Jocose

Themyscira

Diana was restless. She was furthermore angry. Unfortunately, she was also Queen and that meant she had responsibilities, lots and lots of responsibilities. She couldn't leave the island and confront Kal and Hippolyta until she dealt with her responsibilities as Queen. There was also the matter of the former Oracle's death that still needed to be solved. Currently being Queen meant she was receiving petitions from her sisters, all of her sisters.

"… As you can see, my Queen, the goat is clearly mine and not hers.' The current petitioner was explaining.

"That's not true! She's lying!' The other petitioner in the dispute shouted. The royal guards maintained order, but this didn't hurry the process along. Diana's mind churned, images and ideas swirling around, yet very few of them were thoughts about whose goat it was.

"Perhaps if both of you stated your cases again,' Diana's chief consul said. Diana had to will herself not to scream in frustration. No, I'm Queen for whatever reason, I owe it to my sisters to take my responsibilities seriously, she thought. I just wish they'd get on with it!

Over the Pacific

Bruce walked back down the aisle and took his seat across from Selina. He'd checked with the pilot and they were ahead of schedule. He sat down and looked out the window, lost in thought. Selina had been wrestling with whether she should say anything or not. She knew Bruce was a deeply private man and if she said something she would be crossing a line. They had been playing this game between them for a long time and while they both enjoyed it, she felt something had changed between them recently. Selina didn't know where it would lead or if it would lead anywhere at all, but she hoped it did.

"She's not you, Bruce."

It was a simple statement of fact, yet the look he gave her suggested he was caught off-guard.

"I know that,' he dismissively replied. "It's not about that."

"Isn't it?' She asked.

"No."

She didn't say anything, just gazed at him. He seemed to be struggling with this, but finally answered her concerns.

"I know she's not me, Selina, I do,' he began. "But I could have been her."

"No, Bruce."

"Please, hear me out,' he said, interrupting her. "When-When my parents were-were murdered, I was just about the same age as Masami. I was lucky. I know that sounds strange, but looking back on it, I realize how lucky I was. I was an angry, confused little boy that just had his world destroyed in front of his eyes. I was lucky because of Alfred. If he hadn't been there to comfort me, guide me, I don't know what I might have become. You see, I understand Masami's anger; I do because I've felt that same anger. Someone stepped in with her too, but they weren't like Alfred. They used that anger to turn her into a weapon."

"What if she's only a weapon, Bruce?"

"I don't want to believe that,' he replied. "We're all a product of our environment, Selina we both know that. I might have agreed with you, but for a moment on that rooftop. I was no one, a stranger to her. She was injured and bleeding, yet she took a moment, just a moment to pull me over the ledge and onto the rooftop. I'm alive because of that moment. If she was only a weapon, she wouldn't have saved me."

"What if that's all it was, Bruce, a moment?' Selina asked. "What if she did it just out of instinct? You're going to try and save her based on a moment?"

"Yes, I have too,' he explained. "You should know I believe in second chances. In your case, second, third, fourth, fifth…"

"I never killed anyone,' she retorted, cutting him off. "I didn't have such a great life growing up either, but I never crossed that line, Bruce."

"I still have to try, Selina."

Themyscira

Queen Diana sat at her desk signing papers. Her secretary would explain each of them and Diana would do a cursory glance through before signing. Most were about the day-to-day operations of government and were mostly perfunctory. Diana sighed as they reached the end of the pile. It had been a long two and half hours. Another delay, but it was necessary she knew that. While she was still boiling over why she was Queen, nonetheless, she took the position seriously. It wasn't about her, but the health and welfare of all of Themyscira. That had to come first.

When one is forced to wait, two things can happen. One is the classic cooler heads prevail. The second unfortunately, is what usually happens. The thing that is making you angry continues to roll around in your mind slowly building with each passing second. This is called the slow burn and heroes are just as susceptible to it as everyone else, including Diana.

"And this is the last one, my Queen."

"Hera be praised,' Diana muttered as she signed. She kept herself in check, not wanting to take her anger out on anyone else.

"Will there be anything else, my Queen?"

"No. I'm assuming that's it for today?"

"Yes."

"Good,' Diana said. "Please relay to everyone that I will not be available for the rest of the evening."

