14
As Jay led the newly arrived Justice Leaguers down the five miles of road to the GULAG boundary, he explained what the group was about to come up against, "The Legion has captured all of the guards and rounded them up to a single location. They've taken a section of outer fence line and wrapped around the cluster of guards."
"Who is watching over the prisoners?" Samurai inquired.
"Major Force, Killer Frost, and Black Mass," Jay answered as he directed everyone off the road and into the woods, "Which is good because it limits the number of people attending the prison guards. But it's bad news because it only takes one of them to be properly motivated to kill every man and woman in that fence enclosure."
When they reached the scouts' position they found Sentinel had created an acoustic parabolic dish and head constructed headphones for everyone. So they all listened in as the Legionnaires chatted amongst themselves. Then Signalman exited the GULAG's main entrance and everyone broke up and took up positions all across the courtyard.
"Now we'll have to split up to take them out," Shayera instructed everyone, "If you manage to subdue your foe, help out anyone that needs it."
"I'll take the prison interior," Sentinel volunteered.
"And I'll play cleanup gunner since we outnumber them by my count," Jay added.
John handed out a list matching everyone one up with an opponent, "All right, let's move out!"
Captain Marvel slammed into Major Force and he carried him up the mountain side to the upper peaks and then cut north along the ridge. Slamming Major Force into a rock face, he began beating punches into Major Force's containment suit. Major Force repulsed him with a massive wave of quantum energy.
Captain Marvel recovered seconds later and Major Force chuckled, "You've got major balls, Marvel. Most people are too afraid of ripping my containments suit to go to the wall against me."
"Maybe because I'm immune to your powers," Captain Marvel argued.
"You really think so?" Major Force smirked, "Let's find out."
He rushed Captain Marvel and gripped Marvel's head and began coursing quantum energy blast after blast into Marvel's skull. Even with the endurance of Atlas, Captain Marvel quickly felt overwhelmed. And he opened his mouth and it glowed as he screamed.
Captain Marvel Jr. flew straight at Black Mass. Black Mass manipulated Junior's local gravity and suddenly he was trying to fly in Jupiter's gravity well. He skidded face first into the gravel. Then he began to crawl towards Black Mass.
Black Mass kept pouring on the heavy gravity and eventually Junior stopped just inches from Black Mass' feet. The ground beneath Junior began compressing and soon he was in a pit. The walls of the pit broke free and buried Junior. Black Mass was forced to stand back but he maintained his gravity field clearly intending to crush the Marvel.
"Here we are again," Killer Frost remarked ruefully, "You, me, and the ghost of Crystal Frost. How's it feel, murderer?"
"I didn't kill Dr. Frost," Firestorm protested.
"Liar!" Killer Frost raged, "It was because of your interference that she died."
"All I did was create an ice enclosure around Crystal Frost. She absorbed all of the heat from the enclosure to stay warm. Afterwards, she crystallized and shattered," Firestorm recalled.
"I know what you did, idiot!" Killer Frost angrily snapped, "That wouldn't have ever happened if you hadn't created that ice enclosure in the first place. You killed my idol and the woman I was in love with. And now you're going to pay for it."
"I wouldn't say I..." Firestorm began to protest. And then he found himself at the heart of a small glacier.
"Whatt'ya think, punk?" Killer Frost asked in a mocking tone, "Should we call it poetic justice?"
Jay began to unravel the fencing wrapping the guards but a yellow blur from nowhere smashed into him and knocked him off of his feet. Jay adjusted his helmet, "Okay Zolomon, we'll just chalk that up to one of your cheap tricks."
"Jokes on you, Garrick. There is no Hunter Zolomon and never has been," Reverse Flash laughed maliciously, "I killed that scum before I ever traveled back in time to end the legacy of the Flash before it really begins."
"Then who are you?" Jay wondered as he got onto his feet.
"I'm Eobard Thawne and I've been selected after generations of Thawnes feuding with Allens and Wests to settle things here in the past," Professor Zoom boasted.
