| Kryptonian Vision Problems | |||||
| |||||
| What: OK, how do you control your X-ray vision? | |||||
Mia was back at her old apartment, right next to Bruce's...rented in his name actually but they are one bedroom each, so it was hers. She was checking to make certain it was clean and everything was right so she would get her security deposit back. She then headed down to the office to turn in her key. She is glad that she has only gotten a 6 month lease, as this is the last payment she has to make.
Billy was walking the streets of the Bronx nearby, about a block over there was an old abandoned and condemned movie theater that Billy squatted in when he was younger and in between foster homes. He walks along the sidewalk and heads along before the apartment building that Mia is currently leaving.
Mia pays her bill and leaves the building. She recognizes Billy from the day they both joined the Titans, but does not think he knows her, so she heads towards the bus stop. She will get off some place a few blocks away and switch to head home...at least that is the plan. Suddenly she bumps into someone she does not see and knocks him out into traffic...
Billy whistles and then hears the commotion and turns and his eyes open wide as the man is knocked into traffic, "HOLY MOLEY! Oh no!" He runs and at the same time, calls forth the magic lightning with the word, "SHAZAM!" Shazam puts on a burst of speed and lands in front of the man holding out his hands, stopping the bus before it can smoosh the poor man. Shazam sighs with relief and says, "Are you alright sir? That was very dangerous, you should be more careful next time..." There is two handprint-sized dents in the bus's front end.
Mia hears the traffic and the screech of metal, but the only person she sees is Shazam...everyone else is gone. She moves at super speed and switches to Superlass, something odd is happening to her, and better odd things not seem to happen to Mia Kent. She says, "Shazam, glad you are here, I think I need help."
Shazam turns to Cir-El and says, "Superlass... what's wrong?" He steps onto the sidewalk with her and looks concerned.
She says, "There is something wrong with my eyes, I can not see anyone but you. I think I must have bumped someone. I was not expecting this. I can work with just my hearing, but I was surprised."
Shazam rubs his chin and thinks, "Huh... you can only see me?" He considers, "Can you see anything else? Or are you totally blind except for me?"
"I can see the cars and the buildings...but not the people or the trees or the birds or any of the other animals I hear around me," Superlass replies.
Shazam blinks and frowns now and says, "You can see everything and me, but not people. That's very strange... Don't Kryptonians have some sort of vision powers? I know Kal has several vision powers."
Superlass says, "Yes, most of them do once their energy reserves are high enough, but I never have, just like I never could fly the way they do. Of course, Kon did not until he matured a bit..."
Shazam nods, "Maybe you've matured enough for some of your Kryptonian powers to unlock then?" He says, "I think what you have sounds like something Kal once described to me, X-Ray vision. It allowed him to see into buildings and things that weren't lead lined." He says, "Try focusing on the building across the street and then see if you can't see into it."
Superlass tilts her head as if considering, "When I was split...my Kryptonian half had both flight and vision powers, perhaps her use of them gave me some of the nerve links to controls I did not know were there."
Shazam nods, "You never know... why don't you try, you need to learn to control them anyways." He says as he taps his fingers on his arms, "Or else you should talk to Kon or Kal and have them teach you."
Cir-El tries focusing, trying to connect to the memories that her Kryptonian half had, without connecting to the Brainiac program that half was operating under. She tries to shift her focus...and suddenly is staring at the microbes dancing in the air in front of her eyes, "Whoa. Not what we had in mind..."
Shazam blinks and says, "What are you seeing?" He asks, a little curious, and envious as well, having no such abilities granted to him by the gods. Well, he can see magic, but that's about it.
Superlass says, "Well, I think it is microscopic vision, those are probably bacteria...I could not say what kind, I have not gotten that far in biology yet."
Shazam coughs and chuckles, "Yeah, don't ask me either, I dropped out of school in middle school... biology is kinda out of my league."
Superlass laughs a bit, "Well, I know a few things that are not taught in school, anecdotes from my memories about things Brainiac programed me to remember Superman telling me about life on other planets. Nothing helpful here. Now let me try again..." She refocuses, trying to look at one place in specific, just past the wall of that building there...
She can see, but what she sees is as if the wall were one of those transparent overlays. She still sees the wall is there, and it makes focusing past it harder, and what she sees is no closer. She can see through the wall though. "OK, I think I have it, I can see through the wall, but I have not found the key to telescopic vision yet...my alternate self did not use that one."
Cir-El reaches into one of her storage containers and pulls out a cell phone. She frowns as she looks through the face at the electronics inside, then carefully feels the front and pushes the send button twice, redialing her last call.
Ruby Rampart was chillin' at home, watching some cartoons. She tilts her head as she feels her phone vibrate with a phone call. Curious, she pulls it out of her chest and answers, "Hello, sissy. What's up?"
