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

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another universe...

Violet lay down in her tent, sobbing. She had tried to hold the tears back in, but couldn't.

"Violet? Are you okay?" The tent flap opened as Spark looked in tentatively.

"Oh, Ayla," Violet sat up as she wiped her eyes. "It's Zoe. We were pulled in to help that other Legion, and she was the only one we lost from our team. And the team that called us in didn't actually lose anyone!"

"I know what you mean," Ayla said gently. "It sucks when anyone dies, but Zoe was our friend. And we weren't even in our home reality. I miss her too, Vi. Grife, if she were here she would always know what to say to cheer us up."

"And she was getting better, too!" Violet wailed. "Her hypertaxis energy was wearing off and she was starting to become like the old Zoe again. She was so excited to start that fashion school she had always been talking about."

"Death never seems to be far behind us, huh," Ayla said mournfully as she held Vi's hand. "I'm sure though, wherever she is, she knows how much we cared for her."

They held onto each other as they pondered those words.

"Remember that time when we helped snap her out of the post-Anomaly funk? First thing she said was, "Honestly, the pathetic extremes you two go to for attention." Hah! If I hadn't been so happy to have her back I'd have zapped her!" Ayla laughed.

Violet grinned. "Oh, and remember the time Brainy quit when Gim left her in charge for two hours? Oh, you should have seen her face then!"

"Oh, or the first time she showed us her walk-in closet. I swear, she took up almost as much space as Brainy's labs did!"

Salu and Ayla chuckled as they recalled their fondest memories of their absent friend.

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

"I'm glad you came back, Andromeda." The two Daxamites were hovering over the camp, standing guard. "It's good to be able to talk to a fellow Daxamite. And may I say, your faith has served as a good calming force to the team."

Andromeda's smile was warm. "I am glad, M'Onel. Though I don't expect any reward, it is good to hear our teammates' appreciation."

"I can honestly say that they're glad to have you back. And I'm also glad that your recent changes are not bothering you."

Andromeda chuckled as she spread her arms wide. "Truth to tell, I haven't really had time to absorb them. The Anomaly changed me; then after I returned to help out during the Fatal 500 battle and we were lost in time, I was changed again. Brainiac 5 thinks I was caught in a rip in time in between universes. But I don't mind, really - my changes are nothing like what Ferro, Sensor or Wildfire have to face. It's just good to be back here with the Legion."

"Yes. It's good to not be alone."

The two gazed out into the quiet night as they enjoyed each other's company.

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

"Lyle?" Chameleon landed on the mesa overlooking the camp. "I know you're here."

Invisible Kid faded into view; he was facing away from the camp, looking out into the valley below. "Oh, hey Cham. Just checking out the surrounding area."

Reep sat down beside one of his closest friends in the Legion. "Lyle... I've known you long enough to tell that's not it. We have two Daxamites standing guard. And the way you scrambled off after dinner without so much as a word? What's wrong? Are you thinking about home?"

Lyle heaved a sigh, and held his face in his hands for a bit. Then he looked up. "Cham... remember when you met my friend Condo Arlik?"

"The reporter? What about it?"

"We were... he was... we were in love."

"Oh." Reep put a hand on Lyle's shoulder. "Since when?"

"Since just before we fought Mordru. I was still struggling with being Legion leader, and I needed something... someone... away from it all. You know me, Reep. I compartmentalize my life. You're the only one who's met my parents, almost none of you know the details of my past spy life, nobody else knows about the royalties I get from my ice cream flavors, and none of you knew I was in love. It just helps me cope with all the stress."

"Yeah... being Legion leader wasn't easy for you. You hated the pressure."

"Uhuh. And Condo was wonderful for me. He helped me realize I don't have to keep proving myself, that I'm a valued Legionnaire. One of the team. That I don't have to keep showing off my intelligence or my wit, that I don't have to keep competing with Brainy... Grife, Cham, I just miss him so much. Even when we were operating with the Subs I'd sneak off and see him every week..."

As Lyle buried his face in his hands again, Reep looked at him with empathy. He had never seen Lyle cry before. Reep sat beside Lyle silently, as the tears trickled down his hands and onto the ground.

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another universe...

Brainiac 5 stood up and wiped his brow. "There, that should do. Thank you, Gear and Karate Kid, for the assistance."

"My pleasure, Brainiac 5," Gear said as he yawned. "And now I'm going to go rest; my organic portions need their sleep." He exited the large tent that they had pitched to house the equipment.

"As will I, Brainiac." Karate Kid turned to leave, then paused. Brainiac 5 had always been focused, but lately his intensity had been... different. "Brainiac... I offered to help partly because I know how important it is to maintain our equipment, but also partly because I noticed you have not been sleeping much if at all. Aren't you tired?"

"I am, but that is irrelevant. My 12th-level intellect is more than capable of functioning with only 3 hours of sleep - or less - every cycle. And it is imperative that we find a way home, assuming home exists at all. But I have learned from experience that Shikari's pathfinding sense is extremely accurate, and as it is continuing to lead us on, there must be a destination at the end. I can try to help shorten that path." Querl said all that without even looking up from his tinkering.

"I see." Val chose his next words carefully, much as he would choose his next move in a battle. "Brainiac... why do you think Gates stayed behind with XS? Did he really want to help that version of the Legion become more diverse?"

Querl continued examining the technology provided by the other versions of Brainiac 5. "It's quite obvious. Though Gates didn't admit it, he is looking for some stability. He was stranded in the 20th century for a few months; he was held captive by Ra's al Ghul for a year. He got tired of being stranded in the timestream or in the space between universes. He felt despair; it happens to the best of us. He just didn't want the rest of us to worry about him."

Val thought he detected a tinge of emotion. "You certainly know him very well, to be able to describe his thoughts so vividly. It's almost as if he described his decision to you."

Querl paused from his tinkering, and looked at Val with sad eyes. "He did," Querl whispered quietly. "I'm the only one he said goodbye to." Then he buried himself in his work once more.

Val looked at Brainiac 5 with a newfound respect and understanding. "I'll just be outside if you need help, Brainiac." Then, at Brainy's nod, he vanished into the night.

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

Gear walked quietly beside the creek that ran through the valley. Though he was a techno-organic being, he did appreciate the rugged natural beauty of the area. It was quiet, and...