"I've dealt with Rival and I've dealt with you before," Jay reminded Thawne.
"Yes, but I've had time to study you now. I've changed plans so that I go back in time and kill you so there will never be a Flash to have a legacy to carry and I'll kill Edward Clarice just to be certain that imbecile never discovers your formula. After that, Johnny Chambers dies before he becomes Johnny Quick and Max Mercury will never survive to eventually become Bart Allen's guardian. I'll be the only one left," Reverse Flash outlined his grand scheme.
"So why haven't you already done it?" Jay asked.
"Because Vandal Savage stole my time bubble," Thawne snarled, "And that idiot Inertia won't tell me where he and Sun Girl hid their time machine."
"My heart truly bleeds," Jay flippantly remarked.
"Ready to dance, old man?" Reverse Flash demanded to know.
"You'll feel old when I'm done," Jay promised.
Thawne burst into a flurry of motion. Throwing punches faster than the average eye could track, he broke the speed of sound with every one and every blow was punctuated by a loud crack! But Jay blocked every punch and remained solely on the defensive until Reverse Flash had exhausted his repertoire.
Having gotten Thawne's rhythm down, the way Wildcat had taught him to, Jay went on the offensive. There was no rhyme or rhythm behind Jay's attack. No repeating factors or tell tale clues as to where he would strike. Because, the former Flash simply waited for Reverse Flash to open up an opportunity and he'd strike.
Thawne was also frustrated by the speed of Jay's attacks. He'd wrongly assumed Jay had slowed down as he'd aged. Historically, it had been documented the first Flash had been slower than Barry Allen just as Wally West was incrementally slower than Allen. But Jay had learned techniques to compensate for his slowing down.
Professor Zoom was also discombobulated that Jay hadn't known how to box four weeks ago, yet here he was, fighting like a professional. It had never occurred to him that all of Jay's reflexes were accelerated by the Speed Force including his muscle memory. Ted Grant had never had such a quick study or a more motivated pupil than Jay Garrick after all the decades that they'd known one another.
The situation was turning so lopsided that Reverse Flash decided it was time to break free of the constraints of his master plan. Slipping on a copper amalgam of brass knuckles, he caught Jay's arm as the older man threw a punch that Thawne had opened the way for. The stun knuckles discharged and knocked Jay out.
Now Reverse Flash decided Jay would die this day before Thawne traveled to 1939 to kill Jay Garrick before he unlocked the Speed Force through his chemical treatment.
"Halt villain," Red Tornado said as he alighted near Signalman, "I do not recognize you but I shall apprehend you."
"Don't you know it's rude to tell a super villain you don't recognize him?" Signalman retorted, "After all, we all put on these silly tights in order to gain notoriety."
"An interesting sociological study," Red Tornado considered it, "One I shall pursue later at my leisure. Now, will you come quietly?"
"Of course not," Signalman snorted, "I've gone toe to toe with Batman half a dozen times. You certainly don't threaten me. Grodd invited me to join his second Secret Society before Luthor dethroned him and promptly ignored me while I was serving five to ten in Blackgate. But you'll never guess who I ran into while I did a portion of my stretch."
"Agreed. I never will," if Red Tornado could have sighed he would have.
"TO Morrow," Signalman said with relish, "Your creator."
If Red Tornado had been capable of human emotion he would have felt panic. As it was he created a cyclone outside the perimeter and brought it ever closer towards Signalman. Signalman just waved his finger at Red Tornado and then depressed the activation stud on the band on his wrist. A radio signal bearing a simple mathematical code was received by Red Tornado's central processing unit and his AI functions shut down.
Red Tornado collapsed like a broken toy. His tornado dissipated. Signalman tapped his foot against Reddy.
Seeing the android wasn't responding, Signalman smiled, "Once I've shipped you to Morrow's delivery address my debt to him will be settled."
"There's somethin' different `bout ya," Killer Croc struggled to figure out what it was; "Did ya get a facelift or somethin'?"
Wildcat chuckled ruefully, "Something like that."
