The Secret Council: The Return of Samantha Maxis
A few days after the attack on the Hall of Justice by the Yellow Shadow's forces. The time traveling space ship known as the Wave Rider flies out of Earth's atmosphere. Within the cockpit of the space ship Rip Hunter is joined by his fellow secret councilmen Arkantos the Olympian God of Heroes, Raiden God of Thunder, and Gandalf The White the Wizard of Middle Earth. The group of heroes are flying out to a black hole. The ride is a silent one as Arkantos and Gandalf are not exactly thrilled the direction Rip Hunter has been leading the council down. They are beginning to approach the Black Hole which is believed to be where an adult Samantha Maxis is being held.
Rip Hunter: Gideon begin scanning.
Gideon: Scanning... scanning... Large spikes of Aether energy have been detected within the black hole.
Rip Hunter: This is it, Gandalf would you please?
Gandalf rises from his seat and begins to slam the bottom of his staff on the floor of the ship. Magical energy flows throughout the cabin and encompasses the entire ship. The Wave Rider begins to glow with bright energy surrounding it.
Gandalf: It is done!
Rip Hunter: Excellent, Gideon set a course to Samantha Maxis.
The ship then jets into the Black Hole but from not too far away on an idle meteor a small handful of Black Lanterns are watching from a distance. These black lanterns are Cole McGrath, Darth Sidious, former Blue Beetle Ted Kord, and Kay McHenry. Each of them decayed and withering away but starving for flesh and emotion. The group of zombified lanterns follows the space ship into the black hole. In the ship the tension is so thick you could cut through it with a knife and that's when Arkantos decides to break the tension by asking a simple question.
Arkantos: I must ask Hunter, why am I here? Gandalf and Raiden should be more than enough to help with the turbulence of the black hole.
Rip Hunter: This black hole is connected to the Dark Aether. Gandalf and Raiden while both are excellent warriors and will be pivotal in the restoration of Ms. Maxis. I will need your help fighting off any monsters that would try to follow us back into our realm.
Gandalf: Are you not worried that this action could cause the end before we have even begun to unite everyone?
Rip Hunter: That thought has crossed my mind which is why you and Raiden will help seal this black hole. Those beasts will never leave their hell hole.
The hull of the ship feels a sudden jolt and the group of heroes all look at each other. They then feel another jolt.
Raiden: Good wizard, I thought your protection spell protected us from the turbulence of the black hole?
Gandalf: It does... Whatever we are feeling is not from the blackhole.
Something then crashes into the ship and the lights go out. Rip Hunter arms himself with laser pistols, Raiden's hands generate electricity, Arkantos readies his spear while Gandalf shines a light with his staff. Snarling is then heard and from the shadows of the cock pit emerges the group of four Black Lanterns.
Gandalf: As I feared! Look what freeing Nekron as wrought!
Palpatine: All shall be consumed by the dark! You should not have entered into our sector!
The zombified lantern Sith lord holds his red lightsaber in one hand and in the other a hard blacklight duplicate of the lightsaber, Cole McGrath is pulsing with black electricity and recreates an his amp with his ring, all while Blue Beetle and Kay McHenry stand their hungrily observing Rip Hunter and his comrades.
Blue Beetle: The Justice League seems to keep inviting any weirdo with a power! I'm sure you all taste the same though!
Cole then let's out a blood curdling roar and swings at Raiden, Gandalf engages with the Sith Lord, Kay and Arkantos begin to fight which leaves Blue Beetle and Rip Hunter having themselves a little shootout. Gideon comes back online and hits full speed on the thrusters but is still on course to Samantha Maxis.
Blue Beetle: So Rip! You still giving Booster a hard time?!
Rip Hunter: You're not really Ted! You wouldn't know how my relationship with Jon is!
