Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ch. 1—A Purposeful Ceremony

Brin Lando stood among the other Legionnaires as he waited for the ceremony to start. It was after the fight with Brainiac 5 and his ancestor who'd corrupted him. Kell-El was being officially sworn into the Legion, or he would be in about ten minutes.

Unlike the other Legionnaires, Brin, aka Timber Wolf, stood apart from the crowd. He didn't talk to anybody (no surprise there,) and he surveyed his surroundings. Or at least he pretended to. What he was really doing was thinking… long and hard.

What really shocked Timber Wolf about this ceremony was the fact that they were having it. Or the fact that Superman thought that Kell-El needed it. Timber Wolf had always considered Kell to be part of the Legion, despite the fact that the clone didn't have his own flight ring or communications belt. He was as much part of the team as Superman or even Timber Wolf himself was part of the team—ring or no ring, they worked together, and thus they were a team.

Timber Wolf was still shocked to hear that Kell didn't feel the same. When it turned out that Kell didn't seem to care about the team, or think he was a part of it. When Superman was declared dead, Kell had shrunk away from the group, and Timber Wolf had gone to find him. At first he thought it was because superman was dead—he didn't attend the 'funeral' afterwards, either.

But no—Kell had been upset over Imperiex being dead.

"You missed the service" Timber Wolf said, as though it weren't obvious enough. He stood at the front of the room that Kell-El sat in. He peered in at the clone, wondering if he should say something else, but there was this look in his eyes… This empty, confused, disbelieving look. And Brin was so sure that he'd seen that look somewhere before—but he couldn't place it. what was that look… what did it mean? He didn't know.

So Brin didn't say anything.

It was Kell who spoke. His voice had an odd waver to it, a confused shock as he talked. "I can't believe he's gone." He said, making Timber Wolf's stomach sink a little. " I just can't believe he's actually gone. "

"Hey. We'll get through this together." He tried to console him. He stepped forward. "We're all taking the loss of Superman hard."

Then, something he didn't expect. Kell sat up, a hard look in his eye. " Superman ? I'm talking about Imperiex!"

Timber Wolf didn't expect that at all. He blinked, unsure of what to say, and Kell seemed to get angrier. "I don't expect you to understand," he said, glaring at Timber Wolf, "but my life's purpose was to DESTROY him. And now that that's been taken from me by someone else, I just feel so… USESLESS."

Silence.

So that odd look in Kell's eye had been one of loss, kind of. It was difficult to understand, but Kell had indeed lost something. His purpose. And Timber Wolf knew that look. Out of all the Legionnaires, he could probably understand that emotion best. But he also knew that the emotion that Kell was struggling with wasn't healthy, so he tried to talk him out of it. "Well then I guess that's it, huh? You might as well just pack it in now. Never mind that Brainiac five is out there and we've got to—"

Kell stepped in, again raising his voice. "I've seen the future! Brainy WINS. There's nothing we can do to stop him!"

He was giving up. And oh, that made Timber Wolf so angry. "You can try! " he screamed, frustrated by now, grabbing the clone by the front of his hazmat suit and shoving him against the wall. Why wouldn't he listen?! "Or are you going to walk out on the Legion? Like a coward?"

Kell's green eyes flashed. "How can I walk out on something I was never a part of?! " He yelled back, throwing Brin away from him…

Timber Wolf understood that Kell was a straightforward man. That his only concern was Imperiex, and defeating him, no matter what it took. Heck, the wolfman should've guessed what was wrong the moment that the corrupted Brainiac 5 had "Deleted" Imperiex, right in front of them. The look on Kell's face was one of horror.

It was expected. After all, Kell had probably been told, from birth, that his only purpose was to destroy Imperiex. He'd probably been waiting all his life to take revenge on the tyrant. Not only was there a letdown and anti-climactic finish of his mission—one he didn't even get to complete—but in the aftermath, there was nothing, seemingly.

Brin knew about that. He knew very well. He grew up under his father's guidance, watching him closely and learning. Before the whole "Incident" that turned Brin into Timber Wolf, Brin had been aspiring to be a scientist. Just like his father.

Then, after his father's twisted mind changed him into this, he felt confused. He was no longer going to help the world and create experiments, he now was an experiment.

It was a huge… revelation. That Brin didn't want to be like his father. He'd realized it—that shocking feeling that one's goal isn't worthy, that your path has changed. He took that moment, that revelation, and broke away from his father's lab, hiding in the woods.

Of course, afterwards, he had no direction. It wasn't just the chemicals in his brain that held him back from changing into Timber Wolf and out of that strange, animalistic state. It was the loss of direction. After all, why should he turn back and try to be human, try to control himself? Why leave this comfort, the dark woods or the warm earth beneath his paws? There was no sense to it. He stayed how he was. Here, there was no sense, but at least he didn't have to try and look for a purpose, when he was stuck as an animal.

Then Saturn Girl showed up. It didn't take long to put two and two together; that his father was sending others after him. That's what the robots were for, too. But Brin could sense something special in Saturn Girl, as animals are always sensitive to paranormal abilities like telepathy. It was her that he followed, her that he chose to explain things to. He tried to tell her to leave, tell her that she was being set up.

But instead of leaving, she helped him. She implanted her own thoughts into his mind, turning him back to human form. Those thoughts were ones of kindness and, more importantly, words of purpose. The purpose of life brought him back to his own body, and gave him a reason to walk on two legs.

So yes, Timber Wolf knew all about purpose, and loss of it. His purpose was now with the Legion, to help others with his newly gained powers.

That's why he tried to stop Kell as he tried to leave. Even though Kell had yelled at him and hit him and imprisoned him temporarily in the green ice-powers of his, He broke free and tried to call him back, the only way he knew how. He had to call Kell-El back, because Kell was without purpose.

Didn't he see that his purpose was standing in front of him?

The Legion! The Legion was his purpose!

Not the Legion itself, but what it stood for—helping others. Uniting the world. Giving comfort to those who were afraid. That was the Legion, the Legion that he could not walk out of. Pompous attitude or not, Kell was a superman, and he was part of the Legion.

And now, standing at the front and receiving his instructions, it looked like Kell-El finally understood that.

Timber Wolf blinked at the sight—yes, Kell-El was, indeed, up at the front. So the ceremony would be starting soon, huh?

