by Dangerguy
Author's Note: This is a scene I wrote simply because I saw it in my head and liked it. I had no idea how to fit it into a story, so it never wound up in one. But I had fun writing about Duster meeting up with the triumvirate of the DC universe. (I have no idea why I didn't use their names, because I've done that in other stories. Some strange conceit on my part.) There's no sex or violence to speak of, but if you liked Duster, you'll probably enjoy this.
For those who care about continuity, this scene pretty obviously occurs after the third Duster story, The Return of the Motormaster, since the Black Phantom appears as her partner and the events of that story are referred to. It also takes place sometime before my fifth and final Duster story, Duster versus the Dominatrix, since one of the Leaguers featured here had apparently changed his opinion of the Black Phantom by the time that story occurs.
Duster looked warily across the alley to the top of the building opposite from the one where she now stood. She stared at the rooftop from the ledge of an early-20th century brick office building in the heart of High Plains City's business district. The other building that was built in the same era and style as the one beneath her booted feet. Even in the darkness, the ambient city light allowed her to see that the rooftop opposite was empty. She could easily make out the old ventilation shafts, as well as the slightly more modern air conditioning system. She shifted her weight nervously as she studied the rooftop from her vantage point and tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.
She hugged her long black leather coat around her lithe young body, but shivered in the cool spring air nonetheless. Beneath the coat, she wore a tight spandex singlet of green and gold--the colors of High Plains University, where she attended classes in her civilian secret identity. The garish colors of her costume were a sentimental choice, not a practical one; however, the coat hid her costume and bare white legs. Only her green knee-high boots with gold trim and the dark green visor she wore over her eyes gave any indication that she wore the costume of a superheroine. Her tousled auburn hair tumbled decorously from her head onto her shoulders; a cool prairie breeze made it flutter around her oval-shaped face.
The emptiness of the rooftop opposite didn't surprise her; she was early for the meeting. And the invitation had come from a trusted source, so that wasn't what made her anxious either. The problem was that the message had told her to come alone. Duster had not worked by herself in months. She had a partner now--more than just a partner, in point of fact. The Black Phantom--she still teased him about that corny name--was also her best friend and her lover. Duster could control the air and wind; the Black Phantom could pass through solid objects. It seemed an odd pairing at first, but they had learned to make their powers compliment each other in their fight against High Plains City's criminal element. They watched one another's backs and had saved each other from injury and death several times in the last few months. She felt naked and vulnerable without him at her side.
The deep, resonant chime of a bell nearby stirred Duster from her reverie. Two blocks away, the clock tower atop the Thompson Building rang its sonorant bell, signifying the top of the hour. It was eleven o'clock and time for Duster's meeting. She took a deep breath and summoned the wind.
Duster grabbed the bottom corners of her leather coat and held them tightly. A strong, steady wind, beckoned and controlled by her will, blew across the rooftop and under her body. She felt the moving air billowing out the coat behind her, and then felt it lifting her. She focused her attention; the wind lifted her from the rooftop and began to carry her across the alley to the building opposite. Duster felt the strain in her arms and shoulders as the held the coat edges taut; her jaw clenched with tension. Flying like this demanded her complete attention. She'd always thought it would be exhilarating, but now that she had taught herself how to do it, she found that it was simply exhausting.
Fortunately, Duster only had to fly a short distance. She deftly landed on the roof of the other building, her rubber-soled green boots softly touching down on the loose gravel surface. The wind she had called died down and Duster looked around cautiously.
"Okay," Duster called out dubiously, "I'm here." She heard no response, only the background hum of the city. "Come out, come out, wherever you..."
VREEEEN...
"...are..."
Duster turned towards the source of the loud, electric hum. Three bright lights appeared on the rooftop, then took the shape of three human figures--two men and one woman. Duster watched in fascination; she was studying both science and engineering at High Plains University, and she marveled at the advanced technology that allowed these three people to transport themselves here from thousands of miles away.
