2012-07-25 Out of the Blue

 As the sun sets on the Pacific Ocean to the west, a small aquatic vehicle emerges slowly from the sea. It glides along quietly and eventually pulls into the harbor of the Coronado Naval Base outside San Diego, California.



 After a few moments to dock, a contingent of similarly dressed men march out from the vehicle, with a raven haired woman among them. Their boots clack along the grated floor and down a hallway. Upon reaching the end of the hallway, a false door opens and the group enters into a large hall.



 Naval Officers stand at either side of the hall and an Admiral steps forth.



 "Ambassador Matthews, we're honored to have you."



 Aspen's style of clothing matches the men, the odd chitinous plates and oddly textured material. Given the obviously official tone of the meeting the fact that it leaves so much skin exposed might seem out of place, unless you knew where the group hailed from.



 Aspen gives the Admiral a smile as she steps forward as well, offering him her hand. Her knowledge of Surface customs is one of the reasons she got this gig. "Admiral." An adopted father in the Navy also gives her a keen knowledge of rank and insignia. "It's an honor to be here."



 Admiral Finch takes the hand and the older man with salt and pepper hair nods to her. He then turns his attention to the hero to his left. "Miss Matthews, this is the hero known as Superman. He is the head of what our government is calling the Justice League of America. During your stay, our President has asked that you two work together to go over defense strategy and share information. The Justice League is based out of Metropolis, which is very near Washington where you'll likely be staying."



 Superman smiles and reaches to shake Aspen's hand, "It's very nice to meet you, ma'am."



<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> While most of the Blue are largely unaware of Superman (cities miles under the water aren't his usual stomping grounds and the Blue aren't on the Internet), Aspen certainly is not. Her smile broadens and it lights her eyes as she shakes Superman's hand, laying her other one over his as she does so. "Superman, it's a pleasure meeting you." She turns her attention back to Finch to listen to what he's saying and she nods. When he mentions Washington a slight frown touches her lips. "DC is I bit far from the ocean." It's not an objection, just a concern.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Yes of course, Miss Matthews," responds Finch. "Where you stay is your decision. Perhaps cities more on the coast lines would be more ideal. In any event, we recommend the east coast for proximity to Washington, but the final choice will be yours." Admiral Finch smiles faintly, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go make the preparations for tonight’s feast in honor of this visit from the Blue. I trust it will be okay if Superman shows you around the base?"

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "I'd be happy to, Admiral," Superman says as he eventually lets go of Aspen's hand. "I'd also be happy to answer any questions she might have."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> There's a slight flicker of relief on Aspen's features before she smiles again. "Thank you, Admiral. And I understand needing to be close." She just needs to be close to the ocean. The Potomac just isn't a substitution. She gives the Admiral a nod as he leaves and turns her attention back to Superman, letting him lead the way. "I'll try to keep the fangirl questions to a minimum." She says with a grin his way. "It looks like you're working pretty closely with the government these days."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Fangirl?" Superman says as he leads her away from the contingent of US and Blue military. He brings her down a long hallway that has window cutouts. The view is that of the light blue of the ocean and the aquatic life therein. "To be honest, I remember watching you as a young man at the Sydney Olympics. My friends and I were big fans, of course."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Aspen gives a groan, mock-grimacing as she looks over at him with a bit of a smile. "Right up until they took away my medal?" She tries to make it light and humorous, but there's still some old hurt. Even though it was over a decade ago dealing with the scandal of that, a young girl alone and far from home still seems so fresh. "The Blue don't have television, but I've seen you on the news. I never dreamed I'd meet you in person."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Regardless of what happened to the medal, Aspen, you still had fans." Superman stops along one of the windows looking out into the view port. "When I was 14, I never thought I'd meet you either," Superman grins a bit, "I guess this is a welcome surprise for both of us." He pauses for a moment and his face falters, "Listen, I don't want to get too personal on you, Miss Matthews, but sometime I would like to ask you about that...about how you dealt with the Olympics situation personally." He doesn't say it, but Superman is concerned about his own future.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Call me Aspen, please. 'Miss Matthews' makes me feel old." Aspen says, trying to keep the tone light. The smile fades some though at the topic. "It's pretty amazing... How your biggest fans and supporters can suddenly become your most rabid opposition. It took me a long time to understand that it was about trust. They felt that I'd broken that trust." A flicker of a sad smile. "That's hard to understand at fifteen." The truth of that situation, where everyone had been right in a way makes Superman's interest in the topic seem very relevent. "I'm lucky that it was ten years ago, before social media exploded. It would be worse, faster now."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Superman continues to look out the window, licks his lips and nods. That is, of course, what he's afraid of. "I'm sure it made you much stronger to deal with that at such a young age. I can't imagine having had to go through it so young, Aspen." Superman turns and smiles before he continues to lead her down the hallway. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any pain, and if I did, you have my apologies."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Aspen reaches out to put a hand lightly on his forearm, that light smile returning and she shakes her head. "No, it's fine. It's part of my life. Hiding from it doesn't help. I have the comfort of knowing I didn't actually break that trust. I did the best I could with what I knew." Now of course, she knows why she outpaced everyone else by so much. "It was rough." She agrees. "Not a lot of kids have their careers all planned out at fifteen but I did. Professional swimmer, then maybe eventually coach... And then suddenly none of that was an option. The whole field closed to me. So, I picked up. Started over."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Superman nods at her words and doesn't move as she touches his arm. "For me it was the opposite. I traveled the world trying to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life. When I came back...well, I became me." Pause. "You seem to have done rather well for yourself. If I remember correctly from the documents I read, before returning to the sea you were a marine biologist, is that right?"

