Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business 21st Century Legion: Redemption at the North Pole (Finished except for editing))

Okay, so a few years back a bunch of us started writing about what the Legion would be like in the 21st century.

Reboot and Cobalt Kid were the heaviest contributors to the thread, and you can see their continuations here in 21st Century Legion vol.2 .

v1 was where it all started, and my last posts were here. I was there when we brought the team together, and had started on a subplot that was never finished

Our roll call lists all the characters we used.

Our chat thread for discussion is here, and Reboot has an excellent bios thread here.

Whew. That is a lot. I was there for the beginning, but even I am lost now.

Anyway...

This thread is for me to finally wrap up my part in the story.

I'm actually a bit embarrassed about my early writing - it's not all that good. And my early dialogue was just awful. But I love the Legionnaires I'm using here.

Recap:

Jenni (Flash) and Jazmin (Kid Quantum) are making their way to a military installation near the North Pole. They want to get answers (and revenge) on what happened to Jenni's mother (Dawn) and Jazmin's brother (James). They got some information that leads them to believe that UN official Jeanne Chu (haven't decided if I'll make her Secretary of State yet) is behind this, and kidnapped Jenni's mom and Jazmin's brother to experiment on them.

Jenni and Jazmin know for sure their relatives are dead.

Zoe (Kinetix), Garth (Live Wire), Brock (Blizzard) and Chuck (Rebound) went after them to stop them. On the way, they met Berta (Amihan - a Filipino term for a cool northeast wind) who followed the Legionnaires she recognized.

Irma (Tela) and Sally (Shrinking Violet) are also aware of this, but they haven't told any other Legionnaires.

My story ended with the quintet (Kinetix, Live Wire, Rebound, Blizzard and Amihan) reaching the military base that Flash and Kid Quantum are in.

Character notes:

Amihan - version of Nightwind. Filipina. Very courteous and has a strong community mentality - the needs of the group before the needs of the one.

Blizzard - version of Polar Boy. from Norway. Strong sense of warrior's honor. Slight crush on Kinetix.

Flash - version of XS. she thought she'd gotten through her mom's death, but recent events have brought it all back to the surface again

Kid Quantum - version of Kid Quantum II. headstrong and angry

Kinetix - loves life, socializing, friends. Always longed to be popular; now that she is, she realizes she'd rather have a few treasured friends

Live Wire - somewhat hotheaded and dynamic type who has mellowed down - think Live Wire during Legion Lost.

Rebound - version of Bouncing Boy. Chinese descent. Responsible Asian kid who secretly wants freedom to pursue his own life.

Tela - version of Saturn Girl. capable, smart, somewhat bossy, her role is to keep their disappearance from being noticed

Violet - not so much shy as insecure about trusting others. she's also somewhat insecure about her looks, but NOT about her abilities

Repost 1: (this is pretty bad, I'm almost embarrassed to post it)

Zoe couldn't contain her excitement as she checked her reflection in the mirror. Sure, she had missed her prom, but joining the Legion more than made up for that! All the girls back home would be green with envy, and all the boys would be dying to ask her out! She could just imagine it now, when the prom king himself would walk up to her, tapping her on the shoulder, and then, when she turned around, he would stare into her emerald green eyes and say, "Excuse-"

"me, Zoe, but could you help me with my costume?"

"Zoe whirled around to find Sally, her closest new friend, in the doorway, wearing her new costume. "The legs are too short; I was wondering if you could lengthen them?"

"But why? They show off your legs perfectly! I'd love to have an outfit like that! Although," she said, twirling her hair," this one is just perfect!"

"I'd rather not become such a center of attraction... I don't really care about clothes that much."

Zoe giggled. "I have a friend just like you back home! Her name was Sabrina, and she always had neat but kind of old-fashioned clothes. So did I, and the cheerleaders never let us forget it." She stopped giggling as the painful memories came flashing back. But only for a moment, then she brightened up again. "But at least now I can have all the beautiful clothes I want. And I'll make sure they know it."

"You still worry about what they think?" Sally asked, still in that same even, quiet tone of voice. "You're already beautiful, even without pretty clothes."

"But... beauty, intelligence, talent... none of them are really important unless the popular, powerful people like you, Sally." Zoe shook her head for emphasis.

"No..." Sally hung her head. "I've learned long ago not to care what others think."

Zoe paused at the sadness in Violet's tone. Sally was by no means the most popular Legionnaire in the group. Yet here she was, Zoe's new best friend.

Maybe she would reconsider what she'd just said.

She took Sally's hand and tried to cheer her up. "You should care what your good friends think, and I think you just said something very wise." Violet's face brightened. "Want to talk about it over some ice cream? I hear we have our very own chef!"

"Sure! Think he has strawberry?" Sally said as they stood up, costume alterations all but forgotten.

Repost 2:

Roberta Skye Herrera gazed at the view from her home in Baguio City. No amount of pushing by the city council of the Summer Capital of the Philippines for modernization would ever make her wish that the beautiful greenery would give way to a sprawling cityscape.

She checked her things once more. She had packed her jacket, toiletries and enough clothes to last two weeks. She double-checked her passport, tickets, visa and wallet. She had enough money for two weeks' worth of expenses, with enough left over for a ticket back home. And that was if she was frugal. Everything was all set.

She walked down the large wooden stairs, looking at the family pictures on the walls. Her parents, smiling at their wedding. Her grandmother, twenty years gone now. Her lolo, her grandfather, the one who had given her her second name - Skye. He had always dreamed of flying through the skies in a plane, and he finally had - not as a pilot, though, but as a passenger. Roberta had inherited his love of heights and the sky - and something more.

Around her, the air began to whirl.

