A/N: This story is based on a plot bunny that I adopted from 1000GreenSun. After a long time of consideration, I have finally written it! I also want to thank JudeDeluca, LadyGuardianofKeondes, Avearia and Stormgirl415. Without them to keep me on track, I probably wouldn't have gotten this first chapter written!
Parings: LL/SG, PG/TW, BB/DD, B5/SV, a pair of OCs and Emperiex (DUH!!!)
Disclaimer: I don't own Legion of Superheroes. If I did, do you think everyone would be bemoaning the lack of a 3rd season? However, Tundra Lad and Time Lass are my own OCs. If you want to use, please ask.
And now, for our story:
Marriage of Convenience
A Legion of Superheroes fanfic
by Sailor V-babe
Act One: " . . more than mere romance . . "
"I don't believe it! I just dont believe it!" Lightning Lad shouted, slamming his fist onto the console then gesturing at the screen in front of him. "Imperiex and the Emerald Empress . . . MARRIED?"
"It would appear so. Though I myself am as incredulous as you, I cannot deny the fact that it does appear on the screen, to use an old Earth colloquialism, in 'black and white,'" the green skinned teen next to him replied, his his face as blank as his voice.
"But why? Shouldn't he be . . . taking over galaxies or something?" Lightning Lad wondered, staring at the marriage announcement.
"Perhaps they were in love. It does happen, Lightning Lad," a young woman's voice said nearby. Lightning Lad and Brainiac 5 turned to see their fellow Legionnaire Saturn Girl approaching.
"But it doesn't make sense! A supervillain who just has to push a little harder to have the entire universe in his hands, deciding to take time off for love? Does Imperiex even have a heart?"
"Well, technically speaking . . ." Brainy began.
"Don't go on with that thought, Brainy!" Lightning Lad threatened. Brainy shrugged, turning his attention back to the screen in front of him.
"Fascinating. The announcement says that they will be honeymooning on Resortia."
"A lot of people spend their honeymoon on Resortia. It is known to be one of the most tranquil places in the galaxy," Saturn Girl replied.
"So I've heard," a feminine voice replied, the words touched gently by a British accent, "although I haven't been myself.. The records on my planet have a lot to say about Resortia and it's tranquility. However, I personally prefer the Eye of Orion as a vacation spot." The speaker, a petite girl clad in gold and red with her blonde hair elegantly coiffed into a flip-hairstyle, leaned lazily on a console beside them.
"I don't believe I will ever get used to your appearing out of nowhere, Time Lass," Brainiac 5 stated, not really even looking at the newcomer.
"Nice to see you too, Brainy," Time Lass replied, adjusting her wire-rimmed glasses. Brainy decided not to grace that sarcastic remark with an answer. Instead, he raised his eyes, and turned to face the group.
"This development requires careful consideration. I suggest that a meeting be called to determine the course of action necessesary." The others nodded and turned to leave, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad by the door, Time Lass by her form of teleportation known as 'tessering.' Brainy stood went to the center of the room. Something about this . . . didn't feel right. He pursed his lips as he prepared things for a briefing.
One by one, the available Legionnaires entered. Lightning Lad, followed closely by Saturn Girl. Bouncing Boy well, bounced in, while Timber Wolf walked in behind him, a bit quicker than normal, possibly due to Phantom Girl's death grip on his arm. Duo Damsel walked in, adjusting an earring, while Shrinking Violet entered at a much more sedate pace, eyes fixed on a data tablet in her hand. The air around one chair rippled and flexed, heralding the return of Time Lass, who settled into her chair as if her mode of transport was nothing out of the ordinary. Sun Boy, Star Boy and Dream Girl took their places as well. For the final time, the door opened, admitting the mysterious Tundra Lad, his face shadowed by the fur-lined hood on his parka. Behind him, exuding the command befitting a leader, was Cosmic Boy, who immediately took his seat at the head of the table.
"I suppose you've all heard what has happened," Brainiac 5 began. "To summarize, Emerald Empress and Imperiex have gotten married, and this . . . does not bode well for the universe. However, my twelfth-level intellect tells me that there is something more to this than mere romance."
