(neomage is at home in his bed, reading comics)
NEOMAGE: Ahhh...another day, another fine, fine day...
(A knock at the door interrupts his train of thought, and he gets up to answer it)
NEOMAGE: I wonder who this could be.
(When he opens the door, he finds that standing there is Seto Kaiba)
KAIBA: I'm just here to let you know that I'm carrying your ass to court.
NEOMAGE: OO Huh? Whatever for?
KAIBA: You dragon-napped my Blue-Eyes White Dragon. For that I'm suing you.
NEOMAGE: WHAT?!
KAIBA: You're expected to be at the courthouse later today. I hope you have a good lawyer, 'cause you're going to need all the help you can get! (he turns and leaves)
NEOMAGE: Why, the nerve of that ASSHOLE!
CHAPTER 13
TIME: 5:42 p.m.
PLACE: Midway City Museum, Midway City
The stranger in black attacked Savage, swinging downward with the katana, a move that Savage easily dodged. The stranger attacked again, but each time Savage just dodged effortlessly. "You're persistent, I'll give you that," he remarked. "But right about now...you're starting to bore me to no end."
Charging up energy from his gauntlets, he cupped his hands together and released that energy in a ball, firing it at his opponent. But the stranger just jumped and flipped over the projectile, coming down with a heel kick that knocked a surprised Savage in the top of his head, causing him to stagger back.
"Interesting," Savage remarked. "You just might really be a worthy challenge after all."
Again the stranger made no reply, but merely readied for combat. Charging up energy in his gauntlets once again, this time he launched forward with a volley of punches at his foe. The stranger dodged, ducked and kicked Savage's feet out from under him; but Savage swiftly flipped back up and sent a kick to the stranger's face, one that was blocked and countered with a powerful foot-thrust to the chest, knocking Savage back again.
"All right," said Savage. "Now I'm getting annoyed."
Elsewhere on the rooftop, Humanite charged with full force at Batman. The Dark Knight was ready, however, and countered with a judo move, grabbing Humanite's arm and tossing him over his shoulder. The big gorilla was heavy, but Batman was able to use the difference in their weight to his advantage, tossing Humanite with as much ease as he would throw a baseball.
Humanite got back up and charged again, lunging forward with his fists. Batman dodged the huge fists and moved in for a counterattack again – but then Humanite placed his knuckles on the ground, raising his lower body and kicking Batman in the chest, knocking him down. Batman quickly jumped back up and threw a Batarang at his primate opponent. Humanite easily caught the projectile – and got an electrical shock from it, paralyzing his arm.
"YEEEOUCH!" Humanite screeched, holding his arm gingerly. "Well, one thing I can say for you, Batman: You use your gadgets well."
"You've got a great technological mind to have made those weapons for Savage," the Dark Knight remarked. "It's a shame you use your gift for evil."
"Well, at least Savage made me a much better offer than Lex Luthor did when he formed the first Injustice Gang," replied Humanite. "Luthor tried to buy my allegiance with money, but you made me a much better offer than he did. Savage, on the other hand, has offered me something that even you could never top."
"And that is...?"
"Once we set you and your Justice League comrades aside, we're going to change the way society is being ruled today," Humanite explained. "Savage is going to make a utopia out of this world eventually, one where individuals like me can actually fit in. There will then be perfect order – not like the corrupt disorder that exists under this government now."
Batman shook his head. "It's true that this government and its method of rule are far from perfect," he said. "But believe me, I've seen what ruler-ship under Savage can lead to, and it's not pretty. Not even you would last two seconds in the world that Savage wants to create."
"Perhaps, perhaps not. I made this decision. I'll take my chances with Savage, and if it turns out badly, then it was my mistake. But at least I'll have been able to make my own choice, just like the others in this Secret Society."
"Very well, then." Batman shrugged. "If you want to make that choice, then I can't stop you. But know that if you continue on this path, I will have to take you down."
"Only one way to find out." Humanite shook his arm, the effect of the electric shock having worn off. "Come on."
Back on the ground, Sinestro was still blasting away at Lantern, who was still emitting energy fields to protect the priceless artifacts and himself. "You can't keep up this shield forever, and you know it!" Sinestro roared.
"Well, neither can you keep blasting me forever," Lantern countered.
"As long as my hatred of the Green Lanterns fuels my ambitions, I'll never stop!" Sinestro vowed, increasing the power of his blasting.
Below them, Superman was grappling with Killer Croc, while J'onn flew here and there, dodging Killer Frost's icy blasts. Presently Superman cut loose with a solid uppercut that threw Croc's head back, but the giant reptile countered with a backhand that knocked the Man of Steel for a loop. At the same time, J'onn narrowly dodged an ice spear thrown by Frost and came in close, grabbing her and throwing her roughly onto Croc. The two villains fell down in a heap, stunned.
Outside, Wonder Woman and Flash had switched opponents, and now Flash was dodging Volcana's fiery attacks, while Wonder Woman was trying in vain to rope Zoom with her golden lasso. "You'll never catch me with that flimsy piece of rope, bitch!" Zoom taunted her.
Wonder Woman heard the insult and was irate. "I seriously don't believe you really just called me what I think you just called me," she said stonily, floating down to land on the ground. At once Zoom ran around her, but she just stood there, twirling the lasso in her hands. Then suddenly she flung the lasso into the blur, roping Zoom around the neck. As he choked and fought to not have his neck broken by the impact of suddenly being stopped in his tracks, she brought the lasso in with all her strength, sending him flying and crashing into an iron lamppost nearby. Crumbling to the ground, Zoom didn't get back up.
