It sat straight up. The robot's legs still laid on the table, but its upper body had gone from laying flat to standing straight up. It stared straight ahead, oblivious to anything and everything around it.

Zatanna found herself edging backwards from it, an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Even Batgirl had taken a step backwards as she stared right at it. The scientist just stayed where he was, his head turned and looking up at...what, his creation? Based on the look on his face, all bright and excited, she was assuming he had built this thing and he had tricked her into turning it on.

Yeah, she really needed to brush up on her computer knowledge.

"Amazo: status," the old man suddenly said.

"RUNNING SYSTEM ANALYSIS," a robotic voice intoned. "DIAGNOSTICS COMPLETE; ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTIONING."

The old man sat up, using his hands and arms to prop himself up. "Amazo: initiate defense systems."

Defense systems...Zatanna did not like the sound of that. She liked it even less as this Amazo robot turned its head and stared right at her and Batgirl.

Incredibly though, it just stared at them. Zatanna wasn't sure how she knew that as its eyes were just small balls of light. Yet, she could feel its stare once it moved from Batgirl to her. It seemed to intensify its stare, studying her.

"DEFENSE SYSTEMS INITIALIZED," the robot spoke before it swung its legs off of the table, placing them on the floor. As it stood up, Zatanna found her head tilting back as it stood tall...taller...God damn, this thing was tall! It was what, eight foot tall? With the frame of a linebacker? Yeah, no way was she fighting this thing with her bare hands.

"Tis nwod!" Zatanna commanded as she held a hand out, the robot doing as her spell demanded, causing it to sit right back down on the table.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem alarmed by this, looking down at itself before returning its attention to her. Then it held its hand out to her much like she had. "Tis nwod."

Two things happened that were rather surprising. One, the robot's voice was no longer that robotic one, but a higher pitched, feminine one. It was...well, kinda like her voice if she had to compare it, though it didn't sound exactly like her.

The second, and more alarming, thing that happened, was that Zatanna found herself dropping down, plopping her rear end on the floor. She hadn't even willed herself to do it, she just did it. Blinking her eyes owlishly, she wondered what the hell just happened.

"Vocal command hypnosis," the scientist exclaimed eagerly. "What development!"

Zatanna scowled. "Develop this!" She held out both hands in front of her, summoning her magical energies. Her hands were on their sides, the bottom of the palms pressed together. A moment later and a large beam of raw magical power blasted from her hands. The purple beam raced towards the robot, yellow sparkles erupting all around it. The attack hit the Amazo robot, blasting it off of the table. The part of the table it sat on though, was ripped off because its legs remained in place, taking a large chunk with it. The piece of the table went flipping around as Zatanna's attack carried the robot through the air, rising higher and higher until it hit the far wall.

A cloud of dust erupted at the impact sight, hiding the robot from sight, assuming it wasn't smashed into a hundred pieces by the collision. "Amazo!" the old man cried out.

Though she was happy with the results, for some reason Zatanna found that she couldn't stand up. Trying to stand up, it was like her legs were locked into place in front of her. Frowning, she summoned up a small spell to unlock them. "Dnats pu."

Whatever was keeping them frozen, Zatanna found herself rising up onto her feet. Shifting her weight back and forth, she even kicked them a couple times to rid herself of the feeling of being locked up.

Suddenly, Batgirl's hand grabbed her arm, tightly at that. "What?" she couldn't help but ask as she looked to the young girl, but found she was staring towards the wall that the Amazo robot had hit. Following her gaze, the magician was surprised to find, as the smoke dissipated, Amazo was still in one piece, wedged into the wall, but looking no worse for wear. In fact, it was staring right at her intently.

Then it raised one hand up, pointing it right towards her and Batgirl. "Develop this!" it repeated in the same infection she had.

Then a beam of purple light and yellow sparkles fired from its hand, closing rapidly on the two women.

Immediately, Zatanna grabbed Batgirl by her shoulder. "Tropelet!" There was a flash of light and suddenly she and her young charge were over by the door to the lab. There was the sound of an explosion, one detonating right where the two had been standing previously.

