The young man read from the book. This was a pleasant place to be exiled. Inside the terrain was the blood of soldiers and martyrs and the tears of prophets and kings. There was so much for him to explore...
Then his cell phone rang. [i]It better not be the Davidson Center again[i/], he sighed.
"Shalom, Julian. Are you ready to go back to the hotel?" A familiar voice asked.
"I guess so." Julian said sadly.
"Okay, I am waving to you from the car by the strange tree." The man said.
Julian waved back. He walked towards his collegue and got in the car. His friend Zed took everything he said literally, but meant well.
"There is a package waiting for you back at the hotel," Zed said.
"I will get to it after the conference given at the Davidson Center tonight. This is a wonderful exile," Julian said.
"I never know what you are talking about, Julian. We won this grant fair and square. You should be enjoying our country. Besides, don't you go to Istanbul in two weeks--" Zed stepped on the brakes, narrowly escaping a traffic accident.
"Yes, but I expect him to keep his promise." Julain replied.
-------------------- 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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Zed did not have anything to say to Julian's last words. He preferred to let others have their illusions, because sometimes illusions are all anybody has.
"I never get tired of the sunsets here," Julian said. The change in topic was more than welcome to Zed. They spent ten minutes discussing the natural beauty of the terrain before arriving at the hotel.
This hotel had been around about a thousand years. It was small, but suited the needs of archeologists. Julian saw a package sitting on the dresser, but decided to ignore it. The guests at the Davidson Center were important people. Whatever was in the package would have to wait until later.
Three hours later Julian and Zed were in the Davidson Center, wining and dining with their collegues, government officials, and key donars. They got separated early on, when Zed got into a friendly debate with an archeologist who specializes in Pre-History.
Julian was enjoying the party, when a thought crossed his mind. Julian, leave now. The voice in his head was not his own. It...no it could not be...they were lost in the strands of time. It was all his fault, and thus he was exiled.
He thought back, No, I will not leave. You are dead.
-------------------- 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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Julian looked in his glass and thought back to those days. He thought back to when he was a boy fighting besides his father, a famous physicist against that common villain. They were descendents of Hourman, with the power to slow down and speed down time. They could even jump the timeline if they had enough energy...
But the last time he saw his father was at his senior thesis presentation. He called five hours before the graduation, saying he was going to be late and promising to return. His attention was diverted by a strange reflection in the glass. He looked up to see young boy staring at his plate.
"Hello," The young man asked. "Are you Julian Richards?"
"Yes, I am." Julian looked up to see a young man. His features looked human, but the facial experessions appeared unhuman. There was an air about him that was very familar, but he could not put his finger on it. For one so young, there was a sadness to him.
"Hello. My language is hard on the tongue, so you may call me Sebastian." He said.
Julian was curious, "May I ask why you chose that name?"
The boy shrugged. "My mother calls me that in private. It's part of a bigger plan." As he finished saying that, Julian's boss walked up to a podium. The room fell into a hush as the man prepared to speak.
"On behalf on the Davidson Center, I wish to thank the donors. The Wolfstein family of Metropolis...[applause]...the Irons Foundation...and the Imperial Crown of Nasger for providing the funds for our research..."At that point Julian turned his head. What did an alien want with this place?
The boy just stared forward. His eyes were glazed over with exhaustion. Julian gazed out the window, wishing for the speech to end so everyone could go home. After the long speeches were over, he rushed to get his coat on and leave.
As he was leaving, Julian asked Sebastian, "Why Jerusalem?"
Sebastian shrugged, "There is no place like this in the universe. I am a pious ruler and wish to pay my respects to the Lord Most High." The boy's body guards guided the him away from the Davidson Center, and he was left to drive Zed home.
After the two had parted ways, Julian went back to his room. The package still lay in his room. He decided to open it now so he wouldn't have to do it first thing in the morning.
