Fan Fiction Name: Justice League: Songs of the Multiverse
Chapter Name: A Serious Question
Info: The League is well aware of the existence of the variety of universes beyond their own. However, the barriers between the worlds begin to fall one by one, and the League is faced with a serious question: Can their combined might face the onslaught, or are they doomed?
Disclaimers: Batman, Superman, the Justice League, and the like do not belong to me, but to the people at DC Comics. This is considered Fair Use under the legal codes regarding copyright. In other words, don't sue!
Chapter One: A Serious Question
Dr. Emil Hamilton didn't really have a good day today. After one of his buffoon students had spilled a rather caustic acid on his desk (he couldn't quite understand how he had managed to make battery acid more acidic) and left a hole in his classroom desk, he had to return to his personal office (a room that was barely any bigger than a normal cubicle) to get ready for another tedious meeting the blowhard Dean of Students had "demanded".
Scratch that, Hamilton was having a terrible day. One terrible day after another.
Ever since the whole debacle with the Justice League and the revelation that he was the one that supplied Cadmus with Supergirls DNA, he has had a terrible couple of years. He had quietly been reassigned after the Leagues battle with Brainiac, and after being shuffled around he was stuck as a minor professor at the Central City Community College teaching physical science to members of the community who were more often than not a bunch of muscle-headed rejects. He was removed from his cushy job at STAR Labs, and now he wasn't even allowed to be within a ten mile radius of the Lab he had once led the research at. He was once a leader in the scientific community, and now Emil Hamilton was little more than a pauper.
The office door squeaked open and shut quietly as Professor Hamilton overlooked his unimportant paperwork, snapping him out of his self-deprication. Immediately, Hamilton grew far more annoyed. If it was the childish young man who melted a part of his class desk desk, it would certainly be a far more annoying day than it was already turning out to be. Without looking up from his paperwork, Hamilton simply turned towards his computer, his back to the student.
"My office hours are not until later, Mr. Gardner. I'm sure you already know this from the agenda you were supposed to read last month," Hamilton said, his annoyance obvious.
"Well now, it's a good thing that I'm not a student of yours, Professor Hamilton," came the gravelly, rough voice that he was already acquainted with. The hair on Hamiltons' neck stood on end as he slowly turned around. As he did, the blue-clad, faceless figure stood on the other side of his desk stared back at him like a demon from the depths of Hades.
"Professor Hamilton. Been a while. Been busy the last couple of months?" came his voice again, the deep scratching dripping with sarcasm.
"Hello, Question. I didn't think of you as being someone who made house calls," Hamilton replied coldly, ignoring the hard beating of his own heart and trying desperately not to show that his throat was as dry as Death Valley.
"No, I'm making no house call. I'm doing some clean up duty. After all, cloning is such a messy business. Don't you agree, Professor," Question responded just as coldly, this time with an obvious inference. Immediately Hamilton began thinking of his own questions. Did this paranoid superhero think that he was still working for Cadmus?
"I assume you are referring to Galatea. Unfortunately, I don't know where the league is holding her, if she is even alive at this point," Hamilton replied, his mind swimming. He had not thought of Galatea since she had disappeared. It was strange. He knew that she was a clone, but in the time that she had vanished his emotions would tear at him for months. Eventually, they began to fade, but they were still there.
Questions mention of the young woman who had called him "Daddy" made that pain well up fresh and red. he choked down the emotion with the same ruthlessness he had before, then with renewed vigor glared into the hated face of the man who was in front of him.
"With your distinguished record, I should believe you, hmm? Have you been following the news, are are you simply going to play dumb with me?" The Question said, his voice seemingly drawing the warmth out of the air. Hamilton simply stared, unable to make heads or tails of what was just said. To be entirely truthful, he hadn't been following the news. Every day he read the newspaper, he read of the wonderful, glorious thing that any League member did during that time. It made him sick, so he had stopped following the news.
