JUSTICE LEAGUE:
Hot Streak
Scene 1:
Gotham City, A Warehouse by the docks around Midnight. A security guard wearing a Wayne Enterprises name tag is patrolling just outside the complex. He pulls out a walkie talkie.
Guard:
All clear on the outside, Mike. I’ll be right in and you can go buy us some smokes
Static. The guard waits.
Hey, Mikey, can you hear me?
Suddenly a massive column of fire explodes out of the roof of the complex.
What the devil?!
The guard pulls out a cell phone, but suddenly blasts of fire erupt from every opening in the building, one coming from the doorway and engulfing the guard who falls to the ground screaming in agony. Three silhouetted figures appear at the doorway, an inferno raging behind them. They step outward to reveal themselves to be Firefly, Volcana, and Pyro.
Volcana:
We should hit the other storage rooms and get the hell out of here.
Firefly:
Hold on a second, babe…
Close up on his big reflective bug eyes which show the guard’s body being consumed by flame.
…I like to watch.
Volcana:
You’re sick, Lynns.
Firefly:
You’re a waste of a pyrokinetic. If I could do what you can do--
A Batarang hits Firefly in the head, he turns and is kicked back into the building by a dark caped figure who has swung in on a grapple.
Bat--
Batgirl steps into the light of the fire.
--girl? This’ll be easier than I thought. Volcana, Pyro, fry her.
Volcana and Pyro charge up fireballs but are both kicked from behind onto their faces by Nightwing and Robin.
Don’t I warrant your boss’ attention anymore? Or is he here too?
Robin:
Wouldn’t you like to know bug-breath?
Nightwing goes to bat-cuff Pyro but a flame monster swipes at him from behind. Nightwing dodges the monster and throws several CO2 bombs at it. The monster is mostly snuffed out but a few trace flames remain and grow back into the monster. Volcana gets back up and starts firing blasts of flame at Robin and Batgirl who each narrowly dodge them.
Firefly:
I think even you brats will agree that you’re in over your heads here. My new associates can burn down a building just by thinking about it.
Robin races up a stairwell chased by a wall of flame. He ducks into a side office and avoids the blast. Nightwing and Batgirl throw the remainder of their CO2 capsules directly at Volcana and Pyro. The two of them gag on the concentrated CO2 gas and their flame constructs vanish. Batgirl kicks Volcana in the jaw sending her into the wall and knocking her unconscious. Nightwing runs in to sucker punch Pyro.
No!
Firefly rockets into Nightwing and bashes him into the wall. Batgirl races towards them, but Firefly pulls out his fire sword and begins to swipe at her. She narrowly dodges each slash of flame. Firefly backs her up into a patch of flame and her cape catches fire. She falls to the ground and rolls to put out the fire. Firefly prepares to stab her with his sword.
Pyro:
Firefly!
He point to the outside where squad cars and fire engines have lined up.
We gotta get outta this place before we’re seen!
Firefly:
Bat-Brood always spoiling my fun… Grab the broad then finish the job.
Cuts to outside where the inferno explodes with a renewed fury. Parts of the building begin to collapse. Cuts back to the inside. Batgirl is coughing and gagging on the smoke as she gets up. Nightwing offers her his hand.
Nightwing:
We have to get out of here, the place is collapsing!
Batgirl:
Robin’s still upstairs.
Nightwing:
We’ll never get at him from here, we’ll have to try from the outside.
Nightwing throws a Bat-Bomb at the wall and clears them a way out. As they exit, the room they were in explodes and they’re launched into the water. They climb up onto a nearby dock as the upstairs of the complex explodes violently into flame.
Nightwing:
No!
Nearby the GCFD is desperately trying to put out the flame.
Firefighter 1:
This inferno’s got a life of it’s own! It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen!
As they spray the fire with their hoses the fire spreads back too fast for the water to have any effect. Nightwing and Batgirl watch and wait.
Batgirl:
C’mon, Tim…
Another section of the building explodes again and the roof collapses in the section where Robin would have been. Batgirl looks away and buries her face in Nightwing’s chest. Nightwing looks despondent. He glances back up and a look of surprise crosses his face.
Nightwing:
What?!
Batgirl looks up as well. The fire is smothered across the building and dissipates altogether, then a coat of ice slowly forms over the frame of half collapsed building. The Gotham Officials are spellbound by the spectacle. A large Ice Dome forms on the top of the frozen rubble and explodes revealing Iceman holding Robin’s half conscious body. He Slides over to the two vigilantes and hands Robin to Nightwing.
