Superian had gotten used to being in darkness.
It was a welcome change from whenever they'd tear him out of the cell and place him in chains and demand his attention. They wanted to know the Who, the What, the When, and the Why—and of course, if he didn't respond accordingly, they let him know how displeased by threatening physical harm. If he continued to ignore them, they would occasionally whip his backside; if they did not whip his backside, they let him go without any food or water for days on end.
Unfortunately, with Big Bismuth in his system putting him into a semi-conscious state, Superian could only half-mumble his responses, which made the whole process a torture. It was only when he finally managed to mouth "Karamazov" that they finally took him out of the dark cell and transported him to what appeared to be a big bright cube. The change was startling—to go from such darkness to such brightness practically blinded him. Even so, he was still trying as hard as he could to send messages to anyone—namely Arthur—who he half-remembered talking to even in his dazed perception, but he wasn't sure if it was real or if it was a dream.
Strangely, there was occasionally a voice that wasn't Arthur's, that would somehow break through the syrupy discordance that the big bismuth poisoning had caused. Even in his delirium, Superian could make out a distinctively female voice. It wasn't a voice he recognized and it sounded like some kind of foreign accent—Indian perhaps—but it was always very comforting. Now that he had been moved out of the Bismuth chamber, he was beginning to regain his sense of clarity, and he could make out much more clearly what she was saying: "Destiny," was all he could make out at first, "Faith….hope…time…" Then, more clearly, "Destiny is coming to find you," and then, "Who is Arthur?" and then, "They're coming, they're coming to get us!—They actually have A PLAN!"
Superian tried to respond, but the Bismuth had thrown his mental processing system all out of whack, and he would have been able to spot the signals more clearly if he wasn't in such a poor state. He was far too weak from lack of sustenance and from the Bismuth draining his system. He couldn't think straight, and couldn't stand. Thankfully the bleeding had stopped since the last lashing, but his back was still stinging from the crack of the whip against his skin. He constantly had to shut his eyes because of the brightness of the room, and his voice was hoarse from yelling in protest against his captivators.
These were aliens that Superian knew well—unfortunately, too well—as they had been the ones to bring him to Earth, in what the world knew as the "Tunguska Event of 1908". They had intended it to be a punishment, originally a kind of quarantine—for Superian was a rebel in their minds, a traitor to the Galactic Federation, who was potentially dangerous to all. They hadn't planned for Superian's DNA to be confiscated by the Urmanian government; nor had they expected Superian to be okay with the outcome: an advanced superhuman species. It seemed that if one family member had a gene that had been used in the original experiment, then there was a chance for all family members to inherit the superhuman gene—and the possibilities were endless….
Now, they had learned that the Urmanian scientist who had been the first to originally have access to Superian's DNA was "at large". What they didn't understand was that Karamazov had never wanted to be responsible for such a dramatic change in evolution; he had only wanted to study the DNA and perform a single experiment (which, unbeknownst to everyone except him, became The Tick). He had been researching samples of Superian's DNA undercover from the government for at least two years before the government realized the truth behind his operations. To say the least, the Urmanian government wasn't pleased to discover that one of their most famous scientists had, in their minds, 'turned against them'. They sent spies after Karamazov to frame him by blowing up his lab, and then accused him of blowing up his own lab himself as a means of hiding the evidence. Only after the scientist went into hiding the third time, in the underground of the City, was he discovered by the Terror, which eventually led him to Arthur and the Tick.
Superian had never learned about the secret experiment of The Tick. He'd only been aware that Karamazov had somehow stolen his DNA and used it for researching purposes, and then the government had stolen it from Karamazov before they blew up his lab. In the aliens' mind, Superian was directly responsible for this dramatic change in human evolution; in Superian's mind, it was a "happy accident"-Earth was now more colorful and full of people who could do the world a world of good. Now, it seemed he was a superhuman "stain" on the face of the Earth, and all he wanted was for everything to go back to "normal"-whatever that could possibly mean when you were the first superhero to arrive on a planet like Earth.
Now, he was finally beginning to get his sense of awareness back. Unfortunately, along with the awareness came pain—and mostly physical. He spent the first couple of days in the bright big cube lying on his side and moaning for mercy. He moaned for anyone who would listen, not caring in the least bit how pathetic he sounded. At that point, he would have given anything to be anywhere but there, in that horrid lonely torture chamber of pain. What he would give to be back on Earth more than anything—before the human species had turned on them, turning his whole entire existence upside down.
