Issue #2
CLARK: Who's there?
Out from the dark steps out a large figure, big in stature.
FIGURE: It is really hard to believe that the man of steel would choose to be a journalist out of anything, but I guess everyone needs a cover.
CLARK: What are you talking about? Who are you?
FIGURE: My name is Amanda Waller. I am part of a top secret group called A.R.G.U.S.
CLARK: Never heard of it.
WALLER: I did say top secret, didn't I? We are a government agency with the job of protecting the people that are put in harm's way from the many metahuman attacks that take place, even the ones your Justice League put in harm's way.
CLARK: Well, you seem to know a lot of information, but I am not a fan of people spying on me. I am going to have to ask you to leave, or else I am going to have to make you leave, and I don't want to have to do that.
WALLER: Oh, you're not going to make me leave Mr. Superman.
CLARK: I'm not? And why is that?
WALLER: Because I have an offer that you might be interested in. Let me ask you, Clark, do you know how many causalities were caused from the events that took place today? How about when your team took on Lex Luthor in that mech-suit. Or the ones from when you and your Kryptonian friend came down and went toe-to-toe. Thousands, and the public is starting to take note. I know that is not the goal of your League, but that is the result of the reckless fights that you involve yourself, and does any benefit come from all of that? I am here with a way to aid the Justice League with those numbers, and provide you with a chance to limit the damage done.
CLARK: Okay, you have my attention, Ms. Waller.
Batman is on a high speed chase with the Penguin. Both cars swerve in and out of lanes. The Penguin's henchmen shoot at Batman through the window.
PENGUIN: If one of you can bloody hit the Batman with a single shot I will give you this car.
The chase ensues, with the Batmobile inching close.
PENGUIN: (Shouting) Oh, I'll do it myself, you inadequate twits!
Penguin's car makes a sharp turn down an alley.
BATMAN: Alfred, they're heading your way.
ALFRED: (Through an earpiece) Oh good, I thought they'd never come.
As Penguin's car zips through the alley-way. As the car moves, spikes come out from the ground, slashing the car's tires. The car spins out and slams into a wall. Batman screeches the Batmobile to a stop just before the metal spikes. He gets out of his car. Penguin's henchmen also get out of their car, disgruntled. Batman charges at one of the henchmen and takes him down swiftly. The other two are shooting at him. Batman jumps and tumbles behind the Batmobile, but one bullet grazes his shoulder. Batman uses his grapple to attach to the gun, dragging the henchman toward him and knocking him out with one brutal punch. The last henchmen charges at batman with a knife, and Batman grabs hold of him and flips him over, slamming him onto the edge of a dumpster. He then walks over to Penguin's car and grabs him by the coat.
PENGUIN: Get your hands off of me, Batman or else I will kick your –
The Penguin tries kicking Batman, but Batman slams him to the ground. A look of crazed anger is on Batman's face. He holds him down with his left hand, and punches the Penguin with his right, spewing blood from the Penguins mouth. Batman punches him again and again.
ALFRED: Master Wayne.
Batman does not stop. He repeatedly sens blows to the Penguin's head, each one coming in harder. Blood is pouring out from the Penguin's head.
ALFRED: (SHOUTS) Bruce, stop!
Batman hold his fist back and breathes heavily over the Penguin. The Penguin lays their unconscious, but still breathing.
BATMAN: Let's go, Cobblepot.
Back at the Batcave, Bruce undresses and washes himself through the fountain. He rubs his hand, washing the blood of the Penguin off his hand. After he washes off, he sits down in a chair and Alfred works on the cuts and bruises that he has. Alfred stitches the gun wound Bruce received.
BRUCE: It feels good to get your hands dirty and do the job done alone sometimes, Alfred.
ALFRED: You thrive when it comes to being alone, Master Wayne. Now hold still.
BRUCE: Alone allows me to be more precise, more accurate. No distractions. Not with a ringmaster telling me when to do what.
ALFRED: Still unhappy with the Super Friends, sir?
BRUCE: What do you think of it?
ALFRED: Well, I'm a military man, sir. And a butler, also. Organization is a key component that your team may lack in some type.
BRUCE: Organization limits optimization. Actions are unexpected, and sticking to organization forces you to be unprepared for those actions. It's a hindrance. Chaos is the advantage. If there is anything I've learned from the past, it's that you can't stick to a plan.
Bruce peers over at the display case holding Jason Todd's former Robin costume marked by graffiti with a mocking "HA HA HA HA HA JOKES ON YOU BATMAN."
