Young Justice: The Hunter

by NewMystery356

"The Bow and Arrow: Beautiful in its simplicity. Is it coincidence that every culture on Earth developed it independent of one another? Or is it something else? Something in our blood? Something... primal, that allowed us to manifest it? Of course, the trickiest part about hunting, is making sure you're the hunter, and not the hunted. Which are you? I know damn sure what I am."

44. To The Place

NeoNazo356: Yowza! Last-chapter had a pretty big turnout; at least in terms of Reviews.

Superpierce: hahahahaaa that was great. is Vergil going to have more lady troubles?
P.S I didn't mention it before because it wasn't what I focused on when I read the chapter but I know that the glamor made Vergil and Zatanna look like Bell Cranel and Ais Wallenstein from danmachi respectivley.

Re: Well… He won't not have lady troubles.
As for Zatanna's [Glamour Charm] making her look like Ais Wallenstein, that was purely coincidental, I wasn't actively thinking about doing that.

justinq719: I really feel for Virgil. I REALLY DO. There's only so much a person before they snap.

Re: Exactly. Not only was Virgil's vacation turned into a "working vacation", but his trip home was growing as-stressful as the vacation itself was. By the time he gets home he'll feel like he needs a vacation from his post-vacation.

OmegaDelta: Hopefully Virgil will habe a normal rest of the vacation and not have blood shoot out his eyes. Also, who will be next to join thw group? keep up the good work.

Re: Vacation's technically over, they're just taking the "long way home" because they have to take an RV with them. As for Virgil's imitation of a Texas Horned Lizard, I just happened to remember Vegeta reaching his "BS Limit" in TFS' DBZ Abridged, and couldn't help but put it in when Virgil started going into NUCLEAR MELTDOWN!
As for your next question…

UndeadLord22: Would he be able to do something like that again? The BS limiter? BS Berserker? Crazed Berserker?
And the nanomachines is what might give him the girl attraction... Unless it can work something like that

Re: Well, the longer he's "in the business", the more it'll take to push him over the edge like it did here. I'm still not sure whether that'll be a one-time thing or not, but I mainly put it there because when he went "nucular", I wanted to help illustrate him "going beyond".
As for the nanomachines thing… it isn't those that're actively making him more-attractive to the opposite gender. They are clearing up his skin of any acne he might be getting at that age, but that's literally skin-deep. Part of it is his conduct, part of it's him meeting eccentric weirdos on the fringes of society he isn't scared off by, but a convenient excuse would be- "Because Hecate".

kamen rider Godking V: What about making claptrap a lexcrop not the went bad

Re: I've already established companies like Jakobs, Dahl, and I think Vladof. That means Hyperion will be in it too, I just haven't gotten the right opportunity to bring it up. As a brief spoiler however, in-universe, Hyperion specializes more in Construction-Grade robots and Handsome Jack gets a lot of business on the West Coast following any sort of supervillain-related disaster. Unlike in the Borderlands series, Handsome Jack isn't a "Handsome Dick" in the DC Universe; he's a very well-dressed, charismatic sort like Lex Luthor, minus the fixation on Superman. Handsome Jack in this universe is more about profit and living extravagantly, though like his Borderlands counterpart he is still rather brilliant.
As for the long story short of it, CL4P-TP is still going to be a "domestic steward 'bot" manufactured by Hyperion, though Claptrap units are way bigger in Japan because they're a center of robotics moreso than America.

Uberch01: Just realized, Virgil is a government Super Spy/ Super Soldier/Super Model/ Super Anti-Hero.
Thats a lot of supers...

Re: Well, like I've alluded to plenty, Virgil isn't your ordinary teen that just-so-happened to come into possession of a super-suit that gene-locked itself onto him.

Blaze1992: You better hope Virgil never learns about you otherwise well you get the gist.
Hmm I think she's going to be upset regardless since the "adults" kept getting him involved in BS and also "allowed" 4 different girls to fall for him.

Re: As long as some people keep their flapping yaps shut-

Deadpool: Eyyyyyyy!

Re:cont: -Virgil shouldn't find out about my involvement in his affairs.
As for Athena… I guess her finding out depends on how much more BS the Fortune Hunters put Virgil through.

LuckyShadowWolf: Alright I have to say that the BS meter was well used and freaking hilarious to read. So will that be a one off appearance of the BS meter or will it be making the occasional appearance where appropriate? Also it seems that Circe is making up for lost time by ensuring Virgil has to deal with all this nonsense in a day now that he has magic. Speaking of magic how long will Virgil need to practice/use magic before things with minor effects like the "slip" spell don't make him exhausted? Or will he be able to come upon/ quest for something that will lessen the strain of him using magic? Also I have to ask, despite it being quite a few chapters late, will Rick (Rick & Morty) have any further cameo's or significant contributions in the future of this story? Anyway have a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Holiday, or whatever it is you celebrate and may good fortune fall on you in the coming New Year.

Re: Don't know if it'll be a one-off, or if it only re-appears during his off-time when he isn't supposed to be putting up with "comic book shenanigans". Jury's still up on whether the "BS Limit" counter was well-received or not.
As for Circe, you could say that. Of course there isn't any scientific evidence to back that; but then again, when has scientific evidence ever been much good with magic? As for Virgil, last-chapter he'd been practicing magic, so it was roughly 3-4 spells until he reached his "MP Limit". The amount of Willpower it'd take to make a full-grown Speedster lose all coefficient of friction is significantly higher than what it'd take to make a paperweight slide around. It isn't so much that magic puts a strain on him, but rather he's actively pushing those boundaries; which ironically-enough is the only way to expand those boundaries if you aren't "magically-inclined" from birth.
And by that, I mean that you can be born with a large "MP Pool" if you come from a prestigious magical bloodline and you don't really have to work all that hard to expand it because your MP Pool is already large, but if you aren't from a magical bloodline and you have a small MP Pool from the start, you have to actively work on expanding it.
As for "Gruncle Rick"… I have something planned for him later, though I'll be keeping details like that hush-hush for the time being. He might make an unplanned appearance during the holidays (Thanksgiving and/or Christmas), but that's still up in the air. I would like to delineate Earth DC-16H's version of Rick from other versions we may've seen from our lofty position in Earth IRL-1, so who knows?

0vrLrd71: damn I wish I could have started reading this fic in it's infancy but Have you consider mixing the NS he has with blue beetles scarab? I'm not saying go and take the one blue beetle has but getting one that isn't alive?/active? and try to integrate? it. you might have already answered this question or something or are not planning to use it anyways I gotta go back to reading it lol...

Re: I'm always glad to get the input of new readers who've been able to get caught up.
As for mixing the Nanosuit with the Reach Scarab, that has been contemplated, but it won't be so black-and-white as one absorbing the other.

TheLichEmperor: I feel like Virgil would do well with being bonded to a symbiote, have you given this any thought. Also great chapter.

Re: That's an interesting thought, and something along those lines has been planned, but it isn't what you might expect. Also, thank you.

Raidentensho: very nice. so a nod to both "Die Hard" and "Mob Psycho 100%" and the bull could be a shout to "Ferdinand". nice. hmm, I do wonder if the next 100% level events would lead to something epic. until then, later!

Re: The Mob Psycho 100% referene I get, since the percentages were put in place to "measure" how close he was to flipping his shit. As for Die Hard, not sure what I did to reference that, it'd been a while since I saw the movie so if anything it was only subconscious. As for Ferdinand, I never even saw the movie, the "Übercow" was just a run-of-the-mill roided-up bull put in place to put Virgil over the edge of his "Bullshit Threshold".

*TO THE PLACE~*

"Uuuuugh… My heaaaaaaad…" Virgil groaned what felt like an eternity later.

Rolling over on what felt like a cheap mattress, Virgil was met with the sleeping visage of a teenaged girl, her bright red hair let down and tousled as she snored softly, absolutely zero-hint of her waking manic energy present in her countenance.

"Nnnope."

Rolling the other way, Virgil blinked his eyes to find himself in unfamiliar housing; a cheap motel meant for two accompanying six; seven if you included Bloodwing. All their luggage was piled into a corner, the volume of which was still rather significant even after he'd literally blown through all of their grenades.

"Morning, hero."

"Gaige? You're awake?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Just a bit, yeah," Gaige said letting out a cute yawn as she stretched her arms above her head, Virgil turning away so she wouldn't see his flushed face. "I'm glad you're awake."

"Was there ever any doubt?"

"Well, you were bleeding out the eyes."

"Okay, that's fair."

"But man, you bounced back fast," the red-head awed. "Yesterday you had blood pouring out your eyes, the next you're perfectly fine."

"I am?" he asked confusedly, his hands going up to his face only to come back dry. "Huh… I thought I'd be worse off after that."

"Yeah! And best part, no radiation poisoning!"

"Wait what?"

"Don't worry, whatever that belt runs on had ample lead shielding," Gaige waved off.

"Well thank god for small miracles."

Now he didn't have to have an incredibly awkward conversation with his superiors about how he got radiation poisoning on his vacation.

"So… what happened after I passed out?" he said bringing up the next-most-obvious inquiry on his mind.

"Well, first the Flash showed up-"

"What?"

"-to fight the Übercow, but you kinda wrapped things up by the time he arrived," Gaige finished finished. "Seeing as how he was kinda late to the party-"

"How the hell is a guy with super-speed late for anything?" he asked skeptically.

"-the Flash decided he owed us a good cleaning for being late, so he zipped over to the nearest convenience store and gave the RV a good once-over in a minute flat to make up for it. After that he met Flash Girl, followed up on numerous reports about two speedsters tearing up the tri-state area, and then he helped our new friend get back to Ohio."

