Oh day of fire and sun,
Pure as a naked flame,
Blue sea, blue sky and dun
Sands where he spoke my name
-Sara Teasdale
The cigarette smoke filled the dank room. His eyes scanned the television screens. Three minutes to midnight.
"Direct hit!" James exclaimed, licking his lips free of whipped cream. "That's the best pie yet."
John Stewart had seen some of the most insane criminals in the world. Heck, in the universe, given his extensive interplanetary travels. But watching this guy get hit in the face with pies and enjoy it was a whole new level of crazy he had never contemplated.
Guy Gardner grunted with exasperation. "Come on Stewart, lemme go. Cleanup crew is better 'n watchin' this whack job."
"Takes one to know one," called James in a sing-song voice. "Ooh, the next pie's lemon!"
"I'll show you lemon. . ."
A giant green yield sign stopped Guy before he could move.
"Shake it off, Gardner."
James saw this as a prime opportunity to practice his rendition of Taylor Swift. "Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate. ..ooh. . .But I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake. . ." The next pie muffled the chorus somewhat.
"Can I put him in a black hole?" begged Guy.
"I appreciate your drive to protect society and the American way, but no."
"Please?"
"No."
"I know a real close one by Pluto, won't take ten minutes if I push it."
"First of all, Pluto's no longer a planet in Earth standards. Second of all, I know he's annoying, but he's. . ."
John stopped.
". . .Gone."
Where James should have been, there were empty handcuffs. Officer Lorne looked around, scratching his head.
A bloodcurdling scream.
Every goat in the petting zoo turned tail and ran from the wailing child in their midst. Not even sweet corn feed was worth withstanding that racket. Blue Beetle and Booster Gold decided now was the ideal time for a coffee break.
"What about J-onn?" asked Booster. "Shouldn't we help him out?"
The boy screamed louder. Ted looked at his friend like the answer was obvious. "Fine, stay here with the human foghorn. As for me, I'm giving my eardrums a well-deserved break."
The mother laughed a little nervously, finding herself watched by the Martian Manhunter. He didn't say a word, just kept that silent repose. "Now Johnny," she scolded, yanking the boy's arm, "What has gotten into you? You love animals. Come on, dontcha wanna feed the little goats and lambs like we do at the zoo downtown?" She thought her son would relent, but one more look at the big green Martian, and Johnny would not budge an inch for a year's worth of allowance. With an apologetic smile, the mother and son went their way.
J-onn J-onnz considered himself an expert of human beings. Not so much physically, but Mentally. Emotionally. Spiritually. In the ways humans have always longed to understand one another, he knew them in the blink of an eye. On Mars, the inherent telepathic shared abilities of its inhabitants brought harmony. Trust. Joy. Here on earth, experiencing the thoughts and feelings of another shared embarrassment. Fear. Alienation.
Take for example Johnny, the earth boy. Animals he loved. Martians it seemed were another story. J-onn could still feel his terror. For an earth criminal to fear him, that is to be expected. Encouraged, even. But from an innocent boy. . . It was wise of the gods not to give humans their Martian gifts, J-onn commented to himself. Too much of a burden.
With clear skies above, he looked to the heavens, searching for that red glow of his home planet. Never on Mars had anyone feared him. How times had changed. How he wished he could go back. . . J-onn J-onnz closed his eyes in concentration, his mind in meditation. Soon the mental voices of those around him extinguished, leaving him alone in his own mind, his own memories. Come back, his son's mental voice called. His wife's caress. If he tried with all his might, perhaps he could relive one memory on Mars again. It would be enough.
One by one the minds and voice of the carnival closed to him, like so many doors shutting upon the evening's final arrival.
Beatriz DaCosta peered around the table, counting those next in line. A countless entourage of men awaited her attentions as advertised in the sign reading "Kissing Booth" with a drawing of lips and hearts. Not that she was complaining – she'd gotten quite a few dinner dates promised for the next few weeks - but that last guy? He had to be a Duck Dynasty aficionado, judging by his beard. She shuddered, trying to shake off the experience. She waved her hand in front of Black Canary.
