2014.09.02 - Death and Tract Collectors

A few hours ago Adam contacted Rachel because... well, he gave the typical cryptic reason about her having to meet some people. It might also be none of the other Guardians is on Earth right now. But Adam tends to avoid mundane explanations when more important one are enough.
The first visit to an odd-shaped building in Manhattan, where he wanted to meet a man called Querl Dox was unproductive. Apparently, according to the talkative computer in charge of maintenance, Quel Dox had returned to the 31st Century. Adam apparently accepted the time travel as explanation without blinking. "I'll explain later," he said.
Next stop through teleportation magics is a building Rachel has probably seen in TV a few times. The Hall of Justice, headquarters of one of the most famous super-groups in the planet.
Meanwhile Thara would have received a message than a man called Warlock was waiting for her at the Hall's courtyard.
 
Rachel didn't complain much about being summoned by Adam. Mostly because his summonses usually lead to an interesting experience of one sort or another, but also because she doesn't trust him not to teleport her somewhere /anyway/, regardless of her agreement. She was mildly disappointed that today's excursion wasn't a trip to the other side of the galaxy, though, and as a result she hasn't bothered to change. She doesn't look much like a Guardian of the Galaxy, and next to Adam she looks remarkably normal in her casual outfit of jacket, tee, skirt and boots.
"No you won't." She'd said in answer to Adam's assurance of a later explanation, knowing him well enough by now to be confident that any such explanation will fall a long way short of being full and complete. Still, the idea of time travel didn't seem to surprise her either - after all, she has some experience of that herself.
Now waiting beside Adam, Rachel folds her arms and shoots him a sideways look. "So is this a friend of yours, or are we going to be waiting here a long time?" Her tone suggests she's not expecting much of an answer to that question either.
Yup, she got the message. Just not in the way that would be common. Several miles away, and a few up, Thara is flying over the city. Today has been productive for her, She's stopped a gang fight, captured an escaped bear that just happened to have left the zoo, and she managed to quell a few people's road rage. They won't be needing those old tires now. That's for certain. 
If not for Super Hearing, she wouldn't hear the message. Thankfully though she does have that going for her and she quickly flips around. In a very fast burst of speed, she goes flying towards the Hall of Justice. 
BOOM! A Sonic boom is heard and within seconds, she lands in the courtyard rather gracefully. "Good day, Warlock. Err... Person I have yet to meet." She states with a smile.
At that point, it would be...the Manhunter, stepping inside the building. Oddly, given it's not actually raining outside, a bit of water drips from the Martian's cape. And maybe a bit from the Martian. Nope. It's not raining...at least not in New York. For around here, though, that isn't a particularly strange situation. Maybe he came here to dry off? Or maybe not, given the water doesn't seem to be particularly clinging to him. "Adam. Thara." Rachel...is the one he doesn't know, but she will find herself on the receiving end of a red-eyed gaze that's intent for a moment, then a slight smile. "Greetings," he says out loud, out of politeness. But yes, he's made a definite note of Rachel's presence...and what he can sense of her abilities.
"Acquaintance, but not long," replies Adam. See? Kryptonians are quick. "Thara Ak-Var, Rachel Summers," he makes the introductions. "Good day, Thara. I'm afraid I have some news and some questions for you. But not to be said here, there are too many watching the area around the Hall of Justice. Inside would be better, or I can arrange transport to a more secure..."
But since the Manhunter arrives about then, he pauses to nods to the Martian hero, "J'onn J'onzz, it is a fortunate coincidence to see you today. The matter that brings me here is something you would want to know."
 
As a member of the Justice League, there's a quietly implicit job given to Diana to coach and mentor members of the 'younger' teams. Given that almost everyone is younger than the Princess, that could theoretically mean a lot of people. Today, it means the Hall of Justice. 
Wonder Woman walks outside just in time to hear the crack of supersonic flight overhead. She gives the girl a look of mild rebuke and joins the group. J'onn gets a friendlier expression- that is to say, her regal, hard features soften slightly and she dips her head at J'onn in a nod. 
"Is something the matter?" Diana asks of the group in her strong alto, looking around at the surprisingly large gathering that's taken place.
 