"Okay, that explains where our other 'plus one' went, but that doesn't explain… this," he said gesturing to the room around them.

"Oh, well, remember when the Übercow rammed us?"

"I hit my head on the underside of the table and accidentally copped a feel. How could I forget?"

"Soooo… Was it good for you too~?" she purred huskily.

"Gaige. Focus, please?"

"Right, right. Well, turns out when the Übercow rammed us, it may have bent one of our rear axles out of shape," Gaige said getting back on track. "The Flash was long-gone by the time we found out, but fortunately, the farmers that were experimenting on that Angus cattle are being held liable for what happened, so good news is, we aren't the ones footing the bill~"

"And the cheap hotel room?"

"It was either a rush-job on the axle or a fancy suite for six. Take your pick."

"Right, right, don't screw the farmers over and they'll pay for auto repair," Virgil waved off. "What even happened to that thing anyway?"

"Well, I checked the news a couple hours after you went down, and apparently they needed several dump trucks to haul the mountain of roadkill away," Gaige answered.

"Which beggars the obvious question… HOW DID IT GET SO FUCKING BIG!?"

"Well, I don't have all the details, but apparently the farmers were experimenting with a mix of super-steroids, growth hormones, and Professor Chalis' Growth Ray in an attempt to create bigger, meatier livestock."

"Professor who?"

"That's what I said," Gaige hummed. "Anyway, apparently they had kept the thing sedated for most of the procedure, but apparently it grew too big for the dosage of tranquilizer to work on it, and the moment it regained lucidity, it went berserk."

"And how exactly do you know all this?"

"Apparently Lilith had a contact from the 'good old days', but that's all she'd say about it. She clammed up about it when I tried digging deeper, and since she is kinda my ride out of town..."

"Right…" Virgil hummed, laying back in the bed he shared with Gaige, staring up at the ceiling. "How long 'til the repairs are done?"

"Well, we handed in the RV late yesterday, so probablyyyyy… after we tour around a little."

"Which reminds me, where the hell are we?"

"Saint Louis."

"Wait, seriously?" he asked going over to the window, parting the curtains to see the Gateway Arch visible in the distance. "Huh. Well would you look at that."

"So… what were you dreamin' about?" she asked changing the topic. "You muttered an awful lot in your sleep."

"You were listening?"

"Not in the pervy way!" she defended. "I just… wanted to make sure you were okay…" she said with downturned eyes.

"Oh…" he returned, feeling bad about the accusatory term he used. "Well… if you really do want to know, there were four of me, and we were all naked-"

"Oooh~ Hawt~!" Gaige cooed, fanning herself.

"Gaige, we were all fetuses, and three of them dropped dead."

" . . . Okay less 'hawt'," she swiftly amended.

"Good, because I'd be worried if that wasn't your first opinion after learning that."

"Sooo, did they face-melt Arc of the Covenant-style or what?"

"You're really going to ask me what happened in my screwed-up fever dream?" he asked skeptically.

"Hey, I need something to entertain me 'til the others wake up."

Four sets of loud snoring showed the other Fortune Hunters were sound asleep.

" . . . Alright, fine, I'll talk. Maybe it'll make more sense if I get it off my chest before I forget," Virgil sighed laying back.

"I can think of something else you could get off your chest~"

"Bullshit levels risiiing!"

"Please don't get angry!" Gaige squealed. "You get really scary when you're angry. And not in the kinky fun way."

" . . . Back to the original topic, no, their faces did not melt off. It was more like they just… shriveled up."

"What, like a sundried tomato?"

"I guess? I've never really watched something like that on a time-lapse but I'd guess that's what it looked like?"

"You think it means anything?" Gaige asked in a concerned tone.

"I think it means I've been breathing in too much fumes from all the bullshit-"

"Yeah. Those radioactive cow pies did eat holes in solid asphalt-"

"The metaphorical bullshit," Virgil groaned. "I was supposed to be on vacation, but then Vegas chewed me up and spit me out, and what was supposed to be an ordinary cross-country road trip back east turned out to be even more wild and wacky than that hot mess."

"Well… other than being some sort of fever dream from all the cow-shit… maybe you were experiencing a prenatal memory of your time as one fourth of a group of quadruplets?"

"I don't think baby brains work like that," Virgil deadpanned.

"Hey, you just zip-lined down a steer's horn the size of an elephant tusk and teleported through space-time on the return trip after jumping off the top of a speeding RV. I don't think artificial constructs like 'normal' really apply to you anymore. And what was this about a ghost car?"

"Ugh, all kinds of bullshit."

"I'm surprised you can even use that word with a straight face."

"I can never un-see what I saw."

*TO THE PLACE~*

St. Louis, Missouri
November 21, 9:45 CST

A couple hours later at the McDonalds down the street…

"Sooo… We going to the arch or what?" Virgil asked jabbing a thumb over his shoulder.

"Well, you bounced back pretty quickly," Lilith hummed, pleasantly surprised by Virgil's upbeat attitude.

"What can I say? I'm a fast healer, and it's a brand new day," Virgil said with a smile as he dug into his hotcakes. "Plus I'm sticking it to that damn Übercow every time I eat a sausage patty."

What could he say? After all the BS yesterday, something regular like McDonalds was a worm welcome.

"You are not going to let that one go, are you?" Mordecai asked while Brick popped hash browns into his mouth like Tic Tacs.

"Hey, I'm just glad the fucking thing's dead; because god forbid if that thing had a Healing Factor, with my shit luck as-of-late, that thing would become my archnemesis," Virgil deadpanned as he ate.

"You don't really think that Hecate is screwing with you because you dipped your toe into the magical world, do you?" Roland asked incredulously.

"Mechromancer. Evil speedster. Roid rage super-bull," Virgil tacked off with raised fingers. "In one day."

" . . . Okay that's fair," Roland conceeded.

"Right, and, seeing as how national landmarks had their security amped up after 9-11, doubly-so to avoid SPB-related incidents, I figure going to the Gateway Arch would be something safe for us to do today until that rear axle gets repaired. I am not going to spend all day in a cramped in a cheap motel room with five other people when I could be doing something fun."

"Well, it is something we haven't really done yet," Lilith hummed.

"I don't have anything planned," Mordecai shrugged.

"Imma get a snow globe," Brick chuckled.

"It would be an effective use of our time," Roland admitted. "Alright, let's finish up and then we'll head out."

"Cheers to a normal day," Virgil said raising up his bottle of milk in a toast.

Which in Brick's massive hams looked like a 5-Hour Energy bottle by comparison, but that was neither here nor there...

*TO THE PLACE~*

Gateway Arch
November 21, 10:54 CST

Seeing as how it was such a lovely day and they didn't have a car, by want and need the Fortune Hunters and their plus ones decided to walk to the Gateway Arch. Wasn't very hard to find, that thing was almost impossible to hide.

The tickets were easy-enough to purchase since the adults still had some of their casino winnings, though the only real hiccup was when Brick had needed to take a separate elevator to the top after he triggered the weight cap.

The elegant arc itself was 63 stories high and over 43,000 tons of concrete and steel, clad in stainless steel and built in the form of a weighted catenary arch, and at-the-moment the world's tallest arch, as well as the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere and the tallest accessible building in the state of Missouri. Designed by Finnish-Aerican architect Eero Saarinen in 1947, it was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States, completed on October 28, 1965 after two years of construction at a cost of $13 million in then-current value.

It also lacked any sort of bathroom facilities on the top floor, something the Fortune Hunters had to endure since the crying of a family of four could be heard even after they'd descended back to ground level on the elevator after only five minutes top-side.

The view itself was spectacular. As long as you weren't trapped in the grip of mind-numbing fear of being so high-up, even if you were behind a 3/4ths inch pane of glass.

Gaige held onto Virgil's arm like a scared child as she peered out the window, and while Virgil was skeptical as to whether or not her fear was genuine, he couldn't really fault her if she actually were scared.

He himself had never been anywhere over six-hundred feet high, not even back in the Red Zone when he was running for his life from Infected, but at the very least, he was glad that even with all of his "after-market upgrades", he was still human-enough to be wary of the ground being so-far below his feet.

Virgil was just happy to be doing something normal, without any sort of comic book nonsense, because with God as his witness he would have put someone through a window if they went full-on supervillain up there.

But of course, all good things must come to an end. After a little under an hour of city-gazing, the group of six made their way back to ground level, satisfied that they'd indulged their curiosity.

"I just got an update from the auto shop. They said they'll have the rear axle fixed within the hour," Roland said looking up from his phone.

"Cool. We can be on the road before the day's out," Lilith nodded. "And best part, nothing out-of-the-ordinary happened the entire time we were here."

"You might wanna amend that statement," Gaige said inclining her head straight-ahead.

The others focusing their attention forward, spied a lone figure making a beeline straight toward them through the crowd. Early 20s with blond hair and blue eyes, though she was clad in a tan overcoat, her attire underneath was still abundantly visible, and yet for some reason no-one around them had noticed the black one-piece bustier-leotard combo, gray stockings, calf-length boots, and black choker.

In short, a poorly-disguised Dinah Lance aka Black Canary. Which just begged the question…

"Gang. Split up. See who she's here for," Roland muttered, the others not needing to even nod as they paired off. Roland went with Lilith going left, Mordecai with Brick going straight ahead, and Virgil taking Gaige by the arm and going right in case this "mysterious stranger-type" was here for her.

The group of six fanning out, almost-immediately the mysterious stranger turned right, showing they were here for either Lilith or Roland.

Half the distance closed between them, Black Canary's eyes went wide at the next word that came out of Lilith's mouth.

"FLASHER!"

