The Wacthtower

Mr. Terrific sat at the computer. Hunched over and beating his fingers furiously into the keyboard as he never had before. The massive monitors and scanners flashed between different images; Metropolis, Gotham, Themyscara, Central City, Keystone City, Happy Harbor and more. This showed on the right monitor, yet on the left was something else. Something unfamiliar and not of their world.. or universe for that matter. Raiden's sky temple, The Shao Lin temple, Shang Tsungs island, the Netherrealhm, the Order and Chaos realhms. But no sign of their tight clad friends and comrades.

The stars from the outside monitor twinkled with a kind of indifference to them, but the heat they gave off was nothing compared to the people who crowded frustratingly around him.

One leaned against his trident, the other stood grimly beside him with a overbearing brow as he unyieldingly looked to them; the stern brow mixed with his green skin making him all the more unnerving. The other stood hunched over Mr. Terrific at the keyboard, starring down at it so harshly as if he was going to start hitting it. His wings flapped as his shoulders remained stiffed.

"Well, where the hell are they?" Hawkman asked.

"I can't get a read on any of them" Mr. Terrific responded "Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman none of them!"

"Pah!" Hawkman spat straightening up "Never had issued like this in the JSA, that's for sure"

"Well" a voice spoke up from Hawkman's shoulder, though at first glance there was no one there "The JSA never had to deal with anything like this" Atom's voice advised loudly yet calmly for all to hear, making a stark contrast to how Hawkman sounded. Had a retort come from anyone else Hawkman would have responded in kind. From Atom however, that seemed to silence him for now, but another question from someone else came as she approached the group, with a great big 'S' for all to see.

"Did you find anything?" Supergirl asked worriedly as she floated past Aquaman and Martian Manhunter to huddle over Mr. Terrific's left shoulder as Hawkman was stood over his right. They gave her no answer and it gave her no comfort.

From behind them two heroes stood watching everything unfold before them.

"That leaves only you and I as the remainders of the original" Martian Manhunter told ominously. Aquaman nodded solemnly with him. The two of them were not on the team now, but to have them here as a bedrock of support. It was meant to be comforting, but if effects were not felt.

"If only we knew where they were"

"Only in words" he replied. But the words 'Outworld' were as foreign to them as they could imagine.

"Words won't do us much good now" Aquaman admitted. He had broken out to create his own team long ago. But looking at then and now, plainly said it was a different time. And whatever the case was he couldn't leave them alone, floating in limbo like this. "Then perhaps it's time-" Aquaman was cut off as a sudden shroud of light broke out behind them. He and J'onn turned around in alarm as they found themselves shoulder to shoulder yet on the opposite sides now, and the closest to what seemed like an uneven round rift in the space station. One that appeared suddenly and lingered in the air before them. Supergirl came to J'onn's left side as Hawkman came to Aquamans right.

"Michael!?" Atom called back to Mr. Terrific as as it continued to rupture before them. It looked like a spiraling whirlpool floating vertically before them.

"It wasn't anything I did" he replied lifting himself up from his seat. All eyes narrowed down in determination at whatever this was.. and whatever it was brining.

"Then what is it?" Hawkman asked gripping his mace tighter. None answered him for it seemed that they would be given one soon.

A figure began to take shape and appear through the portal; the blank outline of a person. Soon it enough it filled out and took it's form and through it stepped a young woman. She wore a skin tight suit, fitted with weaponry and shrouded in dull gray and blue. She had a blank, dull, neutral expression as she looked from side to side to where she was, but when she saw a man with wings and a bird mask glaring at her, only for a flea to hop off his shoulders to do the same a bewildered look overcame her.

"Yeah" Cassie said aloud "This looks like it" she stated blandly with a pop of her gum.

"What the-" Aquaman took a step forward, but he stopped as she was joined on both sides, by even more unfamiliar faces. More men and women, more dressed like her while others had robes, some were her age and others were older but most of them had weapons. That was something not lost on any of them. Neither were the ones who appeared just as suddenly by their side, taking them very much by surprise and taking them off edge.

