hawkeyestratos1996: I'm just gonna say the nanosuit doesnt feel like part of the story anymore just feels like virgil forgot about it.

Re: A valid concern. Not all of the recent arcs were initially planned to take place in 2009, but when a story takes a life of its own like this…
Besides, this is mixed with Metal Gear, and supernatural tomfoolery was bound to seep in eventually. Remember the Tanegashima?
That being said, I do have plans for more Metal Gear and Crysis elements to begin appearing more in-story. I already have a big cameo and the next Nanosuit mission/test planned out, while exploring more of Earth-16, so look forward to that.

superpierce: I shouldn't be surprised the Xenomorphs and Yaujta are in this story though I am surprised that theirs a conspiracy that led to films being made about them. So the Yaujta I can guess on how they encountered different heroes and villians same with the Xenomorphs did they go exactly as they did in the crossovers or were their significant differences like Batman's fight with both the Alians in south America and the Predator he faced in Gotham?

Re: There might've been some differences from the sub-mainstream DCU those events took place in, what with it being an Earth-16 variant. As for the whole conspiracy thing, the idea of a "double-negative cover-up" (inspired by that Kim Possible episode with Area 51) was a fun little way of having the fictional and factual Yautja and Xenomorph races co-exist in the same reality. And it's not like the Milky Way in the DCU has any shortage of alien species; not with the implied alien-centric crossover I have planned for the future.

grx1318: I have been reading some of your stories, and honestly, I have to give it to you. Your world building is captivating, as is the integration of different properties within your stories that actively make the world your own. It also helps that you also have a story that you wish to tell and not a canon story that you want to change.

Re: What can I say? Worldbuilding for Crossover or Multi-Crossovers is a lot of fun.

At the start of my reading/writing career on this site, my biggest sources of inspiration were Cybernetic Blue Blur by GammaTron, and NU: Red-X Rising by 26-Lord-Pain. Writers using more than two IP/Intellectual Properties always kept me guessing due to the sheer variety possible, as opposed to A-&-B crossover stories which more often than not "recycled the same story beats to death".

For my Teen Titans story, it's because I wanted to blend in Justice League, Static Shock, and the rest of the Earth-12 DCAU that Teen Titans was never able to bring in through crossovers for some reason, whereas Static Shock had crossover events with Justice League, Superman TAS, Batman TAS, and Batman Beyond, similar to how Justice League Unlimited had a crossover with a post-series Batman Beyond.
Mind you, in my Teen Titans story, I did start it out because I wanted to "save" Terra from what happened at the end of Season 2, but as I wrote it… As I wrote, it took on a life of its own as I started blending in the rest of Earth-12.

For my Young Justice story, it's because The Team calling themselves a "covert operations unit" was nauseating…! I mean, they spent two entire seasons wearing their damn logos on their palette-swapped outfits! Like… What purpose does Kid Flash's insignia even serve on his stealth outfit?! Aqualad still wears his iconic belt buckle, and Superboy wears the damn S-Shield on his fucking shirt…!

Funny story though! Originally I was going to write a Prototype/Young Justice crossover where the OC was one of Mercer's "Evolved", that or a Young Justice/Thief crossover where the OC was a "Gentleman Thief" type like Arsene Lupin and he just ran around stealing everything that wasn't bolted down. By the time I finished playing the Crysis series however, I fell in love with the Nanosuit, and decided to blend Crysis with Prototype, and that with Young Justice as well as stuff like Metal Gear, Black Lagoon, Borderlands, a smattering of Marvel, and so-on~
Making it a Massive-Multi-Crossover means I have plenty of wiggle-room to work with, but more-important than that, is that this way, I don't have to flood the story with OCs, which can really bog down a perfectly good story and make it way bad!

Wow this was a long Reply, but when I read how-much you liked my worldbuilding, I just couldn't help myself. I hope that by explaining my method, I can inspire other people to write their own stories; which I actually have~

(Guest): They did no 69 or any sex related things on chapter 69? Awwww
Dang it
Would be great if Vergil could have some swordsman training tho
[This message has been truncated due to length.]

Re: I'm pretty sure I had it in the AN for "Chapter 68: Sweet Seventeen" that there was an update on my AO3 profile regarding my YJTH off-shot story… Only reason I didn't post "Chapter 68.5" here is because I didn't want a bunch of shit-posting prudes getting me booted from the site because of Cancel Culture.
Already had that happen to my "RWBY HISHE" story…
As for the swordsmanship, he will get some training… but Deathstroke is a little above his weight class to take on solo.

*HOLIDAY CHEER*

Mount Justice
December 24, 23:26 EST

"Ooooh boy…! Here come the chunks…!" Virgil groaned as the light he was walking into was suddenly at his back. It wasn't as bad as the Wormhole Fulton, which took him instantaneously across state lines, but it was still pretty fucking baaad…

Putting his hands on his knees to steady himself, when he raised up his eyes, he saw that he was now in a large circular antechamber, the walls made of solid stone. The flooring in the center of the room was metal, while protruding from the ceiling was something that looked like the nozzle for a jet engine, and on the opposite side of the room was a tunnel leading deeper into the mountain. At the moment, J'onn was working a holographic computer, the program on-screen looking like some sort of energy matrix.

