The New Ultimate DC RPG

[Eddie Brock]

SELINA KYLE

8 o'clock. Andrea Beaumont was supposed to report for her new assignment two hours ago. I'm still contemplating whether Officer Beaumont should formally resign or whether I should just let the GCPD figure it out for themselves. I'm leaning towards the latter. I thought I needed to be a cop to make a difference, but my discovery has convinced me otherwise.

My discovery. Bruce Wayne's secret.

Knowing the truth now, I realize just how wrong I was about him. My perception of the situation was sharp, but my instincts were all wrong. I understand now. Bruce Wayne has his mission.

I have mine.

The things I borrowed from Bruce's secret room are laid out on the table before me. Pieces to a complicated puzzle, one I'm slowly figuring out for myself. I will use what I know and what I borrowed to complete my mission. It's the same mission I've had all along, only now the parameters have changed.

Bring down Salvatore Maroni.
​

 

[Batman]

Need to protect Gordon.

Never once had I considered the possibility that those words would enter my mind. Though we had never physically met face-to-face, Commissioner Jim Gordon was a man that had unfortunately made a profound impact on my life. While I had never considered him a true viable threat to me, or more importantly, to the people of Gotham City - all of that changed on the night that he had hired a professional hitman named Deadshot to murder two innocent officers of his own department. The man is corrupt, and once I thought it over after the fact, it made a disturbing amount of since from the very beginning. Whether that ended up contributing to his initial claim that I was the one that murdered John Grayson or not, it is because of him that I am wanted for murder.

And yet none of it matters, the moment that I step into the bastard's home. Held to to the barrel of a gun at point blank range, the Commissioner and his wife looked like nothing more than two scared victims of a home invasion conducted by an evidently disturbed individual. My eyes locked with the killer, and his with mine, telling me all that I needed to know. My appearance had provided the necessary distraction. Taking cue before he can be given the chance to fire, I dove directly at him and grabbed his firearm, bringing both the killer and myself down onto the carpeted floor.

I didn't recognize his face. And in the moment, I didn't particularly care. I would later discover that the Holiday killer was actually a disgruntled longtime member of the force named Michael Akins, driven to insanity after the murders of his wife and children. He blamed the GCPD for his predicament and prepared his revenge over the span of an entire year. If I had even taken into account the possibility that not all of the veterans of Gordon's unit were in direct allegiance to him, I might have seen the signs early enough to make the connection. It was a rookie mistake, and it cost me the case aswell as most of Akin's intended victims - but thankfully not his last.

He fought with determination, even as I drove my elbow hard into his thorax and attempted to fracture his jaw. But Akins wasn't letting me have this one easily. Even though wrestling out of my grip was his immediate concern, he was still hatefully glaring at Gordon for the entire duration of the struggle. Apart of me was screaming out to myself, chastising all impulse to stop this man from claiming his vengeance. I didn't know what part that Gordon played in his hatred, but I never questioned that it was justified. The Commissioner was one of the few people in Gotham that made me stop to consider the possibility that maybe, in moments like these, I am wrong to impose myself on such decisions.

"Don't you understand?! They have to pay!", He pleaded to me, momentarily ending his part of the struggle. "They took everything from me!"

It takes only a moment, but his words reach out to me. And in that same moment, any thought of letting him commit this final piece of his citywide massacre left my brain entirely.

"Not everything."

With a hateful sneer, I slammed my boot onto his wrist and easily broke it in two, leaving only his agonizing screams to fill the bedroom. Rising to back into a standing, I allowed Akins to drown into the pain, eclipsing him in a shadow that simultaneously mocked his shame, and finally brought an end to his reign as Holiday.

Truth be told, I could have easily let him kill Gordon. But in doing so, I realized that I'd have been allowing him to justify one killing against every one of his planned murders across Gotham. He blamed Gordon primarily, but it was the others that made me realize that what he was doing could not be justified, even with the wrongful deaths of his family weighing down on his sanity. Akins was a victim only once, in a time before he was a serial murderer. Now he was a crumpling heap of nothing, damned by his own quest for personal revenge.

"Police! Freeze!"

Nygma and his partner rushed into the room only seconds afterward, guns directly drawn towards Akins' visible form on the floor. And while I could sense the hostility in the room as Jim Gordon looked back at me, burning rage seething from his eyes, I ignored his detectives and gave him a glance back that equaled. I had so many words I could have said to the man, and all I could think of were few. Yet they were all so very satisfying.

"I could have let him shoot you."

A step closer, and I was practically breathing on him.

"Remember that."

With my initial mission abandoned, in lieu of all that had happened in just a few short moments, I made my way towards the window and leapt into the night, leaving Akins to the detectives that originally came for him. As I made my way back into Gotham proper, my mind was entirely blank for the first time in a very long time. The fact was simple: Holiday was captured. For so many grieving families, the nightmare was finally over. And yet for others, with men like Gordon still allowed to roam the streets, it was only just beginning.

Weeks following the incident, and I still have to wonder if I am apart of that group.

 

[Catman_prb]

"I know he may not give off the best impression, but Batman and I have some history," I say, not wanting to go too far into Diana Prince's personal past for a pair of relative strangers. "I believe he can be trusted. He's shown today that there is far more to him than just his ghoulish exterior."

Bruce Wayne may have never really fit in with the rest of the troops during our time overseas, but he proved himself to be a fundamentally good man, albeit a strange and damaged one. If that truly is him beneath the Batman's cowl, then I have to believe he could do some genuine good as part of this partnership.

