1570/Knock Knock Knockin'

Knock Knock Knockin'
Date of Scene:	20 July 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Booster Gold, Triplicate Girl

---

Booster Gold has posed:
Booster Gold is on monitor duty.

Which would sound impressive if he were working with JARVIS to supervise, say, the Avenger's mansion. Or if he were on the Watchtower, plugged into the vast network of eyes and ears that allows the League to deploy some of Earth's greatest heroes anywhere in the world, and worlds beyond.

For Kord/Gold Superhero Services, it means sitting on the land line and surfing Facebook.

And Tweeting sometimes.

Booster and Ted rent the left half of a residential duplex; the third floor is a slantwall attic, and the second has their offices. The bottom floor is a common area and mostly a bit of a disaster, between Ted's inventions cluttering everything and Booster's empty pizza boxes.

The window's open; Booster's feet are kicked up on the desk and his golden headgear is nearby, with Skeets sitting in front of the other laptop and absorbing information at a rate that'd be impressive if he weren't simply downloading a bunch of comedy pratfalls for Booster to watch later.

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    A head pops into the window. A girl's head, just out of teenage years and in that mystery age factor where she should be as young as 20, or any number of years older. She smiles, briefly, "There you are," the head says. One can presume, of course, that with the neck and the collar of the uniform beneath that the rest of the girl is there, too. "I knocked on the door, but nobody answered. May I come in?" A gloved hand, and uniform arm reach out to grab the ledge, so she might climb - or more probably, fly through.
    She pauses, to add, "My apologies. I'm Triplicate Girl. I'd like a moment of your time, Mr. Gold."

Booster Gold has posed:
Booster yells in a warriors' attack cry, which sounds an awful lot like a girlish shriek, and immediately assumes a defensive fighting position.

Which looks a lot like he falls on the floor, flat on his ass, and the chair shoots sideways on the ricket, imbalanced wheels.

"Gah! Ah! GAH!" Booster says, scrambling to his feet. He clears his throat, brushing his hand over his short, curly blonde hair, and makes a show of adjusting the breastplate of his annoyingly gold-plated armor.

"Er, yes, welcome, Triplet Girls," Booster says, once he's got his hammering pulse under control. "Where are the other two?" he asks, craning his neck to look around.

The office is not a very big one-- it looks like it might have been a nursery or walk-in closet at one point. There's a worn out old leather chair with sagging springs near the window, but to get past Booster's seat at the desk would obligate some contortionism.

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    Triplicate Girl moves in through the window with ease, suggestive of her both limber, and athletic state. She glances around the place once, but has the courtesy and tact to not question it or even judge the resident by it. "Ah. You wish to meet them as well?" She nods, "Sure."
    One Luorno walks out of the first, to the right. Another walks out of the first, and to the left. Two girls. Identical triplicates. But, the uniforms have now changed. What was once a tri-colored uniform is now a solid color on each girl, one black, one white, and one grey.
    The white one, the one in the middle says, "So, as I said, I'm Triplicate Girl. This," gestures to her right, "Is Triplicate Girl, and over to my left is Triplicate Girl. We're pleased to meet you, Booster Gold."
    Each of the girls nods, and the girl in grey adds in, "We didn't catch you at a bad time did we? You looked awfully busy."

Booster Gold has posed:
Luornu just blew Booster's mind, and his jaw works a few times without successfuly making a sound.

"Wh- who-- what--"

Skeets comes to Booster's rescue, hovering off his shoulder. <<This is a 'gestalt organism', sir,>> Skeets informs Booster in an electronic and chipper tone of voice. << She exists as multiple beings all at once or a single individual.>>

"Whooooaaaah..." Booster whistles, finally. "That's wicked cool. Er, so, uh," his eyes skip from one to the other. "So, uh, what-- can I do for you, er, welcome to our headquarters," he says, unable to settle on one girl to talk to. "No, this is a --" glance "fine time, I just--" glance "was reading a book."

