Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business The Every-Boot Legion v.1: "To Think Like a God!"

PROLOGUE


"What can I do to help you, Garth?" choked Imra Ardeen as she asked her husband an important question.


"Just being by my side is help enough." was Garth Ranzz's soft reply.


Recently wedded, the First Couple of the Legion of Super-Heroes was finding marital bliss elusive. Their honeymoon being interrupted by the Earth War, and Garth's promotion to team leader coinciding with the Legion's darkest hour thanks to their teammate-gone-mad Brainiac 5's unleashing of the cosmic destroyer Omega, combined to cast a pall over their future and, by extension, Earth's as well. Simply put, Garth was feeling the pressures of leadership in full force.


They now found themselves alone at the MIssion Monitor Board when they should both have been getting a good night's sleep. Imra did not need her natural telepathic gifts to realize that Garth was in pain, both physical and psychological. She quietly walked over to the back of the chair in which he was sitting, and began gently massaging his broad shoulders.


"It's gonna get better." she whispered.


"I appreciate the sentiment, so please forgive me when I say I doubt that very much." he chuckled ruefully.


After a brief but tense silence, Garth spoke up again. "The Earth government is dropping hints that they're either gonna disband the Legion or exercise complete control over us. I don't know which sounds worse."


"It pains me to say it, Garth, but without Brande to fund us, we may have no choice but to settle for the latter option." sighed Imra.


"And become Earth's own super-powered pawns to play with in their political games?" groaned Garth. "That could only lead to disaster."


Before Imra could answer, the Monitor Board suddenly crackled to life.


"We repeat," said a news reporter standing outside the Earth's strongest maximum security prison, "the criminal Querl Dox, known colloquially as Brainiac 5 of the Legion of Superheroes, has escaped imprisonment. Details are unclear, but it appears that...for lack of a better explanation...Dox simply disappeared from his cell!"


"Could things get any worse?" muttered Garth.


As if in reply, the tortured screams of Nura Nal, the Legion's precognitive, came blaring from her private quarters. Imra and Garth rushed to their teammate's aid.


"What is it, Nura dear?" asked Imra in her most soothing voice.


"Two Legionnaires are going to die!" exclaimed Nura. "And there's nothing we can do about it!"


After a pause, tears welled up in her beautiful blue eyes, and she added more softly, "But that's not the worst part."


"Tell us more."


"One of them shall die...by my hand!"

CONTINUED...

Wow, what an ending! I'm interested to see where this goes, Fanfie!

Wow! I loved this incarnation of the team, and I'm really interested to see where this will go. Nice set up, Fanfie.

Thanks, guys.

PART ONE


At his sanctuary located outside of space and time, the imposing green-skinned figure of Pulsar Stargrave was scolding his younger look-alike, Brainiac 5.


"Be grateful we share each other's blood," snapped Stargrave, "or I would not tolerate your impudent ingratitude! Were it not for my powers, you would still be held prisoner by those with inferior minds."


"Enough of these ridiculous games!" retorted Brainac 5. "You are not truly my father, so cease with the charade!"


Stargrave's response was to laugh heartily. "I knew I could not fool you for long, if at all. Ah, yes, the truth shall set you free, Querl Dox, but you are not yet ready to face it."


"I despise riddles!" growled Brianiac 5.


"All in due time, all in due time." replied an unruffled Stargrave. "For the moment, I shall reveal another important truth to you. I believe you are aware of the Time Trapper, yes?"


"One of my former team's enemies. What of him?"


"Now you are the one trying to fool me! Admit it, you are jealous of his ability to manipulate time. You covet it most deeply."


"And what if I did?"


"If I were to give you the means to defeat him once and for all, would you do as I say?"


"Hmmm...perhaps."


"Very well. Follow me over to the monitor, where all of the Trapper's secrets shall be revealed to you."





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





In the conference room at Legion headquarters, Lightning Lad stood at the head of the table and addressed his assembled teammates.


"I'm calling this emergency meeting to order so we can discuss the important matter of...say, has anyone seen Cosmic Boy? It's not like him to ever be late, especially for Legion business."


