I'm not sure if I explained it well enough in the last
Chapter 2: It's An Owl, It's A Broom, It's…!
"Okay gentlemen, lets get to work." a man said as his car pulled up outside of a London bank.
Eddie Thorton cracked his neck from side to side and rolled his shoulders as he got out of the car. His four accomplices seemed to stretch as well as Thorton reached back into the passenger seat of the car and got out a vintage Tommy-Gun. He shrugged as he gazed down at it. It was a bit ol' fashion, true, but it had served him and his crime-orientated family well for many years. So, with that in mind, Thorton pointed his gun at the clear glass-doors of the bank.
"Alright, men." Thorton said to his fellows, "You know the drill."
The entire mob pointed their guns at the doors and shot it, shattering the glass and making those inside fall to the ground in an effort to not be shot or cut by any of the glass.
Thorton was the first in, running through the shot-out doors and jumping onto the teller's counter as his boys raced in with laughter at their boss's near kid-like excitement in their job. Quickly, the robbers had everyone hostage, cowering beneath them at gun-point.
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce ourselves since we've sorta spoiled your evening here." Thorton began said he pointed his Tommy-Gun at himself, "I'm Eddie Thorton, the ring-leader of this little show. Over there setting the charges is Joey. Over here with his gun pointed at the lovely little family is Jimmy. Here with his gun in the beautiful face of our teller friend here is Johnny. And over there watching for the proper authorities is Jacky."
"Charges set, Boss." Joey said with a thumbs-up as he backed away from the door while it exploded. Rushing through the smoke and alarms with the empty bags, Thorton watched as Joey, Jimmy, and Johnny took care to get cash and expensive jewelry first. God, did he love his boys.
"Now I understand this is quite the stressful event, but so long as everyone reminds calm and pleasant, we'll be in and out in a hurry with no one getting so much as a scratch." Thorton said before he sat on the counter and turned to the very pretty teller girl, "Now ma'am, would you be so kind as to open that register and fill this here bag with all the cash in from it."
The teller looked as though she wanted to do anything but that, but with the machine gun pointed to her face, she realized that he would get the money whether she lived or died. It would be better for her to keep her life, help the other hostages stay calm, and just give a report to the police later.
So, with the teller girl reached pressed the release button and started putting cash into the bags while Thorton looked down at her with a suave smile.
"Thank you, beautiful." Thorton said as he took her hand from one of the bags and kissed it, "Would you be so kind as to grant me your name?"
"L-Lillian…" the girl, Lillian, said as her eyes were wide with fear.
"Well, Lillian," Thorton began slowly, "with are you working for this bank? Hoping to get by paycheck to paycheck? Come with me and you'll never have to work another day in your life."
"Oh n-no thank you." Lillian declined gently, with her hands up in a show of weakness, "I like w-working here. My father worked here, and I think I'll s-stay."
"Oh, that's too bad." Thorton said, and sounded truly sincere until he got out a smaller gun from his pocket and cocked it, "Because I really wasn't giving you much of an actual choice in your future."
"O-Okay…" Lillian said, hoping the police would arrive at any minute. Perhaps if she distracted them long enough, "Umm… where are we going?"
"Scotland." Thorton answered with a listless sigh of peace, "Beautiful place, Scotland. Roving hills, green grass, majestic landscape. You'll love it. Well, that is until we get to America, then you'll love that. And then Japan… And then Egypt… And then back here for a year to revisit how we met."
"Oh… A-Aren't you the romantic…" Lillian said, beginning to sweat in fear instead of crying like she wanted.
"Yes," Thorton said, leaning into Lillian as he whispered in her ear, "I'm also quite… the lover."
Lillian shivered as tears really did begin to fall after that. This was it. Her life of peace and virginity ended… on December 21... Only four days before Christmas with her boyfriend! She was going to finally give herself over to him! It wasn't fair!
Thorton watched as the beautiful face was marred with tears of despair and repressed a sigh. Why couldn't the ladies love him? Oh well, at least she'd make a good bedmate until he found another girl. Thorton glanced off to see Jimmy and Joey running across the floor with their bags filled and loading them into the car.
"All loaded up and not a copper in sight, Boss." Jacky said with a chuckle as Thorton smiled.
"Done good boys. Ya done good." Thorton said as he helped Lillian from behind the counter as she sobbed quietly all the way toward the doors, "Now no one try to be a hero here, or else the oh so lovely Miss Lillian here will be taking that classic Christmas sleigh ride straight to Hell, got it?"
"Now now." a voice began as Thorton looked to the doors he was just about to cross as a shadowy figure dropped into view in the evening light, "My Godfather always said that the ladies loved a bad boy, but Miss Lillian, I think you can do so much better."
"Who's this wise guy?" Thorton asked as he observed how said wise guy was simply floating in the air right outside the door.
