Deadly tests

Despite only being a Justice League applicant, Jonah was still sometimes called to the line of duty. Usually, he was only called if they were short-staffed or needed something specific from him. Today was different. It was an emergency; all hands on deck.

Jonah stepped through a tear in space and walked onto a rooftop in Calgary, Canada. He was given an emergency summons only 15 minutes prior. A demon lord has arisen and demanded the rite of combat with Superman. He must have chosen his combat arena at random since Jonah couldn’t think of any possible reason that the fate of the mortal realm should be decided in Calgary of all places. The city was being evacuated as fast as possible. If civilians couldn’t get away, they were moved to shelters. But that wasn’t why Porter was summoned. He was assigned to a different job. The big hitters fought the demon and his hellspawn while the more utility-based heroes evacuated civilians. Jonah was on the lightning response team led by Hawkgirl.

“Demons in Calgary. If I knew hell was real, I would have gone to church more.” Jonah quipped as he admired the surprisingly nice skyline around him.

“I find my faith to be a great comfort when faced with such difficult truths.” The third member of the squad responded.

The man speaking was wrapped in a green flame and floating off the ground. He had an old-fashioned look and bore an uncanny resemblance to the green lanterns, the space cops with the rings. Most noticeable, however, was his apparent age. He looked like he was in his seventies or eighties—fit but still old as hell.

“It may be too late for me in that regard, sir.” Jonah replied, “I’m Porter, by the way. I’m new.”

“Green Lantern.” They shook hands. “I’m not.”

Jonah chuckled. “New and old, they must really be **** for heroes today.”

“Don’t discount yourself, young man, or me for that matter.” Green Lantern’s face shifted from jovial to severe “But I fear you may be right.”

During the whole conversation, Hawkgirl didn’t utter a word or even risk a glance behind her. She was intensely watching the scene below for any movement or action. She crouched on the tall building's ledge. Her body was rigid like a gargoyle; the only movement was that of her eyes and the dry prairie winds rustling her feathers.

“Green Lantern. I need you on the opposite rooftop to cover a wider ground.” Hawkgirl commanded sharply.

“Of course.” The old hero nodded and flew off in a trail of green fire.

“I’m surprised you didn’t send me to a faraway rooftop.” Jonah said once Green Lantern was out of earshot.

“I need you here in case anything happens. Plus, I can trust Green Lantern. He’s an old friend.” Hawkgirl head didn’t move as she spoke, but Jonah could sense a drop of warmth in her voice.

“I meant that we haven’t spoken to each other since our last mission.” Jonah moved closer to Hawkgirl’s perching ledge. “I figured you wanted space. But you seem like somebody who respects honesty.”

Hawkgirl didn’t respond.

“Look. Kendra.” Jonah said at her profile, her helmet covering the top half of her face. “I’m sorry if I **** you to do anything you weren’t comfortable with. But I need you to know everything I said that night was true.”

Hawkgirl’s head turned slightly. “You don’t need to apologize. It was all my fault.”

“Do you regret it?” Jonah said with measured words. He was pained to admit it, but he liked Kendra. He was afraid of the feelings. He barely knew her. He had been stung in the past by quick feelings and quicker women. But she was different. Far different from the women that he slept with. That he controlled. He didn’t want to control her. It was the opposite. Jonah felt willing to leave his entire heart **** just to see her smile at him. He hated the weakness. The loss of control.

“I-”

An explosion rang out through the wide urban streets. Echoing in the alleys and side streets, a gust of sulfuric air pushed past the rooftop. The battle had begun.

A cataclysmic heat rose and sunk as a sliver of hell escaped onto the mortal realm. Magical torrents lashed and flashed brightly down the street towards the park acting as the battleground between good and evil. Jonah could barely make out the pounding fists of Superman and the Demon lord he was facing. He was glad that he was on this rooftop and not down there. Superman would win; he always won. Besides, he had backup from the most powerful members of the League. The only question was how long the fight was going to last. The longer it dragged on, the more danger the city was in, and there was still a large contingent of civilians trying to escape the carnage.