The dark-haired woman's heart was pounding in her chest. That attack...that had been just like her magic. In fact, everything about it had been magic...yet, not. She didn't sense a summoning of magic, but everything this Amazo thing had done was exactly the same as she had done to it. It was like it had copied her motion for motion, word for word.

What the hell was going on here?

"Remarkable; truly incredible," the scientist spoke. "I simply can't wait to run a diagnostic on this."

"Batgirl, I don't know what's going on here, but I think it's time we left," the magician spoke lowly to the young girl. "Use one of your smoke pellets and give us some cover. I don't want this thing following us."

Batgirl didn't hesitate as she immediately pulled out the desired smoke pellet. She threw it on the ground at their feet, white smoke erupting into a cloud around them, hiding them from sight, but also the lab from theirs.

Keeping one hand on the dark-dressed girl's shoulder, Zatanna twisted her body so that she looked in the direction of the door. "Latrop nepoer." The very portal she had used to enter this place returned, a circle of light that shined all over them. The two women plunged into it, the magician sealing it off the very instant they touched down in the Tower of Fate.

And yet, Zatanna stayed frozen where she stood, staring at the spot where the portal had been. Half of her expected the Amazo thing to open its own way to the Tower, the other half hoping it wouldn't. As more and more time passed, she slowly began to relax.

But she didn't completely feel at ease. A Pandora's box had been opened, she could feel it. And just like the box of myth, she felt it promised a storm the likes they hadn't seen before.


"Keep patrols up at all times. We need to be careful. That mysterious power that lives on this planet could be anywhere and the last thing we need is for it to show up. No, no one knows what it looks like. It could look like the local dominant species for all we know. We have to keep this camp secure until we start using the Engine. Relief patrols will be set up in the meantime. Whatever you do, do not let your guard down."

There was so much to do when it came to organizing anything and that included a simple camp like this. Her people had been in space for too long and needed to rest under the safety of the atmosphere. But not all could rest because this wasn't a pleasure trip they were doing.

Blackfire moved throughout the camp, pulling aside the rank and file and specifying their orders as need be. Security was important, but so were their lives. There was anticipation they would be discovered at any time, so defenses needed to be in place before that could happen.

However, there was one other thing that needed to be addressed, and lookie-lookie, who was over there but the Psion she needed to speak with? With long strides, she made her way to the creature that stood out amongst her Tamaranean brethren.

"Status report," she stated her demand, coming to a halt in front of the Psion.

Reading the body language of this reptilian alien was difficult. The ridges on its face obscured facial features, or altered them in a way to make it hard to read expressions. Flowy and loose cloth hid much of the body, so subtle movements and twitches were hidden. Humans, by contrast, were so much easier.

Was it a peeved expression he was giving her? Maybe, maybe not, but she ignored it all the same. "Grand Ruler Blackfire," it greeted her. "The World Engine is ready. All you need to do is tell me when and I can begin the process. It will take time for it to be completed; however, this planet is smaller than the last one, so it should not take the same amount of time. That time, it took seven complete rotations of the planet before completion. I estimate perhaps three rotations until it's complete."

Being on this planet long enough, she had a good sense now of how long a rotation was. It helped that the dominant species had gone out of its way to create its own time measurement system; conversion to theirs would be a bitch, but she was able to make an estimation compared to the Tamaran system. Days were much longer compared to this planet's; it would be just over one complete rotation of Tamaran for the process to finish.

"What about preparations?" she continued, looking up to the mighty, mechanical behemoth. "I imagine it would take time to fully power up. Moving it through space is one thing, but its primary function would take a lot more power."

The Psion was quick to grasp what she was talking about. "I am hopeful that it will be ready by the end of the current night cycle. When day begins, it will be at its full potential."

Even better. Still, it would feel so much longer. If only she had been able to identify what that mysterious force was and where exactly it was located. The stress from being alert for that period of time would be tiring for anyone, even the heartiest of Tamaraneans. Trying to keep this infiltration a secret was integral, perhaps the key part to the scheme.

