BEAST ISLAND
September 28, 20:01 UCT
The ancient crystalline citadel shuddered like the belly of some groaning beast. Explosions rolled like distant thunder, creeping closer. Still, he maintained his composure as he entered the makeshift command center. Across the chamber, dozens of former Horde clones manned their consoles, shouting status reports flying back and forth.
"Secondary defense grid breached! Tertiary grid failing!
"Enemy reinforcements are disembarking along the north-east beachhead!"
Each of their flat chiropteran faces perfectly mirrored his own. He smiled inwardly at the irony.
"Nyaaah!" The high-pitched squeal came from a diminutive Etherian in grease-stained maroon overalls. Long strands of her purple prehensile hair were frantically working the main console. "Reroute emergency power to the defense grid!"
"The emergency generators are already at full capacity!" protested the white-haired clone by her side.
"Just do it!" Entrapta snapped, turning towards the new arrival. Her face brightened with joy, hope, even love as she laid eyes on him. "Hordak!?"
Etherians, so trusting.
"Thank goodness you're here!" The Tech-Princess trilled, turning back to the console. "We've lost contact with Kalibak! He was on the outer perimeter when the attack began!"
How low Darkseid's eldest had fallen. Abandoned on Etheria by his treacherous younger brother, a little cheap affection from these simpletons had been all it took to reduce 'Kalibak the Cruel' to a simpering lapdog.
I've been trying to raise him but the comms are scrambled," Entrapta continued. "I think we've been hacked!"
He gripped her wrist like a vice, carelessly wrenching her from the console as his thin lips peeled back in a cruel leer. "Oh, it's much worse than that, 'your Highness'."
Even now, she could have struck back, defended herself. Instead, all she did was give him a look of hurt confusion. "Hordak?"
"Brother, what are y-" One of the clones began, before 'Hordak' unleashed a mind-numbing psi-blast
He surveyed the aftermath of his handiwork, clones sprawled limply over their consoles, allowing the unconscious Entrapta to slump to the floor. He glared down contemptuously at his prey before deactivating what remained of the defense grid.
Across the chamber, vast hanger doors ground open, admitting a marching column of armored serpent-folk. The ophidian warriors came in all shapes and colors, some lithe and nimble as vipers, others hulking reptilian brutes with arms like constrictors.
Their commander was a particularly broad-shouldered specimen with rust-red scales. He was clad in the modified armor of a Horde Force Captain, repainted a glossy purple so dark it was near jet black. The original bat-winged sigil had been completely blotted out by an eclipsed silver moon.
"Nicely executed, my boy," drawled General Rattlor, casually kicking over one of the limp clones. "I do say, you have quite the talent for treachery, Malefic."
"Thank you, General," Ma'alefa'ak answered audibly, still wearing Hordak's form. He didn't trust himself to hide his irritation with the snake-man's mangling of his true name over a psi-link.
Rattlor bent over Entrapta's still form, examining her disinterestedly. "Is she…?"
"No. Lord Eclipso requires her mind intact. She should be conscious in a few hours. I'd suggest securing her before then."
Rattlor rose himself to his full height, wordlessly signaling a pair of his Snake-Troopers to make it so. "And the real Hordak?"
"Secure on one of the lower levels."
Rattlor cocked a scaled brow. "Rather merciful of you, son?"
"No need to waste any more of these gene-freaks than necessary." Ma'alefa'ak eyed the scattered clones appraisingly. "Lord Eclipso will require every strong back to complete her Great Work."
[-]
THE WATCHTOWER
October 01, 16:52 EDT
BOOOOOM!
Catra, Bow, Adora, Kara and Melog came tumbling out of the thundering Boom-Tube. They landed on the polished floor of the Watchtower's main lab with an 'oof' as the swirling vortex snapped shut behind them.
They found two figures awaiting them. The first was a dark-skinned Earther, tall and athletically built – literally. Half his body had been replaced by sleek alien cybernetics.
"No luck?" asked Victor Stone AKA Cyborg, one of the Justice League's resident tech-heads.
