only got a narrow glimpse of the science building as she tried to make her way to southern part of Charltonburg. One of her friends had recently been initiated into the Verde, maybe she would help get through their territory. She glanced behind her shoulder to see Question Lad struggling to catch up and laughed. It was at that moment that she looked up and saw a net above her, attached to a bright red arrow. It was too late for her to dodge the attack and she was caught.
Red Arrow and Question Lad talked with the campus security, assuring them that this incident would not receive widespread publicity. They handed the girl over to the local authorities, who seemed familiar with this girl. The two of them did not pry further because she was a minor, and decided to have a conversation.
"What are you doing here?" Question Lad asked.
Red Arrow replied, "Exnihil is giving a lecture tonight about theories on time travel. I am a Physics minor so I find these things interesting, even though I disagree with the basic theory."
Question Lad asked, "What do you mean?" He was interested in science, but admitted to not paying attention to it most of the time. The idea of time travel made his head hurt, but he did not want Red Arrow to know that.
"It is impossible," She simply said. Red Arrow did not want to be late for the lecture so she decided to skip explaining to Question Lad the intricacies of quantum mechanics. The two of them went inside and took seats near the back.
"Do you think we should change clothes?" Red Arrow said nervously. The two of them looked a bit awkward amongst these academics wearing suits and normal college students wearing jeans. The auditorium was filled, and there were even people outside hoping to get a look. This was the most crowded lecture Red Arrow had ever seen.
"I don't think they care about us," Question Lad whispered. A bell rang and a physics professor introduced Exnihil. He was wearing his LMB uniform, which made the two members in the audience relax. His voice at this meeting was very calm and even-toned, which made Question Lad very tired. He fell asleep within five minutes of the lecture. When Red Arrow saw he was dozing off, she decided to poke him in the arm.
"You should pay attention, this is important!" She whispered in a harsh tone. Question Lad frowned and tried to concentrate. Maybe Red Arrow was right and this was important.
"...as you can tell, this breaks Eisenstein's theories. I know there will be many objections amongst you, indeed I have been refuted by members of the Sivana family." He said. Question Lad saw Red Arrow's cheeks blush as her last name was mentioned. Despite all her protests and love of the Red Arrow legacy, her father was still a Sivana and she was a proud member of that famous family of scientists.
"We now turn to the topic of ethics. Does time travel change the lives of others? Yes, it does and that is why it will never be in the hands of society by large. While there would be funding for these types of machines, it would be difficult to get for fear of it backfiring on the donators. The principle of cause and effect would change not only the outcome of one event, but the outcomes of many more. Therefore I conclude that while time travel is possible, it is too unpredictable for it to become widespread" Exnihil said. The audience clapped, while the physics professor announced that anyone who needed to leave was free to go. Half of the audience chose this moment to leave, which allowed a man wearing a suit and an orange tie to take a seat next to Red Arrow. Five minutes later, the question and answer session began.
Question Lad asked, "Would changing one event necessarily effect others? There are hundreds of people we meet in are lives that we only interact with marginally."
Exnihil thought for a moment before asking, "I am not sure I understand you. Can you give an example?" He took a drink of water as Question Lad formulated a response.
"For example, what if you went back in time to retake a normal math test? Would getting a better grade truly change history?" He asked. Question Lad does not fully believe that time travel could be as problematic as Exnihil proposed. It could even be profitable.
"I am not sure, it would depend on how time travel would effect your appearance. There are multiple theories about whether the time stream attempts to incorporate you or if you have to dress appropriately and know the language of the region you are traveling to. I will take another question...yes, you with the tie?" Exnihil said.
"I know this is a little different than the main topic, but would you say that it is time for another mass extinction?" He asked. A few people in the audience gasped. It was a very strange thing to say.
"There are periodic mass extinction events in Legion World history. I am not an expert in biology, but the last mass extinction was millions of years ago," Exnihil quickly answered. He did not like this topic because it was not his field.
"Do you think it would be possible to go back that far in time?" He continued. This question was a tad more reasonable and the audience was intrigued. Even Red Arrow found the idea of observing dinosaurs to be fascinating.
Exnihil said, "Yes it is, but there are many planets that are in those stages of development. Maarten--"
"It is Orellana!" A student shouted. He was wearing a Sousa Telecom T-shirt, which told Question Lad that this was a Nasgerian. It was rare to see his fellow countrymen so far away from home.
