There was a reason California tended to be called sunny; take one wild guess why. Well, that's what today was, sunny, barely a cloud in the sky, so great weather by any stretch of the imagination.
Except it was hot. Really, really hot. Like, the kind of hot that kept you inside instead of bringing you out. There was perhaps only one person that would have been rushing to enjoy such conditions and she had to have been at the top of an interestingly shaped tower.
How many could you say were shaped like a T?
These were just Tim's suspicions. The one and only local Tamaranian did like her heat; she tended to say it reminded her of home. He also felt a slight edge, though, because days like these were when she really liked to have her "classes."
She was taking her responsibilities as a teacher seriously. That didn't mean she didn't lose track of time, though, and to stay out in this kind of heat in a bodysuit that was skintight was not a good recipe. Body odor was a bigger problem than you thought.
The dark-haired teen did wonder what was on the agenda for today. There was no question about the unofficial agenda; that was patrol and intervention when needed. The official agenda, the one that everyone else was allowed to know about, that was the big question mark there. Was it academic? Physical education? A rest day? This place, for all intents and purposes, was being marketed as a school of sorts.
Really, it was a way for the Justice League to keep an eye on them. Tim was more than willing to admit that trying to manage and take care of five super-powered individuals on an extremely short budget was beyond him. He knew, he had tried. This was a better alternative.
It was called the T.I.T.A.N. Initiative, and the teens in here were the introductory class. His official position was a paid intern, but for all intents and purposes, he was leading this not quite ragtag group. Never in a million years would he have expected to be here and doing this, but life was funny like that. He would have been content to do solo patrols of vigilantism.
But solo vigilantism didn't set you up in a place this massive. The Titans Tower, as it was nicknamed, was big. The ground floors were mainly for the public and all. There were, unsurprisingly, those who were not quite onboard and others who were damn opposed. The main lobby was huge, cavernous—a word he had learned from a spelling test a couple years ago—colored in grays and whites and red. Modern style, decorated with padded benches, decorative plants that were more fake than you would think, what looked like an unmanned front desk that was "fully automated," whatever that meant, and the centerpiece, the security checkpoint.
A simple badge in the form of a keycard got him through, and his sneakered feet squeaked against the floor that looked so pristine. Somebody, or something, was doing a good job at keeping this underused area cleaned. Probably some kind of Roomba, or whatever.
Tim took a moment to stop at the front desk. Reaching to a keyboard, he tapped a few keys and brought up a menu on the computer monitor that was inlaid into the desk itself. Okay, all communicator signals registered everyone was here, but that wasn't a guarantee. There had been more than one time someone forgot their communication device. Not naming any names here.
Next stop was the elevators. This was another security checkpoint as you needed to use that keycard to even get the doors open. By now, it was practically second nature for him to get the badge scanned and the doors opened. The only hesitation he felt was after he had stepped in. Should he head on down to the lower levels? Other than storage, it was also the garage.
Lately, Victor had taken to going down there to work on a project. It involved wheels, so you could guess that whatever it was going to be, it was going to be mobile. Most likely a car, Tim mused to himself. If the auto magazines were any indication, somebody was planning to build their dream ride from scratch.
Thinking about it, the not so normal teen shrugged his shoulders and hit a button for the upper floors. This was only partly shown in the tours, and once up there, you could say security kinda toned down. It was the part of the tower where the occupants lived and it would be a hassle to have to carry around a key for every single door.
The ride up was smooth, though there was nothing for the sensation of gravity pulling down on him. It wasn't as bad as other places, but still, there was nothing for it. Several floors later and he was exiting into a hallway. The colors were more muted here, a lot of dark blues going both left and right. Taking a left, the teen strolled his way down the hallway, passing several doors along the way.
At the end were a set of large double doors, ones that opened up once he was within range. Beyond was a massive room, ones lined at one end that gave a very great view of the city of Jump. Between Tim and those windows was a living area, one with a long, U-shaped couch set before a massive, wide-screen, TV. Had to be state-or-the-art, in Tim's opinion, not that he didn't object to it.
To the far right, opposite of the windows was a kitchenette area, complete with a bar and stools, various cooking apparatuses like a stove, oven, amongst other devices. Couldn't forget about the microwave that barely hummed. Yeah, there was a room in the tower that was officially the kitchen, but with the six people here who were permanent residents for the time being, this was where cooking happened.
