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

Thanks y'all, glad you guys liked the resolution

I think it's not spoiling anything to say there will definitely be tears before bedtime with Mwindaji and Universo, and things on that front will kick into high gear starting from the next instalment!

Wow, Raz! What a stunner of an idea for a calamity! Fascinating, I think I read this with my jaw open. Tellus and Drura made a wonderful mind meld - two beings with very un-human perceptions. I never thought of Drura as thinking differently from the rest of us, but of course she'd have this whole awareness of microbes and the cycle of life which we only see peripherally. It truly was a horrible thing those Titanian scientists cooked up, but that's what we may have going on in unknown labs all over our globe today, not so advanced but possibly just as deadly. Such disregard for life! A contrast with the very touching ending for the virus threat; Drura and Tellus treated this deadly life form with respect - but it had to go.

You added a lot of flashes of humour throughout, which I though brightened the story. Even amid crises there can be laughter. Well done!

You had a lot of flashes of humour here

Thanks FC, glad you liked it! And I am glad people liked the Drura/Tellus team up!

RIMBOR
Devil's Canyon

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

Outside a filthy bar in Rimbor's most violent city, a muscular yellow-skinned woman tensed involuntarily at the sound of a familiar voice above her. "When Laurel Kent told us the Sklarian raider she lost on Cadmu used knives rather than firearms I knew that it must have been you, Atta." The Sklarian warrior spun on her heel and flung two daggers at Dawnstar before she'd even laid eyes on her. The winged Legionnaire snatched the blades out of the air faster than Atta's eyes could follow, then continued in a haughty tone. "Please. I move faster than the speed of light. There is no need for you to embarass yourself any further."

Atta saw that the Legion's tracker had not come alone; Wildfire floated beside her, his flight ring enabling him to hover in place without the telltale roar of anti-energy propulsion. "Shouldn't you be rotting in a jail cell somewhere?" Drake Burroughs asked, blasting the ground at Atta's feet and landing her on her tailbone. "You know, like the rest of your pals that our students captured?"

Atta climbed to her feet, drawing a large serrated machete from a sheath across her back. "I guess I've got friends in low places," she snarled.

"You can't be this stupid," Wildfire continued, unfazed by the Sklarian woman's weapon. He landed directly before her, Atta's angry face reflected in his visor. "Either that thing's not sharp enough to cut through my containment suit, or it is sharp enough and I go boom. Either result's not really a win for you, lady."

"If you're after the genesample I stole, you're too late Legionnaires." Atta replaced her blade, but stood in open opposition to the two heroes. "The delivery's already been made."

"We know that," Dawnstar responded. "You're going to tell us to whom that delivery was made."

"And why would I do that?" Atta smirked.

"Because until this morning I had a date planned with my lady," Wildfire answered her question, "And this is what we ended up doing instead. So now I've got a whole heap of frustration to get rid of, and you can either give up someone who can help me with that or I can take it out on you. I'm not fussed either way."

Atta gave them a stubborn scowl.

"I suppose we all do what we have to, Legionnaires."

**********
MARS
Husband Hill, Legion of Superheroes Headquarters

ROLL CALL
Lightning Lass aka Ayla Ranzz: electricity generation and manipulation
Shrinking Violet aka Salu Digby: shrinking

Salu Digby looked herself over one final time in the reflective surface of the Legion's turbolift, smoothing down some minor creases in her dark green suit. The door opened with an almost silent whoosh, and the petite Imskian woman nearly walked straight into Lightning Lass as she exited the turbolift. "I'm so sorry Ayla, I didn't mean to bowl you over!"

Ayla laughed at her friend. "I'll live...how come you're all dressed up? Hot night on the town?"

"Cal's friend is in some nu-bass band," Vi explained. Cal was Calorie Queen, the occasional heroine whom Shrinking Violet had been dating for the past few months. "Hey, actually I was looking for you earlier - do you and Light Lad want to tag along? We're going to grab dinner before the show anyway so you could get changed and meet us there if you like!"

"Darvan's out with his new doctor crush," Ayla replied. "And thanks for asking, but to be honest I'm really looking forward to a hot bath and bingewatching a bunch of Galactic Heart episodes."

"Oh, Ayla!" Vi's hand flew to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, I didn't even know that you and Darvan were having problems! If you need someone to talk to--"

Ayla laughed again and hugged her visibly confused friend. "You're sweet to worry, Vi...but please don't. Darvan and I are just friends with, well...extra benefits, I guess you could say. He's a great guy, but after Brin I'm not really in a rush to jump into another full-time relationship. If Darvan's found a connection with someone else, I'm 100% on side with it."

"I guess I'm more of a traditionalist," Vi blushed a little awkwardly. "If you change your mind, the offer still stands anyway - hit us up if you feel like heading out after all."

"Sure thing," Ayla squeezed Vi's shoulder. "Have fun if I don't see you!" Lightning Lass entered the turbolift and smiled as she recalled having passed Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl canoodling in one of the outdoor gardens earlier. Since Infectious Lass and Tellus had dealt with that weird conceptual virus, the past few days had been unusually sedate around here. With everyone being given the chance to actually relax for a change, it was nice to see so many happy couples about.

The turbolift stopped on Ayla's level and an intertwined Gravity Kid and Lullabye Lad almost fell through the opening doors. Gravity Kid cleared his throat and stood to attention, too mortified to meet Ayla's gaze. "...Uh, sorry Lightning Lass."

Ayla struggled not to giggle at the awkward teenagers. "It's okay boys...maybe do the rest of the Legion a favour and keep the groping to your quarters rather than the corridors though, huh?"

"Right...of course," Tel Vole muttered hurriedly while Lullabye Lad coughed into his fist to hide his own chuckling. As Ayla walked toward her room, she heard Stone Boy's little brother finally explode into loud guffaws from the closed turbolift doors behind her. Ayla rolled her eyes and allowed herself an indulgent smile.

Yep, definitely something in the air these days.

**********
NALTOR
Crystal Falls Tourist Resort

ROLL CALL
Brainiac 5 aka Querl Dox: 12th level intelligence, team leader
Supergirl aka Kara Zor-El: Kryptonian physiology

In civilian clothes, Querl Dox and Kara Zor-El were just two of more than 1.5 million sentients who came to Naltor annually to see the spectacle of the Crystal Falls. The waterfalls were nearly 3000 feet high and saturated with microscopic particles of luminite, a mineral found only on Naltor. Under normal conditions luminite was entirely unremarkable outside of the almost imperceptible rose tinge that it gave to any body of water in which it found its home; the mineral had an unusual reaction to kinetic energy however, bonding in clumps whenever in motion. As the luminite-rich waters cascaded over rocks and crevasses and finally found its way to a drop thousands of feet straight down, large chunks of golden and rose-coloured crystals filled the waterfalls and delighted visitors. Upon settling in the pool of water at the bottom of the falls, the luminite quickly separated once more into discrete almost invisible particles.

"I'm glad Dream Girl told me about this place," Kara gushed. "The falls are so pretty, thanks for coming Brainy."

The green-skinned genius smiled at his companion. "You're more than welcome, Kara. To tell the truth, I wanted to ensure that Naltor is making a speedy recovery after the conceptual virus anyway. Naltor is one of the most technologically advanced worlds in the United Planets, they were quite severely impacted here. Fortunately, a world of precognitives is very rarely completely unprepared for a crisis - things could have been far worse."

"Speaking of which," Kara turned her bright blue eyes away from the gleaming falls to face Brainiac 5, "How are you feeling? I was worried about you, you know."

"I know." Brainiac gingerly reached for her hand and gave it a quick squeeze before he let her go again. "And I appreciate the concern. Thankfully there appears to have been no long-term damage. After my prescribed period of rest, I'm sure I will be fine, as will the other remaining survivors. I'm led to believe that Infectious Lass and Tellus gave an exemplary performance in resolving the situation."

Kara took a few seconds to just enjoy being present with Querl. Their lives rarely allowed for these quiet moments, less so since Brainiac 5 had been elected leader of the Legion of Superheroes. "Brainy..?" she eventually asked in a voice filled with an unusual uncertainty.

"What is it, Kara?" the Coluan responded.

"I...I don't know how to say this. I can smash moons and fly in space on my own but this kind of thing is a new frontier for me, I guess."

Brainiac 5 gave the Kryptonian teenager his full attention. "I find the best way to say something is just to say it," he teased kindly.

Supergirl found herself dwelling in his eyes. "I...Brainy, what do you see...how do you see our relationship?" Kara's heart was pounding in her chest; fighting the Parasite was less nerve-wracking than this conversation!

"I care a great deal about you," Brainiac smiled. He held Kara's chin between his thumb and forefinger. "I acknowledge that our relationship is not one which is easy to define, Kara. Previously when you've come to the Legion's time, or when we have travelled to your past, we've not had to explore these questions. We both knew that it wasn't really possible for this connection between us to be built upon. I must admit, I thought that I had sensed a lack of interest on your part since you've been with the team these past few months. I thought that perhaps you had outgrown your attraction to me." He spoke with a tone that was completely matter of fact, but Supergirl respected how much Brainy was opening up to her.

"It's hard," Kara conceded. "I mean...there are no rules for what we are, are there? The last time I knew you, you were so much younger; and you're right Brainy, I think our circumstances always let us live this fantasy romance that never really had to exist in the real world. And now...now I live in your real world day in and day out, and I guess I've been too scared to put the fantasy to the test. I care a lot for you too...more than any guy I've met...but I guess I was worried that you had outgrown me! I mean I must be a dumb kid to you now..."

Brainiac shook Kara from her train of thought with a hearty laugh. "What's so funny?" she frowned.

"I'm sorry," Querl Dox collected himself. "It's just...Kara, I'm a Brainiac. There is no polite way to say this, but if intellectual capacity were going to divide us it would have done so the first day we met. I may have aged a few years physically since your last stint with the Legion of Superheroes, but there is no wider gap in our comparitive mental or emotional maturity. I'm very much still the same teenage boy who became infatuated with you at first sight - my facial hair just requires more regular grooming these days!"

Kara poked him in the ribs. "Was that your attempt at humour, Dox? I swear, you're such a dork." They both chuckled, feeling that a burden had been lifted in discussing what they'd both kept to themselves for so long.

"Brainy." Kara's smile faded and she held both of his hands in hers. "After the conceptual virus...after I came so close to - to losing you, I realised I don't want to let my fear dictate how I live anymore. Maybe there is no future for us...maybe I'll be back in my own time again tomorrow, or maybe it will be too hard to build a relationship based on what we've got so far. But I want to find that out for myself. What do you say?"

"I say...let us find out for ourselves." He squeezed her hands again, and leaned down for a kiss. They embraced tenderly, neither of them aware of the crowds of sentients milling about, or of anything else in the universe aside from each other.

**********
Eventually, normal life had to intrude once more upon the young couple. After a heartlifting day on Naltor, Supergirl escorted Brainiac 5 back to the Legion of Superheroes' home on Mars. While the moons Phobos and Deimos made their way across a star-filled Martian sky, Supergirl sat on the roof of the base grinning like the lovestruck teenager she was finally allowing herself to be.

With her telescopic vision, she easily saw Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad at the main entrance many stories below. They were with their children Graym and Garridan, and the two young boys were waving at Laurel Kent flying off into the city. Watching her cousin's descendant speed off, Kara idly wondered if she'd ever meet any of her own descendants in this time. Or maybe, she thought dreamily, she'd have children in the 31st century one day just like Garth and Imra had. She pictured a little blonde-haired green girl running around and shook her head. Silly. Still, it was fun to think about.

Suddenly, Kara's head jerked up. Her super-hearing picked up her name being called out from the dayside of the planet, and the maid of might wasted no time in responding. Switching into her iconic costume before her name had been called more than once, she was over the horizon in almost the same amount of time.

Homing in on the frightened male voice, Supergirl found a middle-aged bald man sprawled out at the bottom of a pit used by Mars' ultra-fast magtrains. Poor guy must have fallen in, Kara thought as she approached. I thought security fields were meant to stop exactly this kind of thing from happening!

Her telescopic vision showed her that the next magtrain was less than five seconds away from killing the pale-skinned man and Kara elected to worry about how this had happened later...right now, all that mattered was saving his life. She scooped up the green and gold-garbed stranger and deposited him on a nearby walkway as the train whooshed by harmlessly beneath them.

"Sir, my x-ray vision isn't picking up any broken bones," she instructed as she helped him stand, "But I think it'd be a good idea for me to take you to the closest hospital anyway...I'm sure you've had a nasty shock."

"Thank you," the older man replied. "I'll be fine now. I'm just glad you were there, Supergirl."

"All in a day's work," Kara answered, her face screwing up as she looked the robed man up and down. There was something awfully familiar about him...she was sure she'd seen this pointy-eared man somewhere before. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking...why did you call out to me specifically? I was on the other side of the planet, it's just lucky that I heard you in time to help!"

"I assure you," the man said in a strangely reassuring tone, "Luck had nothing to do with it. And I called you here because Supergirl....I am going to help you."

Now that they were face-to-face, Supergirl saw that he wore a golden monocle. There was something in the way it gleamed, something that demanded her utmost attention. Some part of Kara Zor-El tried to raise an alarm, tried to tell her where she'd remembered this man, but her thoughts were like molasses.

Mutely, she watched the man she now realised was Universo raise a closed fist. "I'm going to help you see the truth," the villain continued speaking to his mesmerised subject. "The truth about your so-called friends in the Legion of Superheroes....the truth about your life...and your death. And all you need to do is put this on."

...He opened his fist, and there in the centre of his palm sat a solitary red ring.

NEXT: SATAN GIRL!

The plot thickens!

Nice job working a look at so many couples in such a small space. I liked Ayla clarifying her view of her relationship with Light Lad, and how okay she is with it. Vi's concern too.

Oh no... Satan Girl. Universo is playing a dangerous game. Hope Kara and Brainy come out of it okay, loved their conversation.

Thanks IB...it's fun just writing some relationship stuff every now and then, and I really like Brainy & Kara's whole "star-crossed lovers" thing...there's a relationship that is MADE for a CW show if ever there was one

I started writing the next chapter tonight and without giving anything away...it's pretty brutal already! I hope *anyone* gets out of it okay!

Very nice Raz, it's good to see the focus shift to smaller moments between the team.

Wildfire and Dawnstar taking in Atta was good, from Dawny catching the knife so easily to Drake explaining the situation so clearly, I almost felt sorry for the Sklarian. I'm looking forward to finding out who she was working for..

Vi and Ayla were sweet and you really showed the difference in personalities without it feeling forced. Ayla's acceptance of Darvan dating Kent was really well done. Does this mean he'll show up more? Also good to see the many couples in your team are still going strong, that was sweet.

Kara and Querl's conversation is almost identical to something I've drafted for the pair in my fan fic - have you been reading my notes? I think you wrote it netted though so I'm not complaining. Their honesty and respect for each other shone through, good job.

