Sand and dust rolled off the top of my shoes as I stared at the unending dunes. There was a sense of grandeur here. Nothing else living for a few miles. Nothing capable of complex thoughts, at least, I corrected myself after a small scan of my surroundings. Minuscule legs scritched under the sands, scales brushed against grain.
No sign of a hidden alien base or tomb of an ancient god. With my decision-making skills, I wouldn't be shocked if I had accidentally picked the one spot in this desert with a high power ready to be offended.
Wind slapped more sand on my face. It left scratches, like hundreds of tiny claws running on my skin. I huffed in annoyance and willed a gentle barrier, inches away from me.
This… this would be a good stress test. They would start from nothing.
"It's time," I announced, "or if it isn't, then it's as good as it'll get."
Crystalline tittering punctuated my self-deprecation.
Unimpressed, I turned and lifted an eyebrow at the fae clad in red leaves. Her insectoid eyes glistened in the sunlight, rainbows dancing on her skin. Behind her, the Court of Harvest awaited orders.
"Isgala, if you would."
With great solemnity, Isgala inclined her head, green locks framing her face. Clicks and chitters came from her mouth, noises to mean obedience and honor, I was given to understand. Butterfly wings unfolded, carefully, testing their reach, their power. Scales glittering with the colors of a spring flower field fell to my feet, and from there sprouted a single sunflower.
Prompted by an invisible signal, the court splintered in clouds of shimmering dust. Dozens of my new creation spread out over the dunes, spilling their magic over the land.
"Fly beyond my reach," I whispered, and Isgala started whistling. Whistling like wind through leaves.
Off in the distance, trees bloomed along the spine of a rock formation. A crown of greenery in the vast wasteland.
Entsheeps. Old trees from Fantasia that could withstand a decade without a drop of water. Plants that bloomed from harsh sunlight and companionship. Extremely bland fruits, pasty, but helpful against depression.
I'd have love these, before, I thought with a sardonic smile. I had, after all, created them precisely for that purpose. And maybe remodeled a bit once I got past the drafting stages.
As expected, such drastic change in scenery did not go unnoticed. From what was now the foot of a hill covered in flowers, a pale beige snake burst out in wild panic.
Masculine, cyan faeries took off to meet it.
Fauna Minders to help the local wildlife adapt. One little fae jumped onto the vipers back and held tight while it trashed. Sometimes forcefully, I added mentally.
As I watched, however, shadows passed overhead. Clouds had spontaneously drifted against the wind. 'Spontaneously', yeah, right.
Hands on my hips, I looked at Isgala and tapped my foot. The Fae Monarch avoided my eyes, her whistling growing innocent, completely inconspicuous. Angel-like, even.
"You can try," I told her, kneeling to better face her. "Problem child. You may try to pull one over me, but," I leaned in to whisper in her ears. "I am not above retaliation."
She looked frightened for all of three seconds. An improvement over her last attempt. Breaking into bellows of laughter, she patted my cheek condescendingly. The clicking vaguely meant something like a child embarrassed by their parents' attempt at sounding hip.
And I'm only in my twenties. Children are so ungrateful.
I planted a kiss on the sprite's forehead, then let her drift towards the dancing lights.
***
My hammock swayed gently to the wind, cradling me as a mother would its child. The canopy above were hands shielding me from the sun's glare. And before my eyes, the best book I had ever read refused to be given anything but my full attention. Too bad about the rude visitors.
Really, people saw a moss covered castle in the middle of nowhere, and they expected people to just immediately open as soon as they rang the doorbell. Anyone that got past the three judges had to have something important to ask. Sure. But I wasn't exactly alone here.
Yellowing leaves drifted up to me, twirling on the breath of wind that blew nowhere else. Within the small whirlwind, a letter twisted and turned.
"Creator, a message for you."
Sighing, I rolled out of my hammock and levitated the letter into my hand. "Are they waiting at the door for an answer?"
Light pulsed at the center of the gust. "No. They placed it into the letterbox and left."