For better or worse.
Already, he spotted two bodies lounging on the couch. One was green, so automatically he could rule that Garfield hadn't left. Even though the younger teen had green skin, you would be surprised how easy it was to miss him. Very surprised.
What was both surprising and not surprising was who was lounging beside the green teen. A lithe, blonde teen girl who you could say was a new addition. She literally showed up out of the blue—that was the right way to use literally, right?—and had made herself at home. Didn't hurt that she had Garfield vouching for her, and really, he was going to turn away Terra? The girl could literally move mountains—okay, that felt like the right way to use literally—so who was he to tell her no?
He had really only met her once, and by that he meant spent a period of time in her company when she wasn't trying to kill him. She had been a former member of a group of teen assassins dominated by a cult leader called Brother Blood, and it so happened Garfield had been in that group too. She had led a few of them through the tunnels underneath Blood's church, and the last time he had seen her, the whole place had been falling apart.
Terra survived and now she was here. The slip of a girl tended to be aloof and she stuck close to her green friend more often than not. Guess she was the slow to warm up type, but so far she hadn't caused too many problems.
The air moved then, and Tim casually looked to his right where a brown-haired teen male seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "Taking the scenic route again, Red? This isn't some place to drag your feet! We got that movie marathon tonight! In like five hours! And you're going to miss it if you keep going so slow!"
Wryly, the dark-haired teen asked, "Did you blow up the food budget on popcorn again?"
"No!" Bart said hastily, obviously the guilty party from the first and last time that had happened. "Time doesn't wait for slowpokes! Maybe you need to put on your costume, because you're never slow when you're wearing that. Except for last night. And the night before. And the night before that one. And the—"
"And you need to remember not everything is a race," Tim cut in, knowing that if he didn't, Bart would go on for quite some time. He had a strong suspicion there were some ADHD mixed up in the kid from the future, but he had never remained still long enough to do some actual testing.
"It is so!" Garfield called from the couch.
"You cheated and you know it!" Bart called back, taking a step away from Tim.
Something happened. "What happened?"
"Beat him in a race, no biggie," the green shapeshifter answered, only turning his head enough to glance at the dark-haired teen.
Beast Boy beat Kid Flash in a race? How.
"That's 'cause you cheated!" Bart accused once more.
"You let me have a five minute head start."
"You hid the remote!"
Hmm, he was starting to figure out what had happened. There was probably something on TV the boys wanted to watch and both refused to go to another room. Maybe. Anyway, a challenge was issued, one Bart couldn't resist, but Garfield had thought far enough ahead to hide the prize beforehand. Wish he could see that foresight more often, but Bart being Bart waited until the last second, took one second to get in here, and couldn't find the remote the two were competing for. That seemed to be the gist of it.
"Did you say he couldn't hide the remote?" he asked, knowing he could be adding fuel to the fire, but how would that be living if he couldn't do a little ribbing himself?
Bart's shocked, wide-eyed look was so worth it. "But—but—! It's not fair! He cheated!"
"Something I've learned is that when you set rules, you make sure to set them. Don't assume the other guy is gonna play fair." That sounded like a pearl of wisdom there.
Bart huffed and crossed his arms, looking away. "You're just mad about...something. I don't know what it is, but it's something."
"I would be more concerned that Beast Boy over there was able to outthink you. That's what should be worrying you." And what do you know, there's Raven. Hmm, she was over at the bar, a very large tome sitting on it and opened. Missed her earlier; that, or she had shown up while he was playing judge.
Instantly, Bart was at her side. "You know he was cheating!" the speedster pleaded. "Tell him it's wrong and...and not Titan-like!"
You didn't need to see her face to know that the mysterious and dark-themed girl was side-eyeing the boy from the future. "He cheated. Happy? If so, know you didn't say it was cheating before you agreed to race. So, technically, it wasn't."
"Now you're trying to confuse me and it's working!"
"It's not hard to confuse a moron."
"Word," Garfield agreed, holding up a fist in solidarity.
"Correction, it's not hard to confuse morons."
"Now I'm the one feeling personally attacked," the shapeshifter frowned.
