Hello, all.
Should you have any questions or comments, don't be afraid to leave a review or send a personal message. Believe me, either one makes me happy.
To note, the next chapter will be out Friday, April 1st . This chapter takes place mid-February 2003.
I do not own any of the characters. Ages for some of the characters come from my own guesses. Believe it or not, I do have ages and birthdays for almost all of the members of the Justice League, along with some of their rogues. I believe in being thorough.
In relation, I have Metropolis placed on the coast of Delaware. That's one of many possible locations, but it is the one I am sticking with and making official in my continuity. Related, though not pertinent to this chapter, Gotham City is on the coast of New Jersey.
I do hope you enjoy.
Edward looked himself over one last time in the streaked hotel mirror, and let out a long-winded sigh. Not the first one of the evening, either.
God, I can't believe it.
With a shake of his head, he ambled back into the main room, and sat down on his bed, staring intently, silently, at the mute green floor. Moments later, his hotel door opened.
"Hey, Light-Man, you ready to rock," the woman asked, her cackling following the inquiry. At his downbeat expression though, her countenance grew considerably more serious.
Sitting down next to him, she threw an arm over his shoulder. "Speak up, Lytener. What's got your panties in a bunch?"
"This is the last shot I'll ever have," Edward replied, his voice soulless. "This is it. And I don't even know if I want to do it."
"Don't think that way, man," Livewire replied dismissively. "I wasn't released on good behavior just to go back to some normal life. Superman did this to me," she suddenly snarled, raising her arms and showing the extent to her disfigurement, her ghastly, pale blue skin. "And yeah, at first, I was cool with it. I had powers. I could kick his ass. Almost had him down a few times, too. After Superbrat and Batchick screwed me over, though, not to mention that Poison Ivy bitch, I've spent the last four years in Stryker's planning my revenge, not counting that short time I was with Kalibak and Toyman. GothCorp's so-called 'treatments' couldn't do diddly for me, so I'm stuck like this. Permanently. And that's not cool anymore."
"I spent over a year preoccupied with thoughts of Lois Lane," Edward began, nodded at her appreciatively for her words. "And once I broke out, I had Superman on the ropes. I mean, I almost had him. You remember, that whole red sky incident?"
She shook her head. "I was in prison at the time. After that Purple People Eating bastard betrayed me. No windows in my cell. I heard about it, though."
"That was almost ten years ago," Edward stated wistfully. "And I've been in and out of Stryker's since. Life's not long, especially for those who walk our paths. I just don't know if I even have it in me."
Almost pleading, Livewire replied, "Listen, you think I'm getting any younger? Superman took my life away from me at 26 years old. 26. I've been a freak since 1993. And I sure as hell don't intend to let Blue Boy get away with it. Even if I have to go after him alone."
"We're not going to win," Edward exclaimed miserably. "We'll be beaten. Badly. And we'll just be sent back to Stryker's. Another stretch. Two years, five years, ten years. Who the hell can tell the difference anymore? Maybe I could live a life, a worthwhile life, and leave this all behind."
"If you're going soft on me, then damn it, leave," Livewire shouted, her anger getting the better of her, pointing at the door. "But from what you told me, both Lois Lane and Superman ruined your life too, and if you're just going to let them get away with it-"
Edward cut her off. "I think in many ways, I ruined my own life. My obsession with Lane, my infatuation, for lack of a better word, wasn't normal. The doctors in prison said I suffered some type of mental imbalance. God, I almost killed her. The woman I loved. I thought I loved. Just because she left my name out of that damn LexCorp piece." Again, the nearing 42 year-old man shook his head. "I don't want to hurt Lois anymore. And I don't want to hurt Superman. I don't want to go back to Stryker's. I can't do another stretch. I just can't."
"We've been planning this for two weeks, Eddie," Livewire stated, her tone soft. Sincere. So unlike her usual self. "The charity thing's tomorrow night. There's not enough time, even if I could bring someone else in on this, to bring them up to date."
"Volcana, Copperhead, Firefly, I think I still have their contact info," Edward tonelessly replied. He gulped, and began tearing up. "I cannot do another stretch," he stressed. "I can't do it."
Silence fell between the two. A silence of both contemplation and understanding. At last, one of them spoke.
"I'll help you," Edward said. "But there's something you need to do for me."
After hearing him out, Livewire nodded. She hoped to God it wouldn't come to that. But she nodded nonetheless.
Upon seeing the snow lightly falling before the Metropolis Civic Center, and a growing collective of press and attendees alike, Stargirl couldn't help but groan. Ray flashed her an appreciative smile.
"Courtney, behave," STRIPE lightly said, standing across from the aforementioned building. "I know that none of us want to be here," he stated, as he looked around at the mostly unenthusiastic members of the League, "but Superman says this is a good idea, and I happen to agree."
