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

Hi all! I thought as it's been a little while between drinks I might do a couple of recap posts to get us all caught up on events! So without further ado...

Brainiac 5 accidentally summoned the Infinite Man, and after a brief fight the entire Legion of Superheroes were exiled throughout time and space. While our heroes were lost, Earthgov agreed to pardon Earth-Man and his Justice League cronies on the condition that they defeat the Infinite Man themselves.

They managed this feat, took over the absent Legion's Metropolis headquarters and imprisoned the Infinite Man with Earth-Man siphoning his powers. Earth-Man recruited villains from Earth's past and its future to expand the Justice League's roster to a massive 31 members and when the Legion of Superheroes finally found their way back home the two huge teams had a huge brawl.

The Legion came out on top in the end, but at a price...unhappy with the Legion's recent involvement in the destruction of the Dominion homeworld and their loss to the Infinite Man, Earthgov banned them from the planet and instituted the Justice League of Earth as the world's official defenders. Shvaughn Erin was made the JLE's Science Police liaison officer, much to her dissatisfaction.

The Legion relocated to Mars and aside from a recent scuffle with two of the JLE which resulted in the destruction of the Legion of Substitute Heroes' satellite base, the LSH and the JLE have had no reason to interact. It doesn't take a Brainiac 5 to realise that can't last forever...

With Cosmic Boy and Night Girl on honeymoon leave, the current roster of the Legion of Superheroes is:

BLOK
BOUNCING BOY (leader)
BRAINIAC 5
CHAMELEON BOY
CHLOROPHYLL KID
COLOR KID
COMET QUEEN
DAWNSTAR
DIAMOND DAMSEL
DRAGONMAGE
DREAM GIRL
DUPLICATE DAMSEL (deputy leader)
ELASTIC LAD
ELEMENT LAD
FIRE LAD
GAS GIRL
INFECTIOUS LASS
INVISIBLE KID II
KID COMPUTO
LIGHT LAD
LIGHTNING LASS
MATTER-EATER LAD
MON-EL
NIGHTWIND
PHANTOM GIRL
POLAR BOY
QUISLET
SHADOW LASS
SHRINKING VIOLET
STAR BOY
STONE BOY
SUN BOY
SUPERGIRL
TELLUS
TIMBER WOLF
ULTRA BOY
WILDFIRE

From: Element Lad
To: Bouncing Boy
Re: Justice League Roster

Not to sound overly paranoid, but while we both know where this information came from I’d rather not actually have that source recorded here for safety reasons. Source offered to provide a far more detailed breakdown but I didn’t want to push our luck with anything that might point a finger too closely to them. Using this as a starting point Brainy should be able to find out anything else we need anyway.

Hope this proves helpful, Chuck - Jan

**********
BLACK DAGGER - baseline human, excellent knife skills - I’ve heard him claim daggers are enchanted but have seen no evidence of this - most often works with Bow, possible relationship to exploit? (see file JLE05)

BLACK DANCER - apparently baseline human, shows some martial arts skill but major threat is power armour - provides enhanced strength, durability, flight, smokescreen generation, offensive lasers - other capabilities unknown

BLACK LIGHT - twin sister of White Noise (see file JLE31) - can shoot destructive beams of energy - possibly UV-spectrum affiliated?

BOUNCING BETTY - bouncing powers like Bouncing Boy, but can also release explosive outbursts on impact - highly resistant to damage

BOW - expert archer - arrows track prey until they hit, unclear whether this is a power or function of the weapons - most often works with Black Dagger, possible relationship to exploit? (see file JLE01)

CELESTINE - Extreme threat! She claims to have the focused power of a star and I’ve got no reason to disbelieve this - has shown near-Daxamite levels of strength, speed, flight and durability - can manipulate energy across the full EM-spectrum - easily the most physically powerful of the team

CYBERIAN - cyborg with enhanced strength and durability - various weapon attachments - tech is long outdated & easily countered but he’s still dangerous if unprepared

EARTH-MAN - I don’t need to tell you how dangerous Niedrigh is

EYEFUL ETHEL - married to Tusker (see file JLE25) - powers seem to be continually evolving - she’s shown ability to sense spectra undetectable to baseline humans, but I don’t have enough info on this to elaborate

FUNDAMENT - next to Celestine, he's the greatest physical threat - controls gravity, this ability is far more powerful and versatile than anything Star Boy or Light Lass ever showed - believes he’s directly empowered by Judeo-Christian deity

GOLDEN BOY - another one of Niedrigh’s original cronies, you don’t need my analysis - possible relationship with Sprint (see file JLE20)

KID CHEMO - along with Light Lass (JLE13) & Sharpshot Kid (JLE18), students of an academy for supervillains from an unspecified point in the future - liquid toxic chemical form contained by armoured suit

LIGHT LASS - along with Kid Chemo (JLE12) & Sharpshot Kid (JLE18), students of an academy for supervillains from an unspecified point in the future - unclear if she has any connection to Ayla Ranzz or Darvan Locke - has control over visible light wavelengths

NIMBUS - personal forcefield of unknown energy composition - gives her flight, resistance to injury and she has some ability to manipulate it for offence & defence though range is extremely limited

RADIATION ROY - seems to be more powerful than files would suggest, but I suspect effect on his health is worse than we’ve believed previously as well

RED CROW - flight, enhanced senses - is proficient with artificial talons worn on both wrists

RED GIANT - most often works with White Dwarf (JLE29) - same powers as Colossal Boy

SHARPSHOT KID - along with Kid Chemo (JLE12) & Light Lass (JLE13), students of an academy for supervillains from an unspecified point in the future - baseline human, expert marksman - carries dual variable-emission firearms - overconfidence should be easy to exploit

SPIDER-GIRL - has displayed mood swings and behaviour recently compatible with substance addiction, bears further watching

SPRINT - ingests chemical which gives her superhuman speed for short intervals - possible relationship with Golden Boy (JLE11) - most likely possible ally, bears further watching

STAR-BEAR - shapeshifts into an ursine form with superhuman strength, durability and regeneration - other possible abilities unknown but likely based on her claims of being an unknown deity’s avatar

STORM BOY - continues to add cybernetic modifications, has increased range and fine control of weather manipulation abilities

SUNSWORD - seems to be from the ancient past, unfamiliar with present cultures and technologies - baseline human, expert swordsman - wears highly resistant armour and carries a sword made of fire, possibly converted solar energy

TACHYON - uncharted superspeed - claims to be able to travel backwards in time, this is unverified

TUSKER - married to Eyeful Ethel (JLE09) - has begun displaying ability to generate pseudotusks from other areas of his body, though with extremely limited range

VISTA - wild card - she claims to transport targets to an interdimensional plane of her own creation, but this is unverified - seems to focus this through an implant in her forehead, possible vulnerability to exploit?

VOID - wild card - seems to be a singularity contained in humanoid form? Not sure how this is possible, one to keep Brainiac busy I guess - he(?) doesn’t openly communicate with anyone but seems to have no issues with comprehension? Aside from the one time Quislet disrupted his form somehow, haven’t seen any type of physical assault affect him at all - not really even sure of Void’s motives for remaining with this group as he seems to have no individual agenda

WHITE BAT - mute, seems to be baseline human - flies using artificial razor-sharp hardlight wings and has a talon mounted on each forearm

WHITE DWARF - most often works with Red Giant (JLE17) - increases density by reducing size

WHITE LIGHTNING - the nasty xenophobic version of Lightning Lass - same powers, completely opposite personality - she’s the most openly loyal to Earth-Man

WHITE NOISE - twin sister of Black Light (see file JLE03) - can shoot destructive beams of energy - seems to be sonics, visual component unknown

Thanks for the catch up Raz, I like that your JLE are a mix of empowered and baseline people with skills. Like everyone else I'm looking forward to the showdown!

Also, with the on going leeta story and Chuck and Lu's relationship woes to deal with you have a splendid story going on here and can't wait to see where you take us next.

More, more, more!

Thanks for the catch up as well! You did a great job coming up with this villainous roster. I like Shvaughn's notes and the way Jan transmitted the roster.

I am pleased you introduced your Light Lass here, I liked her in that tag team thread before. White Lightning, Sprint, Vista already pique my interest in particular. Also love your evolution of Eyeful Ethel. Spider-Girl's substance abuse is interesting and a possible weakness to exploit as well.

Celestine and Fundament are scary!

MARS
Husband Hill, Legion of Superheroes Headquarters
Bouncing Boy hovered in the centre of Brainiac 5’s latest gift to the Legion, a new meeting room. Chuck felt more than a little self-conscious sitting in something that resembled a floating cushioned pod, the rest of the Legion seated around and below him at a ring-shaped table. Though he was the leader of the team, he wasn’t all that comfortable with being the literal centre of their world even if that was just for the duration of a meeting.

When Chuck voiced his concerns, Brainiac 5 had explained that a mobile pod was a much more efficient way of interacting with a team of almost 40 than a static chair ever could be. Not only that, but a combination of biometrics and highly advanced conversation analysis algorithms meant the pod could predict where Chuck’s attention was likely to be most needed and automatically orient him towards that person. “What’s a little social embarrassment compared to Coluan efficiency?” Chuck had joked. Brainy had congratulated him on his ability to appreciate true vision, and here they all were. It was a rare occurrence to get the whole team together like this, and even with Cosmic Boy and Night Girl on honeymoon leave that still left an enormous conglomeration of heroes circled around Chuck to bask in his discomfort. He shook his head at the silliness of the situation and decided to just barrel on.

“Okay,” Chuck addressed his team. “First item of business, we need a couple of volunteers to head to Verganus IV. The Legion have been asked to safeguard the Century Bloom.”

“The what now?” Nightwind raised an eyebrow.

“The Century Bloom?!” Chlorophyll Kid’s eyes lit up. “W-wow, that would be amazing! Count me in!”

“Sorry Ral,” Bouncing Boy held up a hand. “You’re one of the few Legionnaires they’ve specifically asked to be excluded from participation in this mission. The United Colonies don’t want to risk the perception that your power has influenced the bloom.”

“Sounds totally nebula-haze, Bouncy!” Comet Queen interjected. “What’s the coronal flare?”

Bouncing Boy smiled inwardly. After all this time Grava could still flummox him with her idiosyncratic speech patterns. “According to the info I’ve highlighted on the shared drive, the dominant lifeform of Verganus IV is a sentient fungal growth. The Century Bloom is the oldest flowering plant known to exist on their planet, and it’s a centrepiece to the cultures of all five major fungal colonies. It only flowers once every hundred years, and when it does it influences their social development for the next century.”

“Thus the cunning name!” Matter-Eater Lad piped up.

“So you want us to literally go watch a plant grow,” Sun Boy deadpanned. “Sounds riveting but I’ll pass.”

“You’ll be happy to know you’re on the exclusion list too then,” Bouncing Boy retorted. “For some reason they’re reluctant to invite someone to throw fireballs around their ancient sacred flower, go figure.”

Some of the Legionnaires chuckled, interrupted by Duplicate Damsel’s firm tone. “I’ll go. I’ll take Ultra Boy with me.”

Ultra Boy started at the mention of his name. “Huh? What? Oh sure, okay.”

Chuck began to question what was distracting Jo when a silent alarm flashed on the holoscreen at his lap. He swiped the virtual table and flatscreen images fed through from interplanetary news services. “Oh no,” Chuck groaned. “You’re all going to want to see this.” He double-tapped the alarm icon and a holographic array came to life above his pod before the assembled team. The Legion of Superheroes saw sentients in the familiar uniform of Science Police officers fighting a vastly underpowered battle against an army of humanoid rock creatures. “This came up on the hometown alert,” Bouncing Boy explained. “We’re still getting more information.”

“Gosh, isn’t the hometown alert activated when a Legionnaire’s birthworld is threatened?” Elastic Lad asked, craning his neck to a superhuman degree for a closer view. “Where is this happening, Bouncing Boy?”