"As for the other....Majestic? I know little of him, " I say, recalling the few news bytes I had seen of him in action. "He is the one who has become the media darling of LexCorp, isn't he? We may wish to approach him with caution."

A shadow flickered into existence beside Wonder Woman, shaking slightly and seemingly consisting of a black static. The shape shifted into the figure of J'onn J'onnz, the Martian.

"I believe you all to be correct. We have started a great thing today, hope for the future. I would ask that you find some way to communicate amongst yourselves without my telepathy...it is quite a strain to keep it sustained for any real length of time," the shadow J'onn said "I am on Mars at present, exploring the...ruins of my civilisation. I assure you all that I am perfectly safe, and I shall return in time. When I return, I will aid you with this...league of yours. You have my word,"

 

[MST3K 4ever]

"I know he may not give off the best impression, but Batman and I have some history," I say, not wanting to go too far into Diana Prince's personal past for a pair of relative strangers. "I believe he can be trusted. He's shown today that there is far more to him than just his ghoulish exterior."

Bruce Wayne may have never really fit in with the rest of the troops during our time overseas, but he proved himself to be a fundamentally good man, albeit a strange and damaged one. If that truly is him beneath the Batman's cowl, then I have to believe he could do some genuine good as part of this partnership.

"As for the other....Majestic? I know little of him, " I say, recalling the few news bytes I had seen of him in action. "He is the one who has become the media darling of LexCorp, isn't he? We may wish to approach him with caution."

The Atom floats in amongst the gathered heroes and says, "I agree Batman is a tall, dark and gruesome but be there no doubt he is a hero and will do what is necessary for the cause of Justice."

She looks around and says, "Going on first impressions and as far as Majestic goes. I don't know there's something about him I can't put my finger on it that makes me more nervous of him than of Batman."

A shadow flickered into existence beside Wonder Woman, shaking slightly and seemingly consisting of a black static. The shape shifted into the figure of J'onn J'onnz, the Martian.

"I believe you all to be correct. We have started a great thing today, hope for the future. I would ask that you find some way to communicate amongst yourselves without my telepathy...it is quite a strain to keep it sustained for any real length of time," the shadow J'onn said "I am on Mars at present, exploring the...ruins of my civilisation. I assure you all that I am perfectly safe, and I shall return in time. When I return, I will aid you with this...league of yours. You have my word,"

The Atom then says, "I also vote for a centalized meeting place. For lack of a better term, a clubhouse. I just got lucky and saw Superman and Wonder Woman heading over here. I like the outdoors and so forth but meeting on random rooftops all the time just doesn't work."

She sits down on a nearby drain pipe and says, "There's also a matter we will have to deal with at some point. The whole secret identity thing. Do we tell one another who we really are or just let things go as they are for now?"

 

[Spike_x1]

"I know he may not give off the best impression, but Batman and I have some history," I say, not wanting to go too far into Diana Prince's personal past for a pair of relative strangers. "I believe he can be trusted. He's shown today that there is far more to him than just his ghoulish exterior."

Bruce Wayne may have never really fit in with the rest of the troops during our time overseas, but he proved himself to be a fundamentally good man, albeit a strange and damaged one. If that truly is him beneath the Batman's cowl, then I have to believe he could do some genuine good as part of this partnership.

"As for the other....Majestic? I know little of him, " I say, recalling the few news bytes I had seen of him in action. "He is the one who has become the media darling of LexCorp, isn't he? We may wish to approach him with caution."

"I agree. Although Majestic proved himself more than capable in a fight today, any ties that he might have with LexCorp leaves me wary." My brow furrows as I contemplate the subject.

A shadow flickered into existence beside Wonder Woman, shaking slightly and seemingly consisting of a black static. The shape shifted into the figure of J'onn J'onnz, the Martian.

"I believe you all to be correct. We have started a great thing today, hope for the future. I would ask that you find some way to communicate amongst yourselves without my telepathy...it is quite a strain to keep it sustained for any real length of time," the shadow J'onn said "I am on Mars at present, exploring the...ruins of my civilisation. I assure you all that I am perfectly safe, and I shall return in time. When I return, I will aid you with this...league of yours. You have my word,"

"We can't thank you enough, J'onn. I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for on Mars." I look back to the others. "I'll see if STAR Labs is willing to help out with the communications, as well whether or not they know how we might get in contact with the Atom. Maybe we can look into any communication possibilities from WayneTech as well. Still, until we get some sort of network in place, if anyone needs my help, just give me holler."

The Atom floats in amongst the gathered heroes and says, "I agree Batman is a tall, dark and gruesome but be there no doubt he is a hero and will do what is necessary for the cause of Justice."

She looks around and says, "Going on first impressions and as far as Majestic goes. I don't know there's something about him I can't put my finger on it that makes me more nervous of him than of Batman."

The Atom then says, "I also vote for a centalized meeting place. For lack of a better term, a clubhouse. I just got lucky and saw Superman and Wonder Woman heading over here. I like the outdoors and so forth but meeting on random rooftops all the time just doesn't work."

She sits down on a nearby drain pipe and says, "There's also a matter we will have to deal with at some point. The whole secret identity thing. Do we tell one another who we really are or just let things go as they are for now?"

I suppose that settles the matter of how to get in contact with the Atom.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be comfortable trusting the knowledge of my secret identity to people I had just met, no matter how heroic they might be." I don't mention my own civilian identity, preferring to keep the impression that my maskless life as Superman tends to give in people, that I don't even have a secret alter ego.

