Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business Postlo3w stories *LATEST UPDATE 7 APRIL*

Thanks for commenting, IB!

Wish Girl's whole thing is kind of a play on the completely mental and sociopathic relationships DC couples like Superman & Lois had in the 60s...as you picked up in the Who's Who thread, she's kind of the Lucy Lane to Elastic Lad's Jimmy Olsen (not that either of them are particularly like their counterparts, but they inspired me to go in a particular direction)

Cadmians definitely have a...unique...relationship with death; they take it much more lightly than any normal human being would because they know that for them it's not the end and that they'll continue to live on in some respect once they get gestated into a new personality. But as you noticed, it's the kind of attitude that would be very concerning for anybody else lol

I am glad you picked up on the different levels of experience with Darvan and Ulu....I didn't want to beat anyone over the head with it or make Light Lad seem incompetent, but was trying to show that Ulu's been doing this a lot longer and where Darvan might have to consciously think his way through a particular situation Ulu has probably already been through something similar at some stage and can just draw from his existing knowledge

Tel is a funny one; he is definitely the kind of guy I would not find likeable at all in real life but I kind of like the challenge of exploring why he's that way and showing some different facets to his character as time goes on

EDIT: I forgot to say, Life Lass is going to get some focus next up so that should shed some light on her behaviour....and we'll get some surprise guest stars as well!

Hi all,

I thought given recent comings and goings, it might be a good idea to give y'all an updated roster for my team/s! Without further ado:

LEGION OF SUPERHEROES
BLOK
CHAMELEON BOY
COLOR KID
COLOSSAL BOY
COMET QUEEN
COSMIC BOY
CRYSTAL KID
DAWNSTAR
DIAMOND DAMSEL
DRAGONMAGE
DREAM GIRL
ELASTIC LAD
ELEMENT LAD
EVOLVO LAD
FIRECREST
GAS GIRL
GRAVITY KID
INFECTIOUS LASS
INVISIBLE KID II
KID COMPUTO
KING CANARY
LIFE LASS
LIGHT LAD
LIGHTNING LASS
MATTER-EATER LAD
MON-EL
MWINDAJI
NEON
NIGHT GIRL
NIGHTWIND (deputy leader)
PHANTOM GIRL (leader)
POLAR BOY
SHADOW LASS
SHRINKING VIOLET
STAR BOY
STONE BOY
STRUT
SUN BOY
SUPERGIRL II
TELLUS
TIMBER WOLF
ULTRA BOY
WILDFIRE

LEGION ACADEMY
LIGHTNING LAD (teacher)
SATURN GIRL (teacher)

AMP
CHEMICAL KID
DRAGONWING
FIRE LASS
GLORITH
KEY KID
KID QUANTUM
LULLABYE LAD
VARIABLE LAD

Hey Raz, more good stuff here!

I'm loving the idea of teaming up pairs of Legionnaires that usually don't work together - looking forward to seeing who matches up with who and the inevitible personality clashes that ensues

Having Evolvo and Life Lass join up makes perfect sense and am waiting to see what Vi digs up on LL. Do love a good mystery!

Colour Kid, Light Lad and Elastic Lad would usualy be a team that wouldn't inspire much confidence in me tbh but you write them like a pro, allowing these usually weaker characters shine through. ulu#s sly remark about things could be worse was very telling - EL is a hoot to read but in real life I'd be hard pressed not to slap him

Ulu and Darvan having a tour is understandable, I would want to see every new world if I was in their position. The friendly, easy banter between them is so good - it reads so natural and flows so well - well done! This is something that it's so easy to mess up but you really do excel at.

Planet Cadmu is great, I may borrow the idea from you as it has so many possibilities!

The appearance of the metal ring is ominous, though gave a little cheer inside as I read it as I knew things were going to get bonkers Ulu's take charge attitude was great too, he is more experienced that a lot of the Legionnaires so it's only right he would get it together and get over the surprise quickly.

The stone monsters are so beyond the Legionnaires physical power levels that I wondered how you could get them out of it without their calling for major back-up - it's a great mission for the two of them.

"Rude!" indeed, death breath should be a crime!

Giant Turtle Boy must be one of the most ridiculous characters ever created and yet I totally love that you use him!

"To be fair, I heard that kind of thing more than once when I was a Sub," hahaha, so true Ulu, so true!

Ishikaiju - is this something to do with Manga?

Wish Girl is truly horrible, self absorbed and oblivious to her own stupidity - so, another great character tat deserves their own series that wish to have the monster go back to the ocean... I groaned. Honestly, has she no idea? hahaha what a great character!

Light Lad's panic is totally understandable though good to see he figured out what to do.

Elastic Lad to the rescue - fantastic! Wish girl is a real nusance, indeed.

Sprocking crazy! Yup, well said LL. And EL's faux-resistance to Wish Girl's advances are sweet, bless him even super stretchy neocaste Legionnaires need love

The scen with Gravity Kid, Crystal Kid and Lullaby Lad was well done, after the sacchirine sweetness of Wish Girl's neediness for Elastic Lad's affections this was a stark reminder that not all relationships are so cute. The discussion/argument again read very true, though Strut stole the show with his interruption - you write him so well!

Again, I thoroughly enjoyed catching up on your adventures Raz, your characters are so well written it's always a pleasure to read.

Of course I'm eager for more, more, more!

Hi Harbi,

re: Cadmu - steal away!

Giant Turtle Boy is absolutely the kind of comic book idiocy I love hahaha

'ishi' means 'stone' in Japanese, and kaiju are giant monsters a la Godzilla, Mothra and the like....did I mangle a whole other language just so I could write one throwaway line in a story where giant stone animals live in a Concrete Jungle? Guilty!

I feel like I keep raising the stakes on annoying characters but I may have finally succeeded in creating one with Wish Girl where even I'm like okay you can go back in the toybox for another couple years now lol

Next up: More teen angst! Some reserve Legionnaires pop their heads in! And the return of a scary homemade villain!

I do love a bit of language mangling Raz, good one!

And re Wish Girl, I'm unsure if I really want to see more of her or never see her again. She's like the character equivalent of an episode of Married at First Sight

Looking forward to seeing what you gave for us next... more, more, more!

I do love a bit of language mangling Raz, good one!

And re Wish Girl, I'm unsure if I really want to see more of her or never see her again. She's like the character equivalent of an episode of Married at First Sight

Looking forward to seeing what you gave for us next... more, more, more!

Weird, I went to log out and somehow posted that twice. Oh well.

MARS
Husband Hill, Legion of Superheroes Headquarters

ROLL CALL
Lullabye Lad aka Waiane Wentim: Legion Academy student; Zwennite physiology, narcoleptic induction
Stone Boy aka Dag Wentim: ability to transmute to living stone

"What is wrong with you?!"

In his modestly furnished personal quarters, Dag Wentim sighed in response to his little brother's histrionics. "Waiane, calm down. I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Tel!" the younger Wentim exclaimed. "He told me what you did!"

"...And what did I do?" Dag asked with conscious restraint. He'd been as patient as he could be, but Waiane had burst in here a minute and a half ago hollering nonsense and Dag's patience was beginning to wear thin.

"You said he should hook up with Crystal Kid! He told me!" Lullabye Lad was shaking with anger. "How could you do that to me?!"

Stone Boy's head slumped as he realised what Waiane was referring to. "Waiane, it wasn't like that."

"Liar!" Lullabye Lad's voice cracked with emotion. "He told me himself!"

"What I said to him," Dag spoke clearly and calmly over his brother, "Was that he was an idiot if he thought being in the Legion meant he couldn't have a relationship--"

"Exactly!" a teary Waiane yelled. "You ruined my life!!"

"Okay, now you're just being ridiculous." Stone Boy rolled his eyes. "Nobody's life is ruined and that arrogant little batjerk is not worth any of these hysterics, little brother."

"I hate you! I hate you!!" Lullabye Lad turned on his heel and ran out of his brother's quarters bawling.

Stone Boy shook his head in faint disbelief, his gaze happening to fall across a holopic of his family together at a theme park when he'd been Waiane's age and Waiane had still been a precocious floppy-haired kid with one tooth missing. "Don't look at me like that," Dag muttered at his parents' grinning visages. "I know I've never put you two through anything like this." He sighed again, wondering how Waiane had managed to end up with enough Hormonal Teen Drama genes for the two of them before he announced wearily to nobody in particular:

"...I hate that Gravity Kid."

**********

TITAN
Titanopolis, the Time Institute

ROLL CALL
Chameleon Boy aka Reep Daggle: Durlan shapeshifter
Colossal Boy aka Gim Allon: growth powers
Crystal Kid aka Bobb Cohan: crystal construct creation
King Canary aka K'rk T'wiiu III: sonic generation
Life Lass aka Somi Gan: matter animation
Mon-El aka Lar Gand: Daxamite physiology
Mwindaji: tracker infused with White Lantern energy
Phantom Girl aka Tinya Wazzo: leader; intangibility
Shrinking Violet aka Salu Digby: shrinking
Supergirl II aka Laurel Kent: invulnerability

Bouncing Boy aka Charles Foster Taine: super-bouncing, reserve member
Duplicate Damsel aka Luornu Durgo Taine: self-duplication, reserve member

The staff at the Time Institute had become used to Bouncing Boy and Duplicate Damsel's presence these past months; Luornu Durgo Taine had agreed to allow the Institute's Dr Jax Madri to study her upgraded duplication power, and just as her husband had begun to get bored with retirement a position had become available as the Time Institute's Chief of Security. With his background in the Legion of Superheroes, Chuck Foster Taine was easily the most suitable applicant to the role and the Time Institute had become a kind of second home to the Taines ever since.

The staff here weren't quite so accustomed to seeing Bouncing Boy and Duplicate Damsel's old teammates in the Legion of Superheroes wandering around though, and such a large group of colorful heroes drew stares from everyone they passed. Deliberately hanging toward the back of the group, Supergirl nudged Crystal Kid playfully in the ribs. "Sooo...Gravity Kid..? How did the date go..?"

"It went well," Bobb blushed. "Really well...I wasn't sure how things would pan out because you know...the promasc...but umm...well, let's just say medical science comes through with the goods." The two giggled like children sharing a naughty joke, and before they knew it one of Duplicate Damsel's bodies was somehow behind them conspicuously clearing her throat. Bobb and Laurel gave a start and reflexively composed themselves in front of their one-time teacher.

"Kids, huh?" Colossal Boy leaned down to whisper in his best friend's oversized ear. "Were we ever that young, Cham?"

One of Chameleon Boy's arched eyebrows rose even higher as he allowed himself a slight smirk. "Some of us definitely were...don't you remember that casino owner's daughter on Ventura? What was her name, Berina? You were going to leave the team to settle down with her for all of five minutes!"

"Berri!" Gim almost guffawed. "Oh man, I'd forgotten all about her! But hey, speaking of true love and all that...have you--"

"No, Gim." Cham knew exactly where his friend was leading. "I haven't called Tranquility*. I've tried long distance relationships, they're not ideal. Since when are you the team matchmaker anyway?"

"Aw, I just wanna see my buddy happy is all," Gim gave him a hearty pat on the back. "All work and no play--"

"--I can't believe the Legion of Superheroes came for me!" a young boy's voice interrupted Gim Allon. Colossal Boy realised that while he and Cham had been chatting, they'd reached their destination. "Oh, and I - I see you brought Colossal Boy with you." The short platinum blond teen seemed a little shaken as he realised Gim was one of the Legionnaires in attendance, a reaction that everyone present noticed. All eyes turned to Gim, who for once in his life wished fervently that he weren't so conspicuously tall even without his power in effect.

"We, uh...we've met before, it wasn't...I wasn't at my best," Gim struggled. "I'm really deeply sorry for the misunderstanding, Kan--Mr Vyr."

The youth they'd come here to meet was Kando Vyr, a complicated footnote in the Legion's timeline. At some point in the future, Kando was destined to become a member of the Legion of Superheroes as the temporally-powered hero Infinite Boy. Here and now though, he was just a young Naltorian whose genius intellect had procured him a research position at the Time Institute and he knew nothing of his future fate. The last time this Kando Vyr had met Colossal Boy, Gim had broken into his home to assault him for a misplaced grudge against his future self. Gim had since mended fences with the time-displaced Infinite Boy from the future, and it had completely slipped Colossal Boy's mind that the younger Kando must still think he was an unhinged psychopath.

Consciously drawing attention away from the unfading tension between Gim and Kando, Phantom Girl positioned herself behind Chuck and Luornu Taine and placed a hand on both their shoulders. "Bouncing Boy and Duplicate Damsel have been two of the Legion's most valuable members, when they ask for help we come running. Can you tell us what you saw please, Kando?"

"Of course." Kando motioned to a chair covered in cabling with a contraption that looked like some absurdly oversized helmet perched atop the weirdly throne-like construct. "This is only a prototype, but I call it my Pre-Crime Monitoring Station. Once I refine it a little, my hope is that we'll be able to mass-produce these stations and Naltorians will be able to use them to more efficiently predict and prevent crimes from occurring throughout the United Planets...under Science Police jurisdiction of course." Unnoticed by anyone, Mon-El's jaw clenched a little more tightly than usual. He'd seen enough in his extended lifetime to know that these kind of crime prevention measures were far too easily co-opted for more sinister purposes, but he realised it wasn't his place to raise those concerns right now.

Kando continued. "I was giving the station a test run and foresaw that villain Fearstorm will be running amok on Titan today...I know how much trouble he's caused here in the past so I thought I should notify Bouncing Boy as soon as I'd narrowed down the timeframe enough to be useful."

"...an' Bouncing Boy called us." Perched on a pipe fitting, King Canary caught them up to where they were now. "This Fearstorm squaj must be pretty tough ta bring in so many of us, huh boss-lady?"

"Honestly?" Phantom Girl shrugged. "Under normal circumstances I would have brought Blok and Tellus here with one or two of you for backup, but Blok and Tellus aren't available and Chuck and Lu have a very good reason for asking for so many of us today."

