Nichole gazed across the room at the people around her. She
sat at the head of the table in the meeting room, which was usually
Superman's chair. All of the Justice League had been gathered into the
room while Flash and Superman tried to calm her down. She took a deep
breath and tried to fight the tears that once again threatened. She looked
down. Wally had slipped her hand into his and gave it an encouraging
squeeze. Nichole smiled at him, and then looked up at the rest of the
Justice League. She was ready. With one look at Superman, the murmured
conversations were hushed.
"Where should I begin?" She quietly asked, half to herself.
Each hero in the room longed to shout, 'Tell us what he told you!' however, they also knew the situation was delicate. Nichole had to tell at her own pace.
It was Batman who responded to her question. "Maybe you should start at the part right before the creature came."
The young girl looked over at him and nodded slightly. "Right."
She began to tell her tale.
"Flash and I were walking in the woods, looking for where he had parked his car, when my head suddenly began to pound. It wasn't anything like a headache. It was overwhelming; like something inside of me was calling out, warning me. 'They're coming,' it pounded in my mind. 'Run. RUN!'
"Before I could get away, as you all know, I was grabbed." She paused here, her eyes filled with wonder at the memory. "It was the strangest thing. The instant that creature picked me up, it was as if I had been sent back in time. Back to the night of my arrival."
*FLASHBACK*
When I opened my eyes I saw him there, Carmichael. He was pacing the alleyway, talking to himself in a panicky voice.
"Maybe I should try to wake her again..." He mumbled to himself; then stuck his head out of the alleyway, looking back and forth in a nervous manner. "There isn't much time."
He then turned his attention to me.
"Good, good. You're awake!"
He grabbed my shoulders, practically forcing me to look into his eyes. They were a deep, sky-blue; filled with panic, fear, and pain. But also, they were the freakiest thing I've ever seen. Right down the middle of his eyes was a swirl of red; a deep, evil red.
"You've got to listen to me!" His voice became more panicky as he went on. "There isn't much time. You've got to stop them!"
"S-stop who?" I replied in a quiet, frightened voice.
"The aliens! They've already come...."
At this, his eyes widened; the red in his eyes seemed to become an even deeper red, if that was possible. He clutched his head, violently shaking it back and forth.
"No!" He screamed. "I've......got......to... tell her." He turned back to me; pain shone in his eyes. "You've....got to help....stop them. They've come....to take the world. The people....they need the people to...survive." Just then, his eyes clouded over, and his face took on the look of a mad man. "It is too late." He laughed crazily. "They are coming soon... All hope is gone!" He laughed again, as if it was some big prank that had worked out exactly as he had planned.
At this, he fell, right in front of me. I gathered up my courage and tried to make a run for it but he quickly reached up with his right hand and grabbed my arm. I cried out in pain as I fell onto the cement. I used the little strength I had left to crawl my way back into the corner I had found myself in when I had woken up. He got up and began to pace back and forth restlessly. He stopped and looked at me.
His face took a kinder look when he saw the fear in my eyes. "I would explain everything to you but there's no time. The aliens are going to attack when their power reaches its fullest. That should be about three months from now. They'll only have one weakness. Half of it is located in their ship. Where the ship is, I don't know exactly. However, I do know it's in space. The other half is extremely important......"
He once again began to clutch his head and shake it violently. He forced himself to look over at me, pain etched deep into his face. Carmichael began to scream. "The weakness is.....the weakness is..."
*END OF FLASHBACK*
"That's when I woke up and found myself in Wally's arms." Nichole looked up at the Justice League, to see their reactions.
They all seemed to be taking everything in, taking in all the information.
"We've only got one month left." Flash said quietly, breaking the eerie silence. The others just stood in silence. Wally dared to say what was on each person's mind. "What can we do in a month? With just the little information we know."
"I don't know." Superman finally replied. "But I do know one thing.....we're gonna need help with this one."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nichole sat in the kitchen and stabbed her piece of chocolate cake angrily. If only I could remember just a little more... she thought as another tear fell from her cheek.
"If only..." she whispered to herself.
"You shouldn't let the questions haunt you."
Nichole turned around to see Batman standing in the entrance of the kitchen. She groaned inwardly. Flash had stopped her on her way from the meeting room to the kitchen. He had warned her about Batman's mood. It seemed that Batman was still mad about the whole sneaking down to earth thing.
"It's ok. I'm fine." Nichole gave him a half-hearted smile to try and prove her point.
Batman nodded in response. "We need to talk. Follow me."
"Okay." Nichole got up and followed Batman. Something was bothering him, she could feel it, and it wasn't just about sneaking down to earth.
Batman led her to the Hangout room. He let her in before him and made sure the door was closed.
"What's wrong?" Nichole asked when she saw the look on his face. It was a look of secrecy, unlike the one he usually held.
