A Link to Justice

A Link to Justice

By Minstara

"…" – talking

'Hello' – thoughts

—8—

Disclaimer: Justice League and other DC characters don't belong to me. The original characters such as Anyssa and the plot do belong to me so please ask before using.

Note: There will be a sequel. As soon as I work out the details of the plot, I will begin writing. Also a bit of warning, the next story will be much more adult than this turned out to be and will be my first story of such, so it might take me a while.

Special Thanks to Morgomir, Frozen Amarillis, Ghost Girl Sora, twinbuster2, Neko-chan, and brat95 for reviewing! Thanks to everyone who read, but don't review!

—8—

Last time on A Link to Justice:

She turned back to her companion and asked again, "Where the hell are we 'cause this sure isn't Gotham."

The costumed man was silent for a moment, and then said, "It's Gotham."

"But that's—"

"Just not the Gotham we know," he said, cutting her off.

"You're closing off again. Whatever this place is has you shutting down emotionally," she turned to him, hand on her hip, and continued, "Why is that?"

"He's afraid of this place," a voiced answered from behind them. The pair turned to see... Batman?

"Who is he?" she asked again. That question had many implications, but the simplest answer was...

"He is the Batman that was a member of the Justice Lords in an alternate dimension," he turned refusing to look at the Other.

"No. Luthor won't succeed. He's done too much in our world," Bruce expressed.

"He has many of the same things in our world, but he still managed to do it," the Other disputed. Apparently, their back and forth discussion had gained the curiosity of their audience. "What are you two talking about?" Anyssa interrupted. Bruce ignored her. This was League business and none of her concern, never minding that he had conceded to Anyssa about that very point earlier.

The Other continued, also ignoring her, "How can you be so sure? Are you going to kill him before he kills Flash?" His ire rose at the very suggestion that the Other made. Did he really think that he would kill just to prevent some that might happen?

"Well, if it was just the Justice Lords that was bothering you, why aren't they all here?"

She had a valid question. Yes, he hated the Justice Lords or rather he hated their methods. They had let the death of a teammate skew their sense of morality beyond recognition. With their morality mangled, their methods of enforcing 'justice' became the stuff of nightmares. More to the point, Anyssa was right. Why was this particular Justice Lord here to greet them? As soon as he asked himself the question he knew the answer.

Hate.

There were a lot of things about this 'clean' Gotham he hated: The spineless president, the compliant people, the Justice Lords. All of them had a hand in this, but most of all...

"He hates me the most. Don't you, Bruce?" the Other said, finished his thought.

"What? Why?" That revelation seemed to surprise Anyssa, as it clearly not the answer she was expecting.

"He betrayed the Mission."

'Mission?' "What mission?" she asked, unsure of what he meant.

"The mission to bring the criminals to justice, so that another child won't have their parents taken from them. The Mission to not enforce his own justice on the guilty. He betrayed that," Batman explained. Anyssa was caught off-guard by the sheer passion in that decree. Before she could ask more about it, B2 decided to share his opinion.

"Tsk, tsk," B2 said, shaking his head. "So close, so close," he began walking closer to them.

B2, still grinning, spoke then, "He hates that I betrayed the Mission, but he hates it even more that he was tempted." Anyssa only felt his body shift a second before Batman's left fist punched B2 in the jaw. B2 backed up, still grinning, touching his jaw to rub the soreness away.

She decided it time they got to the heart of this. "Is what he said the truth?"

"I wasn't tempted by anything. I was tempted to let them finish what they'd started in our world. I was tempted to let him win!" Batman finally said; his voice a deep growl of frustration and guilt. That admission was accompanied by a faint "Finally" that Anyssa heard coming from behind her.

She turned to see B2 standing to his full height and watched his costume change, becoming the splitting image of her Batman. It was finally all starting to make sense. The shame and hatred she'd sensed earlier weren't toward the Justice Lord, but rather at himself. All of this was a rather extreme case of self-loathing. The first dreamscape fed off of his sense of betrayal in his mission; making him relive the reason behind it. The current dreamscape they were residing in brought the subject and cause of the self-loathing to the light.

"The Justice Lord knew you; heck if your theory is right, a few years ago he was you..."

Bruce didn't know why he was revealing so much of himself to her, but he felt that he had to make her understand, to make her understand him, so he explained. "I have to remember, to hold on to it in order to keep it all fresh in my memory. The old adage says, 'Forget the past, be doomed to repeat it' and I refuse to become him."

"You will never have to worry about that," she said softly, removing her hand. Intrigued, Bruce motioned for her to continue. "You got something that is truly rare; a glimpse into your own future. You didn't like what you saw, but the best thing about it is you have time to change it. Heck, just by knowing the future you're changing it for yourself."

