#i miss main story man. i miss the weird 'we kidnapped a suspect we gave to u & l8r u chased us out of the skydom' dynamic we have w them

[toestalucia]

(person whos back from writing akira) thinking about how akira looks like ur average dude & is ur average dude while gran looks like ur average dude but is definitely not ur average dude

[sebeth]

Young Justice: Denial, Cold Case, Hot Case

Episode 7: “Denial”

July 27th: Kent Nelson enters the parlor of Madame Xanadu. Madame offers to make contact with Kent’s deceased wife, Inza, if “fate be so kind”.

Kent responds: “But he so rarely is.”

Kent laughs at Xanadu’s attempt to contact his wife: “That was supposed to be my wife? Heck, my little spitfire would have kicked my can for throwing away good money on you.”

Kent criticizes Madame Xanadu for her fakery: “A shame, too.  You have the perfect aura for the work.”

An interesting choice on the writers’ parts to make Madame Xanadu a charlatan.  She would be tied with Dream Girl as the most famous pre-cog in the DC Universe.  They did allow themselves room to re-introduce her as a genuine pre-cog with the “you have the perfect aura for the work” comment.

Kent is kidnapped from the parlor.

We return to the comic book series for the 9th and 10th issue, “Cold Case” and “Hot Case”, a spotlight on the origin of Captain Atom.

August 13:

School is in session for the team as Captain Atom gives a lecture on subterfuge and infiltration. Kaldur is the only member actively taking notes.  Robin’s rolling his eyes, Superboy’s yawning and stretching, Wally’s stuffing his face, and the girls are polite in their expressions of boredom.

The team’s reactions ring true.  Conner and Wally are self-aware enough to realize subterfuge will never be one of their strengths.  Dick’s heard the same lecture a million times from the Batman. Kaldur is serious and a former military man – he knows the value of training and intel.  M’gann is most likely thinking to herself “telepathing, shape-shifting, can turn invisible Martian here – we wrote the book on subterfuge”, and Artemis is wondering why she signed up for the team if it involves more schoolwork.

Captain Atom, a man encased in shiny metal, may seem like an odd choice for a lecture on subterfuge and infiltration, until you realize his pre-hero background in military intelligence.

Atom stops his lecture: “This is boring, isn’t it?”

Megan attempts to reassure the Captain but the always blunt Conner interrupts with “Yeah, boring”.

Captain Atom proposes a field exercise: “This is a cold case. Vietnam era. Captain Nathaniel Adams, United States Air Force. Convicted in 1968 of murdering Air Force General Clement Lemar. Adams died in prison. But I’ve received a reliable tip he was framed. Your assignment: investigate. Prove Adams’ innocence or reconfirm his guilt and report back to me.”

Conner interjects: “Really? You need super-powered operatives for this?”

Atom offers to resume the lecture but the team decides on the field exercise.

The team doesn’t realize it but Captain Atom has revealed his secret identity and part of his origin story.  Nathaniel Adam was part of a secret experiment that transformed him into Captain Atom and catapulted him decades into the future.  The frame-up/died in prison was used as a way to explain Nathanial’s presumed death.

DC Comics purchased several comic book publishers during the 1970s and 1980s.  The most famous companies were Fawcett, Charlatan, and Quality. The purchases caused DC cast of characters to rapidly expand.  Notable characters from the purchases included the Captain Marvel Family, Plastic Man, Blue Beetle, the Blackhawks, the Question, and many others.

DC assigned the various companies’ characters their own earths in the multiverse: Earth-F, etc. Their villains, supporting characters, and continuing adventures each happened on their own earth.  The new to the DC Universe characters would occasionally interact with the mainstream DC earth.

DC decided the DC multiverse had become too complex by the mid-1980s.  I’m not sure why as I was between 6 to 8 years old during this time and I had no trouble following along with the various worlds. Sorry, reboots make me bitter.  We lose more than we gain in every time.  Any characters created in the reboots – Tim, Conner, Bart, Kyle – could have still been created without half-assed reboots.

Back on point, DC created the “Crisis On Infinite Earths”. Despite my dislike of reboots, “Crisis” is an excellent story and a must read for any DC fan.  Great writing, gorgeous art, and fabulous character moments.  

Post-Crisis, there was only one earth.  Captain Atom was re-launched into his own solo title.  He had notable romances with Nightshade and Plastique. Atom’s main foe was Major Force whose later actions would later name the “Women in Refrigerators” trope.  Captain Atom also served as the long-suffering leader of Justice League Europe. Atom was the inspiration for the “Doctor Manhattan” character in the Watchmen

Atom’s downfall would be known as “Armageddon”. He was intended to be the villain behind it. The plot reveal was leaked and the writers hastily changed the villain’s identity to Hawk (Hank Hall) – which made less sense than the choice of Captain Atom.

I dislike “hero goes bad” or “villain goes good” stories.  They are rarely done well.  In hero cases, the writers go to extremes – downfall of Hal Jordan, anyone? In villain cases, the bad guy has become popular, so the writers change him into a good guy and ignore the atrocities they’ve committed – I’m looking at you, Harley Quinn. Particularly the Harley in the Injustice universe.

Captain Atom never recovered from the “Armageddon” debacle.  He would make sporadic appearances but nothing too memorable until the “Captain Atom: Armageddon” mini-series that led to the decimation of the Wildstorm universe.

A disguised Megan enters the Pentagon to interview General Wade Eiling, the judge at Nathanial’s court martial. Wade sums up Adams as a “malcontent” who blamed his “victim Lemar for a Viet Cong ambush” and Adams “was caught in the act by an M.P. Sergeant Polk”. Eiling, a Colonel at the time, found Adams guilty and sentenced him to life in prison.  Adams “took his own life before a year was out”.

Robin easedrops from the ceiling.

Wally and Conner pose as journalism students in order to interview a Lieutenant Yarrow at a casino in Las Vegas.  Conner clearly doesn’t care about subterfuge – at all – as he is still wearing the Superboy shirt.  Wally is in his civilian attire.

The dealer reminds the boys “no one under twenty-one” is allowed in the casino.  Conner questions if “under 21” counts “in weeks or months”.

Wally’s excited by the “$4.95 all-you-can-eat buffet”: “My kind of town!”  Buffets are a true blessing for speedsters, their metabolisms, and their budgets.  Not so much for the owners of said buffets.

Lt. Yarrow was Adams’ defense council: “His friend too. Served together in ‘Nam. The only survivors of Hill 409.”

Yarrow continues “Nate worked Air Force Intelligence. He suspected a weapons smuggling ring and confided as much to General Lemar. Lemar claimed to have heard rumors too. Ordered Nate to take a squad to Hill 409. It was an ambush. Nate saved my life. The rest of Nate’s men weren’t so lucky. Nate became convinced Lemar was part of the smuggling ring and had sent us into the ambush. I tried to talk him out of it but Nate insisted on confronting Lemar only to black out moments later. Later, Nate would insist he had been drugged. And I believed him. Cuz there’s no way the Nathianel Adams I knew would murder a man in cold blood!”

