veryperceptive:

It's early in the morning, before even Michelle gets up, when GK carefully lets himself in. And it's Michelle he starts with, because if he starts with Zoe, she might, actually, pull a gun on him.

So she'll have the chance to hear it from the other room as he brings her Mom a candle-lit tray of food.
"Good morning! Happy Saint Lucy's Day. Now technically, the tradition is that the youngest of the family makes everybody breakfast in bed with saffron buns, but even if she's got two weeks on me there, I think we can all get behind the idea that Zoe should not bake."

veryperceptive:

In a step up from nagging state legislatures, Uncle Jed was going to testify before a U.S. Senate committee. This had become a Walker family trip. Walker family trips now included the Torres family. As much as he loved Mom and Grandma, it was a relief to get a bit of breathing space again, with the perfectly reasonable explanation of dinner with a fellow makeup artist. He'd talked to Pippi one or two times since they'd met in passing. The last had been right after his breakup, and when he'd mentioned he'd be in town, she seemed game for dinner. So here they were, in a nice restaurant,as he smiled appreciatively at Zoe for coming along, in the outfit he'd suggested. "I hear the food here is great. And it'll be a while without Grandma asking us if we've met any nice guys."

veryperceptive:

His apartment was impeccably neat again. No laundry on the floor. No constant risk of damage to the dollhouse. No piglet accidentally knocked places. No having to constantly check for the smell of alcohol.

GK was single again. And he knew it was better this way, that GK hadn't been able to help him and he was better off going home, but that didn't make it easier.

...the sound the flat of his blade made as it hit an assailant while he got the other with the stick-sheath made it just a little easier.

zoe_torres:

So...no sleep.

Zoe couldn't keep her brain from mulling over the old man hanging around the Triangle, or the preppy kid wandering in for no apparently /good/ reason, and it was not letting her sleep. The longer she couldn't sleep, the angrier she grew until she was out in the night looking for something.

Which would be the reason she was at GK's door. If he was with the boyfriend, oh well. No one ever said that being her friend was easy.

veryperceptive:

The turnovers at this diner were still delicious. Not, of course, Uncle Jed's level of deliciousness, but delicious. He and Zoe were, for once, actually talking about academics on one of their 'study sessions,' because, well, broad daylight. Less chance to break out the stick and whatever Zoe wanted to practice her markswomanship with.

veryperceptive:

Nothing wrong with New Jersey, GK figured. Mom had been born there and all. She didn't have the nicest things to say about Gotham, but that was mostly because of the way Aunt Judy died. But the Walker clan would never, ever say no to a child welfare charity function. So here they were. Uncle Jed even had some of his stuff up for auction, both from his Shots of Gotham collection and some African Safari stuff for reasons of Uncle Jed.

dc_holiday:

It was the season of joy and togetherness and this year faces that had been missing last year had returned. It was a time to celebrate and a time to enjoy the company of friends and loved ones. Decorations and lights gave the atmosphere a festive spirit and the Outsiders would come together to celebrate.

veryperceptive:

GK Walker had a list.

He went out on his Volunteer Work nights with the world's greatest pitcher/markswoman.
His beautiful disaster of a boyfriend had wings and a magic sword.
He once went on half a date with a charming transubstantiator hero brat.
His uncle knew this telepathic gorilla.

Can you say Citywide Vigilante Club, boys and girls?

Zoe was the place to start, of course.

"So," he said as they rendezvoused for the evening. "I have this idea."

yourkingismine:

Angela Holt took a deep breath and made certain that she was speaking English when she opened her mouth to speak into the phone again.

( Read more... )

 

veryperceptive:

GK was nervous. They had of brushed against the subject before, but now...well, he didn't want to wait anymore. "So, Eli.... are you okay with getting lunch with Zoe?"

zoe_torres:

Zoe dropped down in a space next to GK on the roof. "What would you say if somebody offered you something you really wanted and all you had to do in return was a job here and there and it paid pretty good?"

veryperceptive:

"Yes, Ma'am, Ms. Torres. I will put her on the phone as soon as she finishes eating. Pain perdu, Ma'am. Cage-free eggs, real butter, and with a touch of cinnamon. Did you two go see the cliffs? Awesome tides, right? Okay, yes, Ma'am, here she is." GK handed her Zoe the phone as he served his own plate.

zoe_torres:

Her aim was instinctive and always perfect, but getting used to wrist mounted silencers was a different story. The roof top she practiced on was away from her usual haunts and mostly deserted. The guns were unload because she didn't want the attention. It was the cursing that was about to give her away.

It should've been easy but never having seen them used made it harder for her to make them do what she needed. Gritting her teeth, she tried again.

"!@#$%^&!"

zoe_torres:

A brown paper package was just inside the door on a side table when Zoe returned home after an afternoon at the Star City library researching old newspaper archives. It bore her name and address, but no return address and no postage stamps.

