#26: Foundations (Feeney / HoM / Rimmer)

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Buddy Baker was awake at dawn, every day, on the dot, without fail. He went for a run, sometimes a fly, and was always home before Cliff and Maxine got up. Ellen would be the first to wake after him, her arm searching for him in dawn’s early light, and finding him missing. She would smile at this revelation-- she could always feel him, even if he wasn’t there, and she knew that he was downstairs, getting ready for the day ahead, devising new stunts for whatever production his company was working on that day, or making packed lunches for the children. She would come downstairs, he would see her and smile-- a smile that would make her day then and there, the kind of smile that said ‘I love you’ more than words ever could, and then they would kiss. After that, they would giggle, sweethearts till the end, and he would hand her a mug of coffee. Breakfast was always ready on the table by the time the children stumbled downstairs, Maxine always before Cliff, and he welcomed them with open arms.

Buddy Baker had a perfect life.

And then came the knock at the door.

Ellen took a sip of her coffee, and then arched an eyebrow. “Bit early for the postman, isn’t it, Buddy?”

Buddy grinned, and shook his head. “Probably Mr. Druthers with some neighbourhood watch nonsense, Ellen. I’ll go see what’s up with him today.”

Buddy ruffled Cliff’s hair as he exited the kitchen, and then went to the front of the house, unlocking the door and opening it wide.

“Hello, Buddy. It’s great to see you again, it’s been too long.” Superman gave him that warm farmboy smile of his. “Can I come in?”

Now. Tokyo. Approx. 11pm.

Kimiyo Hoshi buried herself in her work. That was her way-- concentrate on the subject at hand, and work and work until it came to fruition. If it didn’t come to fruition? Well... that had never happened to her; whenever she put her mind to something, it came about, and as such, she was renowned throughout the scientific world. Recently, she’d been missing calls from Professors Ray Palmer and Martin Stein from across the world, but other things had gotten in the way of returning them. Kimiyo was finding less and less time to devote to exploring the vast world of science... and finding more and more time to battle the ghoulish atomic monsters that wrecked havoc on her home land of Japan. Because Kimiyo wasn’t just Professor Hoshi anymore. Through a strange twist of fate and mad science, she was now Doctor Light-- and thoroughly hating it.

<“Oh no you don’t!”>

The monster was not created by the nuclear fires that used to burn so bright nearby... Kimiyo hated that she could tell that-- she had become quite the expert in monster-fighting recently. Japan was an island nation beset by atomically-fuelled monsters. A reminder of war and death that refused to leave the lands and rivers of the place. This thing though, with its eight enormous legs, the dozen eyes all staring directly at Hoshi... this thing was not of Island Zero. As it wove thick, steel-cable-strength webs across the skyscrapers, Doctor Light wove her own web-- infinitely bright, infinitely sharp, a web of light that snapped the cables that held this spider-monster high up in the city and caused it to hurtle toward the ground.

Hoshi cursed her own naivette, not realising in the heat of the moment that the city below was still at risk, but before she could act on the danger she herself had nearly caused, the monster floated in mid-air, a golden band of light ensnaring its carapace.

<“You looked as if you could use a hand, sister,”> said a voice, high up above the city.

<“Oh, my,”> was Doctor Light’s only response, as Wonder Woman began to pull the monster away from Toyko with her Lasso of Truth.

Wonder Woman grinned as Doctor Light approached slowly. <“Can we talk?”>

Three Days Ago:

The Queen of Themiscyra’s eyebrow arched ever so slightly as she closed the door quietly but firmly behind her. She delicately brushed aside a soaking wet lock of hair from in front of her eyes and advanced into the deserted bar, conscious of the unnatural suit she was forced to wear to remain indiscreet. Nobody here, it seemed. Funny, she thought mirthlessly- the last time they had assembled here*, she had been the first too. Well, unless one counted the bartender, at any rate. That was, assuming… And then her suspicions seemed to be confirmed as she heard something move.



Her eyes narrowed and she glanced around- the room was not large, but it was lit only by the dim light of a lamp which she suspected had last been cleaned before she had set foot on Man’s World. And that left a lot of shadows in the corners.