Another crack rumbled through the city. Out of manholes, from mailboxes, and between doorframes, demonic imps pierced through the veil and entered the city streets. Small but deadly, their grotesque red bodies bound for the first living creatures they saw. In horror, Jonah watched the scene below him. There was something familiar about the way the demons transferred realms. It reminded him of how his teleportation powers work. As if there were more dimensions he could alter other than standard space.

“Shit!” Jonah exclaimed, “We gotta get down there.”

“You’re right. Hold on.” Hawkgirl stuck a finger to her ear. “Looks like evacuation point B is being swarmed. They need reinforcements.”

“Then let's go.” Jonah stepped through a portal and was already there. Hawkgirl followed quickly behind.

“GL evacuation point B.” Hawkgirl barked into her comms.

Evacuation point B was on one of the many bridges spanning the Bow River, which cut north of Calgary. In the crisis, it had become a bottleneck. Families, pedestrians, and cars all trying to get out of the city center simultaneously. Now waves of imps were pushing at their backs, cutting them down where they stood. Only the heroes and the police stationed there could prevent their deaths.

Jonah felt sick to his stomach. This was bad. It was like a warzone. The imps hadn’t gotten to the main crowd of civilians yet, but it was only a matter of time. He wanted to run away, just like before. It would be so easy this time. Surely the other heroes had this covered, right?

“Porter!” Hawkgirl grabbed his shoulders.

“Huh?” Jonah was dazed, overstimulated.

“Get it together, soldier. How big of a portal can you make.”

“I’ve never made one bigger than myself. But I haven’t tried.”

“Now’s your chance. You have to get them out of here.” Hawkgirl commanded before pushing away. She soared over the crowd before bringing her mace down onto a particularly large imp who preceded to explode into a mist of gore.

He had to get them out of here? He didn’t have to do anything. Jonah was his own man. He had the power to decide his fate. Then, a sinking weight filled his stomach. A pang of guilt dragged on his very soul. He had the power to determine all these people’s fates. People he had never met before, people of an earth he wasn’t from.

Jonah decided he would stay. However, it wasn’t a decision at all. He wouldn’t be able to live with anything else. He struggled with justice and the moral aspects of posing as a hero, but this was pretty cut and dry. He wondered if he would have felt so sure about what to do six months ago. The rationalization was clear. He was one man, and this was too many souls to weigh against his own.

Porter moved confidently to the center of the bridge. He calmed his breath and eased his beating heart. Feeling the world around him, he used his powers to peer into the place between. Once ready, Jonah plunged both hands sideways into space. With all his might, he ripped a fold into the air, creating a portal the size of a minivan onto the bridge.

Unlike his other portals, Jonah couldn't leave this one standing. It was too big, too complicated. His hands had to remain firmly placed in the portal, holding the two locations together. A drop of sweat trickled down his neck.

The civilians figured out what was going on quickly. Their panic and fear gained a glimmer of hope as the portal appeared. Without rhyme or order, the crowd pushed into each other and through the portal.

Slowly, the selfish, afraid individuals formed into an imperfect crowd. They worked together thoughtlessly to escape through the portal—it was like a water vortex pouring through a bottle.

The sounds of battle faded from Jonah’s ears. Even the people pushing past him began to be forgotten, so hard was he concentrating on his task. The edges of space crawled on his skin. The weight pushed against his hand, and the strain threatened to rip apart his muscles. Jonah had to surpass his limits to survive.

Jonah felt like his heart would explode as a little voice whispered to him. This little voice was loudest in his worst moments, which took control when he was ****. A voice that he spent months feeding and exorcising in equal measures. This voice whispered that it was time to stop. Time to run away. If he continued like this, he might die. Die, cold and alone like always.

Resisting the pain, the struggle, the doubts, and the imps long enough, Jonah watched as the last civilian passed through his sideways tunnel. The last of his strength gone Jonah let the portal snap close and space realign itself.

Hawkgirl and Green Lantern floated to the ground. They were covered in burning ash and blood. Jonah watched their mouths move but couldn’t determine what was being said.

Jonah collapsed. He was **** before he even hit the ground.

