Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business 21st Century Legion (vol. 2)

Sagada

"I still can't quite believe we did that." Rebound scratched his head, reliving the inquisition through which he and Amihan had put their prisoner manananggal. They had bound its winged torso while threatening to salt its lower half so it could not recombine. Surprisingly, it had worked - the creature was intelligent and could speak both Filipino and English.

The squirming innards still made him feel gross, though.

Amihan steadied herself as she climbed down the rope hanging from the slick, slippery limestone pillar. The hole she was creeping through was just barely large enough for her, which meant Rebound would have a much tougher time. "We didn't have much choice, did we? Like a parent who must punish, or even disown, a disobedient child."

"That's... a curious example to use," Rebound mused.

"I thought you would relate to it. After all, we both come from cultures where family ties and honor. Facing severe disappointment from parents is... one of the worst things that could happen to us."

Rebound was silent for a moment. His own aunt, who had married a Filipino man, had taken five years to reconcile with his grandparents. He himself had worked hard to make his parents proud, and sometimes wondered what his path would have been had they not allowed him to join the Legion.

As he squeezed through to join Amihan, he was glad he had an excuse not to reply to that yet.

As they balanced on the ledge, their guide pointed ahead. "We are at the bottom part, where the Sumaguing Cave joins the Lumiang," he said in decently good English.

"Then it should be around here. Where...?" Rebound trailed off, thinking of the enormity of what they were supposed to find.

"Let's keep looking then," Amihan said, lifting herself gently off the cavern floor. "Stay safe."

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

Agra: Fatehpur Sikri

"Amazon!" yelled Wildfire (or transmitted, to be technically accurate - Wildfire didn't even have a real mouth or throat) as he spied his teammate.

"I... I can't stand..."

"Easy now, little lady. You might have a fracture or something. Come on, let's clear that rubble away and fly you off."

"Thanks..." Amazon smiled warmly as Wildfire reached out a hand to help her up.

Then her smile turned into an evil, vicious grin.

"Thank you for walking into my trap!" Suddenly, the girl Wildfire thought was his teammate began to twist, and sharp tendrils erupted and reached out to rip into his suit...

Agra: Fatehpur Sikri


Amazon limped along hurriedly, carrying the two SHIELD agents on her back. She had managed to dig all three of them out of the rubble, but wasn't in any condition to speed up her pace.

She was delirious; he heat and her own exhaustion were making her imagine things. She saw images of her past - her strict parents; her high-class "friends"; her extended family - most of whom faded away afer she'd changed.

She saw people's reactions to her; being called "freak" and "monster"; a crowd's hushed shock as she walked into a church; children crying at the shopping mall.

She forced herself not to give into despair. It had been her desperation at her situation that had led to her being imprisoned and experimented on. Never again. She forced herself to focus on the good she could do, and the acceptance she had found as a Legionnaire. She'd made new friends, like Kinetix, Rebound, Wildfire - the dear even called her "little lady". He...

"Get off me, you squaj!"

He was screaming?

Jolted out of her reverie, Amazon saw... she couldn't quite describe it. Wildfire was struggling against a thing (for lack of a better term) that had her head and multiple sharp tentacles.

She instantly knew what is must be.

Setting the agents down gently on the ground, she sprinted towards Wildfire's aid.

Agra: Taj Mahal

Wildfire sruggled to dodge the blades trying to slit his suit open. He tried to fire at the shapeshifter that was on him, but it had his "arms" pinned - and even if he could fire at it, it was flowing too fast for him. He was stuck.

Life as it was now wasn't ideal, but it was still life, and he didn't want to lose it...

"Mind if I cut in, dear?" Amazon's voice rang out as she grabbed the shapeshifter and forcibly peeled it off Wildfire. It gave off a hideous snarl and turned its attention to her, slashing and jabbing at whatever it could.

"Amazon, hold on! I'll blast it off you!" Wildfire concentrated, trying to find an angle where he could hit the creature without hitting his teammate. But it was moving around too much...

"Do it now! It's arms HURT!" Her sleeves were now ripped into little ribbons.

"I... I can't... a direct hit might kill you!" A sharp tentacle took off part of Amazon's hair.

"And this blood loss won't? Trust me, I'll be fine - you can't hurt me!" A gash appeared on her arm.

"You don't know how powerful I am!" Another gash on her thigh.

"Maybe you don't know how powerful I am! I can handle it! Trust me!" Amazon twisted just in time, as a blade swung by where her hand had been. It connected with her thigh, though.

"I... I..."

"I trust you, trust me back!" Blood was flowing, and Amazon's pants leg was stained red. Amazon bent over, clutching her wound. The creature smiled, a terrible, evil smile, as it swung its arm back, the end morphed into a sharp saw with ugly teeth.

It swung.

"I'm sorry!" Wildfire yelled as he poured his energy straight at Amazon.

A horrible scream pierced the stillness of the ruins. All Wildfire could see was a twisting, writhing form that melted into the ground.

"No! It didn't

As his vision cleared, Amazon emerged... whole, healthy and smiling. She ran forward to hug an astounded Wildfire.

"Told you! Radiation doesn't hurt me - I can absorb it safely. I recognized that thing from my old mythology classes and knew you could hurt it."

Wildfire paused for a moment, and hugged her back. "I'll let you take the full credit for this win, if you don't tell anyone I almost balked."

"Deal." Amazon smiled as she set him down. "Now let's finish the clean-up so we can go home - I need a bath."

Mount Kailash

The monstrous bird winged its way around the mountain, searching for the prey that had eluded it.

Its keen eyes scanned the snows, looking for any trace of where it could be...

A flash of movement at the corner of its vision caught its attention. Turning to look, it would have given a cry of joy if it could.

Coiling in the snow below was a majestic many-headed serpent with a crown on its head. A Naga!

The Garuda struck instinctively. It dove right for its mortal enemy, beak stretched out, talons ready to grab...

The Naga disappeared just as it swooped down, and the world burst into light.

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

"Good job, Shifter. Your agility and skill is indescribable."

"Your transmutation skills are similarly impressive, Element Lad. You measured out just enough of an explosive mixture to stun our captive, but not kill it." Shifter surveyed the Garuda, whose wings and legs had now been bound in titanium.

"And I believe I've transmuted just enough of its oxygen into knockout gas to keep it disoriented without suffocating it. Well..." Element Lad waved his arm. "Now I have."

"I'm impressed as well by your knowledge of myth. You selected the right model of a Naga for me to impersonate. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fool the Garuda."

Element Lad nodded modestly. "It was a simple matter, since I already knew what the Garuda looked like in real life. It follows that the Naga would be from the same belief system."

Shifter nodded. "Amazon and Wildfire report a similar success. The Kalki they were fighting turned out to be a Rakshasa - a Hindi demon. Amazon confirmed it when she saw it attack Wildfire; luckily, she knew that it was vulnerable to intense heat and radiation." He left out for the moment that they were unable to capture their opponent - that discussion could wait another day.

"I'm glad they are well. What about the other teams?"

"... no word yet. I have been able to reach our US team, though..."

NB: This takes place between Earth War #2 and #3

An Army barracks in California

"Where are we just now?" Cos asked Kid Quantum as he entered the room where most of the conscious Legionnaires were gathered. It had been eight hours since the group of Legionnaires had been airlifted from the edge of the crater that had formerly been Coast City. The Legionnaires who had been kept asleep by the vampires had stayed fresh enough to keep abreast of events, but the others, including Cosmic Boy, had been forced to crash out for some hours.

"Spark and Gear are out for a while - her ankle isn't too serious, but she's been told to keep her weight off it for a day or two; and he needs to heal some parts that got crushed in the building collapse. Trinity, well, you know." Jazmin replied. He did indeed know about Lorna, who was currently sleeping courtesy of some tranquilisers. Any thought of her acting as a Legionnaire in the forseeable future had left all minds. "The rest of us are okay for now."

"What about Agent Carpenter?"

"Dox and a base medic have looked her over quickly. Physically, she's apparently fine, but she's insisting on Dox keeping his promise to check her over thoroughly back in NYC. She's still suffering some confused episodes they can't account for, and I suggested Irma look her over as well if possible."

Cos' lips pursed slightly at the mention of Tela. "And the Big Picture?"

"Not looking great." She bit her lower lip.

"What?" Cos barked.

"They confronted Mordru head-on in Khundia. And lost."

"By lost, do you m--"

"No," Jazmin cut him off quickly, "No-one's died - not yet, anyway - but none of them are holding up well from the experience either. Right now, they're in Paris trying to regroup."

"Perhaps we should send some reinforc--"

Again, Cos was cut off, but this time by an army tech who'd suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Who's in charge here?"

"I am." Two voices had spoken simultaneously, and Cos couldn't help but smile. Apparently, Jazmin was getting used to the idea of being in command. She backed off, and Cos asked what the tech wanted.

"Signal coming in on your channel, call sign 'Shifter'. Is it kosher?"

"If you authenticated the sender, it should be. Where do we take it?"

"Follow me."

Cos indicated that Kid Quantum should come with him, and the rest remained behind as they walked to a room filled with monitors, microphones and speakers, along with the equipment to control them all. The tech directed them to a station, then backed off - it wasn't his place to listen in.

"Shifter, this is Cosmic Boy."

Relieved to hear your voice, Cos. We're having trouble on the Asian front. Reed went on to describe some of the things they'd encountered. We're being spread thin, and the Europe team can't spare anyone. Can you?

"Can't confirm yet, Shifter. Call back in one hour - six-oh minutes - on that."

Right. Good hunting. Shifter signed off.

"I'm going to take that recording to Dox for analysis - with all this magic crap, we need to check it's actually Reed. In the meantime, I want you to ask for volunteers to bolster the Asia team if need be. If we don't get called on here, then I'll find it safe to presume the only major fighting is on the Mexico border."

"You're not going yourself?" Jazmin asked.

"I'm going to need to report back to HQ on Coast City, but Ella, Igor and Quentin - who'll never volunteer - can cover the rest of the debrief, I think. And if the remainder of the team is needed somewhere in the field, then that's where they should be."

Angkor

Hygeia wished the rest of the team were here, in the magnificant monuments of Angkor.

Or at least anyone but the impish Quislet.

She cringed as he carelessly morphed the ancient stone walls near them to ensnare another pair of hypnotized guards. She quickly ran up to them and gave them a mild dose of the sleeping sickness.

She could have felled them on her own, but it would have taken much longer. On the other hand, Quislet lacked the ability to finely control earth and rock as well as he did machinery. They needed each other.

And she was glad Quislet was there to watch her back. At least the imp had finally agreed to restore everything he morphed to its proper form... after the battle ended.

"Ancient monuments are fun!" Quislet giggled as he rippled through the temple walls. The carvings of two demons facing each other moved in for a kiss.

"Quislet, we have to hurry and stop the apsara before..."

"Duck!" Quislet shouted as a wave of rock sped outwards. Hygeia turned to see it had toppled a SHIELD agent and crushed a rifle, presumably the agents. She quickly gave him a dose of dengue fever.

