Morally Ambiguous Continuity Note: I keep saying this story takes place between ACTION COMICS #773 and SUPERMAN #165, but no one seems to believe me. I blame the Cartoon Network, because it's the fashionable thing to do. In any case, this still takes place sometime after Tenchi OAV #13 "Here Comes Jurai". That seems to be easier to swallow because I'm not trying to pin it down so much. In any case...

Original Tenchi Muyo! concept by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi
Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

It was ten a.m. and she didn't know where her children were.

For Washuu, this was a difficult thing to face. She was the greatest scientific mind in the universe. It was her business to either know, or devise a method for finding out what she didn't. And when the answer wasn't something she didn't like, it was her business to compensate for the future.

Example: Twenty thousand years ago, her firstborn son was taken from her because her in-laws didn't think she'd be a good influence. She'd never heard from him since. Not knowing what became of him was a simple reality in her life, because there were people who had made it their business to keep her from finding out. Better to let him live (maybe die, since it HAD been twenty thousand years and all) in peace without being shuffled around trying to hide him from her. However, to compensate, her SECOND child was synthesized using a combination of her own reproductive cells and the genetic material of a non-sentient life form, and for added security, her brain was grown with telepathic receptors that could allow them to remain in constant mental contact over a limited range.

No in-laws, no uncertainty, no problem. At least that was what she'd assumed five thousand years ago when she put this all into practice. The unforeseen complication was that she never anticipated that Ryoko would grow up to be such a jerk. And so a few days ago, following a rather humiliating defeat at the hands of the alien busybody known as Superman, Washuu disconnected the mental rapport because she'd gotten tired of Ryoko teasing her about the loss.

So when Tenchi and Ayeka came to her regarding a complication in Ryoko's recent disappearance, she had no idea what they were talking about. "What do you MEAN you had no idea Ryoko was gone?" the young man demanded. He was one of Ryoko's friends from way back, and while he seems confused by the connection between Washuu and her daughter, he seemed truly shocked that she let something like this go on under her nose.

"I was busy," she replied darkly, gesturing back at the restroom she'd been cleaning before they came to speak with her. "I wanted to free myself from distraction while I carried out your little punishment for throwing down with the Big Blue Dope, remember?"

"Tenchi, please," Ayeka interjected. The Juraian princess was his great aunt, and like Washuu, older than her appearance suggested among the people of Earth. Looking at them, one would assume the two of them were siblings instead of distant relatives separated by centuries and light-years. "How it happened is unimportant, but the fact of the matter is that a pair of bounty hunters kidnapped Miss Ryoko and Superman took Miss Mihoshi off to get her back. He asked us to remain behind in case anything went wrong."

"And ironically, the complication is here on Earth, as opposed to up in space, I see," Washuu concluded. "Sasami went along with them, and being smarter than a speeding bullet, the Man of Three Weeks Ago didn't catch on until it was too late to turn around and bring her back. Stop me if I'm wrong on any of this."

Sasami, of course, was Ayeka's little sister who came with her when she moved in with Tenchi on Earth. Again, like herself, Ayeka, and Ryoko, Sasami could count her age in triple digits, but the difference was Sasami was physically a little girl. Of course, Washuu looked like a little girl, but she could alter her appearance at will, not to mention that she had an incalculable intelligence and an entire arsenal of technological gadgets and weapons. Sasami's only significant power was a cute smile and the ability to cook a three minute egg. Stuff like this often went down in Tenchi's household, but Sasami always got left behind because she was too little to put in harm's way.

"How did you know?" Tenchi asked her.

"Educated guess," Washuu smiled. "Sasami always wants to help out, and if she's not with the two of you, then she'd have to be at the only other position where she could be involved. And of course 'Superman and Mihoshi' sounds like the name of a bad slapstick movie to me, so I'm hardly surprised she managed to sneak on board without them knowing about it. Hundred yen says they're probably taking orders from HER by now."

"Miss Washuu!" Ayeka shouted. "I see no reason for you to be so flippant at a time like this. Mr. Superman and Mihoshi selflessly agreed to save Ryoko from who knows what, and now we've found out that my sister's gone along with them, and all YOU can do is--is... Oooh! How DARE you take such a disrespectful tone regarding people who only want to help you?"

