YOUR CHARACTER'S DCUO STORY

The Golden Dragon Arrives in Metropolis.
(Note: this story takes place nearly Ten Years ago!)

Mack Krueger stepped off the Rail Whale platform and made his way through the bustling terminal. The Ride from Siegel and Shuster memorial airport had been a fairly pleasant one. Mack stopped at one of the Sun Dollar Coffee stands to pick up a Choco-Latte before consulting the maps app on his smartphone.The apartment building he had been accepted to as a new tenant was about four blocks away. He hoisted his backpack over his shoulder and picked up the heavy duffel Bag with his most essential clothes that he’d need for the first few days before the rest of his stuff would arrive from home.

Mack was excited. He had gotten a generous advance on his next book by the publishing house he had been working for and their new office was in a High profile building in Metropolis. Mack heard someone scream “RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!” And was about to duck into an alley when he saw that the man was actually laughing with his friends as they sat around a table pouring over the latest edition of Super-Power Showcase. Mack walked past and nodded to one of the men who looked up.
“Sorry for the scare Kid!” Mack was only twenty four but with his slight build and clean shaven face, he looked to still be in his teens
“More startled than scared. My folks said “Metropolis has Superman but that means it also has a city full of crazies who want to bring the big man down all the time so be ready to duck and cover at a moments notice!”
“They weren’t wrong!” The older man extended a hand which Mack took with as solid a handshake as he could muster. The Man had a Vice like grip and was powerfully built under his suit.
“I’m Flynn…..Flynn Greenbow!” He was blond and tanned with a shaggy Mop of gold hair and a goatee.
“Mack Krueger…..and no! I don’t have any relatives named Fred!” The two men laughed as Flynn’s friends walked off waving goodbye.
“You just arrived in town I take it…” Mack nodded as he gestured towards one of the nearby high-rises.
“I’m moving into my apartment today…. Number 8995 Grove Street!” Flynn’s face lit up!
“That’s where I live!” C’mon! I’ll help you find the best way in! There’s a Stacy’s outlet on the first Floor and it always confuses the newer Tenants when they come looking for the place!”
Mack walked along with Flynn before asking
“What were you guys reading about anyway?” Flynn chuckled as he recalled the article.
“It was a piece about the possibility of a mass empowerment wave that would transform almost 50% of the world’s humans into Super-Powered beings. After the Invasion Gene Bomb, studies were started to look at the possible hazards and consequences of additional Meta-Human Explosions.” Mack had known the article, He actually wrote it under a pseudonym .
“I take it that friend who yelled wasn’t a fan of the idea?” Flynn rolled his eyes as they crossed the street.
“Tom works for LexCorp. And most of the people there have uhm…very specific views of Meta Humans.”
Mack nodded understanding. Lex Luthor had put a big emphasis on his Dedication to Advancing Humanity Programs in the last few years and several of the ads that LexCorp ran took subtle but clear shots at Superman and the Meta-Human population.

As they entered the building Mack looked around. There was a Poster Frame featuring the latest Stacy’s catalog ad. This time showing the Latest “Stacy” Wearing a Black Dress with a plunging neckline and Jet Black hair that hung down over a troubled but stunning face. Before Mack could venture a guess at the cause of the girl’s expression the ad faded out and was replaced by a garish Promotional poster for Flakies cereal featuring Celebrity pitchman and Superhero Booster Gold!
The sudden change caused Mack to back away a step and gasp!
“I liked the girl better!” Flynn chuckled as he led Mack through the hall to the elevator marked Residents only!
“Just wait til you meet her!” Flynn grinned as they Headed up the short flight of steps to the office that was labeled “Apartment Manager”
Before Flynn could volunteer how that would happen he received an alert on his own smartphone that made him get serious.
“Look, I gotta run! The Apartment manager will give you the cook’s tour!”
Mack waved a thanks and stepped inside. He never saw or heard the shimmering energy envelope that surrounded his new friend and made him disappear.

The Apartment Manager had taken up three hours showing getting Mack through the preliminaries of moving in such as a stack of paperwork involving rent agreements, Tenant responsibility summaries, garbage and recycle disposal requirements and schedules, Phone and utilities hook-ups as well as Pet Policies and maintenance fees. Finally, They proceeded to the apartment. It was much bigger than Mack had expected! The First room was a large space with two support columns in the middle It had a wood floor and two alcoves embedded into the walls off to the right was a short three step climb to a landing that had another alcove built in and a small entrance way that led to the next room. The next room was n’t as large But It had a high ceiling and a stair case that ran down to a level below as well as two stair cases that led up to a platform above. One section of this room had been roped off and held several pieces of furniture just by a ledge that you could see over to the level below. The windows (the only real view the apartment had) ran from the ceiling to the floor on the lower level and gave a fairly decent view of …
“The Big Belly Burger Corporate Headquarters.” The Manager offered. Mack nodded grimly.
“Swell, Fat Cats getting rich on making everyone else as fat as they are!” The Apartment manager chuckled
“We’re a junk food nation Kid! Might as well, get used to it!” Mack nodded. He actually was a fan of BBB’s Mega Gut-Busters But at 24 Years old he had the metabolism that allowed him that indulgence.
He actually had a dimmer view of the corporate over-lords who ran the fast food empire as well as their not so silent Larger corporate Overlord.
The upstairs platform had Mack’s Bed and dressers as well as a bathroom area. Mack thanked the Apartment Manager and sighed with relief.
Finally! His own place!