"KEEP YOUR CLOTHES ON WEIRD LADY!" Brick shouted as he thundered towards them, responding to one of the pre-trained codewords that told Brick it was alright to attack someone.

Black Canary whirling around, her eyes bugging out in her sockets as the massive avalanche of meat came down on her, before she could get the cry out, Brick had already flattened her with a body splash that would've killed a lesser man.

Which, given this was Black Canary, made most men in general "lesser", but that was neither here nor there.

"Dinah. Old friend. What are you doing here?" Lilith asked icily as she took a knee beside Brick, her expression flat as she eyed the flattened superheroine.

"Can't… breathe…!" the woman gasped under the enormous weight pressing down on her, a crowd forming around them despite no-one knowing it was Black Canary who'd just been body slammed.

"Yeahthat'sgreat sooo…" Lilith trailed off lazily. "Why are you here? No, better question; how did you find me?"

*TO THE PLACE~*

A minute later and Lilith was standing across from Black Canary in the center of the Gateway Arch National Park, the titular arch looming overhead. While initially the so-called "flasher" getting body splashed by a mountain of muscle like Brick had been cause for alarm, due to shortening attention spans in the American populous, the altercation was quickly discarded, and the eccentric group were left largely alone.

While Dinah apparently wanted to have her conversation with Lilith in private, Lilith wasn't of the same mind, and instead chose to put Dinah on the spot by having their talk out in public, on top of keeping her friends in the loop.

Virgil, feeling like none of that was his business, stood off to the side from the two women as they conversed, Roland, Brick, and Mordecai standing around them with their backs turned.

Doing his best to tune what they were saying out since, once again, none of that was his business, Gaige stood awkwardly at his side as they waited for the grownups to finish their conversation. Of course, despite his best efforts to tune what they were saying out, the two teens were able to catch snippets of their conversation.

Apparently, Dinah was able to track Lilith's location by the digital footprint she left behind, given the number of SPB-related incidents she'd been at the center of over the last couple days. The familiarity they spoke to with one another indicated some kind of history, but once again, Virgil didn't feel like that was any of his business, so he went back to tuning their talks out.

"Sooo… Think she's an old girlfriend?"

"Who, Black Canary?" Virgil questioned back, a light dusting of pink on his cheeks as he entertained the possibility. "I mean, I guess it's possible, but…" he trailed off, shaking his head to dispel the images that came to mind. "Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"Stop listening in on them and making me think up pervy images!"

"Oh come now, I'm sure whatever's running through your head is way more tame than anything on the internet."

"I can't believe I'm even having this conversation right now," he said as he continued to turn his head from side to side.

A glint of light catching his peripheral vision, Virgil's eyes panned back before they went wide, his hackles rose, and he bolted.

Adrenaline coursing through his veins as the all-too-familiar *thwish* of an arrow cutting through air met his ears, as the world slowed down around him and everything grew painfully bright, Virgil skid to a stop before eyeing the projectile now heading towards him, his hand shooting up even as muscles burned from the strain, fingers clasping around the shaft heading his way.

*TO THE PLACE~*

Registering the rapid footfalls and body heading toward her exposed back, Dinah Lance whirled on her heel and inhaled, ready to loose her signature Canary Cry at her attacker as she'd done hundreds of times before.

The woman momentarily pausing as the visage that greeted her peripherals was that of one of the teenagers accompanying Lilith, her blue eyes widened as the teen whirled on his heel moments before a wet *schwick* met her ears. The sight of a jet-black arrow shaft meeting her eyes, blossoming from the teen's chest despite his attempts to catch it, the woman's blood went aflame as her head snapped up looking for the attacker.

Finding a familiar silhouette standing atop the Saint Louis County Courthouse, a bit-out growl of- "Merlyn!" -left the woman's lips as she ran sidelong, zig-zagging her way toward the Green Arrow's archnemesis for lack of any cover.

"Holy crap, Virgil!" Gaige cried as she ran over to him and dropped to her knees, Lilith Phasewalking into the nearby dimension and making her way towards the now-named Merlyn as the others huddled around him.

"What the hell just happened?" Mordecai gaped as he threw out his arm, Bloodwing taking flight toward the same target the two other birds were making their way towards.

"Crazy kid tried to catch an arrow!" Roland gaped. "Kid, kid can you hear me?!"

"Don't, ngh, worry. It's, agh, just the tip."

"Ha ha ha. That's what she said."

"Brick!" Gaige hissed.

"Right, sorry," Brick apologized. "Hey kid, can you hear me?"

"Guys… I don't… feel so good," Virgil said staring at the arrow sprouting from his chest before his head lolled back, eyes rolling up in the back of his head, the last sound he heard his own name being frantically cried as everything went dark around him.

*TO THE PLACE~*

"Uuuuugh… My heaaaaaaad…" Virgil groaned for the second time that day.

The sound of medical equipment and the scent of disinfectant assaulting his senses, Virgil's eyes snapped open fully and he sat up, only for a horrible lance of pain to blossom from his chest, causing him to drop back to the bed.

"Virgil, please don't move so soon! You just had stitches put in!"

"Wha…? Za-Zatanna? Megan?!" the brunette gaped incredulously as he blinked his eyes. "How? When? Why?"

"To answer your questions, we took M'gann's ship, we arrived just now, and because you got speared with an arrow you doof!" Zatanna bit back.

"I wasn't speared, it was just the tip."

"That's what she said."

Virgil could only gape at what he just heard come out of Megan's mouth.

"Zatanna… What did she just say?"

"I let her watch TV unsupervised," Zatanna answered, shoulders slumped in shame.

"Megan, do you even know that that joke means?" Virgil asked incredulously.

"No. Just that it can be applied to a number of situations," she returned with a nod and a smile

"Megan… I don't want to hear those words come out of your mouth ever again, do you understand me?"

"Why? What's the big deal?"

"Not it."

"Not again!" Zatanna whined.

"Oh no! Was that another Earth faux pas?" Megan asked worriedly.

"Look, before things get too off-track, I have to ask… How'd you know where I was being kept? How'd you even know I was here?"

"Oh, Zatanna showed me this ace Scrying Spell when I asked her what you might've been doing today, but right as she used it…" Megan said as her eyes drifted to his left pectoral. "After you went down and you didn't get back up, Zatanna and I rushed over in my Bio-Ship."

"Scrying Spell… You were spying one me!?"

"O-Only a little!" Zatanna squeaked. "If you were in the shower or something it would've come up hazy because that's what I have the 'privacy settings' on! It's just… I never expected you to actually try snatching an arrow out of the air like that, let alone succeed at it."

"If this is what success feels like, I'd hate to find out what failure's like," Virgil groaned as his left hand dipped into his hospital gown, a line of X-shaped stitchwork tangible on his left pectoral where the arrow meant for Black Canary had hit him. "Wait a minute… Why are there bandages on my other hand?" he asked looking down at his right palm, which was wrapped in bandages. "And why do I feel like shit?"

"Oh, well, the arrow that hit you, it wasn't just the tip that was lined with neurotoxin. The shaft itself was lined with barbs, kinda like a rose," Zatanna answered. "I guess Merlyn was planning on Black Canary being able to catch it, because according to my dad that's actually a thing," she hummed, before out of nowhere slapping him across the back of the head. "Why'd you even do something so crazy?! If you'd grabbed that arrow even a half-second later, you'd've been run completely through!"

"Look, my body just moved on its own, I didn't know what I was doing until I'd already gotten hit," he groaned as he looked to the IV drip in his other arm. "Ugh, my insurance is going to go through the roof after this."

"That's what you're worried about?!" Zatanna shrieked.

"Actually, the Justice League has funds allocated for any civilians caught in the crossfire of any supervillain-related incident, and their victims are exempt from any premium spikes to their medical plans due to the nature of said incident," Megan said matter-of-factly.

"Not helping," Zatanna groaned.

"Sooo… this Merlyn-or-whoever really wanted Black Canary dead but I got hit instead... Not that I'm complaining, but how am I still alive?"

"According to the nice doctor that let us in, the clinical trials you're taking part in had a part to play," Megan answered.

"Wait, they actually let you in?" he asked incredulously.

"I… may have used my magic to whip up some fake IDs and say we were half-siblings," Zatanna answered with a faint blush.

"It was just like the Psychic Paper from Dr. Who!" Megan said excitedly.

"You watch Dr. Who on Mars?" Virgil asked with a raised brow.

The only reason he knew about it was in passing. And because Tina would go on about it in her "dressy voice".

"Oh yes, my uncle sent back all sorts of transmissions from our sister planet! Hello, Megan, Three's Company, M*A*S*H, The Cosby Show, The Dukes of Hazzard, The A-Team…" she listed off.

"Do all Martians watch Earth TV shows, or just your family?"

"Well, the higher echelons think Earth entertainment is… 'beneath them'…" she trailed off looking rather down, "but the lower and middle-class enjoy what our sister planet has to offer!"

"That's very interesting," Virgil hummed. "Back to the topic at hand; what doctor?"

*TO THE PLACE~*

SSM Health Saint Louis Universital Hospital Specialty Clinic
November 21, 12:11 CST

Meanwhile, in a supply closet at the end of the hall from where Virgil was conversing with his new friends…

"Director," the 'nice doctor' muttered into her Codec nanomachines as she ripped away her face, revealing herself to be Dr. Gray. "I just cycled through Mr. Valentine's bloodwork while he was unconscious, and I've found something rather interesting compared to his previous measurements."

"Elaborate."

"To put it simply… his Mitochondrial Count has gone up rather significantly as of late," she said looking into a modified iDroid, capable of transmitting genetic data for off-site analysis, a line graph spiking upward on display through the hologram emitter.

"Hasn't his Mitochondrial Count been on a steady rise as of late?"