Ah, Universo is back causing trouble and it doesn't look good for Supergirl. I'm a bit scared what to expect next. Satan Girl? Oh that doesn't bode well for the team though it'll make great reading I'm sure.

Really nice slices of downtime Raz, great character writing and you moved the all the stories on as well, thoroughly enjoyed it.

More, more, more!

MARS
Husband Hill, Legion of Superheroes Headquarters
Drura Sehpt's large lavender eyes fluttered open. She could taste blood, and she was sore all over. There had been a tremendous crashing boom, and then...then what? Groaning, she propped herself up on one elbow and surveyed her surroundings. She was in the cold night air in the midst of a pile of debris, alarms screaming all around her. This made no sense, she'd been in her quarters with...Jacques! Where was Jacques??

She heard a cough nearby, followed by a sharp intake of air. Dragging herself from the bed she'd been trapped beneath, Drura made her way to the sound. There, Jacques Foccart lay beneath a section of wall, much heavier than Drura's own obstacle had been. Her heart jumped into her throat as a million fears played through her mind. Enough, the Somahturian heroine chastised herself. He's wounded but he's alive.

"Drura..? Ma cherie..?" Invisible Kid reached for her with one trembling and blood-soaked hand, and Infectious Lass instinctively pulled away.

"Jacques, no!" She warned her lover. "We're both bleeding and I may be concussed! I - I may not be able to control my power."

"Qu'est-il arrive?" the clearly confused young man asked. He grimaced, each breath bringing stabbing agony. He tried to shift the debris pinning him down, but that only brought an all-new intensity of pain and a roar that made Drura flinch in sympathy.

Drura's eyes filled with tears. "Jacques! Jacques, stop! I don't know if my translator is broken, but I can't understand you...I don't know if you can understand me, but please don't move...I'll find someone. Just...just stay there!" She stood on wobbly legs, leaning against an exposed beam of metal. None of this made any sense; had they been teleported somewhere? Sent into the timestream again? Then she recognised a slender yellow arm emerging from the rubble nearby, a flight ring gleaming on Nightwind's limp finger. The truth hit her like a ton of inertron. Somebody had attacked the Legion of Superheroes in their home!

As she cautiously advanced toward the frighteningly prone Nightwind, Drura saw two more casualties - Lightning Lass and Kid Computo were both unconscious, and Ayla's arm was bent at a horrible angle. Danielle had sustained a nasty gash to her forehead, and there was a patch of blood ever so slowly growing on the thigh of her pants. Both of them were breathing though, Drura could see their chests rising and falling from here. She hated to have to make this choice at all, but before she helped them she needed to know if Nightwind was still alive under all this destruction. Drura wracked her brain for a way to touch Berta without risking her exposure to countless illnesses when she saw something that chilled her to the marrow.

Ten feet to the left, standing on a pile of debris higher than Drura's eye level, a distinctly female form was silhouetted against the night sky. A form-fitting black bodysuit and cowl hid the woman's identity, red cape flicking in the breeze behind her. She was surrounded by a devilish red glow, and red highlights ran along her costume leading to a strange red symbol emblazoned across her chest. The stranger's eyes too glowed red, illuminating her only exposed flesh as her lower face contorted into a contemptuous snarl. The only other clue to her identity was golden hair emerging from the back of her cowl...Drura had no idea who the woman was, but it seemed clear that she was responsible for this devastating assault.

"You hurt my friends!" Infectious Lass shouted weakly. "I'm not going to let you get away with that!" Her head was spinning, but Drura had to try something. Praying that she could maintain enough self-control not to endanger the nearby Legionnaires, she directed a stream of debilitatingly nasty microbes at the woman in red and black.

Moving faster than Drura could follow, the strange woman closed on Infectious Lass and hoisted her up by the throat. She dangled the terrified Somahturian in her left hand, and raised her right hand so that Drura could see for the first time the crimson ring her assailant wore. "As long as I'm wearing this you don't have a chance in Hell of stopping me," the woman spat.

Drura knew she was right - the woman wasn't just glowing, she was sealed away from the world under a red aura. Drura couldn't send any diseases through that nimbus of energy, and she couldn't cast her power through it to command any microscopic lifeforms which might be lying dormant within the woman already. Worse, the woman was beginning to squeeze. Infectious Lass heard Invisible Kid's helpless protests and held on to consciousness with everything she had. If she were to fall now, Jacques would surely be next...

"Get away from her!" a gravelly voice roared. A flash of diamond filled Drura's field of vision before she fell to the floor rasping for air. Diamond Damsel charged at the mystery assailant, knocking her away from Infectious Lass.

The mysterious attacker staggered back a couple of steps initially under Diamond Damsel's pounding fists, but soon recovered her bearing and blocked the Legionnaire's next blow. "Who are you?" Diamond Damsel demanded. "Why are you doing this?" It had been Iris Jacobs' good fortune that she'd managed to complete her transformation into Diamond Damsel while her quarters crumbled around her ears, but the ease with which this woman stood against her now made her doubt that luck was going to last.

"You can call me Satan Girl for as long as you've got the ability to call me anything at all," the villainess retorted wickedly. The light in her eyes intensified, and twin beams of crimson light penetrated Diamond Damsel's breast. The Legionnaire screamed, gripped by a level of pain she'd felt less than a handful of times over the past millenium as Satan Girl's heat vision burned a tiny hole straight through her body and clear to the other side.

"How--?" Diamond Damsel pleaded. Her right arm had gone dead and her left arm clutched at her smoking shoulder. "I'm made of diamond, that's impossible!"

"Lasers cut diamonds all the time," Satan Girl taunted. "And diamond shatters, once you've found its flaw." She closed on the ancient heroine in a blur and backhanded her roughly. Diamond Damsel flew through two of the base's walls which were still standing and landed in a dazed heap.

As Diamond Damsel struggled to clamber from the wreckage, her masked attacker was standing over her. This time Satan Girl extended her ringed hand toward her victim, and the ring projected a series of holographic gridlines which seemed to be measuring something, closing in on one central point. They formed a three-dimensional cone which zeroed in on the centre of Diamond Damsel's forehead, and Satan Girl bared her teeth in a sadistic grin. "There's that pesky flaw now, speak of the devil."

Before Satan Girl could strike, a tiny spaceship circled her head like an angry mosquito. "Satan Girl tough!" Quislet's shrill voice rang out. "Not many girls or boys can give Diamond Damsel the ol' one-two! Quislet better come to the rescue super quick!"

The microship's hull began to slide open but before the extradimensional hero could exit his craft, Satan Girl grabbed it by the tail fin and threw it miles across the night sky. "Not really a fan of that word," she grunted in disgust. "Super." She turned back to her original target, but Diamond Damsel had already disappeared beneath a shifting carpet of metal which moved as though it were alive. Momentarily confused, Satan Girl soon realised what had happened. She turned to face the architect of Diamond Damsel's salvation and saw Cosmic Boy standing alongside his wife Night Girl. Tellus, Dragonmage and Blok were right behind them.

"Who are you?" Cosmic Boy demanded. "Who are you really?? You can't be who you look like, Satan Girl was the result of Supergirl's exposure to red kryptonite and red kryptonite never affects Kryptonians the same way twice!"

"Jeepers Cosmic Boy, maybe you're not as much of a know-it-all as you think you are," Satan Girl mocked the Legion's founder in a singsong voice. Before he could respond, she had closed the range. Cosmic Boy desperately threw up a shield of omnisteel formed from the debris around them, but Satan Girl punched it hard enough that it shattered and sent Rokk following Quislet into the cold night.

"Rokk!" Night Girl's eyes widened with fear and she flew after her husband without a second thought.

Blok stepped forward and slammed a fist almost as wide as Satan Girl's waist into her gut. As powerful as she'd shown herself to be, she had not braced against his assault. She brought several walls crashing down with her as she crashed deeper into the Legion's headquarters, and Blok turned to his Hykraian comrade. "Tellus! I know this is not normally the way you conduct yourself, but we must know if this is really Supergirl! We need your telepathy, my friend!"

Satan Girl had already recovered, and she charged into Blok with a scream of utter frustration. Blok allowed himself to be knocked back, hoping to spare his friends and home from any more collateral damage. The two of them cleared the Legion's headquarters altogether and landed with a resounding thud in the Martian soil below. Peering over the edge as the mighty combatants traded blows, Tellus put his own power to use. "It is Supergirl," his voice modulator announced with far less distress than he felt. "But she is so full of emotional pain, so full of rage!"

Kryptonian strength backed by the red ring on Satan Girl's finger sent Blok flying up into Tellus. The Hykraian was immediately buried in what remained of someone's quarters, but Blok was only momentarily inconvenienced. "Dragonmage!" Blok cried out urgently. "Kryptonians are vulnerable to magic!"

To his credit, the young sorceror had already begun weaving a dragonform as soon as he'd had confirmation of Satan Girl's true identity but he was far from finished when a crimson beam from his former teammate's ring hurled him back against one of the few remaining walls to join Tellus in unconsciousness.

Blok lifted his flight ring to his gold-veined stone mouth. "Attention, all Legionnaires! Supergirl is under some form of mind control, she has attacked our base and has already gravely injured several of our teammates! Converge--" Blok stopped mid-sentence, and tilted his head toward the self-titled Satan Girl. She was hovering before him, a cruel smile adorning her lips. Why would she just be floating there while he called for reinforcements? Unless...unless she wanted the Legion to converge here?

Satan Girl could see the gears turning in Blok's mind and her smile turned into a petty frown. "You think you're so smart now, don't you Blok?" She slammed into him with more force than he'd felt since his powers had been enhanced by the Rock of Eternity. "Maybe you should do a little less thinking and a little more punching!" In Blok's chest remained a large lightning bolt-shaped gash which was constantly alight with the magic which now permeated his form. Satan Girl drove a powerful fist into that space, assuming his insides would be less protected than his rocky exterior. Instead she was shocked to discover pain - even with her red lantern ring's protective aura, the raw mystical energies were too much for a Kryptonian to withstand.

She yanked her hand away with a surprised yelp, and Blok took his cue to act. Moving swiftly, he held Satan Girl's arms behind her back with a mighty bearhug and drew her face in close to his chest. "I do not wish to hurt you, Supergirl!" Blok shouted over her protests. "Please, think about what you are doing...you have been manipulated to harm your friends, you must fight this!"

"My friends?" she parroted incredulously. "None of you are my friends, Blok! And you're not even the reason I'm here, so let me go!" She glared hatefully at the stone giant's face, and crimson rays of heat burst forth from her own eyes and into his. Blinded, Blok roared in sudden discomfort and released his grip enough that she could burst free. She hovered above him and backed by the red lantern ring, clenched her fists together and slammed Blok so ferociously that he crashed through every level of the Legion's headquarters down to the ground.

Pausing only as long as it took to scan the remainder of the building with her x-ray vision, Satan Girl found one of the women she'd actually come here for. She descended via the hole Blok had made and walked on air a couple of inches above the ground on the building's third level. She saw a cloud of noxious green gas floating toward her, and realised immediately that it must be Gas Girl. Without breaking stride at all, Satan Girl dissipated the Lallorian heroine with one gust of super-breath.

Too late, she realised the mist had been a distraction. Timber Wolf bounced from wall to wall, his misty cover now evaporated. He closed on Satan Girl and kicked her with both feet right in the jaw, and her head snapped back. "This is crazy," Brin Londo remarked as he pushed his hyperagility to its limits to evade an enraged Satan Girl's blows. "Supergirl, you're tough but you must know you can't take on the whole Legion!" Brin knew he wasn't strong enough to stand up to Supergirl one on one, he'd have to rely on his cunning. He grabbed her cape in both hands and wrapped it around her head, using it to slam her head first into the floor.

"You people keep calling me Supergirl," she retorted as she effortlessly burned the cape to tatters. "Supergirl's dead, Timber Wolf...but then you already knew that, didn't you?" Tired of playing with him, she looked up from where she'd landed and spewed a horrific stream of what seemed to be blood. Taken utterly by surprise, the grotesque stream of blood burned Timber Wolf and he instinctively threw his arms up to protect his face. Satan Girl charged him through another bunch of walls, collecting Comet Queen and Chlorophyll Kid purely by accident along the way.

Satan Girl turned to leave until she felt a weakened Timber Wolf grip her ankle. "I'm not...done...yet," the barely conscious hero groaned.

Kara Zor-El gave Timber Wolf a disdainful look and his world exploded into red.

**********
Chameleon Boy had just returned home from a successful night infiltrating a local banyo fruit smuggling ring. Feeling pleased with his success and happy for some company he had sought out Star Boy, Sun Boy and Stone Boy in one of the base's recreation rooms where they were playing their latest virtual reality game obsession Orandan Knights. Cham had barely finished loading his holographic avatar into the game when alarms sounded and a tremendous impact rocked the building. "We're under assault?" Cham removed the multi-pronged headpiece he'd been wearing and blinked as he readjusted to the real world. "Who'd be reckless enough to attack the Legion of Superheroes in our own home?"

"Good question," Sun Boy frowned as he, Star Boy and Stone Boy removed their own headpieces. The sounds of battle continued above them, and the building shook as though it were about to come down around their ears. "We'd better get up there and find out!" Dirk led the charge as the quartet of young men made their way toward the chaotic din. They received Blok's warning en route, but none of them had any luck in returning contact with him.

"Stop!" A breathless Dream Girl intercepted them, still adjusting her gloves. Her hair was unstyled and her face was devoid of makeup, a sight most of these men had seen less than a handful of times in all the years they'd known her.

"Dreamy, are you nuts?" Star Boy threw his hands up. "Listen to that racket, Supergirl could be killing our friends up there!"

"She's not after our friends, Thom!" Dream Girl countered abruptly. "There are only four Legionnaires Satan Girl wants to kill!"

"Dream Girl, you've obviously had a vision," Chameleon Boy deduced, "Who are her targets?"

"You, me, Brainy, and Imra!" Dream Girl answered quickly.

"That doesn't make any sense," Stone Boy's voice became harsher and more grating as his flesh petrified mid-sentence. "Saturn Girl's not even an active Legionnaire anymore!"

Another portion of the ceiling fell away, and a bruised and beaten Matter-Eater Lad fell through wrapped up in Elastic Lady's malleable body. Satan Girl descended after them, hovering imperiously. "Can you believe those two didn't just turn and run?" she taunted cruelly. "Oh hey, there you are!" She turned to face Dream Girl and Chameleon Boy, blasting them with a wide arc of heat vision. Thinking quickly, Chameleon Boy turned into a dragonfly and darted away from the blistering heat while Stone Boy leaped in front of a screaming Dream Girl.

"If you really are Supergirl we'll help you," Sun Boy caught her attention, "But we're not going to let you hurt anyone else, Kara. You'll thank us for this later, trust me." He thrust both arms forward and bathed her in red flame.

"You're cute, Sun Boy." Satan Girl threw her head back and laughed. "But what makes you think you'll do any better than -- hey! What's going on?!" The flames were actually beginning to hurt her, and her flight failed as she fell to the ground near Elastic Lad and Matter-Eater Lad.

