Chapter Eight

Midtown

Metropolis

United States

18:52 – Eastern Standard Time

March 12, 2007

Dull. That was how she would describe it. Emil and Galatea were sat on the couch watching TV and it was awful. The clone wished she could say she found it entertaining, but the truth was, she was bored out of her mind. She needed something to do and she had hoped that being out of that facility would have allowed her some freedom. But it seemed that she had changed one cage for another in the shape of an apartment.

Galatea looked at the man she saw as her father. "How long are we staying here again?" she questioned as she slouched.

Emil glanced away from the television. "I'm not sure," he said honestly. "I suppose until things calm down a little. I doubt that will happen, though, unless we can show you're not dangerous somehow."

She knew where this was going. "And how do we do that? By me playing the hero or something?"

"Maybe. It wouldn't hurt."

Galatea rolled her eyes. "Rescuing people from their own stupidity isn't something that really appeals to me."

"What does appeal to you?"

"I don't know. Fighting the Justice League, I suppose."

"I'm not entirely sure they're even our enemy."

"You used to think differently," she pointed out.

He nodded in agreement. "I did and maybe I still do. It's complicated."

Galatea stood up with a stretch. "I'm bored of watching whatever this is," she said, gesturing at the screen.

Emil raised the remote and turned it off. "So am I. I haven't been paying attention to it for the last half-hour."

She walked over to the window, and looked out, down to the park. "Tomorrow, I'd like to go for a walk. See a bit of the city."

Emil disagreed. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

She turned around. "Why not? I just want to have a look."

"It's dangerous out there, Tea."

She rolled her eyes again. "Dangerous? I'm practically invulnerable. What could possibly hurt me?"

"People are looking for us. You in particular."

"I know they are," she said, folding her arms. "I'm not stupid."

"So you understand why we have to be careful, then."

The two fell silent at the sound of the apartment door being unlocked. It swung open, revealing Pauline Lester, who stepped inside, a paper bag in her arms. "Evening," she greeted.

"Evening," Emil said in return.

"How was your day?" She asked them, as she pushed the door closed.

Galatea answered first. "Boring," she said.

"I have a spare key if you want to go out," Pauline told them. "You don't have to stay cooped up in here all day."

"See," Galatea said, turning to him. "She doesn't think we should stay locked up in here either."

Pauline raised the bag. "I have food," she said.

"Smells good," Emil commented.

"It's Indian, so expect it to be hot."

Galatea frowned "Why would you bring cold food?"

Pauline smiled at her naivete. "I meant the spices in it will be hot."

"Oh, right," Galatea said, feeling a little embarrassed. That embarrassment then turned to annoyance. "You could have said that," she chided.

"My apologies," Pauline said jovially before Emil could say anything. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it," she said, taking the bag over to the table before retrieving three plates from the cupboard.

"Serve yourselves up," Pauline told them as she grabbed a curry and rice for herself.

Emil and Galatea made their way over to the table. He dished out the rice and the sauce onto her plate, then did the same for himself. The two sat down and began to eat.

The spices in the Indian curry weren't exactly what Galatea would call hot. She had heard about spices and found the hotness to be a little bit of a disappointment. Still, it tasted nice. The sauce complemented the chicken and the rice in a pleasant way, and the vegetables added quite a lot of flavour.

She had experienced quite a few things in the last few days. Most have which had been entirely new. Up until recently, she had spent most of her time under the thumb of the government. Now she was experiencing a strange kind of freedom, and she felt that she needed more.

Her father was proving to be a bit of a barrier to that. She understood his want to protect her, as she had the same feeling towards him. His fear about her safety was far less founded than her's fear for his. Humans were like a people made out of paper. Everything seemed to hurt them.

"How is it?" Pauline asked them.

"Good," Emil replied

Galatea put on a fake smile. "It's nice," she said, agreeing with her father.

Pauline was a stranger to her, and as such, she wasn't sure she trusted her. Emil did, so she was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. At least for the time being.

"What are you going to be doing tomorrow?" Pauline asked as she scooped up some rice with her fork.

"I don't know," Emil said.

"I suggest you take your daughter out. She needs to see the sights of the city, not be locked away in here."

"I'll think about it," Emil said quietly.

Pauline wouldn't let it go. "It's not healthy to keep a young mind locked away, Emil. She might look thirty, but she's not. Take her to Centennial Park for the day, at the very least. It'll do her good to get some fresh air."

"I don't think it's a good idea," he said.

"I want to see the park," Galatea urged.

He rubbed his eyes. "If you really want to, then I guess we will."

"Thanks, Dad."

"You'll have fun," Pauline promised them. "You'll see."

