Ch 9 I Know a Guy
Planet Oa
It went without saying that the X-squad was on edge. What happened back at the training facility had been a serious wake up call for them all. Not only did it dawned on them just how far away they were from the familiar scenes of home, but how mind blowing-ly outnumbered they really were. It wasn't as if they haven't had missions that resulted in serious injuries, but never from opponents that were supposed to be allies of theirs. The youngest/newest of their small team were still trying to come to terms with what had just happened. One of their own was attacked and nearly killed right in front of them without any hesitation or relent. They had barely made a difference in the fight and became targets themselves, and in the very end it had been their now injured charge that wound up defending them all, and at a serious cost to his physical health. Now here they all were, walking out on the streets, only now with very noticeable stares tracking their every move. It was enough to a guy paranoid!
Blue, having chosen to keep his armor on at the insistence of his secret partner was aided by Kid Flash as he limped along their route. Even with his side numbed down it still felt rather uncomfortable to walk since Scarab only regulated his natural biological chemicals to merely ease the pain rather than numb it completely. After all he still needed to walk and that meant being able to feel his leg. Still, minor discomfort aside, at least Khaji-Da wasn't complaining or berating him for holding him back earlier. In fact the only thing the sentient artificial intelligence did was report the number of 'hostiles' in the area, measure they're hostility, and kept him updated on the status of his 'self repairs'. How long the A.I. will keep behaving was another story all together though.
Conner was beyond irritated with what had happened. Not only was one of his good friends hurt, but now there was no way for them to go anywhere without them being watched. Word of the incident in the training hall had officially gone out and now everyone on the streets was staring in apprehension at Blue, most with obvious looks of distain and mistrust. More than once, the biologically young clone had to locked glares with a passerby if only to make it clear that he wasn't going to tolerate any attempts at harassment if any of them so much as tried. A few looked as if they would have take up the silent challenge, before spotting the 'S' on his chest and backing down. The presence of Salaak, Tomar-Re, and especially Scar seemed to be the sole reason none of them tried to get close to the obvious crippled beetle and that in it of itself was some comfort. However, it still didn't change what had happened. What was worse, Superboy could easily in-vision what could have happened if Nightwing hadn't assigned them as backup on this 'Field Trip'. The Kryptonian was going to have to find a way to break away from the group and report this to his old friend and leader as soon as possible. The Dark Squire is going to want to implement some counter measures in case this escalates any further.
Virgil had gotten a rather bad case of the jitters and couldn't really stop flinching whenever a shadow flown overhead. That had been intense. Ever since he was a little kid he had always admired the Green Lantern, John Stewart, and what he stood for. The term "Green Lantern" was always one he associated with security and protection; but now that association had been badly rattled. He just couldn't believe that a whole squad of Green Lanterns up and shot someone like that, and without provocation! For crying out loud, Blue had backed away with his hands half raised in surrender when they all drew their rings on him! Didn't even antagonize them and they just opened fired! Okay, sure, turning a proverbial mountain into a pile of pebbles was intimidating as heck, he'll be the first to admit it, but shooting down an unarmed guy was just plain crazy! It was like watching one of those newsreels whenever the police of Earth were caught using excessive force on a suspect only exceptionally worse! He was only too glad that the Lanterns he grew up knowing about all his life, especially John Stewart, weren't part of the firing squad. He didn't think he could take it if they were.
Garfield was beside himself with both the shock of the sudden attack and pure confusion over the disappearance of his first aid kit. He found himself replaying his time packing his bag with his adopted big sister. Mentally he retraced his steps from boarding to disembarking the hard-light construct. He had patted his bag to make sure everything was still in there and would swear on a stack of Bibles that the kit was in the side pocket. Further more he knew he heard the distinct sound of plastic hitting a hard floor when he tossed his bag aside in the training facility. Did it fell out? Was it hit by accident in the crossfire? Could someone have taken it? Sure, maybe he should be more concerned for his injured teammate, but seeing all those beams hitting Blue Beetle at once… Hearing him scream… He could still smell the scent of burned flesh on the armored Latino in front of him. The missing kit had some antibiotic cream that could have helped to cool the injury and keep it from getting infected. Where could it have gone?!
Bart wouldn't leave Jaime's side for nothing. In fact, he had latched right onto his friend and refused to let go. The yellow clad speedster insisted that he helped him walk to their next destination, and stubbornly kept Jaime's arm over his shoulders. The position would make it easy for him to bolt with the beetle in tow if something like that came close to happening again. The Scarab had came dangerously close to reactivating fully in the middle of that fiasco and could have very nearly put the Hispanic on mode sequence or whatever the stupid technical term for it was. It may even try doing it again now that its host was injured and weakened. The future boy just couldn't risk that; especially since it was made painfully clear that these Lanterns wouldn't hesitate to shoot first and ask questions never. At least this way he had a hand on the blasted thing and could vibrate his fingers through it if it did tried something.