Enough about that. There was nothing that could be done about it. They, she, would cope until everything was ready. In the meantime, there were still plans.

"I will pass on to you a set of coordinates. That is where I want the World Engine positioned. I would also like some alterations to the terrain there. I want it all to the specifications that I will also give you. Continue as you are."

If there was anything the Psion wanted to tell her, she was already leaving him to move on to the next thing. There were still orders to give, updates to receive, and everything that went along with being the one in charge. Honestly, it was so tedious to do, but she had seized the role after all. You had to take the boring parts along with the privileges it afforded.

His massive frame stepping in her way alerted Tamaran's Grand Ruler that her k'norfka wished to speak with her. Blackfire slowed down her pace, coming to a stop and tilting her head back to look past the impressive beard that Galfore continued to grow. "Is there a problem?" she asked, letting a little of her testiness leaking through her voice.

"A word," the larger Tamaranean requested, giving a small jerk of his head to signal a direction that led away from the encampment.

Staring back, Blackfire regarded the man whom she still felt familial affection for, though she had taken quite a few pains to reduce its influence. She was the Grand Ruler now and could not afford to allow feelings to unbalance her. With a sigh, she nodded her head, then followed after Galfore. Someone wanted privacy it seemed, and despite her preference to not allow emotion to direct her, she granted the man's desire regardless.

Once far enough away, at least to Galfore's liking, he turned to face her once more, then surprisingly began to speak in the recently acquired human language. "I do not like this, bumgorf. It is still not too late."

Another sigh, but this one expressed irritation. "Do we have to go over this again? Galfore, you know we have no other choice."

"You mentioned earlier using the Engine on the Citadel," Galfore was quick to say, not waiting to see if she would continue speaking. "Why not them first? I do not like taking another's planet, not like this. We know what it is like to be attacked, to have to defend our home. Why now do the same to others?"

"And I will say this as many times as I have too, this planet's reputation is but another weapon for us to use. We kill the mysterious force here, no one will be quick to invade us again. We can use the time bought with that reputation to strike at the heart of the Citadel and ensure we are never again bothered by the, or any of the other species under their banner. Nothing means more to them than an impressive show of force and I intend this to be Tamaran's. Yes, it does suck for the humans, but they have not taken advantage of their position as they should have."

It was a wonder how Earth, no, how humans had not tried to leverage themselves into intergalactic politics and the like. The defeat of Despero was no little thing; an elevation into prominence and perhaps the beginnings of a new empire were in the making, and yet nothing. Nothing at all. Humans were such idiots, not knowing what they had when it was right in front of them.

It was their loss. Fools, the whole lot of them. Soon they would be a cautionary tale, though.

Her feet lifted off the ground, and Blackfire levitated up until she could reach out and take her k'norfka's head, a hand on each side of a grizzled face. "The humans had their chance. For whatever reason, they chose not to use their position. We owe nothing to them. Everything we do is for our people. They need us more than these humans do. Ever will. Keep strong, my k'norfka; we are so close. Remember to whom your loyalties lie. I understand your doubt, and why you have it, but this cannot be the time for it."

Galfore closed his eyes, his nostrils flaring as he took in a deep breath of air. A large exhalation followed, along with a slumping of his shoulders. "I know. I know too well. There have been too many losses too soon, and I do not wish to take part in another. I am growing too old for more."

"You just need to live long enough for my triumph. Then you will know that our people are safe once more," the black-haired Tamaranean promised. "For that to happen, I need your strength. Lend it to me one more time. Help me ensure our future."

He stood there, and from her vantage she was now able to gaze down at the war-chiseled face whose eyes remained closed, the one sign of life being the long breaths he took. Finally, he gave a nod of his head, not in the least restrained by her hands that had never left their place.

"Thank you, my k'norfka. For now, we need return to our duties. There is still much to be done and not enough time to waste." Now she pulled back, removing her hands away from the larger Tamaranean while drifting backwards until she was back on solid ground once more. Now the Grand Ruler looked up, taking in the now-opened green eyes that returned her look. They were so sad, and why should they be?

The humans were to blame for their own misfortune. They had their chance.