Julian opened the envelope to find a small, black, diamond-shaped medallion. He touched the center of it lightly and it glowed blue. It almost seemed radioactive, but the voice from before said, Come
He obeyed the voice and entered a glittering chamber. The furniture was covered with diamonds and gold-plated inserts. There was a staircase that led up to a throne. On each side of the throne was two figures, and in the throne sat Sebastian.
"Welcome," The boy smiled.
-------------------- 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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Julian said, "But how...you are all disappeared. Except for the boy..."
The telepath thought. You do not remember his mother, Eudoxia?
Julian thought outloud, "But she was a spy for the enemy, wasn't she?"
Sebastian summoned his guards. "If you dare say another word about my sainted mother you shall be executed."
Julian mocked, "Don't threaten me, puppet-king!"
One of the men to the right of the throne said. "Enough! I, Fabian, the most powerful one here tell you to shut..." He stopped short when he felt a tug on his shouldar. His brother said, "And I tell you to listen." This one wore dark sunglasses almost all the time. Julian would not learn why until later.
An awkward silence took over the room. After ten minutes, the eldest in the group said. "Welcome, Julian to our group. Where are parents failed we shall succed."
Julian shook his hand, "Pleased to meet you. What is your name?"
"I am Adrian. You have already met Sebastian and Fabian. His brother is Damian, and the one that doesn't talk is called Takioyashi*. We are the Six who will avenge our parents and regain glory. Though are ages very, all of us were affected by one soul, reincarnating through the ages to torment the universe.
"But if it reincarnates, won't we lose time?" Julian asked.
"That is why we need you. We cannot run out of time with you as one of our generals," Sebastian said.
"True. Let us prepare for war!" Julian agreed. He was thousands, if not millions of lightyears from home. It finally dawned that he was stuck here, and might as well help in this quest of vengeance.
* = takioyashi are Japanese octopus dumplings commonly sold in the city of Osaka.
"His resolve is not to seem, but to be, the best."-Aeschylus, The Seven Against Thebees
Name: Sebastian Age: 19 Homeworld: Nasger Relatives: Mother (living, estranged), Father (deceased), Numerous living aunts, uncles, and cousins Powers: The ability to absorb powers, skills and memories from living things through physical contact (and if you recognize this powerset, it is Classic Rogues')
[ February 17, 2011, 12:15 AM: Message edited by: Red Arrow ]
-------------------- 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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The six moved their meeting to a small room towards the back of the Sabara Palace. Two walls were clearly plated with sound-proof devices. The fourth wall was a whiteboard which displayed three-dimensional shapes as they entered the room. Sebastian took the seat at the head, and gestured for Julian to take the seat to his right.
"How are we going to go about this invasion?" Julian asked casually.
"Adrian has vast teleportion abilities. He will randomly be assigned to teleport in and map Legionworld Headquarters. Once our infiltration is deep enough, he will begin to systematically alter their security systems." Sebastian explained.
Adrian asked calmly, "How do I do this without being protect?"
"Takioyashi will provide psychic cover during the infiltration," Sebastian said.
Takioyashi thought, Why can't I just crush all their minds?
Sebastian paused, "That wouldn't be right. We have to go about this the hard way."
Fabian said, "No we don't! My brother and I can come in and take them all down."
Sebastian said, "Your kinetic and his probability powers will be crucial in the attack. Don't worry, we will have the perfect spy."
"That is all well and good, but what is my role in all this?" Julian asked. He hadn't been mentioned for awhile and wondered what his purpose was.
"You will speed up and slow down when any of us need it. You will also collect information on the outside about Legionworld. My spy network is being drained by our colonization* so every man counts," Sebastian stated.
Damian asked, "Who will our spy be?"
Sebastian said, "I am."
Fabian began laughing. "You have no experiance in the real universe, kid. You should get Julian to do that."
"Can Julian absorb powers and memories with a single touch?" Sebastian mocked.