About time… They'd been waiting for about half an hour…

Of course, Timber Wolf didn't have any room to complain, really. He had all his limbs, and wasn't bandaged up, like half the others who were standing in front of, and around, himself.

It was long enough after the fight with Brainiac 1.0 that most Legionnaires were there in the crowd; albeit looking a little beat up. Lightning Lad, for instance, was sporting a new metallic prosthesis, his old cannon-one having blown up. His new arm suited him, actually… the metal had more of a 'blue' sheen to it, to match his eyes, and had little gold accents around the edges. The gold probably stands for the boy's vanity, Timber Wolf couldn't help but think. He was about to go over and mention it to him, when Lightning Lad darted forward and grabbed someone by the hand.

Timber Wolf stopped a good three feet away, pricking up his ears so he could hear better. What was going on…?

"Saturn Girl," he heard Lightning Lad murmur. The teen pulled the telepath backwards by the hand, away from the group.

The blonde turned to give him a hard look. "Garth, let me go. Something's wrong, and I don't think I should just let them…!"

Garth put a finger to her lips, silencing her. "Let them go," he said quietly, looking up. Timber Wolf looked up, seeing two receding forms. The first was definitely Bouncing Boy, who was walking off in the direction of the main hall in a limp—he'd gotten hit hard before he'd been 'digitized' by Brainiac 1.0. The other, who was harder to see, was Shrinking Violet, and she was heading straight back, into the heart of the Legion HQ.

"But I sense…" Saturn Girl put her hand to her temple. "Neither of them are well enough to be off without supervision, but I also… I sense nervousness, displacement… running amok in their minds…" she shook her head, trying to pry her hand out of Garth's metallic grip.

Instead of letting her, Garth gave a sigh. "Imra," he said, calling Saturn Girl by her given name. the use of her true name made her stop. "You know very well why they're going."

"But why? Can't they at least wait?" she asked, trying to go after them. "They aren't well!"

"They need to say it now," Garth told her kindly, sneaking an arm around her waist and pulling her back. He didn't want to pull too hard on her arm, after all, and Saturn Girl was giving quite a fight for something like this. "And you know very well that they must."

"Why?"

"Because so many things need to be said besides "goodbye"," Lightning Lad explained, holding Saturn Girl back from going after their friends. He pulled her closer as she watched Shrinking Violet go off in one direction, and Bouncing Boy in another, and slowly she stopped fidgeting. Her eyes remained locked on their forms, worried as ever, so Lightning Lad added something else, so quietly that Timber Wolf hardly heard it;

"They need to say hello."

Chapter Text

Ch. 2—Together Again

Bouncing Boy winced as he slinked off down the hallways. It was quiet, empty—most of the Legion was off either in the Infirmary or watching the Swearing-in Ceremony of Kell-El. And, while he would've been happy to see the mark of another Legionnaire being sworn in, he had somewhere better to be.

It was Duo Damsel. She was on his mind; she always was. But now even more so.

He'd watched, in secret, as Kell-El had prepared to go home. It was clear in his mind:

Kell stood, holding the warp key, in the control room of the HQ. It was dark; underground, and suited for this occasion—it was private. Kell didn't want to make a huge deal about leaving, and had specifically requested that the "going away party" be kept as small as possible. It hadn't been a joke—the Legion members had actually planned to give him a full-blown GOING AWAY PARTY. Balloons and cake and everything.

But no. Here they stood, just a day after the aftermath of the battle, with everyone healing yet, and getting their bearings back in order. Kell was saying his goodbyes, and only a small group was allowed to see him off. Around him were the few from the Legion that he felt comfortable with;

There was Lightning Lad, standing in the corner, who Kell had always seen as something of a rival, and could "joke" with—Garth made several snide comments on Kell's abilities (or lack thereof,) and lately Kell had been comfortable to send some of those comments back. He was watching Kell leave, even though his robotic right arm was killing him and still needed repairs.

There was Timber Wolf, who helped him find his way—Brin thought it only appropriate that he see Kell off into his new path, and make sure that Kell didn't forget he still had a path, with or without Imperiex.

And of course there was Superman, who was the closest Kell could ever be to someone; they were connected, and always would be.

And, off to the side, was a very patient Duo Damsel, curiously watching the place where Kell pointed the warp key to. It didn't take a psychic to guess what she was thinking; it was clear she was focused on her third self, the white part of her that had been lost during their first visit to the forty-first century.

He watched as Kell-El addressed them, opening the time portal as he did so. He only half-listened, keeping more attention on Duo Damsel than anything else. As the portal opened, both of her looked into the swirling mass of energy, waiting for someone to walk down the path. They weren't sure if it was going to happen—after all, in Kell's universe, Brainiac 5 had won that battle against the Legion, and Imperiex was still rampaging. There was no way to tell if they'd set the time stream straight, or if they'd just messed it up further. Even Kell didn't know; possibly why the clone was worried about returning to the future.

But they still hoped. Hoped, watched, waited, for the third part of themselves to walk through that path to the future, open-armed, ready to reunite into one full person again. But it didn't happen.

Purple kept her hands clasped behind her back. Orange wrapped her arms around her stomach, looking innocently at the portal. No one came through. It's not like they were too let down at it—they'd expected nothing to happen. But their faces told a different story, as Superman suggested Kell-El be sworn in as an official Legion member. Superman and Lightning Lad had begun to discuss setting the ceremony up, and Timber Wolf sank off into the shadows, like he had a tendency of doing. Kell had seen, then, that Duo Damsel's two selves were still standing, patiently, at the warp gate.

Unable to give anything certain to them, he couldn't say a thing. The clone looked between the orange and purple versions of the once-triplicate-girl, and wordlessly handed them the warp key.

Orange took it slowly. She studied it, and then studied Kell-El. "We'll hold onto this for you," she said quietly. "…if you want."

Again, Kell didn't speak. He just nodded.

Orange nodded and stood out of his way. She held the device gently in her petite hands, watching his back as he left the room. And, just as he opened the door and stepped through, Bouncing Boy heard one of the two—probably Purple—add something.

"Thank you, Kell-El."