"I share your concern, Garth." replied Shadow Lass. "I am close friends with his lover, Night Girl, and I have neither seen nor heard of them for days."


Lightning Lad sighed, then said, "Look into that as soon the meeting's over, Tasmia."


"I shall do so." she said.


"Right, then, on to the matter at hand. I want Shrinking Violet and Phantom Girl to investigate Brainiac 5's disappearance. Or escape, whatever you want to call it. Just find him. He's the most dangerous man in the galaxy, maybe even the universe. I wish I could send Chameleon Boy with you, but he's still recovering from his injuries during the Omega incident -- injuries, I might add, inflicted by Brainiac 5."


"I want in on this, Garth!" demanded Ultra Boy, slamming his fist into his palm.


"I'm afraid not, Jo." replied Lightning Lad evenly. "When it gets personal, it gets sloppy, and the wrong people get hurt."


Ultra Boy hung his head and grumbled something inaudible. Phantom Girl, who was next to him, put her hand on his shoulder.


"Meanwhile, I want Sun Boy to override the computerized lock to Braniac 5's Multi-Lab and decode his files. And there's one other order of business," said Lightning Lad. "I want Saturn Girl to look in on Matter-Eater Lad's condition. The doctors are saying he's not responding to their treatments."


"I'm on it." said Saturn Girl.


"Okay, then, meeting adjourned. And, hey, let's be careful out there." commanded Lightning Lad.


As the Legionnaires went their separate ways, Light Lass approached Shadow Lass.


"Tasmia, got a minute?" she inquired.


"Yes, Ayla?"


Light Lass waited until no one was within earshot and whispered, "You might want to know that, a few weeks ago, Cosmic Boy completely lost it and hit me in the face."


"I do not believe it!" gasped Shadow Lass. "That is not like Cosmic Boy at all! And if this is true, why did you not file a report?"


"Foolish pride, I guess." shrugged Light Lass.


Shadow Lass silently shook her head for a full minute, then spoke up. "It does occur to me that the few times I have seen him recently, he hasn't quite seemed himself."


"Can I join your investigation?" asked Light Lass. "Two heads are better than one."


"I do not think that would be wise. As your brother said, when it gets personal..."


"I guess you're right." sighed Light Lass ruefully. "Just take care of yourself, okay, Tasmia?"


"Yes, I shall. Thank you."





CONTINUED

I hope Cosmic Boy is okay.

Oooh, I have a hunch I know where this is going. I remember your other piece set in the v3 days.

Looking forward to seeing where the missions go.

Without spoiling anything, I can say that I'm making an effort to be as fair as possible to all the characters, both the ones I like and the ones I dislike.

Yes, I agree that you are. Tasmia for example reacted very objectively when Ayla told her about the incident with Cos.

PART TWO



"Matter Eater Lad, it's me, Saturn Girl. Do you recognize me?"


Tenzil Kem sat bolt upright in his hospital bed, grateful to see a familiar face by his side. "Oh, thank heaven! I thought I was going to go mad!"


"What's the last thing you remember?"


"Eating the Miracle Machine. At first, it was the most delicious, exotic thing I had ever consumed, but then..."


Suddenly Tenzil's eyes glazed over, his head titled, and he stopped talking. With a bit of drool coming out of the side of his mouth, he broke his sudden silence after a few seconds.


"...but then, but then, BUT THEEEEEEEEN...ibble bibble bibble, the cat and the fiddle, the scow hump overt at noon..."


Imra sighed and turned to the doctor assigned to Tenzil's unique case.


"You say he's always like this when he's awake?"


"I'm afraid so. But those first few seconds after he saw you were the first sign of lucidity he's shown since he was brought in, so all hope may not be lost..."


Imra bristled. "Hope is never lost, doctor! Remember that!"


She turned to face Tenzil again, gently closing his eyelids and putting her fingertips to his forehead. Imra knew she was taking a risk venturing into his shattered mind, but she saw no other recourse.


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


It was clear to Shadow Lass that no one was going to answer the door to Cosmic Boy and Night Girl's apartment, after she had been knocking the door and pleading for a response for the better part of twenty minutes.


