[IC] Young Justice Renegades: A Team Worth Dying For

[Dead Cruiser]

_{"When a house is both hungry and awake, every room becomes a mouth."
-Anatomy}

Two years had gone by. Two summers, two winters. Two years worth of rain, sunshine, sunrises, and sunsets. Two years without Julian, without the Renegades, and the world didn't even notice. Edge Towers stood through it all, nearly empty, a monument to the casual, barbaric indifference of the planet Earth. Stone, stoic, sterile, at least from the outside. Within, beyond the notice of Eilidh, the towers' nominal caretaker, memories and emotion boiled and seethed in the empty rooms and dusty halls. While Eilidh was the Renegades' last trace, their remnant, this building was something else. A haunted house. A reminder. A legacy.

Dandelion sensed visitors. Their voices vibrated through the walls and floors, and the smell of their sweat and cloying chemical unguents wafted through the ventilation ducts. Eilidh's presence was normal, her behavior patterns were predictable, based on routine, easy to avoid. There were three new people. Two familiar, one not. Nor were these strangers the usual sort of doorknockers; proselytizers, repairmen, trick-or-treaters... On odd occasions someone from LexCorp or the Justice League would drop by, but these were not them either. A chord of fear ran through Dandelion's spiderweb of flesh at the unexplained presence of these strangers. Any inexplicable visitor could be someone from S.T.A.R. Labs, having seen through Dandelion's ruse and been sent to collect them. This was almost certainly not the case, but Dandelion only survived this long by being careful.

Feeling inquisitive and territorial, Dandelion pressed their senses to where the gathering was drawing together. Voices echoed off the towers' walls and ceilings, and Dandelion listened. The vents, sprinklers, and other unseen orifices into the building's superstructure were all akin to eyes and tongues to Dandelion, observing unseen, as they had done for the last two years. This tower had become their body; its titanium girders were their bones, and its glass exterior Dandelion's skin. So spread out they were through every gap and seam and functional system of the building, that even psychic Eilidh had spent the last two years ignorant of their presence. The Dandelion she had known was a concentrated being, with a mind like a swarm of buzzing insects. Now, metastasized through such a massive space, their presence was much more diffuse, below notice. A barely-perceptible hum, like white noise.

Dandelion had not felt the need to speak or reach out to her at all in this time. What was there to say? Their earlier attempts at psychic contact had borne no fruit, and their friends, the second family Dandelion had ever known, had abandoned them. Sometimes, in the first year, when someone had tried to put another team in the tower, Dandelion had emerged at night to observe her as she slept, wondering if the secret to curing Dandelion's loneliness was still locked in her dreaming mind. But failure eventually gave way to bitterness, and Dandelion wondered if there was any point to connecting with human beings at all.

Still, Dandelion's curiosity remained, even if it was tempered by caution. For now, they made no move. Like a patient hunter, they watched, waited. The door was open, the shades were drawn, the halls were empty. Dandelion was hungry.

[spicykvnt]

While listening to the newcomer, Eilidh felt the bright and vibrant presence of Kali as she approached. She offered a slight smile and wave as the woman approached, noting too the change in the stranger's mood as she entered. That dark, brewing storm inside him had quelled. Curious, she thought with humour trailing it.

"Lincoln... Do ye like Link?" she asked after a moment.

"We can help," she began. Red wasn't going to like that. Eilidh was quick to judge, but she had keener senses for lies and other tells than he did. He'd need to be set at ease, he'd need to be allowed to ask his own questions too.

"But ye have tae be honest with us about anything that's happened."

She brought the cup of tea to her lips, eyes staring idly out across the room over the rim of it as she took a quiet, thoughtful sip.

She was about to speak again, when she was interrupted by a sharp, phantom pain in her head and the disruptive sensation of ringing between her ears. She winced at it, instinctively shutting her eyes tight to try and block it. As quickly as it happened however, it slipped back to itself and away - leaving Eilidh's mind clear again. Her head tilted and she gripped the cup a little harder, letting the warmth from within it flood through to her hands.

"Errr, I... We might just want... Understanding, of what happened before... but yes. Help, yes we can help."

[Lord Wraith]

_{Location: Edge Towers, - Seattle, WA}

Episode #1: New Beginnings

---

_{Interaction(s): @Hound55 - Redmond Morrow, @King Kindred - Kalianne Wintergreen, @spicykvnt - Eilidh Vass}

Post #1.03: I Can Smell You All Around Me

"In that case, it might be best if I start at the beginning," Link replied, rubbing the back of his head as the nerves slowly began to set in. "And yeah, Link is perfectly fine." He added in response to Eilidh's question regarding his name.

"When I was sixteen, I was a bit of a rapscallion and after an unfortunate incident with a girl found myself face to face with the vengeful wrath of the Triple Goddess. I was a privileged rich kid, I had my share of women, but I found one that didn't want me. I couldn't have that so I made her fall in love with me, showered her in affection, gifts, everything a person needed to feel wanted and safe. When the time came to 'seal the deal'," A long inhale echoed around the kitchen, as Lincoln gathered his thoughts. He hadn't ever explained this next part to anyone, not even Kennedy.

"I hid a webcam in the room that broadcast the entire event as I used a permanent marker to outline every perceived physical flaw on her naked body. In her utter humiliation, the girl became a vessel to the Virgin Aspect of the Triple Goddess. She cursed me, turned me into what I am now and ever since I've been trying to find redemption for that night. Found a way to use my curse for good, even found a home in the Titans Academy before its door closed." He began to pace, his tone becoming more urgent.