"True, but he can also freeze time, which would allow us an easy invasion." Damian countered.
Sebastian shrugged. "It is up to you Julian. Would you like to be a spy or Advisor to the Regent of Nasger?"
* = Nasger is based on thr Portuguese Empire
-------------------- 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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Julian knew the answer in an instant. He could not keep secrets so spying would not work out. However, a little cultural athropology was right up his ally. If worse came to worse, at least he could publish a nice scholary article on Nasger.
"I will be assistant to your regent," Julian agreed.
Sebastian said, "Thank you. I would shake your hand, but then Maria wouldn't have an advisor." Julian noticed the sadness in the young man's face again. A long silence fell on the six.
"You still have those temple repairs to sign," Adrian suggested.
Sebastian perked up, "Oh yes! Let's go sign those. Adrian come with me, the rest of you are dismissed."
Julian and Damian walked in one direction, while Fabian and Takioyashi walked in the other. The latter two were talking about sports. The other two walked in silence until Julian asked a question.
"How long have all of you known Sebastian?" He asked.
Damian replied, "That is a long story. But we have time so I will tell you how Adrian met Sebastian."
-------------------- 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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"It's different than it was. But the Professor's right. Ah don't know what it would feel like to be in full control of my power. Ah can only go on instinct. Ah'm never gonna be sure -- totally sure -- until ah try it out. ... You still willing to be my guinea pig?"- Rogue, X-Men: Legacy,1, no. 224.
Damian said, "Years ago a war ravaged this part of the galaxy. It was a terrible war of succession, between Sebastion's mother and a distant cousin. It was the war our parents fought and died in. They were recruited by Sebastion's mother because the cousin was a terrible enemy."
"Towards the end of the war, Adrian was ordered by his father to take Sebastian with him and protect him. After years of struggle with Sebastian's mother, he assumed the regency for four years," He said.
Julian asked, "Where did Sebastian get his powers?"
Damian sighed, "The doctors say it has to do with the amount of radiation that his father was exposed to. But the general public does not know any of this of course."
Julian said, "But it must feel great to hold so much power..." ~~~
Sebastian was watching security as he signed the last temple repair paperwork. He thought, Oh, how wrong you are! He flashed back to that day when his powers first manifested. They were hunting in the oak woods in mid-December. The boar fell easily to their bows, and the smell of the pork was a good memory.
However, an arrow misfired and hit one of his comrades. Sebastian touched him and the man instantly died. He felt great shame and ran away into a village. He lived by himself in an abandoned building until Adrian found him.
"I am here to take you home," Adrian said.
"There is nothing left for me," The then fourteen year old said. "I deserve death for what I have done."
Adrian answered, "This world has given you gifts and wealth. You should be grateful."
"No, I want to be normal," Sebastian said.
Adrian said, "No, you are not normal. You are better, please don't be sad. Your mother has declared you dead and has set herself up as Queen Regent until the young Princess Maria can arrive."
And so we fought together against half the nation. My mother was defeated and locked up in a temple, May the Divine bless her soul. Adrian was Regent until I came of age. He told me my father was a great villain, and that I got my powers from him. I really don't care about this quest for vengeance, I would like to have a father. At least so I could not have to be king.
The young man looked at the clock. It was getting late and he would begin basic infiltration the next day.
-------------------- 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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Sebastian was busy readying his costume. I was very simplicity, with what comic book artists would describe as a Noir style. The primary colors were black, orange, and blue. Adrian asked. "Are you sure?"
Sebastian said, "Huh?"
"They have high standards for their costumes." Adrian said.
The boy smiled and started laughing. "They will forget the costume when I show them...do I really have to show them my power?"
Adrian said, "Brother, it's for the greater good. Besides, any power can kill at any point."
Sebastian bit his lip because he knew the argument was pointless. He went over with Fabian and Damian his cover-story about twenty times before he was escorted into a small cruiser. He gladly hopped in, not even welcoming his cousin Maria into the palace.