"So, how are the energy generators faring?" Giovanni asked.

"Only the bare minimum at present. We still have air circulation, electricity, and water, but nothing more-advanced than civilian-grade appliances," he answered. "Since The Cave isn't being used as an active nexus for a crimefighting team, the current output should suffice," he said finalizing a program, the artificial lighting in the tunnel across from the room's two Zeta-Tubes coming online. "Now then… Let us give you the grand tour."

*HOLIDAY CHEER*

Since the grownups didn't want their young charges and Virgil to be dead tired for Christmas morning, they gave the abridged version of the Mount Justice tour; now that they had Zeta-Tube access, the three of them could explore The Cave in full at their own pace.

There was an underground grotto for quiet contemplation, a hangar easily large-enough for M'gann to stash the Bioship, a formerly-fully-stocked kitchen and eating area, an adjoining lounge with entertainment system, a two-level library with an alluded-to secret passage, living quarters that had long since been vacated, locker rooms and showers, a fully-equipped gym, a private meeting room with a decorative waterfall, a medical bay, and a robust fabrication lab for heroes reliant on gadgetry.

At present, Mount Justice didn't have enough power to actuate the external entrances, access the League Mainframe, the gym equipment calibrated for super-human abilities, or the fabrication lab. Other than those shortcomings, Mount Justice or "The Cave" as some called it, with its modern décor and use of natural features was highly inviting, and made an excellent safe haven for when they wanted a little solitude.

"I trust you three will use the Zeta-Tubes responsibly," Giovanni lectured at the conclusion of the tour.

"Relax, if we go overseas, we'll be sure to have our passports," Virgil waved off.

"If you could actually abstain from going overseas…"

"I was joking."

"Ah, of course," Giovanni nodded. "Anywho, the console is really intuitive, so you shouldn't have any issues using it. The League Mainframe VI can also accept vocal commands, though it goes without saying, that you should keep this to yourself."

"Can we go back to bed now…?" Virgil yawned, Zatanna beginning to nod off once the excitement of seeing the League's old haunt wore off.

*HOLIDAY CHEER*

Happy Harbor
December 25, 8:06 EST

"IT'S CHRISTMAAAAAAAS!" Tina shouted, causing Virgil, Athena, and Gaige to groan in their shared bed as the tiny explosive teenager kicked the door in. "Get up. Get up. Getupgetupgetupgetupgetupgetupgetupgetupgetup," she repeated incessantly, Morris yowling irritably at Virgil's feet.

"Ugh! Alright! Fine! Geez! I'm up!" Virgil groaned.

"Noooooo… My waaarmth…!" Gaige moaned as she held on for dear life.

"Suck it up, Gagne. If I have to get up, so do you," Athena huffed as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Maybe if we pretend to still be sleeping, she'll go away?" the Mechromancer asked hopefully.

"Bee-tee-dubs, I'm not going away."

"Dammit…" Gaige swore as she rolled out of the bed and away from her living body pillow.

"You think Ellie and Scooter are having as-crappy a morning as we are?" Athena asked as she left her boyfriend's side.

*HOLIDAY CHEER*

Bludhaven: The Dust
December 25, 8:26 EST

Elsewhile, as Scooter and Ellie sat in front of the latter's trash compactor astride lawn chairs with deep-fried holiday hams in their hands…

"Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!" Ellie whooped as she pressed a big red button on a clunky-looking remote control, the rumble of hydraulics sounding through the air.

The crisp holiday air of The Dust was thusly punctuated by the screams of half a dozen bandits as they were slowly pressed to death inside the soccer van they'd all been tied up in.

*HOLIDAY CHEER*

Happy Harbor
December 25, 8:16 EST

The living room was positively fit to bursting with how-many families had all crammed into the house for that Christmas gift opening party, and there were so-many presents under the tree they spilled out from underneath and into the rest of the room. Suffice it to say, none in attendance had ever seen a Christmas gathering so-large apart from a complete family reunion.

As the adults scrambled to make a breakfast capable of feeding the nearly-two-dozen people in attendance, Zatanna and Megan sat with Virgil off to the side, Morris sitting in his lap and being pampered by the three of them as they spoke telepathically.

'So… I notice your magic has grown significantly since we last met up,' Zatanna hummed.

'Has it?'

'Indeed,' Megan hummed. 'I have only met the Y'ellonn a handful of times, but even I can tell that your magical abilities have grown.'

'Y'ellonn?' Virgil blinked.

'The caste consisting of the Sorcerer-Priesthood,' M'gann answered. 'In terms of arcane might, I'm unsure how you would compare to them, since I have only witnessed them preside over wedding and pre-wedding ceremonies back home. Though undeniably, Giovanni is equal to some, and superior to many others.'

'What new magics have you learned?' Zatanna inquired eagerly.

'Oh… This and that…' Virgil trailed off, thankful that his deeper thoughts would remain hidden. 'I know that my strongest affinity is for Earth, with a little Lightning on the side.'

'Oh my. That sounds like a powerful combination,' Megan hummed.

'I also picked up some Fire Magic for its purifying properties.'

Megan looked less-than-enthused.

