Amazement didn't quite cover Mineko's reaction to the future. It felt like someone had taken her spark of wonder and poured on an entire barrel of kerosene. Words could not adequately reflect what she felt inside; like every neuron in her brain was trying to fire in both directions at once - never truly registering what she was seeing.
There wasn't much time for her to adapt to her new surroundings, which only added to her inner turmoil. Soon after arriving in the future Barry had convinced her to follow him to the Hall of Justice. This building was even more bewildering than Barry's apartment, and that was no small accomplishment. Almost every corner held a foreign machine, and the structure itself was the largest she had ever entered.
This entrance hall was adorned with colossal statues of strangely clothed men and women, known to Barry as the founding members of the Justice League, which of course included himself. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman were at the centre of this formation, flanked by Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Barry as the Flash. Mineko's perception of Barry seemed to fall apart as she saw the statue built in his likeness. A statue that grand wasn't just given to everybody.
"What is this place? A temple? A place of worship?"
Barry rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "What? No... Well...maybe it might be similar. The...'ruling party' of this city had it built as a tribute to my team. The real kicker is over here."
Barry led Mineko over to a gigantic bulkhead, which had a touch screen panel on its side. Barry took this opportunity to flaunt his time's technology. "Have a look at this. This door recognises voices, and only opens to members of my team." He tapped the input screen and said clearly "The Flash."
After a single second of buffering, the door hissed, causing Mineko to cautiously take a step back. "Authorisation confirmed."
The reinforced steel door parted, and revealed a strange circular floor panel that glowed with white light.
"Okay, I know everything's been moving really fast, no pun intended, but I need to tell you where we're going. It might be... hard to understand."
Mineko huffed in amusement. "I'm no fool, Ser Barry."
"My team's base is in space. It's outside of our world. Not on Earth." Barry wasn't surprised when it appeared that Mineko didn't entirely grasp the idea of something being able to exist like that. "Why did I bother? Just step on the circle." Barry sighed.
Surprisingly, Mineko obliged without question. Either she trusted Barry more than she let on, or she had resigned herself to accepting anything that he said because she knew nothing of the future. At the moment it didn't matter what her reasons were as long as she cooperated.
The Watchtower was no doubt even harder for her to comprehend, but this time she didn't let it show. It was becoming obvious that Mineko had decided to just ignore the changes that future presented her until she caught her target. It would be too distracting if she was constantly anxious about the advancements in society. Still, Barry could tell that she was constantly being thrown off guard.
Barry strode to the centre of the massive room they stood in, and fiddled with one of the strange machines there. "Not everyone's available right now...but those that are will be on their way."
Mineko was confused at how Barry could've attained that information by playing with a toy. Soon enough, a blue blur came soaring through the darkness in the window, another thing that Mineko had simply accepted that she could not understand. Seconds followed, and a peculiar man came hurrying through one of nearby doors.
He was an incredibly large fellow...larger than Barry, who was far more muscular than any man Mineko had met. The man had a head of tidy black hair, a piercing gaze and a smile that made Mineko very weak at the knees. On his chest was a symbol that Mineko identified as the letter S in English.
"Sorry Flash, I was taking care of some asteroids; applying some course corrections. Am I late?" He apologised sincerely.
Barry shook his head with a sigh "Nah, you're early. As usual. Despite having to redirect tonnes of space rock with your hands."
The man shook his head modestly, then sent his attention to the woman that accompanied Barry. "Hi. I'm Superman."
"Superman...?" Mineko muttered.
"From what I understand, you aren't from around here, so to speak."
"I now understand where Ser Barry got his gift for understatement..." Mineko replied, though it wasn't clear whether she was joking or not. "You people of the future have strange names... 'Barry' and 'Superman'."
It quickly became obvious that Mineko had never considered the concept of code names, but as Barry face palmed himself at least several times in high speed, Superman chuckled at her comment. "Well, just to simplify things, you can call me Kal."
"I admit 'Ser Kal' is preferable over 'Ser Superman'..." The woman sighed.
"Look, you can just drop the 'Ser' altogether... you're not in the past anymore." Barry huffed. "It's just weird."
"Well, I think it's rather charming." Superman beamed at the woman and Barry glared at him in a way that said 'Do not encourage this.' "Now that you know our 'strange' names, I think it's only fair that I know yours."
"Mineko." She stated simply.
"Hang on a second..." Barry paused. "How did you know she's not from here?"
Superman chuckled, it was low and rumbled in his chest. "It doesn't take a genius to figure that out." He replied, gesturing towards the woman.
