The first short film was aired in 1895. At that time, film was expensive to produce, requiring a wealthy backer to produce even a minutes of footage. It was a curiosity at the time, a marvel for the masses that spread its presence through word of mouth.

Now, film was an industry worth billions. From independent films to the summer blockbuster, it was inescapable as a form of entertainment.

Early films were in black and white. Editing processes were unsophisticated, so most films were of a single shot of a scene. It gave the film quality a herky-jerky motion to it.

Studios were also rather negligent with the safe storage of such film. A number of fires had destroyed many older properties, losing them to time and history. Water damage as reels were left forgotten under leaking pipes were another contributing factor. Press releases were about the only things left of them to confirm they had even existed.

So it was with much surprise that Batman found one of these old projection films. It was black and white, the scene belonging something akin to a zoo. A freak show was a better description. A large cage had been constructed, thin metal bars that looked as if they belonged to a fence rather than a cell comprising it. Standing with a lack of intelligent thought on its face was a large man with pale skin and ratty clothes. Further inspection had confirmed it to be a suit, one that had seen better days long ago. A sign was attached to the cage, declaring this individual a walking zombie.

The founders of the Justice League watched the film with rapt fascination. "That looks just like him," Diana had announced the moment the walking zombie had appeared.

A couple minutes went by, the zombie man never changing his position. Then out of nowhere, a look of rage appeared on its face and it stormed up to the bars. It tore right through them, its massive hands grabbing onto several bars at one time and pulling them apart. The bars gave no resistance and the zombie man yanked whole sections off and hurled them through the air. The zombie stormed right up to the screen, the last image being of its foot smashing into the camera.

The lights came on. "This dates back to 1897," Batman reported. "Considering the level of violence displayed at the end and filmography technology back then, it's amazing this survived."

"This is the earliest known sighting?" Superman asked, turning to look at the vigilante.

"The earliest recorded one anyways." He then held up a rolled parchment and unrolled it. It was a poster, an old-timey one announcing the "Infamous Zombie Man: Solomon Grundy." Its red and white colors were faded, the result of time and light exposure. However, the image of Grundy took up the center, dark clothes and white skin. "This dates back to 1932, an attraction for the traveling Haley's Circus. I found other such similar things throughout the years. It's like this Grundy monster just pops up every so often with no rhyme, or reason to it."

That was rather troubling to the Dark Knight. The last known sighting of this creature had been in the seventies and it hadn't been seen since. Why this was, he didn't know.

"It seems to be quite nomadic," J'onn remarked. "Its appearance seems to be primarily in the United States, however; it only appears in other countries due to whatever traveling company it's in."

"Is there anything else?" Hawkgirl asked. "Because this isn't much to go on."

"Unfortunately, no," Batman answered her. "Diana's confirmation, along with footage of the Grundy monster's summoning are the only things that confirm how long this thing has been around. Its strength isn't diminished in the slightest. What else it is capable of is currently unknown."

"So how did the Pantheon guys find out about him?" Flash questioned then. "Was it in one of Faust's mystical books, or something?"

"It's possible, but unless we ask Faust directly, we'd only be speculating."

"Which brings us to another matter: namely how these guys got out of jail," Green Lantern brought up. "I know we were having issues getting them locked up, but there's no way they should be out on the lam."

"I did find a lead on that," Batman said, "though it isn't much of one. A few days ago, Albert Desmond received a visitor. Prison logs have been altered to keep this visitor disguised, along with security footage, but Desmond's movements are meticulously monitored and recorded. He was brought to an interrogation cell, met with someone, and shortly afterwards escaped."

Holding up a device, Batman pushed a button and the holographic image changed from the short Grundy film to an image of a bizarrely designed jail cell. Random pillars grew from the walls and ceiling, crossing at odd angles in front of the bars. The far wall was a large hole. "Look familiar?"

"It's just like one of the battle scenes with Dr. Alchemy," Diana confirmed. "He must have received his powers recently."

"More likely from whomever that visitor of his was," Hawkgirl added. "And from what we've heard from you and Lantern, it had to be the Philosopher's Stone. This visitor found the stone and returned it to him."

"And what are the chances Alchemy went to free Faust and Shade?" Superman asked rhetorically. "I'm willing to bet each of their escapes looks just like this."

The Man of Steel was right about that. "The Pantheon was purposefully released. Whomever this party is, they either had in their position each artifact the Pantheon needed to somewhat restore their powers, or were able to get them through the Philosopher's Stone."

