25
The Justices Leagues gathered with the Justice Society All Stars and the Conglomerate. But despite getting the Justice League Unlimited in the same briefing room as the Justice League of America, simmering animosities prevailed. It was little wonder why the Justice League Dark couldn't be bothered to attend.
The New Guardians had also arrived in time to participate. Supergirl and Jade found themselves in like company. Despite connections and history to many attending, neither belonged to a designated team. The younger Flash brought Vreti to attend the meeting. It was obvious she didn't want him to release his embrace around her.
The JLA was internally divided amongst those that believed in Green Arrow's guilt and those that still maintained he was innocent until proven guilty. Guy Gardner rejoined the team after a season of sulking. But it was obvious he felt slighted by the presence of the New Guardians. Col. Steve Trevor and General Glory persuaded their factions to cooperate with one another for a season before returning to their separate investigations into Green Arrow's guilt or innocence.
The All Stars had recalled Hawk and Dove from Washington DC and Jakeem Thunder from Queens. Jakeem was granted provisional status as a fully fledged All Star and Dove was assigned as his mentor. Hawk was less than enthused to be dragged into it.
Jade primarily hung out with her new friends in the Conglomerate despite her history with the Justice Society. She stuck close to Strange Visitor and Matrix. Little Mermaid and Gypsy chose to join them. Jade noticed Reverb and Echo tended to repel the others despite Vapor's obvious overtures. It seemed they'd rebuff every friendly approach until they finally accomplished whatever goal they had in mind.
Kara In-Ze greeted Kyle Rayner with an enthusiastic embrace. Kyle was glad she was glad, "I wasn't certain we were doing this anymore."
"Ma and Pa found me where your cocoon set me down in Smallville. I can only assume that was you and that you saved my life," Supergirl shared, "Thinking about that me made realize we have our problems but we've always worked them out together when we let ourselves. I'd like to try that again."
"And I can finally recognize just how angry you really are about being the last of your people and about Carol's being in my life," Kyle admitted.
"The anger was something I always hid. About both topics. But Carol isn't going anywhere. But you've always chosen me. You might get lost along the way sometimes but you always decide to choose me when given a chance," Kara acknowledged, "Something I'd forgotten."
"I shouldn't ever had to have come back or been forced to choose you over someone else," Kyle lamented.
"It's done," Kara shrugged, "Just always end up with me and we'll work out everything in between."
"I truly hate to interrupt such an obvious display of love, "Yrra Cyvil genuinely did despise interfering in an honest expression of the emotional spectrum she championed, "But they're trying to gather everyone together and Mr. Terrific and Superman want your input."
John Stewart greeted his fellow Green Lantern, Laira Omoto, "You're hanging with a strange crowd these days."
Laira noted his eyes drifted towards Black Hand, Larfleeze, Arkillo, and Bleez, "Hal Jordan appointed me to be one of the New Guardians after the Guardians of the Universe committed suicide."
She saw this news nearly staggered him, "I'm sorry. I thought you already knew."
"No, I've been busy here," John confessed.
"Yes, Earth is practically a sector unto itself. And with Kyle and Guy Gardner removed from the Green Lantern ranks, it makes your role even more vital," Laira assessed.
"How's the kid doing?" John asked with emphasis.
"Kyle may have been an…odd choice as a Green Lantern but he seems to have found his niche as a White Lantern," Laira assured him, "He's the only other one that can control every emotional spectrum the way Volthoom seems to."
"Supergirl said you'd fought him already," John commented.
"And we failed," Laira said bitterly, "He pitted us against one another without the slightest effort."
"It seems the Lantern Corps have a long way to go when it comes to trusting one another," John agreed.
"Yet Yrra and I operated as a team almost effortlessly as did Saint Walker and Munk. But then Volthoom revealed a side of me I thought I'd buried," Laira almost shuddered.
"We all have hidden secrets, Laira. Even from ourselves," Yrra consoled her as she approached.
"Yrra," John nodded in her direction.
She warmly smiled, "It's good of you to use my name. 'Fatality' is one of those repressed emotions that tore us apart. If we can't conquer ourselves, how can we dare to hope to conquer Volthoom?"
"Something I think you should bring up during the meeting," John counseled her.
"I think I will," Yrra brightened, "And they're calling everyone to the briefing center."
Laira eyed John as Yrra departed, "Something between you and Fatality?"
"Not that I'm aware of on my part," John left the answer open ended for a distinct reason.
Kyle gave a summary of events to the assembled JLers, All Stars and Conglomerates. Then he described Volthoom's power and what seemed to be its basis. Finally he updated the teams as to the activities of the assorted Lantern Corps in their struggles against the Power Ring Corps.
Vreti advised everyone of the true scale of Volthoom's ambitions and how he'd only been captured after leaving the Guardians of the Universe's service when he'd completed seeding the other fifty-one universes of the multiverse with Power Ring Corps. The Guardians had captured Volthoom when he reappeared in the Prime Universe and imprisoned him in a construct of their own devising. Their deaths had liberated him.
"Volthoom is the one being who poses a direct threat against Darkseid's ambitions," Vreti warned them all, "With his assembled Power Ring Corps; he can march on Darkseid's forces across the multiverse. And with the sheer, raw power at his disposal he might be able to topple Darkseid."
