NEOMAGE: Finally, after all this time, I can write another fanfic! Yippeeee!
BATMAN: How can YOU be so happy? You're not writing a humor fic, you know.
NEOMAGE: :( (death glare of doom)
BATMAN: Uh, yeah...I'll just be hiding here in the shadows...OO;;; (slowly backs away)
NEOMAGE: Okay, then, on to the disclaimer...ahem. "neomage does not own Justice League or any of the Justice League characters. They all belong to DC Comics and Cartoon Network." There! That was really easy! Now then, on to the fic!
CHAPTER 01TIME: 10:41 p.m.
PLACE: The streets of Metropolis
Blam! Blam! The police opened fire as Volcana raced away from them. Dodging as best she could, she turned and let loose on them with a stream of flame from her open palm. As she concentrated, the flame formed into a roaring lion and attacked the terrified officers, who scattered for cover. The flames engulfed one of their squad cars, causing it to explode and scatter blazing scrap metal everywhere.
"Is that the best you can do, kiddies?" she taunted. "Or am I too hot for you?"
Again the police attempted to open fire on her; but when they did, she took a deep breath and then exhaled. As she did, a huge wall of flame engulfed her entire person, and it was so hot that the bullets actually melted before they even reached her!
"What the hell?" one of the officers exclaimed. "That bitch ain't human!"
Volcana heard the comment. Instantly, hot bursts of flame erupted all around her body. "Nobody – calls me – a bitch – EVER!" she exploded as she thrust both fists forward. This time, a huge wave of fire shot out from her entire being and had the terrified cops ducking for cover again. Another squad car got set ablaze and then exploded, sending dangerous sparks sky-high.
But the stress of summoning such a large and constant flame was starting to wear Volcana down. Seeing this, the leader of the police assault gave the order to start firing at the blazing villain again. "Don't let up!" he yelled. "Give her everything you've got!"
Around this time several more cars emerged on the scene, this time as part of the riot control brigade of Metropolis's finest. Emerging from their vehicles, they immediately started firing their weapons at Volcana, who turned and started to run again. One of the riot cops came out of his vehicle wielding a giant bazooka; positioning it on top of the car, he took careful aim and fired. Volcana had just barely gotten around the side of a nearby building when, right behind her, the missile exploded. The shockwave knocked her to the ground, but in a moment she got up and started running again, amidst more gunfire.
"I can't keep this up for much longer!" she realized. "I gotta get out of here!"
Suddenly a motorcycle, apparently emerging from nowhere, roared up the street toward her, then slowed and made a quick U-turn. Volcana didn't recognize the woman on the bike, but she did hear her say, "Quick – hop on!" Immediately she complied, and the bike sped off into the distance just as the cops were arriving on that street.
Volcana could barely suppress a grin as she watched the confused police searching the area for her, but in vain. She then turned to her rescuer. "Hey, lady...I guess I owe you for helping me out back there."
"Ah, don't mention it," the other woman replied.
"So, who are you?" Volcana asked.
The woman glanced at her briefly. "Name's Frost...Killer Frost," she announced.
Volcana stiffened. "You mean one of those Secret Society guys?" she exclaimed. "Wow! That is like, so cool!"
Frost nodded. "Yep...and I've been looking for you for a while now, Volcana."
"You have?"
"Sure. You'll soon see why, honey."
Volcana shook her head. "Well, I'm flattered, but...I don't really swing that way, if you know what I mean. I'm more into guys."
Frost smiled, but said nothing. At length the motorcycle roared toward an old castle on the outskirts of the city. Volcana knew this place, of course – it was supposed to have been an old battlement erected during the Civil War. "But why would she carry me here?" she wondered to herself.
By and by Frost maneuvered the bike into the castle's courtyard and then stopped. "Here we are," she announced. "Well, sweetheart, time to meet the rest of the party."
"Is that so?" Volcana wondered, getting off the bike.
Suddenly a man's voice caught her attention. "So, this is the new kid, huh, Frost?" the voice asked.
Frost nodded. "Yep. Boys, why don't you come out and say hello?"
Then, as Volcana watched in amazement, three figures appeared from the shadows. One was a heavy-set albino gorilla with an extremely large head. Another had reddish skin and a finely trimmed mustache, and on one hand he sported a yellow ring. The third was dressed in a yellow costume with red lightning bolts, and on his chest was a single red lightning bolt inside a black circle.
Volcana raised an eyebrow as she recognized the three. "The Ultra-Humanite, Sinestro, and Zoom the Reverse-Flash." She then looked at Frost. "Okay, what's going on?"
"What does it look like?" Frost's Gothic face sported a grin. "We're starting up a new club, honey, a new Secret Society...and we want you to be one of us."
Volcana looked at each of them in turn. Then she shook her head. "Look, I appreciate the offer, but...why should I? After all, I've always done well by myself."
