So my loyal readers (yeah right, I doubt anyone has even read this story) this is the first chapter of the second chapter, if that makes any sense. I had super long chapters, so I had to split each chapter into chapters.

Chapter Two: Firegirl Returns

Part one: Savior

Fourteen year old Brogyn was sleeping peacefully, dreaming about nonsense as usual. She didn't see the figure drop into her room and place a small flat hologram projector on her dresser and set it to play when she awoke. Then the figure disappeared out the window.

Brogyn was jerked awake by a rude crackling sound. She looked around blearily, and soon located the source of the offending noise. A small flat machine was sitting on her dresser, and a beam of light was shooting up from it.

"Hello Firegirl." A voice said. "You are a member of the Legion of Superheroes. You have information that I want. And I believe that I have something you want."

Suddenly an image appeared, and she gasped. "Brogyn, don't listen to him…" A faint voice said shakily. Brainiac Five was looking pleadingly at her from some kind of chamber, his arms chained to the wall above his head. A small trickle of blood had dried on his cheek, and his light blonde hair was dirty and matted. Suddenly he jerked back, his face screwed up in pain, and he cried out in agony. Brogyn could see the electricity jumping along the metal shackles.

"Brainy!" She cried, reaching out to him. His head slumped forward against his chest, and he fell limp in his chains.

"Three days."


Brogyn had to clear her head after the frightening message, and the fresh smell of rain helped her sort out her jumbled thoughts. She was walking around the block when suddenly she realized a man in a black hooded sweatshirt was following her.

So she ran.

She raced around a corner, sliding in a puddle as she skidded across the wet ground. Her breath came in short gasps; her heart was pounding like a drum. There was no sound of her pursuer, but she knew he was there. She could feel the strength leaving her limbs as she ran, and her lungs were burning. Suddenly a hand gripped her wrist, and she was jerked back. She pounded her fist against the man's shoulder, succeeding only in hurting her hand. There was a metallic echoing sound as she slammed her fist against his right shoulder.

"No, no, let me go!" She cried, trying to get free.

"Grife, Firegirl, calm down before you wake up the whole neighborhood! I'm not going to hurt you!" A familiar voice said. She looked up into the face of her capturer and gasped. He had a scraggly red beard, shaggy red hair and brilliant blue eyes with a scar running down the right eye.

"Lightning Lad?"

"Lightning Lad! How did you find me? Why are you here? Did anyone else come with you? Is Vi here? Did you send me that hologram? Where's Brainy?" She asked, pouring out questions.

"Hey, chill out there, fireball; I don't want you to spontaneously combust or anything. I'm here on Legion business."

Brogyn frowned. "Why? Is the Legion in trouble?"

He looked down. "Not the Legion. One Legionnaire in particular."

She realized she already knew whom he was talking about. "It's Brainy, isn't it?"

He nodded. "He's gone missing, and we think he might be in trouble."

Brogyn pulled out the hologram and handed it to Lightning Lad. "He is in trouble." He watched the hologram with weary eyes, as if it only confirmed his fears.

"Why does this guy want information on us?" Brogyn asked.

Lightning Lad's expression turned dark. "He could turn all our secrets, all our battle strategies, everything we have against us. Why wouldn't he want it?"


There was a light on one side of the Legion Lobby, and all heads turned towards it.

"Firegirl!" Violet leaped up and flung her arms around the girl as she stepped out of the time bubble.

"Vi! It's great to see you!" She hugged her friend, and soon she was surrounded by Legionnaires laughing, slapping her high fives, hugging her and all trying to be heard over the others.

"Have you heard what happened to Brainy?" Violet yelled in her ear, and the atmosphere changed very suddenly.

"Yeah, I heard. I know where he is; and I came to get him back." Firegirl replied. Cheers erupted through the Legion, and suddenly another time bubble appeared. Saturn Girl stepped out of it with a very muscular man in blue and red behind her.

"Superman!" The Legion mobbed him as well, leaving Firegirl standing feeling awkward.

"Well hello. Who are you?" Superman was suddenly standing over her, looking down at her through kind blue eyes.

