Life Ore Death - DC Feruchemy [Young Justice]

[Mother Nyx]

If he isn't part of the Joker's group I will eat your hat.

 

[SpiritualSlacker]

Some google-fu suggests he might be

Spoiler: Spoiler, obviously

Talon, an assassin for the Court of Owls. Basically an Anti-Batman.

Which would be interesting, to say the least.

 

[InterstellarHobo]

Obviously Corny Bill is Batman's secret identity.

...actually that's somewhat plausible. Huh.

 

[stsword]

Obviously Corny Bill is Batman's secret identity.

...actually that's somewhat plausible. Huh.

Click to shrink...

That was my first response.

Of course I think Batman would be insulted that he would be thought to have such a flimsy disguise.

Reminds me of a Sherlock Holmes Dracula novel I read.

Dracula and Sherlock had a family resemblance thing going on (Dracula's brother Radu bit Sherlock's mother when she was pregnant, making Sherlock a dhampyr, I guess his strength and perceptiveness were an inheritance of the vampire's predatory nature), so Watson assumed that Dracula was a disguise of Sherlock's.


Sherlock was quite insulted that Watson thought he saw through one of his disguises.

And now that I'm thinking about it, both Sherlock and Dracula are actual historic figures in DC.

 

[Stripes]

Hmm... Like outsider trying to fit in.

My bet? Extraterrestrial or human with completely different, in relation to the rest of humanity, socio-cultural background.

 

[ScottotheUnwise]

Billy Cobb, perhaps Despair of the Endless? Kind of androgynous guy, completely 'off' socially. And wouldn't Desire be drawn to Gotham where the Batman obsesses over criminals, the criminals obsess over Batman --and at the point where Dick was having issues-- he was beginning to truly obsess about his parent's killer.​

 

[Steelhooves]

Before we go off the walls here I am gonna guess he is a perfectly ordinary guy trying to make a scummy city a little bit better even if he can only do it one person at a time. Sounds crazy right?

 

[Mixter E]

Obviously Corny Bill is Batman's secret identity.

...actually that's somewhat plausible. Huh.

Click to shrink...

That's what I thought at first too before I thought that it was kind of pointless. Batman is already Bruce, Robin's dad, so what would be the point. And then I remembered that Superman has had lessons from Batman.

I nominate Corny Bill as one of Superman's secret identities. After all, bumbling country bumpkin Clark Kent isn't too far from eccentric but competent social worker Bill.

They both grate people the wrong way, just in different ways, lol.

 

[PatrickDiomedes]

Billy Cobb, perhaps Despair of the Endless?

Click to shrink...

Has despair ever taken human guise? It's been so long since I read Sandman.

 

[Stripes]

There is an interesting thing going on with the Endless: their "images" are far from fixed.

For example, Death is a gothic female - but there was instances there she appeared before mortals not only in completely different style, but sex.

As such, Despair is obese female - but this hardly precludes Billy Cobb being Despair in "disguise"

Addendum: for extra brain twist, "Billy Cobb" is Batman... Beyond. A.k.a. Terry McGinnis in his civilian identity.

 

[ccstat]

I feel silly focusing on this out of the whole chapter, but I really liked the llama pun. I've been telling it to everyone today.

 

[stsword]

There is an interesting thing going on with the Endless: their "images" are far from fixed.

For example, Death is a gothic female - but there was instances there she appeared before mortals not only in completely different style, but sex.

Click to shrink...

The Endless change species depending on who is viewing them.

Morpheus appeared as a cat to a cat, appears as the Martian God of Dreams to Martian Manhunter.

 

[Obloquy]

Life Ore Death​

* December 21 [Kaldur PoV]

The mountain seemed empty to me with half of the Team absent in Europe, but that made it all the more important for me to remain and be available; Zatanna was still grieving, no matter that she had learned to hold a firm grip over her grief, and I was the only remaining member of the Team who regularly used a room in the mountain overnight.

It was also why I requested that Wally spend more time at our base, and it likely was why Jericho came over for more training than was strictly necessary, though I did not request that he do so.

The only noteworthy event was when Lantern Jordan handed over his position as 'Den Mother' to Lantern Stewart, and nothing much happened immediately after that.

Not immediately, at least.

"Lantern Stewart," I greeted, rising to my feet as he entered our common room. It was a touch formal, perhaps, but he was our commanding officer for the time being, and we had scheduled a work meeting. As a former Marine, I hoped he would appreciate it.

"Aqualad," he greeted, giving a small pause as though to offer a salute, only to realize that he had none to offer. "Everything well?"

"The away team has reported no difficulties, and the situation in the mountain remains unremarkable."

"Good. Jordan read me in a little, but I thought I should hear the full story from you. Series of technology thefts, the circus is implicated, and they're infiltrating as performers to investigate. Any violence expected?"

"The thief was skillful enough to perform the thefts and secrete the stolen goods away from discovery, but not enough to evade detection by the security cameras at each site. In every case it was only a single individual, and they displayed no overt abilities. Likely the greatest stress the Team will suffer is having to chase them down, unless the stolen technology is used to assemble a dangerous weapon."

"Is that a viable threat?"

"This degree of technology is not my expertise, but neither Robin nor Kid Flash have expressed concern as yet."

"Alright then. I… was hoping to run you kids through some basics firearms safety lessons for my contribution to your training. Not that I expect you'll ever have to use them, but enough to recognize a few different makes, and to be safe if you have to handle a suspect's weapon you've confiscated. Do you know if the others will be back before my turn ends?"

"M'gann has been most excited to celebrate her first Earth Christmas, and I doubt Artemis would willingly miss spending the day in company with her mother. The latter will more likely persuade the former to read the minds of everyone involved then stay so long."

"…That is an exaggeration, right?" I kept a careful deadpan. "Hey, you kids have done some crazy stuff. It seems a possibility."

'And yet for all of our accomplishments,' I reflected drily, 'almost the entire Justice League has trouble understanding our disdain for being called "kids". Perhaps I should show them the list Kid Flash came up with, minus title, and see how many understand the organization.'

The list in question was something Wally came up with in his idle time, after being called a "kid," lowercase K, one time too many. He had paid attention, and raided our camera video files, and complied a record of which Justice League members reliably referred to us as children, or sidekicks, as opposed a more respectful term along the lines of apprentices, or partners.

Lantern Stewart, as I recalled, fell roughly in the middle of the spectrum, varying depending on the situation.

"As I understand it, she could not quickly or reliably scan so many people without damaging either her victims or herself."

"Okay," Lantern Stewart said simply. "Is everyone not on the mission… anything else?"

"I intend to join Kid Flash and Zatanna later in the evening for more of their ability quantification tests. I understand you assisted with a few around the events of the Injustice League incident." 'And it still brings me a swell of pride that my friends were the first ones responsible for killing any of the Monstrees, to say nothing of our following success against the Injustice League itself.' "I do not believe any of our plans would require your assistance, but if you felt willing to participate, I have no doubt that there are a few unused tests to perform."

