#wip: phos gets yeeted into DC

[phantom-z0ne]

Phosphophyllite and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week Chapter 2

Chapter 1

WC: 1694

Day 2

Phos retraced their steps at dawn, eager to arrive at the building they first appeared on. They hadn't had much sleep, not since Antarc…

Anyways, Phos had three things they wanted to do today, observe the area they appeared in, look for the portal they came out of, and find a way to get to that black clad being if the portal didn't come.

First things first, observation, Phos thought as they pulled themself up to the platform they were at yesterday. Watching the steady stream of beings entering the metal tube, Phos was curious. Questions steeped in their mind. What exactly was it for? Well, that was the easy question, it seemed to be a mode of transportation. Phos eyed the amount of passengers entering the tube, it also seemed to be able to carry heavy weights. Alexandrite would kill for something like that. They would load it up with anything they could, dragging Benitoite behind them as they did.

Not to mention how strange Cinnabar would find this world. In fact, Phos thinks they would really dislike it, Cinnabar likes their personal space and this world was teeming with beings. Euclase would love to study it, the math behind such device would entertain them for some time. And Antarcticite… 

Phos snapped out of their thoughts. They didn't want to think about it farther. They already knew they were homesick, not even mentioning what happened in winter.

That's how Phos spent a portion of their day, observing the area and sometimes getting lost in thought, eventually snapping back to reality, then repeating that process again. After a while, Phos thought that enough was enough. They know enough about the metal tube, and waiting around for a portal to appear would be counterproductive. There's no way it would appear, not after they waited so long. For all they knew, it wouldn't spawn till the next year. They were wasting precious time that they could have used to get back to their world.

Phos stood up, dusting themself off, the platform must not get much cleaning for it to be so dusty, they thought. Going down the platform, Phos mingled with the locals, looking for a clear path towards the metal tubes. 

Phos decided they would ride the metal tube, staying in one place hoping the horned being would go there was madness. They would rather seek the being out themself. Maneuvering themself towards the metal tube —of which they need to think of a name for, metal tube is getting redundant— they managed to slip in without anyone paying attention and headed for the first door they saw. Passing the door, they saw rows of seats. Huh. So that's how they fit so many beings in. Settling in one of the seats closest to the door and with a full view of the room, Phos felt slightly nervous. They didn't know where this metal tube would be going, or how far it would go. For all they know, this world isn't the same size as theirs! It could be way bigger, after all their world only has one island. 

Pushing those thoughts aside, Phos forcefully calmed down, watching as other passengers entered the room. They haphazardly placed their belongings at their feet or on the chairs next to them. After everyone boarded, the tube began to move, jarring Phos. They knew it would move but they never experienced anything like it.

Looking around, there were empty seats. Phos thought they were lucky that they chose to ride at this time, another tube could have been full, leaving Phos with nowhere to sit. 

Phos paid attention to the other passengers, trying to get exposure to the strange language they spoke. Since they  didn't know how long it would take to find the horned boy, learning the language of the dominant species was a must to be able to communicate with it. After a couple announcements—which freaked Phos out, they aren't used to disembodied voices speaking overhead— Phos thought they could at least understand a couple of words. Apparently what they were riding in was called a train. It was a strange sounding word, but then again they were in a completely different world.

Their thoughts grew sluggish the longer they were in the room, the rocking of the tube lulling them to sleep. They slept quietly, unaware of the hours passing by. The moon stealing across the sky before dipping under the horizon. 

Phos woke up to an announcement, watching as many passengers shuffled their belongings around. It was apparent that the train would stop soon. Phos finally got up, striding towards the door they saw many passengers walk into, curious on what was behind it. Closing the door behind them, Phos was a little disappointed. There wasn't much interesting, just a mirror with a porcelain basin connected to it and a seat. Phos messed with the knobs below the mirror, pleasantly surprised at the water flowing from it. Once they finished, they turned back to the mirror, smoothing out their sweater and tugging their cap back on neatly. 

Making their way back to their seat, a small hand grabbed at their skirt. Turning, Phos saw a small being, a gummy smile being sent their way. Unsure of what to do, Phos smiled back. After a moment another being dislodged the hand from Pho’s skirt, an apologetic smile gracing its lips. A steady stream of words were aimed at Phos when the doors slammed open. Phos’s gaze lingered on the tiny being before walking out of the train, bumping into people during the rush. 

Scanning the area, Phos determinedly walked out of the station. Hopefully, they would find a lead on how to get home.

Once Captain Marvel heard the victim was awake, he was quick in questioning him about the incident. Apparently—since the victim seemed keen on keeping some details to himself—the victim, Lewis Wilkerson, was going about his day before he was ambushed in an alley. He claimed that the woman who attacked him was made of metal and had arms made of gold. The story was obviously edited, though he seemed truthful about being attacked. It seemed like the perpetrator was a meta, one with the ability to control metals or had a body made of metal. Though he can't eliminate the option that the person wasn't human in the first place. This was Fawcett after all.

After he left Lewis in his hospital bed, Captain Marvel patrolled once more before heading to the zeta tube located in his city, it was his shift on the Watchtower for monitor duty. He strolled to the computer and sat down, browsing the information he commissioned Oracle the day before. He watched a person(being? meta?) walking in a back alley before turning a corner, the camera angle shifted to account for this, being grabbed by the shoulder and shoved against the wall. He winced, that must have hurt, he would know. It's been done to him many times when he was Billy Batson. The camera angle wasn't the best, with Captain Marvel barely being able to see what was going on. Even less when they shifted outside of the range of the camera. Swiping, a photo of the meta was shown, he recognized the background as the Binder Train Station. He frowned, it was possible that the meta already left the city. 

“Whatcha looking at?” Flash asked, leaning on him to he snacked on a bag of chips. (One day he would find where the Flash hid the snacks. One day.)

“Oh! It's just a case I've been thinking about. Asked around for the footage.” He answered, sneakily trying to grab some chips. 

“Hmm? What’s it about?” Flash questioned, swatting Captain Marvel’s hands.

“A presumed meta. Made of gemstone or metal. Possibly both. She attacked someone. I've already asked the victim what happened and just making sure the story is straight. I managed to nab some pieces from the scene.”

“Presumed?” a new voice chimed in. Wonder Woman leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed when they faced her. 

“We can never be too sure.” Captain Marvel said, smiling cheekily. He swiped some chips from Flash while he was distracted from Wonder Woman's unexpected entry, smugly shoving them in his mouth. This earned him a swat from Flash. Wonder Woman smiled indulgently as she walked over.

“What do you mean by pieces though?” Flash asked, absently moving his bag away from Captain Marvel's wandering hands.

“Look,” Captain Marvel swiped back to the security footage, fastforwarding to the meta being slammed to the wall. He angled himself out of the way so they could see better, pointing to the shoulder that hit the wall. Flash and Wonder Woman leaned forward, spotting the light reflecting off of the meta’s hair. “Pieces of her body fell off when she hit the wall.” He paused after the meta left, pointing to the area they previously stood in. “You can't really see it from this camera but there were pieces of her body on the ground. I picked some up.”

 “Do you have it on you?” Wonder Woman inquired, a contemplative look on her face.

“Not right now. I dropped it off at my base. I could bring it back tomorrow for processing?” He replied, already making plans to investigate the meta further.

“That would be helpful.” Wonder Woman smiled, leaning back against the wall.

“And was it straight? The story?” Flash questioned as he absently stuffing his face, circling back to what was said earlier. 

“No. The victim attacked first.” He frowned, “I'm worried about there being another attack. She hurt that man pretty bad, even if it was in self defense.” He paused for a moment before continuing. 

“The meta could have already skipped town, though.” He pulled up the photo of the meta at the train station. 

“If you're that concerned about it, we can ask everyone to keep an eye out.” Wonder Woman proposed, Flash adding in his own affirmation.

“Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.” Captain Marvel smiled warmly. With that, they chatted a bit more before splitting up, finally focusing on their tasks.

Probably the shortest chapter in the series :)

What are your thoughts about whats going on?

Masterpost | Ao3

Chapter 3

[phantom-z0ne]

"Of all the strange things that happen to Phosphophyllite, they would have never guessed that they would fall through a portal to another world." Or, Phos is summoned to the DCU, reluctantly makes friends, gets into loads of trouble, and gives people heart attacks.

Chapter 1: Day 1 | Sketch

Chapter 2: Day 2

Chapter 3: Day 3

Chapter 4: Day 4 | Art

Chapter 5: Day 5

Chapter 6: Day 6

Chapter 7: Day 7

[phantom-z0ne]

snippet for Phosphophyllite and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

The trail abruptly ended, no more gems appeared no matter how thoroughly he looked. He doubled back, the mint-green shards gently cupped in his hands as he searched the alley once more. Nothing stuck out to him, even after a small magical scan. He sighed, giving up the search and deciding to visit the victim when he woke.  But first, he needed to safely store the evidence. The Rock of Eternity, Billy faintly suggested, nudging the idea towards him. It was a good idea. Very few beings had access to the Rock of Eternity, and even less visited regularly.  Captain Marvel walked up to the closest door—the backdoor of an Italian restaurant Billy had wanted to visit recently—and grabbed the handle, imbuing it with a drop of his magic. Blinding golden light engulfed the door as he twisted the handle, dying down when the familiar sight of the Rock of Eternity came into view as the door creaked open.  He stepped into the throne room, ignoring the imposing thrones as he beelined for the hidden room behind them. A quick thread of magic unsealed the concealed doorway, granting him access to his workroom. At first, this room used to be bare, but at the urging of his previous avatars, he used this room to store any contraband he confiscated. More recently, he transformed part of the room into a living quarters—carefully sectioning it away from any dangerous magical artifacts—in case one of his avatars or their friends needed somewhere to stay in a pinch.