“Batman?” she asked quietly. “Are you there?” She took a step towards the back corner. “Batman, if you’re skulking there….”

“Wrong Batman,” came a voice- but it was not a thick snarl, not a dark, guttural growl- instead it was spoken with a distinct lightness to it, almost a playfulness. She turned to see a familiar figure in the Bat-costume stride out of a second door. “I was checking to make sure no-one was in the back,” he explained, and she nodded and favoured him with a tight smile.

“Always alert. It’s… good to see you again, Dick.” He was wearing a smile on his face- not a smirk, not even that slight tilt of the mouth which passed for a grin from Bruce, but an actual smile of genuine pleasure. The new Batman was so different from the old. Although perhaps not that different. She had to wonder how he had managed to infiltrate the bar in his full costume. And without getting even damp, at that, despite the pouring rain outside.

“Diana’s right,” came another voice- deeper, simultaneously more authoritative and more friendly. “We haven’t seen nearly enough of you since you donned the cowl.” The unmistakable voice of…

“Clark,” she greeted him, her smile widening as she turned. He had entered quietly enough, closing the door behind himself and shaking water out of his hat, still in his Clark Kent persona- which was, after all, no secret to those who would be in attendance. “I presume it was you who asked for this little meeting then?”

“…Me?” His smile faded ever so slightly, one eyebrow cocked. “It wasn’t me, Diana. I had assumed…”

“It certainly wasn’t me.” Dick raised both hands before either turned to him. “I have enough to be dealing with in Gotham. I’ve never even been to this bar before today.” For a moment, they exchanged quizzical glances. But… if it wasn’t one of them, then…

“For the World’s Greatest Heroes, you do seem to forget that you’re not the only ones,” growled another voice- seemingly more amused than angry, as the door banged open yet again, revealing the silhouette of another figure against the pouring rain.

“Ah,” Diana inclined her head. “We should have remembered- it was you who called us here last time, too, wasn’t it?”

“It was,” he confirmed, shutting the door tightly behind him as he stepped in, seemingly completely at ease despite the rain dripping down his muscular body. “That time it was to hand in my resignation from the Justice League. This time it’s entirely different.” Aquaman paused for a moment, and then looked up, eyes burning with fire. “This time I’m here to tell you to rebuild it.”

“Rebuild it?” Clark and Diana exchanged a bewildered look. “Arthur, the League still stands.” Clark began, but he was cut off swiftly. It wasn’t often that happened. Few enough people dared to, these days.

“Well,” Aquaman grunted, looking between them, “after a fashion.”

“If you don’t feel we’ve been doing a good enough job--” Diana started hotly, but he held up both hands defensively.

“You’ve been doing what you could, Diana, with what you had. I’m not trying to offend anyone, but…”

“Heyeveryeonewhatdidwemiss?” There was a blur of light and then Barry was standing among them, panting. There were few things in life that you could truly depend on, but Barry Allen being late was always one of them. Even as the door closed behind him, it was held by a giant green hand- so Hal had come with Barry. The Brave and the Bold.

“I was just saying,” Arthur cut back in, unperturbed, “that I think the League has lost its way. I’m not going to mince words here; things have changed. We’ve all been thinking it... you’ve been doing brilliant work since we.. since we stopped being the League. Since we broke up. But this... this crisis with Nekron, and the Injustice, Unlimited case, changed everything. Half the League resigned, we had to call upon every other team on the planet to fight Nekron... and we’re not back at full strength yet.”

“Nekron?” interrupted another voice, and Diana had to wonder whether or not all her friends enjoyed waiting outside doors so that they could interrupt at particularly dramatic moments. It certainly seemed to happen a lot in this profession at any rate. “…I fail to see the problem. We defeated Nekron,” the Martian Manhunter pointed out as he stepped through the wall, completing the gathering.

“By the skin of our teeth, and at the greatest of costs,” rebutted Aquaman forcefully. “We nearly lost the world itself, because when push came to shove, we weren’t organised. We weren’t ready. It was luck that we were able to survive, and I’m not comfortable with that.”

“What are you proposing?” J’onn replied for the others, expression unreadable as ever.

“Well,” smiled Aquaman, glancing around the room...

Now. Los Angeles. Approx. 7am.