 

[Byrd Man]

I suppose that settles the matter of how to get in contact with the Atom.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be comfortable trusting the knowledge of my secret identity to people I had just met, no matter how heroic they might be." I don't mention my own civilian identity, preferring to keep the impression that my maskless life as Superman tends to give in people, that I don't even have a secret alter ego.

"I have to agree with Superman. You all seem like nice people, but I don't want you bursting through my door at three in the morning."

My eyes drift towards Wonder Woman. "Not that it can be all bad if you did that. Atom has a point, though. If we're going to make this work, we need a place to meet up. Like a....secret lair if you will. All the superheroes in the comics have secret lairs and meeting places."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

"I have to agree with Superman. You all seem like nice people, but I don't want you bursting through my door at three in the morning."

My eyes drift towards Wonder Woman. "Not that it can be all bad if you did that. Atom has a point, though. If we're going to make this work, we need a place to meet up. Like a....secret lair if you will. All the superheroes in the comics have secret lairs and meeting places."

The Atom replies, "I agree with you all about the secret identity issue I was just wondering how to deal with it, and as far as Star Labs goes in terms of finding me." She pauses and says, "Yeah you can reach me through there I work there now. But the minute we get the really cool two way communicators I want one just try to make sure it's not bigger than me."

She looks around and starts to smile. She says, "Do you realize what we are about to do? The world will never be the same once they realize that we've banded together and that of course there will be others who will look to join our ranks. We really do have a chance to make a difference."

The Atom is now lost in thought until one over-riding thought suddenly brings her back to reality.

Waller she is going to be a pain to deal with. Do I tell the others now or later? Later right now we haven't even offically banded together. Now comes the fun part...moving and giving notice.

 

[Andy C.]

"We can indeed make a difference in the world," I say to the Atom, "But what kind of difference we make remains to be seen. With each new hero that we could bring into our ranks, there may also come new enemies to face. If we band together, what would stop our enemies from doing the same?"

Already I've fought multiple villains, armed criminals and terrorists working for the mysterious cult of Kobra. In Central City, I learned that Kobra himself has allies, perhaps even superiors, wishing to bring about our destruction. Banding together may be a bulwark against such an organization....or it could end up being a provocation for them to attack.

"Still, I think the benefits of us acting as a unit outweigh the potential risks. Separately each of us is powerful, but in league, we could be indomitable."

 

[Andy C.]

Lex Luthor​

"Increase the particle flow by five percent and repeat," I say to L-Soft as it makes the necessary adjustments. The AI running through LexCorp Towers obeys, and the test chamber in front of me is flooded once again in a bath of incredibly lethal gamma particles.

After the battle with the Sta'rro creature had become a foregone conclusion, I left it up to the company press machine to spin the story to the world in a way that suited my purposes. The focus was shifted to the incredible power and technology behind my Titan satellite, the cunning way it was used to relay the frequency generated by STAR Labs. The role played by Superman and the other heroes--excepting Mister Majestic, of course-- was largely downplayed. Humanity could breathe free and easy for a little while longer, all thanks to Lex Luthor.

With that matter tended to, I set to work on unlocking the secrets that the alien had given me: a strand of his hair, giving me a complete viable sample of his DNA. I managed to separate a few precious cells from the main follicle, and have been conducting test after test ever since.

"Exposure to twenty-thousand rads of gamma radiation for ninety seconds," I say into the voice recorder, logging every second of the experiments, "and sample cell......remains completely unfazed. Damn it."

Conventional weapons have shown virtually no effect on the alien whatsoever; even the heaviest ordinance seems little more than an irritant to him. News footage has shown that energy weapons seemed to have a slightly better result, though their actual effectiveness varies. In one of his earliest battles against the villain Neutron, Superman showed a weakness towards certain kinds of radiation.

I've made it a point to test that out first.

So far I've exposed the cell sample to baths of radiation, synthesized from the LexCorp power core hooked directly into the Blue. It can replicate radiation signatures ranging anywhere from harmless radio waves to the planet-scouring gamma pulse of an exploding star. After nearly four hundred different frequencies, none of them have proven to be the key that I need.

The alien's cellular structure metabolizes energy--particularly ultraviolet energy like that found in sunlight--at a phenomenal rate, storing nearly impossible amounts of power, which explains his strength, his speed, his nigh invulnerability. Certain radiation, especially towards the lower infrared spectrum, cause the cell to metabolize much more slowly. Under the correct circumstances, this may actually cause the alien's powers to weaken. Useful, yes, but not something on which I would bet the future of the world.

"Adjust rad output to next level," I say, entering the exact specifications manually. "Synthesize signature number 6148."

The test chamber floods with a yellowish green light, and to my surprise, the cell sample actually stops metabolizing energy. In fact, it begins to swell and contort, its structure warping as it attempts to cope with the new radiation.

After a few seconds, however, the cells stabilize, and begin absorbing energy again.

"Synthesize signature number 6149," I order, and the yellow-green light turns to a full green.

Though the bright green hue filling the chamber would give the immediate indication of extreme danger, it would actually be perfectly safe for me to stick my hand right into the chamber for hours on end. Signature 6149 is a match to the unique radiation given off by a xenomineral I had recovered from a meteor fragment....possibly the only worthwhile thing I ever gained from my...memorable years in Kansas.

Incredibly powerful yet inexplicably clean, the radiation given off by Mineral K-49 could provide energy for a whole new generation of technology, advance human civilization by centuries overnight, if its molecular structure was not all but impossible to duplicate. Within the confines of this building, the Blue is able to replicate its radiation, but the mineral itself is still one of a kind.

