JLU Fic: Way Down the Road
Way Down the Road
A sequel to Hard Travelin' Civilians, in seven drabbles (plus one bonus double drabble.)
by dotfic
Rating: PG
Continuity: Just after "Wake the Dead"
Disclaimer: Justice League Unlimited is the property of DC Comics/WB Animation.
A/N: For those coming in late, the premise is simple. In an effort to repair group dynamics, the founding seven go on a road trip. The rules: no ipods, no cell phones, no powers. This is for rianax, who asked for the sombrero and the giant ball of twine, and neadods, who gave me the idea to do more about the road trip. Thanks to mtgat for her quick beta-read.
Inspiration found at Weird US. I have no excuse for the bonus double drabble. None.
#1 Dignity (J'onn, Wally)
"No."
"C'mon."
"I am not wearing that."
"Please? I just want to take one little picture. You know, the memories?"
"It's not...dignified."
"There's more to life than dignity. Pleeeeeeeeease?"
J'onn sighed and put the sombrero on his head. At least since the picture was while he was in his human form, the digital photograph Wally took couldn't be traced back to his League persona.
"Wally?"
"Yeah?"
"If that picture ends up anywhere but on your personal hard drive, I will make you suffer. And remember, I can read minds, Wally."
"Uh...sure, J'onn. Oh, look, darn, I just accidentally deleted it."
#2 Forever (Shayera, Diana)
Shayera shaded her eyes with her hand, squinting against the sun. "Well, I think it's creepy."
Diana touched one of the cool marble figures. "He must have loved her very much."
"Love is one thing, but all those statues of her?" Shayera peered at a stone face, frowning.
"Maybe he just wanted to make sure she was remembered," said Diana said quietly.
"She'd be remembered without that, if he really loved her. And dead is dead."
"True. But monuments are for the living."
Although the day was warm, Shayera hugged her arms. "Nothing lasts forever, Diana. Can we go now?"
#3 Approval (Diana, Bruce)
As Diana walked down the diner steps, one of the burly young men sitting on the bench of the bus stop let out a low wolf-whistle.
She froze and shot him a look that made the whistle die with a flutter on his lips.
"Why do men do that?" Diana turned to Bruce. His expression was unreadable.
"To express their...approval of what they're seeing." He herded her, fingers lightly brushing her elbow, down the street.
"Can't they find another way? It feels..." she twitched her shoulders. "Odd."
"Good odd or bad odd?"
She didn't answer, but quickly changed the subject.
#4 Rescue (Wally, Clark)
"Don't worry, I'll get the kitten." Wally raised his hands. If he could create an air current controlled enough...
Clark coughed.
"Oh. Right. Okay. Let's do this the old fashioned way."
"Wally..."
"I'm fine."
Wally got himself up to the first branch, long legs dangling, and clambered up to the next. "Nice kitty..."
The tiny creature scratched.
"Ow!" His sneakers slipped and the world turned dizzyingly upside down.
A few dead leaves fluttered back into place as Clark set Wally safely on his feet.
"Hey!" He clenched his hands, pretending that his fingers weren't shaking.
"What?" said Clark.
"You cheated!"
#5 Contact (John, Bruce)
They shared rooms at a roadside motel. because that's all that was available.
John flopped back comfortably on his bed with a beer, the remote, and a sporting event on TV.
"I'm going out for a walk," Bruce said.
"'kay," said John. "Ah, no, you idiot, pass the ball, pass!"
The night was cool and clear, bright with stars. Cars rushed by on the highway. The shadows moved; instinctively, he tensed, but it was only the bushes moving in the breeze.
The pay phone was by the ice machine.
He reversed the charges.
"Hello, Alfred, it's me. Just checking in..."
#6 Conversation (John, Shayera)
Somehow during the rapid maneuvering into the van as the downpour started, he ended up next to her.
"Hi," John said.
"Hi." Shayera kept her eyes on the rain-spattered window.
Around them, the others talked or dozed. Bruce drove. The windshield wipers swish-thumped.