“Is the world ending?” Buddy Baker looked around frantically. “Should I be worried? I knew I should have worn my Animal Man costume this morning-- well, no, I didn’t, but I knew that I knew I should--!”

“No, no, Buddy, sorry, the world isn’t ending today.” Superman smiled, as Buddy took a step to the side, and allowed him to enter his home. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Well, it’s just... you’ve... I’ve...” Buddy finally started to breathe. “Can I get you a cup of coffee?”

Superman nodded. “I would love a cup of coffee.”

“Daddy?” Maxine Baker poked her head out of the kitchen, and her eyes widened as she saw Superman. He was about to wave when she ducked back into the kitchen.

“Heh,” said Superman.

“Sorry, I normally keep the super-heroics and the family separate, they didn’t wake up this morning expecting to see... well... Superman standing in the foyer.”

“It’s fine, I’ve had worse reactions to my sudden appearance.”

“Pssh, yeah, whatever.” Buddy didn’t realise what he said until it was out there in the open, lingering in the conversation like a fly buzzing about in the corner of the room. Superman was this brilliant man-- the hero all heroes aspire to be like-- and he was standing in Buddy’s home, and he had offered him coffee. He wondered, then and there, if Superman was trying to ease him into the concept of the world ending, or if, maybe a more compelling and reasonable option, if he’d gone to sleep in the real world, and crossed over into the Twilight Zone. “Let’s get you that coffee then, shall we?”

Buddy hurried into his kitchen, and Superman followed, smiling. “Hello.”

“Oh, my,” whispered Ellen, and Buddy nudged her, smiling. “Coffee?”

Superman merely nodded, but before long, Maxine and Cliff were both looking up to him with wide eyes, Cliff ecstatic, Maxine apprehensive. “You’re Superman, right?” asked Cliff, as Buddy turned from pouring a cup of hot coffee.

“Yes, I am,” Superman said in reply.

“You are so cool,” yelped Cliff, as he jumped up and down. “Our dad is friends with Superman! Superman is in our kitchen! This is so cool!” Cliff turned to his father, and grinned broadly. “You know this means that you have gone up twelve cool points by association, right, Dad?”

“I do now, Cliff. Take your sister into the front, and watch your cartoons.” Cliff moaned loudly, but Buddy shook his head. “You can take your cereal with you.” Cliff punched the air, and took both his and Maxine’s bowls, then vanished with her into the front room. “Sorry about that, Superman. Kids, you know...”

“It’s Kal, Buddy, and yes, I have become aware recently.”

“Really? Interesting! Give me a minute, I’ll just go get my costume,” Buddy hurried out of the kitchen, leaving Ellen and Superman alone.

“So, you’re a father?” said Ellen, finally, breaking the silence between them.

“Something like that, yes, Mrs. Baker. I am raising a boy who is my biological clone, sharing 50% of my DNA. He is quite a handful,” replied Superman, as he slowly sipped his coffee. When he was done, his face lit up, and his smile returned wider than before. “This tastes great! If I may be so bold, could I ask what beans you use?”

“Columbian,” replied Buddy, as he reentered, zipping up his costume, and pulling his goggles over his head. “I know a guy who knows a guy...”

“It reminds me of Rannian black tea; a wonderful brew, if I do say so myself. I’ll have to drop some off next time I’m in the neighbourhood.”

“That would be lovely, Kal,” said Ellen in response. “I’ll leave you two boys to get on with whatever you wanted to talk about, I’ll take the kids their orange juice. It was a pleasure meeting you, Kal. And please, call me Ellen.”

Superman nodded. “The pleasure was all mine,” he said, and then he and Animal Man were standing in the kitchen, Buddy joining in on the nodding. “You’re probably wondering why I’m here.”

“Absolutely,” Buddy said, laughing.

“Could I borrow you for a few hours? There’s no Earth-shattering crisis, no leak in the multiverse, nothing so dramatic. I want to show you something.”

“Sure, I’ll call my guys, they can handle the stunt set up today, I can clear my day.” Buddy took out his cellphone from his pocket, “then we’ll be on our way.”

