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Post by Admin on Jan 23, 2007 15:42:17 GMT -5
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Post by Admin on Jan 23, 2007 15:44:21 GMT -5
Legion Of Super Heroes
Issue #3: “The New Guy”
Written by Scott Kruger
Cover by Ramon Villalobos
Edited by Mark Bowers |
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Post by Admin on Jan 23, 2007 15:46:13 GMT -5
Legion roll call:
Cosmic Boy (Rokk Krinn)
Lightning Lad (Garth Ranzz)
Phantom Girl (Tinya Wazzo)
Sun Boy (Dirk Morgna)
Blok
Polar Boy (Brek Bannin)
Shrinking Violet (Salu Digby)
Brainiac 5 (Querl Dox)
Reserve Members: Triplicate Girl (Luornu Durgo); Invisible Kid (Lyle Norg)
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Post by Admin on Jan 23, 2007 15:58:18 GMT -5
Legion Clubhouse, Metropolis
Tension filled the air surrounding the main conference room on the top floor of the Clubhouse. The team, sans Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad and Shrinking Violet, gathered around the closed door waiting for the meeting with the green-skinned, large-eared Coluan to end. Cos and Lightning Lad had entered the conference room with their newest member, Brainiac 5, over an hour earlier. Their topic of discussion unknown, much to the team’s chagrin.
Polar Boy was attempting to listen in on what was happening inside. He had created a cone of ice, the large end against the door, the pointed end in his ear. He listened intently, yet unsuccessfully.
“The room is sound proof, you oaf!” Phantom Girl said, smacking the back of his head.
“Ow! That was uncalled for!” Polar Boy protested, rubbing his sore head.
“But funny…” Sun Boy added, with a smirk, as he smugly leaned against Blok. “I bet the smug little computer boy is in there mocking our inferior intelligence. Does anyone really know what a 12th level Effector Computer-Brain is anyway?”
“Something you could use at least a percentage of,” Polar Boy replied, bending back down to stick his ear in his listening cone again.
Sun Boy stuck out his pointer finger and thumb imitating a gun, pointed it at the ice cone and instantly melted it. Polar Boy’s head slammed into the door. Everyone laughed but Phantom Girl.
“You… I… uuurgh!” Phantom Girl steamed, turned and phased through the floor.
“What!?” Sun Boy asked.
“You know how to get under her skin,” Shrinking Violet responded, as she appeared suddenly before Sun Boy from virtually nowhere.
“Gah!” Sun Boy shouted. “Would you stop doing that?! Vi, darlin’ you’re gonna give me a heart attack.”
“I think you need a heart first,” she replied.
The door unlocked and slid open, revealing Brainiac 5. Polar Boy jumped up off the floor, knocking both himself and Vi over. He landed with his head between her breasts.
“You mind, Frosty?” she asked.
“Not at all,” he replied, looking up at her with a sheepish grin.
Both stood up and turned to face Brainiac. He wore a black and purple suit with a white lab coat, his blond hair cut very short with small metal diodes attached to his head and, yes, strangely large ears. The large yellow belt he wore when he originally arrived was still strapped to his waste, but now had a Legion belt buckle. His small white Argathian monkey still sat lazily around his neck.
He stood in the doorway, eyeing everyone that regarded him. He couldn’t hide his contempt if he tried.
“Hey, Welcome to the team…” Blok said, breaking the uncomfortable silence, and extending his hand, which Brainiac 5 eyed as though it were diseased.
“Indeed,” he replied, not taking the offered hand. The monkey wrapped around his neck jerked up, flicked Brainiac’s ear and let out a high-pitched squeal. Brainiac 5 winced and glared at the monkey, then took Blok’s hand and shook it twice.
Brainiac then moved stiffly by everyone and walked toward his new laboratory. The monkey on his shoulders smiled and waved at everyone.
“Charming fellow,” Vi added... “I think I like his monkey better.”
“That’s enough,” Cos said, stepping out of the conference room. “Vi, I need to see you and Tinya immediately. Brek, get to the Mission Monitor Board. Contact Luornu and Lyle; have them report to the Clubhouse as soon as they can… special emphasis: sooner would be good.”
“On it, CB!” Polar Boy responded, jogging toward the Monitor room.
“I’ll get Tinya.” Vi added, heading toward the turbo lift.
“Whatcha got fer us, boss?” Blok asked nodding toward Sun Boy.
“A day off… grab some R&R,” Lightning Lad said over Cosmic Boy’s shoulder.
“Nothing wrong with that!” Sun Boy grinned.
As they walked off, Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad walked back into the conference room, taking seats at opposite
ends of the table.
“I don’t like this at all, Rokk,” Lightning Lad said. “Since when has the United Planets decided who is in and out of the Legion? Don’t get me wrong… with Lyle on reserve status, we could use some extra brain power… especially with those two clowns on the team,” he added, regarding Sun Boy and Polar Boy.
“I know,” Cos replied. “It’s damn peculiar… but we could use his expertise. Especially since we’re learning more about the Dark Circle from the prisoner.”