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Well the world is the luckier for it. The Blue aren't as familiar with how much you've done for the people of his planet, but I am." To the Blue, the Surface is almost like a different planet. "Different roads, but that doesn't mean they don't get you to where you need to be." She nods at the observation. "Luckily I wasn't just a dumb jock." She jokes. "It's funny, really. I'm a leader in my field, but to the Blue I'm still playing in the shallow end of the knowledge pool." And once again, she's sort of starting over. "So, you get the fun task of heading up the defensive protocols?"

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Superman chuckles faintly, "Thank you for the kind words; I appreciate them." Pause. "Ive found in my past that the dumb jock label is often only attributed by those who suffer from self esteem issues themselves. A lot of the jocks I've met seem very nice. You included." He grins a bit at his own joke and nods, "I do. I was recently elected leader of the Justice League by its members. 3-2 vote. So, that's how you got me."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Can't say I'm disappointed." Aspen says with that relaxed smile of hers. "The Council has promoted secrecy for a long time. They're..." Suspicious "Wary of the surface world. But they're... *we're* committed to peace. Part of that is working on defensive measures, but I think something that the military isn't thinking of is the reason that the Blue Sun group attacked in the first place."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Which is?" Superman asks as he continues walking. "And it's a tough life, spending time in San Diego, meeting beautiful ambassadors, and hanging out near the ocean. But someone has to do it." Pause. "Hopefully you're time spent in America will weaken the paranoia. Have you thought about how you'll spend your time? I mean, in your Ambassador role."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Part of it is revenge. The Blue aren't above it. Weapons testing in and on the ocean are responsible for thousands of Blue deaths. But it's a wider problem than that. Oil spills, toxic chemical dumping, even just the casual pollution of the ocean. These groups see the surface as a threat to their very existance." Aspen says, leaning the wall next to one of the windows. "Well, educating the surface about the Blue. Not a lot is known about them...sorry, us, and the unknown brings a lot of fear."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Superman stops as she comes to a halt against the wall. He's careful to keep his eyes on hers, perhaps due to her revealing outfit. "I guess when you put it like that, it makes so much sense. Perspective is everything. Sometimes I feel we Americans don't always have it." As she stumbles he picks up on it, "You're a Blue, but you're also an American. Obviously that's why you were chosen. Why did you leave?"

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Aspen's brow furrows a little at the question. "Leave where?"