"Red solar flare to remove your powers," Sun Boy explained as he continued the assault. "I'm not just a devastatingly handsome face, you know."

She raised her ringed hand, but suddenly found it too heavy to lift. Surrounded in dark air, her hand slammed dramatically to the floor and knocked her off-balance. Star Boy stood close by Sun Boy, Thom's own power responsible for the ring's drastic increase in mass. "What is that?" Thom asked. "A red kryptonite ring? You think that's what's made her like this, Sun Boy?"

"The red lantern ring hasn't made me like anything," Satan Girl spat through clenched teeth. "It's set me free from the ridiculous fantasy you people had me living in!" Her jaw dropped open and like Timber Wolf before them, Sun Boy and Star Boy were both smothered in a seething flood of blood-red bile. The two men bellowed in agony as it burned through their flesh.

"Stop this!" Stone Boy leaped forward and delivered a mighty blow to Satan Girl's jaw. Still feeling the effects of Sun Boy's power, Satan Girl cried out and hit the deck. "You're hurting your friends!" Dag Wentim continued. "Don't you care?"

Satan Girl reinforced her force-field and used the power of the red lantern ring to counteract the ring's increased mass. "Don't you talk to me about caring!" she railed furiously. She blasted Stone Boy with the ring and he flew into a wall. As he climbed to his feet, she blasted him again. "How many months have I been here with you people, all of you pretending like you give a damn about me? Like I'm part of your so-called family? When all I've ever been is an amusement! Some fun souvenir from the past to be put back as soon as you're sick of me! To die!!" As she ranted, she'd kept blasting Stone Boy and now the two were outside in the dirt. The sun had started to rise over the Martian horizon, and even now Kara could feel its rays restoring her Kryptonian strength. She had reached a level of rage so intense she wasn't capable of coherent speech anymore, and without even really being consciously aware of what she was doing she vomited blood over the Zwennite hero. His petrified form protected him from the worst of it, but the acidic assault still hurt. Wiping the foul substance from his eyes, Dag Wentim looked up in anxious disbelief as Satan Girl stood poised to deliver a fatal blow.

A pulse of light as red as her own aura struck the Kryptonian teenager from behind and she arched her back in irritation. "Back for more, Sun Boy?" Satan Girl spun around, her teeth bared.

"Not Sun Boy," Chameleon Boy shot back, a ridiculously oversized red solar rifle slung over his shoulder and Dream Girl standing by his side. "Stone Boy brought us enough time to get to the armory, but he's done his job."

"This ludicrous grudge you're bearing is with us, isn't it?" Dream Girl provoked her. "Well we're right here, Kara. Come get us."

The corrupted teen of steel shrieked in fury and charged straight at the duo, right into the path of Cham's next blast. Knocked off course, she dug a trench in the Martian soil and when she extricated herself both of the Legionnaires had disappeared into the building. Relying on her ring for protection and flight, Kara gave chase just in time to see Dream Girl's chrome heeled boot vanish around a corner. Satan Girl poured on the speed and rounded the corner, opening fire on Dream Girl the instant she saw her. The explosion of light brought the ceiling down on her target, and when the dust settled she saw Dream Girl impaled on a girder. Dream Girl's normally vivid blue eyes stared lifelessly at her murderer and Chameleon Boy's corpse emerged from beneath the pile of rubble nearby. For one long moment, Kara Zor-El looked upon her victims in a stunned stupor. She had come to kill them, and she'd killed them. Repeating that fact to herself almost as though she were trying to convince herself she'd done the right thing, she resolved to finish what she'd come here for and zipped out into the Martian sunlight to recharge.

**********
For the first time in minutes, Laurel Kent's home was filled with silence. Standing alone in a corridor in the building's untouched east wing, the raven-haired teen found the silence more off-putting than the racket. At least noise meant the Legion were still fighting; that they were still alive.

As soon as the devastation had begun, Lightning Lad had evacuated the building with his twin sons and Saturn Girl had telepathically gathered the students under their care. Laurel couldn't imagine that Garth Ranzz would have been at all happy with leaving his wife to protect their students without him, but Laurel also knew from experience how resolute Imra Ardeen Ranzz could be when she set her mind to something. Kid Quantum was away visiting her brother and Chemical Kid and Dragonwing hadn't come home yet from whatever clubs they'd hit last night. Laurel, Gravity Kid, Lullabye Lad, Variable Lad and Glorith had responded to Imra's summons though, and all five students would readily have agreed to follow her command to join up with Lightning Lad until Laurel overheard Dream Girl telling Saturn Girl who was behind this chaos.

Satan Girl. Laurel had read the files. She knew Satan Girl was really Supergirl, and looking down on her poncho at the crest of the House of El that Laurel shared with her distant relative, Laurel felt a responsibility to deal with her. So she'd come up with a plan. And now, as she stood in this corridor with its flickering lights waiting for Satan Girl to appear in chase of her prey, Laurel clenched her fists tightly to stop her hands from shaking. She'd never in her life felt this kind of apprehension about physical violence, but then she'd never in her life had to fight a crazed Kryptonian.

Her feet never touching the ground, Satan Girl walked around the corner and tensed up when she saw Laurel. "You know, I'm mad at the others but it's a whole new level of mad I am with you," the time-displaced blonde snarled, "You're my family, Laurel. Why didn't you tell me the truth? Kal would disown you if he was here. I may not be able to break you but I'm going to bring you a world of hurt, little girl."

"You gonna talk about it or do it?" Laurel retorted, hearing the quiver in her voice. Enraged, Satan Girl charged straight at her cousin's descendant. Standing her ground, Laurel breathed a sigh of relief when Satan Girl stopped short in mid-air. A web of ethereal light held the struggling Kryptonian in place as she tried to figure out how this was happening. "Guys, now!" Laurel bellowed.

Having been hidden in a darkened room to her right, Satan Girl saw now the telltale facial markings of the sorceress Glorith glowing dimly. The light gleamed off of Lullabye Lad's golden bracers, and with outstretched arms he mustered his most commanding voice. "Go to sleep, Supergirl!" At the same time, a grotesque three-armed spindly male leaped out and wrapped his extended limbs around Satan Girl. Fighting an overpowering drowsiness, she realised that the alien creature must be Variable Lad. Moreso, the Jaquaan youth must have taken on a power-leeching form because he was swiftly growing in size while the light of her aura was fading.

"Laurel! I - I can't take much more!" Variable Lad had taken on extreme proportions and was bleeding red energy from his eyes and a mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth.

"It's alright, Oaa. You've done your part. Tel?" Laurel stepped forward, fists balled as she approached the weakened Satan Girl. Variable Lad released her and flew off to discharge his excess energy harmlessly, and Gravity Kid appeared from a console behind Laurel. His arms were surrounded by a bluish nimbus of light, and as Laurel swung a fist at Satan Girl her fist was enclosed in the same aura. When Laurel Kent hit Satan Girl, her indestructible fist was accompanied with a g-force dozens of times more intense than that of the planet Mars. The force of the punch broke Glorith's spell of ensnarement, and a groggy Satan Girl bounced several times before she came to a stop down the other end of the corridor.

"Oh wow," Laurel laughed nervously. "I kinda can't believe that worked!"

Lullabye Lad appeared at his invulnerable classmate's side. "Laurel, I had trouble sedating her even as much as I did before...she's so much angrier now though, you better finish her off before she snaps out of it altogether."

"Got it," Laurel flew after her foe. "Tel, juice me again--"

She never finished her statement before there was an inhuman scream, and the corridor filled with searing heat and force. The walls were slagged, trapping Glorith in the room where she'd been hidden and leaving Lullabye Lad half-buried in molten plasteel. Only his Zwennite instinct to turn to stone in the face of danger had kept him from being instantly killed. Laurel had unwittingly shielded Gravity Kid behind her from the worst of the damage but he was still severely burned, his already revealing costume in shreds. The force of the blast had knocked Laurel flying into Tel Vole, mercifully knocking him out so he couldn't feel the immense pain of his injuries. Laurel wasn't hurt but her poncho had been incinerated and she herself had been disoriented by the blast. Before she could get her bearings, Satan Girl was lifting her up by a fistful of hair.

"You think you're so smart?!" Satan Girl slammed her through a wall into the adjoining room. "You think you can beat me through trickery?!" She picked her up again and threw her viciously back into the corridor. "All of you Legionnaires think you're so much better than me, laughing down your noses at me! And you're not even a proper Legionnaire! You'll never be a Legionnaire!" While she was ranting, she rained blow upon blow on a helpless Laurel. The savage beating was beginning to hurt her and Laurel cried out, but Satan Girl was beyond hearing.

<KARA!>

The telepathic shout reverberated through both Satan Girl and Laurel's skulls, and their heads snapped to the side to see Saturn Girl standing before them, hands on her hips. "Saturn Girl..." Laurel moaned weakly. "You have to run...she was too far gone for Lullabye Lad's power..."

"I told you to evacuate," Saturn Girl chided her young charge. "I trusted you to make sure the other students got away safely, Laurel. I'll deal with you later. As for you, Kara--"

"Burn."

Kara Zor-El glared at the first friend she'd ever made in the Legion of Superheroes, and Imra Ardeen-Ranzz screamed as heat vision immolated her where she stood. The sound was like nothing Laurel had ever heard, and Laurel sobbed as she crawled across to her teacher's unmoving form. She made a futile attempt to smother the flames with her own bruised skin, but she knew it was too late. Satan Girl watched the scenario play out for a while, the grim set of her jaw betraying no compassion. Eventually, she left the crying student behind her and marched on to her final target.

**********
When Satan Girl had initially struck, Fire Lad and Color Kid were in Brainiac 5's multilab with the Coluan hypergenius. Fire Lad had been visiting Aqeaa, the Shwarian name he'd given to the artificial Mercurian woman the Heavensent had created. She remained in a sens-tank where her vitals could be constantly monitored, and Fire Lad had taken it upon himself to ensure that Brainiac 5 did everything he could to help the mysterious lifeform.

The instant Brainiac 5 had seen Satan Girl on security footage he'd recognised her. Upon seeing her path through the Legion's headquarters, he'd also quickly deduced that she was coming for this very lab. Removing Aqeaa's sens-tank and some of his more volatile experiments to an emergency tesseract, he'd assigned Color Kid and Fire Lad to the tesseract as well. While Color Kid had vigorously protested, Brainiac had made a mental note of Fire Lad's enthusiasm for the task. As he sealed the tesseract portal, Brainiac promised himself he'd look into Staq's growing obsession with Aqeaa...assuming he survived today.

He called in all offworld Legionnaires and then Brainiac 5 examined his options. He could flee, but doing so would place the rest of the Legion, their home and potentially the residents of Mars in more danger. The Legion's armory existed in its own tesseract, one which could be accessed from various strategic points throughout the base. But no. Whatever else happened today, Querl Dox couldn't bring himself to hurt Kara Zor-El with premeditation. He could leave the lab to engage her, but there was always the possibility that Satan Girl had been recreated as a distraction specifically to leave the secrets of his multilab unattended. No, the prudent course of action was to stand his ground. Then the door to his lab whooshed open and Brainiac 5 saw a familiar if mildly unexpected face.

"Brainy," his old friend greeted him. "There's something you need to know..."

Minutes later, Satan Girl ripped that same door from its moorings. While he was waiting for her, Brainiac 5 had disabled the base's alarms as the sound was infuriating...and with everything his 12th level intellect knew about the ring Satan Girl wore, the last thing he wanted was to make her angrier than she was. With a wrathful wordless scream, Satan Girl bathed Brainiac 5 in red light. Though every piece of equipment around him was ruined, his forcefield protected him effortlessly and he retaliated with two simple words.

"Hello Kara."

"Don't hello Kara me!" she screeched. "How can you just sit there so...so complacent! I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you like I've killed all your stupid friends!" She began pounding against his forcefield with blows so ferocious they rattled everything in the room.

"I don't think you will," Querl Dox responded calmly. "I've been watching you on our security feeds you see, and Kara...you've had every opportunity to murder every single Legionnaire and student you've come across, but you stopped yourself in every case."

"No I didn't!" She switched to heat vision and though the forcefield held, Brainiac was forced to shield his eyes. "I killed Dream Girl...and Cham! And Saturn Girl!"

"Did you?" he asked from behind the shade of a crooked arm. "Because I have to say...even without a red lantern ring, the Supergirl I know has the power to murder those three along with everyone else here - but more to the point, the Satan Girl I remember would have made damn sure she did it. The Kara Zor-El I know is intimately familiar with how tricky the people on this team can be when they need to be. And none of that matters because..." Despite himself, Brainiac 5's voice cracked. "...the Kara Zor-El I love has nothing but compassion for each and every one of us."

Satan Girl stopped her assault and stood facing Brainiac 5, their faces only inches from one another. For the longest moment, the air was filled with her ragged breathing before she shook her head and raised her fists to punch Brainiac's forcefield again. Brainiac 5's eyes welled with tears. He'd had her, he could feel it...but just as quickly she'd slipped through his fingers.

"I don't love you!" she wailed. "I don't, I don't!" She bashed at the forcefield with both fists and blasted it again with heat vision. Under such an onslaught, even Brainiac 5's technology would soon fail.

"You do love us," a new voice entered the conversation. "And we love you, Kara. Stop this. Come back to us." Incredulous, she stopped her barrage and turned toward the voice. Impossibly, looking just as he had the day he'd left the team, Shadow Lad stood before her.

Satan Girl stepped back, taking on the posture of a cornered animal. "Sh-Shady..? Brainy..? Oh Rao, what am I doing?" For the first time all night, her face wasn't contorted with anger...for the first time she looked scared.

Before either of the men could reply, an anti-energy blast tore the far wall apart and Wildfire hovered beyond; Mon-El, Ultra Boy, Shadow Lass, Phantom Girl and Dawnstar were by his side. Shadow Lass was visibly surprised to see her cousin. "Grev?? But you're on Talok VIII! What are you doing here? How did you get here??"

For the second time in as many moments, Kara Zor-El's face was overcome with a mask of pure unadulterated rage. "I knew it! I knew it!" she screamed. "You even said it yourself!" she turned on Brainiac. "I should know how tricky you can be! Damn you all to hell!" She zoomed through the ceiling, rocketing straight up until she'd cleared the building. Mon-El rushed to pull Brainiac and Shadow Lad from falling debris while Ultra Boy, Dawnstar and Wildfire raced to follow Satan Girl.

The trio had almost cleared the atmosphere when their leader called them back. "The three of you are no match for her, and we have bigger fish to fry," Brainiac said, "To use a Terran colloquialism."

When they returned to what was left of their headquarters, Saturn Girl and Dream Girl had joined the others in the multi-lab. "I had to make Kara and Laurel both think that Kara had killed me," Imra explained. "I couldn't risk trying to override that terrible ring's influence on her, and I needed Laurel's reaction to be genuine. I feel horrible, but--"

"Don't," Dream Girl interjected. "It's like I said on the way here, we did what we had to. If Cham hadn't shapeshifted to make it look like she'd killed both of us while I hid, I don't want to think about what might have happened."

