ic Tropical Getaway: A Blanket of Stars

[Thevshi]

Rai Ki Wai Estate

Wakaya Island, Fiji

Saturday, February 17, 2024, 8:30 PM local time

 

It had been a rather full day of water and sun for the Claremont teens staying at the Fiji estate owned by Lawrence's parents. After the group had grilled dinner up on the massive deck up by the main house, Lawrence had gathered as many as were interested in heading back down to the beach to sit around a campfire to wait for nightfall and a chance for what he indicated was some amazing stargazing while they relaxed a bit before everyone was ready to go to bed.

 

The teens had begun to gather down on the beach where Lawrence had gotten a fire started just before sunset, just before 7:00 PM. Over the next hour and a half, the sky continued to darken, until the sky was filled with countless stars, with even the Milky Way Galaxy visible in the sky above the beach.

 

The fire was crackling in the center of the circle of teens as Lawrence looked up at the sky with a grin. "Like I said, a view of the night sky that is hard to beat, unless you are out in space."

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"Space!" sighed Baz. "One day... one day, maybe, we shall all I go into space. Man, I'd go. Someone should buy a space craft. Or maybe build one. I mean, obviously I could build one, given I have the proportional intelligence of a cockroach, and my brain has been fried, I mean fired up with radiation. But maybe someone else could build one..."

 

He loved the stars. Stars were free for everyone to enjoy, everyone to dream. And he saw them in more than just visible light; they seemed to twinkle more than he remembered them as a normal child. 

 

He started to dream... drift off...

 

He snapped his eyes open. Sleeping was not cool. 

 

"Hey, I wasn't asleep!" he said, firmly. "I was just resting my eyes."

[Thunder King]

Ryan stretched out on the ground and sat his guitar case beside him. He had been having a good day, and he enjoyed the chance to relax a bit.

 

"Living in Jersey, means you don't get to see a lot of stars. This is the furthest I've ever been from home. I once went to New York, and another time to DC, but that's hardly a long trip, you know? Thanks so much for bringing me."

[The Sailor]

Torpedo Lass II

 

Mizuki was laying back on the sand, looking up at the stars, she was wearing a entirely navy blue bodysuit-like sailor collared outfit. Something she was experimenting with in the "costume design" class when she had permission to use some spare waterproof fabrics. She lifted her hand up to the sky, her head cradled by one of her swim rings... softened by the heat of the day and the Fiji sun... She was in her feels. Tired. Her life vest soaked from having to rest in the ocean just to catch her breath from everything she was doing. At least deflated she could unbuckle it and just take everything in.

 

The surface of the Earth is the shore of the cosmic ocean...

On this shore we've learned most of what we know. Recently we've waded a little way out, maybe ankle deep, and the water seems inviting.
Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return, and we can, because the Cosmos is within us, we are made of Starstuff...

"We are a way for the Cosmos to know itself..."

Every star was familiar... even those of the Southern constellations... something most don't get to see. Then again she's stood on the sand of Baker Island, an old airbase that had been perfectly erased, with barely any tarmac left to see that was the old airbase. Was a bit of a swim, took several rest stops floating by an inflated life vest while sipping on desalinated ocean water, but was definitely worth the trip. Being alone seemed... preferable with the sight laid before her. But after all the time she's spent in the water today, warming up by a camp fire was a better idea, even if she stayed away enough from it to still see the light of the stars above.

But it was nothing like standing in complete darkness on that abandoned island.

 

"Wanna see a real sight? Try standing on Baker Island... Now THAT is a view of the sky... even with the few lights here on this island you just don't get the REAL show. A place so dark you can see the light even coming off all the satellites and space stations we got up there."

[Dracostern]

Cerebral and Cerebellum 

 

The twins had a surprisingly fun time with Bernadette and even made some new friends! Though they never did get a chance to thank the person who brought them here. That would change tonight. Both Daniel and Iris found themselves under the night's sky, around the camp fire. 