“Earth,” Kid Computo answered in a flat voice, her powers having gleaned the information from the Legion’s computers faster than Chuck Taine could ever have relayed it. “Neoabidjan.” She looked across at Invisible Kid and Infectious Lass and saw by her brother’s crestfallen expression that he had already recognised the city under siege.

“Where our family live.”

**********
EARTH
Ivory Coast, Neoabidjan
Decked out in full tactical gear, Science Police officer Shvaughn Erin cut an imposing figure on her hovering platform above the crowds below. Rather, she would have cut an imposing figure if those crowds weren’t currently trampling one another in their haste to escape the faceless rock golems rampaging through the ancient city. Shvaughn was glad that her suit was climate-controlled at least; the heat here was baking, and the humidity unbearable. It made crowd control almost impossible. “Where are the damn Justice League?” Shvaughn barked into her comms. “The Legion of Superheroes would have been here by now!”

“We’re called the Judgement League now,” a voice answered from above her. “Really Officer, our Science Police liaison should make more of an effort to keep up to date on our branding. Don’t you agree?”

The speaker was Black Dancer, a woman covered in form-fitting black power armour with oversized gauntlets and boots. Those boots now belched plumes of smoke as she descended, and Shvaughn could see herself reflected in the obsidian plexiglass of the woman’s full-face visor. Behind Black Dancer were four of her comrades from the recently rechristened Judgement League; the albino White Bat, hardlight wings attached to her outspread arms; Nimbus, whose ever-present blue aura allowed her flight and also enveloped the final two members of their squad safely; White Lightning who in both power and appearance was remarkably similar to the more well-regarded Lightning Lass; and finally the only male member of their squad, Sunsword. He wore golden gladiatorial armour and brandished a sword made of pure fire.

“Earth-Man only sent the five of you?!” Shvaughn was incredulous. “These creatures have overrun the entire city, there must be hundreds of them! Where are your heavy hitters?!”

“Ugh, you’re so uptight,” Nimbus rolled her eyes.

“Earth-Man has deployed teams across the city,” Black Dancer answered Shvaughn’s question. “But trust me, the five of us should be more than enough for these mindless monsters.” To illustrate her point, she flew directly at a 7 foot creature terrorising a family below. With surprising grace, she flipped in mid-air just before colliding with the creature. Braced against the monster’s torso, she fired her boot-jets at full intensity and blasted the creature apart.

Shvaughn couldn’t help but notice it was only good fortune that saved the family from the resulting explosion of debris. She watched the others charge into the fray; the eerily silent White Bat with her talons and razor-edged wings, Sunsword with his flaming weapon and Nimbus with her resourceful blue aura. None of them were particularly protective of the citizens they were meant to be defending and some of them were downright reckless with their safety. They were no Legion of Superheroes, but they were all Earth had. Shvaughn saw an explosion of light several blocks north and hoped the Judgement League would be enough.

**********
The female speedster Sprint came to a halt several hundred feet from the edge of the explosion her teammate Celestine had just unleashed in the city’s garden district and released the three children she’d carried from harm’s way. “Did you see that?!” she yelled shrilly at Spider-Girl and Radiation Roy who were fighting their own animated rock enemies nearby. “She could have killed me! There may still have been humans back there!” She pointed at an enormous smoking crater which had formerly been protected parklands, the golden-skinned architect of their destruction floating imperiously above.

“Forget Celestine!” Roy barked. “My radiation’s useless against these things!” The creatures were slow but Roy wasn’t any faster in his cumbersome red containment suit, and one of them slammed him through a wall.

Spider-Girl laughed cruelly as her own prehensile hair ensnared one of the golems and smashed it into Roy’s attacker. “What a surprise,” she mocked. “Tumour Lad’s useless once again.”

“You should spend more time fighting your enemies and less on humiliating your allies, Spider-Girl.” A man in a white bodysuit and cowl floated above them, a regal blue cape framing him amidst the devastation. “We have been blessed as the fated rulers of this world, we must present ourselves accordingly before the masses.” The man named Fundament gestured, and the two golems which had been advancing on Spider-Girl rose into the air and separated into a million microscopic particles thanks to his precise control of gravity.

Sprint continued on her way, only too happy to be away from the arrogant gravity manipulator. Some of her teammates were amoral, some of them were downright mean. She could deal with that, she was no angel herself. Fundament though, he was something else entirely. His power coupled with his saviour complex made him somebody Sprint would never want to cross. She stopped halfway across the city to catch her breath and cursed herself for not realising that she’d stopped in the midst of another quartet of the massive golems. Sprint’s heart pounded in her chest. Her superspeed only worked in short bursts and she’d already pushed herself to her limits today. She watched helplessly as the monsters converged on her. One of the creatures reached out for her with an enormous stone paw, but before it could grab her the golem suddenly turned into an inanimate golden statue.

“Looked like you could use a hand,” Golden Boy smiled smugly, leaning against another creature which had already fallen prey to his transmutative power.

“You’re a lifesaver, but what about them?” Sprint panted, pointing to the remaining two threats.

“Don’t worry your pretty head about it,” Golden Boy winked. “I’ve got friends in high places.” They both looked up to see the distinctive outline of Storm Boy's tattered dark cape several stories above. The wind suddenly picked up around them and the two remaining creatures whirled away into the side of an apartment complex.

Sprint returned Golden Boy’s smile. Some of her teammates might frankly terrify her, but some of them weren’t so bad after all…

**********
Miles away as she was, Shvaughn Erin couldn’t see Storm Boy suspended above Neoabidjan’s financial district but the thunderous dark clouds he brought with him left no doubt as to his whereabouts. Shvaughn had risen higher above the insanity below, and was flicking through different surveillance cam views on her SP-issue retinal display. Some of the Judgement League like Red Giant and White Dwarf were strong enough to pummel the unliving army to fragments. Some of them like White Noise or the curious brunette from the future who called herself Light Lass possessed energy powers which could blast their foes apart. Still others like Void or Vista could apparently exile the creatures from this plane of existence entirely. Still, for every powerhouse in the Judgement League there was someone with more subtle powers. In that they were similar to the Legion of Superheroes, but they didn’t have the Legion’s experience or ability to work together. One of Shvaughn’s feeds picked up the hyperfast Tachyon backed against a wall alongside the teenaged Sharpshot Kid. Black Light and Cyberian already lay battered and unconscious before them, and they had no defence against the golems hemming them in. They were too far for Shvaughn to attempt to reach and even if she could, she was powerless against the creatures. She gritted her teeth and prepared for the Judgement League’s first casualties. At the last possible instant, the elephantine Tusker bowled the rock monsters over, having been hurled by another of the mindless creatures. While Tusker was tough enough to stand against two of them for a while, he’d unwittingly saved his teammates from certain doom. Shvaughn called for a medevac for the fallen Leaguers and started flying in their direction. Another point of difference between the Legion of Superheroes and the Judgement League was that the latter team weren’t particularly attentive to their own fallen comrades.

Under her helmet, Shvaughn scowled angrily. The Legion would have ended this by now but the Judgement League were barely keeping Neoabidjan intact. Earth-Man had better fix this soon or local law be damned, she’d call in the Legion herself.

**********
Red Crow soared high above Neoabidjan, higher even than the megalithic skyscrapers which clotted the city. Multiple explosions sounded some thirty stories below him, audible reminders that Bouncing Betty and Kid Chemo were still in the fight and destroying as much of the city as they defended. In Neoabidjan’s elevated Taran Park, the cosmically powered Star-Bear batted at several rock monsters with an uprooted tree trunk. Red Crow frowned and returned to the task at hand, ignoring these distractions.

Not so very long ago, Red Crow had been the scourge of 27th century New Canada. After a climatic battle with his nemesis Nightflash, the Crow had been speared and left to die in the icy rapids of the Mississagi River. Earth-Man had rescued him from this fate, saved him as he’d saved all of the time-tossed Judgement League, and he’d brought the Red Crow hundreds of years forward to the 31st century. In this time, Red Crow was the only pureblood Ojibwe alive. It was a revelation which had left him shaken, but a revelation he’d since come to terms with. Red Crow had stalked his people in his own time, wasted his opportunity to defend them. Earth-Man had given him an opportunity to defend all the people of Earth now, and he would not waste that chance.

“Red Crow, have you found anything yet?” This was Earth-Man’s voice over the team’s communications equipment, and he sounded terse to say the least. “I’ve had you and Eyeful Ethel looking for the architect of this madness for over an hour now. You’re making me look bad.”

Red Crow blushed a shade to suit his name. He owed Earth-Man his life, he didn’t want to let him down…but Earth-Man was right too. Red Crow had been flying over the city dedicating his uncanny eyes and his hunting skills to the task of finding the golem leader, and he’d found nothing. He was about to report his shame to his leader when the pattern finally revealed itself. The golems weren’t springing up randomly throughout the city, they were shambling forth from a central location…and he’d just found that location. “I have him,” the red-garbed predator said simply. “Send backup.” He dipped into a powerdive, hurling himself into the heart of the gigantic futuristic city. He descended through scenes of chaos, Science Police officers and citizens alike falling before the monstrous onslaught. He let none of it divert his attention, flying true until he reached the seemingly abandoned ruins of a psychiatric health institute.

He swooped down through a broken skylight and along the corridors of the damaged infirmary. Now that he was so close, the trail could not be clearer. He easily evaded the slow swipes of the golems before him, disregarded the cries of staff and patients still trapped here under one fallen wall or another. Red Crow made one final turn into what had once been large airy room. It was now the birthplace of pandemonium. Most of the internal walls had been destroyed, earth pillars instead holding the structure together. The polished linoleum floor existed only in patches, most of the room covered in clumps of dirt and loose stones. Two holes took up more than half the former floor space, tunnels bored into the crust of the Earth itself. From those gaping chasms the golems which had been menacing the city emerged, and between the seemingly bottomless pits a young dark-skinned woman sat in obvious anxiety.

Red Crow noticed the creatures were avoiding the distraught female, and he landed softly before her. “Are you responsible for these creatures?” he asked her. As he’d deduced, the golems steered him a wide berth due to his proximity to her.

She looked up at him with fear-filled eyes. “I…I didn’t mean to!” Tears fell down her cheeks. “I told them…I told them this would happen if they stopped my harmonics treatments…I told them I wasn’t ready!”

“Be calm,” the stoic man spoke. Still looking impassively upon her, he reached behind him and snatched an arrow out of mid-air an instant before it lodged in his back. “This will all be over soon.” He pulled the arrow forward and before she could even register what was happening, Red Crow planted it in her breast. The woman screamed in pain and scrambled backwards.

“I’m sorry!” she sobbed, plainly terrified. “I’m sorry!” She stared at the arrow lodged in her, too hysterical to consider a course of action.

“You’ve arrived,” Red Crow announced not to her, but to the two men who’d just entered the room behind him. “Let’s finish this.”

The pale-skinned man named Bow reached out a hand to retrieve the arrow he’d used to follow Red Crow here. The panicked girl cried out in pain as it tore once more through her flesh and darted back to its master. Bow had come here with his usual companion, the broad-shouldered Maori warrior known as Black Dagger. Black Dagger drew two of his own signature weapons from the many holsters lining his costume. “Heads up boys,” he took a defensive stance. “Little lady’s got some fight left in her yet.”

Bawling, the girl glared at them with a blend of hatred and horror. Responding to their creator’s emotional state, the golems still in the room turned on the three men. “I didn’t mean it!” the girl kept wailing. “I didn’t mean it!”

Red Crow evaded the first golem’s lumbering strike, but in such close quarters he couldn’t make use of his flight and a second creature knocked him across the room where he slammed into another of them. It was as though he’d hit a brick wall, and the aerial stalker collapsed in a heap.

“Whoa, that’s gotta tickle,” Black Dagger laughed at his teammate’s misfortune as one of the golems grasped for him. He planted two daggers in crevices in the creature’s arm and using them as a brace, he swung beneath its lunge. Landing behind the golem, Black Dagger climbed up its back and out of its limited reach. In seconds, he’d dug six more blades in the creature’s head but the creature remained unfazed. “Bow, we mighta bitten off more than we can chew here bro - these things aren’t goin’ down.”

