angelbroad - Tumblr blog

angelbroad · 2 days

Text

This Scarab Is Blue

Inspired by an age swap au by @runeiio , but with a colder Khaji-Da

Milagro waited outside the middle school, scrolling through her phone as she waited for her little brother to come out. She had finished school earlier, and mom had asked her to pick up Jaime since she would be working later than expected. The pop of her bubblegum was simultaneous with the ringing of the bell, and Milagro waited and looked at the horde of children leaving the doors to find her own. She finally spotted a poof of brown hair and a blue backpack, and making her way through the children horde, Milagro got a hold of Jaime.

"Ey, Jaime!"

"Hola Mili.", the boy greeted back.

The two were soon on the street, Milagro meeting Brenda and Paco along the way and catching a conversation. Milagro unconsciously toyed with her ring, itching for a flight. Her attention was turned to an empty plot by Paco.

"Didn't this place used to have a building?", he asked.

"Kord.", Brenda confirmed, "And now it's like nothing was ever there."

Milagro looked at the empty plot with a flat mouth. It had been just over a month when her and the other Lanterns had this serious of a mission. Guy was especially cautious about this one, as it involved one of the Corps' oldest enemies. The Reach. Somehow Kord had gotten their hands on an Infiltrator, and Jarvis Kord wished to replicate that technology. Thankfully, they had help from the Blue Beetle, who was sadly lost in the crossfire as well as the Infiltrator. Guy considered it a somewhat win. The scarab was out of sight, and hopefully it would stay inactive and out of mind as well.

The girl noticed that Jaime had gone inside the plot, because he was coming back from it by the time Milagro turned her attention back to him.

"You off exploring little man?", she asked as the group started walking again, Jaime skipping to catch up to the teens.

"H-Hey! Wait up! Yeah, I just went and looked a little bit."

"Bien.", Paco said, "Found anything good, little man?"

Jaime shrugged, "Maybe."

"Oh sweet. Show me when we get home.", Milagro said.

"Mmmm, what if I don't?", Jaime teased.

"Oh you will you little twerp.", Milagro answered with a smile, "'sides, if you don't show me I'll just take it from ya when you're asleep."

"Would you stop stealing my stuff??"

"Naaah."

The two seperated with Brenda and Paco a little further down, the duos going their seperate ways. Jaime and Milagro decided to wait until their parents got home to start eating lunch, Milagro already preparing the food and forgetting about Jaime's supposed discovery. She made it easier on herself by using the ring to multi-task. Yes, mom said no suits in the house, but she wasn't here right now.

"Milagro Reyes."

Ah fuck-

"Sorry mamá.", Milagro said as she made everything disappear and rubbed the back of her head in guilt.

Bianca shook her head with a sigh as Milagro helped her with the bags, "Mili, I just don't want another accident in the house. Do you remember that time when your energy construct made a cabinet fall down?"

"Lo sé, lo sé. Lo siento, mamá."

"Está bien cariño.", Bianca responded, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Just try and keep that in mind, m'kay?"

"Yes ma'am.", Milagro responded, also going to greet her dad.

During the meal, Milagro couldn't help but feel...wrong. Her ring was ringing in her head like crazy, like the alarms blaring at the red flags on your tinder date. The constant rubbing of her temple had her dad ask if she had a headache, which she declined despite herself. It was her turn to wash dishes today, so she had her back turned as Jaime was telling their parents about his day.

"-and I also found something weird in that Kord space."

"Kord space?"

"Where that building was."

"Jaime, hijo, I told you not to go there. It's under construction, it could be dangerous."

"I know, I'm sorry.", Jaime said, "But I'm not hurt."

"What did you find, Jaime?", Alberto asked.

"Oh, I have it in my bag. Let me go get it.", Jaime said before getting up and skipping off.

Bianca looked at Milagro, "What did he find, Mili?"

Milagro shrugged, "I dunno, he didn't tell me." Her back was still turned to the three as Jaime returned, emptying the bag on the table much to his mother's dismay.

"Huh. Now that's something new.", Alberto said.

Jaime nodded, "I picked it up with my backpack, cause I didn't know if it was cool to touch it."

Milagro raised an eyebrow as she looked out the window. What a weird comment to make.

"It looks...weird.", Bianca commented, seemingly picking it up to study the object herself, "A little dirty, but I think it's alright to hold."

The object was handed back to Jaime as Milagro turned around.

"What did you find any...way..."

The thing Jaime was holding. It was the Infiltrator. Its legs started moving, Jaime looking at it with innocent wonder.

"No no no! Jaime put that down!", Milagro moved, but was not fast enough as a shocked Jaime backed away as the scarab climbed up his arm, finding its way to his back where it dug its feet in, making the boy scream in pain.

Their parents were terrified, and Milagro started cursing to herself and then out loud as she transformed. She knelt down to hold Jaime before looking at her parents with a panicked expression.

"Call Gardner. Now!"

Alberto moved to get a phone as Bianca stood there with the most shocked expression Milagro had ever seen from her.

"Milagro. What is this??"

"It's an Infiltrator. It-"

Jaime begun to shake as something started to sprout from the scarab, encasing her brother in a black and blue armor as the scarab hid itself in an enlarged beetle on his back like a crude backpack. No no no no no-why?? Out of anyone on Earth, why Jaime?!

"S-Sis...? W-What-t's hap-ppening?"

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay hermano. W-We'll get it out it's just..."

Oh god, she couldn't even recognise her brother's face. Jaime jumped, looking around.

"H-Hello?"

"Jaime?"