Trying to motivate myself to actually write so heres a small snippet of the first chapter of my rewrite! More snippets on the way as I continue writing!!

[phantom-z0ne]

Phosphophyllite and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week Chapter 3

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

WC: 3780

CW: Minor Violence (Villain Attack)

Day 3

The strangest thing about the creatures of this world, Phos mused, was how they felt. They had soft skin that would give easily to the slightest pressure. Different from Phos, who would crack at the smallest touch of another gem.

Looking at them too closely made them seem unnatural. Their faces uneven and soft, unlike the gems who had smooth skin and sharp edges. The skin full of texture, like nothing they ever felt before. Feeling it was strange, uncanny even. Underneath the spongy outer layer, it pulsed, something that never occurred in gems.

Phos blinked, the being they had run into let out a stream of words. Although Phos couldn't understand what was exactly said, they understood that it was apologizing. The sight of bright red hair reminded them of Cinnabar before they snapped back to reality, pulling their hand out of the stranger's grasp. Phos uttered a small apology, seeing the stranger's concerned look slide off their face and light up in realization as they walked away. It was odd, to run into another being and not break. Phos rubbed their arm where they were bumped into.

Phos walked around the city, observing the landscape and making a mental map of where they were going. Phos nearly bumped into someone when they suddenly stopped, seeing an illustration of the being who brought them here. Stalking up to the stand and grabbing the paper, they flipped through the pages. It seemed to be reporting on the portals that appeared two days ago and what came out of them. The illustration of the black clad being was front and center.

Glancing around, Phos stuffed the paper in their pocket, making sure no one saw before they casually strolled away. Turning the corner into an alley, they pulled the paper out of their pocket. Shaping their alloy into a blade, they carefully cut out the illustration of the black clad being before discarding the rest of the paper. Folding it, they placed the illustration back into their pocket.

Phos walked back into the main street, taking in the sights of the strange new world before they saw a strange sight. Two large statues of a being in the process of running. They were centered before a building, a lightning bolt symbol being proudly presented at the top of the building. Curious, Phos wandered in, taking in the view. There were life size statues dressed in strange costumes. Walking into the next room, Phos eyed the weapons being displayed. It seemed a bit risky, having it be publicly displayed. Anyone could find a way to steal it and use it for themself.

Passing into another room, Phos stared at the gems, homesickness hitting them full force. Their hand tightening on the strap of their bag. Tearing their eyes away from it, they settled on watching the others in the room. Retreating from the room, Phos collected themself and went back to the entrance. They had already spent enough time there. If they wanted to explore the rest of the city, they had better get a move on.

Exiting the building, Phos felt a sudden temperature change, their arms stiffening from the cold. Looking around, they saw others beginning to realize something was amiss. A scream tore through the crowd, snapped them out of their thoughts. Looking over, a being dressed in a fuzzy blue and white jacket slowly walked towards the building, a weapon in hand. Instantly, the crowd split away from him as he lifted his gun, shots of ice coming from the weapon. 

Phos’s eyes widened, the surge of the crowd unwillingly guiding them elsewhere. They panicked. Being pushed around wasn't good, they could shatter if enough force was applied! A particularly harsh shove confirmed their guess. Phos could feel a thin crack widening the longer they stayed in the crowd. Clutching their waist, Phos focused on looking for a remote area, somewhere away from the crowd. There! 

Before Phos could run to the isolated area, they heard a cry. Whipping around and making sure to dodge beings rushing in their direction, they saw an abandoned being sobbing, the tiny creature crying out for someone. Seeing such a vulnerable sight, Phos couldn't help themself, running over and scooping the being in their arms. The tiny thing held on tight to their sweater, continuing to cry as Phos spun around, their skirt flaring as they ran.  

Dashing over to the remote area they spotted earlier, Phos felt a sudden tug on their waist, the world blurring around them. The pressure building before they came to a sudden stop. A sharp cracking sound pierced through the air. Clutching the being to their chest with one hand and the other holding their waist, Phos looked at the being who grabbed them with wide eyes. It was dressed in a skintight red suit adorned with a jagged yellow symbol, oddly similar but different to the being they met the other day. The being made a face at the sound, opening its mouth to say something but was cut off with a distant yell. Its face hardened before it sped off, leaving the scent of ozone behind, moving too fast for Phos to see. 

Phos blinked, never before seeing such speed. Even Yellow Diamond wasn’t that fast. Looking down to the little being in their arm, Phos suddenly didn't know what to do with it. It calmed down significantly and was looking around innocently, craning its neck this way and that. It was oddly cute in a special sort of way now that Phos was looking at it closely. Still strange looking, though. 

Phos surveyed their injury before wrapping their gold alloy securely around their waist. Picking up the larger pieces that fell off, they frowned. They didn't want any more pieces to dislodge themselves. They already got hurt twice in three days, which was a new personal record. Who knew how long they would stay in this strange world. They needed their body intact to get back. They shoved the pieces in their pocket, making a note to attach them to themself once they were alone.

Hiking the little being higher on their hips, they moved forward, striding back to where they found the little being. They couldn't bring themself to just abandon it. Arriving, they noticed how cold it was, sharp pieces of ice jutting out from numerous places. The locals were lingering around the place, lightning flashing by every once in a while. One particular being loudly yelling out for something. When they caught sight of Phos, they rushed over, babbling tearful words of thanks when Phos held out the small being towards it. 

Content that they found the being’s caretaker, Phos walked away, sending one last glance at it. The beings of this world were very bizarre. Phos longed to go home. They would make sure that whoever sent them would regret it.

Speaking of—

Checking their pockets, they found it empty of the illustration. Groaning internally, Phos set off to find another copy, walking the streets once more.

After some time, they found a building with some illustrations of the portals. Going inside, there were stacks of them, some with illustrations of one of the local being—again in red. What is with this world and red?— fighting what came out of the portals. That reminded them. If they approached the being, would they also be treated with violence? They also came out of a similar portal after all. Phos tugged on the strap of their bag, thinking it over. No matter, Phos thought determinedly, they would find a way back with or without this world's being’s help.

Glancing around, Phos slowly approached their target, Though pausing when they caught sight of what appeared to be a map. Turning to walk towards the map, they eyed it. Compared to the map back home, this one was enormous. Large landmasses took up the space, and even larger oceans between them. Holding it up, Phos truly felt how out of place they were. In such a humongous world, how would they find the being that would take them home? Shoving that though out of their mind, they placed the map back down, grabbing a smaller map next to it. It showed one of the landmasses with a big red star over a certain point. Glancing at the other maps nearby, they showed the same image. Perhaps the red star indicated where they currently were? A small arrow underneath presumably confirmed it. Although they couldn't read the language, the small curly script was most likely the name of the area they were in. 

Keeping it in hand, they returned their focus to their original target, grabbing the paper and flipping through the pages. Phos drew nearer to the entrance with every step. A sudden harsh shout alarmed them. Turning around, they confirmed that their theft was discovered before booking it out of the establishment. The heavy footsteps alerted them that they were being chased. Turning the corner, Phos glanced back, seeing how many were pursuing them. They counted three. 

They were annoyingly persistent, Phos thought irritatedly after they had been running for a while. They stuffed the newspaper and the map in their pocket, weaving through the streets and back alleys quickly before hitting a dead end. Turning back, they slid to a halt once they saw their pursuers turn into the alley. 

Harsh words were thrown at them, two of the pursuers puffing up, marching forward towards them. Another spoke, jutting its chin towards Phos’s bag. It seemed like they had no other choice, Phos thought as they tugged off their gloves. One of the being’s steps faltered. Raising their arms, Phos aimed for the two aggressive beings, engulfing most of their body and squeezed, repeating what they did two days ago. Muffled shouts of alarm rang out in the otherwise quiet alley, the one still standing frozen in shock. The beings fell limp a couple moments later. Phos let their arms reform, the two beings hitting the floor with a loud thud. Looking at the one still conscious, Phos smiled as they put a finger to their lips, taunting it. That seemed to snap it out of its stupor as it turned tail and ran. 

Sighing, Phos stored their gloves in their back pocket, making sure to also put the illustration there too as they discarded the extra pages. Reaching up, the gold alloy attached itself to the roof of the neighboring building, pulling Phos along. They landed and immediately aimed for the next roof, aimlessly passing time as they leapt from building to building. That encounter soured their mood, they felt unwilling to mingle among the locals for the time being. They knew theft would upset anyone, there would be arguments, but getting physically violent over it? Phos shook their head, they had never seen that for as long as they existed. 

Stopping to rest, Phos gazed at the city, watching as the locals went about their day. Randomly, there would be flashes of lightning in certain streets before it faded away. Phos guessed it was that one fast being. That reminded them. What gave the beings of this world abilities? The one from two days ago could fly! And todays could run faster than the eye could see! What made them so different? Although they were curious, Phos didn’t want to be around long enough for their questions to be answered. 

