𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐫
𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟒, 𝟏𝟐:𝟐𝟓 𝐞𝐝𝐭
𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 Lily helped M'gann put together her photo book, Billy helped Conner clean some of the parts for Conner's job repairing bikes, and Lucas read a book before sighing at Brion's behavior.
"Some people just don't know how to enjoy a summer afternoon." He stated, not looking away from the pages.
Billy just hummed in response, Lily noticing how concentrated he was. She smiled as she picked up a picture of the two of them on the first Christmas Lily spent with the team.
He was putting a Santa hat on her head as he looked at the camera with a smile, Lily looking up at the hat with a surprised look. She laughed a little before putting it on one of the pages, M'gann looking to her as she did.
MM: These past few years have changed us a lot. It makes me happy that we've both found someone to love and cherish.
L: Yeah. It makes me happy too.
She looked over at Billy with a loving smile. He noticed her gaze, returning the action. But Brion walking over to them caught his attention.
"Where's Grayson? I've been ready to depart for hours." A sudden boomtube opened up, Bear walking through as he started speaking in an alien language.
"Uh..." He cleared his throat as the Motherbox chimed, "There, there that's better. Hail, Earthlings! New Genesphere! Wolf! Superboy! And Lily! My, you have grown a lot since The Forever People last saw you."
"You mean eight years ago?" She asked with a smile.
"Exactly!" Bear pulled Conner in for a tight hug, Conner laughing as he did so.
"It's good to see you too, Bear. Uh, this is Lucas. And Brion. This is Lily's fiancée, Billy. And you remember my fiancée, Megan." Conner introduced.
"She is to be your mate! And he is to be yours?" Bear asked as he turned to Lily, who gave him a nod, "A cause for celebration! If only we had time. But there is trouble on New Genesis and much to explain."
"I can help, if you like." M'gann suggested, putting a hand to her head, establishing the mind link.
B: Ah, a mental link! You have made an excellent choice in life-mates.
SB: I know.
B: Dreamer and I- Well, no. Another time. For now, there's this. The Forever People have been investigating reports of violence between the land-dwelling Bugs and the New Gods of Supertown. Tales of betrayal and strange monsters attacking from on high. But Motherbox detected no monsters. Only traces of Earth-Human DNA.
"Could be kids from the shipment that Boomtubed away from Markovia." Conner suggested.
"Was it female DNA?" Brion asked him.
"No. But you can see why New Genesis requires your Earthling expertise. We should go as soon as possible." M'gann switched to her Martian form as Bear spoke.
"I can bring the whole team along."
"Wondrous! Will Wolf join us too?" Bear asked excitedly as he looked to the snoring animal.
"He'll, uh, sit this one out."
"Uh, can you give us a second?" Conner asked Bear.
"Take several!" Bear turned to Lily with a hopeful look, "And will you and your fiancée be joining us, Lily?"
"I don't think-"
"Sure! At least, I will." Billy spoke up as he looked over to Lily with an excited smile.
"And you are one hundred percent sure there aren't any restrictions that don't allow you to go?" She asked with a serious look.
"Yep. Nothing preventing us from going off world and I think halfway across the galaxy is out of Luthor's jurisdiction." He joked.
"Okay." Brion was about to say something to Lily, but she cut him off, "I know, Dick and the others are on their way. But you guys will do fine without me, he can just catch me up when I get back. And this is a potential lead to the Markovian kids."
"Exactly. And we get to go on the mission together. What's a better way to spend time with your fiancée than..." Billy trailed off.
"On the field kicking ass." Lily finished his sentence with an excited smile.
"Hah. You two are made for each other." Bear told them.
"We know." The two replied in unison as M'gann walked up to them.
"Conner's needed here. Hope you're okay with me instead." She explained simply.
"As long as I have an Earthling's help, all is well."
"Actually, I'm not... Uh, never mind. You'll have plenty."