ALFRED: Is that the cause of what happened out there?
BRUCE: What are you talking about, Alfred?
ALFRED: We both know what happened out there. You already had the Penguin caught, but you kept going. You know, Master Wayne, rage can bring people – even the best of people – to commit unspeakable acts. I know. It can control you.
BRUCE: The Penguin committed a crime. I apprehended him. I was doing my job. It has nothing to do with that.
ALFRED: Bruce...
BRUCE: (Sternly) I'm fine.
ALFRED: Okay then. Who am I to argue with the Batman?
Barry stares into space with a determined, angry look on his face. The Cosmic Treadmill turns on and Barry starts running. He runs faster and faster, sparking electricity all throughout the room. Suddenly a man walks through, clapping slowly.
MAN: Bravo, Mr. Allen, bravo.
Barry stops running and looks confusingly at the man.
BARRY: Um, I don't think you're supposed to be in here, sir.
The man starts slowly pacing around the room with a smirk on his face.
MAN: Please, Let me introduce myself. My name is Hunter Zoloman.
BARRY: Am I supposed to know who you are?
ZOLOMAN: No, no. Of course not. Not yet, anyway. That was pretty fast the way you were running just before. Pretty fast indeed. It just… wasn't fast enough.
BARRY: (Wide-eyed) Zoom.
And in a snap Zoom pins Barry against the wall. Barry struggles to break free from Zoom's grip but it is of no use.
BARRY: (Struggling) How are you able to run so fast?
ZOOM: How? …Because you taught me how.
BARRY: That doesn't even make sense.
ZOOM: It will, soon enough.
BARRY: What do you want from me?
ZOOM: It's not something I want from you. It's something I need from you, Flash. You are taking too long to get to the speed capacity I need you to be.
BARRY: Why do you want me to get faster? The faster I get, the faster I can end you.
ZOOM: Oh, no. I know you will help me because it is already pre-determined in time. Zoom tightens his grip on Barry. You see, I am not from here. Allow me to start from the beginning. My father, unfortunately, left my mother while she was still pregnant with me. She was the only thing I had to protect me. Soon after I was born, she was, or will be I guess according to your present, murdered. Mysteriously, wrongfully murdered, with no trace of evidence. No justice served. Clenches fist.
And I can't allow that to happen.
BARRY: So you've used the speed force to travel back in time somehow. Why? What does this have to do with me?
ZOOM: (Shouts) Because there was a chance to save her! To give me the child hood that was stripped away from me. It was you, Flash. You were that chance, but… you weren't fast enough. God, I don't even remember what she looked like. My own mother. You have to have some sympathy for my situation, considering the same thing happened to you.
BARRY: (struck by Zoom's acknowledgement of his mother) Killing all of those people is not the answer.
ZOOM: I don't want to kill those people, Barry, but I have to. I need you to gain enough speed so that you will be able to save my mother this time, and you will only do that by these tests. And your biggest test is yet to come. Time is running out, Flash.
And with a snap of lightning he was gone. Barry was left lying there on the ground, gasping for air.
Barry, Bruce and Victor Stone are in the Batcave. Bruce is typing on the Bat computer. The screen shows security footage from S.T.A.R. Labs of Zoom, scanning his face. An error comes up on the screen that shows no public record.
BARRY: Nothing?
BRUCE: I can't find any trace of a Hunter Zoloman in existence.
BARRY: So what he's saying is true, then. About coming back in time. I didn't even know it was possible to do that with my speed.
STONE: Okay, so this is a simple fix, right? We just tap into Barry's time travel powers and stop Zoom before it even happens.
BRUCE: It's not that easy. The concept of time is a tricky thing. If we were to mess with it, one small action could be capable of changing everything.
BARRY: He's right, Vic. Time is a continuum. If that continuum was disrupted, who knows what would happen. I don't know how we are going to be able to stop him. The sad thing is, Zoom and I have the same story. Both of our mom's were murdered. I mean, I know if I had the power to go back in time, I would do anything to save my mom. So what's the difference between me and him?
Bruce gets up and puts a hand on Barry's shoulder.
BRUCE: Barry, you are nothing like Zoom. Zoom let a darkness overcome him somewhere down the line. It's a border we go near every time we are out there. But the difference between you and Zoom is that you are stronger than he ever was. We will stop him, Barry, with that strength.
Barry nods his head and walks away.
STONE: Man, it seems like all you powered people have had your parents murdered…
Bruce and Barry both glare at Cisco.
STONE: Too soon?