"Me?" the floater asked as he hovered into the light of the bank. His hair was a sexy -jet-black mess. His eyes were an unearthly emerald green. His smile was unnaturally white and his teeth inhumanly straight. His scarlet and gold hero costume clung tightly to his figure, showing just how fit he was as his red cape billowed behind. The symbol on his broad and tone chest was a rather unusual one as well. It was a scarlet capital letter "B" or even the number "8" trapped within a black diamond with a golden outline, "I'm just your average friendly neighborhood Starkid… or Starboy… or Brilliant Boy… you know what, for now let's just go with Starkid."
"Well, Starkid, you're disturbing the peace." Thorton remarked with a smile, because floating or not, a bullet would solve their problems, "Take him down, boys."
"Got it, Boss!" Joey shouted as he readied his gun, but then the identified Starkid shook his head sadly.
"Oh, no. You boys need a time-out." Starkid said as he turned to Joey and Jacky, who were cocking their guns, "So no toys until time-out is done."
"Make 'em swiss, boys." Thorton encouraged as his boys nodded before shooting off bullet after bullet into Starkid.
Starkid merely took on the barrage with a bored looks, watching disinterestedly as the bullets came racing toward him, only to be crushed against his skin-tight, yet comfy, costume and fall harmlessly to the ground. Starkid glanced back at Thorton, who along with everyone else watching had a face of complete disbelief at what was happening before their very eyes.
In the blink of an eye, Starkid held the gun of who he believed was Joey, who in turn gasped when Starkid came into normal naked-eye view holding his gun.
"Now let's put the toys away," Starkid began, "Because after that, boys, you're going to be in the big time-out for a long time."
And with that, Starkid bent the gun like it was dough for bread, twisting it as easily as a normal human would paper. Joey yelled as he dropped the now broken gun and ran for it while the others were still in disbelief.
Thinking fast, Thorton turned on heel and shot a bullet at the fire alarm, which caused Starkid to raise a brow as Thorton smirked.
"Any reason for that?" Starkid asked, his emerald eyes filled with mirth.
"Just for this." And with that, Thorton fired another shot… straight into the radiator. Starkid's eyes widened as he shot pass Thorton and the still hostage Lillian in order to contain the blast. Thorton wasted no time in rushing off to the car while Starkid was using his impressive speed to collect the blasted off metal door and contain the explosion of the radiator. Though the explosion blasted him back toward the entrance of the bank, Starkid flipped through the air and steadied himself in midair while glancing around. Thorton and his boys were nowhere in sight.
Well, almost none of them.
"Hey, Joey." Starkid said, appearing in front of the startled Joey, who screamed and tried to rush off the other way, but Starkid was already in his way again, though this time he grabbed Joey by the collar of his trench coat and heaved him off the ground while glaring down at him with those unnaturally green eyes, "No time for games, Joe. Where's Thorton?"
"He went that way!" Joey admitted pointing down the street where Starkid's vision could see a car moving through traffic as if the devil were at its tires.
"Thanks, Joe. Now be good and sit tight." Starkid said, patting Joey's head, "Because if you move…"
And he left that threat hanging with another glare as he quickly gave chase to the runaway robbers while hearing the police arriving on the bank scene.
"I knew robbing this city was a bad idea, Boss! I knew it!" Johnny said as he slammed his hand on the steering wheel while Thorton raised a brow.
"Oh, yeah? And why was that?" Thorton asked as Jimmy poked his head up front while Lillian shook with fright for her life in the back seat with him and Jacky.
"It's because this is where Starkid mainly operates from around the world." Jimmy explained, "Heard about it on the news while you were shaving, Boss. Starkid is the classic superhero these days."
"Then why have I never heard about him?" Thorton asked as Johnny swerved down a side street and off the main road.
"He's only been operating for a little under a month." Jacky said calmly, in the back reading the newspaper, "Says here he's done just about everything a hero could: from saving kittens in trees to stopping tsunamis and the like."
"This is fucking insane." Thorton swore as Jimmy and Jacky exchanged looks. The Boss never swore, "A damn comic book superhero like Gravity Man just shows up and foils one of my biggest illegal heist yet! What sorta world do we live in?"
"I don't know, Boss, but we got company. Starkid-like company." Johnny said, looking in his rear-view mirror to see Starkid flying directly behind them, even being so cocky as to wave at him in the mirror.
"Drive faster, you blockhead! He's gaining on us!" Thorton urged as Johnny slammed his foot to the petal, speeding down the street even quicker, "Turn back onto the main road. That'll cause enough chaos for us to escape."
"How do you know, Boss?" Jimmy asked as Thorton smirked proudly.
"Read comics when I was a kid." Thorton declared as his boys looked at him in admiration, "No way am I being caught."