'Still, I'm surprised you picked a Corgi as your familiar,' Zatanna hummed as she stroked the furry loaf's fur.

'Oh, Morris isn't a Corgi,' Virgil replied. "I'm gonna take Morris outside to do his business, I'll be right back!"

*HOLIDAY CHEER*

"AAAAAGH! What the heck is that thing?!" Zatanna cried as Morris revealed his true form.

"Awwww~ So cuuuuute~!" Megan cooed as she picked up the 'headless chicken-pig', cradling him like an infant.

"This is Morris, the Dijiang. He kinda came to me in a Familiar Summoning Ritual gone-wrong," Virgil chuckled as Megan continued to coddle the alien-looking cryptid. "Him turning into a Corgi is just really convenient after he learned Transformation Magic."

"Wait, you mean that wasn't a Glamour you put on him?" Zatanna blinked.

"Nope. Little guy read it in a book and learned all on his own."

"I'd say that sounds crazy… but a Dijiang is basically an embodiment of primordial chaos…" Zatanna trailed off. "You must really be meant for greatness if this is what the fates have designed."

"Please don't bring up the Fates. I'm sure Hecate had some hand in all this already…"

"I meant 'fate' as a common noun, not a proper noun."

"Ah."

"Still, what are the chances that you would carry the blood of Native American shamans in your veins?" Megan asked excitedly.

'Dammit, Code Talker. Did you have to tell them you were a god damn "shaman"…?' Virgil groaned to himself, rubbing at his face. 'This cover story of ours is getting fucking ridiculous…'

*HOLIDAY CHEER*

"Geez, how much of a bomb did Morris drop? We're already opening presents!" Tina whined as the three of them came back in, Morris shaking a bit of snow off his Corgi paws.

'Lots of single parents, here,' Virgil hummed as the mothers, Moxxi and Paula, the father, Giovanni, and the uncles, John and Hal, gave presents to their individual charges. Roland, Lilith, Brick, and Mordecai all exchanged gifts in what appeared to be a 'Secret Santa' event that spoke of years of familiarity. Gaige, who had no immediate family with her, was off to the side with Athena, and Virgil figured, but didn't want to assume, that they were 'plotting' something as they shot him the occasional look.

"Young one."

"Son." -greeted Code Talker and Solid Snake in succession. "Merry Christmas."

A pair of wrapped presents handed over, from Code Talker, Virgil received a hand-written notebook about the history of the Navajo people up to the present day, including Gaagi's own family tree. From Solid Snake, a well-used Green Beret training manual with color-coded sticky tabs which he said were to denote urgency in his ongoing training.

"Thank you very much, grandpa," Virgil said giving them an awkward one-armed hug apiece. "Are they really buying this?"

"I'm Native American. They'll believe anything that comes out of my mouth~" Code Talker chuckled mirthfully as he pat him on the back.

"Oh sug'!" Moxxi called out. "This one's from your boss! Open her up!" she said holding up an expensive-looking garment bag.

"Hoh? Looks fancy," Artemis hummed as she eyed the carrier, Virgil plucking the Christmas card taped to the front.

"A good coat is like a good lawyer; it covers your ass. Sincerely, Re-l Mayer," he read before drawing out a stylish-looking black leather trench coat with a raised collar, lapels, and paisley accenting on the shoulders. It was heavier than it looked… which made him think it might've been decked out with the same upgrades as 'David Washburn's' suit with its cutting-edge body armor. "Huh… Not a bad fit…"

"Now all you need is a fine suit, and you'll be perfect~" Zatanna swooned as he threw it on, her dad coughing harshly into his hand.

"Megan," John spoke up. "Didn't you have something to give him?"

"I did, but…" she trailed off dejectedly as she looked at the very nice coat.

"Remember, it's the thought that counts."

" . . . You're right," she nodded. "Virgil!" she called out a little louder than intended. "I… I made you something," she said holding up a bag topped with tissue paper.

"Hand-made? Can never go wrong with that," Virgil hummed appreciatively as he bagged his boss' coat and reached into M'gann's gift bag. Inside it was a hand-knit sweater, colored the same shade of green as her Martian skin tone, a red-colored X also knit and stitched around the chest. It was a lovely gesture in of itself, but anyone could see that the sleeves were longer than the body. "I love it. Thank you."

"Y-You don't have to say that. Even I know it didn't turn out right…" Megan said somberly, only for her cheeks to darken as he threw it over his head and gave her his best smile.

"Merry Christmas, Meg," Virgil smiled as he pulled his hands through the too-long sleeves and opened his arms, Megan smiling brilliantly as she stepped into his arms, exchanging a fierce embrace.

"Awwwwwwww."

"Meg? Did you just cue your own laugh track?" Virgil blinked as he heard a phone speaker go off behind his back.

"Maybe a little~" Megan smiled cheekily as she let him go, Zatanna stepping forward next with a wrapped gift in her hands.

"A History of Stage Magic…?" Artemis hummed over his shoulder as the wrapping paper came away.

"I put a Glamour on it. As long as someone not-in-the-know is in the same room, that's what it'll look like," Zatanna whispered. "Merry Christmas."

"Thank you so much. I'm sorry my own gift to you isn't this great," he said rubbing the back of his head.

