17
Trevor and the JLA stormed Nyssa's Welsh manor house only to find the Injusticers were long gone. There were no records of any sorts. Not even sheets of paper. All the computer hard drives had been pulled out and taken as well. The Question had to admire their thoroughness. All that remained was an envelope addressed to Trevor. It said:
Hello Steve,
I know about your new mission. As much as I'd like to see Slade, Dean, and Chuck go down for their multitude of crimes, they're engaged in a work that might just save the human race. Sick the Question and Ralph on the puzzle called the Daemonites and see what you come up with. In the meantime, I'll deal with Talia al Ghul and the Ubu clan.
Dinah
"What do you make of this?" Trevor handed the note to the Question.
"She's surprisingly free of stress," he remarked explaining her handwriting was impeccable, "These 'Daemonites' and their counterparts, the 'Kherabim', come up routinely in my type of research. The Daemonites always represent a threat to the survival of mankind while the Kherabim are portrayed as being somewhat nobler but they're nearly extinct."
"So they're from Earth?" Trevor asked.
"Not even remorely," Question almost guffawed.
The Freedom Fighters staged from a rooftop across from Teen Titans Compound. Doll Man silently reconnoitered the compound exterior before returning to report to Uncle Sam. They made their plans to capture the Titans and made ready to get underway.
"I reckon we oughta start knockin' on them thar doors," Uncle Sam made certain his top hat was affixed firmly on his head.
Superboy and Wonder Girl answered the front door after Uncle Sam and Black Condor simply flew over the gate. Neither Titan seemed pleased to be receiving company. Especially the meta-human kind of company.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Superboy challenged them both.
"I reckon yore one of this here generation that don't subscribe much to patriotism. But I'm the livin' Spirit of America. And I'm here `cause the powers that be in this here great land have determined that yore a threat," Uncle Sam informed them.
Superboy and Wonder Girl exchanged blank expressions and shrugs. Wonder Girl asked the next question, "Who considers us a threat?"
"Why the duly elected government of these here fifty states," Uncle Sam seemed to be what he appeared to be. A walking, talking recruiting poster.
"Since when?" Wonder Girl scoffed.
"Since before we was given our marchin' orders, missy," Uncle Sam told her.
"So will you come with us willingly?" Black Condor broke his stoic silence.
"What do you think?" Superboy snidely asked.
"Boy, I know you've been angry since John Lynch birthed ya outta a test tube," Uncle Sam had read every Titan's file, "But Lynch created NOWHERE outta respect for this here country. He intended ta harness the meta-gene and use gen factors ta safeguard those of us here at home."
"Well, I don't have a meta-gene, now do I?" Superboy grated.
"Now I plum don't reckon I'd know. Ya are a blend of human and Kryptonian DNA so I don't rightly know if that qualifies or not. I guess we'd hafta ask that thar Lynch fella," Uncle Sam pleaded ignorance.
"I was told Lynch disposed of any clone or captured meta he didn't deem worthy of surviving," Wonder Girl quoted the survivors, "He held gladiatorial contests to determine who was worthy and who wasn't."
"Ma'am, I'm not at liberty ta judge things I never saw or heard about," Uncle Sam evaded the issue again, "But I do know our beloved President issued orders ta bring ya'll in so that's what we're gonna do all right. So are ya comin' peaceably or not?"
Superboy and Wonder Girl shared a mutual thought before saying their reply in unison, "Not."
"I plum already knew that, son," Uncle Sam said sadly as he caught Superboy's thrown fist. Wonder Girl engaged Black Condor. Uncle Sam fought back with a strength that rivaled the teen's own. Superboy had half of Superman's strength, speed, and durability. Uncle Sam met him evenly on all of these planes.
Wonder Girl, a child of Zeus, followed Black Condor into the air. There she snared him with her red lasso of thunder, given to her by Ares. It jolted him several times until he passed out. Then she gently lowered him to the ground and unbound him.
"I'm much obliged ta ya for not hurtin' Condor anymore than ya had ta," Uncle Sam repaid the courtesy by gently lowering Superboy and laying him out on the front paddock.