She looked around the corridor to make sure no one could see her. Then, she produced a small portion of the shadow matter she had been teaching herself to control in the recent months that she had been exploring the full extent of her powers in private.


Tasmia shaped and sharpened the shadow matter into a cutting tool and used it to open a large hole in the door through which she could enter.


Entering the apartment, she could see in the dark with perfect clarity. Everything was immaculately cleaned, nothing appeared to be out of place. She advanced further into the apartment.


As Tasmia walked by the bedroom door, she thought she heard muffled weeping coming from inside. She stood still, listening intently, and confirmed that this was true.


Reconstructing her shadow-matter cutting tool, she made her way into the bedroom. What she saw shocked her: a middle-aged man chained to the bed, a small tray laden with bread crumbs on the floor, and a half-finished glass of water on the night stand.


After the moment it took to get over her shock, she thought she recognized the man.


"Professor Jath??" she inquired.





"Tasmia?" he gasped. "Leave now, child, or my daughter and I are doomed!"


"Who did this to you?? What happened to Lydda??? And where's Rokk????"


"I beg you, leave now and forget you ever saw this!"


"I'm not leaving." she said firmly, crossing her shapely arms.


Professor Jath began weeping again. After a minute, he went silent.


"Please, Professor." Tasmia pleaded.


"Very well." choked the Professor. "Rokk himself did all of this. Free me, and I shall explain to the best of my ability."


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


Sun Boy, having successfully broken into Brainiac 5's Multi-Lab, was now hard at work trying to break into his misguided former teammate's computer files. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone entering the lab.


That person was Dream Girl, her hands behind her back.


"Harder than it looks, isn't it?" asked Nura gingerly.


"Piece of cake." lied Dirk. Always overshadowed in the Legion's scientific department by both Brainiac 5 and the now deceased Invisible Kid, he was eager to prove to the team that his abilities were not to be underestimated. But a deep-rooted sense of insecurity made him hostile and defensive. Nura's presence was, in his mind, not helping this difficult situation at all.


"Um...I need some more coffee." he declared. "Be right back."


He walked out, hoping that she would have done the same by the time he returned.


*********


"Now is not yet the time." said Pulsar Stargrave serenely to an exasperated Brianiac 5.


"If we wait any longer, then all is lost!" Brainiac 5 yelled.


"You agreed to do my bidding, did you not? Then I bid you to learn the virtue of patience."


Brainiac 5 sighed and threw up his arms, then added, "And you still haven't told me who you really are!"


"All in due time." replied a smiling Stargrave.

CONTINUED

Well, this is an interesting turn of events! I'm anxious to see where the Rokk/Lydda subplot goes.

Thank you, Stalgie.

You certainly seem to be a fast reader. I'm impressed.

I blame all those SAT practice tests.

LOL

A blessing in disguise, I'd say.

PART THREE



Inside the Legion cruiser orbiting the planet Colu, Shrinking Violet and Phantom Girl were getting restless.


"I'd rather be anywhere but here!" exclaimed Tinya, only to catch herself immediately and add, "No offense, Vi."


"None taken." replied Vi serenely. "I understand. Jo is taking this whole situation really badly and you'd really like to be by his side."


"Am I that transparent?" joked Tinya, following with a nervous giggle.


"Yep, I can see right through you." laughed Vi good-naturedly.


After a moment of silence, Vi spoke up again.


"I've gotta be honest, I'm a little envious of what you've got with Jo. Such a solid foundation..."


Tinya was shocked. "What about you and Ord?"


Vi ruminated on that for a couple minutes, then replied, "People drift apart sometimes. Some things are meant to last, and some...just aren't."


"Anybody you've got your eye on? I promise I won't tell anybody."


"Mmmm...maybe..."


Before Vi could go any further, she was interrupted by a transmission on the cruiser's radio. It was the Legion headquarters' frequency.


"Phantom Girl, Vi, this is Lightning Lad. Over."


