Issue Number Ten
" JLE?"
"Considering the fine job that all of you have done, and your past history with the League taken into account, we've decided that perhaps we were a bit dismissive of you. For that, we're sorry." Superman stood at the head of the Watchtower's meeting room table, staring at the holographic display. The Crimson Fox, leader of the Justice Squadron, was looking back at him and the assembled members of the Justice League.
Back on Earth, Constance D'Aramis leaned back in her chair. The remaining members of the Squadron were nearby, but out of camera-shot. She glanced in their direction and saw that some of them, like Ralph, knew what was coming. But no one, including myself, knows what I'm going to tell ze League in response....
"I don't think any apology is necessary, Superman. We needed to prove ourselves like any other group -- I hope this means that you will now be sharing your database with us?"
Superman glanced around the table and smiled. Only Batman seemed to not share his good humor. He doesn't like diluting the League's security like this. He thinks we won't be as stringent when it comes to enforcing new member regulations.
"Actually, it means more than that. Though we stand by our current belief that the League's concept is weakened by having multiple active incarnations, we also recognize the fact that you've proven yourselves to be capable of honoring the League name. Since the majority of your membership has prior League experience, we feel confident in offering you the use of the Justice League Europe name once more!"
The Fox tried to seem surprised. In truth, she'd known the call was coming ever since she and the others had defeated the Secret Society. The resulting publicity had made the Squadron the "Heroes of the Hour" all around the world. Considering the fact that several newspapers had picked up on the fact that this group of former Leaguers were now unaffiliated with the main group had only made it worse. "I hope that you do not feel pressured into zis decision...."
"Not at all. Despite what some may think, the League isn't worried about its P.R. Your team has earned the name and it was wrong of us to boot out the old team, despite what the United Nations may have wanted*. We inadvertantly caused a schism between ourselves and other heroes. This is an important step in showing everyone that we aren't an elitist group."
(*See JLA # 1 and JLA Secret Files # 1, where the current League basically booted the old League out.)
Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man, snaked his neck into the picture. "Look, Supes, I know you guys are good at heart -- especially Wally -- but it wasn't right the way you treated Metamorpho and the others. They were doing a good job as the League!"
Aquaman scowled. "You know as well as we do that it was the U.N.'s call -- they'd lost faith in the old League after one debacle after another! They kicked out Metamorpho's group, not us. I'm surprised that you'd be so biased, Ralph. You know the League."
"The group I used to know would have stood by its friends!"
"That's enough!" Constance was standing now, pushing Ralph gently back. "It's safe to say that ze U.N.'s actions in disbanding ze old League and replacing it with your own did cause some discord amongst those of us who identified with ze former group. And that is why we need time to think this over. Taking on ze JLE name is not as simple as merely changing our logo -- we would be funded in part by ze United Nations and bound by their rules. We would have to change our policies so that they did not conflict with yours... It would be a major shift for us."
"Of course. Get back to us whenever you can. Again -- thanks for the save last week. League out."
Constance rubbed her forehead as the display went black. The tensions had been mounting as of late, with the joint pressures of running her company and leading the team. Losing the Knight during their war with the Society had almost been the straw that was going to break the camel's back. "Ralph... I asked you not to interrupt me. This will only make us look worse to them."
"What do we care?" Maya came forward. "I'll always look up to the League but we don't need their approval to do what we do."
"I disagree." Godiva looked thoughtful. "If they're offering use of the League name and funding, we'd be fools not to accept. It would only make it easier for us to do our jobs."
Hawkman nodded as Godvia spoke. "She's right. In the time since I've been here on Earth, I've noticed the mere mention of the League name makes authorities much more willing to help you."
Revenant hovered in the air, his cloak and hood drawn tight about him. When he spoke, his voice sounded tired and lonely. "All I want to do is work off my sins and go to the afterworld. If the League name helps me do that, I want it. If not, then I don't."
Ralph glanced at Constance and shrugged. "It's your call, boss."
"No... It's a group decision. I can see ze pros and cons of ze situation. Let's all take 24 hours to think it over. We'll meet back here tomorrow and vote -- Sue included. She is one of us and might be needed to break a tie."
Constance waited until the group had filtered out before sitting back down. With a heavy heart, she dialed up the boarding school which Cyril's ward Julie attended. Someone had to tell her the news... that the Knight was never coming back.
LATER
Hawkman soared low over London, enjoying the rare burst of sunshine that was drenching England's greatest city. Since he'd joined the Squadron, it had seemingly rained every day.
