Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business Post ZH Legion: Volume 5 - What Makes Us Special (August 26, 2023)

really touching legacy IB!

Thanks for the kind words, Omni I think I'm getting kind of rusty, though. How is your own writing coming?

going alright. been taking a break but getting back to it.

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

WILDFIRE

Dirk Morgna rubbed his temples. After running seven consecutive rounds of tests, he was tired.

Derek Morgna chuckled as he clapped a hand on his son’s back. “Dirk, you’ve been working too hard. You should get some sleep! We’re still very much ahead of all the other research teams.”

Dirk smiled. “And we’ll keep ahead, dad. But you’re right, I’m beat. It still takes effort for me to switch between my heat signature vision and my normal vision… but it’s getting easier.”

“I’m really glad that Mysa woman was able to help you with that. After all you’ve been through…”

“I know, dad. I know. Listen, I’ll just clean up my notes and then I’ll head on home, okay?”

“No racing home this time? Okay, don’t stay up too late.”

Once, Dirk would have been annoyed at his father’s competitive nature. But now he appreciated it. He sighed as he went over the outline file where he organized his main observations. They were making good progress, and now it seemed as if they could find a way to make their new energy source self-sustaining...

Too late to save one life, but not too late to possibly save billions more.

He stifled a yawn, then clicked his tongue in disgust. No sense trying to formulate conclusions now while he felt so tired.

As he closed up the lab, he paused by the door to look at the holo of their main donor. Wildfire. Dirk looked at it with respect. By all accounts, Wildfire had been through much worse than Dirk had – while Dirk had been possessed and had been left with vision that could let him detect energy, at least he had eventually gone back to normal. And he was still his own person. Wildfire, though, had once been two different people. Both had been murdered by Mordru, and their essences had been trapped and forcibly merged after. He couldn’t imagine what it must have been like. Wildfire had mentioned that his two individual halves had been merging more and more, but still… it wouldn’t be quite the same.

To make things worse, Wildfire had been kidnapped and used as a battery in an anti-matter world. His energy had been drained so much that Brainiac 5 had told him he would run dry eventually.

But Wildfire was a true hero. Upon hearing that, it hadn’t taken him long to donate a piece of himself to research. Much more than he could spare while still alive, perhaps, but Dirk had watched as he’d siphoned off some of his energy into the containment unit fashioned by their company. Researchers had been working feverishly since then to see how that energy could be used and replenished and applied.

Just last month, it seemed they’d figured out how to modify the energy so it would continually draw from other energy sources. The research potential was enormous! Already, some of it could be used to treat cancerous growths once thought to be terminally fatal.

The only one they couldn’t yet help was Wildfire himself. The problem they had yet to solve was how to ensure that Wildfire’s essence and mind wouldn’t be lost if he constantly used his energy self to draw in even more energy from the environment. Could his mind be overwritten or warped by the process? How much of his current energy state could he lose without changing himself?

It all seemed moot now…

Dirk sighed as he passed by the hospital wing. He knocked on the now-familiar door that he saw several times a week. At the soft but welcoming “Come in!”, he entered.

“Mrs. Marks! How are you?” Dirk beamed.

“Dirk! So good to see you again. You really are a dear. First your new treatment, and now here you are visiting me so often. You really are working too hard, you know? I’m healing already, so there’s no reason for you to push yourself so hard!”

“I’ll be fine, Mrs. Marks. All my exhaustion will be worth it if we save more people.”

“Oh, but you won’t be able to help more people if you work yourself into the ground! Now here, you are going to pour yourself some of my homemade pluberry cocoa mix, sit down and put your feet up, and we’re going to chat for a bit before you head home and turn in. Okay?”

Dirk smiled. Mrs. Marks always knew how to soothe people. That sounded like just the thing to get him into the mood for bed.

He just wished Wildfire could be here to see how his legacy was continuing on.

*************
IB's notes:

Dirk Morgna was never a Legionnaire in this reality. He once possessed powers over heat and light, a consequence of experimentation by Dr. Regulus. He lost those powers after fighting Regulus.

He would later be possessed by a fire elemental. He survived, but was left with the ability to see heat signatures.

I really like how with these tributes you're showing the greater effect the Legion have had on the galaxy beyond just fighting bad guys...you don't really see how the existence of these characters changes the status quo in comics very often, but it totally makes sense how they would and it fits in well with the way DnA weren't scared to make vast changes with the introduction of elements such as the Kwai and the Titanet.

