L.A., Environs, and room 401, Friday to Friday
Victor wasn’t sure what to expect from the team meeting at the new Malibu Hostel. Fireworks, probably. People talking over each other. Alliances and counteralliances and lone wolf opinions and petty disagreements colliding into a giant cloud of talk.
Or maybe by the time he got there, the talking would be over and he’d be walking into the middle of a battle. He ran a quick check of his systems as he waited for the Maryland-to-L.A. portal, locked a couple of basic warfare routines into place for easy reference. He never wanted a fight, but if there was going to be one, he had no intention of losing.
The thing he didn’t expect was what greeted him when he got to the house: Absolute silence, with empty rooms yawning beyond him. "Chase?" he called. "Molly? Nico? Xavin?"
"Nobody’s here," Nico announced as she - finally - wandered up onto the porch in what looked like a Victorian mourning dress with a low neckline. "You’re about an hour late. This is insane! Chase is at that radio station job, Karolina said she had some writing to do and vanished, Xavin’s having a beach party with the neighbors, Molly and Klara are off playing ... and any minute a Majesdanian warship is going to drop out of the sky and blow this place off the map." She attempted a smile, but it didn’t go so well. "Welcome home, huh?"
Victor tilted his head at her quizzically. "But ... I thought you said team meeting."
"Oh, we met," Nico said. "And then we ... unmet. It got messy." She briefly sketched the meeting to Victor, finishing, "And I’m almost certain Karolina’s project is a letter of surrender to the Majesdane court. She figures she can stop the fighting by giving herself up. It’s over my dead body, but..."
Victor could finish that sentence from the way her shoulders sagged. But we might get to that point. "Okay," he said, and put a careful hand on Nico’s shoulder. She didn’t pull away. "We’ll call that Plan B. So what’s Plan A?"
"I don’t know," Nico admitted. "We’re falling apart. Everybody’s going in different directions. It doesn’t make sense."
"...different directions," Victor repeated, reminded of Nico’s call. "What was that spell you said you did when the Majesdanians got here?"
"Scatter," Nico reminded him, distracted. "It worked, too. But now ... maybe we should just load everybody up in the ‘frog and run. Buy ourselves some time."
"No," Victor said, frowning. "Nico, I think I’ve got it. I think I know why everybody’s acting so strange and disconnected. ‘Scatter.’"
"Yeah," Nico said. "Everybody’s scattered. So....?"
"Your spell ... ‘scatter’ ... so they did. But so did all of you."
Nico’s eyes went wide, and she brought her fingertips to her mouth in dismay. "Oh, no. What have I done?"
"We’ll work it out," Victor said, and glanced to the staircase. "Which one is Karolina’s room? We should probably start putting ourselves back together."
Nico gestured vaguely, followed Victor upstairs. "This is not logical," she said. "It doesn’t make sense."
"Neither does love, but..."
"Why would my scatter spell affect everybody in the room, including us?"
"Everybody but you, yeah."
"That still doesn’t make sense."
"Okay, it’s really weird for you to keep saying that to a guy who’s half computer," Victor said, and charged ahead at the top of the staircase when Nico’s dress slowed her. "It’s the only explanation. You just weren’t affected because it was your spell." He pulled open the door Nico indicated as Karolina’s, took just a moment to appreciate how the outraged girl behind it was a tiny bit older-looking than the one in Fandom.
Her indignation made it hard to spend too much time on those thoughts.
"Whoa, hi, can you knock?" she asked. "I’m happy to see you, but seriously, what if I was naked?"
"We’d still need you downstairs, stat," Victor said. "I’ll explain later, come on."
Behind him, Victor could hear Nico filling Karolina in on the current theory as the three of them went to check on the Majesdanian hostage. "I’m not sure how to fix this," she finished. "If I cast another spell I could make things worse."
"I think if we get everybody together and tell them what’s going on, we may be able to break it," Victor guessed.
"Magic is real," Nico pointed out. "You can’t just wish it away."
"I know, but what hit you guys is a reflection of the real spell," Victor said. "Break the illusion and we may break the spell."