"Nothing," groaned Adora, straightening herself upright.
"Are you really surprised?" Catra asked. "We've spent nearly two weeks trawling Despondos-"
"The Phantom Zone," Kara corrected.
"Whatever!" Catra snapped. "And we still haven't seen any sign of Etheria. Wherever Glimmer-"
"Eclipso!" Bow protested.
"Whatever!" Catra snapped again. "Wherever Eclipso teleported Etheria, it ain't the Despondo Zone or… whatever we're calling it now."
"Ah c'mon, y'all. Don't give up that easy," spoke the second figure by Cyborg's side with a distinctly Southern twang.
To all outward appearances, Danny Chase looked like any other bespectacled, mousey-haired Earth boy of around twelve or so. In fact, the only thing that set him apart were the cables currently snaking from his fingertips, directly interfacing him with the lab's computer.
The Etherians all knew Danny's story, of course. Trafficked to Apokolips by the Light, the young metahuman had found himself under Desaad's knife. The God-Scientist had extracted Danny's still living brain, enslaving and imprisoning it within an Apokoliptan construct called the Kaizer-Thrall. The Team had managed to free Danny from Apokoliptan control late last year, but by then his original body was beyond saving.
That might have been the end of the story, had Cyborg, Red Tornado and the rest of the League's brain trust not intervened. Now with a new android body - and a great deal of rehab therapy - Danny Chase was able to live some semblance of a normal life.
"Okay," Adora panted, righting herself. "Let's take ten to catch our breath before the next plunge."
"Yeah… 'bout that," spoke Cyborg hesitantly. "Tigress wants to talk to y'all down in the foyer before anything else."
"About what?" Bow asked warily.
[-]
"You're cutting us off?!"
Bow's voice echoed harshly across the airy foyer. An indifferent Earth floated serenely in the void beyond the panoramic two-story window, utterly unmoved by the archer's outburst.
"It's been long enough," said Tigress. "You all need a break before you burn out."
"But-" Bow began.
"But nothing, Bow," Tigress snapped. "I know you guys are worried about Glimmer, but you're running on fumes. Not to mention what opening a portal to the Zone takes out of Danny."
"But-" Bow protested again.
Tigress was adamant. "Go home. Sleep."
"But-"
"Now!"
Bow's expression hardened, punching a polished pylon before storming off.
"Bow!" Adora was about to go after him when Catra's hand fell on her shoulder.
"Hold up, let me talk to him."
Adora looked bewildered. "Wait, seriously?"
"Yeah, I know. Just let me try something, okay?"
"Okay," said Adora, watching Catra and Melog run after Bow.
Kara sidled up to Adora. "Well, this is just…"
She was cut off by the whirl of the Watchtower's Zeta-Tube.
Recognized:
Miss Martian-B-Zero-Five,
Superboy-D-Zero-Nine.
"Great."
Kara's stomach knotted as two figures materialized out of the glowing portal. The first was slender with autumn-red hair and ash-white skin. The second was broad shouldered, clad in simple jeans and black tee-shirt; a shirt bearing a scarlet sigil that Kara knew all too well.
"M'gann, Conner!" Tigress raced forward, embracing her friends warmly. "Any word from Mars?"
"Nothing," Miss Martian sighed.
"If Ma'alefa'ak's on Mars, he's keeping well under the ra-" Superboy paused, turning his head awkwardly.
That's when Kara realized she'd been staring directly at him.
"Maybe we should talk somewhere more private?" Tigress suggested, leading the couple into the conference room.
Adora waited until all three were well out of earshot. "What was that about?"
"What?" Kara asked defensively.
"You were gawking at Superboy like he had two heads?"
"You wouldn't get it, 'Dora," Kara huffed. "It's… a Kryptonian thing."
Adora fell quiet for a long moment, gazing out the Watchtower's panoramic window at the slowly turning stars.
"I never knew my birth family, or my homeworld," she spoke softly. "For all I know I'm the last of the First Ones."