He heard the sound of chopping. "Timber Wolf?"

"I'm over here, Gear." Ah, of course Brin had already known of his approach.

"You are slicing meat?" "For the team, yeah. We have two dozen mouths to feed - well, a little less, since Spark can't bear to eat real meat and Wildfire doesn't eat, period. What are you out here for?"

"Just admiring the scenery. Do you require assistance?"

"Nope, I can manage. I headed out of camp because I didn't want to bother anyone."

"I see. I apologize for disturbing your solitude."

"Oh sprock, no, Gear. Stay; though I don't mind being alone, I know the importance of pack cohesion. We haven't really spent much time together as teammates, and an extra pair of hands will make things easier."

Gear smiled as he sat down and morphed his hands into axes. "Although I can analyze the right tools for the job, your greater expertise means I should defer to your instructions."

Brin chuckled. "Thanks for the compliment. So, how've you been handling all this reality-hopping?"

Gear paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "I keep busy helping maintain and configure our equipment. But I have to admit, I am used to more... direction of purpose. Even after joining the Legion, I always had a clear plan and clear objectives. This... our objective is to get home, but the steps needed to get there are not clear at all."

Brin nodded. "Yeah, being lost who knows the sprock where is tough for everyone. Even for me. Before joining the Legion I hopped from world to world; I grew up on Zuun and lived on more than a dozen different worlds before ending up on Rimbor. I enjoyed the stability there, and I enjoyed the stability and purpose of being with the Legion more."

"It is useful to have something constant in life. But just being with the others, the bonds we have, inspires hope and trust. I look at some of those who have been lost multiple times, like Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5 and Ultra Boy, and they seem to believe that we will find our way home."

Brin chuckled at the mention of Jo. "Well, Ultra Boy doesn't always seem to really understand the gravity of the situations he's in... but I agree with you. I can't imagine a better group of people to be stranded with."

Gear nodded, as Brin began to show him how to prepare the rabbit-like creatures he had caught. Neither would say it, but in the last ten minutes each had felt a little less lost.

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another universe...

Sensor sat alone in her tent, covers drawn and lights off. She enjoyed the darkness now. A floating image of her old form occupied most of the tent. She reached out to touch it; in her mind she could feel the soft scales that used to cover her body... When the Legion first got lost in time, she thought she would better be able to deal with her mutation once they were away from other eyes. But now she realized that the memories of Orando burned even deeper now that she no longer looked like her family.

A rustling disturbed her reverie. "Umbra?" she hissed. "What do you want? I want to be alone."

"May I come in?" Tasmia's voice was melodious and cool. "I noticed you were hiding in your tent again."

"So what if I am? We're not having a meeting."

"No, we're not. But after that whole Darkseid mess, you were starting to become more comfortable with your new form. And now it seems you're retreating into yourself again."

"And what do you care if I am? We were hardly the best of friends as Legionnaires."

Umbra stepped into the tent; Sensor knew that her eyes would easily adjust to the dark. "You're right there. But you know what? You were also right when you told me that my constant negativity had a grating effect on those of you who want to live. Remember that?"

Sensor fell silent. They, along with Magno, had been new Legionnaires then. It seemed like so long ago.

Umbra sat down on a beanbag chair that Sensor had managed to get on the other Legion's world. "You also told me that my attitude was probably what cost me my Planetary Champion title. And you were right as well."

Sensor forced herself to meet Umbra's gaze. "Your point?"

"My point, Jeka," Umbra drew nearer, "is that we are all alone now. Just the two dozen of us. And I think it is more important than ever that we help each other. I learned that the hard way when we were lost in the Second Galaxy. My doubts and fears directly endangered our teammates. And I said some things to Candi which I was never able to apologize for before she fell." Tasmia's face was now inches away from Sensor's. She stretched out a hand. "I know it is difficult to accept the changes wrought upon you. But I would like to help, if I may."

"... I appreciate that, Tasmia. I do. I..." Sensor steeled herself. If her family would be horrified at her physical form, at least let them be proud of her bearing and grace. Like a queen would. And Tasmia was right - her teammates were all she had now. It was no time to push them away. "You are right, and I shall try. Perhaps tomorrow night, you can visit me in my tent? I shall serve tea, and we can discuss the role of planetary champions in our respective worlds?"

Tasmia smiled as she stood and made a graceful bow, like how she had done for only the clan chiefs of Talok VIII. "I gratefully and humbly accept your invitation, Princess Jeka of Orando."

Sensor drew up and forced herself to bow from the waist. It felt odd; her old form didn't have a defined waist. "I thank you for your acceptance, Tasmia Mallor of Talok VIII. We appreciate your kind assistance." Sensor was surprised to realize that she actually looked forward to tomorrow night.

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

"Ferro? Ferro, wait up."

Ferro turned to see Triad flying towards him. "Oh. Hi, Triad."

"Hi, Ferro. So... ever since you returned after the whole Universo thing, we've been really busy. And we haven't had the chance to speak much."

"Yeah, I know. I appreciate the invitations though. I was going up to see you when the Darkseid thing happened."

Triad put her hand behind her neck. "Well, now that things have calmed down somewhat... would you like to talk?"

"Yes, yes I would."

They walked in silence for a while as they tried to find a good spot. "Um, I think Tinya and Jo are over there... and I know Ayla went to see Vi in her tent, and... OH SPROCK!" Surprise and a little bit of amusement appeared on Ferro's face as Triad triplicated. Purple rounded on Orange and Neutral. "Grife, stop wasting time and just say it already! If you won't, I will!" Orange's eyebrows climbed to her forehead. "Oh, right, because you're the diplomatic one!"

"Sisters, this is embarrassing!" Neutral raised her hands in exasperation. "Oh Ferro, I'm sorry, this is all a mess and I just wanted to say..."

"I'm sorry." Ferro said.

"Huh?" all three Triads stopped in their tracks.

"I'm sorry for being too sensitive. I got hurt when Purple said I was stupid, that time when we were transporting the Plague. But I made the mistake of avoiding you instead of talking to you about it. And I realize now that just because one of you thinks that, doesn't mean all of you think that. You, collectively, have been pretty good to me. I don't want one outburst to ruin that."

