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It was a nice and peaceful afternoon. Hal and Iris were sitting at the kitchen table, Iris waiting for Barry to finish making the salad and Hal to finish pouring drinks.
Hal was halfway through pouring Iris’s drink(some of Barry’s blood flavored with honey and mint tea) when there was a flash of light and Hal suddenly found himself standing in a massive ritual circle engraved into the all-black floor of an equally-black room.
The rest of the Justice League had also been summoned, in the same positions and holding the same objects as they had been before they’d been brought here, though changed into their superhero costumes.
Hal was lucky he’d been standing up, even if he had to scramble to avoid spilling or dropping the cup and bottle he was holding. Green Arrow and Superman had been sitting on chairs before they were summoned, and near-immediately toppled backwards.
Green Arrow managed to keep a grip on the calculator and pencil in his hand.
Superman had been holding a sheaf of utility bills that were now scattered across the floor.
Barry was holding a knife and half of a cucumber(that fell out of his hand since the cutting board had been left behind).
Wonder Woman was sitting cross-legged, an issue of Consumer Digest open on her lap.
Batman was asleep on the floor, his pillow having come with him. He quickly woke up, though.
Aquaman had been in the middle of washing the dishes, a plate dripping with soapy water in his hands.
Martian Manhunter had been on monitor duty and was hovering in mid-air.
“Welcome, contestants, to the Question Show!” a cheery mechanical voice announced. “You are currently being broadcasted live, so please don’t do anything that will get this show taken off the air!”
Hal recognized this show. “Don’t worry, this is basically just a reality show with unwilling contestants. We’ll be fine if we follow the rules.”
“You sure?” Green Arrow asked.
“Yep, I’ve seen their previous broadcasts in a lot of alien bars. Pretty popular too.”
The announcer continued. “The rules are very simple! Each of you will have to answer three questions truthfully! Once you have each answered three questions, you will all be returned to your points of origin! If you lie or refuse to answer, you have to complete a challenge before you can continue! Those who attempt to disrupt or interfere with the broadcast or attack or otherwise interfere with other contestants will be evicted from the station!”
There was a pause as a scoreboard rolled down from the wall, showing each of their portraits next to three empty circles in a row.
“First question! Green Lantern, what is in the bottle you’re holding?”
“Blood flavored with honey and mint tea.” Hal absentmindedly took a sip from the cup in his hand. Huh, it’s actually pretty good, if a little tangy. I see why Iris likes this, even if the magic's mostly dissipated.
One of the circles next to Hal’s portrait filled in with blue with a loud ping. Hal was confronted by six horrified stares from the League accompanied by splutters from Superman and Green Arrow. Batman was completely impassive. Barry was also unfazed, seeing as how he was married to a vampire. ( Not Hal. Hal was a dragon. That didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate vampire cuisine.)
The announcer continued, heedless of the Justice League’s horror and confusion. “Superman, what is the inspiration for your costume’s design?”
“The emblem is my family’s crest and the colors were chosen because they looked good.”
Another ping, and a circle next to Superman’s portrait filled in.
“Flash, why were you holding a vegetable?”
“I was cutting it to make salad.”
On and on the questions continued, some of them normal personal trivia questions and others related to what they were holding or doing when they were summoned.
“AAAAND THE FINAL QUESTION! Flash, what is your maximum speed?”
“The fastest I’ve ever run was about Mach 12.”
“All contestants have answered three questions! They will now be returned to their points of origin in ten seconds!”
Superman scrambled to retrieve what he had dropped before the time limit ran out. After ten seconds had passed, there was another flash of light and Hal found himself back at his kitchen table.
“Care to explain why you were drinking out of my cup on live television?” Iris asked, one eyebrow raised.
“Wait, they were broadcasting to Earth?” Hal said.
“Yes, they were. Now, you’re going to drink the rest of that cup and pour me a new one. No complaining. You put your mouth on it, you drink it.”
“Eh, it’s actually pretty good.” Hal rushed into the kitchen to get another cup for Iris.