"Somewhere out there though, there's another beast like me. I saw the body, I saw the blood. The local police back in Midway had already seen me in action as a probationary Titan. They didn't want to do the legwork, they wanted to close a case. Hauled me in, said the claws fit. It was a damn kangaroo court. Even my own father, Senator Thorpe, didn't want to prove his own son innocent. Too busy appealing to his voters, too eager to hold onto his power." The Wolf growled bitterly.

Link's ear suddenly twitched as his icy blue gaze moved first toward the wall, but his eyes pivoted skyward, all the while his head remained perfectly still.

"Wait," Link paused taking a quick sniff. "There's someone-" He began before pausing just as suddenly. The Wolf's nostrils flared as the cold iris suddenly flared red.

"No, there's something in the walls." Link growled, the top of his ears suddenly began to shift into a pointed shape whilst his fingernails grew long, curling into razor-sharp points.

[Theyra]

Seattle
Edge Towers
Varo Yelkian

Back again after two long years. Varo thought as he gazed at Edge Towers from the sideway. Looking up at the tall tower, he could only feel remorse and curiosity. Yes, he did leave the group two years ago and has gone on a journey across Earth to find himself. Staring in America and then across the world. But after two years of wandering and seeking a place for himself. Varo has not found that place in the two years of traveling the Earth. True, he has helped people and found some happiness, but nothing close to what he had with his father. There was nothing for him in space, no world to call his own. He is not even sure he can call Earth his home at this point.

So, after two years of wandering and failing to find a place for himself. Varo has decided to return here to the first group that took him in. The first group that helped him to ease himself with living on Earth. His potential new family and the one he walked away from. Varo is kinda surprised that he can still remember how to get here, and from the outside, it looks the same, at least.

But Varo felt nervous about going in. He has not seen anyone from there in two years, and would they even accept him back in? Would coming back be in vain? Another nervous thought, and after some time of prepping himself. He thought, well, time to see who is still home. So Varo, with one last nervous long breath. He went inside.

Varo could hear voices as he neared the kitchen. One voice he recognized, Eilidh, he thinks that was her name. Her accent he remembers, but the other voice. Male, and said something about something being in the wall. That voice he could not place, but what did he mean that there is something in the walls?

Thus, Varo being cautious when he finally turned the corner and saw Eilidh, Kalianne, Red and a new face. Who Varo, upon seeing the werewolf start to turn. He defensively readied himself before speaking to the two. "Hello, Eilidh, Kali and Red, nice to see you all again." Trying to sound friendly despite being concerned about the newcomer. "Who is this, and have I come at a bad time?"

[King Kindred]

The Xtraordinary Lady X in:

Guns, Shifters, and Old Friends

_{Featuring:@spicykvnt - Eilidh Vass, @Hound55 - Redmond Morrow, @Lord Wraith - Lincoln Thrope, @Dead Cruiser - Dandelion, @Theyra - Varo Yelkian}

Kalianne lowered her guard and sheathed her knife before extending her hand in return to shake Link's. "I'm Lianne." She wasn't exactly sure about him yet, but he was raised with manners at least and at the moment he wasn't a threat. He was someone who needed help and if Julian were awake he wouldn't turn him away. He probably would've recruited him before the Titans did, so in his honour she'd at least hear him out. Eilidh at least agreed with the sentiment and asked him to explain his situation before they consider anything.

Her opinion of Lincoln quickly changed when he began explaining his story. She didn't care how old he was when it happened he took that girl's innocence and broadcasted it to the world. He should've been in prison. But she withheld complete judgment for now. He was cursed after all, so maybe he learned his lesson and started to make changes. But for now, she didn't like him at all and it seemed like they had a bigger problem on their hands back where he was from. Another werewolf, but one that killed innocents. Knowing that she couldn't just ignore it.

Kali pulled her gun, just as Varo entered the room, and shot Link. From the story and his current partial transformation she knew the bullets she had wouldn't be effective against him. She just wanted to release whatever negative feelings she had towards him. "Down, boy. Don't change the subject. That's just our resident chimera, Dandy. Also, if it isn't my favorite space elf. Hi, Varo."

She and Dandelion hadn't gotten all too close before the group fell apart shortly after Julian's defeat, but one thing she could not forget about was their very strange scent. Eilidh may not have been able to sense their psionic presence, but Kali wasn't quick to forget that scent. She discovered their friend was still there one day when after taking a shower post mission. She thought the smell was her, but after several more showers she realized it wasn't her and that she had smelt that smell before. She decided not to say anything, because she figured they were hiding within the walls for a reason. She just made sure to remember they were there whenever she stayed up watching a horror movie.

Kali put her gun away to show that she wasn't looking for a fight. "That was for the girl in your story. I don't like guys like you, but you came to us for help and there's a town being preyed upon. Ju---Young Justice's known for taking in outcasts and strays, so we'll help. At least those of us that are willing and once this other werewolf is taken care of you might have a place here, but with absolutely zero access to cameras."

[Sep]

Present Day:

Conor stepped off the bus as the clouds started to gather. The doors hissed closed as he stood still, he felt a singular drop of rain land on his cheek. Some regarded the rain as washing away your sins, to clean you and make things fresh. He didn't particularly subscribe to any of that, and even if he did it would take a torrent to clear him of his sins. The weight of this past year and a half weighed on him heavily, taller and more grown in his figure. He also hunched over slightly as if something was dragging him down. A new scar blessed his face over his left eye, and his clothes made him look somewhat homeless. Pulling the hood of his cape up over his head he started to walk towards the tower that loomed over him in the distance.