"It's not personal, it's stating fact," Raven blandly stated. Then she was looking at him, and Tim took note how while she was wearing her cloak, a dark blue that was a few shades away from purple, her hood was down, exposing shoulder-length dark hair. He could never quite pin down what color it was and if it was natural. "What's the itinerary for tonight? I would like to get some reading in."
Not that she didn't do a lot of reading anyway, but the question was asked. However, it was Terra who spoke up in answer first. "You're not going to watch the movie marathon?"
Almost robotically, Raven turned to the blonde girl. "No."
"But it's so up your alley! It's scary movies! Slasher, supernatural, monster, you name it!" Garfield exclaimed.
"Life is a horror movie without the credits," Raven retorted.
"You know, I like that. Mind if I quote you?" Ah, and here was Cassie, entering with Victor behind her. Now here was a bombshell with fists stronger than any explosion. Tim would rather keep that to himself for the time being.
Cassie strolled like she owned the place, only coming to a stop when she was a few feet away from the only person here without a superpower. "Saw Kori on the roof. She's really liking the weather if you know what I mean. Called it delicious, I don't know why."
Meaning Cassie probably flew in and entered through the roof, bypassing most of the security checkpoints. Figures. At some point, Victor was on his way up and the two crossed paths. That was his conclusion and he was sticking to it.
"We'll leave her alone for now. For the rest of us, we got a choice. We can do a patrol tonight, or stay in—"
"I vote stay in!" Garfield called out.
"And I vote patrol," Victor responded, which was a little surprising.
"What? But dude! Movie marathon!" the shapeshifter cried out, standing up from his seat on the couch. Someone else was surprised here.
To sum it up, there was a bromance between Victor and Garfield, and they were practically two peas in a pod. Raven claimed they even shared the same brain. So a disagreement like this that wasn't for the purpose of ripping on one or the other was a little unheard of. Not impossible, just...rare.
Fortunately, Victor was able to explain. "Everyone, I would like to announce that I just finished up with my baby and I want to do a test driver of her. I figure patrol will be the best time to do it."
Baby? Oh yeah, the car. The car he was building from scratch, right. Wow, it was finished? Now this was something he had to see.
"That sounds like a great idea," Tim agreed.
"Isn't it?" Victor beamed. The cyborg paused, something that was really noticeable, then he shrugged his shoulders. "Oh yeah, and the internet's breaking again. Justice League announced they're doing tryouts, or something. Nothing too big. So who wants to see my baby?"
There was more than one person who blinked here. "What was that last part?" Tim asked slowly.
"Who wants to see my car?" Victor repeated, a little slower this time.
"No, the part before that."
"Um. Justice League holding tryouts?"
That was the part.
"I don't really think it's that important. I mean, I just built a car from the ground up, who wants to see that awesomeness?" Victor continued right up until—
"Dude! The Justice League is opening up new spots?!" Garfield practically shrieked, his voice cracking from more than just puberty. "They've never done that before! I mean, after all these years, you would have thought they'd add more, but for some reason haven't! It's crazy and now they're doing it!"
"Flash didn't say anything about this," Bart added. "I mean, yeah, he doesn't tell me a lot of stuff, but you know, I drop in like a lot. You would have thought I'd overhear something by now."
"And maybe Flash has learned to keep his mouth shut so you don't overhear him," Raven pointed out.
Bart, for his part, looked genuinely confused. "But why would he do that?"
"Why's anyone getting worked up about this?" Cassie cut in. "It's not like anyone here would be able to get in. T.I.T.A.N. Initiative, remember? You probably have to be like eighteen or older to apply. No one makes that cut here."
Tim thought about that, felt it was a solid enough point. Then he had to make the mistake of speaking without fully thinking it through, "Not necessarily."
Blue eyes snapped over to him. "You know something the rest of the class doesn't?"
"You think one of us could get into the Justice League?" Bart asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Who? Whowhowhowhowho? Spill! Don't keep us in suspense! Tell! Why aren't you talking already? Say something!"
"Give him a second to talk and he might," Victor interrupted the speedster. He was scowling, but it seemed more aimed at himself rather than the dark-haired teen.
Well, crap. So much attention and so many curious faces. Might as well. "If anyone could, I would think it would be Kori," he answered, shrugging his shoulders.
