Chapter Three
The League
"This is the gym. You're free to use it except when it's locked. Only the seven of us have keys, so most of the time it's opened. It has all the standard exercise equipment, plus a few specialized items. Make sure you ask the owner before using them. If there's anything that you need, let me know." Batman looked at Meg. "Or you could just buy it yourself. I forgot for a moment who I was talking to." Meg smiled widely.
"I believe, Bruce, that I can afford anything we might need, but we'll do all our heavy training at home. This will only be used when we need to let off some steam and can't make it home right away. Dad's got a pretty good gym built for himself, we're allowed to use it." Meg smiled at her sisters, earning answering grins from the both.
"Yeah, we allowed to use it, as long as we mop up the blood from the beating we give each other." Jami's look was positively evil. "They spill more blood than I do." Jewel barked out a laugh.
"Yeah, good one, Jami. Meg kicks your ass every time you turn around." Jewel turned to the others. "We all had the same teacher, but some of us were better students than the others."
"Ok, girls, that's enough. You can duke it out at home tonight, so long as you mop the floors." Meg smiled, turning to Batman, seeing the look on his face. She couldn't place it, and didn't want to take the time to figure out what it means. "Please, continue with the tour."
No one said anything as they moved on. Another ride up the elevator, and they stepped off into the dinning room. That room was bustling with activity. People in a rainbow of colored suits were everywhere, some sitting with food in front of them, others just sitting and talking. As the group of eleven walked in, everyone slowly fell silent, those facing away turning to watch the newcomers.
Meg felt the scrutiny of all the stares. Most of the people in the room had been with the League since it had been opened to all super heros. Many of them had talked to Meg as one point about joining the League. They had all received the same little speech. The Parcae have no need of a League to help them fight crime. We three are all we need. Meg couldn't count how many times she had said that. Now she was sure to be laughed at. At that thought, Meg raised her nose in the air, and glared right back at everyone.
Many of the men were smiling, while most of the woman looked jealous. There were the exceptions that had become friends with the three sisters. Huntress, who was making her way over to them, was one of those exceptions. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she had been an outcast to the League until recently. Or maybe it was just the she didn't have her nose stuck up her ass, like most of the other females in the room. Then there was the fact that she had caught them on a bad day and had learned their identities.
"It's about time you three came to your senses! I was wondering how many more times you would give me your little speech." The Huntress said in a loud voice as she neared, much to the shock of the everyone watching. There were whispers all around them. The Parcae were a formidable opponent, and not many crossed their paths willingly. Meg laughed and embraced Helena, causing the room to heave an audible sigh of relief.
"Come sit with Question and me. I need to catch up with all the bad ass you've kicked since we last talked." Helena grabbed Meg's and Jewel's hand, tugging them after her. Meg started to follow her, but then remembered why she was there.
"Huntress, we can't. We're taking a tour of the Tower, and we need to finish it. We'll find you later, before we leave, though." Meg's eyes told Helena that it wasn't an excuse. "We'll sit down and tell you everything that's happened." Helena got her meaning clearly, turning to give her friend another hug, smiling at the younger girls before heading back to her table.
"As you can see this is the dinning hall. Regular meals are served here, but you can always find something, no matter the time of day or night." Again, Bruce had a weird look on his face. Meg simply raised an eyebrow at him, turning to Flash as he started to talk.
"If you girls like iced mocha chinos, this place has the best ever. I can whip one up quick as a wink for you when I'm here." There were snickers heard through out the room. Most of the men had sneers plastered on their faces. One even stood up coming toward the three new women.
"Flash, you're playing in the big leagues now, man. You don't get a woman with something as pansy as an iced coffee." The man leered at Meg, Jewel, and Jami in turn, causing the men with them to stiffen as if insulted. Meg just shared a look with her sisters and smirked back at the man, her eyes glinting with devilish glee.
"And you are, sir....." The man looked offended that she hadn't heard of him. Meg raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms under her breast, waiting for the idiot to answer.
"I'm Booster Gold. Surely you know who I am?"
"No, I'm afraid not." Meg took at step closer, unfolding her arms, bringing her hands up to touch his blue and gold clad chest. "I bet you think that women want a big muscled man who can fix things around the house, and work on a car." Meg brought her lips to within inches of the big man's in front of her. "If I were you, I'd take some pointers from Flash. If you want a woman like me, you'd do good to learn from him."
If a pin had dropped in the room, it would have sounded like a sonic boom. No one made a sound or moved a muscle as Meg backed away from Booster Gold. An eyebrow raised again, Meg just watched the man to see how he would react to her little display. She hadn't known him long, but she liked Flash, and she wasn't going to have anyone make those kinds of comments about him while she was around.
As she waited for a reaction, she saw a flash of anger in the man's eyes, before he turned and walked away. She had just made her first enemy in the Justice League. Oh well, you couldn't be liked by everyone.
But you provoked that one Meg!!! She heard Jami say into her mind.