Just as they were about to get onto the main road, they felt the car rise up and buck beneath them. Looking out of the window, everyone gasped as they saw that the car was actually flying high above the buildings, and making it's way somewhere.
"I've cut your engines off." Starkid's voice sounded inside the car as they all looked around, but found not one hair from the messy head of the hero, "Now be good little boys and enjoy your ride to the wagon."
"The hell with that!" Thorton said, "I have never been caught a day in my criminal life! I'm Eddie Thorton! The Crime King of the Seven Continents! Push that bitch out!"
"But, Boss, she's only a-"
"I said push the bitch out!" Thorton roared as Jimmy looked at Jacky, who in turn lowered his paper to gaze at his friend and his Boss in surprise and shock.
"Now, Boss." Jacky began, still calm, "We have never compromised our morals with killing before, and we should not start now."
"Yeah, Jacky's right, Boss." Jimmy nodded, "Besides, if he rushes to save the lady here from falling, then… what stops us from hitting the ground with a splat."
"He's a hero, Jimmy." Thorton began with exasperation clear in his tone, "He wouldn't let either us or the lady here die. Heroes are too goody-goody for that."
"Actually, I'm still pretty new at this, and have no way of saving both Miss Lillian and you boys at the same time." Starkid's voice sounded with amusement, "Plus, if I had to choose between the two choices, I'd pick the girl. She's pretty and you're all criminals who would rot in jail anyway."
"He's got a point, Boss." Jimmy said as Thorton turned in his seat and smacked the idiot.
"Shut up…" Thorton muttered as he sat back down and crossed his arms. Prison… him… him in prison… He never thought he'd see the day…
"This is your pilot speaking," Starkid's voice sounded inside the flying car as Jacky chuckled while resuming the reading of his paper, "If you'll look out to your left, you'll see an overview of beautiful London. And if you look to your right, then you'll see the authorities waiting below for us to land and take you fine men to jail."
"Great sight." Jacky quipped as Thorton glared at him.
"Please passengers, don't mind the turbulence of the landing, and thank you for flying Air Starkid." Starkid's voice said before they were all bucked forward in their seats and the car landed to the ground, where the police quickly swarmed it ready to arrest the would-be robbers.
Ripping off the door as though it were wet parchment, Starkid offered his hand to the only lady in the vehicle, who jumped over Jacky and took the hand, not wanting to spend another second with her would-be kidnappers.
Thorton and his boys sighed as they got out of the car, hands already high up in surrender as the cops slapped the 'cuffs on them.
"Are you alright, Miss Lillian?" Starkid asked pleasantly, giving the woman a concerned look and then one of confusion when she reached up and kissed him.
"Thank you so much!" Lillian said, looking as though she wanted to cry from the experience of being kidnapped, but laugh for the blush that covered Starkid's handsome young face.
"Umm… N-No problem, Ma'am…" Starkid sputtered out as he gently let the woman onto her feet. She had kissed him…
"You've done it again, Brilliant Boy." the lead policeman said gratefully as Starkid shook his head clear, his blush fading only slightly as he smiled.
"All in a day's work, officer." Starkid said, "Now, I'm only 14 years-old, so I need to get to my homework. I'm sure you can handle things from here."
"Thanks again, Starkid!" Lillian said as the hero slowly took to the air, "Will we ever see you? Ya know, around?"
"I'm always around, ma'am." Starkid said with a dazzling smile not unlike that of Gilderoy Lockhart, but fair less conceited an vain in his ways, "I am, after all, your friendly neighborhood superhero."
And with those final words, Starkid took to the skies in a blur of speed while he heard the thunderous applause from those on the streets below.
Flying faster than sound could travel, Starkid rocketed into the atmosphere of the planet. It still amazed him every time he flew so high and so fast. If it had been a scant month ago, and someone told him he'd have the ability to cover several thousand miles in the span of a few seconds, Harry would have laughed with them at such a hilarious joke. However, here he was, gazing down at the glorious planet Earth as only few others had so far.
Now that he was so high above Great Britain, he turned to his right and allowed his super-vision to focus on the city he wanted to have a quickly stop at before he went back to school. Finding the country, and then the state… and then the county… and then the district… and so on, Starkid smiled lightly while still holding his breath. He had found it.
Angling himself downward while still in the planet's orbit, Starkid shot forward in the direction he wanted to go, diving down toward Earth as he began to feel the tight tube-like pressure building around him that he had was beginning to become accustom with the reentry of Earth's multi-gassed atmosphere. To him, the diving was bit slow, but to a normal being it would be seen (or unseen) as near if not completely hypersonic.
Realizing that he was getting a bit too close to his target without letting up speed, Starkid kept himself at a ranged speed before reducing his speed to subsonic so his flight into the city would go unnoticed.