"Wow. I'm impressed. That was pretty direct, Ferro."

"You can call me Andy, Lu. But please, make sure to treat me nicer from now on, okay?"

"We will," Neutral and Orange said together before Purple could react. "Right, sister?"

"... Right," Purple said with a big smile. "I'm sorry, Andy."

"Apology accepted," Andy smiled as he took Lu's hand. "Come on, let's go get some hot chocolate. I snagged some from the other Legion's commissary."

"Oh my grife, did you see their drop tubes? So not as good as ours," Neutral smiled.

They walked off into the night, as they chatted about old times.

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

IB's notes -
1) Sensor was transformed from her original snake form, to her half human/snake form, in Legion 18. As for Umbra, when she and Sensor were new Legionnaires on their first mission, they had a bit of a falling out - Sensor called Umbra out on her constant negativity and sarcasm (Legionnaires 44). For more on Umbra's Shadow Champion story, see Legends of the Legion 3; her hard-headedness and refusal to see other points of view, led to her sabotaging United Planets efforts to contact her home planet of Talok VIII; which resulted in them kicking her out.

2) Triad and Ferro fell out in LSH 112. Triad Purple called Ferro stupid for letting some prisoners trick him into setting them loose. Ferro refused to be friends with Triad as he could not be friends with anyone who demeaned his intelligence that much.

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another universe...

Dreamer silently watched Star Boy prepare to go to bed. He moved with such confidence and strength, it almost made her think that her vision had been wrong.

Or maybe it was a time yet to come.

"Thom, I..." She stopped as he turned to face her, all smiles. "What is it?"

"I... oh Thom. Remember when we met up on Legion World during the Robotica War? I... I acted weird at first."

"Yeah... I wondered about that. Thought it was space fatigue, or that you were mad I jumped ship during the escape from Xanthu."

"Thom, I have to tell you. It was because of a vision I had on the way to Earth."

"... go on."

"I... oh grife. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but... I saw your grave."

Thom sat down silently, and he stared ahead. "The intensity of your visions help you gauge how much time before they come true, right?"

"That's the thing Thom; this one seems to break the rule. And I've consulted with other Naltorians, but I'm the first precognitive one in seven generations. There's little anyone can tell me."

"Well, then..." Thom said as he nuzzled against Nura's cheek, "I know your power is all about the future, but we're all going to die eventually. And I'll choose to believe that your vision takes place decades in the future, because I don't plan to die until we've lived our lives together."

"Oh, Thom," Nura said as her eyes welled with tears. "Come here and hold me."

They fell asleep moments later, still in each others' arms.

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

Saturn Girl reached out to tousle Live Wire's red hair. "I admit, Garth; even though I still loved you when you had Element Lad's form, having you back in your original body is a treat."

Garth grinned as he flexed his arms. "It's also great having both my arms back. I'm just glad I thought of borrowing the wand one last time from the other Brainy before he used it to bring Impulse back." His face fell a bit as he considered things. "I wish there had been time to gather everyone around. We could have healed Ferro, restored Sensor and even given Wildfire back a body... We might even have been able to save Kinetix."

Imra pulled Garth closer to her. "I hope you're not blaming yourself, Garth. We were all occupied then, and we certainly couldn't have paused the battle. We needed Bart restored."

"I know, Imra, I know. And thanks for the reassurance. I just wish we could have helped the others..."

Imra cupped Garth's chin gently, and looked into his eyes. "You're a great man, Garth Ranzz, and I love that about you. But in the past year and a half, you sacrificed yourself to save two galaxies; returned trapped in the crystal form of our deceased teammate; and almost sacrificed yourself again to appease a madman in the Second Galaxy. It's about time you stopped feeling so responsible for things beyond your control. Besides, your fiancee missed you so much while you were gone..."

Garth kissed Imra as passionately as he had when she accepted his marriage proposal. Perhaps even more so.

"That was a great speech, Imra," Garth smiled as he swept back her hair. "You just left out the part about me being a better kisser than both Rokk and Jo," he added with a wink.

"Oh, you!" Imra laughed as she hit him with a pillow. "Don't make me regret telling you all about the things I did!"

"You know you can tell me anything, honey..." Garth kissed her on the cheek again.

"Okay," Imra winked as she stood up. "You'd better brush your teeth, because your breath still smells like the stew we had for dinner."

It was Imra's turn to be hit by a pillow. Giggling, she picked one up and swatted Garth back.

A few minutes later, both were panting heavily and cuddling in bed.

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

1) Star Boy stayed behind on Xanthu to cover the evacuation; Dreamer had a vision of his grave then (Legion Worlds 4).

2) The timing for Garth's restoration is tight. In Legion of 3 Worlds, the Earth-1 (?) Brainiac 5 used the magic wand to transform Garth back into his Live Wire form. He still had a robot arm then. In my universe, Garth asked for the wand and restored his arm before Brainy used the wand to resurrect Bart Allen.

3) As for Saturn Girl kissing Cosmic Boy, they first kissed in Legionnaires 39. They also dated while stuck in the 20th century (LSH 85-96), until Saturn Girl realized she really loved Live Wire; Live Wire himself was in the 30th century through all this. Saturn Girl kissed Ultra Boy in Legion Lost 9, for context Saturn Girl had been creating a mental/imaginary Apparition to calm Ultra Boy down while lost. Ultra Boy later realized - and confessed - that he had only kissed Saturn Girl because she had "become" Apparition for him. Presumably, Saturn Girl realized the same.

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another Legion's universe...

This scene takes place after Legion Lost (2012 series) issue 16. The Retroboot Legion's Tyroc, Timber Wolf, Tellus, Chameleon Girl, Dawnstar and Wildfire, along with the Postboot Legion's Gates, had become stranded in their 21st century. They had just defeated a character called Daggor, who had deemed Earth "suitable" for his master and had planted some sort of device to contact or summon said master. They are joined by Agent Jocelyn Lure of the 31st century organizaiton called Echo.

As his new teammates waved goodbye to a departing Superboy, Caitlin Fairchild and Ridge, Gates surveyed the site of their battle. Despite his bravado, he was weary. He gingerly felt the burned flesh on one half of his body; it had stopped hurting long ago, but defeating the creature who had hurt him did nothing to heal his body. Or erase the memory.

