11:04 AM EDT, Saturday, October 23rd, 2010

Mount Justice

"You just...let them go?" I ask Batman incredulously. "They run me over, try to kill me, and you let them go?"

"Legion," Superman says warningly.

I stop. Take a breath.

"Sorry. I've had a long and very frustrating day. Nothing on what your own relatives-" -and damn if it isn't satisfying, in a petty way, to see Superman squirm at that- "-went through, but still, not fun. And prone to fucking with my head, which we need to talk about. But, in all honesty, you let them go...why?"

"First contact situations, especially with civilizations that are as advanced as the Forever People's apparently is, need to be handled delicately. Holding actions made in ignorance against a group of young heroes will not help our standing with their superiors."

"And I'm sure the fact they have unrestricted unblockable teleportation had absolutely nothing to do with it," I mutter. "Alright. Fine. Let's leave the judgemental pricks who think they're gods be. If they send another idiot squad over I reserve the right to beat them with each other until they see sense again, though."

"They stated they'd inform the League in the future before sending anyone else over," Batman says. "After they required our assistance to avoid being enslaved by an Apokalyptian scientist…"

"Their egos took a beating," the Flash finishes, appearing in a red blur. "Was pretty funny to see, to be honest." He grins, and I take a step back almost on reflex. I'm sure he's trying to be friendly, but something about it...no, bad Grant, that's your paranoia talking.

I shrug. "Alright. So, then, are we going to do something about the Team, or is this another emotional problem that's going to be left festering?" I give Superman a flat look as I say this, and this time it's him who takes a step back.

"Black Canary and Lantern Gardner have already volunteered to help the Team through this."

Actual therapists. Wonderful. I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding on to. "Okay. Good. And for why the simulation went as wrong as it did? When should I find Mr. J'onnz so we can discuss that hot mess?"

Batman's eyes narrow slightly, but he nods fractionally. "Take a break. Get your thoughts in order. We'll discuss this in the Hall in three hours."

Three hours. Hopefully enough time to think, figure out how best to describe 'part of my soul got ripped out by your niece and was controlled by the remnants of a psychic sadist, trapping everyone in a disturbingly realistic war story' to the Martian Manhunter in such a way I don't have to worry about pissing off the psychic shapeshifter. I nod sharply, turn, and immediately run into what feels like a brick wall.

I pick myself up off the ground. "This is just not my day…" I mutter, looking up at Wonder Woman. And then down at Cassie standing at her side. "Oh."

Shit. I'd run out of Challenger Mountain, then gotten mixed up with the Forever Leeroys, and then the simulation...and hadn't had the time to spare a thought as to what Cassie would've been thinking. Shit.

Aaaand I told Morah to break out the sci-fi closet before I left. Double shit.

"Just out of curiosity, was Morah…"

"Wearing a giant suit of red powered armor and carrying a weapon that looked like the offspring of a pike and a plasma cannon? Yes," Diana replies flatly.

Huh. Would've expected him to outfit some of the Swarm or set up automated defenses. Not climb into the prototype himself.

"I...did mention I thought we were about to be invaded?" I say carefully.

"Do not worry too much, Legion," she says, a little bit warmly. "He didn't do anything rash."

"I assumed that was the case, because you only look slightly irritated, and I'm sorry for leaving like I did, by the way, I-"

She raises a hand, and I close my mouth.

"Legion. Relax."

"You're being dumb, uncle," Cass says, imitating my deadpan and then smiling.

Okay. Deep breaths, Grant. "I'm...gonna just go. Make an absurd quantity of food, maybe fight a Behemoth, get a report on this entire mess written up and then see if I'm finally tired enough to actually sleep."

++[Staysafe]++

I nod in response to Cassie, then poke her in the forehead. "Behave, okay?"

"Okay," she says quietly, smiling slightly.

I let the Red pull me back home.

2:12 PM EDT

Hall of Justice

It's a strange feeling, sitting at this round table with the League members scattered around it. Treating me like an equal, when I know some of them would rather have nothing to do with me. Green Arrow, for one, has elected to sit as far as possible from my own position.

It's unimportant, though.

"Where should I start?" I ask Batman cordially.

"At your involvement."

"Right." I take a moment, thinking it over. "Alright, everyone here knows about how M'gann freaked out when Speedy 'died' during the sim, her subconscious started enforcing it as reality to the minds of the others, et cetera. What also happened is it grabbed ahold of a distress beacon I'd given the Team, and when I tried to respond, it attempted to pull me into the sim as well. The process basically ripped a chunk of my soul free and put it in the sim, due to how I'm...divided, spiritually and mentally speaking. It was...not a pleasant process." I drum my fingers on the table for a moment. "After that, it appears that Psimon was still extant after I...well, ate him. He took over the simulation and the pieces of my soul that had been placed there, with the intention of keeping it running forever. I battled through his illusions, and ended the sim."