“I took on Nate’s defense but the prosecutor Lieutenant Kevin Blankly proved Nate’s service knife was the murder weapon.  And the medical examiner, Major Shirley Mason testified there were no drugs in Nate’s system. So the judge found Nate guilty and sentenced him to life in prison. And that’s where Nate died. But get this…that judge, Colonel Wade Eiling, he married Nate’s widow and raised Nate’s two kids as his own!”

Wade Eiling would be a thorn in Nathaniel’s side throughout the Captain Atom series.  Wade didn’t transform into a full-fledged villain until the Morrison Era JLA where he merged with the Shaggy Man and ran amuck as the “General”.

Robin decides the next step is to interview Shirley Mason. Dick and Megan arrive at the Arlington home of Mason only to discover her corpse.

Dick notes: “She’s got something in her hand. I don’t want to disturb the crime scene, but we need to see what it is.”

Trained protégé of Batman speaking!

Megan levitates the corpse so Robin can view the picture in Mason’s hand. The photo is a group shot of military personnel.

Kaldur and Artemis meet with Nathaniel’s children in Honolulu.

Peggy firmly believes in her father’s innocence, as did her mother, but Randy does not: “Wade Eiling is our father. He raised us. Adams gave up any parental rights the day he betrayed our country and murdered his superior officer.”

It should be noted Randy has joined a military branch – possibly the Air Force.

Peggy was born after her father’s death so she must have learned her firm belief in her father’s innocence from her mother.

Angela Adams, Nathaniel’s wife, firmly believed in Nathaniel’s innocence but went on to marry the man that sentenced him to prison? Weird.

Artemis doesn’t empathize with Peggy’s belief in her father: “Biology hardly guarantees parental skills or even basic honesty.”

Kaldur tells Artemis of his parents: “My mother, Sha’lain’a, is a native of the Atlantean city-state of Shayeris. Her skin is nearly as golden as her hair and her gills are quite large and gorgeous. My father, Calvin Durham, is a surface-worlder like you, genetically altered by Black Manta to infiltrate Atlantis as a water-breather.”

“Your dad works for Black Manta?”

“He did. But his love for my mother caused him to switch sides.”

Kaldur doesn’t realize it but there are a few important details he hasn’t been told about his parents’ romance.

If you only watched the cartoon and never read the comic books, you missed the foreshadowing that justified Kaldur’s villainous role in season two.

Dick, Megan, Wally, and Conner are in Annapolis.

Dick has identified the people in the photo.

Megan has a question: “I know my grasp of Earth history is largely based on Earth sitcoms but why would a North Vietnamese General be in a 1968 photograph with U.S. personnel?”

Someone needs to hand Megan some history books!

The group is outside General Tang’s mansion. Conner realizes another man is in the mansion and he is carrying a sword.

Conner and Wally are ready to rush in but Dick holds the duo back: “This is a covert op. We keep to the shadows. We don’t take the offensive. Like in Captain Atom’s lecture.”

Wally is shocked that Dick was actually listening to the lecture.

An invisible Megan enters the home.

Trang converses with the man: “I know why you are here. I still have my sources. I know about Mason, and I know your work. But I am disappointed, Rako. I have protected you since you were a child. Have you no loyalty?”

Rako goes for the kill but is stopped by Megan.

Conner storms in and is shocked when Rako’s sword cuts him: “I’m…I’m bleeding?”

The group battle Rako but are unable to prevent Trang’s murder. Rako escapes in the confusion.

August 14, Metropolis: The reunited team meet in a Metropolis diner.

Superboy is still shocked over his wound but insists “It’s a scratch. I’m fine. Move on.”

Facial recognition software has identified the individuals in the photograph:

1)      Lt. Kevin Blankly, USAF

2)      Lt. Henry Yarrow, USAF

3)      Alec Rois, CIA

4)      General Clement Lemar, USAF

5)      Major Shirley Mason, USAF

6)      General Duk Trang, NVA

7)      Sgt. Ends Polk, USAF

8)      Unknown child

The group theorizes the “unknown child” is Rako and that’s he been sent to tie up the “loose ends” in the Adams case.

Kaldur divides the team in half – Dick, Conner, and Wally will head to Las Vegas to protect Yarrow while the rest remain in Metropolis to investigate Polk.

The trio arrive in Las Vegas only to witness Yarrow’s house explode. Yarrow was killed in the explosion. The boys identify Yarrow by a tattoo on his arm.

The team reunites in St. George to confront the trio behind the recent deaths: Rois, Rako, and a not dead Henry Yarrow. The team quickly captures the trio. Yarrow dies – for real this time – in the fight.

The team returns to Mount Justice to report their findings: The accusations and resulting frame-up of Admas was to cover a weapons smuggling ring. Wade Eiling was the only one involved in the trial who wasn’t a member of the smuggling ring.

Kaldur and Artemis fly to Honolulu to inform the Adams kids of their father’s innocence.

Nathan and Wade mend fences over their preconceived notions of the other’s guilt. Wade informs Nathan: “Let me reintroduce you to your kids”.

The issue ends with Rois and Rako escaping from prison and meeting up with Wade. Turns out, Wade was in charge of the entire smuggling ring. He wasn’t in the picture because he took the picture!

Wade: “Captain Atom is my new best friend. Which should serve us well in the days ahead.”

An intriguing plotline that never received any follow up.

We return to “Denial”:

August 19th: The team participates in combat training.  More to the point, Kaldur and a shirtless Conner spar.  Artemis tries to persuade M’gann to ask Kaldur out.  Good Luck, Artemis, Megan has her obsession locked in and she is not veering from the course.

Megan attempts to veer Artemis towards Wally: “You’re so full of passion, and he’s so full of..”

Artemis interjects with “It?”

I enjoy the competition between the girls over Conner and mostly for the fact that the ladies don’t let it interfere with their friendship.  

Why is Conner shirtless? Is he showing off for the ladies? Kaldur kept his shirt on!

Poor Dick, as the youngest, is left out of the hormone competition.  Don’t worry, Dick, you will grow up to become DC’s premier knockout.

Conner wins the round: “Black Canary taught me that.” Conner must be taking his training seriously as Kaldur would be one of the more experienced members in hand-to-hand combat due to his Atlantean military background.

Red Tornado enters. Wally wants a mission assignment. He mentions that Robin and Batman are in Gotham City doing the “Dynamic Duo thing”.

We’ll put “Denial” on pause as the next two issues of the Young Justice comic start at this point.

Up next: Batman, Robin, Ras’s al Ghul, Clayface and the most multi-faceted portrayal of Talia ever!

[fandomshatelgbtqpeople]

A Werewolf’s Guide to Lycanthropy

So I asked about nonbinary representation, so I’m going to go ahead and share a book I started (and nearly finished) for NaNoWriMo. It’s still first draft stage and will undergo massive rewrites, but all three of my main characters are trans (and otherwise queer as well), as are many other side characters, so I thought ya’ll might be interested in a snippet? Maybe?

