Disclaimers and
Useless/Useful Stuff to Know:
Don't own any of these
characters. Never will. Wish I did. Major spoilers for "Countdown
to Infinite Crisis". Good idea to read the comic first. Also,
spoilers for the Question six-issue miniseries.
---
Warning: The Pool is Contaminated
by Alba Aulbath
---
"Question? This is Superman. I need to talk to Ted."
There were plenty of reasons why the Question wasn't entirely fond of the Man of Steel. It could have been the lack of humanity on a physical scale - and recently, in his personal opinion, emotional and mental. It could have been his powers, it could have been anything. It was mostly his reactions to things, his appearance, the bare few times they'd met left a bad impression. Most would say that first impressions were nothing to go by - always bad. To the Question, they meant everything. They meant the truth. To him, Superman wasn't quite a boy scout. He was a soldier in a horrendously powerful army. He was ignorant, blind.
The Question didn't like Superman; the Man of Steel had similar sentiments, it seemed, with the Human Enigma.
"Talk to me, first, Clark," Vic told him coldly. "Whatever you have to say to Ted, you're going to say to me."
Hesitation on the Kryptonian's part, then he continued with, "Since it does effect you and Booster... the League and I have been talking. More than that - we've been talking to other groups, too, some. Particularly, Dr. Fate. Do you know him?"
"Know of. What's your point?"
"We know that Ted has powers now, from the scarab. They're magically based powers. So we asked Dr. Fate to come down and pick up Ted so he could receive some training."
Vic's tone went flat, repeating, "Pick him up."
"Yes. They'll probably stay in the Watchtower for awhile... Vic, you have to understand-"
"Don't call me that," the Question told him bitingly.
A sigh. "Question, Ted needs help controlling his powers."
"I've been teaching him."
Clark almost sounded amused. "You've been teaching him."
"There's an echo," Vic growled.
"I don't want to offend-"
"You have a talent for it regardless."
"-but Ted needs someone with years of experience. Dr. Fate already plans on coming by tomorrow afternoon at the park to meet with him," Clark told him firmly.
The Question gripped the phone tightly. "You want to take him away - without even asking us!"
"This is important, for all of you."
"I'm not letting you take him. You already failed him once - you're not going to do this!"
"Question-"
Without another word, Vic dropped the receiver and grabbed onto the phone, tearing its wire out of the wall and throwing it at the window, effectively causing it to shatter upon impact.
While the Question seethed furiously, Blue Beetle literally went flying into the room from the sound, sputtering.
"Who...! What...?" Ted tried to figure out any good reason why Vic would have broken the window this time.
Turning to scowl to him, Vic grumbled, "Wrong number."
The Question immediately left the room.
---
"So they think the bug is cute," Beatriz announced. "Well, not really the term 'cute' exactly, but Booster seemed pretty thrilled and Ted seemed to like it."
"Mm-hrm."
"I would have such a better time talking to the lamp right now," the green-haired woman told him.
"Hrrm."
Waiting against the wall of the bedroom, Vic was changing the sheets to his mattress. Beatriz had asked about where she was supposed to sleep - after all, heaven forbid she decided she'd go for a hotel - knowing outright, or at least demanding outright, that she would not accept the couch as a response. Almost immediately, Vic had volunteered his room, and was preparing it for her.
Bea lifted a brow at him as he tucked in the sheets. "You could always just join me, you kn-"
"No," Vic told her. "It's fine."
"Mm-hmm. Who was on the phone earlier?"
"Doesn't matter," the Question's voice grated, flopping the pillow onto the bed.
"Why do you want the couch?"
"Because I can sleep almost anywhere," Vic told her flatly. "Unlike everyone else here."
Bea folded her arms. "Then let me go back to 'who was on the phone'."
"No one."
"Oh, that is such bullshit," Beatriz told him. Approaching, she jabbed an index finger to his chest, narrowing her eyes. "You don't tear the phone out of the plug and throw it out the window because it was no one!"
"I'm crazy, of course I would," Vic told her lightly, voice somewhat strangled with himself. His expression said nothing, however, as he simply looked at her.
"That is entirely besides the point. You were mad about something, and not just anyone is going to dial the number to this place, am I right? Something happened. Was it the League?"
"Yes and no." Throwing on the blanket, he turned his head faintly to look at her. "...It was Superman."
"And? What did he have to say?"
"Nothing good." Vic frowned, his voice going quieter. "He said Dr. Fate is going to arrive tomorrow in the park to pick Ted up. Take him away. Train him."
Bea spoke out her first reaction, "Isn't that a good thing? Ted has powers now, he needs someone to teach him-"
"I have," he hissed.
"Beyond that, Ted also probably doesn't have any faith left for the League and could use a little build-up again."
Turning sharply to eye at her, Vic growled, "You think it'd be a good thing? It's not. He's leaving tomorrow - and literally, we have no say in it. That's how the League works. They consult within themselves, not always with each other, and make decisions without notifying anyone else. They might want to place themselves in good graces with him again, but do you really think it's because of who he is?"
"Okay, then what do you think?"
"They want to use his power," Vic told her bitterly. "He's completely healthy now. He's stronger than almost anyone, perhaps on par with with any of Earth's 'mightiest mortals'. He has flight, he can use lightning - that's magically based. Something that even threatens Superman. Don't you think that they'd want control over that? Even if they like to show they have the best intentions?"
"God, you're so paranoid," Beatriz grumbled. "He's the biggest boyscout ever! Well, next to Captain Marvel - but that point stands. What makes you think they'd want to control Ted!"
"I know how they think!" Vic snapped. "They can't even trust each other, do you think they'll trust him with his new powers, especially after they ignored him! They're frightened of him! He's brilliant, he never needed powers before to be able to be a vigilante, and now he has something more - after he died and it was their fault! The League is scared of each other, always trying to keep balance with one another - they don't trust each other, they don't trust us! Ted knew something was wrong, something that Batman ignored. A point over the Dark Knight. He comes back from the dead, with more power than he knows how to control. That's already above several metahumans. I'm paranoid? Maybe. But so's the Justice League. Now tell me, Beatriz - where do you want Ted? In Dr. Fate's hands? In Superman's? Or in ours - people who actually care about him for who he is, and not being paranoid about how he's going to use these new powers?"
There was a moment of silence between the pair, and Fire let out a sigh, holding her forehead. "What I hate... is how much sense you can make. I want to trust them. I want to. Even if they're not the same..."
"Things have changed. Not for the better."
Bea let herself sit on the edge of the mattress, rubbing her forehead. The news sunk in, initiating her second reaction. "We can't let them take Ted, then."
"No. Not going to let them."
"Have you told him or Booster?" She looked at him.
Vic shook his head. "No. ... How can I?"
"Well, he doesn't have his heart condition anymore. It's not like you have to worry about stressing him out."
"I do anyway. I'll confront Fate, tell him no."
Bea quirked a brow. "You think you can convince him?"
"Have my ways," he muttered coldly. "Will not allow him near Ted."
"Fine. What time are you going?"
"Early." Vic shrugged.
"Great. I'm coming with."
The Question gave her a faint expression, one that was almost horrified, slightly surprised, and incredibly dignified. "No you're not."