"Yeah, I remember the Injustice League," Lantern Stewart murmured vaguely. "You kids did good work, then, and it only got better when you rescued the world on Roanoke." I reflected on the fact that he still called us kids, and wondered how subtly I could hint to him to please cease. "I was really impressed when Ferris came to me to ask about the tests. You don't see that type of initiative too often."

"She set an example that we are trying to emulate. The conflation between magic and mysticism is most unpleasantly prevalent, up here."

"Yeah. Maybe one day, your work might help… well, we're years away from talking about it with you all. But someday," he dismissed. I almost pressed, but I sensed it was not the topic he had in mind. "About Ferris… have you heard anything from her?" he asked.

"Nothing as yet, which is as expected. I would not begin to worry until after Christmas Day," I advised.

"Good point. I don't suppose… did she say anything to you, about… in the days leading up to when she left?"

'Ah, this again,' I surmised, having endured a similar conversation with Lantern Jordan earlier in the week.

"Multiple things, most of which related to where she had hid her teammates' Christmas presents and how much she hurt," I said.

"Not like tha- Was she in a lot of pain? She seemed- That is, Wonder Woman took her on that mission, so how bad was her pain?"

"After the first day, her aches were mostly negligible, save for her pride, which was battered by the need for her wheelchair."

"That's good," Lantern Stewart said, "it's good she isn't out there in pain. I meant, did she mention anything about the Cadmus situation?"

"Nothing comes to mind," I stated. Then, because I could not pass up a chance to use the line I had only thought of after my conversation on this topic with Lantern Jordan was over, I added, "What about it in particular has roused your curiosity?"

Lantern Stewart grimaced and made a fist, but he did not descend into shouting or lose his temper. "I want to know why the- Why she handed the matter to Gardner, of all people. Hal she had only met once or twice, but I'd thought she was my friend, and then she hands it over to the smuggest, most… Do you have any idea what was going through her head, the entire time she was planning that?"

I raised my eyebrow.

"I have many ideas, any of which might be your answer. If you wish to know which of the dozen was foremost in her mind – other than her obvious and deserved disdain for slaveholders, and her assumption that the League's investigation of Cadmus meant the affiliated Green Lanterns had observed all the same situation and made no objection to it – then you will have to do something difficult, I think, and ask her in person. Now." I made a show of shuffling the sets of papers on the table and resettling myself into place. "I was hoping to discuss some Team training and bonding activities for the near future, especially in light of the upcoming additions to the League's roster."

Mr. Stewart coughed awkwardly. "News about new members of the Justice League is supposed to be kept quiet until the day itself."

Heroically, I resisted an impulse to roll my eyes. Instead, I took a moment to compose myself, and spoke as evenly as I could.

"I quite understand, Green Lantern. The internationally sensitive information handled by the Justice League is certainly a level below the state secrets I have been permitted access to through my position as King Orin's apprentice, and there is no point to risking the identities of the Justice League's incoming initiates earlier than necessary when it will be released within a few days.

"However, as you do know who has been accepted, while we do not know even who was discussed," 'beyond what Roy informed me,' I piously added inside my mind, "you will also know how many of the incoming members have taken apprentices as well. I only wish to know if we will be asked to appraise any prospective candidates associated with the Justice League's new members for their suitability to serve on the team."

My formal verbosity proved quite a productive tool here; it took Lantern Stewart some time to unravel my words and request.

"Oh. New members," he finally summarized, to which I mutely nodded. "You're getting one for certain, and maybe a second soon after."

"I am grateful for the forewarning," I said seriously. "Is it safe to reveal any information that I may use in formulating our tests?"

"Tests?" he asked. He opened his mouth again, and I wondered whether he would remind me that the Team had to take or refuse any new members as instructed by the League, or if it would lean more toward wondering why we needed tests. Instead, he closed his mouth again and took a moment to think. "The for-sure sideki- your pardon, apprentice," he corrected, and I smiled faintly at him, "will be a young woman, human, without any inherent powers, but skilled in using specialized technology of alien origin. That enough to go on?"

"We will use the baseline human standard set of physical exams, then, and the third-level version of our technological recognition tests, the second set of our support skill assessments… and I will consult with the others to determine what level of mystic and combat tests to use."

Lantern Stewart stared at me in a most satisfying way, and I gave no hint that half of the mentioned listing had been made-up on the spot or only vaguely outlined in earlier discussions I had held about the subject.

"…I can," he said, seeming to choose his words very carefully, "think of a number of reasons why you would want to test any new Team members so rigorously. Since some of them are sensible and innocuous, while others, like hazing, are more sinister, I would like to hear from you which reasons you are using to justify the tests," he requested.

"Certainly. Part of it is simply to ascertain skill-sets, as we must know what any new members are capable of in order to work best alongside them and know which areas would benefit from further training. The other reason is too more comfortably include them in the Team through the illusion of hazing, as we are rarely comfortable with what is too easily earned."

Lantern Jordan laced his fingers and frowned seriously. "Aqualad, I want you to explain that last part to me very thoroughly; I know you are too honorable to participate in or sanction any bullying."

"Certainly, sir. As you are aware, the public has pieced together an accurate list of Team members based on the news of what occurred on Roanoke and the news of our members fighting to stop the Ice Fortresses. One prominent problem we had when adding Jericho into our mix was that – despite our attempts to assure him he was welcome – he did not feel he deserved to be included among us.

"My discussions with Jericho, with Black Canary, and later with both outlined to me the nature of a vague inferiority complex; in hindsight, knowing what I know now, I can see that Artemis certainly suffered from something similar in her earlier days with us, and on her first outing even Ferris expressed a desire to prove her ability against Mister Twister.

"The tentative solution we have worked out is to give newcomers the illusion of needing to prove themselves, and then allowing them to safely do so outside of a live battlefield. The tests are intended to push them to their limits, so that we can find where those limits are, but will also be accompanied by welcoming congratulations after the new member has had the chance to shine and show off."

"And there are no plans for any... punishment rounds or remedial training in the event of failure?" he pressed.

"Remedial training will be offered if the Team member or their mentor requests it. Punishment duties are reserved solely for disciplinary matters, over which the Batman currently has the final say on all judgments and protocols. We intend to emphasize that the exams are rigorous ones where some failure is expected, and even desired, so that we can identify places to improve. Several of us have also agreed to bring up embarrassing stories of our own mishaps in the event that a new member feels put out by their performance."

Lantern Stewart drummed his fingers in thought. "It seems a little conspiratorial, to be arranging all of this behind new kids' backs. How will you handle it when another new member comes along and you need to read the previous one in on these protocols, or won't you?"

"If we have not made a new member feel welcome enough to understand the need for welcoming others," I replied, "then something in the workings must obviously not be working, and I will consult with Black Canary or Batman about changes to be made."

"Huh. Well, I can't exactly argue with that. …In hindsight, it does sound more like boot camp than actual hazing; I certainly knew I'd accomplished something after I got through all those weeks of hell," he reminisced.