"Fearstorm is a gestalt being," Luornu picked up from Tinya. "Two Titanian men named Mil Conwai and Ry Alger found a way to pool their psyches into one composite being which is far more powerful than the sum of its parts. Just like the ancient Terran hero Firestorm was able to transmute elements, Fearstorm can transmute any emotional state both with individual beings and a larger population. Chuck and I have experienced the terror Fearstorm inflicts first-hand and it's not to be taken lightly, Legionnaires." Duplicate Damsel unconsciously hugged herself as she finished talking, and Phantom Girl flashed her a sympathetic glance.

"In case that wasn't bad enough," Bouncing Boy took over, "After the first time Fearstorm was defeated, Titanian authorities placed Conwai and Alger in different rehabilitation centres in uptown Titanopolis. Their bond was so strong they managed to merge again even despite the physical distance. When the Legion took Fearstorm down again, we petitioned to have at least one of the men sent to Takron-Galtos but Titangov didn't want to hand over responsibility for their rehabilitation...instead they've institutionalised them on opposite sides of Titan, so if Fearstorm is going to reappear today we have to assume there are one of two places that might happen."

"And you need enough Legionnaires to cover your bases," Shrinking Violet concluded.

"Exactly," Phantom Girl concurred. "Chuck, Lu; I hope you don't mind if I suggest splitting you two up as you're our best guides here without Saturn Girl on the active roster. Cham, Gim, Laurel, Bobb; you four come with Chuck and me and we'll confirm that Mr Conwai is safely locked up where he needs to be. Mon, could I please ask you to take everyone else and accompany Lu to check on Alger?"

The gathered heroes all agreed to Phantom Girl's plan, and soon the two squads were on their way.

**********

High-speed transport tubes initially took Phantom Girl's crew on an awe-inspiring journey over Titanopolis where the gleaming city stretched out below them and Saturn took up a huge portion of the sky above. Before long they'd diverted underground, and for over thirty minutes the only view they had was of the pale green lighting inserted into one of many man-made tunnels cutting beneath Titan's icy crust.

The Titan which greeted them on their return to the surface was a very different Titan to the one they'd left behind. Driving snow filled a starless night sky. The temperature wasn't quite so extreme that they needed their transuits but everyone donned bulky insulated overcoats except for the indestructible Supergirl and Chameleon Boy (who had the luxury of being able to take on any number of warm furry forms). There were no towering spires here, just squat windowless utilitarian structures. In one of these buildings, the Legionnaires showed their ID at three separate checkpoints and were eventually provided a therapy droid companion who took them deep into the sublevels of this isolated psychomedical institute. They were led to the residential quarters of Mil Conwai, observing him through one-way plexiglass while they decided the best way to approach him.

"Wow, this is not what I was expecting," Laurel remarked, the blue and red streaks in her hair reflected in the glass along with her glowing golden earrings.

"I suppose it makes sense," Cham noted. "Rehabilitation efforts must be a lot more effective if the patient's comfortable in their surroundings."

Unlike the fairly spartan corridor out here, Conwai's room was plushly decorated and holoscreens projected an artificial view which gave every impression that he was still in the middle of Titanopolis. Conwai himself was laying on top of his bed, hands massaging his temples and his face utterly relaxed.

"What's the protocol here?" Phantom Girl asked the droid. "Can we go in and talk to him?"

Before the advanced automaton could reply, Mil Conwai's thin lips turned up in a crooked smile. An etheral blue flame seemed to engulf him, though it did no harm to his bed nor did it register on any security monitors. In the time it took Phantom Girl to run through the wall, Conwai was gone. Outside the room, Chuck Taine's heart sank. As much as he'd never wanted to experience Fearstorm's power again, he'd secretly hoped that the villain would be waiting for them down here at the bottom of the world...

....because this just meant his wife was going to have to face him instead.

**********

Back in Titanopolos, Ry Alger's quarters were similarly underground. Mon-El and the others hadn't had to endure the environmental extremes to which their teammates had been subjected however; in fact, Duplicate Damsel had led them on quite a pleasant afternoon walk across the city until they reached the building holding the second half of the entity named Fearstorm. The Gru Avenci Memorial Psychomedical Institute could have been mistaken for a day spa when the Legionnaires entered; smiling staff strolled about in pastel uniforms and the architecture was equally soft pastels and rounded edges. It was only when a therapy droid escorted them via turbolift to the maximum security area deep underground that the building became hard. Featureless grey walls and visible security equipment everywhere reminded some of the Legionnaires more of a prison than a place of healing.

Shrinking Violet ignored the building for a moment to consider her fellow teammates. Under almost any other circumstances, she'd bet on Duplicate Damsel and Mon-El to be able to deal with just about anything; Vi wouldn't personally have chosen the Daxamite to confront a foe whose specialty was emotional torture, but that was neither here nor there. Of the three new recruits on their squad, Vi trusted Mwindaji the most. The tracker was quiet, but studiously so. Vi had no doubt he was constantly evaluating his environment, and in the Legion's gym she'd regularly seen the intense focus he placed on self-advancement. Life Lass was another matter; she was also much more quiet than her teammates, but in her case it was clearly an expression of her low self-esteem. She seemed uncomfortable everywhere, and if Vi was honest it probably annoyed her as much as it did because Violet herself had once been that same girl. She had no real opinion on King Canary yet, she'd been on Lallor for most of his introduction to the Legion. She did find it mildly amusing that such a delicate looking creature presented himself with such gruff mannerisms, but she supposed the same could be said of herself on occasion.

While Mon-El declared himself to yet another security checkpoint, Vi took the opportunity to approach Life Lass. She'd been wanting to talk to Somi since they'd left Lallor but it was impossible to get the woman away from Evolvo Lad or Gas Girl and whenever either of those two were around, Life Lass instinctively deferred to them in just about every way. "How are you finding the Legion since you joined?" Vi asked innocently.

Life Lass flinched, seemingly shocked that anybody would acknowledge her directly at all. "It's...fine. Thank you for asking, Violet."

"Is it though?" Vi shot back.

"What do you mean..?" Life Lass asked timidly.

"It's just that you don't seem to really be all that enthusiastic about joining the Legion," Violet stated bluntly. "Someone might think you've been railroaded into it by your more assertive friends if they didn't know any better."

"That's..." Life Lass frowned slightly, then paused as she took a moment to compose her thoughts. "I know what I must seem like to you other Legionnaires," Somi chose each word carefully. "Gas Girl and Evolvo Lad are much more extroverted than I am. I'm not comfortable around most people, not like they are. The truth is--"

A chilling wave of pure fear washed over everyone present, and Life Lass involuntarily recoiled. "What on Lallor was that?"

"That was Fearstorm," Duplicate Damsel answered grimly. "Let's go, Legion!"

Mon-El surpassed everyone else, but Luornu and the other Legionnaires weren't far behind him as he sped down the corridor. One of the primary components of the psi-shielding which permeated the entire structure at this level was lead, so Mon-El was feeling uncommonly hampered as his x-ray vision was useless here. He had no problem whatsoever honing in on the source of the anxiety encompassing all of them though, the effect increased the closer he came to his foe. Anguished wails rose up from behind doorways all around them, making the situation worse. Mon didn't want to say anything which would unnerve his teammates even further, but he found it deeply concerning that Fearstorm's impact was so strongly felt given all that psi-shielding; he wasn't at all looking forward to this confrontation.

The Legionnaires all came to a sudden halt as they saw a scene straight out of Hell in the corridor before them. At the best of times there were few living staff members in this part of the institute, many of these patients suffered from violent psychoses and it was considered best to limit their exposure to other psi-sensitives as much as possible. Two Titanian therapists had been down here engaging in treatment sessions though, and Fearstorm had obviously manipulated them into freeing himself and everyone else around him. The outnumbered therapists were receiving savage beatings from some of the escaped patients while other patients injured themselves taking on the droids who worked down here. Two more patients had heard the Legion coming and turned on the heroes now with deeply unsettling grins. Above it all, a black and blue garbed figure floated in a messianic pose surrounded by an aura of blue flame. His face was little more than the suggestion of a skull, but the Legionnaires could swear that he was gazing intently at every single one of them. Mon-El was thankful that at least the psi-shielding down here was enough to dampen the powers of every other Titanian around them if not Fearstorm himself.

"He--he's different," Luornu stammered, eyes wide with horror. "He looks...sacred Trinity, he looks more inhuman than he was before."

Mon-El could hear her heart pounding as though it were being amplified throughout the room; she'd stared down Mordru and the Time Trapper without being this scared. "Luornu," the Daxamite spoke firmly but gently. "Protect those doctors until Mwindaji can heal them and then escort them out of here. You others, take care of the escapees but go easy on them. Remember, they're not well. Fearstorm's mine."

Accelerating faster than anybody else could react, Mon-El charged into Fearstorm and slammed him into a metal door at the end of the corridor hard enough to deform the door. He'd read Fearstorm's file; the composite man was durable enough to have once taken a blow from Diamond Damsel so that gave Mon-El a good starting point. As the skull-like visage looked up into Mon-El's face though, Mon wondered if he shouldn't have pulled his punch quite so much.

"Your concern for your friends is clear," Fearstorm's sepulchral voice rasped, "Even with our normal telepathic senses dampened in this place. What happens however when that concern becomes utter terror?"

Mon-El threw the man as a shroud of fear draped over the Daxamite, and Fearstorm tumbled down the corridor until he was halfway back to the other Legionnaires. The flaming villain laughed wickedly and climbed to his feet once more.

"I've been frightened before," Mon-El spoke as he advanced on Fearstorm. "I lived a thousand years with nothing but my fear--"

"Oh yes," Fearstorm interrupted him. "Thank you for reminding us, Daxamite. How awful it must have been for you to watch your loved ones die along with every legacy they'd left behind. Let's revisit that, shall we?" He bathed Mon-El with translucent blue flame, and it all came rushing back to the hero. It wasn't just the people he'd already lost...as he gazed upon Luornu, Vi and the others even now he could almost see them decaying before his eyes. Everything he'd done in his life to deal with his trauma meant nothing, he was submerged beneath this fear and sinking like a stone. Lar Gand released an ungodly howl of pain and tore straight up through the ceiling and every other ceiling above it until he reached open air, then he kept flying until he'd left Titan far behind.

Parts of the structure collapsed in on themselves as Mon-El fled, but not enough to endanger anybody else down here with Fearstorm. As the last of Duplicate Damsel's bodies carried out patients the Legion had been forced to incapacitate, Fearstorm turned on the remaining heroes.

He began to address them, but was cut off by King Canary. "No more yappin' outta you, pal...I ain't gonna let you get inta our heads like ya did Mon-El!" Like a switch being flipped, King Canary's gravelly growl was replaced by a shrill screeching sound that caused everyone in the subterranean hallway to jam their hands over their ears.

Fearstorm doubled over in pain and his outlines began to blur, but before he could succumb fully to the little bird's assault he threw King Canary a hateful glare. The avian hero screamed even louder, though with far less focus. He brought more of the roof down and left everybody present with ringing ears. The sonic onslaught ended as abruptly as it had begun, and Prince K'rk T'wiiu of Aeres dropped out of the air and lay still on the ground.

Mwindaji could hear nothing beyond the ringing in his ears, but he could see Fearstorm gloating over his victory and he noticed Shrinking Violet directing Life Lass to don her telepathic earplugs so they could communicate. It was a clever tactic, but not one that Mwindaji had time to emulate. He'd been with the Legion long enough now to have a sense of the worlds in which these people lived and there was one thing he was utterly certain of; most of them had very little familiarity with animal life. King Canary was brave, but he was still just a bird. Fearstorm may well have scared him to death, and the others would be completely oblivious to the danger. The athletic young tracker knew he'd have to trust the girls to handle Fearstorm, he was the only one who could help King Canary right now. He picked up the tiny Legionnaire, nestling him gently between cupped hands. Mwindaji could sense that his unconscious teammate was still alive, but only barely. Rest, little warrior, he thought as the white glow of his power healed King Canary's overstressed heart and the broken bones which had resulted from his fall.

While this was happening, Fearstorm stared down Shrinking Violet and Life Lass. His power kept them at bay, the Imskian too cowed to even use her power. He couldn't taunt them with this infernal ringing in his ears though, and while the building's psi-shielding barely impacted his ability to transmute one emotional state to another it did effectively block his telepathy. If he couldn't even communicate to these useless women, he saw no benefit in sticking around any longer to torture them...not when a whole planet of victims awaited him.

As Fearstorm began to follow the escape route Mon-El had conveniently carved for him, Violet tried in vain to conquer this overwhelming terror which had paralysed her. <I know I should shrink down and follow him>, she thought at Life Lass over the circuit their telepathic earplugs created, <even if it's just to monitor his whereabouts until Phantom Girl's team finds us...but I can't, Life Lass. My power just makes me smaller, more useless...I'm so useless!>

The women had to maintain physical contact for the telepathic earplugs to work down here amid all this psi-shielding, but Vi was gripping Life Lass's forearm hard enough to hurt. Somi didn't mind though, the pain was helping her focus through her own fear. <You said earlier that I didn't seem too enthusiastic about joining the Legion of Superheroes>, Life Lass returned. <The truth is, I'm not. What maniac would enthusiastically embrace this life, Violet? I've lost people I love, I'm constantly in fear of losing more friends or dying myself...do you think when I woke up this morning I wanted to fight a villain that made even Mon-El flee in terror?>

As she watched Fearstorm begin to ascend through the hole that Mon-El had made, Life Lass made her move...she wouldn't have been able to muster the courage to do this while she could still see that awful face, now was her best chance to stop him. Fearstorm was between this level and the one above them when all the debris Mon-El and King Canary had inadvertantly created crammed itself back into the space from which it had come. It jammed him in, painfully so, and then thanks to Life Lass it squeezed him harder. <I'm scared all the time>, Life Lass continued. <I'm scared and I'm anxious and I'd like nothing better than to have a husband and some kids and to spend my days caring for them away from all this insanity.>

Unable to escape the trap he found himself in, Fearstorm bellowed in pain and finally separated back into two unconscious men who fell to the floor in front of everyone when Life Lass relaxed her power. Everyone's hearing had finally begun to return now, and Somi removed her telepathic earplugs. "My power gives me a responsibility to stand against evil," Somi said out loud. "I'm not going to ignore that just because it'd make my life easier. I'm honoured to be in the Legion of Superheroes, Violet...I just wish I lived in a universe where a legion of superheroes didn't need to exist."