"Maybe," Nico conceded, clutching at her head. "Oh, mother of stars, what have I done?"
This so wasn’t the time for that, and Victor had already turned away, shouting instructions as he went. Karolina could guard the prisoner while Nico recovered Xavin and Chase. As for Victor, there were some little girls building a fort he had to track down.
The fort looked like it might be threatening to a bunny, maybe ... but as soon as Victor said that aloud, weeds grew up around his waist to trap him in place. And now he had a whole new appreciation of Klara’s powers.
The 12-year-olds agreed to follow him back to the house, seeming more interested in an ongoing argument about code names than anything else. But when they got back, they found Xavin, Karolina and Nico all encased in what looked to Victor like a giant bubble of amoeba, though he had to admit Molly’s snot comparison might be more apt.
"Victor?" Klara asked, after they realized the bubble seemed to be soundproof. "Where’s the prisoner?"
VaDanti had escaped, which just made this all so much better. They were trying to figure out how exactly you fought a giant ball of goo when Molly punched it ... and instantly got sucked in, dragging Klara behind by the wrist.
Victor could feel the electricity sparking out of his hands as he grabbed a long metal rod and tried jabbing the bubble himself.
... and now there were six of them trapped inside what Xavin and Karolina identified as a synthetic amoeba used by Majesdanian police to control election riots. Also, Victor felt like an idiot.
They finally managed to punch/poke/kick/claw their way out, covered in slime and in desperate need of showers. Nico did her best to explain the spell’s side effects, but was met by general disbelief until Karolina conceded, "You’re right. I don’t feel a connection with any of you. Not even Xavin. Nico, can you reverse the spell?"
"I’m really nervous about trying to undo the first spell with another one," she said. "We might get more side effects."
"Yeah, but if this side effect is going to get us killed, I’d trade it for one that is simply annoying," Karolina said.
"We need a guinea pig," Xavin announced eventually. "Where is Chase?"
Victor explained his theory: Breaking the spell would require total cooperation. "Like, really get our synergism going to reverse the physics involved."
Before he could try to prove the concept, they were interrupted by something rainbow-colored and - despite Victor’s fervent hopes - very much not a weather balloon dropping out of the clouds, and then it was time to jump in Leapfrog and try to fly away from the Majesdanian ship fast enough not to get killed.
Somewhere in there, Xavin had decided to stop being a boy and look like a girl again. Sometime when he wasn’t simultaneously playing pilot and arguing with Nico, and when Klara wasn’t barfing on Molly, Victor would have to ask about her reasoning on that one.
But as they tried not to die, their arguments took on a different, more conciliatory tone. Victor realized it sounded less like the results of a spell, and more like everyday.
"Okay, listen up," Nico said, to test the theory. "This is important! On the count of three I want everybody to yell cheese! One ... two .. three."
"CHEESE," yelled the passengers as a group, and they had just enough time to rejoice when a bolt of energy from the other ship slammed into them.
"We can’t lose them," Nico said. "Activate the cloaking device."
"That will not work," Xavin answered. "They can track Karolina’s energy. We will have to stand and fight."
Victor was ready to do that. Karolina ... was not, and they were discussing it as Molly announced she had an idea. "Your bracelet," she suggested. "If that’s how your parents kept your powers hidden, maybe it can keep you hidden from the Majesdanian police."
And again Victor was reminded that Molly was a lot smarter than she normally liked to act. Xavin produced the bracelet and handed it to Karolina, who quickly donned it.
On Nico’s suggestion, Victor landed the ‘frog by the docked RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach - barely missing a group of tourists. The Majesdanian ship missed the turn and zoomed right past ... pursued by what looked for all the world like a flying VW van.
Chase.
"Well, I guess we better get out there before the damn fool gets himself killed," Nico decided sourly.
Karolina gave her bracelet to a bewildered Molly. "But it’s your hide-me bracelet," she said.
"Yeah," Karolina nodded. "It’s time they found me."