"Yes I am," Beatriz told him. "I am coming, we're going to tell Dr. Fate to get his ass out of the city, and live happily ever after or whatever. If you're right - and from what I hear about you, you usually are - I'm going to go along and keep them away from Ted. All right?"
He considered this. On one hand, he really would have preferred to go alone on this... but on the other hand, she did at least meet Dr. Fate before. Maybe she knew how to handle him slightly better than he would. Only slightly - he was confident what kind fo personalities he was going to be facing with when it came to the League.
"Fine."
"Excellent. I'll see you in the morning," Bea told him with a grin, leaning over and pecking him on the cheek. "Good night!" she told him cheerily.
The detective gave her a blank expression, which was likely his form of faint surprise.
"Oh, don't tell me you never had a kiss before. And I already said 'good night', this is the part where you step out and go to sleep in your own space. Unless you want to stay-"
Vic frowned faintly. "I would have, once. ...Good night, Beatriz." He turned around, stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind himself.
---
There were certain amount of things that man was just not supposed to deal with. Being dead and coming back? Something of the norm these days and Ted was handling it better and better. Powers that come with said death? Well, they were emotionally linked, and as long as he kept that in check, he'd be fine. Tattoo from a magical scarab? Well, it was a bit much, but it was something he started to be okay with when looking in the mirror. Crazy roomies? Not bad; they were, really, the closest people in his life.
When two of the roomies were missing? Not good.
"It's 10:05 - where's your insane faceless man and tempermental Brazillian?" Ted grumbled to himself as he checked through the house, just in case it was a horrible, horrible prank. Not that he supposed that someone as tightly wound as Vic was capable of such a thing, but he was hoping that he was at least inside of the house instead of outside terrorizing neighbors with dead animals and potentially a chainsaw with a woman that could burst into green flames.
"Oh God, the images." Ted rubbed his temple. Those two, running around outside - just... just not good. Nothing good was going to come out of it.
But then he thought - did it have anything to do with the phonecall that Vic was obviously angry about...?
No. No, surely he wasn't out to strike fear into telemarketers. Maybe he was just having a breakfast date or something with Beatriz.
Not that he could imagine the Question dating anyone. Probably drive them up the wall. But then, Beatriz was ever-so-willing to bed anything with a pretty face, moreso if they were a mask-wearer.
Ted sighed. That also bothered him. So either the pair were out on a date - not good - or they were freaking out civillians - also not good.
As he continued to explore the household, he stopped at the front door, scowling. The cane that Vic normally used was still propped up against the wall.
"Oh no," the inventor whispered, feeling dread sink to the bottom of his stomach. He turned and went to immediately check the downstairs bathroom, where the Question kept his contacts for the blind effect.
The contacts and sunglasses were left behind. Which meant that either Vic was parading around as his civillian self, or worse...
As the Human Enigma.
"Oh no," Ted groaned louder, holding his head.
There was going to be a migraine coming out of this soon, he could tell.
---
The park was completely empty. It was quite broad and colorful, with slides and swings and beams and small wooden towers for children to climb in that hinted at a joyful appearance of a castle, monkey bars, and so on. Beatriz was standing by one of the balancing beams, watching the Question; he had taken a seat in one of the swings, which was an interesting image. His faceless face was tilted down towards the gravel under his shoes as he swung half-heartedly, like a dejected child stuck in solitude.
They were early, he had told her. Dr. Fate was supposed to come by noon.
It was about 11:30 in the morning, last Fire checked her watch. They had left a little before 10:00 at the Question's insistence.
They hadn't said much during their waiting. Beatriz had explored the playground and thought to herself, which hadn't lasted very long.
Question was silent.
Eventually, she had gotten tired of being by herself and stayed by the swings where he was.
Incapable of taking the silence any longer, she turned her head and looked at him intently. "How long have you and Ted been friends?"
The Question lifted his head, watching her, quiet. "Don't know. We worked together, variously, in the past. Wouldn't know when we... really were friends. Maybe only lately."
"But he's important to you." That had not been a question, definitely.
"Yes." Turning slightly and stopping his swinging, he spoke to her, face to no-face. "He wasn't someone I was used to, even in my early days."
"Someone...?" Beatriz gestured for him to elaborate.
"The only other people I've ever worked with have been Batman, Green Arrow, the Huntress, and Lady Shiva," he told her. "The people in Hub City are different from anywhere else you'll ever go - the closest in comparison being Bludhaven and Gotham. Even then, it's the worst possible place in this country to be. It's rotting, crumbling, and dying. The people - at least, almost all of them - are terrible, horrible people, twisted and hating each other and killing each other and..." The Question shook his head. "...When I met Blue Beetle, knew he was different."
"How?"
"He was happy," the Question told her. "Never met anyone smile honestly like that. ...His way of life was simpler than mine. Can never live the way he does. But I liked it. Ollie does smile, but it's not the same way as Ted. Not even close... We didn't team up too often, but when we did, it was a reminder of what... I would have liked to have protected in Hub. I don't protect many innocents or smiling, honest people. I protect bitter, angry, hateful, and terrible people."
"Well." Beatriz had a soft, amused smile. "I never quite pegged you to be so sweet in your own little twisted way."
Question tilted his head, curious. "Hrrm?"
"You're not good at talking about it. No, you're just different from the rest of us. You prefer to work with your thoughts instead of your feelings. Someone like Booster likes to go with his emotions. But you feel sometimes - and when you do, it's very nice, isn't it?" Beatriz smirked a little. "That's very attractive."
"Please stop flirting with me," the Question mumbled.
Beatriz frowned and was prepared to open her mouth when the faceless man held up his hand, standing away from the swings. Turning his head, he nodded, his gesture vertical, as Dr. Fate came flying down from the sky. Behind the golden, shimmering mask, Dr. Fate was scowling.
"Where is Blue Beetle?" he asked.
"Not coming," the Question told him sharply. "We're here to tell you that he's not going with anyone. Not with the League, not with the Society, not with you."
"I'm afraid it's not really an option."
"Then I'm making one," the faceless man hissed. "No one has any business coming down here to take him away from us. Do any of you comprehend what they've been through? Do any of you realize what you're about to do? You're taking control of his life."
Dr. Fate stared at the Question, impassive. "Beetle is in need of training and comprehension of his powers. That's why I am here, why we're going to be involved. It's to protect himself."
"Shouldn't that be Ted's decision? And frankly, he's pretty damned pissed with you and everyone else," Beatriz told him, hands on her hips.
"With Checkmate so active, we don't wish to reveal that Blue Beetle is alive, much less how much more of a threat he is to them," Dr. Fate responded. "He needs aid, which can be provided."
"Or is this about what a threat he is to the League?" the Question growled. "You failed him. All of you. You thought that he was just wasting your time, that he was on a wild goose chase. You all thought it was nothing, because of his past actions. People are incapable of changing to any of you - which makes you all so very blind. People in the League have changed. It's bitter, it's cold, it's like an army now. You function with no passion. You function with paranoia and distrust. Blue Beetle trusted you all with his life - none of you trusted him. And now that he's back from the dead, having been so very right about what he had discovered, having powers now - you're afraid. You're afraid that he'll turn his back on you all. And maybe, he's just a big enough threat to all of you."