"I heard a voice..."

The scarab...Milagro grabbed his arms and made him look at her, "Jaime. Whatever you do, don't listen to it, okay?"

Host: aquired

"H-Host?"

Hello, Jaime

"W-Why?"

"Because it's evil!", Milagro blurted out. Bianca looked like she was about to pass out.

"It went to the answering machine.", Alberto said as he entered the room.

Jaime noticed the backpack was opening up as Milagro turned her head away.

"Well fuck-"

"What are thrusters?", Jaime asked.

Milagro looked at him, "Who-?"

Suddenly, Jaime was flung through the roof, leaving a hole in the ceiling.

"...Oh no you don't.", Milagro said through gritted teeth as she followed the Infiltrator through the hole in the roof.

"W-Where are we going??", Jaime asked as he was practically dragged out of his own house.

Testing flight systems., the voice replied.

"I can see that!"

Don't worry, no harm will come to you

"I find that hard to believe-"

"Jaime!", Milagro called out as she was gaining on them. The Reach could take a lot of things, but her familia was off-limits!

Threat detected: Green Lantern

"N-No, that's just Mili."

A canon manifested on his right arm, his arm moved up by the scarab and towards Milagro.

"Mili! Look out!", Jaime warned, Milagro working to avoid the blasts coming her way and making a shield as she moved behind Jaime to grab him.

"Let him go you damn space bug!", she barked at the scarab. The mandables tried to poke her in the face and neck, but through quick thinking, Milagro made armor for those parts. But as she focused on holding her brother, she failed to pay attention to her surroundings, resulting in her back hitting a building and her grip loosening, which resulted in Jaime escaping. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." Where was Guy Gardner when you needed him??

The flight became more stable the further it went on.

"Why did you do that??"

Elaborate

"You tried to hurt my sister!"

All Green Lanterns are to be eliminated on sight

"Stop using those big words! And my sister is not a threat!"

She is now., it said, Now that you are of the Reach, you are an enemy of the Green Lantern Corps

"But...I'm not...", bad. Jaime wanted to say he was not bad. But the words wouldn't come out for some reason, even when they finally landed in a deserted area. Jaime held himself, shaking. "C-Can we go home...please?"

Negative. Green Lantern will know of our position

Jaime frowned, "For the last time, Mili is my sister! She'd never hurt me!"

Host puts too much trust in family unit

"Says you! Why should I trust you, huh? You took me from my house!"

Green Lanterns are dangerous. Retreat: best option

Jaime's face softened as he realised something, "Are you...scared of Lanterns?"

Nonsense., the voice sounded quite rushed to respond, further confirming Jaime's suspicions.

"You are.", he said, hands on his hips.

I am a warrior of the Reach. Fear is not within my programming

"Liar."

Host: testing patience

"Look, if you take me back home, I'll tell sis to not kick your butt. Okay?"

That didn't seem to convince the scarab, much to Jaime's frustration. He started to walk, the armor feeling weird on him.

"Guess I'll walk then."

It would take at least one Earth day to return 'home'. Insufficient strategy

"Well, if you won't fly me back, I'm walking there."

Meanwhile, Milagro was panicking, having called Gardner at least eleven times as she searched for the Infiltrator. She was sent to the answering machine every time, but on the twelfth time he finally picked up.

"Hey kid, what's the-"

"The Infiltrator has been activated!"

"The what??"

"The Reach Infiltrator! What the fuck were you doing that you couldn't pick up the phone???"

She could hear Guy cursing as he moved his phone away from him before he returned, "You know the host?"

"Yes. Do not lay a finger on him when you find him, or I'm kicking your ass all the way to Antarctica!"

"This is an Infiltrator! It's supposed to be-"

"The Infiltrator took my brother!", Milagro screamed at the phone, "If I see even a scratch on him when I find him and you were involved, you're fucking dead!!"

Guy gulped, eyes widening as he remembered the alarmingly young age of the boy. He should have expected the Reach to stoop this low.

"...You have my word.", he said, flying off to find Jaime Reyes.

#ao3 writer #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #dc #dc fanfic #milagro reyes #jaime reyes #au #dc au #guy gardner #khaji da

9 notes · View notes

angelbroad · 4 days

Text

Symbiosis And Its Downs

Nadine woke up to poking on her cheek, slowly stirring awake to the sight of Stephanie.

"What the fuck, dude?", the girl above whispered.

Nadine groaned as she moved to sit up, her hair wild and the suit still on, minus the helmet.

"Christ...what time is it?"

Nine in the morning

"Nine in the-"

"I know, it's okay. Loxz-Ha told me."

"Right...that thing on your back.", Stephanie responded, taking note of how the mandibles swayed from side to side, even if it was in a subtle way. "Nad, look, it's not like I don't trust you when it comes to this whole...thing. But again, we don't even know what it is you're wearing, or if it's wearing you."

Nadine decided she would not tell Stephanie about last night's escapades, she didn't want her friend to worry.

"Like...for god's sake how long have you been in that armor?"

"Oh...uh, I did take a break but...almost a day?"

Stephanie swore in arabic before turning back to her.

"Okay, look. Anth and Pearl have other things to do this mornin', so it leaves the two of us, and we're gonna find a way to figure out what this thing is. Whether it wants to or not."

"...Loxz-Ha?"

No response. It seemed that Stephanie was right about the scarab not wanting to give an answer, because the armor retreated back in the scarab.

"The one time I want you to talk with me..."

Stephanie shook her head, "Alright alright. Since it won't talk,", she cracked her knuckles, "I'm gonna make it talk."

