Amoroso -- A Justice League Story by BillA1
Copyright April 2007
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Amoroso (1/4)
A Justice League Unlimited Story
by BillA1
Copyright April 2007
Rating: (PG-13)
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Disclaimer: The characters Batman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Superman & Flash and their respective secret identities are all owned by DC Comics. The character names David Keel, Catherine Gale, Michael (Mike) Gambit, Lady Diana Forbes-Blakeney and Venus Smith are owned by StudioCanal Image S.A. This story is intended for my own pleasure and is not for profit. It has been posted to this site for others to read. Places and characters not own by DC or StudioCanal are my own creation. This story is based on characters from the animated Justice League Unlimited series episode: Alive! written by Matt Wayne and Destroyer by Dwayne McDuffie. References material in "Contains Language" by Merlin Missy. Referenced plays are by William Shakespeare. A huge shout out of thanks to Merlin Missy and XFFan2000 for their beta on this story. However, any mistakes they missed are mine.
Synopsis: Six of the Seven are hooked on a feeling and the feeling is oh so wrong. Spoilers up through "Destroyer."
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PROLOGUE
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(Deep Space - Twenty-fours hours before Superman and Darkseid battle in Metropolis)
"I'll get out of this and when I do..."
He didn't finish his sentence as the vacuum of space pulled him out of the airlock and into the dark void. As he watched the airlock close and his headquarters disappear in the distance, Grodd fought the urge to hold his breath.
But it was cold, so unbelievably cold.
The gorilla concentrated on expelling the last bit of air in his lungs, knowing that in the vacuum of space, lungs full of air would be fatal. He knew he had ten, maybe fifteen seconds, of consciousness left from the time he was sucked out into space before the laws of physics and biology would end his life.
A life shouldn't end in anger or in regret, he thought as he felt consciousness slipping away.
He had but one. He should have snapped Luthor's neck when he had the chance ... and maybe he should have told Giganta the truth.
As paralysis set in, a white light embraced him and he wondered what the afterlife held for a gorilla named Grodd.
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CHAPTER ONE
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If music be the food of love, play on; - Twelfth Night
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(Metropolis - Six months later)
David Keel waited until the guy -- couldn't call him a customer because he hadn't bought anything -- was out the door before he cursed loudly. Catherine winced, but she kept on shelving the last of the new shipment before she joined him at the counter.
"You know," he said, tossing his sales book on the counter, "people like that make me hate eBay."
Catherine smiled. "I know. They come here to get information, and you're way too quick to give it to them. Once you make them smart, they know what to look for on the internet. You've gotta talk less, Boss."
Keel shook his head and said nothing as Catherine glanced at her watch. "The bank next door is open," she said abruptly seeming to sense his continuing disgust. "I'll get yesterday's receipts ready for deposit."
Keel nodded as Catherine stepped into the back room to open the safe and get the previous day's receipts. Maybe Catherine was right. Maybe he was too quick to show off how much he knew about electronic hardware and didn't work hard enough to close the sale.
Just then, two young men walked into the store and Keel's eyes narrowed. One of the men was in the store yesterday. The other man had on a blue pin-striped uniform and a tool box. Keel didn't remember seeing him before.
The man that Keel recognized approached him as the other one walked toward the back of the store.
"Hey!" Keel yelled at the man walking to the rear of the store toward the stockroom.
The young man dressed in red sweats positioned himself in front of Keel. "Easy there. I want a couple of minutes of your time."
"Where's that other guy going?" Keel started to move toward the backroom where Catherine was. Red Sweats stepped in front of him blocking his way.
"He's just making sure we're alone. Are you ready to accept the offer I made yesterday?"
"I'm not selling. And even if I were selling, your offer is a third of what I can get for this place. Now you and your thug get out of my store before I call the police!"
Red Sweats sneered. "Accepting my offer might mean you'd live long enough to enjoy it. Know this: My boss wants to buy you out and he gets what he wants. I'm sure you'd hate for that pretty young thing in the backroom to pay because you wouldn't sell out." Red Sweats glared at Keel.
"You and this boss of yours, whoever he is, don't scare me. Now get out or stand there and watch me call the cops." Keel moved to his telephone. He wasn't a young man anymore, but Keel wasn't going to let some street punk scare him into anything.