"Berta! What did I tell you about using your powers in the house?"

Roberta clicked her tongue angrily. This lack of control would not do if she was to impress the Legion! She let the breeze die down before it could do more damage, then thought again. She used her powers to fix the picture frames she had moved with the wind. Satisfied, she continued down the stairs.

"You must not get distracted, Berta. The Americans are tightening security now, and we would not want them to mistake you for a terrorist."

"I'm sorry, inay. I will be careful."

"Ay, you listen to your mother, Skye. You may only get one chance," her grandfather said, not unkindly.

Berta smiled back at his wise, weathered face. "Yes, lolo. I'll join the Legion and make you proud."

Her mother smiled too. "Just think what your ninangs (godmothers) would say when they find out that you have such wonderful powers! They already say that God has blessed you with so much."

Berta wondered what her friends would say, too. She imagined their excited reactions - her closest friends would definitely be thrilled with her, while her acquaintances might become even more plastic. She could tell they were jealous of her intelligence, her good grades, her leadership skills and the high positions she held in high school, and now her acceptance into the University of the Philippines and in Ateneo and La Salle. She had also made it into the University of Santo Tomas -and as a nursing student, no less! She had been having trouble deciding which to enter, but then the news about the Legion had reached them, and she was quick to seize the opportunity. Her lolo had backed her up, and her parents, after a bit of hesitation, agreed as well. An opportunity like this did not come by often, and if it somehow didn't work out she could always come back and enter college.

"I'm sure they'll be proud, mother. I just hope that no users will take advantage of us."

"Ay, hija, don't you worry. We can deal with them if there are any. We are used to that. Now come, let us have breakfast. We still have a long drive to make before reaching Manila. And we have a lot of things to take care of before you leave."

Berta grimaced. She wasn't looking forward to the almost eight-hour drive. It would be faster to fly there on her own power, but she understood the risk in doing that. There was no telling what would happen if the media got wind of her powers. It would be nice to fly again and feel the wind in her face, but... no matter, she'd have plenty of chances to do that in America. As she sat down to a hearty meal, she relished the thought of that. Soon, soon, all her dreams would come true.

Repost 3: The premise is kind of silly, but... ah hell i'm too lazy to come up with a better one.

***********************************************

"Jenni." Jazmin whispered her teammates' name calmly, but with a hint of urgency in her voice. "I have a new lead."

Jenni nodded. It was all she could do to hope. She waited impatiently while Jaz caught her breath.

"I was on monitor duty the other day, and an alert came from a military installation in the Arctic. But before I could do anything, a second message came in, saying that the situation was contained. Following protocol, I called up a live feed to make sure - and I caught a glimpse of what looked like Chu."

Jaz looked Jenni straight in the eyes.

"This could be it. Ostensibly, the place's purpose is for research on counters to known chemical weapons. Chu definitely has no business there."

Jenni nodded. "I'll make arrangements pronto. Meet me at the hangar in one hour."

Repost 4:

Jenni's mind flashed back to the conversation she had had with Jazmin earlier that week. Her pulse quickened as she thought about what it would feel like to see the end of her search. She imagined herself racing in, grabbing the monster who had killed her mother and...

... and what?

She'd thought about that moment many times over the last few years, but she'd never gotten farther than that. It all seemed one of those movies where the heroes move heaven and earth to battle the villains, and you can only imagine what's running through their minds while they do. Jenni couldn't quite imagine what was in her mind. Why had she left her surviving family, joined the Legion, worked with her new teammate to track down the people they had both been looking for for ages - and why, now that it seemed like they had finally found them, was she suddenly not sure about it all?

"Jenni?"

Jenni jerked out of her trance to see Zoe Saunders, Kinetix, floating above her. The beautiful telekinetic had a green glow around her, and was wearing yet another costume. "Finally! I've been trying to get your attention for the past minute. I mean, that's like a lifetime for you, right? I was about to give up and leave you here. Would have saved me from the horrible curse of Monitor Duty!"

Jenni stood up, face burning slightly. Inwardly, she kicked herself for that. What if her teammates got suspicious? "Sorry, Zoe! I was just - thinking." Her mind raced, telling her to change the subject. "You wouldn't really have left me alone, would you?"

"Oh, if I were sure nobody had noticed me coming in, I would've." Zoe answered with a mischievous grin. "Tina and Nura want to head to the beach tomorrow, and I wanted to talk them into going today. Why wait, right? Besides, I'm almost done with the Halloween costumes. You'll LOVE yours, Jenni. Want to try it on right now?"

"Uh, no thanks. Surprise me. I'm sure you did a great job on the design."

Jenni was relieved to see the green glow around Zoe die down. "Yeah, I guess it'd spoil the surprise. Say, you think I can talk Cos or whoever's in charge into opening the party to the public? I'd love to have my old classmates over."

Jenni thought she detected a touch of - something flash in Zoe's eyes. Anger? Jealousy? Whatever it was, it probably wasn't serious.

"Oh, you still keep in touch with them? I thought you couldn't, what with all the travel you did with your mom."

Zoe shrugged, a tad too violently. "It was tough, but I did e-mail them. They replied often enough, though we did lose touch a bit. That's why I want them to come, so they can see me now. Anyway - I've gotta get to work. Don't want Gene or Irma to catch me slacking off."

Jenni sensed that she had touched a nerve. "I - Okay." Now wasn't the best time to fix it, though. Besides, it wasn't like she did it intentionally. Not like Zoe would hold a grudge because of that. "See you around. Hey, it'll be too late to go to the beach later, but maybe you want to jump in the pool? It's almost as good."

"Sure." Zoe gave a little smile. "Why not? But only if you let me design your suit."

