Prologue
Sometime in the Distant Future
Mrs. Gordon desperately attempted to corral all of the students in her third grade class as they wreaked havoc on the museum.
"Randy, keep your voice down; we're inside. Billy don't touch that! Clair, stop bothering that man."
To say that she hated the annual field trip to the Metropolis Museum of History is an understatement. That said, being a five year veteran of the trip, she knew exactly what would instantly calm her raucous students.
"C'mon, boys and girls, follow me; this is the best part of the trip." The children's curiosity grew as they momentarily calmed, following their teacher. "Here it is."
The fidgety students immediately silenced as a large shadow engulfed the entire class. The children had to crane their necks back as far as they could in order to see the Herculean effigies of the original seven founding members of the illustrious Justice League. The statues proved to be the mainstay of the museum since their construction seven years ago, after the retirement of the last of the original Leaguers. Tourists from all over the world traveled to Metropolis to see the grandeur of the stone reincarnation of the world's most significant heroes.
Superman, the leader, stood foremost, arms set stoically on his hips. Behind him to the right stood Batman, Hawkgirl, and the Flash. To his left stood Wonder Woman, the Martian Manhunter, and the Green Lantern. At the foot of each Leaguer sat a small red, interactive button. When pressed a prerecorded narrative about the corresponding hero played for all in the exhibit to hear; it spoke of their greatest feats and accomplishments. Naturally, the children pressed every button and sat on the floor listening to the most exciting history lesson they've ever had. Mrs. Gordon spent the time sprawled out on a nearby bench, finally getting to sip her morning coffee whilst listening to seven narratives that she could restate exactly, word for word.
Much to her chagrin, the students returned to her after only six.
"What's wrong, kids?"
Randy stood up, acting as a representative for his fellow classmates.
"Nothing, we're done, we listened to them all."
"No you didn't you forgot to listen to Batman."
"We don't want to." He demonstratively crossed his arms.
"Why not?"
The boy hesitated.
"He's scary."
"Oh Randy, he may be scary on the outside, but what have I taught you about judging a book by its cover?"
"Don't judge anyone by the way they look, because you will never get to know the real person underneath." He restated the lesson as he'd done many times in class.
"Right." She smiled, taking his hand and leading him to Batman's statue. "Batman only acted mean and scary so that his enemies would fear him. And although he may have come across as a cold hearted person, I happen to know that he was actually a very caring man who would do anything for the people close to him, but he would never let anyone know that."
"How do you know that?"
Mrs. Gordon looked up to the statue of the man that her mother had told her so many stories about; she almost felt like she knew him personally.
"Because I'm a teacher, I know everything."
She pressed the button at Batman's feet and sat on the floor with the children, listening to stories she's heard countless times before.