1.7 Guardsmen Part 5

Legacy begins to put her armour back on when Leo enters her room. It has been a couple of hours since they started their meeting and only fourteen minutes since it ended.

“So where are you off to?” asks Leo as he leans against the wall.

“To tell Alexandria about the new name for our group,” replies Legacy, “And to deliver the items she asked me to invent for her.”

“I’ll come along with you then,” says Leo, “I have been meaning to meet her. I never really got around to doing that when we were dealing Aquiline. What happened to that guy anyway?”

Legacy frowns. While she did shoot him with her pistol, he was able to use the not-technology teleporter to escape.

What did happen to Aquiline?

He teleported away and either we killed him with the bullets or he survived and is laying low as he recovers.

Hmm. I hope it is the former, but I suspect it is the latter.

As do I.

“As you know, I hunted him down and shot him, but he was able to teleport away,” replies Legacy, “Either he died of his bullet wounds or he is in hiding as he recovers.”

“I really want to hope that he is dead, but I’m going to go with the later,” replies Leo as he runs his hand through his hair, “Now I’m our official leader, I ought to make contact with the authorities and attempt to form friendly relationships with the Department of Superhuman Affairs and the Heroes Union. Either Atlas will be there with his sister or I can get Alexandria to arrange am meeting.”

“I hope you don’t mind the fact that I volunteered you as leader,” says Legacy.

“Not at all,” replies Leo dismissively, “It was the best choice and I don’t really mind. I have been the de facto leader of group for a while now. Honestly, it was mainly a matter of our group officially agreeing to it.”

“I suppose it was,” replies Legacy as she puts her helmet on, “Are you going to get your armour on?”

“Yeah,” says Leo, “Come on with me, I want to ask you a couple of things in private.”

“In private?” inquires Guardian as they leave her bedroom.

“Not so much as in private, but rather not in public,” clarifies Leo, “Now I think about, I would like to know a couple of minor things before I move on to the two major things I wish to discuss.”

“And what are they?” asks Guardian.

“First is whether you are okay with me telling people outside of the Guardsmen about what you are,” replies Leo, “By that I mean telling folks like the government and Heroes Union that you are an alien hybrid from another dimension.”

“Not at all,” replies Guardian without hesitance, “I have no problem with people knowing who I am. I have no reason to hide that I am the Guardian.”

“Okay,” says Leo, “Next question is what exactly are the items that Alexandria has asked you to make for her?”

“Oh, she wanted some trivial things such as nail clippers, a sleep mask and something to cut her hair,” replies Guardian, “Because her powers mean that normal items won’t work. For example, she needs a sleep mask that blocks her super senses because they make the night as bright as day to her. As Alexandria said, good for night patrol, bad getting a good night sleep.”

“I never really considered the problems that people might encounter due to their powers,” muses Leo as they reach his oversized lab, “So how exactly do they work?”

“I would much rather tell you about the combat applications I have come up with using the technology,” says Guardian, “We are much more likely to use them than the non-combat applications.”

“Go ahead,” says Leo as he begins to take off his outer clothing.

“The first thing I have come up with is a fabric to block the different lights of the electromagnetic spectrum,” replies Guardian, “Not only can it be used to block super senses of parahumans, but it will also block other types of sensors.”

“That could be quite useful,” notes Leo as he begins the process of putting on his own armour, “What’s next?”

“The other new technology I came up with was not only to help Alexandria, but to help us battle parahumans with nigh invulnerability,” answers Guardian, “I realised that while my technology is impressive, I currently lack technology capable of matching parahumans.”

“That is the downside of powers like ours,” says Leo with a sigh, “Conventionally we are unmatched, but parahumans and superpowers are anything, but conventional.”

“Which is why I have come up with the molecular blade,” replies Guardian, “I have been able to use my technology to sharpen blades so that their thickness is measured in molecules and atoms.”

“Really?” says Leo as he turns his head around to look at Guardian.

