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VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Dagosk

Active Legionnaires

Gates, Ti'julk Mr'asz of Vyrga; opens teleportation disks. Current Legion Deputy Leader.
Live Wire, Garth Ranzz of Winath; electricity generation and manipulation
Particon, Jennifer Sanchez of Earth (India and Philippines); "hard light" energy casting and manipulation
XS, Jenni Ognats of Aarok; super-speed

Reserve Legionnaires (Still in the Legion Cadet program)

Dragonwing, Marya Pai of Earth (Singapore and Tibet); breathes fire and secretes acid venom
Flying Fox of H'lven; levitation, enhanced agility and strength, claws
Vision, Rhent Ustin of Earth (Egypt and Spain); microscopic, telescopic, heat, freeze, and hypnotic vision

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

Two days after first arriving on Dagosk, the Legionnaires were slightly tired from the effort of shoring up the security at the public consultations on United Planets membership. But they were energized by the Dagoskians enthusiasm and willingness in implementing their recommended improvements.

One hour before the consultations were scheduled, Gates had paired each full Legionnaire up with a Cadet and stationed them around the perimeter. He himself stayed beside the Chancellor; both as mission leader, but also so he could teleport the Chancellor away in case of danger.

At the entrance to the Council compound, Vision and XS supported security staff in checking anyone who wanted to enter. Between Vision's microscopic and telescopic sights, and XS' super-speed, they should be able to detect most potential threats and act on them.

Particon and Dragonwing were stationed at the entrance to the inner building, which was separated from where Vision and XS were by extensive gardens. Both had powers that worked very well in wide open spaces, such as said gardens. And if need be, they could help seal off the inner building.

Live Wire and Flying Fox took up their spots just outside the inner chamber, where the consultations proper would be. If a threat revealed itself this close to the consultations, these two were the best options for close-range fighting.

Any citizen of both Dagosk and Dabron could attend; and any who had signed up a week prior could deliver statements to the assembled Council. For higher security, some Council members would only be calling in remotely; but the Chancellor himself, and two members each from Dagosk and from Dabron, would attend in person, given the weight of the topic. The role of the Council was to ask questions and clarify the positions of those addressing them; they were to probe and understand, but not to debate.

Gates reminded himself that their main goal today was to keep the peace, though he wished he could take part in the discussions. Then again, as the Council had agreed to stop short of open debate, and focus on listening, Gates thought it might be for the best. He had had to hold his tongue so many times in the last two days, he had nearly bitten it off. But, he understood that they were here to represent the Legion, and indirectly, to represent the United Planets - even if the Legion wasn't beholden to the UP. He understood that all Dagoskians and Dabronians today would be judging their behavior, and he determined that he had to present himself at his best.

As civilians surged in, Vision scanned each one, looking for hidden weapons. XS, happy that she didn't have to sit still, sped around the outer entrance, constantly looking for threats.

For their part, Particon and Dragonwing stood vigilantly. Neither of them used their powers, though both remained on high alert should they need to. Dragonwing hissed and sighed "This is boring," even as she scanned the crowd. Particon kept quiet; as long as Dragonwing wasn't ruining either of their concentration, she could moan as much as she wanted.

Inside, Live Wire was a bit envious of Flying Fox's enhanced senses. At least the tiny H'lven could sniff the air; all Live Wire could do was watch and wait.

"So, smell any weird pheromones or poison gas attacks yet?" Live Wire whispered, even as he scanned the crowd for odd movements.

"Nah... all I smell is furry sweat," Flying Fox whispered back, wary of offending the hairy - by humanoid standards - Dagoskians and Dabronians.

"Ewww," Live Wire wrinkled his nose.

"Not to me, actually," Flying Fox said, even as he kept alert. "Remember, my world is full of furry creatures," Flying Fox pulled at his fur in emphasis. "It actually smells quite pleasan-hey!"

Flying Fox looked up in consternation as a young child lifted him up. "Mommy, what a cute rat!"

"I'm a H'lven, a sentient being," Flying Fox said calmly, his cheeks burning. Ugh! He hated that youngsters of other worlds so often mistook him for a pet! He resisted struggling though, unwilling to actually hurt the child. Though he wouldn't mind if the parents gave him a little smack or two.

"Oh my, N'Gin, stop that!" The child's embarrassed mother lifted her child up. "Put the nice man down, and apologize!"

Flying Fox wanted to snarl; now the mother was lifting the child AND him! He knew he was light, by humanoid standards, but this was appalling!

Live Wire looked away tactfully; from various earlier missions, he already knew of Flying Fox's "weakness". But he also knew that the Cadet could take care of himself, and this was a good opportunity to observe how the Cadet would act in a humiliating situation...

"Thank you," Flying Fox addressed mother and child, as the child reluctantly let him go. "I appreciate you showing respect for a fellow sentient." The mother apologized profusely, and Flying Fox magnanimously accepted as she dragged her child away. "Bye, Mister..." the child waved.

Before Live Wire could say anything, Flying Fox hissed. "We will never speak of this!"

Keeping his face serious, Live Wire agreed silently.

The first sign of trouble came at the outer gates.

"Hey, no shoving!" a visitor in the crowd clutched her coat to her chest as a man beside her began to push forward.

"What in the-" she continued, as half a dozen more men began to shove at the crowd!

"Halt!" said a security officer, pointing his rifle. "Or I'll shoot!"

"No, not in this packed crowd!" XS cautioned. "Vision, your hypnosis vision!"

Vision trained his eyes on the first man. "Oh, it's not working!" Thinking quickly, he switched to freeze vision, aiming it at the first man's boots. "I hope those boots are thick enough to stop him getting frostbite," Vision muttered.

In the time it had taken him to do that, XS had surged forward and removed the next three men.

"Good job, Legionnaire," said a security officer. "But there are more! We have to close the gates!" XS turned and stared. A seething mass of people in the crowd were moving forward; screams rang in between as unaffected people tried to get out.

"Officer, let's discuss quickly - I'm worried that closing the gate will cause a human wall," XS cautioned. "Vision, call Gates and tell him what's happening. I'm going to start getting the unaffected people out." And XS ran into the crowd, nimbly dodging and weaving through the mass of bodies, searching for those cowering or struggling in the opposite direction.

Vision had called the rest. "XS was right," Gates said. "We don't want a crowd crush. Particon, Dragonwing, there's more space in the gardens - tell the security staff to join you, hold the line there. Live Wire, Flying Fox, guard the inner building but be ready to reinforce Particon and Dragonwing if needed. Vision, something is causing this; fly up and look for it - inform us once you spot something. And I'll update the Council."

"You heard the boss," XS told the security staff. The security officers began running towards where Dragonwing and Particon were.

"Whatever it is, it's already here!" Particon yelled into her flight ring, as a couple dozen angry Dagoskians began to mob them. Manifesting her energy powers into a lance - the first thing she learned to do after getting empowered* - and swung it at the first attacker's feet, pulling them out from under him. She quickly twirled her lance, catching another in the stomach.

Dragonwing began inhaling, ready to use her fire breath. Particon shouted at her, "Don't kill them!"

"I know, I know! Legion code!" Dragonwing said, annoyed. "I haven't been training in the VR for nothing!" She limited the heat of her flame and cast it wide, above the heads of the attackers, driving them back. The security staff took advantage of Dragonwing's distraction to disable the attackers, firing at them on a low-intensity stun setting. "So what's the plan? Are you gonna cast an energy wall or something?"

"If you can clear a space and keep them off my back!" Particon shoved another attacker back, then took to the sky with her flight ring. She began casting her power, creating a barrier around the innermost council building. "And make sure you're on my side of the shield!"

