Disclaimer: This story is fiction. There are two celebrities who will appear from time-to-time. The other characters are fictitious. Any similarities to persons living or dead are completely coincidental.
In this story, I have continued the adventures of Batman, my Batman, which his story first began in "Tales of a Real Dark Knight" in the Boy Band section of this archive. It spanned 250 chapters. You will find many universes merging, as the above copyrights reveal. I hope you all enjoy this.
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox.
Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros.
X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox.
The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice.
I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered.
I appreciate any feedback that you may want to give. I do hope that you enjoy it!!!
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Chapter 43 The Best Is Yet To Come
Joseph emerged from the shadows. I looked up at him wondering where he had gone. "You've been gone a while," I stated. "Where were you?"
"You don't have to worry about the children. They've been rescued."
"You?"
"Yep."
"Won't Catman, the vampire have an issue when he hears about Catman saving the children?"
"He won't suspect anything. Catman never did anything."
"You went as yourself, then?"
"No. I went as you."
This puzzled me. Joseph must have noticed as he continued.
"The costume was different, but I kept to the shadows. By the way, your trainees were looking for me. You've got a good crew. The speedster was very fast. If I hadn't been trained by a vampire to notice the tiniest of details, he would have caught me. And your flying friends, the woman with the black hair, wears red, white, and blue, and the guy who wears red, blue, and yellow, they've got good heads on their shoulders. They could easily tear apart this city, but they don't. They have respect for life. I admire that."
Maybe he could be the next Batman,' I thought. If he was able to investigate the porn ring and cause it to crumble, he just might be a viable candidate. He has things to work through, obviously. But if he's taking my identity to rescue others, it might be deep within him to succeed.'
"Why did you take my appearance?"
"Did I offend you? Do you think I'm not good enough to be you?"
"Not at all. I'm curious as to why you would take the appearance of someone whom you believed killed your mother."
"I'm not so sure about that any more. With what you experienced compared to what I saw...I can't guarantee that you did kill my mother. I never heard what was said. And from what I could see, I couldn't make out everything that happened. When I arrived, she was already dying."
I decided to let Joseph do all the talking. He was opening up and considering possibilities, something his mind wouldn't let him consider before.
"I didn't know when she was killed. And what the alien did, exposing your thoughts and memories to me like that...they can't be fabricated, can they?"
"All he has ever shown me was truth."
"But all that I've known since her death...Catman has trained me to fight and to track people. I have so many abilities I owe to him."
"Abilities he hoped you would use to draw your siblings to him. If he is a vampire without a soul, he cares nothing for you or your family. All he cares about are his own goals. He's your father. He hates everything about you and your brother and sister because you each remind him of your mother."
Joseph looked away. The torment on his face was visible.
"I know what you've struggled with, Joseph. I know that at this moment, you are so torn between what you've been told, what you've lived, and what you've recently experienced that you don't know what to do. You're scared about what you are feeling. You're scared that Catman might kill you if he finds out your internal struggle. You're afraid that your brother and sister may end up hating you because of what you are doing. They don't hate you, though. They want to get to know you. You've seen the truth. You can find away above all of this. You've experienced what it is like to be a hero, to be a protector of someone else. You know what it is like to act for someone else and not your own selfish motives."
His eyes locked with mine. I was getting through to him. The revenge, the anger, the hatred, it was stripping away because of the new information he received. He could change. He wanted to. He wanted to let go of the hate and anger and live, truly live. I had to give him that hope. It was available to him. He just needed the opportunity.
"Joseph, you can be reunited with your brother and sister. If you want, you can come and live with us, become part of our family. You can rejoin your brother and sister, the ones you've been protecting all this time. Let Lance and I help you. Let us be in your family. We can help you overcome all this.
"You see yourself being so small, running into every brick wall. It's not as far as you can go. The road is twisting turning. A life is living, learning. There's so much more for you to know. If you could lock the past away, step back through the doorway. This ride has just begun. If I could change your point of view, is there some way I can show you the best is yet to come?
"Not every problem can be solved so easily. Not every answer is the one. Above the flood of emotion, it's all about forward motion; define your place in the sun. If you could lock the past away, step back through the doorway. This ride has just begun. If I could change your point of view, is there some way I can show you the best is yet to come?
