Disclaimer: This story is set in the DC Animated Universe, and certain characters are copyrights of DC Comics. These characters are used without the consent of DC, but no money is being generated from the posting of this story. However, some of these characters are the intellectual property of the author, so please don't steal them . . . or I'll sue ya! -LeoN
Wonder Boy: Part I – Reluctant
Chapter Three: Forced
When Eli Brown had left Gotham City to become the Chief of the Police Department in a small town he'd thought he was finally done with costumed vigilantes and crazy villains. He'd moved to West Brook, New York figuring that it was a quiet, safe place to raise his son and maybe have a few more kids. That had been before he'd learned that Eugene Gottfried was an actual mad scientist and that Eli's Godson, Robert Trevor, was now sporting the culmination of the old man's life's work.
For the past month Eli had been living in fear that Robert, Bobby to his friends, would end up having to use his powers to get himself out of a situation of his own making. Even in his wildest dreams though, he wouldn't have believed that Robert would have gotten into a super-powered smack down with the Mayor's egotistical son. Having been briefed on the effects of the super-performance enhancer Toxin it was still another thing entirely to see the aftermath.
The drug enhanced the strength, speed and stamina of the user, and created a protective mesh over the user's skin as it was excreted through the sweat glands. As the drug broke down in the body it consumed the body's natural painkillers as it crystallized in the person's muscles and joints, making every moment hurt. In order to get rid of the drug the body tried to sweat it out, but that caused its own problems as dehydration was the usual cause of death with an overdose. Taken sparingly over the course of a battle a person could remain super-powered for a long period of time, the additional doses working to flush out the used chemicals.
From Robert's report the other teen had downed enough to keep him strong for an hour, but he'd done it in one gulp. After just five minutes Vincent Harper had started going through withdrawal, but in that time he'd torn up the lawn between the football field and the gym and done most of the damage to the wall that had resulted in a large hole. The fight had spilled into the gymnasium where it had concluded with the entire student body watching, with some of the bystanders in physical danger.
Eli was already imagining the paperwork, and he was trying not to think about the Mayor's reaction to this – Vincent was the Mayor's son, and it was an election year.
"It was right around here, sir," Robert announced, playing his flashlight over a patch of ground under the bleachers.
Both Eli and another officer looked around as well, but they couldn't find the vial that Robert had reported. There was, however, a patch of grass that was discolored by something other than blood or vomit. "Get that sample, and cordon off this entire area," the Chief ordered.
"Bobby," a woman's voice called out from above, and the group looked up to see Wonder Woman wearing her dramatically revealing outfit, "What happened here?"
"High school bully downed Toxin when he couldn't beat me into groveling at his feet," Robert responded.
Wonder Woman was joined by a man wearing a blue outfit with yellow boots, gloves and cape, capped by a gold helmet. The woman introduced him, "This is Doctor Fate, the greatest magic user on Earth. Doctor Fate, this is Elisha Brown, the Chief of Police, and I told you about Robert."
Stepping forward, Robert held out his hand and offered, "My friends call me Bobby."
"So I am told," the man nodded. "You have a most curious fate, young man, but telling fortunes is not the reason I came. May I see your bracer?"
"Of course," Robert responded, holding up his left arm where a gold-hued metal sleeve covered his arm from wrist to elbow.
"Yes, I see, Thanagarian runes, Doctor Gottfried no slouch when it came to his studies, and he would need the strongest containment spells to harness the powers of the elements," the mystic explained as he ran his hands around the talisman. "Three elementals, each imparting different gifts: Earth for strength and durability, Air for flight and focus, Fire for speed and recovery. An impressive array of abilities: truly deserving of a moniker such as 'Wonder Boy'."
"Can you take it off?" the young man asked.
"I cannot, not without disrupting the containment spells, and three powerful, not to mention angry, elementals could wreak all manner of havoc before I could bring them under control. It would be like unleashing an earthquake, forest fire and tornado in the same moment – you would be destroyed, as would anyone near you, and likely anyone within a 25 mile radius," Doctor Fate answered.
Hanging his head, the young man signed and let his arm drop. "So, what should I do now?"
"That is entirely up to you," Fate responded. "Your fate is your own to make, which is why I find you so curious; however, I would recommend that you at least explore the role of a hero."
"Thank you, Nabu," Wonder Woman told the other hero.
"As always, Princess, the pleasure was mine," he replied before spreading out his arms. The image of an anuk, the Egyptian symbol for 'fate' surrounded the man and took him with it as it faded away.
In his place another hero stepped out of the shadows. Eli had never had any dealing with the Dark Knight of Gotham, even when he'd been a Detective in the police department there, and he'd always scoffed at the claim that the man carried a general miasma of malice, but he felt like taking a step back as Batman joined the conversation.
"I've analyzed the chemical composite from the grass – the Harper boy is lucky to be alive," the Caped Crusader remarked. "Compared to the doses we've seen up to now that concoction was super-concentrated. If an effective delivery system were devised then it could be weaponized. Entire armies could be outfitted with Toxin enhancements."
"That is a truly frightening thought," Eli snorted. "Thank you for ruining my sleep for the next week."
Batman just looked around with those blank, white lenses under his cowl.
Wonder Woman pressed on, "How does it compare to the sample we took from Dr. Gottfried's lab?"
"Near identical, but not exactly the same," Batman answered. "Either someone is trying to improve on Gottfried's chemistry or they are trying to duplicate it."
"I want to know how Vincent got a hold of it," Robert cut in. "Dillon seemed to know what it was, but Troy had no clue – Vincent knew exactly what he had, but I don't think he was expecting the detox to be so bad."
"We'll know more when the Harper boy is fit to talk," Batman brooded. "In the meantime, I suggest that you get some training, Robert Trevor. This battle was sloppy, and you put a lot of innocent lives in danger."
