I placed the misshapen cup onto the too-small table, foreign scents wafting into the sterile chamber. Along the wall, holographic panels displayed real time information in a language I couldn't read, while faint music with discordant melodies sounded throughout the room. The only things pleasant in the chamber were the dazzling lights beyond the window panels and the cushioned seat – I could spend hours here, studying a shimmering foreign cityscape.
I had always been a city boy, even in my first life. When I'd left to go to college, I had never looked back and had attached myself to a suburb of the largest city in the state. Then I woke up in a new life, a new childhood, and had to backtrack to an even smaller hometown. That short time living with Jula had been nice, but it had not started for voluntary reasons.
…. I exhaled.
My second parents had had their reasons. Understandable ones, relatable ones, the reasons any parent would shelter their child. I'd taken a long time to accept that, and seeing Oa merely brought up everything all over again. There had been a whole new world to explore, one filled with fantastical people, cultures, technologies, and abilities. But I hadn't come there with the freedom to decide anything for myself.
I sighed again and tried a sip of what Lantern Salaak had called "tea," to put old business to bed. Whatever the drink was, it wasn't even as good as British tea. A sour aftertaste accompanied an umami flavor, and how they managed that combo, I would never know.
The metallic door leading to the office opened with a whir of sound. A figure in a high-tech white and black suit, similar to the one in Gabriel's possession, strode into the room and settled behind the desk. Masculine in stature, the alien held fish-like features including purple scaly skin, a tall, thin head, and eyes at the top of the skull. A transparent helmet covered everything from the neck up, providing whatever atmospheric conditions he needed to breathe. Wide lips turned down in something that could be a frown, but it was difficult to tell if he showed emotions the same way more humanoid aliens did.
He tapped a spherical object on his desk that began to audibly glow with a green color. "Translation active."
"Cassian of Osmos V," he began to read, a tablet in his hands. "My name is Plumber Magister Labrid. I'll be addressing your concerns today."
The Magisters were officers in the Plumbers, the intermediate bosses just above agents like Gabriel. Above her was the Magistrata, a "tough as nails" agent, according to the human who'd introduced all of this to me. Presumably, she answered to the Guardians.
"Addressing my concerns?" That was one way to put it. "I expected an audience with someone more… official." I didn't say the Magistrata or the Guardians, but I thought my tone was clear. In my mind, an active space empire like the Reach should be the highest of priorities for an organization like this.
"I assure you that I am the official available within the jurisdiction that can address your concerns."
Hm. "I'm sorry, but you're giving me the vibe of middle management."
Labrid tensed. "This is a highly improbable meeting, and I have much more important business elsewhere. I assure you, boy, that you will not receive a higher audience than myself. If I am so unfit in your mind, then you are free to leave Oa with your concerns."
A deep, deep breath.
"I requested this meeting to understand what your bosses plan to do about the Reach. You speak for your bosses?"
Labrid took the words in stride and glanced down at the tablet. "I represent the interest of the Plumbers. As magister, I am among the top decorated agents in the organization. You, boy, have an-"
"Respectfully," I warn, letting the first one slide but not the second, "don't call me boy."
Labrid ignored me. "- attitude problem. I think we are done here."
He stood to leave, and I shoot to my feet. For a moment, we merely glared daggers at one another.
Finally, I broke the silence, waving my hand toward the window. "These are the Guardians of the Universe. They intervene in times of strife all the time. My people were manipulated! Were fucking mad science experiments! Were dying! You send one Plumber, and then when the man gets captured, you don't send another until the planet revolts years later? You expect me to be grateful that Lanterns swooped in when they did?"
Labrid showed an expression I suspected was anger. "I assure you that this is well within the proto-"
"If your protocol doesn't have plans in place to address that, then your protocols are ineffective at best, incompetent at worst."
From the reaction, as alien as he was to me, I knew I'd gone too far.
I was well aware of the stint in the comics where the Guardians were the villains, and it was difficult to not consider them in that light in this moment. Any organization of people has the chance to become corrupt, and how could I not be suspicious of corruption when they were billions-old aliens in the position to manage everything in the universe? If not for places like New Genesis and Apokalips, they would be the ultimate power in the cosmos, and arguably still were in light of that.