Without another word, Blackfire turned away and returned to camp, trusting that Galfore would do the same. So much work needed to be completed. Her guiding hands would have to be the ones that made sure everything was accomplished. A downside of being a Grand Ruler, one her father never deign to teach or tell her about. Well, that was in an unchangeable past now. The future was straight ahead and she would meet it like every challenged placed before her.


Unnoticed by either Tamaranean, a member of the local wildlife watched them. A tiny nose sniffed the air, constantly twitching with all the foreign smells it picked up. Beady eyes observed as the black-haired Tamaranean left, leaving the larger one to stand there for minutes on end until he began to move.

The squirrel that watched continued to do so until both Tamaraneans were lost in all the activity before he gave a heave of a sigh.

"Nice enough for them to speak English," the squirrel that happened to be green muttered. "I don't understand anything else these people are saying."

It was like all the weird gibberish that came out of Kori's mouth, only much faster and less understood. Foreign languages, man. At least some of the words he thought he understood. You could always tell when someone was swearing up a storm, even if you didn't understand them.

Rearing back on hind legs, Beast Boy looked down at the small device clutched between his paws. Tiny it was, but from what Cyborg had told him, it was a recording device. Throughout the night he had been scurrying about, hopefully recording everything. He couldn't tell whether it was on or off and had only been reassured by his best friend that yes, it was, and to stop asking him that.

"Maybe somebody will understand this," the green shapeshifter sighed before putting the device back into his mouth and scurrying away. What else was he going to record? Who could say, but hopefully he had found something important other than swear words.

Though, it might be interesting to see Kori's reaction when he tried repeating some of them later.


Kori had locked herself up in her room. Predictable, but at least the Tamaranean wasn't wandering the hallways and filling up every nook and cranny with her spiraling affect. Stationary meant that she would be easy to track down by following how strong those emotions were and whether they grew in strength due to proximity.

Red Robin had wanted her to keep an eye on their extraterrestrial friend. Raven knew she could watch, but what more was there for her to do? Through no fault of her own, Kori tended to experience her emotions more intensely than the others. Fortunately, she didn't mood swing like Bart would at times, so there was one mercy.

The door was not locked. It was a peculiar habit that Raven noticed. She herself always kept her room locked. Everyone else kept theirs open unless it was to go to bed. Kori always kept hers open; a holdover from life on Tamaran, perhaps?

She found her orange-skinned friend almost immediately. She was by her window, gazing out into the night as she sat next to it, almost curled up on herself, but her head was angled to look through the glass and watch. For the first time, it felt as if Kori was unapproachable, and to do so was to shatter something delicate.

Despite her blunt nature, Raven understood that there was a time to be gentle, unlike some others she could name. There was a time to cut through bullshit and mental gymnastics; then there were times when you had to be careful and tactful. Just because her normal default was get to the heart of the matter did not mean she didn't know the dance either.

The cloth of her cape wisped over the carpeted floor, and it appeared she was flowing across the room until she reached the Tamaranean's side. There was no response, no greeting, or anything really that would give away that Kori knew she was there. For a moment, Raven looked through the window and to the clear night sky. The light pollution from Jump obscured much of the twinkling starlight, but there were some whose light were able to power through.

Minutes ticked by until the cloak-wearing girl decided to be the first to speak. "I don't believe I have ever seen you like this before."

Kori's body stiffened, then relaxed. The empathic girl could sense alarm, standard fight-or-flight, then relaxation as the threat level was measured to be safe. Those were instincts and not a conscious view of dread directed towards her. However, Kori did not respond with anything, not even an attempt to cover up her depressed mood.

Guess it was still up to her to press forward. Great. Just because she knew tact didn't mean she used it enough to be a master of it. She would need to tread carefully. "I can't begin to understand what you are feeling, Kori. All I know is what I can sense. I can put it all together logically, but it does not mean that I understand fully. I know that we aren't close. You could say that about almost everyone with myself. I find it hard to try because...because engaging in the effort is taxing for me. You're the opposite. You meet a friend everywhere you go. You don't hold back when you feel. You're one of the most honest people I have ever met, and I value it. I am here for you, if you want to vent."

