Cousin687: F*** Yeah! Someone else played Wasteland3! Hope we get some more obscure Easter eggs.
Re: I'm amazed someone caught that~
Of course, when it comes to Easter Eggs, I only drop them for IP I'm familiar with because I best-know when & where to place them. You try to drop an Egg for something you're not familiar with, and it "shows".
Bigguy45: Is it weird the squirrel reminds me of conker from bad fur day?
Re: That might not've intentionally been the intent, but maybe the imagery was inspired by that game, in the hind-part of my brain. If anything, it was more-directly inspired by the taxidermy episode of King of the Hill…
Blaze1992: . . . And his sanity takes another hit to the nards though thankfully for a good reason this time.
Was nice to see him relaxing for once, seems someone is a fan of the raw thrill's products. I've played those as well, but my all-time favorite was the Star Wars trilogy arcade game. I think it was made by the same company but not for sure.
Re: Well, 'normal' is overrated.
Sometimes when I'm at the mall, I drop by the Dave & Busters for the atmosphere, and even though I don't play the arcade games, the stories they can tell, despite being put behind a paywall (unless you just use YouTube~), are lots of fun.
UndeadLord22: YYEAAAAAHHHHH BABY! THATS WHAT IVE BEEN WAITING FOR That's what's its all about, WWWWWWHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOO!
But in seriousness, this is great m8. Finally closer to Virgil to embracing his pro-protagonist by (not) being a anime harem!
Re: Well, nice to know that the "Poly-'Pampering' Accords" haven't been a total turn-off~
I like to think I added my own spin to make that sort of thing a bit more nuanced; what with it being a DC Universe property and all…
*HOLIDARY CHEER*
Moxxxi's Red Light
December 24, 09:53 EST
"By some miracle, I managed to get all my Christmas shopping out of the way," Virgil sighed as he closed his luggage, the Christmas gifts he'd gotten for everyone therein as well as what he'd need for the holiday season at Megan's place.
Sure, she'd sent him (and by extension Zatanna) photos of her house in Happy Harbor, as well as images of the property, but pictures didn't always do places justice.
*Knock*Knock* "Virgil," Gaige said coming into the unlocked door. "You good to go?"
"Yeah. What about you?"
"Moxxi gave me some of Shaula's hand-me-downs. No-one from California'll recognize me," she answered, walking over and giving him a hug. " . . . "
"Is something wrong?" he asked, realizing this hug wasn't coming from the usual surge of female hormones that Athena had given her the greenlight to act upon.
"This will be my first Christmas away from home. I mean, we aren't super-religious or anything, but…"
"Don't worry. Things will blow over. You just need to give it a little time," Virgil said returning the embrace, slowly warming up to the weird… thing between Athena, Gaige, and he.
"I really wish there had been a guy like you for me back home…" she said somberly, tightening her hold on him.
"There's still time for you to find one."
"Nah!" she said with a smile rubbing her face into his chest. "You already ruined me for other men~"
"Well… just try to keep it PG when we're at Megan's house. She and Zatanna are a little… impressionable."
"Don't worry," she said pressing her body to his and stealing a fierce kiss. "As long as the three of us can snuggle under a warm blanket in front of a fireplace later, I'll make do~"
"Th-Thanks… for the consideration…" he stuttered as the red-head fondled his crotch.
"Sooo… How far did you and Athena manage to go on Tuesday~?"
"Wh-What do you mean?"
*Past*
Moxxxi's Red Light
December 23, 10:04 EST
"Athena, there's no way they won't know something's up. Moxxi's the one who gave you that key in the first place," Virgil said as he and Athena walked up the steps.
"Info trails go cold at the No-Tell. If anyone asks, you and I went out-of-town for a rare machine part," Athena replied, cradling a package that had been waiting for her that morning in the "motel" lobby, hand-delivered and re-packaged.
"Well… If you say so…" Virgil sighed as he opened the door to the living room, only to find Moxxi, Gaige, and Tina waiting on them expectantly with shit-eating grins.
