Hello, lovely people. I'm back, and I've brought chapter three of Titans Interdimensional with me, as if anyone even cares. Anyway, here is what you should know about this chapter, because knowing really is half the battle. First, the line mentioned but not said is from the movie The Graduate. It isn't funny really, and is only there to help give a sense of Sammy's weird personality, though there are plenty of other examples. The Super Soldiers are supposed to be vague abstract versions of the original Ultramarine Corps, but I'm not sure if they came out right. I would have fleshed 'em out, but I barely remember anything about them. And the pen's database is an homage to Wikipedia, hence Sammy calling them Wikifiles. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'll meet you at the end.

Is a disclaimer necessary?

Titans Interdimensional
Somewhere Between Here and the Moon
World 1-3: Road Trippin' Out

Zee opens one eye to see Dr. Forrest gingerly walking toward camp in the early morning light, slightly obscured by haze that set in when the rain ended.

"Doctor, what brings you out so early this lovely morning?" he asks, trying not to sound too suspicious.

"Just… clearing my head," she offers. "I see you were attempting to do the same."

Zee sighs. "Enough. We need to talk. What is going on here, doctor? I sense impending doom all around me, but no doom bringer anywhere," Zee's tone grows impatient.

"I'll explain, but not here and not now, Mr. Zee. Do not worry… right now. There is nothing that can be done out here in the boonies anyway," Dr. Forrest states in a vaguely threatening voice. Suddenly, her tone lightens, "You are a telepath?"

"Empath, actually. And the source of my power is on fire with an intensity I've never experienced before. I'm not even controlling it right now, and couldn't if I tried," he points to his third eye, which has been violently pulsing since not long after surrendering his consciousness during the night. "So I should be feeling something, an-y-thing."

"Not now, Mr. Ennmpath. I will, however, tell you that regardless of how strong your power is, it falls into the spectrum of psychic abilities, and there are opposing forces on this earth that are far stronger. It is likely those forces are reigning in your power, or are at least hiding the truth from your mind's, uh, eye." With that, she enters the building, closing the door behind her.

Zee's thinks about the Doctor's comments. 'It makes sense. The way my eye is throbbing, the pain should be too unbearable to withstand. Yet I feel nothing at all. I can sense every spirit and individual human's emotions within a hundred miles, and the overwhelming sense of dread that plagues the entire planet. But something is diverting my power, obscuring the answer to the one question about this place that really matters.'

He jumps down the eight or so feet to the ground where he ties his headband back on, the sealing talisman re-covering his extra eye causing a jolt of searing pain strong enough to knock him off his feet.

"Owww…" he mutters, noting that shock from resealing his eye has never hurt very much before. A random thought about 'the end' and mispronunciation quickly enters and leaves Zee's mind before he looks up to see a familiar earth spirit offering him a hand. "Hey, you're that spirit Julio was talking to yesterday. What brings you to this lovely little patch of nowhere?" he asks of the beautiful elemental, taking her hand.

Giggle. "I might be able to answer some of your questions," the green-hued spirit answers in a playful, ethereal voice. "Besides, a vow is a vow. We'll be seeing a lot more of each other from now on. I'm Gadriella, elemental spirit of earth, order of flora, by the way."

"The pleasure is mine," Zee says, bowing. "Now then, what can you tell me about what's going on around here? And what's this about us seeing a lot more of each other?"

----

Inside, Dr. Forrest wakes everybody up and tells them to get their things together because they will be leaving within the hour, to many groans and boos and hisses and Sammy and Rose's failed attempt to start a 'you suck!' chant.

"Enough!" she shouts with sufficient authority to shut everyone up and gain their undivided attention instantly. Pleased with the result, she allows a smile of satisfaction to cross her lips for a second. "That's better. Now then, we have precious little time to be on our way. This survey is of the highest importance, as most of you are aware. No evil can be allowed to get hold of the information we have acquired. The results would be disastrous. We may have the Super Soldiers with us, but avoiding confrontation is the only safe course of action. Now let's get busy. Everybody is to be ready and to our little convoy in 40 minutes max, or they get left behind."

