The Good Earth (IC)

[Electra]

The week of Thanksgiving came with bitterly cold nights in Freedom City, the sort that made a not-entirely-well plant controller want to curl up inside her warm house with a good book or maybe some mindless television. But it was her patrol night, and she was doing her very best to keep up her normal routine, so that wasn't an option. It didn't mean Stesha couldn't hurry through her work as fast as she could! Bundled up with a green sweatshirt over her tunic and long johns under her pants, an extra hat beneath her cowl, along with a festive red scarf and gloves, she hurried her way through the south side, dropping bulbs for the spring and clearing away any unhealthy dead growth.

After an hour, she was so cold and miserable that she stopped in at a grocery store and bought a box of Rice Krispie Treats cereal, her latest must-have snack. Munching to avoid the shivering, she made her way through Lincoln Place Park, dissolving away dead annuals as she went. Eventually she sat down for a little break, ignoring the way the grass began to green around her bench.

[Avenger Assembled]

Fleur was just thinking about moving along when she heard a noise from the sky: the screaming of jets, loud and low! But when she looked up, she saw no figure in the sky overhead: perhaps just a faint flicker of movement against the night sky. The jets sounded like they were heading for the densest part of the park's trees: junkies and dealers sometimes hung out there, but they had mostly moved out of this area by this time of year: it got cold at night! As the noise of the jets faded away, she caught a distinct metallic glint as a metal-clad figure disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

[Electra]

Curious, and just a little bit alarmed, Stesha shoved the box of cereal into a nearby flower and got up to investigate. She moved soundlessly off the path and through the trees, with the bushes and branches moving aside to allow her easy passage. It was probably another superhero, one she hadn't met yet, just doing an evening patrol. If that was the case, it was always fun to say hello and learn about the new arrival. But it could be a supervillain as well, so it paid to be cautious in her approach.

[Avenger Assembled]

In the darker part of the forest, with just the moonlight and streetlights coming through the trees, Stesha finally caught a glimpse of the intruder. Like any schoolchild, she recognized an Omegadrone right away! She had particular reason to recognize those, in fact, after her months-ago, deeply unpleasant encounter with Jack. The drone bent down, its mechanical movements stiff and clunky, spiked fingers reaching for an innocent flower still clinging to life even in the cool of the shade here, looking ready to crush the life out of that soft, fragile blossom.

The flower was beautiful. Harrier normally didn't travel in armor, of course, but he was experimenting with aerial patrols, the camouflage unit in his extended pike having let him take to the sky invisibly. But he'd tired of that duty, the monotonous routine of back and forth patrols all-too-familiar, and so he'd landed to take a moment of humanity here in this lovely park. To think, a city where life was allowed to grow freely! "So beautiful," he murmured to the flower, "but so fragile..."

[Electra]

Stesha sucked in a quick breath of shock when she saw what had intruded upon her park. Omegadrone, her mind whispered to her as she hugged herself with a sudden spurt of panic. Omegadrones didn't come singly, though! Where were all the rest of them? No time to worry about that now, she decided. The immediate thread had to be dealt with, as quickly as possible!

"Help me," she murmured aloud, "help me..." Around her, the largest trees in the clearing stirred, heeding the call of their mistress. Even as they began to move, vines show up from the ground beneath the drone's feet, instantly entangling it, then wrapping its entire body like a leafy green birthday present!

Stesha stumbled into the clearing to check on her handiwork, the animate trees moving closer towards her protectively as she moved. "Gotta call the Freedom League," she said aloud, fumbling for her communicator. "Gotta let them know..."

[Avenger Assembled]

Green exploded everywhere around Harrier, far too fast for him to react, ensnaring him in an inescapable trap! His hand had convulsed tight around his pike as the plants and trees had erupted from his feet and all around him, and he was just about to try to blast his way out when he mastered his fear. The forces of the Terminus did not use living things as their weapons! But that did not make this any less a serious matter: there were threats on this world aplenty...some of whom, many of whom, even, would have attacked him with the best of intentions. Through the all-encompassing plants, he called, his voice still flat and measured, simply louder: "Are you capable of understanding my communication?"

[Electra]

Hearing the voice coming from the Omegadrone startled Stesha so thoroughly that she forgot to go for her communicator for a moment. "You can talk?" she blurted out, staring at the encapsulated drone. "How can you talk? Everyone knows you can't talk!" Her voice was just a little high, a little panicky for the air of cool heroism she wanted to project, but at least there was no one else around to hear. "What are you?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Harrier felt the vines around his head loosen a little, enough for him to hear the woman's words through the rustling of leaves all around him. "I'm sorry I frightened you. I only wore the armor to fly here, and so I could see in the dark. Normally it is only for emergencies." He hesitated a moment, trying somewhat awkwardly to think of the next thing to say. "I am largely what I appear to be. But I am a a free man."

