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cyclone-rachel · 5 years

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Hope Burns Bright

part 4

on AO3 here

@fairyroses @brainy-storm

Querl remembers the burning.

How his body had burned, to be precise- when he’d forced Brainiac to get out of his head, releasing a burst of energy that reached beyond his own body, and beyond Brainiac’s ship, un-digitizing everything Brainiac had taken in. And when everything- the ships, the other Legionnaires, the planets he’d stolen- was returned, the Coluans Brainiac forced into serving him were also returned, and Querl was ejected from what remained.

He was like a comet, or at least that was what he was told when he rejoined the Legionnaires on their cruiser. But he didn’t see any of it. All he knew was pain, and burning, as the inorganic parts of him fell away from his body, breaking apart like a shell. Leaving him feeling- and looking- small, vulnerable.

Human.

His new skin tingled, at first, and didn’t feel quite right on him- like he’d pulled on a mask, except now it was stuck, and he had to deal with it. But far more important than that when the burning stopped, and when he took a breath, was the guilt he felt when he looked around at his friends. He was ashamed of what he’d done, and wanted nothing more than to tell them- but at this point, would they believe him? Would they trust him again, welcome him back after seeing him in such a state?

Worse, what would Clark do? How would he react, especially after he and Kell had seen him fallen apart, helpless as Brainiac still held control over his mind?

His fears in that area, at least, were assuaged when Clark floated down, and his hand landed on Querl’s shoulder, as Querl looked at him and he gave him a soft, reassuring smile. He’d done the same before all of this, before Brainiac had gotten complete control, and the gesture, at least for a moment, reminded him that at least there was one person who understood. One person who forgave him- and if necessary, he could hold onto that until he breathed his last.

It was still difficult, adjusting. Not having a reminder of what he was in his head, not being able to do what he’d taken for granted all his life. Sometimes, he’d reach for something and forget his limbs didn’t stretch out like they used to anymore. Sometimes, he wanted to use his battle mode, but remembered he couldn’t. Sometimes, he wanted to open a door, or check on the status of the ship remotely- but he could do neither of those.

And there were the other adjustments, of course, the ones he’d predicted when it wasn’t a certainty whether or not he’d break free of Brainiac’s control. (Even though he had never quite predicted this outcome, specifically- but then again, who would have?)

Like the way his friends looked at him, now, and gave him even more space than he’d first requested. They were happy to have him back, they’d thrown him a party upon his return, but after that they had largely tried to stay out of his way, with some of them individually going into his room (in a way that he guessed they thought he might believe was a coincidence) just to make sure that he was okay.

If you really knew me, you would know I never have been okay, he thinks. I know I will survive this- but I need no help from people who don’t know what I’ve been through.

You could tell them. You could open up, about what’s happened to you…

No. I can’t.

Why not?

He realizes, at some point, that the voice arguing with him in his head- that he could see as his conscience- has become Clark’s, which is appropriate. But it only makes him miss Clark more, so whatever advice it might have for him, he wants to shove it into a box in his mind, and make sure it never leaves.

At least, for now. He can’t feel anything at this moment- he’s not going to allow himself to.

Not when dealing with the ghost of his relative, stubbornly still alive despite what he’d done.

I killed him. I killed him. He was supposed to be dead… I was proud that I’d defeated my inner demon once and for all.

He wasn’t supposed to come back.

Then, rewinding the moment in his mind, he recalls the inorganic parts of him that remained, floating in space after the burning. And the ship- there was still a part of the ship left, that originally belonged to Brainiac. There would be enough to build another of him, after Querl went home.

But also…

“This is my fault.” Querl says, out loud. He looks at Aya with wide eyes, and she stares in return.

“After I became human, I didn’t think of the inorganic debris that resulted.” He answers. “Said debris, as we can see, formed another one of us- another Brainiac.”

He addresses it, now no longer afraid to look it in the eyes.

“You are a Brainiac, aren’t you, you walking scrap heap?”

“My designation is Brainiac 6, Querl.” It says. “I am well aware of who you are. And I am not a scrap heap.”

“You sure about that?”

He’s drawing on his friends now for inspiration, specifically Garth then in his use of such a phrase. He only hopes that such bravado will not fail him, and that Aya is developing a plan while he distracts Brainiac 6.

After all, someone has to.

“I have evolved.” Brainiac 6 answers. “I am beyond you. No- I am superior.”

“What, because I’m human now?”

Brainiac 6 nods, and Querl shivers, involuntarily.

“To be fair, that was a rhetorical question.” Querl says. “But how can you say you’ve evolved when you look like a palette-swapped version of me?”

“You will see.”

