A lone figure stalked down the dimly lit hallways of the underground fortress. Hands clasped behind his back, the immortal known as Vandal Savage nodded at passing guards and servants, noting with satisfaction that they all gave him a wide berth. Savage was a firm believer in the power of fear. This place, underneath the Himalayan Mountains, belonged to him. He had used it over the past dozen centuries or so, but this time the very air of the ancient citadel crackled with possibilities. Savage pushed open the large set of double doors to the main meeting room. Inside were three men and one woman, scattered throughout the large space. All eyes turned toward Savage as he entered.
Off to one side, studying the collection of rare books and manuscripts which lined an entire wall, was the master of the black arts, Felix Faust. He was over 5,000 years old himself, ancient by anyone's standards, except those of Vandal Savage. Faust had bartered bits of his soul away to sustain his power, until there was nothing redeemable left in him.
Near the center of the room stood a tall, blond man with the chiseled profile of a superhero. Will McIntyre had been a founding member of the Justice League, taking the name of Triumph. An accident tossed him through the time stream, and wiped him from the memory of everyone on earth. Finding his way back, the magnetic manipulator fought to regain his place among the world's heroes, but failed. Embittered, Triumph eventually turned against his former comrades.
The third man paced the floor, occasionally blinking out sight for a heartbeat or two. Hunter Zolomon was Zoom. Once a friend of The Flash, Zolomon took extreme measures when Wally West refused to go back in time and help him after the one-time police profiler had been crippled by Gorilla Grodd. Attempting to use the Cosmic Treadmill to go back and fix his past, Zolomon was gifted with speed and time powers when the device exploded beneath him.
The only woman in the room sat in a large overstuffed chair. Blond and beautiful, she was once known as Carrie Eden, but now went by the name of Valkrye. Possessing great power, she was once a member of the U.S. government's Suicide Squad. Valkrye forcibly resigned from the organization after killing her teammates and leveling two square blocks of downtown Moscow. Savage suspected Valkrye was a bit mad, which put her in good company with the others gathered here.
"My friends," said Savage, "I hope you have enjoyed my hospitality. The others we are expecting will be here shortly. If there is anything I can do to make you more comfortable, say the word and it shall be done." A few minutes later, a servant entered the room.
"Master," he said addressing Savage, "They have arrived.
"Excellent. Show them in at once." An air of expectation hung in the air as footsteps echoed down the long hall. Out of the shadows strode a man in a flowing purple and white costume. A helmet obscured most of his face, and he carried a large, strange-looking club.
"Hey gang," said Prometheus. "It took forever, but I finally located the final two members of our little cabal." He gestured theatrically behind him. "If I may present the wonderfully versatile Primaid. A stunning woman entered the room. As she walked forward, her form slowly rippled and changed, morphing into the unsettling shape of a White Martian. "Heh. Neat trick. And now, straight from the Ghost Zone, the unstoppable force known as General Wade Eiling." A huge bulk filled the double doorway. The General was born when Eiling transplanted his mind into the body of the indestructible Shaggy Man. It was whispered that not all of his mind had made the trip.
"My dear guests," said Savage, "Let us sit and discuss..." He turned toward a large table, only to be momentarily non-plussed to see Zoom already sitting there, impatiently tapping a finger. Savage regained his smile. "How we can best eliminate the Justice League." The villains all took their places around the table.
"Now this," said Prometheus with a crooked smile, "is what I call a Legion of Doom.
Several weeks later in New York City, Kyle Rayner entered the elevator in his apartment building. In one hand, he held a cup of Radu's Special Blend coffee. Underneath his other arm was an art assignment he intended to finish up and turn in tomorrow. Being Green Lantern was great, but it didn't pay the bills. As the doors began to close, a female voice called out, "Hold the doors, please." Kyle stuck out his foot to keep the elevator open. A statuesque woman carrying two large bags in her arms brushed by him. She flashed a brilliant smile and said, "Thank you.
"No problem," said Rayner. "Which floor?
"Ah, five," replied the mystery woman. The elevator began to rise One of the bags the woman was carrying suddenly slipped, spilling fresh vegetables onto the floor. Both occupants bent down to retrieve the groceries.
"Here, let me help," said Kyle. As the pair stuffed the food back into the sack, their hands touched, sending a tingle of electricity down Kyle's arm. The woman smiled again.
"I'm such a klutz," she said.
"Hey, no, it happens," said Kyle. He picked up the bag, holding it in one arm while holding his portfolio and coffee with the other. The elevator doors opened onto the fifth floor.
"Would you mind helping me to my apartment," asked the woman, holding onto one sack with both arms. "By the way, my name is Carrie. I'd shake hands, but..." She shrugged and smiled once more.
Green Lantern had trouble finding his tongue. "I'm Kyle Rayner," he managed. "I live on the tenth floor. And I, uh, draw things.
"Really? I'd love to see your work sometime.
"Cool." Carrie fumbled a set of keys out of her purse, and let Kyle into her apartment. He followed her into the kitchen. The place was like a thousand other New York dwellings. Clean, tastefully decorated and cozy. Kyle placed his bag next to hers on the small kitchen table. She looked at him with a pair of sky-blue eyes.
"Do you have a minute or two," she asked.
"Sure," he replied," I've got nowhere to be right now.
"Good. Have a seat on the couch. I want to show you something." Kyle flopped down on the sofa as Carrie disappeared into the darkness of another room. His jaw dropped when she emerged moments later. She had been wearing a cream-colored business suit which included a tight, short skirt and flesh tone stockings. Gone were the suit jacket, and the white blouse worn beneath. A stupefied Green Lantern watched as she slowly approached him, her hands going behind her back to remove a half-cup demi bra. Kyle watched the discarded garment fall to the floor. Carrie smiled at him, and his focus dissolved in a storm of conflicting thoughts and emotions. She sat down, straddling him, and took his face in her hands.
"I've had my eye on you for quite some time, Kyle Rayner," she said, slowly starting to grind against him. She leaned forward to kiss him when a strange voice reached his ears.
"I am Zoom," it said. To Kyle, it sounded like someone talking through a small speaker filled with static and white noise. A light breeze wafted against his skin, and he turned his head and saw a mirror image of The Flash. The figure was dressed in a yellow suit with red trim, and it was hard for Kyle to see him, as the man seemed to fade in and out of sight. The one thing he did see with alarming clarity was the green power ring held in Zoom's hand. Kyle glanced down at his own bare fingers when a new voice spoke from the other side of the room.
" Jeez Rayner, were you always this dumb?" Green Lantern's eyes widened as an all-too familiar form shimmered into view.
"You," he exclaimed.
"Me," replied Prometheus. Kyle turned back and tried to will his ring into action.
"Oh no," said Valkrye, "We can't have any of that." She crashed the top of her head down onto the bridge of Kyle's nose. Cartilage crunched, and blood spattered across her face. The sudden blow broke Green Lantern's concentration. Valkrye continued to hold him down while Prometheus walked up behind him. The villain pulled out a syringe filled with a pale red liquid.
"This may sting a bit," he said, then jabbed the needle into the neck of a struggling Kyle Rayner. The potent solution took immediate effect, and Green Lantern drifted off into a deep coma. "Well that was easy," said Prometheus.
"Let's kill him," said Valkrye.
