4 Justice League Twice Shy
The freight train clacked along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rails as it threaded its way from Wyoming to Utah en route to Denver. Unknown to but a few, the last car on the train wasn't dedicated to freight. Its cargo was of the human variety.
The Gulag had divested itself of a dozen prisoners today. They'd been transferred to San Francisco by semi tractor mobile prisons. From there they'd been slowly dispersed to trains on the Union Pacific and BNSF lines. Each train set out at different times and through track switches set out on different routes.
This particular train was about to reach the open plains that Denver sat nestled in. Only, there was a complication. Supreme stood ahead of the train. Only he wasn't dressed in his normal Justice Lords costume, he was dressed in the costume of Earth-1's Superman.
Dev Em wasn't bothered by wearing the uniform of either Superman. It was a means to an end. Luthor saw the costumes as symbols to be exploited. Darkseid saw them as useful props and what Darkseid considered it was all that mattered to Dev Em.
The Daxamite had come to worship Darkseid and would throw himself onto a lead sword if the dark lord so wished it. Luthor had developed the anti lead poisoning serum that allowed Dev Em to function on Earth and a myriad of other worlds. Since Dev Em came to Earth-1 from another parallel Earth Darkseid had been unsure, until recently, if there was a Daxam in this universe.
Now that he had satisfied his curiosity in the affirmative, dark plans ruminated in Darkseid's brain. If they all proved as easy to mentally "nudge" as Dev Em had been then Darkseid could foresee having an army of Supermen on his side. Not even his ancient foes on New Genesis could withstand their might.
Not knowing any of this, Supreme simply obeyed Darkseid's standing order: obey Luthor. Luthor ranked as one of Darkseid's generals yet he wasn't one. He was an ally. This sidestepped the pesky treaty he had with New Genesis and the protectorate status that they had over Earth.
Lashina had been put in place with the Legion of Doom as Darkseid's advisor. She'd immediately taken Dev Em into her bed. As with Superman before him, she found that a lover with unequaled stamina was quite exhilarating.
At times she'd actually taken Supreme to the edge of his endurance. It was all a great game for her. Now Lashina stood a safe distance away while Supreme prepared to stop the train…with his bare hands.
The lead locomotive raced ahead and the engineers started to frantically point at the view ahead. From what they saw, Superman stood directly in their path. They good naturedly blew the whistle a few times and waited for him to fly off. The problem was: he didn't.
The engineers hit the brakes but it was too little too late. Supreme lifted a stretch of rail off of the ground and tossed it aside. The train had cut its speed in half by the time it reached the gap but the locomotive still ground into the dirt.
The locomotive virtually stopped but the rest of the cars behind it were still loaded with momentum and kinetic potential. The cars flew off the rails and careened off of the canyon walls to either side. When the last car, the prison car, derailed it had been preceded by forty-two other cars. It started to tip over but it was caught by a pair of impossibly strong arms.
Supreme eased the car back onto the track. Seeing that it was secure, he stepped back. Lashina floated her hoverdisk down beside him and stepped off of the mobile platform.
"Remember," she cautioned as she reached up for the locked door, "Luthor wants witnesses."
"It only takes one to be a witness." Supreme chuckled evilly as he yanked the steel door off of its reinforced hinges.
He stepped into the prison car. Caged on either side were the Top and the Reverse Flash. The guards pulled their H&K Mk 23 Mdl 0 SOCOM pistols out and aimed them. The officer in charge said, "Superman…wait!" as Supreme charged.
Supreme caught the leader with a brutal uppercut that drove the man's jaw into his brain. The other two guards opened fire. The .45 ACP rounds just uselessly flattened out against his flesh as he waded into them as well.
Supreme pulled his punches on the next two and merely gave them concussions. As the din from the shooting died down, Lashina pulled herself into the railcar. Both the Top and Professor Zoom were elated to see her.
"What an act!" Zoom crowed, "For a moment there I honestly thought you were Superman here to kill us."
Supreme smirked, "The thought had crossed my mind."
The Reverse Flash didn't want to handle that remark so he left the field open for the Top to ask, "So, are we leaving?"