I raised an eyebrow at that. Smarter than average then. Leaving me with a larger window of time to decide and feel less pressured into going along. Clearly, someone with some social skills had gone into the brainstorming for this message.
"Soooo, a request by S.T.A.R. Labs… new material… blah blah near impossible conditions to recreate… meteorite extraction… the material, in theory, would have the following composition and properties…" I scanned a little further, let the words carve themselves inside my head despite having little meaning to me. "The name of such an alloy would be…"
Create vibranium.
A small dice of shining silver-like metal appeared in the palm of my hand.
"If the creation was successful, tests would show that the metal's repulsive properties might make it close to indestructible."
I frowned. Indestructible metal sounded all well and good in theory. In practice, that better not fall in the wrong hands. Weapons made of the stuff sounded a little too nightmarish for me. Though, there probably was some application that I failed to see right now. Researches into random topics and materials could end up greatly advancing technology for decades.
Ballistic test.
A shooting range materialized on my front lawn, the block of metal waiting over a small pedestal right in the middle. Protective magical barriers covered the entirety of the field. I'd be damned if I hit someone with a stray bullet.
"Next, a few slowmo cameras should do the trick, right?"
My front yard suddenly resembled a studio shoot. No less than five bulky cameras had sprung from oblivion to capture the cube under as many angles as useful. The pedestal itself had chosen to take on a new life as a close-up shot.
The resulting footage was being projected on a big green screen in the back.
With a grin, I readjusted my director's cap and clapped my hands. "Alright people, from the start."
A brand new robo-filmcrew hurried up to meet my demands whilst I sat down on a spread open chair. Eh. Always wanted to try this. Alf would be so jealous when he heard I did all this without him.
Clips upon clips emptied themselves on the cube with no visible result, besides them being deflected with near absent impact.
Then again, Maria would cuffed my head with her sandals if I dared let Alf anywhere near firearms. Nevermind that I'd given him the power to turn into a dragon and they were both completely invulnerable. It was the principle of the thing!
The nearest machine guns clicked as their last rounds were wasted on the vibranium cube. By all means, I'd gone beyond and above with those scientists demands. That should be the end of it.
I shouldn't. It wasn't anywhere in the request.
"Eh, they'll appreciate the knowledge."
Laser cannon.
A minute later, I was rubbing my eyes and keeping the giggling to a minimum. The videos had to have come out as pretty damn awesome, if I said so myself. Metal refracting and reflecting a laserbeam at the same time? Yes, please.
Vanishing the entire set-up, metal included, I grabbed my phone and typed in the lab's address.
Email attachment.
"That is all you're getting from me. Good luck with the rest of your research."
Satisfied of a work well-done -- especially one that involved a bunch of explosions and indulgences --, I stretched and cracked my shoulders. Damn. Hammocks are fun and all, but it is murder on the articulations. Feels all cocooned up.
I shot one last look at the fences, though more specifically, the mailbox attached to the outer walls. A young woman in old, used jeans and T, with dark hair and a straight, slightly aviary nose, was kneeling before Prosperare. The spirit had risen from her pond of liquid gold, plump hands held as if it were cupping water. I observed, unseen, as one of my thirdborns poured cascading riches on the woman. And despite the clinking of metal, none seemed to hit her, instead vanishing before touching her skin.
Confusion and fear warred on the pilgrim's face, up until Prosperare leaned forward and whispered to her ears.
Blessing of fortune. Financial prosperity for the next few months, a guarantee to get back on your feet.
The ensuing effusions of tears struck a chord, and suddenly, I felt shame at being a covert witness to a miracle I had no part of. My veil glamoured anything past the judges' as fog-covered fields. I certainly didn't want anyone looking at me when I relaxed outside.
So far, few had found their way here. She was only the fifth visitor. Though, of course, it would only grow as rumors reached desperate ears.
Briefly, I had toyed with the idea of restricting people from talking about it. But no, that was why I had created my wisps of will. What they could not do, they would offer to take to me. Only that.