"Yes, Nasgerians call it Orellana. That planet is in a Permian stage and you can see dimetrodon, which have been extinct for millions of years on Legion World. We can discuss this in more detail after the lecture," He suggested. The man with the orange tie agreed, and after a few more questions the lecture was over. The man with the tie introduced himself as Alfred Devon, and admitted he had no background in science.
Question Lad took this time to talk to see if any of the professors knew who Hydrangea Woodville was. The heads of the biology department remembered meeting her at a recent charity, but his colleague challenged this argument.
"That can't be true. I remember Hydrangea Woodville as a laboratory partner of mine...that had to have been thirty years ago," She said. Question Lad shown them a recent photograph, which the head of the department recognized.
"Yes, she attended the inauguration of the new Chancellor," He smiled. His colleague looked perplexed at the photograph. She looked too young to be her classmate.
"This does not seem right. I remember last seeing her at a reunion ten or fifteen years ago," She commented.
"Do you think the school has any records or photographs of her?" Question Lad asked. Since this individual used records of dead people, he was curious if this person was still alive.
"The offices might have records, but they will not open until the morning. However, I keep the old alumni information and have some pictures of my college days in my office," She said. Question Lad told Red Arrow he was going back to the investigation, and she agreed that was a good idea and to call if he needed more back-up.
The two of them arrived at the office on the second floor, which the professor unlocked with a key card. It was a typical office with file cabinets to the side and a desk in the middle. There was a small window looking out to the grounds. The professor went through one of the drawers and found some alumni announcements. She handed them to Question Lad, who eagerly looked through them.
He scrolled down the list of announcements until he found these words, "Obituary for Hydrangea Woodville (2982), died April 14th 3010". It was proof that a Hydrangea Woodville was dead and that the murderess had assumed her identity. He was about to thank the professor and ask if he could keep the article, when a knock was heard on the door.
"Judy! Please go get a security member, I think we have been robbed!" A voice said from the other side of the door. Question Lad quickly unlocked the door, which startled the woman a little before she realized he was a LMB member.
"It is a good thing you are here! One of our prototypes has been stolen from it's room," She said. The two of them approached the room, which was being looked over by the campus security. They seemed a little worried, and he couldn't blame them, there was a sign instructing the guards to lock the doors at all times. Nobody wanted to get fired over a little mistake.
"What kind of machine was it?" Question Lad asked.
She said, "It creates a climate of anoxia. We use it to study causes in environmental changes. Unfortunately, it has a side-effect of turning objects into shale."
That sounded extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. Still, he did not want to jump to conclusions and decided to see what the security crew had to say. They said that the doors were locked and the windows had no signs of forced entry. They would look over the security tapes and figure out where to go next. ~~~~~ Kirby Bay, Legionopolis Coast
The machine was heavy, but it was worth the price. He was excited to get his girlfriend out of jail and live in whatever world Hangenberg was going to create. He met a figure clad in black and silver, whose distinctive feature was a pair of aviator goggles.
"Did you bring it?" Hangenberg asked.
The boy nodded, "Yes I have. Now where is my girl--" He stuttered as he lost his grip on the water. Hangenberg pressed a button on his belt and the boy floated in mid-air. He grabbed the machine before it hit the water and placed it on a nearby barge.
"Come now, that is no way to act. Can you control your powers?" He asked. Hangenberg had big plans for tomorrow and did not want expect this problem. He had spent time and money to get this kid out of juvenile hall because of his superpowers.
"I can, and my girlfriend has powers too!" He insisted. He did not want to die. Hangenberg thought that superpowers were wasted on people such as this, and it would be better to have no superpowers and be competent like himself. That is why he had to destroy Legion World and rebuild it from the ground up.
"I am aware of that and my most beloved servant is working to free her. I will give you one more chance to prove yourself, but if you fail you will surely die "He said.
"Sir I will do anything you ask!" The boy said. He was terrified that he was going to drown here.
Hangenberg smile, "Then you will fight the LMB at dawn."
-------------------- Go with the good and you'll be like them; go with the evil and you'll be worse than them.- Portuguese Proverb
From: Illinois | Registered: Jun 2010
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Power Boy stared at the empty table in the conference room of LMB headquarters. It had been a long time since the organization had a general meeting. They had been busy with matters off planet, but since the recent turn of events now was the best time to reorganize the team. The roster had new members come, some leave, and some sadly to leave forever. As new leader, Power Boy had to get this all sorted out.
