Bruce and Diana had been midway to Metropolis when the car radio had gone nuts. Everyone was in a panic about the recent appearance of an unknown phenomenon. Something that had already been linked to a portal from heaven, a gateway from hell, a rip in the space time continuum, and even more absurd theories. However, based on eyewitness reports (which they'd listened to before shutting off the radio) Bruce and Diana had both managed to identify it.
A boom tube.
And that usually meant trouble.
Earth was, technically, under the sovereign protection of New Genesis, but they would never visit Earth unless it was to deliver bad news. The only other explanation for a boom tube -was- bad news. Dark Seid or someone from Apokolips.
Bruce put the petal to the medal, his car zooming along to reach Metropolis. It was only thirty miles away, but it seemed like half the world. Thankfully, traffic was light, and most of it was heading in the opposite direction. Away from danger. Still, you didn't become a hero by playing it safe.
Bruce left the car double-parked in front of the Daily Planet. In retrospect he shouldn't have brought the limo, but for now he wanted to be able to provide transport for the rest of the League, and this was the only car he had that was big enough for all of 'em.
Clark Kent was outside, staring up at the phenomenon. Everyone else was waiting and watching with anxiety or concern. Clark watched with fear and loathing. Then he turned as he spotted Bruce and Diana heading towards him, and abandoned his partner so she could get a better view herself, heading over to talk with them.
"Hello Superman," said Bruce by way of casual greeting. But his voice was low, and only Clark could hear him.
"Apparently not," replied Clark. "There is no Superman. Nobody here has ever heard of him, nobody knows about any of us. Its like we don't exist."
"We know," interjected Diana. "Neither do we. But we remember it all, apparently."
"That's true," said Clark with a nod. "Any theories?" he asked Bruce.
"None. Any theory I make is almost immediately destroyed by surrounding evidence. But looks like we have bigger concerns now," he added, peering up at the boom tube. "Has anyone come through?"
"Not yet," replied Clark, his voice resonating with anger. Ordinarily Bruce would've cautioned him against continuing his vendetta with Dark Seid, but he doubted now it would be necessary. Without his powers, Dark Seid could obliterate him with a glance. Literally. Even Clark wouldn't be stupid enough to try and take him on now.
Bruce's phone chose at that moment to rang, and he excused himself from Clark and Diana to take the call in a nearby alley for a measure of privacy.
"He's look into finding the other members of the League," explained Diana to a surprised Clark. "United we may figure out what has happened better."
"Good thinking. Any luck?"
"John and Wally's apartments were both empty, we think they've gone out on their own. So Bruce has tried some leads his company has to try and find where they work and how to contact them."
"And J'onn? Or..."
Diana shook her head. "Nothing from other of them, of course. He's looking for people matching their descriptions, but so far nothing. Even tried to find a place called 'Area 51', said J'onn might be there. Do you know why?" she asked naively.
In spite of all the danger and fear surrounding the boom tube's appearance and the loss of their powers, Clark Kent couldn't help but smile at that.
"Well, you see, Area 51 doesn't really exist, but some conspiracy theorists believe..."
"Thank you. Visiting hours are still going on? Til when? Thank you," he said again, clipping closed his cell phone and jamming it into his jacket's pocket. Well, that was one of them, at least. Bruce jogged back out of the alley to rejoin Bruce and Diana.
"Good news. I found J'onn," he said. "Being held back in Gotham at an asylum. Apparently his records list him as John Jones, and he's being held for criminally insane behavior. Thinking he's a martian," he said meaningfully.
"That's our J'onn," said Diana.
A loud boom interrupted their conversation, and all eyes went skyward. Something was emerging from the boom tube. Something small but, even at such a distance, instantly recognizable to the members of the League. A single figure, on a floating platform.
Dark Seid.
Clark growled, but he firmly forced himself not to do anything foolish. Like he could do much of anything right now.
"People of Earth," spoke the ruler of Apokolips, his voice amplified by unknown means to reach everyone in the city of Metropolis. "I am Dark Seid. Lord of Apokolips. I am power unlike any you have ever known. Absolute. Infinite. And unrelenting. I come to conquer this pitiful planet and add it to my empire. You have no choice but to prepare yourselves for a long, dark future as my subjects and my slaves. Surrender and spare yourselves my ire, as so many other races have chosen to do..."
They'll never serve you, Dark Seid, thought Clark. Never. You'll never break this planet's spirit.
"... or perish. There is no hope of resisting me. Choose."
As he spoke his final word, the boom tube shuddered again, and more figures poured out. Primarily the pseudo-demons that were the bulk of Dark Seid's army. But here and there Clark recognized other figures of significance. He spotted the Furies flying about like a practiced team of acrobats on their own hovering platforms. Lashiva, Mad Hariette, Stompa. He saw Steppenwolf astride his vehicle, flying through the air and directing the demons. He spotted the squat, ugly form of Kalibak and the even more hideous visage of Granny Goodness.