"But can he kill a New God?" Black Hand inquired, "Especially as one as powerful as Darkseid?"
"Volthoom can kill an average New God, even one of Darkseid's Elite," Vreti told them, "But only Grail, Darkseid's daughter, has the power to kill Darkseid himself."
"Neron could," Black Hand sniffed.
"But Neron won't," Vreti sniffed back.
Wally West snickered at the exchange. The Flash knew even Black Hand, the feared creator of black power rings and master of the Black Lantern Corps, didn't stand a chance of intimidating Vreti.
Roxy suddenly appeared in their midst, "Monitoring systems throughout the solar system are detecting a massive movement of powerful entities entering from every conceivable direction. They destroyed the Stormwatch prison on Pluto and devastated their base on the dark side of the Moon."
"Storm…who?" Superman was baffled.
"It would take too long to explain in the time we seem to have," J'onn advised him, "The point she is making is that the Power Ring Corps has arrived."
"Are the Power Rings concentrating on any areas on Earth?" Trevor inquired.
"Finally! An intelligent question," Roxy almost sagged in relief, "They seemed to be concentrating on United Nations Security Council permanent members."
"Where precisely?" Trevor wanted the list narrowed down.
"The obvious five, Washington DC, London, Paris, Moscow, and Beijing. In addition, New York City is being targeted at the UN's temporary headquarters site," Roxy detailed, "The Rocket Red Brigade has mounted a defense of Russia while the Great Ten gathered to defend China. And reports are coming from the PRC government that three new heroes will be introducing themselves during the struggle. And get this, they're called Super-Man, Bat-Man, and Wonder-Woman."
Artemis bristled while Superman marveled at the audacity of it. Bat-Girl completely understood. Batwoman softly chuckled to herself.
"The JLA has Washington," Trevor announced.
"The All Stars will cover Paris since the assorted Justice Leagues aren't very welcome there in light of what happened because of the Legion of Super Villains," Mr. Terrific offered.
"The Conglomerate will handle New York," Vapor said in a way that invited someone to dare challenge her call.
"I guess that leaves London to the JLU," Superman decided not to throw down that gauntlet and no else dared try to either.
"We New Guardians will track Volthoom down an end this threat at its source," White Lantern promised.
As the JLA relayed teleport coordinates to ARGUS, Guy gazed over at the New Guardians. Trevor broke his fantasy, "Pick your team, Gardner. Either you're with us or you're left behind."
"Go, Gardner," Arkillo sneered, "We don't need a reject like you."
Bleez snickered.
"Yer all wastes of my time. Good luck followin' that Rayner punk. Seemed ta work fer ya last time," Guy joined the JLA and the teleport commenced.
The combined might of the Justices Leagues Unlimited and International had devastated the Rocket Red ranks. Gavil Ivanovich wore the Apokoliptan armor while an even half dozen of his fellow countrymen wore the new next gen battle suits. Gavil had to amend his thought because one suit was one by a countrywoman. In addition, two dozen Rocket Red Reserve androids had been deployed to assist. A new innovation, the androids were designed to soften a target in order to lessen human casualties.
The Great Ten had mounted a vigorous defense of China's historic imperial capital. And they were holding their own when the newcomers arrived. Super-Man, Bat-Man, and Wonder-Woman arrived full of confidence and zeal. August General in Iron wondered how long that would last in the face of the Power Ring Corps.
ARGUS' ever expanding teleporter network deposited the JLA in Washington DC. Trevor began issuing orders, "Fan out! Move in squads of four. If you have a problem working with someone, I will sort your ass out for you."
Wonder Woman readily stood by Trevor's side. Ri and Darknight uncharacteristically did as well. Bat-Girl naturally hung close to Starling. Vigilante and Vixen unexpectedly joined with them.
Question and the Huntress were a natural pairing. Azrael sided with them. To everyone's surprise, and probably his own, Vibe sidled up with them.
Hawkman and Troia were also natural extensions of each other. So Catwoman opting to join them an bringing Catgirl along with her surprised Carter Hall and Donna Troy. Little did they realize Selina Kyle saw the choice as a protective one for Kitrina Falcone.
Plastic Man was senior in experience of his impromptu squad. Batwoman readily volunteered to work with him. Spoiler eagerly sided with Plas and Kathy Duquesne. She'd worked with the other Batwoman, Rocki Ballantine, and wanted a chance to assess Kathy in action. General Glory and Trajectory rounded out the group.
"Power Girl, Katana, and Guy, you'll be our ready reserve. If a team should falter or be overwhelmed, your role is to relieve them," Trevor instructed, "Now everyone move out!"
Trevor led his charge into a company of twenty-four Power Rings. Trevor himself carried a polaron weapon confiscated from Almeracian prisoners during their invasion. It actually staggered the Power Rings.
Wonder Woman leapt into the fray. She wore sandals crafted by Mercury to grant her swiftness and the power of flight. She wore the Gauntlet of Hercules which amplified her strength in her right arm by a factor of ten. In addition, Hephaestus had crafted her a sword that could hew most anything in the known universe.
But the Power Rings responded with psycho reactive constructs derived from their enemies' own inner fears. Trevor saw nightmarish versions of his Team 7 missions and the losses the team had endured. Artemis relived the deaths of almost every Amazon from her tribe and the loss of her culture before being assimilated into Themiscyra's closed environs.
