[Night]
It was foggy as usual.
The air smelled like smoke and pine as John stacked a few logs in the open yard and lit a fire.
Harley sat cross-legged near the fire, skewering chunks of meat and veggies while humming something off-key. Maureen was helping her. After they prepped the meat and veggies, John brushed a bit of sauce on the meat, set the skewers on the grill, and said, "Dr. Fate dropped by earlier."
Harley looked up, eyes wide. "Wait, the Dr. Fate? Shiny helmet, spooky voice, golden cape? That guy?"
"Yeah, that guy," John said with a faint smile.
Maureen tilted her head. "Trouble?"
John nodded, flipping one of the skewers. "Big trouble. There's a man named Dr. Sivana. He's working with a group of demons called the Seven Deadly Sins. They've already caused chaos once, thousands of years ago, and now they're back. If we don't stop him before they regain their full strength, Earth's done."
Harley stopped spinning her skewer and blinked. "You're tellin' me some evil nerd and seven hell demons are teamin' up for a world-ending party? Damn, people really need better hobbies."
Maureen frowned. "And you're planning to fight him?"
"Yeah," John said, turning the meat again. "But not alone."
Harley's grin came back in full force. "Oh, hell yeah. We're comin' with you. Ain't no way we're sittin' this one out."
Maureen nodded. "Yeah. Don't go solo. We're stronger together."
John looked at both of them, the firelight reflecting off his eyes. "I was hoping you'd say that. Together, we'll burst that freak's ass before he even knows what hit him."
Harley raised her skewer like a sword. "To kickin' demon butt and grillin' like champs!"
They picked up their skewer and clinked their skewers together, laughing.
John took a bite before saying. "There's more."
He turned another skewer, letting the flames lick across the meat. "Dr. Fate agreed to help us. After we take down the demons, we're going official. No more working from the shadows. We'll have our own team and a new base. Something like the Justice League or the JSA."
Harley gasped and pointed the skewer at him like a sword. "You mean legit heroes? Like, capes, fanclub, PR interviews, and all that jazz?"
John smirked. "Isn't that what we wanted when we started as vigilantes? So, I thought, why not take this chance and go big?"
Maureen smiled. "We'll finally get to make a difference without worrying who's watching."
"Exactly," John said. "And we won't be working for or with the government. I don't want politics or care about the other heroes. We'll help whoever needs help and kick bad people's butts."
Harley took a bite of her kebab. "Alright. If we're goin' official, where's this fancy new base of operations gonna be? Don't tell me it's in Gotham. I'm not dealin' with Batsy and his brooding again."
John looked up at the sky. Despite the fog, he was sure he saw a star sparkling. "Not Gotham... Khandaq."
Maureen looked up sharply. "Khandaq?"
John nodded. "Yeah. That place has seen enough blood and misery. And I kinda left abruptly. So, it's time I check on them." He poked at the fire, sending a few sparks floating into the air. "I can't keep using my trauma as an excuse. I've spent enough time saying to myself that I wasn't ready, that I was too broken, too sad. But if I really want to move forward, I've got to face it. Turn what hurt me into something that can help others."
For a moment, the only sound was the crackle of the fire.
Maureen's voice softened. "You're sure you're ready?"
John smiled faintly. "Ready as I'll ever be. Khandaq deserves better. Maybe building something good there will finally balance the scales."
Harley grinned, twirling her skewer like a baton. "A hero base in the desert. I dig it. We could call it somethin' cool like 'Club Lightning' or 'Fort Awesomesauce.'"
John chuckled. "We'll work on the name later."
"But hang on," Harley said, leaning closer. "There's just one teeny-tiny problem. There are three of us. You, me, and Frosty McFreezeFace over there. You want a league, you need more butts in the chairs."
"Already thought about that," John said. "We're going to recruit people you know."
Harley blinked. "Wait. You can't be serious?"
John nodded. "Yeah. Some of your old friends. People who got lost along the way, like you once were. Give them a second chance to use their power for something good. No one else will give them that shot, but we will."
Harley stared at him for a moment, then smiled slowly. "You really think they'd go for it?"
"I think if you ask them, they'll listen," John said. "You changed, Harley. You showed it's possible. Maybe they just need someone to believe in them, too."
Maureen looked between them, her breath misting in the cool air. "Sounds like we've got a plan."
"Alrighty," Harley gave them a thumbs up. "I'm gonna ring them up for a party after this whole demon thingy. No one's gonna say no to a party with free food, booze, and of course..." She dramatically pointed at herself. "...me."
Suddenly, a deafening explosion ripped through the night. The shockwave knocked over the grill and sent a plume of smoke into the foggy sky.
"What the hell was that?" Harley shouted, jumping to her feet. "NOOO! MY MEAT!"
John looked at the sky and saw smoke. "Something bad."
"Darn it!" Harley grumbled. She made a mental note to beat the shit out of whoever was responsible for wasting her food.
All three of them said it at once. "Shazam!"
