Post by Ashley on Feb 13, 2012 0:31:11 GMT -5
I am a stranger here he thought, his footsteps echoing in the magnificent vaulted halls of Shiruta palace, seat of Black Adam's power. The floors are white marble, gleaming and perfect. White stone columns flank on either side, intricate designs carved into their smooth surfaces. The hot middle eastern country is much different than his cold homeland, he is an exile, a man with no home, a feeling that weighs on him in his solemn expressions and a distinct introversion. But then, he'd been both those things before the battle with Super Collider that ended in the destruction Chernobyl. He had saved the world, sacrificed a year of his life in oblivion before the alien energies that infused his body came back together to reform him from the scattered atomic energies.
I would have nowhere without her Leonid thought as he pulled the door open and stepped out onto a balcony overlooking the green gardens that filled the centre of the palace like some massive arboretum completely with winding paths running its breadth and with. He saw her then, unaware of his presence above as she tended the plants beneath. Pale skin, face shrouded in hair black as a moonless night. He had known her, once, long before she was known as Mary Marvel, they'd met at Moscow university where she spent several years abroad in her studies. Leonid was a green boy, new to the superhero trade yet treated as a national hero, the hammer of the union they called him and gave him a gilded warhammer. he had been smitten that first instant, stumbling over words clumsily. But he had been young then, and much more naive. Too proud and arrogant in his status. Still, she had seen through it all, to the Russian boy whom had only dreamed of such heights in comic books and movies.
They became friends, fast friends, secretly he had hope for more, though it had never happened.Her eyes had never been for him, he'd been much too the young boy and not enough the hero. he wondered what she thought of the fallen hero now. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. Still, when he was exiled she had been there, at the side of Kahndaq's emperor, she had his ear and Leonid suspected his heart as well. Mary was the only friend he had in this wide world. It was her who convinced her liege to bring the Russian metahuman into his service, given him purpose once more. He had even found himself admiring and respecting the Kahdaquian ruler, he bore the responsibility like a man born to it and had the strength to make all the hard decisions Leo himself was unsure he would be able to make in his place.
He stepped onto the white bannister and gloated into the air, slowly down until he touched gently down behind her.
"Mary" He said, his eyes glowing a vivid red in the pale moonlight. He watched her on her knees, fingers in the dirt, the palace had a hundred gardeners but this section was hers and she'd let none of the others touch it. "I wonder what the emperor would say to see his left hand kneeling in the dirt so" he said with a rare smile.
She’d always put everything else before herself. She’d been given the power of Shazam at a young age. Too young, she thought now – years later. She’d been careful about it, unsure what was right and what wasn’t. She knew how important the idea of humanity and pureness was. She had tried to respect that. And she had turned away from a lot of things. A lot of people. Leonid had been young when she met him. Older than she was, but still learning. He’d just begun his journey. She’d already been in the battle. She liked him, though. She had wanted to stay close to him. In a lot of ways, she wanted to protect him. She knew he was stronger than her, though. At that time, anyway.
She’d wanted him, then. But she never allowed herself to see it through. She was afraid of what it would do. If she wasn’t pure in every sense of the word. And maybe it was because she was naïve about what it really meant. Then, he’d disappeared. He’d saved the world, but the world had been torn about him. And she had grieved his loss. She’d fled from Russia after his “death” and found Khandaq. And Adam had found her.
Then Leonid had returned. He just appeared one day and she’d found him. She had known he couldn’t go back to Russia, so she’d brought him to her new home. She’d convinced Adam to help him. And Adam had listened. And now they were his right and left hands. Mary had been glad to have him back. But she knew that she couldn’t let herself remember how she’d felt about him. She knew how Adam would react. And she couldn’t risk his life. So, she pushed those feelings away, again. She never knew he had loved her in Russia.
When he landed behind her, she grinned without turning around. She pushed the small sprout into the newly dug hole before covering it with the fertilized dirt, packing it tightly and adding water. Only then did she turn around, sitting as she looked up at him. He had always been taller than she was, but now she felt like he was a mountain and she was just a small human next to him. But the grin stayed on her lips. “He tells me to take a bath before I go anywhere in public.” She stood, brushing her dirty hands against the jeans she wore. They were smeared with dirt already – against the knees, her thighs and the cuffs. Her feet were bare and dirt covered her toes. She wore a black shirt, but it seemed relatively clean. Amazingly.
She smiled at him. “You should smile more, Leo. You always look so grouchy. Do you want to help me? Or should we go somewhere cleaner?”