Red Sweats looked at Keel flatly. "You have ten minutes to call this number and let my boss know you want to sell." He tossed a business card on the counter and called back toward the stockroom. "I'm done." The man in the blue striped uniform came out and joined Red Sweats at the door.
Keel looked at the card. It was blank except for a phone number scribbled in pencil. Keel tore the card in half and dropped it on the counter, making sure it was out of the reach of either man. He figured he'd keep the card and give it to the police after he made sure Catherine was okay.
Red Sweats shook his head. "And I thought you were smart. That was a stupid thing you just did," he said. "You shoulda taken my offer. You're gonna find it was the best you were going to get. You now have five minutes, big man."
As soon the two men left the shop, Keel rushed back to the stockroom to check on Catherine.
"Are you okay?" Keel asked. He was surprised and relieved to see Catherine seated at the small desk in the stockroom. The deposit bag was on the desk in front of her, and she had a cup of coffee in her hand.
"I'm fine," she said. "But, that electrician you sent back here to fix the electrical short in the light switch in the bathroom was really creepy. Naturally, I made sure the safe was locked while he was back here. He went in the bathroom, made the repair, then left. Funny thing is, I never noticed the short before." She took a sip of her coffee.
"He wasn't an electrician. He was some thug who was supposed to keep you occupied while his partner threatened me into selling the business. Told me I had five minutes to sell. Left me a card that I ripped in half in front of him and left on the counter." He paused and took a deep breath. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay before I called the police."
Catherine nodded. "Like I said, he paid no attention to me at all. He announced there was a problem and went straight into the bathroom and came ... out." She paused, dropping her cup on the desk. "Oh, my God! The bathroom!"
In an act Catherine would later tell him was extremely stupid, Keel raced past her to the bathroom and threw open the door. He would later tell her that he didn't remember breathing after he opened the door and saw the digital clock counting down past the thirty second mark.
Catherine must have seen it too because her voice joined his in shouting, "A bomb!"
They both ran out the front door and just made it to the street as David Keel's small electronic parts shop disappeared in a flash of orange and white light, thunderous noise, black smoke and fire.
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(Two days later. The Conference Room at the Metrotower)
Wally was late for the meeting. Again. Well, technically he was on-time. It was just that everyone else was already seated when he got there. Ignoring the stares, he sat down next to Diana. At least she wouldn't glare at him as long as the others would.
Wait. He wasn't late. J'onn wasn't here yet. Wally grinned.
Normally, these weekly staff meetings went mid-afternoon at the Watchtower, but Superman had changed the time and place of today's meeting to early morning at the Metrotower. Wally suspected that it had something to do with Supes 'day job,' but he loved living too much to ask for confirmation.
Supes had a pencil and a piece of paper in front of him. Wally couldn't make out what Superman was writing, but it looked like he was slowly writing the same word over and over again.
The room was quiet. Shayera and John sat across from each other with Bats and Supes sitting between them.
Diana finally broke the silence. "Anyone hear from J'onn?"
"Isn't it Chinese New Year or something?" Wally said. "Maybe he's celebrating it."
GL frowned. "Why don't you just say you don't know?"
Before Wally could say anything to Mister Grumpypants, Diana chimed in. "Well, it is Chinese New Year, Lantern."
Wally resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at John. "Told ya."
"Actually, the rumor I heard from the kitchen staff was that Ming wasn't feeling well," Shayera said.
"And we know the kitchen gossip is always reliable." Batman said. He assumed his 'I've better things to do than be here' posture.
The air conditioner kicked on, blowing a blast of warm air into the room and for some reason, Wally suddenly had a yen for a glazed donut.
"I said it was just a rumor, Batman," Shayera snapped.
Diana wiped her fingers across her brow. "Does it seem stuffy in this room to anyone else."
Shayera stood. "Stuffy? Is that some sort of snide remark directed at me?"
Wally half-expected Diana to jump up as well, and prepared himself to throw himself between them if necessary.
His jaw dropped when Diana answered sweetly, "Not at all, honey. I meant stuffy as in hot in here ... very warm."
John motioned with his hand for Shayera to sit. She glared at him as she did. He said, "It does feel a little warm in here and Shayera, you shouldn't be so quick to take --- wait a minute." GL's head whipped around to look at Diana. "Did you just call Shayera 'honey'?"
