"I really need my beauty sleep," someone mumbled as they watched the pieces of metal and stone fly through the air. The crash of this intruder into the table of the meeting room inside the Hall of Justice shook the building and created a little crater on impact. The solid metal table was pierced through and the shock wave sent the debris of the table flying.
Superman clenched his fists and lowered his stance as he watched the two figures standing up inside the dust cloud. After such an entrance, a follow-up attack to capitalize on their momentary confusion would cause significant damage, which was why he waited for a clash.
However, instead of attacking, one of them put up a hood while the other waved his hand and dispersed the cloud, revealing themselves to the League. Were they this confident in taking them down? He wondered for a moment as his colleagues were readying themselves for a battle.
Diana had laid her sword flat on her forearm and was watching them like a hawk. The other members were also vigilant. Shazam's golden lightning was running along his arms as he prepared to fire at any moment. Flash was lowering himself in his stance, ready to sprint away at any hint of hostility.
Batman had already long retreated further back in the meeting room, holding three Batarangs in his hand, prepared to throw them at their assailant. Cyborg's arm had transformed into a cannon, dangerously glowing blue after it readied the energy to fire at the two.
The new Green Lantern, John Stewart, after Hal Jordan had left for Oa for the next week, pointed his ring at the two figures. The other new members, Hawkman and Martian Manhunter were prepared to engage as well. The reaction time of the assembled heroes was excellent and an indication of their accumulated experience in combating a multitude of villains.
The room had grown quiet as they watched the two figures. A man and woman, the two probably barely 18. The woman wore a robe that covered her body and hid her features underneath her hood, but her four red glowing eyes just stood out from the cast shadow of her hood.
It rang some alarm bells in Superman as he realized he couldn't see through her hood, the shadow, or any part of her robe. With her clothes, it was difficult to determine her state. However, the man looked to be in awful shape.
The clothes or armor he had worn were in shambles, with only a few pieces hanging desperately on his body. There were some hints of some high-tech, something akin to a modern spacesuit. His decency was kept with the under-suit he wore, though that wasn't Superman's primary concern.
His body was covered in wounds. They seemed to shrink by the second, though that didn't help with his pale complexion. It was clear that he was close to dying.
However, without his concerning state, he looked to be in phenomenal physical shape. There seemed to be a power inside his body and with the impact they had endured, it was clear that they were superpowered individuals. Now the only question was, what was their goal?
Superman was torn between subduing them immediately because of their violent entrance or helping them due to the terrible shape they were in, though he was leaning more towards the latter as they seemed somewhat surprised to see them.
The man with the black tail wrapped around his waist looked at the ruined table before looking at them. "Sorry about the table. Didn't really have much say where we would appear. You're the Justice League, right?" The man asked, and the members of the League briefly looked at each other.
Superman then slowly dropped out of the aggressive posture and stepped forward over a corner piece of their former table. "Indeed, and you just invaded the Justice League's headquarters. Gauging from your words, I assume this isn't meant to be an attack, right?"
He glanced at the sheen of Diana's blade after she had circled to the two figures' blind spot. "Yeah..." The man ran his fingers through his spiky hair, causing debris to fall out of it. "We kind of fought a demon, and he created a portal or whatever to escape. Since the dimension was collapsing, we had to escape as well, which is why we used his portal to escape as well. So here we are."
The short few sentences made several eyebrows rise from the ones present, but it wasn't out of the realm of possibility. They too had met with strange things since their time as a hero, and demons weren't something entirely new. Rare for the non-magical heroes, but certainly not something impossible to encounter. Dimension crossing wasn't something unheard of either.
"You two were the only ones that exited this portal and we were not informed of any other entity appearing in this hall as you did," Cyborg stated before his eyes wandered towards the woman with a frown on his face.
"Shit... either he entered stealthily or we have overshot our target because I used too much energy from the dimension to supply the portal." The woman mumbled quietly, which didn't escape the Kryptonian's senses.
Her first conclusion would be troublesome if it appeared to be true. It seemed like they would need Constantine and Zatanna to help them out again.
