"As I thought. Just be sure not to injure yourselves. I'm going to need you." - Gladius Girl

Someone Cut A Promo

October 8th

Morning

There was no way to tell the passage of time in the metahuman cell. Daniel was in a half doze near Julia when the energy rays that kept them locked in flickered and disappeared with a high-pitched whine. Some of the other trapped teenagers looked up hopefully, but then they deflated when they saw Druj and Afreet walk into view.

Druj looked at the bunch critically. "They don't look much like fighters." He observed.

"The boss told me to collect metahumans and that's what I did." Afreet replied. "I didn't stop to ask if they knew how to throw a punch." He adjusted the blindfold over his eyes. "I wouldn't worry. Once they realize what's at stake, they'll fight hard."

"Hey!" One of the inmates shouted angrily. It was a bald girl with a short, blonde mohawk that turned into a mane at the nape of her neck. "Stop talking about us like we're not here! I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm sick and tired of being left in the dark! What's going on here?"

"See?" Afreet said. "Some of them are ready to fight already."

The girl growled and held out her hands. Multicolored sparks shot out of her fingertips at Afreet. Afreet teleported and the sparks passed harmlessly through the wisp of smoke he left behind and exploded some distance behind him. Afreet reappeared where he had been standing before.

"What was that she threw at me?" He asked Druj, sounding only mildly curious.

"Some kind of heated energy." Druj told him. "It looked like fireworks; very colorful."

"I wouldn't know." Afreet said blandly. He looked back to the group of captured metahumans teenagers. "Well, it seems that Sparky here is ready to fight. How about the rest of you?"

"Spark." The mohawked girl stressed. "My name is Spark."

"Whatever." Afreet faced her. "By the way, Spark, if you try that again Druj will decapitate you on the spot."

Spark said nothing, but she looked cautiously as the tall swordsman.

"Now," Afreet went on. "Everyone line up in front of me." When that was done he 'looked' up at the first metahuman in line. "What's your name?"

The metahuman looked submissively down at his feet. "Dracon." He answered. His voice was deep and gravelly and raspy.

"Interesting voice you have there." Afreet said. He lowered his already short stature to 'look' in Dracon's face, but he turned to the side to avoid it. "Why aren't you looking at me?" Afreet wanted to know.

"I d-don't look at people when I talk to them." Dracon said. "It makes t-them uncomfortable."

"And from that constant stutter I can deduce you don't talk to anyone very often." Afreet reached up with his hands and ran them over Dracon's face. He felt his hairless head and the hard scales and his short snout. "Ah, I see. Do you have any other abilities aside from wearing scales?"

"I-I'm faster and stronger than m-most people and I c-can breathe fire."

"A little cliché, but effective." Afreet turned from him to the next metahuman in line while Druj scribbled the information down on a clipboard. "Next? Tell me your name and your abilities." The metahuman began to answer, but Afreet silenced him by raising his hand. He glanced over his shoulder at his brother. "Reach out to your left side, Druj." He instructed.

Druj's red on black eyes were quizzical, but he trusted his brother. He reached out into the empty air beside him and grasped something that obviously was not air. He felt the solid, invisible object with a fascinated look. He groped...groped...and then he suddenly blushed.

"Grab a little higher maybe." Afreet suggested.

Druj reached up and wrapped his hand in a C-shape in the not so empty air. The air shimmered and wavered and suddenly he was was clutching the throat of a teenage girl. She was bronze-skinned with suspenders, a braided ponytail and a pair of flight goggles high on her forehead. Strange invisible streaks danced across her skin. They traveled faster and faster as Druj held her.

"H-How did you see me?" The girl said tightly. "No one can see me!"

"I see the world a little differently." Afreet said. "It took me a while to realize you were invisible, in fact. No one has looked at you and Druj didn't react when you tried to slip by him. Come get in line in front of me."

The girl hesitated.

"I would do it, if I were you." Druj advised gravely and released his grip on her.

"I think we know your power now." Afreet said when she stood before him. "What's your name?"

"Cid, okay?" She said it quickly. "It's Cid."

Afreet peered at her. "That's not very sexy. Don't you have an alias?"

"I'm no fighter." Cid shook her head. "I'm just a crop duster. That's all!"