“Fantastic, Buddy,” said Superman. “I’ll meet you outside.” Superman waved goodbye to the Baker family and then stepped into the back garden, the early risers with their pruning scissors and mowers stopping what they were doing as he admired Ellen Baker’s garden. When he looked up, and saw them staring he waved. “Good morning.”

Buddy was in the living room in an instant. “That was Superman. In our kitchen. That was so cool.” He grinned, and hoisted up Cliff. “You were not wrong, kiddo. Cool points galore.”

“Daaaad, you said galore, that’s like minus three cool points...”

Buddy put Cliff down, and grinned. “I’m going flying with him. I’ll be out all day. What do you say to that, my beautiful, beautiful, little girl?” He took Maxine in his arms and swirled her around, his daughter giggling as he went. “I’ll take your smile as an okay.” Buddy hugged her, and then put her down. “I’ve called the guys, they’ll handle today at the set. I’ll be home for dinner, okay? At least, I think I will.”

“Just be careful, Buddy. That’s all I ask.” She kissed him, and he gave her that same smile he gave every time he saw her in the morning. “What am I saying? Of course you’ll be careful, you’re my husband.”

“See you later, kids!” Animal Man and Superman started to fly, soaring into the clouds, and when they were miles up, and miles away from Buddy’s home, he finally turned to Kal, and cleared his throat. “So, I guess I should ask... what’s up?”

Superman smiled again. “We’re restructuring the Justice League. And we want you in.”

Now. Tokyo. Approx. 11pm.

Doctor Light couldn’t believe her ears. She was floating above the clouds, supported by nothing but her own powers, beside Wonder Woman, who was basking in the view of the world all around. Kimiyo couldn’t help but be in awe of this woman, this hero. She may not have wanted to be a hero, but if she was part of this community... Wonder Woman would be the person she could revere. Respect. <“Me? In the Justice League? The Justice League of America?”>

Wonder Woman shook her head. <“Popular misconception. Just the Justice League. A collective of the world’s greatest heroes, defending humanity from threats based in science and magic, from extra-terrestrial and under-terrestrial. You fought beside us during the Black Sun Crisis, part of a larger version of the League. And we saw you-- we heard of your valour, your bravery, and the most interesting thing, for me, Kimiyo--”>

<“I’m sorry, Wonder Woman--”>

Wonder Woman nodded slowly, but interupted. <“Diana, please.”>

<“Diana,”> Kimiyo started again, <“I don’t want to be a hero. I never chose this life, it chose me, I don’t know how I got my powers... a weird fluke of existence? Some previously unknown metagene? Maybe I’m a freak like the monsters that I, and other heroes of my home, battle every other month. But I didn’t choose this life. I think it best if you go ask, umm, Booster Gold, or someone. I hear he is big into saving people for recognition and fame. I, on the other hand, not so much.”>

“Exactly,” replied Wonder Woman. The smile she had on her face, from enjoying the view that presented itself to them, had grown into a grin. <“Exactly. You don’t need that recognition. You don’t seek fame. We could use more like you, Kimiyo. I can understand why you wouldn’t want to, but please, do me a favour, and an honour, and give the Justice League a chance. If you do not feel the League is the right fit for you, then I knowingly and understandably won’t stand in the way of you stepping down.”>

Kimiyo Hoshi considered this for a moment. She considered the Justice League, and her own responsibilities at home. She then looked at Wonder Woman and allowed herself a sly smile. <“What’s your dental plan like?”>

Now. Los Angeles. Approx. 7am.

Animal Man blinked once. “Whuh.” He blinked twice. Three times, and his brain started working again. Me. In the Justice League? The idea of it was dazzling. Why him? The League had been through a few rosters lately, but this wasn’t a case of joining by accident or anything, this was Superman coming to his door and... Buddy belatedly became aware that his companion was speaking

“--and the teleporters aren’t up the moment, but when they are, that’ll make this trip unnecessary,” Superman informed him apologetically as they flew north from Buddy’s house – he was flying at a fraction of his own speed to allow Buddy to keep up, even while channelling the power of the spine-tailed swift. I wonder if the fastest bird in the world knows that it can’t fly as fast as a man, Buddy thought ruefully. Well, I guess he’s not exactly just any man. Deciding that this was probably a pretty stupid thought, he cleared his throat.