Good question. Excellent good question. For starters, if they really WERE able to help, Tenchi wouldn't be coming to her now looking for further assistance. And of course, up to now, it had been all so simple for Tenchi to just leave everything up to the guy in the costume. Leave everything to him. It seemed to be how things got done on this planet of his, right? Never mind that he had NO idea what he was doing, and so far all he'd managed to do was drag Mihoshi and Sasami into the same mess. Clearly this was something only Superman could handle. Genius Scientists need not apply. And of course, there was the fact that she was beginning to dislike the guy personally, so that made packing an attitude pretty darn--

"Easy, Ayeka," Tenchi said, taking hold of her shoulder to get her to back off. "The point is that Ayeka sent Sasami to my cousin's place the night before, and this morning we called to see about picking her up, and they tell me they never even knew to expect her. We think she snuck on board Ryo-Oh-Ki when we weren't paying attention. Maybe everything's fine, but I want to be sure."

"You want to go after them, you mean," Washuu smirked. "I'm surprised you haven't gotten involved already, Tenchi. You'd brave hell itself to keep my little girl safe. Sasami, too. I find it hard to believe you'd settle for warming a bench for someone like Superman, hmmm?"

"I'm getting involved now," Tenchi said sternly. "I let Superman do things his way because he assured me he could take care of this. Well, if Sasami's gone missing then I have to know what's going on. That's where you come in."

Translation: Me and Superman thought it would be best to leave you out of this one, but we got in over our heads and now we need you to bail us out. Well fine. Better late than never. After all, when Ryoko goes missing, it's no big deal. She should have been keeping a closer eye on her after all. Sasami? Well by all means, let's commence panicking. "You want me to find Ryoko," Washuu surmised. "I'd need to be in my lab to do that, y'know?"

"Done," Tenchi nodded.

"Honestly!" Ayeka scolded. "You make it sound as if you're being asked to track down a library book. Aren't you the least bit concerned, Miss Washuu?"

"I'll save the melodrama for the experts, Miss Ayeka," she retorted. "Me, I figure it's my business to find out what happened to them, right? Consider it handled, Tenchi. And I wouldn't worry too much. I created Ryoko to survive tougher scrapes than this. How bad off could they be?"

"So are you ready to order," the young woman asked as she busily wiped off the table, "or do you need a little more time?"

He looked up from his menu in annoyance and shook his head.

She tried to gesture to him that she needed him to move his elbows from the table so she could clean that portion of the surface, but he made a low grunting noise and she chose to relent. "Ah, OK, well just let me know when you're ready, all right?"

"My thinking precisely," Legion muttered. He'd been telling people that all day it seemed. Wait for his signal. His timing was of the utmost importance. He wasn't used to working with so many subordinates and allies so closely. Up to now, he kept them in line by sheer intimidation or cold reasoning, like the way he just brushed off his server just now. Charisma wasn't even part of the equation. Luckily, it didn't have to be.

Legion was a solitary man. At least he preferred to be. Since embarking on this quest of his, he'd been forced to strike a pact with three alien beings. They offered him invaluable information, and in exchange he gave them an opportunity to exact revenge on the man they called "the murderer". The downside to that agreement was that he was in constant contact with them, listening constantly to their self-centered posturing. And when he finally arrived at this part of the plan, which involved him confronting the murderer in this humble restaurant, they were insistent on being there as he did it. Not that he had much choice in the matter, but at least he managed to talk them down to staying in the background until the critical moment. He wanted to do this by himself. It was easier that way.

Not that his underlings understood that. How long had he been sitting there on that starship, waiting for this moment to arrive? It was fortunate that his social standing gave him enough sway with the captain that he could insist he remain undisturbed for most of the trip. But a crew of people stuffed into a metal frame like preserved fish? They only respected his solitude because they feared his power, and because they too wanted to see his enemies defeated. So when he told them he'd be coming to this planet alone, they grew concerned, thinking him to be the linchpin of the plot. They felt he'd be in less jeopardy if an armed guard accompanied him. And so he spent several minutes convincing them that it just wasn't so. Considerably more effort than he wanted to exert, but at least he was here, and he was ready to move on to the next phase.

