Time passed. One by one, more heroes and villains walked onto the world stage. Some, sadly, passed as well. But a new rhythm built itself into the lives of the citizens of Earth. Street crime and more dastardly but mundane plots? That was the job of the police, mostly. But super-villains? Terrorists? Aliens? Those dangers belonged to the heroes.

True, some heroes dealt with street crime, too, whether because of a corrupt police department or as maintaining their edge, but one person could not deal with an entire city's worth of crime... except, perhaps, Superman or the Flash. But, for the most pert, they defended the innocent from threats too great for ordinary men and women to face.

Two such men, who once had worn masks and colorful outfits for the sake of their country, sat in a small apartment, drinking beers and reminiscing. "I tell ya, Alan, it ain't like it used ta be. Us, even you, we were 'Mystery Men'. We'd dive inta the fray, beat up a few crooks, an' maybe hafta deal with one super-villain every few months. An' only you, th' Hawk, and a handful of others had any actual powers – the rest of us hadda get by with training an' maybe a special gadget or two.

"Now, though? Seems like if ya ain't got powers, y' just can't keep up. I was talkin' to that new guy replacin' ya, and he was tellin' me about six different super-powered baddies he put away just this month!" He crushed the can in his beefy hand, and tossed it over his shoulder, almost making it into the trash can located there.

The former Green Lantern shook his head. "Ted, it's a totally different world. And he's not exactly replacing me – we may have similar powers, but from what I hear, he's part of some cosmic police force." He opened his own beer. "Ted, when you were Wildcat and we were part of the Justice Society, it was almost a game. That is, until the War started. Per Degaton, Wotan, even that crazy Felix Faust character, they all were... well, almost polite about what they did. Civilians weren't targeted, as long as the heroes stood. Hell, even Master Man and the Ubermensch mostly followed the Geneva Convention – and Master Man was horrified when he found out about the death camps."

Ted nodded, his thinning white hair bobbing with the action. "Yeah, an' now these new kids gotta deal with psychos like the Joker, or that Brainy guy that tried to steal Metropolis. A whole frakkin' city, d'ya believe it?"

"You mean Braniac. And yes, I believe it." Alan Scott sighed. "It's a good thing that this generation has stepped up to the challenge – and they don't have a World War to distract them from it."

"Haw, look at you. 'This Generation', like you think you're as old as me," chuffed Ted.

"I'm not! I'm two years older, remember?"

Grant glared at him. "Couldn't tell by lookin', now, couldja? That durn ring been keepin' ya young – you c'd pass fer sixty, not ninety-five."

"You don't look a day over eighty, yourself, Ted," retorted Alan.

The old boxer shrugged. "I eat good, keep what exercise I can. An' I keep both th' past and th' future in my head every day."

Silence wafted around the room, as both started considering both the past and the future. Then the stillness was shattered by the sound of another beer can being crumpled and tossed, this one actually landing in the trash can. "One more beer, then I gotta go, ol' buddy," said Ted.

"Right." Alan looked at his own, which was only his second to Ted's eighth. "Then let's salute those who deserve it. Britt... Lee... Carter... Al. All the rest of those who've gone ahead to get things ready for us."

Ted nodded. "And to Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, and all th' rest who took up where we left off."

They clinked their beer cans together. Almost in unison, they said, "To Justice."

XXXXX

Author's Notes:

This is not the end, just the end of the beginning. From here on out, there will be no direct timeline through the chapters. The titles will have a date they start, perhaps, usually set in the early to late 2000's, maybe even later. I'll basically write stories that fit in this particular version of the DC Universe as I see it – maybe an origin story here, a story that explains things there. They WILL be published in this story, and will take place in this world. But they might not be very regular, or of consistent length.

DC Comics and all of its properties belong to Time Warner / DC Comics. I do not intent anything but homage here, and maybe even dream of a return to the bright heroes of the old Silver age with a bit of the realism of the modern age. Just because morality, honor, and respect seem old fashioned to the comic companies, doesn't mean the heroes shouldn't show those qualities. After all, that's WHY they're heroes.