"As you wish, my Queen."

The young woman bowed and Diana sighed again.

"Sonya, couldn't you call me Diana, just once?"

"Is that your command, my Queen?"

"No, no, thank you, that's all for tonight."

The Watchtower

Mary transported in and immediately felt all eyes on her. She was wearing her new uniform. Dinah, Ray and Jonn were standing waiting for her.

"Hello, Mary, thank you for coming,' Jonn said in a warm voice.

"Of course,' Mary replied. "May I ask what this is about?"

The three looked at each other for a moment.

"We've been watching your exploits, Mary,' Dinah explained. "You are still a member, you know?"

"Yes."

"While we are happy to see you picking up where you left off, we just had a few questions."

"Think of it as a recruitment of a new member, Mary,' Ray added with a smile.

"Okay.'

"Could you come with us, please?' Jonn asked. Mary nodded and they ushered her from the transporter room towards the main command area. Mary wasn't really happy about this, but she went along with it. She wasn't a new recruit; she'd been a member for years yet they were treating her like there was something wrong with her.

"Shield you mind, Mary,' the voice whispered to her. "That's what this is about. They don't trust you, so they want to pry into your thoughts again."

Mary blocked off her mind. She'd learned this was one of the new abilities she had. It was only a slight move, but she saw Jonn hesitate and almost turn. So that's what they want, she thought. They're afraid of me too. I let them probe me and answered a barrage of questions, yet they still don't believe I didn't do anything wrong. I'll show them, Mary said to herself with determination.

"Yes, Mary, don't be afraid of your power, embrace it,' the voice whispered. "They fear what they don't understand. Let the power grow, Mary. You'll show them!"

She felt a surge go through her body as if she were a battery being charged. Yes, maybe the voice was right, Mary thought. She didn't know if it was the golden lady or the others, but what they were whispering had an effect on her. She hadn't done anything wrong, yet everyone treated her like she had. As they passed the cafeteria, she glanced in and saw Hippolyta sitting with Superman. Mary had heard on the news about her taking over as Wonder Woman and there she was being treated like one of the gang. She was much newer than Mary was; yet they were accepting her without questions. It wasn't right, Mary thought. During the time she'd been Black Mary she had landed on Themyscira. Hippolyta had asked for Mary's help in releasing the Gods, which she did, but Hippolyta forgot about her after that. She never even checked to make sure I was all right, Mary thought. She's the one that should be watched, not me.

The Cafeteria

Clark and Hippolyta were having dinner. His shift had just finishing and hers was just about to start.

"Thank you for remaining, Clark,' she offered. "It's nice to see a friendly face when I'm up here."

"No problem,' he replied. "Give it time, Hippolyta; it just takes some getting used to on the members' part. They'll come around, I promise."

"I know, it's just strange feeling like an outsider,' she admitted. "As Queen I would be what you call the ultimate insider."

"How are you handling the transition?" He asked.

"As well as could be expected, I guess,' she replied. "I find some of it quite exciting, to be truthful. It's so completely different than what I'm used to, yet exciting in it's own way."

"The challenges of a new job, everyone goes through those,' he said.

"Yes." She nodded. "I find myself thinking of the Spartan 300 facing the Persians. They knew death was their fate yet, they bravely faced it."

Clark saw a certain sadness come over her and wanted to lighten the mood a bit, to pull her out of her dark thoughts.

"You know I saw a movie on that, the 300,' he said. "It was pretty good. I hope you're not going to ruin it for me, are you? You know, tell me King Leonidas was a short, fat, bald man or something. I'm still recovering from the Helen of Troy story."

He flashed his most innocent smile a she looked at him wryly.

"So is this what they taught you on this farm where you grew up, Clark, to tease your elders?"

"See now I remember you telling me you were reborn as only thirty,' he countered. "You know you can't have it both ways, Lyta. You look thirty, but you like to pull that several thousand years old card out when it suits you."

"Is that a fact,' she said in astonishment.

"I'm just saying you told me yourself to treat you like you're thirty not three thousand,' he explained. "Besides, I'm not even sure how you treat someone that's three thousand."

"You don't tease them for one thing,' she fired back at him.