Deciding that was enough lazing around, Phos lowered themself out of sight before rejoining the crowd. While they were watching the city, they saw certain metal beasts that would allow transportation. Locating one wasn't hard, neither was sneaking in. Sitting down at the back near one of the doors, Phos let out a sigh. It's been a long day for them, and they were ready to just go to sleep.

An hour passed, then another with Phos nodding off. Phos felt it when the metal beast rolled to a stop, getting up from their seat in a hurry and grabbing their bag. 

Perhaps Phos should have paid attention to where the metal beast was going. They spun around, seeing that they were on a desolate road, the land all around them barren of civilization. Sighing, they shouldered their bag, deciding to follow the road. Hopefully they would come across a safe place to spend the night before the moon rose. They began their trek, their hope to sleep in a building lowering the longer they walked.

With the moon beginning to show itself, Phos thought they saw a building in the distance. Speeding up, they stopped near the building, seeing another building on the same plot of land. It was covered by the first building from a distance, so Phos hadn't seen it initially. Snooping around, there were no lights or movement coming from it. Even if there were beings inside, Phos would be gone by the time it would wake up. 

Closing the door, they plopped themself on a thick stack of straw, rolling to their side. Phos fell asleep quickly, the day wearing them down greatly. They dreamt of rolling hills and gems flitting in and out of the School. 

Flash loved his city, he thought as he sped across the city. With the adoring citizens, and the beautiful cityscape, he didn't know why everyone didn't want to live here. Though that could be attributed to the annoyingly stubborn villains. They never seemed to learn, coming back time and time again after they lost. 

That's why it didn't surprise him when Captain Cold decided he wanted to attack the Flash Museum, again. For the nth time. He honestly lost count at this point.

Rushing over, he took a millisecond to take in the scene, Captain Cold shooting his Cold Gun, bystanders running around in a panic, and people who still hadn't noticed milling around at the entrance of the museum. Zooming into the museum, he cataloged the amount of people there, getting them to safety before they could even blink. He repeated this process outside, grabbing the waist of a mother holding her son and taking them to a far enough distance from danger. A loud cracking sound emanated from the pair. He eyed them, worried that they broke a limb during the run over. Checked them over, however, found nothing wrong. Just a mother and her child in good health staring blankly at him.

He was about to ask but was interrupted by a shrill scream. Groaning internally, he sped off towards the sound, taking his mind off of the weird noise he heard. There, he found a civilian in the grasp of Captain Cold. Scowling, he raced over, extracting them from the villain's hold and setting them down away from the battle, then coming back to Captain Cold.

He brought any remaining civilians to safety, quickly taking care of Captain Cold with a swift chop to the neck. Confiscating the Cold Gun, he handed over the villain to the just arriving cops. 

Taking off, he resumed his patrol, checking every nook and cranny of the city. It was a quiet day overall, with nothing much happening. Slowing down, he grabbed some food, pausing to eat his hot dog before he took off again.

Circling the city, he noticed a man rushing down the sidewalk hurriedly. Running next to him, he addressed him, asking what the rush was for teasingly. The man paused, looking at him in shock before grabbing his hand and stuttering out the words. Comforting the man, Flash asked him to repeat himself. What he heard was surprising. He knew that Captain Marvel’s meta probably skipped town, but he hadn't expected her to be in his city. 

He ran over to the location the man had stated. Surveying the extent of the injuries, he gathered up the two unconscious men and deposited them to the hospital. Racing back to the scene, he looked for any clues to the meta’s identity. Finding nothing, he raced back to Carter, the man who ran away from the meta, intent on hearing a detailed description of what happened. 

After getting the description, he sped around the city, looking for anyone matching that description. Hours passed before he had to stop, his presence at the watchtower being required. It was Captain Marvel and his turn this week for monitor duty at the watchtower. 

He did one last loop around the city, a light hitting his eye at an odd angle as he sped by. Backtracking, he found the source, a mint-green shard the size of a nail with small golden flakes adorning it. Picking it up, he recognized it as a piece of the meta, Captain Marvel showing him a photo of the meta the day before. 

Looking around, he noticed that this was near the area that was attacked by Captain Cold. Did this mean that the meta was here during the attack? It was shown that blunt force could chip away at the meta, so it was possible she got hurt during the attack. If she was here, then how did he not see her? They went around this city multiple times already and the meta was pretty distinct. 

Unless she were wearing a disguise. Thinking back, he thought of anything out of place that had happened during the attack. His eyes widened, remembering the suspicious cracking sound.

The mother—no. The meta. That sound must have come from the meta. Perhaps when he pulled her away from danger, he harmed her? After all, her body was presumably made from gems, which isn't as flexible as regular human bodies. The amount of force could have made her body crack, he thought guilty. The meta…

The meta with a child. There's no way that was the meta’s child. Why didn't he think of it earlier? They don't even look the same, for goodness sake! Did that mean she kidnapped the baby? No, he remembered now. He saw that same baby with another woman after the attack. She clearly gave the child back. That's one less thing to worry about, he thought relieved.

Holding the shard securely, Flash dashed towards the nearest Zeta Tube. Typing in his destination, he arrived at the watchtower. As he strode into the monitor room, he saw Wonder Woman already there. Waving at her, he zoomed towards one of their examination rooms. Opening the latch of the processor, he placed a few of the shards in it, keeping  a piece on hand. 

Starting the machine, he went back to the monitor room, grabbing his snacks first, and sat down, chatting idly with Superman.

Seeing Captain Marvel passing by, he spoke up, “I've got a lead on that meta of yours, Cap.” Captain Marvel turned towards him, his face lighting up in surprise.

“You do? What is it?” He asked, walking into the room. Superman glanced at them, curious about what they were talking about. 

“She was in my city today.” He answered, lifting the mint-green shard up to show Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel’s eyes widened, he didn't look very surprised that the meta wasn't in his city anymore.

Superman also looked over, eyebrow lifting at the shard. “Is that a piece of the meta’s ability?”

“Nope.” Flash answered, popping the p, “It is the meta.” Superman’s eyes widened in alarm, eyebrows flying up. 

“What?!” He exclaimed, taken aback, “What do you mean by that?”

Walking over to the computer and pulling up the photo of the meta, Captain Marvel faced the monitor towards Superman. 

“This is a possible meta that was seen in Fawcett two days ago. They hospitalized a civilian. I've been looking for her since.” Captain Marvel explained. “When she gets hurt, it seems parts of her body chips off. See?” He said, showing Superman the camera footage of the attack. 

“And this meta was in Central City?” Superman asked.

“Yep. There was another attack. Two men this time. And theft.” Flash answered, opening a bag of gummies and picking out a handful to throw into his mouth.

“Theft?” Both Superman and Captain Marvel questioned.

“A map and a newspaper. The newspaper had an image of you, Supes.” Flash said, jutting his chin at Superman.

Superman frowned, leaning back on his chair, “Are you saying she could be looking for me?”

“Possibly, It's just a theory. After all, with how many times you're targeted, it's a plausible theory, no? ” He stated, raising his hands up innocently. 

“Why were the men attacked?” Captain Marvel spoke up, perturbed. Flash knew why he was so concerned. The last attack could be labeled as self defense but for another attack to happen so soon? It could become a pattern, ending up with a new villain emerging. And that was never good.

“They chased after the meta when she stole their goods. Apparently cornered the meta before they were attacked. A third guy, one who didn't get hurt, said that the meta was taunting them after the attack. But who's to say he was telling the truth? Guy couldn't keep his story straight.” Flash shrugged, throwing an empty snack away before digging through his snacks again.

“Hm. Did he give a description of the meta?” Captain Marvel asked, grabbing a seat for himself.

“He said she wore a black hat and long black skirt. She also had a duffle bag. Super pale skin along with arms made of gold that could expand.” Flash replied. “Tried to search for her, but couldn't find anyone that matched. I think she skipped town, but I can't be sure. I'll look around again tomorrow.”

“I'll also be on the lookout, just in case she really is looking for me.” Superman chimed in.

“Maybe we should bring this up at the meeting tomorrow. With the way she's going from city to city, she'll eventually hit another hero’s city. The hero should be at least warned of the possible threat.” Captain Marvel spoke as he got up from his seat, tucking the chair into the table. 

“That's a good idea, it'll also broaden the scope of the search.” Superman added, turning back to face the large screens. 

They chatted for a while more before going back to their respective tasks, Flash’s going by fast, even for him. Usually things were slower for him due to his superspeed. Stretching, and hearing a pop, he got up. Ambling to the coffee machine in the break room, he filled a cup for himself and Superman. Returning to the room, he sat back down and handed Superman his cup, which he grabbed with gratitude, and waited for the next shift to arrive as he stared at the screens. 

Finally Green Arrow and Hawkgirl arrived, relieving Flash and Superman from their duties. Greeting them as he darted past, he arrived at the Zeta tube. Typing in his destination, he landed in a deserted alleyway.  

Sprinting across the city, he went through the day's events, analyzing everything, looking for any clues he could have missed. Nothing stood out to him as he ran home, finally arriving, he unlocked the door and changed. Heading to bed, he kissed the top of his wife's head as he laid next to her, curling himself around her body. Eyes fluttering shut, he fell into a peaceful sleep.

