"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven shouted out as her hands encased themselves in dark energies, her powers lifting a steel beam and throwing it at the offending Cinderblock who stood at the entrance of a building. The concrete villain simply backhanded the beam away and into a charging Starfire. Inside Slade-Bots carted an old cross from the Jump City Museum, dating back at least three thousand years. There was only one thing special about the cross.
It was in the shape of the Mark of Scathe.
Raven fought the fear that welled up inside of her as she made a second gesture to send a lamp post at the beast, this time forcing it to coil up and wrap around Cinderblock's knees. A recovered Starfire, after shoving the beam off of herself, charged again with a kick to the stone-creature's head while Raven disoriented sending it backwards into the ground from the force of the alien's blow. Sonic Cannon fire and multiple animal noises could be heard in the background as the male Titans fought the Slade-Bots. On occasion Robin would let out a battle cry as his staff smashed the metal skulls of his opponents.
Knowing Cinderblock was hardly out Raven chanted her three-word mantra, lifting Cinderblock upwards as the beast tried to regain it's footing. Fighting the beast as it fought her powers she threw it upwards with a grunt. Starfire was already flying high, her star-bolts at the ready. Raven's powers relaxed letting Cinderblock fall earthwards, star-bolts following it's decent. The beast slammed into the ground as the green energies peppered it with more force than cannon fire. A pained moan, or what could be interpreted as one, came from it, and all was still.
"This was a tiring fight friend Raven." Starfire said as she floated down near the gothic Titan.
"Don't go to sleep yet." Raven replied. "There's still more to do." The other female Titan nodded and together they floated down into the museum just in time to witness Robin's bo-staff piercing a Slade-Bot's head, forced through the armour with his strength, training and fury. He removed the pole and took a moment to steady his breathing. A tiger bounded over, shifting into the green-skinned changling Beast Boy.
"Sorry guys, I lost'em." He said nervously as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Just great." The half machine Titan known as Cyborg said as he shook his head. "That's the fourth ancient something-or-other Slade made off with this month."
"I know." Robin said, collapsing his staff and looking around. "First four suits of strange four-eyed armour from China, two tapestries from France, an Aztec throne made of gold and silver, and now this, a cross from the Middle East that's at least three thousand years old. All four artefacts have the exact same symbol on them. But they're all from different parts of the globe. It makes no sense." His gloved hand rubbed at his chin for a moment. "Let's go back to the Tower, I'll try to dig up some info on this stuff."
"Good idea." Cyborg looked over at a hole in the wall, one that the robots used to escape the building. "If there's anything else Slade wants we need to get to it first."
James set the last of his belongings on the floor. It was a week since the day that he quit the Justice League, although most people would say he was cast out.
Po-tate-o, Po-tat-o. To-mate-to, To-mat-to, same thing.
"Well kid, looks like your all set up here."
James nodded and turned around to as Oliver Queen dusted his hands off. "Yeah. Thanks Ollie. For everything."
'Ollie' just chuckled a little and stroked his trimmed beard. "Hey, don't mention it, I told ya I owed you for the whole gig in New York, right? Sides, it was your money that bought the place."
James nodded as Ollie walked towards the door. "Well, see ya around kid. Kick some ass for me."
James in turn nodded. "You too Ollie. Punch Darkseid in the face for me if you get the chance."
"Will do kid, will do." And with that Ollie left the room. James turned to the mirror on the wall to look at himself.
He was about 5'8, short black hair that was neatly trimmed, and bright blue eyes that stared back at him from the mirror. He still remembered when they were brown.
Before he got his powers. Before he became Corona.
He shook his head once and undressed, setting his clothes in a hamper. As the sun moved to hide it's face behind the horizon he redressed, this time in his costume. First black tights. After that a black long sleeved shirt that hugged his frame, an image of a bright blue ring with spikes on the front of his chest. Next he pulled the mask that was attached to his shirt over his face. The mask left the lower half of his face exposed, the same symbol on his chest also on his forehead, with blue flame designs extending from the eyes. Next was his utility belt that contained a few odds and ends. The blue belt was fitted snugly to his frame as he reached for his boots, black with the ring symbol emblazed on the sided. Next came the black gloves, once more the symbol showing on the palms and back of the hands. Lastly he lifted his cape, black on the outside and bright blue on the inside. Once it was fitted the cloth surrounded him, in a manner that he had seen Batman's cape surround the man's frame.
