11 Justice League Eternal War
Booster was staring out the sliding balcony door when the boom tubes appeared. He swore as his signal device began to beep. It was in the bedroom…and so was Claire.
"How do you turn this damn thing off?" she hollered at him as he approached. Seeing him suddenly appear in the doorway she almost jumped out of bed. Although, that would have been misguided. It had been five days since she'd come home but she still had pains where the sun would never shine again.
"Uh oh," she knew that look. Booster kissed her on the cheek and then began speaking into the comm unit. Claire eased herself off of the bed and went out to the living room. The curtains were wide open. It was bright and sunny day for being in the middle of February.
"Oh hell," she said forlornly as she saw the massive battleships emerging out of the tubes right over Manhattan.
She could hear Booster fumbling about as he tried to squirrel into his uniform. He came out of the bedroom with his mask and goggles in one hand and his gauntlets in the other. Claire gave him a baleful look.
"Didn't we do this last year?" she complained.
Booster wore a wan smile, "Last year was the Almeracians. These are Apokoliptans."
"What the hell is the difference and why should I care? Tell them to go away," Claire grumped.
"These guys answer to Darkseid," he said grimly.
"Oh shit," she breathed. Everyone on Earth knew of the Dark Lord of Apokolips and his ever intensifying invasions.
"Pretty much," Booster concurred, "I'm about ready to drop a load in my shorts right here and now."
Claire punched his arm, "Smart ass."
Booster grinned, "And you love me for it."
He pulled her in close and kissed her. Heading for the balcony he was surprised when she called after him, "Do you miss my dick?"
He stopped and gaped at her, "What?"
"My dick," Claire repeated, "Do you miss it?"
"Why are you asking me this now?" he wondered.
"Well, you used to suck…" she began.
"I know what I did," Booster interrupted, "I was the one doing it. Remember?"
"Well, do you?" she plaintively asked.
He approached and pulled her into his arms and just gently held her, "I love you no matter what parts or accessories you come with."
"Promise me you'll come back," she insisted.
Booster thought about arguing that he couldn't promise that but that's not what Claire needed to hear right now, "I promise."
Her eyes desperately sought his, "I have your word. You're coming back."
Knowing it wasn't a question, Booster kissed one last time. Breaking free he returned to the slider and opened it, "I'll be back before you can miss me."
He flew off and she slid the door shut, "Too late for that."
Twenty-nine JLers answered the call, including Batwoman and excluding Fate. Huntress had shown Sonia to the locker room and watched as she changed. Batwoman smirked before she slid on the mask.
"You're sure there isn't something you want to tell your husband?" Batwoman asked snarkily.
Huntress' expression was one of amusement, "And what would that be?"
"That you'd rather be with me than him," Batwoman confidently declared.
"I thought you were spoken for," Huntress tossed that back in her face.
"And if I wasn't?" Batwoman pointedly asked.
"Then you could still keep dreaming and occupying yourself in the tub," Huntress smarted off, "Now c'mon. They'll be assembling in the main briefing hall."
"Like I know where that is," Batwoman grumped.
"Why do you think I stuck around?" Huntress quipped, "Did you really think I'm that desperate to see you in your bra and panties?"
"I could've taken them off," Batwoman suggested.
Huntress snorted, "And what a thrill that would be."
"Fine," Batwoman sighed, "Live in denial."
"How about you drop it and I don't rat you out to your girlfriend?" Huntress offered a compromise.
Batwoman grinned, "Deal."
A sudden ringing came from her belt and Batwoman plucked her mobile phone out of her utility belt. She wore an amused smile, "Speak of the devil."
She hit the "Call" button and happily accepted the transmission, "Hey babe! What's up?"
Her face puckered, "No, I'm not casing Falcone today. No, something came up. Yeah, an emergency. No, nothing spectacular just some rich bitch lost her husband and she wants me to find him ASAP. It looks like I'll have to be out of town today. Maybe for a couple."
Batwoman smiled, "I love you too. Be careful and don't get dead. Later."
Batwoman replaced the phone and shook her head, "It was the wife."
Huntress frowned, "I didn't think gay marriage was allowed in Illinois."