Diana was taken aback. "No," she stammered. "I most certainly did not." She looked at Bats for confirmation, but was even more flustered when he nodded a disinterested 'yes you did.' Wally couldn't ever remember hearing the Princess stammer or get rattled about anything.
Diana turned to Supes. "Did I call Shayera 'honey?'"
"No one asked me, but you did," Shayera grunted. She flashed a tight smile at Bats.
Diana got no help from Supes either. "I got it," he said. "It's an anagram."
"Huh?"
Superman sighed. "Oh, sorry, Diana. I was thinking of something else." He paused. "And yes, you did call Shayera 'honey.' Anyway, I'll keep this brief. We have an application for membership from someone out of Omaha who calls herself the Illusionist. Anyone know anything about her?"
"Her? I can check her out," Wally volunteered. He frowned as his offer was greeted by silence.
"If no one has any experience working with her, then she'll undergo the standard review," Supes said. He stood and stuck the paper he'd been working on in a pocket in his cape. "Oh, one other thing, J'onn won't be with us for the next couple of weeks. Ming broke her ankle and J'onn won't leave her for anything less than an Omega level call."
Shayera glanced at Batman. "Well, I guess that will teach me to listen to the hired help, won't it?"
"Are we finished here?" Bats said. It wasn't a question.
"No, we're not," Supes said. "But this will be a short meeting."
"Did everyone see the published watch list for the next two weeks?" he continued as he looked around the table. He glanced at Shayera. "Sorry, Shayera. I know it was your turn to be the alternative watch stander this month, but with J'onn gone, you'll end up taking his watch days."
Shayera frowned as Bats quipped, "Guess the kitchen staff didn't tell you that part, did they?"
Superman ignored him as he continued, "Any questions on the assignments? Okay." He sighed loudly. "Speaking of the Question ..."
He paused to allow the groans that routinely followed the Question's name to subside, then Superman said, "He sent his third request to the kitchen staff last night asking them not to use tomatoes from California in the spaghetti sauce anymore. Supposedly, the minerals in the ground where they grow the tomatoes can be irradiated by satellite so the Government can tell who eats domestic tomatoes and who eats foreign grown fruit."
Wally shook his head as he looked at Bats. "How'd he pass the standard review again?" Everyone looked at Batman, who frowned as Supes said, "Bruce, please handle this." He handed Bats what Wally assumed to be the Question's request.
"The accounting department," Supes said changing the subject, "is forecasting the gift shop outside the Metrotower will make a profit in the third quarter, but will still finish the year with a loss. The most popular moneymakers seem to be the Batman ashtrays and the twelve inch Vixen dolls."
Wally grinned. "Okay, I can understand the Vixen dolls because they're cute, but who would want to put their cigarette butts out on Bats' face? Oh. Wait. Never mind."
GL turned toward Wally and snapped, "Don't give up your day job, comedian." Then he turned to Diana, "I don't understand why we have to sell this stuff, anyway. Selling our images and playing into this hero worship stuff is beneath us."
"How do you think we pay for all the lime Jell-O your girlfriend eats?" Shayera smirked. Wally snickered as John frowned.
Supes' expression remained flat as he glanced quickly at Bats, then to GL. "It takes money to run this place and pay the support staff. No funding source is off the table, no matter how much it might offend your sensibilities."
"You know," Wally offered. "Maybe they should consider selling full size inflatable Vixen dolls. Bet that would help them turn a profit for the year."
Diana nudged Wally so hard in the arm he thought she'd put a hole in it.
"Owww!" he yelped. Rubbing his arm, he added, "Okay, it was a bad idea, but he said nothing was off the table."
"Okay, that one is," Supes said. Then he turned to Shayera. "And to be fair, I eat as much lime Jell-O as Vixen and would be disappointed if we didn't have it anymore."
Bats snarled, "Let's keep this meeting moving. What else you got? I have places to be."
Supes shook his head. "Last thing, the air conditioning went out last night here in the Metrotower. Apparently, the compressor froze up." He paused a heartbeat before adding, "I gotta go, but here's hoping for a quiet night and a quiet week." Supes nodded to all and then walked briskly out of the conference room without uttering another word.
The others stood and John approached Diana. "Can I see you before you go?"