Had fun writing Flash's pov, though im not too sure about his introduction paragraph :/

Masterpost | Ao3

Chapter 4

[phantom-z0ne]

Phosphophyllite and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week Chapter 4

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

WC: 5781

CW: Implied(?) Suicide Attempt - A character believes another character is about to commit suicide

Day 4

Quiet shuffling noises reached Phos’s ears as they groggily woke up. Their eyes snapped open once they registered what they were hearing. Craning their neck, Phos awoke to two beings hovering over them. Narrowing their eyes, they inched back, keen to not be in striking distance from the two beings. After all, most of their interactions with these beings were hostile.

The two beings seemed startled, pausing at that reaction, which Phos thought was strange. They began to move again, gesturing to the doors. Looking from the small window they had not seen last night, the only other place they could be motioning towards was the building right beside it. The one that these beings most likely came from. It was clear they wanted Phos to follow them, with them motioning as they walked to the door, but why?

Interested in finding out the answer, Phos uncurled themself, stretching as they got up, and grabbed their bag, following the pair cautiously. Walking outside, Phos didn't know how they missed such blatant signs of occupation. There were seeds strewn around, birds picking at them, a bucket of water off to the side of the building. 

Finally arriving at the building, the smaller of the pair opened the door, going in without a backwards glance. The other however, kept an eye on Phos as it followed the first being. Walking into the building, Phos watched as the smaller being puttered about, grabbing things and placing them here and there. 

Phos was led to a couch, sitting down across from the larger being and set their bag to the side as the smaller one placed a small bowl in front of them. A muddy liquid sloshed around as Phos held the bowl. Glancing up at the beings, the smaller of the pair began to speak, gesturing expectantly towards the bowl in Phos’s hands. The beings exchanged looks when Phos continued to hold the bowl, confused on what to do with it. The smaller being grabbed their own bowl and used a small utensil to scoop the contents of the bowl onto it. Bringing the utensil to their mouth, the smaller being slurped down the liquid loudly before repeating the action, all the while staring at Phos. 

Phos eyed the small being before hesitantly mimicking its action, slurping down the liquid and swallowing. The texture was thick and it went down quickly, the flavor was… okay. They weren't sure what to think about it, they had never had something like this before. Overall, they didn't think they wanted any more. They put the utensil back into the bowl and pushed it towards the couple. They exchanged looks again before the larger being grabbed the bowls and headed into another room.

The smaller being began to speak to Phos as the other came back and sat next to them. Phos stared back uncomprehending at the being as they spoke, only catching a few words they memorized. The being seemed to understand their error and paused, speaking to the larger being for a moment before beginning again, repeating a singular word while pointing towards theirself. Their expression expectant, as if wanting them to also say that word, Phos wondered. They hesitantly repeated after them, letting out a “Ma-tha”. The being shook their head before repeating the word again, Phos repeating it until they got a beaming smile from the being—no, from Martha. Looking over to the other being, they also began the process until Phos let out a perfect “Jonathan”. That earned Phos a quirked smile from him.

Martha and Jonathan gazed curiously at Phos before Phos realized they wanted their name in return. Putting their hand over their chest, they introduced themself. Phos watched as the pair stumbled over their name, correcting them each time they pronounced it wrong. Phos sighed, eventually switching over to their nickname, which was easier for them. 

As she went to speak, Martha paused, looking over Phos before she jumped up and walked into another room, coming back with a bundle of clothing. Handing it to Phos, she spoke while pointing to Phos, the clothes, and a door. Looking at the clothes, Phos realized she wanted them to change. But why? They broke into the pair's home and stayed without their permission. Surely that's grounds to be thrown out for, right? Plus, they didn't think their clothes were that bad, were they? Phos looked over their clothes perplexed.

Smiling gently, Martha steered them towards the door, pushing them in a medium sized room, a sharp click signaling the closing of the door. Phos blinked, taking in the room as they turned. Quickly stripping their clothes off, they assessed themself in the mirror, their eyes tracing the wound they received the day before. It spanned the front of their waist, almost wrapping around to their back. The deepest was around their naval, their waist almost looking to be concave. Phos frowned, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it still wasn't good. 

Leaning down, Phos grabbed the pieces of themself from the pocket of their skirt. Slotting the pieces into place and reinforcing it with their gold alloy. How many times had their body failed them? Their legs were the first gone, stolen from them in a way they couldn't remember. They plugged in a section, their arms were next, gone from their foolishness. They should have listened to Antarc and yet… They sighed, they didn't have time to think about that now. Focus on the present, Phos! They are in a precarious situation, they can't spend time wallowing in self pity. They slid the last piece in and wrapped it with their gold. 

Finished with fixing their body, Phos turned to the clothes they were handed. Holding it up, they eyed it, flipping it from front to back. They would cover most of their body, which was acceptable, they didn't usually wear such long clothing unless it was for hibernation. Slipping it on halfway, they grabbed the other piece of clothing, another sweater, and put that on too. Slipping the first piece of clothing over their shoulders and securing it, they turned to the mirror. 

They looked nice, they thought. The clothes obscured their figure, making it harder for others to guess how their figure looked. The light gray sweater was held in place by blue trousers that snaked up their front before crossing at their back. Spinning around, Phos looked at the clothes one last time before leaning down and placing their hat back on, tugging their gloves on also. Sliding the papers into their new pockets, Phos emerged from the small room.

Walking down the small hallway, Phos gazed around at their surroundings. Decorating the walls, images of a small family were shown. The two beings in most of them, though a small being was the main focus of the images. Snaking along the wall, the images showed the growth of the small being. Where it was once small enough to hold in one hand, by the end of the hallway, the being towered over the pair. Phos imagined that they were taken over the course of years, though they did wonder over the lifespan of these beings. They were different enough from Phos, so were their lifespans also different? Was it longer or shorter than Phos’s?

Returning to the room that held Martha and Jonathan, Phos brought out their map as they sat down. Meeting the couple’s curious stare head on, Phos angled the map towards them before they tried to explain their question, where were they currently, while motioning at the map. All they received were blank stares. Frustrated, Phos let out a sigh. Since they couldn't verbally communicate, Phos acted out their question. After a moment of silence, Phos watched as the couple had a moment of realization as they pointed towards a word and sounded it out. It was close to the red star they were at yesterday. They hadn’t realized they traveled that far. 

Repeating the word under their breath, Phos slipped the photo of the strange red being out of their pocket and placed it next to the map, their hand alternating between the two. The pair’s eyes widened, clearly recognizing the being before sharing apprehensive looks and engaging in a quiet conversation.

Letting out a silent huff, Phos started again, pointing between the illustration and the map more insistently. The couple ended their conversation abruptly, Martha peered at Phos for a moment before she pointed to a word, halfway across the landmass. Phos repeated after Martha, only taking three tries before they received a smile from Martha.

Rolling up their map and illustration and shoving them back in their pocket, Phos watched as they were briefly talked to before the pair walked into another room. 

As pleasant as the couple were to Phos, Phos knew that they had to leave. They had a being to track down and a home to return to. Phos strolled towards the nearest window, grabbing their bag along the way, and quietly opened the window. Slipping out and shutting the window, Phos followed along the side of the road in the shadows of trees, making sure to not be seen.

The trek was dull, in Phos’s opinion, but they persisted. Finding the path they took the day before, they retraced their steps. They could see their previous tracks, though it wasn't too obvious. Following them, Phos was surprised by a sudden gust of wind after traveling for some time. They shielded themself with their hand, their other hand rescuing their hat from being blown away, looking for the source of the forceful gust of wind. 

Seeing a blur of red tearing across the sky, Phos stared incredulously. They had never seen such speed, not to mention flying. What a strange world, Phos thought. They had already encountered strange abilities from this world, from their encounter with the fast red being and the papers, but it still managed to surprise Phos. They wondered what happened along the road for such strange abilities to crop up.

Putting their hat back on neatly, Phos continued their march, eventually arriving in a populated area. They glanced around. Everyone seemed so busy, their steps hurried and turning into a horde of beings, reminding Phos of schools of fish. Though they can't really remember going into the ocean.

Following the flow of being, they arrived at a large white building, large metallic birds emerging and ascending to and from the building. They had noticed the large metallic birds before and wondered if they were another way of transportation, their theory now confirmed.

Entering the building, the first thing they notice is how huge it was. The high ceiling and the support beams loomed over the fragile beings, somewhat reminding Phos of the School. Then they saw the illuminated panels. Ones with the same words as on the map. Bringing their map out, they compared the words carefully. They were right! It seemed that the metal birds took the beings across the landmass. They just had to find the right metal bird to ride and they'll be one step closer to going home, Phos thought excitedly. 

They painstakingly combed through the screens, occasionally looking back to the map to remind them of how the word ‘Metropolis’ looked. While going through the screens, they found that the symbol next to the words guides the beings to their preferred metal bird, so finding one that matched would lead them to Metropolis. 

Finally finding the word Metropolis, they memorized the symbol next to it, marking it down in the margins of the map with their finger. Now they had to find where the assigned metal bird was. They searched the building, searching for a similar symbol in the meanwhile. 

Eventually, they found their symbol—at least, one that looked similar. It was curved downwards instead of up but otherwise the same, Phos supposed that was just how it was meant to be displayed. After all, they weren’t of this world, so what would they know?—next to a long hallway. Peering into the hallway, they saw it opened to the outdoors, many beings already walking down its lane. Phos walked into the hallway along with the other boarders, mimicking how the other beings acted in a bid to be inconspicuous. There were what Phos thought were guards loitering about.

