---Origin----
Note: This is being posted here to gauge interest. If you're interested in the Ultimate DC project, go to to see what it's all about.
Written by SDM
The man smiled, as he drew a knife from a pocket that stuck to his leg, drenched with rainwater. Above him, millions of droplets fell from the sky, drenching the city of Gotham in a torrential downpour. The man smiled, as he advanced towards the woman. The woman shivered, and clenched her purse to her chest.
"I...I don't have any money!" She proclaimed, backing away. "Please...just leave me alone!" As she continued to back away, she tripped over the unsteadiness of her own feet, and onto the cold ground. As she hit the ground, the ever rising water snared her and kept her from rising. She was trapped, and at the mercy of her attacker. The man smiled again, and drew nearer.
"I wasn't looking for your money." The man snarled, as he motioned to unzip his pants as the woman laid on the ground, shocked in defeat. The man lunged forward with outstretched arms, but was knocked back by a shadow. "What the---" Before the man could react, he had been beaten several times into the point of unconciousness. The woman opened her closed eyes, to find him lying on the ground, barely breathing. Looking up, she saw a figure dressed in completely red. Squinting her eyes, she couldn't see his face. All she knew was that he had saved her, whoever he was.
"Who...who are you?" The woman managed to get out, still wiping away the water from her eyes futilely. The figure just looked at the woman, and she saw a man. No. Not a man. A boy. The boy couldn't have been older than 16, which was past the age of adolescence. Still...there was a fear in the boy's eyes. A fear that proclaimed an innocence younger than he was. The boy's black hair hung limp on his face, as his mouth opened up.
"Drake." With that, the boy jumped up, grabbing onto a ledge above up. The woman could only watch in awe, as he jumped from ledge to ledge, before ultimately disappearing in the darkness. As the rain poured on Gotham city, the boy had disappeared almost as quickly as he had arrived.
"You must leave our society. You know that." Hippolyta could only sigh as she watched the head of her son, Conner, drop. She could feel only remorse as the boy of thirteen stifled a tear, looking back at her.
"I...I know. I've been told all my life, and still..." Conner tried to continue, but his mother shushed him with a finger.
"Don't. Don't speak. This is the day of your birthday. You know that you must leave the island of Themyscira, now that you have reached manhood. You must go, now." Conner could only look at Hippolyta in sadness, as she shoved a package into his hands. "These are the clothes of our people. Use them. Now, go." Hippolyta turned around, as she had to stop herself from letting the tears fall out of her eyes. Conner didn't speak, as he stood up from his spot on the floor and walked to the door. Pausing, he turned his head slightly back to the one he had called mother all his life, and spoke.
"Goodbye, mother." With that, Conner walked out of the marble palace, the package in his hand. Every single Amazon who lived on Themyscira was outside, looking at him as he walked to the shore. Upon reaching the wide blue ocean, he saw a wooden boat there, small enough to accommodate him. Without saying anything, he got onto the boat, tossing the package to the side. As soon as he stepped in the boat, a wind picked up from nowhere and pushed his sail. Looking around the boat, he saw several bundles, undoubtedly food and other basic supplies. He disregarded this, and looked back at the place he was leaving. As the island of Themyscira got smaller and smaller, Conner found himself being unable to look at it, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. Turning around, he noticed the package. Picking it up, he lifted the stone top and saw the clothes inside. Red...blue...and a gold "W". Conner was puzzled, but as he sped off towards his new life, wherever it was, he had all the time in the world to ponder its meaning.
"Cassandra?" Hippolyta called out, as a blonde girl of 16 came running over to the queen of the Amazons.
"Yes, milady?" Hippolyta had to chuckle a little at the girl, despite her sadness over Conner.
"Forget these formalities. I've known you too long...Listen. As you know, Conner has been exiled from Themyscira, indefinitely. I want you to follow him." Hippolyta saw Cassandra begin to protest, but stopped the girl from talking. "I know why Diana gave you the gift that she had been given. You are the strongest of our people, Diana herself withstanding. I know what I ask of you is hard, but please, help me. Conner shouldn't have gotten far. You should be able to fly off and reach him quickly." Cassandra was about to protest anyways, but saw the sadness in her queen's eyes.
