Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Mission Monitor Board The Security Office: An Invisible yet Radiant Presence

New Manila

"So you like playing magnoball? You're very good at it," Kairos gushed at the young boy who'd come to greet her.

"Yes, ate," the boy beamed, calling Kairos by the local term for "big sister". "Do you play too?"

"No, but I enjoy watching magnoball games," Kairos smiled. She was glad that she and Blaze had prepared for the people's curiosity. They seemed to be fascinated by non-locals! "I hear the teams here are very good."

"Of course we are," the boy beamed proudly. "Our local team is made of only the very best!"

"Yes, especially that Danny Youngbrother," Kairos added. "It's just so awful that he was killed... And they actually think his teammates did it?"

The boy's eyes narrowed in fury, and he leaned in conspiratorially. The police are crazy! They ignored what we said about strangers being at the scene. I'm sure one of them was responsible!"

Kairos gasped. "What were these strangers like?"

"There was one who had a big jaw which made loud sounds when he talked...."

Kairos drank in everything he said.

They passed a couple of police officers in search of Captain Jupiter. One of the female employees offered them some coffee, but both of the LMBers declined. As they walked through the halls there was some talk about some criminal organization called the Aizbu. Marvin's attention was drawn away by a crack in a boarded up door-window, and he peaked inside to see robots.

A voice said, "Do you see anything useful?"

Red Arrow saw a shadow and slowly turned around, afraid for the worse, only to discover that it was Captain Jupiter. He was holding a large stack of papers under one arm and a sandwich in the other hand. Marvin and Red Arrow introduced themselves to the man.

Captain Jupiter said, "I'm afraid I do not have much time to speak. There is a major court case coming soon involving the murder of that pop star, and the accused has hired one of the most persistent defense attorneys in Legion World."

"That is exactly the case we are here to discuss," Marvin replied.

Tezukaville

"I don't know what you're talking about," Captain Jupiter said loudly. Then he gave a surprised Marvin a wink. "It's good to see you again, Red Arrow. I'm busy now but perhaps we can meet at our favorite restaurant later for dinner?"

"But..." Marvin said. Emily gently laid a hand on his arm. "I understand, Captain. We'll work on our case first. Good luck with yours, look forward to meeting up with you later."

Captain Jupiter nodded and went on his way.

Marvin turned to face Emily. "So what just went on there? Were you speaking another language?"

Emily nodded. "It's a bit paranoid, but Captain Jupiter is always careful of spies and the like. We'll meet him at a local place in 15 minutes."

New Manila

Blaze dipped his fried fish balls in the spicy vinegar the vendor gave and chewed contentedly. Nothing like Earth-Filipino street food to keep him going.

Earth-Filipinos loved gossip, so sometimes the best ways to get information was where the locals were...

Like now. The vendor, whom everyone affectionately called Mother Lily, was chattering up a storm.

"You're so handsome," she gushed. "You look just like one of those magnoball players, what's his name?"

"I hope it's not Danny Youngbrother!" Blaze joked. Then he turned his voice more serious. "What happened to him was very sad."

"Oh good gracious yes!" Mother Lily shook her head. "You know, some say it was that rich businessman Mr. MVP. We all know what he's like! Why, nobody minds anymore that he liks all the young boys, but when he tries to bribe them into sharing his bed, well that's another story! Did you know he once got drunk and tried to grope that Invisible Brainiac?"

"Oh, I read about that," Blaze laughed. IB had told him all about it, including how he'd hardly had to do anything since Mr. MVP had fallen flat on his face seconds later. "So are you saying Mr. MVP got jealous because Danny wouldn't react to his advances?"

Blaze lowered his voice, because Mother Lily had been talking up a storm and almost anyone in the immediate vicinity would likely have heard. But such was life in New Manila - rumors and gossip flowed freely and usually the ones in the wrong laughed and denied. But the LMB wouldn't let that happen.

