"No one chooses to be abandoned," the much deeper voice than the one Garth was used to spoke steadfast and strong from the widescreen Bouncy had set up for everyone to watch while being secretive and coy and how Garth wanted to punch him in the face with his prosthetic, "But you can choose to be found. And you chose right, my dear. Now the stars laugh for you, sing for you, smile, because you know that. Deep down."

The screen blacked out after the main characters hugged and the camera faded out to look up at the stars with no moon. The credits rolled.

Garth completely ignored how Tinya was sniffling into Brin's shoulder and Luornu gripped Bouncy's arm with a low noise humming in her throat like a squeaky mouse. He felt the smug emotion Imra had been feeling since the movie started increase ten-fold but he'd get back at her later.

He needed to make a trip to his brother's apartment and throttle him first.

There is an unusual hubbub over the next couple weeks, usually with the others poking at Garth about finding Mekt in even more celebrated works that land him more money and appreciation than they'll ever get. There are also, however, requisitions in Brainiac 5′s office that he's gone over and considered and disliked an awful lot more than he should because he couldn't refuse them outright without first trying to find a moment to talk it out with the others.

There were always battles to be fought, fires to be put out, villains to be brought back to prison or their proper planet; a time mounting and building up where Brainy actually managed to forget about the inquests altogether. Like dust collecting without problems.

And then there was some infernal woman that came about, constantly sending him messages that she needed to get in touch with Garth Ranzz and Brin Londo and, if Brainy was feeling charitable, Tinya Wazzo and Gim Allon. She was older than middle aged and Clark told Brainy that respecting one's elders was important, but she looked an awful lot like one Alexis Luthor and so, when the green young man finally answered one of her calls, it reminded Clark very much of a certain scene from 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' with none of the pretty colors. Unless he counted the disgustingly pink eye shadow the woman had been wearing.

There was a long, extended, semi-civil conversation to follow, which Brainy at least had the goodwill to listen to all the way through until he put the woman on hold to go find the people she was asking for. Clark wouldn't begrudge him taking his time-over half an hour-but he still had to give him a chastising look when he dragged the lot of the Legionnaires into the room, turned the line back on and told them flatly, "It's your business, you deal with her."

There was a lot of awkwardness for Garth, constantly cursing out his brother for "doing this" and roping him into his eternally weird lifestyle. There was a kind of vaguely unconditional acceptance from Tinya in being asked something like this for what must have been the millionth time in her life where she very nearly said yes right off the bat, but restrained herself under the ever present realization that she'd have to consider her mother getting into it. There was Brin unsure of what to do and looking to his more politically inclined friend for most of the meeting with the woman constantly rattling off the options of fame and fortune and helping the Legion, her voice grinding against his ears like nails in a washing machine. There was Gim who remained stone faced and rigid and seemed very often just on the edge of telling her 'no' every other moment he was stuck in his seat.

There was the offer of simply taking their images for this one film and then having them destroyed by Brainiac 5 the moment everything was signed, sealed and delivered to the theaters and media.

Garth spoke for the group, very sure and very firm in answer, "We'll have to consider this with the current Legion leader and get back to you within the next few days. Politics and such to consider. You understand."

There was a lot of support from the girls of the Legion, as well as a few of the boys, but mostly there was a creeping realization that the four were to allow themselves to be used by the media for this movie, there would be a considerable amount of new funds so that they wouldn't have to rely entirely on R.J. Brande to take care of things. Cham's father didn't mind funding their activities, but Rokk liked to think they were being considerate to the public. It was all very well and good, doing deeds to protect and solidify the universe, but it really said something that the universal theater studios were knocking on their doors to include the in adding to the arts; and how could they, in good conscience, turn away from that?

The contract was signed the next day, and the images of the four Legionnaires were added to the construction plans of the film, right beside Mekt's.

There was to be Garth as the main character, aged up to suit the likeness of a smarmy thirty-something agoraphobic with the dark secret of having been assaulted in a war that was ten years over. There were to be scars all along the one Garth actually had, but mottled with a few burns from being held down over shrapnel, leading him to always wearing a hood in the few times during the film that he actually went outside; to get involved in the plot of Tinya's character reaching out to Brin's, and to spread birdseed over his snow covered yard in the darkest hours of the morning.

There was to be Gim as a not-quite secondary character, but not-quite third rate character, seeing as he played a somewhat crucial part in the middle of the film where he falls off of a very tall tree just outside Mekt's home. A chainsaw was involved, and a scalp laceration that would send Mekt, playing something of a shadow in the film that only shows up like the host of serendipity, into action, driving Gim in his beat-up truck to the hospital.

(Mekt was unsurprised at his role in the film as lifesaver/guardian angel/plot device; sometimes it was better to be an extra, rather than the main character because it lead to other roles that sometimes paid off to lead to another franchise (the artistic medium was his favorite.))