Robert hung his head again, and Eli put in, "Robert's agreed to participate in the Junior Deputy Program, but I think that training with the Justice League would also be beneficial. What do you think, Robert?"
"Uh, yea, you're probably right, sir," the young man sighed, squaring his shoulders, "But I can't train every day of the week – I have homework and Journalism Club."
"Perhaps Saturdays," Wonder Woman suggested. "We're holding First Responder training for our Reserve Members tomorrow."
The boy perked up at the idea, and Eli could see his Godson fitting the training into his overall plan for his future. It was a plan that would see Robert Trevor following in his father's footsteps as a Police Detective, and maybe even beyond.
Bobby knew he was in for it when he saw that the lights in the front room were on. He'd known that his mom would be waiting up for him, but if she'd been alone then she'd be waiting in the kitchen, waiting to hear how Homecoming had gone. Nathan liked the front room, it was very formal and played to his preconceptions of what a father was supposed to be.
Opening the front door he looked around to find that his stepdad was awake and his mom snoozing on a couch.
"Yea, so, I've got some explaining to do," the young man commented as he sat down on the couch opposite his parents. Chief Brown had wanted all the facts before making comments, but Nathan argued every point.
Samantha was forced to shush her husband several times, so that it took 2 hours to tell the tale. He was tired as he finished, "So Chief Brown pulled me aside and told me to either 'badge up or pay out'."
"That's coercion," Nathan barked. "That's not legal."
"It is when I cosigned the application," his mother responded, drawing her husband's shocked expression. Sighing, Samantha explained, "I'm sorry, Robert, but I know what kind of person you are. We don't know enough about your powers, so it was really only a matter of time before you were forced to use your powers either in defense of yourself or others. I didn't tell you Nathan because I knew you would be against it, and I'm sorry but I won't let my son be branded a criminal."
Nathan opened his mouth to argue, and then closed it at his wife's expression.
Bobby got up and announced, "It's past midnight, and Wonder Woman invited me to attend some First Responder training in the morning. She came by with Doctor Fate – no go on getting this thing off, not without destroying everything within 25 miles and turning myself into a puff of red mist."
"Well, if you can't take it off then I think it best that you train with the Justice League. Get some sleep, and in the morning leave your homework in the kitchen so Nathan and I can check it," his mother remarked. "Good night, Robert."
"Good night, mom, night Nathan," Bobby answered as he headed up to his room. Since putting on the bracer he'd been averaging about 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night. Any more and he woke up feeling like he'd downed an entire jug of coffee and a bottle of energy pills. Waking up at 5 in the morning on the weekend was boring, and the only thing to do was homework.
With so much extra time to study Bobby was averaging A's in all his classes, but he had to wonder who working at the Police Department and weekends with the Justice League was going to affect his grades. Nathan would have something to say if the young man couldn't keep his grades up, but the young man would never intentionally do less than his best – it was against everything that his biological dad, Daniel Trevor, had taught him. Homework done, Bobby put on a pair of jeans, his favorite boots, and a t-shirt, pulling his old blue hoody from the back of the closet, figuring that he should do the 'superhero' thing right and wear the same kind of outfit he'd worn to the mall just a month earlier.
Laying his homework out in the kitchen – his parent's still weren't awake – he headed into the back yard and fitted the earpiece into his ear, tapping it once. "Wonder Boy awaiting transport," he announced, feeling foolish.
"Standby for teleportation," a resonate alien voice responded.
Having your atomic structure disassembled and reassembled in a different location was a singular sensation, with nothing to compare it to. Bobby's vision swam as he arrived in the lobby of the Justice League's Metro Tower, constructed after the Cadmus Incident in an attempt to open relations with the world governments. The teleportation pad was part of a balcony that looked out over the foyer where only a few people where moving around.
Bobby was glad that there were so few people – less witnesses as he dashed to a potted plant and vomited into the pot.
"Wow, I've never seen anybody respond THAT badly to their first teleport," a girl's voice announced.
Wiping his chin, Bobby looked up to see a girl wearing a blue and white long-sleeved bicycle top and knee-length bicycle shorts. Black combat boots with red laces, a clunk red belt, red gloves and a blue mask completed her costume, the top featuring a large white star on front and three more on each arm. She was also carrying a golden staff with a hook at the end like a knitting needle. He recognized her as Star Girl, one of the Justice League's junior members, and the resident super-heroine of Blue Valley, Massachusetts.
"Yea, sorry about that," Bobby apologized as he spat out the last of the vomit. "Is there some place I can clean up?"
"Yea, the boy's locker room is this way," she answered, leading the way. "I'm Courtney, by the way; Courtney Whitmore."
"Robert Trevor," he responded in his customary greeting, "But my friends call me Bobby."
"Nice to meet you, Bobby," she responded, smiling so that her braces could be seen. Besides the hardware she was a pretty girl, blond hair, blue eyes, nice figure, but he was starting to think that Mary was ready to go steady with him and didn't want to jinx himself.
Stepping into the locker room he noted that it looked a lot like the professional lockers at Gotham Stadium – the lockers themselves were more like small closets where heroes could store changes of street clothes and multiple sets of their costumes. Every member of the League had a locker, which meant that the room was huge. Finding a sink took longer than he thought, but after washing and gulping down some water Bobby left the locker room to find Star Girl waiting.
"Took you long enough," Courtney complained. "Sorry I didn't tell you earlier – Wonder Woman asked me to show you around."
"Ah, I was wondering why you were up so early," he responded, noting that it was almost eight – about the time that any self-respecting teenager would be wishing the sun would go away.
"I know," the girl sighed. "Come on, I'll show you the cafeteria first – they should have the full spread set up, what with this being a training day."
"Wonder Woman said that all the reserve members would be training as First Responders," Bobby prompted.