It had been a home for a time, when he had little else going for him. Vincent and Julian had been like brothers, albeit one of them a very annoying brother. Many of the rest of the Renegades had become good friends. They ventured into the realm of heroics, word of mouth even began to spread about their existence. Then the unthinkable. Julian took on more than he could chew. He left the team behind and paid for it dearly, knocked into a coma. No magic nor science could revive him.

Conor did what he could with the team, as the de-facto second in command, but as turmoil began to spread back at home his focus was scattered. Guilt gnawed away at him, he pushed people away. First, those that he should have given more attention and more focus. Who needed him more, such as Dandy. Then even the likes of Eilidh. Eventually, the team began to dissolve around him, and he took his leave. Vowing to return to Ireland and never return to the mess he had made.

Now as the rain began to pour, bouncing miraculously off his cloak. The streets looked the same, but they felt different. The energy was... off. Perhaps it was just him? He could swear the shadows flickered and crawled out toward him. He shrugged it off as nothing but paranoia.

Approaching the tower he was surprised to see a couple of vehicles in the empty lot that was otherwise occupied with broken glass, rubbish and the tell-tale marks of misguided attempts at doing donuts. I suppose free real estate where nobody was going to report you to the police was in short supply.

He took a deep breath as he walked around the building, ignoring the front door. He came across a fire escape door, running his hand down its spine several hidden rules glowed momentarily before the door popped itself open. Slinking in, he pulled it closed behind him. Quickly keying in his code to the alarm system to keep it quiet.

It appeared that none of the remaining Renegades had changed the codes to the tower. That certainly worked to his advantage. Pulling a plain silver ring from his pocket he slipped it on his finger. A wave of cold washed over him, the cold penetrating down into his spine as he drew the shadows of the corridor in on himself as he climbed the stairs. If anyone happened to check the security camera footage at this time all they'd see was a flicker off shadow, nothing more.

[Tackytaff]

Selene scowled at her reflection, which only glared back, stubbornly still in the polished mirror before her. The familiar gentle breeze that regularly swept across the island ruffled the papers at her knees so she had to use a hand to hold them down while amending the marking on the topmost with the other.

How many more variations could there possibly be?

Julian would have known the answer, and given her a hopelessly large and accurate number; only for Connor to lean over and effortlessly add a few lines that would transform her chicken scratch spellwork into a work of art. Elidih could have simply plucked the memory of the damned thing from her mind. But the Renegades were no more; and after their disbandment, Selene had proven herself unworthy of their help. Their friendship too, if she'd ever had it. Despite her wandering mind, every few seconds Selene's eyes would dart upwards, keeping a watchful gaze on her own reflection while studying the broken memories of the spell she's managed to collect.

A lot about Selene had changed over two years. Her once long auburn hair was cut short around the ears, where it had begun to gently curl once free of the extra weight. The thin and lanky frame of her teenage years was replaced with a solid build, reflective of the Amazonian physical training that came with her imprisonment on Themyscira. Even her clothes were unrecognizable; having quickly outgrown the hoodies and jeans she'd arrived with, Selene had adopted the same dress as her captors. While the Amazons were technically her saviors, after eighteen months of isolation from the rest of earth, it was hard to see them occupying any role other than her wardens.

"Oh little godling!" As though summoned by her thoughts, a sing-song voice rang out from behind the mirror. Tucking the pages of her work under one knee, Selene peered behind to find the source. There was little time to react, as she identified the blurred figure of Mala rushing towards her with inhuman speed.

The papers, so carefully protected from the elements, were surrendered to the breeze as Selene rolled to narrowly dodge the oncoming assault. She watched helplessly as one drifted across the southern cliffs that had been her backdrop, and into the turquoise water below. Mala, her warden and mentor, had managed to pin herself atop Selene anyways.

"You're late Selene. Queen Hippolyta doesn't care much for waiting." The blonde woman chastised, arms folded as she looked down on her captive.

"You would think immortality would have taught her some patience." Selene grumbled, but took the offered hand as Mala rose.

"There's hardly a virtue greater." The Amazon agreed while dodging the point. She had begun eyeing the mirror, right as the breeze turned the other way, plastering Selene's failed attempt at a portal spell right before them. "And one that you'd do well to practice also."

Selene's cheeks flushed. She ought to have gotten used to these sudden flares of shame, but the Amazons were nothing if not exacting with their evocations of guilt.

"Oh come, its not all bad," Mala continued, her sunnier disposition returning as quickly as it had gone. "It's a day of celebration after all."

Selene rolled her eyes. "But not for any reason you'd care to tell me, I suppose?"

Mala laughed. "We're afforded so few surprises, you can grant us this one."

Well that was certainly a brighter way of looking at it; better than her life once again being used and decided upon by those more powerful with little regard for her own desires.

Mala didn't allow Selene any further time to wallow in self-pity. "We should leave, before Artemis finishes all the wine- are you even old enough to drink?"

"Depends on the place I guess."

"You earn your right to these things in Themyscira." Mala nodded, considering. "Catch me before we reach the acropolis, and I may allow you to partake."

Before Selene could voice argument, Mala had kicked off the ground, leaping forty feet high in the air towards the treeline leading inland. The jump shook the cliff with enough force that it rightly should have split open. But the island, like her Amazons, was made of sturdier stuff than the rest of the world. With a small curse of her mothers name, the daughter of Circe cast a familiar flying spell and sped off after her keeper.