In return, he got a few head tilts and a lot of blank stares. "Um, why Kori?" Terra asked.
Now Tim was rolling his eyes. "Well, she has superstrength. Possibly the strongest person here physically. Then there are the Starbolts, so she can fight from long distance. Also, she knows how to fight. We all have been through enough of her classes to know that and have the bruises to prove it. Even Cyborg here has gotten bruises."
Blushing, Victor looked away. "I don't even know how I was able to bruise there…" he muttered.
"The only weakness she may have is that she doesn't understand Earth culture, but is that really a biggie? The only reason she wouldn't get into the League is because she wouldn't be interested. She likes it here too much," Tim continued. "She'd have to be willing to apply first, and even then would she want to? Cassie has her point, but it really only applies to the people in this room. We don't actually know how old Kori is, just that she would be considered a teen on Tamaran, and who knows how long their years are. On Earth, she could either be much older or...younger. Too many unknowns."
"And you never thought to ask her?" Terra asked.
"You don't ask a girl's age," Cassie huffed.
"Not unless you don't like living," Raven agreed.
And since he himself liked living… "So, about that car," Tim began, hoping to redirect.
He was covered in black and blue, twin white lightning bolts emblazoned across his chest. Bolts of electricity danced over his hands, crawling up his forearms. His eyes were focused, darting from one side to another.
And then he shot a hand up and fired lightning.
The blast of electricity hit the human-shaped target, one that had just popped out of a wall. The lighting blew it apart, sending pieces everywhere.
Then another one appeared and the applicant fired another bolt, the target suffering the same fate as the first. Over and over, the dark-skinned man fired his lightning, turning his body around in a circle where he stood. Not a single target stood a chance.
Then, a much larger target shot up from the floor. Holding his black gloved hands over his head, the electricity merged with itself, a loud crackling sound being made. The power covered both hands before he swung them down in front of him, firing an even larger bolt of electricity. The large target took the brunt of the blast, exploding in hundreds of pieces.
"Not bad," John murmured approvingly. "He's got good control of his power."
"He does," Superman agreed. Looking down at the clipboard he held, he saw the name Black Lightning written on it. He had been on the scene for some time, his first documented appearance being some time before the Kalanorian Invasion. He didn't stay in one location from the looks of it, but when he did appear, he stayed in that area for some time. Not only did he help people, but he helped whole communities, working to improve the conditions there. It was a different approach from the Kryptonian, but it was still admirable. In fact, one such community had been the infamous Suicide Slums in Metorpolis, a low-income neighborhood that the proud Metropolis had blatantly ignored in its travel brochures. Superman was sad to admit he hadn't given that area the attention it needed. Now, the neighborhood had improved, slowly pulling itself out of the depths of poverty that riddled it.
That had been Black Lightning's first project. He had left it a few years ago to help another troubled community. Currently he was out in Dakota City, helping rebuild that area.
From what the Kryptonian had seen thus far, he was pretty certain they had themselves another addition to the Justice League. He did wonder though, why someone that kept himself secluded to small communities would want to join a world-wide organization like the Justice League.
"So what do you think?" John asked him. "Pass or fail?"
"Pass," Superman emphatically said.
A smirk appeared on the Lantern's face. "Same." He then turned his attention to the applicant. "I think we've seen enough."
Black Lightning allowed his electricity to fade away and he walked up to them. "What else do you have for me?" he asked.
John gestured to another door. "The next phase. Congratulations."
The man nodded before he held a hand out, one both Leaguers shook. "Good luck on the next phase," Superman told him.
"And thank you for your time." Black Lighting then walked to the doors, which slid open as he reached then. He didn't break stride as he passed through.
"Alright, who's next?" John asked. As if that were a cue, another set of doors opened as the next applicant appeared, a towering silver-colored man. The symbol of an atom emblazoned his chest and he came to a stop a short distance from them, assuming an at-attention stance.
Grabbing the applicant form on the clipboard, Superman pulled it up to reveal the next one. "I believe you're...Captain Atom, correct?"
"And why do you want to join the Justice League?" Diana asked pointedly.