As for Maria, Julian found her boring. She seemed to listen to any woman with a sad story and give them exactly what they wanted. The only good thing was she wanted to build a new water system, which was worse than China's in the twentieth century. He didn't understand his purpose of being here.
He expressed this to Damian who said, "When the time comes you will know what to do. You hold a restart button in your hands,one which you inherited from your ancestors."
Julian said, "I will not drastically alter the timeline. I have a career, friends, and a disertation to write..."
"Don't lie to me. I am connected to reality itself. You felt exiled by your father's death. Now you are free. You can't have your cake and it it too, Julian. Me on the other hand am going to see this through to the end." Damian finished before walking off.
-------------------- 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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Julian walked into the kitchen to get a snack. He stopped the various servants; he was used to getting things himself. He wasn't used to the protocol yet and wasn't sure if he wanted to. What Sebastian was true, these were a pious people. But their religion is more in line with Roman syncretism or even Eastern religions than monotheism. The one thing he wanted to know was how they got the domes to stay on top of their main temple for 16 centuries without breaking. That would be a nice little thesis statement.
He looked to see Takioyashi using telekinesis to get milk out of the fridge. Don't you role your eyes at me.
"Can you talk?" Julian asked.
"You are an interesting humar*. You do not scare easily." Takioyashi said, pouring the milk into the cereal. * = I gave him a Beijing accent
"So what are you?" Julian asked.
"Maybe I was wrong and you are one in a millior." Takiyashi's eyes glowed with psychic energy. "My progenitor invaded you galaxy ages ago. He was defeated and decided to retire to the homeworld. I came around shortly later and instinct guided me to Adrian. He told me of this quest for vengeance and I have took it up."
"You are doing this all for an instinct?" Julian said shockingly.
"Yes, it is only natural. Instincts are like breathing, an organism must do it in order to survive. But my cereal is getting soggy and you as too many questions." Takioyashi waved his hand, and telekinesis sent Julian out the door.
Julian had enough of this nonsense. He was going to talk to the source of all this, Adrian. ~~~ Sebastian disembarked at Legionworld. The sentry quickly let him in when he saw the ships settings. Nasger was famous for it's sugar and mines. The sentry knew whoever this young man was, he had plenty of money. And that's all the boss seems to care about these days.
A young man with a nice smile on his face said, "Welcome to the Security Council Recruitment Drive. I am Sir Roy."
"I am pleased to meet you," Sebastian smiled. He would hide his rank in the universe as long as he could. Sir Roy reached out to shake his hand, and not wanting to be rude he shook it.
"Hmm...is it custom on your world to shake hands with gloves on?" Sir Roy asked.
"No, but you do not want me to shake my hand without gloves," Sebastian said. Sir Roy was confused, so he just handed Sebastian the sheet and showed him the way to the line. The line was coiled like a que at a major theme park. There had to have been at least a hundred people.
After a long wait, Sebastian was next in line. The panel consisted of a girl clad in red, a cool looking man, and a rather large man. The girl thought, What is that sadness in his eyes?
The large man said, "You are Sebastian of the planet Nasger. No doubt you are named after the current king?"
"Yes, it's typical in the empire. I own a mine i the colonies," Sebastian said.
The large man's eyes seemed to lit up. "Proceed to demonstrate your powers. Cobalt Kid, do your worst."
Sebastian took off his gloves. The cool man and the girl clad in red looked at eachother with confusion. The large man just kept starting forward as Sebastian worked at dodging the magnetic attacks. He was so glad to have all that combat training now...which of course was supplimented by the memories of his sparing partners when things got dangerous.
But finally he got close enough to make skin contact. The energy and memories poured into his body. He was a master of electromagnetism, one of the four major forces in the universe. The memories were pretty clean in comparison to others. Before flying above the place, barely in control but without a care in the universe.