He did, mostly- Brainiac 6 had what looked like a black bodysuit with green armor covering his head and the top halves of his torso and arms. Black gauntlets with red circles and silver outlines covered the lower halves of his arms, and the red circles marked his shoulders and the middle of his chest as well, making it appear like his family’s symbol. The symbol was repeated on his head, and there were two more red circles over where his ears would be on his helmet. His skin was purple, and his eyes were bright green- but he was still unmistakably a Brainiac. Still his family.

Still a sign that his family hadn’t truly evolved at all, despite what he’d done to prove the opposite.

(Is he my son? Querl thought, idly. Do I consider him my creation? Or is he just a product of my spare parts that I had no use for after destroying Brainiac 1.0, and thus not worth claiming as my own at all because those parts are no longer mine?

The answer was clear to him, moments later.

It does not matter if you think he’s your son or not. In any case, he won’t consider you his father.

Which, of course, gave him all the permission he needed to do what was necessary, if indeed it was. (Knowing his family… he knew it was more likely than not. But that was getting too far ahead of himself- first he would have to win. And this time, he would make sure nothing else came of his remains)

(Clark wouldn’t kill him. But then again, Clark isn’t here- and he doesn’t remember what I went through anymore.)

“Yes, that is what they all say.” Querl answers. “And by the way, being human was the best thing that ever happened to me- and I became that way long before my true physical transformation.”

“Very well.” Brainiac 6 says. “You choose to live as a human? You will die as one of them, also.”

“You talk too much.” Querl tells him, before Brainiac 6 fires, and he narrowly avoids the shot. Then, too quickly, his new relative tackles him to the ground, pinning him before he can do anything about it.

Aya stands there, looking down on them. Her eyes dart from Querl to Brainiac 6, and Querl can tell she’s calculating their individual odds as they struggle on the ground, figuring out how long each has left- and what part she has to play in this.

She knows this is Querl’s fight, just as the Anti-Monitor was her own, and if she were him, she’d want nothing less than another getting in the way of the fight she deserved to take on. But at the same time, she wants to help him- anything, in order to ensure his victory.

After all, hadn’t her own friends done as much? Hadn’t Hal, Razer, and Kilowog done everything they could to free her from the Anti-Monitor’s control?

Helping someone else with a similar fight was the least she could do. But now, as they fought, Brainiac 6 shooting at Querl until his shield breaks, Querl being thrown across the room and narrowly making a construct to cushion his fall before shakily getting to his feet on the far side of the Vault, all she’s looking for is an opening.

And as Brainiac 6 rushes towards him, she finds one.

“Aya!”

Querl wasn’t expecting Brainiac 6 to be so strong.

He’d said he had evolved, for certain, but the latest member to his family line was also very new, at least by his calculations (further emphasizing that he had no idea how long he’d been on this journey of his), so to put it plainly, such power in this new form didn’t make sense.

Then again, he just wasn’t used to fighting someone of his own species- having said power inflicted on him. So perhaps he had been this strong in the entirety of his superhero career, and nobody had told him, so he hadn’t noticed.

(“No Coluan has ever harmed another”, he remembered hearing. It was a recognized rule of their kind- and he’d narrowly avoided it the first time he fought one of his family members. Nobody could condemn him for punching what was ostensibly a ghost. But this… both of them were giving this fight their all, and it would only have consequences for him if Brainiac 6 left this planetoid alive.

And it was definitely an if- although if the other Brainiac had anything to say about it, “when” would be a more appropriate word in that sentence)

But Querl is fighting back, using what he knows of his constructs to keep Brainiac 6 at bay for as long as he can. He knows, as he looks up into his relative’s eyes, struggling against him directly, that this is his great crisis. This is his burden to bear, the reason why he was given this ring. It’s meant to level their playing field, as Clark would have said, although if what Aya had said is any indication, he had the willpower to earn such a thing long ago.

Aya.

She’s there, watching the fight, although from his vantage point Querl can’t see her at the moment. She must be trying to figure out a solution as well- at least, he hopes she will. He may be able to do it himself, but he’s not about to discount her company. And, in this situation, he needs all the advantages he can get, though of course Aya’s far more than an advantage.

At this point, Aya’s become his friend- and that idea, that he has friends to begin with, is what pushes him upwards, helps him to get to his feet and shake off his relative.

This is for my friends, he thinks. All of them- past and present.

Brainiac 6 only laughs at him, as he glares in response, and fires his arm-cannon, pushing Querl back- though Querl’s quick with a shield construct, and uses it to at least keep his footing as Brainiac 6 continues to shoot.

Until, just his luck, his shield breaks- and even worse, it breaks in such a way that it sends him flying. Crashing down and almost hitting one of the Vault’s walls, close to being thrown out of the mausoleum entirely. However, a hastily-created construct manages to slow down his fall, and keeps him from doing so, just enough to recover.

