Joey stood outside Legion Headquarters, trying to work up the nerve to walk in. He was wearing his Jumper costume, so he really shouldn't be out here for too long, but going in just seemed terrifying. Why? He'd spent plenty of time with Achilles and Lightning already. They'd asked for him to be here. So why was he so nervous?
"Jumper!" A thump on his back sent Joey almost face-first into the door. He spun around in surprise.
Prime was standing behind him - at least, he thought it was Prime. He wasn't wearing his usual costume, but the build and the voice definitely seemed like it was Prime.
"Hi." Joey straightened with a chuckle. "Sorry I didn't see you."
"It's all good. Looks like I startled you there. What brings you to HQ?"
"Achilles asked me to come and meet all the new people or something." Prime looked surprised at the news.
"New people? Huh. I guess I've been in the hospital for too long if we have new Legion members and I don't know about them."
Right! Prime had been hospitalized after that last fight.
"Are you okay now?" Joey asked.
"I'm fine. Honestly, I coulda left a couple days ago, but Doc Garcia wanted to make sure I was definitely in fighting shape. Good guy, that Doc. Thanks to him, I'm back already. Without his help, who knows how long I'd have been out."
"Right." Joey smiled as he thought back to the man who'd healed his burns after Phantasma's first attack. It felt like an eon ago, but it had only been a few months.
"Anyway, let's head in. I'm looking forward to meeting the new blood." Prime opened the door and walked in. Joey followed quickly.
Inside, several people he didn't recognize were sitting around on the floor. Well, one lady sat in a chair, but the rest were on the floor.
"Jumper! And is that Prime I see?" The guy who spoke hopped up with a grin and ran over. "Been a long time, you two!"
"Hey, Achilles," Prime replied. "I hear you've been busy while I was recovering." He looked over the new faces and smiled. "Name's Prime. Sorry I haven't been able to meet all of you before now."
Ah. So the guy in front of them was Achilles sans costume. He looked a bit different than Joey had imagined. More normal.
"Welcome back, Prime." Lightning came out from one of the rooms on the second floor with a wave. "Glad to see you and Jumper made it."
"Excellent indeed! Everyone can meet everyone else now." Achilles motioned for everyone towards the group.
As they went there, Joey glanced over everyone. There were six - no, five new people. The kid was probably Light Master. The others mostly looked not much older than him, though the woman in the chair was quite a bit older. Maybe closer to Prime's age.
"Hi!" A girl waved at them as they sat down. "So glad to meet you guys! I'm Ha - er - I'm Barrier Maiden? That's what Achilles wants to call me, and I like it! I can make shields - er - barriers to protect people and stuff." She ran a hand through her glossy hair and batted her eyes at them.
Joey didn't know how to respond to her. Barrier Maiden huh?
"And I'm Hot Rod," the guy next to her said, grinning confidently. "I bring the firepower - literally." He held out his hand palm up and a burst of red energy appeared over it. It took Joey a minute to register it as, yes, literal fire.
"Okay, calm down," Lightning said. "Hot Rod, put that away. You don't need to show off right now. Achilles?"
"Right! Sorry sorry." Achilles straightened his posture and cleared his throat. "Sorry for the meager accommodations, but welcome to the first Legion Introduction Meeting! I'm Achilles the Invincible, or James, leader and founder of the Legion. My Miracle is invincibility and I'm glad to see all of you again. First, we'll do introductions of course.
"If you like, you can give us your first name as well as your hero name, but please include a description of your Miracle. We'll start with the older Legion members, beginning with Jumper and going on in order of when they joined. After that, we'll have introductions of new members based on when your interview was - so Hot Rod for Monday, et cetera. Now, take it away Jumper!"
"Um..." Joey slightly wilted at all the eyes on him, but forced himself to speak. "I'm Jumper. I can jump basically. I've been working with Achilles on and off, but I'm not actually an official Legion member. If there's something major happening I'll come if I can, but I doubt I'll be here very often." He looked at Achilles, who then gestured to Lightning. Good. His introduction had been enough.
"Lightning, power is super speed or something. I don't live at HQ, but I'm here on a regular basis. If anyone needs combat training tips, I can help you out with that."
"I am the Ultimate Light Master! My real name's Tanner, and I can shoot lasers out of my hands." Light Master - or Tanner - demonstrated by sending a beam of light at a wall. Luckily, he held back so he didn't do any damage.
"Next up is me, eh?" Prime asked. "I'm known as Prime, though you may also have heard of Brennan Zavala. My Miracle is eternal youth, so it's not as flashy as the rest of yours, but I'm confident in my skills since I used to be a wrestler."
