13
In Earth Prime's Thailand, the Riddler, Calendar Man, and Clock King were still searching for Gizmo and the missing in action Chaos Avatars. Riddler reported to Clock King, "STAR Labs filed a report with ARGUS listing Gizmo as dimensionally displaced the same way Mr. Terrific and Aztek were moved to Earth-2. Since Gizmo's weapon moved both him and Terrific they assume he's on Earth-2 as well."
"And how did Aztek transport there as well?" Clock King inquired.
"That is the riddle of the hour and I believe the Key is our answer," Riddler smugly answered, "Now where is Calendar Man with our coffee anyway?"
"He has been gone eleven minutes and thirteen seconds precisely," Clock King mused.
"Well, it's not like the Trickster is camped out at the espresso machine drinking shot after shot," Riddler grumbled.
"Actually Luthor spares no expense on food and its preparation," Clock King reminded him,
"Consider it a rhetorical grumble," Riddler rolled his eyes.
Calendar Man suddenly came running into the command center bearing a tray of disposable coffee cups. Riddler took one look at that and irritably snapped, "Careful you cretin! You're going to spill."
"Turn on CNN!" Calendar Man breathed heavily.
"Why?" Riddler wondered.
Clock King was curious enough to simply comply. On camera, Secret Service agents and Capitol Police were herding tourists and the press away from the White House. While a voiceover droned on, footage obtained earlier showed the bodies of dead Secret Service agents strewn about the White House lawn and the roof. The front doors had been kicked in.
The scene shifted back to a visibly shaken reporter speaking on camera, "...and now thirty minutes into the hostage crisis, the captors have issued a single demand. They require that the local superhero duo, and Justice League Unlimited members, called Hawk and Dove come to negotiate the President and First Lady's release. They have been given a thirty minute window in which to comply or the entire West Wing staff will be executed. The two women involved are dressed in a similar fashion as Hawk and Dove. One has been tentatively identified as 'Kestrel' but he was a male foe of Hawk and Dove. Nothing is known about this new woman wearing his costume at this time."
"I think we've found Swan and Kestrel," Calendar Man lamely said.
The comment pained Clock King in its inanity but Riddler seemed on the verge of apoplexy. If his question mark shaped cane had been handy, Clock King had no doubts that Calendar Man would have received a braining within three seconds of making the comment. Still that left one more matter to attend to.
"Who's going to tell Luthor?" Calendar Man voiced the very question on everyone's mind.
Riddler and Clock King removed their cups from the tray Calendar Man still held and merely stared at him expectantly. Calendar Man gulped, "Why me?"
"Cease your whining," Clock chided him, "Grodd will be delivering status reports of all ongoing operations to Luthor in his private lab in precisely six minutes and forty-seven seconds. I suggest you hurry to report our findings while Gross is still present. His presence will dampen Luthor's homicidal tendencies and further enhance the potentiality of you surviving the delivering this most distressing news."
"Right!" Calendar Man sat down the tray still bearing his own coffee and bolted across the ancient temple complex.
"That was cruel," Riddler chuckled.
"Deservedly so," Clock King decided as he refilled his own cup with a measure from Calendar Man's, "I don't believe he shall be needing this."
Riddler shook his head with mirth as he did the same.
Luthor had already uploaded the intranet malware into the Internet. Servers across the globe had been instantly infected as the "operating system security update" spread unimpeded. Since it was a literal Microsoft product it carried all of the required security certificates to get past antivirus software and firewalls. Mac OS, UNIX, and Linux servers and PCs were hit in the second wave of uploads.
Brainiac was covertly monitoring Roxy's taps into the worldwide networks. As each individual PC was infected it exponentially increased the assault on Roxy. Luthor likened it to have every nerve ending in your body constantly seared simultaneously. A human mind would shut down as a defense mechanism. He was curious as to how Roxy would, if she could, defend herself.
Grodd interrupted Luthor's musings, "Is this a bad time?"
"No, you're perfectly on time, as usual," Luthor admitted.
"Dr. Sivana and Mr. Mind have theorized that a large wave tachyon emitter would serve to shatter the Rock of Eternity and scatter its remaining debris," Grodd reported.
"I don't want 'scattered', I want obliterated," Luthor stressed.
"Hence a large scale array to provide the necessary amplitude and power," Grodd told him, "A single pulse should do the job to your satisfaction."
"Can they use an existing site or do I need to have one constructed?" Luthor inquired.
"Sivana recommends utilizing your political and business connection with the People's Republic of China to gain him and Mr. Mind access to the Spectral Radio Heliograph in Inner Mongolia," Grodd informed him, "Since it's designed to monitor the sun it has the range and sensitivity to pierce the dimensional veil and fire upon the Rock of Eternity."