Everyone in Metropolis reacted in almost exactly the same manner. They fled.
Clark grabbed Bruce and Diana and hauled them back into the safety of the Daily Planet building, his co-workers following immediately afterwards. Perry had to grab Jimmy though, determined to take some shots. It would've cost him his life. The attack had begun. Most of Dark Seid's forces were proceeding to lay waste to the surrounding buildings. A test, Clark knew. And just to really irritate them all. He was good at that. Orion had once said Dark Seid fed off of people's negative emotions. Clark certainly believed him.
"Well, this certainly is turning out to be a rotten day," remarked Lois, staring up at the boom tube and the advancing forces of Dark Seid. Without Superman... without the Justice League... there was no one to stop them.
Wait, what was that? Two dark blurs just slipped from a nearby rooftop, heading up towards where Dark Seid hovered. What...?
"Oh no..." muttered Clark. He headed to the elevator, heading up to the top of the building to where he worked. Bruce and Diana were just behind him, but they'd shut Lois out of the elevator, so she and the others would have to walk. It'd give them a little time.
Please don't be right, he thought. Please don't be right.
He reached into his desk and grabbed some binoculars he'd hidden there. Useful for peering out the great windows of the office and out at the city of Metropolis. He peered through them up at Dark Seid, and then at the approaching figures. His heart skipped a beat, as Diana and Bruce watched fearfully from behind him. He grimaced... he -had- been right.
Jax-Ur and Mala.
But what were they doing here? Last he'd seen them they'd been sucked into a black hole and back into the Phantom Zone. Or an equivalent, at some rate. Truthfully he hadn't cared, they were the epitome of the worst Kryptonians were capable of, and he was rather glad when they'd been gone. But here they were and...
... he studied their lips. Since X-ray vision was part of his abilities he'd learned lip-reading early on. They were saying...
Oh no.
Things were about to get much, much worse for Metropolis.
If things were bad in Metropolis, then all living Hell had broken out at the Green Lantern company.
It had been a decent enough day. John was conferring with Kat and Kyle, talking about building designs, going over blueprints, drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. Compared to his usual lifestyle for the past ten years as a Lantern, this was almost relaxing. This might've been the life he could've had, if he'd followed in his father's footsteps and become a masonry worker. If he hadn't join the military. If the Guardians hadn't offered him the ring.
As he said, peaceful enough, but underlying it something was wrong. Everyone seemed... tense around him. Especially Kilowog. The slip of tongue hadn't gone unnoticed by him. Something very strange was going on. And something dangerous.
And this was confirmed when the western wall was completely obliterated by a blast of energy, sending all of them crashing to the ground, debris flying everywhere. John only barely managed to push Kat out of the way as the table they were sitting was overturned and nearly flattened him.
Grunting, coughing as smoke filled the air, John raised his head... and gasped in shock.
Standing by the great hole in the wall was a man. No, not standing. Hovering. A man with dark black hair and a sinister moustache, with beady black eyes and a rich orange-red skin tone. A man dressed in black and sickly greenish-blue.
A man glowing yellow.
A man wearing a power ring.
Sinestro.
John watched as Sinestro floated into the room, shooting off his ring indiscriminately at his targets. Green Lanterns they may have been to John, but they were human. They were helpless. And Sinestro was taking a personal delight in slaughtering all of them. Kyle tried to stand up to Sinestro... but a bright bolt of gold in the shape of a scythe sliced through the air and severed his head so expertly he didn't even noticed until he took a step forward... and he fell to the ground, his head rolling away. Sinestro smirked wickedly.
John, helpless to stop the red-skinned madman, grabbed Kat and hauled her with him out of the room. They had to escape. Had to fall back, to regroup. John ducked under another yellow blast of energy, closing the door shut behind him. Sinestro could blast it down in a second, but it would slow him down. He and Kat turned to run...
... and nearly smacked right into another enemy.
A woman this time, dark-haired and masked. Like Sinestro she was encompassed by a glow around her entire body, but hers was violet-purple, matching the gem that was smack in the middle of her forehead. She wore a black body suit and a long gloves and boots that matched the color of her mask and gem.
Star Sapphire.
"Awww, leavin' so soon? But the fun's just begun," she cackled, using a wide blast to knock John backwards, leaving Kat alone and defenseless before her.
John hit the wall hard and crumpled. Hurt but injured, far as he could tell. He pushed past the pain. He planned to charge at Sapphire and try and knock her out... a power ring didn't make you impervious... but a yellow hand stretched out and grabbed him, restraining him.