"Try to hide, it's all inside. You can find a place where the pain and guilt can fall away. If you're spitting truth, bulletproof, crashing through the walls that separate me and you. Now you'll find with everything you lose, your path clears with everything you choose. If you could lock the past away, step back through the doorway, this ride has just begun. Change your point of view, is there some way I can show you the best is yet to come?
"All you need to do is let the pain melt away. Search for the truth. You know it in your heart."
"Joseph," a voice called out from above somewhere.
The youth turned and headed toward the door.
"You remind me of your mother," I stated. "She was so determined."
He paused as I said this and then left me in the room.
"For now the cartel is broken up," Superman stated. "We should keep a watch, though. Who knows where it will spring up again?"
"The world of men is so polar," Diana stated. "We've heard stories from where I come how men kill one another instead of live in harmony. Yet I've worked with you and seen your kindness and camaraderie. It is difficult to answer if man is good or not."
"Man is good," Lance said. "We just make bad choices sometimes. Sometimes we aren't empathetic. Sometimes we make selfish choices. Sometimes greed overrides humanity. But we aren't bad. Not all of us."
"Then how do we change things? How does a man change from bad to good? How can they learn to make the right choices?"
"We need reminded every now and then. We need prodding, understanding, and sometimes, a swift kick in the ass."
Some of the men chuckled.
"He needs help," Preston said as he walked into the cave. "Joseph is my brother, Sarah's brother. Regardless of what he's done, he hasn't been taught any different. Clark, your powers could easily make you a monster that humanity would fear. Many would even believe you to be a god. How many men in the world's past would take that power and use it to conquer? A lot of them would. But what keeps you from taking over the world is how you were raised. Your parents raised you with good moral values, values of love and compassion. Without those, you would be a monster, a conqueror.
"Diana, you've been raised to question the abilities and motives of men. Thank goodness for the questioning part because, had you not learned that, you may very well have believed that all men were evil. With your abilities, you could easily wipe out civilization as we know it.
"Ella, your ring responds to your will. If you ever had a day where you couldn't stand anyone, you could easily use it to kill. But you don't. Whatever your past, whatever is within you, you aren't capable of such an atrocity.
"All of you make choices in what you do based upon your past. Our brother is no different. All he has ever known in the world is the care of a vampire and the death of his mother. The vampire has fed him lies and deceit. He is only responding to what he's known. He does know that what he's believed isn't true. But changing one's life after having one belief reinforced isn't easy. It takes time to deconstruct your belief system, your knowledge system. He needs to do that. If it was him you saw in the Batman costume, he might be attempting to change what he has believed and what he has discovered to be true.
"I hope he can overcome his past. I want to get to know him as my brother. I want him to be part of our family."
The cave became quiet as the severity of the situation impacted them. Everyone saw a new way to look at who they considered "villains" from Preston. Maybe not all villains are "bad" as society likes to label. It never excuses actions. But it helps explain them. It helps us find a way to fix the problem so that the "bad guys" can be helped. We all deserve chances to be helped. Shouldn't the "bad guys" as well?
Later on, Arthur and Diana walked through the back courtyard. The sky was slowly lighting as the sun neared the horizon for the break of day.
"I always enjoy sunrise," Diana stated. "I used to walk along the beaches of Themyscira and feel the coolness of the water as it caressed my feet. I would watch as the first rays of the sun would reach out and kiss the day good morning. It is very peaceful."
"The ocean is so much different than the surface. We are in a state of perpetual night, although our eyes are very good at adapting to changes in lighting. We can sense the daylight by the warmth emanating from the top of the water. Sometimes it is the only way to know. We can usually see a spot of light through the water, the sun shining down. But when there is a storm, the heat is the only means we have."
"We come from two different worlds, Arthur. Yet there is still another world on this planet that neither of us are familiar with. I'm glad we have found friends who are kind to us despite our differences. They can show us how to live among the rest of the world."
"Are we bothering you?" Arthur asked Barry when he noticed the speedster sitting on a bench.
"Not at all," Barry answered. "I like the sunrise, too. It lets me know I made it through another night safe and sound."
"Why does it seem as if you have so much terror in your life?" Diana asked as the two royalty walked over to Barry. "I hope you do not find my question offensive. But I am curious."
"It's okay. Life in the U.S., at least inner-city U.S.A., can be really tough. I grew up without knowing who my father was. My mother worked two jobs just to keep food on the table. I had to learn at a young age to fend for myself. I ran with a wrong crowd for a long time. That's where I met Dinah. We became great friends and we helped each other work to better our lives. She had a rough childhood, too.