Iceman:
Lose something?
Robin is coughing but okay. Batgirl takes an oxygen mask out of her belt and begins to help Tim.
Scene 2: A rooftop in Gotham.
Iceman:
So you guys are Batman’s junior fan club or something, right?
Nightwing:
Not quite. What are you doing in Gotham, Iceman?
Iceman:
Just keeping an eye on things. That’s what us Justice League folk usually do. You guys run into those firebugs often?
Batgirl:
The leader is Garfield Lynns, goes by the “professional” name Firefly. He’s an arsonist for hire, but he only takes money to fund his own sick pyromaniacal urges. The woman is Volcana, a Pyrokinetic from Metropolis. The Aussie’s new to us.
Iceman:
His name is Pyro, he usually runs with the Brotherhood of Mutants. Any idea what they were up to?
Nightwing:
There’ve been a series of mysterious fires over the past few weeks, none of them could be confirmed as arsons. All of them were at Wayne Tech storage facilities. We were staking out that complex in hopes to find the culprit.
Robin:
I’d say we found them.
Iceman:
This Firefly got a major load of cash?
Robin:
Well he’s not exactly Lex Luthor.
Iceman:
It wouldn’t make sense for a bigot like Pyro to run with low-genes unless there was some major pay in it for him.
Nightwing:
“Low-genes”?
Batgirl:
You think someone else is fitting the bill?
Nightwing:
Corporate sabotage. But who?
Iceman:
Well the aforementioned Luthor is in jail. Who else would be interested in moving in on Gotham.
Batgirl:
Good Question. The best way to answer it is to beat it out of one of his heat-happy henchmen. Where’s the next likely place to be hit?
Nightwing:
Wayne Enterprise’s uptown storage depots. Let’s go.
Iceman:
“Let’s go?” You mean you’re not going to say something like,
Grows Ice-spike Bat Ears and does a Batman impression:
“Stop getting in our way, and get out of our city!”
Robin:
Are you kidding? We’re fighting three people who control fire, and you make ice out of nothing! We’d be stupid if we told you to hit the road.
Close up on Iceman as he scratches his head introspectively.
Iceman:
Wow, you guys are nothing like the Bat!
He looks up and it pans out to show that the three Bat-Folk are gone, he turns away and sees them swinging off in the distance.
Okay, so nothing was an overstatement.
Takes off after them on an ice slide.
Scene 3: Rooftop near another string of Wayne Enterprises warehouses. Robin and Iceman are staking out.
Robin:
Hey, before I forget. Thanks for the save back there.
Iceman:
Don’t mention it, kid.
Robin:
See anything?
Iceman:
Still no unusual activity in there. The same guards, just doing rounds.
Robin:
So do you have like X-Ray vision or something?
Iceman:
Sort of.
Shifts to Iceman’s thermal perspective of the warehouse as he explains.
But it’s really more like… seeing things in terms of how cold they are. Thermal vision really.
Robin:
So like an infrared scope or something?
Iceman:
You could say that.
Robin:
Man it must be awesome to have powers and stuff! I’ll bet it makes life a lot easier.
Iceman:
I wish.
Robin:
I guess it would kinda suck to be made out of ice, huh?
Awkward pause.
Iceman:
You’re a lord of tact, short stuff.
Robin:
Sorry.
Iceman:
Actually though It’s not quite that bad. I can go back to being regular old Bobby Drake whenever I want.
Reverts to human form to demonstrate.
Some mutants aren’t so lucky.
Robin:
Drake, huh? Where are you from anyway?
Nightwing:
Over Intercom:
<The Batmobile’s scanner just picked up a silent alarm at the Ace Chemical Plant 15 minutes away. Batgirl and I are going to check it out, you two stay here.>
Cuts to Nightwing and Batgirl on the other side of the warehouses getting into the Batmobile and driving off.
Scene 4: Ace Chemicals. The building is full of smoke from several well placed smoke bombs. Several guards are passed out and Firefly is loading a very large truck full of gigantic canisters of chemicals. He closes up the truck and peels out of the building. As he races down the expressway he sees the Batmobile approaching in his side view mirror.
Firefly:
Terrific.
Cuts to the inside of the Batmobile. Batgirl is at the wheel.
Nightwing:
Unbuckling his seat belt:
Keep tailing him, but don’t get too close. I’m going to try and stop this before it gets nasty.
Batgirl:
Careful. You know that trailer is bound to be chock full of something highly flammable.