"And Psimon?" Captain Marvel asks cautiously.

I bare my teeth. "He won't trouble anyone, ever again."

There's a moment of silence.

"So, would anyone care to explain why it was thought throwing a telepath into a simulation vulnerable to telepathy was a good idea?" I ask lightly.

The Martian Manhunter leans forwards slightly. "The ritual used for the simulation that I created ordinarily would require an entire team of powerful Martians to...overcome...in the way it did, and all of them would have to have panicked at the exact same time for the exact same reasons. M'gann is...powerful. Exceptionally, extraordinarily so, to a degree that has never been seen among any Martian save a Red Martian, our leaders and strongest in the mental arts, and even then…" He slumps slightly in his chair. "As horrifying as it may be to contemplate, what happened here could not have been foreseen. She has never displayed this sort of power before."

"You're telling me this was an accident?" Green Arrow snaps.

"Yes, it w-"

"Bullshit!" he shouts. "I don't doubt that your niece doing what she did was accidental, but as for them being trapped...I think we all know who's to blame there."

What is he...oh, he's staring right at me.

Wonderful. I stare right back. "If you've got something to say, say it," I state flatly, keeping tight control on my voice.

"Fine, then," he says, standing, shrugging off Black Canary's hand on his shoulder. "Maybe if, I don't know, you'd actually bothered to make sure you didn't have a sociopath kicking around in your head. Or if you hadn't handed the Team an artifact linked to your soul without asking anyone more experienced what could happen. Or, maybe, just maybe, if you'd learned some damn restraint and showed it to the Team, they wouldn't have been traumatized like that."

Calm. Stay calm.

"So, you're blaming me for something beyond all our control," I respond slowly. "Really. Is this honestly the best time you could think of to start satisfying your grudges?" I see, out of the corner of my eye, a couple of the other League members wince. "Two of your wards- not the League's, yours- were traumatized badly enough to develop superpowers, and rather than try to figure out how to help, you're only interested in pinning blame on the blameless." I smile coldly. "Try again, Drama Queen."

He goes pale, and my smile widens slightly. [color=transparent]!AssertDominance![/color]

"Legion." Batman's voice cuts through the stillness like a knife. "Do you have anything else to report?"

"No. I've said my piece."

"Then I think you should go."

I nod, stand, and walk out of the conference room, ignoring the eyes on my back.

11:02 AM EDT, Monday, October 25th, 2010

University of Washington DC, Washington DC

"I'll be honest," the Dean begins, "I almost didn't expect you to answer."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?"

"You seem to value your privacy, and even the more public heroes, even ones who don't bother with a secret identity, don't do much beyond the occasional speaking bit," he replies. "I understand that- they're busy people- so I'll confess I didn't have high hopes."

"They've got a rogues gallery. I don't," I say by way of an answer to his unspoken question. "And the opportunity to actually teach people magic in a way that isn't the hackneyed master-apprentice chain...well, how could I refuse?"

The Dean, an unremarkable, balding man, smiles slightly. "I'm glad to hear that. Now, you know I can't offer an immediate position as a teacher…"

I shrug. "Thought as much, with the timing. I'm assuming this would be during the spring semester?"

"Yes, a lecturer's position, an elective course. You'd be able to set your own class requirements, provided the committee approves. But, if it's at all possible...we could have a speaking engagement set up for you. Give you a chance to demonstrate something, stir up some genuine interest."

I raise an eyebrow. "You're putting a lot into this."

"I'll confess, it's a bit of a personal project for me," the Dean says. "Are you interested?"

I nod.

"Excellent."

12:08 AM MDT, Tuesday, October 26th

Challenger Mountain

First is, as always, the world's best laboratory assistant. Even more so now that he actually has hands. Well, more hands. I don't even need to ask for tools, he provides them the instant I think I need them. Even with the task of accommodating his bulk in the lab, it's still a net positive to have him around.

This stuff doesn't look like I'd expected it to, once it's under a microscope. It's most certainly not blood like one would think. Instead, it looks more like...well, I'm no engineer. I'm certain that there's a reason for these structures, and that it's why the greater whole breaks physics the way it does.

A brief application of electricity- tiny, tiny amounts, down in the millivolts- and under the microscope the liquid suddenly hardens, coalescing into crystal. There.

"Strength?" I ask.

++One hundred ten millivolts,++ First responds. I smile.

