Welcome to another installment from the genius that is Luke Bones. My OC characters are the main focus, with the best action, emotion, and unfortunately the small bit of romance I'm forced to include, that I can offer. I love writing superheroes!
Read, Review, and Flame On!
As our story begins, let us observe the scene; Gotham City, Coral Ave.; Artemis, dressed as civilian, knocked to the ground with blood pouring from her nose; A second girl, also of the same age, stands over her, the fallen archer's blood on her fist; And the rest of Young Justice staring with gaping mouths.
Looking back on it, there would be different stories as to who was to blame. Wally would say it was Artemis who started it. Artemis would say it was Talia. But if you want my opinion, I say blame Batman.
Thirty minutes earlier…
"As you know, the Justice League monitors all metahuman activity available to us." The dark knight was briefing the new team, six former sidekicks-turned-independent heroes. He observed their faces. All were anxious to see their new assignment. All had come quite far to get here. Sometimes it surprised him just how far they went to show their worth.
"Recently, we have observed three minors with certain… abilities." He paused for emphasis, showing no emotion. "The League has agreed it would be best to initiate them onto this team for further training."
"Wait," asked Robin, "Then why aren't they here?"
Batman threw a look to Red Tornado. "We have decided after the problems you had when Artemis first joined, that you should have a say in who becomes a part of the team." He paused one more time. "Don't look so surprised."
The looks on their faces would be considered the world's greatest Kodak moment. Wally's eyes were as big as dinner plates, Artemis simply stood there with her mouth open, and Megan's face became three times as cheerful as it had ever been. Only Superboy seemed calm at the idea. Then again, he was either calm or angry at almost everything.
"Who exactly are we supposed to choose from?" asked the kryptonian. Batman typed some code on the keyboard, and an image appeared. It was a teenage boy, African-American; quite tall, with a muscular build and anime-like black hair. His expression was serious, and emotionless. "Grant Edwards, fifteen, highly advanced acrobatic ability, as well as seemingly enchanted weapons." The dark knight heard a scoff behind him at the mention of magic, but he ignored it. "He is the only one who has been acting from a vigilante-position, so he will likely require less teaching than the rest." He typed on the keys a second time.
A second image appeared; a Caucasian boy, perhaps fourteen, with salt-and-pepper hair, a crooked grin, and a mischievous gleam in his violet eye. He was around five foot two, and very lanky. "Ryan Kane, fourteen, capable of absorbing and distributing kinetic energy at will. Well-known for being a conspiracy theorist, but has a registered IQ of 198."
The image changed once more, to a Native-American girl, athletic looking, with short-cut hair, sharp features, and steel eyes. "Talia Jean, fifteen, with heightened senses, strength, and able to agitate dormant animal DNA infused with her own. Homeless, and has managed to allude child services for the past five years."
Batman observed the six youths surrounding him. Though this was clearly a large weight to be put on their shoulders, the dark knight could see their pride swelling a fair amount. He could understand that. The responsibility was just another step to them gaining as much respect as any full leaguer. He looked each in the eye. Robin, Kaldur, Megan… Artemis.
The normally cocky grin of the archer was replaced by a forced smile. It was almost a grimace. Her complexion was a pasty white, and her eyes never left the screen, betraying a mix of emotions. His detective abilities told him of pain, guilt, regret, and… recognition? Batman decided to investigate the situation further, but at the moment other matters were to be taken care of.
"They will be at the teleportation chamber in Gotham City within twenty-five minutes. As we are still entering their identification in the databanks, you will meet them as civilians at that time. Any problems alert the league immediately. No exceptions." The dark knight turned, leaving the six heroes to contemplate the events.
Gotham City,
Talia Jean didn't live in Gotham. She thrived in it. She would take skyscrapers and alleyways over suburbs or pine trees any day. She had lived here just over five years, moving in after her father passed away. She had somehow managed to slip from the social worker the day of the funeral, and took a railway straight to the city. They were still looking for her; she had managed to resist arrest and the juvenile offices thirteen times since the funeral; six in the past eighteen months alone. As if life on the streets wasn't hard enough. Freezing winters, always feeling hungry at night. Compared to most of the others, she was doing well. She picked as many pockets a day as she could, getting at least fifty bucks a day. Right now her home was an old subway station, abandoned and perfect for her. Here no one would look for her. Not that anyone wanted to. She wasn't a trusting person by nature. Only one friend had been around during her life at Gotham, and AC was long gone.
