S.T.A.R Labs
January 6
9:58 A.M
I got a wake up call from Nightwing at 7 A.M telling me to meet him at S.T.A.R Labs in Taos.
We sit in the lab, waiting next to the Zeta tubes Superboy, M'gann, and Beast Boy would be entering from.
We are joined by Captain Atom, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern: Stewart.
"Sir," One of the scientists pipe up. "We have received a Rannian signal. They are arriving now."
"Recognized: Adam Strange: A1-1. Miss Martian: B0-5. Superboy: B0-4, Beastboy: B1-9," The zeta announces, as said forms begin to take shape in the tube.
"Nightwing! Wonderbat! Check out my super cool alien souvenir!" Beast Boy says, holding up a black bandanna of some sort.
"Zeta squad. Report," Nightwing orders.
"Our mission to neutralize the Krolotean Zeta platforms on Rann was a success," M'gann reports.
"I have also brought back specs from Rann to create a zeta shield to prevent any more aliens from beaming to Earth from off world," The Doctor states.
"How will that affect our own Zeta capabilities?" Captain Atom asks.
"It won't. The shield will activate at an altitude above the watchtower's orbit. League zeta tubes will still function normally," The Doctor explains.
"Tell them about Rimbor!" Garfield shouts, pulling on M'gann's arm. "Tell them about the sixteen hours!"
Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern unfold their arm, and stand up a bit straighter.
"It may be easier to show you," M'gann says creating a link between us all. "I successfully interrogated a Krolotean General on Rann, who had paid off a member of the Rannian Science Command to allow the Kroloteans to land a secret base in the Rannian jungle. Once there, the Kroloteans stole zeta platform technology from Adam Strange's friend, Sardath. They landed another ship in New Orleans, and used the Zeta platforms to beam a few hundred Kroloteans to Earth. They built more platforms brought in more Kroloteans and began abducting and replacing humans."
"Perhaps as part of an invasion strategy, though that's still unclear," M'gann admits out loud.
"But why Earth?" Captain Atom wonders.
"And what does any of this have to do with the sixteen hours?" Wonder Woman asks.
"Well," M'gann begins again through the link. "As you know Five years ago, Vandal Savage placed the entire League under his control. Six Leaguers" Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and Hawk Woman went missing for a full sixteen hours. It turns out you were teleported to a planet called Rimbor where you spent sixteen hours on a rampage attacking everyone and everything in sight and announcing in several alien languages that you were the 'Justice League from Earth' and that the rest of the galaxy should beware."
"That's why the Kroloteans came. The League itself brought Earth to their attention," M'gann says.
"I...I don't know what to say. I have no memories of this. None," Wonder Woman says, sickened by the very thought of senseless violence.
I place my hand in hers, comfortingly.
"Don't blame yourself. Blame Savage and his Light," The Captain comforts, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But John, how is it that you haven't heard about this... intergalactic incident?"
"No clue. Rimbor's not a planet in my sector. But I'll head to Oa immediately to consult with the Guardians of the Universe and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. We'll get to the bottom of this, Cap. I promise," G.L states.
"In the meantime we still have a Krolotean invasion force to track down on Earth. You did good work on Rann. Now we need you at the Hall of Justice," The Captain orders.
"Mom, do not fret," I begin as the two begin to leave. "You were being controlled. If you were in your right state of mind, you never would have done such things."
"But it is the fact that I did do theses things, even while my mind was in a haze…" She says, holding her head. "It disgusts me. I hurt innocent aliens with these hands…"
"No, Savage hurt innocents," I contradict. "You had no way of controlling yourself with that Starro-Tech in your system. Mother, please, I believe we should both take a rest. This information is startling, but we cannot begin to make a plan without our heads wound so tightly."
She sighs, and grips my hand tightly.
"When did you become so wistful?" She asks teasingly.
"Spending time with Grandmama will do that," I smile.
Gateway City
12 P.M
P.S.T
I fall onto my bed in a huff as Skotádi falls on his side after standing up for a brief second, and stretching.
"I feel the same way, Skotádi," I say, scratching him behind his horns.
"Hope you're still awake enough for me," Haneul's voice pouts from my left.
I turn my head around, and I see Han dressed in his civvies, laying down next to me, his face inches from mine.
