rightontarget:

While life had been keeping Lian really busy lately, she still managed to get over to Outsiders Headquarters for a couple of hours everyday. Between trying to find Donna and taking care of Alex, it was hard for Lian to try and find the time, but somehow, she still did. And even if someone wasn't around when she was there, there was a chance that Calypso was almost always there, as she did live in the basement.

Lian was currently in the monitor room, doing her shift of monitor duty. She had a cup of coffee in one hand, and was gently pushing Alex's stroller back and forth in the other, trying to get him to fall asleep. She loved her son, but he was a very lively baby. He gurgled happily as he was pushed. Lian laughed, taking another sip of her coffee as she stared at the screen.

rightontarget:

Lian sat on the floor of her living room, playing with Alex. She had taken a blanket and laid it down on top of the rug, and put up a couple of pillows as a barrier to keep him from trying to roll away. At almost three weeks old, his little eyes darted around the room, with a wide curious look in them. Lian tickled under his little chin, smiling as he looked up at her, sucking on his thumb.

Lian cooed and nudged noses with Alex, kissing the top of his head, and it stung at her to think that she should be doing this with two babies, and not just one. Thinking about Donna hurt, and it reminded her that they weren't any closer to finding her and Damien then they were three weeks ago. She had every notion to go down and track Damien down herself, but everyone else seemed to know that that was on Lian's mind, and someone always found a reason to show up at her doorstep, even though Cerdian had barely left her side since Donna was taken.

Lian looked up at Cerdian, who had taken to standing over her and Alex.

"You're hovering again."

violettidemage:

Cerdian walked up the stairs to Lian's apartment with the box of chocolate, running through a breathing exercise in his head. Today, he would tell Lian that he loved her and apologize for treating her so poorly. He would find out if she had it in her heart to forgive him and then the would figure out what that meant in regard to her life now. He would tell her that he wasn't marrying anyone and that he only wanted to be with her.

Upon arriving at Lian's door, Cerdian knocks three times and waits for her to answer.

Suddenly, he realizes he forgot the flowers.
 

terra_mater:

"How did you get this number?"

...

"No, I don't think that is a good idea."

...

"There is a reason she didn't tell you.  Your world is no place for me."

...

"I can't.  Goodbye."

Calypso hung up the cell phone Lian had given her and turned it off.  She didn't want another unexpected call from that man again.  The simple fact that she had met him went against everything she wanted.  She didn't want to meet her father, and she certainly didn't want to be recognized as his daughter.  It wasn't that she hated him or disliked him.  Calypso just wasn't made for that world.  Her world was set to a different tone -- it was darker, dirtier, rougher, and tougher.

After that call, she needed something else to keep her mind at ease.  She went upstairs to the ground floor of the Outsiders compound and started cooking Hamburger Helper.  It was her favorite meal.  Creamy Chicken Noodle was her comfort flavor.

dc_holiday:

A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest. ~Irish Proverb

veryperceptive:

His 18th Birthday. A pretty big deal. And GK was cheerfully wrapping presents, taking a cue from Hobbit culture like a rich, pampered, and geeky boy logically might as well do.

He'd already made sure presents would be waiting for his family when they got back from Switzerland. In the meantime, he had something for Zoe, her Mom, the gang at work, the Outsiders -- to be delivered in costume -- and, last but not least, Eli.

Once the ones for work were dropped off, he headed for the triangle with two packages. On the way, he checked the mail.

There was a card. He blinked in shock to see that the postmark was from England, the return address from the Holdaways' firm. Did they actually give a damn all of a sudden?
And then he read it, and he was barely past the 'Dear Gilbert, Congratulations on your 18th birthday' when he statrted grinding his teeth.

It should have taken more effort to read between the lines. They should have put more effort into looking like, after all this time, they were into something more than getting Grandma's account back. He guessed to people like that, eighteen years and nine months was just a little blip in in a nearly three-century business deal.