Midtown

Metropolis

United States

19:18 – Eastern Standard Time

March 12, 2007

Batman lowered his binoculars and glared. At first, he hadn't recognised the two that were in Pauline Lester's apartment, but he now had some suspicions.

When hiring her, he had delved deep into her history, where he had found that she was an old friend of Emil Hamilton. Despite this knowledge, the others founders had deemed her trustworthy enough. Mainly because the two hadn't spoken since Hamilton had worked at STAR Labs and that was at a time when he and Superman could have been called friends. Batman, on the other hand, had an issue with trust. He didn't truly trust anyone but himself; and Alfred of course.

For now, he would keep an eye on her, and them.

Then he heard a familiar voice. "There you are."

Batman turned to see Wonder Woman landing on the flat roof of the building beside him. "Diana," he greeted without emotion.

"Who're you spying on?"

"Not important."

"It is if you're spying on them."

"I have a suspicion. I will be investigating it. If what I believe turns out to be true, then I'll report my findings. Until then, it's unimportant."

"If you know about something or someone that could prove to be dangerous, then you should really let me know."

He looked at her for a moment, before bringing his binoculars back up to his eyes, looking out towards the apartment.

"You going to tell me, or am I going to have to take those binoculars from you?"

"I'm watching Pauline Lester's apartment."

"The medical doctor we hired a few months ago?"

"Yes."

"You really do have trust issues, don't you," she commented. "Or is this your way of looking for dates?"

"Lester's a lesbian," Batman said simply. "She's not interested in men."

"Maybe I should take my chances then," Diana mused. "I'm certainly not getting anywhere with you."

Batman lowered his binoculars and regarded her for a moment. "I believe Emil Hamilton and Galatea are staying with Doctor Lester," he said finally.

"That's pretty serious," she said, looking over towards the building. "How long have you suspected?"

"Twenty minutes," Batman replied.

"Wait, you were spying on her before you suspected they were staying with her?"

"We searched her history before hiring and found she had an affiliation with Hamilton. I'm following it up."

"That was years ago. You honestly don't think she's trustworthy?"

"If those in her apartment are who I think they are, then no. She's not trustworthy."

"I hope you're wrong."

"If I am, you won't hear anything more. If I'm right, then I'll make an official report."

"And Doctor Lester will be in big trouble."

He turned away from the edge of the building, concealing his arms beneath his cape. "I need you to keep this between us for the time being," Batman told her.

"Why?"

"I have my reasons." He walked over to the other side of the building, before jumping off the edge, disappearing from sight, leaving Wonder Woman alone on the roof.

"What is wrong with that man," Diana said to herself.

Park Ridge

Gotham City

United States

19:32 – Eastern Standard Time

March 12, 2007

Kara In-Ze pressed the doorbell and waited. A few moments later, the red-headed Barbara pulled the door open and smiled when she saw who it was.

"I'm glad you came."

"I did promise that I would."

The Red-head moved aside letting Kara into the house. She then shut the door behind them and the two made their way to the living room.

"You want a drink?" Barbara offered.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm good for now."

The two sat on the couch. "So, when are you heading back to the future?" Barbara asked.

Kara shrugged. "Not sure. When I'm no longer needed here I suppose."

"You'll always be needed, Kara," Barbara told her.

Kara felt bad. She hadn't been here. Instead, she had been in the future. She had literally abandoned her friends and her adoptive family all for some crush. That and because she had never really felt like she had a place here in this time. Kara looked at her friend. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me."

"I did need you. Dick helped, but we aren't as close as we used to be. His visits are also fleeting."

Kara had an idea. "Maybe we should go on vacation this summer? Like we did that one time."

Barbara smiled. "That was fun. I'd really like that. To be able to get away from Gotham for a bit."

"I don't know how you manage to stay here," Kara said. "No offence, but this city is creepy. Even the Statue of Justice is creepy. Especially at night when it's all lit up."

"It's all a matter of perspective. I've lived here my entire life and I don't find it creepy at all. Well, maybe a little creepy."

"You wanna go out somewhere tonight?" Kara offered.

"I'd love to, but I'm just too tired. I have the day off tomorrow, so perhaps then."

"Tomorrow's the thirteenth, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay. It's just that on the fourteenth, I'm being re-inducted into the league."

"I thought you already had been?"

"No, but I've been patrolling with Wonder Woman."

"You said you were. Anything interesting happen?"

"Today was quiet, but yesterday morning we had a run-in with a Metahuman that threw us around a bit."

"You never mentioned it when you came around last night," Barbara commented.

"We had more important things to talk about," Kara said simply.

"Did you get him?"