You know, with out all the broken windows and destroyed streets… Like the last time he had tried it…
"Welcome to Gotham." Starkid read as he began to slow his descend to the city and use his super-acute vision to find his target, "But even with super-vision I could spot that bloody mansion a mile away… which I am. Heh, heh!"
Looking up at the stately estate of Wayne manor as he came swooping in from the sea-side outskirts of Gotham City, Starkid notice nothing special about the place. It was just like any other run of the mill average billionaire home. Using his super-vision, he saw the inside of the huge garage, spying at least twenty large cars and ten motorcycles. Descending down onto an open window he saw, Starkid let himself into the large manor with a whistle of appreciation like he had done many of the other times he had visited. Inside the mansion was a cabinet holding the finest china. An enormous chandelier with diamond tipped fixtures hung proudly from the ceiling. In one room was a museum of weaponry including the finest samurai swords and medieval weapons. In one corner of the living room was a polished grandfather clock. Probably the most noteworthy object in the grand house was an almost life-size portrait of Thomas and Martha Wayne in the sitting room.
It was that portrait that always caused Starkid's whistle, wishing that he had such a painting of his deceased parents.
One might have guessed from the painting that this house belonged to Thomas and Martha. Starkid would have even told you that you were right… well, that is, if it hadn't been for the horrendous tragedy that occurred only six short years ago.
Starkid walked up to the painting, then flew up to the faces of the lovely couple as he recalled the tragic tale he had heard of Thomas and Martha Wayne.
It was said that when the sorrowful event occurred, Thomas and Martha Wayne were taking their young son, Bruce Wayne, to see the latest Grey Ghost movie; the Grey Ghost having been Bruce's favorite superhero. Bruce Wayne had been on an emotional high until his parents decided to take a shortcut through a dark alley.
Starkid grimace as he recalled the dark turn the tale took at that precise moment. How a man with a gun had stopped the family, demanding that the young couple hand over all of their money. How the young mugger took a great interest in Martha's sparkling pearl necklace. How Thomas had bravely tried to fight the robber off to protect his family, but ended up being shot dead for his trouble.
Starkid felt like he could almost see the event before his eyes. How the mugger jerked the pearl necklace from Martha's neck, and how it dispersed, flying all over the alley and down storm/sewer drains. How in a fit of anger and annoyance, the robber turned his gun on Martha and killed her as well to silence the woman's screams for help.
Though, Starkid smiled tightly as there was a silver-lining to the sad tale. It was when young Bruce, who was then in mortal peril of going the way his parents had, was saved by the sound and sight of the approaching authorities and their sirens.
However, Starkid sighed as he remembered how the tale ended. How it was that in the years to follow, Bruce Wayne had made a vow that no one else would suffer the same fate that his parents did. That he had at the lost of their lives. Bruce Wayne had sworn to dedicate his life to fighting crime in anyway he could from that day forth. He had promised to strike fear into the hearts of evil-doers everywhere as the Dark Knight.
As the Caped Crusader...
As the Darkness...
As the Night...
As-
"I told you not to touch that portrait!" a voice behind Starkid growled dangerously, even in it's pubescent stage as Starkid jumped a foot in the air and floated there in surprise.
"Bloody hell, Bruce, don't sneak up on me like that." Starkid said, a hand laid on his heart as he tried to stop it from beating so quickly. Then, realizing his words and what had happened, Starkid narrowed his eyes and looked down at the scowling teen image of Bruce Wayne, who stood in dark grey and black tights, all hidden under a cape as black as the midnight hour. This was Batboy, the beginning rookie Dark Knight of Gotham City.
"Wait a second!" Starkid yelled, "You snuck up… on me! How?" jabbing his thumb over his shoulder, "My hearing so good that I can hear fishermen in China right now if I wanted to."
Batboy, or Bruce, merely raised a brow, which for a lesser being than Starkid would have been hard to distinguish amongst all the dark colors to find any facial expression. Not to mention the fact that only the lower half of Bruce's face was shown.
"The labs have finally completed the soundless technology I wanted them to thanks to your donation of information on the advanced Kryptonian technology." Bruce replied, his voice impassive and impatient as always, "I wanted to test it out of Alfred, but when I saw you flutter in from the window… Well, I see now that it works perfectly." Bruce then smirked up at him, as if to show that his human technology had finally outclassed superpowers, though Starkid mentally smirked as he knew the human tech was only so far along because of his Kryptonian sciences, "I may just have to give them all raises after tonight."
"Oh ha- bloody- ha!" Starkid said dryly, dropping to the floor as Bruce pulled back his mask to show his own handsome young face while Starkid looked him over, "I see you've also completed your costume. It looks good. A bit drab, morbid, depressing, and bland, but ya know; good."
"Very funny." Bruce said with not a twitch of emotion, though Starkid noticed the very subtle muscle twitch that happened within Bruce's right cheek to make his eye twitch near invisibly, "Don't you have a tall building to leap somewhere?"
