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Power Girl and Black Mary were tasked with relieving Superman. Power Girl slammed into Lord Havok, sending him hurtling away, before he could deliver a death blow.
"Go! I've got this!" Black Mary shouted as she flew past to engage the enraged Lord Havok.
Galatea tried reviving Superman but he was locked in a deep loss of consciousness. First she applied heat vision to his face and then she employed her freeze breath to shock him awake. He awoke with a gasp.
"Galatea?" Superman beleaguered realized.
"And friend," Power Girl directed his attention to Black Mary's ongoing struggle.
"That trick…to revive me, where did you learn it?" Superman asked.
"From Kalea, she knows applications for Kryptonian gifts you haven't fathomed yet," Power Girl advised him of his eldest daughter.
"I can imagine," Superman conceded. Kalea-El had been born and raised on Almerac. Which was an exceptionally militant society, a society Kalea had briefly ruled after overthrowing her mother and invading Earth. After surviving exile on Argo, Kalea had assisted in Maxima's second ouster and the revamping of Almeracian society.
Which was a living replay of Krypton's history beginning a thousand years ago. Something Kalea would have learned as she scoured Argo's libraries and taught herself Kryptonian. But Kalea had returned Maxima to the throne and denied herself a restoration to Almeracian citizenship. She effectively served as one of Maxima's slaves. But she was also Maxima's most potent weapon.
Maxima was reforming her empire from its former strictures and from its overt libertarians under Marcus. According to Maxima's messages she'd been finding a balance before the Gordanians invaded and nearly all hope was lost. But Lord Ultraa had led the forces in the field while Kalea unite the Khunds and the Dominators to attack the Gordanians. And under the new reality, Almerac had withdrawn from the hostilities.
But under Saturn Queen and the Emerald Empress, the two factions were being led by Ultraman and the Kryptonians of Kandor to overrun Almeracian worlds one at a time. And this time, Ultraa, as Maxima's consort, failed to leave the palaces to attack the enemy once again. So Maxima had dispatched her daughter to find a desperate solution to the overwhelming threat.
And now Power Girl was freeing her friend's father. Superman's gaze fell on the struggling Black Mary, "We'd better help her."
"You think?" Power Girl sarcastically quipped and then softened, "Sorry, old habit."
"And I deserve it," Superman finally admitted, "I always underestimate you."
"And berate me. You can't forget that part," Power Girl retorted.
"Yet you're constantly helping me," Superman felt miserable for his long standing ingratitude.
Black Mary came skidding by, propelled by a blow from Lord Havok, "A little help here?"
"Yes, insects. Come to me and meet your demise," Lord Havok boasted.
"He reminds me of a man named Val-Zod," Superman said grimly.
"That sounds like it's a bad thing," Power Girl remarked.
"Ask Supergirl. She's the expert," Superman exploded into action after that.
"Our turn," Black Mary sounded gleeful.
The trio triangulated Lord Havok and kept him engaged with at least one member while a third was smashed away.
Finally, Lord Havok's metal skin began to dent under the relentless pressure. Lord Havok raised his hands, "Enough! You only think you've beaten me."
"Or it's truth," Power Girl's following right cross knocked him out.
"I couldn't have done this alone," Superman freely admitted.
"It was the teamwork, not us," Power Girl replied.
"Hey! He wants to pour on the praise? Let him," Black Mary snapped at her.
"You really have changed, haven't you?" Superman asked her.
"What of it?" Black Mary was immediately defensive.
She reminded Superman of when he met Mistress Mary on Earth-3. The resemblance was obvious to those that knew her. And very chilling even to those that had never met Mistress Mary.
Barda and War Eagle were feverish but awake now that Death Angel was attacking Hangman. It was obvious to both of them that Hangman was effectively blind. But the flying crow seemed to be his guide.
Queen of Diamonds and Mr. Justice stepped in before Death Angel could effectively use her claws against Hangman. Death Angel leered at Queen of Diamonds, "My, my! What pretty, pretties!"
"You can have some if you like," Queen of Diamonds offered. She aimed her large bore handgun and shot diamonds at Death Angel. Three of them met their mark.
"You could probably solve the city's fiscal crisis even with the rebuilding it'll need," Mr. Justice observed.
"They can have them," Queen of Diamonds was dismissive. Her realm was literally composed of the gemstones.
"Gah…gah…gah!" Death Angel panted, "I haven't been wounded in living memory. You actually hurt me."
"And I intend on doing so until you either surrender or die," Queen of Diamonds warned her.
"Allow me," Mr. Justice shifted into his completely spectral state. A state that was so horrific it caused the hardboiled Death Angel to faint. Mr. Justice resumed his normal visage.
"No fuss and no muss," he boasted.
"We meet again," War Eagle addressed Queen of Diamonds, "And as allies no less."
"A better turn of events," Queen of Diamonds admitted.
"Don't forget about me, War Eagle," Mr. Justice prompted her.
"Too late," War Eagle grimaced.
"We need to shackle this one," Hangman nudged Death Angel's leg with his boot.
"Will these do?" Queen of Diamonds produced handcuffs cut from a single gemstone.
"I don't even want to know where you were hiding these," Mr. Justice said as he bound Death Angel's hands behind her back, "Where do you come from again?"
"The Diamond Realm," Barda replied, "She's their queen."
"And that's not local, is it?" Mr. Justice asked.
"Hardly," Barda rolled her eyes.
"Too bad," Mr. Justice said wistfully.
Steel Sterling grabbed a hold of Brute's arm and threw him into an evacuated building across the street. Brute looked puzzled as he emerged, "Brute smash?"
"Thanks," Green Lantern offered, "It seems like the madder he gets the stronger he becomes. But his power is directly tied to ultraviolet radiation."
John sounded as weary as he felt. The strain of resisting Brute's attack had been previously unimaginable. He needed a minute to recoup before he launched back into the thick of it.
"Don't thank me just yet," Steel Sterling offered a jaunty wave as he headed straight at Brute.
The Marvel and Blackjack were delaying Brute as he emerged from the rubble. Brute recognized the approaching Steel Sterling and forgot all about Marvel and Blackjack, "Brute smash!"
Steel Sterling transformed a hand into a blade and slashes all across Brute's chest and abdomen. Brute held his guts together while purple blood seeped between his hands. Then as everyone watched, the wounds sealed up and healed over.
"Brute smash," he said in a low, menacing growl.