I am sending you healing energy, a voice spoke suddenly.
What? Superian opened his eyes. Who is this?
You can hear me, the voice said with surprise.
Yes, he returned with annoyance, of course, I can hear you!
Can you feel this? The voice was distinctly female. It also had a slightly unusual accent. Think 'yes' or 'no' (I will be able to hear you).
Yes, he thought back with relief, as a feeling of warmth and lightness spread through him, I think I can….Thank you! He groaned. I'm still in a lot of pain though…
Don't worry, the voice said, We're going to get you out of there! I'm going to make sure you get through this. We're both going to make it!
How do you know?
Because my sister Destiny is coming to rescue us!
Your sister? The voice sounded murky, as if it were underwater and far away. Your sister's name is Desetiny?
Yes my sister Destiny. You may call me Fate.
Superian wondered if perhaps he was hallucinating. The woman appeared to be talking in riddles.
Destiny has special powers, she told him, She will be able to save you.
Well then where IS she? Superian felt like a lost child wandering in the wilderness. (So this was what it felt like to be human...)
Close, Fate responded, Very close….so close that I can feel her face before my own!
This woman could be crazy, thought Superian, but she could think the same of me.
I hope you're right, he told the voice, because, quite frankly, I'm running out of time—they're going to isolate me forever in the vacuum of space if I don't give them something soon….
Don't worry, said Fate, my sister and I will think of something!
Superian couldn't respond. He suddenly felt himself drifting off into a blissful half-sleep, which was the only way he could find any respite from the pain.
Please Arthur, he pleaded silently as he succumbed to the sweet relief of sleep, Don't give up on me.
Overkill was getting restless.
"So what's the game plan?" he asked the group, to no one in particular.
"Chum…" The Tick stared back blankly, then turned slowly to Arthur, "Do we have a 'game plan'?"
"Um…" Arthur grimaced. "You mean other than Dangerboat's invisibility shield?"
The Tick thought about it for a moment. "Yes," he replied, nodding excitedly, "that one!"
"Er—" Arthur winced with embarrassment. "None—er—really—"
"SERIOUSLY? And you both call yourself superheroes." Overkill scoffed, shaking his head at them with disgust. "First rule of a mission," he barked, "you HAVE to have a game plan! Because without your game plan? You're as good as dead."
"With all due respect, Overkill," Dangerboat piped up, "they had no idea that we were going into outer space—so they did not have any time to prepare for future tactics—"
"Alright DB, alright, I got it," Overkill snapped. He turned to Arthur. "Where's your suit?"
"Shit!" Arthur covered his face with a groan. "I didn't take it. I-I didn't think I would need it today–"
"Guess what I've got!" Destiny appeared suddenly as if out of nowhere. To Arthur's astonishment, there in her hands was his briefcase—and there, right inside the briefcase, was his suit!
"Destiny…!" He gawked at her in amazement. "How did you know—" He blushed when he realized the absurdity of his question. (It was Destiny after all.) He beamed at her as he shuffled into the suit (it was a bit of a challenge since he still wasn't used to the weightlessness of space).
Destiny grinned at him. "I have my ways," she smiled. "This will come in handy when we're on board. It's a great ally when you're faced with challenges."
"'Ch-Challenges'….?" Arthur felt his face turn pale. "What—what do you mean, 'challenges'?"
As if on cue, the helmet began to buzz. Arthur blinked with surprise. He was getting a video call—in space? His goggles holo-vision popped up and there was the face of none other than Dr. Karamazov, who now only he could see.
"Oh my God!" he gasped, "everyone—it's—it's Dr. Karamazov–!" he exclaimed.
"Dr. Karamazov…?" The Tick was mesmerized by the name, as though he were hearing it for the first time. "HEY!" he spoke up as if with sudden realization, "that's my DAD!"
"I'm sorry—" Dot stared at the Tick in complete bewilderment, "did you just say—your DAD?"
"Long story," Arthur explained before the Tick could respond. Hey DB," he called upwards, "any chance we can get Karamazov paired up with Dangercast so he can see the group?"
"As you wish!" Dangerboat complied. Almost immediately, Karamazov's face appeared on Dangerboat's enormous broadcasting screen.
