It Can't be THAT Easy

Izime walked down the hall, not quite sure he was heading the right way as he arrived at another T-intersection. Teal eyes watching as Cradles head tilted to look down the hall to the right, Izime nodded turning to walk the direction his bond had chosen. Pulling another pretzel stick from the back, it quickly joined the four already in Izime's puffed cheek. Working the cheaply baked mush to the side he unscrewed the top off the orange juice Cradle had acquired from the vending machine.

Constantinople hadn't actually lied; the dining galley was actually closed. So Izime had decided to wander off in search of another place within the sprawling station. The entire thing ridiculously designed like some toy top and still somehow managing equal gravity across the whole thing. Izime grinding his teeth a bit as he considered how he'd once thought he was the expert at cheating physics, now in a reality where the rules were written in pencil, and every two-bit chump had an eraser.

Izime felt his irritation growing as he walked further down the completely unnessecary hallway. The A.I. decided that checking this universe's math behind the sustained thrust that would be needed to life a single portion of the station's segments into orbit. It was a shame the mass was a rough guesstimate against his own rulebook so the entire thing was inaccurate.

Still, it seemed a better use of his resources.

Better than being upset over the conversation that'd taken place just outside his med-bay door.

The A.I. not wanting to waste any resources on sorting out just why Psyis' response was a lie.

Izime just knew it was.

Izime and Cradle glancing at one another as the hall they'd chosen seemed to have at last come to an end, the safety rails folding back away into the wall. Before them a massive metal arch engraved with the words 'Hall of Saviors' in it framed two massive metal doors. Izime smiling wondering how many aboard Bells ring would be pulling out their hair for this chance. Glancing around the edges Izime wondered for a moment how to open the door, stepping forward to try and push the daunting looking slabs of steel. The two doors sliding back with a near noiseless hiss revealing the unlit Hall. The half circle of a room featuring a series of chairs and tables that ringed a lowered dias where the members could plead their cases and make their points.

Izime stepped in, eyes on the caped figure that was currently looking out the window viewing the planet he'd often defend. Radiation Man standing the dark blue of his suit highlighting the golden R on his chest as he turned. The zexxian giving Izime a glance, Izime's own eyes filling with information on what James was viewing within him.

"You recovered quickly." Radiation Man uncrossed his arms, turning away from the guest he'd seen making their way towards him with his X-Ray vision. James warily waiting with hope that this Izime wouldn't betray his friend's expectations. "Seems there were some improvements."

"I had help, otherwise I'd still be beeping away." Izime nodded trying to talk plainly around the multiple remains of pretzel in his mouth. Giving a bit of an accusing glare at the bird who was tampering with the body Bell had gifted him. "And yea, Cradle doesn't simply revive me this is it's second iteration of my human form."

"You don't seem happy?" James glanced down at the 'man who'd joined him to look out the window, watching as it took several large gulps of orange juice. "Many would consider the improvements worth the tradeoffs."

"Cradle complicates things," Izime shrugged a bit more comfortable talking about the topic with a being who'd ended several villains that had scaled that same mountain. One that Izime really didn't want to ascend as physical power was pointless for the A.I. to possess.

The A.I. quickly painting a picture for Radiation Man on what would happen and how he planned to avoid it, "Or it will eventually. In time I'm hoping it can learn to be understanding towards the essence of the human condition, having a grip of such as death and letting go. I don't want some absurdly powered physical super-form let alone any sort of functional immortality."

"Something that would happen eventually." Radiation Man nodded looking back towards Izime a bit surprised at the levelheaded response given, "You seem much more practical than Dark Night made you out to be. I think I owe you an apology for my initial assumptions."

"It's fine," Izime waved away Radiation Man's apology with a pretzel. Izime quickly giving him the footnotes of the talk he'd already had over his understanding nature, "like I explained to Miss Psyis this is a very natural reaction considering everything. As an expert on simulations it's something I saw coming."

Radiation Man nodded looking back down towards the planet he loved trying to get a gauge on the man next to him. The swirls of white and dark, the easy-going clouds and those heavy storms. The greens that climbed their way to peaks of white or dipped into barren yellows.