"He's the one who blew up the building in the first place," Doctor Light shot back, eying the reporters in front of the Civic Center with a distasteful look. "He should be down here, not us."
"Golly, guys," Captain Marvel said, holding up his arms as if to stop a potential conflict, "Superman asked us to be here. This is Superman. Does anyone here not think that he knows what's best for the League?"
No one answered - Obsidian was close, admittedly, Ray couldn't help buy notice - because they knew that their newest member was right.
"This is a chance for these people, the people we're supposed to be protecting, to meet us," Captain Marvel continued. "Superman's fight with Bizarro knocked down three buildings here, and this charity is a fantastic way to help raise money to rebuild them."
"Plus," STRIPE added, "remember, if Luthor shows up, Superman's very insistent that we keep an eye out on him, so it's not as though this is just a waste of our times."
Stargirl shivered as the snow began falling down at a quicker pace, and hugged her body. "Fine," she pouted, "let's just go inside and get this over with."
In a slow procession, mournful, almost, in tone, the group of six heroes marched to the Civic Center across the darkening snowy eve.
"Hello, I'm Angela Chen," a professionally dressed, short-haired woman stated, approaching the very apparent out-of-place heroes as soon as they entered the grand hall, "of The Daily Planet. Would any of you be open to an interview?"
Stargirl looked around at the others and shrugged. Not seeing any indication of how to answer, she replied, "Sure, I-"
"I'm not sure if we should be giving interviews, ma'am," STRIPE cut in, placing a hand on his step-daughter's shoulder.
Chen's eyes glittered at this exchange, and supplied them a sly smile. "Surely, as the representatives of the Justice League, you're allowed to talk to the people, right, STRIPE?"
"Hold the phone," STRIPE replied, the surprise evident in his voice. "You know me?"
"I know all of the Justice League members," Chen said, nodding, the smile not having left her face. "It's my job," she added with a wink. Stargirl blanched at this, which she knew Chen saw.
Captain Marvel spoke up, giving the others a look and a shrug, "Ma'am, I'd be happy to give you an interview on the behalf of the League."
Her smile widening, which Courtney seconds ago would have believed impossible, the two of them walked away, Chen putting an arm around Captain Marvel's. To STRIPE, Stargirl inquired, "What's wrong with me giving an interview?"
"Because I don't trust her," STRIPE flatly replied. Doctor Light and Ray nodded at this, while Obsidian, not listening, had his eyes on the goings-on around the room. "Sometimes the media can skew your words, and the fact that she's so, well," he paused, struggling for a word.
"Smarmy," Doctor Light offered.
"Sure, that works," STRIPE replied with a curt nod. "When a reporter is that eager, I get suspicious. I'm glad that Captain Marvel stepped in, but truth be told, I don't know if he's the best person to take her on either."
"Beats Booster Gold, though," Ray replied with an unconcerned shrug. "I'm sure he'll be fine. What are we supposed to do now, though? Just hang around and wait for people to talk to us?"
"I don't know about you all," STRIPE said, "but I have every intention of mingling. Who knows, maybe we could meet some good people. Keep our perspective, ya know?"
The remaining members stood silent at this, and STRIPE sighed. "Fine, you can all sulk over here, but I'm going to make this most of this." With that, he went toward a small crowd of people, and introduced himself.
"Well, this blows," Ray spoke up after a minute had passed. He leaned against a nearby wall, and shook his head. "What do you guys think of Marvel, though? He's been in the League, what, two weeks, and he's already speaking 'on behalf' of us?"
"He's naive," Doctor Light simply said. "He comes across as one of those characters from Leave It to Beaver. Let's give him time, though. I'm sure he'll learn."
"You have any thoughts, man," Ray threw at Obsidian, who still was looking away from the group, and was oblivious to their conversation.
"Huh," he replied, glancing at Ray. "Uh, no. I was thinking about getting some drinks, and slipping into a discreet, dark corner so I can actually drink them," he replied, motioning to his mask.
"The downsides of having a full-faced mask, huh," Ray mused, a slight smile on his face.
"Excuse me," a voice spoke over the microphone, tapping lightly. A man, smartly dressed in a light blue suit, spoke up at a stage. "As I'm sure you all know, I'm Adrian Tye, host of Tye in the Morning on WLXL 95.5 Alive." A spatter of applause was the reaction at this. "I wanted to thank all of you for pouring out your hearts to help us rebuild the lost structures in Bizarro's attacks on the city. In particular, Perry White of The Daily Planet, Lex Luthor, and the Justice League have been a great help for us tonight. In fact, some members of the Justice League are here tonight. While Superman couldn't make it, please let those who could know how much you appreciate them." At this, another round of applause followed.