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


At that moment, at headquarters, Dirk had just stepped back into Brainiac 5's Multi-Lad carrying a fresh cup of coffee. To his chagrin, he found not only that Nura was still there, but that Garth had arrived. It seemed obvious to him that Nura had broken Brainiac 5's code in record time, and now Garth had taken control of the situation.


"This is Vi." came a faint voice through Garth's communication device. "What are your orders, Lightning Lad?"


"There's some kind of Top Secret experiment that the Coluans seem to want suppressed. It's called Project Eternal, and it should be on the 247th level of the planet. We have reason to believe it's at the top of Brainiac 5's want list. I order you to get your hands on that experiment and get it safely back here...by any means necessary."


"That wouldn't be very diplomatic of us." observed Tinya.


"In a crisis like this one," replied Garth, "standard protocol goes right out the window."


"Copy that." replied Vi. "I'm taking us in for a landing."


"Good luck." said Garth, who then turned to face Nura.


"I never knew you were so good with computers." he told her.


Nura's droll reply was, "You never asked."


As Garth chuckled appreciatively and Nura sashayed out of the lab, Dirk seethed silently.


***********


Saturn Girl beheld swirling vistas of sparkling stars and rainbow-colored waterfalls, pockmarked by windows into countless different versions of the past, present, and future. Within moments, she recognized the feeling she was having -- the feeling of swimming underwater against the current. Imra began to fear that she might never find her way out of Tenzil's mind.


"Tenzil! Tenzil, where are you?"


After a beat, came this reply: "There's no Tenzil here!"


She finally lost patience. "Cut the clowning, Tenzil," she snapped, "or we might both end up brain-dead."


"Who art this Tenzil thou speakest of?" he inquired playfully. "I am the Eggman, I am the Eggs Benedict Arnold, I am the waitress, goo goo ga joob, koo koo ka choo!"


Imra saw no alternative than to assert her own considerable telepathic powers in order to shock Tenzil back into reality. But she knew she had to do it with great dexterity, or all would be lost.


Clearing her mind as much as she could, she fired a mind-bolt into the maelstrom in front of her. As everything around her seemed to explode in a fashion reminiscent of colorful 20th century animated cartoons, she began to feel as if her head were caught in a vise. Her last thought before blacking out was short and to the point: "I failed."


***********


Professor Jath, now unchained, sat at the foot of the bed, shuddering as Shadow Lass draped a much-needed warm blanket over him.


"I'm afraid I cannot remember when it all started." he told Tasmia. "The past few weeks are such a blur. Rokk kidnapping me and keeping me prisoner here, forcing Lydda and I to do his bidding under the threat of him killing both of us...I reluctantly broke into the Time Institute's computer files while Lydda stole the raw materials necessary for my assistants to construct a time machine..."


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


Once Imra regained consciousness, she opened her eyes to witness herself and Tenzil floating like wraiths through the timestream.


"You did it, Imra." said Tenzil soberly. "You cured me. I now have full control over my visions...for the time being, at least."


"I’m here to help you every step of the way." declared Imra.


In the first window they came to, they saw the 15-year-old versions of Imra, Garth, and Rokk, shortly after the foundation of the Legion. "My God," she gasped, "we were babies...just babies!"


"This is a new beginning for the whole universe." declared Imra to her friend and to her future husband, in an unusual display of demonstrative joyfulness.


"We have the might to do what's right." added Rokk.


"Nothing can stop us now." asserted Garth.


"I'm a little embarrassed that we were ever so idealistic." said present-day Imra to Tenzil.


"Nothing to be embarrassed about." replied Tenzil.


"Maybe not," said Imra, "but maybe there's reason to be a little bit...scared?"

CONTINUED

Imagine my shock to see Lydda's dad involved! But at least we know Lydda isn't a willing participant. Hope she's safe. Tasmia did well!

Interesting to see where Tenzil and Imra's scene will go.

Looking forward to seeing Vi and Tinya in action.

Loved the interplay between Dirk and Nura.

Good seeing Garth acting capably.

Thank you, Ibby.

Yes, Tasmia freeing Professor Jath may mean the difference between saving the universe and watching it fall into oblivion.

Thanks, too, for liking the Garth stuff. I'm not a fan of the way he want to pieces during his final term as leader, so I hope to remedy that.

