Misfitverse: The Korvac Saga
Disclaimer: "I got Mr. Boomy here, missy!" - Robin Williams as Rainbow Randolph, Death to Smoochy
Chapter 12: Livewire Strikes, Part 1!
Legion of Super-Heroes Clubhouse, Metropolis
"Uhnh..." A slightly heavyset boy sighed. He was dressed in a blue, black, and white costume that had a blue cowl that showed his dark hair, and yellow translucent goggles. He was leaning on a console in the Legion's command center, rubbing his temples. A native of Earth, his name was Charles "Chuck" Foster Taine. To his fellow Legionnaires, he was their newly-elected leader, Bouncing Boy. He had the ability to inflate himself like balloon and become a human rubber ball. On paper, Bouncing Boy's powers may have seemed useless, but the resourceful young man found ways to make his powers effective. He also was quite the pilot, and had a knack for engineering and architecture. "This is so not how I wanted my time as Legion leader to start. Heck, I was surprised to get the vote in the first place." (1)
"Don't worry, Bouncy." A feminine voice reassured. Bouncing Boy turned around and saw a beautiful teenage girl standing there, smiling at him. She had short white hair, with a purple and orange streak. She was dressed in a white dress with an emblem of three triangles on the chest. The dress had purple and orange highlights, and she had on white knee-high boots and upper-arm-high opera gloves. Born Luorno Durgo of the planet Cargg, she was called Triplicate Girl, because of her power to split into three separate bodies. She was the first non-founding member of the Legion. And many said she was close to Bouncing Boy. The young heroine smiled. "You'll find 'em."
"I hope so." Bouncing Boy sighed. "I just hope that wherever they are, they are alright." He let out a groan. "If anything happens to Val, I do not want to tell Projectra. She really needs to calm down."
"Don't worry about it." Triplicate Girl put a hand on Bouncing Boy's shoulder. "She understands." A hissing was heard. The two Legionnaires turned around and saw a short teenager walk in. His skin was pale, and his hair was short, spiky, and light blue. He was dressed in a costume similar to the Earth hero known as Guy Gardner, only the jacket and pants were light blue, and the jacket had silver and white highlights with an ice theme. The jacket's lapels were covered in white fur. (2)
Brek Bannin, aka Polar Boy, was from the planet Tharr. Tharr was a planet, due to it being close to the sun, was under constant searing heat. To combat it, the natives developed the ability to manipulate cold and ice. Polar Boy was the first Legionnaire from that planet. He also co-led and spoke for the Legion of Substitute Heroes, a group of young heroes who were rejected from Legion membership due to inexperience with their powers.
"Oh, sorry." Polar Boy smiled. "I'll leave you two alone."
"It's alright, Brek." Triplicate Girl told the cryokinetic.
"Did you find him?" Bouncing Boy asked. Polar Boy shook his head.
"Sorry, Chuck. I checked all of Sun Boy's regular hangouts three times. Nothing." Polar Boy sighed. "And Gigi said she'd call if the Science Police found anything."
"You really are worried about him, huh?" Triplicate Girl noted.
"Well, yeah. I worry about that fire-throwing flamebrain." Polar Boy admitted with a chuckle. Sun Boy had befriended Polar Boy when the Tharrian tried out for Legion membership the first time, and eventually, Polar Boy got in thanks to Dirk Morgna's recommendation. Captain Marvel once said that the two were Booster and Beetle mixed with Fire and Ice. A crash was heard, followed by an enraged feminine scream. "Uh oh..."
"The sedative must've worn off." Triplicate Girl realized. Bouncing Boy turned towards Polar Boy, opening his mouth.
"I'm not going anywhere within a hundred parsecs of Projectra until Val is found, Chuck, so don't ask." Polar Boy told the human rubber ball. "We had all better pray that Val is found alive, because if he isn't..." He shuddered. Another crash was heard.
"Projectra, calm down AIE!" Someone screamed.
"I just remembered. I have to go...wash my...face..." Polar Boy ran for it.
"And here I was, thinking the Subs were fearless." Triplicate Girl blinked.
"They're fearless, Luorno. And they can be crazy. But nobody ever said they were stupid." Bouncing Boy sighed.
An alley in NYC
"Gotta hide, gotta hide..." A man mumbled to himself as he raced inside the alley. He clutched a box under his arm. "Blasted Science Police!"
"Uhhmmmm...uhnnnnhhhh..." An oblivious Livewire mumbled as she sat behind a dumpster, rocking back and forth, her knees to her chest.
