(Previously:  The mad god Zeus has sent the Bronze Boys across 
the realities to the Athens Dome on New Earth, where they have run afoul 
of the Legion of Super-Heroes.  Four of the Saints have already fallen; 
we now rejoin the last in combat.)

			EDGE OF TOMORROW
		       by Scott K. Jamison
		    (DC/Kurumada disclaimer)
		   Chapter Five:  Full Circle

	Super-strength.  Invulnerability.  Super-speed. Invulnerability.  
Super-speed.  Flash vision.  Invulnerability.  Super-strength.  
Invulnerability. 
	Ultra Boy switched his powers with the speed of long practice.  
He hadn't faced an opponent this skilled in hand to hand combat since Val 
died, and even then those had only been friendly sparring sessions.  This 
opponent was fighting to kill.  
	Jo had been able to rip off much of his opponent's armor, and the 
boy named Dragon Shiryuu was bleeding profusely from a smashed nose.  But 
he'd paid the price with an eye swollen shut and ribs he was pretty sure 
were broken.  Only his invulnerability had kept him alive this long.
	He steeled himself for the next go-round.  Super-Speed. 
Invulnerability.  Super-Strength.  I--
	"NO, BRAINY, DON'T LEAVE MEEEE!!!"
	"Laurel?" asked Ultra Boy, distracted momentarily by his 
teammate's scream.  A distraction his opponent took instant advantage of. 
	Dragonmage winced as the Rimborian hero once again sailed over 
the horizon.  Fortunately, Shiryuu didn't seem interested in attacking 
him again just yet.  Jin had nearly exhausted himself tossing his most 
potent attacks at the Dragon Saint, only to have them bounce off the 
Dragon Cloth's shield.  
	Wait a moment.  Exhausted.  Dragonmage's inner store of mana was 
immense, and his major problem was controlling the energies.  But now 
that very little energy was left, he could concentrate on finesse.  He 
began to whisper an incantation.
	Shortly, a small mana-dragon left his hand and merged with the 
Dragon Saint's shadow, and thence to his aura.  There it began its work, 
infiltrating into every part of Shiryuu and casting out what was not 
natural to him, finishing with itself.
	A darkness seemed to seep out of the Chinese Saint, and his eyes 
faded from bright red to black.  He looked about, confused. 
	"By the Ancestors!  What...have I *done*?"
	"I don't think that's so much the question...as why?"
		*		*		*
	"So, let me get this straight.  You guys work for the Greek 
goddess Athena, fighting mostly other Greek gods and their minions?"
	"Well, plus some Norse mythos people and Lucifer.  Most of the 
gods seem to have gone a little wonky over the eons.  And you folks come 
from entire worlds where everybody has superpowers?"
	"Some of us.  Others had accidents or built their own powers." 
	Shiryuu and Dragonmage continued comparing notes in one corner of 
the Legion's main meeting room while the other Saints and Legionnaires 
chatted in scattered groups.
	Hyouga noticed a picture of one of the absent members, a young 
woman in pink.
	"Who is that beautiful girl?"
	"Saturn Girl, and she's *my* girlfriend, so don't get any funny 
ideas!" snapped Live Wire.
	Shun intervened.  "Please don't be cross, sir.  Cygnus just has a 
thing for blondes."
	Ikki walked up to Inferno.  "HEY YOU!  DO YOU HAVE FLAME POWERS?"
	"Ow!  I'm not deaf, you know."
	"CAN'T HEAR YOU!  JUST NOD IF YOU PRODUCE HEAT!"
	Dirk nodded.
	"GREAT!  LAY THEM ON ME!  BLAST ME GOOD!"
	"Huh?"
	"JUST DO IT!"
	Inferno launched a small burst of solar flame at the Phoenix 
Saint. 
	"IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO, WUSSY BOY?"
	Irked, Inferno turned up the heat considerably.  To his surprise, 
Ikki soaked it into his body like water into a sponge.  Gradually, he 
lifted off the ground, his aura forming into the namesake bird.
	"AH!  MU--much better," said Ikki in a more normal tone of 
voice.  "You know, that was almost impressive."
	Seiya found himself cornered by the Legion's resident cat-person.
	"Catspaw all girl!  Sei-ya come up to bedroom, I show for sure!"  
	The Pegasus Saint sweated.  He really hadn't much experience with 
girls, and Catspaw's forwardness made him very nervous.  On the other 
hand, the last time he'd failed to reciprocate a girl's feelings, she'd 
tried to kill him.  Repeatedly.  What to do?
	Apparition and Ultra Boy snuggled.  The latter was looking much 
better, as he'd kicked his energy into ultra-healing.  
	"Excuse me, Ultra Boy, wasn't it?"  It was the Dragon Saint.
	"Yes."
	"You have one of the most powerful cosmo I have ever sensed.  But 
you use it in too limited a fashion.  You must work to bring out its full 
potential."
	Jo frowned.  He was already one of the most powerful 
Legionnaires.  Could it possibly be true he'd been holding back from 
himself? 
	Seiya had managed to get loose from Catspaw when Matter-Eater Lad 
distracted her.  He looked at the wrecked Cloth of his companions and 
groaned.  
	"Geez, we gotta fix this stuff again?"
	"I am afraid so, Seiya," replied Shiryuu, walking up to the 
pile.  He took a sharp piece of broken Cloth and was about to slice his 
palm open when Jo's hand stopped him.
	"What the nass do you think you're doing?"
	"I can repair the Cloth, but a sacrifice is necessary."
	"Oh, if it's only a little blood you need, I can help.  After 
all, I helped wreck it."
	"Jo!  Be careful!"
	"Don't worry, Tinya.  I heal fast, remember?"
	With Ultra Boy's blood spattering on the Cloth, Shiryuu began to 
concentrate.  His cosmo flared outward, touching each set of armor.  The 
living metal began to shudder, then fused back into the suits he knew so 
well.
	"Wow." was the general concensus. 
	"If I might have your attention for a moment, please," 
interjected Brainiac Five.  "I have finally managed to track down the 
exact location of the time/space rift our guests arrived via.  (Not so 
tight, Laurel.)  The bad news is that it will close within the next 
twelve minutes, give or take .00045 seconds."  He shifted uncomfortably.  
His Daxamite girlfriend had been unusually clingy since she returned from 
the mission.  "If you want to go home, I suggest you leave now."
	"Let's go!"
			*		*		*
	They arrived in the park where the rift was and saw that it was 
about the size of a man's head.
	"Don't think we can fit through that."
	"I calculate the rate of shrinkage to be such that no practical 
use can be made of the rift within 23.8 seconds from...mark."
	"I'm recharged," said Dragonmage.  "Let me see if I can make it a 
bit wider."  He chanted, and a dragon formed, pulling at the edges of 
the rift with its claws.  It stopped the shrinkage.
	"I'm not as rested...as I thought.  Never tried to hold the 
fabric of reality...back before."
	"Maybe we can help," suggested Seiya.  His armor suddenly took on 
a golden hue, and he touched Dragonmage's shoulder.  Energy began to flow 
between them.  The other Saints followed suit.  The dragon grew bigger, 
and so did the rift.  It was now big enough for a small child.
	"Wow!" said Live Wire.  "Why didn't you guys do that before?"
	Shiryuu gave a tight smile.  "Whatever was clouding our 
perceptions also kept us from fully accessing the macrocosmo, and thus 
our true power levels."
	"It's still not enough!" shouted Shun.
	"Hey, bird-man, want a little heat?" asked Inferno.
	"Pile it on, fire-boy," Ikki commanded.
	Inferno let loose with his solar powers, Ikki converting them to 
cosmo to feed into Dragonmage.  The other Legionnaires got the idea, and 
those with energy powers added them to the battery.  Dragonmage sank to 
his knees and began to smoke as the power running through him increased 
exponentially.  The rift widened.
	"It's time!" shouted Querl.  "Any longer, and we risk a complete 
reality inversion in this localized substratum!"  No one else understood 
what he meant, but when Brainy sounded worried, that meant it was bad. 
	One by one, the Saints jumped into the rift.  Hyouga was the 
last, and turned for one last look at the future.
	"Thanks."  And he was gone.
	Dragonmage collapsed, and the rift closed as if it had never 
been. 
	"Whooo!  That was fun," remarked Tenzil.  "Now what are we going 
to do for the rest of the day?"
	"You can replace me on monitor duty," came Computo's voice over 
the communicator, "like you were supposed to do an hour ago."
	Everyone laughed.
			*		*		*
				Epilogue One