PART FOUR



As Imra and Tenzil continued their drift across his visions of the time-space continuum, they moved away from the window into the distant past they had just been looking at. Now they faced a window into the more recent past, soon after Princess Projectra, Karate Kid, and the doomed Ferro Lad had joined the team, and immediately after the team's victory over the Devil's Dozen. Spirits were high all around...with the exception of Cosmic Boy.


"What's wrong, Rokk?" inquired the younger Saturn Girl.


"Yeah, what's eating you, buddy?" asked Lightning Lad. "We should be celebrating! I got my real arm back, Chuck and Tenz are back to their old selves, too, our new members are working out great..."


"I'm concerned about something." Cosmic Boy answered in a flat tone. "What if this is as good as it's ever going to get?"


"You're kidding, right?" laughed Saturn Girl.


"Cos, joking? Never gonna happen." said Lightning Lad while good-naturedly hitting his friend's arm. "Seriously, though, you gotta lighten up and join the celebration!"


"I remember now." observed the present-day Saturn Girl as she and Tenzil drifted towards the next window into time. "Garth and I were worried about Rokk. He was becoming more fatalistic and morose all the time. And he took Ferro Lad's death harder than any of us. I also remember how happy we felt for him when he started dating Lydda, we thought she would do him a world of good."


The next window showed a private moment between Rokk and Lydda during the early, giddy phase of their relationship.


"At last I have you!" sighed Lydda blissfully as she tried to take him into her arms.


"Let's get one thing straight." replied Rokk with an enigmatic smile as he brushed aside Lydda's affections. "I'm no one's to have. As long as you understand that, everything will be just fine between us."


"Okay, then," laughed Lydda, "how about this? I'm yours, all yours, body and soul."


"That's my girl."


As they watched the couple embrace, Imra and Tenzil couldn't help but wince.


"This is disturbing on so many levels." remarked Tenzil.


"It's not a side of him any of us are familiar with." replied Imra. "And I'm afraid the worst is yet to come."


As if in response, the next window displayed a heated argument between Rokk and Lydda.


"The whole universe is going to hell." grumbled Rokk. "There has to be something more we can do about it."


"We all have our limitations. " said Lydda, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Don't let it get you down."


"I'm not letting it do anything to me!" he snapped at her. "And I don't want your pity, damn you!"


"Then what the hell do you want??" screamed an exasperated Lydda.


"I don't know!" yelled Rokk. "I don't know yet, just leave me alone already!"


On that troubling note, he walked out of their apartment, leaving her in tears.


The same window then faded into a montage of Rokk, heretofore the most straight-laced of the Legionnaires, secretly indulging in illicit romances, drink, and drugs, symbolized by his new and very revealing costume. There followed another montage, this one of the rare moments where he let his excruciating self-control slip in front of his teammates, most notably when he exploded violently at Ayla.


"I've lost all respect for him." said Tenzil.


"How could we have been so blind?" choked Imra.


There followed yet another new window in time, this one showing Rokk in the aftermath of the Earthwar, now completely beside himself with nihilistic despair. Then, one night, while brooding alone and feeling sorry for himself, Rokk was confronted by the Time Trapper.


"Let me tell you, pal," he sneered at the villain, "you picked the wrong time to mess with me!"


"I come in peace." replied the Trapper calmly. "I am here to relieve you of your burden."


"And how do you propose to do that??"


"I am here to show you the path to acceptance. More specifically, self-acceptance."


"I'm not the smartest guy in the galaxy, okay? Speak in plain English."


"I shall do better than that." said the Trapper as he reached to remove his own cowl. "They say a picture is worth a thousand words..."


Imra and Tenzil gasped as they realized what was happening.


"...and so I hope this answers your burning question!" stated the Trapper as his face stood revealed -- the face of Rokk Krinn, alias the Legionnaire Cosmic Boy.


"NO!" yelled Rokk as he felt his sanity slip away.


"Yes." hissed the Trapper, or rather, the future Rokk. "This is no time for denials, it is a time for actions."