"Kal!" Supergirl shouted and raced over to him being the first-and fastest- of the group to do so.

"Talk about your familiar faces" Sonya said looking around before settling on the sight before her as the Superheroes broke rank from them and filed out towards their own.

"Well I guess that's his cousin" Takeda commented as they saw Superman and Supergirl reunite amongst all the other heroes who crowded them.

Amongst all that, as the others were taking in more of the scenery Cassie's eyes in particular drifted off to the wide window and to what it showed.

"Is that..." she paused, her face scrunching up in disbelief "..Earth?" Cassie asked

"I sure hope it is" Sonya said looking down on it with her

"Doesn't seem too different when you look at it from this high up" Johnny said flicking his glasses up and off his eyes for a better look.

"Is it not the one you are familiar with" Raiden advised cautiously.

"So.." Jacquei said as she leaned over to Sonya, getting her superiors attention "what was this like last time?" she asked.

"Well your dad and I didn't really have time to take in the view" Sonya said cryptically.

Superman looked through the crowd of heroes before looking back to the crowd he'd left behind. And while all he's ever been about was bridging two worlds, it was even harder now when it was two universes. So he thought, if it was to be done at all, it's best to be done slowly.

"Give us some space everyone" he said causing disbelief to grow amongst the newly formed Justice League and the other heroes here to aid them "We just need to finish some of the finer details of our last adventure" Those who weren't involved in it certainly looked to the other group as they received what can only be seen as some kind of favoritism. But then again this was Superman they were talking about. The group trickled away, not concerned, but curious about who and what they were being replaced by, even if it was so brief. After all they had just lost them to forces they didn't know and here they were now gift wrapped back to them so... why not.

"You know" Jin leaned over and whispered as the group began to leave "you kinda look like his cousin" he said as Cassie peered over to do the same" Maybe you're some half alien too". She brought a hand up to give him the bird, but didn't bother to look his way.

Conogorilla swung himself over the railing as Hawkman fluttered down with Supergirl; he looked back bitterly and she quizzically. Hawkman was joined by his friend the Atom as Jade levitated down on her own as Aquaman and Martian manhunter left together followed by Mr. Terrific and his T spheres. Leaving the two groups; now one alone again.

"So here are at last.. or again depending on how you look at it" Captain Marvel shrugged as Superman moved back to join them.

"No need for an attitude adjustment this time" Wonder Woman agreed

"Charming" Cassie said as they all looked around "Like at home, but.. in space" Cassie said nauseously

"You must be thankful" Hanzo said to the Flash who stood next to him "Now your speed is truly unmatched"

"Starting to feel like my old self again" he said bobbing around lively.

"Him?" Jin asked unconvinced "The one who got captured by Kano?"

"What? You don't beleive me?" Flash asked.

"Perhaps a demonstration for the nonbelievers" Hanzo motioned over to them, a knowing smile on his face as a cocky one grew on the Flash.

"Gotta love a crowd" he said. All eyes were on him and indeed some would even keep track of him. For one moment he was in between Scorpion and Sub-zero and the next between Jin and Takeda. Though the latter two hadn't noticed yet. Not until he put a hand on his shoulder and they nearly jumped out of their skins when they saw him. There was a hearty if good natured laugh at their expense. "Not convinced?" he asked and before they even answered he circumnavigated the entire watchtower countless times, appearing only to them as a blur of red before settling back to a sudden halt with Scorpion with a grin on his face. "A little slow" he shook his legs "Still got some kinks to iron out". Johnny Cage, Kensei Jin, Takeda, Cassie and Jacquei were speechless as everyone else seemed to know better.

"Quite the display" Kensei admitted astonished.

"Well if we're talking about displays" Sonya stepped up confidently and she seemed to leave that sentence on a dramatic pause as turned her eyes to Green Lantern with a mischievous smirk and a determined stare. "I think there was a proposition we agreed to not too long ago" she said with a wry grin.

Lantern rolled his shoulders as he moved to face her "Wouldn't exactly call this neutral ground" he answered with a similar grin of his own. Sonya planted her feet and spread them as she brought her fists up. Green Lantern's grin widened "Who am I to refuse" he said.