I whispered words of gratitude for Prosperare, warped myself back inside the castle.
And ducked just in time to avoid a ball of sizzling blue energy.
"WHAT?!" accompanied it.
I stared sadly as the priceless painting I'd conjured yesterday exploded under the unexpected lightning ball. Such a beautiful and pointless thing, lost forever to the worst news in the history of bad news.
Maria and Alvaro were talking, and I had a feeling I knew exactly what about. Maria hadn't made it a secret, least so when we were discussing what part of the US we wanted to settle in.
"Don't think for a second that a 'slip' like that will get you out of attending this school semester, Alvaro Martinez." Maria pointed the finger at him. "Paperwork has been filled and signed. You are registered for West Fawcett's Elementary. Vacation is over."
"But… but," – He helplessly looked between us and found about as much sympathy as would be found in a coffin – "Jesús hasn't-"
"Leave your brother out of this argument, little imp. You knew you would be going back once we found a better place for him. Well, this is it. This is a peaceful, remote location just outside the suburbs of Fawcett City. The city on one side, and the countryside on the other."
A whole lifetime of adventures flashed before his eyes. Most of which, he seemed to realize, wouldn't materialize. His eyes started to shine. "I don't need school!" he said, crossing his arms.
"So help me, you will go back to school and learn and go make friends."
"Junior's my friend."
"Junior is also going back to school. You'll be in the same grade."
Alf sniffed, and (no, that wasn't smoke). "I don't see why that means I have to go. We can be friends after school."
"Because I said so," Maria gritted out. Her patience had ran dry. "You are young and full of energy, and I refuse to let you waste your youth not learning a single thing. You'll never become a productive member of society if all you do is play."
Nails on his fingers sharpened, darkening. Teeth, into fangs.
"Alf!" My tone snapped like a whip. "Don't you dare."
He froze. For a split second there, the brat didn't seem to recognize me, didn't seem to understand. I was almost looming. Standing right there, between him and Maria. And then he looked down and saw the scales.
"Never," I breathed out, only now realizing my heart was beating madly in my chest. "Promise me. Never like that."
"I… I wasn't going to," he said, voice small as he tried to shrink on himself. "I wasn't, I wasn't, I wasn't! Mama, I promise!"
Maria forcibly unclenched her fist, eyes closing. Her whole frame seemed to be shaking. Blood ran hot in the Martinez family. I could see how hard she was trying not to explode.
"We will be talking about this later," and wasn't that a promise for the both of us.
I'd screwed up. Bad. I could only hope she would forgive me eventually.
"Alvaro. You will be going to school and that is final. Tomorrow, we will go see the principal of your new school to begin your integration back into class. Now, back to your room until supper. I better not see a hint of a wing out in the sky, is that clear?"
The door slammed hard enough to fall off its hinges.
The mad heartbeat had turned into a searing heat at the tip of my fingers and the underside of my jaw. If there were ever a time for my subconscious to seize control of my power, it would prove it demonstrably by digging me a hole I could go die in.
Quiet sniffling broke the awkward silence.
"Oh, Alf," I whispered.
My words broke the dam. He threw himself at my waist and hugged me for dear life. Talons long gone, but his grip so tense they might as well have remained.
"I didn't mean to!" he sobbed. "I really didn't. I don't wanna hurt Mama!"
"You didn't and you won't. Nothing going to hurt your mama, Alf." Not so long as I draw breath.
But a second later, I choked on the guilt, on the very real knowledge that, it never would have come to this if I had thought for all of one second. That was all it would have taken, to stop and wonder what a little boy might accidentally do with power. I'd never been good at it, so why had I asked so much more of my little brother?
***
I sat on the verge of the cliff, next to the waterfall. Splashing water had long since made my hair stick to my face, but I wasn't really thinking about that. Maria… Maria hadn't screamed. She had been talking evenly, with poise and thoughtful pauses.