To get to his feet, and see Aya, standing in the path of fire for Brainiac 6, hands out and aiming at him.

“Aya!”

“Do not be afraid, Lantern Dox.” She says. Her eyes glow- there seems to be a glowing green aura around all of her, in fact- and she stares down Brainiac 6 with a dangerous resolve.

“Aya, no, I can’t let-“

“Let me help you?” she asks. “But I want to. A Green Lantern protects innocent life, even at the risk of their own.”

She considers me innocent life, Querl thinks, as he stares at her in awe. It’s still a novel thing to him, although that applied to most of the Legionnaires prior to their discovery of his heritage. And Clark… Clark still thinks he’s innocent.

Although that’s his own doing, and he didn’t have to do anything to prove that to him.

But this fight makes him want to, and what’s more he wants to make sure both he and Aya survive, find their ways to those they care about the most.

Aya, for her part, doesn’t seem to be having any trouble with that on her own. With one hand, she holds back Brainiac 6’s strikes, with the other, she fires back at him, and they’re locked in what appears by Querl’s view to be a draw.

“You may take me.” She says, turning Brainiac 6’s attention to her. “I contain knowledge from the twenty-first century- knowledge of the Anti-Monitor, as well as everything the Guardians of the Universe had stored up until that time. Surely I would be a valuable resource for you, would I not? You may dissect me, and extract the information I have. Just spare him.”

He has gone through enough, Aya thinks. I won’t let my new friend be hurt by the darkness of his past.

“That is a tempting offer.” Brainiac 6 answers, just as Querl’s about to protest and offer himself up instead. “However, I am not one to be tempted, or in the business of collection- I serve another purpose.”

He shoves her aside, and she’s thrown against the coffins, one of them cracking as she falls, while Brainiac 6 continues to walk towards Querl.

I am so fed up with supervillain dialogue. Especially coming from my own relative.

“What purpose is that?” Querl asks, summoning his bravery again. “You do have to explain, you know- we just found out you existed. What are you doing here, and why?”

“Why? That’s none of your concern.” Brainiac 6 says. “As for the “what”…surely you, as the so-called twelfth-level intellect, would be able to figure that out?”

“I am still just as intelligent as I was when I was a robot.” Querl says. “But for the sake of clarity, please, by all means, enlighten us.”

Brainiac 6 extends an arm to Querl, as though he was reaching for his hand- but instead, his hand wraps around Querl’s neck, as he pulls him in that direction and holds him there, making sure there’s no window of escape.

(Not that he doesn’t try to think of one)

“Was it not obvious?” Brainiac 6 answers, as Querl struggles, trying to find Aya. “I am here to make sure you come back to where you truly belong.”

“As a being with your intellect, surely you know… that I can’t go back to Colu anymore.” Querl answers. “I don’t belong there any more than you belong here.”

“You are the one who mentioned Colu, not I.” says Brainiac 6. “I had a different destination in mind- and a different person who is very interested in your condition. She learned of your fate, and wished to study you, if she got the chance for a reunion.”

Hearing that, Querl shivers all over again. He’s not completely sure of who this person is… but he has a suspicion, and under other circumstances he might want to see her again.

However, she was the one who abandoned him- and though it seems like she’s made some kind of effort to bring him back, she couldn’t have picked a worse person to send that message.

Even though she’s his family too.

“Was she the one who made sure you could face me?” Querl says. “Because I know, otherwise, she’d never see you again.”

“Oh, you are certain about that.” Brainiac 6 answers, tightening his grip. “But from my point of view, I still have you captured. And once I take care of your gynoid friend…”

“You won’t. I can promise you that.” Querl says, still looking him in the eyes with a triumphant expression, though he’s still inches away from strangulation. “Isn’t that right, Aya?”

(for her part, Aya hadn’t meant to stay down for so long. But she’s still remembering how to fight, herself- even after her brief fight with this new Brainiac so recently. And she knows now that Querl is counting on her, just as, ultimately, she’s counting on him.)

“Yes.” She answers, standing. She aims with both her hands at him now, and though Querl can’t see her completely, he’s more than grateful for her presence.

Especially grateful for her aim, as well, throwing Brainiac 6 off-balance and giving Querl an opportunity to get free, shielding himself from any additional attacks.

I won’t let myself be captured like that again, he thinks, before he can berate himself. We’re both going to make it home, and it won’t be because of our powers. Aya and I are friends, and more than that, a team- and if Brainiac 6 doesn’t see that yet, we’ll make him do so.

(He doesn’t realize until then that he hears those thoughts in Clark’s voice, as well as his own.)

Thank you, he thinks, before turning to Aya, as they circle Brainiac 6 and gradually come closer together.

“What do you say, we finish this?”

“Affirmative.” Aya says, and smiles, as they charge.