Another voice, this time from behind, caught Volcana off-guard. "Oh, believe me, my dear...if you join us, you'll never regret it." Then, from the shadows, another man emerged. Oddly dressed in a Victorian-era suit, he sported a neatly trimmed mustache and beard, and a smirk was on his face.
Volcana recognized this man, too. "Vandal Savage!"
TIME: 10:47 p.m.
PLACE: Home of Wally West, Central City
Wally West gazed aimlessly out the window of his house, staring up at the sky. He sighed as he remembered the events of last year. He couldn't help remembering – those events kept playing over and over again in his head like a broken record player.
Back then, he recalled, the Justice League had been in existence for the past five years, a well-known superhero team worldwide to both innocents and criminals. Consisting of seven individuals called together to protect Earth from the ravages of an initial alien attack, the group had decided to stay together as a permanent team. He himself was a member of that group, for he was the scarlet-costumed superhero known to everyone in Central City and the world at large as the Flash.
Then, only just last year today, they had come to Earth. The Thanagarians, aboard their warships, had arrived on Earth with the false frontal offer of a defense system for Earth, including an upgrade in weapons systems and a global shield to protect against the predicted coming onslaught of another race. However, as it turned out, there never was any coming invasion from that other race – the Thanagarians instituted martial law all over the world, and the defense shield turned out to be a gravitational device meant to destroy the other race's home planet at a cost of all the lives on Earth.
Naturally, the Justice League had resisted, but they'd all been imprisoned – all except one, Shayera Hol, a.k.a. Hawkgirl; for the Thanagarians were her people. It was eventually revealed that she'd been sent here to Earth five years ago by the commander of her people to spy on this world's defensive systems. That had, of course, angered the others in the League considerably, but in the end they were able to drive the Thanagarians off of Earth, with Hawkgirl's help.
Wally winced a little as he recalled what happened afterward. At the stately Wayne Manor, home to socialite Bruce Wayne – alias the Batman – he and the other Leaguers had a private conference to decide whether to let Hawkgirl stay on the team or not, while Shayera herself awaited their verdict. But what happened next practically took all of them by surprise – she resigned and then flew off, and none of them had heard from her since.
Wally sighed and sat down. True, he and Shayera had only been able to get along with each other on a business level, but all said and done, he had to admit that he missed her. He could still remember seeing her flying into battle, her electrically charged mace on hand, laying the smack down on any and all evil-doers. Already Wally missed trading some snide remarks with her – that was how developed their relationship had gotten.
He couldn't help but feel, too, that the other members of the League were already missing her as well. The one who felt the most sense of loss, he knew, would have to be the Green Lantern, John Stewart. Though Wally had learned about it only shortly before Shayera left, she and Lantern had evidently been having a relationship with each other – something more than just a working relationship. As Wally brooded on this thought, a sudden realization struck him. He hadn't heard from any of the others in some months now.
In six seconds, he had zipped to his wardrobe, pulled out his trademark red costume with yellow lightning bolts, slipped into it, and sped through his front door, locking it securely. His destination: Metropolis.
TIME: 10:48 p.m.
PLACE: The Daily Planet, Metropolis
"It's been about a year now, but everyone's still talking about it," Lois Lane brooded as she walked into the main office of the Daily Planet, the most widely-read newspaper in all of Metropolis. As she passed by her co-worker Clark Kent's desk, he chuckled a little at her apparent talking to herself.
"Don't you know that talking to yourself is supposed to be the first sign of madness, Lois?" he jibed.
"You should talk, Kent – you're always lost in thought," Lois retorted.
Clark managed to hide some of his big grin. "So, then, what's everyone still talking about?" he questioned.
"Oh...I was just thinking about last year. You know...the invasion."
Clark stiffened at the mention of that topic. Indeed, everyone in Metropolis – and the whole world, no doubt – was still talking about the Thanagarian occupation of Earth last year. He, of course, knew all about that event first-hand, for he – or rather, his other persona, Superman – had suffered betrayal and torture at the hands of the Thanagarian forces, together with the rest of the Justice League.
"What about it?" he asked noncommittally. "I mean, it's over and done with now, right? The Justice League saved the world and repelled the invasion, and everything's back to normal..."
"Except for the League itself," Lois said knowingly. "From what the news has been saying since that time, they've lost one member – Hawkgirl."
"Yeah, I know," said Clark. "I managed to get an interview with some of the League members last year – they told me that Hawkgirl resigned after the Thanagarians left Earth."
"I know all about that article – it was on the front page," Lois remarked wryly. "Lucky you, Kent. Did you get them to say why she resigned?" she asked sarcastically.
Clark sighed. "Why do you think she resigned, Lois?" he asked her.
"Think about it, Smallville: Hawkgirl was obviously a Thanagarian, right? She allowed her people to slip through Earth's defenses – hell, she even tricked her own teammates. She lied to everyone! It wouldn't surprise me at all if the other Leaguers were planning to give her the boot and she decided to resign before that happened."