Shadow Lad's form and voice warped until Chameleon Boy was standing before them. "I just hope that my last little trick didn't turn Kara against us forever...I'm sorry Brainy, but I was desperate."

"You put my cousin in danger!" Shadow Lass pointed a finger at Cham. "She could be on her way to kill him right now!"

"She isn't," Brainiac 5 replied in a voice devoid of emotion. "And if you hadn't barged in the way you did, Chameleon Boy's gambit may very well have spared us a lot of coming pain. We'll notify Shadow Lad to be cautious but he's perfectly safe, Shadow Lass. There were only four Legionnaires against whom Kara did more than threaten lethal force."

"You, me, Cham and Imra," Dream Girl recited, recalling the prophetic vision which had spared her from the fate that had met the rest of her quarters when Satan Girl came crashing through. Dream Girl and Saturn Girl's eyes widened as they realised what Brainiac 5's 12th level intellect and Chameleon Boy's keen powers of deduction had already told them and the four spoke their tormentor's name in unison.

"Universo."

That was excellent fun Raz, Satan Girl is do much more interesting and scary than Super Girl. Quite a ride there, and excellent start with Drura not knowing what hit her and slowly realising the horror that surrounds her.

Star Boy and Timber Wolf were very brave to tackle her too, though it was the Academy students that stole the show almost stopping Kara's rampage where the main team members had failed.

Brainy was cute at the end, not wanting his lab to be unmanned (though who else would understand a tenth of what is going on in there?) And talking down Kara. So close but Tasmia had to interrupt, oh well, better luck next time.

One question, the red blood vomit that Kara used, is that standard Red Lanterns trick?

You've given us a superb, exciting and scary arc Raz, well done. No need to say this but I'm really looking forward to more, more and more!

Wow, that had me on the edge of my seat. Excellent battle, a lot of Legionnaires got good moments there. From Drura's keeping her wits about her and being careful not to infect her teammates, to Blok's wisdom and battle tactics, Diamond Damsel stepping in (And I don't forget that Drura was afraid of her); the "last stands" of Timber Wolf, Sun Boy's solar flare, Stone Boy and Star Boy doing a lot of damage, and the Academy students' EXCELLENT battle tactics (I hope Laurel won't get into too much trouble!)

And of course, the Universo Project four. I guessed right away that that was the tie, it looks like Universo is smart enough to want these four dead as they stopped him last time. But is it Universo's doing that Satan Girl isn't killing the rest? It would make sense, that he'd want to control them (as that was his game last time).

Loved the characterization of the four, they showed just how dangerous and crafty they can be.

Can't wait for the next part!

Hi peeps, thanks again for the comments! That was fun to write

Good job remembering Drura's issues with Diamond Damsel, IB! And I'm glad y'all liked Laurel's plan...those Academy students are actually pretty powerful, they are gonna make kickass Legionnaires one day!

Harbi, I have taken some minor liberties with the Red Lantern rings, but corrosive blood vomit is one of their trademark things - check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Lantern_Corps#Powers_and_abilities for some more details

Next up! Some more extreme violence! Surprise guest stars! Happy christmas everyone, hopefully I will get a chance to post over the next week or so

Thanks for the link Raz, appreciated.

It's great to see Naltor as more than just a planet of pre-cogs. I can imagine the beauty of that waterfall.

You did a good job of explaining the Brainy-Kara relationship, how it stood in the past and what the possibilities would be for it now. Could he be so expressive with anyone else but Kara?

Interesting tidbit that Drura needs a translator to understand Jacques. Interlac is the common language of the future, but who could keep up with all the different individual languages?

Satan Girl on a rampage, wow! I feel sorry for her when she comes out of it (surely she will?). She seems to be struggling a bit at one point to break free of the mind control.

Glad you liked the Naltor bit FC, I imagine it being a very lush world considering what Dream Girl's like

I was hoping to have the next chapter up by now, but real life has gotten in the way lol....more rampaging coming up soon though!

MARS
Husband Hill, Legion of Superheroes Headquarters

ROLL CALL
Element Lad aka Jan Arrah: elemental transmutation
Polar Boy aka Brek Bannin: cold and ice generation
Saturn Girl aka Imra Ardeen Ranzz: reserve member, telepathy

Polar Boy's steamy breath fogged up the glass of the viewing pane as he looked over his many wounded teammates in the Legion's sickbay beyond. "Grife Saturn Girl, I wish we'd gotten back sooner...I can't believe Supergirl did all this!"

"Don't feel too badly," Saturn Girl replied. "Those asteroid miners may not have survived that cave-in without you and Element Lad to help them, Polar Boy. Besides, as brutal as Satan Girl's assault was there's every likelihood that you'd just be two more bodies in beds right now. She was nothing like the Kara we know."

"I suppose nothing should shock me anymore," Element Lad added, "But I must admit, I wouldn't have expected Universo to unleash such an obscure threat from our past against us...I mean the Legion faced Satan Girl years ago, and that was only because of red kryptonite. It seems like an awfully risky gambit on his part to assume Kara would still have that part of herself buried somewhere deep inside."

"It was years ago for us," a new voice joined them. "I doubt it's such a distant memory for Kara, she's a lot younger than us nowadays." The three heroes turned to see a bandaged Cosmic Boy exit the sickbay, Night Girl on his heels.

"Rokk!" Saturn Girl scolded the man who was one of her oldest friends. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"That's what I said," Night Girl rolled her eyes. "Shades forbid he should listen to his wife though."

"Don't worry," Cosmic Boy held up his hands in surrender and winced as he felt a sharp twinge in his chest. "I'm in no hurry to leap back into action just yet. I'm not a complete invalid though...that ring Kara was wearing, something about it kept bugging me so I did some research and...well, it's not particularly heartwarming news."

"The Red Lantern ring?" Saturn Girl queried. "That's what Brainy called it, right?"

"That's right." Rokk handed Imra an omnicom, on its screen a flickering image of a group of different races of aliens in similar rings. Their outfits were roughly identical and all of them bore the same arcane symbol that Satan Girl had displayed on her chest.

"What is this?" Polar Boy asked, craning to peer over Saturn Girl's shoulder. "Is that a Red Lantern Corps? Like the Green Lantern Corps?"

"Hold on," Jan Arrah's eyes narrowed and he enlarged a section of the image with his thumb and forefinger. "That blonde girl in the back, is that..."

"...Kara?" Rokk finished his question for him. "None other. In the early 21st century, Supergirl joined the Red Lantern Corps briefly. It's a weird but minor footnote in her career, I'm genuinely surprised that Universo was even aware of it...I love ancient history and even I only really half-remembered. I don't know if becoming a Red Lantern is something our Supergirl has done herself yet, but if Universo somehow managed to get his hands on an actual Red Lantern ring, it may already have been somehow attuned to her. Our records of the Red Lantern Corps are ridiculously sparse and as much mythology as fact, but if they're even partially true..."

"It says here that the Red Lanterns are powered by rage," Saturn Girl read aloud. "That certainly meshes with what I felt when I faced her. She was consumed by rage, I've never felt anything like it."

"Excellent," Polar Boy joked flatly. "All we need to do then is find and take down an enraged Kryptonian before she kills us all."

Nobody laughed.

**********
LEGION OF SUPERHEROES HEADQUARTERS
Legion Academy Suites

ROLL CALL
Dragonwing aka Marya Pai: acid venom, fire breath
Laurel Kent: Legion intern, invulnerability

Laurel Kent sat on a console, glumly watching a holographic image of the current Legion Academy class as it rotated through various recordings of the students. The indestructible teenager was so absorbed in her misery that she didn't even notice when her fiery-haired classmate entered the dimly illuminated room. "Grife, Kent! What are you doin' in here with the lights out?" Dragonwing snarked. She leaned against a table on the opposite side of the hologram.

"Leave me alone, Marya," Laurel pouted. "I'm not in the mood."

"Hadru checked on Gravity Kid," Dragonwing completely ignored her. "He's gonna be okay, he'll need some follicle-stim treatments if he wants to grow back that stupid fuzz he spends so much time on though after Supergirl burnt it all off."

Dragonwing chuckled at herself, a laugh that Laurel quickly cut short. "It's not funny, Marya! Gravity Kid could have died because of me! I thought...I thought Saturn Girl did die. Grife, I can still smell her burning."

"That's the job," Dragonwing shrugged. "He knew that before he ever applied to join this school, just like all of us did."

"But Saturn Girl told us to evacuate!" Laurel protested. "If we'd just done like she said--"

"You really think any of those Legionnaires don't know by now we're a stubborn buncha bastiches?" Dragonwing interrupted her. "You don't get to be in the Legion just meekly following orders all the time, and it took a lotta guts to do what you did -- it's not often I throw out props, girl. You deserve 'em this time though so stop beating yourself up. You're gonna get in enough trouble from Iron-Butt Imra anyway, you don't need to be addin' to that yourself."

"Speaking of trouble," an older man's voice came from the classroom's doorway, "Don't think Iron-Butt Imra or her equally iron-butt husband have forgotten you and Chemical Kid broke curfew again last night, Dragonwing. I could have sworn I put the two of you on clean-up duty this morning." Lightning Lad entered the room, his hands folded across his chest and an expression on his face which made it clear this was not a point of contention.

"Right." Dragonwing scurried out past Garth Ranzz. "Sorry, Teach. Just helping morale."

Garth watched Dragonwing leave, the animated dragon on her voluminous coat rushing across its surface from right to left as she walked off. Once she was out of earshot, he turned his attention to Laurel. "Of course she's not entirely wrong, you know."

"Wh-what?" Laurel was shaken from her self-pity. "What do you mean she's not entirely wrong?"

Garth joined Laurel in watching the holographic display of Academy students. "You should have obeyed Saturn Girl's command," Lightning Lad said. "And Gravity Kid unquestionably suffered because you didn't. But that's on him as much as it's on you, Laurel. What you're feeling now is something which has been felt by every mission leader who ever screwed up...believe me, it's a feeling I'm very familiar with. As difficult as it may be to come to terms with right now, you need to understand that Gravity Kid made a choice to follow you." He turned now to look her in the eye. "I also know a little something about feeling responsible for your family's violence and mental health issues...I understand why you felt obligated to confront Supergirl because I would have made the exact same choice if it were Lightning Lord hurting my friends."

"Then...then I'm not in trouble?" Laurel implored.

"You don't get out of it that easy," Garth smirked. "Don't worry, we'll come up with something that will have you abusing us just like Chemical Kid and Dragonwing no doubt are right now. But Dragonwing was right about something else too...the Legion of Superheroes will never expect you to meekly follow orders if you genuinely think it's not the right thing to do; and at the end of the day, you kids came a lot closer to stopping Kara than anybody else. That's something to be proud of."

"Thanks Lightning Lad," Laurel smiled wanly. "I guess that makes me feel a little better."

"I'm glad," Garth Ranzz moved toward the door. "Let's just hope the rematch goes a little more in our favour...now that everyone's arrived back at base, we're taking a team to find Kara and Universo."

"Good luck," Laurel called out after the departing hero.

You're gonna need it, she thought darkly.

***********
DEEP SPACE
Two parsecs beyond the Sol system

ROLL CALL
Blok: magically enhanced strength, invulnerability, speed, flight, stamina, wisdom and courage
Brainiac 5 aka Querl Dox: 12th level intelligence, team leader
Color Kid aka Ulu Vakk: color manipulation
Dawnstar: translightspeed flight, interstellar-range tracking
Element Lad aka Jan Arrah: elemental transmutation
Fire Lad aka Staq Mavlen: fire-breathing
Gas Girl aka Tal Nahii: can transform into any gas
Light Lad aka Darvan Locke: anti-gravity control
Lightning Lad aka Garth Ranzz: reserve member, electricity generation and manipulation
Mon-El aka Lar Gand: Daxamite physiology
Night Girl aka Lydda Jath Krinn: photosensitive super-strength
Phantom Girl aka Tinya Wazzo: intangibility
Polar Boy aka Brek Bannin: cold and ice generation
Saturn Girl aka Imra Ardeen Ranzz: reserve member, telepathy
Shadow Lass aka Tasmia Mallor: darkness generation
Shrinking Violet aka Salu Digby: shrinking
Wildfire aka Drake Burroughs: anti-energy being

Having programmed the Legion’s cruiser to follow Dawnstar, Lightning Lad watched the winged Legionnaire on a wide viewscreen. Mon-El and Wildfire accompanied the tracker outside the vehicle. “I still don’t think we should have left Chameleon Boy and Dream Girl back on Mars,” Lightning Lad volunteered to his wife. “Even with the two of us on active duty, half the team’s injured. We need all the Legionnaires we can get.”

“It makes tactical sense,” Saturn Girl answered her husband while she adjusted engineering controls. “If Chameleon Boy, Dream Girl, myself and Brainiac 5 were Kara’s real targets as we suspect, we’re a very inviting target if we’re all in the same place. You know how dangerous Universo is, Garth. We can’t afford to give him the opening.”

“You sound awfully calm about someone having brainwashed the most powerful girl in the galaxy to kill you,” Garth retorted.

“I’m more annoyed that you didn’t stay with Graym and Garridan to be honest,” Imra said bluntly. “I’m not happy about both of us heading into danger while our sons hope for us to come home in one piece.”

“I’ll never question abandoning a fight to help our children when they’re in direct danger,” Garth replied firmly. “But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let my wife go fight for her life while I sit at home wringing my hands. I love you, dope.” He leaned across and kissed her before she could protest.

Brainiac 5 entered the bridge, interrupting the couple without apology. “Change course immediately,” he ordered. “Dawnstar just contacted me; Kara has abruptly changed her trajectory. There is only one place she can be going now.” As he spoke, Dawnstar, Mon-El and Wildfire accelerated out of view.

“Nice timing,” Lightning Lad muttered sarcastically before he straightened up and reached for the navcontrols. “Where are we headed, Brainy?”

Brainiac 5’s reply was only three words, but they filled the Legion founders with a sense of foreboding.

“The Sorceror’s World.”

**********
XEROX
The Sorceror’s World
Above a wide green field and beneath several bloated moons, Mysa Nal hovered impassively while the Khund mage Harlak took a serrated dagger to his open palm. He opened a small gash and held the wound over a bonfire where black blood dripped into the flames. Speaking words older than his own ancestors Harlak summoned sprites from the fire, tiny dancing lights which flickered and laughed a cheeky crackling sound.

“Your studies are proceeding at an exemplary pace,” the Black Witch decreed. “At this rate, you will have mastered Khundish Blood Magic by the end of the next Apollorenian Cycle.”

“Thank you Mistress!” Harlak beamed at the tiny leaping fire faeries he’d summoned. In his childhood back on Khundia, he’d only dreamed he’d see even a portion of the wonders he’d encountered here on Xerox. The raw beauty of the supernatural world was more inspiring than he’d imagined it could be.