"A thirty year old, you do,' he replied. She playfully hit him on the shoulder at this and then winced.

"You really are a man of steel, aren't you?"

"What? Did you think I made that up?"

New York

It seemed to take forever, but finally the plane landed. It was a jarring experience and Mordred was sure they were all going to die. His nerves were on edge, having suffered through the harrowing flight. He slowly stood and made his way to the exit, taking a deep breath to finally be off the metal tube.

He took his first step in the New World.

This land wasn't even discovered the last time he was an adult. So many things had changed. He made his way with the rest of the passengers through a dizzying array of lines. Questions were fired at him left and right and he barely managed to answer. He immediately noticed the difference between the old world and the new. America, it was such a strange sounding name to him. Everything felt different here. The pace was much faster, as if the Americans were always on the go. They were louder and friendlier than he was used to. The whole airport seemed alive with noise. Those infernal phones were everywhere.

As he made his way towards the exit, he stopped in his tracks. Out the window he got his first glimpse of New York City. It was truly staggering. He was miles away, yet it rose up like a colossus across the horizon. Impossibly tall buildings seemed to dot the landscape. It was overwhelming.

He was jostled by the crowd and forced to keep moving. He found himself standing outside the airport in front of a line of cabs. He was used to hiring carriages, so he climbed into the back of an unoccupied one.

"Where to, mac?"

"Um, New York, please. The city."

"I like the accent, British, ain't you? You new here?"

"Yes, I am and it's my first time."

He could see the driver smile in the mirror.

'Just for you pal, I'll take the shortcut."

"Um, ah, thank you."

The Watchtower

Mary willed herself to be patient as the three members asked her questions. They were the same questions as before, just asked in different ways. She was polite, as always, but inside Mary was angry. They questioned the change, which she told them honestly she didn't know why it happened. It was the way they talked to her, that nearly pushed her over the edge. They treated her like a child and spoke to her like one. She suddenly realized even before the change she had been treated like this. They didn't treat Kara or Courtney like this and technically Mary was older than both of them. No, it was just her and Mary didn't like it. She was a child in their eyes, even though she had transformed into an adult woman. She was a child they were afraid of.

"Have I done anything wrong?' Mary finally asked.

"Well, no, Mary, it's just that we can't account for this transformation,' Ray offered.

"This doesn't seem like an accident, Mary, which raises concerns,' Dinah added.

"Do you know how every member got their powers?"

"Perhaps not completely, but we have an idea,' Ray replied. "Yours are a mystery."

"Perhaps one of the Gods gave them to me,' Mary said. "The word Shazam is made up of the first letter of each God's name, you know. Maybe one of them decided to give me back my powers and just hasn't told me why yet."

"That could be a possibility,' Ray admitted.

"Your mind is shielded from me, Mary,' Jonn finally said. "Why?"

"Why do you need to see into my mind?" Mary asked. "Do you do that to every member? Did you do it to Hippolyta when she joined?"

"No,' Jonn admitted. "But we understand where her powers come from. I take it you are shielding your mind from me, is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Again, why?'

"Cause I've been honest with you, Jonn,' Mary replied. "I've answered every question asked. I've allowed you to put me through all sorts of tests and I think that's enough. I've done nothing wrong, yet you are treating me like I have. You don't treat the others like that. You don't treat Hippolyta like that. If you don't want me in the League, just say so, but please stay out of my mind."

Dinah, Ray and Jonn were surprised by her statement and a little taken aback. Sweet Mary Marvel had never spoken like that before. Perhaps the changes were more than just outward.

"As you wish, Mary,' Jonn finally said.

New York

Mordred walked aimlessly down the Manhattan streets. Thanks to his new magical skills he was able to have some money in his pocket. That proved useful as the ride in from the airport proved very expensive. He was on his own for the first time in a millennium and he wasn't sure what to do first. With a world of endless possibilities in front of him, he was stymied as to where to start. So he continued walking.

The modern world wasn't really that different than the old. There were places one knows to walk and places to avoid. Mordred was entering one of those places to avoid, but was oblivious to it. The three men that stopped him rectified this.

"You know how this works, man, give us your money,' the first thug said.

"Is that how it works?' Mordred asked.

"Yeah."