"That should be an easy sell," Luthor admitted, "The Chinese have wanted greater access to LexCorp military technology. Their dreams of parity have vanished in the wind and now they demand superiority at any cost."
Calendar Man burst into the room. Wheezing he said, "Mr. Luthor...you need to check out CNN."
Luthor was severely irked but Grodd activated a monitor. It didn't take the channel long to return to the leading story of the hour. A vein in Luthor's temple threatened to rupture.
He turned to Grodd, "Assemble a team."
"Is it really necessary to rescue the US President and his family?" Grodd wondered.
"It isn't for them," Luthor wearily explained, "I could care less who the political leader of the United States is. I want the team to travel to the GULAG and acquire Condor and Osprey. The Chaos Avatars as a whole aren't known as Legion operatives. If they're successful, fine. Let them bask in the fleeting glory. If not, we'll know they weren't suitable to begin with."
"Understood," Grodd nodded and departed.
Luthor spun on Calendar Man, "Well? Why are you still here?"
Calendar Man ran past a chuckling Grodd.
Earth Prime's Keystone City boasted a visitation by half of the Rogues. Captain Cold reunited with Heat Wave, "I think the original Flash is over the hill. He let me freeze him rather than try and disarm me when I threatened civilians. Maybe he should retire again."
"Or maybe he knows his limitations," Heat Wave offered.
"Where's the fun in that?" Captain Cold asked, "At least the modern Flash will bust his balls trying to outmaneuver us. Who'd you face off with anyway?"
"Steel," Heat Wave answered, "And a more arrogant idiot you will never find. I warned him I'd slag his suit and he just wanted me to bring it."
"Where is he?" Captain Cold expectantly looked around.
"I had his armor red hot when he flew off in the direction of the river. I haven't seen or heard from him since," Heat Wave told him.
"Good riddance," Captain Cold opined, "Watch the truck. I'll grab Lisa and Roscoe."
"Arf," Heat Wave said obediently.
Darknight had spotted that Ri was down on her knees. But she was clutching a chest wound and her hands were glowing. Golden Glider stood over her from behind. It was obvious from her expression she could see a trace of Ri's power through the wound in her back. And the glider still bore Ri's own Shuang Guo sword.
Golden Glider poised the sword over one shoulder like a bat and began to swing. The strike would take Ri's head off. And that was the one wound she couldn't recover from.
Darknight broke into a run and hurled a wingarang at Golden Glider. As he'd intended, it struck the sword blade mid-stroke. Golden Glider's grip was surprisingly firm. The blow didn't knock the sword out of her hands. But it did knock her off balance. That's when Darknight realized she was standing in ice skates.
He was considering the impracticality of her footwear when she started speed skating at him. As she picked up speed, Golden Glider made a vow, "If you've hurt Roscoe I'll make you suffer for it!"
"If he doesn't move he'll be fine," Darknight stopped moving and decided to take up a defensive stance.
The Glider came at Darknight's right side which was how he preferred it. She lined up a simple swipe intended to behead him. But she was unwittingly heading into a takedown.
As she swung the sword, he dropped to one knee and caught her by the waist. Then he threw her down on her back. Golden Glider hit with a sudden woof as she was winded.
Darknight wrested Ri's sword out of Golden Glider's hand. He held the point of the blade at her. If she came up at him, he would skewer her.
But instead, the Glider rolled backwards and came onto her skates. Then she pushed forward with her arms crossed over her head. Slamming into Darknight's exposed gut; she pushed him off of his feet. He tried swinging the sword at her as she pulled pack. She sliced across the blade with one of her own.
The blade of the Shuang Guo sword shattered as it froze. Darknight attempted a scissor kick but Golden Glider skated off into the air. Darknight did a hand spring onto his feet and shattered the ice trail Golden Glider's skates had made.
Her ice fell beneath her but the Golden Glider easily landed on her feet. Then she began a pirouette. As her spin intensified, she lifted one leg over her back and gripped it over her head. Ice shards, sharp as razors began flying at Darknight.
Darknight rolled away from Golden Glider's ice storm and rejoined Ri, "Are you all right?"
The concern in his voice touched her. He still cared even after their months apart, "I shall be."
As she said it, she plucked her Butterfly short swords off of the ground. Ri would never learn what Darknight's reply would be. They were suddenly frozen in place.
Captain Cold chuckled as he strolled by them while twirling his cold blaster, "Suckers."
He approached where Golden Glider was trying to cut the Top free with her ice skates, "Lemme give you a hand, sis."