A sonic boom drew the Black Witch and Harlak’s gaze skyward, the Khund’s flaming nymphs following suit. While the denizens of the Sorceror’s World were still registering that a new light had appeared in the firmament, its originator made landfall. The other side of the field exploded with the impact, only Harlak’s combat-trained reflexes erected a magical shield in time to protect himself and Mysa from flying debris. The pink-hued youth’s shield fell beneath the onslaught, and Harlak himself only remained upright through force of will. “Mistress, what was that?” he asked through gritted teeth. “A meteor?”

“Not a meteor,” Mysa Nal replied coldly, her fingers already weaving some enchantment.

Before she could say more, a red streak came straight at them from the crash site. Satan Girl stopped before the two mages, one hand gripped tight around Harlak’s exposed throat. Harlak struggled fruitlessly for a moment, but he quickly realised that her strength far outstripped his. Seeing his own blood running down his arm, he was struck with inspiration. Exercising his control over the fire sprites, they rose and merged forms to create one composite entity the size of a small child. They moved to assault the villainess hurting their master, but Satan Girl simply laughed and dispersed the living flames with one blast of super-breath. “You’ll have to do better than that,” she sneered, throwing Harlak aside like he was nothing more than a rag doll. He bounced painfully several times before rolling to a halt halfway across the devastated field.

“Then do better I shall,” the Black Witch intoned.

Pendulous clouds gathered above them, the sound of thunder filling the formerly peaceful skies. Satan Girl moved toward the witch, but she’d barely left the ground when a tremendous lightning bolt tore straight through her. The Kryptonian teenager screamed in agony, dropping to her knees. With ragged breaths, she looked up at Mysa. “How..?”

“You pitiful creature.” While the temperature dropped and winds howled, the Black Witch made an elaborate gesture. Slimy tendrils came forth from the broken earth like an army of enormous earthworms. They curled around Satan Girl’s limbs and her neck, slowly but inexorably dragging her beneath the ground’s surface. Content that Satan Girl was subdued, the Black Witch calmly approached her would-be assailant. “What kind of fool mounts an attack on somebody without knowing the power they command? Tell me.”

Satan Girl had begun to panic, but panic turned now to frustration and frustration to rage. Drawing strength from her anger, she craned her neck upwards against the drag of the tendrils until she could see the hem of the Black Witch’s cloak. “I’ll tell you while you burn,” she spat. Twin beams of intense heat blazed from hateful eyes, and Mysa’s black cloak burst into flames.

“No!” Shocked but unhurt, Mysa staggered backwards a few steps. Rain finally poured down from the now moonless skies, dousing the flames before she could come to any harm. Satan Girl’s true goal had been distraction however, and with that goal achieved she used the power of the Red Lantern ring to tear her way free from the witch’s mystical entrapment.

A flash of lightning illuminated the sheer intensity of fury on Satan Girl’s face as she launched herself at the Black Witch. Before the lightning’s accompanying thunderbolt sounded, the two women were miles away and Satan Girl had the Black Witch pinned up against the cold stone wall of her own castle. “Now where were we?” Satan Girl grinned wickedly, her eyes flaring bright.

“...I know you!” Mysa realised suddenly. “Your voice, your power...how do I know you? Et Ednetso!” The spell was a simple one, forcing Satan Girl’s black cowl to fade to transparency. Mysa Nal’s eyes widened in amazement as she recognised the blonde juggernaut.

“Supergirl!” Both women gaped at the sound of Mon-El's booming voice behind them to see him floating alongside Wildfire and Dawnstar. “Let her go, Kara!” Mon-El commanded.

“That’s really what you want?” Kara Zor-El mocked the Daxamite. “I thought you’d be happy, Mon...you all know it’s just a matter of time till she goes all Mordru: The Sequel on you.”

“You presume far too much, girl out of time.” Mysa’s voice sounded positively sepulchral. Now that she knew Satan Girl’s identity, she knew that Kara was as famously vulnerable to magic as her cousin. The fact that she hadn’t succumbed yet could be attributed to only one thing; the ring. “You know nothing of the sacrifices I have made, that I continue to make to contain Mordru’s evil. Every time you Legionnaires come here you bring nothing but disdain and gormless need. And now you seek to bring destruction? I will not allow it.” She gripped Kara’s Red Lantern ring. “Aufero Magus Infusco!”

Kara felt as though her blood were frozen. Her red aura faded momentarily and she dropped the Black Witch in shock. “Mysa...what..?” For a moment, she sounded like any other frightened teenager.

Mysa reached for the ring again, her grip absurdly stronger than Kara’s own. “Aufero Magus Infusco!”

Mysa herself seemed to almost glow with a crimson light, and Kara fell screaming to one knee. “Stop it! What are you doing to me?!”

“Mysa, that’s enough!” Mon-El ordered. “You’re hurting her!”

“Am I?” The Black Witch’s eyes were two burning embers in a deathly white face. “I will inflict pain and more to protect my world, man of Daxam. Aufero Magus--”

“I said that’s enough!” Before the witch could complete her incantation, Mon-El moved in a blur to interject himself between the two women. Trusting that Kara’s innate invulnerability would protect her, he grabbed her and threw her wildly across the storm-swept landscape. “Get after her!” Mon-El shouted at Wildfire. “Keep her busy till the rest of the Legion arrive and we can get to the bottom of this!” He turned back to Mysa and found himself chilled by her expression.

“I tire of the Legion of Superheroes’ constant interference in my affairs, man of Daxam. And I would remind you that you are no more immune to my magic than she whom you seek to protect!” The Black Witch’s glare intensified, and the power she’d already absorbed from the Red Lantern ring exploded forth from her eyes. Mon-El bellowed in pain and clutched at his face, staggering backwards.

“Mysa!” Dawnstar chided her former teammate. “Stop this at once! Have you forgotten that we are friends?”

“The Black Witch has no friends,” Mysa Nal intoned, the thunder overhead crashing ominously. “You should never have come to this place, tracker.” Dawnstar felt something grab at her from below and looked down to see thick clawed arms reaching out from the ground.

The winged Legionnaire’s screams were drowned out by the angry skies.

**********
Miles away, Wildfire landed in the shattered remains of a stone cairn. Satan Girl or Supergirl or whatever she was calling herself had obviously landed here, but she wasn’t here now. Drake Burroughs was glad that Dawnstar had remained with Mon-El for her own safety, but he could definitely use her tracking power right now. His own senses weren’t nearly as badly affected by darkness as an organic being would be, but the darkness together with the driving rain and the electrically charged atmosphere had much the same effect. He could barely see anything more than twenty or thirty feet away. He knew Kara must have him in her sights right now though, so he figured the best approach was the direct one. He was about to call her name when a tremendous impact from behind drove him into the mud. Wildfire rolled over to see Satan Girl’s glowering form overhead. “I don’t want to hurt you--” he began.

“Oh Wildfire, that’s so cute.” Satan Girl hefted him up in her left hand and delivered a powerful blow with her right that sent him flying straight up half a mile. Before he could get his bearings, she was suddenly above him again. “Now that I've recovered from the Witch’s hoodoo, like that’s even an option.” She clasped both fists together and slammed him straight back down again.

Wildfire hit the ground with enough force to leave a small crater. This was bad. She could easily rupture his containment suit if she tried, her blows came just shy of doing precisely that. She was toying with him. He wasn’t looking forward to what he’d have to do next; if this didn’t work, he might be taken out of the fight altogether. It was his only chance to end this though. He stood up and watched Satan Girl diving down at him, waiting for the last possible instant before he made his move. Drake Burroughs flipped the visor which kept his containment suit sealed and channeled the entirety of his power into what should have been a devastating expulsion of anti-energy. To his astonishment, absolutely nothing happened.

Satan Girl pinned him down to the ground and Wildfire realised that she was using the power of the ring to seal his suit. She leaned close to the open space in his cowl and sneered hatefully. “The Red Lantern energy can burn through just about anything,” Satan Girl taunted. “Let’s see if it can burn your stupid anti-energy!”

Before she could make good on her threat, Satan Girl found her head enclosed in a mass of glowing green rock. Her concentration broken, the crimson field keeping Wildfire contained was weakened enough that he exploded through it and bathed her in enough raw energy to destroy a city block. The green rock was disintegrated in the blast, and Satan Girl found herself somersaulting backwards through the rain. She righted herself, but before she could mount a counter-attack she was grabbed from behind and charged face-first into the mud. She felt someone straddling her from behind and two insanely strong hands holding her head down, and Satan Girl roared.

“Struggle as much as you like, Kara.” The voice belonged to Night Girl. “We’ve all seen what that ring lets you do, I’m not letting you up until Saturn Girl frees you of whatever hold this thing has on you.” With the storm as heavy as it had become, it was dark enough that Lydda was near full-strength anyway; with Color Kid making the transuit she’d just activated completely opaque, the photosensitive heroine was as formidable as she was going to get.

While Wildfire slowly filled his containment suit once more and Kara raged impotently, six more Legionnaires looked on. Brainiac 5 dropped the forcefield which had protected himself, Color Kid, Saturn Girl, Lightning Lad, Element Lad and Phantom Girl from Wildfire’s explosive backwash.

Element Lad approached Satan Girl warily. “Have you got her under control, Night Girl?” Jan Arrah asked. “I’d rather not subject Kara to kryptonite again if I don’t need to, but if it’s necessary…”

“I hate to say it but we might have to,” Lydda grunted. “It’s almost like this damn ring is making her stronger!”

“That is precisely what is happening,” Brainiac explained. “The Red Lantern ring is powered by rage; to phrase it indelicately, the angrier she gets the stronger she gets. Don’t act yet, Element Lad, but remain ready. Saturn Girl, can you please assist?”

“Of course, Brainy.” Saturn Girl stepped forward, her husband shadowing her protectively.

A hand suddenly clawed at Imra from beneath the ground until Lightning Lad dissuaded it with a well-placed blast of electricity. “Now what?!” Garth complained.

“I don’t know,” Phantom Girl retorted as she watched a grotesque limb slash through her own intangible form, “But this looks more like Sorceror’s World trouble than Satan Girl trouble, guys.”

All around the Legionnaires, demonic forms clambered from the wet earth.

**********
Back at the Black Witch’s castle, nine more Legionnaires found themselves in the same predicament as their friends. Shadow Lass’s darkness hid her from the monsters which had burst forth from the ground at their feet while Mon-El and Blok found themselves buried beneath a growing pile of them. Initially the wind and rain had hampered Fire Lad’s ability to protect himself, but Gas Girl’s power gave him a medium volatile enough to overcome the weather. The wind actually worked in Light Lad’s favour; once he made the demons lighter than air, they were picked up by stray gusts and smashed against the castle walls or sent tumbling far away from the heroes. Dawnstar had already fallen before the others arrived and Polar Boy now stood at her defence, regenerating ice walls faster than they could be torn down. A diminutive Shrinking Violet stood on the shivering Tharrian’s shoulder, clinging at his collar to fight the howling winds. Above them all, untouched by the furious elements in a preternaturally calm eye, the Black Witch watched in cold judgement.

“I hate this!” Shrinking Violet shouted into Polar Boy’s ear. “I can’t do anything against these monsters!”

A massive three-fingered hand smashed through one of Polar Boy’s barricades and Brek reinforced the wall quickly, freezing the creature in mid-swipe. “If it makes you feel any better,” Brek replied, “I don’t know how much longer I’m gonna be able to keep this up! If these demons don’t get me, hypothermia will!”

Vi knew Polar Boy was exaggerating, but she also knew that this environment must paradoxically be much more difficult for their resident cryokinetic to endure than it was for the rest of them. Coming from an insanely hot world like Tharr, even a pleasant day on Earth or Mars was uncomfortably cold for him. She wasn’t really concerned though; his flight ring’s transuit function was calibrated specifically for his Tharrian physiology, if things got too bad it would activate automatically. Vi considered her options. Maybe she’d be more useful taking on Mysa? After all, the Black Witch was responsible for these creatures.

Just as she’d decided to confront the sorceress, something else caught the Imskian heroine’s eye. The others were all too preoccupied with these demons, but Vi was certain she’d seen a flash of emerald out there in the stormy night. Curious, the tiny woman focused intently on her flight ring and fought the driving winds to take a closer look.

With a flex of their mighty muscles, Blok and Mon-El sent their army of attackers hurtling every which way. While Blok was none the worse for wear, Mon-El’s costume had shreds torn from it and he was covered in shallow cuts and grazes. “Mon-El, you are injured!” Blok exclaimed.

“I’ll heal,” the stoic Daxamite replied. “Against magic, I don’t have any more defences than anybody else but I can still throw a mean punch.”

“May I suggest you continue to engage these minions from a distance and assist our friends as necessary?” Blok asked. “I wish to have words with their mistress.”

“Good idea,” Mon-El nodded. He took to the air and with a focused gust of super-breath scattered two of the creatures who’d been sneaking up on Fire Lad.

Blok made his way to the Black Witch, throwing off two of the attacking demons who’d become airborne. The effort was completely casual on his part, and they didn’t slow his ascent in the slightest. “Mysa, please! I understand you must feel betrayed, but Supergirl is not in her right mind! We have come to help her, and to help you if you will allow us!”

The Black Witch fixed the stone man with a long frozen stare. “In respect for our prior friendship, I will allow you to depart my world. Take the Kryptonian with you or do not, it is no matter to me. If she remains however, if any of you remain, you will be subject to my judgement for your actions here today.”

“Mysa...our prior friendship..?” The hurt in Blok’s voice was evident, as was the concern. He’d felt that they had begun repairing the rift between them the last time the Legion had come to the Sorceror’s World; had she really become so much darker since then? So much more lost? What exactly was it doing to her to have to contain Mordru’s essence for so long?

“You are a good man, Blok of Dryad. Despite all else, I know this to be true.” Her words were kind, but her demeanour was no less icy. “These Legionnaires are mortal however, and mortals are necessarily flawed. I can no longer ignore those flaws when I have so many of my own I must push down.”

“Please Mysa, just call off your servants...before somebody is harmed.”

The Black Witch regarded him and Blok could sense that somewhere deep inside, the compassionate woman he knew was fighting this shadow which tainted all that she was now. She opened her mouth to speak, then with no warning grabbed at her head and cried out in shock. “No!” she screeched. “How could you do this? How could you all do this??”

Then the Black Witch threw wide her arms, and waves of pain washed over them all.

**********
Satan Girl and Night Girl’s fight had now moved to a forest. Tree limbs swayed urgently in the winds as if to evade the female powerhouses, and most of the other Legionnaires had found themselves too occupied with the Black Witch’s mystical servants to follow. Color Kid and Brainiac 5 alone had escaped the demons’ groping claws, and had followed the trail of violence to the thrashing women. “Lydda’s holding out well,” Color Kid hissed at his leader, “But I don’t know how much longer she can last...what can we do, Brainiac?”

“Our best hopes rested with Saturn Girl,” Brainiac 5 mumbled forlornly. “Without her….I don’t know...”

