Gravity Chamber, Boston, 10:07 PM.

December 5th, 2010.

Aiden struggled upwards under the effects of twenty times gravity—he’d been annoyed and disappointed that he had gained so little a boost. It had taken him two weeks to get back into full functionality—about a thousand times faster than anyone else would have given how injured he had been.

The monitor he’d gotten Byrna to add to the room showed news that the Qurac-Bialya situation had recently crumbled completely.

He didn’t understand why it was the case either; from what he remembered of the Saiyans, they were supposed to gain a boost of power after every fight, based on how damaged they had gotten in the process.

He distinctly remembered Vegeta getting blasted by Krillin in an attempt to game the system—it had worked even. Once the little namekian dude had healed him, Vegeta’s power had increased enough that he thought he could defeat Freiza—Although whether that had been a measure of Vegeta’s sheer egotistical nature or the leap in power he had experienced was anybody’s guess.

Goku had likewise grown stronger on namek after he’d had his ass blasted by Ginyu and then healed in the chamber—the boosts in power were an intrinsic part of the show.

Yet Aiden had only gained enough ki to jump up to twenty times increased gravity—he felt ripped off, honestly. There must have been some other aspect to that mechanism that he didn’t understand.

He found himself wondering if Hamilton would have been able to figure it out and frowned at the thought. He’d heard nothing about Emil or his new Kryptonian assistant Tea—He hadn’t received any updates regarding the Enkidu situation either.

They’d dropped contact with him completely since he’d spoken with Diana in the hospital, and he’d lost both his phone and Conners phone number with it during the battle. His sessions with Dinah had likewise ended before the ice fortresses had appeared, so he currently had no inroads as to what exactly was happening on their end.

The idea of crawling back to the League after everything that had happened and begging for scraps of information galled him enough that he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He would, however, try and hunt down Conner at some point to reestablish contact with the guy.

The result of the multiform technique that contained the other half of his ki stood across from him, straining under the effects of the room but otherwise completely stable. He approached it slowly, guard up, and it matched his movements.

They struck and blocked each other’s hits for almost a minute before the clone faded from existence, and he started the process of recreating it once more. The monitor on the wall changed to show a scene that was unmistakeably Belle Reve Penitentiary, and he paused for a moment to watch it.

“Audio on,” Aiden called, and the sound of the newscaster flooded the room.

“Last night, the villain known as Sportsmaster somehow entered the Penitentiary and freed several prisoners,” Cat Grant said frowning, “Let me remind you that this facility was created with our tax dollars and was promised to be able to stop any superhuman prisoners from escaping—and yet an unpowered villain has managed to breach its walls? What exactly is going on here?”

The name was vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place the villain—had he been in the show? An image of the man on a security camera and the mask triggered his memory. He’d been the guy who sometimes worked with the ninja chick—wait, wasn’t Sportsmaster her father or something?

“They are currently investigating how many prisoners have managed to escape, but we do know that Jade Nguyen, the villain known as Cheshire was one of them.” Cat Grant continued, turning her head upwards at an angle to look at the image of the ninja displayed behind her. “If you do happen to see anyone matching her description, please promptly report it, do not approach her as she is extremely dangerous.”

Aiden frowned; if that ninja chick attempted to blow up his new apartment, someone was going to get their ass kicked—He hoped for her sake that she wasn’t the type to hold a grudge.

Rooftop, Aidens Apartment, Boston, 10:07 PM.

December 12th, 2010.

He felt a ki signature approaching from high above, seemingly angling towards his building—the descent was controlled and slower than he would have expected from someone that was outright attacking.

He also recognized it— so the question was, why was he here now?

“Where are you going?” Byrna yawned as he crossed in front of her, aiming for the door.

“Batman is on the roof,” Aiden said, frowning, and Byrna sat up, panicked.

“Wait, should I put on my suit?” Byrna said quickly.

“No, I don’t think it’s going to be that kind of interaction,” Aiden said, shaking his head, “Mind you, if you hear any explosions—then all bets are off.”

“Okay,” Byrna said, concerned as he stepped outside.

As he made his way to the roof, he continued to track the man. He stood completely still at one end of the building, right in the open. He made no move to announce his presence in advance, which likely meant he knew that he would have been able to sense his presence.

There was also nobody else from the League anywhere nearby and no sign of Robin or any of the team. Aiden got a visual of the man as he reached the roof. He was staring at the city lights, taking it all in with his back facing the door.

“A house visit from Batman, I’m honored,” Aiden said dryly, “I’d offer you a drink, but well—I don’t want to. The whole drugging thing kind of pissed me off.”

Batman turned to face him, completely at ease.

“Fair,” Batman said evenly, voice like gravel.“There were several attempts to contact you, but it appears your phone is inaccessible.”