"Conner!" Cassie Sandsmark exclaimed.
She looped her lasso over Uncle Sam, who looked incredibly bored as she shot him with wave after wave of thunderbolts. Finally he yawned, "Does this get any more interstin' `cause frankly I'm bored ta tears."
He pulled it off of him and Cassie let loose with an all out barrage. Uncle Sam almost looked discomforted, "Gotta say, ma'am, that kinda tickles a mite."
Wonder Girl looked worried for the last few seconds she remained conscious. Uncle Sam threw the lasso over her just as she mentally triggered another cavalcade of electrical discharges. In effect, she stunned herself.
Uncle Sam checked on Black Condor, "Is ya okay thar, Condor?"
"First that Obsession woman and now her," Black Condor groaned as Uncle Sam helped him to his feet, "I'm beginning to hate women with electrical powers."
"Then I guess it's plum all right that our sweet Danette controls fire instead," Uncle Sam enjoyed watching the Native American actually turn red.
At the rear entrance, near the compound's pool house, Phantom Lady strolled through the gates as a shadow. Doll Man used his jet pack to fly over and follow her. Throwing back her hoodie, Phantom Lady rematerialized.
Four Teen Titans were gathered around the pool. Phantom Lady was not amused, "Seriously? It's this easy to sneak up on you?"
Kid Flash created a wake in the water as he streaked out of the pool and towards Phantom Lady. Beast Boy was the next and he transformed into a green rhinoceros. Solstice's skin went black as she absorbed the ambient light contacting her skin.
"Here's the deal, you come quietly and we'll put a good word in for you," Phantom Lady offered.
Raven strode between the others, "What are you talking about?"
"We're serving an arrest warrant for all of you," Doll man explained, "You're expected to resist but if you don't then you can get better accommodations for cooperating."
Raven smacked the boys upside their heads for staring at Phantom Lady's ample cleavage. Both were practically drooling. She felt naseaum over it.
"What's the charge?" Raven inquired.
"Don't know and don't care," Phantom Lady said flippantly, "So will this be hard or easy?"
"Hard. Definitely hard," Beast Boy stammered.
"Yeah. What he said," Kid Flash agreed.
Raven and Solstice felt like dying. Raven grimaced, "This is where being half-demon has its advantages."
She touched both of their temples and pain seared through their skulls, "Stay focused, losers."
"I've got this," Kid Flash charged forward with his hands outstretched as if to grope Phantom Lady's breast. She absorbed him into the Phantom Zone and released him several seconds later.
He curled into the fetus position, "C…cold."
"What did you do?" Solstice frantically demanded to know.
"Don't know or care. He'll get over it," Phantom Lady shrugged. Beast Boy's rhino head bobbed as her breasts marginally lifted up and down.
Raven swore she'd kill him if they survived this. Solstice fired a beam of pure light at Phantom Lady. The Freedom Fighter responded by absorbing the beam into the Phantom Zone. Doll Man fired a miniature capsule at that exploded on her skin and covered her with a thick viscous foam.
"Brahma! What is this crap?" Solstice shrieked.
Phantom Lady's gauntlets projected phantom energy that she used to form constructs like a power ring's or the Titan named Bunker. She wrestled Beast Boy to the ground and pinned him inside a bubble when he reverted to his human form.
"Let. Him. Go," Raven advised, "He's an idiot to be sure but he's my idiot."
"No," Phantom Lady stubbornly refused.
Raven detached her soul self and Doll Man snared it in a trap specifically designed for Raven. After her soul and body remained parted for too long, the self image shattered and Raven screamed and passed out.
"Not bad, Stormy. We took them all out in less than five minutes," Doll Man enthused.
"These gauntlets and suit are sooo much better than my old phantom ray gun," Phantom Lady did some enthusing of her own.
"Yeah, sure. But look at the tools I have at my disposal since we joined ARGUS," Doll Man practically swooned, "I might even be able to reverse my condition and make my size changing a willing variable like the Atom's."