I wasn't going to let him put Flash down like that. I like the him, and you know how I feel about verbal abuse.
Yes, we know, Meg, but Jami's right. This is not the way to go about fitting in with the League.
That's enough, sisters, those who are his true friends will thanks us, and those who just tolerate him, will leave him alone in our presence. These eight people entrusted us with their identities, the least we can do is stand up for them when we hear another putting them down, especially if it's a League member.
Her sisters were silent after that. She turned back to Flash and smiled, a genuine smile saved only for her closest friends. She walked over and took his arm, pulling him over to a set of swinging doors, her sisters following behind.
"How about a mocha chino now, Flash. We'll see if you can make one as well as my dad." For some reason, that tickled Flash's funny bone. He threw back his head and laughed loudly.
"Hey, Flash, make me one too." Meg looked over her shoulder, smiling when she saw Helena walking confidently towards them, a wide smile also gracing her face. Flash and the four women disappeared into the kitchen.
"It's about time someone put that bastard in his place. I'm glad you're the one that did it, Meg." Helena said as the doors shut behind them. Meg simply smirked. She watched Jewel saddle up to Wally before commenting to her friend.
"Well, let's just say that I've run into his kind one too many times. Both in the job and in my day job. Those kinds never cease to get under my skin." As Meg said that, the doors opened again, admitting the other seven of their group. Batman's face and eyes were impassive, while most everyone else was smiling openly. Meg raised an eyebrow as Ollie made his way over to Jami.
"I know one of your clients that gets to you worse than any of the others. Don't you think you should tell them about that, by the way." Jewel asked, an eyebrow raised. Everyone just looked at Meg, questions it their eyes. She waited until the door opened, emitting one more person, Question, before throwing a field up to ensure that this was a private conversation.
"You all know that I head Grant International. We're the top of the ladder in the components industry. I have some very high profile clients come to me, two of which are in the this room. But another, a name that everyone knows, has been doing business with my company since just after I took over. Lex Luthor." She stopped to wait for the protest. She didn't have long to wait.
"What???"
"You have to be kidding....."
"Are you nuts????"
"Do you know how dangerous he is???"
All of the questions over lapped each other, and there were many more, that she didn't hear. They went on until Batman stepped forward, silencing everyone else. He stared at her for a long moment, then turned to the others.
"We need to hear her out." With that he stepped back, waiting patiently for the reasons.
"I know that he's dangerous, and no I'm not nuts. I supply him so that no one else does. If I give him what he needs, I can keep an eye on him, I can monitor him." At that the room fell silent. "I have technology that allows me to track his movement. I don't let anything get into his hands until it's passed through mine. If you want, I can show you now, all I need to a computer." Meg looked to Batman.
"Follow me." Meg fell into step behind him, everyone else behind her. They left through a door to the side, walking out into a deserted hallway. They walked in silence. Meg felt the heavy stares of the people behind her. She opened her mind to them, hearing the accusations float through her consciousness. The only one not condemning her was the man in front of her. Batman's mind was strangely quiet. Meg was grateful for that. She closed her mind again, to everyone, even her sisters.
"You can use the computer in here." Batman pulled his glove off, and placed his hand on a pad beside the door. The door swished open, revealing the main frame and a small console off to one side. Meg smirked, recognizing some of her equipment. Batman motioned toward the seat.
"I know that you will all want to stand over my shoulders as I work, all I ask is that if you recognize anything that I do, please don't say anything. If my system got into the wrong hands, it would be disastrous." That said, she turned and sat gracefully in the chair, scooted close to the keyboard and starting typing in rapid sure strokes, too fast for any of the others to follow what she was doing.
For many moments the only sounds in the room were the clicking of Meg's nails on the keyboard. Meg's eyes never left the small screen in front of her, as she worked, typing in command after command. No one dared talk as she worked, for fear of disrupting her concentration. Finally, the logo of Grant International came onto the screen. Meg sat back and relaxed a bit as she typed for a few more minuets. The group was startled as a computer generized voice rang out through the room
"Please state your name."
"Megan Elizabeth Grant." There was silence before the voice spoke again.
"Please state your password." Meg cleared her throat. And sang.
"Tale as old as time, true as it can be. Barely even friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly. Just a little change, small to the say the least, both a little scared, neither one prepared, Beauty and the Beast."
"Welcome, Miss Grant. How may I help you?" Everyone was still silent, staring at Meg, disbelief in their eyes.
"Hello, G-net, I need to access my files on Lex Luthor." She sat back and let the data base do the work.
"Of course, Miss Grant, one moment please." The silence was starting to get on Meg's nerves. She swerved around, facing her audience, an eyebrow raised. A few had the grace to blush, while the others just continued staring.
"Do you mind? I find it very disconcerting. Have none of you ever heard the music from Beauty and the Beast? Or is it that none of you have ever heard a woman sing?" before any of them could answer, the computer beeped. Meg swung around to face the screen.
"Your files, Miss Grant. Do you require anything else?"