"Probably not," I groan, moving to cuddle into him. "I didn't get enough sleep."
"I thought I carried you home so you could go to sleep?" He teases, shifting so that his left arm rests under a pillow, and his right arm snakes around my waist, and so that I am nestled into the crook of his neck, breathing in his fresh, yet musky scent.
"And I kept tossing and turning all night," I admit.
"What? You need me here to make sure you sleep?" He teases again.
"Only if you want mom to rip you limb from limb," I shoot.
"You love me too much to let my fate be a shredding," He says kissing the top of my head.
"You are… I'm too tired to even come up with a good response," I admit. "Shut up and let me take a nap before we have another mission."
"As you wish, Princess," Haneul says, resting his chin on the top of my head.
South Pacific
10:32 P.M
I fly over the darkened Pacific Ocean in the Invisible jet as Co-pilot with Wonder Woman, and the Magicians, and Cassie riding Coach. (We don't exactly have 'First Class')
"Remember this is primarily a recon mission. We want to discover all we can about the Krolotean's invasion strategy before we shut them down and deliver them to the Green Lantern Corps," Batman reminds us over the comms.
"Approaching drop zone: Beta," Nightwing announces for La'gaan and Aquaman. "Drop zone: Gamma."
That's me, Batman, Batgirl, Robin, and Nightwing.
I make sure everything in online, and on auto-co-pilot, then, I get ready to jump out.
"May Hera be with you, love," Mom says as I open the hatch to jump out. I smile, and nod her way.
I jump out of the jet, and I activate my powers once below the canopy level. I land right next to Robin on a branch overlooking an above-ground entrance to the volcano.
Batman, and Nightwing exchange glances, then we all take off silently taking out the guards at the door.
We all silently make our way in.
Batgirl, Robin and I land behind Nightwing after a few Kroloteans disperse.
He puts three fingers up, points in those directions, then signals for us to move out. I go with Nightwing to the front, and Batgirl and Robin take the left and right.
"Intruders. On the upper levels, and in the water," I hear the Manta say, shooting his beams in the water, approximately at La'gaan and Aquaman.
"There!" One of the guards point at Robin, beginning to shoot at him.
"Wonderbat, cover Robin!" Nightwing orders, as we begin to fight. "Batgirl. Maneuver seven."
I fly up the levels to fight with Tim, but he seems to be doing well enough with his bo-staff.
I take care of the goons that were behind him, using my cuffs to deflect their blasts, and using my fists to deflect their faces.
"Manta to all troopers! Endgame enabled. Strategic retreat to Manta flier. You have four minutes," The Manta orders.
"Nightwing! They're getting away!" I call. "Do I engage?"
"We've got it covered!" He says. "Nightwing to Delta squad. Enemy is attempting escape. Request backup."
The next second, a hole is made in the side of the Volcano, and Superman burst through carrying Superboy under the arms, while Wonder Woman and Wondergirl come flying in right behind them.
"Superman! Triple combo over here!" S.B reports.
Superman takes S.B by the arms, then throws him into the crab-tanks. S.B jumps in, makes them explode, then jumps down to hit three more. One more than originally planned.
"Quadruple. Nice," Superman smiles.
"That was amazing! You just -You just 'Whoosh'!" Wondergirl begins to replay Wonder Woman's actions. "And then- And then -And then 'Bang'!"
Wonder Woman jumps in front of her to deflect the lasers that the giant crab link tanks begin to shoot.
"Little less Fangirl, little more Wondergirl," Wonder Woman replies.
"Right. Sorry," Cassie apologizes.
The Magicians begin to make quick work of the Troopers.
After Haneul takes one down, he tosses the helmet up to me.
As I catch it, I notice a large, heart shaped hole in it.
I give him a questioning look, and he blows up a red magic kiss at me.
I giggle, and roll my eyes.
"W.B!" Robin calls.
I duck as he tosses a Bird-arang into the mask of one of Manta's troopers, then I throw my leg around and knock him off of his feet.
We fist bump, then jump down to the lower levels to join our mentors.
"Three minutes to departure," Manta says.
La'gann comes by, screaming, and in his puffed-up form.
Just before Manta hits him down with a beam, Aquaman knocks his helmet off, and knocks him down while doing so.
