Work Text:
“So we’re in agreement then, we’ll begin searching for potential new members tomorrow?” Superman said, attempting to conclude the meeting swiftly, he was already late to a date. The others voiced their agreement and turned to leave only for the computer to send out an alert. “Of course.”
“Oh come on what now?” Flash said slumping forward. “I have a life you know!”
“Some alien has landed on Earth.” Batman said. The image of a green being with tentacles on his face appeared on screen.
“Vilgax.” Green Lantern said, eyes narrowing. “What could he be after now?”
“He’s been seen before, most times in or around Bellwood.” Batman said. The image on screen shifted to show several views of the area the warlord had placed himself. Batman looked at all the information they had and looked up. “He’s apparently issued a conqueror's challenge.”
“He what?” Lantern twisted to face the dark knight in a moment. The others looked at him, each with varying looks. Green Lantern sighed. “Look, the challenge is a bit of galactic law that rarely pops up, you go to a planet and challenge their greatest champion, winner takes all.”
“Okay, so what? We send Diana down to deal with him?” Superman said and paused at Green Lantern’s sigh. “Not that simple?”
“No. The Plumbers are the primary law enforcement of the milky way, us Lanterns mostly operate under their rules, a planet’s greatest champion is tracked. None of us are Earths, most of us don’t qualify anyway.”
“Let me guess, not being from Earth is a problem.” Batman said, the scoff left out.
“Exactly. And what’s worse, we can’t interfere, if we do, Vilgax wins.” Lantern said. Wonder Woman looked at him.
“Meaning?”
“Vilgax wins and he owns the Earth, legally. Nothing I can do.” Green Lantern said. “I’d probably have to leave, the rest of you aren’t bound by those laws though, you could fight it.”
“So we sit around and wait.” Flash said. “Great, just great. And who is fighting this guy?”
“If I had to guess? Benjamin Kirby Tennyson.” The computer dinged, a teenager in a green jacket now taking up the screen.
“A high schooler from some out of the way town.” Batman said. Green Lantern shrugged as the team looked at him. “What exactly makes him the target and not us.”
“That thing on his wrist.” The screen zoomed in on the device. “That’s the omnitrix.”
“What!?” Wonder Woman stood up, slamming both hands onto the table. “The omnitrix was a purely theoretical machine, Azmuth himself doubted its possibility.”
“Yeah well he made it “ Lantern snapped back. Batman watched the exchange, waiting a moment longer.
“And it does what?”
“Azmuth’s dream was to create a tool of peace that would allow one to walk the shoes of another, by turning them into the other.” Wonder Woman said. “A pyronite learning what it was to be a necrofriggian, a vulpimancer experiencing the strength of a tetrimand.”
“And doubling as a sort of Noah's arc, ensuring a database of the universe's species was always available.” Green Lantern added. “It’s level twenty tech, widely considered the most powerful piece of level twenty there is.”
“And a teenager has it.” Superman said. Flash looked defensive.
“Woah okay look, we all trust Shazam. Isn’t this the same thing?”
“Look, the kid has it, the kid uses it. The kid has done things with it that Azmuth never anticipated, he became a hero fighting for peace with it.” Green Lantern said, staring the team down. “We stay out of this, we trust the kid and if it goes wrong? Then we step up.”
“I don’t like this.” Superman said, Lantern looked up at him.
“I’m not asking you to Clark, I’m asking you to trust me.” The league stopped and shared a look. Superman was the first to relent.
“Okay, we trust the kid.” He said. “But I want to know everything about what’s going on.”
“Who is Vilgax?” Batman said, instantly latching onto the clearest threat.
“Ruler of Vilgaxia, conqueror of ten worlds. Big deal, big problem.” Lantern said. “Every time someone’s stopped, killed or caught him he comes back somehow. Most wanted in the entire galaxy.”
“And his relation with the kid?”
“Wants the omnitrix.”
“Then we kill him.” Wonder Woman snarled, sword in hand. “Only one Azmuth allows may wield such a device.”