An emergency signal suddenly flashes on the Bat computer. Batman opens up the screen to a new report.
REPORTER: The country has been put in a state of emergency. There has been a nuclear missile sent out from a site located in Russia. The Russian government has declared that this was not their own doing. The destination of this missile is set for Monument Point. The President has said to evacuate the area and...
Bruce starts typing on the computer.
BARRY: What, a nuclear missile? Who set it off if it wasn't Russia?
BRUCE: From Russian security footage, it looks as if Anatoli Knyazev – better known as KGBeast – is behind this.
THE FLASH: Why? What motive does he have to set off a bomb?
BRUCE: I'm not sure, but we don't have time to look into that right now. This nuke is heading directly for Monument Point.
STONE: Monument Point? There are millions of people in that city.
BRUCE: I know, and evacuation is pointless. That missile is coming in fast. It is going to hit it the area in approximately 27 seconds.
BARRY: I can go –
BRUCE: There's not enough time, but I have an idea. Barry, evacuate people in the Havencroft as fast as you can.
BARRY: But, Bruce –
BRUCE: NOW!
Barry speeds out of the Batcave. Bruce rapidly types on the computer.
STONE: What can I do?
BATMAN: Plug your system into my computer. We're launching a nuclear attack.
Clark and Lois are walking down the street in Metropolis.
LOIS: So what are you going to do?
CLARK: I'm not sure yet. Waller made some very good points, but I'm just not sure if we need that radical of a system. Maybe something in between, but –
Lois's phone rings.
LOIS: Are you serious? Oh my God. Alright, I will get on.
CLARK: What is it Lois?
LOIS: … A nuclear missile was launched from Russia. It's heading right for Monument Point.
CLARK: (Panicked) What?
Clark looks around frantically. He takes off his glasses and squints at a specific loctaion in the sky. His vision zooms in on a speeding missile.
CLARK: Louis –
LOIS: I know, go. Be safe.
Clark bolts into the air, with a blast of wind and sound behind him. His clothes fall to the ground, as superman flies into the air. He slams with a crack at the center of Monument Point and stands his ground.
CLARK: (Determined) I got this.
In the Batcave, Cyborg has wires extending from his body into the computer.
CYBORG: I'm locked in. What do I do now?
BATMAN: Flash, update?
The Flash is running back and forth, gabbing groups of people and placing them outside of Havencroft. He races back and forth, putting in all the energy he has.
THE FLASH: I'm placing people outside the city barrier, where they are safe
BATMAN: Good. Now get out of their
CYBORG: What?
BATMAN: We are going to remap the GPS of the missile using your mind. You will shift the map to the left, without moving the tracking for the missile.
CYBORG: But that's not going to stop the missile. That's just going to redirect the hit.
BATMAN: Exactly. We don't have time to stop the missile. (Sternly) Do it now.
THE FLASH: But I can save these people. Just give me more time.
BATMAN: There isn't any time left. Get the hell out of there, Barry. Now!
The Flash zips out of Havencroft, running past the group of people he brought out of it.
BATMAN: … Victor.
CYBORG: I know...
The computer shows the region of Monument Point and Havencroft with the path of the missile. The countdown shows 6 seconds left as the map re-positions and sets the target as Havencroft. Cyborg and Batman look at each other solemnly. Meanwhile, Superman is watching the missile.
SUPERMAN: Wait a minute...
Superman stares at the trajectory of the missile. The missile is extremely close to the ground in a separate area. He widens his eyes and realizes that the missile is not heading for Monument Point. Superman springs after the missile. He starts to chase it, trying to catch it before it makes contact with the ground. As Superman gets closer to the missile, it gets closer to the town. Superman gives a scream of effort as he gets close to the missile, but before he can grab it the missile hits its mark, blasting superman away with a huge explosion. The explosion radiates throughout Havencroft, disintegrating everything in its path. Superman tumbles across the ground and lands next to a group of distraught people. Superman, kneeling on the ground, stares at the wreckage in sorrow and slams his fist down, cracking the dirt beneath him.
The Justice League gathers at their Earth Base. Superman furiously paces around the room while the rest of the team sits around the conference table.
SUPERMAN: What the hell were you guys thinking? What reasoning did you have to possibly –
CYBORG: You're right. We –
BATMAN: He's not right.
SUPERMAN: You obliterated a town of tens of thousands of people.
BATMAN: Monument Point would have been millions.
SUPERMAN: I was there. I could have saved EVERYONE!
BATMAN: We had a limited time frame and had to act fast.
SUPERMAN: (Yells) Well it was idiotic!
