"Never can get a break. I swear to God we never get a break. Always some
supervillian or freak storm or alien invasion we have to stop and then we
inevitably end up getting our butts kicked at least once in the whole
process of world saving. So then what? So then we come back home, don't get
paid a dime, the media blasts us, and we just sit around the watchtower
waiting for the whole danged cycle to-"
"Flash, shut up," Superman interrupted. "Please. I've been listening to you complain for almost a half hour now and its been a half hour too much, OK."
The Flash's eyebrows went up. "Getting all Hawkgirl on me now?" he muttered, leaning his head back. "Seriously though, you guys ever wonder if its worth it?"
"If what is worth it?" asked J'onn, who was piloting the ship.
"Y'know, saving the world and everything."
"Of course its worth it," Superman stated.
"Well yeah I know, but still, don't you wish we got some kind of compensation or something?"
"Not really."
"Ooookay. Never mind then. I guess I'm the only one who's ever entertained the idea of getting paid one in a while for saving the universe."
"This is about that Senator Lee's comments earlier today, is it not," remarked J'onn.
"Easy for a telepath to figure out."
Senator Brian Lee was the new voice in the ever-growing anti-metahuman movement. He had made his views public just earlier that day right after the Monitor Room briefing, declaring that metahumans were menaces to society who considered themselves unbound by the law, wreaking mayhem and property damages without a second thought in their superhuman showdowns. He had not mentioned anyone specifically, but it was obvious he was referring to the Justice League in particular, as they had just recently stopped a monster from flattening Metropolis. Needless to say, the government property damage was in the millions, and that was all the press seemed to be focused on lately, never mind that Metropolis had nearly been decimated and the property damage had the JL not intervened would have been much higher.
"Ignore the Senator," Superman advised. "There will always be people like him, people who cannot see us for the good we do. Don't let them get to you."
A wry smile. "Spoken like a true boy scout."
The comm. link went on, and Superman picked up the communicator. "Batman?"
"I have some approximate coordinates for you."
"Great."
"Where are you?"
"Just flying over the Atlantic Ocean, although it would help if we knew where we were going."
"Try Egypt."
"Wait, how do you know its Egypt?" asked Flash.
"A surveying of the energy fluxuations. They all seem to originate in that one country. It seems like the most logical place to check. I'm working on contacting the president in order to give him a heads up about your arrival."
"Still, it's a large place to search," said Flash.
A pause. "That's where J'onn comes in . . ."
***
Batman shut off the communicator and stood up from the computer chair.
"Still no response from Egyptian officials?" asked Diana.
"None. They have a whole lot more problems to worry about though, such as why people are falling left and right from heat exhaustion. Egypt is one of the country's that's being most adversely affected., and I think now we know why."
***
"Located it yet?" asked Hawkgirl.
Lantern shook his head. "Not yet." In addition to creating a protective bubble around the two of them as they sped over the ocean, his ring had also created a simple radar-like device, one which he checked frequently for any readings that didn't match with known geographical formations.
Hawkgirl sighed and continued to look around as empty ocean sped by. "So what's the plan if we find Grenat?"
"When we find Grenat, I try a little negotiating. And if that doesn't work . . ." His mouth went up in a smile.
"I try a little negotiation," Hawkgirl finished for him, smiling.
"Yeah. Oh, here." He came to a sudden halt, looking around through the nearly transparent green bubble. "This is weird."
"What? What is it?"
"Something . . ." he as talking more to himself now. "There was a something up ahead . . .didn't quite match . . ." He pointed his ring out in front of them, letting a bright green ray sweep out over the area."
"OK, that's certainly suspicious," murmured Hawkgirl. His green beam seemed to stop ion mid air, hitting an invisible barrier of some sort.
"I think its some kind of force field," said Lantern. "Light negative, can't be seen or detected by satellite, I imagine the only reason we stumbled across it is because we were so close. And yeah, according to current geographic charts, nothing is supposed to be here but deep blue sea." He dissipated the radar construct and focused more energy towards the beam he had focused on the force field . . .with no effect. Clenching his jaw, he concentrated more energy, enough to cut through titanium steel alloy like hot butter. Unfortunately, it was still having no effect. He sighed and released the energy beam.