"But I like dressing you in Barbie Ken doll clothes," Phantom Lady smirked.
"And I like taking showers with you," Doll Man grinned appreciatively.
"Can't have you drowning, can I?" Phantom Lady asked affectionately.
"I don't trust this Lynch guy," Doll Man abruptly changed the subject, "Three days ago, he was the wanted fugitive."
"Maybe, but we worked with everyone, even Stalin, back in the war," Phantom Lady reminded him.
"And look how that turned out for Russia," Doll Man kibitzed.
Human Bomb removed his gloves and tucked them into the belt of his protective gear. Placing his hands on the garage doors, he charged them into explosive release. As they exploded, Bunker erected a construct wall. Skitter and Miss Martian readied themselves for a confrontation with unknown assailants.
Firebrand exuded flames as she casually strolled inside followed by Human Bomb, "I advise you to surrender There's no way you can win."
"Go!" Bunker yelled at M'gann.
A wave of flames cascading against Bunker's barrier and she saw the wisdom in his words. Firebrand frowned as the Martian fled, "Okay, we do it your way."
Danette Reilly nodded to Human Bomb and he placed a hand against the barrier wall and began to infuse it with explosive energy. Bunker could feel it, "What the hell?"
His construct exploded and knocked Bunker out. Skitter pulled off her sun dress and stripped out of her bra and underwear and transformed into her insectoid form. And then she attacked Firebrand.
Human Bomb grabbed a hold of Skitter's Stinger and blew it apart. She went down with a buzzing whimper and curled into a ball. But Firebrand used a finger to cauterize the wound.
"You'll be fine," Firebrand assured Skitter, "Damn, we lost the Martian."
Human Bomb pulled his gloves back on, "She'll turn up."
"Fire is her worst enemy," Firebrand reminded him, "And contained spaces work against her. If she breaks out into the open against the others, she'll escape."
"We'll deal with it when it happens," Human Bomb promised her.
Invisible, M'gann checked on everyone else before descending into the basement. There Jason Todd was in the lab with Caitlin Fairchild. Alone of everyone today, Jason was geared up as Red Hood except he'd removed his helmet. Jason was arguing, as usual, with Caitlin.
"Why are you still working with ARGUS?" Jason was adamant, "They're the parent agency that created NOWHERE."
"ARGUS is tapping into a new level of gen research," Fairchild replied, "They've discovered key facets to harnessing the meta-gene within the gen active. Now they're looking into being able to deactivate gen factors."
"Of course, because you want to deactivate your own gen factor and crawl away into a typical life," Jason accused.
"Is that so wrong?" Fairchild snapped at him.
"You're a coward," Jason sneered.
"The Titans have fallen!" M'gann announced as she became visible again.
Fairchild activated the security monitors, "Oh God, she's right."
Jason strapped on the Red Hood, "Let's get some."
"Who are they?" M'gann wondered.
"Recognition software labels them as the Freedom Fighters," Fairchild paused, "They're ARGUS agents."
"See?" Red Hood pointedly humiliated her.
Fairchild ejected two 2 terabyte drives and put them in a duffel. Then she engaged the lab's self destruct, "Follow me."
Reaching the end of the hall, she opened a secret door leading to a storm drain, "Gar had this escape route constructed when he had the compound built."
After the escaping Titans had made it a block away, Fairchild collapsed the drain tunnel. Then they went another block and came up through a manhole. M'gann transformed into Megan Morse.
"I'll go see what's happening," she offered.
"I'll get us some wheels," Red Hood promised. They left Fairchild literally holding the bag.
Megan returned first, "All sorts of law enforcement have converged on the compound. Most of them are ARGUS."
"But why?" Fairchild agonized.
A Mercedes SUV pulled up and Jason had his helmet off again, "Get in."
"Where do we go?" Fairchild asked as Jason pulled away and prepared to leave San Francisco.
"We need help," Jason admitted.
"J'onn," M'gann suddenly blurted, "We need to find J'onn. And then he'll persuade the Justice League to help us."
"Brilliant," Fairchild enthused.