"Maxime, you are a good person and I love you as if you were my flesh and blood, but if you do not stop spoiling Alvaro, I am going to limit how often you see each other. Believe me, I hate to be speaking those words, but they are the only ones I can say as a mother."
I threw a rock, which skipped down the sides of the waterfall twelve times before it hit the bottom.
"The only reason I'm not asking you that now is that you don't contradict me in front of him. You don't undermine me. Or if you did, you were smart enough to keep it as simple as a candy there or a few minutes longer before bedtime. You've been good for him, for us, but you're not perfect. Alvaro is not perfect. And I am not either."
Sighing, I rolled my head back and stared at the clouds.
Alf loved flying. He had loved it before, when it was just us in the jet. But nothing, nothing, could compare to the sort of pure joy that flying under his own power brought. As a dragon, he felt powerful, greater than before. Bigger than just his origins.
He had grown up in Crime Alley. He had been luckier than most having Maria for a mother, because she had pride and righteousness so ingrained in her soul, she'd never been struck by the sort of human failings that trapped so many there. She had never resented him. Never ignored him. He hadn't spoken of his classmates much. But Maria did say she never let him visit their apartments. Never left him alone with his old friends' parents.
He'd been the first person to treat me kindly. How could I ever do anything but return the favor?
"It's too much. We never had anything before you became… before you found out about your powers. We can make do with nothing." Maria had hugged herself, looking away, finally letting the tears fall. "I don't know if we can make do with everything. I've seen the results before."
There had been something in the way she had looked at me. I still couldn't figure it out. Not quite worry. Not quite fear. Something akin to certainty. Had her 'we' included me? Did she think my grasp on things was slipping?
Leaves rustled behind me, and I spun around to see a man, graying, wrinkled, pushing through the bushes with some difficulties. Behind half-moon spectacles, foggy blue eyes recentered to focus on me. "Oh my, hello. That's a surprise. Few people know about this place."
"I stumbled upon it," I mumbled, which was the truth. Though, the fact I had been flying to clear my head was an important detail to leave out.
"What was that, sonny?" the old man asked, getting a little closer. "I'm sorry. My old ears aren't what they used to be."
It came, mostly, as a reflex. Heal.
The man's expression of concentration slowly slipped, as his eyes widened and one of his hands flew to palpate his hearing aid. With slight trembling, he pulled it out, and, bewildered, whistled a few times.
"You're that magical fellow, aren't you? The one on TV?"
I snorted. "Well, all those things are true, to an extent. So, yes, I guess?" Another shrug. "I've made national news recently. It's blowing over, from what I can tell."
The old man made a low rasping sound, like sandpaper on his throat. "Oh, I wouldn't say that, young man. You know how these things go. Villain attacks overshadow the rest for a few days, but after that, people lose interest. It's done and over with. Heroes carted them off to Black Gates or Belle Reve or that other one, on the island," he offered, but I had no clue. "Well, regardless, that's going to stay in the back of their heads for a while."
"I hope so," I confessed. "Though I'm not sure what I'll actually do if someone crosses the line again." I'm not even sure what will be the line. Murder? It should be murder, but really, it's Gotham. Murders happen all the time.
Cold comfort for the murder victims.
"Oh, good," said the old man.
I blinked. Slowly, I turned an inquisitive eye to the man, who crouched to sit on a rock. "Good?"
He smiled, his wrinkles carving deeper into his face. "Do you know how many years superheroes have existed, young man? When Superman first started his work, you could not get one person to keep themselves quiet about what powers like that would do for the world. A man of steel, devoted to the good ol' American way? It sounded like all the world's problems would disappear. Have they?" – I flinched – "No, if you had it planned already, I'd have been worried it was your goal in the first place. A way to hide sadism or some sinister madness. It's on their mind now too."
Reflexively, one of my hands went to my pocket, where I kept my phone. I had followed the outburst after my intervention. The #SainthoodForTheSaint had remained strong, hopeful, as did the #RealJusticeInGotham. Bloated, in fact. They'd begged for me to come back sooner than later. Raze Arkham to the ground, bitchslap a bunch of corrupt cops, expose sleazy politicians.