"Just like Gorilla city," muttered Hawkgirl. "Here, let me try."
Nodding, John dissipated the green bubble, allowing Shayera to fly under her own power. She hefted her battle mace, backed up, and flew towards where she knew the force field to be, putting all of her strength into a single decisive blow. Where the mace hit, the air itself seemed to bend and contort, but then the force field snapped right back into place, knocking Hawkgirl back. She furiously flapped her wings to keep her stability. "OK, that didn't work."
"We could try going under it," said John. "I mean, the force field probably doesn't go all the way to the ocean floor."
The idea hadn't occurred to Hawkgirl, but she supposed it could work. "Try it."
The green protective bubble was up again in a flash. "Ready?" asked Lantern. He didn't wait for a response and before his passenger knew it, they were down beneath the ocean surface. Here, the force field was more visible, it had a glassy look to it almost.
They were descending at a pretty fast pace, but even as they went deeper and deeper, the force field was still there.
"How much oxygen is in here?" asked Hawkgirl.
"Enough to last us a half hour or so, but we shouldn't need that much, I think I see the bottom of the force field.
"Huh?" Those were the last words Hawkgirl got out before suddenly, they were on the other side. She felt a slightly nauseous feeling when they resurfaced, this time on the inside of the force field, and her gaze was still focused on Lantern. "Think yo ucould warn me next time before you-" She finally saw her surroundings-and was shocked speechless.
***
"Unfortunately," said Olivia, eyes cast to the ceiling, "It will take time for my efforts to take effect."
A continent away, Lucas frowned, making sure to convey the full amount of his displeasure across the psychic link that the albino girl had constructed. "Creating a pain-in-the-butt heat wave will not suffice in this instance, I need something real, something powerful enough to have the President of the greatest country in the world biting his fingernails."
"And you will have it."
"I had better." He terminated the link, reclining in his seat.
As fate should have it, that was precisely when the bright red sign marked INTRUDER ALERT began to blare.
AN/: Next chapter: Lucas makes another address to the world, except this time he's got the globe reeling from his latest 'demonstration'.
Reviews are always appreciated.
"Flash, shut up," Superman interrupted. "Please. I've been listening to you complain for almost a half hour now and its been a half hour too much, OK."
The Flash's eyebrows went up. "Getting all Hawkgirl on me now?" he muttered, leaning his head back. "Seriously though, you guys ever wonder if its worth it?"
"If what is worth it?" asked J'onn, who was piloting the ship.
"Y'know, saving the world and everything."
"Of course its worth it," Superman stated.
"Well yeah I know, but still, don't you wish we got some kind of compensation or something?"
"Not really."
"Ooookay. Never mind then. I guess I'm the only one who's ever entertained the idea of getting paid one in a while for saving the universe."
"This is about that Senator Lee's comments earlier today, is it not," remarked J'onn.
"Easy for a telepath to figure out."
Senator Brian Lee was the new voice in the ever-growing anti-metahuman movement. He had made his views public just earlier that day right after the Monitor Room briefing, declaring that metahumans were menaces to society who considered themselves unbound by the law, wreaking mayhem and property damages without a second thought in their superhuman showdowns. He had not mentioned anyone specifically, but it was obvious he was referring to the Justice League in particular, as they had just recently stopped a monster from flattening Metropolis. Needless to say, the government property damage was in the millions, and that was all the press seemed to be focused on lately, never mind that Metropolis had nearly been decimated and the property damage had the JL not intervened would have been much higher.
"Ignore the Senator," Superman advised. "There will always be people like him, people who cannot see us for the good we do. Don't let them get to you."
A wry smile. "Spoken like a true boy scout."
The comm. link went on, and Superman picked up the communicator. "Batman?"
"I have some approximate coordinates for you."
"Great."
"Where are you?"
"Just flying over the Atlantic Ocean, although it would help if we knew where we were going."
"Try Egypt."
"Wait, how do you know its Egypt?" asked Flash.
