Same disclaimers as before.
Chapter 10: Victory
Josh was awoken by a ringing phone. He rolled over sleepily and tumbled out of his bed, wrapped in his blanket. He slowly opened his eyes and glared at the glowing alarm clock on his nightstand. It blinked 2:34 in the morning and he groaned as he remembered he had a job interview in less than six hours. He reached up and grabbed the phone. "Hello?" he murmured sleepily.
"Josh Alewife?"
"Yes?"
"This is Perry White." Josh's heart skipped a beat as he froze on the floor. With a sudden jerk, he ripped himself from the floor and his blanket and rose to his feet.
"Uh, M-Mr. White!" he stuttered, "I-I thought y-you were bottled in the Daily Planet!"
"Superman helped me get out," Perry said dryly, "Although it's good to see you had such faith in me."
"S-sorry, sir," said Josh as he lowered himself to his bed.
"Relax, kid," sighed Perry, "Now, you must be wondering why I'm calling you at two in the morning."
"T-the thought crossed my mind, sir."
"Well, since all the presses are still bottled, I haven't been able to release any papers. So," his sigh came through the phone as a rush of static, "It breaks my heart, but I'm moving the Daily Planet to an internet format. And, since half my people are trapped with that sociopathic alien, I need a new pool of writers. You still interested?"
Josh's heart beat faster and he gulped so harshly, he was sure it was audible on the other end of the line. "Uh, s-sir? Are y-you offering me a job, sir?"
"Sharp as a tack, aren't you, Alewife. Are you coming to 1938 Sullivan Lane tomorrow at eight o'clock, or not?"
"I-I'll be there, sir!"
"Good, I'll cancel your interview at the Metrodome for you. I can't believe you applied to be a janitor with four years of college under your belt."
Josh blinked. "How did you know about that," he sharply took in breath and quickly added, "S-sir."
Perry laughed over the phone. "Kid, I'm the editor of a newspaper. I know everything." The line went dead and Josh dropped it to the ground. He simply stared at the phone as it buzzed the dial tone. After a minute of staring, Josh shot up in the air and screamed in victory. He started to dance around his room like a tap dancer as he reveled in relief. This was the start of his career in journalism.
His dance was interrupted by a slight beeping noise from his dresser. Josh froze in his dance and he turned slowly to face the dresser. It was his communicator from the Justice League. A tiny red light was blinking with the beeps and Josh picked it up, slipping it into his ear. "Hello?"
"Arsonist, it's Martian Manhunter."
Josh's eyes widened and he leaned down to open the bottom drawer of his dresser where he kept his Arsonist uniform. "What's the problem, Manhunter?"
"Where are you?"
"My apartment in Metropolis. Why?"
"New villains are rampaging across Chinatown. We're mobilizing all heroes in the area to contain the chaos. Are you available?"
Josh flipped his mask onto his face. "I'll be there."
"Good. Move out as soon as possible." Josh quickly slipped into his uniform and stepped up to his window. He took a deep breath as he climbed over it and sat on the windowsill. "Okay, Josh," he muttered to himself as he stared down at the street four floors below, "Just take it niiiiice and slow. On three, one…two..." In a nearby ally, a stray cat meowed loudly and Josh slipped off the window with a cry of panic. Instinctively, his legs kicked into high gear and he hit the ground running. He took a breath and steadied himself as he dodged through late-night traffic towards Chinatown.
At super speeds, it took him about a minute to run the several miles that separated him from the district. He ran up the side of a building as he entered Chinatown's red gates and skidded to a stop on the roof. "Whoa," he whispered as he overlooked the battle below. Across several blocks, costumed men and women were attacking people in blue robes with gilded helms. The people in blue were using what Josh took to be magical spells to defend themselves against a myriad of powers.
A beep in his ear shocked him out of his awe. "Arsonist, I have eyes on you," said a female voice.
"Oracle?"
"The one and only. The people in blue are the Sentinels of Magic; they defend order in this plane and are led by Dr. Fate."
"So what do I do?"
"Look towards the water line. You see a Chinese tower?"
Josh looked up and saw what she was talking about. It looked to be a few blocks away and rose over the surrounding buildings. "Yeah!"