Behind her, just as Selene's face turned to the sky and feet left the ground, a tiny ripple broke across the mirror's surface unnoticed.

[Dead Cruiser]

Dandelion sensed the drama unfold with terror and alarm. The stranger seemed to provoke the others in some way (as even more former teammates arrived-- too many to be happenstance) and a gun went off, presumably at him. Kali must have hit her target, as Dandelion otherwise would have sensed the bullet ripping through their insulation. Regardless, it seemed that Dandelion had been made; if not by the stranger that had become threatened by their presence, but Kali called them out by name. A sour feeling, irritation perhaps, ran through Dandelion's system. It seemed that their ability to elude detection, enough to fool city vermin and S.T.A.R. Labs (Dandelion amused themselves with the comparison) but not a superhuman. Dandelion thirsted for a sample. Maybe there was something to be gained from this pointless bloodshed.

From the nearest ceiling ventilation grate, a thick red ooze, too similar to blood, poured out in viscous curtains. Where it met the floor, it suddenly assumed gelatin-like rigidity, and quickly rose up in a distinct shape. A human shape poured itself into an invisible mold, the torrent of liquid Dandelion ceasing as the last drop struck formed the top of their head. Clothes came first, as beige fibers erupted from the body like thick hair, and wove themselves into unassuming garments. A warm-toned skin then wrapped itself around the red mannequin, and other features like eyes, a mouth, hair, freckles, filled themselves in, erupting seamlessly from the featureless body. This whole process took about ten seconds. The body stood stock-still, lifeless and dull-eyed, for another half-moment, but they gave a subtle twitch, and predatory intelligence flooded into green-and-yellow eyes. Dandelion was home.

"Hello, ex-Renegades." There was a hard edge in their voice that none of them had heard before. Their expression was blank, but there was a cold, almost absent look in their eyes.

Kali and the shapeshifting newcomer were their primary focus, but elsewhere in the tower, more of Dandelion detected another intruder. This one had all the makings of a true burglar, sneaking in through a rear door surreptitiously. Their uninvited guest might have eluded Dandelion entirely after slipping through the locked door by unknown means, had they not sensed the change in air pressure from the escaping air conditioning. Dandelion tried to get a look at this stranger, but found that they had camouflaged themselves in some way. They had nearly no presence at all, undetectable on every wavelength of light accessible to Dandelion, silent, and odorless. There were things that could not be masked, however, like the shifting in the air as their mass moved from room to room, or the weight of their footsteps on the floors. Dandelion did their best to track the elusive intruder, though it was difficult, as Dandelion's biological surveillance was far from all-encompassing. Like radar, they were able to track the stranger's movements, but little else.

Much of this was communicated to the offshoot of Dandelion standing in front of the Renegades at the front door. Complex pheromone signals were pumped out of nearby vents for the senses of their human facade to detect and decipher. A crude but effective adaptation; instant telepathy, just add atmosphere!

The human-shaped Dandelion said, "There's someone else sneaking into the building as we speak." Their formerly lilting affectation was replaced by a crisp monotone. Pointing their inscrutable alien gaze at Link, they asked, "A friend of yours?"

[Lord Wraith]

_{Location: Edge Towers, - Seattle, WA}

Episode #1: New Beginnings

---

_{Interaction(s): @Dead Cruiser - Dandelion, @Hound55 - Redmond Morrow, @King Kindred - Kalianne Wintergreen}

Post #1.04: Exit Wounds

_{Interaction(s): @spicykvnt - Eilidh Vass, @Theyra - Varo Yelkian}

The sound of the gunshot hurt almost more than the actual wound itself as the deafening noise erupted in the enclosed space, reverberating through the cursed young man's enhanced hearing. Wincing as the bullet penetrated his skin, Link felt the Wolf rear up, fighting to get out, as rage permeated every inch of his being. Wrestling the Wolf back under his control, Link turned his glowing vermilion eyes towards Kali.

"I didn't say it was another werewolf-" Link snapped through gritted teeth. Clawed fingers dug into the freshly created wound, digging around the bleeding hole before ripping out the bullet and tossing it haphazardly back toward 'Lianne's' feet. "-I said it was another beast like me."

The bullet itself hadn't been made of silver. It was a standard slug, but that didn't stop it from hurting, especially being shot mid-transformation. Looking around at this sorry lot of eclectic heroes, Lincoln had to wonder why Hawkman had directed him here of all places. They could barely help themselves, barely stay together. They were a ship without a rudder. So how then were they supposed to help him clear his name? When it had just been Eilidh and Red, Link had held out hope. But the more of these so-called 'Renegades' crawled out of the woodwork, the more apparent it became that they needed just as much, if not more help than he.

Perhaps what bothered Link most of all was how Kali's words rang true. Yes, the Triple Goddess had interceded on the girl's behalf, and in doing so had cursed Link and wiped the memories of all who had been watching. But that doesn't mean Link had necessarily changed. The monster was just visible now. When Link awoke, the equipment had all been fried, and the girl had no recollection of the tragedy she had endured. His so-called friends couldn't remember the events of that night, but they all had unanimously turned their backs on him.

The Goddess worked in mysterious ways. The girl, the girl whose name Link couldn't even remember, was free to go about living her life, protected from the trauma, from ever having anyone make her relive that night. Link on the other hand could never rise above being 'that guy', no matter how many people he helped, he'd still be a beast.