“Umm... teleporters?”

“Yes,” Superman smiled amicably. “We asked Niles Caulder and some other of the super-science-geniuses across the community to take a look at our old designs-- old alien tech that we amalgamated a few years back-- and improve them. They’re nearly ready, and should be up and running later tonight. When they’re up, we’ll be able to instantaneously transport League members across the globe at a moment’s notice.”

“Personally, I prefer the air anyway.” I’m trying to reassure Superman that he hasn’t offended me, he told himself. Ever have one of those days which you really did not see coming when you woke up? He had just opened his mouth to ask where they were going anyway when an earth-shaking roar thundered across the city. “What in...”

“Approximately a mile and a half due east- and judging from that echo and the volume, either a flier or something high up. I’ll check it out from high, you go low- and hit it if you need to.” It took Buddy another few seconds to process exactly what Superman had said, and by that time, he was gone, a blur of red and blue. Ordinarily, he might have been confused, or even offended, but he knew instinctively that there was no dismissal in the Big Blue’s tone, only resolution, confidence- and trust, for that matter. If you need to. The warmth in his tone...Superman trusted his judgement. His sudden glow must have lasted at least another second before he figured he should probably follow.

He angled due east against the wind, flying as fast as the swift could manage, angling himself over the tallest buildings to make sure that he... he.... In the centre of the square, a massive creature appeared to be clawing its way out of a cavernous hole in the ground, half out, with a strange red and blue blur zipping across the square around it. The creature was half the height of a skyscraper already, a ghastly, dull shade of green, its surface marred with strange spine-like ridges at irregular intervals, two white, pupil-less eyes glaring out above a gaping maw of a mouth, stretched wide as it let out another bellow. He had no idea what the hell it was- it was certainly no animal he’d ever seen, and a cursory check showed that he couldn’t mimic its powers. No kidding. I think I might have noticed if I had that thing in my repertoire. Somehow he didn’t think Superman was going to be able to stop it without using violence. Clearly, he was not the only one to think that.

“Alright.” Suddenly, the older hero was beside him again, grim and determined. “I’ve managed to get the nearest civilians clear...” Red and blue blur explained.. He works fast!

“...but that thing’s still a hazard- not least to the people in those buildings,” Buddy saw what he meant in an instant- its waving arms could easily crash into the side of one of the skyscrapers at any moment. Kal-El frowned, turning to him. “I need-”

“Right,” Buddy nodded, shocking himself with his own resolve as he actually interrupted Superman. “You take care of the people. I’ll see what I can do against this thing.” There wasn’t time for a response, but Kal gave him a smile, a warm confident smile that almost- almost- wiped away his own doubts, and then he was gone. Big talk, Buddy. Let’s hope we can live up to it... Animal Man dived towards the creature. He doubted it could be reasoned with, but he didn’t like hurting anything living if he didn’t have to.

“Hey! Hey, you! Spiny creature! You can still go back....” Which was about as far as he got before it let out yet another roar, and swiped its clawed hand perilously close to one of the buildings. Okay, so that had been a bust. Time for plan B. He dived towards it, trying to work out in his mind what he was going to start with. Weight of a whale? Nah, that thing might be able to take it, and if it falls, it’ll hit the people.... strength of... strength of... can’t think of anything strong enough to take it out. I need something that can get past those scales...

Ducking under another blow, he descended to land atop its head, mind still racing. Here goes nothing... Channelling a woodpecker, he- I cannot believe I’m doing this. Oh. Wait. I can. -lowered his head and smashed it against the creature- but though it gave another shout, its skin held firm. Abandoning that tack, he switched to a crab to enable him to grab onto one of the scales and hold his grip as it began bucking violently, trying to get rid of him. Think... think... think... He channelled a flea to leap over another sweep of the beast’s hand, then a spider to scramble further up the side of its head to confuse it. Every second it was dealing with him, Superman was getting more people to safety. What animals have a shell? Turtles, right, what preys on a turtle? He tried to channel a hammerhead shark- and this time, he could feel his teeth break the outer layer, but he could get no deeper as it let out a fresh howl. The armadillo? Does it have a natural predator? Maybe...

