Born from Nothing (Young Justice/DC, Godlike semi SI)

[MiyazakiFan18]

Batman then revealed a hologram. There was some murmuring at the table. "Wait, what is that supposed to be?" asked Shayera. Batman explained with grim but clear detail. "A deity inside the physical body of a human." (Godlike OC, semi SI)

 

[MiyazakiFan18]

Chapter One: Shown Good Faith

…

"Normal speech."

"(Anything the MC can't understand.)"

…

For as long as I can remember I had no idea who I was.

My earliest memories are of crawling around in the woods where I lived and searching for food. What little I found must've been enough to sustain me. I explored a bit when I learned to walk by using the trees and rocks for support.

Then I was big enough to run, which was when I ate mainly berries and was able to reach the edge of the forest. I was scared to leave, this was the only home I understood.

Since I was young, there were beasts in the forest, some animals kinder than others, but none of them sought violence upon me even when they looked right at me. When I found two of them fighting, causing havoc right by me, I ran and hid, my fear so strong I became part of the trees.

A small time later I created a tool, able to fashion twine from nearby fibers I found from flax I had found in the fields by the forest. I combined it with a jagged black rock I found to be sharp enough to be attached to a stick, which I then used to hunt fish in the stream.

My body appeared to form a part of the things I touched. Like some rocks, and when I tested it by touching a beast I knew to be an elk, I desired it, and became one too.

I was still hesitant to leave the forest, but one night I saw strange lights close by when I approached the edge of the woods. They were moving, and then they disappeared off into the distance.

Oddly, I saw it happen again, and this was enough to make me want to approach.

There I saw a rolling beast fly past me, its eyes glowing strongly enough to illuminate the air. Fascinating.

In the morning, I decided to explore the world around my forest.

For the first time in my life, my feet touched something that wasn't grass. It was hard, and like stone. It was the path the beasts followed last night. I began to follow this path, until I saw an oncoming beast. And for the first time in my life, I saw another being that looked just like me! A nose, hair, and skin.

The strange beasts that lit up the night were not beasts, rather they were a form of transportation for other…me's.

When I walked far enough from the forest I found a whole group of structures made out of red colored stone, along with encirclements of crafted wood to keep out beasts I had never seen before.

I approached them, they had long snouts, a mane of hair and four legs with hooves for feet, just like elks.

I touched them, petting their faces, and they did not mind.

I had gained another form.

The structures turned out to be homes for other me's, females and males, young and old alike. The me in the house was strange, he wore woven garments to cover his body, for reasons I did not know.

Before he could see me I lay flat on the ground by his home, melting into the grass.

He soon left and then I fled, I had seen enough for today.

…

I returned the next morning and the next, and began to spend more time exploring.

The me's who lived in this group all communicated with each by making sounds. The sounds were strange to me, but the more I listened some things began to make sense.

This was a "village" and I was "human" or as they said "person." I learned what "horse" meant and "food."

In the night, they created strange red energies that glowed bright out of wood, and when they left it alone for a moment, I pressed my hands into it. It was, hot. My body became the energy too!

When a man returned, shocked to see my arm glowing just like what came from what he created on the ground, he made a loud noise.

Without meaning to part of my arm shout outward, spreading outwards all over the ground.

"Fu-ego! Fu-ego!" I heard the man shout, others appearing close.

I became a horse in the darkness, and ran.

…

I waited a few days to return to the village.

I had not hurt anyone I determined, but I looked into a home, seeing a magic box portray moving pictures on it. Atop the home a strange thin gray tree carried a cloth piece that waved in the wind. It was a bright sun atop a white field accompanied by two blue rays.

They had strange customs to clean and cook for themselves. They used "maquinas" that I knew to be devices man had designed to prepare food, straighten their hair, and prevent food from spoiling by using a cooling box of some kind.

They also would enter a room and leave cleaner, steam having been left on glass window panes. I merely used the river in my forest.

The next day I found the transportation boxes men and women used to move about and touched it. I discovered the substance it was made out of was metal called so by the locals. When I touched it as I expected, I had something new I could transform into.

Some time passed, everyday learning more and more about them and myself.

Then one night I was listening in to a group of them around a campfire, too closely. They saw me all reacting with disgust and fear.

In embarrassment, I flew back to my home as an elk.