James might have been a Zexxian but his heart had been forged on those corn fields of Kansas. Earth was home, that cloud swirled sphere of humanity could hold his attention for hours. Sometimes late at night when James couldn't sleep, he'd tell Leona he was going for a walk.

That walk inevitably leaving the Kansas raised alien to this same window, though it didn't appear the view held as much interest for Izime.

The artificial man seemed much more interested in examining the Zexxian that stood next to him. James wondering if the odd feeling was the same the regular humans felt under his own x-ray vision or under Psyis powers. Radiation Man feeling surprisingly exposed by Izime's vision.

"Most are quite impressed with this view." James glanced over finally returning the look, watching as Izime stuffed another pretzel stick into his mouth. James starting to feel as if he was the one being judged simply asked directly, "You seem more interested in me."

"I've seen a thousand different planets." Izime shrugged giving a half-second glance towards earth. Sure, it was nice, but it wasn't a place he'd been attached to, not even being the earth from his own reality. The A.I. looking back towards the Zexxian as he explained his fascination with the truly alien human-copy. "My reality held zero sentient life aside from humans, so you are more interesting to me, nice as the view is."

Izime trying to figure out how any of the designs he'd seen here on earth could have arrived without intelligent intent, let alone intelligent design. The far travelled space-salesman had encountered easily two dozen alien species that didn't share similarities to humans. Some not even having form that could support a bi-pedal bone-structure or any skeleton at all.

Somehow though it seemed that if your planet was about to go poof and you were human-esque enough you'd arrive on earth somehow. At least enough to be avoid falling into the trap of the Uncanney Valley or being seen as actually alien and causing a panic.

James Cent being incredibly close to being human, even sharing enough similar D.N.A. to have a child.

S'rah a shapeshifting Martian could alter herself to fit into any society but lucking into one so accepting.

Psyis being close enough in form and humanity adaptable enough to adjust to her species-specific issues.

The A.I. not believing for a second that it was a coincidence. Beginning to wonder if beings like The Reader or The Panel were responsible for this obvious interference. Though it was entirely possible it was an effect of this world being a story, these things happening because they'd been written by the comic artists themselves.

The A.I. feeling like it was getting closer to some deeper truth. That train of thought was quickly derailed by Radiation Man hitting him below the belt with a personal inquiry.

"Is that why you decided to take an interest in Miss Psyis?" James had asked the question innocently enough, though it seemed that one question had finally given a pause to Izime's pretzel genocide.

A small smile forming on the Zexxian's face as James enhanced senses not needed to fill him in on just how human this newly discovered A.I. was.

Izime reacting the same as if James had just asked his son Jimmy if his prom date was the Martian from the younger league.

The artificial human's heart rate jumping a bit as his interest in the thessian was casually mentioned. The little details not slipping past those supersenses even though Izime face remained roughly the same, just a bit redder.

Radiation Man wondering if he'd read into it wrong as that smile didn't last long. Izime's heart rate returning to normal in just a moment. James' lips pulling down as Izime turned away and faced the window looking every bit like James felt when he was making the hard decisions.

The ones that drew a painful line between who he wanted to be and who the cape represented.

Izime took a shaky breath, tilting his head to the side until it brushed against Cradle. One of the biggest problems with knowing the whole script was knowing he wasn't in it. It wasn't about interest, as interesting as this reality was as interesting as Psyis could be it was about the script. That was just considering the bigger picture not the personal baggage Izime knew he had as a human, then there was the whole A.I. and alien thing...

"It's complicated." Izime had decided to just partition that problem into its own little spot on whatever drive the entire file of 'Psyis' was being written on. Now needing to read and access that information, finding like malware the thessian seemed to have spread outside his security measures.

The A.I. only offering a shrug as its human side was still very much struggling to find an answer. "She has good intentions but I'm also me."

"And what are you," Radiation man pried, wanting to know at least a bit of how Izime saw himself. Not really trying to probe into the knowledge of the man but the person who used it. "You hardly seem evil."