But as he thought, suddenly the beast hurled itself violently backwards and he was caught off-guard, plunging from its back. Before he could recover, the beast had twisted, hatred in its squinting eyes. It brought down a fist straight towards him, as he frantically scrambled to think of a way of escaping... but the air had been knocked out, and he was falling, and it had happened so fast and – Oh God, Ellen...

Then he felt a lurching feeling in his stomach and something grabbed him and hauled him out of the way, swinging at an arc to just about avoid the beast and land deftly on the balcony of the nearest building.

“Superman....” he exhaled deeply, leaning back, eyes closed for an instant. “Thank you so much... I thought I was a goner for sure...”

“Well,” responded a voice- somehow familiar and yet not- with wry amusement, “I’m not him, but I’ll be sure to thank him for you.” And Buddy opened his eyes to see the all too familiar mask of...

“Batman?” he asked in confusion. What the heck was he doing here? He wasn’t even in the League anymore, and even when he had been he had never been all that public about it...

“You must be Buddy Baker, right?” Batman responded. He’s certainly a lot less grim than I always heard, Buddy reflected as the legendary vigilante turned back towards the creature, which had now seen them and was angling towards the balcony. “I know we haven’t met before, but...” the smallest hint of a very un-Batman like grin came to his face, “want to see something unbelievably cool?”

And that was when an emerald boxing glove pummelled the creature in the face, the air transmuted around its body into solid steel, twin super-speed formed tornados knocked it to its side, a winged figure descended from the skies towards its forehead brandishing a mace, a molecule-sized man punched it in the chest with the speed and strength of a freight-train, a lasso wrapped itself around its flailing limbs and an incandescent ray of light toppled it over--

“Batman,” Superman was suddenly hovering beside them, a smile on his face as he saw Buddy’s utterly stupefied expression, “glad you could make it.”

“No problem.” Batman nodded, turning to swing on a rope back down into the fray. He hesitated one last time, throwing a glance over his shoulder. “Teleporters are working again, by the way. Caulder sent us the bill.”

Against the World’s Greatest Heroes, the monster-- whatever it was-- never stood a chance.

The Atom shrunk down to enter its earlobe, then grew- not big enough to kill it, but enough to give it one hell of a headache.

Aquaman punched the thing in the shin, causing it to fall to one knee, and then drove his trident into its other thigh, bringing it to the ground.

Firestorm burnt through enough scales for Green Lantern to then think about electricity flowing through his ring-- and cause the monster to buck in extreme discomfort.

The Flash continued to create tornadoes to sweep away nearby cars, clearing the road all around the creature, with the help of a massive emerald hand from Green Lantern.

The Martian Manhunter entered the monster’s bestial mind, and thought about sleep, and only sleep, and the overriding urge this creature must have to sleep.

Doctor Light remembered her failed approach to the attack on Tokyo, and created a hard-light net to ensnare the creature, and, with the thing successfully pinned down...

Superman, Wonder Woman, the Martian Manhunter, Aquaman and the rest of the League struck with all their might-- and when the final blows were struck, they came soon and brutally. Blind, deaf and in pain, the thrashing beast was nearly down already when Wonder Woman carried Batman up to drop him off atop its skull. “You know, he would never have let me carry him,” she told him quietly, eyebrows raised.

With the smallest of smiles, he responded- “Hrh.” Then he was nearly pitched over as it began bucking wildly, but at once, Diana swept out her lasso, wrapping it around the beast’s neck and pulling, pulling.... its armoured skin was too strong for her to choke, but its movement was restricted, though it still tried desperately to throw them off. Stroking his chin, Batman searched across its craggy head until he found what he sought; a loose spine. With a grunt, he worked the sharp edge of a batarang in, careful to maintain his balance as the monster shook from a dozen attacks each second. At last, he succeeded in prising the entire spine free, exposing soft flesh beneath- if it noticed, then its howl of pain was indistinguishable from its rage.

“Alright,” Batman said, nodding tightly, and Wonder Woman looked across to Superman, who had been hanging back, giving him a single nod before relinquishing her grip, grabbing Batman and zooming out of the way.

