ic Reunions And Waffles (IC)

[Avenger Assembled]

"Morrie, Neppie, and baby Seth are living in Paris with brother Baaz these days," Nina said cooly to Trevor. "It's better for them there - the public would grow restive if they knew Serpent People had married into the royal family, and Baaz is certainly a generous host, he..." Unexpectedly, her pretty face screwed up, dark eyebrows lowering like stormclouds. "He had to leave first, you know. He didn't whore himself out like Durian or Murjana, and he didn't do cocaine or mite, but my father has some very...provincial attitudes about homosexuals and he said and did some very embarrassing things." She actually looked away, especially from Eve, and waved her hand. "This was all many years ago, you understand, and I haven't heard anything about it since."

 

"Careful, babe, or you'll make us feel bad about that business with the Black Stone," said Mark gently, but his direct, blue-eyed gaze not letting Nina off the hook either. Maybe they hadn't wanted Nina's father executed, but they'd still intervened on his behalf. "I sent you guys the pictures, I think, maybe to Erin's old account," said Mark with a nod Trevor and Erin's. "Really cute baby, slit eyes and fork tongue or not. I think he looks a lot like your brother." 

 

"It is a cute baby," Nina conceded. "I just...I just don't understand why things have to be so unjust!" Nina exclaimed. "It wasn't as if Morrie suddenly became a Communist or fell in love with democracy, he just fell in love with a reptile woman and suddenly he became unsuitable for anything, not even to walk the soil of our homeland anymore. Durian can shoot his whoring partner to see if anyone will complain and he's not banished from the succession, Kelia can spend ten years working for the filthy Ba'athists to feed her cocaine habit, but Morrie and Baaz love the wrong way and they're gone from the family!" She threw up her hands. "I never thought I would actually find something where your way was so much...better than ours." she conceded reluctantly. 

[April]

Eve gave Erin a small shrug.  "Etain and I broke things off," she said, sounding a little sad.  "It was mutual, but I still miss her."  Then she smiled, "Despite everything she's been through, Jesse is a sweet girl.  Which reminds me, there's something I wanted to discuss with you about her--with her too of course."

 

The white-haired young woman chuckled at Corbin's reaction.  "Yeah, castle.  Since I decided to stay in the United States I figured I'd leave my mark, and the Freedom City skyline was a tad boring."  She raised a snow white eyebrow at Corbin, "You didn't notice?  I'm hurt."  Her serious look was ruined by a slight upturn of her lips.

 

Eve tired to ignore Nina when she made her appearance, she never really liked the girl though that was in part a result of who her father was.  But she couldn't close her ears to the conversation around her.  She turned her sage green eyes on Nina.  "I never liked your father," she began, "never really cared much for you either, but maybe you're not as bad as I thought you were."  She softens her words with a smile, "I take issue with the phrase 'love the wrong way,' love is love."

 

"Who is currently first in line for the succession?" Eve asked, then shook her head.  "Wait, after breakfast.  Politics are for after breakfast."

[Gizmo]

"My genial manner rubbing off on you," Trevor suggested dryly at Eve's acknowledgement of the Socotran princess, still looming without really meaning to over Mark's shoulder. He'd felt the telepath's not unwarranted piano wire taut reaction to Nina's presence and limiting herself to merely correcting a poor choice of words was a magnanimous choice on the uncompromising Frenchwoman's part. --And Mark's been a good influence on her, thankfully. Tyrannical dogma falls to optimism,-- he added silently just for Eve's benefit. --He's actually developed cogent, reasoned thoughts on geopolitics. Thank you for playing nice.--

To Nina herself he noted, "Injustice an unnatural state. Doesn't 'have to be'. Needs someone to... push." Cracking his knuckles he left that thought hanging and moved to follow Corbin toward the kitchen. "Terrible pun. Commandeering coffee maker."

[KnightDisciple]

"I've been making coffee with less for longer than you've been alive, Trevor. Give this pot a try while you get yourself one brewing."

