Warped Justice

Young Diana rolled past in her carriage, examining the different kinds of people that passed her by. She was tired of sitting in her large palace room all day every day and requested especially that she be taken out. She'd hoped for more of a walk around town as opposed to as ride in a carriage but it seemed like enough, for now. She saw young Bruce moving in a similar carriage; he was far from royalty however. He seemed to have it all, billions to call his own and anything a young boy of his age may need. But he never seemed happy, not once; she'd never even seen him crack a smile. She wasn't quite sure why but somehow she liked it, looking into his cold and unforgiving eyes she got a faint sense of warmth from him. She wondered if perhaps he wasn't the heartless brute he painted himself as. If he wasn't he'd done a very good job of hiding it. As his carriage strode past and he hid his stealthy but blatant gaze towards her she caught sight of Hal. A somewhat charming young boy who fancied himself an inventor. Always crafting this or sculpting that, he had quite the imagination, or at least he liked to think so. His works and ideas were never particularly pleasant; they were always about function rather than fashion. But that was what amazed her; he undertook all these tasks and projects that should be left to a more creative mind, and then makes them his own. People were jealous of his skills; there are always those who envy others with the skills to create what would daunt the ordinary man. He never let it faze him though, as long as he could build a statue or chisel a masterpiece he would always get it done, though that lantern he built never did work.

She saw him working as he was overlooked by Barry, he was the town's local sprinter. Athletic was an understatement. He always seemed to have the jitters about something, he could never stand still. It seemed for him that the world around him spun in slow motion, and the only way one such person could cope would be to run around constantly, he always needed to be busy; multitasking was his strong point. He seemed like the happy type but Diana was never convinced. He often reminded her of Bruce, a very grounded individual who hid behind a murky past. Barry would never stand still long enough to let reality catch up to him, as soon as he remembers something he had to do, whether he was excited for it or not he would always be off in a flash. Whatever his problem he seemed quite excitable just about anywhere except the water, that was Arthurs domain. It is actually jaw dropping the amount of time he spends swimming at the coast on the edge of town. Diana lost count of the amount of times she'd seen him tearing through the waves and stroking sea creatures fearlessly, almost as if he was one with them. They seemed to like him as much as he did them. The sea was always like a second home to him, she wondered sometimes if perhaps it was. He called himself king of the seas, she did occasionally wonder if maybe somewhere beneath those ever long waves rested a second place for him to call home.

Diana shook her head at the silly notion, and then she saw John. Her heart sank at the thought of him. He always seemed so alone, others were alone of course but for him it was so different. It always seemed like he'd lost his way, like he's given up on life and was only here because he had no other real options. She wasn't even sure he had family he was alone so often. She wasn't sure why but somehow she could tell that misery wasn't all there was to him, he was an extraordinary individual and she hoped that one day she'd get the chance to find out just how astonishing he was. It was then that she saw the last boy, one who seemed just as intriguing as everyone else but somehow more so. His tall and commanding figure made him somehow seem to stand above everyone else. Diana didn't necessarily believe in superiority but for him she made an exception. He stood where no other dared, atop his house with the biggest of grins. On his back he donned an enormous scarlet cape, odd as it's usually the custom of royalty to wear such garments. It fluttered in the wind as he tried his hardest to keep his balance. It was dangerous but he didn't seem to care. Diana's brow furrowed as she tried to recall his name, what was it? Karl? Colin? Mark? She couldn't for the life of her remember but she continued to stare in awe as she heard the booming voice of a lady at least 20 years his senior. "Clark!" the voice yelled as he responded immediately with a descent. This seemed to be the true danger however, as he turned to descend he soon lost his grip and found himself falling, followed by a sharp crunch.

Everything went silent as adults and children alike ran towards him, Barry, Hal, Arthur, even Bruce and John ran at full speed. Diana's pulse steadied as she was greeted by the sight of Clark rising to his feet once more 'I'm fine, don't worry about me, I'm super!' he yelled in objection of all those running to his aid. 'Hah, you sure are' Diana chuckled to herself as she watched them; she'd of given anything to be a part of that group. To break free from her duties as a princess, even if for just one day and be an ordinary person with no real responsibilities. That was when it hit her, why couldn't she? She was smart and crafty enough to pick past her carriages lock, she even did it once before but didn't leave for fear of being caught. Yes… she tinkered tirelessly with the mechanism before her as she was soon greeted by the familiar click of a reversed lock. "Uh oh" she thought as she looked through the corner of her eye to see if either of her guards had responded to the sound she had caused. It didn't take long for her to act upon realizing they were on to her. Jumping out of the door and slamming it shut once more Diana sprinted towards the group of children ahead of her, all gathered around a cocky and confident Clark who was trying his hardest to downplay any embarrassment he felt over his fall. 'It was nothing, I've survived far worse' he said as Bruce interrupted 'That's not funny'. 'You don't find anything funny do you?' replied Clark as he felt his wrist being tugged beyond his control, along with Bruce's.

'Come with me!' Diana yelled as she lead the two of them on, the other four soon followed, Barry in particular was jumping at the prospect of a race. 'Princess Diana, you get back here now!' a voice in the distance yelled, followed by another shouting 'Master Bruce!' and one more, 'Clark!' as they continued to run. 'What, don't I get a worried scream?' inquired Barry. 'Maybe once you beat a bear in an arm wrestle like I did last week you'll get more appreciation' replied Clark. 'You didn't-' began Barry as he was cut off by Bruce. 'This isn't the time for jokes Clark, this is the time for running, remind me why are we're running again?' asked Bruce. 'Because I said so! You got a problem?' asked Diana. 'No I'm alright' mumbled everyone else, feeling a little intimidated by her commanding presence. Diana knew this wouldn't last for long, she knew that any second now her guards would catch up with her and split them apart, but she didn't care. She just wanted that freedom, that sense of comfort that she had six reliable friends who were on the same wavelength as her. Whether it be Clark with his confidence in his abilities; Bruce with his suspicions of everyone; Barry with his restless heart; Hal with his bizarre sense for creations; Arthur with his aquatic obsessions or John with his reserved composure. Diana got the feeling that the 7 of them would always be friends. It seemed somehow that when their time came to finally be together that they would be an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. They'd be the envy of all and the pillars of truth and friendship. They would be the ultimate team. They would be in a League of their own