“Yes, but it has its strengths and weakness like everything,” replies Guardian, “While sharp enough to cut through those with nigh invulnerability, how quickly the blade goes dull depends on the blade and how strong the target’s invulnerability is. I have primarily using a variant of Gardium as that is the best material I have found so far. Rather than rely on a single blade or pair of them, I will arm myself with several, short disposal daggers.”

“From what you have told me, that is the best option,” agrees Leo, “I might see about incorporating a sharpener into my armour if I can get them small enough. Perhaps adding a couple of wrist blades that can be retracted and sharpened when they are.”

“Possibly,” says Guardian as Leo puts his helmet on, “You’ll have to figure out that one out yourself.”

“Don’t worry Legacy,” says Gears, “I can look after myself. Now let’s go and meet Atlas and Alexandria.”

1.7 Guardsmen Part 4

Legacy looks up from her work as Leo clears his throat from the doorway of her lab.

“It’s time for the group meeting,” Leo tells her.

Wait, that was three hours away.

It has been that long.

Really?

Yes. You have been busy working on creating a stable version of the overcharged energy projector baton.

Huh. I completely lost track of time.

“Do you want to go to the meeting or would you like some time to get ready to present yourself?” asks Leo.

“Why would I need time to get ready?” asks Legacy, confused by the question.

“Legacy, take a look at yourself,” replies Leo dryly.

Legacy takes note of the state of her body. She changed into some of Alexandria’s old sweatpants and a sports bra as she expected to get hot and sweaty working her lab as the air conditioning has been installed yet.

And she has gotten hot and sweaty as the liquid glistens on her pale bare skin. And her damp clothing is hugging her skin. Perhaps she should change into something more presentable.

Why?

Legacy senses curiosity from her companion as she asks the question.

I’m not sure. It just feels like it is socially acceptable.

Hmm.

Trying to obey the standards of society is nothing wrong.

Just do not let it get in the way of important things.

I know that.

“I’m fine,” replies Legacy to Leo, “We’re amongst friends. They won’t mind me looking like this.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they will understanding of the fact you been working three hours straight,” agrees Leo, Anyway, it’s your funeral. Come on then. We’re already late.”

My funeral?

Don’t worry, you’ll plenty of those.

Leo leads the way to the main room of the base, in which a wooden round table is in the middle of it.

Why do we have a round table as our gathering point?

Perhaps it holds some significance on his world?

Seating around the table is Scott, Cain and Puerto Rican-British girl Allison. Legacy looks at Allison as this is the first time they have met whilst not in their armour.

Allison has her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail while her glasses are still coving her blue eyes. Despite her mother being Native Puerto Rican, Allison inherited the hair colour and eyes her of her father, even if she does have the smooth, sleek hair of her mother as well as her features.

By just looking at her strong, fit figure, Legacy can tell that Allison is an A+ Class Bellator. Then again, she doubts that she would have realised that if she didn’t already know that fact.

What is her history again?

She lived in Puerto Rico until she was eleven with her mother and father. Her father was a US soldier stationed at Puerto Rico who married her mother there after retiring. Allison and her father were attacked when she was eleven by local gangsters. Her father was killed protecting her and Allison was crippled. The only reason she isn’t currently in a wheelchair is that the injury was healed when she got her powers.

Then what?

Her mother moved to Grand Rapids after that with her. When Allison was twelve, her married her stepfather, who is divorced with custody of his two boys. His wife got their daughter. She was friends with Leo and Joan, but drifted away over the last year and a half. Leo was able to use his enhanced intellect to figure out that she gained powers and convince her to join us.

So what are her powers?

Regeneration, Super Strength, Super Toughness, Super Speed, Super Senses and Super Agility all at C Class.

Impressive. So no flight?

She can leap high, but no actual flight.

Still impressive.

Indeed.