"Brute is welcome to try," Steel Sterling offered.
As predicted, Brute's strength had increased exponentially. But his intelligence had seemingly diminished in a direct proportion. While Steel Sterling fought him hand to hand, Marvel and Blackjack distracted him at every turn. Finally, John Stewart was able to attempt what he'd wanted to do all along.
His construct was a simple, airtight bubble around Brute's head. Brute beat at his own head, "Yeargh!"
Steel Sterling renewed his attack to force Brute into consuming oxygen faster. And, Brute slowly and painfully asphyxiated.
"Brute smash," he was heard to whisper as he passed out.
"Who is this hulk?" Marvel asked.
"I'm going to find out," Green Lantern vowed.
While Supergirl and the Comet engaged Dr. Diehard and Cloudburst, Savant used her Seven Leagues Shoes to close the distance between that spot and the police mobile command in a single step.
"Whoa! I've got you," Savant promised as she caught the fainting Power Ring.
"Who are you?" Jessica Cruz weakly asked.
"My name's Kenesha. Or Dr. Kenesha 'Jones' these days but most in the heroic set call me Savant for short," she explained as she steadied Jessica.
"I'm Jessica but most know me as Power Ring these days," she explained.
"My people regarded revenge as a powerful motivator," Savant referred to the Kherabim and especially her mother, Zealot, "Care to test that theory?"
"More happily than you could possibly know," Power Ring agreed.
"I wouldn't be so certain," Savant advised her. As Jessica threw herself into the fight once again, Savant was reminded of the Kherabim warrior sisterhood known as the Coda. Her mother had been its fiercest warrior. And its greatest heretic. After all, Kenesha had been conceived and born to the "celibate" Zealot and then raised as Zealot's "sister" by her grandmother.
First Power Ring snared Cloudburst in a horrific construct so that Comet could blast him into unconsciousness. Dr, Diehard lashed out with his full might at Jessica. But she withstood the attack while Comet unleashed hell upon him. Supergirl slipped past Dr. Diehard's magnetic field shield and her fist smashed into his jaw, sending him sprawling.
"You'll pay for that!" Dr. Diehard vowed with a pathetic shriek.
"I've been told worse by better," Supergirl retorted.
"I need him using his power to its maximum capacity," Savant rummaged around in her messenger bag.
"You're nuts. You know that, right?" Comet asked her.
"You don't need to trust me. You just need to get it done," Savant replied.
"I trust her," Jessica decided.
"So do I," Supergirl was rarely wrong about these things, but when she was it was epic.
"Ah hell, let's do it," Comet positioned himself.
It was a three pronged attack against Dr. Diehard. Power Ring used pure trans-emotional spectrum energy. Comet threw volleys of radiation. And Supergirl used her telekinetic force beams. All forcing Dr. Diehard to bend the Earth's magnetic field.
Normally, Dr. Diehard projected magnetic energy and manipulated vaster field with relative ease. But this time, the fields all converted to an electromagnetic strike that encompassed Dr. Diehard and struck him down. When his struggles ceased, the Earth's natural field emissions returned to normal.
"What?" Comet was dumbfounded.
Savant showed him a wand-like device, "A Daemonite field inverter. They can be quite deadly."
"Not deadly enough," Power Ring complained.
"Look, let's just truss him up and hand him over to the MLJ wrapped in a bow," Comet offered.
"And I really don't think two women accused of war crimes want to be further accused of a crime they really did commit executing a hostile prisoner," Savant reminded everyone.
"I hate it when you're right and we just met," Jessica grumbled.
"You'll get used to it," Savant promised.
Talon led Hawkfire and Batwoman against Death Bat to relieve Vibe and Gypsy. Death Bat recognized a kindred spirit in Talon.
"Lose the stupid owl suit and we could get it on," Death Bat attempted to woo Helena Wayne.
"Maybe after I kill you," Talon reciprocated the offer.
"So hostile," Death Bat chuckled and unleashed his infernal flames upon her.
Batwoman and Hawkfire attacked him from the side and behind to distract him from his target. Death Bat shrugged them all off, "Ladies, ladies, there's more than enough of me to go around."
Then he was shaken so hard his teeth nearly loosened, "What the literal hell?"
"Surprise," Vibe cheerfully reminded Death Bat of his presence, "Remember me?"
"Of course I remember…agh!" Death Bat began to snap before he was hit over the head with a discarded police shotgun seemingly floating in midair. Then the rifle turned and chambered itself.
Gypsy became visible again, holding the shotgun on him, "I so wanted to do that."
"So what do we do with him?" Hawkfire referred to the still reeling Death Bat.
Talon drew a curved knife from a leg sheath, "What needs to be done."
"No," Batwoman interposed herself between Talon and the prospective prisoner.
"Step aside," Talon grated.
"Babe! I am so hot for you right now," Death Bat cheered her on.
"Vibe knocked the knife free and shattered it when it hit the already fractured pavement, "That is not the way we do things."
"Tell it to Corto Maltese," Talon sneered, "This is not the way to solve problems. You just don't have the balls to get the job done right."
"Luthor isn't our superior," Batwoman argued, "No matter what he thinks."
"Suck it up," Talon urged, "Tomorrow we'll be asked to hand him to the JLers' heads on silver platters."
"Can't we just get along here?" Hawkfire asked.
"No!" Talon snarled and stomped down the street.
"Give her time," Hawkfire pleaded with Vibe and Gypsy. Batwoman knew the plea was directed at her as well.
Batwoman used steel cable wire to tie a constrictor knot around Death Bat's throat, wrists, and ankles, "He won't be going anywhere."
"Tell the honey I'm so in love," Death Bat leered.
"Zip it, pinhead," Batwoman cuffed his head.
"So who are you all?" Gypsy cradled the shotgun.
"We're with Spyral," Batwoman explained, "I was selected for a special program and became 'Batwoman' when the name became available."
"Batwoman retired?" Vibe asked.
"Both of them," Bette Kane added, "I'm Hawkfire. I used to be Flamebird when I was with the Teen Titans. Bat-Girl was my cousin. After I left the Titans I joined Spyral and here I am in that same special program."
"And the resident psychopath?" Vibe asked.
"Talon was with the Court of Owls just like it sounds and she infiltrated Spyral. But after she stepped down as the training agent for field work, the Owls were destroyed. Including Talon's father. She had nowhere else to go, so she also joined our special program," Batwoman told the pair, "Outside of Spyral, we belong to an independent agency called the Birds of Prey. That's who we're here with today."