Mother Lily laughed. "Oh, some say Danny said yes and enjoyed every minute of it! But he went and played around with one of Mr. MVP's business rivals, and so... well, you know how these things are. Mr. MVP had become very attached to Danny."

Blaze could just imagine. Most male celebrities from New Manila, and even from Earth-Philippines, were bisexual or gay. They had been for over a thousand years, although only in the last couple of centuries had culture changed enough to let them come out in the open. Had he and IB lived in the 21st century they likely would have pretended to be only friends in public, too.

He quickly made a mental note to check out Mr. MVP and his business rivals for links to gang members. Then he settled back and listened to Mother Lily tick off every single celebrity suspected to have been bedded or approached by Mr. MVP - including, to his amusement, himself!

Legionopolis Metropolitan Police, North Precinct
The two LMBers arrived at the police station to find a quiet office. At least quiet in comparison to Charltonburg; some say the presence of the LMB dissuades most common criminals. After he moved to Charltonburg, he also learned that most criminal organizations would rather have operations elsewhere because it is cheaper and easier to avoid getting caught.

Officer Gomez smiled, "We have been expecting you."

"Is there going to be a lawyer present?" Question Lad asked.

He replied, "No, the court is still in the process of appointing her one."

Invisible Brainiac and Question Lad walked into the interrogation room to see a woman with bleached blond hair in a prison uniform sitting in a metal chair. She neither looked up nor down, but stared straight at the men as they entered.

Invisible Brainiac said, "We have been asked to question you in regards to the...death of your brother."

"I know that," She snapped. "I will answer all of your questions. I am going back to Earth as soon as this is all over."

Question Lad said, "If that is your choice. The police told us that they have evidence linking you to the location and time of the murder. The only remaining factor is motive. Is it true that you believe you were under mind control?"

She closed her eyes, "It was about midnight. I had decided to work overtime that evening when I came home to find my brother missing. It was cold so I grabbed my jacket and decided to walk around the neighborhood. Sometimes he has gone over to the park to--" She paused in conversation because she was conscious of who she was speaking to. "--to hang out with his friends. I walked over to discover that he wasn't there, so I asked his friend Maria where he was. She told me that he went to fast-food restaurant.

Invisible Brainiac asked, "Can you tell me more about Maria?"

"She's just an exchange student whose staying with one of his friends. She went home right after I thanked her," She replied.

Invisible Brainiac asked, "What happened after that?"

"I walked to the store and saw a few strange people--they seemed to be from a different world--and then I remember purchasing a weapon from one of them. Then I took the weapon and walked slowly to the abandoned hardware store--you know the one on Kitson? I saw my brother writing something on the wall. When he saw me, his mouth was opened wide in disgust. Then I said, 'This is the last time you hurt your family!'...then I shot him three times." She finished explaining.

Question Lad asked, "What caused the explosion?"

"I do not know. I had no part in that. I remember standing as far away from the explosion as possible with the weapon in my hand. I regained control just as police sirens could be heard," She answered.

Question Lad asked, "What exactly did your brother write?"

"Something else else Lives...somebody's name. I think it was the name of another delinquent he used to hang out with in Las Vegas...I can't remember exactly what that was because he went to jail almost five years ago," She said.

