Generation Legacy Issue #9 "Innocence Lost" - Part 3

[Agamon]

Thor concentrates as the buildings return to their “original” state and after a full minute he relaxes, and rests his hammer over his shoulders. Kid Paragon turns to Thor, “Thanks… dad.”

Thor grins, “The loss of life was thankfully only one my son,” he turns to Chimera, “Ares didn’t know I used my power to move the people to safety.”

Nightchild speaks firmly to Ryan, “What the hell was that? You killed him? What gives you the right to kill anyone? We only protect innocents, we are not killers!”

Anika watches the exchange between Kal and Thor with some interest, but her attention is quickly pulled away from them by Nightchild's words.

"Hey, back off! That guy was hardly innocent, he was helping to threaten to kill the entire city. It's no wonder these idiots attack the city all the time if they know the worst you people will do do them is punch their lights out!" She makes her way up beside Ryan as she speaks, crossing her arms.

"Besides, it's not like he meant to do it..." she looks up at Ryan, her expression softening, "um, right?"

 

[Tokiwong]

Anika watches the exchange between Kal and Thor with some interest, but her attention is quickly pulled away from them by Nightchild's words.

"Hey, back off! That guy was hardly innocent, he was helping to threaten to kill the entire city. It's no wonder these idiots attack the city all the time if they know the worst you people will do do them is punch their lights out!" She makes her way up beside Ryan as she speaks, crossing her arms.

"Besides, it's not like he meant to do it..." she looks up at Ryan, her expression softening, "um, right?"

Aris lands in front of Ryan as well hissing at Nightchild, “Hey relax… I mean she is right… he was going to kill everyone! The Ryan I know wouldn’t do that,” she steps aside looking to Ryan with an equal amount of awe and admiration.

“He just did what you couldn’t… wouldn’t do…” she adds softly.

Yoshi shrugs, “What is the big deal… dude… sometimes you have to take them down hard!”

Nightchild seethes, “We don’t kill… we are not murderers. We have to draw the line that separates us from them… we don’t kill,” and he turns to Cassie, “and we accept surrender from our enemies.”

Danger Girl lands next to Nightchild, “I have to go with Nighty on this one; I mean that is what Teen Justice is all about. We fight the bad guys, but we don’t stoop to their level.”

“Yeah… wow… I mean… eww… is he like really dead?” Gadget squeaks.

“Yes,” Cantrip whispers in his raspy voice.

“I don’t care if he meant to do it on purpose or not, you killed him. And that makes you a murderer…” Nightchild points at Ryan.

 

[Karl Green]

James aka Traveller

James appears near Kiyana and puts one of his hands on her shoulder and smiles at her. To Nightchild he says "Oh what you guys fight murders and killers and well don't you have like police power or anything? I mean is someone is threatening to kill you or innocents, you sometimes have to use lethal force. I mean we don't go around teleporting people into space, but well if it came down to some nut job and one of my friends well..."

 

[Shalimar]

"This is soo not gonna turn out well," Kelly mutters, floating forward to stand next to Ryan. "No, it doesn't make him a murderer. Chimera was doing something, in my head, if Ryan hadn't stopped him, well, all of you were gonna catch lightning bolts. I'm glad he did it, I've had it done to me before, its horrible and he deserved it. He was going to kill people, tons of people. All life is prescious and irreplacable, his too, but he didn't have the right to kill other people, if his death stopped him from killing people, then as bad as it is, its not murder. He knew what he was doing, he made a choice." Kelly says, do her best to placate Nightchild.

 

[Tokiwong]

"This is soo not gonna turn out well," Kelly mutters, floating forward to stand next to Ryan. "No, it doesn't make him a murderer. Chimera was doing something, in my head, if Ryan hadn't stopped him, well, all of you were gonna catch lightning bolts. I'm glad he did it, I've had it done to me before, its horrible and he deserved it. He was going to kill people, tons of people. All life is prescious and irreplacable, his too, but he didn't have the right to kill other people, if his death stopped him from killing people, then as bad as it is, its not murder. He knew what he was doing, he made a choice." Kelly says, do her best to placate Nightchild.

Nightchild listens to James and Kelly but shakes his head, “That does not give us the right to b judge, jury, and executioner. I don’t really care to here your rationalizations, I have never taken a life, no matter how much I may have wanted to,” he clenches a fist and starts walking away, “Teen Justice we are done here…”

The authorities arrive on the scene, surprised at seeing Chimera’s body. They get the full story and many of them look at Thor in awe, and fear, but mostly awe.

Danger Girl speaks, “Maybe we should… return back to the tower,” she says solemnly.

James puts his hand on Kiyana’s liquid shoulder, and it is an odd feeling, there is some resistance but his and is still wet as she turns to him. Kiyana looks away, “I want to go home…” she whispers.

 

[Shalimar]

"Rationalization my foot. He was killed while he trying to bring about the deaths of millions of innocent people, in the middle of a fight." Kelly mutters sadly. She shakes her head as Nightchild walks away. Thinking of how Ryan most feel, she gives the older boy a hug. "You didn't do anything wrong, you just did dwhat you thought was best in the middle of a fight. He shouldn't have done what he did, its not your fault, right Anika?" she asked the older girl, looking up at her tiredly.