 

Corbin stopped as his hand was just brushing against the handle of the just-finished pot of coffee. His back tensed...and then relaxed as he let out a sign big enough to match his proportions.

 

"Not quite how I wanted to broach the subject, but..let's sit down and dig in, I'll start explaining."

 

He brought the last couple of items to the table, including the pot of coffee (there was a spare pot so that Trevor could get himself some brewing if he liked). He then proceeded to load up his plate enough to make you think he played football or something.

 

After he'd dressed his food and everyone had filled plates and cups, he poked at his waffle and pancakes a bit before he started up.

 

"Let's see, for you guys, it would have been not long ago. About 6 months, back at the end of February. I'd packed up a bag to go looking for more of the Seven Rings. I had just left the, ah, site that Trevor helped me set up, and suddenly I was tossed through...well, at this point, I think it was a combination of a dimensional breach and a time portal. It seems like the other dimension's timeline matches up to ours and time passes the same way...

 

But I ended up in the year 1983, in France, in the middle of a fight. It was...a lukewarm war.

 

A war between the Allied Nations, the Supreme Empire, the USSR, and the Empire of the Rising Sun. A World War II that never really ended.

 

Some parts were better; while the combat deaths were higher, there were never any death camps. Hitler was dead by 1938 in this world. Replaced by Superior, who then crowned himself Emperor Kal-Zed, and was soon joined by Empress Sa-Ur...and Imperial Princess Quo-Dis."

 

His eyes held a deep, mournful look in them.

 

"Things shifted. The Allies gained most all of France back, and what part they couldn't claim was mostly just blasted battleground. But the Russians were no longer an ally, and much of Eastern Europe was in the grip of the Empire, not the USSR. And then the super-men started to appear in the Imperial ranks. Ubermenschen, capable of feats that, while not equal to the Emperor, certainly hearkened to his mighty power. The war quickly became a semi-cold arms race, with everyone developing strange and terrifying ways of warfare.

 

I came into all of this after 40 years of war, and in all my time there the war hadn't ended. No one lost, but no one won, either. A few fronts were mildly gaining, but most stayed static. Fighting was comparatively sporadic, because in that time we all feared that a true, full war would end everything. Space races were slow and cautious, for fear of sabotage or attack. But by the time I left the Moon was starting to be contested, and Mars was quite possibly the next battleground.

 

I spend 30 years there, guys. Three decades of war and death and misery and hope and joy all wrapped up in one giant ball, and basically no one here knows, because I still look about 20. And probably will until I die. Which likely won't be old age or disease, at this point. I fought. Not as a crime-fighter, not all the time, but as a soldier. I equipped and trained seven young people to use some of the most powerful weapons of the world. I saw creatures that could level cities fighting titans of steel. There's only one thing that really, truly compares to what I saw in that place. And even then it's not exactly the same."

 

It was obvious the "one thing" was when they fought the Knight of Entropy and won.

 

"I've been back for a few weeks now. I told Quo-Dis and my parents right away, but I've been completely and utterly terrified of telling all of you. So, uh. There it is. I'm semi-secretly way older than I look and a combat veteran and stuff. I'm actually looking forward to college classes now. No way they're tougher than sitting in a foxhole while antimatter grenades go off all around you."

 

He tries, and mostly fails, to give a self-confident smirk at that last statement.

[Avenger Assembled]

Silence fell across the room for a moment or two as the heroes took in Corbin's remarkable story. Mark stared at Corbin for a long moment before throwing his arms around the massive teenager and exclaiming, "Oh man, that's terrible! Are...are you okay?" he asked, looking up at him. "Are we still going to be friends even though you're like fifty now and you probably like nothing but old movies? I like old movies too!" He counted them off on his fingers. "War movies, and comedies, and...well, you'll see! I'm just glad you're back and you're not old for real." He knew all too well how tough it was to travel to other dimensions without preparation for it, and it didn't sound like Corbin had had any options cast away into the back of beyond. "I guess you're not a robot after all. Sorry about all the shapeshifter accusations, man. Are we still buddies?" 