The steakhouse was buzzing with people. Buzzing was the right word. It implied insignificance. Lesser beings of no real consequence. He was used to ignoring the endless chatter of the crowds. Let them prattle on. Let the waitress fret over wiping off his table in the hopes of earning some menial gratuity. The only thing that held his interest at that moment were the occupants of the table behind him.

He sat at a nearby table with his back to them, but with each voice he recalled a face that had burned into his memory. His allies had wanted careful reconnaissance in order to understand their enemies, and he had gone to great lengths to get it. He was a man of significant influence, and he'd spent a considerable amount of it researching his foes. He'd had surveillance videos made of the Earth. He watched them wander its surface blissfully unaware of his presence. At times he felt he was more familiar with them than he was with anyone else.

"I don't know if we should be doing this, you guys. I mean, shouldn't we be getting back to Earth?"

In his mind's eye he saw Sasami, the youngest daughter of the King of the Jurai Empire. She was a sickeningly adorable girl. Bright blue hair meticulously bound into a pair of long ponytails. Eyes as pink as a sunset. Thanks to the Juraians' naturally long lifespans, she was centuries old, yet remained a mere child in physiological terms. It must have been a wonderful thing for Juraian fathers to spend so many years watching their children never growing up. He imagined the look on her father's face if he were to find her corpse laying on his doorstep, her neck bent at an impossible angle. It brought a smile to his face, but it didn't serve his purposes to carry out such a fantasy. So he returned his focus on the matter at hand.

"Yeah, I don't know if it's such a good idea to keep the others waiting, y'know? I mean, they must be worried sick about us already, right?"

Tall girl, dark complexion, blue eyes, blonde hair. Kuramitsu, Detective First Class Mihoshi. The first four digits of her Galaxy Police badge number came to mind, but he was drawing a blank on the rest. Decent odds that she didn't know the rest of the sequence herself. And if it came down to it, she'd probably spend five minutes searching for her badge to read it off. Despite this, she was NOT to be underestimated. She was assigned to the noninterference preserve the GP had designated around the Earth, and although she had been part of countless flubs and mixups and shooting board hearings, she had proven herself a capable officer, and a surprisingly observant investigator. He had no particular grudge with her, but she was too close to the situation. Too involved. In any scenario, Mihoshi would have become curious, and would have inevitably interfered in his plans. She was too dangerous to ignore. Better to deal with her right away and be done with it.

"Oh, come off it, Mihoshi! You were the one who kept whining about how hungry you were. No way was I gonna sit through the whole ride home listening to your stomach growl. Besides, this won't take long. We sit back, relax, have a nice meal, and we're gone. Nothing to it, right, Ryo-Oh-Ki?"

"Merow!"

He pictured an arrogant smile on her face, and almost immediately he thought of how satisfying it would be to watch it melt into ashen dread. Words didn't quite capture the sensation that hung in his stomach when he saw her. Powder blue hair like the color of fresh sodium hydride and thin yellow eyes that shone like the on/off indicator on his stereo. Usually clad in the outlandish garb once worn by space pirates millennia ago. Ryoko was the one who had brought them all together. She attacked Sasami's world, only to be cast down to the Earth, where Mihoshi came looking for the mastermind who pulled Ryoko's strings behind the scenes. Once upon a time, he had respected Ryoko's power with a reverent awe.

That was before he learned she was a biological equivalent to a retrofitted star freighter cobbled together from whatever happened to be available. Not quite a person, not quite a thing, but embodying all of the most asinine qualities of each. Nothing had changed about her power, but to find that she was a pathetic mongrel--no different from so many others he'd come to know in his lifetime--then he soon lost the respect he had once found for her. The same went for her constant companion, Ryo-Oh-Ki. The living spaceship could scour an entire world without hesitation, but having seen it adopt the form of a small rodent-looking creature took a great deal away from its mystique.

"Normally, I'd agree with you, Sasami, but I think Ryoko has a point. We've been through a pretty tense situation. I think we've earned a little reward. Our friends on Earth can get along without us for a little while longer."

