Vaster than Empires and More Slow

[Avenger Assembled]

"...donthurtracheldonthurtracheldonthurtrachel..." It took 'Rave' several seconds to realize that he was out of the confinement of Phantom's cloak. The moment he did he bolted to his feet and looked around wildly, trying to find a way out of his prison even as he extended his hands toward the walls. When he realized that he was by no means as tall as he was supposed to be, the mysterious man who bore the face of Ray Trask behind the mask of the Raven stood there for several long moments, confusion and fear writ large across his face, before he shouted through his fear at Phantom, "You won't get us to talk! No matter what you to do to me, you can't break us!"

[Heritage]

Wesley walks over to Grimalkin with a smile. His aura glows dark green as he approaches her. When he reaches her, he stands next to her and slowly begins to grow. By the time he is done, he is a good two feet taller. Standing behind her, he picks her up slowly then kneels down. He sets her on his thigh and wraps his arms around her waist.

Some heroines might not like to be picked up and carried about by a hero, but Grim was pretty much cool with it; of course, it was her getting-a-bit-more-serious super boyfriend, so that made it more than okay

I apologize that I have not done more to make you comfortable during your stay here. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help set you at ease.

Grim's eyes go a bit wide, and her hand clenches on Wes' shoulder for a moment, then she relaxes as she does her best to 'think back' a reply to Scarab.

Hello, can you hear me? Is this thing on? Check, check.

Yeah, she actually tried to think in reverb :roll:

Uh, sorry about that. To be honest, telepathic communication and 'set you at ease' are not two tastes that taste great together, but I guess I'll get used to it; it must be hella awesome for communicating during a fight. Gimme a sec, okay? Keep the, whatever, channel open.

She actually thought hard about the question while the others discussed the putting Phantom's captive in the cells; when she was ready, she 'pinged' Scarab gently.

Hi, it's me again. Look, I can't say enough about your place; sure, it's creepy as all get out, but it's also awesome. That being said, I think I need to find my own place; I'm a surface dweller through and through, and I think I need non-superhero digs for the sake of my sanity. I've been circling ads for roommates in the Review, and a few of them look promising, so I hope you cool with that. But if I could still crash here from time to time, that would be cool, too.

By the time she finished her thought, the perps were already in the hoosegow and not too happy about it.

[N/A]

The Scarab's "voice" continued to resonate in Grimalkin's mind.

My apologies. That had not occurred to me. You would think it would after a few millenia, but there are some lessons I seem to just keep learning over and over again.

You are, of course, welcome to continue staying here as long as you like, as often as you wish. The need for one's own space is perfectly reasonable, and I would not take it personally if you sought respite elsewhere.

The Scarab pointed to a button on the console. "That will activate the intercom. Ask your questions, and I will do my best to...verify his answers."

[Avenger Assembled]

When no one spoke up, Avenger leaned close to the intercom. "Why are you here?" The question was presented in a deep, growly voice that would have made a better impact if Ray Trask had actually been able to see him. Jack liked to think so, anyway, because the false Raven in there didn't seem like he was going to spill his guts. He was, however, definitely going to talk.

"I'm here because you put me in here!" Trask called out again, fear magnified in his voice. "But you can't keep me in a jar, man! The Raven always flies out!"

[alderwitch]

Phantom hovered, half in the stone wall and half within the cell itself, her cloak once again closed around her form.

"The longer you talk, the more time your partner spends hanging in an endless void." Phantom pointed out coldly, "Without food or water or hope of seeing the sky again. The longer you put this off, the longer that she'll suffer. If you tell us where you're from and why you're here, we might be able to come to an accord. I, personally, have all night. How long do you have?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Ray flinched again, ripping off his mask suddenly to glare up at his invisible tormentors with a naked face. "They were right about you people from the beginning. No wonder my double's a villain on this world." Inside Ray's mind, Scarab found something...odd. There were heavy blocks in place, put there by a mind far more powerful than the one before him, but he could find the gaps. The mind here wasn't the mind he associated with Rave; the moral sense there was far too strong...for certain values of strong. It was more like reading Fletcher III before his alcoholism, or the current Bowman today.