Down below, two of the judges looked scared. But the large one just sat and watched. "Cobalt Kid can handle himself," He mused.
His grip began to loosen, and Cobalt Kid used that moment to wretch the hand off his neck. He was greatly weakened by the attack, but managed to project a small electromagnetic shield to contain Sebastian and send him to the ground.
Cobalt Kid smiled, "Not bad at all. I give him my vote."
The girl clad in red said, "I want to say yes, but I have to say no. We need the raw power you have, but it is very dangerous."
The cool man said, "You do lack control of your powers, and that could be dangerous in the heat of battle. I vote no too."
The large man said, "I vote yes. You have all the qualities we are looking for in a new member."
The girl clad in red said, "But we need experiance as well as power."
"Red Arrow, you are the same age as this man. Now I know you are going to say you had experiance as a child, but this is a completely differet universe. If you can train with us, so can he." The large man argued.
Red Arrow paused, "Very well. I change my vote. You are in!"
-------------------- 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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Sebastian was relieved to know he got in. The energy from the battle was slowly fading away and Cobalt Kid's memories found a place in his mind. He smiled at the result and thanked the judges.
Red Arrow asked, "What codename do you want?"
"Shouldn't my superior give me a codename?" Sebastian said diplomatically.
Chief Lardy said, "Since you absorb people's memories and are unpredictable I think the name Question Kid fits."
Sebastian said, "Thank you, sir." The young man was shown his quarters and he began his infiltration mission. Sebastian mentally counted the days until the invasion. It would be swift do they would not suspect anything. The young man opened the window to let in some fresh air in the room. There was nobody around except for a gardener.
Sebastian felt good to be alone for once. ~~~ Julian koncked on Adrian's door. Fabian came out and said, "Just the person we want to see! We are discussing the continuation of our plans." He led the way to Adrian. The older man greeted him with a smile and gestured for him to sit down.
Adrian said, "It is time we tell you the whole truth."
-------------------- 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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Julian sat down. Fabian closed the blinds and gestured for the servants to leave, and for the guards to stand outside the door. They did not want to risk being spied on. Adrian said, "So. The truth. Sebastian's father was not one of our comrades, he was our greatest enemy."
Julian nodded. There were serious holes in Damian's stories that would be filled now.
"My father saved him to fulfill his duties as a godfather. He did not think it right for a son to pay for his father's sins. My father handed him over to me and my mother, saying that Sebastian was special and to take care of him," Adrian expained.
Julian asked, "So he is not royalty then?"
Adrian paused. He had revealed more than he planned. "Yes and no. Sebastian literally became the ruling monarch."
Julian asked, "And how did that happen?"
Adrian was getting frustrated. "The pount is, Sebastian matters a lot to me. He is our ticket to revenge and power."
Julian asked, "Is that all that matters to you? You can't bring back the dead with revenge."
Fabian interjected, "No, but we can protect the living. We must kill Chief Lardy and trap his soul in another reality."
Julian yelled, "And how in the universe will you do that? With a magic box?"
Adrian smiled, "No, we have something better." Adrian opened a box to reveal five gems, which made the palace decorations look like fakes. Julian felt sensed there was great power in those gems.
Adrian said, "Sebastian has the Soul Gem with him. He will kill Chief Lardy and trap his soul in the gem's pocket dimension." ~~~ "Baby, can't you see? I'm callin' A guy like you should wear a warnin' It's dangerous I'm falling"- Britney Spear, Toxic, 2004.
Question Kid was given a lot of busy work to do on his first day. He was filing papers submitted by Red Arrow for processing. He was pretty good at this stuff because of all the paperwork he had to do as ruler of Nasger. The only thing wrong was the Soul Gem. It seemed to be attracted to Red Arrow, but he could not see why.
At the end of the day, he submitted the last of the paperwork. The Soul Gem was bothering him, so he tugged at his collar to move the chain. Red Arrow said, "You might have used too much starch, Question Kid."