Ri and Darknight also faced psycho reactive constructs. Jointly they feared the People's Republic taking out reprisals against their families back in China and individually they confronted horrors from their own minds. Ri saw her lose her powers even as every member of the JLA, and then the world, desperately needed her ability to heal them. Darknight saw ARGUS chain Ri and himself and hand them over to the Chinese security services the pair had formerly worked for.
Bat-Girl and Starling both carried polaron rifles. But the Power Rings still plumbed the couple's minds to root out suppressed fears. But as a Black Razor mecha team, Lizzy Kane and Eve Crawford had faced innumerable perils had had always faced and overcome them as a team. Now as they faced their own worst nightmares, they hunkered down and did the same once again.
Vigilante and Vixen weren't as experienced in relying on each other as the bisexual couple but their sense of total dependability and reliance was growing daily. Vig found his hyperkinetic rounds could blow Power Rings back several feet thereby distracting them from using their rings' psycho reactive abilities. Vixen's purely physical attacks weren't as effective. But employing her own high intelligence mixed with the acute eyesight and hunting instincts of an avian raptor, Vixen called out targets of opportunity to Vigilante. And shouldering the burden together, they faced their terrors as a united front.
Question quickly deduced his own physical acumen was useless in this fight. So he used his intense powers of observation in similar fashion as Vixen. Huntress took delight in harrying the Powers Rings as Question alerted her to targets of availability.
Vibe found his powers could shatter the Power Rings' manifestations. So he pushed his abilities to their limits and helped relieve Question and Huntress from being overwhelmed by Power Ring assaults.
Azrael was left to fend for himself against the Power Rings. They ripped from his mind the latent fears he'd had since learning he was the anointed champion of the Order of St. Dumas upon his father's death. Azrael feared the full implications of what that fully entailed. And the Order had recently ordered him to kill Batman, whom Azrael saw as a mentor.
Fueled by rage brought on by these manifestations, Azrael simply went berserk. His savage attacks battered through Power Ring defenses an his flaming blades eviscerated those he got near to. Even his own allies dreaded where he could go in that state.
Hawkman met Power Rings in the air. The Rings of Volthoom had difficulty locking onto his mind. Despite Carter Hall essentially still being Khufu, Carter was also his own man. Such had been the case in every reincarnation of Khufu. The soul was eternal but the manifestation of the mind housing it changed with every incarnation. And the soul brought the baggage of every incarnation with it. So the Power Rings were simply overwhelmed by the totality of Hawkman. And his Nth metal sword shattered constructs.
Troia battled her way close enough to a Power Ring to loop him with her Lasso of Persuasion. An then she commanded his every movement. She pitted a Power Ring against the other Power Rings.
Catwoman and Catgirl came off a rooftop to tackle individual Power Rings and drive them into the pavement below. But they had to withdraw from the rapidly recovering Power Rings who now hunted the pair. It took every ounce of Catwoman and Catgirl's urban skills to stay alive.
Plastic Man grounded two dozen Power Rings by becoming a massive tent structure hemming them in. Trajectory was the first to engage the foe. Ricocheting from Power Ring to Power Ring, Trajectory brought the fight to nearly every one of them twice before the others entered the fray.
Batwoman and Spoiler found themselves facing a mix of their worst nightmares. And they were surprisingly similar. With a reassuring glance towards one another, the duo attacked the manifestations of what scared them the most.
General Glory was protected from the Rings of Volthoom psychoactive probing by the Spirit of Lady Liberty. And since his physique was pushed to the limit of the human genome and his athleticism and acrobatic skills were on par with the greatest Olympian athletes, General Glory faced his opponents with the utter confidence that he, with his teammates, would overcome the enemy.
Power Girl recognized that her teammates were coping even if they weren't overtly overcoming their foes. But then she heard the Secret Service agents yelling at one another regarding the encroaching Power Ring threat on the White House. And she was there in a blur.
Katana had already been on the White House grounds before Power Girl arrived. Power Girl's raw strength and other abilities pushed the Power Rings back. But Galatea couldn't be everywhere at once, so the former assassin responded.
She found the SoulTaker's enchanted blade could easily carve through constructs and defensive fields. So Katana had easily beheaded two Power Rings before they began to acknowledge her as a true threat.
Guy arrived to discover the air was permeated in fear. But it wasn't Power Girl or Katana's fear in the mix. His power ring was energized by the emotional energy, and Guy pressed the attack before losing his edge. Instead he only increased it.
The Conglomerate came to the United Nations relief. The various UN agencies were spread out across Manhattan and the world but the General Assembly and the Security Council were meeting in an amphitheater secured for just that reason. Like the JLA, the Conglomerates split into smaller teams.
The Super Friends stayed together just as they had since they'd united as the UN's first meta-human operatives. Apache Chief proved invulnerable to the Power Rings' physical attacks with various constructs. But the mental war the Rings of Volthoom played found even Apache Chief to be vulnerable.
He saw grotesque manifestation of his tribe's plight on the reservation. The joblessness and despair that permeated daily life. And no matter what Apache Chief accomplished he didn't seem able to alleviate his own people's suffering.
