Buildings raced beneath Superman, the Man of Steel leading the charge. Charge might be too big a word here as it was only Hawkgirl for backup, but that didn't change the fact that he was in front.

The bank, one of many in this city, was up ahead, but unlike most of them, this one had a withdrawal in progress that was not legal. The fact that the front entrance had its doors torn off was a good indication of that.

This would be tight. Based on what he knew, there were at least two aggressors in there. One could use magic, which was a shortcoming that he himself had not been able to find a way around. For the Man of Steel, Felix Faust would be the more dangerous of the pair. However, the plan wasn't for him to deal with Faust, but Faust's new pet.

This was going to have to be quick.

Superman increased speed, becoming a near-blur as he flew through the broken entrance and into the bank itself. He could see Faust up ahead, facing away from the Kryptonian. The few cues in his posture and stance told him that the magician was watching something else and since that monster was nowhere in sight…

He made the turn, the wind picking up in his wake and rustling Faust's robes. Dead ahead, there was the monster, Solomon Grundy, in the banks vault, handfuls of money in hand and just as much stuffed into its pockets.

Ramming speed was what he struck Grundy with, pushing the creature further into the vault until they slammed into the back. The force from the impact rippled throughout the security deposit boxes, and many small doors burst open, locks damaged from the kinetic energy flowing through them.

Pulling back, Superman hovered in the air, staring the Grundy monster down. "Put back what you've taken and surrender yourself," he ordered, hands balled into fists.

Dull eyes looked back at the Kryptonian, blank for a moment until fury began to fill them. A massive hand pressed itself against the wall of security deposit boxes, aiding to let the monster get back onto his feet. A growling grumble rumbled throughout the large body as the monster's back curved, legs bent and arms at the ready.

"This...Grundy's money!"

It could talk?

With a roar, Grundy threw a fist, and Superman brought his hands up to catch it. As the fist drew close, the Man of Steel's hands clamped down on the approaching limb. The fist, however, did not stop and the next thing he knew, the dark-haired alien found a massive, white-skinned fist powered with who knew how much strength striking him in the torso.

The walls blurred as they moved around him, changing as he was sent flying out of the vault and down the hallway he had initially flown through. A wall stopped him, giving into a small crater with cracks running all through it.

Seconds later, Superman took in his first breath, only realizing that he literally had the wind knocked out of him. He had heard Grundy was strong, but he hadn't anticipated this kind of strength.

Feet stomping rapidly on the floor alerted the breathless Kryptonian that now was not a good time to reflect on this surprising turn of events. Grundy was rushing out of the vault, charging his way right at him like a raging bull and most definitely with more power than a locomotive. Pushing himself away from the wall that cradled him, Superman took off, returning the monster's charge with his own.

Grundy gave another roar, swinging another punch. Superman ducked under it and threw a punch of his own, striking the massive man monster in the torso. The large body shuddered, yet took the blow, but he was not yet finished. A second and third blow was aimed at the wide-open stomach, and each hit got a grunt out of Grundy.

Superman pulled back his arm, then threw one more punch, striking the chest with no little force, Grundy took a step back, but only one step. Massive hands suddenly clamped down on either side of the Man of Steel before he could deliver another hit.

Up he went, then down until the floor slammed into his body, Then he was pulled up again and sent to his right where a wall greeted him. Next, he was flung to the left and out into the bank lobby where so many bystanders remained, watching the fight playing out.

The people. They were still here, not given a chance to leave beforehand. Automatically, Superman knew this fight couldn't stay here. There were too many risks and chances of someone innocent getting hurt here. The fight had to go somewhere else.

"Grundy crush flying blue man," Grundy growled out, stomping his way to the hero from Metropolis.

Picking himself up, Superman retorted, "Not here, you're not." Then he launched himself at the enormous monster in tattered clothing, money spilling out of the pockets. Grundy raised up a fist and threw it forward. Superman twisted out of the way and wrapped his arms around the limb.

Heaving upwards, Superman pulled and began to move, picking up and carrying the pale-skinned creature with him. The destroyed entrance to the bank was their destination and then they were exiting.

Now to find someplace isolated.

Unfortunately, that was one of the last thoughts Superman had. Behind him, Grundy raised up his other fists and brought it down.

With Superman having carried that walking zombie thing away, that left one more threat in the bank. With her wings spread wide, Hawkgirl flew through the damaged doors and right at the former God of Magic.

Faust saw her coming, not that it was hard to miss her. It was clear he didn't see her as a threat, however, as he gave her a dispassionate look. With a wave of his hand, he wordlessly launched a fireball at her.

With a swing of her mace, the Thanagarian struck the fireball, causing it to dissipate into a harmless puff of smoke. The distance between her and the mage closed rapidly, the man's eyes widening. That was the last thing he did as she swung her mace at him.