Invisible Brainiac said, "I think we are done here for now. We will come back later."

~~~~

Lieutenant Davis stood near the yellow caution tape as he jotted notes. The detectives had been scouring for evidence, but it was difficult because the wall in question was detonated. They were able to obtain a warrant for the suspect's house, but could not find any explosives or records of purchase of said explosives. The only way they could really know what happen would be to--

He heard a sound and saw a Office of Security vehicle come down. He motioned for some of the other personal to clear space so that the vehicle could land. He was surprised to see Question Lad and Invisible Brainiac.

Invisible Brainiac said, "Lieutenant, how can the Office of Security aid you?"

"Is there any way that you two could reconstruct the wall?"

Invisible Brainiac looked at Question Lad. "I could help BUILD a wall with my light powers, but reconstruct it as it used to be? not even Kairos can reverse time. Do you know anyone who can?"

Tezukaville

Marvin followed Emily into the restaurant where they were to meet Captain Jupiter.

Emily took the lead and sat down across from the Captain, who pushed a menu towards them. "Have a bite! The pancakes are good."

Marvin raised his eyebrow in amusement. A note was scrawled on the menu - "I left the case files taped underneath the table. Read and let's talk tomorrow."

Emily smiled. 'I admire your cautiousness, but I've already read through the ad you put out."

Marvin felt silly going through all this, but he decided to play along. "We're here because we need to know more about the... details."

The door of the restaurant opened and a young man entered in with one hand on the newest edition of the Susanno phone (five or six, at this point even Question Lad was losing count) and another in his pocket searching for his wallet. The waitresses nodded as he entered, for he was a frequent customer. He was surprised to pass by Captain Jupiter, who he had just spoken to minutes before. He was talking to two people who looked liked they just walked off of a film set.

Captain Jupiter said,"--the Aizbu yakuza is strong in this area, but they have an uneasy truce with the Koshikawa so they are not giving them there support or lawyers. He's turning to the typical law-firms that select a few lawyers to handle cases such as this," His eyes opened wide as the young man came into view.

Marvin asked, "What is wrong?"

"That is him--the upcoming defense attorney Balder Dipper.
~~~~
Legionopolis

Question Lad ignored the question and turned to the officer for the blue plans, which were easily given to him. Invisible Brainiac was a little concerned that Question Lad was resentful of his new authority. I wonder what he thinks about me being leader even though he has worked for them much more recently. When this is all over I have to ask him.

"Do you think you can speed-read?" Question Lad asked.

Invisible Brainiac answered, "I have super-speed in flight...so I think I could. Why do you ask?"

"Could you try to rebuild the wall?" He asked. Invisible Brainiac nodded, gestured for the blueprints, and began to speed-read. In a few minutes he had the entire wall memorized, including the location of the ventilation systems on the roof. He was able to rebuilt some of it himself, and the officers were helping wherever possible. It's a good thing he's here. I normally don't have great powers, Question Lad thought to himself.

When they were finished, they stood back and the wall revealed a clue, though many of the letters were faded : ?????? on the Outside Lives

Legionopolis

"It's a good thing the securi-cams were able to take a photo of this wall before it blew up," Invisible Brainiac muttered. "Hmmmm..."

"Now that it's rebuilt, I think it would be a good idea to scan the wall for clues," Question Lad said.

"Already on it," IB replied. "Detected some electromagnetic radiation. Trying to match it to what we have in the databases. Thanks for upgrading them, by the way. You really expanded what we already had."

Question Lad nodded thoughtfully. Then he began his own search of known criminals with both mind-control powers and a history of using weaponry.

New Manila

The skyline over New Manila made many a tourist gasp, but Mr. MVP couldn't care less. He leered instead at the photographs of his many male models. He had one of the most extensive conglomerates on Legion World, but his favorite business was his young adult's menswear line - because it put him in contact with many of the hottest young rising stars in the metropolis. And many of those were only too willing to do him some small favors to get ahead in the game.

So far only a few had eluded him. He called up his picture of Invisible Brainiac, with the young man clad only in dark green underwear which contrasted nicely with his lightly tanned skin. This had been one of his favorite billboards; the hero looked both noble and dangerously mysterious at the same time. Alas, this was the one who'd gotten away, as he'd insisted on having his physical exam performed by a doctor of his choice.

He shook his head and returned to the folder housing his collection of models. He had chosen his one favorite picture of each. They ranged from the fully-clothed to the naked, but he had folders and folders of each of them for his personal consumption. He even had videos of those who had been most receptive to his advances.

His favorite waiter, a young 20-something mestizo with a dark complexion and the features of an Earth-Caucasian, came over and whispered to him. Mr. MVP grinned at the coo of the deep young voice.

"Sir, I think you might want to see who just came in."

Mr. MVP looked up and smiled.