"I don't have your gentle touch, Mary. I might squish your plants and then what would I be?" He joked and held out a hand to help her to her feet, though she didn't need it. Adam had chosen well, he thought, and though they were close now they had never been farther apart. Still, his life could be worse and Adam had given him purpose once more. He'd taken him from his life of disappointment and put him on a path of redemption, or perhaps it had been Mary.In either case, Black Adam had found a use for him.
"I smile as much as need be. This world isn't meant for smiles and laughter, Mary. Have you been watching the news? Our neighbors grow jealous and contentious and the west - " he nearly spat the name, as a Russian nationalist he had been taught to hate the western Europeans and North Americans, they took everything for granted. Mary, she was different as so he tended to keep his more extreme opinions to himself. "The west see's us as a threat. They would sooner watch Kahndaq burn to the ground than help us in a war against our enemies. Not that we'd need it." His voice, as ever, was touched with a Russian accent as well as she spoke the English language he had never been able to rid himself of the bothersome accent.
"We should strike them first, they look upon Kahndaq with an envious eye and it's only a matter of time before they make their move. They'll never take Shiruta but I fear from the border villages and cities. We might not know in time to lend them aid."
Leonid was far from perfect, but he did have a sincere desire to help those whom needed his help. Even so, he had little sympathy for those whom existed outside his microcosm, even civilians of whom he saw as his lord's 'enemies'. He didn't hurt the helpless, but he had no remorse for when they were killed in military strikes. Still, Adam held his hand for the time being. Much to Leonid's chagrin, but as always, he obeyed. For all that he was, he was loyal, to Mary, to which was unclear, perhaps it was both. Tt was getting harder to disguise his lingering looks and the feelings he knew he should bury. He admired and respected Black Adam, but Mary... Mary knew him before he was the solemn brick of stoicism and frowns. When he did smile, he smiled for her.
She gladly took his hand and help as he easily pulled her to her feet. It wasn’t hard for her to stand, but she liked when he helped her. It made her feel human. Not super-powered and strong enough to take down a castle. She nearly floated to a standing position. She tilted her head to the side as he spoke. She’d been paying attention to the reports, too. They had a few people in America who would report back to them when there was news to report. She knew that the American heroes would be soon to act, or at least draw a force together in case Adam decided to attack. She didn’t know how she felt about it. She was American. It was her home.
No. It <i>had</i> been her home. It had also been a long time since she considered herself American by nature. For a long time she felt homeless. She wandered. Khandaq had become her home. Adam her family. And when Leonid came back, she had made him her family, too. She knew she would never need more than the two of them on either side of her.
“Adam’s being cautious. You can’t blame him for that. The Americans are quick to judge and quicker to war. Even quicker than the Russians.” She paused, lifting her shoulders in a shrug as she started to move, waiting for him to follow along after her. There was a winding path in this part of the gardens. All of them had paths, really, but this was her favorite area. And she knew that it would be unlikely that any of the workers of the palace would overhear them talking here. Usually when Mary was gardening, everyone stayed away. She liked the peace and solitude it offered her. It gave her time to think.
“If they attack the outer borders, we’ll be there to save them.” She looked up at him as they walked. “We’ll make sure we’re there.” She, too, was protective of the people that she now called her own. She would save them from any force that attacked. She often spent time in those outer border villages and made sure they knew that they weren’t being ruled by a single, invisible identity. It was something she never cared for in the World Powers. They only cared when something happened.
“Perhaps it’s best that it’s quiet, though.” She was thoughtful for a moment as they walked in silence. “I’m not sure that rushing into a war against the American legion would be good for us right now.”
"Cautious, yes. It's not the Americans I'm worried about. Egypt, Jordan, other places closer to home" He frowned when she mentioned Russia, he had been trying so hard not to remember it, to put the ancient streets of Moscow and The Kremlin behind him and it wasn't always easy. Still, she made a point, the Americans had allies in this region and they could use any conflict as an excuse to enter their realm, bring in their so called "peace keepers". Russia had peace keepers too and Leonid had watched them execute Chechyn rebels and civilians a like, the memory disgusted him. He knew no nation, no government was perfect but Americans and Russians warred for different reasons. "Russia wars to rebuild what was lost. Americans... They war for... More material reasons."
He stopped short of using the word oil which Kahndaq had in spades. As did many countries in the region. It was a hard fact to cope with, to know that the west had allowed its corporatism to direct foreign policy, to go to war and to to stay their hand in equal measures so long as it kept the coffers overflowing. Adam had built a paradise in a region ridden by war, torn by conflict of nationalism, religion, resources. As they walked beneath the shade of the trees and the green, yellow, reds and purples of the garden Leonid dreamed of a new empire Adam could build, a new union, albeit, a black one rather than red. Perhaps he should change his name to Blackstar he mused to himself.