"Mere romance?" Phantom Girl teased, but quieted as Brainy shot her a fierce glare.
"It is public knowledge that they are honeymooning on the planet of Resortia. This could mean something, or it could be a trap. Either way, I highly doubt Imperiex would simply take time out of his World Domination Tour to settle down and raise a family. There must be something more. Therefore, I have come up with a plan. Several Legionnaires will infiltrate Resortia to try and find out more about their real plan."
"But, isn't Resortia limited to married couples? That would pose a problem . . ." Bouncing Boy pointed out.
"True," Brainy said, "that's why you'll be undercover. Everyone assigned to this mission will have to create an identity for themselves and come up with a disguise. At least, those of you who can do so convincingly. Bouncing Boy, you and Tr- uh Duo Damsel will be required, as well as Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad . . ."
"Why is he going? I'm the Leader!" Cosmic Boy bellowed, standing up.
"Well, maybe Brainy knows that Saturn Girl likes me better!" Lighting Lad retorted, standing as well. Saturn Girl rubbed her head, once again getting a headache from their constant bickering.
"Lightning Lad was picked because his powers might be useful to us. Cosmic Boy, you are better suited to staying here and gathering information. We may need someone on the ship with good leadership qualities to keep things running on the planet," Brainac 5 explained, raising his voice so that he could be heard over the squabbling teens. Grudgingly, the two quieted down and returned to their seats. "Thank you. If I may continue? Timberwolf and Phantom Girl, I believe you would be helpful as well. Your powers especially, Phantom Girl, since you can get places others cannot. I will be going, as well as Shrinking Violet." Was is just his imagination, or did Violet blush slightly at that?
As Brainy opened his mouth to continue, Time Lass spoke up. "Um, I wanted to point out that Tundra Lad is quite versed in disguises and would be indeed useful . . ."
"I am well aware of this. However, we must have couples, and he would not have anyone to work with . . ." Brainy replied.
"I would be willing to work with Time Lass," Tundra Lad said, his russian accent curling gently around his words. "Her people are most durable and can withstand far lower temparatures than ourselves. She would be the logical choice in this matter."
Brainiac 5 regarded his statements for a minute, then nodded. "All right. It does make sense. Thus, we will have five teams working down on the surface of the planet. Those of you who have been assigned to this mission, I will need your cover stories in three hours. That will give me enough time to get them copied down and printed for your reference. That way no one blows anyone else's cover. Alright then? Meeting dismissed."
--L--
About an hour later, Tundra Lad heard a knock on his door. "Come in, if you must. You are not disturbing anything," he said, his speech slightly muffled due to the fact that his head was in a closet. The soft whoosh of hydraulic air anounced the entrance of his visitor.
"What in Omega's name are you doing, Illya?" Time Lass asked, seating herself on his bed.
"I see you decided to use the door. How nice of you."
"Don't be cute. I know how you don't like being disturbed, so I knocked. That way I didn't lose a limb or break a bone from your defense reactions," Time Lass replied. She had seen Illya in action several times, and knew of his fast, ruthless and ultimately painful reactions. He'd nearly done some damage to a few Legionnaires who had startled him before.
"To answer your question, I am preparing for our mission, as you should be."
"Already am," she replied, holding up a suitcase. Instead of her usual hairstyle, she had managed to coax the whole shoulder-length mass into some kind of sophisticated up-do. She wore a light yellow sundress, complete with white gloves, elegant high-heeled sandals and a large picturesque hat. All in all, she managed to look very grown up. "Isn't it girls who are supposed to take so long getting ready?"
"Most girls do not have to bother with a true disguise," he returned. "Now, I am finished." He straightened up and turned around. "From now on, I am no longer Illya Alexandar Kuznetsov. I am Mr. Michaelovitch Donyev, and you are my blushing bride, Marion." Time Lass was quite startled at the change in his appearance. Instead of the soft blonde hair she had come to love, it was covered by a dark brown wig, with a bushy mustasche plastered onto his upper lip. Dark rimmed glasses, the ones he normally wore only to read with, now perched solidly on his nose. His usual parka, heavy boots and golves was replaced by a rumpled, dark suit in a classic style, though his usual black turtleneck remained, sans his symbol of a pale blue snowflake.