At the sonic boom, Rachel probably should be looking skyward. At the sudden arrival of a costumed woman dropping from the sky in front of her, she should probably be gaping in awe. At least, that's what she'd be doing if she were as mundane as she appears to be. Instead, she offers the new arrival a nod, a small grin, and unfolds her arms long enough to offer a quick wave. "Hi." She replies. "You do a good dramatic entrance." She adds, about to introduce herself, but then hesitates. 
Fortunately Adam picks up the slack for her when it comes to introductions. Her eyes narrow a bit, going distant, as she feels a mental presence that seemed not to be there a moment before. Rachel recognises another telepath when she feels one approach, and she just has time to glance around before the Martian Manhunter makes his entrance, followed by Wonder Woman. Rachel's starting to wonder what she's let herself in for, here. "Hi." She offers, again, feeling very strongly that, in future, she's going to insist on at least a hint before she lets Adam drag her off somewhere. "Adam?" Rachel prompts, since he's the only one present who can answer Diana's question.
The young Kryptonian gives a smile to JJ and then one to Diana, "Sorry bout that, Its one of the few things that are fun for me and when you haven't had a lot of fun in recent memory you take it where you can get it!" She laughs a little even though she can see the look of rebuke. Turning to Rachel she gives a smile. "Nice to meet you Rachel. I was actually out doing what I can to help out. Had a little fun with a bear that escaped from the zoo. She was so cute!" Looking over at the hall and then at the two present Justice Leaguers, she gives a nod and crosses her arms in front of her. "We could go inside. I don't think that would be an issue. Would it Martian Manhunter? Wonder Woman?"
"Not for me." The slightly dripping Martian moves to head into the building. He doubts Diana would object. None of these scan as threats...although obviously he can't be *sure* about the other telepath. She's with Adam, though, and his judgment has proved reasonable in the past.
Adam follows the Manhunter into the Hall, waiting until they are inside to answer. "A few weeks ago I took a group of super-humans to Warworld to destroy a cache of reality-rending weapons. The mission was... complicated." Rachel has likely already heard about this, the JLA probably not. "Warworld fell out of reality and into the no-time dimension called Limbo. We had an encounter with Immortus, the self-proclaimed ruler of the atemporal dimension. He gave us some veiled warnings that, after some consideration, make me suspect the entity known as the "Collector of Cities" is coming to Earth. Compound to this, two days ago Knowhere sensors picked up an incoming temporal-disruption. A large one."
 
Diana sets her jaw a bit at Adam's words, then nods once, all business. "Sounds as if you've been busy," she observes. "This is major news. Has anyone else reported on this?" she asks Adam, looking to the man with her serene blue eyes. "A temporal event of that size, by my understanding, is a threat to reality all its own, is it not?
 
Rachel smirks a bit at the spirited response that Wonder Woman's disapproving look gets from Thara. There might be an apology in there but she didn't hear a promise not to do it again! But then Thara's speaking to her directly and Rachel has to snort back a laugh when she hears about the bear. "Sounds like an interesting day. I'd ask for the full story... but if I know Adam, he's not here to talk bears." Still, she sounds vaguely disappointed.
Dropping her arms to her sides, Rachel falls in behind Warlock as he heads inside, then begins his briefing. She was right about one thing, though. It's not about bears. She keeps quiet as Adam goes over what she's already picked up from the others, but glances sharply at him when he mentions the temporal disruption. At least now she knows the reason for today's trip.
Thara goes very pale in the face. Her gaze turns from quite content to stone cold. All business now, no games. "He is coming here? Who else knows about this. Just now. We can't allow this. I have heard rumors that he had visited this place before but we can't let him come back. How much time do we have?" She asks in earnest. Even her stance shifts. Diana would recognize it as a warriors stance.
"I am not familiar with this entity...at least not off the top of my head, but if this is being taken seriously, then I must assume he is dangerous indeed." Immortus. Collector of Cities. And large temporal disturbances. This? This is not something they need. The Martian focuses his attention primarily on Adam, at this point, although red eyes flick to Thara at her reaction. "Tell us more about him?" He seems to be aiming his query more at the young Kryptonian.
"Unfortunately, space-time disruptions have been commonplace since the Negative Zone's incursion known as the Annihilation Wave, a couple Earth years ago," explains Adam. This might be news for Diana, though, "there is already task force dealing with those, it is a problem of universal reach. Rachel, and myself are part of this group."
Then he gets back to the business in hand. "In truth I have no evidence the temporal disruption is related with the likely visit from the collector," states Adam calmly. "However..." he adds cautiously, "my sense of awareness about these kind of disruptive events leads me to think both problems are going to be related." He looks at Rachel, "that is why I tried to find Querl Dox first. He is a Coluan. There are rumors linking Colu to the Collector. But the planet Colu and the reclusive Coluans vanished from known space decades ago."
 