“Destroyed in the fighting,” Aiden nodded, “I haven’t even bought a new one yet. Thanks for the apartment, by the way. I never got the chance to mention it before.”

Batman ignored it entirely; whether it was because he didn’t care about the money or the gratitude was anybody’s guess.

“I have been investigating the situation that you brought to our attention, regarding the person who identifies herself as Enkidu,” Batman said evenly, “She has been spotted in a multitude of security footage prior to her disappearance, some of which has shown her without a mask or costume.”

Aiden nodded, listening.

“I’ve constructed a profile matching her physical parameters and performed an exhaustive search based on the name you provided,” Batman continued, “In brief, Sarah King, currently nineteen, is a missing person case from two years ago, her parents are both dead due to what was declared a home invasion by unknown parties, and she has no surviving relatives. What do you currently know about her?”

He’d known some of that, vaguely and unconfirmed as it was.

“She told me she gained her abilities two years ago,” Aiden said, frowning. “I’m thinking she was experimented on—at least that was the overall feeling I got from her. She couldn’t tell me anything outright. Either someone was tracking what she was saying, or she had a bomb in her head.”

“Highly likely,” Batman said evenly.

“She was also working for someone with money. They were the ones ordering her around as far as I could tell,” Aiden continued, “She wanted to kidnap that Professor Sultana guy for her boss, and one of my previous bodyguard jobs was to protect another one of her targets.”

“Dr. Sivana,” Batman corrected. “Who was the other client?”

“Simon Ecks,” Aiden said, frowning, “Scientist guy who was looking into making a duplicate of himself or an extension of his will? Something like that, he was pretty weird, honestly.”

Batman fell silent for a moment as if deciding on something.

“I mentioned that she was seen on multiple security cameras,” Batman repeated, “She was spotted in civilian clothing in the vicinity of Emil Hamilton on several occasions.”

Aiden’s blood froze at the comment.

“He was the one controlling her?” Aiden said, alarmed.

“No,” Batman said, holding up a hand. “It is my belief that she was following him, much like she was seen investigating Dr. Sivana.”

“When was this?” Aiden frowned. “Right before his disappearance?”

“Late July—” Batman revealed before turning his head slightly. “You just realized something.”

Aiden felt a pit open up in his stomach and nodded hesitantly.

“You remember the night that robot nanobot swarm stole all my data from the STAR Labs in Philadelphia?” Aiden said, frowning in concentration. He didn’t bother to wait for the man to indicate he did. “My last appointment at that building happened earlier that day, but when I arrived, I found that Emil’s ki-signature was completely gone, despite him standing right in front of me.”

Batman didn’t speak.

“I asked him about it straight away, and he froze,” Aiden said, grimacing, “He told me it was a device he’d made to protect his privacy so that I couldn’t track him—but that wasn’t what happened.”

“Emil Hamilton was abducted and replaced sometime before that appointment,” Batman said in understanding. “His ‘Ki’ vanished because it wasn’t him; it was a replicate.”

“So all this time, I thought Emil was actually a bad guy, but he’d just been replaced. Fuck. It has to be that, Tomorrow guy.” Aiden said through gritted teeth. “He was the one making the replicates from that volcano incident, right? Do we have any idea of where he is?”

“Thomas Morrow is almost certainly the one responsible for this,” Batman confirmed, “His location is completely unknown. The older replicate in Belle Reve and the one at Yellowstone are both deceased now. Bromwell Stikk and Professor Ivo in Belle Reve, who were both known to routinely visit the old Thomas, were also replicates. Upon capture, they continued to profess their innocence but proceeded to self-destruct when forced to answer questions, as we found out when Diana used the lasso on Bromwell.”

“So we are no closer to finding Sarah?” Aiden said quietly.

“We will find her. It will just take time.” Batman assured, “I am currently investigating every other instance in which Sarah was found stalking others in the last two years, but it is a work in progress—I will keep you updated.”

“Thank you,” Aiden nodded, shaking his mind free of the despair.

“Aiden, I have another topic I need to discuss with you.” Batman said evenly, “I’ll be blunt—the Justice League is currently voting on potential candidates to join us. You were one of the candidates suggested. You received more than enough votes for us to submit an offer to you.”

Aiden stared at the man.

“You’re kidding,” Aiden said incredulously, “No, you’re Batman, of course you aren’t kidding—Who suggested me? Who voted for me?”

“Black Canary suggested we offer you membership,” Batman said simply, “Wonder Woman, Red Tornado, Martian Manhunter, Captain Marvel, and myself voted for you.”

Aiden was surprised that so many were willing to even consider offering him a spot given what had happened in Metropolis. He’d turned into a giant monster and attempted to flatten a city, and now they were trying to recruit him? Showed where their priorities lay either way.

“You’re all insane,” Aiden shook his head.

“Before you decline,” Batman said smoothly, “I would like you to consider that your induction would provide easy access to resources. Some of which would allow you to more actively participate in searching for Sarah King.”

