In the Dark

The steady whir of an overhead fan and the methodical tapping of Superman's foot pierced the silence of the Watchtower's main computer bank. The alien champion stared Batman down as the detective sifted through information and news feeds, which flashed on a large holographic screen.

"Bruce," Superman said, trying to get his comrade's attention. The shadowy vigilante simply continued to type away, seemingly oblivious to the Man of Steel's impatience. The sound of footsteps drew Superman's attention to the door behind him. Green Arrow waved briefly from the doorway before continuing down the hall.

His impatience growing, Superman turned back to Batman and spoke again. "Bruce."

"Not now, Clark," the Dark Knight answered without turning away from his work. A picture flashed on screen, and Superman noticed a slight change in his companion's features

"Now, Bruce," Superman pressed once more. He crossed his arms and watched as the stoic detective logged off the terminal and walked out of the room. Superman fell in step beside him, doing nothing to hide his agitation.

"I'm not in the mood to play games, Bruce," Superman stated sharply. "I want to know what Catwoman and Klarion stole from the museum."

"So do I, Clark," Batman retorted as the duo entered the Watchtower break room. "But I need time to investigate." Superman's expression softened.

"What have you found so far?"

"Not much," answered Batman. "The stone is part of a set of five magic artifacts dating back to Ancient Egyptian times. Archaeologists have found depictions of the artifacts in several ancient temples and tombs. Two of the other relics were stolen from museums in Berlin and Manhattan. And a fourth was excavated from a Bialyan tomb six months ago. Its current location is currently unknown."

"I'm not looking for a history lesson, Bruce," Superman chimed in tersely. The alien hero stomped up to a cabinet and grabbed a glass off the bottom shelf. "I want to know what they do."

"There are no records of what the artifacts do" Batman responded. "I haven't been able to learn anything that would explain why Klarion and Catwoman went through the trouble of stealing them. I put in a call to Dr. Fate, but he is predisposed dealing with a magical incident in New Orleans.

Superman scowled silently and he poured himself a glass of water. He had been hoping to hear something different.

"We need to know what these items do, Bruce," Superman asserted. "If we don't figure out what our enemies are planning…"

"We need to be patient," Batman replied. The Dark Knight strode out into the hall and turned to face his perturbed comrade.

"Patient?" Superman responded as he turned towards the doorway, "who knows what…"

But Batman was already gone.

Superman gritted his teeth angrily. "I hate it when he does that…"

The Man of Steel took a seat at a steel table, brooding silently. Black Canary waved to her flustered comrade as she passed, and he gave a terse nod in reply. But his thoughts quickly wandered back to Batman.

I'm starting to wonder whose side he's really on…

"Clark!"

Superman turned his attention to the Flash, who was hovering in the doorway.

"We have a problem!" the speedy hero rambled, his words muddling into a barely coherent mix of sound.

Superman shot up from his seat.

CRACK!

The alien hero glanced down at the remnants of his water glass scattered across the floor.

"Dammit," he spat under his breath.

"No time for that! We have to go!" the Flash yelled.

Wasting no time, the alien hero followed his companion out of the break room.

CRACK!

Billy shot up in bed, eyes darting frantically about his darkened room. There was no sign of the sudden sound that had interrupted his slumber. He had woken from a nightmare, as he often did. His pillows were strewn haphazardly about the foot of his bed, and his blankets were bundled tightly around his waist. Billy sighed and looked over at the small night light near the entrance to his room.

Maybe I'm just imagining things…

Whoooosh

Billy's eyes widened, and he tightened his grip on the edge of his covers.

No, he had heard something.

The boy peeled away his covers and slipped out of bed. The aging hardwood floor creaked under the child's weight as he exited his room. Billy kept a firm grip on his bedroom doorknob as he surveyed the moonlit hallway for intruders. Nothing.

Billy forced his fears into the back of his mind as he made his way to Dudley's room.

I'm too old to be scared of the dark. There's nothing here that can hurt me. I'm part of the Justice League. I'm not afraid.

Billy grasped the handle to Dudley's bedroom door and turned it slowly, wincing as the door let out a strained creak. He steeled himself mentally and peered inside.