"Any suggestions you have to offer would be appreciated. However, we hope to limit it to a day or so of 'hell,'" I commented. "No more than a long weekend. I have one other matter."

"Hit me," he invited.

"It occurs to me that a good bonding activity would be for those of us who have remained to take a Zeta Tube over and see our teammates performing at Haly's one evening. The price of four tickets, however, may be a bit much to arrange. Would you support this?"

"Oh, that's all? Sure," he chuckled, "I'll see if Batman will let us dip into the petty cash fund for an outing. Which evening?"

_______________________________________________________________________________________​

* December 22 [Superboy PoV]

The old man, ringmaster guy was saying something I didn't care about as he introduced us, but even before the audience gasped, I caught a flicker of M'gann's alarm in my head, saw Robin fall, and nearly froze.

[Don't blow our cover!] he ordered, urgent, but in-control.

[Is saving your life okay?] I snapped back as an idea hit me, trusting my aim and practice to work out with his reflexes.

I threw the big barrel up, planning to rush over and catch Robin if that didn't work, but he jumped off of it and M'gann caught him.

[Careful with the telekinesis, Miss M,] he warned, as though she hadn't just saved his life.

[As long as I keep it small, they can't tell,] she explained back to him. [Besides, I've… been using it all night to keep up with you.]

[Yeah, those of us who haven't had your "years of training" have to keep up any way we can, when we get dumped in the thick of it,] I snarked to him. It was meant to be funny, because it was sarcastic, since Robin's thing he'd said before was how he used his 'years of intense training' to make do when he didn't have super-powers to 'fall back on,' like us learning to use our powers didn't take training to do, too.

Apparently, my sense of humor needed work. I could make M'gann smile when she thought I was being sweet, but making her laugh still took a bit of trying. 'Not that I want to be too much like Wally, and have people start laughing at me… but I'd like to have the option of being funny for once,' I mentally grumbled as I kept up with my strongman routine.

It had sounded like me just lifting big things would be impressive, but that hadn't worked so well in rehearsal when I couldn't use obvious super-strength for lifting more than a ton, so Robin had made me learn to juggle.

Now I was trying to keep several chairs in the air, tossing them high enough to get some breathing room and grabbing each one by a leg when it came down without breaking them.

It wasn't easy, no matter what Robin said about our having powers. I vaguely hoped I could stick him with this someday, and see how he liked having to worry about mangling his locker's lock, pulverizing pencils when he took notes, wrenching off faucet handles or door hinges, and worst of all worrying you'll bruise someone or worse every time you hug them, high five, or brush past in the hallway.

At first I hadn't cared, and it was only recently that M'gann and I started… kissing heavily enough, but I had bruised her ribs more than once.

Clark had said it would get both better and worse as I absorbed more sunlight; I wouldn't ever be as strong as him unless the Fortress equipment figured out how to reproduce Shields in a way that wouldn't exacerbate the Mar-Bul's Syndrome I inherited from him, but I also wouldn't have the same almost -telekinetic control over my body, either.

[Slipping,] M'gann called to my mind, and I got my head back in the act. She'd had to use her telekinesis to slow a few of the chairs I was juggling, but I got to them before it became obvious and tossed them back up.

Maybe one or two went a little too high, but Robin and M'gann were doing their 'death-defying drops and flips through arrows,' so most of the audience probably wasn't paying as close attention to me.

I kept my attention on the act for the rest of our show, but it was a relief when we took our bows and walked off. My super-hearing was giving me a headache with all the clapping and cheering around us; even the whispers and arguments backstage were annoying it now.

[You okay?] M'gann asked, leaning softly on my shoulder after I sat and wrapping an arm around me.

[I'm fine. I like you better as a redhead,] I complained, fingering a lock of her hair and almost kissing her. [Anything unusual?]

[Not really. Robin's fine, except he's sweating from that flu going around – I don't know why they call it a bug, I mean, that'd at least make sense if it were malaria, but this is influenza – but no one else is showing symptoms. There's an Interpol agent nosing around after he just had an argument with Mr. Haly, and I can feel a lot of nerves and anxiety in everyone back here, but that's all normal.]

[You didn't exhaust yourself with too much telekinesis?] I checked.

[No, and it's actually a really good work out. I'll need to do some more complicated things, too, but I'm thinking I might get back up on a trapeze to keep in practice with using my telekinesis subtly. Think we could put on a good show?]

[Worth a shot. Not like either of us would need a net,] I commented.

[That was quick thinking in getting Robin back up in range,] M'gann complimented, leaning in and brushing her lips across my ear. Her breath was warm, and sent shivers down my spine, and I really wanted to return the favor except we were in public and a 'family act'.

[Hold that thought,] I requested, [Robin said that "kissing cousins" would get us odd looks.]

[…Pity,] she mentally purred, and I almost groaned.

[You're evil,] I accused.

[Totally,] she agreed. [Just think: if we're here through the day after tomorrow, and then Uncle J'onn and I join you at Superman's parents' place over Christmas, it'll probably be a week or more before we can be… properly alone. You'll have to look forward to it,] she teased.

[There's a barn and some warm hay that Ma said was good for those cases,] I sent back semi-desperately.

The Genomorphs hadn't taught me a lot about social norms or gender stuff, but from what I'd picked up I'd have thought Superman or Pa Kent would the one feeding me sneaky locations for alone time while Ma Kent would've been all about treating her respectfully.

Instead, she was the one who'd shared a few saucy stories about her and Pa's youth, which had Superman- Well, it had Clark shoving his fingers in his ears, singing Pop-eye the Sailor Man as fast as he could, and fleeing from the house.

He and Pa had been the ones to 'sit down and talk seriously' with me about respect, 'being a gentleman,' and the fact that her uncle could read minds and pull my brain out my ears if he wanted to. Pa even pulled out a shotgun he said Ma's dad had shot him with once.

I wasn't really worried about that; M'gann said I didn't need to be. She'd laughed when I replayed the conversation for her, too.

[Hay! Ew, that's so messy and itchy,] she squawked, pulling away. I was pretty sure she was only faking offense, and liked the idea.

I felt confident about that because, [Hey, you were the one reading that medieval romance novel where he tumbles a maid in the hay loft.] I sent over the image I'd had conjured up when I read a few pages of it over her shoulder. [What did you think it would be like?]

I felt M'gann grab the image and examine it – especially the maid's outfit and how flustered she would be.

[…You make a persuasive argument,] she informed me.

I caught my name being mentioned – being hissed, repeatedly – and turned my head.

"…What?" I asked Artemis irately. 'Just because she can't be with her boyfriend doesn't mean she has to ride herd on us.'

"We need to get in position for part two, now hurry up!" she snapped back.

We sighed, I stood up, and we got moving.

'What did Robin say about it? "The show must go on",' I remembered, wishing things would slow down a little.