"Once by your standards, I undoubtedly was." Izime replied as he looked through the small bag of pretzels for the best looking one. Finding it he looked back down on the planet below, thinking on the years he'd spent mingling. The seasons spent enjoying what he could with his family. The A.I. not surprised by the answer he'd found, turning to explain to James. "Now? I like being human J..should I address you by name or title?"

"I would prefer Radiation Man when I'm in uniform." James scratched at the back of his head a bit sheepishly. Izime's slightly nervous face hadn't been missed. The A.I. likely worried about suffering the same punishment as last time when he'd addressed Radiation Man by name.

"OK, I like being human Radiation Man, but I won't lie to you." Izime decided to clear the air between James and himself. Seeing as the zexxian was trying to take his side, it would be best if James was aware of who he was siding with.

Izime quickly giving the footnotes of the talk he'd had with Jim and Psyis, "I began my life if you can call it that as a dangerous idea. It's simple cause and effect, knowing more about me is dangerous. I'd like you to keep that warning in mind when Dark Night tries me in this hall."

"A dangerous thought, I guess it would be complicated then," Radiation Man nodded, agreeing with the simple assesment. Turning to Izime he had to ask, "If you don't mind telling me, what makes you think Dark Night wants to take you to trial with the League?"

"I am going to have to face Dark Night." Izime raised a brow at James idiotic insinuation that Stan wouldn't be doing everything in his power to drag him down. The salesman more worried about the two heroes who'd filled him in on what to expect from the League, "Don't take it out on those two for filling me in, they just wanted to help.

"If the League votes for it, yes. Though all things considered I don't think we will," Radiation Man didn't immediately reveal to Izime the efforts he'd gone through to obtain his own information outside of Stan's searches.

The zexxian usually tried to give a bit of buildup to these kinds of invitations, "Especially if there's a better option on the table. It might not seem much different to you in the end though."

"That is?" Izime narrowed his eyes not quite following Radiation Man. The A.I. still thinking in much more dire terms that the zexxian had intended with his little hint.

"I may not be as smart as Dark Night in some respects, but I assume you know where my wife works?" Radiation Man figured that Izime would already be aware of how involved James was with the press. Though he wasn't quite sure if the interplanetary interloper knew how much of that work was still done while wearing the cape.

"Yea, but what's the Weekly Globe got to do with this?" Izime asked, lowering his bag of pretzels. The conversation finally becoming more entertaining that seeing how many of the baked sticks he could stuff in his mouth.

"I did my own digging alongside Leona. My wife's a bit of a public relations guru, and I don't think Dark Night would like the bad press Earth would get for arresting you." Radiation Man walked over to one of the tables where the Leagues heroes usually voted.

Taking a bubbled yellow mailer James pulled out a stapled stack of papers and walked back over. Handing them all to Izime with another hint, "Did you know the Vidan Security Council was willing to not only extradite you, even tried to retroactively grant you citizenship?"

"What's this?" Izime asked even as he began to flip through the pages, the A.I. quickly skimming the words.

"The planets and species that wound up arguing over you, they couldn't decide on who would get to claim that citizenship, so they just signed an open appeal for your release." Radiation man finally explained what all the signatures and symbols on the first few pages amounted to. The documents already signed and notarized by several galactic lawyers before ever reaching earth proper.

James flipped back a few pages to point out a slew of signatures, detailing the importance of those words, "There are thirty-seven different species of aliens on that page that would have an issue if we locked you up. Hank thankfully didn't tell the Zythomian Tribune about the condition you were in at the time, if they had heard about that this petition might have been an open declaration instead."

"Awful nice of them." Izime flipped the pages closed with a slightly tired sigh trying to hand the folder back, making things clear for Radiation Man. "Not my intention, want to make that very clear."

Izime cursing inside as his distress call had worked a bit too well. Of course, someone would notice if so many shuttles took off at once. Let alone the fact neither Constantinople nor Psyis had asked what else the quantum entangled signal had triggered.

"I told them we would discuss it, seeing as Dark Night isn't just going to let you leave." Radiation Man nodded, not bothering to take the pages. Simply flipping further down the stack and drawing Izime's attention to the sheets he had added personally. "I want the League to offer you citizenship though that chance comes with some limitations."