This realization made the other half of Kali's words resonant with Link. This tower was truly home to outcasts and strays, the thing was, they didn't really seem to want more. The one identified as Red had been eying him from the moment he stepped foot in this kitchen. Kali had introduced herself under an alias, a fact that would have remained unnoticed were it not for the arrival of the 'space elf'. Eilidh was the only individual here that Link had any desire to continue to interact with.

"You guys seem like you're going through a bit of a rough patch," Link stated, beginning to straighten up as the bullet wound sealed itself in front of the others' watching eyes.

"You probably didn't need me dropping a bomb into whatever is going on here. I'll find myself a hotel in the city and then ride out first thing tomorrow, I don't need to drag anyone else into my mess."

He turned to leave, walking towards the smell that had now re-materialized itself into the image of a teenage boy. As he passed, the wall dweller made a remark that Link could only scoff at.

"I thought it would have been apparent by now," Link sneered back at the mucus-based monster, "I don't have friends."

[Theyra]

Varo Yelkian

Varo just stood there silently as he watched the scene before him unfold. He did not know why Vali shot the partly transformed human. He guessed the human deserved it? From what he remembers about Kali, she is not the one who would just shoot someone without a reason. However, it looks like the human, while in pain, is not concerned about it or is Kali. Humans, he thought and sighed, even after two years of living among them. Varo still has questions about them and more so about this human and why he is here.

But, Varo, seeing how the human was about to leave, and Dandelion appeared, saying there is an intruder. Varo elected not to get in the way of the newcomer or what business he had with the Renegades for the moment. Since he is clearly missing information and now is not the time to ask.

So he walked over and approached Dandelion, who, despite looking the same, he seemed different. In his blank face and his cold, almost lifeless eyes. It seems that after two years of the gang disbanding, was not good for him. Something that Varo did feel sad about, but, for now, he will focus on the other newcomer.

"Hey, Dandelion, good to see you." Saying it truthful and with a friendly tone. "How about I help you track down and catch this intruder? My magic is still strong, and do you know where this person is or where to start searching?" The last thing they need tonight is a thief or someone else lurking in the tower right now. Varo got the feeling that this is going to be a long day.

[Sep]

Present Day:

Gunshot in the distance, shivers running down his spine. At the back of his head he could feel something gnawing at him. Something near, something coming. He grunted and groaned under his breath. He didn't have time for this, or for whatever Renegades still remained. Conor turned one corner after another, every other corner he ran his hand over a symbol on the wall. Walls seemed to shift and move, corridors changed. Adjusting his original route as he climbed up through the tower he came to a keypad on the door to a security console. Keying in the code he slipped in before closing the door behind himself. While the remaining Renegades hadn't changed any of the standard codes. There were still codes and protocols that they didn't have access to.

Moving to the central computer he input his override code as anything that wasn't emergency lighting shut off all throughout the tower. Security doors closed and clicked shut with a resounding thunk. Conor hovered over another option on the console, just labeled Julian Security Contingencies. They ranged in severity from Class 1, to 5. Shrugging he hit the button for one. As he took off at a run out of the room he could hear the whirring of small mechanical bots crawling around the inside of the walls, deploying in the search for intruders. Too which they would consider anyone except Conor as an intruder.

Jumping over some as he ran around a corner he slammed himself into a collection of runes on the floor. The whole hallway twisted and turned as it became inverted, forward became backwards, left became right. Powering down the hallway as best he could without suffering from vertigo he jumped into an elevator shaft. Jumping into the back wall the elevator stopped its already planned descent as the counter balance became ineffective as the gravity ceased to be an issue. Holding onto the wall he pulled himself upwards, twisting as best he could until he was running up the wall. Deeper and deeper into the tower he pushed himself. He sure as hell didn't want to be caught.

[Hound55]

"And what do you want here?" He'd asked.

He didn't like the look he received when he'd asked that question. He'd been given a look that seemed like it would briefly pre-empt violent repercussions if ever he'd seen such a look.

Eilidh's soft Scottish lilt attempted to put a balm to the irritation in the air.

And then the plot twisted further as Kali made an appearance. Red kept his mouth shut, and his eyes glued on the still unknown male, though. Not wanting to give away anything that may aid this potential threat in an attack. But his body language shifted as he acknowledged her. Became more cordial, if not less hot-blooded, at least less threatening.

And truth-be-told Red did not particularly care for that much more than if he had remained aggressive...

"Lincoln Thrope." He introduced himself as. "I was just telling Eilidh that a man named Carter Hall had recently directed me to this tower. I'm a member of the Titans Academy in Midway City."

Hmm... The plot thickens, Red thought to himself. Carter Hall. The Hawkman. The Justice League mainstay who was quick to anger, and just as quick to violence. Figures if there was a league referral for this one it would be from him.

Link's voice had trailed off. "Or rather, was." He uttered with a reluctant sigh before continuing. "I've been framed for murder. I have no allies left. Carter told me that 'Young Justice' would be my best bet." He had paused again, looking directly at Kali before levelling his gaze around the room towards Eilidh briefly and then squarely at Red himself.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I came to you all for help." He managed to spit out finally.

"Young Justice is my last hope."

Red's cold logical mind quickly surmised the most rational way of handling the situation at hand.

An unknown person seeking their help after a claim of wrongful accusation, citing a referral from a friendly.

You offer help under the provision he agree to put himself under their constraint whilst they confirm his claim of referral. If he refuses, he's free to leave. If he stays, you confirm his story with Hawkman before putting the full weight of the team into aiding him in clearing his name.

