I stared at the mirror impassively as I studied myself. More specifically, I was studying my 'costume'. For the last few days, I've been hovering around Metropolis and helping. I figured looking like some slacker didn't exactly inspire any kind of hope. So I decided I might as well conjure up a makeshift costume. Of course, I wasn't going to wear any tights or anything as ridiculous. No, I needed to look good while being a good Samaritan.
A long, stark white winter military coat decorated with blue lines somewhat complementing my hair, followed by those simple black gloves, trousers, and simple black boots.
[A/N:Cover image for a better look.]
Did I look like I was preparing for a winter war? Yes. Did I look good? Yes. I mean, I had to; Superman has been gone for a few days, so I decided to go out and stop crime because I can. And it gave me an excuse not to linger in this apartment that I was fairly sure was bugged. So after admiring myself some more, I stepped towards an open window and jumped through it. My flight took hold as I started soaring through the sky. It was only morning, yet the streets were already crawling with people, and cars were already on the road.
The wind ruffled my hair and clothes as I looked for any crimes. They were rare, which is understandable given that Superman called this place home. With how fast he is, he could basically be everywhere in less than a second, coupled with super hearing, and no crime gets done. But most criminals were surprisingly smart; they took note when Superman wasn't around and then decided to act. So I'm just waiting for the criminals to make themselves known.
Until then, I'll think and fly.
Ifrit, Garuda, or Titan As it stands, those three are, for now, the easiest Primals to envision. I have their forms clear in my mind; I just need to work on my Creation Magic. But it would be prudent to focus on only one. I think I'll go with Ifrit; his form is most clear in my mind, and I feel my control over the element of fire is satisfactory. Still, a summoning like Ifrit would be best used for large attacks that are certain to kill my enemies. And killing is unfortunately frowned upon, so maybe I should focus on Garuda. Hmm, decisions, decisions.
Any decision-making would have to wait, unfortunately, as my eye has picked up something. Some civilians were running about with panicked expressions on their faces as I descended closer to the ground. I was quick to take note of the disturbance.
This entire area was in ruins; ruined cars lay to the side, almost piling up. Large crators littered the ground, and nearby building windows were shattering along with the metal railings being bent. I assumed some criminal was going to come out, but I sure wasn't expecting this.
"Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday... Christened on a Tuesday..." I looked at the hulking figure and studied it.
He was a hulking behemoth of a humanoid. He had blue-gray skin that had a sickly, pallid sheen to it. His skin appeared to be rough and calloused, with a rock-like texture. He has a large, muscular build with broad shoulders and a barrel chest. His head was massive, with a domed forehead and almost chiseled facial features. His eyes were small, beady, and very sunken into his skull, giving him a somewhat menacing stare. Though less noticeable, he had a mouth full of yellowed teeth. His attire consisted of tattered clothing, a torn vest, and pants. They were in various states of decay, with holes and rips scattered throughout.
I, quite honestly, had no clue as to why Grundy was in Metropolis and destroying things. I couldn't even hazard a guess. I stared at the hulking zombie as he tossed a car to the side for no apparent reason. I considered engaging him. It was risky; Grundy's strengths varied. After each death, his personality and strength changed to some degree. At times, he's weak enough for normal humans to beat him up; other times, he can easily go up against Superman. But maybe I can avoid conflict.
"Could you stop for a moment?" I asked, and the zombie did indeed stop and turn to face my way. He was a few meters away from me, but I could easily tell he dwarfed me in size. though it's not like I was that tall to begin with.
"Why, Grundy, must I stop?" He seemed to ask why I told him to stop, so it seems he had a measure of intelligence, so maybe I can just send him back to Gotham.
"Because you're breaking other people's things, that's not very nice." I pointed it out.
"But Grundy, like breaking... Is it no good?" His odd way of speaking would've been cute if he wasn't a giant rotting corpse.