"Um, earth to Dinah. How can you zone out when your last guy was McSteamy?"
Canary looked up. "What? Nothing." She looked at the phantom space around the corner. "Thought I saw someone."
"Girl, you've been tripping all night. Green Arrow, more like Tool Man. Can't believe that guy. Bet he's blowing up your phone with texts, huh? About how he's all sorry and whatever. Don't buy it. Vigilante playboys. Think they can cheat on a Leaguer and get away with it? No way. Let him wonder."
The next guy in line in a red hoodie, apparently listening to the conversation, chimed in. "I do that all the time with Jeanine. But man, do I love her so."
Fire stared. "Then why are you here?"
He shrugged. "I mean, you are Brazilian."
Fire shrugged. He had a point.
Canary sighed. "He knows I'm here, Beatriz. Then why doesn't he find me, talk to me, anything….Not now, please," she motioned to the high schooler next in line, spraying breath freshener.
Fire thought for a second. "In Brazil, we have this saying. 'Love is only real if it's brave enough to prove itself.' Obviously he's a coward. And an idiot."
A blonde, chubby man ten people back in line nodded. "You mean some guy cheated on you? He is an idiot."
About ten guys nodded in the affirmative. The high schooler smiled. "I would never cheat on you, Miss Canary," he promised.
Black Canary shrugged. The night was young. Maybe she could forget Ollie's empty promises. He's an idiot, she told herself. He's a coward. But. . .she bit her lip. If he wasn't brave enough to prove it. . .their trysts in the twilight. . .what she saw in his blue eyes. . .
. . .Maybe it wasn't real.
Maybe love was a lie after all.
Linda Park checked her watch. She couldn't help checking the darn time every two minutes like some teenager awaiting a prom date, but there she was. Flash would be there in less than twenty minutes, she still had time to go over the interview questions.
"What would you say has motivated you to take up the scarlet mantle?"
Followed by a "By the way you may not remember me, but back when the Flash museum first opened, you saved my life."
She rolled her eyes. Maybe this was a bad idea. She toyed with her phone. She found herself on Facebook, once again. That smile. Those freckles. Ginger hair. For some reason Wally West wouldn't leave her mind. She scrolled down the page to photos, feeling a little creepy. Her cousin said Facebook-stalking was not only legal, it was an art form. Kind of like detective work, gathering information from their favorite books, likes, status updates, and if they had a girlfriend. His latest video post on his timeline was a YouTube video of a mother tiger adopting piglets as her own babies. Kinda weird, but cute. Status read "Just made a donation to the Justice League carnival, sounds totally awesome, wish I could go!" So he's giving. Or pretends to be. There were recent selfies of him at the Central City Zoo, running a marathon, a lot of car pics, with a Mini Cooper, a Mustang, and a Rolls-Royce, but most looked like he was a teenager
"Must be into cars. That's not too unusual. And no pics of him with a girlfriend."
Not that she cared. Or told herself she didn't.
She scrolled down to the older photos. There were a lot of him as a teenager, in what looked like a garage, with tools and car grease all over. A blonde guy, maybe a brother or friend, was in many of the photos. They must have fixed cars together. The guy was tagged as Barry Allen. Hmm. Allen. . .that name rang a bell. She clicked his name, connecting to his page. A photo with he and a redhaired woman kissing far off in the distance on a beach. Hmm.
Wait. He worked for the Central City police department?
She double-checked, just to be sure, until there was no doubt left in her mind. That's why he looked so familiar. . .
"No way," Linda whispered in disbelief.
The final puzzle piece fell into place.
The room held its breath. Beds lined the walls, white sheets limp with discontinued use. Halls echoed with only the laughter of rats scurrying to unseen hordes. The stained glass windows lining the corridors shone no more, bitter with cracks. Gotham Orphanage had seen better days, and its stillness and forgotten doors promised no tomorrows.