He folded the card and shoved it in his pocket as he headed to Zoe's. Very quickly, since he wasn't bringing his stick.

rightontarget:

J'anna was one of Lian's best friends. So naturally, her birthday was not going to go unnoticed. And Lian knew just what to get her. Cookware and chocos. She'd gotten her a new bread machine. And while Lian couldn't cook or bake to save her soul, the bakery down the street from Outsiders headquarters could...and Lian had them make an entire cake out of Oreos. Well... technically, she had to get two cakes, because she knew that J'anna would eat the oreo cake all by herself. Lian got a red velvet for everyone else, as she knew that the oreo cake would be gone in a matter of minutes.

Lian placed the cake and the wrapped bread machine on the kitchen counter in Outsiders HQ. She'd told the rest of the team about J'anna's birthday.

rightontarget:

It had been tricky, but after doing a lot of digging, Lian had managed to find out when Calypso's birthday was.

And no, she did not attempt to bake a cake. The last time that happened...well it hadn't exactly gone over well. Her father still said he could smell the scent of charred chocolate cake mix in the kitchen. Instead, Lian had gone out earlier and sprung for catering and a cake at the bakery down the street from her apartment that she had taken Cal to when she was living with her when she first arrived in Star City.

For Christmas, Lian had gotten her a cellphone. This time she bought her some new clothes. Yes, she was on a budget, but she did manage to get her friend a couple of nice outfits.

Lian told the other Outsiders that she planned on celebrating Calypso's birthday and were welcome to celebrate with her, if they wanted to. She set the food out on the kitchen counter and went to go find the birthday girl, gift in hand.

rightontarget:

Lian had called Uncle Ollie and pulled a couple of favors. It took a couple of weeks, but Outsiders Headquarters was back and running, it was like it had never been attacked by Black Lanterns. All of the damages to the building had been repaired, and the security system was updated so only members of the team could get in (and Uncle Ollie, as it was his company's abandoned old warehouse that they were using).

Lian was going over checking the security system, running all of the tests that Uncle Vic had told her to. After everything that happened recently, between getting kidnapped and everything with Cerdian, she really needed the distraction.

A couple more tests later, and the security systems were all up-to-date. Lian made her way into the kitchen, putting down her clipboard and going over her notes.

rightontarget:

The first thing Lian had did once the Suicide Squad had gotten her safely home? Flop down on her bed. She then made calls to everyone who probably noticed that she was missing to tell them that she was fine, and needed a couple of days to herself, but people could stop over if they felt so inclined.

Though she was kind of hoping that they wouldn't. She needed some time to think about things. About what happened. Damien. Cerdian.

Thinking of Cerdian just made a huge hole in her stomach. They had damaged their relationship beyond repair, and Lian wasn't sure if they could fix things this time. She wanted to...she really did. But she wasn't sure if they could.

A couple of days after she had returned home, Lian was lying on her bed, staring up and the ceiling and still mulling over everything in her head when she heard a knock on her door.

"It's open," she called from down the hall.

It was probably Tim. He called several times, and he was probably there with J'anna. Tim would ask her to go over what happened in exact detail while J'anna went through her cupboards, asking Lian if she had any real food.

Lian sat up on her bed, pulling her bathrobe on over her pajamas. She might as well make herself decent.

dc_misc:

The helicopter carrying the members of the Suicide Squad, Damien Wilson, Morgaine King, and Slade Wilson made closed in on its target. The League of Assassins Compound in the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. The helicopter bore the appearance of one the helicopters that the League used frequently, so they would be able to get in without much hassle.

The pilot informed Damien that they would be touching down in ten minutes, and the assembled group looked to him for briefing.

rightontarget:

Lian woke up in a strange place, not sure how she got there. Her mind was clouded, and her vision blurry. She went to move...but found that she couldn't.
( Warning! Contains material that might make some readers uneasy. )

headofthedemon:

(This takes place one week after these events)

Damien was experiencing deja vs as he exited the cab, tossing the wad of cash at the driver. His fever was still high, though he'd managed to successfully stumble his onto and off of a private airplane (hiding in the freezing cargo hold) and get to a cab. His stomach wound was healing, somewhat, but it still bled quite a bit when he checked it. It wasn't closing all the way, which was a problem. Grandfather had twisted the blade to make sure it didn't.

Morgaine would have taken him to a hospital and forced the doctor not to say anything.

Morgaine....

He couldn't believe she was gone.