Rip Hunter blasts Ted through the chest putting a sizable hole in it but it slowly begins to heal. Gandalf and Palpatine are locked in an intense battle. Palpatine is violently swinging his two light sabers and Gandalf is block each blow as best he can with his staff. Every time the wizard's staff is hit it glows blue. The two stare directly at one another, Palpatine eyes are faded and skin rotting away. The stench of death is strong with Palpatine his body is held together by black lantern energy and the dark side of the force. The two light sabers and the staff are interlocked, sparks are flying out from it. Palpatine smiles and cackles in Gandalf's face.
Palpatine: Sauron is among our ranks as well as your friend Master Yoda! He told us all about your little alliance. I shall feast upon your allies, from the mightiest of Gods to the lowliest of Hobbits! They shall be mine!
Gandalf: YOU SHALL DO NO SUCH THING!
A light then emanates from the staff that pushes the undead Sith back into a wall. Palpatine gets up but Raiden begins to spew electricity that hits all of the lanterns. Cole and Palpatine reach out with their hands to try and counter the lighting but that's when Gandalf assists the Thunder God by raising his staff and lightning coming from the gem within it.
Cole: This shouldn't be possible!
Gandalf: Dear boy, you have no idea what's possible!
Gandalf then hits the ground with the staff and this sends the group of black lanterns back the meteor they were hiding on. Back in the Wave Rider the group of heroes takes a moment to regroup.
Rip Hunter: Where did you send them?
Gandalf: I sent them back space. They shouldn't follow us any more, if they are smart they will go back to their master and starve in peace with the rest of the undead.
Rip Hunter: Excellent! Gideon? How much longer until we have reached Maxis?
Gideon: She is right in front of us sir!
The group all feel a light and look to see hovering out in space unconscious is an adult Samantha Maxis. While the others in the group are shocked, a smile comes across Rip Hunter's face.
Raiden: By the Elder Gods!
Arkantos: It's really her...
Gandalf: Incredible!
Rip Hunter: Raiden and Gandalf would you mind?
The two of them both walk out of the cock pit and head to the air lock. Gandalf firmly grasps his staff and is glowing blue,the air lock open and Raiden flies out to grab Samantha out in the distance Raiden can make out the shape of dragons and other Apathocan monsters but the vision of these keeps fluctuating indicating that although this is place is an entry point to the Dark Aether it's connection to it is a weak one. Something how ever is coming closer and closer to Raiden off in the distance. It's a Margwa torpedoing downward at lightning fast speeds it crashes into Raiden and lands on the ship and let's out a loud roar and other monsters turn to the direction of the roar. Raiden throws a lightning bolt at the Margwa and stands on the roof of the Wave Rider ready to fight the beasts that are approaching.
Raiden: Foolish beasts! I shall take you all to darkest corners of the Netherrealm!
Lightning cracks in his hand and a chain of electricity is form and he starts firing away monsters. Raiden is blasting away at smaller Apathocan creatures and then a giant lovecraftian beast bull rushes him and that's when Arkantos comes flying out from behind and stabs it in the face with his spear. Arkantos turns back and nods at Raiden and the two begin to fight off horde after horde of monsters. The Wave Rider begins to fire upon the hordes of beasts fighting off and laying down cover fire for the two gods. A giant dragon the flies over them, the wind from it's wings almost enough to knock the wave rider off course if not for the combined efforts of Gandalf's spell and Gideon's effect use of thrusters. The dragon snarls at the two gods, it's throat lighting and spews out fire. The dragon unleashes fire but Samantha Maxis stands in the way! Samantha's eyes glow white and there is a strange energy pulsing around her but it's deflecting the flames of the dragon. She then yells and pushes the flames back incinerating the dragon, she falls but is then caught by Arkantos. The two gods then fly back into the air lock and the door closes behind them, Raiden raises his hand and Gandalf raises his staff. Raiden had called upon a lightning bolt that took the Wave Rider back to Rip Hunter's compound while Gandalf unleashed arcane energy that severed the connection between our dimension and the Dark Aether. As the lightning bolt struck the ship the monsters in the background faded away.