"Well, yes, but in the past few days his growth has been significantly higher."

"Well, given all he's been through on his so-called 'vacation', that much is a given. Physical stressors are a given in his line of work which is why so many of them toe the line between human and super-human."

"True, but this kind of spike… It's a little abnormal," she hummed.

"Yes, the current spike does eclipse current projections, I will admit…" the Director admitted. "Should we be concerned of any… mutations?"

"Not at this point in time. The 'Key' is not yet turned, though I'd need to run his bloodwork through a dedicated lab to be absolutely sure," she answered.

"I see… Did the hospital he's staying at give you any problems?"

"No, sir. They respect that his bodily fluids hold confidential medical property and are keeping it off the records. All samples have already been disposed of."

"Good. Good."

"Should I intervene more-directly? Bring him home?"

"Not yet. He needs to be allowed time and space to grow, otherwise his growth will stagnate. I never would've contemplated pitting him against supervillains under-staffed and under-equipped, but his ability to persevere despite those shortcomings has definitely earned him the name 'Snake'. Even if only tangentially."

"Very well then," Dr. Gray replied, pulling her FaceCamo back over her face. "I'll give him a clean bill of health and send him on his way."

*TO THE PLACE~*

"Mr. Valentine?"

"Yes?" Virgil yelped at the sudden intrusion.

"You're good to go," the doctor said going over to his side, removing the IV drop and wrapping the wound with gauze. "Keep the bandages on your elbow in place for another hour or two, change out the bandages on your hand as-necessary, and leave the stitches in your pectoral in place; they're the type that dissolve on their own so you shouldn't need any additional medical attention."

"Is it really safe for him to be getting up so soon?" Zatanna asked. "Didn't he get hit by an arrow laced with neurotoxin?"

"He might need some painkillers for a few days, but other than a little numbing, his constitution handled the worst of it," the doctor replied as she handed him a bottle of painkillers and a prescription. "Whatever clinical trials you're running, it's working."

"Oh, uh… Thanks," Virgil replied. "Sooo… I can just walk out like this? Today?"

"Of course. The Justice League was kind-enough to provide the antidote for the neurotoxin you were exposed to after analyzing it on their end, so the only wounds left to heal from are from the arrow itself."

"I see," Virgil hummed, clenching and unclenching his fist. "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome. Try not to get stabbed again, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," he said, humming as the doctor left the room. "Huh…"

"What?"

"I don't know. She felt kinda… familiar," he hummed. "Anyway, could I get a little privacy? I'm currently not wearing any pants," he said pulling up his sheets awkwardly.

"Right, of course," Zatanna said turning around. "Megan. Turn around!" she hissed tugging on the martian's elbow.

"Actually, I'm rather curious to see how males and females of your species differ in terms of anatomy. Do you mind showing me?" Megan asked with a completely straight face, whereas Virgil and Zatanna blushed a bright red.

"See what you've started?"

"Me? You're the one who showed her what she should look like without any clothes on."

"Not by choice!" Zatanna shrieked, Megan tilting her head cutely to the side as she and Virgil bickered back-and-forth about nudity.

A conversation that would've given Giovanni an aneurysm if he were around to hear it.

*TO THE PLACE~*

"I can't believe they won't let us visit. What a rip!" Gaige groaned, sitting in the lobby alongside Brick, Mordecai, and Roland.

After Virgil went down from that barbed arrow, Lilith went after Merlyn alongside Black Canary, and they hadn't heard from her since.

It wasn't so much that she didn't want their help, but compared to her they just weren't very mobile.

"If I ever get my hands on the guy that shot Virgil I'll…!"

"I think we're all disappointed at how this played out," Roland sighed.

Having a man go down in front of him, even if he wasn't technically "one of them", hurt on multiple levels.

"What was Lilith's history with Black Canary anyway?" Gaige asked.

"I'd rather only explain this once…" Roland hummed. "You know, when the kid's here to hear it."

"Oh that's okay, I have a recorder," Gaige said pulling a digital recorder from her belt. "Aaand… go."

"Well… back in the day, Lilith used to be the superhero known as 'Firehawk'. She and Black Canary used to be a team, but then they had a… falling out."

"Care to elaborate?" Gaige asked intently, playing the part of the reporter.

"Long story short, some scuz-ball banker had a teleporting bimbo covered in magic marker fake a bank robbery on grainy security footage and told Black Canary that it was Lilith," Mordecai cut in. "I mean sure, Lilith was able to prove her innocence and the banker was put away for embezzlement, but the damage had already been done, and their friendship never really recovered."

"So Black Canary actually got suckered into turning on her friend because of a phony?" Gaige asked incredulously. "I thought that only happened in comic books. And really badly-written ones at that."

"Well, before all that happened, Black Canary wasn't exactly thrilled with Lil's association with us and her moonlighting as a mercenary; doubly-so because she used her superpowers for profit, so it wasn't really all that hard for the guy to put a wedge between them," Roland clarified. "Mind you, this was early in Black Canary's superhero career, so she wasn't all-that-experienced with society's 'gray area' and white-collar crime, but like Mordecai said, the damage was done and they never really reconciled with one another."

"You think they'll reconcile now?" Gaige asked.

"Hard to say," Roland shrugged. "They both have their own reasons for going after Merlyn; as far as Black Canary's concerned, he's just a kid who got hurt trying to 'play hero', while for Lilith it's a little more personal than that."

"Still, if we go by sitcom rules, having a common enemy might smooth things over for them," Brick nodded with crossed arms.

"Come on, now, that sort of thing doesn't work in real life, right?" Gaige asked.

"Hey, real life's stranger than fiction," Mordecai shrugged.

"Um… sir," an orderly said coming up to them. "You can't have that bird in here."

"She's my comfort animal," the man huffed, producing a card from his pocket, shooing the orderly away.

"Wait, that thing's legit?" Gaige asked incredulously.

"Shhhhhhhh," Mordecai shushed, concealing the fact that his "license" was actually a rewards card for a frozen yogurt place.

*TO THE PLACE~*

"Virgil! I'm so glad you're okay!" Gaige cried the moment he stepped out of the elevator, leaping into his arms and burying her face into his chest.

"Ah! Gaige! The stitches! The stitches!"

"Oop! Sorry!" Gaige winced as she jumped back. "So you're really okay?"

"Other than needing painkillers and bedrest, I'm fine," Virgil said rolling his shoulder. "So… Where's Lilith?" he asked looking around.

"Oh, she went after that Merlyn guy who shot you," Gaige answered. "Here. I got the scoop right here," she said putting the recorder in his hand.

One listening session later…

"Huh… I never knew they had that kinda history," Virgil hummed. "I mean, Lilith's teleporting is totally something that could make her a superhero, but I never knew she was part of the cape-and-undies crowd."

"Yeah. Real shame that scuz-ball banker got between her and Black Canary. I mean who knows, if that hadn't happened, she could've been on the Justice League right about now," Mordecai hummed aloud.

"What're you going to do if the two of them reconcile?" Virgil asked Roland.

"Being a soldier of fortune has always been Lilith's choice. If she wants to go back to being a superhero, that's her choice and I won't get in the way of that," the man answered.

"That's very noble of you," Virgil nodded. "I'm making my own way home by the way."

"WHAT?!" Gaige, Brick, and Mordecai called out.

"Yep. I'm sick and tired of all the weirdness that this road trip's been kicking up, so I'm catching a flight back to Bludhaven,"

"But why would you just come out and say that?!" Gaige cried.

"It's like ripping off a band-aid."

"That's fair," Brick hummed only for Gaige to elbow him in the side, only to wince.

"It's like hitting a side of beef."

"So yeah, I'm going to grab my things from the hotel, and I guess I'll see you back in Bludhaven whenever you're done getting caught up in comic book nonsense."

*TO THE PLACE~*

"Is this really okay?" M'gann asked Zatanna from the pilot seat of her Bio-Ship, currently in Camouflage Mode as they followed Virgil and company back to their motel. "Taking him away from his friends I mean."

"Well, he did want to see your Bio-Ship in-person…" Zatanna answering, still marveling at the techno-organic wonder around her. Sure, flying wasn't anything new to her thanks to magic, but to fly through the air so-freely in something that wasn't magic...

Sitting in this marvel of Martian engineering, it reminded her of just how small Humans were compared to the rest of the universe.

It was quite humbling actually; a sentiment that could only help her as a mage, since a lack of humility was the source of many mages' downfall.

"I guess," M'gann hummed, sliding her hand atop the globe in her right hand as she steered the Bio-Ship into a gentle turn as they followed the cab.

"And besides, you didn't have to say 'yes' to his request; it's just something friends do for one another. I'm sure if he were the one with the Bio-Ship, he'd help you."

"You're right," M'gann nodded, her smile returning to her face. "Besides, now we get to see Virgil's stomping grounds!" she said putting a positive spin on it.

"There you go!" Zatanna said with a smile. "Now c'mon, we're going to need to be ready for Virgil to 'exit stage left'."

*TO THE PLACE~*

"And you're sure you don't want us to come with you?" Roland asked as Virgil shouldered his luggage back in their hotel room.

"Roland, if I can handle purchasing explosives from a mentally unstable teenager, planting said explosives in the middle of the desert, and blowing up two crime families that bug the hell out of me-"

"Ah-HA! So you admit it!"

"-then I think I can handle booking a flight back to Bludhaven on my own," Virgil finished amidst Mordecai's outcry. "Gaige," he said turning to her. "Try not to let these yahoos get you killed before you get to Bludhaven, and if they ask you to serve as live bait for anything bigger than a Cocker Spaniel… SAY 'NO'!"

"Right," Gaige nodded, wrapping him up in a hug. "I'll miss you."