"Action potential. Something's making these things act like neurons." I cut off the flow, and the crystal returns to liquid. "I need better equipment," I grumble, "but this should do for now. No cellular structure, no identifiable DNA or XNA equivalent, just crystals...hmm...silicon binding? No, too ridiculous. And why would they react on the same action potential as a human neuron…" I shake my head. I could just chalk it up to 'shard bullshit' and leave it at that…

"Recognized: Match, B-09."

Huh. Connor visiting again? Let's hope it doesn't end with me getting punched in the face like last time. I roll my shoulders, nod to First, and walk out of the lab quickly.

I'll get to poke at the samples Red Arrow dropped off later. Right now, Connor is probably going to take up my offer, and that takes precedence over literally everything.

I borrow some of the eyes of my Swarm as I walk. Connor looks tired, something that seems slightly...off, really, for him. Even though he's always been quiet, it's been the strong kind of quiet. Seeing his black-and-gold eyes empty and dull is...offputting.

[color=transparent]!ProtectNest![/color]

I don't run. But I get pretty close to it. And so, even with Challenger Mountain's size, it doesn't take long to make my way to the room Connor has headed for. It's practically a match for the living room in Mount Justice. I blame Batman for that, since he provided the furnishings.

Yes. Definitely Batman's fault.

He looks up as I enter, and I sit down next to him, dislodging a featherclaw that had been curled up there. The dog-sized creation chirrups grumpily and parks itself in Connor's lap. "Couldn't sleep?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"So...you came to the guy who doesn't actually sleep."

"You're the one who said you'd be here to talk," he responds. One hand scratches the featherclaw behind the horns.

I grin. "Fair enough. What's eating you?"

"You know how Superman's been...kinda weird, about us?"

"Considering it's probably half the reason Elias is his usual grumpy self, yeah," I respond.

"He tried to stop by and talk this morning."

"Tried…?"

"Elias...um...Elias kicked him in the balls."

I can't help it. I start laughing.

"It's not funny!" Connor protests weakly.

"Superman finally finds the balls to talk to his clones, and then gets kicked in said balls! Hah!" I get out between breaths. "That's fucking hilarious, is what it is."

He punches me in the shoulder. "You're being a jackass again."

"Hey, he's your brother." Alright, serious time. "But I really don't think that's the reason you can't sleep."

"No," he admits, "but it doesn't help."

"The sim?"

"Yeah. Some...pretty bad nightmares."

"Reach?"

"The Beetles. Just before the sim broke."

I sigh. "Heavy shit."

"Yeah." There's silence.

I stand. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" he asks, doing the same. His feathery companion simply climbs on to his shoulder as he does so, climbing up his jacket with clawed hands.

"Labs. Red Arrow tell you why he came here for a bit?"

"Said he had to drop off something important. Then he went back to sparring with Kaldur."

"Normal, healthy, cathartic reaction to stress, see?"

"And me having nightmares about the Team...the Team dying, isn't?" Match's voice hitches slightly, but he puts on a bantering tone.

"Oh, no, that's normal too. I was thinking about what I do when I have to exorcise metaphorical demons." I reply.

"Invade the Middle East?"

"Ha-ha. No. More 'do science to things until an abomination of nature results'."

"So that's why you made the Swarm."

"... honestly, I don't have a rebuttal to that," I finally state.

"Thought so. But seriously, why are we going to the labs?"

"I figured boring you to sleep with complicated explanations of whatever the hell the stuff Red Arrow grows from his back would help."

"Well, tell me now, and save us the walk."

"You have no sense of dramatics, but fine. I think it's his shard."

Connor stops. "What?"

"Yeah, not sure myself but it responds to electrical signals, is made of crystal, and passively emits a bit of almost every bit of the electromagnetic spectrum and a few exotic energy bits as well. So, probably a bit of his shard. Might be a sensor rig, might be data collection, might be emitting mind control beams, I don't know."

"And...making an abomination of nature…"

"I have a theory." A theory based mostly on metaknowledge, conjecture, and an idea of Administrator's willingness to troll, but still a theory. "Bet you fifty bucks Red's powers get stronger over time, especially when he beats someone."

"This is the opposite of helping me sleep."

"True. If sleep's all you want, I could just knock you out for eight hours. Like flicking a switch."

"How the-"

"Magic is bullshit, my dear Kryptonian."

Connor groans, then smiles. "Actually, if you can make it so I don't dream-"

"Easy."

"Then yeah, do that."

I tap him on the forehead, and he hits the ground snoring.

It's only then I realize that now I've got to carry the big lug back to the couch.

Fuck it, this is what Hunters are for.

++[Indignation,]++ First rumbles, coming around the corner.

"Hey, y'all live here, least you can do is help with guests," I respond with a grin.

++They would run away, most of them. Hunters are not pretty.++

"Eh, fair enough. Now get his legs."