The hum and the light faded, and Duster instantly recognized the uniforms of Earth's three foremost superheroes. She took a deep breath in awe. Immediately intimidated by their presence, her dark brown eyes settled on the friendliest and most familiar of the three faces.
"Sister!" the Princess, resplendent in her red-and-gold bustier and star-spangled briefs, called out to her. The tall, powerful woman strode towards Duster, her strong arms, with their metal bracelets, reaching out to embrace her fellow superheroine.
Duster smiled and threw her arms around the older heroine. She had met the Princess just over a year ago on a trip to New York City. Duster had intentionally sought out the greatest of all superheroines for guidance and comfort after she experienced some particularly devastating setbacks--including two sexual assaults at the hands of her opponents. The Princess had given Duster her private phone line and e-mail address, and the two women had kept in touch ever since. It was an e-mail from the Princess that had invited her to this meeting tonight.
"It's so good to see you, your highness," Duster said respectfully as the two women stepped back from their warm embrace.
The Princess smiled and waved her arm dismissively. "I told you to call me Diana," she insisted. She turned to her two male companions. "I think introductions are in order. This is..."
"Oh, they don't need introductions!" Duster exclaimed, awestruck by the two superheroes standing before her. "It's an honor to meet you, sir," she said respectfully, extending her hand to the tall man in the bright blue, red, and yellow uniform. He extended his hand and smiled cordially at her.
"The honor's mine, Duster," said as he shook her hand warmly. His grip could crush coal into diamonds, but his firm yet gentle handshake indicated he had precise control over his great strength. Though alien, he appeared thoroughly human, and handsome as well. Duster reminded herself that she was involved with someone.
Duster turned to the other man, dressed so darkly he almost disappeared into the night that surrounded them. She could just make out the elongated and pointed ears on his cowl. The eye slits on the cowl were opaque; beneath them, his thin lips formed a grim slash across the bottom half of his face. She extended her hand towards him.
"It's an honor to meet you too..." she said, but her voice faded as the man stood stock still, his arms crossed beneath his long, dark, scalloped cape. He made no motion to shake her hand. Then she saw his head nod, almost imperceptibly, to finally acknowledge her presence. Duster's hand dropped back to her side and she turned to the other two heroes. They seemed to be giving their companion mildly annoyed glances, but their expressions quickly became neutral again when the noticed Duster looking at them. She got the impression they were used to the Vigilante's anti-social behavior
"Well," Duster said, brushing aside the awkward moment, "what brings you three to High Plains City?"
"To put it simply, you do," the brightly-garbed alien said, the friendly smile returning to his face. "We've come to extend an offer of standby membership in the League."
Behind her dark green visor, Duster's eyes went wide. Her mouth dropped open. She could hardly believe her ears. She'd been a superheroine for barely two years, and here were the three greatest superheroes offering her membership in their exclusive club. She suddenly realized her mouth was open and, slightly embarrassed, snapped it shut.
"League...membership...?" she said hesitantly.
"It's not full membership," the Princess told her mildly. "We don't offer that immediately. Standby membership gives you some rights and privileges, as well as duties. The important thing is that you're part of the team."
"And," the tall, handsome alien added, "over time, if you continue to prove yourself--which I have no doubt you will, given your recent track record--we will eventually consider offering full membership."
"I...I don't know what to say!" Duster exclaimed, a broad smile coming to her face. "This is such an honor! It means so much! Thank you, all of you!"
The Princess and the Alien smiled at her. "You've earned it, sister," the Princess said warmly.
"Oh, I can't wait to tell Bi...uh...the Black Phantom!" Duster said excitedly. "He idolizes all of you as well, he'll be thrilled! He..." Duster paused as she suddenly noticed the Alien and the Princess exchanging a slightly embarrassed look. "Am I...missing something?" she asked.
The Alien cleared his throat. "The offer of membership," he explained, "is for you, Duster."