She wore an old, plain robe. It's beige surface was stained in dirt and mud from battles long past, there was even a patch of red on the right hip from a previous stab wound. On her feet were Geta, a type of saddle that had two planks of short wood on the bottom. It looked like a balancing act more than actual footwear... Lastly, her long hair was tied up with an ancient looking clip, but two strands were forced out on either side.
Barry had looked out of place and alien in the past, but Mineko just looked completely outdated.
"And Fate might have informed us as well." Superman added. Both of them suddenly wore nervous expressions, Barry's turning into outright panic. "Don't worry, I think you're safe... for now."
Before too long, Mineko was overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of a duo of other oddly dressed people. One of them wore a black cowl that shielded the top half of his face, with the image of a black bat on his torso. The other was a...green man with blue robes and red eyes. Mineko was startled by his strange appearance...
"She shouldn't be here." Batman growled.
Barry rolled his eyes and Mineko narrowed hers.
"You should know by now how dangerous--"
The Martian Manhunter raised a hand to Batman and spoke sternly yet softly "That is inappropriate. Calm yourself. She has been through enough hardship."
Mineko was quite frankly confused at how and why the green man defended her so quickly.
Barry stepped forward. "I second that. Besides, Fate would've told you guys what happened. This... clan leader single-handedly knocked entire dynasties over. We need someone who knows what we're up against."
"Fate said she'd be of help, Batman. If anyone can tell us whether she's needed, it's him." Superman added.
The cowl-covered man's frown seemed to intensify at their words, apparently that still didn't change his stance on the matter. Nevertheless, he decided not to protest any further... Especially since his opinion was the minority.
"I will leave as soon as we capture this criminal." Mineko said, arms folded and dark eyes still glaring in Batman's direction.
"Well, in that case, what can you tell us about our other visitor?" Superman asked curiously.
"She's the leader of a clan called the Uesugi. Her followers refer to her as 'Yami'."
"Can she do anything?" Barry questioned. "I mean... similar to what you can do."
"Much more." Mineko admitted gravely. "I have been trained both body and mind, but as far as what you call 'powers' go, I can merely slightly control the wind. Leaders of the Uesugi clan all derive from the same bloodline, one with a remarkable influence over the mind."
"Telepathy?" Barry suggested. "Telekenesis? Magic?"
"Perhaps all, maybe none. I never fully understood it. Only the bloodline knows that for certain." Mineko continued. "We are trained to resist their attempts at penetrating our minds but it does make her extremely dangerous to others. She has also trained in ancient and forbidden techniques, ones that allow her to manipulate shadows."
Superman crossed his arms. "She sounds dangerous..."
"On her own she is already quite formidable...but she will have an army by the time we find her. Her influence on the minds of others will ensure that she has agents in major seats of power."
Manhunter scowled. "It would seem with recent advancements, her goal may be much more achievable. We can travel from one country to another in a matter of hours, it would be much too easy for her influence to spread."
"And that's if she doesn't grab hold of Justice League or S.T.A.R Labs technology." Barry added. "Then it would only be minutes."
"Well, I for one have heard enough to convince me that she's a threat." Superman finally spoke again. "We should start search parties and spread the word immediately, keep an eye out wherever you can."
"Agreed." Manhunter said. "I believe that is all the information we require for now. However, if Mineko has any questions about our time we should answer them before we leave."
"I'm sure she's f-" Barry started, but was quickly interrupted by the samurai.
"What is this 'outer space' Ser Barry mentioned?" She asked, trying with immense difficulty to conceal her growing curiosity.
Barry, always keen to explain science to his to newcomers instantly remarked "It's the empty space beyond our planet."
"I don't think that helped at all." Superman chuckled.
"Why don't you try it then, farm boy? I'm sure you've had to explain that the world isn't flat to your high school friends."
Superman shrugged. "I guess...it's just the next thing above the sky."
Mineko rubbed her chin. "...So it is the heavens?"
"Uh...not exactly." Superman muttered.
Martian Manhunter then promptly chimed in "From what I understand, many modes of belief from your time period insisted on the existence of other realms; with our Earth being one of them."
"Yes, this is true."
"Think of this blackness as the space between realms. And the stars," Manhunter gestured out the nearby window "are the suns of other realms."
Mineko nodded enthusiastically. "Shocking, someone who explains things in a way that makes sense."
Superman smiled, seeming genuinely glad that someone could make her feel at least a bit more comfortable here.
"Great, now I don't understand..." Barry said half-jokingly, though he truly couldn't comprehend how that made sense at all to her.