Courtney nodded, lamenting, "It's a total drag. Most of us Reservists are second-tier heroes, or like you and me, still in school. When we're call out to assist the Active League members it's usually as crowd control or manning triage centers, so we have to know how to apply bandages and perform CPR."
Bobby laughed, and told the girl, "And you think that makes you less of a hero? Courtney, the rear-guard action is the most important. The media might focus on the flashy antics of those in the thick of battle, but for the people caught up in the mess it's the men and women who are treating injuries and reuniting families who are the most important. My dad once told me that he thought that Fire Fighters and Paramedics were the most amazing people, because they helped people in such a personal way. Most of the people he investigated on behalf of couldn't remember his face a week later."
"I guess," she shrugged, still not convinced.
The cafeteria, like the locker room, was large: designed to seat about 100 heroes and support staff, and serve ten times that number. At the moment there were about a dozen people either moving down the line or already seated. Courtney led the way, nitpicking her favorite things as they moved down the line. Bobby grabbed a light breakfast – cereal, toast, juice and milk – stuffing a couple cereal bars into the pouch on his sweater for later.
Other 'Reservists' were already seated, and Courtney made a bee-line for a trio of older teens. Roy Harper, no relation to Vincent Harper, was Green Arrow's former sidekick. He'd been sidelined to a reserve status after it was discovered that he'd been using drugs recreationally – the scandal had made front page headlines, but he'd been clean for a while now. Garth was an Atlantian, the nephew of Aquaman – King Arthur of Atlantis – and had joined the Justice League to better understand 'land dwellers'. Captain Marvel – he didn't give his real name – was older, in his early-twenties or there about – but he seemed more comfortable at the teen's table than with the other league members. Courtney sat down next to the power-house, smiling up at him and batting her baby-blues.
"Arsenal, Tempest, Cap, this is Wonder Boy," Courtney said as an introduction.
"My friends call me Bobby," he offered.
"It is very nice to finally meet you, Bobby," Captain Marvel responded, and the others followed suit. "There was a lot of debate on when, or even if, you would be joining us."
"Honest, I wish I weren't here," Bobby announced, holding up his bracer. "But Doc Fate says that this won't come off in a way that will make anyone happy, so I guess I'd better figure out how to use it."
"I do not understand your reluctance," Garth intoned. "From what I've been able to gather from other young heroes most prefer to be 'fighting the good fight' than sitting at home?"
Shaking his head, Bobby joked, "Personally, I'd rather the rolling out of bed to watch cartoons right now."
"Here, here," Courtney agreed, raising her glass of OJ in salute. "Still, there's no reason we couldn't be doing both if this First Responder Training hadn't been scheduled for so early in the morning. Fortunately I set the TV to record 'Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew'."
She blushed after making that announcement.
Bobby realized that she'd based her costume off of Patriot Poodle. All she was missing were the inline skates.
Laughing with the others, Bobby admitted, "I'm more of an anime fan."
"I'm with you there," Roy agreed, reaching across the table to give Bobby a fist bump.
"I like Power Rangers," Cap admitted, taking the blush out of Courtney's cheeks as she realized that she wasn't the only one who watched kid's shows.
Talk of shows turned to music and sports teams and the kind of talk that new friends went over when getting to know each other. Bobby piecemealed his food as he relaxed.
Diana stepped into the cafeteria and looked around, spotting her young protégé sitting with a group of other young heroes. She approved of Captain Marvel and Tempest – both were excellent rolemodels – and she'd asked Star Girl to look after Robert while he was getting used to his role as a young hero. Arsenal was a different matter – the boy's past drug addiction was still a black mark on the League.
Stepping up to the group she commented, "I must say that you five look like a gathering of Titans."
Robert laughed and quipped, "Teenage Titans."
The others laughed at the remark, relaxing slightly in her presence.
Looking to her young charge, Diana requested, "Bobby, I'd like to show you something."
"Good luck, Bobby," Roy Harper replied as Robert got up and took his tray to the cleaning window.
What Diana wanted to show him was a costume that she'd worked out during the month that he'd been in denial. The bodysuit was primarily blue with a white star on the chest, the sleeves stopping just below the elbow, the cuffs designed to be tucked into the Power-Bracer on his left arm and a cosmetically identical Nth metal bracer that could be worn on the right arm. Red boots equipped with Nth metal greaves covered his legs from foot to knee.
"So, what do you think?" she asked proudly.
Her good humor slipped slightly at the uncomfortable look on Robert's face as he stepped forward and fingered the fabric. She explained, "Costumes are more than just flashy outfits, Bobby. They serve to instantly identify the wearer. Everyone knows who I am in costume, but if I were to stop a group of bank robbers in street clothes people wouldn't know who I am. Justice League costumes are made out of a special material that protects the wearer against fire and shrapnel."
Robert considered the costume, but she could tell that he was still less than thrilled. "Could I . . . get a utility belt?" he asked finally. "You know, to keep my Deputy's badge, handcuffs, and stuff like gas-pellets. I could use your symbol as a belt buckle, since most people associate me with you any way."
Beaming at the thought, Diana gave her protégé a hug and promised, "I'll have something put together in a few hours."
Taking the costume, Robert ducked into the men's locker room and emerged in his new costume, clipping the second bracer over his right arm. He looked good in blue, but he was right – the suit needed more color. A red utility belt would serve well for that.
"We'll work on establishing control over the activation of your bracer after training," she cheered.
The paramedics had set up a dozen or so gurneys with dummies designed to mimic different kinds of injuries. Most of it was treating broken bones, bleeding and shock, but there were also dummies that simulated internal injuries and impaled objects. It was a very extensive list, but Bobby was having so much fun that his new friends had to drag him away for lunch. Once in the cafeteria though, he settled down at the sight of the spread that the support staff had put together.