"Where is everyone?" Reflecto said as she entered the room. She was one of the newest members and this was her first formal team meeting. Reflecto was excited to meet all her new teammates, and was disappointed that only Power Boy was here.
Power Boy answered, "I do not know. Cobalt Kid is usually late, but it is unlike Question Lad and Red Arrow to be late." At least that is what I know from working with Dev-em. He handed Reflecto the list of members that were supposed to be here: Power Boy, Question Lad, Red Arrow, Reflecto, Angdar Fel, Exnihil, and Cobalt Kid.
"Incoming request from Angdar Fel," The computer reported so loudly that the two LMBers winced.
"Hello? I'm fighting a teenager with super-speed by the hologram studio..." Angdar Fel said. Reflecto turned on the satellite images and it shown a teenage boy running rings around the winged hero.
"We'll be there soon," Power Boy said. ~~~~ Entrance of the O'Neil Highway, Charltonburg
Question Lad was being pummeled by Split, a being able to divide his body into seven parts. The Grammar Gang had taken control of this portion of the road for some unknown reason. Question Lad did not understand why they free in the first place.
"You think too much," Thesaurus said. His ability to cast lifelike illusions was incredibly useful, and he decided to surround Question Lad with psychedelic images. He ordered the other members to stand back as he tortured the hero. He fought off the imagery with memories of overcoming torture, and would not surrender his mind.
Affinitive said, "This is taking too long! Let me finish him!" She pushed Thesaurus to the side, which broke his hold on Question Lad. Affinitive wanted the honor of killing their foe.
The hero smiled under his mask and said, "That was a big mistake." He took off his gloves and touched her forearm. In an instant, her power to create concussive beams from her hands was absorbed. Question Lad used this power to knock Split off his feet. As he was checking to see if Thesaurus was still down, he saw someone coming from the side.
"Dead as a door--" The sadistic voice began to chant. It was Cliche Kid and his word was his power. Question Lad thought this was the end of him until he saw a figure come down from the sky and throw a right-hook in the villain's shoulder.
Exnihil simply said, "It is over." The police came to arrest the villains. Officer Vargas thanked Question Lad for his helped and the O'Neil Highway would be reopened shortly.
Question Lad asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Red Arrow told be to look for you. We just got a distress call on the Omnicrom. There is something going on in Legionopolis," Exnihil said.
"But I just absorbed information from Affinitive that suggests the Grammar Gang was freed by another villain! I can't just leave--" Question Lad protested. He heard the sound of a helicopter approaching and saw that Red Arrow was inside of it.
Exnihil said, "Frankly, you don't have a choice." ~~~~~ Rooftops of Legionopolis
Reflecto gasped as she flew to the top of the building. Power Boy told her to find the machine and destroy it before anyone else gets hurt. She narrowly missed being hit by Angdar Fel's axe as she ran to the machine, Easier said than done. The two were locked in land-to-hand combat, which gave her the chance to approach the machine. As she was about to push the buttons she heard a pop and felt something sharp and heavy bounce off her back. Reflecto turned her head to see a man carrying a gun walk through the narrow alley. If it wasn't for my powers I would have been shot, Reflecto thought.
When she turned her head back, she saw that the machine was in the hands of the speedster. Angdar Fel had taken to the sky, but the machine was directly pointed at him. Reflecto ran towards the machine, but it was too late...she closed her eyes...not wanting to see his death.
Then she heard sound of metal crashing into the ground and saw Power Boy in hand-to-hand combat with the speedster. He clearly had the upper hand, but the speedster decided to forget the machine and save himself. Reflecto could barely see his outline as he sped into the ground. Power Boy raced after him and just before he could die in mid-air.
At that moment the sound of a helicopter could be heard overhead. Out of the helicopter came Exnihil, Red Arrow, and Question Lad. Reflecto rolled her eyes at their bad timing. The three new arrivals looked very confused.
"Where is the battle?" Exnihil asked.
Angdar Fel said, "You are a little late for that." He put aside his axe, which had an odd bend in it as a result of the battle. At that moment Power Boy sent them a message to come to the police station. They flew (the non-flyers with some assistance) to the police station. They were ushered into the room where a social services representative was having a heated discussion with the captain. Power Boy was standing off to the side and waved them forward.
"They are arguing whether or not to send him to maximum security," Power Boy said.
Angdar Fel asked, "Why would they not?"
"He is a minor under Legion World's laws. He has not committed violent offenses, so social services probably wants to put him back in juvenile hall," Red Arrow answered.