By the time Superman and Martian decided to take their leave, Batman had already gone. Presumably he had returned to his bat cave after receiving Mineko's information. Superman had commented on how rude it was that he left without informing anyone, but he was so use to it that his complaint sounded half-hearted.
"I guess you can bunk with me for the time being." Barry said as they beamed back down to the Hall of Justice. "You shouldn't be staying for long anyway."
"I am humbled by your offer, Ser Barry, but we must conduct our search immediately."
"Hey...you need some rest first, alright?"
Mineko rubbed her brow slowly. "Unacceptable."
"You took me in when I was in over my head, so the honourable thing to do would be to let me return the favour." Barry argued smugly and confidently, knowing that it would push the right buttons.
"You were made my responsible, it was an order."
"Yeah... Well, this is an order as well." He replied, watching the woman's face contort into uncertainty. "My time, my rules."
It looked like she wanted to argue, but quickly decided against it. Having an escort for this strange era would definitely make things easier. If he didn't take her in, she was likely to find trouble somewhere; either by being unaware of the laws or simply getting lost.
"Very well..." She finally agreed with a discreet exhale. "You have my gratitude."
Barry noticed a rather awkward delivery boy standing at the doors into the Hall. The boy waved, star struck, at the Flash, who seemed to teleport from his place with Mineko and appeared in front of the pizza boy.
"Hey Gary, thanks a bunch!" Barry said gratefully as he seized the two flat boxes that the young man held. Despite the fact that he made many deliveries to The Flash before, he was still as speechless as he was on the first day.
Barry paced slowly back towards Mineko, flipping one of the boxes open, lifting a slice of fresh pizza out of it and instantly scoffing it down like an animal.
"You are disgusting."
Barry, who couldn't possibly consider being upset whilst eating pizza, shrugged his broad shoulders and spoke with a full mouth "You're just saying that because you've never tried it."
He pushed the box in front of her, the small wafting down Mineko's nose and making her gag. "I refuse to partake in your revolting habits."
"Dude, it's just pizza."
"It looks like an entire tub of grease was poured over it." Mineko said, crossing her arms in disapproval. "It is unhealthy, it will clog your heart."
Barry, still chewing, directed towards his chest with a hand that was still grasping a slice. "I have a good heart, it'll be fine."
"If you continue eating it, that will change."
"Come on, you need to try and embrace this era." Barry tried to convince her. "If you're going to be living here, you need to get use to the customs."
Mineko turned her nose up at the meal, but she couldn't exactly disagree with him. As if she was about to pick up the rotting corpse of a small animal, Mineko cringed as she slowly plucked a slice of oily, cheese-covered bread from the box.
"That's the spirit." Barry encouraged, stuffing his own mouth with the stuff.
Mineko's heartbeat climbed and her fingers trembled as they piloted the revolting item of food towards her mouth. Then, she took one small and hesitant bite off the end... freezing as soon as the taste touched her tongue.
Barry blinked at her curiously but didn't cease eating for long enough to ask if she was alright, or even if she liked it. Thankfully, he didn't have to.
After exactly two seconds the woman hurried outside to spit the pizza out onto the grass. Barry felt as if he'd witnessed some sort of crime... it had to be illegal to waste pizza like that.
"You... hate it that much?" He asked in a mixture of surprise and sorrow as he mourned that single bite that had been so sorely mistreated.
"It is delicious..." She went silent for a moment before continuing "I despise it."
"Wait what? That doesn't make any sense!"
"It is a poison to the body, disguised by its taste." She said with a stern expression. "I can already feel it's addictive qualities tainting my mind."
"Ahh... Okay?" Barry shook his head. "You really are too strict, you know that?"
"I must keep my body in the best shape possible to continue fighting. It is not acceptable to eat such junk."
Barry rolled his eyes at her. "Well, your loss. That just leaves more for me."
He chucked one of the boxes in a nearby bin, having already finished the entire thing, then opened the second one and started eating again. He had to be grateful for that abnormally fast metabolism of his...
Whilst Mineko stared at him in absolute disbelief that he could eat so much, he continued back down the pathway and waved his hand for her to follow. She did so, but with judgemental eyes as he chowed down on the deliciously unhealthy meal... Perhaps she was even a little jealous. She had never tasted anything so sinfully good before, but her training forbade it.
Already, the best and worst that the future had to offer was in that box, and whilst Barry continued finishing his second helping of the stuff, Mineko was left to wonder why anyone would want to make something so unhealthy taste that incredible... The future truly was a dark place.
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