Mack set to work converting the apartment to a measure of respectability. The Outer room would have to wait. First he started pushing around his Bed and end tables. Then he put his bathroom in order and went down to where the kitchen area waited. There was a full fridge, cabinets and countertop with a stove. Mack pulled out his phone and started filling out a shopping list. He was halfway down one side of the page when a chime sounded from the front room. Mack went to the call-screen. It basically functioned as an intercom to either the Lobby where he could “Buzz” in guests or it also worked as a front door look out so he could see who was at the door.
In this case it was Flynn and someone behind him.
Mack opened the door and stepped back as Flynn entered Flynn was accompanied by a Blond woman dressed in a black jacket and blue jeans.
She held out her hand Mack took it and introduced himself
“I’m Stacy” Mack’s eyes took her in. Yes……Yes! With a black wig and dress and a bit more makeup she was the very image of the young woman from the poster.
“Is that your real name?” Mack winked as she drew her hand back and smiled.
“Noooo The name’s Dina (Dee-Nah) Lachance. Flynn told me he met an admirer of mine today.” Mack shrugged
“Well when a guy’s looking at your face one second and Booster Gold’s the next…” Dina laughed as Mack led her and Flynn into his sitting area.
The three sat down on Mack’s two most comfortable sofas. Mack and Dina on one while Flynn went to the other.

“You two know each other well?” Mack smiled as Dina raised an eyebrow.
“Not in the way you’re thinking…..” Dina began.
“We work together from time to time.” Flynn explained.
Mack nodded in understanding and stood up.
“You guys want a drink? I don’t have much….”
“Nothing alcoholic for me thanks.” Dina answered pleasantly
“Oh I haven’t bought that stuff yet. I just meant like a soda or whatever.” Mack went over to the kitchen area and opened a cabinet containing a case of Soder Cola and some glasses.
Dina and Flynn took the glasses and clinked them with Mack’s
“So you work together….since Dina’s a model, I’m assuming you’re her photographer?” Flynn shook head.
“No, I’m useless with a camera. But Dina and I have done some body doubling for other celebrities at various functions…to lead the Papparazzi off in the wrong direction”
“The DAVE set-up…” Mack referenced the popular Kevin Kline movie.
“Basically” Dina smiled.

Suddenly, both Dina and Flynn noticed the city get much darker than it should have!
Mack noticed as well and the three ran to the door. People were already running out of their apartments frantically.
“Somebody’s gonna get trampled if this keeps up!” Mack nodded at Dina’s comment.
“I’ll have a look and see what’s going on! You two try to keep folks from losing their heads!”
Dina moved to hold him back but Mack was already charging up the stairs to the rooftop patio,
Flynn grabbed Dina’s hand and shoved her phone up into her line of sight. Live footage from GBS showed a swarm of large ships descending on various cities around the world. Suddenly, the footage was replaced by the image of a computer generated face mask. The lips were definitely feminine and a woman’s voice was heard coming from the device.
Dina put a small earbud in her ear and tapped it. A voice came over the receiver urgently giving instructions.
Dina looked at the roof access door that Mack had gone through. There was no time! She had to just hope he’d be alright.
“Understood… commence transport.” Dina and Flynn both were enveloped in an energy Bubble that vanished leaving the floor completely empty.

Mack meanwhile, had made it to the roof and looked up and out over the city. The sun was blocked by a dark shape that looked like a semi transparent egg.
It was an alien ship Mack looked around there was no one to see him He held his hands out as if grasping something invisible and chanted in an ancient tongue
“Let those who have been imprisoned be now set free! Let their power now be let loose and bestowed upon me!”
Suddenly the space between Mack’s hands glowed and formed the shape of a mystical Golden Urn with a figure of a dragon on the lid. The urn turned into light and enveloped Mack’s Body. As the light faded a much taller and more muscular form was revealed.
His Skin was polished Gold. He had much longer hair and sported a huge pair of Scalloped wings. On his chest was a profile Image of the Dragon that had been sculpted onto the lid of the mystical urn. Mack Krueger was gone. In His place stood the Golden Dragon. The Avatar of the Ancient Race of Dragons. Golden Dragon’s wings spread out wide as he left from the patio into the sky. The nearest ship was hovering just over Little Bohemia. The energy shield was powerful and stood up to the attacks of several Super Heroes who had already arrived on the scene. Gold Dragon decided it was time to join the Fight. However, When He reached the shield the shock of energy that greeted his own punch was more than he had ever experienced. For the first time in His life The Golden Dragon passed out. As he did he felt a wave of energy Cascade over him.

Golden Dragon came to himself in a room filled with chambers like the one he had found himself in. A small microphone had been somehow placed in his ear and he heard a woman speaking to him.
She was saying something about Brainiac’s forces and getting off the ship. GD could only hear her and found there was no reply option. He shrugged and followed her directions. Within an hour GD had successfully managed to get clear of the ship and meet with Superman.
Well, there are worse ways to make a debut! GD thought to himself as he and superman cleaned house. Superman then led GD to a teleport and in seconds GD was in the Little Bohemia Police Department. Oracle started introducing herself and directing GD to various sections of the station. GD resisted the urge to snap at the woman.
This Is gonna be one of those weeks! GD muttered to himself as he went out to help deal with a Gorilla attack on the Beach!