“I’ll handle this.” Superman darted like an arrow towards the exposed spot, but at the last moment, J’onn gave a telepathic shout of warning and the monster was free, its fist taking Big Blue by surprise and pitching him into the air. For a split second there was panic-

“Allow me,” came a gruffer voice. Another figure, who had also been hanging back, threw himself from the nearest ledge, just about catching onto some protruding spines on its side. Scrambling rapidly- well used to climbing harsh surfaces- the figure threw himself onto its head even as its arm came up to throw him off.... Then with a loud roar, Aquaman brought both hands together and slammed his fists down onto the exposed skin. Once, twice, thrice he hammered it, shaking the square itself. For a sudden second, it swayed. “It’s going!” bellowed the undersea hero , throwing himself off to be caught by Hawkman, and the other heroes scrambled to get clear.

Slowly, then with increasing speed, the monster began to fall, tumbling sidewards towards a skyscraper- only for a recovered Superman to arrest its fall with a single colossal thwack that changed its angle so that the beast’s body instead fell into the crevice cleared for it with a colossal crash.

“....Wow...” Buddy managed at last, still standing on the ledge, eyes wide. Then, on a hunch, he glanced at his watch. Eighty-three seconds from arrival to completion. “That was quick.”

“We’re the Justice League.” He became aware that Hawkman was landing Aquaman on the ledge right beside him, glaring with those ever-imposing eyes through his mask.

“World’s Greatest. We don’t hang around. Welcome to the future, Buddy Baker.” The King of the Seas looked to the Man of Steel. “Don’t let us interrupt your flight.” Aquaman smiled, and Buddy felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise up. “See you soon, Animal Man.”

[/b]

“Batman said the teleporters were working...” Batman said the teleporters were working, thought Buddy Baker, are you listening to yourself? “...so why are we flying?”

“I wanted to show you something, Buddy. What we’ve been working on for the past week or so.” Superman soared side-by-side with Animal Man, flying just below the cloud banks. “Something that makes me smile.”

“What would--?” Animal Man looked back at Superman, who was now arching up, and Buddy followed suit. He was thankful to the goggles in his superhero attire when he moved through the clouds, and then, when he broke through, his eyes widened. “Oh, my.”

There was a city, above the clouds. Floating like a majestic castle stolen from a fairytale. Spires twisted up even higher into the sky, and he could hear the quite hum of engines. This was what Superman had wanted to show him. A flying city.

“We haven’t given it a name just yet,” said Superman, as he motioned for Animal Man to approach, “but we don’t need one, not yet.”

They landed on a large runway that led inside to an even larger room. “This place is amazing. How... how did I not know about it before today?”

Superman smiled. “It’s only going to be seen by those we want to see it. Top secret. It’s never in the same place for longer than it has to be. There will be no incursions. No raids by Injustice, Unlimited or the Secret Society, no attacks when we aren’t expecting them. This place is a moving headquarters, offering shelter from the storm, a place where those who are weary can rest their heads... No one need be left alone in this world, Buddy.”

“This is amazing, Superman, but I don’t understand... what’s this got to do with me? I’m just... I’m just Animal Man. I can use the power of animals, and when I’m not flying about stopping crime, I’m a father... Why would you call on me? I’m not Justice League material-- am I?”

Superman placed a hand on Animal Man’s shoulder. “Buddy, look... we’re restructuring the Justice League. The worlds needs its heroes to be their greatest, their best. Buddy, you are an asset to the Justice League. Your insight, your attitude, your heart-- and please, don’t scoff, don’t dismiss that as a weakness-- your strength of spirit is one of the strongest I have ever seen. Buddy, you would fight for what you believe in, and I’m asking you... to fight side by side with us. Buddy Baker, will you join the new Justice League? Will you make history?”

Buddy Baker looked down, a glum expression on his face, and then smiled as he looked Superman in the eye. “I don’t think my son could forgive me if I said no to you, Superman. Yes. I’m in.”

* * *

Aquaman was waiting for them all, as the new members of the Justice League walked into the main chamber of the newly-built headquarters. Superman was still talking to Animal Man, exchanging smiles and nods with Wonder Woman, The Flash-- anyone who caught his eye was greeted with a warm acknowledgment, but within moments of everyone entering, Aquaman cleared his throat, and they all looked to him on that podium, the regal King of the Seas, smiling to himself, and causing a sea of silence to move over the crowd.