Having said her piece, Life Lass nervously looked away and left Vi to consider her words in silence.

**********

MARS
Husband Hill, Legion of Superheroes Headquarters

ROLL CALL
Amp aka Ming Sul: Legion Academy student; amplification of any power or characteristic
Key Kid aka Miqui Ver: Legion Academy student; ability to bypass any man-made lock

Miqui Ver rapped on the door to Amp's quarters even louder than last time. "Ming, come on! I don't wanna be late for our first day at the Legion Academy! Are you gonna make me use my power and just come in there?"

The door irised open and Key Kid's jaw dropped. "Your hair!" the young redhead exclaimed.

"I felt like a change," Amp replied simply, running her gloved hand over her freshly clippered scalp. Black fuzz now took the place of the fashionable bob she'd had in all the time the two young heroes had been acquainted. Her hairstyle wasn't the only change which had overcome the young heroine; her costume was almost identical in design, but composed now of shiny skin-tight latex rather than the more modest skirted garment she'd worn in the Heroes of Lallor. From the neck down, Amp was covered in a high gloss deep red bodysuit which looked as though it had been sprayed on. The outfit was broken up by a similarly shiny black neckpiece, belt, gloves and boots along with a hologram projected over her chest which symbolised a signal being amplified. While Key Kid took all of this in, Amp donned a red visor which completed the look.

"So what's with all of this?" Key Kid waved his hand over her as they walked toward their first class.

"I told you," Amp replied, not looking at him as she strode forward, "I felt like a change." After a brief pause, she continued. "This isn't Lallor, Miq. We've got a real chance here to learn how to be the best heroes we can be...and I need that, because I don't ever want to be as useless again as I was when Duplicate Boy turned on us back home. So I'm using this as an opportunity to reinvent myself a bit, because I don't ever want to be a victim again."

Somewhere beyond the walls of the Legion of Superheroes' headquarters, a red-haired man several years older than Amp or Key Kid watched the teens through the scope of a long-range rifle. The two blurred for a moment before he refocused on Amp so he could read the young woman's lips. "Oh, you're gonna be a victim again very soon," he gave a smug smile. "Don't you worry about that, girl."

**********

EDITOR'S NOTE: Tranquility is a heroine based on Earth's moon. You can read about her encounter with the Legion of Superheroes here

Ah, young heartbreak. Indeed, teen hysterics from Waiane. Poor Dag... Tel is gonna have to take responsibility sooner or later! (Also, Waiane is gonna have to grow up... that whole "can have a relationship thing... it's not like Tel was gonna go back to Waiane!) then again, Tel isn't the most mature either.)

Laurel and Bobb gossiping is funny Were I Bobb, I would also be a bit worried about whether Tel had all the body parts I like

Nice touch, having Chuck be Chief of Security!

Gim and Cham's friendship, I love it. Yeah, what about Tranquility? They worked well together...

Tinya's "honestly, Fearstorm isn't usually that bad!" was a nice touch.

Laurel's dyed hair is a nice touch.

Aw, Chuck's love for Lu, hoping she would not have to face Fearstorm...

Vi's thoughts on hear teammates are interesting! And on point.

Mwindaji was impressive, realizing that King Canary has an avian physiology!

Ah, poor Somi. I'm glad she got her moment to confront and articulate her fear...! And I very much respect her for fighting against that fear. Good going! What a great outing for her.

Nice change for Amp... but gosh, I wonder who this dangerous man is...

Hi IB, thanks for reading!

Tranquility was a victim of too many plates in the air at once to keep them all going, I do have plans for her to make an appearance sooner or later though!

Believe it or not, I forgot I gave Laurel the red and blue streaks till I stumbled across some old art I did just before posting this

I didn't wanna drag Life Lass's arc out forever but also I wanted to show that in this case, Vi may have been projecting a bit based on her own experiences and that sometimes a shy person is just naturally like that and they don't need to be "fixed".

Next up: Otaki! Lamprey and her space octopus! And (hopefully) a killer cliffhanger!

yay! I remember Tranquility fondly, am glad she will show up again.

Hah, I am also guilty of forgetting little details about my characters...

The Life Lass arc is interesting. On one hand, introversion and shyness are ok. On the other hand, being constantly afraid could be a liability... but then, Somi showed she can work through her fear (even against someone like Fearstorm!) ...! Brilliant, having this also be about Vi.

Yay Otaki! Yay Lamprey! Yay telepathic Space Octopus kid!

MARS
Husband Hill, Legion of Superheroes Headquarters

ROLL CALL
Dawnstar: translightspeed flight, interstellar tracking
Wildfire aka Drake Burroughs: anti-energy being

Drawing closer to the blocky building which housed both the Legion of Superheroes and the Legion Academy, Dawnstar flew a ring around Wildfire as though he were moving in slow motion and planted a kiss on his visor along her way. "I have very much enjoyed the past few days on Starhaven, Drake. Thank you for accompanying me."

"Anytime, Dawny. I think it was just what we needed, to be honest!" The anti-energy being suddenly jolted in surprise, and Dawnstar saw the cause of his shock reflected in his visor.

"Surely that can't be..." Dawnstar slowed her descent and changed direction to face the bizarre sight.

"Is that a sprocking submarine??" Wildfire exclaimed.

There was indeed a 200 foot long radiant green submarine floating down from high above, and as the two Legionnaires came closer to it they had their suspicions confirmed as to its mistress. Perched on the nose of the vessel as though she were riding a steed, Neon sat in full emerald pirate regalia. In one hand she held a hardlight replica of a primitive hand-held telescope. "Ahoy there, skylubbers!" she greeted her teammates with a cheery wave.

"Mixing your metaphors a little there, kid!" Wildfire laughed.

"This feels like one of those times we may be better not knowing," Dawnstar allowed herself an amused smile, "But what is the meaning of all this, Neon?"

"While you guys have been on leave, Phantom Girl assigned us all temporary partners to work with," Zoe Saugin explained. "I got Tellus so I thought I might as well do him a favour and pick him up from Medicus one." She rapped on the submarine beneath her and the others saw now that the entire construct was filled with a liquid methane solution which Tellus had been happily swimming around in. "How you doin' in there, buddy?" Zoe yelled through the transparent hull.

<I feel much improved, thank you Neon!> Tellus approached the hull and his contented telepathic voice washed over all of their conscious minds. <I am grateful to Medicus One for their efforts toward my wellbeing, but it feels wonderful to have more space in which to swim. Greetings, Wildfire; Dawnstar!>

Dawnstar landed on one knee next to Neon, Wildfire standing right behind her. "Hello, my friend!" she greeted Tellus, "I heard about your mishap with Alek Arcane, it is good to see that you are on your way to recovery!"

"What she said," Wildfire added. "Welcome home, big guy!"

<Thank you both> the Hykraian responded warmly. <I am pleased to--> Tellus seemed distracted for a fraction of a second before continuing, though they all noticed his telepathic voice seemed a little more wary. <--I just had the oddest sensation, but I am certain it was nothing. I am pleased to be home once more!>

**********

On the other side of Marsopolis, the young woman who called herself Otaki recoiled so hard she almost smacked her head on the wall of the cheap room she'd rented.

Otaki chided herself for her recklessness and looked around her decrepit room, her only possession a meagre bag of clothes thrown in a corner near the foot of her single bed. This room was smaller than even her dorm on Titan had been, and definitely much more run-down. However, she'd been plagued with nightmares since her disastrous trip to join the Legion of Superheroes and this had been the only way to stop those nightmares. At the same time, she'd felt some growing urge to return here to Mars again anyway. She'd resisted that urge initially, but eventually Otaki realised she was only going to find answers to the terrors which plagued her by confronting them head-on.

She was glad now that she had come back here. Some mysterious intelligence had made contact with her the first night she'd returned to this planet, and he'd been whispering in her mind each night thereafter. He'd taught her to master her power far more quickly than anyone on Titan ever did, to overcome the horrors which came to her in her sleep and even to improve her mindsense to the point where she could now spy on the Legion from afar with them (for the most part) none the wiser. She still needed to work on her abilities though, and knew that she'd extended herself dangerously today.

Otaki placated herself with the knowledge that soon, her benefactor would help her smash through those limitations just as he'd helped her smash through every limitation standing in her way till now.

...and then she would never be scared again.

**********

VAVALLA
Arcur Ryth Memorial Spaceport

ROLL CALL
Comet Queen aka Grava: flight, gas generation
Star Boy aka Thom Kallor: celestial mass-transference

As Star Boy walked through Vavalla's one spaceport, it occurred to him that Comet Queen hadn't stopped talking for more than four seconds since they'd left Mars. Thom could understand how she and Quislet had gotten along so well, the two of them were as hyperactive as one another.

"Parse me to the C-span!" Grava enthused. "Doesn't this put the super in supernova, Starshine? You know, it's your fault I'm in the Legion in the first place! Quantum coinkydink, huh?"

Thom realised she'd asked him something and felt mildly guilty that he'd started ignoring her about halfway here. "Sorry, Comet Queen...I didn't quite catch that?"

"I was just saying," the golden heroine beamed at him while waving to the many fans who stopped to gawk and record holopics, "It's gleaming bright how Phantom Girl made you and me a binary system for the week, don't you think? I wouldn't even be the cosmic crusader I am if it weren't for you!"

Star Boy gave an appreciative chuckle, though he'd always thought it was completely insane how Grava had thrown herself into the tail of a comet without the slightest concern for her safety just because she'd heard about Thom getting a temporary power increase once from a similar accident. Still, he couldn't deny that she had gained powers and she had proven herself in the Legion since then; he supposed he couldn't judge her too harshly.

"I scan them!" Grava squealed abruptly and rocketed toward the spaceport lounge, leaving harmless glittering gas in her wake. She almost bowled Lamprey over when she hugged her, before wrapping her arms around the eyeless blue and yellow cephalopod floating next to her. "Starshines! How have you been, gimme that glow!"

"Same old Grava," Lamprey greeted her. "Married life hasn't changed you, I see...speaking of which, I'm surprised you didn't bring your husband this time around!"

"Chlory's a full time sprout gardener now!" Grava replied. "We only blazed back to Mars from our honeymoon yesterday but I wanted to check in on my little rogue planet S'jn as soon as I got a chance! I brought Star Boy along for the ride, he hasn't been to Vavalla yet!"

Thom finally caught up to his errant teammate and offered Lamprey a hand. "I have been here before with Nura, but never on official Legion business...I hear you're doing quite impressively out here, Lamprey! And this must be S'jn?"

<I am honoured to meet another of Comet Queen's teammates> the hovering octopus projected at Thom. <Lamprey has told me all about the Legion of Superheroes since she has been helping me acclimatise to your space, Star Boy> The telepathic being extended a tentacle to Comet Queen and Lamprey first, then once Star Boy had seen them make contact he was next. <Shall we journey on to our home?>

Lamprey nodded her assent and while Thom wasn't entirely sure what to expect, he reached out to touch the tentacle which had been offered. An orange glow surrounded them all, then blinding strobes exploded in their eyes and they were no longer there.

When Thom Kallor's vision cleared, he found himself on a beachfront with endless blue seas ahead. Behind him, the sand gave way to a grassy hill and atop that hill sat a single level home which was all glass and exposed beams. "Wow," Star Boy rubbed his eyes. "I could do without the eye strain, but that didn't even feel like we were moving! How far did we just teleport?"

"43 local miles," Lamprey replied as she walked up the sand accompanied by Comet Queen and the floating S'jn. "And that's nothing, you should see when they really want to show off! You coming, Star Boy? That good for nothin' boyfriend of mine must have drinks ready for us all by now!"

Thom trudged uphill, wishing he'd thought to bring a change of clothes as he saw Lamprey direct Grava to a bathroom where she could don the bathing suit she'd brought in a backpack slung over one shoulder. Star Boy's distinctive costume covered him from the neck down and wasn't really ideal for this part of Vavalla at this time of year. Besides that, his beard itched.

Once he was closer to the house, Thom saw that they weren't as isolated as he'd first assumed. A road led away from the house and though Thom couldn't see any other buildings thanks to strategically placed tree cover, he could see air and water vehicles departing and arriving in the distance. A young Vavallan man sat at an outdoor table setting with enough iced beverages for all of them. A mop of fashionably unruly brown hair partially obsured his shiny black eyes, giving his smirk a roguish quality as he greeted S'jn who'd obviously just said something to him telepathically. "You must be Turtle?" Star Boy asked the athletic blue-skinned man. "Comet Queen told me about you on the way over here. I'm--"

"--Star Boy," Turtle completed the introduction as he handed Thom a glass of lemon scented liquid. "The suit kinda gives you away, Legionnaire."

Thom chuckled as he sat down opposite Turtle. Lamprey and Comet Queen soon joined them, both of them in shiny metallic bathing suits which were distractingly similar to their individual skin tones. "What's up with this?" Lamprey held the skintight sleeve of Turtle's brown costume between two webbed fingers. "You expecting the Fatal Five to attack?"

"Come on, Gorgeous!" Turtle protested. "Every time your Legion buddies visit we end up neck deep in some crazy superhero thing...at least me and Star Boy will be dressed for it this time around!" He held his glass up toward Thom with a cheeky grin.

"...and he calls me uptight," Lamprey laughed.

While Lamprey, Turtle, Star Boy and Comet Queen made small talk, S'jn floated off to keep theirself entertained by the seaside. "This place is hypernova gleaming by the way, starshine!" Grava enthused, looking over her stylish home. "How do you afford a mega-station like this on Science Police creds?"

Lamprey buried her face in one hand. "Ugh, it's kind of embarassing..."

"Daddy bought it!" Turtle beamed, knowing full well how annoying Lamprey found this story. "So, it's no big secret this gal domesticated ya boy Turtle...but I wasn't always the fine upstandin' member of society I am now, which caused some friction with my very rich dad Senator Shujim Tarka himself back in the day. So when Tayla here got me on the straight 'n' narrow and helped me patch things up with my family, Dad went and upgraded her crib to say thanks!"

"That's...quite some gift," Star Boy's eyes widened.

"I had to talk him down from giving me house staff as well," Lamprey groaned. "Anyway...Turtle, go get us some more drinks. Grava, could you be a sweetie and help him?"