"You two are totally cool," Gypsy assessed, "But that other chica is a complete psychopath."
Neither Batwoman nor Hawkfire defended Talon further.
Darkling came to Anna Fortune's aid just as Sentinel and Jade arrived as well. Dreamslayer was a potent sorcerer. The most devastating magical being in Angor's pocket universe, but he derived from the Chaos dimension and had been exiled for failing to usurp a Lord of Chaos. As an instrument of Chaos, Dreamslayer was happy to pit his skills and power against an Agent of Order. But to additionally face down the original Green Lantern, his daughter, and Darkling was asking too much even of a Chaos magician.
Anna called out, "With me!"
She conjured Order magic bonds for Dreamslayer. Sentinel and Jade reinforced them and blended their Green Flame derived powers into the restraints. Dreamslayer found he couldn't escape or break the shackles. And worst of all, they neutralized his Chaos derived power.
"What witchery is this?" Dreamslayer demanded to know.
"Since the emotional spectrum didn't manifest itself in any other universe, my guess is neither did the Starheart to create a Green Flame," Sentinel theorized.
"I don't think that's entirely true," Anna corrected him, "The Lord Green Lantern of Earth-2 utilized a Starheart powered ring and Spencer Hawke wielded a Green Flame powered ring from another parallel universe as well."
"But the Guardians of the Universe vowed there were no Lantern Corps in any other universe," Jade pointed out.
"I was a Green Lantern without the Corps or the Guardians," Sentinel reminded her, "Maybe the same held true in parallel universes."
"What the hell is everyone going off about?" Darkling demanded to know.
"We need to find a way to store this fella," Sentinel sidestepped the question.
"That's the easy part," Darkling told them, "Leave him to me."
Darkling's cape flowed in a wave over him and Dreamslayer vanished. Anna asked the obvious question, "And where, pray tell, did you send him?"
"The one place he doesn't want to be," Darkling smugly affirmed, "The Chaos Realm,."
In the Chaos dimension, Dreamslayer faced judgment and he screamed as it was delivered.
Atom Smasher caught his breath after nearly being crushed by Gorgon. The Fox and Inferno were battling away with him. Fly Girl flew onto the scene and added her buzz guns to the Mighty Crusaders' arsenal with an aerial attack.
"Oh no, not her," Fly Girl groaned as the aptly dressed She-Fox and Pow-Girl joined the fray.
While Gorgon was attacked from every side, Atom Smasher grew as tall as the neighboring buildings. He stomped on Gorgon…twice. The Extremist was unconscious as Atom Smasher shrank back down to his already immense normal stature.
"You're the Mighty Crusaders, aren't you?" he asked the group.
"Us…not them," Fly Girl hurriedly clarified, "I don't know where the hell they came from."
"You're picking her over me?" She-Fox was insulted.
"Make another crack," Fly Girl urged She-Fox.
"Where's the Web?" Pow-Girl asked.
"He didn't come with," Inferno told her.
"Too bad. I so wanted to rub his nose in it," Pow-Girl told them.
"Hey, you were a Web Host once upon a time," Fly Girl realized.
"So were you before you wised up and got fed up with the sanctimonious prick," Pow-Girl replied.
"Can we keep her?" Fly Girl asked Fox.
"Sorry, I'm already spoken for," Pow-Girl let them know.
Atom Smasher and Inferno stayed out of the developing soap opera.
Black Hood opened fire with his shotgun to keep Gunshot distracted from finishing Shining Knight off. Huntress arrived to lend her crossbow to precision shots between the joints of Gunshot's armor. With Gunshot reeling, April Amazing swung her fifteen pound sledge and almost caved his head in.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Huntress intercepted April Amazing, "Bloodthirsty much?"
"He's still alive," April Amazing huffed, "He just reminded me of Prof. Poison."
Huntress knew Poison was April Amazing's sole arch nemesis at that point. Huntress pushed her away from Gunshot, "We need him alive so he can eventually answer questions. Which probably won't be for a couple of months after that hit."
"Leave it to me," Black Hood offered, "He'll wake up and tell us anything we want to know."
Huntress wondered who was the greater threat, April Amazing or Black Hood? Neither seemed interested in Gunshot's long term health. She wondered when she'd started caring about such things. The Justice League had been a bad influence on her.
Tracer couldn't move fast enough to use his forearm blades against the Flash. Atom was equally elusive. And the Shield proved impervious even to Tracer's Amazonium blades. Black Cat was equally annoying. But Poison Ivy presented the real threat against him.
Her vines choked him faster than he could cut them. The damnable plants kept attempting to get inside of him and sprout which they successfully accomplished.
While Tracer's healing factor dealt with the internal damage, Shield delivered the blow that knocked him out. He stared at Tracer, "Didn't they just make a movie about this guy?"
"Yup," as Linda Turner, Black Cat had been Lynn Collins' stunt double.
Ivy looked pensive, "Should I finish him off now?"
"No!" everyone railed as one.
"So it's unanimous then," Ivy sighed, "But you'll live to regret it."
"We'll take our chances," Jay Garrick advised Ivy.
Wildcat joined with Sand and Mr. Terrific to relieve their former teammate from Meanstreak's attentions. Sand proved immune to her psionic weaponry; she was likewise immune to Sand's gas gun but not Wildcat's patented right cross. Mr. Terrific used a T-Sphere to teleport her to the Arctic.
"Let her chill for several minutes and we'll see how amenable she is to surrendering afterwards," Mr. Terrific mused.
Dr. Mid-Nite tended to Hourman, "Easy Rick, you've been through an ordeal."
"Somehow I don't think it's over yet," Hourman admitted.
Cat-Girl tracked Jaguar's trail to the Justice League-Pittsburgh facility. She couldn't help but wonder why Jaguar was headed for the heart of the city's industrial complex. It was a Jaguar's inclination to find trouble and a Cat-Girl's prerogative to assist the Jaguar out of it. Cat-Girl had been studying Maria de Guzman since she'd first began to host the Cat Spirit and after Maria came to host the Spirit of the Jaguar. Maria had unwittingly crossed paths with Cat-Girl several times now.
Each time Cat-Girl had adopted a different disguise and watched Maria from afar. It prickled Maria's senses and she'd seen the poor girl fight an arousal she neither understood nor could she fight. But Cat-Girl was cognizant that Maria was the first Jaguar host in recorded history determined to fight those feelings.
