Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business The Every-Boot Legion v.2: "The Changeling Challenge"

PROLOGUE


The events transpiring at this moment had become too much for Luornu Durgo Taine to bear any longer.


It had been difficult enough for her and her husband, Chuck, to deal with the deaths of their Legion teammates Cosmic Boy and Brainiac 5. And the presence of Superboy among the countless mourners at the funeral had only made Luornu more tense as his proximity to her rekindled the old crush which stubbornly refused to die.


Then, in a bizarre development, a ship carrying eight Legionnaires from an alternate universe had made an incursion into their universe. This was one of many recent incursions from the time-space continuum which had been taking place since Brainiac 5's brief brush with omnipotence before his death, when he broke down all the time barries which had been set in place by the Time Trapper...who had turned out to be a future version of Cosmic Boy.


To say that all of this made Luornu's head spin would have been an understatement. So she quietly used her powers to divide herself in two, leaving her other self among the large group gathered on the asteroid Shanghalla while she stepped away for a few moments of privacy behind a small hill to gather her increasingly confused thoughts.


Suddenly, she heard screams coming from the group of mourners and time travelers. Even worse, the most agonized screams were in a voice all too familiar to Luornu.


It was her own voice.


Or rather, the voice of her other self, who now lay dying after having taken a powerful blast straight to the heart.


When Luornu came out of hiding to witness the gruesome pieta of a sobbing Chuck holding her other self in his arms, she gasped.


"Look!" Phantom Girl said, pointing at Luornu. "Her other body still lives! She's okay!"


But while Chuck's tears stopped flowing, his emotions were decidedly mixed, ranging from gratitude to a higher power for the survival of one of his wife's bodies, to rage at the same higher power because of his wife now having literally become half a person.


And despite Phantom Girl's optimistic declaration, Luornu was anything but okay. The shock of what had just happened was something she had not experienced since years ago, when her third body was killed by Computo, something Luornu had hoped she would never feel again.


Tragically, history was now repeating itself, and with it came those horrifying visions she had never told anyone, not even Chuck, about: images of skulls, decay, despair, kidnapped babies, all manner of cosmic weirdness, and, worst of all, a blue-cloaked wraith with wild red hair, wearing an expressionless mask, committing the mass murder of the Legion.


As Luornu blacked out, her only thought was that she had nothing left to live for.


TO BE CONTINUED

this first post has me really intrigued and I feel so bad for Lu and that moment when chuck saw her again was powerful.

But now that vision of Lu's and the wraith with the red hair and faceless mask..him that sounds like trouble.

good first post.

Thank you, Omni.

Preboot Lu is extremely difficult for me to write, given some of the more bizarre and creepy aspects of her personality, so I'm glad she came across as sympathetic. That shows I'm on the right path.

That is the only time I can remember that an off- panel death actually worked. Excellent execution (pun intended). If only Sun Boy's murderer had such touch!
Very excited to see the next instalment.

Thank you, Mr. Retconnery.

Good setup, Fanfie. I admit that I have very little exposure to preboot Luornu so I'm interested to see how you handle the character. The masked character also has me very intrigued

Thank you, Stalgie.

PART 1


The new Legion headquarters would have been an impressive sight even if it had not been surrounded by the nothingness which made up the limbo outside the space-time continuum. Long and asymmetrical, festooned with decorative details, the tall tower was a fitting place for the greatest superhero team of its time to dwell.


Or so most of the Legionnaires felt. The most outspoken of the naysayers was Jo Nah, codenamed Ultra Boy. At this moment, he was venting to his sympathetic but firmly disagreeing team leader, Garth Ranzz, codenamed Lightning Lad.


"Explain to me again how we're supposed to stay in touch with the common people when we're completely shutting ourselves off from them." Jo demanded.


"Circumstances have changed." Garth explained patiently. "Now that there are no barriers between the infinite universes, we're in the eye of the storm, and we have to deal with that. Besides, there's no reason we can't keep dealing with smaller-scaled problems. If we could all agree on expanding the team..."


"You mean sending in the clones??" Interrupted Jo. "I don't trust them any further than I could throw them."


At this, Garth bristled. "Don 't think I'm not aware that you're jealously paranoid about your doppleganger."


"He was staring at my girlfriend!"


"That's because she reminds him of how much he misses 'his' Tinya."


"You actually believe that??"


"Confidentially, I don't know what to believe anymore. I trust only my gut, and my gut tells me that these lost Legionnaires are telling the truth and they mean no harm."


"Fine. You got all the answers, leader man." Jo growled sarcastically as he turned his back to Garth and walked away. "Don't say I didn't tell you so when it all blows up in your face."


After wandering the towers winding corridors for what seemed like an eternity, Jo was rewarded with the sight of the one person who could make him feel better: his lover, Tinya Wazzo, codenamed Phantom Girl.