"If we know, preemptively, we will be there. But that may not be the case, but as always, I surrender to Adam's wisdom in this matter as all others. Still... If we are to be cautious, it might be wise to be cautious enough to move more men to the border."
It would be seen as an act of aggression, no doubt, but they had the right to protect their borders against any perceived threat, real or not.
"Quiet is good, peace even more so, but there can never be peace, not until the region is unified under one leader, one cause and one people." It was a noble dream, but one that would be generations in the making. Luckily, Adam had all the time in the world to see it through. "It wouldn't be, it's not war against the Americans I suggest, Mary. For now they are no more our enemy than they are our friends but we should always remain mindful of that particular sleeping dragon."
She pressed her lips together, thoughtful. She knew he had a point. If they knew about it, they would be able to get to the borders. They were fast – both of them. It would take moments. But what made her nervous, now, was what if they were separated? They were both powerful. Since Adam had given her more of his power, shared it he said, she was stronger than she’d been a few years ago. But the thought of being separated…
She shook her head, trying a smile to lighten the mood. “You’re pessimism is rubbing off on me, Leo.” She grinned up at him. She stopped, her hand on his arm so he would turn and face her. She tilted her head up and looked at him. Then, she was suddenly eye-level with him; floating in the air so she could see his face straight on, instead of constantly looking up at him. She remembered once when she had actually stood on a chair so that they were eye-level and he wasn’t always looking down on her. She’d been annoyed at being so short that day. They’d been fighting, but she couldn’t remember about what. And he hadn’t been listening, so she climbed on a chair and put her hands on her hips so she could look him straight on and not feel that he would win the argument simply because he was taller than she was.
“If you think it’s a good idea to send protection to the borders, I’ll talk to Adam about it. You know he would listen to you, too. And you can be persuasive when you want to be.”
She rested her hands on his shoulders and stared at him for a moment. “You’re not wrong to worry about the borders being unprotected, Leonid. I want to believe that we would be free of attack because we are self-inclosed. But I’m afraid of what’s going on outside….” It was something she wouldn’t admit to Adam. Not openly. She had been living in Khandaq so long now, she had no idea what it was like “out there” anymore. Only the reports from those who came back and told them what things were like. But she hadn’t experienced it in…ages, it felt like. She had let herself be caught up in the Utopia. And truthfully, she was okay with that. But she knew Leonid kept both feet grounded in the realities of the world. And perhaps he had a right to be worried. She trusted his instincts. She always had.
(Unfinished.)
I would have nowhere without her Leonid thought as he pulled the door open and stepped out onto a balcony overlooking the green gardens that filled the centre of the palace like some massive arboretum completely with winding paths running its breadth and with. He saw her then, unaware of his presence above as she tended the plants beneath. Pale skin, face shrouded in hair black as a moonless night. He had known her, once, long before she was known as Mary Marvel, they'd met at Moscow university where she spent several years abroad in her studies. Leonid was a green boy, new to the superhero trade yet treated as a national hero, the hammer of the union they called him and gave him a gilded warhammer. he had been smitten that first instant, stumbling over words clumsily. But he had been young then, and much more naive. Too proud and arrogant in his status. Still, she had seen through it all, to the Russian boy whom had only dreamed of such heights in comic books and movies.
They became friends, fast friends, secretly he had hope for more, though it had never happened.Her eyes had never been for him, he'd been much too the young boy and not enough the hero. he wondered what she thought of the fallen hero now. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. Still, when he was exiled she had been there, at the side of Kahndaq's emperor, she had his ear and Leonid suspected his heart as well. Mary was the only friend he had in this wide world. It was her who convinced her liege to bring the Russian metahuman into his service, given him purpose once more. He had even found himself admiring and respecting the Kahdaquian ruler, he bore the responsibility like a man born to it and had the strength to make all the hard decisions Leo himself was unsure he would be able to make in his place.
He stepped onto the white bannister and gloated into the air, slowly down until he touched gently down behind her.
"Mary" He said, his eyes glowing a vivid red in the pale moonlight. He watched her on her knees, fingers in the dirt, the palace had a hundred gardeners but this section was hers and she'd let none of the others touch it. "I wonder what the emperor would say to see his left hand kneeling in the dirt so" he said with a rare smile.
