A Painful Beginning
By C.W. Blaine
[email protected]
This piece of fan-fiction is meant to fall within the
current continuity (circa June, 2000) of the DC Universe. All of the characters
contained herein are trademarks of DC Comics Inc. and are used without
permission for use in this story. No copyright infringement is intended. This
story has not been approved by DC Comics Inc. and is meant only to be shared
between fans.
The Crisis on Infinite
Earths radically chnaged the DC universe and many of the core characters. Many
silver-age heroes and villians died or were majorly revamped. But what happened
to the ones that were just forgotten? That is what this story is
about.
"Justice League Audio
Record, 2000.1." Barbara Gordon pushed back her cowl, letting her shimmering
auburn hair fall free from the confines of her costume. She wheeled the chair
back, but not before hitting the PAUSE button on the massive computer. She
stretched and yawned, briefly considering going to her room, but decided to
instead finish what she had started. "Bat Woman, chairman, logging entry," she
said as she pushed the RECORD button.
"It has been over five years
since the event we have come to call the Crisis occurred, and in that time, I
have debated strongly whether or not it would be worthwhile to even record the
events that transpired afterwards. Our logs are full of day-to-day entries from
various members, relating cases and missions, but nobody, not even Kal, bless
him, wanted to think in depth of what really has happened. As the newly elected
leader of this team, the decision to do so has been passed on to
me."
Barbara paused the recording
again and took a deep breath. She felt like her costume was constricting,
threatening to strangle her. She removed the cape and cowl completely and
unzipped her costume on the side and pulled it down to her waist. She smiled at
her bra, black with little yellow bat emblems on the cups. It had been a gift; a
joke really, from the other team members when she had been elected leader. The
joke had been that they wanted to give her as much support as she needed. She
set the computer to voice activation and stood up, considering removing the
entire costume, but threw the thought out of her mind. She didn't know when the
video monitor would light up and she didn't want to be standing there nude to
greet whomever was calling. No, she thought, the Bat-Bra would be just
fine.
"It is hard to explain in
detail what the Crisis was, not because it is too horid to believe, it's because
I just don't understand it. In a single stroke, universes died, whole realities
merged together and then were stripped apart. Sometimes I wonder if the
Catholics were right, that it was God's judgement upon us. I wonder if, because
of what I am, whether God has placed me in a Hell that I can never understand.
Then, I think of Kal, and what he suffered and how good he is and I know then
that this isn't Hell, it's simply Earth. Earth-1 that is."
Barbara wiped a tear from
her eye, but a second one soon followed. Her voice choking, she began again. "A
being called the Monitor gathered as many super-heroes and super-villians as he
could, crossing the dimensions to alternate Earths and grabbing more from there.
He warned of a threat, of a being so evil that it could not be described. The
Anti-Monitor, ruler of the Anti-Matter universe was destroying every single
reality in hopes of making his the only one. I never understood the exact
science of it, but I do know that at creation, an infinite number of universes
were created, seperated by thin dimensional barriers. My home was designated
Earth-1; the hereos of our coimic books, who fought in World War 2, occupied
Earth-2, and so on. We were gathered to battle the
Anti-Monitor."
She got up and walked over
to the coffee maker and grabbed a black cup with the yellow bat emblem and
poured herself a cup. "We fought, as did everyone else, but we lost so many. I
remember when….when…" she dropped the cup and it shattered on the dirt floor.
She cursed, and then cursed again and tightened her hands into fists. Her bottom
lip trembled and she barely spoke in a whisper. "I remember when Bruce told me
Kara had died."
The tears flowed more freely
as she visualized that awful day in her mind, seeing the events as if they were
occuring for the first time.
Batgirl sat atop Wayne
Towers, perched on a ledge, bioculars in hand. She scanned the city, but saw
only panic as people attempted to evacuate the city. The sky, crimson with
anti-matter, swirled like a red ocean. She didn't hear him approach.
"Barbara."
She whirled around and saw
him there, standing with a somber look. She hadn't seen him this way and she
knew he had bad news. She considered all of the possibilities. She was sure both
her father and friend, Nightwing, were okay. Was it Jason, the new Robin?
"Bruce, what is it?"
He approached her slowly, a
fatherly manner about him, a far cry from the image he normally presented. He
pulled back his cowl, and his hair dripped sweat onto his chest. "Superman and
the others have come back."
Barbara was relieved for
only an instant. "Kara?" she asked in a child-like voice.
Bruce shook his head and she
fell into his chest, crying out as if in great physical
pain.