"Let's go, Quislet. There will be plenty more time for that later. Especially since I don't think I can keep dodging bullets."

"Fine, fine. Hang on, I'll get us there." Hygeia gulped as a disk of rock formed into a very crude chair. She sat on it tentatively. It zipped off as soon as she had settled in.

Hygeia wished she had asked for a seatbelt as well.

Sagada

Despite himself, Rebound stared open-mouthed at the glowing ball that hung from the roof of the cave.

"The manananggal kept her part of the bargain," Amihan whispered. Rebound detected the relief behind her stoic front.

"I'm still not sure what we should do about that, though. So apparently this thing siphons magical energy from the area, and Mordru will have one in each location." Amihan nodded in assent.

"If we destroy the ball, somehow, we can release the magic and prevent it from strengthening Mordru." Another nod.

"That is, of course, assuming that our captive was telling the whole truth." Yet another nod.

Rebound sighed. "I hope the other teams got our messages about that." They could ill afford to make Mordru more powerful, but communications had been spotty at best because of the magic. He quickly inflated himself and bounced up to inspect the ball.

He never made it; something heavy crashed into him as he heard Amihan cry out.

Angkor

"Now, Quislet!" Hygeia screamed as she felled the last of the humans in the apsara's thrall.

"Hurrying, o bossy one!" Quislet dove into the animated stone figure, attempting to wrest control from whatever spirit was animating the statue.

Hygeia waited with bated breath. There was only one such creature, so defeating it would end the battle in Cambodia.

An instant later, Quislet popped out. "Is it..."

Before Quislet could reply, the apsara opened its mouth and let out a defeaning scream.

Sagada

Amihan desperately let the winds rip around her as she yelled for their guide to get to higher ground. She couldn't see the creature that had tackled Rebound, but she could hear and smell it. Most likely it was an amomongo or cave ape, a relative to Bigfoot and the Yeti.

Whatever it was, it still had to breathe. She probed with tendrils of wind, trying to locate it.

Angkor

"What happened?" Hygeia yelled as she covered her ears. "Couldn't you force it out?"

"Spirit too strong!" Quislet yelled back. "It forced Quislet out!"

Hygeia struggled to keep her footing. The apsara wasn't trying to entrance them anymore; it was trying to destroy them.

"Can't you try again?"

"Not without strength... but I have idea! Spirit is unlike Quislet - Quislet can easily survive without material shell. This one powerless unless it inhabits something."

"So if we destroy its shell..."

"It go poof!"

Hygeia inhaled deeply. It would mean damaging a part of one of their national monuments, but...

"Hold it still, then. I think I know the right microbe to use on it."

Quislet nodded, then dove right into the floor. An instant later, a large hand rose up behind the apsara and slammed it down into the ground. Forming into a fist, the stone held the statue upside down, a finger gagging its mouth.

Hygeia quickly ran forward and placed her hands on its head. She was no science major, but she knew that some microorganisms could break through stone. She closed her eyes and commanded every single one in her system to rush forth and invade the statue struggling awkwardly in Quislet's grasp.

Sagada

Rebound's head hurt worse than it had in his relatively short life. He said a silent prayer for his "uncool" power; it had saved his life.

He quickly bounced up to see what was happening, and found Amihan fighting for her life against a large ape creature.

"Hold on, Amihan! I'm coming!" he yelled.

At that instant, the ape creature froze. It cautiously settled back on its hind legs and bowed.

Amihan and Rebound exchanged startled looks. What could...? Rebound whispered into their comm. "Amihan refers to a weather system. Does it refer to anything mythological?"

"I... Oh!" Amihan slapped her forehead. "How could I forget? Amihan was said to be the personification of the North Wind. It..."

"Tell me about the legend later," Rebound interrupted. "Right now, you need to pretend to be a goddess."

To her credit, Amihan nodded. She addressed the ape in Filipino. "It's good that you know how to show respect, lowly one. Mordru may rule Khundia, but we old gods still rule the Philippines."

The ape grunted, and bowed lower. So it couldn't speak, but it could understand.

"Try using your wind powers as a show of force," Rebound whispered. Amihan nodded and let loose a blast of wind that ruffled the ape's fur. It trembled.

In short order, Amihan had ordered the ape to collect the ball, and the odd procession made their way topside. They collected their bewildered guide in the chamber just outside, and slowly made their way to the light of day.

"Thank you for your assistance. Now, off with you, and tell your fellows that we shall not bow to Mordru," Amihan said as she dismissed the ape. It ran off back into the cave with a bow.

Wiping his brow, Rebound chugged the water from his canteen. "That was great work, Amihan. You have the makings of a great actress," he winked.

"It's not really that hard in the Philippines," she chuckled back. "Now, what do we do with this?"

"I have absolutely no idea."

They just stared at the odd glowing globe. Indeed, what could they do?

Angkor

Hygeia slumped down in exhaustion as she eyed the dust that had come from the possessed apsara statue they had fought. Their plan had worked; all the enthralled had been freed and were recovering from the diseases they had been infliced with; and the Angkor temples had been mostly kept intact. Well, there was one wall that now had a gaping hole where the statue had once been...

"Hey, we won! Cheer up already!" Quislet chirped cheerfully.

"Quislet, this is our national monument. My people are proud of it," Hygeia explained patiently. "That thing just damaged a part of it irretrievably."

"You humans! Change happens, and you best accept that."

Hygeia didn't bother to reply.

Quislet heaved a sigh. "Aw, I hate when you teammates look sad, even though it's silly. Here..."

And he dove into the pile of dust. Hygeia watched in surprise as the dust slowly stirred, and began forming itself into an apsara figure. Slowly, it began to walk back towards the wall and merged with it once more.

As Quislet popped out, Hygeia couldn't help but hug him. "I didn't know you could do that!"

"Takes a looooooooooot of effort," Quislet panted. "And I didn't get it back to how it was - it quite ugly. Kinetix could do a much better job."

"Still, it's good enough for now. And thank you for trying."

Quislet just beamed at her.

An agent came trotting up to them just then. "Call for you from Rebound, Ma'am."

Before she could even say Hello, Rebound started talking. He quickly explained the situation.

Hygeia and Quislet looked at each other. "We haven't seen any glowing balls here..."

Rebound sounded troubled. "Neither have the other teams. We can't tell if that means we succeeded in stopping Mordru before he could begin collecting energy, or if we were too late."

The silence that followed was palpable.

"I think we need to pow-wow. Kid Quantum is bringing Kinetix, Flash and Blizzard over. Let's gather in Singapore."

Singapore

Kinetix was impressed. Their meeting room was wonderfully clean; the table at the back was well-stocked with delicious food; there were not only seats but also work desks for each Legionnaire, complete with laptop. Everything was in order here in Singapore, despite the growing chaos all over the world.

Taking a bite of a shrimp dumpling, she looked around the room. There were now 14 Legionnaires in all; given the greater size of Asia and the relative unpredictability of attacks compared to those on the North American front, it had been decided to allow all available volunteers to head over here.

The boys were clustered on one side of the room; they were probably trading war stories. Wildfire and Starboy liked to engage in good-natured bragging, and Blizzard had proven surprisingly competitive. Both Polarity and Element Lad were more quiet, but were eager listeners - Polarity enjoyed learning about battle tactics while Element Lad drank up the stories of exotic locations. And Quislet, well, he just seemed to like the camaraderie.

She moved over to join the girls: Flash, Amihan, Amazon and Hygeia. They were eagerly discussing plans for a slumber party. They all knew it would robably be a while before they could have it, but the planning helped lighten their moods.

Just as they had agreed to ask Sensor if she had any estates they could sleep over in, Rebound entered, flanked by Kid Quantum and Shifter. The chatter died down right away.

All three looked fairly grim.

"Thanks for being on time, everyone." Rebound started. "I hope you all had a good rest, because it looks like we won't be getting much in the next few days."

"The attacks are becoming more spread out and more random," Shifter added. "If you'll look at your screens..."

A map appeared showing the sites of the attacks. Four red dots marked the original 4 sites.

"That was three days ago. Now look at the map as it stands today..."

A collective gasp went up around the room as red dots flooded East, South and Southeast Asia.

"We're not distinguishing between attack size," Kid Quantum added. "There's no point - the team from North America chanced upon one such attack on our way here. A dragon suddenly appeared near our jet as we were flying above the Pacific; it was likely teleported in magically." Several heads nodded at that. Starboy no longer looked pleased; he had taken pride in bringing the dragon down with his gravity powers.

"The implication is that no place is safe; a lone scout could be joined by several reinforcements in no time at all."

There was a pause as that knowledge sank in around the room.

Rebound looked around, meeting each Legionnaire in the eyes. "Although our source of information is suspect, Amihan and I feel that we have to take it seriously. Mordru seems to be attacking Asia in order to gather more magic to fuel his own sorcery. Quislet has confirmed that it is possible for magic to be stored in this way, although he doesn't know the exact mechanics by which that is done."

"We do know that is has something to do with these glowing balls..." Rebound gestured as the screen flashed, showing four small spheres. "We have no idea how they work, but they're supposed to collect and store magical energy."

Shifter opened his mouth to speak, but instead he just stared. So did Rebound and Kid Quantum.

Kinetix, puzzled, looked around - and saw that everyone was staring right back at her.

Amazon broke the silence. "Kinetix dear... you're glowing."

Earth War: Academy L
Beast War!, part 3

• Prologue: "Collared"
• Part 1
• Part 2

Forty minutes after Jones' pronouncement, Dani & Tik stood at the back of the Assembly Hall - the front 120 or so seats were fixed to the floor, but the back half were mounted on a retractable set of wheeled steps, and could fold flat to push the whole assemblage against the wall. With a few stragglers yet to come, eighty-one pupils stood in front of them, flanked by a dozen or so other teachers ready to escort them in small groups.

Nori, meanwhile, was tapping her foot impatiently, stuck between a jet-black Irish girl with pink hair and a fish-headed midget - neither of whom she so much as knew the names of - and was ready for exploding.

Eventually, Dani seemed to decide everyone was there. However, just as Nori was about to sigh with relief at the end of the charade, Dani... called a young girl up to the front.

If they had listened carefully, pink-hair and fish-head would have had a fine education in super-speed Japanese swearing.
__________

Dani did, however, have reasons for calling the thirteen-year old Sarah Ryall up to the front. While she was several years younger than Moonstar would ever have allowed in the potential fight to come, she was their best student in her age group, and her powers made her the ideal choice for scouting. While she had no offensive powers to speak of, she was able to change into an electromagnetic form that was intangible, could become invisible, move incredibly quickly and detect most superpowered beings - whether hidden, or in a group of "ordinary" humans - from up to ten metres away. Perfect for getting in, checking and getting out with minimal risk.

Quickly, Dani explained to Sarah that she wanted her to check out the place where 'Mr. Miraz' was about to open up a portal to, and make sure it was safe to send everyone else. "Are you okay with doing this, Sarah? You don't have to do it if you're not."

