A week later, Mallory was in the same back room of the UN headquarters that she'd been in to defend her innocence, but this time, she was calm and focused. More than that, she was angry, too angry to think about what would happen if this didn't work. Clark and Conner were with her, waiting to be called for their time to speak to the delegates. Clark looked between the two younger heroes. "You still sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"Yes," they replied at the same time. Conner checked the clock on the wall and tilted his head. "Where is he? He should be here by now."

Mallory bit her lip, watching the seconds tick by. "He'll be here," she said, though her confidence was waning. "He promised."

Someone knocked on the door, and Conner pulled it open, revealing a manager. "If you still wish to speak, an opening is coming."

"Thank you," Mallory replied, already out the door. She kept looking down the hall, but the only people in it were workers.

"Hey, don't feel too bad," Conner murmured. "It shouldn't matter." She nodded, her grip tightening on the packet of papers in her hand. "You know…you don't really have to be here, I can present the evidence myself, if you don't want them looking back into you."

She narrowed her eyes. "Let's go," she said, leading the way onto the platform. The two supers followed her out and let her take the podium first, gripping the sides as she stared out over the faces of the people who had the power to keep her promise. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for hearing us. The last time I stood before you, it was to put my actions on trial and for you to decide my fate. Today, I ask that you do the same for a person who has deceived you and the public by pretending to have their best interests at heart. In reality, he has only be using his position to improve his own standing, and he has abused the power that his position grants him. I have her documented proof that Secretary General Lex Luthor has continued to run his parent company, Lexcorp, as well as all of his subsidiary companies, during his term, and he has used the money gained from this illegal action, as well as his power as the secretary general, to fund and operate a meta human trafficking ring. Worse, this is not the first time he has sacrificed the basic human rights to further his own agendas. For years he has been involved in illegal activities that range from creating living weapons to smuggling to fostering wars. The man I am abut to introduce has first hand experience with some of this."

She looked at Conner and nodded, and they traded places. Mallory glanced at Lex when she was back with Clark, and he was glaring at Conner's back. It was the first time she'd ever seen him look worried. "Luthor was the main backer for a lab called Project Cadmus that started over a decade ago. In that lab, he bred and enslaved thousands of living weapons and brutally disposed of them when he was finished with them. I was one of those weapons. I am the Superboy, created to replace Superman should he perish, to destroy him should he turn from the light. I am a clone, created from the DNA of Superman and Lex Luthor. I was rescued from my prison before they could completely brainwash me, thanks to the combined efforts of Kid Flash, Robin, and Aqualad nine years ago, but I was one of the lucky ones. Hundreds, if not thousands, of genomorphs, the living weapons that Cadmus created, have been murdered over the years, most of them as a result of faulty experiments or insubordination, and they have been kept as prisoners and slaves. Luthor needs to answer for these crimes against humanity. You are the only people who have the power to make it happen. Please, do not continue to ignore everything that is happening."

He stepped off the stand and rejoined Mallory and Clark. Lex sidestepped so that Mallory would be able to hear what he was saying. "You'll never be able to prove that I had anything to do with the treatment of those poor genomorphs, and as for you, I gave DNA samples to the labs many times, never with any knowledge of what they were doing with it. You can't prove that I was any more of a willing participant than the Man of Steel. As for Inferno's allegations, I have fought off worse in my career. Nice try, though."

There was a crash from above them, and the window at the ceiling shattered, sending a shower of glass down on the stage. Everyone leapt into action, but when Mallory saw the ice slide snaking its way down to the stage, she rushed to the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, please, don't be alarmed. I apologize for the theatrics, but this is one more witness for our plea, he must have had some trouble getting through the doors."

The delegates didn't seem like they quite believed her, but gradually they calmed down, all of them curious to see what the notorious villain Icicle Jr had to do with a case against philanthropist Lex Luthor. Jr stood behind Mallory, and she smiled, stepping off the platform to talk to him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about it."

Lex stalked over, glaring at each of them in turn. "Think about what you are doing, children. There are things at play that you couldn't hope to understand, consequences that you won't see until after they hit."

"I'll risk it," Mallory replied flatly, "if it finally puts you down."