Nightwing:
I’ll be gentle.
He grabs handles on the roof of the car then is ejected hanging onto a glider/jet pack that launches him onto the top of the truck. He finds his footing then makes his way towards the front.
Cuts To the drivers seat of the truck. Nightwing punches through the driver’s side window and swing kicks himself through knocking Firefly into the passenger’s seat. He quickly grabs Lynns and Batcuffs him, then grabs the wheel before it veers into the next lane. He gives Batgirl a thumbs up from the side view mirror. Secretly, Firefly uses a small lighter device in his glove’s fingertip to start melting the cuffs.
Cuts back to the Warehouses. Iceman sees a hotspot inside.
Iceman:
It’s show time.
Robin Pulls out a grapple and swings down as Iceman slides downward.
Cuts to the inside where Pyro and Volcana have already began to burn the place. A section of the wall freezes and shatters and Iceman comes in blasting both of them in Ice.
Robin:
To Guards:
You guys should probably get out of here for the moment.
They leave. Robin grabs a fire extinguisher and starts putting out some of the blaze. After thoroughly encasing the two villains in ice, Iceman helps Robin finish extinguishing the fire.
Robin:
That solves that.
Pans out to reveal a small fire that the two had missed in the corner. A tiny flame remains on the floor. Close up on Pyro’s eyes behind the Ice. Cuts back to the little flame that grows into a gigantic Flame Construct of a Phoenix.
Iceman:
Get behind me!
Cuts back to Nightwing and Firefly. He breaks free of his cuffs and produces a small bomb from his pocket.
Firefly:
Get out of the truck and tell your friend to drive in the opposite direction, or I’ll blow us all sky high!
Nightwing:
You wouldn’t, Lynns.
Firefly:
Try me.
Cuts back to Iceman and Robin. Iceman has made an Ice shield that is blocking most of the flame emanating from the bird and protects himself and Robin. Pyro and Volcana are now free.
Pyro:
God I hate X-Men!
His Phoenix grows even stronger as Volcana adds her own fire to it.
Volcana:
Sorry, boys, it’s just business really. You shouldn’t have gotten in the way.
Robin:
Iceman, I kinda feel bad that you have to keep saving my life but for God’s sake get us out of here! They’re bound to hit a gas mane sooner or later!
Iceman:
I’m working on it.
Pyro:
Let’s scram, Luv. This place is history.
Volcana:
As they walk away:
So why didn’t you just do that the last time?
Pyro:
Because It’s harder than just slow roasting buildings.
Volcana:
You’re such a loser.
Cuts back to Nightwing.
Nightwing:
You’re not usually one to waste expensive materials.
Firefly:
If you’re thinking I’m bluffing because I have a better use for all these chemicals you’re half right, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t take pleasure in turning a huge chunk of the Interstate into a raging inferno anyway.
Nightwing Opens the door then rolls out of the car and spreads his wing flaps as to glide safely back to the Batmobile. Firefly slides back over to the Driver’s seat not noticing a small tracer that has been left on the underside of the steering wheel.
Cuts back to Iceman who is making a dome around himself and Robin.
Iceman:
Hang on tight, this won’t exactly be comfortable.
The Dome Shoots out through the flame out the window into the street leaving a long ice-tube behind it as the warehouse explodes violently. Iceman lets the dome down, Robin is shivering. Robin’s communicator beeps. He answers it.
Nightwing:
<Robin?>
Robin:
Brrrrrrrrr…
Iceman takes the communicator from him.
Iceman:
Yyyyello?
Nightwing:
<Firefly got away with a truckload of chemicals. Meet us at 32nd and Archer.>
Cuts to Nightwing and Batgirl in Batmobile. Nightwing is looking at his tracking device.
We’re not out of business yet.
Scene 5: An abandoned factory just outside the Gotham business district. Pyro and Volcana are watching as Firefly operates machinery that is mixing chemicals and feeding them into small saucer shaped machines on a conveyer belt.
Volcana:
Are you almost ready? I keep thinking those Pajama wearing nut jobs are going to bust in on us again.
Firefly:
Patience, Babe. My gel requires as precise a mixture as humanly possible.
Pyro:
Well, the two of us hardly need to be here. I think our boss should cut us our checks already, we’ve done more than our bloody part.
Above them the skylight window opens up and a shadowed mass hovers down from the sky. As he speaks he enters into the light and is revealed to be the Green Goblin.