"'Dora?"
"Don't get me wrong, Catra, Bow, Glimmer and you are my family in every way that matters. It's just…" She squeezed the Krypteen's shoulder. "I know what I'd do if I were in your shoes."
Now Kara fell quiet.
[-]
Artemis removed her mask. "How are your folks handling the news?"
"Ambivalently," sighed M'gann. "They're worried, of course, but I think Mom's secretly relived M'comm's not being extradited back to M'arzz. Our justice system's not kind to A'ashenn offenders at the best of times."
"You're mom's Green, right? Wouldn't Ma'alefa'ak's genocide virus last year have killed her too?"
"She's a mom." M'gann shrugged sadly. "She can't help believing there's still some good in her son."
Conner snorted. "If there was ever a scrap of good in Ma'alefa'ak, it died of loneliness."
"Don't talk like that, Conner!" M'gann implored.
"I'm sorry, hun," Conner spoke softly, taking her hands in his. "I know he's still your brother, but when I think of the misery that creep's put you and your family through…"
"He wasn't always like this, you know," M'gann sighed. "Back when we were kids, he was the shyest, sweetest child you could've hoped to meet. I remember one time, he accidentally stepped on a z'lt fly. He was so distraught he cried himself to sleep. I can still feel the guilt and shame clinging to him like a miasma."
Artemis gave M'gann's shoulder a tender squeeze. "Hey, I know what it's like watching a sibling go bad. You can't blame yourself."
"I know," M'gann sighed. "But enough self-pity. How are our guests holding up?"
[-]
Bow sat sullenly on the grass, brooding in the still quiet of the Watchtower's atrium. He watched the Earth above as it hung in the void, cold and alone.
Ting?
"Hmm?" Bow looked down at the Fatherbox nestled in his lap. "No, Relay, I'm fine."
"Relay?"
Bow glanced over his shoulder as Catra sat down beside him, Melog resting their head in her lap.
"That's what he likes being called." Bow nodded back at the Fatherbox.
Catra repressed a shudder at the sight of the living Apokoliptan computer. "You still carrying that thing around?"
"He's good company," said Bow morosely.
"Okaaay…" Catra began awkwardly. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Real tired of answering that question."
"Chh, now you know how I feel."
Bow didn't laugh.
Catra tensed. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Sure…"
"Before she took off, Glim… I mean, Eclipso said something about the way she 'really felt' about me," Catra repressed a chill. "The way she spoke… it was so cold… so full of hate. It was like she was drawing on some well of darkness deep in Glimmer's soul. I mean, I know we've had issues, but I thought we got over that."
Bow's voice was low and bitter. "Somethings are harder to get over than others."
"Meaning..?"
"What, you don't remember your little portal scheme?"
"Uggh… You're not gonna play the 'almost destroyed reality' card again, are you? How many times do I have to-"
"SHE LOST HER MOM, CATRA!" Bow abruptly snapped. "You don't just 'get over' something like that!"
Catra recoiled, taken aback by his vehemence. "I… she never said anything."
"Seriously!? You two never talked about this?!" Bow snapped. "Did you even think to ask?"
"I…"
"I can't believe even you're this thoughtless!" Bow leapt to his feet, carrying the Fatherbox. "C'mon, Relay. Let's get out of here."
He stormed off again, leaving Catra alone and speechless.
[-]
Adora realized something was wrong the moment Catra returned to the foyer with Melog in tow; her body was shaking, her blue/yellow eyes downcast. Adora reached for her.
"Hey, what happened?"
"I-" Catra began, before Tigress, Miss Martian and Superboy came filing out of the conference room.
"Is everything okay?" Tigress asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Catra answered shortly. "I just… I wanna go back to Star City now?"
"Uh… sure," Tigress turned to Miss Martian and Superboy. "I'll catch you two planetside."
"We'll talk later, okay?" Catra gave Adora a quick hug before dashing into the whirring Zeta-Tube.