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "America. You were a scientist here, correct?" Superman responds, wondering if he got poor information.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "You mean to return to the Blue?" Aspen asks, the question pulling her gaze from him to the window and it's view of the ocean. "I don't remember much before Captain Matthews found me on the Paradise. Even now... it's bits and pieces. I wanted to learn more about my parent's people and also out of a sense of responsibility." She looks back over to him and there's that soft smile again that makes the outside corners of her eyes crinkle and makes her blue eyes sparkle like sunlight on the ocean. "I figure that you know a lot about that."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Superman nods and chuckles, "You have no idea." For the past four years, Superman has successfully hidden his identity as an Alien to the American people. Just last night he'd been called a liar by a person he thought he'd cared about. Oh, I'm sorry. A goddamn liar. The topic is weighing heavily on his mind. "Responsibility is funny. It's either a calling or a burden. Sometimes it's both."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Aspen gives a brief, emphatic nod. "So very true." She agrees. "Luckily for me, a position came up where I can honor my responsibility to the Blue and the one I feel I have to those that live above. My memories are of growing up here. I got to be a part of Team USA even if that ended badly. I love this country, and I want to see it safe as much as I do those I'm learning to love again."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Superman stares at her for a long moment. It's one of those stares that makes him look slightly drowsy. He sort of feels like he's talking to himself in some respects. "Well, I..." His words are cut off by the message in his ear. "Admiral Finch is asking for us to attend the feast. May I show you to your room for the evening for you to prepare?"

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Aspen's head tilts over to the side a bit as that moment draws out. At the news she nods, falling into step beside him again. "Please. You have *no* idea how much I want to show up in jeans and a T-shirt." She gives a chuckle. "But jeans and seawater do not mix."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Superman chuckles and leads her down a short corridor, "I can imagine spending your time under the see can be both liberating and constricting. Do you like it? Did you miss the surface world?" He stops at a door and punches in a code. The door slides open with a hiss and he nods to her. "Here's your place. You can set the code yourself from the inside. After three days of meeting, you'll be released of duty for a week while you find somewhere to live. After that, you'll be working with your embassy. At least, that's the information I've been given."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Aspen watches attentively, nodding as instructions are given. The question gets a chuckle. "Yeah. I missed the sun and the heat. Feeling the breeze on my skin and the sand beneath my toes. But if I just stayed here I'd miss the majesty of the undersea trenches, the way the cold water slides over my skin, the freedom of movement..." She gives a short laugh there. "I bet it's a little similar to how you can fly." She nods at the itinerary update. "Thank you again for the tour and the welcome, Superman."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Absolutely, Aspen. I'll see you at dinner." Superman gives her a half bow/half nod and leaves down the way he came.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Later...at dinner

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> There's a lot of discussion and pleasantries, and the food is good but the overall theme is boring, boring, boring. Perhaps ambassadors dig this sort of thing. It's well intentioned, but very dry. Superman, seated next to Aspen, leans over and whispers to her, "This is why you get paid the big bucks. Meetings like this."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> For the dinner Aspen's wearing a sleeveless, backless black dress that is otherwise quite plain. Simple elegance. As he leans towards her she leans back, tilting her head to hear as she keeps her attention on the roof. She smiles at his whisper, turning enough to murmur back. "Being able to stay awake is obviously a highly marketable skill."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that, I was sleeping." Superman grins at her after the whisper. But the feast doesn't last too much longer and after the meeting breaks up, Superman turns to her. "Have you got plans for the rest of the evening?"

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Well I hear that the nightlife on-base is *fabulous*." Aspen says with light sarcasm. "And I don't think that they've assigned us ground transportation." Since that likely also means assigning drivers and guards and... ugh. "I'll be glad have somewhere to call home again." Though it's likely to still have some measure of guards and security. The downside to being a person of political importance. "I was going to see if the base has some beach access."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Superman smiles, "Well, if you wouldn't mind another, I'd like to get to see the beach before I leave for Metropolis this evening. I understand if you're not feeling up to it. I'm sure you had a long trip."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "I'd love the company." Aspen assures him. "A nice swim will do a lot more for me than a few hours of sleep. I just need to change. Maybe you can coax the location out of some of our boys in uniform?"

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "I'll look into it. Meet you at your room in 20?" Superman departs quickly to change, himself, before speaking with some of the guards. By the time he reaches the room, he's talked to guards who will let them onto the beach through a back gate.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "Perfect." Aspen says with another of those easy smiles. Twenty minutes is plenty of time for her to change, removing the makeup she wore for the dinner taking a much larger portion of the twenty minutes. When Superman comes to collect her she's changed into an ordinary bikini with a length of some translucent material wrapped a few times around her waist and sandals on her feet.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Within moments they're out on the beach. Superman looks quite different in a white cotton dress shirt and pair of light pants. "Have you heard much about the Justice League down there? I don't imagine you get CNN..."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> The blue and red costume is so iconic, it's hard to think of him as Superman without it. "Nothing from anything like the news. I've gotten some briefs from the council as part of the 'surface situation'. A group of superhumans with government sanction. There is of course some concern that it could be the start of a new military initiative." Aspen's sandals are left behind once they get to the beach along with the 'skirt' that apparently doubles as her towel. She leads them down to where the waves lap at the beach, letting the water flow over her feet with each wave.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Superman nods, "Well actually, I think the argument it is a new military initiative is pretty accurate. But it will only be used for defense." His eyes stare out at the horizon. "I know that it makes people nervous but..." His words are cut off. "That's not right...." Off in the distance is a black boat of somehow. It might be difficult for Aspen to see, but Superman sees it clearly.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Aspen is looking at Superman, listening when he cuts off. Her head turns, gaze following his but she doesn't have anything even close to his eyesight. She frowns. "What is it?"