"Oh, hi. I'm Firegirl." She said, holding out her hand and blushing slightly. He shook it, and she winced at his strong grip.

"Hey Supes; did you hear about Brainy?" Timber Wolf asked in his husky voice.

Superman nodded, his expression pained. "I want to help get him back."

There was another flash, and Cham appeared.

"Firegirl!" He leaped down and attack hugged her, his arms going stretchy and winding around her twice.

"Hey Cham! Where were you?" Another very muscular man, this on is dark blue, stepped out.

"What is our plan for recovering Brainiac Five?" He said, all business.

"Good to see you too, Kel." Lightning Lad said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I'm serious. We have to have a plan!" His green and black eyes met Firegirl's, and she looked away, unable to meet his fierce gaze.

"Have you been holding Legion Auditions, Lightning Lad?" He asked, and Firegirl suddenly burst into a fit of giggles at Lightning Lad's expression.

"Is this kid serious enough to come on this mission?" Kel-El asked.

Firegirl's expression turned icy. "I'm not coming, Kel-El. I'm leading this mission."

The clone scowled. "Why should we let you lead? You're most likely just an irresponsible, disobedient and probably reckless teenager."

Violet came to Firegirl's defense. "She is the one the message was for, and she knows Brainy better then any of us. Even you, Superman." The man of steel blinked, as if he was surprised that anyone knew Brainy better then him.

"She'll do anything to make sure we get out with Brainy. She won't stop until he's safe." Firegirl felt her heart swell; she had missed being praised and treated like she mattered. Kel-El finally shrugged and nodded reluctantly.

"Fine, whatever. Let's start planning. We only have three days."


Firegirl slipped the ring onto her finger and felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness and happiness at the same time. She was back in the place she had come to call home, and she was with her friends again.

Or, most of them.

Brainiac Five— her best friend in the whole universe (technically he was her boyfriend), all times in the time stream considered— was gone. She felt a smile pull at the corners of her mouth despite her sadness.

"I'm coming for you, Brainy. I'm coming, and I'm bringing the Cavalry!"


"I am going to ask you one more time, Brainiac Five. What is the importance of this girl? How much does she know?" Imperiac Six demanded.

"Never." Brainy hissed.

"You will regret defying me once again, boy." The small but deadly robot stood over him, frowning down and looking menacing.

"I beat you once and I will do it again." Brainy said weakly.

Imperiac suddenly smiled. "But this time you are alone. Very much alone." His robotic arm suddenly shot out, catching Brainy in the ribs. There was a sickening crack, and one of the guards winced. Brainy tried to draw a deep calming breath, but all he got was a shallow one before the pain shot through his chest, and he blacked out to the sound of Imperiac's mechanical laughter.


At last a plan was formed. They would be waiting at Superman's Arctic Fortress of Solitude, armed and ready for battle. It was still two days until their time was up, and everyone was nervous and stressed out. Firegirl had changed into her old Legion Uniform, and her hair hung in its familiar wild curls as she paced around her room.

"Come on, FG. Calm down." Shrinking Violet said soothingly. But Firegirl continued her pacing, seeming not to have heard her friend.

Violet stood up and put her hand on the pacing girl's shoulder, making her stop. "He's going to be fine. He's in capable hands."

Firegirl looked at her friend with an expression of doubt. "And whose 'capable hands' might those be?"

Violet smiled gently and patted her shoulder. "Yours."


The Legion flew down from the Legion Cruiser, shooting past the towering walls of ice. Firegirl led the V formation, her hand clenching and unclenching around the ring on her finger to try to calm herself down. The Legion swooped down and landed silently in the fortress.

"I see you have brought some playmates with you, Firegirl. As have I." Suddenly dozens of robots de-cloaked, surrounding the Legion and outnumbering them at least a dozen to one.

"If you tell them to go back to the cruiser, I will not harm them." Firegirl set her jaw; she would play his way.

For now.

"Go on guys. I can handle this." She said softly. They went grudgingly, escorted by over six robots a piece. They knew they would have a better chance in the cruiser, armed with the laser cannons and blasters; they wouldn't stay quiet for long.