Bouncing Boy hadn't said anything. He hadn't wanted to intrude. Even though Duo Damsel seemed to be taking the apparent loss of her third self well now, he was sure she was still hurting. After all, that glimpse down the warp gate had probably raised their hopes, even if just a little bit. And any hopes raised were dashed when nothing happened.

But they'd looked so content just to sit and deal with the loss for the moment. He really thought—oh, why had he thought—that she only needed some alone time, with herself. To view, to consider, and to deal with the certainty that she was, and most likely would forever be, "Duo Damsel."

But oh, was he wrong. Incredibly wrong. No one had seen her since that 'almost-goodbye' on Kell's part. And she hadn't been at the swearing-in ceremony, either—that's what had raised red flags in his mind.

She wouldn't be down here, still, surely?

He stood at the door to the basement as it automatically opened for him. It took quite an amount of self-prodding to get him to move into that darkened room, partially because of his limp, but mostly because of his fear. That Duo Damsel would still be there, that is.

Alone in the same room for who knows how long, with nothing to think about but a loss of a friend.

He entered. Veerrryyy slowly. He crept along, as much as an overweight, clumsy, teenage child with a limp can "creep along". Yet, the air seemed deathly still. He cautiously made his way over to the room where he'd last seen her.

And yes. She was still there.

Staring into that place where the warp gate had been, Orange sitting on the ground, and Purple leaning against the wall. They were both transfixed on that space, and Orange still held the device in her hands. Gently… treating it as if it were gold.

But it wasn't as bad as he thought it was. After a few minutes of studying them, he realized that they were talking slowly to one another. Very quietly, they were making conversation, though they did not look at one another.

"It seems odd, though, that Kell's warp key looks like a toy that Brainy would've made when he was a little kid."

"I guess they prefer function over form in the future—as long as things work right, there's no reason for them to look pretty?"

"Maybe. It's still silly, though. You imagine the future, it's always in sleek, endless technology, formless grace…" Orange ran a finger down the side of the bulky warp key. "This looks like something from the twenty first century, not the forty first century."

"Weren't you paying attention when we were there? The whole place looked like that. All computer systems, mechanisms, locks… they were all clunky, and looked like they'd been thrown together with whatever parts they could find."

"Perhaps that's the truth—they were living in a desperate time. Maybe they couldn't get their hands on the proper materials half the time, or maybe they just made do with whatever they had. No sense in making it look pretty, if its main function is to blow stuff up."

"Except the robots. Imperiex's robots looked like they were top-of-the-line."

Orange gave a small chuckle. "Can't say the same for Imperiex, though."

The smile was small, but Bouncing Boy's heart leapt up in joy at the sight of it. His joy dropped, however, when her smile fell only a second later. Orange looked wordlessly at the empty wall where the warp gate had been the day before. Her eyes looked pained.

"She's not coming back, is she?" she asked quietly.

Purple looked down, to her feet, biting her lip. Slowly, she moved her hands out from behind her, so that she could look at them. And, just as slowly as Orange had, she began to speak. "I feel… empty, almost."

"Almost," Orange agreed.

"It isn't like we didn't expect this," Purple continued, slowly clasping her hands in front of her.

Orange lay her hands flat on the ground in front of her, as though trying to steady herself. After a moment of silence, she spoke, her voice raised in distress even though it was clear she was trying to keep herself calm. "I don't understand," she said finally. "I mean—! I mean, yes, we weren't expecting her to come back, for us to be whole again, but why…!" she wiped away a stray tear that was falling down her cheek. "Why do we still feel so shaken up? We've had plenty of time to deal with her being gone!"

Purple drew back a bit, hugging her elbows close to her chest. She thought about the ways she could answer her other self, her eyes still not leaving the wall that the Warp gate had disappeared from. "It's because it's us, orange. She is us." She explained finally. "When we lost her, we lost part of ourself. It's like when you're ascending a staircase in the middle of the night, in the dark, and you think there's one more step than there is—you try to go up and you're met with nothing and for a split second you feel like you're falling before your foot meets the ground and you lose your balance. That rude awakening… setting your foot down too hard on that step that isn't there. It's a shock."

She looked cautiously to her other self, the first time Bouncing Boy had seen her look away from the wall. "We lost White. She's not there. And we reach for her, and miss the step and feel like we're falling, over and over. But sooner or later we're going to get used to it, just like we learned that there are thirteen steps to the top of our staircase, so that we'd stop missing that step."

Orange paused, swaying in her spot, as though she was envisioning what Purple was saying in her mind. "It's still hard," she said in a whisper.

Purple nodded, tucking a hair behind her ear. She looked back to that empty wall where her other self was supposed to be. "I know," she whispered back. "but it will be okay."

Orange nodded too. She sighed, running a finger along the floor in front of her, still looking at the wall. "Of course. I know too. Everything will be fine eventually. Besides…"

"We still have Bouncing Boy." They both said together.

This made Bouncing Boy, still standing at the entrance, jump back a bit in surprise. The girls, who'd startled themselves by speaking at the same time, quickly glanced at each other and held their gazes. After a second of silence, and realizing they looked away from the wall, both let out a simultaneous chuckle.

Seeing them smile made Bouncing Boy smile, too. So she had been listening when he'd told her that he'd always be there. In the back of his mind, the boy felt it was nice that his presence was making her happy.

But, he also knew that he couldn't spy on them any longer. He'd have to make his presence known, somehow. He could do one of two things; he could a.) walk in and let them know he'd listened to the whole conversation or b.) he could pretend that he hadn't heard a thing.

Not wanting to break the moment between Duo Damsel's selves, he decided on the latter. Slowly, he backed up to the basement's entrance, and then called out. "Duo Damsel!" he called, starting forward again. "Hey, are either of you down here? The ceremony's starting!" well, no, the ceremony was probably ending, for all the time he'd taken away from it. But still.

He approached the place where he'd seen them talking, about to go into the room, when Purple popped her head out of the door. "Ceremony?" she repeated.

"So you are down here. Where's Orange? No one's seen you in about a day. Don't tell me you've been down here this whole time!"

Orange came to the door as well, looking at BB's worried face as he talked. "Sorry. We must've lost track of time." She sighed. "Now, what ceremony?"

Didn't she know? "Kell-El's swearing-in ceremony, of course," he answered, giving her a curious look.