Billy's eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness of Dudley's room. He could vaguely make out his Uncle's slumbering form tucked under the covers. The elder man's chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, the quiet sound of his breathing disturbing the silence. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Billy took a step forward and surveyed the room. Again, he found nothing out of place.

The boy smiled. In the time he had spent with Dudley, Billy quickly learned that nothing could wake the aging handyman once he fell asleep. Billy, on the other hand, was conditioned to sleep very lightly. It made sense that he was the only one of the pair to hear…whatever strange noise he had heard.

Still somewhat nervous and unable to fall asleep again, Billy padded down the hall and emerged in the common area. He looked around the moonlit room for signs of an intruder, but could find nothing out of the ordinary. Aside from a few dirty dishes in the sink and Dudley's mess of papers on the table, the room was as organized as it ever was.

Maybe all of this Justice League stuff is getting to me…

Billy grabbed an empty glass from a cabinet overhead and poured himself some water. The boy took a seat on the couch and tugged on the leg of his flannel pajamas, trying to drive away his anxiety.

He was just hearing things. He was sure of it.

Searching subconsciously for something to hold his attention, Billy's eyes fell on the stack of papers Dudley had been working on earlier. The weary boy recalled how his adoptive uncle had avoided discussing his work earlier, instead diverting the topic. His curiosity peaking, Billy set his glass of water down on the coffee table and shuffled over to the table. He picked up a paper on the top of the stack, raised it to his eyes, and squinted to try and read it in the dim light. The boy could make out a few words: "child," "hearing," and "form." He also managed to make out a few strange strings of numbers and letters that made no sense to him.

I wonder if Batman could tell me what this means. He is a detective.

Billy smiled at his own thoughts as he walked over to the coffee table and picked up his glass of water. Taking a long gulp, he put down the glass and watched as his shadow shifted across the wall.

Wait a minute, that doesn't look like my shadow.

Billy stumbled back as the dark form shadow rose from the floor to form a dark mimicry of the terrified boy, and took a step forward. Two glowing green eyes ignited on the figure's ephemeral form, and it opened its faux-mouth in a haunting imitation of a smile. Before Billy could react the creature was upon him, slashing at him with its dark claws. Using what little he had learned from other members of the Justice League, the child managed to roll out of the way and regain his footing. The malicious shadow creature's momentum halted in midair, and it turned into a floating mass of shadows once again. In a flash, the creature took his form once again. Billy dashed behind the kitchen counter and hid, relishing in the momentary break in the action. He sucked in a deep breath.

Sha-

Billy caught himself.

I can't turn into Cap here. If I do, I could wreck the apartment, or the entire building! And Dudley would be too suspicious of Cap showing up in his living room.

Billy reached up and grabbed a kitchen knife.

I need to get rid of this thing without waking Dudley. I don't know if this thing is here for me or not. If he wakes up, it might attack him instead. I need to get rid of it before he gets hurt.

Preparing a plan of attack, Billy peered from behind the counter to find the room empty. He stepped out from behind his cover, knife brandished defensively.

Where did it go?

A sound like rushing wind caused the fearful boy to turn and come face-to-face with his spectral assailant. A swipe by the creature tore the sleeve of his pajamas and caused him to stumble back. Shifting his weight forward, Billy ducked under another of the shadowy creature's strikes and plunged the knife deep into the monster's stomach.

His attacker seemed not to take notice of the weapon lodged in its body as it pounced at Billy once more, causing the boy to flip over the couch and land roughly on his back. Choking back the urge to cry out in pain, Billy grabbed the couch and tried to leverage himself to his feet. Before he could stand, his opponent surged forward and dug a shadowy claw into his arm.

"Aaagh!" Billy screamed involuntarily, falling back again and clutching his wounded arm. The creature eyed its own bloodied appendage and froze suddenly. In a final desperate attempt to save himself from the mysterious shade, Billy grabbed his glass off the table and flung it at the dark creature.

Without warning, the frozen ghast vanished in a puff of smoke, causing the glass to miss its target and shatter against the far wall.

Still shaking, Billy slowly clambered to his feet and clutched his bleeding arm. Tears pricked at his eyes as he stared at the spot where his attacker had been moments before.

Without warning, the lights in the apartment flickered to life.

"Billy? Billy!"

The injured boy turned to find Dudley standing at the entrance to the great room, a look of horror on his face.