Of course, the counterpoint had been pretty quick to appear. #GothamToGothamites and #TheLawIsForEveryone had taken up the discussions by storm. I suspected a few paid accounts here and there. Maybe more than a few, when the argument got particularly venomous. But then, there had been the tweet. Reblogged a few thousand times.
'Former felons are already treated as second-class citizens. Why let us out if you're only going to throw us in the street? #TheLawIsForEveryone #NotBornWithASilverSpoon'
It… it honestly missed the point of what I had been doing. I'd been confused more than rebuked by that. Nothing in my message had been to former crooks. Good if they reformed. Perfect, actually. Nothing pissed me more than repeat offenders. Second chances were par for the course. Third pushed it, and by fourth, I had no pity left. But it painted a picture, didn't it? Told me what it looked like from the outside. Some meta playing fastball with the law, brushing every one that had broken a law before with the same brush. If you had been guilty once, then you were forever blackmarked.
I couldn't tell who the artist had been, but the graffiti had disfigured my last message. Hadn't I admitted that I broke the law whenever I considered it the better thing to do? When had that part disappeared?
Classist undertones very much had erupted from that tweet. Thinly veiled accusations had been aimed my way, though the lack of actual twitter account made the exercise a bit pointless. Some left an impression though.
'How much money do you think a Gotham-bound cop makes before taxes? #NotBornWithASilverSpoon'
I hated the bitter feeling it called forth. If it meant the people I love getting medical payment, I would look the other way too, in their place. I'd placed magical protections on my loved ones to prevent such a thing from ever being necessary. I didn't have much of a leg to stand on here. I… I wanted to give them everything.
And that's a problem.
Damn it, why was this complicated?
"So, if you were me, what would you do to prove you were serious? If you could use any means at all?"
The old man, unbothered by my silence nor my breaking it, chewed a little, mulling. "Well, I'm afraid I was always more a believer of the rehabilitation and prevention crowd, rather than the harsh punishing arm of the law."
Compulsions, then? Should I cover Gotham in runes? Create a bunch of artefacts that cleared a person's heart of their vices and allow them to become better all around?
It was not remotely what he had meant. I knew. But I had to be prepared to back up my threat. That was the whole point. Remind criminals that the cat was not away, the mice did not have permission to party. Else, I would be letting every innocent in Gotham down.
They're no longer afraid of Superman. They go to Metropolis to taunt him. The logical follow-up to that. They'll try to taunt me. Who wouldn't they dare to taunt? Villains? The Joker?
'I can do worse.'
Torturing. Crippling. De-powering. Enslaving. De-aging. Polymorphing. Retconning. Soul binding.
In comparison, a bunch of compulsions and forced reconsiderations seemed mild.
'I can do worse. Don't make me come back.'
And God, I prayed no one did. It wasn't a bluff, but I didn't want to find out what I was like, staring at the abyss. What would I do, if pushed, if I knew I was beyond accountability? I'd seen a glimpse already. And I didn't like what I'd seen.
"I… thanks. I don't suppose there's anything you'd like to check off your bucket list, sir?"
"Well, if you could stand up, sonny, that would be perfect," he said, chuckling at my look of confusion. "You're in my spot."
***
First day back to school. The robo-butlers were going nuts trying to make sure everything was perfect. Breakfast had been nice and filling, they'd fussed over Alf's clothing, his haircut, his backpack. So much so, Maria had called them out on their smothering ways. Luckily, I had programmed them to be intelligent and none pointed out the, ahem, slight hypocrisy.
Too soon, they had reached the front door. Alvaro was pulling at his backpack's strap with a scowl, face scrunched up in displeasure. No sign of scales though, and the only blue was his uniform's pants. He looked, you know, the average kid. Going back to school. Normalcy.
I hovered in the doorway, staring in silence.