Firegirl faced the direction the voice had come from. "Are we ready to play?"

A face came into view out of the shadows, and Firegirl gritted her teeth. "I thought you were floating in space somewhere, Brainiac 1.0."

The robot smiled, and it sent shivers down Firegirl's spine. "I go by a different name now; Imperiac 6."

She glared at him. "You give me Brainy, and I'll give you the information."

The robot's smile turned very nasty. "I believe I will be setting the terms, as I am at the advantage."

Firegirl scowled deeper. "Fine. What are your terms?"

Imperiac landed in front of her, coming up to about her shoulder. "You will allow me to sweep your mind for all Legion related material, and then I will give you the boy."

Firegirl sighed, trying not to make a sarcastic 'yeah right' remark. "What if I refuse?"

Imperiac flicked his hand, and a guard dragged a limp figure into view.

"Brainy!" Firegirl cried. He looked up, and his mouth turned up slightly.

"I told him you would come for me." He wheezed. The guard looked at his master inquiringly. Imperiac nodded, and the guard nudged Brainy in the side with his foot. It wasn't hard at all, but Brainy gasped in pain and clutched his torso, falling over and curling into a ball as he struggled for breath.

Firegirl felt tears beginning to sting her eyes. "Stop! Don't hurt him! I'll give you what you want." She knelt down in front of Imperiac.

"No! Please, you can't-" Brainy was attacked by a sudden bought of coughing, and Firegirl saw the blood seeping out from between his fingers.

"Wait. Before you do the mind sweep, I have one term." Imperiac grimaced, but stopped.

"You must fully heal all of Brainiac Five's injuries before we leave."

The robot nodded with a scowl. "Very well human. I will do as you wish."


Firegirl felt tears coming as the robot placed his hand on her head. This could be the end of the Legion; and it would be all her fault. As the cold metal fingers flattened against her head, an idea sprang into her mind. As if it had been planned, she burst into the hottest flame she could muster; hot enough to melt even Coluan armor.

"Aaugh!" Imperiac 6 screeched in pain, waving his half-melted hand in the air. Firegirl blasted off fireballs of the same superheated white fire, swallowing the robot in its flames. When she stopped, Imperiac 6 was nothing more then a pile of melted metal in the ground.

"Let's see you evolve out of that!" She snapped triumphantly. There was the sound of a laser cannon charging behind her, and she whirled around to find the guard aiming a cannon at Brainy.

"You shouldn't have done that to the master." He said, and the cannon lit Brainy's green skin with a sickly purple glow. Firegirl raced forward, a fireball already formed in her palm. But the man was faster, and he fired.

"NO!!!!" Firegirl screamed. She caught one last glimpse of Brainy before the flash momentarily blinded her. The man dropped his gun and ran, and she pursued with tears steaming off of her face as she heated up with rage. She flew after him and caught him with no difficulty. She grabbed his shirt and lifted him into the air with her. He yelped in fear as she changed directions suddenly, flying up a frozen shaft to the top of the fortress. She stood on the very edge of one of the pinnacles, holding him out in front of her. She was flaming dimly, and there was a scorch mark on his shirt from the heat of her hand.

"I was just following orders!" He cried, his eyes wide with fear. His confidence had evaporated completely.

"Maybe you should have thought of that before you killed my best friend. MY BEST FRIEND!" She shouted in his face. She saw the Legion Cruiser above her blasting robots out of the sky as they scrambled around, dysfunctional now that their mainframe was destroyed.

"You killed him. Why shouldn't I let you fall?" She hissed. "I'll answer my own question; there is absolutely no reason I shouldn't kill you."

And she let him fall.


The robots suddenly all jerked with an electric jolt and started running into each other and flying around randomly. They were easy targets for the Legion's blaster cannons. When they had taken care of the bots, they turned down to pick up Firegirl and Brainy. When they saw her standing on the top of the fortress holding a terrified man over the edge, they were puzzled. Violet zoomed in on Firegirl's face and felt a flash of fear. The eyes of her friend were blazing with a strange and terrifying inner fire, and she was shaking with rage. She looked angrier then any person Violet had ever seen before. Suddenly the speakers came on.