Barbara stripped off her
glovves and threw them down and began to pick up the pieces of her coffee mug.
"Kara's death, along with Barry Allen's, the Flash, took us all by surprise. We
were so confident that we could stop him. We didn't realize the price we would
have to pay to defeat him."
She stood up and suddenly
felt chilly and pulled her costume back up, but left it unzipped. "Personal note
for entry: I know what the rumors were at the time of Kara's death. I know the
guilt that I have felt for the past few years over not being there with her. I
read the headlines in the supermarker tabloids for years before her death. Since
this is the official Justice League record for these events, I guess I'll spill
all of the beans." She sat back down in the chair. "For those of you future
members, be it next month, or the next century, it is important for you to know
what pains we went through because of this, so you don't become complacent. You
can die. You can lose those you love. You may even kill. When we put on these
costumes and use our abilities, we are waging a war agianst those who would
destroy the things we cherish. The Anti-Monitor killed Supergirl, Kara. He
killed the woman I loved."
She smiled. She had so long
wanted to come out and say it, but she never had. Everyone suspected or actually
knew, but it was never spoken of. Kal never even hinted at it, ever. "Kara and I
were lovers. Yes, I know that Kal has indicated she was technically married to
an alien, but that didn't matter at the time. If Kara had been married, she
didn''t remember it, and that is that. At the time, it would have destroyed the
public's perception of super-heroes. Intolerance towards gays and lesbians was
at an all time high, even more so than today. At least China and the Germanic
Republic are willing to stand up and say being gay is a capitol offense. No,
back then, they talked about you behind your back, snickering. I prefer an up
front attack any day of the week."
"All of the rumors about me
and Bruce, Batman, or Richard, Nightwing, were just that, rumors. Bruce was
indeed handsome, but I wasn't his type. If you ever get a chance, find a copy
of Smith's Urban Legends. He
does a pretty good examination at the career of Batman and his many femme
fatales. Seventeen years old red heads just didn't fall into the right category.
And Richard? Maybe at one time I would have considered it, but he had very
exotic tastes and I think I would have been too boring for
him."
The monitor beeped as a
video link was established. Barbara paused the recording and accessed the link.
A man in a green mask, brown hair with just the touch of grey at the temples,
appeared. "Hello, Barbara. Or should I say Madame
Chairperson?"
Barbara smiled. "Barbara is
fine, Hal. How goes the recruiting?"
Hal Jordan ran a hand
through his hair. "Pretty good. Would you believe that I'm up to 1000 Green
Lanterns? Only 2600 more to go and I can retire."
Barbara raised an eyebrow,
"Aren't you a little young to retire? Anyway, we need you
here."
Hal got a serious look, "Is
there a problem with Kyle?"
"No, he's fine, but a little
over-anxious. Not to mention he needs to get his hormones in control. I caught
him yesterday drilling a hole in the shower with his ring. Lar said he would
take care of it, but I think he could really use some time with an older
man."
Hal nodded. "I can't figure
out for the life of me why the ring picked him to be a Green Lantern. Stupid
sixteen year old kid and he gets picked to be a Green Lantern." He sighed. "I'll
tell you what, I plan on heading in anyway to check on Dinah next week. I'll
talk to him and if that doesn't work, I'll take him with me and you can have the
alternate."
"Who is the
alternate?"
"Another kid named Tim
Drake. I think my ring is getting partial to young boys."
Barbara laughed at the joke
and the two chatted for another fifteen minutes before Hal signed off. As the
screen went blank, Barbara couldn't help but wonder. "For the record," she began
again, "Hal Jordan is the most fearless man I know, ven more so than Kal I
think. While no longer an official member of the Justice League, he is a
valuable ally who has done more to try and fix the problems with the universe
than anyone else I can think of. I have been attracted to very few men in my
life, but I can say that Hal Jordan could wrap a giant green hand around me
anytime he wants. The man is way too much of a hunk for his
age."
She giggled and allowed her
mind to drift back to only two years before.
Hal Jordan stood with his
mask off, staring out at Happy Harbor. Batgirl walked up behind him. "Beautiful
isn't it?"
"Yes," he said not turning
around. "Barbara, we have to talk."
She removed her cowl and let
her hair hang. She knew he was attracted to her, and she was attracted to him.
Am I finally gettng over her, she thought to herself. "What is it,
Hal?"
He still did not turn
around. "Barbara, you know that I like you. In fact, I like you a lot. I like
you a whole bunch if you get down to it. Plus, I think you like
me."