…

Why did they hate me so much?

I looked at myself in the reflection of the river. I looked just like them, same color of hair, same bodies, same everything.

I concluded that there was a crucial difference, well many but one in particular that set us apart.

I set out that day and stole the garments they wore, a roughly used pair of dark trousers and a white shirt. I didn't like to steal but I had no other choice, if I could make them myself to fit in with my own kind I would.

Now, I walked around and nobody seemed to care that I did or notice me. I suspected that everyone looked away too fast last night or it was too dark to fully see me.

As I looked around, I was glad I could learn more about myself and others like me.

About a month passed of me milling about in the town, catching fish back at my river, and

learning more about the customs people had.

I learned what work was, a man with a truck had me move boxes of his produce about. He ordered this by just pointing and speaking and I got it. The other young men struggled at times, but the moment I touched a box and was able to sense I could turn parts of my body into what I held for some reason, it got very easy.

He placed weird rectangular paper sheets all crumpled up in my hands and drove off without another word.

I was confused, before realizing this was the reward for helping him. The exchange was work for paper. Strange, wondered what it could be used for.

The next day I found out this was called currency or "plata" meaning money to me and the town. I had no real need of it yet except the day I entered a shop and the lady in charge flew me out the door with a broom yelling about "zapatillas!"

Huh.

In the street outside, I noticed quickly that she was referring to shoes, cobbled pieces of leather protecting their feet from damage. I looked at my own, seeing that I had no damage to mine but that wasn't what she meant. The lady wanted her shop clean and my feet were dragging in filth.

Turned out what I earned in a day bought me half of what it cost to get shoes, and by listening to a few of the farmers I realized that shoes were a whole town over.

…

After finding work a few days later again, I was able to buy a pair of shoes, using my horse form to make the journey shorter. My feet didn't like them, but I wanted to see what was inside the shop.

When the lady came to reprimand me again I showed her now I was wearing shoes. She waved a hand over her shoulder and returned behind the counter.

There was such a wide variety of foods that it was astounding. Bags of potato crisps and treats of all kinds. Refrigerators housing cold drinks of any sort. And by the front counter things I could not yet understand the need for like lottery tickets, whatever a cell phone was, and these weird pills that enhanced things I did not yet remotely understand.

Instead, I just bought whatever I could with the food I got from working.

And that gave me a certain rhythm.

…

For the next two years I just worked and kept my head down, but I was starting to encounter a problem.

I got hungrier. I tried to transform into a cat, a hissy animal I found in an alleyway, and just observe the town all day from rooftops, but I couldn't. For some reason, my body could not maintain these forms for longer than about seven hours.

No matter how much I ate, two bags of chips and an empanada one night, it wasn't enough.

The degree of hunger I had was likely also due to how much I was developing my abilities. With metal, I formed my body into any shape I could imagine. I even felt the ability to start controlling metal objects with my mind. I discovered if I tried really hard enough I could levitate my body a little.

At first it was tricky, I fell out of the air the second I did it. But then it became easier the more I practiced.

I started to hunt the animals in the wild. I killed beasts in my forest for the first time, using fire that I could project from my hands and the metal spikes I could turn my arms into to kill for food. Using my fire to blaze them, cooking them into venison and the like.

A few months later and I realized that if I kept hunting the woods would be devoid of wildlife. It was the same for the surrounding plains, I took to stealing as much food as I could from the villagers without them noticing the best I could. And it still was not enough.

So, I turned to another option, stealing from the cattle farmers. At first it was easy, sneaking a cow or two away in the night. But the town caught onto this, and began to post guards armed with rifles, long wooden and metal weapons, throughout the night.

My hunger grew and I had to knock out a man with what was commonly known as a "gaucho hat" or cowboy around here, to steal my food.

I butchered the cow by shoving my metal sword arm through its neck and began to cultivate its meat by cooking it over a fire I had made in the forest.

…

The next morning a town meeting was held in the only church here, I spied on it as a cat, everyone knowing a farmer was knocked out. It was also known that the culprit was most likely me, being the only true loner in the town who would have no family to risk from all the cow thievery.

The older woman in charge of our only convenience store vouched for me, saying that I helped out from to time. But was shot down, as aside from that, I did not contribute in any way shape or form to the town.