"We need to find out who this visitor was," John declared. "I'm guessing that they went to extreme measures to hide themselves."

"Aside from that one record on Alchemy, yes," Batman confirmed. "There's no recording of the visitor arriving, being in that room, or leaving. I would need to speak with the guards present. Unless they've been paid off, which is a distinct possibility, we might be able to get a description."

"Do what you have to do," Superman told him. "I'd be more than happy to join you if it's needed."

Once upon a time, the Kryptonian would have been against his interrogation methods. It seemed someone had warmed up to his results, or at the very least didn't care how they got their intel anymore. Though his volunteering to go with him could be seen as a way to keep an eye on him and prevent more heavy-handed measures, Batman chose to take the offer at face value. "I think I can manage on my own. I'll keep you all updated."

Someone had shelled out a lot of cash because the inside of the dome was something else. It all looked polished, grand, and just massive. The outside was all metal, but in here you couldn't tell. Was the floor marble, or something trying to pretend it was? It certainly was waxed, but it wasn't to the point you could slip on it. The ceiling was high up, darkening the higher you went. The lighting was closer to ground level, but it was well lit for such a thing.

This hallway was curved, probably ringed the place. Shade glanced left and right not out of curiosity, but to make a mental map for later. You might need a good exit plan, and it happened to lack a certain Greek God, so his abilities could be taken away if someone snatched his cane. He noted how there were doorways to their left, all of which remained shut.

This pretty much meant they were walking for the sake of walking and that none of them knew where they were heading. Alchemy and Faust might pretend they did, and who knew about their new lumbering friend, but Shade had no illusion that everyone here was lost.

He wanted to say something, but sometimes silence was the better play. You didn't give away any sign of weakness unless you were begging to be taken advantage of.

As they were passing another door, the metal barrier slid upwards without warning, and the group of four came to a sudden stop. Interesting, and obviously this was where they were wanted. Shade glanced at the only guys here who could say more than their names and the days of the week, but neither took the time to return his looks. With all the confidence of a man who thought he was a god, which hadn't been too far off the mark once, Alchemy led the way into the chamber, Faust following. Shade was third and their lumbering whatever he was came last after a pause of several seconds.

The room itself was large and at its center was a long, curved table, practically a semi-circle. While it was a big part of the room, that wasn't what the user of shadow and darkness paid attention to. No, there were other people here, and they all looked like they were waiting around. They all looked up at them, returning cool looks without prompting.

The first to speak was a woman, one in a uniform wrapped tightly around her body. Most of the torso was black, elbow length gloves, and a chest-to-shoulder plate that was a purple-pink with a prominent white four-point star emblazoned on it. A head piece with what appeared to be two horns stretched above their head, masking the eyes, but not hiding the neutral mouth, or the dark hair that graced the woman.

"You lot now. What is this, a collection? Are there anymore coming?"

Based on her appearance, Shade guessed that this lady could be the reputed Star Sapphire. Never met her, but she was a dead ringer for the description he had heard. Also, the attitude. Still, she was able to go toe-to-toe with the Green Lantern, so she had reason to be high and mighty.

"They look a bit crusty," another woman remarked. This one was in a seat, legs propped up on the table, and stretching out much like a cat would. Long red hair that gave the impression of flames ended any comparison to felines. Sure, you could say something about the skin-tight, dark red outfit that exposed a lot of skin, especially in the midriff and for some reason the breasts. Not that Shade would complain about that because that was quite an endowment there. "Maybe a little heat would limber them up."

"Or maybe on ice." This one was yet another woman, practically blue-skinned with white hair. This one had a name he had also heard of: Killer Frost. A real homicidal maniac and the type he preferred to stay away from.

Alchemy was holding himself up with all the self-importance of...well, a god. Shade, however, decided that speaking down to this lot would not be a good idea. So he took the first steps forward and stated, "Let me guess: you were told to come here too and found this place."

You could tell Star Sapphire was raising an eyebrow even though her headpiece hid it. "I was told about an opportunity that was allegedly too good to pass up. Here I am and all I have found is this lot, including you."

"I guess you could say we're all a colorful group," Shade remarked as he looked to other bodies. There was a man in a ragged white dress shirt and brown slacks, arms crossed. He looked normal with his profile, golden sun-kissed skin and dirty blond hair, and as if sensing he was being looked at, the man turned his head. Half of his face was human, the other half was pure robot with a green-glowing eye and an exposed mouth that was supposed to look human, emulating teeth, but only gave off Terminator vibes.

