Summary: A vigilante is brought into the Justice League. She may find adventure and love, but some things never come easy.

Warning: Some language.

Disclaimer: I own Lida, any OCs, and any plot ideas. Other than that, they're DC's.

My first Justice League: Unlimited fic, so I hope it's at least acceptable. I'm already well into the plot, and plan to continue privately, but want to see how it'll stand up against other fics here.

Please review if read. Reviews are appreciated.

"We have a problem," J'onn J'onzz told Flash grimly, his arms crossed soberly across his chest. He had called the hyperactive hero into the conference room in hopes the young man would realize how serious he was, but to no avail.

"Yeah? What? Marauding evils, lots of destruction, stuff like that?" Flash asked jokingly, waving his hand dismissively. "We've always got problems – we're superheroes."

"It's a vigilante," the Martian informed him. He sighed, wishing he could approach another member, but most were too busy with their own missions, and the rest weren't experienced enough in his opinion.

"So?" Flash demanded, shrugging. "We were all vigilantes at one time or another. Look at Batman, for cripes' sake!"

"We cannot allow renegades to run freely around the world, whether they work for good or evil," J'onn informed him coolly. "I believe this one could be recruited to the League if approached properly."

"So…we're gonna go, beat 'em up, and then ask 'em to join us?" Flash asked in surprise. "That's pretty direct for you, J'onn."

"We're going to go where Shade was last seen, and try to catch him there," the other hero explained patiently, sighing a little to himself. "There was a string of robberies in Teplice that he was sighted near a few days. The perpetrator was never caught, so hopefully Shade is still on the hunt."

"Wait, wait, where the hell is Teplice?" Flash demanded.

"In the Czech Republic. I believe Shade is a native," J'onn told him. "I don't have much information on him, unfortunately. He seems to be very adept at covering his tracks."

"With a name like 'Shade', I'm not surprised," the young man grumbled, getting to his feet. "Let me guess – we leave immediately."

"My ass is numb from sitting so long," Flash complained, rubbing the aforementioned part of his anatomy as they strode off the jet a few miles from the city in the Czech Republic. It was already dusk in the Eastern European nation, and the lights of the city could be seen in the distance.

Located in the plains of the of the Bilina river, it was separated from the Ore Mountains and the Czech Central Mountains, and would probably have been isolated altogether if not for its famous thermal springs, forming it into a spa city.

"Stop complaining and follow me," J'onn ordered, gliding down the gentle hill they had set the jet on, not bothering to see if Flash listened to him or not.

"Yeah, yeah, this better have some fun," he grumbled.

"I thought there would be another robbery soon," the vigilante remarked, appearing from the shadows and glaring at the two men who had just picked the lock of a souvenir shop.

"I thought you'd be speaking another language," Flash remarked from behind him, realizing he was speaking English to himself, in a vaguely Czech accent.

"What?" he demanded, whirling around. The black cape that draped to the ground swirled around him, hiding anything else from view as he disappeared.

"What the hell?" Flash wondered, and turned to J'onn. "Huh?"

"He apparently has the ability to manipulate shadows, or darkness," the Martian remarked calmly, standing further away. He merely watched as Shade reappeared, and thick swirls of what looked like black clouds shot from beneath him towards the criminals, encasing them in darkness.

Hearing their panicked cries, the vigilante smirked faintly and knocked them against the wall, silencing them for the time being. Carefully adjusting his cloak around him, and ensuring the hood concealed his face, he approached the two strangers.

"I'm assuming you're from the Justice League," he said coolly, observing them while remaining in a defensive stance.

"How'd you guess?" Flash asked, and he snorted.

"Who else is going to run around in something like that?" he asked, gesturing to their costumes. The young man grimaced.

"Good point," he admitted, and stepped back when J'onn moved forward to confront the vigilante.

"We were wondering what your intentions are," he stated, and the cloaked figure stared at them in disbelief.

"Are you kidding? I'm protecting this part of the world from scum you don't bother with," he retorted sharply. "None of your business."

"We can't have someone with powers running around loose."

"Like an animal?" Shade interrupted, shaking his head. "I'm not going to join forces with the bad guys or something like that, if that's what you're worried about."

"What do you think about joining the Justice League?" the Martian asked, using his telepathy easily on the stranger and making an instant decision concerning him.