With the town in agreement that it had to be me, they would allow me to at least be brought in willingly for questioning first instead of shot or arrested on sight. I was now a wanted man.

…

I considered leaving to our country's capital of Buenos Aires, or maybe even to a new country altogether. With my abilities, I could do almost anything with the right amount of time. But no, I knew something had to be done now.

Key word, almost. Food and money were the only things I was unable to create.

With the degree of hunger I possessed with my powers, I'd be running from this all my life.

So I would stand and fight. Send them all packing and always return night after night until there was nothing left to eat and move onto the next town.

I found a man with a rifle trotting through the forest, likely part of the group of men sent to demand my surrender before capturing me.

He barely looked in time as I turned into a larger than average deer and knocked him off his horse by spearing his mount with my horns.

I quickly pulled them back out as the horse rode off, and the man on the ground groaned. I jabbed him too for good measure, leaving him bleeding in the river.

Then I turned into another beast, one I only turned into because I found it in a cave using my bird form and slashed it when I dropped and turned into a human. After that I touched its corpse and could use it.

A ferocious cougar with flames on my claws.

Two mounted men with rifles were about to open fire before I jumped and slashed one right in the chest, disabling him. His friend nearby on the hill shot at me and I dodged easily dashing side to side before attacking his horse's throat.

When he fell with a crushed leg on the ground I sunk my jaws into his shoulder.

"Is that fire on that cat!?"

"Who cares!? Shoot it!"

I bounded in zig zags dodging rifle fire and spread the fire forwards, crisping the grass as it quickly expanded and resulted in their mounts bucking them off.

Mid air I turned into a Maned Wolf and latched myself onto one's arm. The other had the wind knocked out them from the fall, almost recovered when I ravaged his leg with my fangs.

He reached for his rifle and I dashed to his wrist, giving it the deepest, snappiest and strongest bite I could.

The remaining seven or so men all fell the same way, I combo'd them with fire and animal transformations.

In my wolf form I feasted on a few cows, many nervous at the sight of me mooing loudly, but not remotely fast enough to do anything about it. I wished it wasn't so, but meat tasted better when I was in animal form.

Then I disappeared into the night leaving flames and chaos behind me.

…

I ran.

In my horse form I ran and ran and ran. I ran as far as my hooves could carry me. I finally rested an entire day later, in a giant scrapyard by an abandoned trailer park.

…

I awoke to a giant loudspeaker.

"Surrender yourself! Surrender yourself now or we will open fire!"

I was sleeping in my human form on a shipping container in the middle of nowhere, how did they find me so quickly? I stood up slowly.

"Do not move! Put your hands behind your head and lie face first on the ground!"

While I was quite unfamiliar with the exact laws and customs of our society, having lived alone in a forest and spending the day quietly working or standing on a sidewalk for years. I still knew there were only two outcomes here.

I'd be executed, or spending life in prison. Because this level of dedication to my arrest was staggering.

There were dozens of men in black armor and helmets, with goggles and rifles different from those I saw in the village. Spread out across the entire junkyard around me, guns pointed directly at me.

I was not going to surrender.

This many guns and this many men. I could die, which sent fear racing through me for the first time I can really remember.

I floated quickly into the air and channeled as much focus as I could into controlling anything metal. Their cars, shipping crates, empty trailers, and a few guns all floated upwards, then I sent them flying in all directions.

As they ducked for cover, I held my hands out and shot as much fire as I could everywhere.

About a dozen or so lawmen began to try to pepper me with rifle fire, and I stopped all the bullets mid-air with my abilities. I began to absorb all the metal around me into a big ball, a shipping crate, bullets, a car or two. And then I sent it out in sizable needles, shooting them everywhere and making everyone hide.

A flying vehicle above got me with a few bullets when a man there fired on me. I was sure I must've been severely hurt, maybe injured at the very least. But I looked downward, the bullets had only scratched my body a bit, a tiny amount of blue liquid was seen in the cuts.

I transformed the metal spike shooting ball into a long thin spear, and launched it right at the flying vehicle. It had no time to maneuver away, slicing it clean in half.

As I watched it fall to the ground, someone rescued the men inside. A blue blur dropped down just in time to lay half of the flying vehicle safely on the ground.