There was a snort from across the room and this came from a massive man who only wore a pair of green pants and black combat boots. The rest of him was pure metal, even his hair. Bit of a weirdo to be honest, but then again, there was their zombie friend to consider. "I heard this was a job that would pay well. I need the money more than I need to stay in Central."

"I heard there would be plenty to eat." That was a shark man—a very big shark man. Shade was not about to question that one. That had to be King Shark, or he would eat his own cane.

"So it seems we have been brought here together, most likely for the same purpose despite our own reason to accept," Faust said, taking center stage. "Would anyone happen to know of who is responsible?"

Alchemy appeared thoughtful "Would any of you have met a woman who calls herself Mercy?"

Another snort, but that came from the robot man wearing human skin. He said nothing, though.

"I don't know anyone by that name, nor do I have any myself," Killer Frost said idly.

"So someone went through all this trouble to bring all of us here and then what? Stick us in a room and hope we start singing Kumbaya?" the red-haired woman snarked.

"That would be the furthest from the truth," a new voice stated.

From those standing nearby, or sitting at the semicircle table, Shade directed his attention to the source of the new speaker, allowing his ears to guide him. What he found was a large...man, if you could call him a man.

Sure, he stood up straight, thick arms held behind his back, but he was furry. Completely covered in white fur. The face was that of a gorilla, but the eyes weren't as animalistic as one. He wore a red harness with yellow spikes lining it, but it didn't hide a lot. The biggest thing to note was really the head and how it bulged practically unnaturally. The veins that seemed to throb around it were a little gross.

"What is this, a zoo?" the red-haired woman demanded as she sat up, taking her legs off the table.

"Nothing of the sort," the ape man replied with a refined voice that you would not expect to hear coming out of an ape. "I am more human than you would know, but for the time being, you may refer to me as the Ultra Humanite. I am the one who has assembled you here." Those intelligent eyes met each and every one of theirs, and Shade found his glasses didn't seem to help in hiding his.

"You? For what reason?" Trust Star Sapphire to take the direct approach, not that Shade had a problem with that.

Ultra Humanite favored her with a look solely for her. "The world is changing, Star Sapphire, and it would behoove us to change with it. No longer can we all stand apart, hoping to prevail on our individual agendas. Perhaps you have heard, our counterparts in justice have begun opening and widening their ranks. They are strengthening themselves. Where once we may have been able to address each one individually, now, they are not alone. One on one combat will be a relic in time.

"We are on the cusp of a pivotal moment in history." Once again, Ultra Humantie looked over them all. "Instead of waiting for us to become obsolete, I propose getting ahead of the curve. It is time us rogues and villains pool our resources and abilities together. Create a league of our own, one capable and able to match that of the Justice League and its roster of heroes."

"You said there would be money in this. I don't work for free," the metal man cut in.

Ultra Humantie now favored the metal man with an amused look. "And there will be money. It is not enough to simply come together. We need goals. We need motivation to remain united. There will be many opportunities to obtain capital and how lucrative these opportunities are will depend on who decides they want in."

This time, Shade was returned the looks he sent towards Alchemy and Faust. It was a pretty speech, but that was all it was. The three of them had tried the group method before and had failed. The absence of their godhood was proof of that.

Taking the lead, "We already tried that. We still lost." Shade shifted his weight from one foot to another as he crossed his arms. How was this going to be any different?

"Figures." A snort. Shade didn't even care to follow up on who did it.

The white ape man, for his part, chuckled. That's right, he chuckled. That was irritating. "If you thought your little scheme existed in a bubble, you're sadly mistaken. We all here use the same channels. We know when someone is up to something. We just don't care as long as it does not affect us. Pull on the thread and you find out a lot. The plan you and your cohorts attempted wasn't a bad one, but you could have chosen a better caliber of recruits for it. However, if you truly think you were fighting united, that is a mistake and one I would not have you repeat."

"Explain," Alchemy practically demanded, glaring.

"How did your climatic fights end? Oh yes, you fought a member of the Justice League one and one and not together, united. You were divided and conquered. A mistake that anyone can make—and a regrettable one at that. With that said, it does not have to remain that way. The members of the Justice League came to the same conclusion a long time ago, for why else found such a League in the first place? Regrettably, we on the other end have not kept up, but that can be addressed."