This is a snippet maybe a quarter or so of the way into the book. It’s a book re-imagining werewolves based more off of wild wolf behavior than captured wolf behavior. In it, werewolves are basically know but not really acknowledged. People suspect but nobody says it out loud. Our main character is happily living in eir werewolf pack (which is far more of a family and community than it is a hierarchy), though secretly writing a guide on how to adjust to becoming a werewolf to help bring them into a more public eye (and the book is interspersed with snippets of this writing) until some kids from the pack start going missing. Then MC - Jamie - realizes that these kidnappings appear to be something larger than just a local targeting of their specific pack. When the pack council or committee (there to help organize schedules, figure out how to take in new kids, budget, etc.) acts ignorant and secretive, Jamie has to decide between dropping this and potentially losing more kids or defying the council, abandoning eir pack, and getting to the bottom of the disappearances. Where I bring you in on this snippet, Jamie has recently decided to leave the pack and investigate on eir own. In doing so, ey has just managed to run into another pack, where ey just might get some answers...

(For those on mobile, this moves into a read more, as it’s a long post. Anyone please feel free to leave me some feedback!)

Chapter 15

The irresistible smell of sausage woke Jamie up. Ophelia laughed gently. “I see I’ve picked the right breakfast for you. I thought I would save you the trip of having to eat with everyone else. I’m sure you know, everybody already knows who you are by now. I didn’t want you to be overwhelmed with questions.”

Grimacing in an effort to shake off the last vestiges of sleep, Jamie cracked eir back and neck and cleared eir throat. “Thanks.” Ey took the plate of offered food, a generous heap of sausage, eggs, hash browns and a biscuit buttered up nicely. “Really, thanks.”

“I saw the size of your bag. I’m guessing you haven’t had too many meals while not a wolf.” Then she went and sat at the other end of the trailer, looking over papers rather than Jamie. The papers could have been blank, and she could have been looking at them just to put Jamie at ease, but ey was grateful for the thought either way.

Jamie had just finished the food and was deciding what to do with the plate when Ophelia spoke again. “You can leave it outside the door. Boyd will collect it for us. Come, I’m interested to hear why you came.” Nervousness washed over Jamie as ey did as instructed. Even with all the walking in human form, Jamie hadn’t really taken the time to actually think what to do when ey found another pack. Ey honestly hadn’t expected to do so immediately.

“Now I don’t believe we had a proper introduction yesterday. I’m Ophelia, leader of this pack, although the committee helps me greatly. We’ve been here near four decades now. My mentor, Phoebe, began the pack. When she passed a couple years back, the pack became my responsibility. We’re about thirty strong. We get a lot of pack members who come and go, some looking to strike out and start their own packs back in their home towns. Tell me a bit about your own pack, please.”

Jamie nodded. “You know I’m Jamie. Celeste leads our pack, along with six others on the council: Comet, Luna, Terence and Alishya, as well as Lucy and Shannon. The pack’s about as old as me, so just around twenty years, far younger than your own. Since I was one of the first kids of the pack, I got kind of a different view of the pack history than some of the younger ones might, being there longer than some of our council members even. We’re somewhere around 45 - 50 pack members at the moment.”

Ophelia gave a low whistle. “That’s a big pack. A lot of responsibility. How many kids?”

“Around half are underage. We don’t get a lot of people who really leave, and we keep taking in kids and anyone else who wanders by and asks.”

Ophelia nodded. “I’ve never met Celeste, but I have heard of her. I’m not surprised her pack would be so large. I suppose a lot of the adults help out with outside jobs?”

“Yeah. Mostly minimum wage stuff, but we’ve got a couple people with good skills and some who came in with college degrees and good jobs that really help out.”

“But you all were also hit by these disappearances?”

Jamie looked down but nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“If you can, I’d like to hear some about the kids who went missing. Then I’ll answer any questions of yours.”

Jamie nodded again, glad that Ophelia was leading the conversation so far. As long as she was being honest about answering questions, Jamie wasn’t here to hide anything. “Jemele was kidnapped first. She’s 14 with a bad past. Her aunt was jealous that she had a better relationship with her mother and bit and turned Jemele to try and change that. Celeste probably knows, but all I know other than that is that Jemele’s mom showed up with her in tow one day and dropped her off. The aunt may not have succeeded in being closer with Jemele, but she sure helped destroy Jemele’s relationship with her mother. Jemele had some younger siblings that her mother won’t let her see anymore, even though she’s totally in control of the transformations now. Her mom comes for regularly scheduled visits, but Jemele really only sits through those because council makes her. She’s a good kid. Very quiet. She never asks to go out on extra runs, just participates in scheduled ones, so I suspect she’s still angry and accepts being a werewolf but hasn’t come to love or enjoy it yet.”

“Understandable.”

“Sometimes she needed some space and time to herself, so she’d disappear every now and then, but we’d always find her sleeping somewhere odd or she’d wander back into camp. The three girls she shared a trailer with developed a system with her so she could let them know when she was going, so they’d always know they didn’t need to go looking for her. But one night, she just wasn’t there and there was no note. It’s like she just disappeared. Evelyn went missing next. She’s only eight. She’s at that phase where she’s missing a lot of baby teeth and her new ones haven’t grown in yet, so she’s a little darling for most the adults. She’s very extraverted and outgoing. She came to us a pretty young, so she might have been born a wolf, but I’ve never really gotten her story. She’s very well adjusted, though, if a bit bossy. She went missing when one of the pack adults took a small group for a bathroom break. One minute she was there, the next Pam realized she was gone. We had to have known almost immediately, yet still couldn’t recover her.

“And Zoo…” Jamie closed eir eyes and took a deep breath, giving eirself a moment to hate eirself for leaving, even though it was unlikely Jamie would have stopped anything from happening. “Zoo’s 11. I don’t know much of her story either, but I do know it’s another traumatic one. She’s been through a lot - developed DID. The first two years she lived with us, she barely spoke and never played. A year and a half or so ago, she really blossomed and opened up. She’s friendly and loving and very funny. Some of the kids can get mean sometimes just because they’re defensive about their past, but Zoo just got nicer, I think.” Jamie could say a ton more about all three. Their favorite food, their favorite games, how to calm them when they had nightmares… But ey wasn’t sure it was important that Ophelia knew too much. Not to mention Jamie’s heart was clenched and tight.

“And what about you, Jamie? What’s your story?”

Jamie shrugged. “I don’t really have much of one beyond the pack. I was born a wolf. Mom died in childbirth and dad ran away when he found out what I was. I’m not sure how Celeste found me, but the pack’s the only life I’ve known.”

“So how did you come to be here?”

Maybe it was a little rude, but it was Jamie’s turn for answers. Ophelia had only asked for information on the kids; it wasn’t fair to drag more out of Jamie without offering something first. “I’d like to ask some questions first. Then maybe we can talk more about me.”

Ophelia stared at Jamie for a good minute before nodding. “Fair enough, you have given what I’ve asked for. Go ahead.”