Lightning crashed around them, tearing through the mist. In an instant, they stood in their divine forms, the air humming with power.
They shot into the sky, streaks of gold arcing toward the source of the blast. The valley below glowed orange, smoke billowing from what used to be an old military bunker near the main entrance to Dakota City.
As they hovered over the wreckage, the fire roared higher. The ground split open, and something massive clawed its way out.
A two-headed creature covered in blackened scales and burning veins rose from the flames. Its eyes burned like molten coal, its roar creating shockwaves.
Harley's smirk faltered. "Okay… that's new."
"What in the hell is that thing?" Maureen looked stunned.
"You gotta be kidding me," John said with a sigh.
He knew what that thing was. It was a fusion of Ebon and Hotstreak. They must have been exposed to the Big Bang Gas. But it wasn't supposed to happen this early. 'So, butterfly effect. My presense in Dakota messed up the timeline and god knows what else got messed up.'
"You know that freak?" Harley asked.
"Yeah. That's the fusion of Hotstreak and Ebon, the shadow that helped him escape last time. They seem to have mutated. We gotta take him down before he destroys the city," John said as he shot toward the monster.
Harley and Maureen followed him.
John slammed his fist into the creature's face. The impact cracked the air, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. The monster staggered back but swung one massive arm, a trail of black fire chasing its claws.
John dodged with his super speed and flew in, uppercutting the monster into the air. Lightning tore through the sky as he followed, punching again and again until the creature crashed into a line of broken trucks below. Its body has multiple holes from the punches, but they all regenerated almost instantly.
"Yo, Sparky!" Harley shouted from above. "You hoggin' all the fun!"
Before John could answer, Harley dropped from the sky like a missile. She smashed her feet across the monster's chest, kicking it straight into a pile of concrete. The impact shattered the ground, flames erupting in a ring around her.
The monster howled, its body twisting as shadow tendrils snaked outward. One of them lashed around Harley's leg, yanking her off the ground.
"Hey! Personal space, ya freak!" she yelled, blasting the tendril with a bolt of golden lightning. It burned away, but three more reached for her.
"On it," Maureen called. She raised her hands, frost spiraling from her palms. A wave of blue energy surged outward, freezing the tendrils midair. She clenched her fist, and they shattered into black dust.
The monster lunged toward her, but she twisted aside, skating on a slick trail of ice. "Missed me!"
The monster's chest pulsed, the swirling void in its torso spinning faster. The air bent around it, trees uprooting, cars lifting off the ground. The black hole's pull grew stronger, dragging everything toward the center.
Maureen flew up, creating distance between them.
"Crap, crap, crap!" Harley shouted as she grabbed a piece of rebar, stabbing it into the ground to anchor herself.
"Uumm... Hey, Harl!" John called from above. "You do realize that you have God's power right now and that little pull won't do anything to you?"
"She forgot," Maureen whispered.
"Yeah, she forgot," John whispered back.
Harley cleared her throat, brushing imaginary dust off her shoulder. "Ahem. I was just actin', y'know? Gotta make the audience think I'm in danger before the grand finale."
John smirked. "Yeah, real convincing."
Harley stuck her tongue out at him, then pointed both hands at the regenerating monster. "Alright, you overcooked lizard. Showtime!" Lightning gathered in her palms, swirling brighter and brighter until the air buzzed like a storm trapped in a bottle. She aimed and fired.
The bolt tore through the night like a cannon of divine energy. It hit the creature dead center, and the impact was blinding. For a moment, everything went white.
When the light faded, the monster was gone. Or mostly gone. Its body had burst like a water balloon, black goo splattering across the burning ground. Flames hissed and sputtered in the oily mess.
"Ew," Harley said, wrinkling her nose. "That's gotta be the nastiest confetti I've ever seen."
But even as she spoke, the goo began to move. The puddles crawled toward each other, pulling into a pulsing mass. Fire and shadow twisted together, the shape of the creature slowly returning.
Maureen's eyes narrowed. "It's regenerating."
John clenched his fists, lightning sparking across his arms. "Let's end this in one shot."
Harley flew up and hovered beside John and Maureen.
"Ready?" John called out.
Harley grinned. "Born ready."
Maureen nodded. "Let's finish it."
They waited until the monster was fully reformed. The creature raised its heads, roaring with fury, the ground trembling beneath it.
"Now!" John shouted.
All three of them thrust their arms toward the sky.
"SHAZAM!"
Three bolts of divine lightning split the clouds and crashed down at once. The trio redirected the bolts where the monster stood. The explosion was massive and could be seen miles away.
"CRREECHHH!" The creature screamed for a moment before its body vaporized in the blink of an eye.
When the light faded, nothing was left but scorched earth and a faint static in the air.
Harley lowered herself slowly, blinking at the crater. "Well… guess he's toast."
Maureen landed beside her, scanning the destruction. "Completely gone. No trace left."
John hovered above them for a moment, watching the last sparks fade into the fog. "Good. That's one less monster for Dakota to deal with."
They flew back to their mountain house as the cops arrived.
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