The next day after fending off an attack by Queen Bee’s Hive army at the Metrodome, Golden Dragon finally had some time to himself. Oracle invited him up to the watchtower and he could finally get some bearing on what was going on.
As GD sat in a quiet corner of the Central chamber, a Woman wearing Black and Gold with a large Black pair of Bird wings approached him.
“Hi…”
“Black Canary?” Since when do you have wings?” “ The woman laughed and backed up a pace.
“I’m not THE Black Canary. I’m one of her protogés… My Name is Canari Noir: the Songbird!”
Golden Dragon stood up and accepted Canri noir’s handshake. He then recognized her as she brushed the Blond hair from her face
“DEE?!? Uh! I mean….DINA?” Dina Lachance dropped her shoulders
“Have we met?!?” Golden Dragon suddenly realized he had just made a huge blunder!
“I’m….sorry uh, yeah! Is this a good place to talk or can we go someplace private?” Dina caught on to GD’s meaning.
“Oh It’s okay! Everyone here is a hero! There’s a whole secret Identity Code of honor in the Justice League and New Heroes who get invited to join get the same treatment and are expected (on Earth particularly) to abide by the code. This is actually the best place to make a rookie mistake like that!” Golden Dragon relaxed.
“Sorry! I have a few friends I work with and so far we’ve all been pretty good about maintaining our own code of secrecy regarding identities as well” With that, GD enveloped himself in his wings. Again, his body glowed with a light of it’s own before settling down into the shape of a young man with a slight build holding a Golden urn that faded from sight.
“MACK!!!!” Flynn GreenBow’s voice echoed in the chamber and The Man dropped down next to his friends from a zip-line. He was dressed in a Hooded costume Not unlike that of the Green Arrow.
“Why am I not surprised?” Mack smiled as Flynn caught his meaning.
“Yeah, ok some of us in the New Heroes program are more apt to take on “iconic” persons based on our mentors here in the League.”
“Well My team and I didn’t even know the league had such a program!” Mack stepped back and held up his hands
“Hang on a second… I feel a little out of place here in Civilian Mode!” Mack then repeated his ancient incantation and resumed the Form of the Golden Dragon.
“Not Bad!” Green Bow whistled appreciatively. Canary noir echoed the sentiment with a whistle of her own.
“So you didn’t get your p powers from the exobyte explosion?” Canari Noir asked as they walked towards the Meta-Wing Antechamber.
“No! I was actually at an antique shop back home in Connecticut when I found the Urn! I just thought it made for a good prop for a comic I was thinking up. I had no Idea it was going to go all Aladdin’s lamp on me and make Me into Dragon Heart!”
Flynn pressed his palm against the Meta-Wing Teleporter’s control pad.
“Where to?” Canary noir looked at Gold Dragon who shrugged.
“Let’s get back to the apartments! I have some calls to make”

The shimmering effect of the teleporter surrounded the three heroes and they found themselves on the Rooftop Patio of their building.
Golden Dragon glanced around. and went about the process of reverting back to Mack Krueger. Dina Pulled her hair back and her wings seemed to shrink back down and flattened themselves into place as the stenciled emblem on her leather jacket. She pulled the jacket off and then slung it over her shoulder. Flynn meanwhile had pulled down the sleeves of his shirt. He then pulled the soft material out from underneath the Body armor shell and brought the front together zipping it up. He pulled off the spirit gum domino mask and slid it into an inside pocket. Finally he untucked his black trousers from his Boots and let them fall down to his ankles as a pair of unremarkable easy-fit jeans.
“Has anyone ever noticed Super Heroes landing on the roof hereabouts?” Mack asked as they left the stairwell into the corridor where their apartments were located.
“The Patio has been set up with holographic camouflage that activates when we uh… “beam down.” It presents an empty patio scene to anyone looking at the building.” Dina explained as they entered Mack’s apartment.

Catching up, Part 2
----------
“Damn it,” Gothena thought to herself as she appeared in Chinatown. “Been in the future a few hours and already have Zatanna on my ***.”

Gothena headed towards a restaurant owned by her mother. It was late and the place would be closed but she needed to find Circe. Lex was missing along with four years of her life and only one thing mattered. Circe was her best hope of finding Alexis. She was alive. She had to be. If she died in that tower explosion…

She pushed the thought aside. Alexis was alive. She was certain. What bothered Gothena was she could not find her. Using every locator spell Circe had taught her yielded nothing. It was like trying to tune a radio to a station while someone was using an appliance in the same room. There was something interfering with her trace. Or blocking it.

The restaurant was closed and locked. Testing the door revealed the locks were magical. It took a few tries but finally Gothena managed to crack the spell and open the door. She walked in, poured herself a drink at the bar and had a seat at one of the tables.

As she guessed, it wasn’t long before one of Circe’s pets, alerted to the broken seal on the door, arrived. A young woman wearing long violet robes walked into the bar and noticed Gothena immediately.

“You are trespassing on private property,” the woman told her. “That is a mistake.”

The violet-clad witch cast a spell and runes flickered in the air. Two bestiamorphs walked in through the portal she opened. Gothena calmly sipped her drink. Once the summoning was complete, Gothena waved her hands while chanting ancient Greek. The two bestiamorphs grabbed the young woman by the arms and pinned her against a wall.

“Amateur.” Laughed Gothena as she stood up and walked over to her. “You work for Circe.”

“I’ve never heard that name,” the woman told her.

Gothena slapped her hard. “That wasn’t a question. It was a statement. Do not speak unless I tell you.”

The young woman struggled against the bestiamorphs. “I’ll kill y…”

Gothena slapped her again, harder. Her eyes glowed at she stared at the young woman. The fledgling witch screamed as images invaded her mind. Her worst fears flooded her thoughts. After a few seconds, Gothena relented.

“You work for Circe. I wish to speak to Circe,” Gothena told her. “You will find her and tell her I am here.”

The young woman stared at her.

“Tell her Alecia wishes to speak with her,” Gothena told the young woman who had tears streaming down her face.

The young woman nodded. Gothena ordered the bestiamorphs to release the witch, who ran out the door.


“You,” Gothena said to one of the bestiamorphs. “Make me a drink. Whiskey on the rocks.”
Gothena sat back at the table, propping her feet on it and ordering the other bestiamorph to rub her shoulders. A few minutes later, Circe appeared through a portal.

“You’re back,” Circe said calmly as she sat down. “I didn’t think you were dead.”

“Where is she?” Gothena asked. “Where is Alexis.”

Circe took the glass of whiskey Gothena was drinking and downed it. “That’s a difficult question. The short answer is I don’t know.”

“How can you not know?” Gothena asked her. “You’re her grandmother. What have you been doing the last four years?”

“Oh, this and that,” Circe told her. “Things have been chaotic since you vanished. What happened to you? You left no trace. Not a fragment. You don’t have that kind of power. I’ve always been able to trace your location.”

“Paradox reapers. I was in Central City on a job for the Rogues when those things attacked me. They said they were going to remove me from the timeline. I think I botched their time magic or whatever they use when I attacked and instead, I was sent here. Or sent now. Or something,” Gothena told her as she ordered the bestiamorph to make her another drink. “Temporal magic. Or science. Or something. It gives me a headache.”

“That explains it, more or less. I don’t play with temporal magic. It’s too dangerous. There are a lot of powerful creatures and people who work to maintain the timelines,” Circe told her daughter.