Trailing up the stairs and into the metal beast, Phos scanned their surroundings, noticing how similar it was on the inside to the train they took. Now that they thought about it, every transportation they took looked similar. These beings sure like being consistent, huh? Or maybe it was the most ideal design, they thought absently. 

Settling down into an empty seat, Phos looked to the small screen which seemed to have instructions. Some of the images showed what Phos thought was a locking mechanism. Before Phos could try to follow the instruction, their attention was focused towards a being speaking towards every being in this section of the metal beast. The speaker quickly finished their explanation and left the beings to their own devices. 

Phos startled at the metal bird beginning to move, a disembodied voice relaying information, though of what kind, Phos had no idea. They grabbed the belt like cord and wrapped it above their waist, putting it into the metal contraption to their left, copying what they saw other passengers doing. A small click signaling it was firmly in place.

Phos quickly knew why they had to strap themself to the seat, the rough shaking of the beast as it ascended into the air alarming an unprepared Phos. The metal beast smoothened out the longer it stayed in the air, eventually stabilizing. Phos relaxed, letting go of their hold in the armrest, and glancing out the window. 

Phos watched the clouds in awe, never having seen them this close before. It felt as if they could touch it if they reached out. They watched mesmerized, as the landscape flew by.

Phos was a bit disappointed that they couldn't watch any longer as the metal beast—they heard other passengers repeating the word ‘airplane’ but they weren’t sure if that was what it was called—descended. The tremor of the beast was worse, though it subsided quickly. 

Emerging from the beast, Phos followed the crowd out of the building. The first word that came to mind when they saw the city— rough. The ground was filthy, broken bottle pieces littered at the side of the road. The walls of the nearby area smeared with unidentified liquids. One peek into an alleyway was enough to convince Phos to avoid them in this city. They weren’t a clean freak but this city really tested that. This city had a completely different atmosphere compared to the last two they visited. Phos hadn't thought the city would be like this when their protector had such a bright visage. 

It would begin to approach night soon, Phos thought as they glanced up. The sky was completely covered, thick dark clouds spanned as far as the eye could see. They could look for any clues while they searched for a place for the night. 

Phos began their tried and true method of jumping roof to roof, avoiding entering any grimy alleyways. They had to scout the city quickly, they couldn't tell accurately when the sun would set due to the clouds. They didn't want to be without a place to stay while tired.

Pausing for a moment, they looked over the city. Phos could almost understand why the being protected this place, lights glittered in concert and streaks of red and white flashed their way across the city, with crowds weaving in and out of streets. An unearthly glow covered the city. They hadn't ever seen anything like this before. It was mesmerizing, capturing enough of Phos’s attention that they almost missed the sound of footsteps behind them.

Whipping around, Phos caught sight of a being a couple of steps away, their hands up placatingly once they saw Phos face them. They were dressed in a skintight black outfit with blue highlights, a black mask covering a part of their face. Twin weapons peeking out from over their shoulders.

The being spoke in a soft tone, telegraphing their movement as they took a step forward and gestured towards themself in a beckoning motion. Tilting their head, Phos wondered if this was another protector. They did seem to wear strange outfits, they thought of their past encounters. If they were, then what would they want from Phos? They hadn't done anything to warrant their attention…unless they were in contact with the other two protectors? No, even if they were, there wasn't anything they could connect back to Phos. 

Phos glanced over the edge of the building, calculating their chances of successfully escaping, before focusing their attention back on the being as it took a quick step forward. It spoke once more before Phos interrupted them, “What do you want?”. Their hand clutching their bag tightly, getting ready to unsheathe their sword.

The being paused before laying a hand over their chest and repeated a word. Phos was familiar with this type of introduction, the couple had done this to them earlier. Should they also introduce themself? It couldn't hurt, right? It's not like they could track them down just with their nickname. Mind made up, they responded in kind. The being—Nightwing—beamed.

Nightwing babbles on, moving his arms slowly as he began to move again. He was getting alarmingly close. Phos still wasn't sure what he wanted from them. A small step back halted his stride. Oh? Was he trying to get them away from the edge of the building? Both times Phos made a motion towards the ledge, he reacted unusually. They took a step forward, watching Nightwing's reaction. His shoulders dropped, almost imperceptibly if Phos wasn't studying him closely, and he took a step back. 

He opened his mouth to speak before going still, subtly cocking his head to the side. Phos could just barely make out a voice coming from the left of Nightwing, and that was only due to how close they were. This was their chance to leave while he was distracted! 

Inching back, Phos took one last glance to make sure Nightwing wasn't paying attention and leaped over the edge of the building. They heard a startled sound as they cushioned their fall with their gold and quickly ran into an alley, making sure not to be seen from the roof of the building. Turning the corner, they looked back, seeing Nightwings head peek over the building.

Night was approaching soon and they still haven't found a place to sleep. Stepping out of the alley, they kept their eyes peeled for any place to rest and danger. They had seen some unpleasant things before being interrupted by Nightwing.

Phos sped up when they walked past the group lingering in the alleyway entrance who leered as they passed by, they didn't want another unpleasant interaction. Unfortunately, Phos thought, they seemed intent to cause one. Three had split off from the group and followed behind Phos, sharing malicious grins between themselves. Phos didn't have the time or energy to deal with their pursuers, they had a long day.

Phos abruptly turned a corner, breaking into a run, winding through the streets, the footsteps growing fainter the further they went. They slowed down, catching their breath before scanning their location. The street was deserted, likely due to the hour, though they could hear some noise not too far off. Grime covering everything, glass and questionable substances strewn over the edges of the sidewalk.

They continued their search before stopping before a run down brown and gray metal beast, what they believed was called a car. Swiping a hand over the side, rust coated their fingertips. Flicking the rust off, they removed the cloth covering the back of the car. There wasn't much in the space, just clothing and small wrapped bags. They were covered in a thin layer of dust. 

It would be risky to stay in the small space for the night, with it being accessible by anyone. But they also had no other options. Their strength was waning and they could feel the tiredness settling in. Plus, it was clearly abandoned. It's not like they would make the same mistake again, right?

Resolute in their decision, Phos looked around, making sure nobody was watching before they climbed in the back of the car. Placing the cloth back over the space, Phos laid there, alone with their thoughts. Shutting their eyes, they could almost pretend they were back at the School. Sensei would be talking to Euclase, smiling fondly and patting the gem’s head. The other gems would be patrolling the grounds or relaxing, excitedly chatting with one another and enjoying the company. 

Phos sighed, opening their eyes. Despite being so tired, they couldn't sleep, their thoughts keeping them up. They decided to try focusing on something instead, counting each breath they made. Their breathing evening out the longer they counted. Slowly, the pull of sleep dragged Phos under.

Nightwing flew over his city, wind flowing through his hair, his cheeks pinking due to the cold of the night. The thrill of being in the air never stopped once. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of his city, before jumping to the next roof, adding a few spins for the fun of it.

Usually, figures on rooftops were a comfort for him. It reminded him of patrolling Gotham with his family. But this was Blüdhaven, the worst city in the world. People on roofs usually spelled trouble.

His heart dropped when he saw a silhouette of a person dangerously close to the edge of the building they were on. He gently landed behind the person, purposefully making noise. He didn’t want to scare them straight off the edge.

The person spun around quickly, her face pale and foreign from what he could see from under the shadow of her hat. She looked as if she came from East Asia, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly which region. 

He held up his hands, signaling that he came in peace, and observed her. Her eyes were unnerving, shining brightly despite the time of day. The color changed at what angle you looked at them. A meta? Possibly, though that wasn't the only option on what she could be. 

Her clothes hung over her frail frame, baggy and ill fitting. They didn't even look like her size, had she stolen them? It wouldn't be surprising, many of the residents of Blüdhaven were forced to steal to get by. What he was most worried about was her desire to jump.

“Why don't you come down from the edge, okay?” He asked softly, taking a small step forward. She tilted her head, frowning. 

His heart sped up sharply when she looked over the edge, he imagined that she was contemplating whether she should approach him or just jump. He tensed, taking another step forward in preparation to catch her if she did jump. He spoke softly once more, saying that she didn't have to do this, that she had a whole life ahead of her. 

She looked sharply at him before saying a sentence he couldn't understand. A language barrier, just great. It sounded vaguely like Japanese but different, as if someone took the language and twisted it into their own version of the language. He smiled anyway, happy that she responded, even if she most likely couldn't understand him either. 

He started once more, this time switching up and talking about small things, like how amazing the burgers two streets down where or how beautiful the flowers Mrs. Chen arranged were. Just small things about the city that brought it to life. He knew she probably wouldn’t understand, but it would be better than standing in silence, plus he was getting closer the longer he talked.

The moment she took a step back towards the ledge, he stood still, tensing again. She looked at him weirdly before seeming to realize something, her face strangely expressive. She retracted the foot that laid against the edge of the roof and took a step forward. He almost let out a sigh of relief, some tension leaving his shoulders. He took a step back, acknowledging that she needed her space. Every time he came too close to her, she would step towards the edge. 

As he went to speak once more, a small buzzing noise came from his comm before Oracle spoke. A bank robbery was underway across town and he was needed there immediately. The police weren’t going to arrive in another 40 minutes. By then, the robbery would have already ended. 