Diana nodded. "Sure, I'll be here all day. I have watch." Wally noticed that Diana stared at Shayera as she approached Bats.
"Bruce ... I ... Can I talk to you later?" Shayera said.
"I'll be in the computer room," Bats growled. "Make it quick." Then he turned and walked away.
Wally tapped John on the shoulder. "Hey buddy, I didn't mean anything by the inflatable doll comment with Vixen. We're still good, aren't we?
GL nodded, but he never took his eyes off Diana.
"So, is Vixen around today?" Wally asked trying to sound matter of fact.
GL shook his head and looked at him. "Nah. She's in Sydney, Australia at some charity modeling event. "
"Cool, you wouldn't happen to know exactly where in Sydney, would you?"
"I think she said the Convention Center or something like that. I really don't pay that much attention to where she goes anymore. Why?"
"Oh, I owe her some information," Wally said as he zipped out the door. Next stop, Australia.
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Diana sat down at her station, made her entry in the watch commander's log and assumed her watch at the Metrotower. Crimson Fox and Fire were on duty with her, watching the monitor screens in front of them.
Diana only had one thought on her mind. Did she really call Shayera 'honey?'
She didn't remember saying that, but the others seem so certain she did. Well, if she did, it was an accident and would not be repeated.
She knew John followed her to the duty room, but she'd been so wrapped up with what she did or did not call Shayera that she'd forgotten he was there until he leaned over her and said, "How are you and Bruce getting along?"
Momentarily startled, Diana quickly recovered and stood. "I beg your pardon. I don't believe that's any of your business."
He stepped back and looked her in the eyes. "Your happiness should be Bruce's business and from where I stand he's doing a poor job of keeping you happy. Look, we both know Bruce is too wrapped up with his night life to spend any real time with you. Why don't you let me show you some of the nightlife that's out there in the galaxy? I know a great spot on Altair IV that you would love."
Using his ring, he projected a picture of a busy street with nightclubs and flashing neon signs that reminded her of the Las Vegas strip, except for the obvious alien life forms moving through the crowded thoroughfare. His projection zoomed in to a particular nightclub located on the main street.
"Here," he said as he stepped closer to her and pointed to the nightclub. "They have the best rum in the universe. Of course, they don't call it rum, but wait 'til you taste it. It's nectar worthy of someone as beautiful as you."
Diana's eyes widened. "Lantern, are you feeling okay?"
"I feel wonderful, Diana, whenever I'm around you, and I want the world to know it."
Stunned, Diana plopped down in her chair, her face frozen on his. "Great Hera, what are you trying to say?"
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(Fifteen minutes later - Daily Planet)
"Like I told the police, Miss Lane, that's all I remember," Keel said. "If we hadn't got out of there when we did, there wouldn't be enough of Catherine or me to put in a soup spoon." He tightly gripped the cup of coffee Lois had given him, took a sip and sighed. "If only I had kept that card instead of ripping it up. I was so concerned about Catherine and I wanted those men out of my store."
"Where is Miss," Lois paused and checked her notes, "Gale now?"
"Probably at home. She was a bit shaken."
Lois arched an eyebrow and the man lowered his head. "Okay," he admitted. "We were both shaken. I hope the police find the guys who blew up my store, because I'm ruined. My insurance company said they'd have to investigate the matter before they settle the claim. That could be months. And now the shopping mall landlord says they won't allow me to re-open the store because of the suspicious nature of the fire. He says he plans to sue me for damages." He put his Styrofoam coffee cup down on Lois' desk, and brought his fist to his lips, "I'm going to have to let Catherine go. She'll be heartbroken."
Lois nodded. She remembered reading the report that the fire started in the rear stockroom area ignited by an explosive device. The device had been detonated with an electronic timing fuse, similar to the items Keel sold in his store. Miss Gale had stated that she didn't remember seeing the man in the red sweat suit in the store the day before and didn't get a good enough look at the fake electrician to be able to identify him from police mug shots or a line-up.
"Lois!"
Kent was standing outside Perry's office. "Perry wants to see you. He's got an assignment for us."
Lois looked at Keel as she rose. "Excuse me a moment," she said as she locked her desk and grabbed her pen and notebook. "I'll be right back."