"Hey, come on now, it's not like you won't see me again in a couple days; detours pending," Virgil said patting her on the back. "Plus, now you'll have the pull-out couch all to yourself."

"That sounds more like a con than a pro," Gaige pouted cutely.

"Gaige, tell you what. If you can convince Athena to let me openly date you both, I'll 'canoodle' with you as much as you want. How does that sound?" he asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Sounds like you've already got two girlfriends~" the Mechromancer said cheekily.

"Don't count your robot chickens before they come off the production line."

"Don't try to act cute. I'm still mad at you," the girl pouted.

'I pray to god Athena has the common sense to say 'no' to whatever nonsense Gaige comes up with to justify polyamory,' the brunette thought to himself as he walked away from their room, tugging at his left ear. 'Testing, testing, one two, one two.'

'I read you loud and clear,' M'gann chirped into his mind, Virgil growing accustomed to the sensation. 'Did you smooth things over with your friends?'

'I'd like to think so,' Virgil answered. 'So how're we doing this? Your Bio-Ship have some kind of teleporter?'

'No, but Zatanna can 'beam you up', Scottie~'

'As long as she doesn't scramble my molecules into soup and shrink me to the size of a chocolate bar, I'm up for anything,' he said looking for a secluded spot to make his exit.

*TO THE PLACE~*

"Wow… Just… Wow!" Virgil awed as he took everything in.

First impression when that first wall melted away to reveal the bridge was that it was… alien.

Yeah, big shock.

Beyond the fact that it was literally made by alien hands was just how different it was from Human-made craft. Weight apparently wasn't much of an issue because of how much open space there was, and compared to human tech that had so many straight lines and corners for the ease of manufacture and economy, everything inside the Bio-Ship was all swooping curves and smooth lines. The interior was in shades of blue and purple with a bit of red, slightly dimmer than outside, and strangely cool despite any lack of visible air vents. At the front of the ship were a number of alien keyboards colored like stained glass, the arrangement completely different from any configuration he'd ever seen in an Earth computer.

When a seat literally grew out of the floor for him as M'gann took the helm, with a seatbelt to match he was even more amazed.

"Whoa."

"Yeah, I thought the same thing," Zatanna hummed.

"I honestly don't see what's so amazing about it," M'gann shrugged. "The Martian Fleet has ships far more grand than this. What's really amazing is your magic. We don't have teleportation tech on Mars, so to see someone disappear at one place and reappear at another… Now that is amazing."

"Well, you know, different things amaze different people. I'm unfazed by magic but you're completely enamored by it, and I'm dumbstruck by Martian Bio-Tech but to you it's completely ordinary," Zatanna replied.

"And I'm amazed by all of it," Virgil hummed. "Sooo… Anti-gravity engine?" he asked over his shoulder.

"How did you know?" M'gann asked with wide eyes.

"Well, I don't hear any sort of engine humming, so I just figured, but didn't want to assume," Virgil shrugged. "And you're sure no-one can see us up here?"

"We should be high-enough that no-one can see the small 'lensing effect' Martian cloaking technology leaves behind," M'gann answered. "We're totally safe up here."

"That's good to know," Virgil sighed leaning back in his seat, the bio-tech he was sitting on reclining and a portion rising up under his feet. "Whoa!"

"Wild, isn't it?" Zatanna chuckled. "Turns out, all Martian tech responds to thought-commands. She's totally in-tune with the needs of her passengers. Or at least she was after getting to know me."

"She?" Virgil asked with a raised brow.

"Oh, not in the same way that vehicles are anthropomorphized on Earth," M'gann answered. "It's more like… she self-identifies as a female," she hummed.

"So she's alive then… Is she sentient, or closer to an animal?"

"Somewhere between animal-level intelligence and true sentience," M'gann answered. "I'm sure the more-advanced ships in the fleet are truly intelligent, but even at this level, a Bio-Ship and its pilot are like partners."

"Partners, huh…?" Virgil hummed as he put his hands on the armrests to get up, the material nearby responding to this thought commands and helping him up to a standing position. Walking forward and looking out the panoramic viewport, watching the cityscape below vanish under them as they left St. Louis behind. "M'gann, I can't thank you enough for agreeing to fly me home in your ship," he said with a grateful bow. "I just really needed a break from this dumpster fire of a road-trip, and me finding out you had a legit spaceship just seemed like the best way to get away from it all."

"It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"M'gann, my stress levels went up so much I was literally, bleeding from my eyes," he said pointing at himself. "More than ever, I just need a nice, quiet, relaxing flight home," he sighed. "Plus… after everything I've been through the past few days, I just… really need to get back to Athena and ask her to go steady with me before I almost-die again... Again."

"Eeeee! I'm so happy for you!" M'gann said clapping her hands excitedly.

"Geez, and you say her slang's out-of-date," Zatanna chuckled.

"Quiet you," he pouted her way before turning to M'gann. "Seriously, though. I really appreciate this. After the past couple days I had…"

"Why? What happened?" M'gann asked with a tilt of her head.

"Ah, I see you've been working on staying out of people's heads," Virgil replied with a nod, grateful that she was learning. "Storytime won't sever your connection to the ship, will it?"

"Oh no, I can set her to automatic," M'gann replied, the control orbs below her palms melting away as the seats slid into a more intimate circle. "So… What happened after we all went our separate ways?"

"Ugh… All kinds of bullshit," Virgil groaned.

*TO THE PLACE~*

"So you seriously zip-lined down a horn the size of an elephant tusk with a gym bag full of grenades to blow up a bull the size of a small building?" Zatanna asked incredulously at his story's conclusion.

"That's what you're fixated on?" Virgil asked equally-incredulously.

"Well, to be fair, all you did was help Flash Girl fight her evil nemesis from the future by casting a single spell and letting everything play out," M'gann stated. "Not that that doesn't sound amazing, but your feat against the Übercow is much more… cinematic, I guess is the word. Easily action movie-grade."

Apparently, watching aliens with much more limited anatomies than Martians was even more-entertaining to Martians than it was to Humans.

"Yeah, and it plays out much better when you can actually see it," Zatanna said with a smile, seeing as how they were in a joined mindscape, able to see Virgil's memories as they played out around him.

Aforementioned mindscape they all shared was a darkened room with colorful reflections like water surrounding them, Virgil's chosen memory playing out above them through a large circular window.

"I still can't believe I'm showing you guys my memories like HD," Virgil awed.

"Yeah, there's definitely something… surreal about doing this without magic," Zatanna hummed.

"Still, what happened back then was such a rush, I'm surprised I remember it with this-much clarity," he hummed as he looked his own memory over.

"Well, Humans are capable of recalling things with greater clarity than they realize. Of course, it helps that this memory is not only recent, but that it holds great sway with you," M'gann stated.

"Hey uh… we didn't happen to overshoot our destination while we had movie night, did we?"

"Oh no, not by any measure," M'gann said bringing them back to reality. "While the Bio-Ship is able to attain this planet's escape velocity, my uncle made it very clear not to fly that fast in-atmosphere. Something about setting off 'missile alerts'?"

"Well, it would be pretty bad if someone thought we were a missile that needed shooting down," Zatanna stated as she looked out the window. "Where are we now?"

"At the moment we're over… Chicago, Illinois," M'gann hummed looking over one of her instruments. "I hope you don't mind, but I kept our airspeed slow so the trip wouldn't be over too soon," she apologized.

"Hey, your ship, your rules," Virgil shrugged. "Besides, I could use a laid-back hang-out with friends, so it's no problem for me."

"Hey, isn't Chicago where Hawkman and Hawkwoman operate out of?" Zatanna asked as she looked downward, a reverse-periscope growing out of the floor to meet her, the girl looking around the underside of the Bio-Ship.

"Oh boy…" Virgil sighed as he sat down.

"Don't worry, Virgil. We don't have to get involved," M'gann said putting a hand on his shoulder. "They're both card-carrying members of the Justice League. I doubt they'd need our help with anything that comes up."

"Yeah, but isn't my dad a card-carrying member of the League too?" Zatanna asked with her hands on her hips.

It wasn't that she was calling her dad "weak"; just acknowledging that even League members needed help every once in a while.

"Look, I'm sure if something comes up, they'll call for reinforcements. Don't they have guys like the Flash and Superman on speed-dial?" Virgil asked. "You know what? I'm getting ahead of myself. I mean, what're the chances they're fighting a super-villain right now?"

*BOOOOOOOM!*

" . . . Damn you Murphy. Or should that be Hecate now?" Virgil asked aloud as M'gann regained stability from the air-shaking explosion down on street level.

*TO THE PLACE~*

Chicago, Illinois
November 21, 13:24 CST

Back on the planet of Thanatar, Katar Hol once arrested extraterrestrial arms dealers Nushav and Vahsun during what was meant to be the biggest score of their lives. Having escaped after years of incarceration, upon learning that their captor and his significant other had relocated to planet Sol-3 of Sector 2814, immediately relocated to the middle-of-nowhere-space ball of mud and water named after dirt, waiting to exact their revenge.

It took time, figuring out how to get their merchandise on-planet without alerting the Justice League that acted as sentinel, how to remain under the radar until the time was right, but in the end it had been worth it. With two high-powered infiltration androids armed with special forcefield technology that the Hawks couldn't surmount on their own and a high-powered laser rifle that could force them back if either of the Hawks got too close, Nushav and Vahsun were on the brink of exacting their revenge for the indignities forced upon them.

Or at least that was the sight that Virgil, M'gann, and Zatanna were privy to as they swept through Chicago; though they would never truly know the whole story.