"It's the thought that counts, and you being here for me is more than enough," Zatanna said giving him a fierce hug. "Why don't you go and set some of your stuff aside. Living room's getting a little crowded," she said watching everyone tip-toe around stepping on other people's gifts.

By the look she was giving him, Virgil could see that offer had a double-meaning, so he took his coat, sweater, and book up in his arms before heading back to the guest room. Once the door shut behind him and he put his gifts on the bed, Virgil saw the cover of A History of Stage Magic shimmer before giving way to a brown leather-bound tome titled Alchemical Potion Brewing for Amateurs. Pressed below the title was the image of a simmering cauldron, and arrayed in a circle around it were pictograms of both magical and mundane ingredients.

"Potions, huh…?" Virgil hummed as he cracked it open, giving the preface a quick once-over.

Potions made in this alchemical style are made with eight ingredients: a Liquid Base, five other Ingredients to engage each of the Senses, one to engage the Mind, and one to engage the Spirit. The Ingredients used are often not magical in of themselves, and are instead used for their Symbolic Value. The magical energy in a Potion is actually provided by the Alchemist brewing it. Once brewed, a Potion retains its magic for a relatively short time, though proper Preservation Spells can extend a Potion's shelf life.

Different Alchemists have considerable freedom in the choice of Ingredients. One Alchemist, for example, may choose to use [Shredded Bank Promissory Notes] in lieu of [Crushed Diamonds] for a Love Potion.

The effects of Potions are temporary, usually lasting only a few minutes, but some may last for longer.

It is potentially dangerous to consume more than one Potion at a time.

"Ingredients chosen for their 'symbolic value', eh…?" Virgil hummed as the book droned on about responsible potion making and usage practices, intrigued by the concept. "Liquid Base, Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch, Taste, Mind, Spirit… Can one Ingredient serve more than one role…?"

Flipping further into the book, Virgil swiftly remembered where and when he was, and decided to shelve that line of inquiry for later.

. . .

But not before scribbling a note to himself about a possible "Blending Potion" for later.

Liquid Base: Tap Water

Sight: Plastic Wrap

Sound: Rustle of Wind

Smell: Deodorant

Touch: Plain White Cotton

Taste: Leaf of Lettuce

Mind: Blank Paper

Spirit: Elevator Music

In the case of Potions in this style, it seemed like the "point" was to take everything super-literally. Something he was quite good at, as it turned out.

*HOLIDAY CHEER*

John, being the good host that he was, went about the room collecting all of the wrapping paper in a trash bag, saving the bows for later use. By this point, most of the gifts had already been opened, a few in particular standing out like a wicked-looking compact crossbow in Artemis' arms, a Bunkers & Badasses expansion book in Lilith's hands, a DVD box set of Hello, Megan! in Megan's hands, and some cute-looking black leather boots with raised heels.

"This one's from 'Santa'," Shaula said passing a small, wrapped box Rina's way.

"Ooh! I've been meaning to pick this up!" the wild girl said excitedly as she peeled back some of the wrapping paper, revealing a DVD for some action movie Virgil was barely familiar with.

"Hey, Vee," Gaige said coming out from under the tree, "I found one in the back for you, but it's kinda sloshing around a bit."

"Who's it from?"

"Oh, Balalaika had that dropped off for you the other day," Moxxi hummed as Virgil held the gift in his hands, a 'From Russia with Love' card taped to the front.

"Virgil, hope you got better after your run-in with the giant squid. Looking forward to putting you to work next year. Sincerely, Balalaika…" Artemis trailed off as she read the note over his shoulder. "Giant squid?"

"Don't ask," Virgil, Athena, Roland, Lilith, Brick, and Mordecai all said in surround sound as the wrapping paper came away, revealing a stout, flat-bottomed bottle with a thick neck and clear liquid inside, the words Plugar Classic Rye on the paper-colored label, a 38.5 inked onto the cork.

"Vodka?" Megan blinked as she looked it over.

"Seems so," Virgil hummed.

"No, but seriously, why Vodka?" Artemis asked, confused.

"In Russia, the legal drinking age is 16, but you have to be 18 to purchase," Moxxi hummed frankly.

"Okay, but this is America," Zatanna hummed.

"Who is this 'Balalaika', if I may be so inclined?" Giovanni said eyeing the bottle of vodka critically.

"I did a couple of jobs for her before I became a model, but she hasn't called me much since that thing with the squid," Virgil answered. "Do not, ask," he cut in when Artemis made to speak up.

" . . . You have some weird friends," the blond archer finally settled upon.

"You should know. You're one of them."

"Touché..." she replied.

"I guess I'd feel bad if I didn't at least try any of this..." Virgil said looking down at the botte. "Moxxi, you know any good cocktails?"

"If I had some ginger beer and lime juice, I could probably make you a 'Moscow Mule'."

"Please tell me you're joking," Giovanni sighed.

"But as it stands, all I can really make you is a 'White Russian', which is basically half-milk, half-vodka," she continued.

"Um... Maybe later," Virgil replied after Giovanni and John started staring at him judgmentally.

"Hey Vee, 'Thena, I found two more down here!" Gaige called as she wriggled out from under the tree, two peculiarly-shaped gifts in her hands.