I'm liking Wildfire's tribute a lot! this was well thought out and i loved that you used Dirk!

Another fine tribute, Dirk was woefully neglected in that 'boot so it's especially nice to read this section. Wildfire giving a part of himself to help with a research project reads true as well - and especially good that you remembered the rather odd origin he had in that version. As mentioned above it's particularly poignant that you are focusing on the wider influence the Legion had on the greater universe, not just on their fights. Splendid stuff, a very fitting tribute!

More, more, more!

Thanks raz, Omni, and Harbi Knowing how idealisticthe Legionnaires were (such as that time in LSH 94 where Gates and Ultra Boy helped at a soup kitchen, Kinetix's stated desrie to help people, and Chameleon's, Umbra's and Sensor's calling to be ambassadors for their people) made me want to explore how they could not only be inspirational to others, but also actively work to change the galaxy. Really glad you're all liking it, and the references to even the controversial elements of the Postboot

It's just hard sometimes to pick what aspect to touch on. There are so many possibilities for most of the Legionnaires, and I don't just want to go for the obvious for all of them.

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

TRIAD
TRIAD
TRIAD



Triuna Trigo walked briskly along the streets of Cargg. There was much to do, and even though she had three selves she never felt as though she had enough time to complete it all.

Around her, trees shed their leaves as though weeping at the ills that had befallen Cargg in the past years. But Triuna, like many others, refused to weep. Instead, they celebrated the opportunity to cast away the old ways and bring change to their world.

She stopped at the door of their headquarters. Some of their posters had been torn overnight,as always. But there were also a growing number of messages written in support. Anonymous messages, yes, but the fact that some citizens had risked being seen in order to write these was already a bold move.

As she closed the door behind her, she took a moment to gaze at the poster on their door. A picture of the three selves of Luornu Durgo, the Legionnaire known as Triad, covered it. What was unusual was that her costume had not been recolored to make all three selves wear the exact same colors. That was because this poster had been produced by their party, and not by the old Carggite government.

Below the picture was a sign - "A Trinity United in Diversity".

Triuna smiled as she walked to her cubicle. Her colleagues were already there. Most were young, like herself, but their movement was gaining increasing support among those age 30 and above.

"Triuna! It is good to see you again." Their party leader, and her mentor, approached her. All three of her.

Like Triuna herself, each wore a different outfit.

"You look well! You've been eating healthily, I see," said one.

"Nonsense! She's clearly not eating enough. Look how skinny you are!" chided another.

"I think she's just right," smiled the third.

"Tatlisa Sanii! You just got back from your tour last night! Our broadcast isn't for three hours yet! Have you gotten enough rest?" Triuna asked.

"Of course, Triuna. And I have to. We have to make this perfect. Plus, I just got off the phone with the broadcast station manager. It seems that powerful interests tried to have our slot bumped late into the evening, but we managed to reach an agreement. It seems that he is also sympathetic to our cause," grinned Tatlisa 1.

"I could have told you that the first time we met him," Tatlisa 2 interjected.

"Do you have the speech ready, Triuna?" Tatlisa 3 asked.

"Yes. All polished and ready and annotated, just like we discussed. It was great working with you on it," Triuna smiled.

"Good. May the triple suns smile down on us today."

Triuna knew they would.

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

Triuna 1 wiped her brow. She was tired! Who knew a broadcast would take so much work?

Triuna 2 plopped down in her seat. "Urgh. Are you sure we shouldn't reintegrate? I feel like I haven't slept in weeks!"

Triuna 1 shook her head. "How could we not let each of us see this momentous occasion? We need to be able to view it with our triple lens..."

"Hush, you two! It's about to start!" Triuna 3 called from the front. Triuna 1 and 2, despite the latter's desire to sit back down, quickly rushed in.

All three of Tatlisa stood proud at her podium and faced the holocamera. It was time.

"Fellow Carggites," she called. "We of the Divided Trinity address you in peace and unity. We only wish to be heard."

She paused, letting her words sink in.

"For centuries we have been taught that it is only normal for us Carggites to have each of our selves share the exact same reactions to all stimuli. When one cries, all cry. When one is tired, all are tired. Each must have the same interests, the same likes, the same opinions. Those who do not follow this norm are educated forcibly until they do."

"And yet we speak to you today to posit another viewpoint. Consider that our world was recently ravaged by the ancient villain Ra's al Ghul. Over five thousand of our citizens, five thousand of us, were captured and experimented on so he could learn the secret of our triplication. Those left behind on our world were trapped, unable to migrate to ease the burdens on our resources."