Though his eyes were hidden behind permanent artificial shadow, Color Kid gaped at the Coluan. He had never once heard Brainiac 5 admit ignorance, he didn’t realise such a thing was even possible!

A series of thunderous cracks diverted his attention, and Ulu spun to see three mighty trees topple to the ground as Satan Girl was punched through all three of them. While the massive trunks were still collapsing and taking more of the forest with them, Satan Girl recovered her bearing and charged Night Girl through two more trees. “How are you so strong?!” Kara ranted, her own anger clouding her reason. “With my aura, with this lightning strobing constantly, how?!” Too incensed for speech, Kara released a noise which was half shriek and half sickly gurgle. Before Lydda could defend herself, she was splattered in fiery crimson vomit.

The Kathooni heroine wailed in pain as the corrosive bile instantly disintegrated her transuit and started burning through her costume. The driving rain washed some of it away, but nowhere near enough.

“Kara, stop this!” Brainiac 5 floated closer, his mastery of his forcefield belt enabling him to project a field between Lydda’s body and the majority of the gross attack. That which had already soaked through her costume continued to burn though, and Night Girl huddled in torment.

At the sound of Querl Dox’s voice, Satan Girl rounded on him in a blur. Faster than any of the heroes could follow, she slammed him up against one of the trees still standing and Brainiac felt a sharp stabbing pain in his back. Think, he chastised himself. Damn it Querl, it’s the one ability you possess. Put your emotions aside and use it! All of a sudden, it came to him.

“Kara...Kara, why are you here?”

Satan Girl had been an instant away from repeating her vomitous attack on Brainiac 5, but the unexpected tone of his query somehow got through to her. She slammed him up harder against the trunk of the tree. “You’ve got the nerve to ask why?” she snarled viciously. “All this time you’ve known...you’ve known that my destiny was never to live out the rest of my life in the 31st century, was it? You’re just stringing me along until you get sick of me and then you’ll send me back to the past to die! It’s in your damn history books, Universo showed me!”

“So you hate us, yes.” Brainiac’s voice was preternaturally calm and controlled. “But if you’re motivated purely by hatred of the Legion, why have you come to the Sorceror’s World to pick a fight with a woman who hasn’t been an active member of the team since before you rejoined?”

Her grip lessened ever so slightly, and Brainiac could see the question repeating itself in her mind. He displayed no visible response, but if he’d believed in a divine power he knew he would be praying right now for Kara to fight.

...And then her red aura turned green.

Satan Girl’s scream was like nothing the heroes had heard. She dropped Brainiac and collapsed to the forest floor, convulsing violently. It only took Brainiac 5 an instant to discern what had happened, and with uncommon passion he turned on Color Kid. “Change it back!!”

Ulu was stunned. “Wh--what? Brainiac, I was just trying to distract her--”

“Change it back now!!” the Coluan screamed, veins bulging in his neck.

Deeply unsettled, Color Kid allowed his power to come into play once more and the green aura shifted swiftly back to red. Kara Zor-El’s convulsions slowed and stopped, leaving her in a hunched over heap in the mud and the grass.

Brainiac reached for her gingerly. “Kara--”

In return, she rose to her feet and backhanded the Coluan hero hard enough to send him flying several metres where he hit a tree with bone-crunching impact. Eyes glowering with inhuman rage and bloody bile dribbling from her lower lip, Satan Girl turned on Ulu Vakk. He’d never seen a face so contorted by animalistic emotion, and Ulu was frozen with terror. He was convinced he was about to end up a pile of charred bones. Satan Girl’s eyes flared a blazing red, then inexplicably faded. She cocked her head to one side as if hearing something only she could hear, and then the Kryptonian teen shot straight up into the upper atmosphere and beyond.

Color Kid realised he’d been holding his breath this whole time, and he forced himself to exhale as legs like jelly lowered him to the forest floor.

**********
While the Legionnaires were busy with Satan Girl and the Black Witch, two newcomers had made their way to the Sorceror’s World. Protected from the elements by a translucent emerald sphere, Universo and Mwindaji touched down gently by the Black Witch’s castle. On the other side of the imposing stone fortress the Witch’s battle with the Legion could not be heard, but both men had seen its chaos on their way down through Xerox’s lightning-crossed skies.

“Vidar, I must speak once more of my doubts.” Mwindaji’s features were hidden beneath an elaborate green headpiece designed to boost his tracking power, but concern was evident in his voice. “You have told me that we freed Supergirl from the lies of her teammates with the red rings I found for you, but...even on Kirinyaga we have heard of the Legion of Superheroes, of their heroism. And Supergirl is legendary throughout the galaxy! I do not understand why we could not enlist their aid in a more honorable manner.”

Universo dissolved the apparatus around Mwindaji’s head with a quick gesture. A red ring hung on a chain around his neck as companion to the green and gold rings he wore on his fingers. “I know it is difficult, but you must trust me. The Legion of Superheroes are not what they seem. They have opposed me on more than one occasion...my son fell for their lies, and now he lies dead. They do not support the cause of justice, Mwindaji. They support the status quo. These are two different things.”

“I will submit to your greater knowledge,” Mwindaji bowed his head. “Admittedly I have little experience in the worlds outside of my homelands.”

“There is no shame in ignorance,” Universo decreed magnanimously. “So long as one is open to learning. Now tell me...can you home in on our target?”

Mwindaji perked up. “Easily,” he smiled. “I do not know how to say the word in Interlac...there is a...haze..? I needed your assistance to bring us this far, but this close to the ring we seek, no haze could hide its glow. It is within these castle walls.”

“Then lead on, my friend.” Universo shifted the dome around them and projected it before them, smashing a hole in the black stone wall.

The castle’s interior was lightless, deathly cold and filled with distant wailing sounds. Universo created a golden torch to illuminate their way but even with the light they could barely see more than five or six feet ahead. Mwindaji walked forward cautiously, but at a steady pace. He’d just rounded a corner when a slavering werewolf pounced out of the darkness at him.

“Mwindaji!” Universo exclaimed. “Back away, I’ll take care of this beast!”

“Do not trouble yourself,” the athletic teen replied as he evaded the lycanthrope’s slashing claws. “I may not have your miraculous weapons, but I would be a poor son of Kirinyaga were I not able to defend myself against one dumb beast.” He maneuvered deftly around the werewolf until he was behind it, then in one smooth motion grabbed its head in both hands and gave a savage twist. The creature’s neck gave a crisp snap and its head hung limply at a wrong angle, but as soon as Mwindaji released the werewolf its injury healed with a sick cracking slowness and it faced the men once more. “What monster is this??” Mwindaji gawked in horror.

“A magical monster,” Universo replied patiently. “No disrespect intended to your prowess Mwindaji, but the Black Witch’s supernatural guardians may be a little more than you’re accustomed to. Here, let me.” He raised one fist, and a blinding golden light slammed the creature through the ceiling. Before the two men could take another step, they saw the glowing eyes of five more beasts just ahead. “This is going to take too long,” Universo frowned. “Mwindaji, can you tell me exactly where the ring is now?”

The tracker closed his eyes for a second. “Down,” he answered with utmost confidence. “Down seven meits and across to the left fourteen more.”

Unfamiliar with Kirinyagan measurements, Universo uttered an exasperated sigh. “Just direct me as we go.” He enveloped the both of them in another green bubble, and as Mysa’s faithful servants hurled themselves ineffectively at the bubble it smashed through the stone floor and the floor below that one. The men pierced seven levels in all until Mwindaji bade Universo to change direction. They smashed once again through the castle’s interior, noticing that these walls seemed to be carved out of the foundation of the world itself rather than manmade.

Eventually they came to their end goal. In an otherwise empty circular room, on a pedestal at its exact centre, a small blue ring glowed faintly. His heart pounding with anticipation, Universo lowered his forcefield. He reached out with a trembling hand and claimed his fourth prize. A powerful din could be heard above them, and Universo knew there was no time right now to savour this. He restored the force bubble around them both, then forsaking any need for subtlety, the two men smashed their way through the castle’s interior until a green bubble reinforced in gold rocketed away from the mystical planet.

So small that she could not be seen by either man, hidden in one of the seams of Mwindaji’s outfit, Shrinking Violet’s heart pounded for an altogether different reason.

...What have you gotten yourself into now, Vi..?

TO BE CONTINUED..!

Some notes that might help with reading the last instalment!

XEROX: So this is kinda embarassing, but up until a couple months ago I have thought for like 20+ years that the Sorceror's World was called Xerox Even knowing that's like a SUPER FAMOUS office equipment manufacturer, I think I just convinced myself that it had popped up in the comics before Xerox the company really made a name for themselves and the comics just decided to keep it. I have since realised it should actually be spelled Zerox, but I have been using the incorrect spelling for so long I'm gonna stick with it...and because it's me, I have already come up with a story to justify it in universe lol

Aufero Magus Infusco: Readers of Legion of Three Worlds may recall that this was the very incantation that Mysa used to steal Mordru's essence unto herself in the first place...so you can probably imagine what would have happened if Mon-El hadn't interrupted her just now...

The Black Witch: it's been a while since I used Mysa, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to throw in a refresher...as a consequence of stealing Mordru's essence like I just described, the White Witch's hair and clothes turned black and she renamed herself the Black Witch. In my series she has appeared occasionally, but for vaguely defined reasons she can't leave the Sorceror's World and she seems to be in constant danger of being corrupted by Mordru's essence.

Any other questions, holla at me! Something else else's bound to come up in the next instalment which should show that I come up with a lot of this stuff a loooooong time in advance, so sometimes I forget that not everyone will remember something I referred to off-hand in a story 2 years back

Hey Raz, I thought it was called Xerox too, now I'm going to have to go back through all my fics and edit them. Also funny your using Mysa as I'm away to bring her back too. Synchronization in fan fics strikes again

Hi Raz, sorry for the delay between post above and review - I did mean to do it the same night but got distracted and then thought I had posted a review - sorry, my addled brain strikes again.

I like your take on Brek, I could never figure out how to write him so love it when I see someone manage successfully. His bleak humour was perfect.

Marya and Laurel's scene was very nice, I totally can see them being friends. Laurel's guilt, and Garth helping her understand that it's something all team leaders go through was timely - hopefully this won't make her doubt herself in future.

Good tactics splitting up the four that Universo is after. And the Sorcerer's World? I didn't expect that though know it's just gonna get messy!

That's a mighty team sent after Kara! nice characterisation of Garth and Imra - she can't really question that logic can she? I really like your take on Garth.

I google Appollorenian Cycle to see what came up, thinking you had hit upon a great obscure astronomical bit of info. I was convinced it must be real as it reads so 'true'. Sadly it's not real according to Google, ah well. Very nice creativity there, you had me fooled.

Poor Harlack, despite his Khundian Blood Magic he was never going to stand a chance.

Mysa though... here's a battle of titans! I don't know who is luckier that Mon El interrupted them, though you really showed Mysa's stature as the preeminent magic user of her generation. Her absorbing the Red into her is a scary thought!

The scene with Kara toying with Wildfire was chilling. Lucky for Drake that his teammates caught up with him n time. Nice that Lydda was able to pin her - you're development of her has been really well done.

Your explanation of Brek's dislike of the cold was good, as was Vi's admitting she was no use against creatures Mysa had summoned to attack her former teammates.

Good to see Blok try to talk Mysa out of the fight. The effects of the Red Lantern energy I assume are responsible for her anger towards the group. Though what happened to her to lose control?
Is Mordru going to break free? I was a bit confused by this part tbh.

The nasty red vomit strikes again, and this time Lydda gets a body wash in it - it really is such a disgusting image!

Brainy talking Kara down was well done, and Ulu hurting her by altering the colour of her aura was delightfully Silver Age. I'm not surprised by Ul's terror, that was close!

M'Windaji appeared to be acting freely though I imagine dear Universo has manipulated him enough that his reasoning make sense. Great little bit of action with him taking on the were-wolf - brave man!

Oh Vi what have you done? I'm really looking forward to seeing how you resolve this.

Great stuff again Raz, looking forward to reading more, more, more!

Thanks again Harbinger! No need to apologise, I am always stoked to read any reviews/comments whenever they might pop up

The Legionworld Fanfic Synchronicity strikes again! I am looking forward to seeing what happens with your Mysa!

Glad you liked Polar Boy...I see him as a bit of an underdog; he's quite good at what he does but he can never QUITE break into any Legion cliques.

I had kinda seen Laurel and Marya being at constant loggerheads with one another, but as sometimes happens it looks like they might be writing themselves in a different direction

I did indeed make up the Apollorenian Cycle, I just wanted something that sounded suitably space-pagany

Sorry to confuse you with Mysa's deal...rest assured you haven't missed anything, that whole incident should make a lot more sense after the next instalment...And speaking of the next instalment, I'll also shed some light on what exactly Color Kid did to Kara, and Mwindaji and Vi should get some interesting follow-up too.

Also: more Lanterns! And something oughtta come out which will show just how long I have had this story in the works for behind the scenes

What a battle with Satan Girl - exhausting! And acid vomit, YUCK! So sad that Brainy was just starting to reach her on an emotional level and was interrupted by well-intentioned Ulu.

Mysa's a real powerhouse here, and scary. I like the way she addresses people without using their names, "man of Daxam", "tracker" - so impersonal.

I hadn't thought about how Brek might suffer in what we consider normal temperatures.

Universo strikes me as almost likeable here, like a bit of a charming con-man. Mwindaji is so trusting, innocent and earnest, I figure it's not going to end well - and it may be Universo who pays, not Mwindaji.

Everyone hates the acid vomit, it's pretty gross lol
I'm glad y'all like the Satan Girl fights...Something else else like a crazy mad Kryptonian should be exhausting I think - as much as I like the Great Darkness Saga, they REALLY downplayed how frightening a planet of Superman-level bad guys should be imo


To be honest it's not something that ever occurred to me either till Giffen started drawing him with icicle hair and always shivering with his breath visible - I thought it was a really clever observation, and it helps differentiate him from someone like Iceman


Exactly what I was going for, thanks!

ITs been forever since i've posted but i'm all caught up on this thread and i have to say i'm loving every minuet of it.

The end to Conceptual Virus was great. Dura and Tellus' teamwork was really well done and how the Virus actually worked was ingenious. i hope it doesn't find its way back.

I love how you use this teams history for your stories and breath new life into them. The Universo/Satan Girl arch is loads of fun.

The battles are awesome and to see even the academy kids hold their own against her is a true testament to.

A BLUE LANTERN RING ON ZEROX! now i want to know how it got there. hell i want to know how all these rings got to where they were. But another story for another time.

Black Witch is super scary and i like that is how Zerox is protrayed when she's in battle. the world reflects her. so demoons and werewolves awesome!

I liked Lydda taking her on and almost winning.
Now i maybe getting confused but i thought Brainy upgraded her ring to project darkness around her to allow her access to her powers?

Brainy and Kara just so tragic and every time we the reader is reminded of her death it hurts even more when they have moments or when he's the one who can get through to her.