All League members were on call 24/7, but very few actually lived either at the Metro or Watch Towers. Most of the time they were going to college, holding down full time jobs, between serving the public in their hometowns and the surrounding areas. They would stay at either tower for a couple days each month, acting as the 'Active Team' in cells of five to seven members. When the situation required it multiple teams could be called up, or individual members brought together to form new teams if their special skills were needed.
Reservists were only called up on weekends – to allow the Active Members a break from hero duty – and in the worst case situations, like when the Watch Tower's particle laser had been fired and when Darkside had tried to invade the second time. During the summer months the younger Reserve members were placed on active teams so that they could get firsthand experience, like the time that Star Girl and Supergirl had gone to Japan to deal with the giant turtle.
"So, do you think that they'll team us up?" Bobby asked Courtney.
"Don't know," Courtney shrugged. "Probably not – I'm normally teamed with my stepdad, Pat, and you'll probably team up with Wonder Woman. Normally they don't allow two sets of partners on the same team."
"Why not?" the young man wondered.
Roy answered, quoting, "One teen is half an adult, two teens are half that. That's what Ol, er, Green Arrow always said when I suggested teaming up with Batman and Robin."
"Did you ever team up with them?" Courtney asked.
"No, but I have teamed up with Nightwing – the guy that used to be Robin," Arsenal told her.
"I'm surprised that the new Robin isn't here," the girl noted.
Captain Marvel put in, "From what I understand, Batman has him working undercover to figure out who's selling Toxin to small-town jocks. How is the Harper boy doing anyway, Bobby?"
Bobby shrugged, saying, "It only happened last night, but he was life-lifted to the hospital in East Brook – he'll have to go through blood dialysis until the Toxin crystals are gone. After that, Chief Brown said that he'll be charged with criminal negligence, among other things, and being 18 there's no chance that he'll be tried as a juvenile. He's in a lot of trouble."
"What was the fight over?" Garth inquired.
Rolling his eyes, Bobby explained, "Vincent thought that he owned the town and everyone in it. Anyone who didn't 'bow down to his greatness' was bullied into doing so, but I don't bow down to bullies, great or small. Since he couldn't intimidate me he tried to beat me into submission, and when his usually tactics didn't work he dosed himself with Toxin."
"What an idiot," Courtney groaned.
Nodding, Roy admitted, "I had my run in with drugs, and while I'm glad I'm clean I'll never be the person I was before I started using. Hopefully that Harper kid can get himself straightened out before he does something that there's no coming back from."
Bobby hoped so, too, but from what he'd seen so far it was more likely that his shackle would come off than Vincent Harper would change his tune.
After lunch was another round with the dummies for another two hours of learning, but first Wonder Woman went around and to all the dummies and stuck them with pins.
Courtney explained to her new friend, "Plastic Man once posed as one of the dummies. Unfortunately for him, it was the dummy we were using to train with the shock paddles."
Robert laughed at that as he filed in. It was hard to get a read on the young man – he was totally not the type of person she'd expected Wonder Boy to be. He wasn't the gorgeously handsome teenager that she'd imagined – the videos of his mall exploit were too grainy to make out a face. He also wasn't as cool as she'd imagined either – he'd been pretty impressive on the videos but he seemed like a total noob in person. Well, she supposed that he had time to grow into his role as a superhero.
She watched him as he worked with the dummies, and could practically feel him soaking in the knowledge. Well, at least he wasn't a total dweeb – there was some nice muscle definition under his costume!
"Alpha-level threat reported in Portland, Oregon," the telepathic 'voice' of the Martian Manhunter echoed through the minds of every hero in the tower.
Wonder Woman tapped her earpiece and announced, "Johnn, I'm on it. Atom Smasher, Tempest, Captain Marvel." Looking around she added, "Wonder Boy, Star Girl, STRIPE, you're with me."
"She can't be serious," Robert complained as they followed her out. "I've been a member of the League for, what 5 hours?"
"Welcome to the big-time kid," Pat Dugan, Courtney's stepdad, remarked as they ran towards the Javelin Hanger. At the hanger, Pat ran to a workshop and climbed into his robotic power armor. The Strategic Tactical Robotic Integrated Power Enhancer – S.T.R.I.P.E., or Stripe for short, had been a pet project of Pat's ever since he'd traveled forward in time from ancient Egypt, where he'd ended up after a battle with a cosmic entity in the 1950s! The guy learned by doing, so the suit had been his attempt to catch up with modern technologies.
He'd inherited a lot of stuff from his former partner, Sylvester Pemberton, who'd been styling himself as 'The Star-Spangled Kid' in the '50's, but had changed his moniker to 'Star Man' in the '60's, fighting crime until the '80's when he'd finally given up his Cosmic Converter Staff. In his mid-60s now, the man produced movies out in Hollywood.
Courtney had found the staff, along with a bunch of memorabilia when she'd moved out to Blue Valley with her mom and Pat so that they could 'start fresh'. At first she'd put on a costume just to annoy Pat, but after her first couple adventures she found that being a superhero fulfilled a part of herself that she hadn't known she'd been ignoring.
Robert followed her into the Javelin Aero-Space Plane that was being prepped for launch, and they were soon joined by Atom Smasher, Tempest, and Pat in his STRIPE armor. Wonder Woman was already at the controls, and superfast Captain Marvel was already there, too. Marvel looked back and winked in their direction, making Mary blush – he had looks, muscles and brains, and he was younger than he appeared – 22 or 24. Not too old, she allowed.
"How do you put this on?" Bobby asked as he tried to figure out the five-point-harness that served as seat belts on the Javelin.