“Yeah see that’s a problem. Records say the kid’s killed him at least twice since getting that watch.” The others stared at him. Green Lantern sighed at their continued looks. “This is why Lantern’s defer to Plumbers, they have a better handle on these guys. Only ones to contain him for more than sixty-two hours were the Plumbers.”
“Could the shadow realm work?” Superman said, Green Lantern paused.
“He’s gotten out of the Null Void twice so probably not.”
“Null void?” Batman was standing now, Lantern was unsure when that had happened.
“A pocket dimension…” Wonder Woman looked to Green Lantern for confirmation, he nodded. “That was made to contain the worst prisoners of the Plumbers.”
“Right, so containment is likely impossible. Anything else we should know?” Batman said. If anyone had to guess he was already coming up with countermeasures.
“Vilgax knows galactic law like the back of his hand, short of intergalactic terrorism there’s not much anyone can actually pin on him.”
“Oh great. He’s basically a tax dodger.” Flash muttered.
“And your confidence in the kid winning?” Superman said, clearly the only one trying to keep the topic on important points.
“Incredibly.” Green Lantern said. “Azmuth is cagy about the Omnitrix, doesn’t like sharing it’s data or exactly what is in it. Last we heard there were just over a million samples in it. Last we confirmed celestialsapien was one of them.”
“Sorry.” A voice from the corner said, Constantine making his presence known for the first time. “When you lot invited me to the big table today I was expecting it to be a fat lot of nothing but that, that’s the single most terrifying thing I’ve heard… well ever.”
“He doesn’t have control does he?” Wonder Woman said, Green Lantern nodded. Constantine nodded and walked to the table.
“Kids got power, and not the fancy shit you lot call power. I’m talking about ectonurite, to'kustar, chronosapien. The real dangerous species.” Constantine said, he leaned forward. “No matter how you look at it, kid’s got us all beat.”
“Eh, it still seems like I’m faster.” Flash shrugged.
“Kinicelirans have no known top speed so I’d shut up.” Lantern said. Constantine nodded and gestured to the image of Ben.
“That kid’s what we in the business like to call the ‘oh shit’ button.”
“And let me guess, he works alone?” Flash said.
“No actually, his cousin is an anodite-”
“Jesus fuck, nope. You're on your own, I'm done.” Constantine said turning away and moving out of the room faster than most had seen him move before.
“On the bright side Constantine, Ben isn’t one and can’t turn into one.” Lantern said. Constantine glared at him.
“Right and if Verdona isn’t working on that I’m out of a fucking job.” The door closed as Constantine finished speaking.
“Verdona?” Superman said quietly.
“Verdona Tennyson, most powerful anodite known to be in this galaxy.” Green Lantern said, then muttered quietly. “Hopefully she isn’t at the moment.”
“Oh I like this Lantern. Hal right?” A floating mass of pink popped into being next to Green Lantern, lazily floating in the air and grinned at him. “Never was a fan of those rings though, trying to replicate a spark.”
“I’m pretty sure we have intruder alarms.” Green Lantern remarked.
“Oh posh, your alarms are barely able to find energy beings let alone living mana.” Verdona said. “Now what do we have here… A kryptonian, oh the wonder my little Ben could do with that DNA. A martian, wondrous! And is that little Diana I see?”
“Is she always like this?” Batman said, Green Lantern shrugged. “Great.”
“Have we met?” Wonder Woman said, Verdona laughed.
“Oh no, not even once but stories of Zeus making children of clay do reach even the stars you know.” Verdona smiled. “Now than, what is this about my grandson?”
“I was introducing the topic to the league.” Green Lantern said. “Getting them caught up on intergalactic law.”
“Oh good, well I must be off. DNA problems to solve, joy to have, but first.” Verdona’s mana flared and her energy filled the room like a crushing wave. “If you even consider hurting my grandchildren I will unmake you.”
Just like that, her presence and power was gone. The Justice League remained silent for some time afterwards. Batman nodded in approval and went back to what he had been doing. The others looked at each other.
“So uh… watch the fight and be ready tomorrow?” Flash said, the others agreed and cleared out.