“You are the Justice League. As everyone here knows, the world barely survived the Black Sun Crisis. We only won through determination, resolution and a lot of luck. We may not have that luxury next time. That’s why we need to be ready. You have all been recruited because you bring something to the team that will continue the great legacy established by previous members. We are at times the only line of defense between order and chaos. We protect those who cannot protect themselves. We fight the threats that we cannot defeat by ourselves. The space-gods, the alien invasions, the monsters that lurk in the darkness and the super-villains of the world. I say to you again-- we are the Justice League. Animal Man, Doctor Light, Firestorm-- welcome to our ranks. You of course know Superman and Wonder Woman, but our other members include Hawkman, the Atom, Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and myself. I hope to get to know you more as the months draw on. In the coming days we shall decide upon a new chairman, and I hope you take part in the vote, as your position gives you the right to. We intend to expand our ranks as time progresses, but as it stands... like I said... we are the Justice League.”

“He’s pretty intense,” whispered Buddy, before catching the words between his suddenly gritted teeth and placing a reminder in the back of his head to kick himself when he got home.

“Aquaman has earned the right to be intense,” a voice behind him caused Buddy to jump, and Batman grinned sinisterly as he stood next to Superman. “When you rule over seventy percent of the Earth, you will too, Buddy.”

“Uhh,” started Animal Man, “okay.”

Superman rolled his eyes and shook his head at the Caped Crusader. “He’s just teasing you, Buddy. Don’t let him get to you.”

“Get to me?” Buddy laughed. “My powers connect me to the morphogenic field that covers the world, allowing me to access the abilities of any animal I can imagine. Not as funny a power as some would make it out to be...” He patted Batman on the shoulder, causing the Caped Crusader’s smile to fade. “I may get nervous, but I don’t get intimidated easily, Batman.”

“Another man without fear? I like to hear that,” said Wonder Woman, as she joined the three heroes as they watched the other heroes from the edge of the theatre-esque structure, “though don’t tell Green Lantern, I don’t think he’d appreciate someone else with that tag-line behind their superhero alias.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Animal Man, as he turned back to Aquaman. Satisfied with the world at that moment in time-- and with a story to tell his family when he returned home. He was Justice League now. A force for good with unlimited potential within their ranks... he couldn’t help but smile as broad a smile as he could manage.



As the new Leaguers drifted away from the main chamber, Aquaman headed straight for the centre of the headquarters. In the direct centre of the floating city there was a vast circular chamber; accessible only (at least, to the knowledge of all but a few select insiders) via two huge doors monogrammed quite simply with the letters ‘JL’. Anyone who wished to see those within had only to knock and, provided their DNA was recognized and none of those inside objected, they would be permitted. Except for Aquaman and the others of course, because all he had to do was approach the doors and they opened to allow him access. With a smile, he saw that his companions were already in place around the central table.

“Welcome, Arthur,” J’onn intoned solemnly (But then again, J’onn did everything solemnly.) “That was quite a speech you made.” The others nodded in agreement.

“You made me glad I was able to join up again,” Batman agreed.

“And some of the rest of us sorry we ever left,” added Hal with his trademark cocky grin. For a moment, there was silence in the room, until Hal spoke again, more seriously this time.

“You were right, Arthur. In the bar. You were right.” Aquaman nodded, weighing his words.

“I know,” he agreed, equally serious. He crossed to his seat, the seventh around the table, which was shared by his fellow League founders. “Today was just the beginning, of course, but...” He trailed off, and no-one completed it for him. They knew what he had been about to say, of course- he had said it clearly enough at the meeting three days before.

“Well, today was still a big success,” Superman said, sitting upright- as always. “The new roster of the League is off to a great start.”

“It’s too early to make a judgment on that after a single day,” J’onn countered, “but I agree, things do look promising.” It was Batman who finally said what all the rest were thinking.

“Okay, I know Aquaman’s nearly leaping out of his skin here, so let’s talk about it.” He sat back, and as he sank into his chair, eyes glaring out of it, for a split second he looked exactly like Bruce. “Phase 1 seems to have worked fine. When do we move onto Phase 2?”

THE END

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