Chapter 21: And Now, For Something Completely Different

Ah, Detroit. Once a bustling, prosperous city, the largest on the border between the U.S. and Canada and the largest in the state of Michigan, the years had not been kind. The Metro Detroit area served as headquarters for the three largest automobile companies in the U.S., but the loss of jobs in the automobile industry thanks to rapid industrialization severely harmed the city's economy. This was reflected in the streets and rising crime rate – while not quite on the level of say, Starling City, Detroit had its own share of problems.

Which is where Mari McCabe came in.

Mari McCabe was the adoptive daughter of Chuck and Patty McCabe – something that became rather obvious as she grew older, as Mari was dark-skinned, and her adoptive parents were white. This caused her to be a target of bullying growing up, and resulted in her developing identity issues. To comfort her, when she was ten, her adoptive parents gave her a necklace, which was found with her when she was a baby. It was the only clue she had to her origins.

As she entered adulthood, Mari fell in love with fashion and became an aspiring fashion designer. But due to her identity issues, her designs lacked distinction, an individual flair that screamed "her." Realizing this, she would spend the next four years searching for clues regarding her parents, and would only return home to Detroit after those years proved to be fruitless.

And that is when Mari McCabe's story would truly begin.

"Hello, boys."

The thugs looked up. There African-American woman with long, dark hair perched on top of one of the steel beams above, clad in a light-brown leather suit with dark gloves. Around her neck was a necklace, animal teeth in crescent, and above her heart, a stone in the shape of a fox's head. She placed her hand on the head, and they watched, shocked, as the phantom of a gazelle enveloped her for a brief moment.

She pounced.

It was over in seconds.

Mari surveyed the carnage with a smile, the moans and groans music to her ears.

"Mari McCabe?"

She blinked, and turned around. Her jaw dropped.

The Girl in Blue.

"We need to talk."

"Ms. McCabe. A pleasure." Amanda Waller's smile sent shivers down her spine. Mari, trying not to show how disconcerted she was, crossed her arms. They were currently in a military base of some sort, on the outskirts of Detroit.

"I'm only here because you sent her after me." She jabbed her thumb to the Girl in Blue, who was leaning next to the door. "Who are you? And what do you want? And how did you know about me?"

"My name is Amanda Waller. I am the director of Advance Research Group United Support, or A.R.G.U.S. for short. And what I want…well, we'll get back to that. And as for you – care for a little history lesson, Ms. McCabe?" Mari narrowed her eyes.

Amanda took out a remote, and tapped a button. The screen behind her came to life, and showed a monochrome picture of a group of strangely dressed people. Their costumes were not all that different from Mari's and the Girl in Blue's. On the bottom was writing: 'JSA, 1943'.

"And what does this have to do with me?" Mari demanded, though something began to curl in her gut. One of the two women in the picture felt oddly familiar to her.

Amanda held up a finger, stopping her. "First, introductions. You," she pointed to the Girl in Blue, "get the other two." The Girl in Blue stared at her for a long moment, before going to the door on the side. She made three short knocks. Soon afterwards, it opened. Mari blinked as the Streak and the Hood made their way in.

"Didn't see that coming." she muttered. "Though, now that I can see you all up close, I can see the similarities in your gear. They yours?" she turned to Amanda, directing the question at her.

"Affiliates."

"Not by choice." The Hood growled. The guttural sound startled Mari slightly, though she tried not to show it.

Amanda ignored his interjection, and continued to smile. "Reveal yourselves." And now, there was no question – they were all glaring at her in earnest. "You know what's at stake. And besides, I revealed Ms. McCabe's identity to you. It's only fair you reveal yours."

It seemed they would remain defiant, but then their stances relaxed, ever so slightly. The Girl in Blue was first – she took off her hood, letting loose a head of long, blonde hair, and then removed her veil, revealing a face that was much young than Mari expected. She held out her hand to Mari, and smiled lightly. "Kara Danvers." Mari took it and shook it gingerly, knowing that despite appearances, this girl was probably even more dangerous than she was. Mari, after all, was not fire-proof or bullet-proof, nor was she strong enough to lift a crashing plane.

The next was the Streak. He took off the top of his disguise to reveal a boyishly-handsome man with dark hair who was not that much older than Kara. He flashed her a charming smile and repeated his companion's actions. "Barry Allen."

The Hood was stubborn, but one look from his two teammates and he relented, revealing a face that Mari was already familiar with. "Oliver Queen." This time, Mari was the one who had to hold out her hand. Oliver stared at it for a moment, then sighed and reciprocated the greeting.

"Wonderful. Now that you all know each other, we can cut to the chase. This, Ms. McCabe, is the Justice Society of America. I guess you could call them the world's first superheroes. They are, or were, in any case, the greatest secret force this country has ever known. They were formed to combat the Nazis during World War II, and continued to operate well into the 50s before disbanding."