But Jaguar could barely restrain herself in Cat-Girl's presence. Cat-Girl was determined to consummate that attraction. Because of the mystical nature of the spirits, Cat-Girl would be impregnated by Jaguar and because Jaguar was residing in a female host, Jaguar would also be impregnated by the tryst. Something no other person could perform on either of them.
Maria was unaware that as a Jaguar host, she was incapable of bearing children other than those conceived by Cat-Girl. In return, Cat-Girl could only bear children to a Jaguar and since Maria didn't have any worthy heirs, her brothers all having been rejected by the Jaguar spirit, it was incumbent upon her to bear offspring. The Cat spirit was far less stringent. Procreation just suited its immediate needs better.
Normally the Jaguar heir would come exclusively through the Cat line and the Cat spirit would simply choose another selected woman. But hosting both spirits in offspring born of the Jaguar-Cat union would double the future host power even as mortals. But Cat-Girl could sense Jaguar was on to something. And it wasn't her.
Jaguar's neck prickled as she closed in on JL-Pittsburgh. But she plunged further ahead. Behind her, Cat-Girl began to detect the warning signs of danger ahead, but Jaguar pressed on so Cat-Girl would as well.
The JLU and the JSA formally met with the Mighty Crusaders and the Birds of Prey. Despite the Justice Society's previous encounter with the Mighty Crusaders and the fact half of the Birds had either been in the Justice League, Justice Society, or both in Power Girl and Black Mary's cases. Superman addressed the groups with assistance from Shayera Hol and Jesse Quick supported by Special Agent Carol Anne Strander and the remote link up with Liberty Station where KitCat and Kenny Wisdom ran entire teams of support staff.
"I doubt this is over. Luthor has the entire resources of the world to throw at us. You've each chosen a side in this struggle and it isn't Luthor's or his pawns' in the United Nations," Superman stated, "And I doubt Luthor can afford to take us alive to stand a proxy trial at this point."
"Couldn't you have just said, 'thank you' at this point?" Fly Girl quipped.
"Gen. Latham directed us and the entire MLJ to look the other way regarding the presence of the Justice League and render assistance where needed," Shield explained.
"And we don't answer to anyone," Huntress assured them.
"And Director Bones and everyone in the DEO seems to have lost our number," Flash chuckled, "Roxy may or may not have something to do with that."
"There will still be repercussions for all of you," Shayera warned them.
"We're an agency of the United States government, not the United Nations," Carol advised the JLU, "Until President McKay crawls up Luthor's backside to kiss his colon, you're safe from us."
Jesse strode her way out of the mobile command where KitCat and Kenny were keeping tabs on the meet, "Incoming!"
A supersonic LexCorp designed plane shattered windows as it broke the sound barrier in downtown Pittsburgh. Black Hood summed up everyone's feelings, "What the hell?"
The transport returned at a much slower speed and hovered above the embattled streets. A lower ramp opened and the Justice League Task Force deployed.
Jakita Wagner of the Planetary Group chose Power Girl as her target. The Fourth Man, Elijah Snow, that sponsored the amateur archeologist group had lost hundreds of millions of dollars in investment funds when the government revoked Planetary's access to an interstellar ark discovered in Arizona. An ark that carried a Czarnian in cryostasis, a being the government was interested in recruiting.
Carter Hall, the Hawkman, led the research teams and Hawkman had revoked Planetary's admission to the dig site and its supporting research facilities. Planetary had the ability to force their way in but instead the Fourth Man had allied with Luthor to recoup those lost funds and to gain the original archeological relics, the research materials, the specimens, and all copies of all data pertaining to the dig.
Only President Olivia McKay had soundly denied Luthor's demands for all of the above. Snow was attempting to push for an impeachment or even a recall but despite spending even more money that he'd already lost, there was no actionable progress on either front.
But Planetary had played their part in Corto Maltese…twice. The first time had been the ambush designed to kill the Justice League. Barring their failure from that, they testified and coerced testimony to the World Court regarding real crimes and atrocities committed by the Legion of Doom and blamed it on the Justice League.
But Jakita didn't care about any of that at the moment. Jakita had been born in India but raised in Germany and she spoke a dozen languages fluently and had a bare bones grasp on three alien tongues. As a Majestic-level gen active, she had little to worry about on most occasions. Power Girl presented one of those rare happenstances where Jakita was literally in danger.
"Go. Away. You're not facing charges," Jakita shooed Power Girl, "But if you stay you'll be an even bigger accessory than you already are."
"Do I look like I care?" Power Girl grated, "I gave up on governments when CADMUS collapsed under its own weight. And don't think Luthor is any better. He's already plotted how to betray you after you hand him the Justice League's heads on pikes."
"You have it all worked out, don't you?" Jakita mocked her.
"The voice of experience if not reason," Galatea warned her.
"Are we just going to talk all day long?" Jakita really wanted to hit Power Girl all of a sudden.
"That's up to you," Power Girl replied.
"Then let's end this," Jakita charged forward at near Daxamite super speed.
"So the big, bad Green Lantern who thinks he's a brother," Ambrose Chase chuckled, "I guess we both made good from the `hood."
"I don't see it that way," John Stewart corrected him.
"Probably not, Uncle Tom. But I'm not the one who pissed off the United Nations," Ambrose warned him.
"You're well educated and you have supernatural abilities yet you still sold yourself to Luthor for thirty pieces," John disapproved.
"I'd still be doing my field work in archeology if it wasn't for your pal Hawkman," Ambrose warned him, "I hear he has a special connection to you and your lovely wife. You don't happen to have Starbrat in your back pocket, do you?"
"No," John wondered if this was the man Courtney Whitmore had put on the ground back at Corto Maltese before things went to hell.
"Then let's party like it's 1999 again," Ambrose began manipulating local gravity fields. John's ruing enabled him to resist. But the effort made him irritable.
The Drummer seized control of Mr. Terrific's T-Spheres, "Ah, toys."
"You must be the resident technopath," Mr. Terrific deduced.
"Why can't I target you?" Drummer cajoled.
"You'll wish you knew," Mr. Terrific pledged as he began to box Drummer.
Threshold used invisible psionic constructs to battle Sentinel's visible ones. Sentinel quickly surmised that Threshold was a psychotic little turd. One that wouldn't rest until Alan Scott was dead. So Sentinel decided to prove he couldn't be killed even by unconventional means.