"Exposure to radiation signature 6149, thirty seconds of exposure and......that's it...."

Under the radiation from Mineral K-49, the alien's cellular structure breaks down completely. While I could sleep on a bed made of the stuff for months and suffer no ill effects, less than a minute of exposure to this would be a lethal dose of poison to the alien.

"L-Soft, bring me the sample of Mineral K-49," I order. "I want to see it."

The AI obeys, and a few seconds later, a cylinder is brought up into my laboratory, transported through LexCorp Towers from down below in the bowels of the storage facilities.

I look it over for the first time in years, and am bowled over by what I see on it. The markings, the engravings of which I had taken note, yet never actually made the connection until just now......

This will be the key that allows me to remake the world.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Lex Luthor​

"Increase the particle flow by five percent and repeat," I say to L-Soft as it makes the necessary adjustments. The AI running through LexCorp Towers obeys, and the test chamber in front of me is flooded once again in a bath of incredibly lethal gamma particles.

After the battle with the Sta'rro creature had become a foregone conclusion, I left it up to the company press machine to spin the story to the world in a way that suited my purposes. The focus was shifted to the incredible power and technology behind my Titan satellite, the cunning way it was used to relay the frequency generated by STAR Labs. The role played by Superman and the other heroes--excepting Mister Majestic, of course-- was largely downplayed. Humanity could breathe free and easy for a little while longer, all thanks to Lex Luthor.

With that matter tended to, I set to work on unlocking the secrets that the alien had given me: a strand of his hair, giving me a complete viable sample of his DNA. I managed to separate a few precious cells from the main follicle, and have been conducting test after test ever since.

"Exposure to twenty-thousand rads of gamma radiation for ninety seconds," I say into the voice recorder, logging every second of the experiments, "and sample cell......remains completely unfazed. Damn it."

Conventional weapons have shown virtually no effect on the alien whatsoever; even the heaviest ordinance seems little more than an irritant to him. News footage has shown that energy weapons seemed to have a slightly better result, though their actual effectiveness varies. In one of his earliest battles against the villain Neutron, Superman showed a weakness towards certain kinds of radiation.

I've made it a point to test that out first.

So far I've exposed the cell sample to baths of radiation, synthesized from the LexCorp power core hooked directly into the Blue. It can replicate radiation signatures ranging anywhere from harmless radio waves to the planet-scouring gamma pulse of an exploding star. After nearly four hundred different frequencies, none of them have proven to be the key that I need.

The alien's cellular structure metabolizes energy--particularly ultraviolet energy like that found in sunlight--at a phenomenal rate, storing nearly impossible amounts of power, which explains his strength, his speed, his nigh invulnerability. Certain radiation, especially towards the lower infrared spectrum, cause the cell to metabolize much more slowly. Under the correct circumstances, this may actually cause the alien's powers to weaken. Useful, yes, but not something on which I would bet the future of the world.

"Adjust rad output to next level," I say, entering the exact specifications manually. "Synthesize signature number 6148."

The test chamber floods with a yellowish green light, and to my surprise, the cell sample actually stops metabolizing energy. In fact, it begins to swell and contort, its structure warping as it attempts to cope with the new radiation.

After a few seconds, however, the cells stabilize, and begin absorbing energy again.

"Synthesize signature number 6149," I order, and the yellow-green light turns to a full green.

Though the bright green hue filling the chamber would give the immediate indication of extreme danger, it would actually be perfectly safe for me to stick my hand right into the chamber for hours on end. Signature 6149 is a match to the unique radiation given off by a xenomineral I had recovered from a meteor fragment....possibly the only worthwhile thing I ever gained from my...memorable years in Kansas.

Incredibly powerful yet inexplicably clean, the radiation given off by Mineral K-49 could provide energy for a whole new generation of technology, advance human civilization by centuries overnight, if its molecular structure was not all but impossible to duplicate. Within the confines of this building, the Blue is able to replicate its radiation, but the mineral itself is still one of a kind.

"Exposure to radiation signature 6149, thirty seconds of exposure and......that's it...."

Under the radiation from Mineral K-49, the alien's cellular structure breaks down completely. While I could sleep on a bed made of the stuff for months and suffer no ill effects, less than a minute of exposure to this would be a lethal dose of poison to the alien.

"L-Soft, bring me the sample of Mineral K-49," I order. "I want to see it."

The AI obeys, and a few seconds later, a cylinder is brought up into my laboratory, transported through LexCorp Towers from down below in the bowels of the storage facilities.

I look it over for the first time in years, and am bowled over by what I see on it. The markings, the engravings of which I had taken note, yet never actually made the connection until just now......

This will be the key that allows me to remake the world.

Doris approaches Lex and turns on a view screen. The image of the gathered heroes on the rooftop fills the screen

She says, "The Lextele Satellite was making a pass and it came across this image about 5 minutes ago. I thought you might be interested in it. It seems they are pooling their resources. Audio channels are temporarily off line due to disturbances in the atmosphere caused by the audio EMP. They should be back within the hour. "

Doris then hands him a file on St'arro and says, "All information on the alien parasite has been locked on the Sector 14 Hard-Drive and deleted off of all other main-frames. The creature did pose some interesting possibilities that we can replicate in our labs."

She sees the green cylinder and says, "What is this sir?"