As he glanced back at the girl, he found nothing. He only took his eyes off of the girl for one moment! He hurried to looked down at the street, horrified at what he would see. Why did he take his eyes off her, he knew better! He prepared himself to see a managed, bloody body, but miraculously, there was nothing. As in, there was no body, blood, no one on the street even looked bothered.

How? Humans can’t survive falling from this height, he thought, stunned. Unless…she was a meta? He remembered her glowing eyes, he should have known that there were more aspects to her ability than just glowing eyes. He knew Duke, for goodness sake. He let out a shuddering breath, glad that at least she was unharmed.

A small click in his comm signaled the line was open. “I'll be there in 10.” 

He took off into the direction of the robbery, flipping and spinning as he made his jumps. Hopefully, he’ll be able to find her again after he's dealt with the robbery.

The call wasn’t unexpected. His parents weren't shy in calling to see how his day was going. The contents of the phone call, however, were concerning. Hearing his parents talk about their brush with the meta Captain Marvel and Flash encountered sent a chill down his spine. 

Clark quickly excused himself from the office, Lois sending him a knowing look as he did, before quickly changing and flying over to his parents house. What Flash said the other day seemed to have merit. What were the chances of the meta stumbling across his parents and not targeting him? Extremely low.

Landing, he hurried over to his parents, scanning them over with his x-ray vision. He let out a sigh of relief, grateful that they were okay. It was one thing to hear them over the phone and another to check with them in person. He gave his puzzled parents some room, letting his heart settle.

Asking his parents about the meta bore little results. They recounted finding the meta sleeping in the barn and invited her inside the house once she awoke. They called him after they fed and dressed her. The meta leaving during the duration of the phone call. What was concerning was the meta seeking him out. The parents described her as having a map and photo of him. That coincided with the theft Flash told him about the previous day. It seemed like he should be expecting the meta to show up in Metropolis soon. Flash’s theory was starting to hold up.

He returned to work after some fussing and promising his parents he would visit soon, absentmindedly working on editing Lois’s paper—her spelling mistakes were ridiculous sometimes, he thought amusedly. He settled his usual routine, working on his assignments at a human speed, buying himself and Lois lunch, and patrolling the city after work ended. 

Noting the time, he hadn't realized how fast time flew by. If he didn't get going soon, he would be late for the meeting. He didn't want to be late to the meeting, Batman always gets on his case whenever he's late. With nothing of concern happening, he took one more loop around the city before flying over to the Zeta Tube in Centennial Park and entered.  

He strode towards the usual meeting room—the third door down in the second hallway—when he stepped off from the Zeta Tube. Entering the room, he noted that most of the seats were empty. Only Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern accompanied him in the room. Greeting them, he sat down, watching as heroes steadily trickled into the room. There was one last seat empty when Batman walked in, Flash speeding in as Batman finished setting up his presentation. 

The meeting passed quickly, most of what was said was already known to most of them. It was only when Batman was about to end the meeting that he spoke up.

“I believe that I’m being targeted.” That immediately got the room's attention, both Flash and Captain Marvel with alarm on their faces. Both knew who he was talking about.

“Explain.” Batman said curtly.

“Yesterday, Flash and Captain Marvel were speaking about a meta.” He began, Batman’s head tilt urging him to go on. “The meta was in Captain Marvel’s city first. She attacked a man and seriously hurt him. He’s still hospitalized?” He asked Captain Marvel, receiving a quick affirmation.

Flash interrupted before he could continue, “She skipped over to Central City and I found two of her victims. I spoke with the Captain and we agreed that it was the same type of attack. They were also hospitalized.”

“What kind of attack are we talking about?” Green Arrow asked casually, head held in his hand as he leaned on the table.

“Strangulation.” Captain Marvel answered.

A brief silence occurred before Superman began again. “Today, the meta visited my parent’s house.”

“Wha-!” Several shouts of alarm were heard. Superman can imagine what they were thinking, if this meta could track down his parents after searching for him, then what else could she do? Who else would she target? She posed a big problem to them at the moment.

“She didn't do much, couldn't even speak english. Just held out a photo of me and a map. My parents thought she was an alien. She left after they called me about her.”

“She just left? Didn't even do anything?” Green Lantern seemed pretty bewildered at that. He thought it was strange too, that a budding villain had broken into his parents house and hadn’t harmed them.

“Yup, just left. She could have done it as a threat, to say that she knows my civilian identity, but it just seems unlikely.”

“Is there any evidence it was the same person?” Batman questioned.

“That reminds me!” Flash exclaimed, blinking out of the room and returning just as quick, holding a stack of paper along with a small bag. He spilled the contents of the bag on the table, little green shards making small sounds as they landed.

“The meta left this at Captain Cold’s bank heist yesterday. It sent it in for processing, haven't read the results yet.” Flash explained. He zipped around, handing out the papers to everyone. 

“And this is?” Wonder Woman asked, turning the shard this way and that. A few of the other heroes grabbed the shards too, also inspecting it, though he spied Batman slipping one into one of his many pockets.

“The meta.” Captain Marvel spoke. A few heroes dropped the gempiece, a grimace on their faces. “From what I understand, the meta is made of these gems. And when they get hurt, pieces of herself break off. I also have some pieces of her, but not on my person.”

Superman grabbed the paper laying in front of him, reading it quickly as the others discussed the gem shards. Huh. Seems like his parents were right in that the meta was an alien. They had a unique combination of gems and metals in their body that weren't found on this planet. There were even some that the processor couldnt identify. Not to mention how the individual gems were alive on some level. 

“Much of what she’s made of isn't native to our Earth. She’s an alien.” Batman said, raising his voice to be heard over the discussion on the gem pieces. 

“We would have known if an alien spacecraft arrived in our atmosphere, right?” Black Canary questioned. They would, they have the Watchtower constantly checking their solar system. Even if the ship was concealed, their system would have detected it. And yet somehow, she slipped past their notice.

“If it wasn't a spaceship, then how did she come here?” Martian Manhunter wondered, the others obviously thinking the same thing.

Many ideas were put forward, teleportation and portals being the most popular theory. While she could have teleported in, the amount of energy produced from teleporting from one planet to another would have shown up on their systems. They do monitor teleportations at that scale, they've been invaded too many times with that method to not have a way to surveille it. 

Portals were a bit trickier. The energy output depends on what was used to open the portal. If it was magic, it would depend on how strong the person’s magic was, their species, and the type of magic. Though all magic left traces that were easily identifiable. It was how so many of the magicians that attacked him had been caught so quickly.

If it was a machine that opened the portal, there were usually shielding that helped hide the creation of the portal from their systems. Most of the shielding is usually eroded by the time the portal had been open for a couple hours, making it easier for the systems to find where they were built. The ones that didn't have the shieldings were swiftly tracked down.

Finally, the question of where the alien—jokingly dubbed Minty by Flash due to the color of the gem pieces— would head to next was asked. It was obvious that Minty was looking for Superman, which meant she would be in Metropolis soon. Many of the heroes offered to help him capture Minty, to which he graciously accepted. He would be in trouble if Minty could wield magic, that was one of his few weaknesses.

He was told to immediately comm in when he spotted Minty. They wanted to take her down as quickly as they could, and having more heroes around to do so would speed it up immensely.

The meeting was adjourned, most heading back to their cities to patrol while others stayed on the Watchtower. Superman stepped into the Zeta-Tube, arriving in Metropolis seconds later. 

When the alien arrived in his city, he would be ready.

I didnt expect it to become this long! They seem to become longer and longer!!

Also I made some art! Its what I thought Phos would wear this in this chapter :)

Masterpost | Ao3

Chapter 5

[phantom-z0ne]

WIP Wednesday snippet for Phosphophyllite and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

The gate was high, towering well above Phos, and sporting sharp iron spears that connected to the bars. A thick slab of iron separated every five thin, but surprisingly sturdy, bar. Atop the iron beam laid a sphere, along with an empty space just big enough that even if Phos failed their jump, they wouldn't hit the imposing spears and shatter.

They stepped a few paces back before taking a running leap, planting their hands atop the black metal sphere and flipping over the gate, boosting themself with their gold alloy. They landed lightly, touching down on the muddy concrete with a click of their heel. Phos shifted their bag back into place, the jump having displaced it. The creeping feeling of danger slowly dissipated, replaced by the typical—but quite unusual to Phos—gloom of the city.

Phos chanced a glance back, startling at the figure that nearly blended into the lush, green plants. Had it not been for the pop of bright red hair, they doubted they would have noticed the woman staring intently at them. Her skin was of a light, earthy green, similar to the plants she surrounded herself with, with markings almost the exact same as the thick bark of a tree. If Phos squinted, they could make out the leaves that extended from her startlingly gaunt chest and down to her legs. The wall of plants formed a thick barrier around her, effectively cutting her off from the rest of the world. If she took just one step back, she would be swallowed by them.

[phantom-z0ne]

WIP Wednesday snippet for Phosphophyllite and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

Phos startled, whirled around quickly and scanning the surroundings for anything out of place. Weird, they had thought they saw something move. A chill slithered down their spine, something was off.