Then he floated upwards, wearing a big red S on his chest and a red cape. He crossed his arms while looking at me, very upset but calm nonetheless.

I turned when I heard something move behind me. There was a man wearing a dark cape and a cowl, and he was holding small and sharp metal items in his hands. Near him, a woman with black hair and an outfit more flamboyant than either of them holding a golden lasso.

The man in the dark suit spoke first. "Come with us. We won't ask twice."

If they found me and had powers, just like me, there was no running from these people, whoever they were.

I squinted for a moment at all three of them, and I could hear an attack coming through the air nearby.

The man in blue tried to tackle me, I had already dropped down to the ground, rooting myself through the earth and forming a solid and tall block of pure metal.

I felt someone or something very powerful bounce off one of the four edges of the rectangle I turned my body into. It was strong enough to unroot me almost all the way.

The next strike came from the woman, who punched me well into the air. I transformed as I fell, turning into a wolf, breathing fire everywhere.

Not affecting him, the dark cowled man used a weapon that released two metal hooks that sunk through my pelt. Bolts of energy channeled their way through strings and hit me for several seconds.

They didn't appear to hurt me at all, so I guess that was just another thing I've absorbed to transform into and release.

Seeing I was distracted looking at the man in the black suit in surprise, she used her lasso on me with a lot of speed.

"(Stop fighting!)" she demanded.

I struggled with her.

The man in the air came at me with a punch but I transformed into water and slipped into the ground. I tried to escape by turning into pure fire, something I had never been able to do until just now from how hard they pushed me.

Before I fly away, they closed in on all sides.

I tried roasting them with both hands, using every inch of my blaze attacks. My flamethrower had no real effect as they pushed towards me, protecting their faces.

The man in the blue suit began to use a very strong breath freezing me in place for a moment. Even made of fire the breath was strong enough to start crystallizing my body.

I struggled, but the woman's lasso caught me again, and I couldn't transform again having been caught with so much ice.

I saw both men nod to each other to punch me in the face at the same time. Before I could even blink I believe I was knocked out cold.

…

Imprisoned in the strongest possible cell on The Watchtower, every countermeasure was taken.

The boy didn't look like much. He would appear like any other peasant in his early to mid teenage years with quite long messy dark hair. He laid on the white bench that passed for his bed while bound in special chains.

"He fought all three of us for over a minute and a half, who is this kid?" wondered Superman.

Batman glanced at him. "I just finished running my tests, I'll tell you at the meeting."

"How long has he been sleeping?"

"Ten hours," he checked his holo watch. "My guess is that is the first bit of real rest he's had in a long time."

"We did hit him pretty hard."

The boy stirred.

…

I woke up, the men who captured me were across an orange energy barrier looking at me.

"Hello." the man in the black cowl said through the barrier.

"Hey." I replied.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"What?"

"What's your name?" he asked clearer.

I shrugged. "Never had one I guess."

They seemed to accept this.

The man in the blue suit asked something I didn't understand. "(Where are you from? Who do you work for?)"

"(Do you think he knows that either?)" the other man replied in words I still couldn't understand.

"You where? Boss. Boss, who boss?"

It was almost funny how badly he tried speaking to me.

"(Your Spanish is terrible. Go to the meeting hall, I'll be there in a bit.)"

"Sorry about that. And sorry for arriving late."

"Late?"

We proceeded to talk for a bit, and it became clear to me how little I knew. I kind of already knew how little I knew, but he made it clearer.

He introduced himself as Batman, one of the leaders of the Justice League. In this world, superheroes, those with powers, dedicated themselves to protecting the World.

I then asked. "Then why am I still here?"

"You're a liability until we know what to do with you."

His vocabulary was much better than mine, I'd say I only knew half of what he said but I got the intention well enough to reply.

Batman asked what my life had been like, all the things I did, and I explained it the best I could. He seemed to be in thought for a moment and then he walked off.

…

All the main members of the Justice League gathered around the table.

"We have a situation," Batman said, taking a seat with everyone else.

The Flash then spoke sarcastically. "Oh, you think?"

"This may very well be one of, if not the hardest, decisions we will take as a team," said Batman. "The Argentine government is demanding retribution. We will not stop getting pressure until there's an answer for what happened."