Even in his feverish state, it takes him several seconds to pick the lock to Lian's door  (gods, he hoped this was her door) and get inside. The apartment is empty. He's managed to catch her while she was out. He closes the door and locks it, then walks over to her couch, where he passes out again.

This time, he would make sure his wife came home with him.
 

redarrowmia:

After much making out in the middle of the battlefield, followed by a night of intense passion back at their apartment (God, she'd missed being alive, not to mention Zach), Mia woke up early the following moment after her return from the grave and made her way to Star City General Hospital. Alive again or not, she was probably still HIV positive and would need to get back on her strict regimen of medication.

There was a lot of explaining to the doctors why someone who had been legally dead for the past few months was suddenly alive and kicking like nothing had happened. Mia filed out some forms for insurance, and then went through a series of various tests to see if everything was in order.

A couple of hours after her tests, the doctor came back into the room, a truly astounded look on his face as he stared at Mia's charts.

"Ms. Dearden, there were some...unusual results in your tests. We'd like to keep you under observation for a few days."

Mia nodded, wondering what could have possibly happened. Had something happened when she came back to trigger her HIV into full-blown AIDS? She didn't want to think about it.
( A few days later )

rightontarget:

Lian had been given the okay by Tim to return to Star City. Rather than going to the remains of Outsiders Headquarters, Lian went back to her apartment building, surprised to find the damage done to it repaired.

"I guess I really am getting my money's worth on this lease," she said to herself as she entered the building. She threw down her phone and keys, making her way straight to her bedroom, collapsing on her bed. She shut her eyes, trying to get some sleep.

She maybe only started to drift off when she heard a knock on the door. Grumbling a little, Lian rose from the bed, making her way to the door.

She opened the peephole, checking to see who was on the other side.

She couldn't believe her eyes.

Lian threw open the door, throwing her arms around the person on the other side.

"Daddy!"

rightontarget:

While Lian wasn't exactly in the mood for celebrating (not that she was throwing a huge party or anything, anyway), she wasn't going to let Joey's birthday go by unnoticed. Besides, she wanted something to take her mind off of things, and this certainly would do it for at least a little while.

While Joey had never told her his birthday, she had ways of finding these things out.

Lian brought Joey a case of beer and a couple of skin mags. She went to go find him so she could give them to him and wish him a happy birthday.

bloodred_robin:

Tim Drake has been hard at work for the last two days, rarely eating or sleeping since J'anna's death. Frank Wells was dead, so he couldn't have arranged this kind of sick surprise. Tim combed his memories for the extensive list of people who could know his identity and put something like this together. The resources necessary for this kind of psychological warfare were above and beyond those of most of his enemies, but there were a few who could still pull it off. But then it took a special kind of psycho to /want/ to do something like this at all.

 

( Read more... )

rightontarget:

Damien had gone with her to about a couple of blocks away from Outsiders HQ, leaving Lian to make the rest of the way by herself. Lian moved slowly, keeping an eye for any of the things that had attacked her and Damien.

When she got to Outsiders Headquarters, the first thing she noticed when she walked into the building was that it looked like it had seen a beating. A pretty big beating. Also, she had to hold to something to keep from wobbling and falling over.

"Anyone here?" She called out. "Cal? You around?" She normally was.

headofthedemon:

Morgaine, to put it simply, was going to kill him. So would James.

His only advantage would be that his doppelganger would quite likely die first, when they realized that Damien had slipped away from them at some point.

For the first time in his life, Damien Wilson flew on a /commercial/ plane in /coach/. His mother would have a fit over that alone, but this mission was of the utmost importance. He did rented a car under an assumed name at Star City International airport and then drove through the streets to his destination. Damn, he hated American traffic laws. Passing by Outsiders HQ was surreal, knowing that any of them could be on the streets at any time. If they found him, they would probably see fit to kill him for the wounds he'd inflicted months ago.

( Read more... )
He waits inside for her to return, hoping that she is still well.

the_element_son:

Outsiders HQ


Joey was sitting on the couch (feet up on the table, of course) in the Outsiders' living room, watching TV and drinking a beer.  All together, it had been a pretty good day.  Slept until noon, Baywatch rerun marathon on the tube, fresh jalapeno dip from the fridge, new bag of potato chips, and all the beer he could drink.