[Heritage]

Grim said nothing, but gripped Wesley's shoulder just a bit tighter; she'd never been any good at interrogation herself, and now had a pretty good idea why. You had to be cold; they had to hear the steel in your voice, see it glisten in their mind's eye. They had to know what you were willing to do...which was pretty much anything.

I hope it works before it get's too damn freaky :(

[N/A]

The Scarab pushed the intercom button again, silencing the command center. Her allies could still hear Rant's ranting over the speakers.

"He has impressive mental defenses. Not his own, but placed there by a mind possibly more powerful than my own. I cannot get much of a read on him. Feel free to interrogate him, but my ability to discern truth from lies will be of limited use here."

"What I can say is that his demeanor of self-righteousness is no fabrication. He honestly believes that he is the heroic underdog spitting in the face of tyranny. And he is correct. On his own world, he is a hero. His is not a soul tainted with Evil of any form I have encountered."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Fail to impress me." It was Avenger who spoke through the radio this time, the hockey-masked vigilante's voice cold and uncompromising. "Not so righteous you couldn't put your fist through the side of a skyscraper. Innocent people in there. Not much of a hero." Avenger's words did make Rant hesitate a moment, something like guilt flashing in his eyes before he spoke.

"Oh...oh yeah? Well you know what? All I see in this world is people too stupid to appreciate their heroes! I read your history books. The Scarab died defending the Pyramid Plaza, there should be a statue of him in there bigger than me! But no, it's just in the hands of parvenu who'll roll over and die as soon as Omega shows up again! You'll let your dimension fall because you won't stand up for yourselves and do what's right!"

[alderwitch]

"A real hero should know that it adulation or even thanks aren't neccessary. We protect, we serve, and we are always vigilant. In the end, it doesn't matter who notices, or if anyone does at all. You don't deserve to wear the Raven's mask, on any world, if you don't underatand that."

Phantom's voice was quietly passionate, "We are heroes of Freedom City and with, or without your help, it will not fall. Now, answer the question. Why are you here?"

[N/A]

The Scarab smashed her finger against the intercom control button, silencing her companions. "ENOUGH."

"I think I have some idea of what is going on here. And if I am correct, then bullying him into submission is not the best course of action."

She sat up and turned toward the door. "I'm going in to talk with him. Leave the power inhibitors on. And be ready to teleport me out of there on my signal."

The Scarab flew out of the command center, through the great hall and the central elevator, into one of the other three doors at the bottom level. This door led into a smaller control room, also free of any pretense of ancient architecture. She keyed in a few commands, bringing a view of the holding cells up on one of the monitors.

Then she proceeded from that room deeper into the complex, into a chamber as vast as the great hall, also filled with giant pillars. The far wall was lined with alcoves large enough for a person to stand in. She stepped into one, and disappeared in a flash of light.

She reappeared in Rant's cell. "Greetings. I am The Scarab. And we should talk. No powers, no threats. Just talk."

[N/A]

"Our dimension, our very city, has been invaded by Omega twice in the last half-century. Both times, he was repelled, but at the cost of our best and brightest. Many of us lost friends and family in those incursions. I suspect you know exactly how that feels. So you would do well to consider how you would feel about us speaking ill of your fallen comrades, before you speak ill of ours."

"Why did you seek to frighten and harm innocent people? Is your pain really something you wish to inflict on others? Wouldn't you rather gain our aid against the tyrants and monsters who destroyed your world, than become a monster yourself?"

"Tell me of your world. And of how we can be allies rather than enemies."

[Avenger Assembled]

"You know nothing of my pain." Trask folded his arms, the stubborn look of a child caught in something he knew perfectly well was a sin on his face. "Hey, if I hurt anyone, I'm sorry about that. I wasn't actually going to eat Bug Boy up there. I was just trying to scare you people." Fear crossed his face, the fear of something not even in the room with him. "You...you should surrender now," he said. "Things are going to be a lot better for you if you do. There's nothing I can really do about it."

[N/A]

Fear crossed his face, the fear of something not even in the room with him. "You...you should surrender now," he said. "Things are going to be a lot better for you if you do. There's nothing I can really do about it."

The Scarab's eyes widened behind her mask. She looked up at the cell wall.

"Command Center - call Doctor Archeville immediately. Tell him we require his scientific expertise regarding an imminent interdimensional invasion. And release the power inhibitors on this cell. Phantom, pin him down."