 

[Byrd Man]

​

In my new office. Spacious with a great view of NYC across the river. Nameplate now reads Inspector E. Nygma. My Lieutenant's bar replaced with a silver eagle. Jumping from Lt. to a rank equal to Colonel in one swoop. Not too bad, if I may say so. Conversation with Dent playing in my head still. Says he won't give up. I say it's bull****. Everyone has a pressure point, I'm an expert at finding them and squeezing them. Dent has one. Just need to find it.

Door opens, Bullock waddles on in. "Nygma."

"That's Inspector Nygma, Bullock."

"...Right, Inspector Nygma....uhh, sir. We might have a lead on Maroni."

"Do tell."

"Anonymous tip came through a half hour ago. Maroni is making an appearance tonight at his niece's wedding. Driver and I checked out the place where our caller said it's gonna be and it checks out. It's his niece."

"Anonymous tip" is me. Called the switchboard, breaking out my best backwoods drawl and laying into my old Kentucky accent. Caught the chatter on an illegal wiretap I put in Maroni's office when I worked for him. Nobody knows about it but me. Do my best to look surprised.

"Alright. Get Driver and the rest of the MCU together. We'll put SWAT on stand-by for this one. This is mine and the MCU's bust. I'll head it up."

"What about Captain Essen....uhh, sir?"

"She's free to tag along, but last time I checked, I now outrank her. She falls into line like everyone else, I don't care who she goes to bed with. Am I being clear?"

"Crystal, sir. I'll grab Driver and the boys and get the vests and shotguns."

"Grab me a vest, too. I want to be the first one to knock down that goddamn door."

Bullock nods and walks off. Lean back in my new chair and smile. The script's ready, players are moving into position, curtain's ready to go up.

Showtime.​

 

[Byrd Man]

"We can indeed make a difference in the world," I say to the Atom, "But what kind of difference we make remains to be seen. With each new hero that we could bring into our ranks, there may also come new enemies to face. If we band together, what would stop our enemies from doing the same?"

Already I've fought multiple villains, armed criminals and terrorists working for the mysterious cult of Kobra. In Central City, I learned that Kobra himself has allies, perhaps even superiors, wishing to bring about our destruction. Banding together may be a bulwark against such an organization....or it could end up being a provocation for them to attack.

"Still, I think the benefits of us acting as a unit outweigh the potential risks. Separately each of us is powerful, but in league, we could be indomitable."

I swear I have a mini-nerdgasm at Wonder Woman and Atom's words. This is the birth of the new Justice Society or Minutemen!

"Yep. If these past three years have taught us anything, it's that as good as their is in these new people with powers, there's also a lot of bad. We can each make many small differences apart, or make one big difference by joining together! We can be like the Avengers! That's it, we need a name! What about Grandmaster Flash and the Furious..uhh, how every many we have on the team?"

 

[Catman_prb]

"I remember, many years ago, I was a member of a team known as the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It was an organisation of people with abilities such as yours, and mine. I also had a fleeting acquiantance with the Justice Society, during the Second World War. Both of these organisations had powerful names, names that meant something. I believe a name is very important," the shadow apparation of J'onn said.

 

[Spike_x1]

"The Justice League."

Corny, but it gets the point across. At least it's better than calling ourselves the Super Friends.

 

[Byrd Man]

"I like it. It's a strong name, new, but also echoing the groups of the past. Justice League."

Justice League...I'm now part of a superhero team!

"I don't know about you all, but I love this idea, I'm excited to be part of it!"

Even my excitment won't keep me away from paraphrasing Ghostbusters quotes.

 

[Eddie Brock]

SELINA KYLE

Tonight, I take down Salvatore Maroni.

His niece, Sofia Andretti, is getting married. I met Sofia a couple of times, back when I went by the name "Holly Robinson." She's pampered and ditzy, but not entirely unpleasant. She was always nice to me, anyway. She's also entirely oblivious to the kinds of things her uncle was involved with. Her husband-to-be, Anton Karoselle, is much more aware of what he's marrying into. In fact, some are suggesting that's his motivation behind the marriage.

In any case, I'm not holding my breath for an invitation. Infiltrating the event is going to be difficult. Maroni's nothing if not paranoid. No doubt he will have beefed up security around the place, and his security knows who I am. Suffice it to say, going in through the front door isn't an option. No matter, though. I have a plan.

The lanky, awkward-looking guy at the end of the bar - Fred? Ted? His name's not important to me. - he works for the catering service that's working the reception. Apparently, he likes to stop for a drink a half hour before reporting for work. I've been giving him sideways glances for the past ten minutes, blushing and smiling when we make eye contact. From the stupid grin on his face, I take it he's quite proud of himself.

Here goes nothing.

I pick up my purse and saunter to the end of the bar, still smiling shyly at the poor guy. "Anyone sitting here?" I ask so sweetly I want to gag. He shakes his head nervously, shuffling to the side so that I have room to sit down. Though it pains me, I give a little giggle. "What a gentleman. I'm Andrea."

"Ted."

"Pleased," I smile as I shake his hand gingerly. I point to his empty glass. "Can I get you another drink, Ted?"

Ted looks away, clearly uncomfortable and uncertain with himself. I'm not surprised that he doesn't have more experience with this kind of situation. "S-sure, that'd be good."

I get the bartender's attention with a wave of my hand, and he refills Ted's glass. I reach into my purse and wrap my hand around a little tablet. "Ted, can I tell you something?" I ask quietly. He looks at me, and I motion for him to lean closer. I whisper in his ear, "I think you're awfully cute, if you don't mind me saying." Meanwhile, I drop the tablet into his drink and watch it disappear.

"Gosh, I...I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything," I reply with a gleam in my eye. "Just drink up."