Jason was still skeptical.
Bluebird was working clandestinely with Harvey Bullock to clear Barbara Gordon. Bluebird was a new vigilante to appear since the breakup of the Bat Family and the outlawing of vigilantism in Gotham City. On a personal note, Harper Row had gotten her GED at age 16 and been hired by Gotham's Public Utility District as an electrical engineer under union rules.
Harper roomed with her younger brother Cullen and Stephanie Brown, the JLer known as Spoiler. Bullock suspected it would be easy to track the blue-haired, Mohawk bearing Bluebird down and discover who she really was. But he refrained. To know would oblige him to arrest her. Anonymity prevented that.
The GCPD was toying with meeting a man in a mech suit dubbed the "Bat" in order to create their own "Batman". Bluebird knew she'd be one of the wearer's targets so she'd already devised several ways to disable the suit.
The rendezvous was held in Crime Alley. Unbeknownst to Bullock, Spoiler was on a nearby rooftop watching over the proceedings. Her JLA credentials could save Bluebird should other cops arrive and Bullock would be forced to arrest his contact. Spoiler would then reveal herself and take custody of the "prisoner".
"What do you have for me, Detective?" Bluebird asked Bullock, who still hated to be called by his new position as the lieutenant in charge of Robbery-Homicide within the GCPD.
Bullock handed over copies of the file against Barbara Gordon. Then he handed off a flash drive with purloined video footage, "This is what I got. I just can't say who it was from."
"Oracle contacted me and told you'd reached out to ARGUS. She flagged you and recreated the 'destroyed' security video footage of the Commissioner meeting the four strangers. I'm to relieve you of it and make certain the GCPD doesn't get it back until Gordon can be exonerated," Bluebird explained.
"But the footage…" Bullock started to protest.
"Possibly links them to the crime," Bluebird quoted Oracle, "But all it looks like is they had a peaceful chat with Gordon and five minutes later she's a crazed killer. Poignant but circumstantial at best."
"Look, I got yer back until this blows over and the Commish is reinstated," Bullock promised her, "But afterwards ya might think about hangin' up yer mask in this town."
"And if they don't reinstate Gordon?" Bluebird wondered.
"I'll turn in my shield," Bullock threatened no one in particular.
"Let's hope that doesn't have to happen," Bluebird began climbing fire escapes to reach Spoiler on the roof, "I got everything Channel M should need. With them included everyone with a Channel M transmission mask can be watching out for the four mystery people and broadcast it back to the Movement."
"If they're spotted," Spoiler warned Bluebird.
The Gang flew back into Gotham after leaving precise instructions for Gun Moll Flanders. Luthor had taken personal interest in the Gang's efforts to undermine Intergang's hierarchy. He'd applauded their using Barbara Gordon to gun down several GCPD detectives and get arrested herself for the attack. The Gotham Police were rudderless while Internal Affairs investigated the incident and Barbara wiled way her time in Blackgate.
But the desk sergeant on duty that night had seen the Gang speak with Barbara. So he had to be eliminated. Brains had effectively scrambled to digital footage of the event. But the lone sergeant was singing like an incriminating canary. So they decided to settle matters personally.
And, Brains' latest scheme to break Barbara out of Blackgate and hide her until she was useful again was met with rousing applause from Lex Luthor. The trip would be a short one. First they'd kill the witness and then after lunch engage in a prison break. It would be an interesting day after all.
Penny and Hula Hula accompanied Plastic Man on the JLU's Iraq mission. Shayera had convinced Superman to recruit Plas based on his experience with the Agency and its successor, the ISA. Superman could hardly look past his time with the JLA. A prejudice the Atom reinforced. J'onn went into closed quarters to argue for Plastic Man's inclusion and that of Penny and Hula Hula.
But it was an open secret the trio was unhappy. Penny and Hula Hula felt marginalized and Plas felt the disdain of the faction led by Superman. The group had come together and had already put in a request to rejoin the JLA. But Waller wanted them imbedded inside the JLU for their earliest missions as part of the United Nations once again.
