10 Justice League Family Ties
Mary finally made it past the last Almeracian and reached the reactor controls. Although she couldn't actually read the script the controls were laid out in, she had a sense of them. The Wisdoms of Solomon and Minerva were driving overtime in her head and she knew exactly what to do. Manipulating the touch screen controls, she isolated the fusion bottles, for she knew that's what they were, from the main power grid. This caused the ship to switch internal power to the batteries.
She could scram the reactors but the subsequent shut down process would take hours. However, if one reactor lost containment, then the entire sequence of reactors would be immediately brought down. Mary sounded the containment breach alarm and flew over to the closest bottle.
The wailing siren roused the scattered Almeracians and they fled the reactor control room. Finding herself all alone, Mary returned to the controls. Bringing up the main monitors she set it to alert her when the ship had been evacuated. Having done that, she returned to the fusion bottle's side.
Almeracians fled from the Marines. They ran to life boats and ejected themselves from the ship. This flight occurred on every deck at every level of the ship. The Marine advance officers received radio calls from the field commanders in the boat bay and were ordered to withdraw. The Marvels quickly led the soldiers back to the bay. Junior guarded the withdrawal while Captain Marvel retrieved the Ray and his unit, who had gotten lost.
"Where's Mary?" Junior asked as the helicopters ferried Marines out of the ship.
"Good question," Ray agreed.
"Somehow I think she's responsible for this," Marvel guessed.
"You'd be right," Anna said from behind him.
"Where the hell did you come from, lady?" Ray squawked.
"From the surface and before that from this ship's command center," Anna offered.
"You said Mary was responsible. What did you mean?" Marvel wanted to know.
"Mary is neutralizing the fusion reactors that drive this ship," Anna explained, "She also arranged for the warning klaxon that is insuring that there will be prisoners rather than victims. All in all, it's a very neat solution."
"You sound as if you approve," Junior noted.
"That's because I do. I've already survived the atrocities of war. It's not something I'd wish upon anyone," Anna shared.
"Heads up guys, the Marines have withdrawn," Ray realized.
"Stand together and we'll be off ourselves," Anna said. Before they could object they found themselves on the streets below. Courtney ran into Captain Marvel's arms.
"Billy! I knew you'd be all right!" she happily declared.
"So what happens now?" Ray asked.
"That's one question," Anna said.
"Will Mary survive this?" Junior suddenly fretted.
"That's the other question," Anna revealed.
Junior started to move but Anna took hold of his arm, "This is Mary's sacrifice to make. Don't belittle it."
Junior looked horrified. He looked to the sky and was filled with dread as the process began.
Mary noted that the last of the life boats had ejected and her friends had vacated the boat bay. She idly wondered if that actually meant everyone got off. The darker side of her nature decided she didn't care. She'd given the enemy plenty of time. If they were too stupid to leave, they deserved what they got.
She punched the fusion bottle. Despite it being made of an exotic alloy, it cracked. She hit it again and again once more. The cracks were glowing as the incredible energies beyond were seeping out. She hit one more time and it gave way. Mary's world was consumed by the fire of a miniature star as it exploded.
A massive explosion split the massive battleship. It was split into two sections. One consisted of the forward two-thirds of the ship. The remainder fell away. It went down like the infamous Titanic.
Captain Marvel and Junior launched into action. They caught the larger portion and stabilized it. Those below stared in horror as the aft third began to plummet.
"I've got to do something!" Atom Smasher declared.
Anna spun him so he was facing her, "You fool! Most of that wreckage is still molten! Are you invulnerable and can't be burned?"
"But we have to do something!" he argued.
Her eyes twinkled, "No, we don't."
Mary emerged from the fires of the aft third and flew underneath the wreck and caught it. Quite frankly, she was amazed she was alive. She'd thought for sure that she'd be consumed by the starfire. Lord knew it had hurt like hell.
She hefted the wreckage and flew up to where her brother and Junior held the other portion. She wondered what they should do with the remains of the ship. Stargirl suddenly flew up to her.
"General Fitzsimmons says you can lay the wreckage out on Malibu Beach," she said.
"Do Billy and Freddy know?" Mary asked.
"Yeah, Ray is telling them," Courtney answered. Seeing Mary's puzzlement over the situation she shrugged, "I don't know why your lame boyfriend didn't want to tell you himself but he insisted that I talk to you while he talked to the boys."