There was Tinya as a nurse working at the hospital where Mekt dropped off Gim; her pale fingers working the scissors that removed Gim from his bloodied clothes and her pleasant, almost shy character walking out of the ER, changed out of uniform and into more comfortable, fuzzy winter clothing; to find Mekt waiting around outside the hospital doors with a cigarette smoking in his mouth, "To make sure the poor guy gets the keys to his truck back." She was to offer him a ride back to his home, and hesitantly mention that he looked a little like her neighbor that never leaves his house, except to get groceries and to feed the hundreds of brightly colored birds that always sang so loud in the trees around the block.

Mekt was to smile, "Yeah, that'd be my brother. We don't really talk."

There was the character Brin's image played; a loner who suffered the loss of both parents in the war that Garth was attacked in. Who had PTSD in spades and worked as a janitor at the hospital, often in the basement with the dead bodies, sometimes also working with the mortician to pick up extra cash when he didn't want to go home and would wind up running into Tinya's character who became interested after literally tripping over him working in the dark on her way to find a dead body for a group of medical students to work on with a teacher.

This was all gone over in detail with the director and the producer and Brainy working beside Rokk to be sure and certain that everything was taken care of properly. The contract looked over with a fine toothed comb, so to speak, and both of the most uptight people in the Legion present for when the four signed the forms that promised their images would be destroyed after the film was in distribution, unless they gave explicit permission, also with witnesses, to allow themselves to be used more than once.

Practically everyone in the Legion showed up opening night, with the Subs on the line in case something big happened and they needed to be contacted.

Mekt and the four cast worthy Legionnaires could be seen hiding in the very back where the darkness hid them as well as could be expected, but they could all see the screen. Rokk Krinn somehow managed to part with his two main floor tickets and trade them with Clark and Brainy so that he and Imra could sit on either side of Garth to keep him from going psycho on his brother in case something in the film went wrong (like the directer deciding it would be a good idea to show him in the shower from the waist up, highlighting with the way the windows were overhead how many, many scars he had; Imra hadn't been pleased about that, while Rokk had said they were allowed a little artistic license to showcase him being a war veteran.)

Gim took his position on the other side of Rokk, enjoying the popcorn one of the Legion founders bought, but seemed to forget was actually there. There was enjoyment on his face, somehow, when the film allowed his character to actually survive the chainsaw injury, his last scene in a sunlit park, on the edge of a duck pond as spring was starting to bring back geese and greenery, snow melting on the frozen water and a trio of mallards grateful for the food he was offering them.

Mekt seemed happy enough that his character was just loose enough to take off his shirt and show off his toned muscles exactly three times on screen; Garth in his seat out of arm's reach groaning and covering his eyes at each of these precious moments; Superman and Superman X both near the front almost in perfect sync to echo these actions, save that Clark was glowing red as a Christmas tree and Kell groaned without the self-abuse (he was fairly certain the people on either side of him tried to edge away when he groaned in appreciation).

Brin and Tinya could both say they were out of their seats before the credits started rolling in an effort to get out of the line of sight of the younger people that kept making 'AW' and 'OH' noises when their characters did not fall for the most obvious romantic plot devices and managed to make it to the end of the film as really good friends that could end up becoming something more in a sequel if it ever happened, but didn't kiss and didn't make some awkwardly corny romantic speech explaining that they should be lovers or friends or stay away from each other because they were too different. The film actually ended with their characters walking out of the hospital together, each clothed in not-too-light, not-too-dark scarves and jackets and hats, with their shoulders touching and heading in the direction of a 24-Hour diner.

"So...this is how you make your living?"

Mekt smiled from the pilot seat of the Legion cruiser they had commandeered to get the hell out of the theater before getting attacked by rabid fangirls who had seen all of Mekt's media work and were immediately into the film they had just watched. The elder sibling could count on one hand all the other Legionnaires that had elected to walk back to HQ and deal with the crowds just so they could ruminate on all that the film showcased, mentally wishing them luck in that they wouldn't be asked to whore out their own image for the producer and director that had headhunted the featured heroes.

"Easy, right little brother?"

Garth glared from the shotgun seat, the ice pack he'd picked up from the cruiser's pantry settled on his head and sloshing around as he pointed at his sibling in disapproval and other such emotions, "You're the one we're gonna blame if we never leave the base again."

There was a moment of silence.

"Whatever, you'll love it after a while."

"Um, no, thank you, that contract for my image disposal is getting signed tomorrow."

"Yeah, right."

"It is."

"Uh-huh."

"...Stop smiling."

"Can't make me."

A/N: For the anon reviewer Maggie who made the request for this after leaving me a review I can be quite proud of.