The future had turned out to be neither a utopia nor a dystopia. In the early 31st Century, people just got on with their day-to-day lives and hoped for the best. So it was in downtown Metropolis, a city on the planet Earth, where, on this day, many citizens were flocking to Siegel Park to see billionaire Rene Jacques “R.J.” Brande give a speech as part of his campaign for President of Earth.
Brande, until now a notorious recluse, had surprised everyone when he announced his candidacy. But now, as preparations were finalized and security mobilized, Brande betrayed no discomfort as he confidently approached the podium, accompanied by his teenaged son, Rene Junior, a rather unremarkable-looking young man who seemed notably more ill-at-ease in this setting than his father.
Rene Junior’s awkwardness did not escape the attentions of a trio of teenage girls in the front row of the audience. “Poor thing,” remarked red-haired Zoe Saugin of the planet Aleph, “it’s obvious he’d rather be anywhere but here.” Brown-skinned Jenni Ognats of the planet Aarok turned to Zoe and asked, “You wish you could comfort him, don’t you?” To which Zoe replied, “I can’t help it. He exudes...something special.”
Zoe and Jenni’s companion, Kara Zor-El, said nothing. She had always been the quiet one of this group. A blue-eyed blonde from the planet Almerac, she was prone to contemplation, which, given her tendency to frown, was often misinterpreted for surliness; Zoe and Jenni were among the few with whom Kara had shared her sweet, friendly side.
But at this moment, Kara had good reason to frown. Her keen senses detected something amiss on stage. Just as Brande was about to speak, one of the security guards seemed to be reaching for his weapon, even though there was no visible threat.
Kara, always prone to jumping to conclusions, deduced that the guard himself must be the threat, and, without thinking, took a super-powered leap into the space between Brande and the guard.
As it turned out, Kara was right. By the time she occupied that space, the guard had already fired a deadly phaser blast, which hit Kara squarely in the left shoulder, but failed to injure her, thanks to her invulnerability.
Zoe, after quickly shaking off the shock of what just happened, instinctively intervened by telekinetically taking control of the would-be assassin’s weapon, twisting it into a knot.
The man attempted to escape in the mass confusion and panic. But Jenni was way ahead of him – literally, as she used super-speed dash to his position in a fraction of a second and knocked him out.
Rene Brande Junior took in the whole sordid spectacle – the assassination attempt on his father, the girls’ timely intervention, the eventual restoration of order by the Science Police – with seeming impassivity. But inside him, emotions were churning and a fire had been lit. From this day forth, nothing would be same for him or for the three heroines.
THE NEXT DAY...
After a comfortable ride in a flying limousine, Kara, Jenni, and Zoe were greeted at R.J. Brande’s palatial estate by a pretty, stylishly dressed young lady not much older than them. Her long auburn hair had been styled so that it all fell to the left side of her face.
“Hi, girls.” she said, smiling, “I’m Mr. Brande’s assistant, Luornu Durgo. And just to put you at ease, I have super-powers, too.” She demonstrated by splitting into three identical Luornus.
“That must make it easy to multitask.” quipped Jenni. Luornu responded with an infectious laugh.
The group of young women walked through their opulent surroundings, following Luornu’s lead, until they reached R.J. Brande’s office. “He’ll see you right away.” said Luornu as she waved them in.
Kara, Jenni, and Zoe entered to find both Brande Senior and Junior waiting for them. As the door shut behind them, Brande Senior rose from behind his impeccably well-ordered desk.
“Young ladies,” he said, “words alone cannot express my gratitude for your saving my life, and on that I speak for my son as well.”
He began pacing the room, his hands behind his back. “I’ve never denied to myself that we live in dangerous times, but I must admit that I was surprised by the danger striking so close to home. I discussed it with my advisors, including my son, who has what I would with no exaggeration or bias call a brilliant idea. Junior, if you’ll take it from here...”
Brande Junior stood up. “What I believe we need is a force serving the greater good, a force that represents the very best of all young sentient beings across the galaxy. Therefore, what I’m suggesting is the formation of an inter-galactic legion of sorts.”
He turned to face their guests. “You three, of course, would be our founding members...if you’re interested.”
Zoe spoke first. “Yes, absolutely, yes, YES!”
Then it was Jenni’s turn. “Wild horses and all that.”
Kara took a minute to reply. Finally, she sighed, then asked, “What’s the catch?”
“The catch,” said Brande Junior, “is that my father and I would entrust you with a potentially explosive secret of ours, and you would have to protect it with your lives.”
The teenage trio deliberated amongst themselves for a few minutes, until Zoe faced the Brandes and said, “We’re in. What’s the secret?”
