The group emerges in what they mistake for a greenhouse at first. Plant life is everywhere, and there’s a dome overhead with lights.
“This is the cemetery,” confirms Charlotte after a moment’s inspection. “We need to find out what’s going on.”
She catches a glance of Summer, still not walking quite well. “No. First… where do we need to take you for repairs, my friend?”
Summer shrugs. “Gotta know what’s here first. How about the Quill compound?”
Halcyon City is covered in more domes, like the ones they found. There’s a great wall to the east, and beyond that… ocean?
The Quill compound is fortified and occupied, with people coming in and out of it. Most folks are wearing uniforms of some kind. The team approaches carefully.
“Name and business?” asks an alert young guard at the door.
“Magus Charlotte Palmer and friends to see Dr. Byron Quill or his son Jason.” She presents the Agate Staff for inspection.
The guard calls this in, and returns her attention to the group upon receiving an answer. “Magus Max Galliard will be here in a moment to verify your story.” And in a moment, a figure materializes out of the air.
The erstwhile Ghostheart of their reality is now a spectral presence concealed under a cloak. They too hold the Agate Staff. “It is not I, but someone from a parallel reality,” the Ghostheart Magus announces after close inspection. “Consider their credentials acceptable.” And with that, they vanish.
The interior of the compound is as busy as the outside activity suggested. The conversation pit is gone. In its place is something like a war room. At the center is a holographic spinning globe, highlighting crisis zones and troop movements around the planet. Military officers, police, people in hero costumes, civilian assistants or attachés, are all moving from room to room, talking with each other in hushed tones, or watching and commenting on the holo-globe.
One such attaché approaches the group. “You wish to see Dr. Quill? Your business?” he asks.
“We’re time travelers. We have information, and we need orientation,” Charlotte explains.
As if to sell the story, Jordan glitches to age 12.
The attaché takes this all with remarkable aplomb. “Quite. Come this way.”
They find Byron Quill holed up on a conference call, with Jason standing next to him. Byron sees the group, rolls his eyes, and waves Jason over in his stead.
“Sorry, my dad’s on the phone with the President,” he explains with a lopsided grin. “Time travelers, huh? My name’s Jason Quill. Pleased to meet you.”
He shakes hands all around. Summer finds it odd to see not so much as a flicker of recognition in his eyes.
“We left this timeline almost two decades ago,” Charlotte explains. “Karl Taitale, known to us as Rossum the Minion Maker, was sent back by Doctor Infinity to fight King Winter, before he could call down a comet. It would have done damage to the Earth, but was also to forestall an invasion by Atlantis.”
“Well, that invasion happened. Dr. Taitale - both of them - are working in our sister city, Tranquility. Maybe one of them can help you out?”
He establishes a video call. After a few moments, Summer sees Leo’s face come on the call.
“Tranquility Command, Leonardo Lee here. Hey Jason.”
“Hey Leonardo. Some visitors here say they know Grandpa Karl. Can you put him on?”
The alternative Leo nods, and another face joins the call - the aged visage of Rossum. “Summer! My dear. So good to see you again. Your prediction was accurate. Now we’re in a Cold War with the Atlanteans. No open hostilities, but a lot of brushfire conflicts and proxy battles. You’ll be pleased to hear I’ve had a hand in molding the superheroes of this world as well. No more dangerous cowboy moves that risk civilian lives.”
Summer winces internally. Perhaps her act of charity wasn’t a good idea after all. But it is too soon to know. “Uh, yeah, great job. So err, any thoughts on what impact King Winter’s absence has had?”
“Not a clue, and I’ve had almost twenty years to think about it,” replies the old man. “The first place I’d have suggested you go is Rook Industries, given their past predilection for villain partnerships, aheheheh. They did have a program to exploit cryokinetics in my timeline. Even tried to kidnap Kid Kelvin, Winter’s boy. But here, they’ve been clean - if only because they’re under so much scrutiny, as a special partner in the war effort. You can ask the Quills for an independent security assessment, just in case.”
The time travelers look at each other. “I think we can start that investigation, and I will do some of my own as well,” Charlotte replies. “Sergeant Amari here is with HCPD in our world, and his daughter Jordan is experiencing temporal ‘glitches’. We don’t want this to go on for too long. And Summer here badly needs some high-tech healing.”
“Why don’t you come down to Tranquility?” Leonardo Lee offers. “We’re the front line on the Atlantean conflict, and we’ve got plenty of equipment that may be useful.”
“Very well, we’ll be on our way.”
Without King Winter, Kid Kelvin isn’t obliged to stay in Halcyon City. He’s taken care of by his mother, and lives another life.
Without Kid Kelvin, Hot Mess never comes to Halcyon in search of a nemesis.
Without Hot Mess and a lab partner like Leo Snow, Nono Rodriguez never finds a vehicle for her dreams beyond writing useless fan fiction about “Agent R”.
Until one night, when a mysterious glowing woman comes to her room, and asks if she’d like to become a super-spy for real, and tells her about something called the Poppet System.
Even pawns can become queens, if they’re carefully shepherded across the board.