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Post by Admin on Jan 23, 2007 15:59:13 GMT -5
The lower level of the clubhouse contained, among many other things, a small, but very well equipped, holding cell. It was very rarely ever used, and even then, only on very special occasions. And this was certainly one of those occasions. The room itself was lit only by the ray shield holding the prisoner in. The shield installed earlier that morning, after much protest, by Brainiac 5.
The prisoner sat, sulking on a bench in the center of his cell. His head held low, his shoulders slumped, his hands held loosely at his sides and sorrow splayed on every facial feature.
Jo Nah was not having a good month.
“Why did you do it?” a soft voice asked from seemingly nowhere.
He jumped up from the bench, suddenly startled from the voice. He feared it was the voice in his head returning… but no, that voice was raspy and arrogant. This one was soft and unsure of itself.
“Who’s there?” Jo called out to the darkness.
Phantom Girl seemingly materialized before him. She had the most beautiful face he had ever seen, soft pale skin, dark sad eyes, cherry red lips and raven black hair. The sight of her nearly took his breath away.
She paused as well. His dark brown hair and eyes. His rugged good looks… she stopped herself, remembering that she was already taken. She took a deep breath.
“… Why did you do it?” she asked again.
“I… I didn’t want to. I tried not to… He made me… forced me to. He was in my head.” Jo stammered, the memory bringing tears to his eyes again. He sat back down on the bench and buried his head in his hands.
The boy was broken and utterly defeated. She was no Saturn Girl, but she didn’t need psychic powers to see this. Phantom Girl realized that even if they removed the energy field, he would not run.
“What are you doing with my prisoner?” Brainiac 5 asked suddenly, as he switched on the lights to the cell block.
“Your prisoner?” Phantom Girl replied bitterly.
“I brought him to justice, I designed the field that keeps him in place , so yes, my prisoner.” Each point he made with a finger jabbed into her shoulder.
“You are not the Legion, Brainiac,” she replied, drawing herself up to her full height, a head taller than the Coluan, her voice suddenly quite commanding. “You are a new recruit here, and I outrank you. He is a prisoner of the United Planets.”
“Fine, our prisoner. ‘Cosmic Boy’ is looking for you,” Brainiac 5 replied scornfully.
Phantom Girl passed through Brainiac 5 as if he were a holographic transmission.
“Gah!” Brainiac 5 nearly jumped out of his skin; the monkey on his shoulder snickered.
Jo was very impressed and instantly in love.
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Post by Admin on Jan 23, 2007 15:59:55 GMT -5
Downtown Metropolis, Entertainment District.
Blok hated leave time. Face it, it wasn’t easy for a 8’2” man made of stone to blend in. As it was, he wore a long coat, dark lenses and an old fashioned hat to try and hide his identity. It mostly worked, people just steered clear of him fearing for their lives. Especially with the attacks from the Dark Circle still so fresh on their minds.
Dirk, on the other hand, loved the attention. Even without his Legion uniform on, the people loved to flock to him. Especially the females. He strode down the Metropolis streets with a girl on each arm and three others following. He wore a short red coat, and dark lenses as well, though his were for style reasons, not camouflage.
Blok kept his distance from Sun Boy, but still kept him in sight. After all, if Dirk had no regard for his own safety, someone had to look out for him.
That was Blok, the gentle giant of the team, always willing to protect not only UP citizens, but his brothers and sisters in the Legion as well… at all costs.
“…and then there was the time that Dr. Regulus decided he wanted revenge on me and kidnapped my father! Saturn Girl grounded me… thought I was too attached to the case to work effectively! Yeah, right…” Dirk boasted to his adoring audience as he approached the Holo-Star Theater. It was currently showing a classic ‘flick’, as he called them, named “I Was a Teenage Sidekick”.
Dirk guided his dates through the door, leaving Blok on the street side. Blok turned and sat on the curb, quite the sight to behold, since he couldn’t sit in the small chairs in the theater. He sat there, as he often did, contemplating life and thinking of his family back on Dryad… his older sister Strata on his mind. He was remembering a story she had told him long ago about an adventure with another Legion when a familiar voice sounded out.
“Hey, look everyone! It’s Blok from the Legion of Super-Heroes!” It was Dirk’s voice. Blok turned and saw Dirk wave. “Eat it up, man, you deserve it.”
Dirk disappeared into the theater as crowds gathered around Blok, asking for his autograph, his picture and hugs. He was cordial, as always, but really just wanted to be left alone.
“Mr. Blok, sir?” A small boy tapped him on his shin.
“What is it little man?” Blok asked.
“You’re my favorite Legionnaire. Can you sign this?” the boy asked holding up a 14” toy version of Blok.
“Well… I don’t know, he’s kinda small… I’ll try…” As Blok reached for the figurine, an explosion went off down the street, followed by another, then another, and another. Theaters, stores, and restaurants were destroyed as the explosions progressively made their way up the street.
Blok stood, shielding the boy and everyone around, as the theater Dirk was in violently exploded.
“Dir… Sun Boy!” Blok called out for his friend.