To the girls’ shock, they saw the Brandes shape-shift into green-skinned, tendril-faced monstrosities.
“My gods,” gasped Zoe, “You’re...you’re...”
Kara completed her friend’s thought. “...Durlans.”
“Not that any of us are Durlan haters!” Zoe was quick to assert. “We just never expected...”
“Actually,” Kara interrupted drolly, “that was exactly what I expected.”
“As you can see,” said Brande Senior, “when even good, tolerant people react with shock to our true appearance, it becomes necessary to...”
“I wouldn’t say ‘necessary’ is the appropriate word.” interjected Brande Junior. “Although, in the context of the career you’ve recently chosen...”
“We’ll discuss that later.” snapped a suddenly gruff Brande Senior, before he turned to address the girls again. “Now that we’ve entrusted you with our secret, we hope you can appreciate the magnitude of your new responsibilities.”
“Yes,” replied Jenni softly, “we do.”
“Good, good.” said Brande Senior as he shifted back to humanoid form and pressed a button on his desk. “Miss Durgo, the ladies are now ready for the next phase.”
Moments later, Luornu stood in the doorway and motioned for the girls to follow her. As Zoe stood up, she briefly made eye contact with Brande Junior, who had also shifted back to humanoid form, and who responded by smiling. Zoe smiled back, and waved goodbye silently as she walked out of the office.
So far, I really, really like this.
Jenni, Zoe and Kara make an intriguing trio of 'founders' that's for sure!
Thank you all kindly.
The next installment will be posted within the week.
I can't wait!
Is Brande Jr. really Reep, and will he and Zoe have something going on?
Thanks, Ibby. And I really must thank you for helping make this story possible, because your posts about Kinetix were what made me interested in her and the reboot Legion.
In answer to your questions, yes and most definitely. :kinetix: :chameleonboy:
and
would make a good pair! There's also some nice symmetry with their powers - one makes things shapeshift, the other makes his body shapeshift!
I'm really glad to hear I was able to help you be interested in the reboot Legion and in my most favorite Legionnaire ever
DAYS LATER...
The press conference announcing the formation of the new team was under way, as Luornu, deputizing for the absent Brandes, addressed the story-hungry crowd of reporters.
“Ladies, gentlemen, and other sentients,” she said, “I give you the great new hope for the galaxy: Kara, Jenni, and Zoe – the Legion of Super-Heroes.”
The crowd broke out in rapturous applause, then began asking questions of the three heroines.
“Kara,” inquired one reporter, “do you see yourself as a goodwill ambassador to improve the public image of your troubled home world, Almerac?”
“No,” shrugged Kara, “I’ve broken all ties with Almerac. I consider myself a galactic citizen, here to help everyone and anyone in need.”
At that moment, the conference was being watched on Almerac by a pair of natives harboring deep hatred in their hearts.
“She’s even more of a traitoress than I thought!” snarled one Marr-Kor. “How could the random meta-gene among our people have chosen to inhabit...her??”
“It won’t make any difference,” asserted one Smyf-En, “once the living weapon is in readiness.”
“How goes that process? The schedule is tight, the technology ancient...”
“Yes, but it was the same technology which created the ancestress of us all, Maxima.”
“She Who Must Not Be Named!”
“I am well aware that she softened considerably under the influence of Kal-El and ended up betraying the principles upon which Almerac was founded. But what richly poetic justice it is to have the same process be the one to create she who will restore the greatness of Almerac by leading the White Triangle into battle...and galactic conquest!”
MEANWHILE...
Science Police Officers Shvaughn Erin and GiGi Cusimano were on stakeout, following a potential lead on the case of the attempted assassination of Brande Senior, and half-heartedly following the conference on the video monitor just to ease the boredom.
“I don’t know,” said Shvaughn, “I don’t think they’re any real threat to the S.P.s. And God knows we’re stretched thin enough to need a little help now and then.”
“We don’t need help from goody-two-shoes glory-hounds!” snapped GiGi. “They’re just glorified bodyguards for Brande...who I’m not even voting for!”
“Et tu, Geeg?”
“You’re the romantic, I’m the realist.”
“Nah, Brande’s aim is true. He wants to make the United Planets strong.”
“Good luck with that! It’s nothing but an expensive pipe dream!”
Shvaughn sighed and turned to face the other way.
AT THAT MOMENT...
Brande Senior and Junior were making a formidable impression on the United Planets delegates with their passionate arguments in favor of recruiting the best and brightest young heroes of several worlds to serve on Earth in the Legion.
“And I insist that this the right course of action!” roared Brande Senior. “The only way the United Planets will survive these difficult formative years is through a show of unity!”
