superpierce: So is Augustine younger than she was in second son or the same age and if so how is that possible even though Cole hasn't reached his younger years. Also is Vergil going to encounter Kessler. And does Kessler know who he is or does Vergil not exist in his timeline. If so did the Ceph invade Kessler's earth or do they not exist in his universe.
NeoNazo356: Augustine is the same age as in inFamous: Second Son, now-presently, it's just that in this timeline, events in-comparison to the inFamous universe happen out-of-order. In the context of DC's "Earth-16H", there "isn't anything wrong" with the order of events.
If I had to give an answer for Cole's circumstances, I'd say he's at the point where he dropped out of college and got a job as a bike courier "mostly just to piss off his parents". Also, instead of Empire City, Cole is living in the "New York City area"; obviously, not Manhattan Island, Brooklyn, Queens, or the Bronx. He might be living on Staten Island, but the events of the Red/Yellow/Green Zones in Prototype 2 aren't super-important in the "lens" of this story.
As for Virgil meeting Kessler... Maybe later, maybe not. They'd need a "sensible" reason to interact. Unless Virgil can help alter the course of the future with Kessler's "future knowledge", Kessler won't have any REASON to reach out to her.
As for the Virgil in Kessler's timeline, he kept things "close to the vest", so Kessler wouldn't have any way of knowing that Virgil and Night/Final Snake are one-in-the-same. because of this, TO Kessler, he wouldn't be anything special unless he learned the truth.
As for The Ceph and their relation to Kessler's timeline, it isn't super-important since Kessler "can't go back", and everything he does will have a butterfly effect like the Flashpoint Paradox, but let's just say that even if The Ceph were pushed back, the Earth still took a beating from it and the machinations of The Light and The Reach. Basically, imagine Bartholomew "Bart" Allen's "2056 Earth", just "50% worse". Because it's one of those "can't go back" things, the HOW BAD of it is isn't important.
DC Comics is rife with Time Travel, but I'll try to avoid having things getting TOO confusing and/or paradoxical, since I don't want to have to "Flashpoint Paradox" this story just so things will make sense.
One RWBY story in-particular (not naming names) is especially bad at this because as soon as a new season comes out and changes the Canon, instead of adapting the then-current story to the Canon, they "Flashpoint Paradox" the whole thing and start over again from scratch. Once again, not naming names.
LuckyShadowWolf: I really hope that the single dad doesn't get killed. Also good to see that the Light are already in operation although I have to wonder if their only just getting started or how far along they are. Anyways from reading your answers to last chapters I have to ask, and I apologize in advance if you have already answered this previously and I overlooked it. Will we at some point be learning who Virgil's biological parents are? Also looking back on how many elements you have to this story with Infamous, YJ, Borderlands, Metal Gear, Black Lagoon, just to name a few off the top of my head. Allow me to congratulate your efforts in being able to keep a consistent timeline and well flowing tale going with everything that we know of and everything we don't!
NeoNazo356: As long as he doesn't find out the guy that drew the short straw with him is a super-criminal, the guy that plays "all the sports" won't have any reason to since actually killing him would be counter-productive. As for The Light, I've touched up on this earlier as well, but they're at the point where they're gathering resources. Actual application and collaboration will begin in 2010, where The Team happens to happen upon it.
As for finding out who Virgil's biological parents are, it'll be revealed eventually. At the then-present, that isn't what's important to him. Getting "strong enough" to get back at Blackwatch for what they did to the State family, is. Sure, he has the world's most-advanced combat prosthesis at his fingertips, but he's still a "n00b" going up against a "guild".
As for the consistent timeline, yeah, that was all pretty important. Black Lagoon happens some time in the 90s so everyone's 20 years older. Metal Gear's timeline had to be back-pulled 5 years during the events of Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pains so the timeline would actually mesh with the Young Justice 2010 focal-point. Some things are easier than others, but Metal Gear which I'd just begun to "get into" when I first wrote out this story was super-important. MGS5 made things a lot easier because it's like a prequel to the mainstream titles.
Blaze1992: i wonder if wearing the CS armor would bolster his spell power or at least keep him from wasting energy.
NeoNazo356: I would think that the Nanosuit would actually make it harder for Virgil to use Magic in the same way that weighted gear makes it harder to move around. Magic and Tech "mess each other up" in most cases which is why Techno-Sorcery is so-rare, and in the case of Dr. Doom who uses both, that's particularly what makes him so threatening; because he's able to make two opposing forces work in tandem.
Suffice it to say, whenever Virgil's wearing the Nanosuit, while he may try to use Magic, he'll find that it's more-difficult to do so since the suit is basically "living tech" and that would "interfere" with conventional spellcasting. That's why he'll be relying on Guile and Gadgets in his "Night Snake" persona.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Bellagio Hotel
November 18, 16:33 PT
"Guh… Bwugh…"
"Hey, he's waking up."
"Everyone back up, give him some space."
"Uh… Whud… What… 'appened?" Virgil slurred as he sat up, finding himself on his bed, his Wildcard attire gone with Zatanna and M'gann standing over him.
"Well, good news: you cast your first real attack spell. Bad news: you magic'd yourself stupid for a couple hours," Zatanna answered, back in casual clothes as well.
"I had no idea magic could do that to a practitioner," M'gann stated, her skin green in the privacy of their own room.
"Only if you do too-big a spell too early," Zatanna answered. "And since Virgil only learned magic just yesterday…"
"Yeah… Yeah, I felt that one…" Virgil groaned as he rubbed his head, which at the moment felt like a sponge wringed dry. "No-one caught that on video did they? Don't want it getting out that I LARPed my way through that last bit."
"LARP?" M'gann asked confusedly.
"Live-Action Role Play," Zatanna answered. "It's what some of the weirdos on this planet do in their free time, throwing bean bags at one another and shouting 'Lightning Bolt!' while dressed like wizards at Comic Con."
"What's Comic Con?"
"The sort of place where this…" he said gesturing to her green skin, "would fly. That or you looking exactly like Megan Wheeler."
"Oh! Can we go together then?" the Martian asked excitedly, her eyes practically sparkling at the thought of taking part in what she assumed was a time-honored "social activity".
"Sure! And best part is, we all have our own costumes!" Zatanna said with a smile. "I mean- Once we get you one of your own-"
"Oh, but I don't need a costume," M'gann said as she stepped back, a weird slithering sound echoing throughout the room as her civilian clothes outright morphed into a copy of Megan Wheeler's cheerleader uniform from the intro of Hello, Megan. "Hello, Megan~"
"Wait a minute- Your clothes…"
"They're organic," M'gann replied as she tugged at her collar, the "fabric" stretching in a wholly unnatural fashion, accompanied by the same "slithering" noise from before. "They respond to my mental commands."
"So… They're a part of your skin…?" Zatanna hummed, a tone of worry etching itself into her voice.
"Well, I am a shapeshifter, so…" M'gann replied like it was no big deal.