"I finally found you, thank heaven!" Tinya exclaimed as she ran into Jo's open arms.


After a few minutes where the only sound was of her crying into his shoulder, Jo spoke up. "It's okay, baby. Long as we're together, ain't nothing wrong that can't be made right."


"Even what's happened to Luornu?" Tinya sobbed. "She's still in a coma. We've tried everything, we even tried having both Imras go into her mind, but she's...she's..."


Jo understood. Tinya and Luornu had been the first non-founding female Legionnaires, and there had always been a special bond between them. Not for nothing had Tinya been maid of honor at Luornu's wedding to Chuck. But there was one thing Jo did not understand.


"I still can't believe that, even with all our superpowers, we not only couldn't stop whoever killed Luornu's other body, but none of us could even SEE the killer!" Jo said.


Tinya nodded morosely. "I keep pinching myself in the hopes that this will all turn out to be a nightmare."


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


Within the mind of Luornu Durgo Taine, a nightmare was exactly what was taking place, and it never seemed to end. Raw emotional wounds, dating back to her childhood on her home planet of Cargg, stung like no physical pain could ever hope to equal.


On Cargg, everyone was born with the ability to triplicate themselves. But it had always seemed to Luornu and her family that she was the only one on the planet whose behavior was completely unpredictable when she triplicated. Carggians prided themselves on being simple people. Luornu was anything but simple. And so the other girls were always mean to her, while the boys always ignored her. As for her family, it felt to her as if they could barely tolerate her, and then only because blood was supposedly thicker than water.


That was why, when the 20th Century legend known as Superboy first came to the 30th Century, he seemed the answer to all of Luornu's prayers. Many were the nights she had lain in bed, staring with wide-eyed longing at a poster of him on her bedroom wall. And when Superboy joined the Legion of Superheroes, she couldn't believe her good fortune. Superboy was so sweet, so noble, and more than anything...so cute. Sadly, Luornu's cripplingly low self-esteem asserted itself time and again, always convincing her that Superboy was unattainable.


Chuck Taine had proven to be just as sweet as Superboy, maybe even sweeter. On her countless dark nights of the soul, he had been there for her. Deep down, however, she didn't feel like she deserved Chuck any more than she deserved Superboy. No other person, no matter how kind and generous, could help her feel like she was worthy of having anything good in life.


Now, as the haze of horrors within her head began to clear, Luornu finally realized that the only person who could help her was herself. At that moment, everything she saw in her dreamscape acquired a golden glow.


In the world outside of her head, Luornu opened her eyes and sat bolt upright on the bed where she had been lying for hours upon hours. Chuck was the first to react, rushing to her side and embracing her.


"Thank heaven..." Chuck sighed. "...thank heaven..."


After a long silent pause, as Lournu looked around the room at the friendly faces surrounding her. When she finally spoke up, their expressions turned to shock.


"Cargg!" Luornu said. "We'll find all the answers on Cargg!"


TO BE CONTINUED

PART 2





Inside the new headquarters' main lab, the time-lost Brainiac 5 of an alternate universe was feeling the pressure. He was younger than his deceased counterpart, and every time someone spoke to him, he thought he detected a hint of a partronizing tone; at the same time, he was also the most accomplished scientist in the tower, and everyone, especially his seven alternate-universe companions, was counting on him to find a way of making contact with his universe.


To their credit, Dream Girl, Sun Boy, and honorary Legionnaire Rond Vidar had been of great help to Brainy, and at this moment, it was looking like they would finally succeed in navigating the tangled web of timelines that was the final legacy of the dead Brainy.


"If this doesn't work," Sun Boy chuckled as he pushed one of the countless buttons on the panel before him, "I'll quit the Legion and become a monk."


The machinery in the lab began roaring to life, and the monitor at the center of the machine showed what appeared to be the skyline of the alternate universe Metropolis. But just as they were ready to jump for joy, the skyline became lost in a storm of static, followed by the monitor going blank.


Sun Boy growled incoherently, slamming his fist on the side of the machine.


"I guess it's time for you to get measured for your monk's robe." Brainy quipped half-heartedly, in a vain attempt at lightening the grim mood.


The tense silence that resulted seemed to last forever, until it was broken by a voice familiar to Brainy.


"Knock, knock." Shikari said, the way she always did when entering a room. "May I have a word with Green Legion, please?"


"Of course, darling." Dream Girl replied. "And you simply must tell me how you get your hair that shade of green."


Shikari appeared confused. "It is my natural color, Dream Legion."


"What is it, Shikari?" Brainy asked.


"Leader Legion says that all the Legionnaires of our timeline -- except you -- are to assist on the mission to Cargg. So I came to say goodbye for now."