"Of...of course, milady. I will depart immediately." Cassandra bid farewell to Hippolyta, and exited to the outside. Looking around her, she took in her surroundings. It would be the last time she would see them. Cassandra got to a running start, and jumped off, letting the wind carry her as she flew. The other Amazons looked at her in amazement, but for the most part, minded their own business. Cassandra flew east for a distance, where she caught Conner on his boat. He hadn't gotten very far. Cassandra stopped, letting herself float onto the boat. Conner looked somewhat shocked, but kept his cool.
"Cassandra."
"Conner." The two had never cared for each other much, and Cassandra knew that the assignment would test all of her nerves. "Your mother told me to keep an eye over you." Conner looked as if he had expected this, and chuckled a bit. "What's so funny?"
"So, that's why she packed two." Conner said, tossing a red and blue outfit at Cassandra, as it landed in her hair. Cassandra quickly got it out, furrowing her brow at her junior. It was the same as Conner's, with the same golden "W" there.
"What is this, a joke?" Cassandra laughed harshly, tossing it back at Conner.
"I don't know, but we've got all the time to figure it out. Now come on, I'm hungry." Grabbing a bundle, Conner began to open it. Cassandra could only look at the young boy, shaking her head.
Hera...what have I gotten into now?
Thwack! The arrow shook the wooden target harshly, as the arrowhead embedded itself just an inch away from the center.
"Goddammit!" Cissie King-Queen cursed vehemently, as she drew another arrow. "Stupid goddamn thing!" Aiming carefully now, she let go of the bow string. The string twanged, and sent the 2nd arrow flying at the target. It hit the center dead on, and Cissie seemed to be pleased, for now at least.
"Hey, nice work kiddo." Cissie didn't have to turn her head to recognize the voice of her father, Ollie Queen. Sighing, Cissie put the bow down on the ground, and grabbed a towel.
"Not good enough. I keep on practicing, but I don't get any better." Cissie vented, as her father could just look at her in surprise.
"Not good enough? Who put that into your mind, the little bastards you call friends? Why, those damn fascists don't know anything about---" Ollie was stopped by his daughter, who tossed the towel at his face.
"No, I just mean that...I look at you and Roy, and you guys are perfect. And I'm...not." Cissie swigged from a bottle of water, wiping her mouth with her forearm. "Yeah yeah, I know I'll never be as good as the 'famous Green Arrow and his sidekick Speedy', but it still sucks. So, what did you come here for? Come to give me some more fatherly advice?"
"No, I came here to tell you that school starts in 15 minutes and you'd better hurry if you want to take a shower, eat breakfast, get dressed, and get there in time for first period." Ollie could only smirk as his daughter cursed and headed for the bathroom, running like mad. That was genetics for you.
The boy was running. Panting, he stumbled over his own feet as he kept on running.
Gotta keep on going, he thought to himself, as he tried to pace his flailing legs. Gotta keep going, and she won't find me. His lungs failing, the boy jumped over a rail, and fell into a pile of trash. Realizing he couldn't get up, he stopped and plunged himself even further into the stinking pile of garbage. As he tried to hold his breath and stay still, an odd wind blew.
It wasn't a normal wind. The people on the street paused from their business, looked up, and felt a harsh force seep through the sky and fall upon their block. The evil was thickening and overcoming, and for thirty seconds, Crime Alley had become the center of all malcontent in the universe. People who listened closely could hear the faint whisper of someone speaking, but Billy could hear it just fine.
Why won't you come out Billy…why won't you? I'm so eager to see you… It sounded like a little girl, and the cutesy voice bewitched the heart. Two men dropped the bags of cocaine they were peddling and began to walk towards the growing cloud that had appeared in the middle of the notorious Gotham street. They got closer and closer, snared by the siren's voice. As they walked into the cloud, their screams could be heard for blocks. The Secret had snared her prey. Won't you come out and play? Billy heard the voices but closed his eyes and thought happy thoughts. His father's scent. His mother's touch. His sister killing them both. It was a lost cause. However, Billy kept quiet. Around him, there was another scream, but this was more primal and unholy. The Spectre itself would've trembled at its evil malice. The breeze lifted, and Crime Alley was back to normal. Two people were gone, but Billy was safe. Safe for another night. * * *