Hawkman and Hawkwoman at-the-moment were in heated combat against what looked like ordinary humans, though with the bits of artificial skin shredded away from the protracted fighting, now resembled discount Terminators. The alien that was taking pot shots at the Hawks was tall with long angular limbs and green-gray skin with large eyes, all this and its bald head making it look like a Roswell Grey with a bad case of mange. Slung across its back was a damaged-looking laser weapon, forcing the skinny alien to rely on more-conventional Earth weapons, though clearly having trouble with ballistic "slugthrowers".

The street itself was an utter wreck, craters, blaster bolts, exploded cars, and ruined signs scattered about, M'gann's Bio-Ship hovering well out of range, a telescopic view of the fighting provided via glass-bottomed floor.

"I feel like James Cameron is going to sue someone," Virgil hummed, hands and knees on the floor as he leaned over the viewport as Hawkwoman squared off against an Earth Woman with bits of skin ripped away, revealing the metallic endoskeleton underneath.

"Who is James Cameron?" M'gann asked.

"James Cameron created the Terminator franchise," Zatanna answered. "At least in-part."

"I don't get it though. Those two have their big freakin' spiked maces, so why're the Hawks having so much trouble?" Virgil asked.

Next moment, the male Terminator lunged at Hawkman who responded to the reckless charge with his mace. To Virgil's surprise, a spherical forcefield appeared where the mace was about to strike, distorting like a water balloon before a discharge of energy sent Hawkman and the android in opposite directions; and quite violently at that.

The same song and dance repeating with Hawkwoman and her Terminator knock-off, matters of course were not helped by the Roswell Grey rip-off taking pot shots at them. Virgil wasn't sure how-bulletproof the Hawks were, but he imagined even if they were it still stung; at the very least.

"That forcefield tech… It must be able to repel metal," M'gann realized.

"And their metal skeletons must be made of pretty strong stuff too," Zatanna hummed as the fighting continued on, the police wisely staying out of it.

" . . . M'gann!" Virgil spoke up suddenly. "I need you to access my memory of the last ten seconds and play it back in slow motion."

"What?"

"Just do it! I think I saw something!"

M'gann looking at him, conceded a moment later, her eyes glowing green and her hand extending to him, Virgil's own eyes iridescent as his memory lapsed backwards.

In that memory was the image of Hawkman's Terminator climbing out of the hole in a wall it'd made after being violently thrown back. That in of itself wasn't anything noteworthy; at least until part of the masonry overhead broke off and bounced off the metal on its exposed shoulder, forcefield failing to activate.

"There! That's it!" Virgil cried as he returned to the present. "Whatever forcefield tech they have, it can't repel rock!"

"Well, yeah, I saw it too, but how does it help us?" Zatanna asked.

"Well, seeing as how by the look of things they didn't notice…" Virgil said as Hawkwoman wrenched a street sign from the ground and tried to throw it like a javelin, only for the metal object to bounce off violently, "I think we'll need to capitalize on this ourselves."

"How?" M'gann asked confusedly.

*TO THE PLACE~*

"Damn. These things are pretty tough," Hawkwoman bit out, going back-to-back with her husband as the two Terminator knock-offs closed in on them, the alien arms dealer off to the side relishing in his victory. "How's that call to the League coming along?"

"Working on it," Hawkman answered, tightening his grip on his mace as he readied himself for another charge.

A moment later, a flying brick struck one of the "Discount Terminators" in the head. Eyes flickering, head twitching, a second later it dropped to the ground flat on its face, the sound of metal striking asphalt and peeling artificial skin cutting through the air.

"What the…?" Hawkman blurt out as he gaped at the projectile used.

"You guys give up yet, or are you thirsty for more?" a voice lacking in testosterone echoed from all around them, the alien with the gun crying out in shock as the other android was struck in the head, despite its best efforts to dodge.

"A brick? We hit those things with everything we had and they get brought down by a brick?" Hawkwoman gaped as she beheld the cracked pieces of masonry on the ground.

*TO THE PLACE~*

Elsewhere on a high building within visual range of the fighting, the alien arms dealer Vashun tried frantically to reboot the combat androids as his compatriot Nushay was overwhelmed by the freed-up Hawks, the slugs thrown from primitive Earth weaponry too-slow to get around the Hawks' defenses as they were smacked out of the air.

It only took a good one-two from the Hawks to knock the attacking alien on his ass, his own forcefield tech powerless against the power of a good punch to the face.

Slapping angrily against the control circlet wrapping around his head, the sound of a brick sailing through the air didn't dawn on him until the last possible second, where a heavy brick struck the control matrix at the front of the device, cracking it and throwing him backward. Though the harsh landing didn't do anything more than sting, a frantic cry left the alien's lips when the control circlet went aflame, the alien shrieking frantically as he struggled to put the burning tech out.

Meanwhile down on the street, the two combat androids, prone and defenseless, had their heads smashed in like ripe melons by the two Hawks.

The sound of alien shrieks sounding in the air from a nearby building, Hawkwoman flew up to the sound just in time to spot the other arms merchant wholly aflame.

Though part of her wanted to watch the alien SOB burn for all the people that'd gotten killed in their sum rampage, with a skillful throw she sent her mace into the side of a nearby water tower, the geyser of water spilling out and extinguishing the burning alien.

The combat over, the combat androids would later be whisked off to Star Labs, the two aliens carted off to parts unknown.

And through the entire thing, neither of them noticed the lensing effect of a ship in cloak as it made its way eastward.

*TO THE PLACE~*

"Huh… I had no idea brick-throwing was so-powerful," Zatanna hummed as they left Illinois behind. "If it were me I would've cast Magic Arrows, but I never would've thought to use magic to augment existing projectiles?"

"In all honesty, I saw it in Home Alone and acted off of that."

That and, back in the Red Zone, even though the Infected were largely bullet-resistant, he was still able to kill his fair share with a brick to the head, and with the buildings already falling apart at the seams, and no-one around to bitch at him for throwing bricks, he had ample opportunity to practice his brick-throwing.

Not that he'd ever tell Zatanna that.

And who knew a simple two-word spell like Ylf Eurt would give bricks homing properties?

"Oh, I love those movies!" Zatanna smiled.

"A movie about being left alone at home? Sounds dreadful," M'gann wilted.

"Heheh. Don't worry. It's better than it sounds," Zatanna chuckled.

"It'll be a real riot at Christmas time. Do Martians celebrate anything like Christmas?" Virgil asked curiously.

"Do we celebrate the birth of our deity and exchange gifts? Not a 'birthday' per-se, but we have festivals. Nothing like your Christian holiday though…" M'gann hummed.

"I see…" Virgil nodded in turn.

"Still, why'd you insist on us leaving so-quickly after the fighting ended?" Zatanna asked. "We didn't even let the Hawks know we helped them."

"Because teen vigilantes are almost always a walking PR disaster unless they have a more-famous lead hero holding the reins," he answered. "It doesn't matter how much or how-little work you did, credit rises, blame sinks."

"So wait, you think we might've gotten blamed for all that collateral?" Zatanna gaped, aghast.

"Maybe yes, maybe no," Virgil shrugged. "The point is, unless you can earn a 'flawless victory' at your debut, you can't throw your weight around so-frivolously."

"But you didn't even become a 'hero' until a couple days ago!"

"No, but I've spent my entire life criticizing heroes on every mistake they made. And not just the Justice League or their sidekicks; I spent a lot of my time criticizing the kind of teen vigilantes that usually wound up in the morgue before their first week was out. That means I've learned how public opinion in relation to SPBs work. One day they're lauding you for 'walking on water', the next they're going after you with torches and pitchforks."

"Would the people really turn on us like that?" M'gann asked worriedly.

"Easily. As much as people like to watch Heroes succeed as long as it's their lives on the line, when they aren't, people are just-as-eager to watch heroes fail. 'Misery loves company' and all that."

"Well that's a pretty grim outlook," Zatanna pouted.

"Maybe so, but at the very least, I want to stop you from being completely reviled before you establish your own competence," he said flatly. "That's why I had us haul ass as soon as the Hawks found their turnabout. Because even if all we did was chuck a couple of bricks with magic, I can almost guarantee we'd get saddled with all the blame for collateral."

"Anyone ever tell you you're a real mood-killer?" Zatanna said flatly.

"It's called 'not looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses'. You should try it sometime."

"Guys... Please don't fight!" M'gann suddenly shouted, Virgil and Zatanna looking at her with wide eyes before turning to one another.

" . . . Sorry, Z."

"I'm sorry too, V."

Apologies exchanged, the three entered into an awkward silence.

" . . . Hey M'gann, I'm curious about something," he said a minute later, trying to break the ice. "Is it only Martians that can pilot a Bio-Ship, or can any species do it?"

"Would you like to give it a try?"

"So I really can?" he asked amazedly.

"Sure, we've got plenty of time, and if you ever want to take me to a place for a surprise, it wouldn't really be a surprise if I were the only one that could drive," M'gann replied with a smile, getting up and making room for Virgil to take the helm.

"Okay, so… How do I do this?" he asked holding his hands tentatively above the glowing orbs, unsure where or even how to touch them.

He didn't want to accidentally "press the red button".

"Just place your hands upon the control orbs, let the Bio-Ship feel your pulse, let it in, and then, it'll move as you want it to."

"That sounds… kind of ambiguous…"

"Well, they are a telepathic species, sooo…" Zatanna trailed off.

"Yeah. I guess you're right," Virgil said resting his palms upon the glowing orbs, gently drumming his fingers before he looked out the front viewport.