"That's no fun!" Dragonwing thought to herself as she kicked an approaching attacker in the shin. Then she looked up, and saw the massive crowd surging through the outer gates. "Er, on second thought, this is too much even for me!" Raising her voice, she motioned to the security staff. "Okay, this way!" She reached down to grab one injured, moaning officer and slung her onto her shoulders, and led them through Particon's shield.

"Whatever it is, it's also reached inside!" Live Wire called out. Crackling electricity surrounded his fists; but in close quarters like this, he didn't dare shoot out bolts of lightning. Instead, he tried to remember the hand-to-hand training he received from his wife Saturn Girl. Crouching low to avoid a punch from an attacking man, Live Wire reached his hand out, touching the man's leg, and shocking him into unconsciousness. "Give me long range attacks any day," he muttered.

Over to the right, Flying Fox leaped at a civilian who was lunging at him. Using his agility, the Cadet kicked the man in the chin, knocking him over. Then he felt a pair of hands closing around him.

"Stupid rodent!" the man snarled at Flying Fox. "I'll squeeze the life out of you!"

"Um, Live Wire, little help here?" Flying Fox called, struggling and squirming.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" Live Wire tried to get airborne, but the ceiling was too low. He had to fight his way through! He began zapping the men between him and Flying Fox. "Hold on, hold on!"

Flying Fox felt his ribs begin to crack. Sprock it! He did have one secret power... he hated using it, but it was either that or... He felt the oxygen escaping from his lungs. Concentrating, he fixed his attacker with a disarming stare, widening his eyes, and looking into the attacker's own.

The man began to tremble. "Oh, so cute!" Flying Fox felt the man's grip loosen, and he flew forward, headbutting the man and knocking him out.

"Are you okay?" Live Wire finally made his way to the Cadet. As Flying Fox nodded, Live Wire pressed. "What did you just do?! Are you a secret telepath or something?"

Flying Fox sighed. "I wish it were that cool. No, I... I have this..." He saw something over Live Wire's shoulder. "Wait, incoming!" Live Wire turned and zapped at the floor, driving the attackers back. Bracing himself, he said, "Explain to me what you did. If it can help us, I need to know."

Flying Fox sighed. "Okay, I have this disarming stare. If I look into someone's eyes, I can will them to think I'm cute and adorable and give them the warm fuzzies."

"This isn't in your file!" Live Wire said as he threw a few more bolts to scare the crowd back. Too many to zap one by one...

"It's embarrassing, that's why I've been keeping it secret!" Flying Fox spat. "You saw what that kid did earlier, grabbing me like a toy!"

"We'll talk about this later," Live Wire said. "We have to keep them from reaching the inner chamber!"

"You'll soon be able to break off!" Gates responded over the flight ring network. "With Particon shielding the building, and XS evacuating all the uninfected outside, I'm taking care of those insiide!" Gates teleported beside the last raging attacker inside the chamber, knocking the man out from behind. "Okay, everyone gather around!" he commanded. "Keep your limbs still; my gates have sharp edges." Gates watched as the Councilors and unaffected civilians formed into a tight ring around him. He formed a large teleport disk and teleported everyone to safety.

As they reemerged on the rooftop of a nearby government building, Chancellor Pen'ta sat down. "What in heaven's name was that?"

"We don't know, but we'll find out," Gates said grimly. Seeing the building security staff already securing the rescuees, Gates reached out over the flight ring network. "Okay, team, the inner chamber is cleared. XS?"

"Doing a last sweep of the grounds!" XS replied.

"Vision, anything yet?"

"Not yet..." Vision called.

"Dragonwing, are the security staff all with you and Particon?"

"Affirmative!" Dragonwing replied. She had been bantering with the staff as they held off any attackers trying to scale Particon's energy barrier.

"Okay, coming to pick you up. Once we're clear, everyone, gather at my location in the building over," Gates commanded.

Minutes later, Gates had teleported Dragonwing's group over to the Chancellor. A few minutes more, and Particon, Live Wire, Flying Fox and Vision flew over to join them, and XS raced up the building side. "I've brought all the unaffected civilians to the hospital," she reported.

"Good work, all. Now what do we know?" Gates asked. "I'll start - from the timing, whatever it is spread from the outside, to the inside."

"And for some reason, only men were affected," XS pointed out.

"Except us, the Councilors, and the staff..." Vision said.

"is it because we're wearing transuits?" Particon offered.

Vision's eyes opened in recognition. "Oh! Could it be Charma? She has pheromone powers that allow her to control only males!**"

"Yes! Invisible KId beat her once by wearing a transuit**, and so did Cosmic Boy's team!***"

"I didn't smell anything," Flying Fox pointed out. "I guess her pheromones are odorless..."

Particon looked up from her Omnicom. "Seems correct. I'm looking up her file now..."

"You nerd you, your nerdiness is paying off!" Dragonwing affectionately punched Vision on the shoulder. He winced, rubbing it - Marya was strong!

"Great thinking, Vision. Now you know who to look for - you know what she looks like?" Live Wire asked. Vision nodded yes, earning him another affectionate punch from Dragonwing.

"If she uses pheromones, I can help clear the air," XS dashed out and began running around the Council building, hoping to draw the pheromones away and up into the atmosphere where they couldn't affect anyone.

"Flying Fox, go with her," Gates said. "Keep an eye on the building grounds, and warn XS if it looks like people are running out of oxygen." With a mock salute, Flying Fox flew off to help.

"Particon..." Gates began.

"Way ahead of you." Particon began forming an energy shield on the building rooftop. "This should keep the pheromones away, long enough for us to get down." The security staff were already ushering everyone inside.

"And I've found her with my telescopic vision," Vision said with satisfaction. This time, he sidestepped in time to avoid a last Dragonwing punch. Vision pointed to the east.

The rest was easy. With Vision guiding Gates, they teleported to Charma's location with Live Wire and Dragonwing. Charma, seeing their transuits, began to run. Dragonwing gleefully tackled her to the ground.

As she had taken the job for money, Charma refused to give up her employer. Putting Charma in custody, the team helped the Council assess the situation and clean up. Thankfully, nobody had been injured badly, though many of the men Charma had controlled would have slight bruises.

"Well, that's one bad guy down at least," Flying Fox said, a little disappointed.

"Maybe we can make it two," Gates mused. He had been reviewing security footage. "Look at this. This is a picture of the Council from last night."

Particon's eyes widened, as she saw what Gates saw. The team wasted no time in bringing their findings to Chancellor Pen'ta. It didn't take very long to put the evidence together - a search of Charma's lodgings found the assumed identity she had traveled to Dagosk in, and a search of the suspect's bank records found a transfer to an account in the name of said identity.

And so it was, that Council member D'ceet was arrested for hiring Charma to sabotage the consultations.

"How... how did..." D'ceet stammered as he was led away. He had broken down and confessed fairly quickly.

"He was the only one wearing a transuit the day before the consultations," Gates explained gleefully, as they watched him be taken away. "We only warned the Council to wear their transuits today, just in case."

"I thank you all," Chancellor Pen'ta bowed. "I find it sad that someone would seek to sabotage such an event... It seems that D'ceet was afraid that UP membership would ruin some of his business holdings." He shook his head. "Perhaps we should strengthen our anti-corruption measures... But this incident has steeled our wills. We will hold another, using what we've learned from you."

"And we are happy to provide assistance with that, too," Gates chirped. "Just let us know, and the Legion will be there."