----

Back outside Zee has a queasy look on his face, having gotten more than he bargained for from the information provided by Gadriella.

"That's just great," he mutters as the door opens up and people slowly begin filing out.

After a few minutes Julio comes out, followed closely by Rose with Zee's duffel bag. "Hey, bro!" Rose says cheerfully, throwing the bag to him. "C'mon, we have to sit on top of that huge SUV-thing all the civilians are getting into," she says pointing to what looks sort of like a heavily armored bus with big mud tires.

"Hmm, I think we'll join you," Sammy says to the trio.

"Yeah, if the look on Zee's face is any indication, he probably has a good idea of what's going on," Jason adds.

"Too good," Zee grunts and shakes his head as they walk over and climb up aboard.

"I must admit even though I don't really like this world, the city is beyond amazing," the tone of Sammy's voice is one of awe. He straightens up, switching to serious mode in a heartbeat, "I just hope we get there. Dr. Corella knows more she's letting on. We could be in for a serious fight."

"If not now, soon enough," Zee grumbles as the vehicle under them growls and shudders and slowly begins to move forward.

Dr. Forrest pulls herself onto the roof of the monstrous transport vehicle before it picks up too much speed. "Now then, I promised you an explanation, Mr. Zee," she says nonchalantly, paying no mind to the weird looks the group is giving her.

She starts to explain, "A group calling themselves A-EGenesis made its presence felt several months ago. They banded together tribes of separatists and bandits and those still loyal to old traditions amongst others exiled to the harsh climates in the tropics with promises of whatever their hearts' desire, to… devastating effect. They carry out the terrorism ordered by A-EGenisis and slink back into the shadows. The continent of Czar has fallen into total disarray and the rest of the world could follow even if this information we acquired makes it where it needs to go and is implemented in a timely fashion.

"We haven't got a clue as to who they are or their motivations. All that's known is that they have a lot of firepower consisting of advanced weapons and several metahumans, not to mention a great deal of support from the disaffected masses, even within our own borders. Truly a grim situation as an all-out war that may not be winnable looms on the horizon."

"They are without a doubt the ones stifling your power, Zee."

"I knew… pretty much everything you just said already, Doctor. A, shall we say, reliable source filled me in after you went to get everybody up. But thank you for keeping your word, though the situation is even more desperate than you are allowing yourself to admit," Zee mumbles, avoiding eye contact with her, feeling guilty about his mistrust. "... They have powerful psychic-types bottling up within me what they can of my power and diverting the rest in every other direction. Basically hiding from me in plain sight, if in a… rather unique way."

They let the knowledge sink in for a brief moment before Julio speaks. "So how long is this trip gonna take, Doc?"

"It will be nearly nightfall before we arrive at our destination, and that is counting a fight or two that will likely be unavoidable along the way," she answers rather unconcerned. "But it shouldn't be much trouble. Beasts are more dangerous than any bandits that inhabit the neutral zone. We just have to keep the chaos to a minimum so no one can sabotage or steal the info we violated neutral zone treaties for. Relax, those four are not called Super Soldiers without reason," she points to the quartet sitting atop another vehicle. "And we have your group as added insurance, do we not?"

"Yes… I suppose you do," Zee mutters.

"What does Zee stand for?" the doctor asks.

"... I'm not for certain, but I remember being called Zeran when I was little. Only Captain Gordon and General Sevard on Homeworld still call me that. Bleah," he groans, letting his inner child out for a split second.

"You don't like your name? I think it's cute," Gadriella pops in behind Zee, causing him to nearly fall off the massive machine in shock/surprise.

"Oh, man," Sammy says between yawns as he tries to stretch out, blissfully unaware of his surroundings. "Usually the sun is up way before me."

"What is your earth like?" the doctor asks of Julio.

Julio and Rose look downcast and Zee's face loses all expression.

"Oh, dear. That bad, huh? I didn't mean to… I-"

"Forget it," Julio cuts her off. "It was an amazing tropical paradise, ruins of an ancient civilization criss-crossing the entire planet."

Zee guiltily chimes in, "Eeeyeah… I kinda brought him with me semi-against his will when it was being overrun."