The scarab quickly manifested on Nadine's back and all of its legs begun to drag her away, Stephanie chasing after them.

"Loxz-Ha!"

Threatening intentions from Stephanie Diya

"Stop this, right now!"

Loxz-Ha did as asked, allowing Nadine to stand on her own two feet again. She held a hand up to signal for Stephanie to stop running, which she did. Nadine looked at her back.

"Loxz-Ha. We clearly need to have a talk."

Very well. But not here

Nadine sighed and looked back at Stephanie. She walked over to her.

"They agreed to talk about some stuff, but they'd rather do it somewhere else."

Stephanie crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "First Anth, now me. I think your scarab fuckin' hates us."

Nadine sighed, and took her shoulders in her hands as the armor gradually materialised.

"Look, I'll try and ask all the important questions. If I'm not back by six, I flew to the moon."

"What-?"

But Nadine was already flying away, finally landing on a tall building where she paced around.

"Okay, so, basics first."

Which would be?

"Okay, first, the body control thing."

I have access to your entire nervous system

"Because you're inside me."

Correct

"Right-so, about that."

What of it?

"We need to establish this thing known to us as 'boundaries' in this relationship. Do you know what boundaries are?"

Boundaries: Boundaries show where one thing ends and another begins. Boundaries in a relationship are kind of like this; they help each person figure out where one person ends and the other begins. In short, boundaries help you define what you are comfortable with and how you would like to be treated by others.

"...Yea, that. Alright, boundaries. You can't just take control over my body whenever you feel like it."

But you were in-

"I know, I know. I was in danger, and thanks for looking out for me. But still, I'd rather not wake up in places I don't remember going and with people I don't know. It can be terrifying."

And what do you propose?

"You will only take control of my body either when it is absolutely necessary, or when I give you explicit permission to do so. Okay?"

Hm...very well. This seems reasonable

"Good. Now, you never told me why you were here. Is there even a reason?"

...I lost someone close to me. I have been trying to track them down for a long time

"O-Oh...I'm sorry."

Do not be. That is an issue for me to fix, now that I have a suitable host again

"I promise to help you, but only if you can follow the last rule I have for this relationship for now."

Which is?

"No killing. No lethal weapons."

...Boring

"Loxz!"

Fine! Fine! I wil entertain your pacifistic beliefs

"Thank you. And in turn, I'll help you find your friend."

I know you will

------------

Stephanie held onto her bass as they waited for Nadine to come to their practice, the others sitting on the stage as they waited too. She abruptly stood up.

"She went to the moon.", she said.

"Who?", Pearl asked, just as the window of the abandoned gymnasium shattered and Nadine landed on the ground, more gracefully this time, but still a bit rough.

"I didn't go to the moon!", she announced as the armor retreated.

"Ah, you're back!", Pearl said, "How's the girlfriend?"

Anthony smacked her head for that.

"Dude! What the hell??", the girl asked, to which Anthony rolled his eyes.

Nadine was used to this behaviour from the two. Always bickering over the littlest things. She walked to the stage, shrugging the comment off.

"Yep, I'm back. And Loxz-Ha says they're fine."

"Did it say any ways to remove it?", Anthony asked.

"No, I didn't ask."

"Oh for fuck's sake, what did you ask?"

Nadine thought that behaviour was a bit odd for Anthony. She would expect this type of outburst from Stephanie, but Anthony? Maybe she did do something wrong this time. She could hear a chuckle in her head.

My~ Someone is jealous

"Loxz-Ha, that's just not true."

Anthony groaned, dragging a hand over his face, "What now?"

"They said you were jealous or something."

Anthony froze, looking away. Nadine blinked in confusion before Pearl continued the conversation.

"What did you ask it, dude?"

"Hm? Oh, right, I asked why it was here."

"And it told you?"

Nadine nodded, "They're here in hopes of finding one of their friends. Apparently they got lost a couple of years back."

"You think that blue guy from the video might be that friend?"

"Very likely. He crossed all the boxes, but I'll have to find him somehow."

Both her and Pearl placed a hand on their respective chins to figure something out. Pearl's eyes then lit up as she raised an arm in the air and pointed upwards.

"You could become a superhero!"

All three blinked at her, letting out near simultaneous 'what's.

"Think about it.", Pearl explained, "That guy was clearly a superhero. So, if you become one too, you are bound to get noticed. Like a school girl waiting for her crush to notice her."

"My what-"

"What I'm trying to say is, you can both use this cool armor thing for good and use it to find the blue guy."

"Huh...this...could work, actually.", Nadine admitted.

"Okay okay, time out.", Stephanie finally said, making a time out motion with her hands, "You sure you're ready to fight with that thing? It dragged you out of my garage this morning."

"It did what-?"

"Anthony.", Nadine said slowly as she took hold of his arms, "Calm down. You too, Steph. Trust me, we sorted those things out. And, well, the scarab is designed to protect me so, I'll be fine...probably."

"Probably isn't good enough.", Anthony responded as he held her back, "You could get seriously hurt. You don't know what this thing can do."

Loxz-Ha was offended. How dare this meat think them incapable of defending their host properly? Not only that, but his touch filled Loxz-Ha with some form of jealousy. It was possessiveness. This was their host. Thankfully, Nadine Estrada took his hands off.

"Come on, Anth. You got to give me some trust."

"Nad, this isn't like trusting you won't go off-beat in the drumset. You're putting your life on the line and for what? So you can get the attention of some blue guy?"

