24th February
09:12 GMT -7
It's interesting. Shayera is actually too proud to shiver.
It's a crisp and clear winter morning in Rifle, Colorado. The school rush has more or less finished and the working population of the town is actively pursuing its lawful business. John and Shayera are dressed in regular street clothes -inasmuch as they can be considered 'regular' when accented with wing slits- and somewhere under the pile of blankets and coats sitting in the pushchair John's pushing is my young namesake. John's wearing a thick coat and fingerless gloves, and while Shayera is dressed
reasonably sensibly, there's a fair amount of exposed flesh in her wings. Flesh with excellent circulation. It must be like carrying a couple of radiators around with her.
Not that you'd know it from looking at her.
Catherine.. somethingorother, a woman I vaguely know from the Parent-Teacher Association, waves to me as she heads into the local pharmacy. I smile and nod back. Yeah, the crime rate in Rifle has dropped like a ten tonne weight while I-. Alright, being honest, while the genomorphs have been here. Nothing that's happened since I've moved in has been serious enough to require my personal attention, though I've made a point of turning up in person a few times. And since I get on well with the local police I've had a few g-gnomes helping them upskill on the more archaic aspects of commercial and financial law. I doubt that this town has ever
been so law-abiding.
"Does everyone here treat you like that?"
Shayera's eyes dart around potential angles of attack for a moment before alighting on my face.
"Yes. I've made a point of ensuring that my family and I are all part of the community. The hero-worship might have been worse, but this is a Republican state and the president I saved is a Democrat so they're not sure how they feel about it."
"How do they feel about Klarion?
"
I smile. "Pretty darn satisfied. Have you decided whether or not you'll be sticking around?"
There's a slight.. sag from both. Batman 50 hasn't reappeared. It's looking increasingly like my alter ego got him. Having reclaimed the goddesses' blessings Diana 50 could return to Themyscira 50 without any trouble, but Shayera and John
can't go back to America 50. Without a Watchtower to operate out of and with Stormwatch having taken over all of the Justice Lords' former responsibilities, there isn't really anything to draw them back. On the other hand they both
loathe the idea of cutting and running when things get tough.
"No, not.. yet."
Shayera's eyes are pointing straight forward as she says it. Eh, if they haven't made a decision then they haven't made a decision. Not like it's
urgent. Normally, this is the point where I'd try and slide them into one project or another and hope that the investment they'd grow to have in it would cause them to keep at it, but… These are my friends, and they have a proven track record of superheroism and sorting their own lives out, so… I'm going to limit myself to more direct avenues.
"You seemed to be having a pretty good time with Knockout, earlier."
"It's nice to be able to train with someone on my level."
I look away, smirking slightly. "I can feel Diana wince from here."
"Diana hasn't recovered her warrior spirit from when the Justice League defeated us."
I frown. "Is that a metaphor, or is there some sort of magic damage-?"
"A metaphor. She knows that the Justice Lords were
wrong, but she doesn't have a clear
goal any longer."
"Not planning on offering
her a job?
"
I, um. Hm. I…
Could. Goodness knows that I always have work for superpeople. Putting another Wonder Woman on
Earth is a bit awkward, but I could use her on Tamaran, or Hny'xx. Or with a disguise she could function as another bodyguard, but that won't really give her the
purpose she's apparently looking for.
"I..
hadn't been. If you've got any-?"
John Stewart 16
descends to street level just ahead of us, arms folded across his chest. He's wearing his uniform, his
environmental shield forming a
solid green line around his body. He and his counterpart regard one another cautiously for a moment, then the 16 version turns to me.
"You wanna explain what this is about?"
I turn to John 50. "John, this is your alter ego from
this Earth. I don't really know him that well, so feel free to blow him off."
"I'm just glad-
" John 16 frowns at the sound of the voice,
raising his ring slightly and doing what he
thinks is a
covert scan.
"-that he didn't bring their Shayera.
"
"Okay." John 16 lands and walks over to us. "What's
your story?"
My John passes the pushchair over to his wife and then steps up to his mirror.
"You wanna have this talk in private?
"
"I don't see a ring. Can you fly?"
My John's eyes glow brilliant emerald, his red overcoat gaining a Lantern sigil and John 16's eyes staring at what is unmissably a modified Guardian robe.
"Sure. Let's talk.
"
Both of them rise up into the sky, and the few rubberneckers return to their business.
"Should I expect your Shayera to drop by?"
"You're
my Shayera. And… Mrugh, probably. She's an agent of the Thanagarian Empire too, and the version here hasn't picked a fight with 'me' yet. Once she hears about a Thanagarian who's not 'meant' to be here, she or her husband will probably investigate." I smile. "It will be interesting to see how they treat the news that thanagarians and humans can interbreed. That sort of thing…"
"I know. My Thanagar is.. the same." She snorts, then crouches down to make eye contact with Rex.
"But you know where's not?
Tamaran. And if you're interested in learning to use a power ring-."
The air in front of us ripples and
twists, and
a construct fortification materialises around Rex and Shayera even as she draws an nth metal baton from the back of the pushchair. That's… An Almeracian-.
Queen Maxima strides imperiously through, taking in our surroundings in a moment and dismissing them as uninteresting. Her armour is a little more weathered than last time I saw her, but she is a warrior-queen. It's
working armour, not a display piece. Shayera momentarily arouses her interest, then she frowns as she notices Rex.
"You told me that you were incapable of impregnating an alien."
"Rex is my
godson. His father's-" I point upwards to where two
green glows are just visible. "-busy at the moment. Shayera, this is-."
"Maxima. Superman told us about her."
"Good show. Maxima, is this a social visit..?"
"No, though I will take your invitation later. I'm in the middle of winning a civil war and I need somewhere to stash my heir."
"I'll be happy to put them-."
"Excellent!" A short, slightly built and extremely pregnant woman.. whom.. I presume to be Sazu walks through the portal and stands just behind her. "That weakling
Ultraa shouldn't have time to send more than a dozen assassins before I've finished off his pathetic army."
She turns, grasps her wife by the shoulders and
pulls her into a passionate kiss.
…
After a minute or two she releases Sazu.
"I'll be back soon. Keep Maxima Junior safe for me."
Sazu nods. "Of course, Mistress."
And Maxima strides back through the gate, which closes down once she's through.
Sazu walks over to us, smiling at Shayera. "Oh, what a delightful child. Is it yours?"
