ZEROBEN'S JUSTICE LEAGUE

"... A name given to the media by perhaps the world's biggest super celebrity, The Flash, to describe the team of superheroes who defended New York from - I can't believe I'm saying this, even after the past six years of this craziness - An alien invasion. They are The Flash, of course. Superman, the mysterious Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and two new faces... Apparently going by the names Cyborg and The Martian."

"The Martian? Really? Didn't this so-called Justice League just thwart an alien invasion? And now they're telling us one of their members is The Martian?"

"This just in... The Justice League - as made public by their new Social Media Page, yes that's true - has added another member to their roster. The Star City vigilante, The..."

... ARROW made impact with the wall right in front of his eyes, mere centimeters away from his face. Chest pains, shortness of breath, he collapsed down onto the pavement on his backside, scrambling in vain to somehow get away. He was out of gas, which meant he was out of flames. Damn jet pack took too much, he needed to make more modifications. Though, it would seem, his chance at doing so wouldn't be provided any time soon.

"Damn it," Firefly grumbled, defeated, "Let's just get this over with, all right? Frick!"

"Not yet," the hooded vigilante, Arrow, squatted down to be eye-level with the thug villain, "Not until you tell me why you're in my city when no one's ever seen you outside of Gotham."

"Bad news, Katniss. There's a better chance of my escape than there is of me tellin' you that."

Arrow pulled back on his bow, the tip of his weapon mere inches away from the broken lens of Firefly's goggles, "Really?"

"Aw crap," screw it, why even frickin' try anymore at this point, "Fine, I'll tell you. Yeesh."

5#

"Backlash"

Part I

An old hollowed facility hidden underneath Wayne Tower. It was first built by his grandfather as a safe house in case of danger really of any variety. Then Bruce's father used it as an R&D department, but that, too, faded out. For the past decade, it was nothing more than empty space, even going as far as to be completely cut off from Wayne Tower. However, that was all about to change...

"It's not ideal, I admit, but for the time being... It's going to have to do," Bruce explained, leading the way for Clark, Diana, Barry and Victor, "After all... It's not like we can have our own headquarters out in public."

"I still think that's the better idea," Clark admitted, knowing it wouldn't sit well, "People need to trust us. They won't if they find out we're stationed in an underground bunker."

"They won't know because they don't need to know," Bruce said, "They don't need to know anything other than that we can help them when they're in danger."

"Secrecy doesn't always work out, Bruce," Clark said.

Bruce stood his ground, "Says the reporter hiding in plain sight."

"Okay, okay," Barry wedged in-between the two before the discussion could progress any further, "Don't make me move your desks so you two rascals can't sit next to each other anymore."

"Play nice, you two," a subtle scolding from Diana.

Cyborg was busy looking around, envisioning different features to add. A computer there, another over there. Everything state-of-the-art. He could see it in his mind... He knew how to build things... Tear them apart and put them back together right after. There was so much that could be done, including... "Boom Tubes."

Barry cringed, "Sounds dirty."

Cyborg continued, "As long as we can have a sustainable power source... We can add Boom Tubes. They can teleport us in and out. Not just here, but anywhere. Bruce is right... No one needs to know that we're here."

"Ugh," Barry groaned, "So much for having our headquarters sponsored by Flashed."

Bruce turned sharply towards Barry, the anger obvious, "This isn't a game. Your endorsement deals... Your social media... None of it has any place in the Justice League trying to make the world better. You need to cut it out and that needs to happen now."

Barry wanted to point something out, "Admittedly, you may be onto something with the sponsors. But, the social media can be a helpful tool. Think... One area... One thing... Completely locked out to anyone other than us - I mean, it's behind about a dozen encryption and firewalls Victor whipped up. It's where everyone can get information on us by us from us. The absolute truth."

Damn it, the kid had a point. Fair enough, for the time being... "Fine, for now... Keep it. But, I can't promise you that it's going to work the way you want it."

"We need to focus on something that doesn't end up in an argument," Diana spoke up, changing topics, "I spoke to Steve, we may have an issue to contend with," they all waited, "ARGUS."

"What did he say?"

Before the team could listen to what Diana was just about to explain, they were interrupted by an incoming transmission working through Cyborg. With a simple flick of the wrist, a holographic image appeared with them. Make that two images... The Arrow and The Martian, apparently broadcasting from Star City. J'onn was first to speak...

"We have received information from the villain Firefly," that name caught Bruce's attention quick, "If what he says is true... It would seem we have inspired our enemies."

Arrow's turn, "He claims he doesn't know who, but a major player is calling for villains to gather and unite. This person, whoever they are, basically wants an evil version of The Justice League."

J'onn resumed, "I think it would be wise to search for and confront any and all villains who have been captured since The Invasion."

"He has a point," Clark agreed.