Nadine shook her head, "Anth, this isn't about just the blue guy.", she said, hands on her chest, "This is about what I can do with these powers that have been given to me. I always talk about wanting to help people in more ways than just giving spare change or taking out my neighbours' trash. Now, I can finally do something that helps the city. Can't you see that this is my chance? I'm ready-more than ready for this."

"But-"

"You can trust this face, can't you?"

Anthony hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting about before finally turning his head away.

"...Fine."

Nadine gave him a small smile. She was glad he cared for her so much.

"Soooo.", Pearl started, "What's your superhero name gonna be?"

"Oh, hmm.", now that would be a little tricky. Should she use Loxz-Ha's name as her superhero name? No, it didn't really sound like one and she would just be stealing her partner's name. Maybe an insect? A color, like the Green Lantern?

"I think...I am..."

-----------

"-in latest news, this new superhero dubbed by the criminals as the 'Green Scarab', has made their debute in Gotham City just tonight. Exclusive footage reveals this new arrival's shocking abilities as they cut vehicles in half, and made use of sonic weapons. Police reports indicate that the new armored vigilante was in quite the rush."

The feed cut to a police officer being interviewed, "It dropped the stolen goods and the guns of those bastards right behind the police barricade, then they just up and flew away! It was weird as shit!"

"Did the vigilante show any ill intent towards you?"

"Nah man. They just dropped in, did our job for us-along with wrecking a couple of cars-and left."

The feed then cut back to the reporter.

"There is still no confirmation from heroes in the Justice League as to whether or not this is a legitimate new member, or just a mere avenger taking it out on the streets. Until we get more updates on this thrilling situation, we move on to Donald for the weather."

Jaime did not even get to put food in his mouth, his spoon hovering over the plate as he stared at the tv with his mouth wide open.

"Bro, the milk is dripping all over your pants.", Milagro, who had just come in, commented.

"Oh, mierda.", Jaime muttered as he placed the bowl on the table in front of him, "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?", he whisper-shouted.

Milagro shrugged before she walked into the kitchen behind him, "I was hungry. Don't tell on me!"

"No lo haré. Calmarse.", he said as he turned back to the tv, even if his mind was not on the news. He let the tv and Milagro's faint noises around him be backround noises as he reached to Khaji-Da.

"You know them?", he whispered to the scarab.The armor looked way too similar to his for it to be a coincidence.

I believe I do., Khaji-Da confirmed, But I can only assume who this scarab is. Unless I manage to get their serial number

"Like how yours is Khaji-Da?"

Yes. Unless we figure this factor out, we can not know what their intentions are

"They said Gotham, right? So that's where we need to go."

"You talking to Khaji again?", Milagro asked as she was ready to leave, cacahuates japones in hand. Jaime nodded. "Tell them buenas noches from me, m'kay?", she said before skipping away.

Alright, they were going to Gotham.

7 notes · View notes

angelbroad · 8 days

Text

Limelight

Loxz-Ha opened the eyes of their host, looking at the wall with hooded eyes. They sat up in Nadine's body, which was currently in the deepest state of sleep. Loxz-Ha looked down as they stretched the body's fingers, after which they got up. Walking further inside the room, they retrieved a mirror, looking at their orange irises. Loxz-Ha took two fingers and stretched the skin underneath the eyeball. Still not a perfect disguise. They would have to learn the safest way to convert the color of the irises.

The scarab scoffed as they heard muffled noises from inside the house, moving to change Nadine into clothes fit for the outside as they focused on the sound of Terrance Estrada's voice.

"-that little bitch thinks she can act like that in my house? Where the fuck is the spare key?"

So, the man wanted a fight? Loxz-Ha would gladly split this meat's dome in half, but they would risk losing the trust they were beginning to foster within Nadine. Their mission was more important, not personal satisfaction. So they sighed, and opened up the window. They heard a key go through the lock just as they got out, and they quickly transformed themselves to ascend into the sky.

When Terrance finally opened the door, he was met with an empty room and an open window. He rushed over to it, looking outside in confusion before his eyes landed on the scattered pijamas on the floor.

"That little-"

In the sky, Loxz-Ha crossed their arms as they looked down at the city. Quite lively, for such a late hour. Their eyes caught cars, people, a few stray animals here and there. They could scan other cities while they were still here, until they would find Khaji-Da, that is. Their sensors picked up a flying object heading towards their direction. Turning around, they saw a strange, balloon-like aircraft. A quick scan revealed to them it was called a 'blip'. Shrugging, they flew up and stood on the edge of the sign it carried. Advertisement. Though Loxz-Ha saw no point in such actions, especially at night.

Humming, they looked down again, seeing a few people moving about like anssse (ants). During the few days they were attached to this host, Loxz-Ha had taken time to research a few things about this planet and its dominant species. Frail meat suits with a very limited understanding of advanced technology. They turn on each other over the most meaningless of things, it was honestly quite hilarious. Loxz-Ha scoffed out a laugh, but quickly composed themselves and flew down and over Gotham.

Their eyes darted around, scanning every corner of the city as they flew. A sound caught their hearing receptors, making them land and march towards the sound. They found themselves in an alleyway, but looking around revealed nothing. They opened the garbage lid, and something struck their helm. The damage was not even enough to put a dent in their armor, and they cracked their neck to look at the source of the hit. It was a human man, holding a baseball bat with shaking hands.

"Y-You're not the Bat..."

Loxz-Ha raised an eyebrow before grabbing the man's shirt and forcing him out of the garbage can, as well as some cleaner bags that were presumably his. He tried to crawl away, only to be pinned to the floor by a giant tack that encased his waist. The scarab knelt down and peered inside the bags, which were filled with knickknacks, a scan revealing they were quite valuable if exchanged for Earth currency. So, the man was a thief, they guessed.