"Otherwise I'd be dead, and it would still be overrun. It's just… what do you call it? A touchy subject, yeah. I can accept that being dragged away before I could vainly sacrifice myself was for the best, but my heart is still there. Other things, too-" he cuts himself off, but too late. Before he even looks up to see what he knows are faces wanting to know more, he raises his hand and utters, "I'm not going there. Not now."

"Those tattoos on your arm, I think I've seen them before. In fact, I know I have," Sammy says, quickly grabbing his pen. Scooting closer to the youthful warrior, he points the pen at his arm and shouts the command, "Scan!"

A horizontal blue line of light emits from the top of the pen and scans down Julio's arm as Sammy quickly pulls two cords from a pocket in his flight suit, plugging one into the pen and one into the back of his flight goggles as he pulls them over his eyes.

"Okay, now let's see what we've got. Show me anything that even looks like it is related to the designs of these tats. I'll know what I'm looking at for sure when I sees it," he says as he sees images and words flicker across his goggles. "Mmm-hmm… mmm-hmm… as I suspected. Bookmark the following Wikifiles and all those directly related: Categories- Nomadic Aliens, the Centauri Sector, and Demonology Legendex; and People- Sarasim, Vulcan, and Jotaro Williamson. I'll most likely need to amend most of 'em later. Prepare for several new entries, too."

He pops out the wires and lifts his goggles to see another round of dumbfounded expressions and raised eyebrows, prompting him to smile serenely and joyously admit, "I never tire of that reaction. I really don't.

"Ahem, anyway, our pens have a vast encyclopedia of knowledge covering virtually everything and everyone of significance the Knights of the Pen have ever come in contact with. So, did your ears perk up at any of the people I mentioned?"

"Vulcan," Julio voice changes from slightly puberty-stricken to a deep, guttural growl that only Zee has heard before. "I know him. This is his sword," Julio says, putting his hand on the strange looking broadsword at his side.

"Ooookaaaay," Sammy says nervously just as an explosion goes off not far ahead.

"Looks like your grim predictions of a throwdown were correct, Doctor!" Zee shouts over two more nearby explosions.

As he and Julio start to stand up, Dr. Forrest hollers at them. "Stay back! Let the Super Soldiers handle this! You guys are backup! Protect the civilian transport!"

From Rose's perspective, nearly forty gasmask-wearing guys in very dark grey and red trimmed uniforms carrying high-tech looking weapons are completely decimated by the four Super Soldiers.

The first is an armored guy that fights like few she's ever seen, taking out enemy after enemy effortlessly with lightning fast reflexes and superior technique.

The second guy seems to have control of gravity or strong telekinesis. Rose sees him raise several unfortunate enemies hundreds of feet into the air, and lets them crash back to earth, strangely splattering like ink filled water balloons instead of landing with the violent, sickening, bodyshattering thud she remembers from when she was little.

The third, a woman, transforms her body into different spatial dimensions apparently at will and also seems able to phase through objects. Rose can't help thinking the woman's powers don't seem especially useful except for annoying someone into surrender, but admits she seems to be making the most of them, creatively taking out several baddies.

Before she runs over to the rest of her group, she sees the fourth of the powerful soldiers, a man who transforms his body into water crashing down on most of the remaining bad guys with the force of a tidal wave, essentially disintegrating several anonymous soldiers in the process.

Rose gets to her group in time to see Julio make short work of several cannon fodder types using his katana with cold, emotionless precision.

Zee, his headband removed, unsuccessfully strains to fire a blast from his third eye. Finally he gives up; angrily grunting the command 'solid' as his body goes slightly out of focus; rushing headlong into a half dozen well armed storm troopers, literally pummeling them into gooey puddles of slime before they can even get a shot off. One tries to escape but the still angrily grumbling under his breath teen performs what looks like a Vulcan neck pinch, knocking his prey out cold instantly.

"Got room for a P.O.W. anywhere in the convoy?" he asks Dr. Forrest, as he comes back into focus. "What?"