"The Sentinels and the other heroes are making a stand there. Get over there and defend it while Dr. Fate and the other sorcerers prepare some heavy-duty spell work."
"On it," Josh backed up and took a running jump off the roof. His blood was clouded with adrenaline as he landed with a roll and a crouch on the opposite building. He breathed as he ran across that roof and over a clothesline to another roof. From there, he was only a block away from the tower.
Josh hesitated and looked down at his feet. There was a modification he'd made to his boots that he'd been waiting to try out. He reached down and gripped the heels of his boots and slowly opened twin flaps in them, revealing his bare heel to the ground. As soon as they came into contact with oxygen, his feet burst into a flame Josh couldn't feel. He pumped the inner fire he controlled into his legs and he took off running straight down the building. He hit the ground and ran down the blocks surrounding the tower, fire trailing behind him like a shadow. In seconds, he had made a barrier of fire around the tower. He stopped and turned back to admire his handiwork before he extinguished the flames in his feet and flipped down the flaps in his boots.
"Good work," said a voice, he turned and his eyes widened as he saw a tall, lovely woman with raven hair, a tuxedo with a top hat, and fishnet stockings.
"A-aren't you…?"
"Zatanna Zatara, mystic extraordinaire," she said with a smile and a mock bow. "You're little fire trick won't hold them for long. You see those artifacts?" She pointed to the sidewalk and Josh turned to see a few Sentinels guarding and murmuring spells into a small vortex of red aura.
"Is that what those are? Magical artifacts?"
"Powerful ones at that. Dr. Fate brought them here as protective wards for the Sentinel base here in Chinatown, but it looks like they drew all these villains here as well. As soon as the Sentinels get them up and running, Dr. Fate can erect a permanent barrier. So defend the Sentinels and the artifacts, got it?"
Josh nodded and his fists ignited. "There are a lot of them."
"Good," said Zatanna. She took off her hat and withdrew a short, black wand. She replaced the hat and waved the wand with a flick. Behind her, there was a burst of light and a large, golden portal appeared. From it stepped about a dozen new heroes, all flexing their muscles or power in preparation for a fight. "There are a lot of us too."
. . .
Ariel awoke to a beeping noise on her nightstand. Here eyes snapped open and she bolted upright. Sweat poured down her body, making her tank top stick to her. She swiveled out of bed and jammed the communicator in her ear. "What is it?"
"Charmer?" Ariel stumbled as she tried to stand up and landed with a grunt on her knee. "Charmer? You alright?"
"I;m fine, Raven," she said as she got to her feet and brushed her bruised knee, "What do you want?"
"There's a magical crisis in Chinatown. We need your help."
Ariel glanced at her watch and her eyes widened when she saw the time. "Raven, it's two in the morning. Can there be a crisis in twelve hours? Like, when I get out of school or something."
"This is part of being a hero, Charmer."
Ariel yawned and cracked her neck. "Alright, fine. Where do I go?"
"Don't bother. Zatanna's picking you up."
"How does she know where I live?"
"She doesn't."
"Ah, glad we cleared that up." Ariel walked to her closet as the line died off and pulled her cloak and uniform from the deep corners. She threw it on and sat on her bed, unsure of what to do next.
There was a sudden burst of light in front of Ariel and she fell back on her bed in surprise. She blinked the spots out of her eyes and stared at the golden vortex that swirled in the middle of her room. She glanced at her door nervously. Her mother's room was just down the hall and she didn't want her to wake up and find her daughter gone, but there was really no choice. Ariel took a deep breath and stepped forwards into the vortex.
Everything blurred for a moment as her head went through the portal. When realty returned to normal, Ariel found herself standing at the rear of a group of other heroes. In front of them was a woman in what looked like a sexy magician Halloween costume.
"Keep the villains away from the artifacts!" she called, "Move out!"
Ariel blinked as the other heroes let out war cries. "Um, what's going on?" she asked as the crowd of heroes charged forwards into the streets.
"Charmer!" she turned and saw Natural running towards her.
"Natural? What're you doing here?"
Natural ran to her and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to the ground as a beam of light shot over their heads. "Fight now, talk later."