Purple's eyes went wide, and Orange whacked her head. "Oh, duh! I totally forgot about—wait, that ceremony was supposed to happen tomorrow!" she paused, realizing she didn't know the date. "How long have we been down here?" she turned to ask her counterpart.

"Well, if you've been down here since Kell tried to leave, I'd say about a day," he said quietly.

Orange's mouth dropped open. "A… a full day?" she repeated, disbelieving. She looked over Bouncing Boy's face, seeing worry there, and she hung her head. "I'm sorry…" she said quietly.

Bouncing Boy's eyebrows shot up. "Sorry? For what?"

"For… for making you worry," Purple explained, looking equally sheepish. She hid her hands behind her back, a severe blush forming across her cheeks. "We shouldn't have been down here all this time, and you came looking for us, and… you look really worried. We knew there wasn't a big chance that she would come back, but even though nothing was going to happen, it's just… we were just hoping that…" she trailed off, her eyes floating to the side.

Bouncing Boy paused, then stepped up next to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I know you miss her. It's all right—she was a part of you. I don't blame you for feeling incomplete, or for wanting White to return again. I just… I just want you to realize that even though it seems like it, you're not alone." He looked at Purple, then at Orange. "I'll always be here for you."

Purple and Orange traded glances, then they simultaneously blushed. Then, without warning, they both leapt up and gave Bouncing Boy a hug, nearly toppling the boy over.

"We know," Orange whispered in his ear. Orange pulled out of the hug.

Purple leaned in to say something into his ear, too. "…And thank you."

"You're, uh, welcome." Bouncing Boy stuttered. He blushed, a pause running between the three of them. They enjoyed the comfortable silence. Then, after a minute or two, they stood apart. "ah, um… should we go back up and watch Kell's swearing-in ceremony?" he asked. "I mean, it's probably over by now, but if we…"

He trailed off, and the two girls looked at him oddly. "Bouncing Boy?" they asked.

"Uh…" the boy seemed caught, lost for words. He pointed behind the girls at something. "What… is that?" he managed at last.

"What is what?" Purple spun on her heels to look, as did Orange. She was about to say something sarcastic, but was stopped at the sight of a small purplish light that was swirling around on the far wall, and beginning to grow in size. They watched, dumbfounded, as it grew to the size of a small Christmas tree.

"It looks like a portal," Purple whispered, staring in awe.

The three of them looked into the swirling mass of light that had just popped up out of nowhere, all looking surprised. The orb of light beamed, shining brighter as it became more of a regular shape.

"It-it wasn't me," Orange denied quickly, looking down to where the warp key lay. No one had touched it; it still sat on the floor.

Purple looked at Orange, then at Bouncing Boy. "You don't think…?" she began, her voice trailing off.

She and Orange turned wordlessly back to the portal. They hovered, unwilling to move, to see whether or not what was happening was real. They locked their eyes on the mass of light, searching it for any clue to explain its presence.

And, slowly, they saw it. The small figure of a person walking towards them, stepping lightly on the path that didn't seem to be there. Out of the bright portal before them, a small shadow slowly advanced, becoming bigger as it approached.

In the room, Purple and Orange leaned forward, clasping their hands in front of them in hope. Once again their eyes were locked on the wall where the portal should have been—where the portal was—and they could barely dare to imagine what… or who… was coming.

And then, she was there.

Standing before them.

White.

She hadn't changed an ion of herself, since the last time anyone had seen her. Her hair was exactly the same length as it had been all those months ago. Her skin still held the same tan that the three of them had shared before going to the future—summer had just ended when they'd been visited by Kell, so they'd had a tan, but Orange and Purple had since lost theirs a bit.

And of course, the biggest difference was that White still had her original costume. Their original costume. No black penetrated the cloth, split her body down the middle, no strand in her hair to represent the loss of someone, the void the other two had felt. She was just as they remembered them being, right down to the last strand of hair and atom on her skin. It was White. And she was alive.

The lost-triplicate of Duo Damsel stepped forward out of the portal, her eyes scanning the world set before her. As she stepped out of the light, her eyes caught sight of her other two forms and she stopped, jumping a little in surprise… or perhaps in realization.

She was home.

The emotion was just too much to hold in at that moment. Orange and Purple raced towards her, faces beaming, just as she stepped down from the portal's edge. White came forward too, her arms open to accept their embraces.

They met in a huge hug, burying their faces in each other's shoulders. They grasped on another, afraid to let go, as if unable to believe that they were together again. From a distance, Bouncing Boy saw a small tear of happiness slide down White's cheek. They looked content.

Bouncing Boy looked on, watching their reunion. He vaguely wondered if he should leave, give them some privacy… this seemed like a very personal thing to them. He couldn't bring himself to leave, though; he was, like the others, shocked that White was finally back. He looked on, content to be a bystander and watch the reunion.

Of course, the girls didn't feel that way. After a loving embrace, they stood apart from each other, studying one another with their eyes. White's gaze came over to Bouncing Boy, and a smile slid onto her face. "So there you are," she said, as though she hadn't just walked through a plasma portal from the future. It was like she almost never left. She motioned for him to come closer. "Well? Come here, won't you?"

Awkwardly he stepped forward, into the group. White looked between all of them. "So how long have I been gone?"

They exchanged glances. "Almost a year," Orange answered finally.

White paused, thinking. "K3NT helped me back." She said finally. "I came to, and he…she…they? They said I had to get going. That I had someone to meet."

As though this was a signal, the two Duo Damsels raised their hands, as did White. They met at the center, three touching each other's hands. They gazed at each other for a moment, content to be together.

Bouncing Boy blinked, looking at each of them in turn. "So, uh, are you going to go back to your old costume, Du—Triplicate Girl?" he corrected himself, almost smiling as he did so.

White looked at her counterparts' clothing in thought. Her eyes ran down the black stripe on their hair, and in their clothing. Finally she spoke. "I don't… think that we should." She said. She turned to Bouncing Boy.

Orange spoke. "The black in our costume… it stands for the void that we felt when White was gone." She explained.

"But… white is back," Bouncing Boy pointed out.

"We know," Purple said quietly. "But I think…"

"…that it's important to remember the void we felt." Orange completed her sentence.