Mari quirked an eyebrow. "And what does this have to do with me?"

Amanda smirked, and pressed another button. It was a close up of one of the women in the picture, digitally colorized. Mari blinked, her heart stopping. "That's…"

"…the Anansi Totem." Amanda nodded. "The same one that is around your neck. The woman wearing it was Amaya Jiwe, codenamed 'Vixen.' She was one of the first members of the JSA to depart from the group, after the death of their first leader, Rex Tyler, codenamed 'Hourman.' It was never put into official documentation why, but the journals of Courtney Whitmore, codenamed 'Stargirl,' the other female member of the JSA, revealed the truth: Jiwe and Tyler were lovers, and when Jiwe left, she was pregnant with Tyler's child. Jiwe returned to her home village in Zambesi, where she would give birth to a daughter. She would continue protecting the village into her old age, and on her death bed, she would pass on the totem to her daughter, to bond with her eldest grandchild."

"Then…she…" Mari blinked once more, but this time it was prevent tears from gathering in her eyes. While the feeling wasn't as strong as when she found out the truth of her origins from her older sister, it was still hard to hear.

"She was your grandmother, Ms. McCabe. And I need you to carry on her legacy." Amanda smirked. "All of you." she looked around, surveying the faces of the vigilantes in the room.

"You want to restart the JSA." Barry stated, already knowing where this was going.

"Of a sort, Mr. Allen."

Oliver stepped forward, "I mean no disrespect," to the JSA went unsaid, "but don't you already have a task force for this sort of thing? Your Suicide Squad?"

Amanda shook her head. "I see Mr. Wilson has been telling stories. While Task Force X is fearsome, their talents lie in matters of a more…delicate nature. What I want is something more public. A symbol to the world, a deterrent against those that would stand against American, and, in certain cases, the planet's, interest." She looked at all of them once more. "While your identities may remain a secret, you all have already publicly revealed yourselves, stopping crime, no matter how small, and dealing with large disasters. Despite some of your less…reputable deeds, public opinion is gradually turning to your side. You are all ideal for this endeavor. Others will join you, I have no doubt, but until then, you four will be the beginning."

"You're not giving us a choice, are you." Kara tiredly asked, already knowing the answer.

"No."

The four vigilantes exchanged glances. The trio already knew their answers, and Mari was the only outlier. They looked to her, and she bit the bottom of her lip, before nodding.

"We're in." Oliver spoke for all of them, glaring darkly at the director of A.R.G.U.S.

"Good. Don't worry, this will not be a full-time gig – you'll only be called in for major emergencies, the first of which you will reveal yourselves, and your association with each other, to the world. But a base will be built for you nonetheless, and you will be required to be in contact at least once a month. For you three, I imagine that will not be a problem, but for you, Ms. McCabe…"

"I'll make it work."

"Very well then. Then this meeting is over. I'll contact you all on a later date for more information. Consider yourselves dismissed."

"One of the mystical totems of Zambesi, forged by the trickster god Anansi himself. Well, I'll be." Oliver commented, expecting the necklace around Mari's neck. While the meeting was over, the trio of vigilantes had remained behind, wanting to get to know their new teammate.

"You've heard of it? But weren't you stranded on an island for the last ten years?" Mari questioned him, leaning against a wall.

Barry rubbed the back of his head. "We were all on that island, actually. That's how us three know each other. And as for how we know about your totem…let's just say we didn't spend all ten years on that island."

"I see." Mari sighed. "Still, after everything that happened with Kuasa, I thought that would be end of all the surprises in my life. But this, learning my grandmother was a superhero, and meeting you three…"

Kara shrugged. "Just another day for us. This doesn't even crack the top ten."

"Really?"

"We were trained by a secret society of assassins that guard a pit of water that can revive the dead." Oliver deadpanned.

"I got my powers by getting hit with a lightning bolt charged with dark matter." Barry raised his hand nonchalantly.

"And I'm an alien." Kara shrugged once more.

Mari blinked, and began to laugh nervously, slightly overwhelmed. "Well, that puts things into perspective."

"Yeah…" Barry elongated the word. "We haven't scratched the surface, really, and something tells me that things are only going to get crazier."

"I'm not sure how much more of this I can stand."

"Don't worry." Oliver patted her gently on the shoulder. "You'll get used to it. We did."

"Here's our number." Kara handed her a piece of paper. "Don't be afraid to call for help."

Mari smiled. "I won't."

Short, I know, but this is more of an interlude, sowing the seeds for the beginning of the Justice League. Mari isn't going to appear often, but she will play a major part in the world-ending catastrophes. You know, like alien invasions and stuff.

Next time, we see what everyone else is doing.