"You can be a pilot tomorrow. Today, you're a fighter. Deal with it." Afreet told her. He paused. "From now on, you're Veil." He decided.

The next metahuman in line was a narrow-waisted teenage boy in denim and black. He flashed such a smile that Afreet had to do a double take.

"Who are you?" Afreet asked him.

"I'm Wynter." The boy flicked back his dark, wavy hair to wink. "The coolest guy you'll ever meet!"

Afreet groaned quietly. "And you're an ice elemental, right?"

"Um...yeah." Wynter blinked several times. "How'd you know?"

"...moving on..."

"Oh, hey!" Wynter motioned to Druj and his clipboard. "You writing this down? Make sure you spell my name right! It's Wynter with a 'y'!"

"There is no 'y' in Winter." Druj stated.

"There is when I spell it!"

"You're in a cheery mood for someone who's been kidnapped." Afreet pointed out curiously.

Wynter shrugged. "There's no point in worrying about stuff. I mean, you haven't tried to freeze dry our blood to sale as cherry popsicles or anything, am I right? You gotta stay positive and have fun! Sometimes that's the best way to break the ice, ya know?"

Afreet stared at him in a deadpan. "I already hate you." He said and turned away. Spark was next in line and he walked past her to come face to face with Daniel. "What's your name?" Afreet asked him.

Daniel hesitated before he answered. "You don't care about my real name. You just want a marketable code name, don't you?" He asked.

Afreet smiled thinly. "It's nice to see one of you finally catch on. You're absolutely right."

"Then you can call me Cure." Daniel said. "I can heal people; cuts, bruises, burns, that kind of thing."

Afreet nodded.

"But-" Daniel went on. "I don't know what you have planned here, but I can't fight anyone."

"And why is that?"

"I'm fragile." Daniel explained. "Every injury I heal...the pain stays with me. I wouldn't last a second against anyone."

Afreet leaned forward as if peering at him from beneath his blindfold. "You're lying. No one could function under that kind of pain."

"I know." Daniel groaned. "That's what this is for." He took the jug from his belt, refilled his silver flask and drank liberally from it.

Afreet smelled the alcohol on the air. "Clever. I would have used pain pills, personally." He paused. "Let's see just how fragile you are." He reached out and experimentally squeezed Daniel's wrist. Daniel's reaction was immediate. He cried out in a shout and crumpled to the ground. He shivered and shook in pain, clutching his wrist.

"He definitely can't fight." Druj said.

"True," Afreet agreed. "But he could still come in handy." He left Daniel on the floor and stepped to the next in line. "Name?"

"C-Chase. Danny Chase, sir." He was obviously the youngest of the group. He was thirteen and short for his age. A mop of red hair fell into his bespectacled eyes.

"You were the one Druj cut." Afreet realized. "I notice, however, you're no longer cradling your arm. Doesn't it hurt?"

"Nu-uh." The boy shook his head.

"I presume we have Cure to thank for that. Druj?" He motioned his brother over.

Druj reached out, took the boy's arm and looked over it closely. "The wound is gone." He reported. "Not even a scar."

Afreet glanced down at a still recovering Daniel, shakily bringing his flask to his lips. "Very handy indeed." He looked back at the boy. "What's your power, Chase?"

"I don't know what it's called." The little boy murmured. "I can move stuff with m-my mind."

"Like what?"

It was the initial, tentative tug that warned Afreet. Chase's telekinesis pulled away the blindfold covering Afreet's eyes. Afreet clenched his eyes shut immediately and covered them with his hands for good measure.

"You idiot!" Afreet shouted even as he blindly kicked Chase in the chest. "Do you have any idea what you could have done!"

Chase fell beside Daniel and was nearly sniveling before he hit the ground. Daniel stood up and laboriously helped the boy to his feet. Meanwhile, Druj had silently picked up the blindfold and held it out to his brother. Afreet snatched it from him quickly and replaced it on his face.

"Never do that again!" Afreet grated, though he had somewhat regained his composure. He took in a deep breath and turned to the next metahuman in line.