Then all at once the green glow that shrouded him, dimmed and melted away. Hal stumbled in place as his green spacesuit was replaced by his brown duster and his Green Lantern emblem traded for his air fore insignia. He brought his hands to frantically look at them, but he found each finger to be bare. A soft chuckle was let out from across the platform and he saw Sonya standing before him, something moving between her fingers. Then she tossed it up and something small and green flipped through the air before she caught it again, her eyes deadlocked onto him.

"Whoa whoa whoa" he put his hands up "This isn't exactly what I had in mind" he said with a sort of panicked laugh

"I thought so long as it happens, it doesn't really matter" she said as she slid the ring on and her uniform was replaced by another; now it was she who was burning bright with green. Her body was flushed with green and streaks of black, on her chest was the circular emblem of the Green Lantern and covering her eyes was a small mask to conceal them, but it still left her grin which was brighter than the glow she now emitted.

"It's your color" Johnny said crossing his arms looking at her "I haven't seen her smile like that in a while" which made Cassie look up to him

"Well.." she said not getting his attention and he turned down to look at her "Now we all match"

"It'll be our next Christmas card" he said

Bearing down before a Ring powered Sonya Hal shifted in place "You know" Hal began as he shrunk away "Tempting as it would be to settle things like this here and now" he began to shift through the sideways through the group until he finally found himself side by side with who he was hoping could divert attention from him, for once "I think we may be distracting ourselves from the matter at hand here" he put a bare hand upon the shoulder of Captain Marvel "Tell em Cap" he encouraged but he only got bemused or confused looks from the others, especially as he tried to quickly pass the torch off to someone else.

"Let's keep it one on one" Sonya said.

"It's not that" Hal admitted holding a hand up before placing one hand on the shoulder of Captain Marvel "Our boys smitten here" he announced as it just increased the severity of the looks he got.

"WHA-" Captain Marvel let out "No!" he shook his arms discouragingly "I mean, your making things up"

"Billy" Superman spoke up with a pointed finger and a tone that a teacher might take with a student "Girls only dig you if your honest" he said as he backed up nervously, but in doing so went right into Wonder Woman

"And if you have confidence" she said putting her hands on his shoulders. He shifted in her grip and under the gazing eyes of everyone else. His instead crept nervously across the room to glance at the woman in question; Jacqui Briggs flinched uncomfortably as he did.

"To accept others, one must first accept themselves" Raiden said, now weighing on the whatever was at stake.

"Come on then" Hal urged. Captain Marvel blustered and shuffled a bit more

"Alright.. here goes nothing" he muttered softly before erupting "SHAZAM!" he shouted and though they were in space far above any skyline and any possible storm Captain Marvel was suddenly struck with a bright golden lightning bolt. It flashed brightly, blinding most in the room and when it disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared Captain Marvel was gone. Nowhere to be seen. Many turned their head to see where he could have gone, but instead found that the last place they saw him, someone else had taken his place.

A young black haired boy, draped in a red T shirt and jeans. He looked up to everyone with a wide eyed curiosity before settling his eyes on Jacqui, just as Captain Marvel had done before. Then with his chest puffed out broke away from the safety of the other heroes and he strolled across the platform towards her. They regarded him with a sort of parental interest as he crossed over and stopped before her. Being half the size of everyone else here he had no choice but to look up to her. The looks on their faces- hers most of all- was nothing short of being purely dumbfounded.

"Hey" he started off "I know we just met, but I think we work pretty well together. So I was wondering" he reached a hand to the back of his head to scratch the back of it "Since you're in the neighborhood right now. Maybe if it's not too busy you wanna see a movie or something?"

While everyone was no doubt forming some sort of a conclusion and putting pieces together as to who this was, none managed to do it quicker than Jacqui herself, but that didn't mean she had an answer to it all just yet. Or that she even expected to have one. Her disorientation made her try to look for answers elsewhere.