"Sooo… How was your 'ride'~?" Moxxi grinned.
"Oh, you know," Athena said adjusting her package in her hands. "Picked up a package."
"Athena, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I've gone out of town to collect 'large packages' too~"
*Present*
"I think you know what I mean~" she said with a wink.
" . . . You're lucky I'm so whipped or reverse-whipped or whatever kind of 'whipped' I am, otherwise I'd be a lot less-cool with this molestation…"
In response to this, Gaige leaned in and pecked him on the lips.
"Don't I know it, babe~" she grinned before leaning in again. "And don't worry, I can wait until after New Years to let you rock my world~" she whispered into his ear.
" . . . How much did she tell you?"
"Enough~"
And like that, the last shred of normalcy in his life went out the window…
"Ah well. 'Normal' is overrated anyway."
. . .
"I really gotta stop talking to myself…"
*HOLIDAY CHEER*
"You sure you don't want me to pick up Mrs. Crock?" Virgil asked as they packed up for their holiday sojourn to Happy Harbor.
"You were sweet-enough to do it last time, so you just worry about taking that classy ride of yours down the coast," Moxxi hummed as she appreciatively eyed the '49 Mercury Coupe.
"Well, if you say so," Virgil said as he closed the trunk before opening the rear door for Rina, Morris, and Tina. "Um… What're you doing?" he asked eyeing Athena and Gaige playing rock/paper/scissors over by shotgun.
"Just seeing who'll sit next to you," Athena replied, laser-focussed.
"Well, don't take too long. I want to be out of town before the traffic hits," Virgil hummed as he got into his own seat, eyeing the dashboard for any changes Giovanni might've made before he saw something that looked like a miniature runestone embedded in the roof just-under the lip of his sun visor. The runestone, resembling a fancy button more than anything else, served to taunt him.
*Poof*
"Do it. Do it. Do it," a tiny Liquid Snake in a red devil costume with a pitchfork heckled from his right shoulder.
Looking to his left shoulder and waiting for the other guy, when no Solid Snake dressed in a white robe with a halo and a harp appeared, he realized just how-cracked he was becoming, and hoped he didn't infect M'gann by mistake…
'Oh well. At least I have a healthy sex life,' he reassured himself.
*HOLIDAY CHEER*
Happy Harbor
December 24, 11:24 EST
The not-so-cramped road trip coming to an end as the GPS in Virgil's car chimed- "Arriving at destination." -, turning right into a dirt-and-gravel driveway, Virgil had to admit that as far as "cover houses" went, this one was relatively innocuous.
A pair of apple orchards out front and flanking the driveway, the property surrounded by a white fence, a lush hill at its back, the house itself had beige-colored siding with white trim and gray shingles, was two stories in height with an adjacent garage, and was definitely upper-middle class with the number of add-ons, looking like it could house a family with a very virile husband and a very fertile wife. The ocean, on the opposite side of the road, was five, maybe ten minutes away by foot if you were being extra-leisurely about it, though unfortunately it wasn't of the sandy variety. For that, you had to go into town, but if you wanted to sun yourself in private while listening to the waves, it wasn't too bad an alternative.
Still, as far as rural housing went, this was exactly the kind of place he'd want to retire to (assuming he lived long-enough), and the real thing definitely beat out the picture.
M'gann at least, would be able to lead a happy high school life with a place like this. Big-enough to host the occasional party or equivalent social gathering, but not so-big that it would ostracize her from the sorts of people she deserved to make friends with. That deserved to make friends with her.
At the moment, the place was done up with strings of colorful Christmas lights across the front, sides, and maybe even back, though thankfully she had abstained from the tacky inflatable lawn ornaments that made him want to puke in the daytime.
Her uncle didn't seem the sort to subscribe to such frivolities…
"Virgil! You're here!" Megan cried happily as she ran out to meet them on the driveway, clad in a skirt, leggings, and red Christmas sweater.
"Hey there, Megan. Merry Christmas," Virgil smiled, Megan reaching in to hug him through the window. "So, anywhere in particular I should put down?"