Though it did his heart good to take flight, he felt the pangs of loss. Since his return from limbo*, he'd learned that his lover, Shayera, was missing. The fact that something might have happened to her while he'd been away continued to eat away at him.
(*See DCL's JSA # 2-5.)
Ralph Dibny, one of the world's greatest detectives, had taken up the search but had, so far, found no leads. Even the sudden reappearance of Fel Andar had turned out to be unrelated, leaving Katar no closer to the truth than before.
The Winged Wonder landed on the balcony outside Constance's office, retracting his wings back into his body. Since accepting his status in the ranks of the Hawk-Avatars, he'd no longer needed artificical wings -- his current ones could be extended or retracted from his back at will. Peering inside, he saw Constance looking over sales figures. She was alone, which meant it was safe for Katar to enter.
"Connie? May I come in?"
Constance looked up in surprise and then smiled. "Of course -- What brings you this far into town, Katar?"
"I thought you might need someone to talk to."
"What do you mean?"
Katar sat down across from her desk. "It's obvious that you're running yourself ragged. I saw it happen in too many Wingmen back on Thanagar. You have to know when to delegate responsibility -- and when to step back and take a break."
Annoyance flashed in Constance's eyes. "I'm doing fine, thank you very much."
Katar held up a hand. "I'm not criticizing you. I'm here as a friend. We never got very close during our tenure in the JLA, but I respected you and I hope you felt the same."
"Of course I did. I'm sorry, Katar. I've been on edge lately."
"I understand. We all have, to one degree or another. Chandi was both traumatized and empowered by her experience with the Ultra-Humanite. I've been concerned about Shayera's well-being. We're all dealing with the loss of the Knight. It goes on and on. So, you don't have to apologize for being a little short."
"Oui. You're right -- between balancing my career with leading ze team, it is hard. I wish that Vivian were still here. She could take up the slack...."
Katar leaned forward. "I think that's your problem."
"What?"
"You're trying to do all the same things that you did when Vivian were here. You're a hero full-time and running the company as well. You're forgetting that Vivian was always there, doing whatever you couldn't. You're no longer able to split your duties with someone else and now you're being forced to carry two loads."
Constance looked away. "You're right. But what do you suggest?"
"That you make a decision. You either turn over day-to-day operations of the company to someone else or you turn over team leadership to another member. One or the other. But I don't think you can do both."
WORDENSHIRE CASTLE
Piers Grayson dove into the pool, a smile on his face. Dorcas, wearing a scanty one-piece swimsuit, was nearby. She applauded as he broke the surface. "Bravo! But the German judges give it only a 4.9, costing you the gold!"
Piers stuck his tongue out her playfully, eliciting a splash of water from her.
As the two young lovers frolicked, Chandi Gupta sat nearby with a book in her hands. She had been truly nervous that someone would have noticed that something about her was different, but so far no one had. Mainly because she'd avoided Sue Dibny like the plague. Sue would notice, she was sure. Sue noticed everything.
Growth spurts and the like were nothing new for Chandi. She'd grown several inches overnight once before. But this....
She looked down at the loose-fitting top she wore. A series of red splotches had appeared over her chest and stomach, creeping all the way up to her neck. Each of them looked like a tiny representation of Shiva. I think it's stopped. I hope it's stopped. Otherwise, I'm look like on giant splotch.
Maybe it's just normal. I mean, sometimes teenagers' bodies do this sort of thing... But, then again, it might be that I'm still changing, like the cult said I would. Maybe accessing my full power like I did against the Ultra-Humanite triggered something. Maybe I am going to change into Shiva!
"Hiya, kid. You want some ice cream? Sue's scooping some more for me in the kitchen." Ralph's head and hands appeared at her side, making her jump. He held a bowl of vanilla ice cream towards her.
"Oh! You scared me."
"Sorry. I just didn't feel like walking down two flights of stairs. Enjoy!" With a playful wink, Ralph Dibny retracted his limps and snaked his way back upstairs.
Chandi looked the ice cream, but she didn't see it. She saw herself fifteen feet tall, with multiple arms and legs, a flaming halo outlining her face. Floods and earthquakes followed her every step....
With a groan, she yanked up the ice cream and dove in. Sometimes, when you're afraid of becoming a world-conquering demi-god, only ice cream could help.
THE NEXT DAY
The team assembled in the meeting room, most of them still in their bedclothes. Ralph wore Goofy pajamas and fuzzy slippers, while Chandi was wearing an oversized sleep shirt that almost dwarfed her. Only Godiva looked stunning, as if she'd spent hours at the salon just prior to waking up.
Sue almost hated her. Her own hair was ratty and in dire need of washing. After the voting. I'll shower. Then I'll kill Godiva and steal her hair. Weave myself a wig. Heh.