I can't wait for more!

Thanks Omni, good to have you back on board!

Night Girl's darkness field is one of Harbinger's innovations, my Lydda has to rely on nighttime or the occasional helping hand from her pals Shady and Color Kid

I am glad you asked about the Blue Lantern ring, you might just get some answers on that sooner than you think!

UNKNOWN LOCATION
Shrinking Violet aka Salu Digby: shrinking

Shrinking Violet pondered where in the galaxy she was. Only a couple of millimetres tall, she’d stowed away on the outfit of the man she now knew was called Mwindaji while Universo had spirited them all away from Xerox in a green bubble. At her current stature, she was far too small to be able to judge spacial perspective and distance normally; even if Universo’s construct hadn’t been obscuring her view she doubted she’d have any idea how far they’d travelled or on which planet they’d now landed. The bubble dissipated, and realising they were now inside some kind of structure Vi kept watch for any kind of familiar feature. This building was well lit and obviously man-made but beyond that she had nothing. She considered activating her homing beacon but she’d seen how versatile these colorful Lantern Corps rings were, and Universo had four of them. She didn’t want to do anything that might tip him off to her presence until it was absolutely necessary.

“Vidar?” Mwindaji asked, his voice booming and distorted to Vi’s tiny ears. “I have been wondering...my tracking ability amplified by your wondrous rings has succeeded in locating the red and blue rings you sought; and of course I am happy to assist you in locating the remaining three you tell me of...but how did it come to pass that you gained the green and golden rings you already possessed when we first met?”

“You will recall that I advised you of the Green Lantern Corps,” Universo explained patiently. “As a member of that proud organisation, I was entrusted with one of their rings.”

Vi seethed. Universo’s son and one of the Legion’s most trusted allies Rond Vidar had worn a Green Lantern ring; Rond had died in Universo’s attempt to take it for himself, but the actual ring had escaped the villain’s grasp at that point. Shrinking Violet didn’t know exactly how the elder Vidar had managed to get his hands on one of the weapons, but she suspected it had a lot more to do with the Thunderers of Qward and their massacre of the nascent Green Lantern Corps than any altruistic reason Universo might concoct.

“As far as the favoured weapon of the Sinestro Corps,” Universo held the gleaming gold ring before himself thoughtfully, “I discovered that over the course of centuries this ring had wound up in the occult collection of a man named Vrykos….a terribly evil man. It was my duty to free the ring from his clutches before he realised its true power and used it to commit great horrors upon his world, so I sacrificed something of my own to trade him for it.”

Violet’s brow furrowed, then her eyes widened in shock as it dawned on her...Cosmic Boy and Night Girl’s wedding! Vi had been in a hypnotic trance for most of the Legion’s encounter with Vrykos, but she remembered now that the Kathooni vampire had even told the Legion he was using Universo’s Hypno Stone against them! Sprock! They’d all been so distracted with Vrykos and with the wedding itself that it had never occurred to a single one of them to follow it up!!

“I had thought it was pure happenstance which placed the golden ring of the Sinestro Corps on my finger,” Universo continued, “But I believe now that it was fate, just as it was fate which led me to you, Mwindaji - the one man who could help me find the rest of the rings to complete my mission. Now if you’ll forgive me, Satan Girl must have returned to us by now. I suggest you take this opportunity to rest while I go to welcome her back. I will call on you when we are ready to retrieve the next two rings, son.”

“Vidar?” Mwindaji repeated the man's name uncertainly. “Once you have achieved your goal...once you have the godlike power you seek...you will restore Supergirl to her true self, yes? I cannot believe that she is truly content in her current state.”

“Of course, my friend.” Universo smiled obligingly. “We must all go to great lengths to obtain universal peace, but once we have found that peace all of our sacrifices can be undone.” He walked away, leaving Mwindaji to his own counsel.

Violet considered her options. There’s no point trying to snap Supergirl out of it; if Brainiac 5 couldn’t do it I don’t stand a chance. Time to take a different kind of risk.

Unnoticed by Mwindaji, she flew up inside one of the ceiling’s light fittings and raised her flight ring to her lips.

**********
XEROX
The Sorceror’s World

ROLL CALL
Blok: magically enhanced strength, invulnerability, speed, flight, stamina, wisdom and courage
Brainiac 5 aka Querl Dox: 12th level intelligence, team leader
Color Kid aka Ulu Vakk: color manipulation
Dawnstar: translightspeed flight, interstellar-range tracking
Element Lad aka Jan Arrah: elemental transmutation
Fire Lad aka Staq Mavlen: fire-breathing
Gas Girl aka Tal Nahii: can transform into any gas
Light Lad aka Darvan Locke: anti-gravity control
Lightning Lad aka Garth Ranzz: reserve member, electricity generation and manipulation
Mon-El aka Lar Gand: Daxamite physiology
Night Girl aka Lydda Jath Krinn: photosensitive super-strength
Phantom Girl aka Tinya Wazzo: intangibility
Polar Boy aka Brek Bannin: cold and ice generation
Saturn Girl aka Imra Ardeen Ranzz: reserve member, telepathy
Shadow Lass aka Tasmia Mallor: darkness generation
Wildfire aka Drake Burroughs: anti-energy being

Blok moaned as his world came into focus. The Black Witch had hit the Legion with a wave of suffering so intense that even the magically enhanced stone giant had felt it. The pain had been just that though; pain. Blok wasn’t actually physically injured, and he knew that none of the other Legionnaires would be either. Still, he’d blacked out momentarily and he could see his teammates all around him, sleeping off the mystical assault they’d just endured.

Blok observed that the storm which had been raging around them was showing no signs of abating. The Black Witch’s summoned demons were nowhere to be seen, and neither was she. There was a massive hole in the side of her castle wall though, and a wail of anguish came forth from deep within that damaged structure. Sparing a swift glance to make sure Mon-El at least was beginning to rouse from his forced slumber, Blok darted into the black fortress. “Mysa!” he called out. “Where are you?”

“This way,” a male voice responded. A limping pink-skinned teenager leaned on the cold hard wall beside Blok. He was soaked from the downpour and blood had seeped into his mage’s robes.

Blok recognised the battered Khund quickly. “Harlak?? You are wounded, allow me to assist you!”

He offered an enormous gold-flecked hand for support, and Harlak shook his head violently. “It is only a few broken bones,” the Khundish sorceror brushed aside Blok’s concern. “We were attacked by an insanely powerful woman...I trust she is the reason behind the Legion of Superheroes’ presence here as well?” He made his way forward as he spoke, each step setting his teeth on edge.

“Our friend has been brainwashed by the villain Universo,” Blok explained sadly. “We have not had much success in restoring her to us thus far, and Mysa...Mysa could not see that the Legion are here only to help.”

Before Harlak could frame a reply, the two men heard another tormented scream and the sound of something breaking. Swallowing his pride, the Khund took Blok’s hand. “I have never heard my mistress like this,” he admitted grimly. “Follow the light to her, Legionnaire.” He focused through his pain; despite his earlier comment, even a simple incantation was difficult. His vision swam before him, every inch of his body was on fire with sensation, but he wouldn’t let her down a second time today. Spectral ribbons of light reached forth from his shaking fingertips and led the men down into the catacombs of the building.

The sight which greeted them in the dimly lit room at the end of their quest broke their hearts. Kneeling in rainwater which was still pouring down through the ruined foundations of the castle, the hunched form of the Black Witch sobbed before the smoking remains of a cylindrical pedestal.

“...Mysa..?” Blok ventured uncertainly.

“M-mistress..?” Harlak had only known cold authority or ferocious power from the woman before him for so long, he was not at all prepared to see this display of grief now.

“The ring,” she despaired. “They took the ring and now all is lost!”

“Mistress, I - I do not understand,” Harlak continued, obviously disconcerted. “I have never been to this section of the castle, you have always deemed it off-limits to all save yourself. But...a ring was kept here?”

“Not just any ring!” Mysa railed. “The sole remaining Blue Lantern ring in all of creation!” She took a deep harrowing breath and continued in a quivering voice, her white face hidden behind black hair. “...After the Magic Wars, after the Archmage destroyed Zerox, you recall that the last Age of Magic had ended…”

“Of course.” A melancholy passed over Blok as he recalled Magnetic Kid’s sacrifice and the explosion of the original Sorceror’s World. It had indeed been presumed that with the destruction of the Archmage, magic had ceased to exist; but this very world, Blok’s survival right now showed that was a lie. He wondered why he’d never questioned this till now and what relevance an old war had to this theft here and now.

“Magic cannot simply cease to exist,” Mysa said, as if reading Blok's mind. “Magic is life. It was dispersed throughout all of reality. It would have taken time to strike a new balance with the forces of science; perhaps millennia.”

“But Mordu created a new Sorceror’s World almost immediately,” a confused Harlak interrupted. “My studies continued, Mordru’s power was restored...this world Xerox is almost precisely like the world Zerox which preceded it!”

“The power lust of Mordru the Merciless comes second to no living entity, no force.” Mysa looked up through her drooping hair at the two men. “That monster could never be content to wait millennia for the natural order of things to have its way. So he searched for something, some relic or some alchemic component to speed up the process; to gather the disintegrated energies of the last Age of Magic and to hasten the birth of a new one.”

“And this Blue Lantern ring was that relic?” Blok struggled to understand.

“The Blue Lantern ring is the ring of hope,” Mysa replied. “The ring fed his hope...and with hope, all things are possible. And now…” She looked at the ruined pedestal. “Now, hope is gone.”

“Hope is never gone.” A new voice entered the conversation, that of Element Lad. Mysa Nal was too disconsolate to care, but Blok and Harlak both turned to see Fire Lad, Gas Girl, Phantom Girl, Polar Boy, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad behind him.

“You don’t need some ring to hope for the best, Witch.” Polar Boy stepped forward and offered the Black Witch a helping hand to stand up. “You’ve got the Legion of Superheroes now. The others are outside, we’ll all do everything we can to help.”

“...and not just the Legion of Superheroes.” A bright emerald light filled the room and a green glowing humanoid phased through the ceiling. The brilliant light dimmed to the point everyone present could make out a red-haired girl in a Green Lantern costume, and Zoe Saugin landed in the midst of the heroes.

“So...Dragonmage told me you guys have been having some jewellery problems?”

**********
While the Black Witch brooded alone in the ruins of her castle basement, the Legion allowed the power of the last Green Lantern to shelter them from the weather outside. They told Zoe about Supergirl’s unexpected and violent change of identity and the resulting chaos while Harlak summoned healers to help their wounded. “What I don’t understand,” Color Kid mused finally, “Is why my power had the effect that it did when I changed her ring from red to green. I thought she was going to die!”

“It’s lucky she didn’t!” Zoe blurted. “Sodam Yat told us all about the different colors of the emotional spectrum...the Red Lantern ring replaces its wearer’s blood with the ring’s energy; anybody other than a Kryptonian would have dropped dead straight away if you’d stripped that red light from them!”

Ulu shuddered. “That’s horrific!”

“Uh guys..?” Phantom Girl asked. “Not to change the subject, but has anyone seen Vi..?”

“Dawnstar, find her.” The timbre in Brainiac 5’s voice gave some of the older Legionnaires cause to exchange concerned glances. “Green Lantern, tell me...how do we fix what has been done to Supergirl?”

Zoe looked around at the gathered heroes with a helpless expression. “Nearly all of the Red Lantern Corps historically were able to overcome their ragelust at some point or another, to live as close to normal lives as they could...but Brainiac...I’m so sorry...there’s very little chance she’ll ever be able to remove that ring and live.”

“Very little chance indicates that some chance exists,” Brainiac challenged her bluntly.

“Well...the Blue Lantern ring might be able to help...but even though the blue ring is the ring of hope, I don’t want to give you false hope. I only know what Sodam told us, I don’t have any idea how to actually use that ring…”

“Then you’re useless,” Brainiac dismissed her before coldly turning away from the red-haired teenager. “Dawnstar, where is Shrinking Violet? We need to embark on our next move.”

“Brainy!” Phantom Girl chastised her Coluan teammate. “That was rude!”

“Phantom Girl’s right,” Saturn Girl agreed, frowning crossly. “Green Lantern didn’t have to come when Dragonmage called her, Brainiac…and she’s already given us more information than we had previously. I think you owe her an apology.”

“It’s okay,” Zoe placated the women. “I get it, this must be hard on all of you...I don’t know Supergirl very well, but even I can tell how much you all love her. I mean she’s a living legend, of course you love her!”

“Dawnstar??” Brainiac repeated pointedly, ignoring the others.

The Amerind tracker frowned. “Brainiac...Shrinking Violet is not anywhere on this world!”

“Ludicrous,” Brainiac huffed.

“Hey!” Wildfire pointed a finger. “Careful, buddy!” He turned to Dawnstar and spoke more softly. “Dawny, are you sure? You took some pretty nasty hits from those demon things, you might have a concussion or--”

“I know my power, Drake.” Dawnstar’s voice was like ice. “I don’t presume to understand the mechanics, but I assure you...Shrinking Violet is far far from Xerox; in fact, she is no longer within this star system.”

Shrinking Violet couldn’t have timed her call more perfectly if she’d planned it. “Brainiac?” Her voice came forth from his flight ring. “It’s Vi...I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to talk so I’ll make this quick. Satan Girl’s attack was a distraction; Universo stole some blue ring from Mysa’s castle, he’s working with a tracker named Mwindaji and it looks like he’s already got red, green and gold in his collection. He said there are two more left and they’re about to go hunt down their next one; he’s using the rings he's already got to enhance Mwindaji’s natural tracking ability.”

“There are seven distinct Lantern Corps,” Brainiac countered. “If he plans to complete his collection, he must realise there are three more--”

“Oh duh!” Zoe slapped her forehead. “The Thunderers of Qward! Universo must have been behind the Thunderers of Qward! They massacred my friends and then went after Larfleeze’s orange ring but Larfleeze fought them off! That’s why that overpowered idiot thought I was trying to steal his stupid orange ring, he must have thought Universo was a Green Lantern because Universo was using one of the rings he took from us! That son of a batwitch!”

“I saw Larfleeze’s power myself,” Light Lad added. “It’d make sense that Universo would want to get every other ring on his hands before he went back for a rematch...that monster murdered every one of those Thunderers and nearly murdered all of us straight after without even breaking a sweat.”

“Violet!” Brainiac barked. “Which ring is he going after next? Dawnstar can beat them there!”

“He didn’t say,” Vi replied hurriedly. “I -- sprock! Brainy, I have to go! I’ll stay with them, tell Dawnstar to track me if she can’t track them!”

“Violet?” Brainiac shouted louder. “Violet!”

“Brainiac.” Mon-El closed a gentle yet firm hand over Brainac 5’s flight ring. “If Violet’s in danger of being discovered, you can’t endanger her by calling her back. You know that.”