The gangs were the reason Talia was closed off. AC had gone out with a friend to grab a book for English class (Talia never told her she was on the street) and the next morning Talia saw the friend's body on the news, taken out in gang-war crossfire. AC never turned up, dead or alive. She was assumed dead by anyone who knew she was there. That was almost three years ago. Since then, Talia had taken up resentment on the entire world, specifically the heroes that didn't save her. Batman had taken out insane psychopaths, but never seemed to think of stopping the stupid kids with pistols in their hands. Muggers, drug-dealers, gang members, all under the police jurisdiction. And they did not do such a good job. In her opinion, the superheroes were pointless to the normal person; which was why she was cursing herself under her breath, walking at a furious pace to meet up with the exact hero she felt so much indifference for.
It had started the previous day, down in the sub station. She was working on the electrical wiring and ignoring the fact that she knew nothing about what she was doing. Then she heard it. A swish of a cape. A puff of breath. Inaudible to humans, but as clear as day to her. Her hearing had gotten exceptionally better since the… incident… a year ago. So she didn't even have to turn around to know it was the big bad Batman who landed in her home. She didn't turn to talk to him.
"What do you want?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.
"You don't seem surprised," he rebuked, no emotion in his words. Talia wiped her hands on her cargo shorts, turning around.
"Had to happen eventually." She stared him down, not at all intimidated by the hero. "The answer is no. I am not gonna join the justice league, sidekick or not. I'd just be saving people who would probably get killed in a gang war tomorrow."
The dark knight's expression did not change. "You have a gift, Talia."
The teen rubbed her forearms absentmindedly, remembering her 'gift'. She chuckled humorlessly. "Gifts you can return." She shot a poisonous look his direction. "Guess the idea of someone refusing the Justice League is a shocker, isn't it? Well… deal with it." She began to walk towards the exit.
"All I ask for is a meeting," Batman told her. "After that, you may go your own way." But she did not slow her pace. So that's how it's going to be, thought Batman. Very well.
"I understand you have been avoiding child services for some time now." Talia stopped dead in her tracks. There was an awkward silence for several seconds, until Batman spoke once more.
"The Green Card Café, Coral St, six tomorrow. Don't be late." And when she turned, he was gone.
Now she was walking towards the most mediocre café in all of Gotham. She knew it well enough. Mr. Gonzalez had chased her out of the kitchens on more than one occasion. Never seeing her face, mind you, but it was enough to make her more apprehensive than she already was. Who exactly was going to be there? Doubtful it would be any heroes in uniform; too much flashy display. Whoever it was, her answer would be the same for all of them. She would not join the justice league.
As she came upon the café, she scanned for any people in the chairs. A lovey-dovey couple in the dead-center, a few passersby, and some embarrassing tourist kid a few feet from her. She took the nearest seat, and checked the wall clock inside the shop. Still ten minutes until six, so ten minutes until she shipped out. She took another glance around, and saw the tourist walking directly towards her. He pulled up a chair and sat down across from her. She could see his face a bit better, strong features, a splatter of freckles from the sun exposure. Dark against the tan-pale surface, like the salt-and-pepper hair. An expensive set of headphones hung around his neck.
"Can I help you?" she asked, completely aware of her snarky tone.
He grinned, a crooked mischievous grin. "Ever try and just make random conversations with strangers?" He paused, "No? Well, let's start. Ryan Kane." He set out his hand.
Talia rolled her eyes. "Girl currently leaving." She got up to walk away, but stopped mid-turn. Her ears twitched. She could smell ozone. Without warning, she yelled "Get down!" and grabbed Ryan's shoulders, pulling him to the concrete. A flash and a mechanical whirr, and Talia turned. The young couple behind her was completely encased in ice, along with the table she was just sitting at.