"Mission accepted!" Comet Queen stood bolt upright and snapped out a military salute before she and Turtle raced one another into the kitchen.

Once both of them were in the house, Lamprey leaned across to Star Boy and spoke in a slightly more serious tone. "So there's something I wanted to run by you while Comet Queen's out of earshot..."

"Me..?" Thom was puzzled; he didn't recall ever having had a full conversation with Lamprey before today.

"I mean not you specifically but another Legionnaire," the green-skinned girl clarified. "You know, one who umm...someone whose opinion might carry more weight than Grava's. Don't get me wrong...I know she's great and her good qualities sure stand out a lot more when you're not in a school class with her driving you space crazy every day, but I'm glad one of the more old-school Legionnaires came out here today as well."

"Okay, well...you've got my curiosity piqued!" Star Boy admitted. "What is it, Lamprey?"

She looked down at the blue and yellow octopus floating just above the water a couple of metres from the shore. "It's S'jn....we've found out more about their people since S'jn was exiled here on Vavalla, and unfortunately I don't think they're even from our dimension. I don't see how we're ever going to reunite them...or rescue anyone else S'jn's people have abducted for that matter, but one thing at a time I guess...but the thing I wanted to run by you is that I think they'd be a really good candidate for the Legion Academy. They can teleport interstellar distances and that range is only going to improve as they get older; their telepathy and telekinesis is nowhere near as powerful as say Tellus, but it's still useful...they're incredibly intelligent and they really want to use their gifts to help people. We've even picked out a superhero name, we--"

"We got choices!" An oblivious Turtle hollered as he and Comet Queen emerged from the house weighed down with different jugs of fluid.

"Pick my one!" Comet Queen flew out in front of him, a stack of glasses awkwardly nestled in one arm while she carried a full jug of some twinkling multi-hued beverage in her free hand. "I made it up all by myself, it's called a Rainbow Nebula and--"

"Bogdan!!" Lamprey suddenly screeched Turtle's real name as she and Star Boy almost knocked their chairs over standing up. Grava saw their reactions and heard the discordant shattering of glass behind her. She spun mid-flight to see Turtle disappearing into the blue skies above, carried by someone in a suit with enormous artificial wings.

Almost simultaneously, they all heard S'jn's calm telepathic voice in their heads. <Lamprey, Legionnaires; we have visitors and their intentions do not seem friendly>

Indeed, emerging from the water around S'jn were a Vavallan man and woman. The woman had dark auburn hair slicked back tight against her scalp which exploded into a mass of wet curls where she'd tied it back. She wore a maroon bodysuit with tan accents, and two intercrossing belts which hung loosely at her hips. From these belts, she drew two golden cutlasses embossed with some kind of red jagged and twisting patterns. The man was a bald behemoth, easily 6'9" and solid muscle. Ancient Vavallan tribal tattoos covered his bare arms and one side of his scalp. He bore a gleaming white trident in his meaty arms and a mean snarl on his face. Both of them had a blue-green circle printed on the chest of their outfits, a symbol inside the circle resembling waves in motion.

"Comet Queen!" Star Boy barked. "Go after Turtle, but be careful! Remember, he's invulnerable but you're not!"

"S'jn!" Lamprey cried out immediately after. "Star Boy and I can handle these two, you go back up Grava and Turtle...and what he said about being careful!"

"Embarassing selection of last words if you ask me," the red-haired woman gave a wry smile as she slashed out toward S'jn with one golden blade. The strange eyeless cephalopod had already begun manifesting their power however, and by the time the woman's weapon had completed its path through the air S'jn had vanished in a flash of orange light.

Star Boy immediately took to the air, taking attention away from Lamprey who was trying as covertly as possible to make her way toward the water where she'd be able to put her powers to use. "I hope you two have something going for you aside from ancient weapon fetishes," Thom announced, "Because this is going to be way too easy otherwise."

"Why don't you show him what you've got going for you, White Trident?" the woman flashed her much larger comrade a quick glance.

"Whatever you say, Cutlass." With surprising speed, the man named White Trident spun his namesake weapon until it was facing Thom. The three tines vibrated and an ear-piercing sonic assault warped the air before it. Star Boy managed to evade the brunt of the attack, but even so he felt as though it may have broken some ribs. Crying out in pain, Star Boy was blasted out of the air and only judicious use of his flight ring enabled him to break his fall in some nearby shrubbery.

In the time it took Thom Kallor to extricate himself from the vegetation, White Trident had already made his way up the hill and was levelling his weapon for another attack. "Thanks, but once is enough!" Thom grunted. He reached out and the dark aura of his power enveloped the trident, causing it to drop where it sank half an inch into the lawn.

White Trident tried to pick up his weapon for a couple of seconds before he realised it was futile and advanced on Star Boy unarmed. "I'm twice your size and adapted to ocean pressure," the giant blue man sneered. "I don't need my trident to take you apart, Legionnaire."

"Oh no," Star Boy deadpanned. "I've never had to face anyone more physically powerful than myself, whatever will I do."

Thom presented a cocky attitude, but he hoped he could deal with his foe quickly; he was only even standing upright thanks to his flight ring. He reached out again toward White Trident and brought his power to bear. The big man slowed as he felt his mass increase, but he kept pushing forward. Even when he could only drag one foot in front of the other in something less than a shamble, he kept coming. White Trident collapsed to one knee, but with a herculean effort he pushed himself back up again and he kept coming. Then finally, his last physical resources exhausted, the bald giant collapsed face-down not even ten feet from Thom Kallor. Once he was confident the man wasn't getting back up, Star Boy released the breath he'd been holding in and as gently as possible floated down to lay on the cool grass himself.

**********

Oblivious to Star Boy's struggle, Lamprey and Cutlass had begun circling one another warily on the beach. "What do you creeps want with Turtle?" Lamprey demanded.

"You won't be around long enough for it to matter, cop." Cutlass swiped playfully at Lamprey, causing her to take a step back. "If you want information though I'll tell you this much - we're under specific instructions to take you out. Your pals are just extra coral on the reef."

Lamprey realised she'd taken a step closer to the sea and kept backing up in that direction. "You obviously know who I am if you know I'm a Science Police officer," she pushed. "Do you know how much trouble you'd be in for killing an SP? Not to mention members of the Legion of Superheroes!"

Cutlass gave a hearty laugh as she slashed lazily at the air where Lamprey had been. "Girl, we're the Aquamarines...do you really think we give a qrot about the Science Police? And even the Legion of Superheroes are no match for us in our natural element; let them come look for us, we'll turn the ocean red with their blood!"

Lamprey hoped the shock she felt hadn't registered on her face. The Aquamarines were Vavalla's most infamous criminal mercenaries; she had no doubt the Legion of Superheroes could take them down, but she wasn't so sure about her chances. What have you gotten yourself into now, Bogdan? she pondered fearfully.

"Go on then," Cutlass motioned for the open water with one of her swords. "Aren't you going to take this underwater where you can finish me off with your special powers, Officer Skott?"

Lamprey scowled hatefully at the woman...she'd been playing with her all along! "Oh, it's on." Tayla turned and ran, diving into the clear blue waters as soon as she was deep enough to be submerged. Powerful leg muscles propelled her off-shore, till soon she was immersed fully in the embrace of the ocean.

Naturally evolved for ocean life, Cutlass was a more accomplished swimmer than even Lamprey and she caught up to her prey almost immediately. Before she could close the range, Lamprey let loose with a bio-electric blast which lit up her surrounds like a flashbulb and sent a school of wide-tailed fish fleeing. Without breaking stride, Cutlass intercepted the energy blast with one of her swords and absorbed it harmlessly.

"Surprised?" Cutlass grinned wickedly. "Your fancy powers don't mean qrot to me, not while I've got these babies!" She intercepted another blast, then slashed out toward Lamprey. Tayla ducked down beneath the swordstrike, but it cut off most of her long train of green hair.

Lamprey realised just how much faster, stronger and more skilled this woman was and for the first time she was beginning to wonder how she'd get out of this in one piece. Before she could resolve that question, her world exploded into pain as the hilt of one of Cutlass's swords smashed straight into her temple.
Reeling, Lamprey clutched on to her consciousness with an iron grip. She was dimly aware of Cutlass raising twin blades over her, but couldn't shake this haze enough to do anything about it. Finally, crying out in fear and frustration, the young Terran mutate forced her bio-electric power to radiate omnidirectionally. It wasn't a natural use of her abilities and it pained her as much as anything Cutlass might do, but Cutlass's blades couldn't block a power which encompassed her entirely. Both women passed out without realising that Lamprey's desperate gambit had just saved her own life.

**********

Miles away, a man in a blue bodysuit which was so pale as to almost be white soared masterfully through Vavallan skies. He'd snared Turtle by his belt, and the invulnerable youth had no leverage to be able to do anything about it. "I recognise you," Turtle yelled over the wind. "You're Skyfin, right? From the Aquamarines? Why the sprock do you guys care about any of us??"

The man named Skyfin looked down, an enormous curved visor hiding all of his face except his patronising sneer. "We don't care about you, kid. We care about creds...and the lady who hired us is paying us enough creds for your nass that we'll all be able to buy our own resorts after this!"

"What? What lady?!" Turtle was honestly clueless. There were plenty of angry women in his past, but none angry enough to pay Vavalla's most accomplished mercenary group to kidnap him...besides which, that life was far behind him. It had taken him an awfully long time to earn Lamprey's trust and he absolutely understood why that was, but he really did care about her. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been with another woman before Tayla.

"No more talk," Skyfin's finned helmet jerked up as he ascended swiftly. "Time for you to meet Torpedo." The flying man released his grip, and Turtle plummeted helplessly toward the ocean thousands of feet below.

"Starshine!" He suddenly heard Comet Queen's voice. "Don't let your orbit decay, I'll save you!" He saw the golden woman speeding straight at him, and then saw twin mini-missiles speeding straight at her.

"Comet Queen, no! Get away from me, look behind you!" Grava turned her head, and veered off-course with a frown. One of the projectiles careened straight into Turtle, and just before it struck him he saw it had the same color and finned wing design as the man who'd just carried him out here. The explosion meant nothing to Turtle, but he and Comet Queen had the same realisation; the second one would most certainly kill her if it hit her.

Sophisticated homing technology kept the 7" missile on Grava's path and she considered her options. They were in the middle of nowhere, nothing around them but the occasional cloud and nothing below them but ocean. She didn't want to risk luring the missile to hit Skyfin himself, for all Grava knew he was no more durable than she was. She could lead it to the ocean's surface, but this was a world of amphibians; how could she ensure there'd be nobody impacted underwater? No, there was only one way Grava could see out of this and she just hoped Turtle would understand.

Looking back quickly to make sure the weapon was still on her tail, Grava made a beeline straight for the falling Turtle. "Sorry, Starshine!" she yelled as she zipped straight past him. Turtle just rolled his eyes and sighed as the second missile exploded against his indestructible hide.

Comet Queen had shot off as soon as she was certain the missile was going to hit Turtle, and as she twisted around in mid-air she saw him break the ocean's surface like a small man-shaped meteorite. As much as Grava wanted to go after him, she knew that she had to take care of Skyfin first. Hands balled into fists and a childish pout on her golden face, Comet Queen ascended again and scoured the skies for her enemy.

A man with enormous finned wings was not difficult to spot in open blue skies, and soon Grava was flying straight at him. "That was really mean, by the way!" she shouted. "Like hungry ultra-beast mean, you...you dumb flying fish!"

"I'm a mean fellow," the villain countered, shooting two more missiles from hidden mounts on his forearms. "So sue me."

Comet Queen executed a corkscrew turn which led the clumsier missiles to collide with one another and while the resulting explosion didn't hurt her, the shockwave sent her flying head over heels. She instantly created thick plumes of obscuring gases in her wake as she tumbled, buying herself a moment to recover within the protective darkness of her makeshift cloud cover. Darn it, Bouncy! she protested internally, You always said bad guys slip up when they're mad! That was the nastiest thing I could think of to call him and he didn't even sound a little bit angry! She had to keep flying around to keep the smokescreen intact this high up, the winds would dissipate her power in moments if she relaxed. At least she was hidden from him here though, and she didn't think his stupid homing missiles would work in here or he would already have used them.

As Comet Queen was considering her next move, Skyfin suddenly shot down from above and drove a fist into her solar plexus. Comet Queen screamed and doubled over in pain, falling through her own cloud cover. "You're smarter than you look," Skyfin threw Grava a backhanded compliment. "Then again, you'd have to be. My mini-missile homing systems don't work great in these asinine clouds of yours, but this UV visor?" He tapped the visor which obscured most of his face. "That works just fine." He levelled his missile launchers again now that they were back in clear blue skies, but Grava simply created more plumes of gas to hide herself.

This is like...surfing an event horizon stupid, Grava chastised herself, and not even in a fun way! I'm faster than this guy and I'm a proper interstellariffic superhero! There's gotta be some way I can beat him, I just need one idea! Just one nova bright... Her eyes widened with glee and Grava focused on creating as much cloud cover as she could over as wide an area as possible. She very subtly ascended as she flew, creeping higher and higher up until the winds were finally too strong for her to combat. She could see Skyfin's silhouette rocketing up toward her, and hovered in place waiting for him to penetrate the final clouds of gas which barred his way.

Comet Queen's gaseous trail certainly didn't absorb all UV light, but it absorbed enough that Skyfin didn't realise where she'd led him until it was far too late. The moment he exited her smokescreen of clouds and was in the open air again, he was more than twenty thousand feet high and looking straight into the afternoon sun. Skyfin released an involuntary yelp as the sudden influx of ultraviolet radiation overloaded his visor and left him functionally blind. He was a professional and he recovered almost instantly from the shock, but while he was recalibrating his visor he felt Comet Queen's three-toed foot shatter both the visor and his nose. Skyfin went limp and fell down toward the ocean far below, Grava speeding after him with heartfelt apologies about his face.