"Well, I imagine that'll be a relief for you." Brainy replied. "For someone like you who revels in the freedom of the skies, this tower must feel awfully claustrophobic."


"Claus...tro...what?"


"Never mind. I wish you and the others best of luck on the mission and hope you return safely."


"Thank you, Green Legion."


As Shikari exited the lab, Rond Vidar surprised his colleagues by suddenly grinning, after which he looked up from his pocket computer and declared, "I've figured it out! All we had to do was carry the X like this, and it would have worked."


"Let's get to it, then." Dream Girl said.


Sun Boy said nothing. A persistent inferiority complex which he had always disguised with a combination of humor and bravado was eating away at him, now that he realized that a simple miscalculation of his meant they would have to devote several more hours to this project.


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


In addition to the seven time-lost Legionnaires -- Kid Quantum, Shikari, Chameleon, Umbra, Ultra Boy, Saturn Girl, and Wildfire -- the team for the Cargg mission included Luornu & Chuck, Light Lass, Tyroc, and field leader Star Boy. Some of the time-lost Legionnaires had yet to arrive at the tower's hangar, and their trio of counterparts were losing patience.


That is, until Kid Quantum showed up with her head newly shaved, a practical decision which had the result of making her even more strikingly attractive.


Tyroc strode up to her and said, "Hi, there," with more than a hint of flirtatiousness in his voice.


"Hello..." Kid Quantum replied, "...Tyroc, is it?"


"You can call me Troy." Tyroc answered in his smoothest baritone.


"Get a room, you two!" Light Lass snarled bitterly.


"Excuse me?" Kid Quantum snapped angrily.


"Don't mind her," Star Boy said, attempting to defuse the thick tension, "that's just...her sense of humor."


"I, for one, found it quite amusing." Umbra said with what was, for her, a rare smile.


"I like you." Light Lass declared to Umbra, with more than a hint of flirtatiousness in her voice. Umbra smiled a second time.


Just then, the remaining time-lost Legionnaires arrived, and Star Boy felt a great sense of relief. "All right," he said, "we're running behind schedule, so...all aboard!"


As the Legion cruiser blasted off, Chuck put his arm around Luornu, who was seated next to him, then asked her, "You sure you're up for this so soon after your recovery?"


"I've never felt more sure of myself in my life." Luornu replied with a grin. "At last, I'm going to find out who I really am."


TO BE CONTINUED

I really liked these last two parts.
I liked Jo's distrust of the u247 legion. I can understand why and the to add how much young untunltra boy stares at PG.
I bet her could throw them pretty far...so maybe he should trust them
I understand and agree with the fusrration of this unknown killer.
I like that you had a shikari say goodbye to brainy. I honestly don't remember them being too close but I love that it felt so natural.
Also at what point are they coming to us from? Just after the end of vol.1?
ILoved reading post boot Lu's mind and getti g a background with her without it feeling like needless back story.
Looking forward to more.

Some interesting bits here!

I liked Sun Boy's disguised inferiority complex - it's very relatable and adds a nice dimension to him.

The differences between the counterparts are interesting, definitely. Older Jo being jealous of younger Jo, Tyroc flirting with Jaz (I like your inclusion of her haircut), Shikari being confused by Dream Girl.

Light Lass flirting with Umbra was interesting. I don't quite remember that era's Ayla already having this snarky sense of humor, but it does fit.

I especially love your dissection of poor Luornu's childhood traumas and how they affected her.

And the Legion's move to a more cosmic scale, interesting!

Looking forward to seeing them succeed in contacting the rest of the universes.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this FL, you've got the pacing exactly right for what appears to me a great mystery.

It's nice to see you focus on the Lost team, and of course the pressures on Brainy which is always fun.

You've added some very nice character moments like older Jo's distrust of his younger self and Sun Boy's insecurities, both are good fits to the characters we already know. it's really interesting that you chose that path for SunBoys superficial confidence as I don't think I've seen it done so clearly before, well done.

I'm most intrigued by your version of Luornu as she's a complex character that doesn't often show her emotions in public. The mystery of who shot her and why is a great hook to the story. Your back story for her was good too, the odd kid who never felt part of the bigger society around her is a common enough theme (possibly because we all feel it sometimes) but you wrote it very well and your Lu comes across positively because of it, again well done!

Troy being a dog was fun too, nice!

I'm looking forward to see what you do next, more, more, more!

Thanks, everybody.

Omni, the first group of Legionnaires comes from the point right after the Omega 2-parter (v.1 #250-251), while the time-lost Legionnaires are coming from the point at the very end of the Legion Lost 12-issue limited series.

Ibby, I'm amazed at how much more I like Dirk now that I'm exploring him more in depth. And Jazmin is one of the few female Legionnaires who I think looks better with short hair.