Clear cut and sensible. Whether this Lincoln would choose to put himself under their constraints would be another thing entirely though... but then, that's why you deliver it as an offer, contingent on their help.

But then, of course more happened to complicate matters. Because nothing can ever be as easy as delivering the simple rational path to a solution. People and their problems...

"Lincoln... Do ye like Link?" Eilidh looked to calm and defuse tensions, addressing to his humanity, and allow for familiarity.

"We can help," A sudden subtle, soft psychic wave passed between them. Wordless, but as if Eilidh was begging him a moment of patience and empathy. Which was little compromise. As he'd already formulated his plan for offering help himself... if this Lincoln would indeed allow them to take the precautions necessary to provide it.

"But ye have tae be honest with us about anything that's happened."

He returned a silent wordless sense of approval to Eilidh. It hadn't been a consideration he'd made himself. To question him. After all, if the man was lying to them, anything else he could add would not be able to be trusted. But it might eliminate the need to ask Hawkman at all. After all, if they caught him in a lie, it would hardly be necessary. And if they confirm his story with Carter Hall, well, more information and context certainly couldn't hurt.

For a few seconds static seemed to come between their psychic link, but Red didn't dare take his eyes off of Lincoln, to check on Eilidh. Perhaps he had some kind of psychic jamming power. Who knows? But he certainly wasn't going to let such a thing allow him to get the drop on him in a physical altercation.

"Errr, I... We might just want... Understanding, of what happened before... but yes. Help, yes we can help."

And so Lincoln described a tale of such vulgarity as to not be repeated. And the fact he'd pulled it with the wrong person, which saw a mystical punishment thrust upon him did little to shift his sympathies.

His tale, the use of social media, the cameras... it reminded him of someone from long ago. And the memory of her, combined with the victimisation of the girl in the story, only made him more hardened against the personality of this one.

He'd still help him if his story checked out. His help didn't come with the contingency of people being those that he actually liked. After all, Justice for some isn't justice at all. But the more he knew about this one, the less he felt he wanted to know him at all.

He stopped his sob story, the abandonment by the people who knew him best (go figure...), to raise his nose and with a big whiff declare that--

"Wait," Link paused taking a quick sniff. "There's someone-" He began before pausing just as suddenly. The Wolf's nostrils flared as the cold iris suddenly flared red.

"No, there's something in the walls."

It turned out Red wasn't the only one appalled by his story though.

Kali drew still and fired her sidearm into Lincoln. Red once again, kept his eyes glued for any violent reprisal. He certainly understood the sentiment, even if it wasn't how he'd have personally reacted. "Down, boy. Don't change the subject. That's just our resident chimera, Dandy. Also, if it isn't my favorite space elf. Hi, Varo." She addressed a familiar face, whom Red hadn't noticed had made a timely entrance.

"That." Said Red, backing up Kali's comments and reminding Lincoln he could actually speak. "Dandy's been in the walls a good year and a bit now. I figure they just like their privacy and they'll talk whenever they're good and ready. Dandy knows we're here. We've had a... rough couple of years."

Red heard Kali holster her weapon, whilst keeping his eyes firmly on their lupine guest. He didn't think someone would attack after she disarmed herself, but he wouldn't generally think a person he met would be capable of the things he mentioned he did in his story which put him in his own current predicament, so he wasn't taking any chances.

"That was for the girl in your story. I don't like guys like you, but you came to us for help and there's a town being preyed upon. Ju---Young Justice's known for taking in outcasts and strays, so we'll help. At least those of us that are willing and once this other werewolf is taken care of you might have a place here, but with absolutely zero access to cameras."

'Those of us that are willing.' It seemed clear to Red that the others weren't exactly sure where he stood on this issue.

Suddenly Dandelion, having been made the recent point of attention. Dropped, or dripped, from the ceiling and reformed to make his first appearance in a long time. What had it been? Months? A year? More?

Once his form took shape he announced a new problem to their attention. This Lincoln wasn't the only intruder in the building.

Lincoln had taken the hint, and levelled his eyes on the larger man who seemed to have not stopped eyeballing him since he showed up.

"You guys seem like you're going through a bit of a rough patch," his intuition for the social predicament he'd walked into apparently functioning just as well as those heightened senses he clearly possessed. The gunshot wound sealed itself up before their eyes.

"You probably didn't need me dropping a bomb into whatever is going on here. I'll find myself a hotel in the city and then ride out first thing tomorrow, I don't need to drag anyone else into my mess."

He made to leave before dropping one final comment towards his having nowhere else to go.

Varo suggested tracking down the intruder, but for some reason this still held importance to Red.

He asked a quick silent question to Eilidh, "Intruder - related? This one a Distraction?" to hopefully quickly search his mind and find if he knew anything of the other in their house.

Getting a quick psychic response, he looked to hold the lupine guest.

"Wait! Yes, we're a little rough around the edges as a unit at the moment. But we can still help. As much as it might not seem like it... Our house is in order."

And that was when the lighting dropped out, only to be replaced with eerie red emergency lighting, and the half dozen Luthor-designed security bots rounded the corner.

[King Kindred]

The Xtraordinary Lady X in:

Intruder Alert?