About five minutes later, after convincing Ted to follow me to the ladies room, his unconscious body collapses in the stall with a thud. Luckily, no one else is in there. After stripping him - and quite unfortunately learning that he likes to wear boxers with little hearts on them - I'm glad to find that his catering uniform isn't excessively large on me. He's going to have a lot of questions to answer when he wakes up, but I'll be long gone by then.
​

 

[sabetoonth]

[FONT=&quot]
"Victor Freis?” a police officer stood in door of Victor’s apartment.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
“Yes?” [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Victor said in response.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
“You are under arrest for assault.” A pair of handcuffs where puts around Victor’s left wrist, before the officer turned him around, finished cuffing him before reading him his rights. “You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, you have the right to an attorney, if you can not afford one then one will be provided for you. Do you understand what you have been charged with and these rights as they have been read to you?” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
Victor nodded solemnly ”Yes.”[/FONT]

Victor Freis sat in his apartment; the DA had refused to prosecute him on the grounds of self defense. As good as not being prosecuted sounded, he received word that he was being sued in civil court. The people who had attacked him were suing him one at a time. That combined with Nora’s medical bills was starting to be too much for Victor, he only had so much money.


Something had to give.
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Tomorrow[/FONT]


Victor will sit beside Nora’s bed; it will have been months since that night at the Iceberg, and no improvements. He will have nearly run out of money, and will even go back to White after the fiasco at the warehouse for money. He will sell the location and access to three more warehouses of Waynetech for enough money to pay the bills for this month before the week over. What he has been doing has been morally wrong, but he won’t be sure if he cares much if it will be or not. He will care more about Nora and about his work.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

"I like it. It's a strong name, new, but also echoing the groups of the past. Justice League."

Justice League...I'm now part of a superhero team!

"I don't know about you all, but I love this idea, I'm excited to be part of it!"

Even my excitment won't keep me away from paraphrasing Ghostbusters quotes.

The Atom smirks and floats upward and says, "Okay Dr. Venkman"

She looks around and says, "Now that we have a name, any idea on where to build the clubhouse? I mean face it going in like this and trying to get a loan could be a unique adventure to say the least."

 

[Andy C.]

"Happy Harbor, Rhode Island," I say as possible locations for this "Justice League's" base of operations is brought up. "About two miles outside of the town, along the coast, the Army built an underground base--decommissioned now, of course-- that was used during the Cold War. It was claimed to be a ICBM silo, but was actually a training facility for experimental super-soldiers. The "One Man Army Corps," the team was meant to be called. The experiment was eventually abandoned, along with the base; it came up as part of my own training when the military utilized by abilities in Afghanistan."

I know the other heroes may not be comfortable about meeting inside a relic of the Cold War, but I believe it could serve our purposes well.

"The base is hidden from plain sight, meaning we can meet there without drawing attention. It's built into a small mountain, which means it's got plenty of natural defense, impervious to outside attack from anything other than, well, people like us. And it has enough space and equipment to house our team. It may need some scouting out and some refurbishing, but I think that the Happy Harbor facility could be precisely what the Justice League needs....at least for the time being."

 

[Andy C.]

Lex Luthor​

Doris approaches Lex and turns on a view screen. The image of the gathered heroes on the rooftop fills the screen

She says, "The Lextele Satellite was making a pass and it came across this image about 5 minutes ago. I thought you might be interested in it. It seems they are pooling their resources. Audio channels are temporarily off line due to disturbances in the atmosphere caused by the audio EMP. They should be back within the hour. "

Doris then hands him a file on St'arro and says, "All information on the alien parasite has been locked on the Sector 14 Hard-Drive and deleted off of all other main-frames. The creature did pose some interesting possibilities that we can replicate in our labs."

She sees the green cylinder and says, "What is this sir?"

"This, my dear Miss Zuell," I say, toying with the cylinder containing Mineral K-49, "is the solution to that," I finish, pointing my finger at the gathering of metahumans on the view screen.

"This is a one-of-a-kind xenomineral, possibly one of the only remaining samples of the substance anywhere in the universe, with a radiation signature that while extremely energetic and powerful, is almost completely clean and harmless....to humans. To Superman, however? It may be the deadliest thing in existence."

I try to contain myself, keep myself from getting carried away by all the possibilities this could bring. The Manhattan Project is very near completion, and with this trump card now in my hand, victory has never been more certain.

Superman will die.

The other 'heroes' of the world shall fall with him.

And I will be free and unfettered to remake the world as it should be.

All that remains now are the final last-minute preparations.

"I'm going to be spending the rest of the night working on this," I tell Miss Zuell as I take the K-49 sample and place it on my workstation. "Have L-Soft run a complete breakdown on the Sta'rro parasites and feed me the results overnight in my REM phase of sleep; I have some of my best ideas while dreaming. Contact the Associated Press and let them know that I issuing a challenge to Superman and his fellow heroes in two days in front of the LexCorp Towers. I want the world watching when I make my move."

It's all so very close now....

"Oh, and send a personal invitation to Lois Lane of the Daily Planet. I can't have her missing this."

 

[Byrd Man]

​

"Happy Harbor, Rhode Island," I say as possible locations for this "Justice League's" base of operations is brought up. "About two miles outside of the town, along the coast, the Army built an underground base--decommissioned now, of course-- that was used during the Cold War. It was claimed to be a ICBM silo, but was actually a training facility for experimental super-soldiers. The "One Man Army Corps," the team was meant to be called. The experiment was eventually abandoned, along with the base; it came up as part of my own training when the military utilized by abilities in Afghanistan."