As they flew back to Legion World, the three Cadets had different moods. Vision was elated that he realized it was Charma; Dragonwing was happy that a boring mission turned out exciting; and Flying Fox...

Flying Fox was having an uncomfortable discussion with Live Wire and Particon.

"Are you keeping any other powers secret?" Live Wire asked.

"No, no, just this," Flying Fox sighed. "It's just so embarrassing!"

"Your disarming stare is an advantage," Particon pointed out. "I understand why you don't want to broadcast it... but we, your teammates, need to know what you're fully capable of in battle."

"It's one thing to discover a new power, it's another to knowingly keep this secret," Live Wire scolded. "We'll have to share this with the active membership."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry..." Flying Fox looked downcast. Live Wire and Particon didn't need to say anything, to know that the Cadet was thinking of the damage this could do to his chances of becoming a full Legionnaire.

To soften the blow, Particon did add: "Although, keeping it a secret from the outside world is wise. After all, it's a good last-resort power. We don't want people to prepare for it."

Flying Fox gave a small smile of gratitude at that. At least he could avoid being a public laughing stock...

As they piloted the cruiser, XS sighed. "At least our second Dagosk mission is ending better! Nobody died this time!""***

Gates couldn't resist grinning from ear to ear. "And my first mission leading as Deputy Leader, too!"

"Is that why you've been so diplomatic, Gates?" XS teased. "Last time, you couldn't stop complaining about the weather, the food..."

"Do you really want to her all my unfiltered opinions, XS?" Gates grinned.

XS laughed. "Do you really think asking that way will get you a YES?"

The two chuckled as the Legion cruiser flew onwards, back home.

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

IB's notes:

1) See Legionnaires 50, during the battle versus Mordru, Particon mainly used her energy lance to pierce Mordru's magical barrier, slash at him, and fire it at him as a beam.


2) This is the Reboot interpretation of Charma: male mind control. Invisible Kid took her down in Legionnaires 66, and Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, and Magnetic Kid take her out in Volume 3.

3) The first mission to Dagosk was in Showcase '96 #8, several officials and guards were murdered by someone trying to stop Dagosk from acceding to the United Planets without its sister world Dabron.

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Legion World

Active Legionnaires

Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form (currently suspended)

Triad, Luornu Durgo of Cargg; triplication. Current Legion leader.
Blizzard, Brek Bannin of Tharr; cold projection
Brainiac 5, Querl Dox of Colu; 12th level intelligence and force field powers
Chameleon, Reep Daggle of Durla; shapeshifting
Echo, Troy Stewart of Earth (South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago); sound manipulation
Element Lass, Candi "Princess" Pyponte-LeParc III of Xanthu; transmutation
Karate Kid, Val Armorr of Omega Colony (Earth colony: Japan and Myanmar); skilled martial artist
Kinetix, Zoe Saugin of Aleph; telekinesis and animation of objects; affinity for magic
Magno, Dyrk Magz of Braal; magnetokinesis
Shikari Lonestar of the Kwai; pathfinding, armored skin and claws allowing for flight and survival in space
Violet, Salu Digby of Imsk; shrinks and grows own body
White Witch, Mysa of Zarrox; sorcery
Wildfire, Drake Burroughs (energy gestalt of two beings); anti-energy being

Reserve Legionnaires (also Legion Support Staff)

Impulse, Kent Shakespeare of Earth (United Kingdom: England); enhanced speed, strength, durability and recuperative abilities (Legion World chief medical doctor)

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

In the two days since his last appointment with Dr. Ryk'rr,, Ferro had had plenty of time to think, and to act.

As soon as he had exited Dr. Ryk'rr's office, he had poured his heart out to Element Lass, Karate Kid, Mentalla and Violet. Karate Kid was not at all surprised; he had been Ferro's only confidante through this all. Mentalla and Violet, through their conversations with Ferro between his being suspended and his appointment with the doctor, had already gotten hints and glimpses of his issues. Still, hearing it all at once made all three tear up as they listened to Ferro.

He had started with a big thank you, and an apology to Mentalla and Violet for acting cold towards them. He ended by thanking them for not giving up on him, and both gave him warm, understanding smiles. Mentalla had explained what they had been thinking: they knew it wasn't easy, being stuck in his iron form. But they didn't realize just HOW difficult it had been for Ferro all this time.

Element Lass wasn't surprised at Ferro's struggles with losing his three senses, as she herself had too. But she was surprised at Ferro's feeling alone and isolated, even from her and Wildfire. "Oh, you poor dear," she said. "I had no idea...! Have Wildfire and I been too cheerful about all this?"

Ferro had looked up. "Candi, please, don't apologize for your different perspectives... as I discussed with the doctor, we three had different experiences in getting where we are now. So it makes sense we'd view this differently..."

Karate Kid spoke up; ever since Ferro’s actions with the Sklarian cruiser, he had been wondering if he should have said something to someone about Ferro’s struggles. "Andy... I know I don't talk much about myself, but then I'm not going through this. I've kept silence on your behalf, but maybe you shouldn't hold this in any longer..."

"I know, Val," Ferro said. "That's what the doctor advised."

Ferro once again thanked everyone: Karate Kid, for his trust; Element Lass, for her compassion; and Mentalla and Violet, for choosing to continue being his friends. The four had hugged him before he left.

Ferro had gone to his room to collect his thoughts. Now that he knew he could share his feelings without being judged or rejected - as long as he did so calmly and respectfully - he resolved to go the whole hog, and make things right. After all, the Legion was his family - his only family. They had taken him in, brought him to their time... Without them, he'd still be an orphan in the 20th century, with nowhere else to go. He owed everything to them.

Armed with hand-drown portraits of each of his friends, Ferro made the rounds. He reminded himself that only he was responsible for his own emotions, and his reactions to them - and he braced himself for some deep conversations.

His first visit was to Triad. After all, as Legion leader, she had to deal with the fallout of his actions near the Sklarian Asteroid belt. But more than that, he did consider Triad a friend, too.

Triad Neutral had listened calmly. Orange gave Ferro a hug, and even Purple had empathized. "I get it, buckethead," Purple said. "I'm the last one who should judge someone else for lashing out in anger."

"I would have been more sensitive if I'd known," Neutral continued. "I mean, I knew it wasn't easy for you, being stuck like that, but... I didn't know how tough it was. Have you been eating yourself up inside, every time we've had a party with food and drinks?"

"A little," Ferro admitted. "But none of you should have to stop eating just because it makes me feel bad. And listen... I want to make things right on Sklar."

"We've explained to them it's a miscommunication," Triad Neutral said. "We've also offered restitution: paying for the damage to their ship, with extra for the trouble. And we'll be sending a team to help make the asteroids fertile."

"Ferro, trust me, choose your battles," Purple said, to everyone's surprise. "Let us handle Sklar. You handle yourself, and our teammates."

Orange had finished the session by asking Ferro if he wanted to return to Active duty after his mandatory suspension. Ferro had decided to extend that with a leave of absence, until he felt ready. He'd stay on Legion World, anyway; but now was a good time to explore everything their artificial home had to offer.

Ferro's next stop had been Echo. With Echo dating Mentalla, he wanted to clear the air. Mentalla had already told Echo of all her conversations with Ferro, so Echo had guessed what the trouble was. And Ferro hadn't had any run-ins with him, other than one comment in battle. So Echo was in a position to be very sympathetic.

"Ferro, Andy, I can't imagine what it must be like, dealing with this daily," Echo's eyes watered. He was thinking of how he himself would react if he lost his sense of touch or taste.

