video;

[wifeonmars]

[The video opens on a patch of blue sky, with some birds flying by. The camera turns and there's a surprisingly green girl giving a smile and a wave. And apparently holding the comm with no hands. She floats (??) peacefully for a bit, wind catching her cape before looking at the camera again.]

Hey, everyone! I'm Miss Martian. But you can call me M'gann. Just thought I'd introduce myself. A-and even though I am actually from Mars, I promise I'm not here to invade or anything! I mean, an invasion of just one person isn't a very good invasion. And I'd probably go all undercover so you wouldn't even notice... It'd be pretty easy actually.

[She actually appears to be considering the logistics of an alien invasion before remembering herself.]

Anyways! I'm really excited to meet everyone and I hope we can be friends!

Comments

[khajidont]

Because then some of my best friends come from your universe! More of your Team used to be around - [Impulse, Beast Boy, Artemis, Superboy, M'gann herself twice over...] - but these days I think it's just KF and Robin.

So at least you'll have a couple friends to come and greet you.

[wifeonmars]

They might be from different parts of the timeline though, right? Because of the time travel thing.

[Could be awkward, depending on when they're from.]

Still, it's nice that I'm not alone. Even you're already kind of like a friend.

[khajidont]

Yeah! I mean, we'll get there. You'll have your team to help you out, but if you ever need anything, you can give me a call.

[Oh, and about the whole timeline thing...?]

You got the originals here, by the way. The original KF, and the original Robin, I mean. That helps narrow it down at least a little.

[wifeonmars]

Is there a Blue Beetle signal? Or are you more a text kind of guy?

[Wait, did he just say...]

What do you mean, original KF? That's... that can't be right.

[khajidont]

[He'll answer her original question later (he would love a Blue Beetle signal), but he thinks he can read the right answer out of the expression on her face. Ouch.]

When I said people can be brought from any time, I mean any time, [he says, with enough gentleness in his face and in his tone to convey what he really means by that.] No matter what happens to them.

[wifeonmars]

O-oh. I don't-- I guess I hadn't realized.

[It doesn't feel real. She doesn't think Jaime would lie to her about something like this but there's no way... The fact that there's a Wally here who's alive and well and will still inevitably die too early is overwhelming.

M'gann abruptly remembers she's still talking to Jaime and tries to smooth the expression of grief off her face. It's probably not entirely successful.]

Is he okay? Does he know?

[khajidont]

[Is he okay? Well, hell. That's a loaded question. What he does know is that he doesn't know whether he wishes M'gann was from the future, or from the past. Wally doesn't deserve dealing with someone's grief over his own death - he's got enough on his plate - but having to break the news to another teammates might be even worse.

Maybe it would be better for him if M'gann wasn't here at all, but... wouldn't he want to see his friends?

God, it's a mess.]

He knows. Bart, um... Bart was here for a while. He told me about what happened, and I told him that he couldn't keep it a secret from Wally forever.

[If he sounds a little defeated about that, well, that's because he is; he's not convinced he did the right thing there.]

So now he's known for months now. And, I mean, he's okay as anyone could be, knowing about that.

[wifeonmars]

Poor Bart. That must have been tough on him.

[And poor Wally. M'gann can't imagine being on either side of this: being the one who had to tell him, or discovering you were going to die.]

Wally, he... he's a hero. He was always a hero. And we all would have made the same choice. But I guess I'm just selfish. I don't know if it was worth it.

[khajidont]

If saving the world isn't worth it, then what is?

[wifeonmars]

I-I don't know. It happened so fast and then...

[There hadn't been enough time. Not even for a speedster.]

We never got to say goodbye.

[khajidont]

I know. I know, and I'm sorry. He didn't deserve that -- none of you do. But it was his choice. You can't just say that it wasn't worth it.

[He pauses, sighing.] He's a hero. He is the way he is now, and he is in your time too. Ain't nothing out there that can change that. But... maybe something else can be changed.

[wifeonmars]

There has to be a way. We know what happened, so maybe we can stop it. Stop things without...

[Dooming an entire planet. The weight of it all makes her slump a little.]

[khajidont]

If we ever get that Porter working, we get me over there. In my world, I beat 'em alone. If I do it once, I can do it again.

[Maybe something like that should sound like a brag, but from Jaime, it sounds like a simple statement of fact. He'll find a way to do it, because that's the way to save Wally and the world. For stakes that high, there's no if about it.]