"P-Please..."

Like a man's pleas would move them. Criminals were not exactly dealt with kindness in the Reach's colonies. Loxz-Ha raised an arm. The man probably thought he was going to be attacked, but the arm was used to swat away an object that shot towards them. They looked down on it as it fell with a clank.

A bat-shaped object.

Loxz-Ha looked up to see a dark figure on the roof of the building, its white eyes seemingly glowing in the dark of the night. It jumped down, Loxz-Ha keeping their eyes on the figure as it walked closer to them, the flailing man on the ground left forgotten. As more light illuminated the figure, the features of bat symbolism became much clearer. But something was stirring inside Loxz-Ha. Nadine-!

Nadine held her head as she shook it, opening her eyes to be met with a man on the floor. Looking down at her hands, she realised she was in the armor.

"What-"

"Kid."

Nadine's head shot up at the voice, and was met with the very intimidating figure of the Batman. She jumped back, taking a sharp inhale through her mouth. Oh my god it's Batman!

Who is this Batman?

Nadine did not respond, still processing how she even got here. Police sirens soon reached her ears, watching from the darkness of the alley as the thief and the stolen belonging were handed over to the Commissioner.

"Loxz-Ha, how did I even get here?", Nadine whispered as she held herself.

Your father had intentions of malicious nature. I had come to the conclusion this was the best course of action to avoid that outcome

Nadine nodded, a little thankful.

I advise we retreat

"R-Right.", Nadine said as the wings sprung out, ready to fly again before the voice of Batman stopped them.

Nadine turned around to face the taller man, ignoring Loxz-Ha's repeated commands for them to retreat. She swallowed, holding up her hands.

"L-Look, I didn't mean to-"

"I am not taking you to prison, kid.", Batman answered. It was not every day something like this happened in Gotham, and he needed to be sure he had control of this situation.

Nadine nodded, "I'm sorry I...am still new to this."

Batman nodded.

"Batman?", the voice of Commissioner Gordon came up from behind him, "Any more?", he asked before his eyes landed on Nadine's armored figure. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Batman, "One of yours?"

-------

Nadine slowly drank the water from the cup she was given as she stood next to Batman on the roof. It felt beyond awkward, and she felt so small compared to him. She swallowed another gulp of water before finally finding her voice again.

"S-So...um...you're Batman..."

The silence was killing her, and Batman's voice did not ease her in the slightest.

"You sprang out of nowhere, forgive me for being suspicious."

"I-I meant no harm, honest! I'm just...new to this superhero thing."

"I could tell. You looked baffled you were even outside."

"I wasn't supposed to be.", Nadine admitted, "Loxz-Ha controlled my body when I was asleep."

Batman raised an eyebrow.

"It's my scarab.", Nadine said, gesturing at her back, "It's what gives me these powers."

*Nadine Estrada, do not reveal more information about us. We do not know of the Batman's intentions*

"And when did you receive this scarab, exactly?"

"C-Couple of days ago..."

"Try not to get in trouble, kid. You know what will happen if you find yourself in the wrong side of the law."

Nadine nodded, "Y-Yes, mister Batman."

"Anything else you know about the scarab?"

Nadine kept Loxz-Ha's words in mind. The scarab clearly trusted her, and she didn't want to make them feel bad, or possibly cause them harm.

She shook her head, "Not really. It doesn't talk much."

Batman nodded, telling her she was free to leave. Nadine flew off, not realising a shadow would follow her all the way home.

----------

Returning to the Batcave, Bruce took off his helmet and went straight for the bat computer. It wasn't hard to find all the information he needed about Nadine Estrada.

"Master Bruce?", Alfred's gentle voice came in, Bruce allowing himself to close his eyes and take in a breath as a tray of tea and food was placed next to him. "Long night?", the older man asked.

"It was not supposed to be.", Bruce said, "But it seems we have another thing to worry about."

Alfred looked at the screen, raising an eyebrow at the image of the young girl displayed.

"Do forgive me, master Bruce, but that does not look like much of a threat."

"For now, it is not.", Bruce responded, bringing up the snapshots he managed to take of the armor, "But the technology she possesses is eerily similar to Blue Beetle's, which would imply the same form of alien technology. Jaime has managed to remain mostly under the radar because he tends to focus more on the problems of Palmera City, unless a third party requests his help. His existence has mostly gone unnoticed, and even I have scarce information about his scarab."

"You believe the scarabs themselves to be a threat.", Alfred realised.

"I already had my suspicions regarding Jaime's scarab, but two of them here are one too many for it to be a coincidence, especially when Estrada admitted to being controlled by her scarab against her will or even knowledge. If the scarab felt bold enough to take its host's body for a joyride this late at night, I can't risk finding out what else it might be capable of."

Alfred nodded, stirring the tea, "And what do you plan to do about it?"

Bruce looked at the monitors again, contemplating.

"I can make sure the two of them keep control over their scarabs. And I need to find more information about those machines."

He would likely have to reach contacts from off-world, as the technology seemed far too advanced to be from Earth. And whatever these scarabs were, they were certainly dangerous. He sounded a lot like Waller in his mind, but he only had that thought briefly before sorting through his plans.

-----

Why are we hiding out at Stephanie Diya's garage?, Loxz-Ha asked.

"I can't just go back home after what you did."

But we did return home, you just chose not to go inside at the last second

Nadine sighed, "I did, didn't I? God, I'm such a coward."