"Actions." repeated Rokk softly. Then, louder, "Actions!"


"Take my hand." said the future Rokk to the past Rokk.


As the past Rokk did just so, he and the future Rokk both disappeared from Imra and Tenzil's sight.


CONTINUED

Wow. What a powerful montage. I like how you fit all that into the gaps of "normal continuity" - the revealing costume, the Ayla-slapping incident, Ferro Lad's death.

The conversations with poor Lydda were very realistic, as were the reactions of Tenzil and Imra.

Speaking of, I think it's amazing that you were able to work Tenzil's recovery into the revelation of Rokk's past!

Thank you, Ibby. I can't claim full credit for working Tenzil's recovery into the revelation of Rokk's past, though. It was inspired by a suggestion someone (Thoth, IIRC) made about the effects that the Miracle Machine would have on Tenzil, in the "Pretend it's 1979" thread in the Legion forum.

Rokk

PART FIVE


"Faster, Vi, faster!" screamed a near-panicked Phantom Girl.


"I'm giving it all I can!" protested Shrinking Violet as she piloted their Cruiser through the coldly utilitarian architecture of the planet Colu's lower levels.


At this moment, both Legionnaires were preoccupied with the combined threats of laser cannons blasting at them, and a heat-seeking missile closing in on them.


"Hold on tight, Tinya." said Vi. "I'm gonna try Maneuver Luna-2."


And so, the missile was intercepted by a laser blast meant for the Legionnaires, and blown up a safe distance from the Cruiser, thanks to Vi's piloting skills.


Next, Vi did the unexpected by eschewing evasive maneuvers in favor of resuming a downward course towards Level 247. This did not compute with the ever-logical programming of the planet's automated defense systems, and in the confusion, the Cruiser was able to dodge the laser blasts and proceed several levels closer to its intended desitnation.


********


"I got us here as fast as I could." said an out-of-breath Saturn Girl to Lightning Lad as she arrived at Legion Headquarters with Matter-Eater Lad in tow.


"You're just in time. I've been assembling all available Legionnaires to deal with an emergency at the Time Institute. Rond Vidar has informed us that there's an unauthorized incursion from the time-space continuum, and it's closing in fast. They're evacuating the building while the Science Police clear the streets. Now that you're here, let's roll."


"But we have something important to tell you!" exclaimed Saturn Girl.


"Tell me on the way there. The most immediate threat always takes priority." replied Lightning Lad as he dashed toward the exit.


Before Saturn Girl followed, she had to ask Matter-Eater Lad, "Are you up for this, or should I leave you here where it's safe?"


"Once a Legionnaire, always a Legionnaire." responded Matter-Eater Lad.


But as they headed for the exit, he suddenly stopped and put his hands to his head dramatically. She instinctively reached out to him telepathically.


"Don't worry, Tenzil," she reassured him, "I'm watching out for you every step of the way."


"Th-th-thanks." stammered a grateful Tenzil.





***********


"We're closing in on Level 247." Vi informed Tinya. "ETA, two minutes."


"Great." replied Tinya. "Let's grab the McGuffin and get out of this godforsaken place."


Without warning, the ship shuddered, the lights inside began blinking on and off, and the instrument readings went wild.


"What in the universe??" cursed Tinya.


"Damn me for a novice!" cursed Vi in response. "We must have passed through a disruptor field!"


"We'll have to eject." said Tinya.


"There's no time!" shouted Vi. "I can't clear that overpass..."


Within a split second, the Cruiser had exploded into a trillion pieces, each burning with various degrees of brightness.


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


Panic in the streets was running rampant as the Legionnaires -- Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Matter-Eater Lad, Wildfire, Dawnstar, Ultra Boy, Element Lad, Tyroc, Dream Girl, Star Boy, Light Lass, Karate Kid, Princess Projectra, Sun Boy, Timber Wolf, and Colossal Boy -- made their way through the crowds towards the Time Institute. They were pleased to see the familiar face of their friend Rond Vidar up ahead.


But the news from Rond was not good. "According to my pocket timestream scanner," he said, "The temporal storms are churning so severely that nothing can get through except the oncoming incursion."