He was obviously watching dickpunch compliations on a comedy YouTube channel, and a laugh track plays from the laptop before he reaches back and quickly closes the lid.

"Er, so, how can I help you...s... all?"

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    The girl in black looks questioningly at the laptop, longer than the one in white does, while the girl in grey seems more interested in examining the confines of the apartment, and Booster's self-proclaimed 'headquarters', curiously, but all three girls consider Skeets, intrigued. "Well," says the one in black, smiling warmly and stepping towards Skeets, "Aren't you a clever, and perceptive fellow?" She seems almost to approve, and she nods, "And, he is correct. That is what I am."
    The girl in white then holds up her hand, to display the glove there. And, the ring that sits outside the glove. The ring that is - perhaps, at least according to Brainy's information (and he's rarely, rarely wrong) an exact copy of a ring she's been told Booster has.
    A ring from the Legion of Superheroes. Say, 1,000 years in the future.
    The grey one circles Skeets, and gently pokes him, more out of curiousity, and interest, than being rude. "I don't recall ever seeing anything like you before. Are you AI?" She asks of Skeets, while keeping an ear out for the other conversation.
    The one in black measures the headquarters also, and says thoughtfully, "So if this is your headquarters, you are the communications officer?"

Booster Gold has posed:
Booster looks at the ring in mute surprise, and reflexively holds out his own hand-- and looks at it. The rings match, and then he suddenly realizes why Luornu is there in all her plurality, and he swiftly pushes his hand behind his back, scrambling for a response.

<<Why yes! I am a personal assistant to Mister Gold, enabled with a Class II organo-mineral intelligence matrix!>> Skeets says-- though he nimbly dodges being poked, hovering just out of reach. High tech-- from the 2250s, anyway.

"This is our headquarters, and no," Booster says, finding his words. "I'm, uh, I'm the co-leader of the Superbuddies," he says, lifting his chin. "My partner Te-- Blue Beetle is the communications guy. But he had to head into town for groceries," Booster says, jerking a thumb vaguely towards the midtown area. "Er, so, what can I do for you?" he asks again, folding his arms across his chest, and a second later tucking his ringed hand under his armpit.

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    The girls remain utterly unthreatning. The grey one politely puts down her would-be poking finger, and neatly puts her hand behind her back and holds one hand at the wrist, leaning down some. She informs Skeets, "You're adorable. And, really smart, too. Very clever. Can you self-replicate?" Maybe she wants a Skeets for her own. But, she seems quite enamored with the floating assistant that Booster's gotten himself.

    Meanwhile, the girl in the black uniform has circled, neatly, and almost casually so, behind Booster Gold while the white one keeps his attention facing her. "I am," she states, gently, "As you can see, and perhaps recognize depending on the time you have come to this Earth from, that I am a member of the Legion of Superheroes. You've heard of us?"
    The girl in black does nothing, save sit on the corner of the desk, and cross her legs to watch Booster's antics. And, the interaction between Skeets and the girl in grey.

Booster Gold has posed:
Booster's trying to track all three, and it's proving difficult-- he ends up putting his shoulders to the wall with a feigned nonchalance and crosses one ankle over the other.

"I'm uh, yeah, I've heard of you. Braniac...ac, ... number ... six?" he tries. "I met him in the park. He, uh, he told me that you guys were in the area. Doing hero stuff. That's far out, I thought I was the only time traveller living in the city," he tells the black-garbed triplicate, uneased by the way they've so effortlessly insinuated themselves into his office. "Look, if he's cheesed about the fight, I /said/ I was sorry, but you can't just lead a conversation with 'Hi, I'm Brainiac'," Booster says, defensively.

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    "Because," continues the girl in grey to Skeets warmly, "If you -do- self-replicate, that would be even more amazing. While we do have Brainy, he's only one person." She seems to be utterly unaware of the other thing going on in the 'headquarters'.