"We do not stand as a threat to each other. We function together."
"With little faith in one another," the Question told him bitterly. "Not one of you really trusts each other, which is why that satellite exists in the sky, why Batman is always paranoid and making plans against his own team members. I am quite possibly one of the biggest lonewolfs in the masked community, and I have utter trust in these people I'm now living with. None of you trusts each other - and I don't trust any of you with Ted. And no one is going to take him away from here."
Notably, Dr. Fate stiffened; his eyes behind his mask narrowed further, displeased. "Do not make me force my hand, Question."
"I'm not the one forcing anything. You're the ones who want to step into his life and control it! And I won't let it happen." The faceless man didn't hesitate to approach closer; though there was a lack of features set on his no-face, the snarling was apparent in his tone of voice. "I'd sooner condemn your soul to the lowest pits of Hell."
"Is that so." Dr. Fate's voice lowered.
Beatriz winced faintly and turned her head towards the Human Enigma. "Question..."
"That's indeed so," Question told him, seething. "I can and will damn your spirit, if you decide to get even remotely near him or anyone else in that house. Everyone from the League has already made their fair share of mistakes. Not going to let you make more of them!"
"You believe you can stop me." Dr. Fate paused, then looked closer at the Question before taking a step away. "You. Something... about you."
The Question had his hands clenched tightly, his faceless face glowering at Dr. Fate; as Beatriz watched, she saw Dr. Fate suddenly stumble back, as if he were pushed. Raising a brow to herself, she glanced between the two of them, unable to help but feel helplessly confused and decided she felt more sympathetic towards Booster Gold in that moment. Being so puzzled must've been what it was like being him all of the time.
"Leave," Question growled, bringing up his hand; his arm was shaking, and Bea was sure that it was due to fury. "Could make you leave. Will make you leave!"
Dr. Fate was nearly thrown off his feet by an unseen force; Fire was looking quickly again between the two of them, and finally concluded that it was the Question somehow managing to shove Fate without budging from his spot. How exactly was he doing that?
There was a jumble of words coming from Dr. Fate as he held up his hand, sounding angry and nothing comprehensible spoken. It may have been a language that Beatriz just didn't know, but either way, a beam of light erupted from his palm, striking the Question in the chest and sending him flying a few feet.
"Vic!" Bea immediately ran in front of the faceless man, then turned to face Dr. Fate, growling as she became encased in green flames. A few Portugese obscenities were spoken before she demanded, "What did you do!"
"He's unharmed - relatively," Dr. Fate spoke, his voice angry. "If you wish to speak to Beetle and make a final decision amongst yourselves, very well - but I don't wish to see him again. Not that I will." Turning, he took off into the sky.
Beatriz's flames disappeared as she turned to kneel down at the Question's side. "Vic?" she hissed. "Vic!" Gently, she shook the Human Enigma's shoulder, causing the fedora to fall off.
A bundle of incredibly long and gorgeous hair fell out, effectively framing the Question's non-face and the rest of it flowing down the back of the trenchcoat. It almost made Bea drop the Question in surprise.
"What...?" She looked down, and saw that the Question's figure was completely off, so to speak.
"Beatriz...?" a low and melodious female voice inquired from the faceless person.
"Oh my God," Bea phrased out, staring.
---
"They're still not back," Ted announced, pacing.
"Nope," Booster agreed, flipping through the channels of the TV, half-paying attention to the brunet pacing by the doorframe.
"Why are they not back yet? They should be back. Unless they're still terrorizing the town - oh my God they could be terrorizing the city!" The inventor held his head, shaking it as he tried not to lead this form a feeling of absolute dread in his stomach.
Lifting his head from the television screen, Booster shrugged and told him, "They could be doing lots of things, Ted. Relax, or you're gonna get a new alleged heart condition."
"Why is this still alleged with you?" Ted peered at him, pausing his pace.
"Force of habit," the former blonde reassured. "Anyway, they're probably not out doing the vigilante thing. Q knows we're not supposed to be running around in our masks."
"Then why isn't he pretending to be blind!"
"I... don't know?" Booster shrugged. "Look, just don't let it get to you. They're fine."
---
"This is not fine! This is... this is a disaster! This is... I will kill him!"
"No you won't; everyone would be a little more than miffed if you killed Dr. Fate," Beatriz said, watching the faceless woman frantically gesture as if to get her point across.
"I. Don't. Care. First, he has no right to invade our life and try to take Ted away, now he... he does this to me!"
Bea quirked a brow. "Being a woman is so bad?"
"I can already think of so many reasons why this is one of the most horrendous things that could happen to me," the Question hissed. "I can't See, I can't use any of my chi properly, I can't... my center of gravity is all off!"
"Then you just need a few adjustments. Relax, this can't possibly be permanent."
"You can't promise that!" The Question pointed at her. "You can't. Not familiar with his magic, not familiar enough to try to undo it..."
Beatriz placed her hands to the Question's shoulders. "Vic, honey, calm down or you're going to hyperventilate."
"Am not going to-!"
"Okay, then shut up before the slightest possible chance," Bea told her. "It's temporary. It has to be. And if not, we'll figure out a way to fix it. All right? For now, let's go home."
"...You think this is hilarious," the Question grumbled.
"No, of course I don't."
"You're laughing."
"Of course I'm not. Don't be ridiculous," Fire assured, sighing.
"You're laughing mentally."
"Well..." Bea winced. "Yeah, I am."
The Question sighed, placing her non-face into her hands. "Can't go home. Can't go in like this," she grumbled. "Not in front of Ted and Michael."
"Now, I know I can't commend their hormones, but they'll know it's you."
"No they won't," the Human Enigma muttered glumly.
Beatriz peered at her carefully, observing over the Question's newly developed body. She had long, flowing dark hair, bangs down far enough to frame her face - or lack thereof. From what Bea could see, she had an absolutely perfect figure, including being quite full in her bosom.
Curiously, Bea wondered if the endowment had any relation to his male form.
Something to consider later.
"No, they won't," Bea agreed belatedly. "After all, it's quite a change. Long lovely hair and a killer figure-"
"You're not helping, believe it or not."
"Well, how's this? You keep your mask on, button up your jacket, and we can pin your hair into your hat. Then when we get home, you can just go to your room and we'll try to figure this out - hopefully before our 'boys will be boys' will find out what's happened," Beatriz suggested. "There's plenty of magicians around; maybe we can snag Zatanna for help."
"No more magic," the Question grated.
"You'll probably need another magician for a cure, Vikky."
"Don't call me that."
Bea smirked. "Victoria?"
The Question growled.
"I'm only joking with you," Bea reassured, grinning. "Come here, let me help you with your hair. I promise, they're not going to know any better."
Sighing, the Question took a bench nearby, removing the fedora from her head. Sitting beside the Human Enigma, Bea tilted her head as she touched the Question's now three-foot long dark hair. "Damn; Dr. Fate really went out of his way. This is gorgeous," Fire mused under her breath, beginning to pin the hair up.