"Deal." Jenni smiled back, thoughts of her search almost gone. Maybe she wasn't looking for revenge, after all. Maybe she just needed some friends to fill the gap in her heart.

Repost 5:


"Jenni." The word hung in the air for but a second, but the sound of her voice almost frightened Jazmin. She sounded hard. Very hard. "You've been avoiding me. We need to talk."

Jaz paused as she took in the surprise on Jenni's face. It lasted only a moment, though, before being replaced by a short look of guilt, then calm once more.

"You're right, Jaz. I'm sorry. I just don't think..." Jaz saw Jenni swallow, almost imperceptibly, but it was there. "I think we should take this info to Gene."

Jaz felt her temper flare up, but she willed herself to calm down. She had been exhausting herself lately, keeping up with her training AND keeping an eye out for Chu. She had no solid proof that Chu had been behind her brother's death, but it seemed likely. Like the rest of the team, Jenni had supported her. Unlike the rest, jenni had been a big help. At first. Lately, though, she seemd to be getting cold feet.

"We can't. He'd turn it in to the police or the military or confront Chu himself. You know that. Rex and Irma would too. So would most of the others. We agreed we had to do this ourselves, Jenni. Don't bail out on me now."

"I just don't think revenge is the best reason for us to do this.

"It doesn't have to be. We'll be stopping them from ever doing this again. Look, Jenni, I know revenge isn't all that. I admit it's part of the reason why I'm so focused on this, but for me it's just a small bonus. I'm doing this to stop Chu. Period."

Jaz watched Jenni closely. It was true, what she had said. Mostly. She hoped Jenni believed her.

She did. "You're right. I'm sorry. We should get ready."

Jazmin let a smile creep back on her face. "I'm glad, Jenni. Let's go."

Repost 6:

Sally grew back to normal height as she watched Jenni and Jaz walk down the hall. She had come to join Zoe at monitor duty, knowing how much she hated spending her time alone. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but she was glad she had dropped that pin on the carpet.

Sally knew she had to put a stop to this, but she wasn't sure how. She was a bit afraid of what might happen. Almost anything she could think of could end badly for Jenni or Jaz.

This wasn't the time for inaction, though. Sally had learned long ago that just because you're not sure of yourself doesn't mean you can't act. She needed help, though.

She'd have to tell Zoe.

Repost 7:

Jazmin double-checked her knapsack for the third time since leaving her room. She satisfied herself that everything was complete, then headed up to the roof. She didn't want anything going wrong now and ruining her and Jenni's plans.

*************************************************

Jenni ran through the streets of New York, enjoying the feel of the wind in her face. Soon, she and Jaz would see their business done. Soon, she'd be free.

*************************************************

Zoe bit her lip as she looked at the monitor screen. She could see that the others in the room were a bit worried too. Maybe more than a bit. Sally had been right, but now Sally was off on another mission.

Irma's voice broke through her thoughts. "Jazmin's heading for the roof, and Jenni's gone. I guess they left separately so they wouldn't be noticed."

"Then we'd better leave immediately." Chuck's voice sounded like he could be discussing what plans to make for the weekend. Zoe knew he was nervous too, but she also knew that no matter what his feelings he'd do what needed doing. That's why he was here right now, in fact. Sally hadn't wanted to tell anyone about Jenni and Jaz, but Zoe had convinced her that the matter was too big to keep to themselves.

Gene was never up for consideration. He'd likely have exploded and gone to confront Jenni and Jaz, and Zoe could see no way that would turn out well. Rex had too much on his plate right now; he'd have known what to do but Zoe didn't want to add to his troubles anymore. Chuck, on the other hand, knew how to deal with stuff like this. And Zoe and Sally both felt they could trust him.

They were right. Chuck didn't think approaching Jenni and Jaz about this was a good idea either, so he'd suggested telling Irma. With Irma came Garth, and the five of them had decided on the best course of action. Talking to Jenni or Jaz was out of the question. You couldn't just ask someone if they were planning to go and... Zoe couldn't bring herself to think about it.

Irma had "read" the two to help the decide. She was loathe to enter their minds without permission, of course, but scanning their sirface emotions wasn't a violation of privacy. She said that Jenni had seemed... dreadfully eager was the only phrase for it. Eager to get the task done, but afraid of what might happen. Jaz had seemed more determined, but there was also a touch of anxiety at what exactly they would do. Irma had been sure that they'd been working mostly on emotion, and that they needed to go through with this for their piece of mind. Garth, of course, had agreed, and so had Chuck.

With Irma against entering their minds, they had done a bit of detective work. They already knew about Jenni's mother and Jaz's brother, and it had been only a little dificult to scan the mission monitor board records for the Arctic base. The tickets to Norway linked everything together.

That last was why Brock was here as well. His knowledge of the Artcic north would come in handy for their plan, which was to follow their teammates up north, and... they hadn't gotten that far. Irma was sure neither of the two would do anything that drastic, but you never knew. But she, Chuck, Garth and Brock would follow and watch, and step in if they needed to. Irma would stay and cover for them, and keep the four in telepathic contact while monitoring Jaz's and Jenni's states. It was the best they could hope for. Brock had been hesitant at first, but Chuck had convinced him to help.

"Everything all set?" Chuck had stepped into a leadership role early on, though he was too nice to actually command. He lead out of respect though, and that was more effective. "Okay, you know the drill. Zoe, good luck."

Zoe nodded, and psychokinetically altered her costume and hair. It was important that Jenni and Jaz not recognize her. She hoped all would go well.

