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REBORN DARK PHOENIX

PROUDLY PRESENTS

JUSTICE LEAGUE: WARBRINGER

Prologue: Destiny, Prophecy

Location: Unknown. Vanity, Oregon. United States.

3:23 AM PST, 23 August 1981

When one looks at a corporate boardroom office in any building, they don't ever expect much.

It's expected to have a large table in the middle, with a window wall and a large screen for meetings. Perhaps some refreshment brought by the staff. Definitely some chairs, of course. And the most obvious, of course, would be people. That was always a typical boardroom, and this one appeared no different.

Seven men and women sat in top floor boardroom in this particular corporate office building. Sipping what remained of their champagne, standing around the room or seated at the large boardroom table in the middle of the room. Each was dressed in formal business attire, all from various parts of the world. Each of them were elites, affluent and wealthy. Well known across the business, corporate and political world. At first glance, no one would think anything else. It was just a seemingly small gather of affluent friends. The only abnormal detail was the fact of their gathering being at such an ungodly morning hour

They all had one thing in common, one more abnormal detail between the seven of them. Each had a small pin on the shoulder of their clothing. A pin shaped in the image of the ancient Aztec god, Quetzalcoatl.

The only hint that this wasn't a typical corporate boardroom office at all.

The only hint of the involvement of these men and women in a network that spanned the globe. A secret society, active across several millennia, preparing for generations for a time that came closer with each passing day. Sworn to secrecy even into the 20th Century, a society burdened with a task that spanned generations of men. All in preparation for the day a terrible event would descend upon the Earth, and a champion would be needed to herald the salvation of mankind.

The Brotherhood of Quetzalcoatl.

A shrill ringing grabbed the attention of the seven. A telephone sat upon the table surface, and all seven gathered had been anticipating this incoming call. One of the men present, a blonde American business executive from Keystone City, picked up the receiver.

"Yes?" He was silent as the person on the other line conveyed his message, the other six men and women all waiting for the news. "Very well; take care of the rest." With that, the American placed the receiver back on the phone, ending the call.

"Well?" A Guatemalan politician, a brunette woman in her forties, asked in subtle anticipation.

"He's dead," the American said with a nod. "It's done. Emilio Rodman has been taken care of."

"A shame," another of the seven replied with a sigh, a wrinkly old German with white hair and a cigar in his hand. "He was well trained, and well-liked by the Brotherhood. He was a great champion in waiting." Making eye contact with the American, he continued, "And the woman?"

"Dead as well. She won't be a problem anymore."

"In all honesty," another of the group offered, a Brazilian diplomat, "I do not see the reasoning as to why we had to have our men kill the woman as well."

"I concur," added the Korean Minister of Finance, scratching his beard. "I highly doubt she would've been a threat to us again in the future."

"Security, old friend," the former Mexican general replied with a sigh. "There are just chances we cannot afford to take."

"Regardless, what is done is done," the old German interrupted before the discussion could get out of hand. "Emilio Rodman had tried to break away out of love for this woman. We couldn't let that happen. It has been addressed, and that is that."

"This now presents a problem, however," the final member of the group, a female CEO from England, mused. "The Brotherhood is now without a champion for Quetzalcoatl. Emilio here is dead, and our backup choice had to be killed for his defiance of the Brotherhood's orders. We are now vulnerable."

"So it would seem, my dear," the Korean replied.

"We will need to find a new champion," the old German sighed. "This will take time, however. And all the while, Tezcatlipoca draws nearer. We can't afford to be caught off guard. Quetzalcoatl will need a vessel, and here we are without one."

"And the process is tedious, time consuming," the Brazilian agreed

"We do have an option readily available to us, actually."

All eyes turned to the American executive. "What do you mean?" asked the general.

"Emilio and this woman left behind a son," the American replied. Seeing the surprised expressions of the group, he continued, "Yes, it was quite a surprise. Our men found the boy sleeping in his parent's bedroom. Pictures on the nightstand name him as Uno. He can't be more than three months. And now, he is an orphan...and he will need guidance and upbringing. He will need teachers and wisdom. And he will need a purpose."

The American folded his hands, a serious expression on his face. "The way I see it, two birds, one stone.

The group was silent for several moments. The American's idea played itself over in their minds

"Would it be wise?" the Mexican businessman soon asked.

"It would give us the chance to mold him from childhood," the Guatemalan woman mused. "And, well, we did just make him an orphan. It would be wrong to leave him there to be found. The American's foster system is abhorrent."

"She's right," the American chuckled. "I know; I lived it."

"It would keep us from trying to find a candidate," the Englishwoman nodded. "While it wouldn't be much, it'd be time saved to quicken the training of the next champion."