Fear, as far as I compute, is a regular emotion expressed by humans. There is nothing inherently wrong with feelings such as these

"Thanks for the concern Loxz, but I don't really want to feel those things."

And may I know why?

"I just...can we talk tomorrow, please?"

Very well. There is a couch here

Nadine nodded and walked over to the couch, laying on it without the armor's helmet as she once again tried to drift off to sleep.

Meanwhile, in Palmera City, Khaji-Da begun to blink. Jaime groaned as he was put in a half-awake state.

"What now, Khaji?", he mumbled.

Nothing. Go back to sleep, Jaime Reyes., they said, letting their host go back to sleep.

They found them.

#dc #dc fanfic #dc ocs #dc oc #nadine estrada #green scarab comic #loxz ha #batman #jaime reyes #khaji da #the reach #ao3 writer #writers on tumblr #cover art #art #digital art #comic art #artists on tumblr

23 notes · View notes

angelbroad · 9 days

Text

Movie au Reach trio

#art #design #oc art #artists on tumblr #pencil sketch #jaime reyes #nadine estrada #khaji da #loxz ha #black beetle #blue beetle 2023

8 notes · View notes

angelbroad · 10 days

Text

Stop, Drop, Roll

The three other band members stood outside of the abandoned gymnasium, Pearl clutching the handle of her guitar bag nervously.

"You sure everything is alright?", she asked.

"Well, she called us here.", Stephanie responded, fighting to stay calm herself, "So, she must be feeling better..."

"Alright, then.", Anthony said as he opened the gates, which creaked, as the metal had long turned rusted.

As they set their organs on stage, Stephanie noticed that Nadine had already set up her drum set, but she was nowhere in sight. She put her bag down, confused. Where was she?

"Naaaad. We're here!", Pearl called out, her voice echoing in the hall.

"Dang...you sure she called you, or was it a dream situation again?", Anthony asked Stephanie, who looked very offended.

"Bitch, have I ever lied to you-?!"

"Hey guys!"

The three looked up to see where the sound of Nadine's voice came from. They assumed the bleachers at first, but they were empty.

"Up here!"

The three then looked up to see Nadine on the ceiling beams.

"W-What the-? How did you get up there??"

"Hello."

"Do you want us to get the fire department?? Wait...why didn't you call the fire department?", Pearl mused.

"How did you even get up there??", Anthony asked.

Nadine then stood up, doing her best to carry her voice down to their level.

"Remember that scarab that stuck itself on my back yesterday?"

"Y-Yeah, but what's that have to do with-"

Anthony thought his heart stopped as he and the other two saw Nadine turn around and letting herself fall from the ceiling. Anthony was the first to sprint to try and catch her as she was falling, only for her to never reach the ground. Instead, she flew as a green and black armor enveloped her. Now Anthony was really going to have a heart attack.

Nadine did a little spin in the air while floating in one spot.

"So I uh...got powers now, I think.."

Nadine still sounded nervous and timid, despite her someewhat intimidating appearance. The only thing that was not intimidating about the new armor were the eyes. They were still big and expressive, albeit with an orange sclera and red irises.

"Dude...that...is so fucking COOL!!", Pearl jumped in excitement, Stephanie letting out a breath she did not realise she was holding as she supported herself on her knees.

Are you certain these were the correct people to inform?

"Of course. They're my friends, trust me."

"Uhh, what?"

"Hm?"

"Aaaaaaanyway, dude. Hold up, give me a sec, I gotta look for something!", Pearl said as she turned around to do something on her phone.

Stephanie looked at her as she landed on the ground, "So...found out more?"

Nadine nodded, "Yes. So, this is an alien machine-"

"You have an alien strapped on your back??", Anthony asked.

Alien-made. you should correct him.

"A-Alien-made, Anth.", Nadine reciprocated.

"Ha! Found it!", Pearl said as she moved closer to the group to show them something on her phone.

The video had a lot of views, with a very fake title that read 'Was that a supersoldier on an alien?? What the Goverment DOESN'T want you to know !'. Despite those red flags, Nadine and the other two decided to give it a shot. The video appeared to be recorded on a phone, judging by the low quality and the shakiness. Nadine recognised this scene from the news. An attack somewhere in Nevada. It would seem that someone had managed to get closer to this fight, because the sound of battle was very loud. Smoke obscured most of the view, but there were flashes of blue spotted through the natural wall. Then, something tried to attack the person recording, but another blast blew it away.

Plasma blast., Loxz-Ha informed her. Nadine nodded as she continued watching.

Everything else was a little blurry after that moment, until Pearl paused the video.

"Aaaaand-there!"

The frame it was paused on revealed the blurry figure of a blue armor. Was this another superhero? The three squinted their eyes to look at it better. Stephanie was the first to look up at Pearl with a straight face.

"That...doesn't tell us shit."

"Wha-What do you mean?? It's someone like Nads!"

"Girl, have you gone blind?"

Nadine placed a hand on Stephanie's shoulder, who flinched at the new material touching her.

"Stephanie. That was uncalled for.", Nadine calmly said before she looked at Pearl, "Can I look at it closer?"

Pearl nodded and allowed Nadine to take the phone in her hands. The video was still paused, but she also couldn't tell what it was that she was looking at. Her eyes suddenly felt bigger.

Allow me. I can enhance our sight. Zooming in on the image. Increasing quality.

