Location: Justice League Messhall/Lagrange Point 3.
Time: Doesn't particularly matter. Second last day of June, 1989.
Last to arrive is Captain Atom bearing pizza and beer. Which he offers to Captain Marvel… I step in and help the poor kid out, before he gets himself in trouble.
"He doesn't drink. He has a problem with it." I intervene.
Atom nods. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to make this awkward. I used to know a guy who was an A.A. member." He retreats quickly from the supposed faux pas.
I catch Billy before he runs off, hopping from one foot to the other nervously. "Alcohol like coffee tastes bad unless you are used to it. It probably won't affect your current body. And you can stop fidgeting, I'm not going to scold you."
"Really? I just kinda thought since you're so growly and serious you would." He admitted.
I sighed. "Sorry, we haven't met at any good times for me. Tired and angry was all I had left."
"No, I understand. I get angry and sad at times too." He commiserated, laying a hand on my shoulder.
"Besides, us youngsters have to stick together otherwise the adults will push us out of the exciting things." I joked.
He laughed at that with naivete of a real child, as I inwardly felt dirty being around such an innocent person.
I don't deserve to be here.
Martian Manhunter turned to look at me. Before excusing himself from a psychology discussion with Black Canary (the woman really does wear fishnet stockings… I guess it's a punk thing currently?). He came close and looked at me for a silent moment.
"You have serious self esteem problems. You will learn how to cope with these when we meet for our first training session tomorrow." He said bluntly before returning to the others.
Okay...?
Finally Superman floated up a few feet to be seen. "Can I have everyone's attention?"
He waited as the conversation died down, Black Canary having to elbow Green Arrow to shut him up.
"Can everyone take a seat, we'll get started in a few minutes. So get yourselves some food and drinks and we'll begin the official meeting." He announced.
A few of the new comers filed past the buffet tables, before taking a seat. I filled my plate too, since I've been stuck talking with Mera most of this time on the minutiae of my new magic school.
The tables are rather spartan, polished steel and I have no clue what these chairs are made of. Processed wood pulp? No, they're synthetic, hard and uncomfortable. Ceramic perhaps? I miss my new desk chair.
"So I'd like to welcome all of you to the first official meeting of the Justice League. This is predominantly a get together to hash out what we hope to achieve from this group in the future and maybe lay the groundwork for a set of guidelines to follow. As well as a quiet, private celebration of our first impromptu mission together." Kal El announced.
"Will the trio from India be joining?" Alan Scott asked, raising his green ringed hand.
"They have refused our offer and strongly hinted they wish to start their own, national team." Batman answered.
"And Dr Fate?" Red Tornado asked. The golden helmed eldritch horror was conspicuously absent.
"He has returned to retirement, we discussed this at length yesterday. His powers are being... problematic." Wonder Woman answered.
Short answer for Dr Fate wants to steal a new body permanently because Kent Nelson is getting old. Death row inmates or the lobotomised might make a good solution for a disposable body. Better than hijacking a hero's.
"Any other questions? No? Moving on." Kal El announced. "First of all I would like to come up with a code of conduct. Some of us have different interpretations of what is justifiable in a crisis. I understand that I and The Flash have no intention to kill and the powers to do this effectively. Batman is somewhat similar. However Captain Atom and Magnus in particular, but also Wonder Woman, Gunnr and those from Atlantis have a more utilitarian outlook."
"I feel that what I do is not so different from a soldier or police officer. I am legally law enforcement in France. I would contend that killing can be necessary and should remain an option, but always the last option, when the lives of innocents are threatened." I announced.
"I'd agree with that. I am military. I am still inside the US chain of command and I believe that shooting to kill is an unpleasant but ultimately necessary evil in times of crisis or duty." Captain Atom added.
"I will agree that battle to the death leaves an unpleasant taste. I would appreciate alternatives to the slaughter we experienced recently." Diana threw in her two cents.
Everyone looked at Gunnr.
"I can fight without killing. I don't need to kill. People are certain to die regardless of my actions or intentions." She pointed out. "More so if you willingly keep your bitter enemies alive because you pulled your punches."
"There are some serious enemies that deserve no quarter; demons, invading aliens, other threats… and yes occasionally humans. We don't have to like it, it is simply a fact of life. As such we should have a system in place to allow for this. I have heard of a ranking system from a similar world, it classed enemies by their capabilities and their potential threat and assigned them an expected difficulty and code of engagement." I pointed out, recalling the PRT from Worm. "So it rises from muggers and thieves, to superhuman psychopaths to world ending horrors. I would rate the disaster we just experienced as an A Class threat, more because of the sheer wide scale than the actual ability of the enemy. Something more localised or less destructive would be B Class. C Class for threats that some individuals of the group can dispatch effortlessly. For something that can solo the entire team assembled here or severely damage the planet, S Class and above. And yes I can name several things that would represent an S Class threat."
Doomsday. Blackest Night. Darkseid. The Anti-Monitor. Trigon. Justice Lords. Crime Syndicate. Zod. Brainiac. The Reach. Amazo. I can go on…
[Please desist.] J'onn asked mentally from beside me.
"It seems reasonable. I don't want to die because I walked into something I didn't have a hope against, because they had a poor showing the first time." Green Arrow agreed.
"I'd also recommend a decent mix of members and powers on anything we go into blind. Magical, technical and metahuman. We should also see about extending our own unique resources to the team. Mera and the mages in Atlantis have some truly amazing magical prowess, Batman technology and in a year or so I'll be swimming in money once Luthor puts smart phones into production a couple decades ahead of schedule." I point out. "Captain Atom should have an easier time getting in contact with important people in the US government much like I do in France. I know some of us are using regular clothing when they could be wearing bullet or stab resistant materials. It might not come up as an issue for an archer often with cover nearby, but a hand to hand combatant like Canary would be at greater risk from a random thug with an automatic weapon she didn't notice."
"What about Batman?" Green Arrow asked.
"He already wears armour. It is just so high quality you can't tell by eye." I replied. "I have similar issues being regular human physically, I can just cheat with my powers."
"And he has me! The loyal and trustworthy Shieldmaiden!" Gunnr cried out joyfully.
"What she said." I added, rolling my eyes.