He froze all of the lines at the same time. Golden Glider's powerful kicks did the rest. The Top did a few revolutions to break off the lines wrapping his body.
"Len, you should've seen Lisa in action," the Top enthused, "It was awesome!"
"I did," Captain Cold admitted, "And it was incredible but I was also dismayed."
"What?" Golden Glider exploded.
"Lisa, you took unnecessary risks and backed them up with even riskier moves. Remember, a long distance shot can work even better than a close range one," Captain Cold shared.
"You only say that because I'm your sister," Golden Glider fumed.
"Yes," Captain Cold admitted, "And because Mick just roasted Steel's ass because he had the same attitude you were operating with. I don't want you making that kind of mistake. I contacted the Clock King and he'd been timing Steel's submersion in the river. He's been under longer than his armor's life support can sustain."
"You mean he's dead?" Golden Glider asked with awe in her voice.
"Probably," Captain Cold confirmed it.
"Mick's the man!" Golden Glider decided.
"Hey!" the Top protested.
"Oh, don't worry. He could never measure up to you," the Glider promised.
The Rogues reunited at the armored truck Heat Wave had "secured". He welded the lock shut and the jumped in to ride shotgun while Captain Cold drove. Golden Glider opened a boom tube and they drove the truck through moments before Golden Glider skated behind them followed by the Top's revolutions. With an echoing boom the portal sealed itself.
Jay's vibrating finally intensified to the point it broke the ice. Then he used friction to warm up. Streaking off further downtown, he came upon Ri and Darknight frozen in place. Using his helmet he chipped at the ice at super speed until it shattered and fell from the Chinese operatives.
As the shivering pair tried to warm each other up, Jay asked the obvious question, "Have you seen Steel anywhere?"
With their teeth chattering, they couldn't speak. But both shook their heads in the negative. Jay began a street by street search pattern.
Finally he began patrolling the river bank. He saw a large glint of metal and skidded to a halt. Backtracking he found John Henry Irons floating just a few feet from the surface with his armor abandoned further down beneath him.
With a heavy heart, Jay paged Sue, "Sue we need a recovery team. It's Steel. I'm afraid he's drowned."
Jay heard her gasp and it was several minutes before she composed herself well enough to take action, "I'll have a team in your position inside of fifteen minutes."
"Be prepared to lock onto Ri and Darknight if I'm mobile," Jay advised her.
"Jay, do we know who did it?" Sue asked angrily.
"Given what I can tell from the suit of armor, I'd say it was Heat Wave," Jay guessed.
"I'll spread the word," Sue clicked off.
He understood Sue's anger. The JLU was an ersatz family of sorts and they'd lived charmed lives for years. But now over the last two months they'd lost three people and only Wildcat's Nine Lives' Charm had saved him from being a fourth.
Jay also understood Red Beetle and Nemesis were still clinging to life after near fatal meetings with highly skilled opponents. It seemed the Legion of Doom and its affiliates had grown more ruthless and exponentially more lethal over the last year.
Jay summoned Darknight and Ri to his position. The KCPD could easily transport them. As soon as they or the inbound recovery team arrived, Jay was crossing the river to check on the other JLU team. After this, who knew what kind of greeting they'd received?
In Central City itself, the Pied Piper played on and Red Tornado found himself taking a severe beating that was actually threatening the structural integrity of his chassis. Reddy dared to create a small vortex around himself. The Piper's slaves were thrown away in every direction.
But the music was fading and people were snapping out of the trance. But there was a trail of mystified people so Red Tornado followed the same trail seeking to find and apprehend the Pied Piper.
"Look alive!" Pied Piper called out to Mirror Master as his slaves departed and drifted out of range of his music. Large cash bags from multiple banks littered the street where they'd been dropped off, "Red Tornado is right behind me."
Mirror Master kicked Vigilante's unconscious body, "You got saved, cowboy."
Red Tornado flew into view and Mirror Master used the same handheld mirror he's employed against Vig. Setting up another ricocheting bank shot, he blasted Reddy into a nearby building. Then he blasted away at the walls of the building to collapse it onto Red Tornado.
Pied Piper used his wrist comm, "Anyone not back at the rendezvous point in five minutes gets left behind. Understood?"
"Work, work, work," Mirror Master complained as he swapped out mirrors. This one opened a tesseract and the pocket universe sucked up all of the cash bags.
Captain Boomerang used his razorang to slit Wildcat's throat. Then he departed after seeing Wildcat bleed out and missed the sparkling energy that swirled all about Wildcat's body. Ted Grant pushed himself off of the ground and saw all of his blood. Then he checked the throat of his costume and fingered the tear where the razor had cut his arteries.