She looked up to everyone else who seemed to want to hear a serious answer from her. She rolled her tongue around her mouth along with her eyes in their sockets before settling down on the guileless boy before her. Rolling them up again they returned to him with an answer.

"You know.." she paused and he leaned in with anticipation "That sounds nice" she answered genially, a small hint of a smile forming on her face "Maybe after we could go to the zoo and see the tigers" he added.

"Really?!" Billy let out in disbelief "That sounds great!" Billy exploded. Jacqui let out a innocent bemused little laugh at him. That was eclipsed however by the rest of the laughter, or claps coming from the rest of them; mostly from the heroes who saw it coming.

She looked back up to the still stunned and judgmental looks of the rest of her team "What?" Jacqui shrugged "He's kinda cute" she said innocently

"And he'll grow into it I'm sure" Jin let out.

"And they think we're kids?" Cassie asked aloud as they followed Billy back across the room.

Captain Marvel returned to Superman and Wonder Woman before fractioning. Sonya slid the ring off of her finger and tossed it back to Green Lantern who slid it back onto his and glowed brightly again. From there the groups broke off further.

"Butter knife" Green Lantern said as he approached the young Cage.

"Night Light..." she returned the quip before a pause as she looked over everyone else and the mixed groups they broke off into "quite the posse you got here"

"Not unlike you" he said looking them over. It sounded almost like a compliment.

"Some assembly required" she said looking back at them.

"Maybe not too much" he shrugged

"Coming from the substitute that is". Cassie smirked at him and there was a pause before he spoke again

"Look after yer ma for me alright"

"Tsh" Cassie let out "You sure youre not my dad?" she leaned forward with a raised eyebrow

"Pretty sure" he chuckled back.

Elsewhere other conversations and dialogues were going on, both of reminiscing and going forward.

"So Lui Kang is really gone huh?" Flash asked to Scorpion

"Yes" he nodded somberly.

"I can still hear him now and again" Flash said as he picked his head up to peer around or gaze off to the distance as if he was still there "But..." he paused " I know there's a chance to bring him back" he said. Hanzo nodded again. He dropped his head in reply "well.. until then... I think it's time to sever our link" he said closing his eyes. And like a switch that could be flipped both on and off he lost the mental link that kept him in contact with the other world. Gone for now at least. It would plague him no more.

Superman stood with Sub-zero and Batman, the three speaking to each other. Behind them Wonder Woman spoke with Sonya.

"Sounds like the Lin Kuei is more like the Justice League now" Superman stated

"The clans operates in unison with others for the protection of Earthrealhm. But we are still bound by the shadows" he replied.

"Hm. Well maybe more like the Outsiders" he shrugged looking at Batman and then turned back to Sub-zero "The temple's still cold though I bet, eh neighbor" he said recalling how the temple first appeared before his Fortress of Solitude.

"You should know a thing or two about ice chairs" Batman chimed in leading to a small if suffocated laugh from two out of the three. In his laughter Superman turned his head and saw Raiden standing alone over Sub-zero's shoulder. He patted him before walking over to the God of Thunder who starred aimlessly out into space and earth below it.

"Raiden" Superman said

"Superman" Raiden mimicked. Not unlike how they did so long ago and so far away. Before and after their climatic battle with each other and then Dark Kahn. Only this time when they called out to each other, they were still there to answer.

"So this is what it's come to?" Superman looked over everyone else

"Yes" Raiden did the same. They took in the view of the diverse groups of defenders from two universes, brought together once again. Though seeing them all now, it made Superman feel that they had set out to accomplish what they wanted to in the first place.

"You know" Superman began "us coming back here, seeing you all again, this all started as a good will effort" Superman explained as they turned back to each other

"A sentiment felt and expressed" Raiden said bowing his head briefly "Where to from here?"

"Well" Superman pondered aloud "I was thinking-"

All of a sudden a blaring red alarm went off, alerting them all and getting everyone's attention. The monitor blared and all turned to crowd around it. Mr. Terrific sprouted back up again and went to the computer typed away at it revealing just the cause of the signal.

