The Trial

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"A hundred and twenty-three people are deceased today in downtown Coast City following a clash between Wonder Woman and her unnamed sidekick against a super villain. The estimated damage is a staggering twenty-seven million dollars, a cost that you and I will bear through our own taxes! Our hard-earned money goes into covering these expenses, yet superheroes and supervillains continue to wreak havoc worldwide, taking the lives of our friends and family and destroying our property. And they have the audacity to label it as 'collateral damage.' Let me remind you, people, a hundred and twenty-three innocent, hardworking American citizens, just like you and me. When must we endure these superhumans? Why permit this meta-gene in our world? When will our government officially hold these monsters accountable for their actions against regular people like us? People call me crazy! They insist I acknowledge that these beings help and save the world! But what about the dead people, huh? Who speaks for them? These so-called heroes are nothing but a menace. The more heroes created, the more villains born. We must put an end to this epidemic of heroes and put them all in jail!

Time's up, ladies and gents! Stay tuned for sports news with Dan Spiral. Thank you for watching CCN News!"

The television was promptly turned off by Superman holding the remote. He then turned to Wonder Woman, who today was not considered an active member of the Justice League; instead, she was to be on trial.

"The actions you took were reckless, Diana. Because of you, tens of lives were lost, and the property damage is excessive. As heroes, we understand that such things are inevitable; we aren't always in control, especially against powerful foes like Ares. But you fought alone, something that isn't necessary. Isn't this why we created the Justice League? To band together against enemies that are too formidable to face alone?" spoke Superman.

In the trial, the judges were Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Captain Atom, Flash, Martian Manhunter, and Black Canary. The trial took place at the Watchtower.

Diana looked directly at Superman and said, "Then why didn't you help? The League started investigating Buchanan International way before Cassie or Raiden did so, yet we all stood by and allowed their actions to happen."

Superman responded, saying, "We had no evidence of such wrongdoing; it was all merely speculation."

"So what? We have multiple heroes here that specialize in espionage and infiltration. Why were they not deployed?" asked Diana.

Captain Atom spoke up in response, "That would be an infringement on people's rights. We can't just investigate the lives of people on mere speculation!"

"We are not the police! We are not a governmental association either. The Justice League is here to save humans from villains and protect the world. If ignoring privacy rights will achieve that, so be it," spoke Batman in response, clearly annoyed by this trial.

"A little child was cursed, a war was raging. I'm an Amazonian warrior; I will fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. And if it means interfering in an ensconced, outdated system to help just one woman, man, or child, I'm willing to accept the consequences," said Diana. Not wanting to speak any longer, she wholeheartedly believed that her actions were the right thing to do.

"What about Raiden? Why did you allow a new recruit and a teenager in a battle such as that?" asked Aquaman.

"Raiden is no child; he is a warrior. If you haven't been paying attention to the team, due to him, they have done some incredible things even we couldn't do. As for why I allowed him to come with, well, I had no choice. Raiden was prepared to fight me; I wasn't confident in my ability to take him down. I knew that fighting him then and there would result in both of us being exhausted and ambushed by Ares, so I made the only choice that felt right at the time," replied Diana.

"You expect us to believe a teenager was such a threat to you, Wonder Woman?" mocked Captain Atom.

"No, she speaks the truth. Raiden is different from the others in the team; his powers are special. Under the right conditions, he could even rival Superman," the one to reply was Batman.

"Is that so? I'm excited to see this Raiden," spoke Captain Atom.

"Now, for the voting. Those who believe Diana should be expelled, please raise your hands," said Superman, awaiting his colleagues' votes. As expected, no one raised their hands. Diana may have acted without the League's permission, but the war god Ares was defeated, and no one believed she should be expelled.

…

"I can't believe you're being put on trial... For suspension nonetheless. We didn't even get a single chance for a mission together," remarked Raven as she sat with Raiden, who awaited his trial.

"Does that mean you want to spend time with me?" asked Raiden.

"I just wanted to see more of your silly transformations... but I wouldn't mind spending more time with you," replied Raven.

"Is that so? Are you not getting along with the others?" inquired Raiden.

"No, it's been fine. They have all been very nice to me. But with you, the feeling is good. Someone who understands the burden of power, perhaps?" said Raven.

"Was that a confession? I've never had a girl confess to me," Raiden smiled as he joked.

"Not in a million years! But I will accept your offer."

"Offer? Which offer?"

"The date you wanted a few days ago," spoke Raven as she left Raiden to go talk with the others.

"Well, looks like i might have a chance after all."

Raiden turned his head to the right to see Diana walk out. He then looked to the left to see Kaldur. "You got this, Raiden. Wonder Woman wasn't found guilty of anything; you can just do what she did."

Robin walked in front and said, "Batman is against these trials anyway; he'll back you in there."