"It's not easy," Ferro admitted. "Not at all... Look, I just want you to know, I think you're a great guy, and I'm happy you're seeing Mentalla. She's great, she deserves it, and you don't have to worry about me."

Echo had tapped Ferro on the shoulder, marveling indeed at how hard Ferro's iron body was. No wonder he couldn't feel anything. "Let's think of some fun stuff for us to do. A museum, a play..."

"That's what Mentalla suggested," Ferro had laughed.

Tenzil Kem, who was dating Violet, was next. As with Echo, Ferro hadn't had any run-ins with Tenzil. Tenzil had also been one of the first ones, long ago, whom Ferro had consulted when debating whether to sculpt his iron face into a handsome one, and lose his senses*. So Tenzil already knew of the impact.

"Sprock Ferro, now that you put it that way..." Tenzil muttered. Come to think of it, he couldn't recall the last time he'd seen Ferro socializing in the cafeteria. "You chose to keep your senses way back then, and now you've gone and lost them anyway..."

"Yeah, the irony isn't lost on me," Ferro had quipped.

"And here I am, always raving about cooking when you're around," Tenzil looked at Ferro. "Me and my big mouth, literally."

"I admit, I used to get upset," Ferro confessed. "But nobody was doing it intentionally. Dr. Ryk'rr helped me realize that. If I don't say anything, how will you know?"

After wishing Tenzil well, and thanking him for being a good partner to Violet, Ferro had invited the three Cadets on the Sklarian mission over to the cafeteria. Crystal Kid looked defiant, while Battering Ram and X-Bomb Betty seemed awkward as they sipped the drinks Ferro had bought for them. Ferro had started with an apology, and thanked a surprised Crystal Kid for the harsh talking-to.

"Oh, uh, I'm glad I wasn't too bad," Crystal Kid muttered. He wasn't used to people thanking him for being so blunt!"

"You stuck to the facts, without making any personal judgments against me," Ferro smiled in gratitude. "I appreciate that you focused on my actions, instead of calling me names. It upsets me when people say I'm stupid, rather than that I did something stupid."

"Of... of course," Crystal Kid continued.

"It must be tough," X-Bomb Betty said sympathetically. "Is there anything we can do different?"

"You're not doing anything wrong," Ferro smiled. "And I thank you all for your sensitivity."

"Of course," Battering Ram said quietly, thinking. Naturally, some of the other Cadets had asked them about their mission... he thought that after this, he'd get started spreading the word about Ferro's struggles. Though Ferro was wrong for acting hotheaded, it seemed only fair that everyone understood the inner turmoil that had led him to it... and knew that he was working on it.

Magno was next. Ferro hadn't had any run-ins with him recently, but he still remembered an incident from long, long ago... One that Ferro had recalled while thinking, and one that he realized had been very insensitive.**

"Dyrk?" Ferro had asked Magno, approaching him as he sat, alone.

"Oh, Ferro..." Magno had put his drink down. "What do you want?"

"I... Do you remember that time I asked you... whether you would trade faces with me, if it meant you could get your magnetism back?"

"How could I forget," Magno had said drily.

"It was dumb and insensitive of me," Ferro continued. "I never apologized, and I should have back then. I was too stupid not to see how that question must have hurt you."

"Oh, well, apology accepted..." Magno had been caught off-guard. "It's not that I actively think about it daily, you know."

"I didn't think so," Ferro said quickly. "But I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am for that. I'll be more thoughtful in the future."

"I appreciate it," Magno said awkwardly. "Um, but can I ask, why apologize now? It's been years..."

Ferro had given Magno the cliff's notes version, and his teammate reacted in sympathy and understanding.

Next up was Kinetix. She and Blizzard had been lunching together when Ferro sat with them. "Zoe, thank you for talking to Delya and Vi about... about me."

"Hey," Kinetix had replied in her usual flippant way "Sometimes, gossip is good, right?" Turning serious, she had reached her hand out to Ferro. "Look, I will admit we were on the wrong track when we noticed something was wrong... but let's all learn from this. We're your friends, Andy. You shouldn't have to suffer in silence."

"Like, totally," Blizzard affirmed. "None of us can read minds... Let's not assume, let's talk."

"And Andy," Kinetix continued. "We've all been through different things, but we can understand losing something that's part of you. Grife, you should have seen me when I first lost my powers, Vi had to make sure I didn't freeze to death..."*****

"Yeah, I'm not sure what we can do, but we'll be here for you," Blizzard said quietly. "And if we're doing something stupid or insensitive, please, let us know..." Ferro had gripped both their hands in thanks.

Ferro had spoken to nearly all of his original teammates; they were his family, after all. And he had time.

Umbra had been surprisingly passionate in her empathy. "I've lashed out before, myself," she said, with a hint of shame.*** "As long as you try to make amends..."

Spark and Chameleon had simply hugged him, and invited him to watch a movie.

Calorie Queen hugged him too, even as she clutched at Timber Wolf; she was aghast at the thought of losing her sense of touch. Timber Wolf comforted Calorie Queen, as he told Ferro that howling in anger sometimes helped him cope. Both offered their company in working off frustrations in the VR room.

Apparition, with Ultra Boy's arm around her shoulder, shared about her own feelings of hopelessness, when she was an intangible wraith. Ultra Boy told Ferro to keep hanging in there - he confided that when he first lost Apparition, he never thought he'd get her back. Sometimes, unexpected things happen, and Ferro was right to hold onto hope. *****

Dreamer, with Star Boy clasping her hand, had apologized for not being able to foresee him turning human again; Ferro had smiled and thanked her for trying to check. Star Boy had admitted that he didn't know what to say, other than that he would try to be there for Ferro.

Invisible Kid and Chemical Kid vowed to work with Brainiac 5 to find a solution for Ferro's condition; they both thought that maybe adding Chemical Kid's catalyst powers to the mix might do some good. XS gripped Ferro tight, not caring that he was of hard iron. Andromeda said a short prayer with Ferro, for strength. Gear distracted Ferro with funny holos of cute pets.

Gates had said something similar to Umbra; "Life is too short for regrets; just make the future better!"

Sensor had told Ferro that he was quite strong; she herself had only changed her appearance and form*****, but at least she still had her senses. Ferro had countered that they were both strong, for weathering their changes.

M'Onel, with quiet seriousness, had told Ferro that he knew how he felt, having been imprisoned for a millennium in the Phantom Zone.****** Ferro had commiserated, and M'Onel had said that he hoped it would take far less time to restore Ferro. Shvaughn Erin, holding both their hands, said she would keep an eye out for any reports of technology that might help.

Saturn Girl and Live Wire had held hands, both determined not to tell Ferro about Dr. Ryk'rr's idea. Not until Saturn Girl could properly test it. They both shared their own experience, when Live Wire was thought dead. And how Live Wire had struggled too, with being trapped in a crystalline body for a while. Live Wire expressed his regret that they had not been able to restore Ferro's form at the same time Live Wire had regained his body; Ferro smiled and said he understood, as they had been it he heat of battle then.***** There simply hadn't been the time.

Ferro even approached the relatively newer Legionnaires. They were part of his family now, and he reminded himself that he should start opening up to them more, too.

Density, a self-proclaimed hedonist, was horrified at what Ferro was going through. Inferno, even more hedonistic, was even more horrified. All of them had sympathized, of course, and Gravity made a mental note to be less touchy-feely with his husband Density in front of Ferro.

Lamprey had tears in her eyes as Ferro spoke, and Nightwind tried to comfort them both. Microbe offered silent company, while Spider-Girl and Sizzle thought of activities to do to help distract Ferro from his troubles.