Featuring:@spicykvnt - Eilidh Vass, @Hound55 - Redmond Morrow, @Lord Wraith - Lincoln Thrope, @Dead Cruiser - Dandelion, @Theyra - Varo Yelkian,

Hider

@Sep - Mystery Character

Kalianne watched Dandy drip and form right before their eyes. It had been so long since she had seen them, but for some reason she didn't get the feeling that Dandy appreciated their presence or their cover being blown. Though, it honestly felt deeper than that. But she'd have to worry about that later. Her attention was still primarily on Link. She almost felt bad for him. Not because getting shot hurt like Hell or because he didn't have any friends. Both were fitting punishments for his crime. She wasn't really all too caring about the fact that he was cursed to be a lycanthrope. There were honestly worse things to get cursed with. She could sense that he genuinely regretted his actions and not just because he got cursed with a beastly condition. Just like the one in the Fairy Tale he learned about life through his trials since then. That still wasn't enough to completely wipe his slate clean, but it was enough to get him some help and a second chance.

Kali reached out to grab his hand to stop him from leaving. She released any lingering feelings of anger or resentment from his story and moved slow enough to not be perceived as a threat by his wolf. Just as she did Red finished talking and the lights went off and were replaced by the building's emergency lights. Someone had labeled them as intruders despite being the one intruding themselves. Still, the robots and their mystery guest could wait.

"Contrary to what's happening, Red's right. And I said I'd help you. I don't care what kind of beast is out there or what you did in your past. Yes, I just shot you, but you proved some things to me by letting me to do that. You came to us for help and there are people in danger." She let go of his hand and pulled out her prometheum katana revealing more of the blood that he smelt earlier. "Right after we're done cleaning up the house, the Renegades are back and on the case." Her last words were more towards Dandelion than they were towards Lincoln. Letting their strange friend know that the team was here to stay, with or without Julian.

"Dandy, I'm getting this almost predatorial scent off you. Can you point it towards whoever sent these security bots after us? Right now it seems like you're the only one that can sense them." She didn't wait for an answer and charged towards the Lexbots. She hoped they were more of a challenge than who she last used this one. Kali leapt into the air slashing down on the first one in front of her knowing the rest would follow suit without any leadership.

[Dead Cruiser]

Two things happened that Dandelion had not expected, in rather short succession. First was the banal reaction to their emergence and reunion, to which the others behaved as though no time had passed at all. Their seeming indifference gave Dandelion a strange rush of powerful emotions, chief among them a cold and heavy feeling; they didn't know its name. The skin Dandelion had made to speak with them was far from complex; in fact it was almost entirely water by mass. Its brainpower was not extraordinary, at least by Dandelion's standards, and the flood of shifting emotions they felt from reuniting with their former comrades nearly overwhelmed them. They stepped away, further from the crowd, retreating into the building, into themself.

Dandelion had a loose understanding of humans, but information they could access on Varo's species was scarce. This, and their innate incomprehension of the concept of magic, gave them no implicit trust in this person. They felt even too insecure to take an opportunistic skin sample. Their response to Varo, the most alien of all the aliens Dandelion knew, was delivered in an utterly dead tone. "Hello, Varo. I'm working on it. They can hide in plain sight, it's difficult to sense them. Somehow."

They queried themself with their pheromone cocktail, asking their greater mass for an update on the situation. Unfortunately, the rest of Dandelion was faring little better. The intruder was doing something to the walls, and by extension Dandelion in them. Their senses twisted and warped, relaying confusing and contradictory information to Dandelion's neural net. They felt dizzy, almost delirious. There was almost no way to convey this anomalous information by smell, especially not in their condition. Instead a much more straightforward message was conveyed back to Dandelion's human-like skin.

I feel sick.

With this unhelpful response, a puzzled Dandelion was left utterly unprepared for the second thing to surprise them: a swarm of rampaging killbots. Dandelion reflexively dropped to all fours and scrambled away, barely ducking away from a Lexbot's firing laser-blaster. If there was one thing this skin was certainly not prepared to do, it was fight armed robots. Kali barked orders at them, as though Dandelion were her misbehaving dog. Dandelion shouted back at her, their voice now a terrified squawk, their skin's throat closing up from what passed for adrenaline in its basic systems, "I'm doing it!" While Dandelion was not much for intonation these days, they did hope that some of their annoyance came across despite their hormonal squeal.

Even the supposedly simple mind of a basic Dandelion offshoot was still prodigiously quick, a genius in the split-second calculus of life or death. So the still clear-thinking Dandelion's mind raced, trying to hunt down their intruder with predatory logic alone. Access to the security system was highly restricted, access could only be granted by a Renegade. Or pulled from the bleeding meat of their mind, perhaps. What was more troubling was that the security system had been turned on them. None of the current Renegades had the computer skills nor override access (which had vanished with Julian as far as Dandelion knew) to change their targeting program. This suggested an outside interloper, or Julian. The image of Julian's face in their mind lit a tiny spark of hope for Dandelion. They snuffed it out. Don't be an idiot.

They had only another second after reasoning this far, and spent it to send one last pheromone-message to themself in the tower, conveying the seriousness of the threat. Then they were stomped into juice by a Lexbot. Dandelion's human skin burst like a balloon full of strawberry syrup. The dermis itself shriveled up like instant roadkill, and the Dandelion-stuff that exploded out of it slopped against the walls, floors, and some of the robots. It hardened there like crimson enamel. Dormant. For now.

Deeper in the tower, Dandelion was mobile. It had been difficult, and they had lost track of the intruder, but they pulled themselves free of the strange warp they had created. The result was a dead zone in the tower where Dandelion had to completely evacuate the infrastructure. Far from ideal. However, a new nuisance presented itself. Swarms of spider-like robots were scurrying through the walls, and attacking Dandelion wherever their paths met. The harm caused by their tiny claws and micro-lasers was infinitesimal in proportion to Dandelion's mass, like ticks on an elephant, but their presence was concerning as it showed that the intruder was also aware of Dandelion, somehow. More mysteries.