"No, did that this morning." Starkid chirped happily with a stance of pride before glancing at the mask that Bruce had pulled off, "Why are the ears so big and pointy? I thought you were going to be a bat, not Dumbo."
"I am a bat, you nimrod." Bruce growled, being to get annoyed with the criticisms on his own costume. At least he was parading around like some disco lava lamp from the 60's like someone in the room, "Bats are known for the ear-thing, okay. Besides, I only put this on right now because of two reason."
"And those would be…" Starkid prompted as he crossed his arms smoothly.
"One is because I wanted you to be the first to see it… and to tell me if it was acceptable." Bruce said, a blush on his cheeks as he refused to meet Starkid's gaze. Starkid smiled as he patted Bruce's shoulder.
"It's terrifying, and you look downright scary in it. It's good on you. Though you could stand to make the ears just a bit smaller. They could get in the way, and you never know." Starkid said honestly, knowing his honesty was key. Bruce rarely ever placed judgment in the hands of others, and the two were only just becoming good friends over the last month with their bonding.
Bruce smiled softly for a second before he went back to scowling, "Noted." Bruce said, pulling up his mask as he turned on heel and walked away, Starkid following by floating a foot off the floor, "The other reason I'm in this now is because your little social gathering is currently in my basement."
"You mean the Batcave?" Starkid said as Bruce looked at him.
"Why must you insist on calling it that?" Bruce demanded as Starkid shrugged.
"Because ever since I dug the entrance and exits, all I see when I go down there are bats flying about and smacking me in the face." Starkid explained with a good-natured smirk as Bruce scowled.
"Well if you didn't insist on flying around all the time, and simply walked like a normal person…" Bruce trialed off in his mutterings as he continued to lead the way.
"Hey, I've only been flying for two weeks." Starkid said as Bruce raised a brow.
"It got old the day you knocked on my window and preceded to moonwalk on air into my bedroom." Bruce deadpanned as Starkid scoffed.
"Flying will never get old!" Starkid said, hovering over Bruce and then beside him, floating next to the scowling boy and still keeping pace.
"Well, perhaps you'll want to tune down the flight while sitting in on your party." Bruce suggested, "The one, I might add, you have hosted in my house without my permission."
"But Alfred said you needed more friends." Starkid said innocently as Bruce glared.
"I don't need friends or teammates. I work alone." Bruce said, but then paused for a second, "Or at least, I will once I start my patrols."
"And I'll be there to help you while you're getting the hang of the ropes, teammate." Starkid said, patting Bruce roughly on the back while still floating at the other's side, "After all, what are friends for?"
"And with friends like you, who needs thugs and enemies…" Bruce deadpanned as Starkid smiled.
"Exactly!" but then Bruce disappeared and Starkid ran back over what had been said.
Oh… Bruce was being sarcastic…
Wait a minute…!
"Hey!"
Starkid muttered many curses as he pressed the panel inside the grandfather clock, making it recede into the wall and disappear to the side as he suppressed a shudder at the dark passageway while flying down it. He hated knowing that he had helped in creating something so creepy, and yet he was still elated to have done it, for not only did it help him bond with Bruce, but it was also cool to have created the foreboding cave where several bats flew around the ceiling, one hitting Starkid in his face as he went back to mumbling about hurting Bruce.
Glancing around the cave, he saw that Bruce had turned the place into a sort of museum with several odd relics, but Starkid didn't much care to look now when he could any later day.
No, what interest the England crime-fighter was the assemble of teenagers all crowded around Bruce's latest supercomputer while praising the shy and reclusive teen on his headquarters and base of operations in the dark.
"Well, he did most of the grunt work for this place…" Bruce admitted with his cheeks still a rosy red while pointing over to where Starkid was landing to the steps in front of the group.
"Hello everyone," Starkid greeted as the others turned to him, "I'm Starkid, and I'm glad to see that all of you could make it."
"It was nice to be invited." a teenage girl said, her eyes near constantly glancing back to Bruce in interest, "Hello; I am Diana, Warrior Prince to the Amazons of Themyscira." Starkid shook her hand in earnest, even wincing a bit as she applied pressure, but then applied the same as she smirked, "I must admit, my mother and the other Amazons were wary of the invitation you seen by owl. However, after some research, we recognized it as the way of the messaging others by secret society of Lady Hecate's children, so my mother knew that it was important that I should come and represent the Amazons. However, if this is about the children of Lady Hecate moving onto our lands-"
"Trust me, Princess Diana; that is not the case." Starkid replied quickly, his red cape billowing slightly in the draft of the cave, "I assure you that this is about something far greater than wizards or Amazons."
"Then what is it about." another teen asked emotionlessly, though this one teen seemed unusually plain among the assorted guests while Bruce sat at his console in interest.