Jaime could only sigh in some frustration over the whole ordeal. "Hermano, I'm fine." It was bad enough he pretty much ruined their visit, he didn't need his friends feeling like he needed to be chaperoned. "I can walk, really."
However, the new Kid Flash would hear none of it. "Blue, you nearly fell over three times already." The speedster stated as he irritatingly tried to re-position the older boy into putting some of his weight on him. "You need to keep your weight off your side." The auburn knew entirely too well the taller brunette had been mostly supporting himself up even now.
"I lost my balance porque este position es loco." The young Hispanic complained as he tried to pull himself off his pushy friend. Seriously, they may as well be having a three-legged race right now. "Can't I just-"
However, whatever he may have suggested was lost when the distracted teen's foot caught on the slight raise of the Recreational Center's entrance. KF immediately caught the fifteen-year-old and steadied him before either of them could topple over, much to the relief of their tensed friends and their five concerned chaperons.
"That's it, lean on me." The futuristic speedster ordered as he maneuvered himself into a better position that would support the majority of the beetle's weight. He'll force himself to carry him fully if he had to.
"Hermano-!"
"Lean on me, or I'll get Superboy to carry you." The Neo Kid Flash threatened in a tone that showed how serious he was about carrying out that particular action. "And I'm pretty sure he'll do it if nothing more than to shut me up before I go into a speed talk rant about how you shouldn't be pushing yourself." To emphasize this, Bart took a deep breath and held it, puffing out his cheeks to show that he had more than enough air to carry out the rant.
Blue Beetle opened his month to protest, but then stopped when the rather valid point was made and glanced over at Conner. Surely the senior member of the Team wouldn't stoop so low as to relent to such a childish tactic. The biologically young Kryptonian clone just met his gaze evenly and nodded the confirmation that he would. As much as he respected Jaime, his naturally irritable nature just wouldn't tolerate such babbling for very long. Knowing that he was out numbered and not wanting to test the possibility of actually being carried around like a bride on her wedding day, the beetle sighed in defeat and all but flopped on his shorter friend. Who, as expected, grunted at the full weight of his more muscular companion on his back.
"This manhandling is illogical and unnecessary." Khaji-Da stated as it brought up its diagnostic over its host current condition. It was a long and meticulous method of mending and producing new cells from the inside out, but steady all the same. "Healing procedures are already at 37.2% and counting." This action would only cause more discomfort if the Impulse/Kid Flash were to fall over.
"Believe me, ese, I know." Jaime replied mentally with an eye roll. Bart was a really good friend, but he could be a terrible listener when he felt like it.
"Forgive my boldness." Scar interrupted the rather odd interaction as she floated closer. It would seem the hyper one could be quite unreasonable with excited. "But I believe the scarab has been said to act as a full body support system when the host in unable to maneuver on their own." Surely from the beetle's insistence earlier this was a fact. So why were the other Earthling insisting on hindering his mobility? Unless... it was merely a rumor and he had been supporting himself this entire time. "Has the feature been damaged? I could have it inspected."
Ignoring the targeting sequence that appeared in his line of vision and being mindful of Khaji-Da's attack being put on stand-by, Blue shook his head in answer. "No-no, it's working just fine." He smiled at the courteous offer in appreciation before giving his newly acquired conjoined twin a point glare. "And my friend knows it." When he only received a mirrored expression he relented with a wary smile of resignation. Which of course cause the younger boy to grin triumphantly. "He just doesn't like leaving things to chance." Bart was Bart no matter what. What more could he say?
"He does make a valid point however." The inquisitive Guardian stated after some thought, and then lifted a hand out towards the sky. It wasn't long before a flat object came flying in their direction, entered the facility and came to a hovering stop in the middle of the group. "Perhaps we should accommodate you, if only to put your associates at ease." The object bore a striking resemblance to a surfboard, with a thickness of three inches or so. It bored the color scheme and symbols that identified it as some form of medical equipment. Like some kind of hovering emergency gurney.
A hovering gurney with embedded, metal clamps in the areas of the wrist, ankles, waist and the upper torso. "What's with the restraints?" Superboy asked in his ever-blunt manner.
"Safety feature. Latest design." Tomar-Re, the fish-like alien, began to explain as he personally guided the hovering board over to Blue Beetle and pressed down on it so that it would be easier for the armored youth to sit on it. This new deluxe design was fully equipped and ought to prove more efficient than the standard board. "Since these gurneys float and sometimes have to fly a patient to the med-bay, they are necessary to keep the patient in place and stable." Normally only the waist and upper torso would be secure on such medical devises since they rarely had critical cases that required immediate transport, but since there was still a high probability that the injured side could be agitated by the safety clamp, they may have to resort to using the wrist and ankle clamps instead.
One look at that thing had the Team's newest member relieving a rather unpleasant memory. "Ah maybe one of you guys can conjure up a wheelchair instead?" Static suggested towards Salaak and Tomar-Re. Seriously, the only thing that slab was missing was an observation dome.