"What are you thinking, Gates?" A jolly Timber Wolf placed an arm around Gates' shoulder. "Thinking about how to make Daggor's master pay when it arrives on Earth?"

"Heh. Being stranded here is more than enough punishment, Brin. But I'm more excited thinking about how we're going to take a nice vacation before that happens. Right, Tyroc?"

Tyroc adjusted his shades, then smiled. "I think we've earned it, team. After all we've been through, we definitely do."

"And now that all this is gone, maybe we can finally go home," Yera added. "There shouldn't be anything stopping us, right Agent Lure?"

"I don't see why not, besides the fact that Captain Adym has our time bubble. My sensors say he went backwards in time, rather than forward. There's some sort of temporal anomaly in this immediate time period; we may not be able to return home until it passes."

"Great!" Gates threw up his arms. "Maybe we WILL get stuck here until Daggor's master comes, after all. Shouldn't matter to me though. I've been stranded in my universes's 20th century before. I was kidnapped and imprisoned for a year! I've been stranded in the space between universes! Twice! And those aren't just places you can teleport from! Sprock me, am I just going to keep getting bounced from place to place without control of my fate?! I'm starting to feel like a ping pong ball!"

"What did you just say?" Agent Lure asked. "I... oh."

"Gates, I would recommend being careful," Tellus admonished as his telepathic signature surrounded Agent Lure's head. "Though she aided us and sided with us against Captain Adym, we do not know how much we can trust Agent Lure. Though I can wipe the last minute or so from her mind, I do not wish to tamper with her memories any more than necessary."

"Do it, Tellus. And Gates, we didn't go through all that trouble of falsifying a cover story for you and XS for show," Tyroc added. "It wouldn't do to let anyone outside the team know you're from another universe."

"Bah! Using the political machinery to lie about something I'm not even ashamed of. Just like corrupt 20th century who lied about their nations' immigration policies..." Gates muttered. "Okay, I am sorry. You just don't know how frustrating it is. After all I've been through..."

"Try me, little bug," Wildfire shook his head. "Try me."

"Wait." Dawnstar's wings flapped mightily as she rose into the air. "I see something coming."

Everyone turned to follow her finger, and Gates' breath caught as he saw. A black-armored figure zipped around the battle site, blue hair flowing in the wind. Its wings, like a dragonfly's, fluttered quickly in the air. It wore nothing but a loincloth around its waist and a band on its wrist.

"SPROCK ME!" Gates yelled. "A Kwai! That's one of Shikari's people!"

"Your Legion's pathfinder?" Dawnstar gasped. "But I thought we had determined her people did not exist in our universe?"

"Yeah, exactly! Don't let him get away!" Gates yelled as he teleported near the Kwai. His eyes bulged even more as he materialized near his target; he looked just like a male version of Shikari. Gates let his buried emotions well up; hope and homesickness mixed together in his belly. "Brother Kwai! How did you get here? Do you know a way back to our world?"

The Kwai looked at him curiously. "Oh, silly me, forgot to fiddle with my teleplug. There, I've set it to your language. How did you get here? Do you know how to get home?"

"Legion?" The Kwai asked, eyes narrowing in recognition. Then, with lightning speed, he lunged at Gates.

Gates teleported instinctively, but not before the Kwai had grabbed at his costume. "Sprock it! Why is everyone trying to kill me?" Gates yelled as the Kwai swung his arm back to deliver a killing blow.

"Back off, pal!" An energy blast from Wildfire blew the Kwai back. It dodged the next blast and hissed; then it began flying away as fast as it could.

"We have to stop him!" Gates quickly teleported himself, Wildfire and Dawnstar in front of the Kwai. "Okay, squaj, you are standing still and answering my questions."

"I answer only to my master," the Kwai spat out. He pressed his wristband. The Legionnaires' jaws dropped as a flash of bluish-white light rotated into view, and widened into a triangle. Before any of them could react, the Kwai flew into it, and it closed before they could enter.

"SPROCK, SPROCK, SPROCK!" Gates roared in fury as he stared at the sky. No trace of the Kwai, or of the gateway, remaind.

"I can't sense his trail anymore," Dawnstar asked. "What was that, Gates?"

"It was a sprocking Threshold, Dawnstar. Either someone has created this technology in your universe, or - and I'm hoping this is the case - someone has figured out how to cross between our universes. And if they do, though I have been honored to have served with you as a fellow Legionnaire, I am going to find them and make them take me home."

The return of Gates!!!!!!

For me, the Postboot Legion won't be complete without the irritable teleporting bug, Gates!

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another Legion's universe...

This scene takes place after that Adventure Comics #526, where XS is seen working on mosaics. She turned down a post at the Legion Academy then.

Unusual for her, XS sat in silence, motionless. The baking sun caused sweat to run down her forehead; fish and frogs splashed in the river behind her as butterflies flitted around; birds chirped as they hopped from branch to branch, no longer wary of the silent intruder in her midst. Yet XS didn't react at all.

*Poop-a-doop* "Friends XS really boring Quislet!" Though it had only met her a few months ago, Quislet had warmed to the speedster; she was one of the few who could keep up with it. "You recruited me to join you saying it was urgent! Quislet didn't even tell other Legionnaires! But now you're just making Quislet wait. Boooooooooooooring!"

XS snapped out of her reverie. "Sorry, Quis. This mosaic - thanks for helping find a place to make it, by the way - it triggered memories in me. I remember now." It had, and a fairly unpleasant one at that. When she was lost in the time, she had jumped through a few eras before making it home. Her last stop had been at the place called Vanishing Point. The mysterious Time Trapper had told her that she still had an ultimate role to play. And he had given her the information she needed to fulfill that role... she just hadn't remembered it all clearly until now.

She stood up. "Well, finally!" Quislet chirped. "Are we going now?"

"Yes," XS whispered. She was still reeling from the mosaic. She hadn't intended to abandon her friends - she had just wanted to see if she could find any remaining family here - but now she doubted whether that had been her own decision, or a subtle push from the Time Trapper's. "The memories are clear now, Quislet. They started leaking out soon after I got here. The mosaic helped me remember them fully."