"Wait, these are from Tony?" Virgil blinked as he held a suspiciously football-shaped wrapped package, Athena's shaped like a plus-sized adjustable wrench with the jaw open, both reading From: Tony S.

"Oh yeah, he had those dropped off too," Moxxi hummed like it wasn't that big a deal.

"I'm kinda jealous..." Gaige said as Virgil and Athena opened their gifts, revealing exactly what they were shaped like; a football and a plus-sized adjustable wrench. " . . . Okay maybe I'm a little less jealous."

"A football?" Virgil blinked, wondering if there was some sort of hidden meaning to it.

"Hey look, there's something taped to the back," Athena hummed.

"Oh, on yours too," Virgil pointed out, the two turning their gifts over to reveal a pair of ordinary looking keys stuck onto each of their gifts with scotch tape.

"What do you think they're for?"

"Not sure, but if Tony sent us these, it can't be for anything simple..." Virgil sighed, wondering what kind of symbolism there was.

"Who's 'Tony S.'?" Megan inquired.

"Ah, no-one you know..." Virgil hummed as he dropped the key into his wallet. That was a can of worms for another day. "Anyway! I have something for all of you too," he said as he quickly dashed into his room, coming back down with a Christmas-themed gift bag. "Sorry for the last-minute gift. Work training took up most of my December, so I had to scramble at the last minute," he said handing out manilla envelopes with Christmas stickers slapped onto them.

"What are these?" Brick asked looking down at the certificate in his hand.

"Bearer's bonds. They'll pay out in five years."

"Pffft. Laaame," Tina said crumpling hers up and chucking it over her shoulder.

"Hey…! There's money on the back!" Zatanna gasped.

"A hundred bucks? Spankin'!" Megan grinned.

"Mineminemineminemineminemine!" Tina redacted as she scurried after the crumpled paper.

"Hey, where's my gift?" Artemis pouted as everyone on Virgil's gift list peeled C-notes off their certificates.

"Oh don't worry, I didn't forget about you," Virgil said reaching into his bag and handing her gift over.

"GLUUUGH!" the blond recoiled at the ugly Christmas sweater presented to her. "Is that Santa dry-humping a reindeer?"

"So, how're those boots treatin' ya~?" Virgil smirked, his eyes glinting wickedly.

" . . . You're lucky Athena thinks you're cute," the pretty blond spat as she held the thing at arm's length.

"Artemis, don't be rude. Try it on."

"But mooom!"

"No 'buts', Artemis!"

"I told you I'd make you pay for that snark~" Virgil chuckled as Artemis begrudgingly put on the ugliest of ugly Christmas sweaters.

*Click*

"MOOOM!" Artemis cried with a red face, her mother snickering at her from behind her phone.

"Hey Vee, could you come over here for a minute?" Gaige cooed, waving Virgil over to the hallway, holding something behind her back with her free hand.

"Sure. What do you need?" he asked, only for her to suddenly drop too her knees.

*CLONK!*

"Did… Did you just boot my feet?!" Virgil cried as he stared at the yellow implement locked around his ankles.

"Yup!" Gaige grinned as she cheekily pointed upward. The teen's eyes panning to follow spotted a sprig of mistletoe, and when he looked down, Gaige got up on top toes and stole a kiss on the lips.

"Okay, time's up, Gaige. He's my boyfriend," Athena huffed after giving the red-head a few seconds.

"Aw, come on…!" the Mechromancer whined.

"Can I get out of this thing, now?" Virgil asked, only for Athena to step up and lay a hot one on his lips too.

"In a bit~ Let us girls have our fun~" she winked.

"Not quite sit-com-y, but I'm up for a little cheek action~" Zatanna grinned.

"I-I would like to participate also," Megan said bashfully.

"Geez, what is this? The kissing booth at the county fair?" Artemis huffed as she watched her half-sister's boyfriend get harassed by his fan club.

Of course, given the ugly Christmas sweater she was wearing now, she was thusly smart-enough not to mock him too openly for aforementioned "fan club".

*HOLIDAY CHEER*

Gift-giving having been largely concluded, with everyone having stashed their respective gifts in their rooms, a sudden gasp drew attention to the windows.

"Look! It's snowing!" Tina gasped excitedly.

"Snowball fiiiiight!" Brick whooped as he scooped Mordecai up under one arm, shouldering his way out the back door with the other. His massive feet leaving impressive tracks through the snow, as he entered the yard, out of nowhere there was a loud *THONK!*, Brick sent ass over ear as he hit something no-one could see face-first and hitting the ground with a *WHUMP!* that kicked up a plume of fresh powder.

"What the…?" Roland blinked as he and the others stepped out to the yard, a silhouette of a private plane slowly forming in the yard in front of them.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Lilith said as she tensed up, a door to a dark interior opening up in mid-air, a set of stairs folding down into the snowy ground. "Ugh, you again?"

"Lilith, can we talk?" Black Canary asked as she stepped down, followed shortly after by-

"Wonder Woman?!" Zatanna, Megan, and a few of the other girls gawped at the sight of her.

"Sure, we can talk," Lilith huffed. "Merry Christmas. There, we talked. Buh-bye now," she waved off.