His cell phone went off and the caller ID told him it was his mother.  He flipped it open, muting the TV.  "Hey, Mom.  What's up?"

If he still had anything like blood, it probably would have gone cold right then.  "Dead?  You're sure?"

"No, look, Mom, I didn't mean it like..."

"Yeah, okay.  I'll be home soon.  Just hold on until then."

"Love you, too."

He flipped it closed, looked at the beer bottle in his other hand and frowned.  With a grunt, he threw it against the wall, where it shattered.

dc_misc:

Reporters lined up outside of the Gotham City Police Station, filming the transport of the Artist's body from the police station into a van.  The police officers were all grumbling about being caught off guard by the assault on their station.  The, finally, the Chief of Police stood up on his podium and made his broadcast announcement.

"Robert Franklin 'Frank' Wells, otherwise known as The Artist, was murdered last night in his cell.  He was recently brought in for a string of murders of multiple women, including the local crime fighter, Red Arrow.  We have identified the culprit of this murder.  He has strong ties to the Red Arrow and has been recently seen in Gotham.  The man who murdered Robert Wells is none other than the Green Arrow." 

The Chief of Police took that moment to hold up the large bag containing a bloodied green arrow, taken from the Artist's forehead.

"The Green Arrow is now a wanted criminal.  All who see him are advised to call the police so he can be brought in for his crime."

The cameras were turned away from the Chief of Police then, and each reporter put their own shocked responses and questions to the tail ends of their reports.  The news filled the television screens all across the United States.  Word was out on the Green Arrow.

dc_misc:

The information has been coming in from around the world since 1:00 am EST. Each news outlet tells the story in a slightly different fashion, but the facts remain the same: at some time after 12:00am, planes on five continents fell from the sky, cars slammed into each other in traffic and regular people going about their every business simply fell over unconscious for no discernible reason.

"This is Austin Davis for the Daily Planet. The only word that can adequately describe what has happened is "catastrophe". Information is still coming in at this time, but it seems that most of Earth's inhabitants seemed to lose consciouness for exactly two minutes. In that time, planes,c cars and buses crashed, pedestrians were hit where they lay, and the world fell into chaos. Even now, the death toll is nearing the double digits and still climbing.

Stranger still is that the survivors, this reporter included, all report having a lucid dream of some kind during their black-out. Few dreams were alike, but one common thread unites them all; each person spoken to thus far believes they saw a relative or friend or lover who passed away some time ago returning to speak with them and offer advice. Many are shaken and unable to understand the meaning of these visions or why they were given.

The heroic community has leaped into action valiantly, aiding in relief efforts, but many are asking if the heroes knew about it in advance. Moreover, may are asking why America remained unaffected by the blackout. Thus far, no portion of the United States has reported any crashes or loss of life due to the blackout. We will bring you more on this story as it develops.

Austin Davis for the Daily Planet, London." 

dc_holiday:

The beginning of a New Year, a time for new hopes, new experiences to come. A time to reflect on times past, remembering fond memories happily and trying to put less pleasant thoughts and experiences in the past.

It is a time of renewal, a time of rebirth. And for much of the world, it is a time of celebration. This is no less true for the super hero set as anyone else. If anything, they just have that much bigger of things to look forward to.

dc_holiday:

There's a piece of paper and a pen attached to a bulletin board. Across the top is written:

New Year's Resolutions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
+

Anonymous entries accepted.

dc_baddie:

Robo-Santa had escaped control of the rogue government agency that had created him with a ton of weapons and his naughty meter that could detect who had been naughty or nice.

Flying on his sleigh lead by robo-reindeer he drops Molotov-Eggnog on down on to Star City as he falls the Naughty meter to the Outsiders headquarters.

Blowing open the main doors to the building he cries out, "Ho Ho Ho. You have all been very naughty."

greengenes:

Mickey had roped off the living room in the JSA Brownstone for the afternoon. She had spent the entire morning getting the food ready and setting up. She had sent out invites to the JLA, Titans (both East and West Coast), Shadowpact, Outsiders, Birds of Prey, and of course, the JSA girls. She had also invited Cindy in case she wanted to come, and Angie, as she was basically a JSA brat herself. Mikey had built her a projection bot, and security bot that would alert her if any of the boys thought to try and see what the girls were up to.