"Aight, thanks. I'll try to be cool in there."

…

"Raiden, welcome. Please relax; we'll just ask you some basic questions, and you shall answer them. Then, we'll do the ruling," spoke Superman.

Raiden stood opposite the league judges as he awaited his questions.

"Now, we know of your involvement in the battle a few days ago against the God of War, Ares. We understand the gravity of the situation, and we know that if not for you, many more could have died," said Superman.

"However, it was also you who instigated this battle. If you hadn't decided to take matters into your own hands, we could have saved more lives by cornering Ares in a battle without any collateral damage."

Captain Atom scanned Raiden up and down, feeling a bit disappointed. He said, "Because of your actions, a hundred and twenty-three people died—American citizens. How do you plead?"

Raiden tilted his head at Atom's words and then said, "I did the right thing, something you all were too afraid to do."

"Afraid? Our insistence on the laws of our nation isn't fear; it's respect. We respect the citizens that make this great nation and follow its orders," spoke Captain Atom.

"The Justice League doesn't fall under any government, Atom. Watch your words. We do not follow the orders of the United States of America," spoke Batman against Captain Atom's words.

"Regardless, the battle happened on American soil. As such, it is American laws that need to be discussed here, specifically the right of privacy and fair investigation," said Captain Atom.

"Am I speaking to heroes or what? Captain Atom, what are you anyway? A hero or a soldier? I do not care for your country's laws, nor do I care for their right of privacy. A little child was hurt, cursed by a god of war. Two nations were ripped apart by that organization and that god. Instead of being tried here, you should follow my example. Sticking by the laws of the masses leads to failure," replied Raiden, clearly unsatisfied by the rules and laws imposed on him and the League.

"We are the Justice League! If we do not uphold our first name, Justice, then we wouldn't be a band of heroes; we would be tyrants," spoke Aquaman.

"Tyrants? I like the sound of that! You should be tyrants. How many villains run rampant around the world because they don't fear you? Hell, Lex Luthor is running to be Secretary-General in the United Nations, a known villain, killer, and vile human by each and every single one of you. But you hesitate to do anything to stop him. Villains don't fear you anymore. All you do is arrest them and send them to a jail that they'll stay in for a maximum one-year period before they escape again," replied Raiden, once again criticizing them.

"Then what do you suggest?" asked Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern.

"Kill them. Simple as that," spoke Raiden. Silence descended on the League members as they all gasped in shock at what Raiden had said.

"Raiden…Do you understand the gravity of what you are asking?" said Black Canary, Dinah.

"Boy, you wish to turn the world into a battlefield? If heroes start killing people, we will lose the public support and, most of all, our own values. We are heroes; we do not kill. We give people a chance to reform," said Aquaman.

"Oh yeah? Reform, and how has that worked out?" mocked Raiden.

"Eel O'Brian, also known as Plastic Man, was a criminal with a record and jail time. Now he's an active member of the Justice League, a hero that saved many lives. Just because it doesn't result in a 100% success rate doesn't mean we should discard it," replied Batman.

"Oh please, don't start that with me. Plastic Man was a heist artist. His crimes were against the government and its people, sure, but they didn't result in the deaths and destruction of many homes. I'm not a psycho, nor am I delusional. I'm not here to put a God-King rule or showing. I'm here to simply state that some villains deserve death, regardless of the rules. People like Ra's Al Ghul, Jinx, Joker, Deathstroke—they all deserve an end befitting of their ways, death. Because the longer you let them live, the more people they will kill. In my opinion, you are all responsible for their murders," replied Raiden, dismantling Batman's argument and trying to show that you can easily decide which villains should die or not. Sure, some people can be reformed, but others are beyond saving.

"Is this for the sake of revenge?" asked Dinah.

Raiden turned his head towards Dinah. He then scanned the entire League as they looked at him like a crazy person. Raiden then realized, "You people are truly unbelievable. You can't even realize how your failure to be more effective is leading to more and more villains rampaging throughout the world. And no, Dinah, it's not just for revenge. It's for those people that died. I watched them all, one by one. They were killed without mercy. They begged for their lives, but he didn't care."

"A man, that one day, either I or you will catch and arrest, committed such atrocities. Yet all you will do is place him in a cell and wait for his natural death. What about the people he killed? Huh! What about the woman that looked at my pod and screamed that it was my fault? That it was my fault that she is dead! How can you allow such a creature to exist in our world knowing what you know, all of you! It's because of you!" screamed Raiden in rage. His eyes glowed golden, and his magic surged, and Superman got up and took a battle stance, as did most of the members.

Raiden simply didn't care as his magic surge stopped flowing and his eyes returned to normal, as he said, "So Justice League. What is your ruling?"

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If you wish to read more or simply support me just because ? than check out my patréon at

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