Justice League the Next Generation

Chapter 21 'A Beautiful Mark'

(Jameston – Grayson House – Kitchen)

Galatea worked the dough in her hands as she went about the process of making Hermes' favorite dinner. Her son had been heartbroken over what happened between him and Olivia Queen. She understood how the girl had felt, but she also knew that in many ways Olivia had been Hermes anchor in reality. He had kept focus on her and that focus had helped him escape the effects of Scarecrows toxin, but now… Now she wondered if Hermes would be able to handle this rejection.

"Hi sweetheart." Dick said as he walked up behind her and hugged her.

"Hi babe, Dick… are you worried about Hermes too?" Galatea asked.

"Sure I'm worried, but I don't know what else to do for him other than go on with life. I want to tell him that life will go on, but at that age… It's not something you want to hear." Dick said as he walked to Galatea's side and began working with the pulled pork and bar-b-que sauce.

"I don't like feeling helpless like this…" Galatea said as she looked at him.

"Right now the best we can do for him is be here for him. We can't take his hurt from him Galatea. Bruce used to say something to me. He said, "We have to experience our pain to learn from it. Without the pain to guide us we will never grow." I don't agree with everything that Bruce ever said or did, but he did have a point." Dick said.

"I know… I just don't like not being able to ease his pain for him… It was so much easier when they where four and all I had to do was put a bandaid on their knees, kiss the scratch and hug them. I miss that." She said as she looked out the window.

(New York - Rat City 'Murrow Alleys')

Nightwing stood on the roof tops of the low income apartments as he looked into the alley. He kept a check on his power and so far had stopped three muggings, two attempted rapes, and six attempted murders. He didn't want to admit it, but the action was helping. It was helping him focus on the mission and not on Olivia. He looked into the alley and almost missed the sound of someone landing on the roof behind him.

He turned quickly and saw someone that looked so much like J'onn except that it was obviously a she. Her long red hair was pulled into a tight pony tail and her orange eyes seemed to have a sad forlorn look to them. She looked at him questioningly and then she appeared to listen to the night.

"How do you do it? How do you face this world knowing that everyone you save will only end up killing each other later on?" The girl asked.

"Because somewhere deep inside of each of them is something worth saving." He said as he looked at her.

"I think that I want to believe that, but these people… They need guidance. They need to have someone show them that life doesn't have to be chaotic and unbalanced. You could help with that." She said as she stepped forward toward him.

Hermes studied her as she walked closer to him. Unlike J'onn she had actually took the appearance of a human quite a bit better. She had eyebrows, her face looked especially feminine and to be honest while she was beautiful her face held most of her beauty.

"If everyone learned that they are not so different from each other, and they understood that taking a life, stealing, raping, or a hundred other things hurt not only the victim, but themselves there would be no need for us." M'ire said as she looked at him.

"There are those who try and reach the people and instill those ideas into them. Wonder Woman has tried for some time and even Batman in Gotham has shown the world that they don't have to live in fear." Hermes replied.

"And yet their messages are often ignored. Come with me. Help us take the message further and change the world." She said as she looked at him.

"I've got to take care of New York. The people here are my responciblity." He said as he looked at the alley again.

"Then perhaps you will allow me to help you?" She asked.

"They can't know that a meta is here." He said before she closed her eyes and suddenly a black mask covered her face, her skin became almost pale, and she wore a similar uniform as his.

"They will never know that a meta has helped them at all." She said with a small smirk and turned toward the alley way.

"What is your name?" Hermes asked.

"I am M'ire. Do not offended but I read your mind on reflex. I know who and what you are, but I will not reveal it to anyone." M'ire said before she dropped down into the alley.

Hermes watched as she crept up on a group of muggers and quickly dispatched them. She did it with grace, little more strength than a normal human, and with the very skills in fighting that his father had taught him. A smile crossed his lips as he watched her and for a moment he found himself a little attracted to her. It quickly faded as he thought of Olivia. He wanted to protect Olivia from the nightmares, but she said that they were worse when he was around her. His mind quickly pushed the thoughts of 'Songbird' away as he dropped down into the alley to help M'ire.

(East Luthor Tower – Lex's office – two weeks later)

Lex looked at the reports on his desk. Everything that Dark Justice was doing had come back and he was enjoying every minute of it. His son was working in Hobb's Bay doing more for the area than Superwoman had done. He knew that Superwoman was dealing with the entire world and not just metropolis, but it was causing the people to trust Dark Justice more.

"We have a problem." Mercy said as she walked in and dropped a file on his desk.

"What's the problem?" Lex asked as he looked at her.

"M'ire. The girl is diverting her attention toward New York. We have tried to use the scanner Stockman developed to show us what she sees and hears, but she's blocking it. The last we saw was her talking to and working with Nightwing." Mercy said as she looked at Lex.

"If we don't get anything from her send Maximum." Lex said.

"Lex… He's already unstable. We don't know what he'll do when he goes after her." Mercy said.

"He'll most likely kill the distraction, and if he does then so be it." Lex said before something lit up behind his eyes as he looked at the file on what M'ire had transferred before she began to block them.

"Send him, but send him plain clothes. Most likely he'll go rogue and if this plays like I think it will… We'll have a new Maximum." Lex said with a laugh.

(New York – Rat City – Three days later)

Kevin stood on the rooftop in the black assassin suit and smirked. Below him was the sound of terror. He listened to it with awe. He loved hearing the screams, he loved the sounds of the strong taking from the weak. He didn't know why he loved it, but by God he did. He saw Nightwing and M'ire several roofs away from him. He watched them and his eyes narrowed. Yeah he had went out with Stacy, but he had been fuckin' M'ire on the side, and now his bitch was hitting on this worthless human. With a growl of rage he jumped into the air and headed straight toward the masked hero standing next to what belonged to him.

M'ire smiled at Hermes. She knew who he was, but she didn't give it away. She hoped that her controlling her thoughts would conceal who he was from Owlman. She trusted her friends, but Owlman answered to his father, and something about Lex bothered her. She looked again at Hermes and felt an attraction toward him. Suddenly her eyes widened and she turned around at the same time as Hermes as Kevin flew toward them and slammed into Hermes lifting him into the air.

"That's my BITCH!" Kevin roared as he head butted Hermes in the air and dropped him. He expected to see the masked hero fall, but instead he floated in the air.

Before Kevin could understand what was going on Hermes was on him hitting and kicking him in the air. The two fought in the air above the city hammering away at each other. Kevin unleashed his heat vision on Hermes only to have Hermes do the same toward him.

M'ire looked up at what was going on and knew that there was a chance Kevin could kill Hermes because he had no problem with killing. In truth she knew that Kevin wanted to have an excuse to kill each time he went out. She looked toward Jameston and flew going straight toward Hermes' home. She flew as fast as she could and landed down near Hermes' house. She became nonmaterial and moved into the house and looked at Galatea who was digging out laundry out of her dryer.

"You need to come with me now." M'ire said as she materialized.