“It’s the girl.” Bow rarely spoke, but when he did it was always with purpose. Easily the tallest of the three Leaguers, he was also surprisingly agile. He managed to dodge two more of the creatures and nock an arrow before a gigantic rocky arm closed around his waist. As the golem lifted him from the dirt he let the arrow fly. Off-balance as he was, the arrow missed his wailing target by some distance, but defying all physical laws it reversed its path and planted itself between her shoulder blades. With a sharp cry of pain, the girl fell to her stomach and tried fruitlessly to sit back up. The assault broke her power momentarily, and every golem under her control froze in its path momentarily. The monsters started moving again after the briefest instant, but the interlude was enough for both Bow and Black Dagger to free themselves. As they approached her, they both readied their respective weapons.

“Please,” she begged helplessly, her vision blurring and her mouth filling with the taste of copper. “Please, I didn’t mean it…I didn’t mean it…”

“No doubt of that luv,” Black Dagger answered without any sympathy. “Don’t really care though to be honest.” He crouched down on one knee, grabbed a handful of hair to pull her head away from the ground and in one swift moment slit the crying girl’s throat. He let her head fall with a dull thunk to the dirt, and the girl bled to death at their feet.

Every golem across the city froze in its tracks once more, but this time they all crumbled to dust as their mistress took her last breath. Across the room, Red Crow moaned as his aching body began to stir.

“Come on, sunshine.” Black Dagger walked over to the rousing man and grabbed one arm as Bow supported his other arm. Together the two lifted him and helped him stumble away. “Doubt this room’s gonna last long now Crazy Jane here's takin’ a dirtnap.” The makeshift pillars too began to crumble as the three men left, and by the time they’d left the institute the room had disintegrated into the earth which had supported it, taking with it the nameless girl who’d caused so much upheaval throughout Neoabidjan.

Some miles away, Shvaughn Erin gazed in shock and impotent fury at the climax which had just played itself out across her emerald green eyes. That poor girl had needed psychiatric help and they’d treated her like someone from the dark ages would treat a rabid animal. If she’d ever doubted the truth, she didn’t doubt it now…

…the Judgement League needed to be stopped.

Wow. So much happening in this one post.

Lu bringing Jo on this mission: 2 possibilities. Wanting to make Chuck and Tinya jealous (I doubt), or trying to find out if he has noticed the same things she has (more likely, IMO).

I like your highlighting Sprint's different personality - she's "no angel" but she knows her new teammates are bad news. And she's enough of a good guy to care about potential fatalities among the civilians. In fact, she's pretty much the only one we see actually saving any civilians. Shvaughn's assessment was right on the money.

Also like you sneaking in the backstories for people like Red Crow.

And yes... they really do have to be stopped. Can't wait to see what's next.

Thanks IB!

I had fun coming up with the JL members; even though a lot of it probably won't come out overtly it's fun to have different backstories and personalities developed for them so it can shine through for various members when it suits the story...as it just might for some of them in the next instalment

Interesting analysis of Lu's motivations, hopefully the end result won't disappoint!

We're also gonna see how Invisible Kid and Kid Computo react to their hometown being put in danger next, I am looking forward to writing them together as I don't think they've really had much in the way of brother/sister interaction yet in this series!

Yo Raz. i'm in shock at those Leaguers. they really need to be stopped.

that poor girl. (which btw her powers were cool and in that small instance i would have loved to see more from her and if the Legion was still on Earth, i bet we would have!) Damn the League! Save the Empire!

I also liked Spirit. she's one i'd like to see more of.

can't wait for the next installment.

also i'm with Chuck i wouldn't want to sit in that chair either.

Thanks Omni! If you guys didn't like the Judgement League before I don't think they'll be winning any fans with their next lot of shenanigans either...

EARTH
Ivory Coast, Neoabidjan
In the home he shared with his parents and eldest sister, Michel Foccart surveyed the ingredients listed on his handheld omnicom. The city was still recovering from a recent assault by an army of unliving stone creatures, and while Michel and his family were lucky to have escaped unscathed they’d had to adjust their normal routine. Minor damages to their residential complex meant they couldn’t yet rely on their autochef or even McCauleycorp's automated grocery delivery service. Michel had to travel to the local repository himself and carry food home as his grandparents had done. He didn’t mind the chore to be honest, it was kind of rewarding having to put in a little effort to support his family and seeing that effort rewarded. “Are you sure you don’t need anything else?” he shouted back through the small but comfortable apartment.

“Just remember the grated cassava!” returned the sharp tone of Michel’s sister Joliet. “Mama wants some acheke with dinner tonight!”

The front door recognised Michel’s approach and obediently retracted into the wall, revealing two visitors who left the African man slack-jawed and speechless. The man and woman before him wore loose hoods and scarves which kept their faces hidden from anyone else around them, but Michel recognised them immediately. “Jacques! Danielle!” he exclaimed in an exuberant whisper. “Come in, come in!” He ushered them quickly into the family home, nervously checking that nobody in the plant-lined corridor outside had seen them. Once his siblings were safely indoors, Michel hugged them both. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “Do not mistake me, of course I’m glad to see you but it’s dangerous for Legionnaires to be spotted on Earth. We hear gossip that the Judgement League almost killed even the Legion of Substitute Heroes recently!”

“Don’t worry so, Michel.” Jacques kissed his younger brother on the cheek. “Lyle Norg’s invisibility serum has been a boon to me many times, and today it has helped myself and Danielle both.”

“And no machine’s going to detect us while Kid Computo has anything to say about it,” the youngest Foccart sibling added cheekily. “Now, where’s my mama and papa?”

“Michel?” Joliet’s heels clicked as she came in from the apartment balcony. “I heard voices, do we have visitors - c’est ouf! My loves!” Joliet ran to Jacques and Danielle, smothering them both in kisses.

Danielle giggled and pushed her sister away playfully. “Enough, enough! Let us at least see Mama and Papa first before you kill us with embarrassment!”

“Come,” Michel grabbed Danielle’s hand and pulled her away from the others. “They will be over the moon to see you, you know! So brave of you to visit us, little one!” The two siblings ran through the apartment, their laughter filling the family home.

Joliet watched them leave and turned back to Jacques, her smile fading a little. “It was very brave of you to defy Earthgov to come here,” she addressed him once she was certain Michel and Danielle were out of earshot. “Very brave or very stupid! What possessed you, Jacques? Danielle is only a child, but I should expect you to know better!”

“Same old stern mother hen Joliet,” Jacques smirked. “Those rock monsters were on every news channel,” he explained. “I had to see for myself that you were all safe, and can you imagine that Danielle would allow me to make the trip here without her? As it is, I was barely able to convince Drura to remain on Mars.”

“The alien,” Joliet shuddered involuntarily.

Jacques was visibly taken aback. “Joliet! Drura is my partner, and a Legionnaire! She has risked her life to save this planet more times than I can count, and she loves this family as much as I do!”

“I’m sorry, brother.” Joliet looked shame-faced. “That was uncalled for, your life is your own concern. Still, she is a Somahturian…I know your life in the Legion has made you fearless, but don’t you ever consider what it could mean to be with her? The long-term consequences?”

“I am not having this conversation with you, Joliet.” Jacques stiffened, his jaw tight. “We cannot stay long, and I would rather take happy memories with me when we leave.”

“You’re right.” She forced a smile and hugged Jacques again. “Forgive me. Come, Mama and Papa worry so much about you both since you’ve had to leave the planet. They will both be ecstatic to spend time with you, no matter how little time that may be. You’re staying for dinner at least?”

“I don’t want to impose—“ Jacques began.

“Jacques Foccart, don’t you dare!” Joliet gasped in mock horror. “You and Danielle will stay for dinner and if Earth-Man himself wants to try and stop you he can go through me first!”

The young man otherwise known as Invisible Kid laughed at the thought. Even he had to admit he’d almost rather face Darkseid again than anger his big sister. Having already forgotten the unpleasantness of a few moments ago, Jacques happily followed Joliet to be reunited with the rest of the Foccart clan.

**********
VERGANUS IV
Most Sacred Site of the Century Bloom
The sky behind him pastel pink bleeding through to golden orange, Jo Nah descended and landed lightly at the stone barrier which surrounded the plant whose flowers he’d come to guard. The Century Bloom was huge and ugly, easily twelve feet in diameter and nearly eight feet high. Tough green stalks reached forth from an equally sturdy trunk. Bulbous prickly pseudopods grew out of the plant’s extremities, and Jo had been led to believe that these hard unattractive balls would soon transform into one of the most beautiful sights any sentient had ever seen. Already, several of the world’s strange mold-like inhabitants had gathered at a respectful distance beyond the stone barrier to wait for the bloom which would direct their world’s development for the next hundred years. All in all it was one of the stranger Legion missions that the hero named Ultra Boy had ever been a part of.

“Aerial reconnaissance is all good,” Jo reported to the Carggite heroine Duplicate Damsel.

“Excellent,” Luornu Durgo Taine replied in a clipped tone. She had duplicate bodies stationed at equal distances around the perimeter of the Century Bloom, and each of those bodies now passed on a quick hand gesture which indicated that everything was under control. “With any luck this will turn out to be one of those boring Legion assignments I used to always warn the kids at the Academy about.”

“Yeah, about that…” Ultra Boy shifted uncomfortably. “Not that I mind DD, but why’d you pick me specifically for this trip? I know the United Colonies received a couple of vague threats but even if anything does come out of that, I can’t imagine it would be anything you'll need ultra-strength to deal with. This sounds like exactly the kinda mission that would be perfect for the kids at the Academy, now that I think about it.”

“We’ve known each other for a long time,” Duplicate Damsel answered honestly, “But we’ve never really spent any time getting to know one another, Ultra Boy. I thought maybe we could have a talk about some things.”

“Oh.” Ultra Boy was a little taken aback but tried to disguise it. “Sure, yeah! Okay.” The longtime Legionnaires lapsed into a mutual silence which quickly became an awkward lapse in conversation. After a couple of minutes they both tried to break the tension simultaneously, and laughed nervously as they chattered over one another.

“You first,” Jo smiled.

“No, you first.” Luornu gave him a tight-lipped smile in return. “Deputy leader’s orders.”

“Okay, well…” Jo considered his next words carefully. He wasn’t certain they were safe to talk even out here on a rarely visited world with no other humanoid life. This had been weighing on his mind though and he needed to talk to somebody about it. “…I’ve been wanting to bring this up with Tinya, but now that we’re here I’d be interested in what you think about the situation as well…”

“Sweet trinity, you’ve noticed too?!” Luornu blurted.

“Noticed what?” Jo asked, genuinely bewildered.

“Chuck and Tinya,” Luornu continued. “...Wait, what were you talking about?”

“That doesn’t matter,” the handsome hero’s brow furrowed. “What about Chuck and Tinya?”

Luornu’s shoulders slumped as she released a long exhalation and lowered her gaze. Nothing left but to commit to it now. She raised her chin and met Jo’s confused gaze with a sad look of her own. “Ever since Chuck, Tinya, Blok and Diamond Damsel spent time trapped in the past…something’s changed between them,” Luornu explained. “I think…I think Chuck and Tinya…” The heroine was regarded among her teammates for her unshakable sternness, but right now she was floundering.

“You think they need help?” Jo ventured cautiously. “I know they’ve been through a hard time but they’ve been seeming a lot more like their normal selves lately—“

“I think they’re having an affair!” she confessed.

Jo was stunned. It took him a moment to gather his composure and then he had only one word. “…What?”

It was the first time Luornu had voiced her unspoken fear, and she wasn’t prepared for the surge of emotion that came with it. “I think they’re having an affair,” she enunciated again. “Ultra Boy, ever since they came back…they’ve been practically inseparable, Chuck’s been more concerned with her wellbeing than anything else—“

“...You can’t be serious.” Ultra Boy took a step back, looking his teammate up and down as though she were insane. “DD, what they went through…Tinya couldn’t talk to me about it, those four have a bond that nobody else in this team is gonna get because we haven’t been there….and I love Tinya--”

“I saw them kissing!” Luornu exploded, her voice breaking. She straightened her posture, cleared her throat and repeated herself more calmly. “I saw them kissing, Ultra Boy.”