Sarah visibly swallowed, hard, but replied, "Yes."

Before the kid lost her nerve, Dani signalled to Tik to open his gate. Once it was open, Sarah vanished in a flash of light.

Ten seconds later, she reappeared - albeit in ghostlike form, translucent and floating - and "said", not aloud, «It's okay, Miss. Moonstar.»

Dani made sure to smile as she responded, "Too nervous to change back?"

She bit her lower lip and nodded.

"Well, I think we can suspend the rules on changing out of class, under the circumstances." Dani turned to face the group, "That goes for everyone else with an alternate form - as long as you can and do promise not to hurt anyone and you stay with the group, you can switch over if you want."

There were murmurs in the crowd, followed by a series of sound effects as various pupils became shiny, see-through, bigger, smaller or changed colour. Dani then had to pick out the two or three she knew that she couldn't trust and indicate that they had to power down again - the last of which had her eyes glowing and hands on the verge of forming an arrow before they backed down.

But eventually, finally, the group was ready to go. She turned to Tikhik, who shrugged and opened the gate wide.
_________

The convoy of cars was now approaching New York City. In principle, the group would have preferred to avoid a major city, but the "safehouse" they were aiming for was one of their oldest on the continent, built before the modern city expanded to its current size, and they no longer had the numbers, money or frequency of use to justify a replacement in the state.
_________

As the portal began to close, Dani sighed - but not with relief. The part she was happy to do was over. Now came the part she supposedly was never going to have to do - make a defensive force from some of her students, in case all this magic crap let someone track where Gates had taken the younger kids.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice something streak through the portal just before it shut...
_________

In the "undisclosed location", there was barely-controlled chaos. Tikhik's portal had opened into the central room, a tall round room at least three floors high, with a vaulted dome at the ceiling and a ledge, supported by arched columns,running around at first-floor level, doors leading off from it to unseen rooms beyond.

It hadn't been what any of the students expected. Even signs of damp and various cracks in the brickwork didn't take the edge off it.

Tikhik just sighed, letting the other teachers and the more responsible pupils take the strain of corralling the general exuberance. He was more concerned about what was happening back at the Academy. And hoped he was wrong about one thing in particular.
____________

Taking a breath, Danielle entered the room where Shikari and a dozen of her best students waited. Plus one she hadn't expected, as her eyes immediately leapt to the blue-haired girl.

"What are you doing here, Noriko?" The anger was clear in her voice. It was all she could do to keep from shouting. "You should be with Mr. Miraz and the younger students."

Nori was on her feet, edging away from the desk, apparently ready to run. She wasn't even wearing the screened robes that had become associated with her, just a blue & white tank-top and baggy jeans that she'd once bought on her travels with Tik, Sul & co; along with a scarf around her collar. "Okay, I know you're mad, but can I just point out three things." She paused for breath, watching Moonstar's hands closely. "One, I'm one of the only people in the room who's actually been in a fight like this - you need me. Two, I've not ONCE lost control in all the tests you've run, which is more than some people in this room can say. And three," at this she grinned nervously, "I'm too fast for you to zap, and I'm going to be at this gunfight whether you like it or not!"

Dani glared at Shikari angrily, forcibly herself from doing more. If she was in on this, it was WAY beyond the line she'd reluctantly agreed to. Worse, she knew Nori was right, and she couldn't do a damn thing to stop her sticking around - if she was in any way prepared, Nori could move faster than Dani could adjust for an arrow, and trying to work an illusion on a speedster's brain was a non-starter, as her painful experience with the Allen kid had shown.

In turn, Kari just shrugged. "As was agreed, you were in ultimate charge of the evacuation. When Noriko came here, I presumed you had allowed it."

Shutting her eyes and counting to ten did nothing to dull Dani's anger.

Turning away from Shikari, she faced Nori instead. "If you're determined to do this against all sense, no, I can't stop you. Afterward, if you don't kill yourself, we. WILL. discuss this."

Nori didn't reply verbally. Instead, she walked with deliberate slowness and took the seat beside Sul, almost daring Dani to try something. All the while hoping no-one heard the crackling sound her collar, the collar that was entirely responsible for her "never once losing control", was now making beneath the scarf.

Singapore

"I SAID I feel fine!" Kinetix pouted as she was examined yet again.

"They have to make sure, Zoe. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can get back out there."

Kinetix couldn't help but glare. Kid Quantum was one of the more stubborn Legionnaires, which made her admonishments all the more annoying.

"Hey, don't worry, pretty lady! The glowy look good on you, maybe you call yourself glow worm?"

"Quislet, cut it out!"

Kinetix gritted her teeth. There was nothing like being cooped up in a laboratory with Quislet, of all Legionnaires, to take the fun out of being "touched" by magic. And she didn't even feel any more powerful.

"Well, near as the doc can tell, you're attuned to the orbs, but... you can't seem to actively use their powers." Rebound tried to sound sympathetic, but all he achieved was to make Kinetix even more annoyed.

Rebound could tell. "If it makes you feel better, Quislet hasn't had any luck either."

"As if he tried..." Kid Quantum muttered as Quislet bounced off the walls.

Kinetix couldn't take it anymore. She hated feeling useless. Maybe if she tried again...

She quickly grabbed the sphere nearest her, and closed her eyes again. She closed her eyes and concentrated, ignoring the gasps from her teammates.

She felt it again. A pulsing energy; the same thing she'd felt the last few times. Yet every time she reached for it, it seemed to shrink away from her. No, not quite... it was like she swam towards it, but it always flowed around her, just out of her reach.

She beckoned towards it, trying to convince it that she would make a good wielder. She opened herself to surrender, laying her soul bare.

As before, tendrils of magic reached out, as if examining her. They hovered around, reaching out, slowly, slowly...

Then suddenly, they withdrew.

Her eyes snapped open, and in a fury she dropped the sphere. It didn't fall, of course. She turned her back on it to face Rebound and Kid Quantum. "I've had enough! I've tried everything I've thought of, but..."

Kid Quantum laid on arm on her shoulder, and whispered. "But whatever you did now, it finally worked."

They stared in shock as the spheres began rotating around Kinetix, like satellites around a planet. How...?

Quislet answered the unasked question. "Must have been because you rejected it! You showed you have a strong will. Magic respects that."

Kinetix barely heard him, as images suddenly flashed through her head. Ancient temples, fiery mountains, raging waterfalls...

"I know where Mordru will strike next." She whispered it, without much excitement. Suddenly, the knowledge made her afraid.

Shaanxi Province, China

No doubt thousands of statues still remain to be unearthed at this archaeological site, which was not discovered until 1974. Qin (d. 210 B.C.), the first unifier of China, is buried, surrounded by the famous terracotta warriors, at the centre of a complex designed to mirror the urban plan of the capital, Xianyan. The small figures are all different; with their horses, chariots and weapons, they are masterpieces of realism and also of great historical interest.

- description from the UNESCO World Heritage List

"...Kid Quantum and Kinetix made moves to stop it, but I was faster. Three tons of mass later, and bye bye dragon!"

Starboy leaned back in mid-air, as though reclining on a seat, and relived the glory of his last battle. Beside him, Rebound nodded absently, trying to make out the differences in the designs of the terracotta warriors below. He'd heard this story before and been suitably impressed by Starboy's speed and alertness the first time. The second time, he'd marveled at Starboy's control over his powers. Now... he just marveled at how vivid his memory was.

"You know Starboy, since you are so fast, I'm counting on you to figure out where the attack on the Temple will come from. You have greater long-range offenses than I do."

"If something does happen, I'm your man. But... how sure are we again that Kinetix is right? I mean, she saw the visions, but are we sure we identified the places right?"

Rebound sighed deeply; not in exasperation, but in quiet agreement. His teammate was more astute than he'd thought at first. And he was right; their lack of understanding of magic meant that they could have been hoodwinked somehow. During times of uncertainty, though, it was best to be both honest and strong.

"To be honest, Starboy, I..."

His words were drowned out by a massive boom. The whole museum site shook, and cracks appeared in the walls. Rebound was glad the Chinese authorities had agreed to close the site down for the day.

Steadying himself, he realized that the rumbling noises hadn't stopped. Aftershocks, perhaps? But the ground wasn't shaking anymore.

Peering down, Rebound's heart almost stopped as he remembered his Chinese lore. "Starboy," he whispered. "I'm suddenly glad you've retold your story so many times."

"Why? Because it makes you more confident in my abilities?"

"No..." Rebound continued as the rumbling grew louder. "Because you're going to have to reenact it soon."

Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang Province lies in the heart of the mountainous region of northern Laos. The town of Luang Prabang is situated on a peninsula formed by the Mekong River and its tributaries, the Nam Knane and the Kual Hop, in a Clay basin surrounded by the limestone hills that dominate the landscape.
According to legend. the Buddha smiled when he rested here for a day during his travels, prophesying that it would one day be the site of a rich and powerful capital city.
- Historical description of Luang Prabang, from the UNESCO World Heritage List


Kid Quantum tapped her foot impatiently as she surveyed the town skyline. Not that there was much to see... Luang Prabang wasn't exactly known for its skyscrapers. It was a hallmark of a little sleepy town.

Amazon cooed with delight as she took in the sights. "Don't you just love it here? It's so quiet! What a nice change of pace. You know, Laos is just so laid-back, I'd love to retire here."

"Isn't that a bit too far off in the future?" Kid Quantum grumbled. "First, we have to make sure Luang Prabang survives the war. If Mordru does attack here, I mean. We've been waiting here for almost a day now."

"Tut-tut, don't be so impatient. We don't know when the visions Kinetix saw will come true. Besides..." Amazon paused to bow respectfully as a monk walked by, while Kid Quantum merely nodded irritably, "he hasn't been attacking elsewhere, else we'd have heard about it by now."

"I'll give you that. What I don't understand is why Luang Prabang? It's ancient and there are a lot of temples, but I don't really see that it's mystical. I thought Mordru wanted magical power."

Amazon chuckled lightly. She had a surprisingly melodious voice for such a large body. "My guess is it's because of the Mekong River. It's such a mighty river, and there are so many legends about it. My favorite is the one about Phangki the Naga and Princess Ai-Kham. Such a tragedy, really. And who would have thought..."

Just then, a loud, unearthly scream came from the Mekong. It was not a sound any human being would make, no matter how much pain or fear they were in.

Kid Quantum grabbed Amazon's arm. She'd been waiting for this, but now her stomach felt sick. "Fill me in on the way."

Earth War: Academy L
Beast War!, part 4

• Prologue: "Collared"
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

«I know you can hear me.»

Tikhik scowled inwardly. The telepathic "voice" wasn't unfamiliar - or even genuinely unexpected - but he chose to ignore it as unwelcome, as he had for the "speaker's" previous few attempts. By now, he'd confirmed that Nori had indeed rushed back through his portal as it shut, and the news had put him in a foul mood. Whether it was frustration at himself for not closing the gate more quickly, or anger at her for being so stupid, he wasn't quite sure.