Green Goblin:
There will be no money until after Gotham burns. Have you tested the hover discs, Lynns?
Firefly:
They work fine, even when full. This is going to be the hottest night in history.
Green Goblin:
Splendid. My benefactor will pay you all handsomely.
An ice spike slams into the wall behind the Goblin. Iceman and the three Gotham Knights are standing on a balcony across the room.
Iceman:
Gee Golly, Goblin, you’re going to have to reach pretty deep into that purse of yours to pay for such excellent service!
He Flash Freezes Volcana and Pyro leaving their heads exposed, Nightwing and Robin hurl bolas. One entraps Firefly. The goblin catches the other one and throws it to the ground.
Green Goblin:
You idiots lead them right here!
Nightwing:
I suggest you all start talking.
Iceman:
Don’t bother, Nightwing. His name’s Norman Osborn, head of Osborn Industries. He’s the one who hired the arsonists.
Firefly:
Osborn, eh?
Green Goblin:
Screams angrily and starts hurling pumpkin bombs at the heroes, who scatter. Firefly burns off his restraints with his fire sword.
Wonderful! Now the secret’s out! God you’re annoying! Lynns! Start the disks!
Firefly starts activating the saucer devices he was loading with his flammable mixture. They begin to take off into the air outside.
You see, Iceman. I’m not just cashing in by handicapping the competition. By the time I’m done with Gotham’s business district, the city will be begging for outside industrial aid. And my company will be more than happy to step up shop!
Volcana and Pyro draw flame from the goblin’s bombs to melt the ice that’s holding them.
Volcana:
You might want to stop throwing those bombs, Mr. Osborn.
Green Goblin:
For the love of God! It’s Green Goblin! And why should I…
Batgirl deflects a bomb heading towards her with a batarang and it ends up landing near the leftover chemicals.
…oh right.
The bomb explodes and flames spread throughout the warehouse. Cuts to outside, Iceman and the Bat-People escape through a window. Iceman turns around and freezes the factory in a solid layer of ice.
Iceman:
That should hold them off for a bit.
Batgirl:
He said something about the Business district.
Nightwing:
Drake and I can go check it out. Keep an eye on this.
Iceman and Nightwing take off on an ice slide. The ice wall explodes open and the Goblin flies out after the ice slide. Firefly, Pyro and Volcana come out after them and encircle Robin and Batgirl in fire.
Firefly:
You’re all too late.
Batgirl:
Don’t you morons get it? Osborn didn’t tell you who he is because he wanted to keep his name clean.
Volcana:
That’s understandable.
Robin:
It’s also understandable that he’d want three psychos to take the fall for him.
Pyro:
What?
Batgirl:
If you help us stop him now, we can make sure you receive leniency. Either way you probably weren’t getting paid.
Firefly:
None of you jerks get it, do you?
Volcana and Pyro look over at him puzzled.
This is my pay!
Pulls out a detonator and presses the trigger.
Cuts to one of the discs hovering above the city, it activates.
Cuts back to Nightwing and Iceman. Liquid begins to pour down on them.
Iceman:
Nothing like thwarting an evil scheme in the rain.
Nightwing:
Sniffing the liquid on his arm:
This smells like kerosene!
He looks up and sees dozens of disks moving around spraying everything in sight with Lynn’s fuel.
They’re coating everything in sight! One match stroke and this city is going to burn to the ground!
The Goblin’s laughter is heard behind them. A swarm of razor bats flies by them. Nightwing dodges them, but a few stick into Iceman’s ice-form.
Iceman:
Don’t let him generate so much as a spark! I’m going to try something new!
Nightwing dives at the Goblin with his wing flaps extended, he dodges more of the Goblin’s bats and then tackles him onto a building top. Meanwhile Iceman gets to the highest point in the area and begins to concentrate. His eyes glow and he raises his arms into the air. Steam is spewing from his hands and the rest of his body, but it’s concentrated from his hands going into the air. Ice trails begin to form from his feet and the entire building top beings to coat in ice.
Cuts back to Batgirl and Robin. Pyro is still encircling the them in fire, Volcana is facing Firefly.
Volcana:
I can’t believe I let a maniac like you talk me into this. If anyone’s taking a fall, Garfield, it’s going to be you, and only you!
She heats up his helmet burning his face underneath. Firefly screams out in agony.
Let’s see how you like being watched.
Batgirl:
Stop!
Volcana:
Oh, fine.
She stops heating up the helmet which is now red hot. Lynns struggles to remove it. In silhouette in front of the fire we see him getting it off, skin sticking to it’s super hot surface, he cries out as he does so.