The gun pointed at Mordred's face bolstered the eloquence of this reply. Slowly he reached into his pocket and took out his paper money. The thugs grabbed it, but didn't flee.

"What else you got? You look like a rich tourist to me, what else you got?"

"Nothing."

The man with the gun hit him, knocking Mordred to the ground. As he wiped the blood from his lip, he could feel the gun pressed against his head.

"Let's try that again, what else you go?"

"Are you sure you want it?' Mordred asked, slowly turning to look the man in the eye. The gun pressed harder against his forehead.

"What are you crazy? Just give us what you got!"

"As you wish."

The air around them began to shimmer as Mordred stood up and faced the men.

"What the hell?"

"You should be afraid now, very afraid,' Mordred told them. The three thugs started to panic and the first shot was fired. The shield around Mordred stopped it. He reached up and plucked the bullet from the air and examined it. Dismissively he dropped it and then his eyes flared. He was in their minds and in the next moment their worst nightmares flooded through their brains. They screamed and tried to run, but ended up falling to the ground. Mordred retrieved his money and then released them.

He stood looking at them, a blank expression on his face. The men scrambled back in a panic, desperate to get away from him. The first thug that had hit him raised the gun in his shaking hand and tried to point it at Mordred. He just shook his head no. He was on the man before the thug could react. Mordred snapped his wrist and then lifted him easily off the ground.

"You thought you were predators but you are only sheep with a weapon,' Mordred rasped in the man's face. "You have no idea what a real predator is."

Mordred pulled the man close so their faces were mere inches apart.

"I'm a predator," he whispered. The sickening sound the man's arm being dislocated brought a scream from his lips. Mordred dropped him and turned away. Whimpering in pain and fear the man stumbled and staggered away. Mordred forgot him the moment he turned around. In front of him was an appliance store with a wall of TVs on. A scene of battle was on the screen. His eyes immediately went to one figure, Mary Marvel.

Then the world slipped away.

A wasteland stretched out in front of Mordred. The stars were old and dim overhead, as if this world were on the outer reaches of known space, an afterthought from a time before. Mordred looked down and saw he was still in his own body. As he rose to his feet he heard the sound of a gong in the distance. Stumbling forward he reached a valley.

Bones.

Bones of the long dead, bones of monsters and unimaginable creatures, but mostly bones of dead warriors were all around. Petrified and crumbling, bones were all that was left. The tribute exacted by this harsh place: bones. The wasteland of bones spread as far as the eye could see, to bleach and crumble under the dim, dying sun. This place spoke of what once was and what is. Bones of a once great empire, skeletons of hopes sketched in the dimming furrows which time reclaiming for its own.

Some great battle had taken place here long ago. As Mordred moved among them, he suddenly understood this wasn't a world of this time, but from before. This was a land of desolation and defeat sending echoes out from the past. Forgotten as time marched on.

A gong sounded again.

Picking his way among the bones, Mordred moved towards the sound. The world was so still, like a planet wide cemetery. There was no wind, no movement, nothing but bones. Mordred tripped and found himself face to face with some creature the likes of which he'd never seen. A great sword still clutched in its hand. He scrambled away from it, getting to his feet and started running.

The gong sounded a third time.

He was panting, his lungs burning for air. A ridge rose up in front of him and he madly climbed on hands and knees. He knew not where he was going, but something compelled him forward. It was just ahead, over the rise and he desperately needed to get to it. Ash and dust swirled around him as he continued climbing. Finally his bleeding fingers reached the precipice and he pulled with all his remaining strength. His eyes barely made it over the rim and then he saw it.

An altar.

It was circular, with deep groves and strange symbols carved all over it. At it's center was a crumbling statue. It was the golden woman of his dreams, Mordred knew instinctively. Slowly he started forward, as if compelled by the sight of her. It was so ancient, just like the rest of this place. The statue must have been from before time began, he realized. His eyes were finally able to shift and take in the whole altar. Crossed above the statue were two flags. They were intertwined as almost one. Three blue lines on a sea of green and three black circles on a field of red.

Then the world slipped away again.

Mordred was slumped against he shop window, lying on the sidewalk. His eyes were vacant.