"In front of the garage next to Giovanni's," she said pointing at an ordinary-looking black sedan.
"Well… I can see why Giovanni put so much work into your car," Athena hummed. It wasn't a cheap sedan by any means, but you certainly wouldn't think it the ride of an accomplished stage magician who moonlighted as a member of the Justice League.
Then again, maybe that was the point?
"Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" Megan beamed happily as they started unloading the car. "Zatanna! Virgil's here!" she called out as she ran back inside.
"She's cuuute~"
"Gaige, not now…" Virgil sighed.
A Polyamorous Primary and Polyamorous Secondary was more than enough "polyamory" for him, thankyouverymuch…!
*HOIDAY CHEER*
*POP*POP*POP!*
"Surpriiiiise!"
*Fwoooot!*
Zatanna, Megan, and Giovanni pulling the party poppers as soon as Virgil entered, John sounding the party blower with a completely straight face, Virgil found himself walking in on the second celebration of his birth in one week.
"Zee, Meg, seriously, you didn't have to do this…"
"But I have to! I didn't get to celebrate with you guys!" Megan pouted cutely. "And look! I even baked you a cake!" she grinned running into the kitchen. "I hope it turned out well! I used a recipe from-KYAH!" she cried as her toe caught on the rug, the cake sent flying.
"Catchitcatchitcatchit!" Tina cried, Virgil lunging and tripping over luggage, causing the cake to fly over his head and- *boing* -rebound off of his butt and back into the air. At the bouncing cake's apex, Zatanna incanted a magic word and sent the cake plate flying from Megan's hands into Athena's, the blond deftly catching it. "Um… Was that some kind of extra-bouncy sponge cake…?"
"I-I followed the recipe…!" Megan cried with a red face.
"Well, I'm sure it'll be delicious," Virgil said getting back to his feet, Megan beaming at the praise. 'Too cute. Must protect.'
*HOLIDAY CHEER*
The cake, featuring seventeen candles that Megan had to visibly gird her loins to actually light, was an incredibly sweet gesture in of itself given John had offered to do the actual lighting for her.
Beneath the vanilla frosting, the cake was a chocolate/vanilla swirl, and the taste…
The taste was only "so-so", and even though he had schooled his expression as he ate, Megan was still able to read the stray thought of Virgil's that slipped the net.
'Awwwwww crap…' he grit out as her eyes got watery.
"Megan, can I give you some advice my mom gave to me?" Athena asked throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Cooking is the only thing you can do the same way over and over, and have it turn out a little bit better each time."
"R-Really?" Megan sniffed, the blond nodding reassuringly.
"Still, how'd you make it bounce like that?" Tina asked. "Normally only really bad fruitcakes in cartoons bounce like that."
"I am… so sorry about her…" Shaula said as Megan started to tear up again.
"Hey uh… How about we watch a movie?" Gaige interceded.
"Sure, that sounds nice," Zatanna said around her own cake, muttering something under her breath that made her slice "light up" to Virgil's fledgling magical awareness.
Virgil shot the girl a look, but the Italian girl simply bit into her treat with an innocent expression on her face.
*HOLIDAY CHEER*
When people think of "Christmas Movies", the ones that always get put on re-run through December year after year, you think of titles like The Santa Clause circa 1994, A Christmas Story circa 1983, Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer circa 1964, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas circa 1966, A Charlie Brown Christmas circa 1965, Home Alone circa 1990, Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town circa 1970, or even Die Hard circa 1988.
How they wound up watching the Alien movie circa 1979 instead of anything like the above… Virgil had no clue, but there was a certain delicious irony in a real-life Martian watching a movie about a slobbering alien.
No-one else from the Moxxi household really seemed to mind the tonal shift, so Virgil and Zatanna decided to go along with it. The house had a pretty impressive collection of movies in VHS and DVD format, so maybe Megan had picked one at random because to her, any movie on Christmas was "as good as any other"?