The Other as Bruce had referred to him changed forms once again. This time he changed into the debonair form of businessman Bruce Wayne. He adjusted his tie, as he got more comfortable in his new and true form. "I think that went well," the Other said, wearing a carefree smile.

Bruce wasn't smiling. "That was a dangerous game to play. What if I hadn't found her to be trustworthy?"

"It was fun. Besides, the only way she'd have found out is if you wanted her to, right, Bruce?" Bruce only stared at the Other, refusing to dignify that question with a response; however as he faded from the dreamscape he couldn't shake the sense of satisfaction.

Now alone, the Other finally said what they really thought. "I like her. I think we're in for some interesting times," he said, smirking as he put his hands in his pockets and walked down the hill away from a fading Arkham.

—8—

Epilogue: "Upon Awakening"

The world around her was dark, lonesome. The last thing she remembered was the dream. The dream with its many worlds and morose faces. She wanted to help them, felt that she could help them. Though she didn't remember the details at this moment, she felt that she had somehow helped them. But now that the dream was over, where did that leave her?

As if the question was the trigger, she could hear something. It was slight, but the more she focused on it, the closer the sound became until finally she was able to recognize the words spoken.

"How long before she wakes up, J'onn?" a young, excited male voice questioned. The sound of that voice brought such a sense of relief to her, but why? She knew that the voice was familiar, but she didn't really understand why. It was for that curiosity more than anything that she began to open her eyes. Slowly, the world around her became lighter. At first, the light was blinding, and then something moved into her view, effectively blocking the light.

She blinked a few times to try to clear her vision until she could see the person above her plainly. The man above her had short, auburn-red hair and the clearest, brown eyes she'd ever seen. 'I know that face,' she thought to herself as she reached up to trace the line of his chin. He grabbed her hand as it lay resting on his chin, smiling down at her.

"Well, I would hope you'd know this face; after all, who could forget it?" He smiled at her, then turned his head to look behind him and said, "Hey, guy! I don't know if you heard that, but she's awake!"

She heard several footsteps approach where she lay. Soon, her bed was surrounded by three others. Pulling her hand away from the man's face, she slowly sat up, finally getting a good look at those around her. The two men on her left were ones she easily recognized on an elementary and a personal level. Elementary because the whole world knew them as Superman and the Martian Manhunter, but if her dreams were to be believed, then it was personal because she knew them better as Clark and J'onn. Even the red-headed man sitting beside her on the bed was giving her a similar reaction for she knew his costume to belong to the Flash, but she also knew that his name was Wally. To be frank, it was all a bit disconcerting and a little bit frightening.

"Um, J'onn, why's she looking at us like she doesn't know us?" the red-haired man, Wally, asked. He looked very concerned by the fact that she didn't seem to know them and strangely enough she could feel his concern radiating off him.

The third man at her bedside remained silent, observing them all. That wasn't surprising considering that the third man was Gotham's greatest detective.

"Give her a few moments. Coming out of a four-day coma would disorient anyone," the green-skinned Martian spoke. 'I've been in a coma for four days? If that was true, how come I don't feel like it? How can I trust anything I've dreamt? It all could have been her mind working to cope with the trauma or—' Her mind stopped its mile-a-minute run when she felt someone grip her right hand. Her eyes followed the line of her arm until they met black gloves. She continued upward until she was gazing into cowl masked eyes.

Her expression must have conveyed her uncertainty because the Batman said, "It was real, Anyssa." Those few words, the sheer seriousness of his tone, released the anxiety her felt digging in her chest. The relief was so intense her breath came in soft gasps.

"Oh thank God. I thought I'd imagined it or worst; that I was starting to lose my mind," she whispered. She looked up and met each man's gaze. "Thank you, Wally, Clark, J'onn, Batman, for everything you've done." Each man knew exactly what she meant.

"There is no need for thanks, Anyssa," Clark said, giving her a soft smile.

"Clark is right, gl'ae'da. If anything, we helped each other," J'onn said. Wally just nodded, agreeing with J'onn. Hearing J'onn's affectionate term for her, it finally hit home for Anyssa that it was real, that the link was real.

"Um, hate to break up the happy moment, but I have a question," Wally said. Anyssa couldn't help, but smile at J'onn's sigh of frustration. Apparently, that had become a familiar phrase.

"Yes, Wally?"

"Anyssa, why are you still calling Bats 'Batman'? Don't tell me Mr. Dark-and-Gloomy managed to sneak the secret identity by you!" Wally exclaimed.

'Leave it to Wally to notice the little things,' she thought. "No, Wally, that didn't sneak pass me. In fact," she turned an inquisitive gaze toward the Dark Knight and continued, "I seem to remember someone promising me an unmasking upon my awakening, and now that I'm conscious, I don't see any reason for further delay."