Exnihil said, "I don't think that is a good idea." His multi-cognition powers were pulling his mind in two directions, but he could not see the outcome. Question Lad was about to ask him if he saw anything when the police captain walked over.
"The boy claims he is being controlled by a man wearing silver and black. Did any of you see a man fitting this description?" He asked.
Reflecto nodded, "I saw a man fitting that description in the alley near the battle." The police captain told her to give a detailed description to one of the officers, so she left the room.
"The boy said the machine was taken by one of the man's accomplices. He claims she has the ability to shift-shape," The police captain said. "I do not know if I believe him, but we have seen stranger things in Legionopolis. I am going to leave the theft portion of this case to you," The police captain said. ~~~~ LMB Headquarters
"I think we should focus on finding the person controlling the boy," Power Boy said. The group of heroes walked through the halls to the conference room. They had to discuss what to do next.
Question Lad asked, "Where is the boy now?"
"I saw him leave the police station with that social worker," Red Arrow answered. She did not like how the social worker looked, the woman had a face that looked ingrained in stone.
Angdar Fel thought aloud, "Maybe we should look for the accomplice first. A shift-shaper sounds more dangerous than a speedster."
"I agree," Exnihil said. "We should split up to two groups."
Question Lad asked, "Do we all have to go on this case?" The older members cringed at this comment. They thought he was being a bit insubordinate to Power Boy.
"Yes we do," Power Boy said. He wanted to ignore the statement because he frankly didn't know Question Lad well. He did not want to start a fight now.
"With all do respect, I have a case back in Charltonburg," Question Lad said. He liked being in the LMB, but truth be told he didn't feel part of the team. He dealt with lots of cases on an individual basis, which made him believe he was best working alone.
"You are making too many enemies, Question Lad," Exnihil said. "And you become the goal not the obstacle...the dread lord cannot be redeemed, only rebuked." He could see the Tyrian fighting the team in the near future. Reflecto did not understand any of the conversation and decided to stay quiet. The group made their way to the conference room, which was unlocked. They walked inside to see the head chair facing the far wall.
"Cobalt Kid?" Power Boy asked.
The chair turned to reveal the LMB veteran. He replied, "I am sorry I am late to the meeting."
-------------------- Go with the good and you'll be like them; go with the evil and you'll be worse than them.- Portuguese Proverb
From: Illinois | Registered: Jun 2010
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Power Boy said, "I am glad you are here. We will need all the help we can get to bring down a new villain." He took a seat at the other end of the table. Question Lad took a seat to the right of Power Boy, Angdar Fel sits next to him, and Exnihil takes the seat closest to Cobalt Kid. Red Arrow sits across from Question Lad, while Reflecto sits next to her. The screens show images of the recent battles in Charltonburg and Legionopolis.
"I guess it is time to call this meeting into order," Power Boy said. He thought it was pointless to take roll-call since everyone was present and decided to discuss the current situation.
"We have three objectives today: to locate the machine, the villain, and the accomplice. If we find one of them, we will probably find the others. However, since they may be in different locations I think we should split into three groups. Exnihil, I want you to investigate where the location of the machine might be. If you face encounter any problems, call for back-up," Power Boy explained. He then turned to look at Red Arrow, and then Reflecto, and finally faced Cobalt Kid. He said, "I want Red Arrow, Reflecto, and Cobalt Kid to stay at Headquarters in case the villain decides to strike. As for myself, I am going to see if the speedster we captured is willing to give us more information."
Cobalt Kid asked, "Why is he unwilling to talk?"
"He is afraid for his life," Question Lad said.
Angdar spat, "He very well should be."
"But he is only a child," Reflecto thought aloud. She put her hand over her mouth after she said that.
"Maybe on this world," Angdar answered.
"Anyways, Power Boy, what do you need me to do?" Question Lad asked. He was secretly hoping that he would be allowed to go back to Charltonburg. He wanted to find out who broke the Grammar Gang out of jail.
"You are coming with me," Power Boy said. His tone of voice was firm, so Question Lad did not challenge him. The meeting was adjourned shortly after, with the heroes going their separate ways. Question Lad and Power Boy were going to try to find the social worker who took the suspect. Reflecto and Red Arrow were going to the monitor room. Exnihil and Cobalt Kid lingered in the room.
Exnihil asked, "You know as well as I do that splitting up is not a very good idea. Why didn't you challenge Power Boy?"