"What's the deal? Why wasn't this kid in school or in a program of some sort anyway?" wondered Green Arrow, casually stroking his finely combed beard.

Batman placed his hand on the horseshoe shaped table fixing his seat. "The Argentines are notoriously bad with Metahumans. Any and all of them are made government agents or are made to disappear. After the last dictator in Argentina was a Metahuman, the new government swore that they'd never be in danger of them again."

"Which is why when we heard there was one spotted in Argentina we went as quickly as good to get to them before they were arrested." said Superman.

Black Canary wasn't convinced. "Not to doubt you three, then how in the world wasn't the kid captured before he got to his age now? He was on his own right?"

"Because he's not a Metahuman." Batman then revealed a hologram.

There was some murmuring at the table. There was a light yellow outline of a male human figure, inside, spinning black and blue bubbles of varying sizes in a cloudy shape.

"Wait, what is that supposed to be?" asked Shayera.

Batman explained with grim but clear detail. "A deity inside the physical body of a human. I have no idea if this is the child of another God, or a smaller piece of a similar being that fractured off of it."

"What do you mean by God? Like Zeus, like Diana's father?" inquired The Flash.

"No, like a being so powerful it could easily be any God humanity conceived of. Did you ever hear the phrase 'All religions are the same.'?"

"The one I heard was all religions are equally boring."

No one laughed at The Flash's joke.

"Well the phrase is not entirely wrong. Some believe the same outside force was interacting with early civilizations at different times in history." said Batman. "Beings like this one came from outside our understanding, from the farthest reaches of the universe or maybe other dimensions. All the powers he has I gave to you in my report from what I observed and what he's told me."

"Yeah I've seen it." Hal Jordan said. "If it's the case that he's a God, then why does he need to touch something first before he turns into it?"

"He resisted the Lasso of Truth." pointed out Wonder Woman. "That alone is enough to convince me he has Godlike power. However, judging by his degree of limited understanding, he's like still an infant by a God's standards."

"I've managed to collect traces of his blood." said Batman. "His biology cannot be fully determined by modern science. His power allows him to rearrange and change atoms practically at will. At some point, he should be able to create them. Which is why his kind were able to create our entire existence, everything in the universe."

"Why can't he create them now? Why did he have to kill all those farm animals to eat if he's a God?" wondered Martian Manhunter.

"Because not only do his powers need to develop and grow regardless if they're Godlike. But whoever designed him, or if he merely came into existence it's unclear, gave him human attributes outside of appearance like his physical exterior. This manifests in his hunger."

He explained further. "Beings like this probably existed for incomprehensible amounts of time before they began to appear to us. So imagine one with the physical equivalent of being a baby by comparison. The more he grows the more he eats. When he's fully grown, he would have very developed abilities."

"So why did he resist your taser? And how come he was able to fight some of the top members of the Justice League longer than any teenager should?"

Batman glanced up at the hologram for a moment. "His nervous system is not a normal one, whatever forms his base consciousness and reflexes aren't strictly tied to cells in his body. Meaning unless you're fighting with means beyond physical matter, there's no way to beat his reflexes. At least, eventually that is."

"But why didn't he die as a baby? Was he just reincarnated as a small child?" someone asked.

"Judging from what he told me, regular predators never bothered him. All animals were docile towards him no matter the species."

"Meaning?" said The Flash.

"That they must've innately recognized being like him as creators of anything and everything. These types of beings are the kind that can bring entire universes into existence."

"Are you sure about all of this?" Superman looked directly to him, on his left.

"When things like this happen, it's hard to be sure about anything. But with every bit of data I gathered, yes. I'm sure."

Everyone sat in silence.

"So then what do we do with him?" The Flash asked the obvious question.

"We can't hand him over to the Argentine government." Batman said.

"Why not?" responded Wonder Woman. "He killed three people and wounded thirty four others. If we don't move fast or get a handle on this it'll reflect badly on us."

"He committed a crime necessary to his survival," said Batman. "And was then hunted for it. While he can talk and understand, his Spanish is very rough. And he has never had a roof over his head, a family, school, or any way to survive in rural Southern America but with his powers. Hiding until you starved, or running off to steal food piecemeal for the rest of your life, are not things I would've done in his shoes."

"He already murdered people. You do realize that if he is as powerful as you say, he can turn against us one day right?" The Flash asked.