"Sweetie, it's harder for me to seduce women but don't think I can't," Bliss warned Jade.
"I can handle myself," Jade replied.
"But I can feel all that pent up sexual energy," Bliss advised her, "Just not getting any?"
Jade suddenly appreciated Bliss' smile and began fantasizing about things she'd never dreamt of before. She just wanted Bliss inside her regardless of extremity or orifice.
"I've got you now. I'll make all your sweet desires come true if you just kill Sentinel for me," Bliss promised.
Jade set out to kill her father.
Blind viewed the world in black and white contrasts. Effectively blinded, his paradigm matched his perceptual dysfunction. And it only took one of Dr. Mid-Nite's blackout bombs to prove Blind was aptly named. In addition, Blind was relentless and possibly unhinged.
The Doctor used hallucinogenic gases rather than time travel to defeat foes. But General Glory was suffused with the power of the Spirit of Lady Liberty. She immunized him from the Doctor's toys. But the Doctor never, ever gave up. So he began mixing chemicals in heretofore untried combinations.
"You really want to throw down?" Inferno was amused to be confronted by a cyborg.
"I'm detecting cybernetic components utterly lacking organic materials to adhere to," the Engineer rattled off.
"You could've started with 'hello'," Inferno said with disgust lacing every word.
"My mission parameters are to improve the tech base of this planet, then use it to improve the mind and body of every global citizen," Engineer recited from memory.
"Or you could just say you want to take over the world. So much easier," Inferno retorted.
"I detect hostility when you are not listed as a mission priority. Rather you were a mission exclusion until ten minutes ago. But your demise is still a secondary concern," Engineer announced, "Why then are you impeding my progress?"
"Because you suck, your mission sucks, and your cue ball headed boss sucks big weenie," Inferno spat.
"Unfortunately you have been reprioritized," Engineer told Inferno, "Goodbye."
And the Engineer began his attack.
The man known only as High was originally from Earth-9. He'd been gen activated in 1940, the year Superman and nine other mystery men founded the Justice Society of America. When the entire JSA fell before the Nazis in early 1951, High had been in his twenties and donned a costume to fight the "noble" fight for thirty years, unaging and unyielding. But he wearied of decades of warfare, and he found a way to breach the vibrational wall separating Earths.
So High went on a tour of the Multiverse and eventually made his way to Earth Prime. After a decade on Earth Prime, as its latest generation of heroes arose High grew disillusioned. So he gathered the Changers to eradicate all known societal structures and systems to reshape the world where every man and woman did what was right in their own eyes failing to see that one individual's personal truth would conflict with another's, eventually if not right away. And with no moral code governing their actions, those conflicting individuals would escalate matters until one or the other was dead.
But High refused to believe his goals would lead to anarchy. Instead he futilely insisted that everyone would naturally adopt a universal truth. With him as their universally appointed savior and all the rewards that entailed.
High was completely human whereas Superman only wished he were. But High was a class above a typical Majestic-level meta-human. He not only had Daxamite, strength, speed, flight, and invulnerability but he also mirrored Superman's vision powers as well as other associated gifts. Of course, the gradient was skewed because Bronski had only been Majestic for seven years before his death, hardly time to establish a firm baseline, and Jakita Wagner only had select Daxamite abilities so John Lynch and Ivana Baiul had deemed her gen activation as a partial failure.
High had dreamt of crushing this world's Superman but until that moment it had been an idle fantasy. Superman epitomized the very authority structures High had pledged himself with destroying. He would have killed Superman even if Luthor hadn't asked him to and he'd deal with Luthor after he was the last man of authority standing.
"I've heard of you," Superman dimly recalled an ARGUS briefing regarding the Changers and their mysterious leader, "You're some kind of anarchist terrorist."
"Labels are meaningless," High said haughtily, "Used by people with small minds and even smaller vision."
"You just appeared out of nowhere ten years ago and just became active in world affairs a few months ago," Superman recalled, "Until then you barely appeared out from under public scrutiny a dozen times or more."
"I was gathering intelligence on this world's problems," High revealed, "And I seem to be the only one with conviction enough to deal with them."
"We'll see," Superman's eyes narrowed.
The African warrior-priestess called Rite confronted Anna Fortune. Anna, as an Agent of Order, was fully aware of Rite's sect and her extremist goals. Anna had prepared for this particular confrontation while Rite summoned her power through incantations, powders, and potions, Anna loaded a carefully selected spell casing.
But she preferred the diplomatic approach, "I know what you represent and why you do it. I would applaud your goals if they didn't tinge with Chaos. Do you truly believe Chaos magic will better the world and the lives within it?" Anna had to inquire.
"I will do whatever is needed to accomplish what my sisters are too lax to do," Rite replied.
"Again, a noble intention. But are you certain of the viability of your plan? You may think you control Chaos but in the end, it always controls the user," Anna warned her, "When you strip Order away, something always takes its place. And Chaos breeds a kind of darkness you seem ill prepared for."
"Each person will do what's right in their own eyes," Rite boasted.
"And what is right in my neighbor's eye often times threatens my life and sanity," Anna tried to warn her, "Safety becomes a thing of the past while the illusion of might makes right persists in its place."
"Why are you debating me?" Rite was suspicious.
"I've seen the results of competing ideologies unleashed upon a nation. Untold useless deaths occur. Staged worldwide the effect will only be magnified exponentially. I won't allow it to happen again if I can possibly deter it," Anna advised Rite.
"Then it is good you can't stop change," Rite attacked at that moment.
Gypsy had already vanished before Smoke faced Vibe, "Where's the girl?"
"What girl?" Vibe played it cool, or so he thought.
"Okay wise guy. Either tell me or I'll fill you full of hot lead," Smoke informed him.
"Really? We're already down to threats?" Vibe was disappointed.
Smoke literally became a cloud of smoke…with two handguns suspended in midair. Vibe could hardly believe it, "Well, that's new."
"Oh hell," Wish lamented as Fly Girl confronted her, "Look Sweets, my mental powers really don't work well on women but they still work."
"Try it on," Fly Girl offered.
"Find your lover and kill him," Wish commanded.
"Find the Fox and kill him," Fly Girl murmured before shaking her head, "Okay, it's both barrels for you."
Fly Girl dealt with Wish with both buzz guns blazing.
"Stop right there!" Black Mary ordered Eidolon.
"I exist beyond life and beyond death. I have seen the nothingness that awaits us all," Eidolon boasted.