"Um… M'gann…"
"Yes, Virgil?"
"Do Martians… wear pants on your planet?" he groused, hoping for a non-brain-melting answer. "Actual pants?"
"Not usually," M'gann returned. "Law enforcement will wear the red X-shaped harness that my uncle is known for on your planet, and the great sorcerer priests and priestesses will wear holy vestments, but the average citizen only use polymorphic body coverings to reflect our mood, or differentiate bloodline at mass gathering."
"So then… you're… naked?" Zatanna asked, her face creeping to a flushed red.
"I suppose that's the case?" M'gann hummed confusedly as though there were nothing wrong with that. "Why do you ask?"
" . . . Not it!" Virgil said as he shot up.
"Hey! Wait! Don't leave me alone with her!" Zatanna cried as the boy hobbled to the door.
"It's a noble sacrifice you're making here!" he said as he fumbled for the knob.
"No, no, I'm not sacrificing! I'm not noble! At all, listen to me, you don't wanna go I don't want you to go!"
"I'll always remember you, bye!"
"Start by remembering me right now!" Zatanna cried as Virgil got the fuck out of dodge.
"I don't understand… Have I done something… wrong?" M'gann asked worriedly, looking up at Zatanna like a struck puppy.
"You… Um…" Zatanna began. "Wow. We… have a lot to catch you up on."
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Fifteen Minutes Later…
"I can't believe you left me alone with her!"
"To be fair, M'gann asking what a naked 'Earth female body' looked like without an ounce of shame meant I'd made the right call. Don't want her asking me and getting the wrong idea. Plenty of that on the internet as it is," Virgil said as he raided the fridge for food.
Even though his Mana Exhaustion had been more-or-less corrected by the Mana Potion he'd been given, that sort of thing still gave you a case of the munchies.
"Yes, but… It's the principle of things!" Zatanna said with a flush.
"I'm surprised you went along with it."
"We wouldn't have gotten anywhere if she didn't actually know what 'naked' means," Zatanna said in turn, her flush deepening.
Sure, the whole thing had been made easier because M'gann was a girl too, but still…!
"So… Does she have a new default she can put clothes over or what?"
*SLAP*
"Okay, I deserved that," Virgil said nursing the red mark on his cheek.
"You're lucky you're cute."
"I prefer the term 'handsome', but to each their own," Virgil shrugged.
"So…" M'gann hummed as she stepped into the room, one arm going across her chest and a hand at her groin, despite the fact that she was quote/unquote "clothed". "I… learned what it means to be naked today."
"And now you're really self-conscious about it?"
"Well, how could I not be after learning about the word 'naked'?" M'gann asked, her green face flushing to purple in embarrassment. "The concept of being 'naked'… On Mars there's no shame with our bodies since we can change them as we see fit, but…"
"To be fair, if you went to public school and metamorphosed in the locker room, you would've blown your cover really quickly," Virgil said trying to smooth things over.
"But… What do I do now?" M'gann asked worriedly, now conscious of their eyes on her even though contextually she wasn't actually quote/unquote "naked" by the conventional definition where one's genitals were left exposed.
"Only one thing to do," Virgil said as he got up from his seat. "We go to the mall and buy you some clothes."
"But… I'm not sure I can go out there… knowing what I know now…" M'gann said nervously as her eyes darted to the door.
"It's fine, you can borrow some of mine," Virgil shrugged. "Of course, when it comes time to buy underwear… Not it!"
"Not like I'd leave you in charge of that, anyway," Zatanna huffed.
"Which means we can avoid any 'Lucky Pervert' scenarios."
"What's a 'Lucky Pervert'?" M'gann asked, making "air bunnies" with her fingers.
"I'll let you bite the bulle-"
"Not it!" Virgil squealed.
"You BITCH!" Zatanna raged.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
"You need to buy M'gann… clothes…" J'onn said as more of a befuddled statement than a question.
"Oh my god, are you oblivious to Earth concepts like nudity too?!" Virgil gaped at M'gann's uncle exasperatedly, the trio of teens now in Giovanni's suite, if only so Virgil didn't have to spend his own money on this.
"No, no, I'm quite aware that Humans have unclothed bodies and the shame associated with exposing it to the public, it's just… I've never actually needed clothes of my own. I would always shapeshift what I needed, when I needed it, out of sight of prying eyes."
"So you're saying you never got caught in a locker room where others might see that sort of thing?!" Virgil gaped.
At the moment, the fact that he was talking to the Martian Manhunter, and that he was dressing him down, was largely lost on him.
"Not really…" J'onn admitted.
"How exactly… did the concept of nudity come up?" Giovanni asked, wondering what his daughter was doing across the hall.
Behind closed doors.
With a boy.
"I don't know. Some stuff about Comic Con, and then things spiraled out of control from there," Virgil sighed tiredly. "Look, do you have a credit card or not? M'gann's going to need a full wardrobe if she's going to have any sort of passable 'secret identity' on this planet, and even if we bought resale for everything else, even if she doesn't actually need them, women's lingerie can get expensive. Girls actually care about that stuff even if it isn't the variety meant to be seen, so we can't just buy her the cheapest brand we can find and not expect people to ask questions."
"You… are taking the fact that my niece is a Martian… exceptionally well…"
"Manhunter. I lived in New York. I saw weirder shit on a daily basis," Virgil said with a lidded stare.
"You… have put a great deal of thought into my niece's cover, haven't you?"
"I have a weakness for wanting to protect and nurture cute girls, now can we please get on with the program?!" Virgil asked tiredly, growing irritated by the need to explain himself to a couple of grown-ass men; one of which had been on this planet since the 50s. "What I'm wondering is, why is it that even though I'm doing the superhero spiel recreationally, that you full-timers are SO BAD AT THIS!?"
"It… may have been that in our day, things were just… simpler," Giovanni offered, albeit a bit weakly.
'Between shit like this and Robin's quadruple backflips, it's a wonder anyone can keep this schtick up,' Virgil groaned to himself as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, I don't know if the civilian populous on this planet is just stupid compared to other civilian populations across the universe, or if you hero-types are all just lazy, or both… but if I can prevent M'gann from being chased out of whatever town she chooses to live in for her double-life by a torch-and-pitchfork-wielding lynch mob… I would very much like to do so."
" . . . M'gann," J'onn said turning to his niece. "You have truly made some wonderful friends on this planet."
"I know. Isn't this just the greatest?" M'gann asked pulling the two to her.
"Indeed," the Martian hummed. "Very well then, you've convinced me," he said drawing a wallet from his pocket before passing a plastic card with his civilian name embossed on it. "Just make sure any clothing you acquire for my niece is tasteful."
"Relax, her 'cute and innocent girl-next-door' vibe is too-strong for any sexually-provocative clothing to really… mesh, with her."
"That's good to know," the Martian replied.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
"M'gann, before we talked to your uncle I set some clothes out for you on the bed. As soon as you're changed, we can leave," Virgil said as they stepped back into his suite.