He walked out to the balcony, closing the doors behind him. It was one of the highest buildings in the area, chosen so he could get in and out unnoticed. He took in a deep breath before standing on the railing and forgetting about Liberty City.
About Lord Hydra.
About the League.
About James Jennings.
And in turn Corona let a grin come to his face as he let his body lean forward until he was in free fall. The ground rushed up to greet him, but instead his power surrounded him, a bright blue glow contrasting his black costume. After a moment his body tilted up until he began to gain height, grinning as he flew above the city.
It was time to make himself known.
"Come on Tony, load it up! No telling when we'll have Titans to deal with!"
"If you want it done quicker Jimmy, then PICK SOMETHING UP!"
The man named Jimmy grumbled a bit and grabbed a VCR, walked out of the shop he, Tony and Hal were robbing, and placed it in the back on a white van. "There, now get the TV in there already!"
Tony and Hal in turn grumbled as they lifted a heavy TV with a forty-inch screen outside the store and to the van. Jimmy smiled for a moment; it was good to be the boss.
"Gee, that looks heavy. Let me take it off your hands." The three men looked around for a moment then squawked as the TV began to glow a bright blue. Tony and Hal jumped from it, but the TV hung in mid-air, nothing but a blue glow holding onto it. The TV floated back into the store and was gently set down, the three robbers staring as the glow vanished.
"Jimmy... what was that?"
"I dunno..."
"Oh that? That was me."
The three robbers looked around until a light bang sounded from their van. They turned to face the sound and spotted the source of the voice, a black-clad man with a cape glowing the same blue as the TV did now standing on the top of their van. "Now you can all surrender quietly, or I can kick your butts. What would you like?"
"A bullet in your head!" Tony cried out as he pulled a pistol firing a pair of bullets in short order. One hit their foe in the head, the second in the chest.
Both bullets bounced off, the figure unharmed.
"All righty then, one Corona style butt-whooping coming right up!"
The figure leapt down in front of the nearest crook, cocking a fist back and slamming it into Hal's jaw causing the man to drop unconscious to the sidewalk. Tony charged him in turn, but the hero was ready for him and shot out his leg in a practiced, but imperfect, sidekick. Tony caught the kick with his chest and was sent into the store's wall for his trouble, joining Hal in Corona induced slumber.
During all of this Jimmy had grabbed the VCR from the van and lifted it above his head. The hero's attention on his two underlings, he made a silent, wordless battle cry and brought it down on the glowing kid's head. The head flinched slightly before the hero turned around to face him. Jimmy dropped the VCR are he was met with a flat stare.
"Did you just whack me in the back of the head with a VCR?"
Jimmy's only response was to openly gawk as the hero levelled a hand at his chest. The hand glowed brighter until a blast slammed into him, forcing him off his feet and into the side of the van, sending him into a forceful sleep.
Corona dusted his hands off for a moment before using his light-based power to levitate the three crooks to a light post. Taking some special twine from his belt he tied the three together around the pole. Sirens in the distance told all he needed to know. He placed a simple sticker on Tony's head and called forth his powers letting them carry him upwards to a nearby rooftop. He dropped his protective aura and used his dark costume to blend in with the shadows.
Batman he wasn't, but even glow-in-the-dark Corona could be a little sneaky when needed.
Detective Wong Li was a woman of Chinese decent, standing 5'1, brown eyed and with short-cropped black hair. In the passenger seat of her car was her partner, another detective named Louie Howard. He stood at 6'3 with matted brown hair, green eyes and a bit of a beer gut, but Wong knew he was plenty fit and could outrun many of the new additions to the police force.
They were dispatched to a small shop where a break and enter was in progress, back up not far behind. A small siren on the unmarked vehicle blared as they reached the scene. Both expected the robbers to either drop their goods to make a break for it, or to have already gotten away.
As they exited the car a white van with stolen property was present as well as three men, the robbers, tried around a pole. Wong ran over to the men as Louie looked at a dent on the side of the van. "Man, what happened here? Looks like some one came down on these guys."
"Shedding some light on a dark city street. Courtesy of Corona."
Louie turned to look at what his partner was talking about and then noticed the sticker on of the men, black with blue writing.
"Oh joy... As if the paperwork dealing with the Teen Titans wasn't enough, now we got this!"
Neither Detective noticed a glowing blue figure fly away.
