Ice-cream buddies
It started with a purple blur.
Flash raced through the streets of Philadelphia, after putting a stop to Captain Cold's robbery in progress of a Philly steak house.
Ahead of him, a streak of purple rushed past him. But nobody was faster than him, except Superman. Nobody he knew of, that is.
Intrigued by this person running at supersonic speeds, Flash dashed after them. But the Scarlet Speedster did not have to run very far. The purple blur had come to a stop at an ice-cream truck, in the form of a young woman, whose purple sleeveless costume and curly black hair made putting an age on her difficult.
"I'll have a chocolate cone!" The young woman ordered with an exuberant smile.
Whatever age she was, the young woman had the right idea, as it was an ideal time for a snack.
"I'll have two cones with a caramel and strawberry scoop.. and chocolate sauce." Barry added. Making sure the creamy treat was sufficiently filling.
With both ice-creams in hand, Barry casually sauntered over to Darla, who was currently engrossed with devouring her ice-cream cone, as if it was the most delectable food in the world. Or worlds. She could be from another world. The thought just occurred to Barry.
"Hey! New superhero in town. You're super fast too." Barry observed, as a way of introducing himself and establishing the super power they shared.
Darla's eyes grew wide from The Flash's sudden appearance, as she frantically wiped a trail of ice-cream on her chin
"I know you! You're on my big brother's lunchbox." Darla exclaimed, feeling excited by the presence of one of Freddy's idols. She couldn't wait to tell him who she met today.
"Lunch...box." Barry repeated slowly, and realized how much he had underestimated the young woman's age.
To Darla, going to school and recently acquiring powers, was simply a fact of life. Which was why she had no problem sharing that particular secret, with a fellow hero.
"Can you keep a secret? I'm not actually a grown up. I just look like one, when I say a magic word." Darla confided to Barry. The revelation of a young girl turning into a superpowered adult, taking Barry aback.
A child with the powers of a super. That would certainly make the Justice League Headquarters a lot more interesting.
"I'm a grown up, too, but I uh... aged the normal way." Barry confessed, making Darla laugh.
"My name is Barry. That can be your secret to keep."
"I'm Darla." Darla replied and shook the hand of her new friend.
Curfew Crusader
Travelling to Gotham City was all Freddy's idea.
What else was he going to use the power of flight for? If not to catch a glimpse of his favourite caped crusader in his element.
Billy and Freddy had chosen the weekend— a day when they were both well rested, to have a stakeout on a rooftop in Gotham. For a chance to witness Batman in action, provided he fought crime before their bedtime.
Armed with cans of Dr. Pepper, packets of Cheetos, a flashlight and a pair of binoculars, the night was going well. Until the boys' bladders were beginning to fill.
"So, where's the nearest bathroom?" Freddy asked the question on both their minds.
"Didn't think of that." Billy replied, in spite of their thorough planning. They were there to make Freddy's dream come true, not to deal with the consequences of drinking too many Dr. Peppers.
The night was still young and they could hold it in, if they tried hard enough. But there was still no sight of Batman. Billy hoped Freddy wouldn't be too disappointed when they returned home. But before Billy could dwell any more on a night that threatened to be fruitless, a gruff voice came from the shadows.
"Superman told me about you. The heroes who fended off a horde of monsters at a carnival."
"It's Batman! He's here!" Freddy cried out, and spun around to face the crime fighter, who had sneaked behind them undetected.
"I know." Billy retorted, like Batman's arrival was no big big deal. He was more of a Superman guy anyway, after the marvellous lunch date they'd had.
"Gotham City is well defended here, but when the time comes we will meet again." Batman told them before firing his grappling hook and disappearing into the night.
"He just invited us to the Justice League! This is unreal!" Freddy's face scrunched with delight, hardly believing what had happened.
But Billy could believe it.
They may fight amongst the Justice League, if they were needed in the far future. But for now, Billy smiled as he watched Freddy enjoying the moment he'd waited for such a long time.
A League of His Own
"Silver Banshee has wiped out two police squads and is suspected to be heading towards the Metropolis History Museum." Batman informed the members of the Justice League— Cyborg, Wonder Woman and their newest addition, Shazam.
"Her sonic screams have been particularly effective against Superman, which is why had Alfred make these." Batman continued, as Alfred went around the table giving each member an ear piece
"Regular ear plugs? If she took down Superman, what chance do we have?" Shazam questioned Batman's plan. Though he was new at this superhero gig, it didn't take a genius to realize that Earthly tech would be near useless, if the Banshee's screams took down an alien from Krypton.
"Not ear plugs. Modified ear pieces to communicate with each other and nullify the specific frequency of her screams."
"And if it all goes haywire, I'll be here to serve wine, so you can lament your defeat with a drink." Alfred piped up sarcastically, giving Shazam food for thought.
"Alfred, is wine as disgusting as beer?" Billy asked, recalling the night when first tasted beer; a bile tasting liquid that should solely be reserved for adults.
"To the unsophisticated palate, wine would be as 'disgusting' as beer." Alfred remarked, giving Billy the answer he was looking for.
"Yeah... I'm going to skip out on the wine, thanks."
—
On their way towards the Flying Fox in Bruce Wayne's hangar, Shazam jogged after Wonder Woman, hoping for a chat with his fierce new teammate before the mission.
"Hey... uh, you know how we both have magic powers? Are we immune to the ghost lady's scream if the ear piece falls out? 'Cuz I don't want to die, obviously." Billy rambled, feeling nervous about the mission ahead.
With a family of super siblings by his side, Billy and the others were an unstoppable unit. But this was different. The Justice League were seasoned warriors. Ready to defend the world. What if he wasn't ready for this?
"I do not know. But you are safe with us, Billy. I promise." Wonder Woman placed a hand on Billy's shoulder and assured him, with a voice that sent a shiver down his spine.
"Thanks... that was a really good pep talk, by the way. We should get going." Billy mustered as much confidence as he could and strided towards the jet.
He may not be as experienced as the Justice League, but the knowledge that the league had his back if things went dicey, filled Billy with courage. And that was good enough for him.
Author's Note: I really loved the Shazam Fam meeting the Justice League in the schoolbook animations during the Shazam credits. So I wrote my grounded take on one of them and two new ones.