She stared over a table at a man in red and yellow. The yellow covered his entire chest and abdomen, the red swallowing up his arms and legs. His hands were gripping onto his knees and he appeared to be nervous. Fire literally burned on top of his head, though she heard no familiar popping sounds she normally associated with flames.
"Well, first thing, I'm a big fan," this man called Firestorm began. "I've been following all your exploits since you first started. All of you have been a great inspiration for us...I mean, me."
"Calm yourself," J'onn said gently. "I can sense you are nervous."
Firestorm sat up straight in his chair as if burned. He then closed his eyes and let out a deep, hopefully calming breath. "Sorry, it's been a long time since I had an interview, I almost forgot what it felt like."
"Don't think of this as an interview," Diana suggested. "There are no wrong, or right answers here. We just want to get to know you a little better."
"Funny, I think I remember someone saying that in my last interview."
"I understand you come from New York," J'onn brought up. "Is that where you perform your duties?"
"Duties?" Firestorm looked confused before he realized what the Martian meant. "Oh, you mean do I protect it? Yeah, that's my neighborhood, city, place I protect." He looked miserable at his stumbling answer.
"And you have proven yourself well," Diana added.
"I have? Thanks!"
Diana and J'onn shared a look. This phase seemed to be throwing the hero off. According to his listed experience, he had fought Kalanorians at one point during their invasion. "You say your first experience was fighting the Kalanorians," the Amazon brought up. "Could you tell us about that?"
"If you want. You see, I actually got my powers then."
That caused the two Leaguers to sit up. "Go on," J'onn prodded.
"It was kind of a fluky thing, if you must know. There I was in the lab…"
"I had no idea you two were interested in joining the League," Hawkgirl said, arms crossed over her chest as she gave a pointed look.
"Not that there's anything wrong with it," Flash quickly interjected. "It's just everyone else that's been through has had powers."
The blonde bombshell raised an eyebrow at him, her hands on her hips. "Do you need me to raise my voice?" Black Canary asked with mock pleasantness.
"No! No, that's fine," the speedster was fast to say. "My ears haven't stopped ringing since the last time you did."
"Mine either," a man in green agreed, a quiver on his back and a bow in hand.
Alright, so at least one of them had powers. From what Flash knew of the blonde canary girl, she preferred her fists over her voice though, so she was more in the street brawler category than overpowered super-powered person. Then there was the archer guy...uhh...Green...Arrow, right? Right, Green Arrow and he was just like Batman except with arrows.
"That seems like a story I'll need to get later," Hawkgirl commented. "Still, I have to know why you two decided to join the League. Everything I've heard about you, you both seemed content with staying in your respective cities."
"I overheard Batman talking about it," Black Canary shrugged. "And considering how I saw you all performed in Gotham not too long ago, I thought I might as well show you all what I'm capable of. This lug," at this she nodded towards Green Arrow, "heard me talking about it and volunteered to escort me."
"When a lady wants an escort to space, you escort her to space," the green archer shrugged.
The Thanagarian stared at them, clearly not believing them. Flash had to agree with her at least on one part. He didn't see Batman gossiping with a lot of people and the chances of Black Canary hearing him talk about it were damn near zilch.
Unfortunately, questioning them was not their part of the process. They were the welcoming party and tour guides to the training room, where Superman and Green Lantern were waiting. They currently had a military hard ass in there with atomic powers or something, so basically a guy GL could salute; after all, this was a captain in the military and GL had been a marine at one point.
Hmm, Flash wondered what the Lantern's rank was…
Still, Flash had gotten to see just who was interested in joining them. There had been a couple of hot babes too. One was an actual supermodel—he knew because he may or may not have had a swimsuit calendar with her picture in it. Another had flowing green hair and talked in a foreign accent that made her all the more saucy. Yeah, this was a good day to be the Flash.
"Stop the presses!" a voice suddenly announced, causing the four to look to one side. There was a man in blue and gold, holding his hands up as if he were waving to an imaginary audience. He had a big smile on his face and he walked as if he were being praised by the same imaginary audience he was waving at. Oddly enough, there was a robot hovering over one of his shoulders.
"You can stop all of the tryouts because I am all of the recruit you'll ever need," he proclaimed as he came to a stop in front of them. "Name's Booster Gold, time traveler from the Twenty-Fifth century and the only hero you need to take the Justice League into the stratosphere!"