"Right. Got it."
"And if you're having trouble putting them on, just ask Zatanna."
"I think I can figure that out on my own," M'gann said as she stepped into the room. " . . . Hey, Zatanna, can you come in here for a second?"
"If you ask to look at my body one more time…!" the magician said with a blush.
"No-no! It's not that!" M'gann stated, waving the girl in through a crack in the door.
"What is it?" Zatanna asked, thankful this talk wasn't going to be super-awkward, since M'gann had already slipped into Virgil's clothes.
"Is Virgil a shapeshifter too?"
"Um… No. Why would you ask that?"
"Because while we were all being held hostage at the Hoover Dam, I leafed through a fashion magazine and saw a picture of Virgil in it," she said holding up the magazine from aforementioned time.
She'd intended on putting it back, but in all the chaos, it'd kinda slipped her mind.
"What? Let me see," she said taking the magazine from the girl's hand. Squinting at the picture of the red-eyed teen in the nice clothes, the girl grabbed a nearby pen and drew a scar under the model's eye in the same place Virgil had his. " . . . Oh my god, it really is him."
"So you did not know about this?"
"No. But I know how to find out."
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
"Virgil Valentine! Explain yourself!" Zatanna demanded a few moments later as she held up the magazine M'gann pinched from the Hoover Dam, said magazine open to a picture of "Vincent" Valentine from last month.
"How the hell am I so recognizable!?" Virgil gawped as the image of his alter ego was literally shoved in his face. "I thought the point of the makeup and hair was so I wouldn't get recognized!"
"Well, to be fair, to a shapeshifter like me, there's barely any difference," M'gann put in. "All you did was cover up a small facial scar, straighten your eyelashes, have your hairstyle altered, and wear a completely different outfit."
"If Leeron heard you call all that work 'all he did', he'd cry for a week."
"And by the way, who the hell is 'Vincent'?" Zatanna said getting back into the conversation.
"That's my legal name, but I prefer my friends and family call me 'Virgil'," he answered curtly.
Honestly, he'd change his "legal name" back to Virgil if he could, but with the whole cover story about being "Virgil Valentine's" "separated-at-birth twin", that sort of move would just raise a red flag to anyone looking into him.
Maybe having his name sound like that guy's from Final Fantasy VII would just get easier with age.
'No… Wait… 'Vincent' was my father's name…' Virgil recalled, wondering if it was him, or SECOND. 'It's been so long I'd almost forgotten about that.'
"Hey, are you listening to me?"
"Sorry, I spaced out. What?"
"While you were spacing out on me, I'd asked you when you were going to tell me you were a male model."
"Unless you actually asked what I did for a living, not until it became relevant. Why is it so-important you know now?"
"Two words: Employee discount," Zatanna said with a mirthful glint in her eye.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
"So now you want to borrow my credit card?"
"Hey, you left your own daughter high-and-dry with a black ops murder-squad so you could putz around with magical fish-people-"
"They were regular wizards-"
"-so shelling out to get your daughter some nice clothes is the least you owe her," Virgil continued on without skipping a beat.
"Well, I suppose that's true but… Whenever she got new clothes, I was usually there to give the final word."
"Trust me, I want to see your daughter in skimpy clothing as much as you do. Which hopefully is 'not at all'."
"On that, we can agree," Giovanni hummed, happy that the boy's interest in his daughter was strictly non-sexual. "Very well, here you go."
"Don't worry, I'll limit her purchases to one article of clothing."
"Actually, since my daughter did so well today during my absence, why don't you buy her a full outfit," he offered. "Within reason!" he hastily amended.
"Thank you, daddy!" Zatanna squealed, giving her father a hug. "Come on, Virgil! Let's go!" she said as she grabbed him and M'gann by the hand.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Moments before the trio of teens got on the elevator, Virgil realized he'd forgotten his wallet. Which was kind of important since his Employee ID for Real Fashions was in said wallet.
A brisk walk back to the room, and the two girls settled onto a sofa in the living room.
"Wait right there. As soon as I grab my wallet, we'll head on out."
"Oh, before we leave, I want to say something to you two."
"What is it, M'gann?" Zatanna asked.
"I just wanted to say, when you busted in to stop those bad guys in the black armor, your hero outfits were totally ace!"
"Ace?" Zatanna asked incredulously.
"80s sitcom lingo," Virgil cut in.
"Oh, right," the magician returned.
"I would've helped you if I could, but Uncle J'onn asked me to stay back," the girl returned, her gaze falling slightly.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure you would've done great," Zatanna replied with a smile.
"Thanks. I actually have my superhero attire all picked out, if you want to see," the Martian offered.
"Why not? I'm in no rush," Virgil shrugged.
"Neato! I'll be right back!" M'gann said as she zipped into the bathroom, the sound of clothes shuffling and polymorphic clothes slithering echoing into the suite before M'gann stepped out. "Tadaa! What do you think?" she asked, striking a very cute "Megan Wheeler" pose as she showed off her superhero "attire".
Said attire consisted of a white short-sleeved top with a red X going across her chest, a blue skirt stopping mid-thigh, blue high-heeled shoes and gloves with thick cuffs, and a blue cape with a golden brooch at the collared neck, a golden disc around the "belt" at her waist.
"Sooo… What do you think?" the Martian asked, eager for her new friends' opinions.
"Um… M'gann…"
"Yes?"
"That… That outfit of yours isn't going to work," Virgil said frankly, figuring it was best to get the worst of it over with in one go.
Like ripping off a band-aid from a hairy leg.
"What? Why?!" the adorable green-skinned girl cried, looking completely defeated.
"Because… Well…" Virgil groused. "It'll probably be better if I just show you," he said as he grabbed his laptop and booted it up. "Let's see here… Comic Con… Martian Manhuntress Cosplay… aaand… Enter," he hummed aloud as he cued up a Search. A moment later and dozens of pictures from various Comic Cons over the years began to pop up on the screen, a mass plethora of women of all shapes and sizes covered in green bodypaint wearing various iterations of Martian Manhunter's outfit appearing on screen.
"Whoa! There's… so many of me!" M'gann gawked as she looked at all the green-skinned girls in skirts and high heels. "But… Why are there so many people dressed like me if I haven't even made my superhero debut yet?" she asked confusedly.
"Gender Bending's a big part of the cosplay community, and since your uncle is a known shapeshifter, it's actually quite easy for people of varying body types, especially women who don't conform to 'body politics', to cosplay as him," Virgil answered. "Martian Manhuntress cosplay is actually more-prevalent than Wonder Woman or Black Canary because you don't need a dynamite body to pull it off. Not that people don't try if they don't have the quote/unquote 'right' body types…"
A while back while getting his hair and makeup done, Leeron drilled into his head all the double-negatives in "body politics".
"However, those that aren't confident-enough in their own body types to do so just find it easier to cosplay as a gender-bent version of your uncle," he finished.
"So then… this Comic Con… it's an occasion for people to alter their appearances and pretend to be someone else?"