**********

Tens of thousands of feet below and behind them, Turtle had broken the water's surface with enough force to pulverize any normal man. Even with his invulnerable hide the impact winded him, and he'd only just begun to recover his bearings when out of nowhere some behemoth in an armoured suit tackled him at high speed. Turtle knew that this must be Torpedo, the Aquamarines' personal cannonball. He tried to squirm out of the much larger man's grip, but it was pointless. Torpedo held him tight enough that he'd have broken anybody else's bones. The two men travelled over an undersea resort and scattered a school of ferocious razorsharks in their high-speed travel through Vavalla's blue waters. When the taciturn villain finally slowed his path, Turtle had no idea where they were anymore. Torpedo rose to the surface and launched himself indelicately onto the deck of a waiting hydrofoil. He flung Turtle across the deck as though he were nothing more than a fisherman's catch, and a voluptuous woman in a hot pink dress draped in gold jewellery emerged from below deck. Her hair reached her calves and was a much paler shade of pink, and she wore something resembling an oversized golden neck brace which obscured the lower third of her face.

"The others haven't reported in," the woman announced as though Turtle weren't even there.

"I will investigate," Torpedo spoke for the first time. "This doesn't change the mission."

"Of course not," the woman agreed. "Smooth wake, Torpedo."

Torpedo's rounded helmet nodded, and he leaped back into the water without another word. The beautiful Vavallan woman that he left behind turned to face Turtle just as he was beginning to get his bearings. "Hello Bogdan," she greeted him with a voice that sounded like a choir of angels. "My name is Sirensong, I want to take you with me on a journey. Would you like to come with me?"

Already mildly disoriented from the rough journey here, Turtle never stood a chance; something about this woman's voice inspired utter devotion. Unable to respond verbally, he nodded enthusiastically and waited for her next command.

"That's lovely," Sirensong continued, "Ms Savage will be so pleased."

Before she could carry on, Sirensong suddenly felt the wet pressure of a tentacle between her golden vocal device and her mouth. Effectively gagged, all she could do was grunt innefectively as Turtle came to his senses. As soon as his head cleared, he realised that she'd been controlling his mind until S'jn's timely arrival; the cephalopod floated behind her now, their tentacles holding her in place while simultaneously preventing her from speaking any commands.

<I apologise that I was not able to act sooner> S'jn projected to Turtle. <Those men were too fast for me to be able to discern your location>

"Better that you didn't," Turtle replied. "Those guys were a lot tougher than Candyfloss Queen here, Lamprey woulda killed me if I let you get hurt."

Sirensong finally wriggled one arm free, and reached for a blade secretly strapped to one leg beneath her dress. "Gimme that," Turtle's hand closed around the bladed edge and he snatched it away from the glaring woman. "Did you not just hear me say Lamprey would kill me if I let this little hero get hurt? You can have a nap for that." He bopped her on the top of her head and Sirensong slumped in S'jn's tentacles. Turtle turned to S'jn and hid the trepidation he was feeling behind a deliberately glib tone. "Thanks for the save, pal! Let's leave this charmer here and head back to the others, huh?"

<You do not wish to take Sirensong with us?> S'jn queried. <I believe Lamprey would-->

"No sense draggin' trouble where it don't need to be," Turtle interrupted. "These squajes are gonna want to lick their wounds, and we gotta make sure all of our guys are okay too."

S'jn lowered Sirensong to the boat's deck, and then extended a tentacle toward Turtle so they could teleport away. Turtle was suddenly very glad that S'jn's telepathy was mainly restricted to voluntary communications because one thought dominated Bogdan Tarka's mind right now and he knew that thought would be flashing like a neon sign to any other telepath.

Persephone Savage had come to claim her debt, and Turtle had no idea at all what he was going to do about it.

**********

MARS
Husband Hill, Legion of Superheroes Headquarters

ROLL CALL
Key Kid aka Miqui Ver: Legion Academy student; ability to bypass any man-made lock

While he waited for his transport outside Legion Headquarters, Miqui Ver tapped his foot and mouthed the words to the lyrics of Venturan pop star Klassi Kai's newest track which was playing on the music device inobtrusively coiled around his left ear. Catching something in his peripheral vision, he looked up and saw Colossal Boy and Nightwind flying away on some mission or another. Miqui felt a pang of jealousy; he'd love to have a flight ring of his own some day. A big goofy smile crossed his face as he realised that might actually be in his future now that he was officially a student at the Legion Academy.

For now though, he was forced to wait for his aircab just like anybody else in Husband Hill. He was surprised that Amp had left a message on his omnicom suggesting they catch up in downtown Marsopolis tonight, but it was a happy surprise. She'd been so intense since what happened with the others on Lallor and Miqui had no idea how to help her. He didn't really even know how to process any of it himself. The idea that their whole lives had been fabricated, that he and Amp were the only ones left of the small group he'd thought of as his family...his eyes watered and he choked up, covering it with a cough even though nobody around him was looking twice at some kid just waiting for a ride. Don't think about it, he cautioned himself. Just go out and have fun and be there for Ming, she needs you now.

His aircab finally arrived, beeping politely as it lowered into the space marked for it. "Sorry I'm late," the driver announced as the back door whooshed open for Miqui to climb in, "Big accident a couple kliks away, lotta traffic being diverted."

"Maybe that's where Colossal Boy and Nightwind were going..." Miqui mused out loud. "I thought all these cabs were automated!" he added once he was in the vehicle. "I didn't expect a real life driver...no offence!"

The driver's face was hidden from Miqui sitting behind him as their cab rose into the sky once more, but the teenager could hear him clearly. "No offence taken, Key Kid...none at all."

It took a moment to dawn on the young Lalloran, but he felt a shiver run down his spine as soon as he realised what the driver had said and he leaned closer to the full head of coppery red hair in front of him. "...What did you just call me..?" He also realised that the cab was climbing higher than the surrounding traffic. Miqui hadn't been on Mars very long, but he knew that only traffic heading out of town needed to be this high. "...Wait, you know I'm going in to Marsopolis, right? Which way are we going?"

Activating the vehicle's autopilot, the driver turned around in his seat with a predatory sneer. He had a thick handlebar moustache, and a black patch covered one eye. "I know exactly who you are, Key Kid...and I know exactly where you're going. And I gotta tell you, it's nowhere near Marsopolis."

Then he drew a gun and shot Miqui Ver in the face.






EDITOR'S NOTES:
* Lamprey and Turtle's relationship has progressed mostly off-panel as this is a Legion of Superheroes fanfic and not an Adventurers of Vavalla fanfic, but if you wanna refamiliarise yourself with their buddy S'jn, that story can be found here
* I was gonna give y'all some background on Persephone Savage but I'm curious if anyone remembers her and if not, she's happy being a mysterious plot seed for now anyway

more fun stuff, raz! I loved every bit of the battles on Vavalla. Nice power use, making each enemy threatening... Persephone Savage sounds scary... good to see more of S'ijn again. Nice to see Lamprey thinking of next steps too. Loved hearing Grava's thoughts firsthand as well. And Thom's snark in the face of danger, is so Thom.

Any reason you had the Dawny/Wildfire on Starhaven bit happen offscreen? Just curious if you have a curveball planned

interested to see who the other buddy Legionnaire pairs are! Zoe/Tellus is inspired, they are quite opposite indeed.

Oooh, Otaki... so curious to see the endgame...

and Key Kid! Gosh! The message from Amp was a fake maybe?

things are developing fast...

Hi IB, thanks for reading! I am thinking about writing up a separate mini-adventure to follow up on the Vavalla stuff so we might get to see a bunch of those guys again soon before too long! I like those bad guys too much to let them go after one story

re Dawny & Wildfire: to me, the important bit was getting them to a stage where they could just open up to each other a bit and move their relationship out of that constant toxic space they've been stuck in forever - I didn't really wanna spend too much time writing more heartfelt drawn out confessions and whatnot, they will get some more detailed exploration at some stage though

I initially threw in the pairing up different Legionnaires thing as a throwaway idea but afterwards I sat down and did actually pair everyone off, so we'll see if that comes up with anything fun moving forward!

...and Otaki's story is gonna stay simmering for a while, but I don't think it is giving anything away to say next instalment we are gonna see some pretty intense follow-up to poor Key Kid's ending!

those WERE some interesting bad guys!

agree re the choice to skip Dawny/Wildfire and just show the effects of their trip.

can't wait to see what happens to poor Key Kid!

Hi Raz,

it seems a I have quite a bit to catch up on and so I'll be posting my thoughts as I read.

Saturn's rings:
- Sturt takes away the tension in such a good way. that i can't help but love his lines.
- Mwindai's fighting to get away and barely escaping with IKII was well done.
- King Canary is super brave and i like that he has tactics with his powers. I look forward to how the Legion will help him expand on what he can do.
- IKII new amped powers cut off communications too? Invisible to everything has definitely taken on new meaning.
- Brin is so good at what he does. but even he has limits and i like that.
- That moment where Strut and King Canary both call out Zombies and then leading to Mwindai's white lantern powers activating was awesome.

Earth:
Wow, I was scared that Garth was really going to get eaten by these Zombie Martians.
Loved Lullaby Lad and how he kept pushing himself to try and stop them.
the description you used to describe how he felt when Glorith's power's touched him was great. I've never given thought to how the magical taint might feel to someone not used to/magical at all. it was like the magic ripped at his soul. They say there's always a cost for the user. But I wonder if there's a cost for power fusion?
Garth trying to recall history in those moments was well done and showcased his personality well. History isn't everyone's strong suit.
When Fire Lass and Dragonwing rejoined the fight, man those zombie martians are done for!

Shanghi colonies:
"Since when did you become a fighter pilot?" lol i had to laugh at this because that is completely how i envision Zoe, brassy and ballsy and take charge!
Dragonmage is crazy powerful but i love the respect he brings to that power. Because his home is protected by Zhulong i wonder if Dramgonmage has ever had to call on him before? could their be a bigger connection between them?
Zoe's reaction was well described to the Martians demise.

i love the visuals your painting with these sections so much!

Demios:
Haha. Dream Girl's reaction to those teens in the trees was good, i wish more horror movies had people talk like that. the whole running up a "tree" or upstairs is always the worst idea. But always the one people seem to go with. lol
Loved that Mon-el and Sunboy figured out at the same time that this was all a distraction. ,
I have to agree with Dream girl, that i enjoy Blok as a character so much more with the shazam powers added to him.

Mars:
Alec Arkane is scary and i could only imagine how much more powerful he'd be if he had gotten his hands on Ivy.
watching him take out the team and mutilating some of them was harsh.
Comet Queen, so fierce and protective but glad PG reminded her to get the civilians out of there.
loved Rainbow girl's rescues. That's a great use of the idea of rainbows. Light travels everywhere. so it makes sense.
OMGOSH! Elastic lad? that moment when he asked Brek about his arm was heart breaking. i wonder how this will affect him going forward. i hope we don't lose his hopefulness as he's one of the few characters whose constant cheer doesn't get on my nerves.
I love Chlor's wooden armor. The way you described it growing over him was really well done.
I really liked his plan even though it was super risky. i wonder if he could have guided Ivy to create the right plants he needed as a protector of the Green's avatar.
The inventive use of the teams powers are always on display in your work and i love it. especially when the team knows how to utilizes each other's powersets like Chlor did with Phantom Girl's.

Lallor:
that tech does sound amazing and so do those canyons. but of course something so beautiful is just as deadly.
Gas Girl altering like that totally gave me the wrong idea until i read the editors note and remembered what she was up to.

Mars:
Jo and Tinya are always cute. Their playful banter is really well done. I honestly didn't think she had her own quarters.



I laughed pretty hard at this exchange. I guess some were hoping Comet Queen would take a big break too. lol
i'm glad your highlighting the relationships between the long time legionnaires and the subs who have moved up to the main team. its always interesting to see the dynamics. It brings up a good question though about how much they all notice changes within the team and how their questioned or in this case not questioned. The same could be said for Blok who inherited the Shazam power. Now i know the Shazam power which is typically good but just like with how Tinya's admitting she should have questioned Ral's upgrade more that might lead to some questions about Blok...or maybe even Zoe.
Are things like this only questioned when they don't help the Legion?
Tinya being scared by the Ral makes sense. The green just wants Ivy protected and Ral "sacrificing" everyone for the "green's greater good" is something i could see coming to pass.

Lallor:
what a tense meeting.
I'm totally with the New Lallor recruits and their anger is totally justified. But i'm glad they were willing to sit back and listen.
Yeah Cham really did bury the lead there.
As you know I am not really a Dawnstar fan but that moment before she spoke to the Lallorian team and then what she said was perfect. it sent some chills down my spin for sure.
Dominators!!
Damn, some good work done by the team. But that definetly went south quick.
So are they clones? or sentients abducted and given meta-powers? or unlocked the natural Lallorian meta-gene?
That creepy laugh...
B.I.O.N... i'll have to look him up.

After reading the comments after this post i get it they were abducted. i went back and reread the part about their families all dying and it makes more sense now.

Medicus one:
I think we are all thankful for Cham and his deep pockets.
I'm glad they were able to help Tellus. But i do wonder if the white lantern light could heal tellus.
awww that is super sweet of Color Kid. He brings up a good point about Tellus and the others not socializing as much.
Dr. Gym'll hahaha. i love his reactions. But now i'm scared for Elastic Lad....

Lallor:
Wow this mission was brutal. i can't believe so much has changed after this.
That battle Duplicate Boy was so effective!
Damit DawnStar get out of there!
I did love his battle with Vi and how she almost had him.
Damn it Brittle!!!
I hope Dawnstar can find him.
The moment you where Vi finds all the chaos was wow. poor Rain girl.

Vi and Dawnstar's moment was great and I'm so glad she finally said something to someone about the future possession thing. Vi is totally right. She's gotta change and open up. Maybe this will and i look forward to the possible friendship between these two. Vi makes so many good points about her own abduction and I understand her a bit better now too.
Amp's power is crazy scary when its applied like that.

Lallor meta-less? i wonder what the bigger plan is there....
I hope all the meta's from Lallor can find a place within the Legion, if the can't join the team.

Dawnstar and Wildfires moment was super sweet. I'm glad her talk with Vi really is paying off and that she's opening up to him. I've never read anything with Starhaven in it. I'm interested to see what its like.
I like that she is finally letting down her guard. When they laughed about her bad piloting, was a really good moment and one that finally is making me start to like her a little bit.

Loving the art work! it helps paint a really good picture for your updated looks on these characters!