I know the other heroes may not be comfortable about meeting inside a relic of the Cold War, but I believe it could serve our purposes well.

"The base is hidden from plain sight, meaning we can meet there without drawing attention. It's built into a small mountain, which means it's got plenty of natural defense, impervious to outside attack from anything other than, well, people like us. And it has enough space and equipment to house our team. It may need some scouting out and some refurbishing, but I think that the Happy Harbor facility could be precisely what the Justice League needs....at least for the time being."

"Rhode Island?...Hold on, be right back!"

I take off and come to a stop at the military base a few seconds later.

"DEVIL!" A voice calls out behind me. I turn to see a disheveled hobo staring at me with narrowed eyes. "Get outta my bathroom! You're standing all in it!"

I look down and almost puke. "Oh, God."

The hobo charges at me. "Nobody ****s with Snaper Carr's home!"

I take off and run back to Metropolis, skidding to a stop next to everyone. "The site looks good, but I take it the real estate listing is out of date since I met the 'occupant' of the dwelling."

 

[Mr. Majestic]

Connor makes his way down stairs with his body a little bruised from the transgressions that took place the night before. As he enters the kitchen he sees his mother at the stove and Milo at the table reading the paper.

“Good morning Connor.” Milo says while pulling the chair out beside him.

“Morning baby.” Connor mother says as she stops cooking for a moment and walks over to her child and kisses him on the forehead.

While pulling back from the kiss she notices the bruise on his face.

“What happened to your face?” She asks while examining it.

Connor didn’t think that the kick he took last night was affective enough to leave a mark. Since the first thing he did when he woke was join his mother and Milo downstairs he didn’t even know anything was there.

“Oh my face I didn’t realize anything was there.” Connor didn’t know what to say, he didn’t want to lie to his mother because he promised her that those days were over. But he couldn’t tell her the truth because he knew she wouldn’t understand. If he had to choose it would have to be the truth. He knew the day would come but not so soon.

“Well mother, last night…”

“Baby Connor had an accident last night. He was coming down stairs to get a midnight snack and hit his face on the statue you wanted me to get you so bad. He didn’t know where the light switch was. So the result of that and being in the new house equals hitting his face. I told you we should have got rid of that ugly thing.”

“Aww Connor sweetie I’m sorry I’ll make sure to get rid of it and by I, I mean Milo. Being that it’s ugly and all I don’t want to touch it.” She utters while looking at her husband and smiles.

Milo couldn’t help but laugh. Connor’s mom goes back to cooking and as she turns her back from the table Milo places the news paper down on the table in front of Connor. Connor reads the article.

“Mysterious Green Hood!” ​

Connor knew by Milo showing him this he knows that the person in the hood was him. It was not wise for me to enter my room while still wearing my costume. Connor thought to himself. Question now Connor is wondering is what is he going to do with this information?

“Well Connor your mother told me how you were being home school while you were away.”

“Yes that is correct sir.”

“Connor please you don’t have to call me sir Milo is just fine.”

“Yes sir… I mean Milo.”

“Well I pulled some strings and got you into school here so you can met new friends have some fun and graduate. You know stuff a normal kid does.”

“Well thank you Milo I don’t know what to say.”

Connor’s mother walks to the table and place a plate of food in front of her son.

“You don’t have to say nothing Connor we are a family now. This is what a family does, we look out for each other. Now eat your food I have the pleasure of taking you to school today."

Connor’s day at school had gone by restively slow but this didn’t bother him at the least. He saw it as a time to adapt to his surrounding and lean more about school and how people act in the big city. Most of his kid and teen life he has been around students who were hard discipline and focused on mastering their arts. Being in an environment with some kids who doesn’t believe in listening to their instructors or any authority figure for that matter is very new to Connor, these things he knows nothing about. He is very discipline in mine and body.

Milo had picked Connor up from school since his mother could not due to the fact she had to stay late at her job. While on the car ride home Milo wasted no time talking to Connor about his side activities.

“Connor I’m going to be straight forward with you because at times that the only way I know how to be.” Milo states.

Without him even speaking a word about the subject it was relatively easy for Connor to contemplate on the matter at hand.

“I have to know Connor why is it you are dressing up like Robin Hood fighting people? Are you doing this for some kind of thrill? Because I have to tell you this will only lead to dangerous things and it will kill your mother if anything happens to you. You just got back into her life.”

It is obvious to see Milo cares about Connor in some form because if not he wouldn’t be wasting his time to know the truth about his vigilante nights. Instead he would tell Connor’s mother to bring his secret hazardous life to an end.

“My behavior is not that of pleasure. Perhaps you are aware of what kind of man my father is. I know my mother doesn’t like to talk about it so when she does bring him up she leaves out the disturbing side of him. My father is a corrupt man who ruins the lives of good men and women. He has hurt plenty of people to his rise to power.”

Connor always knew that he would be having this conversation about why he has decided to dress up like his idol the Green Arrow. But never in a million years did he think the discussion would be happening with his mother’s new husband.

“While I was away I learned a great deal of honor and justice. With everything I was taught I chose to take my new teaching and punish people like my father who hurt those who they believe are less than them so they can sit idly by on their thrones while the innocent suffers.”

After hearing Connor’s reason Milo was a little lost for words. He didn’t know that Connor had a real upstanding reason for his behavior, he was leaning more towards thinking the motive was for a since of adventure.