Virgil, Zatanna, and Megan of course were all on a private telepathic uplink, letting them have their minor exchanges as the movie played. On Megan's end, it was mostly little contextual questions about Human behaviors and motivation, and Zatanna despite being hardcore magic was able to answer some such questions as well.
However, a certain comment of Megan's would radically alter the paradigm of both their lives; forever!
'I have to say, your Public Service Announcement video about how to deal with a Xenomorph invasion is waaay more entertaining than what we have on Ma'aleca'andra.'
" . . . What?"
"Hm?" Tina blinked.
"Oh, uh, nothing. Thought I heard something," Virgil hummed before getting back on the link. 'M'gann, what are you talking about?'
'You know, PSAs. That thing governments on Ma'aleca'andra and Earth do to disseminate a message in the public interest by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior on important issues,' Megan thought back without missing a beat.
' . . . Psychic board meeting; now!' Zatanna insisted.
The feeling of being sucked through a straw overwhelming him, a moment later Virgil found himself seated at a round table under a spotlight in a dark room, the table featuring the Justice League insignia, while off to the side were a trio of ovoid portals revealing what was happening around them in the real world, only a great deal slower…
"M'gann… What did you mean just then…?" Zatanna asked worriedly.
"What, about the PSA?" M'gann, now in her 'true form' in their conjoined, deeper mindscape replied. "Yeah, we have this same thing on Ma'aleca'andra, but it's way boring. Like, they tell you not to put your face near any wet-looking eggs, make bone plates over your mouths, get rid of your digestive tracts if you can, stay out of the way of the Sin'Darr so they can do their work, and that's it…"
"M'gann… are you telling me… that Xenomorphs are actually real…?!" Virgil gawped.
"Yes. Why? Did you think this was all made up?" M'gann asked pointing to her visual portal.
"YESSSS!" Virgil and Zatanna cried. " . . . Oh holy crap… The Alien and Predator movies are all a Deep State double-negative PSA-coverup!"
"What's a double-negative cover-up?" M'gann blinked inquiringly.
"It's where you purposefully leak the truth, and because it got 'leaked', people think it's fake. Like if Area 51 actually did have captured aliens and spaceships and crap like that and told everyone the truth to make it seem outlandish!"
"Oh my god…! What else is real?! What is actually fake!? I'm FREAKING OUT!"
"Zatanna! Control yourself!" Virgil said, somehow realizing that even though time was dilated inside their own heads, her fear might show on her face back in the real world.
"To be fair, the PSA about Yautja is more of a history lesson on Ma'aleca'andra than on Earth. Apparently, they don't come after us anymore because our [Shapeshifting] and [Density Shifting] don't make us 'sporting prey' or something," M'gann said as though mind-blowing, world-shattering revelations like this weren't a big deal.
" . . . I need to sit down."
"You are sitting down…" Virgil stated.
"Oh… Right…" Zatanna nodded mutely. "Vee?"
"Yeah, Zee?"
"Hold me…?" she pleaded weakly with outstretched arms, looking very small and very, very frail.
" . . . Yeah, okay…" Virgil nodded resting her head on his shoulder, realizing just how shaken-up the girl had been.
*AHA*
By the time the end credits of Alien started rolling, Virgil and Zatanna had more or less come to terms with what Megan had told them in the mindscape. Virgil, once he was disconnected from the others, contemplated how-far the conspiracy extended, while also idly wondering if The Patriots were "the Deep State" and that conspiracy theories of The Deep State were in of themselves a double-negative cover-up…
By the time the movie actually ended, Moxxi was wheeling Paula into the house with Artemis and the Fortune Hunters trailing in behind them.
"Artemis, it's so great to see you again," Megan smiled, the Gothamite visually taking in the massive house around her.
"Yeah, it's… nice to see you too…" the blond nodded. "Virg, happy birthday."
"Thanks. There's still some cake if you want a slice."
"Nah, I'm good," she waved off. "Oh? Who's this little guy~?" she cooed as Morris pawed at her leg.
"Thank you for having us over, Mr. Jones," Paula nodded.
