If you've read Firegirl, you'll know who Niana is. If you've read the Runaway Comics, you'll know who Victor is. If not, please do! If you don't want to, you can read this story anyway and review or PM me with any questions.
I don't own the Legion or Victor, but Niana's mine.
BTW, guys, I'm a Beta now!!!! I'm a newbie, but I would like some business eventually. Maybe it will make my writing better...
READ it, REVIEW it, but most of all ENJOY IT!!!

Chapter One: Breaking Rules
Niana Dox has always been curious--what are the limits to human death? When the opportunity arises, will she take a chance to play God with a life she believes she can restore? Will she ignore all the rules to give a lost soul the chance to live?

Breaking Rules

"Why are you taking me on this trip? Why not take Phoenix? She would most likely enjoy this little excursion more than I will." Brainy sighed, his little sister's intense eyes boring into his side as she looked at him. They were sitting on a shuttle headed for Oceanic City, down south on the Eastern Coast, to see the Hall of Heroes. It was a memorial to all the other superheroes who had helped the world in the 21st century. Brainy had always wanted to go, and he was finally able to take not only himself, but his sister!

"Is it so wrong to want to spend time with my little sister? I just got you back, and I want to have some quality brother/sister bonding time."

She made a face, and he groaned. "Honestly, Niana, why must you be so stubborn?"

She grimaced slightly, looking down. "It's a Dox family trait, remember?"

He smiled and nudged her shoulder with his. "We aren't all stubborn. Dad wasn't, was he?"

Her fist tightened, and he realized his mistake too late. "I mean, what I remember of him. The only memories I have of him are vague flashes." She nodded, keeping the rest of her face unemotional, but he saw the pain in her eyes.

He slipped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to him. "I'm sorry, Niana. That was insensitive of me."

She shrugged, but he noticed she didn't pull away from his very human gesture as she usually did. "It's alright. I just wish I could have memories of them. Even vague flashes, faraway glimpses. I have nothing of them; I have only you." He held her closer, closing his eyes as he tried to draw up any memories to share with her.

"Dad was named Kajz Dox. He had very light blonde hair--almost white, I think. Platinum blonde, although the irony of that term is more than I'd like. His eyes were darker than mine, indigo and dark violet. He was always a little sick--although that was probably from being raised in the Jamin region; the air is terrible there. He was quick to praise but just as quick to criticize, and I think he was unhappy with the state of things on Colu. He never said it out loud, but I think he wanted to leave just as badly as I did. I'm only sorry I couldn't have brought him with me." She sighed, twisting the ring on her middle finger.

"Was mother really crazy?"

He started, the question surprising him. "Crazy? Who told you that?"

She stared down at the floor, obviously uncomfortable. "When I was in the Hive Mind's custody, they told me many things. About mother, about father...about you. I tried not to believe them, but some of the things they said disturbed me." He moved to hug her again, but this time she pushed him away.

"Why don't you like taking part in human things?" He asked, and she frowned. "Why won't you just try to be more open? Stop listening only to your brain and let your heart talk for once."

He could almost hear the snap of her self-restraint as she and turned away from him.

"Just leave me alone."

He blinked, getting a slight sense of vertigo from the absence of the explosion he had expected at his overstepping the boundaries. But she just stood up and walked away, sitting down on the opposite end of the shuttle, leaving him alone.

-0-o-0-

The Shuttleport was bustling and noisy, and Brainiac was being shoved around more than she cared to admit. The aliens and humans all around her were so much bigger, and they just trampled over the smaller aliens and children in order to get to where they were going. Brainy walked beside her, keeping an eye on her through his peripheral vision so as not to get in trouble for 'smothering' her, as she called his over protectiveness. When they had finally cleared the stifling crowd, the warm sun of Oceanic City engulfed them with the smell of salt and tropical air.

The Hall of Heroes monument could be seen from anywhere in the city, the golden spire reaching for the heavens and reflecting the brilliant sunlight. Brainy felt excitement flush through him, and he motioned for his sister to follow him. They stopped at the edge of a busy street, and he whistled sharply. A small taxi shuttle screeched to a halt in front of them, and the doors opened with a slight hiss.

"Hall of Heroes, please!" He said to the taxi driver as the two Doxes clambered into the taxi. He nodded, his multi-faceted eyes watching them, the road, and a hundred other things at once.

Brainiac slid down in her seat, the childish gleam of excitement in her older brother's eyes embarrassing her to no end. The shuttle whizzed across town, ducking under other slower moving cars as it zipped away. It skidded to a stop in front of the monument, and Brainy tapped in a few credits to the shuttles computer, looking slightly winded from the wild ride.