"Tempting," replied Prometheus, "but we need him alive for now." He turned to the man formerly known as Hunter Zolomon. "Zoom, if you could run that pretty piece of galactic jewelry to Vandal, Valkrye and I will escort our friend here to the rendezvous." Zoom nodded, then disappeared in the blink of an eye. Prometheus grabbed Kyle and drug him to the floor. "Come on bone bag, we're not finished with you yet.
"He's really out cold," asked Valkrye, as she buttoned up her top.
"Yeah, a blowjob from Wonder Woman wouldn't wake him up now.
"Good," she said. Valkrye placed a heel on Kyle's hand where the power ring once rested, and ground down until the bones snapped. Prometheus uttered a bark of laughter, clicked his Cosmic Key and transported the three of them away.
Approximately the same time Green Lantern was being disabled, J'onn J'onzz received a distress call. The Denver Museum of Natural History and a traveling exhibit of ancient Egyptian artifacts were under attack by a villain identified as Felix Faust. J'onn abandoned his human John Jones identity and flew toward the museum. What he found when he arrived appalled him. The building was in ruin, and the Denver police had blocked off the entire area. The Manhunter floated down through a large hole in the roof. He found that the museum guards had been turned to stone, frozen like statues. Their faces fixed forever in stark grimaces of agony. J'onn proceeded through the wreckage until he entered the Egyptian exhibition. Inside he found Felix Faust, his back to him, reading an ancient scroll.
"Felix Faust," thundered the Martian Manhunter, "Turn around and prepare to be taken into custody." Faust did turn, but when he did so, he was smiling. This disconcerted J'onn, who reached out with his telepathy to read the wizard's mind. It came as a profound shock to the Manhunter when his probe failed.
"Trying to peak inside my head, hero?," asked Faust, his grin getting even wider. "Too bad your vaunted mental powers have been blocked.
"How did you...," began J'onn. In all previous encounters, Faust had shown no special resistance to Martian psychic abilities.
"Oh, I had help," interrupted Faust, who inclined his head to the right. J'onn whirled around to see an attractive woman walk out of the shadows. It had been so long since he had seen another Martian, he was unsure of what he was facing until the woman's eyes began to glow blood-red. Recognition bludgeoned his thoughts.
"Primaid!
"Hello, J'onzz," replied the White Martian as she shifted to her natural form. "I've been waiting a long time for this.
"This is an unlikely alliance," said J'onn, stalling to buy some time. "It does not matter, you will both be..." The Manhunter's ultimatum was cut short by a lance of incredible white-hot pain tearing through his body. He dropped to the floor, suddenly having trouble keeping his humanoid shape. A man garbed in blue and yellow moved effortlessly through the air, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Hey, J'onn, he said. "Try and pull yourself together, huh." The Manhunter slowly turned his head upward.
"Triumph? Billy Mac?
"Yeah. I just hit you with a tight beam of electro-magnetic force. It will disrupt your molecular functions for a few hours.
"Fry him again," hissed Primaid.
"Good idea," said Triumph. He extended one hand, and J'onn felt ripples of agony race through his pliant flesh before he faded into a blessed void. Triumph encased the puddle of green goo that was once the Martian Manhunter in a force field bubble. Felix Faust began to chant a teleportation spell, and the trio of villains, along with their prisoner, winked out of the museum.
Vandal Savage had, over the many thousands of years of his immortal life, accumulated vast resources in order to further his power schemes. One of the fruits of his ill-labor was a small base in the wastelands of Utah. It was hidden from prying eyes, even those with X-ray vision, by means both mystical and technological. It was here that the Legion of Doom gathered to make their next move.
"The first phase is complete," said Savage, looking around at the assembled Legion. "All that remains is to draw the remainder of the League to us, and destroy them.
"Great. Let's get this party started," said Prometheus.
"Yes, by all means," said Savage. "General, if you will bring along the former Green Lantern, we will close the curtain on the Justice League." He paused for a moment. "Once we reveal ourselves, things will happen very quickly. Be prepared.
Outside of the base, several of Savage's men were setting up a high-tech mobile communication station. Savage and Triumph stood ready with The General following, dragging the limp form of Kyle Rayner. "What happened to his face?," asked Savage.
"Valkrye worked him over some more," replied Triumph. "Said it would look more dramatic on camera. I think the girl has serious issues.
"Indeed," said Savage. "Let us begin." Triumph scanned the heavens until he found the correct comm route to the JLA Watchtower.
"Okay. Got it," he said. "Whoever is on monitor duty is about to get a shock. Begin transmission.
The lone JLA member on duty was Plastic Man. He sat in the monitor womb, making absurd caricatures of the JLA with his hands, when the main screen sprang to life. His jaw literally hit the floor when Savage began to speak, and before the immortal had stopped talking, the JLA emergency summons was already being beamed to the various members. The call was answered within minutes, with Aquaman being the last to arrive, sea water still dripping from his frame. The King of the Seas made his way to the monitor room where the remains of the JLA had gathered.
"Hello, Arthur," said Superman, standing and staring at the screen with his hands on his hips. "I'm glad you could make it.
"What's the emergency?," asked Aquaman. He came to an abrupt halt when Savage's face filled the screen. "Oh. Him.
Batman was seated at the control panel. "We've got big trouble," he said. "Look at this." He hit the fast forward on the recording, stopping at the image of a bloody and bruised Kyle Rayner dangling off the ground in the grip of a huge fist.
"That hand," said Aquaman with a dawning horror in his voice.
"It's The General," said Batman, his tone flat and emotionless as he played with the video controls. "And standing on the other side of Savage is Triumph.
"That's bad," said Aquaman. "What do they want?
"For us to teleport to their location," said Wonder Woman, "Or they will kill Green Lantern in front of the world.
"It's an obvious trap," said Batman.
Wally West had been a scarlet blur as he wore a path around the chamber in his agitation. When he heard the Dark Knight's words, for a moment, he went still. He leaned in toward Batman to heighten the impact of his words. "We are not leaving him down there," said the Fastest Man Alive through gritted teeth. The two heroes spent a long moment staring each other down.
"No, of course not," replied Wonder Woman as she strapped on a set of Amazonian battle armor and sheathed a magical sword. "Kyle is our friend and we will not leave him to the clutches of these madmen.
"Where is J'onn?," asked Aquaman, looking around for the green-skinned Manhunter.
"He hasn't answered the emergency call," said Batman. "Which leads me to believe that Savage has also taken him off the board.
"He's not in Denver," said Flash. "I checked. We need to go. Now. Savage gave us a time limit, and it is almost up." The League members turned toward the transporter tubes when Aquaman felt a hand descend upon his shoulder.
"Arthur, wait a minute," said Superman. "The coordinates we are beaming to are in the middle of a desert.
"Your point, Clark?
"His point," said Batman, "is that Eiling and Triumph are very powerful and Savage is smart and devious. This battle could last long enough for your exposure to the elements to become a liability.
"I will not be resigned to the sidelines," growled Aquaman.
"There are other important roles beside that of direct combat," said the Dark Knight. "With J'onn MIA, we need someone up here to oversee and direct the operation. Your experience and tactical expertise are invaluable. We need you here.
"It's either you or Plastic Man, and frankly, I'd feel much more comfortable with you in the chair," said Superman.
