Young Justice #1: "Here's A Story..."

A strong wind swept across the plains of Kansas, bringing with it a bitter north wind that caused Martha Kent to shiver as she finished up the evening dishes. She had never been a fan of this time of year; at one point even broaching the idea to Jonathan of spending the winters in a warmer climate. He had gently nixed the idea with several reasons why they couldn’t, so Martha had dropped the subject with the hope that he would decide to do it on his own. He never did, though, and for a while after he had passed away she took to the notion again, but life seemed to have other plans for her.

CRASH!

Namely... him. “Conner?!” she called from the kitchen door.

“Everything’s fine, Ma!” came the teenage voice, a bit too quickly. “Just umm... knocked over my table lamp. I’ll take care of it.”

Her eyebrow raised, the matriarch of the Kent homestead made her way up the stairs, slowing just a bit as she heard her new ward whispering for someone to watch what they were doing. Her curiosity was piqued as she made sure to avoid the second step to the top so that it wouldn’t creek.

When she approached the door she could hear the voice of not only the young man, but a female voice as well. Though she had been feeling a bit guilty for sneaking around by his door, that changed the instant she heard the giggling of a young girl. At that point, she had no problem bursting through the door of his bedroom.

The young blonde girl was sitting on the edge of the bed, a school book across her lap. Connor lay on his back on the floor, tossing a football into the air. When the door flew open, the girl jumped up with a small scream that startled Connor who missed the ball; it smashed into his face.

“What’s going on in here?” Ma Kent demanded, though it was pretty obvious to her what she had stepped in on. She immediately started fluctuating between anger and embarrassment.

“Jeez, Ma!” her young ward shouted as he held his nose. “We were doing homework. You could have knocked.”

“I see. Well then, I apologize. I must have been miles away not to hear the knock at the door when she got here.”

Both kids turned the same shade of red. The girl stood up suddenly. “I think I better be going.”

“I think that would be for the best, dear,” Martha said with a pleasant enough smile. She stood at the door, the same fake look on her face, as she watched the girl gather her books and placed them back in her bag before heading towards the window. Martha cleared her throat which stopped the girl cold. Without looking at Ma Kent she rushed past the older lady and down the stairs.

Not until they heard the front door close and heard her feet depart the porch did Martha finally speak. “Please tell me she climbed up the trellis.”

“Of course! I’m not stupid.”

“I didn’t say you were. You know the rules, Connor. What on Earth has gotten into you?”

He sat on the floor with his back to his bed, his knees drawn up towards his chest. Now he was refusing to look at her. “We were studying, that’s all.”

“And that’s fine, but when you sneak a girl in your room, you are not showing me responsibility. You could have just asked if... if... what is her name?”

“Terri.”

“You could have just asked if Terri could come over to study with you. Would that have been so difficult?”

“You would have let us study in my room?”

She hesitated for a second. “Well... no, but the two of you could have studied in the kitchen or the dining room.”

“That’s what I figured,” he mumbled more to himself than to her.

“Promise me this is not going to happen again?”

Connor sighed as he stood up to face her. It was obvious that he was unhappy, but he was also smart enough to know that the chewing-out section of the program was about to conclude. “I promise.”

Her eyebrow arched as she gave him a look before shutting the door and leaving him alone. As she walked slowly down the steps she shook her head. It was times like this that she missed Jonathan even more. “We never had these problems with Clark.”

As soon as the door shut, Connor threw himself on his bed and stared up at his ceiling. “Ten to one she’s mumbling that Clark never did stuff like this,” he grumbled to himself. “Clark was perfect. Clark was dutiful. I’m beginning to wonder if Clark was actually ever a teenager.”

His cell phone went off and he snatched it up before the second ring. His mood brightened slightly as he saw who it was that was calling him. Flipping the phone open he rolled onto his side and spoke in his deepest voice possible. “What can I do for you?”

Cassie Sandsmark’s voice came across the other end. “Wow, that voice really made my heart stop for a moment.”

“It did?” Connor asked sitting up quickly.