"We would be happy to offer our assistance." The four-armed alien stated helpfully before his confident expression fell into confusion. "Only, pray tell, what is a 'wheelchair'?" Try as he might he simply couldn't envision such a contraction much less construct one.
"I got this Salaak." The familiar voice of Hal Jordan cut in as he and John Stewart finally caught up with the group. Upon landing, the Honor Guard immediately began to put together the hard-light makings of a functioning wheelchair. "This way it won't look like the kid's been K. ."
"They are treating you as an invalid" Khaji-Da stated as the recognizable medical instrument was completed.
"Would you rather we use the freaky looking gurney?" Jaime thought in his head and taking the resulting silence that followed as a clear-cut 'no'. At least this way Bart will have to leave him alone for a little bit.
Seeing the mobile seat the new Kid Flash quickly got Jaime into the chair before anyone could comment further. "Dibs on the first pushing shift!" Before Blue knew it he was lifted, reclined and being pushed at a running speed around the group by the laughing speed demon.
The shenanigans were contagious as both Virgil and Garfield chased after the two down the hallway with Conner acting as the mature father figure following at a leisure pace. "So much for taking it easy." At least this way they'll all be distracted from what had happened at the training center and forget about it enough to get off Blue's case.
The four Lanterns and the Guardian soon followed suit after sending the medical board off to providence. "What an interesting contraption." Scar commented as their honored guest was rolled away howling with laughter and gripping at his armrest while his friends basically gave him the rollercoaster treatment. "Although, it may function more efficiently if it were made to hover in the air to reduce friction." Perhaps this may become a new project for a later time.
Planet Oa: Mess Hall
The grand Mess Hall was modestly furbished and filled with many elite Lanterns conversing and speculating with each other. When word got out that an honored guest would soon arrive and that he or she was an expert on Reach combat, the higher ranks were anxious for their arrival. After the near fiasco that had happened on Earth, it was clear that their old enemy was getting more and more devious by the century. All of the information they had on the Reach was centuries old and severely out of date since there was no way of acquiring new intelligence on their technological advantages. Meeting someone that not only had experience fighting the insect like race, but also have intimate knowledge of their latest scarab tech would benefit the Corp greatly if they decide to conduct a training session. Many were hoping to get first hand advice or even take part in a demonstration on how to take on and win against the ancient enemy of Oa.
However, those were ideas for another time. Right now they had a feast to prepare for and there was still a lot of planning and sorting out to do. The tables had to be positioned and repositioned to host everyone on Oa, the number of chairs had to be checked and doubled check to make sure no one was left out, the silverware still haven't been decided on due to the fact that some species either didn't use them or didn't know how, there were still arguments over the color scheme ranging from certain shades being bad luck to others representing war and/or funerals, not to mention the immensely diverse menu that had to be altered over and over to suit the equally diverse palettes, and there was still the matter of deciding wither or not to host the banquet either outside or in the grand hall. Everyone was pulling their weight with the preparations for the banquet while juggling their responsibilities with training the grunts and patrolling the cosmos.
At least they had gotten some of the neutral centerpieces out of the way and completed a few of the bigger decorations. Such as the large electric banner reading 'Welcome Scarab Master' that was currently hanging over the broad, well stocked, silver buffet table. Least that thing would be easy to move into place once they finally decide where the higher ups were going to sit. A vast assortment of exotic alien cuisine and drinks currently decorated the polished surface as the small luncheon went underway; some of which will be featured at the feast. Of course the banquet would feature much larger and grander portions, but for now this comfortable spread should keep everyone until then. That is… if certain people, like one Guy Gardner, didn't devour the entire table first.
"Hey, Gardner, leave something for the rest of us, would ya?" A uniformed alien with the distinct features of a shark called over to the ginger as it helped to move some of the heavier tables into yet another assortment. They just couldn't seem to make proper use of the space in the Mess Hall like they wanted. They might have to move to the Grand Hall after all.
"Snooze ya lose, Gork." The cocky human smirked as he plopped yet another appetizer into his mouth. As far as he was concerned he was on break and he was going to enjoy it.
"Sheesh, maybe we should consider doubling the food for the banquet tonight." Another Lantern, newt-looking this time, murmured jokingly as he tried to get around to each group, checking their progress and making marks on the long list he was assigned to keep track of.
"That may not be such a bad idea." A young Lantern, female with orange skin and pointed ears, stated as she tried to figure out how to put one of the center pieces together. "It would allow for more diverse cuisine to be served." She was vaguely sure it was suppose to be some kind of fountain that would keep the approved drinks constantly cooled and stirred.
"The menu's too big as it is already." Yet another Lantern called out from the large kitchen where all the food was being prepared for the banquet. Since the desserts and some of the food were best served cold were being prepared first in order to chill in a cooling unit. "Anymore additions and we'll never get it all done in time." They were just barely scratching the surface with the main orders as it was and some of the more active ingredients kept trying to escape from the cooking pots! "Hey get back here!" He shouted as a feisty spider-lobster looking thing scurried out into the Mess Hall.