I really enjoyed the meeting and I like that Tinya is bringing back this program,. I always enjoy seeing random groups together that we don't always get.
Life lass not happy to be with the legion? aww well maybe she's ready to just retire...

Color Kid and Light Lad. it be funny if E-lad ended up with them as a trio for the week.
Can you refresh my memory about the mind meld thing with Light Lad?

Exploring Cadmu could be fun....and then the danger happens lol. Gotta love it.
Its interesting look into Light Lad's mindset. It interesting that after all this time he's still apprehensive about jumping into battle. especially in contrast to Color Kid. But i wonder if that has to do more with when they got into the hero game and maybe for what reasons. Light Lad, seems more out of convenience and wanting helping out his powers than wanting to be a hero. But i guess a sense of fear is good for this kind of work.

I''m gonna go out on a lime where and say someone recently saw Godzilla vs King Cong and just wanted giant beast battles. lol
Are they all made of stone? if so could this have something to do with Alek Arcane...?
Giant Turtle Boy can get bigger?
so wait Cadmu made these creatures? but why?
Wish Girl? idk why but the outfit makes me think flight attendant... She did this to get Elastic Lad's attention?
"Ugh boys." made me laugh a little because all i could think about a 12 year old pretending to be grown.
I'm with Light Lad, Cadmu is completely crazy. Awesome save Elastic lad but that's it for her....shouldn't she idk be reprogramed or something...

Mars:
Crystal Kid and Gravity Kid have their first date! their drunken moment is really cute. i like the playfulness between them.
aww sweet! wait what? Lullaby Lad catches them?

Ouch...that subs crack from Lullaby Lad damn. i knew the subs were disrespected and i've commented before on how their treated but that line i think was a bit much for me...like i know he's hurt by seeing this but really Waiane?

Man, something tells me when Stone Boy and Gravity Lad next chat it's not going to go well.

Titan:
Fearstorm is back? oh boy.
i gotta say i love how they all finish each other's sentences but they aren't talking over each other. its more natural sounding than what we got in the main series from Bendis.
Uhmm...something seems off about Titan and it not letting at least one of them leaving Titan. and Plush surroundings...Yeah this seems almost staged.
loving Vi's observations about her teammates.
I agree about Mon-El. I probably wouldn't have chosen him for the team either. He's too powerful sometimes and when his emotions are released i don't want to be anywhere near the him.
Vi kind of hating Life Lass makes sense. its the thing about herself she hates more. So of course she'd hate it in her too.
And I was right. don't want to be near Mon-El. He left Titan?! how far does Fearstorms' power reach? i'd think once he got to the upper atmosphere he'd be clear of the influence.
His fear of losing everyone, its the one thing you'd think he'd gotten past.
Love that Life Lass took out Fearstorm at the last moment before he got to the surface. i was scared to see where that would go if he did.

Finally someone has said it! Life lass, makes a good point. Great power = great responsibility. sadly its true. But maybe Somi can find a balance or maybe the academy might be a better place?

Mars:
Wow, Amp really felt like a change i guess. But i do like the shaved head look for her. Aww she sees herself as a victim? This has some foreboding to it. idk i can see this new attitude causing some issues.
Wait whose coming for Amp now? is that Duplicate Boy watching from a far?

Yay! Tellus is back! trust that instinct and look into this!
oh no...Otkia has been corrupted even more? What could be pulling her to the Legion this time and will her fears really be dealt with?

Star Boy and Comet Queen? yeah a duo I've never seen together. Thank you for the reminder that she got her powers because of Star Boy.
As much as i know its a running gag to not pay attention to Grava I wish people would. idk it just makes feel some type of way with her dismissal. Probably because it reminds me of how the subs are treated and then all the things i've heard about how the team used to be back in the day with their auditions. I know newer stories have gone far to redeem the team but moments like this or how the subs are treated reminds me of their jerkish behavior and how sometimes it seems like the legion needs to be a bit more diverse. (Which you've done a great job with Strut and King Canary).

oo more Lamprey and Turtle!
I agree with Lamprey that S'jn should be at the academy. But i don't know why she didn't contact the academy directly or even Lu for that matter for a good word. It's not like she doesn't have those connections.
Good Work Grava! always keep trying and thinking. loved that she outwitted him before punching him in the visor!
Great save by S'jn!
Persephone Savage? any relation to Vandal Savage???

Wow Raz this has a great bunch of post and a fun ride. I'm really excited for what's going to be coming next!

Hi Omni, I haven't had as much time online to give your post as much attention as I wanted to till now so let's go!

Strut seems to be the new fan favourite and he is so much fun to write so I'm glad y'all like him

I feel like I tend to give Saturn Girl way more attention than Lightning Lad when I use them, so I thought Garth was due some spotlight...the students are gonna get a lot more attention themselves in the next instalment as well (although they might wish they hadn't by the end of it)

Dragonmage's pre-Legion training is definitely something I wanna explore more at some stage but with 40-50 characters it might be a while...he and Zoe being friends is more fun than I thought it would be though because he's such a reserved quiet achiever and like you said, she's brassy and ballsy and take charge so they make a good contrast in that respect

I was pretty happy with Elastic Lad's scene with Polar Boy, glad it had the desired effect! As you have seen by now, he's a weirdo Cadmian so it didn't keep him down for long haha...on that note, probably the short answer to anything Cadmu related is that place is just nuts


Pretty much! On some level it's not super realistic, but it's one of those suspension of disbelief things I think you need to accept where it'd bog the story down too much if every time someone had a power boost they had to be shown to be checked out exhaustively and then any potential issues got nipped in the bud before they ever got to become a plot element.

Violet has kinda snuck in to some more interactions lately than she generally gets, I hadn't really planned it that way but we'll see if it takes her anywhere from here....

When I get some time I'll try and dig up the link, but Light Lad and Timber Wolf were paired up last time the Legion did this little exercise - they still had beef back then and were forced to work together to save a Titanian girl who'd been taken hostage, and as part of that adventure she accidentally merged Timber Wolf and Light Lad's minds and gave them a better understanding of one another as a result.

The Legion do definitely have a bit of an elitist and cliquey side to them and I don't like it when that's their whole thing because it makes them just unpleasant people to read about, but I like alluding to it sometimes because I think it is something that separates them from other traditional superhero teams. In a team of 6 or 7 people you can't really have cliques without people just looking like jerks, but in a team of 40 it might only rarely come up that maybe some teammates have better relationships or reputations than others in different circumstances and it's more fun to write about because it's not like it colors every interaction they have.

re: S'jn and Lamprey not contacting the Academy directly - sorry, I probably should have made it more clear in story, but it was more a matter of Comet Queen just deciding to go visit Vavalla to check up on S'jn anyway, then when Lamprey found out she was dragging Thom along for the ride she saw an opportunity to talk to him about the Academy while he was there.

Persephone Savage! I am still figuring out a way to give Turtle and Lamprey their own little side adventure so you might learn more about her very soon too!

Thanks for taking the time for all this feedback, I really appreciate it!

Raz, hi there, sorry for the delay in posting a review for you! It's been a busy few weeks.

Waiane is such a teenage boy! What a whingey git, like get over it! At least, that would be my thoughts irl, as a drama though it's great fun and quite true to life. I always find boys are worse than girls on the whole when they realise their exes have moved on. I wonder what mishief he'll get up to?

I like how immediately you show us the other side of it with Crystal Kid giggling about his date with Gravity Kid. Reep minding Gim of his lost youth was fun as well, nice showing the different generations of Legionnaires.Also, good to see the Kando Vyr from the teams timeline pop up again. I'd forgetten about that episode - Gim really did act like a psycho so I totally empathise with his distrust. And of all your own creations Fearstorm is one of my very favourites!

Splitting the team... always a mistake! But necessary in this case.

Laurel wears earrings? are they clip-ons? If not, how did she pierce her ears?

The plush psychiatric units are a nice touch - they may hold crazy people - in the most literal sense - but there's no need to deny them a luxury or two while they are being treated. Nice to know the future is that considerate.The scene between Vi and Life Lass was well written - there's a misunderstanding there, mainly due to Vi, so it's good to get the situation cleared up... Pity that Fearstorm ruined the moment, haha.

Lu's team are in for a rough time walking into that coridor with escaped and manipulated patients read like something from a horror movie - I'd run away and hide! Nice that Lar thought about how brave Lu usually was. Poor Lar. he always get mentally beaten up, it's such a big vulnerability for the otherwise invincible man.

King Canary is awesome! Totally adore the little fella, he's so determined! M'windaji realising he needed help was clever, nice to see the team looking out for each other.

Loved Fearstorm's disappointment at being unable to be heard so he couldn't gloat, haha, that was a great touch.

Life Lass explaining her fear was perfect. Nice to let other's know that she is not just another adventurer but someone who actually cares. Very good characterisation there Raz.

Love Amp Girl's new look - very striking, and a holo on her costume is such a great idea I will definitely borrow it. And the red haired man with them in his sights - is that Duplicate Boy 2? Great cliff-hanger!

I need to finish up now as I'm out of time though will finish reviewing the next section either this afternoon or tomorrow for you.

Looking forward to more, more and much more

Round Two:

It's nice to see Dawny and Drake happy - I think you have the most stable version of that relationship here. And that was a great introduction for Zoe, and really decent way for her to transport Tellus back to the base. I can totally picture her going all pirate for a laugh. Ominous forshadowing with the broken telepathic conversation... <I just had the oddest sensation, but I am certain it was nothing.> No Tellus, no! Do you not read these fan-fics? It's always something! Ha, I'm looking forward to things going back to their usual chaotic selves so this was a nice way to lead us into it.

Poor Otaki, she's a good kid at heart... or maybe not, it seems she's been totally turned to the dark side, and I wonder who her master is that they can get that sort of improvements out of her so quickly after she was wasted by Alek Arcane?

Poor Thom, I can only imagine the horror of a long journey sat next to someone who talks incessently. "Quantum coinkydink" - haha, this may be my new saying to students to confuse them. I really love how well you write Grava's speech idioms, from the simple "I scan them", through to "Chlory's a full time sprout gardener now!" - I take it this is referring to him looking after Ivy?

S'jn's teleportation leaves strobing fashes in the eyes of those that it carries? Interesting, as that might be a limitation if it ever needs to help on a mission.

Turtle isn't stupid, is he? Of course there's going to be trouble. Nice that he said it outright like that. Like everyone else erading this I wonder why my in-laws haven't upgarded my house and offered staff

Lamprey chatting to Thom about S'jn being a potential academy student was well done, though I'm intrigued by the code-name you've got in mind.

Speaking of code-names: Cutlass for a woman with swords - Cut Lass... wish I'd thought of that as it's so bad it's good White Trident is obviously a tough guy if he can withstand Thom's powers for that long. That weapon of his is nasty too. And as names go, Aquamarines for a team from a race of blue skinned folks. Very clever! You're on top form with these.An underwater criminal gang is definitely ripe with potential, especially idf they have more like these in their ranks. Tayla taking out Cutlass was well done, as things were not looking too hopeful, I expected Grava to swoop in to save the day. I love how cool Turtle is, he's falling a 1,000 feet to the ocean with mssiles exploding on him and he rolls his eyes, haha, that gave me a laugh.

Grava again excells - that insult, bless her if hat was the worst she could come up with, though you write her as such a sweetheart I can believe it was. Her ploy to blind Skyfin was great, and apologising for the damage she did to his face was a very sweet touch.

Turtle's encounter with Sirensong was illumating - so he's in debt to someone with the mony to make sure he pays... interesting! Looking forward to seeing where you take this. S'jn to the rescue! It really does have the right moral compass to join the team, doesn't it? Nice work showing how useful it can be, and also highlighting the limitations of its telepathy.

Totally hope Key Kid was only tranquilised. That was a really well written little section that showed his personality and added to the on-going mystery about who exactly is after the Lallorians. Nice cliff-hanger!

Great stuff Raz, you always introduce fun characters and unique situations for your team to deal with, and I'm looking forward to a lot more, more, more!

Hi Harbi, sorry I haven't been able to respond before now - thanks for the detailed feedback!

I'm glad Fearstorm is a fave - I might try and draw a pic of him this week!

Oops, I should have gone into more detail with this one - they're holographic...she has magnetic clip-ons that project a tiny golden S shield

The horror movie vibe is exactly what I was going for with the escaped psych patients in the subterranean corridors, thanks!

The mysterious red-haired man is not Duplicate Boy II but I will say he's a DC character who's faced the Legion before and whom I've used once before as well!

Haha sometimes it's fun to just lean into the obvious tropes

"full time sprout gardener" is indeed about Chlor being a househusband now, but don't worry I'm sure I will find ways to involve him and Ivy in stuff here and there

I actually came up with the name Cutlass first and made her female second, but I agree that it does make a good pun

I have successfully come up with my side-story for Turtle and Lamprey, so y'all will probably see the Aquamarines again pretty soon!

Also, the Academy students are about to get a big focus so Key Kid's fate won't be a cliffhanger for much longer.....

MARS
Husband Hill, Legion Academy Headmaster office

ROLL CALL
Lightning Lad aka Garth Ranzz: reserve Legionnaire, Academy co-head; electricity generation and manipulation
Phantom Girl aka Tinya Wazzo: leader; intangibility
Saturn Girl aka Imra Ardeen Ranzz: reserve Legionnaire, Academy co-head; telepathy

Phantom Girl stifled a yawn as she looked over the assorted student holofiles lighting up the cluttered office that Saturn Girl shared with Lightning Lad. She'd been reviewing these files for nearly two hours without a break, and her body was beginning to protest.

"Grife, sorry!" Tinya apologised, turning in her armchair to face Imra and Garth on the two-seater couch beside her. "It's not you guys, I've just been up for...shades know how long. Being Legion leader is hard!"

"You don't need to tell me how hard it is leading the Legion," Lightning Lad gave a wry smile. "Trust me, I know all about it."

Tinya was mortified. "Oh Garth, I'm so sorry...I didn't mean--"

"It's okay, PG!" Garth Ranzz laughed as he lay a hand on Tinya's knee. "I'm just saying, you don't need to apologise. We've all known each other for a long time and we've all been Legion leader at some point or another. We get it."