"With that, I want to thank also Mayor Jessie Ingram for allowing us use of the Civic Center free of charge. Also, a special thanks to our Governor, Ruth Ann Minner, for her condolences on the damage Metropolis again suffered. The fact that there was no life loss though speaks volumes to the positive spirit of this city. And though we have been through bad times, and worse times, we'll persevere, with the help of Superman, the Justice League, and our everyday heroes, the Metropolis Police Department and Commissioner Henderson."
Naturally, another round of applause erupted, this one lasting longer than the previous bouts. Obsidian, decidedly bored, joined Ray in leaning on the wall, and began whispering to him. Courtney took note of this, and though she wished she could join them, a glance from Doctor Light told her to stay put and give the speaker her attention. Or else, was the implicit threat.
"Lastly, my thanks go out to all of those in attendance. I hope you enjoy tonight's music provided by the Metropolis Philharmonic Orchestra. May tonight bring this city together, forever and always," Adrian Tye finished, a small bow following that conclusion. Stargirl politely clapped as the classical music began, and made to join Obsidian and Ray in their conversation, but she did a double-take.
They were gone.
Doctor Light rolled her eyes. "Well, that didn't take long."
"So, how's life with the Justice League," Angela Chen inquired, sitting down on a bar-stool, her tape recorder noisily recording. Awkwardly, Captain Marvel followed suit.
"It's perfectly dandy, ma'am. They're a very good group of people," the newest member stated with a smile, fiddling with a napkin. "I mean, golly, could you imagine the League being anything but?"
She gave a light chuckle at that. "Tell me, are there any romances brewing? Any super couples that we can all look up to?"
"I don't know if that's a question I'm comfortable answering," Captain Marvel replied, fidgeting. "I mean, it's not my place to-"
"Many down here have a deep love for the League and their great job in protecting us," Chen put forward. "In short, we love you. But there are numbers of people who wish the League were more an open book than what you've been so far. I mean, some of you have given interviews before," she continued, sipping her club soda. "Blue Devil, Elongated Man, Zatanna, they all gave interviews since the formation of the League. But what my readers are interested in, what they most want to know," she said, her tone hushed, "is what life up there is really like. The conflicts. The romances. The drama. The human element. You understand, Captain?"
Captain Marvel pulled at his collar, and gulped. "Well, I've only been there a few weeks, so I don't know how much I can really tell you," he replied, clearly unsure of himself.
"Let's start with friendships. Who pals around? Who can't stand each other?"
"Um, gosh, well, let me think on that a bit."
"By all means, takes you time, Captain Marvel," Angela Chen smiled, the recorder in her left hand, her club soda in her right. "Take your time."
The room, an offshoot from the main hall, was both small and empty, Ray happily noted. Obsidian silently handed him his champagne glass, and once his hands were empty, removed his mask. He ran his right hand through his short brown hair prior to taking back his glass.
"Thanks," Obsidian replied, somewhat awkwardly, Ray felt.
"No problem. Nice to be out of all that, right," he asked, nodded back to the room they had come from. He took a sip of his Pinot grigio. "After my father's passing, I have a much lower tolerance for crowds. All that small talk rubs me the wrong way."
Obsidian uncomfortably shuffled, and scratched his neck. "I've never been much a people's person. My sister always joked that at a party, not only would I be in standing in the corner, but I'd be in the corner of the most empty room, looking at the wall."
Ray gave a small smirk at this, and again, Obsidian shifted uncomfortably.
"It's better when she tells it," he admitted with a blush. "By the way," he added, "listen, I'm really sorry that you went through that, your father and all. I would have said something, but that's not really-"
"It's no problem, man," Ray replied, shrugging. "I saw you at the funeral, so the fact that you came is all that matters to me."
Quiet fell upon the two of them, and they both took another sip of their respective beverages.
"Did you-"
"I was wondering-"
They both stopped talking to allow the other one to finish, and once neither one did, they shared a laugh.
"You go first," Obsidian replied with a smile.
"I was just going to ask what your name was," Ray stated. "You know, if you're comfortable sharing it. I guess that Ray wasn't the best code-name I could come up with," he concluded, sheepishly.
"Oh," Obsidian replied with surprise. "I'm sorry, I thought I told before. Todd." He held out his hand. "Nice to meet you," he said, his smile lopsided.
"So, Todd," Ray began, taking another sip of his wine, "what do you do on your off-time? You have a family?"
Todd's blush, already present, deepened. "No, aside from my sister and father, I'm pretty much a loner. Truthfully, I just spend most of my time up in the Watchtower either training, reading through the villain files, or watching movies."
"You catch that Back to the Future marathon on HBO last week," Ray inquired. "Don't know about you, but I love those."
Todd chuckled. "I did, actually, yeah. I love the first one, a real classic, though the second's damn good too."