Mickey finished setting up the projector. She had pictures of all the guys from the various teams that she had managed to get to her hands on. She made sure that there would be enough food and drinks for everyone, and waited for people to start arriving.

dc_baddie:

"Well, well, well... Brion Markov, you have a bastard daughter. Who would have guessed, right?"

Frederick chuckled as he paced back and forth. Behind the plate glass window, locked in a shuttle, were Calypso and Brion Markov. Frederick took the time out of his day to mock them from the control center. He had figured out the relation between the two heroes some time ago, and it was a point of pride for Frderick that Brion hadn't known until just that moment.

"And now that the two of you are helpless, I'm going to make sure you really leave this world. My mother was the one that gave Geo-Force his powers, Brion. I know exactly how to kill you, and your daughter. Oh, how I anticipate your dying words. What kind of touching moment will it be?"

He cut off the transmission for the moment and cackled. Then he checked in his new motley crew of Geo-Force mock-ups.

rightontarget:

Lian had found a charm in Cerdian's pocket when he died, along with a letter. In the letter, Cerdian explained that breaking the charm in her father's hospital room would help with him with his recovery, but he was a little fuzzy on the details.

Lian certainly wasn't going to turn down anything to help her dad. And she trusted Cerdian enough to know that it would work.

Lian stood in her father's room, one hand holding his, the other holding the charm that Cerdian gave her. She repeated the instructions that he gave her, hoping that it worked.

"Dad...if you can hear me, squeeze my hand. Just once."

questionthis:

Max was in costume doing a little decorating around the Outsiders Base for Christmas. He still didn't trust any of them enough to tell them who he really was and had been careful to make sure that even Red Robin couldn't figure it out.

Max really liked Christmas and figured a few decorations  would be nice around the base. Currently Max stringing up a few lights in the rec room humming Christmas songs to himself.

dc_holiday:

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." JFK

In America today is a day for being thankful for the things in people's lives. Today was a day to celebrate family, friends, prosperity and health with food, family and friends. It is a time to reflect on what is important us and to recognize the gratitude we hold for having those things in our lives.

rightontarget:

Takes place before Calypso leaves.

Lian surveyed the damage done to the Outsiders' base. While the place wasn't exactly in ruins, it didn't look like her apartment after she'd torn it apart looking for something she'd misplaced, either. Shards of broken glass here, a burnt table there.

She sighed. It was all replaceable. She could make a couple of calls and get everything fixed.

But she couldn't stay. She'd made a huge mistake, in going off undercover in the League on her own, without telling anyone. Yes, the team knew that she had been undercover, her and Tim made pretty damn sure to fill them in on that little detail when they briefed them on the League, but they didn't know the whole story. About her and Damien.

It was her fault that this had happened. Her fault that the League attacked.

Her fault that her best friend was dead.

She couldn't allow herself to put her teammates at risk like that again. She'd gather her things, make sure that arrangements for repairs were made, and then she'd leave, and they'd never have to see her again.

dc_misc:

"Coming to you live from the capitol city of Markovia is Darlene Johnson, of Channel 13 News. The deaths of Iona Markov, the Queen of Markovia, and her son, Gregor Jr., crowned prince of Markovia, has put the country in a state of anarchy.

"It appears that a group of men dressed like the hero Geo-Force have been patrolling the streets, causing more chaos and killing many people.

"And who is the one responsible for all of this chaos? Brion Markov, ex-Regent of Markovia. He was captured earlier, but has since escaped and his whereabouts are unknown at present.

"This is Darlene Johns- AAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

The TV screen went black and white with fuzz, and then switched to the anchors sitting in their seats, in shock with fear at the last image shown on the screen; a stream of lava dousing Darlene and the camera crew.

demonchild:

It was going to be a dark day in Star City.

Or at least, it was going to be a dark day for those that dared to tangle with the League of Assassins.

The plan was set in motion, and the League was on the move.