As soon as she her powers return to her, The Scarab reached out toward Rant, then gestured toward the far side of the cell. He flew into the air and slammed up against it. She pinned him against the wall with her mind, suspending him several feet up in the air.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

[alderwitch]

So much for the nice guy routine...

Phantom floated after Raven, ready to lock down any attempt to dimensionally flee the scene. "Scarab, I think he's frightened of something on his world. Whatever - whoever - is masterminding this. He said himself that he'd read our history books. This dimension feels nothing like the Terminus."

She glanced up at the cameras hoping one of Scarab's teammates might be able to get the crimson super-hero calmed down as clearly Trask had accidentally pushed quite a few buttons and Phantom had a feeling they were barking up the wrong tree. She addressed the rest of the Knights upstairs, as Avenger seemed to be the ringleader of the group, "I have an idea on how we can find out where they're from, but we need to reactivate the cell so I can focus my attention."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Aagh!" Trask strugged, trying to grow, but was too thoroughly pinned down by Scarab's telekinesis. "We didn't do anything! He...he said he had ways of dealing with the Freedom League, because he'd done it before, but you were new!" He looked imploringly at Scarab, and at Phantom. "Lord help us, he's got Rachel's kids back home! I saw what he did to the Beaumont girls, I wasn't going to let that happen to Rachel's kids! Please, please, just send her back, she can tell him I died over here, and that way he won't be angry..." He stopped wriggling, giving the Scarab and Phantom a thoroughly defeated look. "You don't know what it's like over there. There's no one left who cares. No one."

It took Avenger a little while to figure out how to work Scarab's equipment, having not been paying a huge amount of attention when he'd seen her operating it in the past. When he did succeed in calling Archeville's place, he was a little concerned when he didn't hear any results. "If they were coming for the Knights, and we all got a visitor...and Archeville's NOT THERE..." He looked up at the others, eyes wide behind his mask.

[N/A]

He stopped wriggling, giving the Scarab and Phantom a thoroughly defeated look. "You don't know what it's like over there. There's no one left who cares. No one."

Trask levitated away from the wall, toward The Scarab, stopping just short of smashing his face against hers. She lowered him a point where his feet were hovering just an inch or two above the ground, and levitated herself to match his height.

"We care."

She lowered him to the ground, releasing him from her grip.

"We can do better than just giving her a cover story. I can alter her memory so that she truly believes it. We can help rescue your family. We can help free you from your bondage. Maybe we can even help set your world free. And in spite of all logic, we still want to. But you have to meet us halfway. Are you ready to start cooperating? Or should we just concentrate on saving our own world, leaving you and yours to suffer whatever fate comes their way?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Concentrating, Phantom was easily able to sense the native dimension where the unfortunate Ray Trask came from. For all his fear, the world wasn't one that was particularly on the 'watch list' of dimensional guardians the way the Romero Earths or Anti-Terra-Roma was. Rather, he was from a singleton Earth in a dimension not very far away, one recently taken over by its local Dark Lord. That meant a world ruled by wicked magic, a place under the absolute thumb of one man. In the context of the multiverse, though, rule by a Dark Lord was by no means the worst thing that could happen to a particular dimension. Still, that didn't make it any better for those who lived under its rule.

"...he first appeared about twelve years ago," said Trask, the words squeezed out through his obvious fear. "In Britain. He...we thought it was no big thing at first until Britannia started working for him. And then Odysseus, and then..." He shook his head. "And then he came for the Brigade. You don't know what it's like, man! He put the world over his knee and there was nothing we could do about it! He took Columbia's kids, and gave Valhalla over to Donar, and let Odysseus do whatever he wanted with Medea, and..." He shook his head again, sorrowfully. "Every dream I had as a kid died the day he appeared over Freedom City. Most of us didn't even fight back."

[alderwitch]

Behind Ray, Phantom floated silently in the air. As her glowing eyes had neither pupil nor cornea, it was hard to say what really made her expression seemed focused elsewhere but her attention was not fixed on anything most eyes could see. Except for her fingertips, which traced small sigils, she remained motionless as Scarab continued to exchange words with Trask. If the psychic was going to ignore her, Phantom would simply track down the situation with what tools she had at her disposal.