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "A boat...there's explosives. It's headed straight for the military base..." Superman's body comes up into the air and he begins flying for the craft. He looks a bid odd; just a guy in a white shirt and khakis floating through the sky.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> There should be laws or something. Only people wearing Approved Costumes (tm) can fly! Aspen doesn't waste time freaking out or asking Superman what they should do. He mentions explosives and she's running towards the water and diving in. The water about her starts to churn and then she's moving in the direction that Superman's pointed in at a rapid pace.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Superman and Aspen arrive on the scene in mere seconds. Superman lands on the large deck and knocks a fist into a sailor's solar plexus. "There are 10. You focus on the boat, I'll get the terrorists," he calls back to her. He's not sure about the powerbase of this young woman, but he trusts her to make something happen. In the distance, the military base is approaching rapidly.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> The water surges upwards, supporting Aspen as she partially emerges. Her dark hair is slicked back from her face and she nods as Superman calls out to her. Her eyes light up with blue-white energy and her hands seem to loose color and go translucent until they shimmer like they're made of water. She moves one hand in a sweeping gesture and the ocean itself seems to swell and shift. The boat starts to creak and groan as its rapid forward movement starts to be pulled off course as a whirlpool starts to form.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Several terrorists come to the aft side and bust through the bridge door, trying to either fight Superman or retreat. It's not clear because the Man of Steel knocks them over with a blast of breath. He ducks into the bridge and begins to use his x-ray vision. To his surprise, the bomb is located right below. His hand smashes through the deck and he rips open a big slot on the floor. An intricate mixture of explosives are networked together. Even if he he took them up one by one, they wouldn't have enough time. Superman suddenly comes over the edge of the side of the vessel. "Flood it!" he yells!

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> The boat is no longer headed in towards base, the waters having dragged it into that potentially deadly spiral. Aspen's body has partially transformed into some sort of liquid energy, the lower portions of her limbs as well as her eyes glowing with blue-white light. At Superman's word Aspen gestures at the boat and the water that had been swirling in that glassy spiral surge up, defying gravity as it rises up the sides, over the hull and starts pouring below decks.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Using his superspeed, Superman gathers the men along the beach as Aspen brings the ship downwards. He returns just as the ship should have blown, but the bomb is neutralized through the water. He exhales, looking at Apsen. "That was close."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> With the men off the ship, the water has had time to flood the engines and grind the ship to a halt. The blue glow fades from Aspen's eyes and her hands and feet go back to being normal as she bobs on the surface of the water, just her head and shoulders visible. "It's a good thing you came with me for my swim." She says, frowning with concern at the boat.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Superman winks at her, "I'm sure you could have handled it." He looks over their shoulders at the men, "Let's go see what they have to say." His clothing is soaked now, but he doesn't seem to mind as he lands upon the beach. All of the men remain lying on the ground and Superman looks worried. He reaches for one of their necks.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Aspen follows Superman back to the beach, moving through the water like, well, a fish. She comes up out of the water dripping wet, smoothing her hair back from her face as she walks over towards where Superman's leaning over one.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> "They're dead..." Superman says as he looks back at her. "Cyanide pills." He stands up in disgust. Normal people would swear, but he's been taught not to do that. "They're all dead..."

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Aspen blinks in surprise and then her eyes go wide. "What?" She scrambles over, checking one of the others. And then another. A sigh escapes her and her head drops, closing her eyes. "Damnit." She says softly. Maybe Superman doesn't swear, but she does.

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<p style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> Superman runs a hand through his hair. He puts a call into the base by his ear piece, and within moments the MPs are on scene to begin the investigation.