Iris stared up at the stars before speaking. "You know...we never got the chance to actually pay attention to this beauty..." She smiled softly. "...But that tends to happen when you live on the streets." Her eyes moved from the sky to Ryan, then at Mizuki. They had met before in the two weeks the twins have been here, and they have eaten together though they have not spoken in depth to each other just yet. "Are you saying you can see more of this?"

 

Meanwhile, Daniel would move over to Lawerence. "Excuse me, I just wanted to thank you for bringing my sister and I here. We had a lot of fun!" He would then stick out his hand to shake the other's.

Edited February 8 by Dracostern

[Thevshi]

Timeout

 

Lawrence looked over at his roommate and chuckled slightly. "You will get out there Baz. I am sure of it." He replied, just humoring the other’s bravado as was so often the case.

 

As Ryan and Daniel both thanked him for including them (and in Daniel's case his sister as well), the blond teen gave a nod to Ryan and shook Daniel's offered hand. "Of course. What is the point of having a great vacation home if you don't share it with friends."

 

Looking over to where Mizuki was lying down next to him, Lawrence gave her a small nudge, "I said hard to beat, not that it couldn't be beaten." He stated before looking back up at the sky. "But yes, there is more to see." He said in partial response to Iris.

 

"And I have been fortunate enough to see it from out there. Up on the Lighthouse, and on a few trips in a Pegasus Space Plane to and from the wormhole out at the edge of our solar system near Pluto. And even from an alien space station in Kesteven 79, amidst a nebula that was formed when that system's star went supernova." He said as he gazed up at the star filled sky.

[Kaede Kimura]

Blue Bolt 

 

Vueriz had cut down her shorts and top to the shortest lengths that people seemed willing to accept on this overheated planet, and was glad for it as she plopped down in the sand next to Baz. Her eyes scanned over the unfamiliar stars of the alien galaxy for the thousandth time as the boy talked about going to space. She hadn't really thought about how this world, still struggling to claw it's way out of their gravity well would think about it compared to her home galaxy, but she guessed it made sense. She looked over at her classmate as he struggled to stay awake and the other three who she thinks she's seen talk with Lawrence and Mizuki. A strange impulse came over her and she looked over at her insectile classmate.

 

"I could build us a spaceship. Not right now, but with the right materials..." She pauses, hesitating about what exactly to say. "I've done it before."

 

She looks over at her bag, inspiration bubbling within her. She's got some tinkering materials in it, things she'd picked up as she went about her days at Claremont. Fishing out some things, she began disassembling casings and rerouting wires. She might not be able to take her classmates to space yet, but that didn't mean she couldn't show it to them. 

[The Sailor]

2 hours ago, Thevshi said:

He said as he gazed up at the star filled sky.

 

Torpedo Lass II

 

"You've never seen the thermal vents at the bottom of the Challenger deep. Stood in mournful reverence at the Titanic wreck." She said, looking to Lawrence. "Humankind knows more about the surface of the Moon than it does about the ocean floor. I've seen things that would make any science fiction writer's concept of 'alien' completely inadequate." She said, adjusting herself in the sand. "No insult to present company... that and she's not full of teeth with chromatophores glowing like ghost lights following a lantern of lost souls."

She sat up. "I prefer being near the surface... every trip into the Abyss... rolls the dice on what I find."

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"Underwater, eh?" said Baz. "That sounds great to. Obviously with my amazing cockroach powers I could swim right down there and take a good look with you! Because I am a great swimmer. Or I will be, probably. Probably being a good swimmer is good enough, right?"

 

"And if you build that spaceship, Veuriz, put me on it! Cockroaches can survive in space, you know! Probably. Well, they can definitely survive in space, the question is for how long. I am sure it is a very long time. Probably sure. And as well know, probably safe is good enough when it comes to adventuring in a very hostile environment, right?"