"I heard ya was killed a coupla time now," Killer Croc added.
"Well, you know what they say about cats and their nine lives," Wildcat tossed out there.
"I never got that one," Croc admitted.
Wildcat fought the urge to face palm, "Are we going to fight or what?"
"Okay, but I hate wipin' out geezers," Killer Croc adopted a fighting stance.
"No longer a problem," Wildcat promised him.
"Huh?" Croc was really confused by that reply.
"Never mind," Wildcat sighed, "Just bring it."
So Killer Croc rushed twice as fast as he'd been able to before. He got Wildcat in a rib crushing squeeze and Wildcat managed to say, "I...unh...guess...uff...Luthor's done...urg...some...work...on...you."
"Call it a pick me up," Killer Croc chuckled menacingly.
"Me...too," Wildcat kicked him in the balls.
Croc dropped Wildcat and backpedaled. He clutched his groin and barely managed not to moan, "Wanna fight dirty? I can do that."
"I bet you can," Wildcat taunted him, "Especially once you get your balls outta the ice bucket."
Killer Croc snarled savagely as he lunged at Wildcat. And collided with Wildcat's responding right cross. Wildcat overwhelmed Croc's response time with a volley of punches and jabs.
Killer Croc replied with a double backhand. But Wildcat ducked under it and spun behind Croc and laid a haymaker into Croc's left kidney. Croc yelped and jumped away.
"Great," he said sourly, "I'll be pissin' blood fer a coupla days now."
"We could make it a week, bunkie," Wildcat offered.
"Grar!" Croc roared as he came at Wildcat again. He threw a lefthanded backhand followed by a right cross. But Wildcat was no longer there to be a target.
Ted Grant came up out of his crouch and tagged Killer Croc with a devastating uppercut. Croc's brain bounced around inside of his own skull. Wildcat pressed his advantage while Croc was dazed. Right crosses and left crosses were interchanged at random intervals. Croc's brain bounced all over the place. Finally it had taken enough punishment and Croc was knocked out.
Wildcat caught his breath and looked around, "Hey boy! Looks like I'm already needed."
Shayera banked and spun to evade Blackrock's electrostatic blasts from his power stone. She knew his stone absorbed electromagnetic signals to create electrostatic discharges and shields. Blackrock had once been a communications relay specialist for a firm specializing on satellites to feed entertainment transmissions to subscribers. He'd also designed and built transceiver arrays.
But unknown to his employers, he'd spent his off hours at work developing his own electrostatic technology. He'd also learned how to convert humans into transmission beams similar to the League's teleporter systems. Shayera assumed all of the GULAGS radio equipment and satellite communications links were wide open so Blackrock would have plenty of power to draw on.
As he volleyed shot after shot at her, Shayera decided to opt for the direct approach. She dove at him and swung her mace as she got in range. But he "dissolved" into a radio signal and reappeared at a nearby fallen radio bereft of an owner.
As Shayera caught lift she banked to approach Blackrock again. But a super strong air current caught her and she was sucked into orbiting Red Tornado's cyclone. Shayera managed to keep from being pulled in but just barely. As it dissipated, she broke free and recalculated her attack angles because Blackrock had also moved.
Blackrock seemed to be discussing something with Signalman and Shayera's eyes narrowed as the outlandishly dressed signal expert joined Blackrock's side. Shayera knew she wouldn't appreciate whatever the pair had planned but it was convenient of them to group together so she could wipe them both out with a single blow.
Signalman had control of the GULAG's comm array now. He boosted all of the gear to maximum output and Blackrock's power stone shimmered as it absorbed the raw power. Blackrock lit up the transmission grid with an electrostatic charge. Shayera was caught amidst a massive net of electrostatic energy. It was like being hit by a quarter mile wide bug zapper.
Shayera plummeted to the ground. She saw her mace was over a dozen feet away. Signalman offended her by stepping on its handle. She decided she was going to have to rip his arms out at this point.