Ariel stood up and turned to see an absolute giant of a man barreling towards them. Ariel reached out with her mind and grabbed a nearby fire hydrant. With a grunt of effort and mental focus, she ripped it from the ground and sent it into the behemoth's face. He moved to the side and the hydrant flew past him. Ariel scowled and made a force field over the spray of water, twisting it and directing its powerful flow at the man. He ran into it head on and halted his charge, struggling against the surge.
Large flowers sprouted from Natural's sleeves and he pointed his fists at the attacker. The flowers shot from their stems, growing larger as they moved through the air. They struck the man in the face and exploded in a cloud of shimmering gold dust. The man snorted and sneezed for a moment before he went limp and was shot back by the force of the water. "Sleeping spores," said Natural as he stood up, "Fast acting, takes a lot out of me, though."
"Don't worry," said Ariel as she flexed her fingers, "I got your back."
Natural grinned despite the sweat that was starting to trickle down his face. "Better you than Snapcaster."
"I know, right?" Ariel lifted a lady in spandex that was running at one of the artifacts and threw her into a building, "Egotrip much?"
"I think he lives in Central City." Natural slapped his hands to the ground and grunted as the same artifact and the Sentinels that surrounded it were covered by a dome of plant life that burst from the cement pavement.
"Good, then he's far away from us," Ariel glared at a young man in a ninja outfit that was running along rooftops across from them. She fired a bolt of psychic energy at him and burst through the fortress of his mind. With a twitch of her eyebrow, the ninja fell over as he ran, his mind losing control of his body. "What was he thinking anyway? That he could shoot around Snowstorm's body?"
"Honestly? I think he was trying to cop a feel." Natural thrust forth his fist and vines spiraled from his wrist, slamming into a teenager who was attacking his plant dome. "On your left."
Ariel put her hand on the ground and grabbed the woman who was running at her by the feet. She yanked her down by her ankles and buried her up to her neck in the pavement.
Natural glanced up and his jaw dropped. "Charmer?"
Ariel looked up and gasped. "Whoa." There was a young woman flying through the air on slivery, feathered wings. She had a pink trench coat and was reaching into its folds, dropping small globs to the ground where they exploded in bursts of fire, ice, or electricity. Screams rang out and Ariel ducked back as a glob fell towards her. She caught the glob with her telekinesis, but it went off with a burst of fire. Ariel screamed and dove to the side, but Natural was not so lucky. He backed away from the blast, his right sleeve in flames.
Ariel stared at him in shock for a moment while he collapsed to the ground with cries of pain and tried to beat his arm against the pavement, tying to put out the fire. Ariel shook herself out of her fear and reached out with her mind, ripping Natural's sleeve right off his shirt. She wadded it in a ball and sent it flying at a group of villains that approached them. "Natural!" she bent down next to the hero, who was clutching his arm with a grimace. Ariel pulled his hand away and gulped at his raw, burned skin. Her arms were shaking as she gently touched it. Natural hissed and shied away from her touch. "Are you okay?"
"It stings!" he whispered as tears of pain streaked down his face from under his mask, "Can't you fly?"
"Yeah."
"Take her down before she destroys an artifact!" Ariel nodded and stood up, lifting herself into the air. The winged girl was flying a few blocks away and Ariel shot herself through the air towards her. She lowered her shoulder and barreled into the flying girl with a grunt. Both girls spun around each other as they tumbled to a rooftop and fell away from each other. Ariel groaned and lifted her head to glare at her enemy.
"Oh, you are so dead, bitch!" shouted the angelic girl. Ariel's eyes widened as she saw her opponent wasn't wearing a mask. Beyond that, she recognized her.
"Tatyana?"
The girl blinked. "Do I know you?"
"N-no," stuttered Ariel, her mind racing, "I-I, ah…saw your picture in the paper! Y-you were on the Metropolis Prep High Cheerleading Squad!"
"Aw, a fan!" Tatyana grinned as twin orbs of energy formed in her hands, "It'll be a pity to kill you, but nobody touches me and lives!" Ariel stood up and stomped her foot. The roof under Tatyana's feet collapsed under a telekinetic blow. Tatyana smirked and spread her wings as she left the ground.
"So, what?" said Ariel as she hovered into the air and ripped a nearby billboard off its metal standings, "You have wings and can throw fire?"