"Uhh, you do realize we're floating in space, right?" Green Arrow asked him.
"To be exact, we are in the Exosphere," the little robot answered for them. "Which is well above the stratosphere by over three hundred miles, or five hundred fifty kilometers—"
"That's enough, Skeets," Booster Gold interrupted. "Don't have to tell everyone you're an egghead around here." His head then snapped over to Black Canary and he gave a low whistle. "Especially around the babes here. You might scare them off."
He then stepped right into Canary's personal space, hands on his hips as he struck a heroic pose. "Tell me, Hotness, have you ever seen a superhero before, or should I walk by again?"
"You can keep walking and don't stop," the blonde told him bluntly.
"So I should walk by again, gotcha."
Incredibly, the guy actually backed away, walking several feet back before he turned around and walked right up to Canary again. "So, Hotness, you've seen a superhero twice now."
"Unbelievable," Flash said incredulously. This guy, the balls, seriously.
"You know, you hear about these things and never believe they'll actually happen, but then you see this," Green Arrow agreed. "Just...wow…"
"I have that effect on people," Booster Gold preened, holding up an arm as he flexed his bicep. "Careful with these guns, Hotness; they're locked and load—"
Suddenly, Black Canary wrapped her arms around the blowhard's arms. With practiced ease, she shoved her shoulder into his armpit as she leveraged his arm, lifting him into the air. She sent the blond man flying through the air, where he landed unceremoniously on the floor.
"Ow," the man groaned after a moment.
"I think you just got full approval to join the Justice League," Hawkgirl said after a moment.
"Seconded," Flash quickly agreed.
"So we get full approval by tossing that guy around?" Green Arrow questioned. "This is gonna be easier than I thought."
There was more movement and Flash spotted two other applicants, a woman in blue with white hair and a man encased in steel, Superman's logo on his chest. They were heading right for Booster Gold.
The speedster glanced to Hawkgirl. "I think we figured out how to get all the recruits we'll ever need."
How far the mighty had fallen.
It was a random thought that Albert Desmond had, a spur of the moment bit of insight. He quashed whatever frustration that thought brought because it would not accomplish anything. It would not get him out of the drab walls and iron bars that incarcerated him. He should have been out of this wretched place months ago, but there had been a...complication.
The business with Maximillian Zeus should have left him a god, a master of the alchemic arts, someone who would tower over the mindless peons that barely scrapped away an existence. They had been so careful, he had been so careful. There was no connection between himself and the sacrifices they had used to enact the Desmeftikos Theos, and his lack of power meant there was no way to tie him to his new name, Dr. Alchemy. Zeus' lawyers should have made mincemeat of all the charges.
Except...except the DA's office obtained new evidence. Evidence of wrong doings that he had buried long ago. Doings that Zeus himself also saw fit to bury. The lawyer's arguments were torn asunder under the new charges, and here he still remained in this hell.
There was so much for him to still accomplish, not the least in which to regain the Philosopher's Stone that he had crafted painstakingly. The power of that stone could restore the lost powers he had lost, and then godhood would be his once more. An artifact crafted from his own divinity could not be destroyed so easily. Even now, he faintly felt its presence.
The stone was another victim, put away and out of his reach. Oh, how he craved it, to touch, to feel it, grasp its power and make it his…
That would have to come later. For now, he needed to get out of here.
Because of the allegations, he had been placed in a cell; thanks to his lawyers, it was a personal one. Unfortunately, that made...enemies of the other inmates, jealous and envious, they hadn't made his stay here a pleasant one.
Which was why he was waiting for his lawyers to appear today. There was to be another meeting, more counsel, and a new legal offensive to get him out of here. The arrival of the guards to his cell was perfectly expected, the restraints annoying but predictable, and the walk through halls filled with jeering and taunts a trek.
So small minded. So feeble. These fools did not know true power. They would never understand, not like he had.
His escort brought him to a room, small and drab like every other one in this prison, but unlike the prison, it was not wired. This was for client confidentiality as demanded by the legal world. The authorities weren't even allowed to listen in on what could be said in here. However, that didn't mean they were going to give them the best accommodation for their confidential meetings.