Repost 8:


Berta did not expect that her plans would lead her to this much trouble. She didn't expect that the UN would put a temporary ban on new recruits for the Legion while they "got things in order". She didn't expect that her mother would be forced to leave her alone in New York for a few days while she went home to take care of business that couldn't wait. She didn't expect that she'd be spending most of her time in the square in front of Legion headquarters, hoping that she'd be able to introduce herself to a Legionnaire.

She sighed. It had been three days since she first had that idea, but it hadn't panned out. Only a few Legionnaires ever left their HQ on foot. She'd seen Jenni Ogants, but she doubted Jenni had seen her. Sometimes Irma Ardeen and Garth Raines would pass by, but one look at the two of them together told her it was best not to disturb them.

She'd debated whether she should fly up to the roof and hopefully intercept one of the Legionnaires. On one hand, it was better than rotting down her. On the other hand, it wouldn't make for a good first impression if she'd be mistaken as a spy or assailant.

She was just about to give up when she saw what could only have been Zoe Saunders fly from the roof. She squinted. The girl looked nothing like Zoe, but she had the same green glow. A disguise, then.

At the same instant, she overheard three voices.

"Is it a good idea to let Zoe go by herself? I do not wish her to come to harm."

"Brock, we've gone over this. We'd be too obvious if we all went on the same flight Jenni and Jaz took. Irma will keep us in telepathic contact, and besides, it's not like they'll attack Zoe."

"Besides, we'll meet up in Norway and follow them together. Come un, let's hustle."

Berta peeked around the corner and recognized the three Legionnaires. It only took her three seconds to decide to follow them.

Repost 9:

Jazmin buckled herself into her seat and smiled at Jenni. "This is it."

Jenni nodded, though the beginnings of a frown creased her face. "I'm sure all will go well."

Jaz nodded back. "It will. We'll bring Chu to justice and everything will turn out all right. I bet even Gene will forgive us for sneaking out like that if we succeed."

Jenni closed her eyes and smiled. "I wish I could be that optimistic." Jazmin wanted to ask what exactly she wanted to be more optimistic about, but thought against it. No sense putting more pressure on either of them. She opened her mouth to reassure Jenni, but the other girl spoke first.

"I'm gonna get some shuteye. Wake me when they serve lunch."

Jaz tried to laugh, to ease the tension Jenni was feeling, but she couldn't do it. She was afraid herself. "You got it."

*************************************************

Zoe leafed through the pages of the magazine, but the words failed to interest her. She kept glancing at Jenni and Jazmin, who were about four seats in front of her. She wished she could just go over and talk to them, ask them what was wrong, but of course she couldn't.

She sat back with a sigh, checking to see if her wig was straight. Jenni and Jazmin were not as close as Sally was, of course, or even Chuck, but they were still her friends. She hoped that what she was doing was still being a good friend to them.

*************************************************
Chuck frowned to himself as he boarded their plane. They would land only 15 minutes after Zoe's plane would, but it was enough for their plan to go terribly wrong. What if they couldn't find each other in time, or what if Jenni and Jazmin left and they couldn't tail them? He had rehearsed several scenarios in his mind, and planned for them all, but it still worried him. He wasn't a pessimist by nature, but he did worry far too much. He was just glad that Garth and Brock were with him. At least he didn't have to face things alone.
************************************************
Brock grimaced as he thought about Zoe. It wasn't right that she should go alone. he understood the others' reasoning, but he still felt that there was some danger. oe had volunteered, but it still didn't feel right. And he worried for her. He didn't want to think about what might happen.
************************************************
Berta hurriedly went to her seat on the plane. Luckily, she had been able to buy a ticket with the credit card her mom had left her. Her aunt had also been at work so she was able to pack everything she might need up north. She would have missed the plane had she not flown faster and harder than she'd ever flown before.

She clasped her hands and closed her eyes, saying a little prayer for safety. If all worked out well she'd impress the six Legionnaires. And if not... Risks had to be taken, but Berta hoped that this risk was worth taking.

Repost 10:


Kinetix marveled at the clearness of the cool crisp air, and how clearly she could see her two teammates. She'd been tailing them for nearly an hour, but just a few mintues ago Flash had kicked up a cloud of dust to hide herself and Kid Quantum from prying eyes. She knew they couldn't have gotten far, since Jenni wouldn't leave the slower Jazmin behind, but the only way she could have seen them would be to telekinetically sweep the dust away - and that would have given her presence away.

She'd been about to give up and wait for Garth and the others, but suddenly wind had cleared the dustclouds away. What luck! And now she could see exactly where they were heading.

"Garth, you guys need to hurry up. I know exactly where they're going and we have to stop them right now!"

************************************************

"I've scouted the area. I don't see any guards outside, but I'm sure there's some surveillance. You'll have to take care of that." Jenni said.

"Fine," Jazmin's eyes glowed as she prepared herself. "I'm ready."

************************************************

"Took you long enough."

"Sorry, Ma'am. Not everyone is capable of flight, you know. You're just lucky Irma's had enough power left to link us up to here. Now we're on our own until she can get some rest. Now where-"

"You are not hurt?" Brock jumped in, not even noticing that he'd interrupted Garth.

"Brock, I--"

"That's sweet of you, but no. All I did was fly, Brock. But let's focus on helping Jenni and Jaz, okay?" Zoe turned to face Garth again.

"They're over there, on the other side of that building. Jenni must have scouted the entrance, and-" Chuck cut her off with a gesture.

"There's someone following us." He whispered. "Listen."

They all stopped, and heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps.

Brock raised a quizical eyebrow, and Garth nodded.

They all heard the loud gasp as a flurry of snow descended in the direction of the footsteps.

Repost 11:

"Who are you?" Garth demanded to the figured buried waist-deep in snow.

"My name is Berta Herrera, but you may call me Amihan. You are Legionnaires, right?"