The golden arch that stretched over the entrance to the Hall of Heroes amplified the heat, and Brainy wiped his forehead. "One disadvantage to being human; no built in temperature control."

She didn't laugh at his attempted joke, and he sighed. They entered the cool shade of the museum, and suddenly he was gone, entranced in the heroes emblazoned on the walls.

She looked at their faces and got the strange feeling that they had stepped back through a time portal. As her brother wandered around, marveling at the likeness of certain models to their original, she gazed around at the exhibits. X-men, Avengers, Justice League, Ultimate Avengers, Fantastic Four, Green Lantern Corps...dozens--no, hundreds of heroes, all forever remembered by history. Another section caught her eye, and she walked down a side hallway covered in images of superheroes rushing to the rescue.
She emerged in another room similar to the previous one, but much smaller. She approached one of the exhibits holding the uniforms, recreations and information of a teenage superhero team called the 'Young Avengers.' She looked at the others, noting that all were teenagers or young adults. Teen Titans, New Mutants, Loners, Power Pack, Guardians, Runaways. Dozens more superheroes, all who made their way in the world of heroing as teenagers.

As she walked past one exhibit, something caught her eye, and she turned back. The exhibit that held the Runaways was the one that had grabbed her attention, and she scanned it on several wavelengths. The model of one of the members had a different makeup than any of the others, and she searched for an explanation. The model of the one called Victor Mancha had bits and pieces of a metallic substance that she couldn't identify, and she frowned, pressing herself closer to get a better view.

"Can I help you, Miss?"

She started as a hand came down on her shoulder, and she whipped around. A security guard was standing there, looking somewhat annoyed.

"Is there as problem, officer?" She asked, and he frowned.

"You aren't supposed to get that close to the glass. I already yelled at some green kid a few minutes ago for fogging up the glass at the Supergirl exhibit."

She winced, knowing who the 'green kid' inevitably was. "Well, I was actually hoping you could help me. You see, this statue is different from the others, and I was wondering why that might be."

The officer seemed surprised, and when he looked at the statue she was indicating, he raised an eyebrow. "I can't believe you noticed. That statue, little Missy, contains pieces of the original Victor Mancha's cybertronic body." She turned to look up, and found herself unable to look away from the statue's intense green eyes. It seemed...more alive than any of the others, and she had to remind herself it wasn't real.

"What happened to all these heroes?" She asked, indicating around the room. The officer sighed, his demeanor becoming sad.

"So many young lives were lost during the Great Crisis. Many of these teams were among those fighting to stop the Nuclear War, but countless civilians...and hundreds of heroes were lost. They never even reached twenty-five, most of them; little Molly Hayes there was only thirteen when she died. These young people were among the first to die during World War Three at the beginning of the Great Crisis, when the atomic bombs were dropped on New York and Los Angeles. Of the few who did survive, the majority of them left off the uniform. Although, I don't see why the Victor boy didn't survive; he's made of durable stuff."

Brainiac stiffened at his sudden use of present tense. "What do you mean?"

The security guard looked around as if checking to make sure they were alone, and motioned for her to come closer. "They recovered his body from the bomb site, and it survived all these years."

She blinked in surprise, not sure what to make of this information. "Where is his body now?"

The guard grinned, his eyes flicking to a small panel in the wall that said EMPLOYEES ONLY. "Down those stairs lies the last Runaway."

She decided then and there that she had to see it for herself, this creation of Ultron's. "Can I...Can I see him?"

The guard looked around shiftily. "I'm not allowed to take civilians down, but..." He tapped the Legion symbol on her belt with a wink. "You're no civilian, my dear. Come with me."

Brainiac followed him quickly, wondering how much her brother would freak out when he found out where she had gone.

-0-o-0-

"Ah! Here he is." The guard motioned for Brainiac to follow him, and she obeyed, eyes scanning the room for any potential danger and running diagnostics. He came up to a large metallic canister, and lifted a switch that slowly began to make the metal chamber stand upright from its lying position. It came to a stop, and he took out his ID card. She caught sight of the name on the card, and frowned.

"Kirk? Like the Captain?"

He grinned, the skin around his eyes crinkling. "The great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson of James. T himself."

He slid the key through the slot, and the lid opened with a hiss of steam. Brainiac was startled to realize what the chamber really was.

"A Cryo chamber?"

Kirk nodded, tapping in a key code for the second layer of the lid. It was clear glass, but it was glossed over by ice, and Brainiac couldn't see inside. "We want to preserve his body as long as possible."