Aboard Leapfrog, Victor agreed to hold back with the little girls for a second charge - it only made tactical sense - as Nico sprouted wings, which looked damn cool, and Xavin took on his flame-and-flight Johnny Storm powers. They went to fight two Majesdanians, while Karolina Rainbow Brite’d away to help Chase. Things were going surprisingly well; Victor saw his opening just after the flying van belched oil all over some unfortunate birds.
"All right, girls, I think we’re going to have to get out there and save the day."
"Yes! Battle Bots begins!" Molly rejoiced, while Klara said, in a voice that was almost calm, that she couldn’t swim.
"Not to worry," Victor reassured her. "The only ones going for a swim today are the Majesdanians."
As it turned out, the skies over a crowded dock were not the most subtle place for a firefight; a TV news helicopter was soon in the way. It got caught in the crossfire, and the Majesdanian DeHalle and Nico quickly agreed to a ceasefire as Nico did a hasty balloon spell to get the helicopter to the ground without killing anybody aboard.
They all managed to land safely, even Chase, and gathered on the pier amid the downed ships to work out what was next.
"Where’s Xavin and Karolina?" Nico asked, as she cruised in for a landing.
"Here," Karolina said, walking up. "Sorry. Pit stop. Xavin will join us in a minute."
"Now that you stand here before me," the largest Majesdanian, the one who seemed to be in charge, observed, "you are much smaller than I imagined."
"She’s just a teenager, General. You’re old enough to be her father," Nico said.
Karolina quietly pointed out that she could speak for herself before turning to the general. "General vaDrann, I have searched my heart and I think I found a solution to our problem. You know my father cooperated with the skrulls to betray Majesdane. You know this led to the destruction of our planet. And yet, you have come to arrest me, in the name of justice, for the crimes of others."
She glowered as she spoke, but her voice was calm and clear. "Unfortunately, it is too late for justice. Those responsible for the tragedy of Majesdane are now gone. I believe what you truly seek are answers ... and closure. And your instincts are correct. I am the one to bring that to the survivors. For this purpose, and for Majesdane, I will go back with you."
As everyone else exploded in disbelief, Victor stood there frozen. He couldn’t think of one single thing to say until Karolina came to hug him goodbye. "You know, you’re thinking with your heart instead of your brain on this," he told her.
"The heart knows what the mind will never understand," she said.
And then - after a few more goodbyes, some preparations with the Majesdanians, a gift of a toy compass from Molly -- she was gone.
Or maybe not.
"She’s still here," Nico said calmly. "Karolina didn’t get on that ship."
She was right. Klara found Karolina, the real Karolina, just staggering to her feet among some oil drums. According to Karolina, Xavin had decided to take Karolina’s place to act as an ambassador and bring peace. She’d knocked Karolina out to stop any argument.
It had been her last gift to her love, and there was nothing anyone could do.
They went back to the hostel. Victor wasn’t sure what his place was anymore; he hovered on the edges of the group, neither truly moving in nor leaving for Fandom.
After a few days of this, he found himself across the breakfast table from Karolina. Her eyes were still rimmed with red. "So," she said, as he spread jam onto a piece of toast, "when were you going back to school?"
"I don’t know if I should," Victor admitted. "At least until Xavin gets back. You’re down two. I don’t want to be that guy and take off, you know?"
Karolina frowned a bit. "Dork," she said lightly. "Do you like it there?"
"Well, yeah, but that’s not really the point," Victor said.
"I think it is," Karolina said. "I think ... one of us should get to do what we want to do once in a while."
"But the team -"
Karolina almost smiled. "The witch, the alien, the guy with the flying van, and the two mutants can take care of themselves just fine. Don’t be sexist, Vic."
"I’m not sexist, I just - " Victor drummed his fingers on the table. "You really want me to go."
"No," she said, and reached out to touch his hand. "But you want you to go, and I don’t think any of us want to stop you. You hanging around won’t bring Xavin back, you know?"
The thing of it was, nobody seemed terribly surprised when Victor sheepishly said his goodbyes. Again. And now he was back in his dorm room, with some time left before his first Friday class.