Uncomfortable seats, a small metal table with a railing for handcuffs to be latched onto, and dim lighting that strained the eyes were only the beginning. There wasn't even climate control in here, so it could get unbearably hot or cold depending on the time of year. This was his new reality and he despised every second of it.
Guided to one of those damnable chairs, Desmond sat down, allowing one of the guards to uncuff a wrist only to slip the restraint around the table railing and re-cuff him. The former god refused to make a sound and neither guard seemed interested in him. Without a word, they backed out of the room and shut the door behind them.
Minutes passed, and he waited, begrudging every second of the indignity. To be brought down this low…
The door opened again, and he didn't look up, expecting his team of legal advisors to trek in. Curiously, he heard only one set of footsteps, the clacking of high heels giving away that he was visited by a woman. Looking up, Desmond frowned as he did not recognize this stranger.
Oh, she was dressed professionally, her clothes steam pressed and without a single wrinkle. Her face could have made stone weep in shame and it was so much harder than the drab walls that made up this prison. She carried a case in hand, setting it down on the floor and taking a seat opposite of him.
No one else had entered. It was just the two of them.
"You are?" Desmond began, realizing that this woman was not going to start up any conversation.
There wasn't even a ripple in her face as she responded, "I represent an individual who is sympathetic to your plight. I come bearing an offer on his behalf, one that we believe you would be most interested in."
Desmond leaned back in his seat, yet kept his straight posture. Slumping had never possessed an appeal to him. "Who are you that you have any idea, or belief of what I would be interested in?"
Interesting, there wasn't even a twitch in her face. There was no sign his words had any effect over her. "My employer has many ways to find that which people most desire. He is better at obtaining that which no one else is able or supposed to. There is a deal that he wants to extend to you because he believes you are uniquely qualified for it."
A similar speech had been given to him by none other than Zeus. Zeus had the charisma to carry it and Desmond had found himself believing. The belief solidified once the sketches for the ritual had been placed before him and he knew that he was not being sold snake oil.
This woman was not Zeus. Skepticism was all he could offer her.
"You're very vague on the details. What exactly could this employer offer me that I want?"
"A chance to right the wrongs perpetrated against you," the woman answered. "My employer wants to give you the chance to get even with the Justice League for everything they have taken from you."
Oh. Did her employer really believe he could compete on this level? Zeus at least understood without the power to back it up, it was nothing but talk, and talk could only take you so far.
"This is a difficult proposition. Thanks to them, I have been robbed of my rightful power," he stated, though his tone indicated boredom. "I am mortal now. I would not stand a chance and prefer to take my chances with the courts. Tell your employer I decline."
The woman did not nod. What she did do was lean to a side and pick up the case she had brought in with her. Lifting it up, she placed it on the table between the two of them, opening the latches on it.
"How about with this?" she asked mildly as she opened the case.
All Desmond needed was a second, and he was standing up, leaning over the table with wide eyes and hunger in his heart. Within the case, it was—
"The Philosopher's Stone," he uttered reverently. "How…?"
"My employer is very good at finding that which others are not supposed to. He also is able to obtain that which others can't. Would you like to reconsider?"
It took a monumental effort of will to take his eyes off the stone, his stone, and directed his reverent gaze on the woman whose name he still did not know. "Who are you?"
There was an inkling of feeling expressed. The woman's lips slightly curved as she answered, "I am the only Mercy my employer has, and the same he extends to you."
The table was covered in papers and photographs. Around the table sat the Justice League, each member with their own reports and photos of each and every applicant. Notes from each Leaguer had been copied for everyone so that they could review everything.
Now came the hard part.
"I think Black Lightning would be a great addition to the team," John advocated. "He has experience and knows how to control his powers. With enough mentoring, I think he could even be a leader."
"He also has experience in areas we're blind to," Superman chimed in. "He normally works at the community level and helps to improve those areas. I know we usually handle larger crises, but his experience there would be beneficial."
"What experience does he have at larger threats, though?" Hawkgirl pointed out. Trust the hard-nosed detective to spot that discrepancy. "Is he just fighting street punks, or has he gone up against other meta-humans?"
John looked at his notes. "According to his file, he has gone up against some meta-humans, along with organized crime."
"So he's Batman without the rogue's gallery."