Michelle wasn't home from the office yet, so she had no audience to ask her what it was or who had sent it. Suspicious nature taking over, Zoe hid it under her bed and ignored it until late that night. She carried it up to the roof and carefully opened it under the tiny beam of a penlight.

Inside she found a locked leather case. A plain white envelope contained a key on a chain. If this was Angie's idea of giving her more guns, it was too public. Zoe's condition was that none of the Suicide Squad dealings ever touch her mother or her home life. She didn't think Angela was so careless when she could have called Zoe to her office for a delivery.

All thought was gone when she opened the case and found a pair of wrist mounted guns. With the new weapons were boxes of ammo. Even in the low light, she could tell they were not an off-the-rack item. They were sized to fit her and she had an idea they would feel natural in her hands. Someone had gone to the trouble of arming her with a specially made item of the sort she wouldn't have thought to ask for, and provided ammunition to use them right away.

She'd talk to Angela about it tomorrow. Maybe.

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.

zoe_torres:

Zoe crouched in a shadow, watching a body climb out of a window onto a fire escape. Fire escapes out to be outlawed, she thought. What good were they to anybody minding their own business? They were practically welcome mats to thugs looking for a place to rob.

"Pay attention," she hissed at GK nearby. If she didn't know better, she'd think his mind was a million miles away and not on the job at hand. Maybe she /didn't/ know better. Last week he was moping over some guy and now he wasn't.

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.

veryperceptive:

It was Opening Day at Papp Stadium. Spring was in the air, the Star City Rockets were going up against the Central City Stars, and GK Walker was giddy.
He'd gone to meet Zoe, enough makeup on his cheek to cover the now-healing cut, and now they were walking toward the stadium. "Maybe I should get a car," he said, thinking aloud.

demonchild:

As soon as arrangements had been made, Robert and Morgaine hopped on the first plane out of Greece to Star City. Morgaine had slept most of the way, wanting to save her strength.

When they arrived in Star City, they got a car under a fake name and Morgaine drove them to Lian's apartment building.

"I should warn you," she said when they arrived, "She will most likely not be happy to see me. I will try and talk to her, but she might resort to attack."

The pair quietly made their way to Lian's apartment, and Morgaine quickly picked the lock on the door.

She couldn't believe who she saw when her and Robert entered the room.

"I thought...I thought..."

In something she rarely did, Morgaine ran to her brother, embracing him.

veryperceptive:

The zombies started coming back to life. Intact. Wow. That was.... way more awesome than anything he was hopingfor here. He vaguely remembered something like that from the papers, but he'd thought Uncle Jed was just going with a forcibly Happy Ever After as he read.

He went looking for Zoe in the mess and chaos, blood still running down his cheek.

dc_misc:

The city of Star City looked deserted. The citizens had either fled or had been turned into black lanterns. At the heart of the city was the entity known as Nekron. Nekron used the city as his base as his black lanterns ravaged the Earth.

The black lanterns increased their numbers each day and the power levels of the black lantern battery increased with each person that died.

Soon Nekron would have enough power to obliterate all life on this planet.

green_lantern:

The group of lanterns were gathered around in a circle not far from the North Pole. Larfleeze was practically bouncing that they were so close to the Fat Man's workshop and Dex swore he would punch the orange lantern just to make him stand still for longer than two seconds. They had business to attend to first and then they could talk to the Fat Man about getting Larfleeze the promised presents.

They were going to create two rings of each color to help in the fight against the Black Lanterns. They would make more, but as it was the rings were only at half power. They would have to make do with what they had until they could find a way to get to Oa and see why the rings were depowered.

Dex looked around the circle. Each color had two more rings, red had three, added to the ranks. It was time to send them out. He nodded and the newly created rings were thrown up into the air. They immediately took off and started seeking out wearers.

zoe_torres:

The file she'd gotten from Angie had been committed to memory and destroyed as instructed when Zoe returned home. Once she located the three escapees from Super-Max, she kept an eye on their comings and goings, and their contacts. With the police a rare sight in the Triangle, they were soon comfortable enough to branch out and resume their previous activities.

Zoe fully recognized she couldn't go in alone with guns blazing, although it was tempting. Her efforts up to now had all been aimed at the small fish. Big fish needed more experience than she had if she wanted to make it a permanent solution. Calling in the police wasn't an option. She didn't trust the police to do more than speed through without unlocking their doors, even if Mom was pleased with the contact her new business ally had referred to her. They came in herds or they didn't come at all.

She did think about Red Robin and asking him for help, but he was so straight. He'd want to do things by the book, but the book didn't work. These guys already had their shot at rehabilitation. She'd much rather a divine retribution story made the rounds with explosions, blood and bad guy bodies.

She took pictures, kept notes, and finally delivered her own file to Angie's office.

dc_holiday:


I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.
I arise from dreams of thee,
And a spirit in my feet
Hath led me -- who knows how?
To thy chamber window, Sweet!