Harbi, I will readily admit I put a lot of my own childhood and adolescent experiences into Luornu's backstory, but as you said, we all feel it sometimes. As for Troy, that was a total homage, right down to the "Hi, there," to Boom Boom Washington from Welcome Back, Kotter.

PART 3





"FOOL! Thick-headed neanderthal! I cannot trust you with even the simplest assignment, now, can I?" These harsh words came from an elderly but still very much vital woman with long white hair, who was facing a hulking man who was kneeling before her.


"I beg your forgiveness, mistress. I admit I should have checked to ensure that she was all one body instead of two, but I also had to take into account your command that I remain undetected by the Legionnaires."


"Very well, then. You are forgiven. Go to Cargg immediately and rendezvous with my other operatives. Time grows ever shorter, and I must taste sweet revenge while my heart still beats."


**********


"We're closing in on Cargg, fast." Light Lass announced from the Legion cruiser's cockpit.


"So, Luornu, what exactly are we looking for on your home planet?" Star Boy inquired.


"Um...I'm sorry, but I haven't quite figured it out yet. Growing up, the closest thing I had to a real friend was my Interlac teacher, Miss Elkins. So I guess we should seek her out." Luornu replied.


Meanwhile, in another section of the cruiser, Kid Quantum and Tyroc were getting to know each other.


"...and that's why I'm in a difficult situation right now." Tyroc admitted. "Do I choose the Legion, which is growing more expansionist in its mission, or Marzal, which is growing more isolationist that ever?"


"If I were you," Kid Quantum replied, "I would choose the Legion. Thanks to them, you've seen that isolationism doesn't work, and, besides, every bird has to leave the nest eventually, so to speak."


"Yeah...and I guess they'd find a new champion." Tyroc paused, then grinned. "You know, Jazmin, I don't usually open up this quickly to people I don't know that well..."


"I seem to have that effect on people." Jazmin smiled.


"Enough about me, for now at least." Tyroc said. "What can you tell me about you and your companions?"


Jazmin took a deep breath before replying. "Well, I guess I'd have to start with Saturn Girl. A lot of people misunderstand what they interpret as her aloofness. But I think she's amazing. If I had been through what she's been through recently, I think I'd be in a rubber room."


"What happened?"


"On top of having exerted her powers to their limit, at a cost to her health, she's also...in mourning. Her lover, Garth -- 'our' version of Garth -- died saving the multiverse from the Progenitor. They never even got to say goodbye to each other...


"...then there's Shikari. She may appear completely sweet and naive, but she's not someone you cross, no way...


"...Umbra, not the warmest sentient in the galaxy, but I think, like Saturn Girl, she's been misunderstood...


"...Ultra Boy, very passionate guy, very devoted to his lover, he can't wait 'til we open a pathway to 'our' universe so he can see her again...


"...Wildfire, if you don't mind me saying, seems less tormented that 'your' Wildfire, but they're both consummate warriors...with a great sense of the absurd, which I guess you'd have to have when you've ended up like them...


"...Chameleon, I don't know he's quite figured out who he is, but again, that seems inevitable when you can become anyone...anything...


"...Brainy, I can only pray he doesn't go down the same path as 'your' Brainy, but I personally think he's too grounded for that to happen...


"...and as for me, well..."


Suddenly, their reverie was interrupted when an object collided loudly and forcefully with the ship, upsetting the cruiser's balance, and knocking Jazmin and Troy off their feet.


"What the hell?" Troy cursed.


"Let's get back to our seats." Jazmin said. "We'll be safer there."


Moments later, Star Boy asked authoritatively, "All present and accounted for? Good. Light Lass, give us a sitrep."


"We've lost an engine," Light Lass replied grimly, "and that was from barely getting grazed. If It weren't for the scanners, we would have been smashed to bits. And...I hate to say this, but whatever it was, it must be sentient, because it's headed back for us."


"Land on the nearest asteroid, Light Lass." Star Boy commanded. "Wildfire, Ultra Boy, get out there and intercept the enemy."


Once the two Legionnaires were outside the ship, Ultra Boy instinctively switched to ultra-speed. He had a hunch that this was the same enemy who had killed Luornu's other body on Shanghalla, and he was determined he wouldn't get away this time. Ultra Boy quickly recognized the hostile sentient and swooped directly in front of the enemy, immediately switching to ultra-strength and decking him with a roundhouse punch.


With the enemy momentarily stunned, Wildfire blasted it with anti-energy to render it even less of a threat. Once the blast had faded, Wildfire, too, recognized the assailant.


"Sonuva...it's that big stupid squaj, Singularity!" Wildfire exclaimed.