Insect Queen and Particon asked Ferro to join them for a nice walk in the Rainbow Falls of Xolnar, reasoning that it was a visual and auditory experience. Lume asked Ferro if he wanted to watch a nebula form, some time.

Amp offered to boost Ferro's sense of touch; they had experimented with it, but all he could feel were textures. It still helped, and Ferro thanked Amp profusely.

Babbage had quietly said that, based on its studies of humans, Ferro's earlier behavior seemed logical, in a human way. Or if not logical, understandable, based on how humans tended to act. Ferro thanked it for this comforting observation.

Although Ferro didn't approach the Cadets one by one, the word had indeed spread. Several Cadets gave Ferro words of encouragement as he made the rounds of Legion World. Veilmist expressed how impressed she was; most Khundian males would have committed suicide rather than bear life with the loss of a limb, for example. Rainbow chatted with Ferro about their favorite shades of each color in the rainbow. Flying Fox and Dragonwing distracted him with a training session. Vision sent Ferro a link to a story about accident survivors who learned to deal with various losses. Dryad spent some time talking to Ferro about the feeling of loss, and how to process it. Swallowtail and Neuron both offered to accompany Ferro on tours to their individual homeworlds. Uplift sat quietly with Ferro in one of Legion World's forests, watching some of the squirrels play.

Healer had come up to Ferro, apologizing that his healing abilities would only work once Ferro actually switched back to flesh, and that Impulse had told him the risk was too great. Ferro had thanks the Cadet, saying he understood.

Brainiac 5, the White Witch and Impulse had all come to Ferro together. He had already spoken them, but they sought him out again. "Ferro, I'm sorry, we still haven't figured out a way to heal you," Impulse was somber.

"We've experimented with using Kid Quantum's stasis fields," Brainiac 5 explained. "Our theory was that you could switch back, and she'd place a time bubble on you to prevent your wounds from bleeding out. Then, we could operate."

"Unfortunately, her fields also affect the tools we would use to operate on you," Impulse continued. "And your injuries are too severe to risk being unable to operate with 100% precision. Until we can control for that... " Impulse's head hung low. "It's the same reason Healer's power won't work. While Kid Quantum's field is active, his healing simply won't work."

"And my spells won't help either," White Witch said softly. "I don't have the right one for your condition... Iron is not well-researched in the tomes... And I don't have one that will work fast enough for your flesh form... but I will keep looking."

"It's okay," Ferro smiled at the three. "Thank you for continuing to try." Ferro invited them all to sit and chat for a bit about other things, while he bought them drinks as a thank you. He made a mental note to buy Kid Quantum and Cosmic Boy a drink after they came back from vacation, too.

It had been a long day, and Ferro was working his way up to two last teammates... he snuck up to the Mission Monitor Board, and saw their locations.

Creeping up to the VR room, Ferro waited. He didn't want to interrupt, and so he sat, and waited.

Half an hour later, the VR room opened. "That was masterful, Kari, and- oh. Ferro." Wildfire stopped in his tracks, and Shikari looked away from Ferro.

"Drake. I'm sorry, I was stupid..." Ferro began.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Wildfire held out his hand. "I should have been more sensitive, about being able to feel something with Kari, and..."

"No, you shouldn't have to keep your good news to yourself," Ferro gripped Wildfire's gauntlet. "Despite me feeling sorry for myself, I should have been happy for you." He turned to Shikari and held out his other hand. "For both of you. I'm happy you two have found each other. Two of my best friends, happy together."

Shikari hesitated, then took Ferro's hand. "Thank you, Ir-" she stopped herself from using her Legion nicknames. "Thank you... Andy." The three had walked to the nearest garden, Ferro explaining his realizations on the way. Wildfire cursed his own obliviousness, for not realizing that Ferro had had a different experience. Ferro had told him, in no uncertain terms, that he wasn't responsible for reading Ferro's mind. The three had agreed to schedule a VR training session two days from now.

At the end of it, Ferro had returned to his room, tired but happy. It had been a long couple of days, tracking everyone down and sharing. "I could tell my whole story in an elevator pitch," he muttered to himself, jokingly.

He reflected; he had been met with a surprising amount of empathy. But then again, was it so surprising? Many of his teammates had lost things in their lives, and otherwise suffered. Perhaps they could understand, and relate to, his own feeling of loss. Maybe they hadn't experienced an exactly similar loss, but... they could stil empathize.

He opened the door, and stood dumbfounded.

In the center of his room was a box with art supplies. And a note - handwritten, rare for this day and age.

"Ferro... we're here for you. Your soul shines bright, and we see the person behind the mask. You're an artist, and our friend."

It was signed by all his teammates - even Kid Quantum and Cosmic Boy, who probably signed it through Threshold.

Ferro clutched the card to his chest for a moment. And with a smile, he began peering through the box. This was a great key to distract himself from his condition.

Bringing the supplies to his desk, he began to sketch a group portrait of his friends.

After all, he had a lot of time these days.

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

IB's notes:

1) Legionnaires 58! Ferro had the option to sculpt his iron face into a copy of Superman's, but he'd have to stay in his iron form forever - losing his touch, taste and smell. He chose not to go through with it.

2) I don't think we need a list of references for Triad Purple's temperament, but here we go: storms out of a Legion meeting (LSH 67), tells RJ Brande bluntly that his United Planets idea won't work unless he understands the typical citizen (LSH Secret Files 1), and even calls Ferro stupid (LSH 112).

2) Also in Legionnaires 58! Magno had been depowered then, working as Legion support staff. Ferro called him, randomly asking "would you trade faces with me if you could get your powers back?" Naturally, Magno was very upset by that, as his power loss still stung.

3) Umbra used to be rather temperamental - walking away from Saturn Girl, even after Imra complimented her on facing her fears (Legionnaires 76); and in Legion Lost 6-8, she became a tad irrational (she did have the excuse of Imra removing her doubts and fears), getting into blows with Ultra Boy and Monstress, and even calling Monstress a freak. I did have Umbra apologize to Monstress in Volume 3.

4) Apparition "died" in Legionnaires Annual 2. She existed as an intangible wraith that only Ultra Boy and her mother Winema could see, from LSH 82-85. Saturn Girl allowed everyone to see and hear her through her telepathy in LSH 85, though without Imra's telepathy nobody else could detect her. Apparition became visible and audible to everyone in LSH 87, and finally regained her tangibility in LSH 100. It wasn't easy for her, she was often insecure and frustrated that she couldn't touch Ultra Boy, and that he could touch other women (though Ultra Boy remained faithful): see LSH 85, 94 and 95 for examples.

5) Sensor was transformed from her original snake form, to a hybrid humanoid/snake form, in Legion 18.

6) LSH Annual 6, Kinetix lost her powers on an archaeological dig with Violet

7) M'Onel's Phantom Zone imprisonment is still in Reboot canon; same reason, to protect him from lead poisoning. Key issues: is imprisoned (Superboy vol. 3 #19), and is freed (Legionnaires 31).

8) Live Wire "died" in Legion Lost 12 fighting the Progenitor-Omniphagos. He returned in a crystalline body resembling Element Lad's (Legion 25). in Legion of 3 Worlds, Live Wire was restored to his human form by the wand containing Bart Allen's essence. The implication was that the wand could have restored others, but there hadn't been any time on-panel for that to happen.