"Uh, no. It's something else. Do you know when I begin formal training?" Question Kid asked.
"You start tomorrow. So, what do you plan to do now?" She asked.
"I think I will take a walk in the gardens," He said.
"Okay, have a good day." Red Arrow smiled. She dismissed him, but something felt strange. Red Arrow could not put her finger on it. Question Kid reminded her of spring days at the Summers' mansion in Westchester. She appreciated having someone her own age here, and someone that wasn't full of themselves because they had super-powers. But they just met a day. Love doesn't work like that.
Does it?
-------------------- 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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Question Kid walked out into the garden. This day went very well. The initial overview listed the garden as a very secluded area with limited security, thus it was his choice to transmit the finds. There was a grove of orange rows that provided hiding from the buildings. He used the black, diamond-shaped object to begin a secure communication. Question Kid relayed the information he obtained about the mass quantities of robots Legionworld was ordering. Takioyashi nodded and proceeded to give this information to Adrian.
He finished this communication, and was so proud of his work that he failed to notice the gardener walking towards him. They bumped into each other, and the gardener dropped tools.
"I am sorry," Question Kid said. He grabbed a small rake and handed it back to the gardener. He then got the great idea to absorb some of the gardener's memories. Noboby would notice and servants are always a great source of information. He then picked up another tool, and as he was handing back, made sure to make contact with the gardener's hand.
I wave of information flooded his mind. The garderner just smiled back, "Thank you for helping me. You can move your hand now." Question Kid thought it was impressive that the gardener was still standing.
"Do you have any powers?" Question Kid asked.
"No, just a strong constitution from working outside all day long." The man smiled. "Dinner will be ready soon."
Question Kid was briefly puzzled, but decided to let the feeling pass. Dinner would be interesting.
-------------------- 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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Fabian and Julian decided to check out where the robots were processed, while Takioyashi was mapping out all the variables in the invasion attack.*With their combination of kinetic and time powers the two easily delayed Legionworld’s latest shipping of robotic parts.*
Takioyashi asked Adrian, “But what about the existing robots?”
“Leave that to Damian when our invasion starts,” Adrian replied.
*= Sorry if some of this feels rushed, but I don't know how much time I will have in the immediate future so it is imperative that I finish this fanfiction tonight. I may do revising at a later date, but I want to roleplay as Sebastian so this must be finished. ~~~
"In My Own Sad Eyes" Everyone tells me that I have sad eyes. Oh, not to my face. But their memory betrays their true thoughts. Her mind is like an expensive cabinet with random filing. It is a complete mess, but there is still hope. Red Arrow not alone in this world. Takioyashi says my mind is cluttered with the memories of everyone I touch.
He has a way of stating the obvious.
It was last Wednesday, I trained with Red Arrow. For some reason she decided to use a crossbow. I don't know where she gets these ideas. She smiled, "Come on, we're going to do my favorite scenario."
We are on a small blue moon. The setting looked ancient, and I was tempted ask how old everything is. Beside us are individuals in a variety of costumes. And facing us is an army of aliens. This was not her own memories, but a cosmic story.
Red Arrow said, "We are X-Men. They are the Imperial Guard. They are after Jean Grey, who will sacrifice herself to save the universe."
"Didn't you say we can't win?" I asked.
"No, but that is not the point." She smiled. The session began in earnest. Since it was holograms and robots, I relied on combat skill memories. We were doing was doing quite well until the one with lightning attacked us from the air.
Red Arrow shot an arrow at the shape-shifter, and then proceeded to look down at me. She deliberately puts her hand on my face, forgetting my power. Meanwhile, her messy continuity gives me a migraine. There were so many names and faces. There are two events rolled into one. Universes conglomerate, and yet again the Infinity Gem near my heart seems to cry out for this woman.