“Shut up and listen to me.” Angry, Jo grabbed her by the shoulders and stared straight into her bi-colored eyes. “It’s frustrated the nass out of me that I haven’t been able to give Tinya what she needs to help her deal with whatever happened to her on Dryad. But Chuck can. He was there with her. They were on that sprocking planet for months and they thought they were never gonna see any of us again. Of course they’re gonna share something now that the rest of us can’t. But I know Tinya loves me. I love her and I trust her completely. Sprock, for bringing my girl back to me I love Chuck! And Luornu, I don’t know what you saw but if you think for a nano that your husband wouldn’t crawl over miles of broken glass for you, you’re crazy. A blind man could see how much he loves you!”

“I-I—“ Luornu faltered, her eyes brimming with tears. So much suppressed anger and heartbreak and shame had welled up in her, and she could hold it in no longer. Luornu Durgo Taine fell apart, burying her face in her hands as she cried. Jo’s outrage subsided almost immediately once he saw how torn up she was, and with a sigh of pity he pulled her close. Luornu resisted at first, but she’d tried to deal with this on her own for so long now and she just couldn’t do it anymore. As some of her own duplicate bodies looked on sympathetically, Luornu cried into Jo’s chest, clutching on to him like a lifeline.

The first ethereal white petals of the Century Bloom felt their way out into the world behind the Legionnaires, a backdrop of renewed life against fire-hued skies.

**********
EARTH
Neoabidjan, Foccart residence
Fione-Marie Foccart clutched her husband’s hand beneath the dinner table and smiled beatifically over her family. Even when the Legion of Superheroes had been based on Earth they kept Jacques and little Danielle so busy that it had been almost a year since the matriarch of the Foccart clan had seen all her children gathered under one roof. And now here they were, sharing a meal just like they had in the old days. It made her spirit soar.

“How long will you be staying?” Francois Foccart asked Jacques and Danielle. The Foccart men shared similar features anyway, but with a grey streak in his hair which almost precisely matched Jacques’s white streak the middle-aged man was like an older version of his Legionnaire son.

Jacques and Danielle stopped eating and shared a small sad look. “Not very long I am afraid, Papa.” Jacques put his fork down and covered his mouth while he swallowed. “It is dangerous for us to be on Earth and it is dangerous for you. We needed to make sure you were unharmed after the recent troubles but we should be leaving once it is dark enough to assist our transit.”

Francois Foccart placed a comforting arm on his eldest son’s shoulder. “We understand. We wish you could both stay of course, but it has been wonderful to see you both.”

“You’re taking some alloco when you leave?” Fione-Marie phrased it as a question but there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that it was a command. “I can’t imagine how you’re fed on that backwater planet!”

“Mars isn’t a backwater Mama,” Danielle rolled her eyes. “It’s one of the biggest tourist destinations in the system, the Science Police have their headquarters there—“

The youngest Foccart sibling was cut off by the sound of the Earthgov Emergency Alert system. A booming voice resonated through the Foccart family home, instructing its residents to remain calm and stay indoors as the Judgement League were conducting an investigation in the area. Jacques and Danielle shared the same horrified expression for an instant, then Jacques almost threw his chair behind him as he stood to action. “I do not know how they have found us, but we need to get you out of here.” He grabbed his mother’s arm. “Mama, come. I have never pushed my power to hide so many before but I will not fail now, si dieu le veut!”

“Wait! Jacques, stop!” Danielle stood now as well, reaching for her brother across the table while the rest of their family looked on anxiously. “It’s not us they’re after. I’m hacking into SP comms, a quarantined patient escaped from Medicus One with a shuttle. The Judgement League were called in because he’s…he’s a Somahturian.”

Joliet breathed an audible sigh of relief. “Dieu merci! That was certainly a fright! Sit down, you two. Let us finish our dinner, this does not concern us.”

Jacques and Danielle traded another look, this time one of regretful determination. “Joliet,” Jacques explained, “We have to go. Mama, Papa, Michel, I am sorry that our time together has been cut so short. Do not change to your costume, Danielle. We must remain inconspicuous.”

“But why?” Joliet protested. “This has nothing to do with you! Surely these people can be trusted to retrieve an escaped patient without causing any chaos?”

“You do not know Earth-Man and his team,” Jacques answered darkly. “They will be as content to kill this poor man as they will to capture him. We must act, sister.”

Joliet complained once more, Jacques debating her again. Danielle joined in, and their mother tried to play devil’s advocate though it was clear that she didn’t want her children to come to any harm. Michel too threw in his opinion, and soon the family were involved in a spirited debate that was very close to devolving into a shouting match on all sides.

“Enough.”

Francois Foccart’s voice was quiet but firm. All of his children knew better than to argue when this tone entered his voice. “Earth has changed recently, and not for the better. There is too much injustice in this world, and Jacques and Danielle have been gifted to fight that injustice. Go, my children. Know that your mother and I could not be more proud.” Invisible Kid and Kid Computo bade loving farewell to their parents and siblings, and soon enough they were flying under cover of Jacques’s invisibility power while Danielle’s cyberempathy located the Judgement League.

Within minutes, an unseen Jacques and Danielle were closing in on their quarry; Radiation Roy was immediately identifiable in his clumsy red containment suit, and he was flanked by a woman in black power armour belching plumes of smoke from oversized boot-jets as well as a second woman in a navy blue one-piece high-collared leotard with long white boots and gloves. Her blonde hair was cut short, in a style not native to this time period. She was surrounded in a pale blue aura of light, and Jacques was annoyed to realise he didn’t have a clue who either of the women were.

“Radiation Roy, Black Dancer and Nimbus,” Danielle recited as she accessed Judgement League files. “Lucky for us they’re the only three Leaguers we need to worry about…and there’s the poor guy they’re chasing.” The Foccart siblings saw the blazing light of a damaged medi-shuttle plummeting fast through the darkening skies. The shuttle looked like it was going to crash in a heavy residential area, and with mounting disgust they realised the trio before them weren’t going to do a thing to stop it.

“Danielle, can you do something to help the ship?” Jacques asked. “If he continues on his current path, he will cause d’enormes damage! I will keep our friends busy…oh, and activate your transuit! If this fellow is Somahturian, we cannot assume he has mastered control of his abilities as Drura has.”

The younger Foccart considered questioning her brother, she didn’t see what he could do to oppose three vastly overpowered opponents. There was no time though, she was acutely aware how close they were to disaster. Leaving the protective sheath of Jacques’s invisibility, she shot straight up and over the Judgement Leaguers. As absorbed as they were in following the shuttle they were completely oblivious of Danielle above them. Waiting till she was close enough for maximum control, Danielle reached out mentally to the ship. Life support readings told her that the ship’s one patient was still alive but its navigation interface had been destroyed beyond repair. Fortunately the navigation system itself was still okay, and its engine damage wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. Danielle took control of the ship and levelled out its approach over the city. She didn’t think she could give the man a flawless landing, but she could at least minimise injuries to the patient and anyone else in the city around him.

In pursuit, Black Dancer cocked her head. “Hey,” she addressed her teammates, “Does it look like he just changed course to you?” Before either Roy or Nimbus could reply, something unseen smashed into her back and slammed her into Roy’s bulky armour. The two careened out of control for a second while Nimbus watched confused.

“What’s wrong with you?” Roy barked back at the woman. “Are you nuts?!” He righted his flight path and unleashed a blast of hard radiation at her. Black Dancer’s armour protected her from the brunt of the blast but some of the radiation still penetrated, and she gave a shout of pain.

“It wasn’t me!” she protested. Black Dancer activated the infrared imaging in her visor and looked around herself desperately. “There!” She raised an arm at Invisible Kid’s hazy outline and shot an intense laser, barely missing the Legionnaire.

“You’re both hypermad,” Nimbus mocked her comrades. “Have fun going gaga, crazy people. I’m gonna keep chasing our alien buddy.” She accelerated, leaving behind a neon blue trail as she chased the vessel.

Jacques silently cursed. He hadn’t counted on Black Dancer having enhanced-spectrum vision capabilities, and Radiation Roy was far from the most intelligent enemy but he was sure to realise before too long why Dancer was firing lasers into the sky around them. Unless…Jacques remembered Joliet having called him fearless, but he knew this wasn’t the case. Absurdly reckless though? Certainly. His heart racing, he positioned himself directly in front of Radiation Roy. Angered as she was Black Dancer fired without thinking, and Jacques barely dodged her latest laser burst that instead burned a hole right through Roy’s crimson armour and loosened his helmet.

Roy bellowed more in surprise than pain as he levelled another shot at her, this time using both hands. As Jacques had hoped, Roy's sudden spike in temperature overloaded Black Dancer’s heat-imaging sensors. She was blinded and unable to dodge the massive amount of radiation bathing over her. Her own armour enhanced her natural strength and reflexes, but she'd sacrificed protection for ease of movement. Her visor cracked and Black Dancer screamed out in agony, covering her face with her hands as she toppled backwards in mid-air.

“Are you that much of an idiot?!” Dancer abused her teammate. “There’s someone else here, you moron! I was tracking him on IR before you ruined my HUD!” Roy’s radiation emissions seeped into her marrow now, she could feel a tingling heaviness fall over her. Not trusting that she’d be able to maintain her flight path safely, the ebon-garbed woman excused herself and dived down to find somewhere safe to land and recuperate.

Watching her, Radiation Roy shook his head inside his own bullet-shaped helmet. Crazy batwitch, he thought. Wait till we get back to Metropolis. Any revenge would have to wait though. If he didn’t finish off this alien, Earth-Man wouldn’t be happy…and nobody wanted to make Earth-Man unhappy. He zoomed off after Nimbus, Invisible Kid right alongside him.

**********
Kid Computo had found her safe landing place for the Somahturian’s wounded vessel, a place that ironically was created by one of the Judgement League themselves. She brought the medi-shuttle down in a crater caused by Celestine’s cosmic outburst only days before. In the sublevels of Neoabidjan, the small ship came to a crashing halt. Danielle flinched at the landing, though the vessel’s life support systems showed that the Somahturian was still intact. In her haste to get the Somahturian to safety, Danielle let her guard down and she paid the price for that with a massive blow to the back of her head as she descended after the ship. Stars exploded behind her eyes and she lost control of her flight ring momentarily, plunging toward the ruined parklands below. Resuscitated by the rushing winds, Kid Computo turned to face her assailant.

“Did you help this alien?” Nimbus asked the dark-skinned teenager. “You’re gonna get in a lot of trouble if you did.”

“Yeah, you’re real tough when you’re hitting me from behind,” Danielle grimaced. “You wanna try that to my face?” Her head was pounding, but she couldn’t let on to her attacker just how close she was to blacking out.

“Sassy!” Nimbus grinned wickedly. “Remember, you asked for this.” Her eyes narrowed, then widened in surprise. “What the sheck? Why’s my aura not responding?”

“Funny thing,” Danielle retorted. “That aura of yours isn’t a natural power, is it? You’ve got some kind of tech implanted in you. I’ve never come across anything like it before but I never met a cybernetic implant I didn’t like…and vice versa.” Nimbus railed ineffectively as Danielle co-opted the woman's glowing blue aura and held her frozen in place. Danielle continued her descent, dragging the furious Nimbus along with her. The two women landed beside the Somahturian’s shuttle and Danielle deactivated Nimbus’s aura entirely. While the blonde woman stared in shock at her exposed gloves, Danielle simply walked over and punched her right in the jaw. Though Nimbus dropped like a rock, Danielle immediately regretted it. She cradled her knuckles, wishing Dream Girl had told her that would hurt as much as it did when she was teaching her how to punch.

