Life Ore Death
Dropped Plot part 3
* July 23 [Overview]
"I heard the sidekicks had their first official mission," Wonder Woman commented as she entered the room where Batman was going over the submitted reports. "How did everything go?"
"I understand they have elected to prefer the term, 'apprentice heroes," Batman answered, glancing up from the screen. "Given that two of their members have only just begun to fight beside any established heroes, the term does seem more appropriate."
"Renka and M'gann have started working with Superman and J'onn? How is Superboy taking it?"
"She hasn't come back from their first outing, so I don't think he's heard yet," Batman answered.
"Hmm… You're being more chatty than usual. What's the problem with the reports? Did something go horribly wrong on the mission?" Wonder Woman finally asked, sitting down beside him. Batman reflexively tilted the screen away from her, then gave in and tilted it back into her view.
"The mission could have been better and could have been much worse. Santa Prisca's radio contact was cut so they had to make decisions on their own, and those decisions had consequences. On the positive, the most direct reasons for the change in behavior and product have been revealed, they all walked out alive under their own power, and the team now knows where they need to improve and have the confidence boost that comes from defeating dangerous enemies. The events of Sportsmaster's capture and subsequent escape delayed me from debriefing them in person yet, but I intend to remedy this later."
"How unexpectedly wordy," Wonder Woman observed. "What was the bad news? You said there weren't any casualties, but was their cover broken?"
"Not on the grand scale, but Jeffrey Burr and Bane both escaped captivity with knowledge of who attacked them, and Sportsmaster's new changes let him break out of the prison hospital he was moved to after they captured him. There were casualties as well, however. Specifically, two of Ferrous's opponents were brutalized rather badly at her hands, Sportsmaster included, and a third could not be confirmed, but almost certainly was killed by her method of taking him down."
"Brutalized how badly? And under what circumstances? You certainly are never very gentle to most of your victims either," Wonder Woman pointed out.
"I did not say I fault her, considering the circumstances, but the results are things I cannot let pass by without explanation both from her and to her about her reasons and our usual standards of engagement. It's why I asked Superman to bring her by when he finished his rounds."
"Why here instead of the Watchtower? She does know that it exists and has access. The Hall of Justice seems comparatively low-security if you want to discuss these things with her." Batman gave her a
look, which she met evenly.
"Ferrous no longer has access to the Watchtower. I made sure to remove it after Superman failed to remove it when he transferred her to Mount Justice. She never would have had access to the Watchtower if I had my say in it, but he brought her there first without consulting anyone-"
"-and once she was there you didn't want to let her leave until we could be sure of her," Wonder Woman finished with a sigh. "Yes. I had already figured that part out. We will need to improve her language and report-writing skills, because the page you have continued to show me does not say much about what happened."
"Another reason why I wish to speak with her privately in person." Mildly abashed despite his unwillingness to show it, Batman moved to the side and let Wonder Woman properly peruse the less experienced actors' reports.
"Kobra Venom? Three times as potent! And three cultists! You sent them up against this? What were you thinking?"
"It was supposed to be a stealth reconnaissance mission against a moderately dangerous known entity," he retaliated blithely. "Bad missions happen. All things considered, they handled it well, even if they were clumsy enough to get into the situation in the first place."
"You said Renka killed someone? I'm not seeing it."
"I doubt Superboy noticed, but Kid Flash wrote down idle suspicions he was consciously ignoring, no doubt, and Robin is all too aware of what likely happened. Ferrous obtained an unused dose of Kobra Venom and administered it to one of the cultists already under the effects. He collapsed from what was likely a fatal overdose within seconds, letting them focus their energies on the remaining cultists one at a time. It was ingenious as it was lethal, and I cannot fault her, but I am disturbed by this trend and the other injuries she dealt. "
"Such as?" Wonder Woman asked, her eyes skimming through the reports.
"The baseline cultists she took down with Robin were largely unharmed, but he said it appeared that she was going to either press or choke one unconscious had he not provided a sleeping drug patch. Sportsmaster received semi-severe cranial trauma, a dislocated shoulder, general abdominal trauma, and Ferrous ruptured both of his ear drums before she threw him onto a bombed-out helicopter."