“I can respect that Connor. Now knowing the reason why I have something to show you at the house.” ​

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Lex Luthor​

"This, my dear Miss Zuell," I say, toying with the cylinder containing Mineral K-49, "is the solution to that," I finish, pointing my finger at the gathering of metahumans on the view screen.

"This is a one-of-a-kind xenomineral, possibly one of the only remaining samples of the substance anywhere in the universe, with a radiation signature that while extremely energetic and powerful, is almost completely clean and harmless....to humans. To Superman, however? It may be the deadliest thing in existence."

I try to contain myself, keep myself from getting carried away by all the possibilities this could bring. The Manhattan Project is very near completion, and with this trump card now in my hand, victory has never been more certain.

Superman will die.

The other 'heroes' of the world shall fall with him.

And I will be free and unfettered to remake the world as it should be.

All that remains now are the final last-minute preparations.

"I'm going to be spending the rest of the night working on this," I tell Miss Zuell as I take the K-49 sample and place it on my workstation. "Have L-Soft run a complete breakdown on the Sta'rro parasites and feed me the results overnight in my REM phase of sleep; I have some of my best ideas while dreaming. Contact the Associated Press and let them know that I issuing a challenge to Superman and his fellow heroes in two days in front of the LexCorp Towers. I want the world watching when I make my move."

It's all so very close now....

"Oh, and send a personal invitation to Lois Lane of the Daily Planet. I can't have her missing this."

Miss Zuel replies, "L-soft will have the full breakdown uploaded within the hour and ready to playback on your command when you go to sleep."

She punches in a series of commands into her L-Pad and says, "The media-relations department is getting in contact with the A-P the story should be all over the wire within the hour, and they're bracing for the onslaught of phone calls. They are already developing rotating shifts to keep people online for the next 48 hours straight.."

Doris activates Lex's phone directory and says, "Get me Lois Lane."

Lois' phone picks up and Doris says, "Miss Lane this Miss Zuel, emissary to Lex Luthor, calling on his behalf. Mr. Luthor would like to extend a personal invitation to an event that will change history forever."

Lois replies, "And what event is that?"

Doris replies, "Oh you'll just have to wait for that, and make sure that your photographer friend is with you he'll be taking the defining pictures to this event. 2 days in front of the Lexcorp Towers."

She hangs up the phone and says, "I can almost see the headlines now; The death of Superman."

 

[Byrd Man]

​

"10-10, this is 10-05. What's your twenty?"

"Right behind you."

Look into my rearview. Car full of cops rolls up and stops behind me. Bullock driving, Driver riding shotgun with three others in the back. Get out, stretch my legs. Driver hands me kevlar vest.

The Gotham Ritz across the street. Maroni's niece being married on the rooftop. The ceremony should just be starting. Perfect time to strike.

"Let's go. Driver takes point."

Driver, shotgun in hand, crosses the street with Bullock, Montoya, Fields, and Price behind him. All of them with shotguns and SMGs. My 9MM in my hands.

Running through the Ritz lobby, people staring. Head to the elevators and catch the eye of an elderly man waiting. "Going up?"

"I'll get the next one."

Six heavily armed cops riding the elevator with muzak playing. Sounds like Kenny G.

Elevator dings and we storm out. The MCU cops in the lead with me in the rear. Going down the halls towards the roof, something catches my eye. A bellhop with a bulge on his hip....a gun. Recognize his face: Johnny LaMonica aka Black Spider. Top hitter for the Falcone Crime Family.

"Gun! Gun! Gun!"

LaMonica pulls his piece, I drop to the floor as bullets whiz overhead. LaMonica takes off down the hall, MCU cops blasting at him with their weapons. Pull myself up and tell them to stop firing. "Get upstairs now! LaMonica is going for Maroni!"

Take off after LaMonica with the cops running behind.

Coming to arrest Maroni, stumble in on a mob hit.​

 

[Spike_x1]

Across the street from the Gotham Ritz is an office building under construction, and the perfect place to situate a sniper to be aimed at the rooftop wedding, which is why Salvatore Maroni placed four of his own men there. In theory, this gives Maroni a strong tactical advantage, as any trouble occurring at the wedding will be swiftly dealt with once these four men have positioned their rifles and taken aim.

In theory.

In practice, however, the undisciplined soldier is stupid and lazy. Maroni's people frequently wander around the construction site here, many stories above the street, going for smoke breaks and using their cellular phones. Separated and vulnerable, it will be a simple matter to kill them all and gain control of the vantage point that this site offers.

I go in first, as I'm by far the stealthiest member of my group.

The man's neck is broken before he even realizes that I've grabbed him, and the sound of the break is lost amidst the noises coming up from the street. I quickly stow the body out of the way and move on to the next target...

The second-to-last man actually manages to let out a yelp of pain as I shatter his wrist before crushing his throat.

His small scream of anguish has alerted the last remaining Maroni soldier on this rooftop. As I throw the latest body onto the pile of others that have accumulated so far, I can hear to final man approaching in the darkness. As he stumbles around foolishly, I venture forth and retrieve the sniper rifles that they had leaning against one of the steel girders up here, dismantling all but one of them, and then setting it up on its perch. Meanwhile, I can still hear the last man walking around in the shadows, nervous and not knowing what has become of his allies.

The night vision lenses in my mask allow me to see the moron as though it were daylight, and I almost pity him in his helplessness. My own people will be coming onto this site in less than thirty seconds with their own weapons, and this last man wouldn't survive even if I refrained from killing him myself. Still, some might see what I'm about to put him through as being a mercy killing.

It is no such thing.