Reticence had appeared between us. Something invisible, a sort of tension in the air that hovered just above our heads. Last night, during supper. This morning, during breakfast. Silence lasted a few moments longer, laughter were slower to come. Hints of my power resulted in held breaths.
I wanted to cry. The only people I trusted enough to be a person with…
Maria tossed the door open, crossing her arms over her chest. She smiled, fond, a little tired. "Well, come and say goodbye" – my heart froze in my chest – "We need to leave soon if we want to make our appointment at the school."
"I- what? But you-?"
"You didn't think Alvaro would accept going without at least saying 'see you later', did you?"
A rush of affection overwhelmed me. I threw myself into her arms, burying my face in her shoulders. "I'll be careful," I whispered. "I swear."
"I know you will, Corazòn," she replied, tightening the hug.
Corazòn. My heart. Mine. Hearing that, hearing that word again sounded like a promise. The knot of ice in my chest melted. It'll be okay. But I still hung unto her, inhaling her fragrance of chocolate of hairspray.
It was telling in its own way that Alf patiently waited for us to be done. On a normal day, he'd have at least mimed gagging and retching.
I knelt in front of him and grabbed both his shoulders.
"Alright, Alf, listen, this is important." The faintest hint of fear had me lightly squeeze his muscles. "Don't brag about me. You can say you've got a cool big brother, which is entirely true," – cue the eyerolls – "but don't call me Jesus in front of other people. Don't make promises to your friends like 'oh, I can get you a Triple DS' or some other game you want me to create. It's more than just people getting their wishes granted. Do you remember the black cars? Bad people might want to see me too."
Alf, feeling the weight of responsibility, nodded solemnly. "I won't tell."
"Good. Always use the portal gem to leave home, okay?" I readjusted the sapphire imbedded into his necklace. "I don't want anyone risking seeing either you or your mama here."
"Okay. It's better than waiting for a bus, anyway."
Cheeky little imp. "And, if anyone ever tries to grab you, lure you away from school, really, anything that scream 'bad touch' or 'stranger danger', use the gem or turn into a dragon and fly away as fast as you can."
Alf grunted. I could already see the stubborn pout forming, and I had to nip that in the bud.
"Fly away," I repeated, squeezing just a little bit more. "If needed, I'll come back with you to deal with whatever it is, but you fly the second you think they're bad people."
He pulled away, scrunching his nose. "Fiiine. Don't act like Mama."
I muffled a snort, which unfortunately did not stop Maria from drilling a hole in the back of my head from sheer force of glaring alone. "Swear?"
I could make it binding. A real contract. He's a hot-head. Running straight at danger would be exactly like him. It would be- What is wrong with me?
"Yeah, I swear," Alf replied easily.
His grin of renewed affection made my stomach churn. I let him off with a ruffle of his hair, and an eyeroll when he said he wouldn't even show my biography to his classmates, holding Maria's Bible. Cute little shit. See if I ever play rocket soccer with him again.
"I hope you get a surprise test today."
***
Wonder Woman waited patiently by the barriers, cleaning her sword whilst sitting on a tree stump.
She did not look up from her work, despite the shaking man in the green suit standing but a mere meter away from her. His face was pale, his forehead sweaty, and his fists clenched and unclenched as if he were working up the courage to do something, anything about her presence.
"Charles, please." He barely looked away long enough to meet my eyes. He was shaking. Frick, this was annoyingly admirable. "Charles, for fuck's sake, it's Wonder Woman."
"And you have a sign on your door that says 'No Supers of any kind'," he pointed out, holding out a kite-shape pistol.
"Your villain name was fucking Kite-Man. Charles, please. I'm not in the mood to explain to Junior why you thought it was a good idea to fight Wonder Woman."
Doubt slipped through the mask of determination on his face. Mentioning Junior in any way, shape or form usually made him backtrack hard. He'd only become this weirdly passionate thief after he thought he had nothing to lose. And I'd given him back the whole world.