Leathery feet slapped against the floor with each step the massive ape body took. "This is why I am acting. This is why I have assembled you all here. It is far past time we learned from our mistakes and adapt to a changing world. Dr. Alchemy, Felix Faust, Shade." Ultra Humanite paused, then turned to the rest of the room. "Star Sapphire. Killer Frost. Volcana," so that was the name of the redhead, "Girder," To the metal man, "Metallo," the robot man with half a human face didn't even budge, "King Shark," called it, "Silver Banshee." Who was...oh, there was another person here. Another woman made of black and white with a face that appeared like a skull. The black streaks in the white hair weren't a bad touch.

"Join my Legion," Ultra Humanite continued as he spread out his arms, gesturing to the room they were in. "Let us put an end to the Justice League once and for all."

The room was dimly lit. Only a lamp kept it from being completely dark.

John Stewart pulled off his undershirt, tossing it onto a chair. His pants joined it soon after. Grabbing the comforter and sheet on his bed, he pulled them up so that he could slip under them.

The sound of a toilet flushing rang out and he found himself looking to a door. It took a couple minutes before the door opened and there stood a gorgeous woman, wings and all.

"You're already ready?" the redhead quipped before she sauntered over to the bed. There was a teasing smile on her face, her green eyes glowing with amusement.

"I'm always ready when it comes to you," he returned with a smirk.

"Is that so?" The covers lifted up and she slid into bed as well. "Before we get to your favorite activity tonight, I thought we could talk."

John raised an eyebrow. "Talk. About?"

"Doesn't it strike you as strange about the Pantheon returning? They're not even at their full powers like last time," Shayera said. "And the first time around, they kept their god-binding stuff a secret until after they had succeeded. We only found out about them when they were testing their powers."

"They could have been doing another test today," the Green Lantern pointed out. "They're using those artifacts they created the first time to give them power, so they would want to see what they could do with them."

"So do that in some forest in Montana, or something," she countered. "From what your team reported, they weren't doing anywhere near the sort of damage they did the first time."

"Trees and rocks aren't nearly as good of targets like someone that fights back," John pointed out. "And these guys have already shown they're not above killing people to get what they want. They probably wanted living subjects to test themselves on and ended up getting us."

"I guess," Shayera grunted. "It just seems weird. And then there was the need for that gateway for the zombie guy, Solomon Grundy. Clearly they have a plan for it."

"Clearly. Not much we can do about it now."

"And that person Batman found out about, the one that talked with Alchemy before he broke out. How do they fit into all of this?"

Now that was something that had John stumped. This was someone that had the ability to practically erase their existence from any sort of record. It was rather impressive that Batman had even found out about their presence.

One look at Shayera and he could see her mind was rather fired up about this finding. While she had her own training as a detective of sorts in the Thanagarian military, she had on more than one occasion praised Batman's detective skills. Heck, he had seen her reading over case reports of his, treating them like a novel. It was the closest thing she ever came to being a fangirl of something that he had ever seen.

"If I had to wager, it's someone with power and influence," he suggested after a few moments. "How else can records be changed, or removed? Obviously some corruption and bribes had something to do with it too."

"So who has that kind of influence…" That was meant more as a statement than a question. Shayera seemed to be staring off into space as she considered this. "Rich, wealthy people come to mind. People who have connections."

"Government, military, business," John listed off. "There's too many unknowns to be certain about anything right now. Batman's trying to narrow it down by talking to the guards, so he'll get us something to go off on."

"You sound pretty certain about that." A smirk appeared on the redhead's face as she gave him a side-eyed glance.

"When doesn't he find something out?" he asked rhetorically. "He probably knows something about us."

"We're not that much of a secret, Lantern."

John moved an arm around the woman's shoulders, pulling her towards him in a not-so-subtle gesture. "And neither is the mood I am in."

The winged woman turned into him, her arms beginning to touch his body. She looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. "Then show me," she challenged him.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"I don't think I need to tell you all that this does not make me happy." Director Bordeaux was drawling, her way of expressing irritation while this briefing went over the latest developments in Gateway. Images of altered streets and buildings either rested on the table, or were reflected on various monitors.

Steve Trevor no longer glanced at them. He had seen enough to know who was involved. That small cult of Maximillian Zeus' were up to their old tricks again. The only question that remained was what A.R.G.U.S. was going to do about it.

"Letting them have lawyers was the first mistake." And that was Waller being her blunt self once again.

"This is America. They're entitled to their lawyers," he quipped back. "Criminals or not, they are guaranteed representation whether we like it or not."