"Let me guess: Robin was responsible for the helicopter?"
"They never check under the helicopter," Batman agreed wisely. "Robin destroyed it while it was loaded with the shipment of Kobra Venom. When Ferrous knocked him out and threw him onto the charred helicopter, he absorbed small amounts through skin contact and vapor inhalation, which is what allowed him to recover more quickly and break out of the medium-security prison hospital we had him sent to when they dragged him in."
"Oh dear," Wonder Woman sighed. "You mentioned another maimed cultist?"
"Her language is clumsy, but Robin suggests and she straightforwardly confirms that she attempted to gouge out the eyes of the third Kobra Venom user the fought. Neither is certain if she entirely succeeded, but she suspects he will permanently lose at least one eye."
"They didn't check for certain?"
"In between the arrival of Bane's reinforcements and dragging Lawrence Crock to the ship, there wasn't time."
"So, in summation," she began, "they broke cover on a mission to prevent a more significant transaction by the villains, defeated several dangerous enemies who were not supposed to be involved, suffered and dealt more damage than desirable, and captured a wanted criminal who broke free not long after he left their custody?" She drummed her fingers. "Unpleasant, but it sounds rather par for the course by
your usual mission standards," Wonder Woman teased with a touch of bitterness.
In silent agreement, Batman huffed and did not smile.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
* July 23 [Ferrous PoV]
"There is a thing I do not understand," I admitted after Superman and I had handed the bank robbers over to the police.
"I'm always happy to help," he said.
"You can fly. You cannot be hurt. You can hear when people call for help. You promise to stop crime." I looked around at the bank, the police, and the grateful people staring at the both of us but not yet approaching. "Why would people want to rob a bank where you live? Did they not know who you are?" The idea, '
An unstoppable crime-stopping hero lives in this area and criminals do not run away to better pastures,' could not make sense to me, but I still had not given up hope that there was reason and logic to be found in this universe, provided I teased it out thoroughly enough. I tapped a little connection to make certain I could understand his reply.
"In this case, they probably did not know I was here. If they heard a news report that said I was at the Hall of Justice, most criminals could think they can rob the bank and escape before I can come back to stop them. Since I was just picking you up and returning, however, they got a nasty surprise. But it's a trick that has worked a few times in the past," the Superman admitted. I nodded, and my next comment was interrupted by a tug on the hem of my shorts.
I spun around and dropped down, making a point to smile at the girl who had a question for me.
"Are you a hero?" she asked.
"Shawnia," an older woman squawked, rushing over.
"Not yet, but soon. You are Shawnia?" I asked. "Nice to meet you. Superman is helping me become a hero."
"I'm sorry about her," her mother said, bustling up with a smaller girl in her arms and an older boy by her side. "Shawnia, come back here and don't bother-"
"Can you sign AJ's cast an autograph?" Shawnia interrupted, pointing to the boy; he leaned back at the attention. "He's my brother, and he just turned eleven and everyone's been signing his cast since-"
"Shawnia!" Their mother scooped her up beside the younger girl, but Superman had stepped forward as well.
"We both are happy to help out a fan. This will be Ferris's first autograph, too," he confided to the boy. I still had no clue what an autograph was. "Keep the cast after you heal, it can be something to tell your grandchildren about. Does somebody have a pen?"
"Auto like automobile? Automatic? Graph like picture?" I mumbled, worried. "I'm not certain I get it."
"An autograph is a signature. Usually on a piece of paper, but a cast is also traditional." Superman took a pen, knelt down and wrote out "
Grow up with a strong body and big heart. -Superman" on the hard white wrapping. It appeared to be some cross between a plaster and an arm brace.
"My name?" '
Ferris or Renka? I don't really care about hidden identity names, but everyone else here does.'
"Just 'Ferris' in your case," Superman confirmed. I assumed a short message like his would be acceptable as well and I carefully began to write.
"
Only the lonely. –Ferris."