“Do you not fear that such a concentration of power on the planet Earth could tip the scales of galactic balance?” inquired one delegate.
“Not if we’re doing it for all the right reasons.” insisted Brande Junior. “Namely, liberty and justice for all!”
BACK AT THE CONFERENCE...
“Jenni,” asked another reporter, “how do you bear the legacy of the super-speedsters...especially seeing as...and forgive me for bringing a personal tragedy of yours...its previous bearers, your mother and uncle, the Tornado Twins, died defending that legacy?”
“I don’t deny it’s a burden to bear,” replied Jenni, “but I already used it once to help prevent an evil deed – the attempted assassination of R.J. Brande – from taking place, and I feel there’s no turning back now.”
On a secret base in a remote area of Earth, a group of Dominators were monitoring the conference.
“As much as I despise admitting it,” said one Dominator, “she is adjusting well to the role destiny has chosen for her.”
“More fool her.” said another Dominator. “For little does she suspect that our Terran sponsor has provided us the means to exact revenge on her...and make history in the process.” He gestured towards the several pods near them.
“Yes,” agreed the first Dominator, “with the secrets of the speed force at our fingertips, we have no further need of her, and our genetically engineered speedsters will remove her from the picture.”
AND ONCE MORE AT THE CONFERENCE...
“Zoe,” asked yet another reporter, “do you anticipate negative reaction to the magical basis of your powers? Even in a relatively enlightened time such as this, there are still a lot of superstitious people...”
“I don’t care what people think.” asserted Zoe. “And if I did, I would want to educate them in the true, benevolent face of magic.”
A mysterious mystical figure, spying on Zoe from a scrying pool, laughed a bloodcurdling laugh.
“How delightfully naive. The true, benevolent face of magic indeed! The true face of magic is that which the shadows must conceal to prevent the revulsion of, and persecution from, the ignorant masses. And deep down, she knows this. It is I who must show her the path which leads to power...then usurp her power for myself...and finally, rule the universe!”
Wow! Each of our heroines is in possible danger! I like how you brought in aspects of the "canon" Postboot origins of Jenni and Zoe, and how you tied Kara into the Maxima/Almerac story. I liked reading about Maxima during her time with the Justice League, so I heartily approve.
Thank you, Ibby.
And if you enjoyed Maxima's appearances as a Justice League member, then I highly recommend Adventures of Superman Annual 3, where we see an alternate future in which a widowed Kal-El is finally seduced by Maxima, and things will never be the same for either of them.
Thanks, Fanfie. I'll check it out! Although I would NOT want Maxima for Superman, I did find her a very interesting character.
Kara being from Almerac, and a possible great-descendent of Kal and Maxima, is totally intriguing! No time travelling super-cousins, or thong-wearing space nun Daxamite replacements here!
In fine Flash tradition, Jenni looks like she is going to have to deal with enemy speedsters. (Like Barry's encounters with the Red Trinity, Blue Trinity, Reverse Flash, etc.!)
And Zoe, whose mysterious enemy remains occulted to us. Is it Mordru? Or perhaps The Hag?
Thank you, Set.
My different angle on Kara is entirely thanks to the story I recommended to Ibby in my previous post -- probably my favorite Maxima, and definitely my favorite Superman, story ever told.
We'll be seeing Jenni facing not only enemy speedsters, but ancient feuds still burning as part of the speedster legacy.
As for Zoe's enemy, it may be one of the characters you guessed, and it may not.
SOME TIME LATER, AT THE LEGION’S TEMPORARY HEADQUARTERS...
Zoe was jumping for joy and clapping her hands. “I still can’t believe the day is finally here! We’ve only been a team a few days, and thanks to the Brandes’ efforts, we’re already adding six new members!”
She looked around the meeting room and its appropriately festive decor, then met eyes with Kara, the only other arrival by that point. When Kara finally replied, she was, as usual, less sanguine than her friend. “Now what’s left is to make sure we can all actually get along.”
“I feel confident we can.” was Zoe’s prompt response, although she did not sound fully convinced of what she said. Perhaps that was why she changed the subject. “Say, Jenni’s awfully late. That’s not like her at all.”
“Maybe the Science Police gave her a speeding ticket.” quipped Kara, and they both laughed nervously.
But Jenni’s actual situation was deadly serious. What had started as an easy-going journey on foot to headquarters had turned into a fast-and-furious free-for-all with four other super-speedsters in hot pursuit of Jenni, who found herself hoping she really was the fastest girl alive.