She briskly walked to Perry's office, opened the door and saw Smallville standing behind Perry's chair. The bells went off in her head as her brain screamed: Ambush.
Perry looked up. "Find out anything you can use from that store owner?"
Lois took a deep breath. "No,'" she admitted. "No more than I knew before."
"Okay. I want you to put that part of the story on hold for a minute." Perry leaned back in his chair as Kent stepped from behind him and stood beside the desk. "Clark has an angle to this story that may help you."
Lois' eyes narrowed. "Oh? An angle to my story?"
"My sources tell me that there have been three other fires in the last ten days within two blocks of the electronic store that burned the other day."
"Coincidence, Smallville. Fires happen all the time in Metropolis." But her reporter's radar had gone off. Kent just might be on to something, but she wasn't prepared to concede it yet.
"Yeah," he answered. "But all the stores owners were insured by the same company, Omiex Insurance."
Lois frowned. Okay, now he's got something, she thought to herself. "Interesting," she said trying to keep a poker face.
"I though so, too," Perry said. He looked at Clark. "Tell her the other part."
Kent cleared his throat and wrote in his notebook the letters: O-M-I-E-X, showed it to Lois and then wrote underneath it, M-O-X-I-E. "See? It's an anagram."
"Moxie Manheim. Boss Moxie," Perry said before Lois could say anything, "the alleged new leader of Intergang since Superman and Supergirl defeated Granny Goodness when she controlled the group. Intergang has been quiet for months. Maybe this is Moxie's way of re-introducing the gang." He looked at Lois. "I want you and Clark to work on this together. Find out if Intergang is back in business."
Lois rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on Perry, give me a break. This is my story." She leaned on Perry's desk. "No offense, Smallville, but I'd rather work on this alone."
"And I'd rather be in Arkansas," Perry answered firmly. "But I'm not. I'm here and you two are going to work this story together. Understand?"
Lois nodded. She knew when she was beaten, but she had one trick left up her sleeve. She turned to Perry. "Okay, Clark can talk to the other store owners. Mr. Keel and I will find out what the status of his insurance claim is."
"But," was all Kent managed to say before Perry stood.
"Excellent! You two get out of here and bring me back a page one story."
Lois spun around and walked out of Perry's office, ignoring Kent's protest, with the widest grin she could manage.
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(The Sydney Convention Center)
"Ninety seconds, Miss Macabe," the floor manager announced.
Mari had squeezed herself, cursing, into a gown that was at least one size too small. The gown would have fit her a year ago. Now it was too tight, at least five pounds too tight, she estimated. She'd have to diet to make sure she was ready for her gig next week. The only saving grace was that if she took shallow breaths and small steps and made sure she didn't sit or lean over, she and the gown would make it through the night.
She'd invited John to attend this event while she worked, but he'd begged off with a 'duty calls' response. Lately, that had been his answer to everything. If she wasn't so secure in her relationship with him, she'd be suspicious of the way John and Shayera always seemed to be together, always sharing time together, always reducing Mari's time with John.
Yeah. If she weren't so secure...
"Hi, Babe."
The words were right, but the voice was wrong. She spun on her heels and came face to face with the Flash. For a moment she wondered how'd he got past security, but realized she was talking about the Flash.
"Flash? What are you doing here?" She tried to keep her voice light. "Is anything wrong?"
Flash grinned. "Yes, something is very wrong. I don't know how to put this so I'll come out and say it. GL is my best friend, but you and I both know he's never going to fully commit to you, right? And you deserve much better than you're getting from him. So I said to myself, you could use someone who can only think of you. Don't you think so?"
Mari glared at the man in front of her. "My relationship with the Green Lantern is none of your business."
Did everyone know all the details of her relationship with John? She knew the seven talked among themselves, but she never figured John to be indiscreet. Then she had a thought, a dreaded thought. "Wait! Did John send you?" After all, Flash was John's best friend. Surely he wouldn't ask Flash to break up with her on his behalf.
"No," the Flash answered as he stepped next to her. "He didn't. I'm here because I never knew how strongly I felt about you until today. I can't get you out of my head." He paused, quickly kissed her on the lips and said, "Vixen, I think I love you."
Mari's jaw dropped and as she quickly stepped back from his embrace, the seam on the side of her gown gave way and split open with a sickening ripping sound.
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