So the troubled trio set up shop with the Blackwater contractors and assisted Red Tornado in repairing himself. While Penny worked on getting Reddy up and running, Hula Hula analyzed the situation with the Blackwater team and Plas stood vigilant to repel any of the fighting that headed their way.
"Plas?" Penny approached her husband.
"What is it?" he gently asked.
"Echo and Reverb were hurt. They got airlifted out of the country," Penny reported.
"Airlifted by who?" Plas wondered.
"Lady Blackhawk," Penny smiled.
"Ours or the new one?" Plastic Man had to ask.
"Ours, silly," Penny chuckled, "She goes by her real name now. Which is Zinda Blake, by the way."
"Zinda?" Plas had to ask.
"Long story," Penny revealed, "Ah'm sworn to secrecy."
"Aren't we all?" Plastic Man said miserably.
Hourman and Jesse Quick set up in nearby Nuffar. Both Rick Tyler and Jesse Chambers resented the UN for ordering their new team to effectively shut down their old team. And they resented Superman for insisting on doing the deed himself rather than allow Hourman and Jesse to talk Mr. Terrific and Vapor down and explain the situation to them. Disco Mummy was tied into billions of dollars of international financing for rebuilding Iraq and Babylon. Dreams lingering from the times even before Saddam Hussein.
But Sentinel, Flash, and Wildcat were the last of the original dozen "mystery men" that appeared in 1938 and inspired all of the costumed heroes that followed. Even Superman and Batman were weaned on their legends. And thanklessly all that legacy earned was a boot intended to drive them from the country.
Blue Beetle, Fire, and Ice set up in another section of Nuffar. Ted Kord, Beatriz de Costa, and Tora Olafsdottir had no idea of how they'd respond if summoned to attack the Conglomerate. But old, but still fresh, loyalties died hard.
The Super Friends were in the midst of a dilemma. They'd worked for the Global Guardians until the brief period between the Guardians' tenure with the UN and the beginning of the JLU's when they alone served at the behest of the UN. Joining the JLU, they were members when the JLU incorporated the revived Justice Society. After the JLU and the UN parted ways, the three men had refused to work with Dr. Mist and his Justice League International. And that agency too had crumbled like a forgotten dream.
Black Vulcan, Samurai, and Apache Chief conferred over the matter. And the common consensus was that Superman so desperately wanted to be accepted by the UN he was blinded to the consequences of the actions they set him on. A blindness that could prove detrimental in the future if not at that very present.
Superman led the others in confronting the recuperating All Stars and Conglomerates. He seemed to recall there being more them. Where were Sharon Vance and Matrix, for example.
"Stand down and withdraw from the country," Superman's lung power allowed him to announce to the entire Nippur site.
"And if we refuse?" Mr. Terrific asked.
"We make you leave by placing you under arrest and delivering you to the World Court," Superman warned them all.
"I seem to recall you accusing the JLA of being strident," Flash remarked.
"And I seem to recall the three founders of the Justice Society considering retirement," Superman retorted, "Consider this your going away party."
Sentinel's ring began to emanate green flames and Superman prepared to attack him first. Then Atom Smasher stomped on him. He reduced his height considerably as Wildcat was joined by Commander Steel, Hawk, and Maxi-Man in surrounding the flattened, but now rising, Superman.
"You'll all regret this," Superman warned them.
"Not as much as ya will, ya pompous twit," Wildcat spat at the dirt.
Maxi-Man made the first move and he actually staggered Superman with his punch. Maxi-Man's muscle density gave him comparable strength and durability as Hourman under the influence of Miraclo. But he wasn't prepared for the Kryptonian's answering right cross.
Hawk and Commander Steel came at Superman in a coordinated attack worthy of those trained the Justice Society Founders. Hawk's talons had an extra advantage in that they were magically derived therefore tore at Superman's flesh as though he were a mere mortal. But Superman managed to drop them both and Maxi-Man as he came back for more.
He toppled Atom Smasher and landed before Wildcat. Wildcat just grinned, "Ya ready ta give up, ya poozer?"