"I'll… I'll be home." With a parting glare to Wonder Woman, "Watching."
Must be having quaking in her boots.
"Yo," I said once Charles had vacated my driveway.
Wonder Woman finally looked up from her work, sheathing her sword with a small smile. "Hello, Deus Ex. I am here on behalf of the Justice League."
Well, obviously. "Are you here because of the catapult?"
Her lips quirked up before returning to a more neutral look. "No. Batman was not harmed."
"But he did fall into the pudding, right?"
Full-blown grin. "It did take two days for him to stop smelling like bananas."
I had warned him. I had given him plenty of chances to back off. He had no right to get territorial over Gotham, especially not about people wanting me to come back and clean up the streets. If he wanted more support, he ought to step up his game. There had been a noted decreased in crime with the threat of my return. It probably wouldn't last, but Bats should use the reprieve to come up with new plans rather than trying to dictate my conduct.
Diana looked less than perturbed to be in my presence at least. Still, I had to press. "Sooo… Was it because of the giant puppy incident?"
She put away her whetstone, eyes twinkling with laughter. "No. Clark has made a full recovery and my sisters have agreed to raise him as a fierce defender of humanity."
"Does he still breakdance if someone says 'trombone'?"
One had to admire her sense of dignity. She did not even snort. "It has been more than twenty four hours. As you had clearly stipulated. But we do have footage of Clark."
"So all is well, then?" Come on, Diana. Gimme something to work with.
"I wouldn't quite say that," she replied, her stance growing steelier. Here it comes… "That phonecall was ill-made. This state's – and on a larger scale, the United States' – government has become aware that there is a reality warping meta in their territory, and that they have absolutely no means of controlling him. Worse, they also realized that neither can the Justice League."
One of my eyebrows went up. "And you are in agreement with that statement?"
"On the principle, perhaps. It would have been more clever to call yourself a vigilante, regardless of your involvement with crime solving. As a self-declared criminal, you bring attention to the fact that the reason you haven't been brought before justice is that people haven't been able to."
'People', not including herself. She was a demigoddess, right? Or sometimes a full-blown goddess, depending on the circumstances. Had that happened in this timeline yet? More importantly, how do I compare to them? Can they beat me as easily as I beat most metas?
"I'm listening."
"I have no intention to imprison you for your actions against the Joker. Or some of the inmates in Arkham. I believe you were justified in your choice of countermeasures. Most of my colleagues believe in second chances, and so do I." She shot me an intent look. "However, the Joker has long since abandoned any desire for redemption. He reveled in his malice and the harm he could bring to people, to Batman. For putting an end to him, you have my thanks," she solemnly declared, one fist on her breastplate, over her heart.
"I… huh, no need, I… don't thank me." Heat warmed up my face. "I hated that clown. It's nothing worth thanking me for."
"Very well. Humility is a good quality in a warrior."
I didn't bother protesting that one.
"The problem lies in the illusion you have shattered. With the idea that you are on the loose, answerable to no one, it will not take long for the government to try to exert authority over you, in any way they can. Have you any knowledge of the Cadmus society?"
"The one that cloned Superboy?" I shrugged. "Sorta. I know they do some ethically dubious or outright unpleasant stuff. Kill and replace being their motto. They did try to clone Robin, Aqualad and Kid Fla- ROY HARPER'S THE MOLE!"
Wonder Woman, warrior princess extraordinaire, eloquently replied. "What?"
I brought up a hand against my mouth, pulling like I was gonna tear my lips, running a hand through my stubble. "Holy shit, I can't believe I never mentioned that before. Wow. We avoided that disaster by the skin of our teeth. I'm such a moron."
"I believe you owe me an explanation." Her tone could freeze ice. "Both on why you suspect such a thing, and why you would not mention it until now."
"Haha, yeah, huh," I racked my brain for a good excuse, "I had a shitload on my plate till now? I don't even know if, wait, has there been like, shit what happened again? Five, yeah, five flying fortresses spewing snow everywhere yet?"