Cameron nodded and stepped up to the podium, ready to address the world. "You all know who I am, and what I've done. I'm guilty of just about every crime in the book, and I've been in and out of detention centers since I was ten. What you may not know is that the criminals on the streets are not as isolated as the media and the cops try to make it seem. For every active supervillain, there is a contract signing them to a group. These days, it is very rare to be a solo villain. My father, Icicle Sr, was one of the early examples of this. He started up a gang in Metropolis when things started to get too hot for the obvious banks jobs and tech snatching. He has backing, though, powerful enough to keep him on the streets despite the efforts of heroes like Superman, Superbiy, and Inferno. Lex Luthor is that backing. He provided the funds to get started, he gets first pick on the protection staff, if he points out a job, they do it. He is almost as involved in the gang as my dad, so please, if you take nothing else from this meeting, take this: Lex Luthor is not to be trusted. He is a criminal, as much as I was." He glanced at Mallory, and she smiled a little and nodded, encouraging him to continue. "but, I am putting all of that behind me. I served my time, and I am reentering society as a changed man. With the help of the heroes of Metropolis and the Justice League, I am ready to turn over a new leaf. I know it will take a long time to make up for everything I have done, but I hope to start making a dent by helping the communities that I have been taking advantage of. Thank you." He stepped off the podium and walked over to Mallory. "Well, how was it?" he asked.

"You were great," she assured him.

Clark took to the podium to wrap up their presentation, calling for the delegates to vote with their minds, their hearts, and their consciences, and then he turned to look at Jr and added, "and let me be the first to welcome Icicle Jr into the fold, as the newest hero under the Justice League's wings." He walked off the podium and the heroes followed him off the stage, leaving the room so the delegates could go over the evidence and discuss what to do with it. Conner had Sphere waiting above the street, and he and and Jr got in, flying along Superman and Inferno away from the headquarters to the roar of reporters asking them for comments and flashing pictures.

"Well, you ready to make it official?" the clone asked when they were high enough to be alone.

"Yeah, sure, I guess," he replied nonchalantly, but his grin gave away his excitement. "You're not gonna put me in a cage match or anything, right?"

"No, of course not, the team doesn't have any crazy initiation rituals like that," Clark assured him.

"That the League knows about," Mallory added, tossing a playful look at her former mentor. Cameron chucked, eying her as he tried to decide how seriously he should take her. Clark shook his head, smiling, and dropped down to the zeta tube in Centennial Park, one of the few in the area big enough for Sphere to get through. He let it scan him first, then Sphere and Conner took their turns.

Before Mallory could follow, Cameron grabbed her arm in a death grip. When she turned to snap at him, she saw that his face was pale and his eyes showed his nerves as he stared at the transportation machine. "You sure it's ok?" he asked, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper.

She took a breath and gently pried his fingers off her jacket. "Don't worry, it's never malfunctioned before, and it doesn't hurt, I promise," she told him, remembering that he'd never been through a tube before.

He didn't look convinced, but he was worried about more than being disintegrated and put back together in space. "They know I'm coming, right?"

She pressed her lips together, understanding why he was suddenly so nervous. "Yes, of course."

"And…they're ok with it?" he pressed, shifting his gaze to her face, searching for any sign that she was lying.

She didn't look away as she answered, "yes." He didn't say anything for a few seconds, and she tilted her head and smiled a little. "Come on, let's go introduce the team to their newest member." She led him to the tube and held his hand as it scanned them together. His grip tightened when the tube whirred to life, and she chuckled to herself when he shut his eyes for the transport. The familiar feeling of falling came, then they appeared on the Bridge of the Watchtower a second later. He still didn't open his eyes and she rolled her eyes, chuckling again. "That wasn't so bad, huh?" she asked quietly.

He cracked an eye open, and she stepped back, watching his face as he took in the Watchtower for the first time. His jaw went slack, a look of wonder coming to his face. He let go of her hand and walked forward almost in a trance, taking in the high ceilings, the designs on the walls and floors, and most of all the windows facing the Earth. He didn't stop walking until he was standing right in front of the glass, his eyes fixed on the planet below. "It's…"

She smiled, nodding in agreement as her eyes finally left his face to follow his gaze. It never got old, watching people see this for the first time. Wait until you see the calm room," she said. "Come on, they'll be waiting for us in the common room."