"Is there anyone else who is an authority on this subject?" Diana inquires of Adam in that same serene, unflappable tone. He could be telling her the sky is falling for all the reaction she has. "We should find all the allies we can who can speak on the matter," she advises the younger heroes. "And does anyone know where Querl is? Or has he gone into seclusion?"
 
Rachel can't fail to pick up on the abrupt change in Thara's demeanour, even before she speaks. But when she does... Rachel realises that she's somehow almost gotten used to Adam talking about threats to the universe. Thara's reaction puts her on notice that she needs to be taking all this a bit more seriously. She'd very much like to ask Thara what she knows about this threat, but the Martian Manhunter gets there first. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't do the research." Rachel remarks under her breath, glancing at Adam again. They talked about this being on Knowhere only a short time ago, but Adam seems a lot better informed now than he did then.
"There is another entity who collects cities, among other things. He is the one who kidnapped One hundred thousand people from Krypton, me included. He forced us all into the city of Kandor, Shrunk it, And took it away. This was before the planet exploded. Brainiac. He is active in the universe, He has the motive to come here, and he is a very serious threat to everyone. Not just us, but to the common humans on this planet and every other planet in this part of space." Thara's tone is very firm and there is a hint of terror in it. "I've fought his forces for a long time before coming here. I did so without the abilities I have now. If it is he, whom they are speaking of, Humanity has no chance of defeating them without our help. The Kryptonian military guild were amazing fighters. I watched as they were slaughtered. My parents..." She stops and just goes quiet.
The Martian simply regards Thara for a moment. It's odd how that normally very hard and distant gaze can soften. But there's a definite expression of understanding in his face. "We could, I suppose, ask any of the other aliens who might be present on Earth at the moment. Unfortunately, keeping track of who is here and who is not can be hard."
"Brainiac is another name for the Collector or Cities," explains Adam, confirming Thara's nemesis is the one coming. "Earth has many powerful defenders despite the lack of advanced technology. I am quite sure they could fend off Brainiac without any help from the Guardians. But this temporal disruption concerns me."
To Diana, he shakes his head, "no one I know I could reach quickly. At least no one willing to help. Querl Dox has apparently returned to his native alternate future."
 
"I will put the word out to Superman and the rest of the senior League members," Diana assures Adam. She glances to J'onn and nods once, before looking to Thara and Rachel. "If time permits, a thorough debriefing is in orer," Diana informs Thara. "We should learn all we can about Braniac and make sure it is stored in the League's computers so all members can peruse it at leisure." 
She looks to Rachel and offers a very small smile. On her regal features, it's nearly a blossom of light. "It is a complex subject, but your willingness to become a part of the solution is appreciated. I am Diana of Themyscira, also known as Wonder Woman. What is your name?" she asks of the Summers scion.
 
Rachel may be new to cosmic threats that collect cities and apparently shrink them, she's in no doubt that the threat is real. She's seen enough with the Guardians so far to take Adam's warning seriously, and even if she hadn't, Thara's tone leaves no room for doubt. But there's something more beyond that. When Thara mentions her parents and then clams up, it touches a similar pain within Rachel. She's lost her own parents, dead and lost to her along with her entire world. That pain, so familiar, that she sees reflected in Thara makes her do something that she wouldn't otherwise do. Taking a step forward, she speaks to her as if the others aren't there. "Hey. Humanity..." She smiles a bit, since she includes herself in that even if others don't. "DO have our help. And we know he's coming. I'm not going to pretend I've seen what you've seen, but... we'll make sure it's different this time, right?"
And then Adam blithely dismisses Brainiac as a threat, and Rachel casts her eyes skyward in a 'give me strength' look, before shooting Adam a quick grimace. "Sure. But there's no reason we can't HELP if they need a hand, right?" She sounds a bit exasperated which, given her temper that's sometimes as fiery as her hair, makes it a good thing that Wonder Woman chooses that moment to talk to her. "Rachel Summers." She replies, annoyance forgotten, and smirks a bit. "Just someone Adam picked up along the way, but I try to make myself useful."
She gives a soft smile to Rachel and nods. "That is something we did not have. All of our people were equal to what humans are save for our technology and the things we've learned. Even with all of that, the best of the best fought him. None survived. They were General Zod's elite. The ones he hand picked and gave advanced training to. It wasn't enough. After being taken and bottled, I was one who had a habit of picking off his forces where I could. I used whatever I could to fight them. I did take some out. There were always more though. Eventually I joined the guild and they trained me and made me the Chief of Security. I never stopped fighting them. Never stopped trying to escape." She stops for a moment or so. She glances to Diana, "I will of course comply." She then turns to the others again. "Brainiac has nearly inexhaustable machines. There is always more of them. It's like he spends every waking minute creating them. They are very nasty. One of two are easy to take out. More then that, It starts getting really nasty. He will not send a handful except to scout. That was what the ship I stole was supposed to be doing. He will test this planets heroes and he will respond in force."
"He will find Earth a hard nut to crack. He is not the first to think he can attack us with impunity." A slight smile from the Martian, then he glances at Diana. << I hope, of course, that he underestimates us >> he sends quietly to the Amazon. Who knows that J'onn *definitely* likes it when the bad guys don't take him seriously until it's too late.
Adam seems somewhat uncomfortable at Rachel's outburst. It is typical of him to lose sight of the 'little people' and consider anything that is 'just' a planetary threat as unimportant. 
He kept Pip around for a reason.
"Whatever is happening, it will be within the next 72 hours," states the golden-skinned man. "I will remain on Earth and recall the Guardians. Thara..." he offers the young woman a metallic bracelet. "This is a Passport terminal linked to the Continuum Cortex of Knowhere. It is a universal-reach communication device of Celestial technology and also serves to link to the teleportation systems of the station. This one has been calibrated for you. We will be in touch; I expect you will play a key role in the incoming events."
 