The boy squinted at it. "Only the lonely what?" Embarrassed, he clapped his uncast hand over his mouth.
"I don't know," I answered easily. "I heard it in a song and I like the sound. ~Only the loonneely! ~Only the loooonely~," I sang with another wide smile. We both giggled. Superman coughed awkwardly.
"I hate to say this, Ferris, but I believe you spelled your name wrong. Unless you meant to name yourself after a Ferris Wheel instead of the Latin term for iron."
"Yes," I agreed, launching into my prepared and practiced reply. I'd been waiting for someone to ask about my name, although not in this particular way. "A Ferris Wheel was the first thing I saw, new in this world," which was not quite true, but it was the first impressive thing and I wouldn't call myself 'asphalt road' or such, "and I like the way the word is." Then, "What is Latin?"
The Superman cleared his throat awkwardly as we exited to the street and up a building. After we had left behind the grateful people he explained to me what everyone had thought my name meant.
"Is it that?" I rolled my eyes. "I am still learning English. When and why did I learn Latin for my name?"
"It's not unheard of, and Latin is a relatively common language for magic," he answered, "so it made more sense than naming yourself after a carnival ride. Don't worry, I can correct it when we get to the mountain. At least we found this out before they spelled your name wrong in a newspaper article." Realization hit me.
"Newspaper! Like the Daily Planet and Miss Lois Lane. I promised I would give an interview to her, yes?" It was a bit embarrassing that I had left it that long, and I hoped she wasn't insulted.
"Not… today. I think your English should get a bit better before we sit you down for a newspaper interview. I will tell Miss Lane that you remembered her and still want to do the article. She won't be angry."
"Thank you. I accept this. Thank you," I told him calmly. In a quick pulse of strength and speed I leapt from one rooftop to the next while Superman flew gently beside me.
My inability to fly had been a brief difficulty between us. I did not mind being carried for a short time if we were flying to a location, such as when we rushed to the bank being robbed, but simply clinging to his back as Superman flew around Metropolis on his rounds had struck me as embarrassing and impractical. If I ever had to 'do rounds' of my own, I would have no Superman to fly me, so I needed to practice the way heroes like the Batman, Robin, the Aquaman, and the Wonder Woman did.
'
I should check up on those titles as well. The rule that established heroes have a 'The' makes sense, but it doesn't feel quite right to me. But no need to do it now.'
Our compromise was the roof-running Superman said the Batman practiced, with him usually floating nearby in case I fell, and occasionally flying off alone for a longer quick circuit while I made my way towards a more distant target we agreed to meet at. I even wasn't using much speed and strength except to be safe on jumps, so that I could get my body used to the way these rounds would function for me.
"I have a question that has been bothering me," I brought up as we skimmed lightly across a series of roofs.
"Is this about your recent mission?" he asked. "I heard from Batman that things got a little crazy. Although, any mission where everyone comes home and no one innocent is hurt is a good ending."
"Not the jail. Mister Twister. I had a talk with Miss Mar- with M'gann, Superboy, and Kaldur, and Red Tornado, and it left me a little confused." He nodded for me to continue as I cleared the widest jump on the block. "Clones. Aliens. Robots. How are they different?"
"I though we discussed this," he mused uncomfortably.
"I thought so also, then I talked with them, and it sounded like robots and clones were alike, but Superboy got upset because I insulted Kaldur and said I was wrong."
"…I think you did not understand as well as I thought," Superman slowly agreed. "Well. Where should I start?"
"What is a robot? How is a robot different than a human?"
"A robot is constructed of metal. It is not really alive." He considered things for a moment. "A robot is usually metal, clockworks, machines, electronics, and electricity. Some robots look like living things. Red Tornado is a robot, and we all agree that he is a person, even though he may not be a human."
"Red Tornado is a robot? I thought he wore armor like Mister Twister."
"That metal armor is the case of a robot. The armor keeps their internal systems and programs safe. It is like skin on a human, though it is also armor."