The dark man stands up slowly. A shaved mass of platinum blond hair striking against his dark skin, and his bright blue eyes standing out even more.
"Kaldur'ahm?" I say in shock.
"I had not believed Nightwing until this moment," Aquaman admits.
"You did not want to believe!" Kaldur yells at them.
"None of us wanted to believe this! How could you betray us?" Superboy yells back.
"You dare question me? After all of you let Tula die!" Kaldur shouts.
"You think we wanted her to die?!" I scream at him. "Don't you think we've had enough of this nonsense? You think you were the only one hurting?! Jason died not even two weeks before Tula!"
"Kaldur that was a mission. Aquagirl knew the risks!" Nightwing literally jumps in. "No one wanted-"
"Neptune's beard! Don't coddle this traitor! He has joined forces with our King's greatest enemy!" La'gann interrupts Dick.
"Do you mean the King who hid from me the true identity of my father?" Kaldur asks rhetorically.
"Yes," I reply.
"That was my error in judgment Kaldur'ahm. No one else need suffer for it," Aquaman tries, ignoring my comment.
"All will suffer if Black Manta demands it. Blood is thicker than sea water," He growls.
A small device pops out from Kaldur's shoulder armor, and it launches a small missile at Aquaman, La'gann, and Superboy.
Just as it's about to hit, Superman jumps in front of Superboy, blocking the blast.
He is the man of steel, after all.
I follow Nightwing down to where Kaldur is retreating, and I hide in the shadows.
"Kaldur," Nightwing says as he comes down from the cave-tube.
"Just you and me, old friend?" Kaldur growls, ready to attack.
"No!" Superboy says, having followed Kaldur down the tube. "It's a regular reunion special."
"But it need not be this way," I say, making my presence known. "You can still come back, Kaldur. You are still the man who helped rescue Superboy and I from Cadmus. Please, Kaldur'ahm."
"No he's not," Conner growls. "He'll never be the same."
"Fine," Kaldur says, placing his hands behind his back. "You can take me down. Or you can save everyone from this bomb. I am told the yield is quite impressive."
Conner charges him, but Kaldur takes him down with barely two moves, and Conner lands on his back. Kaldur places his hands around Conner's neck, and activates an electrical shock.
"Conner!" I shout in worry.
"You have two minutes," Kaldur states, releasing Superboy, and diving into the underground pool.
"They're getting away!" Wondergirl shouts over the comms, as Nightwing moves to the blinking, shell shaped bomb on the wall.
"We'll stop them!" La'gaan replies.
"Negative. We have a bomb down here. Alien tech. I cannot disarm it," Nightwing reports.
"I'll get it out," Conner says, moving towards the strange bomb.
"No!" Nightwing shouts a bit too quickly. "Might have pressure o-or motion sensors. All squads! Evacuate to Bio-ship or Invisible Jet! Now!"
"Gotta fly!" I shout, taking Nightwing's arm, and flying us out of the cave, Superboy not far behind us.
I drop him off next to Batgirl, Robin, and Batman, then I take off towards the Jet.
As I fly into the hatch, I see the Magicians, and Wolf, and Skotádi are already aboard.
"Invisible Jet, taking off!" I shout into the comms as I begin to frantically flip the switches, and begin to lift off. "Warning to Cargo! This will get incredibly bumpy! I advise seatbelts. I highly advise seatbelts. And if some of you could help out our Animal friends, that would be great!"
As I begin to lift, and take off, I hear the initial 'BOOM' Of the bomb explode. With not even a half second to lose, I shove the jet into the fastest speed it has.
The Bomb's radius keeps expanding, and I thrust the joystick further into the front, in a futile attempt to make it go faster.
The radius slows down, and the just escapes it by inches.
The glow of the explosion could probably be seen from space.
As the explosion dies down, I lean back in my seat, and release a sigh of relief.
"If we could never do that again, that would be great," I say into the comms. "Invisible Jet: sounding off."
"Is everyone alright up there?" Wonder Woman asks.
"Invisible Jet cargo, sound off!" I holler to everyone.
They all begin to groan as the Jet slows down.
"Haneul."
"Kyung."
"Seung."
"Jeyong."
I hear someone run into the bathroom, and up-chuck.