"Marion Donyev. I like the sound of that." Time Lass said with a smile.
Illya handed her a data tablet. "Why don't you go over our cover story before I turn it in to Brainiac 5? Then I request that we stop at the kitchen. Suddenly, I am very hungry."
Time Lass took the tablet with an almost frown. "You're always hungry. You know, one of these days, your metablolism is going to catch up with you, and then where will you be?"
"As large as our rotund, bouncing friend and, most likely very happy." A glimmer of a rare smile flitted across his face, and Time Lass smiled back before returning her gaze to the tablet in her hand.
--L--
"Here are your cover stories and the information on your fellow Legionnaires," Brainiac 5 began, handing out data tablets to the assembled group. "Read them well, because after you arrive on Resortia, you cannot let your disguises slip in public. That could spell certain doom to us all. Each pair is assigned to a shuttlecraft, which is pre-set to fly to the planet's surface. The launches are randomly staggered, so that it will seem as sporadic as possible, as well as each flight pattern will make it appear that you are coming straight from your home planet. It is essential to be as careful as possible."
Each Legionnaire nodded, aware of the gravity of the situation. This was Imperiex and Emerald Empress that they were talking about, two of the most deadly villains that they had ever encountered. Failure would be . . . uncomfortable at best. Thus, everyone was in disguise. The simplest ones were just street clothes. Saturn Girl, Time Lass, Bouncing Boy, Phantom Girl and Shrinking Violet could easily pass for civilians out of costume. Others, like Timberwolf and Lightning Lad, had to find ways of covering up their peculiarities, such as the use of makeup to hide Lighning Lad's scar or a large coat, brimmed hat and gloves to hide Timberwolf's tell-tale appearance. Even Brainy had managed to rig up a holographic generator to change his skin tone to peach. To the casual observer, they did not appear to be teenaged superheroes. They looked like any group of young adults.
After reading the data tablets, each couple headed to their assigned shuttle to await departure. "Isn't this exciting?" Shrinking Violet asked, strapping herself in.
"I guess," Brainy replied, fiddling with something on the control panel.
"C'mon, Brainy. Stop being such a stiff and enjoy it. It's not every day that you get to go to Resortia!"
Brainy sighed. "I will do my best to convey enjoyment once on the planet. But until then, there is much to do. Our departure will be one of the last ones. It might be best for you to get some rest, Vi. You may need it."
Violet pouted, slightly put off that Brainy had once again retreated into himself. He seemed to do that a lot lately, especially around her. It was almost as if he were hiding from her. Anyway, she snuggled down into her seat, determined to get comfortable. Perhaps it was the warmth of the air around her, perhaps it was the purr of the shuttle's engine, but whatever the cause, Violet was soon asleep, lulled into a peaceful state by the quiet goings on around her. She didn't even realize that she had been sleeping until there was a beeping sound and she felt someone shaking her. She blinked dazedly and stared up into a slightly familar face, topped with blonde hair. "Wha . . ." she began, but Brainy shook his head.
"I didn't think you'd want to miss this." He gestured out towards the large window. Violet stared in awe at the planet in front of her. She must have slept through the take off, since the last thing she knew, the shuttle was still docked.
"Where are we?"
Brainy returned to his seat. "Welcome to Resortia," was all he said before manuvering the ship into orbit around the planet.
----
Thus ends Act One. If you liked, I would appreciate feedback and constructive criticism. I am not afraid to re-do my writing. Rule number 2 of being an author, "Write and re-write." However, I do not force reviews. They just make me feel loved. There are a few in-jokes in this chapter, and will be more in the future, but I do not expect you to get them unless you watch a lot of old 60's spy-type shows. ^_^ Anyway, thanx for taking the time to read it, and please return for the second chapter!