[Poncho]

After a riveting discussion of poetry with Neko, and relaxing at the pool, Michael had met back up with Carmen at some point to hang out, and was with her when they went down to the beach for the bonfire. He had put on a t-shirt since there was no sun anymore, just in case it got cold.

 

He had also found a bag of marshmellows and skewers that he was passing out to people that wanted them. It was sort of like a politician going around and shaking hands with people in some ways, with his cheerful smile and helpfulness. He had tried, if she was willing, to get Carmen into it, asking her to hold a bowl of chocolate and graham crackers for people that wanted them as they walked around, but if she didn't he wouldn't pressure her into it.

 

"Yeah I wouldn't want to go down to the abyss...I mean it's actually way harder to survive there than in Space in some contexts, right? Because the water is so heavy. That seems difficult to deal with if you aren't adapted to it, and I'm definitely not." he shook his head as he responded to Mizuki; he had a lot of respect for the girl who could go so deep into the water, because it was not a place he was very confident of going to. "It's funny, because if I flew straight up, it wouldn't take me that long to 'get' to space...I just couldn't get anywhere in space before I ran out of juice."

 

Then he moved to offer skewers to the twins, then Ryan. He was very jock-like; the shirt didn't hide the football muscles, the hair was cut somewhat close, his eyes were cheerful, and matched his genuine smile as he handed out skewers and spoke to them.

"I know we've met before, but still, just to say it again; I'm always glad to make new friends, so don't be afraid to ask me for help if you need it." he said to the three of them. "We got a lot of schooling ahead of us and it goes easier if we work together." he finished.

 

Then he moved to Baz and Veuriz to offer them marshmellows, though he wasn't even sure if Veuriz could eat human food safely, but she was smarter than him so she would know if she could, he reasoned. "I would be all over a space vacation too! Going out to the stars themselves, but don't worry Baz, if you get lost in Space, I'm sure we'd figure out a way to get you back." he teased.

 

Once he finished handing out treats, he sat back in the sand and looked up at the stars. He was definitely going to get out there some day. He was going to meet up with her again, and show how much he had grown. Once he was happy of his own growth.

 

"They're right that you are great for doing this Lawrence."

[Huckleberry]

Rot

 

Consuelo had gradually made her way down beach towards the fire, canvas duffle bag dragging in the sand behind her on its heavy steel chain. She liked sitting in the sand. It was relaxing. She didn't have to worry about accidentally disintegrating the furniture.

 

She had found a place near Vueriz and accepted a marshmallow from Michael. But no grams, chocolate, or roasting. That mallow was going straight in her mouth! Along with three others. "Hey, Vuewith! Can yuh twanswatuh unnastan me wiffa mawfmawowvz in ma mouf?"

 

Then she laughed, which resulted in her nearly choking to death.

 

After she recovered, she leaned over to Vueriz again. "I might not have experiences with cosmicly remote places I can whip out and compare, but I have been to the basement where Fred the maintenence guy keeps all the really old spare parts. And on my journey, I managed to find you this!" And Consuelo whips a pale green canister labeled "R-22" out of her duffle bag.

 

"Behold Roomie! Fred said this was a freon canister. When I told him you like to snack on ski wax, he said you'd probably love this. Plus, he said he's not supposed to have it anymore, so we'd be doing him a favor by taking it. I saved it as a surprise for this trip!"

[RocketLord]

Spaceman

 

"It's not a competition," Parker speaks up from his position in the sand, lying with his hands behind his head and starting up at the sky. He is wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. "There's unfathomable things in the depths, Mizuki, but imagine everything that's out there. We know that there's life out there. Who knows how many worlds have oceans like ours that you could explore? Or everything else out there, for that matter."

 

His voice is calm, not trying to start a fight or anything, just join the conversation. 

 

Parker smiles, turning slightly to look at Michael. "You gotta think about more than that. Even before you get that high up, there'll be temperature drops, the air will get thinner. There's reasons that people use ships to go up there." Was he speaking from personal experience? Maybe.

