JLA Watchtower (Archive)

Cutting across the median of the road and through a patch of sandy desert saves time drawing nearer the site of the disaster. Several hundred yards away from the heart of things, there's a police car overturned, badly scorched and otherwise beat to hell. A thick-middled man in deputy blues is rolling around in the sandy scrub not far from his car, screaming and flailing. Part of his distress is no doubt from the prickly pear he's thrashing around in. The other part is harder to make out in the dark of evening, though the light from the fires helps some. It looks like the fellow's been badly bitten and scratched, parts of his unform torn open to display his wounds.

In the glare of he next explosion, the shape of his attacker becomes clear...

The cop is being worked over by a blue monkey.

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Yep. Wierdness follows the Chimp. He doesn't even blink twice.

"Hey, Cheetah!" the Chimp greets, instinctively switching to whatever language the beast speaks. "Hold off there a second!"

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The monkey pauses, obviously surprised, then bares his teeth in aggression. "A trick! You cannot fool me...I saw them die! Keep your distance!"

The cop has gone limp, groaning. "Mister, get him offa me. Mister, please!"

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"I don't want to fool you," the Chimp soothes. While the blue monkey's got his attention on him, it's not attacking the cop any further. He slows, but he does continue approaching, gently, his eyes avoiding contact with the monkey's... a sign of passiveness. "Who died? Tell me what happened. I'll help." He flashes a smile, showing his lower teeth -- upper teeth, in most primates, being a sign of aggression. (Damn, but humans are strange creatures.)

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"All of them! An entire planet! But your scent is wrong. You are no Mripan." Another baring of teeth, most definitely not friendly. "Your people would kill children. I will not take your help, false one. I say once more -- keep your distance!"

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"No, I'm not a Mripan. I'm a chimp. But I don't kill kids, either. Show me someone who killed kids, and I'll help you take them down." He gestures to the cop. "This one's already down. No need to hurt him further, right?"

The guy's from space or something. Maybe it'd be helpful to mention some of the Chimp's space buddies.

"You know the Green Lanterns? Or Superman? They hang out on this planet... I can help get you in touch with them."

Of course, the backline to the JLA is written down at home. And as good as his memory is, it's always a little hazy when he's hung over. And his com to the JSA isn't on him either -- also probably back at the office.

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"This one!" The monkey grabs the cop's neck in one clawed hind foot. "The children were seeking food, and the shopkeepers shot at them for the crime of being hungry. The children defended themselves. Then these..." He throws a dark glance at the whimpering cop. "...came and shot at them again." The monkey's gaze trails toward the explosions. "They had no other choice."

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Crap. Sounds like a cultural mixup.

"Where are the children?" the chimp asks. "Perhaps we can get them medical help... save them. Please... let me help you."

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"They will not need saving," the monkey says gravely. "Only these people. But the boy...he is hurt. From before. Yes. He may need help."

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"Show me the kid," the Chimp says. "I'll see if I can help him."

And hopefully get away from this trigger-happy cop.

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The monkey bares his teeth at the cop again. "Talk to this person if you can. If he tries to shoot me again once he is free, I am in my rights to kill him."

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The chimp nods. He looks to the cop. "Look, man. I've convinced the space-monkey not to hurt you anymore. I'm with the JSA" well, sort of "and I'm on the case. Hold your fire, got it? And get on the horn to the others, too. Hold fire."

He hopes the cop isn't stupid. Maybe, just maybe, this can be resolved without any more bloodshed.

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jla-extras.livejournal.com

A couple hundred yards away, Tabbie Huston, the entirety of the night shift at Delco gas station and convenience store for the last fifteen years, remains crouched behind the gutted wreck of a police cruiser.

It had been a slow night in Laconia, with the only hint of excitement being that Jimmy Collins had come in with the sheriff's daughter on his arm -- the sheriff didn't approve of Jimmy or his folks. Tabbie hadn't reckoned on anything much happening before the two alien terrorists had burst in and started jabbering on in their heathen tongue. Tabbie had seen enough news to know that aliens on the ground probably meant that Earth was about to be invaded somehow and damned if they were going to start with her store! She'd taken her shotgun out from under the counter right quick and cracked off a warning shot. She wasn't rightly sure what had happened then...one of 'em had changed into something all claws and teeth and muscle, moving fast enough to get the shotgun away before Tabbie could let her have the other barrel. There hadn't been anything to do at that point 'cept to hit the alarm, run, and yell for the kids to get out the back way.

By the time the cops had showed, the aliens had transformed into some kind of ice man and a creature more suited for the depths of hell than any outer space movie. Then the sheriff had learned that his daughter might be inside an' everything had just gone to shit.

The store was in flames, the gas tanks were had exploded a few minutes gone, scattering the cops but not seeming to do much to the space creatures. Now it was all fire and gunshots and nothing to do but hunker down and hope to God the cops managed to win somehow...

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From the flames emerged a giant foot.

Attached to the foot was something from a remade King Kong sequel.

50 ft, simian, and breathing flames, it tore through the police barricade.

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Okay, crap. Crap crap crap crap.

The chimp tears through the chaotic remains of the barricade, grabbing a bullhorn as he goes. If the thing is 50 feet tall, he's going to want to make sure he's heard. Particularly if that's the blue-monkey's kid.

Jesus, he doesn't want to think of the sort of biology that would lead to a giant firebreathing green gorilla to grow up into a tiny blue monkey.

He races towards the creature.

"Hey, Son of Kong!" he calls, instinctively switching to that creature's language -- without noticing that it's a different language than the space monkey's. "You don't really want all this fighting, do you? You'd rather be somewhere calm, right?"

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The ape's amplified voice manages to catch the giant ape's attention. It seems to actually be listening, and even nodding.