"Not recently, no."
That's reassuring. "Okay, so still relevant. Remember how I said Cadmus wanted to clone the sidekicks? Yeah, that was a repeat performance. They did that to Speedy. The Roy Harper you know is a clone and a sleeper agent that will try to mind control the league to attack foreign galactic powers and put you all on trials. They'll use that as a diversion for an alien invasion by the Reach, the aliens that built the Blue Beetle scarab. Oh, and that was just a ruse to get their hands on Mongul's Warworld, an ultraweapon of mass destruction the size of the moon. I think? Yeah, that's the outline. Wait, no. Vandal Savage wants to ally himself with Darkseid. Dunno what's the plan there, but only an idiot would consider allying with or doublecrossing Darkseid, so, yeah, if you could stop all of that, I'd be grateful."
All throughout my verbal vomiting, Diana's brows had risen higher and higher, and now she was the picture of bafflement. "You have not only failed to answer my previous questions, but you have created many more."
"I hope all I told you is accurate, but I honestly couldn't say if I landed in the universe where this exact timeline happens. I trust my powers to a certain extent, but I also know there are things about them that I don't truly control. There are gaps in my knowledge. After all, I had no idea John Constantine existed here before I met him, so, yeah, keep that plan in mind, but don't make it your new holy words?"
Diana placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. "I see. I will bring those issues up with the Justice League and we shall formulate a response to the best of our capacities. Would you accept answering questions on the subject if we can find any?"
"Only if it's not Batman asking." I shrugged. "I like the man, admire him a bit, but he gets on my nerves. Still, don't take that as a willingness to become a consultant or a full-blown League member. I am not a superhero."
"I would plead with you to reconsider, on account of the tremendous good that would arise from your actions," she began, raising a hand to stop my protest, "but I know better than to argue with divine beings. We do not ask for active participation in League business, Deus."
That ticked my ears. "What then?"
"That you tacitly approve of League's judgment about certain criminal matters and the appearance of cooperation when such is required."
They're learning, at least. "Okay. I hear you. If someone asks, I'm following your lead. Gets them out of my hair and preserves your image. Win-win. But why should I do that? I don't think the League's code and mine are compatible."
"Cadmus. You're aware of them and their plans. Better than us. That's been categorically proven. Everything they have done was as a safeguard against my friend. Against a man that has proven time and time again that he is not only a fierce protector, but a kind and generous person down to his soul. That specifically has a code against killing in all but the most extraordinary circumstances and a great respect for people's right to self-governance. Superman is the symbol of hope for most earthling. And they have stolen his genetic material and raised a child as a weapon against him." Her gaze turned piercing, soul-searching. "What will they do to protect themselves against you?"
I bit my lips.
Around us, birds chirped bird songs, squirrels squirreled their nuts away and my wills hovered in the shadows.
"So, basically, if I play nice and pretend you guys can tell me what to do, Cadmus is less likely to throw a tantrum that would cause lots of collateral damages. I, of course, would be entirely unaffected, but it's likely that innocents would needlessly be put in danger, which would require more interventions on my part to keep a clean conscience."
"That's one way to put it."
"I made solemn vow," I reminded her, my mind turning to Gotham. "If my intervention there is needed, I will go and fulfill it."
She held my gaze, and those were the eyes of a warrior that had stared horrible odds and triumphed with nary a scratch. "If such a time come, we only ask that you consider your actions under many perspectives before taking drastic actions. Ask one of us for input, if you feel unable to remain somewhat impartial and just. Remember that you are unlikely to be the one feeling the fallout of any mistake you make."
It was tempting. I was not a paragon of virtue. That much had always been obvious to me. And it was easy. Like breathing, sometimes. Getting rid of an annoyance. Ignoring an outstretched hand. Hurting someone I disliked.
Maybe… maybe it would do me some good to talk about it with actually moral people first.
"Fine. I'll give you my phone number. Put the alias Deus Ex in your database. Next to inactive duty. Then, please, never call me."