"Well, since Humans aren't conventionally shapeshifters, everyone knows that everyone else is in costume. I mean, fans like to speculate that real superheroes go incognito as-themselves, but… Look, what I'm trying to say is, your first choice is really good, it's just… It kinda does look like something you'd see at Comic Con."
"Hey, at least she didn't include a cleavage window," Zatanna hummed as she spied a girl in a costume eerily similar to M'gann's own, only the white portion of her top was replaced with an open window exposing cleavage.
"Ohhh… And here I thought I was being original," the Martian girl sighed dejectedly, shoulders slumping.
"It was a nice effort, really, but maybe something less objectively feminine would be better," Virgil said patting the girl on the shoulder, marveling at how it felt like cloth instead of, well… skin. "But hey, look on the bright side. You go to Comic Con and you could win first place in any cosplay contest you wanted."
"But… Wouldn't that be cheating?"
"People with hundreds of dollars to spend on cosplay aren't accused of cheating, and neither are the artists, smiths, or electricians who can make the really good stuff, so the way I see it, a girl using her natural abilities, even if she is from Mars, wouldn't be that much different. Just… if you do go to Comic Con, maybe keep the fact that you're a legit Martian a secret, otherwise people might feel cheated, and then you'll be staring down a bucket of worms you'll never see the bottom of."
"I guess…" M'gann hummed. "These cosplayers do seem to be having a really good time," she said looking at all the smiling faces as people in the really-good cosplay posed for pictures and took selfies.
"See? That's the spirit, and there's that smile I love so much," he said pinching the Martian's cheek, the girl's cheeks dusting a light purple as she playfully swat his hand away.
"Hey, you think we'll find any gender-bent versions of my dad in here?" Zatanna asked with a chuckle as her fingers danced across the keyboard.
"Zatanna wait-!"
"WHOA!" Zatanna yelped as the search was cued, the girl's hands snapping over Virgil and M'gann's eyes as a multitude of women in extremely provocative gender-bent cosplay of her father's attire appeared on-screen.
"Zatanna, this is the internet! What did you think was going to happen when you cued up that kind of search without a filter?!"
"I don't know! Girls with mini-skirts and mustaches, I guessed!" Zatanna yelped with a flush, so-shocked by what she saw she was unable to tear her eyes away from what was essentially a more-provocative version of her actual hero outfit.
"I'm not really sure what the big deal is. I could turn into a 'gender-bent' version of your father if you wanted."
"NO!" Zatanna and Virgil yelped at the Martian's offer.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Las Vegas Strip
November 18, 15:54 PT
After very awkwardly shutting off the laptop and swearing not to cue up images from Comic Con ever, again, the trio of teens left the Bellagio and headed off to the Fashion Show Mall where one of Real Fashions' branches was located.
"So, uh… What're the three of you headin' to the Fashion Show Mall for?" the cab driver asked as he peeked into his mirror, trying to strike up conversation as they hit a red light.
"My friend's house was razed to the ground by some no-name villain and her entire wardrobe… gone," Virgil said as he gestured to "Megan", the shapeshifted girl presently clad in a neutral gray sweatshirt and sweatpants.
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," the driver returned. "Yeah… you hear about stuff like that all the time, but it doesn't really hit home until it happens to you, ya know?"
"Yes. We know. That's why we're going clothes shopping," Virgil said with a flat tone. M'gann, looking up at him expectantly, lips drawn into a thin line, prompted Virgil to tug on his left ear. 'Yes, M'gann?'
'I'm… not really sure I like lying to the nice cab driver like that,' M'gann said as she shifted in her seat. 'I watched the episode about this and everything.'
'If it makes you feel less guilty, I'm the one that lied to him, not you. And besides, what else were you going to tell him? That you're a telepathic shapeshifter from Mars who came from a culture where actual clothing is almost nonexistent?'
'Well you don't have to be so mean about it,' M'gann pouted as she leaned forward a little, catching sight of Zatanna tugging on her left ear as well, and patching her in.
In the short time they'd known one another, they'd actually been able to work out a "cue" regarding M'gann's telepathic abilities whenever it was just the three of them. A tug on the left ear meant they wanted to open up telepathic communications if not join in on a pre-existing link, while a tug on the right ear meant they wanted comms cut until further notice. This was especially-important for M'gann to have parsed out with her friends since "inviting herself" into their heads was incredibly invasive, even when they knew she could do that sort of thing.
Of course, this would be a rather difficult habit for the Martian to break, since she'd been communicating telepathically with everyone around her for close to five decades now.
Hopefully she kept the talks they'd had in mind and didn't blow her cover too quickly.
'Mind filling me in?'
'M'gann's feeling bad about lying to the driver like this.'
'Well… I hate to be the one to tell you this, but unless you're a Hero full-time or you let it all out there, you're kind of going to have to lie to people about your double-life,' Zatanna returned consolingly.
'I guess,' M'gann sighed. 'It's just… On Hello, Megan, I learned what it was like to lie and be lied to for the first time. No one really lies on Mars, you can't when everyone's a telepath, so after I saw that episode… I guess it hit me harder than some of the other episodes did.'
'Well, think of it like this. Lies… are like the thread that keeps Earth society tied together. If everyone on this planet told everyone what we were really thinking… Yeah, it wouldn't really end that well. So, whenever you feel bad about lying to someone about not being a superhero in your off time, just remember… sometimes you have to lie to someone, to protect them,' Virgil said putting a hand on her shoulder.
' . . . Thanks,' M'gann said looking at him, a bright smile returning to her features. 'I really needed that pep-talk.'
"You know, it's really nice to see such close friends nowadays," the driver spoke up, watching as they looked at one another with shifting facial expressions in his rearview. "Most of the time they've all got their noses buried in their phones, even when they're right next to each other, so it's really refreshing to see a group of friends so close-knit that you don't even have to say anything to get the point across."
"Oh yeah, we're practically telepathic," Virgil said smoothly.
"Do you want to join us?" M'gann offered innocently, much to Virgil and Zatanna's panic.
"Nah, no thanks. I'd feel like I were intruding. Thanks for the offer though," the driver said with a smile, turning his attention back to the road.
"Oh, okay," M'gann returned aloud.
'Crisis… averted…' Virgil sighed mentally as he flopped back in his seat.
'Tell me about it,' Zatanna sighed, feeling similarly exhausted.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
"By the way, I forgot to ask. How much of an employee discount do you get?" Zatanna asked as soon as they got into the Las Vegas branch of Real Fashions; suffice it to say, it was substantially larger than the Bludhaven branch.
Probably due to the larger tourist presence.
"I dunno, let me check… Hey, excuse me," Virgil said walking over to one of the counters. "Could you tell me how much of an employee discount I get?" he asked handing over his Employee ID.
"Oh, you have the Model Discount. That nets you 20% Off before tax," the cashier replied. "Oh! I recognize you from the October issue!"
"HOW!? I look completely different in those photos!"