"Blah, blah, blah," Quislet scoffed as its ship zipped around XS. "Stop explaining already, Quislet doesn't care how. Quislet just wants to know what next?"

"Next," XS said grimly, her face focused in determination, "we find my friends, wherever they are. And we find a way home."

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

XS' mosaic was introduced in Adventure Comics 526. Her encounter with the Time Trapper was in Legionnaires Annual 3, when she was traveling home from the 20th century. I just tied the two together.

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another universe...

The last time we saw Kinetix was in Legion of 3 Worlds. Superboy-Prime used his heat vision on her; she blew up; and Mordru absorbed her magic. Mordru was in turn absorbed by the Retroboot Legion's White Witch, turning her into the Black Witch.

Element Lad, driven insane by his long isolation and immortality in the Second Galaxy, had become the Progenitor. As Monstress tried to appeal to his old self, he killed her with a touch. He himself was hideously merged with the Omniphagos, and was electrocuted by Live Wire. (Legion Lost 11-12)

Leviathan bravely sacrificed his life to stop Doctor Regulus, becoming the third Legionnaire to fall in the line of duty. (LSH v4 83)

"Dear! That is such a sweet, sweet design! It fits me PERFECTLY!"

Zoe smiled as her lanky, athletic friend Candi tried on the dress Zoe had made for her. The pale, soft yellow hues and the pinkish magenta colors contrasted perfectly; the straps were just the right width to accentuate Candi's height while flattering her firm shoulders. Candi twirled around in front of the mirror. "I just love how it flows!"

"I knew even before you told me," Zoe grinned. "Your face hasn't lit up like that since you made the basketball team."

"Well, I can't help gushing about it! It's just so wonderful. You're such a dear," Candi picked the petite Zoe up and swung her around.

"Whoa there, girl!" Zoe laughed. "You're going to get your dress all wrinkly!"

Candi hastily put Zoe down. "That wouldn't do at all, not after how hard you worked on it. And you made some for the others too! And your own! I can't get over how talented and thoughtful you are."

"Oh, stop it Candi," Zoe giggled. "I just made one for Sally, she's my best friend after all. And one for Jenny, and Ayla. And of course you. You've been such a good friend, Candi. Especially after my dad passed. It's the least I could do." Zoe felt a little pang of sadness at the thought of her dad. She still missed him sometimes. She quickly changed the subject; sensitive and caring as Candi may be, she didn't want to segue into a talk about grief now. "So, do you know if Jan has his suit picked out?"

"Oh, you know how he is," Candi had carefully changed out of her dress and back into her normal outfit - long pants and a loose flowing blouse. "He doesn't care so much about appearances, but I'm sure his mom will drag him to a tailor soon enough. If she can tear him away from his musings. He's not as worldly as Gim."

"But you like him anyway," Zoe stuck her tongue out, and Candi blushed.

"Well, you like Gim a lot! Remember when you snuck into the ladies' room to dodge Roy from asking you, and you texted Sally and Jenny to stand guard outside and wait for him to leave? And you made sure to sit beside Gim at lunch for a week until he asked you!"

"Hey, it's not my fault it took him a while to come to his senses," Zoe retorted. "Imagine! He just assumed I was going to go with him."

Candi waved a hand. "You HAVE been going out non-officially for a while, dear. You know how men can be, so dense."

"Hmm. Men? It's weird, huh? After this, we'll be in our final year in high school, and then it's off to college. I haven't really thought about that yet."

"Tell me about it," Candi plopped down with a sigh. "I'd love to continue playing basketball, but my dad's always on my case to learn more about the "family business". He manages it just fine with his army of advisors! I told him I want to at least go to college on my own before I come back. Just because he never had a college education doesn't mean I shouldn't."

"It must be hard, Candi," Zoe sighed. "I guess we're opposites in a way. My mom hasn't even invited me to join her as an archaeologist, and she hasn't replied to my emails about good colleges for that. I mean, I'd love to pursue a fashion career, but I see little enough of her as it is. And I find ancient ruins so fascinating. I've only been to Angkor Wat and the Teotihuacan; there are so many others I'd love to see." She pulled on her hair as she thought. "Oh, but she says we're going to Machu Picchu this summer. I can't wait!"

"You lucky girl, you!" Candi squealed. "Dad only ever likes to go to Tokyo, or London, or Hong Kong, or Paris. I love shopping and all but I think I've been to every store there by now, they have an express lane just for me!"

Zoe laughed in unison with Candi; her friend was rich and privileged, but she was so sweet you would never take it against her. Candi would always bring home the most expensive dresses for her friends. But what was important for Zoe was being able to express her creativity by designing clothes. She just felt lucky she had good friends like Candi. It made the tedium of living alone with her elderly aunt and annoying young brother a lot more bearable.

She was jolted our of her thoughts by her ringing phone. "Whoops! Sally says Tina's given the all clear. Her mom's on her way to the airport. Slumber party's on!"

"Finally! I've been waiting for this for ages." Candi sat down on the beanbag and motioned to Zoe's closet. "Guess you'd better get started trying on outfits. The least I've ever seen you try on is a dozen."

Zoe stuck her tongue out at Candi as she began grabbing clothes. "You yourself once said that a lady always has to look her best!"
She couldn't help herself; a big smile crept on her face as she looked at the mirror. Good friends, chances to pursue her passions, and the interest of one of the cutest boys in school? She couldn't have asked for a better life.

That is a really sweet "after life" for Zoe. But I have a feeling that's not where she's staying for long ;-)

love that XS is coming back out way too and that Quislet maybe along for the ride.
but I want to know what the heck does the mosaic clear up and what's this ultimate destiny? Is it destined to be back on earth 247???
can't wait for more!!!

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another Legion's universe...

XS vibrated through the glass door of the Flash museum. She wasn't quite as skilled at this as Uncle Wally was, but through practice she could easily go through solids that were less thick. She didn't dare try this on living beings, though.

She held out a stone. "Okay, Quislet, time to move into your temporary home. And remember, be quiet."

She watched in amusement as the stone grew arms, legs and a face. "Stone? What, XS think Quislet like Blok? Maybe next time you give me plastic or inertron, huh?"

XS rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I have some in my pack. Come on, let's get your ship through. But I'll do it, not you; we only want to deactivate the alarms temporarily, not destroy them."