Mary had an idea as to why. She just hadn't expected it to happen so fast, "That's okay. I'll talk to him later."
Although she dreaded that conversation, she put on a brave face; "C'mon, you can help me put this beast down."
Stargirl grinned, "Sure!"
Vigilante gave the couples a moment. Tessa was giving his friend Sir Justin a fearful goodbye. Tessa had been the epitome of bravery until now. Vig felt bad for her but the mission had to proceed.
The "mission" consisted of flying over the East River into Manhattan. The NYPD was in contact with Waller, Max, Eiling, and L-Ron. They had something planned and they needed every available JLer on hand for it.
The NYPD had scared up two chopper pilots that were willing to risk the flight over. Most of the forces' helicopters had been shot down by fighter craft and there was no guarantee that the same wouldn't happen again. Vigilante had to respect the pilots' bravery.
Now if his compadres could just hold it together. Fire and Ice seemed resolved enough. Fire was a little skittish but Ice's calm demeanor was keeping her friend from panicking. Fire's ego wouldn't allow her to fall apart while her best friend took the situation in stride.
Justin was soothing Tessa's nerves and she seemed to be collecting herself. This sudden breakdown had surprised Vigilante. Her calm throughout the invasion had been an unexpected support structure to his leadership. Her cool responses and nerves of steel had helped keep the others keep their hope alive. Of course, that meant when Tessa broke down the others followed suit.
Vigilante was grateful that Tessa had opened up her studio apartment as a base of operations. With the Hall of Justice destroyed, it certainly beat sleeping on the street even if the quarters were tight. It had also lent itself to a sense of family. Now that family was splitting up and heading into mortal danger. It was little wonder that the civilians were cracking under the strain.
Roger was the most high strung. His nerves had been ready to fray ever since this ordeal began. He was putting on a brave face for Starman's sake but you could see the man just wanted to fall apart. Gavyn was a show of strength, bearing up for the both of them.
Claire was the unexpected pillar of the group. She even encouraged Booster and brought a smile back to his face. Vig was still a little leery of her. It was one thing to be a gay man, like Starman and Roger, but it was another to transition into another gender. He'd gotten to know her and he discovered that if he hadn't seen a peek of the woman's penis, he'd never have known she had been born a "he".
Booster and Claire shared a tender kiss. It was full of promise of more to come. Vigilante approved. That kinda hope would help keep Booster going.
Contrary to earlier occasions, Gavyn took Roger in his arms and passionately kissed him. It contained all of his unexpressed love and desire in one fell swoop. When Starman released Roger, he practically swooned.
Justin did the same to Tessa. When she was allowed to come up for air, she grinned and called out to Vigilante; "Hey Vig! Can we have an hour or two?"
"Nay!" Justin declared, "Let us have an afternoon so that we may fully express our love."
"Yeah, what he said," Tessa laughed.
"Sorry, ya'll. We gotta scoot," Vigilante finally drew the line, "Our ride's been here for ten minutes. We should go before they ditch us."
"Damn," Tessa grinned, "Keep yourself alive and whatever you do, don't let anyone slice off your vitals."
"I make this vow, Lady Tessa. I shall return to you and when I do, I shall seek thy hand in marriage," Justin promised.
"You're kidding," she was stunned.
"Nay, I am in earnest," Justin declared.
"Well, this means you're gonna have to meet the folks and my brothers," she warned.
"I have sought such an audience but thou hast kept me from them," Justin dryly remarked.
"So I didn't want to share. Where's the harm in that?" she protested.
"I must meet thy family so that I may seek thy father's blessing for our union," Justin scolded.
"You won't want to once you meet them," Tessa prophesied.
"Let me worry about such things," Justin beseeched her.
"Okay, but I've warned you," Tessa conceded.
"So you have," Justin smiled warmly, "But I must be off."
"Be careful," Tessa stressed to him.
"As always," he said. Seeing she was unconvinced, he added; "My word is my bond, Beloved."
Justin stepped aside and left the apartment. Starman followed him out and Fire and Ice departed as well. Booster exchanged one last embrace with Claire and he and Vigilante exited.
On the stairs, Booster spoke to Vigilante; "Claire still makes you uncomfortable. Mind telling me why?"
"Ah just never saw you with that kinda gal, that's all," Vigilante admitted.
Booster chuckled and Vigilante asked why. Booster decided to share, "I just find you 21st Century types so parochial. You're so narrow mind and prejudiced that it just amuses me sometimes. I suppose it's a case of laugh or cry."