The wandering airs they faint
On the dark, the silent stream--
And the Champak's odours
Like sweet thoughts in a dream;
The nightingale's complaint,
It dies upon her heart,
As I must on thine,
O belovèd as thou art!

O lift me from the grass!
I die! I faint! I fail!
Let thy love in kisses rain
On my lips and eyelids pale.
My cheek is cold and white, alas!
My heart beats loud and fast:
O press it to thine own again,
Where it will break at last!

Percy Bysshe Shelley

veryperceptive:

A new apartment on Union Ave. Intermittent part-time work at the theater downtown.

And every evening after supper, he throws on one of the specially-lined outfits he's specifically designated for Volunteer Work, paints his face, and makes his way down to the Triangle.

He still hasn't had cause to draw the blade; GK keeps dealing with people who just need to be hit with sticks. But he takes to bringing a bag along, in which to put the ammo and emptied guns he collects in these escapades.

One night he's got quite a few. "Great. What am I supposed to do with all this?"

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.

zoe_torres:

Zoe spent Christmas Eve and Day with Michelle at the local shelter helping out. Zoe helped to cook and serve a holiday meal with other volunteers, and kept the peace if anybody got out of hand. This year there was more to serve, and gifts for the children. The unexpected bounty wasn't questioned, only accepted and passed on to those who needed it.

yourkingismine:

Angela read over the reports from each member of the Squad once they'd been filed, going over each account in detail. Three of the people on the team had a head for this type of work, but it was Zoe Torres' performance and account that interested her most. Angela had gone to the trouble of recruiting three seasoned killers to give the team some punch, but Zoe was hired mostly on her pedigree, rather than her talent, which was considerable.

Zoe, however, seemed as willing and eager to participate as the others. The paycheck might have something to do with it, but Angela also sensed something else about the girl that she needed to understand before it became an issue.

So she called Zoe to a recently purchased office building in the Triangle to discuss a few things. Checkmate wanted eyes in Star City and the knight in charge would arrive in a few days. For now, the Black King wanted Angela on the ground.

She waited for Zoe to arrive as a pot of coffee boiled near her desk.
 

dc_checkmate:

Two days after her recruitment mission, Angela Holt sits inside a warehouse bunker in Star City. She pores over the maps of the Super-Max prison intently as she waits for the others to arrive. The warehouse was decent for tonight's purposes, but they needed a much better, much more secure facility. Belle Reve was an option, but that was too close to St. Roch and Angela didn't want to take the chance of going there and reopening old wounds.

When everyone arrives, Angela looks up and nods to each of them in turn.

"Thank you for coming. If you're ready to get down to work, we can get started." she says.

dc_checkmate:

Two days after a shooting in the Triangle, Angela Holt drives her Mercedes Benz to the small office in the gang-infested part of Star City. This place looks like a bigger dump than it did the last four times she's come here, but in order to get what she needed, she had to deal with Michelle Torres. Angela likes this idea as much as she likes the idea of a root canal, but if they're going to do this job, they're going to need someone who knows the lay of the land.

The other three operatives for this little shindig would get pulled together as quickly as she could manage, but starting with Floyd Lawton's kid was the easiest way to go. Only one of the remaining three would be a tough sell, if any. There wasn't a reason to think Merlyn would say no.

Getting out of the car, Angie straightens out her black pantsuit and runs a hand through her hair. She looked too much like her mother some days, minus the weight. Tucking her gun into the holster at the small of her back, Angie puts on her black coat and starts to close the car door, then stops.

"Wait, let's not be stupid." she says to herself, reaching into the glove compartment and with drawing the small sphere with an engraved "T" on the face. She sets the T-Sphere's parameters and lets it go. The little thing vanishes and Angie suddenly feels about thirty times safer than she did with just the gun. She closes the car door and then heads into the apartment building.

Approaching the door to the apartment, Angie knocks, readying the little document that substantiates her cover story.

littleladylord:

Cindy had taken the train down from Gateway to Star to have this conversation with her mother at one of Claire's many offices. She supposed it was worth the trip. It had gone... okay.
"And this isn't some kind of joke?" her mother had said. "You seriously..."
"Yes, Mom. I seriously have a girlfriend."

And then her mother had had a meeting. Again. Cindy, sighing, had started walking huffily back towards the train station when her mother had managed to put the business out of the way long enough to call her cell phone -- not to insist she come back, but to ask if this sudden abrupt love life had anything to do with her dad not paying enough attention to her.

As Cindy sighingly explained and argued and discussed and asked that things not be about her dad for moment, she made the mistake of continuing to walk while concentrating on her flustered conversation.

She walked quite a long way, in fact. Eventually, she realized this.

"Look, Mom, I'm going to have to call you back."

Cindy hoped like hell she could get a taxi out of here.