Indecision raced through Aquaman's mind as he weighed the reasoning against his pride. "Fine," he breathed at last, "I'll stay here and direct things. Go bring our friends home." Superman turned and flew toward the transporter, but Batman lingered.
"I want you to contact the reserves," he said. "This whole thing stinks of a setup, and I want the cavalry ready to ride if we need them. Use the heavy hitter list." He paused, then said, "I trust your discretion in making the call." Aquaman nodded, then watched as Batman ran toward the transporter tubes.
Down on the planet, Triumph continued to scan the skies. Using his enhanced vision looking for the arrival of the Justice League, he finally saw the telltale signs. "Incoming energy signatures," he said. "Five of them.
"Bring them on," said The General, throwing Green Lantern's unconscious body to the ground. "It's time for a New World Order.
The Justice League materialized some distance away from the gathered villains. After the slight disorientation from having one's atoms ripped apart, then put back together, the heroes sprang into action.
"Flash, get Green Lantern," said Batman. "He is the first priority. The rest of us will run interference." The Scarlet Speedster left in a plume of dust. Wonder Woman flew overhead, grabbed the Dark Knight's outstretched arm, and followed Superman. A bouncing Plastic Man brought up the rear.
Martian super-senses and the enhanced hyper-senses of Triumph registered Flash's approach. The former member of the Justice League tapped into the Earth's magnetic core, and sent a small localized seismic shockwave rippling toward the fast-approaching scarlet blur. Flash was rapidly building velocity, his Speed Force-fueled nervous system ticking up toward hyper-sonic when the ground beneath him suddenly bucked and twisted. The Fastest Man Alive went sprawling. His accumulated kinetic energy sent him crashing across the desert floor before he could disperse it into the air as crackles of lightning. Flash shook his head, and started to rise to his feet when a distant, thin voice said "Hello, Wally." Flash looked up to see Zoom solidify for an instant in front of him.
The red and blue streak that was the Man of Steel scorched the air in front of Savage, Faust, Triumph and The General. Superman pulled up with other members of the League not far behind. The pupils of his eyes glowed red with gathered heat vision. "Savage, release Green Lantern and stand down for prison transport," he said with all the authority of a heroic icon.
Vandal Savage began to laugh, an uncommon reaction to one of Superman's ultimatums. "Not this time, Kryptonian," said Savage. "General, if you please." Eiling had palmed a massive boulder which he hurled at Superman like a high-speed fastball. Superman swatted it away, shattering the rock with his fist. Concentrated beams of intense heat flashed from his eyes, cutting across The General's thigh, severing the limb from his body. Eiling toppled to the ground with a grunt. Superman kicked up some speed, and rushed the other three villains. He noticed Savage looking smug, making no effort to flee or defend himself. The realization that something could be wrong crossed his mind just before he slammed into an unyielding invisible barrier. Shaking off the momentary shock, Superman began to rain a series of super-strength punches down on the force field. Savage remained unconcerned, but Triumph dropped to one knee under the strain of the attack. Superman rared back for one more blow when he was stopped by Eiling grabbing his leg. The General's own regenerated leg was fine as he swung Superman around and flung him hard into the earth.
The other members of the League had been watching Superman's assault, and when he fell, prepared to continue the fight. Floating in the air, Wonder Woman put a hand on the pommel of her sword when a voice came from behind her.
"Hey, Wonder Bitch." The Amazon warrior turned in time to catch Valkrye's attack across her armored front. The initial blow dented her breastplate. The two fought across the sky with unabated fury.
"Chick fight," yelled Plastic Man, craning his neck as Valkrye and Wonder Woman battled above him. He turned to see Superman blasting The General with another dose of heat vision. The Flash was nowhere to be seen. "Uh, Bats," he said. "This doesn't look like it's going according to plan.
"It's not," replied the Dark Knight. "We should not have rushed blindly into the situation.
"Probably not," came a voice from the empty air to the right of the heroes. Prometheus appeared out of nothing as he deactivated his camouflage cloak.
"Oh, man," said Plastic Man. "This just gets better and better." He began to stretch toward the villain began to form a number of bizarre shapes. Prometheus raised his gauntlet and shot him with a propelled dart. "You shot me," said an incredulous Plastic Man. "What did you think that..." His words were lost as he dissolved into an incohesive puddle.
"Pretty much that," sneered Prometheus. He turned his attention to Batman. "Honestly, how do you put up with him? I dosed your Martian with the same stuff, incidentally. A synthetic sub-molecular paralysis agent of my own design." Power surged as he flicked on his electrified nightstick.
"You don't impress me," said Batman
"Alright, this is the tiebreaker, then?" The two antagonists assumed close combat fighting stances, then Prometheus abruptly pulled back. "You know," he said, "We've already done this dance, let's try something different.
Batman was suddenly assaulted by horrific images of the worst moments of his life. The deaths of his parents, the crippling of Barbara Gordon and the deaths of Sara Essen and Jason Todd at the hands of The Joker, being broken by Bane, finding Vesper Fairchild in a pool of blood. All of these and more played through his mind with a visceral punch.
"I bet it's nasty in there," said Prometheus as he measured the defenseless Caped Crusader with his weapon. "Let me introduce you to my partner in crime." A pale twisted form blinked into existence only a few feet away.
"M-Mar-Martian," gasped Batman.
"Yup," said Prometheus. "I want you to know that we could have killed you at any time. That is how completely vulnerable you are. Justice falls today." He swung his nightstick into Batman's ribcage, forcing the air out of his lungs and driving the Dark Knight to his knees. Grinning from ear to ear, Prometheus raised his humming bludgeon over his head. "I love it when a plan comes together," he said, then chopped down on Batman's lightly armored cowl. The Caped Crusader pitched forward, unconscious by the time he hit the ground.
"He is not dead," said Primaid.
"No, he's not," mused Prometheus. "Only because I'm not finished with him yet. I think I'll start by torturing Robin to death in front of his eyes. We'll go from there." A distant sonic boom to the south grabbed the attention of both villains.
Flash and Zoom had run and fought across the surface of the globe and back again. Wally had to utilize all of his considerable power to keep up with his adversary. The pair moved between the ticks of a second. Zoom had cost Flash the lives of his two unborn children, and nearly his marriage the first time they clashed. He was not about to forget what Hunter was capable of doing. Zoom's very existence strained the natural timeline. Zipping forward in time at different speeds ripped small holes in time. Wally had been able to trap Zoom in one of these "rips", keeping him in a state of suspended animation. Somehow, he had escaped. Skirting the edge of the Speed Force, Flash exerted a tremendous amount of energy to maintain a rate of motion near the speed of light. Absently, he noticed he had begun to sweat. In this space where time nearly stood still, Zoom became a solid entity. He stared hard at the Scarlet Speedster.
"Everything you've ever built, Wally. Everything you've ever had, I'm taking it all." The Flash felt a surge of hot anger surge up his spine. "You can't keep up this pace for long," said Zoom.