And the last one. He wasn't exactly part of their little group, but Legion had changed all of that. Thanks to his manipulations, that one had become quite close to them, almost like a part of their little makeshift family. It was his nature, after all, to seek out others and worm his way into their hearts. It was all he'd ever done his whole life. And Legion and his allies had made sure to use that characteristic to their advantage. His short dark hair, rugged good looks, and brightly colored costume made him the perfect tool for others to use in the past. Now Legion would put the Last Son of Krypton to good use.

"Well, come on, Superman!" Mihoshi challenged. "Don't you have responsibilities to get back to on Earth?"

"To be perfectly honest, Detective," Superman admitted, "I'm not in that much of a hurry to get back home. Things have gotten a little rough back on Earth lately. At least for me."

"Something on your mind, Cowboy?" Ryoko offered, jerking her head forward after chugging on her sake. "This place has got a bar. No better place to spill your guts."

"Heh. Well, it's nothing serious," Superman shrugged. "At least that's what I keep telling myself. The part of Earth where I live--the United States is what we call it--they recently held an election to assign new government officials. The man who won the highest office in the land is one of my bitterest foes. I'm still trying to get used to the idea of calling him 'Mr. President', and at the same time I have to ask myself how a cross-section of the human race would be so willing to put him into that office. It got me questioning my place among them. I've always considered it my role as Superman to defend and uphold the principles of humankind, even if I wasn't technically a part of it."

Legion shook his head and snorted quietly. That was his big problem: He was too stupid and charitable to use his powers to his own advantage. He was the strongest being at the table--half the galaxy for that matter, but the table was the only thing on his mind at the moment--and yet he was the weakest for being such an idealistic fool. Upholding the principles of another species... absurd. As little respect as he had for Ryoko, at least he had to acknowledge that even she was realistic enough not to assign some grand sense of purpose to her misbegotten existence. His allies had warned him of Superman's pointless dedication to the weak, but they were preaching to the choir. Superman's legacy of fighting for the chaff of the universe was well-known where he came from. It was what drew Legion to him in the first place.

"Sounds to me like you're living in the wrong part of Earth," Ryoko quipped. "Or you shouldn't make yourself such a public figure. Me, I figure on laying low as long as I can. Other than Nagi, who's left to give me trouble anymore, right?"

Realistic, but again, stupid and naive. Ryoko was a figure of revulsion among countless cultures and species. She may have extricated herself from Kagato's influence, and she might have found an especially remote mudball to hide under, but that reputation would always be there. Nagi had found her, and the Tribunal was less than forgiving. And here he was--Legion--seven hundred years later, yet another remnant of the aftermath of her reign of terror.

He grew weary of this small talk. He'd heard enough to confirm his expectations: They were at ease, off guard, and unsuspecting of his part in recent events. Now it would be safe to reveal himself without endangering his plans. Legion turned around and faced the group at the adjacent table.

"Excuse me," he said softly. "But you... you're the one called 'Superman', are you not?"

They stopped their banter and looked up at him, somewhat rattled that an outsider had intruded on their conversation. Still, the Kryptonian was too courteous not to respond. "Why yes, I am," he said. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Ah, but it should be what I can do for you," Legion said with a warm smile.

"Do I know you?" Superman asked. "My super senses can't seem to quite make you out. Some kind of energy affecting my perception..."

Legion's smile broadened. His most cherished principle was to observe his enemy without letting the enemy see him. Even confronting the Kryptonian directly, he had taken precautions to insure this. "Ah, yes," he said. "I had heard about your power to see microscopic objects and to perceive light beyond the usual visible spectrum. I'm afraid that won't work on me, sir. I have a magic enchantment surrounding me that conceals me from such close observation. No offense, it's just that in my line of work, it's good policy to keep one's chromosome structure and internal organs away from prying eyes."

He had to stifle a laugh as they all looked at him in confusion. Let them gawk, he thought to himself. It wouldn't do them any good now. "Ah, but where are my manners?" he chuckled. "My name is Legion. I was traveling through this region of space, and I'd heard that you had come here to see the Tribunal Planet. Which must make this woman the space pirate Ryoko."

"What do you know about it?" she asked, staring right through him.

"Ah, my dear girl, there is very little I don't know about you, in fact. For instance, the Old Galactic Academy is no more, but they still have an extensive library of scholastic journals. Among them being this article that I had copied for my work." He held up a computer pad and slid it across the table to Ryoko. She picked it up and started reading it aloud.