There was no immediate answer, but Raven could wait. She found that she would wait for however long she needed to. To admit as much as she had, well, that hadn't been planned, but for such an honest person as Kori, it felt right to be just as honest. Consider it a sign of respect if you will.

Then there was the first visible movement from the Tamaranean. Kori's head fell forward, tilted down as hair obscured her face. "I…" An audible swallow replaced any verbal forwards until silence took over once more. Eventually, Kori broke her silence again. "I appreciate your...open...your willingness to be open to me. I am honored...that you feel such and are willing to tell me."

A nice foot in the door there. Now to take advantage. "You've earned it. I've noticed that you do so much for our friends here. You sacrifice so much. I think it's time that there is some fair play and that we're here for you. Talk to me." Okay, this next word was going to be hard. "...please." Now that felt like pulling a tooth there. "I know—"

"No. You do not know." Now that was a first. Being interrupted and cut off and by the polite Tamaranean no less. "I have come into information that changes what I know about my life. It is very…"

"Tumultuous?" Raven suggested.

"I do not know. I understand the words, grasp their meanings, but there are times I do not understand." Raven noted how Kori had wrapped her arms around her legs, and how those arms tightened.

Regardless, Raven understood what she was seeing and picking up. There was much about how Tamaraneans could learn new languages that they did not understand, no matter how uncomfortable it would make them.

"What do you not understand?" It was an offer, tangential, but something that could make it easier for Kori to open up.

"I know the words, I know the meanings, I do not know if I am using them correctly. It can be frustrating."

The speech was halted, like the Tamaranean was trying to keep herself under control. This was not normal behavior, especially for a person who was typically honest and expressive. Raven kept her eyes on the night sky, doing her best not to react.

She did comment, "It sounds like there is more frustrating you."

A flicker of dark eyes glanced down at the depressed alien, and from the reflection on the glass, she could see how orange skin furrowed around the bridge of the nose.

There was no answer and time ticked away under the silence. Eventually, "There is."

Somehow, Kori was shrinking in on herself even more. It was fascinating to see, but aggravating to watch. It was making Raven want to throw tact out this very window and cut to the heart of the matter no matter how much it hurt. Patience, though. Patience.

"I never understood...I did not want to understand. Raven, has there ever been a time when everything you knew about...a part of your life, and you feel that you understood it correctly, and then you learned new information that contradicted, and...and now you wished you never learned it?"

"Welcome to my life," Raven quipped. "I understand more than you can know. Let me guess, you learned something new and now it's made you doubt everything. Does that seem about right?"

"Yes. No. I do not know. It...it hurts to think about it."

They were still dancing. Well, perhaps a little digging wouldn't hurt too much. "Based on that, someone told you something new. Was it from Galfore?"

There was a shaking of shoulders and Raven could detect the mirth. "He still sees me as young and needing protection. If he could keep the greatest secrets of the universe away from me because it would hurt me to learn them, he would."

"Then that leaves...your sister."

A sharp wince. So, the older sibling was responsible like Red Robin suspected. Time to up a little pressure.

"What did she tell you?"

"I—"

"Do not tell me you don't want to talk about it. Whatever she told you, it hurt you. I can see it from here. Let me be blunt, this is not the first time she has hurt you. I remember what you told us when your old slaveowner wanted you back; that your sister had put you into bondage herself."

This wince was much more noticeable. The empath was sensing withdrawal, shame for...oh yes. That's right. All the time the younger Tamaranean was spending with the elder, the same elder that had caused her so much harm. Why? Why was she going along with it?

"I have a curiosity, if I may. Before I even saw your sister, everything you ever told us about her was negative. She led the first lethal coup in Tamaran history. She sold you into slavery. She did nothing to stop any of it. And now, when she has set foot on Earth, you go out and have a sightseeing tour. That does not add up to me. Would you care to explain it so that I do understand?"

Predictably, there was no quick answer. This was like pulling teeth.