Why exactly was this place deserted? From what they knew, most areas inhabited at least a handful of beings, but it wasn't like that here for some reason. Phos strained their ears, searching for a sound that wasn't the background noise of the city. Their surroundings were eerily silent. Not even the chirping of birds or the skittering of insects cut through the still forest, only the ruffling of leaves remained. They clutched the straps of their bag tightly, speeding up their pace. This garden gave them the creeps and they weren’t willing to stay another second in it.

It felt as if their surroundings were shifting, enclosing them into an earthly trap. When Phos turned to look, however, nothing was out of place. Despite its bright, colorful appearance, they had the feeling that there was something deeper to this place. Something dark and vile, they thought with a shiver. The feeling persisted, and Phos felt trapped, like their surroundings were creeping ever closer and they couldn't see it.

At long last, Phos spotted a rusting black metal gate framing the entrance—and in Phos’ case, their escape. The gate was firmly shut; the bars rattled slightly at their harsh shake, but ultimately didn't budge. A fence of the same design enclosed their surrounding, presumably fencing in most of the overgrown garden. Why they had such a distressing and abandoned garden in the middle of a bustling settlement was beyond Phos, but they just had to jump over the gate and they would be free of this strange—and extremely unnerving, they couldn't help but think—forest.

[phantom-z0ne]

WIP Wednesday snippet for Phosphophyllite and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

They tucked the map away, frustrated, as they exited the alley. The alley opened up to an area that housed lush, green plants interspaced with colorful flowers. Here and there, Phos could spot spaces to lounge, and occasionally, small sources of water that rose into the air, creating beautiful patterns as it fell.

Phos leaned down, rubbing a delicate yellow petal between their fingers. Homesickness hit them full force as they stared down at the flowers springing up from the ground. Their fingers itched to jot down the new, unknown flowers, sketching the plant and hypothesizing its uses and possible names. They used to run around the island cataloging any new plant they set their eyes on, trying their best to fill up the pages on the encyclopedia and be of some use to Sensei. Before their new body pieces, that was the only thing they could do.

They continued through the overrun garden, stepping over the roots of unknown plants and brushing a finger against others. Weirdly enough, Phos hadn't spotted any of the beings yet. Usually, one or two would be milling about, but here, only nature reigned. Roots and stalks slithered across the narrow path and large, colorful flowers broke through muddy concrete, leaving cracks in their wake. What little buildings Phos could see were absolutely covered, walls of ivy and wide-leaved plants clung to the broken bricks.

[phantom-z0ne]

snippet for Phosphophyllite and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

Phos woke abruptly to a gentle rocking, breathing raggedly as the last remnants of the nightmare slipped from their mind. They blinked twice, then dragged the dusty cloth off themself and sprung upright. Around them, many of the beasts—no, they were called cars, they remembered—flashed by at incredible speeds, whipping wind into their face. Unfortunately for Phos, the car they were inhabiting wasn't as abandoned as they thought.

They leapt off the moment the car rolled to a stop, ignoring the shouts of surprise behind them. They took off running the moment they hit the ground, weaving dangerously between the speeding cars and beelining for the abandoned alley they spotted earlier. Not many were willing to follow another into an enclosed space, they noticed over the past couple of days, a quirk of the city that they were taking advantage of.

Phos pulled their map out once they were sure they were alone, upset that they were brought off course, and to an unfamiliar location to boot! Not that they ever in a familiar location, of course, but the fact remains that they weren’t sure how far the car took them. For all they knew, they were in another city with no way to confirm where they were! They sighed, bringing the map out was useless anyway, they could barely understand it, let alone know how far they were from their previous position.

[phantom-z0ne]

snippet for Phosphophyllite and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

He couldn't wait for patrol to end, Alfred was making his signature lasagna tomorrow for the monthly family dinner and it would be a crime to miss it. He would rather spend some time with his family before the dinner, though. With their luck, either something inevitable goes wrong, there’s an explosive fight, or something crops up that makes them miss the dinner—most likely a rouge attack or a mass escape from Arkham.  Dick leaped off a building and landed lightly behind a burly mugger, swiftly disarming and restraining him. The victim, a brunette, frail looking businessman, thanked him before speeding off.  The next two hours passed by as usual, stopping attacks and helping citizens home. There was a surprising downtick of crime that night, weird considering what a hellhole Blüdhaven typically was. Babs pointed him towards active crimes whenever she found the time between monitoring him, the Dynamic Duo, and the Birds of Prey.  Today was Cass and Tim’s scheduled off day, likely playing video games together or with friends if Tim wasn’t holed up in his room researching a case and Cass practicing her ballet routine. Jason refrained from going out on patrol due to the injuries he sustained the day before, instead spending the day with Alfred. That reminded him, Dick should swing by the little bookstore early tomorrow and grab a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo. The copy Jason had was blown up when his regular safe house exploded, it was how Jason obtained his injuries, actually. 

Almost 3 weeks later, chapter 4 is done! This time, we follow Nightwing as he patrols his city and thinks of his family. More snippets on the way as I continue writing!!

[phantom-z0ne]

snippet for Phosphophyllite and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

A hand snapping in front of him jolted him out of his thoughts, Ruby stood before him, a worried frown on her lips. The few others in the room also stared at him, their expressions a mix of curiosity and anxiety. “Sorry,” he said, flashing an apologetic grin, “Could you repeat that?” Ruby pursed her lips, then started again. “What that visitor stole is extremely dangerous, and we don't have the resources to track her down. Is there any way for you to find her and return what she stole to the museum?” The others in the room nodded, sending him pleading looks. “No problem. They’ll be back before you even knew it!” No need to worry the civilians more with the fact that he, Diana, and Captain Marvel were tracking the meta. Flash zipped out of the room and out the museum, circling the area Snart attacked previously.  He skidded to a stop when a light hit his eye at an odd angle. He squatted, picking up the source of the light, a mint-green shard the size of a nail, small golden flakes adorning it. It was a discarded shard of the meta, almost exactly the same as the piece Captain Marvel showed him and Diana the day before. He pocketed the few smaller fragments that decorated the sidewalk, unable to find any more pieces despite how thoroughly he searched.

After 2 weeks, here's snippet number 3, where we accompany Flash as he investigates something strange!! This is from the third chapter of my rewrite, which took wayy too long to write. More snippets on the way as I continue writing!!

[phantom-z0ne]

snippet for Phosphophyllite and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

The creature furrowed its brows before making an “o” with their mouth, giving Phos an understanding nod as it turned its attention back to the fussing blanket—which was in fact not just a blanket, but an even tinier creature. It was flushed pink, tiny fingers shoved in its mouth, chubby cheeks jiggling with every movement. It turned its head, making eye contact with Phos. A gummy smile spread across it's face, thick hands waving at them. Phos slowly smiled at the sight, giving the tiny creature a small wave in return. It clapped, clearly delighted at their attention.  The larger creature beamed again before rocking the tiny being. It let out a large yawn, smacking its lips as its eyelids slid shut, a peaceful expression on its face. Phos looked away, observing the rest of the room. Not many seats were occupied, luckily. Being around such a large group of unknown beings made them nervous. Though, Phos snuck a glance at the pair across from them and thought of the group they stayed with the day before, perhaps that could change.  Phos grabbed the small, red bag Bianca gave them hours earlier, turning it over in their hands. It was a tiny thing, very little could fit in it, and yet they could feel something inside. Phos undid the knot, taking out the small item from the pouch. A button. It still had the threads of the clothing it was previously attached to, and was sparsely decorated. A small golden engraving, spelling something they couldn’t understand, the only interesting thing about it. Phos tucked the button back in the pouch, hanging it around their neck, clutching it tightly for a moment before letting go.

Snippet number 2, in which we finally see how Phos is doing!! This is from the second chapter of my rewrite, which I'm surprisingly enjoying making so far! More snippets on the way as I continue writing!!

[phantom-z0ne]

Phosphophyllite and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week Chapter 1

"Of all the strange things that happen to Phosphophyllite, they would have never guessed that they would fall through a portal to another world." Or, Phos is summoned to the DCU, reluctantly makes friends, gets into loads of trouble, and gives people heart attacks.

WC: 2289

CW: Violence

Day 1

Of all the strange things that happen to them, they would have never guessed that they would fall through a portal to another world, Phosphophyllite thought as they stood atop a platform.

Phosphophyllite stared at the creatures below them, the height shielding them from view. Tilting their head, Phos noted the difference between them and the creatures. Although they looked outwardly similar, certain pieces of their body were unfamiliar to Phos. Their hair weirdly dull and their bodies soft looking, as if you could squeeze it and it would give. They wore diverse clothing, styles Phos had never seen before worn on their bodies. If they were a peach color and glowing, Phos would have thought they were Lunarians.

The creatures moved like schools of fish, going in and out of a metallic tube that went who knows where. Turning around, there was nothing but the platform Phos was standing on. No hint of the portal they were sucked through. Sighing, Phos looked for a way down to a secluded area. Considering the obvious differences between them and the creatures, they would be quickly spotted as an outsider. Throwing out their thoughts about the creatures, Phos climbed down a ladder they spotted at the side of the platform, none of the creatures in sight. 

Phos crept down a hallway, double checking that they were out of sight. Footsteps made their way down the hallway, making Phos duck into a closet. Hearing the step grow louder, Phos tensed, quiet voices speaking in a language they couldn't understand. The footsteps passed.

Closing the closet behind them, Phos quickly walked down the hallway, finally coming to a door leading to the outside. Peeking their head through the door, Phos scanned the surroundings, making out an alley near the door. 