"Oh look we've got a hero, Sapphire. Thinks he can stand up against us," snickered Sinestro.
"Let's show him what we do to heroes," replied Star Sapphire. The gem on her forehead glowed dangerously, and John brace himself for what he knew was coming next.
But it didn't happen.
Katmatui threw herself in the way, arms outstretched, and the bright beam of purple energy meant to slice through John's heart struck her inside, clear through her torso. Kat gasped in shock, and the instant she did her lips were covered in blood. She collapsed in a heap.
"Oh well close enough," remarked Star, flitting out the hole in the wall earlier made by herself and Sinestro. "Come on Sinestro. Places to go, mayhem to wreak, you know."
"Coming," he grunted, using his yellow energy hand to fling John against a nearby wall. This time he crumpled to the ground, unconscious. It was a welcome change however, from seeing all the death around him. Quiet, unchanging darkness he could deal with, he thought, as his eyes closed...
... the only sound the annoying, steady hum of a nearby phone. A phone no one could answer.
"Damn," said Bruce, slapping his cell phone shut. "No luck. I can't contact any of them. All we know is where J'onn is now."
"We should go get him then," said Diana. She and Bruce turned back to Clark, who hadn't moved from his position by the window, staring out through the binoculars.
"Clark?"
"You two go without me. I'm going to stay here," he replied.
"And do what exactly? Take out Dark Seid and his entire legions by yourself, WITHOUT your powers?" asked Bruce darkly. Clark glared back at him, and Diana was once again reminded of how often those two resembled a pair of rams at times. Always butting heads.
"I can't sit by and do nothing while he destroys Metropolis. Besides, its worse than that, take a look," he replied, handing the binoculars to Bruce. He adjusted them, peering up and out at Dark Seid and his newfound flying friends.
"They're making a deal," stated Clark. "Offering their services as mercenaries in exchange for a piece of the pie."
"So? More trouble you can't handle. Not as you are now. None of us can," he added, lowering the binoculars.
"Actually I realized there is a perk to this arrangement," replied Clark with an uncharacteristic smug grin. Bruce frowned, then his eyes widened in realization.
"That's still incredibly foolhardy..."
"... which is why you two should go find J'onn and the others and be my back up in case it doesn't work. I'm not even sure it will, but I have to try," replied Clark. Arms folded, jaw set, he wasn't backing down. His powers may've been gone but his stubbornness remained.
Bruce could tell this as well. Equally stubborn, he knew there was no point in arguing. "Don't get yourself killed," he grumbled.
He and Diana departed in the limo, and Clark found his own car, heading deeper into the heart of the city and doing his best to avoid the attentions of his enemies. He had a half-baked plan, but that was usually how he did things. He tended to improvise a lot. Still, best get done with phase one first. And that meant paying a trip to the last person on Earth, short of Dark Seid, he ever wanted to see.
Lex Luthor.
Hospitals were overflowing with victims from the attack. People thrown aside like dolls, people injured by cars and explosions, suffocated by nightstick shadows, poisoned fangs, or worse. And among their number, Shayera Hol and Wally West.
Wally was the worst off, and Shayera insisted he see a doctor before letting herself being examined. Thankfully, his ribs turned out to be cracked, but broken. He was bandaged up and told he could go with little trouble, provided he agreed to take it easy. Personally, Shayera thought maybe the nurse was being generous to get rid of him. Even with bruised ribs, he was still flirting with her.
Shayera was in slightly better condition, having escaped with little more than superficial scrapes and bruises, easily patched up. So it was the two of them left the hospital and the other victims.
"I think the big question is... what do we do now?" asked Wally, glancing at her.
"We need answers," she replied. "And I can't think of any."
"Me either. Bats was always the smart one."
"We should find him then. At least we know where to look."
"Gotham," he replied, nodding. "Its miles away though. We'll have to take the Metro."
"I've traveled in worse vehicles," she replied lightly, turning to walk off. Then, offhanded and casual she added "... like your Flashmobile!"
"Hey!"
Alone.
Helpless.
Afraid.
J'onn was a Martian Manhunter. He'd seen the golden age of his people, he'd seen the invaders come from beyond come to destroy them all. He'd been afraid then too, and then he'd been alone. But through it all he'd persevered. He'd pushed aside the fear. It had not ruled him.
But now he was scared. Not just of what fate was in store for him. Doomed to remain here, struggling to convince the doctors he was right, when he could offer no proof? Locked in asylum with lunatics and others of ill mental health. But that was not his deepest fear.
His deepest fear... what if they were right?
No, impossible. He could not have imagined a millennia and more of memories, of things he'd done and people he'd met. He clung to them stubbornly, clinging to his memories. My'ria'h. Their children. Superman and the Justice League. Etrigan and his warnings. And a simple hug from Diana. He clung to them, feebly, but he clung to hope.