"So much for Superboy and Supergirl being able to help us out." sighed Lightning Lad.


"Whatever it is," said Wildfire, shaking his fist, "we'll deal with it!"


As if in response, the Time Institute building began to glow, golden ribbons of tachyon energy spurting every which way.


"Element Lad, Tyroc, combine your powers to shield us!" commanded Lightning Lad.


The two Legionnaires did just that, combining a wall of sound with a dome of pure Inertron as a tremendous explosion shattered the Time Institute building.


Once Ultra Boy's Penetra-Vision had confirmed that the debris and the dust had settled, Tyroc and Element Lad dropped their shields.


The Legionnaires' jaws dropped as they beheld a massive time-space rift in the sky through which emerged the Time Trapper, Night Girl, and their army: teenaged versions of the Legionnaires plucked from a specific point in the past, wearing their old costumes -- Superboy, Mon-El, Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Duo Damsel, Bouncing Boy, Matter-Eater Lad, Phantom Girl, Ultra Boy, Sun Boy, Dream Girl, Star Boy, Light Lass, Chameleon Boy, Colossal Boy, Karate Kid, Princess Projectra, Supergirl, even Ferro Lad!


"The ghosts of the past have come to clear the way for the future!" declared the Time Trapper.


"Drop the bad poetry, Rokk!" snarled Lightning Lad. "Imra told me it's you under that cowl!"


"You wound me, Garth." replied the Trapper sarcastically as he removed his cowl to reveal his psychotically grinning face. "I guess I can't consider you my friend anymore."


"If you've got a shred of decency left in you, then you'll..." Garth began to say before Rokk rudely cut him off.


"I'm doing all of this for the greater good!" insisted Rokk stridently. "If you can't accept that, you might as well surrender."


"We won't back down!" barked Wildfire.


"You really are as stupid as you look!" snarked Rokk. "Can't you see you're out-classed by my glorious army of Legionnaires -- the real Legionnaires??"


"Whaddya say, Leader Man?" asked Wildfire of Lightning Lad. "Should we put this goofball to the test?"


"No." said Lightning Lad flatly. "We surrender."


The other present-day Legionnaires let out a collective gasp.


CONTINUED

Fanfic Lady, I really find your take on Cosmic Boy to be fascinating. These definitely seem like the actions of someone who has set impossibly high standards for himself and for his friends for far too long.

Thank you, Mr. Featherbottom. I tried to be as fair as possible to the character and as faithful as possible to continuity.

PART SIX




As the Time Trapper laughed heartily, gloating in his apparent triumph, Lightning Lad turned his back to the Trapper and began walking away. For a moment, the other Legionnaires were clearly unsure of whether to stay or go.


Then, with his hand to chest and safely out of the Trapper's sight, Lightning Lad signalled a manuever to Saturn Girl, who strode towards the Trapper and his hovering army.


"What's this?" asked the Trapper. "You've realized you should have chosen me over that loser?"


As they locked eyes, Imra delivered her reply. It was not verbal, but telepathic. Or, rather, a psionic pulse wave so mighty it threw the Trapper and his army off-balance and caused them to hit the ground hard.


Seizing the moment, Lighting Lad turned around, raised his arm, and signaled the other Legionnaires to attack.


***********


"Thank heaven I was able to phase us both before the cruiser made impact." said Phantom Girl as she and Shrinking Violet used their flight rings to get away from the debris on Level 247 of the planet Colu.


"Thanks for saving my life, Tinya. And my pocket scanner detects heavy radiation coming from that silo up ahead." said Vi. "Project Eternal is as good as ours!"


"Um...not quite, Vi." replied Tinya.


Indeed, a swarm of Coluan cyborg drones was descending on them like locusts.


"I'll keep them distracted as long as I can." said Vi. "Go get the McGuffin!"


As Vi soared and swooped through the air, switching from normal size to miniscule size and causing the cyborgs to fire at each other and crash into each other, Tinya closed in on the silo.


Tinya phased through the silo wall, and was confronted by what appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary blob of radioactive protoplasm, enclosed within a transparent tube sealed at both ends by pure Inertron.