"And when our brethren were freed, they were freed by the Legion of Super-heroes, led by no less than Luornu Durgo, the girl whom we had shunned for being different."

"And when our brethren were returned to our world, who helped them? The Legion as well. And Luornu Durgo, whom we all shunned, bravely stayed her for three months, visting every day, just to ensure that we all would be well. In those three months, I learned so much from her. All of us had our eyes opened."

"Now, it is a year later and those who suffered are beginning to heal. The wounds run deep, but they will heal. But not all have healed. Many have committed suicide rather than deal with this constructively."

Tatlisa held up her wrist to show that she had been one of those who had been taken. Triuna had seen the scars before, but she still shuddered every time she did.

"Six months ago, a government report was to be released to the public on how some victims had been coping better than others. It was hoped that all victims could better handle the trauma if they knew of the strategies being used by those most successful. But it was never published. And why?"

"Because the report, generated by Cargg's top scientists, showed the truth - that those victims who had the greatest physical, mental and emotional health at the time of measurement were also those who were at most risk for exhibiting personality differences!"

Tatlisa stared into the holocamera now. Only one of Triuna's selves gasped, but all 3 felt chills for different reasons.

"Brothers and sisters, I call on you to read an open mind! I have here with me several of the scientists who penned the report. They can tell you in their own words how they made their discovery! How they tested and tested and tested it, and yet the results came out the same always! It is healthier for us to accept our differences!"

She turned to gesture to the panel behind her. A half-dozen scientists, each triplicated, nodded their heads. All of them were wearing something that made each self distinct from the other two.

"Also with us today are several Carggite citizens who have spent years living offworld. You may know them as famous athletes, artists, and explorers. And each will tell you that their years offworld have taught them to relax and accept their individual differences!"

"Many of us have you have felt the trembling of one self who wondered what it would be like to try a different color shirt, eat a different flavor of ice cream, listen to a different song. Why should those of us who wish to explore the world threefold be caged into not even being able to live in one? Are you not tired of the fear that this means you are ill and abnormal? Then I urge you to at least listen with an open mind! Our government has been vehement in forcing us to think alike. And yet here before you today, several prominent Carggites will share their experiences. Can you still honestly say that those of us who are different do not deserve to be free?"

As Tatlisa stepped back, indicating that she would pass the floor to another, Triuna could not help herself. One of her selves felt fear, another pure excitement, a third was swimming in awe. Yet all three's hearts blazed with only the brightest of hope. Perhaps Cargg would be able to change, and set all its people free.

*************
IB's notes:

Legionnaires 24 revealed that Carggites whose triplets show differences of any kind are repressed on Cargg. Triad was institutionalized after her grandmother died because she had no legal guardian.

The Divided Trinity is a brilliant idea! Something else else that is really reboot-centric and I could see evolving really organically as an organisation on Cargg. Awesome work, IB!

Thank you, raz! I was hesitant about pursuing it at first since I didn't think I could accurately portray a world in upheaval, but after leafing through all the mentions of Cargg it actually felt organic!

Very good Ib!

But i have a question...I thought it was a "birth defect" meaning it was genetic to have three individual personalities....not that they were all forced to be the same? I thought there were some like Triad who were born with individual personalities, while the majority of the populace were single minded births??

Thanks, Omni! I am picking up what Luornu's grandmother discussed in Legionnaires 24. My impression was that all Carggites have the potential to exhibit differences in their 3 selves. Lu's grandma's opinion was that it was an "evolution" that actually made these individual Carggites stronger because they were able to see the world in three different ways. So I interpreted it as Carrgites being born alonga continuum - on one end are those whose selves have no differences whatsover, on the other end are those with extreme differences like Triad and her grandma.

Those at or near the "no differences" end of the scale have little trouble controlling their differences, but I see tose nearer the other end as struggling, with different levels of difficulty and success, to force all 3 selves to conform.

Although, you and Reboot share the same comments. I think I will go back and add language to show that not all Carggites would have the potential or inclination to exhibit differences. This would be consistent with both the birth defect view and the continuum interpretation

Oh ok. I I actually read Legionnaires 24 recently and completely missed that aspect of it. I'll need to reread again (which is great reason to reread the Reboot Legion Thanks for the inspiration to do so! )

Awesome Idea, sometimes is is all about the language and how its used.

and that makes much more sense, that there is a spectrum of these differences.