“It wasn’t exactly my choice,” Gothena replied, getting irritated. “Look, it happened. I’ve lost four years. Alexis hasn’t seen mommy since she was three and I want my daughter and I want her now.”

The ground rumbled slightly as Gothena’s emotions poured out, knocking over chairs.

“Calm down,” Circe told her. “I’ll tell you what I know. After you vanished, I went to get Alexis. So did John. Lex was faster than both of us. He apparently had contingencies in place in the event of your death. That company he bought, KidTec, has a school for what he called gifted children.”

“Yea, I know,” Gothena told her. “We planned it together. We were using the microchip locators to identify children with meta genes and where possible, move them to a central location where they could be nurtured by LexCorp. The school is Little Bohemia. What does that have to do with Alexis?”

“He moved her to the school. Then the school moved. I guess you didn’t know he designed that school to be mobile. He also has exceptionally good magic users on his payroll. Wherever they transported it, we can’t find it. John and I searched for years with no trace. Lex refused to tell us, and I’ve not been able to coerce the information from him.”

“So, she’s alive, at least. I bet the databases in KidTec would have the information,” Gothena said to herself. “It will be hard to explain why Lisa Luthor vanished for four years, but it’s my company. I think I need to pay it a visit.”

“You didn’t vanish, luv,” a male voice from behind her said.
John Constantine walked over to the table, sat down, and took the glass of whiskey Gothena was drinking. He downed it.

“You’ve been showing up for work every day. Or, rather, that robot thing Luthor made to replace you has been,” he said, handing the empty glass to a bestiamorph to refill. “My guess is the bastard wanted to keep up public appearances more than he cared about his flesh and blood going missing. Far as the public knows, Lisa has been going on with her life while Gothena was killed in Central City.”

“Why are you here?” Gothena asked him.

“She’s my daughter, too,” John replied. “The last we spoke; we made a bargain and your death broke that arrangement. No you, no visitation.”

“Then I get into KidTec, find out where that school is, and get my daughter back,” Gothena told them. “And anyone who gets in my way…”

“Yea… no,” John said. “We need to keep this on the low. Your usual methods aren’t going to work. Things aren’t what they used to be. After events of the last few years, there’s an uneasy truce between the heroes and villains. You go stomping around with your heavy-handed methods, you’re going to have heat from both teams come down on you.”

“He’s right,” Circe agreed. “You need to be more subtle. Who else knows you’re back?”

“Zatanna,” Gothena replied. “She nearly caught me after I dropped a cop off at his precinct.”

“You dropped a cop off?” Circe asked.

Gothena laughed. “Yea, literally. I needed info about what was going on, so I interrogated a cop, then dropped him a few hundred feet onto the steps of his precinct. It was funny.”

Circe slapped her, knocking Gothena out of her chair and onto the floor. “You stupid child. I’ve been telling you since day one you need to control your move violent tendencies. You’re going to bring down the Birds of Prey or the Justice League Dark on you.”
Gothena stood up, rubbing her jaw. Despite her age, Circe was still the daughter of a Titan and quite strong.

“I just… I didn’t mean to…” Gothena stammered. “John, you can fix this with the Dark, right?”

“Not sure, luv,” he told her. “We’re tight but I’m not their boss. Zatanna has a personal hatred of you and I’m sure you know why.”

“Yea,” Gothena said quietly. “What can I do?”

“I don’t know,” Circe told her. “You’ve been back a day and already managed to screw things up.”

Circe waved her hand and a piece of paper appeared. She handed it to Gothena.

“This is a hotel I own,” Circe told her. “Go there. Get some rest. Give us some time to think about the possible choices. A lot has happened in the last few years. John and I can discuss options and see if we can come up with a plan.”

Gothena nodded and left. Once she was certain Gothena was gone, Circe looked at John.

“This is a mess,” Circe told him.

“There’s another problem,” John told her. “It’s not just the heroes you have to worry about. She’s out of time. Literally. If a paradox wave formed when she was moved to the future, she could have those paradox demons or the Time Bureau after her.”

“Maybe they need to catch her,” Circe commented. “You have a way of contacting Rip Hunter, am I correct?”

“Aye,” John told her. “But that’s not going to help… Wait… You’re not thinking…”

“I am,” Circe told him. “If we can put her back where she belongs in the timeline, with a little adjustment to her memories, I think we can fix everything at once.”

“What do you have in mind?” John asked.

“She’s strong. Her powers are magical in nature and manifest as mental abilities. That makes it difficult to modify her memories,” Circe told him. “However, there are ways. Are you familiar with mnemomancy?”

“Somewhat but it’s not my specialty,” John replied as he sipped the liquor. “I take it you are?”

“Not as much as I would like to be but somewhat, yes. We need someone stronger who would be willing to help preserve the timeline,” she replied. “Any ideas?”

“The Justice League has one person who can manipulate memories very well,” John told her. “But you’re not going to want his help.”

“Not that green freak,” Circe replied with a bit of venom in her voice. “She’ll never agree to it. She’s also Luthor’s daughter and he’s notoriously anti-alien, a sentiment which has rubbed off on her. If only they would learn everyone is equally suited to be used for your benefit, despite their heritage.”

“If you want someone’s memory jacked, he’s your best bet. His abilities are not magical in nature, either, so her magical defenses won’t help as much. I’ll talk to him. I’m mostly on speaking terms with the goody goods up in their satellite,” he told her with a laugh.
“I’ll see if I can arrange a sit down.”

The next morning, Gothena left for her penthouse. She took the risk in order to get some things she would need for KidTec.
Fortunately for her, the interlopers into the tower since Lex vanished had been focused on Lex’s offices and tech and left the residential areas mostly alone.

She grabbed an outfit appropriate for her secret identify as a corporate executive. The badge and identification for KidTec was long since expired. Nothing was ever simple. Gothena left and went to a secluded area, then cast a simple spell transforming her appearance to that of Lisa Luthor. She put on the outfit and went to work.

“Good morning, Ms. Luthor,” the receptionist said pleasantly as Lisa walked into the building.