 

[toxinvictory]

Snarky, quite visibly done with the Justice League treating the Team like kids Kaldur is the best thing. The best.

 

[Krazyfan1]

Great as always!

but I had bruised her ribs more than once.

Click to shrink...

Good thing M'gann has that martian regeneration/shapeshifting....
although....

Spoiler

you cant bruise ribs, if you don't have ribs...
i'm imagining her face when she realises that it would have been easier if she practiced with her shape shifting more

 

[Tandristy]

​

Lantern Stewart grimaced and made a fist, but he did not descend into shouting or lose his temper. "I want to know why the- Why she handed the matter to Gardner, of all people. Hal she had only met once or twice, but I'd thought she was my friend, and then she hands it over to the smuggest, most… Do you have any idea what was going through her head, the entire time she was planning that?"

I raised my eyebrow.

Click to shrink...

And John Stewart learns that being Renka's friend or ally in no way means that you are safe from her. I think Billy is the only person in the Team or Justice League that she wouldn't intentionally target.

 

[Obloquy]

And John Stewart learns that being Renka's friend or ally in no way means that you are safe from her. I think Billy is the only person in the Team or Justice League that she wouldn't intentionally target.

Click to shrink...

Well, the only way to be really safe from her is for her to have nothing to go after you for.

Even Billy. If she thought he was making a serious mistake in his life somewhere, she would consider it her duty to rub said mistake in his face so that he can grow from it.

Billy is highly unlikely to start making those mistakes for the next few years, and in almost all situations she would trust his judgment over her own, but if he does she will hammer it as needed.

Spoiler: What might they fight about?

I remain undecided, but he and she might seriously have a clash when he tries to bring in Lt. Marvel and Sgt. Marvel, because while she can trust the Wizard Shazam {Strength For The Weak} in his estimation of Billy's abilities, she does not want Billy to potentially have to live with sending a friend on a mission that ends badly.

 

[PatrickDiomedes]

Mar-Bul's Syndrome

Click to shrink...

What's Mar-Bul's syndrome?

 

[Fencer]

Snarky Kaldur was amazing really loved that bit. You can just feel Renka's influence all over that dialogue.

 

[Obloquy]

What's Mar-Bul's syndrome?

Click to shrink...

My attempt to square the circle of Superman being an All Loving Hero as well as a guy who has to restrain his violent impulses from making paste out of the worse villains who go after his loved ones. (You may have noticed him doing breathing exercises and having internal flashes of temper during the few scenes from his PoV.)

Basically, when I was writing the part when someone (Batman?) brought up that Icon could have been a Kryptonian, since there's no reason to assume Kryptonians wouldn't have had racial differences the same way humans do, I had the idea of them also having other things.

Like congenital disabilities or neurological conditions.

Mar-Bul's Syndrome is a Kryptonian neurological condition that causes the patient, as s/he ages, to suffer flashes of violent temper and difficulties with rational thinking , eventually degenerating into...

Well, it's not supposed to get as bad as Match is, especially not at his young age, but Match has missing gene sequences to exacerbate it.

Conner's human DNA inoculates him against some of it, but he gets angrier than even the Light expected when he uses the Shields to "suppress his human DNA" because none of them thought about Superman maybe not being the perfect and ideal Kryptonian specimen.

Kal-El himself has the condition, but he received treatment for it early on, since Krypton was advanced enough to do genetic work-ups, it was known to run in his family, and Jor-El was one of the most brilliant scientists on his planet. He didn't recieve the whole treatment for it, but he got... like, you know how you get vaccines at a young age and then booster shots when you're older?

Kal-El got the first round of preventative treatments for it as an infant, but then he got sent to Earth and we didn't have all the tech to diagnose or treat it, for obvious reasons. Even so, growing up on a farm and getting counseling from his parents was excellent anger management training, so Superman has a solid lid on his temper almost the entire time, and in the end it works out well enough.

Cheers for neurodivergent Superman!

 

[Obloquy]

* December 1


Seven people should be seated at the horseshoe-shaped table. Six of them are.


Zhifu alone stands beside his seat, either in solidarity with his two teammates, who stand as the center of attention, or simply out of military formality, being in the presence of high party officials.


Wu gives him the benefit of the doubt, given that Gui is here, and assumes the former. She appreciates the thought. She would appreciate a chair more, but she is used to the inconvenience.


She stares straight ahead under the bright white spotlight, perfectly at ease, and waits for the man seated at the center of the table to call them to order.


She is in the presence of General Secretary Lianshui for the third time in her life, and before him and what he represents, she is nothing. That is the message she is meant to take from this, entering her second 'trimester' and kept waiting on his convenience as he reviews the camera footage and the written papers.


To the Paramount Official's right, Wu's left, sits Vice Premier Jiang Eng, a man introduced as Director Wang, and finally the illustrious Hark Ānnà, who is the only other woman.


On General Secretary Lianshui's left there sits first Kong Zhongdan—who really should be replaced by his wife, but even in communism all citizens are not equal, Wu knows—followed by the venerable-but-retired Lao Chen, and then Fang Zhifu stands closest on Wu's right.


The bright white spotlight is cold, not hot, but her ankles are sore and she feels a drop of sweat. Gui stands behind her, to her left, as the individual with perhaps the most first-hand experience-


"This is most fortunate. You will, of course, accept the invitation, Agent Mei-xin," G.S. Lianshui declares, finally looking up at her.


'Professor Mei-xin,' she wishes to correct him, 'or Doctor Mei-xin,' but so few people honor her title now that she knows to not bother.


The last person to address her by title was Wonder Woman, not long ago. It was a welcome change.


"It will be a welcome opportunity to gain valuable insights into the working of the Justice League," V.P. Eng agrees somewhat snidely. "Though I must question why they chose her."


Hark, who has a title Wu is not cleared to know about, answers, "It is almost certainly connected with Miss Tindwysra's recent interactions here. I am uncertain why she would have recommended Mother of Champions instead of Ghost Fox Killer…?"


Gui shifts forward slightly, and is granted permission to reply.


"Public relations, sirs," she says. "The Justice League takes seriously its determination to avoid lethal force. Having a member with 'Killer' in her name would be counter-productive."


Zhifu shifts slightly, his metal grinding in the quiet. "Once Mother of Champions is inducted, she would be able to recommend more of our number to the Justice League; if we begin a public relations campaign of any operative we wish included now, it should be feasible for several to join within the next wave of inductions in two years."


"Is it every two years specifically?" Director Wang inquires. No one is certain, so Wu steps forward to answer, as Diana had discussed this with her.


"To my understanding, the Justice League does not have a set period for accepting new recruits in its charter," she begins, almost certain that two of them, maximum, have read the charter and sure that none of them remember it as clearly. "After its formation in February of 2003, they inducted their first round of new members at the end of 2004. The next round of votes on inductees occurred at the end of 2006, but all the candidates either failed to garner enough support, or declined to join wen they were invited.