"Think nothing of it. We're all friends here," the disguised Martian replied.
"So… What's there to do for fun around here?" Artemis inquired.
"In the winter? Not much…" Megan shrugged. "Wanna watch some movies?"
" . . . Yeah, why not," the blond archer shrugged.
*HOLIDAY CHEER*
With the setting of the sun back behind the house, the lit-up Christmas tree looked exceptionally lovely; like something out of a Christmas Special. The underside was absolutely glut with gifts, so much that the tree itself couldn't contain them.
That sort of thing tended to happen when you had five families spending Christmas together, plus-guests.
"And you're sure we aren't an inconvenience?" Paula asked worriedly.
"Not at all. We made the arrangements with Moxxi beforehand," John nodded. "Here's a map of the property. Your rooms have been arranged, as well as air mattresses for the living room. Megan and I will take the mobile home out back."
'Mobile home…?' Virgil blinked, looking out a rear window to see a large recreational vehicle sporting an ostentatious red paintjob with black trim.
It took him all of two seconds to realize where M'gann had parked her Bio-Ship.
Elsewhere in the house…
"Athena, have you been working out, lately? There's something… different about you," Artemis hummed as they raided the pantry for snacks.
"Oh, you might say I got some very cathartic… cardio, in~" the pretty blond grinned, her eyes drifting over to the living room.
Artemis, following her half-sister's gaze to Virgil who was staring out the window facing the rear of the property, deep in thought as he ran his fingers through his hair, then turned her attention to her half-sister and the healthy glow she carried herself with.
It took the archer all of two seconds to realize exactly what her half-sister meant by her earlier comment.
"Well… He any good?"
"No. But then again, who is during their first time?" Athena replied. "I'll give him this. He's a very enthusiastic lover."
"Ugh, don't say 'lover'…" Artemis groaned. " . . . "
"If you wanna stare at his butt, I charge by the minute."
"I wasn't staring…! I was just… thinking about what drew you to him…" Artemis said with a slight blush. " . . . You sure you want her to be simping over him?" she asked pointing at Gaige who was not-so-subtly making doe eyes at him while making small-chat with Zatanna and Megan.
"Eh, she said she won't try anything until after New Year's, so it's fine."
" . . . I'm sorry what?"
Elsewhere in the house…
"So an entire school in Silicon Valley for super-geniuses, basically?" Zatanna asked.
"Yeah, pretty much," Gaige clarified. "If half these 'revenge cases' took some basic business courses in college, they wouldn't get taken advantage of all the time by rich guys and their blood-sucking lawyers."
"Like that guy in the green bird suit?"
"Yeah, but I hear Osborn got what was coming to him, so, you know. Progress," Gaige shrugged.
*Ding-Dong*
"I'll get it!" the red-head said going to the door and checking the peep-hole. "Sunny! Hal! David! It's so good to see you again!" she cried throwing the door open.
"What the-" Virgil gawped as the three of them came in, almost nauseatingly inconspicuous in their ugly Christmas sweaters.
"Vee!" Sunny cried happily as she ran into his arms.
"So cuuute~" Megan cooed.
"Hey there, Virg. How're you holding up?" Hal greeted.
"Oh… you know… Same old same old…"
"Son," the old soldier said walking up to him, giving him a meaningful look before laying a hand on his shoulder. "Good job."
"Huh…?" Megan blinked.
"Vee, what's he congratulating you for?" Zatanna asked crossly, Virgil and Athena's eyes finding one another before he turned his eyes back to the magical girl.
"No comment."
"Ah…! Ah…! Ah…!" the Italian American sputtered once it finally dawned on her.
"Oh my," Megan blushed as the schoolgirl's thoughts leaked out.
Even Catholic school girls knew what sex was.
*HOLIDAY CHEER*
Suffice it to say, Virgil had to run damage control with his friends once the greater implication had been caught-onto. It was an absolute nightmare having his dirty laundry get aired like that, and he just hoped that by the time things had calmed down, they would stay calm.