"Actually, I think the second one's funnier, just barely, mind," Ray replied, "than the first one is. The whole 'You're forgetting one thing - what the hell is that!' still cracks me up."
"Christopher Lloyd's great in that movie too," Todd stated, nodding. "I think my favorite line is the 'Don't talk to anyone, don't touch anything, don't do anything, don't interact with anyone, and try not to look at anything.' Does Doc not understand that doesn't leave Marty a hell of a lot of options?"
"Aside from his scientific stuff, I don't think Doc understood much of anything, really," Ray replied with a shrug. "Well, at least, not until the third move. You able to catch those all in theaters?"
"Drive-ins, yeah. Man, those were the days," Todd wistfully replied, sipping his drink.
Ray followed suit. "Yep, they really were."
After the last group of attendees left Doctor Light and Stargirl, silence came down upon them.
Not awkward silence, Stargirl considered, though I guess we don't really know each other and - He train of thought ceased. She grinned to herself, and gave a small chuckle. Okay, it's awkward silence.
Doctor Light curiously looked at the younger girl. "Have anything to share," she asked, a slight smile on her face, obviously feeling as though she was missing something.
"No, just," Stargirl began, hesitating, and then thought, Oh, what the heck. You only live once. "It feels awkward, you and I, just standing here. I mean, I don't mean to sound insulting or anything," she tried to explain, her eyes staring into Doctor Light's curious gaze, "but I don't know you that well. Even at the Christmas Party, I was basically hanging out with Al and Cynthia and Aztek all night. I sorta feel bad, ya'know, not giving you much time."
Doctor Light smiled and looked away, a small laugh coming from her. "I'm a big girl. Believe me, I wasn't at all offended about anyone's lack of conversation toward me. I'm not a big talker most of the time, and I went to that party on a limb, for no other reason that Atom-Smasher was kind enough to ask me to come. If you recall, I wasn't exactly sober toward the end of the night anyway, so I wouldn't say that I had no fun."
Stargirl grinned at this. "Yeah, that's true. I guess, to me, there's so many people on the Watchtower, hanging out regularly with more than ten just sorta feels like I'm spreading myself thin."
The older woman nodded. "Indeed, I have seen you hang out a lot with Ralph, Cynthia, Speedy, Al, and Aztek. I have friends too - Crimson Fox, for one, if you know her - so it's not like I'm alone up there. I appreciate your concern though," she concluded kindly.
"You been doing this how long," Stargirl inquired. "You know, the hero thing?"
"Since 1997. In Fresno, California-" Doctor Light began, but was suddenly cut off.
"Oh, cool!" Stargirl exclaimed, the excitement in her tone authentic. "I used to live out in LA, but after Pat married my mother, we moved out to Hicksville, Nebraska."
Doctor Light raised her eyebrow. "Hicksville?"
"Well, Blue Valley, but believe me, it's the same thing," Stargirl replied, rolling her eyes.
The older woman smiled at this. "Well, anyway, I live out in Fresno, and have been doing this since '97. My late 20's," Doctor Light further explained. "Suffice it to say I got my powers from some accident in the laboratory. I first used them to protect a co-worker, who's ex-husband was threatening her life. Let's just say he wasn't threatening her afterward."
"Nice," Stargirl replied in a supporting manner. "You go, girl. And you just decided to keep fighting?"
"Well, it wasn't that simple," Doctor Light admitted with a shrug. "After I helped my friend, it was pretty much business as usual for a few months. I knew I could use my powers if I ever needed to, but I didn't go seeking out people that needed help or people that needed their butts kicked."
"What got you back into it, then?"
Doctor Light hesitated at this. "It's not really something I want to discuss, to be honest."
Stargirl shrugged. "Sure, no prob. Whatever it is, if you ever wanna tell me, just let me know. I'm def curious."
Lightly chuckling, Doctor Light nodded. "Of course, will do."
"Hey, I heard you hung out with Question before," Stargirl stated, her tone one of a mixture of awe and confusion. "That true?"
"I've tried on a handful of occasions, yes," Doctor Light confirmed. She shook her head. "He's just so hard to connect with, and he realizes that. So he doesn't even try. It's quite frustrating, really. Worse, plenty of members completely write him off. So it's not just one-sided on Question's part. I think Blue Devil tried to steal some of his files. It was just so unnecessary. Struck me as a bit of a jerk move."
Stargirl shrugged. "Blue Devil's a bit of a joker. Hear what he and B'wana Beast did? That production company?"
"No," Doctor Light replied, shaking her head. "Please, do tell."
"Well," Stargirl began, but was quickly cut off.
"Escuse me," a middle-aged man said, slurring his words, looking at Stargirl and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Do you wannto come and danse with me, pretty woman?"