"The most recent induction was at the end of 2008, and now we are at the end of 2010, but there is no regulation stating that they only accept new members every two year period," she finishes.


"If they invite members as a matter of public relations, then why Mother of Champions instead of, Captain Fang or Thundermind?" Kong Zhongdan says, and gets away with the breech of etiquette.


Taking his turn, Lao Chen declares, "I can explain that. One reason is that Wonder Woman will be the Chairwoman of the League after Dr. Mei-xin is inducted, and Wonder Woman has always had a soft spot for fighting unpopular battles when she believes they are right.


"Dr. Mei-xin is not only a woman, but a woman with a non-combat and, if you'll excuse my saying so-," Wu excuses him, because he is earnest and sincere, and she knows what she is. "-an embarrassing ability to discuss or interact with. Dr. Mei-xin's induction makes a several-fold declaration: the Justice League intends to de-centralize outside of America and involve other countries; the Justice League will fight for what is right, even if it is embarrassing or unpopular, and will not discriminate based on one's powers; and the Justice League intends to mobilize away from 'face punching' in favor of more scientific, constructive areas of activity.


"I predict that we will see at least one other Justice League member inducted who possesses powers entirely useless in combat, but is possessed of other skill-sets," he finishes.


"The question of what skill-set Mother of Champions can offer them is interesting," G.S. Lianshui considered, forgetting that Wu was a respected particle physicist before acquiring her powers. "Still, this will be an excellent opportunity for you, as well. Any knowledge of their inner workings will be valuable, and while you are free to use your discretion as ever," he qualified, and Wu wondered whether he really meant it or if he wished he could order her to spread her legs at will, "even one set of soldiers with Kryptonian or Martian traits would be a boon to the State."


"To say nothing of the chance to learn any League members' secret identities; that must be a priority," V.P. Eng said, getting glares from several people present at his regard for allies.


"My induction will include a non-disclosure agreement to maintain the privacy of my fellow League members, just as they will not induce me to reveal sensitive information about our government," Wu reminded him mildly.


On the inside, she wonders whether he has ever done a head count of who in the Justice League has a secret identity.


She has:


Batman.


Flash.


Green Arrow.


PossiblyBlack Canary, Captain Atom, and Captain Marvel – the second might have a fake name on record for the sake of government secrecy, and the other two wear no masks but have not been identified in any way outside of their Justice League activities.


He's worried about three people versus the thirteen who are open, and two of those three are totally unpowered, as far as she knows.


It's so petty.


She hasn't been paying much attention to the talk – she hasn't had to, given how rarely she is addressed – but about five minutes in she stirs when Zhifu clears his throat significantly.


"There is news to report on the matter of Justice League identities," he announced. "We have identified Speedy to Roy Harper-," Wu hears a hiss and the creak of leather from behind her. "-which suggests Green Arrow is secretly Oliver Queen, with Harper as his ward, and then Black canary would be Dinah Lance, who has repeatedly been associated with him in American news."


It takes Wu's particle physicist brain an instant to connect the dots about all of this, and she shifts to be between Gui and Zhifu even as a short surge of white-hot rage flashes through her.


With them spending more time together of late, Gui had mentioned exchanging names with Ferris and Red Arrow after they parted ways. Gui had also mentioned her intent to withhold that information from her reports, out of respect for a comrade in arms.


Wu could easily imagine that Gui may have also mentioned it to her paramour, who would not be so restrained. Whether she mentioned a request that he keep it secret or not, Wu wouldn't guess about, but her intent and manners should be something Zhifu would know about.


He had investigated the name anyway, and was reporting on it.


She wonders if he realizes that he's just got Gui angry at him; it may well be the first time ever, and he may not expect it.


A distant part of her remembers her psychology classes at uni, and lessons about the effects of isolation, the health benefits of interaction. She hadn't thought about that before, but he is the only real interaction Gui has had for her tenure of service in the Great Ten.


He washer only source of social interaction, rather.


Wu has been spending more time with her, and is getting up the courage to wonder whether she is also immune to Gui's touch. She doesn't intend to find out too soon, but….


Then there was Ferris. The two don't talk much, but they talk when they meet, and Ferris touched Gui before, and she believes they still exchange emails to some extent, though the language question makes her wonder.


The point is that Gui is… will no longer need to be reliant on only one person to spend time with her. The Party buys Gui's 'loyalty' with the worst of their country's criminals, she knows, but even that is mostly enabled by her relationship with Zhifu.


'Oh.' Another thought sparks in her brain, as the conversation moves on to potential operatives who are relatable enough for the next round of League applications. 'That's rather clever.'


If the Justice League is seeking to sow dissention with her induction, it could be very effective. She's the… not the obvious choice, but in one way she's the only choice viable for it.


August Captain in Iron, Socialist Red Guardsman, and Immortal Man in Darkness (any of them) are all too loyal to be swayed away.


Seven Deadly Brothers, Shaolin Robot, and Ghost Fox Killer are unknowns, or unpredictable.


The others are too suspect to be allowed the freedom necessary to pull them away: celestial archer is young and moldable, and the Party knows it; Thundermind is too good, and has gone against orders before, but they must have some hold on him because of it; Accomplished Perfect Physician was a deserter and they, again, must have other holds on him. Those three would be watched.


Wu Mei-xin? Her entire life is a matter of public record, from childhood through her education and up to the accident she suffered. Her powers don't make her personally dangerous enough to be watched, and as such, no one cares enough to secure her loyalty. In theory, they could lock her in a cell and stud her if they had to, and everyone knows it.


Mother of Champions isn't important enough to keep a leash on.


Wu Mei-xin, famous physicist, isn't remembered often enough to be worried about.


But if she could give her country information on the League, then certainly the reverse is also true.


Wu Mei-xin sighs, dismisses the thoughts, but resolve to investigate what lab equipment the League will let her access as a member. It could be an educational experience.

 

[Stripes]

...Mother of Champions isn't important enough to keep a leash on...

Click to shrink...

...And is not it Glorious?

I always love it then such side stories are used for the sake of bigger pictures - and this one, if short, is well crafted

 

[Obloquy]

Life Ore Death​

* December 22 [Superboy PoV]

The performance had been an emotional drag, even if my body was fine, so I wasn't in the greatest mood to be missing more sleep.

[Isn't Batman's word good enough to clear the ringmaster? Or, why are we handling this when Interpol is also?]

[Batman's the best, but he's the best because he puts time and effort into his investigations, and Haly's circus is a few time zones away from his home turf. This is what we're here for, as a team, isn't it? Covert ops?] Robin challenged. [Unless you have a better idea of what to do.]

[I'd like to be in bed… but I'll manage,] I sent back.

[I've finished my sweep around. Gotta ask, what's the reason you have us staked out here?] Artemis sent.

[There are more obvious targets we could be watching,] Red Arrow agreed.

[Look, Faraday will have the other places covered, but even with Interpol and local forces, Bruges has too many tech facilities to cover everyone with enough agents needed to catch people. This place is the least likely, and it fits the pattern, so we're here.]