 

[Hammerhead]

Ryan drops his force field, Chimera's blood falling to the floor as the barrier ceases to exist. "Gee, thanks," he says, masking his anger at the self-righteous prick with sarcasm. "Remind me never to help save the lives of millions of people from deadly nerve gas while you're around, it's almost not worth it."

"Newsflash," he says angrily, voice rising. "This isn't a game! People's lives were at stake, and I gathered from Danger Girl's comments that you fought these losers before." Ryan had squared with the killings he had previously committed, up at the Preserve, and resented anyone trying to place more guilt on him. "That guy needed to be dropped, and I couldn't take chances of him still being up. I hit him as hard as I could. While I certainly didn't mean to kill that creep, it's a consequence of hitting with the force of a freight train, and I'm not going to shed any tears over that filth." It's not a matter of wanting too. I just wish people would stop trying to hurt me and my friends, but I don't have that choice. Maybe, eventually, they'll get the message that it's dangerous.

Ryan looks at Anika gratefully. "Thanks," he says, weakly smiling. "So much for thinking these guys would be like Kal and Aris," he says, whispering. "Speaking of, what's with her lately? I've practically had to pry her off of me?"

 

[Agamon]

Anika looks at Ryan and Kelly. "We're basically soldiers, and this is a war. It's not like we're going around murdering people on purpose, but in a fight, if there's a casualty, unfortunately that's par for the course. The gods know how close I was to Valhalla in that fight with Strength," she says, giving Ryan her own smile of thanks. "I can't believe I'm agreeing with Yoshi, but he's right; we can't pussyfoot around or we're the ones that'll end up dying."

Anika responds to Ryan's whisper in a normal voice, all the while glaring past Ryan at Aris. "Oh, I dunno. Kal hasn't exactly been very truthful with us, and Aris...should maybe go point her googly eyes somewhere else. I'm starting to think they're all birds of a feather."

She looks over at Cassie. "How'd you guys get here anyway? Please say you're here to take us back..."

 

[KaintheSeeker]

Cassie backflips and cocks her head at the comment from her oppenent. "Perhaps, it was what I was made for, but in this case I think it's safe to say you're better off having me attack you than my friends."



<after the fight>

Cassie remains quiet thoughout the discussion about Ryan's action, failing to see how her judgement could do any good to a situation where it is quite clear that no one will relent on. She looks around this new world, and thinks how differnet it is than her own. :Rarely does our killing of a 'bad' elite ever merit this level of debate back home. What does that say of our actions there I wonder?: she thinks to herself as she listens to the discussion.

 

[Tokiwong]

Anika looks at Ryan and Kelly. "We're basically soldiers, and this is a war. It's not like we're going around murdering people on purpose, but in a fight, if there's a casualty, unfortunately that's par for the course. The gods know how close I was to Valhalla in that fight with Strength," she says, giving Ryan her own smile of thanks. "I can't believe I'm agreeing with Yoshi, but he's right; we can't pussyfoot around or we're the ones that'll end up dying."

Anika responds to Ryan's whisper in a normal voice, all the while glaring past Ryan at Aris. "Oh, I dunno. Kal hasn't exactly been very truthful with us, and Aris...should maybe go point her googly eyes somewhere else. I'm starting to think they're all birds of a feather."

She looks over at Cassie. "How'd you guys get here anyway? Please say you're here to take us back..."

Danger Girl responds as Nightchild walks away, “Wow I didn’t know you guys were involved in a war. I guess maybe that would make killing your enemies easier… I just never thought anyone our age would be so resolved to do that… I mean not even Paragon does that kind of thing… well unless he really has to, and only when there is no other option. It just isn’t done… I mean I don’t know, I just get the feeling if we started what would separate us from them?”

Gadget just sighs, “Guys can we just go home, and debate morality in our living room?”

Yoshi perks up at Anika’s words, “Dude, I am just as surprised as you are, maybe we are having a Kodak moment?” he breaks a cheesy smile, “but honestly if Ryan didn’t do it any one of us would have well outside of Anika or Kiyana I thought but I guess… we have to do what we have to do. I am not going to shed any tears either; you ask me, you should have offed that psycho in the first go around.”

Yoshi turns to Cassie and wraps an arm around her, “By the way babe as always nice moves out there.”

Jimmy scowls, but answers Anika, “We were trying to take down this Red Witch. Cassie broke this staff, and then poof we were here. By the way, you know that chick Arafina, she was working for Red Witch… so you know that whole spy deal… I guess it all made sense.”

Kal looks confused, “Why are you calling me a liar? Would you have believed me if I said, hey by the way I am the Son of Thor, Magni? Your world is a little different from mine, I mean… I thought we were friends?”

Aris gives Anika the dagger eye look, but does not say anything.

Kal sighs, “We are stuck here, until we can figure something out.”

Thor chuckles, “These outsiders have interesting if familiar ways. Anika, you must tell me,” he says with a firm voice electricity arcing over his body spreading out from Mjolnir, his hammer, “how your magic works, are you truly some kind of priestess of your world?”