Batwoman scowled, "The legislature is in the middle of passing a marriage equality bill right now."
"So are you going to marry her?" Huntress suddenly wondered.
"Who?" Batwoman wondered.
"Your girlfriend," Huntress said dryly, "Are you going to marry her?"
"Why? Are you jealous?" Batwoman inquired hopefully.
Huntress shoved her towards the door, "Cool your jets, Pocahontas. We seriously need to get you onto another topic."
They entered the briefing hall and Huntress went sit by the Question. Not sure of where to go or who to sit by, she took a seat next to Nightwing. He smiled at her. She still wasn't wearing her mask so she was exposed literally and metaphorically.
"Thank God for a friendly face," she murmured.
"I wasn't certain you'd see me as a friendly. Back when I lived in Chicago you were pretty hostile the few times we worked together," he admitted.
She grinned, "That's before I realized you weren't just one of Batman's puppets spying on me."
Nightwing looked around. Everyone was talking and only a few of the conversations seemed to be about Darkseid, "Looks like you're a hit."
"Yay me," Batwoman dourly grumped.
Mr. Terrific took the podium, "All right. We've only got a minute or two before Darkseid's forces finish their transit and begin to mobilize."
Silence loomed and Terrific filled it, "If you look around, you'll noticed that our so-called 'heavy hitters' are all deployed. I'm here to tell you, 'so what?' We're going to stop these bastards or at least slow them down until J'onn can return with our big guns."
He looked directly at Batwoman, "You'll notice that we have a new member today. Everyone, meet Batwoman, since you've all been talking about her anyway. Hopefully she'll live long enough to serve beside us for years to come."
Batwoman leaned into Nightwing, "He's joking, right?"
"Not really," Nightwing informed her.
Batwoman suddenly wondered, again, what the hell she'd gotten herself into. Mr. Terrific spoke before she could ask Nightwing any other questions, "Darkseid seems to be marshalling his strength on Manhattan. It'll only be a matter of minutes before he spreads out to the Boroughs. His Elite are the brains of the operation so we'll target them first."
He activated the overhead, "Here's a quick description of our two fighting forces. One for the Elite and one to stem the parademon tide. Look to see which force you're on and then meet me in the main hall."
Mr. Terrific exited. People filtered out singly and in pairs. Zatanna paused long enough to look back to smile and wink at Batwoman. Sonia suddenly grinned.
Nightwing flashed her a rueful expression, "She's spoken for."
"Dick or pussy?" Batwoman suddenly inquired.
It took Nightwing a second to grasp her meaning. He wore a wry smile, "He definitely has a dick."
"Too bad," Batwoman sighed.
"I thought you had a girlfriend?" Nightwing archly inquired.
Batwoman broke into a naughty smile, "Margo and I both enjoy eye candy. Besides it'd be nice to have someone to relate to."
"I see," and he suddenly did.
"So where's your guppy?" Batwoman impetuously asked.
That descriptor continued to irk Nightwing. Which is probably why she'd used it. He gently chided her.
"The Little Mermaid is in Belgium with the rest of the Global Guardians. They'll probably go on alert and stand by in case we fail," he stated.
"Too bad. She's hot," Batwoman opined.
Nightwing gave her a reproving glare.
"What?" Batwoman asked, "I guess you are too. In a decidedly masculine kind of way. Definitely not my cup of tea but, hey, it works for some."
"Excuse us, girls;" Huntress teased, "But your names are on the board."
Batwoman sighed and slipped on her mask. She took note of the display and suddenly yelped, "Holy shit! I'm tagging the Elite? Just who the hell are these guys?"
"Walk with me," Question ordered.
Batwoman looked to Nightwing for support. He grinned, "Better do what the man says."
"Fat lot of good you are," Batwoman muttered as she rose and she and the Question walked out of the room with Question in full lecture mode.
"Ah, that's my hubby," Huntress sighed contentedly.
"Is it just me or does Batwoman flirt with every woman she encounters?" Nightwing asked.
"She's uncomfortable and it's a defense mechanism," Huntress opined, "She feels if she can knock the other person out of their comfort zone then she won't be flailing away all alone."
Nightwing stared at her and Huntress grew irritable, "What? You think I can't relate?"
