-Julia Corona-
It's been twenty years since the Justice League disappeared. Twenty years, three months and six days. Corona counted. She sighed as she looked out the window, where some wild-looking teen tried in vain to attract people to his podium, where he promised a 'better tomorrow'.
Let's see what he's all about, Julia thought, as she walked downstairs to leave the house. Her mother called out from the kitchen.
"Dónde vas?" She asked.
"I just want to take a walk." Julia replied, exiting the house before more questions could be asked.
The stranger continued shouting. "Please? Anybody?"
Julia walked up to him curiously. "What's this all about?"
"Finally. I'm Lucas. Lucas Smith" Lucas reached out a hand for her to shake. His grip was firm. "Look, I've been working on this thing, and it awakens hidden metagenes. Many of us have the genes, but I need a test subject. A human test subject. You willing?"
Julia smiled. "That sounds awesome. Why isn't anybody volunteering?"
"I don't know, maybe because a black teenager in the middle of the street offering to jab a needle in you sounds really safe?"
"You're certainly blunt."
Lucas smiled.
"Why haven't you gone to, like, the government or something with this?"
"Are you kidding me? They'll use it for warfare and dominate every other country. This is a weapon, alright? This cannot fall into their hands."
Julia cocked her head. "So you're trusting strangers on the streets to do better."
Lucas looked down and tightened his lips. "You're certainly blunt."
Julia smiled.
Lucas crossed his arms. "What do you propose I do, then?"
"We can start looking at people, finding if they're trustworthy enough to be a hero."
"Is that our call to make?"
"It's your tech. You were willing to use it on strangers just seconds ago."
"You made me second-guess myself."
"Why do you trust me, Lucas?" Julia asked.
"You seem like a nice person." Lucas replied. "Let's go to my lab. A metagene awakening might be too attention-grabbing, now that I think about it."
"Let's go, then."
Lucas held up a watch. "Teleportation device. Sweet, no?"
Holding her hand, he spoke into his watch. "Back to base."
Contraptions and complicated machinery popped up around Julia as she realized she was now in Lucas' laboratory. Copper wires hung from the mismatched tiles above. It was an unorganized looking place, but it felt like a second home.
"Are you ready for the serum, Julia?" Lucas asked excitedly.
I never told him my name, she realized as Lucas poked her with the needle.
Heat began expanding from her gut as she gasped in pain.
"Oh, damn." Lucas muttered as Julia lay on the floor, gurgling up froth.
Lucas went into another room filled with vials and bottles. He picked one up, grabbed a pill and went back to the room where Julia was standing, bolts of lightning surrounding her.
"Another rousing success!" Lucas exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air.
Julia was too amazed to say anything.
"Where have you been?" Sofia Corona asked Julia, sitting at the dinner table.
"Out."
"You went somewhere with that boy. Where?" Sofia demanded to know, slamming her glass down on the table.
"Mum. You've been drinking. Calm down."
"No!" Sofia threw the glass to the ground, but in the blink of an eye, Julia rushed forward and grabbed it, putting it back on the table.
"Julia?" Sofia asked softly as she realized the glass was back on the table and a breeze had blown through. "Pack your bags. This place is haunted."
"No, no, mama. It was just your imagination." Julia carried the wine glass away and helped her mother up. "Go to bed."
Lucas paced his lab, a vial in his trembling hand. "Why doesn't… Why doesn't it work?!"
An empty syringe lay dejectedly on the floor, the glass broken and sharp.
"Mr. Smith?" A young scientist, pale and blonde, came out of the back room. "The portal is being reopened. They're coming back."
Lucas cursed. "Find more people. We need a resistance."
The scientist stuttered. "N-now?"
"NOW!" Lucas yelled.
The scientist nodded and disappeared, having turned invisible.
"Too early… Too early…" Lucas muttered. I hadn't counted on… DAMN IT!"
Lucas punched a computer and it flew off the table, crashing into the wall across the room.
"Well, that's a start." Lucas smiled.
A/N
Hey, so this is the first chapter. I'd like some suggestions, so feel free to suggest your OCs- backstories, names, powers, as much info as possible so I can integrate them into the story.