Batman didn't respond. He just made his way over to the corner of the room and looked intently at the wall. Silence hung in the air for a few moments, and then Batman stood next to the broken lamp on the side table, which was on the right side of the corner, opposite the stereo. He gently took off the lamp's cover and unscrewed the light bulb. He put the light bulb on the table and reached into the lamp where the bulb had once been. Suddenly, a small part of the wall in the corner flipped. Nichole couldn't see what it was from where she was standing, so she went over to stand behind Batman. It almost looked like a home security number pad except it was a bit more complex. Not only did it have the number buttons on it but also two other buttons on its right side. At least, from what Nichole could see.
Batman pushed a series of number buttons then pressed one of the buttons on the right side. "Harkonnen." He said in a clear voice. He then pressed the second button on the right side of it. Nichole jumped in surprise as a part of the corner automatically slid to the side, becoming part of the wall beside it. Now, where the wall had once been, was a big metal door. Batman took a step closer and the door opened, like an automatic door you would find at a grocery store. He turned to see Nichole behind him. "Come on." Rather reluctantly, Nichole entered the darkness that was beyond the door. Batman went in after her, and closed the door. He reached for the wall and flipped a switch. The hall was filled with light.
Nichole looked over at him. "What is this place?"
Still, Batman didn't answer her. He walked quickly past her. Nichole followed him before he became out of view. She turned a corner and nearly ran into Batman. He was opening yet another door.
"Come on. This is the last door."
Nichole entered the room before Batman. It was dark at first but only until he had closed the door and turned on the light.
The room before her was almost like a mini version of the hangout room; with the exception of the big computer which covered most of the left wall. Nichole also noticed a little stove in the corner, along with piles of boxes.
"What is this place?" She finally asked, taking another step into the room.
"This, is the hidden room I had put in here when the Watchtower was made. This room was made especially for cases like yours." Batman responded, taking a seat on the comfy-looking couch. It looked like he was getting ready for a long, serious talk.
Somewhat nervously, Nichole sat down on the easy chair next to the couch. "Cases like mine? What do you mean?"
"You should know very well by now. That is, unless your time alone in the kitchen was just a pity party."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You put yourself in a lot of danger today."
She sighed. "I know and I'm really sorry. It'll never happen again."
"You know?" Batman's voice quickly took on an angrier tone. "I don't think you realize how much danger you put yourself in today."
"I know I could have been kidnapped or killed."
"I'm afraid that's just the beginning."
"What do you mean?"
"When they realized you had left, they ran. It's very possible that they found our ship and followed us here."
Nichole's eyes widened. "You're saying they could be near here; watching me? Sitting around waiting for the opportunity to.....attack?"
"Exactly. That's why you're left with two choices."
"Where should I begin?" She quietly asked, half to herself.
Each hero in the room longed to shout, 'Tell us what he told you!' however, they also knew the situation was delicate. Nichole had to tell at her own pace.
It was Batman who responded to her question. "Maybe you should start at the part right before the creature came."
The young girl looked over at him and nodded slightly. "Right."
She began to tell her tale.
"Flash and I were walking in the woods, looking for where he had parked his car, when my head suddenly began to pound. It wasn't anything like a headache. It was overwhelming; like something inside of me was calling out, warning me. 'They're coming,' it pounded in my mind. 'Run. RUN!'
"Before I could get away, as you all know, I was grabbed." She paused here, her eyes filled with wonder at the memory. "It was the strangest thing. The instant that creature picked me up, it was as if I had been sent back in time. Back to the night of my arrival."
*FLASHBACK*
When I opened my eyes I saw him there, Carmichael. He was pacing the alleyway, talking to himself in a panicky voice.
"Maybe I should try to wake her again..." He mumbled to himself; then stuck his head out of the alleyway, looking back and forth in a nervous manner. "There isn't much time."
He then turned his attention to me.
"Good, good. You're awake!"
He grabbed my shoulders, practically forcing me to look into his eyes. They were a deep, sky-blue; filled with panic, fear, and pain. But also, they were the freakiest thing I've ever seen. Right down the middle of his eyes was a swirl of red; a deep, evil red.
"You've got to listen to me!" His voice became more panicky as he went on. "There isn't much time. You've got to stop them!"
"S-stop who?" I replied in a quiet, frightened voice.
"The aliens! They've already come...."
At this, his eyes widened; the red in his eyes seemed to become an even deeper red, if that was possible. He clutched his head, violently shaking it back and forth.
"No!" He screamed. "I've......got......to... tell her." He turned back to me; pain shone in his eyes. "You've....got to help....stop them. They've come....to take the world. The people....they need the people to...survive." Just then, his eyes clouded over, and his face took on the look of a mad man. "It is too late." He laughed crazily. "They are coming soon... All hope is gone!" He laughed again, as if it was some big prank that had worked out exactly as he had planned.
