Monsters

Chapter 1: Terrifying Beginnings

Pain. It encompassed every fiber of his being and even beyond it. Desperately he reached out with his magic, feeling for somewhere, anywhere safer than where he was. Ah, there. He latched onto the place and used the last of his magic to will himself there. A familiar golden light wrapped around him and he finally allowed himself to drift into oblivion.

Batman frowned at the monitors. Captain Marvel was late which was very unusual as he usually called or was the subject of a breaking news bulletin but there had been nothing. He wasn't answering his communicator and it wasn't making the sound he had learned to associate with it getting zapped by magic lightning…accidentally of course. Sure there were times when Captain Marvel couldn't be reached but not when he was expected. It was unnerving especially since he was one of the League's powerhouses and seemingly invincible.

The phone rang and Batman's scowl deepened. The number was known to only a few (Alfred) and it was to be used only in case of a true emergency (Jason brooding in the Bat Cave did not count). It was with great reluctance that he answered it.

"This is Batman."

"Good morning, sir," Alfred greeted him. "I was just wondering if you were aware of Captain Marvel's whereabouts."

"Do you know where he is?" Batman straightened. Alfred was an excellent source of information, always finding something Bruce had missed.

"Yes actually I do. He appeared in Commoners Park in Fawcett City. He appears to have been mutilated and I'm not actually sure if he's alive or not."

"We're on the way," Bruce promised then promptly hung up the phone and headed towards the cafeteria.

Superman and J'onn were sitting at a table chatting about one of Clark's recent articles. Before they had a chance to greet him Batman said, "I need the two of you to come with me. Captain Marvel was badly mutilated and dumped in a park in Fawcett."

"Is he dead?" J'onn asked anxiously. No one knew Captain Marvel very well but he was still considered a friend. Honestly, given his abilities, J'onn probably knew him the best. He was the only one that knew how lonely the demigod truly was and how happy he was when J'onn reached out to him, the way he did for all his teammates when they were distressed.

Batman's lips thinned. "Agent A wasn't sure," he admitted. "Regardless I'll need someone to carry him and just in case there is still an enemy or some residual magic someone who isn't vulnerable to it should come along as well."

"Not a problem," Superman stood, disregarding his half-finished meal. "Let's get going."

J'onn nodded in agreement and the three walked out with grim expressions drawing concerned looks from the other members, sensing that something big was happening.

It didn't take long to get there as Commoners Park was only a fifteen minute walk from the zeta tube located in a broken photo booth. Despite the name the park wasn't very pretty and mostly boasted dead or dying plants and rotten trees. Rats scuttled about looking for any crumbs, some were even bold enough to climb on the rusty benches.

Despite the flashing lights and sirens there were no gawkers which Batman found strange but welcome. A couple of paramedics awkwardly stood over Captain Marvel's unmoving body arguing amongst themselves while the police sighed in relief upon seeing the three members of the Justice League.

"Thank god," a harried man in a rumpled gray suit approached them, a badge hanging around his neck. "I'm Detective Rysher. We weren't sure how to get in touch with you guys and we didn't know what to do with him." He jabbed a thumb in Captain Marvel's direction. "From what we can tell he doesn't have a heartbeat and he's bleeding pretty heavily but every time the paramedics try to touch him they get by some kind of electricity or something like that. We've already lost about three grand worth of equipment."

Batman sighed heavily. At least they hadn't taken him to a hospital where he could have shorted out even more. That was a good sign though – corpses didn't usually electrocute people.

"Thank you, officer," Superman said then continued walking. He couldn't pick up a heartbeat or even the sound of breathing. There were strange markings on some of his bones and one of them was missing completely.

"Oh, no," J'onn stared at the bloody stump where Captain Marvel's right arm had once been. Several chunks of flesh were missing from all over his body and his once white cape was now stained red with his blood. Blue eyes stared blankly at the sky not even blinking as Batman and Superman moved into his line of sight. J'onn knelt by Cap's head, his hands close too but not quite, touching the messy black hair. "He's alive," a smile broke out on J'onn's face. "I can't really reach his mind but he is in there."

"That's good," Batman allowed himself a small sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't have to plan a funeral for the other hero. "Perhaps J'onn should carry him," he suggested when Superman knelt to pick him up.

Superman looked confused for a second then hissed and pulled his hand away as lightning nipped at his fingers. "That's probably a good idea," he agreed. "I'll call ahead and have someone prepare the med-bay so we can go ahead and see about getting the bleeding stopped."

"Good," J'onn carefully picked up Captain Marvel, the lightning not affecting him as much as it had Superman.

Captain Marvel was not a small man. He was over six feet tall and weighed at least two hundred pounds, all of it pure muscle. He was one of the few people in the world that could go toe-to-toe with Superman and come out the victor. To put it simply, he was not a light man yet J'onn carried him with ease.

No one in Fawcett gave them a second look as they headed back to the zeta-tube causing Batman to once again wonder why nobody seemed. To. Care. It was beyond maddening and Bruce swore to thoroughly investigate when all of this was over with.

"What the hell?" were the first words out of Flash's mouth when he saw them.

"What did that to him?" Green Lantern's eyes were wide in shocked disbelief. He had never seen Cap in such a state before, none of them had.

"I don't think I wanna know," Flash admitted. "If it can do that to Cap what would it do to us?"

Green Lantern nodded in agreement. "Good point."

A/N: Hello again. Once again Billy Batson has invaded my brain and my notebooks and so I bring this story to you. I hope you all like it and please read and review.