Lashina stretched forth her trademark lash and, with one flick of the wrist after another, she sliced through the locks. The criminal quartet leapt out of the car and they surveyed the wreckage.
"I'm glad you felt like taking prisoners, or at least, freeing them in this case." The Top remarked.
Lashina opened a boom tube but Supreme remained impassive as the others scrambled through. She looked disappointed, "You're not coming with, are you?"
"Luthor wants me to check on Atom Smasher." He explained, "Volcana is on his train and I'm to make certain he plays his part to the tee."
"If anyone can, it's you." She grinned, "Just come back to me, lover!"
Supreme jerked her head back by her hair and devoured her mouth. He finished and stepped away. He then flew off without another word.
Born on Apokolips, the display of violence only excited Lashina. She suddenly wanted to ride him into the ground. She smirked knowing that that would be a godlike feat she could call her own.
"Gods!" Superwoman swore as she struggled with putting on Wonder Woman's tiara, "The woman's idiotic costume isn't enough but she also has to wear this ridiculous hairstyle and this accursed headpiece?"
"You're running out of time." Sinestro warned, "The train is nearly here."
The train, a regularly scheduled BNSF freight run to Santa Fe also contained a special, unlisted car in its lineup. Again, the unmarked car carried live cargo. Inside of the car's confines were Spencer Hawk and Carol Ferris.
Hawk was particularly nonchalant. He wasn't from this Earth so he wasn't a citizen of any nation and saw that as a technicality to evade sentencing. Luthor's legal team had prepared a defense based upon this premise but Hawk didn't think he'd even make it to the arraignment.
It would be a good thing for Carol Ferris to never reach the courts either, he thought.
Hawk had been informed that the star sapphire "possessed" Carol and brought about a synthesis of its will and hers but he'd never seen Star Sapphire without her jewel until now. She was the heir of an aerodynamics conglomerate not some hardened criminal. From what Hawk could tell, she was ready to crack.
They each occupied what would have been a sleeper car on a typical train only they were surrounded by bars rather than walls. Each contained a fully enclosed, self contained toilet and a bunk. Hawk had had some magazines brought along, which he shared with the guards, while Carol miserably tried to follow a book.
One of the guards, one Ronald Bates, kept trying to engage Carol in conversation. Nicknamed "Norman" in reference to the classic Hitchcock film character, Bates had evolved into an acerbic and unpleasant fellow. He took genuine delight in tormenting his charges. Since Hawk was too sanguine to torture, he focused on the crumbling Ferris.
"So, 'Sapphire', you're telling me you have no memory of what happens while you were that jewel?" he taunted.
"You seem to know my story." Carol said with hate lacing her voice, "Why don't you make up your own mind?"
Bates drew his billy club and smashed it against the bars. Carol jumped. He sneered, "You know what I think? I think you play it real tough and hard and nails while you've got your fancy jewel on. But now, when you've got to face me, man to man, you're nothing but a sniveling coward. That's what I think."
"Back off, Norman." Hawk said, "First off, she isn't a man. And second of all, you're the one hiding behind bars and a weapon, not her."
"Shut up, 8 Ball." Bates shouted, "Don't make me teach you some proper manners."
Hawk seethed at the ethnic slur, "Just remember that little offer when I'm out of here and looking you up."
"Oh, I will." Bates mocked him, "I'll spend every minute of every day worrying about you paying me a call."
Hawk opened his mouth but then the car lurched and the squeal of brakes could be heard. Hawk was elated. He was getting out of here after all. He met Carol's eyes and the fear he saw there told him she knew it as well.
Moments earlier, Superwoman had flown down to the lead locomotive and ripped the door off, tossed it aside and entered in. "Stop the train!" she demanded, "Now."
The two engineers stared at one another. Wonder Woman was trying to hijack their train? One of them approached her, "We can't do that. We have special cargo."
Superwoman grabbed him and threw him out of the door, "I know all about your cargo."
She pointed at the remaining engineer, "Do it!"
The engineer threw the brake. Superwoman rounded on him. He quailed, "But I did what you asked!"
"Which is why I'm only knocking you out instead of killing you." Superwoman's smile was positively evil. She swatted the engineer across the cabin sending him to oblivion.