"Nope," Shade replied, shrugging indifferently. "I'm not a team player, by any means. I'd rather be stuck in backwards countries like these helping then up in space like some freak. If that's all you wanted, I have some more work to do, so…"

"I would remain and listen to our offer, Lida," J'onn said calmly, and Shade froze in surprise. Flash, completely confused, looked between the two and frowned.

"I think I'm missing something here," he complained.

"I forgot you had telepathy. A mistake on my part," Shade admitted, and with a sigh tossed his head, letting the hood of the cloak slide away from his head.

"It's a her?" Flash demanded in shock, as indigo eyes stared calmly at them, framed by waves of thick auburn hair.

"Yes, it's a her," Lida retorted impatiently, crossing her arms defiantly. "It was easier to conceal my identity entirely. Actually, it's easy to conceal myself period," she added despite herself.

"I would appreciate it if you removed the cloak for the time being," J'onn told her calmly, earning a sharp look.

"Think I'm going to attack you? I don't need weapons." She shrugged, but swung the cloak from her shoulders and folded it onto the ground. Her figure was a slim hourglass, and was concealed in a black bodysuit with high gray boots and gloves, and a thin gray belt around her hips. A silver symbol for infinity was pinned above her left breast, normally holding the cloak together there.

"Thank you," the Martian told her, nodding in appreciation at her somewhat-backhanded compliance. "Now, what about our offer?"

"I don't want to join," she repeated, shaking her head and frowning a bit. "I'd rather remain nice and anonymous where I am, then let power go to my head."

"Like your uncle?" J'onn asked calmly, and Lida nodded in agreement.

"It's bad enough I share the name with him," she said in obvious distaste. Flash went to open his mouth, and she intercepted his question. "My uncle is Richard Swift – the Shade you've fought before. He got the idea for that cane of his from my powers years ago," she added with a grimace. "Yeck."

"We can use anyone who would aid us," the Martian began, and she shook her head.

"Why? There're plenty of members in the Justice League now. It shouldn't matter if a few of us decide to run loose and play our own little games," she argued without heat, shifting from one foot to the other. A cold wind began to blow, and she sighed. "It's going to snow – come back to my house and we'll talk more."

"We'll follow you," J'onn agreed, and strode after the young woman as she retrieved her cloak and swept it over her form once more. It was an obvious effort to keep from using the shadows as her means of transportation, which even Flash could tell, and they quickly kept up with her pace as she led them down the deserted streets.

"Not bad for a vigilante," Flash commented approvingly, as they entered the shelter the modest two-story home offered from the snow. It wasn't that big, and the inside was dark, illuminated only by a few lanterns.

"Thanks," Lida said wryly, pulling her hood back once more. The infinity symbol indeed pinned the cloak together above her left breast, and glowed in the faint light.

"But dark," J'onn added, looking around carefully.

"I don't care for much light," she told them, but shrugged as she headed to the wall. Flipping a few switches, the room became brighter, revealing all the imperfections. The furniture was worn and old, while the house itself could have done with some cleaning and patching.

"Is it safe to leave the jet?" Flash asked J'onn in concern, as Lida strode into another room without a word, leaving them alone.

"It's concealed," the Martian assured him. "We'll spend the night here, and return to the base in the early morning."

"There's a spare bed, and the couch if you don't want to share," Lida informed them, returning from another room and having changed into jeans, boots, and a turtleneck. "And there's food in the fridge if you're hungry," she added, gesturing through the open hole in the wall opposite them to indicate a kitchen.

"Really? Tha–"

"Thank you, but we're fine for now," J'onn said, smoothly interrupting Flash. She shrugged again in reply.

"Suit yourself. I'm going to bed – don't let the door hit you on the way out," she added pointedly, heading into a bedroom and loudly locking the door behind her.

"She's a piece of work," Flash commented, after a pause. "Is she really League material?"

"It isn't for us judge," J'onn told him, sitting down carefully on the couch. "It is for Lida to decide what is what best for her. We can't force her into anything."

"Then what the hell did we come here for? I've got stuff in Central City to take care of," Flash argued. "Can we just go now? Besides, I had a date with Beatriz, and she's gonna kill me if I don't explain."