They looked at each other, then, there was a small flash of light, and they joined together through their connected hands. When Bouncing boy blinked the light out of his eyes, he found a sole girl standing before him; Triplicate girl, complete as she could be. Her suit was slightly different; White had filled in the black areas of the costume, but not completely—there was still a rim of black around each of the colors, separating them and yet joining them together.

The new Triplicate Girl stood before him, smiling. "If I remember that void, then the time spent together will always be more precious," she said quietly, inspecting her hands. She felt her surroundings, relishing the feeling of being one person again.

Then, she stepped forward, and gave Bouncing Boy a small kiss on the cheek. Bouncing Boy blushed vividly, surprised. "Besides, why would I have to fill the void," she asked…

"…When I have you?"

Chapter Text

Ch 3—Emotionally ready

The ceremony was beginning. He knew this. After all, he could see the whole thing happening right in front of him; a huge span of windows presented him with a birds-eye view of the whole gathering. He watched for a second as Kell-El took the flight ring from the box and couldn't help but smile as the clone slipped it on. An odd sense of pride was swelling up, something that he rarely felt as a robot; that was his invention.

And, more importantly, Kell-El was wearing it.

He knew, the moment that 1.0 had overtaken him, that Imperiex was doomed. He also knew that Kell-El would take it hard, when 1.0 would delete Imperiex. Imperiex was Kell's purpose, and without it, he thought that the clone would be lost. But, apparently not. Or at least, if Kell had been lost, he'd somehow found his way back to the right path.

The green-skinned child watched for a moment longer as Kell turned to the crowd of Legionnaires and raised his right hand. He watched, as Kell began to speak, not being able to hear a word the clone said, since the whole office was sound-proofed. That's probably the only reason he was still watching; because he couldn't hear the Legion, and the Legion couldn't see or hear him.

After a second, though, he turned away. He grabbed what little he owned—he'd packed it into two bags for storage—and lifted them from the table. With both of them in hand, he turned for the exit, fully prepared to leave.

But he was cut short when he opened the door.

Face-to-face with someone he didn't want to see.

She stared at him for a few moments, her head tilted upwards to look into his optics—er, eyes. Look into his eyes. Dang, this human thing was weird. And what was this weird feeling he had, in the pit of his stomach? Was it fear?

Shrinking Violet paused, finally opening her mouth, choosing her words carefully as she formed them with her purple-tinted lips. "So." She stopped, her face paused in that last word, still forming the 'o' shape, as though that word was supposed to mean everything.

Maybe he just wasn't getting it? "So…" he said aloud, hoping to get the meaning. It didn't come to him.

The sound made Salu, aka Shrinking Violet, snap out of it. "So you're leaving? That's it?" she asked, her voice cracking suddenly. He didn't say anything. He couldn't. "Why? Why are you just… leaving? After all of that? I don't understand!"

Green eyes stared at her, trying to pick out the best way to explain. "You still trust me, then?" He said quietly. "Even after I hit you?"

The memory of the blow made Violet take a step back, if just for a moment. The sudden appearance of him, his arms extending towards her, pushing—her head hitting against the wall in a sickening crack—her flower falling from her hair, wilting.

"I'm trying." She said. "But how am I supposed to try… when you aren't even considering it?" she demanded.

"It's not that I'm not considering it…" he replied slowly, looking off to his left. There, behind those windows, stood the rest of the Legion. "It's that I just find it unlikely. That the Legion would trust me, that is." He looked at her evenly. "I betrayed everyone's trust, and gave them reason to doubt me. And now I have to build it back up, piece by piece. And… I don't know if I'm ready for that." He sighed. "I spent years earning that trust. A robot isn't exactly something that society reveres—especially not a robot from Colu. Especially not a robot who's ancestor was…" he fell short of saying the name. He just couldn't do it.

"Please…" Shrinking Violet gave him a look, her eyebrows coming together. "I… I'm willing to trust you, if you give me a chance! But if you don't stay, I won't have a chance to trust you!" she said.

He paused, thinking. "I am sorry," he said finally. "But I cannot stay."

What? Shrinking Violet's eyes went wide as she stopped. Even though she was offering her trust, he couldn't—wouldn't—stay? No, it wasn't just about the trust issue, then. Her mind raced, trying to find the other problem, and fix it quick before he left. She stared, unsure. Then, she was hit by a sudden revelation that made her slow down, and her eyes went unfocused. "Is it because you don't have… superpowers… any more…?" she asked slowly, hoping it wasn't the answer. No. It couldn't be the answer. They wouldn't throw him out just because he wasn't a robot any more!

But the comment made the boy step back, surprised. "Despite my appearance, I have in fact retained my intelligence," he informed the shorter girl, with a small frown.

"Then why don't you stay?" she asked, clasping her hands in front of her.

"I still have to figure some things out," he explained. "Besides, even if you all did accept me, I still think that I have to get used to my new…" he looked down to his hands.

"Assets?" Shrinking Violet provided for him. So that was it. He wasn't comfortable in his new body.

The boy raised his eyebrow. "I was thinking more along the lines of "Curiosities", but yes," he shrugged.

Violet struggled to find a new argument to base herself on. "How will you survive, then?" she asked finally. "If you don't know how to take care of your new body, you're a dead man."

The green-skinned child studied her for a moment longer; that's all he'd been doing since the conversation started. He finally blinked, showing her his tickets to an interplanetary shuttle, scheduled for that afternoon. "Actually, Lightning Lad covered most of the basics for me, when we went down and bought my tickets," he explained, making the girl's eyebrows kick up once again.

"Garth?" she repeated, disbelieving. "Teaching you?"

"About eating, sleeping, drinking, first aid…" The boy listed as he smiled, thinking back to earlier…

In the infirmary, the green-skinned child was bent over Lightning Lad's metallic arm, surveying the damage. "You're going to need an entirely new one," he informed the redhead slowly, running his fingers down the metal. Parts of the jagged material jutted out, and several key motor systems had been compromised.

"Thought so." Garth, aka Lightning Lad, said, attempting to sit up from the examining table he sat on. He slipped on his first attempt, after trying to use his broken machine-arm to prop himself up and it gave way. "Ouch."

The Coluan-turned-human beside him put a hand to his back and helped him up. "I'm sorry about… you know." He said, blushing.