"Dr. Karamazov!" Arthur exclaimed, "Where are you? The Tick and I are actually on board a ship and—" In light of the absurdity of the situation, he had to momentarily pause and gather his thoughts. "We're actually currently in outer space—and—"
"Yes I know that you are," replied Dr. Karamazov in as calm but as diplomatic a stance as usual, "for I too am also in Outer Space! I am actually not far from your location—"
"What!?" Arthur blurted with astonishment, "that's—that's amazing! How—"
"I am currently being held captive on the alien pod Station Z X 5," Karamazov's voice came in loud and clear. "I have been taken here to testify on Superian's behalf—"
"Holy mackerel!" Arthur exclaimed with excitement, "that means you're on the same space station as Superian!?"
"Yes," Karamazov replied in his thick Urmanian accent, "it does in fact indeed. And they are presently holding me captive until I can provide enough proof that Superian was not in charge of the experiment that introduced his alien DNA into human DNA. That is why they have detained him. Superian is considered a fugitive of his species. His race is trying him for treason. However they will not succeed," Karamazov added firmly, "because I will be making sure that they know it was me who had started the transformation of humanity all along—not Superian!"
Arthur was about to respond when suddenly the Tick's gigantic blue head obscured his field of vision. "DAD!" The Tick hollering, "it's ME! DAD!"
"I am sorry," Karamazov replied, "I cannot make out what you are saying—"
"DAD!" The Tick bellowed as loud as possible over the intercom, "It's ME—your SON! The TICK!"
"I am sorry," Karamazov repeated himself, squinting at the screen as though he were blind as well as deaf, "I cannot understand what you are saying—"
"Dangerboat!" Tick bellowed with annoyance, "there's something wrong with your television—"
"There is nothing wrong with my mechanics," Dangerboat responded with protest automatically.
"Tick!" Arthur hissed urgently, "we can talk to him about this later okay!? Right now we've got to focus on Superian!"
"Right..." The Tick's shoulders sank slightly, but then his antennae stood straight up as though he had suddenly had an epiphany. "Oh YES! Right you are Chum!" He turned excitedly to Arthur. "We have to get on that ship!"
"Arthur?" Karamazov was back on the line.
"Dr. Karamazov?" Arthur moved closer to the video. "Can you hear me?"
"Loud and clear."
"We're actually on a spaceship—er—Dangerboat—he's also a spaceship—"
"I am very familiar with AEGIS weaponry—"
"I identify as a peaceful ship—" DB began to protest, but Arthur held his hand up, and DB fell silent with understanding.
"I am aware of your location," Dr. Karamazov announced, surprising everyone into speechless silence, "and I have told the aliens about your arrival. They are very pleased to have you on board as advocates from Earth, which is still in alliance with their planet. The aliens are not hostile towards humans—"
"What about—" Arthur glanced with concern at the Tick, who was curiously silent, "-superhumans…?"
"They hold no hostility or resentment towards Categories." Dr. Karamazov spoke clearly, "they are a benevolent race. They have however been punishing Superian quite brutally for his crimes—"
"But Dr. Karamazov," Arthur stammered, "what crimes are they convicting him of exactly?"
"When Superian was first brought to Earth as a punishment of quarantine from his species," Karamazov explained, "they were not expecting the Urmanian government to request that I, Dr. Mischa Karamazov, extract his DNA and combine it with human DNA….and they also did not expect that I would perform my own secretive experiments with said Superian DNA…which created anomalies unbeknownst to humankind—"
"He's talking about ME!" the Tick whispered excitedly, grinning at Arthur with bright eyes.
"Superian was requested by the Urmanian government to provide his DNA as an act of alliance with Earth," Karamazov continued, "so that we could better understand him. Unbeknownst to Superian, there was a corrupt branch of the Urmanian government that wished to use Superian's DNA against him—to create an evil horde of superhumans that could destroy any alien race that would follow Superian's lead."
"That's insane…." Arthur groaned and covered his face with his hands.
The Tick nodded.. "Dirty dealings, Chum," he agreed, looking grim.
"Okay—so—" Arthur shook himself back to the present task at hand. "Now that we know what's going on—how are we going to convince them that Superian didn't betray his own people and doesn't deserve to be punished for actions and crimes he didn't intend to commit—?"
"I have been gathering documents from all of my files that they allowed me to bring," Karamazov explained, "and many of my files have documented the good that Superian has done for humanity over the years. The aliens need to know that Superian is still doing good for the people of Earth as their guardian—which is what the Superiors have been doing for years as guardians of planets all over the galaxy."
"The Superiors?" Arthur echoed with confusion.
