One Year Earlier

"Again? Really?"

"Hm?" As she turned away from the screen, the pain that followed made her head spin. "Gah! Jeez, was I staring that long?" The brunette shook out her curls, while the man in front of her desk only chuckled.

"Yeah, take a break. It's not even noon and you've gotten all of our paperwork done and half of it sent out. That is, if you were the one sending me the emails and not some robotic clone. Because I'm sure you're not human. Not fully."

"Always doubt," Was the reply. "But that actually was me. Yay for Mondays…" She rubbed her eyes; the smell of coffee filled her nose for the first time that day. It was impossible to get away from the desk quick enough. Her face was disgusted. "Get that crud away from me."

"Hey it's mine," He took a slurp to annoy her. Looking pleased with himself for being a pain, he nodded to the cup in his other hand. "I got you water. Crushed ice just as you like, freak."

"You know me, so, so well." Still rubbing her eyes, she took the water and chugged it down. Finally looking around, she took in the sight of the office. It was a mess, but to her standards it was perfect. A mess was when you couldn't see the floor. Here the floor was easily seen. Cabinets covered in paper, and walls filled with more papers all clinging together with tape? That was her form of an organized and functional office space.

And though her friend didn't agree, he accepted it. "Erika Holmes, did I ever tell you-"

"That you love me?"

"Not what I was going for."

"That you hate me?"

"Sometimes, but no."

"That I'm the weirdest person you've ever met?"

He clapped his hands, and spilt a little bit of coffee on his tie. "Ah, that's the one." She handed him a napkin. The one clean space in the room being her desk. On which, she left napkins for when they got take out. They always got take out. "Thanks, so I have said it before?"

"Only every time I do something. You know, I bet superheroes don't like coffee either." The duo left their small, cluttered office, and began walking down the Gotham street. It was around ten, so traffic was almost at an all-time low.

"Oh really?" He laughed, and Erika playfully hit him. "Tell me more about what you think a hero's day is like."

Erika grinned, and right then he regretted it. She loved any chance to talk about superheroes. "I swear Ryan, they aren't that different. Take away the power, the fame, and they are just like us. Same fears, needs, wants, and-"

"And you are such a fan girl."

"Yes," She said, not taking the comment as an insult. Erika had a habit of either ignoring or being completely ignorant of people saying anything less than nicely about her. "yes I am. Because one day that's going to be me. You too, if you wanted to try."

"Pass."

"Why not? Saving people, stopping bad guys, helping others-"

Ryan laughed, "All the fame, the ladies, the glory!"

"It's never about that! You were a solider once upon a time. You would agree with me back then." The two stopped walking, and though it was nearly midday the street was practically empty.

This was fine to Erika, who was starting to realize she should have just shut up. Her mouth was always getting her into fights with Ryan, who was normally a pretty peaceful guy. Erika just happened to press all the wrong buttons sometimes.

All the man did was stare her down. Normally, he'd brush it off because Erika never meant to bring up the solider thing. Today, fate had decided nothing was going to be normal anymore. In fact anything concerning Erika this day wasn't going to be close to normal.

"It's not all fairy tales and heroes winning, Erika. Get out of your fantasy world." She took a step back into the street. Ryan was turning red, all the things he'd wanted to tell her finally coming to surface. "Stop acting like a child all of the time. You're smart enough to have a double major in forensics and mechanics, yet you keep on this fantasy that you'll be a superhero. You can't even fight! You have a summer job as a paper pusher in a P.I's office, who doesn't even show up and talks to us ONLY by email, and you expect to aspire to something just by magic?!"

"Well, no. Once I get the money toget-"

"Oh right!" He interrupted, "You'll be buying and building stuff like the God damn Batman! Get over yourself Erika!" Ryan stormed off as soon as he finished, leaving her in the street.

Erika wasn't upset, really. Admittedly she was a bit mad with herself for setting Ryan off like that. And as she watched him take off, Erika's mind was already playing back the scene and changing it.

If I was like Batman, that would have gone differently. Someday…

That's when it happened. A crash like thousands of thunder heads racing to the Earth. Lights like nuclear bombs filled the sky. She looked up, and little did Erika know that her wishes had come true. All those nights spent planning, every little bit of work to get to where she was, all those moments reading about the Justice League and the villains they faced, it meant nothing now.

As the Exobytes filled her and tinkered with her DNA, Erika Bertram stood. Watching, and wondering:

Who's the hero that's going to save the day now?