It was impossible. Afreet was blind. All he could see was the darkness in the souls around him. His vision was on a completely different plane. And yet, as clear as day, he saw Starfire before him in all her terrible glory. She was just as Druj had described her. Her red hair whipped on a breeze he couldn't feel like some kind of war banner. Her green eyes glowed and burned with wisps licking out of the corners. She floated just above the ground and held a star bolt out before her. She glared at Afreet, levitating closer.

Afreet backed away from her fearfully, sweating from the heat of the blazing energy she held. "N-no! Stay away from me!"

"Afreet!" Druj said.

"Don't!" Afreet was crawling backwards on his hands. "She'll kill you!"

Druj took two confident steps, drew his sword and held the point to Starfire's throat. "I don't know what you're doing." He said. "But you better stop it right now."

The star bolt Starfire held dissipated and she dropped her hand. She wavered like a mirage and in her place was a tall, broad-shouldered teenager in jeans, a black shirt and a half-mask in the shape of a skull, though to Afreet he was simply a humanoid-shaped glow of dark energy; darker than the others. Afreet drew one of his black daggers, teleported and shoved it hilt deep into the teenager's arm. The boy let out a pained cry and then hissed manfully in pain.

"I'm getting tired of this!" Afreet rasped. "No more games! You're all going to stand there and not do anything unless I say so! Now," he looked at his stabbed victim. "Your name and your power. Go."

"Fear." The skull-faced teenager bit off. He breathed shallowly. "I-I can look into people and see their fears. Then I m-make illusions based on them." He cried out again as Afreet jerked out the dagger and blood poured. "Have Cure fix that." Afreet told him heartlessly.

Fear glared after him until Druj stepped between them to block his view. Fear's eyes met Druj's red on black orbs.

"I wouldn't." The swordsman warned him. "What I'm afraid of would tear you apart."

Fear's pained face turned away.

Next in line was a tall girl with bronze skin. Her eyes were dark and angular and a blue bandanna held back long red hair tied in compact braids. "Hey, hey, hey!" She held up her hands non-threateningly. "No drama here, aye?"

"Name. Power."

"Abby." The girl said in her accent. "Bastards back home call me Stainless when they think they're being clever. I can turn my skin to steel."

Julia was last in line. She was fidgeting and hugging herself, anxiously awaiting her turn. "I'm Julia." She said it quickly and unprompted. "B-but you made a mistake. I don't have powers like these other people. I can't fight."

Afreet looked at Druj and something unspoken passed between them. Druj handed him the device Afreet had worn on his wrist during the kidnappings. Afreet pointed it at Julia and the device beeped. "The tech says you have an active metagene." He said as he tossed it back to Druj. "Either you're lying...or you really don't know what your power is. If the latter is true, I suggest you start looking for it."

Afreet looked at the rest of them. "You're here to participate in a metahuman fighting tournament. The winner gets a hundred thousand dollars and their freedom."

"What happens if we lose?" Julia wanted to know.

Afreet stared at her from behind his blindfold. The room went quiet as everyone waited for him to reply.

"...I suggest you win so you don't find out." He said it like the crack of doom. "The fighting starts soon. Get ready."

The glowing lasers reappeared to keep the hostages in place. Afreet teleported out of the cell and walked out of the room beside Druj. As they passed the doorway, Druj leaned in and whispered: "What does happen to the losers?" He asked curiously.

Afreet looked at him with an absolute straight face and shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?"

TTTTTTTTTT

Maverick was dead. All that was left of him was a black and orange costume shoved into a dumpster near Karen's Shop. Encore had taken his place as Jonny's alter-ego.

Encore was a man beneath a big black hat and a pair of dark, round glasses that were nearly goggles were attached to the brim and masked half of his face. Long black hair – hair that wasn't Jonny's own - poured out from beneath the back. A rust-colored poncho hung over one shoulder and beneath it was a snug black vest and a white collared shirt. He wore a thick belt, dark brown pants and black chaps and boots.