She wanted to wrap her arms
around him, his sillohuette in the dying sun making him even more desirable.
"So, what is the problem? We're both adults, Hal. You might be an older
adult, but I think you still might have some fire in you," she
chided.
"I can't be with you and you
know it."
Her heart sank as the
reality of their situation hit her. He was right, as always, and she had fooled
herself into believing otherwise. As if asking for more pain, she demanded the
reason why.
"Because, Barbara, I have
too much to do. I've decided to try
and reform the Corps. There are more worlds in the universe than Earth, and I'm
the last Green Lantern as far as I know. Both Guy and John disappeared with the
Guardians, as if they never existed. All of those other sectors of space need
someone to help them. I'm going to find a replacement for me here and head into
space."
There were tears in her
eyes, "Tell me you don't care about me! I've seen the way you look at me, the
way you steal a chance to brush your hand against mine, how you always are there
when we go into battle! Damn you, Hal, I think I love you and you know
that!"
He turned, his gaze weary.
"Barbara, I wasn't there when it happened. I gave it up, gave the job to John
and look what happened. I was meant to be there. If I had, maybe
Kara…"
She slapped him, "Don't you
mention her name! Don't you dare! You have no idea what you are even talking
about. There were over 3600 Green Lanterns present during the Crisis, do you
really think that you would have made any difference? So now, because you feel
guilty, you want to fly off into space and save the
universe…"
Hal stepped forward and
grabbed her. She embraced him and her hot tears fell onto his uniform, "Barbara,
I have to do this. If I don't, I won't be able to live with myself. I lost both
Ollie and Barry, and Carol, and Pie, and John, and Alan, and so many others.
They made a sacrifice and I have to ensure that it wasn't in vain." He pulled
her chin up and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I care very much for you, but
I'm not the one, and you know it. I know it. I don't know why, but I just do.
This is for the best."
"I know," she
sobbed.
He kissed her again, this
time on the forehead. "If I thought for one second I could give this job to
someone else, I would. I'd stay here with you and never leave. But I can't.
Sometimes, we have to make sacrifices."
"It was Kara and Barry who
made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our victory against the Anti-Monitor.
Barry used his power of super-speed to contain the energy of the Anti-Monitor's
cannon within a vortex, but the result was that the exposure to pure anti-matter
killed him. Kara died later protecting her cousin, Kal, Superman, from the
Anti-Monitor. I cried for days, wanting so much to talk to someone, but
everything was happening so quickly. I so much wanted to talk to my father,
Commissioner James Gordon, but even as the world was coming to an end, I
couldn't tell him I was in love with a woman. I was such a
coward."
"Eventually, all of the
powerhouses confronted the Anti-Monitor and they beat him, so Kal told me. They
killed him at the dawn of time and expected that everything would right itself.
But it didn't. I woke up the next morning all alone. I don't mean that
emotionally, though to this day I can smell her hair as she laid next to me. No,
I mean really all alone. I was the only person in all of Gotham
City."
She got back up and grabbed
a red cup with a WW symbol on it and poured herself another cup of coffee. She
wiped the red lipstick off of the rim and took a drink, relishing in its
caffinated goodness. "It was the same all over the world. In the space of one
night, 85% of the world's population had disappeared. Christians everywhere
proclaimed it the Rapture, but we knew better. There may or may not be a God, I
think there is, and despite my sins, I believe I will go to Heaven one day. No,
this wasn't the calling of a supreme being, it was almost as if someone had
grabbed toys out of one box and put them in another. I was one of the toys left
behind."
"I made my way to Wayne
Manor, only to find Alfred beside himself in fright. He swore that he had fallen
asleep next to Bruce after dressing his wounds, only to find an empty costume
laying in the bed the next morning. I went to the Batcave and started up the
generator. I used the computer there to scan airwaves for anything, but power
was off all over the world. That's when I found his JLA signal device and
activated it. I called for all active members of the Justice League to meet at
the Batcave."
"They came eventually,
Superman, Aquaman, Hawkman, Hawkwoman, Black Canary and Hal. Superman explained
the situation and together, we decided to investigate. In the end, however, it
was futile. We searched the world over and came up with the same results each
time. They were just gone."
"I don't understand it at
all. Time should have reverted back to normal," Superman said, his arms crossed
over his barrel-chest.
"Well, it didn't and I don't
know what we can do," Hawkman said, admiring a display case full of weapons
Bruce had confiscated over the years.