The lid slid open, and she started back in shock. The boy inside was no more than seventeen, and she knew he was once very handsome. His skin was creamy tan, and his hair was brown and longish, but not bad looking. But looking past his attractive human features, she saw the horrible wounds from an explosion that peppered his body. A gruesome hole had been torn in his side, revealing partial human insides and bits of mechanical parts, all mangled and frozen. One side of his face was ravaged, and he had only one arm. His other hand was the only part of him that seemed unscathed, and she frowned as she scanned it.

"What happened to his hand?"

Kirk tutted, looking at the boy's right hand. "I can honestly say I have no idea. He is as we found him, if you'll excuse the expression." She reached out, her hand passing through the invisible barrier that kept the cold inside. Tiny ice crystals formed on her fingers, and Kirk looked like he wanted to stop her. Her hand touched his, and she felt a shock, as if she had been zapped by static electricity. She pulled back, removing her hand from the chamber.

"Did you ever try to revive him?"

Kirk frowned, appearing to be confused. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, Missy. He's dead; we can't bring him back to life."

Brainiac turned, her eyes glowing eerily.

"Would I be permitted to try?"

Kirk shifted uncomfortably, not sure what to make of her strange request. "Well, you'd have to talk to the museum director..."

She nodded, and turned back to the canister. "If you would fetch him for me, I will chat with him right now." Kirk turned and left, finding her sudden change in demeanor unnerving.

She looked up into the cold blue face of Victor Mancha and smiled.

-0-o-0-

It had been three hours since he'd last seen his sister, and Brainy was beginning to panic. "Niana? Niana!" He turned a corner and ran smack into the security guard who had yelled at him earlier for getting too close to an exhibit.

"Watch it there, son!" The guard muttered, standing up and brushing himself off.
"I apologize, sir. I'm looking for my sister; have you seen her?" Brainy asked, still on the floor where he had fallen.

"A description would be nice." the guard grumbled, putting his hat back on.

"She's about chest high on me, long blonde hair, large purple eyes, metal green skin--" He stopped as the guard stiffened, eyes widening.

"You're her brother?" Brainy nodded, wondering at the man's sudden change. "Come with me, I was just going back." He said, and the ex-Coluan followed the elderly man down a hallway and into a small stairway. They came into a small room full of old relics and mismatched junk. Brainiac was standing on one side of the room, looking at what seemed to be a Cryochamber.

"Well, the director is a huge fan of you Legionnaires, and he said he could see no harm. I have the permissions here." Kirk said, and she turned away from the now-closed chamber.

"Thank you, Kirk. You've been very helpful." She said, taking the files from him. Her eyes landed on her brother, and she froze, looking guilty.

"Qu-Querl! What are you doing here?" She asked, and he crossed his arms, foot tapping.

"Niana, what have you been getting up to?"

She scowled and snatched the last permission form from Kirk, glaring at her sibling. "Why is it your business? I'm not a child; I can handle myself." She snapped, and he shrugged.

"I'm sure you can, Niana. Are you bringing home a souvenir?" He approached the chamber, and she clenched her fists.

"Stay out of it! This is my project!" He shrugged and pressed a button, and the chamber leaped free of the floor and hovered at his feet.
"I only want to help."

She sighed and agreed to let him help her, giving Kirk another nod of thanks as they exited through another door.

"So what is it this time? More Kryptonite?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"No, it's nothing like that. I..." She trailed off, unable to find the words.
"Yes?"

She stopped walking, gazing straight up at the clear blue sky and the tropical sun beating down. "I want to fix him."

He stopped walking as well, bringing the chamber to a halt.

"Fix who?"

She pointed to the chamber, not meeting his eyes. "He never got the chance to grow up just because of ignorant humans' impulsive wars. I think I can give him the second chance he deserves."

Brainy sighed and touched her shoulder, and she walked on, still avoiding her brother's eyes.

"Saturn Woman isn't going to like this."

-0-o-0-

The Chamber came to rest in a standing position, looming over her side of the lab. Brainiac rubbed her hands together, wishing her brother would leave so she could begin.

"So what's in there?"

She rolled her eyes and turned to tell him off when the door slid open. "Good morning, you two!" A cheery voice said, and Brainiac ground her teeth in annoyance as Phoenix smooched her brother while she was standing there. "Brainy, we're going to be late for patrol if you don't stop invading your sister's privacy." Phoenix said, and Brainiac was stunned by her intuitiveness. Phoenix looked over at her and winked, out of his line of sight.

"I suppose you're right. I'll be back later, Niana." The two left the room, and she turned to her project. In one fluid motion, she slid the lid open and broke the invisible barrier, sending a wave of frigid air around the room.

-0-o-0-

So yeah. Niana is kind of a 'I do what I want, and I don't care what you think' kind of person. If you don't like her now, please don't let that stop you from reading, because she does get better. A little bit...
Review please!!!!!!!!

~^~Phoenix~^~