"Yep, sorry, big guy. But breaking things is just a big no-no." I said this while crossing my arms into an 'x' to get my point across.
"Pretty girl...not, let Grundy break?"
"I guess so? C'mon, don't you have other hobbies? Like other stuff you like doing?"
"Grundy...like food..."
"Ah, that can be arranged; mind holding your hands out like so?" Grundy tilted his head as he followed my example. He held both his hands out as I went to work.
I never thought I'd use Creation Magic to feed a Zombie, but oh well. Above Grundy's hands Aether flared to life as a giant, cooked turkey fell on his hands. His hands were large, however, so catching it proved easy for the big fella. His face actually seemed to light up momentarily as, in the next instant, he devoured the Turkey whole. No, seriously, he swallowed the whole thing.
"Food tastes good; Grundy wants more."
"Is there anything in particular you want?" He scratched his head in consideration as he spoke.
"Grundy wants more meat." I nodded at his request as a giant slap of steak fell on his palms. Like the turkey, he devoured it in no time, and he seemed satisfied and almost innocent in the moment. Seeing as he was mellow, I decided to ask something.
"Say, Grundy, how did you get to Metropolis?" He only tilted his head at the question.
"What...Meroplosis?" He asked, though he completely butchered his pronunciation.
"It's this city." I said this as I gestured to everything around me.
"Oh, Grundy walked and walked, and then Grundy suddenly came here. Everything loud. People stare. Gruddy gets angry." He explained, or tried anyway. But I'm pretty sure Gotham's and Metropolis's sewer systems might be connected.
"But, Grundy, remember the small child with horns." A kid with horns? That's not exactly much to go on.
"Thanks Grundy. Would you like to go back home?"
"Yes, Grundy, not like the sun." Ah, someone who understands my pain.
Come, then follow me." I walked towards a nearby manhole cover as I heard Grundy's rumbling footsteps behind me. Kicking away the cover, I turned to Grundy and gestured to it. "Just head down and walk some more. I'm sure you'll find a cozy place."
"Grundy...thank...pretty girl..." The giant man actually sent me a smile as he jumped through the manhole, landing in the sewers below.
"See ya, Grundy." I said it with a small wave before closing up the manhole. He'll eventually reach Gotham, probably. But still, what was he doing in Metropolis? I could ponder about it all day, but I won't find an answer. So I merely took off again. This was certainly an experience. Somebody obviously led Grundy here, but I wonder why. Maybe I should tell Superman about this.
"This meeting is now underway; if anyone has something they want brought up, now is the time." Batman spoke to all those seated at the table in the conference room.
"If that's the case, then I suggest we continue where we left off last. About our younger heroes." Diana, also known as Wonder Woman, was the first to speak up, receiving nods of agreement.
"Yes, I agree. It is easy to see that our younger heroes are agitated; they crave for something more." Jonn, or the Martian Manhunter, began in an ever-impassive tone. "I think it prudent that we help with this."
"By doing what exactly? They're kids, and of course they're agitated. You know how hormonal teens tend to be." The flash spoke with a shrug, not thinking too much about the situation.
"I disagree, Flash. Most are not content with remaining under our figurative wings. They wish for independence." Martian stated, and his words did strike true.
"Yeah, I agree with Martian. I might not have any sidekicks, but even I can see they're growing up." John Stewart spoke next; of the two lanterns, he seemed to be the only one present. Hal Jordan never liked attending meetings much, and Doctor Fate also seemed to rarely come to any meetings, but that was fine. "I mean, whenever you're away, Kid Flash takes the opportunity to operate on his own, no?"
"Point taken." Flash muttered in defeat.
"I mean, if everyone likes working on their own, then why don't we let them?" Captain Marvel, also known as Shazam, finally spoke up. "Do we really need to hold a meeting about this?"
"They're uncoordinated. Though they're skilled in their own ways, they don't operate properly. And some crimes they can't stop on their own." Batman began: "Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian, and even Robin, to name a few."