**********


In an alternate-universe version of Metropolis, Science Police Officer Christine Lawrence ran her hands through her blonde hair as she struggled to stay awake and see her stint on monitor duty to its conclusion. The coffee had long ceased to be of any help. She prayed for something, anything, to happen just so she wouldn't nod off.


Suddenly, as if in answer to her prayer, the monitor announced it had intercepted a transmission of unknown origin, possibly not of this galaxy, or even this universe!


This was a tough call, and Officer Lawrence quickly decided to take a chance and ordered the monitor to patch it through.


"Whoever you are, you have been intercepted by the Science Police. Identify yourselves immediately."


"Thank you, Officer. You have no idea how happy I am to identify myself as Brainiac 5 of the Legion of Superheroes. Can you please transfer me to my teammates?"


Officer Lawrence studied the image on the monitor, and punched in keys to make a positive identification. It appeared that the young sentient was indeed who he said he was. Which only put Officer Lawrence in an even more awkward position.


Finally, she replied, "Bear with me, I'll get someone who may be of help."


Moments later, Brainy witnessed the arrival of the Legion's old Science Police friend, Lieutenant Shvaughn Erin.


"Brainy?" Shvaughn inquired gingerly. "Is that really you?"


"Indeed I am. And there's seven more of us with me. It's a long story, but we'll explain once we're all together again."


"Sorry to interrupt, Brainy, but a lot has happened since you disappeared into the rift, and..." She paused for what seemed like an eternity.


"And what?" Brainy demanded impatiently.


"There's no other way to say this. The Legion of Superheroes is no more!"





TO BE CONTINUED

PART 4


"You like killing defenseless women, huh?" Ultra Boy shouted as he hammered away with his fists at Singularity. "Makes you feel like a big man, HUH?"


Without answering, Singularity blocked Ultra Boy's next punch and twisted his arm around. Then, Singularity lifted the struggling Ultra Boy and threw him with tremendous force at Wildfire. The collision knocked both heroes unconscious.


Singularity's super-hearing had earlier detected Star Boy command to Light Lass to land the cruiser on the nearest asteroid. After scoping the cluster of asteroids with his super-vision, Singularity spotted the ship, much the worse for wear, and the Legionnaires who had emerged from its dented shell. He set course directly for that asteroid and sped away.


High above the surface of the asteroid, Kid Quantum and Shikari lay in wait.


"I sense the enemy's approach, Quantum Legion." Shikari said, just before she pointed at the most probable direction from which he would emerge. "Can you slow him down?"


"Nothing to it." Kid Quantum replied. Indeed, of her extensive range of powers, slowing objects down had been the most basic, as well as the very first one she learned to master.


The approaching Singularity could sense that something was not quite right. But before he could react, Shikari slashed him in the face. Singularity's descent to the surface turned into a tailspin, made worse by Star Boy's power to increase any object's mass. Singularity smashed into the face of a hill, causing tons of newly created boulders to fly all over the place.


For good measure, Light Lass cancelled gravity around Singularity, causing him to float high into the air. Star Boy then increased Singularity's mass a second time, causing him to fall straight down and hit the ground hard.


"I don't know who you are, mister," Star Boy said, "but you have a lot of explaining to do."


Again without answering, Singularity smashed both his fists to the ground, creating a barrage of rocks which overwhelmed Star Boy and Light Lass, and knocked them both out cold.


From behind a hill, Tyroc emerged, his sonic scream hitting Singularity with the force of a battering ram. But a single mighty handclap from Singularity turned Tyroc's own sonic force against him, knocking the hero unconscious.


Umbra leaped from the top of the hill onto Singularity's back, binding all four of his limbs with her darkforce. Now it was Chameleon's turn to come out of hiding. He shape-shifted into a massive horned Minotaur-like creature. "Hold that pose." Chameleon said before charging like a juggernaut directly at Singularity.


But neither Chameleon nor Umbra had counted on Singularity being able to rip his way out of the darkforce tendrils. Umbra was momentarily stunned by the pain, while Chameleon barely dodged Singularity's swinging fist, which did manage to smash off a piece of one of Chameleon's horns.


Unexpectedly, Singularity was taken by surprise by a vicious swipe to the back from Shikari. Kid Quantum then blasted him with quantum energy before Saturn Girl emerged to take him down for the count with a psionic blast.


As Kid Quantum landed next to Saturn Girl, she couldn't help but notice that her teammate was unsteady on her feet. Kid Quantum immediately put her arm around Saturn Girl's arm. She then saw that Wildfire and Ultra Boy were coming in for a landing.


Kid Quantum also noticed that some Legionnaires were clearly not going to be able to continue the fight anytime soon, including Light Lass, Tyroc, and field commander Star Boy. Without knowing what else to do, she assumed command. "Sitrep?" Kid Quantum barked.