The façade of the theater plummeted toward the crowd, but Blok threw himself under it, catching it and holding it up.
“Get clear!” he shouted at the crowd. “Sun Boy, can you hear me?” he called again toward the demolished theater. With no response, he waited until everyone was clear then let go of the theater façade. It crumbled upon impact, yet Blok paid no attention; he was on the rubble in a flash digging through permacrete and steel, searching for survivors and his friend.
To his astonishment he found nothing. No one at all. A bright green and black light whizzed by him at a tremendous speed, and disappeared through the thick smoke toward the original explosion.
“Over here, stone boy,” his friend called out to him.
“What the blazes happened?” Blok asked, rushing to his friend’s side. Other theater patrons were standing around him, some in shock, others crying, thankfully none hurt.
“I don’t know… We heard and felt the first explosion. I got everyone up and moving toward the back exit. Then there was a green bubble around us. Then you were yelling for me.”
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Post by Admin on Jan 23, 2007 16:04:18 GMT -5
Later…
For the second time in two weeks, the Legion of Super-Heroes dug through rubble recovering bodies, and luckily, finding the occasional survivor. 3006 was not an easy year so far. Phantom Girl emerged from a large pile of rubble, phasing through with a wounded civilian cradled in her arms.
Cosmic Boy used his magnetic abilities to move large steel enforced permacrete slabs. He was wondering when the Legion went from a superhero group to a search and rescue unit. He knew it was time to take the fight to the Dark Circle. The problem was finding them…
“No, I don’t know where the Circle’s headquarters is… I told the Science Police that. I was just being used as a pawn because of my super-powers,” the prisoner Jo Nah told Cosmic Boy earlier that day. “If I knew their location, I’d lead the sprocking charge…”
“He’s telling the truth, ‘Cosmic Boy’. He had no control over his faculties throughout his attack on my world,” Brainiac 5 interjected. “In fact, the cranial scan and Neurological Imaging scan I performed on him earlier, showed abnormal brain activity.”
“Implants?” Cos asked.
“No, ‘Cosmic Boy’, nothing as intrusive. He was being controlled by someone with hyper-sensitive telepathy.” Brainiac replied.
“Stop doing that.”
“What?”
“Calling me ‘Cosmic Boy’ like it’s some kind of inside joke… call me Cos while we’re on duty,” Cos ordered. He cleared his throat and continued the briefing, “Titanian?”
“Perhaps… ‘Cos’; However, they are not the only telepathic race in the Universe.”
“So, ‘Brainy’, is he still a threat?” Cosmic Boy asked, with the same tone Brainiac used when saying his name before.
Brainiac 5 shuddered. “No, I would say, he is free of influence.”
“Alright, we’ll set him free of your force field, but keep him here until the Science Police can clear him with your evidence,” Cos said.
“*ahem* Excuse me?” Jo called to them.
“Yes?” Cos walked up to the ray shield.
“If it were all the same to the two of you, I’d rather you didn’t,” Jo interjected.
“What?” the Legionnaires said in unison.
“I know what I did under the Dark Circle’s control… I remember every damned minute of it. I won’t risk it again. Here, under this force field, everyone is safe. You guys go out there and nail the Sprockers…Then you can let me out. Just do me a favor and knock the leader a good one for me.”
Jo was a noble teenager with extraordinary powers, thrust into a rotten situation.
Cosmic Boy’s thoughts drifted back to the present, to his team… he almost lost Sun Boy. The Legion obviously had a guardian angel out there though… something saved Sun Boy and the endangered civilians when the Dark Circle struck again. He added the green and black blur with the protective green bubble to his mental list of things to add to the investigation.
But the Dark Circle had to take precedence.
No one even knew for sure what the Dark Circle wanted in the first place… Except they want the UP Government to step down, and something about puppet masters. One thing was certain, the Dark Circle was becoming a larger threat with every passing day and the fact that the leader had mind control powers scared the hell out of him. What would happen if the Dark Circle were to unleash an army of super-powered beings? Would the Legion be able to stop them? They need more members on the team… Or, worse yet, what if the Dark Circle’s leader took control of the Legion?
A thought occurred to Cos… something simple he hadn’t thought of. Something that could even bring a very powerful ally to the table.
“Brainy, this is Cos. Acknowledge,” Cosmic Boy said into his flight ring.
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Post by Admin on Jan 23, 2007 16:05:18 GMT -5
“That was quite sloppy of you,” the little man said to his charge. “You are far too valuable here.”
“I’m sorry, sir. But there were people in danger. I couldn’t just…”
“No, of course not!” The little man shook his head then patted the boy’s hand. “I’m sorry. Old habits… You did well. Just next time you help, while planet side, use your stealth power.”
The boy perked up and smiled.
“No one must know that a Green Lantern lives on earth. If they did, the consequences could be disastrous.”
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Post by Admin on Jan 23, 2007 16:05:39 GMT -5
To be continued…
Next: Legion of Super-Heroes #4 “The Revolution!”. Cosmic Boy and Shrinking Violet take center stage as civil war threatens to consume their home-worlds once again!
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