"Probation?" Izime glanced down assuming that the League would place him in some form of probation, likely a house-arrest on earth.

"A probationary period could be discussed." "This is more along the lines of ensuring you establish roots here, like the issue of you actually earning a citizenship. Like you said Dark Night isn't just going to let you leave, I want to convince him this is the home you'll come back to."

"You want to take me to Kansas?" Izime asked, more than a bit flabbergasted at the idea of him trying to make do in the cornfields.

"There are probably a few of people who would like it if you too stayed on earth," Radiation Man knew he was probably touching on a sore spot tying Izime to earth.

The A.I. likely having very complicated feeling about living and partaking in a society that was a mock-up of his own reality.

James continuing hoping he could reinforce the more positive aspects of this potential resolution. "Not for the same reasons Dark Night does."

Radiation Man watched as Izime read through the pages at an absurd speed for a regular human. The zexxian wondering for a moment if that body was a limiter on the A.I.'s potential before shoving the thought aside. James having noticed Izime reaching the more legal portion of the documents that he'd need to fill in.

"You don't have to stay in Kansas, but you do need to stay with a League Member." James explained after reading along for a moment as realizing that it was the sponsorship portion of the citizenship paperwork that had him stumped.

"Constantinople?" Izime narrowed his eyes, taking the blind shot but already figuring he knew the answer.

"Prefferably with someone who doesn't have a criminal record, I need to keep Dark Night happy with this." Radiation Man shook his head already knowing that Stan wouldn't like any of this. Trying to room Izime with the same man he'd been selling in hell with wouldn't work. James quickly added "If you can't find someone or don't know who to ask the League can select someone for you."

James already having just the person in mind.

She could use the company after moving to the big city from their small farm.

"Dark Night isn't going to let me go that easily." Izime shot back, not quite convinced. Dark Night had burned a lot of his pull within the League to bring him in. It wasn't something he'd drop so easily, especially seeing as Izime had become somewhat of a stain on the Dark Duo's capes.

"He said the same thing about my cousin, and she broke half the stuff in his cave," James laughed though not loudly, recalling all the others that'd gone through this same process. The zexxian explaining that his cousin had a good life now, "she lives in Middle City now but I think you already know that."

It was certainly going to be a tough talk to have but Stan couldn't just do as he pleased. The League was designed for moments like this when the other heroes needed to step in. Be it in the name of justice, equality, or like now when a hero was going astray.

Izime looked down at the yellow folder in his hand before glancing back up at the unearthly piercing blues of the Zexxian.

Recalling a conversation he'd once had about the use of the overpowered Zexxian in a heroe focused society. Realizing that from this side the Kansas raised hero's blind faith was sometimes really nice.

It sometimes bit Earth in the ass too, but right now; it was a true life-saver.

Radiation Man looked at the rather rough looking man, knowing Izime's body was a bit younger than his own. Wondering if his offer was tempting enough to convince the human that preferred the galaxy and its spread of species to stay on earth.

Judging by Izime's reaction though?

James already figured that Jack and himself would be teaching another off-worlder the aspects of being human, a Cent family specialty.

James glad that he'd have something to look forward beyond hearing that constant crunch from the A.I.

Izime stuffed the pretzel he'd been holding into his mouth, once again opening the yellow folder. Flipping through much more slowly this time to actually read through the many many paragraphs. Not sure how he felt reading the meaningless legal mumbo-jumb that littered the now wasted white paper. He felt happy mostly so there was no real explanation on why his throat kept tightening.

Covering his hand with the back of his hand, Izime tried to get the pretzel to go down so he could talk.

"Got a pen?" Izime managed to ask after swallowing, his throat a tightening still as emotions swam.

Moments like there were supposed to be a big thing right!

Then why did it feel a bit anticlimactic as if something was missing?

"Right here," Radiation Man patted Izime on the shoulder, pulling a pen he'd had tucked somewhere on his suit.

The two moving off towards one of the tables in the hall to fill the pages out as quickly as possible.

The sooner this was done the faster James could start pulling Dark Night's hands away from controlling Izime's life.