«Look, I promised Dani that I'd help protect the kids, but I'm not going to spend half my strength tracking you down through the sewer when I need to keep this thing in my body under control. Are you going to 'port me in or not?»

Where he wanted to "'port" to was the Legion Academy to collect Nori, but he knew going back there now would defeat the whole point of evacuating. He wasn't even sure that opening a portal to the surface in any way was smart, but it was true that he knew about Moonstar's arrangement, and that he hadn't objected at the time... «Fine.»

The monosyllabic reply out the way, a disk of green light finally appeared on the surface for Rachel to step through, and she was standing next to him within seconds, a bag slung carelessly over her shoulder.

"Was there a particular reason you left me standing up there for five minutes?"

"I was busy."

Rachel looked around at where she was standing. Tikhik had bedded down, in a way, next to a large door which was presumably the main entrance to the Academy's - surprisingly large - underground evacuation dorm. A twenty foot tall girl stood in the three-story high, hexagonal central chamber, from where she was conveying messages from the teachers at her feet to the figures standing in the doors surrounding the first-story ledge. In contrast, Tik seemed to have removed himself from the activity, and was sitting on his bedroll away from the commotion with no particular sign of anything around him. "Right."

"It hardly matters anyway," he added. "We're hardly likely to face trouble here - no-one even knows this exists. It's those back at the Academy that need to worry."
________________

As the wind roared loudly overhead, a giant bear tried to bite down on her. She didn't care - to her it was moving in slow-motion. Noriko Ashida was having the time of her life.

Mutated into giant, vicious versions of their normal selves, the huge and motley collection of animals had suddenly appeared and attacked at dusk, just as the final rays of the sun faded from the sky. From that moment on, Lonestar was clearly the one in charge, and she'd put Nori to work just as she had the others.

Run, zap, move. The electricity flowed through Nori, defined her. This was how she was meant to be. Even her failing collar seemed irrelevant now.
_________

Danielle Moonstar stared out through the school windows in horror as Nori streaked past, though not just at her. The students - HER students - were up against these monstrosities. And worse, she was helpless to even aid them - not only were her arrows splashing off, but she couldn't even get an empathic read from these mutated animals.

"My kingdom for a gun," she muttered under her breath, fingering the knives she'd just taken from the kitchen for self-protection, as she watched Jubilee send a huge dog scampering with a flare straight towards Sul, who bound the stunned animal with a length of heavy chain. Then she turned away, not wanting to witness more, and noticed there was someone else in the room - Ojiako Idowu, one of the students who had stayed to help. Cursing her own selfishness, she put her "teacher face" on and walked over to see him.

"What's wrong Ojiako?"

The heavily burn-scarred youngster who'd codenamed himself 'Tomb' replied, in his usual coarse whisper, "Nothing I can do."

"In the fight? I suppose not - with their minds and bodies being manipulated from elsewhere, it doesn't leave much of a chink for our powers to work. And I'm no general, and not much of a warrior without working powers."

"I could be, even without being able to affect them, if my powers worked on myself."

Dani paused before replying. "Perhaps - or it might have backfired horribly. If you weren't immune to the effects of your own power, you might not have lived this long. Look at Noriko - a relatively small glitch in the way her brain processes the speed increase her power yields put her in a fugue for years - and if she wasn't otherwise immune, she'd have been dead from electrocution long ago. What would be the equivalent for you - accidentally overclocking your heart until it gave out?"

Before he could answer, there was a loud crash, and both ducked out of the way as Sandy Anderson flew backward through the window, a flaming wolf holding her in its jaws. As Tomb ducked out of the way, Dani jumped and stuck both her knives into the animal's spinal cord.

"Not a warrior?" Ojiako whispered, having backed away nervously at the sight of the flame.

"Save it." Dani played the fire extinguisher over the dying animal, who shrunk to normal proportions as his eyes closed for the last time, before checking on her student. While the girl who had once been the Workforce's Inferno wasn't burned, she had multiple shards of glass sticking from her back, numerous other lacerations, and a large wolf-bite on her left arm. "You wanted something to do, here's your chance - be a medic. Stop her bleeding and keep her out of pain."

"What will you do?" Tomb replied, bending down to see to Inferno, as Dani retrieved her knives and wiped them on the wolf's fur.

"I'm going upstairs. There's someone I want to check on. And someone I need to see."
_________

"Wait until nightfall."

The figure in the spiked silver armour cursed Mordru's order, not for the first time. It had meant giving away the element of surprise entirely - especially since the squirrel girl incident before their cloak went up. She'd been ended there and then, but it still gave them enough warning to set up defences.

I should have attacked there and then, they thought, but it was followed by their hand automatically reaching to the scar over their right eye - or rather, their right eye socket - and a brief shiver. No, they knew what happened to those who defied Mordru.

Then, while reaching out for more "troops" to breach the line, they felt something. One of the defenders was open to control? Yeesssss... this might still be salvageable...
________________

"Fine. Your deal."

Rachel grinned and picked up the cards as Janet conceded defeat for the fifth hand out of six. She knew Jan suspected she was telepathically cheating - she wasn't, but it was fun to let her think she was! And they needed some fun. It had been hours since she'd arrived, and finding the deck of cards had been the only vaguely interesting thing to happen since. Tikhik appeared to have fallen asleep, and both her and the giant girl may well have followed had they not found something to do.

Suddenly though, as Rachel finished shuffling and prepared to deal, a niggle that had been there at the edge of her consciousness grew louder, making her consciously aware of it and the cards fell to the ground as she tried to pinpoint it. Damn. "Someone's coming."

To her surprise, it was Tikhik who responded from across the room. "Can you be more specific? Mordru?"

"Don't think so, but there's a group, and they're nearly--" Rachel let her voice drop as the great door began to move, swinging slowly open beside them.

It didn't need a telepath to see that their presence was a surprise to the group entering. Nor to see that the surprise wasn't pleasant to the heavily-armed contingent. And especially not to the young woman at the front, who held a sword of metal in one hand and a sword of light in the other, and who broke the silence in a strong voice. "My name is Tazmin Tomas. As Arra of the Táloc, I demand to know who you are and why you are here."

Taktsang Monastery, Bhutan

"You know, Polarity, when we were sent here I told myself how lucky we were. Here we get to go to one of the most isolated, closed-off nations in the world; and we get to stay at this magnificent monastery built right into the mountains. Now here we are..." Shifter was cut off as he dodged some rubble.

"...fighting for our lives? Tell me something I don't know!" Polarity grumbled as he magnetically lifted a sheet of metal carrying a few monks to safety. "Now hurry up, we have to get these people out of here!"

"I can multi-task, you know." Shifter's reply came as he effortlessly morphed his limbs into ropes, lifting four more monks out of the way. "Besides, what's life if you can't laugh in the face of danger and possible death?"

"I'd like to skip the death part, thank you very much. So what do we do... about that?"

Polarity's gesture indicated a large serpentine dragon nested in the clouds, bolts of lightning crackling all around it.

"That, my impatient friend, is a Druk. Unfortunately, while I know what is it, I don't know how to stop it."

Polarity grimaced as he pulled together whatever metal he could to form a shield over the monastery. The least they could do know was try to save as many people as they could.

Central Java, Indonesia

Amihan's winds carried her and Hygeia above the Kedu Plain. She wished she could drink in the view below her - active volcanoes letting off steam, while the two jewels of Borobudur and Prambanan stood out from the green plains.

These massive ancient places of worship were anything but peaceful now, though.

"I thought Indonesia was mostly Muslim. How come there are so many people massing for war in a Buddhist and a Hindu temple?" Hygeia asked breathlessly - she still wasn't used to the high altitude.

"Must be the magic," Amihan replied. "Maybe mind-control is one of the things Mordru can do."

That chilling conclusion silenced both of them, as they stared at the two temples below. Both were now swarming with people, and they looked angry.

"So how do two Legionnaires stop two armies from killing each other?"

The silence grew even more deafening now, as the two listened to the rumbling chanting from below.

Mount Osore, Japan

Its name means the Mountain of Horror, which seems an apt description for this sacred Buddhist site inside the crater of a dormant volcano. The weather-beaten temple here is surrounded by a lifeless lake and a wasteland of naked rock reeking of sulfur that conjures images of Buddhist hell. -As Japan’s Mediums Die, Ancient Tradition Fades, NY Times article by Martin Fackler

"You'd think a sulfurous mountain wouldn't be so windy, huh?"

"I don't mind so much, *huff*, Wildfire; it reminds me of home," Blizzard panted as he crouched behind a rock wall. "What I'm more concerned about is whether we can do anything to the spirits around here."

"You mean those crazy ghouls that want to kill us? Yeah, and here I was hoping we'd get to enjoy the scenery for once," Wildfire quipped.

Once, Blizzard would have been annoyed at his colleagues flippancy; but his time with the Legion had taught him to understand the differences between people. Still, he was glad they hadn't been sent to his native Norway - cracking jokes at a time like this would generally not have been appreciated.

"Fortunately, no religious festivals are scheduled today. At least we only have to worry about ourselves..." Blizzard suddenly jumped back as a ghost materialized through the rock. Its face was spattered with blood, a stark contrast to its chalk white skin.

It was met with a powerful energy blast and a hail of icicles; the boulder was destroyed, but the spirit hardly looked fazed.

Cursing, Wildfire picked Blizzard up and sped off. "Have Kinetix or Kid Quantum answered?" Blizzard asked. There was no shame in requesting assistance at a time like this.

"Nada, pal. I'm afraid we may be on our own with this one."

Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

"UNESCO says: The cultural heritage of the Kathmandu Valley is illustrated by seven groups of monuments and buildings which display the full range of historic and artistic achievements for which the Kathmandu Valley is world famous. The city of Kathmandu is a melting pot for the nation's population, not only today but also in times past, which probably explains the rich cultural heritage of the city. It boasts a unique symbiosis of Hinduism, Buddhism and Tantrism in its culture, which is still as alive today as it was hundreds of years ago. Oh, and it says here that most of the principal monuments are in Durbar Square - which is where we are now." Element Lad read from his handheld, as he and Flash strolled leisurely.

"I'd love to come back and explore the Valley, when all the war problems are done."

"Yes, these monuments are a world treasure. It would be a shame if we did not appreciate them. Although, and pardon me for stating this, I didn't think you were the type to enjoy the sights of the past."

Flash cocked her eyebrow slightly, though her voice indicated she wasn't offended. "Is it because I'm a speedster?"

"It's more because you've been fidgeting since we got here."

Flash relaxed at that. "It's more because I believe Kinetix's visions were true, and I'm restless because we don't know when an attack will come."

"Well, maybe we just arrived here early. But better to be prepared, right?"

Flash remained silent at that. Element Lad could tell she disliked being inactive. "You can travel faster than the speed of sound, right?"