The only light came from the clustered television screens flickering their colorless images: A staticky Ferris wheel turning. Cotton candy stamped in the ground. An Asian woman checking her watch. The man leaned back in his chair, tendrils of smoke escaping his lips from the cigarette. His blood red insect eyes took it all in.
"The Penguin's right." His voice echoed off the walls. He didn't need to turn around to face his guest. "You have the worst sense of timing," he continued. "All kinds of windows of opportunity to wreck it all during rehearsal, and you interrupt opening night."
The cigarette stub smoldered as it turned to ash, almost as fast as the noiseless dark figure dropped down from the rafters. The insect suit began to glow, the phosphorescence lighting the shadows where his guest stood waiting, watching. The Firefly nodded in a gesture of welcome. His voice was obscured with a harsh laugh.
"Those Arkham rejects said you were good but honestly, I didn't think you'd make it this far. Bravo." His claps of applause sounded hollow, reverberating through the empty hall.
"Would you like a smoke before we begin battling to the death? The adrenaline rush really takes a toll, don't know how you've done all your crime-fighting all these years without a nicotine fix."
Batman stepped forward, cloaked green in the phosphorescent light. "I came here to talk."
"Oh really? About what, pray tell? The new Ben Affleck movie?"
"Gary."
Firefly's head jerked. "Gary . . .does not exist."
"Clever, I admit," came Batman's gravelly voice. "Cruel, malicious and psychotic, but clever. Pinning the robberies and arson strikes on Mark McFly, making it look like the hits were all places he'd worked or been refused. After all, everyone needs a motive, and being so mentally vulnerable like that after the untimely quote unquote 'death' of his son, well -"
"His son?!" Here the Firefly stood, near-blinding flames shooting from his arm. Batman dodged, retreating to the shadows. Amidst the smoke, the Firefly laughed a hollow, mirthless laugh. "The one Mark McFly called son was left to burn all alone."
"Gary."
"I'm not Gary! Not anymore."
"But you were. Growing up here in this building, I imagine. See, this piece of the puzzle didn't fit the pattern for McFly, but it would for a child about your age who lived here, in Gotham Orphanage."
The Firefly's revving fireballs paused, as if frozen. His step became unsure, as if remembering. . . how long had it been since these desolate halls filled with light?. . .
Batman went on, voicing the conclusion he'd correctly deduced. "These halls were your home as long as you could remember since your parents died. When the city made budget cuts and you had to leave, well, Gotham was familiar. Your home. Running to the gutters for refuge was your only option after the foster homes failed. I can only imagine what you suffered. Huddling by homeless bonfires. Hiding in theaters for shelter. Learning to survive on your own without a glimmer of mercy. Searching for the place where you belonged. Then one day Mark McFly finds you. Takes you in. Teaches you all he knows to make you a better person, like a father would a son."
The Firefly shook the memories out if his eyes, once again smoldering. The fueling arm shot out twin flames, missing the Batman as he jumped and leaped past. Fireballs flew in rapid-fire fury.
"Shut up!"
"He gave you a new life."
"He took it away!"
"It was an accident."
"No, he left me, like all the rest!"
"As you leave him to burn in prison for crimes uncommitted."
Here Firefly unleashed. Flames lined the room wall to wall with an inferno, separating the two foes with its green monsters. A demented laugh escaped the Firefly mask.
"Crimes uncommitted?" he scoffed. "To care, my friend, to teach a child there is decency only to have it burned to ash. . .that is the biggest crime of all. All I ask is. . ."
He gestured to the carnival scenes flitting across the television screens.
". . .vindication.
A man in a walking stick hobbled by the secret camera, winking.
"And I'm not the only one who agrees."
Batman stopped dead in his tracks. "What did you do."
"Shhh, the curtains are going up."
The insect eyes fired with a wicked glint.
"It's showtime."
The Ferris wheel cruuunched to a halt. Before Helena could express "What the heck?" lights in every location sputtered and died.