"Since we're on this trip a few more days, do you think we could talk? About the weather? How about the giant ball of twine?"
She turned to look at him. The rain drops made spotted shadows over her cheeks.
"It was a large ball of twine." She turned away again, but he saw the tiny smile.
#7 Impression (J'onn, Clark)
The blue at the horizon faded to pink, and then the paler blue of approaching darkness. The moon was a faded circle of white.
J'onn's thin, human face flickered into something else, just for a second.
"So what do you think?" Clark shoved his hands into his pockets.
"It is...grand."
"That's it?" said Clark.
"What were you expecting?"
"I'm not sure. I thought maybe you'd...sorry, J'onn. I didn't mean to push."
The other alien silently looked to the horizon. "It is beautiful."
"We should come back," said Clark. "When we're allowed to fly."
"That..." J'onn hesitated. "I would enjoy that."
#8 Heroics (Bruce, Wally, and special guest stars)
To say they hadn't expected werewolves was an understatement.
"Can I cheat now?" Wally said.
"Wait." Bruce half-crouched, hands closed into fists.
The four weres circled them, growling.
"How about now?"
"Wait..."
"Yo, puppy!" A voice shouted.
The werewolf went down with a bang and a whimper.
A guy in a gray t-shirt and torn jeans stepped forward and coolly shot the second werewolf even as it leapt at him.
A young man badly in need of a hair cut, with arms and legs that made Wally look compact, appeared with a shotgun. He fired, taking down the third werewolf.
That left the fourth.
It leapt at Bruce, who darted aside as Wally zipped over and punched the beast in the snout at the same time the guy in the gray shirt tackled it.
They went down in a confused jumble of jean-clad legs, fur, sneakers, boots, and snarls. A knife flashed. The wolf twitched and lay still.
Bruce hauled Wally to his feet.
Before anyone could say anything, they ran.
They stopped when they reached the road.
"Who the hell was that?"
"I have absolutely no idea." Bruce paused to gather breath. "But whoever they were...they were well trained."
A sequel to Hard Travelin' Civilians, in seven drabbles (plus one bonus double drabble.)
by dotfic
Rating: PG
Continuity: Just after "Wake the Dead"
Disclaimer: Justice League Unlimited is the property of DC Comics/WB Animation.
A/N: For those coming in late, the premise is simple. In an effort to repair group dynamics, the founding seven go on a road trip. The rules: no ipods, no cell phones, no powers. This is for rianax, who asked for the sombrero and the giant ball of twine, and neadods, who gave me the idea to do more about the road trip. Thanks to mtgat for her quick beta-read.
Inspiration found at Weird US. I have no excuse for the bonus double drabble. None.
#1 Dignity (J'onn, Wally)
"No."
"C'mon."
"I am not wearing that."
"Please? I just want to take one little picture. You know, the memories?"
"It's not...dignified."
"There's more to life than dignity. Pleeeeeeeeease?"
J'onn sighed and put the sombrero on his head. At least since the picture was while he was in his human form, the digital photograph Wally took couldn't be traced back to his League persona.
"Wally?"
"Yeah?"
"If that picture ends up anywhere but on your personal hard drive, I will make you suffer. And remember, I can read minds, Wally."
"Uh...sure, J'onn. Oh, look, darn, I just accidentally deleted it."
#2 Forever (Shayera, Diana)
Shayera shaded her eyes with her hand, squinting against the sun. "Well, I think it's creepy."
Diana touched one of the cool marble figures. "He must have loved her very much."
"Love is one thing, but all those statues of her?" Shayera peered at a stone face, frowning.
"Maybe he just wanted to make sure she was remembered," said Diana said quietly.
"She'd be remembered without that, if he really loved her. And dead is dead."
"True. But monuments are for the living."
Although the day was warm, Shayera hugged her arms. "Nothing lasts forever, Diana. Can we go now?"
#3 Approval (Diana, Bruce)
As Diana walked down the diner steps, one of the burly young men sitting on the bench of the bus stop let out a low wolf-whistle.