“Are you in communication with any of the other packs who’ve had kids stolen away from them?”

“Yes, but not all of them. Is your pack?” Her answer confirmed two things at once: the disappearances were definitely something to do with werewolves and council was definitely not telling the pack everything they knew.

“What can you tell me about what they’ve said? What do they know that the papers haven’t reported?”

Ophelia’s mouth quirked up a bit. She seemed amused with Jamie, even though Jamie had specifically ignored her question. “Honestly, not much, unfortunately. They all scented something weird when searching for the kids. None I’ve talked to could really describe it. They said the scent was familiar, like a word on the tip of your tongue that your brain just can’t complete. Musky, probably a man - or, more likely, several. And very vague. No one could pick up a trail.”

Jamie deflated. “Yeah, council couldn’t pick up a trail either. Neither could I, although it would have been several days old by then.”

After a beat, Ophelia stood. “Here, I will show you something, but it requires going to my personal trailer, so we have to fend off some curious stragglers,” she winked. Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Jamie relaxed a bit. It was hard to stay stressed and upset with innocent kids being cheery around you.

“Okay.”

Ophelia successfully shooed three children away from them on their way to her trailer, but not before Jamie shook hands with each of them, introducing eirself and learning their names. Jason, Patty, and Jenn. Once inside Ophelia’s trailer, nobody bothered them, just like when they were in committee’s trailer.

The trailer was beautiful. Either Ophelia or someone else in the pack was an artist. The inside was dark with dozens of stars dotted in glow-in-the-dark paint, bringing several constellations to life. Jamie had always liked the basic astronomy classes in the pack, and it seemed the artist did, too. Ophelia paused to let Jamie soak up in the night sky, then with a simple “light’s”, flicked the lights on. The walls were as gorgeous in the light as they were the dark. Bright colors swirled in abstract patterns. After a moment, Jamie placed them as a rendering of the Northern lights.

“Here,” Ophelia announced, breaking Jamie’s reverie. She stood by a thin, wide cabinet. When Jamie looked over, she opened the doors, laying them flat, and revealing a large map of the States. Jamie came closer.

“These are the cities where packs have had multiple kidnappings,” she explained, pointing to the red pins on the map. “These,” she said, pointing to several blue pins,” represent cities where pack’s have only had one kid stolen away. And these,” she said, gesturing to some green pins, “are cities where kids that I believe were werewolves were kidnapped, but I haven’t confirmed yet.” Jamie studied the pins, downhearted by just how many there were. Ey hadn’t even thought about any single kidnappings. Those might not have even made anything but local news.

Gently grabbing eir shoulders, Ophelia forced Jamie to take a step back. “See anything?”

Jamie stopped studying the detail and looked at the larger picture. Immediately, ey thought ey saw a pattern. Taking a step forward, Jamie traced the outline of the pins in the map. “It’s… Is there a pattern? Circles - rings of circles. Oh…” Jamie stepped back again. “A bullseye? Multiple kidnappings in the larger rings and single kidnappings in the smaller rings.”

A solemn look was affixed to Ophelia’s face. “Yes, that’s what I see, too. Your council didn’t say anything about this to you?”

Finally giving in, Jamie admitted, “council’s been pretty secretive. Weeks before Jemele was kidnapped, I asked if the disappearances might be related to werewolf packs and was told to drop it. With the kidnappings, we’ve been on a strict schedule where no one is supposed to be anywhere without an escort or buddy, except work as long as other workers are around, but they still haven’t told us anything more. I’ve no idea what they do no.”

Ophelia’s face creased in a frown. “Nothing? Really. We’ve already been talking with the pack and set up a buddy system. Celeste waited until kids were kidnapped to do anything?”

A weird clash of emotions conflicted within Jamie. On one hand, it was nice to have eir frustrations and anger confirmed as valid. On the other, Jamie still trusted Celeste and all of council with eir life, and didn’t like this woman she didn’t even know passing judgement. “Maybe council was keeping a close eye. I don’t know. They didn’t have us doing anything, anyway.” When Ophelia didn’t reply, Jamie asked the question that was bothering eir. “If this is a bullseye, what’s at the center?”

Turning back to the map, Ophelia was silent and thoughtful. She ran her finger over the map where the center of the bullseye seemed to be. “That is an excellent question.” Turning to face Jamie again, Ophelia’s face seemed carefully blank. “Jamie, I’m not sure what your purpose is in being here, but I suspect this is not a trip your council approved.” Jamie shook eir head no. “I would not ask you to walk directly into danger; I do not usually ask strangers to just risk their lives, but it seems you  may already be intending to. Would you investigate the bullseye, Jamie? Something is happening, and I do not know what, but there is something larger at play here than a couple of kidnapping cases. I cannot go and still protect my pack. I must stay here. Will you go?”

Jamie wasn’t normally very touchy-feely, but ey reached out to grab Ophelia’s hand. “Council couldn’t stop me from leaving to find answers. You couldn’t stop me from trying to find them wherever that bullseye is or whatever else it takes.”

Ophelia reached out to cup Jamie’s face. “Spend another night here - or a few. Whatever you need to recover. I saw the stiffness in you when you came. Rest, and I will gather supplies for you.”

Jamie should have been scared, but ey was nearly ecstatic at finally receiving some answers - some help. This wasn’t all in eir head.

Chapter 16

In the four days (that Jamie only meant to be two) that Jamie stayed at Ophelia’s camp, ey made a lot of new friends, found a lot more younger siblings. Between meetings with Ophelia on the bullseye, Jamie hung out with the pack; besides getting to know them, ey was also probing to see if any of them perhaps knew anything more about the disappearances - perhaps something they didn’t realize they knew.

The bullseye was located in, as best Ophelia and ey could tell by the topo map, a surprisingly uninhabited area. There were no roads going in and out, at least not marked on the map. The area appeared to be fairly flat land with some outlying hills but nothing too big or seemingly populated close to the bullseye. There were always people living out in surprising areas, though, so Jamie couldn’t count on the area being completely abandoned of folk with nothing to do with this developing controversy. Finally, the last - and most obvious - concrete piece of information they could gather was that the bullseye was in Montana. The flatness seemed a bit of an odd coincidence for a state known for its mountains, but Montana was overall considerably flatter than Jamie may have guessed. Considering Jamie was currently in Indiana, ey had quite a ways to go, even traveling most the way via wolf. Ey was considering hitchhiking part of the way if at all possible.

Suzy, Eric, and Lala were the kids that Jamie got to know the best. Suzy and Eric were fraternal twins, 15 years old, and surprisingly peppy for their age. Lala was just a year younger and followed the twins everywhere. She called herself their triplet, which they happily agreed with. Even though they were unrelated, Lala did look surprisingly similar to the twins, and the three got along very well. They had latched onto Jamie because of their own interest (and fear) of the kidnappings. It had been Suzy that suggested to Ophelia that she actually plot the disappearances on a map, like she’d seen on TV. Eric was the conspiracy theorist and inundated Jamie with theories of what the disappearances were. He suggested everything ranging from aliens to anti-werewolf hunters but with no really solid ideas on why the kids were actually being kidnapped. And Lala made up stories of what all the kids were like. All three of them proposed some good questions. Was there a pattern to if kidnapped wolves were born or bitten? Why the specific age range so far observed? How did kidnapped kids between different packs disappear so quickly? All in all, they left Jamie with several more questions than ey’d started with.