"We need the LMB to be united again. I think Power Boy has what it takes to be a good leader. If he needs advice, I will give it to him; and if he proves himself incapable I will take over, but I want to give him a chance," Cobalt Kid answered.
"Why did you decide to join in on this mission?" Exnihil asked.
"The same reason I go on any mission...but we really must get to our own tasks," Cobalt Kid smiled. All will be revealed in time, he thought. ~~~~ City Park, Legionopolis
It was gently raining that late morning. The girl would remember that day very well for all the wrong reasons. Her mentor had freed her from juvenile hall, gave her nice clothes, and in return she had placed a machine. Soon she would be reunited with her "boyfriend" in the new world her mentor promised her.
"Excellent," A voice said. A tall woman with orange skin and jet black hair walked from behind the tree. She was wearing a stylish black dress and carrying a small purse. Still, the girl was nervous that they would be caught.
"Isn't this a little unsafe?" The girl asked.
The woman laughed, "Do not worry, my little flower. If you ever have the misfortune of living as long as I have, you will learn to underestimate people. Now, what I want you to do is get inside this tunnel." She led the girl to a large opening in the ground. It appeared to have been part of shelter, perhaps from the days of the robot disaster.
"Why should I?" The girl said. This was not in their agreement. She was scared of being trapped in this tunnel.
The woman answered, "There is going to be an extinction before the beginning of the new world. Our master Hangenberg has deemed you fit to survive. Please accept this blessing!" She said this quickly, so the girl decided to climb down the small ladder into the tunnel.
"Now, those foul LMBers may try to find you. If they do, say you serve Hangenberg. Do not give them your name," She said. ~~~~ Power Boy and Question Lad were having a difficult time finding the social worker. The people at the front desk were hesitant to give them information because the client was a minor. It was very rare for the department to have to deal with super-powered teenagers. It took a couple of phone calls with both the Legionopolis and Charltonburg police departments to establish that the LMB would be allowed to investigate further into this matter.
"Just a friend," He answered. The administrative assistant was making a couple of phone calls to determine who was assigned this case. She had a bemused expression as she hung up the phone.
"The description of the social worker you described matches a woman who is in Alpha Centauri visiting her relatives this week," The adminstrative assistant said. Power Boy and Question Lad looked at each other, thanked her, and left. As they saw the Kirby Bay Question Lad couldn't help wondering if the boy's body was in that lake.
"Do you think it is possible was placed in an adult prison after all?" Power Boy asked. He usually didn't solve crime so he was more optimistic than Question Lad.
"That could be possible. Maybe we should check with the prison system next," Question Lad said. His Omnicom rang at the moment, and sure enough it was Officer Vargas.
"Question Lad, the juvenile the LMB apprehended yesterday has escaped en-route to Celephais Asylum. Even though she has super-speed, she managed to make a trail that leads to Legionopolis," Officer Vargas stated.
Power Boy asked, "Do you have a description of the suspect?"
Officer Vargas said, "The description matched that of a man who was murdered a few days ago in Bayville. The only connection between the child and the suspect is that they both lived in Bayville."
"Please forward this information to LMB Headquarters," Power Boy said. Officer Vargas agreed, and the conversation was ended. Power Boy and Question Lad continued on their search for the missing children.
-------------------- Go with the good and you'll be like them; go with the evil and you'll be worse than them.- Portuguese Proverb
From: Illinois | Registered: Jun 2010
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Exxnihil was using his Omnicom to track the location of the machine. The frequency of the machine was unique because it was a prototype unregistered with the commissions. He followed it until he got to the corner of Wood Street, where the signal was extremely strong. The signal was strongest near a statue of Cobalt Kid, but as he approached the monument he was stopped by a strange woman.
"Excuse me, are you one of the LMB? Can I have an autograph?" She said. This woman was dressed in a blue summer dress, had long blonde hair, and blue eyes. She reminds me of Red Arrow, Exxnihil thought. He signed her little autograph book, and decided it would be a good idea to ask her if she saw anything suspicious.
"Come to think of it...I saw a young woman run through here with a large machine," She said. Her expression seemed genuine in Exxnihil's eyes, so he asked another question.
"Do you know which way she went?" He asked.
The woman paused for a moment, as if deep in thought. She pointed, "I saw her run to the park!" Exxnihil thanked her for her cooperation and continued on his way.