The detective gave her a slight smirk and reached up to pull the cowl off of his face. Anyssa could feel her jaw drop and didn't even try to stop it. She just couldn't believe her eyes.

The man before her was a man that everyone in Gotham has seen at one time or another. His company made him millions each day and his charities have helped millions, including her. Even if he wasn't famous, that dark hair and soft blue eyes were something a girl wouldn't forget. Still, who would have ever guessed that the world's greatest detective was really... "Bruce Wayne?!" Anyssa shouted when she regained her voice and wits.

Wally rubbed his ringing ears, muttering, "Her eyes, voice, and lungs are working great." Anyssa ignored it; after all, she wasn't being that loud and besides, this was the shock of a lifetime. The others just laughed at their speedy comrade.

Anyssa took a moment to observe them. These were some of the most powerful men (some out of costume as well as in) in the world. They faced more danger in a week than most people see in their entire lives and as the Justice League, they seemed untouchable.

'No, that wasn't right,' Anyssa thought as she internally shook her head. They were touched by the problems the world and at times, the galaxy faced everyday. They had to be or they wouldn't do what they do. As she remembered their doubts, their fears, their pains, she realized something.

She had touched their lives. She had helped them to see pass the doubts, confront their fears, and share their pains. She helped them remember the man and as she looked at those smiling faces of those around her, she knew that she'd made the right choice.

"Um, guys, I'm kinda tired of being in bed. Is there somewhere else we can go that doesn't require me sitting in a bed?" There was a chorus of 'sures' and 'of courses' before Wally made a speedy exit and return with a wheelchair. She didn't even try to hide the grimace at seeing the contraption.

Wally just laughed. "I promise, walking plus a four-day coma won't equal the results you want. Besides, with me as your handsome driver, you'll be in the best of hands." That said, Anyssa didn't even notice that she was no longer in the bed, but sitting in the aforementioned wheelchair. She tossed a mock glare at the speedster, who didn't look the least bit repentant.

"Wally's right, Anyssa," Clark added. Anyssa looked around her, seeing similar looks of agreement. Seeing that she was already out-voted, she just leaned back in the chair and laughed. "Alright, alright! I give up! Let's just get outta here."

Wally was more than happy to oblige. He pushed her chair to the door, already chatting about the view of Earth from the Watchtower. Anyssa let him, just as excited to see what lie beyond that room. Then, she noticed that she and Wally were the only ones going through the open door. "Hang on a minute, Wally." She turned back to the other three men in the room. "Coming, guys?"

Anyssa watched as Clark spared the other two men a glance, then smiled and replied, "We'll be along in a minute. There are just a few things that we need to clean up here."

Anyssa felt her eyebrow rise in suspicion. Though her empathy wasn't as strong in the real world as in the dreamscape, she could feel their worry. So, she had a feeling about what they were up to and decided to let them know that they weren't fooling her. "Okay. Just don't take too long comparing notes," she said, and then looked up at Wally. "So, Wally, inquiring minds what to know, who is faster: Flash or Superman?" she asked with a smirk.

Wally beamed and as he wheeled her from the room, set off on a tale of a race and a weather wizard.

—8—

With Anyssa gone, J'onn waited for the questions he was sure to come.

"How is she, J'onn?" Clark asked, only mildly concerned. Though the Man of Steel hid it well, he was just as anxious about Anyssa's condition as Wally.

"From what I can tell from my initial scans, she seems fine," J'onn commented.

"What about the disorientation she experienced upon awakening?" Clark inquired.

"The disorientation seemed to stem from the coma itself rather than from the activities during the coma. Since it didn't last, but a few moments, I wouldn't worry about it," J'onn explained.

"And mentally?" Bruce questioned.

J'onn looked to the Dark Knight expecting that particular question from him. "The shield over her mind is still present and very strong; however, now there seem to be pathways through it that were not present before."

"Pathways? To where?" Bruce wondered.

"Since there are four of them, I can only assume they lead directly to each of us. I've tested each one and found that only one allowed me entrance. I did a quick surface scan of her mind, and she appears to be fine, a little tired, but fine," J'onn clarified.

This diagnosis seemed to placate his teammates for the moment and the group left to join Wally and Anyssa. What he didn't tell them was that those pathways had safeguards, safeguards he could not bypass without severely injuring himself mentally. Also from what he observed happen between Anyssa and Wally, the pathways weren't one-way.

J'onn had many questions of his own about their new bond-mate, but unfortunately, only time could answer them

—8—

The End of Link to Justice

Author's Note: Thank you, everyone for following this story and I hope you've enjoyed it. Here are some more details about the sequel. It will take place between 1-2 months after A Link to Justice, and the consequences of this link will be known. The tentative title for it is "Link Established." Be sure to look for it!