DISCLAIMERS: Of course, I don't own the rights to DC Comics or any of its intellectual property. I also don't own the rights to any other stories, trademarks, or intellectual property that I reference in this fan-fiction. This is a fan-made story by a guy who owns nothing worth paying money for, and I am putting this out for everyone to read and enjoy – absolutely free. Should you choose to read on, you get what you pay for...

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Rise of the Alliance: New Earth-D and the Infinity War

Rating: T (violence, coarse language, suggestive adult themes)

Synopsis: An apocryphal story about how Earth-D was resurrected by a mysterious force, and how the Justice Alliance of America rises again to save Earth-D from a second apocalypse.

Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure

by: G. Hodges (Feb 2016)

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FORWARD: I was approached by Retro Mania with a suggestion to write a fan-fiction about the Justice Alliance of America from "Legends of the DC Universe: Crisis on Infinite Earths – The Untold Story" by Marv Wolfman (Feb 1999). It was a one-episode story that was added to the 12-episode series Crisis on Infinite Earths where we are introduced to Earth-D and the Justice Alliance of America – a re-imagined Justice League where the members are more ethnically diverse and more family-oriented. I think it was a great concept and more realistic as a 21st-century superhero team, but it never got a chance to flourish its potential. This fan-fiction (written in text-only and novel-style prose) is my vision of how the story could have been expanded upon.

I have to admit – I am generally not a fan of the comics. My primary source of entertainment from stories based on DC Comics and Marvel came from watching animated TV shows like the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons, Batman: The Animated Series, Spectacular Spiderman, Teen Titans, and Young Justice, and live-action shows like Lois & Clark, the Superman movies, and even the original Batman and Wonder Woman TV shows as a kid. So, I am coming into this project fresh and generally ignorant of the vast lore of the DC Universe. I hope that this fan-fiction stays true to the canon as well as the spirit of the stories that generations of readers have come to love and expect from DC Comics. If not, then at least you've been forewarned (and that goes double for Marv Wolfman and his fans).

As a final note, as much as I intended to do a full write-up before posting this story, I simply do not have the time to write everything up front. So, I will post as I have time. Since there is a bad precedent on for stories to get dropped prior to completion, I intend to put my publishing dates up front so anyone reading along will know when to expect the next episode(s), and to put me at my word to make the publishing deadline. Should I falter, I have only my pride and reputation to lose.

So, I will do the following: first, I intend to publish at least one chapter per month, sometime in the last week or so. I will note this at the end of the chapter, so anyone coming in later on will know if it should have been published or not. And second, I will strive to finish the entire story before the end of the year. So, by New Year's Day 2017, you should have the dramatic conclusion and any epilogue I write up to enjoy.

Take care, and I hope everyone who reads this fan-fiction gets as much enjoyment as I did in writing it. I can tell this will be a labor of love.

- GHodges137

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CHAPTER 1 – PROLOGUE (FEB-2016)

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Nothing.

A vast ocean, spanning the infinite heavens of space and time, of nothing. Energy and virtual particles buzz about, fulfilling their destinies dictated by Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity. An infinite ocean that once harbored Life.

A presence enters the ocean of nothing. There is curiosity, recognition, and then the spark of inspiration. A voice (if one could be heard) speaks out.

"Fazz, I am ready to tell you my next wish. Make this universe what it once was – I command it."

Another presence answers the call. "Your wish is my command, oh master." The second presence speaks a magic word "AD-ZOOP!" and suddenly there is an unraveling of the nothingness. Vast collections of energy are corralled by forces unfathomable by mortal minds, and take shape. Stars start to burn, worlds coalesce from ashes, and structure leaps from the darkness from the present moment to the fullest expanses of the space and time. It is a miracle of Magic.

The two presences, along with a third, suddenly find themselves in an alleyway. As they acclime to their new surroundings, they soon recognize the scene.

It is Earth. New York City. The date, January 16, 1920. A scrappy-looking kid is holding up a newspaper with a small clutch under his other arm, yelling out the day's headlines. "Read all about it! First Day of Prohibition! A new era! Read all about it!"

The first presence, now a human with magical tattoos and covered with ragged clothes, clutches a fancy corked bottle. His face is obscured by the shadow of the alleyway. He smiles as he surveys the scene from his shaded vantage point. The human male addresses the bottle containing the second presence. "Good work, Fazz. Not quite the world I had in mind, but its better than anything I could ever create. I guess it'll do."

The third presence, a human with torn clothes and a tattered bandage over his eyes, finally speaks. "I can smell them, their *emotions*... people. Finally, a world I – we – can call our own. If only I still had my mask..."

"You'll do fine without it, my friend," assures the first one. "You'll see... in time, we'll shape this world to our liking. Imagine, a world with no superheros – no competition – and in a pocket dimension where none of the Justice League will ever know of us. I dare say, in time we will live like kings among them, and they will fear and respect us."

The second presence in the bottle speaks up, her voice echoing from the confines of the flask. "Master, you still have one wish left. What would you like to wish for?"

The first one thinks for a moment, and then responds slowly. "No. I will save that one for later. Right now, I've got other plans." A Cheshire-like grin blossoms across his face, ripe with ideas that have churned for ages to come forth.

"What about the Justice Alliance?" The third one, rubbing his face where eyes once were, poses to the first one. "What about Flash? Batman? Wonder Woman? They are coming, and so will the others. That was what happened here before the–"

"There will never be a Justice Alliance!" The first one cuts him off, then takes a moment to compose himself. "Not here, not this time. I've lived it all once before during the Crisis, and now that I have cheated Death itself I will not have my plans dashed by the likes of the Justice Alliance nor anyone else. This time, it *will* be different! This restored shard from the old time – Earth-D – will be *mine*. This time, I have the tactical advantage. I remember learning how every hero, every villain, was born or came to this Earth. I can cultivate the ones whom I can control, and terminate any who won't, long before they become a threat."

"What about the aliens? You can't stop them all."

"Simple – I will blanket the Earth with a magic spell to make it invisible to the other worlds. And, since this is just a pocket dimension, the outer beings won't notice nor care about the events going on here. So no Guardians of the Universe or Green Lantern Corp to interfere with my plans, either. It's full-proof." The first one looks around and takes a deep breath. "Now, my friend, let's go. We have some 'phone calls' to make."

The newspaper boy begins to notice the conversation from the alleyway near him, and he turns his attention to the two haggard-looking men at the edge of the shadows. "Hey! You hobos! You look like you've been to Hell and back."

The first one smiles, and replies with a wit and irony that is lost on the small vendor. "Yes, kid. That's more true that you could possibly imagine." As the first one turns his head to face the kid and starts to approach, the kid flinches to see that the first one has half of his face disfigured by an acid burn.

"Ah yes," the first one responds with a touch to his scarred cheek as he sees the kid's face. "My face. One of the, er, side effects of my unsanctioned escape – a gift from some... Joker a long time ago. Same with my associate." The third one approaches the sound of the conversation, not quite used to being blind. "So, kid – you got a name?"

"Yea," the kid responds. "People around here call me Wilson. But my friends call me Slade."

The first one smiles. "Greetings, Slade. I'm Luthor – Alexander Luthor, Jr.. And I am in need of a little assistance..."