Happy Harbor
September 10, 12:57 (ET)
Happy Harbor High's cafeteria was bustling with activity. Laughter echoed throughout the school as kids discussed their weekend plans. Spirits were high with talk of hanging out at the local bowling alley, preparation for the upcoming football season, and a few friendly arguments.
"Black Canary would kick Superman's ass."
Mal Duncan shook his head. "Not a chance, Wen. What's a scissor kick going to do to Supes' neck of steel?"
"About as much as Superman will do after Canary sends him to the ER with her cry. Super senses means super hearing, remember?"
Wendy Harris wasn't going to let Mal win another one of his 'Superman can beat anyone' arguments. The Happy Harbor gang had already decided that the Man of Steel would demolish Red Tornado, Hawkman and Green Lantern. Now, their Superman enthusiast was getting a little too cocky for his own good.
"Look," Mal began. "You guys have made some good points. Maybe Captain Marvel could beat Superman..." Jordan, one of Mal's friends from the football team, nodded in agreement. The blonde had famously tried to convince Coach Parks to adopt Captain Marvel as their team's mascot. To the jock's dismay, the idea never caught on.
"... I'll even say that Martian Manhunter might have a chance on a good day..." Kyle gave a slight smile from behind his book. Today, the skinny 11th grader was reading A Wrinkle in Time. Why bother reading a 50 year old novel? Probably because the group's resident geek had read every other piece of literature in their school's library.
"... But there's no way that a regular gal like Black Canary is going to take down Superman. Super powered alien beats human. Checkmate." Mal grinned at his fool proof logic. But Wendy wasn't giving up that easily.
"First off; Black Canary is no regular gal. I refer you back to the supersonic scream that would send ol' Supey flying home. Secondly; if Superman's so great, then where was he when that giant starfish attacked New York last week? I know where Black Canary was." Wendy crossed her arms defiantly.
Jordan and Mal's girlfriend Karen laughed at the Superman fan's flustered face.
"She might have you there, bro," Jordan said. "Black Canary turned that starfish into freakin' sushi."
Mal scowled. So what if Superman had been a little... Off the radar lately? The big blue guy was probably busting some intergalactic drug ring. Or something cooler than that. There's always an invasion going on somewhere, right? Maybe there was a bunch of really important... Justice League paperwork to take care of. Wait, no, that's not cooler than a space drug bust.
Lost in his thoughts, Mal gave Wendy plenty of time to pull her trump card.
"And besides, I'd hate to think you're dismissing Black Canary because she's a girl."
A chorus of "Oohs" bombarded Mal as he deflated in his chair. "Hey- hey. I never... I mean you know that's not why I-"
"Mal, honey, just give the lady this one." Karen thought her boyfriend's desperate attempts at defending his hero were cute, but he'd lost the moment Wendy joined the fray.
After considering his situation for a moment, Mal put his hands up in surrender.
"Alright," he said. "I yield. Black Canary can beat Superman."
Wendy high fived her fellow Bumblebee while Kyle gave a sarcastic "Hooray." Then a moment passed and Mal's grin returned.
"That is, if Black Canary had kryptonite."
"Oh, you dick!"
Laughter erupted from the lunch table. People eating near the group of friends were surprised by the noise. School had only started on Tuesday, and a lot of new kids at Happy Harbor High were still intimidated by the jocks and cheerleaders. The last thing they'd expect to see is them giggling like newborns with the biggest nerd and slacker in the school. Speaking of which...
"Yo, Marv. Who do you think would win?"
Marvin, who was usually the one leading these superhero debates, seemed distracted. His food lay untouched, sans the Sloppy Joe that Kyle had snatched off his plate. Mal frowned. Nobody loves Sloppy Joes more than Marvin. What was up with that kid today?
After Marvin showed no sign that he had heard Mal, Karen called out to him.
"Hey, Earth to Marvin."
The shaggy haired teen snapped out of his trance and looked around wildly. "S-Sorry, what?"
"Who would win?"
Uncertainty covered Marvin's face. After a moment of hesitation he spoke.
"... Martian Manhunter?"
"Nope," Kyle said while biting his stolen meal.
"Yeah, not even an option, pal." Jordan gave Marvin a bemused look. Marvin, meanwhile, was simply confused.
Beneath his tough exterior, Mal felt a swell of pity for his puzzled friend. "You okay Marvin? You're looking a little-"
"Green?" Marvin exclaimed loud enough for the entire lunchroom to hear.
Mal blinked. "I was thinking more along the lines of... 'Under the weather' but, uh, yours works too."