"That was Hwan," Jeong reports. "He'll be fine."
"Huuurrrrooooo…" I hear Wolf groan.
"Hkkrrrrrrr…" Skotádi purrs, moving into the Cockpit, sitting in the Co-pilot seat.
"We're all fine," I report. "Keep me in the loop, guys. What's going on in there?"
"What just happened?" I hear Cassie ask everyone.
"The Kroloteans were clearly trying to build a new ship," M'gann answers.
"They had to, Angelfish," La'gann replies. "It was their only way to leave Earth without their zeta platforms or their original ship."
"Uh... but was Aqualad helping them escape? Or luring them into a trap?" Cassie asks.
"A good question," I admit.
"The bomb was of alien origin. Yet the Kroloteans clearly knew nothing about it," Nightwing says. "So where did it come from?"
"I have the feeling it may be up to you and your team to find out," Batman responds, cryptically.
Mount Justice
January 26
1:10 A.M
"I wish I could go with," Wondergirl says.
"I doubt your mother would approve," Wonder Woman states. "And only the six of us who stand accused need take this odyssey. Though Hawkman insists on accompanying his spouse. And Icon will act as our advocate. For it seems he is familiar with intergalactic trial law."
"What will I do without you? What if Grandmama calls, and she needs you on Themyscira?" I ask.
"Then my duty falls to you, Adeline," She says. "Let it be known, that from this moment until I return, you are now the rightful heir to the Amazonian Throne, should something unspeakable happen to our Queen."
"Mother-" I begin.
"You are prepared, Adeline," She interrupts. "I doubt Mother will be contacting you for anything other than to see how you are. And if she asks, tell her I am on a mission. We need not worry her."
"Yes, Mother," I give in. "But promise me you will return! I don't think I'm read to be the First-In-Line Princess yet."
"I cannot promise this, Adeline," She begins, slipping her hand over mine. "But I will try my very best to return home to you."
"What do I tell Steve?" I ask.
"Tell him I have to return home for a while due to a family emergency, and I could not take you with me," She says. "I hate lying to him, but this is necessary."
"Alright," I nod.
I begin to make my way to Dick, Barbara, Tim and Bruce.
"Be careful alright?" Dick tells Bruce.
"Was about to say the same to you four. I fear we leave the more dangerous task here on Earth," He admits.
"We'll manage," Dick says, glancing at all of us.
"Just come back in one piece, alright?" I tell him.
"Time to go," G.L: Stewart calls.
Batman's cape flutters as he makes his way to stand with the others.
G.L's ring begins to glow bright as the power surrounds the Leaguers.
"May the gods be with you all," Wonder Woman wishes us, just before the green power closes around them.
We wait a second before the will-power turns into a rocket ship, then, it takes off into the deepest reaches of Space.
'May Hera and Hermes protect you on your journey, Mom,' I silently pray.
Hey everyone. Sorry, I don't think I'll be replying to comments today. Just know that I appreciate you all, and I feel the love. I'll explain the 'guest thing' later.
I got a severe concussion today. I was in Anatomy, and my teacher had me stand up so she could demonstrate how to use the b.p cuffs properly so we wouldn't break them. I was standing, a little dehydrated, and my knees were locked. black spots started covering my sight until it was just black, and next thing I knew, the nurse was standing over my with a flashlight in my eyes asking me if I knew where I was, and if I knew what had happened. Of course I was disoriented, and no matter how many times I was told I was at school, and that I had fainted, I just kept asking where I was, and what happened. For a full minute I couldn't retain any information. They called for my mom to take me to the ER (Please do not operate heavy machinery after hitting your head on linoleum floors), and they said that everything in my head is fine (other than my evident crazyness :)) and I'm probably going to have a large bump on the side of my head, and a massive headache. I'll try and answer some reviews on my next chapter, but I'm sorry that I can't really make that promise until I'm back to 100%.
Guests: Please understand this 'Not all guests give flames, but all flames come from guests' in my experience. I'm not knocking guests. I'm saying that most all of my 'real flames' have come from guests, so I have deleted them. Don't come over here tellin' me that I haven't seen a 'real flame', I have. And I've deleted them. Call me biased, whatever. I just don't like negativity in a place where happiness, and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism are supposed to go.
-Gargoyle77