“Of course.” The Coluan man stepped back and ran a slightly trembling hand through his hair. “Of course.” There was a silence which hung awkwardly in the air for too long before Brainiac 5 took a deep breath and centred himself. “Green Lantern,” he spoke in a controlled voice. “What can you tell us of the remaining rings?”

“Besides Larfleeze’s orange ring?” Zoe tried to recall Sodam’s lectures. “There’s the indigo ring of compassion and the violet ring of love...honestly, I don’t know if any indigo rings even exist anymore. The violet rings belong to the Zamarons though, they withdrew from the rest of the galaxy a couple of centuries ago but as far as anyone knows they’re still on--”

“--Zamaron,” Mon-El completed her statement. “Their home planet. I’m something of an explorer...it’s been a few years since I’ve been back, but I still remember where it is.”

“Brainiac,” Dawnstar spoke up. “I don’t want to cause undue concern, but...I can no longer sense Shrinking Violet. At all.”

“Let’s not assume the worst,” Element Lad announced calmly. “You haven’t been able to track Universo either; if Vi’s small enough and within range of his power he may be shielding her without even realising it.”

Brainiac 5 paced back and forth, a million thoughts racing through his computer mind. He suddenly stopped with a jolt and faced the assemblage of heroes. “Presumably, Universo’s troupe will be working together. That means they can only go after one ring at a time, and that means that for the first time we have them at a disadvantage. Mon-El, you’ll take half of us to Zamaron. Dawnstar, I appreciate that you’ve not had any contact with the indigo ring but if Universo’s rings can amplify this Mwindaji person’s power, Green Lantern can do the same for you. You’ll take the remaining Legionnaires in search of the indigo ring. We’ll touch base when one of us has achieved our objective. Even if Universo beats us to one of the rings, he will have no choice but to face the Legion for the other.”

“Wait a nano!” Wildfire protested. “Dawnstar’s hurt, Brainy! She’s not in any state to go chasing round after some overblown holotoon toy!”

“I am quite capable of speaking for myself,” the winged Legionnaire declared, “And I will perform my duty as a Legionnaire, Wildfire.”

“Then stop wasting time and do it,” Brainiac snapped. “Green Lantern, create a construct to carry Blok, Wildfire, Phantom Girl, Polar Boy, Color Kid and Fire Lad so you can all follow Dawnstar. Everybody else, accompany me to the cruiser.”

He turned tail and stormed off without another word, thunder rumbling ominously overhead.

**********
ZAMARON
Palace of the Most Beloved Queen Di’Ana

ROLL CALL
Brainiac 5 aka Querl Dox: 12th level intelligence, team leader
Element Lad aka Jan Arrah: elemental transmutation
Gas Girl aka Tal Nahii: can transform into any gas
Light Lad aka Darvan Locke: anti-gravity control
Lightning Lad aka Garth Ranzz: reserve member, electricity generation and manipulation
Mon-El aka Lar Gand: Daxamite physiology
Saturn Girl aka Imra Ardeen Ranzz: reserve member, telepathy
Shadow Lass aka Tasmia Mallor: darkness generation

While Mon-El and Shadow Lass approached Zamaron’s royal guards, Gas Girl lingered at the rear of the small gathering of Legionnaires trailing behind. Openly awestruck, Tal took in the unique architecture of this planet. The buildings here were all sensuous curves and rounded edges, almost floral in structure. The structures were positioned on enormous flat platforms emerging from violet mists, reminding Gas Girl of lily pads back on her own homeworld Lallor during Winter’s constant fog. A warm violet glow permeated the buildings, the Zamarons themselves and the world’s very atmosphere. Three enormous moons hung in luminescent glory above. All in all, this world was breathtaking.

Light Lad sidled up beside her. “It’s a little overwhelming, isn’t it?”

Gas Girl blushed. “Oh! I’m sorry, you must think I’m such a country bumpkus...it’s just that Lallor is a desert wasteland compared to this planet. It’s so beautiful!”

Light Lad chuckled. “Gas Girl, I’m from Winath….we’ve got nothing but farmland and more farmland, I’m right there in bumpkusville with you.”

“So this is the famous Legion of Superheroes!” a melodic female voice greeted them all.

Along with the other Legionnaires, Gas Girl and Light Lad watched a statuesque woman with deep blue skin descend the palace stairs toward them. Like the royal guards, she wore shimmering violet armour and seemed to be suffused with violet light herself. Unlike her guards, her armour was more elaborate and spoke to her higher station. A broad tiara sat atop her hairless head, a darker purple star inset into it. Her breastplate and girdle both were engraved with intricate lines, and shining bracers covered her entire forearms. In one hand she held a halberd while a lariat hung looped at her waist. Both weapons seemed to be literally composed of violet light.

The palace guards took on a deferential stance immediately, and perhaps surprisingly, so did Mon-El. “Your Highness.” He bowed respectfully. “I’m sorry to say that this is not a social call.”

“Unlike your last visit then,” the queen smiled slyly. She offered her free hand and Mon-El took it in his own, gently kissing her elongated fingers. Shadow Lass maintained her composure while she looked on, but she made a mental note to ask her lover some very detailed questions at a more appropriate time.

The queen looked down upon the other Legionnaires; Light Lad noticed that she was taller even than himself. “I have not had the pleasure of meeting Mon-El’s comrades in arms,” she indulged the gathered heroes, “But the Legion of Superheroes are known even here, and all of you are welcome on Zamaron for as long as you need. I am Queen Di’Ana. Now please; speak to me of your desires. Desire is after all Zamaron’s prime currency.”

Though he couldn’t see Tasmia’s face, Mon-El had no doubt she’d be quietly fuming by now. He forced back a growing smirk and looked the elegant Queen Di’Ana in the eye.

“Actually, Your Highness, on this particular occasion I think we may be able to help each other...”

**********
XOLNAR
Haamilton Pluridium Mine Pit DC-AC-309, approximately 35 kliks north of Jjonn Fort

ROLL CALL
Color Kid aka Ulu Vakk: color manipulation
Dawnstar: translightspeed flight, interstellar-range tracking
Fire Lad aka Staq Mavlen: fire-breathing
Phantom Girl aka Tinya Wazzo: intangibility
Polar Boy aka Brek Bannin: cold and ice generation
Wildfire aka Drake Burroughs: anti-energy being
Zoe Saugin: Legion of Superheroes ally, infused with Green Lantern energy

While automated mining equipment worked obliviously all around them, Dawnstar and Wildfire descended to the bottom of an enormous hole in the ground. A sepulchral wind wailed and the temperature was well below zero, but to two Legionnaires who could survive unaided in the vacuum of space the bitterest of weather could pose no discomfort.

The rest of their teammates were protected by an emerald vessel shaped by the will of Zoe Saugin. “I know I mentioned this earlier,” Phantom Girl smiled, “But it’s amazing what you can do with that ring, GL...I mean this is for all intents and purposes a functioning cruiser and you’re maintaining that headset Dawnstar’s wearing and it’s all made out of light!”

Zoe swivelled around in the pilot’s seat she’d imagined for herself to face Phantom Girl. “Ever since Neon gave me her power, I feel like I can do anything,” she explained. “I thought it would have faded by now but I’m as strong as ever!” As she spoke, she reconfigured the shuttle into a turbolift capsule to follow Dawnstar’s descent.

“I hope Lydda’s okay back on Xerox,” Color Kid mused. “She took a pretty bad hit.”

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Polar Boy said. “Harlak seemed pretty confident that their healers could help her...I thought Brainy was gonna have an aneurysm when Blok said he was staying on Xerox with her though!”

“Poor Brainy,” Tinya sighed. “He’s really taking this hard, he and Kara have got the worst luck in the universe when it comes to their relationship.”

“Dawnstar and Wildfire just landed,” Zoe changed the subject. “I’m going to dissolve this construct, do you guys need environmental protection?”

“Our flight rings can handle it,” Phantom Girl said. “Transuits on, everyone.”

Everybody but Fire Lad activated their transuit function, and Color Kid tapped his friend on the shoulder. “Staq? Didn’t you hear Phantom Girl? We need to activate our transuits, pal.”

“Hmm?” The flame-crested hero flinched. “Oh ssorry...I wass light yearss away.” He activated his own field, and Zoe melted the craft down around them until it was a literal green lantern lighting their way. While the heroes caught up with Dawnstar and Wildfire on foot, Color Kid frowned. He had a feeling he knew exactly where Fire Lad’s mind was, and it was really beginning to bother him. Once all this was over, he resolved to have a talk to the other Subs about Staq Mavlen’s mounting obsession with the Mercurian woman in Brainiac 5’s multi-lab.

“I find this construct to be invasive and unnatural,” Dawnstar complained, “But I must admit that it has performed the task for which it was designed, Green Lantern. Normally my tracking ability is of reduced effectiveness on a planet’s surface, but I am finding no difficulty at all in locating this indigo ring.” While she spoke, she fidgeted with the tiara-like headpiece.

Zoe shrugged. “Sorry I couldn’t make it feel nicer; at least it looks neat though!”

“Fortunately, I no longer require it at all but I thank you for your aid.” The winged woman removed the headset and handed it back to Zoe, who simply allowed it to dissipate. Dawnstar pointed at a craggy outcropping of rock. “The ring we seek is approximately seventeen feet in that direction.”

“Back away, everyone.” Wildfire took a step forward, his gauntlets charged with anti-energy. “I’ll blast it free.”

“Drake.” Phantom Girl rolled her eyes. “We’re in a mine, silly! You can’t go throwing around energy blasts, you’ll bring the whole place crashing down around us. This needs a woman’s touch.” Without further ado, she turned intangible and disappeared into the mine wall.

While they waited, Polar Boy kicked a loose pebble out of boredom. “Isn’t Rainbow Girl from this planet? No wonder she ran away to Earth, what a dump!”

“Xolnar’s not all like this,” Color Kid laughed. “I mean we are in a mine, Brek. I doubt the Xolnarian Tourism Board really had much input in designing this place.”

“Maybe they should have,” Zoe smirked cheekily. “I’m with Polar Boy, it’s pretty dire.” One of the faceless mining robots turned its sensory unit toward her for a moment then trundled off with what Zoe imagined to be a disgruntled beep.

“Got it!” An excited Phantom Girl emerged from the rock face, opening her palm to reveal a small indigo ring. “There’s a whole vault full of stuff in there actually, it looks like it hasn’t been opened in forever!”

“My mom would have a field day,” Zoe beamed. “It’s a shame we don’t have the luxury of doing some more exploring while we’re here, but we’d better touch base with the rest of your team, huh?”

“No!” a manic voice screeched from above them. “There will be no base touching! No anything except death for all of you!” Before Green Lantern or the Legionnaires could do more than turn to face their surprise intruder, a wide beam of orange light collapsed tons of rock on top of them all.

Not having turned solid yet, only Phantom Girl was unscathed. She drifted up through the rubble still clutching the indigo ring. Tinya recognised their assailant from her teammates' descriptions, it was the Orange Lantern named Larfleeze. Zoe followed Phantom Girl almost instantly, having used her ring to replicate Tinya’s power. “What are you doing here, Larfleeze?” Zoe demanded. She hadn’t reacted in time to protect herself entirely from the falling rock but she tried her best to hide that fact from the insane Orange Lantern.

“Green Lanterns broke the treaty you had with Larfleeze when you came for Larfleeze’s ring!” he screamed, spittle flying from his mouth. “But you didn’t get Larfleeze’s ring! The orange power is mine! Mine!”

“Oh for--I don’t want your stupid ring!” Zoe shouted back at him. “That was Universo! We’re trying to stop him from getting his hands on any more of them, you idiot!”

While Zoe kept the Orange Lantern occupied, Tinya activated her homing beacon. Wildfire at least would be fine under this mountain of rock, but the others had no such guarantee and she had a feeling they weren’t going to be able to talk their way out of this confrontation. She was glad at least that there were no sentients employed at this mining site.

“You think Larfleeze is stupid!” Larfleeze ranted. “Everyone thinks Larfleeze is stupid! But Larfleeze is smarter than you think, Green Lantern! Larfleeze was smart enough to know you wouldn’t stop at wanting just Larfleeze’s ring, and Larfleeze was smart enough to track you down and let you find another ring for him!” He levelled another blast at the two women, surprising them by adjusting its wavelength so it would affect them in their intangible states. Phantom Girl screamed as she was slammed into the enormous pile of rubble that had buried her teammates and the indigo ring fell from her limp hand.

Tinya was unconscious, but Zoe held on by sheer force of will. Still, she was in agony and her head was spinning. While she struggled to clamber to her feet, an orange boot came down on her outstretched hand. Zoe cried out in pain as she felt bones crack beneath Larfleeze’s heel. “And now,” the Orange Lantern gloated, “All the rings will be mine! Mine!!”

An orange pincer of energy removed the emerald ring from Zoe’s finger and the last thing she saw before her world turned black was her ring joining its indigo and orange siblings on Larfleeze’s radiant fist.

...TO BE CONTINUED!!!


EDITOR’S NOTES:
For anyone who needs a refresher on exactly how it all went down at Cos and Lydda’s wedding, check out http://www.legionworld.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=833959#Post833959

Remember when our heroes barely walked away from their last encounter with Larfleeze? If not, you can read all about it at http://www.legionworld.net/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=876542#Post876542

Hey Raz, Sorry my bad. i thought you had introduced a similar concept.

This installment was really well done and you did answer some of my questions while tying in your own extensive history. I love how you bring things back not only from the original series but from the start of your own and weave them into each other so well.

Zoe is back! she's always a fav of mine and she's an interesting choice for a Green Lantern and to be its sole barer.

Vi being a stowaway on Universo and Mwindaji is really well done. i like how you really show just how small she is with your description of her senses.

Then that perfect timing for her call. just fates a lining.

Brainy's worry over Supergirl is so intense and i hate to say it but i'm loving it. i love seeing him placed into emotional turmoil and how his analytical my reacts to it.
Hopefully they can save her.

now just so i can't make sure i have the right Kara, is this the one that has come into contact the Red Lantern ring before within the 52 universe? i feel like you mentioned this but I wasnt' sure.

Zameron is lush i must say. I'm curious about Mon'el adventure there as well. was that within your series?

Shadow Lass's reaction was perfect and the fact that Mon'el knew it was even funnier.

Zoe scanning Phantom Girl to copy her power is something i never knew the rings could do nor amplify powers either. Cool tricks.

Dawnstar and Drake are just never not going to fight. she's so super proud and he's way to protective.

Lazzafreze rears his ugly head and boy is he made and ready to take the Legion down.

Poor Zoe. i wonder if her ring is just a symbol now and the power is within her like Neon and she just doesn't know it. hopefully she survives those injuries and nearly getting crushed. He has three rings. Something else else tells me we're about to have a war of the Rings with the Legion caught in the middle.

So Mordru had a blue ring for hope to regrow magic but did he aquire it through force and destroyed them or were they gone by this point...?

Could this war be the rebirth of all the corps and not just the green?

lastly your explanation for the planets name change was well done and it truly is a double of Zeroxx.

Can't wait for more!