The four Legionnaires exchanged looks at the calmness of the reply. Chuck shrugged his shoulders. "No sense in lying, she's pretty sure of herself. You okay?"

"Yes. I apologize for following you, but I was hoping you could help me. I want to join the Legion."

"Somehow I knew you were going to say that. You were the one who cleared the dust away for Kinetix? And I suppose you were responsible for the wind that helped push me along while I was bouncing?"

Chuck barely waited for her nod before turning to his three still-surprised teammates. He shrugged again. "Amihan's a Filipino word that means trade wind, roughly. I have roots there. She's good; it took me a while to notice that the wind seemed to be concentrated in one area. Should we take her along with us? I think she'd be an asset. She's definitely Legion material."

Barely waiting for their nods, Chuck turned towards Berta. "Welcome aboard, Berta. Good work following us. Lucky for you, the UN's still squabbling over the Legion membership protocols - I think we'll be able to slip you past the ban and get you in. Most of the others wouldn't turn down a new member either. Now, let's get that snow off you."

"Thank you!" Though her voice was controlled, Berta's grin spoke volumes. "I can blow it away."

As they watched Berta do just that, Brock whispered. "That IS Chuck, right?"

Zoe frowned. "He mentioned being class president in high school, but I never thought he was that confident."

"Just goes to show you-"

Garth's next words were drowned out in a sudden explosion.

Zoe tried her best to make out what was happening. Explosions threw snow up all around her, but her shield was keeping her warm.

She looked around; Brock had created an ice shield around the rest of them.

She strained her eyes to see if she could spot Jenni or Jazmin. All she could see was a hole in the wall of the building they'd come to.

And what looked like a small army coming towards them. In front of which was a large behemoth.

***********************************************

"Weshouldhavehadaplan!" Jenni gasped as she grabbed Jazmin and raced around the armed men firing at them.

"We did have a plan! It just fell apart!" Luckily, Jazmin had little trouble understanding her teammate - she simply slowed down the sound waves coming at her. She turned and aged the weapons the men were holding. "You can put me down no-"

Before she finished, Jenni had clobbered each of the men.

"Efficient, as always."

Jenni looked troubled, though. "Jazmin, what do we do when we find out who is behind all this? How do we make him or her talk?"

Jazmin's face was grim. "I don't know, but between your powers and mine... All I know is I'm not letting James go unavenged."

*************************************************

Chuck bounced frantically, trying to draw away the giant rumbling towards them. Whatever it was, it was oddly fast for its bulk. It had orange skin and a snarl that made him feel even colder than the air around him.

Garth loosed a bolt of electricity at it, but it didn't seem to faze it much.

"Great, what did those two do?" Garth yelled. "10 bucks says they were the ones who caused this place to go nuts!"

"Looks like it," Zoe said as she tried to sink the giantess in the snow. "I can see some guns over by the hole in the wall, and they look rusted. Jazmin's work, probably."

"Grife... we have to move fast. Okay, electricity doesn't work... yet. Chuck! Lure that thing over here. I have an idea... but I need some cover!"

"Leave that to me," Brock said as his eyes glowed. He raised his hand, and snow began to blanket the area.

Chuck gritted his teeth as he bounced against the thing's head to gain its attention. "Ouch", he thought. "This thing is tough."

Berta signaled from the right. "Over here!"

Chuck saw what looked to be a frozen pond. He quickly headed for it.

As he bounced on top of the shiny surface, the creature trudged after him. "Whatever they're planning, it better work," he thought. "I'm not sure even I could stand being squeezed by that..."

Brock began to feel more and more like he was one with the blizzard around him. He was whipping up large amounts of ice to obscure the visions of the men firing at him and his friends.

He could have frozen and disabled them one by one, but he didn't even know where they were firing from.

At least this way, they were on equal footing.

He created an ice shield around him, just in case one of them got in a lucky shot.

He hoped he wouldn't have to hold this for long.

*************************************************

Zoe waited as the creature reached a patch of ice that her TK powers told her was particularly weak. "That's it, follow the bouncing ball..."

As soon as Chuck was clear, she acted.

*************************************************

Garth watched as the creature plunged towards the water that had opened up beneath it. The hole was just big enough for it to fall in totally while still being able to grab the sides.

Pleased to see his plan working, he let out a measured charge of electricity. Legionnaires wouldn't kill, but they sure as hell could shock.

*************************************************

Berta watched as the creature flailed in the water. It looked like Live Wire was generating a charge just strong enough to hurt it, based on his previous attempt.

She acted next. The creature would be dizzy, probably panicking. She would help it along by stealing its air.

**************************************************

Confusion. Pain. Struggle.

The girl didn't understand what was happening. It was so hard to think right now. Thoughts wouldn't form. Desperately, she struggled to unlatch the collar around her neck - it was an awful symbol of captivity. Captivity that she had almost escaped.

She tried to speak as well, to cry for help. Nothing came out. Desperately, she waved her fingers, trying to sign for help.

************************************************

Chuck's eyes opened wide. Could it be? Their captured prey was... using sign language?

"Guys, stop! Stop what you're doing now!"

"What... why?" asked Garth.

"I think that thing is intelligent. Look, trust me. I know sign language, and she was just signing help."

Garth paused at that. He was able at tactics, but Chuck had shown his skill at understanding people.

"Berta, let's break off. Zoe, can you pull our capture out of the water?"

Candi suddenly felt warmth replace the cold that had enveloped her just a while ago. Like magic, she could feel herself floating while the water that had soaked her clothes vanished.

She could also breathe again. Blessed, blessed air.

"Are you okay?"

Candi opened her eyes, trying to get her bearings. Four concerned faces looked at her; all looked to be her age.