Question dared to open his eyes. "Why have we stopped? Not that I'm complaining."
"Don't know. Hey Radioactive Man, what's the deal?" Helena called down below to Captain Atom at the Ferris wheel control levers. He didn't even hear her. Chatter from his League comlink flooded as confused shouts of dismay were heard from all corners of the carnival. (Except for Ralph, whose voice exclaimed with glee "Looks like the popcorn maker's down, kids! Too bad, so sad.")
"Kilawog to Captain Atom, come in," boomed the alien voice. "Atom, we need you at the central generator. Lightning can't hold the charge by himself."
"What's up?"
"You'll see," came the terse reply.
Captain Atom really wished he could groan, but the League discouraged complaining.
Arriving on the scene, he quickly fell in beside Black Lightning, both absorbing the force of the intense energy with a shudder. Black Lightning barely nodded a salutation, sweat already lining his brow from the effort. "Great to see you again, Cap Attack."
"We've got to stop meeting like this." Lightning almost grinned at the sarcasm.
"Mr. Terrific ran diagnostics already. The tech should have been fine, but there's some sort of anomaly obstructing the flow."
"Seems stable enough."
A burst of green fire erupted from the generator.
"Except for that," Atom remarked dryly.
Kilawog appeared on the scene, his ugly face tight in concentration. "How ya doing, poozers?"
"It just figures," said Captain Atom through gritted teeth.
"So much for the night off."
Captain Boomerang stood back, admiring his work. Man, how he missed the mayhem. He faded into the crowds, vanishing with a gleam of twisted triumph.
"I don't have a visual. John, where are you?"
Hawkgirl flew above the rushing crowds, the lights flickering in and out, out and in. Above the frightened questions of children and the reassurances not to panic, it would be okay, she flew. Give her Lex Luthor or even Grodd to bash with her mace, anything but this confusion, this suspension of action.
Kilawog's voice sounded on the loud speaker. "Refrain from panic, citizens of earth. . ."
Thanagarians were known for their brute strength and battle strategy, a pragmatic people as a whole. Shayera Hol did not often give herself over to distraction. Still, she couldn't help but wonder – If this is a job for Superman – Where could he be?
"Let them think they have a chance of reconciliation. Of hope."
The ice pelted her cheeks. Supergirl sat on the mountain's uppermost peak, letting the world fade to white. Even with the winds howling more than fifty miles per hour, she could hear her cousin floating on the frigid air.
She didn't look up. "They call this place Mount Everest. The humans who dare to climb it undergo years of training. Only some reach the peak where I'm sitting now. Others perish without touching the summit. The normal human could not survive alone. Yet here I am, where no human should be, unharmed. Where no one should be."
"Kara?"
"Where no one should be," the girl repeated to herself. "Tell me, cousin -Why should I only survive Krypton when all I cared about-the shining cities of crystal, my kind and brilliant friends, my family - " her tears froze before even falling to her cheeks— "they are all gone. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be anywhere."
"I know you're upset, believe me, I understand - "
"No, you don't!" Red beams shot from the girl's irises, hitting Superman's shoulder full blast. He grunted from the force, tumbling, crashing backward into the summit.
" It's not enough for them to die. Not with their loved ones."
"Well, good thing I can fly," Helena muttered to herself, leaning back in her seat. Sitting around doing nothing was really not her style. She could see the lights over the carnival flickering. Kilawog's voice came over the loudspeaker: "Refrain from panic, citizens of earth. The lights will flicker as the power is being negotiated for the time being. We are repairing the apparatus that should be operational in five earth minutes. Please continue having fun, doin' your thang, and party-ing hearty. That is all."
She rolled her eyes. Was Blue Beetle showing him The Hills re-runs again?
Question managed a glance down below. "Great. Stuck in suspended doom for another five minutes. This is exactly how I planned on ending my life."
"Glad to be here, too," Helena shot back. A tremor rocked the swing. Question held on tightly to the bench as the booth swung.