"Yeah, we got him and his friends. Last I heard, he was still in jail."

"That's good. We don't get too many Meta's in Gotham, thankfully. The one that's the biggest problem is Killer Croc. It's really hard to contain him. He can bite through near anything we put him in."

"You've told me quite a few stories about him," Kara said, remembering back. "I'd like to see him try and sink his jaws into me."

"Maybe we should coax him into trying. It would be a great help if he broke all his teeth."

"I'm sure it would."

The doorbell sounded, causing the two of them to look around.

"I'll go see who that it," Barbara said, standing up.

She made her way out of the lounge and through to the front door. She pulled it open to see Dick Grayson standing outside.

"Dick," she greeted with a smile. "I honestly wasn't expecting to see you so soon after your last visit."

He shrugged. "I thought I'd take the evening off."

"I'm glad you did, come on in."

He stepped inside, and she closed the door, following him into the living room. He stopped when he saw Kara.

"Sorry, I didn't know you already had company."

"There's plenty of room, Dick."

He leaned in close and lowered his voice. "I wanted to talk to you about that offer he made me."

She knew exactly who he meant. "Did you accept?" Barbara asked, keeping her voice equally low.

"Yeah, the induction is on Wednesday."

"So, you'll be part of the league," she said.

"Reserve for now, but yeah."

Barbara looked over to Kara, who was grinning at them. "I can hear everything you two say, y'know," the blonde told them.

"Of course," Barbara said. "But Dick here can be a bit finicky about who knows."

He glared at the redhead, then to Kara.

Kara stood up and held out her hand. "I'm guessing you're Nightwing."

He didn't take the offer to shake hands. Instead, he said nothing and just stared at her.

"Barbara used to be Batgirl, so it wasn't hard to figure out."

"And who're you?"

"I'm an alien," she told him. "Kara In-Ze of the planet Argo, sister world of Krypton."

Richard looked at Barbara. "How many alien friends do you have?"

"Just the one."

"Then that means this is Supergirl."

"Was Supergirl," Kara amended. "So you're being inducted on Wednesday. So am I."

"Supergirl's already part of the league," he pointed out.

"I was until I left." Kara reached forward and grabbed his hand, giving it a shake. "Pleased to meet you."

He tried to pull his hand free but found that he couldn't. He glanced at Barbara to see her smiling knowingly at him. He wasn't getting out of the handshake, at least not unless Kara ended it. That didn't stop him from trying, though.

"Can you let go of my hand?" he asked finally. The more he struggled to get his hand free, the tighter the woman's grip got, and it was starting to hurt.

"Not until you've said hello back."

"Hello," he said.

"Good enough," Kara said, letting him go.

Barbara rested her hand on his shoulder. "So, what did you come to talk about?"

"Just that I talked to Bru-" He paused, looking at Kara.

The blonde already knew. "If you were going to say 'Bruce', then go ahead."

"How did you know?"

"Same way as Superman found out."

"You peeked?"

"I was a teenager. Besides, I've been to his house once or twice. Anyway, continue."

"Yes," Barbara agreed, "continue."

"I talked with Bruce, and I accepted the offer."

Barbara nodded. "Yeah, you already said that."

Dick looked at Kara. "You're a Leaguer right?"

"I was, and will be again this Wednesday."

"What do you know about the gun?"

"Gun?" she asked, glancing at Barbara. "What gun?"

"The big one your space station has on it," he clarified. "The Binary Fusion Gun."

"It was taken off-line last I heard," she told him.

"Batman said they could have it back up and running in a matter of hours."

Kara wasn't sure where he was going with his line of questioning. "Okay, and?"

"What was its true purpose?" he demanded.

"To defend the Earth against any aggressor deemed dangerous enough. To destroy large targets that posed a threat to the planet, such as the Thanagarian's Hyperspace Bypass Generator."

"And how did the Thanagarian weapon threaten the Earth?"

"It would collapse the planet into a singularity to power a local hyperspace link." She folded her arms. "This going somewhere?"

He ignored her last question. "Why not use another planet in the star system?"

"Ask someone else because I don't know."

"Okay, so how does your Fusion Gun work?"

"You should probably ask Mister Terrific or Bruce. It was their project."

"If you don't mind, I'd like you to tell me?"

"Okay. Well, as I understand it, the gun is powered by the station's Binary Fusion Core. The core itself runs pretty low normally, just enough to keep the station running. The gun is powered, when the energy levels are ramped up to one hundred percent, and then released, discharging through a flow transmission coil, which channels the energy at whatever it's pointing at. This knocks main power out for a few minutes."

"You seem to know a lot about it," he observed.