Shocked, Stargirl glanced over at Doctor Light, who didn't need the look in the younger girl's eyes to act.
"Mr.," Doctor Light began, grabbing the man's hand off Stargirl's shoulder, "leave now."
"Gerroff me," the drunken man loudly exclaimed, struggling with Doctor Light. "Whattaya think yoourrr're doin', girlie," he asked his speech almost incomprehensible.
Aggravated, Doctor Light dragged him off to the side of the room, acutely aware of the eyes following her, and the ruckus as a whole. "You're heavily intoxicated. I'll have someone call you a taxi to take you home. What's your address?"
"I wanna danse wit that hot woman," he slurred in replied, pointing excitedly at Stargirl, who appeared infinitely embarrassed. "An 'm ash sober ash I alwaysss am, yous 'tupid bitch."
With a swift punch to the jugular, the man was on the floor, grasping at his throat, wailing. A few security guard then quickly came up, guns drawn.
"We're deeply sorry about this, ma'am," one of them stated, grabbing the drunk man by his shoulder, the other guard helping him up. "We'll get him back home, unless either of you," he began, looking both at Stargirl and Doctor Light, who had just embraced the younger girl, "want to press charges."
"I-" Stargirl began, but backed down, ferociously blushing. "No, it's fine. Just take the jerk home."
The two security guards marched the man off. Seconds later, Angela Chen came up to the pair, eying Stargirl with sympathetic eyes.
"That asshole didn't hurt you, did he," Chen asked, the concern in her voice very real.
Stargirl shook her head, though continued to hold onto Doctor Light. "No, the creep just had his hand on my shoulder and scared me."
"That 'creep' in question is Kay Gore, a city council member," Chen replied, glancing at the departing man, being walked out of the Civic Center, with a distasteful look. "I didn't vote for him, if it makes you feel any better."
"Well, make sure no one else votes for that creep," Stargirl bitterly stated, holding her arms to her body.
"That's something I can promise to work on," Chen replied with a wink.
"Speaking of your profession," Doctor Light began skeptically, looking over Chen's shoulder, "where's Captain Marvel?"
"Oh, totally strange," Chen said, providing her with a confused look. "After the clock struck seven, he said he really had to go. Something about his family, so he flew off. I got what I needed, so I let him go. That's what I was coming over here you tell you two, actually."
"Dare I ask what you got from him," Doctor Light inquired with a cringe.
Chen gave her a sly smile, the same smile she gave Captain Marvel earlier.
"Oh, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Some juicy tidbits, no doubt," Chen confirmed, her grin widening, "so I'm a pretty happy camper tonight."
Doctor Light shook her head, a small smile still present. "Well, I'm glad you had your fun. Now-"
Another voice, not Stargirl's, not Doctor Light's, and not Chen's rang out.
"Well, someone get that gun away from him!"
Supes wasn't wrong, STRIPE thought to himself, as none other than Lex Luthor entered the room to a rather enthusiastic fanfare. How these people can still trust or respect this man, I don't understand. Then again, he sympathetically reconsidered, I'm not from here, so maybe I'm not supposed to get it.
Surprisingly, Luthor caught STRIPE's gaze, and send him a subtle nod. Confused more than anything, STRIPE stood there, still, as Luthor excused himself from the surrounding group and made his way toward the hero.
"I hope I am finding you well," Luthor stated, his tone nothing but polite. "STRIPE, is it?"
"Yes, sir," STRIPE replied, and mentally kicked himself. This is Superman's worst enemy, and I just called him 'sir'? The hell is wrong with me?
To his (limited) credit, Luthor shook his head. "Please, there's no need to call me 'sir.' I simply came over here to thank you, and by extension, the whole of the League, for being here. After what Bizarro and Superman did to those buildings, I find it a relief that you seek to make better what was damaged."
"I don't know if Superman is to blame for what happened, Luthor," STRIPE stated, his voice considerably more firm then he actually felt. "Bizarro attacked, or was made to attack, him. From what I saw from the Watchtower, the first building went down almost before Superman knew what was happening."
"Of course, of course," Luthor replied with a wave of his right hand. "I didn't mean to imply that he was partly to blame. My mistake."
"I do apologize for being blunt, Mr. Luthor," STRIPE said, "but what exactly do you want from me?"
Luthor sighed and looked away briefly. "In short," he began, his gaze falling back on the hero, "I wanted to apologize. To come clean, in a way. I swore off violence, and I swore off my ill-will toward the League last year, as you well know. I was pardoned, and went back to running LexCorp. But I do believe that there remains in your ranks members who haven't yet come to trust me. Make no mistake, STRIPE," he added, seeing as STRIPE was about to interrupt, "I don't mean to suggest that all my past actions be forgot. I've done terrible things, and while I understand some may think me not a particularly empathetic individual, I do have to live with the burdens of the crimes I've committed, and allowed to be committed. As best I can though," he further urged, "as best I know how, I am attempting to atone for those crimes. I don't know you, STRIPE, nor do I know many of the new additions to the League, but I just wanted you to know that. For what it's worth."