"You saved me?"

"We only attacked you in the first place because we thought you were attacking us," said a chubby young man. He reached out to her. "I'm Chuck."

She took it somewhat warily. "I'm Candi. But... what are you doing here?"

"We came looking for two of our friends. They were trying to break in here." said a petite redhead. "Have you seen them? We figured you escaped from this place. This proved our suspicions." She held up the collar that used to be around Candi's neck.

With a gasp, Candi felt her own neck, just to be sure it wasn't there. Free! She was finally free...

She couldn't help it. She began sobbing.

The chubby boy took her hand again. "Candi, you'll be safe now. We promise you that. But we'll need your help. Two of our friends are in danger - and if there are more abused like you inside, we want to help free them. Will you help us?"

Candi hesitated. All she wanted to do was escape - but these people had saved her. Her best chance for continued escape would be to hang with them.

She nodded yes.
*************************************************

Brock was panting despite the cold. What had happened to the others?

He was still crouched under his ice shield, though it had taken a strong beating. Cracks were forming as fast as he could reform the shield.

Where were they?

He could hear noises outside, like an angry whispering. Oh gods, were they coming for him?

He made a decision. His people were a proud warrior race. If death came, then he would face it like one of them.

He took a deep breath, then dropped his shield to find...


... gale force winds tossing soldiers about?
************************************************

Berta had never created a tornado this big before. She loved the feeling. She was like an elemental, in one with the atmosphere.

She steadied herself and focused, watching as she whipped soldiers into the air. She was tiring, but she could do her part.

*************************************************

"Brock, sorry we took so long! Come on, help us mop up!" Garth said as he helped his teammate up. "Come on, I don't know how long Berta can keep this up. Let's take down any soldiers who're still conscious."

Brock, to his credit, nodded. Garth was relieved - he didn't know if he'd have been able to keep his cool, facing a small army alone.

"I'll take the left, you take the right. Deal?"

Brock nodded. Soon, both boys were striking down aggressors while Berta kept the battlefield in disarray.

"Garth, where are the others?" Brock asked, concern in his voice.

"They're going in to find Jenni and Jazmin." Garth answered grimly. "Our new friend - the girl we thought was a monster - is acting as their guide."

"What? But surely... how long will they last in there?"

"Long enough, I hope." Garth thought hard. Reaching Irma was their only hope. But he wasn't sure if he was getting through.

"Garth?" Irma thought she had a thought from him via their mental link. But the signal had been so muted... She'd been trying to monitor them regularly, but couldn't spare too much of her mental powers. The effort would burn her out.

Still, she'd set the link to alert her if Garth had felt a sense of alarm.

She tried again. There was some interference, though...

She bit her lip. Maybe it was time to bring in the rest of the team.

*************************************************

Jazmin sweated as she walked through the hallways, wearing a uniform that they'd stolen off some of the guards in the place.

It all seemed to happen so fast; as they were trying to break in, an inmate had tried to break out. It all had happened so fast from there. So much for stealth.

They had little time for finesse, though. It would only be a matter of time before whoever was in command realized that the two intruders had never been captured.

She waited patiently as Jenni searched the building. She'd find the labs, or wherever it was they were experimenting on people.

And then they would end the evil in this place.

*************************************************

"So how exactly did you escape?" Zoe asked Candi as they crept up to the hole in the wall. "I thought your collar prevented you from doing so?"

Candi shrugged. "I got lucky, actually. I was out in the exercise yard when these two girls - your friends, apparently - came up. One of them did something to the satellite arrays on the roof. Whatever it was, they managed to damage the tech enough that this collar didn't work. It suddenly felt different. I was hoping I'd be able to get far away enough before they could repair it."

"And the explosion?" Chuck asked.

"Well, they were trying to be stealthy. Key word is trying. They must have been noticed - someone fired at them. They fought back. To be honest, I didn't really notice. I just yelled at them to get away before they were caught, then I started running too..."

"You poor dear. What did they do to you in that place?" Zoe asked with concern.

"Treated me like an animal..." Candi said. "I know, you think they turned me into this, but they didn't. I think they wanted to study me to figure out how to turn others like me, though." She paused. "I don't think I was in there that long."

"We'll settle this," Chuck said. "And soon. Things still seem to be confused here. But if our timing is right, the others should give us our distraction soon enough."

Candi cracked her knuckles. "Let's do this."

*************************************************

"Are we done?" Berta asked, gasping heavily. She'd never sustained her winds so long.

"Looks like it," Brock said. He quickly surveyed the area. "30 down."

"Not bad. Anyone care to keep score?" Garth said with a grin. More seriously, he added, "I'm not sure if Irma got my message. In any case, we should move to the next part of our plan. Are both of you ready?"

They both nodded. "Let's do this."

************************************************
Jenni peeked out the window. What was going on? It seemed like an unnatural storm was going on outside.

Snow and hail was flying around as if alive; the wind was howling so hard it sounded like a monster was on the move. And lightning was flashing everywhere, even though there were no storm clouds.

She put it out of her mind, though. Maybe it was one of the weird experiments of this horrible place.

She got on the move again, looking for the room she needed to find.

Several corridors later, she peeked into one that she knew must be it. One scientist type was standing in there, and he was looking at a hologram of what seemed to be the girl they saw escaping a while ago.

She vibrated quickly to help ensure she wouldn't be seen. She scanned through the room again, trying to see if there was anything else.

She ran to fetch Jazmin. She would be back in 5 seconds.

"Are we ready?" Jazmin asked Jenni.

The two girls had their backs to the wall, outside the door that led to what must have been the laboratory.

They could hear some rustling inside. The lone scientist Jenni had seen a while ago.