“No. Listen, can you meet me in Gotham? I’ve already called Tim and he’ll be waiting for us on top of the Watchtower. I’ve got somebody I want you guys to meet.”

It took Connor all of seven seconds to agree and hang up the phone. Sure, he was already in trouble with Ma, but he had been doing this routine for a while now. He quickly turned off all his lights but his fish tank before putting the makeshift dummy he had created into his bed.

Then, walking over to the door, he opened it enough to shout down the stairs. “Ma, I’m turning in early.”

“Alright,” her voice called back from the living room. “See you in the morning.”

With a sly grin on his face he shut the door, changed into his traditional outfit and quietly opened the bedroom window. His grin became wide as he soared into the night sky at super-speed towards Gotham .

Martha Kent watched him leave from the front porch, her arms folded in front of her. She shook her head and a smile of her own crept onto her face. “Now that is something Clark used to do all the time.”



Two kicks to the sternum and an uppercut to the jaw took the thief out. Robin used the zip cuffs that he always carried on him to make sure the man was tied up securely, before he turned his attention to the old couple who were cowering in the corner.

“Were either of you hurt?” Tim Drake asked.

The woman shook her head, unable to speak, but the man with her blurted out, “No, he didn’t get a chance. You were on top of him before he could even reach for my wife’s purse. Thank you so much, Robin.”

“Just doing my job, sir.” He gave them both a curt nod before shooting the grapple gun and disappearing up towards the rooftop. He somersaulted onto the roof, landing lightly on his boots.

“Just doing my job, sir?” the voice of Wonder Girl said from behind him. He turned with a sheepish look on his face. “Are you serious?” she asked.

“Too much?”

“You’ve been hanging around with Superman too long,” she said as a sudden burst of wind sent her hair flying up as well as Robin’s cape flapping hard to the left.

“Hey there!” the ginger-haired boy in his silver and red costume exclaimed. “Robin, right? Big fan!”

“Is this...?” Tim asked Cassie.

“This is Impulse; the guy I was telling you about.”

They shook hands. “So are you from Central City as well?” Robin asked him.

“Yep! Been there for...” he stopped suddenly, the smile on his face disappearing quickly, “... a while. Been there for a while now.”

Impulse never got to see the curious look the other two gave each other because at that moment he was struck in the back by a pulse blast that sent him flying off the side of the building.

Wonder Girl reacted quickly, running after him; leaping off the edge and flying towards the barely-conscious friend she had just recently made. He was plummeting fast, forcing her to push her power of flight further then she ever had before. Sweat broke out on her brow as she tried desperately to pour on the speed. Finally she was able to get just past him, turning on a dime and scooping him up in her arms.

Jetting back onto the roof she saw two more of the same golden robots that had been attacking Impulse when she met him*, firing shots at Robin who was leaping from one side of the roof to the other. His staff was out and he was using it to aid in his quick dodges.

*Flash #35

“What are these things?” Tim called out as he rolled on the cement, his cape getting singed by a blast that barely missed him.

“These are the things that were attacking Impulse before. No idea what they are, but they obviously want this guy real bad like,” she replied while laying Impulse down gently.
Without a second thought she took off again into the night sky, her right arm out in front of her, hand clenched tightly into a fist. She slammed into the first one, causing it to tilt dangerously on the edge of the building.

“Careful!” Robin shouted. “If those things fall to the streets they’re going to hurt someone.” He ran between the metal legs of the second one as it moved to follow him; firing its laser canon the whole time. “We’ve got to shut them down quick or the damage they’re doing to this building is going to be massive.”

Cassie was already flying behind the one she had attacked; her body weaving in between the energy beams that were blasting through the air in bright yellow jets of energy. “Just give me a second,” she called as she changed her direction, flying below the robotic creature and picking it up with both hands. With one giant heave, she tossed the metallic monstrosity across town and into the bay.

“Where is Superboy?” Robin wondered out loud as he found an opening and used his staff to propel him onto the back of the other attacker.

“Superboy? We don’t need him, we’ve got me,” Wonder Girl said with an obvious edge in her voice. “Unless you’re saying I can’t handle this.”