"You better be worth all this trouble." huffed Tinya as she took the tube in hand, phasing them both through the wall.


"Got it, Vi!" Tinya shrieked triumphantly.


"Great," said Vi as she came in for a landing at Tinya's feet. "Now if only we had some way to get off the planet..."


As if in response, the two Legionnaires were confronted by a glowing sphere within which two intimidating silhouettes stood tall. Before the young women could react, the glow enveloped them and they were teleported away to a destination unknown to them.


*********


Back on Earth, the Legionnaires brawled with their teenaged counterparts.


"Is it just me," asked Colossal Boy as he decked his doppleganger with a roundhouse punch, "or is this way too easy?"


"'Course it is!" replied Ultra Boy as he clobbered the teenaged Mon-El. "Rokk committed a whopper of a tactical error! His so-called army is way rawer than us, they don't have the years of fighting experience!"


"I always knew you were smarter than we gave you credit for." smiled Colossal Boy.


"Fools, you're all fools!" screamed the Trapper. "I'll teach you to cross me!"


Using the magnetic powers that were his Braalian birthright, the Trapper levitated humongous chunks of metallic debris and began hurling them at the Legionnaires.


Instinctively, Tyroc let loose with a sonic scream which liquefied the debris. This moved the Trapper to redouble the barrage. Tyroc strained his throat to its very limit, for the sake of protecting his teammates. By the time the last of the debris had dissolved, Tyroc had fainted.


"And now," said the Trapper to his enemies, "there's nothing to stop me from taking control of the iron in your blood and reducing you to bits of meat! Surrender already, or I'll..."


"NEVER!" replied a female voice from behind the Trapper, who turned around to witness the sight of Shadow Lass firing a gigantic shadow-bolt at him point blank as the Trapper's former prisoner, Professor Jath, stood next to her.


The bolt staggered the Trapper, chilling him to the marrow of his bones, but he somehow managed to remain aloft.


"You'll pay for that!" he shouted at Shadow Lass.


"No, she won't." responded a voice which was all-too-familiar to the Trapper.


Out of the corner of his eye, he saw, much to his shock, that his own lover, Night Girl, was turning against him now that she saw her father was free.


"I've had all I can take." declared Lydda plainly, and she punctuated this statement with a ferocious uppercut to the Trapper's jaw, nearly taking his head off.


The Trapper landed hard on his back, but like a wounded beast, he rose, fiercer than ever, using his magnetic powers to rip the sewage pipes from beneath the ground and throw the giant pipes at his enemies, who all scattered and ran for cover.


All except Dream Girl, who knew the time had come to use the secret weapon she had discovered thanks to her search through Brainiac 5's files.


She removed a small pistol from her belt. This was one of the weapons Brainiac 5 had created for use only in the event that a Legionnaire went rogue. Brainiac 5 had nicknamed it the Damper.


Seeing a clear shot, Nura took aim and fired a thin but powerful beam at the Trapper, who fell to the ground again and began violently convulsing.





Against all logic, Lydda now ran to Rokk's side. "What have you done??" she screamed at Nura as Rokk's eyes now rolled up to his head and his mouth hung open, his breathing more faint with each tick of the clock.


"By the High Seer of Naltor!" cursed Nura hysterically. "This wasn't supposed to happen! I put the Damper on the lowest possible setting!"


"The shock to the system must have still been too strong for him." deduced Lightning Lad stoically as Saturn Girl put her arm around Lydda.


A hush settled like a heavy blanket over the crowd of colorfully-clad characters.


Suddenly, a virile and authoritative voice broke the silence as a glowing sphere manifested itself in the middle of the crowd, and four silhouettes stepped forward.


Leading them was none other than Pulsar Stargrave, with Brainiac 5 by his side, and Shrinking Violet and Phantom Girl following reluctantly, the latter still carrying Project Eternal.


"At last, the time has come!" gloated Stargrave boastfully as he clenched his fists, raised his arms, and put his foot on top of the Trapper's seemingly dead body. "The time for my only true competition to be annihilated, and the universe set to rights."


CONTINUED