"Damn, that's four down," Wildcat grimaced.
Given his profession, Wildcat had always been surprised he hadn't used up his nine lives already over the last seventy-five years. But he'd just used two in as many months. Given that he'd be dead for good by year's end at this rate.
Wildcat took off down the street after Captain Boomerang. He figured he might just scare what was left of Boomerang's life out of him. And if that didn't work, he'd beat him half to death.
Trickster kissed Vixen while she was passed out. Something about the movement woke her up. She fended him off but then she discovered her lips were sealed with wax. He lifted into the air courtesy of his airwalker shoes and made smooching noises at her.
Using a badger's claws she swiped the wax away easily enough. She knew she could easily harness a bird's abilities to pursue Trickster but she didn't want to catch him just yet. She accessed a Fox's ability to stay hidden while she followed Trickster's aerial progress.
Trickster air walked through the boom tube Pied Piper had opened. Mirror Master had been the first to cross over to the Thai temple. Vixen saw that Captain Boomerang was in sight as she switched her anima to a chimpanzee and leapt on Pied Piper. They fell through the boom tube together and they collapsed after they'd gone through.
"Strewth!" Boomerang swore.
"Mari!" a recuperating Vigilante cried out.
"Boo!" Wildcat said from behind Captain Boomerang.
"Bleedin' hell, mate. You're supposed to be dead," Captain Boomerang was literally quaking in his boots.
"I was," Wildcat wore a nasty grin, "I got better. `Fraid you won't"
One punch knocked Captain Boomerang out. Jay suddenly skidded onto the scene. He saw the blood on Wildcat's neck, "Another life down?"
"Yep," Wildcat said tersely as Vigilante approached while reloading.
Jay intercepted him, "Easy, son. We'll get her back."
"We'd better," Vigilante said angrily, "Them thar varmints got her an' Ah ain't lettin' up on any here Legion rustlers `till Ah git her back."
"We wouldn't expect you to," Wildcat acknowledged.
A tornado suddenly erupted out the building Reddy had been buried by. He landed next to the JLers, "I am pleased to inform you I am fully functional."
"Where's Alan?" Wildcat suddenly asked.
"He bagged the Weather Wizard," Jay smiled, "Apparently it came down to a contest of wills. So guess who won?"
"Idiot," Wildcat snorted.
"We should be tryin' to help find, Mari," Vigilante grated.
"Her abduction isn't the worst news of the day," Jay shared. Then he delivered the news regarding Steel. That stifled Vig's outbursts.
The Injusticers arrived in Gotham City by an internationally flagged freighter. Rather than face INS at the docks, the group had been placed in two cargo containers and offloaded. Once ashore, they were discreetly moved to a seemingly vacant warehouse and greeted by the White Rabbit.
"It's been too long," Nyssa al Ghul gripped the White Rabbit's shoulders.
"Isn't it the truth?" White Rabbit giggled, "We haven't met face to face since the whole World Army debacle. Since Vandal Savage got what was owed him, I've been lying low while Batman prowls the city and Bruce Wayne prowls around Jaina Hudson."
"So he knows," Nyssa realized.
"Just as we all know about Bruce's relationship with Batman," White Rabbit left the truth unspoken to preserve the fiction that Batman and Bruce Wayne were separate entities and Wayne funded Batman and little more.
"Where will we be staying?" Nyssa asked.
"The Court has opened up the old Endicott estate and provided servants and a staff," White Rabbit told her, "It's a modest affair by modern standards but I think it'll suit your needs. And it's located a mere fifteen miles from the boundaries of stately Wayne Manor."
"Is Wayne in residence?" Nyssa asked.
"He is," White Rabbit confided, "He recently traveled to Europe to fetch one Ulla Paske, Dick Grayson's paramour. Apparently Bruce wanted Dick to resign from Spyral after having just joined up. But the discussion seems to have not gone his way and Grayson is on a training mission with NATO so he and Ulla are sharing 'quality' time and trying to make little guppies at every opportunity."
"And aren't we the jealous creature?" Nyssa teased.
"Richard Grayson is utterly shagilicious," White Rabbit said with a satisfied hum, "But I'm totally saving myself for when I have Bruce back in my clutches."
"You're in for a long wait followed by disappointment. That's what Talia learned before she lost her mind in the most literal sense," Nyssa warned.
"My needs are small," White Rabbit wistfully shared, "I don't require a happily ever after. Just serial orgasms on a regular basis."
"Do you have Grayson managed?" Nyssa turned serious.
"Yes, even though he prefers a cold fish over a throbbing bunny in heat," White Rabbit sighed.
"You aren't meant to understand the why of it," Nyssa rolled her eyes, "The point of reaching into Spyral was to acquire control over Grayson and Batman through him."