He reluctantly tore himself away from the view to follow her down the hall to the living area of the satellite. The team and League were gathered in the common room. As soon as she opened the doors, Zatanna had an arm slung around her neck in a side hug.

"You did it!" she squealed right in her friend's ear.

Mallory chuckled, glancing at the glass in the magician's hand and wondering how many she'd had. "Yeah, well, we won't know until they announce their decision, but it's a start." She detangled herself from her friend and the girl looked at the new face.

"Jr! I heard you made the team, welcome to the family! You'll be great! Come on, come on, you have to meet everyone!" She grabbed his wrist and started to pull him along.

Mallory chuckled and shook her head, taking the glass out of her friend's hand. "Ok, I'm cutting you off."

"Hey," Zatanna protested weakly, pouting. "I haven't had that much. Besides, we're celebrating! You just took on Luthor in public. It's a win, take it."

Mallory shook her head, not giving the glass back. "Sorry, but if I have to stay sober, I'd like some relative company."

"Fine," Zatanna said dramatically, then immediately perked up and continued to drag Jr off to meet the younger members of the team.

Mallory shook her head, watching her ex start to relax as he mingled with the members of the team that he already knew. She made her way through the crowd to put her friend's drink on the counter, saying greetings and listening to peoples' comments about her and Conner's win at the UN. She had her eyes fixed on the only quiet corner left, but she'd hardly made it two steps when she felt arms wrap around her from behind. She half turned, already knowing whose they were.

"Congrats," Dick said, letting her go. Roy and Kaldur were with him and she tilted her head at the dad.

"What are you doing here? It's a school night, you don't do anything fun on school nights anymore. Or, you know, ever."

He shook his head. "Ha ha. Lian's fine, she's with your parents, actually."

"How'd that happen?"

"Well, they offered when I called to ask if they knew where I was supposed to pick up your surprise."

"My surprise?"

The boys grinned and Kaldur turned around, nodding across the room where Alex was talking to Barry and Hal. It was her turn to drop her jaw, but she recovered quickly, a smile automatically replacing the surprise. "So I take it you approve?" she asked, glancing at them.

"Eh, he's all right," Dick said, shrugging.

"Better than the criminal, I guess," Roy added.

Mallory scoffed, crossing her arms. "Oh, I know that did not just come out your mouth. How is Cheshire, by the way?"

He rolled his eyes and Kaldur shook his head. "In all seriousness," the Atlantean said, stopping the good natured argument before it could start, "everyone likes him, and it appears that he is good for you. You seem happy."

The smile came back to her face as she shifted her gaze back to the doctor. "I am. You know, I've never been in a relationship with someone that isn't a part of this one way or another. I didn't even think it was possible, but…" When she looked back at the boys, they were all smiling, and her cheek flushed a bit as she looked away, shutting herself down. "Whatever," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "I better go save Barry. I'm sure he's already had to explain in detail how he got his powers and how they work."

She sidled up to the group just as Alex was asking Barry how his body managed to cool down when he was running, though her first comment wasn't directed to either participant. Instead, she put a hand on Hal's shoulder. "Hey, good to see you back up here. How's Carol?"

He nodded. "She's good. Better, actually, now that I'm getting out of the house for more than an hour at a time."

She nodded. "Good." She tilted her head, looking at Alex. "Hey, the guys just told me you were here."

"Yeah, they brought me with them. This place is amazing, and I got to meet–"

She laughed, nodding. "Yeah, I know. You want to grab something to eat?" He nodded and walked with her to the counter, where she made a plate of nachos and grabbed a soda off the bar.

Alex barely even glanced at the food spread out, he was still scanning the crowd, some in costumes and some in civies. "I can't believe this," he murmured, keeping his voice low so she was the only one who could hear. "In forty minutes, I met Aquaman, Icon, a Martian, the Flash… and there's dozens more, all with their own reason for being here. Aliens, meta humans, exceptional human beings. I could spend a lifetime studying any one of them, finding the exact codon of their genes that makes them the way they are. There could be a hero gene, the one difference that makes an ordinary…" he scanned the room and gestured to Dick and Roy, who had moved to talk to Canary, "human choose to jump off rooftops and chase bad guys." He looked back to Mallory and tilted his head at the amused look on her face. "What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, I just like it when you go off on your tangents."