They each had their mission. Vesper had already done his part and freed Bane from where they had been holding him. The guards at the Super-Max were currently keeping their hands full with a full-prison riot. It had been discovered that Slade Wilson was no longer at the prison, having been broken out by a team of individuals sometime previous, though that was neither here nor there.

Getting a location for where Red Robin and his allies would be was difficult, but the Informant wasn't just your everyday run-of-the-mill hacker, she was one of the best.

And now, Morgaine, along with her brother's decoy and the rest of the League, were in a helicopter headed straight towards Outsider's headquarters.

"The plan is simple," Morgaine said, briefing her team for a final time before they began their attack. "While the Demon's Head has instructed us to kill anyone that stands in our way, we are merely providing a distraction while he rescues his Lady from her imprisonment. Do not hesitate do deliver a killing strike, but wiping out the entire team is not required of us at this time. We will keep them busy until the Demon's Head informs us that he has Lian, and then we will make our getaway.

Understood?"

A chorus of yeses arose from the team, and Morgaine nodded. "Excellent. We will be approaching the target shortly."

When the helicopter was in within range of the Outsiders headquarters, a rocket was fired at one of the windows. Not one to bring the entire place to the ground, but it would definitely set the alarms off, at the very least.

The team reached the drop off point, and the League of Assassins came in through the blown-out window. Morgaine pulled out both of her swords, a bloodthirsty grin crossing her face.

"Knock-knock."

violettidemage:

Cerdian arrives at the safehouse and speaks to J'anna for a bit as they wait for Lian to arrive. He's nervous about seeing his best friend again after all this time, especially now that he knows his days in this world are coming to an end. He still needs to talk to J'anna, too, but he told her to go back to Tim for whatever time they had before things got too crazy.

Everyone deserved to spend their last moments with the person they loved most in all the world.

When Mia and Lian arrive, Cerdian is dozing lightly on J'anna's couch. He awakens immediately and smiles at both women, but his eyes immediately go to Lian.

"Hi." he says, smiling at her. "Long time no see."

bloodred_robin:

Red Robin has been watching the Dobrev Cartel's movements for the last week, since he decoded some of the information he procured from the Shadow Broker's pawn. The Dobreva's are aiding Mexican Cartels in getting weapons and drugs into the United States. Shutting them down would mean crippling a major source of income for these people. He'd already contacted Detective Falconeri of the Star City Police Department to give him the names for the warrants he should obtain as well as informing him of where the S.W.A.T. team needed to be.

Two hours before their team goes hot, Red Robin is in the Triangle, infiltraiting the building and shutting down their communications. He'll do this alone, despite the forces he can bring to bear, because he needs to know that he can still operate on  his own.

Creeping along silently, Tim sneaks up behind the next guard and locks him in a sleeper hold, dragging him into an abandoned apartment nearby and setting him down. As soon as his struggle stops, Tim sneaks out of the apartment and into the stairwell.

So far, so good.

rightontarget:

To say that Lian's flight to Star City had been unpleasant was a bit of an understatement. No, there wasn't any turbulence or natural disasters that made the flight unpleasant, but the fact that she had to run to the bathroom more than she bargained on or the that she felt that her stomach was going to turn inside out that made it awful for her.

And Lian didn't get airsick. Ever.

When she arrived at her hotel, Lian was so tired, she collapsed right into bed.

Only to wake up the next morning to sprint into the bathroom to throw up.
( Read more... )

rightontarget:

Lian had been in the workout room when Damien called her, saying that he had something important to show her.

After jumping in the shower and changing quickly, she made her way to the lab where he asked her to meet him.

rightontarget:

Lian made her way to where she was to meet Damien to take the private jet to the opera in Dubai. For someone who normally didn't care what she looked like, Lian had certainly put in a lot of time and effort making sure that she'd looked Just Right. Her hair was in an updo, with a few curled strands out in front. She hadn't painted herself, but she'd put on more makeup than she normally did. She wore a long black dress, just nice enough for the occasion.

It was all a part of the mission. Him being a good kisser was just an extra bonus.

She entered where she was supposed to meet him.