The old arena in the heart of Downtown wasn't quite as old as the name implied. The earthquake ten years prior had caused minor damage and compromised the integrity of the structure. Jump City – that is, the new urban area built around Downtown – was still in its infancy. Because of the arena's location, the city officials had decided not to repair it and instead built a new arena in the safer and richer part of town. The city sold the arena and, over the next several years, it had several owners; all of whom had planned to repair the building and, for whatever reason, all of them never completing the construction. The city finally foreclosed on the last owner and, after more years of political procrastination, it was decided the arena would be demolished to make way for what they deemed to be 'urban renewal'. The metahuman fighting tournament would be the building's swan song before it was reduced to rubble and, most likely, turned into a parking lot.

Encore stood in the street in front of the giant steel dome. He looked up at it as he collected his thoughts and mustered up his resolve. He sighed, fished beneath his poncho and pulled out a cigarette and matches. He stuck the cigarette in his mouth, cupped his hand and lit a match. He breathed in and the tip of the cigarette flared.

"Smoking is bad for you, you know."

Encore jumped. He looked around quickly, but there was no one around. Encore frowned. The voice had almost sounded like-

"You don't want to ruin our kisses, do you?"

There was no doubt this time. The voice belonged to Amber. It hadn't been clear through the constant buzzing in his ears, but it was clear enough. Encore closed his eyes and shivered.

It was his underground training with Slade and Kelly that ultimately saved him. There was a change in the atmosphere and he heard a tiny metallic clink he knew was the shifting of armor. There were two quick, deft footfalls and then a whistling that was a weapon slicing through the air. Encore didn't turn to look; he reacted. He jerked back, stumbling on his heels. A silver blur that was a short sword slashed down just ahead of his nose and cleaved his cigarette in half. Encore jumped out of his stumble and planted his feet. A melody played in his mind and he blindly retaliated with a pair of fireballs.

His attacker deflected on with the small, round buckler attached to her left arm and leaped over the second. The fireball exploded beneath her. The concussion sent her flying up, but she backflipped, twisted and landed gracefully on her feet. Encore grit his teeth and strings of blue electricity danced around his clenched fists. He shifted his weight to-

"Hold." The girl put her sword in the sheath at her hip with a metal slither and held up her hand. "I don't want to fight you."

"You got a hell of a way of showing it, darlin'." The electricity around his hands disappeared, but his eyes – hidden behind his dark glasses – were still a little wild. The cigarette stub hung coldly between his lips.

Encore's attacker was a long-legged woman nearly as tall as he was with pale, alabaster skin and speckled green eyes. She wore a chain mail coif that covered her head, framed her oval face and cascaded down her regal neck. Smooth steel pauldrons protected her shoulders and bracers covered her wrists. A small, round buckler was attached to the her left bracer and was reinforced by riveted steel. She wore an embossed steel breastplate over a thin, long-sleeved black shirt and a thick girdle held her blade at her hip. Her legs were covered by light blue jeans and high steel boots – jointed at the ankle and the knee – protected her legs even further. There was also a peculiar white half-cloak connected to her right shoulder pauldron that looped around her neck before flowing down her back. It looked more like a war banner than a suitable garment. All in all, despite the commonplace clothes beneath her armor, it was obvious she was dressed for battle.

"I wouldn't talk so lightly of hell if I were you." She warned Encore.

"Why's that?"

The armored woman reached below her breastplate and brought out her necklace. She leaned forward to show Jonny the glowing red jewel and pulsated like a beating heart. "Because if my necklace is right," she said. "You're going to see it first-hand very soon."

A chill shot through Encore's body. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked tightly.

The warrior woman shook her head and replaced the necklace beneath her armor. Instead, she asked: "Why are you participating in this tournament?"

Encore opened his mouth to answer, but then he quickly thought better of it. He crossed his arms across his chest and cocked his hip to the side. "I don't think so. You'll have to forgive me if I ain't falling all over myself to trust you."

A look of irritation crossed the warrior's face. "Are all men this distrustful of strangers?"

"Only strangers that try to cut us in half with swords."

Her eyes flickered down to her sword hilt. "It's called a gladius." She corrected him.

"Whatever, Gladius Girl. The point is that you tried to give me the point!"

The girl coined as Gladius Girl let out a frustrated huff. "I don't care about specifics." She said. "I just care about your motivation. You can reveal that without telling any of your precious secrets, can't you? You don't have the spirit of a warrior. You don't have the urge to prove your mettle in battle. So why are you here?"