    Booster's words cause both the girl in black, still sitting on the corner of the desk, now crossing her leg smoothly and setting one hand upon her thigh as well as the girl in white who seems far more diplomatic to both peer, curiously, at Booster. "He didn't mention a single thing about the fight," the girl in white says, marginally confused.
    "Brainiac 5," the one in black corrects Booster, gently. "And, she's right. We're not here because of any fight. Or, to fight. If we'd wanted to fight, we'd have infiltrated your headquarters. It - honestly? Would have been very easy."

Booster Gold has posed:
<<No ma'am! This unit is not equipped with a self replicating function,>> Skeets says, cheerfully. <<My synthetic intelligence matrices are developed from an organic mineral aggregation process. It is impossible to duplicate me, my memories, or my cheerful personality!>> the drone burbles, whirling once in a circle that can only be described as happy.

"Skeets is a good one," Booster says, defending his drone. "They retired that whole line of droids because too many of them developed personality disorders. Nothing's worse than a super depressed personal assistant."

He clears his throat, suddenly looking as if he's given something away, and focuses back on the the girl in white, who's being at least /somewhat/ pleasant to him and not... staring. In a way that makes him intensely uncomfortable.

"We-- well, these are temporary headquarters," Booster says. "Y'know, while our MAIN one is being refurbished. That'll be... pfft." he rolls his eyes. "Like, SO secure. Yo don't even know."

"Uh, but, uh, you didn't say why you're here, yet," he reminds them, trying to stand a little taller and regain control of the situation.

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    "That's too bad. Well, if you ever need someone else to assist, come find me," the grey one suggests, just as cheerfully to Skeets, before she turns her attention on Booster. "You, of all people should know that what passes for secure technology in this timeframe is not very secure at all to advanced technologies and methods. But, I hope you are right. It wouldn't be very good if someone wanting to hurt you and your team infiltrated and did harm," she says, reasonably concerned. Perhaps even, just as concerned for Booster and his un-met team as she is for the wonderful Skeets.

    The girl in black says quietly, pointedly, "Brainiac didn't mention anything about a fight. He did, however, mention that you had something that didn't belong to you."

    The girl in white looks over at herself, "I think he means well. Let's not turn this into a fight either, okay?" She gives herself a pointed look, and the one in black merely nods, either agreeing, or understanding. Or, maybe it's some method of good-cop-bad-cop. Who knows?
    The girl in white frowns, and nods, "But, she's right. You do have a ring, from the Legion." She considers her next question carefully, "It is not something that we give out lightly. You can understand, then, our interest."

Booster Gold has posed:
"You can't have it back!" Booster blurts.

He pales a little, digging his heels into the ground as he suddenly realizes why there are /three/ of these girls in his office-- he licks suddenly dry lips, and glances at the window a bit obviously.

"It's mine. Okay? I didn't steal it from no dead body, and I certainly didn't get it from a Legion-whatsit. Okay? I got it when I got my other gear. No one was even usin' it!" he tells the women. "I don't know what happened to it before I got it, but I swear, I didn't jack it from someone you know-- and even if someone else -did-, that's like, two hundred years in the future relative to now," he says.

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    "Then, may I make you a proposition?" The girl in white says, quietly, without being able to read Booster's mind. She had, after all, come here alone. And it was -he- who'd asked where the other girls were. So, she showed him. Courtesy, and all of that.

    She takes a step forward, but that is all. She reaches out her hand, palm up, and she looks at Booster, "May I borrow the ring? We can determine whom it belonged to. Where it came from. If it was given, or, given up by a Legion member, and you have come across it, then, we have no quarrel. And it will be returned to you."
    The grey one, too, takes a step forward, a bit more hesitantly. She offers, "Think of it this way. If I were to show up in front of you, with something that was exlusive to you, your family, your friends, like Skeets, would you not wonder where it came from also? And, who it belonged to? We wish to know it's history. We aren't accusing you of murder. Or, even of thievery. It would take a lot to take a ring from a Legion member."