Constance was the only one in costume, having gone out on patrol in the wee hours of the morning to clear her head. "Good morning. I hope that everyone slept well. Today we vote on whether or not to accept the League's offer to become a branch once more. But before we do that, I would like to announce that I am stepping down as team leader!"
Everyone blinked. Godiva shook her head. "But why? You've done a wonderful job."
"Thank you... But I have decided to focus on maintaining my company. I am not leaving ze team, however. I am merely giving up the responsibility of leading you. If no one has any objection, I would like Ralph to take over. The Elongated Man has more experience than any of us, and he's proven time and again that he has ze intelligence that is needed!"
Ralph blinked. "Me? But... I've never really been a... leader?"
Sue squeezed his hand. "You deserve it. Accept, you big dummy."
"Um... I accept?"
Maya led the applause. Everyone knew, in their hearts, that the right choice had been made.
Constance smiled. "Good. Since no one else seems to object, I'll go ahead with my final act as team leader. If everyone will step forward and give their votes, we can end this current debate and move forward. I shall go first. I vote 'no.' I think that ze League is a tremendous organization but we do not need it to succeed."
Hawkman waited until she was done before speaking up. "I vote Yes. The League has tradition attached to its name. By being associated with it, we'll gain much more respect and help from law enforcement agencies. In the long run, I can't see that as anything other than a good thing."
Chandi cleared her throat. "I thought about this all night and... I vote No. Like I said yesterday, I admire them but... We're not the League. We're smaller and more like a family. I don't want to lose that sense of closeness."
"Same here. I agree with Chandi." Sue squeezed the girl's shoulder and pulled her close.
"Well, my vote is for us to accept the League's offer. When I was a member of the Guardians, we always knew that the League was regarded with so much prestige... I think we deserve it, frankly." Godiva stepped back.
Revenant's ghostly voice chimed in with "I vote yes. More power, more prestige, more criminals that we can apprehend. Simple math, really."
The Crimson Fox turned to the Elongated Man and nodded. "You're ze deciding vote, Ralph. Are we in or out?"
The Elongated Man looked around the room. "I loved being in the League. I really did. It was a blast, hanging with the Flash, Green Lantern, all the rest. But the current League is different. The world is different. When I started out, Despero was some strange guy with a fin on his head who liked playing chess with folks. Now he's bigger than the Hulk and wants to kill everybody! And the League has changed to keep up with the new villains. They're grim and gritty again, when everybody knows that's going out of style. I mean, we never would have just booted somebody out of their own headquarters like they did. I don't mean to say that I don't like them anymore -- I do. Heck, I even did a stint as a reservist recently*... but I don't feel like one of them anymore. I feel like one you guys. I vote No."
(*See DCL's Hypertime Invasion series and DCL's Martian Manhunter series)
Constance nodded. "That's it, then. By a vote of 4-3, we remain the Justice Squad--"
The pinging of the team's proximity alarms interrupted her. With a scowl, the Fox leaped over to the monitor board. "Something is incoming! Very rapidly!"
The Fox barely had time to throw up her hands as a flaming object crashed through the ceiling and landed hard on the stone floor of the castle.
Maya saw a hand reach out from the flames and gasped. It was a person! Not thinking of anything but trying to help this poor soul, she moved forward and guided the flames away from the man within.
There, at the center of the receding flames, was Nathaniel Adam -- know to most as Captain Atom! The silver hero reached out a shaking hand towards the Squadron members. "Please... Extreme Justice... needs you. Please!"
Ralph turned to Hawkman, his nose twitching. "Looks like I've got my first mystery to solve as leader!"
TO CELEBRATE THE GUEST-APPEARANCE OF THE JLA IN THIS ISSUE, I'M PROUD TO PRESENT THE FIRST DCL WORK BY NEIL GOW, KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE FANFIC COMMUNITY AS THE HEAD OF MARVEL-X'S AVENGERS IMPRINT AND AS THE MASTERMIND BEHIND MV1'S CRUSADERS. ENJOY!
Infinite Negatives
by Neil Gow
Small tattered squares of black and white photograph paper tumbled gently through the air, their glossy veneer reflected the golds and reds of the flames they were falling into. Useless memories.
****
" Bob, I'm really sorry, I know you need the money but we just can't accept them."
" Hey man, stop wasting our time with your stupid rip-off fakes!"
" They're good. They're damned good. What program did you use?"
