"How are you doing, Chris?"
"Uh, good, I guess. I've been trying to mostly just stay occupied," I murmured as I sat down in front of Black Canary. She just gave a soft smile at my words as I leaned back into the sofa and placed one leg over the other while crossing my arms.
"You do that because you don't want to think about that day?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
'That and I don't want myself to start letting myself think about what I could have done to stop it,' There were so many regrets that I had, but the biggest was the fact that there was a chance for me to stop it.
'Then again, Klarion is a slippery bastard so killing him would have been a struggle and a half for me.'
"There was nothing you could have done. Klarion is an enemy that even we struggled to fight so asking you children to do so would have been an impossible task."
"No, I'm not mad I didn't do anything. I'm mad that I didn't finish the job when I could have."
"…You mean, kill him?"
"Yes," I nodded, watching as Black Canary narrowed her eyes before putting her notepad down on the coffee table in between us with a soft sigh.
"Chris…"
"I know, I know. Killing is easy to do, but hard to stop because once I've started killing, I'll find it hard to stop myself from craving that sensation again. I know that, but Klarion…whatever he is, that is not something that should be allowed to be alive."
"And that means you'll get to decide when and where to kill someone?"
"No, but I do know that the leader is the one who has to make the hard decisions and sometimes, the hard decision is taking care of a threat so that it won't become a bigger problem in the future."
"And yet, it's that kind of justification that our enemies use when they want to rid us for their own selfish gains. What would be the difference between you and the villains then?"
"The fact that I'm actively fighting to save those who are innocent in this world," I answered, to which she just shook her head.
"If that is the case, then allow me to sketch a scenario. You find yourself facing a villain. You and the villain clash, but in doing so, you find that the villain was weaker than you anticipated and you pierce through his abdomen. This villain is responsible for a bombing that took out tens of thousands. Now, you could either save him and help him become a better person or you can let him die and believe that the world is a better place."
"Does this villain have remorse for what he did?"
"That's not part of the question."
"I believe it is. You see, if this villain has remorse for what he did, then I can't help him get a new life, but I can make sure that he dies as a better person. However, if he feels no remorse whatsoever and I save him, what's to stop him from doing the same thing?"
"Nothing."
"Are we monitoring this villain while he is in prison to ensure that he doesn't escape? Are we having a constant patrol of heroes that switch periodically to ensure that he stays put? Do we have enough guards and enough protocols needed to make sure that he doesn't try to get out and do the same thing over again?"
"How does this tie into the question?"
"Does this villain still have a family that may be helpful in rehabilitating him?"
"Why are you asking that?"
"Because all of this questions leads up to one simple question, Ms. Canary. What is stopping this villain from doing the same thing over and over again? Let's look at every villain that the Justice League has faced. They were all fought, captured and put back in prison, but every time you all do so, they just find a way to escape and do the same thing over and over again.
I don't look at it like that, because there's one thing every hero forgets when they captures a villain. What happens to the people that were killed during your fights? What happens to the people that wanted justice for the loved ones they lost? I know that what I want to do is something that is to be expected of a villain, but that does not mean I'm going to do it to every villain I meet," I spoke, Canary continuing to stare at me with a frown before she leaned forward as I saw concern in her eyes.
"Let's say you do it, then. You kill a villain. What happens after that, Superboy? What happens the next time when the lines begin to blur? What if it's not Klarion or a mass murderer or someone that has killed millions? What if it's someone that was forced to blow up a bomb that has killed thousands? What if it's someone that's on the edge and wants to do it, but you believe they will?"
"Then I won't do anything. If that person truly has been forced or if there's someone that's truly at the end of their line, I will do everything in my power to help them. A hero is not just about saving the day, after all. It's also about making sure that the next Klarion or Joker or Lex Luthor is not brought into existence."
"…I believe that you're at that point right now where you wonder what justice truly is and before you say anything, allow me to say this. You're angry about the fact that millions died on your watch. Now, you want to be sure that no other innocents are hurt again so instead of wondering whether it's right or not to kill villains, try and figure out if being a hero is truly what you want to do."
"Of cour-"
"No, you can say of course right now, but can you say the same when another incident like this happens again? I've been in many world-ending level events and I've wavered time and time again in whether or not I can do this. The same could be said for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern and every hero that's currently a member of the Justice League.
We don't do this because we want do. No one wants to be beat up every night because they want to. We do it because some has to. Someone has to be there when the world starts falling apart," She spoke, making me grimace as she smiled and shook her head.
"We do it knowing full well that we'll never save everyone and yet, that does not stop us even when we know that we'll fail again. It's not about whether we win all the time, but about whether we keep trying."
"…Hah, here I was about to do a speech on all of that and then, you pull out your own," I murmured, drawing a chuckle from the woman before she stood up and walked around the table to place a hand on my shoulder.
"That edge you're on right now? Many of us have danced on it, but some of us decided to take a step back while others took that step over. Let me tell you that there's no coming back once you've taken that step over the line."
"I understand. I'll…I guess I'll have to think about it, then. Thanks."
"That's what I'm here for," She spoke with a smile as I stood up, giving a thankful smile before walking out and noticing M'gann sitting with a frown on her face.
"You're up."
"T-Thanks. Was it…bad?"
"No, it…", I stopped as I looked back at the door, hearing Canary's calm heartbeat inside before smiling.
"It was good. I think it will be the same to you."
"I hope so," She muttered, standing up and walking through the door as I began making my way to the entrance.
After all, I have a meeting to get to.
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"To the great people of the world, today is a day of remembrance, a day of sorrow. It was only two days ago that our world underwent a crisis that resulted in the tragic loss of millions of lives," President Barack Obama spoke with a frown, the other world leaders sitting in silence as I along with Superman and Wonder Woman stood behind the man.