As she sprinted forward she hit the electrostatic wall separating her from Signalman. Testing the air around her, she discovered she was cubed in. As Blackrock came alongside Signalman, she could see the glow emanating from his power stone.
"What do we do with her?" Blackrock wondered.
"Back home we always fried chicken," Signalman laughed at his own joke.
Shayera thought he was as pathetic as his costume indicted. Blackrock mulled the point, "That's fried, deep fried, boiled, or roasted. Have a preference?"
"Nope, just follow your gut," Signalman urged.
Shayera decided that if she lived through this encounter she was going to put both of them in traction for a month or two.
Shrapnel ambled closer to the captive guards and prepared to "detonate". John managed to get a construct around the former human in time. But Shrapnel reconstructed himself in record time. John detected the handiwork of one of the Legion's multiple mad scientists at work here.
"Had a little work done?" John inquired.
"I gotta maintain my girlish figure," Shrapnel's laugh was harsh and metallic, like him.
"Faster and dumber. They did a complete job on you," John said sourly.
Shrapnel began to detonate time after time as the strain built within John. John dropped the bubble construct and created a wall protecting him from Shrapnel's epicenter. As John contracted the field, Shrapnel blew apart. What John witnessed was that Shrapnel reassembled even faster when he was spread further apart.
"Lucy, what am I to do with you?" John wondered.
"You could simply die," Shrapnel suggested. Then he displayed a new ability. He blew all of his component parts at John and just John.
"What the hell?" John wondered as he stared in disbelief. Making a strategic decision versus his tactical impulses, John flew away and crossed over the Sierra Nevadas. He headed for Los Angeles.
"Yeah!" Shrapnel pumped his reconstituted fist in the air, "Keep running, sucker!"
Psi tried using her psychokinetic abilities to twist Plastic Man up into endless knots. Then she tried to stretch him beyond his endurance when that failed. Discovering Plastic Man didn't have any limits, she gave up on both those ideas.
"Why don't you take a break?" Plas wondered, "You look beat. Not sleeping well?"
"Bastard!" Psi telekinetically punched his chest. It bent backwards and then rebounded when she let up.
"Let's grab some coffee and lunch and talk it over. I know where you're coming from better than you realize," Plastic Man suggested.
"Shut up!" Psi screamed.
This time she managed to knock him back for a few seconds. But the effort caused Psi's knees to buckle and Plas shook his head, "I don't think you're really cut out for this line of work."'
"I'm warning you," Psi wearily replied.
And then Plastic Man was covered from head to pliable toe in six inches of ice.
"Say what?" Psi was baffled.
Killer Frost made her approach, "You looked like you could use a hand. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. I guess capturing and moving around over a hundred guards took it out of me," Psi finally realized, "And besides, anything that shuts him up I'm a fan of."
"He'll be quiet from now on," Killer Frost promised, "And just to let you know, I'm sort of your fan."
"I never had a fan before," Psi mused philosophically, "Say, aren't you a lesbian?"
Killer Frost hesitated before answering, "Um...yeah."
"Where you trying to flirt with me?" Psi asked.
"Only if you wanted me to," Killer Frost readied herself for damage control.
"I'm cool with it," Psi admitted, "I'm into both sexes just not labels. I'm more of an 'it takes a certain kind of person over gender' type."
"I did not know that," Killer Frost admitted.
"You don't advertise things like that around this crowd," Psi rolled her eyes, "You get invited to a lot of threeways if you do."
"Actually I was invited to one in college," Killer Frost admitted.
"But I thought..." Psi's widened, "I get it."
"Frankly it lacks the personal touch," Killer Frost opined.
"Should we be helping somebody?" Psi wondered.
"No, I think we're cool right here," Killer Frost said after looking around.
"Thank God," Psi breathed, "Now, you were thinking?"
Killer Frost just grinned.
King Shark decided to go straight at Apache Chief when he saw the Native American jogging in his direction. He swiped with both his hands as he got in arms' reach. And King Shark stumbled as he passed through Apache Chief.