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Legion World

Active Legionnaires

Ferro, Andrew Nolan of 20th century Earth (USA); previously could turn his body into durable iron, but now stuck in his iron form (currently suspended)
Element Lass, Candi "Princess" Pyponte-LeParc III of Xanthu; transmutation
Saturn Girl, Imra Ardeen of Titan; telepathy
Wildfire, Drake Burroughs (energy gestalt of two beings); anti-energy being

Other Legion Support Staff

Dr. Ryk'rr of Jaquaa; Legion psychiatrist

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

Dr. Ryk'rr marveled at how Ferro was so much more relaxed now in their follow-up session. Where before, he had been sitting rigidly; now he was letting himself slip into his soft seat.

She also marveled at how diligently he had taken his "homework"; he had spoken to every single one of his teammates, and they had responded in kind. Truly, the Legion was more than just a team. Ferro was also more animated now; he spoke about all the outpouring of support he received.

"What I also like, is they're all empathic, but they're not pitying me," Ferro continued. "I still feel equal to them, if that makes sense." Dr. Ryk'rr nodded; that was a positive aspect, indeed. The Legion were helping Ferro focus on his strengths.

"I think you won't need my help as much anymore," Dr. Ryk'rr smiled. "Though of course, you're still welcome to come sit with me any time. And I think we should have a standing monthly in the agenda, just to be sure."

"If you don't mind spending the time, doctor, it would be my pleasure," Ferro smiled back. "We can just chat."

"Oh, but there is one more thing," Dr. Ryk'rr said, the excitement visible in her eyes. "Saturn Girl and I have been thinking of something... If you're okay with her being here..."

Ferro, stunned, nodded silently. And Saturn Girl came in with a wide smile.

"Ferro, I've been working with the Titanet*," she began. "You know that the Titanet allows senders and receivers to communicate to each other, as if in real time. Well..."

Ferro could feel his heart catch in his throat, as Saturn Girl continued. Though stuck in his iron form, Ferro still had a brain, a mind. One that could be affected by telepathy. Which meant...

"Do you really mean...?" Ferro asked.

"It's not permanent," Saturn Girl said quietly. "It only works as long as you are connected to the Titanent. And it costs a lot of energy."

"And because it does not actually reverse your condition," Dr. Ryk'rr cautioned. "I would limit your daily usage, we don't want to create an addiction. But..." She smiled. "We've been testing this therapy, and an hour a day has shown promise for patients who've lost various senses."

Ferro stood up. "We've got to tell Candi! And Drake!"

"Ferro, who do you think tested this treatment?" Saturn Girl smiled. "They'll be happy you thought of them, though. Do you want to try it now?"

"Are you kidding?" Ferro couldn't hide his excitement. "Of course!" He eagerly snatched up the receiver** Saturn Girl held out, a small saturn-shaped disk, and put it on his temple. Saturn Girl reached out to Ferro's mind through the disk, and connected him to the Titanet network.

"It works on memories," Saturn Girl said. "So close your eyes, and think of a favorite memory."

Ferro thought of one of the foods he missed the most: a root beer float. He focused on the sweet notes of the vanilla ice cream, the fizzing of the root beer...

... and he gasped. He could feel the telepathic energy pulse in his mind... and he could "feel" the taste.

Ferro sank to his knees, imagining that he was petting a dog. A big fluffy dog. And he could feel the soft, warm, fur; feel the dog's sloppy tongue licking his face.

"This... this is... the best thing ever!" Ferro rushed to hug both Saturn Girl and Dr. Ryk'rr. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

The two smiled, as they watched Ferro inhale deeply, as he drew on his recollections. At least he wouldn't feel so trapped, now.

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

IB's notes:

1) First shown in Legion Worlds 3, the Titanet is a structure that concentrates the combined telepathic energy of Titanet "Adepts". The Titanians can use this to enable interstellar telepathic communication... and it affects all senses.

2) This receiver is fully intended to be the precursor of the memory disk that appears in my 50 years' flash-forward - the one Imra and Garth use to experience friends' memories of their wedding.

heh... I said here it would take a week, but it only took a day. Well, now that that's out of my head, it's time to take a break. I'm tired. thanks all for reading, and be back in a few months.

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

VOLUME 5: What Makes Us Special

Winath

Mekt Ranzz, the older brother of Legionnaire twins Live Wire and Spark, tipped his cat to his mother and waved. He whistled to himself as he walked out the door, to tend the farm.

Mekt watched from a distance as their neighbors, the Garggs, drove past in their hover-truck. Mekt waved; the Garggs didn't wave back. Mekt paid them no heed; he was used to it. The Garggs waved back whenever his parents or siblings were there, but not him. And he couldn't say he didn't deserve it.

Mekt reflected; when he had been the villainous Lightning Lord, he would have blamed the Garggs' rudeness and coldness on him being a singleton. On Winath, it was not only rare, but also seen as a lifelong disability. Spark had told him of the bullying she had suffered, as a temporary singleton on Winath, when Live Wire had been off looking for Mekt.* Mekt had suffered similar. But no, after Spark had revealed her lightning powers, saved Winath's presidents and a huge crowd, her singleton status hadn't mattered anymore. Winath had changed since then, slowly but surely. Many Winathians were still awkward around singletons, but not all; and there were more legal protections for them now.

No, Mekt knew that the Garggs ignored him out of fear. Fear that he would revert to his Lightning Lord days, and hurt or kill them. And again, Mekt didn't blame them.

He remembered his brother's wedding. How the daughter of one of his victims had threatened him, and how he had begged for forgiveness.

His siblings had urged him to consider moving to Legion World, out of fear that this kind of thing would happen again. But Mekt had so far refused. His parents did need his help on their farm. And he didn't want to leave them alone - even with his powers inhibited by restraining technology, he could generate enough of a current to defend themselves, if needed. And he also knew how much bureaucracy would be needed to get him moved to Legion World; it had taken long enough to get him released under house arrest here on Winath!**

Mekt shook himself out of his thoughts. Those darned medications he was taking... they slowed him down. But then, they also helped keep him calm. That was worth it.

He sighed as he began hoeing again...

"Mekt Ranzz?" Mekt looked up to see a familiar man waving at him - his case worker. "Hey, Mister Artz!" Mekt tilted his head. Mister Artz was accompanied by an unfamiliar woman. And where Mister Artz was dressed comfortably, with a collared shirt and working boots, the woman was... well, she was also dressed similarly, but there was something about her. Cold. Calculating.

"I see you brought a friend," Mekt said.

"Colleague, actually," Mister Artz smiled, but Mekt could sense a slight wariness. "This is Miss Lanzz."

"Pleasure," Mekt reached his hand out. Miss Lanzz simply smiled, though it didn't touch their eyes.

"Miss Lanzz is here to observe," Mister Artz noted.

Ah, that explains it, Mekt thought. Maybe Mister Artz is up for a performance review or something. Well, he'd an excellent case worker. But Mekt determined to help him out to his best. Mekt made sure to talk openly as Mister Artz asked him questions, and to slip in all of the things Mister Artz said and did to help Mekt - including helping to arrange for Mekt to send assistance, with whatever meager credits he could scrape together, to the most needy families of his victims. He could never bring back the people he killed, but he could try to atone.

After all, Mekt was a changed man now.

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

About half an hour later, Miss Lanzz and Mister Artz were back at the Winathian spaceport.

"Did... did you get what you needed?" Mister Artz asked.

"Yes, yes I did." Miss Lanzz broke into a careful smile, making sure to make eye contact. "I was very impressed by how you handled Mekt Ranzz. He's a difficult case, for sure."

"Oh! Oh, that's really good to hear!" Mister Artz was clearly relieved. "I do my best..."

"You will get a glowing review, for sure," Miss Lanzz smiled as she shook Mister Artz's hand. She glanced back as she boarded her flight, watching him wave her off in glee. Now that was done; she would file her review tomorrow, to close the loop and keep anyone from getting suspicious.