It was the young new hero from New Manila who had joined the LMB.

Blaze.

He licked his lips hungrily.

Britonopolis

Kinetix took her Omnicom out as she flew over the sprawling city of Britonopolis. The view was breathtaking from above, and she eagerly snapped a few shots as she began her descent.

What was the point of being a hero if one could not enjoy the experience thoroughly?

She alit on the steps of the Britonopolis Police Department. Invisible Brainiac said her partner would meet her here. She was eager to work with this hero again.

Invisible Brainiac Yellow leafed through the dozen Omnicoms on his desk. Of all the IBs he probably had the lowest tolerance for boring stuff. He sighed. Maybe he could manufacture an ivestigatory tour and escape for a bit...

He gave a start as a he felt a gust of wind on his face. Wind? In his room which was sealed with only the latest of technologies? How...

His eyes narrowed as a small piece of paper fluttered to the floor. He picked it up with trembling hands. On it were the words, "Remember what we discussed. Tomorrow 2:00pm usual spot."

It was unsigned, but he knew who it was from.

He sat back down, forehead pressed against both thumbs. Then he checked himself and appeared nonchalant. She could be watching.

MESSAGE FROM INVISIBLE BRAINIAC TO ANGDAR FEL

Yo Ang! Thanks for dropping by the other day. Been too busy and Blaze is off in New Manila investigating. Not much to do today. Since Zoe is in Britonopolis, you wanna hang later? Dimsum and noodles. I know this place with awesome seafood and mushroom dumplings and roast duck buns.

We should probably behave yeah? Blaze doesn't like it if I'm up to no good while he's not around. Bet Zoe wouldn't be happy with you either.

Cheers,

IB

Britonopolis

Kinetix tapped her foot as she waited on the steps of the building. Where was her partner? She didn't like waiting.

Just then, she felt something on the edge of the invisible telekinetic field she used to surround her. She whirled around to find...

"Danger Damsel! It's good to see you again! I love your outfit," Kientix gushed. "So sleek and functional, yet cute and classy!"

"Thanks. And I admire your reaction time. Few people could detect me sneaking up on them," Danger Damsel smiled, though a bit grudgingly.

"Don't worry, it doesn't speak about your skill. IB taught me to render my power signature invisible, so I've been keeping a TK field active around me all the time. You never can tell..."

"He always was cautious. Glad he's taught that to you new Officers..." Danger Damsel said quietly. "Come on, let's go in."

Tezukaville

After lunch, Red Arrow and Marvin decided to pay a visit to the law firm that Mr. Dipper worked for. They entered the office to discover a secretary and several people walking through the halls with briefcases. Many law firms in Tezukaville still adhere to a Japanese tradition of focusing on the production of legal documents such as wills in order to balance the expenses of work done by a portion of the law-firm which take on controversial cases such as these.

Marvin glanced into the hallway to see an older lawyer discussing sports with Balder, who mentioned that he had an urgent new case which required his immediate attention. He politely excused himself and closed the door. Emily was talking to the secretary, who said the man's phone was on 'Do Not Disturb' and asked if they had an appointment.

Emily flashed the Office of Security credentials, "We need access to one of his clients."

"Wow, you are a member of the LMB! Well...I suppose we can go into his office...though he won't like it," She answered. The three of them walk to Balder's office. The secretary opened the door to reveal Balder in deep conversation with another client. He glared at the secretary and ignored the Office of Security members. This Sigyn Hart case could put our firm on the map. I can't believe what this noodle company is doing..., He thought. Marvin and Emily glanced at each other and then at the secretary, who smiled sheepishly before slowly walking back to her desk.

Five minutes later, Balder asked, "Now how may I help you. Please don't tell me this has something to do with the Aizbu. Some boy named Flashend* came here to inquire about one of my clients..."

*= Flashend, who can create dark-constructs, is a member of the Blackout Brigade and nephew of the Aizbu's leader on Legion World. His last appearance was in the Road Trip story.