The quartet of sinister speedsters wore matching cobalt-blue-and-canary-yellow uniforms with a flame emblem on the chest, and masks which covered their faces entirely. Their intentions for Jenni were all too clear from the trial of destruction they were leaving behind them, with cars either piled up after colliding with each other in an effort to dodge the speedsters, or forced off the road and into the paths of unfortunate civilians and now-shattered building fronts.
Jenni glanced over her shoulder and saw enough of the carnage to know that this was a job for the Legion. She activated her Omnicom, and, much to her relief, Kara answered immediately. “This is Supergirl. Come in, XS.” said Kara, using the codenames the girls had agreed on.
“XS here. I’m rounding the corner of Levitz and 9th. I’ve got four speedsters chasing me, and they don’t care who they have to hurt to get to me.”
“I read you loud and clear. I’ll be over as fast as I can. Supergirl out.”
Taking another look over her shoulder, Jenni saw the speedsters had been catching up to her while she was calling for help. One of them redoubled its speed and began running parallel to Jenni. It took a swing at her, and connected hard with Jenni’s head. Stunned and seeing stars, Jenni did everything she could not to crash into anyone or anything in front of her, but eventually she was too dizzy to concentrate hard enough, and when she dodged a civilian, she tripped over her own leg, and went down spinning.
The speedsters zipped into position, surrounding Jenni, who was rapidly losing consciousness, from four points. The speedster closest to her produced a knife, and just as it was about to stab her, it felt its arm being grabbed very hard, and suddenly it was flying through the air, finally slamming into a wall and being knocked out.
The newly arrived Kara faced the remaining three speedsters, all of whom rushed her. She swung her fist, and smashed the face of the closest one, who feel down unconscious. Then, with perfect timing, she leaped in the air just as the other two speedsters were about to tackle her, causing them to crash into each other.
The Dominators, who were monitoring the battle, were chagrined at Kara’s sudden rescue of Jenni. The lead Dominator emotionlessly pushed a button on a portable control device, and all four of the speedsters spontaneously combusted. Kara instinctively shielded Jenni from the explosions, as she herself was unaffected by the flames or the shockwaves.
“The Terran will not be pleased.” grumbled the lead Dominator, who then turned to the others. “The next batch of speedsters had best be superior, or you shall face the most dire of consequences.”
Kara gently picked up her friend. “Come on,” she said, “I’ll take you to headquarters, where we can have your injuries taken care of.”
It took me a couple of posts to get into it, but I am really digging this! Intrigued to see how the Legion develops with three very different founders! I like how you just throw us into the action too!
Thank you, Razsolo. Glad you're enjoying it.
I'm hoping to finally have the next installment ready by Wednesday.
hi FL, I was sure I'd already posted on this, sorry about that. I really like your choice of the three founders - interesting mix of enthusiasm from XS, ambition from Zoe and level headedness from Kara. It's also good that you have kept the pace up (bad pun) with Jenni battling he speedsters - I'm looking forward to see where you take this next.
More, more, more!
Thank you, Harbi. I especially appreciate your comment about the pace. That's something I always put that extra bit of effort into.
Work-related issues keep getting in the way of the next installment, but the dust is finally settling and the next installment should be ready soon.
A WHILE LATER...
As she was walking down a corridor of the Legion’s temporary headquarters, the team’s media officer, Luornu Durgo was having an argument. Which would not have been so notable if she had not been arguing with herself. Or, rather, her two other selves. In the flesh.
“I’m sorry, okay? I just spaced it out.” cried Luornu Three.
“In this job,” yelled Luornu One angrily, “you can’t afford to ‘space things out.’ Especially not when it involves the Earth government forcing us to take on an extra member just to appease some racist nasses who think we have to have one member born and raised on Earth.”
“I’ll bet he’s really cute under that faceplate.” mused Luornu Two. “Those muscles...”
“Not now, Other Me.” groaned Luornu One.
As they reached the entrance and entered the code to open it, they began to merge into one single Luornu. “Okay,” commanded Luornu One just before the merger was completed, “try not to embarrass me.”
The door opened to reveal a strapping male figure, colorfully clad in what appeared to be a form-fitting orange-and-red costume, with a matching helmet and a blue faceplate. “Hey,” said the newcomer, “I’m Drake. And if I knew a woman as beautiful as you worked for Brande, I never would have signed up with one of his rivals.”
“I’m...Luornu. Nice to meet you.” she replied stiffly, trying to be all business despite his coming on so strong. “This way, please.”
“Cool place.” Drake remarked of their rather utilitarian surroundings as they approached the conference room where the rest of the team had been partying for a while.
“It’ll do for now.” was Luornu crisp response. “But if you like this, you won’t believe what Mr. Brande is planning for the real headquarters.”