Status quo of the comics be damned, why couldn't they just end them already?
Labrid hummed. "I admire your passion. I do. But I cannot properly identify every protocol we followed to you without revealing core secrets of our operations." I roll my eyes, though if he understood the meaning, he said nothing. "Rest assured that the Guardians have placed the Reach Empire higher on the list of active threats to the cosmos."
I frowned, but cleared my face after a second. It was the best we'd get. "Thank you." I evened out my tone. "That tells me almost nothing though? Did they move up to the top? Are they in the top ten? Top thirty? How many active threats are on this list, and why haven't the Green Lanterns stepped in to deal with them?"
For a long moment, the Plumber merely stared, evidence of thought in his eyes. Finally, he offered, "Your concerns are heard, and know that discussions are underway about next moves."
He gestured for the door.
I stood as calmly as I could, forcing myself to hold back my tongue. This was a waste of my time. I'd spent months in a space ship, a few days waiting in Oa's megacity for a sanctum for a meeting, let Gabriel head to Earth without me, and I couldn't understand why I'd bothered. Before he'd left, Gabriel had discussed my intentions with his immediate supervisors, and that had not gotten us anywhere.
"I'll have Lantern Salaak prepare an escort," Labrid offered as I stepped into the hallway, ceilings high enough for several layers of Lanterns to fly through the complex.
"Don't bother, I know the way out."
I left the ground under my own power, gravity holding no sway over me any longer. As a consequence to grabbing that Aerophibian and draining it completely, I could achieve a childhood dream whenever I wanted.
WASHINGTON D.C.
March 21, 01:46 UTC
TEAM YEAR ZERO
Deep in the bowels of Washington D.C., a single man stood at the console. His brilliant mind had guided each and every one of his assistants to this very moment, at the behest of his organization's benefactors. The most promising minds in medicine, weapons manufacturing, and genetic engineering were gathered here for the moment of a lifetime.
Their second most impressive failure to date, a genetic horned freak with only limited telekinetic abilities, stood at the doorway of the cavernous chamber, a clawed finger lightly caressing a bulbous sack of fluid along the wall that contained a still-growing elf variant.
"What are you doing here? This moment is not for any of you."
His right-hand woman, Dr. Spence, cleared her throat. "You should allow it, Desmond."
Dr. Desmond laughed. "That failure deserves nothing."
The lithe, thin creature gestured with a pointed hand toward the waiting pod in the center of the room. "Dr. Desmond, I merely wish to watch the successful launch of your most ambitious project. I feel I have earned that much."
"Dubbilex," Desmond began, "your assistance to our efforts since your own birth have been worth merit, true, but you were meant to be much, much more than you are. I am not sure you are worthy."
The other scientists watched the byplay quietly, and it made Desmond proud to see that none of them stood up for the genomorph failure. He had run a tight ship throughout this process, and he could not wait to share the success today with the board of directors.
"And besides. I feel your presence is merely bad luck for the proceedings. I don't want to see a failure on this auspicious day."
At that, the horned genomorph left without another word. Dr. Spence turned away from Desmond and focused on administering the machines through the procedure, readying its beginning stages.
"Initializing sequence," an analyst read before a monitor nearby. "Insemination tools active."
"Haploid Sample L at the ready," another stated.
"Haploid Sample K at the ready," Spence added.
Desmond witnessed the whirring of machines, the application of microscopic tools, the preparation of two cells capable of forming a zygote.
"Genormoph stability matrix at the ready," Desmond declared giddily. "Begin fertilization sequence."
The display above the pod revealed the introduction of their two gamete samples together. At a microscopic level, two cells were injected into a larger matrix of modified material, a playground that would allow exactly what they would need.
Their prior attempt had failed to produce a stable product, but every test they had run revealed this particular combination would work.
And in dramatic fashion, the cells began a period of rapid division, starting from a successfully formed zygote. Everyone else began to clap and cheer as the computer models proved the reality correct, and they had done it.
Suspended in the fluid-filled pod, the genomorph stability matrix produced the necessary components to induce accelerated growth. Things would be touch and go for the next few hours as fetal development occurred, but Desmond expected to see a fully viable infant clone of the Man of Steel by the end of the day.