"Whut d'you mean by that?" Vigilante turned to face him as he reached the ground floor.
"Vig, in my era we've established social equality. Legal equality followed. We don't discriminate against races, religions, or sexual orientations. It's a level playing field," Booster described the scene.
"Now ya'll be tellin' me you've dated guys too," Vigilante scoffed.
"No, I'm completely straight," Booster grinned.
"Ah would've never have thunk it," Vig confessed, "How d'you account for havin' relations with her when she ain't got no…y'know?"
"Claire's a bottom," Booster explained, "She doesn't engage in sex with her penis. If it were up to her, she wouldn't even have one."
Booster saw Vigilante's utter lack of comprehension so he suggested, "You should try a little open minded dating. It'll open whole new worlds for you."
"So it really don't bother you that Claire's got a thingy," Vigilante wondered.
"Frankly, I find it sexy as hell," Booster shared.
"Ah'll be a rustled pole cat," Vigilante finally realized the enormity of Booster's words. He certainly had a lot to think about now but it would have to wait until later. They all had a mission right now.
Starman and Justin had climbed into the back of an unmarked car and been driven to the helipad. Fire and Ice's ride was just leaving. Vig and Booster got into the remaining car and it pulled away from the curb. The drive to the helipad only took minutes in the nearly deserted streets. Most people were afraid to leave their homes so the streets were veritably empty.
The helicopter was prepped and ready. The fact that it hadn't been destroyed thus far was a testament to the Almeracians' growing sloppiness. They'd recently committed a bulk of their forces to attacking the Nets' stadium where the NYPD was holding its prisoners. Those prisoners had been liberated but most ground operations had ceased afterwards.
Most tactical commanders felt the Almeracians were holding back while they improved their armor and other defensive measures. No one had been more surprised than humanity that their comparatively primitive, ballistic weapons were highly effective against the Almeracians. Their ceramic armor seemed proof against heat and energy. Those police officers that had been armed with the "latest generation" plasma weapons had been all but useless against their alien foes.
While the NYPD could provide a wealth of tactical commanders, strategists were in short supply. An overriding plan of attack had been missing and not even the JLers had seemed able to provide the missing link. But Waller, General Eiling, Max, and even little L-Ron seemed to be that vital link. They were coordinating the police forces and the JLers and humanity's defense had grown immeasurably.
Vigilante, Justin, and Ice boarded the helicopter where the two pilots were already aboard. Fire joined them as well. She could fly when she was in her plasma form but she'd never flow so far before and didn't want to risk involuntarily shifting back to her human form as she could when she was exhausted. Starman and Booster were flying escort.
The flight went unmolested and apparently unnoticed. After they'd landed on the Lord Enterprises' rooftop helipad, the pilots joined the JLers in entering the building. Max met them personally.
He pumped the hands of the pilots, "Thank you so much for getting them here. We've arranged a barracks room of sorts. Barring that, if you have family or friends in the city I can have you taken to them," Max offered. He handed them off to one of his assistants so she could arrange their travel plans.
Max led the Leaguers to his office. It took up one whole floor of the building and had been converted into a command post. Waller and Eiling were on the horn with NORAD, Max explained. Superman was planning an assault on New York City's battleship and they were assembling JLers so they could provide a distraction on the ground to attract as many shock troops as possible.
The news of the destruction of the Los Angeles battleship was a welcome relief. Vig asked if the Marvel Family and their allies were coming to NYC. Max shook his head.
"The Marvel Family isn't. Batman redirected them to Paris. The Army and Marine Corps are having conniption fits over that. The Ray, Stargirl, Atom Smasher, and Anna Fortune are coming here. Aztek is staying on scene in LA to assist the mop up. The Almeracians have devolved into street to street fighting now," Max explained.
Wildcat's team chose that moment to enter. Hourman, Mr. Terrific, the Atom, Red Tornado, Commander Steel, Samurai, Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, and Hawkman exchanged pleasantries with their teammates and caught up as best they could in the time allowed. Max quickly briefed them.
Waller and Eiling concluded their discussion with NORAD. Waller decided to address the crowd, "Greetings to all of you. Thanks to some of you, we were liberated from the Almeracians' clutches at the UN. The rest of you have made invaluable in-roads as well, forcing the enemy to recalculate. Well, we intend to permanently alter their mental calculus. A plan has been made in conjunction with the military and Superman. I'll provide details as soon as the rest of our forces arrive. There's no sense on constantly repeating myself after all."