"Faster," Flash said, though she tried not to show how proud she was of that.

"Would you perhaps want to go on patrol first? I can call you if anything happens - you'll be back in insants."

Flash grinned. Element Lad barely heard her "Thank you!" before he saw the cloud of dust she raised.

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

Taxila, Pakistan

"Never imagined Pakistan would have so many wonders - good thing I can't be seen while traveling around," Flash thought as she zipped around the ruins. "And this area's been inhabited since the 1st century AD... there must be a lot more ruins waiting to be discovered."

Armavir Region, Armenia

"I've never really noticed churches, but these Armenian ones are beautiful. They really do have their own style - central-domed cross-hall, I think it was called. Makes sense Armenia would have some great churchs, being the world's oldest Christian country and all."

Jerusalem, Israel

"The Old City is amazing! I guess it's a good thing Jerusalem is holy to Jews, Christians AND Muslims... otherwise it'd probably have been destroyed by now..." Flash weaved quickly among the pilgrims and tourists, trying to avoid disturbing the worshippers in this holiest of places.

Samarkand, Uzbekistan

"To think, traders once passed through here carrying silk. I wonder how long it would take me to run the Silk Route today? Good thing this city was rebuilt by Tamerlane after Genghis Khan destroyed it... would be a shame to lose this much history."

Orkhon Valley, Mongolia

"Nice to know that even in the 21st century, lots of peoples are still sticking their traditions. I suppose they would be proud of their culture... The Mongol Empire lasted almost two centuries. And the remote grassland here is just stunning..."

Flash wished she had done this earlier. There was just so much to see in the world. She hoped the ravages of war wouldn't seen come to these other areas.

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

Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

A weak Element Lad struggled to reach his communicator. He had to call Flash, or Rebound, or Shifter, or anyone...

He tried to focus, but the screams and smoke surrounded him, clouding his mind.

"Jenni..." he whispered.

Previously, in 21st Century Legion:

Earth War: Academy L
Beast War!, interlude: "Penumbra"

• Prologue: "Collared"
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4

For a moment everything stood still. Tikhik, as the one in authority, was completely lost as to what to say - were these "Táloc" claiming to own the sanctuary? Wasn't this capitalist system meant to be entirely based on knowing WHO owned something? His whole instinct was to say that the greater need was theirs, with almost a hundred children to shelter, and damn whoever "owned" it - but starting a fight with three dozen armed men and women was certainly not to anyone's benefit, least of all his charges.

Rachel was also torn, but over something entirely different - everyone else had gone or been taken to the rooms serving as small dorms for now, but what if that changed? If some kid saw what was going on and charged in, it didn't bear thinking about. She knew she could prevent it, telepathically "suggest" to everyone beyond to take no notice of the situation even if they saw - unless and until conflict became unavoidable, at least - to avoid a panic. But even the idea of doing something like that sent shiver-inducing flashbacks through her. She... she couldn't.

Jan instinctively grew slightly but waited for a lead from the other two. Surely the older two knew what they were doing?

In the meantime, Tazmin Tomas, the pale young woman with burning-red hair who had professed herself to be the group's leader, grew impatient. Pointing at Tikhik with her sword of light, she demanded in her noticeable accent, "I repeat, insect, who are you, and why are you using OUR safehouse?"

Apparently, having a sword pointed at Tikhik's throat was just the thing to break him out of a funk. That or being called "insect", as McCauley had done in times gone by. Either way, his first response was to open a portal in the middle of the solid light blade, the front half immediately dissipating when severed. The threat temporarily neutralised, he snapped, "I have no idea who you are or why you're pointing a sword at my throat. This is the Legion Academy Sanctuary, and I have eighty students to keep safe. If you leave your weapons down and talk, we'll talk. Maybe we can help each other."

"But we'll fight if we have to." That was Jan's voice from the back, said while she grew as tall as the entranceway allowed. Rachel followed, rising into the air as her symbiote began to cover her body in black, little tongues of it dancing from her skin as it did so.

The group behind Tazmin had been almost as angry to look at as her, but now many of them suddenly looked more cautious, if not exactly scared. Tazmin herself, however, showed none of that. Instead, she focused on Rachel and the blackness beginning to cover her. Mouthing something that looked like "Mallor?", she suddenly shot a beam of light at Rachel, encircling her in white light that began to grow to cover her. Bad memories triggered, Rachel lashed out telekinetically in return, shoving the Arra on her regal behind and dissipating the growing cocoon

Before things could escalate between them, anyone else joining in, however, Tikhik snapped "Enough." It wasn't loud, but it carried enough to make both women stop briefly. "I don't want a fight - especially not here, not now." He turned to the Táloc, "If you have somewhere else to go on this continent, I can send you there. Take a minute, please." Making a point of turning away from them, meaning it as a measure of trust that they wouldn't stab him in the back, he 'said' to Rachel, not aloud, «Rather than fighting, please tell me you can sense that they're happy to take the deal.»

Rachel landed before she answered, her face flushed red. Not with embarrassment at lashing out so automatically, she told herself, the symbiote was draining her. «Without breaking in - which would get noticed and shatter any hope of a deal - I can't tell you anything you couldn't see from their faces, mostly," she replied, gesturing toward the group, who were animatedly talking amongst themselves, Tazmin apparently disagreeing most violently with whatever they were suggesting. "The interesting one is Little Miss Trigger-Happy. Her, I'm just getting a sort of chaff from, nothing intelligible; there's something screwy about her beyond her personableness.»

«Great. In that case we ought t--» He cut off and instead muttered a quiet "Oh no."

The trigger for the "Oh no" was nothing directly to do with the group behind. Instead, it was to do with an orange figure leaving a sparkly trail as she flew rapidly in their direction from the habitation area. Before he could do anything to stop her, she was there - and had barely begun to demand to know what was happening before being hit by a light dart thrown by Tazmin and falling, almost seeming to go visually negative as it hit. Things happened quickly then - even before Janet caught Serena, Rachel had reflexively mind-blasted the Arra into unconsciousness.

As it all registered, Tikhik's head was in his claw. Things had been starting to even off, and five seconds from one student had-- had--- his train of thought broke down as he realised nothing was happening. Shouldn't that have resulted in a pitched fight? He looked up cautiously.

Janet, now so big she'd had to back out toward the central area to move, was holding Serena in her oversized hand. As Tikhik looked over, she nodded - the "Comet Queen" was still breathing. Meanwhile, there was a slight ripple in the air front of him from a TK wall Rachel had thrown up hastily in case of a revenge attack... but no signs of such an attack were showing. If anything the group looked... relieved?!

An older man spoke up. Unlike Tazmin, he spoke with a flawless - if generic - American accent. "You said you were using this place as a sanctuary. What from?"

"Mordru sent an agent or agents to attack us." Tikhik responded, as he turned away from Janet and her unconscious fellow student to face the Táloc with Rachel, who dropped the wall. "A few remained to guard the building, the less able evacuated to here."

He studied their faces for a few moments, then looked to his comrades for confirmation. Apparently, they agreed with his conclusion, since he continued, "In that case, we accept your offer on one condition. As well as sending us where we ask, you keep her." He indicated he meant the unconscious Tazmin.

"Why?"

"She needs to be taught a lesson. And you claim to be a school. We've heard of the Legion Academy - aren't you meant to take in any and all 'superpowered' youngsters?"

Rachel looked at Tikhik. She wasn't a teacher, so it wasn't her decision to make.

Tik himself kept his beak clamped for a moment. He wanted a peaceful resolution, and it was true that by the rules he should take in the untested young woman, at least to verify she could control her powers - but there were more urgent factors to consider. Not to mention a degree of decency. "Only if she agrees, and you take the sword. She's already assaulted one student. I don't want more injuries if she wakes up and finds she's been abandoned."

"We'll discuss matters with her. Will she wake?"

Rachel nodded. "I didn't do anything fancy, just slammed her. At most she should have a bit of a headache."

Rather than replying, he crouched down and pressed his fingers into various areas around Tazmin's head and neck. After a few moments, she stirred and tried to leap to her feet. He held her down. "Wait a moment. We are not at war with these people. And we have things to discuss..." Pulling her to her feet, he led her across to the group, asking Tikhik and Rachel for a few moments privacy to talk things over.

They obliged, returning to where Janet was standing guard over the still-unconscious Serena. "How is she?" Tikhik asked, as Rachel nervously looked on.

"Okay I think. At least, she's breathing and I can't feel any broken bones. Maybe she absorbed some of it with her powers - can either of you check properly?"

Tik looked at Rachel, who obliged by scanning her. "She's fine," she said with palpable relief in her voice, "Just stunned. Should I wake her?"

"Don't. If anything keep her under." Tik snapped. Now he knew Serena was alright, her reckless dashing in would have to be dealt with. But only after they were finished with the warrior-group.

"What's wrong with you anyway?" Janet asked Rachel. "It's not your fault that happened."

"I could have stopped it from happening." I was going to make a 'suggestion' to cloak what was going on, but I froze at actually doing it.

"I'm glad you didn't." Tik grunted. "I'd rather you didn't brainwash my students, whatever your intent."

Rachel smiled at that, though she wasn't quite sure why.
_____________

"We have come to an arrangement. The insect will send us to a safehouse near the fighting. It should save us a day of travel."

The Táloc's young, flame-haired chieftain reacted to the elder man's words with the impatience the whole group had come to know her for. "Then why are we wasting time on this, when we should be moving?"

"Us. Not you. YOU stay here."

Tazmin laughed loud at that. It took at least thirty seconds before she realised that every single one of her followers was standing with the same stony expression on her face, silently waiting for her to stop. "You... you would... what, SELL me to the insect? I'm the Arra! I wield the Elen!"

"We know. But you are not like your father. Or your grandmother. They had the intelligence to realise what we can and cannot do - you want us to behave as our ancestors did a thousand years ago, when we had the strength and numbers to act in such a way. Now we need stealth to achieve such goals. The insect did not ask this of us. WE want you to stay to learn about the modern world, rather than to charge blindly on a voice from the long-dead past."

"But.... but..."

"The insect, however, did make one request." He moved in and removed the sword and sheath from her loose, disbelieving body. With that done, he took one final look at her, and said, "You were meant to be our light. Instead, you're occluded, trapped in a penumbra of your own creation. I urge you to realise your faults before you fall fully into shadow, Tazmin. I just pray you're capable of realising what you need to be." He then strode straight past her, and the rest of the Táloc followed, all pointedly ignoring her as they did so.
_____________

The Academy group saw them walking over. A last few words, delivered telepathically, and they stood to face the Táloc once more.

"It is done. She will remain."

Tikhik looked over at the young woman, standing stunned and staring into nothingness following her rejection. In other circumstances, his heart may have broken for her, but what he'd seen from her earlier pushed his thoughts toward what might happen if she became hostile again. He hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake. "Janet, leave Serena on a chair and go over and see to her." He indicated with a move of his head that by 'her' he meant Tazmin.