Jenni hesitated, then nodded. Jazmin knew Jenni wasn't as angry as she was, nor was she as ruthless. But surely she understood that they needed to right the wrongs being committed by this place?

Nodding, they readied themselves. Jazmin let loose a cascade of quantum particles, aging the door to dust. Jenni ran inside to restrain the scientist.

Without even waiting to see what would happen, Jazmin leaped into the room...

Only to hear Jenni cry out, "Stay back!"

Darkness met her.

Chuck bounced along the deserted hallways. Their ploy had worked - everyone in the installation had figured out that the storm outside was being caused by metas, and had mobilized.

"We're lucky; this place isn't too large or well-manned," he commented.

"They were about to close down and move," Candi said. "I'm not sure where. I'd heard whispers that the person behind this was going to close things down. And this place was never large to begin with - only about 50 armed men, some skeleton crew, and a few scientists."

"Like those?" Zoe pointed. Up ahead, there were three scientists carrying some canisters. Probably trying to escape.

Reacting quickly, Zoe lifted the canisters telekinetically. Candi jumped forward and grabbed two of the scientists, one in each hand. The third turned to run away. He didn't get far - Chuck bounced into him, knocking him off his feet.

He turned to see Candi gently laying the two unconscious scientists down on the ground while Zoe restrained them.

Chuck marveled at how Candi didn't seem motivated by revenge at all. He was half afraid she would have killed them.

"Your sleeve's torn, honey. Here, let me fix it." Zoe said, as she telekinetically repaired Candi's outfit. She stood back, with her hand on her chin. "You know, you could be a Legionnaire too. Why not make you look the part?"

With a wave of her hand, Candi's outfit transformed into a yellow-and-pink jumpsuit, much like the Legion style costumes the rest of them wore.

Candi smiled, looking down at her outfit. "Thank you. It's been a while since I've worn anything remotely pretty."

Zoe smiled, probably out of pleasure at her design being called pretty, and also probably pleased to see Candi happy. Zoe was one of those people who took pleasure in making others happy.

Suddenly, they could hear a scream down the hall. It sounded like Jenni.

Pulses pounding, they ran on.

Sally was in the monitor room at Legion HQ, looking through the monitor logs. Beside her was Quentin, or Brainy, as the team called him.

"I still don't know what you're looking for." Brainy said, somewhat testily.

"I just need to call up the logs of the past few days," Sally said softly. "The fate of our teammates may depend on it."

She and Irma had finally decided to call in the rest of the team. Gene and Rex had been angry at first, but after a few loud arguments they'd decided to scramble and deal with it later.

Everyone still in HQ was now scrambling to get ready, and Lyle was trying to call in the rest. Irma was trying to reestablish contact with Garth, while Nura was trying to "see" if she could add any more information to what they knew now.

And Sally and Quentin were trying to track where their friends had gone. Only Jenni and Jazmin had known their final destination.

"Sally, if you'll take a few minutes to explain what exactly we need, I can help."

Sally paused; she'd been unwilling to accept help from others before. That was a habit she'd need to break if she wanted to succeed as a Legionnaire.

She quickly explained what had happened - Jenni had been on Monitor Duty; she'd flagged an alert which had been discontinued; but she'd been fast enough to see Jeanne Chu's face on the alert screen.

Quentin listened, then shook his head. "Obviously a trap."

"What? How can you be sure?"

"One. The UN knows our duty rosters. They'd know who was on duty at the time the alert came. Two. The fact that a video feed opened up and Chu was in the background is too much coincidence. Three. If this installation were such a secret, we wouldn't have gotten the alert in the first place. Honestly... our teammates can be so predictable."

Sally sat, dumbfounded. Bad enough the others might have run into trouble, but if they had been expected...

"Can you call up the feed even though it's been deleted?"

"I already did."

"Then we have to tell the others. But first... I have something to ask you."

She would save her friends. They'd been able to make her feel good about herself. She would repay that.

Jenni awoke, her head still ringing. She felt restrained; she couldn't move her arms.

She turned her head slightly. Jazmin was beside her, head bleeding. She must have been hit quite hard. Jenni moaned as well; she could feel pain in her leg. She was afraid it might be broken.

"Are you alright?" asked a concerned voice. She twisted her head and gasped.

"You?? How can it be?"

It was Jeanne Chu, restrained just as they were. The woman struggled as she tried to break free.

But how? Jenni hadn't seen her a while ago... Perhaps she'd been kept hidden.

"Ah, I see you've met each other." Jenni tried to see where it was coming from, but couldn't.

"Oh, but I see your confusion. Don't worry, little one - I'll explain as soon as I wake your friend up."

Some machinery hummed, and Jazmin woke with a start. "What...? Jenni, what happened?"

"My trap happened." said the scientist, gleefully rubbing his hands. "Everything happened as I expected."

Jeanne Chu shouted out. "Let them go, you filthy creature! Haven't you done enough already?"

Jazmin hasped beside Jenni, then screamed. "You! This is all because of you! You killed my brother James!"

"No, it wasn't like that!" Chu shouted back. "Please, believe me. It was former Secretary-General Thawne, but he's been arrested. What I did do was authorize further research on the remains of his victims - but I never intended for living subjects to be used. I never wanted living beings to suffer!"

"Oh, you should believe her," the scientist said. "She's quite telling the truth."

Jenni's mind reeled at all this. Chu was the Legion's enemy - she'd expressed disapproval publicly. And she was involved in gene research. But she wasn't responsible?

"Madame Chu here was actually one of those who turned Thawne in. I didn't care at first - I thought she'd see the importance of research as much as he did. But imagine my surprise to find out she had some ethics too. When she surprised me in my lab, and found out I was continuing the experiments I performed on your relatives, she tried to shut me down. So I captured her. See, this research does not work so well on dead tissues. I needed living ones. And so I arranged to capture you two, as well."