"Real mature, Helena."
"It's not me, space face." Another tremor, and another. Cries of "Stop it, Chad!" from some two or three booths below announced the culprit. A boy about sixteen years-old in a "Nolan North is everywhere" T-shirt was shaking his booth, smirking. His sister squealed with fright every time as he kicked the pole, swinging the car a little further out into space.
"Molly, I'm just making it more interesting."
"Cut it out, Chad!" the girl named Molly squealed.
"Whatsa matter, scared?" he teased.
"Hey, knock it off, kid!" Helena yelled.
The boy clearly had no intentions of stopping whatsoever. "What, you gonna make me?"
Helena was seriously regretting leaving her crossbow at home.
With another kick, Chad continued swinging the booth. At that moment a concussive pulse rocked the night, a faint green glow from somewhere in the peripheral. The Ferris wheel quivered in fright, booths jerking in fear.
"Chad!"
Molly could only watch her brother disappear from view, falling out of sight.
Batman frantically reached for his Justice League comlink. No. It wasn't there. Hadn't been there for weeks. He realized, with horror, his own fatal mistake. Didn't need them, didn't need anyone, he told himself. He tapped his cowl for Alfred. Nothing but static through the line. Damn. The heat must be interfering with the equipment. Except. . .He reached for his phone inside his utility belt. Old school, but it would work. If he could get to Alfred. He could warn them. He could. . .
With a twang and a hiss, Firefly's aim struck true. The device went skittering across the dank floor tiles. And now, now those innocent faces on the screens would be gone.
Firefly drank it all in.
"No phone calls during the show, my friend. Theater rules." A wall of green fire separated the two, the phone lying next to the Firefly.
"Watching them burn is my favorite part of the show."
With a mighty leap, Batman sailed through the green flames, his footsteps heavy and inexorable. The smoke licked the fireproof cape, an unearthly sight. "Over my dead body."
Firefly grinned. The flames in his arm revved.
"Hoped you'd say that."
The battle raged, black versus green, fist versus fire, with a sound and a fury not to be compared. And still the television screens flashed.
First them, then you, the flames seemed to hiss.
"They must be purged by fear. Realize they are truly alone. Truly helpless." The Firefly muttered to himself, dodging one heavy punch, spitting out blood from another.
The avalanche of snow tumbled on and on into the abyss, and still she couldn't see, couldn't hear her cousin at all.
"Kal! I'm sorry!" Supergirl's scream of horror reverberated down the quaking mountainside.
"Let them think they've won. Then take it all away."
Chad opened his eyes. He was dangling some fifty feet above the ground, stuck inside of the Ferris wheel spokes with a bruise on his head, but relatively unharmed.
"Molly? Anyone? Help!" Chad did what everyone does when they know they shouldn't, and looked down. His grip tightened, suddenly feeling like he couldn't breathe, yelling for help.
"I get that you're scared kid, but it would be really helpful if you could quit screaming a like a girl and help me." Chad saw a dark-haired girl climbing the Ferris wheel spokes like they were nothing more than jungle gym bars for little kids, like it was no big deal. Helena Burtinelli was quite the acrobat, making her way to the boy despite slipping on the slickness of the metal. Encouraging cries cheered he from above, the Question's voice booming "Helena, what the hell are you doing?"
That only spurred her on.
"Okay, now grab my hand and hold on tight, we're going to make it to the closest booth. Okay?" Helena felt the boy quake with fear, but he quieted.
"Chad!" his sister called from above, sobbing.
Helena shook her head. "If you didn't have a good sister worried like that, I would personally kill you," she muttered. "Okay. Nice and easy, follow my footsteps. We're almost there." Helena handed the boy to the nearest booth with an elderly couple, the old man thanking Helena for her bravery. She made her way up the Question, just underneath the booth, where he looked at her with what she guessed was stifled relief. She looked up with a smirk on her face.
"See Vic, nothing to it."