***********


"Okay," groaned Brainiac 5, the palm of his hand on his face, "let me see if I've got this right: the Legionnaires have all gone their separate ways, R.J. Brande disappeared after being impeached, and the new president is...Leland McCauley??"


"I'm afraid so." Shvaughn replied stoically.


"Well, this only increases the urgency of the situation thousandfold." Brainy said. "We've got to get back to our universe and fix everything!"


***********


The damaged cruiser's medical bay had survived the crash intact, so the injured Legionnaires -- Light Lass, Tyroc, and Star Boy -- had all been stabilized. Satisfied with this, Kid Quantum took a deep breath and turned to Luornu, Chuck, and her time-lost companions.


"Here's what we're gonna do. Using Wildfire as propulsion, Ultra Boy's strength to tow us, and Shikari to guide us, we're going to resume our course to Cargg. I've got the vague outlines of a plan in my head, but first...and I'm sorry, Saturn Girl, I know you're exhausted, but we need this from you...we have to look inside Singularity's head and get an idea of exactly what we're facing."


Saturn Girl placed her trembling hands on Singularity's forehead. A few seconds later, she gasped.


"Oh, my Gods...oh, my Gods, this is not good at all."


TO BE CONTINUED

This mystery is heating up and thank you for the time reference.

I really like how your handling the Reboot team and using Singularity was out of nowhere. i forgot all about him.

I like the tactics of the team and how Jazmin naturally took over, even though this was way before her legion election.

Can't wait to see where this goes!

Thank you, Omni, especially for the kind words about the team's tactics.

Jazmin just seemed to click with me as soon as I started writing her, even though I don't have a lot of familiarity with her outside of Legion Lost.

Yeah, Singularity is such a beautifully simple high-concept antagonist -- Superman without morals -- that I couldn't resist the opportunity to use him. (For those unfamiliar with Postboot Legion, Singularity is a DnA creation, introduced in Legion Lost and brought back towards the end of their Legion run; he had been his home planet's resident superhero until its inhabitants decided they didn't need him anymore, and they exiled him.)

The next installment won't be ready as soon as I had hoped, but I hope to finish the story before the end of this week.

PART 5


The best way to describe the planet Cargg would be the phrase "endless suburbia." Cargg consisted mostly of cluster upon cluster of bland prefabricated houses, broken up by the occasional farm or vacant piece of land. Within these houses, publicly upstanding citizens led privately sordid lives, a sorry cycle of hypocritical conformity and repression which had been perpetuated across generations.


To Cargg's credit, it had managed to remain neutral and peaceful. So much so that it was one of the few worlds in the galaxy where a Legion cruiser could land unnoticed in one of the planet's vacant pieces of land. Shortly before landing, Shikari had exited the cruiser and soared through the skies of Cargg, with her infallible tracking instinct leading her to a place within a deep valley up in the far North, where there existed a great concentration of cosmic evil.


"Shikari to Quantum Legion; come in, Quantum Legion."


"This is Kid Quantum; have you found it, Shikari?"


"I have -- there is a single large house within the valley, and the evil emanating from it is making me ill."


"Give me the exact coordinates."


"The coordinates are: AL28DA10."


"Thank you. Find a place to land on one of the hillsides, and we'll rendezvous with you there. Kid Quantum out."


Now Kid Quantum took a deep breath. She was about to attempt to use her powers to teleport herself and six other Legionnaires -- Umbra, Ultra Boy, Chameleon, Wildfire, Saturn Girl, and Luornu Durgo Taine -- to a location near the coordinates Shikari had just given her. Chuck Taine would remain in the ship, watching over the three injured Legionnaires as well as their unconscious prisoner, Singularity, who had been bound in neural inhibitors.


Exhaling, Kid Quantum focused on creating a quantum-energy portal, and after a couple of unsuccessful tries, she made it so. The Legionnaires passed through the portal and emerged among the tree-lined hills of the mysterious, rather sinister valley. From this vantage point, they could see the house where their quarry waited. Within moment, Shikari found them easily and joined them.


Just as KId Quantum was about to give her next command, she felt faint. Saturn Girl caught her in mid-fall.


"Thanks, Saturn Girl. Okay, everybody, remember how we rehearsed It. Chameleon, do what you do."


Instantly, Chameleon shape-shifted into an exact replica of Singularity. Luornu carefully climbed into his huge arms and pretended to be unconscious. Using his flight ring to simulate Singularity's natural flying ability, he propelled himself and Luornu towards the house.


After a moment, Luornu couldn't resist the temptation to open an eye and get a better look at the house. It had a rotten and menacing appearance, but it was the sight that followed which chilled her to the bone.


The blue-cloaked, red-haired, masked vision she had seen when her other two bodies died was rocketing out of the house and heading towards Luornu and Chameleon.