"Have either you or Green
Lantern attempted to contact our Earth-2 counterparts to see if they have the
same problem?" Hawkwoman asked Superman.
A grim look came over Hal
Jordan's face," That's strange, too. I know Earth-2 exists, and I know I should
know how to get there, but I just can't focus my ring to do
it."
"What's more, I can't break
the time barrier anymore," Superman said. "No matter how fast I go, I can't move
through time. That's never happened before."
"Could this be a plan by one
of the League's enemies?" Batgirl asked, trying to keep from looking too hard at
Green Lantern. She couldn't quite place it, but the man simply inspired
confidence by just standing there.
"I don't think so, Batgirl,"
Hawkwoman explained as her husband joined her. "It would have to be somebody who
knows the secret identities of
several super-heroes. If it was a plot, why involve you? No offense,
kiddo, but you aren't exactly a major player."
Batgirl nodded. "Then, it's
true, they're all gone, for whatever reason. We won against the Anti-Monitor,
but what a price."
Superman nodded and then
turned to Black Canary, who was huddled in a corner. "Dinah, are you
akay?"
She was shaking
uncontrollably, and she pulled her blonde wig off, "Where's Ollie?! He wouldn't
have left me! We were making love and he just disappeared!" A wild look came
over her eyes and Green Lantern walked slowly to her. "Dinah, I'm sure Ollie is
fine."
"No! You're just saying
that! You don't know!" She grabbed her stomach. "God, why does it hurt so much?
I feel like I'm being pulled apart!"
"We didn't know it at the
time, but Dinah was being affected by the shift in reality. Dinah's mother came
from Earth-2, but now it appeared that Earth-2 didn't exist, so how could she?
Eventually, Superman had to put her in the Phantom Zome to save her from killing
herself. The physical pain, plus the shock of seeing Oliver Queen, Green Arrow,
just disappear during the act of love destroyed her mind. Dinah Lance was the
only person on Earth, so far as we know, who actually witnessed what happened to
everyone else."
"Superman immediately
enlisted Hawkman and Green Lantern in helping reestablish world governemts. But
even the Last Son of Krypton could not have predicted the changes in world power
to come. The United States splintered into four separate nations, with Canada
annexing the northern territories. It was strange, but of all the countries in
the world, Canada only suffered a 2% reduction in population after the Crisis,
which gave it the most powerful military in the world. The United States is
currently made up of New England only, encompassing Gotham and
Metropolis."
"In Europe, Germany became
an empire, conquering several countries before Superman could reestablish order.
Germany has become the leader of the world and, much as loathe to admit it, has
contributed greatly to bringing about order."
'The New United Nations,
made originally of The Germanic Empire, the Peoples Replics of China and
Vietnam, the Confederate States of America, the United States of America,
Canada, Britain, and the California Collective of Free Peoples ratified new laws
that were designed to promote good will and peace. They ordered that all
metahumans put themselves before the NUN for service to benefit mankind. Hawkman
adamantly refused and left Earth with his wife. He hasn't been back
since."
"At first, the measures were
good. The Justice League was reformed with me, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and
Superman as leader. Together, we worked towards reestablishing power and lines
of communication. We did a lot, and as time went on, we even added a few members
like Jimmy Olsen as Elastic Man and Blue Devil. Then, the trouble
started."
"What the hell is this?"
Batgirl screamed as she threw a newspaper on the meeting table. The paper
unrolled to reveal the headline New Laws Force
Heterosexuality.
Jimmy Olsen stretched his
arm out and grabbed the paper. "What did you expect, Barbara? After the AIDS
epidemic last year, did you think the government would allow your kind to just
walk around like nothing was happening?"
"'My kind'? What do you mean
by that, you bigotted moron?" Batgirl felt herself wanting to throw a batarang
right into his forehead.
"You know…queers," he
smirked.
Barbara leapt over the table
and crashed into Olsen. He screamed aloud as she pummeled him with blow after
blow, but his rubbery face ensured he took no permanent damage.
"Enough!"
The two combatants stopped
as the voice filled the entirety of the Justice League Headquarters. Aquaman and
a robot in army fatigues entered the room from the training area. "Stand down
Aurthur, G.I. Robot," Superman said. He motioned to Jimmy to stand up. The young
hero did so, but not before Batgirl whispered in his ear.
"You're just jealous you
can't get any of this."
"I'll pretend I didn't hear
that," Superman began. He picked up the New New York Times and used his super
speed reading ability to absorb the article in seconds. "This is unfortunate,
but expected. The population is so low that govenments are forcing people to
have children. It's a race. Whoever has the most people will rule the world for
the next generation."