"Programming," I repeated, remembering the word used before. We stopped and Superman pointed to a large… "That is a
billboard, yes?"
"Yes. The billboard is a picture of a robot in a movie. That robot is very big, while Red Tornado is the size of a human, but both are robots," Superman said. "We are… meat. Muscle," he flexed, "bones," he pointed to his knuckles and teeth, "skin, hair, and blood. Robots do not have that: they are metal, and clockwork, and programs, and electricity. There are good robots, like Red Tornado, and there are bad robots like Mister Twister, and there are robots that do not have enough of a mind to be either."
"And robots are made?"
"Made like pocket watches, in factories, by scientists," Superman confirmed.
"But are they alive?" I asked, remembering Mister Twister. "Did M'gann kill Mister Twister?"
"…No, I wouldn't think so. Robots are not alive in the same way humans are. Even if his materials are destroyed, his can be 'healed' or 'recovered' if his programming data is intact in the remains. Such would be the case for Mister Twister as well."
"I see. Robots are metal people instead of meat people. But still people. If I fight a robot, it is safe to damage it, yes?" I needed to be sure of this, largely because I had been almost totally incapable of hurting Mister Twister.
'
I get the idea that I'll probably run into that a lot. Robots, strong people like the Superman and the Wonder Woman… if they fly too I should just leave it to my team, I think. Farmgirl, meet the city.'
"Yes. You shouldn't destroy robots on our side, like Red Tornado, but generally breaking a robot is the best way to stop it. Of course, some are intelligent enough to be talked down, but that's less common than I wish."
"Not all robots are intelligent?"
"Intelligent might not be the word," he mused. "Free will. Some robots can only do what is coded, sorry, programmed into them. Other robots can make choices between good and evil, preservation," my mind caught for a moment, "and destruction."
"Say what?"
"Free will? Choice?"
"Nonono.
Preservation." I rolled it carefully around my tongue. "That is, translated, I believe, the name of one of my gods. I am glad I heard of it. I will remember this."
"You've mentioned your religion several times, but I'm afraid I don't know much about it. Would you care to tell me about what you believe in?" Superman invited.
I considered it very carefully, and we moved in silence over a block of roofs.
'
One: I can talk about Ruin and Preservation without discussing their powers or my own. Two: I mentioned at least some of this to Kid Flash and others at various points. Three: I am becoming safer and safer in the assumption that there is not a dark secret behind the Justice League, and I need not fear these good people. Much.'
"I apologize for my silence," I finally voiced. "Yes, I will tell you happily about
Ruin,
Preservation, and
Harmony. If there is time after, would you like to tell me about what you believe? I know not much about the religion of Earth."
"Well, there are many religions on earth, but I don't really consider myself much of a practicing Christian anymore," he demurred.
"Really, Mister Superman, you might please just say no," I reminded him clumsily.
"I just meant I might not be the best person to ask about religion, but I will try to answer your questions. Also, didn't I tell you-?"
"Yes, I should call you Mister Kal-El instead of Mister Superman," I remembered. "I apologize again."
"It's quite alright."
"Thank you." I tapped more connection to get my points across, and considered where to start. "In the beginning, on Scadrial… maybe a little after the beginning, but I do not know about that much. But our two gods,
Ruin and
Preservation, were alone on lifeless Scadrial." I tapped some connection from my duralumin-mind to make certain I said this well. "
Ruin wished to destroy, but little was there to destroy unless
Ruin threw Scadrial into the sun, and
Preservation could stop his destruction. However, while
Preservation's power wished to keep things the same,
Preservation's mind desired to watch life grow and blossom."
"So Preservation made humans?" Superman perceived.
"Not quite," I corrected. "On his own,
Preservation could not create, because to create is to create change.
Ruin and
Preservation had to co-operate to create life.
Ruin did not want to do this, because it went against his power. So
Preservation made a promise: life could be made, but after enough time
Preservation would allow
Ruin to destroy us all.