"Hardly. We are members of the Office of Security," Marvin replied.

"Ah. So Captain Jupiter asked the feds for help then? How can I help you?" Balder asked.

Emily explained that they were investigating the murder and would like a description of the witness. Captain Jupiter's reports indicated that the attorney was unwilling to have the suspect give information on who else was present during the time of the events. She asked why the attorney ended the interrogation at that moment.

He answered, "It could interfere with my suspect's chances of being acquitted."

"But the description would exonerate your client as a suspect," Marvin argued.

"That is true," Balder thought. It could endanger my client because it involves the yakuza. However, I am only responsible for freeing him of the current charge of murder. "I agree to allow you to interview the witness."

The client agreed to give the description of the suspect. The Office of Security members had no idea that he fully expected the yakuza to bail him out of the lesser charges if he was cleared of murder. The Office of Security members were able to compile an image of a humanoid man in his twenties with reddish-purple skin, wearing typical street clothes.

Emily could not help to gasp, "The Tyrian?"

"The dread lord himself," The suspect reaffirmed.

Tezukaville

Marvin shook his head. "Our cases sure are funny. By having the suspect tell us who else was at the crime scene, we opened the door to showing his Yakuza connections. I'd better tell IB so we can start gathering all available information."

"Good idea to plan ahead," Emily said, "but I know the Tyrian. We must not waste a single moment. He's incredibly dangerous." She quickly pulled Marvin's arm and started running.

Legionopolis

"Well, so much for reconstructing the wall," the officer said as he shook his head. "We know someone was there, but not who."

"Any evidence can potentially be useful," Question Lad replied gently. "I already have an idea who it could be."

"And I have an idea on how we can prove it," IB replied. His eyes glowed as he powered up. "If I can just find the right rays of light... Officer, could you give us a list of everyone who was present when this wall exploded? Someone may have glimpsed the writing while it was still intact. I think I can use my light powers to help us get a picture of that."

New Manila

As Blaze looked at the menu, a handsome young waiter arrived and asked him to follow. Taking a moment to admire the young man in his form-fitting uniform, Blaze strode off. He didn't even flinch as he was led to the table of Mr. MVP.

"Ah, Blaze, good of you to join me," Mr. MVP smiled. He didn't even bother to hide his leer.

"The pleasure is all mine! I've always wanted to meet you. Your business acumen and your taste for fine things is well-known. Invisible Brainiac also told me that you can be very appreciative."

Mr. MVP licked his lips. "His photoshoot for my brand is still one of my favorites. Perhaps you and he would like to do another for me? I can just imagine the poses we could do with your powers."

Blaze leaned forward with his shoulders on the table, accentuating the bulge of his triceps. "Why wait for him? We could do an initial one now, and then have him fly over to join us later."

Mr. MVP's eyes bulged at that. He could hardly contain himself while Blaze leisurely finished his meal.

Britonopolis

"Can't believe it took so much red tape to get the cops to give us clearance to the crime scene," Kinetix pouted as they flew over the streets of Britonopolis. Pigeons flew around them, though certainly not faster than them. "I'd have thought in our day and time that the government would be much more efficient."

"You'd be surprised," Danger Damsel said calmly. "Even now, people need to cover their asses."

"Hmph. Well, I'm glad we're here now. Let's get it over with before they send someone to supervise us."

The two Legionnaires flashed their credentials as they entered the victim's flat. Danger Damsel immediately took out her omnicom and her glowball and began to scan the area.

Kinetix looked thoughtful. "What do you suggest we look for? The sci-cops already have both the body and the murder weapon."

Danger Damsel stood for a moment. "Physical evidence. Even with our technology, it would take time to sort out what should be here from what should not. Things like paint flecks, dirt, or..."

"Fibers?" Kinetix asked as she telekinetically held up a red-colored thread.

"Perfect," Danger Damsel replied. "Over here. I'll see what I can pull from analysis."