"Also ice and lightning," Tatyana dodged around the billboard and launched a volley of attacks at Ariel, "I'm thinking of calling myself Tri-Force. What do you think?"
Ariel slammed the ground and the roof ripped itself apart to make a shield in front of her. "Isn't that from the Legend of Zelda?"
"What's that?"
"You're kidding me, right?" Ariel turned her shield into a boulder and tossed it at Tatyana. It clipped her wing and she yelped as she spun to the roof, landing in a heap.
"So, you don't like Tri-Force?" she asked as she stood up and dusted herself off.
"Well, it's not as good as mine," grumbled Ariel as she walked forwards.
Tatyana formed more energy balls and crouched down in an attack pose. "And you are?"
Ariel closed her eyes and entered Tatyana's mind. "The names' Charmer," she mentally called into Tatyana's brain, "Don't wear it out."
Tatyana froze as Ariel took over her senses. "You're in my head," she whimpered, "How are you in my head."
"I'm psychic sucker. You're in my world now." Ariel ran through Tatyana's mind, memories flashing before her as she fought for dominance. She saw Tatyana's memory of being bottled and captured by Brainiac, growing her wings and discovering her powers, and being greeted by a buxom lady in a metal bikini with an outrageously over the top headdress.
A fist came from the shadows and smashed into Ariel's jaw. She cried out more from shock than pain and fell back as a speeding flash of brown streaked past her. She stumbled back as the new opponent skidded to a halt. He was a muscular young man in a brown uniform with a halo of rocks circling his masked head.
"Hey, babe," he said as he shook Tatyana out of her revelry, "You 'aight?"
"Yeah Conti," she said slowly, blinking as control of her mind was returned to her, "But I'm pretty sure we should take out Ms. Doom and Gloom over there."
. . .
Josh speed through the battlers, his fists encased in flaming boxing gloves. He darted out from alleyways and dished out justice whenever he could. Everyone seemed to be moving so slow to him, except for the other speedsters. They ran more or less as fast as he did. Some ran at him to attack him and others intercepted them while they were open targets. Josh rounded a corner and jumped on a wall, launching himself to the opposite roof. He landed in a crouch just in time to see an old friend.
Ariel was on the roof, being attacked by an angel in a pink trench coat and a man who looked more like a Greek statue of Adonis than a living human. At this point, Josh's veins were filled more with adrenaline than blood, his brain was working on pure instinct and it saw a friend in danger.
He dashed forwards like a train and ran between Ariel and her attackers, a line of fire bursting up behind him.
A pillar of rock shot up in front of him and he jumped on it, using the momentum to spin backwards, his hands and feet covered in fire. He slammed down on the roof where the villains were, the fire in his stomach reaching intense heats and roaring like a lion. His entire body burst into flame and the villains were thrown back from the force of his sudden ignition. Ariel drifted towards him as he stood up and the villains regrouped across the roof.
"Arsonist."
"Hey, Ari…uh, what should I call you?"
"Charmer."
"Ooh, good name."
The winged girl in pink growled at them. "Well, I guess it'll have to be a fair fight then."
"Think again," Josh turned to see a young girl around Ariel's age floating down to the roof. She wore a white, one-piece, armored leotard and a domino mask.
"Snowstorm," greeted Ariel with a nod.
"Friend of yours," she said as she glanced at Josh.
"Snowstorm, Arsonist. Arsonist, Snowstorm. I think your powers are fairly self explanatory," Ariel introduced dryly.
"Hi," said Josh with a smile, extending his hand to the new girl. She looked at his hand with a raised eyebrow and he realized his entire body was still covered in fire. "Oh, right." He withdrew his hand and turned back to the enemies.
"I don't like these odds, babe," said the statuesque young man.
"Oh, don't be a wimp, Conti," snapped the angel.
"You're villain name is Conti?" sniggered Snowstorm, "Or is that your real name?"
"It's short for Continent," he said with a sigh, "She only gets to call me that because we're dating."
The angel laughed and hugged him. "Such a joker!" The guy looked so bored and uninterested with the girl clinging to him, it was almost painful.
"You're made for each other," chuckled Ariel, "In honor of your relationship, we'll give you a five second head start while you run away in fear."
"The only people who would run from you are any guy you try to date," sneered the angel.