Luornu opened the door to the conference room to reveal a diverse gathering of young heroes. “I’ll introduce you to all of them.” she said to Drake.
“Hi,” said a smiling young woman clad in white, “I’m Tinya Wazzo.”
“Oh, yeah,” said Drake. “the daughter of Ambassador from Bgtzl. Your Mom is one awesome lady.”
“I guess so.” shrugged Tinya awkwardly. “To me, she’s just Mom.”
“Hey, there,” interrupted a short-haired redheaded young woman, “I’m Ayla Ranzz from Winath, and is that a phaser gun under your spandex or are you just pleased to meet me?”
“Don’t need a gun.” replied Drake smugly. “Not since I got super-powers. And it ain’t spandex, it’s a super-sophisticated containment suit with a robotic skeleton underneath.”
“Uh-huh.” said a visibly disappointed Ayla. “You’re the boy who got turned into the energy cloud, then?”
“It wasn’t...supposed...to end up that way.” spluttered an audibly cross Drake.
“Let’s move along, shall we, Drake?” interjected Luornu, taking him by the hand. “There’s somebody over here who’ll be just thrilled to meet you.”
That “somebody” was clearly a green-skinned, blond-haired Coluan who regarded Drake with obvious fascination. “Hello,” he said, “I’m Querl Dox, but you can call me Brainiac, or Brainy for short. With your blessing, I hope to be able to study you.”
“Study me?” asked Drake cautiously.
“To help you.” said Brainy. “You would like to be solid, coherent matter again, wouldn’t you? Why, you’d be the start of a whole new evolution in post-humanity...”
“If it’s all the same...” a weary Drake began to mutter, only to be interrupted by a young woman of skin darker than Jenni’s.
“Hi, there.” she said. “I’m Jazmin Cullen of Xanthu. You may know me as...”
“The planetary champion with quantum powers, of course.” said Drake. “I’m a fan of yours. Loved the way you kicked that jerk Atmos’ nass in the final competition.”
“Thanks.” replied Jazmin. “Yeah, that was...memorable.”
“I’ll say it was.” chimed in a handsome brunette boy. “One of the best championships in the history of the galaxy.”
“Flatterer.” laughed Jazmin. “Drake, meet Gim Allon of Mars.”
“Good to meet ya.” said Drake. “I guess that’s everybody...no, wait, who’s the wallflower?”
“That’s Salu Digby of Imsk.” replied Gim. “And there’s a lot more to her than meets the eye.”
“Yeah? Then I’m intrigued.” said Drake, who began approaching the petite, dark-haired Salu, only for her to see him and react by shrinking to the point where she was no longer visible to the naked eye.
“Do I offend?” wondered Drake.
“The direct approach doesn’t work with some people.” shrugged Gim. “Subtlety helps.”
The festivities came to a sudden halt as the three founders, with Jenni visibly limping, entered the conference room accompanied by a strikingly beautiful platinum blonde girl.
“Sorry to have to end the party so soon,” said Kara, “but we already have our first mission as a team.”
“This is Nura Nal of Naltor.” said Zoe. “She has quite a story to tell.”
Wow! I am liking this lineup. Kinetix, XS, Supergirl, Drake, Tinya, Ayla, Vi, Gim, Jazmin, plus Triad and Nura. Quite a nice lineup if I do say so myself!
Thank you, Ibby.
Hope I don't embarrass you, but you left out Querl. Which I actually think is kind of funny, given how much of a panel hog he was in the retroboot.
But no need for anyone to worry about that happening here. Everybody's equal, even Supergirl.
A little behind-the-scenes trivia: I originally had Jo instead of Drake, but decided on Drake because I like him better, and because DnA/Coipel did such an awesome Drake in Legion Lost. Not to worry, though, Jo fans -- he will show up, too, just not necessarily as a Legionnaire.
Next installment should be ready soon.
Oh, not embarrassed at all
He's been a panel hog in any Boot! I blame the flu for forgetting him.
I approve of Drake over Jo, also partly because I like Jo better, and partly because I agree wholeheartedly that Drake came out of Legion Lost (and the DNA run, except for the part where he gets a finite life span!) better than Jo did.
I really like the mix of powers and personalities you chose. Your introductory scene was excellent!
Thanks, Ibby. That introductory scene took a lot of thought to get right.
To everybody who has been following "Supergirl's Legion":
I have been doing a lot of reflecting lately, and I finally had to admit to myself that I simply do not have the artistic temperament to write serialized fiction. I either lose interest or I get indecisive. And I feel like all my best contributions to Bits have had a definite beginning, middle and end, and only taken one to five posts.