"New members must be approved by a unanimous vote of the full members," the Princess explained. Her crystal blue eyes shot a cold glance at the dark-clad figure standing icily still to their left. Her meaning was clear; Duster turned to the Vigilante.
She studied him for a moment. Though he had no super-powers, he still intimidated her. Intimidate? No...he scared the hell out of her. She could have easily called a wind to blow him off the rooftop--that big scalloped cape would make it easy--but she didn't dare attempt any such thing. Frankly, he gave her the creeps, and she had always wondered if he might not be borderline psychotic. Confronting him about anything was near the top of her list of things to never do, along with skydiving naked and cutting off her own head. But if he had a problem with Billy...
"I work with a partner," Duster said evenly. Just addressing the man made her hands shake. She crossed her arms, burying her hands in her armpits to hide that fact.
"We know," the Vigilante said flatly. His voice sounded like ice grating against rock. Duster suppressed a shiver and forged ahead.
"If you have a problem with my partner," she said, "spit it out." She was surprised at her own temerity; only her love for Billy, and a powerful urge to defend him verbally as she did every night physically, could have induced it.
The Vigilante paused a moment, unmoving. Then he spoke. "Less than a year ago a series of robberies plagued the wealthiest district of High Plains City. The thief was never caught. He robbed homes and business with elaborate security systems, but he bypassed those systems and never left a trace of any sign of forced entry. It was as though...," he paused for effect, "...the thief could walk through walls."
Duster stared at the Vigilante in silence for a moment. Everything he'd said was true, and his insinuation--that her partner, the Black Phantom, had been the thief--was also true. But Billy had been committing those robberies for a good cause: to pay for an operation for his younger brother Danny, who had suffered a brain injury and lay in a coma in a hospital. Duster had convinced her wealthy parents to pay for the operation instead, and Billy had returned the stolen goods and money to the police--anonymously. He hadn't stolen anything since. He'd also turned away from a life of crime in order to fight it, had saved her life more than once, and she loved him. The Vigilante, she decided, had chosen the wrong target.
"I'm familiar with that case," Duster said, her voice calmer than she felt. "I worked on it. The stolen property was returned. The HPCPD consider the case closed."
"I don't," the Vigilante said coldly.
"If you have an accusation to make, make it," Duster said, her anger growing.
"Very well," the Vigilante replied, and Duster thought she saw a smug smile tugging at the corners of his thin lips. "Your...partner...was that thief. Perhaps you convinced him to return his ill-gotten gains and go straight. But he's still a criminal. He should be in jail. But you've let him roam free because you're... intimate with him." He made the last comment with evident distaste, as though he found the idea of two people sharing love repugnant.
Duster stared at the tall man angrily. If he'd accused her of wrong-doing, she likely would have buckled. But no one attacked her boyfriend. No one.
"You should have left that fancy belt at home and brought a fishing rod," Duster hissed at the tall Vigilante, "because that's all you're doing. Some detective you are." Beside her, Duster heard the Alien inhale audibly through clenched teeth, but she kept focused on the Vigilante. She could see his jaw flexing, and she knew she'd gotten to him. She imagined that people rarely, if ever, talked to the man as she just had, but her anger had emboldened her. "You think he's a thief? Prove it."
"Is that an invitation?" The Vigilante growled through clenched teeth.
"It's a rhetorical point," Duster responded. "He's innocent until proven guilty, remember? That's how our laws work; you might have forgotten we still have those. And you've got some nerve, coming to my town and making those sorts of allegations, you hypocrite!" she said, pointing an angry finger at the man's broad chest.
"Duster..." the Princess cautioned her, but the young superheroine ignored her idol and continued to glare at the dark-clad crimefighter.
"What do you mean by that?" he snarled, leaning towards her.
Duster swallowed, but gathered her courage, fired by her anger, and pressed on. "As I recall, there's a certain cat burglar plaguing your town," she replied venomously. "And she's been caught and convicted in the past. But she seems to keep eluding your grasp. Curious, isn't it?"
