Righteous Lad
Annual #1 (Part II) —"You're saying ours is a fictional world, which is why this Malware-guy was able to open a doorway into our universe?" Barry Allen questions with a skeptical frown just barely discernible behind his crimson cowl. Forearms laying horizontally upon the large oval in the Hall of Justice's briefing room while his gloved finger tips touch one another in a thoughtful posture.
The rest of his peers bear similar expressions inside the fairly dingy room.
"Yeah, that… that's the whole deal of it." Righteous Lad affirms regretfully, guilt seeping into his consciousness as he dismisses any validation to the lives of the comic book characters he's grown up adoring for years.
"But, ya know, there's still something off about all of this…" The young man adds.
"Lay it out for us, then. Because even I can already pinpoint details that do not add up in what you're telling us." Batman prods.
"Well, we shouldn't be having this conversation. This was supposed to be a movie about the death of Su– D'uh.. Uhhh… A movie about the Justice League fighting Doomsday." Tyson attempts to present the premise in a less concerning way. However, the others do not allow it to slip by so easily.
"...The Death of Superman?" Kal-EL questions with curiously narrowing brows.
"What, are we supposed to believe that our strongest heavy hitter gets taken out by some overgrown monster in a hazmat suit!? C'mon, this is the man of steel we're talking about here." Hal Jordan chimes in.
"Okay… I'll just say it. This is the third movie of the Justice League series. I've watched Justice League War, which was about all of you coming together for the first time on the big screen and forming the Justice League. Justice League Dark where you guys - well, Batman mostly - teamed up with Zatanna and John Constatine, Teen Titans Judas Contract where you guys got possessed and fought the Teen Titans, and now the series is on the Death of Superman movie. I hadn't gotten far into it at all, but I'm sure the name spells out the big ending…" Righteous Lad explains. He leans forward into his seat while presenting a solemn stare. The others were looking on speechlessly.
"But maybe there's more to this than I thought. I'm not a character in this movie. You guys do not know me at all and I have never met you until today. You guys should be scripted… following a plotline to the very end. Especially since you weren't pulled out from the movie."
"Then perhaps the media in your world serves as a symbolic window to ours? You see what we do, but it's still subject to change should an outside element intervene." Diana proposes her theory. It's then the large monitor in the room shifts to present a web search page - one bearing an insightful info form about Righteous Lad himself.
"Doing a little digging while the conversation was carrying on, I found this. An information dump about a fictional comic book character named Righteous Lad. Adopted by Misses and Mister Luthur, biological son of the Goddess Help and the Sun God Apollo. Age 23, height five-eleven and one-half. Real name, Konnence. I'm not quite sure if you're telling the truth, but that's definitely your face up there. You wouldn't happen to be a martian, would you? They can gather information via reading minds and that possibility makes more sense than what you're telling us." Batman speaks up this time.
"Oh… so he's not a kryptonian." Kal-EL murmurs with a hint of disappointment.
"There's files of me in the DC universe? And… I'M the fictional character here? That's kinda' sick!" Tyson enthusiastically comments.
"But I can see why this makes things complicated. I'm not a Martian at all. Any way I can prove it to you?" The young man asks.
"There is one way." Batman confirms as he rises up from his seat. He circles around the large table while reaching to retrieve an item from his utility belt. A lighter. He stands beside Tyson and pushes down on the igniter, allowing fire to take form. Momentarily confused, Tyson blinks at the peculiar sight. Then it dawns on him!
"Oh, right! Martians are afraid of fire!" The young man blurts out before lifting a hand and holding a finger within the flame.
"See? I'm not burning at all. Can't really feel it, either." He affirms. It's all the convincing Batman needs to put the lighter away and return to his seat.
"Okay, so he's not a martian. But instead a God?" Aquaman questions.
"Uuuuhhh… I prefer Unusual American. I don't really see myself as any sort of divine figure." Righteous Lad corrects.
"But there's nothing wrong with accepting what you are. I hail from Mount Olympus, too. Zeus is my father." Wonder Woman tells him.
"I was born in Niflheim, as claimed by my birth mother, and was given away to a couple a month after I was born. Asgard and Olympus are not my homes, nor are their residents and rulers familiars of mine. I'm just a guy from Illinois located in America, and I'm proud just being a fellow American. That's more than enough for me." Tyson reaffirms. It's an answer that resonates with Superman enough to draw a genuine grin across the kryptonian's lips.
"Very well." Diana forfeits the topic.
"This is nice and all, and I do respect your answer, kid, but I think what we should be asking is: Do we have any leads on where these two troublemakers went?" Hal Jordan chimes in.
"No, none at all. I've been trying to find any trace or sightings with various satellites and cameras around the world. There's no telling where they went. As much as I hate to say it, we'll just have to wait for them to make a move and reveal themselves again." Batman explains.