The voice sounded almost robotic, but Nadine figured it was normal for a machine. So, she allowed Loxz-Ha to zoom in on this mysterious blue figure. It turned out, Pearl was right. This was someone that looked a lot like Nadine, albeit blue instead of green with a few altercations in their armor.

"Is he also one of you?", Nadine asked.

So it would seem. There is something oddly familiar about this one...

"Okay, what?"

"Hm?"

"What-Who are you talking to?", Stephanie cleared up.

"Oh, right uh. The scarab has sentience and speaks to me in my head.", Nadine said as she pointed at her head.

Her three friends blinked at her.

"...Don't try that anywhere else, you're gonna look crazy.", Stephanie said.

"A-Ah, yeah, of course."

"Anyway.", Anthony said, trying to steer the conversation to a more productive path, "What did that video have to do with anything?"

"It proves that there are more people with Nad's powers!", Pearl spelled out, "We have to find them."

"I am...still getting used to these powers, Pearl. I think we need to slow down a little."

"She's right.", Stephanie said, "Gotta make sure that freaky machine doesn't control you."

"Hey, it's not freaky. It's just not every day you see one.", Nadine said.

"Sure."

"And here I thought I saw everything in Gotham.", Pearl said, scratching her head.

Nadine allowed the armor to retreat back to the scarab. "So...will we...still practice?"

Anthony smiled at her and playfully punched her bicep. "You already set up the drums."

-----------

After band practice, the four decided they'd work on helping Nadine figure out the basic functions of the armor. Loxz-Ha agreed too, stating they did not want their host to be so clueless. So, she suited up again.

"Okay, we can start with the safest thing first.", Stephanie said, "We can start with the wings. How up can they go?"

"Well, I kinda flew to space.", Nadine admitted.

"For real? Aw man, lucky you!", Pearl said, ready to record her friend's fumbles on her phone.

"Okay...", Nadine said as she lifted her legs up and down one at a time, "So how do we do this? Do I just command you to give me wings?"

"Weren't you able to do that like a minute ago?", Anthony asked.

"I uh...kinda let Loxz-Ha catch me."

"...You had this...thing, for less than a day, and you're doing trust falls??"

Anthony Carney is overreacting

"No, he's-wait, how do you know his last name? i don't remember telling you?"

I have access to your mind and memories through our link, Nadine Estrada

"...Okay. So, you can read my mind and know when I need wings, right?"

Correct.

"Great. Let's do this."

Wings, Nadine thought, and the pair sprung from her back, the sudden pop catching her off-guard. Nadine shook her head, and took some steps back to jump off the bleachers. the flight kicked into motion...a little bit too much. Nadine went through the gymnasium's thin walls and slammed into a nearby building. She dropped to the ground like a bug.

"Ow..."

Are you alright?

"Too fast.."

"Nad! Holy shit are you okay?"

Nadine winced as she sat up, but her injuries did not seem dire...or there at all. Thank gods for having the helmet snapped on. Anthony helped her get up.

"Are you sure this is a good call?", he asked, "Maybe we should listen to Pearl and try to find that blue guy first."

"Anthony.", Nadine said, placing a hand on her armored chest, "I need to get used to this. I can't just have Loxz-Ha carry the workload all the time."

"I know that but...isn't that just a machine?"

The beetle appendages lunged forward, making Anthony jumped back to avoid them.

"Hey-hey! Loxz-Ha, calm down. I'm sure Anthony didn't mean it."

I do not approve of the boy's views

Nadine decided to try and wave that off. Besides, she knew Anthony better than Loxz-Ha, and she knew he meant well.

"So...how will we do this?", Nadine asked her scarab.

Not enough room. Need more

"Okay, and where can we find more room? Gotham isn't really known for being spacious."

Scanning: United States of America terrain

Scanning: Complete

Conclusion: Chihuahuan Desert-Directions aquired

"H-Hold on, isn't that too faaaaaaaaa!"

Nadine didn't get to finish her sentence as Loxz-Ha took over and they flew in the air at maximum speed.

"...What just happened?", Stephanie asked, Pearl next to her and recording the take-off.

Nadine tried to keep her limbs from flailing around in the air as they were flying at maximum velocity.

"L-Loxz-ha! That's too fast!"

The faster we fly, the quicker we will get to our desired location

"I don't think I'll do well in a desert!"

I will be escorting you back when the hydration levels of your body drop to a dangerous amount

"Right. Of course you will know when that happens.", Nadine said, mostly to herself.

Correct assumption

When the sand of the desert started to show under her, the scarab lowered them both down, slowing its pace so Nadine would have time to land carefully. After a few stumbling steps, and almost falling down, Nadine landed more gently than the previous try.

"Okay...okay.", Nadine slowly said. She instinctively went to wipe her forehead from the heat, almost forgetting she had a helmet on.

Activating: Cooling systems

"Wow...you're really helpful, aren't you?", Nadine asked.

Your comfort and safety are essential to my existence

"They are?", Nadine asked again as she stretched to prepare.

You die, I am left virtually defenseless. Plain and rather simple

"That's...grim."

Shall we proceed with the syncronising testing?

"Y-Yes. Of course.", Nadine said, readying herself, "So how do we start?"

I advise only flight for today. Learning to use my full arsenal can be challenging

"No weapons, please."

Nadine Estrada. If we are to help clean the streets of your home, some force will be necessary

"I-"

Has any hero of your world solved a crime simply by talking?, Loxz-Ha reasoned.

"N-No...you're right. But it still feels wrong. I don't want to use anything too lethal."

That is rather fine. Perhaps we could discuss this matter later

"That'd be great. Thanks Loxz."