She comes back to consiousness a few minutes later. I had gained her computer science skills and turned the scenario off. She apologized for "being an idiot" and runs off.
After some prodding in the data bases, I was able to make some sense out of the puzzle that was Red Arrow's mind. I knocked on her door and...
"Yes, what do you want?" She asked.
"I found some information you may want to see," Question Kid said. He pulled out a file and handed it to Red Arrow. She flipped through it quickly. Question Kid was prepared to be accused of stalking and thrown out of the organization.
Instead she smiled, "You have done in hours what LMB staff have failed to do in days. You must come in and talk."
In a distant office, the nightshift was monitoring the hallway conversation. Chief Lardy walked in and asked for a status report. The officer said, "Emily is keeping an eye on Sebastian like you asked her to."
Chief Lardy responded, "Good."
-------------------- 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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My final report to home included details on security walls and ventilation shafts. It is what I did not include that gives me the edge. I gave into my instincts and the Soul Gem's pull and decided to give it to Red Arrow. The glimmer in her eyes tells me she knows what it is. However, she has not been discreet about the gem at all. Red Arrow wears it openly, and few dare to question her. They probably think it is a fake emerald.
In other news, I have helped the LMB defeated a group called the Brotherhood Comarca. I used the agility skills of the youngest member to get into their security systems. This brought me into Chief Lardy's office.
"Sebastian, have you ever considered a career in military intelligence?" The Chief of Security asked. ~~~ Meanwhile on Nasger, the invasion plans were under way. Generals of the Nasgerian military were being briefed. The story was that Legionworld had destroyed 17 merchant vessals carrying sugar from the colonies. A nationalist spirt struck Nasger.
Unfortunately, the spirit was not felt by those making the lies. At this point there was intense debate among the four who were left on Nasger. The key issue was whether or not to cut off Legionworld's water supply.
Julian said, "The answer is no. We should not have to kill hundreds of people to get at one."
"Those people are the enemy. A baby wolf is still a wolf," Adrian defended his postion.
Damian interjected, "We could just use the Infinity Gems to retrieve Chief Lardy without any bloodshed. Please listen to me, Fabian..."
"No, brother it is too late. As we speak Takioyashi is entering the water systems. Let's turn on the monitor to--" The monitor flicked on to show ten robots surrounding the corpse of Takioyashi. They had underestimated the defenses.
"This is a suicide mission! Our intelligence is meaningless, let's just get our boy home. Maybe his memories will--" Damian said.
"You can leave. And take Julian with you, he has proven himself useless," Adrian responded firmly. ~~~ Julian turns to Damian, "What is the plan?"
"We must break into Legionworld and get Sebastian. The boy is walling himself in Sebastian's office. He knows all the security codes and close personal, so he will not be interrupted. Us on the otherhand are going to face the full onslaught of security," Damian explained.
The two of them arrived in a large ship, but abandoned it in favor of a smaller vessel halfway through the space voyage. They wanted to minimize the chance of being checked or tracked. The two of them pretended to be delivering a shipment of robots to Legionworld.
The automatic droid said, "Previous shipping code identified. Proceed to be taken to the security cells." The robot than fired at Damian, who dodged it just in time.
Julian asked, "Why didn't you see that?" Damian shouted, "Haven't you figured out I am blind?" Damian began manipulating probability so that the robots would decrease their accuracy. Julian began slowing down time around the robots to buy themselves room to run.
Julian said, "Quick, into the vents!" The two of them climbed into the vents and walked about four paces before the smell of knock-out gas hit Damian's nose. "Bad idea, Julian," He manipulated probability so that the bars on a vent entrance opened.
The two of them fell down into a common area of Legionworld. Tons of members looked down at the two intrudents. Julian smiled meekly, "Nice digs you got here."
Space Ranger immediately seized upon Julian, who slowed down time enough to get away. Damian was assaulted by a man with wings, a cat-like girl, and a girl with spider powers. The two were vastly outnumbered and taking major hits.