Another female Lantern, purple skin with red hair this time, had to hover up to avoid the little beast while carrying some rather fragile looking glow orbs. "Well, considering the fact that we still don't know who we'll be honoring; having a good variety ought to ensure that they'll be able to eat something." Those Cloister were tasty but highly annoying when alive since they steal just about anything shiny.
"I still can't believe no one bother to take notes on what species they are." The newt-like list checker exclaimed as he used his ring to trap the bothersome creature and return it to the kitchen where it belonged. "It would have made this a whole lot easier." If he ever found out just who didn't do their research properly with the announcement he was going to have them reshelf the entire Oaen Library. He could only hope they weren't using anything offensive to their guest's respective race.
"When is our guest supposed to show anyway?" The cook called over after having the latest food item out of the intergalactic oven and cooling on a rack.
"I heard they already landed on Oa." Another random Lantern called over as he struggled with some strange hanging piece that seemed to be made of thread fibers.
"Already?!" The list keeper shouted from his position near the roof where they were testing to see how some crystal-like decors would work with the lighting. "Why wasn't it announced?!" All right, someone was obviously slacking, he had to make them reshelf the library and polish floors on every level for good measure!
"I thought I caught a glimpse of the Welcoming committee when I was flying over to take measurements of the Grand Hall." Some commented as they tried to help the Lantern that was getting tangled in the thread decoration.
Throughout all of this, Guy pretty much took the gossiping with a grain of salt. "I still don't see what the big deal is." He declared out loud and stepped into the middle of the room so as to get everyone's full attention. "The Justice League and their co-operatives had everything under control when we came to pick up those Reach chumps." He was there personally to make sure that the escort went off without a hitch when the extradite order came. His associates had those lousy bugs cold. "Why do we need to take pointers from some punk that probably just got lucky?" Whoever this guy was supposed to be, he was no League member, so for all they know he was just taking credit for something the League did.
Of course the compliant was met with a laugh from the list keeper. "As I recall from the reports, this "punk" not only took down their lead Beetle Warrior, but completely destroyed his scarab and single handedly created the tech that disabled their ultimate weapon in the same day." Guy Gardner always was a bit of an attention seeker so it came a no surprise that he would get jealous over someone else's well-earned reputation.
"You got to admit, that is highly impressive." The orange skinned female Lantern stated as she joined in the conversation while bringing over yet another box to sort through. "I can't even imagine what kind of battle harden warrior would be able to out think an elite Reach warrior."
It wasn't long before the conversation floated around as speculations and rumors were thrown back and forth. Some taking what they knew from historical records, others from what they heard from those whom actually had survived resent run ins with the hostile race, and some whom worked in the Science division theorized what level of tech the mysterious champion may be in possession of. Surly, the level either had to be compatible with the level the Reach uses or perhaps low level enough that the alien tech couldn't recognize it as a threat. Either way, it made for a fascinating study.
Again, Guy Gardner took it all with a grain of salt. If these guys wanted someone to fawn over, besides himself, they ought to be looking at kids that actually did something to end the threat while that nonsense of Rimbor was taking place. While the big players of the League were fighting to clear their names, and the rest being watched like bugs in a glass jar, the sidekicks and several newbies were the ones that had to do all the work of infiltration, intelligence gathering, rescue operations, and fill in for their mentors on top of all that. Its no secret that Earth is still labeled as a primitive planet and even with three active Earthling Corp members, one having gone as far as to earn the title of Honor Guard, two if Guy had his way in due time, it was doubtful that his home world would ever be recognized as a power on its own until their technology advances further. Sheesh, whose ever bright idea was it to gage a planet's worth solely based on tech either had to have been the biggest of geeks or never had a girlfriend. Now all of a sudden it looks like the Earth might finally be getting some respect, only because some nerd was claiming that he figured out alien tech, millions of years ahead of their own level mind you, and found a way to disable it. Not only that but he even had the gall to claim that he single handedly took out the freaking Reach Beetle General. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the creep was taking credit for other people's work, and when the ginger Lantern finally meets this so called "Scarab Master" he was going to call him out on it. See how well he'll keep his story together whi-
"Wwwhhhhooooaaaa!" An enthusiastic shout suddenly broke out and had every Lantern in the room looking up and scrambling to get out of the way as a flying teenager pushed a brightly colored clothed boy on bizarre looking chair with wheels. The one doing the pushing was propelling him on some metallic circular platform using some for of electro magnetic propulsion; allowing he to go at a speed that thoroughly pleased the passenger. "Wooohooo!"
Finally they all came to a laughable stop right near the buffet. Static Shock braked so hard that he nearly toppled the lot of them over. "Alright, me next!"
Of course, this declaration didn't suite too well with the excitable meta-human runner. "Ah c'mon we just switched!" Even if the ride was a bit slow for his liking, it was still a lot of fun.
"Hey I didn't even get a turn yet!" The green boy shouted as he grabbed a hold of the green wheelchair. It wasn't long before a three way tug-a-war started between the boys.