"...wait a minute! Your girlfriend is Superior's daughter!" Nina pointed at Corbin. "Is that where he's from? Superior is an alien?" 

[Electra]

Erin was quiet as Corbin spoke, studying her plate with great attention as though it were going to reveal some great truth. Thirty years, more than a lifetime for any of the rest of them in this room. Thirty years of endless war, yes, but surely there'd been more to his life than that. She wondered what it would be like to lose three decades, wondered how much he remembered about any of the people at the table right now. He must have made other friends, other teammates. Had he fallen in love, married, had children in what must have seemed like a permanent new home? It seemed like there were a million questions, but Mark asked the first one right off, so when she raised her head, all she asked was, "How did you come back?" 

[KnightDisciple]

Silence fell across the room for a moment or two as the heroes took in Corbin's remarkable story. Mark stared at Corbin for a long moment before throwing his arms around the massive teenager and exclaiming, "Oh man, that's terrible! Are...are you okay?" he asked, looking up at him. "Are we still going to be friends even though you're like fifty now and you probably like nothing but old movies? I like old movies too!" He counted them off on his fingers. "War movies, and comedies, and...well, you'll see! I'm just glad you're back and you're not old for real." He knew all too well how tough it was to travel to other dimensions without preparation for it, and it didn't sound like Corbin had had any options cast away into the back of beyond. "I guess you're not a robot after all. Sorry about all the shapeshifter accusations, man. Are we still buddies?" 

"...wait a minute! Your girlfriend is Superior's daughter!" Nina pointed at Corbin. "Is that where he's from? Superior is an alien?" 

Corbin actually laughed at Mark's rapid-fire questions.

 

"Well I'm back here, home, with a plate full of waffles at a table full of people I hope are willing to still be my friends. I've been through too much with you lot to try and ditch you.

Yes, I am getting close to 50 now, Mark, though honestly I don't feel past about 25. My body's keeping itself in its absolute physical peak, and I've got a lot to look forward to at this point. But it's not like I got dumped in the 40s; like I said, it was the 80s when I got there, and I left in 2013. It's not so much "old movies" as...different ones. Some are the same, some aren't. A couple actors never got in the game, there are some new faces, and some just don't do the same kinds of movies. 

So basically, we're still buddies if you want to be. That goes for everyone."

 

Interestingly enough, he seemed to be somewhat naturally considering Nina in the same general category, now that the facade of not being a wee bit older than one thought by looking at him was dropped. He gave the Socotran princess a smile. 

 

"Quo-Dis shares the same parentage in both worlds...but not much else. Here she is a wonderful young woman, if a bit...eccentric...by most standards. But a member of a prominent hero team, among other things.

 

There, she was a cruel, petty, tyrant-in-training. I kept hearing rumbles about Kal-Zed thinking about putting her in charge of either Mars, or an extra-solar planet, once they'd "pacified" Terra."

 

He gave a smile with no humor in it, but a fair number of teeth.

 

"As of when I left they were still just rumors. As for their origins, that's a matter I don't feel I can discuss. You are free to speculate to yourself, but I would politely request that you not share this information, or your speculations, with anyone outside this room, Your Highness."

 

Clearly he respected Nina enough to consider that request sufficient.

 

 

Erin was quiet as Corbin spoke, studying her plate with great attention as though it were going to reveal some great truth. Thirty years, more than a lifetime for any of the rest of them in this room. Thirty years of endless war, yes, but surely there'd been more to his life than that. She wondered what it would be like to lose three decades, wondered how much he remembered about any of the people at the table right now. He must have made other friends, other teammates. Had he fallen in love, married, had children in what must have seemed like a permanent new home? It seemed like there were a million questions, but Mark asked the first one right off, so when she raised her head, all she asked was, "How did you come back?" 

 

Corbin sighed, holding up a finger in a "give me a moment" gesture. He apparently wanted a couple quick bites and a couple big sips of coffee.