"And what do I do again? Float around while you have all the fun?"

"Oh Quis. You're my eyes, remember? You can see the energy patterns my human eyes can't."

"Oh, okay, I remember now! Point the way!"

They crisscrossed through the museum, Quislet directing XS the whole way. "Go right here, don't step on that second tile, skip three tiles ahead... there'a force shield over here..."

After about half an hour, with XS' speed tempered by how fast Quislet could instruct her, they finally got to their goal - the security room.

*halt, who goes there? Identify yourselves," chirped a security droid.

"This is a job for Quislet!" Quislet began to flow out of the stone body it inhabited.

"No, Quis, we want to minimize the destruction we cause. I'll handle it," XS said. She dashed off past the droid and into the security room. A second later, the droid had powered down. "There. I set the system to reboot after 15 minutes. Just enough time for you to get your ship, and me to send some messages."

Quislet's tiny stone body shrugged, and then broke down into a mass of tiny pebbles. XS quickly swept them up, then took out their Omnicom. She sent out messages to Brainiac 5, Dream Girl, Cosmic Boy, Legion Liaison Shvaughn Erin, and former Legionnaire Gim Allon.

"Whew, it feel good to be back in Quislet's ship! Can we go now?"

"Yes, Quislet, we'll go now. Okay, remember, I need you to guide me as we go through time. Okay? Watch out for any weird interference patterns."

"Okidoki! As long as we go somewhere fun. Age of the dinosaurs maybe? Or cowboys, Quislet like cowboys! Fun to possess bullets!"

"Maybe if we have time, Quislet. But we need to hurry." XS checked to make sure everything was in order. "Okay, let's go!"

She began to run. It felt good to let loose like this.

The walls around her began to blur, and soon she and Quislet were rocketing through the timestream. She hoped they were looking in all the right places.

You know me too well, Omni I'm just taking the opportunity to explore Zoe's underlying wants and needs. Why does power mean so much to her, and all that.

XS isn't just a key Legionnaire, but let's just say her ultimate role is very important to the galaxy at large too

Glad you're getting all excited! It certainly encourages me to keep writing!

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another universe...

Zoe fumed silently as she stared at her laptop screen. It had been thirty minutes and she still hadn't written a single word. She tapped her fingers on the laptop's side. Maybe if she rewrote this sentence...

Sally suddenly whispered in her ear. "I'll just stand up for a moment, Zoe." Zoe nodded absentmindedly; Sally understood she needed to concentrate and had been sitting silently all this time.

"This seat taken?" Zoe nearly jumped up as someone plopped on the seat beside her.

"Sally's sitting the- Oh, it's you!" Zoe's tone quickly changed from anger to delight as Gim Allon smiled back at her. "It's okay, Gim," Sally smiled from the next table over. "Ayla and I have to work on our history paper."

"So, what's gotten your forehead scrunched up like that," Gim asked.

Zoe quickly smoothed out her face and put on her best smile. "It's my entry to this travel blogger contest. The theme is sustainable tourism, and I'm writing about how we can help local communities earn a living from their tourist sites while protecting them as well. Sites like Machu Picchu in Peru and Petra in Jordan are under danger from commercialization. We need to balance sharing them with the whole world, and preserving them for the future. Especially since archaeologists think we haven't discovered all their secrets yet."

"Whew," Gim breathed. "I've only ever read about them, but I know they're just as amazing as the pyramids in Mexico and Guatemala. My dad visited Jordan on his way home from Iraq, and the pictures are breathtaking."

"You're certainly a lot more cultured than most of the boys," Zoe smiled. "My brother thought Machu Picchu was a new Pikachu evolution!"

Gim chuckled. "He IS only twelve, but that's pretty funny. So, do you need some quiet while you work on your entry?"

"No, no, I think talking about it could help me with my writers' block. I have my introduction down pat, but I'm having trouble linking it to a specific site. I want to pick one with a lot of historic significance. Even if I don't win, I want to reuse this for my college applications."

"Oh yeah, you want to take up archaeology. That's pretty cool." Zoe detected a hint of sadness in Gim's voice.

"Yeah," Zoe said tentatively. "And you're going to join the military, right? You've been taking Krav Maga classes since forever."

"Just like my dad," Gim said with a small smile. "I guess we're both going to go out into the wide, wide world."

"Yeah, but we'll still be in touch," Zoe smiled. "That's what the Internet is for, right?" She moved her arm ever so slightly near Gim's. She felt her skin tingle as the light brush of the hairs on Gim's arm tickled her elbow.

"Of course we will," Gim smiled back. "I'm really looking forward to prom."

"Me too," Zoe's heart beat in her chest as she forced herself to remain calm and coy. From the corner of her eye, she could see Sally and Ayla stealing amused glances. She remembered what Tina had told her about her experiences with Joe - always make him think he wants you more than you want him.

"Oh, you're sweating a bit, Gim. Do you feel warm?"

"Hmm? Oh, no," Gim dabbed his handkerchief on his forehead. "I didn't notice. I'm actually feeling quite cozy."

Zoe hoped she wasn't blushing. She made a show of checking her phone so she could see her reflection. Satisfied, she turned back to Gim, who was still patting his forehead. "Oh, Zoe, uh, I think you have a few messages from your aunt?"

Zoe tried to shrug nonchalantly. "Oh, yeah, I was about to check them." She hoped Gim hadn't realized that she hadn't been checking her phone at all. She quickly scrolled down the messages.

"Your Aunt Michelle is visiting," it read. "Be home early later."

"Cool, my mom's old friend is over," she told Gim. "She must have returned early from the dig. I wonder what stories she has to share this time?"

"I'd love to hear them," Gim smiled, having regained his composure.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you all about them," Zoe smiled. "Now, here's my shortlist of sites. Which one do you think I should write about?"

She sipped on her milk tea as Gim began winnowing down her list. Life really couldn't get much better than this.

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another Legion's universe...

"Well? Did you find anything?" Gates' spat as Dawnstar and Tellus approached.

"Hey, easy, little bug," Wildfire grumbled. "No need to get pushy."

"This may be my only chance to get home to my universe, Wildfire," Gates pointed back. "And if we can do that, we may be able to get you back to your future too."