She sensed Radiation Roy’s approach, but not before he’d blasted her with his paralysing radiation. Danielle cried out and collapsed to the ground, in far too much pain to take over his armour’s functions as she had Nimbus’s implant. “Don’t know what the sprock you did to those two,” Roy growled, “But I think Earth-Man’s gonna want to speak to you, kid.” Danielle would have laughed if she could move. The idiot had no idea who she was out of costume!

Roy landed beside her and stooped down to pick her up. Before he could grab the prone girl, his helmet which was already clanking loosely suddenly snapped free from the rest of his armour and bashed the startled Leaguer across his bare head. As Radiation Roy collapsed, Jacques Foccart faded into view holding the large red helmet. “Are you harmed, ma soeur?” He tossed the helmet aside and crouched down by Danielle’s side.

Try as she might she couldn’t move a muscle to answer him, but it occurred to Danielle that her power still worked. Taking over the medi-shuttle’s PA system she boomed at him from the downed vessel. Jacques, I’m fine. I’m just paralysed, it’ll wear off. We need to get that poor Somahturian to safety before they wake up and call in backup.

“Of course.” He rushed to the door of the vessel and just before asking for it to be opened, twisted his flight ring a certain way. An electrostatic charge ran through his clothes and changed his garb to the famous costume of Invisible Kid. It was risky acting so openly, but Invisible Kid had a much better chance of obtaining this patient’s cooperation than Jacques Foccart. Jacques asked his sister to open the ship for him, and stepped through the threshold. Sure enough, the skinny white-skinned boy inside looked terrified but his terror quickly subsided when he recognised a member of the Legion of Superheroes. “All is well,” Jacques gave him a warm smile.

“You are safe now.”

**********
XANTHU
Aerie Headquarters of the Uncanny Amazers
Randall Burroughs phased through the dense wall of his team’s communications room, accompanied by the signature sizzling sound of his atomkinesis. The sounds of battle continued outside the room and he knew he didn’t have long to act. As Atom’x, he was one of the most powerful of Xanthu’s sanctioned defenders but he’d already seen their most powerful and experienced member fall before these invaders. If Atmos didn’t stand a chance then what hope did Atom'x have?

The slim youth opened a channel as quickly as he could and leaned over the comms console. “Mayday, mayday! This is Atom’x of the Uncanny Amazers, Xanthu is under attack, repeat Xanthu is under attack!” The room was illuminated by a golden glow directly behind him and Atom’x spun around to face the enemy. His hand was encompassed by an intense light with neon pink highlights as he readied an atomic blast and then Randall Burroughs' world froze.

“That’s all of them,” one of the invaders announced gruffly, coming closer to inspect his unmoving victim. Atom’x stood like a mannequin, bathed in a golden twinkling aura not of his own design. “Report to Warlord Galarr…we have taken Xanthu!”

Behind him, six Khund warriors of different pigmentation raised their weapons and gave a victorious roar.

...TO BE CONTINUED!

Nice bit raz! The scene with Jo and Lu was wonderfully therapeutic. Loved seeing Jacques and Danielle in action and their family dynamics were amazing. And trouble on Xanthu... good seeing your version of Atom'x.

Thanks, I had fun coming up with a family for them! You don't really see Legionnaires with normal siblings very often...

I am really glad you liked the Lu/Jo scene, things are gonna get more difficult for poor Lu before they get better I'm afraid!

And I actually don't really remember reading anything with Atom'x in it, so I hope I do him justice over the next couple of instalments

MARS
Husband Hill, Legion of Superheroes Headquarters
Kid Computo, Invisible Kid and Infectious Lass entered the Legion of Superheroes’ revamped meeting room, most of the Legion having already taken seats to view the Science Police reports and long-range surveillance flashing and scrolling across screens all around them. Jacques Foccart had just finished relaying the story of the Somahturian patient he and his sister had returned to safe quarantine on Medicus One when he noticed his normally boisterous team were taking in the data around them with an uncommon reservedness. “Quoi?” Jacques mouthed in a hushed tone.

The screens projected around them flickered and vanished, though some Legionnaires watched further on individual desktop displays. Bouncing Boy addressed his team as Jacques, Danielle and Drura found their seats. “The Science Police have managed to keep panic from spreading, in large part thanks to Xanthu’s isolated location, but we’re not going to be that lucky for long. We know what the SP know. The Khunds have taken Xanthu and they’re threatening to expand their territory deeper into UP space. This is an open act of war, we don’t know how they’re holding the planet though. We’ve had no casualties reported from Xanthu, we’ve had no contact with the planet at all. This whole thing is very unlike the Khunds.”

“Maybe we should send the Espionage Squad in,” Chameleon Boy suggested. “We can gather information, formulate a plan of attack—“

“No.” Star Boy stood up to address his teammates. “We don’t have time for that. As near as we can figure, the Khunds took Xanthu in under an hour. If they could do that to my planet, we can’t give them the chance to do it to someone else’s. We need to go in there full force and take them down.”

Bouncing Boy’s hovering command pod came closer to Star Boy. “We can do both,” Chuck countered. “Thom, I want you to come up with the most strategic locations for us to liberate. While the majority of the team works towards that goal, the Espionage Squad can find out how the Khunds have done this so quickly and give us any info they can that will help us take down whoever’s in command.”

“Don’t worry Star Boy,” Elastic Lad volunteered cheerily. “With the whole Legion working together, we can accomplish anything! Your homeworld is as good as free!”

“Make no mistake,” Bouncing Boy announced. “Neither the Xanthu military or the Uncanny Amazers are pushovers. The Khunds managed not only to get to Xanthu unreported, but to take it over with no discernible opposition in a frighteningly short period of time. With Cosmic Boy and Night Girl on honeymoon leave we’re not at full strength ourselves…this isn’t going to be a walk in the park, guys. I’m fully expecting that we’ll take casualties over this, we’re gonna need to stay on top of our game to ensure those casualties aren’t permanent. And I refuse to allow another Elia,” he added soberly, referring to the Dominion homeworld’s destruction. Everybody present remembered very clearly what had happened the last time the Legion had involved themselves in a warlike race’s interference with an isolated UP world, and nobody had a retort for him.

“…Nice pep talk,” Matter-Eater Lad finally mumbled, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Before Chuck could respond to this, the door to the room irised open and Duplicate Damsel rushed in with Ultra Boy right behind her. “Welcome back, honey.” Chuck gave his wife a weary half-smile. “I’m glad you two made it home from Verganus IV so quickly. I hate to do this to the two of you but we need you both for another mission.”

“Chuck!” Luornu exclaimed breathlessly. “There’s something you need to know.”

“Can you tell me on the way?” Bouncing Boy’s pod lowered to the floor and he stepped out, placing an arm around his wife’s waist. “Let’s go guys, time is of the essence.”

“No, Chuck. Listen to me.” Luornu stood her ground, removing his arm. He noticed now that her eyes were bloodshot, as though she’d been crying. “There’s something…there’s something I need to tell you. Sweet trinity, I’m so sorry.”

“Honey?” Chuck pushed the team’s mission to the back of his mind and rubbed her bare shoulder lovingly. “Lu, what is it?”

“Ultra Boy and I tapped into the meeting room’s feed while we were on the way home, I know what’s happened. Chuck, the Khunds discovered some kind of secret energy source…something that’s revolutionised a weapon they’ve been working on.”

“What? How do you know that?” Bouncing Boy asked.

“I…” Luornu couldn’t look her husband in the eye, but when she tried to find somewhere else to cast her gaze she just found one more person in a room full of friends and allies she knew she’d betrayed. “You asked me to keep an eye on the Oversight Watch, remember?” she asked, looking at the floor.

“I’m confused, what do they have to do with this?” Chuck answered.

“Mandalla’s last report was a couple of weeks ago…the Oversight Watch picked up from Khund comms traffic that they’d found some kind of unique energy source…from what I gather, it’s something that excited the higher levels of Khund government, something they saw as a game-changer in their relations with the UP. Whatever they found, they took to Khundia immediately. The Oversight Watch were going there themselves to investigate more closely, and that was the last I’ve heard from them. I even checked again on the way here to make sure.”

Some of the Legionnaires spoke now in hushed tones amongst themselves, though Chuck was having difficulty formulating a response himself.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Star Boy asked abruptly. “You knew this could have wide-spanning consequences for the United Planets, why wouldn’t you say something?”

“Star Boy, I’m so sorry…” She gave Thom an imploring look, and had to turn away when she saw his barely concealed anger. Luornu eyed some of her oldest friends and her heart sunk. Ultra Boy’s open pity, Phantom Girl’s confusion, her own husband’s sad lack of understanding, each face was like a dagger in her breast. “…I thought the Oversight Watch could handle it themselves,” she explained weakly.

“Well it looks like they couldn’t,” Star Boy said curtly, “And now my planet’s paid the price.”

“You say whatever this is, it’s on Khundia?” Bouncing Boy asked his wife in as normal a tone as he could muster.

“That’s right,” Luornu nodded. “Chuck, I—“

“And it’s unique,” he interrupted her. “Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do.” He turned from his wife to face the rest of his team. “Luornu and I will take a team to Khundia to find out what this great discovery is, and hopefully to save the Oversight Watch from whatever idiocy they’ve implicated themselves in…assuming they’re still alive.” Despite himself, he couldn’t help casting a bitter glance back at Duplicate Damsel as he thought of his former students Mandalla and Power Boy at the mercy of the most feared warriors in the galaxy.

“But you’re our leader and she’s our deputy leader,” Wildfire complained. “You can’t both go!”

“Star Boy’s in command of the rest of the team,” Bouncing Boy decreed. “Are you okay with that, Thom?” Star Boy nodded grimly.

“Bouncing Boy,” Element Lad stepped forward. “For both the leader and deputy leader of the Legion to launch a mission into the heart of the Khund Empire…the diplomatic consequences—“

“We’re a bit beyond diplomacy now, Jan.” Bouncing Boy laughed, but there was nothing at all light-hearted about it. "Invisible Kid, Phantom Girl, Ultra Boy, Wildfire, Dawnstar, Brainiac…congratulations, you’re coming to Khundia. Thom, you’ve got everybody else. Good luck, team.” He stomped out of the room, his hand-picked teammates following close behind.

Brainiac 5 was the last to leave the room, and Supergirl could tell from the Coluan’s expression that he didn’t calculate a high likelihood of success for this mission. Kara knew she had a tendency to underestimate the Legion’s challenges and it was something she’d been working on, but looking at her teammates now…Infectious Lass and Kid Computo staring fearfully after Invisible Kid, Timber Wolf brooding sourly alone…

…All of this made her truly wonder if she’d just watched some of her friends leave for the last time.

Wow. Way to up the stakes, raz! Now I am very much excited to see what happens next.

Really liked the homes scenes for Invisible Kid and Kid Computo.

Great job Raz. i'm excited to see what the Legion finds.

I hope Kara's fears are just that and we see everyone come out of this alive.

keep it coming.

Thanks folks! I'm glad you liked the Foccart family scenes as well Omni, like I said it was fun coming up with a family for Jacques and Danielle

Next: surprise appearance from one of the most unexpected Legionnaires of all maybe? And of course high stakes

XANTHU'S SECOND MOON
Dark side of the satellite's surface
28 members of the Legion of Superheroes were crammed into one cruiser on Xanthu's second moon Aiio, all of them devoting their full attention to their appointed commander Thom Kallor. The bearded hero also called Star Boy hadn't been responsible for so many Legionnaires before, nor had he directed a mission so vitally important. Calling on discipline he'd learned long ago in Xanthu's military, Thom tried to concentrate solely on the task at hand. With Color Kid camouflaging their vessel against the moon's surface and Kid Computo preventing any sensor sweeps from picking them up, the Legion had managed to get this far unchecked. It was certainly a surreal experience knowing that Khund warships patrolled Xanthu and its twin moons right now while the Legion plotted right under their noses, and Star Boy was very aware of the potential danger they all risked by being here.

"Mon-El, Supergirl, Sun Boy, Polar Boy, Element Lad...you all know your squad targets?" Star Boy addressed his hastily appointed lieutenants. "It's crucial that the Khunds are occupied across as many different fronts as possible so that my team can find the Uncanny Amazers and work together to take the fight to whoever's in charge of this fleet." Thom tried not to think about the very real possibility that his world's defenders might not even be alive, let alone in any condition to assist with their planet's liberation.