She’d always put everything else before herself. She’d been given the power of Shazam at a young age. Too young, she thought now – years later. She’d been careful about it, unsure what was right and what wasn’t. She knew how important the idea of humanity and pureness was. She had tried to respect that. And she had turned away from a lot of things. A lot of people. Leonid had been young when she met him. Older than she was, but still learning. He’d just begun his journey. She’d already been in the battle. She liked him, though. She had wanted to stay close to him. In a lot of ways, she wanted to protect him. She knew he was stronger than her, though. At that time, anyway.
She’d wanted him, then. But she never allowed herself to see it through. She was afraid of what it would do. If she wasn’t pure in every sense of the word. And maybe it was because she was naïve about what it really meant. Then, he’d disappeared. He’d saved the world, but the world had been torn about him. And she had grieved his loss. She’d fled from Russia after his “death” and found Khandaq. And Adam had found her.
Then Leonid had returned. He just appeared one day and she’d found him. She had known he couldn’t go back to Russia, so she’d brought him to her new home. She’d convinced Adam to help him. And Adam had listened. And now they were his right and left hands. Mary had been glad to have him back. But she knew that she couldn’t let herself remember how she’d felt about him. She knew how Adam would react. And she couldn’t risk his life. So, she pushed those feelings away, again. She never knew he had loved her in Russia.
When he landed behind her, she grinned without turning around. She pushed the small sprout into the newly dug hole before covering it with the fertilized dirt, packing it tightly and adding water. Only then did she turn around, sitting as she looked up at him. He had always been taller than she was, but now she felt like he was a mountain and she was just a small human next to him. But the grin stayed on her lips. “He tells me to take a bath before I go anywhere in public.” She stood, brushing her dirty hands against the jeans she wore. They were smeared with dirt already – against the knees, her thighs and the cuffs. Her feet were bare and dirt covered her toes. She wore a black shirt, but it seemed relatively clean. Amazingly.
She smiled at him. “You should smile more, Leo. You always look so grouchy. Do you want to help me? Or should we go somewhere cleaner?”
"I don't have your gentle touch, Mary. I might squish your plants and then what would I be?" He joked and held out a hand to help her to her feet, though she didn't need it. Adam had chosen well, he thought, and though they were close now they had never been farther apart. Still, his life could be worse and Adam had given him purpose once more. He'd taken him from his life of disappointment and put him on a path of redemption, or perhaps it had been Mary.In either case, Black Adam had found a use for him.
"I smile as much as need be. This world isn't meant for smiles and laughter, Mary. Have you been watching the news? Our neighbors grow jealous and contentious and the west - " he nearly spat the name, as a Russian nationalist he had been taught to hate the western Europeans and North Americans, they took everything for granted. Mary, she was different as so he tended to keep his more extreme opinions to himself. "The west see's us as a threat. They would sooner watch Kahndaq burn to the ground than help us in a war against our enemies. Not that we'd need it." His voice, as ever, was touched with a Russian accent as well as she spoke the English language he had never been able to rid himself of the bothersome accent.
"We should strike them first, they look upon Kahndaq with an envious eye and it's only a matter of time before they make their move. They'll never take Shiruta but I fear from the border villages and cities. We might not know in time to lend them aid."
Leonid was far from perfect, but he did have a sincere desire to help those whom needed his help. Even so, he had little sympathy for those whom existed outside his microcosm, even civilians of whom he saw as his lord's 'enemies'. He didn't hurt the helpless, but he had no remorse for when they were killed in military strikes. Still, Adam held his hand for the time being. Much to Leonid's chagrin, but as always, he obeyed. For all that he was, he was loyal, to Mary, to which was unclear, perhaps it was both. Tt was getting harder to disguise his lingering looks and the feelings he knew he should bury. He admired and respected Black Adam, but Mary... Mary knew him before he was the solemn brick of stoicism and frowns. When he did smile, he smiled for her.
She gladly took his hand and help as he easily pulled her to her feet. It wasn’t hard for her to stand, but she liked when he helped her. It made her feel human. Not super-powered and strong enough to take down a castle. She nearly floated to a standing position. She tilted her head to the side as he spoke. She’d been paying attention to the reports, too. They had a few people in America who would report back to them when there was news to report. She knew that the American heroes would be soon to act, or at least draw a force together in case Adam decided to attack. She didn’t know how she felt about it. She was American. It was her home.
No. It <i>had</i> been her home. It had also been a long time since she considered herself American by nature. For a long time she felt homeless. She wandered. Khandaq had become her home. Adam her family. And when Leonid came back, she had made him her family, too. She knew she would never need more than the two of them on either side of her.