Spinning, he threw another open handed swipe at his presumed opponent. But his claws simply sailed through his foe. King Shark looked disappointed.
"Afraid?" he gloated, "You should be."
"It is not fear but simple caution," Apache Chief shifted his molecular density and became as hard as stone. His opening punch staggered King Shark.
King Shark wiped his mouth and responded with his approximation of a smile, "That's more like it."
His first punch nearly tore Apache Chief's head from his shoulders. He raked his claws across the Native American's chest, gauging into it. It soon became very apparent that King Shark's fighting acumen was all about power and intimidation.
Apache Chief decided to randomize things a bit. Altering his density at various times threw King Shark's responses off. Having studied Judo with Samurai, Apache Chief began using what techniques he had mastered.
He locked King Shark into an arm bar. But as Apache Chief tried to force King Shark to submit, the undersea princeling continued to fight. And then Apache Chief chose to break his foe's arm. Only it didn't happen.
King Shark managed a reversal and connected a left cross into Apache Chief's jaw, "You should know something, Chief. Shark's have a lot cartilage in place of bones. You might want to remember that for future reference. Supposing you live, that is."
The demigod came back at Apache Chief but sailed through him. The JLer hadn't quite shifted his density all the way to its hardest point when El Diablo stepped in. Between King Shark's raw power and El Diablo's precision, Apache Chief was overwhelmed. Turning intangible he ran for the road and kept going upon reaching it.
"Can you believe it, Nanaue?" El Diablo asked, "He just ran away."
"He's not the type, Chato," King Shark replied, "He's up to something. Remember there's a settlement and an airfield further down that road. And something brought the Leaguers here."
"Maybe, but we can get ready for whatever it is," El Diablo was certain of it.
"So how did you manage to come to my aid?" King Shark was understandably curious, "I thought saw Apache Chief's pal Samurai headed for you."
"You did but he was one overconfident sonuvabitch," El Diablo laughed, "He rose in on a little one man whirlwind. Then he lit up fires in both hands and told me to give up because there was no way I could win. So I suggested we simply fight it out without the parlor tricks."
"The cocky little bugger bragged about having seven different black belts in karate. So I told him to prove it," El Diablo explained, "I beat the crap out of him. He got so desperate he tried using his powers but I had him by then."
"Which brings us to the last five minutes," El Diablo concluded his tale.
"We should check on Gayle and Eric," King Shark mentioned.
"I'll take Gayle," El Diablo started heading for Psi's assigned position.
"You'll note Killer Frost is undoubtedly still with her," Killer Shark warned him.
"More women to love and love me back," El Diablo called back.
Killer Shark wondered if Killer Frost would get offended by Chato's advances and freeze his dick and then break it off. He decided that was a pleasant thought after what had happened with Shrike.
Black Vulcan watched Black Spider slip into the surrounding tree line where the fence had been rolled away for some reason or another. He decided to follow the Black Spider, "Hey! Come back! I'm not playin' with you!"
As he stumbled through the woods, Black Vulcan reaffirmed his conviction that he was an urban jungle kind of guy. Who knew what lived in these woods? And where the hell did Black Spider go off to?
He stopped and searched around. He wasn't even certain he could find his way back to the prison. He lifted his foot to take a step forward.
"I wouldn't do that," Black Spider called out to him.
"Like hell you wouldn't," Black Vulcan figured he was getting close.
The snare snapped tight around Black Vulcan's ankles and he was thrown up a tree as he was dragged up into the air. Black Vulcan tried to take a look to see how precarious his situation was, "Damn."
Black Spider came out from the nearby trees, "I did try and warn you."
"Help a brother out?" Black Vulcan asked.
"Okay," Black Spider cracked him in the head with his rifle butt, "You're helped."
Black Spider reached the edge of the trees and began to observe the various struggles still underway. Things were looking up for the Legion. Which meant everything was about to go tits up.
King Shark came ambling up and Black Spider warned him, "Don't go into the trees."