Another pang of sickness ran through Dandelion's web of nerves, and Dandelion honed in on the sensation. Once, it had been a neat trick. Twice, and Dandelion was wise to it, carefully isolating the affected systems, blunting the neural feedback. The sickening feeling followed the intruder like the stench of rotten meat, and like a bloodhound Dandelion tracked it to the elevator shaft. Nowhere to go but up, it seemed, as Dandelion's internal ballasts shifted with gravity. Dandelion was ready for them. Sheets of bio-mass shifted around the tower, surging like a bloody tide between the walls and floors. Security micro-bots were quickly smothered as Dandelion pushed though them, their tiny bodies crushed with no fanfare. Dandelion pooled their mass at the tower's top floors, where all of the Renegades' treasures and secrets were stashed away.

Like a man hanged upside-down, blood rushed to the head. This was not pursuit; it was an ambush. Dandelion so loved when prey came to them. The intruder ran down their throat, eager to be swallowed. Peristalsis worked independent of gravity.

[Sep]

Present Day:

^{Interacting with: Eilidh @spicykvnt}

The shadows lanced out, his ring vibrated, and sent a chill through his body warning him of danger ahead. He merely smiled. While he had originally planned for this to be a stealthy operation things had went the way they typically did whenever the renegades were involved. Still, there was something waiting for him on the top levels of the tower. Where Conor was going was far riskier. The residential level. His quarters were relatively close to the lift. The issue was going to be getting in without anyone hearing him. Pulling the doors open just enough for him to get through he slipped down the hallway.

If anyone happened to notice, they would notice the shadows in the hall bulge as he made his way down towards his room. He thought he saw the door of the living area open and without a second hesitation he slapped his hand on his door. It allowed him entry and he slammed it behind him. Cursing quietly, hoping that whoever had opened the door hadn't seen that. Not that it would matter for a time. Hands running over his door the room sealed itself, sealing him in. It would take an excessive amount of force to break through the wards. Wards that he should in hindsight used at his main library. Though in all likelihood Constantine would have lucked his way through disabling them, and never turned them back on again leading to the exact same result.

Conor sighed. There was part of his heart that still viewed this as home. It was exactly the same, albeit with a thin layer of dust that covered everything. He looked over to the small seating area. He had read to Eilidh stories of wisps, fae and kelpies there. While CeCe sat in her own chair reading books of equal age, but more whimsical and fantastical.

At the desk, he had researched many things. He had tried to get an understanding of Varos magic. There was a small target against a far wall, still burned and signed from where him and Selene had practiced their magical strikes in friendly competition to see what school of magic was better.

Not that they ever got an answer. Walking over to the desk he ran a hand over a still open book on the Mayan gods, smiling sadly. Gabi had so much power, and yet so much she had to learn. So much he owed her to discover, and like the rest of them, he had abandoned them with no explanation.

Sighing he took off the ring and felt the warmth return to his body, placing it on the desk. He closed his eyes and concentrated, clearing his mind as best he could in a technique he and Eilidh had developed.

He cast his mind out. "Don't panic Eilidh. I am in tower. To get defenses to stand down say aloud - 'Lucky Charm'-" Julian always liked to think he was funny. "-Please keep my secret."

[spicykvnt]

It was all becoming too much for Eilidh.

Dandelion's reappearance, this strange new individual with his terrible secret - spilled across the place more spectacularly than Dandelion had spilled himself out of the walls.

The gunshot. She had seen the colours of it - a flash of white that burned into smoke in her minds eye until it disappeared, presumably into Link's body. Enough of a welcome to make him turn himself away.

Varo had even appeared. So much noise, and the sudden aura of everyone blending into one, so long in the silence, the noise was too much. There was also that echoing ring of the sharp pain from moments ago.

When the situation seemingly couldn't get worse, it did. Just as the bots were an intruder to the tower, so too was Conor's voice in Eilidh's mind. How long had it been? How long without anything and now - a voice in her mind, and a request to keep the secret. She would. She always would. "Of.. course." But this time, it pained her.

"Lu.." she began out loud.

Everyone was still talking, sounds of fighting, alarms, scuttling of the bots around.

"LUCKY CHARM" she yelled out, louder than she thought she was going to - and not exactly subtle.

[Theyra]

Varo Yelkian

As Varo felt sad at the utterly dead, Dandelion sounded to him and was ready to track down the intruder. The alarms started ringing out, and a fight was now on their hands since the building's security robots were now in play and heading right for them. "I really chose a bad day to come back." He said out loud as blue energy started to form around his hands. First, a newcomer, and now this. Well, it's time to see how tough these robots are, he thought.

As Kali started her attack and sliced one with her swords. Varo focused and launched a volley of energy from his hands. Making sure that Kali would not get in the way and it would hit two of the incoming robots. Both were taken down and as he prepared to launch another burst. Eilidh suddenly yelled LUCKY CHARM, and the alarm stopped, and the robots stopped in their tracks.

Varo, after a moment, to make sure that everything was now safe but still cautious, just in case. "That was quick," and he turned his head to Eilidh. "It is nice to know you know the command words to shut down security, but we still have an intruder to deal with, and I would rather security not get sent against us again."

So now Varo turned to Kali. "How about we find this intruder before things get more.... interesting?"