"It is okay, Wildfire. Thank you for your concern, but I understand Gates' sense of urgency." Dawnstar landed and shook her wings to clear them of the pollution in Earth's atmosphere. "That doorway that we saw was indeed an interdimensional portal of some sort. It was not opened from Earth, though. I can find no traces of it here. I'm sorry."

"And I could detect no thoughts within the area. Nor can I detect the thought patterns of this Kwai on Earth," Tellus added.

"Great," Yera said as she sat down. "More mysteries. As if that whole thing with Harvest wasn't enough."

"And Echo?" Tyroc said. He held up his hands as Yera glared at him. "Sorry, Yera. I know the Echo thing's cleared up. You proved your loyalty is still with the Legion. And I agree with you, stopping Harvest is still important."

"But getting home is more important, right?" Timber Wolf growled. "We can use the resources of the entire Legion, and of the 31st century, to stop Harvest."

"And the resources of Echo," Agent Lure offered. "We are not enemies, Legionnaires."

"No, we are not," Yera said. "We both have the same goal - to stop Harvest. And I'm coming clean, Tyroc. I was sent in the past to stop Harvest. He is suspected to be a rogue Echo agent."

"Yera!" Agent Lure rounded on her as she drew her firearm.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Tyroc said. "Yera is a Legionnaire, Agent Lure, no matter her past. Thank you for telling us what I suspected, Yera. So is that why he has 31st century technology."

"And that may be why we can't jump through time," Yera added. "Harvest might have technology in place to keep us from jumping forward even if we did have technology ready with us."

"I don't like this, Yera," Agent Lure warned. "This information is classified."

"Oh, what use is keeping secrets?" Gates' tone was increasingly annoyed. "Every time we've tried to go to the future, we fail! We can't track down Harvest to see if he has any extra time bubbles, we can't find the Kwai and the Threshold gate he used, and we're trapped here by that splotzing Harvest's machinations!"

"Not quite, Gates!" Everyone turned their faces upwards to see a rainbow of colors coalescing and collapsing into one another. They shield their eyes as the maelstrom of colors died down, and...

"Oh, Gates! How long has it been?! And what happened to your face, are you okay?" Gates gasped in surprise as someone familiar hugged him.

"XS?!" He gasped in surprise as his teammate and fellow exile grinned at him. "Oh my grife! How can you be here? Have you come to take us home?"

"I have. I'm confident I can, anyway," she smiled. "But first, let's let the others have their reunion." She pointed as Quislet made the rounds, greeting its own teammates. "See why Quislet most important Legionnaire? Without Quislet, teammates have no chance to get home!"

Gates laughed as he put an arm around XS' shoulders. "Sprock, when you disappeared like that, I thought I would be the last Legionnaire from our reality!"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Gates. It was like I was in a trance then. But I've worked through it, and I've recalled some very important things about our own universe that the Time Trapper placed in my mind before."

Gates eyes' widened. "So our universe does exist! Jenni, I saw a Kwai just earlier today, but he disappeared through a Threshold!"

"Huh," XS paused. "That's not one of the things I learned from the Trapper. And our universe doesn't exist just yet... but I know how we can get it back."

Gates fell silent as he drank it all in. Then he looked XS right in the eye. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go save our universe again!"

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another universe...

"...right action, which means acting in a non-harmful way, and right speech, which means speaking in a truthful yet non-hurtful way. And those are the factors of the noble eightfold path," Jan enumerated.

"That's fascinating, Jan," Candi smiled down at him. She easily towered above him, but in her eyes the gentle Jan was the tallest man in the world.

"I guess opposites really do attract," Gim laughed as he and Zoe walked behind them.

"Don't tell Jan, but Candi makes it a point to walk home every day so she can join him," Zoe whispered. "She tells her dad she's jogging. It's really cute."

Gim whistled. "Wow. Amazing."

"Well, here's my stop," Zoe smiled as they passed her house. "Thanks for helping me with my essay. You're right, it's a lot easier to write about some place I've been to."

"And Angkor Wat is extremely beautiful. So I've heard," Gim smiled. "I'm sure you'll do a good job."

Zoe smiled wistfully as Gim waved from the street. She waited until he was out of sight, then called Sally on the phone. "Oh my gosh, Sally! Call me when you're free!"

She walked into the house with a smile on her face. "Stan? Aunt Myra? Where are you? Is Aunt Michelle here?"

"I'm right here, Zoe." Zoe spun around to see her Aunt Michelle smiling at her from the doorway. She quickly ran up to hug her. "My, you've grown! And your sense of fashion is outstripping your mom's!" Zoe laughed as she held her aunt's hands. "I haven't seen you in forever. How was your dig in Ethiopia?"

"Found some new ruins of the ancient Kingdom of Aksum," Aunt Michelle laughed. "Sorry I didn't call ahead, your mom asked me to check on you when I got back but I didn't know exactly when I'd get the time. So now, let's catch up. I thought we'd go out to dinner, my treat."

"Okay, let's go grab Aunt Myra and Stan and let's get going." Zoe headed towards the stairs. "No, it's okay," Aunt Michelle laid a hand on Zoe's shoulder. "They can catch up. We can spend some time chatting, just us girls."

Zoe shrugged as she dropped her backpack on the dining table. "Sure, as long as they know where to meet us. Lead on, Aunt Michelle."

They trooped out of the quiet house and over to Aunt Michelle's car. "Humph, Stan didn't even store his bike properly," Zoe muttered as she set it upright. "He can be such a slob."

Aunt Michelle chuckled as Zoe got into the car. "Boys will be boys."

They drove off down the street as Zoe sent a text to Sally. "Be out with my aunt. Call later tonight." Then she eagerly began to quiz Aunt Michelle about her African trip. It sounded like just the place she'd want to visit when she was a full-fledged archaeologist.

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another universe...

"Look out, Violet Legion!" Shikari cried. "Thanks, Kari," Violet said as she shrank down, avoiding a faceful of acid.

"Sprock, I hate these crazy dangerous worlds with these crazy dangerous wildlife," Timber Wolf snapped.

"Grife, we need a perimeter," Kid Quantum said. "M'Onel, Andromeda!"

"Already on it... and... done," Andromeda reappeared in front of Kid Quantum. Walls and walls of dirt and stone had been erected, though the enormous worm-like creatures threatened to crawl over the top.