"Stop admiring it, Beatriz," the Question sighed.
"Honestly, you don't know how to appreciate a work of art."
"Being forced into a gender change through magic is not a work of art. Didn't like Fate before, abhor him now."
Bea frowned. "You really have a problem with almost every single superhero out there, don't you?"
"Most of them, yes."
"Any specific reason why?"
"Not discussable right now."
Placing the fedora back onto the Human Enigma's head, Bea looked the Question over. "Go ahead and button up your jacket. You should be okay. You know, as long as you hurry to your room. I'll tell them that your cold got worse or something."
"Hope they're convinced; won't ever live this down otherwise."
---
"Did the new window come in all right, Ted?"
The brunet sighed and responded, "Yeah."
"And the results from the doctor was all positive - the scarab completely healed you."
"Uh-huh."
"So why do you sound so irritated?"
Ted's fingers were against his temple as he rubbed deeply. "Barbara, Vic broke the window because of a phone call, and now he's disappeared, probably with Bea. In his mask, I'd wager. I'm just an inch closer to freaking out, because they're likely causing some kind of trouble somewhere in the city and I can't just go around asking 'Hey, have you seen a faceless man and green-haired woman who may or may not be engulfed in green flames?' So, here I am, stuck at home, and Booster's off to work with cute fuzzy animals and the potential freaky eight-legged thing like the one he brought into the house-"
"Don't like spiders, eh?"
"They're unnatural things, Barb! Which, in that sense, a spider makes a very good pet for Vic."
The front door, he heard, opened and slammed shut in just a matter of seconds. Ted leaned over in his chair, seeing the flap of Vic's trenchcoat as he ran up the stairs immediately, hearing him shut the bedroom door firmly. Beatriz, however, leaned to get a view of Ted, smirking in his direction and waving before she went to take off her coat.
"Call back later, Barb?" Ted requested quietly.
"Sure thing. The troublemakers home?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Are you going to ground them next, Mommy?"
Ted sputtered. "What? No! Bye, Barb!" He hung up quickly before he literally flew out of his seat towards Beatriz.
"Well, this is a pleasant greeting; right out of your chair to fly into my arms?" Bea mused.
"Haha no. Why did Vic run up the stairs?"
Fire shrugged, tucking strands of green hair behind her ear. "His cold made a comeback when we were walking. Poor thing."
"Walking. For a couple of hours."
"Yes. It was very nice, too." Beatriz smirked softly. "We explored quite a bit of the city. Ever been to the park? Why, no, of course you haven't; you don't step out much, Ted. Tsk tsk. Even Vic likes to get a breath of air."
There was a hi-pitched, incredibly feminine snarl of frustration upstairs.
This made both Beatriz and Ted freeze; the brunet turned his head, staring up. "Was that Vic...?" he muttered in disbelief.
"Well, got to check on our patient! Ta!" The green-haired woman took off upstairs.
"Now wait a minute! What's going on!" Ted called after her.
"Not now, Ted! Busy busy!"
Standing at the bottom of the steps, Blue Beetle watched Fire flee up the stairs to the Question's bedroom. He frowned, thinking to himself. They were spending a lot of time together.
Maybe they really were-
"So not going there," Ted grumbled under his breath.
Even if they were, he was giving it only one day to work. Bea was fickle and Vic was nuts, anyway.
---
The first thing Beatriz noticed when she got to the entrance of the Question's bedroom was that a pair of scissors had embedded themselves into the wood of the doorframe right beside the green-haired woman's face.
"...Huh." Yanking the scissors out, she saw the back of the Question on the floor with bounds of hair to the carpet and surrounding her, as if she suddenly had a session of shedding. Strange, it didn't look like she really lost any hair.
"It just keeps growing back!" the Human Enigma seethed. "Keep cutting it, and it...!" Her incredibly delicate-looking hands clenched tightly.
Approaching, Beatriz knelt down and took a few strands of hair curiously, snipping a few inches off. Immediately, it grew back to the full length that had been formed the moment Dr. Fate had cursed the Question. "That's strange... and inconvenient," Fire murmured.
"Very observant."
"Aren't we snarky?" Bea set aside the scissors. "Take off your mask."
The faceless woman turned her head sharply to glare at her, or at least the very best she could with the mask on. "No!"
"I want to know what you look like."
"Beatriz!" the Question hissed at her, pulling herself away from the green-haired woman. "I don't want to know what it looks like!"
Rolling her eyes a little, Bea asked, "It couldn't be that bad."
"Yes it could."
"You're a pretty boy when you were a man, you're probably gorgeous as a woman," Beatriz did her best to reassure her.
"That's exactly what I'm worried about," the Question murmured glumly.
Folding her arms, the green-haired woman stared at the Human Enigma intently. "Take the mask off; you have to eat sometime, anyway."
"No I don't. I could get IV'd."
"Now that'd be so suspicious, even Booster would notice."
The Question peered at the Brazillian behind her mask, snorting a little. "So?"
"Right. Silly me; you'd be crazy enough to do it anyway." Beatriz shrugged. "But he'd be worried. And so would Ted."
"Don't even suggest that I go to them for help."
"I'm not. We already agreed on that. But you have to take off your mask sometime, Vic. Doing it in front of someone will help, I'm sure it will."
"And... you're that someone?" Question's head tilted faintly.
"I love how much faith you have in me," Beatriz remarked. "I'm a woman, and you need a woman's help in dealing with your sudden changes until we can get you back to normal. I swear that I won't tell Ted or Booster about what happened - this will be just between you and me. Okay?"
The area around the faceless woman's brow creased, emphasizing a frown as she thought to herself. With a quiet sigh, the Question pressed a switch on her beltbuckle; the trademarked yellow gas leaked out, changing the coloring of her clothes to their original, nature state. She peeled off the mask, turning her head to look at Beatriz. She had perfectly good features to the point in which the scar she had given to herself prior to their move to Philadelphia had disappeared; her face was also more rounded off than how she looked as a man. Her lips were fuller and looked much more pouty in this form, which did not help as she frowned at the green-haired woman.
"I don't want a mirror," Vic told her quickly. "I don't want any makeovers or anything like that. Not a word of it."
Smiling wryly, Beatriz agreed with, "My lips are sealed."
"Don't even think any of it."
"Think what?" Beatriz grinned faintly.
"Good. ...Now what do I do?" There was a sigh from Vic as she covered her face with gloved hand, slouching as she sulked.
"For now? Take a breather." Fire's expression became softer and gently, she tucked some dark strands of hair behind Vic's ear. "Okay? Don't stress and stay in your room for awhile. I'll handle the boys, and we'll figure out something."
"What about at night? When I have to sleep. I'm downstairs."
Beatriz stood up, then shook her head. "Well, not anymore. It's fine. It's an expensive and completely comforable couch; I'm sure I'll sleep well."
In spite of her reassurances, the Question still looked at her with doubt, frowning and simply nodding.
"Good. You stay here and behave, clean up a bit. I'll go and make sure Ted isn't flipping out." Beatriz waved a little before she stepped out the door.
Sighing softly, Vic bowed her head.
---
It was afternoon, about three o' clock, and in spite of it being a slow day, Booster strangely couldn't stop the thrill of actually having a job again.