Recognized:
Catra-B-Three-Nine,
Melog-C-Zero-Six,
Tigress-B-Zero-Seven.
That just left Adora, Superboy, Miss Martian and Kara; who had been standing awkwardly to the side the whole time.
"Why don't you head off without me, babe?" Miss Martian gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll catch up."
"Sure," Conner answered hesitantly, returning her peck before stepping into the glowing Zeta-Tube.
Recognized:
Superboy-D-Zero-Nine.
As the Zeta-Tube dimmed, M'gann turned to the extrasolar visitors.
"Hey, Adora, Kara… I was just wondering how you guys were settling in?"
"Oh, we're doing great," answered Adora. "I mean… my best friend is possessed by a malevolent cosmic entity, and she's basically kidnapped our entire planet, and we may never see our friends or loved ones again but other than that… great."
M'gann blinked.
"Sorry." Adora said sheepishly. "Dr. Quinzel says I should try sharing more. I may have overdone it."
"I'm a counselor, I've heard worse, believe me," M'gann replied. "How about you, Kara, how are you holding up?"
The Krypteen shrugged. "'Kay… I guess."
"Good to hear… so…" M'gann paused awkwardly. "How would you two feel about joining us at Conner and Clark's parents' place for Sunday dinner next week? Bow and Catra can come too, of course."
"We'd love to," Adora enthused, nudging her ward. "Wouldn't we, Kara?!"
"Sure," Kara mumbled. "I guess it'd be an honor or whatever."
"Perfect," M'gann trilled. "I'll send you all the details later. Right now, I've got a babysitter to relieve. TTYL!"
Recognized:
Miss Martian-B-Zero-Five.
The Zeta-Tube charged up once more as M'gann disappeared it's golden light.
"Hey, Kara?" Adora asked.
"Ya?"
"Who's Clark?"
Kara shrugged. "I dunno."
[-]
BUNURU BAY, NEW SOUTH WALES
October 02, 11:15 AEST
BZZZT-BZZZT-BZ-
Angelo del Rey hit the snooze button on his alarm, again.
Not that an extra five minutes would have done him much good. He didn't sleep much last night, like most nights since…
Since Modulok.
The scars running down his back hurt again, they always hurt. The doctors couldn't really do much for him. How were they supposed to treat the loss of limbs he wasn't even supposed to have in the first place? Nothing for it but to roll over and try to doze off again.
He was dimly aware of a distant knocking on the front door, followed by a mumbling downstairs. He was far more acutely aware of his mum's voice ringing throughout the house.
"Angelo, luv! One of your mates from work to see you!"
Mates from work? Angelo groggily dragged himself out of bed. "Down in a min, mum!"
He slipped on a pair of old jeans and a loose t-shirt, briefly dabbling with the idea of strapping on his binder before heading downstairs. Honestly, he wasn't up for the extra hassle this morning. Finally, he gave his armpits a quick sniff.
It'll do, he thought, putting on his happy face.
[-]
"And then he started crawling backwards," Velma del Rey giggled, sipping tea as her son entered the kitchen. "Morning, sleepy head! We were just talking about you!"
Angelo rubbed the gunk out of his eye. "Who…?"
"Still suffering from Zeta-lag, eh?" Roy Harper raised his mug in greeting before taking a sip. "This blend is delish, Ms. del Rey."
"Thank you, dear, and please, call me Velma."
"Roy!?" Angelo gawked. "What are you-"
"Thought we might go for a walk on the beach," answered Roy. "Mind if I borrow your son for a bit, Velma?"
"Oh, of course not. Angelo, luv, let me get your coat first," said Velma, bustling about. She carefully leaned in to whisper in her son's ear as she handed him the coat. "He's cute."
Angelo blushed furiously. "Pretty sure I'm not his type, Mum."
"I live hope," murmured Velma. "You boys have fun!"