Immediately, he ducked down, barely avoiding the Nth metal weapon as it collided with a wall next to him. The polished surface crumbled and cracked from the blow. In the next moment, Faust disappeared from sight, reappearing on the other side of the bank.

Yanking her mace out of the wall, Hawkgirl raised an eyebrow, though it was hidden by her mask.

"Most unexpected," Faust said as he held up both of his hands, his magical book hovering in the air next to him in its blue aura. "Though most likely a fluke occurrence. I doubt you'll replicate that result."

He then held out both of his hands, magical energies surrounding them. He then fired another fireball at her.

Immediately, Hawkgirl launched herself up into the air, the fireball striking the wall she had previously broken. The room they were in was large, its ceiling easily three, perhaps four stories high. That gave her some room to work with as she flew higher and higher. Reaching as high as she wanted, she angled her flight as she began heading right for her foe.

Faust fired fireball after fireball at her, which she dodged as she moved from side to side, easily avoiding the magical attacks. When the next one came, she drew her mace up and swatted it away. There must have been more magical energy used this time as the fireball didn't fall apart like the first one, instead being sent flying into the floor by the door, leaving a scorch mark on the tiles.

Then came another and then another. Each one met the same fate as Hawkgirl batted them away, leaving them to hit the floor, ceiling, and even the roof, marring them with black marks. With each unsuccessful spell, the look on Faust's face slowly showed his realization that what he was doing wasn't working.

And then she was practically on top of him. Suddenly dropping to the floor, the winged woman swung a leg, kicking out the mage's feet from under him, sending him tumbling to the floor. He cried out as he landed on his back.

As she rose back onto her feet though, Faust apparently wasn't so easily taken down. Pushing himself up with one hand, he aimed the other one. "Exitium emítte cælitus!" he shouted as a large yellow beam fired from his palm.

Instantly, Hawkgirl had her mace in front of her and the blast collided with the head of it. She grunted as she felt the initial force collide with her weapon, but her strength allowed her to weather it and she was standing in place, holding off the attack.

Then she took a step forward and then another. "Impossible!" Faust gasped as he noticed her approach, still trying in vain for his magical attack to blast her back. When she was a step or two away, she activated the electric current within the mace, causing bolts of voltage to dance over its head. This instantly disrupted the beam, tearing it apart. Feedback was sent back to Faust, the force of it sending him sliding across the floor until he collided with the teller's counter.

He laid there, slumped against it before he asked incredulously, "How is this possible?"

"It's Nth metal, genius," Hawkgirl drolled as she sauntered towards him. "It's resistant to magic. Your spells can't hurt me."

Faust's eyes darted to her mace, drinking the sight of it in. "Directly, no," he acknowledged after a moment. "Resurgemus"

Blue auras suddenly appeared around nearby desks and chairs, causing them to float up into the air. Shoving himself onto his feet, the mage held his hands out to either side of him. "Now let's see how you handle physical objects," he declared.

Swinging his arms to meet in front of him, the furniture closed in on Hawkgirl.

Diana flew into the bank, leading with both fists out in front of her. There weren't any doors to break through as they had been transformed into sand, which laid scattered on the floor. Her pace didn't slow as she charged into the large room.

She spotted Dr. Alchemy in an instant. He stood in front of the bank vault, its door missing, leaving a circular doorway into it. No doubt he had transmuted the door into another substance as she didn't see any other form of destruction present.

However, he was facing in her direction expectantly. Steel beam suddenly erupted out of the floor between, reaching up towards the ceiling. Diana killed her speed as she came to a stop in front of the bars.

"We meet again," the former god acknowledged. "It seems you cannot resist combat with me."

"That is because I know what you are capable of," the Amazon responded. "And I cannot allow innocents to die for your selfish goals."

Dr. Alchemy held a hand out, holding the red-glowing Philosopher's Stone tightly in it. "Then you will die."

The floor beneath the hovering woman began to swirl, turning blue until it was quite apparent it was water. Without warning, a geyser erupted, sending the water blasting up at her. She was drenched in an instant, the dark-haired woman covering her face with her arms to offer some protection from the geyser.

If getting her wet was his goal, then he had succeeded. It was only seconds later that she realized what his true intent was. The water went freezing cold, the sensation of a thousand needles stabbing into her uncovered skin, nearly making her lose her breath. Ice crystals then formed and the erupting geyser was changed into a column of ice with Diana at its center.

Well, this had been most unexpected.

Hera, lend me your strength, she chanted within her head before she tightened her muscles and then pushed her arms outward. Cracks formed in the ice around her, growing bigger, wider. Then the ice column shattered, sending large chunks of ice all over the room. The air-conditioned air was cool to her skin, but compared to being frozen, it was like a desert wind.