He followed the signal to the park. This section of the park had a path and a couple of benches, but since it had rained earlier there was nobody around. At least not this early in the afternoon. The calm and peace of the place made Exxnihil feel relaxed. This moment was interrupted by a gust of wind from the sky. Exxnihil looked up and saw Power Boy and Question Lad land in the trees a short distance from where he was standing. Maybe they have found a similar lead to my own, he thought. ~~~~ Power Boy said, "It was a good idea to obtain the warrants from Charltonburg. At least we have something to go by from here on out."
*"Yes, I know it is not much to go by it will give us leverage with the girl. I have to say though it was clever to track her through the use of footprints. If it wasn't for your powers, we would never have been able to seen most of them." Question Lad complimented. The two of them had landed inside a spot covered with trees. A trail led to this spot, but there was nobody around at this time of day. The tracks ended right before a large tunnel, which must have been leftover from a previous emergency. Question Lad got out the flashlight and saw a girl inside the tunnel.
Question Lad said, "We should make her get out of there..."
"I think it would be safer for us to come to her. At least if we are in the tunnel there is only one way for her to run," Power Boy said. They warned the girl that they were members of the LMB who had the right to take her into custody. They had the warrants from Charltonburg, and asked if they could come down without being harmed.
"It doesn't matter, it will all be over soon," The girl said. She stood still as the LMBers came down. Power Boy held his breath for a moment in fear that they had walked into a trap, but the top of the tunnel remained open.
"Why are you here?" Question Lad asked.
She answered, "I serve Hangenberg."
"Is Hangenberg the man who freed you?" Power Boy asked.
The girl answered, "No...umm do I have to answer your questions?"
"That depends if you are willing to return to Celephais Asylum. There is a fine line between a jail break and kidnapping a minor," Question Lad mused. The only other charges this girl had been tried for was petty theft.
Power Boy asked, "Do you have any superpowers?"
"I have super-speed. I bought it from a witch before my "boyfriend" joined the Blue Bottle gang," She said. This statement intrigued the two LMBers because they remembered that the missing boy they were looking for had super-speed.
Question Lad held up a photograph, "Is this your boyfriend?"
"Yes it is! He's in jail now...but when the new world comes he will be freed. Hangenberg promised--" She began when a beam of light penetrated the tunnel. Power Boy flew up to find that it was Exxnihil.
"Exxnihil! Did you find the machine?" He asked.
Exxnihil answered, "No but I think we have found the accomplice."
Power Boy was pleased, "Who is it? Where is she?"
"She is the girl you are interviewing in the tunnel," Exxnihil said. Power Boy decided to say nothing and let Exxnihil inside the tunnel. It was possible she was the accomplice they were looking for, but they didn't have concrete proof yet. When he came down he explained to Question Lad that a witness said she saw the girl run with the machine to this location.
"I do not think she is the accomplice. The accomplice is supposed to be a shift-shaper," Question Lad answered.
Exxnihil said, "A shift-shaper can take any form. How do we know she is not the girl in disguise?" He did not think this was a time to take chances. They needed to find the weapon before it could be used on innocent people. It was at that moment that the floor shook a little, but the motion stopped as quickly as it began.
"But she is already facing charges of attempted theft of stolen property," Question Lad argued. He leaned back against the wall. They could simply take her back into custody under those charges.
"Bike theft?! We are facing a potential disaster and you are worried about bike theft!" Exxnihil said. It was rare for him to be so emotional, but he was an experienced detective. wasn't sure if Question Lad understood how important this case was.
"Enough!" Power Boy shouted. The two other members looked at him the way a child looks at their father after they are caught misbehaving. "I will use my Mother Box to determine who she really is," He said. ~~~~
"Excellent work," Hangenberg said. He was floating above Legionopolis with his accomplice. It was approaching the late afternoon and it was time for his plan to come into action. It was time for the extinction to begin and for a new race to emerge.
His accomplice said, "Those LMBers are so easy to fool. Three of them will be out of the picture for the time being."
"Yes, perhaps they are fit to survive then," Hangenberg mused. They floated down to Wood Street, where a statue of Cobalt Kid was located. They revealed the covered machine hidden behind the statue. The people in the area paused to look at the spectacle.
Hangenberg announced, "I shall start by destroying the statue! Then I shall destroy 1/10th of all I see until Cobalt Kid answers my call for single combat. If he wins, I will surrender. If he loses, he must surrender the LMB into my hands and I shall make them my army!"