"She comes onto women and I hit them…and men too," Huntress acknowledged, "We all have our means and motives."
"I'm impressed," Nightwing admitted, "I didn't know you were so self aware."
Huntress gave him a rueful look, "Just because I was pissed off at the world doesn't mean I'm an idiot."
Nightwing smiled appreciatively, "Duly noted."
"Besides, you can't hang with Q and not get reflective. It's really helped me in the classroom," Huntress confessed.
"I heard a rumor that you're a teacher," Nightwing admitted.
"No rumor. It's the truth," Huntress confirmed it.
"I can't imagine you as a teacher," Nightwing shared, "How do you afford all of your equipment?"
"I'm a mob princess," Huntress reminded him, "My trust fund is bigger than yours."
"Are we going to have a pissing contest now?" he chuckled.
"I'm just saying, my trust fund is closer to Bruce Wayne levels than Dick Grayson levels," Huntress suddenly smirked, "Of course, that's without the profits from Wayne Enterprises. Just the baseline trust."
"I wasn't aware that you'd delved into this," Nightwing said with some trepidation.
"I didn't. Q did," she shared.
"Figures," Nightwing realized.
They'd reached the main hall. Dozens of T-Spheres floated about. Batwoman nodded her understanding to Question and she returned to Nightwing's side.
"I am so screwed and it's all your fault," she accused the Huntress.
"Mine?" Huntress was surprised by the accusation.
"Sucker for a pretty face. Remember?" Batwoman groused.
"Hang in there," Huntress advised, "We'll have your back."
"You can have my back and everything around its general vicinity any time you want," Batwoman retorted.
Huntress noted Nightwing's mirth, "See what I told you?"
As she strolled to rejoin her husband, Batwoman watched her go. Then she turned on Nightwing, "Just what have you two been saying about me?"
Nightwing explained and when he was done, Batwoman whistled appreciatively, "Beauty and brains. I think I'm in love."
"You can drop the act," Nightwing counseled, "We're all scared."
Batwoman studied him for a moment and then she broke into an appreciative smile, "You cope your way and I'll cope in mine."
Mr. Terrific called everyone together and announced, "I have T-Spheres hovering around the UN Headquarters. We'll teleport there and move out. You all know your basic assignments?"
There was a general murmur of assent before the calm was broken by Hawkman, "But what if we have a piss poor assignment?"
"Carter, you're best fit to go one on one with parademons. So suck it up and deal with it," Terrific retorted, "Anyone else want to lodge a complaint?"
Batwoman stared to raise her hand but Nightwing caught her arm and forced it to her side. Catwoman noticed this and leaned into Batwoman's earshot, "I know how you feel."
Batwoman was so disconsolate she didn't even get ideas from Catwoman's sultry gesture. Nightwing knew then that she was in trouble. He pulled her aside.
"Are you really ready for this?" he asked.
"Of course not!" she snapped, "That's what I've been trying to tell you."
"Well, I hate to break it to you but you either face these people here and now or you face them in the near future when they march on Chicago. Only then, not only will you be in the line of fire but Margo will be too," Nightwing shared.
He could see that horrified her. It also seemed to galvanize her reserves of strength, "Okay. How do we stop the bastards?"
"However we can," he said grimly.
Most of the Elite still sported wounds from their battle in Elysium. Lashina had her wrist in a brace. Bloody Mary was being held together by stitches and hope. Killroy was covered in burns. And the list went on.
The two losses that had been the most severe had been the death of the cyberpak. None of the cyberwolves had made it through the battle with Anna Fortune. Chessure had reintegrated at Malice's command but the shadow demon was a ghost of its former malevolent glory. She didn't know how well it would be able to fight.
The League rushed into battle with the Elite. Hawkman took to the skies against the parademons. The Shining Knight joined him riding atop his flying hose, Winged Victory. The Ray also took the battle to the single minded creatures. STRIPE also engaged them in the air.
From the ground, Vixen, the Atom, Obsidian, Hourman, Elongated Man, Dr. Light, Nemesis, Apache Chief, Black Vulcan, and Samurai also took the battle back to the parademon strike force. Mr. Terrific led them, leaving the others to fend off the Elite.