[Electra]

Still suspicious, Stesha cleared away enough of the vines to give her a clear view of the helmet, and to give its occupant a good view in return. "You don't sound like an Omegadrone," she allowed, still clearly skeptical. "but you sure look like one. And I can't afford to make a mistake about you. I know you're not the boy from Claremont, though. What's your name?" she pressed, half question, half demand.

[Avenger Assembled]

"My name is Harrier," the drone explained in his usual plodding way. "In honor of Harriet Tubman, the great fighter for liberty. I would have called myself that, but Johnny Rocket persuaded me that it would be too complex if I used a female name, as I am male." His armor suddenly retreated back into his face, sliding away underneath neatly folding skin, leaving Stesha looking at a bald, brown-skinned man with a face and head covered in faint lines that looked like tribal tattoos: the places where the armor had slid back through his skin. "I live in Lincoln now. My name is Stephen Murdock."

[Electra]

Well, an Omegadrone certainly wouldn't have done that. Convinced, Stesha let the vines loose, and immediately they slipped away, hanging off his shoulders or falling limply to the ground. "Sorry," she said, only a little bit halfheartedly. "I saw you in the dark, and I didn't know, and well, I thought the obvious, I suppose. Are you all right?" The trees around her didn't stand down their vigilance, but they didn't loom quite so menacingly over the ex-drone, either.

[Avenger Assembled]

The armor retracted all the way as soon she'd released him, his pike collapsing down to something the size of a flashlight that he hung from his belt. Harrier shook his head. "You did what you should when you see an Omegadrone. You made no mistake. The fault was mine. I should have been more careful. Usually I walk where I go. I shall attempt to do so in the future." He sighed softly, looking around the forest, seemingly unafraid of the suspicious trees around him. "This is a beautiful park. I come here in the day to meditate, but rarely at night. To see so much...alive is remarkable. Is this place yours?"

[Electra]

"In a way," Stesha said, letting the trees settle back into their places as the danger appeared entirely passed. "I help to maintain the parks in Freedom City, make them more beautiful, keep them growing. It's my power." She scattered a handful of seeds at his feet, then extended a hand and turned it palm-upward. The seeds immediately sprouted and turned into assorted wildflowers. "It's late in the season now, but not too late."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Your power is beautiful," replied Murdock, bending down to lightly brush his fingers against the plants. "I have seen so many green things burn, that to see a place like this, and to see that there is someone who cares for it..." He shook his head. "One day when I have the money for the bus, I will go to the great parks in the western part of this continent. I have been saving what I make, that I do not need to spend to maintain my life. If I fly there now, I will encounter military aircraft who will not bother to call the Freedom League." He didn't sound at all judgmental about that.

[Electra]

Stesha smiled at his ambition and reached into another pouch on her belt. "I tell you what," she said, opening a slim case and withdrawing a white card. When she handed it to him, the faint smell of flowers came with it. "This is my card, you can use the number on it to get in touch with me. In the spring, when the whole world is green and amazing, give me a call, and I'll give you a ride to see the things you want to see. It really is beautiful out there. Just make sure it's early spring, I have some commitments later on in the year."

[Cyroa]

A small ripple formed in high orbit above planet Earth; a small wormhole to those knowledgable in such things. On the other side of the 'doorway', space wasn't so much black as a barrage of colors from the crashing nebulas there. Floating through the apperature was a humanoid figure. He was not solid, just a 'void' of blackness in space. His body seemed to absorb light and energies from around him. Despite having no face beyond his glowing white eyes, there was a distinct sense of a smile on his empty face.

Looking down on the glowing blue jewel, he marvelled for a while. Just a little while. Maybe a half a second before his need to see a particular individual practically overwhelmed him. Besides an all to brief day or so a few months ago, Dark Star had been away for many month. Many more than he wanted though it couldn't be helped. It might as well have been an eternity considering he was away from the most important being in the universe, at least to him.

He looked down at the Earth and let his senses extend. Searching the entire planet for one particular signature might have taken him a little while. However, Freedom City was a much smaller area to search and a far more likely place anyway. It took just a moment, though her signature seemed a tiny bit off somehow, before he found her. He'd know her anywhere. The instant he 'found' her, he flickered in place. He went from motionless to top speed in an instant, blurring down towards her.

While he wanted to do nothing more than become solid and wrap his arms around her, that option would have to wait. He saw she was with...a civilain? Wait, no...the fellow's signature was very off and oddly familiar in some way. However, since she seemed to be talking peacefully with the man, there was no cause for alarm. Sadly, it also meant he had to stay as Dark Star for now.

A mere second or two since 'finding' her from space he approached, pulling to an immediate stop just outside of conversation range. Polite as always, he looked them over. "Excuse me. I hope I am not interrupting?"

[Electra]

Stesha froze in place when she heard the voice she'd been hearing in her dreams, the one she'd been longing for all these months. "Dark Star?" she whispered, looking up at the hazy figure, half-lost in the darkness. If he hadn't spoken, she might not have seen him at all. She pulled off her mask and pushed back her cowl to look up at him. "Oh my god, Dark Star! You're home!"