However, only her upper body was free. Everything beneath her hips was still in ice. Clasping her hands together, she held them above her head before she swung them down, delivering a jackhammer blow to the ice. This finished off her icy prison as the ice shattered into more pieces.

An alarm went off in her head then. Her ears faintly caught the sound of something flying through the air. That was the only thing that saved her as she jerked to one side, a large metal spike sailing through the air passing right next to her. The tip actually caught her side and pierced her armor, biting into her skin. Then it was past her, leaving only a shallow scrap to her waist.

Her eyes immediately sought out Dr. Alchemy. She found him in the same spot, preparing another metal spike as it grew out of the floor at his feet. For someone wielding a stone of incredible power, the man had a rather limited imagination on how to use it, the icy prison notwithstanding.

The moment the spike was launched at her, she was reacting. Diana reached for the Lasso of Truth, unleashing it at the approaching projectile. Its coils wrapped around the spike, immediately tightening around it. Drifting to one side, she then began to spin around in a circle, pulling on the Lasso. This swung the restrained spike around her.

The moment she was turning to face Dr. Alchemy, she willed the Lasso to release the spike. The spike went sailing right for the former god, his eyes widening as it flew for his head. He dropped to the floor, hands covering his head for protection. The spike flew over her head and went right into the open vault, colliding with a wall of safety deposit boxes. It pierced into them, leaving it to stick out of the wall.

It was then that Diana realized the metal bars that had once blocked her bath to Dr. Alchemy were gone. He must have taken them down when she had been encased in ice so that he could spear her with his spikes. Now that she was unimpeded, she launched herself to the prostrated man.

Peeking his head up, Dr. Alchemy saw the Amazon closing in on him. Pushing himself up quickly, he scrambled onto his feet so that he could hold the Philosopher's Stone up. Seeing this, Diana reacted by whipping the Lasso at him.

Whatever plan Dr. Alchemy had, he was not fast enough to unleash it as the end of the Lasso struck his hand. There was a flash of light, one bright enough to cause spots to appear before Diana's eyes. Dr. Alchemy yelped as he jerked his hand back, though it was important to know that the red stone was no longer in his grasp. He clutched at his hand, a distinctive burnt smell coming from it.

There was a sharp clack! Coming to a stop in midair, Diana turned her head and saw the Philosopher's Stone bouncing across the floor. It came to a stop some distance away, its glow dimming.

There were still spots before the Amazon's eyes though, and for a moment she felt disoriented. Why she felt that way, she wasn't certain. They only thing that had happened was the Lasso colliding with the Philosopher's Stone. While there had been a bright flash of light then, it didn't explain why she felt the way she did.

Diana pushed those thoughts aside. She could figure it out later.

By then, Dr. Alchemy had taken off running, using her daze to get a head start. He was heading right for the stone, a rather predictable course of action.

In seconds he was right next to the stone, bending down to pick it up. That was when a red blur passed by, the Philosopher's Stone vanishing from sight. Dr. Alchemy froze in place, leaning down with his hand to grasp at nothing.

Then came a sharp whistle. "Looking for this?"

Dr. Alchemy and Diana turned their heads, finding Flash leaning up against the teller's desk, tossing the Philosopher's Stone up into the air, catching it when it fell back down with the same hand. "You two are just in luck," he continued nonchalantly. "I came across this pretty little rock and I'm willing to sell to the highest bidder. Do I hear any bids?"

"Give that back!" Dr. Alchemy snapped. "It is not yours!"

"Nuh uh, finders keepers."

A smirk appeared on Diana's face. Without the stone, Dr. Alchemy was no longer a threat. Flash's teasing would only aggravate the man, though that was alright. Recalling her Lasso to her, she prepared to whip it out again, this time to restrain their foe.

And once that was done, then she could figure out what had actually happened between the Lasso of Truth and the Philosopher's Stone.

Tendrils of shadows reached for the handles of the safe deposit boxes. Wrapping around the handles, another tendril would force itself into the two locks, turning them, and unlocking them. The boxes smoothly pulled out, where their contents were dumped into a larger portion of the darkness.

It made sense that a former thief would use god-like powers to commit petty theft. Ambition was not a defining trait of such people and it was clear the Shade had no problem robbing an entire bank vault this way.

"You're going to want to put all of that back," John Stewert advised him as he stood outside of the vault.

The thin man turned his head to look at him. "I was wondering when you Justice League guys would show. Can't blame a guy for entertaining himself while he waited."

The Green Lantern held up his ring hand, the ring glowing with power. "Put down your weapon and raise your hands into the air."

"And if I don't?"

"Then we do this the hard way."

The Shade considered this. "I guess I have no choice then." He then pointed his cane at the Lantern and unleashed a swarm of darkness.

Hard way it was.

John fired a beam of green energy at the rushing tide of shadow. The beam tore through it, causing it to flinch back, but then it regathered itself, healing the hole left by the ring's blast, and continued pressing forward.