"I've seen what lies beyond and it isn't pretty no matter where or what you think you encountered,"Black Mary told him.
"Then let me release you to it," Eidolon grabbed her wrist and Black Mary screamed at his death touch. But the demonic forces that posed as the Egyptian gods bolstered her life essence and she survived and punched Eidolon. He skidded a dozen feet back.
He rubbed his jaw, "That was certainly different."
"You again, go figure," Rose Tattoo complained as Wonder Woman confronted her, "You already tried killing me once. How'd that work for you?"
"I'll succeed eventually," Artemis told the living Spirit of Murder.
"You Amazonian babes, always so feisty," Rose Tatoo's enthusiasm grew, "Let's get it on."
Lord Daemonite, before his demise and the destruction of the Daemonites on Earth, assembled a group of unaffected Kherabim and hybrids he called the Cabal. Providence was a member and bonded to an Orb of Power like her rival, Void. But Void had left Earth.
Providence and her remaining teammates had lost their master and their purpose in life. So now the Cabal sought new purpose obeying Luthor's commands. But Providence had difficulty sensing Supergirl. It was as if she were from an alternate reality. She was, by her very nature, elusive and hard to get a hold of. But she would still have to die.
Devin was a full blooded Kherabim and a former sister in the warrior cult known as the Coda. She was by inclination and training effectively a Female Fury. So Devin had specifically singled out Barda as a test of her own mettle.
Devin appreciated Barda's silent assessment of her because Devin was doing the same. It would be a joyous battle to remember.
Pike was a human-Kherabim hybrid like so many others that had departed Earth. But the Kherabim had determined Pike was too unstable for their role in the conflict with the Daemonites so they rejected him. Lord Daemonite happily accepted him as a military strategist and chief enforcer. His superior strength and fighting skills had made him the ideal candidate for the role.
But now he faced Wildcat.
Taboo, the final member of the Cabal, and a hated one by the others at that, faced three opponents. April Amazing, Black Cat, and the Queen of Diamonds blocked Taboo's path. Taboo didn't have a clue to who any of the women were, but her vampiric armor wanted their blood and would give her all the power she needed to secure it. And she was even inclined to do it.
"So they sent the faithful soldier," Sister Superior remarked upon seeing Shield facing her down, "You and your so-called 'Mighty Crusaders' weren't on our warrant until you assisted the Justice League. Now the World Court amended its warrants to include you all."
"We couldn't let these people destroy Pittsburgh and when the Justice League came to help we couldn't stand by and let them carry the burden alone."
"Too bad for you. It's only going to cost you your lives," Sister Superior shrugged, showing off her cybernetic arms.
"You can't honestly believe the Justice League is guilty of those crimes," Shield debated her.
"It doesn't matter what I believe. But what I know is the League's high handed approach with my Elite just makes them want to hand the Justice League over to the World Court and wash their hands of the results," Sister Superior informed him.
"So this is about revenge for you," Shield realized.
"They also inadvertently caused the death of my brother, Manchester Black," Sister Superior accused.
"I'm sorry," Shield replied.
"Don't be. I would have had to kill him myself otherwise," Sister Superior told him.
"Look, I don't know you and I especially don't know your history but this is wrong," Shield stated.
"So you really won't walk away from this?" Sister Superior was incredulous.
"No, I won't," Shield pledged.
"Your loss," Sister Superior settled in to break the Shield.
Coldcast discharged electrical current from one hand to the other. It was impressive and Power Ring said as much.
"Look, Sweet Thang, I don't want to hurt you so just hand me that fancy ring of yo'rs," Coldcast offered.
"Couple of problems with that proposition," Jessica Cruz told him, "The ring is symbiotically fused to me and you'd have to cut my finger off to get it if it even let you try. And I'm not inclined to surrender to you or anyone else."
"Ouch! And here I thought we could keep it friendly," Coldcast complained.
"I've worked with Luthor so I know first hand what an egotistical sleaze he is. Why isn't he here himself doing his own fetch and carry work?" Jessica wanted to know.
"The man's busy. Let him be busy. You're my main thought at the moment. Why don't you keep the ring and surrender to stand trial just `cause it's the decent thing to do?" Coldcast wondered.
"Go to hell," Jessica retorted.
"Shoot, I didn't think you'd go for it," Coldcast built up an electromagnetic wave and unleashed it at Power Ring, "I tried. I honestly did."
"Hey! I can do that too," Menagerie sprouted metal wings out of the back of her armor. The metal tubing was filled with a membrane giving the wings substance.
War Eagle wore a vicious smile, "But can you fly?"
"As good as you," Menagerie insisted.
"We'll see, won't we?" War Eagle took flight and Menagerie followed. War Eagle flashed her talons and menagerie charged her hands with energy. War Eagle planned on testing every one of Menagerie's limits.
Hat was Japanese by birth but had been raised in the States by his shopkeeper parents. But they'd been plagued by local crooks as well as transplanted Yakuza. His parents had eventually been killed in a clash between Triads and the Yakuza on the streets of New York. Hat himself was taken in by Shinto monks who trained him in Shinto sorcery.
Like the alchemist sect of Taoism, Shinto had a segment devoted to animistic control over spirits and natural forces. Hat could sense that Hangman was all of the above and he instinctively detected the bond between Hangman and his crow, which meant Hangman was actually blind.
"The bird has to go," Hat decided, "My quarrel is not with you."
"Then leave this place," Hangman replied. Interestingly enough to Hat, the crow defied his instructions.
"We both know that creature isn't simply a crow," Hat tested Hangman's knowledge.
"Maybe or maybe not. But he is a spirit brother and my guide and he wants you to depart as much as I do," Hangman told him, "Let me tell you the truth behind Luthor's imperatives."
"I think I'd rather kill the crow," Hat determined.
"Then try if you must," Hangman sighed.
"You're even hotter in real life than those crappy YouTube sightings," Dreadbolt of the Terror Titans decided.
Huntress knew right then and there she wouldn't mind breaking a few of his bones just on general principle, "Oh really?"
"Yeah, but don't get me wrong. I'll torch you if I have to. But a blowjob could change my mind," Dreadbolt offered.
"I have a crossbow bolt with your name on it. Plus a dozen more besides," Huntress decided to screw the pleasantries.
"Then let's do this," Dreadbolt angrily said after the rejection.