"Recruiting is more important than a date," J'onn said calmly. "Get some sleep." That was obviously the final word from the Martian, and Flash grumbled to himself as he dug through the refrigerator, his stomach demanding food.

Lida woke just as the sky was turning a dusky shade of purple, and groaned when she remembered how she had been busted the night before by the Justice League.

"I knew it was only a matter of time," she mumbled, shoving her hair out of her face and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. The house was cold, but she was used to it. She had made her decision while she slept, and sighed in irritation.

"Always complicates," the young woman grumbled, changing into her Shade outfit and winding the cloak around her snugly. Deciding to try to surprise the quick one – cute if he wasn't annoying – Lida melted into the shadows, smirking.

"Yo!" Flash grinned, waving as she seemingly stepped from the wall next to him. Frowning a little, she only shrugged in response and looked for the Martian.

"Where's Manhunter?" she asked calmly, her hood hanging down her back and revealing her face.

"J'onn? He went to get the jet," he replied, yawning and zipping over to the couch with a wide grin. "Coming with us?"

"After being busted, I doubt I'll have any peace here," Lida sighed, crossing her arms patiently. Leaning against the wall, she looked around her house, but Flash didn't detect any sense of nostalgia or sadness in her gaze.

"So, what's your power, exactly?" he asked curiously, and she looked at him in surprise.

"What? Oh, shadow manipulation," she explained, wandering from wall to the window slowly, as if prowling. "I can use it to travel distances in seconds, and can make shadows viable to use."

"Huh?"

"I can make them solid for attack or defense," she clarified with surprising patience. It wasn't often anyone asked about her, especially her powers – the last being her uncle – so it was something different for a change for her. "Like this," she added with a grin, and Flash yelped as she lifted him bodily off the couch with a shadow of a couch, and set him down calmly before taking away the apparition, expecting him to fall on his behind.

"Nice try," he chuckled, and she whirled to see him directly behind her. He noticed how short she was – maybe five-three – and grinned. "Short women are more fun to make mad."

"I didn't even see you move," she admitted, and he nodded.

"I know. I'm Wally West. I'm the fastest man on earth – I'm the Flash," he introduced himself, offering his hand. She realized he was attempting some kind of attempt at civility, and grinned suddenly, shaking his hand firmly.

"Lida Swift – Shade," she added unnecessarily, mimicking his tone.

"I see you've made your decision," J'onn commented, striding through the door with some snow on his shoulders.

"Might as well," Lida told him. "At least try it out. If I don't like it, I'll get myself thrown out. Like that Huntress," she added suddenly with a mischievous grin. If J'onn was surprised she knew about that incident, he didn't show it.

"We'll see," he decided, before turning back to the door. "Do you have anything to bring? We need to leave."

"I travel light," the young woman said, striding out the door after J'onn. She locked the door securely behind Flash before following him to the jet.

"Gonna miss it here?" the Flash asked suddenly, glancing over his shoulder at the stubborn young woman, who seemed to refuse to show anything other calmness.

"A little," she admitted to his surprise, and then shrugged it off. "No matter, I'll come back to make sure wolves haven't gotten it," she joked as she strode up the ramp into the jet. "What fun."

"Wow." Lida's jaw hung in an awed gape as she stared out the window at the many stations in space. "I had no idea there was this many!" she exclaimed in shock, and Flash grinned.

"Yep. You shoulda seen it when it started – there was just one," Flash boasted, puffing out his chest until he realized she wasn't paying the least bit of attention to him.

"How many are there?" she asked.

"Members?" J'onn checked, and she nodded. "Well over fifty members," he told her. "More stations were necessary," he continued, as they docked in oh-three. "You'll be assigned to Flash while you learn the way we do things here," he said suddenly, surprising them both.

"What?" Lida and Wally said together, and he sped past her own objections.

"But I had things to do!" he argued. "Let one of the other members – Green Arrow –"

"Works with Back Canary."

"Booster Gold –"

"Is irresponsible."

"More than me?" Flash asked, and Lida suddenly burst out laughing at this protest.

"That's ridiculous," she suggested. "No one can be more irresponsible than the Flash, from what I've heard." Flash glared at her, torn between being mad about the insult and happy she seemed to try to back him up, but J'onn interrupted them both.

"It's already settled. We decided it before we set out to find you," he told Lida, and Flash groaned.

