01/03/10
FIRST NEW CHAPTER OF THE NEW YEAR~ :D
...I don't remember if I changed this file to the beta read version or not.... I may have to replace this chapter later...
OMGosh, we might be actually getting into actual plot now instead of plot bunnies. D8 ... This story may last a while. XD
ENJOY!
SAME DAY EDIT! Now it's the Beta Read Version. XD
Chapter 9
After eating some breakfast before the disgruntled cleaning crew returned, they continued from where they left off on their tour yesterday.
Subtly pulling Lightning Lad towards the end of the group, and then putting some space between them and the tour, Superman turned to him and asked softly, "What does 'dirj' mean?"
"It would be like calling someone a bitch in your time; only worse," Lightning Lad frowned, eyes still glowing with a hint of the energy he had had to hold back to restrain himself from blasting at the powerless ensigns and other red shirts.
In one of the few times of camaraderie between the two of them, Superman patted his shoulder and said, in complete seriousness, "I hope you broke his jaw."
First Lightning Lad blinked at him, then he smirked. "Well I hope Cupcake trying to kick your butt broke his foot."
"Well, I hope Bones stabs him in the neck with one of those hypo sprays."
"I hope he tries hitting on Phantom Girl and gets his face scratched off by Timber Wolf."
"Well, it would be an improvement."
"Guys, what's so funny?" Bouncing Boy turned when he heard their laughter.
Saturn Girl rolled her eyes. "You don't want to know."
"Hey, we're finally 'bonding', isn't that what you're always harassing me about?" Lightning Lad crossed his arms.
With a sigh, Saturn Girl turned to follow the others, "Just forget it."
Brainy frowned at them. "I doubt Saturn Girl intended for the two of you to bond over a shared dislike of a Starfleet officer. We're here to make bridges, not burn them."
When Brainy turned away to catch up with the others, Superman couldn't understand why he suddenly felt so cold.
Face straining against the urge to smile, Sulu patted Superman's shoulder. "Don't fret too much about it. Cup- I mean, Ensign Bacon truly isn't that bad when you get to know him."
A smile flinched on Sulu's face when Kirk snorted.
"Could someone please tell me what happened," Phantom Girl pleaded, actually making a praying gesture towards Saturn Girl. "The curiosity is going to kill me."
"That is an illogical statement," said Spock. "One cannot die from curiosity." He saw Kirk open his mouth. "Not even a cat."
Closing his mouth, Kirk looked away as if he was never going to say anything to begin with.
At first Phantom Girl simply stared at Spock but then went back to pleading with Saturn Girl.
"Please?! It may not kill me but it will annoy me and make me annoy everyone around me!"
Thus began the retelling of the tale of Cupcake's stupidity.
Over the next three hours the Legion saw most of what there was to see on the Enterprise. An hour of it was just spent in the engine room as they listened to Scotty go on and on about his 'babies' and all the wonderful things their 'lady' could do.
A mild argument broke out between the Scotsman and the Legion cruiser pilot when they began to compare their ships. Each bragging about the best features of their ship, soon beginning to point out flaws in the other. It looked like a fight was about to break out between them – when both laughed and shook the other's hand.
Chuckling, Superman turned to comment on it to Brainy, but trailed off when he saw that Brainy was not beside him like he had thought. Looking around, he frowned when he spotted him; off to the side looking at some sort of panel with Spock, as the Vulcan demonstrated a few control sequences.
Now blocking out the conversations around him, Superman observed the two apart from the group. Brainy, the shortest of their group, looked like a child next to the tall Vulcan; Superman himself was only a head shorter than Spock.
Yet there was something about them that seemed to match. Both were lithe, but well built, aliens that looked different from the mostly human, or human looking, groups and, from what Superman had heard about the Vulcan, scientific geniuses. As Brainy alone was in charge of maintaining the security of Legion Headquarters, its maintenance, defense systems and so much more that Superman was probably not even aware of, Spock was Chief Science Officer, looking over an entire, crucial department of the Enterprise.
It was strange that Superman's heart sagged at the thought Brainy might have more in common with Spock then he did with him.
Next, Sulu took them to the botany room, showing them his many exotic plants that he grew as a hobby. Currently his biggest project, which was self-assigned, was to recreate some of the Vulcan plants that had been lost when Nero destroyed the planet. Spock, when he had the time, would often assist with the project.