"No, no, it's just... Ugh." Sighing, Marvin put his head in his hands. The others at the table turned to each other. Sure, Marvin was a little on the odd side (Who names their greyhound 'Wonder Dog'?). But even ignoring his past behavior, this was pretty alarming.
Removing his hands, Marvin turned to his friends with pleading eyes. "If I tell you guys something, can you promise not to make fun of me?"
The desperate teen's audience hesitated. Rarely would you ever see Marvin White concerned about something as trivial as others' opinions. Definitely weirder than Wonder Dog. Nonetheless, they each wanted to hear what their friend had to say.
"Totally."
"Of course."
"Go for it, man."
"-Munch- Why not."
"Yeah, yeah- Out with it already!"
After scanning the speakers, Marvin sat up straighter and took a deep breath.
"Alright. I'm tired because I was staying up late last night on my laptop-"
"Oh, I do not like where this is going," Karen said, leaning into her boyfriend's side.
"Jeez- Not like that, Karen!" Marvin reddened. "I was doing research, okay? Just listen."
Everyone's interests peaked at Marvin's serious tone. If 'Where's your homework Mr. White' was this invested in something, it had to be good. Their storyteller lowered his voice so that everyone had to lean in close to hear him. Even Kyle barely payed attention to his novel. Either the bookworm recognized that his companion had something important to say, or A Wrinkle in Time is really, really boring.
"You guys have heard the rumors about the Justice Cadets, right?"
Marvin's friends nodded. There had been talk for weeks that the Justice League was branching off into smaller, younger groups. Sidekicks weren't a rarity or anything. The Boy Wonder had fought crime in Gotham while the Happy Harbor kids were still trying to survive middle school. Recently, though, more and more teenage heroes were popping up.
In July, there were reports of a standoff between Red Tornado and some robotic imitator. Cops evacuated Happy Harbor's citizens, but a few witness reports were salvaged. From what most people could gather; Kid Flash, Robin and Aqualad defeated the Red Tornado knockoff. Each of them were out of costume, but the abilities they displayed matched their M.O.'s. Along with the more recognizable heroes were two unknown teenagers. What stood out to Happy Harbor's residents that day, besides the horrible weather, was the green skin of one of their rescuers.
Conspiracy theorists had a field day trying to figure out who Happy Harbor's jade savior was. New Green Lantern? Martian? Girl who ate the cafeteria food? It was hard to tell.
Cops and news outlets gave their own altered explanation of what went down at the pier, but the people of Happy Harbor knew better. Over time, Happy's mysterious group of do-gooders became known as the 'Justice Cadets'. Admittedly, the name was a tad lackluster. But what do you expect from a town called 'Happy Harbor'?
Said town wasn't the only place with a visit from some new heroes. A vigilante had been spotted in Star City, and it didn't take a genius to guess who her mentor was. The green arrows kind of gave it away. Over in Metropolis, kids on a school bus had snapped a few pictures of Superman talking to a Superteen. No one got a clear look at the young alien's face, but he sure left an impact on Metropolis Bridge with his kangaroo jumps.
Some kids at Happy Harbor were excited by having heroes that they could relate to. Karen always talked about how they were a good influence on the community. Her boyfriend, on the other hand, had mixed feelings towards sidekicks. As a Superman fanboy, there was one protégé in particular that Mal couldn't help but envy. Everyone dreams of fighting crime alongside their favorite hero when they're little. But Mal wanted to make that dream a reality; to do what the Superteen from Metropolis gets to do everyday. Beat up criminals, save lives, and win against all odds. Right now, the biggest thrill of Mal's life is whether or not he'll survive Civics next period.
Marvin's story continued. "I've been looking into these teenage heroes, and... Well... Am I the only one who finds it a little weird that they showed up here back in July? All the crime in the world and, not one, but 5 heroes came together to help out little Happy Harbor?"
The group considered this. "Well," Wendy said, speaking for her friends. "Yeah, I guess Happy is a bit small for heroes like that to be popping up all the time. But superheroes protect everyone. Earlier this week Black Canary was in New York. That doesn't mean she can't also help people in China, or Denmark. We got our moment in the spotlight when those sidekicks saved us from that hurricane robot. Why bother looking a gift horse in the mouth?"
"I was just thinking... Maybe that wasn't a one time thing. Haven't you noticed crimes here are getting solved randomly? And Happy just seems... safer. Think about it!" Marvin was more animated now, using hand gestures as he talked.
"When Mrs. Hill's kid started drowning at the beach, we thought he was a goner! Instead, a huge wave brought him to shore. Medics went to resuscitate him, but all the water was already out of his system. C'mon, that's a little suspicious, right?" Marvin's listeners had to give him that one. He wasn't finished, either.