Sighing, Courtney helped her friend strap in as the jet lifted vertically through the roof access, getting all the belts in place before Wonder Woman kicked the thrusters to flight mode and they were screaming across the continent. In the seatbacks in front of them, small screens began displaying the preliminary report. A massive lizard had torn its way out of an office building in downtown Portland and was wreaking havoc in the streets. The tower itself was still standing, but even in the ever-moving lens of the helicopter camera they could see that the tower had been weakened by the escaping monstrosity.
At supersonic speeds they crossed the country and arrived in the City of Roses in just 10 minutes time, but in that time secondary explosions had been reported from inside the tower. Putting the ship into a circling pattern, Wonder Woman ordered, "Captain, Tempest, Smasher, you're with me – we need to contain that threat. Star, Stripe, Bobby, I need you three to evacuate that building."
"Crowd control!" Courtney exclaimed. "But I can help you!"
"Catch up to us when the building is secure," the woman ordered as she opened the ramp and leapt out.
The others followed, Captain Marvel carrying Atom Smasher and Wonder Woman carrying Tempest. Robert hesitated at the ramp, and Courtney pushed him out. "Let's go, Wonder Boy."
He screamed as he slipped and fell out the hatch, and she remembered that he could only fly when his bracer was active. Leaping out after him, she watched as he recovered himself, coming to a stop over a building that glowed pink in the sunlight.
"Don't do that again," he spat. "I thought I was going to die!"
"I knew you'd recover," she downplayed her bonehead move.
Growling, Robert considered the situation and asked, "I don't suppose you can support the entire building?"
"No way," Courtney responded. "I'd give myself a coronary trying to control that much mass."
He considered, and pointed to a building on the street opposite. "Do you think you could gather up some of the dust and make a rescue slide to that building?"
Rolling her eyes she announced, "I don't need dust to make a slide."
"I know," he responded thoughtfully, "But your construct would be invisible otherwise, and we need people to be able to see what we're doing."
Feeling like an idiot, the girl gathered up as much dust as she could and formed a rescue slide that would sprint people to safety. Unfortunately, this meant that she wouldn't be able to go into the tower to find people!
"Um, sir, could you contact the local paramedics and have them set up a staging area on the roof?" Robert asked Pat.
"On it," Pat responded. "Do you want me to follow you into the tower?"
"You'd better not – I'm not sure how much that armor weighs, but I don't want to put any more stress on that tower than I have to," the young hero responded.
"I'll put out the fires," her stepdad offered. He'd always been more of a follower than a leader, even back in the '50's when he'd been the adult sidekick of a teenage hero.
Robert nodded and dove for the gaping hole made by the monster's escape.
Bobby had seen plenty of disaster movies; he'd been prepared to see blood and gore all around, but the scene was thankfully lacking a bloodbath. It was Saturday, and the only people who'd been around were the cleaning crews and those behind on their office work. He found some people trapped under furniture while others were trapped in elevator shafts. The top five floors had been completely cut off from the rest of the tower when the creature had made its escape, so those trapped at the top were especially thankful for the rescue.
What the young man found strange as he worked through the tower was that there was no entry hole. He'd thought that the monster might have tunneled up from some place deep in the earth, but as he worked down he discovered the initial destruction had occurred in some type of lab within the tower itself. Scientists lay about, stunned or dead, some seriously wounded. Those that were conscious were helping their fellows.
"What happened here," Bobby asked as he helped one scientist splint the leg of another.
"An experiment," the scientist answered in a thick oriental accent. "We were experimenting with growth enhancers when one of our specimens grew at an alarming rate. It broke free of its restrains and began searching for an escape."
"You grew Godzilla in a lab in Portland, Oregon?" the young man wondered as he looked for a way to evacuate the most critically wounded. "It's tearing apart the town, how do we stop it?"
"Antidote," the Chinese doctor answered, pointing out a series of weapons in a locker that had been smashed open. The smallest was the size of a simple dart gun, and the largest was as big as a bazooka.
"Grab the big one," Bobby said before flying up a couple floors and grabbing a piece of office cubicle. Coming back down, he loaded the two worst off and flew them up, placing the cubicle wall on the slide before going back for more.
Taking everyone he could, including some people he thought might be dead already, he cleared the floor before continuing down only to run into the fire department coming up the stairway. "I've cleared the floors above to the best of my knowledge and evacuated them to a building across the street," he reported.
In the lead the Fire Chief blinked in surprise, taking in the costume. "You're Wonder Boy, right?"
"Yes, sir," Bobby said, thinking it best not to argue with the man. "Is the monster still rampaging?"
Nodding his head the Chief explained, "The Justice League has forced it into a park and are trying to capture it, but the thing just keeps getting bigger."
"Well, I have an antidote for that. Do you need me to help you search?"
"No, go ahead, we've got it from here, Wonder Boy," the Chief answered. "And thank you."
"No, thank you, I've got powers to keep me safe, but what you guys do on a daily basis, that's true heroics," Bobby responded before flying back the way he'd come.
Coming out the hole, Bobby flew to Star Girl and told her, "The Fire Department has it from here, let's catch up with Wonder Woman."
She was sweating, and looked relieved when she let the slide go. Together they landed on the roof and went over to the doctor who was speaking in rapid Mandarin to a woman who looked at death's door.
"I'm sorry, Doctor, but how do I use the rocket?" Bobby asked.
The doctor quickly showed him how to operate the gas propelled sedative projectile and the trio flew off to catch up with the rest of the team. Wonder Woman had the rest of the heavy hitters had corralled the 40 foot lizard in a park, but its hide had become so thick that it shrugged off even the most devastating blows. It retaliated with its tail and claws and teeth, tearing at the ground and slicing trees in half.
"Star, make a leash around its front legs, immobilize it," Bobby suggested. Tapping his earpiece he explained to the entire team, "I've got a sedative to put this thing out of action, but I need to hit a vulnerable area."
"There are no vulnerable areas," Atom Smasher cursed. "We've tried hitting it everywhere."