It was hard for Superman not to frown when Brainy expressed an interest in helping, but he managed. Barely.
As Triplicate Girl smelled some of the roses, Sulu snuck a pink one with the thorns cut off to Bouncing Boy and pushed the blushing boy towards her. His blush only grew when Triplicate Girl accepted the flower and kissed his cheek in return. When she handed it back to him and leaned in, his hands shook a little when he stuck the stem behind her ear, the shaking ceasing when he brushed down her hair to hide the stem.
Sulu stayed behind to water the plants when the tour continued, continuing on to see Bones in the Med Bay.
Neither Superman nor Lightning Lad could keep the smirks off their faces when Bones granted their wish to stab Cupcake in the neck with a hypo, and forced him to stay in bed with a broken foot.
"You two can wipe the smiles off your faces if this becomes a common occurrence," Bones threatened with a hypo spray and, even though Superman couldn't be hurt by it, he paled right along with Lightning Lad at the doctor's diabolical expression.
While exploring the medical equipment, Saturn Girl got into a conversation with one of the nurses named Chapel; a pretty woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. As she talked with the Legionnaire, the nurse seemed to be suppressing sighs whenever she happened to look in Spock's direction.
Soon enough Triplicate Girl joined them, asking questions about how some of the equipment worked. When Chapel complimented her rose, she smiled and said her Bouncy gave it to her, sending a wink in his direction and smiling more when he grinned at her with a happy blush on his cheeks.
They were barely in there for twenty minutes when Bones kicked them out. Not only were they 'crowding his sick bay' but he was 'sick and tired of ghost girl messing with his equipment and asking the werewolf to play doctor'.
"He's fun to annoy," Phantom Girl smiled.
"I know," Jim chuckled.
The group then had to run to dodge the bedpans that Bones started to throw at them.
"At least they were empty this time," Jim shivered in remembrance.
Next they headed to the Science Labs, where Spock was immediately swarmed by his subordinates. At first Superman smiled, thinking this would distract him from bothering Brainy, but that smile was immediately smashed when Spock lead Brainy away to show them a few of their experiments, while the rest of them got the 'dumbed down' version of the tour from the captain.
When they left the labs they headed to the bridge to begin the alpha shift; Jim apologizing for the lack of chairs for them.
"Not even the entire bridge crew gets a chair, so don't feel too left out," said Jim, sitting in the captain's chair. "They seriously need to reconsider the design of the bridge for the next generation of starships though."
The first officer rolled his eyes in his Vulcan way stating, "Perhaps the next Enterprise will be better equipped with its seating arrangement?"
"Next Enterprise? Spock, I haven't even broken this one in yet," Jim whined.
"Yet being the key word, Captain," Spock went to his station, noting Superman's frown when he lead Brainy away. He also saw that the captain was grinning even though he made pouting noises and joked (at least he assumed it was a joke, human laughter often escaped him), that Spock was 'mean'.
A sound similar to a whistle blew through the bridge.
"We are being hailed by Starfleet," Uhura stated, turning in her chair to look at Kirk with something big and silver hanging out of her ear.
"Put it on screen, Mr. Chekov," ordered Jim.
The young officer nodded and punched in a few buttons.
"On screen Swir."
Right after that, the image of Admiral Pike appeared on the view screen that looked out into space when it wasn't being used for communications.
"Think you can bring back the ship in one piece this time, Kirk?"
Turning about in his chair, Jim made a show of considering Pike's request, even striking a 'Thinker' pose. He turned back to the view screen when Spock cleared his throat.
"I'll do my best, Admiral."
"I guess that's the best I can hope for," Pike chuckled. "Good luck on your mission to New Vulcan."
"Thanks, and don't forget my offer to send reinforcements if they get out the glue," Jim grinned.
"I'll keep it in mind. Pike out," Pike's image disappeared after saying this; revealing the stars.
"Set in a course for New Vulcan, Mr. Sulu," ordered Jim.
"Course set in, Captain," Sulu stated after a moment.
"Punch it," Jim pointed towards the stars in a dramatic fashion, getting a chuckle from Phantom Girl.