	Zeus laughed as he passed his hands over a globe.  
	"So!  Half the world's leaders refuse to recognize me as their 
god.  Very well.  Half the world shall be destroyed by my power.  It will 
save administrative headaches later."
	"I admit this is cliche, but you shan't get away with it." 
	"And who will stop me, my dear daughter Athena?  Your Saints have 
been swept away, you are helpless inside my prison, the other gods will 
bow before me or share your fate.  Nothing can stop me now!  HAHAHAHA!"
	"Are we nothing, Shiryuu?"
	"I wouldn't say so, Hyouga."
	Zeus whirled to see the pesky mortals he'd banished standing in 
his throne room.  They looked angry.
	"I-impossible!"
	"I wish I had a hundred yen for every time I've heard that."  Seiya 
cocked his fist.  "Now, where were we?"
	"About to kick divine butt," sneered Ikki.
	The battle was joined.
			*		*		*
				Epilogue Two

	Glorith waved her hand and the Hypnogem returned to the safety 
deposit box it would eventually be recovered from.  That had been a 
pleasant morning's diversion.  She would have to thank Zeus for sending 
such useful pawns in her direction.  If he survived his well-deserved 
beating, that was. 
	The Queen of Time considered what to try next.  "I know, let's 
change the outcome of World War Three again.  That's always good for a 
laugh..."


				THE END

So, whadja think?


SKJAM!