Now that they are back on Earth, the group of heroes walk out of the Wave Rider. Arkantos is still holding Samantha Maxis she is unconscious. The group is greeted by Athena and Dr. Quest.
Dr. Quest: Welcome back I trust everything went according to plan?
Arkantos: If by "according to plan" you mean ambushed by an undead Sith lord with members of the list and alerted the Apathocans of a potential way out then I would say things went perfectly!
Athena: A way out?!
Gandalf: I closed the portal before more could escape. Arkantos is right for being worried we are now at war with two different monstrous armies that want nothing more than absolute death!
Rip Hunter: Oh would you two shut it! This is all going according to plan so far! We have Maxis which means we will be able to fully resurrect all of our fallen allies that Nekron has conveniently amassed in one place.
Arkantos: Along with many potential enemies!
Gandalf: Sauron, The Sith, and countless scores of evil from far and wide! We are risking the lives of the entire universe based on your nightmares Rip! We are playing with hellfire!
Raiden: Trust in the plan Gandalf! Rip Hunter has not lead us astray yet! I shall take her to my temple, my monks will expel her of any lingering darkness. The Jinsei chamber shall restore her to full strength and only then can we truly begin to fight Nekron and his Black Lanterns.
Gandalf: Then I shall take leave and return to Middle Earth. I must return to help the king and his forces.
Rip Hunter: Very well then, I trust you! All of you! With the heroes of Earth distracted by Johnny Cage's disappearance we can focus on other matters.
Dr. Quest: That's what Athena and I wanted to talk to you about.
Rip Hunter: Do you know where Cage is?
Athena: Ming has him on an island off of the coast of Medici, the same island where his ancestors were enslaved and freed by Raiden, Gilad, and Arkantos centuries ago but that's not what we wanted to speak to you about.
Dr. Quest: Athena came to me while I was here using your satellites to locate Cage, something else however came up.
Dr. Quest then pulls out his phone and shows the group footage of Nightwolf standing along side with Zeke Dunbar, Armstrong Anni-Padda, Wolverine, Scarlet Witch, Dr. Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Marcus Holloway at cafe in Seattle fighting off Shin-Tan soldiers.
Raiden: Nightwolf!
Rip Hunter: Grey Cloud has been MIA for months and he resurfaces now?
Raiden: His suspicion of me has made him quiet paranoid, but what of the others?
Dr. Quest: Well they're all on the list but-
Athena: If Nightwolf is uniting people too early this could potentially have the opposite affect of what we want. He knows about the coming war between our universe and the Dark Aether.
Rip Hunter: I see, I did notice Logan and Archer were acting quite strange around us Dr. Quest.
Gandalf: Because we are lying to all of our allies! We need to light the beacon and assemble the warriors of this universe before it's too late!
Dr. Quest: They might need our guidance Rip, it's a large group of them to! The conduits of Seattle, Dedsec, Avengers, X-Men, Brimstone Society, and Unity all together.
Rip Hunter: No, they don't need our guidance. Not yet anyway.
Raiden: Should we approach Nightwolf then?
Rip Hunter: No, any more interference with them might lead to disastrous results. Let Grey Cloud rally all who will listen. Let him rally the heroes of Earth and then we can rally the heroes of other worlds!
Raiden takes Samantha from Arkantos and then teleports back to the Sky Temple while Rip Hunter walks away. Gandalf, Arkantos, Athena, and Dr. Quest are all standing there conflicted on there leaders direction.
Gandalf: We have entered uncharted waters... I shall return soon. I sense something else is coming to Middle Earth.
The gem in Gandalf's staff shines brightly and then Gandalf vanishes teleporting back to Middle Earth. Arkantos, Athena, and Dr. Quest walk out of the door and into the War Room where Gilad the Eternal Warrior and Chiron the immortal Centaur are standing with Rip Hunter looking at a hologram of a Mayan temple.
Chiron: It took sometime but we found it!
Rip Hunter: Good, now we can get to work.
The story of Samantha Maxis will continue...