"Who's left?" Mr. Terrific asked.
"The Elongated Man is located in Queens but he and Sue are caring for Alyssa, so we aren't dragging them into this. This operation could cost lives. Your lives. I'm not going to subject new parents to that," Waller explained, "As for the others, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Catwoman, the Question, and the Huntress are in Gotham City. They are under the command of one Lieutenant Barbara Gordon."
There was a stir in the crowd at that, "Some of you may be aware that Lt. Gordon was a mere Detective a few days ago. She hadn't even cleared the Sergeant's exam yet. The Mayor used his executive privilege to promote Gordon seeing as how she's been commanding dozens of troops that technically outranked her."
"Lt. Gordon has accomplished deeds as great as your own and the Justice League has been supporting her," Waller smiled, "Of course we have special reasons to do so but disregarding those facts, we would have still placed our faith in her. She's pulled off miracles and adapted to the Almeracians' combat tactics flawlessly. I think we all know why."
"How're our compadres getting' here?" Vigilante asked, "By air, like us?"
"No, all of the GCPD's aircraft was destroyed along with their headquarters. Commissioner Gordon and Lt. Montoya were gravely injured in that strike. There's no telling when or if they'll make a full recovery. We're staying abreast of those developments and will let you know when we have news," Waller shared.
"Who's talking to Gordon?" Wildcat inquired.
"L-Ron is speaking to her making arrangements right now," Waller answered, "You're all dismissed. There's a cafeteria on the 12th floor if you're interested."
Wildcat made for L-Ron's position. The mechanoid was directly tapped into the line but he routed the call through an additional line when Wildcat pointed at a receiver.
"Barb? It's Ted Grant. How're you doing, honey?" Wildcat began.
"Dinah's fine," Barbara chuckled.
"That's not what I asked," Wildcat reminded her, "You've just had a world of responsibilities dumped on you as well as a whirlwind promotion. How're you handling that?"
"I'm fine," she assured him. Hearing his silence, she decided to convince him. She laughed, "Really, Ted, I'm fine. I had good teachers, remember?"
"I appreciate the compliment but the student has truly become the master on this one," he praised her; "I think you've found you're particular niche."
"I guess it's not surprising since I'm the Commissioner's daughter. My whole life has revolved around the police, even when I wore colorful tights," Barbara let that comment linger and then she asked, "Have you heard from Bruce?"
Ted chuckled, "The strings never really go away, do they?"
He couldn't see her blush, "Just answer the damn question."
"He's in London," Wildcat supplied the answer she was looking for.
"What the hell is he doing in London? He's needed here," she insisted.
"Dick's girlfriend was captured by the Almeracians," Wildcat explained, "Actually all of the Global Guardians were captured. Bruce knew Dick would try and rescue her so he met him there and joined in."
Batman and Nightwing working side by side again? Maybe there was hope for Bruce after all.
"Did they try it?" she had to know.
"They got everyone off the mothership. Now they're planning on going to the one in Paris to liberate more of the Global Guardians," Wildcat revealed.
"Are they nuts?" Barbara demanded.
"Well, they'll have the freed Global Guardians with them," Wildcat hedged.
Barbara snorted, "Like they'll be a help."
"Mind your manners, missy. You use what you can get," Wildcat scolded her, "Besides, they'll have the Marvel Family with them as well."
"Now we're talking," Barbara released a sigh of relief.
"Did you know the Marvels brought down the ship over LA?" Wildcat decided to drop her a ray of hope.
"How?" Barbara was dying of curiosity.
"Mary Marvel blew up the fusion bottles that powered the ship," Wildcat shared.
"Will wonders never cease," Barbara breathed.
"So, Waller said the kids are getting here by boat. How's that work?" Wildcat wondered.
"We still have all of our police boats," Barbara explained, "The bad guys crippled our aircraft but they left the boats alone. Go figure."
"Well, wish them a safe voyage for me," Wildcat requested.
"Will do," she agreed, "They'll be shoving off in ten minutes. I have just enough time to get there and pass along your message."
"Take care. We're planning something big that may be a game changer. It might even end this mess," Wildcat added conspiratorially.
"I'll look forward to it," Barbara promised.
"Goodbye, Barb. Don't get dead and don't worry about you father. He's a tough old bastard. He'll pull through," Wildcat offered.
"I hope so," Barbara sighed, "I really do."