Mon-El spoke for them all. "Shady, Ayla, Quislet and myself can take care of the ships in orbit. Everyone else has their objective. We're ready to do this when you are, Star Boy."

Thom looked at his lover for reassurance, and Nura gave him a slight nod. "I'm ready," Star Boy lied. He wished once again that Bouncing Boy hadn't left him in control of nearly the entire team like this, but he wouldn't let his world down. "Let's go, Legion!"

**********
The largest conglomerate of Legionnaires made their way to Xanthu's capital city alongside Star Boy. There were nine of them in all; Kid Computo, Chameleon Boy, Shrinking Violet, Stone Boy, Dream Girl, Tellus, Matter-Eater Lad, Light Lad and of course Thom himself. Replicating the form of a Jaquaan Sky Floater, Chameleon Boy kept his teammates obscured from view inside his enormous balloon-like interior. The Sky Floater's color-changing outer membrane kept the team hidden even better than Color Kid's earlier efforts had done. Once the enormous airborne invertebrate desended low enough beneath Xanth City's forest of elongated spires and mushroom-shaped towers, Cham released his friends and took the form of a native bird to fly alongside the similarly diminutive Shrinking Violet.

"It's weird that the skies are so empty, right?" Light Lad asked.

"It's not just the skies," Kid Computo volunteered. "A lot of the local networks which should be in place are just...not there. I can't explain it, there are giant holes in my awareness that should only be there if all systems in the area have been damaged beyond repair."

"There is some damage," Star Boy observed, "But not as much as you'd expect for a planetary invasion, and definitely not the extent of damage you're describing. Can you find out what happened to the Amazers?"

"I can guess," she answered, pointing to a nearby rooftop. Seven Xanthui men and women in military garb seemed posed there next to a smoking vessel. Their weapons were drawn and judging by the expression on their faces they'd been interrupted mid-assault. As the Legionnaires grew closer, they saw that the soldiers were surrounded by a twinkling golden glow.

A clearly worried Dream Girl looked across at Star Boy. "Thom, do you think..?"

"It has to be," he groaned. "A quantum field."

"Wait a nano," Matter-Eater Lad spoke up. "I know that Quantum Avenger kid was working with the Khunds, but they couldn't possibly have the resources to mass-produce his tech...could they?"

Light Lad raised a hand almost timidly. "Uhh, guys..? I feel like I'm meant to know who the Quantum Avenger is..?"

Shrinking Violet shot a look of mocking disapproval at the lanky Winathian. "Maybe a little less canoodling with Ayla and a little more reading up on our enemies is called for, Light Lad." Darvan blushed a deep red.

"He and his sister used to be in the Uncanny Amazers," Stone Boy explained helpfully. "He blames Star Boy for his sister's death and he took his quantum belt technology to the Khunds to get revenge."

Kid Computo was incredulous. "How do you know any of that? You only joined the Legion like five minutes ago!"

"I read up on our enemies," Stone Boy shrugged simply.

The Legion had now landed by the frozen soldiers, and Dream Girl circled them slowly as she analysed them. "It's definitely a quantum stasis field," she announced, omnicom in hand. "Which means they're alive, thank the stars. But without constant reinforcement this effect should wear off after a very short time so I don't know how they're still suspended like this. Darn it, I wish Bouncing Boy hadn't taken Brainy on that insane errand to Khundia, we need him here -- ohh..." Her eyes rolled back in her head and Nura Nal collapsed. Before she could hurt herself, Tellus used his telekinesis to lower the glamorous heroine gently to the ground.

Dream Girl was out for several seconds before her eyelids fluttered and she sat up. "Thank you Tellus," she said sleepily, her own power having foreseen his assistance. She looked up at Star Boy. "Thom, you're not going to like this but you'll have to rescue the Uncanny Amazers without me."

"What?" Star Boy recoiled in shock. "Why??"

With a casual air that some of her teammates found infuriating, Dream Girl stood and brushed herself down. She ensured that not a particle of dirt sullied her bronzed skin or her chrome costume and that not a single platinum hair was out of place before she answered. "I've seen that you're going to successfully rescue all of the Amazers," she finally explained, "But there's one more person who needs to help us if we're going to release Xanthu from Khund occupation.

...I need to free the Quantum Avenger."

**********
KHUNDIA PRIME
Dharakkia Nor Challenge Court
Dev-Em met his enemy's baleful glare across a blood-stained arena strewn with the battered bodies of his Oversight Watch comrades. 89, Makkia Vei, Ron-Karr, Mandalla and Dev-Em's lover Power Boy had already fallen before their foe. The Kryptonian Dev-Em was the Watch's only hope of getting through this alive, and after a week of constant violence under a perpetual solar eclipse even he was struggling.

The Oversight Watch had come here weeks ago to investigate a mysterious energy source they'd learned the Khunds had in their possession. The team had somehow been discovered despite all of 89's best efforts and most of them were beaten to within an inch of their lives. It was only Makkia Vei's silver tongue that convinced the Khunds that rather than killing them all on the spot, the Oversight Watch should fight for their lives in Khundia's infamous Challenge Courts. She also induced the Khunds to let the team heal first, but even her persuasive abilities had their limits. The Watch had been given a week to recover, a week which now felt like it had been a hundred years ago.

Steeling himself, Dev-Em charged the enormous yellow Khund on the other side of the arena while the monster's supporters filled the air with their bloodthirsty roars. The Oversight Watch had faced many many Khunds over these past sunless days, but none like this one. The hulking behemoth named Bloodclaw was over seven feet tall. His sneering face was framed by a mane of orange hair, and he wore a skintight red and black bodysuit which highlighted every inch of his overdeveloped physique. Bloodclaw was strong, but it wasn't so much his strength which bothered Dev. It was the cybernetic clawed hands which now prepared to slash the Kryptonian. Dev didn't know how Bloodclaw's talons were able to rake his flesh; even without direct access to the sunlight which fuelled his powers Dev-Em was still incalculably more durable than any of the Khunds who had fallen victim to Bloodclaw in the past. The beast's claws shouldn't have been able to tear more than his outfit, but the gashes in Dev's abdomen and arms told a different story. At the last possible instant before striking his target, Dev-Em stopped dead in the air. Bloodclaw sliced at the empty space between them, giving Dev-Em the chance he'd been waiting for. He grabbed Bloodclaw's arm and trained his heat vision on the Khund's prosthetic wrist. The metal there grew red and soon enough two thin red beams began to sear their way through it. "Your claws might be tough," Dev glowered, "But they're not indestructible."

In response the juggernaut bellowed a Khundish curse and swiped at Dev-Em's exposed throat with his free hand. Kryptonian reflexes saved Dev-Em from having his jugular ripped out, but he still sustained a powerful blow to the jaw. He grunted in pain and reeled backwards, the crowd erupting into a frenzy around them. Bloodclaw didn't waste the opportunity, pouncing on his foe and landing strike after strike. Dev-Em fought back as hard as he could but he was too exhausted, too worn down. Covered in his own blood, his costume, in tatters, he lay on his back and squinted at the Khund. He was seeing double, but Dev-Em knew if he died that Power Boy would be next. With one more defiant cry, he unleashed the last of his vitality in a burst of heat vision which sadly missed the behemoth entirely.

"Don't feel so bad," Bloodclaw grimaced, blood-matted hair falling down over his beady black eyes. "You were a worthy combatant but you never had a chance." He raised his arm for one final lethal slash, and was immediately pummelled several feet back by a wide blast of energy from above.

"Funny," Wildfire descended, anti-energy seeping from beneath his gauntlets and boots. "I was about to say the same to you, Chuckles."

Bloodclaw's lips curled back in rage. He crouched to leap at the Legionnaire when Phantom Girl suddenly came out of the ground beneath him and reached inside one of his massive clawed hands. She retracted her own hand and Bloodclaw's back arched as he released an agonised howl and collapsed. "Hey Brainy!" Tinya called out. "You were right about the bio-electric feedback when I yanked that neural coupling!"

"Of course I was right," Brainiac 5 replied coolly without looking up from his omnicom. He too descended behind Wildfire along with Dawnstar, Duplicate Damsel, Invisible Kid, Ultra Boy and Bouncing Boy. The Coluan hypergenius had effortlessly bypassed Khund firewalls to drop the forcefield surrounding the arena long enough for the Legionnaires to enter, and just as easily he now made sure it was back in place to protect them from the rioting crowd.

Bouncing Boy kneeled by Dev-Em's side and called Brainiac 5 over to examine him. "You can thank Dawnstar for finding you all as quickly as she did," Chuck muttered. "And you'd better believe you're all going to have some explaining to do."

Anything else the Legion's leader had to say was lost on Dev-Em as the Kryptonian finally surrendered to blissful oblivion.

The gang's all here! I think the fulfillment of the "Star Boy rehabilitating James Cullen" story is about to happen, huh? As always, looking forward to more!

Hey Raz,

My turn to play catch up

And it's an absolute joy.

Chucks floating chair sounds precarious, I'm glad it's him and not me in it. And it's not only him that Grava's speech flummox's, me two The Century Bloom sounds like something straight out of the 70's and it's very welcome to see a small team on diplomatic duties though Lu and Jo together - with Lu's unfounded paranoia and Jo's very real concerns - this can only spell trouble!

The change of name to the Judgement League is very ominous... so they are setting themselselves up to be above the populace then, what a terrifying thought. I really enjoy reading your interpretation of their personalities and how they don't look out for civilians or each other for the most part - that's very telling of what sort of person is involved, if we needed any confirmation of how scary theyu could be. And this is the team Earth Gov has funded to replace the Legion? There's got to be a show down coming soon as I imagine the general population wouldn't stand for them for too long. Sprint and Red Crow are very immediately interesting, though I'm curious about Fundamental too, for some reason I picture looking like Count Nefaria. The poor girl who just needed her medication creating the golems was never going to survive though I hoped that somehow the League would see her potential and somehow get her under their control so keep her alive.

Really nice to introduce Jacques and Danielles family, especially as he always came across as an 'everyman' character. The sister Joliet not approving of the 'alien' was a worry though. If a sister of a Legionnaire thinks like that then I can only imagine jow the general population has been brainwashed. Scary concept!

Excellent soap opera misunderstanding moment between Lu and jo, and his reaction was perfect, welldone for having him sort her out so succinctly as it could have dragged on and create even bigger problems.

Clever Jacques getting the villains to fight each other though I imagine Radiation Roy and Black Dancers little tete-a-tete will no doubt have reprecussions.

And so straight on to Xanthu - *phew* you don't let us catch our breath! Your pacing is electric!

Chuck's decision to split the team into two to deal with the threat the Khunds pose is understandable though I do worry that all the eggs are in the same basket, so to speak. If they don't suceed there's no-one left to save the day - all or nothing kind of gambits are great for amping up the tension. Kara's concerns added nicely to the feeling of foreboding.

Thom'sconcerns about leading the group fit perfectly with canon, he was never going to be team leader though was a dependable soldier. Nice use of both Ulu and Reep to keep the team hidden, these subtle uses are always great to read.

The conversation between Vi, Light Lad and Stone Boy was a welcome moment of comic relief hough Nura's announcement came out of leftfield as surely James would bethe last person to help?

Bloodclaw!!! Oh god, so long as he doesn't face Pol'scorpse he'll be invincable Though him managing to hurt Dev Em is quite worrying. The Legion announcing temselves to the Khunds like that is a risky strategy so I hope they all manage to survive this.

Of all the fanfics here (mine definitely included) your stories feel the most fully realised Raz, and that's not to put anyone else's down as there are some sterling pieces of work here in Bits. Your universe is so well rounded and complete it's amazing to read, like a free top quality comic! Looking forward to more, more, more!

IB: you have good instincts, I am definitely gonna touch on James' foretold rehabilitation....hopefully y'all like where it goes!