"I can maintain it long enough," replied Flash. Without warning, a time tear formed in front of Wally's eyes. He watched with horrified eyes as his uncle Barry Allen, The Flash before him, ran himself to death saving the Universe during a crisis. As that grim scene faded, Wally was forced watch a recent JLA jaunt through time where his legs had been torn from his body. The harsh memories and phantom pain kept Flash from realizing that Zoom had learned to control the time rips he created. In lieu of understanding, Wally watched the single worst moment of his life splay out in front of him. That agonizing, haunting instant when Zoom attacked Linda West, and killed the unborn West twins. For a fraction of a second, bone-numbing despair washed over The Flash, and he dropped his focus. It was all Zoom needed. Wally's speed slowed and yellow-covered jackhammers assaulted him from every side. The blows came so fast, The Flash finally crumpled to the ground at the feet of Zoom. The villain bent down, and dragged him back to the epicenter of the fighting.
Superman had dished out enough punishment to The General to have wrecked any villain short of Doomsday, yet Eiling kept coming.
"Triumph, drop your shield," said Savage. The protective field lowered and Savage glanced over at the wizard. "Mr. Faust, perhaps you could help end this stalemate?
"Indeed, I have just the thing." Faust began to chant as Superman gained some altitude and scorched twin burning trails across an onrushing Primaid. The Martian screeched and fell back clutching a flaming wound. Magical energy flowed around Faust as he drew the power around him. He unleashed the spell toward the Man of Steel, who watched with instant apprehension as a red ball of flame grew large enough to swallow him. The fire engulfed Superman, who fell like a stone to the earth. He struggled to draw himself up, but dropped again, too weak to fight. Faust gloated over the fallen hero. "A little taste of home, alien. Red solar energy to take the super out of the man." Triumph erected an energy shroud over Superman, preventing him from absorbing any power from Earth's yellow sun.
Eiling walked over and placed a massive foot on Superman's neck. "They say you died once," he said. "Let's see if we can make it permanent this time." The General's glee was cut short by Valkrye's inert form crashing down from the sky a few yards away. Eiling's next breath was a gasp of surprise and pain as the tip of a sword emerged from his chest.
Wonder Woman shoved her weapon in deeper, then sliced down, opening a horrendous wound in The General's torso. "That magnificent, scientifically-engineered body of yours has no answer for ancient magic, does it Eiling?", spat the Amazon warrior. The General's only response was a strangled gurgle. Wonder Woman yanked her sword out, spun Eiling around, and unloaded a hard uppercut that broke The General's jaw and sent him spinning into the dust fifty yards away.
Diana stood alone. Helmet knocked away, bleeding from one corner of her mouth, battered and bruised, Wonder Woman faced down the Legion of Doom.
"Well done, Amazon," said Savage as the villains moved to surround the lone heroine. "It's almost a shame to have to kill you.
"I know what trophies I want from this one," said Prometheus with a crackling smile.
"Payback," snarled Primaid.
"Come on then," said Wonder Woman with quiet force, "and I will show you how an Amazon faces doom." Savage waved a finger and Zoom became a blur. Dozens of punches pummeled Diana from every angle, driving her to a knee.
"If you want to surrender," said Savage, "we could be merciful." Wonder Woman shook her head. Savage shrugged and nodded at Zoom again. Even while she was being beaten, Diana timed the pattern of the hits. Picking her spot, she slammed an elbow into Zoom's jaw. Before the stunned time-hopper could recover. she wrapped him in her golden lasso.
"Be still," she commanded.
"Enough of this," said Triumph. He extended his power and with some difficulty ripped the sword from Wonder Woman's grasp. Primaid uttered a war cry and hurtled at Wonder Woman, her "Martian Vision" lashing out, but deflected by a pair of magical bracelets. The Martian's flesh morphed into an obscure battle form and enveloped the battling Amazon. The remaining villains watched the struggle.
"I can see your mind," said Primaid. "I know what..." Wonder Woman's fist tore through Primaid's body and into the open air. The Martian screamed and shrunk back toward her original form. Wonder Woman stood on her feet as Faust passed a hand over his face. Diana's blue eyes went dark as blindness overtook her. Weaponless and unable to see, she was unable to defend herself against the superior numbers of the Legion of Doom. Eventually, even the Amazon princess was vanquished under an unrelenting attack.
Primaid had recovered enough to stand over the fallen warrior. "I will kill this one slowly," she said, her hand forming into a painful looking array of spikes and barbs. "I will flay her face, and then shred her from the inside.
"Don't you touch her," boomed a voice behind the Legion. The villains spun as one to see Aquaman glaring at them.
"You're late, old man," said Prometheus. "What, did some tuna need counseling?
"Back off right now, said the King of the Seas, "and I won't hurt you...much.
"We're going to stake you in the sun and watch the flesh peel from your bones," said Savage. Lightning cracked in the distance.
"I think not," said Aquaman. A red streak burned across the sky, then materialized over the Legion in the form of Captain Marvel. He floated in the air, arms crossed over his broad chest.
"Big deal," said Eiling, who had mostly regained himself after Wonder Woman's attack. "A second-rate Superman. What are you going to do, hit me some more? You don't even have heat vision." Marvel moved over The General with a little smile curling his lips. He whispered a single word. A bolt of lightning cracked the clear sky. Marvel used the speed of Mercury to dodge the transforming energy. The General was not as quick. The magical lightning struck him, tearing a gaping hole in his chest. Marvel said his word again, and the lightning nearly split Eiling in half.
The air shimmied, and heroes appeared out of nothing. The angel Zauriel, Green Lantern John Stewart, Power Girl, Zatanna, Firestorm, Atom, Hawkwoman, Faith and Major Disaster all transported simultaneously the battle site. The Legion of Doom members stared in awe at the concentration of heroic power set before them.
"Now," said Aquaman, "we can do this the hard way, or the easy way, but either way, your day is done,
"Right. I don't think so," said Prometheus. He reached up and clicked the Cosmic Key around his neck. The mystical device instantly swept him back into the Ghost Zone. Zoom and Primaid both winked out of sight under their own power.
"Triumph. Shield," said Savage. Oan plasma energy, Thanagarian munitions, concentrated telekinesis and super-strength blows rained down on the barrier. "Faust, get us out of here.
"And hurry," said Triumph through gritted teeth with sweat streaming down his face. Faust began to chant a spell when Zauriel's flaming, heaven-forged sword cleaved through the force-field within inches of Savage's face. The immortal nodded his head as Faust finished, and the three members of the Legion of Doom escaped.
Aquaman ordered Green Lantern, Zatanna, Zauriel, Atom and Firestorm to tend to the downed JLA. He directed Captain Marvel, Hawkwoman, Power Girl and Major Disaster to secure Valkrye and The General for transport to The Slab, a prison built especially to house metahumans.
Afterward, in The Watchtower, A conscious but bandaged Batman sought out Aquaman in the monitor room. "Bruce," said the Atlantean monarch by way of greeting, "how are the ribs?
"They'll heal," replied Batman. He paused, then seemed to gather himself. "I hate being forced to call for help.
"We got sucker-punched," said Aquaman. "Who would have thought that bunch would have ever been able to work together?
"We should have.
"Even we can't foresee everything," said Aquaman.
"Maybe not, but we can be better prepared," said Batman. "I think we should expand League membership.
Aquaman stroked his chin. "Who did you have in mind?
"Zatanna for one. We need a mage.
"Or Zauriel," said Aquaman, "in case Zee turns us down...again.
"Agreed. Palmer for another. The League can always use more brains." Aquaman nodded.
"How about Firestorm? I think he and Atom would work well together.