Unfortunately, the universe was not that accommodating.
*Ding-Dong*
"Mr. Jones, are you expecting anyone?"
"Not that I recall."
"I'll get it!" Tina said scampering up to the door and throwing it wide. " . . . Vee! It's for you!"
"Dr. Grey?!" the brunette squawked in shock.
"Hello there, Mr. Valentine~" the Asian woman grinned. "Your grandpa's here to visit!"
"Yeah, I know that. He's right over there," Virgil said jabbing a thumb over his shoulder.
"Not your paternal grandpa, your maternal grandpa," she replied as she wheeled in the Old Diné.
His neck-hairs doing corkscrews, the next moment he shoved her out the door and into the cold before snapping it shut behind him.
"Dr. Grey, what the fuck is Code Talker doing here? Isn't he supposed to be in hiding?!" he hissed.
"Having him hide in plain sight is hiding. As long as it's done sparingly," the medical practitioner replied.
"This is a monumentally stupid idea!"
"Oh don't worry, Mrs. Mayer already came up with the cover story. Gaagi is going to be your Native American grandpa who didn't find out about you until quite recently."
"Does she seriously expect normal people to believe that horseshit?"
"They're Americans. They'll believe anything that comes out of his mouth~"
"And what if the League of Shadows catches him out in the open like this?" he asked addressing his second concern.
"They know that we know they're after him, meaning they'll think the reason we're exposing him like this is to draw them into a trap. Not to mention, he's been further refining his Archaea since the Cold War ended. He's far from a defenseless old man."
"Let me re-iterate. Monumentally. Stupid. Idea!"
"Well he's already here, so it's too late to do anything about it now~" Dr. Grey grinned going over to the car.
"Wait, you can't just leave him here!"
"I'll be back tomorrow evening! Have fuuun!" Dr. Grey said leaping into her car and driving away, Megan stepping out into the chill air.
"Virgil? Is something wrong?" she asked with adorable doe eyes.
" . . . No. Just… surprised is all…" Virgil said trying to compose himself. " . . . Come on. I'll introduce you to my other grandpa."
*HOLIDAY CHEER*
'I can't believe they're buying this horseshit…' Virgil thought to himself after some brief introductions.
Gaagi had, in a thick Native American accent (that sounded authentic but Virgil knew Code Talker was "laying on"), explained that Virgil was his grandson through "an estranged daughter who ran off with 'some white boy' a long time ago", and that he was only made aware of Virgil's relation to him quite recently when he went to H&RB for a free physical in one of their "outreach" programs after their DNA set off a notification. When the Old Diné laid it on thick about how Virgil looked "just like his mother"… well…
Being old, Native American, and wheelchair-bound to boot, you really could get Americans to believe "anything" if it sounded real-enough not to be fantastical, yet interesting-enough that it sounded like it came from the interracial cast of the season's soap opera.
When he asked for a cheeseburger of all things and made his little spiel about how it was "a balanced helping of nature's blessings: meat, grain, and vegetable", Virgil just knew the Code Talker had won them over.
Hence, why they were having cheeseburgers and hotdogs over the fire pit in the backyard for Christmas Eve dinner…
"Virgil?"
"Yes, Artemis?"
"Your family is really weird."
"Says the girl with the half-sister."
"Hey, low blow, man. Low blow" the blond huffed. " . . . Hey, is she going to be okay?" she asked pointing to Megan, who was trembling like a leaf as she flipped the burgers, yelping at every cinder sent her way and looking like she were going to run for the hills.
One time she literally had run for the hills and her uncle had to chase after her…
"A D-List supervillain burned her house to the ground. I'd hate to see the person that isn't afraid of fire after that."
And boy wasn't that a convenient excuse to explain "Megan Morse's" acute pyrophobia.
"Hm. Good point," she nodded. "I'll say this much; this is the liveliest Christmas Eve I've had in a long time. I'm glad we could all come together like this."