All eyes turned to the old white-haired German, the eldest of the group and their unofficial leader. He was silent for the entire exchange, listening and evaluating. The rest quietly awaited his answer; whatever it was, they would all go along with it. Finally, after a minute of silence, he made his decision.

"Then we will start from scratch once again," the German said. "We will ensure that his training and upbringing is handled correctly. He must know of the importance of his mission, how the world needs him. He will be the necessary vessel that Quetzalcoatl will need, should he come in this boy's life time."

"And if it is when he is only a boy?" the Korean Minister asked.

"Then we must hope that by that time, we have managed to come far with him." Turning to the American, he added, "Call our men back, and have them bring the child. We will get to work at once."

"Of course."

"Let us rest assured: the Brotherhood of Quetzalcoatl shall indeed have his champion ready if this generation is his."

Apartment of Uno Rodman. Vanity, Oregon. United States

11:34 PM PST, 12 July 2004

A low click echoed through the modest apartment, the balcony door opening seconds later, allowing entrance to a young man teetering in exhaustion. A loud sigh echoed through the apartment bedroom, showing off his content that he had finally returned home.

Uno Rodman slowly closed his balcony door again before stretching, his golden spiked helmet off within seconds. If anyone else were in the room, or even the apartment, they would be taken aback by the white and golden armor that Uno currently wore. To Uno himself, though, the Quetzalcoatl battle suit was almost like a second skin to him. And being that he was Vanity's only superhero, the suit was quite handy when needed.

Uno had lived in Vanity all his life, his parents killed when he was only a baby. Raised by the Brotherhood of Quetzalcoatl, he was trained and prepared for what was to be the possible return of Tezcatlipoca in the eventual future. It could happen in his lifetime, and perhaps not. Uno was trained for it, regardless. However, as Tezcatlipoca had yet to arrive, Uno didn't see any reason to not use his training and armor for other purposes.

And so he had put his battle suit to good use by fighting crime and evil in Vanity, going public in early 2002. Dubbed by the media as Aztek because of his helmet, Uno was quickly accepted as Vanity's local superhero. Vanity could be considered a very toned down version of Gotham City, but there was still a fair share of crime and local supervillains. Every day, Uno would find

Then things had gotten crazy. In late November of 2003, several months before the Thanagarian invasion, the Joker had decided to set up shop in Vanity for a while. The police had been overwhelmed by the Gotham supervillain's tactics and insanity, always several steps behind. Uno had gone all out in trying to apprehend the psychotic villain, but was very grateful when Batman arrived in Vanity. Together, they managed to defeat the Joker and stop his latest scheme. Batman had commended Uno on his abilities and skills, saying that with time, he'd probably give even the best of detectives a run of their money.

Uno didn't scream like a little girl inside. Of course not.

The Thanagarian invasion itself was something that Uno found himself relatively untouched by. Vanity was a relatively small city, and the Thanagarians had mostly left it alone. While it stung slightly at his pride that he was doing nothing while others like the Justice League risked their lives to fight the invaders, Uno was thankful that his city was relatively under the notice of the Thanagarians.

The world had dramatically changed since the invasion. Vanity, though, had mostly stayed the same. The last few days, though, had been calm and quiet. There had been almost no criminal activity, and no supervillain had tried to invade his turf. Except for the fire in the Shopping District he took care of, everything was peaceful. Uno had welcomed the tranquility happily. Of course, with the Brotherhood of Quetzalcoatl keeping tabs on him no matter what, there was always that lingering thought in his head that everything could go to hell at any moment.

Such was the life of the champion of Quetzalcoatl.

Uno quickly took off his armor, placing it in his closet before happily putting on the first pair of gym shorts he could grab. Taking his helmet, he placed it by his nightstand before plopping himself onto his bed. All he wanted now was to rest, get some sleep; he had a breakfast date tomorrow.

A series of sharp rasps coming from his balcony window caught Uno by surprise. Immediately, he became weary; he was on the fifth floor of this building. And someone was tapping his balcony door window? Frowning, he rose and turned around.

And his jaw dropped.

Floating just above his balcony was the Man of Steel himself, Superman. With Wonder Woman floating next to him, and the Batman perched on the balcony rail.

Uno found himself frozen on his bed. His body screamed at him to react and do something, but his mind was still attempting to fully register the sight before him. The most well-known members of the Justice League, the Big Three, the Trinity of the League as many called them, were literally outside his window. They were right there, looking at him. And there Uno was, glued to his bed in shock, unable to react.

Another tap on the window snapped him out of his stupor, courtesy of Superman. He quickly jolted, getting up from his bed and moving to open his balcony window. Feeling the soft night breeze on his face, Uno gasped to himself again as he realized the three Leaguers were indeed still there in front of him

"Oh my God…" Uno breathed in awe. "Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman?"