On the night Jamie was setting out, ey had said good-bye, hugged some folk (including, most surreal of all, Ophelia), and only gone a few feet into the woods when ey was confronted.

“We’re coming with you.” Jamie turned and squinted, recognizing the two from eir few days in the pack. The speaker was Lucasia, an outspoken 20 year old that Jamie felt ey’d already learned the whole life story of. Lucasia had only been a wolf for a few years. It’d been a tough transition for her and ultimately what made her realize and accept that she was actually a girl. Sadly enough, her family had adapted to her lycanthropy just fine - if not a little interested in it - but being trans was too much from them. After they disowned her, she’d lived on the streets for a year before one of the committee members of the pack found her and brought her back. She’d lived there ever since, completely accepted by the pack for who she was.

Lucasia’s more silent partner was Ty, a shy bigender wolf that Jamie hadn’t learned much about. He was almost always reading, and Jamie didn’t know him well enough to know if he followed Lucasia because he really wanted to or simply because she dragged him along and he didn’t mind going. He seemed nice, though.

“I’m not really looking for company.”

“Wasn’t asking. Besides, Ophelia said she thought it was a good idea, so we’re going whether you like it or not. Good luck losing us. Ty’s the fastest runner in the pack.”

Jamie frowned. It looked like these tagalongs weren’t going to give up easy, and Jamie didn’t want to waste time arguing about it. Besides, it wasn’t like the company would hurt Jamie. It had been oddly lonely when ey had been by eirself. Decision made, Jamie shrugged, then stepped behind a large tree to get a bit of privacy (although that would likely disappear in a few days when the group became more comfortable with each other), shifted with a groan that turned into a growl, and shook eirself out. Grabbing the larger, heavier bag courtesy of Ophelia and her pack, ey padded out from behind the tree. A moment after ey did, two wolves appeared from the side of another tree, two large bags in their mouths as well. Together, on instinct, they took off towards Montana.

[amandajoyce118]

Iron Fist Season 2 Easter Eggs And References

I actually managed to squeeze in watching the second season of Iron Fist in less than a month. Maybe I’ll be able to catch up on all of the other TV I’ve been behind on. Who knows? As usual, I haven’t explained who characters are if we’ve already met them, and I’ve tried to stick to comic book and MCU related Easter eggs, not the broader pop culture ones.

I will say, I found the first season of the show to drag, and not particularly compelling. The second season is much better. I actually don’t hate the Meachums this time around, for example, and I didn’t find Danny as annoying. Colleen is still the best.

If you haven’t yet watched the season, there are, obviously, spoilers. I’ve broken the Easter eggs down by episode so you can read one episode at a time if you want to avoid being spoiled, but you want to read as you watch.

Enjoy!

S2E01 “The Fury Of Iron Fist”

The episode title

The title is actually the title of Iron Fist’s first appearance in an issue of Marvel Premiere. Marvel Premiere was more of an anthology series. It was used to introduce a lot of characters in short story arcs to see how they did with the audience. Some of them stuck, others are now lost to time. (Funnily enough, when I first started watching the show, the episode titles were not showing up in the right order. Thanks, Netflix.)

Danny’s yellow mask

Yes, it’s yellow, a nod to his comic book costume. It also reminded me though that he promised Matt Murdock to take care of the city. Danny wasn’t huge on masks before, but Matt was.

Golden Tigers

This gang was actually in the comics, though in the comics, they were a little more conspicuous. They basically wore robes and tiger masks.

WJPBTV

The news footage that Danny watches and Colleen observes over his shoulder? That’s courtesy of the unofficial Marvel news network of the TV arm of the franchise. It was last seen in Luke Cage, I believe.

Mr. Yang

Mr. Yang not only appeared in the first season, but I think he also got a mention in season two of Luke Cage when Mariah was attempting to get all the gangs to work together.

“Old truces are being thrown to the wind.”

This is a bit of a theme in the Marvel Netflix world right now. Just like Luke Cage going after gangsters in Harlem, Danny Rand and company taking out the Hand here left a power scramble going on and old rules are no longer in play.

Oak Creek, Wisconsin

Oak Creek isn’t big in the comics, but since Mary said she’s from Wisconsin, I thought you might like to know of a few other characters from the same state. Phil Coulson is, for one. So are the Great Lakes Avengers. Funnily enough, the first time Wisconsin appeared in a Marvel Comic was in an issue of Captain America.

Mary

Speaking of Mary, she is a comic book character, but I think I’ll wait until that’s revealed in show in case anyone is taking this episode by episode.

The Silver Lotus

This restaurant actually exists in the comics. Usually the restaurants for the Netflix shows don’t. This one was a spot where Jean Grey, Storm, Colleen Wing, and Misty Knight grabbed some food. In case you didn’t know, Jean and Colleen actually were roommates for a while in the comics.

47

When Davos and Danny are talking on either side of a doorway, the number of the door reads 47. It’s probably a coincidence, but it made me wonder if there was any significance to the number since it was right in the middle of the shot. No Iron Fist solo series has ever made it to that number. Marvel Premiere, the comic where Iron Fist first appeared did, and it’s original issue 47 featured the first time Scott Lang put on an Ant-Man suit. Item 47 was also an MCU one shot featuring SHIELD Agents Sitwell and Blake after a couple who stole alien technology. That’s all I’ve got.

S2E02 “The City’s Not For Burning”

The episode title

Just like the first episode, this one is also named after a comic book. I guess that’s a thing this season. This title comes from Iron Fist #3. Though that comic book took place in London, it as a lot of the same ideas of the episode. In it, the city was seeing a lot of violence, though it was Danny and Misty who were teaming up there instead of Danny and Colleen.

Coffee A Go Go

Actual coffee houses have this name in reality, but it’s also a location from the comics. Hank and Bobby (AKA Beast and IceMan of the X-Men) used to double date with their girlfriends there. It was eventually turned into a sushi place instead.

Mary in the mirror

If you’re not familiar with this comic book character, the whole bathroom mirror thing is a huge clue to her identity.

Masks

The masks worn when Davos and Danny fight for the honor of facing the dragon are probably one of the closest things we’ve seen to the Iron Fist and Steel Serpent comic book costumes. They also employ the green and yellow color scheme.

The bowl

The priceless piece that Joy and Davos are after reminds me a lot of the candy dish that was in Joy’s office (I think?) in the first season. Same colors, in the Iron Fist scheme of course, but even similar in size and pattern.

