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08

By Ed Ainsworth

 

As Firestorm slowly set down on the hallowed ground in front of the rest of the avatars, it turned to Naiad, who "stood" swaying, a visage of water against a backdrop of photosynthetic haze, as moulds and bacterial phages floated in a cloud of nature, surrounding a meeting that has no been seen since Dinosaurs were voted to be eradicated, and the thelmic guilds of Bacterial War Mages were evolved into primates.

"Forgive our tardiness, we ran into some interference."

Shade, the changing man, in all of his outrageous glory offered Firestorm some Bark, dipped in what appeared to be the guts of a fish.

"It's chewy."

Firestorm didn't turn it's nose up, but simply ignored the offering.

"Something is coming. We all feel it, well, except him." The androgynous entity pointed at Shade, who paused dipping a twig into a fish eye, before smiling and continuing his pursuit.

"There is something wrong with our token forces, as we all know the Red is greatly suffering, as is the Green. Both the Animal Man and Swamp Thing are suffering; but there is more to this than we know, and we are without out greatest guide."

Tefe Holland moved to the fore front, taking the speaking stand from Firestorm, and looking around the gathered entities. Water, Earth, Fire, Wind, Instinct, the Red, and the Green.

"We're on the dawn of something SO important here, it out weighs anything that's gone on before. We all stood clear the crisis' where we could, a few of us got involved. The old Firestorm, Red Tornado; but the planet's consciousness is awakening in the form of a child, and it is unprotected. The forces of the universe conspire to stop her awakening, these so called "New Guardians". They're mobilizing their strike force, a group of south African mutates who symbolize the inherent racism and evolutionary diversity of a single strand of DNA."

Tefe looked around the group, Tornado floated quietly, and Naiad swelled down into a puddle, her face visible on the surface.

"Something is wrong with the Animal Man as well. That is not the true Buddy Baker, or at least not the one we know. My friends, there are two many balls in the air, and at some point, someone's going to drop one."

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"What must stop?" Tristess got to her feet, staring directly at Zaurial.

"This pseudo-religion." Zaurial stated, his wings folding around himself.

"Psuedo-relgion, Angel? Are you crazy? This is a socio-economical moralistic movement. Religion is organized Zealotry."

"Zealotry, how dare you, Tristess. You claim to worship the Earth, something that was created by the Almighty Presence, and you dare to reject him?"

"I dare at nothing, Angel. I do. I act. This is the way of the life power church of Maxine ."

Zaurial paused for a moment, his wings fluttering gently, before he cocks his head to the side.

"Your child is not safe her, Tristess. Let me take her."

"Now, how dare you. Why would I let you take and corrupt my child?" Tristess moved silently to her baby, Anna.

"Tristess, there is something about your child you do not understand. She is very important to the world."

"You're a hypocrite, Angel, you know that? You come here telling me my "religion" is wrong, then state that my child is important to the world? THE WORLD, OR GOD? WHICH IS IT, ANGEL?"

Zaurial stood in silence for a moment, staring directly into Tristess' eyes.

"Both, Tristess, you misunderstand. The world and God are all the same. Everything is part of the presence, even if you reject it, your will is part of him. It's the basis for magic and everything around it."

"I don't believe you, in fact, I reject you angel. I reject everything you are, and belong too. Leave this place, or I'll bind you too it."

Zaurials eyes lightened up a little, amusement flickered across his features. She was certainly bold, and fiery, if a little misguided and bigoted.

"I cannot leave this place without your daughter, Tristess, so you'd best bind me."

And thus, the stalemate was reached.

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"Vertigo?" Rip Questioned, looking over the edge of the tree branch, "More like, where in hell are we?"

Mr Cow chuckled a little, and started to lick his nether regions.

"We're on the Yggdrasil, Rip. It's the world tree, these roots move down through time, the earth the universe. Every root is connected to a parallel earth, every tiny strip of bark; every cell holds the information to entire realities. You wouldn't want to cut this tree open to find out how old it is, now would you?" Kid Eternity smile, and shoved his hands into his Leather jacket.

"What does this have to do with me, Kid?" Rip asked, looking around and down.

"I'm just a Time Traveler."

"Rip, you might want to sit down." Eternity gestured towards the edge of the branch, sitting down himself, and looking into forever.

"When you were caught in the shock waves from the Crisis, you were thrown around time, Correct? You went moment blind, no idea when or where you were."

Rip nodded, sitting down next to Kid Eternity, whilst Mr Cow finishes up, and sits between to two.