The Amazon blinked. "Hmm...You're right, Batman," she smirked slightly. "He is quite astute."

"Don't be fooled, Princess," Batman replied. "He's an asset the League can't afford to not have."

Uno blinked again, but it wasn't long before the Dark Knight's words fully registered in his mind. "Wait, did...did you just say the League...the actual Justice League…?"

"You heard right," Superman nodded as he touched down on the balcony, in front of the still shocked Uno. "Uno Rodman, Aztek...we have an offer for you."

New Genesis. Home of the New Gods.

Earth Year: 2004

"And you are certain?"

"I am a pursuer of knowledge, Izaya. I must reluctantly say that it is true."

The vast halls echoed with the sighs of the High Father of the New Gods. "It was hoped that a day like this would never come. And now, we are hearing the rumblings that it may be on the brink of occurring." With a grim expression, High Father turned to his guest. "What are the news of Wonder World?"

"The Ancient Gods of Mammord continue to watch the edges of this universe," replied Metron. The pursuer of knowledge sat tensely in his Time Chair, his hands folded together. He also held a grim expression on his face. "They have near countless super beings on Wonder World, and they all stand ready at all times for the day that is destined to come. But Izaya, I fear that they will not be able to hold back the coming wave of annihilation."

Highfather absorbed the information, his frown even deeper. New Genesis would have to prepare for the coming storm...and eventual annihilation.

"There is something else," Metron said, regaining Highfather's attention. "I have learned as well that if released, should the Old Dragon break free and become loose upon the universe...it will head directly for Earth."

"For Earth?" Highfather asked in puzzlement. "Why Earth?"

"That, unfortunately, I do not know," Metron lamented. "The Source Wall has not deemed fit to reveal to me such knowledge. I do know this, however; the Old Dragon is possibly unstoppable. If it cannot be held at Earth if and when it arrives, if it cannot be defeated there, then I fear...that all of existence, the whole universe pay a terrible price."

"...Earth is a primitive world, Metron. Their champions are great, but mankind is a primitive species. They could not hope to stand against such a primal force. The Old Gods the Fourth Worlds could do nothing against it. How could Earth not break at its touch?"

"This is true, Izaya."

Izaya frowned again. New Genesis would die if Earth fell. As Highfather, he was responsible for the protection of the New Gods and their world. He had to take action. And yet, something was there to hold him back: a pact between the Old and New Gods, made so that both would never meddle with the affairs of mankind. A way to prevent war between New Genesis and, say...Olympus. On both parts, the Old and New, their involvement was forbidden. But Izaya could not simply leave Earth to burn, and the universe itself as well.

Could he not do anything?

"The Justice League of Earth, as you know, has almost completely recovered from their war with Thanagar. It appears that in light of the ease of the invasion, they now recognize that they must grow in both strength and numbers. They have gained a large influx of new members."

Highfather blinked, taken momentarily aback by Metron's seemingly random statement. Izaya frowned at this information for only moments before understanding lit his eyes. He nodded slowly, seeing Metron's hidden meaning.

Metron nodded sagely. "I will continue to see what I can learn of this potential crisis, and if it can be averted in any way. I head now for the Source Wall. May the Source be with you, Izaya. As well as Earth...and all existence."

With that, the Time Chair began glowing vibrantly, both it and Metron vanishing in a brilliant flash of light. Izaya was left alone to his thoughts, and there was a storm of them within his mind. He understood what Metron was trying to say, the suggestion he subtly gave to him. It was an easily plausible method, one that would not draw attention from the Old Gods. But there were those who would still see this as violation of the pact.

...The pact be damned.

Izaya would face whatever wrath the Old Gods of mankind would send his way. There were far more important things to be concerned about.

With that resolve, the Highfather of New Genesis called forth his servants. His choice was made: Earth would need to prepare and be fortified. For the sake of the universe, and all existence within it.

"Summon Orion."

And with that, "Justice League: Warbringer" has begun.

Welcome, everyone, to the start of another saga. This is the continuation of the story of the Justice League and the DCAU. I really enjoyed the Justice League animated series, and I still love watching them over again. They don't make plotlines and stories like that anymore these days. The DCAU was the golden age of DC media, hands down.

This story is the first of a 5 part series, with inspiration taken from various Justice League and DC titles, while still adding my own unique spin and twist on things along the way. This particular story is inspired by Grant Morrison's "JLA: World War III." To my usual readers, I hope you enjoy this story as much as my other works. If you're new to my little corner of FanFiction, then welcome aboard, and here's hoping you like what you read.

Remember to review and critique and all that good stuff, it's all welcome. And if I may do some shameless self-advertising here, I'd like to recommend my Avengers EMH fic, "Avengers: Everything Burns," also the first of a five part series.

First Chapter to come soon! With that, until next time, readers.