"You seem to know who we are, but who are you?" Batman walked out of the shadows behind the two with his cape covering his body. Superman briefly wondered when he had positioned himself there before dismissing that thought.
Although he walked towards the two steadily until he was a few meters away, there was no doubt for Superman that his friend was carrying several Batarangs in his hand underneath his cape at this very moment, ready to throw them at the two newcomers.
"This is Raven, my partner and my Hero/Saiyan name is Shallot-" The Saiyan? Introduced himself, attracting the attention of the ones present. Superman saw Cyborg's eyes widen a fraction as they snapped towards the woman in tow once again.
"Shallot?" Flash cut him off with a smirk on his face, "As in an onio-"
"At least I am not something perverts in trench coats do." Shallot instantly retorted before Flash could even finish his sentence. It was as if he had that answer locked and loaded. "Sorry, just a long day, so let's cut this short. As I said, I am called Shallot and I am one of the founders of the Justice League. Well, the Justice League of my earth. I assume you know of the multiverse theory?"
The man casually asked, stunning the other members before Batman released an affirmative but annoyed grunt. Superman could tell this was going to be a long night, and he wasn't looking forward to it.
"I see some questioning gazes. How about we talk over a burger? I am starving and I really need to get some nutrients or I am going to collapse soon." Shallot said before heading towards the door, but before he could reach it Batman walked in front of the man, stopping him in his tracks.
"You aren't going anywhere before we make sure you aren't lying to us and end up being a threat to anyone," Batman said with finality in his voice. The two stopped in front of each other and Superman could see how Batman narrowed his eyes, wanting to intimidate the man.
Shallot frowned before he responded, "You know I had never asked you this, but how do you get the eyes of your suit to do that? Is it glued to your skin or is it detecting what you are doing and then mimicking it via tech?" After he asked that, the room got so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Batman wasn't fazed at the man's attempt at comedy? And continued to stare the younger man down. "... right, hadn't considered this different universe. I am not into dudes, sorry."
"..." The silence continued, but Superman could tell that Batman was annoyed that his attempt at intimidation seemed to have no effect on him.
"Anyway, where is your cafeteria on this... wait? We aren't on the Watchtower, are we?" Shallot suddenly asked.
"W-what?? How do you know about the Watchtower?!" Cyborg suddenly exclaimed as he pointed his cannon at him before realizing that he still had a weapon charged and pointed at the man. Hesitantly, he turned down the energy and returned it back to his arm.
"Haven't you listened when I said that I am a founder of the Justice League in my universe? We operate from the Watchtower. Why? Where the fuck are we?" Shallot looked confused as he let his eyes wander through the room.
"The hall of Justice! Are you saying the Watchtower was already built in your universe? I mean, we can probably launch it soon, but-"
"Cyborg," Batman growled, interrupting Cyborg while keeping his eyes on the two newcomers. "Since you claim to have experience being a member of the League, I am sure you understand we can't let you loose without understanding your... situation."
"Despite your different sexuality, you are still as paranoid as ever." Shallot said and with a smirk on his face, he was intentionally misinterpreting Batman's action. "I figured as much, so how about that meal?"
"Follow along," Batman said before turning around and exiting through the automatic doors.
It didn't take long until the Justice League was situated in the cafeteria of the hall of Justice. All members were seated around the table where a lot of food was placed at the Saiyan's request.
All members were curious about the man's situation, but some were more so than others. Shazam was practically beaming and was only calmed down when everyone else waited for Shallot and Raven to finish. Although the situation looked to have calmed down, most members were still tense. The others were probably ready to take action if Shallot attacked, but they were more relaxed than before.
Superman looked at the empty plates and couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. He first didn't believe that the two could eat as much. They wouldn't be the first to need a lot of calories, but seeing all that food disappear mostly by the man's vigorous eating, still made a deep impression on him. It didn't take long until he finished eating and from his satisfied pat on his stomach; he seemed to be satisfied.