Black Vulcan's electrical attacks put the Power Rings on the defensive. But his fears were realized in depictions of Jefferson Pierce's death trying to avenge his oldest daughter. Black Lightning's passing had placed the financial well being of Jennifer Pierce at his feet. Every investment he made was to secure her independence so she didn't have to continue to be Lightning. But ultimately his greatest fear was that he would die and condemn her to a world without choices.
Samurai had been born to a family that survived Nagasaki. His grandfather had taken a new wife after his inexplicable survival against nuclear holocaust. Then his father had survived a reactor leak in a Japanese nuclear power plant. The meta-gene carried by the family manifested itself as Samurai's elemental powers. Those powers beat back the Power Rings. But they showed Samurai a Japan where nuclear energy had devastated the islands. The few survivors of the initial radiation bombardment died out as cancers took over their bodies. And their children were grotesque mutations of humanity.
The second pairing of Conglomerates found Fire and Ice side by side as usual and the not uncommon partnership between Rising Sun and Dr. Light. What began to occur was that every one of them found their abilities to be useless against Corpsmen that could travel the furthest reaches of space and encounter and survive every variety of solar energy, light bombardment, and frozen temperatures. But it incrementally became obvious the Power Rings were beginning to be effected by Fire and no one knew why.
Tuatara did his best to predict the Power Rings' movements and strikes so that Starman, Blue Beetle, and Red Tornado could best utilize their gifts against the menacing ring bearers. But when two Power Rings landed before him, Tuatara merely shrugged.
"I already saw this coming," he said in resignation.
They sliced him in half and then separated his head from his neck and his feet from his ankles. Starman went berserk and Blue Beetle and Red Tornado's mission changed to one of evacuating the UN diplomats to safety.
Gypsy found the Rings of Volthoom allowed their wearers to detect her through her camouflage. So she resorted to the quarterstaff she'd begun training with. Her fear manifested itself, but it had already come true. So her terror was reliving it. So she saw Despero murder her parents over and over again in an endless cycle through his eyes and how he tortured them to death while she escaped to seek help.
Vapor's gaseous state was useless against the Power Rings. Echo could only deflect their physical attacks not their psychic probes. And Reverb was discovering his powers were the only ones amongst his team that mattered.
The remaining members of the Conglomerate were arguably the most powerful. And they had Jade standing beside them. Ulla fought as hard as she could but then she witnessed her fear that the Atlanteans would finally reject her mother's pairing with her human father and they would be executed in the most excruciating manner possible. It was something the Little Mermaid had dreaded since her mother had warned her to avoid pure blood Atlanteans.
Strange Visitor rocked the Power Rings. But she didn't understand why. Nor did she even comprehend what she'd become. So the Power Rings couldn't tap her mind but they didn't even need to.
Matrix witnessed the death of her world again. And her loss of Lex Luthor at the hands of General Zod. She'd been helpless to stop Zod. But Superman had taught the value of resolve. And Matrix was resolved not to let Volthoom and his Power Ring Corps do to Earth Prime what had happened don her pocket dimension's Earth.
Jade found her power pulse blocked every attack, every construct, and every mental probe. The Power Rings were baffled. And slowly, they began to retreat away from her.
The Power Rings spread across Paris, France to terrorize different organs of the government. Paris and Nice had recently suffered terrorist attacks on top of the Legion of Super Villains assaults on the Justice League International. And then the Justice League of America had fought the combined might of the Justice League Unlimited and the JLU, both of whom had been under Saturn Queen's control.
Parisians had little want or desire for superheroes even in the wake of the terrorists attacks. Crimson Fox was the one exception. But Constance D'Aramis had hung up her costume and left the mantle to her sister, Vivian. And Vivian had chosen to join the JLA in its mission to hunt down criminals and occasionally terminate them on court orders.
This was the volatile mix Mr. Terrific's T-Spheres deposited the JSA All Stars into. The mass panic was aided by the fact all of the Power Rings were aliens. Jessica Cruz was the sole human Power Ring in this universe. And she wasn't anywhere to be found.
Mr. Terrific employed his T-Sphere's defensive blasters and his own powerful stun gloves to ward back Power Rings. His T-Spheres also allowed him to teleport all around them in every direction. But then the Rings of Volthoom reached into his mind.
Lightning's power staggered the Power Rings just as Black Vulcan's did a world away. But like her father before her, and Black Vulcan though he hated to admit it, her power wasn't limitless. The greater the output the faster she expended all of her available energy and either had to draw it from another source or merely recharge internally. But in either case, she would be temporarily vulnerable to attack.
Aztek's armor defended Curt Falconer from physical harm from Power Ring constructs. And it seemed his helmet shielded him from whatever probes allowed the Power Rings to begin to project horrific manifestations of personalized terrors for Lightning and Mr. Terrific.
Jesse Quick struck one Power Ring after another in quick procession. Her adrenal glands pumped at superhuman levels thanks to her mother, Liberty Belle's meta-human power, just as her speed was owed to her father, Earth Prime's Johnny Quick. In addition, Hourman stepped in to assist her with a fresh dose of Miraclo in his veins.