WONDER WOMAN: You could have called the League. We could've helped in this situation. It was bigger than any of you could handle
BATMAN: There was half a minute until the nuke landed. There was no time to have a meeting analyzing and discussing all of our options.
WONDER WOMAN: (Sincerely) You don't always need to be alone...
Batman glares at Wonder Woman.
BATMAN: We observed the situation and made the call that needed to be made.
VOICE: And what gives you that right, Batman?
The doors open and a group of armed soldiers comes in, followed by Amanda Waller.
THE FLASH: What is this?
SUPERMAN: The subject of our meeting. Everyone, this is –
BATMAN: I know who Amanda Waller is. Ruthless head of the secret government agency A.R.G.U.S. An agency that has been involved in some shady work and has been against the Justice League and our actions ever since she was put in charge.
WALLER: That's quite the detective work, Batman.
BATMAN: With all of that said, I want to know what she is doing in our base.
WALLER: Take it easy. I am here for the Justice League, not against it.
BATMAN: That's not what the armed men surrounding you say.
WALLER: The Justice League just committed the first Nuclear strike since Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. I don't know what you all are thinking right now, but this is a world crisis.
THE FLASH: We didn't do anything.
WALLER: Then who the hell realigned the GPS system of the missile for a direct hit on the hole formerly known as Havencroft. That is just one of the many devastating incidents involving the rogue group who call themselves the Justice League.
WONDER WOMAN: Excuse me, but what is this meaning of this?
WALLER: Because the Justice League is dangerous. Do all of you realize the destruction that you leave behind? Your battles come with significant collateral damage.
WONDER WOMAN: But the collateral damage comes with the fight. It isn't our fault.
WALLER: Is it not? The way the League handles the fights it takes place in is rash, reckless, and irresponsible. You don't take responsibility for the damage you cause.
GREEN LANTERN: She's right. In the military, the collateral damage that comes from the battles is always on the soldiers who caused it hand's. There are consequences from what we do.
THE FLASH: We are heroes.
WALLER: You're right. You all have completed heroic acts that have saved the entire world, but the way you have gone about doing so has not always been the safest. And because of that, innocent people have died. Cities have been demolished from your bodies being smashed through its buildings.
THE FLASH: The Justice League helps protect the world.
WALLER: The world is afraid of the Justice League. You operate without authority. Without supervision. You act as a world council, but no one gave you the permission to do so. You need to be controlled.
BATMAN: What are you here to reprimand us?
WALLER: I am hear to extend an olive branch before it comes to that. It is called the Justice Legislation Act. This act calls for all individuals who wish to do good for the world to come forth to the government, identify who they are to the public, and enter the Justice Society of America, a new system under control of the A.R.G.U.S. for the heroes to abide by. There will be a panel who will declare the actions the Justice Society takes, and how to go about them. This will allow for the most efficient way to stop the threats that come up.
BATMAN: So what, we become soldiers for A.R.G.U.S.? Absolutely not.
WONDER WOMAN: I agree. This is ridiculous. Who called for this meeting.
Superman stands up.
SUPERMAN: I did. We need to be kept in check. This is the only way I can see that happening.
GREEN LANTERN: If it can save the world from another nuke imploding, I'm in. We are an army, and an army should be put in the government hands.
THE FLASH: So we're going to let the a panel tell us which fights to take on and which to, what, just ignore?
GREEN LANTERN: They will make the right call.
BATMAN: That's our call to make.
SUPERMAN: We have no authority to do that. This act will keep the world in the safest hands, and keep us from making stupid mistakes like we have in the past.
WONDER WOMAN: The destruction would have been far worse if we didn't do anything at all.
CYBORG: It's not about not doing anything. It's about doing the thing right. There have been times where the way we chose to handle situations have been questionable... I just blew up an entire town, from a call that we made. How can that be right?
BATMAN: Alright, enough. Can we just put this to a vote and end this? You don't have the majority.
WALLER: I'm sorry to inform you... but this meeting wasn't called upon to vote on the matter. It was to inform you of it.
WONDER WOMAN: (Angrily) What does this mean?
BATMAN: And you knew about this?
SUPERMAN: It's what we have to do.
BATMAN: And what happens if I say no?
SUPERMAN: That is not an option, Br –
BATMAN: (Sternly) Don't. I'm done here.
Batman gets up and storms out of the room.
WALLER: Your team has twenty-four hours to sign the act, or else there will be consequences.
Waller and her soldiers walk out of the room. The Justice League sits at the table in silence.
To be continued...