“Adam’s being cautious. You can’t blame him for that. The Americans are quick to judge and quicker to war. Even quicker than the Russians.” She paused, lifting her shoulders in a shrug as she started to move, waiting for him to follow along after her. There was a winding path in this part of the gardens. All of them had paths, really, but this was her favorite area. And she knew that it would be unlikely that any of the workers of the palace would overhear them talking here. Usually when Mary was gardening, everyone stayed away. She liked the peace and solitude it offered her. It gave her time to think.
“If they attack the outer borders, we’ll be there to save them.” She looked up at him as they walked. “We’ll make sure we’re there.” She, too, was protective of the people that she now called her own. She would save them from any force that attacked. She often spent time in those outer border villages and made sure they knew that they weren’t being ruled by a single, invisible identity. It was something she never cared for in the World Powers. They only cared when something happened.
“Perhaps it’s best that it’s quiet, though.” She was thoughtful for a moment as they walked in silence. “I’m not sure that rushing into a war against the American legion would be good for us right now.”
"Cautious, yes. It's not the Americans I'm worried about. Egypt, Jordan, other places closer to home" He frowned when she mentioned Russia, he had been trying so hard not to remember it, to put the ancient streets of Moscow and The Kremlin behind him and it wasn't always easy. Still, she made a point, the Americans had allies in this region and they could use any conflict as an excuse to enter their realm, bring in their so called "peace keepers". Russia had peace keepers too and Leonid had watched them execute Chechyn rebels and civilians a like, the memory disgusted him. He knew no nation, no government was perfect but Americans and Russians warred for different reasons. "Russia wars to rebuild what was lost. Americans... They war for... More material reasons."
He stopped short of using the word oil which Kahndaq had in spades. As did many countries in the region. It was a hard fact to cope with, to know that the west had allowed its corporatism to direct foreign policy, to go to war and to to stay their hand in equal measures so long as it kept the coffers overflowing. Adam had built a paradise in a region ridden by war, torn by conflict of nationalism, religion, resources. As they walked beneath the shade of the trees and the green, yellow, reds and purples of the garden Leonid dreamed of a new empire Adam could build, a new union, albeit, a black one rather than red. Perhaps he should change his name to Blackstar he mused to himself.
"If we know, preemptively, we will be there. But that may not be the case, but as always, I surrender to Adam's wisdom in this matter as all others. Still... If we are to be cautious, it might be wise to be cautious enough to move more men to the border."
It would be seen as an act of aggression, no doubt, but they had the right to protect their borders against any perceived threat, real or not.
"Quiet is good, peace even more so, but there can never be peace, not until the region is unified under one leader, one cause and one people." It was a noble dream, but one that would be generations in the making. Luckily, Adam had all the time in the world to see it through. "It wouldn't be, it's not war against the Americans I suggest, Mary. For now they are no more our enemy than they are our friends but we should always remain mindful of that particular sleeping dragon."
She pressed her lips together, thoughtful. She knew he had a point. If they knew about it, they would be able to get to the borders. They were fast – both of them. It would take moments. But what made her nervous, now, was what if they were separated? They were both powerful. Since Adam had given her more of his power, shared it he said, she was stronger than she’d been a few years ago. But the thought of being separated…
She shook her head, trying a smile to lighten the mood. “You’re pessimism is rubbing off on me, Leo.” She grinned up at him. She stopped, her hand on his arm so he would turn and face her. She tilted her head up and looked at him. Then, she was suddenly eye-level with him; floating in the air so she could see his face straight on, instead of constantly looking up at him. She remembered once when she had actually stood on a chair so that they were eye-level and he wasn’t always looking down on her. She’d been annoyed at being so short that day. They’d been fighting, but she couldn’t remember about what. And he hadn’t been listening, so she climbed on a chair and put her hands on her hips so she could look him straight on and not feel that he would win the argument simply because he was taller than she was.
“If you think it’s a good idea to send protection to the borders, I’ll talk to Adam about it. You know he would listen to you, too. And you can be persuasive when you want to be.”
She rested her hands on his shoulders and stared at him for a moment. “You’re not wrong to worry about the borders being unprotected, Leonid. I want to believe that we would be free of attack because we are self-inclosed. But I’m afraid of what’s going on outside….” It was something she wouldn’t admit to Adam. Not openly. She had been living in Khandaq so long now, she had no idea what it was like “out there” anymore. Only the reports from those who came back and told them what things were like. But she hadn’t experienced it in…ages, it felt like. She had let herself be caught up in the Utopia. And truthfully, she was okay with that. But she knew Leonid kept both feet grounded in the realities of the world. And perhaps he had a right to be worried. She trusted his instincts. She always had.
(Unfinished.)