"Not everyone has a badass rogue's gallery," Flash jumped in. "Bats, Supes, and I are the only ones that can say we have people with personal grudges against us. I haven't heard much of the people you go against, Wings, and GL's enemies are usually anyone holding a grudge against the Lantern Corps."
"I think Black Lightning checks off much of what we want in an applicant," Diana added. "If we were to vote, I think he has at least four votes."
"Then we can assume he's in," Superman concluded. Placing Black Lightning's file into a pile he had deemed his own accepted pile, he then pulled from another, thankfully shrinking pile. "Next is...Booster Gold."
"No."
"No."
"Hell no."
"No."
"I believe his involvement would be detrimental."
Superman let out a sigh of relief before he tossed Booster Gold's file into another pile, his rejection pile. "I don't suppose we have to go into much more than that."
"No way," Flash agreed. "Guy's got an ego the size of the Empire State Building and I've never heard of him. Time traveling my butt; Doc Brown can do that too."
"Bad attitude, selfish, self-aggrandizing," John reported. "All things we can't have in the League."
"No need to keep talking about him," Hawkgirl interjected. "He's out. Who's next?"
Picking up his next file, Superman opened and read, "Black Canary."
"I vote yes," Flash said quickly.
"Is that because she's attractive, or she'd make a good team member?" Hawkgirl rebutted knowingly.
"Hey, we know she can be a team player. Plus she works Bats' neighborhood, so we know she can handle herself. Plus she saved our butts a time or two," the speedster listed off.
"Also because she's hot."
"Hey, I love you and Wondy, but there's nothing wrong with having another lady up here."
"Attractiveness aside," Diana said, "I do think Flash makes excellent points. I'm uncertain as to her role in her group's dynamic, but she could be a leader, or at the very least a team member."
"What about her powers though?" John retorted. "She has that Canary Cry as she calls it, but she doesn't use it very much. From what I can tell, she prefers to use her fists. It speaks to a reluctance that she can have if the job needs to get done."
"Perhaps a better word is restraint," J'onn brought up. "If she uses her power in a certain way, she could kill someone."
"We all have that potential," Hawkgirl pointed out. "Superman can literally crush someone if he isn't careful, but that doesn't stop him from doing what needs to be done in a fight."
"Perhaps further discussion is needed," Superman suggested.
"No, I think we need to hash this out now," Flash argued. "We're arguing over whether someone uses a superpower or not. If that was a disqualification, then Bats wouldn't be a member here and we had to annoy him to rejoin us."
"That is a good point," J'onn softly agreed.
"So what does she bring that Batman does or doesn't?" Hawkgirl questioned.
"What, we can't have overlap?" the speedster pressed. "Both you and J'onn have detective skills, just like Bats, even if he is better. Black Canary has to do her own investigations, so I imagine she's close to your abilities there. Not to mention she's fought the crazies in Gotham, so she has some perspective into that too. We also have the problem of Bats not being available all of the time. Maybe she can fill in when he's busy."
"Wouldn't she be caught up in his emergencies as well?" John asked. "From what we've seen of the Gotham heroes, they're fiercely protective of that place. Wouldn't she be caught up in whatever those maniacs are up to?"
"Another point," J'onn added.
"Who's to say that their own caseloads are happening at the same time?" Diana then said. "They could be further along in some cases, beginning others, some that can wait when something important appears. We know she can focus on larger threats if the stories we've heard of the Arkham War is anything to go by."
"We have two for and two against," Superman said.
"Three for," J'onn interjected.
The Kryptonian eyed the Martian before nodding. "Then make that four. Black Canary passes."
There was a sigh before Flash asked, "How many more of these do we have to go through? Haven't we done twenty of these already?"
"There's still a lot more to sift through, Hotshot," Green Lantern answered him. "So far we've only approved four and we still have more to go through."
"I think we can do one more before we take a break," Superman said. He too was getting a little worn out by all this, so them breaking for lunch or something would be welcomed. As far as he was concerned, there weren't a lot of must-have applicants and they had debated on everyone so far, Booster Gold's rejection being the fastest thus far.
"Alright," the red-clad man sighed. "Who's next?"
Diana was the one to respond. As she opened the file, she read, "The ones calling themselves the Wonder Twins."