"Blowing it up? Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Lightning Lad waved the apology away. "You weren't yourself. Hey! You're blushing!" he changed the subject abruptly, his eyebrows kicking up in amusement. The comment was true—a dark green tint had spread itself over his 'medic's' face. The comment only made him blush more. "You know, I really LIKE this new you. You're so fun to tease," Lightning Lad laughed, flashing a grin.

"You like the new me…?" the boy repeated, going over to a nearby table. He let out a small sigh. "Well, at least one of us does," he muttered under his breath.

And, of course, Garth caught it. "Now hold on a second," he said, his voice a scorn. He turned to face the green-skinned child. "Don't go demeaning yourself, okay? You're a hero, and you're amazing. It's not like that whole "Brainiac take over" thing was your fault, not entirely—and you fixed it by the end. Understand?" he asked. When his friend didn't answer, Garth sighed. "Understand?" he pressed.

"No." It was an honest answer, and the blonde looked up into his companion's eyes. "No. I don't understand."

Garth sighed. "You're a friend." He explained. "And even I think you deserve a second chance—and I hold the record for 'longest held grudge'! Remember Dream Girl? Or Ferro Lad? Or heck, Cosmic Boy might even fit under that category…"

The blonde looked down at his shoes. "What's the point of you forgiving me…" he began, his lip quivering, "…if I cannot forgive myself?"

There was a silence, as the question hung in the air. Garth studied the boy for a moment, then lay back down on the table. "So what are you going to do?" he asked finally, making his companion's head snap up.

"I…" the blond wavered. "I think I'm going to leave the Legion."

"Because you don't think you can be trusted? Is that it?" Garth asked, monotone voice. He stared at the ceiling. "I can assure you that the others—most of them, anyway—think the same way I do. They might not trust you fully, but they don't expect you to turn on us at any given time."

"It's not just that…" he sighed. "It's… these darn emotions. I don't understand my body any more—no datastream that I can just peek into. There's all these… bubbles, sensitive areas, strange reactions, that I keep having… and I need to sort them out, at least."

Another silence stretched.

"And so you're going to leave?"

"Yes."

"…Where will you go?"

Silence.

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"You don't even know how to use the public transport system, do you?" Garth asked, his voice picking up interest at last. He seemed very 'on' to the idea of helping the green-skinned child fulfill his wishes.

The child in question blushed again, shaking his head. "And you do you know about what atmospheres you can breathe in? How about what you eat, or like to eat? How about sleeping—now THERE'S something you rarely did as a robot."

Each question was met by a shake of the head on his companion's part. The blonde blushed for the billionth time in that conversation. "I don't know, you're right."

Garth studied him, his ice-blue eyes dancing over the Coluan's new form. He paused, then looked up to the ceiling again. "Well, fine. You finish my arm repairs, or make me a new arm or whatever, and then, you and me?" he jerked a thumb in his own direction. "We'll take a walk down to the inter-planetary transport gate and I'll show you how it's done. We'll have a nice little chat. All right?"

The offer was unexpected, and the boy had to clutch the table in front of him to keep from falling backwards in shock. Still, he nodded at the proposal. "All right." After a second, he had to ask. "Why?"

Lightning Lad flashed another grin. "Well, now, I can't just let you leave without knowing what to do! That would be horrible of me, leaving a friend out to dry like that." He explained. "Even if I don't want you to leave."

The blonde blushed. "Uh… okay."

Another pause, then Garth spoke up. "But I do have one request…" Lightning Lad said, giving a look over to where his friend was sitting.

"…yes…?"

He flashed a grin. "About my metallic arm… Could you make it out of gold this time? I think it would look WAY cooler."

This comment actually made the green-skinned humanoid take in a huge gasp of air, followed by a fit of laughter. He began laughing so hard that his knees gave way, which was probably for the better, as he disappeared from sight for a moment as he slipped behind the table. "Dude, now you're LAUGHING! I really need to get the security feed from here," Garth exclaimed from the worktable, trying to see the kid's laughing face. "But honestly, what's so funny?"

"Gold is…" the boy tried to get this strange emotion under control as he chuckled a little bit. "Gold is so… you. But it would never work," he explained, and when Lightning Lad gave him a curious look, he elaborated. "Gold is far too soft of a metal for this. It would never hold up to the wear-and-tear of superhero work."

"Ah." Lightning Lad sighed, laying back down. "Too bad. Titanium is great, but it's so… boring, you know?"

The boy behind him tapped his green chin in thought. "You know, I DO have something else that might work instead," he said slowly. He disappeared into his room, bringing out a different metal. At the sight of it, Garth sat up so fast that the blood rushed from his head.

"What is—this!" it was an exclamation, as he reached out with his left hand to touch the strange metal.

The metal that the Coluan was holding was metal, indeed, but had an odd sheen to it. It was blue in parts, especially the parts that were looking straight on. As you turned it, the metal kind of rippled, giving off different colors, but it was mainly silver with a sea-blue overlay. "It's called 'tempered metal'," he explained to the redhead. "Just as strong as titanium, and… how would you say… flashier?" he rubbed his hand down the metal. "The core of Colu is made out of this, or a liquid version of it at least. And since you all pretty much decimated the Coluan race, there was no reason I couldn't take some…" he raised an eyebrow at Lightning Lad, who's eyebrows kicked up.

"Oh, yeah, I guess we DID destroy that entire race… didn't we?" he asked, not having considered it before. After looking sheepish for a moment, he looked back at the metal. "So… you could make my new arm out of this…?"

"Yes. Would you like me to?"

"You know it!" the redhead flashed a smile.

"Well, okay then," was the reply, as he went and set the metal on a nearby table. He looked over to where Lightning Lad was lying, feeling… grateful.

Lightning Lad had always been there. It was odd—even though Cosmic Boy was the head of the team, he'd always considered Garth to be the true leader. Even moreso when Cosmic Boy had started taking long trips away from Legion HQ to other planets—Garth was the one who was really running the team.

And now that the now-human robot was ready to leave the Legion, Garth was still there, leading the way, as he always had been. The Coluan child was, in a word, grateful. And he was impossibly glad to be leaving Garth this one last gift, even if the redhead had no idea how much his attitude meant to him.

He smiled, his green eyes dancing, deciding to add one last touch. "I'll even trim it in gold for you." He said.