Bob Jessop stabbed the 'STOP' button on his answer machine and stood impassive in his simple one bedroomed apartment, with his head hung low. What was wrong with these people? They were talking to him as if he was insane. As if he was the only person in the world that remembered things how they were.
****
It had all started when he was clearing out some of his old material at his mother's house in New Jersey. Bob was, hell, Bob still is, a photographer. He's made his living selling his pictures to papers and agencies around the world. He's respected. He's renowned. Well, he used to be.
It was a simple cardboard box, like the ones you used to get shoes in when you were a kid. He'd forgotten he had ever taken most of the shots. A few of his family, some of his date to the prom. Martha Dinsdale, now that was a memory! It was the bottom ones that really did it for him though...
A full set of pictures of the Justice League of America on one of their first outings, before things had exploded for them. It was pure luck that he had been there at the time. His old car had finally given up the ghost a couple of miles up the road and he was walking into town to try to find a mechanic when he stumbled on a huge battle between what was to become the JLA and , well there was no other way of putting it, a giant starfish! Later, of course, the world would come to call the starfish 'Starro'. At the time the world already knew the names of the heroes; Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter. He blessed his lucky stars ( no pun intended) that he had brought his camera and he began taking pictures. Lots of pictures. When he got them developed he was really impressed but he had other things to attend to ( like Martha Dinsdale) and he forgot about them.
When he found them he knew that he had to get them published. Things had been a little quiet recently. A lot of the good stuff was being snapped up by the youngsters with their internet technology and digital cameras. They could get the shots clearer and faster than Bob ever could, although thankfully there were still some publishers that appreciated a 'proper' picture. This stuff would be hot - a feature piece that could be tied in to some JLA celebration or anniversary. A tidy little nest egg.
So he put them together is a tidy portfolio, even tried to hunt down some of the newsprint from that day but it didn't seem to be archived and then he took a trip into Manhattan to see what the response was going to be like. He never suspected that was to happen.
****
He had been in Geoff Grizedale's office more times than he could remember. He was one of the good editors - the ones that still took paper over printout. They had both been in the business for far too long and although they had seen a lot of things together, neither of the men had got passed the 'Christmas card' stage of friendship. Professional detachment for moments just like these.
" They're fakes Bob. Quite obviously, they're fakes!"
" What the..? After all these years why the Hell would I start peddling fakes?"
" I asked myself the same question. Things must be pretty tough if it's come to this Bob?"
" You don't get it do you? They're not fake! I took those when I was eighteen!"
" Bob, are you on medication? Look guy, you can try to convince me all you want, but even my little kid could spot these as fakes."
" Pardon?"
" Bob. Since when were Superman and Batman founder members of the JLA? For that matter, what's this with Wonder Woman? It looks like you've gone and tried to jazz these pics up to make them more saleable. Slip in Superman and Wonder Woman for the pizzaz and then add Batman for the mystique. You even managed to erase Black Canary - or did you just superimpose Wonder Woman over her?"
" I don't have to sit here and take this Geoff."
" And neither do I Bob. I think it would be best if you just took these away now and we forgot this ever happened. Get me something good soon and I'll see you get a chance, OK? If you need the money that bad..."
****
It was the same all over town. No-one wanted the pictures and they all said they were fake. Strange thing was that Bob just couldn't understand how he had been so stupid. No wonder there were no archives about the battle - according to the rest of the world it never took place. They all thought that Superman and Batman joined the JLA much later, and Wonder Woman later still. It was as if ... as if he had stumbled on some elaborate set for a movie or something like that. Maybe a publicity stunt for a comic book?
Whatever it was, it wasn't the first appearance of the JLA. It was probably just the flattering memory of someone who was getting a little old, a little lonely and maybe took a few too many drugs during college. Time to get rid of these before he ruins his reputation once and for all.
Bob took the first of the pictures and tore it into little pieces. A flame from his cigarette lighter and the memories began to fade. Soon more pieces were falling into the flames as the memories faded.
*****
Hidden at the end of infinity, as the edge of the never-when a calm, pale face smiles. Another anomaly dealt with, another pathway closed off. Dawn of time? Dawn of a million little problems, more like. Whoever thought they could just restart the multiverse that easy was sorely mistaken....
In Justice Squadron # 11 : Extreme Justice is here! What'll happen when two of the toughest hero groups in the DCL get together? Be here to find out!
EUROPINIONS
I wrote a 3-issue limited series starring Extreme Justice for DCL awhile back. It wasn't my best work, but it wasn't my worst either. I always had a fondness for the characters, hence their return here. In the second issue of that series, Monarch warned for Captain Atom to "...watch the skies." Next issue, we find out what that warning truly meant.
Keep in touch,