[-]
The foamy waves of the Pacific Ocean lovingly lapped the golden sands, slow and steady, like a heartbeat. If the Earth was Mother, thought Angelo, then the ocean was surely her womb. He gazed out into the cool inviting blue. God, he just wanted to lose himself in the Deep for a few hours, feel the rippling currents over his gills, drown his worries in-
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Roy's voice startled the young metahuman out of his funk. Angelo had hardly spoken a word since leaving the house. "Hh? Oh, sorry, mate. M'mind was just… drifting."
"No worries," Roy picked a small flat stone from the sand between his cybernetic fingers, before skipping it perfectly across the rolling waves.
Angelo let out a low whistle. He could barely skip a stone across a flat lake. His mind cycled back to the training session two weeks ago, and the stupid insensitive crack he had thoughtlessly made about Roy's arm. Angelo hadn't spoken to Roy since. It was probably too much to hope getting attacked by a possessed alien sorceress right after had driven the incident from Roy's memory.
"Look, Roy… about what I said at the last training sesh… I was way outta line."
"Don't sweat it. Though that's sorta why I wanted to talk to you."
Angelo tensed guiltily. "Really?"
"Vic and I are putting together a support group for people in the Life who've had to cope with our kinda… issues." Roy flexed the servos of his prosthetic arm. "Interested?"
Angelo looked shame-faced, the scars on his back burned. "I don't think that would be a good idea."
Roy snorted. "What? You think you're too good for us, del Rey?"
"No! It's not that!" Angelo blurted. "It's just… I wasn't even born with my wings. How can I compare that with what you've gone through?"
"You think I don't ask myself the same thing whenever I look at Vic or Robotman?" Roy's voice was soft. "This isn't a game of 'who's got the biggest disability', Angelo, and not all scars are visible."
Angelo gave no answer for a long while, gazing out over the dreaming ocean.
[-]
HOLLYWOOD
October 02, 20:44 PDT
"The Outsiderrrs; thrrreat orrr mena-"
Klick
"Hellooo Mega-"
Klick
"Goode World Classic Movies presents Jonathan Lord and Sandra Stanyon in… Silverblade!"
A cloaked figure rode on horseback across the silent greyscale moors. Suddenly, the hero was beset by a band of dastardly brigands, ne're-do-wells and mayhap even the odd blackguard.
"Uuugh," Leslie Willis groaned. "Do we really have to watch this old timey heteronormative carp?"
"What?!" Gar Logan protested, his green nose wrinkling indignantly. "This is classic cinema! It captures Jonathan Lord at the very pinnacle of his craft!"
His corgi Wingman yipped in confirmation from the seat next to him.
"Just let it go, Leslie," Andie Murphy yawned, her head nestled drowsily in her girlfriend's lap.
"Adora, Bow, Kara, back me up here!" Leslie shouted to the two sitting on the far end of the couch. Ever since they were stranded on Earth, the Outsiders had been letting the three offworlders crash at their HQ
"What happened to the color?" Kara asked, squinting at the tv. "Is the screen broke?"
"Nah, Kara. It's supposed to look like that." Gar answered.
"Ah! Okay!" Kara nodded, before thinking for a moment. "Wait, why?"
Bow slumped despondently, staring into space. "I'm going to bed." he droned before finally dragging himself from the couch.
"Are you sure?" Adora asked worriedly. "It's still pretty early?"
"Yeah," Bow grunted, disappearing up the stairs and into his room.
[-]
He lay on the bed sheets, eyes boring into the ceiling above. He wished he could sleep, then he wouldn't have to think about anything, wouldn't have to feel anything.
Relay stood upright upon his bedstand. Theoretically, Bow could have used the Fatherbox to plumb the depths of Despondos on his own. But Tigress not categorically forbidden Cyborg and Danny from disclosing the shadow plane's quantum frequency. Probably to keep Bow from doing something exactly that stupid.
Ting?
Bow rolled over, his back to the living computer. "Leave me alone, Relay."
Ting!
Bow perked up slightly. "Who?"
Tap-tap
Out on the balcony, rapping on the glass door, stood Catra. She was impatiently tapping her bare foot as Melog stretched languidly across the guardrail.
