 |  JUNE 2002 - #36 |
Things Wind Down
by Paul Hahn
| Things Wind Down by Paul Hahn | |
But like I said, I'm the leader of Young Justice. We're an odd bunch, I can tell you that much. We've been going through a lot of changes lately . . . but hopefully, for the moment, we're stable. Here's a role call:
Cissie King-Jones is Arrowette. Great eyesight, incredible markswoman. Armed with all sorts of trick arrows, she's incredibly skilled.
Anita Fite is one of our newest members, calling herself Empress. She's a skilled fighter, and she can teleport.
Bart Allen is Impulse. He can move at incredible speeds. But his mind, well . . . that's kinda slow.
Hallie Takahama's Jolt. She's got super-fast reflexes, she's pretty agile, and can deliver electric shock 'jolt' punches.
Linda Danvers is now calling herself Phoenix. She's the one on our team I have the most trouble understanding. Basically, her powers have changed to where a bird of fire bursts fourth from her body whenever she wants. I believe she's got telekinetic powers, allowing her a simulacrum of invulnerability, as well as apparent super-strength and flight. She also seems to have some telepathic abilities . . .
Then there's Rebel. She can't . . . or won't . . . speak. But she's one damn skilled fighter. She could probably take me. It's almost like she reads body language . . .
And finally, Kon-El . . . or Superboy. He's got tactile telekinesis which gives him flight, speed, super-strength and invulnerability . . . although lately, it's seriously depleted.
We've been through a lot lately, but we're holding together. We're trying to get back to normal. I mean, as normal as young heroes can get. But we'll see how that goes . . .
"Yeah . . . this is incredible."
"No kidding."
"I mean . . . earth . . . it looks . . . just . . . well, amazing . . . breathtaking from this point of view. The sun looks so alive. The stars . . . brighter than ever, but still such tiny white specks . . . but the earth . . . so beautiful . . . so peaceful . . . and so small against the blackness of space . . . "
"Yeah . . . kinda gives everything a different perspective, huh?"
"How are you doing this . . . ?"
"Well, everything you're seeing is something I've seen . . . I'm showing it to you with telepathy."
"Telepathy?" Kon-El broke from his daze. "You can read minds now?"
Linda Danvers shrugged. "Well, I just . . . yeah, I can. For the longest time I've been fighting to suppress and control all this power that I've felt inside me . . . and now that I've finally stopped, it's incredible. I mean, I can make it from here to China in a matter of minutes! I can fly into space! And yeah . . . I can read minds. My telekinesis is totally stronger, too . . . now I don't need to worry about being invulnerable or super-strong, 'cause I doubt anyone could get that close."
"It's gonna take some serious getting used to."
"I guess."
"I mean . . . you just went from being a member of Young Justice to being someone completely out of our league."
"I don't think so," Linda shrugged. "I feel the same . . . just a bit more free, if anything. Like this great weight's been lifted off my shoulders! It's incredible, really."
"I bet," Kon said. But you have changed. More and more. I'll still stay by your side, because I love you . . . but, well . . . I'm worried.
"So, what's with the new girl?" Linda asked.
"Empress?" Superboy asked back. "Supposedly, her dad's an agent of SHIELD . . . and she was a super-hero junky. How she got her powers, she hasn't said. But she's basically a teleporter. But couldn't you have just used your telepathy to get that information?"
Linda shook her head. "No. Well, I mean, I could have . . . but I wouldn't want to violate her mind like that. Telepathy is a dangerous weapon that needs to be used carefully."
"I'm glad you're willing to be so cautious," Kon smiled. Glad . . . and relieved.
Nightwing and Arrowette sat on the ledge of a small building, watching the busy street below. They had come out there to talk.
"So," Cissie frowned, "you knew all along."
"Hey, I think I already got punished enough for that," Chuck replied. "The injuries . . . and then the cold shoulder."
"You deserve it."
"I dunno . . . am I completely to blame? After all, weren't you the one who (a) broke house arrest and (b) pretended to be someone else in the first place? I mean, after all, you kept finding me as the Spoiler and wanted to hang around with me, completely maintaining a third identity. You ever stop to think I was just playing along, hoping you would one day tell the truth?"
Cissie sighed. "I guess."
"Don't be so depressed about it. I did know it was you, yeah . . . but I still enjoyed all the time we were spending together. And we did have some good times, didn't we?"
"That we did," Cissie couldn't help the smirk that broke into her lips.
"We were on the verge of, like . . . "
"Being a couple . . . ?"
Chuck nodded.
"So then the real question is, now that we know . . . what do we do?"
"Is that really a question?" Chuck asked. "I like you . . . you like me . . . what's to stop us?"
Cissie shrugged. "Well, I guess nothing really . . . "
Chuck smiled. She returned it.
"Nothing?" Chuck asked again, moving in close.
"Nothing," Cissie replied, also moving in. "Except that!"
She pulled back suddenly, her keen eyes noticing a woman leaping across the roofs of moving cars. She wore maroon leather and a hat, all outlined with gold. Under her jacket and cape was a gold shirt. She wore a leather mask and gold earrings. There was a whip on her left side, and in her left hand she carried a brown leather bag of some sorts.
"We needed?" Chuck asked, gazing in the direction of the woman.
"Looks like it," Cissie said.
"Then let's go," Nightwing replied. He grabbed a batarang with a rope and tossed it at a lamp post. Once it was secure, he swung down into the streets, landing on a moving car next to the woman. "Good afternoon, ma'am."