Tokyo

The flashing lights of the Ginza overwhelm you the first time. The sheer number and volume assembled in such a dizzying array seem beyond human scale. Bruce and Selina rode along in the back of a private limo bound for the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Chinzan-so. Suites of rooms were already waiting for them.

"It's a big city, Bruce,' Selina offered. "How you going to find a proverbial needle in this haystack?'

"Big cities, little cities, they all have things in common, Selina,' he replied. "We know what Masami's after, now it's just a matter of locating it." "Which you've already done, right?" "Yes." She nodded and sat back, glancing out the window. They rode in silence for several blocks. "What happens if she doesn't want to be stopped, Bruce?" "What do you mean?" "You said you understand her, her motivation,' Selina continued. "How do you stop someone that doesn't want to be stopped?" "I'm still working on that."

Marionette

Dusk was settling over the small town and soon the vampires would be on the attack. Vampirella was resting before the coming battle. Vigilante was just finishing up making something for them all to eat as Wildcat came into the room.

"Smell's good."

"I'm not just a pretty face, hombre," Vigilante joked.

"So your charm isn't what it used to be? Is that how you're planning on winning Mari?"

"Jeez, Ted, are you trying to rile me up? I ain't got no claim on the lady, never did. Where things go if they go anywhere is pretty much up to her, I understood that from the beginning,' Vigilante explained. "I imagine it is the same with you and your undead friend. Where is she by the way?"

"Resting."

"What? She brought a coffin in here?" Vigilante exclaimed. "That really kind of creeps me out if you want to know the truth."

"She isn't like other vampires, Greg, I've been trying to tell you that!" Wildcat replied. "You've seen her walking in daylight, didn't that give you a clue?"

Vigilante set the food on the table and the two of them sat down to eat. There was more just in case, but Vigilante wasn't sure what Vampirella ate and was a little afraid to ask. As they dug in, he looked over at his friend. Something was up with Wildcat.

"So are you going to tell me what the spur under your saddle is?"

"Does that western hokum really work with the women?" Wildcat replied. "I mean, you lived in New York for years, yet you still lay that cowboy stuff on a little thick, don't you?"

"Putting that aside for the moment, you're avoiding the question."

Wildcat finished his mouthful and then sat back. He thought about how to say what he wanted to say for several moments.

"We kind of found out the answer we were looking for, didn't we?' He asked Greg. "I know we haven't said it, but I think we've both been wondering if there still is a place for heroes like us. There's a tower up in the sky filled with people that make us redundant, Greg. Even this situation we had to call for backup."

Vigilante put down his knife and fork and looked at his friend.

"Yeah, that's true enough, but I guess I'm looking at it differently than you are."

"How so?"

"You mention the tower. Yeah, I have been thinking with Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and the others, maybe there wasn't a place for our types anymore,' Greg said. "This town and situation have made me rethink that. There was good, decent people living here. They've been dealing with this nightmare for who knows how long? Maybe you and I can't fight alien invaders or super powered villains as well as those others, but we can still make a difference."

"We had to call in help, Greg, remember?"

"Yeah, Ted, we did, but no shame in that. Your gal has helped, but we've been doing our part, too,' Vigilante pointed out. "Check out the television when you get a chance. Those other heroes are fighting some group of villains as we speak, but a small out of the way place like this needs heroes too."

"Heroes like us is what you mean,' Ted asked.

"I don't imagine the people living here care what type of heroes,' Greg replied. "Maybe being up there has caused both of us to forget why we got into this in the first place. It wasn't to fight monsters and aliens, but to help the little guys that needed it. Sometimes those little guys get lost in the shuffle, but they still need help, maybe more than ever."

Wildcat seemed to think on this for a few minutes. Greg went back to eating. Wildcat glanced out the window at the rest of the small town. These people did need their help. There were probably a lot of people out there that needed help, not just from vampires and werewolves, but ordinary mobsters, corrupt politicians and corporations that tried to keep them helpless everyday. He had started because those in his neighborhood were being picked on and someone had to do something about it. Maybe Vigilante was right. A place like this would just be a speck on the map to those heroes flying over, but it didn't mean they couldn't use some help. Finally he just picked up his fork and started digging into the food.

"So when do you think them vampires are going to strike?"