"I'm here to help out a friend." Encore said. "Nothing more."

"Is that so?" Gladius Girl was unconvinced. "I understand the winner gets a large sum of money. That doesn't interest you at all?"

Encore looked away and didn't answer. Gladius Girl let out a harsh laugh. "That's what I thought." She said. "Even with the best intentions, men can't leave their greed behind." She took the cigarette stub out of Encore's mouth and threw it to the ground. "Sign ups are inside. Let's go." She turned her back on him and walked towards the front of the stadium, leaving Encore with no choice but to trail behind her.

TTTTTTTTTT

The tournament sign-up room was a large, buttressed lobby near the outer ring of the complex. There were three judges sitting at tables while lines of costumed teens waited their turn. Those already signed up lounged about the room. Some grouped together to talk strategy. Others sauntered around and talked trash to anyone who would listen. Others found secluded spots and sized up the competition. Aquagirl and Beast Boy – in the fleshy pink disguise of Garfield – had found a quiet corner to unobtrusively scope the place out.

Aquagirl shuddered as Fang – the half-spider man the Titans had encountered more than once – shambled by on four arachnid legs. "I knew there would be some weirdos here," she said. "But I didn't think it would be a freak parade!"

Garfield smirked at her. "You do remember that you have gills and I'm usually green, right?" He pointed out.

"You know what I mean." Aquagirl insisted. "You and the Titans use your powers to help people. The metahumans here just use theirs to beat the crap out of each other."

"Everyone deals with their powers in different ways; especially when they're not born with them." Garfield said. "They change you and it can be hard to adjust, you know? You're handling it better than anyone I've seen. You should be proud of yourself, Aquagirl."

Aquagirl looked at him gratefully, but then she shrugged it off. "It helps that you and the Titans have been helping me so much." She paused as a dark look crossed her face. "Except for Robin, anyway. He doesn't want me here."

"Maybe he's just worried about you getting hurt."

"He's worried about me but not Indigo?" Aquagirl said. "No, it's something else. He doesn't trust me." She looked across the way where the blue girl stood in line to sign them up for the tournament. "Why does he trust her and not me? He just met her!"

"Cyborg kinda backed her up." Garfield reminded her.

"Raven vouched for me. What's the difference?"

Garfield didn't have an answer for that. Aquagirl might had said more, but then a poncho'd cowboy in a black hat and dark, round shades that served as a masked walked up to them. A girl in silver-gray armor trailed after him. The cowboy showed them a picture of a teen boy. "Have you seen this hombre?" He asked them.

Garfield and Aquagirl blinked and peered at the picture. Then, as one, they shook their heads.

"Thanks, anyway." The cowboy sighed and moved on. The girl, however, stopped and peered closely at Garfield.

"You're Beast Boy." She finally said. "I can hardly recognize you."

Garfield started to choke. "N-n-n-no, I'm not!"

"Don't worry. I have no interest in revealing your deception." Gladius Girl assured him. "The two of you aren't seriously trying to win this tournament, are you? You're just trying to find out who is behind it, correct?"

Garfield and Aquagirl stared at her.

"As I thought." She said. "Just be sure not to injure yourselves. I'm going to need you."

"Need us for what?" Aquagirl asked.

"I'll tell you when the time comes." Gladius Girl turned away and threw over her shoulder: "Be sure not to get yourselves hurt."

Garfield and Aquagirl blinked after her.

"What the heck was that about?" Aquagirl said.

"I have no idea..."

Across the room, Encore continued to question people over Daniel's picture. He approached a woman under a white hood sitting along a wall. When she looked up at him there was a white screen to hide her face. Encore realized that, while he couldn't see in, she had no trouble looking out. He held up the picture of Daniel.

"Excuse me, miss. Have you seen this fellow?" He asked her.

"He's not here." The hooded girl said, her voice muffled through the screen. "They're holding the kidnapped metahumans in another part of the building."

"How do you know that?"

The girl didn't get a chance to answer Encore turned and looked up to see a video screen lowering from the ceiling. There was a wave of snowy static and then a picture of thin-eyed woman in a red, oriental-cut kimono.