"It's from Gotham" he announced "A breakout from Arkham" he tapped away further at the computer revealing a camera at the location "A breakout" he said again "Orchestrate by the Royal Flush Gang!" he tapped further "With all the police being diverted there.. there's break in's and robberies all over Gotham!" he said showing cameras of dim or flickering lights displaying above the normal chaos of the dark city.

"Well well well" Sonya said stepping forward and peered at the monitor with smirk "Some girls never learn" she said seeing a certain cat clad woman run away with a bag full of jewels amidst all the chaos. She turned back to Batman "No ring on it yet?" she asked before he turned from her with a flap of his pronged cape.

"I'll handle this" he said gruffly before walking off away from everyone.

"Not alone" Sonya said hopping off the monitor and tagging along beside him

"I'm all Gotham needs" he replied

"Well that's a great selling point" she said unconvinced as she didn't leave his side.

"Or a great tagline to a movie" Johnny added coming from the other side. Batman kept his dismal look as they bantered back and forth over him, but he was stopped when some one else stood before him. Superman with Raiden a few steps behind.

"Sounds like we're going to Arkham" Superman said

"I'm going to Arkham" Batman reaffirmed.

"This seems like an odd time to go out on your own, jus sayin" Cassie said as she approached with her team, Green Lantern and Captain Marvel on one side while Wonder Woman, Flash, Kensei, Hanzo and Sub-zero came from the other.

"I guess it sounds like more of a Justice League problem than a Batman problem" Sonya said

"Batman problems are Justice League problems" Superman replied

"So it looks like we are going to Arkham" Wonder woman reinstated. Batman let out a grumble of defeat, but it seems he would have more to contest with that just the Justice League this time around.

"So when are we leaving?" Sonya said sidestepping past Batman to put herself between the two and Wonder Woman. They all looked to her with raised eyebrows, as if they weren't expecting it. "What?" she asked "Come all this way just to leave you hanging on the way out?"

"She's got a point" Flash shook his finger.

"A good will response to a good will effort" Raiden said stepping up to them, specifically looking at Superman "One for another" he moved his hand from himself to Superman.

"What are we getting roped into now?" Jin asked, trying to interject into the group, but they've already gained too much momentum to stop now.

"This isn't usually how sign ups go" Green Lantern added.

"Hey as long as we can get in on the action this time" Johnny motioned to himself and Kensei.

"Then what are we waiting for" Wonder woman clasped her bracelets together, leading to a distinct metallic 'pang' to ring out "Let's get going" she said dropping them to her sides. She looked from side to side. Already the looks of the other Justice League members was inviting, and it was slowly spreading to all the other kombatants. By looks alone they all were in agreement.

"So we going through a portal or.." Johnny dragged on as everyone all at once broke out and ran, flew or grappled across the wide open room "okay" he said and quickly ran off to keep pace with them.

Soon enough the Justice League stopped and the kombatants followed their lead and they all came to be shuffled and stuffed onto a small blue platform.

Right as they readied themselves, over the railing came the rest of the heroes; Congorilla, Hawkman, Atom, Supergirl, Jade, Donna Troy, Jessie Quick Starman, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter.

"Don't worry" Superman reached his hand out "We've got it covered" he said and they screeched to a sudden halt.

"Yeah and I think this elevators gotta have a weight limit" Johnny called out.

"This is an elevator?" Takeda asked looking at his feet

"Wow" Cassie sighed looking at Supergirl, Jade, Hawkman and all the others "We're more apart of the group than they are now"

"I'm so relieved" Jin let out sarcastically as he was squeezed himself

All of a sudden a blue trickle of light shot down and engulfed the group.

"Heads up" Mr. Terrific said "Arkham's not gonna be expecting you"

"But we'll be expecting them" Green Lantern said holding up a clenched fist

The group looked around to each other as each was shrouded in blue and bright lights. They then focused on one person, when her voice rang out against the silence "You know" Cassie let out "I heard something about a vacation before"

"And?" Superman asked looking down to her

"Not what I had in mind" she said.

"Well.. what did you expect?" Sonya asked before they all disappeared together in a Flash ready to take on what this world offered them for a second time.

The End