It was a time of heroes and villains. A time that abruptly ended. The world looked up to one man the most, and he let the world down. He fell to darkness. He killed with no remorse, and paid the price. The Joker had brought the unkillable Superman with him to Hell.
The world was sent reeling, but eventually, life went on. Some villains were caught and thrown into Arkham. Others were reformed. Some went into hiding. But the Justice League wasn't putting down their weapons. They created the Justice League Academy, or JLA, in order to train the next generation of heroes that would ensure the peace would continue.
Now, 20 years later, the Multiverse ITSELF will be thrown into discord.
It was at the center of Metropolis. Twenty years ago, it was the Daily Planet building. Now, it was the JLA. In front of the gate stood a lone person at the solemn hour of 4 AM. He looked up at the huge, tower-like structure in front of him. Sure hope this time works out better, he thought. He was fairly short, only 5' 6", with medium-length white hair and gray eyes with red rings around the pupils. One would call him good-looking. He approached the two huge glass doors, and stepped inside. Inside, towards the goal no one thought he would reach.
The atrium was huge, with around 150 elevators, and a front desk in the center that had space for over 100 receptionists. Currently, there was only one. Guess I'm not the first person to come this early if they have someone working at this hour, he thought to himself.
"Trouble sleeping, or trying to get here early?" She asked.
"Both," he answered, his voice monotone.
"Well, I envy you. I'm on my 10th cup of coffee. What's your name, kid?"
"Luke Day," he replied, his voice maintaining monotone.
"Luke Day… let's see here…" She said while typing his name in her computer, "You'll be on Floor 66, Dorm A, Room 666."
"Thanks," he said, walking to the stairs.
"The stairs? You'd rather go up 66 flights of stairs than the elevator?"
"Stairs are faster," he said, his tone unchanging. He continued walking towards the stairs as the receptionist shook her head.
His dorm was large, and his roommate hadn't arrived yet, due to him being 2 hours early. It had its own kitchenette, and more than enough room for two people. Maybe I shouldn't have come this early, but I wanted to make sure I didn't run into her, he thought bitterly. He decided to rest his eyes until his roommate showed up. Eventually, he slipped into a light sleep.
The sky was dark, with most of the city in ruins. His allies stood beside him, prepared for war. A lone man opposed them, if he could even be called a man. "He" had gray skin, and wore blue armor. "His" red eyes glowed...
At 5:30 AM, someone knocked on the door.
He arrived at 5 AM. It still fascinates me how it's even bigger on the inside, he thought. As he walked in, a woman was walking out with a huge cup of coffee with the number 13. "Hey, Sheila. They put you on the witching shift again?" The staff and student body at JLA had taken to calling the early hours of the morning 'the witching shift.'
"Yeah, except this time someone showed up, about an hour ago. He'll be your roommate."
"Huh," he said, looking at the front desk. It was absolutely packed. "This place sure changes a lot in the span of an hour."
"You got that right. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going home to sleep," Sheila said, walking away.
My roommate, huh? I wonder who it is. Better be somewhat likeable, else I'll be sleeping in the food court, he thought, heading to the elevator. It would be a 30-minute ride, but it would be better than the stairs. Why don't they just make faster elevators? Ugh, the speedsters and the flyers have it easy.
He stood in front of his door, which others had dubbed "The Devil's Door." He lifted his arm, and knocked on the door.
She walked in at 5:30, unnoticed. Her bleach-blond hair glimmered in the early morning light. She walked to an elevator, surprisingly empty. She pushed the button to floor 30.
The trio walked in at 5:45, unseen. They took the stairs, due to the fact that one of them had slowed the clock.
He simply flew to his floor, his bones snapping and changing until he was his normal, raven-haired self, his emerald eyes glinting in the dark dorm room.
She stepped out of a limo, one of an entire fleet. Everyone inside got out of her way as her heels clicked against the floor. The Queen B had returned to the hive.