[Dracostern]

Cerebral and Cerebellum 

 

Iris would take the skewer with the mashmellow on it as Daniel came back to sit next to her, taking his one. "Thanks man, and I couldn't agree more. Working together is the key to success!" Daniel smiled up at Michael. They both fely extremely welcome here, which was the complete opposite of what they were expecting. Everyone here was so nice, they both couldn't wait to hang out with this group of amazing heroes. 

 

As the duo roasted their mashmellows, Iris would pick up on what Vueriz was saying and she turned to the little alien, by far one of the strangest classmates they had, at least to this psychic, however this was more so that she was not used to aliens yet then anything. 
"Wait? Excuse me, did you say you could make us a spacceship?! Wouldn't that take a very long time?" Granted Vueriz did mention she couldn't make one right now, but still just the concept blew Iris' mind.

[The Sailor]

12 hours ago, Poncho said:

"It's funny, because if I flew straight up, it wouldn't take me that long to 'get' to space...I just couldn't get anywhere in space before I ran out of juice."

 

Torpedo Lass II

 

"To be honest the docs said if I just wore something warm that protected from radiation, kept pressure on my body, I would be spaceworthy. My breathing is just so I can talk, reflex, and some nifty buoyancy control. My body's chemistry is just different now and completely internalized. How it works I got no clue and neither do any metaphysicians... they were stumped in the same way with my predecessor."

 

She got up, flipping around her ring so now over her head so she was now sitting wearing it. It was clear she was just having fun at this point. "Then again if my powers keep developing I might just end up spaceworthy on my own. That's how far the first Torpedo Lass got."

 

"Just wish I could fly." She said sighing. "Jumping is fun, but flying... that's the stuff."

[Thevshi]

Timeout

 

Lawrence had looked down at Mizuki with a small smile as she talked about several of the sights she had been able to see since gaining her powers. While the blond teen could certainly talk about some of the things he had seen on his trips to the stars, as Parker said, it was not a competition. But more importantly, Mizuki's fascination with the oceans and everything associated with them was something that, to Lawrence's understanding, predated her gaining her powers and was in large part inspired and encouraged by her father. The very last thing Lawrence would ever want to do would be to somehow belittle or dismiss that.

 

Instead, he looked over to Michael as the other teen asked about the great pressures underwater. "Hydrostatic pressure." The blond teen responded. "For every ten meters, or thirty-three feet, of depth, the pressure on you increases by one atmosphere."

 

When Michael added his thanks for arranging this getaway, Lawrence gave him a small nod. "Well, again, what’s the point of having access to a place like this if you don’t invite others to enjoy it?" He replied as he felt a slight feeling of guilt at what he wanted to talk about. "But, while I hate to be one to possibly dampen everyone’s mood, there are some things I have wanted to talk about for awhile, things many of you have gotten hints of since the start of the year but I have been either vague or evasive about."

 

"Much of that has been due to any true explanation would have required sharing things I was not a liberty to discuss. My mom cleared some of those barriers back at the League's holiday party, and I have had some discussions with her and my father since." The blond teen continued as he looked to Vueriz, Ryan and the twins and continued, "for those of you who have joined us since the start of the new year, I am sure you have heard the rumors, but in case you had not, my mother is Velocity from the Freedom League."

 

"I suppose the easiest place to start is the beginning. If you were to look across the multiverse at the many timelines, you would find many examples of those timelines versions of my parents meeting and falling in love. At first glance, it might seem to be some cosmic love story, until you took a closer look and saw the exterior forces involved."

 

"In one such timeline, that version of my mother had the same powers as here and also operated as Velocity. The timeline's version of my father had possession of particular and powerful artifact, a seemingly antique watch that is known as the Stopwatch, which gave him the ability to control time. With it, he also operated as a superhero, working along with that version of my mother, the two eventually marrying and having a son, who had powers very much like my own. As that son grew, his powers increased, until they eventually drove him mad. At which point he nearly destroyed his timeline, killing his mother and nearly every other living thing within the timeline in the process. He then went out into the multiverse, now known as Collapse."