Strange; most superheroes didn't worry about funds or having a job or anything - at least, that was the popular public view, no doubt. The moment Booster arrived in the past, he didn't really even consider a bad financial situation was going to be part of his life. Presuming too much, he expected fame and fortune in the life as a superhero.
Well, he knew pretty much now that things never went how you expected, and hardly how you wanted. It wasn't always a bad thing, but...
Regardless, he was pleased with himself. His social security number wasn't going to exist for a few centuries, so the fake one he had on hand (much reluctant thanks to Batman) had actually given him a benefit.
Plus? He loved animals. Pet stores rocked.
It was a small place. A little banged up, could use some remodelling, but it wasn't bad. Located at the side of a street, 'Get-A-Pet' was a quaint store with dozens of kinds of animals inside. There wasn't a single one Booster didn't like-
Well, except maybe the rats. He never did like rats.
"Mr. Suuuuuummers?" a cheerful female voice called out curiously. "Heyyyy, Mr. Summers!"
Booster glanced quickly over his shoulder to the auburn-haired girl calling for him. She was one of the other co-workers and couldn't have been older than fifteen; he'd met her the other day for the job interview, and from what he could tell, Alison Jones was always smiling cheerfully over the littlest thing. Sweet and kind, in a way that made him think of Ice - but she also had a horribly short attention span and could also be considered hyper; something very unlike Tora.
"What's up?"
Alison tilted her head, frowning. "The pythons are missin'; I was wonderin' if you moved 'em somewhere? I saw 'em fifteen minutes ago after Billy left for lunch so I know for sure she wasn't the one who took 'em out and there's no receipt so they weren't sold, sooooo..."
That was weird. Booster frowned. Alison was the poster child for ADD, but she wasn't forgetful.
He turned his head sharply when he heard the puppies begin to bark in their cages - and not in the cute way.
"Eek!" Alison ducked behind Booster as parakeets and parrots began to fly around, one nearly right into her.
"What the hell-?" Booster half-heartedly swatted at a bird before pushing the girl behind him towards the desk. "Hide behind there, okay?" Turning again, he felt something slithering by his ankes-
"GAH!" He jumped as about three pythons hissed at him threateningly before they moved on towards the cages. Stumbling against the desk, he stared in faint amazement as the snakes managed to figure out - with their bodies - to open the cages. "Okayyyyy..."
Suddenly, without warning, the door swung open non-dramatically as it gave a cheerful jingle and swung a bit slow since it was weighted a bit. Stepping inside with horrifically cliched laughter was a man in gaudy and colorful clothes, all with feathers or furs along with a - of course - mask just above a curly dark moustache and a cape that resembled more of a boa.
"Come to me, my darlings! So says the Beastmaster!" The man paused and looked unhappy. "Wait, that wasn't bold enough. The door did NOT swing the right way!"
"Well, you're kind of already here; I don't think a second impression is going to change anything," Booster told him, shrugging.
"You think so? How unfortunate." The Beastmaster paused, then waved his hand. "Wait, wait! No chatting with pedestrians! You're supposed to be running around screaming for your life!"
Booster held up his hands. "Look, if you were attacking people maybe... twenty or so years ago? They might be a little freaked out. Now? People would be freaked out for a different reason. I mean, for starters, look at your wardrobe; did you go to college with Rainbow Raider or something?"
"Ooo, you make me angry! GET HIM! Get him NOW!" Beastmaster pointed wildly.
The pythons rose up, hissing, darting towards Booster - who shrugged and hopped to sit onto the desk, getting out of their range. Below him, the snakes hissed and snapped their jaws at his feet without much luck.
"Yes, well... HA HA! Cower on your little desk, civillian! Come, my pretties!" The Beastmaster turned in a whirl of colorful feathers and furs, running down the street with the animals - kittens, puppies, rabbits, snakes, and all besides the fish - in toe.
"'My pretties'? Does anyone say that anymore?" Alison wondered as she peeked over the desk.
"Usually not," Booster told her. "You okay?"
"Yeah, jus' kinda bummed. Hope those animals will be okay. That, and it looks like we aren't gonna get a paycheck this week," Alison responded glumly. She sulked a bit against the desk, then blinked over her shoulder. "Huh. How come th' rats are still here?"
"Because there is no God," Booster muttered under his breath.
"Huh?"
"Nothing." Though it was a good question. Heck, the Beastmaster took everything else that crawled on land. Why not the rats? He even took the hamsters.
Finally, Booster admitted, "I don't know. But let's just get cleaned up, okay? We'll figure it out, Allie."
---
There were a few changes made around the bedroom while Vic attempted to keep herself busy. For the sake of her privacy, in case Booster or Ted would have forgotten to knock - which wouldn't be shocking with the two of them - she had added additional locks to the door. It wouldn't keep Ted's strength from knocking it down, but it would at least suggest 'private time'. The fortunate thing was, at least, she did not have to leave the room to do this; she kept several locks and tools under the bed.
Always be prepared. That was something she followed closely.
She had spent time taking Q-Spider out of her tank and simply watching the tarantula. The arachnid was passive and steady, but there seemed to be a hint of strength in there as well. Typically frightening looking, but... a construction of everything Vic had once wanted to be. Nothing but instinct, nothing but strength and a will to live. Entirely composed of nerves and ganglia.
Once had wanted. Did not want. When did that change?
When did everything she wanted change so suddenly?
Vic returned Q-Spider away to her tank and fell onto the bed, burying her face into the pillow, loathing the body she was stuck in. Everything was wrong. Her balance, her use of chi was too strong and giving her a headache, just... everything. It was absolute torture, and she hated it. She did not hate the fairer sex at all, but to suddenly change was horrible. It made her truly loathe Fate and the rest of the spandex community. How dare they.
It tired her, being so angry at them. They wanted to take Ted away, after all they had done - or hadn't done.
Somewhere along the line, in her angered thoughts and rest in bed, she had managed in her exhaustion to slip away into a slumber and it was darker with heated winds and sand and cliffs and insanely lonely.
Looking up, he saw the Eye glaring down at him, the eye in the sky.
He heard a voice, asking, "Who...?"
The Question turned, and somehow he couldn't see as clearly, and knew it was only a figure at the other end of the rocky terrain. It was a male, he knew that much, muttering quietly, "You're the..."
The faceless man jerked back, holding his head. There was so much pain, too much...
The eye, a dark eye, a red eye, the eye on a man. An eye, overhead.
The eye.
"I need to know where he is. I'm sure you understand."
There was a scream echoing in his head, loud and sharp and ready to shatter him; it felt like something was scratching at him, nudging to get inside--
"Please! Please, you've got to help me!" It was the man before, shaking him by the shoulders. "Please!"
He couldn't bring himself to respond.
He was sitting in a chair, in front of a screen. It was the Eye, Brother Eye - the O.M.A.C. Project. It wasn't really his, per se, but using it was beneficial. He could use it easily against everyone, so easily... but he didn't.
"You know where he is," another voice mused, and it felt transparent, not quite there - not on a normal plane of existence.
He looked around, frowning in the empty room.
It was closer.