She then flew to the middle of the train where the prison car was found. She burst in and after a hail of gunfire; she neutralized everyone in there as well. She ripped Hawk's cell door off its hinges and he went to Bates and started rummaging through his pockets.
"I take it he owes you something?" a bemused Superwoman asked.
"His address." Hawk grinned, "So he can repay a debt that he owes."
He found Bates's driver's license and he grinned, "Paydirt."
Sinestro entered the car, "I see you were your usual, efficient self."
"Of course." Superwoman smiled, "Now if you'd be so kind as to deliver the presents?"
Sinestro handed Hawk his GL power ring. Sinestro chuckled darkly, "Be glad that I didn't destroy it."
Hawk accepted the ring and with a sweeping green light his prison jumpsuit became his Justice Lords uniform. Sinestro turned to Carol's cell, shattering the lock with his power ring. She shrank back.
"No more." She begged, "She's had her fun. I want my life back! I want my life back! Do you understand?"
"Rest easy, Carol." Sinestro said soothingly, "Soon everything will be all right."
He held the star sapphire out in front of him, offering it to her. She physically recoiled. The gem flashed and then bathed her in a violet light. Her brown eyes turned violet and she plucked the jewel out of Sinestro's hand with a giddy laugh.
Her jumpsuit transformed itself into her costume. The sapphire rearranged the molecules of the air around itself to create a mask. Carol placed the jewel imbedded mask on and her transformation was complete. Star Sapphire was reborn!
"Let's get out of here." Superwoman ordered and the others followed her as she stepped outside and created a boom tube. A minute later they were safe in Bailya.
Near the Canadian border, on another BNSF line, Atom Smasher and Dr. Polaris repeated the tactic. The Smasher was dressed as Hawk, of Hawk and Dove fame, and he tore through the prison car like a man possessed. Having freed Volcana and Killer Frost, Volcana expressed her thanks through smoldering kisses.
Supreme arrived to hasten them along. The engineers and the brakemen saw Superman and Hawk of the Justice League depart with three Legionnaires. They all grabbed their phones and began calling news services.
Clark Kent had left the Daily Planet offices and gone home. There, waiting for him, was Diana. He found it amusing that she'd practically moved in with him.
This was something that never could've happened with Lois. Lois would have forced the issue and made something happen, whether they were ready for it or not. Diana wouldn't.
Not to say that she hadn't come close a time or two but a quick reminder of just how much rested on the decisions they made now caused her to relent. For Diana it was literally life or death. For Clark, it was just the peace of mind knowing that he hadn't forced her to make the decision one way or the other.
Setting aside such concerns, Clark opened the door to his apartment and walked into…yelling? He couldn't believe it. Diana was actually yelling at the television. She'd accused it of being a mindless, soulless leech that sucked away people's minds and souls but he'd never heard her argue with it before.
Just then his cell phone rang. He checked the number. It was Perry White.
Clark answered, "Yes, Chief?"
"You're back on the job, Kent." Perry informed him, "Someone has accused Superman and Wonder Woman of busting a bunch of Legionnaires out of jail. Superman and the League are your beat. I need you on this story."
"Don't worry." Clark assured him, "I'm on it."
He hung up and wondered what he'd tell Diana. She snarled something else at the television and he had the feeling she already knew about the allegations. It would only be a matter of time before…
His League signal device sounded. He activated it, "Superman."
It was Waller, "We need you and Wonder Woman to come in."
"Yes, I've heard the news." Clark winced as Diana hurled a particularly vile oath the TV's way, "We'll be there inside of an hour."
"Good. The ISA has been tasked with investigating this and they want to question you two ASAP." Waller informed him.
"Question as in suspects?" Clark couldn't believe it.
"Believe it." Waller counseled, "The ISA has at least half a dozen witnesses at each site placing either you or Wonder Woman there. Hawk has been implicated as well. You've all been summoned to ISA HQ to make a statement and answer questions."
"I can't believe it." Clark murmured.
"You should." Waller countered, "You've been here before."
Clark grimaced. That was a reminder that he didn't need or want. Taking a deep breath, he told Waller, "Tell the ISA we'll be coming in."