Before Jonah could even open his eyes, he felt pain. All over his body, a deep soreness pounded. He could feel his heart ache with every pump of blood; beside him, a beeping sound corresponded with every ache. He was in a hospital bed high above the atmosphere.

The Justice League Watchtower boasted some of Earth's greatest medical technology. Thanks to individual genius and extraterrestrial insights, the medical care provided to the world's greatest heroes was beyond first-rate.

“Should be waking up right now.” A serious but compassionate voice spoke.

Jonah slowly pried his eyes open and saw what he had heard and felt. A hospital room, bright and pristine. In one corner of the room was the blind healer turned crime fighter Doctor Mid-Nite. He wore a dark cloak and cowl with thick blackout goggles. He was speaking with Superman, whose large body and presence dominated the room.

“Superman?” Jonah said weakly.

“Try to move too much. I’ve administered a painkiller, but it can only do so much.” Doctor Mid-Nite explained to Jonah.

Jonah struggled to lift himself up. Superman approached him gently, like a father might, pulling Jonah up and resting a pillow behind his back.

“Don’t you have better things to do than help little old me?” Jonah gave a weak smile.

“You did good, son.” Superman placed a light touch on his shoulder with his strong hands. “But what you did was dangerous. You would have died if it were not for the speed of care you received.”

“Am I in trouble?”

Usually, Jonah wouldn’t care what an authority figure thought of his actions if he thought they were right. However, he couldn’t help but look up to Superman. Despite his limited time on this earth, he respected the man greatly.

“No,” Superman stated. Yet Jonah didn’t believe him. There was a mix of praise and disappointment in his voice. Or was it fear? But why would Superman fear his ****? He didn’t even know him.

“I couldn’t let people die while I still stood.” Jonah shrugged.

“Many people believe that, but few are brave enough to pull it off.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Know that you’ve impressed me and many league members today.” Superman continued, “You’ve already had many visitors, you know. Not just me.”

“Yeah?”

“Starfire, Black Canary, Wonder Girl, Hawkgirl, Robin, and Nightwing.” Superman listed, “Seems like you are integrating quickly.”

“Good to know that I’ve made friends. That you lot are keeping an eye on me.”

“Not too closely, but we cover each other’s backs when it matters. It’s what we do here. The League was created partly to act as a support system for the international hero community.”

There was a knock on the plain metal door. Superman reached over and opened it. On the other side was Hawkgirl. When she saw the three men, she stammered.

“I heard you were awake.”

“Word travels fast.” Jonah remarked.

Superman studied the two knowingly. Nodding towards Doctor Mid-Nite, the two veteran heroes left the hospital room, leaving Hawkgirl and Jonah alone.

“Rest up, Porter.” Superman said as he closed the door behind him.

“Can you believe it? The guy just fought a demon lord, yet he still has time to visit me.” Jonah said once he and Hawkgirl were alone.

“Superman is the best of us. He thinks the entire earth is his responsibility to protect. Us included.” Hawkgirl approached the bedside.

“That’s comforting.”

Hawkgirl was still in her costume. Infernal blood and ash still covered her clothes, but her skin was clean. Her ornate helmet still blocked her eyes, but she had an expressive mouth so Jonah could tell what she was thinking. The way she pursed her lips when she saw him lying in the hospital bed. He must have looked pretty weak from her perspective, lying with bandages and tubes.

Hawkgirl lightly bonked him on the head with her fist. “You almost died.”

“I was just following orders, boss.” Jonah teased.

“I told you not to call me that.” Hawkgirl said with gritted teeth.

Jonah saw through her expression, “It's not your fault, Kendra. I choose to save those people all on my own. I should have trained harder.”

“Training can come later. For now, you need to rest and heal.” Hawkgirl moved to leave the room.

“What, and miss the victory celebration? What about my reward for a job well down.”

Hawkgirl let out a smile and moved to leave the room. “No victory celebration. And perhaps I can find a small reward for you. Other than the knowledge that you saved lives today.”

“How about a date? A proper one.”

“Persistent, aren’t you?” Hawkgirl was looking away from him. She turned her head towards him slightly. “I’ll think about it.”