Nobody who had met Miss Lanzz today would ever realize, that she was working for Matahari van Dam. And she had just ensured that Mekt Ranzz, Lightning Lord, would be out of consideration for Matahari's little project. After all, his medicines were needed to keep him stable; they dare not reduce the dosage to make him useful, and risk unleashing a monster.

No, few would be chosen, and Mekt Ranzz would not be one of them.

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

IB's notes:

1) See Legends of the Legion 2

2) A long time indeed; Mekt was initialy arrested in Legionnaires 30 (October 1995), and he showed up on Winath in Legion Worlds 2 (July 2001).

Adding a quick-and-easy scene to move things along. I started writing another scene, but it was too taxing - I'm not ready for more yet. Will be back in a bit.

IB, I started reading your updates but haven't had a chance to get to the end!

Some thoughts so far though:

I like that your Veilmist is buff...given that Khund males are all built like Hercules, it's weird and a bit sketchy that Veilmist in the comics just happened to be very slight and sexy.

Also, I am still enjoying your rehabilitation of X-Bomb Betty! Even if I like using her as comedy relief myself, I love seeing Z-Grade characters get some respect!

Poor Ferro, I feel for him! His struggle is very relatable...

raz, thanks tons, I appreciate your comments and kind words!

yeah, one of the things I liked most about Amilia Crugg back then, was that she had musculature that could rival Khund men! in my mind, Veilmist is built slighter due to her half-human heritage, but still rather buff.

X-Bomb Betty has turned into a fave of mine, too! I like the whole under-estimated beauty shtick she has, with people tending to think badly of her until they get to know her!

And Ferro definitely appreciates your empathy, raz poor guy has been through a lot! abeing stuck in his iron form... yeah every time I try to put myself in his shoes, I feel it bad.

Now that the Ferro plot has been closed off, I'm also taking the opportunity to clear this part up. From this scene:



if you've read this far, you already know that I set things up so that


In the above, Mentalla (and Violet) are feeling awkward/guilty because they wondered if they should have directly addressed Ferro's crushes on them, instead of ignoring. And everyone is now coming from the point of view of


I intentionally wrote these bits vaguely, because I wanted the realizations to come out during Ferro's session with Dr. Ryk'rr.

Hi IB! I got some time to read up a bit more tonight and still have a ways to go (I got up to Ferro heading into his counselling appointment) but wanted to expand a bit more on what I have read so far!


Haha this was a cute exchange

I like the little power display from everyone too, and Veilmist struggling with the idea of just having fun for the sake of it.

X-Bomb Betty is coming along nicely as well, I am liking your version of her more as she grows into herself a bit!

Ferro's ongoing descent into becoming the team incel is sad but also pretty realistic for guys who aren't all that emotionally mature...I have a feeling he's gonna get to the stage soon where his friends will stop feeling bad for him and start being annoyed, but maybe that's what he needs to get over himself!

Rainbow cheering up the traumatised kids was a nice bit

Also a nice little bit of cleaning up on Braal - it's fun seeing Pol in action again!

...and back to Ferro again! I will admit I was expecting him to blow up, but not so drastically...hopefully this will get him the help he needs though!

hiya raz, thanks for the read and review! Glad you liked the little bits on Braal! and while I've let Comet Queen join a different team, she's just too much fun to not invoke from time to time

re Ferro, I couldn't bear to leave him like that too long. there are definitely a lot of realizations coming out during his therapy session

thanks again, raz!

Okay, back for more and first up - Flying Fox! Yay, I love that little guy!

I also really appreciate your use of Rhent Ustin - I have a soft spot for Visi-Lad as a weird little nerd with odd powers, but I haven't ever really found a way to include him in any of my stuff so I'm glad that you're using him!


Haha classic Marya

OOOH okay Ferro's therapy session! This is sure to be an emotional rollercoaster! *gets popcorn*

Honestly, I am with Andy on not wanting to think about his friends outside...I like that the Legion care enough about him to want to be there for him when he gets out of his session, but I would be mortified to have to face people I love after I've just been baring my soul about some of them...

I like the little touch of Dr Ryk'rr calling Andy by his real name and letting him choose his own seat - back in the 80s there was a Fantastic Four comic where Reed Richards got Dr Octopus on side by appealing to him as Otto and that has always stuck with me as a nice shorthand way of showing someone talking to the "real" person inside the super-identity.


This is actually a really good observation! It never occurred to me before that it's actually a skill to be able to be taking notes while you're still showing someone that you're paying attention to them! I am thinking back to good therapists that I have had in the past and I never felt like they were distracted or not paying attention! It does make me wonder how different things would be if therapists had the opportunity to be able to go back and watch their sessions afterward and view it more objectively!

I am SO glad that Vi threw down some truth bombs..."tough love" is usually just a euphemism for being an asshole, but sometimes it really is better to just be blunt with someone about how their actions have hurt others around them. And while I think I realised that there was something underlying Ferro's recent behaviour aside from just not having a girlfriend, I think this is the first time I really thought about just how distanced from human experience he is. I think it's easier to get that with Wildfire because he's a bag of energy, but because Ferro looks human and is generally so easy-going, it's easy to forget that it must actually be really awful for him to have to live in iron form. Even just pointing out how crying is a legitimate healing mechanism and he can't do that now. This is some awesome character work IB, much kudos!!

AAARGH IB this whole session was so good! I legit got choked up reading Andy's experience at points...you have done so well with this, I am very invested in Andy's mental health journey!

Continuing the theme of good character work, Gates actually has a good point about Gim! He was actually kind of a nasshead a lot of the time when he was alive, and I like that you make Gates sound really quite reasonable in his assessment while he still recognises that there's a time and a place for blunt analysis and this might not be either the time or place. I really like that Gates is making such an effort to make the most of his new position of authority, it makes him so much more than just "the rebellious one".

I dig the different types of food for everyone, a nice reminder of how alien some of them are.

Flying Fox being treated like a stuffed toy is weirdly relatable...kind of reminds me of every hen's night that ever turned up to a gay bar

And poor little guy, I can't believe his secret power is being the thing he hates being seen as the most


This is also more classic Marya...I love how she's so rough as guts compared to all the other Legion women

That is enough for tonight, but I'm glad Gates's first expedition into (deputy) leading went so well, and looking forward to more more more!

hiya raz, thanks for reading along, appreciate it tons!

I'm pleased you're digging a lot of these relatively minor Cadets like X-Bomb Betty, Flying Fox and Rhent!


and a lot of my Dragonwing comes from your own Marya, so thank YOU for that!

re therapists, I can listen and take notes, but find it hard to appear to listen while doing so. I need to look at what I'm writing

glad you liked Andy's bit, raz! I was really intending on having the whole "Ferro has a cruuuuuush on Vi and Mentalla" be a small red herring; or at least, I wanted it to appear to be the big problem, while actually distracting from the REAL big problem re Ferro's humanity And I needed that scene with Vi to push Andy along too, he really needed to realize that his "keeping things in" was turning his friends away (I did make sure that Vi's phrasing focused on Andy's actions, so she wouldn't be the tough love asshole )

you make a great point re Ferro vs. Wildfire. Another point is that, Wildfire is always very outspoken. Ferro is more used to keeping to himself. So Wildfire can kind of let things out in little doses, and everyone expects that. while Ferro just tends to hold it in until he blows up (I'm similar to Ferro there, or used to be - kind of like a volcano. I get it from my mom )

re Gates, thanks! Gates has proven time and again that, while he's blunt and opinionated, he is also willing to learn and to take a balanced view of things. as for Leviathan, I don't dislike Reboot Gim, and he had his good points - but he really was a nasshead a lot of times, and I don't recall him ever really being called out on it. I thought having Gates think about him, would be a good way to highlight this without causing too much drama.