"A surveying of the energy fluxuations. They all seem to originate in that one country. It seems like the most logical place to check. I'm working on contacting the president in order to give him a heads up about your arrival."
"Still, it's a large place to search," said Flash.
A pause. "That's where J'onn comes in . . ."
***
Batman shut off the communicator and stood up from the computer chair.
"Still no response from Egyptian officials?" asked Diana.
"None. They have a whole lot more problems to worry about though, such as why people are falling left and right from heat exhaustion. Egypt is one of the country's that's being most adversely affected., and I think now we know why."
***
"Located it yet?" asked Hawkgirl.
Lantern shook his head. "Not yet." In addition to creating a protective bubble around the two of them as they sped over the ocean, his ring had also created a simple radar-like device, one which he checked frequently for any readings that didn't match with known geographical formations.
Hawkgirl sighed and continued to look around as empty ocean sped by. "So what's the plan if we find Grenat?"
"When we find Grenat, I try a little negotiating. And if that doesn't work . . ." His mouth went up in a smile.
"I try a little negotiation," Hawkgirl finished for him, smiling.
"Yeah. Oh, here." He came to a sudden halt, looking around through the nearly transparent green bubble. "This is weird."
"What? What is it?"
"Something . . ." he as talking more to himself now. "There was a something up ahead . . .didn't quite match . . ." He pointed his ring out in front of them, letting a bright green ray sweep out over the area."
"OK, that's certainly suspicious," murmured Hawkgirl. His green beam seemed to stop ion mid air, hitting an invisible barrier of some sort.
"I think its some kind of force field," said Lantern. "Light negative, can't be seen or detected by satellite, I imagine the only reason we stumbled across it is because we were so close. And yeah, according to current geographic charts, nothing is supposed to be here but deep blue sea." He dissipated the radar construct and focused more energy towards the beam he had focused on the force field . . .with no effect. Clenching his jaw, he concentrated more energy, enough to cut through titanium steel alloy like hot butter. Unfortunately, it was still having no effect. He sighed and released the energy beam.
"Just like Gorilla city," muttered Hawkgirl. "Here, let me try."
Nodding, John dissipated the green bubble, allowing Shayera to fly under her own power. She hefted her battle mace, backed up, and flew towards where she knew the force field to be, putting all of her strength into a single decisive blow. Where the mace hit, the air itself seemed to bend and contort, but then the force field snapped right back into place, knocking Hawkgirl back. She furiously flapped her wings to keep her stability. "OK, that didn't work."
"We could try going under it," said John. "I mean, the force field probably doesn't go all the way to the ocean floor."
The idea hadn't occurred to Hawkgirl, but she supposed it could work. "Try it."
The green protective bubble was up again in a flash. "Ready?" asked Lantern. He didn't wait for a response and before his passenger knew it, they were down beneath the ocean surface. Here, the force field was more visible, it had a glassy look to it almost.
They were descending at a pretty fast pace, but even as they went deeper and deeper, the force field was still there.
"How much oxygen is in here?" asked Hawkgirl.
"Enough to last us a half hour or so, but we shouldn't need that much, I think I see the bottom of the force field.
"Huh?" Those were the last words Hawkgirl got out before suddenly, they were on the other side. She felt a slightly nauseous feeling when they resurfaced, this time on the inside of the force field, and her gaze was still focused on Lantern. "Think yo ucould warn me next time before you-" She finally saw her surroundings-and was shocked speechless.
***
"Unfortunately," said Olivia, eyes cast to the ceiling, "It will take time for my efforts to take effect."
A continent away, Lucas frowned, making sure to convey the full amount of his displeasure across the psychic link that the albino girl had constructed. "Creating a pain-in-the-butt heat wave will not suffice in this instance, I need something real, something powerful enough to have the President of the greatest country in the world biting his fingernails."
"And you will have it."
"I had better." He terminated the link, reclining in his seat.
As fate should have it, that was precisely when the bright red sign marked INTRUDER ALERT began to blare.
AN/: Next chapter: Lucas makes another address to the world, except this time he's got the globe reeling from his latest 'demonstration'.
Reviews are always appreciated.