Superman was deeply thoughtful for a moment as they discussed.

"I didn't," he said.

"What?" Flash looked at him.

"I never became evil." said Superman.

"Well yeah you had parents." Flash replied.

"Exactly, parents. Who made the decision to adopt me. Even if I don't trust him, I do know this. If I had grown up in a town like mine, without a family, living on my own since the day I realized where I was. I don't think I would've turned out the way I did. The deaths of those Argentine armymen is unfortunate, truly it is. But if we never show him a better path, things will only get worse for others like him."

"Which is why we created the Justice League to begin with," said Batman before anyone could say anything else. "That we had a responsibility beyond world governments to protect peace."

He stood up, pushing his chair out. "Many often say they never asked to be born. Well, at least they had the luxury of being born human. This child didn't have that luxury, and because we were able to help him when he did. Before things got much worse for him and the world hunted him down. We can live up to our promises as heroes."

"His hunger will only grow, and it grew too much for him in the most rural part of a country where almost half of all people are poor," said Superman. "He will not have a normal diet for a long time I imagine. It's not up to us to feed him, but we need to give him sort of chance."

Batman spoke. "We will vote. The yays will vote letting us decide on where to send him, and the nays will release him into the custody of Argentina."

"Those in favor?"

A fair number of the Justice League raised their hands.

"Those opposed?"

Slightly less raised their hands. Hal Jordan and Wonder Woman did not like the results of this.

"The motion passes," Batman said swiftly. "Now we discuss if we let him go free, or explain he'll keep our protection if he joins this team that's just begun to form."

...

...

...

A/N: I cannot remember the last time I wrote a fic for DC. Maybe three years ago? Anyway I plan to vaguely follow the storylines of the first two seasons of Young Justice, but I do plan on including Roy Harper a bit differently.

Very important! I will use third person very very sparingly. This one chapter I used it actually because it would be awkward to plop the MC there to listen to everyone talking about him in a language he doesn't understand. Other than that everything will be first person.

Right now, it is pretty damn hard to get him to bleed, but without spoiling too much with the right training and time passing, that. May or may not go away.

The real changes begin in Season 3.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Happy Halloween!

 

[SharkCultist]

Godlike power beyond mortal comprehension.

Now in Espanol.

 

[Apollo_Man]

Godlike power beyond mortal comprehension.

Now in Espanol.

Click to shrink...

Will that mean he have the potential to defeat Goku tho–?

*Gets smashed in the head*

 

[MiyazakiFan18]

Chapter Two: A Cave to House Me

…

Batman returned. "This is Superman; he has asked me to translate everything he says to you." The man with dark hair and a massive build wearing a blue suit with a red cape crossed his arms.

I heard him through the cell walls.

"I want you to know that I understand what it's like to be you," said Superman through Batman's words. "I came from another world, too. I woke up on a planet that didn't know what I was — didn't trust what I could do. But I made a choice. I chose to protect it. Not because I had to. Because I wanted to, I saw the good in the world outside of the confusion and acted.

"You have that same choice now. And I need you to understand what happens if you make the wrong one. If you ever use your power to harm the innocent — for control, or pleasure, or vengeance — then I will stop you. Whatever it takes. And unlike the last time we fought, I will have no restraints to make sure you are not a threat."

I understood the implication he had on my life. I did not blame him, in his place, I'd do the same.

"Tell him I believe him, and will do my best to do as he said."

"(He says he's fine with everything you told him.)" said Batman, in what I was starting to believe was English, the only language in Argentina that my village had on a few parts of magazines and items.

Superman seemed convinced, uncrossing his arms. "(Let him out.)"

They released me from the cell.

"We have a young team of heroes that has just formed, you'll be staying with them until the Justice League determines otherwise." says Batman calmly. "You know the consequences of what happens if you waste this second chance."

I did.

I noticed Superman was about to leave when I told him. "Thanks brother."

He was confused and then answered. "You're - wel- come. Broth-er." he said slowly with a heavy accent. Batman still looked a bit dissapointed that Superman's Spanish was still basic.

They led me towards a machine where a woman with blonde hair and her arms crossed was waiting. Then the machine began to whir up a bunch of energy, I think they wanted me to step into it.