Where there were no words, there were small movements, squirming you might call it, as the depressed Tamaranean was either trying to get more comfortable, or she was struggling with whatever internal conflict she was experiencing. Reluctance was primarily what Raven was detecting, along with some guilt in there. Hmm, did Kori feel guilty about the disconnect between her past and her present actions?

Finally, "I must seem like a fool," Kori sighed. "I know my past, including that which I have neglected to tell you. I know the pain I have experienced. The despair. The hurt, the betrayal… I...I had a fantasy. Maybe you would understand, or maybe you would not. I fantasized about returning to my home...world, to Tamaran, and righting the wrongs perpetrated against me.

"I created a fantasy where it was violent, where I engaged in hand-to-hand combat and eventually triumphed over my sister. And there would be cheering. There would be relief. Closure, I think the correct word is. I did not fantasize that Komand'r would...come to me. To see Galfore again, I can not explain to you what I felt. Elation. Joy. Happiness. Familial love. Maybe I was primed by that because when I saw her again, when I stood before Komand'r once more…"

The empath said nothing, letting her silence be the prompt to continue.

"It is not easy. It is not easy for me to hold on to hatred. Even as I was being taken away, I was hoping that she would...that she would have turned around and saved me. Changed her mind and not allow the Gordanians to do with me as they wished. Even as I was transported to one of the inner sanctums of the Psions and made into their test subject, I had hoped she would arrive and rescue me. In the pain, through moments where I was utterly alone, when there was no certainty I would live to see the next minute, I still hoped…"

Was it a gasp or a sob? Shoulders shook and a head dipped.

"There is nothing more painful than hope denied…"

Raven exhaled, ridding herself of a breath she had found she was holding. Then she moved, lowering herself so that she sat next to the emotionally fragile alien. Touch was a powerful sense, and so she pressed her side into Kori's, a literal shoulder to cry on if she needed it. Now she could really feel the tremors, small as they were, they had been unnoticeable. Kori did not pull away, but neither did she fall into her despair.

"And now she is here. A new way to resolve my feelings was here. I had fantasized so long visions of violence, but then there was...talking. I could use words instead of fists, and I wanted to know. I wanted to know why I was sent away, banished. I wanted to know why she did not save me. I wanted...I wanted to have my family back. The family that I knew, and have not seen since...since everything became wrong. There was a time when...it felt like I did have it back. Wandering through the city, exhibiting all that humans had to offer on this planet, it was fun. I enjoyed that day more than I should have, but it felt like I had my sister back.

"I had the talk with her. I confronted her about her past actions." A loud sniff interrupted. "I did not anticipate what she told me. Even now I struggle to accept any of it. The deaths in her coup, she claimed they were necessary. That Tamaran was close to annihilation at the hands of the Citadel, that we did not have the power to resist their might. That she offered us as a consumer good to save our home. I know that my people would have fought to the last, that they would not accept any galactic overseer. We could have won if given the chance to fight."

Raven said nothing. She herself knew little about this Citadel and all of her knowledge of it came from Kori. Her orange-skinned friend held a bias and the empath wondered if there wasn't a kernel of truth in there. Based on the descriptions, it sounded like one planet versus a galactic empire. This wasn't a movie; there was no band of plucky rebels that were going to save a world in a single battle. This was a reality of politics and Komand'r may have had knowledge that the rest of Tamaran didn't.

Still, this wasn't a point to belabor. Kori didn't seem to be in the frame of mind for that kind of argument. So a different tact was necessary, and fortunately, one of the words the Tamaran had dropped gave her some inspiration.

She had brought up family, after all.

"It was some time ago, back when we were still using the yacht as our primary residence. I had a talk with Garfield. The mental blocks on his memory came up." Not once did Raven look away from her own reflection in the glass. She could feel Kori's curiosity, so she continued. "Even after he had learned about his parents, he still feels nothing about them. Whatever memories he does have of them are locked away. Even I don't dare to meddle with those blocks, not without a complete understanding of them.