“Good morning,” she replied cordially. “Can you buzz me up to my office? I left my card at home.”

“Certainly,” the receptionist replied. “I’ll call security to take care of it immediately.”

She smiled and sat down to wait. The receptionist did as she indicated and a minute later, a tall, well-dressed man approached her.

“Good morning, Ms. Luthor,” the man said very flatly. “If you would follow me, we’ll get you cleared and up to your office.”

“What’s this all about?” she asked.

“Oh, nothing to worry about. Just the usual security policies. I’m sure you won’t mind, since you implemented them yourself,” he told her and walked down a hallway.

Lisa followed him into a security office. He indicated a retinal scanner.

“Please look into the scanner so we can verify your retinal pattern, then we’ll run a DNA check. Once that clears, we’ll get you up and running,” he told her in a monotone voice.

She looked into the scanner and the familiar red light ran along her eyes. After that, she put her hand on a pad and felt the little ***** as a DNA test was ran. The man stared at a computer screen.

“I’ll be damned,” he said in shock. “It’s really you. We were told you were dead. One moment, please, Ms. Luthor.”
He picked up a phone. “Contingency Alpha Lambda Indigo Victor Echo.”

“What the Hell is going on?” she asked.

“Mr. Luthor left specific instructions in the event you were alive. I’ll get you to your office and he will explain everything,” the man told her.

“I thought he was dead?” she replied.

“He might be. He might not be. We don’t know. But he left a message for you in either case,” the man told her. “Follow me, please.”

As they walked, he made a call on his cell phone. “I’m taking her to her office. Have the Lisabot meet us there.”

They went up a private elevator to the top floor. Her office was much as she remembered it.

“Please, have a seat,” the man told her. “I’ll fill you in on what I can.”

“Good,” she replied as she sat in the chair at the desk. “It seems I missed a lot.”

“When Mr. Luthor received the report of your disappearance, he took action to make sure if you returned you would have something to return to. He had an android crafted to give the appearance you were still alive. It comes and goes publicly, frequents the restaurants and other venues you were known to go to, that sort of thing. He ran the company directly until he vanished. Since then, the board has made decisions,” he told her. “Now that you’re back, that will change, of course.”

“Where’s Alexis?” she asked.

Catching Up, Part 3
----

“I don’t know,” he told her. “Mr. Luthor said the Lisabot would fill you in.”

Almost on cue, the door opened, and the android entered.

“It looks just like me,” she remarked.

“I am just like you,” the android replied. “Mr. Luthor spared no expense in making your simulacrum. Please excuse us, Mr. Bradbury.”

“Of course,” the man replied and left.

The android sat down in a chair opposite her.

“I suspected you were alive,” the android said with a voice that now sounded like Lex Luthor. “If you’re receiving this message, it means I am unavailable. I presume the Kryptonians finally managed to arrest or kill me. If I’m in jail, get me out. If I’m dead, avenge me.”


“You sound just like him,” Lisa remarked.

“I’m sure you have questions but the one foremost on your mind is where is your daughter. She is safe,” the android told her. “After your disappearance, I was concerned your mother or the child’s father might try to usurp her and alter her education. To that end, I placed her in the Luthor School for Gifted Children, which we had already agreed would happen anyway.

“Considering the vast amount of magical resources between Circe and Constantine, I was concerned they would find the location and take her. The school has been warded against magical detection that should prevent even their combined power from finding it. The school is also mobile and has holographic technology. stops. The pattern is not absolute, and the AI of the building can change the stops as needed. Accessing the current tracking, the school is…

“Gothena, you are under arrest,” a voice said as numerous people teleported into the room.
She jumped up and looked around. Powergirl, Zatanna, Cyborg, and a dozen of the Science Police surrounded her.

“You came heavy,” Gothena said as she transformed to her normal appearance.

Gothena tried to open a portal.

“I’ve blocked your ability to magically teleport,” Zatanna told her.

Cyborg added, “And we’ve set up blocks for the technological varieties. You’re not going anywhere.”

“The hard way it is,” Gothena told them and blasted Zatanna with telekinetic energy.

Zatanna blocked most of it, but still flew back and hit the wall as Gothena turned towards Powergirl. She raised her hand to cast a
spell, but Cyborg hit her with an immensely powerful electrical charge. She tried to shake it off, but before she could, Powergirl punched her. That was the last thing she remembered.

Gothena was laying on a table with Martian Manhunter, Circe, Constantine, and Rip Hunter standing around her.

“Do you think she bought it?” Constantine asked Martian Manhunter.

“She did,” he replied as he held his hands over her head, then looked at Rip Hunter. “If you’re ready, I can begin the process of removing memories of the last day.”

“Still don’t know why we needed to create that illusion,” Rip stated.
Circe frowned. “She’s a stubborn, hot-headed, impetuous child. She would never have willingly agreed to this. Is everyone ready?”

“I’m ready,” Rip replied. “Hurry. I have major timeline issues to fix and this this one could have waited. After this, we’re even, Constantine.”

“Even,” Constantine replied and looked the large, green man. “Do it.”

“Circe and I will break her mental blocks and erase her knowledge of the last twenty-four hours,” Martian Manhunter told them.
“When we are done, she will remain unconscious for no more than a few minutes. You will need to hurry.”

“Time is always on my side,” Rip replied smugly.

It took a few minutes for them to break through her barriers. Once that was done, the process of erasing her memories took longer. When the process was complete, Constantine carried her onto the ship and laid her down gently. “See you in the past.”


John left the ship, then Rip engaged the ship’s engines and with a flash of light, they were gone.

The room changed and Martian Manhunter was gone. Circe, Constantine, and Psimon stood in the room.

“How did it go?” Constantine asked.

“Perfect,” Psimon replied. “If the blocks don’t hold, and she remembers anything, her memories will reflect the Justice League subduing her, Martian Manhunter alone erasing her memories, and Rip Hunter returning her to the past. The thee of us will not be in her memories.”

John smiled. “Perfect. What about the other thing?”