Bruce nodded, "We'll look into it. Since you two are still there, see if you can find out who..."

"He was looking for?" Arrow finished the sentence, "We were, but before we could... ARGUS showed up. Took him. How they knew he was here so fast... I have no idea."

Diana returned to what she was about to say before, "Steve has been promoted to Lead Operative. Which, if I understood him correctly, means he's high enough within the organization to be given 90 percent of the information they have. He told me this; Director Waller was approached by the head of the NSA to draft their own team of heroes to be motivated solely by United States political interests and military suggestion."

"Jeez," Barry gasped, "So there's us... Then a villainous Justice League and a militarized Justice League?"

"There's only one Justice League," Bruce made sure they knew it, "It's us. We would have to be dumb to not think we would be copied."

Barry pouted a little, "I didn't think of it."

"Neither did I," Diana added.

"Same here," Clark humorously raised his hand.

J'onn spoke, "Arrow and I will investigate further. Contact us if you find out anything and we will do the same."

Transmission over. Once it had been cut, Cyborg had something to say, "I've been looking into it since Arrow mentioned ARGUS taking Firefly. Unfortunately, even with everything I'm capable of, I can't get around ARGUS defenses."

"It's nearly impossible," Bruce admitted, "Trust me, I've tried before. It's a credit to your father. He was a smart man. There's layers to their security. Some easier to peel back than others."

Cyborg sighed sadly, thinking of his father, who he still had been unable to find. Even with the wealth of technology not merely at his fingertips but very literally melding into his own mind, he still couldn't locate his dad.

"Well," Clark stepped forward, "We have ARGUS making moves and we have the villain community doing the same. Which do we tackle first?"

Quite the question.

:::Belle Reve:::

:::ARGUS Detention Facility:::

"Why am I going here? Just stick me in Arkham, I'll be out in a week and you won't hear from me."

"Not this time, Freak."

Shackled, shamed, Garfield Lynns aka Firefly was lead down the hopeless halls of Belle Reve Prison. It wasn't quite up to the standards of the recently built SuperMax facility, but it was close. It housed the less super-powered criminals. Though, there were a few it kept that had their share of abilities. Shuffling his chained feet down the hall, Firefly passed by such faces as Blockbuster, Sportsmaster, King-Shark, Brain and Monsieur Mallah, Onomatopoeia and even...

"Harley?" Garfield briefly stopped, shocked to find the Harley Quinn seated comfortably in a cell, reading something called a 1000 jokes for a 1000 blokes, sipping a steaming tea, pinky up, of course, "What the hell are you doing here?"

She paid him no mind, far too invested in her reading to tear away from it. Just before he turned the corner, she burst out in laughter, cackling, spitting her drink, "That's why he crossed the road!? Aw, you're kiddin' me! HAHAHAHAHA, I love it! Guards, you there? I need to call Ivy and thank her for this book. Hello? Guards? Yoo-hoo?"

Same ol' Harley. Never mind her for now, though, as Firefly was pushed through an open door into a dark cell, the floor flooded just barely by water. Morons... Didn't they know his power wasn't an actual power? The light to his cell suddenly turned on overhead as the door shut with an echoing slam. What the hell was this? What kind of game was this? Some kind of scare tactic, some kind of head game?

"Garfield Lynns," a voice over an intercom speaker in his cell, "Why were you in Star City last night?"

He walked across the wet floor...

"Splish-Splash, splish-splash."

"Shut up, Onny!"

Firefly turned his head toward the outside of his cell then back to the speaker as if he could see the face of the person talking to him in it, "I already told Robin Hood."

"Let me clarify, Mr. Lynns," the voice explained, "We already know why. However, we like to present our prisoners the chance to personally explain themselves."

"Screw you."

"Very well," a small section of the ceiling opened, revealing a baton being lowered to the floor, "I imagine you thought the water on the floor was a tactic of ours to make light of your prowess with flames. Oh no, Mr. Lynns, I assure you that is not the case at all."

"You wouldn't... NO! STO... AAAAHHH!"

"Zap! Zap zap zap!"

:::Metropolis:::

Had they paid closer attention... They may have noticed the red and blue blur in the distance.

However, the villain Atomic Skull and his Boneheads - their actual name - were far too busy running amuck in the upper class portions of Metropolis. His flaming green head, their cheaply crafted skull masks, and the proverbial blitzkrieg of punk music launching from any speaker Atomic Skull came within range of. It wasn't just about money with him, it was about chaos, about disrupting the natural order. Call it a little Anarchy In Metropolis, if you will.

"Tear it up, Boys," Skull proclaimed proudly from the top of a broke down police car stacked atop two others, arms outstretched like he were conducting a symphony, "I want 'em to hear us... LOUD AND..."