"Not really, Lois," Clark replied, his voice beginning to take an edge. "From what I was able to learn, the League was divided in deciding whether to expel her or keep her on the team. They never would tell me what their final decision was, though – they refused to comment on that part of it."
There was silence for a moment. Then Lois asked, "So, if you were part of that discussion, what would your decision have been? Be honest, now."
Clark managed to stifle a chuckle. If Lois ever knew that he had, in fact, been part of the deliberating, who knew what she would do. "To be honest, Lois...I would've voted for her to stay on the team."
"Really? Why?"
Now he looked levelly at her. "I think this is just like back when Superman was controlled by Darkseid, a few years ago. The whole world was divided as to whether to forgive Superman or not, even though he'd had no idea what he was doing when he led Darkseid's forces to Earth. In the same way, Hawkgirl had no idea what the Thanagarians were really up to, and like the rest of us, she fell for their line when they said they wanted to protect us from an incoming invasion. Don't forget, too – the other members of the League actually helped the Thanagarians build their devices, and none of them have been penalized by the public."
Lois frowned as she considered this point. "I think I see what you're saying, Clark," she said finally. "And...to be honest, I agree with what you're saying. But I'm afraid the rest of the world at large wouldn't see this the same way. Don't forget, when the League was captured, Hawkgirl basically let them be imprisoned and hunted down."
Clark closed his eyes. This point, and the one he'd just raised, had been brought up when he and the other Leaguers were debating Hawkgirl's fate. Because of facts and points like these, it had been exceedingly difficult to determine whether to keep Hawkgirl or not.
Sighing, he said, "Excuse me, Lois – I think I need to get some air." With that he walked out of the office, leaving Lois behind him with a questioning look on her face.
Moments later, Superman was flying through the skies over Metropolis, looking down at the city he cared about so much. As he flew, his super-sensitive hearing picked up a faint whistle coming from the street below. Looking down, he caught sight of the Flash beckoning to him, and rapidly he floated down to the ground. "What's up? What brings you to these parts?" he greeted his teammate.
Flash grinned. "Just thought I'd stop by and see one of my best buddies." Then his face lost the grin. "Hey...can we go somewhere and talk?"
Superman could hear the urgency in Flash's tone. "Sure."
In a matter of seconds, both of them were on a bridge overlooking the harbor. "So, what's on your mind?" Superman queried.
Flash sighed and looked down at the water. "Look, big guy...lately I've been wondering. Did we do the right thing?"
Superman looked a little surprised. "What do you mean, Flash?" he asked.
"It's just – I know it's only been a year now, but I still miss her, you know? The Justice League...it'll never be the same without her."
Superman looked long and hard at Flash. "I know, Flash. But don't forget, it was her decision to leave us, and we have to respect that...even if we don't like it."
"I just think maybe we were a little too hard on her after everything that happened," Flash lamented. "We should've given her the benefit of the doubt."
"I know." Superman patted Flash on the shoulder. "Still, with everything that happened, I don't think we would have acted any differently if we were given the opportunity to relive the experience. What we felt – it was only natural that we should think the way we did."
Flash shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so." He waited. "What about the others?"
"Batman and Wonder Woman won't talk about it," Superman revealed. "Guess I can't blame them, though. They were going to vote Hawkgirl off the team...especially Wonder Woman."
Flash cringed as he recalled Wonder Woman's icy demeanor during the deliberation of the League. "Tell me about it," he remarked.
"Here's what you should do, Flash. Go home. Get some sleep. Let this rest for a few days. You bring this up now, even after all this time, and people will get antagonistic. I gotta go now, so see you later." With that Superman flew off, leaving Flash alone on the bridge.
NEOMAGE: (wiping his brow) Phew! First chapter down, several more to go! :( But why does writing fan-fiction have to be so damn TEDIOUS!?!?!
ZOOM: Uh-oh. He hasn't had anything to eat for a while now.
DARKSEID: Yeah. neomage minus food equals danger zone.
NEOMAGE: (storm clouds over his head) Well, if you two lazy slobs care so much, why don't you get me everything that's on this list?! (throws list at them, hitting Darkseid square in the forehead and knocking him out)
ZOOM: (looking at list) Let's see...a Whopper meal, extra pickles and cheese...a two-piece KFC meal, extra fries...two McChicken Supremes...damn, aren't you supposed to be on a diet? You just got down to 158 lbs. – don't ruin it now!
NEOMAGE: :( (death glare of doom)
ZOOM: OO;;;;; Ulp...on second thought, do you have the cash to pay for all this?
(Without missing a beat, neomage whips out a golden nugget)
NEOMAGE: If there's change left over, buy me three apple pies from McDonald's.
ZOOM: Right away, sir! (as he turns to leave) If anybody out there can hear me, please give the boss some tips on how to write his upcoming Yu-Gi-Oh! humor fic – it'll work wonders for him!
NEOMAGE: SHUDDAP!!!
(Zoom runs away with the nugget and the list just as neomage hurls an anchor at him)