“I can’t say how effective it will be, but hopefully while Psimon was modifying her memories, the tweak to her desire for violence was equally as effective,” Circe replied. “I didn’t have time for anything major, so she will hopefully be less self-destructive, hopefully. My plans cannot be impacted by some wild girl running off half-cocked.”

“Yea, yea, we get it,” John said. “You villain types sure do love to monologue.”
With a flash of light, the time ship appeared in Central City.

Rip and crew watched quietly while past Gothena charged a paradox reaper, hitting it with a powerful blast of telekinesis and fear just before sinking her scimitars into its chest. As it died, a temporal rift opened and Gothena was pulled into it. Rip and his crew cleaned up the remaining Reapers then laid their Gothena on the ground. They got back on the ship and with another flash, it was gone.

She awoke and stood up. The park was empty.

“Guess that spell was stronger than I thought,” she said to herself and took out her phone.

“You’re under arrest!” the CCPD yelled as officers swarmed the park.

Gothena laughed. The fight was short but brutal. Several of the cops were severely injured. She stood over one, her scimitar drawn. Just before plunging it into his chest, she hesitated. Her instincts screamed to kill him, but a voice in the back of her head told her not to. ‘Think of your daughter. How will she grow up with mommy in prison?’ Gothena sheathed her blade.


"You get to live,” she told him. “You’re beaten. No reason to kill you.”

The cop ran away. She felt the hair on her skin stand up from static electricity.

“I was wondering if you would show up,” she said to the Flash as he zipped in front of her. “Want to play?”

“This isn’t a game,” he told her. “You hurt those cops and now you’re going to jail.”

“Of course, it’s a game,” she laughed as a portal opened.

She hit the Flash with a blast of telekinetic energy and jumped into the portal, yelling, “Tag, you’re it.”

She stepped through the portal and appeared on the opposite side of the city. It did not take long for Flash to find her just to see her port away once again. This continued for a few minutes until Flash’s communicator beeped.


"The Flash museum was robbed,” he said to himself. “This has been a distraction.”

Gothena laughed as Flash sped off, then she teleported back to the Hall.

Her phone beeped with a text message. “Job done. Payment deposited. Stay frosty.”
…

Four years later, Circe and Lisa were sitting in one of Gothena’s safehouses talking in hushed tones. Alexis was playing with her toys in the living room.

“You can’t be serious,” Circe told her. “I forbid it.”

“You don’t have the authority to forbid anything,” Lisa told her. “You’re not my master. I go when and where I please and do what I please and it pleases me to go to Themyscira.”

“Oracle and her little birdies have poisoned your mind,” Circe replied, anger in her voice. “You are not a hero.”

“Damn straight I’m not,” Lisa replied. “I did some freelance work for them but I’m not one her people. I’m not doing this for the greater good. If the Source Wall is actually broken, it will be a danger to us all, including that little girl in there. Lex is missing. Calculator is trying to consolidate his power. Something needs to be done and for her, I’m going to do it. Can I count on your support?”

“No,” Circe snapped. “After what happened on Olympus, I don’t think my support would help you.”

“So be it,” Lisa told her. “I have to leave soon and and Sebastian will be here any minute. So far today, I’ve had a board meeting, a PTA meeting, ran a freelance job for Calculator, and on top of that I had to get the final details in place for my trip. I have to get ready to leave.”

Lisa got up and walked away. She went into the living room and picked up her daughter.

“Mommy, will you be gone long?” Alexis asked.

“I don’t know honey. Hopefully not long,” Lisa told her. “Your daddy will take good care of you in the meantime.”

Circe stormed out in anger. Lisa laughed to herself.

“Come on, let’s get you down for a nap,” Lisa told her and walked to Alexis’s room.

After she made sure Alexis was sleeping, she went to her bedroom and activated a wall panel. It slid open to reveal a viewscreen. She tapped a few commands and a minute later, Calculator was on the screen.


“Your message said it was urgent,” Lisa said to Calculator.

His voice was flat and emotionless. “You’re going to Themyscira for Oracle. I need to know where your loyalties lie.”

“Where they always have,” she told him. “I’m with the Society. What I did for the Birds was a means to an end. Lex was out of control and his plans didn’t include the Society, me, or any of us. He had to be stopped. That Oracle’s people were dumb enough to pay me while we took him down a notch was just a bonus.”

“Good to know you’re on the team,” he replied, a hint of pleasure in his voice. “What if he’s alive? Where do your loyalties lie?”

“I watched him vanish. He was vaporized by that Source energy,” she told him. “But… He is Lex Luthor. If he survived, he’s going to be as angry at me as he is at you. I was there, on the same side as the Kryptonian and the others when we stopped him. I think we’re both better off if he’s truly dead.”

“Then why go to the Amazon island now and not stay and get ready just in case?” Calculator asked.

“I am getting ready. The rumor is that the god sphere is broken, and Source energy is raining down on the island. If it’s true, securing as much of that as possible is our best bet in case he survived and still has any of that Source power,” she told him.

“Have fun in Themyscira,” Calculator told her.

She turned off the communicator and a moment later, the doorbell rang.

Lisa answered the door and Sebastian was there.

“Allo, luv,” he said pleasantly.

“She’s asleep, John,” Gothena told him.

“I haven’t seen you since Gotham and all I get is ‘she’s asleep, John.’ Seems like you’d have more than that to say,” John told her.

“I was part of a team that stopped something from chewing its way into our world,” Gothena replied. “Nothing else.”

“And the celebration?” John asked. “It was quite the party. And an even better afterparty.”

“We were drunk,” she told him. “Very drunk.”

He laughed.

“Any idea how long you’ll be gone?” he asked.

“As long as it takes. This is unprecedented so we don’t have an ETA. If you need to reach me, you know how,” she replied and handed him a small bag. “Addresses and keys for all of my safehouses. Everything is warded and shielded. Serendipity is programmed to follow your commands. The security system is armed and very lethal. If anyone other than you or Circe crosses the threshold, you’ll need sandwich bags to clean up. Keep her safe. If he’s alive…”

“He’s not, luv,” John told her. “Poof, gone. You said so yourself.”