"Any way, living in the inner-city, survival becomes part of you. You worry about being in the wrong place at the wrong time not knowing if there is going to be a drive-by. You wonder if your neighbor who is dealing coke is going to have his apartment raided by the cops. You worry whether or not you are part of the toughest gang or not because gangs mean power in the inner-city."
"It sounds like you've had a horrible life. How do you get comfortable with change?"
"It isn't easy. There are times I wonder if it is all a dream that I'm going to wake up from. I don't know if anyone ever gets completely comfortable when their environment changes."
"When did your powers manifest and how did you get comfortable with them?"
"I was in high school in the chemistry lab during a storm. As I was rolling a shelf of chemicals through the halls to the forensics lab, lightning came through the window and hit the cart. The electricity went through me and knocked me out.
"When I came to a few hours later, I was in the hospital. The doctors were surprised at how fast my body healed up. They were also surprised at how hungry I seemed to be, too. I got the pleasure of having a rapid metabolism. It burns off calories quickly.
"I became comfortable with my powers real quick. It was awesome to be able to run across town in less than a second."
"You're that fast?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah. It's cool, isn't it?"
"Have you ever thought about racing Clark?" Diana asked. "I heard he was really fast, too."
"Maybe he and I will have to do that some day."
"Hey, everyone," a voice called out from the gate. The three teens turned to see Dinah framed by the wrought iron. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Just talking," Arthur said. "Would you like to join us?"
"Sure." Dinah closed the gate and walked over to the three heroes. "What are you guys talking about?"
"They asked how I got my powers and how I dealt with them."
"Cool, cool," the Slayer replied.
"They think Clark and I should race some time."
"That might be an interesting race," Dinah answered. Turning to Diana, she asked, "How did you get your powers? You seem to have similar powers as Clark."
"I was blessed by the goddesses."
"What goddesses?" Barry asked. "There are tons of religions with lots of different gods."
"Oh, I sometimes forget that. The goddesses of Olympus granted me my abilities."
"No shit. You've got to be kidding me. Those gods exist?"
"Yes, they do."
"I was waiting to hear of a god or goddess from some belief no one has ever heard of. You're serious? The Greek gods exist?"
"Yes they do."
"Amazing!"
J'onn J'onnz, in human appearance, and Clark emerged from the Center talking and laughing. "Oh, hi, everyone," Clark said as the two approached. "Come out to enjoy the sunrise?"
"Sure did," Barry answered.
"J'onn was going to compare the sunrise on Mars to that of Earth's. He hasn't seen one from this world before."
"I would imagine not since he's been imprisoned underground for his entire visit on this world."
"My people had a saying," J'onn stated. "With each sunrise, something begins a new. It could be a relationship, it could be a hope, and it could be a celebration. New opportunities come with each new day; opportunities to make things better than they were the day before."
"I can see this as a new beginning," Arthur said. "We've been working together training under Dr. McCoy. I think we should continue once we come of age."
"Working together as a team?" Barry asked.
"Why not? Each of us brings something unique to the group."
After a few moments of thought, everyone liked the idea. It could be shown on their faces. "We need a name."
"We all have super abilities. And we are friends," Clark said. "Why not Super Friends?"
"Damn, that sounds cheesy!" Barry curled up his nose at the name.
"How about Super Powers?"
"Then we should make it a requirement to have super abilities? Preston doesn't have any super powers, per se," Diana said. "But he would be welcome."
"Maybe we should focus on our ideals," Arthur suggested. "We fight for the under dog. We fight for those who need protection. We fight for justice, regardless of whether or not it is legal. Look at what Eric and Lance had to go through in the early 2000s. Rights that should have been given them had to be fought for. Justice was giving them those rights. But the laws didn't allow it."
"The Justice Gang?" Barry questioned.
"I don't like the word gang," Dinah said. "The word `gang' has certain connotations I'm not comfortable with."
"Do we limit our numbers?" Clark asked.
"I don't think so. There are legion of us out there. We should be open to any one of them who would want to join."
"Then it's settled," Barry said. "I say we go with the name `Justice League'."
The group members looked from one to another and smiles crept across their faces. They nodded to one another in agreement and the pact was sealed as the first rays of sunlight broke across the dark sky.
To Be Continued...
Seven chapters left to this storyline. How do you like the way they decided on creating the league and on the name of the league?