So I regret to announce that "Supergirl's Legion" will be going on indefinite hiatus (because, in spite of it all, I never say never) while I concentrate on new Bits fanfic projects that I will actually see through to their end.
I thank you all for your feedback, I apologize once more, and I hope to see you again commenting on my future Bits contributions.
Hi Fanfie,
I know how you feel. I myself realized that I work best with established characters, or those based one stablished characters, as I simply do not have enough time or energy to create new ones. And I also find I work best with single stories than with long-running series.
I will definitely be looking out for your other Bits contributions!
Thanks, Ibby.
Since then, I've managed one story, "Witches Brew." It got good feedback and I myself was quite happy with the way it came out.
I don't know when the next story will be coming. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Oh yes, I've read it and give it two thumbs up!
It's tough trying to be creative, isn't it? It's almost impossible to just force yourself to churn something out.
TWO YEARS LATER
Good evening. This is Trudy Trusoe. Join me tonight as "The World Spins" brings you a special report on Supergirl's Legion. We'll have exclusive interviews with all the surviving members and many of their friends and allies.
It's hard to believe that within such a short span of time, these young heroes and heroines have done so much...and been through so much.
We begin with the three founders: Kinetix, XS, and the still-M.I.A. Supergirl. These brave young ladies saved entrepreneur and presidential candidate R.J. Brande from an assassination attempt. Subsequently, Brande and his son, R.J. Brande Junior, were inspired to form a team of galactic guardians to serve the greater good of the still-nascent United Planets.
KINETIX: It was such a whirlwind, that looking back on it now, everything's a blur. But I still remember how exhilarated I felt, like I had found my true reward.
XS: We just dove headlong into it, with no looking back...until today. Maybe we should have looked back sooner, who knows?
After drafting the finest, most upstanding youths of several worlds, the final roster consisted of the three founders, plus Apparition, Brainiac 5, Leviathan, Kid Quantum, Shrinking Violet, Spark, and Wildfire.
LEVIATHAN: We got off to a great start. Of course, there were moments of tension as we got to know each other better, but something clicked right away. It was something special.
And no sooner than the team was formed, than they were off on their first mission...saving the galaxy from the evil cosmic witch Sarya of Venegar, who had come into possession of the powerful talisman known as the Emerald Eye of Ekron.
NURA NAL (Friend of the Legion): I was the one who sought them out, because one of Sarya's acolytes was my own younger sister, Mysa.
MYSA NAL (Enemy Turned Friend of the Legion): I am struggling to find the right words...perhaps it is best to say I was simply a foolish youth, tempted by promises of power and vengeance.
WILDFIRE: Sarya? Holy sprock, she was wicked. And wicked hot, to boot. She put a spell on me, that's for sure...but I got over it fast.
BRAINIAC 5: That first mission was such a load of nonsense, nothing more than smoke and mirrors from a deluded madwoman and her lost surrogate children. Mysa proved to be...slightly...less lost than the others, and she turned against Sarya.
SHRINKING VIOLET: Mysa saved our bacon, no two ways about it.
BRAINIAC 5: We would have won the battle either way.
APPARITION: Let's not forget that Sarya escaped. It was a Phyrric victory at best.
KINETIX: Thanks to Mysa's rebellion, we were able to keep Sarya off-balance long enough for me to use my mystically-based powers to seize control of the Emerald Eye. I...felt...at the time...that nothing was inherently evil, and that...the power of the Eye could be used for good. Famous last words.
We'll be back after these commercial messages.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: While I work on the next installment of the Every-Boot Legion, I wanted to bring this timeline back and flesh it out a bit for future use. It will eventually tie into the Every-Boot Legion
Welcome back to "The World Spins." After a relatively successful first mission, the Legion found themselves responsible for the next crisis, when Brainiac 5's renegade invention, the super-droid COMPUTO -- originally designed as a deputy champion for Xanthu for when Kid Quantum's duties kept her off-world -- ran amok on Xanthu and nearly destroyed a city.
BRAINIAC 5: Oh, did you HAVE to bring this up? I had failsafe systems atop failsafe systems. It was the disorganization and irresponsibility of our Xanthusian supposed allies which triggered the disaster. That's all I have to say about the matter.
KID QUANTUM: I won't deny that I was angry at Brainy for a long time. That was MY world that was endangered. But I let the anger blind me to the fact that it wasn't all his fault. Time heals all wounds, and you learn to accept life as it is, take the rough with the smooth.