"I need to know where he is. I'm sure you understand."
His mind, mind being torn-
Screams.
Nose bleeding.
"Stop it! STOP IT!" the Question demanded, pulling back from whoever was holding onto him.
"Wait! Damn it... damn it, PLEASE! You have to help me!"
"What are you doing to me...!" He fell to the floor, clutching his head.
"I need what information you possess. This is the simplest and most beneficial way. I have a man to guide, you see..."
It felt like his mind was splitting in half.
"I have a man to guide to the deepest and most horrific pits of Hell."
He couldn't let it happen-
He could. He should.
Somehow, his eyes were opened, after so much pain.
"You can see it, can't you...? That's what you CAN do. You've got to-" he pleaded.
Things began to fast forward. He decided to do things differently. He decided things needed to be different.
When it all came down to the Lord and the bug.
"I wanted to bring you in a long time ago, I just couldn't find a way-"
"Join me or die time, is that it?" the bug snarled.
"That's it exactly," the Lord said.
"Rot in hell, Max."
His nose bled, and he told himself no, no, no, it wasn't meant to be done. A friend, a friend, don't-
A clear shot.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
"NO!" The Question shook his head. "Don't touch me, don't-!"
"Vic!" Bang- no, it sounded more like a knock on wood.
Her eyes opened and she took in a sharp deep breath of air, so sudden that it hurt her.
The door was suddenly off its hinges, Ted standing at the doorway. "Vic, what's going- ... ... uhhh...?"
Vic stared at Ted, then groaned, burying her face into the pillow.
---
The pet store had to, after being cleaned up, close early unfortunately. Once Booster locked the door, Alison was waiting by the curb, sitting and pouting. As much as he could somewhat relate to Alison's frustration, the kid was terribly cute.
"Hey, the guy's wearing some seriously flamboyant clothes; the cops will find him okay," Booster reassured her with a grin. Normally, of course, he would have dashed off to find the easily tracible crook himself, but under the circumstances...
"Yeah, I know th' animals are gonna be okay. It's just..." Alison picked at a loose thread on her winter gloves. "I really kinda need th' work, so..."
The response was rather ambiguous; 'need' could have meant that she needed something to do, or she needed it for finances, or needed because her parents told her so. Booster lifted a brow, but all the auburn-haired girl could do was keep picking at the loose thread to keep herself busy, head bowed from his eye level.
He placed his hand on the top of her head, ruffling her hair a little. "Hey, c'mon. Don't look so upset. Let's grab some late lunch, all right?"
"Ummm..." Alison lifted her head, looking uncertain as she went to check her wallet.
"As in, I'll pay and you thank me."
"But...!"
"Got something to do?" Booster peered at her.
"Well... not really."
"Great. C'mon."
There was hesitation on the girl's part before she stood up, brushing off her bum before following Booster, tucking her arms behind her back.
It was a bit odd. The kid didn't look much like either of them, but her mannerisms were a bit similar to both Tora's and Michelle's. She was grinning constantly, or at least trying to. Sometimes, just the way she tilted her head when she listened to Booster curiously. Terribly nice, sweet to the point of inducing cavities. He'd known her for two days and her personality was easy enough to pin.
Maybe just by how much he did miss other people.
Over lunch, he'd listen or talk, depending on what it was, but it was less about eating and more about watching her just because of the people she'd remind him of. It hurt more than just a bit, even though time had gone by since they were gone - but when you lose someone, you never truly forget them and how much it pained you when you learned they were dead and you wouldn't see them the next day, say "hi" to them the next day, hear them laugh at a stupid joke or story, or anything.
When Tora died, it hurt Beatriz the most and they knew that. But along the way, you swallow your hurting because you know someone else was hurting much worse. Dealing with the fact that Ted had indeed died - even if he was alive now - had sprung up a lot of thoughts and feelings Booster had never wanted to deal with. In spite of his position in the spandex community as nothing but a man from the future without a brain or sense towards anything, with no maturity, it was always deeper than that. But then, it was easier to think of people shallowly, to simplify and generalize. Besides that particular point, all in all, Booster preferred to ignore those grieving feelings.
He couldn't a lot, realizing how closely death had taken one of the last people he really cared about. His best friend, the closest bit of family he had left.
He missed a lot of other people, too, and he saw that while watching Alison.
It was so much easier to ignore sneaky problems like pain and seriousness. And in that regard, maybe Booster saw a bit of himself in her, too, with the way she acted.
After the late lunch, Alison walked herself home and Booster didn't follow, even though he thought maybe he should.
Never know when you were going to lose a friend and a little more of yourself.
---
There was utter silence between both the Question and Blue Beetle.
After Ted had knocked down the door, there'd been a bit of babbling until Vic had to reassure that it was indeed him (or her at the moment) by an example (mentioning that in his early days of being Blue Beetle, he had worn lime green shoes with purple socks to work as Ted Kord). As it had turned out as to why Fire hadn't come instead of Beetle, Ted had Beatriz go out for groceries; it had been originally a distraction so he could check on Vic, then he heard the screaming.
They agreed to retreat to the kitchen table and sort this out. Or try to.
They were both sitting rather uncomfortably for different reasons.
"You're staring," Vic muttered.
"Well, I really can't help it." Ted tried to avert his eyes with failure. "I mean... jeez, Vic, what the hell happened?"
Her eyes glanced away, eyeing at the wall. "Don't wanna talk about it," she murmured in a tone as low as she could go, as if she was attempting to still sound masculine.
"You might not want to, but you really should. This has to do with that phone call, doesn it?"
Vic's eyebrows twitched, trying to tempt back a frown.
Sighing, Ted held the bridge of his nose. "I thought so. Who called, and where did you go with Beatriz, and who did this to you?"
There was a moment of silence, as Vic seemed to consider answering him. She tilted her head, dark strands of hair falling against her face until she sighed. "...Clark called. Went to the park with Beatriz. Dr. Fate did this to me."
There was a bit of sputtering from Ted until he sucked in another breath. "Okay, now let's try to fill in the blanks. Why did Clark call, why did you go with Beatriz, and why did Fate do this?"
"Clark... wanted to take you away. To the Watchtower, to the League. I didn't want that, so I left with Beatriz the next morning to confront Dr. Fate, who was the one to train you and take you away. I angered him." Vic let herself scowl, her delicate hands tightening into fists.
"So. Did we learn a lesson from our little adventure?" Ted's tone was mocking more than teasing, playing upon his apparent somewhat parental role he'd taken since they had moved into the house in Philadelphia. His eyes were narrowed, though, and he wasn't particularly feleing humorous.
Offended wasn't the right word for Vic. It was deeper than that, along with confused. "Excuse me?"
"You don't tell me what's going on, so you run off to go and deal with it yourself - so I bet Bea shoved herself in the mix somehow. Either way, here you are, because you have the wonderful knack of pissing off men and women in spandex!" Ted glowered a little, sparks around his arms and eyes. "I mean - God, Vic, I know you think it's okay to threaten anyone who seems like they're just going to hurt me, but you can't DO that, especially with the League and every other team out there! You can't keep me in the damned dark all the time!"