"He's young, but there is a huge upside there.
"Have you talked this over with Big Blue or the Princess?
"Not yet.
"Probably should.
"I'll bring it up at the next meeting.
"Good idea." The two heroes walked back to the medical section to check on the recovery of their comrades.
DA END
Off to one side, studying the collection of rare books and manuscripts which lined an entire wall, was the master of the black arts, Felix Faust. He was over 5,000 years old himself, ancient by anyone's standards, except those of Vandal Savage. Faust had bartered bits of his soul away to sustain his power, until there was nothing redeemable left in him.
Near the center of the room stood a tall, blond man with the chiseled profile of a superhero. Will McIntyre had been a founding member of the Justice League, taking the name of Triumph. An accident tossed him through the time stream, and wiped him from the memory of everyone on earth. Finding his way back, the magnetic manipulator fought to regain his place among the world's heroes, but failed. Embittered, Triumph eventually turned against his former comrades.
The third man paced the floor, occasionally blinking out sight for a heartbeat or two. Hunter Zolomon was Zoom. Once a friend of The Flash, Zolomon took extreme measures when Wally West refused to go back in time and help him after the one-time police profiler had been crippled by Gorilla Grodd. Attempting to use the Cosmic Treadmill to go back and fix his past, Zolomon was gifted with speed and time powers when the device exploded beneath him.
The only woman in the room sat in a large overstuffed chair. Blond and beautiful, she was once known as Carrie Eden, but now went by the name of Valkrye. Possessing great power, she was once a member of the U.S. government's Suicide Squad. Valkrye forcibly resigned from the organization after killing her teammates and leveling two square blocks of downtown Moscow. Savage suspected Valkrye was a bit mad, which put her in good company with the others gathered here.
"My friends," said Savage, "I hope you have enjoyed my hospitality. The others we are expecting will be here shortly. If there is anything I can do to make you more comfortable, say the word and it shall be done." A few minutes later, a servant entered the room.
"Master," he said addressing Savage, "They have arrived.
"Excellent. Show them in at once." An air of expectation hung in the air as footsteps echoed down the long hall. Out of the shadows strode a man in a flowing purple and white costume. A helmet obscured most of his face, and he carried a large, strange-looking club.
"Hey gang," said Prometheus. "It took forever, but I finally located the final two members of our little cabal." He gestured theatrically behind him. "If I may present the wonderfully versatile Primaid. A stunning woman entered the room. As she walked forward, her form slowly rippled and changed, morphing into the unsettling shape of a White Martian. "Heh. Neat trick. And now, straight from the Ghost Zone, the unstoppable force known as General Wade Eiling." A huge bulk filled the double doorway. The General was born when Eiling transplanted his mind into the body of the indestructible Shaggy Man. It was whispered that not all of his mind had made the trip.
"My dear guests," said Savage, "Let us sit and discuss..." He turned toward a large table, only to be momentarily non-plussed to see Zoom already sitting there, impatiently tapping a finger. Savage regained his smile. "How we can best eliminate the Justice League." The villains all took their places around the table.
"Now this," said Prometheus with a crooked smile, "is what I call a Legion of Doom.
Several weeks later in New York City, Kyle Rayner entered the elevator in his apartment building. In one hand, he held a cup of Radu's Special Blend coffee. Underneath his other arm was an art assignment he intended to finish up and turn in tomorrow. Being Green Lantern was great, but it didn't pay the bills. As the doors began to close, a female voice called out, "Hold the doors, please." Kyle stuck out his foot to keep the elevator open. A statuesque woman carrying two large bags in her arms brushed by him. She flashed a brilliant smile and said, "Thank you.
"No problem," said Rayner. "Which floor?
"Ah, five," replied the mystery woman. The elevator began to rise One of the bags the woman was carrying suddenly slipped, spilling fresh vegetables onto the floor. Both occupants bent down to retrieve the groceries.
"Here, let me help," said Kyle. As the pair stuffed the food back into the sack, their hands touched, sending a tingle of electricity down Kyle's arm. The woman smiled again.
"I'm such a klutz," she said.
"Hey, no, it happens," said Kyle. He picked up the bag, holding it in one arm while holding his portfolio and coffee with the other. The elevator doors opened onto the fifth floor.
"Would you mind helping me to my apartment," asked the woman, holding onto one sack with both arms. "By the way, my name is Carrie. I'd shake hands, but..." She shrugged and smiled once more.
Green Lantern had trouble finding his tongue. "I'm Kyle Rayner," he managed. "I live on the tenth floor. And I, uh, draw things.
"Really? I'd love to see your work sometime.
"Cool." Carrie fumbled a set of keys out of her purse, and let Kyle into her apartment. He followed her into the kitchen. The place was like a thousand other New York dwellings. Clean, tastefully decorated and cozy. Kyle placed his bag next to hers on the small kitchen table. She looked at him with a pair of sky-blue eyes.
"Do you have a minute or two," she asked.
"Sure," he replied," I've got nowhere to be right now.
"Good. Have a seat on the couch. I want to show you something." Kyle flopped down on the sofa as Carrie disappeared into the darkness of another room. His jaw dropped when she emerged moments later. She had been wearing a cream-colored business suit which included a tight, short skirt and flesh tone stockings. Gone were the suit jacket, and the white blouse worn beneath. A stupefied Green Lantern watched as she slowly approached him, her hands going behind her back to remove a half-cup demi bra. Kyle watched the discarded garment fall to the floor. Carrie smiled at him, and his focus dissolved in a storm of conflicting thoughts and emotions. She sat down, straddling him, and took his face in her hands.
"I've had my eye on you for quite some time, Kyle Rayner," she said, slowly starting to grind against him. She leaned forward to kiss him when a strange voice reached his ears.
"I am Zoom," it said. To Kyle, it sounded like someone talking through a small speaker filled with static and white noise. A light breeze wafted against his skin, and he turned his head and saw a mirror image of The Flash. The figure was dressed in a yellow suit with red trim, and it was hard for Kyle to see him, as the man seemed to fade in and out of sight. The one thing he did see with alarming clarity was the green power ring held in Zoom's hand. Kyle glanced down at his own bare fingers when a new voice spoke from the other side of the room.
" Jeez Rayner, were you always this dumb?" Green Lantern's eyes widened as an all-too familiar form shimmered into view.
"You," he exclaimed.
"Me," replied Prometheus. Kyle turned back and tried to will his ring into action.
"Oh no," said Valkrye, "We can't have any of that." She crashed the top of her head down onto the bridge of Kyle's nose. Cartilage crunched, and blood spattered across her face. The sudden blow broke Green Lantern's concentration. Valkrye continued to hold him down while Prometheus walked up behind him. The villain pulled out a syringe filled with a pale red liquid.
"This may sting a bit," he said, then jabbed the needle into the neck of a struggling Kyle Rayner. The potent solution took immediate effect, and Green Lantern drifted off into a deep coma. "Well that was easy," said Prometheus.
"Let's kill him," said Valkrye.
"Tempting," replied Prometheus, "but we need him alive for now." He turned to the man formerly known as Hunter Zolomon. "Zoom, if you could run that pretty piece of galactic jewelry to Vandal, Valkrye and I will escort our friend here to the rendezvous." Zoom nodded, then disappeared in the blink of an eye. Prometheus grabbed Kyle and drug him to the floor. "Come on bone bag, we're not finished with you yet.