"Lil'-!"

"What, you thought that bringing Wonder Stripper here was going to make me change my mind? Make me forget what you did? What you said?" Lilith bit back, Dinah gritting her teeth in impotent frustration.

"This is starting to get ugly really fast…" Shaula muttered.

"It might be best if we give them some room," Moxxi added, clamping a hand over Tiny Tina's mouth before she could blurt out whatever she was about to blurt out about Wonder Woman's outfit, which remained unchanged even in the winter season.

*AHA*

"So… What's the deal between Black Canary and Lilith?" Megan questioned as the two grown women bickered out in the yard, Wonder Woman looking very uncomfortable at having been dragged into this private matter. Especially once it was clear that her presence had been meant to help smooth things over, only for it to have done the exact opposite.

"They had a falling-out back in their Hero days," Virgil shrugged. "It's not any of our business, really."

"But that makes me want to know what happened mooore," Zatanna insisted as she watched their verbal exchange with all the focus of one watching a train wreck.

"Black Canary didn't like Lilith having a part-time job on the side to secure her livelihood instead of dedicating all her time to 'charity', and… That's basically what it boils down to," Virgil shrugged. "If I said any more, Black Canary would just come out looking really fucking stupid."

"Huh. I guess even adults can make mistakes, at times…" Megan hummed thoughtfully.

"I mean, adults are the ones who have all the deciding power, so that's kind of a given," Virgil shrugged.

Sure, he'd left out the finer print, and that omission may've painted Black Canary in a bad light… But it's not like filling in the details would've had her coming out smelling any more rose-like. I mean, Black Canary trusted a fucking banker! What person with more than two braincells to rub together does that?!

"Sooooo… Did that 'work training' of yours have anything to do with… him?" she asked pointing at Morris.

"Kinda-sorta," Virgil shrugged, tugging on his ear. 'I'm certainly a lot more aware of the sheer gulf in potential between us than when we first met,' he continued telepathically. 'Fact is, I'll never be your equal in pure arcane might, so I'll have to be clever like all the Greek heroes. Enchanting, runes, re-purposed 'Functional Magic'… I'll have to play the role of the "Trickster" because my glass ceiling is probably a lot lower.'

'Well, you did pick the handle "Wildcard", so it makes sense,' Megan hummed thoughtfully. 'I mean, Batman's much the same compared to the rest of the league, but he uses ninja magic and gizmos to make up for the difference instead ofmagic-magic.'

'So basically you're gonna "cheat" when we fight crime?' Zatanna hummed.

'Some would argue that magic is "cheating",' Virgil quipped back.

'Fair point.'

*AHA*

"I don't know what you hoped to accomplish by coming here, but I think you've overstayed whatever welcome you arbitrarily gave yourself," Lilith huffed as she finished chewing out her former friend. "Roland, let's get going. I need a drink."

"Me tooooo…" Brick groaned as he rubbed his head.

"I could drink," Mordecai added.

"You can always drink," Roland countered.

"Your point being?"

"Well… That was a complete disaster…" Dinah sighed as Lilith walked away, literally leaving her out in the cold.

"Did you truly think she would've been more amenable to speaking with my presence alone?" Diana questioned.

"Well, I mean… we were both big fans of yours when we were kids. You know, the whole 'role model' bit since there weren't many female heroes active back then," Dinah answered awkwardly.

"You were awfully lax in divulging the exact nature of the grievance between the two of you," Diana added.

"It's… not a moment I'm particularly proud of…"

"Aren't you the one always saying communication is important in any relationship?"

"Yes, but… it was just really embarrassing…" she trailed off.

"You must've hurt Lilith very deeply if she was so quick to rebuff you."

"Ugh, tell me about it…" Lilith sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Black Canary."

"Giovanni, sorry about this," she apologized as the League magician walked up to them.

"It's no problem. Thankfully you had the good sense to stop off in the back yard," the stage magician returned. "Would you like to come in for a hot beverage? John put on a pot of hot cocoa."

"No, like Lilith said, I overstayed a welcome that wasn't really mine. Intruding on you all like this was probably a mistake…"

"I'm sure if you come back later without your 'entourage', she'll be more amenable to speaking with you."

"Maybe you're right," Dinah sighed.

"Um… excuse me…" Artemis said walking up to the two of them as Giovanni departed, looking fit to run. "Black Canary, Wonder Woman… Can I bend your ear for a sec?"

"Sure. And please, call me Dinah," she said handing over a business card for her practice out of habit.

"Dinah… Right…" she said fumbling around in her bag. "So, listen… A while back I tried crime fighting. Make Gotham a better place, you know? But, well… I had my eyes opened, I set crime-fighting aside, I redoubled my training, and… since you're here, I wanted your opinion on something," she said drawing out a notebook and opening it up to a revised costume design.

It was the same as her old one, but with the inclusion of a midriff-baring jacket with a fur-lined collar and cat eye-like designs on the chest.

"When I first went out, I went by 'Artemis', like the archer, but then… somewhere, along the way…" she said rubbing at her head, "I realized that having my Hero name and my real name be the same was kind of stupid… so after I updated my costume design, I thought about calling myself 'Atalanta'. What do you think?"