Disruptor eyed her opponents. Spy Smasher used firearms not a gen active gift, so her nervous system could be disrupted but not her powers. Blackjack didn't even have the guns but he was still potentially a meta-human. The Marvel was just plain creepy in a Question kinda way. She decided she'd enjoy killing them all. But then again, she always enjoyed killing people.
Persuader cradled her Atomic Axe as she was surrounded by Talon, Hawkfire, and Batwoman, "I could take you all out with a single stroke or you could just walk away now and call it even."
"Can I count the ways you can go to hell?" Talon angrily sneered.
"Okay, but you chose this," Persuader began to pump herself up for action.
Blacksmith, the designated leader of the Rogues, was worried about Sand. He was a silicate life form and therefore might be immune to her ability to transmute flesh into organic metal and control it afterwards. But she'd bluster through somehow. She always had and always would.
Fox made a judgment call regarding Murmur. He decided anyone who sews their lips shut and brandished that wild look in their eye had to be flat butt crazy.
And so, Fox continued in his grand tradition of being a freak magnet. But he felt fairly confident. He had a katana and a nunchuk versus Murmur's scalpels. But Murmur didn't appear to be intimidated.
Which might simply be psychosis or it could be intimate knowledge of something hidden from Fox which tended to worry him. But he also knew he'd be forced to deal with the sociopath sooner rather than later. The code of Bushido demanded it.
Plunder enjoyed his-self comparison with Black Hood: Both were armed to the teeth; they carried assault rifles, shotguns, pistols, knives, and probably even a few discrete grenades; and both wore customized body armor. It would be an epic fight and one Plunder looked forward to.
"What are you supposed to be?" Girder asked Steel Sterling.
Steel Sterling transmuted his flesh tones into revealing the biometal that made up his body, "Your cousin of sorts, I guess. We're both men of steel."
"Haw! I still outmuscle you, shrimp-o!" Girder bragged.
"Care to try that out and see for yourself?" Steel Sterling never wavered which made Girder nervous.
Flash raced to a halt before Magenta. She pouted, "You're not Wally."
"Frankie Kane?" Jay Garrick was horrified to find her here.
"The one and only. Can you say the same?" Magenta taunted Flash.
"You don't have to do this, Frankie," Flash advised her.
"I do, I really, really do," she warned him, "And the name's Magenta now."
Atom Smasher joined Hourman, Atom, and the Shining Knight as the wounded reserve. Atom Smasher was the least wounded, Hourman and Shining Knight required hospitalization, and Atom was still trying to shake off Tracer's assault.
Darkling was tasked with guarding them and in retrieving the Extremists. She couldn't fathom Latham's reasoning. One minute they threw her into harm's way then they babied her when she was needed most. Carol had been forced to explain that Darkling alone of all the Mighty Crusaders had the raw power to deal with an escaped Extremist.
That pacified Darla Lang but she still swore if she were sidelined without an explanation again, even the other Hangman who wasn't here could stop her from quitting the MLJ, Satan's hitman or not.
"Peek-a-boo," Cat-Girl snickered from behind Jaguar.
"So you're finally showing yourself," Jaguar studied the entrance to the base facility.
"Do you have a sudden craving to strip me naked and eat my…?" Cat-Girl began to ask.
Jaguar halted her in mid-sentence, "Yes. And it's really annoying."
"Because you've never felt that way about a woman before," Cat-Girl guessed.
"It's very confusing," Jaguar admitted.
"Welcome to hosting the Spirit of the Jaguar. My life was a wreck after the Cat Spirit chose me, but I learned to make do. My need to find and mate with a Jaguar got easier after your aunt died and the Jaguar chose you," Cat-Girl admitted, "At least you stand a better chance of understanding what I'm going through."
"But I don't want to give in to this," Jaguar protested.
"You don't have to," Cat-Girl told her, "But that choice might drive you crazy. I just don't know."
"Did you notice the people my team is fighting don't smell like people at all. I followed a trail of lubricant to reach here. And this is where the trail ends," Jaguar resumed studying the lock.
"Then let's go in," Cat-Girl offered.
"As in 'us'? Together?" Jaguar was suspicious.
"To be honest I don't ever want to leave your side but you're not ready for that. So at least let me help keep you safe," Cat-Girl pleaded.
"Um…right," Jaguar allowed.
"You lead and I will gladly follow," Cat-Girl promised.
"I know why they put me with you all," She-Fox bitterly complained, "It's all Fly Girl's fault."
"Hey! It's not like that," Comet protested, "Fly Girl is cool."
"She's not dating your ex," She-Fox pointed out.
"Well, there is that," Comet conceded.
"The plants are telling me our wayward pair just entered a building," Poison Ivy advised them all.
"You can talk to weeds?" Savant enthused, "That's incredible."
"No more than three thousand year old aliens living amongst us," Ivy said dryly.
"You're certain they went into that building up ahead?" Plastic Man sought clarification.
"I said so, didn't I?" Ivy crossly replied.
"That's a reserve JLU base set up when the League first became a UN chartered agency," Plas explained, "We received a briefing on it before we arrived."
"Then you know how to bypass the security to get us in," Savant surmised.
"I think someone already got in. And out," She-Fox pointed at the muddy tracks coming from the property.
"Uh…guys? I'm pretty sure those tracks belong to our baddies," Comet remarked.
"'Guys'? Really?" Ivy was insulted.
"They probably overwrote the security protocols if they've breached the building's interior," Plastic Man frowned.
"Then how do we get in?" She-Fox wondered.
"Simple," Ivy smirked, "We make our own door."
Darkling watched as the "Extremists" lost their lifelike appearance and began to literally fall apart. Atom Smasher was alarmed, "What they hell? They're dying."
"They were never alive," Darkling quickly deduced, "The real versions of them were at one time, I'm guessing. But Dreamslayer was a master sorcerer someone built him these robots and his magic brought them to a kind of life. I should have detected it earlier."
Carol had joined them,"Your powers are still new to you. There's no foul. They were beaten anyway even with the one called Dreamslayer animating them."
"But who built them and why?" Atom wondered.
"I was sent to Angor. There was an entire amusement park filled with these things. And they were all murderous," Darkling explained, "Obviously whoever built the park built these as well."
"But Angor is a dead world," Atom countered.
"And it still is," Darkling retorted.
"Could Dreamslayer have built these robots?" Jesse Quick stepped into the conversation.