Placing some sort of explosive on the robot’s back and setting it, Robin somersaulted off. “No, of course not,” he was quick to reply. He didn’t know a lot about his new friend, but her opinion of Conner had been pretty obvious from the beginning.

Cassie gave him a look as if to say sure you didn’t, but let it drop. “Are you sure you want to blow the thing up right here?” she cautioned as she drew its attention away from Batman’s partner.

“If it works right, there shouldn’t be any explosion.” He pressed a small button on his belt.

There was a crackle of energy from the device before blue electricity shot out of it, encompassing the robot. It stopped firing at Cassie, realizing the overload of energy that it was now dealing with. As Wonder Girl hovered in the air and Robin watched from a few feet away, it began to shake fiercely. Tim could feel the building shake under his boots as he watched the robot make several more jerking motions before stopping in its tracks – dead to the world.

“Not bad,” Wonder Girl complimented as she landed beside him. “Not as fun as a haymaker, but still impressive.”

Tim smiled at her. “I was taught that it wasn’t all about the brawn.”

Her retort would have to wait as the building began to shake again. They were both taken by surprise when they found themselves suddenly lifted off the ground and down the side of the building in less than a second. It made Tim’s eyes water.

“What the..?” Cassie started.

Impulse grinned. “Sorry, no time to explain. When these things are defeated they self-destruct – see.” He pointed to the top of the building they were just on.

The robot they had just shut down was once again shaking, but this time smoke was beginning to pour out of it.

“That thing is going to explode?” Tim cried out. “And take out the top three floors of that apartment building in the process?” He gave Impulse a withering look.

Swallowing hard, Bart nodded his head. “Uhh... yeah. I didn’t think about that.”

Tim turned to Wonder Girl. “Cassie...!”

Wonder Girl was already flying up the side of the building. ‘On it!” she called out. Her pulse was racing. Diana would be more than a little upset if she knew what Cassie was doing right now, but Cassie had never felt more alive. In fact, she was beginning to consider the notion that she only really existed when she was in battle. This was what she was born to do.

She didn’t even hesitate or slow down as she reached out, grabbing the robot under its arms. “Sorry, tin man, but this just isn’t your day.”

Impulse and Robin watched her soar into the night sky with the mechanical menace. She went further and further up until she was no longer visible to the human eye. Then there was a flash and the sky lit up brightly as the robot exploded.

“Oh no...” Robin muttered as he switched his domino mask to binocular lenses. He scanned the sky looking for any traces of his new friend.

“Do you see her? Do you?” Impulse asked while his body seemed to vibrate in nervous energy. “Tell me you see her.”

“I’m not seeing... wait, there she is! She’s unconscious and coming down fast. This is not good. Looks like she’s going to hit near Arkham Asylum.” He turned to Impulse. “Come on, let’s go!”



They were not the only ones who had witnessed Wonder Girl’s act of bravery. As the two boys took off at super-speed, a woman watched from the roof across the street, partially hidden by the water tower.

She cursed to herself as she saw the blonde heroine plummeting to the ground – apparently dead. If she wasn’t, the fall very well could kill her. Her boss was not going to like this at all. The idea of having to call her and inform her of the situation actually caused her blood to grow cold and her skin to grow goose bumps.

However, she knew putting it off would only make her boss madder. She brought out her cell phone and dialed the number. It only rang once before it was picked up.

“Yes,” the female voice on the other end greeted her.

“It’s me, Rhonda.”

“I know who this is, you fool. What is the news?”

The woman called Rhonda cleared her throat. “Not good, Doctor. It appears that Wonder Girl just died when a giant robot exploded.”

“Are you sure she’s dead?”

“Well, I can’t imagine anyone besides Superman who could have survived that.”

“Really? Do you even live on this planet, you moron? I could name about three dozen of those freaks that could survive it. Hell, Blue Beetle could probably survive it! Go find out for sure. If she’s not dead, let me know immediately. I’ve come too far and invested too much time in that child to have it ruined now!”