"You have suggestions for our younger heroes?" Diana asked the Dark Knight.
"I do. As Martian said, they want independence from us. So I propose we give it to them." Batman's statement caused a few raised eyebrows.
"Yeah? And how would we go about doing that?" Flash asked.
"Simple, I've been putting some funding on an alternative base for a while now in case the Watchtower was ever compromised." He spoke, and no surprise could be found in the Dark Knight's overcautious nature. "I'd be willing to give it to the younger heroes as a base of operations."
"You want to make a team out of them." John noted.
"How would that work? Would they be a mini Justice League?" Captain Marvel questioned.
"No, they'll be completely independent from the Justice League. With the exception of joint operations and receiving missions via the Justice League." Batman explained.
"Yes, this will give them opportunities to better themselves; I am in favor of this." Martian Manhunter, along with the others, nodded along to Batman's proposition.
"Very well then. For this new team, I nominally nominate Robin and Blue Beetle." As Batman spoke, a holographic image sprang to life in the center of the conference table.
"Blue Beetle, the kid with the scarab?" John questioned Batman as he nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, Blue Beetles has shown some potential, and he can grow and develop further if he is part of a team."
"That code for you want to keep an eye on him because he's got an alien war machine on his back." Flash only received a blank stare from the Dark Knight, which, if possible, turned even more blank. "Right, I'm shutting up now."
"Will you not nominate Kid Flash?" Martian asked the speedster.
"Huh? Yeah, sure, Kid would like to mingle with others his age." He said it with a shrug.
"Then I shall also nominate M'gann; since arriving on Earth, her interactions with those closer to her age have been lacking, and I hope to change that."
"You've been rather quiet, Superman." Diana spoke up as all eyes turned to the man of steel; the latter had his eyes closed with his arms folded. Though he soon reopened them as he spoke.
"Sorry, I was just checking on how things were in Metropolis. But I still heard most of the meeting, so I'll nominate Conner, and maybe..." His voice slightly trailed off as Diana spoke up again.
"You don't wish to nominate your cousin?"
"I'm not sure; she's been a quick learner so far, quicker than I was even, but I don't think she much wants to be a hero." The man of steel informed.
"That's a shame; another Kryptonian hero would do this Earth good." John mumbled as a slight realization struck him. "Hold on, speaking of aliens, you mentioned there was another kid who said they weren't from Earth."
"Emet." Batman spoke the name as the holographic image shifted to the boy.
"She doesn't seem much like an alien." Captain Marvel noted.
Well, that she would be a he." Superman corrected.
"Seriously!?"
"Yes, but appearance aside, he does have a lot of potential. He's been keeping Metropolis safe in my absence, and he helped me with a villain not long ago." Superman informed.
"So, what can this kid do?" The Flash asked, and this time Batman spoke up.
"For the time being, his abilities are unknown, as are their limits. We've only got some footage to display, but his power seems inconsistent." He informed as the holographic image morphed into footage. Footage that displayed Emet flying and conjuring flames and pure lighting out of apparently fin air, it also displayed him creating a barrier. Flash whistled impressively at the display.
"It looks like he can do a lot."
"True, Superman, would you nominate this boy as well?" Diana asked the man of steel.
"He's doing a lot of good right now, so I'm sure he'd take the opportunity to do more." Superman spoke as Green Lantern raised an eyebrow.
"This kid...he say where he came from or what his species is called?" John asked as Superman shook his head.
"If I may, I have an inkling as to what he could be." Martian's words seemed to catch everyone's attention as he continued. "But I would much like to meet him in person before I can properly assess him."
"Okay then, something to look forward to. So this meeting done? Because I got a date." Batman nodded at the Flash's words as he stood up.
"Yes, this meeting is concluded. In the meantime, I'll look into more heroes. Everyone dismissed." The Dark Knight spoke as he swiftly left the room.
And like that, a new team was established. A team that would make history.