Harbi: Good call on the Judgement League name change and I am stoked that you saw a bit of Count Nefaria in Fundament as that's exactly the kind of character I was shooting for

Bloodclaw was actually a last minute addition, I was originally gonna have Dev go up against a random Khund & just before I wrote it up I figured it might be fun to tweak one of the guys from 5YL days...he was still taken down by a phantom in a manner of speaking I guess

Thanks so much for the awesome kudos! I love reading all the stuff you guys put out here as well, it's really cool seeing when some of the themes or characters overlap and where everyone takes things in different directions!

Love the rescue Raz. that battle was brutal and Dev-em was a real trooper.

Bloodclaw is vicious! i wonder how did his talon's slice a Kryptonian?

they have Quantum tec on that level? wow. that's amazing and now they have to rescue the Quantum Avenger? But i wonder if they got it from James or somewhere/someone else?

This is definitely going to be a bumpy ride.

can't wait for more!

Glad you liked Dev-Em's last hurrah! You guys are about to get some answers with a quickness!

Next instalment is hella long but packed with EXCITING ACTION

XANTHU
Xanth City, Aerie Headquarters of the Uncanny Amazers
Like much of the densely populated west coast of Xanthu's largest continent, Xanth City was an area prone to extreme weather and high floods. It had been this way for centuries, the result of short-sighted industrialisation strategies which had severely damaged the world's biosphere. 31st century technology had come some way in repairing damage once considered irreparable, but progress was slow and the Xanthui people had found other ways to live with the mistakes of their past.

Almost all of the buildings of Xanth City were towers hundreds of feet high, elongating into slender spires that pierced the skies or absurd stalks which blossomed into mushroom-shaped canopies. The Uncanny Amazers' Aerie fell into the latter category, and it was under the protective shade of the building's mushroom top where five Legionnaires now hovered waiting for the opportunity to move.

Chameleon Boy, Stone Boy, Star Boy and Shrinking Violet watched Kid Computo, the African girl's face set in placid concentration. "The other teams have made their move," Danielle Foccart reported. "The Khunds are mobilising like crazy, I think we've got them as distracted as they're gonna be."

Star Boy took a deep breath. Dream Girl had taken Matter-Eater Lad, Tellus and Light Lad on her own private mission and Thom had been preoccupied with thoughts of Nura's safety even while he'd instructed Kid Computo to monitor their enemies' communications. He needed to put those thoughts out of his mind now though. Nura may have predicted that Star Boy's squad would succeed but even with that guarantee in place he couldn't afford distraction. "You're sure the Amazers are here?" he asked Danielle. "They haven't been relocated?"

"Positive," she nodded. "Two floors above us in the trophy room. This Warlord Galarr has a pretty twisted sense of humor I guess."

"Keeping them as live trophies in their own headquarters?" Thom rejoined. "I'd call that arrogance and it's going to be his undoing. Everybody ready? Let's do this." Star Boy gestured at a section of the plasteel structure adjacent to them and an aura of dark air surrounded his white-gloved hands. That part of the building was enveloped in the same effect before it swiftly ripped itself apart from the rest of the base. Too heavy to retain its own integrity, tons of the structure plummeted to the ground far below. A handful of surprised Khunds followed, and the Legionnaires acted quickly to stop the men from falling to their death. Chameleon Boy took the form of an asteroid-dwelling cephalopod, tendrils as thick as tree trunks snatching the warriors out of the sky. With his own power in full effect, Stone Boy was strong enough to grab another two. The Legionnaires flung their foes at an automated cleaning apparatus Danielle had hijacked in preparation, and her cyberempathy turned the device's hose into a makeshift restraint to keep them there.

"Straggler." Three inches high, Shrinking Violet hovered by Kid Computo's cheek. Danielle followed her tiny teammate's pointed arm to see that one of the Khunds had somehow managed to evade Cham and Stone Boy, and that he'd raised an arm-mounted plasma cannon while his gravpack manouvred him almost silently into position.

"Thanks," Kid Computo answered lightly as she took control of the yellow man's gravpack and sent him charging into the tower hard enough to knock him out. He slumped to the cleaning platform along where his comrades still struggled for freedom.

Taking his cue to act, Stone Boy shot up through the ragged hole Star Boy's power had created in the Amazers' base. Like a human missile he bowled over several Khunds who had come to investigate the cause of the alarm now screaming through the building. Those who remained conscious after Dag Wentim's cannonball run were quickly taken down by Star Boy, Chameleon Boy and Shrinking Violet who followed in his wake. Finally, Kid Computo prevented any of the Khunds from using their lethally offensive cybernetic weapons or the quantum fields many of them now wielded.

Star Boy's team were far from the most powerful Legionnaires, but the element of surprise combined with years of combined experience led them to the trophy room where the Amazers were being held without a single casualty among their own. Kid Computo's power opened the final door barring their way, and Star Boy dropped the three muscular Khunds on the other side the instant he laid eyes on them. Danielle closed the door behind them, ensuring that they were safely locked inside. On a pedestal in the centre of the room, a battle-scarred team of Amazers posed in mid-movement. "Uh, Star Boy?" Stone Boy asked. "I know Dream Girl said we were going to rescue these guys but well...how are we going to do that exactly?" He waved a stone hand in front of the unflinching face of Insect Queen. She, Atmos, Atom'x and the aptly named Monstress were all enveloped in a golden stasis field.

"Danielle?" Star Boy turned to Kid Computo.

"The stasis field isn't actively being kept in place by anything mechanical," she reasoned, "But I've got an idea. Can someone prop up a Khund for me? I think I can co-opt one of their quantum field generators, but they need to be facing their target."

Having fallen victim to Star Boy's power, the Khunds were so heavy that it took Stone Boy and Chameleon Boy's combined efforts to heft one of them even partially off the ground. Danielle took a moment to familiarise herself with the equipment, then hoping for the best she activated it. The glow surrounding the Amazers wavered and was abruptly gone. The four Xanthui heroes stumbled forward, each of them completing whatever task they'd been in the midst of when they'd been frozen. "Thom Kallor..?" Atmos glared suspiciously at Star Boy and the other Legionnaires. "Where are we? What happened to the Khunds?"

"We have to move quickly," Star Boy deflected as he made his way toward the trophy room's door. "Come on, we'll explain along the way."

"Star Boy!" Kid Computo's eyes widened and she threw herself at the bearded hero. "Look out!"

The warning came too late, as the door exploded inwards and bowled both of them over. Star Boy's head reeled and a high-pitched whine filled his ears. He forced himself to focus and quickly evaluated his team and the Amazers. Stone Boy had inadvertantly shielded both Shrinking Violet and Chameleon Boy and Atmos and Monstress had provided the same defence for their own teammates. Danielle however had saved Thom at her own expense, she lay motionless some feet away with a disturbingly large gash across her forehead. Thom found himself unable to draw breath until he saw Danielle do so herself. She's alive, he thought with a palpable sense of relief.

"I'm pleased that my grand entrance didn't kill any of you," an enormous pink Khund boomed from what remained of the doorway. He was almost as large as Monstress herself, a deep blue cloak falling from massive spiked eppaulettes. "Seeing your work here today I know you're going to be very useful to my new empire, Legionnaires."

"Who in seven hells do you think you are to attack the Uncanny Amazers in our own base?!" Atmos roared at the intruder.

"Yes, you should know the name of your new master," the hyper-muscular Khund cracked his knuckles.

"I am Warlord Galarr...and it's time for you all to be broken in."

**********
In the shattered hull of a Xanthui military vessel they'd found in decaying planetary orbit, four more Legionnaires now floated silently over the planet's equatorial island belt below. They were within visual range of their target, the damaged satellite infirmary called Med-Ring 1. How are you holding up, Tellus? Dream Girl asked her Hykraian comrade via the telepathic earplugs she, Light Lad and Matter-Eater Lad all wore to communicate in the vacuum of space.

It is not such a burden, Tellus replied. His own psychic voice always seemed warmer than the impersonal tone the telepathic earplugs carried. It was clever of you to make use of my telekinesis to drift this wreckage closer to our goal, Dream Girl.

We couldn't risk powering it up and being discovered, Dream Girl pointed out. Even though the Khunds no doubt have other things to concern themselves with right now, anything we can do to help us fly under the radar is only going to help us.As if to accentuate Dream Girl's statement, the Legionnaires saw Khund warships dozens of kilometres distant flare up in soundless explosions as they fell victim to the powers of Mon-El, Lightning Lass and Quislet. A blanket of stars no longer appeared in the void, blotted out by the preternatural darkness of Shadow Lass as she claimed more of the ships. Dream Girl knew the time to act was now. They couldn't guarantee that the fighting wouldn't stray dangerously close to them and the Legionnaires were going to have a difficult enough time convincing James Cullen to aid the Legion of Superheroes against his Khund allies without having to avoid friendly fire simultaneously. She directed Tellus toward the medical satellite and once they were close enough the quartet abandoned their ship so Tellus could send it hurtling into an unoccupied storage wing. Following in the wake of the destruction, the heroes quickly entered the satellite's gaping wound. Tellus summoned his power again to protect them from the deadly storm of debris which vomited forth into space and almost immediately the infirmary's own emergency forcefield restored integrity.

Over there, Dream Girl gestured. Two Khunds are going to come through that door any second now. Right on cue, the door irised open and two musclebound pink cyborgs entered.

Let me handle these two, Tellus. Light Lad floated forward and pointed his own arm at the warriors. You've done more than enough already. The Khunds bellowed something in their own language and began to charge the heroes before careening into the ceiling. Just as unexpectedly they smashed into the floor, and the whole painful process repeated itself until they finally surrendered their consciousness seconds later.

"Hmm," Dream Girl spoke out loud, realising the oxygen levels in the room had already replenished. "I'd hoped we could keep at least one of them awake. We still need to find James Cullen and we can't afford a protracted battle in a medical facility while we search level to level."

We may not need to search. Tellus replied telepathically, having neglected to switch to the voice modulator he felt less comfortable utilising. The Khunds are almost wholly driven by aggression and the need to dominate. Their minds are very different to anything I've encountered among the sentients of the United Planets, and outside of this room I sense almost nothing but Khund minds.

"Almost..?" Light Lad ventured.

There is one mind, Tellus elaborated. One mind projecting so much righteous indignation that it is a tidal swell drowning out every other psyche around it. It is angry, but it is unmistakably not a Khund.

"Then that must be our Quantum Avenger!" Matter-Eater Lad snapped his fingers. "Nice deducting, big guy! Maybe I'd better munch us a path into the servo access tunnels though. What do you say, boss-lady?"

"Those tunnels are so dark and dingy," Nura Nal screwed up her nose. "I think you're right though, Tenzil...I don't doubt our skills but there's no need to fight our way through a satellite full of Khunds if we don't need to, and I'd say we've well and truly lost any element of surprise."

"Wait a nano," Light Lad interrupted. "Tellus, you said that almost every other mind outside this room is a Khund? But this is a medical facility...a hospital. It must have been full of staff and patients when the Khunds boarded..."

"It's best not to dwell on it." Dream Girl touched Darvan's bare shoulder gently, though it was the coldness in her eyes that told him why she'd advised that.

"...Oh." Darvan Locke felt an immense surge of shock and sadness. He'd been told that the Khunds didn't value medicine, that they recognised sickness only as weakness, but until now he'd not really considered what that meant.

"Come on, pal." Matter-Eater Lad slapped Darvan on his other shoulder. "Dreamy's right, focus on what we can do to help, not on what we couldn't." The four made their way to a nearby wall, even the normally upbeat Tenzil Kem more somber than usual.

Once they were in the tunnels, Tellus collapsed a section behind them to hide their trail. It was an uncomfortably snug fit for the Hykraian in particular, and he had to actively focus his will to suppress any emanation of distress that might influence his friends. As the other three Legionnaires were still wearing their telepathic earplugs, Matter-Eater Lad took the opportunity to have a private aside with the woman who'd brought them all here. Dreamy? he asked, Have you given any thought to how we're going to get the Quantum Crackpot on side? Going by that time he tried to kill us, I don't remember him being the friendliest kid in the galaxy...and speaking from personal experience, it takes a little while longer than he's been locked away here for Mr Sanity to come leasing skull space again...