Keep them coming!

although i think we're running out of Legionnaires. Whose left?

Glad you're being inspired to reread, Omni And thanks for initially raising the point about it being a bit incredible to think that all Carggites have differences.

Only 7 - the 3 founders, Superboy (Kon), Element Lad, Sensor, Andromeda.

I have some ideas for Andromeda and Superboy, but the former will be somewhat hard to write I think. The 3 founders are easy in the sense that there is so much to write about them, what's tough is picking just one aspect.

Element Lad and Sensor sort of have me stumped. For Sensor I think I can revisit the raccoon people, but the execution will be pretty difficult.

On that, I tend to think the Carggite split-personalities would tend to normalise to either "fully identical" or "fully split", just by the sheer nature of the thing, with the differences in the latter group more between the overt "split from birth/young infancy" and those who start with more subtle distinctions and blossom into full-blown splits at a later age. Triad, obviously, falls into the former group, and I suspect her gran was in the latter since she clearly managed to 'pass' pretty much her whole life!

Hm, I'm not certain about that. Lu's gran had pretty obvious differences in her death scene - but she also spoke as though she had experienced a lot of pain at keeping in her differences. Could she have previously been institutionalized and then released after she'd "buried" her differences and become a good fully identical Carggite?

This was my interpretation also....I figured Triad's grandmother was intended to be typical of many Carggites who had suppressed their natural three-faceted personalities to be able to fit in but had still felt that difference all their lives..

In support of the above interpretation, I remember a character in Legionnaires 77 commenting that Triad must be Triad, because "no other Carggite triplets display such obvious differences!" So I interpreted that to mean there's some pretty wide variation in the degree of differences being exhibited, and that most Carggites who do have differences are just lucky that their are extremely minute and relatively unnoticeable

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

ANDROMEDA

Obin Der couldn't help but touch the bracelet he wore on his right wrist as he walked along the hallways of Daxam's Department of Foreign Affairs. He didn't need it now that he was back home, but it served as a helpful reminder to be humble.

He mentally went over the notes of his audience. It was a small group, so it wasn't hard to remember them all. Dar Zel was an orphan and had no family on Daxam. Con Dalik was a closeted homosexual whose family would disown him, if they knew. Linzi Rand and Armin Lur were terribly in love, but his family had White Triangle beliefs and hers were more moderate. Daria Lun wanted to study biotechnology on Medicus One, where she could gain access to the brightest scientific minds of Colu, Earth and Somahtur.

And Teena Dav just wanted to see the galaxy.

Obin Der smiled. Not even the terrible, tragic events of the White Triangle Shame could dampen the spirit of youth.

Most Daxamites didn't subscribe to the violent tendencies of the White Triangle; most sought peaceful coexistence with their neighbors. But most also didn't want to interact with these neighbors if they could avoid it.

A few, like Roxxas and Andromeda, had craved the power that came with a yellow sun. Most feared it just as much as they feared the pain of lead poisoning, though. Andromeda had come to see that after she almost died stopping Roxxas. Power without humility and restraint was a recipe for disaster.

And so it was that she and the Legion had helped Daxam repent. Daxamites would continue to be allowed offworld, but they must pass stringent screenings by the Department of Foreign Affairs. The anti-lead serum would not be made widely available because of the insanity it caused. All Daxamites would continue to wear transuits and the bracelets that emitted red sun energy to keep them from accessing their godlike powers. The low intensity of the bracelets would allow them to gain slightly enhanced strength, speed, senses and invulnerability - but not much more than an Earthling at peak humanoid strength would have. They would also have limited flight abilities, but no more than what a jetpack could grant. They would not be tracked, though the bracelets would send off a homing signal if they were deactivated. The bracelets and the transuits could be made invisible, so as not to give themselves away. Unlike the Titanians or the Durlans, they would be hard-pressed to defend themselves against angry, fearful mobs.

That suited most Daxamites fine, as they would not go offworld anyway. Their fear of the unknown was exacerbated by the fear that the offworlders had for them. And for those that would seek their fortunes among the stars, it was a small price to pay.

Obin Der paused as he stared down at the lobby. There was a small plaque in memoriam of Andromeda, who had vanished along with her Legion teammates to parts unknown. Even after she had worked to keep Daxamite relations with the UP alive, Daxam had found it hard to embrace her. The virulent xenophobes of the White Triangle branded her a traitor, while the more moderate majority just felt uncomfortable. Obin Der thought it was because they kept wondering: Would they do what she had done, had they been in her position?