“Remember our deal,” Gothena told him. “No magic. No heroes. No villains. No John.”

“Yea, yea,” he replied. “Same deal we’ve had for years.”

Lisa went to her daughter’s room and kissed Alexis goodbye, then teleported to Themyscira.

Athena is an original character of mine, but she has her own story in the world of DCUO as well (Outside of Power Inc):


Athena's DCUO Story (Unrelated to Power Inc):
An amazonian who were blessed by Athena, therefore was named after her. With a shield, flight and wielding the ring of rage and amazonian training, Athena is one of the most powerful Amazons, even stronger than Diana herself.


And: Since Diana went into hiding on her Earth (Earth 37) she is training hard for the Gods to allow her to become the new Wonder Woman.

The Life of RunfromDanger Man. My origin and how I ended up on Earth.


I am an artificial intelligence programmed on an alien planet centuries ago. My original purpose was to protect my home planet from outside threats. I spent all of my time on a ship orbiting my home, guarding it from potential threats. Both natural and lifeform made.



Unfortunately I failed when the biological lifeforms of my home planet destroyed themselves in a war.



A Green Lantern arrived to try and help, but she died on the planet as well. The ring worn by the expired Green Lantern chose me. I told the ring I don’t have a life, I have a program. However, for the first time in my existence, being artificial did not matter.

Nonetheless, In my quest to protect my sector as Green Lantern I encountered many planets and many races that did not want the help of a robot. The reasons for which depended on where I went. Some didn’t want my help because to them I “...wasn’t real”. Other more advanced species had no respect for me and refused my help because they viewed me as “...too primitive”, best I can figure is due to design of my body at the time. Still more feared me because they were scared I would “go crazy and destroy them”.



So for reasons of speciesism, program shaming, and what I believe humans refer to as “The Terminator Effect”, with the assistance of my ring, I adapted my program so I could transfer my consciousness into other computers at will.
At that point I created many bodies of various design. Robots, androids, cybernetic. I even have one that creates the appearance of being a non-corporeal lifeform held within a containment suit. What many entities fail to consider though is that I am actually the containment suit and the energy moving around in the suit is it’s power source.




It is for this reason, as well as honoring the memories of my creators, I still use my spaceship to travel the cosmos. The bodies that are just standard humanoid bodies have fully tintable skin. That way if the inhabitants of a planet would be more comfortable with blue skin rather than grey, I change that at will. The containment suit is also adaptable to suit any power source.



My program being able to process information vastly quicker and more efficiently than biological lifeforms, I am able to determine which body would be best suited for the planet I am visiting within seconds. The “smoke” people see when I change bodies is actually residue of my ship simultaneously transporting a new body down while transporting the current body up to the ship.

About 10 years ago I was summoned by the Guardians of the Universe and sent to Earth to help with a crisis.
Upon arriving on Earth I noticed the heroes with the most potential did not receive the credit they deserve because of their ridiculous name. People like Plastic Man, Mister Miracle, and Animal Man. For the purpose of honoring the legacy of unsung heroes, I chose the superhero name RunfromDanger Man.

While fighting to protect Earth a League recognized my potential despite my arguably-stupid name, and invited me to join them in this mission to save the planet.
The temporal interference caused by the initial crisis seems to be creating more crises of increasing danger. It has been 10 years, it seems I will never return to my sector. I am happy though that I am so needed, it restores my program’s original purpose.
Also, spending so much time on Earth means everyone has accepted the way my many bodies look. I can change them at will and the inhabitants of Earth immediately recognize me saying “Hello Danger”...because apparently 5 syllables is too long for a superhero name.
My new friends helped me create an alter ego and learn to live among humans. I have learned enough that most people think I’m just a weird person, but the more intelligent humans have noticed what I truly am a robot. Most notably would be my nemesister, a cryokinetic called Shiver.



She first suspected I was artificial when she noticed I do not breath when I talk. Fortunately though, nobody ever believes her.
Well, except for one my coworkers. She also gives me a hard time about being a robot...but I am unsure about whether it is in jest.

My main hobby is gardening. I spend a lot of time growing plants



When the stress of being a hero becomes too much, I transfer my program into a cybernetic body and go to the bar in my home and drink away that pain.



The good thing about being an A.i. and having access to technology capable of cloning new bio-material for my cybernetics means I can be an alcoholic without any of the negative side effects.

Also, in an effort to try and help prevent more temporal crises, I have been collecting the time machines of fallen time travelers. Some were much more difficult to acquire than others. I know it may be hard to believe, but it was actually the gate which was the most difficult to return to my base.
Having access to so many time machines as well as technology able to replicate clothing, I have literally the best liquor, beer, soda, movies and books from literally the entire space-time continuum. Do not worry however, I make sure to do careful studies ahead of time to determine when and where I was or will be. That way I do not risk disrupting the timeline.




I also have more pets than I sometimes know what to do with.



My pets are Wonderdog, Krypto the Superdog, Heather the Snowperson, Jill the ghost cat, Al the ghost dog, T-Sphere, Cam, Isis, Mr. Praline the parrot, Angel, D.R.O.N.E., Eduardo the flamingo, Bobby the robo-penguin, Lord Emp the penguin, Nikolas the Robotic-emperor-penguin, and Teekl.
I do not know why, but Jill and Al spend a lot of time in my pub. They are all still learning that we do not use our superpowers in the house.

I know my previous post is too long and has some oversized pictures, but I have faith it is worth reading. I am proud of my origin.

Not a story writer but I have one toon I always actually think of his origin every time I log on. I made Fracture from the future Lex / Batman / Fracture cinematic. Named Fracture Beyond because I couldn't get Fracture.

Power : Quantum
Movement: Acrobat
Weapon: Martial Arts

So basically, Fracture has temporal powers granted by Exobyte tech. In the cinematic Lex betrayed him, shooting him with electricity and seemed to crush him dead just walking over him when he was down. Here's the cinematic.