"There are times I miss being an active part of the Legion," Saturn Girl chimed in, "But I do not often miss being leader...though I will say, it was amazing practice for raising two rambunctious children."

"Did Iron-Butt Imra just make a joke?" Tinya recoiled in mock surprise. "Parenthood really does change a person, huh?"

"On that note," Imra unconsciously straightened her posture, "We'd better get back to business. I know Ayla loves babysitting Graym and Garridan but even she must be ready to give them back by now."

"Right." Tinya's tone became serious once more. She had immense respect for Saturn Girl and they'd been friends and colleagues since they were practically children, but there was only ever so far Imra Ardeen Ranzz would relax before she snapped back to being the rigid champion of justice that had earned her the nickname Iron-Butt Imra in the first place. Sometimes Tinya thought Imra's real power was super self-discipline. "So, you guys really don't think any of the students are ready to be upgraded to Legion intern?"

"We're not exactly aligned on that..." Lightning Lad ventured.

Saturn Girl took her husband's hand and answered with calm assertion. "Garth, I know you feel that Dragonwing would rise to the challenge if she had to, but it's too great a risk. Legionnaires have died because they tried to rise to the challenge before they were ready."

"I know that, honey." Garth kissed her hand. "I was one of them, remember? But some of these kids are not gonna respond to academic learning as well as they'll respond to actual life experience."

"I'll reiterate what I said earlier," Imra comtinued. "Even though she's the youngest student, Kid Quantum would absolutely be my choice if she were interested. Unfortunately, she's very clearly expressed that she's only here to learn what she can to become a better hero back on Xanthu. Dragonwing and Chemical Kid have strength of personality and combat expertise in their favour but both of them are far too immature. Lullabye Lad, Variable Lad and Glorith all have the right attitude and their powers definitely have potential, but they're not ready for that next step yet. Fire Lass is still learning who she wants to be as a person, and we don't really even know Amp and Key Kid yet but they have just come from an unspeakably traumatic experience and I wouldn't feel comfortable saddling either of them with that kind of responsibility."

"Okay, well..." Phantom Girl stood up and stretched. "I'd rather we all be on the same page if I'm gonna recommend we put one of these kids forward for intern, so I guess it'll just have to wait. Thanks for your time anyway, guys."

"Anytime, PG!" Garth replied warmly. "Hope we didn't waste your time!"

"Get outta here," Tinya waved his concern aside as she began to phase through the nearest wall. "I never get to hang out with you guys anymore!

Besides, the last thing any of us want to do is put these kids in danger before they're ready, right?"

**********

ELSEWHERE

ROLL CALL
Amp aka Ming Sul: Legion Academy student; amplification of any power or characteristic
Chemical Kid aka Hadru Jamik: control of chemical reactions
Dragonwing aka Marya Pai: acid venom, fire breath
Fire Lass aka Arqiia: fire breath
Glorith: sorceress
Key Kid aka Miqui Ver: Legion Academy student; ability to bypass any man-made lock
Kid Quantum aka Jazmin Cullen: quantum field manipulation
Lullabye Lad aka Waiane Wentim: Zwennite physiology, narcoleptic induction
Variable Lad aka Oaa Tseldor: abilities change with each manifestation

Waiane Wentim groaned as his eyes fluttered open. Wherever he was, it was far too bright and he felt weirdly lethargic. He moved to shade his eyes and immediately bashed himself in the face with the clunky manacle locked around his wrist.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Lullabye Lad heard Chemical Kid's voice. "You really sleep through anything, huh?"

"I mean normally I'm in stone form when I sleep, so yeah." Lullabye Lad sat up to find Hadru leaning against a nearby fern. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, Waiane saw that the rest of his class were also here...wherever here was. All nine of them were on a flat boulder mostly submerged in the dirt, a cliff looming high above them and unfamiliar vegetation growing all around. "Where are we? Is this some kinda survival test?"

"That's what we've been trying to figure out," Chemical Kid replied. "It doesn't feel...right though. I don't think even that sadist Saturn Girl would just dump us all out in the middle of nowhere without any warning, and we've all got these power dampeners on." Hadru held his arms up to show manacles identical to those Lullabye Lad was wearing. "Oaa, Key Kid; tell him what you guys told me."

"The last thing I remember is visiting my uncle on Medicus One," Variable Lad recounted. "As soon as I left the Medicus One shuttle back on Earth, a red-haired man asked me for assistance with his bags...then I was waking here with you, my fellow students."

"...My red-haired stranger was an aircab driver," Key Kid added. "I think he shot me with some kind of sedative spray. I was on my way to meet Amp--"

"--and I was on my way to meet Key Kid," Amp finished. "Obviously we were set up."

"Clever girl," a stranger's voice drew their attention.

"It's him!" Key Kid's jaw dropped as a holographic representation of his abductor floated above them all. "That's the guy!"

"We figured, Key Kid." Standing between some of her younger classmates and the hologram, Dragonwing was clearly furious. "So what's the story here? You holding us hostage or something, one-eye? You know the Legion of Superheroes are gonna kick your nass and we'll all be in rejuv spas in three hours time, right?"

"I doubt that very highly, little girl." While a patch covered one of the man's eyes, the other eye held a sinister gleam. "I chose this planet very carefully. See, this system is in close proximity to a black hole and its space-time distortions hamper tracking powers quite effectively in my experience."

"That only leaves a few geniuses, some guys with super-senses and a couple telepaths to come find us so sure, whatever." Chemical Kid gave a dismissive grunt. "They're still gonna stomp you....who are you meant to be anyway?" He looked over the man's open fur vest and the various knives and guns holstered to his person. "Jungle Queen?"

Lullabye Lad and Dragonwing snickered behind their hands and the red-haired stranger flashed them a vicious glance. "I'm not surprised you don't know who I am," their abductor replied. "The Legion have done a damned good job of ruining my reputation over the years. Once I score me some of their school brats' heads for trophies though, that'll change. People will take the name Adam Orion seriously again then."

"Do you really believe that murdering nine powerless teenagers is going to earn you respect from anybody, Hunter?" Kid Quantum addressed him fearlessly. "We've studied your exploits and you really should look inward if you want somebody to blame for your poor reputation."

"I didn't need powers when I stole my fire from the Imperial Dragon's horde," Dragonwing added, glowering at the villain through her own vibrant red hair, "And I don't need powers to take this squaj down."

Orion gave an appreciative guffaw. "Oh, you kids are going to be fun. You know, I'll even give you a head start. This holotransmitter's going to blow in thirty standard seconds and I daresay it'll take a lot of this cliff with it. You've got that long to save yourselves, and then all you need to worry about is the local flora and fauna...and me." His tone turned darkly sinister toward the end, and then the hologram blinked out of existence.

"Do you think he was bluffing..?" Key Kid asked Amp nervously.

"There was no fabrication of the truth." Fire Lass gestured at a small metallic holotransmitter gleaming in the sun about fifteen feet up the cliff face as it beeped away faster and faster. Her power was suppressed just like the rest of her classmates, and Arqiia somehow looked more peculiar without her signature flaming scalp than with it. "I suggest we--"

"--Run!!" Lullabye Lad wailed, bolting into the thick verdant foliage. The others followed suit, Waiane's panic contagious. Their lungs burned, branches slapped at them and thorns tore at their clothing.

They felt like they'd been running for long minutes when a thunderous boom filled the air and a less violent but more drawn-out rumbling sound told them that the cliff was indeed coming down. "Don't stop!" Chemical Kid bellowed, having already discarded the long green cape which normally hung from his waist before it could snag itself on anything else and slow him down further. He hated that Lightning Lad had been right when he'd told Hadru that he should make his cape easily detachable for his own safety, but Hadru couldn't deny that it was good advice. "Just keep going!"

The ground trembled as thousands of tons of stone pummelled the ground in their wake, and the students gathered an array of scratches as they ran blindly into the wilderness, choking clouds of dust obscuring everything in sight. Eventually, Glorith stumbled over her own long violet cape and let out a frightened squeal as she collapsed to the hard earth. Variable Lad had been right on her heel, and he too tumbled over the fallen sorceress and smacked his oversized head against the rough bark of a tree.

"Everyone, stop!" Kid Quantum shouted hoarsely. "Glorith and Oaa are hurt!"

While Jazmin helped Glorith to her feet, Lullabye Lad crouched to offer Variable Lad a hand. "Oaa, you're bleeding!" Waiane gasped.

"I am not overly harmed," Variable Lad replied almost apologetically while his posterior hand dabbed gingerly at the graze on the back of his scalp.

"That guy said we need to beware the local flora and fauna," Key Kid spoke up uncertainly. "What...what kind of animals do you think are on this planet?"

"The Hunter may have helped us on that score," Glorith reasoned. "Such a ruckus is certain to frighten any native beasts far away from this area for some time."

"Then we can sit down for a nano," Chemical Kid exhaled gratefully. "Grife, look at us," he coughed. "We're sprocking filthy." All of them were indeed covered from head to toe in the pulverized cliff's dust.

Also coughing, Dragonwing perched on a low-hanging branch on the same tree trunk that Hadru was leaning against. "Hey, Kid Q!" Marya attempted to lighten the atmosphere once they could breathe a little easier. "That was some good sass you gave that squaj, I didn't think you had it in you! We've studied your exploits, ha!"

Kid Quantum regarded Dragonwing curiously. "But...but I have studied his exploits...hasn't everyone else?"

"...I am not certain that we should antagonise Mr Orion while we are without our powers," Variable Lad volunteered uncertainly.

"V-Lad's right," Amp added sharply. While most of the others had allowed themselves a moment to sit and catch their breath and even Arqiia was content to simply stand motionless while she waited for further instruction, Amp paced back and forth anxiously. "We need a plan. And we need to keep moving."

"Excuse me..?" Glorith made an unnoticed bid for attention. "Classmates..?"

Chemical Kid and Dragonwing exchanged a glance and giggled at Amp. "Okay," Hadru adjusted his holospecs while Dragonwing made a show of stifling her laughter. "First of all nobody calls Oaa V-Lad, new kid. Secondly, we just survived a sprocking fiery avalanche, I don't think two minutes to catch our breath is too much to ask."

"Classmates..?" Glorith spoke up a little louder. "If I may--"

"You don't get two minutes to rest when someone's trying to kill you!" Ming Sul stomped over to Hadru and barked in his face. "I know that from experience, Chemical Kid!"

Key Kid reached for his fellow Lalloran. "Ming, he didn't mean--"

Dragonwing let herself down to the ground and jabbed a finger into Amp's chest. "You might have been something on Lallor, but you're in the big leagues now! We've been training to take down dirtbags like him before anyone ever thought of giving you a pity slot in our class so how about you take a step back, huh?"

"Stop it!" Kid Quantum stepped between her arguing classmates. "We've already lost our powers, let's not make this any easier for Orion by fighting amongst ourselves!"

"She's right," Chemical Kid sighed. "Sorry, Jaz."

Amp and Dragonwing were silent as they traded simmering glares, and Glorith chose this moment to try again. "Please, fellow classmates...

...there is something that I think you must know."

**********

LATER...

ROLL CALL
Amp aka Ming Sul: Legion Academy student; amplification of any power or characteristic
Chemical Kid aka Hadru Jamik: control of chemical reactions
Key Kid aka Miqui Ver: Legion Academy student; ability to bypass any man-made lock
Kid Quantum aka Jazmin Cullen: quantum field manipulation
Variable Lad aka Oaa Tseldor: abilities change with each manifestation

"I still don't think we should have split up," Amp scowled as she waved biting insects away from where torn clothing had exposed her flesh.

"Then we're lucky you're not the boss," Chemical Kid shot back. "Because I think it's a great plan."

Amp and Chemical Kid had been sniping at one another since the students had broken into two groups, and Kid Quantum had long since given up trying to get them to quell their bickering. Jazmin Cullen walked a meter behind them, accompanied by Key Kid and Variable Lad. "Oaa, how are you feeling?" she asked the slightly lagging Variable Lad. "I hope you don't mind me saying so, but you don't look your best. Are you feeling dizzy or light-headed, any signs of concussion?"

"Thank you for enquiring," Oaa replied with his usual politeness. "My injury looked worse than it was, but I must admit I am not accustomed to this heat. At least with the abundance of insects in this area I am hoping there is a water source nearby." While the mosquito-like bugs the teenagers had come across seemed to have a particular distaste for Oaa's Jacquuan blood, the sun was wearing him down faster than the others. He was visibly more tired than his classmates, and sweat came off him in a glistening sheen.

"I've been saving these for when we really need them," Jazmin opened one of the pouches lining her belt, "But I think maybe you could use one right now more than any of us." She handed him a hydration capsule and Oaa took it with much gratitude.

"Wow, you guys are really something!" Key Kid complimented the two. "The Legion must train you well, huh? We wouldn't have been prepared for an environment like this on Lallor at all!"

"That's because Lallor is mostly a radioactive wasteland," Amp piped up sarcastically from the front. "Survivalism on Lallor is making sure you've got redundant patches for your transuit."

"I enjoy hiking normally," Variable Lad explained to Key Kid. "I mean...back home on Jacquaa, when the moon is full. Not so much in the middle of the day without shelter. But my parents taught us all how to fend for ourselves in the Jacquaan wilderness if we had to, and some rules are true across most planets. At least we haven't come across any soulcatchers here," he added with a hopeful smile.

Key Kid cocked his head like a puzzled dog but before he could ask what soulcatchers were, Chemical Kid butted in. "Kid Q, are you telling me you've been holding out on rations?? We've been marching through this stupid prehistoric forest for half a day! Gimme!"

"Hadru, no!" Jazmin sealed her pouch and turned away from her older teammate. "We're just lucky Orion the Hunter didn't search me more thoroughly and find the secret compartment at the bottom of my pouches! I don't have an unlimited supply, we need to pace ourselves!"

"I doubt we've even been walking a full hour yet," Amp threw in her two cents' worth. "The sun's barely moved in the sky."

"Variable Lad and I were discussing that earlier," Jazmin countered. "We don't know how big this planet is, how far away from the sun we are--"

"--in addition, the space-time distortions that Mr Orion mentioned may have an impact," Variable Lad added, already starting to feel invigorated.

"Hey!" Key Kid blinked. "I just remembered; Kid Quantum, you said you studied this guy's file, right?"