"Pity I hadn't thought of
that before, eh, Clark?" Lex Luthor said as he entered the room. Superman turned
to the bald man, clad in his signature purple and green outfit, and extended his
hand. "Lex! Good to see you."
"As always, it is hopping in
here," Lex said, grasping the Kryptonian's hand. "I see that some members of the
group do not agree with current government policy."
"Damn right," Jimmy said,
nursing his jaw. "Man-Batgirl there doesn't think she should do her part for the
human race."
It took only a second, and
the batarang sailed through the air. Had it hit, no doubt the razor-sharp weapon
would have embedded itself in Jimmy's thigh. Fortunately for Elastic Man,
Superman sped over and caught it. "That is more than enough. Jimmy, consider
yourself off active duty."
A look of pain and betrayal
washed over Jimmy's face. "Clark? How?"
"Not now
Jimmy."
Jimmy stalked off, towards
the exit. "I get it, she sleeps witth your cousin, that makes her family! I
thought we were friends, Clark!"
Superman watched him sleave
and then turned to the assembled group. "It's my fault. I should have told him
the truth so many years ago. Then when Lana and I got married, I think he saw as
me choosing sides."
Lex Luthor put his hand on
his former enemy's shoulder, "Clark, you can't be responsible for everything.
He's a timebomb waiting to go off, I know. I've been there. You can only deal
with things as they happen."
Superman nodded and Luthor
turned his gaze over to Batgirl. "Barbara, so nice to see you as
well."
Batgirl nodded at the genius
who had single-handedly ended world hunger and developed the Internet into the
main communications system. He had only been a member of the League for six
months, joining right after Hal had left for space. It was in this extrordinary
man's arms she had found solace. Luthor had changed after the Crisis, and
everyone realized that deep inside he had only been very lonely. When Superman
had revealed to the world he was Clark Kent, Luthor saw the pain in his foe's
eyes as he spoke of the loss of Lois Lane. He had not enjoyed that visage. He
always thought he would.
So Lex Luthor had become a
hero, and Jimmy Olsen a bitter man. He had lost everything and when he hoped to
find comfort with Lana Lang, Superman was there to rekindle their old romance.
So he had tried with Batgirl, only to be rejected as well. However, she had not
rejected Luthor and, for only a brief time, they had been much more than
teammates.
Barbara had hoped she would
have the stability with Luthor that she couldn't get with Hal Jordan. She
imagined them working together to solve the world's problems, but the dream was
short-lived. Guilt ate away at Luthor until he had to confess that he was
married to a woman on another planet called Lexor. Though she was hurt, she knew
he was hurting more and backed off to allow him to regain
himself.
"I've come to resign my
membership, old foe," Luthor said, turning back to Superman. "This bit of
legislation rubs me the wrong way. It violates rights in a way I never would
have even dared to. I will return to Lexor to live out my remaining
days."
Superman nodded. "Perhaps
I'll join you there one day, Lex."
"My friend, you will always
be welcome in my home."
"And so, the birthrate
skyrocketed as Luthor left Earth behind forever. I was lucky enough to receive a
presidential 'excuse' from having to have children, given my chosen profession
as a crime-fighter. Kal never brought the subject up of my choices or lifestyle
and I loved him for it. As time went on, we found ourselves battling the forces
of the Atomic Skull, who had managed to conquer most of Africa. Only Iraq and
Israel are free, and that's only because they have demonstrated that are willing
to use the nuclear weapons at their disposal. Other countries have their own
super-heroes to protect them. In Russia, former Teen Titan Starfire, no the one
my old friend Richard was covorting around with, protects what's left of the
once mighty Soviet Empire. Kathy Kane, the original Batwoman, moved to England
with Alfred and is supposedly trining some blonde who goes by the name Huntress.
Aquaman, whose home of Atlantis disappeared, has taken up residence in the Greek
Isles and is still a reserve member."
Barbara punched up a current
roster and reviewed it slowly. "We were doing pretty good, though our membership
was suffering. Hal's replacement, the kid Kyle Rayner, is really green, no pun
intended. I also know that he looks at my butt more than he should, but I really
need a Green Lantern. Sometimes I even wish that Guy Gardner hadn't disappeared.
But Hal says his ring vouches for him, and with the Guardians of the Universe
gone, Hal is the big green king. The former villian Johnny Thunder joined,
strangely enough, with his wife Jonni Thunder. Like their Earth-2 counterpart,
they both control a mystical genie. Whoopee! The problem is the genie is too
literal. We were in one battle and Johnny tells the thunderbolt to make tracks,
and so that was how the first monorail track around the world was
built."