[How are you feeling?] M'gann asked, and I wondered briefly how bad he was in person. His heartbeat – I couldn't have picked it out of a crowd, but I knew M'gann's, and he was the only one with her – didn't sound too badly stressed, but medicine wasn't my specialty.

'…Actually, that's a thought. Superman has some success using his senses as a living lie detector. Maybe I should try to the same.'

[Lousy, but I'm mission-capable, okay? I've been worse,] Robin claimed, which made me worry about Batman sending him out.

'Footsteps, and fast!' [Contact, in the Northwest Quadrant,] I relayed. [He's moving fast, light on his feet.]

[Point him out; Miss M, use camouflage and keep close,] Robin instructed. I sent the sensations along the link for her to follow.

[I'm following him. He doesn't seem to sense me,] she sent. [Are you close? Should I engage?]

[We want solid testimony that it's this person. Wait until he steals something, and we'll catch him red handed,] Robin explained.

M'gann kept us updated on the thief's looking around the warehouse, and with her instructions Robin got us circled around him.

The thief pried open a crate, pulled something out, and as I circled around on the ground, I heard him laugh. Then Robin joined in.

"Sorry to steal your aster, but we've caught you red-handed," Robin declared smugly from the beam above the broken crate.

M'gann dropped her invisibility, dropped on top of the crate in front of him, and added, "Keep your hands where we can see them."

"It's over," Artemis finished, perched on a roof beam. "Bet you can't flip as fast as I can fire."

[His heartbeat is pretty steady,] I warned, because he still seemed confident.

"Heh…" the man grunted, moving very slowly. "Fire?"

The next thing I knew, M'gann shrieked, and then a spray of fire spewed out around the room.

[M'gann!] She was still right beside the guy, and I smashed through several boxes in my rush to get her to safety before she burned.

[C-conner…?] She felt very weak, but she didn't seem injured.

"Look out!" I heard Red Arrow shout. "Those crates are full of live ammo! We need to move!"

[Screw the collateral,] I decided, scooping M'gann into my arms. My legs uncoiled at full force, and we were crashing out the second-story window a second later. The shockwave of the explosion hit just I was about to land, and it sent us both tumbling, but she seemed unharmed.

Of course, a little concrete wasn't anywhere near what would hurt me. I'm pretty sure I chipped some divots out of it as I rolled.

[Robin, Artemis, Red Arrow, you all okay?] I checked mentally as my hands physically searched M'gann for signs of injury.

[I'm- I'm okay,] Robin sent. [Are you?]

[No, you're not,] Artemis retaliated, [and I'm more worried about M'gann. How is she?]

[Healthy enough to be keeping up our link,] Red Arrow observed, which was a relief, but I really didn't like his tone.

[I'll be… I'll be fine. Just a bit shocked. Where did he go?] she asked.

[We lost him in the explosion. It's probably too much to hope that he's still around,] Red Arrow replied.

[Crud,] Robin cursed as I saw him, Red Arrow, and Artemis hobble into view. [Just when it was looking like such an aster.]

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________​

* December 23 [Artemis PoV]

Okay, I totally got that Dick Grayson really cared about this circus – and I sympathized, what with a sister in the Shadows and all – but he definitely seemed to be too emotionally compromised to make a good call.

"Another weapons plant was hit last night, and once again the circus is in town. I don't believe in co-incidences," Faraday warned.

"I don't care what you believe," old man Haly blustered back, "my people were not responsible. I did a bed check last night!"

[Well,] I sent cautiously, [unless he was up even later than us-,] which was a pain in itself, but I'd been trained to work while running on little-to-no-sleep for at least a day or two, [-he's lying about us being asleep. Which means he probably never did the check at all….]

[Look,] Robin snapped back as we watched Haly and Interpol Agent Faraday part ways, [I know… I know….]

[Robin,] M'gann said gently, and I did not envy her trying to get through to him about this. [I know that-,]

[Okay, stop,] he sent back with a bit more force than necessary. [I… I have news.] I found myself really hoping that he wasn't just making this up to preserve his childhood home, because that would be bad in so many ways. [I've been handling this all wrong, I had a talk with someone unexpected, and I've been thinking. We're going to change our approach. I'll explain more when we meet on the train.]

We split up to start loading on all the equipment to fit on the train. I tagged M'gann's elbow as she turned to go.

It was simple enough work, and we got through it without much effort. Leaving plenty of time to think.

[Artemis, you wanted to talk to me? We're in a private link.]

[Thanks, M'gann. I'm worried Robin is a bit too emotionally involved to be making the right decisions about this.] I hesitated, because a little voice in the back of my mind kept whispering, 'Liar. Snitch. Traitor.' I kept going. [I don't want to- I mean, I'm a Gotham girl at heart, and Haly's Circus is sort of iconic,] I lied, [so between that and Batman vouching, I understand his hesitance, but-,]

[Artemis, I can tell you're lying. Just a little,] M'gann informed me, [but you're lying to yourself as well as me. What's this about?]

I bit my lip, hissed a harsh breath as I picked something up, and sent, […Okay. I know stuff going on under the surface here, but I'm not allowed to tell you. The thing is, I'm not sure if there's even more stuff going on that I don't know, but would explain why Robin seems so irrational. And every time I try to broach asking about how we'd say he isn't fit to make the calls this mission, I keep calling myself a traitor.]

[…Op Sec,] Miss Martian sighed heavily. Well, mentally or whatever; she wasn't close enough for me to know if she'd really breathed out. [I just can't get used to all these secrets. We never had to deal with this when we were on Mars.]

My reply might have been a bit unkind: [Hate to say it, but probably there were all sorts of telepathic secrecy and need to know, but everyone just thought a White Martian really didn't need to know.] She didn't reply. […I'm sorry, I think I came off sounding like a bitch,] I sent. [I meant to emphasize that I'm trying to trust you, I just… I'm sorry.]

[No, no, you're probably right,] she replied tightly. [I just… okay, if you'll tell me what you mean by "Twinkie jokes," I'll call it even here.]

I grimaced. […Fine. Do you know how human races also tend to get referred to by colors? Skin colors, supposedly?]

[Yes. It never made any sense to me. At least I'm actually white, but most of you humans are brown or pink in some mixture.]

[I know; someone could probably write a paper on it. And with paler skin we even can change colors; remind me to show you this joke later on about being black or being "colored," because I can't remember how it goes and shit I'm stalling. Sorry. You know what the colors are?]

[Of human races? I've heard of white, and black, and just generally "colored" people. And that Blue Men group, but they're different.]

[Yeah, they sure are. Right. So, white people are usually Caucasian, ethnically European. Black people are usually of African heritage, but it's just a shorthand term for anyone with dark skin, really. Then, other indigenous people around India, Australia, and Polynesia are sometimes referred to as brown to separate them out from black Africans, Native American tribes have been referred to as red, and people with Asian heritage like me get called yellow. Do you know what a Twinkie is?]