"Well, you do have the same blood-red eyes-"
"Fair," Virgil sighed, before turning back to his tagalongs. "Well… You heard the man. All Real Fashions clothes 20% Off before-tax. That being the case, don't go too nuts."
"Oh, I know just the look for you!" Zatanna said as she grabbed M'gann by the wrist, dragging her into the store.
"Sooo… Why the sweat su-"
"Villain. Arson. Wardrobe. Gone."
"Ah, I see," the cashier nodded. "Sooo… Modelling. How'd you get into that?"
"Got scouted. And apparently I'm good-looking enough for that line of work."
"Well, you are a rather pleasing blend of masculine and feminine features. Maybe… 60/40? 65/35 give-or-take?"
"Honestly, hair and makeup does the heavy lifting."
"Hey now, don't sell yourself short. After all, you've a pretty young thing on each arm-"
"One falls below half-plus-seven rule, the other is super-naïve."
"Ah. Right. I can see how that'd put a damper on things," the cashier hummed, patting his hands on the counter. "So… You hear about that stuff at the dam?"
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
"Well… You two certainly took your sweet time," Virgil hummed a couple hours later.
"Yeah, sorry, had to make sure M'gann had all the essentials," Zatanna replied, M'gann toting a large number of shopping bags; and quite-effortlessly too.
'Girl must have super-strength,' Virgil thought, noting the volume.
Contextually, Martian Manhunter was in the same weight class as Superman, albeit, Superman had more "stopping power" and caught more "giant shit" than any other Leaguer. Which brings up the question…
'How the hell does he "lift" stuff without flying right through it?' Virgil wondered, his mind wandering as he imagined Superman trying to lift a cruise ship out of the water, before, logically, flying straight through it since there was no way a cruise ship's hull could bear its entire weight over such a small area.
"I never realized how out-of-date my wardrobe was before coming here," Megan admitted, adjusting her grip on her shopping bags. "Thanks for taking us shopping."
"Y-Yeah… No problem…" Virgil stuttered in the wake of her beautific smile.
The only things stopping him from falling for her then and there were A) Athena, B) that she literally modeled her Human Skinsuit off a "girl next door" archetype from the 80s, and C) the genre-savy knowledge that even though she looked Human now for all he knew she really looked like a Xenomorph in a mini-skirt… or something.
Hell, for all he knew her True Form could look exactly like the titular race of the Species franchise.
Of course, he quickly put a clamp on that line of thought before he could go to a weird place.
He had no idea how Martians reproduced, he didn't want to know, and he didn't want to explain how Earthlings reproduced either.
Let her uncle bite that bullet.
"Anyway, it was really sweet of you to use your employee discount for this. Sorry we pushed you out of the fun," Zatanna stated.
"Nah, I had good company," Virgil hummed, gesturing to the cashier he'd been making small-talk with. "Besides, shopping for lingerie with my kid sisters… Kiiinda awkward."
"You think I'm like a sister?" Megan asked with wide eyes.
"Sure. Why not? I mean, nurturing a naïve girl into a confident young woman is what brothers are for, isn't it?"
"Oh Virgil… You're the best not-a-boyfriend-friend-who's-a-boy a girl could ask for!" Megan squealed happily as she lunged at him, arms around his neck and cheek nuzzling against his as he was spun around.
"Awww…" the cashier cooed at the touching scene.
"Yeah… You're a pretty cool kid too," Virgil said as he pat the girl on the back, the alien girl basking at the affection.
"You really do have a weakness for little sisters, don't you?" Zatanna asked smugly.
"What, like your weakness for Sailor Moon?"
"Okay, that was one time, and you know it!" Zatanna squealed, her smugness turning into red-faced embarrassment.
"It's really touching to see a close-knit group of friends comfortable showing their worst sides to one another," the cashier sighed.
"Yeah. I guess it is," Virgil nodded as he and Megan separated. "C'mon, after we get this all hashed out, I'll take you girls to the food court. My treat."
"That sounds like the bombdigity!" Megan said with a smile.
'Next item on the agenda: Updating your 80s lingo…' Zatanna thought to herself, since some of the stuff "Megan" was saying was 30 years out-of-date at the earliest.
Even if M'gann managed to keep her Martian abilities under wraps, her out-of-date lingo would definitely blow her cover.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Meanwhile, back at the Bellagio Hotel…
" . . . Oh dear."
"What is it?"
"I forgot to warn the children that M'gann may have the same allergy as I."
"What? You mean to Oreos?"
" . . . Yes."
"And no-one on Mars has ever had this problem before?"
"Mars has strict guidelines about importing food and food-stuffs from off-world, so it never became an issue."
"So then there's a chance yours was just an isolated incident."
"Maybe, but I'd rather not risk it…"
At this, the Martian reached for his phone.
" . . . "
" . . . "
" . . . She's not answering."
"Let me give my daughter a call."
" . . . "
" . . . "
"She doesn't seem to be answering either."
"Is there anyone else we can call?"
"Here. You can call Virgil on mine. If he doesn't pick up, we'll just have to go down there ourselves."
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Elsewhile, back at the food court, "Megan" was moaning and writhing erotically as she clutched her milkshake to her bosom, the girl lapping at the straw in an extremely provocative manner.
And I'm talking "X-Rated Not Safe For Work" provocative, not that namby-pamby side-boob nipple-flash stuff you find in T-Rated movies.
"ALRIGHT, SPILL, ASSHOLE! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU PUT IN MY FRIEND'S MILKSHAKE!" Virgil growled with an absolutely murderous look in his eyes as he hauled the man across the counter by the front of his shirt with one hand, the other drawn back.
Though he'd technically tapped out on his newly-acquired Mana reserves, the "fumes in the tank" were just enough that the air above his free hand *Snap*, *Crackle*d, and *Pop*ped to reflect his mood.
It wasn't much, but it was scary-as-hell, even to those who just ruled it off as the trick of an angry street magician.
"N-N-N-N-Nothing! I swear!" the man behind the cashier stammered.
"Well then why the FUCK is my friend reenacting the fake orgasm scene from 'When Harry Met Sally'!?" he said as he gestured to Megan who was drawing many, many eyes, Zatanna too flustered to whip up a Glamour or Illusion or something that'd run damage control.
The next moment his phone vibrated in his pocket.
"Stay… Right… There," Virgil growled as he backed away, fishing his phone out of his pocket. "Giovanni. This had better be important."
"It's me. John."
" . . . Like I said, this had better be important. We kinda have a situation on our hands," Virgil said as he grabbed some plastic cutlery and began chucking it at cellphones as they raised.
He didn't actually hit anything, but the message came across.
"I just wanted to warn you, you shouldn't let my niece anywhere near Oreo cookies."
"Oh… Yikes," Virgil hissed as his mood began to evaporate.
"What?"
"Megan, just guzzled down a large Cookies & Cream milkshake."
"And I take it that batch had Oreos in them?"
"Yes."
"Oh no."