Superlass says, "Hey Minoke, could you come pick me up in the Bronx. I am...having trouble with my eyes and it might be dangerous getting home alone."
Ruby Rampart nods. "I'm on my way. Please leave the phone on and JARVIS can track your signal. I will be ten minutes away." She shifts to motorcycle form and gets going. "What kind of eye trouble?"
Cir-El responds, "Kryptonian kinds of eye trouble, half the time I am looking through things, rather than seeing them. I already knocked someone into traffic, one of my fellow Titans had to rescue him."
Ruby Rampart ponders. "That sounds serious. Call me Ruby when I arrive - I prefer to turn from motorcycle to my hero form. But in this case I'll stay in motorcycle form. If your friend is there, tell him to expect a red motorcycle iwthout a rider. ETA six minutes."
Cir-el says to Shazam, "A friend is on her way, she is a magical shape shifter who assumes inanimate forms she will be in the form of a riderless red motorcycle she says. I wonder why she did not pick a flying form? Anyway, she should be here in about six minutes."
Shazam blinks and then nods, "Ok, sounds good Superlass... hopefully she can get you to a safe place where you can practice or else manage to get a hold of Kal, Kon or even Karen could help you."
Superlass says, "Hopefully it will not take long to learn control, I could really hurt someone if I can not see them and am not paying enough attention to navigate by hearing."
Shazam nods and says, "Well, I talk to Kon a lot when I'm up at the Watchtower, I'll ask him to come find you next time I see him if you want? I wish I could help you, but the Wisdom of Solomon doesn't include lessons on Kryptonian powers. All I know is from talking to Kal and Kon."
Superlass sighs, "Some things, just do not explain well. Can you imagine being blind, and someone trying to tell you how to tell green from blue?"
Shazam nods, "Holy moley, you're right... but still, I'm sure one of the other Kryptonians would have good advice to give you. Kal would probably be the best, but he's always saving the world somewhere."
Ruby Rampart chimes in over the open phone, "I have no concept of what food tastes like... how people taste. People tell me that ice cream is yummy and raw fish is yucky. But it means nothing to me. I find various metals tasty. Aluminum is bland, and light food. Gold is fattening but delicious. Lead is a 'better not' - it has an awful aftertaste." Soon enough the red motorcycle pulls in and stops by Superlass. "Hey sister," she announces. "Ruby Rampart to the rescue. Who's your friend?" Cir-el can see Minoke, either because she is dense enough or because she is magical enough to be seen. She says, "Am I gladto SEE you. Ruby, this is Shazam, like you, he is magic. Shazam, my step sister Ruby Rampart."
Shazam turns, able to also sense the magical currents and tilts his head as he studies Ruby and says, "Holy moley! I've never seen a real live golem or homunculus before... are you someone's construct? Did your father do a ritual or use the laws of Equivalent Exchange to create you?" He's suddenly excited, as magic tends to do so.
Ruby Rampart blinks. "I do not like either of those terms or the word 'robot'. Neither applies. I am both and neither..." She ponders. "My _mother_ created my heart-core using the finest magic and technology. For I am not just magic. I am magitech. But for now, can you help get my sister onto me? I could assume a human form but the vehicle form is better to stay in. You can follow us up to the house and then we can talk further?"
Cir-El says, "Not sure daddy wants us bringing boys home yet, especially not after the week before last."
Shazam blinks and looks sheepish, "Err... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause offense Ms. Rampart... It's just that you aren't... Gosh, anyways... Yes! Let's help Superlass." He leads Superlass to Ruby and helps her to get onto the motorcycle and says, "I should get back to the Tower actually, how about I come visit some other time?"
Ruby Rampart beeps. "No offense was taken. I am rather... unusual in many ways. Beside, unless Shazam is your boyfriend, Superlass, Daddy won't care too much," she states.
Mia tends to be very reluctant to reveal her secret ID, even to her fellow titans. However, she will leave this call to Minoke, "It is up to you two." She climbs onto Minoke and settles in to the seat.
Shazam bites his lip and says, "Maybe I better not, I don't know what more I could do and if you're worried about what your stepfather might say I better stay away."
Ruby Rampart honks slowly. "I'll find you later, Mr. Shazam," she states as the bike revs up and zooms away. "To answer your question - one, flying's harder than driving, and two - it's not much faster either. I need to work on a faster flying form. Maybe some kind of simple prop plane, but I have to have enough protection of my core to make it worth it..."
Superlass says, "Shazam often hangs around the Titans Tower, you can visit him there sometime, and possibly meet his sister too." She does not correct Shazam that it is her adopted father Minoke's stepfather.