Furrowing his brow in concentration, the floor tipped forward as the Bio-Ship's nose tilted downward. Zatanna scrambling for a handhold as the nose continued to dip, Virgil slammed back against his seat, causing the exact opposite problem, Zatanna squealing while M'gann floated in place. Panic overwhelming Virgil as he tried to overcompensate, Zatanna had narrowly gotten into her chair and had a seatbelt grow around her before the whole of the Bioship began to whirl around in place like an aerotrim.

"Crapohcrapohcrapohcrap SHIIIIIT!" Virgil cried as he tumbled out of his seat, M'gann wrapping her arms around his waist and holding onto him as her eyes glowed neon green, the Bio-Ship stopping abruptly before it began to auto-correct.

"Okay… Hmmm… That never happened before."

"Ya think!" Zatanna yelped, her hair standing on end as her fingers dug into the sides of her seat.

"I'm curious, though. What were you thinking before things went horribly wrong?" M'gann asked as she set Virgil down.

"Well… I was thinking 'forward', but… I guess what 'forward' means to me and what it means to the Bio-Ship mean different things…" Virgil hummed.

"Hmmm… Well, Martians can fly and move about in three dimensions, so I suppose there are differences in nuance," M'gann hummed. "Would you like to try again?"

"Again? After that disaster!?" Zatanna gawped.

"Well, how would you like to try then?" Virgil huffed, climbing into another seat and thinking up a five-point harness to go around him.

"I think I will," Zatanna huffed as she straightened her clothes and assumed the helm.

*TO THE PLACE~*

One minute later…

"ZEEEEE! STOP THIS CRAZY THING!" Virgil cried as the Bio-Ship flew every which way like an inflated balloon having its air let out.

"I'M TRYING!" Zatanna squealed, her hair flying every which way.

"Do you want me to intervene?" M'gann asked from her own seat, the very picture of composure.

"NO! I GOT THIS!" Zatanna yelped.

"THAT'S SERIOUSLY UP TO DEBATE!" Virgil cried. "Urp! Oh god… I think I'm gonna… gonna!"

"VINCENT VALENTINE DON'T YOU DARE-

*TO THE PLACE~*"

One minute later…

"God that was mortifying…" Zatanna groaned.

It was better not to think where the contents of Virgil's stomach had landed...

"How do you think I feel," Virgil groaned in turn after upending the contents of his stomach. "Remind me never to fly with you ever again."

"Hey, at least I went somewhere!"

"Yeah! Like a rogue balloon having its air left out!"

"All things considered, those were very good first tries," M'gann said chipperly. "However, you might be over-thinking it."

"Says the girl whose species only thinks. On her homeworld…" Virgil trailed off awkwardly.

"Would you like to try again?" M'gann asked, finding no offense.

"Brace for impact!" Zatanna squealed as an over-the-shoulder restraint formed over her head.

"I should be saying that about your flight!" Virgil cried as he took the helm, M'gann keeping one hand on the controls.

"Now remember, don't over-think it. Instead of thinking in 'words', try thinking of an image."

"Well, I'm willing to try anything," Virgil hummed aloud. His brow furrowing in concentration as his hands hovered above the control orbs, after a couple minutes he laid his hands upon them and muttered, " . . . The enemy's gate is 'down'," the Bio-Ship beginning to move forward at his mental command.

"Oh! My brother loves that book!" M'gann squealed happily.

"Wait, you have Earth books on Mars too?" Virgil asked, the forward momentum of the ship stopping at his attention lapsed.

"Not physical copies; at least not shipped from-Earth. But with the eBooks we're able to make our own, although… It took a while to get used to narratives where the character's thoughts were all private unless said aloud," M'gann hummed. "It all sounded so fantastical, even the non-fiction; at least to us Martians."

"Mars sounds like a very… interesting place," Virgil hummed aloud. "I can't even begin to imagine a society without any secrets."

"Oh! Would you like to visit sometime? A little FTL and we'd be there in no time at all!" she said happily.

"Would that even be allowed?" Zatanna asked incredulously.

"Well… We might have to get you two emissarial passes, but I think if my uncle talked to your country's president something could be arranged."

"Yeah… I don't see that happening any time soon," Virgil said dourly.

"What? Why?" M'gann asked incredulously.

"Because. We can barely get along with one another on this planet; and we're all the same species. Do you really think Earth could open up diplomatic relationship with literal aliens who not only come in different colors than us, but look completely foreign? Hell, the only reason everyone tolerates Superman so-well is because he looks 'just like us'."

"Well, hey, we don't have to represent all of Earth," Zatanna stated. "The two of us are magical, so maybe my dad can arrange something."

"Ah, that's right. You two wield arcane power like the great sorcerer-priests and priestesses of Mars!" M'gann said happily. "Even without emissarial passes, it might still be possible for you two to visit."

"Yeah, but… I don't really wanna get mind-fucked by an entire race. Or accidentally 'think' something that might start a race war."

After having one foster family get caught up in one of those, he wasn't too keen on being the starting-point of another.

"Hmmm… Well… I'm sure if we shore up your mental defenses, everything will be alright," M'gann hummed. "The only ones on Mars who really have mental barriers are those who need to keep secrets, and those boundaries are usually respected, so I'm sure if yours are strong-enough, you'll be able to keep your deeper thoughts hidden."

"Give me a couple years, and I might just take you up on your offer," Virgil replied. "Now…" he said as he redirected his attention to the ship, placing his palms back upon the control orbs, a portion of the floor rising up bringing his feet into a reclining position. "The enemy's gate is 'down'," he said aloud once-more, the Bio-Ship "falling" through the air.

*TO THE PLACE~*

Hub City, Illinois
Novemb-

"NnnOPE!"

"But-"

"Not! Going! To! Happen!" Virgil said as they double-timed it away from one of the most dismal cities in America.

It wasn't that Virgil was overly worried about what they might find down there, since the Red Zone was so much worse…

It was just, he'd rather keep impressionable girls like Zatanna and M'gann away from anywhere The Question made his stomping grounds.

It was a real mind-fuck trying to figure out how he could see and talk and breath without eyes or a mouth; or at least when they were completely covered like that.

Then again, he could be using some form of FaceCamo…

*TO THE PLACE~*

Ohio Airspace
November 21, 14:32 CST

"Wow, you've really gotten the hang of this," M'gann hummed as the Bio-Ship continued to soar through the air, the clouds rushing by the front window, the ship lawing from left to right as Virgil got the hang of turning.

"Yeah… I guess so…" he hummed, adding the occasional upward and downward pitch. "I guess in the end I really was over-thinking it," he hummed.

*GROWRRRRRRRR!*

"Was that the ship?"

"No, um, that was actually me," M'gann blushed.

"Well, we did rush over to St. Louis before eating lunch…" Zatanna hummed. "What do you say we land this thing and grab a bite to eat?"

"Sounds good. Wouldn't want our gracious host going hungry," Virgil hummed as he willed the ship to stop, drawing out his phone and checking where they were. "Well, we're in Ohio right now. Any specific place you want to eat at?"

"Hmmm… Let me think…" the Martian hummed as she pulled out her own phone, stuck it into a slot that morphed atop the forward control panel, and started typing in commands as the Bio-Ship connected to Earth's internet. "Ooh! This looks interesting!"

"Alright. Lead the way," Virgil nodding, a translucent green arrow appearing in the air outside the window causing Virgil to blink his eyes. "Was that a…?"

"Oh, I just had the ship superimpose a waypoint indicator on your psychic overlay," M'gann stated. "The arrow isn't really out there, but it should help you go in the right direction."

"Oh, well… How considerate," Virgil hummed as he looked at the arrow once more, the Bio-Ship giving him direction and distance. "That's so weird seeing one of those in real life," he hummed as the Bio-Ship moved in the indicated direction.

*TO THE PLACE~*

Springfield, Ohio
November 21, 14:43 CST

Partway though their flight once he'd gotten a new "vector" to fly the Bio-Ship through, Virgil learned from M'gann that since he and the Bio-Ship were psychically linked together, even if only on a rudimentary level, he didn't have to look out the front window, but that he could instead see as the ship saw.

In essence, like shifting from Third Person to First Person view in a racing game.

It was definitely a new experience, and if he didn't feel the air rushing over an irregularly-shaped body, he'd have thought he were the one flying through the air.

As dream-like as the experience was, all good things must come to an end. The waypoint indicator dipping rapidly until it snapped backwards, it was obvious they'd over-flown their target, so Virgil banked the Bio-Ship left and dipped the nose, moving in a large downward spiral as they took in the sight of their destination.

Springfield, Ohio like many towns steadily marched toward the moniker of "city"; all it would take to reach that milestone was to begin building high rises and skyscrapers. For the time being though, it was a quiet-looking town, at least from the air, and thankfully it didn't have any record of supervillain activity.

The occasional natural disaster here and there, but no supervillains.

"So… We still high-enough that no-one can see us?"

"At the speeds we're going? Unlikely," M'gann shrugged, since to anyone on the ground all they'd see was a ripple in the air that could be literally anything.

"Alright… Looks like we're almost there…" Virgil hummed as they left Springfield proper, flying along one of the southward roads leading out of town as buildings gave way to forest. "Ahem… Ladies and gentleman, welcome to Springfield, Ohio. Local time is 2:43 PM and the temperature is 39 degrees Farhenheit. For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. This will indicate that we have parked at the gate and that it is safe for you to move about the cabin. Please check around your seat for any personal belongings you mave have brought on board with you and please use caution when opening the overhead bins, as heavy articles may have shifted around during the flight. If you require deplaning assistance-"

"You actually memorized that whole spiel?" Zatanna asked quizzically.

She'd been on enough plane trips to know the touchdown dialogue of the pilot, at least upon hearing it.

"Wow, you know how to suck the fun out of everything, don't you?"

"I think it was pretty funny actually," M'gann giggled. "Ah! We're here!" she said excitedly, extending her finger toward the ground below.

