trans_9 | The Boys

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The Boys

Right, so they'd found out the deal from that...really weird stuttery kid. Blah blah sentient spaceship blah blah abducted from different worlds, and then the important part: No aliens. That made the whole...superheroing, defeating them, and getting home thing a lot harder. (And Kon, in particular, REALLY needed to get home. Actually, so did Bart. World-saving things had been going on).

In the meantime, there were other people here, and it'd be good to meet them. So Superboy, Impulse, and Robin were in Obs Deck, mingling with the other people there and whatnot.

Come on, come all, and get one, two, or all three while they're hot. (Which was always, in Kon's case, as far as he was concerned).

"Any other superheroes up in this ugly mother--" Wait, that AI thingy might get pissed off. "--ship? Mothership?" he called out as soon as they entered.

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Technically, he WAS worried about damaging time and that was why he was so umcomfortable, so Tim guessed rightly, sort of. That guess likely seemed even more accurate because of how he relaxed when the subject changed.

"Well, the big theory going around is we've been recruited for some kinda army. Lots of superheroes, metas, armed forces people, cops, or people that are just...useful somehow are the ones that got grabbed. And me and the Doctor--very cool, very old alien time traveler guy--and Scorpius--very smart but very creepy guy who seems to be helping now, but I wouldn't trust him in the long run--were poking around this place in the city that looks like an MC Escher painting gone nuts. It leads to, like, this pocket dimension, with a creepy cathedral, and it's all created by this...thing. Evil force of, well, evil trapped in this huge black stone, guarded by these crazy living statues that move whenever you blink or whenever it goes dark. We barely got out alive."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, whatever grabbed us trapped it, too. It wants out."

He went on to explain, just slightly excitedly, because they'd discovered something akin to answers. "And that's not even the big clue to the whole puzzle, either. It's what we found while running from it that is."

Edited 2008-08-27 00:21 (UTC)

Tim made a face. He was already being courted by an army, and he was pretty sure he was going to say no. He was Robin. Robin worked for Batman, not the US Army. He listened as Jaime continued, raising his eyebrows. Wow. Sounded like this place was... really going to be interesting.

He tilted his head to the side in curiosity at the last statement. "What did you find?"

"We found a holographic log of one of the scientists studying the stone thing. Kind of his last moments. It was decayed--we couldn't tell what he looked like, but they were trying to use the evil thing in the stone as a weapon and apparently underestimated it. When the weeping angels came, they holed up in that room, trying to hold them off, and the scientist was trying to leave a message for his mate, and a warning that the thing in the stone was too powerful to control," Jaime explained.

"He also mentioned an attack on the ship outside, and that they'd lost communication with the rest of the ship since then--and he mentioned a war. There's some sort of war going on. I think those aliens grabbed all us, like they did the stone thing, but there was some sort of attack, and now, because of it, they're gone. The ship has an AI though, so it's on autopilot, maybe. Now the question is: what kind of war is it? We don't know if they grabbed us for something petty or evil or if it's some sort of fight against evil and they just sucked and didn't ASK us for help. We also don't know how long it's been since whatever happened to the aliens."

Edited 2008-08-27 19:44 (UTC)

"That... sounds a little like the plot to a science fiction movie," Tim said, trying to make sense of what Jaime had told him. "So... you think the ship's still doing its thing--grabbing new people to fight a war that may be over by now--because it's on autopilot? The crew is all dead--possibly because of the stone entity you found in the Escher place?"

Wait--"Weeping Angels?"

"Weeping angels. That's what the Doctor called the living stone things. They look like angels, and when you first see them, they look like this."

Jaime covered his face with both hands as they'd done, as if he was crying behind them, before dropping them again.

He explained, "They freeze the moment a living thing looks directly at them. The Doctor said they do that so they don't accidentally look at each other and freeze in place. But when it goes dark, or when you blink, they move. Luckily, they're trapped in there with the stone thing as far as we can tell."

As for the rest: "We're on a spaceship. I think we're in the plot of a science fiction movie." A pause. "As opposed to a superhero movie with a science fiction plot. I'm not sure I'm liking this whole genre shift here."

He shook his head. "I don't know if it's grabbing anyone anymore--but then it's hard to count the pods in the caverns, so for all we know, Stacy IS adding more people, but at the very least, I think we're being carried on wherever she was headed before whatever happened to the crew. I don't think the evil stone being killed everyone. It might've, but it was possibly just the scientific team studying it--the way he worded it...it's like they couldn't get help because something had already happened to the other people in the ship. No one answered their calls for help. If the stone thing killed everyone, they would've been the first dead, not the last."

Edited 2008-08-28 00:25 (UTC)

Tim shook his head in amazement at the description of the weeping angels. This place just kept getting weirder and weirder. "Do they do anything other than move around? Or are they just creepy?"

"I think I preferred my original genre, too," he agreed, making a face. "And--you're probably right about the deal with the stone thing not getting the rest of the crew. It makes more sense than what I was thinking."

"Um, apparently if they catch up to you, they kill you. The Doctor said they do something by sort of making you cease to exist, but in that place, judging from the alien bloodstains on the floor, they just killed them. Messily. They're also indestructible. I tried to blow one up with a plasma cannon and it was no go."

Now where did he GET the plasma cannon was probably a good question...

"That sounds pretty crappy," Tim said flatly. Note: leave the weeping angels alone and give them a whole lot of space. He did a double take when he registered the weapon Jaime had used. "Wait--plasma cannon?"

Jaime nodded.

"Mmm hmm."

Then he bopped himself on the forehead. "Oh, duh, you haven't met me yet. You don't know about the scarab."

With that, there was a flash of blue light and a crackle of energy as black and blue spread over his body.

"I have the Blue Beetle scarab." A pause. "In my spine."