"Mistress," Chameleon said in an uncanny facsimile of Singularity's voice. "I bring you..."


He was cut short by an ocular blast from the wraith. It hit him right in the face, blinding him and causing him to lose control of his flight ring. His grip loosened, causing Luornu to fall alongside him, until the wraith swooped over to Luornu and caught her before she hit the ground. Chameleon was not so lucky.


Instinctively, Kid Quantum gave the order to attack, even as she wondered in her mind how the Legionnaire's ruse had failed. To her shock, the wraith answered her as if she could read Kid Quantum's mind.


"You wonder how I knew what you were up to? HA. It is because this valley is my domain, and within it, I am omnipotent!"


Umbra tried wrapping darkforce tendrils around the enemy's eyes. Wildfire and Kid Quantum blasted away. Ultra Boy charged like a juggernaut, and Saturn Girl unleashed a focused mind-blast.


It was all for naught. The Legionnaires fell one by one, the enemy trapping each of them within a stasis bubble she generated from the pores in her hands.


"Fools, each and every one of you! I could kill you with a flick of my wrist, but I choose not to...if only because I desire an audience for my vengeance! THEN I shall kill the rest of you!"


Somehow, Luornu found a small amount of defiance within herself. Enough, at least, for her to declare, "You don't scare me! I know who you are...Miss Elkins!"


"I suppose you found this out by having your telepath read Singularity's empty mind." Miss Elkins laughed. "I assure you, it will avail you none."


And with that, she dropped Luornu the short distance to the ground, before landing right beside her. She tossed aside her cloak, revealing body armor whose sophisticated microcircuitry had an additional function as a life-support system. Now she shed that armor, and, finally, she removed her mask, confirming that she had indeed once been Luornu's Interlac teacher.


Luornu had used up her meager bravado, and now she cowered in fear as her former teacher and friend, now all wrinkly skin and jutting bones, placed her hands around Luornu's neck and began choking her to death.


"Your death shall be slow and painful...the equal to the miserable prolonged existence I have led since the middle of the 21st Century...all because of YOU!"


TO BE CONTINUED

PART 6

As Luornu felt herself suffocating, her life began flashing before her eyes, in a kaleidoscopic effect punctuated by the rantings and ravings of the madwoman who was strangling her.


"Marie Elkins may have been the name I was christened with, I cannot remember, I have used so many names over the centuries. What I do know is that I should have been you -- Luornu Durgo. The Durgos were MY parents. Unfortunately, I was born without the ability to triplicate, a rarity in a culture that persecutes rarities. And so I was cast out immediately after being born, and replaced by you, the cosmic changeling, the TRUE freak of nature!


"The cosmic elders, by some ridiculous, sadistic whim, sent my newborn self back in time, to Earth in the middle of the 21st Century, to be raised in a truly backward and barbaric time.


"I always knew I didn't belong, that I was out of time and place. That is what drove me to escape by becoming an astronaut, and a crew member of the first deep-space flight with actual humans aboard.


"When we emerged from our stasis pods, it was decade later and we had arrived on Cargg. This was no coincidence, there is no such thing as coincidence. At the time, it was even more primitive than 21st Century Earth. The natives singled me out, and in a cosmic ceremony, my true nature was revealed. I made a deal with a cosmic devil, killing the rest of the crew as a sacrifice. I became the supreme ruler of Cargg.


"But there turned out to be a cosmic catch. I was only omnipotent if I stayed within the valley where my ship had landed and where the natives had elevated me to my proper position.


"Eventually, I found a way to turn this to my advantage, mingling from time to time with the planet's population and influencing their evolution as a society. Of course, my only reference point was the suburban hell I had grown up in, so the result was a contemptible disaster. I became exceedingly bitter.


"But then, about twenty years ago, I witnessed my own birth and ostracism and replacement by you. I hated you from the very beginning, and was determined to kill you. But first I wanted you to grow up happy, so my revenge could be all the sweeter. So I posed as your favorite teacher at school, always telling you what a good girl you were, and what a bright future lay ahead for you.


"BUT YOU COULD NOT EVEN DO WHAT I WANTED RIGHT! You allowed Carggian society to mould you into a sad, miserable little conformist. Meanwhile, I discovered that my Faustian pact might have made me powerful, but it did not make me immortal. After all these centuries, my body had slowly aged and now it began to fail me.


"And so you had to die as soon as possible. I discovered Singularity -- who knew a lot about betrayal and ostracism -- in another universe and brought him over here, to kill you. When that approach failed, I ordered him to bring you to me, so I could do it myself.


"It's only right that you die on your adoptive planet, your potential still unrealized. I can already feel myself dying as I exert myself in the process of killing you. But I shall die happy and satisfied."


Suddenly, Luornu opened her eyes and yelled, "NO, YOU WON'T!!"