"Why? What do they do? Is it some kind of allergic reaction?"
"To Martian physiology, some of the chemicals in Oreos act like a narcotic."
"Okay, so… At least we know why Megan's acting so fucking weird. How do I stop this?"
"Even if she were cognizant enough at this point to do so, M'gann doesn't possess the skills necessary to separate and expel the affected cells from her anatomy."
"Wait, you can do that?"
"We are shapeshifters. Manipulating cells on a cellular levels is rather elementary with enough time and practice."
"Wait, should we really be talking about this on an unsecured line?"
"I already forwarded a copy of the League's encryption software to Giovanni's phone. Said software extends to your unit as well as long as we're in communication."
"Okay. Good to know. Next item on the agenda, how-good is Giovanni at erasing memories?"
"Why? What's M'gann doing?"
"You… aren't going to like that answer…" Virgil said as M'gann tried to pour the last drops of milkshake out, only to get milky white cream dripping down her face. "Just… Just get to the Fashion Show Mall on Las Vegas Boulevard and bring Giovanni with you. We might have a situation on our hands-Megan! Stop! No more milkshakes-"
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Suffice it to say, after the call suddenly cut out like that, J'onn and Giovanni hauled ass, a magical rift in space-time taking them straight to the Fashion Show Mall.
More-specifically, close to the area that his Locator Spell parsed out for him.
When they arrived…
"Oh dear…" J'onn groaned as civilians ran for their lives, and incredibly large Caucasian girl with freckles and red/orange hair, a veritable mountain of rippling muscles barely-decent in utterly ruined clothes rampaging about. Zatanna clung desperately to the girl's neck and was shouting things in her ear while Virgil waved an improvised torch at the- "WHITE SHE-HULK!" -as a fleeing passerby called her, to keep her herded in the area, bins full of napkins lit aflame in a circle and keeping her corralled, if only barely.
The Manhunter was thankful that his niece's inborne Pyrophobia wasn't being outright exploited, just manipulated in a very gentle manner. While animals by-default were wary of fire because "burning", to Martians, some would become completely insensate if exposed to large-enough flames.
However, based on how-much-closer "White She-Hulk" was drifting towards each burning bin of napkins with each staggering sweep, her Pyrophobia was growing less and less prevalent in her mind.
"Oreos! OREOOOOOS!"
"M'gann! Chill out!" Zatanna cried as she held onto the girl's now-beefy neck, unable to hold on but too scared to let go.
"Back! Hah! Back I say!" Virgil shouted as he swung his improvised torch in M'gann's direction.
"Alright… Collateral damage has been kept to a minimum. As long as she doesn't escape the perimeter-"
"AAUUUUUGH!"
"-and she's escaped the perimeter," J'onn sighed as "White She-Hulk" bounded over and away from the circle of burning napkin bins, taking Zatanna with her for the ride.
Until she wasn't.
"Zatanna!"
*SCREEEEEEECH*
"The House, is in!" the D-List Hero from before proclaimed as he swooped in on his Segway, snatching Zatanna out of the air before she could hit the ground. "Don't worry, young lady! I've got you!"
"Thanks…" Zatanna sighed, still-frazzled from her ride atop M'gann's shoulders.
"So, is that girl The Hulk's niece or what?" The House asked.
"No. Just a regular girl who had a very extreme allergic reaction to something in the cookies & cream milkshake she drank," Virgil stated.
"A milkshake-triggered meta-ability… That's certainly a new one," The House hummed as he stroked his chin. "Quick! To The Housemobile!"
"Wait, you have a car?" Virgil gawped incredulously.
"Of course. Every hero worth his salt has to have a car. That or a sweet ride."
"So then why the Segway?"
"I don't have enough sponsors for Power Armor insurance."
"I… I can't tell if you're joking or not…" Virgil said with a pause. "Either way, if you help us stop 'White She-Hulk', I think you could squeeze a couple more sponsors out of this, now can you help us out or what?" he asked tensely, letting some of his impatience slip through.
"Sure thing!" the man replied. " . . . Holy cow! You're Zatara and Martian Manhunter!" he squealed as the two came up.
"Yes. We happened to be in the area and thought we'd lend a hand," Giovanni stated.
"Hey, I saw Superman on the news a little while ago at the Hoover Dam. You think he'll appear as well?"
"I… doubt it," J'onn answered. "He had to leave on another assignment."
It wouldn't do if people began to question whether the "Big Blue Boyscout" saving them was actually Superman or not.
"Ah, well, that's understandable. The Justice League's 'big gun' probably has better things to do than fight a single rampaging 'cookie monster'."
"The car. Now," Virgil huffed.
"Right! Of course!" The House yelped as he hurried along, wanting to make a good show before two of the Justice League. "To The Housemobile!"
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Just outside the mall, the group of five came upon a large heavily armored car not unlike a bank transport. There was the obvious addition of armor plating and tinted bulletproof glass, the paintjob an all-white affair with red and black card suits scattered about.
"Okay, I get that your 'Housemobile'-"
"The Housemobile."
"-can probably take a beating, but this thing looks like it has the clip of a beached whale. How the hell are we going to catch up to our friend in this?"
"Oh, we don't have to keep up with her," The House said as he drew out a smartphone. "We're going to use it as bait."
With a few deft finger taps of a hand-made App, the optical skin covering the van shimmered, the card suits being replaced with a certain set of graphics and logos.
Zatanna and Giovanni were both amazed since it basically looked like a Glamour was being applied, just without magic. For J'onn, he didn't see anything amazing about it because Martian Bioships could do much the same if the quality were high enough. For Virgil, who dealt with OctoCamo on a relatively frequent basis, he was nonplussed.
"There's no fucking way this is going to work," Virgil deadpanned as he looked at the armored van.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS FUCKING WORKED!" Virgil yelled as his back was pressed against his seat, Zatanna screaming her head off and crushing his hand in a support-seeking grip as The Housemobile screamed towards the west edge of Las Vegas, M'gann in her "White She-Hulk" form thundering after the Oreo-covered vehicle.
By the time they'd caught up to her, "White She-Hulk" had just finished emptying out a convenience store's supply of Nabisco-brand Oreos, and was thusly ripping the store a new one after the knockoff-brand "Chocos" failed to appease her palette.
Bringing The Housemobile into the parking lot in plain view, the sides covered with Oreo logos and graphics, all it'd taken to get M'gann's attention was to play the same theme that ice cream trucks were known for using.
"Should I be worried you have the Ice Cream Truck theme song on-cue?" Giovanni asked, unprepared for how much horsepower the heavily-armored van was able to belt out.
Between the computer system with satellite uplink, sensors, weapon compartments, and optical skin, The Housemobile looked like a mobile command center for a 007 movie.
"I don't have any superpowers of my own, so I have to have a contingency plan for every scenario; like Batman," The House answered as the computer in his dashboard whirred, the traffic lights in front of them all turning green as they weaved through traffic, the form of "White She-Hulk" thundering after them.