"No way. The Brennan Zavala? I thought you retired." The one who spoke was one of the guys on the floor. Hot Rod maybe?
"They said I was too old to keep wrestling," Prime replied with a self-deprecating laugh. "It was time for a career change anyway. I'm glad to be in the Legion."
Achilles cut in before anyone could get more star-struck by Prime. Was he really that big a deal?
"So those are our older Legion members! Now, Hot Rod, why don't you introduce yourself and your Miracle?"
"Right! I'm Hot Rod, a.k.a. Jakob. I can use fire for a Miracle, and I intend to burn more than a few villains who think they own the place. They'll think twice before trying anything as long as Hot Rod is on the streets!"
He looked around expectantly, and another one of the guys spoke up.
"My name's Conrad. My Miracle is a magic sword, and I'll be known as Knight Errant. If that's long, you can just call me Knight."
"Can you explain the sword a bit?" Lightning asked.
"Right, sorry," Knight said. "Um...it doesn't do physical damage to anyone, but it can still cause pain. I want to stop villains without actually hurting or killing anyone. So, if I stick it in someone's hand, it'll hurt them, but it won't leave any physical injuries. Everything's psychological. I think it'll work well as a deterrent and a way to knock villains out without crossing any lines." He pulled a sword out of thin air and stuck it in his own hand to demonstrate.
That looked like a cool Miracle. Way flashier than Joey's.
"I suppose I'm next," the woman in the chair said. "I'll be known as the Alchemist, but my real name is Dr. Jolene Faulkner. You can call me Jo if you want. I'll be working behind the scenes since my Miracle is focused on the creation of special concoctions. You can think of them as something akin to a fantasy potion. I'm still working on learning more about it, but the hope is I'll be able to make things to help you heal up quickly, prevent injuries and maybe even enhance your current physical abilities."
Wow. A legit doctor from the sounds of it. The Legion really attracted all types.
"And me!" The girl from earlier bounced up and spun around, striking a pose. "I'm Barrier Maiden, or Haven. I can make barriers to protect you from various attacks. I've still got a way to go with regard to making barriers appear where I want and keeping them as strong as I'd like, but I'll keep working on it! Please be nice to me." She smiled and sat down, every movement like that of a graceful model or something.
Joey didn't know what to think of her. Finally, everyone's attention moved to the last guy, who sat in a slouch on the floor with his hair dangling in his face. He pushed it up and away, but he still looked pretty gloomy. Not the sort of person Joey would expect to find in the Legion. Of course, he hadn't expected to see himself here either, so his impressions couldn't be all that reliable.
"I'm Rose. Or Fiore. I can make a long vine and grow thorns or flowers off of it."
He stretched out his hand and a long green stalk sprouted. A few flowers blossomed along it, as well as a coat of thin thorns. It looked pretty dangerous actually.
"The flowers can do various different things, like cause various allergic reactions. Some of 'em are also edible. I'll be figuring out all the ins and outs of it with the rest of you, probably. Here's to the Legion, the place for those who accept that their Miracles are a gift meant to serve and protect the people of Arx Nubibus. I look forward to working with all of you."
Was it just Joey or did Rose/Fiore seem really unenthusiastic about all this?
"Thank you everyone!" Achilles said. "Now we'll do a tour of Legion HQ, get a few logistical things out of the way such as living arrangements and the necessary information to pay you. After that, we'll head out so everyone can get new uniforms."
He led the way upstairs, but Joey hung back from the group. Lightning noticed and walked up to him.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. I just feel weird being here. Also, this is my one day off this week. I'd kind of like to go home and hang out with my brother."
"No worries. You showed your face, everyone met you, I doubt you need to be here for all the boring stuff. Besides, I think we're all going incognito. If you don't want them to know who you are, you'd better bounce now." Joey looked at her in surprise as Lightning took off her mask and winked.
"You..."
"I'm not a fan of them knowing my face either, but I'll deal with it. By the way, if you need me when I'm not in costume, my name's Courtney. Lemme know when your next day off is if you want. I can meet with you for coffee and update you on the situation here. Before long, you might not be needed here anymore. You can go back to your normal life." She put her mask back on and started following Achilles and the others.
"Thanks, Lig - er..." Joey was shy about saying her real name but Courtney didn't seem to mind.
"No worries, kid. See you later."
As he left, Joey thought about his normal life. Was it really possible to go back completely? On the one hand, he knew his life couldn't be the same as before. On the other hand, it'd be nice to not have to fret about people like Paris. Could he completely cut ties with the Legion?
He didn't need to decide now - the answer would come to him eventually.