"Firegirl, this is Lightning Lad. I need you to put the man down, and we'll take care of him." Suddenly the anger and rage in her eyes flared up and she exploded into flame. The man shrieked as he plummeted down, and Kel-El streaked off to catch him. Firegirl was gone; Violet realized she must have burned a hole straight through the ice. Several of the Legionnaires flew out to find her.


Firegirl felt the ice disappearing beneath her, and she let her anger fuel the fire. When she hit rock beneath the main room floor, she was burning so hot she could have melted anything. She floated right above the floor in the hall flaming like the devil himself. Then she saw Brainy's limp figure lying on the floor and she screamed in anguish. But the sound that came out was more like a monstrous roar that was amplified by the ice and the flames surrounding her. When the fire in her heart was gone, she dropped to her knees in the crater in the rock formed by her flames. She was trembling, the tears turning to steam as they came tumbling down her cheeks. She crawled across the floor to Brainy's side, stumbling over the rocks that had been revealed by the heat. She knew why there was a patch of ice beneath him while everything around him was now a melted mess; her fire had consciously avoided his small body. She saw the scorch mark on his left shoulder where the canon had shot him. She put her arms around him and drew him close to her, holding him as she shook with sobs. There was the sound of flying feet and Shrinking Violet, Phantom Girl, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad stopped in the entry and stared in awe at the devastation before them. Violet saw Firegirl crouching on the other side of the hall. The material of her suit was only fireproof to a certain temperature, and there were large patches of cloth burned away. She floated to Firegirl's side and placed a hand on her bare shoulder. She yelped as her friend's skin burned her. Firegirl looked up at her, and Violet winced at the expression of hopelessness on her friend's face.

"It was my fault." She whispered. Violet looked down at the small figure she was holding in her arms. Violet felt tears begin to fall from her eyes as well, and she knelt down next to Firegirl. Brainy's skin was blue with chill despite the recent blast of heat, and his skin was cool to the touch. His shoulder was scorched, the mark of a Laser Cannon blast. His hair was wet from Firegirl's tears. Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl and Phantom Girl floated over, and their expressions of shock and sorrow mirrored Violet's tears.

"Come on, Firegirl. We'll take him back to the ship." Violet said softly. She slung Firegirl's arm, still steaming, over her shoulder and flew her back to the ship. Lightning Lad lifted Brainy up into his strong arms and they flew back to the Legion Cruiser.


Superman flew to the door to meet them, excited about seeing his friend again after almost three years. The sliding door opened, and Violet came through supporting a very ragged looking Firegirl. Her suit was in tatters, the edges burned. She seemed unconscious, but when the two girls brushed past him and his cape swept across her bare feet, her eyes shot open.

"Superman! I'm sorry. Tell him I'm sorry." She gasped, blue eyes wide. "I tried to stop them, but I couldn't…"

Violet pulled her away, her face sad. Then the doors opened again, and Lightning Lad floated through, flanked by Phantom Girl and Saturn Girl. In his arms was a small person with green skin. Superman felt as if the ground had been rudely jerked out from under his feet while he was under a red sun.

"Is he…" Superman was hesitant to finish his sentence.

"His chances are pretty slim." Saturn Girl replied as Phantom Girl opened the door to the healing chamber. She rested a hand on his shoulder, and he clenched his fist. They both approached the healing chamber viewing panel and watched Lightning Lad and Phantom Girl laid Brainy on the cold metal table and hooked him into the equipment.


DUH DUH DUH!!!!! Ha ha, Cliff Hanger!!! Heeheehee!!

Hope you liked it, please R&R!!! (I really do read all my reviews and it gives me a huge rush when I get them! Then I'm all hyper for an hour because I got a story hit/ a story review!)

~Firegirl~

Wow. That was a mouthful.

No Duh, I don't own the Legion of Superheroes because Cosmic Boy is STILL alive... Don't worry, I'm not killing him off!

Yet.

MWA HA HA HA HA!!!

Anyway, R&R PLEEZ!!! And Enjoy!