"Highly unlikely," Shayera Hol inputted, "Anna said the Dreamslayer was a Chaos magician. I rather doubt Chaos would be building complex machinery. It's just antithetical."
"Then there may be someone else we haven't encountered yet," Atom Smasher deduced.
"And our team's looking for Jaguar and Cat-Girl are probably hot on the trail right now," Carol guessed.
The "JLA" kept Lady Flash hydrated and her blood glucose levels up. In under an hour she underwent a complete three week withdrawal from Velocity 9. She was now physically freed from its grip. But the psychological need was still there. And that could a lifetime to overcome.
Ivanka Christina Borodin Molotova was resting and quietly conversing with Valentina Vostok. Killer Frost and Insect Queen were eavesdropping on the calls being made over Luthor's "secure" phone network. Tefe Holland was communing with nature while Blue Jay and the now awake Silver Sorceress shared a meal supplied by Tefe and Insect Queen. Neo Joker had expertly carved up the venison and was at a nearby lake collecting the fish Tefe lured to shore.
When Marian Drew returned to the day use cabin, she asked the unoccupied Killer Frost, "Question: if hikers stumble onto us, do I simply kill them and call it good?"
"I have hornets and wasps patrolling the area. No one is getting through. Even if they're panicked enough to wade through the swarms I command, Tefe has skunks strategically patrolling the trails," Insect Queen informed her.
"There goes my fun," Neo Joker complained.
"We don't need to be killing anyone," Killer Frost joined in.
"So you say now," Neo Joker pouted, "It wasn't always the case."
"I'm not afraid of bloodying my hands. But I want to have a good reason to," Killer Frost shared, "Hikers don't qualify."
"Fun isn't a good enough reason?" Neo Joker whined.
"Not anymore," Killer Frost informed her, "Not for me and certainly not for you."
"Well, we've determined that the Justice League Task Force has engaged the real Justice League," Insect Queen reminded Killer Frost.
"We need to finally contact Dr. Mist," Killer Frost decided.
"I understand," Dr. Mist marveled at how Valentina had created a transceiver for his errant team members replete with charged batteries, "But Max Lord has prohibited us from engaging the task force. Instead he wants us to merge with them and be his agents in place within Luthor's mob. But that doesn't mean we can't find and monitor the Legion of Doom."
"Don't forget Libra and the Secret Society of Super Villains. They won't be closing shop just because Saturn Queen has gone missing. And there's still the Injustice Society to worry about," Killer Frost reminded him.
"Libra has been actively recruiting under Lexy's nose," L-Ron joined the conversation.
"I thought you were Max's pet stooge," Killer Frost admitted.
"No siree bob, Snow Cone," L-Ron happily replied, "I have complete autonomy on how to complete my assigned tasks. And my discretion let's me let you run this little operation without interference and especially without reporting unnecessary details."
"Return when you can while we focus on finding our target groups with L-Ron's expert assistance," Dr. Mist told her.
"Did we leave anyone out?" Belphegor asked.
"Ya might wanna check out either Brain Emperor or the Global Trust," L-Ron felt helpful.
"You joking, little tin can," Molotov guffawed, "What is a 'Brain Emperor'?"
"There's always Intergang and the Syndicate Underground to investigate as well," L-Ron sounded irked.
"Da, Pirate Blue bought a Soviet era Kilo-class submarine from a rogue general. She has used it to plunder Russian shipping and ports. Her demise has been ordered at the highest level of our government," Bolshoi shared.
"We may be able to arrange for you to pursue her," Dr. Mist allowed.
"Her crew is entirely made up of women who love women," Hammer drooled.
"My brother is such a pig," Sickle apologized, "He thinks with his Richard."
"That's 'dick'," Red Star explained.
"Don't remind us of the years you spent abroad rather than defending the Motherland," Pravda advised him.
"Profitable years it seems now," Red Star replied.
"Enough with the bickering," Owlwoman snapped at everyone, "No wonder you people had problems after the Soviet collapse. We need to work together if we're to work at all."
"Then what do you want us to do, Littlebird?" Molotov sneered Wenonah's last name.
"We split into five teams with five targets of opportunity and we monitor and report on them all," Owlwoman told them.
"Good plan. I'm glad I thought of it," Molotov congratulated himself.
"And I'm glad you insisted on blending our various factions into mixed teams," Owlwoman wore a cold smile.
The People's Heroes all scowled. Molotov was predictably outraged, "The People's Heroes work together or not at all."
"It's little wonder you never accomplish anything," Red Star quipped.
Owlwoman glared at him. Dr. Mist and Belphegor felt their migraines beginning.
KitCat and Kenny Wisdom fed intelligence and data to Carol and her liaison counterparts to coordinate with the assembled federal and local agencies as well as the National Guard. But a staffer approached Latham, "Sir? We're detecting a breach in one of our offsite facilities."
"Which one?" the General asked.
"Eagle's Aerie," she reported, "We've never even sent a team to secure the site."
"Patch me into Eagle's Aerie," Latham told the staffer, "I'll take it in my office."
Latham's image appeared on Steve Trevor's monitor, "Hello, Colonel. It's been awhile."
"Since Team 7 still existed," Trevor agreed, "Now that you know where we are, what happens next?"
"It's a funny thing, Col. Trevor. I have Presidential orders to engage you but they don't specify how. And without specific orders it's left to my discretion as how to accomplish that goal. So consider yourself engaged," Latham told him, "As your Justice League is discovering from my Mighty Crusaders. Unless I receive a direct order to detain you all, I'm choosing to work with you rather than at cross purposes. And if I should receive that order, I'm sure the paper trail can be muddled long enough for you all to vanish again."
"Thank you, General. And thanks for your team working beside mine," Trevor offered.
"Are they? I must have misspoken. I'll forget that again as soon as this conversation concludes," Latham chuckled.
"Again, it's appreciated," Trevor admitted.
"Just clear your name," Latham urged, "And I have some thoughts on how my agency and my personnel can assist in that."
"Do tell," Trevor requested.
Gwen Cormaugh ordered the reactivation of Task Force X. Nightshade posed an unanswerable question to King Faraday's elite intelligence unit attached to Belle Reve. Hack monitored Faraday's staff while running down Oracle's defenses on Gen. Sam Lane's behalf.
"Oracle is good but not good enough to keep me out," Hack promised, "I'll get your entrance window."
Gwen nodded as she turned to Col. Rick Flagg, "Will that be good enough?"
"It'll have to be," Flagg responded because he had no other choice.