As he walked out into plain sight, He explained to King Shark, "The GULAG administration has set up snares and traps throughout the woods in every direction but towards the road and alongside it. Black Vulcan stepped into one not two seconds after I'd warned him."
"Did you kill him?" King Shark wondered.
"No, my murder raps were wiped clean by Waller. But I'm still supposed to be serving time for some assault beefs," Black Spider told him, "And I don't want to be a target of a manhunt while I go after Federov for killing my ex and my son. The scumbag has carved out a niche selling heroin in Gotham under the protection he buys from Falcone."
"I see you're still ambitious," King Shark chuckled.
"It'll pay well too," Black Spider promised, "I've shopped it around to some interested parties. Federov has wealthy enemies. And Falcone has even wealthier ones."
"You're still set upon Falcone?" King Shark hadn't been certain.
"Federov wouldn't have made it anywhere without Falcone's patronage. So he's just as guilty in my book," Black Spider decided.
"Why the mention of money?" King Shark asked.
"Because I've sold the idea to the backers, who are pooling their finances on this, with a four man crew. Equal risks and equal pay. Think the Suicide Squad with financial rewards."
"And you're asking me to be a part of it," King Shark realized, "I'd have to think about it."
"I don't need an answer yet but I will need one four weeks before the operation is a 'go'," Black Spider shared, "Gayle said she's a 'maybe' as well. Of course, Chato's in."
"He would be," King Shark replied, "But if Killer Frost gives him her usual response, he'll be too busy trying to get a penis replacement."
"A fate worse than death for our lusty Latino," Black Spider chuckled, "I like it."
Sentinel had made it unseen into the GULAG. His mystical power ring illuminated the steps of the Legionnaires. It only selected them because that's what he willed it to do. And he was definitely following two people and not just one.
The trail ventured deep into the meta-human prison facility. And the pair seemed to be inspecting every cell in every cell block. Which meant the warden had managed to lockdown the database with the inmates' names and locations.
But the Legion generally only took risks this high for their own. And the two Rogues that had just been brought forth from Central City were the only incarcerated Legionnaires. Phobia and Houngan were still in Blackgate's hospital wing after being transferred from Fawcett City. And Goldilocks was a nonentity regarding anything not involving the Shining Knight. Besides, Booster said she'd been let loose in Europe.
But those Hawk and Dove wannabees had liberated Catman. And Catman was certainly a member of the Legion of Doom. Two of them had been incarcerated here while the other two roamed free enough to threaten the President.
Sentinel's ring began to pulse and the two tracks became one. This was one of the ultra secure wings. The doors had no openings or view slits. Security monitors provided views within them. And one set of tracks had stepped away from a cell and vanished.
Sentinel swept the walls with his ring and found no trace of anyone climbing up them. He couldn't understand it. His ring had never failed him like this before. And then Copperhead dropped down from the ceiling.
He wound around Sentinel and bared his fangs in preparation of poisoning him. But green flames erupted out of Sentinel's skin and Copperhead was repulsed. Sentinel hurled a dozen different constructs at Copperhead but the lithe assassin remained free. And then he ducked around a corner.
Count Vertigo came around the same corner. Sentinel noted that the Count wasn't wearing his ocular piece. And then wave after wave of vertigo began to wash over him.
Sentinel erected a barrier but it barely diminished the sensation. Sentinel had been an engineer since the 1930s. If the inducer was no longer an optical device then an auditory replacement seemed likely. He created another parabolic dish and a speaker and aimed it at Count Vertigo.
Count Vertigo applauded him, "Congratulations! You're the first to deduce the true nature of my new inducer. Unfortunately for your efforts, the cochlear implants that allow me to hear normally also make me immune to my own device. Too bad for you."
"I can still hammer you into a wall," Sentinel threatened.
"You could," Count Vertigo mused, "But I think you'll be too busy facing off against my new friends."
Condor and Osprey stepped around the corner. And like Count Vertigo himself, they were immune from the inducer destabilizing their inner ears. Sentinel suddenly knew it was going to be one of those days.