"We all should have," Jazmin gave Chemical Kid a slightly disapproving glance. "He's a minor foe of the Legion's...he was in one or two of the incarnations of the Legion of Supervillains, but he never did anything particularly noteworthy while he was with them."

"I remember now!" Variable Lad joined in. "Didn't he abduct Cosmic Boy and Night Girl?"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Chemical Kid chimed in while Amp snorted in derision at his obvious attempt to save face.

"He did," Jazmin answered solemnly. "He very nearly killed them both."*

This brought home once more just how much danger they were in, and a grim silence fell over the five students.

"It's been a while," Key Kid finally spoke up, "...and that Hunter guy hasn't come after us...do you...do you think the others are..?"

"They're fine," Chemical Kid shot back too confidently. "I wouldn't wanna cross even Dragonwing on her own, powers or no powers."

For once Amp didn't immediately contradict him, but nor could she bring herself to meet Key Kid's gaze.

Kid Quantum suddenly cried out in pain and clutched at her head.

"Jaz!" Chemical Kid bent down to meet her face to face. "You okay?"

Staring straight at Hadru with wet brown eyes, Jazmin Cullen gripped his shoulder. "It's Glorith...

...something's happened to Glorith!!"

**********

MEANWHILE...

ROLL CALL
Dragonwing aka Marya Pai: acid venom, fire breath
Fire Lass aka Arqiia: fire breath
Glorith: sorceress
Lullabye Lad aka Waiane Wentim: Zwennite physiology, narcoleptic induction

Though she'd held out as long as she could, Dragonwing too had eventually been forced to concede defeat to the landscape and discarded her signature overcoat in the underbrush. "I swear I'm gonna kill that smug one-eyed nasshead," she ranted. "Do you guys have any idea how much that jacket cost?"

"We have been told that killing is wrong," Arqiia countered. "Will you not face consequences?"

"It's a figure of speech!" Marya threw her hands up in the air. "Sprock, haven't you been around normal people long enough now to know how to act like one?!"

Lullabye Lad looked down at the ground so Marya wouldn't see his eyes bulge; even for Dragonwing, that had been rude. The stress was clearly beginning to get to them. After a few moments of silence though, he couldn't bear the tension anymore. "I had to take my cape off too..." he offered weakly.

Dragonwing groaned theatrically. "Okay, fine. I was a bitch. I'm sorry, you guys. I'm just so sprocking angry! Where are we going anyway?"

Glorith had been leading all four of them without fanfare, and she lowered her hood now to face the others as she turned. "Do you see that mountain peak?" she asked. "A cluster of ley lines meets there, I believe that site may be significant for us."

"I thought ley lines were an Earth thing," Dragonwing probed. "How do you know about them? Can you see them?"

Glorith returned Dragonwing's look of surprise with one of her own. "I did not know that you possessed occult knowledge yourself, Marya! Ley lines are a universal phenomenon but they are most commonly known by their Terran name. I cannot see them, but I sense their power. I think our best chance for survival will be to align ourselves with such a place of power...admittedly, I have not much expertise in this sphere of sorcery but what is the phrase Lightning Lad uses? We must avail ourselves of every advantage we possess."

Marya gave Glorith a teasing smirk. "I'm pretty sure Lightning Lad's never used the word avail in his life, but I get your meaning. Lead on, little witch!"

They continued hiking for another few minutes before Fire Lass spoke up once more. "Dragonwing? May I say something to you?"

"It's a free galaxy," Marya replied without sparing her a glance.

"I know that I am not...normal...in the sense that you wish, but I have gained enough social experience to comprehend that you do not like me."

Dragonwing looked at Fire Lass now, and could see that this was something Arqiia struggled to enunciate. Marya bit back her impulse to say something sarcastic in return and waited to see where this was going. "I understand that my position in this class poses a...potential threat to your ambitions to join the Legion of Superheroes," Arqiia continued. "I wanted to apologise for any discomfort I have caused you and to...assure you that I have no intention to undermine your dreams. In truth, I do not know where my future lies; all of you seem so certain of your paths and I...all I know is what I do not want to be. But I am sorry. That is all I wanted to say."

Dragonwing released a long exhalation. "It's not your fault, you big weirdo. I'm just...well, like I said. I'm kind of a bitch. When you've lived the life I have, you stay on the offensive all the time. But for what it's worth...I'm sorry I made your life difficult too, I never really thought about what it must be like for you just being born into all this craziness without ever choosing any of it. Truce?" She offered her open hand. Arqiia didn't quite grasp the meaning of the gesture but it felt like progress so she shook Marya's hand anyway.

"The Legion are gonna find us, right?" Lullabye Lad asked. "I can't die before I clear up things--"

"Oh my god!" Marya exploded. "I swear, if you bring up Gravity Kid one more time...look, I like Tel but everything Tel does Tel does for his own benefit. He was gonna dump you sooner or later, you might as well start getting used to it! This whole tortured ex thing is not working for you, Waiane!"

"...I was gonna say before I clear things up with my brother," Waiane finished in a small voice. "I was...kind of a nass to him before all this happened, and now I'm probably gonna die on some stupid planet on the other side of the galaxy and I'll never get the chance to fix things."

"You're not gonna die," Marya rolled her eyes. "Stop being so dramatic, we just--"

A gunshot rang out, cutting sharply through the sounds of the wild. Before they could process what was happening, Lullabye Lad dropped like a sack of meat. Glorith cried Waiane's name and began to run toward him before Dragonwing grabbed her and Fire Lass and forcibly pulled them down a mulch-covered slope and beneath the cover of large leafy plants. "I'll grab Lullabye Lad," Dragonwing hissed. "Glorith, get Arqiia ready and then cover me."

"It's a bit late to hide, girls!" Adam Orion's voice mocked. "After you kids dumped half your clothes, a blind man could have found you!" At first they couldn't tell where the voice was coming from, but within a second he'd swung down from a huge moss-covered tree and stood mere feet away from where Dragonwing was hunched protectively over Lullabye Lad.

"Some hunter," Marya spat viciously. "You just grazed his temple, Jungle Queen."

"Yes, well...I do only have one eye, sweetheart." Orion the Hunter levelled his rifle at her while Marya glared defiantly at him. "But don't worry, I won't miss from this range."

Despite her bravado, Dragonwing couldn't help but recoil when she heard the next gunshot. The fact that she did hear it however told her very quickly that things had just turned in the students' favour. She fixed Orion with a self-satisfied smile through the translucent surface of the forcefield which had just saved her life. "Surprise, batjerk."

Orion took a step back and immediately scanned the area for the other girls. "What...how..?"

"Your metal and plastics cannot staunch the flow of sorcerous energies which are mine to command," Glorith stepped out from behind a tree trunk, the markings on her face glowing brightly. Orion noticed that she no longer wore the power-dampening manacles he'd placed upon them all.

"Tricky," Orion acknowledged. "I should have expected tricks from a witch. I bet you can't protect yourself and these two though." He swung his firearm in Glorith's direction but before he could shoot, his gun was engulfed in flame. He flung his gun as far as he could and turned to face the source of the attack, Fire Lass having emerged from behind another tree with her scalp once more aflame and her wrists untethered.

"Glorith freed me," Arqiia explained while a column of thick black smoke rose from somewhere behind her. "And our fellow students will no doubt perceive our signal and be here soon. Your reliance on weaponry tells me that you are an ordinary man, Hunter. You cannot hope to find victory now."

"I'm far from ordinary, girl." In a blur of motion, he flung a blade which lodged itself in Arqiia's throat. Wide-eyed, she fell to her knees with a rasping gurgle and instinctively reached for the dagger.

"Don't pull it out!" Dragonwing screeched in a panic. "Arqiia, you'll bleed out in a nano!!"

Glorith ran to Fire Lass's side, ripping off her own hooded garment so she could use it to stop the bloodflow. Her act of compassion left her wide open though, and Orion casually produced a slingshot and ricocheted a ball bearing off of her temple. The young sorceress immediately fell, and Orion walked over toward her to make sure he finished the job.

Suddenly, a rock was brought down on Adam Orion's own head from behind. With Glorith unconscious, her forcefield had vanished and Dragonwing was like a wildcat upon the villain. She got one more good strike, opening a gash in the side of his head before he grabbed her arm and twisted it almost hard enough to break it. She dropped her makeshift weapon, but she was so lost in her savagery that the pain didn't even register. Marya used her free hand to rake three deep scratches in his face which almost took out his good eye, and with a roar of pain the Hunter punched her in the face. Dragonwing fell back hard on her tailbone, her nose busted and her face bloody. Without thinking, she leaned on her hurt arm as she tried to stand and fell instantly to the ground again. "You..." Orion pulled out another knife, this blade much more intimidating. "I knew you'd be the one to watch. I'm gonna take my time with you, girl."

Only half-conscious, Marya stumbled to her feet while Orion watched. Despite himself, he was impressed; this girl was going to fight right up until the end. Orion noticed a shadow fall over them briefly, and briefly pondered what kind of animal could have been big enough to cause that. He'd thoroughly researched this planet before choosing it as his hunting ground and he knew there were no flying creatures that large here. As much as he wanted to take the time to enjoy Dragonwing's murder, he decided he'd best err on the side of caution and make sure all of these kids were dispatched now.

Dragonwing stood combative but wobbly as he approached her, but as Orion approached he realised something was wrong...dreadfully wrong. He felt as though all the energy had been sapped from his body and it was taking all of his willpower not to just lay down and go to sleep. "...How..." he drawled slowly. "...Lullabye Lad not able..."

"If Lullabye Lad were in a position to use his power on you, you'd already be asleep." The voice belonged to Chemical Kid, and Orion turned sluggishly to see Hadru disembark from some huge bat-winged steed alongside Amp, Key Kid and Kid Quantum. The Hunter realised this must be the creature who'd just flown overhead, but he still had no idea what it was until it morphed back into the more recognisable form of Variable Lad. "Slowing your metabolism takes longer," Chemical Kid continued while he offered Dragonwing a shoulder to lean on, "But either way you're done for. Game over, Jungle Queen."

"But...power dampeners...how..?" Orion struggled to comprehend.

"Glorith's sorcery isn't a power," Kid Quantum explained as she used her own abilities to place Fire Lass, Lullabye Lad and Glorith into a protective stasis. "Magic is something you have to learn, Orion. She was never affected by your manacles in the first place and she created a link with me so we'd know if each other were hurt."

"...And I might only have one power," Key Kid shrugged, "But I'm good at it. Better than your dumb bracelets anyway...I could have set us all free anytime I wanted, we just didn't want to tip you off."

"Enough chit chat," Amp spoke up. "We got the jump on him but he's too dangerous to stay conscious." She increased her own strength and took Orion down with a roundhouse kick even as he struggled to raise his knife against her.

"Way to steal my thunder, new kid!" Hadru sniped.

"He already took down three of your friends and was about to go for number four," an annoyed Amp responded. "I'd think taking this nasshead down would be more important than your ego, Chemical Kid."

"Students!" Variable Lad shouted suddenly. "Look!"

Everyone followed Oaa's gaze to see the familiar sight of a Legion cruiser descending from high above. As it got closer, they could see Dawnstar's winged form and the emerald nimbus of Neon accompanying it along with a couple other flying figures. "Looks like I was half-right at least," Dragonwing remarked, her broken nose making it sound like her tongue was too big for her mouth. "The Legion of Superheroes might not have whupped this loser, but I can already feel that rejuv spa."

The others laughed, with even Chemical Kid and Amp forgetting their enmity in their relief at being found. Today had been a nightmare, but it was a nightmare they'd survived.

And now they were going home.

**********

EDITOR'S NOTES:
* Adam Orion did indeed run Cosmic Boy and Night Girl through their own personal version of Most Dangerous Game, but it was so long ago it's not even on this thread!! Y'all can read that on my livejournal here though if you like (spoiler: Cos and Lydda kicked his ass)

Fun to see the students in action without any of the grownups along, and it was great seeing Glorith get the 'Karate Kid' moment of revealing that power-dampening cuffs do jack against someone whose 'power' is learned, not inborn.

Interesting and cool seeing Garth's and Imra's takes on the students. Makes sense that "hothead' Garth would support Dragonwing. And yup, she's still more level-headed than Chemical Kid, lol. Glad that Imra took Jazmin's goals into account - though I wonder if Jazmin's mind would change if she got a taste of Legion action?

LOL at Hadru calling Imra a sadist.

This was quite a twist. I thought Key Kid and Amp were targeted specifically for the Lallor connection, and didn't expect to see the other students captured too!

Hunter! didn't expect him!

Detachable capes. very practical. Edna Mode from the Incredibles would approve Nice that Garth, who wore a cape for a while, was the one who suggested to Hadru

Also love how Arqiia was all calm when she pointed out the bomb thingie

Jazmin is stepping up, being the one to tell everyone to stop and help Glorith and VL

Also like Amp stepping up, and the little bit of trauma still there (but her not letting it get to her)

Marya and Hadru are showing how immature they are, indeed. Though I do like that they're mature enough to sort of admit when they're in the wrong. And the Marya /Arqiia scene was nice and touching.

Waiane thinking about Dag was a nice touch.

Wow! epic solution, that Glorith and Key Kid could have done whatever they wanted at any time... so the kids decided to play along so they could lure Orion out. And with Key Kid and Fire Lass on separate teams, they each had an out!

I wonder if this outing will change the Internship offer decision?

Thanks for commenting, y'all!

Set: tbh, I never really liked the Legion Academy version of Glorith because a) I liked the original more (and comics can do with more big villainesses in general), and b) she was so shy and unprepared for any kind of 31st Century activity that it boggles my mind how she made the Legion while Nightwind and Power Boy got left behind. She is good for this kind of thing though!

IB: it never actually occurred to me that it would look like Adam Orion was specifically targetting Amp and Key Kid, but once I saw reactions to his first appearance I decided to go with it - happy circumstance!

I am also glad you picked up on Garth's original costume having a cape, that was definitely in mind when I wrote that line

Will the Legion internship be revisited? That might be the last thing the Legion are thinking about soon...but before they can worry about that, they're gonna have to try and stop the death of Duplicate Damsel coming up next!

gasp! the death of Lu! oh, you sure know how to drop a cliffhanger!