"I'm not coming." Wonder Woman looked up at the monitor which opened into the Batcave and felt a slight tick of irritation.
"You really should be here, Bruce," she said. "The Justice Society is sending a delegation to speak to the League, and it would be a sign of respect if the senior members of the JLA were here to greet them." In the background, she could see Alfred carrying an armful of equipment to stow in the Batmobile.
"Is there some earth-shattering crisis I'm not aware of," asked Batman.
"No."
"Then I have work to do in Gotham." His face softened for just a moment. "I am sorry Diana, but my city comes first. I'm sure that you and Clark can handle the situation. Diplomacy has never been my greatest strength. Fill me in later, in necessary." The screen went dark.
Wonder Woman leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms under her breasts, and let a sigh escape her lips.
"He's not coming, is he?" Diana turned to see Superman come gliding into the room, his feet six inches off the floor.
"No. By Athena, that man can be as stubborn as any god on Olympus."
"Yes, Bruce's head games and power plays are the price we pay to keep him in the League."
"It should not be that way. We've all known each other too long."
"But, then he wouldn't be the Batman," said Superman with an odd smile crossing his face. "And frankly, the price is worth paying. C'mon, almost everyone is here. Kyle is on his way at this moment. Did you talk to Aquaman?"
"Yes. He will be here as soon as he finishes some royal business in Atlantis. As much as Arthur grouses about the League pulling him away from his kingdom, I think he likes to get away now and again." The heroic pair floated toward the main meeting room.
In the transporter room, tube number three suddenly came to life. Kyle Rayner, the Green Lantern, stepped out only to be met by the scarlet streak of Wally West, The Flash.
"Hey, Kyle," said the fastest man alive. "What took you so long? I've been here for ages, and Plastic Man's jokes were getting on my last nerve." Wally was never completely still, and when he was excited, he bounced around like a pinball.
"I stopped off and got a box of Choco's for J'onn," replied Green Lantern. A hand made of emerald Oan energy held up a package of cookies. "He mentioned his stock was getting a bit low." Starting in the direction of the meeting room, Kyle took a deep breath and asked, "So, do you know what this is about?"
"No," said Wally as he circled Kyle in a blur. "I asked everyone, even J'onn, but nobody really knows except probably Batman, and he isn't here. How's New York? I ran through there on Thursday, but I was after Mirror Master and couldn't stop. Linda says 'Hi', and wants to know when you and Jade can..." A tolerant Green Lantern and his fast friend left the room.
A few minutes later, the entire League, minus one, stood inside the transporter room as another tube began to thrum. The alien technology finished it's work with a low flash of light, and out came the winged warrior, Hawkman.
"Hello, Hawkman," said the Man of Steel as he extended his hand. "Welcome to the Watchtower."
"Thank you, Superman." Carter Hall, as he was known in this life, gripped the Kryptonian's hand and squeezed hard, but he couldn't tell if Superman noticed or not. Behind him the transporter tube activated again.
When the second figure materialized, Plastic Man's eyes bugged from their sockets, his jaw hit the floor, and a large heart starting to beat three feet in front of his body. "Oh yeah," he howled. "All the times I wished upon a falling star while on monitor duty finally paid off. Power Girl has come to the Watchtower!" He then dissolved into a puddle of red goo. Quickly gathering himself, he stretched around Power Girl. "Can I take your cape? Perhaps a private tour later? Do you mind if I drool?"
Karen Starr stopped walking and said, "O'Brien, I haven't been here five seconds, and already you are starting to annoy me."
"Who, me?" I was just commenting on how refreshing it was to have a strong, beautiful woman around of the non-Amazon type, without the sharp swords and the gaaaahhh!" Power Girl had reached out and grabbed Plastic Man's long neck, and was exerting no small amount of pressure on it.
"Shut up," she said and then released him.
"Spoken like a true Batman," said Eel O'Brien as he more or less resumed his natural form. "Geez, I haven't been choked like that since Barda was here."
The third JSA member to make the trip to the moon was the golden-helmed Dr. Fate. "Greetings, Justice League," said the sorcerer. No one moved to shake his hand, nor did Fate offer one. He just stood to one side in silence, his head slightly cocked as if listening to something, until the transporter started up again.
Star Girl followed quickly by Jakeem Thunder were the final two JSA members to make the trip from Earth. Both looked around in awe until Plastic Man's head suddenly appeared between them. "Hey, who ordered the half-pints," he asked with two over-sized elastic fingers pointing down at Courtney and Jakeem. "The Young Justice fan club meeting is planet side and three doors down."
"O'Brien," barked Aquaman.
Star Girl's Cosmic Rod glowed briefly and Jakeem scowled at Plastic Man as he pulled out a liquid ink pen. "Yo, better watch yourself fool. I got a friend that will teach you some respect."