"I'll tell you, J'onn." Starkid said walking into the center of the group, "I have been traveling about the world this last month, trying to help wherever I and my powers could. However, I'm not the only one with special abilities, and not the only one that can do good."
Starkid looked over the group, gazing into each of their faces with an expression of confidence and sincerity, "Over this last month, I have come across nearly all of you personally, and have witness what you were capable of first-hand while helping you in defending what you hold dear. I have discovered all of you, and wanted to be sure that I at least go a face-to-face with you all so we could continue to work together on friendly terms and continue to protect the world from things that would otherwise do it harm."
"What are you getting at, Potter?" Bruce demeaned as Starkid looked at him, a bit annoyed that the other teen was revealing his identity, but not too miffed. After all, if anyone around them turned to crime they could rat out Batboy as Bruce Wayne any day of the week.
"I'm saying that we form a loose team of sorts." Starkid explained, "One that would help one another whenever asked and whenever around."
"Kinda like a super club." a red-head teen said, smiling as he blurred to Starkid's side, leaning on the taller teen while smirking, "I like it. I mean, I'm the fastest guy alive," and to prove his point the raced over to Bruce and tapped him before blurring back to Starkid's side before Bruce even had the chance to look up, "but even I can't be in five places at once."
"That's the point." Starkid explained, "What if something happens near one of you and its too big for even you or those around you to handle? What if your ganged up on?" Starkid said, looking around at his fellow teens, "The answer: I'm here to help, and I hope you're there too, even having my back when I need it. I might have powers, but even I can't save the world by myself. I need help. I need friends. I need teammates. Don't we all?"
Starkid stepped back to Bruce's side as he saw the others mulling the decision over. He understand their hesitation. It would take a lot of work to make the idea work, but even the red-head goofball could see the benefit in it all.
Because the base of the idea was that they were no longer a alone in a world that didn't understand them. A world that, if not heroes, would label them freaks and abominations to nature, or… aliens…
The idea of their "club" meant having a shoulder to cry on when you were feeling sad, and having someone to pick you up when you were low on yourself.
"I'm in." Bruce declared first, and even though most had only met him earlier today, even they were shocked that he would be the first to agree to a team when he gave off the whole "loner" vibe.
"If Bats is in, then so am I." the red-head declared with another smirk as Bruce glowered at him for the "Bats" reference.
"I'll have to speak it over with my mother, for she may not approve. I'll also have to pray to the Gods for your safe passage to Themyscira for more of these talks or should you ever be in the area, but you can include me in your numbers." Diana said with a nod at Bruce while Starkid smiled.
"I would like to join as well." J'onn said monotonously as he stepped up to Starkid, shaking hands with him as Starkid smiled. J'onn was always gonna be a weird one.
"Fine, I'm in as well, but I don't know how much help I'll be. I just got this stupid thing a week ago." the dark-skinned boy said while showing the green-glowing ring on his hand's middle finger. Starkid could see that the new Lantern's abrasive personality already showing, but Starkid could just tell that the guy would soften up if given enough time.
"Then we're all in agreement with it so far?" Starkid said as everyone nodded, "Good. Now there's only one last thing to do: reveal ourselves to each other."
"Huh?" most asked as Bruce narrowed his eyes.
"What are you saying?" Bruce demeaned as Starkid only smiled at his friend, watching with amusement as Bruce tugged down on his mask to keep it firmly in place.
"I mean that if we're really going to be a team, even a loose one, and if we're really going to depend on one another when the tough situations come at us like a scarlet steam engine, then we're going to need to have total trust. No secrets." Starkid said firmly as he stepped forward, "I'll go first."
And with that, his brushed a bang of his messy black hair to the side to reveal his famous lighting bolt scar as Diana raised a brow but the red-head boy gawked.
"That is so cool." the red-head declared as Starkid chuckled.
"Thanks, Kid Flash. Anyways, as I was about to say: Hey, my name is Harry Potter, and my hero name is Starkid… or Starboy… I'm still looking, but either will do. Just know that I come from beyond the stars as you know them."
"So wait, you're an alien?" the dark-skinned boy asked with his arms crossed firmly. Starkid, or at least around friends, Harry Potter, noticed how subtly J'onn had tensed and backed up some, and saw that Bruce had noticed it as well. All that was ignored while the red-head known as Kid Flash merely looked more impressed.
"You are so cool right now, buddy." Kid Flash said, giving a red-gloved thumbs-up.
"Thanks." Harry replied with his own bright smile.
"An alien… Mother Hera…" Diana breathed a blush on her cheeks, "Are all your people so… h-handsome?"
"My people… are dead…" Harry replied, trying not to sound so somber about it, but failing miserably.