As the confused Corp members watched the young boys fight over the bizarre hard-light construct, another strange pair entered the mess hall. One was baring the Kryptonian shield of a mighty ally and stood a whole head and shoulders taller that his companion. The other one was sporting the infamous insect armor of the enemy. He carried himself in a casual and easygoing manner as if walking into the Green Lantern Corp's mess hall was completely normal!
"I can't believe dumb trick actually worked." Conner stated in reference to how Blue managed to convinced Bart to switch places with him in the hallway by insisting that it felt like riding a rollercoaster and suggested that Static push so that the Hispanic wouldn't 'strain himself'. "Where'd you get that idea, a cartoon?"
The beetle shared in his amusement by indulging in a few chuckles. "The Looney-looney Toonies." He admitted as he thought back to the age-old classic of misdirection and distraction. Guess you really can learn something from a cartoon, if your dealing with the right kind of person that is. "Thought I just give it a shot and see what happens." No sooner as the sentence left his mouth, Blue Beetle froze as he was once again surrounded and targeted.
Superboy immediately pulled the younger boy behind him for protection. "Whoa-whoa-HEY!" Guy Gardner, recognizing the teens, dropped his stance and rushed forwards to block both boys from his companions. "Hold it!" These Lanterns didn't open fire on them like the grunts but kept their rings trained on them all the same.
"What are you doing, Gardner?" The orange skinned alien female Lantern shouted in surprise at the ginger's actions. "Get out of the way!"
However, the large man paid no heed to her. "I know these guys, they're on our side." Guy insisted as he stubbornly stood his ground. He knew they weren't going to shoot unless they had too. "They're with the League."
The Lantern with the list questioned the ginger with absolute befuddlement. "Are you mad?" Did the human not realize that there was a Reach agent right behind him? The Bug could skew him at any given moment!
"I've asked that plenty of times myself." Hal Jordan quipped as he boldly walked right into the firing circle, took his stand right next to the Blue Beetle, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "At ease folks! These kids are clear."
At the announcement, the still stunned Elite Lanterns began to lower their rings. It was one thing for a Lantern such as Guy Gardner to claim to know a beetle; it was another thing entirely for a Lantern Honor Guard as revered as Hal Jordan to back up the claim and visually show support. Why was there a Reach Beetle on Oa? Why was he under the protection of the Honor Guard? Was he a prisoner? Why was this happening now when they had an important guest to receive? Or could he not really be a Reach Infiltrator and simply be a part of some demonstration? It would make sense, but it was highly improbable.
"Attention senior Lantern guard!" Scar's strong voice echoed over the crowd as she floated over the group, easily gaining everyone's attention. "Our honored guest has arrived!" Her tone, ever composed, held the faint ring of excitement at the prospect of having this individual among them. "This blue beetle is the individual that has done the impossible; he has mastered his scarab and rebelled against the Reach!" She glided right over towards the other side of Blue and indicated towards the rouge agent during her miniature speech. "He and his entourage are to be treated with the utmost respect."
The announcement had the surprised elite guard Lanterns and had them murmuring amongst themselves. This was the Scarab Master they were playing host to? A Reach Infiltrator? And a rouge one at that! A bug actually running free of their master's will. The very idea seemed absolutely impossible, and yet at the same time it made perfect sense. Who else but one of the Reach's own warriors could have had the capability of matching the combined strength, speed, and processing power of an elite Reach general?
"Ha-ha-ha, I don't believe it!" Guy Gardner's laughed out loud as he walked over to the boys while holding his stomach in his merriment. "Here I thought I we were getting some hotshot punk and instead I find out they actually let you on the planet." In a manner that can only be acceptable between to familiar individuals, the normally gun-hole Lantern gave the beetle a friendly rough pat on the back. "You! Of all people!" The action naturally nearly caused the smaller hero to stumble, but luckily he managed to catch himself before he tumbled over and was pulled into a rough one-arm hug. "What'ch'a do kid, bribed them with your Mom's cookies?"
Used to this particular form of rough housing from the ginger, the armored youth gave the ever-relatable exasperated expression that comes from knowing someone obnoxious. "Heh, not exactly. They, um, asked and I accepted." They may not have exactly worked together officially as of yet, but they've had enough run-ins with each other to know it was all in good fun.
"Least there'll be no excuse this time if anyone gets overly zealous." Superboy muttered over to Hal before glancing towards the rest of the group; who somehow failed to realize that they very nearly had a second shooting to deal with. Seeing that the freshmen needed a stern talking to, Conner left Jaime with the familiar adult in order to deal with the bickering three.
The fact that rough and tumble Guy Gardner was actually being chummy with the rouge Reach agent was a sight most just couldn't comprehend. "You actually know this Bug, Gardner?" The newt like Lantern asked as whispered gossip began to float around the room.