“Okay Legacy and I are here,” says Leo as he takes a seat next to Allison and Legacy takes a seat between Scott and Leo, “Legacy was working in her lab, hence the delay and her current state.”

“So what exactly are we discussing?” inquires Scott.

“Well, we’re supposed to be a team,” says Leo, “So for that we need to start acting as team, which is what we can do now we got this base to connect our two cities.”

“True,” agrees Scott, “We ought to decide on a name first.”

“I agree,” replies Leo, “We need to pick a name for our team which is in an indistinct heroic sounding name. That said, we can’t have the Sentinels, the Protectors, the Defenders, the Guardians or the Sentries.”

“Of course,” says Cain as he, Allison and Scott all grin.

 “We also need to decide on leadership,” cuts in Legacy causing all of them to turn and look at her.

“We do need to establish leadership,” Scott agrees with her.

“That was going to be my second point,” admits Leo.

“So who do we pick?” asks Allison.

Leo should be in command as he is the best suited for the task. With his powers and mental layout, it should be nigh impossible for him to burnout or get overwhelmed by the job. Scott with his experience and leadership skills should be his second in command.

And what about Jaylyn and myself?

Jaylyn can provide support. AIs like her are very good at that role. You and Leo should be field leaders with your experience.

“I recommend Leo as our leader with Scott as his second in command,” says Legacy, “Jaylyn can run support operations while Leo and I can be field leaders.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” replies Leo with a glance at Scott.

“Yes, unless anyone has any complaints, we should go with that command structure,” replies Scott as he strokes his beard with one hand.

No one objects.

“Good,” says Leo, “Now onto our team name. I was thinking of going with the Guardsmen. It isn’t taken yet and it fits in with the other codenames we have chosen.”

“Not your own,” points Cain.

“But I choose that one when I was still flying solo with Jay,” says Leo, “What do you guys say? Should we call ourselves the Guardsmen?”

“It does sound rather cool,” says Allison.

“Not to mention rather imposing,” says Cain.

“I do like the sound of it,” says Scott.

“It is a good name,” says Legacy and her companion privately agrees with her.

“Then it is settled,” says Leo as he smiles, “We are the Guardsmen.”           

1.7 Guardsmen Part 3

Leo sighs as he walks down the corridor to his own quarters.

How did Legacy treat all of that as if it was normal?

Because to her, it was normal.

I know, but still...

I understand how you feel.

You are one of my split personalities, I would be worried if you didn’t understand I how feel.

“Father,” says Jaylyn as Leo enters his living room, “Mother wishes to speak with you. She seems upset.”

Joan is upset? What’s wrong?

I don’t know. We need to find out.

Then don’t waste time! Do something!

I’m not wasting time Heart!

“Put her through,” Leo tells his daughter as he turns to face the television screen on the wall.

I still find the idea of having a daughter at my age just weird.

Jaylyn is a special case.

I know, but it’s still weird.

Joan’s image appears on the massive flat screen and Leo has to admit she does seem upset about something.

She seems fine physically.

Something must have happened to upset her.

But what?

I don’t know.

Then find out!

“What is the matter?” inquires Leo.

“It’s my sister,” pouts Joan.

Her sister? Which one?

This is unusual.

Yes, Joan has abandoned almost all faith in her family. Something major must have happened for her to react like this in response to something her family did.

When was the last time she spoke with one of her siblings?

It was Christmas when Breanne visited her.

Oh yeah. Huh, that long.

Indeed.

“Which one?” asks Leo.

“Alexis,” answers Joan.

Alexis is the second youngest of the six Fowler siblings and only one still at school. The eldest two are both successful and somewhat famous actors while another has just started her own career as a singer using the connections of her family. The last of them is in their first year at Yale University.

“So what has happened?” inquires Leo calmly.

“She has superpowers and is a superhero!” wails Joan.

Alexis has superpowers and is a superhero? When did that happen? How could I have not found that out?