Duster saw the thin lips press together tightly and wondered if she'd gone too far. Then she saw the Vigilante slowly lean back and calm himself, exerting his legendary self-control. He took a deep breath, let it out, and even seemed to smile--just a little. In the dark, Duster couldn't be sure.
"The offer of League standby membership is for you and you alone," he said solemnly. "Take it or leave it."
Duster recognized the Vigilante's declaration of truce--or, more appropriately, détente. She turned from him towards the other two superheroes, who appeared to be relaxing slightly now that the confrontation appeared to be over. She took a deep breath, then sighed. To be part of the League would validate everything she'd done as a superheroine--it would even help remove the stain, in her own mind, of her most dismal and traumatic failures. But without Billy? She could no long imagine fighting crime without him. There was the principle, as well: he was her partner. You don't abandon your partner. She shook her head sadly.
"I'm sorry, but I have to decline," she said quietly, her eyes catching those of the Princess. "He's...my right hand," she said with a sad smile and a shrug. She turned her head to the Vigilante. "We're a package deal," she said a little more forcefully.
"We understand," the Princess said gently. She laid her hand gently on Duster's slender shoulder. "The offer will remain open indefinitely if you change your mind."
"Thanks, but I won't," Duster answered. She placed her hand on top of the one the Princess had laid on her shoulder. The two women smiled at each other. "Not unless some of you change your mind about him," she added, turning her head slightly towards the Vigilante.
"I'm sorry things didn't work out this time," the Alien interjected. "Perhaps in the future, things will be different," he said, casting a sidelong glance at the Vigilante as well.
"Perhaps," Duster said with a slight nod. "Well. I imagine you all have important things to do..."
"Yes, we need to get back to the Tower," the Alien said, looking at his two companions.
"Right," Duster said and turned to walk to the edge of the roof. "Well, not that I think you will, but if you ever need my help, you know where to find me," she said over her shoulder.
She called the wind to her, stepped off the roof, and turned to face them as it held her aloft. The powerful wind blew her hair about her in a wild, auburn mane. She held the corners of the leather coat with outstretched arms, and the open front of the coat revealed her athletic but voluptuous body. She turned to look at the Vigilante one last time.
"One more thing, you," she said, her head lowered slightly and her arched auburn brows frowning. "Stay out of my town."
With that, the wind gusted and quickly carried her up and away from the trio of heroes. The watched her disappear into the night.
"A shame," the Alien said. "I like her. She's got...spunk," he said, looking pointedly at the Vigilante.
"Hrmm," the dark-clad crime-fighter grunted.
The Princess turned her head and looked at the Vigilante. "Sometimes, Bruce," she said, "you can be a real..." she hesitated as she searched for the right word in what was still, to her, a foreign tongue, "...asshole." The Vigilante turned his cowled head to glare at her.
The Alien raised his eyebrows, stepped between them, and clapped his hands together. "Okay!" he said cheerfully, a forced smile on his face, "let's get back to the Tower, shall we?"
Duster had the wind carry her to the top of a flat-roofed skyscraper about a mile away. She landed on the concrete roof tiles somewhat awkwardly and had to steady herself against one of the ventilation shafts. Her body was shaking. She thought she might vomit.
"Oh God..." she muttered, her head bowed. "I can't believe I talked to him like that!" She took several deep breaths to calm herself.
A few minutes later, the waves of nausea died down, and her breathing gradually returned to normal. She would normally never have even dreamed of speaking to the Vigilante that way, but when he attacked Billy, he got her blood up. Her boyfriend had returned the property he'd stolen and had renounced crime completely--in fact, he'd devoted himself to fighting it. What more did the bastard want? Blood?