"Hakubi, W., Price, R.F, Zagan, O.E.R., et al. 'Isolation of thirty-seventh genetic sequence in Species #81.78.04-B.'" She paused as she skimmed down the remainder of the article and a scowl crossed her face. "Masses. This is about research on hybridizing the DNA of Masses."

"An excerpt from the New Journal of Advanced Exogenetics, volume 312, number 12. The date is from an archaic calendar, but suffice to say it's a good sixteen thousand years old. Dry stuff, and science is hardly my forte, but I have associates who were more than capable of digging up a thousand other publications like that one and piecing together the information I desired." Legion tilted his head in response to Ryoko's glare. "What's the matter? You should be pleased. Good scientists take extensive notes on everything they do. The cream of the crop are the ones who get their research published and recorded so people like me can reflect back on their great works and marvel. And your mother was considered the best."

"And what's your interest in it, Legion?" Superman asked. He too was starting to grow irritated. Good. Let them sweat it out for a moment longer.

"The Jay-Oh-Ex published a lot of articles written by the esteemed Professor Washuu, Superman. Including one about a remarkable technique developed to study individual DNA molecules from orbit. A place called Krypton, where the environment was too inhospitable for any conventional research group to survive. And so I came to the conclusion that if Washuu had been interested just to get a glimpse of Kryptonians, then she'd hardly pass up a chance to interact with one up close. So I arranged to have her daily television routine interrupted by a freak solar occurrence, and that was more than enough to put her in contact with you."

"You went to all that trouble just to make sure Superman and Professor Washuu met?!" Mihoshi asked. "What for?"

"A diversion, Ms. Mihoshi," Legion replied. "You see, I knew that once Superman had made contact with you and your commune on Earth, his altruistic nature would eventually take over, and he'd take an interest when the Tribunal ordered Ryoko's arrest. In case you were wondering, Ryoko, I was the one who tipped Nagi off about your location. Indirectly, of course. I had no interest in receiving any credit for bringing such a dangerous criminal like yourself to justice."

His easy discourse was cut off when Ryoko leaped out of her seat and formed a blade of energy in her hand, pointing it at Legion's neck. "Yeah? Well it's just too bad that it didn't work out like you planned, huh?"

Like clockwork, the rest of the patrons began to turn their attention at the tense scene unfolding around him. As chairs shuffled and forks clinked onto plates he looked at the glowing point of Ryoko's sword and smirked. She was brash and impulsive. He knew the type well. They liked to believe the rest of the universe was just as simplistic as they were, and faced with someone who wasn't... well, the first reaction was to make frustrated threats. Not that their opinions mattered, but he hoped the rest of the customers were enjoying the show.

"Ryoko, put that thing away," Superman demanded. "Whoever this clown is, he won't give us any answers if you decapitate him." Yes, of course. The Dashing Hero would insist on restoring order, calming the crowds down before things got any worse. True to his role, just like the stripling princess and the world-weary cop sitting quietly and waiting for the man of action to decide the next move.

"So you're the one who falsified the Tribunal's record of Ryoko's genetic profile!" Mihoshi announced. "Not only did you have access to the information you'd need to do it, but it's starting to sound like you had the connections and influence to get close enough to their computer banks, too!"

"A detective to the last, eh?" Legion scoffed. "Indeed, I arranged to have Ryoko's case be dismissed at the last minute, thus leaving the four of you out here in space, separated from your friends. Although, admittedly, I hadn't counted on Princess Sasami joining your little band, but I can adjust."

"And you can adjust to being ten pounds lighter, too," Ryoko sneered, inching the edge of her sword closer to his throat.

"What's your big idea, Legion?" Superman demanded, rising from his seat and planting his fists down on the table as he leaned over to look him in the eye. "I want the truth. All of it, or I'll--"

"Kill me, Man of Steel?" Legion smiled. "Just like the ones you killed once before? I think you'll find that death is hardly a valid threat for us..."

"How would you know--?" Superman's face darkened as the truth finally dawned on him. "No... it can't be!"

"What is he talking about?" Ryoko asked. "Is HE one of those people you had to kill before?"