"It feels good to cause a little mayhem," a gravelly voice said. Standing, Talia could see what looked like a blue ice sculpture in a steel space suit. She groaned.
Mr. Freeze.
She looked down at the kid she had just rescued, only to see him high-tailing it for an alleyway. Leaving her to deal with the evil cold-hearted, cold-minded, cold-everything supervillain alone. Or run for the hills like the other dude. Yeah, she liked that idea. She turned to leave, only to have her escape cut off by a wall of ice. She still held her ground, but could hear him talking behind her.
"I don't think so, my dear." Talia turned around to look him in the eye. She could see no mercy in those eyes, no hate, not even happiness. He would have nothing to stop him from encasing her in ice short of a miracle. So, she would just have to fight her way out. But, as is their nature, a miracle managed to happen in the most unexpected way.
Talia heard a whoosh of something slicing the air, then the clank of it imbedding in Freeze's armor. Her head shot to where the object came from, and knew the iceman did the same. She saw a black cape, and her hopes rose for Batman. But then she saw the stature of the figure. It was tall, and definitely male, but thinner, younger, agile. The suit was black, with red boots, red trim, and a huge emblazed letter A on the chest. The cape had a helm, and his anime-hair was so red it looked painted on. But the mask was the most unnerving. It looked like it was made of polished obsidian, smooth and featureless, covering his whole face. Two blood-red eye spots were the only things breaking the surface.
Freeze was unimpressed. "I was expecting the Batman. Care to introduce yourself?"
The strange figure did not move. "Ace," Talia heard from his direction. Freeze was unimpressed.
"I believe you are out of your league. Allow me to prove it to you." He lifted his arm, only to have Ace lob another projectile at him. It bounced off, only making Freeze angrier. Talia saw the thing as it landed on the ground. It looked metal, as red as blood, and shaped like a heart. The point at the end was wicked sharp, and the two edges seemed like blades. It looked oddly ornate, engraved with swirls and designs. Kind of pretty, Talia thought, and then remembered where she was.
"You believe you will save this girl," Mr. Freeze spoke, "But of course, I cannot allow you to do that." He reached over to Talia. Crabbing her by her shirt collar and lifting her high. She kicked and struggled pointlessly. His suit was just too strong. "One more life to know you failed to save." He pointed his cannon at her, preparing to blast her to kingdom come.
A crash was heard, inside the shop. Freeze turned his head, and was knocked back into the opposite building, dropping his hostage and imbedding in the brick. Talia fell to the hard concrete. She rubbed her head, looking at the shop window. It was completely shattered, leaving no glass. She could see a figure running towards her, and then it- he- jumped out the empty window. She saw a slightly short, teenage guy, wearing ski goggles, under-armor shirt and shorts, and a bandanna around his mouth. But Talia could smell something about him, literally. She looked him over, trying to see the similarity. Then her eyes fell on the black-blonde hair. It hit her like a ton of bricks.
"You're the idiot I saved ten minutes ago!" she yelled. He turned to her.
"Glad you remembered," he said. "Whatever reason Freeze is trying to off you, I suggest you run away about now." There was an under layer of humor in his voice, but she could tell the seriousness of his tone. She wasn't going to listen, but it was refreshing to see someone caring.
The black-clad Ace leapt from the building, landing in a crouch right next to the two of them. "Keep out of trouble," he said to Talia. Then he turned to Ryan.
"I take the left, you head right," Ryan told him. They nodded to each other and ran to the supervillain. Talia slowly got up, watching the battle unfold. Her fight-or-flight reflex was put off to see how exactly they planned to take down Mr. Freeze.
By now Mr. Freeze had dislodged from the wall, and was thoroughly mad. The two young heroes circled him. Ryan picked up something off the ground. Probably what he threw at Freeze, Talia thought. It looked like a hammer- a Viking war hammer, like what Thor would have used. Made of stone, it was basically an ornate block on a leather covered hammer. It also held a little secret only Ryan knew about. Ace, meanwhile, seemed to have grabbed a weapon out of mid-air. A long, thin, double edged sword. The blade was long and narrow, as black as pitch. The hilt was also black, and abnormally large. It seemed to curve up and in on the blade, forming the outline of an upside-down heart. That combined with the rest, the sword resembled a spade- a playing card spade. Fitting, considering his name.