"Ted, you're just an ordinary man," Superman advised him.
"Then ya shouldn't be pissin' yer pants right now, should ya?" Wildcat taunted him.
Barda clipped her mega-wand to her belt, "I'll fight you on nearly equal terms. But you should probably grab a few more for your side."
Dove whispered into Judomaster's ear. And then they struck in unison. Barda nearly laughed the blows were surgically precise but they didn't inflict any lasting damage. It wasn't until Dove simply shucked Barda out of her armor that the New God realized what had happened.
Barda threw backhand blow that Dove simply cross blocked before lifting into the air and setting herself several feet back. Dove was now in front of Barda and Judomaster was behind her. They thought she'd be blindsided. She scoffed at the very idea.
The two All Stars came at Barda again only this time their surgical precision inflicted real harm.
The Green Lantern fought the former Green Lantern. John and Alan Scott wrestled using their ring constructs. Like John's GL Corps ring, Sentinel's ring was operated through will but it was also governed by imagination. And John found himself sorely lacking in that arena as Sentinel threatened to tear him apart.
Meanwhile, Anna and Praxis discussed various occultic matters while waiting to see if they might just be needed.
Shayera was infinitely more graceful in the air than Rising Sun but the Japanese physicist was ruthless in the application of his powers. And King Chimera had duplicated illusions of Rising Sun all around Shayera so she couldn't track who was actually hitting her with solar energy bolts.
Cyclone called out, "Please stop fighting or I'll have to get involved."
Shayera wondered where the threat lay in that. Cyclone was inexperienced and tentative in applying her tornado creating powers. So Shayera continued fighting.
The Martian Manhunter knew Starman was powerful but Stargirl was developing into one of the most formidable people on the planet. Her gravitic bending and stellar energy discharges coupled with Starman's solar rays caused J'onn to go invisible. He chose to explore the ziggurat everyone seemed to have been focused on.
Aztek and Lightning kept Captain Atom distracted until Jakeem Thunder ordered the Thunderbolt to encase Captain Atom in a shielded core sphere to restrain him and his quantum energy and radiation. Jakeem was more than happy to take the kudos offered him.
Mr. Terrific and Dr. Mid-Nite were superior hand to hand combatants compared to Atom but his size changing tactics gave him a seemingly unbeatable edge. And then a toppled road signed clocked Atom in the head. Gypsy became visible once again.
Mr. Terrific and Dr. Mid-Nite subdued Atom and he would sleep it off.
"Thanks," a very grateful Mr. Terrific offered her.
"Comes with the territory," Gypsy said, wisely beyond her years.
J'onn came upon the afflicted Dr. Light. Peering into her nightmares, he joined her mind and prepared to soothe her fears. And they were left alone to do so.
"Please stay back," Power Ring pleaded, "I'm still learning to control my ring. It literally has a mind of its own."
"Miss, we can't vacate the premises yet. We have personnel inside that structure and we're not leaving without them," Flash tried to be reasonable.
"But the United Nations doesn't want you inside of it at all," Power Ring told him and those with him, "They sent us to enforce the order to withdraw."
"Not happening," Sand retorted, "Not without our people."
"I could get your people out if you leave now," Power Ring offered.
"Nay, we shalt not abandon our own to a stranger who threatens us with wanton violence," Shining Knight countered.
Power Ring stared at him as if to determine if he was sane. Goldilocks interceded, "Don't mind them, luv. How about a compromise? I go with you inside and talk down those in there and you bring us all out together?"
The Ring of Volthoom whispered to Jessica Cruz. It told her Goldilocks was immune to its fear generating psycho probes. She would be unstoppable in combat.
"I agree," Power Ring decided.
Supergirl was rejoining her teammates within the ziggurat. They'd taken the opposite, hidden elevators, Matrix opted for the certain death elevator. She thought it would be fun to see what Disco Mummy had devised as a certain death trap.
The former Black Marvels saw Pandora off as she travelled to meet up with the House of Mystery. Billy Batson and Freddy Freeman were taken to the airport so they could return to Fawcett City within the United States. Mary said farewell to her brother and her close friend.