As the giant girl shrunk to fit through the corridor, the Tálocian representative added, "Now, for your part. Do I describe the location to send us to?"

This was something they'd discussed while waiting, and Rachel took her cue. "Just concentrate on where it is and what it looks like. We'll do the rest."

With Rachel piping the location to Tik, the process of sending the Táloc to a safehouse near the Mexican border was swift. None of them looked back at the one they left behind.
_____________

The sound of the portal closing was the first thing Tazmin reacted to. As the tall girl led her over to where the gate had closed, she stared at Tikhik while he explained that "Janet" would be accompanying her around, including after they returned to the Academy. What he said didn't matter, as she listened to the voice whispering in her head and rolled a small marble of light in her hand. She would endure this... humbling... but she knew who she was, what the Elen wanted her to be. Certainly more than the cowards who had abandoned her..."

Ayutthaya, Thailand

Kinetix scowled in frustration as she thought of the orbs once more.

After Singapore, she hadn't been able to tap into their magic at all. And though she tried hard to be confident, she hated not being able to confirm whether the visions she'd seen were true.

She stared glumly around at the once-proud city that was now dotted with monasteries, towers, and statues of Buddha. The ruins were a great reminder that power and greatness can be fleeting.

She sighed and turned back to head to the research labs. It had taken some convincing, but SHIELD had finally decided to have faith in her vision that she, Quislet and the orbs should be relocated to Ayutthaya. After all, they'd deployed the rest of the Legionnaires according to her vision. Why not her?

She turned and headed towards the lab where they were keeping the orbs. Maybe now she could...

BAM! Kinetix jumped with a start as one of the Buddha statues fell over. Before her eyes, it suddenly began to stand up on its own power.

She crossed her arms and sighed. "Quislet, I know it's you."

The statue kept moving.

She frowned. "Knock it off, Quislet. You're supposed to be helping me guard these ruins AND the orbs. And me, while I try to tap into them again."

The statue kept moving.

Kinetix sighed and pointed at the statue, encasing it in her telekinetic shield. "I mean it, we don't have time for this!"

"I know," came the voice behind her. "That's not Quislet's doing."

Mouth agape, Kinetix turned to see her teammate dodging another such statue. "Quislet can't possess them!" the little imp cried as he wove in and out of the air.

Behind Quislet, another statue began to move. Then another. And another.

"Possess the ground, Quislet!" Kinetix cried as she took to the air. She didn't even have to think to know that she had almost no chance of stopping them alone, if this kept up. Her only hope was to make the magic work for her. She frantically reached out to the glowing orbs, trying to ignore the pounding in her chest.

She flew towards the labs, yelling for the SHIELD agents to evacuate everyone. Bursting into the room where the orbs were being studied, she quickly grabbed one and closed her eyes, trying to get it to work as it had before.

Someone yelled at her, but she shoved whomever it was away with a telekinetic shield. "Shut up and get out of here, I'm trying to stop an invasion!"

Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Flash skidded to a halt, her face in shock, as she viewed the destruction around her. Windows were smashed, people were fleeing and debris was strewn around the square she had left not more than 15 minutes ago.

But how? She'd only been gone such a short while...

She ran to where she'd left Element Lad, and quickly cradled his form. Merely groggy, good. She helped him to his feet. "I'msosorrywhathappenedIwasonlygoneashortwhileI'msosorry"

Element Lad's eyes fluttered open, but before he could speak, a roar came from behind them. Flash turned quickly to find...

"It's a yeti," Element Lad finally said. "And there are more of them."

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

Central Java, Indonesia

A fierce wind blew around the spires of Prambanan Temple, though it wasn't trying to bring the ancient structure down. Rather, it was trying to fell those who had amassed in and around the temple and were screaming for blood.

Those who inhaled the wind soon began to feel dizzy. Slowly, the believers in the Hindu gods whom the temple was built to worship slumbered.

Too slowly, though.

"Do you have enough strength to cover the plains beyond the temple?" Hygeia asked Amihan.

"I... I would need to rest first." Despite the cool winds blowing, sweat trickled down Amihan's forehead. "Carrying both of us aloft is tiring enough, but blowing your microbes into the crowd and waiting for them to be infected..."

Hygeia herself was tiring; "commanding" her microorganisms took concentration too. "And we still have to cover Borobudur when we're done. I think it's even bigger."

Both girls fell silent. They didn't have much of a choice but to continue on.

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

Ayutthaya, Thailand

Sweat beaded on Kinetix's forehead despite the air-conditioning. She didn't dare wipe it off lest it disrupt her concentration.

She could feel it again - the pulsing of the orbs as their "being" merged with her consciousness. She was able to access it last time by surrendering her will to theirs, something she was not at all used to doing. Maybe she could do it again if she could ignore the chaos all around her.

Luang Prabang, Laos

Kid Quantum was straining her powers to the limit as she struggled to restrain the Naga and the flooding it was causing. "I don't suppose the legends you've read told you how to defeat one of these?"

"Unf..." came Amazon's reply as she wedged a block in place, completing her makeshift dam. "I wish, but no. And when I read those I never thought we'd actually end up fighting one."

"Great. So I've bought us maybe a couple hours at most. What can you learn in that amount of time?"

Amazon nodded and ran off. "I'll see what I can do, dearie!"

"I have faith in you," Kid Quantum replied, while thinking to herself, "even if we did ferret out a legend, would we have the means to actually beat this?"

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

Ayutthaya, Thailand

Kinetix's mind was reeling. Her simple act of giving in to the orbs was opening her mind. She could see tendrils of energy all around her. Could this be magical energy?

She mentally reached out to the one nearest her and gave it a twitch. It wobbled like so much jelly. She tried imagining it in the shape of a pretzel, and...

"Whoa." She breathed as a chair in front of her twitched and did the same. This was a lot like using her own powers. But what else could she do with this?

"Show me where the energy is going," she thought. She closed her eyes and tried to "follow" the tendrils. Instantly, her field of vision split, like she were watching multiple television screens at once inside her head. She could trace the tendrils to their sources!

Some of them had an end link to the statues, and were probably what was animating them. She noted briefly that Quislet was attempting to restrain those statues that were clustered near the door of the small building she was in. "Good boy," she thought. Part of her wanted to help, but she quashed that idea and focused on ending the source of all this.

She followed the trail of the majority of the tendrils. Their ends trailed up far into the air over Thailand. There, they were joined by tendrils from all over Asia.

She curiously followed them to their destination, hoping Quislet would be able to protect her long enough.

**************************************************
Shaanxi Province, China

A loud crash sounded as Rebound bowled into yet another battalion of statues. Terracotta warriors flew everywhere.

Unfortunately, when they fell down, they got back up. Even the statues that broke apart would repair themselves.

"Please, what is it you want? Might we not engage in meaningful dialogue?" Rebound tried his best Mandarin, to no avail. He desperately looked over to Starboy, whose approach was considerably less diplomatic.

"Get down and stay down, you filthy pieces of clay!" Starboy yelled, his whole body glowing a dark purple. Statues in a small radius around him were rooted to the ground, though others clambered on top of them, threatening to overwhelm him.

"Starboy, are you using your powers on yourself?!" Rebound knew he himself was more or less invulnerable, but his friend was not. Even if they were impervious, how long until the statues would overrun them?

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

Over the Sea

Kinetix's mind followed the tendrils over the sea to the south of Thailand. In the distance, she could see a large island awash with light and energy from a convergence of tendrils that must be coming from all across Asia.

As she drew closer, she gasped at the sight. Rolling hills and forested mountains were dotted with magnificent ruins that hinted at a glorious ancient civilization. But before her eyes, the ruins were being slowly restored. Not only that, but they were being enhanced far beyond what they must have been originally. Cannons appeared on the walls, while bicycles and jeeps turned into nasty-looking armored vehicles with wings.

"We have to get here, fast!" She focused on her connection with the orbs. Last time, by wishing hard enough, she had gotten them to show her an image of the future. Maybe now she could get them to transport her and her teammates there.

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

Ayutthaya, Thailand

Quislet looked in satisfaction at the walls he had created around the laboratory building. He had possessed and raised the ground around it; no small feat as the building stood two storeys. Try as they might, the statues could only chip at the wall.

"Must thank Kinetix for giving me that idea," he chirped. "Now where is she?"

A bright flash of light got his attention. It glowed green, like Kinetix's aura. "Ah, this must be it." As he drew closer, he could hear her pleading. "Please, please..."

"What is Kinetix's problem? Are you in danger?" Quislet called out. He hurriedly flew to the door. "Quislet come to save the day!"

Just as he reached out to touch it, the world grew white.

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

Taktsang Monastery, Bhutan

Shifter nimbly wrapped his limbs around some trees to steady himself, as his body formed a bridge to allow monks to cross over from the battered building. Above him, Polarity was straining himself to contain the Druk.

"How you doing? Are your powers still working alright?"

Polarity answered with a grunt. The bolts of lightning being thrown by the Druk were definitely straining him.

But saving the monks was straining Shifter himself. Could he help? With some effort, he elongated his neck to try to get a better look, when suddenly, the world vanished in a flash of light.

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

Mount Osore, Japan

Blizzard clenched his teeth as he threw shards of ice all around him. Not that they were doing any good; the howling ghosts ignored them as if they were illusions. "I wish Spirit were here. Or one of our magic users. Maybe they'd know what to do."

"What, my company isn't good enough for you?" Wildfire chuckled. He was throwing blasts with one hand while another held on to Blizzard.

"The only reason we have survived so far is because of your excellent speed and maneuverability, so I'm definitely glad you're here," Blizzard replied. "Just be careful, because these ghosts are tricky..." He cut off as a face suddenly loomed in front of them, it's eyes blazing with anger, mouth open in a hideous snarl, rotting hands reaching out for his throat. "Wildfire! Turn now! Turn..."

His words were cut off as a flash of light blinded him.

Mercifully, Wildfire didn't drop him. Rubbing his eyes, Blizzard tried to focus. He had to see, to know what...

He gave pause as he saw they were in a small clearing. Instead of jagged mountain walls, he saw dense jungle. Hills were visible in the distance, on top of which was a gleaming fortress. What had happened?

Wildfire tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, you alright pal? I think I am, but maybe I'm hallucinating. Look who else is here."

Blizzard turned around and gasped. All of the Legionnaires who had been with them in Singapore were standing in the clearing, with various expressions of shock. He voiced out what they all must be thinking. "But... how?"

Kinetix stepped forward. "My fault, I think. Welcome to Sri Lanka, everyone. Now listen, we don't have much time..."

Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Before Kinetix could continue, Starboy raised his mind.

"Erm, Rebound and I were battling some statues that had come to life. Since I'm assuming you brought us here... did you bring them along too?"

Kinetix's mouth hung open for a bit. "I... I'm not really sure what I did, so I can't say..."

Her words were cut off as Flash pushed her out of the way. "What...?"

"Saving your life, that's what." Everyone turned to see an arrow jutting out of a tree trunk where Kinetix's torso was just moments ago.