She froze and shot him a look that made the whistle die with a flutter on his lips.
"Why do men do that?" Diana turned to Bruce. His expression was unreadable.
"To express their...approval of what they're seeing." He herded her, fingers lightly brushing her elbow, down the street.
"Can't they find another way? It feels..." she twitched her shoulders. "Odd."
"Good odd or bad odd?"
She didn't answer, but quickly changed the subject.
#4 Rescue (Wally, Clark)
"Don't worry, I'll get the kitten." Wally raised his hands. If he could create an air current controlled enough...
Clark coughed.
"Oh. Right. Okay. Let's do this the old fashioned way."
"Wally..."
"I'm fine."
Wally got himself up to the first branch, long legs dangling, and clambered up to the next. "Nice kitty..."
The tiny creature scratched.
"Ow!" His sneakers slipped and the world turned dizzyingly upside down.
A few dead leaves fluttered back into place as Clark set Wally safely on his feet.
"Hey!" He clenched his hands, pretending that his fingers weren't shaking.
"What?" said Clark.
"You cheated!"
#5 Contact (John, Bruce)
They shared rooms at a roadside motel. because that's all that was available.
John flopped back comfortably on his bed with a beer, the remote, and a sporting event on TV.
"I'm going out for a walk," Bruce said.
"'kay," said John. "Ah, no, you idiot, pass the ball, pass!"
The night was cool and clear, bright with stars. Cars rushed by on the highway. The shadows moved; instinctively, he tensed, but it was only the bushes moving in the breeze.
The pay phone was by the ice machine.
He reversed the charges.
"Hello, Alfred, it's me. Just checking in..."
#6 Conversation (John, Shayera)
Somehow during the rapid maneuvering into the van as the downpour started, he ended up next to her.
"Hi," John said.
"Hi." Shayera kept her eyes on the rain-spattered window.
Around them, the others talked or dozed. Bruce drove. The windshield wipers swish-thumped.
"Since we're on this trip a few more days, do you think we could talk? About the weather? How about the giant ball of twine?"
She turned to look at him. The rain drops made spotted shadows over her cheeks.
"It was a large ball of twine." She turned away again, but he saw the tiny smile.
#7 Impression (J'onn, Clark)
The blue at the horizon faded to pink, and then the paler blue of approaching darkness. The moon was a faded circle of white.
J'onn's thin, human face flickered into something else, just for a second.
"So what do you think?" Clark shoved his hands into his pockets.
"It is...grand."
"That's it?" said Clark.
"What were you expecting?"
"I'm not sure. I thought maybe you'd...sorry, J'onn. I didn't mean to push."
The other alien silently looked to the horizon. "It is beautiful."
"We should come back," said Clark. "When we're allowed to fly."
"That..." J'onn hesitated. "I would enjoy that."
#8 Heroics (Bruce, Wally, and special guest stars)
To say they hadn't expected werewolves was an understatement.
"Can I cheat now?" Wally said.
"Wait." Bruce half-crouched, hands closed into fists.
The four weres circled them, growling.
"How about now?"
"Wait..."
"Yo, puppy!" A voice shouted.
The werewolf went down with a bang and a whimper.
A guy in a gray t-shirt and torn jeans stepped forward and coolly shot the second werewolf even as it leapt at him.
A young man badly in need of a hair cut, with arms and legs that made Wally look compact, appeared with a shotgun. He fired, taking down the third werewolf.
That left the fourth.
It leapt at Bruce, who darted aside as Wally zipped over and punched the beast in the snout at the same time the guy in the gray shirt tackled it.
They went down in a confused jumble of jean-clad legs, fur, sneakers, boots, and snarls. A knife flashed. The wolf twitched and lay still.
Bruce hauled Wally to his feet.
Before anyone could say anything, they ran.
They stopped when they reached the road.
"Who the hell was that?"
"I have absolutely no idea." Bruce paused to gather breath. "But whoever they were...they were well trained."