Boom! The echo reverberated from the generator. It wasn't enough to phase many people on the ground, but the Ferris wheel felt a small quake reverberating throughout the metal spokes. Helena lost her grip, instinctually wrapping her legs around any closest hold. She grunted as her back slammed against the metal spokes, her knees dangling her upside down. Her arms searched for a hold, but she was too dizzy and isolated to find anything.
"Helena!" Question watched in horror as she called out to him. If only he could reach out to her, who knows how long she has before the next blast. He could reach down to her. . .instant vertigo paralyzed him as he looked down. He backed into the booth as a reflex, into his safe space, Helena calling his name as he sat phobia-frozen, unable to answer her pleas.
Captain Boomerang watched his watch tick. He licked an ice cream cone with nonchalance, waiting for the next blast. The boss man paid him to go in and out, but he wanted to see the fireworks. Any second now.
Batman landed a solid kick to his opponent's stomach, doubling the Firefly over. Green flames shot in every direction, his arm flamethrower out of control. Batman's flameproof cape barely covered him in time, smoking. Modified to withstand thousands of degrees, even it couldn't take much more of this.
"Call it off."
"I can't. Even if I wanted to. What's done is done, Batman! Don't you know anything about fire? Once a fire ignites, it won't stop!"
Batman flipped over the curtain of flames.
"You don't have to do this, Gary."
"Stop calling me that!"
Kick after kick, fireball after fireball ensued the battle.
"I'm doing those children a favor! See the brilliant part is none of the adults will die. Oh, they will suffer soon enough. See those wristbands the children have? Cute, aren't they? The blast from the device planted in the generator will activate them. Don't worry, it won't be painful... for long..."
Batman yelled in rage, tackling him in smoking fury, banging him against the pavement. The Firefly's heat was starting to melt his gauntlets, but he didn't care.
"You're weakening, Batman. You can't go on forever."
Firefly twisted around, the lone communicator next to his left foot. He aimed the flamethrower in a frenzied sweep, the flames close. Batman froze. So did the Firefly, eyeing his opponent with interest.
Batman tilted his head, as if listening to the silence between the crackling flames around them.
"Then I offer you a trade. Take your revenge out on me. My life for theirs."
The Firefly's eyes flickered in confusion.
"You don't know any of those peons," Firefly spat, motioning to the television screens. "So why do you fight? What mercy is yours to give?"
On screen, another green flame rocked the generator, expanding a little further. Children were running. A little girl in red braids clutched a teddy bear. Phoebe.
"Take me instead."
The Firefly's eyes seemed to blink in thought.
Before his response was out in hardly a millisecond, the accurate and swift batarang lodged itself in the Firefly's suit, right in the flamethrower's tubes. A few things happened very rapidly. Batman grabbed the communicator, yelling "Alfred, notify all leaguers, the wristbands, come in, class one emergency. . ." On the other end of the line, Alfred was patching the message through. The Firefly screamed in pain, the flamethrower's venom spraying flames all over the floor. The television screens reflected an eerie green. Amidst the pain, the Firefly laughed.
"You fool. Fire can't be stopped. Not until it has its revenge."
Before his eyes, Batman saw the blast rock the carnival. It was as if the moment froze in a tableau, yet he could hear the Firefly's voice piercing it all.
"All things must end. Must fail. You know well enough, Batman."
Decency.
Helena reached for the bar. Too far. Vic. . .
Love.
Back Canary felt her heart break into its last piece. Green Arrow cowered behind the corner, not daring to show himself.
Family.
Kara Zor-El's cousin was nowhere to be found. It was all her fault.
Intimacy.
J-onn embraced his wife in memory. They looked together over the Martian night.
Trust.
Diana watched the world spin in the quiet expanse of the stars. Alone.
The moment caught up with real time.
The television screens showed every man, woman and child quiver under the blast.
I have failed this city.
Children screamed in the blinding light.
I have failed everyone.
Batman fell to his knees as the agony washed over him.
Just like I failed you, Jason.