Taking that all in, STRIPE nodded. "I cannot speak for the rest of the League, Mr. Luthor, but personally, I am a believer in giving people second chances. Just know that if you squander this second chance, the League, and perhaps more importantly, the justice system, will not take it lightly. To be overly forward, we are keeping an eye on you."
At this, Luthor shrugged. "I'd not expect anything less, nor do I believe that I deserve anything less than the highest amount of scrutiny one can give."
"Any idea what the rest of your life will look like, now that you're on the straight and narrow," STRIPE inquired.
"I've been considering dabbling in politics. State House, State Senate, that type of thing," Luthor replied. "I think whatever path I choose to take, it'll be on the state level. I think I could do so much more there as opposed to the House or Senate. Between you and I," Luthor added, a sly smile on his face, like the smile one friend would give to another while telling a joke, "I've not given much thought to political positions or parties. I just know I feel like being a statesman would be beneficial."
STRIPE, at this, gave a half-hearted chuckle.
"Well, I can't say that even if I lived in Delaware, I'd vote for you, but I really do appreciate that you're trying."
"I thank you for you kind words, STRIPE." Luthor held out his hand, and STRIPE hesitated only for a second.
After shaking it, he nodded at the bald man. "I hope the rest of this evening goes well for you, Luthor."
"And you," he replied, bowing ever so slightly before walking to another group of people.
It was minutes later when the scream, both frightened and angry, rang out.
"Well, someone get that gun away from him!"
"Indiana's pretty awful overall," Ray stated, with a slight shrug, "but Indie's mostly decent. Must beat the hell out of the middle of nowhere, Iowa."
At this, Todd chortled.
"Yeah, let me tell you, living out there was really an experience. My sister ran away so many times. Can't say I ever blamed her. Half of those times, I had to get her to come back home. It was such a hassle."
"I'm having a fun time picturing you as one of those tough farmer men, bailing hay and riding trackers around," Ray cut in with a wide grin.
With a smile himself, it was Todd's turn to shrug. "I can't help that my father's a farmer. Drove my sister crazy. I wasn't thrilled either. Small-town life and I don't really work out."
"Let me get this straight: You're anti-social, but at the same time, you'd prefer living in a populated city. That about right?"
"Small-town folk," Todd replied, his smile dissipating slightly, "always poke their noises into others' private affairs. In the city, you can be whoever you are. You don't need to hide anything. People naturally just leave everyone else alone. I'd love that."
Nodding, Ray nodded, drinking more of his wine. "Yeah, I feel you. Hey," he added, "you want to go out there and get some food? I saw some great looking steaks on the way here."
"I could join you in getting food," Todd nodded, "but I'd have to pass on the steak. I'm pescetarian." Upon seeing Ray's blank look, he expanded. "Basically, the only meat I eat is fish. Any other meats, beef, pork, what have you, I avoid."
"Man, that must make Easter and Thanksgiving really suck," Ray replied with a grin. "Hey, whatever floats your boat, right?"
"Yeah, for sure," Todd replied, appearing to have mentally kicked himself afterward as he visibly grimaced.
And so, another silence fell upon the two, and Ray was surprised, but not as surprised as one might expect, to find that Todd's face was again giving off the impression he was deeply embarrassed. I so don't want to ask this, but I have to be sure, Ray thought, and so opened his mouth.
"Listen, Todd, are-"
"Well, someone get that gun away from him!"
Both Todd and Ray swiftly placed down their glasses, and Todd pulled his mask back on. Without sharing any words, the pair ran in unison to the sound of the shout.
It was his first day on the job. When Lex Luthor shook his hand, welcomed him to LexCorp, promised him both a bright future and a high standard of living, Edward Lytener could barely grasp the grand possibilities that life held. His fiancee shared the joy with him that night - they popped open a bottle of champagne and celebrated the night away.
This was the memory that Edward couldn't shake from his head when entering the Metropolis Civic Center, the plan he and Livewire concocted having officially began. His costume hidden under the long trench coat he wore, Edward shivered slightly at the prospects of where this night was likely to lead to. Where he would be at the end of the night, only fate could determine.
And recently, Edward Lytener was not one to combat fate's decisions.
With a sigh, he glanced around the room. No Superman. At least not out in the open. But this would bring him out. Livewire and Edward were sure of it.
STRIPE didn't understand what he was seeing. One second, nothing. The next, a young child was holding a gun to his head. But he wasn't delusional, apparently. Gasps of shock arose from the crowds of people, and the boy, surely no older than ten, silently walked onto the stage. The band ceased playing. And the whole of the room was quiet.