"The soft tissues of the mouth," Captain Marvel countered.
"Star Girl is immobilizing it's front legs, Cap, W's, can you hold it's back legs? Atom, I need you to hold the neck: STRIPE, that leaves you with the tail; do you think you can handle it?"
"What about me?" Tempest requested.
"Spray it in the nose with your water jets, make it open wide for me," Bobby suggested as he came down to land at the monster's front. Pulling up the bazooka-type weapon, he aimed carefully and fired when he saw the beast opening its mouth. The gas-propelled syringe erupted from the front of the weapon and streaked straight into the gaping maw, hitting the back of the throat.
Thrashing even more, the creature spat out the needle, but Bobby could see that the antidote had already been drained. Kicking up a fuss, the creature started to shrink as the fight went out of it, until it was finally just 5 feet from head to tail. He watched amazed, but also a little concerned – the law of conservation of mass would have caused the animal to excrete some kind of substance to account for the lost size.
A military transport pulled into the park, driving over the curb and taking out a swing set as he approached the heroes at speed. When it stopped the oriental scientist stepped out with a familiar, over weight woman of African descent.
"Waller," Wonder Woman made a curse of the name. "I should have know that this was one of your projects."
"It wasn't before, but it is now. Doctor Xu's research was being funded by the FDA, trying to increase the size of livestock so that we could reduce the number of domesticated cows, chickens and pigs," the government official responded. "This incident shows that the process can be weaponized, which means that it falls under Cadmus jurisdiction."
"So what can we expect next? US soldiers capable of growing 50 feet tall?" the Amazonian demanded.
Amanda Waller sniffed, and threatened, "Hopefully you never find out, Princess." To the soldiers she ordered, "Get this thing on the truck – I want to be out of here before the media hounds start baying."
The doctor helped load the creature into a cage, which was placed in the back of the truck before the soldiers loaded back up and left the part.
Bobby frowned, not sure what to make of the situation. He understood that for the sake of National Security, every government had to keep secrets, often from their own citizens, but this seemed a little excessive. Given that he was only 16, and couldn't vote yet, he couldn't make a change to his nation, but he could pay attention to what was going on. In another couple years he could make his opinion felt by voting out of office those who abused the power that the citizens of the US gave them, and vote in responsible men and women. That was democracy at work.
As the woman had warned, the media were on their way. Bobby saw them coming and finally understood the term 'Media Circus' as the different news crews jockeyed for position. In the skies, news choppers vied for position, some coming dangerously close to crashing into each other. He was starting to feel panicky when Princess Diana reached out a hand and pulled Bobby into a position at her right shoulder.
Captain Marvel pushed Courtney to the team leader's other side; the rest of the heroes taking up positions to form a united front against the surge of men and women all clamoring for the story.
Vin Harper turned the TV off in disgust and fumed over his situation. A week after the 'Portland Debut' the media was still going on about 'Wonder Boy' and his role in defeating the giant lizard. They were making it seem as if the little turd-monkey were solely responsible for defeating the monster – find the antidote, coming up with the winning strategy, and firing the weapon that ended the fight. Even the authorities were completely won over by the guy.
The latest report was an interview of the Fire Chief from Portland, Oregon, saying, "I'm very impressed with Wonder Boy – he took his role in rescuing people very seriously and showed a lot of respect when we met on the stairs."
On top of that, Vin was having trouble finding a lawyer who could see that this was all Robert Trevor's fault. They all wanted him to pled 'Guilty' in order to get a lesser sentence. Like any self respecting jury wouldn't see that that the 'wonderful Wonder Boy' wasn't just a super-powered menace that needed to be taught his place in the world. Only, the more news he watched the more Vin realized that Robert was running a near flawless public relations campaign – he couldn't trust the jury to see things his way.
"Such a serious face," a doctor called out as he entered the room. Vin had never seen this doctor before though – he looked like a raison left in the sun too long. "Thinking about your upcoming court battle, huh? Well, I'd be worried too – you're going to be sent to prison for a long time."
He sat down next to the bed and counted off, "The prosecution can prove you used an illegal and dangerous drug, and they can prove it was your cleats that caused the damage to the yard, and there are a dozen videos that show you lifting a bleacher full of students and throwing it. About the only point they'll concede is that the wall is your word against his, but they'll believe his word with all the other points in his favor, and the good work he's doing. So, what are you going to do about it?"
"What can I do about it?" Vin scoffed, feeling even worse.
"My name is Doctor Thaddeus Sivana," the man introduced himself. "I'm currently working on a project that is designed to give someone like you superpowers. Of course, it's off the books, but with my system you would have the powers to rival Wonder Boy, even beat him. Then you could prove to the world what a loser Wonder Boy is."
Narrowing his eyes, Vin demanded, "You want me to run away before the trial?"
"So long as the hero remains undefeated you'll never get the justice that you want," Sivana shrugged. "So long as he's the only one with powers, he'll be the hero of this story. Wouldn't you like to have the kind of power to change your own destiny?"
"Yea, I want that kind of power," Vin answered.
Things were finally settling down, Bobby thought as he considered the past week and a half. He'd come back from the 'Portland Debut' to find Mary sitting in his kitchen to announce, "You know, I've never been stood up on a date before, and I've never been stood up two days in a row."
"Yea, sorry about that," he responded sheepishly. "Things got a little . . . uh." He didn't know how to explain.
"Strange," she offered, trying to hide a smile. "Unfortunately, things are going to get even more difficult for you, Bobby. You need a girlfriend!"
"Um, why?" he wondered, and then corrected, "Not that I wouldn't be insanely happy to have you as a girlfriend, but why do I need one?"
With a sigh she explained, "Now that you're Wonder Boy for real the girls will be coming out the wood work to date you, and if you aren't careful you're going to end up in a knocking up some trashy bit you don't even like. Having me as your girlfriend means that I can keep the fame-seekers at bay."