Before he could react, the woman kicked him in the chest, knocking him off the car's roof. Chuck grabbed hold of the other side, using his feet to support him as he held onto the door's handle. The driver was screaming. Nightwing quickly hopped back up, and saw that the woman was several cars up.
Arrowette had managed to get ahead and leapt up onto a car behind the woman. She pulled back an arrow and yelled, "Freeze!"
"No," the woman replied. In a blinding flash, she pulled out her bullwhip and, cracking it, knocked Arrowette's bow aside. She leapt back onto the car Cissie stood on and punched her.
"Who are you?" Cissie asked, returning the punch.
"My name is Tora!" she exclaimed, kicking Arrowette.
"Never heard of you," Cissie replied, blocking a punch.
"Never heard of me?" Tora exclaimed. "The famous jewel thief . . . Tora?"
"Nope," Cissie said. "But at least it tells me what's in the bag."
Tora swung the bag at Cissie, knocking her onto her back and sending her off the car. Cissie managed to flip off the back of the car and land on the front hood of the one behind.
"Any suggestions?" Nightwing asked as he hopped onto the car besides Arrowette.
"Yeah, one," Arrowette said as she pulled out another arrow.
"Be careful," Chuck said. "If she falls off a car she could get hit and die . . . "
"I know," Cissie said. The arrow was shot and it tore apart her bag, spilling tons of jewels and diamonds out. Tora screamed in anger. She then leapt off the car she was riding, onto the sidewalk, and ran down an alley.
"Let's go," Nightwing said. The two YJers leapt off after her.
As Nightwing leapt into the alley, he suddenly got a kick to the face, knocking him on his butt. Tora cracked her bullwhip again, grabbing Arrowette's arm and slamming her into a brick wall.
"I did not become such a successful jewel thief without learning how to handle myself in a fight!" Tora exclaimed.
"Good for you," was the answer. A puff of smoke signaled the arrival of the Empress. Her costume was of a similar color scheme to Tora's, but her face was completely covered, her identity a total secret.
Tora, caught totally by surprise, did not have a chance to block the hit from the bo-staff she received to her face, and fell unconscious.
"All done," Empress said.
"Good one," Nightwing replied.
"How'd you get out here?" Arrowette asked.
"I saw you guys on the news," Empress shrugged. "Figured I'd lend a hand. One teleport later and the fight was over!"
"We coulda handled it," Arrowette said.
"I'm not saying you couldn't," Empress shrugged. "I just wanted to help out."
"It's okay, Empress," Nightwing said. "We're teammates. Teammates help each other. Now let's get this girl to the authorities."
"And in other news, a daring daylight robbery by the notorious Tora was stopped by three members of the heroic Young Justice," the TV buzzed. Most of the members of Young Justice were in the 'party room' that had the ping-pong tables, pool tables, pinball machines, and all that stuff.
"Wow, we got credit for doing something good," Superboy said.
"By we, you mean us?" Cissie asked.
"Yeah yeah," he muttered.
"Hey, is Reddy around?" Hallie asked as she entered.
"Nope," Chuck replied. "He was only staying with us 'till everything was sorted out from the Morlock tunnels. He had agreed to let us be on our own . . . and he's keeping to that agreement. Why, is something up?"
"No, not really," Hallie shrugged. "Bart just overheated his Gamecube again . . . he really likes that Sonic the Hedgehog."
"I can imagine," Cissie laughed.
"I'll take a look at it tonight," Chuck said. "See what I can do. In the meantime, he'll just have to do something else."
"I'll be more than happy to tell him," Hallie grinned, walking out of the room.
"Those two are so cute," Linda grinned.
"Cute?" Superboy asked. "Eh . . . Bart and anybody is just scary."
"Well, gang, I have to say," Chuck started, "it's been a pleasant two weeks. Nothing major happened, really . . . outside of that Mister Freeze, anyways. But we were able to do some, well . . . relaxing . . . really recover from what happened in the tunnels. Say goodbye to our friends. And I'm proud of the way everyone's handled themselves. What we went through was more than any hero, no matter how experienced, should ever have to go through. We took our hits . . . suffered our losses . . . but we made it out. And I'm proud of you all."
"Awww," Kon said, half-joking.
"But seriously," Chuck smiled. "This was a good two weeks. It was something completely different . . . and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed being with my teammates--who, I hope, are also my friends. I just, y'know . . . wanted to say that."
"Good ol' Chuck," Linda smiled.
Chuck's eyes just met Cissie's, and they both grinned.
A private hospital owned by Frost International.
Emma Frost suddenly gasped as she awoke. She was breathing heavily. A doctor rushed in.
"Relax, Ms. Frost!" he urged. "Please . . . take deep breathes . . . "
"What . . . happened . . . ?" she gasped.
"You were in a coma," the doctor explained. "For almost a month."
"My . . . my students?"
"Students?" the doctor asked.
" . . . What happened?"
"They found you in some tunnels, beneath Central Park . . . after the lava was cleared away that had mysteriously erupted. You were the only living soul in there. No one knows, of course. But . . . you were the only one."
Emma's face grew grim. "Get me some clothes. I need to go to the mansion . . . "
"Ma'am?"
"The Hellfire Club. I . . . I need to get there . . . now!"
"Yes ma'am!" the doctor exclaimed, running out.
Emma Frost was still breathing hard. Suddenly, she noticed something different about her. She felt it inside. She concentrated, closing her eyes. When next they opened . . . she was covered, completely, in a see-through diamond sheath. She tapped the wall. Solid.
"Hmm," she said. "Curiouser and curiouser . . . "