"Remember last week, when Mr. Belluz's ice cream parlor got held up? Kid Flash and Robin were there in... Well a flash!"
Marvin heard a distinct whisper of "Lame" from Jordan. Yet despite any teasing, Marvin's story had his friends hooked. And as curiosity for what he had to say grew, so too did Marvin's confidence.
"How could two high level heroes know about a crime all the way in Happy the instant it took place?" Marvin questioned the group. "Or get to little Happy Harbor so quickly once they found out? I knew there had to be a reason. So I thought; maybe they saw the crime happen firsthand."
"Are you saying Robin and Kid Flash were already at Mr. Belluz's before the crooks got there?" Mal seemed skeptical.
"Exactly, but there's more to it," Marvin said, excitement etched in his voice. "We know that Kid Flash works out of Central City, like the Flash. Robin's got Gotham, obviously, and Aqualad deals with issues along the coast. That new Superteen must be from Metropolis... But what about that green girl that took down the hurricane robot back in July? She needs a place to stay. All these heroes working together means they've got to have a base, too. Somewhere to monitor crime. As a new branch of the JL, I'm willing to bet good money that they'll have someplace separate from the Hall of Justice." Marvin breathed. He had almost forgotten to do so at the rate he was going.
"I guess what I'm saying is..."
Marvin trailed off and looked away. A pregnant pause would certainly build up any tension that wasn't already present. Lunch and even Kyle's book were long forgotten.
"Spit it out," Jordan said, voice gruff with impatience.
Finally, Marvin turned to his friends.
"What if the Justice Cadet's headquarters is here in Happy Harbor?"
There was silence. Then, like a few minutes earlier, the table burst into laughter. Loud, hardy laughter that caught the attention of their classmates yet again.
That certainly wasn't the reaction Marvin had hoped for.
Jordan wiped tears forming on his face. "Man, I never should have promised to not make fun of you."
After shaking his head in disbelief, Kyle returned to his book.
"Ha-ha... You think... Superheroes... Ha... In Happy?" Karen's hysterical laughter was contagious, and soon the entire table had succumb to another round of giggles.
Marvin's face, which had just gone back to its natural tan, turned a bright scarlet.
"I'm serious guys!" Marvin's voice crack didn't help his case. His friends' laughter continued, perhaps louder than before. The brown haired boy scowled. For his hours of research, he had expected just a bit more faith from his peers.
"What's wrong with my idea?"
"Well for starters, you wondered how Kid Flash got to Happy Harbor so quickly? Um, maybe pay a little more attention to his name. Kid Flash. That's like asking why Bugs Bunny likes carrots so much. Here's a hint: its not because he owns a carrot farm!" It seemed that Mal's pity for his friend had been all but used up earlier.
Karen's laughter subsided. "Look, Marv, there's nothing inherently wrong with that idea-"
"Oh, no, there's a lot wrong with Marv's idea." Jordan's quip earned a few snickers from the group, much to Marvin's dismay. Karen shushed the football player before addressing Marvin again.
"It's just... Why would the Justice Cadets hide their headquarters in Happy Harbor? The most significant thing our town's done in 50 years was tear down a statue of our founder because we figured out his past isn't as 'happy' as we thought."
Marvin persisted. "But that's just it! A small town is the perfect disguise. And why else would that Red Tornado Knockoff attack little Happy Harbor? He wanted to get the Justice Cadets' attention!"
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "So now you're analyzing the behavior of sociopaths to prove your point?"
"Well..." Marvin began. His once breathtaking momentum had been lost along with any faith his friends had previously had in him. "I guess when you put it that way..."
Wendy smiled sympathetically. "It's cool to speculate, Marv, but the chances that, A: This Justice Cadet stuff is real and not a string of average hero team ups- B: A group of super powered Gods chose to settle down in Happy Harbor of all places- and C: This daydream isn't just the result of your boredom and lack of sleep..." She trailed off.
"Those chances are not very high," Kyle said, completing her thought as he simultaneously finished his and Marvin's meals. "Speaking of chances, there's a high probability that you'll being late if you don't get to class soon."
Everyone snapped to attention. 1:12 already? Time sure flies when one of your friends starts suffering from spontaneous delusions. Looks like they'll have to put a pin in this topic for now.
"Ugh, I've gotta get to civics. Wish me luck." Mal began to pack up his stuff.
Wendy followed suit. "Oh, are you guys are working on Mr. Carr's new assignment? I heard some Bumblebees complaining that he's giving out too much work this early in the year."
"Yeah. Worst part is, I'm paired with that new kid, Conner. He's like, freaky smart, but also just plain freaky. Yesterday he saw my Superman shirt and growled. For 2 minutes."