But Jesse faltered when confronted with exaggerated versions of her father's death and her mother's abandonment. Hourman saw himself as a Miraclo junkie, uncontrollably addicted to the drug. But Rick Tyler had faced that reality and overcame it just as Jesse Chambers had overcome her own terrors.
Dr. Mid-Nite struggled because despite being able to see the individual Power Rings he couldn't see their constructs. So Jesse and Hourman rallied to his side. And there they defended one another and Paris at the same time.
Sand's geokinetic powers seemed to baffle the Power Rings. And his silicate mind was immune to the Rings of Volthoom's mental probes. But while he could hold Power Ring constructs at bay, he couldn't directly target them in any meaningful way since their rings protected them from all terrestrial hazards.
King Chimera tried to protect Cyclone as best he could but his powers of illusion were useless against the Power Rings. But they ripped every dark secret he feared to be exposed to his fellow All Stars and brought them to three dimensional, and solid, life. And then those memories attacked him.
Cyclone found herself manifesting her one true greatest fear: that she would lose control of the nanites that gave her her powers. They consumed her and she lost control of her tornado creating abilities in her construct revealed exhibitions.
Stargirl used her Cosmic Rod and Cosmic Convertor Belt to shred manifestations. But then they plumbed her mind for her darkest fears realized and showed Courtney Whitmore a world where her mother, Pat Dugan, Mike, and her own sister rejected her. Black Mary scorned her and the All Stars cast her out. And then there was Billy Batson cheating on her and laughing about it. Stargirl simply went numb with dazed fear.
The Shining Knight found his chainmail proofed against constructs. And his sword could cleave them. But his worst nightmare come to life was that Eve Aries was actually a manifestation of Tessa Richardson's darkest desires and it was his wife that drove Saturn Queen to try and slay Sir Justin.
Goldilocks was startled to discover that the Power Rings couldn't tap into her suppressed fears. And there were so many to choose from. But somehow she seemed buffered against the Rings of Volthoom trying to pry into her psyche. She didn't understand the why of it but Goldilocks redoubled her efforts to aid Sir Justin and Stargirl.
Hawk's pure physicality overwhelmed Power Ring defenses. And when they manifested his terrors, they were imbued with his being an Avatar of a Lord of Chaos. So those manifestations turned on the Power Rings and attacked their own creators.
Dove also yielded manifestation imbued with Order. Her so-called nightmares established a defensive perimeter around her and Jakeem Thunder and defended them from the very Power Rings creating them.
Jakeem was nearly overwhelmed by the battle. Hawk and Dove's manifestations protected Jakeem from the Rings of Volthoom. But he had trouble anticipating what he needed to request from the Thunderbolt before it was already desperately needed.
Hawk and Dove took up positions beside him as the Power Rings wised up enough to destroy their own creations. Dove counseled Jakeem, "You're our big gun. Trust yourself and your powers of observation. You'll know what the Thunderbolt needs to do so simply tell him as you realize it and let him do the work. We'll protect while you mop up."
Jakeem took heart and brought the battle back to the enemy.
Flash hit one Power Ring after another but even Jay Garrick wasn't fast enough to distract all of them. Wildcat used his expertise in nearly every martial art and his core boxing techniques to amplify the Flash's work. But Sentinel's power ring tore through Power Ring Corpsmen constructs and batted them back as if they were tissue.
The Power Rings fled before him to get answers from Volthoom. Wildcat was stunned, "What the hell?"
"It seems to specifically be your ring, Alan," Flash noted.
"I think I need to talk to Jennie," Sentinel decided.
The Justice League Unlimited utilized T-Spheres to travel to London. Then they divided their forces between White Hall, the House of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace.
Superman was joined in his defense of White Hall by Barda and the Atom. Superman's vaunted might was shunted by his realized fears of isolation and rejection by humanity at large. Then his potential safe havens of New Genesis and Almerac denied him refuge. Kalea even turned against him again and persuaded Maxima to join her in slowly torturing him half to death before handing him to Darkseid. Darkseid darkened Kal-El's soul and he served the Apokoliptan dark god for the rest of his life.
Barda didn't fear death. Nor had she feared Scott Free's. She fully embraced Mr. Miracle's death as a necessity to liberate his mind and soul from Saturn Queen. Scott was free of the seemingly endless conflict between New Gods and she envied him that.
Her fear was her natural anger and aggression would be turned against the very humanity she had now sworn to defend. She quailed at the thought of reclaiming her place as Mistress of the Female Furies and of killing Granny Goodness and bringing Granny's Orphanage under her own dominion. Barda would be the cruelest mistress Apokolips had ever birthed.
Atom faced a triad of fears. The first was that he would be lost forever in the subatomic world. The second was that if he somehow made it back, he would have been driven insane and be a homicidal maniac like Atomica. And his final great fear was losing Jean Loring again after just having reconnected with her in a closely intimate, interpersonal way. Atom confronted his first fear and vanished from the Power Rings' influence.
John Stewart had faced Jessica Cruz, and as such, the most difficult Power Ring Corps opponent. His iron will, which had made him an elite Green Lantern, and his previous experience now made him immune to the psycho reactive aspects of the Rings of Volthoom. But their constructs still represented a very real threat.
Shayera Hol's Nth metal mace disrupted Power Ring constructs. But they seemed endless and she was having difficulty actually reaching a ring bearer and bashing them upside the head. Fortunately, her immunity to telepathic probes seemed to block the Rings of Volthoom as well.