"No thank you, G-net, that's all for now. I'll let you know if I need something else." Meg stroked a few more keys, enlarging the screen. She sat back. Looking over it for a few minuets, before turning to Bruce and Ollie. "The two of you are well versed in technology, what do you see in these codes?" Meg watched them as their eyes scanned the screen, before stopping and going slower.
They room was quiet as the two men read the program file, their eyes widening by the second. Meg carefully blocked her mind, keeping everyone out and staying in it herself. The last thing she needed right now was to show just how nervous she was about letting someone else take a look at her files. If Lex ever found out that she kept a tab on everything that he did, she wouldn't ever be able to relax again.
"This is a program to track Luthor as he moves this piece around." Ollie answered. The room was silent again. Meg swerved around and with a few more key strokes, another screen popped up.
"And this one?" This time the answer was quicker in coming.
"This one tracks what he does with a every component you've ever given him. It tells which pieces are being used together, and what they are doing in the device." Bruce answered this time, his voice soft in the still silent room. Until Superman spoke.
"You knew all these times what he was doing, what he was building, and you NEVER CAME FORWARD TO HELP US STOP HIM?!!!!" Meg cringed as Superman shouted the end. She turned and stood calmly, facing Superman. She looked at him, staring at him, then walked toward him.
"No, I didn't. I knew that you could handle him. If by some chance you couldn't, there was always my plan. Into every component I sell, to anyone, not just Lex, there is a switch. If I find that the buyer is using my products for some nefarious purpose, I can flip that switch from anywhere in the world." Meg paused and turned away from everyone, taking a deep breath. She turned back to them, a defiant glint in her green eyes.
"I've watched Lex Luthor carefully my whole life. I grew up with him. I know him better than probably anyone else. And because of that, I know how cruel he can be. I've experienced it first hand. He and I were intended from my birth. My grandfather set up the match. We liked each other well enough, and I was content to be his wife. I knew that I would lack for nothing, and he would at least take care of me, if not love me. We were working on an experiment for his 12th grade science project. He had asked me to help him build a robot. I, being his future wife, thought that this was a good sign. I was only 16 at the time, very impressionable, no experience with men whatsoever. I helped him, I did most of the actual building, and he sat back and watched. That last night, instead of watching he acted. I woke up the next morning, cold and naked in his bed. He was gone, along with the robot. There was pile of cash laying on his pillow with a note saying that he would like to engage my services again the next time he was in town."
Everyone stood stock still, no one meeting Meg's eyes except Bruce. He had taken off his cowl, and was staring at her with eyes full of something that she couldn't place and she refused to delve into his mind to try to identify it. She stared back, before glancing at her sisters, seeing the encouragement in their eyes, gathering her courage to tell the rest of her tell.
"He left me with more than the money that night though. A few months later, I starting getting sick in the mornings, at lunch, and at dinner. Pretty much anytime I smelled food. I had told my mother what had happened right away, I was so devastated by it, that I didn't think about the repercussions of telling my parents, I needed to be comforted, I told them both everything. So when Mama noticed I was sick so often we went to the doctor. I was pregnant with his daughter. I carried her, gave birth, and started my life as a single teen mother, determined to do something with my life. I joined my uncle's small computer firm, went to school, got my degree. I didn't see Lex again until nearly eight years later. During that time, my uncle had died, and I had built the business into a multi-billion dollar firm. I remember that he just walked into our office as if he owned the place. I told him that I would handle his orders personally, for old times sake. And that's when I developed my program. That was four years ago. I have to constantly update it, keep it fresh and undetectable." She turned to Superman, her eyes blazing with fire. "If you knew half of what I do to make sure that that mad man doesn't succeed, you wouldn't have just yelled at me for doing nothing."
With that, Meg stepped back up to the console, and with just a few swipes of the keys, the screen went blank.
"G-net is shutting down now, Miss Grant. Have a pleasant afternoon." The voice once again filled the room.
"As enlightening as this day has been, I do believe that I've had enough. If you would be so kind as to show us out, Batman, I'd appreciate it greatly. I have a daughter to pick up at the airport this afternoon." Batman turned without a word and lead the three women to the front door.
"I'll speak to them, Morta. After seeing that, I know what you do. I'll make them understand." His lips quirked into what could be called a smile, if it hadn't been Batman who had done it. "Perhaps we could meet for lunch or dinner one day soon, I'd like to hear more, if you're willing to share." Meg watch his face a few minuets, trying to decide if he was sincere.
"Would we be meeting as Batman and Morta, or Bruce and Meg?" That was the deal breaker right there.
"Bruce and Meg, of course. I'd wine and dine you with the best of them. I'm sure I could do much better than Lex ever could." Bruce decided to take a chance on the comment, the worst that could happen was that she would refuse, or the best was that she could smile. Which was what she was doing. He smiled back.
"Call my office tomorrow morning, we'll compare our schedules." With that, Meg leapt into the air, not waiting to see if her sisters were following.