As each minute passed, his confidence grew. Prior thresholds to failure were passed with flying colors, and he saw no evidence of Project Match happening again.
With a final clap, Dr. Desmond smiled.
Project Kr was a success.
OA
March 21, 02:22 UTC
TEAM YEAR ZERO
I flew swiftly through one of the openings on an upper floor, aiming not for the nearest atmospheric checkpoint high in the sky above but instead for a local building's rooftop. I couldn't tell the purpose of the spire, but I suspected it was something akin to tenement housing. Or maybe a church. What use they had for church, I had no idea.
The megacity stretched in all directions before me and below me, a beautiful mixture of architecture designed to house incredible technology. Oa was as much a planet as it was a citadel, and there were likely countless traps, turrets, and other treacherous schemes hidden under every corner. For all I knew, every building could have secret defenses I'd trip just by sitting there, and I had no doubt I was being watched. Paranoia gripped my thoughts, but they were the good guys – usually.
Still, an unknown did not get to check-in to Oa without expecting that kind of close attention.
I pulled the Plumber Badge I'd been allowed to keep, a green and white hourglass symbol set into a disc that reminded me of something that I couldn't place. The badge was not official, was not keyed into the greater network of communications, was not truly active. But Gabriel ensured it had a few purposes still available for me, and until I had something better, I'd take it.
I could track the others on its smaller network and use that to navigate through space. Assuming I had enough oxygen on standby to refresh my breath and food to nourish me, I could make the incredibly long trip to Osmos V whenever I wanted. I could make a much, much shorter trip from here to Earth in days.
I could contact Father and Gabriel as needed. Messages to Osmos V would have a few minutes of delay, but it was near instantaneous to message Gabriel from here.
I turned the dial in my palm. Eventually, Gabriel answered, speaking fully in English to me instead of Osmotin through his translator implant.
"They blew me off."
"Who?" he asked. "Was it Buckley? Or Arnux?"
I didn't know who either of them were. "Magister Labrid. Didn't take me seriously. Told me that they were having discussions about what to do, which is just a complete non-answer."
I can admit I was also a dick.
Of course, they'd had at least one discussion, after Gabriel gave his report. They'd left the Reach to exist for so long already, why would I think this would be any different? I wanted to force their hand!
"Labrid's a good guy. By the books, but he does the right thing in the end when the going gets tough. He's got some fun stories if you get him to loosen up."
I grunted. "I doubt I will get the chance."
"Maybe not," Gabriel admitted. "Plan B, then?"
This long shot felt more like Plan C or D, but I knew appealing to the Guardians would be far too easy. A fool's errand. They were quickly proving themselves to be as ineffective as their comic counterparts sometimes were.
"Yeah, Plan B. Gonna overstay my welcome if I don't leave soon. Probably already have."
"You need me and the ship to come get you?"
I shook my head, even though he couldn't see me. "No. I wanna test the trip myself. If you get a distress signal, though, be ready to intercept."
"Will do."
I paused as I tried to think of more positive news. "How are things with your son going?"
"It's an adjustment for him. I am doing what I can to prepare him for the next steps, and he's excited at the prospect. His mom is, uh, apoplectic."
He was deliberately vague, something we'd agreed would be a good idea over the badge when talking about this topic. Gabriel was not a tech genius, and he couldn't be certain that they were not monitoring communications. They likely were, given the circumstances.
"She might come around," I offered with a fair bit of hope. "I'm sure she knows how important it will all be."
"Maybe so," he said in agreement. "I'll head to the Sector House with him. It'll be easier to get out of there in case you need us in space. And, well, Kyle wants to thank you."
OA
March 21, 06:39 UTC
TEAM YEAR ZERO
"Do not be discouraged."
I flipped around while tying the bag of trip supplies around my hip, nearly tripping over myself. Leaning against a nearby wall was Lantern Laira, one of the two Lanterns I'd met in the aftermath of the battle against the Reach. Her red hair tied back in a pony tail, she had an affable air about her, her green aura nearly too bright to see her properly. I knew a bit of her story from the comics. Something about an evil father - what else was new about heroes?
"I'm not," I answered quietly. "Annoyed? Frustrated? Yes to both. But discouraged? No."