Jenni was in shock. All along she'd had Chu as a focus for her anger. And now, to realize that she'd had no part in this...

She slumped back, tears in her eyes. She didn't know what to do anymore.

Jazmin was angry as well. She was angry at Chu, at the scientist, at everyone.

She strained and strained, trying to summon an ounce of power, but couldn't. It was like her powers didn't work.

"Jenni, can you...?"

Jenni sobbed quietly. "No, Jazmin... I can't. I'm powerless too."

The scientist was whistling while he worked. "Now all I have to do is bring you two and Chu with me - you two to experiment on, and Chu as a hostage. Luckily, it will be easy..." He stepped back, and a glowing portal opened.

No. He had stargate technology?

"How did you get this?" Chu gasped. "We've been trying to get RJ Brande to share his secrets...!"

"Reverse-engineering. What else? Now, if you'll sit still..." He began to wheel Jenni towards the portal.

"No!" Jazmin shouted. "No, you sick piece of crap! She's only here because of me! Let her go!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Everything after that happened really fast.

Jenni was used to fast, but not this fast.

First, the wall dissolved in front of their eyes, a feat accomplished by Kinetix's astounding powers.

Then Chuck came bouncing into the scientist as Chu screamed, "Stop him! Stop Dr. Morlo!"

Learning the scientist's name was the most vivid thing in her mind then.

Jazmin gasped in surprise, echoing Jenni's own thoughts - what are they doing here?

The large giantess ran in next, grabbing the cart Jenni was on and lifting, gently, so all three prisoners were side by side. Zoe quickly undid the straps, while the giantess helped them up. "I'm Candi, by the way. You alright, dear?"

Jenni nodded, still unable to speak. It was all happening so fast.

All of them were talking on top of one another, trying to figure out what happened. As Chu stood up, she said, "Where's Dr. Morlo? We can't let him escape!"

"Chuck has him, right Chuck?" Zoe said. "Chuck?"

Too late, Jenni saw the unconscious Chuck on the floor. Too late, she started running towards Dr. Morlo - but she still hadn't recovered her powers, and Morlo was pointing a gun at her.

Too late, they all found themselves trapped in some kind of bubble.

"Now, now, you won't get anywhere with those power dampeners still on both of you. And thank you for bringing me two more specimens, and returning an escaped one. It always helps to have more. I think I shall have to be more careful with your transport. Maybe I'll..."

He was cut off as something hit his chin, knocking him for a loop.

Sally?

"He talks too much. Maybe he fancies himself a movie villain?" Sally said quietly, rubbing her fist.

"Sally! I'm so glad you're here," Zoe ran forward, hugging her friend. "How'd you get here, anyway?"

"Brainy figured out how to get me to travel through phone lines. Eventually made my way here," she smiled. "Now come on - the rest of the team is coming, and we'd best go."

*************************************************

"Garth! We can't keep this up much longer!" Brock yelled as their artificial storm churned on. "Berta's starting to get exhausted!"

"I know, I am too." Garth said grimly. "Where the heck are they?"

"We should stop. Surely they've gotten in by now. And I don't think there'll be any more soldiers coming."

Garth hesitated. Candi had briefed them on the strength of the place a while ago, but they couldn't risk reinforcements coming. Dammit.

"I don't know, Brock. I wish they'd come back out; I'm afraid to risk it."

He cut off as a shadow loomed over them, at the same time a mental image formed in his brain.

"Oh. They're here."

"Come on, let's go." Chuck called out, leading the others out of the door. "We should be getting home."

Candi helped an unsteady Chu walk; the dignitary looked unsteady. Jazmin watched with eyes narrowed; she knew Chu was innocent, but she still wasn't comfortable that she'd continued authorizing the use of her brother's genetic material.

Still, she could let it slide. It was Morlo who was guilty.

She glared at him, lying on the ground, unconscious. Slowly, she walked up to him.

Her powers were returning. Would she...?

She threw up a bubble around herself, Jenni and Morlo. "Jazmin, what...?" She ignored the cries of her other teammates. Now was the time for retribution.

She slowly encased Morlo in a quantum bubble. She wanted to watch him age.

"Jazmin, no!" Jenni reached out to grab her arm. "Please."

"What are you doing, Jenni? We're in this together. Didn't we decide that we'll kill the people who did this to our families?"

"We said we'd come here for justice. Not revenge. They're two different things, Jazmin."

Jazmin didn't move, eyes blinking tears. "My brother died alone, Jenni. My parents were devastated when he disappeared, and they lived with that pain for years and years. And when they found out..."

"You think I don't know what it's like? My dad never knew what had happened to my mom! It was tough, I know. I'm angry too. And this man is scum. But look at Candi! She was actually captured by him, and do you see her trying to kill him?"

Jazmin had to turn to look at Candi, who was staring at her with an unreadable expression. Jenni was right, though; she hadn't made a move against Morlo at all.

Jenni continued. "And look at me. I lost my mother and my uncle to this man. But... what's the point? We won't bring them back. Instead of tarnishing their memory with another murder, let's bring him to justice and let the world know what happened."

Jazmin closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her face. "But I'm just so... so angry. Why did this have to happen to us?"

Jenni held her hand, and she shed tears too. "Please, I've had enough of this. All this anger is making me tired."

With a sob, Jazmin dropped her bubble, then hugged Jenni, leaning on her for support.

Zoe and Sally and Chuck and even Candi moved closer, for support.

Jazmin thought, maybe she had found a new family to replace her broken one. Maybe now, they could all heal again.