Superman had swooped down, grabbing Atomic Skull and dropping him down onto a nearby rooftop, hitting him just hard enough to make him see stars and the flame engulfing his head to extinguish. Moments later, Skull was able to see straight again, and the first thing he straightly saw was the Man Of Steel standing over him, "You're going to SuperMax."

"Pfft," Atomic Skull felt like he had just woke from an 8 hour sleep, "That's not something I'm interested in, Supes."

Superman watched as Flash took care of the Boneheads at street-level, "I'm not sure you have a choice."

Skull chuckled, "You guys really screwed the pooch this time."

Superman looked over his shoulder, "How so?"

"I bet you idiots think you changed the world for the better," he sat up with a grunt, knowing when he was beat, "The only thing you did... Was rip the nest and let out all the hornets."

Superman wanted answers, "Who's the villain trying to round you all up?"

"Nah," Atomic Skull wasn't giving any hero the satisfaction, let alone Superman.

"So you do know who it is," Superman grabbed Atomic Skull and hung him over the ledge, "Tell me now, Skull."

"Look at you, Supes," the blood rushing to his flaming head as he was held upside-down, dangling in the wind, "A cup of coffee with The Bat and you're already..."

"Useless," Superman tossed him back onto the rooftop surface, aggravated, frustrated. Before, simple intimidation tactics were enough to bleed any information needed. It seemed that now... Things really were different. Stakes were a bit higher and the villains knew it. On the other hand, Atomic Skull was always a bit of... Well... An asshole.

"Anything?" Flash had zipped up to the roof, a simple task with his blinding speed.

"He isn't going to tell us what he knows," Superman turned away, looking out onto Metropolis... His city. What Atomic Skull said was sticking in his brain like a tack. No, not the Batman comparison. More like... Ripping open the nest and letting out all of the hornets. It rang true, too. ARGUS' plans... One villain rallying the others. Damn it... What if The Justice League ended up doing more harm than good? Far-fetched, he would admit, but what if?

:::What Was Once STAR Labs:::

The damage done by the invasion. Coast City and New York specifically. It was a great opportunity for Diana to tap into her company's resources and spread some good-will. For now... A large group of people had gathered at the site of the battle between the invasion forces and Justice League. Now... What was the next step? Apparently, ARGUS had declined in building another facility in the same place. They handed it over to the State of New York with no strings attached. Today was the first meeting on what to do with the area.

Diana stood in the small crowd, flanked by her assistant Cassie and a couple others from her company. Also there was Steve Trevor on behalf of ARGUS, Lucius Fox on behalf of Wayne Global, Maxwell Lord and many others. In charge of the meeting, acting as figure-head of it all, was New York State Senator, John Geoffrey, "First and foremost, thank you all for attending. We all know why we're here, so I'll skip that part and head straight into a few suggestions New York has already received in regards to what should be built."

"From Wayne Medical, of course a branch of Wayne Global, we have an offer to build a state-of-the-art hospital and special mansion tailored specifically to Cancer treatment. We also have Mr. Lord proposing a research and development facility much like STAR Labs..."

Maxwell Lord quickly chimed in, going as far as to approach the podium and step in front of the Senator, "Excuse me if you will, Mr. Senator. All apologies, my friend, but the vision I have for this project is just so much more than a simple STAR Labs comparison. If I may?"

"If you may?" Diana just had to speak up, "Normally, Max, one asks if they may... Before they speak. Not after?"

Maxwell smirked, a twinkle to his eye, always fond of Diana Prince, "True, Beautiful. Very true. But... Beg my pardon. I'm ahead of myself... I'm excited, okay? Let me just express myself here. Picture this..." he raised his arm as if he were showing off a new billboard or something, "CADMUS. The true core of tomorrow... The nucleus of the future. This isn't STAR Labs, this isn't a secretive shadowy government agency or another notch in the belt of Bruce Wayne. See, I want a place... One single place... One mind to which knowledge, security, and creative scientific genius can be born. And, guess what else? One-hundred percent transparency. You heard me right... No secrets, no hidden agendas, no surprises."

Diana and Steve shared a brief glance, even Lucius joining in. History lesson on Maxwell Lord... He was young, brash, way too loud, and whether or not his intentions were pure, he had a way of bending the truth. Sometimes it paid off, sometimes it landed him in hot water. However, no matter how deep or how wide, he always seemed to manage to swim his way out. His main business venture was LordTech. Robotics, specifically.

"LordTech will merge with CADMUS. My Robotics Division... My award-winning Robotics Division, toot toot... will be part of CADMUS. We will have a genetics division. We will have a..."