Flash fought Power Rings on multiple fronts. Wally West was afraid of being absorbed by the Speed Force as Barry Allen had been when he saved the world and unknowingly recreated the multiverse from a single universe. And Wally feared dying alone.
But in response to these fears, Flash pushed himself harder than before. He would beat the Power Rings and he would return to Vreti to see what could happen. But he also realized she was as doggedly determined as he was in her efforts to liberate Apokolips from Darkseid. So was there even a glimmer of hope there?
At the House of Parliament, J'onn faced a nightmarish representation of White Martians. And then they all transformed into M'gann M'orzz. But J'onn had always faced the White Martian threat head on an he refused to succumb to their malice now.
Captain Atom's mind was contained within his nuclear matrix. And it seemed Power Rings couldn't access it. But they could hem him in on all sides an force him to continually batter away at their containment mesh with his quantum energy blast or be crushed.
Supergirl faced Earth dying a slowing freezing death after a gravitation cataclysm shifted its orbit past Mars. It was how Argo had died. She saw herself enveloped by a cryostasis tube and it began to freeze for a potentially endless sleep. Which, as her family had discovered, might end in death.
Lex Luthor stood in the Hall of Doom's operations center. He was joined by Professor Ivo, the Ultra-Humanite, Dr. Sivana, and Mr. Mind. Grodd was noticeably missing. According to Brainiac, the simian was off plotting with his new allies. Luthor wished him and a Secret Society of Super Villains the best of luck in dethroning him.
"We may have to introduce ourselves to this Volthoom," Luthor decided.
The Other contacted Saturn Queen at her location at the decommissioned Fort Siegel. He was with Brother Eye monitoring Volthoom and his Power Ring Corps, "We need to contact this Volthoom immediately. He's a natural ally to our cause."
"No, Alfred," Saturn Queen replied, "You may have had a Power Ring in the Crime Syndicate but Volthoom is no one's ally."
"You know of him then?" the Other was delighted.
"I know he's among the most dangerous entities in the multiverse. And he has the power to challenge Darkseid directly. The various Power Ring Corps spread across the universes are designed to deal with Darkseid's armies while Volthoom moves in for the kill," Eve Aries explained.
"Does he eventually?" the Other inquired.
"In some timelines. In others he fails at this moment. In the time lines where he reaches Darkseid, he fails to unseat him three-quarters of the time," Saturn Queen told him, "Essentially, Volthoom is a long shot contender whom even the Guardians of the Universe couldn't control. Believe me; he'll resist every effort we make to do so. Better to let him run amuck and hope he ultimately fails."
"But why wish for failure?" the Other asked.
"I've seen futures where Volthoom prevails. Darkseid is a preferable master," Saturn Queen warned him.
Gavil Ivanovich led the Rocket Reds to victory as the Power Rings withdrew from Moscow. The Rocket Red Reserves were destroyed but the armored humans had survived unscathed. And the new armor developed from lessons learned from Gavil's own Apokoliptan suit had proved themselves worthy to be Rocket Red armor.
August General in Iron led the Great Ten to victory and both the people and the Party loved them for it. China's new Trinity had shifted to Shanghai to deal with a secondary threat that analysts hadn't deduced the objective yet. But the eugenically bred Super-Man, Bat-Man, and Wonder-Woman had proved their mettle to the Party, the people, and the Great Ten. Super-Man in particular won hearts that day.
Trevor put down his fears and then shattered Artemis'. She took outrage and the manipulation of her mind and her feelings and she became a woman possessed. She freed Ri and Darknight and then almost single handedly drove the Power Rings off.
"Remind me never to anger you," Trevor requested of Artemis.
She gave him a knowing smile, "I'm at my best when I'm angry. It makes me need to physically work out my aggressions."
Trevor knew that statement was loaded with more layers than a cake.
Starling and Bat-Girl cooperated in fighting off manifestation in such united way it seemed they did it on a daily basis. And in an intangible way they did. Their sexual orientation made many uncomfortable and angry. But they couldn't deny being who they were.
Vixen found raw predatory anger could fend off the Power Rings. Combined with Vigilante's marksmanship, the Power Rings withdrew from facing them and Bat-Girl and Starling.
"Chalk up a victory for the good guys," Starling happily boasted.
"Ah don't think so," Vigilante warned her, "Ah don't know whut comes next but Ah think this wus just the preliminaries."
"Damn," Starling sighed because she knew it too.
The Power Rings fled in the face of Azrael's wrath. It took the combined efforts of the Question, Huntress, and Vibe to talk him down. Batman had asked Question to monitor Azrael as a JLA member. He decided he had something to report after all.
As the Power Rings began to withdraw, Troia's prisoner liberated himself and joined the retreat. That's when she noticed Catwoman and Catgirl were missing. After she alerted Hawkman, they began a widening search pattern.
Eventually they found the pair lounging on sofas inside a furniture store with the roof ripped off. Catwoman smiled, "Care to join us?"
Troia couldn't help but laugh. Even Hawkman smirked, "I think we should find Trevor."
"Ooh, let's!" Catwoman said eagerly.