"Sure do!" Seeing a chance to showboat, the ginger Lantern once again budded up to the awkward teenager by wrapping his bulky arm around his skinnier frame. "I met'em while I was out on patrol one day. The old ring here tagged his skinny butt as a hostile, which of course made no sense seeing how tiny he is compared to me." A rough yet playful slap to the back was giving as the man finally released the armored youth, as if to emphasized the major differences in their body mass. "So I decided to investigate and swooped in to pull him over. And the first thing this little maggot did was open fired on me!" The booming laugh that followed spoke volumes of how the encounter was lightly viewed by the ginger.
"No I didn't." The youth declared after hearing the detail of his first encounter with the Lantern being obscured. "You shot me out of the sky without warning." It had been the first time he had ever met a Green Lantern, and the first time Scarab had ever truly freaked out on him. "I didn't even know you were-Ooaf!" Before he could finish his version of the story, Jaime found himself in a headlock. "Ow! Guy!"
"Naturally I easily walked it off, and charged the little punk." Guy stated as he playfully began to wrestle with the kid. Having gone a few rounds with the bug in the past the Lantern knew the kid could handle it. "Oh he tried to put up a fight, but its not like he stood a chance since he couldn't even fight a wet paper bag at the time." The ginger Lantern continued as he gave the beetle a rough noggie as he thought about their first ever encounter. "Heh, remember how you tried to bounce my attack back at me and barely managed to singe my hair?" The knuckle rubbing against Jaime's head got a little harder during the question, proof that Guy still harbored at least some resentment for that particular stunt. The Hispanic struggled to get loose only to get hindered by his captor pulling him back and his aching side. "I easily wrestled him right into the ground and had him begging for mercy."
During this fanciful storytelling, the rest of the X Squad had been helping themselves to the exotic food from the buffet while hearing Superboy's 'advice' about staying alert in unknown territory. After the close call they had at the training facility earlier, he didn't want to take anymore chances with any member of his squad. It was agreed that from now until their leave they wouldn't go off anywhere alone and had to stay in contact with at least one member of the squad. Conner was about suggest that they make contact with the Team back on Earth soon to not only report in, but debrief Nightwing on what had happened as well. Throughout the strategizing, Bart had been glancing over to where Blue Beetle was every now and then to make sure he was doing all right. He wound up double taking when he heard the Latino cry out and found him being manhandled by someone he didn't recognize.
"Hey-hey-hey!" A young and excitable voice began shouting, and before Guy knew it a yellow blur sped up between him and his make believe prisoner. "Hands off my pal!" Effectively wedging himself between the two, the new Kid Flash managed to separate his friend from the rough head lock and even managed to push the large adult back a little. "You're getting all up in my bubby, Blue's, grill and he's had more than enough of you guys flipping out!"
"Heh, easy there kid, just having some fun." The ginger Lantern laughed at the overly excited teenager; completely missing the fact that Blue was now holding at his side in a visible show of discomfort. Every speedster Guy has ever met tended to play peacemaker even when there wasn't anything going and it looks like this one was no different. "No big deal."
The careless way the words were said had been the final straw. "No big deal?!" In the span of a few hours he had witnessed his first ever true friend get shot at, nearly burned alive, came dangerously close to losing his mind, practically bleed out and most recently been publicly choked; and this weirdo was saying the whole thing wasn't worth worrying about?! "You call trying to kill him no big deal?!"
The accusation certainly wasn't expected. "Say what?" What in the vast cosmos was this kid babbling about?
"You guys already nearly fried him, the last thing he needs is to be manhandled by some creepy guy with a weird haircut!" As the auburn speedster went into a full blown rant, effectively gaining the full attention of the room, and allowing just the distraction for Superboy to pull Jaime away from the shocked crowd.
"You alright?" There didn't seem to be in any major pain, but his mental resilience could be compromised if the scarab came to the conclusion that its host was being attacked again. "Were your wounds aggravated?"
"Not really." Jaime admitted with a slight grunt. Guy may have been a little rough with him, but it wasn't as if he tore open a new hole or anything.
However, his skittish friends weren't so convinced as the gathered around him. "I think smell blood." The animorph cried out in a panic as his sharper senses detected the distinct smell of freely flowing vital fluid.
"Sit down." Conner ordered as he backed the beetle into a bench chair.
"Guys…" Jaime protested and tried to get back up. He could already see where this was going and he really didn't want to be babied.
"Sit. Down." The Kryptonian half growled, effectively getting the beetle to submit and settle down in a slight reclined position. "Let's take a quick look." He prompted, waiting for the bug to literally come out of his shell.
"Their concern is unwarranted and unnecessary." Khaji-Da stated blankly as its artificial antibodies targeted the minor rupture and began to repair it. It simply couldn't comprehend the resulting concern over such an easily sealed little opening.
"Lo se, ese." Jaime could only sigh in some frustration as he allowed himself to be repositioned and made to recline. "But, they're still freaked out over what happened. Might as well humor them; for their own peace of mind." As illogical as it may have been, Scarab relented and uncovered the injury to reveal slightly dampened, but otherwise much healthier healing flesh. "See? Scarab's got it under control."