"Our latests additions are a
new Superman and Wonder Woman, demonstrating that already the cycle begins anew.
When Kal finally decided to retire, he called upon Lex Luthor to develop a cure
for a Phantom Zone inhabitant named Lar Gand. Years ago, he appeared briefly as
Mon-El when a young Superboy thought he was his brother. Unfortunately, lar
developed lead poisioning and Kal put him in the Phatom Zone to save his life.
Kal said that in the 30th century, he would be released and join the
Legion of Super-Heroes. Thanks to the Crisis, Kal doubts the Legion will exist.
So Luthor developed a cure and Superman, Kal, retired to Lexor with his wife,
Lana Lang. Since I was the next senior member, I got elected to be chairman,
chairperson, or whatever."
"Then something magical
happened. Kal told us he had seen Princess Diana, Wonder Woman, destroyed by the
Anti-Monitor. We had all forgotten about her former partner, Donna Troy, who had
been Wonder Girl. Donna had gone back to paradise Island, to find most of the
Amazons had also disappeared. Those that were left trained her to be Diana's
replacement and guardian of their nation. She had lost everything in the Crisis,
including her husband and son."
"So, you knew Richard pretty
well," Donna said, lifting the weights again into another
curl.
"Yes, but probably not as
well as you did. I think he liked you," Barbara responded as she practiced her
kickboxing against a weighted dummy.
"They all liked me,
especially Roy, Speedy. He was a chip off the old Oliver Queen block. When we
first got together, I was only 13, he was 12, and he was always undoing my
training bra, even in battle."
Barbara stopped and sat down
in a chair. Her bat logo T-shirt and shorts were drenched in sweat. "Why didn't
you hit him or something?"
"I don't know, come to think
of it. Sometimes I enjoyed it, sometimes I didn't. It's almost like I was living
two different lives. There was one that was sexually curious, another that was
cold and aloof. I was never happy though. No matter which way I went, I was
always sad."
"I'm hitting the shower,
then I'm going out. They got the Metropolis theater up and running again finally
and they got a copy of Star Wars."
Barbara got up and Donna set
the weights down, grabbing her hand as she walked by, "Barbara, can I ask you a
question?"
Barbara shrugged.
"Sure."
"Do you think Lar is
cute?"
Stupid question, Barbara
thought. "Well, physically he is only 17, but he definetely is cute. I'd give
him about a year to ripen though before I would ask him
out."
Donna shook her head, "Oh,
no, I don't want to go out with him, though if I don't get a presidential
decree, I may ask him to get me pregnant. Think of the child we would
have!"
Barbara had to agree that it
would be a wise choice. "It's a thought. But why did you
ask?"
"Well, I wanted to know if
you were seeing anybody."
"Huh?"
"I'm asking you out. We're
about the same age, we like a lot of the same things, and I've been on an island
with women for six years. Think about it."
"And since I'm rumored to be the resident
lesbian…." Batgirl began.
"No, I think you're
attractive." She stepped up and kissed Barbara lightly on the lips. "Very
attractive. I have no more room in my life for men. All the ones I loved are
gone and being on Paradise Island opened my mind to…possibilities at
happiness."
"And so, the current roster
includes myself as Batwoman, Donna as Wonder Woman, Lar Gand as Superman, Kyle
'I just hit puberty' Rayner as Green Lantern, Blue Devil, and G.I. Robot. Six of
us out of a multitude. In the end, after all of the pain, we rebuild. Maybe Hal
will return one day and he and I will pick up where we left off, but I have to
say that I think Donna and I are falling in love."
Barbara stood up and fixed
her costume back, noting the time. "I still miss Kara, and Donna respects the
feelings I still have for her. I miss dad, Bruce, and Richard, but can only hope
that they didn't die and that somewhere, in some place in time, that they carry
on. Who knows, maybe Richard and I got married? Maybe Kara and I got married? I
don't know, but I can only hope."
"The Justice League remains,
safeguarding a world coming back from the brink and I hope it will do so for
many generations to come."
"End
record."
The computer buzzed and
indicated that recording had indeed stopped. Barbara stretched and then bent
over and grabbed her ankles, taking very slow breaths. She noted a shadow behind
her. "Kyle, I swear to God if you are looking at my butt again, I'll jam that
ring right up your nose!"
The End for
Now