Tim blinked a couple of times. It was... weird, at best, seeing Blue Beetle again so soon after his death. Especially as a kid Tim's age.

"I guess that would explain the plasma cannon..."

"It turned out to be alien tech masquerading as magical. Sentient alien tech created by this race called the Reach. It was meant to take over the mind of the host and have them help the Reach conquer Earth, but it'd been...changed. And over time it learned, became its own person. Khaji's just as much a hero as I am now. But in the beginning, I kind of wound up with him by accident, actually..."

He hadn't chosen to take on Ted Kord's legacy, not at first.

"I found it after it'd somehow got blown up and landed in my hometown, and burrowed into my back and attached itself in my sleep. Then Booster Gold came and said I had to help with the Crisis, because there was something only the scarab could do."

Jaime rubbed his neck.

"Booster's the one...that called me Blue Beetle. So I figured instead of fighting it, I should try my hardest to be worthy of the name."

Robin got something of an apologetic half-smile.

"I don't know if I really am yet, but I hope I'm doing things that would make him--make them both proud."

Little did he know that they were.

"This was my honor, Mr. Kord, sir." "It's Ted, Jaime. You can always call me Ted. ...And I'd be honored to call you the Blue Beetle."

But that memory had been wiped away.

Edited 2008-08-28 04:45 (UTC)

Tim nodded slowly. He knew a little bit about trying to fill very big shoes. And he'd chosen his life--not the other way around. Maybe he shouldn't have been so... yeah, he'd been pretty rude to begin with.

"Sounds like you've had an interesting time of it," he said finally. He gave Jaime an apologetic smile of his own. "Sorry I reacted the way I did when you introduced yourself. I wasn't really expecting... that."

He powered the suit down.

"No, that's okay. That is. Uh. A lot of people--I mean, if I'd just stormed in and declared myself Blue Beetle, I could see how that could be...uppity. And rude."

Tim tried--he really did--but in the end, he couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing.

That...was a slightly horrifying sound. Mainly because he'd never heard it before. Robin laughing. Who knew it was even possible?

"I don't think I just said something funny, so I'm guessing I just said something unintentionally hilariously awkward, didn't I."

Tim was busy trying to compose himself enough to talk again, so he missed the horrified look on Jaime's face.

"Um--unintentionally hilariously awkward is one way to put it, but I think it's kind of funny. Just--funny, not awkward. That--the storming in and declaring?--is pretty much exactly what I did to Batman."

Now Jaime laughed. Hard.

"You didn't happen to have the foresight to bring a camera to catch the look on his face, did you?"

"I wish, but I left it at home that day," Tim replied with a wide grin. "I mean--can you see a little thirteen year old kid--and I used to be short--walking up to Batman and telling him that since Nightwing won't go back to being Robin, he has to let him do it?" He shook his head a little. "I can't believe it worked."

"I can't either. How'd you convince him? How'd you even do it? I mean, he's helped me out a lot, and he's actually been surprisingly...nice, in his kinda scary, scary way, but the first time I met him, I was so nervous I puked in the Batcave."

"Well, it helped that I haven't really been afraid of him since I was three." He paused, realized how rude that sounded. "Not that that's in any way usual, even in Gotham. It was just that I saw him be really nice to another kid during what was probably the worst moment in his life. It was hard to be afraid of him after that.

"As for how I convinced him..." Tim gave a slightly abashed grin. "I think it helped that I'd figured out who he was... when I was nine. And I was pushy, telling him why he needed a Robin, and that since I was the only volunteer, he should give me a chance."

"Nine? Seriously? When I was nine, me and my best friend tried to give each other permanent 'tattoos'--" Jaime did quotey fingers. "--with Sharpies. And we were dumb enough to think they'd actually last, too. Back then I was too busy trying to retain encyclopedic knowledge about lucha libre to be figuring out any superhero identities, and getting tricked into eating Play-do." Thank you, Paco.

He'd always figured Robin was pretty cool. It was neat to finally meet him. For real this time.

Edited 2008-08-28 07:16 (UTC)

Tim gave him an embarrassed smile. "My folks traveled a lot, and I had a lot of time on my hands. Batman and Robin were... kind of a hobby for me. I used to take pictures and collect newspaper clippings. Finally I saw something that let me figure it out."

He laughed. "Play-do, huh? Salty."

"Very nasty, and not the first time I was tricked like that, but that's okay. Paco still doesn't know I was the one behind the infamous sock puppet incident that happened a week later." He'd asked the birthday clown a favor, but not expected Paco to be QUITE that terrified.

Jaime snorted. "You were a superhero fanboy from the start, weren't you. But that makes sense. You'd have to look up to superheroes that much to turn yourself into such a good one."

Edited 2008-08-28 07:28 (UTC)

"Sock...?" Tim shook his head. "No--nevermind. I'm not going to ask."

Tim grinned at Jaime's evaluation of him as a kid. "Yeah... that's pretty much right, though fairly specific to Batman and Robin. Especially once I figured out who they were."

"And... thanks. I wish I knew you better so I could return the compliment." He laughed a little. "I feel like I'm at a disadvantage."

It was nice. Okay, so he was some...big softie or something, he acted cool and laid back, but he liked when people wanted to be his friend. Didn't necessarily NEED it, but it was nice. And this was a far cry from, "You're too inexperienced to be a Titan, you'll get yourself killed, ~~newb~~."

Jaime waved a hand dismissively.

"You'll get to know me. Either here or there, don't worry. In the meantime, I gotta go find my friend Paco--he got grabbed too--and let him know some people we actually recognize are here."

And tell him not to spill the beans.

"I'll be around--and we should probably go looking for answers, soon. This is the kind of thing that needs a detective."

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