"Well, someone get that gun away from him," a man shouted out.
Not entirely knowing what to do, STRIPE slowly began moving toward the boy, holding his hands out in front of him.
"What's your name, kid," he asked, his nervousness not at all masked by his helmet. "Please, put the gun down."
In silence, the kid turned to the crowd, and in a split second, pulled the trigger. Half of the crowd screamed, the other half shouted out. Two older women fainted, which was something STRIPE had not seen before, he randomly thought.
But the kid, the kid who shot himself, was gone. No body. Nothing.
What the-?
"Hey kids, ladies, gents," came the call of a woman, and the crowd turned toward the doors, now blocked. Blocked by no other than Livewire, if the Justice League files STRIPE had glanced through months ago were accurate.
"I just want one thing. Goody-two boots. Blue Boy. Superman. Lickety-split. Now. He reveals himself, you're all free to go. Come on, do I have to get rough," she asked, and sparks flew from her hands to nearby reporters.
"Superman's not here," STRIPE stated, stepping forward.
"What," she replied, stoic, clearly not expecting that.
"Superman's not here," Stargirl repeated her stepfather's words, stepping up next to him, followed by Doctor Light.
"Damn it," Livewire muttered. Looking past the heroes, past the crowd, she shouted out, "What do we do?"
Confused, STRIPE looked behind him, but suddenly his vision was utterly blinded, so much so he almost, in a brief frenzied second, he considered removing his helmet.
Instead, he held out his hands, and from the fingertips, out flew mini-missiles, designed to go after hostile individuals. They didn't connect, though, as he heard Courtney to his left side utter a word most unlike her.
"It's Luminus," Doctor Light said as she threw up her arms and made a shield of hard light. "And a lot of people are leaving out of side doors, so we have a spacious battlefield, STRIPE. Unleash all that you can when possible."
"Hey, you guys take the electric chick," Ray called out promptly, flying over them, carrying Obsidian with both hands. "We'll take down this Light-Master guy."
His vision now clearing up, STRIPE saw Courtney lunge toward Livewire.
"Kid, I really don't want to do this," Livewire called out, her voice wavering, her hands crackling dangerously. "Just get Superman here."
"Yeah, right," Stargirl replied, in a tone that STRIPE knew went along with her rolling her eyes, and aimed her staff at the blue-skinned femme fatale.
She didn't have a chance.
Angrily, Livewire lashed out, throwing a ball of pure electricity straight at Stargirl, and though Doctor Light tried to counter the energy with light energy from herself, she was unable to. Shivers rampantly ran down Pat's spine as he heard Courtney's pained scream, and he himself shouted out as she crumpled to the group, either unconscious or dead.
She can't be dead. She can't be, he considered frantically.
Throwing out energy blasts from his gloves in the general direction of Livewire, not much caring at the moment for accuracy, he shouted at Doctor Light, "Provide me cover, Light!"
That, she was able to do, as she threw up another hard light shield to block out Livewire's attacks. But she already countered that by traveling via outlets to pop up behind STRIPE and overloaded his suit with another huge burst of electricity. STRIPE ceased moving and Pat Dugan was knocked unconscious as his suit fell forward, almost striking down Doctor Light.
"Damn," she cried out. Hope the others are having better luck with Luminus, because we're getting butchered here.
Turning to Livewire, Doctor Light grimaced. "Bring it, asshole."
With a weak smirk, almost unsure, she replied, "No problem."
"Where'd he go," Obsidian cried out to Ray, after following Luminus into the same hallway which led to the room where they chatted just minutes ago.
"I don't know," Ray replied, looking around. "He can't turn invisible, can he?"
"Get Superman down here," a shout came out from the seemingly empty hallway.
"Okay," Obsidian muttered to Ray in an undertone, "he can turn invisible."
"Superman's not coming down here, jerk," Ray shot back. "Deal with it. Why would he come down to fight two C-rate baddies?"
"You'll regret those words," the furious voice called out, and before either of them knew what happened, five figures popped up, all of them Luminus.
"Oh great," Obsidian exclaimed to Ray, unimpressed. "He can also make holographic copies of himself. How scary."
"Superman thought they were," the voice rang out from all of the figures, and they raised their guns, lasers firing out.
As Obsidian, at the point, began his merging into his own shadow, the lasers went through his intangible form, but one hit Ray on his left arm, and he grunted.
"You know, Luminus," Ray yelled, rubbing his left arm gingerly, "I can transfer light into energy. So I think you're going against the wrong person. I'm a more powerful version of you. Must totally blow," he finished taunting.
The room suddenly was shrouded in darkness, aside from immediately around Ray, who was now emitting his own glow.