I was really struggling with a power for Flying Fox. I wanted to give him something to differentiate him from, say, Timber Wolf... and I thought, having an "embarrassing" power that played into the whole "mistaken as a cute cuddly toy" thing would be hilarious!

OKAY I am done!

Some of these comments may be retreads, I backtracked a bit to make sure I hadn't missed anything, but let's gooooo!

- Gates becoming deputy leader has been great for him, I think! I love how you can see he's really trying his best to rein in his most extreme traits for the greater good.

- I loved Ferro touching base with all the Legionnaires separately...and of course M'Onel knows what it's like to be without most of your senses!! That never even occurred to me, good connection there IB!

- aww Shikari stopping herself from calling Andy Iron Legion

- I really love how all of this has turned around for Andy so quickly, he's such a nice kid and I thought things were going to get a lot darker to be honest! Even when Imra and Dr Ryk'rr told him about the Titanet idea and his first thought was to tell Wildfire and Candi, it shows how he's just a pure little soul...omg I love that one of the first things he goes for is patting a big doggo



I am guessing that was Mekt's cap he tipped, but it makes for funny image

On one hand I was getting excited about Mekt being dragged into action, but ultimately I am glad that he gets to have a happy ending in your continuity...reformed Mekt was unexpectedly one of my favourite things about the 5YL Legion!

Also, something tells me King Canary and Flying Fox would get along well with the whole "looks cute but wants to be taken seriously" thing hahaha

Enjoy your break, I look forward to seeing more when you are ready to come back!

Hey IB, I've finally got three quarters of an hour to myself so will try to get through as much as possible.

I find it odd that Ferro has his friends with him when he visits his psychiatrist - I'm not sure it would be something that anyone would want, especially as he must know he'll be talking about them. But still - teenagers, and your legionnaires are the nicest kids so perhaps... I should hold of until I've read it first really, shouldn't I?

Dr Ryk'rr is smooth... reminding Ferro that they had a successful meeting before, then asking about specifics. Wldfire and Shikari, nice that they can, ummm interact. Though, I've got to ask, what does she get from it, haha. Nice that Andy is working on contacting Drake, as he was pretty awful to him. Ah, that conversation with Vi was intense!

Mandalla using a thought-sphere to let Andy feel the relief of crying was inspired, bless him. Metalla's conversation with Ferro was well done: Compassion, indeed. His reasonoong, not wanting to burden others, rings so true and unfortunately it often leads to blow ups like he's been having. I don't see why he can't turn back and have Kid Q ready with stasis bubbles and a crack medical team to patch him up, though haven't read the story where he was stuck so have to ask just how badly damaged was he? Surely 31st century science, or even magic, would fix him up? Ah, mothers, we're to blame for all you boys problems, of course my son would agree! Hahaha.

And, given the state of him at the end of the session, perhaps it wasn't a bad thing that his friends were waiting for him. I wonder if he will regret opening up so much to them?

And I'm out of time... boo! That was pretty emotional, and you showed how much Andy had been bottling up his problems. I'm still in the Zoe camp of he deserves some tough love, though do appreciate how kind your team are in supporting his needs.

Looking forward to finding out how Gates deals with leading a mission. Looking forward to more, more, more!

yay! always nice to read comments

raz, thanks for catching up!

Gates is really determined to do a good job, and he has enough people skills (and faith in the advice of friends like Brainy and Drura) to know that he has to control himself

Andy's always been a pure soul, I was thinking hard on how dark and serious to take his turn, but looking back on all his history it didn't feel "right" to make him go too far. And given how close the team is as a whole, I didn't think it'd be realistic if his turn went too far without intervention

LOL omg maybe I'll write a flexible Winathian cat in, it can be a bendy cat LOL! nice catch, I think I'll keep the typo

re Mekt, I always got annoyed at characters with endless ping-pong-ing between good and bad. Mekt gets to stay where he is, he's not the devious double agent kind

hah I would love King Canary and Flying Fox to be best friends... in some reality

and thanks for your kind words! It won't be too long before I'm back!

hi Harbi, thanks for your comments!

this Legion has been thrown out of reality a couple of times, and stranded in all sorts of nasty universes. they're kind of a tight bunch

Shikari definitely gets something, though not from her wings... without going into too much detail, let's just say that Wildfire's containment suit is made of some pretty good material

glad you liked these little elements. For Mentalla, I wanted her to show compassion while still being firm and setting boundaries. And Ferro's bottling in and blowing up, I've been there myself before sadly, it does happen in real life!

I'll just add that sometimes, fathers are the cause of boy's problems

I was ahead of you on the Kid Q/magic solution, so watch out for a later installment explaining just why it doesn't work (I thought of it, but I also thought that there was much to be explored from Ferro's state before turning him back)

Ferro definitely benefited from some firmness - without Triad/Vi telling him off, and him sitting down with Dr. Ryk'rr, he probably wouldn't have gotten to where he is now!

Hey IB, I've finally managed to get a bit of time to myself so will dive in...

The group on Dagosk are interesting- a good mix of old snd new. And, I was really impressed by how you wrote Gates as I don't find it easy but you were flawless. The way the team was split into duos, with an intern alongside an established Legionnaire.

Dragonwing being annoying is almost a stereotype in itself but it always gives me a laugh, so please don't stop.

Flying Fox having a secret ability - haha, he can turn into Puss In Boots from Shrek! That is brilliant!

Vision quickly changing from hypnosis to freeze vision when he realised it wasn't working shows how much he's grown.

You did your interns well. Nice characterisation given to them all there without taking too much away from the main team.

Charma disrupting the meeting - she's one of those villains that I kinds hate as she's such a product of 70s misogyny but I always like her... And feel guilty about it. D'ceev... yeah, he was always going to be a sneaky so-and-so, haha. I do love the bsmes you give to your characters.

And XS and Gate's conversation at the end was perfect.

Ferro annoys me. I'm so sorry to say that. You've done a really thorough and decent job to get him where he is. His openness is refreshing, and sweet. The way the team supported him was sweet, especially as quite a few could relate and empathise. M'Onel was really well done, as it isn't something he would usually discuss. And, still I didn't have sympathy for Ferro, though perhaps that says a lot about me as you dod write each encounter well.

Mekt, ah Mekt. In the reboot, I remember him at the end being a bit weird wearing Garths outfit under his own. Still, I am glad that he's no longer a psychopath and is instead helping his parents on their farm.

Loving the ongoing mystery of Matahari van Dam, and looking forward to wherever you have planned to take that storyline.

Great stuff IB, as ever I'm waiting with baited breath for more, more, more!

hi Harbi, thanks for the R&R! appreciate it tons!

that is very high praise from you re Gates, thank you! and also glad you dig annoying Dragonwing, and Flying Fox's embarrassing secret power - Puss in Boots was indeed one of my inspirations for this, nice guess



re Charma, yeah, TBH original version Charma was rather icky.

no need to be sorry, if Ferro annoys you, it's just how it is. your comments are fair in any case, as you do cite some good points about him, and thank you for appreciating the openness and the encounters

DNA did some weird things with Mekt, and TBH I wasn't very comfortable bringing in a lot of the "I just want to be like Garth" bits. I'm happy to leave Mekt where he is, under medication and slowly getting better

thnaks Harbi, for your kind words, appreciate it tons!