"Attention combatants." Her voice came over the arena's intercom system. "For those of you who don't know, I am Roulette: The world's most prestigious fight promoter and this is the Inaugural Jump City Metahuman Tournament. The winner walks away with a cool one hundred grand and the pride in knowing he or she is the best Jump City has to offer. For those who happen to fall, all is not lost. Impressive feats of strength even in defeat will be rewarded after the tournament, so be sure to stick around."

"The rules are simple." The digital image of Roulette continued. "You advance when your opponent can no longer fight. The manner in which you incapacitate your opponent is up to you, though you get no extra considerations if you decide to kill." She paused to let that sink in. "Now, the independent turnout is impressive, if I do say so myself. Too impressive, as it turns out. Unfortunately, we only have this building for the day so we must thin the ranks a bit. The first match in the tournament will be a Free For All Battle Royale. For those of you unfamiliar with the format, this means that every competitor will compete in the battleground at once under a five minute time limit. Those who are incapacitated will be eliminated from the tournament. The seeds for the following brackets will be determined by how many fighters the winners of the royale eliminated. In laymen's terms: The more people you take out, the easier your road to the championship will be. Sign-ups will close in five minutes and the Battle Royale will begin soon! Prepare yourselves and be sure to fight your hardest!"

The screen went black and then Roulette's face was replaced with a countdown to the end of sign-ups. Encore turned back to the hooded girl he had been talking to, but she was gone. Back in her corner, Aquagirl took in a deep, shuddering breath.

"T-this is really happening, isn't it?" She asked.

Garfield gave her a concerned look. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Aquagirl was sure to hide her trembling hand. "Just a case of pre-fight jitters, I think. I'm going outside for some fresh air."

"Want some company?"

"No thanks." She smiled gratefully at his offer. "I just need to clear my head."

"Okay. Just don't take too long. The fight will be starting soon." Garfield reminded her.

Aquagirl turned, avoided a hulking teen boy in red armor and stepped outside. Encore saw her go out and, on a whim, followed after her. He stopped short of going outside and stood by the side window to look out. He watched the girl in the limbless black, blue and white wetsuit reach her hand out to a nearby water fountain. Water came out of the upturned faucet in gravity-defying fashion. In a stream of goblets, like fleeing snakes Encore had sometimes found under hay bales in the barn back home, the water slithered through the air towards Aquagirl. The liquid hugged hugged her form, cycling over her as strings of rivulets like a second skin. Encore watched in rapt fascination as the water moved across her in a hypnotic dance he had never seen before. He found he had been holding his breath and let it out in wistful sigh.

The water lifted her up and Aquagirl floated in the air like some kind of goddess of the sea. She folded her legs beneath her, closed her eyes, held out her elbows and gracefully arced her fingertips together. Encore didn't know what she was doing, but it was obvious it was an inward, solitary and perhaps even spiritual act. He knew he should leave the girl alone, but he couldn't help himself. He quietly opened the door and lightly stepped outside with her.

"Aquwuz...Nostals...Blimiso..." Aquagirl chanted. "Aquwuz...Nostals...Blimiso..." Though she tried to relax and clear her mind, her furrowed brow gave away her tenseness.

"What is that?" Encore asked. "French?"

Aquagirl peeked open one eye to look at him. "Azarathian."

"Aza-what-ian?"

"I'm meditating, okay?"

Encore looked at her closer. Along with her tense brow, Aquagirl's jaw was clenched and her shoulders were rigid. "You don't look very meditative to me." Encore pointed out. "You're nervous about fighting, ain't you?"

Aquagirl opened both of her dark eyes this time. They betrayed her fear for only a moment before they hardened. "How do you know that? You some kind of mind reader?"

"No, ma'am." Encore dug his hands beneath his poncho, lit a cigarette and leaned back against the window. "You just look how I feel. I do my meditation with nicotine, if you don't mind."

"You don't look nervous." Aquagirl said.

"I'm too insecure to show it." The cowboy said it in such a way that Aquagirl couldn't be sure if he was joking or not. "Does that chanting stuff really help?" He asked her.

"It's supposed to. I'm still kinda new at it."

"Well, don't let me interrupt you." Encore said.

"Of course not." Aquagirl rolled her eyes, but then she closed them. She had only repeated the mantra a few times, however, when Encore spoke again.