    Even the one in black seems to want to play nice, now, asking only, "How did you come about it, then?"

Booster Gold has posed:
"Wh-- no!" Booster looks aghast, covering his ring with his other hand. "I'm not giving you my /ring/!" he tells them, looking shocked that they'd propose such a thing.

"For one, I don't even know if you really ARE Legion. You could just be some crazy ladie...s of the street! Two, even if you ARE Legion, I told Brainiac that it's MINE. Okay? I've got rights too! You've all got YOUR rings. Nothing's been stolen, then, so you'd have to show that I obtained stolen property, BEFORE you can even file a claim to have it returned!"

Spoken like someone who's spent some time in jail-- no civilian knows that much about property law. "L-Look, I got it, okay? I was given it. When I got my gear," he says, lying slightly. "i need to fly to do hero stuff, right? And it wasn't being used, so I'm like, 'Hey, I'll just grab that while I'm getting this other cool stuff', and... okay?"

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    "So, you weren't given it," counters the girl in black. "You did grab it. Along with - your other things," perceptively countering Booster's own earlier statement, and using his words against him.

The girl in white looks at her again, "Will you stop it?" She looks a bit frustrated at ... herself. She sighs, and lowers her hand and looks back to Booster, "I am with the Legion," she says, very seriously, but not unkindly, or upset. "My name is Luorno Durgo, and I am from the planet Carrg of United Planets, and 31st Century. And I am not, as you would say, crazy."
    She pauses, briefly, before she continues, "There are many Legion members. But a handful of us are present. Here. In this time. And, I suspect, like you, we are unable to return. I said we were not here to fight you. And, we are not. But if you are the hero that you claim to be, you will also understand a need to unravel a mystery of - if one of your friends whom you may not have seen from a long while ago is dead. Or, if someone who allie with the Legion passed away. We would like answers. Would you deny us those answers, if your conscience is clean?" The question seems an honest one.

    The girl in grey steps up, and places a gentle hand on Booster's arm. "Please? We -will- give it back, if what you say is true. You have our word."%

Booster Gold has posed:
Booster's face twists, but he doesn't give the ring up. "I-- I think you should go," he says, trying to force some authority into his voice. "You guys are obsessing over this thing! No one's dead. No one's missing. And what could it tell you anyway? It's just a flight ring!" he tells the Luornus. "It lets you /fly/. What do you want? Like, maybe it's YOU who dies. What if it's YOUR Ring? Would you really want to know that you're gonna die?"

"O-or maybe you just lost it! Or the ring got misplaced! Or you retired down the road and donated it to the city!" Booster says, his voice tight with thrumming tension. "You don't know-- and you can't make me give up my ring just because you're going 'gee whiz, I wonder'-- what do you expect ME to do? Take a BUS?!"

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    "Yes," agrees the Luorno in white, shooting a look at the girl in black before she can speak. The other girl sighs, and slowly gets off the desk, heading to join her counterpart, settling next to her. The girl in white continues, "We were attacked. By our enemy. And, displaced in time. That is cause for consideration." And, she nods. "Yes. If it is my ring, I would want to know. That way, I could prepare, at least. But it is not just a flight ring, anymore than Skeets is just a robot, or the flag of the United States of America in this time is just a Flag. It is a symbol. It has meaning."
    Then, Luorno looks actually sad. Almost disappointed. "I am sorry you are unable to trust. You must be very lonley. We will go, now."
    She looks at the others, and then moves to the window, to crawl out. The grey one says, a little sadly, "Goodbye, Skeets." And looks, frowning, at Booster. Not mad. Not quite the same look as the girl in white gave him, either. But she doesn't say anything as she also moves to the window.
    As the other two Luorno's slip out of it, and move to float in the sky beyond, the girl in black pauses, sitting on the window sill and moving to get out. She looks back at Booster, and says quietly, "Perhaps one day, you will recognize that people, not possessions, are what matter." She does not look at him again, as she ducks her head to move out of the window also.