Wildcat confronted Steppenwolf, "Hey! Big guy! Why don't you take a break and square off with an old man?"
Steppenwolf thumbed the edge of his axe and started towards Wildcat. Wildcat waved him off, "Come on, you're gonna come at me with an axe when all I've got are these two here fists?"
Steppenwolf smiled. He spiked the axe into the concrete and left it behind, "Prepare to face my wrath, impudent mortal."
"I've been called worse by a lot better," Wildcat retorted.
"You'll learn your place soon enough," Steppenwolf promised, "You'll discover that no amount of impudence can save you from the pain I can inflict."
"Ah, go teach your grandmother to suck eggs," Wildcat said flippantly.
Steppenwolf lunged for with an inarticulate cry bursting from his lips.
Nightwing faced Brola. He was surprised when Brola's fist transformed into what appeared to be stone. Brola then came at him. Brola's martial skill was good…a little too good. After several feints, Brola connected and Nightwing felt a couple of ribs snap. He rolled onto his back and onto his feet and set himself. This was going to be a long and costly fight.
Batwoman was somewhat surprised that Buna didn't underestimate her because she was woman. Most of her human opponents did…much to their own eventual dismay. Many of her past lovers had underestimated her as well. It was a tool she readily used in love and war. Only it wasn't happening this time. She settled in for the long haul and decided to wear the son of a bitch out.
Rocket Red went against Kalibak. Red's armor had been designed and built on Apokolips so it stood to reason that it would enable its wearer to survive an encounter with an inhabitant of that world. Or, at least, so Alexei thought.
Catwoman found herself facing Kanto. The assassin had been beaten to a literal pulp and was still recuperating from the wounds inflicted upon him by Commander Steel. Still, he thought, this slip of a woman shouldn't pose a problem.
He acted first by throwing a knife almost faster than Selina could see. But, she could see it and therefore dodged it. She reacted by lashing out with her whip and snapping Kanto across the wrist as he reared back to throw a second blade. The bullwhip's stinger drew blood and Kanto dropped the blade.
Catwoman snapped the whip again and this time it slashed across Kanto's chest. He leapt backwards, "Curse you, woman! Stand still and let me kill you!"
"As if," Selina snorted and she leapt forward and snapped the whip straight at Kanto's forehead. This time he caught the stinger just inches before it struck his eye.
He sneered, "Let's see about turning the tables, shall we?"
"So, my pretty, how do you wish to die?" Killroy mocked Black Canary, "Shall I ravish you to death?"
"I was thinking you could suffocate my foot to death as I shove it up your ass," Canary quipped.
"Gah!" Killroy was tired of humans and their alien allies. He was going to kill her quick and then copulate with her corpse. The blood would just make her that much more appealing.
Black Canary proceeded to pummel his burn ravaged body and Killroy retreated. He'd intended to kill her with his bare hands but now he saw that would be impossible. She was a devil and she was possessed all at the same time. He drew his scimitar and gloated.
"Let's see how you fare now," he leered. She'd still be comely missing her head and a few limbs.
Fire and Ice decided to double team Infernus. He unleashed a flame blast at Fire. As he'd suspected, it didn't harm her. So he vented a jet of flame at Ice. Ice created a wall of, what else, ice. The ice melted but by the time it was down to the point where Infernus could reach Ice, he was spent.
She froze him in place but saw that his flaming head was still burning bright. Fire didn't care as she alighted next to Ice, "Way to go, Tora!"
"Um…Beatriz?" Ice tried to warn her friend.
"Let's see what he's got now!" Fire boasted.
The ice encasing Infernus exploded outward as flames escaped the prison. The incoming wall of air knocked Fire and Ice over.
"What the hell?" Fire wondered.
"That's what I was trying to tell you," Ice dryly remarked.
"Very well, ladies," Infernus said as he turned to face them, "Now you burn."
This left the Huntress, the Question, Zatanna, Booster Gold, Plastic Man, Green Arrow, Red Tornado, and Vigilante facing the Female Furies. The Furies had been humiliated at Elysium. They'd essentially been beaten by two woman but neither Anna nor Maxima were present so they could cut their teeth against softer prey and then face their tormentors again.