"I'm so sorry." Diana said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Harry shrugged it off, deciding that it was a moot point at the moment. He glanced up and saw that J'onn had the same look, so Harry decided that he couldn't remain somber about it.
"Don't worry about it, happened when I was a baby." Harry said, smiling as he chose to live in the present and protect the future, "Besides, I have J'onn with me nowadays and he's brilliant."
J'onn tensed as the group's attention centered on him. He knew what Harry wanted, and was a bit afraid that he would frighten them all to death like he had-
"You're an alien, too?" Kid Flash asked as the dark-skinned boy with the green ring elbowed him, "Ow!"
"Don't you have any tact at all?" the older boy asked as Kid Flash shrugged.
"Yes," J'onn answered in a curious and deliberate drawl, "I am an alien."
"Are you one like Harry here with the laser-eyes, super-speed, and flying, or are you one of those shape-shifting ones. Hey, I've watched Creature From the Beyond a hundred times, so I can pick 'em, and I say you're the latter type." Kid Flash said as J'onn felt his lips quirk upward at the boy's goofiness and laidback attitude when dealing with the extraterrestrial.
"Yes, I can manipulate my appearance, among other things. I am doing so right now." J'onn said as he slowly morphed his appearance to that of his native one. Green skin, red eyes, and all, "My name is J'onn J'onzz, or John Jones in your English tongue. I am also called the Martin Manhunter or even Martian Boy by Harry here."
J'onn waited with baited breath for their reactions as the others gazed upon him. Diana covered her mouth, but the gasped escaped too quickly. The one dressed as a bat merely raised an eyebrow, and J'onn was beginning t think that the bat-themed boy possessed even less human reactions than he himself did. Kid Flash's mouth hung agape and the dark-skinned boy had to reach over and close the red-head's mouth for him while never taking his eyes off of the green alien. Harry simply smiled as he tipped his head to J'onn.
"Hmph, in the last few days, I've seen stranger things." the dark-skinned teen muttered with his arms still firmly crossed in an unimpressed stance.
"Dude, nice." Kid Flash said, moving around J'onn in a blur, "But that costume is a little… sparse."
"How about this then?" J'onn said, and with that his blue trunks descended down into his dark blue boots and his red-X expanding around him to form a dark blue skin-tight shirt from it while his blue cape fluttered at his ankles.
"Nice, man." Kid Flash said with a smirk as he grabbed J'onn by the shoulder, "Can you teach me that? I promise, I'm a pretty fast learner."
The dark-skinned boy merely shook his head at Kid Flash's behavior before he stepped forth, "I'm John Stewart, apparently the latest Green Lantern. I'm an avid comic-book fan, and I dare one of you to make fun of me for it. I want to go into architecture when I'm older."
"Now that's a real greeting." Harry remarked as Bruce raised a brow at John.
"Did you read issues of Grey Ghost?" Bruce asked as John smirked.
"Does the Pantomime fall through his own invisible box into the lava pit?" John shot back as he and Bruce actually smirked at each other. Harry was so glad he had super-sight or else he would have missed it the tiny upward quirk of Bruce's lips.
"Bruce Wayne, Batman… err… Batboy… for now." Bruce said as he shook hands with John.
"So everyone's been introduced but me?" Kid Flash asked as the others gave him a look, "Okay, I understand. You guys wanna save the best for last. Perfectly fine." Kid Flash bowed dramatically, sending a wink at Diana, who blinked in confusion. Did the red-head have eye problems or something?
"I'm Wally West, better known as Kid Flash at your service. I'm the fastest kid alive." Kid Flash said as John and Bruce looked skeptical.
"Prove it." Bruce said as Wally grinned.
"Okay, close your eyes and count to three, because when they open, you won't see me." Kid Flash, or Wally, said as Bruce and John exchanged looks before doing so.
"One." the two said as Wally was already gone and back, having blindfolded the two.
"Two." he left again, and this time returned with rope and tied the two in place.
"Three. Hey!" and this time he came back with a soda, sucking at the straw with his grin growing.
"So, what'd miss?" Wally asked as Bruce and John scowled deeply.
"Okay, you're fast." Bruce said, having already untied himself and proceeded to take off his blindfold.
"But you're a little slow in the head if you think ropes and rags will stop anyone like us." John remarked as his ring glowed brightly before a beam shot out, forming into a green knife which cut through both his blindfold and the ropes.
"Actually, among all of us," Harry began, gesturing to Kid Flash, "Wally here has been a hero and crime fighter with his mentor, Flash, for the longest time and has a bit of seniority in this deal. He's been Kid Flash for nearly three whole years now. And then J'onn has been doing a bit of disguised detective work for the past few months while he's been on Earth."
"Yes, but you've been saving the world since you were an infant." J'onn remarked with a small smile.
"What does he mean?" Diana asked.