"Thanks. Headcount, please, Imra. Brainy, Gear, Lyle, get us ready to scoot."

"Kid, you and Cham might want to move," Dreamer said. "Trust me."

Chameleon and Kid Quantum complied, and seconds later the section of the perimeter they were standing in front of collapsed.

"Disgusting," Brainiac 5 shook his head. "Everyone under my forcefield!"

"We're ready," Gear called. "Let's go!"

Umbra heaved as they began to disappear into the space between dimensions. "Another day, another hellish world."

Seeing Zoe, Gim, Candi & Jan is bittersweet! Interested to see where that goes!

Nice to see XS and Quislet come to the rescue too!

Glad you're liking the return of all these long-absent characters, raz! I'm excited to write the next chapters too!

I have to be honest on my use of Quislet. I'm not a big fan, but it just didn't feel right to leave Quislet's disappearance hanging when I have the opportunity to fix it!

I like that you are using him for more than just inhabiting/disintegrating stuff (eg: recognising the energy patterns). I think he has a lot of potential Levitz never really did anything with because he only ever focused on writing him as the quirky alien guy.

Granted, that's my favourite part about him and what I tend to do as well I like to think he has lots of untapped potential though

I think you write both Quislet's quirkiness and power effectiveness well, so all good As for my use of Quis, thanks! I needed to justify XS pulling Quis into her mission, so energy patterns was it. I have a bit more in mind too

Quislet's original tenure was just too short IMO. Quis' departure from the team was pretty abrupt as well.

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

VOLUME 2: SCATTERED SOULS

In another universe...

Zoe rubbed her tummy as they exited the restaurant. "That wat is pretty strong. Whew!"

Aunt Michelle smiled. "Red onions, chili peppers, turmeric, and their berbere mix of spices. Trust me, the authentic thing's even spicier."

"I guess I'll have to get used to it then," Zoe smiled. "I really want to visit Africa one day. Aksum in Ethiopia, Greater Zimbabwe, Timbuktu in Mali, and of course Egypt."

"You'll get there one day," Aunt Michelle said as she looked at her watch. "You want to grab some coffee? It's still pretty early."

"That's be great. Starbucks has this new caramel fudge flavor... But let me try to get a hold of Aunt Myra and Stan one more time. It's just weird how she got sick all of a sudden after we left home."

"Maybe she's asleep. She didn't answer last time you called."

"Good point... I'll try Stan." Zoe tapped on his number and waited. Four rings, five, six. "Stan?"

This is Stan the Man! I'm probably out having fun. Leave a message after the beep!

Zoe frowned. "Ugh, I hate his voice mail message. I'll try our home line." Again, the line rang. But again, there was no answer.

"Odd... Maybe I should ask Salu or Imra to peek in," Zoe mused. "Imra lives just across the street, and Salu's just around the corner."

Aunt Michelle fixed Zoe with an interested gaze. "I'm sorry, who are Salu and Imra?"

"Oh! I mean Sally and Irma. Grife. Where's my head at? I must be worried."

Aunt Michelle's eyes narrowed for a second. "It's unraveling."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing, just a term I picked up in Ghana. They're very Old English over there." Aunt Michelle's face was the picture of serenity. "Tell you what. Let's grab some frappuccinos and some takeout, and then we'll go check on them."

"Sounds good," Zoe said. Aunt Myra was pushing 65; she couldn't help but worry. She sat in silence as they drove to Starbucks. "A mocha frappe and a pluberry muffin, please," she said absentmindedly.

She didn't even notice Aunt Michelle's raised eyebrow.

As they exited the drive-through, Aunt Michelle pointed to the pendant Zoe wore. "I think your mom gave you that, right?"

Zoe fingered it unconsciously. "Yeah, it's a crescent moon and star. Mom got it in Uzbekistan. Said it's a symbol of the ruler's authority. Also looks really pretty."

"It's a nice shade of green."

"Emerald green, yeah. My favorite color."

Aunt Michelle fell silent for a moment. "I might drop by your school tomorrow to meet an old friend of mine. You might know him. About fifty, hair's all white, but keeps in good shape. Full beard. Teaches history."

"Oh, you mean Mr. Morgan? He's a great teacher. Has so many stories about ancient temples and their mystical uses. Once, he had this slide show on the ancient cities of Sri Lanka and the temples of Cambodia. Next week he's going to talk about the ancient Mayan temples."

"Hmmm. You like his classes?"

"Oh, yeah! He even says he'll help me with my college essays. He knows a lot about archaeology."

"That's nice," Aunt Michelle said. "He always did have a way with words."

"Yeah. He really got me interested in seeing all those places firsthand." Zoe looked out the window wistfully. "Say, isn't that the firehouse? That's at the opposite end of town, Aunt Michelle. Shouldn't we turn around?"

"I just thought of taking the scenic route. Besides, I know a good takeout place at the far end. Greek food. There's a Filipino place beside it, and a Mexican one, and a Thai one. We won't be spoiled for choice. And we can have the leftovers tomorrow."

"Okay... Well, Stan likes spicy food so Mexican and Thai are good. And he can't get enough of that Filipino sisig dish either..."

Zoe quieted down as they sped through the empty streets. She knew everything should be alright, but she couldn't help but worry.

Love this scene with Zoe. Looks like it is all beginning to unravel.

but I have a question why is it set in the present day and not just her life in the legions future, just without the legion?

This is very cool! At first I thought you were just doing another universe's version of Zoe and the others but now it looks like something completely different!

Hi Omni and raz, thanks so much for keeping up with my story and for commenting on it I really appreciate it.



Glad you're enjoying Omni I've been itching to get to this part ever since I first plotted it out in my mind.

And that's a very good question! To be honest, before you asked it, I hadn't settled on an in-story explanation - but once you asked and I forced myself to think about it, I came up with one. You'll see it in the next 3-4 installments.

From a writing perspective, I chose the present day because a) it's easier for me to write, and b) I wanted to use Zoe's "universe" as a smokescreen for where I'm going next. But I think you know me so well that you figured it out from the first Zoe post!



Thanks raz I'm glad I was able to mask the direction of the plot. I hope the next few parts flow naturally from where I've already taken the story!