*= Editor's Note: For more details of this adventure please see Power Boy/Question Lad #1 **= Second Editor's Note: That story has not been created yet, please tell the author if you are interested.
-------------------- Go with the good and you'll be like them; go with the evil and you'll be worse than them.- Portuguese Proverb
From: Illinois | Registered: Jun 2010
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"There is an attack by a villain the park! They have destroyed a statue and are herding anyone who comes by," Reflecto annnounced. She was pulling up the images of the villain on screen. He matched the description of the villain who tried to shoot her earlier that day.
Red Arrow said, "We need to bring him down. I think a couple of our members were heading towards that area Can we get in touch them?"
Reflecto tried contacting them on the Omnicoms, but only received a veiled signal. The monitors flashed with the image of a robot, and then turned to static. She did not understand what it meant. Red Arrow was puzzled too and turned to Cobalt Kid for instructions.
"There is an old tunnel system under Legion World. There are stories of a war between humans and robots, but those are only legends. It is possible that the signal is being jammed by devices in those tunnels," Cobalt Kid said. He turned to the portion of the screen that shown a news report by Susan S. Trap, and the scroll bar said that the villain known as Hangenberg requested Cobalt Kid to meet him in single combat.
Cobalt Kid asked, "Can you connect us to the public billboards?"
"I can do that, but it isn't authorized--" Red Arrow answered.
Cobalt Kid raised his hand. He said, "Please trust me." She said no more and was able to reach the public billboards and screens in Legionopolis. She told Cobalt Kid to stand in front of the camera and speak clearly. He smiled at that comment and began to speak.
"Hangenberg, I accept you challenge on the condition that we fight in the old stadium that is about to be demolished. If you win the fight, then you can do as you wish with Legion World," Cobalt Kid said. The broadcast ended as quickly as it began, but it gave time for the people present to run away. Hangenberg's accomplice wanted to chase them down, but he stopped her and admitted that Cobalt Kid was right.
"Red Arrow, I need you to find the others and bring them to the stadium. Reflecto, you will come with me in case this is a trap," Cobalt Kid said. ~~~~ Former Home of the Legionopolis Leopards
Reflecto and Cobalt Kid flew to the abandoned stadium. The owners had gutted the entire building and all that remained was a husk. The sun was about to set, which surprised Reflecto, That is strange, usually the sunset is later at this time of year. She found the climate of this part of Legion World very different from the environment she grew up in.
They flew onto the top of the stadium, to find Hangenberg in the center line. He gestured for them to come down. Reflecto was about to follow Cobalt Kid, but he told her to wait and observe. He was still afraid this was a trap. She nodded her head and watched as the match begins.
"This is the perfect place for a battle. This stadium was torn down in order to build a better one a few streets away. It is a symbol of the old giving away to the new. And now we battle," Hangenberg said.
Cobalt Kid noticed the large amount of metal on the villain and tried to magnetize it, only for Hangenberg to dodge. He pushed a button on his glove and he increased the gravitational pull on the area. This made Cobalt Kid unable to move, and the villain increased the pressure until Cobalt Kid was on his knees. Reflecto held her breath in fear this was the end.
Hangenberg slowly walked to Cobalt Kid, "I see the pain in your eyes. Why not just surrender?"
"You are new at this, aren't you?" Cobalt Kid turned to face him. His strange smile startled the villain. He then heard a large sound from behind as a pile of scrap metal pummeled on top of the fiend. The villain struggled to get out, and at that moment Reflecto noticed that his form changed into that of a woman with orange skin. This was not Hangenberg!
But the machine be nearby, she thought. Reflecto took out her Omnicom and decided to explore the rest of the stadium. The machine had to be nearby, and the real Hangenberg had to be nearby.
She flew down to a lower level and sneaked through an entrance. This passage was dark and only a few wires remained in the electricity system. The walls were stripped of posters and any other memorabilia that might have been present. She descended to where the vendors used to be, pausing only to see if the map had finished downloading on her Omnicom.
"Perfect," She thought aloud. The map showed her that there was a worker's entrance to an underground vault. It was dated a least a century prior to the construction of the building. Too bad we don't have more time, she thought. Reflecto went through the worker's entrance to the vault, narrowly tripping on a cord before reaching the bottom of a long staircase.
"It's fitting you are here," Hangenberg said. He had his hands on the weapon and pushed a button. "I need to test this on a living human!" He continued.