"It sounds as if you have the situation well in hand," Diana compliments Adam. "The Justice League is ready to help if you need it- I will alert all of the senior members to the threat. Well done, all of you," the Princess informs everyone with grave sincerity, approval on her face. "I know these are trying times, but you have performed superbly. Continue to be excellent," she advises with a simple smile and small motion of her hands. "That is all we will ever ask of you. Should you need anything from us, do not hesitate to call upon us."
 
It seems to Rachel that Thara did a much better job surviving the fall of her world than the redheaded telepath did. She guesses she shouldn't be surprised - not many could have done worse than she did. It's an old pain, but it still hurts. Maybe she's not the one who should be attempting to give the reassurance, here? She keeps those thoughts off her face, and she's accustomed to keeping her mind shielded. "Looks like you made it." She points out, figuring a reminder that Thara's won that particular victory already couldn't hurt. Unsure whether anything she's said has been of any use, Rachel moves back to flank Adam, catching his look and answering it with a shrug. She can't think on his level, not yet - and she's not sure she really wants to.
Listening to the others as they continue to discuss the threat, she betrays a little surprise when Adam passes the Passport to Thara, but only a little. It seems like Adam's propensity to pick up strays hasn't faded. The vote of confidence from Diana - that's something she's not sure how to take, and wonders if the woman has met the rest of the Guardians. The thought of that amuses her, but she takes the words as they're meant. "Thanks." She replies. "We will." She adds, with a glance at Adam. << It can't hurt. >> She suggests telepathically.
Thara accepts the bracelet and slips it on her wrist. "I will be ready." She turns to Diana and to J'onn "Whenever you wish to debrief me, I will be ready and willing. If I may suggest, Definitely be on the ready just in case things take a wrong turn. Brainiac is extremely intelligent, He gathers information from everywhere. If he is coming here, be on the look out for scouts. He will be trying to gather as much information as he possibly can before making his strike." She turns to Rachel. "I lived through it. I guess it was either fate of the will of the Flame Bird that I was taken and not left to die on Krypton."
J'onn Jonzz nods. "Just give us whatever you can. Anything that might lead to establishing his weaknesses." The Martian's lips quirked. "We have defeated better than him, of that I can assure you." His tone is meant to be reassuring. The young woman seems to need it, and not surprising. He does understand something of what she has been through, after all.
Adam nods faintly at Diana. "I thank you; I would like to think we are prepared. But we'll know soon." It would be real nice if for /once/ they are truly prepared for a crisis. Never happened yet. "The Justice League's help would be much appreciated, as conflict with this 'Collector' and his machines seems unavoidable." Business concluded, he looks at Rachel. "I should depart; I will be in my spaceship and not in Knowhere for the next few days." This means telepathic contact is possible. "Farewell."
Rachel's paying attention to everything that's said about Brainiac and his scouts, apparently taking it all in her stride despite the small fact that this is a threat that's completely outside her experience, but then Thara turns to her and says the first thing that's left her genuinely startled since she and Warlock first arrived. "Will of the Flame Bird?" She echoes, tilting her head to one side curiously, before a slight smile touches her lips. "You and I are going to need to talk, sometime." Not elaborating, Rachel looks toward Adam as he announces he's leaving. She'd say something about leaving her to walk home but... it'd be pointless.
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