"Do you know what he told me at that time, on the boat? Even though he still did not remember anything about his past, he referred to us, his friends, you and me and Victor and all the others, as his family. None of us are all related, so why would he think that, I wondered. He saw something in all of us, something I still find myself looking for, and he called it family. He said he was going to fight for it, even when it seemed like all we were doing was fragmenting. I challenged him on it. I challenged him to protect it, because honestly he hadn't been doing a good job. We're all here now, so he didn't do too bad a job."

Now she looked down at green eyes that looked up at her. "The two of you have so much in common. The importance of family seems to be another one. There is a difference, though. Garfield has decided to form a new family, blood ties notwithstanding. Right now, to me, you seem to be attached to bloodlines. Family is important as long as you have a connection of blood to them.

"When it comes to family, you have no choice to those you are born to. The truth about family is that you do have power over who is your family. You can choose who your family is. You can disregard those who share blood if all they do is hurt you. Find those who offer companionship and safety. Those who will fight for you when everyone else won't. Now if you tell anyone what I'm about to say, they will never find your soul. Garfield...may have the right of it when it comes to family."

Green eyes looked down, and though tears were welling up from the lower eyelids, they did not spill. The eyes themselves were thoughtful, though. When they looked back up, "You mention nothing about your family."

Dark eyes closed. Visions of a mother flashed in the darkness, visions of a father followed. Then flashes of siblings. Of suffering. Of devastation…

Dark eyes opened once more. "I have a new family now."

Because there was Victor who could be serious and yet stupid. There was Red Robin, always struggling under the mantle of leadership, but slowly embracing his destiny. There was Wonder Girl, one wrong word away from rage, but was mellowing out. There was Bart, only growing more tolerable. There was Garfield, so swallow, stupid, immature, brainless, tactless, gullible, frustrating...and every so often able to offer clarity through sheer dumb luck. There was Terra, held at arm's length, open in a way that was almost alien to her.

Then, and lastly, there was Kori. Stronger than she knew, stronger than she had any right to be, and yet so delicate. How had she managed to emerge from the ravages of her past and still find a way to smile? How did any of them?

Sometimes, she felt she was the weakest here because she had yet to find a reason to smile herself.

Maybe. One day. If she ever did find the strength.

There must have been something about her words, because she was detecting a different emotion from the Tamaranean. It was hard to describe, but it seemed those words were taking root. Either that or resonating. It was difficult to say.

There were no more words spoken. Raven wasn't sure if there were any to say. If none were to be said, then at the very least companionship could be offered. At the very least something was happening beneath the surface and that was the only thing the hood-and-cloak-wearing girl could be sure of.


Ivo had exceeded his expectations in every sense of the word.

Luthor had been informed about the intruder, and already he was trying to figure out what the hole in the security system was. Everything had been covered; no one should have been able to get into that lab. Already, security feeds were being searched through, but he would learn what was in the feeds later.

There was a caveat here and the business mogul needed to know everything about it.

The last time he had seen it, it was just a motionless android with absolutely no signs of life. Now, now it sat up, seemed to be looking around the lab curiously. It also had its legs crossed femininely while leaning back on its arms casually. That was not how he envisioned the android behaving.

"Just this initial data is phenomenal! There are no words to describe what has happened here! Breakthrough is not enough! No! This, this is something far better! Greater! And we've only just begun!" Ivo was babbling throughout it. Luthor had never seen the man like this, no composure whatsoever, and as giddy as a schoolboy. By that alone, he knew something "phenomenal" had to have occurred.

"Professor," he admonished as he gripped the reedy man's shoulder. "Calm down and explain. What happened here?"

Taking a deep breath, the scientist was able to calm himself down from being on the verge of mania, though that could change if the wrong question was asked. "My apologies. I had my theories, but this...this goes beyond them."

"Professor," Luthor repeated the title, putting a little more edge in his voice while tightening his grip on Ivo's shoulder. This prompted the Amazo android to look in his direction, his small eyes zeroing in on his hand. Noticing this, Luthor carefully removed his hand and took a step back, the android watching his every move. "Ivo, if you would explain what happened, beginning to end," he spoke slowly.