"Humans were a part of this promise. We have minds, names, and souls that allow us to rise above animals and create language, civilization, arts, trade, belief, and emotions. We have
Ruin as well, in our ability to fight, hate, and destroy, but we have more
Preservation when we are born. This is because
Preservation gave us more of himself when they created us, and as a result
Ruin was slightly more than
Preservation. Even if
Preservation wanted to stop Ruin's destruction, that imbalance would eventually ensure Ruin's victory. Do you understand?"
"Aspects of the divine and the damned," Superman mused quietly, and sighed. I got the impression that he was thinking of something or someone else. He turned his attention back to me. "I understand."
"Yes. People lived and grew, but eventually the time of Ruin's destruction drew near.
Preservation loved his people, and he would not see us destroyed. Thus, he betrayed
Ruin."
"Really?" Superman was definitely surprised by this. "I… would not have expected the good god to do that."
"Would a parent follow a promise to let their child be killed?" I asked rhetorically. I really,
really hoped that the answer was as much negative here as it was at home. "
Ruin did not expect
Preservation to attack, either. With surprise,
Preservation stole and hid much of
Ruin's power away to make them equal enough again. Then, at the cost of his rational mind,
Preservation made a god's cage to stop most of
Ruin's power. But he still could not stop it all. This leads to the Hero of Ages."
I paused to do a bit of calculation.
"On the scale of gods,
Preservation's betrayal was not that long ago. When I left Scadrial, it had been, I think, think, two thousand, fifty-one years since
Preservation made the cage. Not long after that the prophecies began to appear. Religions across the world, especially what would become my people, the Terris, began to receive prophecies about a Hero of Ages. He or she – they used a gender-neutral pronoun – would be tall of stature, and tower over other men. Neither warrior nor king, but would become them. The Hero could destroy the world, or save it, when he went to the Well of ascension to become a god and banish an enemy known as the Deepness. Other things." I fell silent here, waiting for him to ask one of several possible questions.
"I assume the Deepness was Ruin?" he asked.
'
That was my second guess for his question. Oh well.'
"Not quite. Not just
Ruin, but the Deepness and Ascension are complicated. The important thing is the prophecies, because over one thousand years ago, signs began to appear, and a Terris man named Kwaan believed that he had found the Hero of Ages. It was a man named Alendi, who gradually began to grow into the prophecies more and more. But that was what
Ruin wanted.
"While caged,
Ruin could still speak to the insane, but he had another power. After the prophecies were spoken, they were written down," '
I don't want to discuss copper-minds, so I'll leave it at that.' "and
Ruin used its power to change the words.
Ruin made the prophecies change to fit what Alendi did, because Alendi was not the hero, and if Alendi tried to Ascend he would free
Ruin. You might say that
Ruin had
ruined Preservation's instructions to their people." It was not a good joke, but I made it anyway.
"Was this Alendi a good man?" Superman asked.
"According to his book, he tried to be good, but was jaded and sad when he traveled to the Well. First, Kwaan realized that the words had changed. No one would listen, so he gave his nephew Rashek instructions to be Alendi's guide through the mountains to the Well, and to kill him before Alendi set
Ruin free."
Superman grimaced. "Just… kill him? Like that? He couldn't reason or explain? He just decided to have a good man killed?" I doubted it was the worst thing he had heard of, but it still clearly left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Alendi had cast him out, I think, and it was Kwaan's memory, human memory, against every written prophecy in the world." I shrugged. "Kwaan believed that if Alendi reached the Well, the world would die. The problem was that Rashek went to the Well and tried to Ascend after. He had a few minutes to be a god and banish the poisonous mists that everyone believed was the Deepness. But… divine power does not include the knowing how you to do this thing. Um, instructions."
"Oh dear." Superman winced. "I remember a mention that your home always had volcanic ash falling. Was that why? Did he believe that lava would be better than mist?"
I shrugged. "He believed, since the mists came at night and slowly vanished in the sun, that moving our planet closer to the sun would do it. Then he rearranged continents so that people could live at the poles, and made Ashmounts to keep the sunlight from burning away everything. Then he created bacteria and plants that could live in ash. He made many other changes, and plans that would last one thousand years. Then he lost the god's power, even though
Ruin was still jailed. So Rashek declared himself the Hero of Ages, and used the magic powers he had learned and gained to create an army and conquer the world."