"I'm glad you're having a good time," Virgil nodded, stepping away to socialize before Artemis pulled him back and whispered harshly into his ear-
"I don't know what kinda weird soap opera nonsense you've got going on at home, but if you hurt my sister…"
"Where's the worry for me? I'm the one who feels like he needs a safe word!"
*HOLIDAY CHEER*
Happy Harbor
December 24, 23:18 EST
Later that night as everyone slept off all the food from their impromptu Christmas Eve cookout…
'Virgil… Virgil… Virgil, are you awake…?'
'I am now…' Virgil groaned as Megan's voice sounded off in his head. 'What did I tell you about wire-tapping my brain without permission?'
'Sorry about this, but uncle J'onn and Mr. Zatara have something to show us. Can you meet us in the garage?'
'Yeah… Yeah, fine. Give me a moment to crawl out of bed,' Virgil groaned. As soon as he felt the psychic link terminate, he looked to his sides where Athena and Gaige were snuggling up to him in one of the guest rooms, three to a queen-sized and using him like a body pillow. Three-and-a-half if you count Morris curled at the foot of the bed.
He almost didn't want to get out of bed with how-peaceful they looked, but the others wouldn't have called him so-late at night if it weren't important…
"The things I do for love," he hummed ironically.
*HOLIDAY CHEER*
'This had better be good. And before you ask, no, I'm not going to get changed out of my PJs, because the next time I step into that guest room…!'
"Your attire is perfectly appropriate for our purposes," John responded, Giovanni casting some sort of magic that made the room's walls briefly glow, John resuming his Martian Manhunter form alongside his niece.
"There. We may speak freely," the man replied, ever the textbook definition of classy even in pajamas, Zatanna and Megan's own attire the textbook definition of girlish innocence.
"So... Why're we here?" Virgil asked looking at the garage. It was perfectly ordinary, though definitely on the upper-middle-class side of things with a ton of DIY energy. At the moment there was no parked vehicle in attendance, the rear wall dominated by recessed storage cabinets and metal shelves laden with plastic containers.
J'onn in response, pulled out one of the smaller drawers before lifting up a false bottom and pressing his thumb to a hidden scanner. A moment later, segments of the garage's rear wall spun around like window blinds before parting sideways, revealing a hidden sub-room. Contained within was a high-tech-looking tunnel-shaped apparatus resembling a portal generator straight out of a science fiction special, the rear of the device a mechanical iris resembling the aperture of a camera lens.
" . . . Okay I give. What am I looking at?"
"A Zeta-Tube. It's how the Justice League responds to crises on a global scale when conventional air travel is impractical," J'onn explained.
"Zeta-Tube… You mean the thing that warped you to Earth in the mid-50s?"
"Yes, but obviously the technology has been refined in the intervening decades."
Only an alien capable of living for centuries could brush off sixty years so-easily.
"And you're showing me this… why exactly?"
"If you're going to train your powers together, or just need a safe space to be yourself away from prying eyes, the Zeta-Tube Network is the only way to get to Mount Justice," Giovanni stated.
"Mt. Justice?"
"There's an orientation video waiting for you on-site. For the time being, we need to key your biometrics into the console and select the designation you're registered under."
"Ah… I'm just going to come out and say this, then; this whole setup is too damn elaborate. Whatever happened to the revolving fireplace? Or hiding this sort of thing in the basement?"
"I'll be sure to bring it up at the next League meeting," Giovanni admitted as he worked the console, since even for him the setup was needlessly elaborate. "Alright, just put your hand on the console's scanner and enter what you want the Justice League mainframe to address you as."
An easy-enough procedure. No way in hell Virgil was going to put his real name though, so he just put his "superhero identity" into the register.
"What's this about a 'series designation'?" Virgil asked at the next prompt.
"It's dictates where in the Zeta-Tube network you will be able to go," J'onn answered. "The Unlettered series designations are for League Members, who have unrestricted access to all the League's forward operating bases and Star Labs locations, while the A-series are for guests."
"So we're registering under guests, then?" Zatanna inquired.