First, she felt out Trask with her senses, looking for whatever trinket or device allowed him to step between worlds, then she expanded her senses outward to check that none of his compatriots were close by.

[Heritage]

Based on the information revealed through interrogation thus far (and she was so glad it never got more physical!), Grim tried to figure out the best way she could be of help. She murmured as she turned the ideas over in her head, idly running her fingers across Wesley's forehead.

"Well if it's a matter of infiltration, I'd be up for it; get close to the Big Bad, see what info I could get from him, or one of his lieutenants or something. Or if there's any sort of underground or criminal element, I could meet with them, too..."

[N/A]

The Scarab nodded at Trask and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You are not alone anymore. Your world isn't beyond saving. And neither is your family. We can turn the tide. We will."

She looked up at the surveillance cameras once more. "Everyone in the Command Center, come down to Transport Control, and get us out of here. Phantom, please release Mr. Trask's companion. We now are having a civilized conversation with our new allies, and we will not conduct it in a prison cell. We have much to discuss."

Phantom, please remain vigilant, just in case these two or their former masters try anything. You're the only hope we have of not being caught with our pants down.

[alderwitch]

Phantom adjusted her senses to look at the psychic, her lips compressed into a flat line at that request. As Phantom wasn't fighting the mental connection, it wasn't difficult to read the mystic behind her mask. Letting one go for questioning was one thing, but to let the forefront of a dimensional army wander free went against the oath she'd taken to protect the veil. Beneath that, she was feeling both mocked and ignored by the heroes she'd found herself thrown into this with. Despite her flat expression, Phantom was struggling with the options she had been presented.

At the end of this, they go back to their world. They do NOT belong here. On this point, I will not compromise.

Phantom replied finally, her mental tone firming as her emotions were brought under control with ruthless discipline.

Her cloak fluttered open as Trask's partner in crime was deposited on the ground from its inky depths. She floated back dispassionately as the woman regained her sense of her surroundings.

[Avenger Assembled]

Shaking in terror and isolation as painful as her brother's had been, Rachel Trask tumbled out straight into the waiting arms of her brother. They embraced each other, the two of them looking around at their opposite numbers for a few wild moments. "Is this it?" asked Rachel. "I had a feeling it would end like this." She stepped in front of her brother, and was about to launch into a rousing speech before Ray took her aside and explained all that had happened. She watched, wide-eyed, then looked back at Scarab and Phantom with a new look on her face.

"So w-what happens to us now?" she asked both her brother and the others. Meanwhile, upstairs, Avenger's attempts to hail Dark Star hadn't gone any better than his attempts at calling Doctor Archeville.

"Can't be a coincidence." Avenger leaned over and pressed the intercom button. "Scarab. Matter requires your attention when finished." He turned to Grimalkin. "You want to beam them out? I've got to get this wrapped up."

[Heritage]

Despite her sometimes prickly and combative nature, at her heart Grim is a good kid who hates to see people suffer; when she sees the brother and sister holding each other, she feels a sharp pang in her gut, and suddenly misses her own family very much.

I really need to call home :cry:

"You want to beam them out? I've got to get this wrapped up."

But then Avenger just starts talking crazy.

"Dyah-what?"

Suddenly her eyes go wide and her mouth hangs open

"Wait, you want me to operate the teleport thing? Based on what, my advanced degree in particle physics? I'll moosh 'em into liver pâte!"

The young heroine looks around for the intercom and jabs what looks like the talk button with her thumb.

"Uh, hi Scarab, Grim here. I'm not...I'm not so sure we have the technical know-how out here to work the teleporter, or at least I don't; is there some kind of manual or a training video like they have at McDonald's we can watch, 'cause that might help, actually."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Hello, Dark Star? Dark Star, come in." Avenger had watched Scarab work the controls on this thing, but he wasn't at all sure he was actually activating the space phone at all. Stupid 1960s technology, he thought to himself. Top of the line or not, it still wasn't exactly intuitive to someone born in the digital age. Especially if the most you know about technology and such is how to program your iPhone. Not that I have an iPhone. Or know how to program one. "Don't even know if the blasted thing is on...Grimalkin, if you can't do it, I'll get it."