"We? Who's we?" he demanded, and J'onn suddenly smiled almost menacingly in Flash's direction.

"Shayera," he said, and Flash groaned.

"Oh no…"

"Hawkgirl?" Lida asked in surprise, and fell silent as they finished their docking procedures and J'onn got to his feet.

"Come along, we'll give you a tour," J'onn ordered, and she quickly rose to follow him. Glancing at Flash, she rolled her eyes.

"Stop being so dramatic," she suggested firmly, grabbing his elbow. "Come on."

"This is…huge," Lida managed, trying to find a word to describe how the single station appeared to her. "How in hell did you build it?"

"Trade secret," Flash joked, having zipped back and forth constantly while J'onn showed her around. "Founding members privilege," he added, and she grabbed his elbow before he disappeared again.

"You're making me nauseas, zipping around like that," she complained. Her eyes shone underneath her hood, which she had donned upon leaving the ship, feeling more comfortable hidden from the looks of curious members.

"Sorry," he apologized, and did his best to slow down to normal human speed. She let out a sigh of relief, and stopped behind J'onn as he entered a code into the door.

"This will be your room," he informed her, and Flash blinked.

"She's even sleeping next to me?" he asked, and Lida looked at J'onn in alarm.

"The room next to his," the Martian clarified, and she nodded in obvious relief. "I'll leave the rest to you, Flash. Be prepared to brief Lida on a mission when you go to Central City," he added sternly, before striding away and leaving the pair alone.

"What now?" Lida asked blankly, clearly intimidated at the thought of being in the station. "I should've never left," she mumbled, shaking her head. "I'm so dim."

"Hey, we'll have ourselves a good time," Flash protested quickly, a wide grin directed towards her. "Let's go get something to eat – the cafeteria's pretty good."

"Beatriz! How're you…doing…" Flash trailed off as the woman stalked off, and he rushed off to catch her, leaving the nervous and hooded Lida alone in the cafeteria. Mercifully, there wasn't many people there, but a blond man approached her.

"Hello, you must be new here. If I can introduce myself, I'm Booster Gold, Michael," the man said, offering his hand in a way that made Lida roll her eyes.

"He's worse than Flash," she thought, but gave him her hand reluctantly.

"Lida, Shade," she said quickly, looking around in irritation for her supposed escort. "I am new, and I'm supposed to be with Flash, so if you'll…"

"That flirt?" Booster asked in surprise, and shook his head sympathetically when she nodded. "That's too bad. You'll never keep his attention if you're all hooded up like that." He reached out to remove her hood, but froze when her shadow grabbed his wrist and squeezed. She could hear bones cracking, and several drops of sweat appeared on his brow.

"Don't touch it," she said calmly, releasing him when she felt the bones become dangerously close to breaking.

"Just a little touchy, aren't we?" he asked a bit sourly, rubbing his injured wrist and eyeing her. "You obviously don't know the rule about using powers on each other," he added pointedly, and blinked when she merely shrugged. "I thought rookies showed more respect to senior members."

"And I thought League members had more manners than to go touching other people's costumes without permission," she retorted coolly, crossing her arms. "Oh well, guess we're both disappointed."

"Hmph," Booster grumbled, and looked for Flash as well. "Damn flirting idiot…" he grumbled, seeing him with Beatriz, better known as Fire, counterpart to Ice. "There he is – good luck," he said, pointing out the red-costumed young man before striding off, followed by some kind of robot, Lida noticed.

"Idiot indeed," she sighed, heading Flash's way and almost running into a tall gray-skinned man with a red and purple costume. After apologizing quickly, she finally reached him, a bit disgruntled to see him obviously enjoying the company of the other woman.

"So, I said…"

"Excuse me? Did I miss something? You're supposed to be helping me," Lida interrupted calmly, her arms crossed over her breasts loosely.

"This is Lida, our newest recruit. J'onn and I got her from –"

"I am not a stray, thank you," she intercepted again, and turned to the woman, who obviously had no use for her. "My name is Lida Swift, pleased to meet you. Sorry I had to interrupt so abruptly."

"I'm sure it can be avoided in the future," Beatriz replied coolly, and Lida sighed to herself.

"Just what I need, an enemy when I just start out here. Back to Teplice for me," she thought, shaking her head at the futility of it all.

Please review.