[I'm guessing it doesn't have anything to do with Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, or Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, and the other two.]

[Nope,] I replied, but I was laughing despite myself. [So, especially among teenagers our age, talking about people in terms of racial stereotype and their skin color is pretty common, though if you're not friends with the person it's usually an insult, not a joke.]

[You mean I probably shouldn't do it with Karen, right?]

[Right, though you could probably ask her up front… Anyway, it'll be things like calling a stereotypical white nerd mayonnaise, or something. But there's also a thing about insulting people who don't follow racial stereotypes as "lacking pride" or "wanting to be" another race. If you call an African-American an Oreo, it means he or she is black on the outside, but white on the inside. A twinkie is yellow on the outside, white on the inside. And I already put up with enough of it… people think I dye my hair blonde because I "want to be white". That make sense?]

[What does your hair have to do with it?]

[White people are usually the only people who have the genes for hair colors other than black. Da- Sportsmaster is blond, but my skin says "Asian" when people see me, so they assume I'm dying my hair to look white. It's bullshit.]

[…It's sad you have to put up with that,] M'gann said. [I came to Earth because I was thinking I could get away from racial prejudice… I sort of feel guilty now, because my shape-shifting kind of means I get to benefit from it.]

[Don't know what to tell you about that,] I replied.

We ended the conversation there, and I kept myself busy with the work of packing and loading and all that until we were all getting on board.

Red Arrow cornered me as the train was pulling out, when we were in between cars.

I tensed, fighting off the impulse of Dad's training saying that he was going to attack me, to throw me off the train. "What?"

"I've been wanting to talk to you."

"About what?" I challenged. "About, 'I'm warning you: do not hurt my friends'? We've saved each other's lives!" 'Asshole.'

Conner had told M'gann and me after he heard Roy say the three of us were still under potential suspicion for being moles. Robin had said that Conner was the closest thing to a suspect, and we'd cleaned out his conditioning so he was in the clear now, but Roy was still….

"Not about that." Then he shifted uncomfortably, and I hesitated, because he actually looked a little uncertain. "About Conner."

'Most suspicious due to mind-control indeed,' I thought bitterly. "What about Dean? I thought he handled things fine, Dane."

"What? No, no, not about Dean," he grumbled, and 'Yuck, he looks even more awkward now. Oh hell, please tell me this isn't a moment.'

"Who then?"

"Connor Hawke. He's… apparently been invited over to Ollie's for Christmas, with his mother. I'm not sure if I want to be free for it."

My mouth clicked shut, and hell, I actually felt a surge of sympathy for the ass. "Oh. He's Ollie's- uh, Ollie's son, right?"

"Yeah. You met him?"

"No. But… we… aren't really as close as you two. You and him," I added, trying not to babble. 'Friggin' hell, this is a moment, he's opening up to me, where's Wally when I need a moment killer and Roy needs an actual friend of his to lean on?' "Um. You met him?"

"…No. I've been invited by, before, but always said I was busy. The kid was conceived when Ollie was in his early twenties, before the island." I wasn't sure what 'the island' was, but it seemed like a type of origin/motivation thing. "He's almost twelve."

"Oh." 'Damn it, I'm not Ollie's kid, I don't see what this has to do with me… Don't you have, you know, friends to deal with this?' "So?"

"So? What do you think about it?" he challenged a bit more angrily. Incredibly, the aggression made me feel more comfortable; at least arguing was familiar, here. "He mentioned he was going to invite you over, too. I think the kid is with him now, since it's the holidays."

"Well, good for him!" I almost spat. 'Don't explain about Dad, d-don't explain about Sportsmaster, he hasn't earned your trust…' "Dane, you're talking to a girl who grew up with one hell of an abusive father," I almost exploded, and it felt so good to say that part out loud the way I only had with Dinah once before. "If GA wants to step up and take some damn responsibility, more power to him! He's not replacing you!"

I threw that last part in on a random impulse, and only after it left my mouth did I realize it was probably pretty accurate.

Red Arrow scowled like a thundercloud. "I didn't expect you to understand," he grunted, and turned around.

I bit back a snarl and kept going. "No, you did, and I do! It's you who doesn't understand, Red! Stop being scared, stop ducking out, and go meet the kid! Fifty-fifty odds at least that he thinks you're the coolest thing since sliced bread, given the way you got Rob, Kal, and Wally wrapped around your fingers! Man up, admit you're worried, and make sure you still have a place in Ollie's life if you want it. He's not going to replace you if you're still around; I'm only here because my crippled mother begged him to take me on, and that only happened after you walked out on him. Go see the kid, get to know your adoptive baby brother, and if Ollie tries to push you out, I'll stick my boot up his ass myself! But stop feeling sorry for yourself when you're the only one making it a damn problem, because I've got e-friggin'-nough to handle!"

I broke off and tried to calm my breathing, eyes on him to see if I'd have to duck a fist.

He didn't move, didn't even turn around.

Until, slowly, he did. We were both scowling.

"…You want to put your money where your mouth is? Christmas dinner. I know you're invited. Show up, and I'll see you there."

I huffed. "Fine. But only if there's wheelchair access," I said, which was letting him know way more about my home life than I'd been comfortable with, but if we were going to be going over anyway… "And you've said I'm invited, but I want to hear him invite me over."

Red Arrow snorted. "Picky, aren't you?"

I didn't dignify that with a response, I just let myself slip back into being Dianne Danger, and I followed Dane Danger back in.

"You look better," I commented as we all slid into one car. Robin did look better, but now Miss Martian was down with the bug.

"I feel better. I just hope Dawn didn't catch it from me. I said I have news; new news," he opened with.

"I remember you felt excited, and then, back when I could feel your mind, you kept thinking over things," M'gann said weakly.

"Yeah, well, maybe I should've said sooner. So. First off, our friend 'Wren' is doing okay; we happened to cross paths last night."

"Wait, you what?" I asked blankly. 'Isn't she supposed to be in the Underworld, or another dimension or something?'

"How did that happen?" Red Arrow questioned.

"Well, you guys remember where she was going. I said I saw her last night. What do you think?"

For a moment, my breath went away. 'Wow. You know, it's one thing to say she's going to "the Land of Dreams," but another to…'

"Not like it's crazier than the rest of what we've seen," Superboy decided. "What else?"

"I bounced some ideas off of her. Diane… actually, can we all talk the other way?"

"No… I think the flu has knocked out my other way. Sorry," she said weakly.

"That's… inconvenient," Red Arrow said carefully, and I resisted my urge to slug/slap him. I'd guessed he thought she was faking it.

"Okay, that changes things," Robin muttered. "The plan was going to be to have Diane poke around in everyone's… private rooms while they were asleep, like with Alec Rois, to see if she could find anything. Because I do have to admit, mind-control is possible. While she was sticking her nose in places, she could see if anyone else was awake, or not in bed, while we did the stakeout."

"If we're traveling, I don't think there's going to be another theft tonight. Everyone else got over the flu within a day, right?"