"Hey what?" The man blinked, overhearing her mumbling. "What in the world?" He slowly approached the dumpster. "Hey...Hello?" He moved closer. "Hello?"
"Abuuuhhh...Batman in the water..." Livewire muttered.
"Hello?" The man approached the dumpster. He noticed the mumbling Livewire. "Hey, you alright? You need some help?"
"Nuhhhh..." Livewire slowly turned her head towards the man.
"Hello." The man waved nervously.
"Nuhhhh! Nuhhhhhh!" Livewire mumbled in fright. "No! No!" She tried to skitter away.
"Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, lady." The man tried to calm her down.
"No! The Avengers are after the horses! You tried to eat my glue!" Livewire yelped.
"Lady, I'm just trying to help-!"
"DON'T TAKE MY WAFFLES!" Livewire screamed, blasting the man with electricity. The blast knocked him into a wall.
"Ooohhhhh..." He moaned.
"The worms are back! Trying to eat my brain! NOOOOOOO!" Livewire screamed in fright, blasting into the air like an electric rocket.
The skies over NYC
KRAKA-THOOM!
"What?!" Sam blinked. He then saw a blue streak of lightning race into the air, going straight up. "It's her!" He turned and rocketed towards the streak.
"AHHHH!" Ray and Roberto yelled as they were knocked to the back of their bubble.
"He's doing this on purpose..." Ray moaned.
"My insides are all liquid..." Roberto whimpered.
"You two shouldn't complain!" Sam snapped. "Do you know what I went through to put her in this battery?!"
"Can you tell us when we're on the ground?" Ray begged.
"And when my insides are normalized again?" Roberto's face turned green.
"Don't puke in the bubble, 'Berto. I'm warning you." Sam growled.
Avengers Mansion
Marie-Ange Colbert, Tarot, leaned on a railing of a balcony in Avengers Mansion. Her long red hair blew slightly in the wind. To the casual observer, the young Frenchwoman was staring out at the city. However, the redhead was actually deep in thought.
"Penny for your thoughts, Tarot?" A voice asked. Marie turned around and saw Doug Ramsey, Cypher. "I can leave you alone if you want."
"No, it's okay." Marie shook her head. "And you may call me Marie."
"Are you sure?" Doug blinked.
"About my name or my desire to be left alone?" Marie blinked.
"...Both." Doug admitted.
"I could use someone to talk to right now." The redhead sighed at the blond translator. Doug shrugged and stood at the railing next to the French redhead. She looked at the blond. "Doug? May I ask you a question?"
"Shoot."
"...When we defeat this great evil, whatever it is, and we go home...what will you do with yourself?"
"Well..." Doug scratched his chin in thought. "To be honest, I'm not so sure. But I know one thing. I'll probably go back to the Institute until I decide what to do with myself. I can't wait to see Rahne again. I really do like her." Marie smiled.
"You are very lucky." She complimented sincerely.
"Yeah..." He smiled back. "I am. What about you?"
"That's the thing." Marie sighed. "I don't have anywhere to go." Doug couldn't believe it.
"You have to have family somewhere." Doug blinked. "Or did they disown you?"
"My whole family is gone." Marie sighed. "I lost my parents when I was young. I was raised by my grandmother. She was the one who taught me how to read the tarot." The redhead ran a head through her red hair. "Contrary to your belief, my grandmother didn't kick me out when my powers emerged. She found it appropriate that my powers were connected to the tarot. I'm just grateful she didn't live to see me become a Hellion."
"How'd she die?" Doug asked.
"...She was old. And very sick." Marie sighed. "With her gone, I was an orphan. I was alone. My country's government tried to put me in an orphanage, but I ran away and spent time on the streets. Shortly after, Emma Frost found me, and I became of her first Hellions." (3)
"Wow." Doug blinked.
"Yes." Marie nodded. "Emma Frost gave me a family again in the Hellions. That's why I stuck with them...even though we did some bad things...things I regret..." Marie sighed. "Let's just say dying and coming back from it puts a lot of perspective on things."
"Yeah." Doug agreed. "Like your relationship with that jerk Daniels." He noticed that Marie visibly flinched. "Sorry."
"It's okay." Marie sighed. A look of sadness crossed her face. "...he broke my heart, you know." She looked at Doug. "Why? Why did he hurt me the way he did? I loved him. I did nothing to deserve it."
"Amazing." The blond New Mutant shook his head. "Evan Daniels, the same man who helped get me out of the Massachusetts Academy, is the man who took your heart and stomped on it." The French redhead nodded.