It had been a very weird week.
[OOC: Summarized from Runaways TPB vol. 9, Dead Wrong, by Terry Moore. Establishy.]
Or maybe by the time he got there, the talking would be over and he’d be walking into the middle of a battle. He ran a quick check of his systems as he waited for the Maryland-to-L.A. portal, locked a couple of basic warfare routines into place for easy reference. He never wanted a fight, but if there was going to be one, he had no intention of losing.
The thing he didn’t expect was what greeted him when he got to the house: Absolute silence, with empty rooms yawning beyond him. "Chase?" he called. "Molly? Nico? Xavin?"
"Nobody’s here," Nico announced as she - finally - wandered up onto the porch in what looked like a Victorian mourning dress with a low neckline. "You’re about an hour late. This is insane! Chase is at that radio station job, Karolina said she had some writing to do and vanished, Xavin’s having a beach party with the neighbors, Molly and Klara are off playing ... and any minute a Majesdanian warship is going to drop out of the sky and blow this place off the map." She attempted a smile, but it didn’t go so well. "Welcome home, huh?"
Victor tilted his head at her quizzically. "But ... I thought you said team meeting."
"Oh, we met," Nico said. "And then we ... unmet. It got messy." She briefly sketched the meeting to Victor, finishing, "And I’m almost certain Karolina’s project is a letter of surrender to the Majesdane court. She figures she can stop the fighting by giving herself up. It’s over my dead body, but..."
Victor could finish that sentence from the way her shoulders sagged. But we might get to that point. "Okay," he said, and put a careful hand on Nico’s shoulder. She didn’t pull away. "We’ll call that Plan B. So what’s Plan A?"
"I don’t know," Nico admitted. "We’re falling apart. Everybody’s going in different directions. It doesn’t make sense."
"...different directions," Victor repeated, reminded of Nico’s call. "What was that spell you said you did when the Majesdanians got here?"
"Scatter," Nico reminded him, distracted. "It worked, too. But now ... maybe we should just load everybody up in the ‘frog and run. Buy ourselves some time."
"No," Victor said, frowning. "Nico, I think I’ve got it. I think I know why everybody’s acting so strange and disconnected. ‘Scatter.’"
"Yeah," Nico said. "Everybody’s scattered. So....?"
"Your spell ... ‘scatter’ ... so they did. But so did all of you."
Nico’s eyes went wide, and she brought her fingertips to her mouth in dismay. "Oh, no. What have I done?"
"We’ll work it out," Victor said, and glanced to the staircase. "Which one is Karolina’s room? We should probably start putting ourselves back together."
Nico gestured vaguely, followed Victor upstairs. "This is not logical," she said. "It doesn’t make sense."
"Neither does love, but..."
"Why would my scatter spell affect everybody in the room, including us?"
"Everybody but you, yeah."
"That still doesn’t make sense."
"Okay, it’s really weird for you to keep saying that to a guy who’s half computer," Victor said, and charged ahead at the top of the staircase when Nico’s dress slowed her. "It’s the only explanation. You just weren’t affected because it was your spell." He pulled open the door Nico indicated as Karolina’s, took just a moment to appreciate how the outraged girl behind it was a tiny bit older-looking than the one in Fandom.
Her indignation made it hard to spend too much time on those thoughts.
"Whoa, hi, can you knock?" she asked. "I’m happy to see you, but seriously, what if I was naked?"
"We’d still need you downstairs, stat," Victor said. "I’ll explain later, come on."
Behind him, Victor could hear Nico filling Karolina in on the current theory as the three of them went to check on the Majesdanian hostage. "I’m not sure how to fix this," she finished. "If I cast another spell I could make things worse."
"I think if we get everybody together and tell them what’s going on, we may be able to break it," Victor guessed.
"Magic is real," Nico pointed out. "You can’t just wish it away."
"I know, but what hit you guys is a reflection of the real spell," Victor said. "Break the illusion and we may break the spell."
"Maybe," Nico conceded, clutching at her head. "Oh, mother of stars, what have I done?"