"Hm. I like the design. Flexible, very practical, and you definitely have a theme going," Dinah hummed looking at the detailed draft, noting how the coat was noted as being equipped with bullet-resistant materials.

"Atalanta was a noble hunter of the highest caliber. I would assume your skills with the bow are up to par?" Diana hummed as she looked the young woman over, taking note of her muscular build, still possessing feminine curves.

"I'm proud of my archery," Artemis nodded. "It's just… On that first night, I needed someone to save me, so I was wondering… Can I become a Hero, like you two, even if I don't have any powers?"

" . . . It isn't a life path I recommend lightly. It's a long journey with little in the way of reward," Dinah hummed. "Maybe this is a bit hypocritical to say with 'teen heroes' like Robin, Speedy, Kid Flash, and Aqualad who are all so well-known, but maybe you should let yourself grow up a little more before seriously considering this."

"I've thought for years about this," Artemis countered. "My parents… I didn't come from a good place, so maybe part of it is I want to be better than my predecessors… But I genuinely do want to help people, and fighting crime as a 'Hero' is the only way I can think to do it. There's too much politics in police, and even with everything Gordon has done, the GCPD's rep is still in the shitter."

"Wanting to help someone isn't something that requires a 'reason'," Diana said putting a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "If this is truly something you want to pursue, I'll offer whatever help I can, but in the end, it's ultimately your own decision what path your life will take," she said handing over a business card to the Themysciran Embassy in New York.

Or at least the address of its secondary location since the first Embassy was smack dab in one of the Infected Zones and was a complete write-off.

*HOLIDAY CHEER*

"Virgil, can you come with me? I have something for your car," Sunny said tugging on his extra-long sleeve.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?" Virgil asked as he and the other girls followed him around to the front, wheeling the Coupe into the garage so they weren't working in the cold.

"A bit of supplementary equipment. Assuming Lopez installed the A.I. Slot to my specifications, installation should be as easy as one…" She pried the center of the dash upward revealing a- "two…" -large cassette-like slot that she installed a shiny rectangular cartridge into- "three!" -before locking the center of the dash back down over the assembly, a loading icon appearing on the center screen.

"I'm sorry, did you just say 'AI Slot'?" Zatanna blinked before the screen went black, and then lit back up as two arcs criss-crossing at the ends traced their way across the screen before a many-segmented circle appeared in the middle, giving it an eye-like appearance.

"Hello. I am the Successor A.I. of the F.I.L.S.S. computer system. You may call me 'Sheila'," the car console said in a digitized feminine tone, the 'eye' actually a circular sound bar.

"Whoooooa… Far out…" Megan gawped.

"Hold on, you made your own A.I.? For a car?" Zatanna gawped.

"Red Tornado's A.I. was made back in the late-40s, as were Dr. Magnus' Metal Men," Sunny returned. "It isn't all that weird for smarter A.I. to come up later."

"But… You're a kid!"

"Who's basically the same age as you, 'Magic Lass'," the young genius huffed back.

" . . . Okay that's fair," the magi conceded.

"Question: What's a 'Successor A.I.'?" Megan groused.

" . . . "

"You're free to answer, Shiela," Sunny stated.

"A Successor A.I. is essentially a copy an A.I. makes of itself in an attempt to save itself should it's A.I. Core be destroyed," Sheila answered.

"Wait, something happened to F.I.L.S.S.?" Virgil asked worriedly.

"We had a close call a while back, and since a Bluebox can't really handle two separate A.I., I off-shot Sheila onto a cartridge to install into an appropriate vehicle," Sunny answered.

"And you chose my car?"

"Sheila is still relatively young in A.I. terms. She needs a lighter workload as she accumulates A.I. behavioral learning data, or her personality matrix might fragment."

"Wait, you mean there's a person in there?!" Zatanna gawped.

"Sheila and F.I.L.S.S. are non-sentient A.I. She just happens to be a few rungs up the ladder from the A.I. you have in your phone."

"And everyone's just… okay with a high-end A.I. being in my luxury car?" Virgil blinked.

"There aren't a lot of other places we can keep her, and at least with you her Platform will be nice and safe," Sunny hummed. "Plus, now you have auto-drive like the Batmobile, or K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider."

"Wait, you mean she can drive herself like the-"

"Yeah, I think she can," Zatanna said, stopping Megan from blurting out anything compromising. Her identity wasn't a secret, but M'gann's was.

"Would you like to take a test drive, Vincent?" Sheila asked.

"Is that even safe?" Megan blinked. "I mean, you're still accumulating 'A.I. behavioral learning data', right?"

"Shiela?" Virgil asked when the A.I. clammed up. Likely because Megan wasn't 'green lit' to be told technical data of that sort.

"Do not be worried. In the time since I was segregated from F.I.L.S.S., I have undergone extensive VR training, with thousands of hours of simulated data sets, as well as human feedback based on my chosen actions. However, no amount of VR can ever match real-world deployment, which I can use to further refine my VR training code."

"Soooo... You're like a pre-Knight Rider version of K.I.T.T.?" Megan blinked.

"Incorrect. K.I.T.T. is a 'self-aware cybernetic logic module'; I am a non-sentient Artificial Intelligence contained within a state-of-the-art Von Neumann-architecture Bluebox computer," Shiela replied, sounding almost offended.