He thought he would. He had tried to talk some sense into her, though he'd never suspected Roxxas would undo all his work. Ah well. No time for regrets now.

At least Andromeda had repented and had forgiven herself. Finding religion, of all things. He knew it had been a difficult process for her though; she could barely bring herself to look him in the eye. But she had. He always knew she had the inner strength.

He shook his head for a moment, then entered the briefing room. Six hopeful, eager faces stared back at him.

"I am Obin Der. And I am sure you have a lot of questions for me. Adjusting to life off Daxam may be difficult at first. We Daxamites are a breed apart, but we must not forget that we share much in common with our friends on our fellow United Planets worlds..."

*************
IB's notes:

Andromeda was involved with the White Triangle, though of course she eventually repented. Obin Der was a high-ranking Daxamite official who tried to talk Laurel out of her White Triangle sympathies.

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

COSMIC BOY

"This is going to be the utter chill!" Brek couldn't stop grinning as he bounced excitedly in his seat in the VIP box above the stadium floor. Sentients were cheering all around them; the excitement was so palpable that only a few dozen – far less than normal – were paying them any mind. "Imagine, we have front row seats to the Second Galactic Youth Games!"

Pol shook his head with a smile as his teammate began clicking away with his holocam. Polar Boy - or Blizzard, as he now preferred to be called - had always been the most enthusiastic cadet. At first Pol had thought that Brek had just been obsessed with the Legion, but now he saw that he was just refreshingly spirited. "More than that, Brek. We get to shoot the UP Globe cannon that will kick off the games. I'm sure you'd like to..."

"Fire it? Heck yeah! Are you seriously going to…?”

“Hey, I don’t mind. Lume and I talked about it. Right Lume?”

Their energy-based teammate smiled and nodded as he hovered in the air. Or was “it” more appropriate? Though Lume had explained that his species, the Silvans, reproduced somehow through a union of two individuals, it wasn’t exactly like how most humanoid species do it. That much he had understood. “Silvans generate our own light, so firing a cannon would hold no pleasure for me. Still, I am as excited as you to watch the games, especially since they had been designed so that all species could participate. I have a friend who will be joining the spatial agility competition. Your brother was correct in thinking that friendly competition could help bring such a disparate set of species closer together, Magnetic Kid.”

“He lived and breathed that both on the court and in the Legion, Lume,” Pol smiled. He still missed Rokk, but it wasn’t quite so painful anymore. And he was happy to see that he and his teammates were not only upholding the legacies of their predecessors, but were carving out their own. For example, they’d institutionalized the disaster response function of the team. And…

“Hey Pol,” Brek put an arm on Pol’s shoulder. “I heard about the progress Kent’s making with Dyrk Magz. He doesn’t want to give false hope but he really believes they’ll be able to figure out how to restore his magnetics. It was great of you to put a lot of time into taking all those tests so they could compare your responses to his.”

“Yeah, the poor guy’s spent so long without. I’m just glad to be able to help. Who knows? He might return to active duty too. We could use more experienced Legionnaires. Even though his tenure was relatively short, he still faced down Mordru.”

“Sometimes I am amazed at the level of cooperation among you carbon forms,” Lume said. “On Silvan each individual generates its own sustenance so we rarely need to assist one another much like you do on a daily basis. But we are learning a lot from you.”

“I’m just glad we don’t have a rule against duplicating powers,” Pol chuckled. “If it came down to it I think Dyrk would win a spot over me!”

“I think you’d give him a good run for his money, Pol,” Brek said. “You did play a big part in organizing this event. Being a Legionnaire’s about more than just fighting bad guys, now.”

“Yeah, that’s right… Hey, it looks like we’re about to start,” Pol pointed as an official dressed in full ceremonial regalia strode onto the stage. “I think that’s your cue, Brek.”

“Sentients of the United Planets!” boomed the official. “Welcome to our Second Galactic Youth Games, where we celebrate the diversity and spirit that has made the United Planets what it is today! In honor of the Legion of Super-Heroes, especially Cosmic Boy, whose brainchild these games are, we call upon our Legionnaires to fire the UP cannon!”

“Oh yeah! Pol, would you?” Brek asked as he lifted his holocam. Pol gave him a wink as he took it. With the widest grin he’d ever seen, Brek flew towards the stage.

“Fracture an appendage,” Lume called out after him. “Figuratively, of course.”