This so wasn’t the time for that, and Victor had already turned away, shouting instructions as he went. Karolina could guard the prisoner while Nico recovered Xavin and Chase. As for Victor, there were some little girls building a fort he had to track down.
The fort looked like it might be threatening to a bunny, maybe ... but as soon as Victor said that aloud, weeds grew up around his waist to trap him in place. And now he had a whole new appreciation of Klara’s powers.
The 12-year-olds agreed to follow him back to the house, seeming more interested in an ongoing argument about code names than anything else. But when they got back, they found Xavin, Karolina and Nico all encased in what looked to Victor like a giant bubble of amoeba, though he had to admit Molly’s snot comparison might be more apt.
"Victor?" Klara asked, after they realized the bubble seemed to be soundproof. "Where’s the prisoner?"
VaDanti had escaped, which just made this all so much better. They were trying to figure out how exactly you fought a giant ball of goo when Molly punched it ... and instantly got sucked in, dragging Klara behind by the wrist.
Victor could feel the electricity sparking out of his hands as he grabbed a long metal rod and tried jabbing the bubble himself.
... and now there were six of them trapped inside what Xavin and Karolina identified as a synthetic amoeba used by Majesdanian police to control election riots. Also, Victor felt like an idiot.
They finally managed to punch/poke/kick/claw their way out, covered in slime and in desperate need of showers. Nico did her best to explain the spell’s side effects, but was met by general disbelief until Karolina conceded, "You’re right. I don’t feel a connection with any of you. Not even Xavin. Nico, can you reverse the spell?"
"I’m really nervous about trying to undo the first spell with another one," she said. "We might get more side effects."
"Yeah, but if this side effect is going to get us killed, I’d trade it for one that is simply annoying," Karolina said.
"We need a guinea pig," Xavin announced eventually. "Where is Chase?"
Victor explained his theory: Breaking the spell would require total cooperation. "Like, really get our synergism going to reverse the physics involved."
Before he could try to prove the concept, they were interrupted by something rainbow-colored and - despite Victor’s fervent hopes - very much not a weather balloon dropping out of the clouds, and then it was time to jump in Leapfrog and try to fly away from the Majesdanian ship fast enough not to get killed.
Somewhere in there, Xavin had decided to stop being a boy and look like a girl again. Sometime when he wasn’t simultaneously playing pilot and arguing with Nico, and when Klara wasn’t barfing on Molly, Victor would have to ask about her reasoning on that one.
But as they tried not to die, their arguments took on a different, more conciliatory tone. Victor realized it sounded less like the results of a spell, and more like everyday.
"Okay, listen up," Nico said, to test the theory. "This is important! On the count of three I want everybody to yell cheese! One ... two .. three."
"CHEESE," yelled the passengers as a group, and they had just enough time to rejoice when a bolt of energy from the other ship slammed into them.
"We can’t lose them," Nico said. "Activate the cloaking device."
"That will not work," Xavin answered. "They can track Karolina’s energy. We will have to stand and fight."
Victor was ready to do that. Karolina ... was not, and they were discussing it as Molly announced she had an idea. "Your bracelet," she suggested. "If that’s how your parents kept your powers hidden, maybe it can keep you hidden from the Majesdanian police."
And again Victor was reminded that Molly was a lot smarter than she normally liked to act. Xavin produced the bracelet and handed it to Karolina, who quickly donned it.
On Nico’s suggestion, Victor landed the ‘frog by the docked RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach - barely missing a group of tourists. The Majesdanian ship missed the turn and zoomed right past ... pursued by what looked for all the world like a flying VW van.
Chase.
"Well, I guess we better get out there before the damn fool gets himself killed," Nico decided sourly.
Karolina gave her bracelet to a bewildered Molly. "But it’s your hide-me bracelet," she said.
"Yeah," Karolina nodded. "It’s time they found me."
Aboard Leapfrog, Victor agreed to hold back with the little girls for a second charge - it only made tactical sense - as Nico sprouted wings, which looked damn cool, and Xavin took on his flame-and-flight Johnny Storm powers. They went to fight two Majesdanians, while Karolina Rainbow Brite’d away to help Chase. Things were going surprisingly well; Victor saw his opening just after the flying van belched oil all over some unfortunate birds.