"Two weeks ago, a robbery in Metropolis was going sour fast. Among those who were in the bank included noted reporters Lois Lane and Clark Kent, as well as a small class of severely handicapped students who were there to learn how to do basic finances. Their teacher was being used as a shield and it looked like the assailants were going to start executing those they have taken hostage. And do you know what happened next?" The Question started, not moving an inch as he began his tale (Hamilton was convinced that the man was not even breathing when he was talking. How did he do that?).
"Just before lead was sure to start flying, something...unusual...happened. There was a blur that someone of Supermans'...or Supergirls'...speed would produce. In a second the confrontation was over. However, the blur stopped and the people within were given an interesting sight. See, it was a young woman who greatly resembled Supergirl, but it couldn't possibly be her. She went to the future and stayed there. Now, what makes this story interesting was the fact that, with a few additions, the costume she wore was nearly identical to that of the clone named Galatea, the very same one you created from the blood of Supergirl."
Hamiltons heart skipped a beat as Question fished out a well placed picture. It looked almost like a professional photographer had taken it (guessing that Clark Kent and Lois Lane were in the building together, most likely with the sniveling little redhead James Olsen), and it was indeed the mirror image of Galatea, with a few additions. She wore the ridiculous costume with the large cleavage window in front and the same short bob. She had a small red cape and wore blue gloves, but the build and the look made Hamilton all but convinced that he was looking at Galatea.
"I-is...is that her?" Hamilton said, the emotion choking him up. He had only worked with the girl for a short time, but...the emotion was there. It was like he was staring at the picture of his own long lost child.
"Hrmm," the Question grunted in response, quickly pocketing the picture and turning away. Hamilton immediately jumped to his feet, trying to ignore the spinning sensation he got from standing up so quickly. The movement obviously caught the Questions attention, because when the room stopped spinning for Hamilton Question was facing him again.
"You didn't answer my question. Is...is that her? Is that...my daughter?" Hamilton managed to choke out as his eyes began to sting. Question just turned around again.
"No. Your reaction told me enough. But if you do have something to do with this new clone of Kara, I will finish was I started," Question said over his shoulder before opening the door and leaving, leaving Emil Hamilton alone in his office.
In the silence left by Questions wake, Emil Hamiltons eyes slowly and silently spilled over.
- - - - - - - - - -
As Question made his way through the long, isolated corridors of the Watchtower, he stewed over what he just learned. If what Hamilton said was true (his instincts told him that Hamilton was telling the truth, but there was no guarantee that they weren't involved) then this new look-alike wasn't another clone, or Galatea somehow running amok away from her strong confines on the Lantern home planet of Oa (Apparently, John Stewart held quite a bit of sway on the planet with their so-called "Guardians." Must note that. Possible connection between Illuminati and Guardians?).
So who was this new "hero"? There were some interesting leads that had popped up during his questioning of several people who were at one time high ranking members of Cadmus. All of them corroborated Hamiltons story: This was not some second Galatea that had been released upon the world to give heroes a bad name. Hell, so far this Supergirl copy had done a lot of good. The bank robbery in Metropolis had been thwarted, there were at least two bridge collapses that had been prevented, and there have been reports of at least three muggings disrupted within ten minutes.
Was she a clone created by the Shadowpact (the part of the Illuminati that was responsible for the separation of human DNA to develop Homo Magi and control the Earth using magic)? Well, having a free agent hero would work to begin with, but then people will start asking questions. Questions that they wouldn't want to bring up right now.
As Question moved passed the green haired Brazilian woman and her white haired friend (possible lesbian entanglements? Didn't the Brazilian have a on again/off again relationship with the Flash? Is their friendship a possible setup for them to use against the League?), another thought began to loom.
What if this new superhero was indeed Supergirl, but not necessarily the one he knew. There were at least two other universes out there: One he had read about that involved characters that he was somewhat familiar with because of his own childhood, the other the universe that the Justice Lords came from. In one case, the heroes were remnants kept for over forty years in the mind of a deranged mutant. In the other, the seven original members of the League had managed to take over the entire world. It was as if no one in the other universe had put up a fight...