With a cry of joy, she raised her arms, and the plants that had so recently entangled Harrier were beneath her feet in an instant, forming a platform that raised her up to her long-lost love. Heedless of the consequences, she threw her arms around him, and this time, they didn't pass right through! He felt vaporous and crackly with all sorts of weird energies, but underneath, Stesha swore she could feel Derrick's warm, solid form. "I missed you so much," she told him, tears welling up in her eyes. "I was so afraid for you."

[Avenger Assembled]

Down below, Harrier watched them both, his eyes wide. It took him a few moments to make the connections about what he was seeing, putting them all in the context of his primary exposure to human relationships: soap operas. Ah, they must be lovers! Disunited ones, perhaps, torn apart by fate and circumstance but now united. He'd seen entertainments like that back in the Terminus, but they generally ended with man and woman understanding that _real_ love was only for Omega. He preferred the Earth-Prime versions, really, with true love and happiness for all. But always secrets. Is one of them a clone, or a long-lost twin? Or a robot?! Is one of them pregnant, perhaps with an alien baby? It was tough to discern Dark Star's gender from this far down, and he wasn't immediately familiar with this dimension's progress in artificial womb construction. Hmm, or perhaps Fleur de Joie is her own twin sister who has replaced herself and plans to seduce Dark Star and be his mate! He sighed. Perhaps he'd been watching too many soap operas. As it was, he decided to simply keep watching.

[Cyroa]

Dark Star was shocked, downright surprised when she didn't pass right through him. Or rather he would have been if he wasn't so grateful just to be able to hold her. The crackling of energies was an annoying distraction and a little weird but worth it. He made sure to keep his own energies contained as much as he could as he wrapped his arms around her and help her tightly for a long moment.

"Shh," he whispered softly, brushing her hair as gently as he could. It was amazing it wasn't all standing straight up given the energy. "I'm home Love. I'm back." He brushed one cheek lightly, smiling despite not having a face. "That's all that matters."

He completely forgot about the other person for a little while. He normally wasn't such a rude fellow but at the moment, the only thing that mattered was Stesha. He'd have to apologize later of course. Once he remembered to. "I missed you too. More than words can describe."

[Electra]

"I thought I might have lost you," she whispered, holding him with enough intensity it was clear she had no intention of letting go despite the energy crackle. "I didn't know how I'd ever be able to get along without you. I'm so glad you're here." She shed a few tears before lifting her face to him, practically glowing in the moonlight. "We have so much to talk about. Are you... are you home for good now?" she asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. As wonderful as it was to see him back, she wasn't sure how she could stand to let him go again if his work wasn't done.

[Cyroa]

"You will never loose me. Never. No matter what happens, I'll come back for you," he returned, just as quietly. "This just took a little longer than anticipated," he said sadly. He gave her a gentle little squeeze, still a bit concerned about the energy crackling between them. "No, I'm home. There are some things that still need addressing but they can wait. For now, I'm home. It's been too long since I've seen you. The galaxy can wait a while." He held her quietly for a long moment. They could wait more than a little while as far as he was concerned at the moment. With Stesha in his arms (even in this weird state), the galaxy could definitely wait.

[Electra]

Stesha held on as well, and tried to put her head on his shoulder, but gave up on that when the buzzing energy feeling against her face was just too strange. She wanted to go home, where she could see his face and hold him for real. At least the uncomfortable buzzing reassured her that she was awake, and that this wasn't just yet another dream where he'd come back to her.

The thought of home reminded her of what she'd been doing before Derrick had showed up, and she looked belatedly back down at Harrier. Wiping a few stray tears from her cheeks, she made proper introductions. "Oh, Dark Star, this is Harrier. I just met him, he's a new hero in town. Harrier, this is Dark Star, my fiance."

[Cyroa]

Dark Star blinked his white eyes as he realized, or rather remembered, that they weren't alone. He floated down to a more conversational level and looked at the man. "I must apologize. I did not intend to be rude. I am usually far more polite than this. It has just been quite some time since I've seen here. Obviously, I've missed her a great deal." He bowed to the man to make up for his earlier rudeness. "Harrier, it is a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to Freedom City."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Yes. Thank you." Harrier studied both of them, his lined face shadowed in the dark. "You are fortunate to have found each other. True love, amid this beautiful place, is a precious flower to be forever cultivated." It wasn't that there was no poetry in his soul; rather, it was that there were usually so few opportunities to express it. He'd heard those words on Guiding Light, and they seemed appropriate now. "Welcome back to your home. I am glad I could witness your return."

[Electra]

"I meant it about giving you a ride," Stesha reminded Harrier with a smile. "Just give me a call and let me know. I can show you the best places in the world to look at natural greenscapes. Spring is beautiful on Earth, there's just nothing like it." She looked up at Dark Star and smiled. "Want to go home?" she suggested in a murmur. "I'll take you to the new place, you can see everything I've done with it since you've been gone."