Before anyone could react, the terracotta army burst through the jungle.

"We don't have time for this!" With a snap of her wrists, Kinetix caused the ground in front of the army to sink. Within moments a deep pit had formed. Unable to stop, the clay soldiers ran right into it.

Working together, Amihan and Polarity pushed the soldiers towards the back into the pit as well. Kinetix then sealed the pit above them. For good measure, Starboy used his gravity powers to compress the dirt above the pit. "Awright, let's see them try to get out of this one!" Cheers erupted as the Legionnaires congratulated each other.

Rebound didn't join in, though. He could feel the sweat dripping from his forehead, and it wasn't just from the jungle heat. "Was everyone battling something before coming here?"

The cheering stopped, and everyone turned to look at one another. Their silence said it all.

A roar came from the jungle.

"Great, and we're here without a telepath. Kinetix, I assume we're here because you were able to track the big bad here. Who do you need with you? Take a small team and go, NOW."

Kinetix hesitated. "I'm not totally clear on the threat here, Shifter. What I do know is that the orbs are acting as some sort of routing device whereby magic is being routed here to Sri Lanka. Whomever is behind this is collecting that magic, and using it to not only rebuild the ruins here, but fortify them."

Shifter rubbed his chin. "That explains the orbs, and I guess it explains why the targets were all in Asia. Geographic proximity. as to why Sri Lanka was chosen..."

Amazon spoke up. "Maybe it's because Sri Lanka has one of the oldest known civilizations. Ruins here date back to almost two thousand years - and there are a lot of them. 5 UNESCO World Heritage sites originating before colonization, and 4 of those are cities."

"I bet it's being an island didn't hurt, either," Wildfire added.

"One more thing," Kinetix said. "Some of the magic was being funneled back into the statues that attacked us in Thailand. When the terracotta warriors attacked, I saw magic being funneled into them too. I think it means the magic is being used to animate or create the creatures we've encountered."

"I don't get it. If the bad guy is trying to collect magic, why waste some of it to animate these things?" Kid Quantum asked.

"Good question, one which we have to answer. I think that means Quislet, as our resident magical creature, had better go with Kinetix and try to figure that out," Rebound said.

Shifter nodded. "I'll go too, since I'm virtually the only one here with stealth capability. Kinetix, who else do you think you'll need?"

"I'd love to have everyone, but I guess the three of us will do for now. At least until we figure out what's going on."

"Okay, so for those staying behind, trade notes on who you were fighting, and..."

Blizzard suddenly stepped forward. "I would like to accompany you as well."

Shifter raised an eyebrow. "You have experience with magic?"

Blizzard nodded with a set jaw which indicated he wouldn't be left behind. "Magic gave me and my people our powers. And I am a trained hunter. Granted, I'm not used to jungle terrain, but I may be able to help find our target."

"Fair enough. Rebound, Kid Quantum, you're in charge. When you've taken out everything we've been fighting, gather back here. We'll come find you when we need you."

Starboy grinned. "Sounds like a battle plan. Let's have a cheer to go with it. Alright, Let's Go Legionnaires!"

This time, everyone joined in. There was strength in numbers, after all.

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

Rebound bounced on top of the trees, trying to spot the Druk, the Naga, or whatever else his teammates had been battling. He knew that if he didn't stop them, they would stop him.

He was in mid-bounce when bolts of lightning zipped through the air. "They're here," he yelled, not caring that everyone else had probably already seen his attackers.

Polarity's magnetism carried him aloft, and as he gestured, bands of metal wrapped around the Druk. "Good to see there was enough metal to supplement the small strips I carry with me. Now where's..."

"I'm here!" Kid Quantum popped into view, the Naga encased in her stasis field. "Go, go!"

With a gesture, Polarity sent the Druk flying into the field as well. At the last second, Kid Quantum made it vanish, and Druk and Naga collided. Electricity mixed with water, and both creatures let out roars of pain and anger before collapsing.

"High-five!" Polarity raised his palm, and Kid Quantum gladly joined him. "Man, am I glad to be on the same team as you are!"

"We're not out of the woods yet..." Rebound said. His teammates turned to see a horde of ghosts flying at them, hands outstretched.

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

Flash came zipping out of the jungle to her waiting teammates. "I've found the Buddha statues Kinetix mentioned, and the Yeti that Element Lad and I were fighting. I also saw some smaller statues of women who looked like dancers. Not sure what they were, though. Nobody described anything like them."

Hygeia slapped her forehead. "Of course!" She quickly took out her IPod. "Did they look like this?"

Flash nodded. Hygeia excitedly turned to the others. "Those things are apsara. They can control people with their songs. It's a good thing Flash is faster than the speed of sound. Amihan, I know both Borobudur and Prambanan temples have statues of apsara as well."

"Then the apsara must have been responsible for turning those people mad. Just like what they did in Angkor."

"Yes, and as long as we can't hear them, we should be safe."

"Then what are we waiting for," Starboy asked. "Let's put our game plan into action!"

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

"You know, I never believed in ghosts. I blame the Legion for making me change that belief," Kid Quantum muttered as she dodged a spirit's punch.

"Maybe we can get Dox to invent something that'll keep them away," Polarity replied. "Besides, it doesn't seem like you to be afraid of a little thing like that."

"Ha ha. Just concentrate on keeping alive, and save the jokes for later."

"Good advice, Kid. Let's just keep drawing them this way," Rebound said from below. "And hurry, please... I'm not as mobile as either of you."

"Have no fear, the cavalry's here!" Wildfire yelled as he zipped into view, carrying Element Lad, whose hands were glowing. "This high enough, E-Lad?"

"It'll do, Wildfire. And now, evil spirits," Element Lad said calmly, "I give you presents. Silver, obsidian, and chalcedony."

Spires of the named material appeared all around the horde of ghosts. With a piercing shriek, they were suddenly gone.

"Man, I am so going to have nightmares about that for a while..." Kid Quantum muttered.

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

Amihan and Hygeia stepped calmly into the field where the Yeti had gathered. Each one was lying on the ground, barely able to move.

"Our powers combine excellently, don't they?" Amihan said, as she stepped around a puddle of vomit.

"Yes, we make a great team," Hygeia smiled back. "We bring much honor to Southeast Asia."

Amihan smiled back. "I believe we didn't miss any of them. Let's go find the others."

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

Starboy looked at Flash and Amazon. Both nodded their readiness.

He quickly used his powers on the trees separating their clearing from the next, bringing their branches down. Their view unobstructed, about a dozen Buddha statues turned to look at them.

As Flash raced into the jungle, Starboy quickly felled about half the statues with his gravity powers. Amazon charged in and tackled the nearest one still standing. With a grunt of effort, she threw it into the air. "I hope my aim is good," she thought.

With a crash, she saw that it was. The statue landed in the pit they had dug. She moved on to the next statue which Starboy hadn't affected. Once she'd taken care of all those still standing, Starboy released each remaining statue one by one. Starboy marveled at Amazon's form as she tossed the statues. "Girl sure knows what she's doing," he thought.

Soon, all twelve were safe at the bottom of the pit.

Amazon nodded to Starboy, and they returned to find Flash racing towards the pit, pushing an apsara statue before her. With a grin, she tossed it into the pit after the Buddhas. Wiping her brow, she gave an okay sign and began filling up the pit.

Amazon helped her, and within minutes they were done. Starboy compressed the dirt as he had before, sealing the statues in.

WIth a satisfied smile, the three Legionnaires removed their earplugs. "It sure feels good to be able to hear again," Amazon said with a big smile.

Earth War: Academy L
Beast War!, conclusion

• Prologue: "Collared"
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Interlude: "Penumbra"

Dani reached the top of the stairs and looked out. Some way across the roof were Sofia, Everett Thomas and Tanya Scott. Everett had clearly synched with Sofia, his rainbow-coloured aura flashing brightly, and the two were keeping a large cyclone going over the school, forcing any flying enemies down to within the range of the ranged defenders like Tanya, who was sending laserlike bolts out into the night sky. Meanwhile, she almost studiously ignored the other reason she'd come up to the roof, standing with the three students, her black chitinous armour barely standing out against the dark sky. Instead, her eyes flicked across to the scene below, where Akasha Martinez immediately leapt out - even if she hadn't been the only figure in the air, the Egyptian-American's glowing wings were a beacon in the dark, luring hostile animals toward her where others could take them down.

There was a cough behind her. Her instinct was to whirl round to face them, but knowing who it was, she forced herself to turn at a deliberate pace, affecting a patience that she didn't feel. She needed to make her point clearly and concisely, not blurt things out.

Shikari looked just as annoyed as Dani herself felt at the situation, that said. "What are you here for, Danielle?"

"When was the last time you looked downstairs? I can see all the kids gradually getting chewed up as they get more and more tired. They're not trained for this, and they're making mistakes - Sandy was dragged through a window."

"She was injured?"

"She's got broken glass riddling her back and a big bite on her arm. Ojiako's tending to her."

"So it is not life-threatening?" Dani interpreted Shikari's tone as a 'what's the problem then? I'm busy.' attitude. This did nothing to help her temper.

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

Patience didn't come naturally to the silver-clad figure. Maybe they could eventually grind the Academy down, win the day for Mordru, but they'd already spent - wasted - hours being patient with the - stupid - order to wait until dark. If a thousand cuts weren't enough, better to cut deeper rather than try for a million...

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Nori wasn't the first to see it happen. She was busy putting down some mutant cat when the girl who'd called herself "Particon" (whose actual name she couldn't remember) cried out that something was happening to "Rocco". Finishing the cat quickly, she turned to see what it was.

It wasn't a pretty sight, even some distance removed. His skin and fur were bubbling, and while still "small", he was rapidly reaching normal size, with his growth not slowing - if anything, it was speeding up.

She blinked and, muttering "Oh crap", zipped straight toward him, cursing that everyone was so slow as she reached out to zap the classmate who was turning into a mutant beast, just like all the others they'd spent the night fighting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The flash of light from Nori's zap immediately caught Dani's attention, and she focused on the source just in time to see her skidding backward, swiped by the still-growing Rocco, a burn mark on the ground showing that her blast had gone awry. Seeing Sul quickly gather Nori out of immediate harm's way, she glared at Shikari.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Someone had a tight grip on her shoulder and was shouting her name.

Shaking her head to try and clear it, Nori took a moment before she replied. Muttering, "I'm okay", she tried to figure out if it was true. Her back felt raw from friction with the ground, and her ears were ringing, but yeah, she concluded, basically alright. There was no reply, and she pushed her eyes open to see Sul standing in front of her looking angry. It took a moment more before it registered that her scarf had come off and her sparking collar was visible for all to see.

Without another word to her, the super-strong girl picked her up and literally threw her through the window Sandy Anderson, once the Workforce's Inferno, had broken earlier. Shocked, Nori was even more shocked when she found she couldn't stand up - her legs were completely limp. A moment of panic passed before she heard a hoarse whisper say "Don't." Supporting herself with her arms and turning her head, she saw the scarred 'Tomb' staring at her.