Stepping towards it, Phos weaved through the back alleys, the situation taking up their thoughts, though they tried to remember the trail they took. Being grabbed by the shoulder and held against the wall jarred Phos out of their thoughts. Their shoulder! The impact breaking pieces of their fragile shoulder off. 

A harsh voice filled Phos’s ears, an angry expression on the creature's face. Looking at the creature, Phos coldly stared at it. What did it want from them? Harsher shouting came from the creature at Phos’s silence, a knife being waved in Phos’s face. Oh. It wanted to hurt them, Phos thought darkly.

Narrowing their eyes, Phos grabbed the creature’s arm, their gold alloy constricting the arm, causing the creature to let out a shout of pain, its eyes wide. Their gold slithered around the creature's body, tightening as the creature thrashed. It fell limp surprisingly fast.

Letting go, the creature crumpled to the ground, laying still. The only motion was its chest moving rhythmically up and down. Phos was determined not to get caught unaware again, no getting lost in thought! Resolved, Phos walked once more, this time keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. Turning the corner, Phos saw a flash of red in the corner of their eye and sped up. They were not in the mood to have another unpleasant interaction.

First thing first, they need a plan. Glancing up at the sky, Phos observed that it was midday, plenty of time to investigate where they landed. The first course of action, Phos thought, was to find a way to blend in with the locals. They looked alike already, the main differences being Phos’s hair and body type, their limbs were skinnier and longer than the locals. They need to cover their hair and body, meaning they have to find clothes that would fit the requirement. Plus, their sword also needs to be hidden. Phos hasn't seen a creature with a visible weapon during the hours they observed them. Except, of course, the one they rendered unconscious, but that weapon was concealable. Not at all comparable to Phos’s long sword. They can plan what to do next after they find some clothes.

Climbing up the side of the building, Phos landed on the roof. Watching from a higher leverage point would be easier than mingling with the crowd, Phos thought as they eyed the large amount of creatures milling about. Hopping to the next roof, Phos spent some time looking for places with clothes adorning the windows, making sure to go about unnoticed. Finally catching sight of one, Phos observed the building for a moment, noticing it was dark and there seemed to be no one in it. 

Leaping onto the roof of the building, Phos looked around for a way to enter before spotting a window. Twisting their gold alloy, Phos pried open the window and slid inside. Cautiously, they walked inside, surveying the floor for any creatures. None.

The coast clear, Phos relaxed, walking around the aisles of clothing. The beings here seem to like tighter clothing, Phos thought perplexed. Finding clothes that would obscure their figure was harder than they thought. Though it wasn't impossible as Phos found a thick tan sweater that fit them quite well. Phos inspected their shoulder before putting it on. It seemed that there was minimal damage. Not much fell off, which was good. They quite liked their memories where they were.  Dismissing it, they put the sweater on. Looking for something to cover their legs, hands and sword was more difficult, enough that Phos decided to find something separate for the sword. Sliding a pair of gloves they found on, Phos browsed the aisles before coming across a long black skirt that came down to their shins.

Finding a long bag, which Phos had no idea what it was supposed to originally hold, they stored their sword in it before shouldering it. Finally, they had just one more thing to look for. Going across the store, Phos found what they were looking for. Grabbing a black hat, Phos walked to a mirror.

Step one done, Phos thought, admiring themself in the mirror. Twirling around, they watched the skirt spin around their legs. Pleased with themselves, Phos bounced back to the window, getting used to how the clothes felt.

Slipping out of the store and back to the roof, Phos startled when they looked at the sky. It seems that they lost track of time while looking for clothes. Phos thought of their next actions, it was getting late. They should look for a safe place to stay for the night. Finding a safe place to rest was priority, anything after can wait.

Dropping down from the roof onto an empty side street, Phos walked to the main road, merging with the crowd. The farther they walked, the thinner the horde was. Glancing to their side, Phos suddenly stopped. The absurdity of a moving illustration stared back at them. Getting closer, Phos noticed why it was familiar looking. It displayed the same type of portal they were sucked into. At the side, an illustration of a person with horns hung, which then flickered to another moving illustration of the horned creature dressed in black and another decked in gold throwing light—which, what?—at each other before the one in black opened a portal. 

Phos’s eyes widened, finally realizing why they were in this situation. Looking back at the one in black, Phos memorized its features, determined to hunt it down and make it take them back home. 

But first, they need a place to rest before they find the person in black. Turning around, they marched away, doubling their efforts for a place to stay. They had to have energy before they could confront the creature in black. Even now, the sun would set any moment and Phos could feel their energy waning.

Walking in one direction seemed to be the best bet, what with Phos being unaware of the landscape. Choosing the directing, Phos strode forward, minutes passed before a red shadow flashed in front of them. Startled, Phos stepped back a couple of steps, their hand twitched as they restrained the urge to grab their sword. Looking up, as the creature was taller than them, was a local dressed in a skintight red outfit, a cape draped over the right side of its body with a jagged symbol glowing on its chest. A caring(?) expression covered its face.

Narrowing their eyes, Phos thought of what it could want. They hadn't done anything…unless you count stealing clothes or rendering one of the locals unconscious. But nobody could have known! There wasn't anyone around! Phos’s thoughts paused as the local opened its mouth. 

The being spoke in a soft voice, unknowing of Phos’s lack of understanding. A moment passed in silence, with Phos staring at the being defensively, ready for a sudden attack, and the being curious at the lack of response. It started again, this time Phos recognizing the tone of a question being asked. Once again, there was silence. It clapped its hands, seemingly coming to a conclusion before moving its hands once more, apparently expecting a response. Phos looked at its hands and to its face before deciding to leave, walking away at the sound of a confused question. 

As they walked, they quickly glanced back, confirming it didn't follow them. They sighed, exhausted although they didn't do much. They looked up, the moon cresting over the horizon was the symbol that they should hurry.

Finally, they found an abandoned area in the outskirts of the city. In the clearing, a series of connected metal tubes laid, which was Phos’s destination for the day. Opening the door, they watched the unsettled dust fly from the motion. They climbed in with a sigh, desiring their bed, which was heavenly in comparison to this dump. Laying down, they thought of home and what the other gems thought about their disappearance. 

The gems…They missed the gems. They missed Sensei. They missed…Antarcticite. Phos let out a shaky breath before shutting those thoughts down. There’s no time for those kinds of thoughts, especially in this situation, Phos thought to themself.

Settling down on the hard floor, Phos fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of broken gems and arrows raining down from the heavens.

Captain Marvel was a pretty busy guy, he can admit being a hero does that. Unfortunately, superhero life doesn't mesh well with his personal life. A lot of the time, he had to prioritize being Captain Marvel over being Billy Batson.

He usually dealt with the smaller things, like helping the old man Jennison down the road with his deliveries, or large world ending events. Dealing with fights between civilians sure, he broke up enough fights to last a lifetime. But dealing with severely injured civilians was rare, even for him. After all, Fawcett was a generally peaceful city, ignoring the disasters every couple of months.

So when he heard of a scuffle taking place and rushing towards the location, he didn't expect to arrive at the feet of a man laying still on the ground. He hovered his hand over the man’s nose, relief filling him as he confirmed the man was alive and still breathing. Inspecting the man's injuries, he narrowed his eyes. The wounds showed up all over the body yet he was taken down via strangulation. It was a strange method. Maybe he was attacked after he fell unconscious? 

He scooped up the man before taking off, aiming for the hospital. Not too long after, he dropped the man off, taking flight once more. Searching the area where the man was found for any clues was important in knowing what happened. He hadn't had much time to look around when he was more concerned with the man’s survival.

Landing in the alley, he inspected the area, looking for anything out of place. A reflection hit his eye. There! He leaned down, grabbing a small piece of a mint-green gem, lifting it to his eyes. Looking back down, he followed a thin trail leading down the alley before it suddenly stopped. Going back to where he found the first piece, the other pieces cupped in his hands, he searched again. This time finding nothing. He sighed, deciding to visit the victim when he wakes up. 

He began this patrol of the city since he couldn't find any other clues. It quickly passed by, with nothing much happening. Just stopping a mugging here, a robbery there, and helping a cat stuck in a tree. A quiet day, all in all if it were not for the mystery that took place. 

As he was going around the last lap of his patrol, it was well into the night. Noticing a lone woman walking around as if she had no clue where she was, he swooped down in front of her, evidently startling her as she backed up away from him. He absently noted her hand spasm before falling still. That was also a reaction his fellow heroes had when reaching for a weapon. Strange…

He quickly apologized, as he hadn’t meant to scare her. She didn't answer though, just staring at him.

Asking her if she needed an escort due to the late hour didn't help either, she just continued to stare at him unblinkingly. Ah! It's possible she couldn't speak! Why didn't he think of that? He signed the same question, though his sign language was a bit shaky. This still didn't get a reaction out of her. In fact, she just walked away! He let out a quiet ‘Miss?’ before shaking his head. That was one way to know your services were not needed.

Captain Marvel shrugged off that strange encounter, deciding to finish his patrol before going home. It sat heavily at the back of his mind though, something strange was going on with her.

The first three chapters are already posted on ao3, so if you want more, feel free to visit.

If your curious about this or want to talk about it, send me an ask ^^

Masterpost | Ao3

Chapter 2