Davos loses

Though Davos actually fought Danny’s father in the comics, the match basically went down the same way. When he loses, it’s actually his father up there on the panel watching who declares Danny the winner.

S2E03 “The Deadly Secret...”

The episode title

This episode gets its title from Power Man and Iron Fist #99. In that issue, Colleen and Misty team up for one story while Danny and Luke team up for another. Unfortunately, Misty gets kidnapped while they’re looking for an artifact, so Colleen is forced to ask the guys for help. They also find all of the films at their movie theater office stolen, Luke’s friend DW missing, and their foes Comanche and Shades out of prison. Whew. That’s a packed issue compared to this episode.

Cafe Bustelo

I just think it’s funny that this particular coffee brand hasn’t shown up (that I remember) on the show before. You know where this brand is popular? Luke Cage. I feel like these two shows have borrowed a lot from one another in their sophomore seasons.

“Someone called Walker.”

Yet another clue to Mary’s comic book backstory. Some might have thought this was a nod to Trish Walker if they didn’t know better, which would actually be very interesting if the shows decided to tie those two together. But no. I’ll wait for a full reveal to give the character details though. And isn’t it funny how we all thought Joy’s PI mention in season one was Jessica Jones? Apparently not. Instead, it’s Mary Walker.

Mrs. Yang’s hairpin

As far as I know, the Yangs aren’t comic book characters, but I love her use of her hairpin as a weapon. It’s a comic book trope that all of the femme fatales had deadly hairpins back in the day. It’s a classic.

S2E04 “Target: Iron Fist”

The episode title

This is the title of Iron Fist #3 from the 70s. In it, Misty takes center stage. She’s determined to take down a drug kingpin. It’s a storyline that was a little early for Marvel. Most of Marvel’s drug related arcs happened in the 80s instead. (It also featured Iron Fist facing off against a villain named Boomerang, if you’re interested in the Danny side of things.)

“I lost it back there, didn’t I? I blew our shot at peace.”

Oh, look. Another thing that was happening in Luke Cage. Luke taking things a step too far when all he wanted was peaceful streets. Were these writers hanging out before filming started or something?

Misty Knight

We all remember Misty from Luke Cage and The Defenders, right? Colleen saved Misty’s life when her arm was chopped off. Danny’s company paid for and developed Misty’s prosthetic, and now she’s in town for a visit.

Crane Sisters

Madame Gao was the show’s equivalent of the Crane Mother. The Crane Sisters appear to be the equivalent of the Crane Daughters. In their case, they were women who were the Mother’s actual daughters (she gave birth to thousands over the years according to the comics, but it seems more likely they’re from the same “Heavenly City” as her for the show). They actually gave their chi to another when they believed the Iron Fist was in the wrong for killing the Crane Champion. We kind of get a weird version of that here with them giving Davos his power.

The Steel Serpent

The symbol on Davos’ chest isn’t the dragon like Danny’s. Maybe it’s because he stole his powers. Maybe it’s just because it’s a nod to his comic book character. He’s the Steel Serpent in the comics. The same symbol was used on heroin in the Netflix corner of the MCU before.

Davos also stole Danny’s power in the comics, but it wasn’t quite the same way. He basically just stole it via the power of chi. This way looks more complicated.

S2E05 “Heart of the Dragon”

The episode title

This one comes from Marvel Premiere #16, which actually has a lot of nice thematic tie ins to this episode. In the comic, Iron Fist gets attacked by thugs as soon as he first arrives in New York. He also discovers there’s a mercenary named Scythe after him and that Scythe was paid for by the Meachums. He also spends a lot of time in the issue remembering just how Danny Rand became the Iron Fist. The difference here is that we’re seeing things more from the point of view of Davos this time around.

Promotion to Captain

This was flirted with in season two of Luke Cage. Misty was getting the offer for the job, but she didn’t seem to keen on it. She still doesn’t. But at least, we now know vaguely where we are in the timeline.

Colleen’s investigative instincts

Misty remarks that Colleen has good instincts when it comes to investigating Mary. Coincidentally (or not, since this is an Easter egg list), Misty and Colleen ran their own private investigative firm called Daughters of the Dragon. Still want to see Netflix make that the focus of a series.

616

A possible suspect with abilities gets this very fitting police code. Why? Because 616 is the designation given to the main universe in Marvel comics. Every Marvel TV series must give a nod to 616 at least once. It’s just a rule.

Mary Walker

They have definitely changed up Mary’s comic book backstory for the show, and probably for the better. In the comics, she’s a prostitute who is accidentally thrown out a window. When that happens, it awakens her “Typhoid Mary” personality, who essentially wants vengeance on all men ever. She starts with three distinct personas; the villain, Mary the meek, and Walker the stable peacemaker. As Typhoid Mary, she works for a few supervillains over the years. As Mary, she dates Matt Murdock. Her Dissociative Identity Disorder creates such distinct breaks in her personas that he can’t even tell that they’re the same people.

S2E06 “The Dragon Dies At Dawn”

The episode title

This comes from Iron Fist #9. In it, Danny ends up facing off against some members of the Golden Tigers, gets poisoned, and then finds out the guy he’s been fighting for the antidote isn’t the bad guy at all. Oh, and he’s framed for murder. Whew.

The Steel Serpent

Okay, I already talked about the tattoo, but it gets a comic book shout out here because the Crane sisters specifically say they used steel needles and Davos called it a serpent instead of a snake.

42 Baxter

Probably a coincidence, but when Mary calls the ambulance to 42 Baxter, I thought of the Fantastic Four with their Baxter Building on 42nd Street.

S2E07 “Morning of the Mindstorm”

The episode title

This title actually references Marvel Premiere #25. That issue was the last of the Marvel Premiere titles before Iron Fist got his own comic book series instead of being featured in the anthology. In it, Colleen was kidnapped and Iron Fist teamed up with Scarfe (who we see was Misty’s partner in season one of Luke Cage) to find her. The bad guy was Angar The Screamer who actually appeared in an old episode of Agents of SHIELD, so fun MCU connections in that particular comic.

The man with bullet-proof skin

Obviously, that’s Luke Cage. I like how the detectives think they’ve only got one person with abilities in each precinct’s jurisdiction. I have a feeling there are a lot more than that what with terrigen in the water in the MCU and all.

Red Fist vs Yellow Fist

In the comics, when Davos stole his power, Davos also had a glowing red fist.

A Tibetan antiquity

In addition to this being a nod to just where K’un L’un was in the comics, this also provides a nod to some of the other more mystical aspects of the MCU. The bowl might have been found somewhere near Tibet, but that’s also where the Ancient One is from in the comics (though that is certainly left murky in the MCU). Outside of Tibet somewhere, if I remember right, is also where Jiaying hid her village of Inhumans.

Professor Erskine

No, this isn’t the same Erskine that developed the super soldier serum for Captain America. He must come from a family of academics though. In the comics, Ernst Erskine was actually a writer and adventurer. He used the alias Lucky Pierre and he wrote about a much older Iron Fist than Danny.