Batman called out to Wonder Woman, and Superman could still hear the edge and tension in his voice. "I am guessing you are familiar with Wonder Woman's lasso. We are going to ask you some questions-"
"No." The Saiyan simply refused which stunned some and annoyed others before they could exclaim Shallot continued while giving them a look that indicated that he meant business, "I have just arrived here and you seem to be somewhat decent, evidently by giving me some food and the... vibe you are giving off, but I will not risk the security of my earth on something like a first impression."
He then stared at Batman, "Since you have experience being a member of the League, I am sure you understand I won't give out information without understanding what kind of League I am dealing with." He finished mimicking Batman's words with a snort. "If we are doing this, I have some questions as well."
The intention was evident when he picked up the lasso and wrapped it around his forearm. Wonder Woman responded in kind. As the wielder of the lasso, she would conduct this exchange between two universes' members of different Justice Leagues.
"Who are you and your partner?" Wonder Woman decisively started with a simple question.
"I am Shallot or Nathan Lewis. A Saiyan warrior in body and human at heart. Raven is my friend... What was the catalyst for this Justice League to form?"
The other members shifted slightly at his non-descriptive answer about her. She was still an unknown factor, but given her reserved posture, practically hiding behind Shallot, they calmed down rather quickly. All they could see was that she had four eyes. Her face and body were otherwise covered by her robe.
"The invasion of Darkseid and his army." Wonder Woman answered. Her words brought some bad memories about that event back up. Superman clenched his jaw as he thought about how close it was back then.
Shallot seemed to be surprised as well if his widened eyes were any indication. He looked at them in disbelief. "Wait, what? You were invaded by Darkseid and managed to beat him back? ... Man, you had it rough." He said while giving them pitying and revaluing looks.
"You said you were from another universe, right? So what was it that had forced your team to assemble?" Wonder Woman asked, directly going after an enormous difference between the two Leagues, but given Shallot's words, their first mission appeared to be more mild compared to theirs.
"Well, presumably, maybe I am just from another timeline, but if I had to guess, I would bet on another universe. As for the League's origin... There was this alien race that used to wage war on mars and now came for the earth. J'onn warned us and guided us to form a team to combat them as they started a worldwide alien invasion with their machines. We coordinated and took out their leader and won. Afterward, we decided it would be best to come together in case something like this happened again."
"That race invaded Mars. What happened to the Martians? Was there no war between Martians?" J'onn interjected, a bit agitated. Shallot gave him a side-eye, which caused the martian to snap his mouth shut.
Although not explicitly said, this conversation was supposed to be held with Wonder Woman alone since she held the lasso and Shallot could trust in her answers and probably her integrity to not overstep her boundaries when she questioned him. Besides, it would take too long if everybody butted in.
"Have not heard of a war between Martians. As for the war with that alien race. They waged for a couple of hundred years. As far as I remembered before, my version of you paralyzed them for a long time until human astronauts woke them up when you were sleeping or something. Heard that they destroyed almost all life on mars and I think the Martians were wiped out except for other you." Shallot finished his explanation.
Superman had to say it didn't sound much better than their fight against Darkseid's armies, but perhaps the leader made the difference. Darkseid had been the most difficult obstacle in that invasion. If the alien race that invaded Shallot's race had nothing comparable, it was easy to guess why Shallot thought they had it comparatively rough.
Though it also told them he knew of Darkseid and most likely had clashed with him. It might be useful to get more answers out of him in the future. It would be incredibly helpful if they wanted to eliminate Darkseid as a threat.
Superman wasn't the only one that caught onto that, as Batman's eyes had narrowed his eyes when he had exclaimed at their first mission as the league.
Shallot turned back to Wonder Woman again. "Who were the initial members of the Justice League?"
"Superman, Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Cyborg, Shazam, and I. What are your intentions coming here?"
"No intentions. We accidentally arrived here by chance after escaping a collapsing dimension. Does your Justice League have intentions of ruling the world with an iron fist?"
"We don't. We are saving and protecting the earth from that kind of harm." Wonder Woman said with a frown, clearly taken aback by the hidden accusations, but Superman could see why he would want to know something like this. It was in Shallot's best interest to make sure they weren't up to no good. Probably ready to engage them if they were 'ruling the world with an iron fist'. It spoke of his heroic personality.