"He's really out cold," asked Valkrye, as she buttoned up her top.
"Yeah, a blowjob from Wonder Woman wouldn't wake him up now.
"Good," she said. Valkrye placed a heel on Kyle's hand where the power ring once rested, and ground down until the bones snapped. Prometheus uttered a bark of laughter, clicked his Cosmic Key and transported the three of them away.
Approximately the same time Green Lantern was being disabled, J'onn J'onzz received a distress call. The Denver Museum of Natural History and a traveling exhibit of ancient Egyptian artifacts were under attack by a villain identified as Felix Faust. J'onn abandoned his human John Jones identity and flew toward the museum. What he found when he arrived appalled him. The building was in ruin, and the Denver police had blocked off the entire area. The Manhunter floated down through a large hole in the roof. He found that the museum guards had been turned to stone, frozen like statues. Their faces fixed forever in stark grimaces of agony. J'onn proceeded through the wreckage until he entered the Egyptian exhibition. Inside he found Felix Faust, his back to him, reading an ancient scroll.
"Felix Faust," thundered the Martian Manhunter, "Turn around and prepare to be taken into custody." Faust did turn, but when he did so, he was smiling. This disconcerted J'onn, who reached out with his telepathy to read the wizard's mind. It came as a profound shock to the Manhunter when his probe failed.
"Trying to peak inside my head, hero?," asked Faust, his grin getting even wider. "Too bad your vaunted mental powers have been blocked.
"How did you...," began J'onn. In all previous encounters, Faust had shown no special resistance to Martian psychic abilities.
"Oh, I had help," interrupted Faust, who inclined his head to the right. J'onn whirled around to see an attractive woman walk out of the shadows. It had been so long since he had seen another Martian, he was unsure of what he was facing until the woman's eyes began to glow blood-red. Recognition bludgeoned his thoughts.
"Primaid!
"Hello, J'onzz," replied the White Martian as she shifted to her natural form. "I've been waiting a long time for this.
"This is an unlikely alliance," said J'onn, stalling to buy some time. "It does not matter, you will both be..." The Manhunter's ultimatum was cut short by a lance of incredible white-hot pain tearing through his body. He dropped to the floor, suddenly having trouble keeping his humanoid shape. A man garbed in blue and yellow moved effortlessly through the air, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Hey, J'onn, he said. "Try and pull yourself together, huh." The Manhunter slowly turned his head upward.
"Triumph? Billy Mac?
"Yeah. I just hit you with a tight beam of electro-magnetic force. It will disrupt your molecular functions for a few hours.
"Fry him again," hissed Primaid.
"Good idea," said Triumph. He extended one hand, and J'onn felt ripples of agony race through his pliant flesh before he faded into a blessed void. Triumph encased the puddle of green goo that was once the Martian Manhunter in a force field bubble. Felix Faust began to chant a teleportation spell, and the trio of villains, along with their prisoner, winked out of the museum.
Vandal Savage had, over the many thousands of years of his immortal life, accumulated vast resources in order to further his power schemes. One of the fruits of his ill-labor was a small base in the wastelands of Utah. It was hidden from prying eyes, even those with X-ray vision, by means both mystical and technological. It was here that the Legion of Doom gathered to make their next move.
"The first phase is complete," said Savage, looking around at the assembled Legion. "All that remains is to draw the remainder of the League to us, and destroy them.
"Great. Let's get this party started," said Prometheus.
"Yes, by all means," said Savage. "General, if you will bring along the former Green Lantern, we will close the curtain on the Justice League." He paused for a moment. "Once we reveal ourselves, things will happen very quickly. Be prepared.
Outside of the base, several of Savage's men were setting up a high-tech mobile communication station. Savage and Triumph stood ready with The General following, dragging the limp form of Kyle Rayner. "What happened to his face?," asked Savage.
"Valkrye worked him over some more," replied Triumph. "Said it would look more dramatic on camera. I think the girl has serious issues.
"Indeed," said Savage. "Let us begin." Triumph scanned the heavens until he found the correct comm route to the JLA Watchtower.
"Okay. Got it," he said. "Whoever is on monitor duty is about to get a shock. Begin transmission.
The lone JLA member on duty was Plastic Man. He sat in the monitor womb, making absurd caricatures of the JLA with his hands, when the main screen sprang to life. His jaw literally hit the floor when Savage began to speak, and before the immortal had stopped talking, the JLA emergency summons was already being beamed to the various members. The call was answered within minutes, with Aquaman being the last to arrive, sea water still dripping from his frame. The King of the Seas made his way to the monitor room where the remains of the JLA had gathered.
"Hello, Arthur," said Superman, standing and staring at the screen with his hands on his hips. "I'm glad you could make it.
"What's the emergency?," asked Aquaman. He came to an abrupt halt when Savage's face filled the screen. "Oh. Him.
Batman was seated at the control panel. "We've got big trouble," he said. "Look at this." He hit the fast forward on the recording, stopping at the image of a bloody and bruised Kyle Rayner dangling off the ground in the grip of a huge fist.
"That hand," said Aquaman with a dawning horror in his voice.
"It's The General," said Batman, his tone flat and emotionless as he played with the video controls. "And standing on the other side of Savage is Triumph.
"That's bad," said Aquaman. "What do they want?
"For us to teleport to their location," said Wonder Woman, "Or they will kill Green Lantern in front of the world.
"It's an obvious trap," said Batman.
Wally West had been a scarlet blur as he wore a path around the chamber in his agitation. When he heard the Dark Knight's words, for a moment, he went still. He leaned in toward Batman to heighten the impact of his words. "We are not leaving him down there," said the Fastest Man Alive through gritted teeth. The two heroes spent a long moment staring each other down.
"No, of course not," replied Wonder Woman as she strapped on a set of Amazonian battle armor and sheathed a magical sword. "Kyle is our friend and we will not leave him to the clutches of these madmen.
"Where is J'onn?," asked Aquaman, looking around for the green-skinned Manhunter.
"He hasn't answered the emergency call," said Batman. "Which leads me to believe that Savage has also taken him off the board.
"He's not in Denver," said Flash. "I checked. We need to go. Now. Savage gave us a time limit, and it is almost up." The League members turned toward the transporter tubes when Aquaman felt a hand descend upon his shoulder.
"Arthur, wait a minute," said Superman. "The coordinates we are beaming to are in the middle of a desert.
"Your point, Clark?
"His point," said Batman, "is that Eiling and Triumph are very powerful and Savage is smart and devious. This battle could last long enough for your exposure to the elements to become a liability.
"I will not be resigned to the sidelines," growled Aquaman.
"There are other important roles beside that of direct combat," said the Dark Knight. "With J'onn MIA, we need someone up here to oversee and direct the operation. Your experience and tactical expertise are invaluable. We need you here.
"It's either you or Plastic Man, and frankly, I'd feel much more comfortable with you in the chair," said Superman.
Indecision raced through Aquaman's mind as he weighed the reasoning against his pride. "Fine," he breathed at last, "I'll stay here and direct things. Go bring our friends home." Superman turned and flew toward the transporter, but Batman lingered.