 

"Right. Well, the exact mechanics still escape me, but basically the Atoms, Daedalus, Miss Americana, and Baron Katastroff all sat down and figured out how to set up a cross-dimensional portal device, and then how to use my unique..."quantum signature"...to track back to the right dimension. They were going to dismantle the device after I was sent off, and not share the plans. I can only hope that that's the end of contact, really. The people there are good, but that war, if it spills out..."

 

He shudders.

 

"It took them a few years to build the thing. Which gave me time to finish my quest to assemble the Seven. I found myself amused by who ended up with what Ring. Some weren't shocking. Some were. But when the Allies had all Seven Rings on their side, well...suddenly I wasn't quite so required."

Edited January 29, 2014 by KnightDisciple

[Gizmo]

Trevor had poured a cup from the carafe Corbin had offered him mostly to be polite but by the time their host had finished what sounded like an explanation that had been practiced over and over in the speaker's head in moments of quiet dread the black haired young man had drained a second mug and had the coffee machine brewing a second pot. Silently letting Corbin make it through the entire thing, he remained quiet while Mark and Erin filled the expectant pause with questions. Eyebrows lowered slightly over the lenses of his sunglasses, he studied the ring bearer's face for signs of age he might have missed before.

The new pot was full by the time he felt compelled to speak himself. Topping off Corbin's cooling mug, he took a step back. "Sounds rough. Glad you made it back." That out of the way, he sat down at the table and began making headway on a third cup.

[Avenger Assembled]

Nina was sitting back, counting things off on her fingers. "Wait a minute, if Superior was an alien, that must be where the Third Reich got all of their super-technology. I knew all that racialism couldn't have actually worked effectively. And if Superior _was_ an alien, does that mean the Lor sent him to Earth? That's amazing!" She took out her smartphone and began texting away, leaving Mark to take up the thread of the conversation.

"Now that we're all here," he said carefully, giving his friends a nervous look, "and now that we know Corbin isn't a crazy monster or something, there's something I've wanted to let you guys know. You in particular, Erin." He bit his lip and said, "My mom, ah, was offered a story. Now this is one she turned down, because I told her to, but it's floating around there and Castle is probably going to print it one of these days. They want to do a Halloween story where all of Freedom's superheroes turn into zombies. I'm really sorry!" he added, "she told them she thought it was really offensive, but that just means they'll probably take it to a different artist." 

[KnightDisciple]

Corbin couldn't help but smile a bit at Nina's theorizing.

 

"I can speak with absolute confidence that Superior was not sent by the Lor. And the Nazi technology, both here and on the world I was on, was not from any one source. They had some brilliant minds working for them. Twisted, evil minds, but brilliant ones."

 

He seemed to space out for a moment before shaking it off.

 

He frowned as Mark spoke.

 

"I don't think anyone here is going to blame you or your mother, Mark. Neither of you controls the publisher. But...you said they're using actual Freedom City superheroes? Can they do that? I would think there are legal means in place for all of us to control our public image, so to speak. If not individually, then corporately through the Freedom League or other teams and groups."

 

He looked toward Eve, knowing she was the aspiring lawyer in the group. 

[Avenger Assembled]

"As long as it's not libelous," Mark said, shooting a look at Eve for confirmation, "and as long as the rights aren't in the hands of a company other than Castle, they can print what they want about public figures. After all, nobody's really going to believe Johnny Rocket is a zombie. Some of the younger heroes, like the teenagers who didn't go to Claremont, might even think it was cool or edgy. It's a stupid thing to do, since it'll probably cost them more in the long run in lost licensing fees than they'll make in new subscribers, but it'll push short-term sales and that's what they're really worried about now. Hey, I grew up with this stuff."

 

He looked deeply, profoundly embarrassed and added, "Listen, I know my mom has...caused you guys trouble, but she feels really bad about this. This kind of thing is why she's in therapy." Nina had put her phone down and was holding his hand by now. "It's the new management who came in after that snake monster thing. They just want everything to be trendy."