The Question is stopped cold by the thought. Even as other heroes walk past him in the hallway (one, a man in black and yellow and wearing an hourglass around his neck, had run into Question) Questions mind now begins to race.
In an instant, his pace quickens. Before he is even aware of the change of scenery, he is back in his small quarters in the Watchtower and he has begun to furiously type away at his small laptop. If this theory proves right, there well may be more to this whole situation to be dealt with.
Hopefully, he caught it before they did.
- - - - - - - - - -
Billy Batson was a sucker, that's for certain. He had been played like a fool and simply tossed aside, that much is for certain.
It had been nearly a week ago. Billy, hot on the heels of his 15th birthday, had a lot to smile about. After all, he had just gotten a position at the local radio station in Fawcett City and was dying to celebrate. So he had decided to meet up with his old buddy Freddy Freeman at the town park and wander about town. After that they were going to meet Billys' sister Mary at her parents home (Billy never did get the full story from Marys' parents, but supposedly they were separated before she was adopted) and, well, it didn't get much farther than that.
As Billy was walking towards the park, he heard someone call for help. Instinctively, Billy opened his mouth to speak his magic word to become a superhero, but as his eyes drew towards the the source: a younger man, maybe in his twenties, looking pitifully at an older couple walking by. After stopping for a second, Billy fished into his pants and pulled out a crumpled $10 bill. It was all he had on him at the time, but it would be the right thing to do. It was only when the another person came running down the street and barreled into Billy did that day go bad.
There was no ill content from the man who ran into him. He was just out for a jog. However, the man was running at such a speed that he knocked over the smaller 14 year old. Billy went head-first into a park bench and saw red. He woke up about half an hour later, his head swimming and heavy.
What made the whole situation worse was the fact that his wallet, which contained several important pieces of information about himself (things like his Social Security card, his school ID, and most of his stipend money granted from the orphanage which totaled about $217 dollars). Over the next several days, he was going to the various agencies to ensure that there was no use of his personal information to open up any credit cards, plus at least two visit to the house doctor to ensure that Billy didn't have any serious problems (the doctor for the orphanage, a woman named Beauticia Sivana, also gave him a large berating over keeping such important paperwork on him, let alone in his wallet). After a week of worrying, there were now two credit card applications under his name and the police were closing in on whoever it was that stole Billys stuff
On Billys' 15th birthday, they caught the person doing it. It turns out that the young man didn't have anything to do with his wallet going missing. It was actually the older man that was going for a jog that stole Billys wallet and tried to get two credit cards under Billys' name.
Now there was some ill content for the man who ran into him.
This was not a great week for one Billy Batson, especially since he decided to keep his alter ego, Captain Marvel, in the stable for the time being. There were times that he missed flying up to the clouds or saving people, but that was before he joined the Justice League. He had been the proverbial kid in a candy store. after what had happened to him in the League, he was trying to avoid the lifestyle for the time being. After all, his life was complicated as it is. He was an orphan, living in the Fawcett City Orphanage with at least seven other 14 year olds (well, 15 now). His good behavior earned him the privilege of living in his own small cabin (The C.C. Beck cabin, in his case) on the property. A lot of his fellows grumbled and groaned at this, but he earned it, dammit!
As these thoughts ran through his head, he didn't register the small drops of water falling from the black clouds above. He got to the protective overhang of his cabin just as the rain became heavy. It was strange to him that he was thinking about these things today. But, it was his birthday, and he often thought about what he had on this very day. Hell, it was probably because of his ability to see the good in all things that the wizard gave him the power to become Captain Marvel. To be a hero, just like Superma-
Immediately, Billys' thoughts stop. He had finished fishing his keys out of his pocket when he looked at the door. Although the damage wasn't obvious, just by looking at the door Billy could tell that it had been forced open. The silent alarm he developed since becoming a hero was going off and it said that someone had broken in and tried not to make it obvious he did. Outwardly, Billy acted as if he didn't notice anything, sliding his key into the lock and pulling the door open. As he walked into the dark cabin, his eyes strained for any clue as to who had broken in. After not seeing anything, he quietly put down his book bag and moved closer to the light switch, convinced it may have been on of the other children (probably that creep Adam). As his hand reached for the light switch, there was a soft shuffling near where his couch would be. Billy immediately flipped the switch and took a breath as he readied himself for some kind of fight. As the light washed over the small main room, his eyes caught a scene that he hadn't at all expected.