Had Sul said something she missed, or was the bastard just taking a lead from her sparking collar to keep her 'safe' on his own? Dragging herself into a chair, all she could do was glower at him as he resumed pulling broken glass from Inferno's back with a pair of tweezers, or watch what was happening outside.

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

That was better, the silver figure thought, watching through their armour's cloaking field as it sparkled internally - in spreading their power amongst a score or more of animals, their effectiveness had been diluted, they thought. Now, with all their Mordru-enhanced power and all their will centred on one beast, victory was surely close, and this stupid "Academy" could be razed to the ground...
________________

"Rocco? Are you still you?" The pink-haired Jennifer Adra, who'd called herself "Particon" when Shikari asked for codenames, approached what had been her best friend. Moreover, the... thing?... that had been "Flying Fox" appeared to respond, or at least hesitate.

"C'mon Adra, gimme a shot, geez," Jubilee muttered under her breath, wishing Particon would get out from between her and "it", not trusting that there was anything left of him to talk down after seeing what he'd done with Nori.

"Look Rocco," Jennifer's power lance dissipated in her hands, as she used his name again. "I'm not going to attack you like the blue girl did. Just listen to my voice Rocco, calm down, and we'll see if we can rev--"

Suddenly, it moved, knocking Jennifer out of the way into unconsciousness almost incidentally as it ran - apparently unable to fly with its much greater mass - straight at Jubilee.

To be fair to Jubilation Lee, her first "firework" was a direct hit and set its fur briefly on fire. Alas, life isn't fair, so by the time the explosion happened she was already unconscious, having been swiped into Dietrich "Magno" Magnus, knocking them both out with no chance for a follow-up. Akasha, her best friend, immediately dived on her light wings toward the target in retaliation, but was tackled out of the way by Ming Sul.

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

A single elegant machine was good, the silver figure smiled as students began to fall in earnest. But sometimes the more effective option was full-on Hulksmashitude. Yeessssssss.
________________

Sul glanced across as Akasha struggled to get out of her pin. The now-giant-sized Rocco was busy with the super-dense Jebediah "Powerhouse" Riccard and hadn't noticed them yet, but they couldn't have long. "Listen, we've got to lead him away from the others before they're crushed. We'll try and catch his attention, then split up. The one he doesn't go after gives chase and tries to stop him.

"THEN what?"

"...I haven't got that far yet." Sul - at nineteen the Academy's oldest student by a clear year, reflecting the youth of the intake - looked away sheepishly, only to see Powerhouse, who'd lasted the longest, literally hammered deep into the ground, taking him out of the fight. Quickly, she added, "Look - frontal attacks haven't exactly done much. Unless you can go super-saiyan on him, this is the best chance Jubilee and the others have, okay?"

"...fine."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the roof, Shikari broke the awkward silence by armouring up and unfurling her wings. When Dani demanded to know what she was doing, she replied, "What I can do. A search for the cause of this."

"After already trying and failing, with your fantastic "pathfinding"? Your need to be doing something is how we ended up in this position to start with, isn't it? This is YOUR responsibility, Shikari. Rocco was one of the students YOU insisted on throwing into this."

Shikari didn't reply, but nor did she immediately fly off, while her face remained hidden behind her chitinous mask.

"Where the hell did they find you?" Dani continued. "I thought I knew you. Hell, I even got to like you. But now, I don't think I can trust you to put the students' welfare first."

Shikari turned, face still hidden behind her blank mask, and simply said "War makes weapons of us all, Danielle." Then she flew off.

Left behind, Dani paused for a moment, staring after the departing teacher. Then, after a glance at the situation on the ground, shook her head and turned to the students who had clearly been listening in. That could wait, though.

"Everett, I take it you still have Sofia's powers. Can you synch with Sul as well?"

In response, Everett Thomas reached out with his synchronistic aura, checking that Ming Sul was indeed both conscious and close enough so that he could mimic her powers. "I can, but if you're thinking of speed, wouldn't I be better synching with Noriko? She's a lot faster."

"She hasn't learned to control her powers in years, I doubt you will in thirty seconds. Sul was quick enough to stay out of reach as it stands. Just bring everyone up you can."

"I should help too, Dani." Sofia stepped forward.

Dani paused for an extended moment, searching her adoptive daughter's face, and sighed, "...as long as you stay out of reach. You don't have super-speed at all, so if you're on the ground and Rocco bolts back over here, you'll be caught. Everett can hand someone over to you if need be."

Meanwhile, Tanya stood in the background, politely waiting, hoping to be acknowledged. She didn't reflect on how funny it was that she was willing to lay down her life for the school because she'd been asked, but couldn't bring herself to do something simple like step forward.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Nori watched through the broken window in helpless fury as Flying Fox chased Akasha toward the treeline, Sul pausing to grab her chain before taking off after him in turn at top speed. As they disappeared from her sight, she fumed, convinced she that should be given another shot at him. After all, she could outpace Sul three-to-one or better. When her legs worked.

Turning her eyes to look at Ojiako, 'Tomb', still picking tiny bits of glass out of Sandy's back, bitter thoughts ran through her head. She thought she could still zap him, but what if he felt it coming and cut everything below her neck to stop her? Or, worse, she knocked him out, but that somehow made it permanent?
________________

Outside, it took several minutes for Sul of sprinting as hard as she could to catch up with Flying Fox, testing even her superhuman stamina. All while Akasha tried to lead him away from the Academy, even as he seemed to keep pulling back toward it. Only when Sul, on the brink of giving up, finally touched his tail did she risk leaping onto his back, clinging on for dear life as he pounded across the ground.

Carefully, she crawled up to his head, and sat astride his neck, clamping on as tight as she could with her legs. Almost relieved she'd got that far, she unwound the chain from her waist, and used it to whallop the back of his head as hard as she could.

Nothing happened.

She tried again. Same result.

Abandoning the chain, she crawled forward and tried with her fists, to similarly poor effect. Then, just as her hands became bloodied with the effort, his head turned as he seemed to abruptly lose interest in Akasha entirely, and he skidded to a stop, throwing her head-first into the trees. Managing to twist enough to avoid impacting head-first, she still wrenched her shoulder as she grabbed a branch to stop herself, followed by twisting her ankle as she roughly dropped to the ground. Propping herself up, she wondered what had triggered THAT? It couldn't have been her - she hadn't been making any impact.

Then she saw it. Everett was checking over someone on the ground, and his aura was lit up like a beacon.

And as she quickly found out, in her tired, injured state, the possessed Rocco was far faster than her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sofia was flying back down to get someone else after delivering Jubilee to the roof when she saw it coming, running at top speed towards Everett.

Without further thought, she reacted, flying between Everett and the rampaging beast and letting rip with everything she had. Hurricane-force winds battered him, holding him back... but not quite stopping him, as he dug in and continued to inch forward.

Behind him, Akasha landed - almost crash-landed - beside Sul, who'd flattened herself to the ground, both getting out of the wind ASAP. They couldn't be so stoic in the face of a localised 150mph wind.

Behind Sofia, however, the air was amazingly calm, as she pulled the air around the area, keeping a pocket "eye" clear and still to avoid Everett and the unconscious Jennifer - the only remaining unconscious student in immediate danger with Jubilee & Magno now pulled to safety and Jed still deep in the ground - being endangered. The effort of it all was taxing her immensely though, and she didn't dare turn around to check what Everett was doing.

He, meanwhile, was busy checking Particon for injuries before taking the risk of moving her, not wanting to end up paralysing her while "saving" her. And with Sofia keeping the air around him quiet, he couldn't even hear the tempest brewing behind him. Which is why Shikari's noisy descent - following a fruitless search for the invader causing the root of the trouble, cloaked beyond even her ability to find anything - was such a shock even before she pointed out what was happening.

Risks rebalanced, they carried Jennifer up to the roof as quickly as possible. As they reached the edge of the roof, Dani fired an arrow at Flying Fox. As with her earlier attempts on the possessed animals, it had no direct effect, but Sofia saw it and took the hint. Dropping the ferocious forward wind, she flew high into the air out of its path.

And with the hurricane gone, the beast that had been a student shot straight forward into the wall of the building.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Inside, it felt like an earthquake as the wall rocked and partially crumbled in front of them. Then Noriko realised she could feel her legs and scrambled out of the way, seeing moments later that Tomb and Inferno had both been knocked out by flying rubble which must have flown just past her own head. Taking a second to move them out of further harm's way, toward the doorway of the room, she looked out at the hole in the wall.

The beast was stunned, but quickly recovering. She took a split second to look in the cracked mirror on the wall. Her collar no longer merely showed visible sparks. Now it was practically aglow with arcs of electricity running al the way around the surface.

But her eyes weren't red. She knew what she was doing to do, what was going to happen as she turned and ran, before anyone could see to stop her. It took less than a second, collar crackling louder than the rushing wind as she moved, but her mind ran even faster than her body, and she had time to think. Maybe it would be alright - maybe she'd didn't need the collar now. Or maybe she was running to her end. The latter thought didn't distress her, oddly. The worst that could happen, she thought, was to be right back where she started.

He'd turned just enough, recovered just enough, that she could look him straight in the eye as her collar spiked and sparked for the last time. All she saw was a crazed beast.

At least it wasn't a friend. If they both made it through, she'd have felt really guilty about making them feel responsible.

And then she exploded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a brief moment, the sky lit up like day. Before it had even dulled, Shikari had grabbed Dani by the armpits without explanation and flew off. Curious, Everett took off after them, leaving Tanya to look after the unconscious trio.

Sofia and Sul, meanwhile, converged on the location of their friend, the latter carried by Akasha in recognition of her injuries before being set down so she could fly up to check on Jubilee.

Hanging back, Sofia crossed her lower ribs with her arms. "Is she...?"

"She's still breathing." Sul replied, reaching for a pulse. Saying how she'd be would have to wait for her to regain consciousness - the collar around her neck was now little more than a circlet of charcoal. "What about him?"

Sofia glanced across at the small figure lying on the ground nearby, fur scorched. Then she thought again - it really wasn't his fault, was it? - and went over to check. "He is breathing too."

"Great."

They stood in silence for a moment, before they heard a muffled sound. Instinctively, Sofia used her powers to amplify it.

It was Jed, still down in his narrow pit, asking for "A little help here, please."

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

Shikari set Dani down at the edge of the wood, where a silver-clad figure lay semi-conscious from the backlash of Nori's burst, victim - though the approaching group didn't know it - of putting all their eggs in one fox-shaped basket.

As Everett touched down behind them, the figure appeared to stir, but succeeded only in dislodging their helmet. All three recoiled in shock, but Dani most of all as they saw what had been under it. Who Mordru's agent was. Who they'd been fighting against all night.

There were scars. One eye was missing. And the hair was virtually a crew-cut. But under it all was still, unmistakably, the face of Danielle Moonstar.