Aiden scoffed; of course, he would attempt to draw him over with something like that.

“I will, of course, continue my own search regardless of your choice,” Batman continued unhurriedly, “But I feel you should be aware that there is much to gain if that is your current goal.”

“What does it cost me to join?” Aiden said outright, studying the man. “What would I be forced to do? Do I have to forgo my own business?”

“Many members have both businesses and fulfilling lives. You are aware of my identity, so I would be proof of this. Nobody is asking you to do anything in that regard,” Batman said calmly, “Your duties would be simple; if the League requires your assistance dealing with a situation, you make yourself available to help. These situations can range from physical threats to rescue operations.”

“What’s the command structure of the Justice League?” Aiden pressed.

“The League has a leader that is elected by a voting system, and they exist solely for the purposes of final mission decisions and directives.” Batman explained, “You would not be groveling at the feet of another if that is what you are envisioning. Everyone is equal within the League regardless of who they are outside of it.”

Aiden was a bit annoyed that he’d accurately guessed his thoughts. He was even more annoyed that he found himself actually considering it. It was a lot less invasive and time-intensive than he had initially assumed.

“You would also be required to attend monthly meetings,” Batman added after a moment, almost as an afterthought. “To discuss and disseminate any information the members choose to share.”

A single meeting a month was basically nothing, and he’d already decided to keep anyone from messing with his city—out of convenience than anything else.

“Do I get paid?” Aiden frowned, “If I’m putting my life on the line, I’d expect to be compensated for it.”

“There is a salary paid to all members,” Batman said simply.

Aiden hesitated; it was honestly a good deal. It would also boost his reputation, which could be used to promote his business—Bubbles, the man that bodyguards the world.

“I’ll join provided that you don’t try to spring anything new on me,” Aiden said slowly before narrowing his eyes. “But I want my damn ship back!”

Hall of Justice, Washington DC, 09:16 AM.

December 30th, 2010.

Aiden crossed his arms and wondered how he’d managed to be talked into this. The flash of a thousand cameras washed over them, and everywhere he looks, a thousand more glints of light denoted the presence of more.

The current members of the League stood as a group on the right side of the stage, while the six new members stood on the left side of the podium and seemed to be receiving the bulk of the attention from the reporters.

Superman stood before the podium, looking out at the crowd in full costume.

“The Justice League was formed for two reasons,” Superman said calmly, “First, as an acknowledgment that no single individual, no matter how powerful they may be, could possibly solve all of the problems of the world alone.”

Aiden tilted his head at that; it seemed like an overstep to assign all of the world’s problems to a group of heroes—there were thousands of systems, groups, and organizations in the world that were each designed to tackle problems of every kind.

A group like the Justice League wasn’t designed to solve all those problems; it was intended to bring a level of force to bear on those who would seek to bring harm against the people of earth. It didn’t matter if it was from outside forces or internal ones—A far narrower goal than Superman was indicating.

“Secondly, to uphold the values of truth, liberty, and Justice,” Superman continued, before pausing, “That last one is even in the name.”

There was a murmur of amusement at the man’s joke, and he smiled at them.

“Today, we are here to announce and welcome six new faces to the Justice League,” Superman said clearly, “Doctor Fate. The Atom. Plastic Man. Icon. Power Girl. Bubbles. Each of which has sworn to uphold those values.”

Superman lifted an arm and gestured to the newer members, and the crowd grew louder for a moment.

“I will now deliver the official membership cards,” Superman said unhurriedly.

The man moved from the podium and stood before Doctor Fate, he handed the man a black card, and the two shook hands. Aiden closed his eyes to avoid the sudden increase in flashing lights and blew an annoyed breath out of his nose.

“Don’t be such a spoilsport,” Power Girl said under her breath, maintain a smile.

“Whatever, Power Girl,” Aiden said, bored, “Enjoy having that name for the rest of your existence.”

“You do realize you called yourself Bubbles?” Powergirl said pointedly, narrowing her eyes at him.

They were interrupted from the further discussion as Superman handed over the next card to Plasticman and then again to the Atom—the tiny man struggled to hold up the card from his place on Plasticmans shoulder.

Icon, a massive man comparable to both Superman and Captain Marvel in sheer size, took his own card calmly and shook hands with the Kryptonian. Superman moved to stand in front of Powergirl.

“Congratulations,” Superman said, smiling, as he handed the card over. “You worked hard for this.”

“Thanks,” Power Girl said, pleased.

Superman moved on, and Aiden took the proffered card when offered.

“I look forward to working with you in the future, Bubbles,” Superman said honestly, offering his hand.

It was the first words exchanged between the two since the Metropolis incident, but Aiden found himself nodding at the genuineness as he took the Kryptonian’s hand.

“Likewise,” Aiden said simply.

Part 1 End.