With that statement, Luornu willed herself to duplicate, thus breaking free of the madwoman's grip. Then Luornu triplicated, quadruplicated, quintuplicated, until she had become a virtual legion of Luornus.


The dying madwoman screamed in horror. "NOOOOOOOO! You cannot deny me my cosmic vengeance!"


"I should be angry at you, but, really, I just feel sorry for you." Luornu declared.


The madwoman's life-force exited her now-spastic body, and the stasis bubbles that the other Legionnaires were in dissolved, setting them free.


"Do you think any of that crazy stuff she said was true?" Chameleon asked.


"I can confirm that she believe every word of it." Saturn Girl replied.


"It's a moot point now, isn't it?" Wildfire quipped.


"Let's get out of here..." Luronu said. "...and off this sorry excuse for a planet. I have a life to live."


TO BE CONCLUDED

EPILOGUE


Back at Legion Tower, the eight time-lost Legionnaires were about to launch back into the space-time continuum for their voyage to their proper timeline, when Luornu and Chuck came running in.


"Thank heavens we got here before you left." Luornu said.


"We wanted to thank you for all your help." Chuck said.


"And to give you the good news -- at my request, I've been reinstated as a full-time Legionnaire." Luornu added, grinning.


"That is truly wonderful news, Multiple Legion." Shikari said.


"Multiple Legion...hey, I like that." Luornu replied. "Maybe my new code name could be Multiple Maiden."


"A Luornu by any other name would be as sweet." Chuck said, affectionately mangling Shakespeare.


"Awwww...love you, Chuckles." Luornu said, punctuating her statement by giving Chuck a kiss.


"I'd like to ask a favor of you." Jazmin said. "Please tell Tyroc that...I hope to see him again soon."


"Will do." Luornu smiled.


Everybody then stood awkwardly around the outside of the ship, until Brainiac 5 broke the silence.


"We've got a universe to save...LET'S GO, LEGIONNAIRES!"


NEVER THE END

Wow! Marie Elkins, I loved your nod to that wonderful, wonderful Adventure Era story. It's an interesting origin. Her parents gave her up and then adopted Luornu? What a twist.

I also love how you used this story to explain how Lu became Duplicate Damsel. Multiple Legion! I like that. It's great how you take canon elements and add your own twist to them.

I also love your hopeful ending to the Postboot team's foray into this reality. Looking forward to them inserting themselves into their home continuity. It was also nice seeing their version of Shvaughn again, I am a big fan of that character.



One of the best lines ever. I can feel Jo's righteous anger.

I loved Jaz's rundown of each of her teammates. I think your - her - descriptions were spot on.

I like your use of Singularity. Interesting to see how this will change things, as he eventually formed the Credo in the Postboot Legion's universe.

Loved Kid Q taking charge, and also how you showed her not as a power-hungry leader but simply one who did what she had to do. It felt so natural, even coming from a period in time when she had not yet held the leader position.

Loved the battle as well, Singularity was a tough opponent who made the Legionnaires take lumps. But they took him down in a believable way.

Kid Q's teleportation was an interesting twist, though there is precedent - in Foundations she was traveling through time and space. I'm just a bit wary of expanding her powers so dramatically, as in Foundations reality was falling apart. I don't remember her ever teleporting during "normal" conditions. Apologies for this comment, as I loved the story, but I remember one criticism of Kid Q was her ill-defined powers.

Thank you, Ibby.

I couldn't resist that little nod to the Adventure era.

And credit where it's due, a lot of this new origin for Luornu was inspired by Peter David's origin for Madrox during his second X-Factor run (which I highly recommend, even to readers who usually prefer DC to Marvel. It was a very humorous, character-driven team book.)

I, too, adore Postboot Shvaughn, and she will definitely have a more substantial appearance in the next arc.

Glad you appreciated Jo's line as he pounded on Singularity -- that's one of the moments I'm most proud of in this story.

Regarding Kid Q taking charge, it just felt completely natural, with Saturn Girl in the state she was in.

And as for Kid Q's powers, no need to apologize, it's a completely legitimate criticism. I did try to show that it was a great physical strain on her, and that it's not a trick she'll be repeating under any but the most trying of circumstances.

Thanks, Fanfie. Yes, that is true, and the circumstances certainly warranted her using this trick.

Funnily enough, the next arc will be titled "Secret Weapons".

Lu a changeling now that's an interesting twist and a great explanation for her being Multiple Maid.

Will we see Lu go on a quest for her true heritage? i hope so.

Also i agree with you X-Factor was really well done!

I'm also excited to see where you'll take the post-boot team once they get home.

I understand what you mean about Jazmin. I fetl that way with Umbra when she's in battle. i just love writing her.
can't wait for more.