Eyebrow raised, she responds, "It's just… these gooey most likely clone guys are a new development. And we should not have crossed paths with them here. He can ride up top with us as long as he is securely tied up." For some reason, she seems totally oblivious to the fact two kids in their early teens just crushed a baker's dozen of military goons, cannon fodder or not, in just under a minute.

Zee walks back to the transport with the unconscious stock character draped over his shoulder, getting a high-five from Rose, and quietly asking Julio if he is okay. Getting a somewhat satisfactory response, he climbs back on top of the huge transport vehicle, followed closely by Julio.

"You know Julio, its sick we were able to that," Zee comments on their brutally efficient destruction of their opposition, as he ties his headband back over his bonus eye, barely stifling a bloodcurdling scream from worse pain than the last time he resealed it, and begins looking for rope to tie up the prisoner with.

"I know it is, for you," Julio sort of agrees, his inner monologue chastising him for his annoying habit of being endlessly vague and/or ominous when using his cognizance powers and on the subject of his past.

Once back on the civilian transport, Jason looks over and sees the metahuman Super Soldiers perched atop their assigned vehicle talking amongst themselves and looking over the a couple weapons taken from their downed opposition, lamenting not taking one for his group to check out.

"Looking for these?" Dr. Forrest asks Jason softly, holding up two of two of the enemy combatants' weapons while posing seductively, prompting Sammy to fall over laughing hysterically.

Nobody says the line, but everybody thinks it, and shake their heads or roll their eyes for having done so.

----

The rest of the trip proves fairly uneventful, save for an incident involving the Super Soldiers mowing down some sentient, highly toxic plants in the most literal of terms. Sammy and Jason spend the trip analyzing the weapons and trying with little success to coax some information about A-EGenesis from their respective pools of knowledge, Sammy from the pen's database, Jason from Homeworld police files. Zee meditates as best he can in the imperfect conditions. Rose takes in all the beautiful scenery, while Julio silently communicates with Gadriella. The prisoner just sits there tightly bound, lost in thought. Dr. Forrest looks on serenely, her first chance to relax in a long time. She decides her present company isn't all that bad and does her best not to think about the future.

As the sun sets on the day, the absolutely gargantuan city, Losaronto Yorcago City, at the heart of the nation of Nortecana, comes into clear view. Larger in landmass than the state of Texas, a great cylindrical object rises from the center of the city, beyond the majestic skyscrapers, disappearing into the clouds many miles above the earth. Not even Zee can keep his jaw from dropping at the site of the immaculate construct, or the city that surrounds it.

"Told you it was amazing," Sammy says triumphantly. "Almost 300 million people live there. That thing in the middle is called the Moon Elevator."

"Indoor plumbing, I've missed you…" Rose whispers, fighting back tears of joy or possibly anticipation.

"I can't believe a place like that even exists…" Julio coos, still mesmerized by the moon elevator.

"I really hope they have moon pies here, it's seems like it's been forever…" Zee sighs longingly.

End of World 1-3

1-3 is all over. I hope y'all enjoyed it. I'll try to be quicker about putting up new chapters in the future. And for the love of all that's holy and the Chicago Bears, lets get some reviews up in here.

Two quick things before I book. First, the name of the city is a dumb portmanteau (sort of) of the five biggest cities in North America. Losaronto is Los Angeles, CA and Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Yorcago is New York City, NY and Chicago, IL. And City is supposed to stand for Mexico City. Sorry to all my peeps in Mexico City, it was the best I could come up with. Comparing the size of the city to the state of Texas can be considered an allusion the sixth biggest city; Houston, TX. The nation is called Nortecana. Norte is Spanish for north, and cana is meant to stand for Americana, ergo North America(na).

The second things is about moon pies. If you don't know, moon pies are two round graham crackers with marshmallow in betweeen and (usually, though there are other flavors) dipped in chocolate. I have recently been made aware they might have other names in other regions. I put that line in at the last minute due to a recent experience. Recently, I had a moon pie for the first time since I was nine or ten, and it kind of took me back to those days. For Zee, it kind of serves a similar function, as a memory of another time and place.

If anyone wants a cast list, I can send you one.