"So I take it you won't be running?" panted Josh. The exhaustion of fighting and the decrease of his adrenaline rush were taking their toll.
"I guess not," sighed Continent. He raised his hands and pieces of cement flew up from the earth several stories below. In broke apart into several small pieces of cement shrapnel and began to circle Continent's torso.
Snowstorm grimaced. "Huh, rock beats ice. Does fire beat rock?"
Josh grinned. "Let's find out." He clenched his fists as he pushed his inner fire to its limits. Snowstorm backed away uncomfortably as he began to give off waves of intense heat. The roof beneath him began to slowly melt and he started to sink. "Um, Charmer? Can I get a lift?" Ariel lifted her hand and lifted Josh's flaming form into the air. His flames were blue and turning white. "On my mark, throw me," he hissed quietly. He slowly began to reel in his power, sucking the raging, hot fire into his body.
. . .
Ariel glanced at Snowstorm. "Snowstorm, can you hear me?"
"Whoa! That's so weird! But so cool!"
"Jo…I mean, Arsonist is planning something. Can you make a distraction?"
"Can do!" Snowstorm leapt into the air and swooped down, raining shards of ice down towards the villains. Tatyana launched an orb and an explosion of fire countered the ice, separating them by a wall of steam. Cement shot from the fog and Snowstorm raised a shield of ice with a grunt of effort.
"Now!" shouted Josh. Ariel shot him towards the villains like a cannonball. The sheer heat coming off of his body melted a hole in Snowstorm's ice shield before he went through it.
. . .
Josh hurtled across the rooftop so fast; he barely had time to enact his plan. Luckily, his super speed enhanced his reaction time. As soon as he passed through the steam bank and could see the villains, he unleashed the power he had built up inside him. His fire burst out of his body with a rush of burning energy. It was so hot and so explosive; it turned half the roof into molten plaster, cement, and steel.
To the villain's credit, they had enough time for their eyes to widen in shock and fear before they were blasted off the roof. In a way, they were lucky. The shockwave from Josh releasing all his power at once hit them before the actual fire did.
Josh curled into a ball as Ariel held him over the lava and quickly tried to quell his fire. His heart skipped a beat as he felt the blaze in his stomach flicker and move in and out of his control. He breathed a sigh of relief as it began to die down on his command. The fire faded from his skin and he winced as his hot body was met with the cool night air.
"Charmer!" he called, "You can pull me in now!" Ariel pulled him back through the steam cloud and ice shield. As soon as she saw him, she fixed her eyes firmly above his head and gulped.
"You okay?" she asked as Snowstorm looked away with a giggle.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ariel dropped him on the ground and he landed on his feet, "I think I blasted them halfway across the city, but I couldn't see."
Snowstorm continued to giggle and meandered over to the ledge of roof. "It, heh, looks like the, ah, fighting is over down there."
"Did we win?" asked Ariel.
"Looks like it."
Josh sighed and leaned backwards, cracking his back. "Good. Got the time?" In the distance, a church bell rang three times, "Mmm, I have to be at work in six and a half hours."
"So, Arsonist," giggled Snowstorm, "Are you cold?"
"It's a little brisk, why?"
"Oh, no reason. Are you sure it's just a little brisk? Not really, really cold?"
"It's not so bad, Snowstorm. Besides, you're the one with ice powers; you shouldn't be affected by cold."
"Josh," murmured Ariel, "Um, take a look at yourself."
Josh blinked and looked down. He gasped in horror as he realized the majority of his clothing had been burned right off. He quickly shut his legs together and covered his crotch. "Why didn't you say anything?!"
"I didn't want to embarrass you."
Snowstorm burst out into laughter. "Cold out here, isn't it Arsonist?"
"Y-yes," he said through grit teeth, "Freezing."
. . .
Ariel walked down the long row of beds in the Watchtower's Med Bay. Most of the beds were either empty or in the process of being emptied, but there were enough cots occupied with wounded heroes, hurt in the fight in Chinatown the night before.
"Charmer!" Ariel turned as Snowstorm flew towards her, "Natural's over here!" Ariel followed her to where Natural was sitting up on a cot.
"Hey," she said as she approached.
He offered her a smile. "Hey."