"Nggg…" Bow dragged himself off the bed before sliding back the door with a frown. "You're not supposed to be here, Catra."
"Yeah, I get that a lot." Catra slinked into the room, nimbly perching herself atop the dresser.
"How did you even get past the Hub's security net?"
"Duh, who do you think installed it?" Catra smirked, flashing her Bowhunter ID card.
Bow cast his eyes downward guiltily. "Look, Catra, about what I said earlier…"
"Forget it." She waved him off. "I figure if you're snapping at people, then you must really need cheering up?"
"Thanks," Bow sighed. "But I don't really feel like talking right now."
"Oh, I didn't say anything about talking." Catra leaped of the dresser, hooking her arm around Bow's shoulder, drawing him into a conspiratorial headlock. "I'm gonna cheer you up my way."
[-]
STAR CITY
October 02, 21:53 PDT
Bow narrowly ducked behind a crate as a blast of crimson particle fire went blazing over his head, his voice cracking as he yelped.
"THIS CHEERS YOU UP?!"
"What?! It's stress relief!" Catra protested as her bare heel impacted the jaw of another armed goon. "Besides, think of all the good we're doing!"
Bow nocked an arrow, taking out yet another thug with a bola arrow. "Which is what exactly?!"
"Stopping these creeps from trafficking stolen cultural artefacts!" Catra dived under a swinging fist, her claws digging into the attacker's wrist before twisting his arm behind his back.
"Seriously?!"
"What?! Aren't your dads archeologists or something?!" Catra slammed the thug into wall, stunning them. "I thought you'd be all into protecting this nerd stuff!"
"Risking my life for some pottery isn't exactly why I joined the Rebellion," Bow's eyes went wide, reaching for his quiver. "CATRA, LOOK OUT!"
Catra caught the glint of the knife out of the corner of her eye, coming too fast for even her to dodge.
That's when Melog pounced out of literal thin air, pinning the attacker to the hard floor.
"Thanks, Mel." Catra scratched behind the feyline's ears, surveying the unconscious goons scattered like leaves across the warehouse before turning to Bow. "Nothing like fighting for your life to get your mind off your worries, huh?"
"Yeah, by giving you a whole new set of worries," said Bow, bending over one of the unconscious goons. "Hey, look at this."
He pulled back the goon's collar to reveal a small symbol tattooed on the nape of their neck; something like an inverted cross crowning an infinity symbol.
"Any idea what this is?"
"No clue." Catra cast a curious glance about. "Looks like they all have one."
Bow dismissed the mystery for now. "Look Catra, thanks for getting me out of my own head, even if it was just for a little while."
"Hey," Catra flashed a toothy grin. "What are friends for?"
[-]
NOTTINGHAM, UK
October 03, 20:21 BST
The office was decadently furnished yet dimly lit. The green-blue glow of the laptop was the only light that flickered upon idols plundered from across the globe, casting ghoulish dancing shadows.
Her eyes narrowed to cat-like slits as the debacle in Star City played out on the screen. She paused on a frame of the young cat-like 'hero', frozen laughter like a taunt, mocking her. She could feel the Beast rising to the bait, rattling the bars of her soul. Her nails dug into the African Blackwood desk as she forced it back into its cage.
"My Lady?"
She looked up at her diminutive manservant. His face was as dark and withered as oak, and twice as inscrutable.
"Yes, Chuma?"
"A call for you, my Lady," he held up a small flip phone, discreet as it was disposable. "From 'Home Office'."
She braced herself as she took the phone.
"Speaking… Yes, Ma'am, I'm looking over the footage as we speak… No, I agree. This affront cannot go unpunished… Understood. There will be no further 'incidents'."
She snapped the phone shut, biting back a snarl. She'd worked too long and too hard, clawing her way back up the ranks of the Organization after the fiasco in Paris five years earlier, just to lose it all to another ill-bred alley cat.
"Chuma, prep my private jet for a direct flight to Star City." She flashed a fanged leer. "We're going on a little hunting trip."