"So… Did you actually think past the 'get her attention' part of this plan?" Zatanna asked worriedly.
"Don't worry! There's an empty lot at the edge of town where we can fight her without worrying about collateral!"
"Well that's loads more consideration than most heroes will take," Virgil nodded. "Although… I am worried what she'll do to the 'creamy filling' of this van when she realizes there's no Oreos in here."
"Don't worry! I have a plan for that!"
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS – WITH A VENGEANCE*
Twelve Minutes Later…
"THIS WAS YOUR PLAN?!" Virgil gawped as everyone spilled out of The Housemobile, a roof-mounted god-damned flamethrower spewing fire at "White She-Hulk" and stopping The Housemobile from being torn a superfluous new asshole.
"Contingency plan! For every scenario!" The House justified as he tapped icons on his phone.
"Well turn it off!" Zatanna cried, the sound of M'gann's blood-curdling cry absolutely wrenching her heart.
"Hey, I've still got payments on this thing!" The House yelped as "White She-Hulk" ventured closer to the van as the flames receded, a fresh tongue of flame pushing her back.
"Manhunter! How do we fix this?!" Virgil demanded.
"When the same happened to me, after my intervention I used my awareness of my cellular structure and shapeshifting to regenerate healthy cells around the addicted tissue, and then excise the addicted matter by physically squeezing it out of my body," he explained. "Of course, after I did so my cravings took on a life of their own-"
"How does that help us here?!" The House demanded. "I'm running out of kerosene!"
Only reason he had a roof-mounted flamethrower was in case someone like Poison Ivy came to town.
"If I can connect to her mind, I should be able to assume control of her morphology and expel the infected matter."
"So what, is she like your daughter or something?"
"Niece, actually."
"Just do the thing already!" Virgil demanded as he rushed into the back of the van, dug into every cubby he could find, before activating a pair of road flares and rushing out to wave them in M'gann's face right as the roof-mounted flamethrower ran out of fuel. "Zatanna! Cover me!"
"Etaerc Tnecniv Enitnelav senolc!" the budding sorcerer incanted, plumes of black-and-cyan-colored smoke billowing up around Virgil at random spots, unravelling to reveal exact duplicates of the original down to the lit road flares.
The duplicates waving the bright-red sticks around "White She-Hulk", the dozens of intense flames cowing the addicted Martian in place as she reeled back from each one, J'onn flew high above the ring before dropping down on M'gann's shoulders from above, his left arm going under her neck and the right atop her head, his eyes glowing a brilliant shade of green.
Deep purple-ish spider web veins beginning to spread across M'gann's skin as she flailed about, eyes glowing the same shade of green as her uncle's, Giovanni and Zatanna both incanted- "Ssarg dna sdeew emoceb sgnidnib!" -, causing the hardy bits of weed and grass at her feet to form bindings and drag her down to knee level, a few pulse-pounding minutes later and M'gann made a gut-wrenching heaving sound as an amalgamation of black, sinewy, infected cellular matter was forcibly expelled from her body.
The abomination against nature writhing and shrieking as it wriggled about, a blood-curdling- "Craaaaaaave…!" -spilling out of non-existent vocal cords, faster than a crack of a whip, the black thing launched itself at one of the Virgil doppelgangers, dispelling it in a plume of smoke. Coiling in on itself and launching itself mid-air like a Tsuchinoko, the horrifying creature dove repeatedly at the copies of Virgil as it sought a new host with all the fervor of a demented flea, and by some miracle it kept hitting duplicates until only the original remained.
"OH SHIT!" Virgil cried as the nightmare creature dove at him.
"Don't worry! I've got you!" The House shouted as he dove to intercept, a large bucket held in his hands that he used to catch the excised cellular matter.
Before it could escape, The House threw the bucket down and trapped it against a concrete slab, throwing himself atop it as it struggled to get free and Virgil following in short order, the two struggling to contain it with all their might.
"Okay! We exorcised the girl! What now?!" Virgil demanded as the "White She-Hulk" began to visibly deflate, leaving naught behind but a dazed Megan Morse who proceeded to pass out back-down.
"Both of you hold out for a few more seconds. I'm going to incinerate it with a full-intensity eye blast," J'onn instructed as he landed a few feet away, his eyes glowing a brilliant fire-like red as he primed his Heat Vision.
"That would be so cool if it wasn't potentially the last thing we'd ever see," The House shuddered.
"Just shut up and get ready to move!" Virgil said as the physical embodiment of M'gann's Oreo addiction bucked and writhed against the bucket beneath them.
"Hold on… a little longer… NOW!"
Virgil and The House throwing themselves in opposite directions, the bucket exploding upwards as the thing lunged seeking a new host, with a powerful *TZZAK!* two white-hot beams of heat shot out of the Martian Manhunter's eyes striking the creature dead-center, a blood-chilling *EEEEEEE* filling the air as, much like Gohan did to Perfect Cell, the malignant tissue was vaporized down to the last molecule.
"That… was… aweeesooooome," The House awed once they were sure they'd won.
As a grown-ass man with no superpowers, he knew better than to tempt Fate. Or Murphy.
"We won, right?" Virgil asked after the necessary amount of time to not tempt Murphy passed.
"Yes. We won. My niece should be coming to shortly."
"Oh fuck, it's the cops," Virgil yelped as blue-and-red lights flashed in the distance, followed by sirens. "What do we do now? If the media gets wind of this, any chance she has at a normal life will be completely blown."
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS – WITH A VENGEANCE*
What followed was a spin so-epic in proportion, that the clowns on Capital Hill would've gotten a raging erection over it.
And then said erection would've shot off off their pelvises like a lit bottle rocket.
Moving on…
As it would later be revealed on the news, the "White She-Hulk" was apparently an ordinary girl until an Allergic Reaction combined with the activation of her latent Metagene caused her to "hulk out". "White She-Hulk" briefly went on the lamb staying well ahead of the police response, only for The House to draw her away to the edge of the city where no more collateral other than some kicked-up asphalt could be caused. Giovanni Zatara and Martian Manhunter were also on-site to make their statements to the police, siting that it was thanks to The House's knowledge of the local topography that the Meta's apprehension went as swiftly as it did. As for the "White She-Hulk" herself whose name remained confidential, she was subsequently carted away to Star Labs where she could receive the care she needed before being reintroduced to mainstream society.
People would of course question if the "White She-Hulk" was of any relation to the Hulk aka Bruce Banner, but since she wasn't giving off any gamma radiation, that possibility was swiftly ruled out since Venom caused basically the same sort of metamorphosis without being related to Banner's work either.
Virgil suspected that Batman or someone affiliated with the League with a similar skillset had been the ones to scrub the internet of any Pictures or Video, thus allowing Megan Morse to assume a civilian identity during the coming school year without anyone ever really knowing about what would later be referred to as "The Oreo Incident".