…

"Recognized: Black Canary. Zero-Seven."

I looked around what appeared to be a large cave. It had been adapted into a dwelling, the nicest I've seen even though it was clearly under a mountain.

Everyone in the cave noticed our arrival.

A girl with green skin was the first to notice. "Oh! You're back!" she said brightly, floating forward. "Did Batman send a—" Her voice trailed when she saw me.

A serious looking boy with gills turned from the training console, his calm gaze assessing. Another boy saw me. A perfect copy of a younger looking Superman stiffened as if on instinct, folding his arms. A redheaded kid leaned against the couch, already smirking. And someone else watched quietly from the railing above, mask hiding his eyes but not his curious look.

Black Canary as I believe she was called by the computer, let the moment stretch before she spoke. "(Everyone, this is… well—)" She glanced at me. "(He doesn't have a name yet. You'll be helping him get settled.)"

The redheaded kid blinked. "(He doesn't have a name?)"

"(No)," She said evenly. "(Or a full grasp of language yet. He's learning fast, but missions are off the table until we're sure he's in control of himself.)"

The kid up top tilted his head. "(Control of what, exactly?)"

Redhead crossed his arms. "(Yeah, what kind of 'not normal powers' are we talking about here? Because 'not normal' sounds like something we should maybe be worried about.)"

Black Canary's eyes flicked to him, calm but sharp. "(The kind)," she said, "(the Justice League insists will be your concern when the time comes.)"

That shut him up. I had no clue what he said but I'm sure it was nosy from his tone.

The boy watched them all — studying, absorbing. Their stances, their tones, the subtle warmth between them. It was nothing like the sterile Watchtower.

Black Canary put a hand lightly on my shoulder. "(Come on. I'll show you your room.)"

She began to lead me somewhere and I followed her without question.

…
She stopped in front of the door and tapped the panel. It slid open with a soft hiss, revealing a small but clean space: a narrow bed, a dresser, a mirror, and a compact shower alcove. More comfort than he'd ever known.

She turned towards me. "(This'll be your room from now on)," she said. "(No locks, no guards. Just… a door.)"

I stepped inside slowly, scanning every detail. This was very foreign to me. The sheets looked impossibly white. The air smelled faintly of detergent and steel.

Black Canary hesitated, folding her arms loosely. For a moment, she wasn't sure how to phrase it. "(You can… consider this place home)," she said finally, the words coming out softer than she expected.

That was one word I knew for sure in English. 'Casa' in my language. 'Home' in hers.

I turned to her, something raw and almost fragile in his eyes. "Home?" he repeated carefully, testing the word.

She nodded once. "Yeah. Home."

For a second, I just stood there — then gave a small, uncertain smile. "Thank you."

Dinah smiled back. "(You're welcome)." She introduced herself with the same skill as Superman. "I…am…Dinah."

I didn't blame either her or Superman for not knowing Spanish, I imagined most of where they operated as Superheroes likely all spoke English alone.

I nodded. "Dinah." I repeated her name.

…

I stood alone in the quiet room for a long time. This comfort didn't make sense. It looked soft — too soft. For years, sleep had meant dirt, branches, stone, or the narrow ridges of city roofs, perfect for when I liked napping as a cat. I pressed a hand against the blanket, feeling the strange give of it under my palm.

Eventually, curiosity drew me to the small door beside the dresser. Steam fogged the mirror when I turned the nozzle, startling me at first.

I didn't have this in my woods or near the village; if it existed, I never saw it.

I reached under the spray, then stepped fully into the shower, feeling water run through my hair, down my arms, no rain or river felt this good.

I didn't even realize I was smiling, first time I really remember doing so.

I found a set of clothes in the closet: tan shorts, a red t-shirt, and nothing else really. They fit well enough. The air felt lighter without all the dirt and dust clinging to me.

In the bathroom I also found what appeared to be a shaving kit, I didn't have much facial hair at all, but the tiny bits I did have were kinda noticeable, so I got rid of it.

When I stepped back into the hallway, everyone seemed to be milling about. Voices murmured faintly from an area with couches and a television. I followed their voices until he saw her again — Dinah, seated on the couch, a cup of tea cooling beside her.

I approached slowly, then extended my hand, revealing a long pair of silver scissors.

She looked up, blinking in mild confusion. "(What's this?)"