"Rashek does not sound like he would be a good ruler."
I hummed, because Superman was right for the wrong reasons.
"He was a hateful young man, but misusing divine power made him quickly grow up, because he did not want the world to die because of what he realized was his mistakes. If Ruin had not spoken in his mind, and used one thousand years to drive him slowly insane, my childhood would have been much different. But really, who knows?" I shrugged. "That brings my religion mostly to where it was when I was born. I may tell you the rest later, but I would rather wait. Now, you said you were a Christian?"
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* July 23 [Kaldur PoV]
"Have I done something to angry Superboy?" Renka asked, settling next to me on the couch. A brief mention that she had spent time in Metropolis with Superman this morning had sent Superboy storming away after our debriefing.
'
I wonder how much of the situation she genuinely does not understand, and how much of this is… no, not an act,' I considered.
'A façade might be a better word. Renka has proven both straightforward and reticent about herself thus far. Renka is notably intelligent, and it is only her inexperience in heroism and language that makes her occasionally seem to dimmer and more carefree.'
"It is not your fault he is upset." '
It is Superman's, for doing no duty to his blood.' "How was your time in Metropolis?"
"I have concluded that many criminals are stupid," she answered carefully.
'
That is a perfect example of Renka,' I decided. '
A colorful reply that answers the question without telling you very much.'
"What led you to this realization?" I asked.
"Superman is not hurt by fists or bullets. He can fly. He is very strong. He can hear people shout for help and he is sworn to stop all crimes. He lives in Metropolis. Only an idiot would try to steal a bank in his city. Or steal a purse."
"How many idiots did you meet today?" It appeared she was in a mood to share, most likely because this recent thing did not involve the dark secrets in her past. I decided to stop over-analyzing things as Robin was prone to do, and just enjoyed speaking with her.
"Six men tried to steal a bank."
"Six men tried to rob a bank," I corrected, remembering her desire to be corrected about these things. She gave me the questioning look and a hand gesture, which I had learned meant, 'please say more'. "You steal a thing, such as money. But when you steal money from a bank or a person, you rob the bank or person."
"Thank you," she chirped, seemingly in a better mood after the lesson. I would have suspected that it was more of her façade – the face she wanted us to see, rather than how she really felt – but I had also noticed that Renka appeared to be unskilled at lies and acting, so I couldn't be sure. "Six men tried to rob a bank. Next a drug deal. Then a purse-snatcher, or maybe a mugger; I forget the difference. He wet himself when Superman and I dropped down. Ah, when Superman dropped down," she corrected. "Then another drug deal. Why are drugs so popular here?"
"I would not know. I am not from America," I reminded Renka. "Atlantis has some magical drugs, but they are not so criminal as in this country. Nor so dangerous, mostly. Were there many drug problems in your home?"
She paused. It appeared to me to be less her 'I don't want to answer' pause and more her 'How do I answer' pause, although I did not know Renka well enough to be sure of either.
"Nnnoooot drugs," she decided. "A little among nobles who had the herbs and the people to make them, and a little among skaa in cities, but food and drink were more common." She grimaced. "And sex."
'
Her add-on at the end was either intentional, or something that was unpleasant to admit. Truth be told, I hope it was the former.' We still didn't know much about Renka's past, but she had fought for her life under some circumstances, and it was unlikely that she had a happy childhood.
"Due to our diversity of types, the Atlantian sex-trade is different from the surface world's, but in both places it is a problem," I told her. "Are there similar problems in your home as well?"
Renka eyed me carefully, and I became more and more certain that there was some history of this in her past. For her sake, I hoped that she had not been subject to such abuse.
"…The Final Empire had a caste system, I have said? Yes? There were laws against mixing the castes. Mixed-blood children were hunted and killed, as well as their parents." She grimaced. "There were… people could buy sex in cities, and that was bad, but I had no experience there."