#papa don't look #fanfics #legion of superheroes #gltas #green lantern the animated series #losh #querl dox #brainiac 5 #aya #losh au #gltas au #au: ready to go right now #oh my GOD this took so long to write #and i am very sorry #mostly because 1. fight scenes are difficult #2. How Does Brainiac 6 Talk #so ultimately i just gave him stereotypical mustache-twirling villain dialogue #to be fair that was like. the essence of his only line?#but still it's bad and i hope i can do better with the next (and last) part

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ncfan-1 · 7 years

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(It’s been years since this show came out and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if someone else had touched on this before me, but oh well.)

Sooo… There really isn’t any good way to find out that the AI who’s exploring her (so to speak) humanity modeled her appearance after your dead wife because at that point, she had literally no conception of why that might be considered inappropriate. I thought Razer’s reaction in ‘In Love and War’ was honestly kind of understated, all things considered (Though we have no idea if Razer and Aya ever talked about this at some point off-screen; it would be very interesting to know if they had, though knowing Razer, I wouldn’t be surprised if he just refused to address it because he had no idea how to deal with this). And the way the truth about that came out was less than ideal, too, with Queen Aga’po literally ripping the information from Razer’s mind, when the last time he had experience with something similar involved a torture device. But as bad as that was, I can think of a way it could have been worse.

What if it had been Atrocitus who pointed out the resemblance between Aya and Ilana?

I honestly don’t think Atrocitus noticed the resemblance in ‘Reckoning’; given the circumstances, I can’t imagine him being able to resist throwing it back in Razer’s face if he had. But the way Atrocitus talks to and treats Razer comes off like the unholy combination of the patriarch of a cult interacting with a wayward follower and an abusive parent addressing a child who’s trying to break free, and that’s actually not too far from being literal—Atrocitus appears to have explicitly presented himself as a religious figure to the Red Lanterns (and come ‘Fear Itself,’ Razer refers to the Red Lantern Corps as being a cult), and the language with which he addresses Razer in ‘Reckoning’ is frequently couched in decidedly paternal turns of phrase. Imagine if, somewhere in between the torture, the truly brutal beating (which, if Razer’s bone structure is anything like a human’s, almost certainly resulted in some broken bones), the mind-screws, the guilt trips in which Atrocitus acted like the wounded party, and the revelations about Atrocitus having fomented the wars on Razer’s home world and murdered Ilana to push Razer over the edge into becoming eligible to become a Red Lantern, he commented on the fact that Aya and Ilana do look so very much like?

Aya isn’t conscious, so Razer can’t get an answer from her one way or another, not immediately. And if it was some random enemy who pointed this out, someone Razer didn’t have any kind of connection to, that would be one thing, but it’s Atrocitus. The relationship they had just doesn’t permit Razer to brush it off, no matter how much he might like to. He might hate Atrocitus, but there’s no denying that Atrocitus is thoroughly under Razer’s skin, that he exerts a hold over him that he can’t completely shake off at this point of his character development. The cult leader, the stand-in abusive father, he’s not someone who can just be ignored.

It would give more of a purpose to Atrocitus’s having been personally responsible for Ilana’s death. I dislike fridging in any work of fiction, though in a show as good as GLTAS it’s more ‘background noise discontentment’ than ‘outright loathing.’ He can’t say for certainty that Aya deliberately modeled her appearance after Ilana, but he can insinuate, he can plant the seeds of doubt. Razer’s the wayward son, the ungrateful child who dared to turn on him, and that’s not something Atrocitus can just let pass; Razer doesn’t just get to fly off and try to move on with his life.

As for the aftermath, I don’t know. I don’t know if Razer would just never bring it up, if he’d let his doubts swirl around in his head and potentially take the show in a very different direction as part of the butterfly effect. Maybe he’d actually bring it up with Aya, and maybe they’d have the discussion that I’m not entirely certain they ever had in the show. Aya modeling her appearance after Ilana because she had genuinely no idea that it was inappropriate to do so is something I find very interesting about her character; it adds an interesting, if vaguely uneasy, edge to the development of her and Razer’s relationship, and it’s something that would have been, yes, interesting to see explored more explicitly. (I don’t think it’s creepy, honestly. It would have only been creepy if it had never been explicitly revealed that Aya deliberately modeled her appearance after Ilana, and we were left to wonder instead.)

Anyways, ‘Reckoning’ is already kind of nightmarish, and given that Atrocitus killed Ilana, mangled Aya and appeared to be trying to physically beat Razer to death during that fight, his bringing up Aya’s resemblance to Ilana in that context would have made it a hundred times more nightmarish than it already was.

#Green Lantern: The Animated Series #GLTAS #Meta #New to this show but I loved it #GLTAS Reckoning #TW Abuse #Atrocitus #Razer #Aya #Ilana #AU

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