Shrinking Violet watched him as his eyes zoned out in a memory. When he finally turned his gaze back on her, it was a confused look. "He explained pretty much everything on that trip," he said. "And he seemed to accept that I was leaving. Why can't you?"

"Because…" he'd caught her off guard. Garth was supporting his decision? For real? There must've been something she was missing. Still, she had to answer. "Because you're giving up! You're just assuming the worst out of us, without giving us a chance—you say that we'll all hate you and you don't give us a chance to prove that we don't. We won't kill you, we want you to stay. You're assuming the worst out of yourself, too, because you don't think you can handle your new body! You're not even trying, and it's frustrating! Here I am, trying my hardest to make things work, and you're… you're…!" she bit her tongue, unable to finish her sentence.

"Why are you trying your hardest?" the boy pressed. "Why try at all? It's none of your concern otherwise—why do you want me to stay so badly?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

She battled her frustration, grasping her outfit in thought. She fought the annoyed emotion down, but was surprised to find another emotion hiding right beneath it; attatchment. And, as much as she wanted to, Violet couldn't hold it in. "Because… because We were close!" she exclaimed, biting her lip. "Because you were the first person I let near me in a long time, the first person I decided I could trust—you let me prove myself, when so many people don't! I thought we had something!" she yelled, her lip quivering.

The boy stared at her for a long time, his green eyes wide. Somewhere in the back of his mind he felt that the ceremony was going to be over soon, and that he needed to leave, but he just couldn't bring himself to hurry. What she said really hit him.

"Oh dear." He said, making her look up. "I've ruined everything, haven't I?"

In his eyes, the girl thought she could see his thoughts. Violet felt the emotions as they played in his eyes; confusion, the sense of loss, the draining of hope. So, maybe he'd thought they'd had something, too? Immediately, she regretted yelling.

He blinked at her, his green eyes searching her pale face as he considered it. Very slowly, as to not upset his already-jumpy emotions, he let himself think. Yes, it was clear; he'd definitely lost something with her. Maybe it was just the chance at having a colleague who could keep up with him on an intellectual level, or maybe it was a friendship. Hell, maybe it was a crush, but it was far to early to tell something like that, especially when he barely understood emotions like 'admiration' and 'isolation'.

It was difficult to explain. All he knew was that when he let 1.0 into his system, he'd lost. For weeks, months, he'd kept his ancestor at bay, denying him access as best he could. But when Imperiex attacked, 1.0 made an ultimatum; either continue resisting his influence and, in return for keeping his mainframe clean, he'd lose his friends… or he could give into 1.0's influence, corrupting his databanks but saving his friends.

It was a lie, of course. He'd given himself up to 1.0, and because of that, he'd not only lost control of his body, and lost himself, but he'd also lost his friends—he'd lost their trust, their presence, their friendship. In trying to save one, he'd lost both. It was clear now, more than it ever could be. Shrinking Violet was proof of that… as much as she wanted things to work, she still had a hard time trusting him.

His emotions had betrayed him. Even as a logical-thinking robot, he'd seen the danger and panicked. He saw his friends failing, fighting a losing battle, and even though they'd won out in the past, he was still terrified that they would be overwhelmed. Maybe not being able to fight had added to that fear, or maybe the excess presence of his ancestor in his mind had just added to his paranoia, but that wasn't the point; the point was that he was afraid. And the misplaced fear had led him to err, to give in and give up.

And now? Now that those trecherous emotions which had tripped him up as a robot were a hundred times stronger, and more numerous? What could he do? The logical part of his brain had unhappily counted up the odds of his new emotions interfering while on a mission, and the odds had been even worse than his chances of surviving the 1.0 takeover. And, while he'd gotten through that, there was something different about putting onesself in danger, and putting your team in danger.

These emotions made him practically a ticking bomb. He at least wanted to know how to diffuse it if the time ever came. The feelings were just too vibrant… they were overwhelming him. Like right now, for instance. He couldn't even freaking respond to his confrontor because he didn't want to stir up more unhandle-able emotions! But… he had to try.

He swayed in his spot, his grip tightening on the bags as he looked upwards for some help, any help, that might come to him. At last, he gave up waiting, hoping, and just looked to the floor.

"I'm scared."

In those woreds, Shrinking Violet's heart stopped. "What?"

He set the bags on the floor, feeling that if he didn't, he'd surely drop them. He straightened, crossing his arms over his chest, trying to explain his reasoning without getting more upset. If he just treated this like a breifing, then maybe… "I said I believe I am scared." He said, his voice not quite even. It wavered slightly, and he realized that he might not be able to do this without getting panicked.

"Scared?" she repeated, hands flying up to tug on her short hair. "Scared that we won't accept you? Scared the Legion will throw you out?"

"I'm afraid of myself, actually." Yup, his voice just cracked. He wasn't going to make it through this without at least hyperventilating a bit. He fidgeted, biting down on his lip. "I mean, it was my emotions that led to the whole 1.0 problem. I accessed the program on an impulse to save Superman and because I wanted him to trust me again. I didn't tell anyone about it 1.0's appearances in my mind for so long because I didn't want any of you to start seeing him in me. And I finally gave into him because I was afraid that if I didn't, Imperiex's forces would destroy you all." Feeling that stupid rush of extreme emotion come back, the blonde boy rubbed his face with a hand, dragging his fingers down the side of his face as though the pressure would help him forget about the unexplained sensations in his head. "Time and time again I went against logic and acted on… impulse. And that was when I was a robot! If danger comes in some form like that again…!" he didn't go on. He couldn't.

Violet stared at him, open-mouthed. She tried to form some sort of solace, a comfort for him; he seemed to be incredibly upset. "You could learn to handle it!" she said finally. "You're smart. With some practice, you could control your emotions better than anyone."

"I know!" he said, finally yelling. "I know I could if I practiced. That's why I have to leave!" he stopped, catching his breath, trying to hold back from yelling again. Finally he looked at her. "Don't you see? I need… this. I need to leave."

She just stared at him, her eyes wide and her mouth open. With a sigh he looked down.

"I just need time," he said finally, closing his eyes. He bowed his head, ashamed. "I don't understand what's happening to me—what happened, or what's going to happen. I don't know if I can come to terms with these new emotions, or with what I did while I was in that state. I just. Don't. Know." He took a breath. "I've never been so unsure of anything in my life… and I think it's scaring me."