“Yes, Dr. Zuel. Right away. Am I going to be reimbursed for the gas on this trip?” she asked suddenly as the idea popped into her head.

The dial tone on the other end answered her question for her.



Wonder Girl was not dead, but her body ached and her mind was fuzzy as she fell to Earth. Her ears were ringing and she knew she was falling, but there was nothing she could do about it. Barely conscious, she did wonder if she was going to survive the fall. If not, Diana was going to be mad.

Diana. After all these months the name still brought out a rage in her. When Donna was training her, Cassie was fine, but every time Wonder Woman showed up it started all over again. She had to swallow the feelings of hatred and revulsion that would try to rise from her very core. And she knew that Diana was aware of it, yet she treated her like a little sister. It had become embarrassing. This was a passing thought as she realized that in seconds it probably wouldn’t even matter.

Her body stopped in mid-air. Through the fog that was clouding her sight, she could see the dark-haired figure that was holding her. A knight in shining armor was her first thought.

“Hey there, just in the nick of time, huh?” Superboy grinned down at her.

Called that wrong, Cassie thought. She whispered something as she felt him continue to lower her to the ground.

“What’s that?” Conner asked, leaning in to hear her.

“Just drop me,” she muttered.

Superboy grinned. “Ah, you’re welcome. Hey look, there’s Robin. That other kid must be who you wanted me to meet.” When there was no response he glanced at her dazed face. “You going to be okay?”

“When you let go of me,” she muttered as her vision began to clear.

His body stiffened and she felt him release her. She once again began to fall to the ground. “HEY! I was just kidding, you dork!”

Now conscious enough to gather herself together, she was able to stop herself, taking to flight and heading soaring back up towards Superboy. She didn’t know what kind of game he was playing, but she was going to find out.

“What do you think you’re...” She started to scream but realized that now Superboy was falling to the ground. His body was going into convulsions and his eyes were glazed over.

“Conner!” she screamed in shock as she caught him. She lowered them both to the ground where Impulse and Robin were waiting for them.

“Whoa, is that Superboy?” Bart asked excitedly. “I’ve seen him on television but he’s a lot bigger in person. Of course television makes people look smaller and heavier. You ever notice that?”

Ignoring him, Robin kneeled next to Conner. “What happened?”

Cassie shrugged. “One minute he’s trying to be all Ashton Kutcher and the next he stiffened up like Britney Spears on Will and Grace.”

Reaching to Conner’s far shoulder, Tim rolled him over onto his stomach and began to examine him. “What is that?” he whispered to himself, his glove touching the back of Conner’s neck.

The other two leaned in to see the small hole that was now a part of the Boy of Steel. It was three inches deep and there was a faint green glow that was emanating from it.

“Whoa! I bet that’s Kryptonite! I heard all about that when we were studying Superman in my history class. You think that’s what it is?” Bart asked anxiously.

“History class?” Wonder Girl looked up at him, puzzled.

Impulse stopped pacing. “So what should we do with him?”

“Hand him over, would be the wise decision,” the voice from behind them said.

They all turned to see an oddly-dressed man standing in front of them. He was holding a weapon in his hand and his eyes were black as coal.

“Who are you? What did you do to Superboy?” Robin demanded as he stood up, placing himself in front of Conner’s body.

“I’m Dr. Xadu, little man, and your friend is my property. Now if you and your friends will extricate yourselves from the area, I shall gather my work and be off.”

“You’re crazy, old man,” Wonder Girl said as she stepped over Conner to stand next to Robin.

“Yeah, you’ve got to go through us to get to him,” Impulse declared as he moved to stand on the other side of Tim. “And just to let you know, I can take that gun out of your hands before you even think about squeezing the-”

Dr. Xadu squeezed the trigger and released an electrical charge that caught the three of them off guard. They all went flying through the air, landing several feet away – stunned.

Quickly, Xadu placed a small device on Kon-El’s back and flipped a switch. There was a flash of light and then the young man simply vanished.

“Finally,” Dr. Xadu muttered as he too vanished into thin air, leaving the other three lying in a heap.

To Be Continued...


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