Reflecto stood her ground, hoping in the unseen. Will my powers work? Oh well, at least I will buy Red Arow some time. For everything there is a time to live and a time to die. The blast of energy bounced off of Reflecto and was going to hit Hangenberg, who instinctively ran to the wall closest to the staircase. Reflecto ran to the machine and quickly disabled it.
Hangenberg shouted, "No! Not again!" He pushed a button in his glove and shot a hole through the ceiling, and Reflecto flew after him. He somehow managed to create a hole straight to the surface, which ended the stalemate between the shift-shaper and Cobalt Kid. The shift-shaper changed forms to that of a giant and forced her way out of the building.
Hangenberg and Reflecto were in mid-air combat. It was a fairly even matched because it was clear this man had no combat training. It was not until he lowered the gravity around her that he was able to get a firm grip on her. She thought he was going to strangle her, when an arrow shot the villain in the side. He squealed in pain, which allowed her to escape his grip.
She looked down to see the entire team assembled, and for some reason a young girl was with them. Power Boy shouted the LMB motto and everyone was ready to bring down the villain. Power Boy decided to take the opportunity to force Hangenberg into the ground. The two were locked in combat, but Power Boy was able to resist the heavy forces of gravity due to his nature as a New God. Hangenberg lost his control over gravity and was unable to keep in flight.
He landed violently to the ground, but would not surrender. He blasted the LMB members who were waiting, and they responded by getting into close combat. Question Lad got extremely close. Hangenberg could not help to laugh.
"You don't have any powers! You don't even have a weapon," Hangenberg spat.
Question Lad replied, "I will take that as a compliment, seeing that you only have weapons." The villain paused to think about this statement, which allowed Cobalt Kid to pull the switches on the villain's weapons. Hangenberg laughed again and threw a weapon which created an explosion. All the LMB members dodged to the sides of the arena except for a young girl.
"Tamar...poor sweet Tamar...you would betray me?" Hangenberg said. "I chose you to survive. You should be thanking me, you control your powers far better than that boy you ran away with." She started running circles around Hangenberg, who was greatly weakened. He was surprised that it had created a wind tunnel and that he was being pushed skywards. It was at that moment he hoped he could salvage an escape, but his hopes were shattered when he saw a winged figure approach.
"You really thought you would get away? I hate to say this but you are not even a good criminal. There is nothing original about you," Angdar Fel said.
Hangenberg replied, "There is nothing new under the sun. I am cursed to live, but I believe one day I shall die." The winged hero had no time for philosophy and decided to grab the villain and toss him into the ground. ~~~~ LMB Headquarters
"We have to do this more often," Power Boy said. There was food and drinks for the heroes to enjoy. They were playing Lard Lad's collection of classical Terran music. It was the first time in a while they had gotten together to defeat a super-hero. It was a cause for celebration because it shown that the team could be united.
Question Lad agreed, "Yes it does. But I wonder what happened to that accomplice..."
"Angdar, did you happen to see anyone exit the arena before Red Arrow arrived at the scene?" Cobalt Kid asked. He was also curious as to what happened to her. They were so busy helping the police sort out Hangenberg and Tamar's cases that they had no time to think about the accomplice. She could be halfway across the world by now.
"The only person I saw exit was Tamar," He stated. Power Boy and Question Lad knew this was impossible because the girl was with them during that time. It took a bit for Red Arrow to find the group because the tunnel jammed Omnicom signals.
"The accomplice was a shift-shaper. I also think she was involved in another case," Question Lad admitted. He sipped the drink in his hand and tried not to look anyone else in the eyes. He didn't think anyone would take him seriously.
"Where do you think she would have gone?" Power Boy asked. He was genuinely interested in apprehending the shift-shaper.
"I think she returned to Bayville," Question Lad said. Exxnihil overheard this on his way to get a drink, and stopped to listen.
"Do you really think she will return to the scene of the crime?" Exxnihil asked.
Question Lad replied, "I don't believe in coincidence." Exxnihil could barely contain his laughter at this comment. That is the ultimate difference between Question Lad and myself. He enjoys working on multiple cases at one, and the more complex and interconnected the better he works. Whereas I prefer working on one case at a time, and aim to simplify the cases.
"We should think about getting some tickets..." Power Boy said. Those two members broke away from the group in order to ask the girls for travel advice. Angdar Fel came in the door, and joined in on their conversation. Cobalt Kid looked at the team and smiled, We really are a team
-------------------- Go with the good and you'll be like them; go with the evil and you'll be worse than them.- Portuguese Proverb
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