I do not know why exactly I was chosen over the dozens of other Justice League members, but I was not complaining as I watched the president of the USA speak.
"In response to this incident, the Justice League and their sidekicks had tried their best to save as many as they can, but regrettably, the lives of many children were lost in this battle.
The cause of this incident was a group known as the Light and while we did not know anything about them, Superboy here, the sidekick of Superman, have given us valuable information.
Firstly, the leaders of this group is as follows: Lex Luthor, Ra's al Ghul, Vandal Savage, Queen Bee, Ocean Master, Klarion and the Brain. Information on who they are and what their legal work is have been uploaded to your databases.
Secondly, we have been given testimonies by the former workers of the group Cadmus as well as from a group of beings called the Genomorphs that were made by Cadmus to use as evidence.
Thirdly, the entirety of the Justice League have agreed to work side by side with the United Nations to ensure that these criminals, these heathens are brought to justice.
I know and I understand that many of us are close friends with some of the people of this list and to that, I ask one thing. Would you rather protect this friendship or show the people of the world that the leaders do not tolerate those that think they can do what they wish and let the world be destroyed in the process? Do you wish to show those under the protection of your country that you truly care for every little ache and pain that they endure day by day? Then, do not waver, do not fear and do not back down. Let us show these criminals that the United Nations of the world do not tolerate the scum that they are!"
"Hear, hear!", Some of the leaders spoke with a frowns, a subtle smirk on my face as I watched many of them clapping in agreement. Oh, I know that most of them most definitely had dealings under the table with the Light, I do not believe that they would sacrifice their position of power to keep that friendship.
After all, the selfish care for nothing but their own.
"Now, all of this would not have been done without the help of the young man beside me. Superboy, please step forward," I blinked as Superman pushed me forward, a smile on his face as I took a deep breath and did so.
"Young man, there are no words that can describe the admiration I feel for you. I have heard many accounts of how you were the reason why the many children that were left in the world were able to keep calm and help those that cannot help themselves. I, and every single one of the leaders here wish to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for what I did."
"I merely did the right thing, sir," I spoke with a smile, the president chuckling as he shook my hand with a firm nod and a smile.
"As humble and modest as you are courageous and strong. Yet, we still wish to show appreciation for what you, and many others did. Therefore, I can think of no greater honour than The Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction!", I was a bit surprised as I watched the VP step forward, holding out a small golden case to the president that had a beautiful golden star with white enamel and a red enamel pentagon behind it that was attached to a blue ribbon with white-striped edges.
The central disc had thirteen stars on a blue enamel background and golden bald eagles with their wings spread were between the points of the star.
Taking the award as the Vice President walked forward once again, that was not all as I was also given a long blue ribbon that was put over one shoulder and a miniature medal pendant that he pinned to my leather jacket.
"Once again, everyone, we say congratulations and thank you to Superboy for what he did and we hope that you will endeavour to continue to do so."
"I did not have a speech prepared, but know that I will continue to uphold the peace that is precious to every person in this world," I spoke, to which some of the world leaders clapped politely before I walked over to stand beside Superman and Batman.
"A warning would have been nice. Wait, why didn't you get yours?"
"We already did as did every Justice League member. We just decided to let you have the moment."
"What of the team? They were just as responsible for this as I was."
"They were, but they're not the ones who spoke to the world," Batman spoke, to which I blinked as Superman softly cleared his throat.
"What Batman is trying to say is that with your speech, you also became publicly known to every child on the planet, which means you are publicly known by every person on the planet. Therefore, we had to twist your story to let it make sense."
"Hopefully, the team is okay with this, then. Well, I know Wally isn't going to be."
"He will just have to bear it. As will you."
"Why would I need to bear it?", I asked with a raised eyebrow, narrowing my eyes as Batman didn't answer before I turned to Superman who shook his head.
"We'll tell you and the rest of the team later. For now, smile and wave."
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"He's off the team?!", M'gann shouted in shock, the rest of the team looking just as shocked as she was as Batman nodded while looking at me.
"Yes. While I do admire the courage and leadership you showed when you took command and calmed everyone down, you also showed your face to the world. On top of that, you gave that information to the United Nations, information that will now result in the Light actively targeting you for revealing everything that you and the Genomorphs knew about them."
"Which means that they will now target the group," I muttered, the group now silent as Batman nodded before Superman spoke up.
"Exactly and since we do not know when or where these villains will strike, we will have to move the group to another location while keeping you in the spotlight to ensure that their attention is on you. That is why you are unable to be on the team from now on."
"Hah, this is all kinds of messed up," I heard Wally grumble, looking at the team to see the frowns on their faces before I shook my head.
"Okay, I understand."
"Chris, what-"
"M'gann, we can try and argue with them, but the more we argue, the more time that gives the Light to anticipate this new plan of ours. Therefore, we have to do this move right now and while it pains me to say it, I agree with it. The only issue is what I'm going to do to make sure that the Light's attention is on me," I spoke, looking at the two heroes in front of us and Superman smiled before he looked to Batman.
"We have talked with the rest of the Justice League and we've come to a simple solution. Here you go," He spoke, Batman walking around and handing over a license that made me raise an eyebrow before my eyes widened as I read it.
"Welcome, Superboy, to the Justice League."
A/N: …I'm not sure what I'm doing and I am at the same time. Just let me cook right now.
Anyway, the canon is gone because we're throwing everything at the wall and working with what sticks.
Next chapter: The Hero of Hope.
Like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories & even some that haven't been released out to this site yet. If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until next week...
Ba-Bye~!