She smiled at him, walking over to him.

headofthedemon:

Edge City was home to one of the few Wayne Enterprises technical depots in the American Northwest,  and Damien knew that the Grand Design would need parts of the best quality for maximum output. The machine is nearly completed, but so much remained to be done. Tonight, he would kill two birds with one stone.

He would obtain the parts needed for the machine and test the loyalty of the League of Assassins' newest member. Lian Harper had made herself indispensable to him over the past week, but Damien was still wary of her. Morgaine still advocated murdering her (in her sleep was Morgaine's favorite suggestion), but Damien could not yet drop the hammer.

He hoped that Lian would prove up to tonight's task and handed her the binoculars so that she could see the their target from the top of the cliffs several miles above the facility. The pair of them, along with seven others, would rappel down the cliffside and into the valley to infiltrate the building.

"Once we have procured our items, we will exit the building and head for the chopper. It will be here on time. We will spare no civilians who stand in our way. Do you understand our mission, Lian?" Damien asks his Head of Security.

rightontarget:

It had taken Lian a few days to get there, but she'd made it to the League of Assassins headquarters. Several flights later, after staying in a cheap hotel, she'd made the trek through the Arabian desert, traveling light, taking only her bow and knives, but carrying just enough food and water to where she wouldn't starve to death or die of thirst.

That and the headquarters for the League of Assassins, wasn't exactly the easy place to find. You had to know where to look.

Luckily, there's a perk in having a parent for a member.

Lian made her way to the entrance, making sure to stay hidden.

rightontarget:

Lian had been giving this some thought. Ever since she'd discovered that her mother was alive.

Cheshire needed to be stopped. While Cheshire was her mother, and yes, Lian did love her, and knew that her mother loved her in her own way, she couldn't just let her keep killing people.

She had to find. Had to make sure that she stopped her for good. While she wouldn't kill her own mother, she could at least make sure that she was put away somewhere where she WOULDN'T escape this time.

This was something she had to do on her own. As much as she trusted her new team, it was something she had to do with no help.

Besides, where she was going...she couldn't take her team. Hell, she couldn't even take her costume. Jade Arrow had to be left behind, and Lian had to become someone else.

Grabbing her bow and throwing knives, she left a note for the Outsiders.

Hey all,

I have to go away for awhile. I have family things that need to be taken care of, and I don't know how long it's going to take me. J'anna, you and Red Robin are in charge until I get back.

-Lian

Lian left the note taped to the fridge and left the building. She had a plane to catch.

rightontarget:

Lian had called in a favor to Uncle Ollie after her and the others had driven off her mother. Since she HAD saved his life (and the lives of his board members), not to mention that she may have dropped that she was starting a team and needed someplace for them to meet that WASN'T a rooftop, Ollie had given the Outsiders an old warehouse that he was no longer using for Queen Industries. Not to mention that she'd called a couple favors in with her "aunts and uncles".

So in other words- the Outsiders had one TRICKED OUT HQ.

Uncle Vic supplied the security system. Which meant that no one could really break in without them knowing...and without feeling really stupid about even THINKING to break in.

Dad had called in a couple of favors with the JLA and gotten them a fully stocked workout room, capable of catering to the team's various needs.

Uncle Ollie provided the means to refurbish the warehouse to include a kitchen, lounge (complete with a nice home theater system), and bedrooms in case anyone needed to crash overnight. While she didn't expect anyone to move in, as several of them (including her) had lives outside of the team, they at least had a place to stay if they needed it.

Lian wasn't wearing her costume. She'd told the team who she was. Her mask wasn't needed here. She'd commed them earlier and told them that the new headquarters was all set and the Outsiders were go.

Lian poured herself a glass of water and made her way into the lounge area.

rightontarget:

bendytimed to the night after Cheshire fled Gotham

Lian, J'anna, and Calypso were at Queen Industries on stakeout. Or rather, on the rooftop across from Queen Industries, that is. Lian pulled out her night-vision goggles, as they waited for Red Robin to meet up with them. Lian had alerted him earlier on the comms that they were going on stakeout tonight.

She'd gotten in some more information about who they were looking for. From what she could gather, they were based from out of Gotham City, or somewhere near that area. Also, from what she'd picked up, they had added someone else to their roster. Someone who's methods were more...lethal than the rest of the group's. Lian had a sinking feeling of it could possibly be, but that was a big, fat, if. After all...she was dead, right?