 

"His father, and a handful of others, managed to escape the destruction, also fleeing into the multiverse. With access to advanced technology, they managed to establish a Null Time, a place that exists outside of the timestream. From there they began trying to find a way to stop Collapse. In the process, they learned that in other timelines, other versions of my parents also had a son, one that was tied to Collapse, making him stronger, until eventually, Collapse would destroy the timeline, merging it into his own shattered native timeline. In each and every case, the Stopwatch was involved in bringing those versions of my parents together. It seemed to exist for one sole purpose, to bring a timelines version of my parents together, so they could have a son that was tied to Collapse. So, Collapse's father, and other temporal refugees that joined his original group, set out to try to prevent the birth of more versions of Collapse, and to find a way to finally stop him."

"Which, brings us to my parents in this timeline."

[The Sailor]

Torpedo Lass II

 

Mizuki knew shreds of this... but this infodump was... heavy. And important.

 

As she listened she leaned forward, pressing on the swim ring she was wearing. "The guy that Quirk was alluding to? I wager someone who is a multi-universal threat would be someone that would give a multi-dimensional being pause."

 

"And with you coming into your power, it would be an ideal time to attack at any time... before you and anyone who could respond was ready."

 

"You know I got your back, Lawrence."

[Huckleberry]

Rot

 

Consuelo really hopes Vueriz likes the freon canister she brought her. It had been hard to keep it a secret this last week. But this firelit beach hangout is not all about cute and thoughtful gifts. No. After Spaceman and Torpedo Lass took turns advocating for their favored isolated realms of deep space and deep ocean being the most profound, Timeout kicked it up a notch with his soliloquy on the many strands of time. Consuelo listened as the great ones spoke.

 

When there was a pause in the dialog, she shoved another six marshmallows in her mouth and added her perspective.

 

"Spathe. The final fwontieyuh. O ithit? Whathabouth the otheanth thdeep? O pehapth the fwow of thtime itthelppf? Hwhitch of theefs ithuh mostth pwofoundth? Pfindouth onthuh nexth epithode ofthuh thupewiowitthy jurth! Donathonth now extheptthed!"

 

Rising to a difficult crescendo through her muzzle of whipped sugar and gelatin, Consuelo victoriously whips out a second rounded canister-shaped object from her duffle bag. Only this one is a large glass jar  (perhaps the home of many pickles, long ago). It has a slit in the lid, a few dollar bills inside, and a label taped to it on which was written the word "Superiority".

[The Sailor]

Torpedo Lass II

 

"Never said the ocean is superior... just unknown and dangerous."

 

Mizuki pushed down on her ring, flustered. "I'll stick to the shallows or the surface, thank you."

 

As she said this, her super strength slightly kicked in enough to cause the valve on her ring to pop open, causing it to hiss unceremoniously and the ring began to soften. She re-closes the valve, a bit embarrassed.

[Poncho]

Michael took in Lawrence's explanation with a surprising amount of stocism from the usually hyperactive golden boy. He had been about to talk to Parker about surviving in space, but this was much more important and consumed his attention now. He didn't start to ask a billion questions, he didn't jump up or down. He just stared at Lawrence with his hands folded together as he sat in the sand, the barest amount of a frown on his face. 

 

He could recognize the severity of this, and the implications of it, and it concerned him. The idea of you being your own worst enemy; of knowing a version of you had killed your parents, threatened to destroy everything. It was a lot. It explained why Lawrence was, well, Lawrence. The calm confidence that Michael respected in him came from understanding things like this, and if he wasn't confident now, then that meant it was serious. 

 

When Consuelo spoke up with her mouth full of marshmellow, he didn't exactly chastise her; it wasn't like he was in charge of her, after all, they were friends. But he did glance at her and move his face a bit; a frown and a twitch off his hands to ask her to be a little quieter right now. He didn't mean anything bad by it. His glance only went over to Mizuki for an equally short amount of time, before returning to Lawrence with rapt attention. 