I lifted my other hand and ran it through my messy, very long, and dirty hair. My village never had a barber so once every few years I'd have to find a razor of some kind, hack off what I could and move on.

Dinah set the cup aside and studied me for a second, then exhaled a small laugh. "(You want me to cut it?)"

I nodded once, I don't think I'd want anyone else I've met thus far to cut it.

For the first time since she'd met him, there was no fear, no tension. Just trust — simple and quiet.

She smiled. "(Alright, kid. Let's get you cleaned up.)"

…

"(I've never… actually cut hair before)," she admitted softly, her gaze flicking up to meet mine.

The boy with gills and Superman's copy walked off boredly. But the other smaller kid with dark hair and the mask was watching quietly.

I waited patiently as Dinah worked, snipping off hair around me, sort of looking like she knew what she was doing. The floating green girl watched too, at a distance.

Dinah kept her focus, cutting evenly, listening to the soft snip-snip of the scissors. Occasionally, I'd feel her pause, brushing strands away.

Once she finished cutting, she stepped back and brushed the loose hair from my shoulders.

She gave me a mirror. My face, once half-hidden behind a wild curtain of dark hair, now looked almost delicate. Combined with the clean shave I had given himself earlier, and the simple tan shorts and red t-shirt, I didn't recognize myself — no dirt, no grime, no wild feral marks I had gotten from all the years of basically living like a wild animal.

I don't know what the black haired kid told Dinah, but I knew it was a compliment. One she definitely earned.

I ran a hand over my shorter hair, feeling the lightness, the freedom. I glanced down at the mirror, then up at Dinah, trying to look grateful.

For the first time in my entire life, I felt one thing:

That I would be safe no matter what tomorrow.

…

This brought on a degree of joy I had never felt before in my thirteen years of life, so I looked outside, and saw a beautiful ocean.

An ocean! So much water, more than I had ever seen.

I began to run towards it, ignoring a shout, and then I flew down the beach.

The moment I touched water I dove in, transforming into pure water. I began to move in the ocean itself, very quickly, my instinct was exploration, fascination.

I found so many different schools of fish. An elegant squid, and a scary shark. None of them frightened me.

But nothing compared to a dolphin, sleek and cheeky, twisting and spinning near me. I transformed into a squid, and the dolphin circled me, playful but aware, sensing something different. This honestly shocked me.

It was so smart it could tell I was still the same dolphin that had just transformed in front of it.

I matched its movements, twisting and spiraling through the water. Transformations followed, turtles, all sort of sea life I found. For the first time in my life, I realized I could connect with life around me not as a predator, not as a threat, but as part of it.

I lingered near the dolphin, gliding through the water in squid form, the sunlight dancing in shafts through the waves. For the first time, I felt truly connected — not just observing life, but part of it.

Suddenly, it clicked. Without touching the dolphin, without moving a muscle, I felt my own chest glow faintly: blue streaked with black, pulsing with energy. I knew what it was telling me.

All life had begun here. All life had come from water.

I closed his eyes, letting the sensation wash over me. Every fiber of my being hummed with the unity of this connection. If I could connect with this dolphin so deeply then why not any animal?

I focused. Thought of the dolphin. And in an instant, I transformed. My body shifted, sleek and silver, tail slicing through the water, fins cutting gracefully through the current. I was a dolphin.

My new friend clicked and chirped, spinning circles around him as if in approval.

I began to mimic the sounds, experimenting with pitch and rhythm. Within moments, I could speak in dolphin tongue. My companion understood him immediately, circling closer, listening.

I made a show for everyone watching on the beach. A family of dolphins leapt and spun, riding massive waves and splashing water high into the sky, posing for Dinah.

I even waved a fin directly at her, saluting her.

 

[Apollo_Man]

He protecc.
He attack.

Most importantly,
He wave bacc.

 

[trashtaker]

I know he's a god and all but like.

Isn't forcing him to be in young justice child labor?

 

[MiyazakiFan18]

I know he's a god and all but like.

Isn't forcing him to be in young justice child labor?

Click to shrink...

Letting Shawn go is a bad idea, he'd basically be right back where he started in the wild. He has no education, no money or parents, all he can do is eat and hunt as a wild animal. And they can't keep him in prison.