"Close, Changeling," he said, his voice shifting to a deeper tone. Surrendering control of his body was unsettling, but in this instance it was more than worth it. "But not quite. Although Legion has been most sympathetic to our cause since we met."

Through what felt like someone else's eyes, he caught a glimpse of Sasami, trembling in fear. Something about her reaction... not that it wasn't enjoyable, but it had come too soon. Almost as if she recognized him somehow... But that was impossible. He was almost as much of a shade as the spirits that dwelled within him.

"This is between you and me, Zod," Superman snarled. "I don't know how you managed to return from the dead, but leave them out of it."

Legion rolled his eyes and felt one of his allies assert control over his face. "Such selfless idiocy. It suits you, Murderer. We swore that one day we would find a way to cross over into YOUR universe and wreak havoc just as we had done in our own. And our humble host Legion has shown us the way! A new lease on life, Superman! What makes you think we would devote it to the destruction of a single man?"

And another. "Our plans are far more ambitious that a simple revenge scheme, Superman. You may have killed us, but our lust for power lives on."

And another. "But don't worry, fool! You should be pleased to know that your demise is an integral component of our machinations. Legion has seen to that!"

"Big talk," Ryoko spat. Again, she tried to put on a brave face when she was clearly in over her head. "So far all I've seen is a one-man ventriloquist act and a few journal entries. I've thrown up scarier stuff than you, chump!" Bravado. He'd expected such posturing at this moment. Ryoko didn't scare easily. This confrontation--revealing his allies to the Kryptonian this way--it was to rattle him, specifically. And the look of anger and self-doubt that had bubbled to the surface of his expression showed just how well it had worked. As long as he was distracted, the others could give all the rallying cries they liked.

"Hmmph. Not that I feel a pressing need to prove myself to a patchwork abomination, but I'll see what I can do," Legion scoffed. It was time. He waved his hand, and at once bright lights began to shine through every window in the building. They flickered and pulsed in a complex pattern, and one by one, they each collapsed where they were, some blinking a few time before succumbing, others gritting their teeth in a desperate attempt to fight the effect. It was over in a matter of seconds, however, and Legion found himself sitting at a table surrounded by unconscious enemies.

A quiet permeated the building now. Even other customers who had been sitting around at other tables had fallen victim to Legion's weapon. He stood up and wandered the room, noting that from the position of some of the bodies they had clearly been watching him confront his foes and were trying to understand what was going on. Let them wonder. He had what he came for.

A pair of men entered the restaurant through the front door and kicked aside a sleeping waiter to get to him. "The strobe worked, my lord?" one asked him.

"Obviously," he snorted. "I had been concerned about the Ryoko woman, but it would seem that she's humanoid enough to fit into the range we'd set. The data on Mass physiology must have been enough to compensate for any neural discrepancies." Legion bent over and found Ryo-Oh-Ki's small form lying near Sasami head where she'd slumped over the table. He picked the creature up by one leg and shook it slightly. "Ridiculous thing. I'm almost sorry it was affected along with the others. Might have been nice to take an hour from the schedule and have it destroyed. No matter." He threw her back onto the table and turned his attention to his underlings. "Have them brought to the ship. Leave the rabble here to wonder what happened when they finally awaken. Dismissed."

As the man quickly mobilized to carry out his orders, he bent down and put his thumb over Superman's eyelid, moving it open to see the unresponsive pupil underneath. "The fruits of our joint venture, my allies," he mumbled. "I give you the mighty Superman, unconscious and at our mercy. I hope it has been worth it so far."

Within his mind the spirits of the others laughed with delight. "Indeed it has been, Legion!" Zod cackled. "With the last Kryptonian of this universe in our power, nothing will be able to stand in our way."

"It would seem we sold you short, Legion," Zaora cooed. "Your instincts were sure on this matter. Confronting him alone left him completely unprepared for our arrival. I see we chose well in you."

"Bah! Enough of this," Quex-Ul bellowed. "Let us get on with what's truly important! Our vengeance, Legion! The murderer is ours at last! Do not deny us any longer!"

"Patience, Quex-Ul," Legion said aloud as the crewmen arrived with stretchers for the sleeping prisoners. "We may have what we came here for, but there is still much to be done..."

NEXT: Back to Humans...