He laughed at her, noting, "You make going out sound like a business proposition."
She blushed, and offered, "Sorry, I spent all day telling my parents how us dating was more of a friend thing than personal interest. Dad was against it, of course, but mom won him over. We can't go anywhere along – just group activities like dances and double dates. If . . . if you want to go out with me?"
"Mary, I would be honored."
And so their relationship had begun. That wasn't the only change though – the moment that Bobby enter school he'd been called to the Principal's office and told, "Due to the recent change in your status as an 'Active Superhero' the School Board has decided on a new policy regarding your education."
"I'm not going to like this, am I?" Bobby wondered.
The man smiled ruefully and nodded. "Because you can be called out of class at any hour of the day you are going to be given the week's worth of homework in advance. This week your workload will be normal, but Friday you'll receive the homework for next week. I hope that you'll do your best."
"Of course, sir," Bobby responded.
Mary had been right about girls coming out of the woodwork – every girl at school was looking at him differently, and making passes at him. In most cases only Mary's presence made the girls stop their advances, and even then he could see the predatory look in their eyes. He felt more like wild game than a superhero.
Even though the teachers weren't supposed to give him the extra workload until Friday they gave him the next day's homework too. The only classes he didn't get extra homework in was PT, which was relatively quiet without Vincent leading an 'Anti-Bobby' campaign, and Home Economics, which he didn't attend because the school counselor wanted to interview him again. After class he'd been interviewed again by Cynthia Jenkins, going through almost all of the psychologist's questions point for point.
School finally over, Bobby headed home to get a start on his double homework feeling like he'd been pulled through the ringer feet first so that he could feel all the pain. Unfortunately, Tuesday was worse than Monday as he had his first day working at the Police Department after school. What really surprised him was that 'Alvin Draper' was wearing a jersey – with Vincent off the team their last win had been turned over and there was a vacancy on the bench.
Forewarned about what a 'Ride Along' really entailed he wasn't surprised that his first day was nothing but paperwork. Junior Deputy's were mostly paper pushers, and the biggest action that they saw was writing parking tickets. The big surprised there was that Eli had him wearing an actual police uniform while performing his duty. Still the first day was nothing but paperwork.
Wednesday and Thursday were like Tuesday, Friday he took photos at the Football game, watching as the team struggled to pull off a win without Vincent leading the team. He still suspected the entire team of using Toxin, but he couldn't figure out how they were dosing themselves, or how they were avoiding the withdrawal as he watched them file into the after-game dance. It wasn't as fancy as Homecoming, but he finally managed to dance with Mary.
Saturday Bobby spent at Metro Tower training under Wonder Woman.
"I cannot teach you the ways of the Amazons given that you are male, but I've adapted several of Man's Martial Arts to something close enough for our purposes," the woman explained. "The culmination of your training is what we of Themyscira call 'Arrows and Bracers', where you will be able to use your swiftness and strength to deflect objects traveling at sonic speeds – arrows and bullets."
"That sounds dangerous," Bobby noted.
"It is dangerous – piercing weapons are one of the few weaknesses that Amazonians have, but it beats trying to leap and dodge between bullets when they are coming at you faster than you can blink," she countered. "This training will also help you control your strength and speed so that you can safely fly people to safety without hurting them."
Bobby nodded, that was something that he wanted to be able to do. He liked being a rescuer than a fighter.
"Oh, yes, I got this for you," Diana exclaimed, producing a red utility belt with a 'W' shaped eagle for a buckle. "Batman made it especially for you, so take care of it."
"I will, thank you."
Sunday was nothing but homework, but fortunately his teachers had prepped him for it by giving him the extra homework earlier in the week, so Sunday was more of a refresher course than the slam it would have been. His mom and step-dad were a big help as they reviewed all of his homework for spelling, grammar and math errors. Mary came over to help, but as the work was a year ahead of her studies. However, she did provide a much needed distraction in the form of a tennis match to blow off stress.
The next Monday things settled into the new pattern, but another surprise was delivered – Vincent Harper had mysteriously disappeared from the hospital where he'd been undergoing dialysis to remove the Toxin crystals from his muscle tissues. Bobby had a bad feeling that his schoolyard rival was going to get himself in an even worse situation. He tried not to think about it as he helped edit the school paper and went about his normal routine. About the only thing of note was that his peers weren't so keen on asking him 'What's it like to be a superhero?' when they saw the mass of homework he was being assigned daily.
Cynthia's reports helped too: she'd been interviewing various members of the 'Three Letter Posse', as she'd dubbed them. The FBI, DEO, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had agents in town to 'keep an eye on things'. Some of her remarks were candid to the point that Bobby was left wondering just how 'in depth' her interview technique was.
Tuesday was uneventful, but Wednesday . . .
Bobby was sitting in math class when a park bench came flying through the window. Everyone took cover as glass scattered everywhere, and the young man's first instinct was to make sure that everyone was alright. Looking out the window though he realized that he would have to deal with the threat first – Vincent Harper had returned.
With the threat presented the bracer activated, and Bobby flew out the shattered windows to face his rival. Vincent had been outfitted with a black bodysuit under plates of armor; the armor covered him to the ears with his hair and face left exposed. The armor gleamed a sickly purple color in the autumn sunlight.
"This is the wrong place for this, Vincent," Bobby called out.
"No, this is the perfect place," Vincent spat back. "This way everyone can see me crush you like the bug you are."
With that announcement made the older teen rushed forward calling out, "And the name is 'Detox'."
Bobby remembered what Wonder Woman told him: "A martial art is meant to augment your natural instinct, not replace them. Trust yourself."
Rolling onto his back, Bobby kicked and sent his rival flying over the school. Recovering, he followed, and saw the ex-jock land in a tumble on the football field. He landed, gesturing to the surrounding area, "I think this is more suitable – less witnesses, but this is the place you first tried to bully me into following your lead."