Spoiler and Batwoman had gone back to back. General Glory added to it an they formed a rectangular defense. Trajectory spirited dazed Power Rings hundreds of miles away in seconds. Finally the Corps broke off as Trajectory returned again.
"Oh, they're leaving," she said nonchalantly.
"A few months ago you didn't even have powers and now you're all, 'oh, they're leaving' like this happens every Tuesday," Batwoman remarked.
"Gotta live in the moment," Trajectory replied, "And moments seem pretty long to me."
Plas resumed his human shape, "I don't think they're coming back just yet."
"But you think they will eventually?" Spoiler asked.
"I think that's a given," Plastic Man hated to tell her.
Katana drove off six Power Rings. Four lay dead at her feet. Power Girl had subdued five but they subsequently retreated while she was otherwise occupied. Guy had fended off half a dozen simultaneously before they withdrew.
"You aren't useless after all," Katana observed.
"Don't sound so surprised," Guy grumbled.
Power Girl suddenly heard a sound she'd always dreaded. Her father, Emil Hamilton, had given her and Blackhawk a gift after their wedding. It was a signal watch like Jim Olsen's. But it was on a separate frequency with a different sound. And now Galatea Hamilton heard that sound.
She streaked off towards the K-Star Ranch. Guy yelped, "What the hell?"
"She almost seemed panicked," Katana had observed.
"Panicked ain't our Power Babe's style," Guy swept up Katana in a construct, "Let's go check it out."
Blackhawk Express maintained an airfield separate from the K-Star Ranch but the United Nations had purchased the land from Rex Tyler. Power Girl arrived to find several Blackhawks digging themselves out of the wreckage of the bunkhouse. Lady Blackhawk was near Blackhawk and rapidly bleeding out.
Power Girl used her heat vision to cauterize the wound while Guy and Katana made record time getting there. Power Girl turned to Guy, "She needs immediate medical attention."
Katana saw Lady Blackhawk had fallen defending Galatea's husband. But it was already too late. Power Girl cradled him and her scream shattered windows three counties away. Then she gingerly laid him to rest. Guy chose that moment to leave. Katana approached Power Girl, "You must decide what it is you want."
"I want to kill every last one of them," Power Girl grated.
"Then I shall help you," Katana offered.
The Super Friends fell back to back and then united in a common front. Apache Chief's molecular density shifts baffled foes until they eventually retreated. Black Lightning expended the last of his available electrical energy just as the Power Rings began to flee. Samurai continued to manipulate earth, wind, and fire to the Power Rings;' consternation leading up to their exit.
"Why now?" Black Vulcan wondered, "We were even more vulnerable than ever before."
"Perhaps they did not realize that," Samurai offered.
Fire drove the Power Rings away. But she cut her pursuit short to check on Ice, Rising Sun, and Dr. Light. Dr. Light was the first to voice the topic on everyone's mind.
"Why did your power work when all of ours failed?" Dr. Light asked.
"I have no idea, Kimiyo. But I intend to find out," Beatriz de Costa pledged.
Blue Beetle and Red Tornado had safely absconded with the diplomats. Then they returned for Tuatara's body. But Starman, in his grief frenzied rampage, finally realized that the Power Rings were leaving. Too spent to give chase, Prince Gavyn landed next to Tuatara and grieved over him.
Echo managed to keep the physical manifestations deflected in one direction. Reverb shattered constructs coming from other directions. Vapor struggled to find an effective means of attacking the Power Rings. Gypsy stood ready but felt absolutely useless.
And then the Power Rings broke off. Echo had to wonder, "What the hell did we suddenly do?"
"Nothing," Vapor coldly replied, "They simply gave up and we need to find out why."
Praxis broke the Power Rings' hold on Little Mermaid. Ulla's follow up blow to the closest one hurled him into the bay. Strange Visitor still managed to hold off Power Ring attacks. Matrix defended her when she faltered or was overwhelmed. Matrix's telekinetic eyebeams were her most effective weapon.
But Jade drove them off en masse. But she hesitated before leaving the city. Instead she returned to her companions.
"What did you just do?" Praxis asked sharply.
"Uh…I chased them away?" Jade answered.
"Your…power pulse as you call it, it was effective against them," Praxis deduced.
"Seemed that way," Jade agreed.
"We must speak with Sentinel," Praxis decided, "And we must interview Fire and see if she shared your success."
"Why them?" Ulla asked.
"Because they all share the same source of power with you," Praxis revealed, "And that might change everything."
"They're leaving," a ragged Mr. Terrific sighed.
"Good," Lightning could barely manage to say through her exhaustion.
"It certainly isn't because of me even though I enjoyed some limited success against them," Aztek shared.
"Then we need to learn exactly what drove them off," Mr. Terrific decided.
Lightning hoped they could discover it without her. She just wanted to sleep for a month.
Jesse, Hourman, and Dr. Mid-Nite were giving almost as good as they got. But the Power Rings left with no apparent reason behind it. Dr. Mid-Nite uncharacteristically asked a question in his native Danish.
"Care to translate, Doc?" Jesse smirked.
"It wouldn't do my wholesome image any good," Dr. Mid-Nite replied.
"Well, we'll never tell on you even though we can probably guess," Hourman grinned.
Sand liberated King Chimera from his nightmares, "You need to help Cyclone."