"Well, Wondergirl, I'll tell you." Harry said as Diana blinked once again in confusion. Wondergirl? Where had he gotten that name from?
"You see, when I was a baby a Dark Lord came after me because I was prophesized to be a threat to his evil reign of terror throughout Europe. When he came for me, he killed my parents, but in trying to kill me the love my mother had for me protected me from him, and reflected his own Killing Curse right back at him." Harry explained shortly as the others looked at him.
"Wait, I thought you said your planet blew up." Wally said as Harry nodded.
"That was before I was sent to Earth and discovered by my loving Earth parents." Harry answered, "My father, and also my mother I suppose, loved me so much that they defied the laws of their planet, the honor of our family, and betrayed the trust of their own siblings to see me arrive here safely before the planet blew up."
"You're just one tragedy after another, aren't you?" John asked with a smirk as Harry sighed.
"You don't know the half of it, Lantern Boy." Harry replied as John's eye twitched. Lantern Boy? Was the guy just handing out hero names? Then Harry's face turned grim as he continued on, "Still though, that Dark Lord is a problem."
"I thought you said he was dead. Reflecting a Killing Curse back at him? I think that means dead, right?" Wally said as he looked around.
"It normally would, but somehow he survived and now lives as a mere shadow of himself. However, my magical mentor is sure that he will rise again somehow." Harry admitted as John narrowed his eyes.
"So that's it? That's why you were forming this group!" John declared as Wally and Diana looked confused, though Bruce and J'onn merely watched on without an expression.
"No, that's not why, or at least, not the main reason." Harry admitted as John still looked skeptical of him, "I can handle the Dark Lord Voldemort with the others of my magical community. He will not be a major problem so long as he remains fixated on killing me and taking over Magical Britain. However…" as he trialed off, Harry sent a glance at J'onn, who nodded subtly for Harry to go on, "However, there are dangers from space that we need to watch out for and people here on Earth that shall pose actual problems to peace, justice, and love."
"Love?" Diana echoed in confusion before shrugging, "I suppose it's as great a value as anything else."
"It was love that protected me when I was a baby, both from the destruction of my home-world and from the Dark Lord Voldemort." Harry said as Diana nodded, seeing his point.
"So we're all in, but what do we call ourselves?" Wally asked as Harry shrugged.
"Honestly, I'm bad with picking names. I'm still stuck on three right now and have not one hero name to call myself when I grow into a man of age." Harry admitted as Wally snickered at him, but John smacked him upside the head.
"So what, we're all just a bunch of Superfriends?" Wally asked as Harry paused for a second, then smirked.
"Yeah… why not?" Harry said, looking around to gauge the others' reactions.
"Whatever." Bruce grunted as he turned back to his computer and began typing away with abandon while J'onn nodded and watched Bruce.
"Works for me." John said with a shrug as Wally gave a thumbs-up.
"I'm not sure on the name, but we're still in the early stages. A better one, if any, will come with time and the blessings of Mother Hera." Diana said as they all gathered around Bruce's supercomputer.
"With the help of Harry's science and technology, I've had my family's company develop a satellite system around the global of the last month." Bruce explained as he pulled up schematics of the system, "Their still working on the inner-ear headset prototypes for me and Harry, but if those go over well, then I'll have some made for all of us. So until then, we'll just have to make due with com-links to keep on our person at all times."
"So, Bats," Wally began, "What's your power?"
"I'm rich beyond your wildest dreams." Bruce deadpanned without pausing in his work.
"Okay…" Wally said, "… Wanna trade?"
"I'll trade with ya." John said with a small smirk, "But this stupid ring doesn't go away. Little green people told me I was chosen, or whatever."
"I also have many global resources, a keen detective mind, know a good deal about martial arts, and pretty much own all of Gotham City." Bruce continued as though no one had spoken.
"Seriously," Wally said, dropping to his knees beside Bruce, "trade with me! You can be the fastest, and I'll be the richest. If only for a weekend!"
"Shut up." Bruce said, pressing one final key as he turned to Wally and glared, making the red-head shrink back, "Besides, you'll all probably be spending quite the bit of time here until we can manage to locate this team's headquarters to somewhere else."
"I'm cool with that." Wally said, sipping at his soda.
"I hope you didn't still that." John commented as Wally looked appalled.
"Hey, I left the money on the counter." Wally snapped as Harry intervened, seeing that Wally was taking the comment personally.
"Please, calm down. John, Wally doesn't like to be accused of using his powers for petty crime, and Wally, I'm sure John was just poking fun." Harry said as John and Wally looked away from one another.
"Great team you got here." Bruce commented as J'onn smiled slightly while Harry sighed and Diana looked confused at Wally and John's facing opposite directions.
"Yeah, just bloody fantastic…" Harry muttered while running his hand through his hair.
This would take some honest and hard work… of that, Harry was sure…