At this, he fell, right in front of me. I gathered up my courage and tried to make a run for it but he quickly reached up with his right hand and grabbed my arm. I cried out in pain as I fell onto the cement. I used the little strength I had left to crawl my way back into the corner I had found myself in when I had woken up. He got up and began to pace back and forth restlessly. He stopped and looked at me.
His face took a kinder look when he saw the fear in my eyes. "I would explain everything to you but there's no time. The aliens are going to attack when their power reaches its fullest. That should be about three months from now. They'll only have one weakness. Half of it is located in their ship. Where the ship is, I don't know exactly. However, I do know it's in space. The other half is extremely important......"
He once again began to clutch his head and shake it violently. He forced himself to look over at me, pain etched deep into his face. Carmichael began to scream. "The weakness is.....the weakness is..."
*END OF FLASHBACK*
"That's when I woke up and found myself in Wally's arms." Nichole looked up at the Justice League, to see their reactions.
They all seemed to be taking everything in, taking in all the information.
"We've only got one month left." Flash said quietly, breaking the eerie silence. The others just stood in silence. Wally dared to say what was on each person's mind. "What can we do in a month? With just the little information we know."
"I don't know." Superman finally replied. "But I do know one thing.....we're gonna need help with this one."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nichole sat in the kitchen and stabbed her piece of chocolate cake angrily. If only I could remember just a little more... she thought as another tear fell from her cheek.
"If only..." she whispered to herself.
"You shouldn't let the questions haunt you."
Nichole turned around to see Batman standing in the entrance of the kitchen. She groaned inwardly. Flash had stopped her on her way from the meeting room to the kitchen. He had warned her about Batman's mood. It seemed that Batman was still mad about the whole sneaking down to earth thing.
"It's ok. I'm fine." Nichole gave him a half-hearted smile to try and prove her point.
Batman nodded in response. "We need to talk. Follow me."
"Okay." Nichole got up and followed Batman. Something was bothering him, she could feel it, and it wasn't just about sneaking down to earth.
Batman led her to the Hangout room. He let her in before him and made sure the door was closed.
"What's wrong?" Nichole asked when she saw the look on his face. It was a look of secrecy, unlike the one he usually held.
Batman didn't respond. He just made his way over to the corner of the room and looked intently at the wall. Silence hung in the air for a few moments, and then Batman stood next to the broken lamp on the side table, which was on the right side of the corner, opposite the stereo. He gently took off the lamp's cover and unscrewed the light bulb. He put the light bulb on the table and reached into the lamp where the bulb had once been. Suddenly, a small part of the wall in the corner flipped. Nichole couldn't see what it was from where she was standing, so she went over to stand behind Batman. It almost looked like a home security number pad except it was a bit more complex. Not only did it have the number buttons on it but also two other buttons on its right side. At least, from what Nichole could see.
Batman pushed a series of number buttons then pressed one of the buttons on the right side. "Harkonnen." He said in a clear voice. He then pressed the second button on the right side of it. Nichole jumped in surprise as a part of the corner automatically slid to the side, becoming part of the wall beside it. Now, where the wall had once been, was a big metal door. Batman took a step closer and the door opened, like an automatic door you would find at a grocery store. He turned to see Nichole behind him. "Come on." Rather reluctantly, Nichole entered the darkness that was beyond the door. Batman went in after her, and closed the door. He reached for the wall and flipped a switch. The hall was filled with light.
Nichole looked over at him. "What is this place?"
Still, Batman didn't answer her. He walked quickly past her. Nichole followed him before he became out of view. She turned a corner and nearly ran into Batman. He was opening yet another door.
"Come on. This is the last door."
Nichole entered the room before Batman. It was dark at first but only until he had closed the door and turned on the light.
The room before her was almost like a mini version of the hangout room; with the exception of the big computer which covered most of the left wall. Nichole also noticed a little stove in the corner, along with piles of boxes.
"What is this place?" She finally asked, taking another step into the room.
"This, is the hidden room I had put in here when the Watchtower was made. This room was made especially for cases like yours." Batman responded, taking a seat on the comfy-looking couch. It looked like he was getting ready for a long, serious talk.
Somewhat nervously, Nichole sat down on the easy chair next to the couch. "Cases like mine? What do you mean?"
"You should know very well by now. That is, unless your time alone in the kitchen was just a pity party."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You put yourself in a lot of danger today."
She sighed. "I know and I'm really sorry. It'll never happen again."
"You know?" Batman's voice quickly took on an angrier tone. "I don't think you realize how much danger you put yourself in today."
"I know I could have been kidnapped or killed."
"I'm afraid that's just the beginning."
"What do you mean?"
"When they realized you had left, they ran. It's very possible that they found our ship and followed us here."
Nichole's eyes widened. "You're saying they could be near here; watching me? Sitting around waiting for the opportunity to.....attack?"
"Exactly. That's why you're left with two choices."