"I'm from an advanced society. The gun is actually not that complicated in principle. It's simply the release of the core's energy in a focused beam. It's so simple in fact that even you should be able to understand it."

Dick ignored the intended insult. "Which was used on a populated area. From my perspective, you didn't even try to stop it from firing."

Kara pointed a finger at him, threateningly. "I was there. We tried to stop it but we couldn't. Someone on the station helped Luthor gain control and we never figured out who. At least not before I left. They might have since, but I don't know."

Barbara rested her hand on Kara's shoulder. "Hey, no one's blaming you."

"Except him," Kara said, glaring at Dick.

He didn't back down from his accusations. "The league has proven not to be entirely trustworthy."

"You really are an extension of the Bat, aren't you," Kara admonished.

"Excuse me?" he said, insulted.

"You heard."

Barbara stepped between them. "Please, enough. I don't want you two fighting in my house."

There was silence. "I probably should go," Dick said after a moment.

"No," Barbara objected. "I don't want you to leave. I want us to sit down and have a conversation without accusations being thrown about. I want you to apologise to Kara."

He looked between Barbara and Kara for a few moments, before he relented. "Sorry," he said. "What happened wasn't your fault."

"No, it wasn't."

He sighed. "Maybe we should start this all again."

"I'm willing if you are," Kara said.

He offered his hand, and the Argoan shook it. He winced as he felt the bones in his hand grind as she squeezed.

"I hope you two can become friends," Barbara said. "You are both going to be in the league after-all."

"I'm not likely to be working with anyone," Dick said. "I'll be on reserve, at least to start with."

Kara understood what reserve meant. "That's what Superman wanted me to be back when I was Supergirl. I managed to convince him that I was more capable than he thought."

"I'm not really sure if I want to be more than a reserve, but I did tell Batman I was interested in it, just in case I change my mind."

"It's up to you," Barbara said. "Now maybe we should all sit-down."

Kara and Dick sat on the couch, while Barbara headed towards the kitchen. "Anyone want anything to drink?"

"I'm good, thanks," Kara declined.

"Just water thanks, Babs," Richard said.

"One water coming up." Barbara headed into the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone in the lounge.

"So," Kara began, a little awkwardly, "you used to work with Batman?"

"Yes."

"I can tell."

He wanted to retort, but he knew she was right. He honestly feared that he would become like Batman. He often wondered if it wasn't already too late.

"You can change the direction of your life," Kara said as if reading his mind. "You don't have to live in his shadow. I should know. Maybe not to the same extent, but I felt like I couldn't be my own person, not with Superman around. It's one of the reasons I never returned to this century."

The two looked around, as Barbara passed Dick a glass of water, while she sat herself down with a cup of coffee.

"You two good now?"

"Yes," Kara said. "I don't hold grudges. Not anymore."

"I'm good, too," Dick said.

"I'm glad," the redhead said. "Maybe next Christmas, the three of us can do something together. I've been meaning to get the two of you to meet for a few years, but Dick was usually too busy."

"I have a city to protect," he said.

"I'm sure Blüdhaven can survive one holiday season without the Bluebird."

"Maybe we'll find out if it can this next December," he told her assuringly.

"As long as you know how to have fun," Kara commented.

"He used to be a lot of fun," Barbara said. "You think the two of us could get him to lighten up?"

"I don't know," Kara said, looking at him. "Depends on how much he's like Batman."

Dick felt a little picked on. The thing was, he couldn't really come up with a defence. They were right. He had become obsessive, and suspicious, just like the Bat. Fun wasn't really something he'd had in a few years now.

It was time to change that. All it had taken was her friend, and a relative stranger to finally make him see it.

"Thanks for this," he said, slowly standing up. He gulped the water down, placing the empty glass on the coffee table.

"We didn't mean to upset you," Barbara said.

"You didn't. But you've given me something to think about."

"You sure we didn't upset you?" Barbara asked concerned.

"I'm sure," he assured her. "I should be getting off."

"I'll see you to the door then."

The two made their way to the front of the house. Barbara gave him a hug before she opened the door and watched him go.

She shut the door and returned to the lounge, where she and Kara chatted for another hour or so.

New Brighton

Central City

United States

20:45 – Central Standard Time

March 12, 2007

It had been a long and hard day in forensics for Wally West. All he wanted to do now, was get inside his apartment and rest.

Unfortunately, the moment he stepped inside, he was greeted by Giganta, who wanted to go out to see a movie. He on the other hand just wanted to go to bed. She was having none of it.

Deciding he was also too tired to argue, he agreed. Depending on what movie they went to see, there was a good chance he would be able to sleep through it.