"I had to," Vic hissed sharply, which didn't sound nearly as threatening in her female tone. "I didn't want you involved because I didn't want you taken away! I refuse to let them do this to you and to the rest of us. First they ignore you, now they want you just because you have powers now. I can't forgive that!"
"Which is fine, except you ran off without telling me a God damned THING! Jesus, you're behaving like BATMAN!"
Vic's head jerked back a bit, her eyes widened at the remark. "Don't you compare me to-"
"Well, you are!" Ted snapped. "You went and did something without telling me or Booster and I figure you weren't going to tell Bea originally, either. You keep sneaking around and doing things without talking to us, because you think it's better that way! Because you think you're never wrong! Tell me that it isn't Batman behavior, Vic. Tell me it isn't!"
"I'm nothing like him - or the League," Vic growled as best she could.
"Get off your righteous ass and look at what you're doing - you're acting just like them!"
She froze, frowning to herself as she thought on the matter. No, she couldn't have been anything like them - she hated the League, she hated their formation, hated what they had become, their actions and decisions and everything. How could she be anything like them, much less Batman?
But she pondered it. Sneaking behind his back, making decisions on her own for actions, because she felt she was right and that was good enough - Lord, maybe he was right.
Maybe... maybe she was no better than them.
Her anger and frusration disappeared suddenly, and there was a wave of emotions. 'Oh God, what have I done?' 'He must hate me.' 'Why did I do that?' 'Maybe I am no better.' 'What am I then?'
Then the eternal questions.
'Who am I, then?' 'Why am I?'
It was like a waterfall beating down on her and she couldn't even control herself like she could in her male body. She was reacting and she couldn't help it.
Vic was sobbing helplessly.
Startled, Ted stood up and wasn't sure what to do. Of all the reactions, he'd been expecting more of a heated argument and not for Vic to crumble into tears and trembles as she tried to hide her face behind her hands instead of a mask. It was insanely awkward and he felt like a jerk even if Vic had to be aware of what she had been doing. Lightly and hesitantly, his hand was on her shoulder.
And then the doorbell rang.
Seethingly, Ted muttered under his breath, "That'd better be Bea." He stared down at the Human Enigma, crying softly and it was painful to listen and watch. "I, uh... I'll be right back." The brunet bit his lip before dashing off for the door.
Once Ted was gone, it didn't make it any easier. Vic shuddered and curled her fingers into her much longer hair, trying to catch her breath and swallow, but it was immediately back to tears and old thoughts she thought she had gotten rid of, pain and sorrow that might have built up over time and she never wanted to deal with because there was always something she had to do, something to focus on, and never on herself.
It'd always been about everyone else, in spite of her actions.
Desperately, she wiped her face, trying to steady herself. It was difficult. The hormones in her body, the thought process, the reactions - it was completely different than usual. She couldn't help the tears, however honest they were.
"-and you can't just strut in like you own the damned place!" she heard Ted snap at whoever made their entrance.
It was a voice she wasn't too familiar with, but... "Neither do you, Kord. Ol' Pointy Ears owns it, right?"
Standing up, Vic peered out from the kitchen, looking around, not tempting to use her Sight. Who was under their roof this time?
It was then that she felt someone distinctively grabbing her behind. "Hey there, sweetcheeks."
With a sharp furious scream, she turned landed the heel of her foot against the jaw of the man who owned the offending hand on her rump - though unfortunately overestimating her catch on balance, falling backwards with a surprised squeak, as much as the noise was also to her misfortune. However, Ted caught her arm, keeping her from meeting the floor.
She stared at the man who had grabbed her, and it hadn't been anyone she suspected she'd ever deal with.
"Guy, keep your hands to yourself," Ted told him, and by his tone it sounded rather tedious. "What the hell are you doing here!"
She felt her throat go dry. "Guy... Gardner?"
"I love a girl who knows my name, sweetcakes." Guy absently wiped at his jaw, grinning at her.
This was the last thing she wanted to deal with. It really was.
"So you Kord's girl, or you want a real man in the house?"
"Guy? Shut UP!" Abruptly, Ted's fist met with Guy's fist, and once against the brunet underestimated his newfound strength, sending the Green Lantern flying into a wall and leaving a perfect though somewhat cartoonish indentation of himself in it before falling back onto the floor, face first.
There was a moment of silence as they stared at the unmoving Green Lantern.
"Uhhh..." Ted paled. "Oops..."
"Well done," the Question muttered, sitting onto the floor and holding her head.
"Well, in your state, I'm not exactly shocked by his remarks. Appalled? Sure." Ted shook his head. "Vic..."
She turned her head away, making a neutral sound that might have been a grunt in her male form.
"Look, I didn't want to upset you, but..."
"No," she responded quietly. "You're right... What I did, I... I should have talked to you first..." She bit her lip a little and lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Ted."
"Do it again, and you're grounded," Ted told her.
Lifting her head, Vic raised a brow at him, about the closest she would get to a smile. It was good enough for Ted.
---
Sighing softly, Beatriz continued her walk down back to the house, plastic bags with groceries in each hand. She'd been inable to use the car at the time, since Booster had used it to get to work.
She did worry a bit; after all, poor Vic was stuck as a woman and had to stay in her room if she didn't want Ted to find out. While she had confidence in Vic for hiding, she did feel some sympathy. Not as much as she would have if it was say... five or so years ago, when Beetle acted a lot more immaturely then than currently. Not that it seemed to comfort Vic any, really.
Beatriz paused some feet from the household, frowning a little as she spotted Booster simply sitting on the stoop, staring up at the clouds in the cold.
"Booster?"
The former blonde turned his head, blinking. "Oh. Hey, Bea."
"You had such a serious look for a moment, I wondered if it was really you."
He smiled a little, shrugging. "I dunno. I was thinking about some things. Where were you and Q this morning?"
With a grin that attempted to remain mysterious, Beatriz responded with, "Now, do you really want to know the answer to that question - not to be ironic?"
"You can't seriously be hinting that you and Q..." Booster peered at her, then shook his head. "Nope. Nope, he just wouldn't."
"Oh? How are you so sure?"
"I dunno. He just seems pretty much asexual to me." He shrugged and stood up.
"Well, it wouldn't matter anyway; poor man's sick in bed again."
"Again? Somehow, I thought his immune system was better than that."
Beatriz shrugged. "He hasn't been sleeping very well. You know that."
"You know about that...?" Booster frowned at her, squinting a little.
"It's not that hard to notice. I have no idea what keeps him up, though."
Sighing, Booster shook his head, muttering, "I don't think he even really knows..."
"Well, he is from Hub City. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets nightmares sometimes," Beatriz told him.
"I don't think it's that. Whatever it is, it's just keeping him up and he doesn't want to deal with it. Which means it's pretty bad, I guess." Booster shrugged. "Well, I'm gonna let Ted deal with it, anyways. He knows Q better and Q will listen to him."
There was a faint smile on her face. "He would," she agreed softly. "C'mon, Booster. I'm not too much for the cold, you know."
---
"Jeez, Kord; they weren't kiddin' when they said you got better." Guy had eventually gotten up from the floor, wiping where he'd been slugged; at the moment, he was sitting in a chair in the kitchen with Ted, while Vic stayed in the back of the room by the wall, glowering the best she could. "Got off your fat ass and actually worked out, eh?"