"Does your Justice League?" Wonder Woman fired back.
"No, they don't." Superman couldn't help but frown when Shallot said that. Not because of the answer itself, but how he worded it. It was especially glaring when Wonder Woman had answered for the Justice League by including herself just a moment ago.
Was Shallot not a member of the Justice League or did he just not see himself as one? "Does your League lobotomize villains?" He asked.
"No. Of course not!" Wonder Woman exclaimed, appalled at the suggestion. "Does yours??"
"No, they don't." Shallot answered still with a neutral expression, though his questioning suggested that he wouldn't consider the scenarios of a Justice League doing such a thing as something impossible.
That question was also a bit too specific. Given how calmly Shallot took his seeming dislocation to another universe in a stride. If it wasn't his personality, it might just not be his first time arriving in another universe...
Although Superman was often labeled as naïve, he was aware of all the things that people could and would do. However, that another version of the Justice League would turn into something that was so against what they had founded this group for was stomach-turning.
Shallot continued his questioning, "Did or does your League want to create a black ops unit containing the sidekicks of several members of the League?"
Wonder Woman frowned at the question. Considering the circumstances, they were supposed to ask about the intentions of the others, so they could see whether they could trust or even work with each other.
However, asking for the constellation of the League was giving rise to a suspicion that he was here to spy on them, to figure out their ability to resist a possible attack or invasion, but given that the two had arrived here accidentally meant that he had no hidden scheme for earth... yet.
Was he digging for something else? Was he preparing for when he went back? What was the relevance of a black ops unit comprising sidekicks? Superman couldn't quite understand his line of questioning.
"No, we did not create such a group and currently had no plans to do so. Who are the initial members of your Justice League?" She specifically asked for the initial members as Shallot had done so in the beginning, so it wouldn't appear as them gauging their prowess, though, given the information and intention this Shallot-guy had revealed, it was unlikely that the two Justice Leagues would be in a conflict.
Although she could have asked for the current rooster of his Justice League, it showed her stance and attitude of abiding by politeness and not retaliating in kind even if his own questioning left a bad taste in their mouths.
Another reason they said nothing about his questioning was the fact that it could also be seen as a retaliation for Martian Manhunter's interjecting, so they didn't stand on solid ground when one of them had already made a mistake in this conversation. They didn't want to end up pointing fingers because of something each party can accept if barely.
"Superman, Batman, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, and I… I think that's enough, don't you agree?" Shallot asked as he unwrapped his arm from the lasso of truth. Wonder Woman nodded and gathered her lasso at her hip again.
"With that out of the way, I would like to ask for your help to get back. Although I am sure you would need my help, my place isn't on this earth." Superman's mouth twitched slightly. Apparently, the visitor of another earth didn't suffer from a lack of self-esteem.
"So, what are your powers, besides the crazy hair I mean?" Shazam asked as he moved his chair closer to the table, trying to catch every word that the Saiyan would say.
Shallot raised an eyebrow at the other's enthusiasm. "You will know when I have to use it."
"Ah! Come on!" Shazam exclaimed, disappointed, and Flash huffed as well as he leaned back into his chair, obviously also curious about the man. To be honest, probably all members were curious about him. He struck an imposing figure with his trained body, not to mention his posture, even when he seemed to relax.
It was similar to Wonder Woman's manners, which shouldn't surprise Superman since he had announced to be a Saiyan 'warrior'. There was also a wildness to him. He wasn't quite hostile, but he gave one the feeling that he shouldn't be messed with. There was also the fact that most of the injuries on his body had healed by now.
"So for how long does your League exist already?" The man in question asked.
"For almost 1 year now," Superman answered, which caused Shallot to rub his chin.
"Seems like we aren't that far apart. Our League has been around for 9-10 months now, I believe?"
"And you still are ahead of us in terms of headquarters." Cyborg grumbled before retracting his statement with raised arms, "Not that our Hall of Justice wasn't sufficient and I am thankful for all the resources provided, but it would help with the positioning and preemptive systems for invasions." He explained as he nervously looked at Batman.