Damian shouted, "Do something!"
Julian harnessed all the power he could manage with a super-speeder running circles around him. He shouted, "Stop!" With that word time stopped in place. Julian felt his eyes rolling to the back of his head. He thought he was going to die...but he regained consiousness quickly. He got up to see Damian standing in an empty room.
"The attack has begun and they forgot about us. Let's find the office," The two of them said. The halls of Legionworld were being emptied. Red Arrow ran out of her office with a quiver full of trick arrows. She ran right past the two without saying a word, but Damian stopped her. He sensed the Soul Gem.
"The maiden of the seven stones," He quipped. "Take us to Sebastian."
She said, "No! Obey orders and go to the front. Sebastian is meeting with Chief Lardy to discuss intelligence. Which frankly should have been better given we are being invaded by an Empire!"
Damian ordered, "Do not go to the front. Wait outside the office door. Julian will retrieve you when the time is right." The girl then flinched in pain. The Soul Gem was directing her to obey them. She obeyed its desires and followed them.
The two combined their powers to open the office door. Inside they found Sebastian pacing around the office, while Chief Lardy sat calmly in the chair. The young man barely noticed the two enter the room. He believed he was rudely interrupted.
"You two should leave. I refuse to kill Chief Lardy. Like it or not his soul is my father's and I need it," Sebastian stated.
-------------------- 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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posted
Fabian is conducting an artillery assault, while the robots are being challenged by Nasgerian troops. All reserves have been assembled. The official story is that the Nasgerian government has been usurped by one of Chief Lardy's enemies. All sides were motivated by lies, half-truths, and outside observers did not want to chose the lesser of two evil.
Fabian underestimated the force nessecary to take down the defensive shielding of Legionworld. He penetrated the shielding, only for a third of the Nasgerian army to be destroyed by the reaction. He ignored the casulties and continued to press on. Some say he is killed by a tile piece thrown at his head by an unknown assailant. ~~~ Julian said, "You have been used this entire time. Give up and walk away."
"This man pocesses my father's soul. I inherited this curse from my father's side of the family, and I intend for him to take my place as King of Nasger," Sebastian said.
"But you aren't king, Sebastian. You are only a pretender. Your identity is not your own." Julian said. He walked towards Sebastian and held out his hand. The young man was shocked, but Julian nodded.
Intense power over time itself flooded into the young man, as well as a combination of delightful and horrible memories. There were boyhood memories of fighting supervillains alongside a loving father. But more interesting to Sebastian was the memories of Istanbul, Sydney, and of course Jerusalem. There were so many archeological digs and architecture that Sebastian almost forgot about the battle at hand.
Then came the recent memories of Julian's discussions with Adrian, and the dirt Julian was able to dig up during his time as regent. Sebastian composed himself, "I have been used since I was a child. I must set things right."
Damian said, "You can do that by destroying Adrian's secret weapon. You know what the generals are being given..."
"The Infinity Gems. We must go scatter them, but how?" Sebastian asked.
Chief Lardy said, "Go and do so then. I am sorry for things I did in the last life, but you must forgive me. I truly have your best interests at heart."
Sebastian felt good and left the room. Julian didn't buy the story, and decided to take a risk and question Chief Lardy.
"Why are you not mad?" Julian asked.
"Question Kid has limitless potential, and I won't sacrifice that for whatever illusions you pocess. He is is love with one of my most trusted members, and I can be the father-figure he always wanted. Isn't that what you want, for him to be happy?" Chief Lardy said. That eery calm remained on the man.
Julian sighed, That boy is so easily exploited. I want to stop him, but he has to learn on his own.
Damian gestured for Julian to end the conversation. "You must help Sebastian make a portal to get the Infinity Gems."
Just then a figure teleported into the room. Adrian smiled, "Hand over the Soul Gem and Chief Lardy and this is over."
-------------------- 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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