"Yes, mother," White Rabbit said petulantly, "I have Katherine Webb-Kane under my thumb. Since she's the director of Spyral I'd say that's pretty effective."
"How did you manage to acquire control over her?" Nyssa asked.
"Webb-Kane's father was the original Agent Zero that ran the UN's intelligence branch. When it was discovered he was secretly Dr. Dadelus, a wanted Nazi war criminal, he had to resign in disgrace and flee for parts unknown. Yet the familial bond was sufficient to grant Webb-Kane being ushered in as her father's replacement. But my investigation proved that Katherine Webb-Kane has a rather sordid legal history. Including but not limited to knowing the whereabouts of her father."
"She seems to be the perfect choice for an acting director of a covert agency," Nyssa mused.
"Except after Webb-Kane left Spyral before her father's fleeing, she had a brief career as a costumed adventurer here in Gotham. Apparently the motif was designed to seduce Batman. She failed," White Rabbit explained, "Following that she assassinated several heads of state for ideological purposes. The hits were all unsanctioned and based upon personal preference. Many were assets of larger powers. Some were even numbered as assets of the League of Shadows."
"This began to occur three years ago and the terminations ceased a year ago when Webb-Kane assumed the directorship of Spyral," Nyssa surmised.
"Exactly, she's actually been tasked with investigating her own handiwork," White Rabbit giggled, "The best part is the only link between each victim was a past association with Dr. Dadelus."
"Daughter dearest was cleaning up after daddy," Nyssa commented, "I can relate."
"I bet," White Rabbit concurred, "Anyway, I had a discreet package delivered to Webb-Kane's office containing a copy of all the evidence linking the crimes to her. I specifically included a warning to safeguard Agent Grayson's safety. She now believes the Batman sent the evidence under orders from Bruce Wayne through Batman Incorporated."
"And how has she responded?" Nyssa inquired.
"She's dispatched four agents to assist Commissioner Sawyer and the GCPD in capturing Batman," White Rabbit shared, "Which will have the effect of harrying Batman and distracting him from our current purpose."
"Perfect," Nyssa opined, "As long as she keeps the pressure on Batman's ability to interfere will be halved."
"The Heretic has already arrived with a large contingent of Leviathan specialists and he's activated his local assets. He's specifically asked to confer with you," White Rabbit said, "In order to exert control over the meeting; the Court of Owls has called an audience in three hours time."
"So I have time to unpack," Nyssa said dryly.
"Or you could join me for brunch," White Rabbit offered, "Jaina had the affair catered."
"Will she be joining us?" Nyssa asked.
"No," White Rabbit was only slightly disappointed, "She has to keep up appearances by going out to lunch with Mr. Wayne."
"He knows and she knows but no one is saying anything," Nyssa shook her head.
"Jaina loves every moment of it," White Rabbit laughingly assured her, "She actually prefers it this way."
"I assume the Court's people here will deliver mine to their destination," Nyssa remarked.
"Of course," White Rabbit happily agreed.
"Let me inform them and then I'm yours," Nyssa moved off to discuss matter with her Injusticers.
White Rabbit simply considered that there was a lot to admire about Nyssa al Ghul.
Inside Jaina's brownstone, Nyssa discovered the remark involving catering hadn't been an idle boast. White Rabbit happily warmed items, "Jaina took delivery half an hour ago so things aren't actually cold but a little pick me up couldn't hurt."
In between moving dishes to the serving area, White Rabbit pulled out a vintage red wine, "Care for some?"
"I prefer an espresso," Nyssa confessed, "I want to be completely sharp when I go before the Court."
"Well, I shake off inebriation with a thought so I'm indulging," White Rabbit confessed.
"Not to be rude but why are you attending the audience?" Nyssa asked.
"Because, dear heart, I've arranged the underworld and mafia elements going into play during the so-called 'storm'. The Court prefers to use intermediaries with such personages because they're prissy and don't want to get their hands dirty. But ask them to dispatch a Talon or a dozen and they have no qualms about assassinations involving ritualistic killing."
"So what's the real purpose of this audience?" Nyssa was curious as to how White Rabbit would answer the question.
"They basically want you to stare down the barrel of the gun and see if you'll blink," White Rabbit said with a dismissive shrug.
"I wonder how they'd react if I turned the gun against them," Nyssa pondered.
"Then I'm guessing we'd have resurrected Talons running out of our ears," White Rabbit said ruefully.
"Resurrected?" Nyssa caught that word, "Like Lazarus Pit?"
White Rabbit filled in the details and afterwards Nyssa smirked, "Good to know."