"I want you to contact the reserves," he said. "This whole thing stinks of a setup, and I want the cavalry ready to ride if we need them. Use the heavy hitter list." He paused, then said, "I trust your discretion in making the call." Aquaman nodded, then watched as Batman ran toward the transporter tubes.
Down on the planet, Triumph continued to scan the skies. Using his enhanced vision looking for the arrival of the Justice League, he finally saw the telltale signs. "Incoming energy signatures," he said. "Five of them.
"Bring them on," said The General, throwing Green Lantern's unconscious body to the ground. "It's time for a New World Order.
The Justice League materialized some distance away from the gathered villains. After the slight disorientation from having one's atoms ripped apart, then put back together, the heroes sprang into action.
"Flash, get Green Lantern," said Batman. "He is the first priority. The rest of us will run interference." The Scarlet Speedster left in a plume of dust. Wonder Woman flew overhead, grabbed the Dark Knight's outstretched arm, and followed Superman. A bouncing Plastic Man brought up the rear.
Martian super-senses and the enhanced hyper-senses of Triumph registered Flash's approach. The former member of the Justice League tapped into the Earth's magnetic core, and sent a small localized seismic shockwave rippling toward the fast-approaching scarlet blur. Flash was rapidly building velocity, his Speed Force-fueled nervous system ticking up toward hyper-sonic when the ground beneath him suddenly bucked and twisted. The Fastest Man Alive went sprawling. His accumulated kinetic energy sent him crashing across the desert floor before he could disperse it into the air as crackles of lightning. Flash shook his head, and started to rise to his feet when a distant, thin voice said "Hello, Wally." Flash looked up to see Zoom solidify for an instant in front of him.
The red and blue streak that was the Man of Steel scorched the air in front of Savage, Faust, Triumph and The General. Superman pulled up with other members of the League not far behind. The pupils of his eyes glowed red with gathered heat vision. "Savage, release Green Lantern and stand down for prison transport," he said with all the authority of a heroic icon.
Vandal Savage began to laugh, an uncommon reaction to one of Superman's ultimatums. "Not this time, Kryptonian," said Savage. "General, if you please." Eiling had palmed a massive boulder which he hurled at Superman like a high-speed fastball. Superman swatted it away, shattering the rock with his fist. Concentrated beams of intense heat flashed from his eyes, cutting across The General's thigh, severing the limb from his body. Eiling toppled to the ground with a grunt. Superman kicked up some speed, and rushed the other three villains. He noticed Savage looking smug, making no effort to flee or defend himself. The realization that something could be wrong crossed his mind just before he slammed into an unyielding invisible barrier. Shaking off the momentary shock, Superman began to rain a series of super-strength punches down on the force field. Savage remained unconcerned, but Triumph dropped to one knee under the strain of the attack. Superman rared back for one more blow when he was stopped by Eiling grabbing his leg. The General's own regenerated leg was fine as he swung Superman around and flung him hard into the earth.
The other members of the League had been watching Superman's assault, and when he fell, prepared to continue the fight. Floating in the air, Wonder Woman put a hand on the pommel of her sword when a voice came from behind her.
"Hey, Wonder Bitch." The Amazon warrior turned in time to catch Valkrye's attack across her armored front. The initial blow dented her breastplate. The two fought across the sky with unabated fury.
"Chick fight," yelled Plastic Man, craning his neck as Valkrye and Wonder Woman battled above him. He turned to see Superman blasting The General with another dose of heat vision. The Flash was nowhere to be seen. "Uh, Bats," he said. "This doesn't look like it's going according to plan.
"It's not," replied the Dark Knight. "We should not have rushed blindly into the situation.
"Probably not," came a voice from the empty air to the right of the heroes. Prometheus appeared out of nothing as he deactivated his camouflage cloak.
"Oh, man," said Plastic Man. "This just gets better and better." He began to stretch toward the villain began to form a number of bizarre shapes. Prometheus raised his gauntlet and shot him with a propelled dart. "You shot me," said an incredulous Plastic Man. "What did you think that..." His words were lost as he dissolved into an incohesive puddle.
"Pretty much that," sneered Prometheus. He turned his attention to Batman. "Honestly, how do you put up with him? I dosed your Martian with the same stuff, incidentally. A synthetic sub-molecular paralysis agent of my own design." Power surged as he flicked on his electrified nightstick.
"You don't impress me," said Batman
"Alright, this is the tiebreaker, then?" The two antagonists assumed close combat fighting stances, then Prometheus abruptly pulled back. "You know," he said, "We've already done this dance, let's try something different.
Batman was suddenly assaulted by horrific images of the worst moments of his life. The deaths of his parents, the crippling of Barbara Gordon and the deaths of Sara Essen and Jason Todd at the hands of The Joker, being broken by Bane, finding Vesper Fairchild in a pool of blood. All of these and more played through his mind with a visceral punch.
"I bet it's nasty in there," said Prometheus as he measured the defenseless Caped Crusader with his weapon. "Let me introduce you to my partner in crime." A pale twisted form blinked into existence only a few feet away.
"M-Mar-Martian," gasped Batman.
"Yup," said Prometheus. "I want you to know that we could have killed you at any time. That is how completely vulnerable you are. Justice falls today." He swung his nightstick into Batman's ribcage, forcing the air out of his lungs and driving the Dark Knight to his knees. Grinning from ear to ear, Prometheus raised his humming bludgeon over his head. "I love it when a plan comes together," he said, then chopped down on Batman's lightly armored cowl. The Caped Crusader pitched forward, unconscious by the time he hit the ground.
"He is not dead," said Primaid.
"No, he's not," mused Prometheus. "Only because I'm not finished with him yet. I think I'll start by torturing Robin to death in front of his eyes. We'll go from there." A distant sonic boom to the south grabbed the attention of both villains.
Flash and Zoom had run and fought across the surface of the globe and back again. Wally had to utilize all of his considerable power to keep up with his adversary. The pair moved between the ticks of a second. Zoom had cost Flash the lives of his two unborn children, and nearly his marriage the first time they clashed. He was not about to forget what Hunter was capable of doing. Zoom's very existence strained the natural timeline. Zipping forward in time at different speeds ripped small holes in time. Wally had been able to trap Zoom in one of these "rips", keeping him in a state of suspended animation. Somehow, he had escaped. Skirting the edge of the Speed Force, Flash exerted a tremendous amount of energy to maintain a rate of motion near the speed of light. Absently, he noticed he had begun to sweat. In this space where time nearly stood still, Zoom became a solid entity. He stared hard at the Scarlet Speedster.
"Everything you've ever built, Wally. Everything you've ever had, I'm taking it all." The Flash felt a surge of hot anger surge up his spine. "You can't keep up this pace for long," said Zoom.
"I can maintain it long enough," replied Flash. Without warning, a time tear formed in front of Wally's eyes. He watched with horrified eyes as his uncle Barry Allen, The Flash before him, ran himself to death saving the Universe during a crisis. As that grim scene faded, Wally was forced watch a recent JLA jaunt through time where his legs had been torn from his body. The harsh memories and phantom pain kept Flash from realizing that Zoom had learned to control the time rips he created. In lieu of understanding, Wally watched the single worst moment of his life splay out in front of him. That agonizing, haunting instant when Zoom attacked Linda West, and killed the unborn West twins. For a fraction of a second, bone-numbing despair washed over The Flash, and he dropped his focus. It was all Zoom needed. Wally's speed slowed and yellow-covered jackhammers assaulted him from every side. The blows came so fast, The Flash finally crumpled to the ground at the feet of Zoom. The villain bent down, and dragged him back to the epicenter of the fighting.