Pol snapped away as Brek lifted the cannon. “Give it your all, players!” Brek yelled as a model of the UP Globe rocketed towards the ceiling, and the air was filled with colorful bubble models of each and every single UP world.

Pol leaned forward as he filmed it all. The cheers, the excited athletes, the camaraderie, the fantastic light show highlighting the unity of all these diverse worlds… it would have made his brother very proud indeed.

I am glad you did another one of these! Good taste of the post-Legion Legion, would be interesting to see who else they have

Thank you, raz Reading your own stories inspired me to revive and finish this series - I'd gotten bogged down in LMB-verse stories. And let me tell you, I find it a lot easier to work with established characters and personalities than creating my own from scratch.

I only have 5 Postboot Legionnaires left: Saturn Girl, Live Wire, Element Lad, Sensor and Superboy (Kon-El). I already have ideas for all of them except Imra - just too much that can possibly be done with her!

Feel daunted by the length of this thread? You can also check out the Recap Thread to catch up!

SUPERBOY

The man known as Rene Jacques Brande, former President of the United Planets, current Minister for the Exterior and Ambassador to the Second Galaxy, multi-bilionnaire industrialist and financier to the Legion of Super-Heroes, and of course honorary Legionnaire, walked through the lighted walkways of the artificial planet his credits had paid for.

He had walked among great heroes of immense power, sterling character and enough courage to face down gods. They had listened to him, sought and valued his counsel, and had made him one of them.

Yet, there was one room in particular which made him feel so small.

He entered and saw

The Hall of Heroes.

The Hall of Heroes was now a subset of the Hall of Statues and showcased even active, reserve, honorary and retired Legionnaires. Yet it was still the depressingly largest portion: 31 Legionnaire statues stood here in all their somber glory.

Grife, how he missed seeing them all. Sometimes he wished these status would come to life, like Ferro or Chameleon so often had when they were still here.

Ah, but it was useless to wish so. He had seen enough death in his long life to know that.

He wondered why it bothered him so much. Was it the suddenness of having 27 Legionnaires vanish into who-knows-where? Or was it because the fates of these 27 were still largely unknown - there was always the dim hope that they would reappear once more like they had once. Or was it simply because there were so many of them?

At least the four others - the first Kid Quantum, Leviathan, Monstress, Element Lad - could achieve their final peace.

Sometimes he thought it was even worse for those whose fates were unknown and who were separated from the rest, like time-lost Thunder. Or Inferno; though she had never achieved active membership and he had never truly interacted with her, she had still been an ally. At least the other 27 were together when they vanished.

Perhaps it was worst of all for Magno and Chuck Taine, who had been counted among these heroes and had worked closely with them. They now remained here to carry on the good fight, though they still had to deal with their memories. They, and the rest of the support staff, worked well with the ten new Legionnaires who also had the weight of carrying on such a heroic legacy. But at least they were alive, and they were all up to the challenge.

He turned to glance at the last statues which occupied their own special niches in the Hall of Historic Heroes. Superman - Kal-el, whose regal pose showed that he truly was Earth's greatest hero; Supergirl, who was said to have been an angel rather than Superman's cousin; Bart Allen, with that cheeky grin, and Max Mercury, with a more measured smile; Superman's teammates the Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern Kyle Rayner, who deserved to be called Superman's equals. The Metal Men stood behind, with each statue in the correct corresponding element (an easy task when Element Lad had still been alive). The Teen Titans were there, at least the ones who had traveled through time to assist the Legion. Wonder Girl, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, Robin. Two obscure ones were next, but no less important: Tiffany Cross and Deadman, who had helped Apparition on her way to returning from the dead.

And in the forefront was the one historic hero who had actually earned the flight ring as an honorary Legionnaire, Superboy.

RJ still remembered the first moment he'd spoken to Superboy. He had enough knowledge of 20th and 21st century heroes to know exactly the impact of his presence in the 31st century. They all would be able to rest knowing that Superboy had returned to his proper place in time after the Fatal 500 attack.

He wondered if Superboy had ever felt like a puppet on a string? Being shunted into a future one thousand years from where he came, and where portions of his future were on historical record, could not have been easy. So was living up to the expectations of so many people who had only seen and studied his best moments. Cosmic Boy in particular had given him a hard time. But he had pulled through in the end.

If there was anything RJ had admired, it was his persistence.

He sighed and exited the room. Though he liked to remember the past and honor the fallen, it was more important now to nurture the living. The future was theirs now.