A silence stretched between them, filling the air with a loud silence. Shrinking Violet ran his words through her head, trying to process them, understand them. It was difficult, but she was beginning to see.

So, her friend didn't trust himself. The lack of trust wasn't pointed at HER—that made her feel slightly better. But he still felt wary of something, and that wouldn't do. It wasn't as though he wasn't EVER going to trust himself again… he just needed time to clear his head and think things through.

But, in order for him to do that, he'd have to distance himself from the situation. He'd have to leave.

And, if she wanted him to go back to normal… if she wanted to protect him… she'd have to let him go.

"I… I guess I understand, now," Shrinking Violet said slowly, looking down to his feet.

The green-skinned child studied her for a moment, then spoke. "All right." He said quietly with a sigh. He took a step back from her, leaning over to grab his bags again. Slowly, hesitating, he straightened, bags in hand. "I… had better leave now. The ceremony's probably over by now," he glanced to the window where he'd been watching Kell-El be sworn in. "…and I don't want to miss my shuttle."

Shrinking Violet nodded, standing aside. She allowed him free passage to the elevator, but paused. They looked at one another for a long moment before she spoke.

"You'd better come back," she told him, her voice cracking slightly. "And I'll be waiting for you."

The boy looked at her, nodding, and stepped forward. A new determination had found its way onto his face as he left, making for the exit.

Shrinking Violet watched as he entered the elevator, pressing a button. She couldn't bear it any more, and her eyes began to swell with tears, just a little. "Brainy…" she said quietly, hoping he would hear.

He did, and the closing doors stopped abruptly as he hit the 'stay open' button. He paused.

"Querl Dox."

The unexpected comment made Violet's eyebrows kick up, and she blinked. "What…?"

"Querl Dox," the boy repeated, looking her straight in the eye. "That's the name I'm going by from now on. If you ever really, really want to find me, I'll be living under that assumed name." he explained.

The girl's eyes opened wide in shock, then confusion. Slowly, a smile found its way onto her face.

He was giving her the option of seeing him again.

Seeing her smile, the blonde boy couldn't help it—he smiled too. He stepped back from the metal elevator doors as they began to close.

"Goodbye," he said quietly as the doors closed. And then the metal pieces came together, completely hiding him from her sight. Even so, she could've sworn she heard him say one last thing:

"And Thank You, Violet."

Chapter Text

Ch. 4—Evil Does Not Die

Initiating self-assessment…. Access approved. Outputs are as follows:

…

Communications—zero per-cent.

Motor movement—zero per-cent.

Sensory ability—zero per-cent.

He was alone. It wasn't a new concept, but it was frustrating all the same. As an omnipotent source of power, he could not be defeated. He could not be deleted. He would not fail to try again.

Once again, he found himself empty. Feeling like he missed something. He instinctively reached for his sensors, telling them to re-scan and re-run scenario. But his hands were met by nothing—did he have hands still? A force like him can pretend to.

Archives—twenty per-cent.

Intelligence capacity—twenty per-cent.

Memory capacity—twenty per-cent.

He had been in this situation before. Numerous times. The feeling of disarray, of disorder, overtook him. He was here, and there, and a hundred yards away, where some of the Coluan technology sat, floating endlessly in space. And he hovered above it all, within it all, encompassing what had happened.

Not enough care. He hadn't taken enough care to destroy his successor's influence. He'd strung out the influence as much as he possibly could, without breaking the assets that the Brainiac 5's upgrades had brought him. But apparently it hadn't been enough.

Not nearly enough.

Self-awareness—fifty per-cent.

Coherent thought—fifty per-cent.

Post-examination—fifty per-cent.

He hadn't counted on It. It. that spark of life that he had been able to observe in the boy. Ever since 5.0 came online, it was impossible to ignore—5.0 was different from his earlier templates. His mind ran differently, using the channels resisted change and conformity—it was the reason that it had taken months for 1.0 to overtake him. It was also the same asset that had helped 1.0 reprogram the Hive-mind to his liking; the Hive-mind could not reprogram Brainiac 5's body, even though it was 1.0 who was at the controls.

The Hive-mind had never been able to reprogram Brainiac 5. They'd tried, and tried, and tried again, when he was young, vulnerable, in their care. And after the 'reprogramming', his mind always snapped back to its original state, pondering odd things like 'humanity' and 'caring'. At the age of ten, Brainiac 5 had been able to escape off of Colu and move to where his mind was taking him; Earth.

Oh, what was that spark he'd seen? That glow that had allowed the robotic child to reform himself and rebel against not only the Hive-mind at the age of ten, but also rebel against 1.0 only days ago?

Superman had called it…

…Humanity?

Time clocks—eighty per-cent

Directional ability—eighty per-cent

Machinations—eighty per-cent

Whatever it had been, it was powerful. Powerful enough to break 1.0's influence and control. In desperation, he'd tried to pull the boy apart, using digitization… matter transformation. All that had happened was that the boy further split from 1.0, AND his robotic confines—the matter transformation had attached to that 'spark' of light that he'd rebelled with, turning him into a humanoid creature, just like the rest of his friends.

That spark—desire, will, humanity. Whatever one may call it, it was hard to ignore. One had to wonder, what that spark could've done if it were on 1.0's side? That spark that was stronger than 1.0 himself, and had, basically, turned his successor into a human?

Maybe this was due for more examination. After all, the boy would be leaving the Legion, that was clear. Logic told 1.0 that the boy would not be comfortable with the Legion, and as a human, be even more uncomfortable with his new body. He would leave the Legion, if for only a short time.

So it would be easy to get at him.

To examine this anomaly.

And then, perhaps, turn it against the ones who had crushed his plan for a perfect society. An orderly society.

So, the first order of business? Go after Brainiac 5.

Regeneration—One. Hundred. Per-cent.

"Evil does not die," he concluded, activating the regeneration feature. The parts of the lost Coluan race began to swirl around, as did the parts of Brainiac 5's old discarded body. Picking out the best possible parts from what he had, it began to morph and reapply itself, forming a new server.

His yellow eyes beamed out, set on their new target.

"…It Evolves."