 

"Go on." he said seriously to Lawrence, his voice and expression not wavering once he refocused on the second generation superhero. If Lawrence wanted to be open about this, he was going to listen to it. But his knuckles were white as he clenched his hands together.

[RocketLord]

Spaceman

 

The moment Lawrence starts talking, Parker can already hear that something is off. His tone is different from his usual self, even when he tries to put his own powers down or hide things about himself. Parker pushes himself up from the position he had been lying in the sand, instead sitting up, his legs crossed, leaning the palms of his hands on them.

 

Different timelines, different universes... It is wild to think about. Parker is, if anything, shocked that he is not more surprised about it, that it doesn't feel stranger to him. 

 

He has questions. Of course he does, but right now, he simply waits and nods to Lawrence to let him know that he understands. He is obviously not done.

[Dracostern]

Cerebral and Cerebellum 

 

When Lawrence started talking, the twins would halt their conversations. This seemed extremely important and as they listened, and ate their marshmellows, the two realized just how deep they were. Multiversal threats? Timelines ending?! They had just gotten to this school two weeks ago for goodness sake!

 

Still...this was what heroes were for. Daniel and Iris swallowed then looked at each other, seeming to have a private conversation with the other before nodding their heads.

 

"I see..." Iris said. "..You want us, a bunch of students, to stand by you against some kind of multiversal threat? That's beyond naive...but you know what? We are with you on this. Do go on."

She was curious to know more and Daniel nodded his head in agreement with a serious look on his face. 

Edited February 9 by Dracostern

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

For once, Baltazar kept silent. Just nodding. 

 

Lawrence - was a complicated boy, he knew this. They had talked plenty, and Baltazar had picked up on the nuanced complexities of Lawrence's background. Baltazar had never pried; out of respect, out of freindship, and because as far as he was concerned, a man had to look forward, not backwards. 

 

Backwards lay regrets. And resentment. 

 

"I got your back, Lawrence," he said, fearlessly. If he was going to die, he would do in a blaze of radioactive fury. 

 

But there was more; Lawrence sounded different, sombre, steely. 

 

What was going on?

[Thunder King]

Ryan blinked as he listened, and stared for a few seconds after he was done. He barely knew the other boy, and the explanation confused the heck out him. Still, Lawrence had been a good friend to him so far, so he tracked what he said and listened intently.

 

He finally, ultimately said. "Wow, uh, I have no idea who my parents are. I don't know if either of them is alive. I was dropped off at an orphanage and raised there ever since." He kinda shrugged. That was really all he could say about his history.

 

One day, he might explain Uncle Charlie.

[MoonSimply]

La Puma Negra

 

Carmen had explored a decent chunk of the island by the time she was finished, having seen much of the sites after being stopped by a certain member of the Freedom League to check in on them. When Michael would see her next, she was absolutely so overjoyed, that even catching the scent of Neko nearby wasn't enough to spoil her day. A weight was lifted partially off her shoulders in a figurative manner, allowed to run free from it for a good amount of time. So, when they had walked together, she would hold his hand softly, fully relaxed once they reached the bonfire and of course, holding the bowled filled with crackers and chocolate.

 

Upon her return, she'd mostly talk about all the things that she saw around the island. A few birds that she had seen fly through the canopy, and the more mountainous areas that gave her such impressive sights as she held the bowl. Sure, it wasn't something she'd wanted to do, but the three days they had been together had been rather nice, even if their first date was in fact the two of them dealing with whatever sort of act of villainy that was going on that forced them to go out and save the day. So, when she heard Lawrence talk about this cosmic timeline sort of issue, her ears perked up as she sat close to Michael. Whatever sort of universe that was sounded like a problem.