Attention was stolen away as thick clouds quickly rolled in, hiding the sunlight. Claps of thunder came next, coupled with the start of a cold rain fast evolving into a downpour. Diana knew it before anyone else, even Steve Trevor... This wasn't natural... It was something else entirely. To be blunt... Metahuman activity. She began warning everyone, telling them to get clear as fast as they could, but as she did, a man in a ragged STAR Labs white coat appeared in the sky, arms out straight, winds whipping all around his body, the tail of his coat going every which way.

"Everyone leave," Diana ordered, wishing she had her gear ready, rather than the heels and short skirt she had on. Though, she did have her communicator handy, "Cyborg? We have trouble at the meeting. I can take care of it, but I need my gear. Can you jump it to me?"

"Yeah, but are you sure you can handle it yourself?"

"Victor..."

"Right, sorry. Sending your gear now."

"NO MORE TRYING TO CONTROL POWER YOU CAN'T EVEN BEGIN UNDERSTAND!" the man's voice roared, echoing in the winds, a bolt of lightning obliterating the podium Maxwell Lord was just standing behind, sending the young man back dozens of feet to the ground in a painful heap.

"STAR Labs employee," Steve said to Diana, pulling out a sidearm. It wasn't much, but it was all he had at the moment.

"Okay, man," Max picked himself up, bravely - or perhaps, foolishly - standing up to this man's sudden and destructive appearance, "Let's talk, okay? Who are you? Former STAR Labs emplo..."

"SHUT UP!" a cluster of wind picked Max up and threw him even further than before, knocking him out cold upon impacting the ground.

"Diana," Lucius called out, leading a few people away from danger, pointing over to something, "I believe a package arrived for you."

Diana partly smirked, realizing Cyborg came through, "Thanks, Lucius."

"No," Steve grabbed her arm just as she was making her way over, speaking quietly, "You can't."

"I've survived far worse."

"It's not that," the winds were rapidly approaching hurricane-force, "They haven't put two and two together yet. No one realizes who you are."

Oh, he was right. But, considering the dire circumstances... Who cares if she... But... Kal said to be more open... Bruce said to be more secretive. If she donned the armor and weapons here and now... There would be no question. She had managed to distance her two personas from each other. But, as said, taking up arms here...

"STAR LABS DID THIS TO ME! TURNED ME INTO THIS!" the man roared, the rains heavier than ever, "NO ONE CAN WIELD POWER. NO ONE UNDERSTANDS IT!"

More lightning and now balls of hail pelting everything and everyone in sight. Not to mention, his proverbial wingspan was widening aggressively. Secrets be damned... Diana had no other option! She ran towards her gear, wincing at first at the intense heat felt upon touch, a side-effect of teleporting. No time to waste, she kicked off her heels, tossed aside her glasses, let her hair down, tucked her lasso into the band of her skirt, placed her shield on her back and gripped her sword. Consequences be damned.

"She's... Diana Prince is... She's Wonder Woman!?"

She boldly approached the man causing this insanity, "End this now and we can both walk away peacefully."

"WHERE THERE'S POWER... THERE'S NO PEACE!" he shot a lightning bold down from the sky...

Wonder Woman blocked it well, ducking behind her shield, the electricity dissipating upon impact, "Everyone... Steve Trevor included... Leave immediately. This will..."

"WHY ARE YOU STILL TALKING!?"

The winds picked up in ferocity, the Amazon's feet digging into the earth, cracking with blood as she somehow stood her ground, despite the difficulty in doing so, "You aren't in control!" she shouted, "This is growing too fast!"

He lowered to the ground, confronting Diana face to face, the remains of a name tag barely hanging from his coat. It was too worn and ragged to read, though, "Your battle..." for a moment, his voice was more human, his eyes even softened, showing he wasn't completely lost to whatever this power was, "... Oh, the ripples in the water..." his breathing quickened, his muscles ached and tense, face tightened, fingers cracked as they shook, the weather intensifying... "Please... Now... While I can still..."

Diana snagged him in her lasso and brought him in close, using the butt of her sword to hit him right between the eyes, sending him flat to the ground, eyes closing, bruising, nose broken and bleeding. Overhead, the weather immediately lightened, the clouds drifting away, the sun returning, rain thinning before clearing completely.

"Who are you?" she asked, lasso tight.

Through eyes barely open and coughing, he spoke, "Marco Mardon. I... Was a scientist... At STAR Labs."

"What happened to you?"

"During the battle..." he was losing consciousness, "We all... Changed."

"Changed... You mean powers?" she asked, but he was asleep, the impact of her attack too much for him to endure. Goddess... She looked around. More destruction. More injured innocents. Maxwell Lord was a mess, screaming out, his arms and legs visibly broken. Then she saw the faces... The people staring at her in awe... Steven turning and walking away, Lucius nodding graciously, The Senator shaking his head.

"Cyborg? If you can hear me... Alert the others... Copycats aren't our only problem anymore."

6#

"Backlash"

Part II