Shazam summoned her to the Rock of Eternity where he was healing after his ordeal, "Will you abandon your power now that the other Marvels have rejected the power source now that it is revealed to them?"
"No," Mary said succinctly.
"I sense a hunger in you that I have never felt before," Shazam warned Mary, "The Egyptian pantheon provides you your power still but I regulate the gift. From herein you will receive a single grant of power and not those from Earth-3."
Shazam could see her anger written on her face, "This is unlike you, Mary. This path is what drove Mistress Mary to her corruption."
"I'm not Mistress Mary," she said haughtily, "I'm Black Mary."
"So you are," Shazam sounded defeated, "The All Stars are gathered and are in peril. They could use your help."
"Point me to them," Mary requested. Shazam did so and she shouted his name and Black Mary left the Rock of Eternity with a purpose.
The Gang arrived at Blackgate having already killed the desk sergeant that saw them at the GCPD the night Barbara Gordon executed a dozen detectives. And now they meant to liberate Barbara. Brains reviewed a City Archives schematic of the prison.
"Kong, you and Bulldozer will come in through the exercise yard and meet Ms. Mesmer and I at solitary confinement," Brains instructed.
"We'll be going in the front door," Ms. Mesmer snickered.
"And you'll be the center of attention, guaranteed," Brains promised her, "And you'll fashion yourself a private army."
Kong called Brains as he and Bulldozer set up their incursion. Brains and Ms. Mesmer were already through the front gates and inside the prison, so the men were a 'go'. Kong snapped a steel fence post off at its base and shoved the fence aside.
"The door is yours," he told Bulldozer.
The towers had lights on them as Bulldozer lowered his head and rammed the door down and kept going. Kong waved at the towers as they set up to start shooting. He was inside before they were ready.
Bulldozer rammed his way through the surging guard response. Kong simply smashed or broke any guards that got past Bulldozer's wake. Then guards began fighting guards as Ms. Mesmer's loyal forces arrived.
She instructed her mesmerized guards to release the inmates. So Blackgate emptied into the streets where the GCPD was responding to the prison's desperate pleas for assistance. Bullock was among them.
Kong ripped the door off Barbara's cell. She eyed them suspiciously, "Do I know you?"
"Let her remember," Brains instructed Ms. Mesmer.
And she released the hypnotic hold on Barbara's memories. Barbara screamed in rage as she attacked the Gang. Kong deflected her but she took the blow against the concrete wall and came back at them. Bulldozer smashed her against the far wall.
Barbara slumped to the floor in a daze. Brains reviewed Gordon's time in prison. Barbara had survived rape gangs, assassination attempts, being jumped by the entire yard. Brains still found it odd Barbara was housed with the male population rather than the women's ward until she saw the prison administrators had correctly assumed she could easily break out of the women's section.
But in defending herself, she'd critically injured over two dozen inmates and more were lined up to take their shot at her. Brains considered releasing Gordon to be a favor for her. Ms. Mesmer hypnotized Barbara again and got her mobile. So the Gang stepped out through the yard and a helicopter picked them up chartered to a known Intergang affiliate.
Countless cops had seen her go with the unknown costumed meta-humans and get into the helo. And the press outlets saw it too. And it ran the evening news.
"Ya took yer time getting' here, kid," Bullock complained from his usual corner in Crime Alley.
"I've been trying to run down the identities of the people that took Gordon," Bluebird answered, "My friend, Spoiler, is running them through JLA and ARGUS resources. But first and foremost, I need the registration numbers on that helicopter that snatched everyone of importance."
Bullock gave her a notepad, "Here's everything the PD has."
"The flight went to Metropolis as hired by a known Intergang outlet," Bluebird read Bullock's summary, "Metropolis police found a corresponding charter to Coral City."
"An' Coral is so corrupted that it makes Gotham seem like Metropolis," Bullock groaned.
"I have friends there," Bluebird revealed, "The type that love to ruin bad guys' days."