"Well, at least you have a sense of irony," Vincent growled. "I'm going to own you."
Vincent came at him again, and Bobby used what little he'd learned to counter the assault. As they traded blows Bobby's natural reaction was to taunt his opponent, asking, "I'm confused, are you a bully because your dad beats you, or because he didn't beat you?"
"My father is a good man," the older teen growled. "He's raised me to be a leader, a ruler."
Blocking the blow, Bobby countered with a head-butt to Vincent's head, but his forehead bounced off a forcefield that was being projected by the plates over the older teen's ears. Laughing, Vincent caught Bobby in a bear hug, squeezing him hard, and Bobby responded by slapping Vincent's ears, staggering his rival. As Vincent staggered slightly, Bobby grabbed hold of the forearm plates of the black armor and put one foot on Vincent's chest, kicking off with all his strength.
The plates tore free, taking the armored gloves with them, spurting the ugly blue of the advanced Toxin mix. Bobby tossed the gauntlets aside, noting, "I guess he didn't beat you enough then."
"You don't know anything!" Vincent screamed, coming at him again.
"All your life you took what you wanted, and no one stood up to you," Bobby responded, countering the attacks, "your daddy was the head of the School Board before he became Mayor, so all the teachers were scared of reporting your bullying, afraid that they'd lose their jobs."
Grabbing the chest plate at the base, Bobby put one foot on the thigh plate and kicked off again, ripping the armor away, and following up with a spin, using the armored piece to smack Vincent across the face. Vincent was sent tumbling away, recovering in the in-zone.
Bobby taunted, "So, you grew up thinking that everyone would roll over for you – your classmates, your teachers, and probably the police, too. That's why your dad brought in someone from outside town to be the Chief of Police, someone who wouldn't take your crap. And then there's Mary – you probably considered her dislike of you as a challenge, that's why you're so fixated on her."
"STOP TALKING ABOUT MY DAD, DAMN IT!" Vincent shouted, coming back for more. "You don't know anything! This is my town, I can do anything here, and I can date anyone I want to. Mary will be mine, after I show everyone what a pitiful little shit you are!"
Vincent was falling back on his boxing experience – he'd been the golden-gloves winner for his age group back in Elementary School. Bobby blocked and countered with kicks and with the altitude advantage he could put to use. Practicing punches and blocks while floating twenty feet in the air helped him put his rival onto the defensive.
Bobby flew at ankle level, grabbing his opponent's leg and spinning, throwing the older teen onto the ground where he bounced and struggled to get up. It seemed that the gauntlets and chest had held the majority of the Toxin, and without those two pieces he was burning through the drug. Pretty soon it would be crystallizing, tearing apart his muscles if he tried to continue the fight.
Swooping down, Bobby pulled the rest of the armored plates away as Vincent's attacks became less coordinated, his cries of outrage mixing with tears of pain. After about 10 minutes Vincent could no longer stand on this own but was still trying to fight. If things keep up as they were then the older teen was going to die, but the paramedics wouldn't be able to get close if Vincent kept thrashing!
"Bobby," a voice called out, "Bobby, this way!"
Looking up, Bobby saw Tim Drake/Alvin Draper standing at the edge of the field, waving towards the locker room. Nodding, the young hero gathered up his opponent and flew towards the locker room doors with Tim following at a sprint. When all three of them were in the locker room Tim led the way to the sauna.
"The heat will prevent the crystals from forming, Vincent will sweat it out naturally, but I'm not sure – that was a massive dose," Tim explained.
Pinning the older teen to the ground, Bobby waited while Tim left the sauna and returned with a saline drip. It took a few minutes to fit the needle into Vincent's arm, and Tim added a second bag, explaining, "It's a sedative – should put Vinnie out for a couple hours while he sweats out the drug."
"This is how the football team is doing it, right?" Bobby wondered. "How they're avoiding the withdrawal stage."
Tim nodded.
"How are they getting the drug anyway?" the hero asked.
"The sports drink at the games – there's a special button in the table, pushing it releases Toxin into the flow as they fill their cups," Tim answered. "That way the staff and cheerleaders don't get drugged."
Bobby frowned, facts coming together as he watched his friend leave and return with a couple bottles of water. "I like that were on the same side again, 'Al'," Bobby told his friend, "But I don't like being lied to."
Tim sighed and looked away, prompting Bobby to laugh: "Wow, BM's got you all wound up, huh? Can't even answer a simple question?"
It felt like the silence between them was becoming poisonous when the paramedics opened the sauna door and stepped inside. Tim refused to even look at the emergency workers, leaving it to Bobby to explain what was happening.
"Keeping the temperature up prevents the Toxin crystals from forming, but we have to be sure to keep him hydrated. The additional bag is a sedative that's keeping Harper from fighting back. I suggest we keep him here for at least an additional 30 minutes and then use blankets to keep his heat up while transporting him," Bobby explained.
"Sounds good," the lead Paramedic responded. "We'll take over from here – Chief Brown is waiting outside for your report."
Nodding, the two teenagers stepped outside, and Bobby turned to his old friend. "I guess this is goodbye, now that your assignment is done."
"I . . .," Tim sighed, his shoulders slumping and his voice turning dejected, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Bobby didn't answer as he looked for the Chief. He consoled himself with the thought that Tim didn't like being forced to keep secrets as much as Bobby didn't like secrets being kept from him. Well, the least Tim could do was explain to Eli what was going on with the juiced up football players. Spotting Eli standing with Diana and his parents, Bobby turned to Tim, but found that the other teen had slipped away, leaving Bobby to face his superiors on his own.
"Damn it, Tim, you owe me big time," Bobby muttered to himself.
End Chapter Three