Ivo calmed himself again, adjusting his bowtie. "I was completing the latest diagnostics when the intruders arrived. I didn't hear them come in, so I did not know they were here until one of them was right behind me."

"Them?" Meaning there was more than one? That was aggravating.

"Two in total, both female," Ivo explained. "One was in all black, had a symbol of a bat, I believe, on her chest." A bat? An associate of Batman, no doubt. There may have been more to that confrontation in his office than he had previously thought. "The other was a meta, no doubt about it. Her abilities were verbal, able to silence me with a word. It sounded gibberish to me, but there was nothing ridiculous about what she could do." So it wasn't just one man in a costume. He had gathered allies, probably for any sign related to content in that footage. That would be what he would do.

Returning to the matter at hand, "Seeing as how you're still in one piece, do you know what their objective was?"

"Obviously to gain knowledge on Amazo." Ivo gestured to the android. "After the threats of violence, I manipulated the meta into activating him." Hmm, a clever man and able to think on his feet. "Once fully operational, all it took was one look, and Amazo had downloaded and copied the meta's abilities. Even after she had administered an attack of her own, Amazo weathered and returned the attack, identical in appearance and in power. They were forced to flee."

Remarkable. Able to sustain damage without being incapacitated and even better, able to mimic...no, copy an ability strength for strength? Ivo had outdone himself. This was a result beyond anything he could have anticipated.

"I have been going over the data. It seems Amazo has developed a few mannerisms, ones similar to the meta he copied. Perhaps a side effect, but more data and testing will be needed," Ivo continued.

Glancing at the android, Luthor gazed at it thoughtfully. With his hands behind his back, the business mogul stated, "I would like a demonstration now."

The professor looked at him, considering the request. Turning back to the android, Ivo said, "Demonstrate your power, Amazo."

Little eyes were upon him, a large extended out and a tone of voice that was feminine in nature declared, "Tis nwod!"

He felt the force, how it took over his body, and how he was suddenly sitting on the floor. Luthor wanted to struggle, did struggle, but not even his body would respond to him. The android—no, Amazo had full control over him.

"Mr. Luthor!" Mercy exclaimed, coming up beside him and trying to pull him up. He knew what kind of strength she had, and yet she could not budge him. Not even a millimeter.

It was incredible, but also very inconvenient for him. Then he found there was one part of his body that he did have control over. "Let me up."

"Amazo?" Ivo prompted. "Release him."

"Esaeler."

It was gone, the force, and then Mercy was hauling him up. The two of them stumbled, fought and succeeded at regaining their balance. All the while, Luthor was coming to terms with what had happened and already he could see the possibilities.

"The best I can tell, he is manipulating multiple energy fields all at once. Physical, electromagnetic, biochemical, and too many others to name right now. It all comes together to behave very much like this. For lesser minds, you might call it magic. But it is subtle and numerous manipulations on so many forces all at once, but the only one we're aware of is sound. It's fantastical," the professor lectured.

"Incredible," he remarked as he adjusted his necktie, pulling away from Mercy. "Is there anything more I should know?"

"It's too early to say for sure. Again, we are only just starting to see what Amazo can do," Ivo said. "When he can begin obtaining more samples, then we'll begin to have a better idea—"

"More samples?" Luthor interrupted. More, as in, Amazo could copy the abilities of more than just one meta? Meaning, a mishmash of abilities all held within one robotic body?

"The technology you gave to me was very advanced. Even now I have barely scratched the surface. What my data tells me is that this is only the beginning. Amazo should be able to store and then access the various powers he samples, and if my design is true, he will continue to grow, adapt, and continue to gain in power with each new ability obtained. Of course, he will need to have access to more metas in order to prove my theory. I don't think it will be too much of a problem."

The words echoed within his head and Luthor was really letting them sink in. What Ivo was telling him really was the tip of the iceberg. There were so many possibilities, they were nearly limitless. However, past experience tempered his excitement; he had had this feeling before and it had led to disappointment time and again.

Ivo was right, though. There needed to be more testing, more access to other meta abilities.

Well, he was sure he could come up with something.

In fact, he already had an idea.