We have been primarily focused on threats to us and the world in addition to the national and international response to parahumans, not the local authorities. Joan’s family aren’t exactly something we need to worry about.

It is also possible that Alexis only recently manifested.

Either of those could be the case.

Or even a mixture of both.

“So when did those happen?” asks Leo with a frown.

“She got powers at the start of the year like you did,” complains Joan, “And she has been a superhero for two weeks now. And I only found out about because they are interviewing her after she took down a supervillain wannabe. I can’t believe she didn’t tell me. She knows how I’m a big fan of superheroes.”

Joan was a big fan of the superhero genre even before people began to get actual superpowers. Given her condition, Leo always view as a form of escapism for her, to imagine the possibility of finding a way of getting better.

And now, that is possible. Leo just needs to find a way to save her.

I’m not actually sure that Alexis knows that Joan is a fan of superheroes. When was the last time they spoke?

Four months ago on the 27^th of November.

That long? For real?

Yes, it is a rather large amount of time.

I wouldn’t be surprised that Alexis forgot about Joan’s existence. They aren’t exactly close even without the distraction of suddenly gaining superpowers.

“So what are you going do?” asks Leo.

“I decided to call you and let you figure out what to do,” answers Joan shamelees.

Leo sighs. While it is annoying to have another thing to worry about, he did promise himself at the start of his superhero career that he wouldn’t let it come before Joan or his family.

Okay guys, idea time.

We got three options, first of which is to convince Joan to call Alexis.

The second one is to contact Alexis on Joan’s behalf.

The third one is for Gears to meet Iris and strike up a conversation with her. Then we can ask her about her family, even inquiring about any younger siblings if necessary.

The last option is the best because it allows us to see how Alexis will react when Joan is brought up while keeping both us and her safe while leaving a variety of options open to us if things go bad.

I concur with your decision. Let’s go for option three.

“Okay Joan, I got a plan,” Leo tells his girlfriend and she beams at him, “Gears will meet Iris while they are both out and ask her about her family. That way I will be able to find out how Alexis feels when you are mentioned with minimal risk to either of us if things go south.”

“Great!” exclaims Joan happily, “I knew I could count you Leo! You’re the best!”

Joan ends the call and screen goes blank. Rubbing his forehead, Leo sits down.

I ought to introduce Legacy to Joan. They seem like the sort that would get along and they both need more friends even if they would have to keep it secret.

Indeed, it would be good for both of them.

Yeah.

“Father,” says Jaylyn.

“Yes Jaylyn?” replies Leo.

“Thank you for helping Mother.”

1.7 Guardsmen Part 2

Legacy quickly gets to work at the desk in her new lab while Leo stands in the doorway. She hasn’t gotten any of her old projects here yet, but Leo has provided her with a variety of equipment, including a large assortment of electronic devices.

What can I make with what I have available? I got materials and the hardware to create stuff. What do I need? I have a lot of stuff already, pretty much all of the basics really. I got some of the more advanced stuff. Perhaps I should try making a more stable version of the overcharged energy projector baton.

Or you could see what Leo has to say. I believe that he wishes to speak to you.

You think so?

“Hey Legacy,” says Leo, “I want to speak to you about a couple of things privately.”

“Privately?” repeats Legacy as she turns around to face him.

“Well, Jaylyn will be listening in and we both our own voices in her heads,” says Leo, “I want to speak you about I uncovered when examining the samples you gave me.”

The samples. Legacy remembers those. At the start of the week, Legacy gives Leo come biological samples from her body, such hair, blood and skin in addition to a biometric scan.

I wonder what he found out? Do you have any ideas on what he found?

Possibly. Nothing that I consider out of the normal, but he might have uncovered things that he or others might deem unusual.

Okay. Are any of these things dangerous or bad?

No. Or least not that I’m aware of. Others might have different opinions.

That’s good to know.

“Sure,” replies Legacy.