The glow around her dimmed to almost nothing, revealing her almost elfin features more prominently. "Why does the prospect of what lay ahead not discourage you?"
A loaded question.
"Would I like to have the full support of the Guardians of the Universe to launch an attack on the Reach Empire?" I ask candidly. "Yes. That support would greatly encourage me. Until someone takes the fight to them, then they'll keep doing whatever the hell they want to do. Planets like mine get overlooked in the 'grand scheme of the universe.'"
Laira listened the entire time without breaking eye contact. When I finished, she finally nodded once. "So you wish to invite a full-scale war?"
I frowned at the question. "If that's what it takes to end them? Yes. And I'm not discouraged if the Guardians aren't willing to help."
She tilts her head. "Are we not your people's best chance?"
"Of course, you are," I mutter bitterly. "Sheer scale, utility, and numbers alone? But Oa is not the only power in the universe. You aren't the only chance to end the Reach."
And I believed that.
Laira nodded after a long moment. "I look forward to seeing where this ambition takes you, Osmosian. It has already taken you off your planet, something that has not been done for millennia."
My eyes blinked. "What does that mean?"
Laira grinned. "I am certain you will learn." And with that annoyingly cryptic statement, she rocketed into space with a flickering trail of green light.
NEAR SECTOR 2814
March 27, 16:16 UTC
TEAM YEAR ZERO
If flying through the atmosphere of Oa was cool, flying through space unaided was truly unbelievable. Unlike what you'd see in cartoons and sci-fi movies, it was utterly and completely silent. A vista of wondrous sights surrounded me at all times, pinpricks of light from distant stars becoming like fixtures in the view. After all, some were so far away that they were nearly stationary to me, despite my top speed passing into something Gabriel called "hyperspace."
I was not as fast as an Aerophibian, yet it boggled my mind that I could still move far, far faster than light. I casually warped the laws of physics, and I couldn't help but wonder where this compared to someone like the Flash, if he existed on Earth. Couldn't perform that speed in atmosphere, however, but I didn't need to. With a navigational tool and specialized supplies, I could go nearly anywhere on my own, with enough time, and I could still fly fast enough in a planet's sky to be nearly anywhere within a few hours.
Gabriel had given me a spare oxygen tank, special fluid pills I didn't understand, and nutrient packets that tasted like nothing. Unlike an Aerophibian, I'd need air, fluids and food far more often on a long trip than they would, but that was a small price to pay for a truly awesome ability. The excitement of the whole thing nearly made me forget about cryptic redheaded lanterns and annoying fish-head magisters.
I came out of hyperspace to a comparable screeching halt for a snack, admiring the view once more. The brick of nothing did not distract me from admiring a fast-moving star – nope, that was a comet – streaking through the area to my left. Still munching on the bar, I sped up to it to admire it from only feet away, its speed far slower than my own. It was cold, its icy trail streaking behind it, but the cold did not bother me as I reached forward to grab hold of the silent, massive object.
I let the comet carry me, holding off on the impulse to giggle just at the sheer awesome. It was a miles long ball of ice and rock, and I allowed it to pull me for several minutes. With a change in stature, I was standing on it, gripping the object with my powers to take on the material of the comet through bare feet. I wish I had a camera, and I could not wait for the chance to buy one on Earth just for moments like these – no one else could say that they had comet surfed!
With a mighty strike of my fist, I spider-web-cracked a significant chunk of the back of it. Twin charged blasts of light from my eyes made the area more brittle, and with another slam, several pieces of the comet broke away. I slid as many of the the smaller pieces into my jacket as I could, admiring the trophies for the trip I'd just secured. How could I resist? It was my first flight!
I reached into my pants pocket to pop a fluid pill and release from the comet. I came to a near zero speed, the object speeding away so rapidly that I lost track of it in a fraction of a second. I didn't question how or why the fluid pill worked, but that would carry me through the final leg of the journey.
Once the liquid had properly settled into my new physiology, I let go of the comet armor and raced into full speed again, ramping higher and higher until space warped around me. With nothing but the Plumber Badge in hand to keep me headed in the right direction, I edged closer and closer to the Sector House of 2814, where Gabriel and Kyle were waiting.