"Not… exactly…" Giovanni said awkwardly. "Mt. Justice was abandoned after it was initially compromised, and we aren't exactly supposed to be giving you three access to the Zeta-Tube network without running it by certain people, even with the backing of two League members… Obviously we can't give you access to the Hall of Justice or any of the Star Labs locations, so we'll need to set a special exemption for the three of you."
"How about the V-series designation?" Zatanna suggested.
"Why me? Shouldn't it be after you, or M'gann?" Virgil asked.
"I kinda like it. 'The V-Team'," M'gann hummed making a double-victory sign.
"A designation so-far down the line would prevent the alteration from being discovered too quickly…" J'onn hummed.
"Alright, I'm setting the three of you up in the V-series," Giovanni nodded. "The destination has been locked in, so all you have to do is walk into the light-"
"Ummmmmmm."
"-the iris. Walk into the iris," Giovanni amended at Virgil's strained hum, "and you'll be in The Cave instantaneously."
"Hold on…" Virgil said stopping mid-stride. "This isn't one of those 'destroy-and-reconstruct' kinda deals like in Star Trek, right…?"
"No no, the Zeta Beam is closer to a 'spacetime corridor'," Giovanni said holding his hands up. "We've tested this means of transport extensively, so you do not have to worry about any 'Transporter Clones'."
"Oh, my cousin loves those episodes," M'gann giggled cutely.
"So it's like an Eisen Rosen Bridge, then?" Virgil mused.
Only reason he knew what that was, was because the idea of space-time portals for work or recreation was too-useful to pass up.
"Not exactly. Zeta Beams 'push', Eisen Rosen Bridges 'pull'," J'onn explained. "That's why you need a Zeta-Tube terminal on both ends."
"And you're sure this thing is safe?"
"Star Labs and the Justice League use it all the time," Giovanni reassured. "Weather and mechanical failures are basically a non-issue for users because if the system diagnosis doesn't show green across the board, it won't send you off."
"I will go on ahead, ensure that the minimum power requirements are being met," John said stepping forward.
"07: Martian Manhunter." -chimed the computer.
"It might feel a little weird at first, but once you're used to it, I think the three of you could see a great deal of the world in a timely fashion," Giovanni said stepping forward. "Within reason."
"11: Zatara." -chimed the computer.
"You ready?" Zatanna asked, holding his right hand.
"I'm a little nervous…" Virgil said squinting at the whirling light in front of him. He couldn't really see what was on the other side, so he wasn't 100% confident about whole 'corridor' thing.
"Don't worry, we're right beside you," M'gann said taking hold of his other hand, the two of them leading him into the light.
"V-03: Miss Martian."
"V-02: Zatanna."
"V-01: Wildcard."
To Be Continued…
*HOLIDAY CHEER*
AN:
Since I went through all the trouble of having M'gann disguise her [Shapeshifting] ability by Virgil buying her actual clothes to have at school and change out of for gym (her brain-jacking everyone into "thinking" they saw her change would be highly invasive, not to mention tedious and repetitive…), it only makes sense that she would have a place to "go home to" after school other than The Cave/Mount Justice. If she didn't, that would be really bad for her cover if she slipped up and invited someone home only to not have an actual "home" to invite people to.
With that in mind, the house that M'gann and Conner have in Young Justice: Outsiders was the logical choice. Its relative proximity to Mount Justice and the Zeta-Tube in the garage, makes it easy to see in my HeadCanon that it's a "forward operating base" for any Super that needs to use it as a cover. It also creates an excellent segue for The Cave to be gone-to at an earlier date, even if at-present its super-facilities are mostly non-functional. It still has the bare-basics like electricity and running water since the worst that happened was its secrecy was compromised, though it isn't like Zatanna, M'gann, and "William" will be able to use it for anything superhero-y until the huge retrofit in 2010 after the 4th of July.
That, and having every holiday be celebrated at the Moxxi Household was getting a bit stale, and I'm glad I came up with the idea~
Anyway, see you next time on Chronicle of Zhu for the penultimate chapter of Book 1!