Freeze glared at the two. "You amuse me, children. But I have a debt to repay." And on cue he shot a blast of ice towards Ryan. He jumped up blindingly fast, landing foot first on the iceman. A violet shockwave came out of his feet, and Freeze was knocked back again. Ace charged him, upper cutting with his sword. It cut cleanly through Freeze's armor, but it didn't seem to faze him. The villain blasted another freeze ray at Ace. With a quick flash of red light, a blood-red, diamond-shaped shield appeared on his arm, seemingly out of nowhere. The blast hit the shield, sparing Ace but attaching the shield to the ground; and Ace along with it.
Ryan ran up to Freeze, hammer in hand. He swung hard at the villain. Freeze caught it in one hand. The look on the youth's face was of pure astonishment. Freeze grabbed him by the shirt, and generated a band of ice around his middle, attaching him to a light pole. He struggled, banged his head behind him, all to no avail. With the two out of the way, the villain turned slowly to Talia.
"Whatever reason the League wants you, my dear," he said grimly, "I'm afraid it means I have to kill you." Talia turned to run, but Freeze was too fast. A blast from his palm, and Talia was frozen solid.
Freeze smiled to himself. "Too easy," he said. But as he turned, he heard a crack. Then another. He turned back to Talia. Spider web fractures appeared all over the ice. Then chunks began to fall off. And in one fail moment, Talia completely broke out of her icy prison. She turned to Mr. Freeze. Her eyes were filled with a burning fury. Her face was that of pure rage. She finally spoke.
"You just made a big mistake."
She got into a fighting stance. Then, she began to change. Steel grey fur began to grow out of her skin. Her fingernails became black, growing out several inches into claws. Her face elongated, becoming more animal. The fur around her eyes was black, making her appear to have a mask. Eventually the transformation was complete. The same look of fury could be seen in her eyes. Claws outstretched, she leapt at Freeze.
Mt. Justice
Back at base, the six heroes were preparing to meet the possible recruits. As Wally could go past the speed of sound, he was left waiting patiently while the rest of his friends finished. And patience was not something Wally was good at. He paced, he twiddled his thumbs, and was currently trying to stay in one place on the sofa. He was practically vibrating from the strain. The speedster was almost relieved when he saw Artemis coming towards him. He still hated her, but at least the banter would take his mind off the wait. He braced himself for whatever smart-aleck comment she had… and was greatly disappointed.
Artemis passed him by without as much as an overconfident smirk. Her head was low, avoiding Wally's gaze. She seemed more nervous than anxious, like she was dreading to meet the new kids. She had been out of sorts ever since the briefing. The girl was radiating depression as if she had seen a ghost.
And Wally couldn't stand it.
Where was the well of sarcasm he had come to know and hate? Where was the girl who argued with him on every detail of his behavior? It wasn't that he cared about Artemis; of course not. But he was not going to have her being all grim and tired when the team met the new guys. Putting off all negative thoughts he had about her, Wally spoke up.
"Hey, Artemis," he began, "You feeling alright?"
The archer lifted her head lazily. "Yeah, Wally. Just tired." She faked a smile.
Wally frowned in response. "You were fine this morning, and now you won't even insult me properly. Come on, where's the sarcastic know-it-all you usually are?" Artemis just rested her head in her palms. Wally would have pursued, but the rest of the team chose that moment to walk in, dressed for civilian work. Kaldur told them it was time to enter the transporter, and the speedster nearly broke the sound barrier to get there. His patience was already down to the wire.
As Robin typed the code to get them to Gotham, he considered the three they were meant to evaluate. The powers were promising, obviously, but only one had any experience as a crime fighter. There was no way they would be up to their level in anything, combating included. But another thing was itching in the back of his mind. Why would his mentor have them judge heroes? More freedom, always a possibility, but there had to be another reason. And whatever that reason, he would figure it out.