'
But you did have some form of experience somewhere else. Possibly an unpleasant arranged marriage,' I considered. But Renka was clearly uncomfortable so I let the subject drop.
"Do you want to watch a movie?" she asked.
"I would not mind, though I should exercise later."
She smiled again. "I just did, and had a shower, but I will again later. Practice together? Sparring?" She made a punching gesture. I nodded. "Thank you! What movie is good?"
~
We stood across from each other in the circle of the ring. Renka had removed her metal and I would not use my water-bearers, but because of my strength and toughness I had spotted her a weapon.
"In the Blue corner, as blue as the water of his home! The one-man man-o-war! The heir of the ocean! The swimmer supreme! Give it up fooooorrr… Aqualad!" Wally announced. M'gann and Robin both made a show of clapping, while Superboy stayed silent. I stretched out my shoulders once more and eyed Renka warily.
"In the Red Corner! The mistress of all metals! The fairest Feruchemist! The girl with the most guts! Give a cheer for Ferrous!" Wally called again. This time M'gann cheered more loudly while Robin was more restrained in his applause.
"You can use my name," she called idly, giving a few practice swings with one of the maces Sportsmaster had kept on his person. Wally had offered Renka the mask, but she let it be his souvenir and instead kept several of his confiscated weapons. Her muscles tightened when she bounced on the balls of her feet, ready for the count.
"The rules of the match! Hand-to-hand only with Ferrous spotted one weapon! Winner either pins the other for a ten count or knocks them out of the taped square! Begin on my count! Three! Two! One! Go!"
I charged forward. My instincts were to straighten my arms at my sides, the better to use my water-bearers, but that would disqualify me. Instead I brought them close to my chest, ready to strike or defend. Renka had skipped back a pace when I first moved, but retreated no further. She eyed me, but kept her legs loose, and she began to swing as I closed in.
'
Too wide. Her torso is wide open, and she is building too much wind-up for her attack,' I judged as her arm coiled the hammer behind her back. If I had time to be nervous, I might have wondered about this unusual move, but as it was I reached arm's length and jabbed at her stomach.
Renka's backswing lengthened, and she leaned her torso backward in a dodge, counter-balancing with a kick aimed at my face. I blocked with my other arm, and she did…
something that used both my block and the mace (now braced like a crutch against the floor) as leverage to swing her other leg up in a kick that twisted toward my brow. I blocked the impressive maneuver, disengaged, and moved in again when she needed to spin through a handstand to return her feet to the floor.
As Renka unbalanced, she tossed the mace at me. It was a soft throw, but it surprised me. I paused to catch it, and she stood upright a moment later. Her leg drilled toward me, but she was too far away. I leaned back and put my arms out to catch her when she overextended.
The kick was not aimed directly at me.
She kicked the mace, which I hadn't yet dropped from my hand. It was at a bad angle, and she hopped off-balance, but I still felt pain when the heavy head slammed into my mouth.
Wallace made a comment that I paid no attention to.
Renka caught her balance with one hand on the flor, bounced back, and tried another kick.
'
That is a mistake,' I knew, and I caught her ankle. I pulled,
spun, and threw her out of bounds.
"And the winner is: Aqualad!" Wally declared.
"Heh. I want to fight Aqualad now," Superboy put in.
"Me and Renka go next," Wally added.
"I… think I'll stay on the sidelines. I mean, Hello Megan! Hand to hand is not really what I'm good at."
"You should get better at it though," Robin suggested. "How about we go after KF and Ferris?" M'gann nodded slowly.
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AN: Character interaction. Opinions. Non-Cosmere aware fans have been handed some background spoilers for the Mistborn Trilogy.
Also, I don't know Choffman36, but his poster popped up when I googled "giant robot billboard" and it was just too perfect. I don't think he'd mind the publicity, but if people think I should take the link down, I will. I'm not 100% up on all of the do's and do not's of links.
That seems like the sort of random and awkward mistake she'd make. Superman was vague enough in describing them for it. She sussed out the funny one, the eldest, the youngest and the girl so it's possible?