Sokovia

Mary in Green Bay might be backstory we never get, but hey, she was in Sokovia, a major place in the MCU. Back when she was a soldier, she was captured and held there. When? We don’t know. But I do wonder if it was during the war torn days that saw Wanda want revenge on Tony, or if Mary’s too young for that, and she was captured by Hydra or something right before everything with Ultron went down.

Sensei Colleen

Not an Easter egg, but I think Colleen deciding to become Danny’s Sensei, break up with him, and not hold back while she trains him is my favorite scene in the show. I love her.

S2E08 “Citadel on the Edge of Vengeance”

The episode title

Named after issue #17 of Marvel Premiere, the only thing the two really have in common is Danny seeking vengeance. In the comic, this was only his third appearance, so he was setting out to take on Harold Meachum. Meachum had set elaborate traps for Danny so the Iron Fist couldn’t get to him. (He had 10 years to make sure he was ready, after all.) In the end, Danny ended up facing off against a guy who had been trapped in Meachum’s office building for 10 years who vowed to kill him, because, why not? His name was Triple-Iron, and I think that he only appeared in the two issues of their fight, never to be seen again.

More than two Marys

So far in the show, we’ve seen Mary and Walker. In the comics, her most deadly personality is Typhoid Mary (or Bloody Mary, some people label them as different personalities in the comics, but I think they’re the same?), which is likely going to end up being the person who saved her in Sokovia that she doesn’t know about. Interestingly, in the comics there’s also technically a fourth person called Mutant Zero. This version of Mary was part of the Initiative and was initially unstable, kept in check by the team leader, before becoming a full fledged fourth personality of hers that abandoned the team.

S2E09 “War Without End”

The episode title

Funnily enough, this is a pretty common title in sci-fi series. This episode shares its title with an episode of Babylon 5 and an issue of the old Transformers comic. Less famously, it’s also a title of a Power Man and Iron Fist comic - issue #83. The issue actually focuses on Luke Cage because Iron Fist is beaten unconscious. Think of it as an ally having to save him because he can’t use his powers, yes?

Turk

It feels like it wouldn’t be an episode of Marvel on Netflix without Turk. I guess he gave up his legit business in Luke Cage, and went back to selling weapons.

The Pirate Queen of Pinghai Bay

This is actually a character from the comics. Wu Ao-Shi was the first female Iron Fist, and yes, a pirate queen. She wasn’t just a fairy tale. I think we see where this is going, yes?

S2E10 “A Duel of Iron”

The episode title

This is actually the title of Iron Fist #1, and though the title suggests a battle between multiple Iron Fist powers, like we saw in the show, that’s not what goes down in the comics. Instead, Misty and Danny team up to save Colleen, not unlike the show, but Misty suspects that Stark Industries has something to do with Colleen’s disappearance, so that’s where they head. As you can imagine, it’s more of a misunderstanding, but Iron Fist and Iron Man do get into a brief fight before uniting.

The Mamas and the Papas

Mary singing “Monday Monday” while waiting to take aim at Davos is almost straight out of the comics. She sang it on the page during a fight scripted by Brian Michael Bendis, who is also the man behind the creation of Jessica Jones. (I’ve seen some people speculate that because the Mamas and the Papas were known for their four part harmonies that Mary might actually have four separate identities, not just the three we know about. I think that’s reaching, and that it’s just a nod to the comics, but anything is possible.)

Colleen’s fist is white

I like that each of the people sporting the Fist gets a different color scheme. Danny, of course, has yellow because of his comic book aesthetic, and Davos had red to show he’s a bad guy. Colleen gets white because white is her signature color in the comics, but white is also often associated with “pure” power, bright light, and all that, so maybe Danny’s right in the end and it was her destiny to be the Iron Fist after all.

(Also, Colleen has never been the Iron Fist in the comics that I know of, but she has shared Danny’s power on occasion when him using his power to heal her changed her. While she doesn’t have the Fist itself in the comics, she does have mastery over her chi.)

Misty’s arm bling

Misty makes a joke about blinging out her arm in the show, but in the comics, she did have a gold one.

KnightWing

No, this is not a Titans reference to poke the DC stick. Instead, this moniker coming up while Colleen and Misty talk career paths is a nod to NightWing Investigations, the name of the private investigative firm owned by the Daughters of the Dragon.

Orson Randall

The mysterious “employer” that Danny and Ward steal some property from? Yeah, he’s the World War I era Iron Fist. It looks like he’s still alive and kicking, and that his weapon of choice still holds onto his chi or something? Those two guns Danny sports that allow his fists to glow were what Orson liked to use in the comics. Just like Colleen channeling her power into her kitana, he could do it with his guns, and Wu Ao-Shi could do it with arrows. Fancy.

That’s all I’ve got for the second season of Iron Fist. I’ll be back for Daredevil season three next month!

[lelouch-vi-zero]

Entry 10

Wowzers, another update? It took me longer than I expected to write this entry, since I started many at the same time. It was also considerably shorter than the other entries so I added more at the bottom. That’s why this takes place over two non-consecutive days.

Main AU Page Previous Entry Next Entry

In this entry, Villetta and Jeremiah grow closer to finding the girl responsible for stealing their sight.

Rating: K Words: 1,548

Villetta tapped her foot. This was taking too long! The Metro station was being very uncooperative, despite the relevance towards Prince Clovis’ murder. 

“We don’t have any cameras on any of the trains,” the office attendant said.

Jeremiah clutched his fist. “Your subordinate already told us this.”

“I’m not sure what you actually want. Your group already confiscated the specs of the train and video of the location when the terrorists boarded.”

“We’re looking for a specific passenger, and need to see the video of the train at every stop that day.”

“A specific passenger? Do you have a warrant with the description?”

Villetta puled an envelope from her bag and passed it to the attendant. Her hands were firm, but her heart raced. If they were caught forging documents, they would have far more worries than starting over in rank.

The attendant read the warrant. “A girl? Oh-okay. Do you want all the tapes following that train?”

“We want to find out where the suspect first boarded a train,” Villetta answered. 

It was easy to track the girl. She wore large, metal braces on her legs. Naturally a cripple, she required enhancements to walk. 

“She was not wearing those when I saw her,” Villetta whispered to her superior. 

“I would have certainly remembered seeing those. Perhaps the terrorists confiscated them?”

“If that’s the case, how would that explain their partnership?”

“That’s not important right now. We need to explain our memory loss and get our titles restored. We'll deal with Nobody another time.”

The attendant directed their attention to the screen. “This is where she leaves the station. It’s Downtown Tokyo–Education District.” He wrote down the address for the two soldiers.

“Thank you,” Jeremiah said. He motioned for Villetta to follow him.

She turned back to the attendant, pulling out a sketch of the uniform she saw the girl wear. “Do you recognize this uniform?”

The attendant shook his head.

Villetta and Jeremiah walked out of the Metro control center.

“Any progress is good progress. We can ask around if anyone recognizes the uniform,” Jeremiah said.