The dark-skinned man sighed before he willed his ring to shine brightly with green light. The ring did as it was commanded, forming a circle of light around him. The moment the darkness touched it, it shrieked, unable to approach further. The shadow began to encircle the Lantern, trying to find a way through, but the light kept it at bay.

John then made the light brighter, willing it to shine into the bank vault. The increased brightness forced the darkness back, though it resisted over every last inch. He wouldn't be denied though as he pushed it back.

Then the darkness ceased, the Shade seeing that what he was doing wasn't working. "Nice trick," he complimented. "Can that ring do anything else?"

"Lots of things," John told him. In response, he formed a dozen marines around him, each one holding up their M-16 rifle. "This good enough for you?"

The Shade stared at him before he placed the end of his cane on the floor. "Calling in the marines for me? I'm flattered."

Suddenly, a shadow spread out from where the cane was touching the ground, sweeping over the floor. As it reached the Green Lantern and his constructs, the shadow formed several sharp spikes, each one stabbing into the marine constructs, piercing right through them. Some were stabbed through the chest while others were nearly cut in half. One even had a shadowy spike going through its neck.

"Too bad for them I have my own tricks," the thin man crowed.

John allowed his constructs to fall apart as he pointed his ring at his foe. A beam fired out of it, quickly ballooning until it formed a large boxing glove. The glove rammed right into the Shade, sending him flying into a wall of safe deposit boxes. He let out a yelp before collapsing to the floor.

Quickly, John formed a pen of jail bars around the man, effectively capturing him. That had been rather easy. "This is the point where you surrender," he informed the man.

The Shade looked up at him. "You would think that, right." He lifted up his cane. "See ya in the funny papers."

Darkness flowed out of the cane, filing the inside of the jail cell construct. Not a single shred of the shadow flowed out of it, but eventually it faded away, revealing the Shade was no longer inside. Scowling, John allowed the construct to dissipate.

Where had that man gone?

Looking around the vault, he didn't see a sign of the pale man. He must have fled into the next room, or maybe the other side of the planet. The Shade had been able to do that when he was a god, so he saw the reason as to why that had changed. Though he hadn't faced the man personally, he had read the reports on him and his mastery of shadow.

Green eyes looked to any present shadow. Any one of them could attack.

Then came a loud cry.

Turning around, the Green Lantern floated into the main room. Standing in the middle of it was J'onn, arms at his side, cape covering part of his body. Lying on the floor in front of him was the Shade, who looked as if he had run right into the Martian and bounced off of him. Considering the difference in muscle between the two and that made a whole lot of sense.

"The Shade was trying to flee," J'onn explained when he caught sight of the Lantern. "I felt I should have interfered with his escape."

The Shade pushed himself up, using one arm to prop himself up as he rubbed a hand on his head, incidentally pushing his tall hat back and forth. "Are you people running in groups now? Since when is that a normal thing?"

"It is when you and your pals give us the opportunity," John told him as he took aim with his ring. He fired a beam, one that formed shackles, which wrapped around the man's wrists. This forced the thin man's raised arm down to the floor, startling him. "You're going back to jail, Shade, but this time with the added charge of escaping prison. I doubt that legal dream team of yours will get you out of this one."

Suddenly, something powerful struck John on the side of his face. Crying out, he lost his focus and his shackle construct broke apart. He was hit again, this time being thrown out of the air and sent crashing to the floor.

The Shade took immediate advantage of this. Whipping his cane up, he blasted a torrent of shadow right at J'onn, the green-skinned man crying out as he was flung backwards through the air.

"If lawyers won't cut it, then how about me?" a feminine voice called out.

Wincing, John opened his eyes and looked up into the air, seeing floating high in midair was a woman surrounded in a pink aura. A dark, practically purple bodysuit was matched with the longest set of pink thigh-high boots and a pink mask. At the center of the mask was a jewel glowing with pink energy. He recognized the corps damn near immediately.

What the hell was a Star Sapphire doing here?

"You're a long way from Zamaron, Star Sapphire," John said as he pushed himself back onto his feet. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was for love?" she replied mockingly.

He knew the dark-haired woman was being sarcastic, but that wasn't too far out of the realm for a Star Sapphire. Where the Green Lantern Corps was the manifestation of Will, the Star Sapphires embodied Love. He wasn't too certain of the specifics, but he imagined love powered this violet corps.

A sinister grin appeared on the Star Sapphire's face before she fired a violet blast at him from the sapphire on her forehead. Immediately, John thrust his ring hand forward and formed a shield, one that surrounded him in a green bubble. The violet blast hit the shield with incredible force, causing the Green Lantern to grunt as he resisted its power.

That was when he overheard the voice of the Star Sapphire cover the collision of their power. "And there is nothing more I could love than to kill myself a Green Lantern."