The burn certainly looked a great deal better. It was cleaned somehow, and the bleeding had completely stopped. The damaged flesh had all been removed and new pinkish tissue was already growing in its place. The surrounding area was still very red and obviously very tender since exposure to the cool air agitated it enough to cause Jaime to hiss and seize up a bit. The friendly rough housing with Guy did cause a slight rupture in a still healing boil but other than that it was nothing fatal. The sight of it, although squeamish at best, was really a lot better than what any of them had expected to see.
"Remarkable." Scar commented, startling the small group with her sudden interruption of their collective thoughts. She had been hovering just above and behind them, looking down the injury with fascination. "I did not realize the healing capabilities of the armor were so rapid." In her hands was a plate of assorted edibles from the buffet table along with a filled cup. All of which she offered to Blue Beetle, whom accepted the food gratefully.
"It comes in pretty handy when something like this happens." Eating will give Khaji-Da more protein, vitamin, and other nutrient cells to work with during the healing process. Besides that, he was starving and the selection on the plate looked and smelled beyond appetizing. Even if some of it did looked like it was moving.
"I'd still feel better if it was wrapped up." Beast Boy admitted as he inspected the healthy flesh for any nasty puss or at least any weird reaction. "If only I knew where my-Whoa!" As he stood to back up, his foot stepped on something that nearly slipped from under him. Looking down, he discovered a small, white, near rectangular container at his feet. "Hey! My kit!"
The sudden appearance of the missing supplies easily caught the rest of the group's attention. "How did…? Where did…?" Static Shock could barely string two words together at the unbelievable coincidence.
"Who cares." Conner declared as he reprioritized the situation by relieving Jaime of his plate and getting him to lay back and turn enough on the bench so that the healing wound was more accessible to be treated. "Let's just get that side covered." With something acting as a barrier between the sensitive flesh and the armor there would less chances for further irritation and contamination. "We'll figure it out later."
It was all the frustrated bug could do to keep from groaning out loud. "Guys…" If it was possible to die of embarrassment he may as well been n the verge of testing that idea.
"It's just an extra precaution, Blue." The serious clone stated as he helped to keep the youth in position while Garfield dug out his antibiotics and gauzes. "It won't take long." Static took the beetle's arm and held it just out of the way since there wasn't a spot on the bench for it to lie on.
"Additional medical assistance would allow a 15% increase in the healing factor." Khaji-Da inquired as it analyzed the most likely results of utilizing the additional medication. Although not as effective on its own, combined with its artificial antibodies it would slash the healing time enough to allow it more processing power to focus on defense and threat detection. "Estimated time of repairs: 8hr 45min."
Surprised that his scarab was actually agreeing with the intrusive ministration, the young Hispanic resigned himself to his fate and allowed himself to be treated. It wasn't often that the sentient AI would be so cooperative, so he might as well play along if only to end this sooner. Meanwhile, the ranting of a certain agitated speedster had brought up a near heated discussion that demanded the attention of the only Honor Guard and Guardian in the room. Questions and explanations were soon blurred into jumbled up mess that Guy decided to just leave the debate circle and go straight for the source.
"Hey, what's this I hear about you nearly getting your clock… punched?" The ginger Lantern soon lost his words when he got an eye full of the rather nasty looking burn mark on the armored youth's side. "What the heck happened?!"
Really not wanting to cause yet another incident, the Blue Beetle decided to down play the injury. "It was an accident." Making accusations would only prompt defensive rebuttal anyway, and he really didn't want anything to escalate between his friends and the Corp any more than what has already happened. Goodness knows he was going to have to answer to Nightwing about all of this sooner or later.
"Accident my butt!" The third Lantern of Earth declared, outraged that the kid had actually tried to just shrug off the wound in such a manner. He may not know much about medicine but even he could tell how fresh the injury was. "How did this happen?!" When the bug literally flinched at the question, the hyper kid's rants from earlier made perfect sense. The bug had been attacked. On Oaen soil. "Who did this?"
Having enough of the ginger's prompting, Superboy turned and glared at the reserved Earth Lantern square in the eye. "Quit. Bothering. Blue." It was bad enough that his friend needed medical attention at all; he didn't need to be grilled on top of it.
Yet before Gardner could challenge the Kryptonian's gull, he was pushed back, yet again, by a yellow blur. "You again?!" Bart swore, every time his turned his back, someone in green wound up messing with his best friend. "Who is this guy?" He asked out loud to anyone with an answer.
"Guy." Slightly annoyed yet understanding of his friend's over protectiveness; the humble blue insect based hero answered with a slight grunt as he was made to sit up so that Beast Boy could begin dressing his side.
"Ya, that guy, who is he?" The new Kid Flash clarified while indicating towards the short red-haired Lantern.
"Wha-?" Confused, looked towards the large man before looking back at his friend. "Guy."