"I don't know if I can," King Chimera was consumed by doubt now.
"No one else can," Sand warned him, "I'll buy you as much time as I can."
King Chimera approached the nearly catatonic Cyclone, "Maxine? Can you hear me?"
The manifestation swirling about her evaporated and all the Power Rings lifted off and went away. Sand gave him a puzzled look, "What did you do?"
"Nothing," King Chimera shrugged before lifting Cyclone in his arms.
Stargirl could buy into all of her terrors if the circumstances were right…all except one. Billy would never betray her or push her away. He certainly would never mock her and make her feel like an idiot. Holding onto that singular truth, Stargirl shattered the remaining manifestations.
Goldilocks found Stargirl and drew her near Sir Justin. The Power Rings circled them like ravenous wolves waiting to pounce. It literally seemed hopeless.
"It's been nice knowing you all," Goldilocks said glibly.
"We shall not fall this day," Sir Justin vowed. Goldilocks thought he was a mad fool. And she loved him for it.
And then all the Power Rings simply flew away. Goldilocks breathed a sigh of relief, "Go figure."
"Did we just make them run?" Stargirl asked hopefully.
"Nay, child. They dost fled of their own accord," Sir Justin killed her celebratory mood.
Jakeem was getting the hang of commanding the Thunderbolt and anticipating what needed to be done. Dove hardly counseled him anymore. And suddenly, the Power Rings broke and ran.
"All right!" Jakeem cheered.
"It wasn't us, squirt," Hawk growled.
"He's right, boss. We aren't the reason they left," his own Thunderbolt admitted.
"Crap," Jakeem complained.
Dove patted him on the shoulder.
Sentinel blew away the few remaining Power Rings scattered across Paris. Flash and Wildcat watched in amazement. Flash asked a pertinent question, "Why your power ring? Our human Power Ring fought a Green Lantern to a standstill on several occasions. What's different from your ring then a GLs' power ring?"
"Mine isn't based on an emotional spectrum," Sentinel recalled.
"We may have just discovered a serious chink in Volthoom's armor," Wildcat theorized.
Barda found her strength of resolve in her growing unity with Superman. They shared a common purpose for common reasons. Perhaps, someday, they could share even more commonality.
She fought her way to Superman's side and saw his tenacity and iron will. They rivaled her own. And she knew Scott was smiling down from somewhere.
Together they liberated the workers at White Hall even as Atom was guiding them out. And then the Power Rings broke ranks and departed. Everyone was baffled.
"This is hardly a victory," Barda warned them.
"No, and I think we need to gather ranks to find out why the enemy suddenly fled," Superman opined.
John fought multiple foes at the same time. Shayera rallied Flash and brought Wally to join them. Moments later, the Power Rings left.
"This move wasn't supposed to be that effective," Shayera muttered.
J'onn's trust in M'gann was absolute. So he clung to that while he began using his Martian Vision and telepathy against the Power Rings. An they fell back from him.
Captain Atom stayed alive while J'onn helped liberate Supergirl. And inevitably the Power Rings joined their brethren in retreat. Supergirl made to pursue but J'onn stopped her.
"Obviously, they are seeking out their master," he warned her.
Over the Mojave, the New Guardians faced fifty Power Rings. And then more began to arrive from the rest of the world.
Carol Ferris and Hal Jordan led their respective Lantern Corps to victory over the Power Rings. A sizeable number of them were captured and the Zamarons took the Rings of Volthoom to study them. Carol dispatched the bulk of her Star Sapphires to return the various aliens back to their worlds.
Hal sent Green Lanterns to accompany the Star Sapphires. An then together, they united their remaining forces to travel to Earth and confront Volthoom.
Sister Sercy led the Blue Lanterns while Indigo-1 steered the Indigo Tribe to victory over the Power Rings on Oa. Far fewer in numbers, the Blue Lanterns ferried the captured Power Rings stripped of their Rings of Volthoom back to their worlds of origin while the Indigo Tribe remained on Oa to study the captured rings of power.
Sinestro marshaled his elite soldiers and sent the rest with the captured Rings of Volthoom to Qward. Those on Qward would torture the captured Power Rings to discover the secrets of the Rings of Volthoom. Sinestro would lead an assault on Earth to do the same to Volthoom himself.
Atrocitus had already tortured his prisoners. They were being sacrificed to the power battery in order to forge new red power rings from the blood of the enemy. Atrocitus selected his handpicked fighters and set forth for Earth.
"No," Volthoom breathed as he stared at a grove of trees in rural Tennessee.
Jessica couldn't see anything special about some trees, "What is it?"
"The Starheart came here of all places," Volthoom's voice held an anxiety that Jessica had never heard from him before; "The Guardians forged it even before they chose me as the First Lantern. It disappeared. It was said it had been lost forever. But it came here."
"And this is bad?" she asked.
"It transmogrified," he ignored her question, "And became one with the planet itself. And it has chosen champions."
Now Jessica could hear the naked fear in his voice, "Who?"
"I don't know," this obviously worried Volthoom.
"Why is this significant?" Jessica wanted to know.
"The Starheart and I share the same power," Volthoom confessed, "The very same power my rings draw from. They are the only things that can directly harm me."
Jessica thought that was a very interesting piece of news.