Villetta was temporarily distracted by the sight of a man in dark sunglasses facing them. She couldn't be certain, but she felt like he was staring at them.

What a weirdo, she thought.

——

“How have those legs been treating ya, Nunna?” Milly asked, lightly pinching Nunnally's thigh.

 Lelouch shooed her hand away. “Let her be,” he said.

 He breathed in, trying to relax under the sun.

 “You just don't want me to know you're starving her. Look how thin she is! I'm worried the wind will blow her away.”

 “Perhaps the wind will stop blowing when you stop speaking.” He frowned.

 Milly smirked. “There's the Lelouch I know and love.”

 “Oh, brother, don't you think you're being too hard on Milly? She's worried about me,” Nunnally said. She slapped her arm, hoping to hit the mosquito that had been harassing her.

 Lelouch pulled out the bug spray and reapplied it on her skin. “They seem very fond of you,” he said.

 “Nunnally is sweet. Of course the bugs would prefer her over you,” Milly said.

 Lelouch held his tongue.

 Nunnally thanked her brother, then took Milly's hand.

 “I'm sorry, Milly, but I lost the legs,” she admitted.

 Lelouch looked away. “It's a long story. Not for a day trip like today.”

 Milly wrapped her arms around the siblings, threatening to throw the boat off balance. She prompted the response of the helmsman, who was quick to scold the young woman.

 “It's okay, guys. Don't worry about it. My husband can just make a new pair whenever you want it.”

 Lelouch grunted. “Ah yes, your husband. How is he?”

 ——

 Lloyd swung over the railing, catching Suzaku off guard.

 “It seems like this trip to Area 11 won't be a total bore after all, Kururugi.”

 “Uh... good morning Lloyd, Miss Cecile,” Suzaku said, realizing Lloyd's statement was missing the beginning and middle.

 “Hello, Suzaku,” Cecile called from the top of the Lancelot's mounting platform. “Come up here, we have some good news for you.”

 Lloyd leaned on Suzaku's shoulder as they walked up the stairs. “It seems that Princess Cornelia is requesting the assistance of the Lancelot in battle.”

 “Battle? Against who?” Suzaku asked. He hoped that returning to Japan meant that he would not have to face combat. Aside from Prince Clovis' murder, things were relatively peaceful in this colony.

 “That Nobody character has certainly reignited the dying flames left by the JLF. We have received intel that they are receiving aid from India—possibly to start building their own Knightmares.”

 “They want to fight?” Suzaku asked himself, clenching his fist.

 “That's the way it seems. Those poor saps. Nobody really set them up for a suicide mission.”

 “He certainly has.” 

——

Those soldiers were smart. Mao was wise to follow them here. They looked like motherless ducklings for a few days, but this made up for it. He looked at the gates of the prep school.

“You've been hiding here all this time, haven't you?” He chuckled. 

He stayed behind as the two Britannian soldiers walked into Ashford Academy. They hoped to find Nobody, but he hoped to find his King.

 ——

 C.C. stood behind Nunnally and grasped the handles of her wheelchair. 

Nunnally undid her ponytail, happy to have her hair free.

“Don't you think you should wait until your Geass wears off before heading home?” C.C. asked Nunnally.

“I am tired. Besides, Lelouch should be expecting me home soon.”

“You need to be careful to keep your legs still,” C.C. said with a chuckle.

 Nunnally opened her eyes and looked down, pulling her skirt further over her knees as she stopped tapping her foot.

 “We have thirty minutes left. Don't worry, I can do it.” Nunnally gave C.C. a thumbs up.

 C.C. rolled her eyes and smiled. She pushed Nunnally away from their hiding spot. Nobody's costume was safely tucked away for his next appearance.

 “That girl is certainly fond of the both of you,” C.C. said. “She took you out on a date. She gives you gifts. Should I be getting a disguise ready for a wedding?”

 “She’s been a family friend for a long time. And she’s already married.”

 “That doesn’t stop some people.”

 C.C. stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and placed a hand on her forehead. 

 Nunnally felt chills down her spine. “Why did you stop?”

 “Something is wrong. I think…my past mistake has come for me. For you.”

 “What mistake?”

 “There’s something I have to do alone. I’m going to take you home, but you have to promise me you’ll stay there.” C.C.’s voice deepened.

 Nunnally put her hands on the armrests and pushed up. “What? No!”

 “Up pup,” C.C. scolded.

 “Someone’s here to see?” Nunnally whispered.

 “You’ll never know,” C.C. said playfully. 

 They returned to the clubhouse. Nunnally fussed in her seat, resisting the urge to jump up and demand C.C. explain what was going on.

 When C.C. opened the door, Milly jumped in her seat.

 “Lelouch?” She turned around. “Oh! Hi Nunnally, C.C. Did you happen to see him outside?”

 Nunnally turned her head upwards.

 C.C. answered, “I didn’t see him. Did he go somewhere?”

 “Yeah, like forever ago! This weird cosplayer came looking for him, so he went outside to talk.”

 “Cosplayer?”

 Nunnally tugged on C.C.’s sleeve. “Some people like to dress up like a character on TV.”

 Milly groaned. “He had on these weird superhero sunglasses, and a trench coat. It had a logo on it. Looked like a bird.”

 C.C. tightened her grip on Nunnally’s wheelchair’s handles. She struggled to let go. After taking in a deep breath, she said, “I’m going to go for a run. If I see him, I’ll tell him to come back.”

 Nunnally shook her head and tried to pull on C.C.’s arm. 

 C.C. tapped the girl’s hand and said goodbye to Milly. She whispered in Nunnally’s ear, “You’ll be safer if you stay here.”

 After C.C. left, Milly crossed her legs. “She’s off for a run, in that outfit?”

 “How long has my brother been gone?” Nunnally asked in a soft voice.

 “What’s up with you? Lulu’s a big boy. He can handle himself.”

 Nunnally held her head in her hands. “No…something is wrong. C.C. was trying to warn me. I think he’s been kidnapped.” 

 “Kidnapped?” Milly stood up. “No way.”

 “Did you call him?” Nunnally pressed her hands against her legs. She felt her Geass wearing off. She recognized the sounds of Milly’s cell phone as she dialed Lelouch’s number.

 “Lulu? Who are you? Wait, what? Stay right there, I’m coming down.”

 Milly grabbed Nunnally’s wheelchair and began pushing it out. 

 “Who was on the phone?” Nunnally asked.

 “He said he’s Suzaku Kururugi, Princess Euphemia’s knight. No clue what he’s doing here.”

 Why would Suzaku pick up Big Brother's phone? Nunnally's worst fears were realized.

 ——

 Milly pouted. “Ah, so it was really you, Suzaku.”

 Suzaku took off his gloves and stuck them in his pocket. “I’m surprised you’re here.”

 “This is my family’s school.”

 “Right…Sorry, I forgot.”

 “Asplund may be my husband’s last name, but I’ll always be an Ashford. Now, what are you doing here?”

 “I came here to warn Nunnally and Lelouch. Someone from the military is looking for you.”