Superman had dished out enough punishment to The General to have wrecked any villain short of Doomsday, yet Eiling kept coming.
"Triumph, drop your shield," said Savage. The protective field lowered and Savage glanced over at the wizard. "Mr. Faust, perhaps you could help end this stalemate?
"Indeed, I have just the thing." Faust began to chant as Superman gained some altitude and scorched twin burning trails across an onrushing Primaid. The Martian screeched and fell back clutching a flaming wound. Magical energy flowed around Faust as he drew the power around him. He unleashed the spell toward the Man of Steel, who watched with instant apprehension as a red ball of flame grew large enough to swallow him. The fire engulfed Superman, who fell like a stone to the earth. He struggled to draw himself up, but dropped again, too weak to fight. Faust gloated over the fallen hero. "A little taste of home, alien. Red solar energy to take the super out of the man." Triumph erected an energy shroud over Superman, preventing him from absorbing any power from Earth's yellow sun.
Eiling walked over and placed a massive foot on Superman's neck. "They say you died once," he said. "Let's see if we can make it permanent this time." The General's glee was cut short by Valkrye's inert form crashing down from the sky a few yards away. Eiling's next breath was a gasp of surprise and pain as the tip of a sword emerged from his chest.
Wonder Woman shoved her weapon in deeper, then sliced down, opening a horrendous wound in The General's torso. "That magnificent, scientifically-engineered body of yours has no answer for ancient magic, does it Eiling?", spat the Amazon warrior. The General's only response was a strangled gurgle. Wonder Woman yanked her sword out, spun Eiling around, and unloaded a hard uppercut that broke The General's jaw and sent him spinning into the dust fifty yards away.
Diana stood alone. Helmet knocked away, bleeding from one corner of her mouth, battered and bruised, Wonder Woman faced down the Legion of Doom.
"Well done, Amazon," said Savage as the villains moved to surround the lone heroine. "It's almost a shame to have to kill you.
"I know what trophies I want from this one," said Prometheus with a crackling smile.
"Payback," snarled Primaid.
"Come on then," said Wonder Woman with quiet force, "and I will show you how an Amazon faces doom." Savage waved a finger and Zoom became a blur. Dozens of punches pummeled Diana from every angle, driving her to a knee.
"If you want to surrender," said Savage, "we could be merciful." Wonder Woman shook her head. Savage shrugged and nodded at Zoom again. Even while she was being beaten, Diana timed the pattern of the hits. Picking her spot, she slammed an elbow into Zoom's jaw. Before the stunned time-hopper could recover. she wrapped him in her golden lasso.
"Be still," she commanded.
"Enough of this," said Triumph. He extended his power and with some difficulty ripped the sword from Wonder Woman's grasp. Primaid uttered a war cry and hurtled at Wonder Woman, her "Martian Vision" lashing out, but deflected by a pair of magical bracelets. The Martian's flesh morphed into an obscure battle form and enveloped the battling Amazon. The remaining villains watched the struggle.
"I can see your mind," said Primaid. "I know what..." Wonder Woman's fist tore through Primaid's body and into the open air. The Martian screamed and shrunk back toward her original form. Wonder Woman stood on her feet as Faust passed a hand over his face. Diana's blue eyes went dark as blindness overtook her. Weaponless and unable to see, she was unable to defend herself against the superior numbers of the Legion of Doom. Eventually, even the Amazon princess was vanquished under an unrelenting attack.
Primaid had recovered enough to stand over the fallen warrior. "I will kill this one slowly," she said, her hand forming into a painful looking array of spikes and barbs. "I will flay her face, and then shred her from the inside.
"Don't you touch her," boomed a voice behind the Legion. The villains spun as one to see Aquaman glaring at them.
"You're late, old man," said Prometheus. "What, did some tuna need counseling?
"Back off right now, said the King of the Seas, "and I won't hurt you...much.
"We're going to stake you in the sun and watch the flesh peel from your bones," said Savage. Lightning cracked in the distance.
"I think not," said Aquaman. A red streak burned across the sky, then materialized over the Legion in the form of Captain Marvel. He floated in the air, arms crossed over his broad chest.
"Big deal," said Eiling, who had mostly regained himself after Wonder Woman's attack. "A second-rate Superman. What are you going to do, hit me some more? You don't even have heat vision." Marvel moved over The General with a little smile curling his lips. He whispered a single word. A bolt of lightning cracked the clear sky. Marvel used the speed of Mercury to dodge the transforming energy. The General was not as quick. The magical lightning struck him, tearing a gaping hole in his chest. Marvel said his word again, and the lightning nearly split Eiling in half.
The air shimmied, and heroes appeared out of nothing. The angel Zauriel, Green Lantern John Stewart, Power Girl, Zatanna, Firestorm, Atom, Hawkwoman, Faith and Major Disaster all transported simultaneously the battle site. The Legion of Doom members stared in awe at the concentration of heroic power set before them.
"Now," said Aquaman, "we can do this the hard way, or the easy way, but either way, your day is done,
"Right. I don't think so," said Prometheus. He reached up and clicked the Cosmic Key around his neck. The mystical device instantly swept him back into the Ghost Zone. Zoom and Primaid both winked out of sight under their own power.
"Triumph. Shield," said Savage. Oan plasma energy, Thanagarian munitions, concentrated telekinesis and super-strength blows rained down on the barrier. "Faust, get us out of here.
"And hurry," said Triumph through gritted teeth with sweat streaming down his face. Faust began to chant a spell when Zauriel's flaming, heaven-forged sword cleaved through the force-field within inches of Savage's face. The immortal nodded his head as Faust finished, and the three members of the Legion of Doom escaped.
Aquaman ordered Green Lantern, Zatanna, Zauriel, Atom and Firestorm to tend to the downed JLA. He directed Captain Marvel, Hawkwoman, Power Girl and Major Disaster to secure Valkrye and The General for transport to The Slab, a prison built especially to house metahumans.
Afterward, in The Watchtower, A conscious but bandaged Batman sought out Aquaman in the monitor room. "Bruce," said the Atlantean monarch by way of greeting, "how are the ribs?
"They'll heal," replied Batman. He paused, then seemed to gather himself. "I hate being forced to call for help.
"We got sucker-punched," said Aquaman. "Who would have thought that bunch would have ever been able to work together?
"We should have.
"Even we can't foresee everything," said Aquaman.
"Maybe not, but we can be better prepared," said Batman. "I think we should expand League membership.
Aquaman stroked his chin. "Who did you have in mind?
"Zatanna for one. We need a mage.
"Or Zauriel," said Aquaman, "in case Zee turns us down...again.
"Agreed. Palmer for another. The League can always use more brains." Aquaman nodded.
"How about Firestorm? I think he and Atom would work well together.
"He's young, but there is a huge upside there.
"Have you talked this over with Big Blue or the Princess?
"Not yet.
"Probably should.
"I'll bring it up at the next meeting.
"Good idea." The two heroes walked back to the medical section to check on the recovery of their comrades.
DA END