[Thevshi]

Timeout

 

Lawrence could not help but have a faint smile at Muziki and Baz’s quick response of standing with him, in addition to looks of support from Parker and Michael. He glanced at the twins as they also spoke up, giving them a small grin. "I am not asking anyone to do anything right now. My mom, the rest of the Freedom League, Grimalkin, the Praetorians, if I asked, I would expect they would all join me in facing Collapse. But I am not about to risk anyone's life, not without knowing more than I currently do. Stepping out into the multiverse to confront Collapse is something for the future. But I felt it was important everyone here know about him to understand the more immediate threats I bring with me. And yes, this does have to do with Quirk's warning to me." Lawrence gave Mizuki a small smile at that last part.

 

He paused briefly, and then continued. "So, my parents, this timeline's Megan Howell and Robert Harrow. As I understand it, they are somewhat unique, in that their initial meetings do not appear to have been a result of any outside influence. They first met in the summer of 2008, after my mother had graduated high school but before she started at Yale, at a nightclub in Ibiza. Their second meeting was a couple years later, when my mother went to study at Cambridge for a year while my father was finishing his advanced degree there. They began dating, and both have said that they likely would have ended up marrying, had my mother not been keeping her identity as Velocity a secret. That ultimately caused my father to end the relationship and my mother returned to the United States to finish her degree at Yale, while after the unexpected death of my grandfather my father assumed his title and place in the House of Lords."

 

"It was less than a year later, eleven years ago just this last week in fact, that my father came into possession of the Stopwatch. His efforts to learn more about it led him to seek assistance from Baron Magnus Katasrtof in Sweden, arriving just before my mother did a few days later as part of a business trip. The Stopwatch had begun effecting my father, making him obsessed with my mother. Collapse's father sent agents to this timeline to kidnap my mother and take her to the Null Time, where he told her about Collapse and the need to get the Stopwatch from my father. When my mom returned to this timeline, she was able, with the help of the Swedish superhero Fenris, to get the Stopwatch from my father."

 

"With both of my parents still having feelings for one another, after some time to ensure my father was indeed freed from the Stopwatch's influence, they renewed their relationship, with the clear understanding they could never risk having any children. However, just months later, during their first visit here after purchasing this property in fact, agents from the Null Time kidnapped my father. My mother went after him, with the assistance of the time wielding Mechanodyname known as Hronos, traveling to the Null Time. There, they found that Collapse’s father had used DNA from both my mother and father, to begin artificially creating me."

 

"After stopping an aspect of Collapse that managed to pierce the Null Time's defenses to try to stop my birth, my mother and father spent the first six years of my life raising me there. Due to the nature of its place outside the timelines, while I aged, my parents did not. There were those that wanted to keep me in the Null Time until I was old enough and strong enough to go face Collapse, but my parents, and most especially my mother, disagreed, wanting me to have a chance to be among peers and having something close to a normal life. They ultimately won out, so they brought me to this timeline, returning the day after they had left."

 

"Because I was 'conceived' and born in the Null Time, I am not native to this timeline, nor to any other timeline. As such, I am not connected to Collapse and do not make him stronger. Indeed, there are many that believe I am the counter to Collapse, and according to Quirk, this includes a number of cosmic entities. As I have told some of you before, one of those entities tried to kidnap me when I was ten, resulting in my unintended first trip to CoVic Station and space. Following that failed attempt, the Praetorians encountered the entity again at an abandoned Lor research station near a quantum dark zone singularity in Lor Space. By the time the Praetorians got back from being sent into the past, the entity was gone, and so was the singularity, removed from the very time-space continuum."

 

"In both my encounters with Quirk, he has said this entity is using the singularity as a power source for his next attempt to capture me. Back in December, Quirk suggested the entity had almost completed its traps and that I, and anyone around me, needed to be ready." Lawrence finished, looking around at everyone on the beach. "Being a superhero is not always easy and brings plenty of risk. But no one here deserves to get caught up in the mess I have to deal with, and I want to apologize ahead of time should that happen again."