They walked to the movie theatre. Firstly, because the nearest one wasn't that far, and secondly, because Wally didn't want to have to pay for a taxi.

Wally didn't recognise the name of the movie that Giganta had him buy tickets for. Judging by the poster, though, it was something romantic. In a way, it was a win-win. She would get to watch something she liked, while he'd get to sleep.

Unfortunately, it didn't go as he hoped it would.

Firstly, Every time his eyes started to drift closed, she'd elbow him in the side, or start throwing popcorn at his face. At one point, she even poured some of her drink on his head, making him near jump out of his skin.

Around halfway through the movie, he started to watch it, and by the end, he had actually started to enjoy it. Sure it was a bit soppy for his tastes, but the ending had been bitter-sweet and had even brought a tear to his eye.

Thankfully, they were out of the theatre, and heading down a relatively empty street, before she began to tease him about his watery eyes. She exaggerated, of course, making out that he was crying like a baby at the end.

After a twenty minute walk, they finally made it back to his apartment building. A neighbour commented on it being about time Wally found a girlfriend and asked what her name was. Thinking quickly, he gave the name Gina, before finding refuge in his apartment. Albeit, with Giganta in tow.

Deciding it was time to sleep, he lay down on the couch, ignoring Giganta, who kept telling him that she didn't mind if they shared the bed.

She quickly gave up and went into his bedroom alone, shortly before he drifted off to sleep.

Watchtower II

Earth Orbit

23:51 – Station Time (Eastern Standard Time)

March 12, 2007

J'onn J'onzz didn't spend nearly as much time here on the station as he had once done. He only did monitor duty a few times a week now, and usually spent what would be the night-shift here on the station, at home with his human wife in China.

Tonight was one of the exceptions, and he was always happy to fill in when the need arose. Tonight, Mister Terrific who usually monitored at this time of night, had something else to do.

As he didn't need nearly as much sleep, J'onn tended to be here in the early afternoon when it would be very early morning, back home. Then, as his wife would be rising, he would be returning home.

Overall, he was quite pleased with the turn his life had taken regarding his relationship. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for most, if not all of his fellow league founders.

Firstly there was Superman. It wasn't exactly a secret that he loved Lois Lane, and that she loved him back. The issue, however, was that she didn't love his alter-ego, Clark Kent. J'onn could sense how difficult it was for the man in blue. He was living two very different lives, but both intersected. If anything, it showed how much of a mistake it was. To be loved one moment, then to be just another colleague the next, all depending on what outfit he was wearing. It frustrated Superman to no end.

Secondly, there was both the former Hawkgirl, Shayera and Green Lantern. Back before the incident with the Thanagarians, it had been obvious to the other five founders that the two would end up together. There was a connection there, that had reminded J'onn in a roundabout way, of his connection with his late Martian wife. Of course, their relationship had come to an end due to Shayera's traitorous actions during the invasion of the Thanagarians.

Flash of course, was Flash. He had dated a couple of others on the league since it had expanded, but it was fleeting and never serious. He wondered if the young hero would ever find someone he could settle down with. He hoped so. Wally had a large heart and a lot of love to offer the right person., should they come along.

Then there was Batman and Wonder Woman. Diana really liked him, and at one time, he appeared to like her back. It had never progressed into anything, though there was the rumour that he and Batgirl had developed a relationship. Whether he had or not was moot, as they certainly weren't together any longer.

It was a surprise to J'onn, that out of all the founders, who he had grown to call friends, that it would be he, the last Martian who would end up being happily married.

His attention was brought back to his job as he received an update from Vigilante and Wildcat. The two had been sent on a mission in Dallas, Texas and the message was simply to inform him that the mission had been a success and that all the criminals had been apprehended and handed over to the authorities.

J'onn logged it, before asking if they needed transport. Vigilante declined, while Wildcat wanted to be teleported to the Metro Tower.

The Martian made the arrangements, before checking up on other currently patrolling heroes across the planet. As usual, Batman had his communicator switched off.

Suddenly, an unexpected warning klaxon sounded taking J'onn by surprise. A moment later the klaxon was accompanied by the station's feminine computerised voice. "Warning! Hyperspace terminus detected. Formation complete in forty-one seconds."

J'onn immediately sprung into action, double checking what he had just been informed. Sure enough, there was an exit point forming from a ship in hyperdrive and it was close to the orbital sector the Watchtower was currently in.

Without wasting a second more, he sent out the alert for all personnel on the station to be ready, apprising them of the situation.

He had no idea what would be coming out of the artificial exit-point. He just hoped that whatever it was, that it wasn't hostile.

Updated December 2017