"That is the name of Superian's race."
"AH," everyone nodded in unison, even though everyone was still quite in a state of shock.
"I will let them know you will be docking soon," Dr. Karamazov questioned. "I will alert them of your arrival."
"Dr. Karamazov!" Destiny called out, waving excitedly in front of the screen, "it's me—Destiny! Do you remember me? We met a long time ago—in Urmania—"
"Destiny?" Dr. Karmazov echoed, confused at first, then brightened with the biggest smile that anyone had ever witnessed grace his face. "Oh my goodness! Yes, it is you, Destiny! Yes, of course, I remember you—"
"Dr. Karamazov—" Destiny spoke in a rushed manner, "my sister is on board with you—she's my identical twin—she's being held prisoner…have you seen her?"
"No," Dr. Karamazov frowned, "I am afraid I have not…."
"I'm coming on board with Arthur," Destiny declared. "I'm going to have to convince them to free her….after you two convince them to free Superian."
"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Karamazov replied, "I will see you aboard ASAP!" The line went dead immediately.
Arthur let out a huge sigh of relief, then turned to Destiny. "What are you going to do about Fate?" he asked hesitantly, "we don't even know where she is on the ship—"
"I'll find her," Destiny declared—but Arthur noticed suddenly that she was trembling.
"Destiny…" He placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. "you're shaking—"
"I know..." Destiny spoke so softly he could barely hear her, and her eyes filled unexpectedly with tears.
Arthur felt his stomach sink. "Oh…" he murmured, "Destiny…" He did the only thing he could do then: he pulled her into a full embrace, a great big tender hug. They remained that way for a few moments, and thankfully nobody spoke; they knew there was nothing they could say to make this any easier.
"You can do this," Arthur told her, declaring with a level of conviction that surprised everyone, "WE can do this—together!"
"Right on Chum!" the Tick exclaimed with excitement, "together, with your brains and my brawn, we can take on anything!"
"You bet!" Arthur nodded eagerly. "Dot," he swung about, "Tick, Destiny, and I are going on board—but you and Overkill need to remain on Dangerboat—we can't take any chances—"
"Are you shitting me?" Overkill growled, jumping in front of him and sending a death glare, "No way in HELL am I sitting like a loser on the sidelines while YOU get all the glory—"
"Easy, there, Stabby." The Tick came between them, "If there's too many of us, they might get suspicious—"
"Yeah, Overkill," Arthur hastily agreed, he's right-"
"And who made YOU in charge of this operation?" Overkill barked, "you have no clue what you're doing! I'm a trained assassin," he hissed, "and I know how to deal with uncharted territory—"
"I'm a trained assassin too," Destiny cut him off abruptly, "And I say we should listen to Arthur." Ignoring Dot's astonished stare, she turned to smile at Arthur and winked. He beamed back at her, smiling and blushing slightly in spite of himself.
"And who put you in charge of me?" Overkill growled—only to be halted in place by Dot's hand, who was keeping him in place.
"She's right," Dot nodded. "We can communicate with Arthur the entire time through the suit—he'll let us know what's going on—and if we're needed—we'll get on board somehow. Otherwise…" she shrugged. "Not worth the risk." She hoped that Arthur couldn't tell the truth about why she really wanted to stay behind with Overkill—but she guessed that one person (Destiny) likely could, and she pointedly avoided Destiny's pointed gaze.
"But—" Overkill was struggling to comprehend not taking action. "I've GOT to infiltrate! It's what I DO—!"
"It's gonna be okay." Dot placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. She gazed deeply into his eyes to where he could focus on nothing but her—and any words he'd had in response were lost. Then she turned towards Arthur. "Keep the suit turned on, okay? Give us the play-by-play. If the alarm is sounded, Destiny can come get us."
Arthur smiled with relief at his sister, pleased that she was finally respecting his decisions. "Okay," he nodded gratefully. Then, before he could hesitate, he pulled her into a big bear hug. "I'll be safe," he told her with conviction, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice, "I promise."
"So it's settled then," Destiny nodded. "Let's get moving!"
The Tick turned eagerly to Arthur, who looked hesitant. "You ready Chum?"
Arthur nodded affirmatively, "Ready, Tick!" He turned to look up at Dangerboat's all-seeing eye, "Okay DB—it's docking time—you ready for this?"
"Arthur," Dangerboat replied with a voice overflowing with pride, "I am more than ready right now, for anything!"