As his forward facing couch was a young woman lying face down on his couch, her blond hair short and messy around her face as she fitfully shifted in her place. She was wearing a white unitard and a small red cape that was held on by a loose golden chain. Her hands were covered with dark blue gloves and she wore corresponding boots. But what threw Billy off most about this woman was the fact that, despite the uniform and short hair, the woman now lying on his couch was a carbon copy of Supergirl.
Where had he seen a costume like that? As Billy wracked his mind, the woman on his couch stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She seemed unfocused at first, slowly rising up from her position, but as soon as the fog of sleep cleared her eyes were locked on Billy. She immediately got up, her cape swaying in the quick movement.
"Billy? Is...is that you?" the woman said quietly, her voice betraying a surprise that was unclear to Billy.
"Listen, lady, I don't know who you are. I could get in real trouble if your seen here," Billy said, trying to talk forcefully. However, it was hard to do that when his face began to feel red-hot and his eyes were averted. Because of the position the woman slept in, he couldn't see that there was a huge hole in her unitard, showcasing much of her ample bosom. His eyes still averted (He won't stare, he won't stare, he won't stare). Billy moved closer to the door and slowly opened it.
"Billy, don't you remember me? It's me, Kara," the woman said, slowly making her way towards Billy. Her voice was cracking, like she was ready to cry. A quick glance up on Billys' part (his face burning bright as his eyes ghosted the opening) showed his guess to be right. This woman was looked like she was ready to start spilling over. Suddenly, the woman gives a harsh, sarcastic laugh.
"Of course you wouldn't know about...us. It wasn't this Billy, it was the other Billy. God, this stuff is confusing," the woman muttered to herself bitterly. Her eyes were downcast as she moved closer to Billy.
"I..I'm warning you, you wannabe Supergirl! I can defend myself," Billy declared, taking in a breath as he readied himself for his magic word "Shaz-"
In an instant, things got weird (well, weirder at any rate) for one Billy Batson. He was ready to call upon the wizard s magic to transform himself into Captain Marvel so that he could take care of the crazy woman in his cabin, but in a blur of movement he was enveloped in white and blue as the woman moved at a speed that had to be on par with the real Supergirl. What was the most surprising was how this woman had silenced him.
Her lips were tightly pressed against his in a passionate kiss. His face went scarlet as the woman pulled away, her eyes sharp and focused. She cracked a small smile and released Billy from her embrace, then spoke.
"Sorry about that, Billy, but I needed that. I have one hell of a story to tell you, but I have two simple requests from you as you listen. One: Stay quiet. This is going to be really confusing and I need to explain. Two: Don't call me Supergirl. Call me Power Girl."
- - - - - - - - - -
AN: This story has been beating against my head for nearly three months now. I apologize to my normal readers now, because I have been on a long hiatus when it comes to most of my stories. I apologize for that, but I really haven't been feeling it much.
However, about three months ago this began bouncing around in my head and now I'm actually able to say that I am no longer on hiatus. Expect some more stories (including the continuation of LOTP and SS), most likely on a monthly basis for the foreseeable future. I'll get back into contact with my normal Beta and hopefully get started sending her stuff again (if there are any issues, I'm sorry for not contacting her sooner and getting a beta'd version of this story). So, for the time being, enjoy the beginning of a JLU story that I hope will be entertaining for anyone who reads it. Make sure to read and, preferably, review to let me know what I'm doing right (and specifically what's wrong so I can fix it).
Again I apologize, but the writers block is gone and tokara2132's back, Baby!
Incidentally, I do have an original story on my own website. The link is in my information, if anyones interested...