"Lawyers aren't what is making me unhappy," the director cut in, ramrod straight in her seat. "It took a lot of effort and legal wrangling to keep those murderers behind bars. How did Albert Desmond, Felix Faust, and Richard Swift get out of their cages? Why are they being a problem now?"

The answer to that could be found in another set of photos, this one of a jail cell. It was Desmond's forever home that no longer contained him. Wonder why.

"Preliminary interviews haven't come up with anything," Steve reported anyway. "Maybe he held on to whatever magic mojo he used last time and decided now was the time to use it?"

"And why not before?" Waller retorted. Having her eyes on him was like being watched by a predator that was going to pounce at any time. He hated that dark look. "By all accounts, we made sure they had none of that magic mojo left in them. They were all as strong as newborn kittens. There is no way they would have been able to hide such power for as long as they did. Their kind never try to hide power."

"Not everyone is cut from the same cloth, Waller," he argued back.

"And none of it makes any difference. What I want to know is where these people are hiding now and how are we going to bring them in." Once more, Bordeaux was cutting off an argument before it could get started. "There's has already been too much property damage as is and you know it's only a matter of time until someone looking to score political brownie points comes out from the rocks they're hiding under."

So basically, the same old song and dance and Bordeaux wanted to get ahead of it, as futile as that was. That was perhaps the biggest downside of being part of A.R.G.U.S. Steve told himself. There was always some pencil pusher, or a bureaucrat with an itch to scratch and a score to settle that loved throwing them under the bus.

"All you need to do is point me in their direction and I'll bring them in kicking and screaming." That was Dale Gunn, a very hands-on kind of guy that liked to kick in doors rather than argue policy and civil liberties. Not that bad of a guy, to be honest, but he tended not to have a lot to talk about outside of work.

"And we have no direction to go under since they're already in hiding," Waller stated. A look was directed towards the director. "We really should have had our thumb on those three long ago. I know I already offered my solution."

"Lawyers," Bordeaux repeated dully. "Their cases were still going through the courts and would do so for some time. There's no way you're getting your hands on them until all appeals are exhausted."

"Since when do I ever need to wait for appeals?" Waller retorted. "Plea bargaining is always on the table and I have bargains to offer."

Steve held back a sigh and an even stronger urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Instead, "You wanted to recruit them?"

"I don't see why not," his darker counterpart quipped back. "Had I, we'd be able to not only track, but neutralize. Unlike others, I have full control over Task Force X, Trevor."

"Your Suicide Squad," Gunn muttered under his breathe.

"And it's suicide to cross me," Waller retorted, clearly hearing Gunn's comment.

"And you don't know the full scope of their abilities. What if they were able to do something about that insurance policy of yours," Steve said, directing any arguments to himself once more. "There are too many unknowns with those three. The usual methods, yours included, might not have been enough. There were mythical gods involved. You don't get further out of scope than that."

"Then, if they are such a danger, perhaps it's time to drop recruitment and resort to neutralizing." Waller glared, though her face was as hard as a rock. It was something she could do with her eyes and her eyes alone. Her mouth was a straight line and the rest of her face gave nothing away. "If deemed a threat to national security, we have other options, options that aren't restricted by lawyers, or courts."

"Let me guess, you want to send out X to take care of it," Steve snarked.

Waller's head tilted back, giving the impression she was looking down her nose at him. "If that is what brings this to a permanent resolution, then so be it. You can waste time playing the game, Trevor, but I accept nothing but results."

Gunn gave a cough, which directed attention towards him. "I'm not against sending in X, but they tend to be a group that you have to point in the right direction first before you take off the leash. Do they have any kind of skills that can track criminals like these?"

There was a lot wrong with what Gunn said there, a lot Steve disagreed with. The most egregious was the implication of the leash, as if Waller ever unleashed one of her pawns. Loosened, maybe, but never released.

Waller, ever the professional, showed not even a sign of discomfort when she answered, "Tracking skills are a blind spot. I will work to correct that oversight immediately."

"Then for the time being, there's a no for X," Bordeaux decided. The Director then turned to Steve. "In the meantime, since you are the most vocal, I'll leave it to you to track them down. Do what you need to do, but don't handicap yourself. You have a week, and if you have nothing then, then I'll reconsider Task Force X. Understood?"

Steve gave a sharp nod. He knew Waller was watching him, keeping her options and thoughts to herself. No pressure then. He just needed to track down three powerful fugitives and bring them in. Ideally in one piece.

Though he mirrored his darker counterpart, he couldn't stop the thought, How the hell am I going to pull this off?