“Well, for starters, you have nanomachines throughout your body,” says Leo as he walks over to Legacy’s desk and pushes a few buttons on a touch screen.

A fuzzy and unclear holographic 3D image appears in front of Legacy and Leo, showing a machine. The machine consists of blue sphere made from a semi-transparent material. It also has several thin, black cylinders extending from the sphere.

Wait, the projector isn’t of poor quality, but the image it is projecting is. It seems that it has been zoomed in several times and then altered further to only show the machine.

“This is a picture of one of the nanomachines that I found in all of the biological samples you gave me,” continues Leo, “They were pretty much undetectable, even by your bio-scanner and all of my devices. It was only because I stumbled across one by accident that I even realised they existed. As for what else I know about them is only that they are so small even my technology can barely detect them. It’s real annoying, especially since your entire body is jammed packed full of them.”

They are called Nanites.

You knew about them?

Yes, they are the primary source of your power. Even with them not operating at full capacity, they are still very effective.

My powers will grow stronger? When will that happen?

In time as we grow further in sync with each other.

That makes sense.

“My companion says that they are called Nanites and are the source of my powers,” Legacy tells Leo.

“Really?” replies a surprised Leo, “I wasn’t expecting answers that quickly.”

There is no point in keeping information secret between us.

I completely agree with that.

“My companion and I feel that there is no reason for us to hide such information from you,” says Legacy, “So what else have you uncovered?”

“The other major thing I uncovered was that you are only partially human,” answers Leo with a frown on his face, “I can’t compare with the majority of parahuman DNA since I only have access to my own, Cain’s and Allison’s, but ours are all still human if altered. Well, enhanced really, but that is a different matter we can talk about later. You have some human DNA, but about two thirds of it is, just, well different. Not human and I don’t think it is from Earth. I mean, I can’t be completely certain about that until I tested every sample of DNA on the planet. Not only that, but your biology is definitely not human either. So I have a large amount of confidence that you are a human-alien hybrid.”

Really?

He is correct.

You knew about this?

No, but I know how it is possible and most likely came about. It is, none the less, still unexpected to me.

So what is the other two thirds of me if not human.

Deltaen, the species of my creator, would be the most likely probability.

Okay. I’ll go ahead the relay the information to Leo.

“My companion says that the non-human DNA is most likely Deltaen, the species of her creator,” Legacy tells Leo.

“Seriously?” says Leo as he gives Legacy an odd look and she nods, “Okay, give a moment to make sense of all this. I wasn’t expecting to get all these answers so easily and quickly. According to the comics, it should take much longer.”

Legacy watches Leo as he paces back and forth, clearing deep in thought. After a moment, he stops and turns back to face Legacy.

“I need to ask a couple of things,” says Leo, “Is your companion an AI and are you from a different dimension?”

Yes and yes.

“Yes to both of those questions,” answers Legacy.

“Okay, so my theory is that you’re a human-alien hybrid who landed here on Earth,” says Leo as he begins pacing again, “You were involved whatever incident ended up giving powers to people on our world and arrived in our world shortly after the source of the powers did. The event and/or your arrival must have caused your memory loss. It would explain why there are no records of you on the planet and why you are so...abnormal, even by the new standards of our world.”

I believe Leo to be correct and I can say the majority of is undoubtedly correct.

Leo is good at figuring these things out.

His power has greatly increased his mental and intellectual capabilities so it isn’t that surprising.

True.

“My companion says she believes your theory to be correct,” says Legacy.

“Well, that’s good I suppose,” mutters Leo, “Knowledge is better than ignorance. That said, I got another question or two to figure out the answer to for everyone that got answered just now. I’m going to need some time to think about things. Can we continue this discussion at a later point?”

“Sure,” replies Legacy.

As Leo walks out of the room with a weary sigh, Legacy goes back to her desk.

What do you think I should do?

Figure out a way to make the overcharged energy projector baton stable and suitable for long term use.

Okay.