Nura recalled Tenzil's bout with insanity several years ago. It wasn't a period of their lives she liked to think about, but she was one of the few Legionnaires who had an intimate knowledge of what that time had really turned him into. It also meant that as glib as he might come across, he knew exactly what he was talking about. I don't know, she admitted. I'm sorry Tenzil, I wish I had an answer but all I know is what I dreamed. I can't tell you why James Cullen will help us or how we're going to make it happen, but it's vitally important that it does happen.

Great, he poked his tongue out at her. As long as we've got a plan then.

Despite the circumstances, Dream Girl smirked. She was glad Matter-Eater Lad had volunteered to accompany her. Tellus and Light Lad were both capable enough, but they didn't make her smile. Distracted, she didn't notice that Tellus had ceased moving until she walked head first into his clammy side. "Ow...Tellus, why did you stop?" She hoped against hope that the Hykraian hadn't registered her momentary shudder of revulsion upon touching his bumpy flesh.

We have arrived, Tellus explained. The Quantum Avenger is behind this panel, along with at least two Khunds. I apologise that I am unable to discern more from here. These tunnels are extremely stifling...if I am to be honest, I am finding it quite...difficult...to retain my composure.

"Well then," Nura smiled with a mischievous glint in her eye, "Let's make our second dramatic entrance for the day."

Tellus used his telekinesis once more to explode the wall outwards. His pods blanched in shock when he saw that there were actually three Khunds in the room and all three were ready for them. Reacting faster than he'd have given himself credit for, Tellus spread himself out to shield his friends and ensured that only he fell victim to the golden stasis field which was meant for all of them.

"Tellus!" Leaping into action, Light Lad swung an arm across at two of the Khunds who'd been standing together. Darvan repeated his earlier attack and after bouncing from the ceiling to the floor a few times they too were knocked out as his earlier victims had been.

Meanwhile, Matter-Eater Lad and Dream Girl charged the remaining man together. It was this Khund who was responsible for Tellus' current plight, and without missing a beat he turned his attention to the flying duo. At the right moment, Nura signalled Tenzil and the two Legionnaires split so that their bellowing assailant's quantum stasis field hit neither one of them. "That's a nice targetting visor you've got there," Tenzil complimented the chunky wraparound device covering half the Khund's face. "I bet that's how you knew we were coming through that wall, right?" He took a bite out of the visor, sparks flying while the Khund shouted in defiance and struck out blindly. "Yup!" The Bismollian hero swallowed a mouthful of circuitry, glass and plasteel. "Tastes like infrared sensor to me!"

With his vision taken from him, the Khund had no way to defend himself when Dream Girl grabbed the nearest large piece of debris and with the help of her flight ring slammed it and him through a console of delicate medical equipment. She dusted off her hands and began to ask where the Quantum Avenger was when she realised Light Lad and Matter-Eater Lad were looking right at him. He was suspended in an elaborate harness on the far wall, spread-eagled and struggling. There was something decidedly not right about this picture, Dream Girl noted. The boy was bruised and bleeding, his uniform in tatters. He was muzzled and the Legionnaires couldn't understand what he was muttering at them, but there was something in his wild brown eyes Nura had not expected to see. Relief. Nura let Light Lad deal with the remaining Khund while she stood before the boy for a moment, her arms crossed. If James Cullen had access to his powers, surely he would have used them already. "Tenzil," Dream Girl instructed, "Let him speak." Matter-Eater Lad chewed at the strap binding James' muzzle to the contraption he was in, and the Xanthui boy took a grateful gulp of air.

"What have we interrupted?" Dream Girl asked suspiciously. "Were they enhancing your quantum tech?"

"They were torturing me," he gasped. "Because I wouldn't help them take over my world...not after I discovered their secret."

"Secret?" Nura came closer. "What secret..?"

James Cullen met Dream Girl's examining gaze with one of renewed determination.

"The secret that will lead to my sister's salvation."

**********
KHUNDIA PRIME
Dharakkia Ohhr
Like most of the colonised worlds and satellites of the star system which had originally birthed the Khund race, Khundia Prime's Challenge Courts and Megalopoleis were all built on the carcasses of her ancient civilisation's original cities. Khunds differentiated between the older and newer versions of their cities by virtue of the terms Nor and Ohhr. Nor literally meant New, and signified the living world they all moved in daily; Ohhr was a term difficult to translate into Interlac, but which more or less referred to the disgraced dead. Dharakkia Ohhr was a dark crushed shell of a city filled with clambering beasts and Khunds who'd been ejected from their society without even the honour of a warrior's death. Fourteen heroes far from their United Planets homes took refuge in this despised graveyard now while the finest hunters of Khundia Prime searched for them in every nook and cranny of Dharakkia Nor above.

"You're sure the Khunds won't come down here looking for us?" Bouncing Boy asked, casting an eye toward the city which bustled barely a mile overhead. Around him, his teammates in the Legion of Superheroes attended the injured Oversight Watch members whose lives they'd saved fifteen minutes ago.

"I may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound," Makkia Vei grimaced while the Kryptonian Dev-Em knitted himself together under a yellow sun lamp by her side, "But I know psychology. Trust me, any self-respecting Khund would be disgusted with themselves if they even considered looking for us down here. Dharakkia Ohhr will be the absolute last place they think to investigate."

Bouncing Boy brooded, pacing back and forth in the ancient training arena where they'd sought shelter. The arena was old enough that it predated forcefield technology, and a cracked ceiling hid the glow of the fire Ultra Boy had started to provide light and warmth for those who needed it. The Legion had brought fully equipped field triage kits with them, but even so it was going to take another half hour for the Oversight Watch to be recovered enough to move on their own. Plenty of time for Chuck to dwell on the actions which had brought the Legion here, and on his own recklessness for putting them all in this situation. Ultra Boy, Wildfire, Phantom Girl, Invisible Kid, Brainiac 5, Dawnstar, none of them had said it, but they all knew he'd not made the best decision bringing them all here. Then again, if his wife hadn't made her own poor decision to begin with then Chuck wouldn't have been placed in this position. He looked across at Duplicate Damsel with conflicted emotion.

"Chuck...Chuck, we need to talk." Luornu Durgo Taine approached her husband timidly.

"Damn right we need to talk, Lu." She had never heard this tone in his voice before. "I don't think this is really the time or place though, do you?"

Applying a regenerative cast to Ron-Karr, Phantom Girl overheard the married couple. She opened her mouth to interject but a silent look from Ultra Boy told her she needed to let Chuck and Luornu deal with whatever this was themselves. She made a mental note to discuss it with Jo later, but trusted his judgement and returned to helping Ron-Karr.

"Maybe you're right," Luornu answered Chuck bitterly. "But when will it be the right time or place?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chuck snapped.

"Nothing." Her cheeks flushed, Luornu stormed away from the group. "Forget I said anything."

Chuck watched his wife walk away, then turned back to the rest of the combined group. Brainiac 5, bless him, was completely disinterested in anything other than providing the appropriate medical care to the Oversight Watch's leader 89 but every other person gathered was either rapt in the Taines' discussion or trying hard not to look like they were rapt in the Taines' discussion. Steeling himself, Chuck walked across the decrepit arena after his wife.

"Luornu, wait!" he called. "Don't go too far from the fire, lord knows what critters are tough enough to survive in the sewers of the Khund homeworld."

Duplicate Damsel stopped at the very edge of the flame's glow. "I can take care of myself," she mumbled almost petulantly.

"Honey, what's this all about?" Bouncing Boy faced her, his anger dissolved now by his concern. "Come on, this isn't like either of us and I don't like it at all. Talk to me."

Luornu cast a swift glance back at the others. Most of them were out of hearing range but still she hated having to talk about her feelings openly like this. She'd survived this long by locking away every dark thought, opening that vault now was dangerous. Still, one look at her husband's imploring face told her how much this was hurting him too. "Chuck, I just...I'm not good at this. Ever since we fought the Infinite Man you've been...different. More distant than usual."

Chuck was taken aback. "Well yeah, I know I've been distant...I went through a lot, Lu. Me, Blok, Diamond Damsel, Tinya, we all did. I'm sorry, I'm not strong like you. I can't take every horrible thing that goes wrong in my life and soldier on."

"Oh Chuck..." Her voice cracked. "I'm not upset that you need a shoulder...I'm upset that you never chose mine. You and Tinya have been almost inseparable since you got back, I've been feeling like an outsider in my own marriage!"

Bouncing Boy wasn't following at all. "Wait...how is this about Tinya? Lu, are you telling me you deliberately hid knowledge of the Oversight Watch's presence here, jeopardised Xanthu...because you're jealous of your husband and one of your oldest friends spending time together?!"

"It's more than that!" Luornu almost shouted. "You've been avoiding me to spend time with her...lying to me..! Chuck--"

Shaking with anger, Chuck Taine found himself unable to look Luornu in the eye. "I was there for Tinya because she needed me and I needed her...I needed someone who knew what it was like being in that place for so many months away from the people we loved. But Luornu...I love you. I would never lie to you, I could never lie to you. And whatever was going on between you and me, I would never in a million years endanger the people I care about or the people I'm charged with protecting over it."

Luornu looked at him, her lip trembling. "Chuck...Chuck, I'm sorry. I know I've done the wrong thing, and now we're all paying for it. You must hate me!" She buried her face in her hands and turned away from him, sobbing shamefully.

"Lu, Lu..." Chuck hugged her tight and let her cry. "You haven't been listening," he sighed. "I love you. I don't know how to not love you. I don't really understand what's going on here, but we'll get through this. We'll go home and we'll get through all of this, okay?"

Unable to speak, she nodded while she held him close.

By the time Bouncing Boy and Duplicate Damsel came back to the main group, the Oversight Watch were much recovered and the two teams were discussing their next move. "You know," Bouncing Boy addressed 89 as he joined the conversation, "You're not off the hook here. We'll work together until we're all safely back home, but the Oversight Watch can't continue to operate like you have been. You must know that the United Planets is in terrible danger because you people screwed up."

"A conversation for safer surroundings," 89 rejoined coolly. Her voice modulator had been damaged in battle with Bloodclaw, and every time she spoke it hit some frustratingly familiar nerve with Ultra Boy. None of the others seemed to have picked up on it though so Jo simply filed it away for now. "Besides, with some assistance from Brainiac 5, I believe we may have just redeemed ourselves somewhat."

"Oh sure," Wildfire taunted, "Now the Legion's your only way outta this mess you wanna cooperate. You've got some hide, lady."

Mandalla began to argue on her team's behalf but Chuck interrupted before frayed nerves frayed even further. "Show me," he said simply as he extended a hand. 89 handed him the omnicom she'd been studying with Brainiac 5, and Bouncing Boy regarded it curiously. "I don't understand," he finally confessed. The screen showed grainy footage of a naked girl in some kind of sens-tank, surrounded by enough diodes and cords to almost obscure her completely. "What am I looking at here? Who is this?"

"This is our original mission objective," 89 replied. "This is the mysterious power source the Khunds found in the space that borders our territory and theirs.

...Her name is Jazmin Cullen."

...TO BE CONCLUDED!

WHOAH! fantastic cliffhanger there Raz!

Lots of fun in your latest batch - from Star Boy's concerns about Nura and Dreamy and Tenzil sharing a giggle, Tellus feeling claustraphobic and the Khunds ruthless thoughts towards illness. The difference between Nor and Ohhr was well written - I do like your take on the Khunds. And Chuck and Lu's conversation is so overdue and so inappropriate for the current state the team is in... great stuff, I especially liked how half the team were actively listening while the other pretended not to, so true to life that!

Great stuff Raz, looking forward to the conclusion. More, more, more!

Meant to ask btw - who is Makkia Vei? Sorry if I've missed it somewhere previously but I thought Mandalla and 89 were the only two women on the team?