"Yes, but… Okay, I'm going to go against my 'midnight instincts' here, but I need your opinions. I don't think this is the flu."

"You don't? Then what the hell is it?" Superboy asked, getting a bit pissed.

"Diane, if you can't throw your voice, then can you juggle? Do imitations? Any part of your act?" he pressed.

"I… nnno, I c-can't," she mumbled.

'Oh shoot, that's really bad.' "R- Dan? What could cause this?" I asked, almost rushing over to her except I paused because sickness. 'No, that's stupid, if this was some plague I'd already be infected, & she needs my support now.' I dropped down to her side and stroked her hair.

"When did you first feel sick?"

"Actually, why haven't you reverted, if you can't… do imitations?" Red Arrow asked.

"Locked. It's a technique. So I don't change in my sleep. Uncle J'onn taught me," she said. "I got sick just after we got on."

"On the train? Did anything happen right around then?"

"Nnnno. I was j-just doing the loading… It came on pretty suddenly."

"Same with me. But I was trying not to get sick, washing my hands and everything. I remember Ray ruffled my hair…?"

"Ray? The roustabout? He touched her hand, too, when they were loading. Guy must be a walking petri dish," Superboy growled.

"Rob-? No, sorry, Dan… What are the odds that Dawn would get knocked flat by a normal disease?" I pressed.

"Slim to none. Her uncle, he hasn't gotten that type of sick in all of fifty years, H. G. Wells or otherwise. This is no disease," Rob said.

"Power absorption. We're dealing with a threat like Parasite," Red Arrow realized, "and that guy once stole Superman's powers."

"Right, which means we've got a powers thief with telekinesis, shape-shifting, and mind-reading powers."

"Not good. Is he even still going to be on the train?" I asked, figuring, "He might have flown off to escape us, if he's read our minds."

"You'd have felt it, if he did," Miss Martian assured us. "Subtlety… takes… training."

"He stole Martian Manhunter's powers, once," Red Arrow tossed out, "so he knows how to use those."

"If it's him, yeah," Robin reminded us. "But either way, Ray will know- Oh, whelming! Parasite's fricking name is Raymond Jensen!"

"Okay, it's him," I agreed. "That kind of cocky stuff is all in villain psychology." 'I'd certainly know.' "We going to hunt him down?"

"Anyone have fire-starter materials?" Red Arrow checked.

"Parasite absorbs weaknesses as well as strengths," Robin confirmed. I closed my eyes and bit my lip. Pain helped me think, a little.

'Okay, assess this, requirements… Ferris did that talk about stuff we take for granted that are weak points….'

"What are the time limits on how long he can keep a power?" I asked. "And, the range? Will any physical contact do? Can he do it through skin? If Superboy punches Ray, will Ray get his powers? How long will he keep them, versus Ray touching intentionally?"

"Parasite is an addict," Robin answered, grabbing a pack to retrieve some gear. "I'm not sure about the time-limit on his powers… it's more than an hour, but less than a day. People get over the flu symptoms in six to twelve hours, right? Any contact will do."

"I need gloves," Superboy realized.

"Better yet, put your throwing arm to good use," I suggested. "Any restrictive foam in your quiver, Red?"

"I've got some trick arrows that will do the job," Red Arrow answered as I ran through my cache.

"I've got some foam canisters, some knockout gas, and some explosives," Robin agreed.

"I've got explosives, Taser charges, a few knives, and some freeze arrows," I finished. "Any cigarette lighters?"

"You're thinking we can just hold one up, to see if it's Parasite in a shape-shift?" Robin guessed.

"A couple performers smoke. I can go get a light," Superboy volunteered. "Someone, stay with M'gann." He headed out.

"No, I'll go with you," she suggested weakly, trying to get up and follow Superboy out the door.

"Not a good idea. We don't want you near Parasite when he needs a hostage, or a recharge," Red Arrow countered.

"If he loses his powers, I can take him out. As Dan said, I'll manage."

"That… No, I want you on the comms this time, Miss M," Robin argued. "Call Aqualad, arrange back-up, report what we know to Interpol. Think you can do that? If you feel your powers return, then you can come."

"That's… fine," she grumbled, settling back down.

Which was when an impact rattled the entire train.

"Conner!" she shrieked, and we bolted out the door. All up and down the train, I heard other people shouting in alarm.

"Hey, out of the way!" I shouted, shoving through the people poking their heads into the hall.

We found Superboy slumped beside a hole torn through the wall.

"Conner," M'gann gasped in relief, stumbling over

"Just my luck," he grumbled, "the guy I asked for a light was Parasite."

"What, and you just let him esca-," Red Arrow began.

"M'gann, no!" She spun at Robin's shout and a disc flew right past her head, just as Superboy lunged. "That's Parasite!"

"That's right," said the Superboy lookalike, his hands now wrapped around her arm and throat, his voice nothing like our friend's now. "Little boy brute wasn't quite fast enough to blow his horn, I'm afraid."

I thought fast.

"Cool," I chirped, and rolled a canister at his feet. "Kryptonite grenade, think fast!" In my mind, I brought up all sorts of nasty images – of the green tinted explosion I 'expected', of the sight of him staggering around and melting, of my vicious satisfaction – and 'threw' them.

"Ar-are you crazy?!" Parasite yelped, shoving her away and staggering back.

The totally innocuous can of gas wasn't even active, and in the moment it took him to catch that, Robin's foot hit his face.

He followed up with a bunch of body blows, none of which seemed to do much.

"…Invulnerable, remember?" Parasite deadpanned.

"Not to this," Red Arrow grunted as I lunged in and pulled M'gann out of the way.

His explosive arrow hit the can just a Robin jumped back, and then we had a real explosion to deal with.

…Long story made short, Parasite flew off with his equipment, but he didn't look good, and people were pissed at the damage we caused.

Oh, and we found Superboy with some cracked ribs from getting thrown through the wall, but he'd snagged one of Parasite's pieces of equipment, and Robin had picked the pocket of the creep along with planting a tracker when he landed his 'body blows,' which meant we knew where to go to find him. All we had to do was make a call for our Plan B about kicking ass.

 

[Dark as Silver]

and people were pissed at the damage we caused

Click to shrink...

Cover blown?

 

[SpiritualSlacker]

Sounds like there's trouble in paradise for Gui and Fang. Hm. Might I be sensing a trend in this story, concerning canon established adult relationships? It's already the second one.

(That's not a negative criticism - relationships are difficult, after all, and portraying them as such is commendable.)

And speaking of Ollie, he's apparently putting his money where his mouth is in regards to his son. Good for him. He's going to need all the Dad-experience he can get, especially once the whole Speedy-situation comes to a head. In one way or another.

Also while it's nice to see that Roy is apparently interested in maintaining his contact with Green Arrow - which, again, is an emotional resource he's going to need soon - it wouldn't kill him to not be a total douche to his friends' team once in a while. Seriously.