Karen laughed as Mal gave her a peck on the cheek. "Oh, stop it. He seems... Interesting. Plus, he's so cute with Megan, our newest Bumblebee. Wen and I want to get her in our little group, but she never goes anywhere without Conner."
"So you think he's cute, eh?" Mal pretended to take offence at his girlfriend's wording.
"Oh you know what I mean!" Karen rolled her eyes. "Just give him a chance, okay?"
"Fine. Only for you, K." The couple kissed on the lips this time.
Rolling his eyes, Jordan gave his best lineman a not-so-gentle tug. "Alright lovebirds, let's go. If Mal fails Civics, how am I supposed to copy his work?" Mal pushed Jordan and the two laughed.
As they walked away, Mal called over his shoulder. "You coming, Marv?"
"I'll catch up," Marvin called back, deep in thought.
"Alright. And Marv, quit going on so many conspiracy websites. It's Friday. Live a little!"
"Yeah," Jordan chuckled. "What's next? Does Mr. Carr dress like a bat and fight crime in his spare time? I bet Kyle changes into green tights whenever he slips out of PE." The two football stars ran off to class.
"Superheroes in our boring school," snorted Karen. "That's even dumber than your idea, Marv. C'mon Wendy, we've got Phys Ed. Coach promised she'd let us try out a few Bumblebee routines if we 'set a good example' for the rest of the class."
Karen dragged Wendy away from the remaining boys. As she left, Wendy ruffled Marvin's hair and squeezed the disheveled teen's shoulder.
"Don't worry," she said. "Come Monday, everyone will have forgotten about this."
Unlikely. Marvin stood up, shoulders hunched in defeat. This was exactly why he hadn't planned on telling anyone his theory. Okay, he'll be the first to admit; it sounds far fetched. But aren't flying men and women with sonic screeches far fetched, too? Forget it, better just get to Civics. This would be the 4th time in a row that the teen was late to class, and on the 4th day of school as well. Mr. Carr had threatened Marvin with detention earlier that day. His tardiness coupled with the fact that Marvin was already behind on their beginning of the year assignment meant that he was 'On thin ice'. Even Mr Carr's patience has a limit. Thinking of world issues to write about, Marvin started walking. Perhaps his essay could highlight the lack of concern American students have for their peers' brilliant ideas.
"Funny," Kyle said. "Sounds like a book plot." He hadn't moved yet, despite the lunch room being almost empty.
Marvin stopped. "What do you mean?"
Kyle's focus on his novel didn't waver. "What Jordan and Karen said. Kids in our school being superheroes. Like Percy Jackson or something. You've got dudes fighting monsters and guys from the Underworld. Then, at the end of the day, they go home to a camp to learn about their powers and life and stuff. That sort of situation."
Moving became a lot harder for Marvin. The teen's mind was going 100 miles per hour, and Civics was now the least of his concerns. Of course teenage superheroes would need some kind of education. Plus, Happy Harbor had the only high school for miles. Of all places to attend, Happy was the top contestant. All Marvin had to do was prove that a member of the Justice Cadets goes to his school. Then, the others would have no choice but to believe his theory. Heck, he'd actually believe it! Marvin smiled to himself.
"Anyways," Kyle said. "That whole 'Justice Cadets infiltrating Happy Harbor' idea is some BS. Try channeling that imagination of yours into a field where it'll actually be useful. Like writing. Or criminal law." The bell rang, and Kyle put his book in his bag.
"I've got a spare, but you'd better get to class. If you need to work off what I'm presuming is a drug high of yours by bouncing some more ideas off of me, I'll be in the library." With that, Kyle gave Marvin a quick wave and left his friend in the empty cafeteria.
The grin on Marvin's face didn't falter. Forget Civics. Forget that disaster of a lunch. A new purpose was giving him energy, and he had some investigating to do. From now until Monday, Marvin's one goal was to prove to himself and his friends that he, Marvin James White, isn't delusional. He's clever. He's bright. He's-
A deep rumble came from the determined teen's stomach. Marvin frowned.
Man, why'd he let Kyle eat his Sloppy Joe?
Author's note time! Soo this is my first story. Quite exciting. Couple things. So first off, you may think "Hey no one was around to see Mister Twister" or "none of those kids on that school bus had cellphones" and I know that's not how the show presented it buuuuuut I'll just take some creative liberties there :D. Anyways, I'm looking for tips to improve, thoughts on where you think the story should go, etc. I've got a basic outline (As in a jumble of ideas inside my head that will hopefully make a full fledged story), but I'm always open to new ideas. Hope you enjoy and I'll make sure to update in approximately *Checks imaginary watch* the near future!
Sincerely,
themartmart.