Question Lad sat at a computer in the Legionopolis police precinct, while Invisible Brainiac got some coffee. He offered some to Question Lad, who weakly replied, "No thank you. We are almost done with the fifth cycle of names."

"You should get more rest. You are a normal person," Invisible Brainiac replied.

"And that is all I ever wanted to be," Question Lad thought aloud. The monitor kept directing him to the description of Nrrev the Outsider, the villain who accidentally teleported Red Arrow and himself to Legion World nearly three years ago. He was allowed to settle on a refugee planet on a technicality...as such he was so far away that he could not be involved.

Invisible Brainiac thought, If only there was a way that we could science to determine what the writing says on the wall. He asked Question Lad, "Has the forensics team finished examining the wall for any further evidence?"

"They came back a couple of hours ago--" He was interrupted by an alert to a message sent by Danger Damsel.

Danger Damsel replied, "Greetings, Question Lad. The lab has determined that the evidence links a criminal known as The Tyrian to the crime scene. Do you you know who he is?"

Question Lad almost laughed at the statement. He smile and nodded at Danger Damsel, "He considers me to be his greatest enemy."
~~~~
Unincorporated Rex County, Legionworld

The young man stood on the ground and surveyed the small house nestled between the hills. It was susceptible to flooding, but in a way it made it inconspicuous to the local sheriff. The number one crime in this place was cow theft. It was the perfect place for a wanted man to hide.

As he walked closer to the house, he saw two young girls playing outside. He had heard that the woman who lived here was a widow of the Saffron Gang. She does not care if you belong to Violetta or Verde, as long as the money comes, He thought to himself.

The young man knocked on the door three times. A middle-aged woman answered the door and practically shoved him inside. She said, "I saw a strange person come around here asking for you. I said you hadn't stopped by in months. The person replied that you will stop by in four hours and to give you this envelope."

The young man smiled, "It better be worth it. These are not normal times, and I am not a normal man."

The woman frowned, "Are you still upset with Qwerty Lad?"

"His name is Question Lad, and yes I am still upset. He is my nemesis," He replied before walking upstairs with envelope in hand.

Legionopolis

Invisible Brainiac flew over the city, eyes wide open. The gentle glow around him belied the furious speed with which his mind was working.

After learning everything he could about the energy being emitted by the Tyrian, he had begun a scan of the area. If he could prove that the Tyrian had been anywhere near the wall...

It was all circumstantial, but the other evidence linking the Tyrian to the other murders would help put together a trong enough case.

He flew on. It was only a matter of time...

New Manila

"So," Mr. MVP leered as he handed Blaze a new jacket to try on, "you and Invisible Brainiac seem to have a very loving relationship."

"That we do," Blaze replied as he pulled the jacket sleeve over his arm. He was wearing a sleeveless undershirt, and made sure to move as slowly as possible.

"Exactly how loving?" Mr. MVP leaned forward. "How demonstrative are you?"

"How badly do you want to know? Maybe you can ask my friends," Blaze said as he pulled the jacket tightly around his frame. "In fact, there's one now."

Mr. MVP's look of confusion melted into anger as his door swung open. Kairos leaned against the doorframe. "Don't look so annoyed, Mr. MVP. I know I'm not your type."

She watched slowly towards him. "But I know several who are. Johnny Tanigue, Christian Estrada, Jason Dee, Michael Brown. You have quite a collection, huh?" As she advanced, she held out her hand. A rusted, bent doorknob was in it. "Be glad I didn't do this to the whole door." The doorknob glowed some more, and flecks of iron rained on the floor. "I can do that to anything, you know."

Mr. MVP glanced towards the pictures he had taken and developed of Blaze, perspiring. Kairos raised a hand and pointed. "And I know a lot of the pictures in your collection are irreplaceable."

"You will get out of here now," MR. MVP hissed. "I have done nothing wrong!"

"Oh no?" Blaze sidled up to him. "What about Youngbrother? He's dead, and rumor has it you jealously ordered the hit."