"All right, girls, I think we’re going to have to get out there and save the day."
"Yes! Battle Bots begins!" Molly rejoiced, while Klara said, in a voice that was almost calm, that she couldn’t swim.
"Not to worry," Victor reassured her. "The only ones going for a swim today are the Majesdanians."
As it turned out, the skies over a crowded dock were not the most subtle place for a firefight; a TV news helicopter was soon in the way. It got caught in the crossfire, and the Majesdanian DeHalle and Nico quickly agreed to a ceasefire as Nico did a hasty balloon spell to get the helicopter to the ground without killing anybody aboard.
They all managed to land safely, even Chase, and gathered on the pier amid the downed ships to work out what was next.
"Where’s Xavin and Karolina?" Nico asked, as she cruised in for a landing.
"Here," Karolina said, walking up. "Sorry. Pit stop. Xavin will join us in a minute."
"Now that you stand here before me," the largest Majesdanian, the one who seemed to be in charge, observed, "you are much smaller than I imagined."
"She’s just a teenager, General. You’re old enough to be her father," Nico said.
Karolina quietly pointed out that she could speak for herself before turning to the general. "General vaDrann, I have searched my heart and I think I found a solution to our problem. You know my father cooperated with the skrulls to betray Majesdane. You know this led to the destruction of our planet. And yet, you have come to arrest me, in the name of justice, for the crimes of others."
She glowered as she spoke, but her voice was calm and clear. "Unfortunately, it is too late for justice. Those responsible for the tragedy of Majesdane are now gone. I believe what you truly seek are answers ... and closure. And your instincts are correct. I am the one to bring that to the survivors. For this purpose, and for Majesdane, I will go back with you."
As everyone else exploded in disbelief, Victor stood there frozen. He couldn’t think of one single thing to say until Karolina came to hug him goodbye. "You know, you’re thinking with your heart instead of your brain on this," he told her.
"The heart knows what the mind will never understand," she said.
And then - after a few more goodbyes, some preparations with the Majesdanians, a gift of a toy compass from Molly -- she was gone.
Or maybe not.
"She’s still here," Nico said calmly. "Karolina didn’t get on that ship."
She was right. Klara found Karolina, the real Karolina, just staggering to her feet among some oil drums. According to Karolina, Xavin had decided to take Karolina’s place to act as an ambassador and bring peace. She’d knocked Karolina out to stop any argument.
It had been her last gift to her love, and there was nothing anyone could do.
They went back to the hostel. Victor wasn’t sure what his place was anymore; he hovered on the edges of the group, neither truly moving in nor leaving for Fandom.
After a few days of this, he found himself across the breakfast table from Karolina. Her eyes were still rimmed with red. "So," she said, as he spread jam onto a piece of toast, "when were you going back to school?"
"I don’t know if I should," Victor admitted. "At least until Xavin gets back. You’re down two. I don’t want to be that guy and take off, you know?"
Karolina frowned a bit. "Dork," she said lightly. "Do you like it there?"
"Well, yeah, but that’s not really the point," Victor said.
"I think it is," Karolina said. "I think ... one of us should get to do what we want to do once in a while."
"But the team -"
Karolina almost smiled. "The witch, the alien, the guy with the flying van, and the two mutants can take care of themselves just fine. Don’t be sexist, Vic."
"I’m not sexist, I just - " Victor drummed his fingers on the table. "You really want me to go."
"No," she said, and reached out to touch his hand. "But you want you to go, and I don’t think any of us want to stop you. You hanging around won’t bring Xavin back, you know?"
The thing of it was, nobody seemed terribly surprised when Victor sheepishly said his goodbyes. Again. And now he was back in his dorm room, with some time left before his first Friday class.
It had been a very weird week.
[OOC: Summarized from Runaways TPB vol. 9, Dead Wrong, by Terry Moore. Establishy.]