"You know, it's sorta funny that Luminus attacks a charity with two light-based heroes and one shadow-based," Obsidian said, the levity in his voice clear. It was obvious he didn't consider this individual a real threat. "It's almost embarrassing, really."
"ENOUGH!"
The shadows surrounding the room were gone, as were Luminus' illusive copies. Luminus stood there, enraged, sweat pouring from his face. Absolute hatred. That's how Obsidian would later describe it when reporting to Superman.
"If we can't kill Superman, then we'll make do with his lackeys," Luminus spat. And a second later, where stood one man now stood the same one man, only flanked by over ten illusion versions, their guns all aimed at the two heroes.
Ray smiled, and nudged Obsidian in the side.
"On my cue," he whispered with a wink. To Luminus, he shouted, "Hey, Luminus, aren't you forgetting something?"
Shaking his head in pure annoyance, he spat back, "What?"
Pointing over his shoulder, Ray shouted out, "What the hell is that!"
Falling for it, Luminus looked over his shoulder. Obsidian and Ray retreated as quickly as they could. A yell of fury milliseconds later let them know that their light-based foe had not given up his quarry.
"We've got this guy down, right," Obsidian called out to Ray, who was flying above him.
"No doubt, he's probably almost run out of power," Ray replied. "We're close to finishing him off, I know it."
"Thought so, just making sure," Obsidian muttered, more to himself than anyone else. God, I hope so, anyway.
Thank God was the first thought Doctor Light had upon seeing Obsidian and Ray enter the grand hall again.
"Guys, we're all that's left. We've got to end this now," she screamed, nursing an injured arm and leg.
A barrage of lasers cut down Obsidian's intended response, along with Obsidian himself, who buckled to the ground, not even able to cry out in point. He blacked out instantly, the irony which was not lost on Ray.
"Somebody call your momma," Ray roared at Luminus, "because she's going to have a funeral to attend."
"Nice try, pretty boy," Livewire stated, upon popping out from a nearby outlet, and she sent waves of electricity toward both Doctor Light and Ray. Doctor Light was able to mostly deflect the waves aimed at her, but Ray wasn't as lucky.
"DAMN IT," Ray shouted, collapsed on the ground, and struggling to stand up unsuccessfully.
Doctor Light spun around to face Luminus, but he had already gotten past her and Ray.
"It's not working," Luminus yelled at Livewire. "Superman's not coming. Plan B. I'm sorry, but do it. I'm spent. I'm done."
"NO," Livewire roared back. "Don't give up. Once we take these dolts down, Superman will-"
"JUST DO IT," he shouted again at his partner, who, utterly amazing Doctor Light, had tears in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Eddie. I never meant for this to happen," Livewire called back.
His head down, his hands down, the whole of his defenses down, Luminus replied, "I know."
With a scream that would forever be etched in the mind of Doctor Light, Livewire send a gigantic surge of electricity straight at Luminus, who did exactly nothing to counteract it. Instead, he stood still, his eyes flickering, as if looking for any last hope, as the electricity that hit him put him down instantly after his body stiffened. And he went down permanently.
"What did you do," Doctor Light shot at Livewire, more out of shock than anything. "You killed him!"
Livewire was many things, Doctor Light knew. She read the files multiple times to prepare herself for situations like this. But a killer she was not. And if she could stoop to that level, Doctor Light suddenly felt quite afraid for her life. The burning husk of Luminus' corpse certainly didn't instill in her any confidence.
"Just shut up!"
A final surge of electricity was lobbied at the ceiling, and following that, the sprinklers began spouting out water. Dropping to her knees, Livewire hesitantly glanced over at Luminus' body. Before the water shorted out her powers, Doctor Light could swear that she was already dead inside by the look in her eyes.
A mere ten seconds later, the whole thing was over.
No one who wasn't involved in the conflict was left in the building. The only conscious ones were Doctor Light and Ray, who was still struggling to find the use of his legs. Leaning on a nearby wall, he glanced over at Doctor Light, breathing heavily, and asked, "What just happened?"
In reply, Doctor Light could only shake her head. What had transpired, she didn't know.
"J'onn," she spoke softly into her earpiece, "are you there?"
"They're shorted out," Ray replied, throwing his own to the ground.
"Damn it, how will we-"
A stony voice called out to them, the tone far weaker than one would expect from such a muscular frame.
"Guys, what happened here?"
"Get J'onn to send us help, Captain Marvel," Doctor Light shot back.
Shaking himself out of the daze at the sight before his eyes, Captain Marvel did just that. As the call was being made, Doctor Light felt herself sink down to her knees. Her mind and powers were overextended. Way overextended.
And before the first responders arrived, before Superman or Wonder Woman made it to the Metropolis Civic Center, Doctor Light followed Obsidian, STRIPE, and Stargirl into unconsciousness.