Unfortunately, a paniced deputy takes its distraction as an opprotunity to unload a couple shotgun shells into it- against orders.

It screams in pain, and re-enters the battle.

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Double-damn. The cop was a moron and didn't call in the cease-fire.

"YO!" he calls in English to the cops over the bullhorn. "JSA BUSINESS! FALL BACK AND RETREAT! THE JSA WILL HANDLE THIS!"

Then he turns back to the gorilla. "I'M TRYING TO GET THEM TO GO AWAY. I WANT TO HELP YOU."

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The beast looked back and forth between the Detective and the retreating police. Jayna was glad to find someone who spoke her tongue, but the memory of the bullets and concern for her brother was fresh in her mind.

Seemingly unable to decide between trust and fear, the giant ape turned and ran-leaping over the fire and away. She signaled for Zan to follow.

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Compared to a gargantuan gorilla, a living ice sculpture was an easy thing to miss. The glittering, sharp-edged figure darted out of the monster's shadow and darted after it.

Zan knew he was at a disadvantage when it came to keeping up with his sister's longer strides, so he hitched a ride on one hairy foot and began climbing toward her shoulder. He was feeling weak and light-headed. He hoped he could make it.

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The blue monkey screamed his rage and frustration at the uniformed officers, but he didn't have time to extract payment from their hides. Running flat out, he only just managed to grab one of Jayna's shaggy ankles, nearly getting himself squashed in the process.

Perhaps the odd one that looked so much like a Mripan meant well, but the results left much to be desired and he couldn't just let these two children run out into the desert alone.

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Jayna ran back to the hills, were the escape pod crashed. They seemed to be the only cover in this desert.

There she reverted to her natural form, and saw to Zan, "Zan. I'm sorry we didn't manage to get you any food. That driblock female, with the weapon..."

She roared in frustration

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Her twin reverted to flesh and blood, shuddering slightly. "I'm sorry that I landed us on this gods forsaken world. These people are as bad as the Jrxans. At least Gleek got back all right...Jayna, you're bleeding!" The sight of his sister's injuries -- slight as they were, for she'd been in a sturdier form when she'd been hit -- troubled Zan far more than his own. "Hold still, let me see."

The wounds across her biceps were minor, hardly more than deep abraisions, but that did little to alleviate Zan's distress. He was ice again in a moment, pressing one frozen palm to his sister's arm.

Zan was silent for a few moments, looking back the way that they'd come.

"Do you think they'll follow us?"

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"I..I don't know," she looked at where the freezing slowed the blood flow of her injuries, "If they do, we'll need to flee. Did you see the one who spoke the Tongue? If he can be believed, he said he wished to help. Perhaps his are the dominant species here, and the others are his slaves."

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"I don't think so, Jayna. They hardly seemed to notice that he was there. We wished to help our people too, remember? Look what it got us." He lifts his hand carefully, examining the injuries. The cold and the pressure seem to have done the trick; the bleeding has stopped. "Or if he was in charge, it might have been a trick."

Zan touches his sister's hand lightly, sighing as he reverts back to flesh and blood. So much form changing is tiring, but not so much as trying to keep a frozen shape in this heat.

"The shuttle is completely zelled. We're not getting off of this planet that way."

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The chimp is racing over the sand. The cops have apparently gotten the message. Hopefully, they'll even contact the JSA to verify that a talking chimp is on the payroll. He's not, of course... well, not fully... but hopefully it'll bring some of the other JSAers out.

He can hope.

In the meantime, he's running across the sands, trying to catch up with the giant green gorilla and its blue monkey... father?

The weird stuff always happens around Detective Chimp.

"Hey!" he calls into the loudspeaker, wincing at the volume as his head throbs. "Wait up! I think I've gotten them to leave you alone! Wait up! I just want to talk!"

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Zan curses softly and tries to rise to his feet. He goes to one knee before he manages to stand fully. He touches his sister's hand gently, going icy and razor-edged.

"Go on, Jayna," he says in a voice like breaking crystal. "I'll hold them off."

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"Not a chance, brother," Jayna asserted, "I swore I would never let anyone take you captive again. We didn't leave one slave planet, to just be taken again on a worse one."

"We will not incite violence with this one, but be ready to change"

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The chimp catches up finally, and immediately can read their hostile postures.

"Woah, there," he says, coming to a stop. "Not here to hurt you. I just want to get everything sorted out so no one else gets hurt." He holds up his hands to show he's unarmed. "Um... where'd the big green fire-breathing gorilla go?"

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Zan frowns, wondering how this creature knows Exoran, but not dwelling on that question. "She is nearby," he calls back. "We can summon her again if we need to."

At his side, Gleek snorts quietly, but Zan presumes it has to do with the dusty air.

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"Does she need medical help? I saw a lot of bullets flying..."

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"She'll be fine!" Zan responds. "Just...go away! Leave us alone!" If he had the energy, the boy would be embarassed by his outburst; so much for his diplomatic training. He tries to gather himself for another try, but the world spins with sudden violence. He just manages to touch his sister and revert to flesh before he passes out.

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The chimp approaches quickly. Shapechangers, alien physiology... things he knows nothing about as far as first aid goes.

"What does he need?" the chimp demands.

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Jayna catches the limp form of her brother.

"He starves. We would ask you for food, but we have seen how jealously you people defend your resources," Jayna spits out her scorn.

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"That's all you need?" He rolls his eyes. "Sounds like this is just a case of a communication problem. What sort of dietary restrictions you guys got? Prefer meat? Plant matter? Something else entirely?"

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Gleek comes leaping up to the group, he stands next to the Chimp to encourage the twins' trust.

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She sees that Gleek doesn't tear out the furry ones eyes, a definate sign of trust.

"He needs something to provide quick energy, our powers run down our metabolism quickly"

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