M'gann, being brainwashed into using her Martian Shapeshifting to expel the afflicted tissue from her body was both amazing in theory, but horrifying in execution, though apparently Martians could bounce back from worse, so other than a power nap back at the hotel and everything wrapped up fairly nicely.
With all the excitement they'd had that day, the trio of teens decided to stay in for a few hours, vegging out in front of the TV and eating snacks as they decompressed from all the weird, freaky shit that life on Earth threw at them.
The sun setting and the lights on the Vegas Strip coming on however, tempted them into venturing outside once more.
"Hopefully nothing weird happens. Again," Virgil groaned as the three made their way out, after promising their guardians they'd be back at the Bellagio at a decent hour.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Las Vegas Strip
November 18, 19:38 PT
"Wow…! There's so many lights! So many colors!" M'gann awed that night as the three teens wandered the Vegas Strip.
"Yeah… It's a nice place to visit, but I don't think I'd wanna live here," Zatanna hummed.
Between the Royal Flush Gang, the cursed guitar, and what happened at the Hoover Dam, this wasn't just impersonal "a-great-place-to-visit-but-I-wouldn't-want-to-live-there" bias.
"Girls, make sure you don't wander off too far. In fact, don't wander off at all. Just link arms with me and I'll keep pace."
"Hey, come on, what's the worst that could happ-"
" . . . "
"Yeah, okay, nevermind," Zatanna conceded, linking arms with him so they wouldn't get separated after realizing they'd been through the ringer four times in half-as-many days.
"You think we could see a show?" M'gann asked excitedly, only for a noise to catch her attention. "Hey, what's happening over there?" she asked as her eyes turned to the left, landing on a large multi-story casino prominently featuring red oriental dragons.
"No clue, but just for the record, I do not want to get involved," Virgil said as he eyed the fleeing people spilling out of the entrance.
"But there could be bad guys in there!" Zatanna spoke up.
"Z, it's seven-thirty at night, I've had to go through all that shit with the D.U.P and the god-damned 'Cookie Monster' in the same day, and in case you haven't noticed, I'm on my god-damned vacay, so if you want to run in there guns blazing, fine, but don't expect me to get involved. I am literally too tired for this superhero bullshit."
"Well if you're so-tired, why're you out here with us in the first place?" Zatanna demanded.
"Because my chaperones are off doing god-knows-what, and I promised both of your guardians I'd keep an eye on you, and if that means putting my foot down, so be it."
" . . . He is right, you know. We have been through a lot today. It wouldn't hurt to leave this to the proper authorities," M'gann stated after a moment, still feeling guilty about her "episode" only a few hours prior.
"Yeah… I guess you're right," Zatanna admitted. "Sorry. I got so caught up in my own head, I never realized it was taking its toll on you. Forgive me?"
"Of course," Virgil nodded.
*Crash*
"AUUUUUUUUGH!"
*CRASH!*
*Weo-Weo-Weo-Weo-Weo-Weeo-Weo!*
"Oh my goodness!" M'gann squealed as a Chinaman in a fine suit was kicked out the penthouse suite window, hitting a cab on the way down and setting off the alarm.
"Oof. You know he dead," Virgil winced as he eyed the ruined cab, and then the ten-story-tall casino.
"Wait, maybe he could still be alive!"
"Yeah, on your planet maybe. On this one, Humans tend to be a little more fragile," Virgil said sarcastically. "Even if the landing didn't kill him immediately, I doubt he'll live long enough to see the ER. Or the ambulance for that matter."
"Now can we do something?" Zatanna asked.
"Yeah. Sure. Call the police and let them handle it."
"Hey look!" M'gann shouted, her finger drawing their eyes to a Chinaman in a fine dark-blue suit and an African American into a somewhat showy butter-cream & croc-skin suit descending the nearby strings of red oriental lanterns, their coats held over their heads and acting as improvised zip line trolley as the penthouse suite exploded a moment later.
"Jesus CHRIST!" Zatanna yelped at the size of the fireball.
"Language," Virgil chided. "But yeah, in all seriousness, what the actual hell was that!?" he gaped as he eyed the two finely-dressed men, the metal cable holding them up snapping and sending them screaming Tarzan-style down onto one of the stylized banner signs, looping under and over it again until the entire thing pivoted on its axis out into the middle of the street.
The two dangling there for a few moments, a moment later and a semi-truck horn blared, the Chinaman kicking his partner and pushing the both of them out of the way, the black guy rolling sidelong as he dangled from his line until the semi passed, crashing violently into his partner before the two fell to the street.
"It's official…! I need a vacation…! from my vacation…!" Virgil said as he grabbed Zatanna and M'gann by the arms, whirling them around to take them back to the Bellagio.
"Hey wait! We can't just leave them out there!" M'gann cried as she pointed to the street where the two finely-dressed men lay in a daze, The Red Dragon still-burning in the background.
" . . . Fine. You can help them. Just remember."
"Less is more?"
"Less is more, yes."
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
Meanwhile, back in the middle of the Vegas Strip.
"I cannot believe I flew ten-thousand miles for this shit," Inspector Lee panted, physically and mentally exhausted after their harrowing exit from The Red Dragon, and the second semi-truck which drove over them, the two narrowly slipping beneath the undercarriage.
Looking down their noses to see a third semi-truck heading toward them from down the strip, the two pressed themselves to the ground and screamed yet again, eyes clamped shut. A moment later, the sound of the loud *HOOOOONK* followed by a *Whoosh-Whoosh-Whoosh-Whoosh*THUNK* and then a loud *SCREEEEEEECH!* of squealing tires caught their ears.
After several seconds of not experiencing the daze-piercing feel of gasoline-scented wind rushing over them, the two hazarded a glance open, and then looked up.
Situated in front of them, the third semi-truck had come to a screeching halt, as had all the other cars behind it creating an impressive pile-up. Between it and them was an ordinary stop sign, albeit this one had been planted in the middle of the street if the spider-web of cracks in the asphalt was any sort of indicator.
" . . . Thank you, god," Detective Carter said as he looked up into the night sky from where the miraculous stop sign had descended.
Between this and the hundreds-of-thousands of dollars that had rained down on him before, he wonder what sort of boon god would give out next.
*WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS - WITH A VENGEANCE*
AN:
Something I noticed while I was re-watching Season 1 of Young Justice is that M'gann… never actually wore any actual clothes. I mean, I get that she's a Martian shapeshifter and doesn't need them, but a part of my brain wondered how she could be a cheerleader and not have that aforementioned lack of clothes come up in the locker room.
M'gann not knowing what it meant to be "naked" was just a little added spice I threw in to make the chapter more lively, and elaborate upon her character development since there will be more of that before July 8th, 2010 will be fun to write in. The bit about Comic Con in relation to the in-universe Earth-16H was brought up vaguely by a memory of Miles asking how many Spider-people there were, and Peter saying to save it for Comic Con, from the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Originally, the previous chapter and this one were going to be one in the same, but I decided to split it in half since the "tone" of each's narrative was different.
Hope to see you in the Review Column!