Duster called the wind to her again and stepped to the edge of the building. She gently floated herself down and several blocks away, into the derelict Telegraph Road area. She arrived at the rendezvous point, the top of a cinder-block tenement, early. It gave her time to reflect on what had happened. They'll never invite me to join the League now, she thought despondently, not after that display of temper and insolence. She sighed heavily. She wondered if she'd made a mistake.
"Hey, beautiful," a deep voice, the smile evident in its tone, greeted her from behind.
Duster spun to face the young man who'd spoken and all her doubts vanished from her mind. A few yards away, his powerful body covered in tight black cloth, stood the Black Phantom--her beloved Billy. He looked like a tall, Caucasian ninja--the only part of his black outfit that revealed his flesh was an oval gap around his turquoise eyes and heavy, dark brows. Even in the dim light, she could see the soft creases around his eyes that meant he was smiling beneath that dark mask.
Duster herself smiled broadly and literally pranced towards him. She leapt into his arms and threw her own around his broad shoulders. She then pulled one arm back and poked the tip of her index finger into the bottom of the hole in his mask. She pulled it down, revealing his straight nose and his thick, sensual lips. She leaned her head forward and kissed him passionately. He held her body tight; she felt her breasts crushed against his strong chest. She slid her warm lips over his and gave a soft little moan of pleasure.
"Wow," Billy said, smiling, when she finally broke the kiss. "What's the occasion?"
"It's Tuesday," Candy told him, a sexy smile on her lips.
"And...?" he said with a short laugh.
"That's reason enough to kiss you, I think," she answered, still smiling. She leaned her head forward and kissed him again. This time, her tongue darted past his parted lips and briefly teased his dormant tongue. Billy responded by licking her lips teasingly when she broke the kiss.
"Okay, babe," he said, his voice deep and heavy with desire, "if we keep this up, we're not gonna make it off of this rooftop for the rest of the night." He lowered her nubile body to the ground and reached up to tug his mask back into place.
"That would be a shame," Candy replied, her tone of voice indicating she believed the exact opposite. She kept her arms around his neck. She bent one leg and leaned it forward so it she could rub her thigh against his.
"Whoa," Billy responded, "what's gotten into you tonight? Not that I'm complaining or anything..." He frowned slightly. "What happened at that mysterious meeting you wouldn't tell me boo about?" he said, a little suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing much," Duster replied nonchalantly. She lowered her arms and tucked her hands into her pockets. Suddenly her voice was all business. "It was with a snitch I've used before. Only deals with me. Thought she might have some information we could use, but it turned out to be nothing," she said with a shrug. She didn't want to tell him the truth--it would only upset him. She also knew he'd urge her to reconsider the offer, which she didn't want to do. If she couldn't work with him, she didn't want to play superheroine at all.
"Hm," the Black Phantom said with a nod, accepting her explanation. "Well, y'know you've gotta check those leads out. Never know when you'll get lucky."
Duster smiled as her flirtatious mood returned. She held up her index finger and brushed it over the Black Phantom's lips beneath his black mask. "Play your cards right and you could get lucky later tonight, handsome," she said in a husky tone.
"Oh, man," the Phantom said with a low, throaty laugh, "you're really torturing me tonight, y'know that?" Duster only laughed in response. "What's gotten into you?"
Duster's smile softened a little. She shrugged her slender shoulders slightly and gave her head of auburn locks a gently shake. "I just...love you, that's all," she said.
"Cool," he said with a nod, his voice low and earnest. "Love you too." The two lovers remained silent for a moment, staring into one another's eyes. In the distance, the wail of a police siren suddenly pierced the night and shattered the mood for the crime-fighting couple.
"So...." Duster said finally, "ya wanna go kick some bad-guy butt?"
The Black Phantom laughed softly. "Yeah, sure. But I'll hold you to that promise you made." He walked with her to the edge of the rooftop. The wind picked up fiercely once she summoned it.
"I never promised you anything!" she said, a teasing tone in her voice as they joined hands and stepped off the rooftop together, allowing the wind Duster controlled to carry them to the crime-ridden Telegraph Road district.