That’s what you get for playing with fire, Lynns.
Firefly is still crying out in agony.
Volcana:
There’s no money here, Allerdyce. Let’s go.
Pyro:
What about them?
Volcana:
What do I care?
He starts to close the circle on them, but is distracted by the sound of sirens.
Pyro:
Ah well, someone should hand good ole Gar over. Enjoy your new complexion, flatscan!
Cuts back to Nightwing and Goblin. The Goblin is swiping at Nightwing with super strength punches. Nightwing narrowly dodges the deadly blows. Suddenly it begins to snow.
Green Goblin:
What?!
He looks over to see Iceman generating an intense Blizzard that is quickly coating everything in a thick layer of Ice and Snow.
Green Goblin:
Oh no you don’t, X-Freak!!!
He hops on his glider and hurtles towards Iceman, who is far too deep in concentration to see him coming. Nightwing fires a grapple that wraps around one of the glider’s wings and is pulled along. He fires a second grapple onto an icy flagpole and grasps both firmly. Nightwing strains as the two grapples run out of slack and tugs the glider out from under the Goblin. The Goblin flies forward and falls just barely catching hold of an icy ledge. The city is nearly completely blanketed in ice and snow by now. Nightwing dives down onto a fire escape and kicks in a frozen window. He dives into the building for cover from the blizzard. Iceman kicks his blizzard into high gear and soon the entire business district is covered, sealing the layer of gel in a thick layer of ice and snow that will wash it away upon melting. Iceman reverts to human form and falls to his knees breathing heavily, exhausted from the display of power.
Green Goblin climbs up the side of the building slipping a bit as he reaches the top and pulls himself onto the roof with the drained Iceman. His armor/costume is coated in snow and icicles. He brushes some snow off of his “purse” and pulls out a bomb.
Green Goblin:
This one’s still good. If nothing else this whole ordeal will rid me of another one of Spider-Man’s “amazing” friends!
He approaches Iceman, but Robin dives onto him from behind and the Goblin slides on the ice over the side of the building screaming as he falls. Robin sleds on his back, grabs the pumpkin bomb and flips off before the Goblin goes over the side. He puts the bomb on a grapple and fires it into the air letting the bomb explode harmlessly in the air.
Iceman:
Panting, gasping for breath.
Looks like… We’re even… kid.
He passes out from exhaustion.
Scene 6: The Batcave. Iceman wakes up in infirmary. He looks around the cave.
Iceman:
Am I where I think I am?
Batgirl:
I guess that depends on where you think you are.
Iceman gets up and takes a good look around the cave, at the various keepsakes from his adventures.
Iceman:
Wow, who would’ve thought Bats was such a sentimentalist…
Staring at the giant coin:
either that or her likes to play giant arcade games.
Nightwing:
That was some stunt you pulled, but it worked.
Iceman:
The what now?
Robin brings up a newscast on the Batcomputer:
Jack Ryder:
<This is Jack Ryder reporting from Gotham’s business district, where we’re apparently experiencing winter in August!>
Iceman:
Oh yeah…
Shows various images of kids playing in the snow in the streets, building snowmen, having snowball fights, etc.
<Experts are baffled over the apparently localized blizzard that occurred at 4:00AM this morning. Cleanup crews are standing by, but the city’s entrepreneurs aren’t concerned. The attraction is drawing in all sorts of Gothamites, who are eager to get out of the heat. Most of the stores have opened their doors by now, and financial experts anticipate the extra business will make up for most of the property damage caused by the storm.>
Nightwing:
We rewired Batman’s Watchtower transport platform to read your bio signature.
Iceman:
I guess that’s my cue to leave.
He walks towards the Justice League teleport platform.
Nightwing:
Just a second, Drake.
Iceman turns around. Nightwing’s hand is extended. Iceman looks shocked. They shake hands.
Thanks for all your help.
Iceman:
Yeah. You guys are definitely not your boss.
Gets on the platform, and gives a wave/salute as he teleports back to the watchtower.
Scene 7: Arkham Asylum. Garfield Lynns sits in his darkness. He is staring at the mirror in his cell, but the camera angle doesn’t allow the viewer a good look at his scarred face. He looks out into the hallway at the security guard who is patrolling the hall. The guard lights up a cigarette. Lynns stares intensely at the flame of the lighter then looks away and bashes the mirror with his fist shattering it into a spider-web pattern.
END