✾✾✾
"That is a lot of Earthlings!" Bear said in surprise as he looked at the team. Static, Thirteen, Blue Beetle, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl, "Motherbox, let's be on our way!"
"Uh, wait. Billy, don't you wanna..." Lily trailed off as she gave him a questioning look.
"Oh, right. Shazam!" Lightning struck him as he still stood in his place, instead as Captain Marvel, "Okay. Now, let's go."
"Excellent!" The motherbox pinged, the Boomtube opening up as it did.
"Guess you'll be studying those space physics up close, amigo." Kid elbowed Blue as they walked through the portal.
"Who uses Boomtubes for the physics?"
Lily jumped down onto the ground of New Genesis, though Bear was laying on it with his face covered in dirt.
"Motherbox! Why-" He was interrupted by a ping, "Magical bad luck?"
"Sorry! I got excited. Lost control." Thirteen spoke up with a sheepish smile.
"Don't blame you. This is so crash! We are on a mission in space!" Kid replied to her excitedly.
"Just like the Justice League!" Wondergirl added, Lily noticed a flustered look on Billy's face as Bear laughed.
"You Earthlings are considerably more enthusiastic than Superboy." Lily letting out a laugh at his comment.
✾✾✾
"This is where the Forager Bug said they encountered the monsters. Can you sense any past Earthlings activity?" Bear asked them.
"It doesn't really work like that." M'gann told him.
"It's so moded Robin's not here for the whole detective thing. He'd pick up on all the clues." Kid complained just off the platform.
"Fewer than you'd think." Cass said with a scoff.
"Tell me about it. Super-hearing, super-sight, super-oblivious."
"Oh, so boys are bad. Got it." Static stated sarcastically.
"Virgil, do any girl you date a favor and ask Billy for relationship advice. You'll thank me later." She told him as she put her hands on his shoulders.
"Sounds promising enough to me." He said with a shrug, but as soon as he finished talking there was a growl as one of the bugs started to attack them, "Uh, how you feel about giant bugs?"
"Stop! Stop!" A voice yelled. A smaller, orange bug stopped the large green one from attacking.
"Why does Forager protect the enemy?" The green bug asked as he took off his helmet.
"Forager asked the New God Bear to come. To help."
"The hive has no need of New Gods!"
"Guess not everyone at the party wanted us here." Lily muttered to Billy who gave her a nod in reply.
"Bear is likely friend to Orion!"
"I am friend to Orion. But the Orion you met was an imposter. The real Orion is away from New Genesis."
"Of course a New God would say that to protect another New God."
"Uh, yeah this is gonna be a rough ride." Lily said with a sigh.
✾✾✾
MM: I'm linking us all psychically. When this "Orion" gets here we can communicate without him knowing.
M: And pay the New God back for New God treachery.
B: He wasn't a real New God!
Orion descended from the ship, two meta-humans behind him as he made his way towards the bugs.
S: Is that human? And his pet monsters?
MM: Meta-humans, not monsters. Wearing control devices.
"What have you charkin brought for me today?" Orion asked them, he almost sounded disappointed.
"The hive has collected food for Orion." Mantis explained as he gestured towards the crates.
"Do I look like I eat bug food? Surely you have something of value."
"Hive has battle-gear."
"Oh, please. Your pathetic attempt to mimic New God armor is laughable." Orion mocked them.
MM: I'm sensing a psychic wave. This 'Orion' is using telepathy to intentionally fan the flames of the Bugs' anger. There's something familiar about his mind-touch...
M'gann shifted to her Martian form. Lily looking in surprise, she hadn't taken that form it felt like since their first year at the cave.
WG: What? What is she doing?
S: No idea.
L: M'gann.
"Explain yourself, 'Orion.'" Orion flew away, the meta-humans following behind.
MM: Team. Stay put.
L: M'gann. M'gann!
BLB: Uh, but the mission? Miss Mar-
"She shut off the mind link." Lily told them with a frustrated sigh. They waited around for a little while, waiting for her to return.