"Ya f*&ked up, Rip. You got thrown about like an abused housewife, and you fell down the stairs too many times."

"Mr. Cow, I don't really think that's an appropriate turn of phrase."

"Ah shove it, Eternity. He's gotta have it in plain English, he ain't quite as Cosmical as we are - Rip, I'm gonna go out here, and be honest - yer God."

"What?"

Eternity, rubbing his forehead gently looked at Mr Cow disapprovingly.

"You hit the beginning of Earth, Rip. And whilst you were there, you were Sick. You threw up and create the Primordial soup. The Bacteria in your stomach are capable of living in an environment with no Oxygen - You started life on the planet."

Rips jaw dropped, and he was left speechless. There is after all, a first time for everything.

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Rita Farr sat silently outside of the hospital, she looked lost. Her whole life had changed since the crisis, since the events with the Doom Patrol, frankly she had enough. She wanted nothing more from life other than relaxation and investigation, but something about Buddy, something about the Animal man stood out.

She wondered if she was attracted to him, something about this new animal man, more edgy, but not in the cool way; more violent, aggressive, angry at the world. She was always attracted to people who were bad for her, caused her pain.

She got to her feet gently, and looked up at the sky. The world had changed so very much, everything was different, whole worlds of possibility.

So Why did she feel so very, very empty?

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Vixen had been back in the core universe for over a month now. Her time with the Ultra Marines had ended rather abruptly, she'd been stranded in this world due to her strengthened connection to the Red, strands of energy held her, kept her down.

So, she'd move into the Government position, well, something that appeared to be part of the Government. She'd been watching and tracking and recording information on Animal man, and the little group of people he'd been gathering.

Currently, with the assets of a spider, she clung to a wall, completely upside down by a window, more specifically the window of the laboratory of James Highwater. She'd witnessed a good number of things, horrifying things. The most recent however is the act of sexual congress between Platinum and James. It made her sick to her stomach.

Vixen pulled a face, and quickly pulled her head back from the window. Platinum was looking over.

"James, what was that?"

"Nnnh?"

"For god sakes." Platinum got up from their position on the floor, and moved silently, despite her metal frame, to the window. Something was up, there was something strange.

She opened the window, and looked out, twisting her head around three hundred and sixty degrees, at which point she caught sight of Vixen, who pulled a surprised smile, and leapt of the wall.

"DAMNIT! JAMES, GET DRESS!" Platinum crashed through the wall, whipping her metallic and extendable arms out in a helicodial motion, cutting through a parked car, as both Vixen and her dropped several stories.

Vixen landed deftly, whilst Platinum twisted her legs into a coil, springing through the air, and lashing out violently with her right fist.

It caught Vixen just under the clavical, breaking it cleanly in two, and sending her hurtling through the air into a park car.

"UGH! Not Good. Rhino."

Vixen charged forwards, hitting Platinum Square in the centre, the two shot backwards, but Platinum's arms shot outwards, wrapping around anything she could grip, whilst her feet did the same, creating a giant sling-shot.

Vixen was pelted through the air, smashing through another car with a large explosion, and leaving her in a pile of rubble at the side of a building.

Platinum walks slowly towards Vixen, kicking her in the side twice, and once in the face. Blood poured freely from Vixen's face, and down from her eyes, ears and nose.

"Since when did you get all hardcore?" Vixen questioned, her voice barely audible.

"The world changed, Vixen. I thought you knew that."

Platinum's spikey hair spot outwards, imprisoning Vixen where she lay, a few stands of hair shooting through her limbs, and drawing small jets of blood.

"Nature is in all of us now, Vixen."

"PLATINUM! NO!" James ran up the street, slippers on, and dressing gown barely covering the fact he was completely naked underneath. The Peyote was still in effect for him, all he could see were wrathful flames, and his lover, or what he suspected to be his lover, stood, a statue of pure silver metal, pinning Vixen to the ground.

Most interestingly, Vixen was what made the scene. From her, strands of Red reached out, gripping every animal around her, even himself. She appeared to have the aura of every animal imaginable, a kaleidoscopic wraith, ever changing around her form.

James barreled into Platinum, dragging her to the ground, where she stared intently into his eyes.

"What are you dong James?"

"What I was supposed to do, Platinum. We're not in control anymore."

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Next: This is it guys, we're building to something big here. All the pieces are falling into place, relationships are starting, Buddies friends are about to be thrown into the biggest battle of their lives against an enemy they've never seen before.