Meanwhile, a vast conspiracy on Earth was uncovered by Science Police Officers Shvaughn Erin and GiGi Cusimano, with some assistance from Cadet Imra Ardeen. Earth's President Thawne, the incumbent candidate in the upcoming election, had turned out to be sponsoring a rogue sect of Dominators who were artificially engineering super-speedsters. The prime target was none other than the Legion's own XS.
XS: It's complicated. There's a feud between the Thawnes and my mother's side of the family, the Allens, that goes back centuries. The president wanted to reignite that feud for his own twisted reasons.
GIGI CUSIMANO (Friend of the Legion): Can you believe I was planning to vote for that creep??
SHVAUGHN ERIN (Legion Liaison): Geeg and I stumbled onto this huge...thing. But the higher-ups asked for concrete proof. I pulled every string and called in every favor to have Imra help us get the proof that we needed.
IMRA ARDEEN (Friend of the Legion): I had wanted excitement rather than a boring desk job. Be careful what you wish for!
To complicate matters, Thawne also turned out to be behind the attempted assassination of his rival, Brande, and he did succeed in outing Brande as a Durlan. But when Thawne was revealed to be guilty of heinous crimes, the public's support turned to Brande, giving him a landslide victory.
SPARK: That was sweet! We exposed that nass-head Thawne for what he was, and got Brande into office, the first alien-born president of Earth. Good times, good times.
But little did the Legion suspect that their darkest hour lay ahead, as Supergirl's own homeworld turned against her in an explosion of xenophobic destruction that claimed many lives...including, possibly, Supergirl herself.
We'll be back after these commercial messages.
These interview snippets are a great way of showing the timeline without lots of dry exposition, I am enjoying the characterisations and hints of events!
Thanks, Raz. And there's lots more to come. A lot can happen in two years.
This Legion has certainly been through a lot. Still a big fan of the lineup, Fanfie.
Thank you, Ibby. Yeah, I was very happy with the choices I made for the initial lineup.
Welcome back to "The World Spins." Just as everything seemed to be coming together for the greater good of the galaxy, Earth -- the very hub of the now-thriving United Planets -- was shaken by a series of direct assaults from White Triangle terrorists. Their homeworld: Almerac, birthplace of Supergirl.
WILDFIRE: Those nasses had even managed to plant sleeper agents on Earth. The people who gave me my powers turned out to be White Triangle sympathizers! It goes without saying that a revelation like that really messed with my head. I was more than happy to dole out payback.
KINETIX: In her most open moments, Supergirl had told Jenni and I bloodcurdling stories about Almerac, and how it had once been a proud empire, but had been reduced to a tiny spot on the map of the galaxy. She had grown up in what she described as an environment full of ignorance, hatred, and nostalgia for a lost time which had never really existed. Supergirl told us more than once that she was amazed she herself hadn't gotten sucked into that whole twisted mentality.
XS: What can I say? I've known prejudice since the day I was born, and yet I was still shocked at the depth of this hatred.
SPARK: Sometimes, in the heat of battle, it's all too easy to forget that your enemy, as horrible as they seem, are still sentient beings. I'm just glad none of us in the Legion went over that line.
After a series of skirmishes at various points around the Earth, it appeared that the terrorist thread had been contained. But then, the White Triangle unleashed their ultimate weapon: Laurel Gand, codename Andromeda, the Anti-Supergirl, possessing all of Supergirl's powers plus telepathy, and none of Supergirl's morals.
APPARITION: It seems ridiculous for an entire team to be outmatched by one single enemy, but that was the case here. I still get chills just thinking about the Anti-Supergirl.
BRAINIAC 5: And yet, she was seductively beautiful in her own ice-queen way. It's not something most sentients would admit to, but then I'm not most sentients.
LEVIATHAN: She knocked me down, even at my full height! I needed an operation on my head. I would have died without Vi's intervention.
SHRINKING VIOLET: It's not easy to do a mission when you hold someone's life in your hands, but I came through.
SPARK: A three-pronged attack of my lightning powers, Wildfire's blasts, and Supergirl's heat vision was enough to momentarily stun her. The U.P. tried to contain her, but she didn't remain their prisoner for long. At least it was long enough for us to come up with a contingency plan.
BRAINIAC 5: The Chronal Bomb was thrown together as quickly as possible. There were too many mistakes in its assembly -- none of them my own, I might add -- which made in an impossibility to fire it from a long range.
WILDFIRE: I volunteered to deliver the payload, even though I knew it would kill me. The Anti-Supergirl was on her way to Earth and closing in fast. We were out of options.
SPARK: That was incredibly brave of him. My whole opinion of him did a 180 degree turn!
WILDFIRE: At the last second, Supergirl knocked me out and took the bomb herself.