"Tthat's certainly one way of putting it," Ted grumbled. "What the hell are you doing here, Guy?"
"First thing's first - who the hell's the chick?"
Vic's brow twitched irritably.
"She's not really a... she, per se... uh..." Ted glanced at her apologetically. "She's supposed to be a he. Dr. Fate kinda got angry at him and..."
"You expect me to believe that this is supposed to be a MAN!"
Vic told Guy in a low, threatening tone, "Gal Gardner."
This caused, surprisingly, Guy to sputter and give Ted a look. "How does she-!"
"That's the Question; he knows a lot of things that most people never would," Beetle responded. "Guy, meet Vic Sage, AKA the Question."
"Hot damn. You think Fate will keep her a-"
"No," Vic growled at him. "What are you doing here?"
"Superdick got pretty damned miffed awhile ago, somethin' about Ted not comin' to the Watchtower. Anyway, I wasn't really payin' attention, but he was fillin' me in on some details. Checkmate, Max, whatever - it's all screwed up as usual, from the gist of it. So Hal asked me to come down here and talk t'ya about coming back."
"Ted's not-" Vic cut herself off, then frowned, looking at the brunet quietly.
Ted nodded to what she was saying. "I don't plan on going to the Watchtower, Guy."
"I didn't think so. Fine with me, I was just wondering if you and Gold were dead or not." Guy smirked.
"How touching. I just may weep." Ted rolled his eyes.
The three of them went silent the moment they heard Booster Gold shout, "Holy crap, a girl!"
"Guy Gardner!" Beatriz seethed, the plastic bag handles melted in her grip; the groceries crashed to the floor.
"The eggs!" Ted pointed, noting the broken eggs.
"Donkey!" Booster said suddenly. Everyone stared at him. "What? Oh, that movie wasn't made yet..."
"Can I go to my room?" Vic muttered miserably.
"No, you're not grounded yet," Ted told him. "Bea, you have a good idea of what's going on. Fill in Booster, along with this headline: Superman sends Guy Gardner to convince Blue Beetle back into the Watchtower!"
"He sent GUY?" Beatriz sputtered in disbelief.
The Green Lantern lifted his hands in faint defense. "Like I was gonna try, anyhow, considerin' the crap the League's been pullin' the past few years. They still have Guanoman in their club even after all of this mess."
"Right. Guy, can you call up Superman and tell him no? AND try to get someone down here to fix Vic." Ted glanced at the Human Enigma, who looked rather uncomfortable.
"What am I, your messenger?" Guy eyed him.
"You are now." Ted slapped his hands together. "Chop chop, people!"
Vic glanced aside as everyone else went on the move, hesitantly or otherwise; Guy away to contact Superman, Bea and Boost talking in a corner ("Oh my not-God, that's Q!" "Still an aetheist I see." "Are those... REAL?" "Of all the...!"), and Ted was just rubbing his temples. However, the formerly dead man glanced at Vic, raising a brow.
"What's wrong?"
"Hnn." Vic frowned. "Nothing... it can wait."
Under normal circumstances, Ted probably would have nagged to know, but the entire thing was just tiring him out to even think about it. "All right," he agreed and Vic turned to get her space in the living room.
---
The meeting was set up, once again in the park. Off to the side, staying in the swings with her head lowered, was Vic; the others respected her space, remaining instead gathered by the slides only a few feet away. Booster was still giving Vic glances, confused, though he accepted that frankly this was a condition he was stuck with often. After all, it was incredibly difficult to imagine the Human Enigma as a woman, especially with the kind of face she'd been given, the kind of body. She simply did not look all that threatening, no matter the hisses and growls and a wave of a toothpick.
It had been awhile until Dr. Fate made his reappearance, though there was an easy sixth sense about it by just telling that he was not pleased to be in the vacinity of these people. Not that they were particularly thrilled themselves.
"You know," Ted began. "It's one thing that you guys would want me back to help me. But I know a bit better than that. Maybe you guys feel threatened and want me on your side. Maybe you really do wanna help me. Keen. But I wish there was some God damned honesty left in you people."
"I have heard a similar rant earlier today from your companion; what do you have to say?" Dr. Fate stared down at him.
"I'm not going back to the League. What is it, you can only take me seriously if I have powers or if I'm a dark broody psychopath with too much cash? This is ridiculous!"
Dr. Fate was likely frowning behind his mask; none of them could really tell, but he was generally an unhappy person whenever they saw him. "So you truly wish to stay here?"
"I wouldn't have said otherwise," Ted grumbled.
Guy lifted his hand to draw attention to himself. "It's pretty damned simple: Ted stays, you go. You goin' deaf there, Fate?"
Dr. Fate might have stared in cold silence. Again, no one really could tell.
"Just do us a favor before you flee? Turn Vic back. I know he pissed you off, but if you could do it before he snaps and decides he needs to act like Batman, that'd be great," Ted requested.
Turning, the mystic superhero lifted a hand. The Question glared at him before standing away from the swings, her fists clenched and prepared. There were words murmured under Dr. Fate's breath before the spell emitted from his fingertips and striking the Human Enigma; ready this time, she took it full-on, skidding back and falling to her knees.
"You truly resent us?" Dr. Fate stared back to Ted and the others.
Booster narrowed his eyes. "You have to ask?"
"It's more like I'm really freaking pissed at all of you. So it's pretty damned close to 'resent'," Ted responded. "I know you've been pretty much pissed at us since the whole 'I ban you from the JSA mansion for using my mystical paperweight', but accept the fact that we're pretty angry. I'm done with the League, especially after this whole Checkmate crap is over with."
Dr. Fate nodded slowly. "Very well. But do understand: there is regret."
"Yeah? I don't hear it," Ted muttered, frowning.
There was a lack of response from Dr. Fate, save for the sound of wind whipping through his cape as he took off.
Standing up, Vic brushed off his coat with a scowl on his face. "Hnn. Never did like him."
"You better now, Q?" Booster asked.
"Yes. But first thing's first." Vic turned and approached Guy. "I want you to understand something. When we met, there was a terrible misunderstanding. I want you to comprehend that the person you met wasn't me."
"I can work with that," Guy shrugged.
Vic reached back and slammed a fist across the Green Lantern's face, knocking him out cold. "That's the kind of person I am. Thank you for understanding."
"VIC! Jeez!" Ted held his face in his hands.
"What? You hit him, too," Vic muttered.
"You DID?" Beatriz was practically squealing in laughter.
"Anyway. I have to go back. Right now." Vic turned and adjusted his fedora. "...Really have to go to the bathroom."
Booster stared. "You held it IN-?"
"I was in a female body. Do you really think I wanted to CONSIDER urinating?" The Question grumbled to himself and immediately head off down the street.
---
Across the street from the park, Nick Bounty mused to himself. "A metahuman? And I guess it really isn't 'Matt Murdock' after all."
That was definitely interesting.
---
Notes:
God I'm sorry for the wait. And the SUCKITUDE this chapter was filled with. Argh. ARGH.