Bart gave him a look that showed he didn't quite understand before indicating towards Gardner yet again. "That guy right there. What's his name?"
Realizing what the problem was, Blue gave a short laugh and tried again. "Guy G-"
"Ya the guy standing right there." Bart interrupted before the last name could even be mentioned. "Who is he?" Why didn't his friend seem to understand what he was asking? Was he just given a sedative or something?
"Gardner!" The beetle shouted that last name, hoping that his excitable pal would stop and listen with the change in name.
"What?"
Seeing that the tactic worked, the Latino began again. "Guy Gardner."
"Why are we talking about a gardener now?" The new Kid Flash asked, not getting at all what his pal was talking about, or why he trying to change the subject. "Just tell me this guy's name."
"I did tell you!" The Spanish speaker exclaimed with an exasperated face palm. Honestly, sometimes he couldn't keep up with Bart no matter what they were doing. "He's-"
"You told me?" Came the puzzled the question from the equally puzzled youth.
"Si!"
There was at least a two second pause before the speedster opened his mouth again. "Then what's him name?" Clearly he missed it earlier somehow.
The exasperated bug could only face palm and sigh again as he sat up to make it easier for Beast Boy and Superboy to wrap the long bandage around him. "Guy."
"Ya, the guy, what's his name?" The auburn insisted.
All right, since this was obviously getting them nowhere, the elder teen decided to try rephrasing his answer again. "Guy Gardner! He's-"
"Where?" The auburn asked in some frustration as he looked around the room.
The random question confused the heroic insect for a moment. "Where what?"
"Where's this gardener guy you insist on talking about?" The youngest of the Allen family asked while looking around for anyone dressed like they belong in a greenhouse.
Neither of them noticed the sizable crowd that had gathered around them. It was all the rest of the team could take from laughing out loud. "Should we stop them?" Static managed through his stifled snickering.
"No way man, this is getting good." Beast Boy giggled behind his hands as his long tail swayed with merriment over the interaction. Now that the injury was dressed and the armor was reforming around the spot, he could enjoy the show.
Now understanding how his friend was getting confused about, the Latino slowed down a little so that he would be understood. "There is no gardener, I'm telling you Guy's name." Jaime explained to his best friend as clear as he could while indicating towards the Lantern.
"Then tell me." Bart insisted with his arms crossed. Either one or both of them were missing something here, but it they may be able to figure it out now.
Jaime found himself blinking in confusion. "Tell you what?"
"This guy's name!" The younger teen exclaimed. How could his pal forget their conversation already? What the heck kind of medicine did Beast Boy just give him?!
Jaime couldn't believe it. Were they really back to this again? "Guy!"
"Yeah, the guy, what's his name?"
The beetle did his best to hold his laughter in. "Guy!" He had to have been doing this on purpose; there was just no other reason for Bart not to get this.
"That guy there!" The green eyed speedster pointed to the bowl cut ginger. Whom by now had his arms crossed and was sporting a deep frown as the other Lanterns were all chuckling.
"Guy!" The bug answered yet again not able to keep the giggles in anymore.
"The guy standing right there!" The auburn exclaimed while indicating to the ginger Lantern yet again, earning even more chuckles. "Ya know what, forget it, I'll ask'em myself." Turning around to face the frowning adult, the teenager asked flat out. "Who are you?"
"Guy Gardner." The ginger Lantern pointed a thumb at himself as he stated his claim with an un-amused frown.
"What?" The speedster quipped with a slight tilt of the head.
"The name is Guy Gardner." The third Earth Lantern stated again more firmly as he glared down at the teenager. As expected a long pause settled on everyone as they watched for what the surely embarrassed youth would do now.
However, the instead of being embarrassed or intimidated, the youth merely blinked dumbfounded. For a solid minute, the fast-talker had absolutely nothing to say. "Is he serious?" He finally asked after turning back to his best friend.
"Heh-heh-heh yyyeah." The blue bug managed through a stifled laugh while holding his aching side. He just couldn't hold a straight face anymore after witnessing that reaction.
Kid Flash had to pause for a moment. "This is a guy, named Guy." The auburn haired teenager stated out loud as if testing the very logic of such a claim. When nobody offered anything different, he allowed himself a stifled chuckle. "Pfft, okay."
This, of course, had the surrounding audience join the laughter. "Brat." Guy muttered under his breath as he made his way back towards his seat.
"Actually its pronounced Bart, but good try though." The speedster stated innocently enough, which naturally set off another round of laughter to erupt.
The back and forth certainly helped to break any tension that may have lingered after the Elite learned that their honored guest was a formal Reach agent. Seeing the beetle doted on by his companions was both amusing, yet odd since Bugs weren't suppose to be able to feel pain or even be capable to being injured as the rumors went. The way he and the yellow one had stumbled over their miscommunication seemed so natural for juveniles, and now that they took into account his size and behavior it would seem that he was indeed and adolescent. Further more, from the looks of it all the whole interaction seemed to be genuine. Perhaps it really was possible that the beetle was on their side.