"Natural," Snowstorm scolded, "Lie down. You know what the doctor said."
Natural waved her comment away. "I'm fine; it's just a second degree burn. It could have been worse." He held up his arm, wrapped in pure white bandages. "Besides, we won. A little pain is worth a victory on our first official mission for the Justice League."
Snowstorm bit her lip. "Oh. You didn't hear."
Ariel glanced at her. "Hear what?"
"One of the villains broke through the barrier before Dr. Fate could set it up properly," she said, "They stole a lot of magical artifacts from the Sentinel base and they drained something called the Ankh of Power."
"Nobody died," said Ariel firmly, "I'd say we can call it a win nonetheless."
"But I did here there was a ton of property damage," Natural grinned, "Something about a half-melted building."
Ariel glanced to the side with a blush and Snowstorm chuckled. "How did you meet that guy anyway?"
Ariel sighed. "We escaped our the Brainiac ship together." As Ariel looked away, she blinked as she saw a familiar purple cape disappear around a nearby corner. She frowned and walked to the corner. Glancing around it, she saw Raven walking down the corridor, her high heel shoes clicking and clacking against the metal floor.
When she got to the other end of the hallway, Raven stopped and leaned against the wall. Zatanna came around the corner next to her. "I'm assuming you heard about the Ankh," she said as she leaned against the wall opposite of Raven. Raven just grunted. "You know what that means. Brother Blood has the power of a Lord of Order." Raven grunted again, folding her arms over her chest and staring at her feet. "I know you're going to hate this," sighed Zatanna, "But I want you with the Titans at all times." Raven didn't react, but Ariel could practically feel the anger coming off of her with her telepathy. "Fate and I are busy with our duties to the League and the Sentinels," Zatanna continued, "You need to be with either mystic experts or with friends now. If he tries to get out…We all just want what's best for you, Raven." Raven nodded and walked off in the direction Zatanna had come from. "We have a facility set up for you in Metropolis," Zatanna called after her, "The Science Police are waiting for you at the eighth precinct."
Ariel backed off and the blood rushed from her face. There was no way. It was impossible. He couldn't rise, never in a million years. She subconsciously rubbed her shoulder where her tattoo had once been.
"Charmer?" She looked up to see Snowstorm and Natural staring at her in confusion. "Are you alright?"
Ariel blinked and the corners of her mouth turned up. "You're the one with the second degree burn."
. . .
Josh sighed as he opened the changing room door. "How do I look?"
Platinum smiled at him from her position on the bench outside the stalls. "The same as you did before," she said, "Except fireproof from the inside out. How old were the girls you exposed yourself to again?"
Josh groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "This isn't gonna go away anytime soon, is it?"
Platinum laughed and Josh smiled as he heard one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. "Not a chance. How was your first day of work?"
Josh blinked as they left the changing area and walked through the Hall of Heroes. "How did you know about that?"
"The League works closely with the Daily Planet. I just happened to see your name on their hiring list."
Josh shrugged. "It was alright. I was a little confused when it turned out our new offices was just the apartment of a couple of the reporters. It's also really different writing internet articles. I'm trained in print journalism, so it'll take some time to adjust."
Platinum patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, humans are practically designed to adapt to new and different situations."
"Well put," Josh said with a grin. He gulped and sweet began to pour down his palms. "Um, listen, Platinum," he said quietly, "T-there's an Indian restaurant, um, opening near m-my apartment and I-I was, uh, wondering-"
"I don't like Indian," said Platinum, crinkling her perfect little nose, "Too spicy. But there's a nice Italian place on Topaz Lane. Bistro Romano? How about we meet there at eight tomorrow night, hmm?" Josh blinked as Platinum walked away, her silvery hips swaying with each step. When she vanished from view around the corner, he leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. In the same day, he had gotten the job he'd been working towards since high school, participated in his first successful mission for the Justice League, and had asked out the woman of his dreams.
"This," he decided out loud, "Was a damn good day."
. . .
Please review!
I am sooooo sorry for taking so long. I've been so wrapped up in some of my other fanfics that I totally lost track of the ones I was drifting away from. Let me just make it clear here and now that I have no intentions of leaving any of my stories unfinished. I'll try to update more frequently, but I make no promises.