The restaurant in question looked like one of those stainless steel-covered roadside diners that could pass for a traincar; completely ordinary.

The mascot on the other hand was anything but. An enormous figure taller than the restaurant by far with green skin hoisting an enormous burger over his head, the likeness of the Hulk was unmistakable; even if the shredded pants were swapped out for sensible trunks. The sign above the restaurant read GAMMA BURGER in large neon green letters.

In short, Virgil was shocked.

"Wait, the Hulk has a restaurant chain? I thought that was just a myth."

"Oh no, it's quite real," M'gann spoke as the controls melted away from his hands and she took over on-approach. "According to the website, a couple years back during tornado season, a school bus transporting children wound up in the path of a tornado, and their engine wouldn't restart. Everyone thought they were doomed, but the Hulk leapt to the rescue, pushing the bus to this very diner and using the giant burger decoration as a shield whe a whole house got uprooted. After the tornado dissipated-"

"So basically the Hulk saved the day?" Zatanna asked. "I just thought he was a menace," she hummed.

"I never really bought what Ross was selling. If the Hulk actually was a villain, the U.S. Army wouldn't stop the Justice League from getting involved, so I can easily see them trying to cover something up," Virgil stated.

Couldn't really let on that he knew Banner was trying to find a cure for himself; or at the very least, a stopgap.

"So why here?" Zatanna asked.

"I like the mascot," M'gann shrugged.

"I don't think he's green for the same reason you are."

"So how many of these Gamma Burgers are there?" Virgil asked curiously.

"According to the website… around a hundred," M'gann answered.

"Hmmm... I see," Virgil hummed. "Well, seeing as how you wre kind-enough to fly me cross-country, I figure I can treat you guys."

"Really?" M'gann asked happily.

"Sure, I don't see why not," he shrugged. "Besides, what's the point of earning buko bucks as a male model if you don't spend it with friends?"

"That sounds really sappy out-loud," Zatanna giggled.

"Do you want me to treat you or not?"

"Yes, please," Zatanna and M'gann answered.

*TO THE PLACE~*

The trio of teens donning an extra layer, parked the Bio-Ship in the woods behind the restaurant to minimize the chances of anyone bumping into it. The vehicle briefly becoming visible as they disembarked, Virgil watched with awe as the ship's forward struts and wings shrunk in on itself, the whole of the structure compressing into an egg-like shape.

"Cute," Virgil hummed before the ship vanished once again. "And you're sure it'll be fine like this?"

"Don't worry. If anyone who isn't us approaches it, she'll rise up into the air enough that no-one can touch her, and if anything happens, I'll know," M'gann said proudly with a tap to the head.

"Good, good, though you might want to put on your face before we go on in."

"Oh, hello, Megan!" she chuckled, bopping herself on the head as her green skin bled back to peach, and the trio made their way to the Gamma Burger.

*TO THE PLACE~*

Like other roadside diners, the Gamma Burger was an inviting family-friendly establishment, the windows large, the seats plush and colorful. Dotting the walls were pictures of the Hulk performing various superhuman feats, ranging from his legendary mile-long long jumps, to using whole Abrams tanks like melee weapons, to the times he carried vehicles away from natural disasters, and even him tanking rounds that would've struck hapless civilians if he'd dodged.

Immortalized with the most reverence in the nicest frame above the kitchen window was a frame of what was apparently the original Gamma Burger, reading Herb's GAMMA BURGER, the original location in Santa Prisca, New Mexico; the birthplace of the Hulk.

There were clusters of families and friends scattered about, with the occasional solo-act scattered about, but they all had one thing in common.

They were enjoying a delicious home-town meal.

"Hello there," the hostess greeted, a friendly smile on her face. "How many do you need?"

"Three," Virgil answered, taking charge.

"Really? No parents?"

"Not really. Just a couple friends out on the town," Zatanna shrugged, backing him up.

"Well, alright then," the hostess shrugged. "I have a nice corner table in the back."

"That sounds very nice," Megan said with a beaming smile, that hometown "girl next door" vibe turning quite a few heads as they passed.

And causing a few girlfriends to slap their significant others across the face.

"Here are some menus. I'll give you a few minutes to decide what you want," the hostess said with a smile as she left them with their menus, the front decorated with the words GAMMA BURGER and embossed with the Hulk's roaring likeness.

"Fresh never-frozen beef. No wonder everyone's having such a good time," Virgil hummed aloud.

Living in the Red Zone hadn't allowed him to be picky with what he ate, so once he got clear and free, he began to appreciate things that others took for granted.

"Huh. Never thought I'd see the word 'A-Bomb' on a burger menu," Zatanna hummed.

"Mm! They all look good!" Megan said happily. "Hey, Virgil."

"Yeah?" he whispered back.

"Are the prices on this menu… 'good'?" she asked in a hushed tone. "I don't really have a grasp on how much money in this… country, is worth."

It was obvious she'd meant to say "planet", but Virgil was glad she'd shown some restraint in case they had an eavesdropper.

"Well, it all depends on how good the food is compared to the money," Virgil hummed as he looked at the menu. The "G-Burger", a standard, delicious American hamburger, didn't have a price tag in the double digits and still came with fries and a drink if you ordered combo, so he figured the rest of the menu was priced fairly.

The only thing that really stood out for him as "eccentric" was the "Tsar Burger", a special order monstrous Eating Challenge burger named after the world's largest nuclear bomb that, if-eaten within a certain time, was free with a small award and a photo on the Wall of Fame added.

That they offered to pay for an ambulance in case of indigestion… was a tad worrying, but seeing as there were a half-dozen on the aforementioned wall already, it didn't seem to be something completely insurmountable.

Tugging on his left ear and Megan responding, the two entered their private chatroom.

'Hey, don't take this the wrong way, but… how much to Martians eat? Compared to Humans I mean?'

'Why would I take offense?'

'Oh, okay, so that's just a Human thing,' Virgil thought to himself.

'Are Humans really so-fixated on what they eat?'

'It's more like Humans don't like being "called out" in terms of volume. Like how guys aren't supposed to ask a girl's age or weight.'

'Why would that be an issue?'

'Once again, another stupid Human thing.'

'Ah, I see,' M'gann hummed as though she'd been bestowed some great cosmic wisdom. 'Well, right now I have the same caloric needs as a baseline Human, but if I shapeshift multiple limbs for extended periods or regenerate damage, I do enter a feeding cycle that on Earth would be called 'the munchies',' she answered.

'And how're you feeling right now?'

'A little hungry, but not so-hungry I'd order the most-expensive thing on the menu,' Megan returned.

'My wallet thanks you,' Virgil nodded. "So. Who's ready to order?"

*TO THE PLACE~*

Fifteen minutes later…

*BAM!*

"You! Tell me what the hell you put in my friend's burger or I will beat! Your! Ass!" Virgil demanded hoisting the fry cook through the kitchen window by the front of his shirt as Megan… well…

It was "The Cookies & Cream Episode" all over again, let's just say that.

Fortunately, since they'd gotten a corner table, Zatanna had been able to impose herself between Megan's visage and the impressionable children and horny teenagers scattered across the rest of the establishment, though that didn't stop mothers from covering their children's eyes as Megan expressed her… appreciation, of what was probably a very complex flavor to a Martian palette.

"I-I don't know why that's happening!" the fry cook yelped as the air around Virgil's drawn-back hand wavered with building heat. "The recipe's totally ordinary! I swear!"

"That shit is not! Ordinary!" Virgil raged, teeth gnashing together. "Now you tell me what you put in that burger, or I'm going to get really angry!"

"Aren't you angry right now?" one guy at the counter asked.

"I'm not 'angry', I'm pissed, moving up to 'absolutely livid'…!" he growled menacingly. "Now…! Those ingredients!"

"Th-The barbecue sauce has Carolina Reaper and Dragon Breath peppers! That's the only thing out-of-the-ordinary!" the frycook insisted.

" . . . Zatanna! Take her 'round back! We're gonna have to hose her down," he said realizing this problem wasn't going to go away on its own.

Mainly because Martian Manhunter wasn't around to "excise" whatever it was in that burger from M'gann's cells that was making her act like... that.

"Great idea!" Zatanna yelped, dragging Megan around the restaurant, happy to be away from the judgmental eyes of those in the diner.

*TO THE PLACE~*

Suffice it to say, the atmosphere in the diner was super-awkward after Megan's rather… niche, reaction to the Meltdown Burger she'd partaken in.

While the chefs were left scratching their head wondering what about their sauce recipe could cause that kind of reaction, management had tried to offer them their lunch on the house as recompense what had transpired, but Virgil insisted they get something for their labor, and eventually settled on getting lunch half-off.

Megan of course had to re-order so she wouldn't feel left out, going for an A-Bomb instead.

On a more-positive note, Virgil felt pretty satisfied that his plan to have M'gann wear actual clothes had merit to it, because if "Megan" had gotten hosed off only to come back in dry as a bone, eyebrows would've been raised, and he doubted she could convincingly fake wearing wet clothes even with Martian Shapeshifting.

After paying their bill and getting a group picture taken in front of the GAMMA BURGER mascot, the trio wandered off back to the Bio-Ship, still in cloak, and headed off once more into the wild blue yonder, bellies full and ready for adventure.

Not that Virgil could really stand anymore adventure, but, well...

It wasn't like he'd have much choice in the matter.

*TO THE PLACE~*

A touch of filler, but I thought it'd be a good way of introducing the Bio-Ship. Also, since Lilith and Dinah both have passive bird themes, in the planning stages I thought it'd be interesting if in the formative years of their Hero careers, the two of them were "partners in crime" before circumstances split them apart.