"Okay, screw this. We're going after her." Lily told them as she came out from under the tree.
"Wait, but she said-"
"I know what she said, Static. We're going." Lily replied determinedly as Static turned to Billy.
"Uh, you gonna stop her or..."
"You kidding? I was waiting for her to say that." They ran over to where M'gann took the imposter, seeing her pinned down by the metal-humans.
"Unhand her, creature!" Bear yelled as he pushed one aside, Kid ramming himself into the other one.
"Disobeyed your orders. Sorry-not-sorry." Kid told M'gann as Lily helped her up.
"Thank you. Keep the metas busy. I have my own battle to fight." Lily looked over to the other white Martian. And she's heard of him before.
✾✾✾
"Wait, so you have like, 29 siblings on Mars and you weren't close with any of them. I refuse to believe that." The eleven-year-old Lily told her closest female friend as she crossed her arms.
"Well, I was close with my little brother, M'camm. He and I... We were the only white Martians out of all our other siblings." She seemed almost sad to admit it.
"It's okay, M'gann. You won't be judged for that here." Lily reminded her as she held onto her hands.
"Thanks, Lily."
"What are friends for?"
✾✾✾
The meta-humans went back to the small platforms they flew on, firing at the team.
"Go, go, go!" Static yelled as they all hid behind trees.
"Uh, great. The freaky scooters have fire power." Lily saw the waves of Thirteen's powers, something causing them to go off course as they crashed.
Wondergirl threw her lasso around the grey metal-human, throwing him onto the ground. But he grabbed her, lifting her up into the air.
"Hey, Handsy, let go!"
"Need some help?" Billy asked rhetorically as he pushed the metal-human out of the way, dropping Cass as he did so.
"Thanks." Lily walked over to them, using a vine to trap the meta-human against the tree, Cass giving Lily a confused look, "Since when were your vines purple?"
"Since we stepped onto a different planet. Different planet, different plants, but I still control them." She replied with a proud look as she crossed her arms.
Kid brought the other meta-human over and leaned it on the tree, Lily tying that one up as well. M'gann turned back to her natural form, M'camm falling to the ground.
"It is over."
"Is it?" He asked her, "Your love makes you weak, sister. And easy to hurt. Failsafe Omega. Die."
"No, no!" M'gann yelled as M,camm gave the order. The two dying on command.
"No, no, no, no." Lily covered her mouth as Billy held onto her.
"This is your fault little bug. I see in your mind you brought them here. If I see you again, I'll crush you like the pest you are." M'camm density shifted through the ground, leaving the others behind. M'gann fell to the ground, Lily walking over to her as she put a hand on her shoulder.
"Forager is a race traitor." Mantis said angrily as he pushed Forager aside, "Forager has no place in the hive."
"This isn't Forager's fault." M'gann told him, standing back up, "Please understand, that was never Orion. It was a Martian, feeding your hate, trying to start a war between the Bugs and the New Gods."
"Lies! New Gods want Bugs dead!"
"No. The Martian was manipulating you psychically."
"This Martian is manipulating Mantis psychically! Hive will not listen to Martians, Earthers, New Gods or traitors! If hive sees any of you again... Any of you! Hive will end you." Mantis walked away with the rest of the bugs.
"I'm sorry, friend Forager. But it is no longer safe for you on New Genesis. The shape-shifter could return in a new form. And clearly, you cannot return to your hive." Bear told him with sympathy.
"But, he saved my life!" Wondergirl spoke up.
"He needs witness protection or something." Blue Beetle added as Lily gave him a questioning look, "What? He does."
M'gann shape-shifted as she took Forager's hands, "You can come with us."
"Forager doesn't want to leave Forager's home."
"I know. But it's not forever. Just for now." Forager sighed at her response, Bear opening the boomtube. M'gann took the two metal-humans with her telekinesis before flying in. Billy picked up Lily as they flew through, leaving New Genesis behind.
✾✾✾