Booster Gold has posed:
Booster turns his head away at the rebuke from the departing woman, his jaw flexing in the manner of someone who's mad and unable to express his anger articulately. "Yeah, well, like-- maybe you guys should, y'know, think about what's more important," he says, heat in his tone. "Y'know-- worrying about how or when or if this thing got to me, or how I'm usin' it."

"I'm a hero, baby-- I'm Booster Gold!" he says, jerking a thumb at his armored chest. "And I'm helpin people the best way I can, and kicking ass an' taking names! You WANT this ring, but me? I /need/ it," he fumes.

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    Those words stop the girl in black from exiting out the window. She nods. "That's what we are worried about, Booster Gold. How. Or, when, the ring got to you. We have said we would return it. But you seem unwilling to trust us. Or, help us." She adds, without anger, or vitriol in her tone, sincerity there, "And, without being able to examine the ring, then, we will never know how, or when, the ring got to you."

    There is a slight push, and the girl in grey asks, "Let me back in." The girl in black seems puzzled, but, unfurls herself from the ledge.
    The girl in grey looks mad, now. And, she stomps over to Booster Gold. She glares at him, furiously. And then, ... she holds out her hand. Palm facing her, so the ring is directly in his face. And ... she takes her ring off. "Here. Now. Give me that one." There's an absolute authoritative command from her. No trying. No pretending.
    The girl in black just grins, a little, and looks out to the girl in white. "Well. Someone put on her big-girl pants today," she says, slightly humored.
    White Luorno's head appears into the sill again, so she can watch. She voices, smiling fondly to herself, and the idea she's had in her other self before looking more sternly back at Booster Gold, "We will exchange rings again, once we have our answers. Or will you still deny us our answers to the very questions you have posed to us?"

Booster Gold has posed:
Booster tenses a bit when the grey one storms up, but-- well, that's just entirely too reasonable an offer. He looks around at the trio of frustrated faces, and uneasily starts wiggling the ring off his hand. It takes a bit of doing, and it leaves a dent in his glove-- but then the rings are traded, and he exhales a little nervously as he examines /her/ ring, then slips it into his hand. It fits, and he hovers a few inches off the ground for just a moment.

"We-- well, okay, I guess we're all square here, then," he says, nervously. "Umm... so... thanks. For this," he says, hoisting his 'new' ring a few inches into the air.

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    The grey girl looks back at Booster. She is still upset. She puts the ring on her own finger, "Skeets," she says, looking at Booster, "Teach your friend Booster Gold here something about friendship, and trust. He will need it, if he really means that he wants to be a hero."
    Then, she storms off, headed back for the window, even going so far as to push the girl in black out of her way to get there, and she can be seen zooming up, up, and away while the other two Luorno's remain. White's head is still in the window, but outside, the girl in black still inside.
    "You know," says the girl in black, thoughtfully, "Usually she's the most peaceful one out of all of us. And the quietest," to Booster. "We will be back soon, for our ring, and to give you that one back." She makes it clear that it -is- a trade. And that he -will- be giving their ring back. But, again, there's no threat. Her words are simply matter-of-fact, her tone confident.
    The girl in white suggests, "She does have a point." Which she, or both she's, the Luorno in white doesn't clarify. "We will see you again, very soon." Then, she, too is taking off.
    Once again, the girl in black moves to the window sill, "Just so you know. That trade costs us. We could return. To one of us. And, the ring would return, to our singular self. You would lose yours. But that is not who we are. We will need to remain as three, until we return to you. To keep our word. We have made a sacrifice. For this knowledge. Bear that in mind."
    And she ducks her head out, moving to leave. The last of hte Luorno's to do so.