"It's very surprising how some people can be so kind, and also so cold." Marie sighed. "You know, it always was hard for me when I was near the other girls."
"Why's that?" Doug wondered.
"Well...as you can see..." Marie held out her hands, showing her thin figure. "I am not exactly what people think of when they think of beauty." Doug frowned in confusion.
I don't see what she is talking about. Doug thought. She don't look that bad. She's a bit thin, but that's probably how she was built.
"You don't look that bad to me." Doug admitted. "Not every guy likes women with great amounts of T 'n' A."
"Yes, but..." The redhead sighed sadly. "They always get noticed. I never did. Monet and Jennifer, they have the bodies of pin-up models and they knew it. Jennifer's not afraid to use her figure to get what she wants. Even Catseye got noticed by the boys more than me. Catseye!" She groaned. "It wasn't fair. Monet was a wench, Jennifer was a flirt, and..." The redhead blinked. "Well, I can't really say many bad things about Sharon. Thankfully for me, she never really realized the effect her looks had. She's smart, but she can be a bit oblivious to human behavior at times."
"Wow." Doug blinked.
"When Even noticed me, I was overjoyed." Marie remembered. "I thought, finally! Someone who wasn't entranced by the other girls' curvier figures."
"I don't blame you." Doug nodded.
"I was so happy that Evan chose to be with me." The Frenchwoman smiled. "I thought it was meant to be between us. After all, the cards said I would find love with a man with hair of gold."
"Your cards?" Doug blinked. "Oh, you mean your tarot cards."
"Yes." Marie confirmed with a nod. "I check them every day. My precognitive abilities manifest themselves through my tarot cards."
"Wait..." Doug realized. "If that's true...then that means..." The blond translator's eyes widened in horror, his jaw dropped, and he looked at Marie. "You knew."
"Knew what?" Marie blinked.
"You knew about the Massacre." Doug growled. "You knew it was coming, and you didn't try to warn anyone!"
"No!"
"You're a precognitive!" Doug countered. "You can see the future!"
"You don't understand!" Marie shook her head. Doug glared at Marie.
"Oh, I'm sure that the other New Mutants will love to hear this! And so will Jetstream and Roulette! You knew we would die and did not try to-!" The redhead looked aghast at the thought.
"I did not! I swear, I didn't know!" Marie snapped. "My precognition doesn't work that way! It manifests itself through my tarot cards! The cards did not tell me that I would die that day!"
"Then what'd your cards say?" Doug grunted. Marie sighed.
"The cards told me that the lives of myself and my teammates would take a turn for the strange." Marie answered truthfully. "The cards said nothing about me or anyone dying. That is the truth." Doug looked at the Frenchwoman intently. "Please, Douglas...I was just as shocked as you were. If I had known, I would've tried to stop it. And that is the truth. I wish I did know, but...what's done is done." The blond translator stared at the redheaded image-manipulator as he thought over the French Hellion's words.
"You...have a point." Doug admitted. "Your cards wouldn't say that because we didn't stay dead for long."
"Probably why the cards didn't mention it." Marie surmised with a shrug.
"Yeah, we kinda didn't stay dead very long, did we?" Doug chuckled.
"Well, the cards were right about one thing." Marie smiled. "Our lives have taken a turn for the strange." A crash was heard. "Huh?"
"CALL ME THAT AGAIN, YOU CLOWN!" Jennifer's voice was heard screeching. "COME ON! I'LL BEAT YOU! I'LL BEAT YOU GOOD!"
"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, TORCH! CAN'T YOU KEEP YOUR BIG MOUTH SHUT?!" Monica Burton was heard snapping.
"Oh, dear..." Marie sighed.
Well, well, well! Looks like our heroes are adjusting somewhat nicely. What insanity will happen next? Can Sam, Ray and Roberto catch Livewire? Will Roulette beat the tar out of the Tachyon Torch? Find out in the next chapter! Suggestions needed badly!
(1) – In one incarnation of the Legion comics, Chuck Taine/Bouncing Boy was reimagined as an architect and engineer. In the animated series, he's the one who mainly pilots the Legion's cruiser. His name is a nod to Citizen Kane
(2) – Polar Boy's look here is inspired by artist Gary Frank's interpretation of the character in the Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes storyline.
(3) – Actually, the comics revealed next to nothing about the early lives of the Hellions. I decided to make up some origins for them, based on what existed in canon about them.