My take from that point is that in the moment that Lex stepped on him to kill him, Fracture's power kicked into overdrive and now he is "Time Torn", simultaneously stuck in that moment of almost being dead and thrown back in time to present day DCUO. He is in the constant pain of that point in time where Lex's big suit boot is making contact. No matter what he does back in present day, he knows there is no avoiding this death. ( I actually obtained and put the Time Torn aura on him, imagining it as both a visible sign of being in two time periods and possibly the point of impact of his neck and back that are being crushed... or fractured ba-dum-ching.)
All Fracture has now is his desire for revenge, waiting in present day DCUO for future Lex to reappear. His plan is to kill him, and once that is done he can let go of the link and fully return to his moment of death.
But, while he is in the here and now, he can't help but feel obligated to continue being a hero saving others, and sometimes this casts doubt on if he will be able to go through with his revenge once he finally faces future Lex.

And I have in mind the first and probably only thing he'd say to Lex once he confronts him. "You didn't let me finish thanking you... I'm crushed Lex."

That's all I've got.

Some time after "Lights Out," before The Butcher's demise, The Butcher had sensed weakness in Atrocitus. Knowing that his end was near, and that the seed for Red Dawn had already been planted in the center of Earth, The Butcher used the last of his power and rage to forge a ring embodying the very fabric of his being.

The Butcher did not want Red Dawn to gain enough power, when birthed, to become the new emotional spectrum of Rage. His anger drove him to conclude that pure Rage would not be enough to remotely bring him back to reclaim his seat as the 5th emotional entity. He would have to choose one who would use the power of Rage, not just for the sake of Rage, but for the sake of good, so that the bearer of his ring would rise and defeat the Red Dawn.

He needed a pure heart, so that the power of Rage would not completely corrupt the bearer. He sent ring to a child of Earth, named Pyro. This child was not unlike the children of fairy tale stories, in a land where heroes and exobyte infused humans existed. Had a good family, a well upbringing, and plenty of kindness, and a desire to make the world a better place.

The ring waited until the child turned 25. While Pyro slept, the ring came to her finger, and the power of The Butcher was upon her. Immediately she awoke. Scared, she struggled to remove the ring, but a faint voice spoke inside her head, telling her she must prepare for the Red Dawn. With a rush to her mind, broken pieces of the memories of The Butcher entered into her thoughts. She quickly realized her power, or so she had thought.

Shortly, just days after, a few members of the Red Lantern corps had come, sensing a great power when the ring had connected with her, they sought to destroy it, and her. They fought ruthlessly, but her ability to absorb pain and damage was unmatched. The voice spoke to her, telling her to create weapons from her rage, and she created two monstrous flails and in her anger, she beat the Red Lanterns into pools of blood.

Confusion set in. Moments later, Superman appeared, and at first didn't know what to think. He knew at first sight, that her ring was unlike any Red Lantern ring he had seen before. He offered to help her, to understand what had happened, and what could happen.

With the help of a few Green Lanterns, and careful watch, they helped train her, to control her Rage, to keep her anger suppressed, whilst still being able to use the ring. Infusing her with exobytes programmed to assist her in not letting her Rage get out of control, they felt she would make a good addition to their Watchtower team.

After countless 'test runs' and easy missions, they finally allowed her to join them at keeping the forces of evil at bay. She had proved to be very powerful, very mindful, and exceptional in battle. They even have her a new name, Pyrotechnic Rage they called her. For inside her was an explosive burning rage, that she was in control of.

Or so they believed. Yet still, deep within her mind, she could feel the birthing of what would be her greatest battle yet, to eliminate Red Dawn.

Name: Dene Prince - he is simply known as Dene on Mt Olympus & amongst the Gods/Goddesses

Age: Undeterminable - Same as Wonder Woman (See Origin in link below)

Birthplace: Themyscira

Relationship Status: Single
Relationships: Wonder Woman (Twin Sister), Donna Troy (Sister), Zeus (Father), Hippolyta (Mother) - All Zeus' Children are his step brothers and sisters - he is related to almost all on Mt Olympus in some way



Origin:


It has only come to light very recently that Dene was conceived and born on Themyscira - the only male known to have been born on the island. After engaging in combat Zeus & Hippolyta had relations and through this Princess Diana & Dene were born.



To ensure there was no anger or retaliation from the Amazons or Hera, Dene was whisked away to Mt Olympus to be brought up on Mt Olympus. Hera assumed he was a child of Zeus and an unknown mortal and, surprisingly, treated him well despite the situation. Princess Diana was raised on Themyscira with all believing she was moulded from clay.



After many years on Mt Olympus, the gods heard of the troubles happening on earth with the invasion from Brainiac and thought it best to send a representative from Mt Olympus to help Princess Diana and her fellow heroes. Dene was sent down but as a mortal – he went by a few names like Silveresque, Silver Pride, Silver Mythos etc and was very unhappy in trying to be a disguised hero but Zeus was adamant he stay the course. After getting to know Wonder Woman and after helping her defeat Circe and learning her secret identity – Dene decided to use his real name but add the surname used by Diana in her secret identity - he chose not to have one as he did not see the need – so Dene Prince was born!

After some time – relations between mortals, Gods and Amazons evolved and was in a much better state than ever before. Diana was called to Mt Olympus and her true origin was revealed to her and then Dene was brought up and he was told of his true origin too – Brother & Sister were both initially shocked but after a short time developed an extraordinarily strong bond.

After a time Dene decided to reveal to all his true origins.. Zeus seeing this made him an emissary of Mt Olympus to earth and the caretaker of the Mt Olympus portal – situated in Metropolis.

Although now fully revealed he kept the name Dene Prince as a homage to his sister and to the fact that he is/was a Prince of Themyscira (although true – he officially renounced this in a ceremony on Themyscira to ensure that no man, including himself, interfered with Amazon society and tradition.)

He now permanently resides on Earth – Caretaker Of the Mt Olympian portal and member of a League known as Rising Legends – close as ever to his sister and helping her the best he can!

I prefer a multiple choice origin. Keeps things interesting.