KINETIX: We...couldn't stop her.
XS: I felt paralyzed with helplessness.
KID QUANTUM: The worst part is not knowing whether or not they survived the explosion. If they did, then Supergirl might return one day, but so might the Anti-Supergirl.
SPARK: When I saw that explosion on the monitor, it was one of the worst moments of my life. I'll never be able to get that image out of my head.
KINETIX: I was beside myself with despair. I had just lost one of my best friends, and even though she died saving the Earth, saving the whole galaxy, I couldn't deal with the unfairness of it all. That...was when I fully surrendered to the power of the Emerald Eye.
We'll be back after these commercial messages.
Ooh. Laurel Gand and a nice twist on the Sun-Eater story. Very interesting.
Also looking forward to seeing your take on Emerald Zoe.
Laurel Gand as the Anti-Supergirl is a very Silver Age concept, I love it...and I love their mutual fate being left up in the air & Kid Quantum's reaction to that
Thank you, Raz.
Now that I've finally managed to read a fair amount of the early Postboot, I found it recaptured the spirit of the best Silver Age stories, and I wanted Supergirl's Legion to have that.
Welcome back to "The World Spins". Just when it looked like things could not get any worse for the Legion, the latest threat they had to deal with came from within the team. Kinetix, in her despair at Supergirl's apparent death, had allowed herself to become guided by the amoral Emerald Eye.
KINETIX: What it boiled down to was, I wanted my friend back. When the Eye realized I would do anything to get Supergirl back, it just...took over my mind and twisted around my rage and grief to serve its own ends. I try not to think about the implications, they're just too horrible.
XS: I've known her since we could barely stand up, and I'd never thought she had it in her to go into such a...negative...place within. It was painful for me, seeing her that way, and it's painful just to talk about it.
APPARITION: Kinetix had been unanimously voted team leader. We felt at the time that only a go-getter like her could boost morale. We were wrong.
SPARK: She forced us...and I mean forced us...to go along with her insane plan to find a space-time fissure in the spot where the Chronal Bomb had exploded, then open the fissure with a combination of our powers and the Eye's powers, and retrieve Supergirl from wherever the explosion might have sent her.
KINETIX: I thought I could control the time-space forces with the Eye and prevent the rift from becoming a black hole, but...I...couldn't.
KID QUANTUM: Stretching my powers to the utmost, I barely managed to contain the rift in a quantum bubble, but it quickly started to crack like an egg.
XS: That was why Wildfire and I had to speed over to Zoe's homeworld, Aleph, and get her mother and brother and suit them up in transuits, and then fly them over to the rift. I felt that only their loving presence would restore her sanity.
Azra Saugin refused our request for an interview
KINETIX: I'm sorry, I...can't talk about...this.
SHRINKING VIOLET: The Eye sensed something in Kinetix's younger brother, Thanot, some great potential for death and destruction...pure evil. It set Kinetix free and possessed Thanot instead.
WILDFIRE: That was when it got REALLY scary.
LEVIATHAN: Thanot was instantly aged into adulthood by the eye, but he was still 13 in his head. Not a good combination. He started ranting about destroying us all, destroying the galaxy, destorying the universe.
XS: Then, as the only senior member other than Kinetix, I made the hardest decision of my life. I took command, ordered the team to retreat, and once we were a safe distance away, I ordered Kid Quantum to release the quantum field surrounding the rift. Thanot and the Eye were sucked into the rift, which then closed itself. I...I'm sorry, I can't go on.
SPARK: Kinetix and Mrs. Saugin were hysterical, understandably.
SHRINKING VIOLET: I don't know if Kinetix and XS will ever be friends again.
APPARITION: The whole thing was a living nightmare. It defied all logical explanations.
BRAINIAC 5: No comment. I said, "No comment."
LEVIATHAN: It's tragic, and I won't pretend that the Legion is not on shaky ground at the moment, but I still truly believe we can work through this and emerge a better, stronger team. The galaxy needs us.
WILDFIRE: The dream goes on forever.
Where will the Legion go from here? Hopefully, towards a brighter future. This is Trudy Trusoe, thanking you for watching "The World Spins." Good night.
Whew. The Eye pessing Thanot ties into his name. Will he ever be back?
I guess the Legion understands that Kinetix was possessed, else she would not be there. Nice to see she was voted team leader before all this. Having XS make the call was poignant.
Lacking a telepath, I can see where XS was coming from. They did not really have other options.
Thank you, Ibby.
Yes, Thanot will be back, and he'll be bringing...a few friends.
But first, I have to write the return of Sarya, and I don't think anybody's going to expect to see who HER companions will turn out to be.