"Sorry, I'm just…this is too much. Every member of the Justice League in the same room at the same time, and I get to be here? I will owe you for the rest of my life."

She chuckled. "Well, if you want, you could start paying me back by letting me slip out."

He tilted his head. "Where are you going?"

"Just to one of the rooms, after I grab enough snacks to last me a couple of days."

"You all right?"

"Yeah, fine, just not really in the mood for a crowd. You should finish meeting everyone, though. I'll get you started with Superman. Let me know how you diagnose that his freeze breath works, will you?"

Alex smiled, a thoughtful look coming to his face. "I would assume his cells can become more saturated with oxygen than a human's, therefore allowing his lungs to intake more air, and it's probably actually superheated when it comes out, making the heat dissipate quickly to the air around it and leaving the original air arctic temperatures. His body would also have to handle heat distribution differently, since he can absorb radiation from the sun and convert the energy into…" he stopped himself with a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Come on, I'll keep you company."

She led the way to the room, choosing the furthest one from the gathering. They settled on the bed, the only place to sit in the room. As soon as she was off her feet, Mallory rolled her neck and pulled off her mask, jacket, and boots. "That took forever," she muttered, starting to work on the knot that had been in her neck since they got to the UN.

"It was worth it, though, wasn't it? If you can send Luthor to prison?" Alex asked, taking over rubbing her shoulder, his skilled hands applying pressure with just enough force to ease the muscle without hurting it.

"It might have been worth it, he'll always have a shadow over his reputation, but he's not going to prison."

"But you gave them evidence, you have eyewitnesses willing to testify, you have lawyers that work for the League, don't you?"

"Actually…no, just a PR agent, and we didn't even want her at first. We do have a lawyer in the League, though."

"Ok, so why can't they go after Luthor? It's an airtight case."

She shook her head. "He's one of the most powerful people on the planet, with even more powerful friends. Nothing will stick, and even if it did, no one would be able to keep him in prison."

"Hey, take the win. Worry about that another day. Is that why you're not out there with the others?"

She twisted her lips, shaking her head. "Brion's not here."

"He needs time, he'll come around."

"Yeah, well, I can't see him being happy that we're up here celebrating after what happened to Tara."

"Tara is the reason you should be out there with the others. This is a win for all of you, especially her. You're starting to get justice for her by confronting the first of the many people who manipulated and abused her. It's only a matter of time before you get the rest."

She sighed, then managed a smile. "Thanks, I needed to hear that." She rolled her shoulders, the knot all worked out. "I don't know, maybe I should just go home." She scoffed and added, "not that going back to an empty apartment sounds any better."

"You want to stay at my place tonight? You still have leftover fajitas and a bowl of queso in my fridge."

"Mmm, and half a movie. What part did I fall asleep on?"

"The apartment getting shot up. How can you fall asleep on every action movie I put on?"

She laughed. "Well, when you catch me after work and patrol, it happens, I'm sorry. I'll make it to the end this time, promise." Suddenly she groaned and flopped onto her stomach. "Ugh, work. I'm gonna have to go back to my place in the morning and grab my clothes and files. I'll have to be up at like five to make it in time."

"What if you didn't have to?" Alex asked.

"What, you mean pick it up before?"

"Among other things," he said awkwardly, suddenly looking nervous.

Mallory sat back up, tilting her head. "Are you asking me to move in with you?"

He raised his eyebrows slightly, studying her face to gauge her reaction. "Only if there's a chance you'll say yes."

"Hmm," she said.

"What?"

"Nothing, just 'hmm'. Don't you think we should settle on a title before I start packing up my stuff?"

"Oh, I didn't know we were missing that. Well, then," he got off the bed and knelt down on one knee. Mallory arched an eyebrow, wary of where this was going, but he just grinned and took her hand in his as he began, "Mallory Alita Johnson, Inferno, will you be my girlfriend?"

A wave of relief went through her and she laughed, pulling him up and getting to her feet to meet him. "Well, when you put it like that, yes."