"Jakeem," warned Hawkman.
"Perhaps we should all go the meeting room," said Wonder Woman with a smile, "before one of those cliched superhero fights has a chance to break out."
Moments later, the heroes were seated at the JLA roundtable. At last, Hawkman stood up. "I am sure the Justice League is wondering why the JSA requested this meeting." He removed his helmet and looked at the faces around the table. "We represent the two most powerful teams of heroes on this planet. Yet, we rarely have more than one or two interactions per year. The Society has come to the conclusion that both teams would benefit from closer ties." He paused to gather his thoughts. " Case in point. We could have used the League's help to put down the Princes of Darkness. In the same vein, we would have liked some advance notice about the last White Martian invasion, instead of getting blind-sided by the aliens." He glanced at the Martian Manhunter. "No offense, J'onn."
The Martian merely inclined his head.
"Both the JLA and the JSA have their share of enemies, and each faces earth-shattering threats," continued Hawkman. "We feel these could be easier dealt with if the teams were more integrated."
"What are you proposing, Hawkman," asked the blue and red clad current chairman of the League.
"Well, for instance, the JSA has state-of-the-art technology thanks to Mr. Terrific and Power Girl, but we could get a significant upgrade with access to the Martian and New Genesis technology the League possesses. Dr. Midnite is especially keen to update our medi-lab."
"And what do we get in return," asked Aquaman.
"First and foremost," said Carter as he turned to address the King of the Seas, "we can help with the League's one notorious weakness. Magic." He swept his hand toward Dr. Fate.
"The magical defenses of the Watchtower are crude," intoned the mage. "The ethereal signature left behind indicates they are the work of Jason Blood. A man with some knowledge and talent, but most of his energy is focused on keeping his bonded demon, Etrigan, in check. A serious magical assault would tear this place apart...."
"That's enough, Hector," interrupted Hawkman.
"Sorry, father," replied Fate.
"In addition," said Power Girl, "we have other members who have a basis is magic. Captain Marvel, Alan Scott and Jakeem can all be called upon to offer any magical assistance the League may need."
"Besides the exchange of technology and magic, there is another reason for us to forge closer bonds," said Hawkman. "There is little debate that the JLA and the JSA are the best the world has to offer. When big trouble appears on the horizon, we get the call to put it down and set things right." He placed his hands on the table and flexed his wings. "Preparation is the key to our continued success. I propose that we set up a series of training exercises where members of both teams may go against one another. Sparring against the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman could only sharpen our battle skills, and I think the League would also derive some benefit from the experience." Plastic Man's hands formed a wrestling ring where an amazing likeness of Wonder Woman and Power Girl tumbled about the mat. Star Girl saw it and kicked him underneath the table.
Hawkman straightened. "There is great evil in this world. Together, we can do a better job of stopping it." Hawkman sat down, and looking a little embarrassed, said, "That is our pitch, and the longest speech I've made in a long time. I hope the League will consider our request."
"With all due respect to the JSA," said Aquaman, "both of our teams have extensive rosters of reserve members. Could they not fill some of these roles you have talked about?"
"While that is true, and reserve members certainly have a role, they are reserve members for a reason," said Power Girl. "They cannot, or will not, commit to the team on a continual basis. The core members of the JLA and the JSA are always on call and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice."
Superman looked over at the Martian Manhunter. "What do you think, J'onn?"
"I think it makes a lot of sense, and we should have dome something similar much earlier," said the Manhunter. "Besides, I look forward to the next arm wrestling match between Superman and Captain Marvel. I have a bet with Wildcat."
Green Lantern leaned in and whispered to Flash, "Martian humor. He's in a good mood from the Choco's."
"Shut up," said Wally.
Plastic Man morphed into an uncanny resemblance to Batman. "As the voice of paranoia and secrecy, I think this is a bad idea. On principle."
"Luckily, you're outvoted," said Wonder Woman. "I think I can speak for the League...." she looked over at Aquaman, who nodded. "that the JLA would be happy to pursue a closer relationship with our brothers and sisters in the JSA."
"Excellent," said Hawkman. "If I could suggest a liaison, I think Captain Marvel would be a good choice. He has been a member of both the JLA and the JSA."
"Accepted," said Superman.
The meeting broke up, with the members going through a round of small talk and catching up. Finally, the JSA team had to leave the Watchtower. Jakeem Thunder was the last to leave, and before he stepped into the transporter tube, he turned to J'onn J'onzz who was standing nearby. "It must be tough being the only green guy on the team, huh," he said with a half smile. Martian laughter rang in his ears all the way down to the JSA brownstone.
DA END