"I think I know what the problem is." He said.

Aquagirl looked at him irritably. "You're an expert on meditation now?"

"No, ma'am. But I know a thing or two about music."

"What's music have to do with anything?"

"Those words you're saying." Encore said. "A chant might as well be a song without music. But even without music, you have to stay in time and use the same meter. You're saying it different every time."

"You think I should sing?"

"That's not what I'm saying. Just...when you close your eyes and start to chant...think of a melody. Keep it inside your head and use it to time your chant. It ought to be smoother that way."

"...what kind of melody?" Aquagirl asked.

"I don't know." Encore shrugged and blew out smoke. "Just make one up."

Aquagirl nodded and closed her eyes again. A long moment passed.

"I can't think of one." She admitted.

"Here." Encore was thoughtful for a moment and then he nodded to himself. "Try this." He hummed a short, slow tune.

Aquagirl hummed it, too. "Like that?"

"Yes, ma-"

"Stop calling me ma'am. The name's Aquagirl."

"Yes, m-" Encore stopped himself and cleared this throat. "Sure thing, Aquagirl."

Aquagirl closed her eyes yet again and, with the water suspending her in air, began to chant. The words came out slower, clearer and much more measured as she played the melody Encore had hummed in her head. Her face relaxed and her shoulders lowered and her breathing became deep and even.

She was suddenly submerged completely in water; a clear, saltless sea that had engulfed the universe. She suddenly realized that this watery plane wasn't a universe at all, but the representation of her own mind that Raven had told her about. She marveled at how empty it was. There was just water as far as she could see. All of that watery emptiness disheartened her. And then there was something. It was shadowy at first, but then it became clearer. Something was reaching through the depths to her. And then, all at once, it sharpened into a clarity. A giant hand wrapped around her before she could contemplate escape and shook her-

Aquagirl was suddenly outside the arena again. Encore was calling her name and gently shaking her shoulder. She reached up to grasp his hand and skin touched skin.

FLASH!

A short-haired boy – a boy Aquagirl realized was Encore – ran across a green field of tall grass. He turned just in time to catch a football thrown by a tall, broad-shouldered boy with dark skin. There was a smile on both their faces.

Then the same short-haired boy sat by a bubbling brook next to an almond-eyed Asian girl. The two of them laughed as each of them attempted to tickle the other while avoiding being tickled themselves. Behind them was a fishing pole stuck in the sand bending sharply as a fish took the bait, but both of them ignored it.

The boy that was Encore rode horseback across the prairie next to a dark-haired, silver-eyed girl as a sunset lengthened their shadows behind them.

Then he was with the girl in hayloft, kissing her passionately.

The welter of images and feelings continued and Aquagirl found it harder and harder to identify each one.

Encore was on the floor somewhere beside a bed, clutching the hanging blanket and crying into it.

He held a soft, fleshy bundle in trembling arms.

On a front porch somewhere, he balled up his fist and punched an old farmer in faded coveralls in the face.

Then he was in the city, and Aquagirl recognized it as Jump City. He leaned out of golden trolley as it chugged down the street.

He was in a small bed, cuddled up with a warm body in the drafty cold.

There was the overwhelming fear and exhilaration of flight.

In the cockpit of a subway train, with his legs tangled up with hers, Encore kissed a pretty, dark-faced girl.

Then he laid alone in a ratty hotel room that transformed somehow into a park bench and then into a phone booth where he sat curled in the corner.

FLASH!

Aquagirl gasped and drew her hand away. She fell to the ground, the water suddenly finding gravity alongside her and splashing.

"Aquagirl! Are you all right?" Encore hovered over her with concern.

Aquagirl looked up at him, her face soft and her lower lip quivering. She reached up to him, but stopped short of touching his cheek. "You're so sad." She half-whispered. "So very sad..."

Encore looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, but then he softly shook himself out of it. He gently reach down and helped her to her feet. "Come along now." He said soothingly. "The fighting is gonna start soon."

Aquagirl nodded slowly and allowed him to lead her back inside, but her mind was still a million miles away. Try as she might, sh couldn't begin to fathom the connection she had just made with this stranger that suddenly wasn't a stranger anymore.