"He should be here soon," Lian said, her eyes still focused on the building's windows as she looked for any unusual activity. "Keep an eye out. Then, we'll take it from there."

rightontarget:

Jade Arrow made her way over Star City's rooftops, Calypso and J'anna at her side. She'd been helping Cal settle into Star City and hero life, and had brought J'anna along on patrol with her that evening so Calypso could meet another superhero their age.

Also, she needed backup with her this evening.

Someone had broken into Queen Industries the other night and stolen some important tech. And from what Lian had gathered when she investigated earlier she was able to figure out a couple of clues- one, it was a group that had broken in last night. And two, they hadn't gotten everything that they wanted. From what the security guards had told her as well, they had never seen any villains like these in Star City ever before last night.

Lian took a moment to pause over on the rooftop.

"Okay," she said, turning to Calypso and J'anna, "Let's go over what we know again."

dc_holiday:

Mothers are the place that we call home.
On them we rest our heads and close our eyes.
There's no one else who grants the same soft peace,
Happiness, contentment, sweet release,
Erasing nighttime tears with lullabies,
Restoring the bright sun that makes us bloom. - Anonymous

deadlyhemlock:

From the green, the kid's unseen adversary silently watches the assembled heroes.  He wasn't expecting any of them to be able to come at him through the green, let alone turn into a giant Dinosaur.  It's a fascinating turn of events, and he has every intention of sitting back and watching safely.

dc_eldritch:

No one in the world on this night escapes it. They find themselves wanting to just curl up for a few minutes for some sleep. Weather it is just a nap or actually going to bed they find themselves sleeping. They do not get to sleep well. Screams of hosts long since dead haunt them and many of the dreamers find themselves herded up like cattle by strangers in heavy robes carrying pitch forks and guns.

"Where are we going," a man asks.

One of the robed men speaks. "To see our lord. You do not know the way. We shall guide you."

A child cries that she wants her mommy as they are separated. A man is shot for trying to run away and the smell of something burning fills the air.

The world is on fire and no one can escape it. They must go with the strangers to see their lord.

The dreamers are brought to a boat that goes across a sea of blood and gore. They find themselves marched across an island and they enter a tall nd terrible temple. When they try to really look at it a few go mad and start to gibber nonsense as their hair turns white and their skin wrinkles and shrivels up. They are suddenly very old.

The chanting is heard as the dreamers enter the temple.

"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn," the terrible chant is burned into the minds of people who are truly insane. People who are blessed or cursed with knowledge of the magical world find themselves puking both in the dreaming and the real world. For reasons they can not explain in the dreaming world they know that this place is terrible.

And then they are brought into the main chamber of the temple. A scream goes out as a great clawed hand comes down and begins to grab people by the dozens and brings them into the mouth of a terrible creature. The people who are eaten are lucky if anyone who can be called that. They wake up.

The are not so lucky. They think they are awake. They think are safe. But there are things lurking in the darkness of their dream world, waiting.

deadlyhemlock:

The light of the fire is the only illumination in an otherwise pitch black canopied forest.  The sky above is so filled with stars as to appear ready to burst;  as if hanging just one more light in the sky would make the whole thing come crashing down.  All the familiar aural ambiance is gone, with the noise of cars and plane engines replaced by the much more agreeable hooting of the owl and the crackle of the fire.

An unfamiliar pair of eyes shifts its gaze between the campers, as an invisible and distant watcher takes a moment to observe unseen...

lantern_kid:

There's a flash of green light, and the heroes arrive abruptly.

"Go!" the Green Lantern declares.

roy_harper:

Roy's checked the brakes, and the tires, and the spare tire on the vehicle. He made sure all the packs had basic medical kits, that the tents were really good tents, and the flashlights were all new, with batteries to spare. He's made Lian go over the lists of essentials twice, and he's lost count of how many times he's lectured her about being in charge, and the responsibility that goes with it.

Because it's making him feel like Ollie, he'll be done now. Really. There's no more he could possibly check with her.

"You have the numbers to all the local ranger stations and the hospital, right?"