"Didn't want him sleeping around with someone younger, huh?" Kairos asked as she fingered the photos. "I always knew Sam Bimby and Paulo Pascual were sleeping together." The corners of the photograph began to yellow and age.

"No! No! Stop!" Mr. MVP screamed. "Okay, I will tell you everything I know. But I am innocent!"

"Not in that way..." Blaze muttered under his breath. "I've never felt so on display in my life..."

New Manila

"Do you believe him?" Kairos asked Blaze as they strode out of Mr. MVP's mansion.

"That The Tyrian contacted him after murder, that he killed the victim for double-crossing him in a business deal, that he asked Mr. MVP to pay or he'd kill the victim's brother too, who also happens to be one of Mr. MVP's boy toys? Yes. I know his type - he uses the boys and then tosses them out when they get too old or too out of shape. But he wouldn't waste a nice bit of young flesh." Blaze wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Ugh. IB's the one who likes older men, but certainly not that old..."

"Too much info," Kairos shuddered. "Anyway, I talked to some of the other boys that Mr. MVP "sponsors", and they agree that he's not the jealous type. And I had the signal tracked. It was a disposable Omnicom which was trashed... but the last live signal from it came from...

Legionopolis

Question Lad squinted at the screen. He'd set up a working model that allowed him to simultaneously analyze the clues and evidence of all 4 crimes at once. The links were starting to become obvious, especially now that the New Manila team had sent in their findings.

Invisible Brainiac flew in. "I've recorded my findings as well. The radiation I detected matches the radiation that the Tyrian's gun gives off. And get this - I found it right beside the wall that exploded. Not to mention, I now have three different eyewitnesses who can place him within a block of the murder scene the same night it happened."

Question Lad looked up. "Then we have some evidence linking the Tyrian to each of the crimes..."

"... which may not be enough to convict him if we try each one separately, but if we charge him for all four crimes together..." IB finished.

The Tyrian sat in a magnificent mansion. It looked very ancient and beautiful, with giant urns emitting a beautiful green light. He stood up and looked through a window to see a beautiful terraced garden, and three beautiful women staring back at him. The Tyrian turned his head at the sound of a voice.

"Sir, the Verde clan has been annihilated," A servant said.

The Tyrian answered, "That is...wonderful. But won't it draw the attention of those accursed LMBers?"

"Why...No sir. After the death of Violetta, you took control of our organization and killed Quilt Lad. You teamed up with some others and divided Legion World," The servant answered.

The Tyrian thought for a moment and then smiled. "We won then? We--who have been called villains and worse now rule? This is justice."

"You must wake up!" A feminine voiced shouted. The scenery faded out and the Tyrian realized it had all been a dream. He opened his eyes, and sat up to see his host standing in front of the bed.

She said, "I saw you on a poster when I passed the sheriff's office in town. You better get moving along."

The Tyrian squinted, ”A wanted poster?" He looked at the paper and items around him, identification he "borrowed" and realized this all needed to be destroyed. The woman had been kind enough to warn him before the police arrived.

After quickly packing his bags, he realized that these papers could be a serious liability. Most of them were thoughts about revenge and people he could contact. I need to burn these, he thought as he approached the fireplace. He placed some of the papers between the logs and lit a fire.

His hosted sighed, "You really should get going."

"Why would I?" The Tyrian smiled. "I am not a victim." The last paper he had left was the mysterious letter. It was a message by some people he never heard of...and the instructions told him to burn the message after he received it. He threw it on the pile, watched it burn to ash, and then walked out of the door.

The Tyrian walked on the thin dirt road to town. It's time for the hunted to become the hunter.

New Manila

"Eugghhh! What kind of iced tea is this?" Kairos' face looked like she had just bit into a large lump of sugar.

Blaze chuckled. "Earth-Filipino food is one of the unhealthiest on the planet, and it's just like that here on LW. What can I say? We like our sugar."

"Well, whatever. Let's get a move on. IB wants us back."

"Yeah... Haven't talked to him since we began investigating."

The two heroes took off towards the heavens.