Of course. Now, try to follow my instructions carefully

Nadine did her best to do as asked. Her attempts came out sloppy at first, but she soon started to gain more balance during her flights, no longer swaying from side to side from the lack there of. She still found it difficult to control exhiliration, but she fixed that one too. Eventually, however, Nadine started to become thirsty, and asked Loxz-Ha if it was okay to return to Gotham. Loxz-Ha provided directions, while allowing Nadine to be in the driver's seat this time, so to speak. During their flight back home, Nadine had time to talk to her companion.

"What are you guys called?"

Elaborate

"I meant your species. I mean, like humans, martians, that kind of name."

Ah. We are simply called scarabs, although we belong to an extended empire known as Reach

"That name...sounds pretty intimidating."

There is no need to be intimidated, Nadine Estrada., Loxz-Ha said, You have nothing to be afraid of

Nadine chose to believe that. A beeping in her ear paused their conversation. She placed a hand on her ear as she tried to figure out what this was, and she was suddenly in a call.

"Nad! Oh thank god-where are you??"

It was Anthony. How-

I have adapted your cellular device to our armor., Loxz-Ha answered.

"Oh, thanks!"

"What?"

"O-Oh sorry. I was taking to Loxz-Ha."

"Right...but where are you?"

"Coming back right now. I kinda got flown into the desert."

"There is no desert in Jersey-"

"In Mexico.."

"What?! Dude, are you okay??"

"I am.", Nadine answered as she carefully landed on a building, "I just came back, where are you?"

"I'm back home. Mom changed our curfew again."

"Oh, I see.", Nadine twisted her leg as she continued talking, "I'll...see you again tomorrow, right?"

"You bet. Just, be careful, okay? I get that you want to give people chances, but I don't know about this."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this scarab, what if it-zzzzz"

The call suddenly went to static, Nadine tapping her ear in confusion.

"Loxz-Ha?"

Apologies. We must have lost signal

Nadine frowned in suspicion, but she shrugged and let it go. Maybe Loxz-Ha didn't like how Anthony was talking about them, but maybe they really did lose signal.

"Okay. I guess we return home now. We might just catch dinner.", Nadine said, looking at the increasingly darkening sky.

Wise. You are heavily malnourished

Nadine had not even realised that her mouth was dry until Loxz-Ha said that. She must have gotten carried away, again.

They made it back home without much issue, and Loxz-Ha retreated back in the scarab. Opening the door and walking inside, she saw her mom in the kitchen. With a smile, she walked up to her and pulled her into a hug, which startled the woman.

"Hey mom. How are you?"

The woman used one hand to push her away, a terrified look on her face. She gave her daughter a look before going back to mixing the soup. Nadine gave a small hurt look before walking away.

"G-Glad to see you're okay!", she said before leaving the kitchen.

Your parent seemed distant. Is this how human parents behave with their children?

"I mean...not...really?"

Huh. They must have mulfunctioned. Perhaps a recalibration-

"Humans don't work like that.", Nadine whispered as she sat on the couch, bringing her knees to her chest. Sometimes she wished things were that simple.

I detect a drop of your serotonin levels. Permission to increase the levels

"N-No, thanks.", Nadine was quick to answer. She appreciated the help, but she didn't want any massive changes in her body right now.

A slam of the front door caught their attention. Nadine could hear the tone of her father's voice as he grumbled, taking off his coat and hat as he walked into the kitchen. Nadine took a deep breath, and with shaking legs she made her way into the kitchen once more. Terrance was already seated, Nadine moving to help mom with the plates despite not being asked.

Dinner was quiet, as usual, the only sounds being of them eating.

"How was work?", her mom asked after a while, not looking up from her plate.

"...Fine.", Terrance simply responded. After taking another spoonful, he furrowed his brows, "This tastes like shit."

"You ate half of it, you'll eat the rest."

"Don't you order me around, woman!", Terrance shouted, causing both women to flinch.

Nadine was staring at her soup, shaking and standing in place as best she could.

Aggressive behaviour detected

Suggestion: retaliate

Nadine's following whisper went mostly unnoticed as her parents argued over soup. The sound of fighting was making Nadine fearful, close to tears. She felt an odd sensation on her arm, and looking right she saw the black of the armor slowly snaking up from her shoulder.

Suggested method: blunt force trauma to the head

"No!", Nadine shouted, grabbing her shoulder quick and making the little armor retreat. Unfortunately, her rush to cover the armor and the raise in her voice led to both the bowl of soup falling to the floor and catching both of her parents' attention.

Nadine realised what had just happened. "I-I-I'm sorry I-"

"What the hell is wrong with you??", Terrance shouted, nearly making Nadine fall back from her chair.

Threat

"You can't even keep cold fucking soup on the table! Are you the thing most of my hard-earned money has to go to??"

Nadine!

Nadine shook her head, tears escaping her eyes as she made a run for it, escaping to her room with Terrance hot on her tail, screaming that he was not done with her. The scarab took over her arms and legs, quickly locking the room and getting Nadine away from the door as Terrance banged on it from the other side. The girl could swear she heard something akin to a scoff coming from the scarab.

"L-Loxz-Ha-?"

You should rest., Loxz-Ha interrupted, I shall keep up my guard

Nadine was hesitant, but still listened. Shakily changing into her pijamas as she buried herself in her blankets. Loxz-Ha was blinking through lights on her back.

#ao3 writer #writers on tumblr #nadine estrada #loxz ha #green scarab comic #ao3 #dc oc #dcu #dc universe #dc #dc fanfic #young justice

6 notes · View notes