Category Archives: The Legion of Nothing

Arc 13.2.0: Distractions

Distractions: Part 10

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Cassie shook her head, “Oh, fuck no.”

“We might want to consider it,” Daniel said, looking around the group.

I knew what that meant. His loose sense of possible futures included better ones if we allied with this guy. Of course, even knowing that, Daniel would admit that inevitably in an infinity of futures, Adam would betray us in an infinite number.

But a smaller infinity, Daniel thought at me, and the sense I’m getting is that even if he does we’ll be better off than if we never allied with him. Continue reading Distractions: Part 10 →

Arc 13.2.0: Distractions

Distractions: Part 9

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They left. Major Justice grunted as he stood up and grabbed a powdered donut. The sugar puffed into the air, leaving white spots on his fatigues.

South Beach Surfer turned toward Cassie and I as she followed Major Justice out, “You’ll regret this. Remember later that we tried to talk you out of it.”

Raising her voice from behind us, Amy said, “Why will we regret it?” Continue reading Distractions: Part 9 →

Arc 13.2.0: Distractions

Distractions: Part 8

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I thought back to yesterday and what happened to Ana and Colette. Implanted commands might have unexpected side effects.  Is Kals confident she can get to us if something goes wrong?

We’re only upstairs, Daniel thought back at me. Kals says she’ll contact you via implant with the words.

I felt him withdraw even though our connection was never completely closed. Continue reading Distractions: Part 8 →

Arc 13.2.0: Distractions

Distractions: Part 7

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Cassie smirked, “Are you saying that you think the first Captain Commando was a quiet, subtle guy? Because that’s not how I remember him. I remember him as the kind of guy who’d go after the Nine and not give a damn what happened because they’re a danger. He’d be smart about it, but direct and he wouldn’t wait for permission.”

Major Justice’s thin lips tightened and for the first time, I thought about how much of his face his helmet showed—almost all of it by way of a transparent faceplate. I pegged him as being in his late 50s, maybe early 60s, from his white hair, and lined face. Continue reading Distractions: Part 7 →

Arc 13.2.0: Distractions

Distractions: Part 6

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To the degree that they were a multi-team delegation, they weren’t from what I’d think of as the upper-tier teams. The Arizona Defenders had a reputation for being retirees from other teams. This wasn’t all true. Probably half of the team was younger people. This wasn’t all bad since the younger heroes would have competent advice, but also, Arizona wasn’t a hotbed of supervillain activity either.

Shifter’s private team and Mime’s circus-themed team? They were big in Oklahoma City and Tampa respectively but didn’t make national news. I knew that Mime regularly fought someone named Florida Man, but couldn’t name anyone else in their rogues’ galleries. Continue reading Distractions: Part 6 →

Arc 13.2.0: Distractions

Distractions: Part 5

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I explained it all to her. Her response was somewhere between a grunt and a growl, followed by, “That’s insane! He’s got no right.”

Taking a deep breath, she shifted back, her eyes becoming fully human and her claws disappearing. She pulled her phone out of her purse where it lay next to her yoga pants on the floor, “I’m going to send a yellow to everybody and see if anybody can make it in with us. How many do you think we should have?” Continue reading Distractions: Part 5 →

Arc 13.2.0: Distractions

Distractions: Part 4

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Kals shook her head, “Sometimes I think that all I am is a sad story for these people. You know, the orphaned daughter of the martyred mom who united the resistance… Let’s hear her speak and be inspired… I get it. I really do. People need a flag to wave. They need a cause. I’m available and I’m ready to work for it because I think it needs to happen too.

“The Human Ascendancy is nothing more than a leftover of the Abominators’ military bureaucracy and they rule with no more thought to humanity’s good than the Abominators did. They need to go and I’m willing to work to make it happen, but I’m not in charge. The rebellion has a council and I go where they tell me to.” Continue reading Distractions: Part 4 →

Arc 13.2.0: Distractions

Distractions: Part 3

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Despite remembering her worst, I said, “You know, she might. If you want, I can bring it up. The thing is, she’s going to leave soon. I don’t know how much time she’ll have to teach you, but I think she’d be willing to teach you something. I think she wants to hang out with me and maybe relax for a second, though. So, she won’t want to teach the whole time.”

Waving her hand as if she were waving away my concerns, she said, “Don’t worry about it. I can’t spend all day with her either. Anything she can show me will put me ahead of where I am now.”

She stopped, staring at the camera and by extension at me, “You’re friends?” Continue reading Distractions: Part 3 →

Arc 13.2.0: Distractions

Distractions: Part 2

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My implant handled the call and Kals and Katuk appeared in my vision, standing against a background of beige cubicles. No longer wearing the green spacesuit she’d been in earlier, Kals wore a black dress made of a material that added overtones of colors that slowly formed shapes that then turned into landscapes or animals. The movement was subtle enough that you wouldn’t notice it if you didn’t think about it, but obvious when you did.

I’d seen similar clothing on her mother and other people who were dressing formally in the Human Ascendancy.

My implant offered me a history of fashion trends in the Human Ascendancy and I slapped it down. I didn’t need to know that right now. Continue reading Distractions: Part 2 →

Arc 13.2.0: Distractions

Distractions: Part 1

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Over the team connection, Travis said, “That’s got to be the Cabal. Big? Strong? Messy? That’s their MO.”

In her dark grey costume balanced on the top of a building downtown, Haley said, “At least it’s not that guy who burned everybody.”

I felt Daniel’s queasiness at the memory of the burned bodies the man had left behind. I couldn’t criticize him for that. I tried not to think about it very often myself.

Travis’ eyes widened, “The burning hands guy. Shit. Whatever happened to him?” Continue reading Distractions: Part 1 →