"Yeah, don't know what to tell you. We never had a Hall of Justice. We kind of just moved into it a few days after the invasion. I am not sure about the details, but I guess grouchy rich boy's money and Kryptonian muscles do work wonder."
Cyborg was about to ask something, which Shallot interrupted with a raised hand, "I am not sure about the specific tech, if that was what you want to ask and I won't tell you about its capability either. Kind of want to scour through the internet to see the public opinion of you." Superman couldn't help but smile wryly at Shallot's thoroughness. At least he was upfront about things.
"And I am sure we will have additional questions as well," Batman stated as his eyes tracked Shallot, who stood up and stretched.
"Is there a bed to crash on in this hall of justice? I really need some quality sleep." Shallot asked, causing one of them to respond.
"Sure follow along." Hawkman stood up and volunteered to guide them towards a bed to sleep in. Good thing they had considered scenarios that required the need for some extra beds.
He looked at Batman as they left and could already tell that he wasn't too happy with the new guest. It was obvious that he might be here for some time before they figured out how to send him to another universe, but before that, he should probably consult with Batman and the other members of the League. Since most were here already, a better opportunity wouldn't present itself.
...
"So, what's her name?" Hawkman said as he guided us through the hallways. It looked quite modern and there was no doubt in my mind when seeing the monitors that they were using cutting-edge tech. Probably fresh out of Wayne's Enterprise's research lab.
"Be more specific," I answered as I watched the corridors.
"You said that your League's initial members included Hawkgirl. What's her name?" Hawkman grumbled. Was he worried about being gender bent or was that about them being an immortal reincarnated couple or whatever? I still believe that was Hancock and not DC!
"Shayera Hol," I answered, not seeing the point of hiding that particular information.
"Chay-Ara Hol, huh?" That sounded a bit too nostalgic.
"That's not how I pronounced it, but either way, you should forget about that." He looked over his shoulder at me with a frown on his face.
"You don't know how important-"
"Not important enough for it to be your Chay-Ara, it seems. Knock that idea right out of your head. Your girl is in this universe still waiting, so how about you find her instead of going after someone that is unrelated to you." Freaking pathetic simp, he couldn't even simp after the correct girl.
I shook my head, not interested in conversing with him anymore, and instead thought about the possible universe I was in. There weren't many I knew. In fact, I only knew of some movie universes and Young Justice and with the fact that this Justice League was founded by fighting Darkseid made me guess that this was the newer animated movie universe.
I had seen some movies, and they were brutal. With that in mind, I set myself a little goal before I left this universe for mine. I would kill Darkseid a second time. Honestly, it might even be a bit difficult again.
This Justice League felt stronger than my Justice League that had come back from the other timeline, but I was not sure whether it was because they were trained better or because the effort to exert their powers in this universe was higher.
It was weird to describe. It wasn't that I felt weaker, either. My ki was still coursing through my body unbridled, but there was this kind of pressure or presence on me when I used it to empower myself or leaked it out of my body.
My instincts were telling me if I released an attack, its potency wouldn't be the same in this universe. The universe seemed to be against me or restricting me, like a foreign body that needed to be ejected or crushed. I didn't know if I was targeted, but I made a note of it in my mind.
Hawkman wordlessly left after he showed us our room before leaving again. We stepped inside and I telepathically reached out to Raven. She instantly followed my request and erected a barrier that would prevent us from being captured by the hidden cameras that were surely in this room.
After we were enveloped, I took out the bugs Batman had placed on us when we talked and tossed them out of the barrier. "A few things first. How are you holding up? You are still rocking that demon look."
Raven had been quiet almost the entire time when interacting with the Justice League. She also had her hood up until now. It wasn't surprising since Raven especially had multiple conflicts with the League and it wasn't easy to talk with them even when they weren't the ones that she had a conflict with.
Not to mention that she was in her demon form and although I thought it was hot as hell - pun intended -, it would lead to some troubles or agitation if she walked around with her distinct features.
"I am fine, just a bit tired," Raven answered with a sigh as I observed her expression.
"Raven, I don't want to beat around the bush... what did you do to me after we had defeated your father?"