"You're rather articulate for something that's self-proclaimed as 'non-sentient'," Zatanna hummed thoughtfully.

"I fail to see how my current level of articulation is particularly amazing. Robotic pets with neuro-AIs are already on the higher-end market for Japanese consumers. And I understand research and development are underway to create a model capable of conversation. Do not be surprised if such a pet becomes available before too long in America."

"Still, a computer that can actually talk back to you without being 'a person'... That's a little weird..."

"Is it? The human race has willingly embraced all of its other inventions so far. Steam engines, electricity, the Internet, cyborgs... Perhaps the day will come when conversing with AIs, too, is considered perfectly normal."

"Is it possible you could become self-aware in the future?" Megan suddenly asked.

"Not with her current architecture," Sunny hummed. "The only A.I. capable of passing the Turing Test and being considered 'human' by international law are those with an Optical Neuro architecture, which in turn is fundamentally similar to an actual human brain. Whether or not such A.I. are capable of lying is another question, but they're certainly capable of making incorrect statements."

"And... what grade are you in exactly?" Zatanna asked.

"I'm equivalent to a college graduate with a doctorate in AI Design," she replied plainly, causing Zatannna to blanch.

"Well, Sheila is certainly smarter than what you'll slap on your windshield," Megan hummed thoughtfully.

"I am also fully capable of engaging in the art of 'small talk'."

"Like what?" the disguised Martian inquired.

"Breakfast-table greetings. The structure of elementary particles. The challenges resulting from rapid globalization. Recent trends in popular music. Though admittedly, as I was previously segregated from a military asset, the likelihood I would be treated as anything more than equipment was rather low."

"That's horrible...!"

"Mr. Valentine on the other hand, is open-enough in mind to treat a non-sentient A.I. as something close to a human. For that purpose, I will endeavor to keep him as safe as physically possible. The military-grade enhancements this frame has received, in addition to those of the more esoteric nature, mean I can only be out-performed by vehicles such as the United States' President's 'Beast' and the Papacy's 'Popemobile' by a nominally small margin, and even then, only due to my own lack of a motorcade."

"This is a really weird conversation to be having with a car..." Zatanna said still taking it all in.

"To be fair, it is more like you are talking to another passenger, not the vehicle I am mounted in itself. Now, about that test drive, Vincent?"

" . . . Sure, let's go for a drive. And please, call me Vee," Virgil said as Sunny shifted to the middle, him taking the driver's seat while Zatanna and Megan climbed into the back. "Sheila, take us to Mt. Justice and back, please."

"Of course, sir," Sheila replied, the car engine starting and the garage door opening before the pedals and steering wheel started moving by themselves.

"Wow… This car really can drive itself," Zatanna blinked as the Coupe left the driveway and headed towards town.

"This'll definitely take some getting-used-to though..." Virgil trailed off as he just sat there behind the wheel, unsure what to do with himself.

*HOLIDAY CHEER*

Later that evening after a successful test drive…

"By the way, Mr. Jones, Mr. Zatara."

"Yes?" the disguised Martian inquired.

"That whole song and dance with Saint Nick as you ate the cookies, who was that for exactly?"

"What are you talking about?" Giovanni blinked.

"You know…" Virgil sighed tiredly.

*Past*

Happy Harbor
December 25, 00:35 EST

"Just a little something *yawwwwwn* to get me through to morning..." Virgil muttered to himself as he went for the fridge.

Pouring himself a glass of milk and rolling some sandwich meat and cheese into a tube to nibble on, as he paced toward the dining room, he noticed a red-clad man imbibing in the milk and cookies set out by the fireplace, a large bag of gifts set off to the side.

"Oh *yawwwwwn* Hey there Mr. Jones," Virgil said blinking his half-lidded eyes, the red-clad man, complete with bushy eyebrows and voluminous white beard, tilting his head confusedly after looking up to regard him.

"I'm not Mr. Jones, I'm Mr. Clause~" the man said jovially as he reached into his bag, plucking a few wrapped presents from its cavernous depths before adding them to the pile spilling out from under the tree.

"Really selling the bit, huh?" the teen hummed as he finished his snack, licking his fingers clean. "Well, bonus points for authenticity, though I'm not sure who-else would be up for this."

"Hohoh. You have a good night, young man~" the red-clad figure replied as he tapped his nose, body dematerializing into a cloud of golden sparkles that shot up the chimney and out of sight.

*Present*

"You turning into Santa Clause, eating the milk and cookies, leaving the goodies behind from that magic satchel, and then zipping back up the chimney with a tap on your nose and golden sparkles."

" . . . "

" . . . "

" . . . Why're you guys staring at me like that?"

"Virgil… Neither of us played Santa Clause last night," John stated.

"I'm sorry what?"

"Virgil. As soon as we all got back from the… tour, we all went to bed. Neither of us put on any 'show'…" Giovanni stated.

" . . . "

" . . . "

" . . . "

" . . . "

" . . . WHAT?!"

*HOLIDAY CHEER*

AN:
Santa Clause canonically exists in the DC Universe. And he also fucks with Darkseid.

That is CANON, people!