A shrill, insane laugh pierced the walls of the asylum. It had been doing so, sporadically, for almost an hour. It never seemed to stop.
Author's Notes:
Whenever I think of the place J'onn was being held in 'Secret Origins' I can't help but think of Area 51. So I slipped in a reference. Ah, the appearance of Dark Seid, one of my favorite JL villains. The only guy who can really tick Superman off royally, and evil to the bone. His speech is largely the same as the one from 'Apokolips, Now!' though of course isn't interrupted by the New Gods. A veritable who's who of the Gods of Apokolips, some of whom have been seen on JL (Steppenwolf, Kalibak and Desaad mostly). Jax-Ur and Mala are from 'Out of the Past' and their final battle with Superman was 'Absolute Power.' Normally I would've have brought them in (worst Superman villains... Ever) but I have plans for them later on. You'll see why soon enough no doubt. To be honest I'm not sure where John's apartment is located, in Metropolis or Gotham or Central City (the only three we know on JL) and I don't know his comic origins so I'm leaving it vague for now, as I am with the Green Lantern construction company. Sinestro and Star Sapphire, the GL's worst enemies. Sapphire's killing Kat was comic inspired, just like her being married to John. Clark going to fight his villains without his powers, is he nuts? Or got a plan? And what's it got to do with Lex Luthor, you may be asking. You'll see soon enough. Poor Flash, Hawkgirl does put him down so easily, doesn't she? J'onn's location should be dead obvious by now to anyone who's seen an episode of the old 'Batman' series.
Lady Iapetus, Roving Wanderer: Yes, in Arkham! How many other mental institutions do you know of in the DC universe?! Sorry, no Hatter. Hate to disappoint you. Not exactly a League-level villain. Maybe I'll involve him in a future story. Yes he exists as the Hatter in this universe though, if that helps you figure out the plot.
CrhBlack: You'll be seeing plenty of characterization. It's the main thing I strive for in my stories, apart from continuity. Glad you're enjoying the ride and pacing. I hope it hasn't sped up too much in the past few chapters.
Ray1: Damn straight he is, why do you think I give him so much inner dialogue? But as he put it, you can't go from point A to C without going through B. I'm afraid even Batman is out of his league here. Glad you're enjoying it.
ViciousAssassin: Going back in time to stop superheroes? Sounds like a lame Legion of Doom plot. Nono, much more insidious than that. None of the League are recognized, and its nothing to do with costume. Nobody has recognized Wonder Woman, if that helps your thinking. Oh, but the evil plot will astound you at the end. Yup, I'm laughing plenty. Evil laughter, of course. Best part of being a villain. See you when you get back.
Comet-hime: And put that darn lasso away! I know, poor Diana. Glad you like the verbal sparring between her and Bats. I do so love a couple that won't necessarily admit they're in love. So much easier to write than sappy, lovey couples. Even Lantern was like that in Starcrossed. Bleh. Too much of a hint? I thought it was rather nice. No one else caught it. And yeah, poor J'onn. You know exactly where he is.
Robert1413: Oh you'd better believe I will.
Todd fan: 'tis a good word. I like it. Very glad I am not to be spoiling anything for you. There is nothing I like better than references to past episodes of a series, as you no doubt know from my Evo works.
Knight's Shadow: I believe your question was answered when the users of the boom tube exited it. Believe be, baddest of the bad are all out to play with the Leaguers. Not fair? Tough. They got their work cut out for them. If Dark Seid isn't a top-level League threat I don't know what is.
Ashley: If there is one thing I hate its an unfinished story. I make it a business never to make those. Any stories I discontinue are due to lack of interest. And everybody's loved this story so far. Never fear. Rurouni Tyriel may not be a member of the League, but he does have a super power. He writes fanfiction!
Angelic Temptress: Wow, love already? Can't the fic and you just stay friends? Or are you going to propose when I finally reveal the insidious plot behind everything? Muwahahaha.
Tannash: Very right you are, but unfortunately the couple won't be reunited until near the end of the story for plot reasons. Terribly sorry. Still, hope you stick around long enough to see it.
Momentum: My only hope is that it doesn't interfere with 'Initiation'. Still, the way I've set it up, it shouldn't. Thank you, glad you're enjoying the characters and the plot.
None of your Business: ding ding We have a winner. None of my business, eh? Well I'm in the business. Business of giving you the business. And let me tell you. Business is booming. I'm open for business. And now business is closed.
Tomboy13: We the idea I borrowed from my old XME fic 'Nullificiation.' And that idea I borrowed from the Skolio's 'KiBlind.' God only knows where they got it from. Glad you're enjoying it though.