"Never call me a bitch...bitch," Wonder Woman muttered, retrieving her lasso.
Nearby, Volcana formed her flame into the shape of a giant fist, sending it flying at Flash. He ran around it, though, and came straight in with a punch that hit her square in the face and knocked her down and out.
Suddenly there was a grunt of pain as J'onn was knocked through the museum entrance. Flash quickly dashed forward and caught J'onn before he could hit the ground, but in the next instant both of them had to dodge as Croc jumped forward in an attempt to crush them, the ground impacting with the force of his fist as he missed. J'onn immediately flew back and delivered a series of punches to Croc's upper body, finally delivering an uppercut that sent Croc flying back.
Back inside the museum, Sinestro was still firing blast after blast of his ring's energy at Lantern, and the shield was starting to weaken. "I won't...give...in!" Lantern hissed through clenched teeth.
"You won't have a choice!" Sinestro sneered.
Suddenly the evil ring-bearer felt a noose around his neck. Before he could react, he felt himself being violently pulled toward the ground, hitting headfirst. He saw numerous stars, then passed out. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman retrieved her lasso and asked, "G.L., are you all right?"
"I never imagined preserving history could tire somebody out like this," Lantern remarked, "but yeah, I'll live."
Nearby, Superman and Frost were blasting at each other; Frost with her ice power, Superman with his heat vision. They dodged each other's blasts and fired upon each other repeatedly. Finally they stopped exactly ten feet away from each other and blasted at each other. The heat vision and ice beam cancelled each other, but this deterred neither of them. "You're wasting your energy, Superman!" Frost boasted.
Superman smiled. "Really?"
Suddenly the heat vision beam increased in diameter, melting the ice even faster. Shocked, Frost could do nothing as the beam hit her right in the palms of her hands, scorching them. "Aaahh! My hands – MY HANDS!" she screeched. Next thing she knew, Superman flew up to her and punched her in the midsection, knocking her out.
Lantern finally relinquished the energy shields around the artifacts and floated down to the ground. "Glad that's over," he declared.
Humanite reached into the holster in his belt and pulled out a ray gun. Training it on Batman, he pulled the trigger, firing blasts of laser energy at him. Batman ran to one side to avoid the blasts, however, and threw another Batarang. This time Humanite saw it coming and blasted it, shattering it in pieces. But as he turned to fire upon Batman, to his amazement the Dark Knight was already in front of him, delivering a six-punch combo to his torso before spinning and delivering a flying kick to his face, knocking him back.
"Well done," Humanite commented, rubbing his jaw, "but alas, this game must now come to an end. It is time for me to fulfill what I originally came here to do!" So saying, he pulled out a remote control and pushed a button.
Before Batman could move, there was a deafening roar as the chopping blades of a second helicopter sounded directly above them. This one, much bigger than the one Humanite and Savage had been riding in, had what appeared to a pair of giant mechanical arms at the bottom. "But – my God, what is that?!" Batman exclaimed.
"It's our ultimate weapon – and our ticket out of here," said Humanite. "Watch as it goes to work!"
As Humanite controlled the helicopter with his remote, the monstrous metal bird turned and opened fire, letting loose with a barrage of missiles directed straight at Batman. He quickly turned and ran for his life, heading straight for the edge of the roof and jumping off just as the missiles exploded, blasting pieces of the roof everywhere. Falling into space, Batman managed to grab the edges of his cape and thus float down to safety.
Back on the roof, Humanite noted the large hole that the chopper's missiles had made during the explosion. Looking down, he smiled. "There you are."
The explosion on the other side of the roof caused the stranger to turn around involuntarily. Not missing his chance, Savage rushed up and shot his energized fists into the stranger's face, then jumped and delivered a wicked spinning kick to the side of the head. The stranger staggered back, but quickly came to and lunged forward with a downward stroke of the sword. As Savage instinctively raised his arms in an X to block the attack, the sword and the gauntlets made a PING as they connected together.
For a few moments Savage and the stranger struggled against each other, one violently pushing his strength against that of the other, the energy from the gauntlets sparking; and neither of them was about to give up or give in.
"You...are...fighting...a losing battle!" Savage raged, now losing his temper. "Yet you just refuse to surrender! What is it with you?!"
Still the stranger made no reply, but the grip on the sword tightened even more and the opposing force of strength pushed back against Savage. Involuntarily stepping back with his left foot, Savage braced his body weight on that leg and slowly put his right foot forward. The stranger did the same thing, bracing body weight on the right leg and putting the left foot forward. Neither of them was going to be giving up victory in this power struggle.
Sinestro and Frost were deposited in a heap along with the other villains, and Lantern covered them with an energy shield. "That should hold them till the cops get here," he remarked.
"Which shouldn't be too long from now," said Flash. "At least, I hope."
"Are you all right?" Wonder Woman asked Batman with some concern. "You took a pretty big risk when you jumped off the roof."
"I'm used to taking risks," he assured her. "I'm just glad this new suit works so well."
"Truthfully, I'm not sure I'll ever get used to seeing you in this new costume," she confessed. "It just doesn't seem...you."
He gave her a knowing look. "There are some things we all get used to after a while," he said softly.
Superman and J'onn were standing to one side, surveying the scene. Now J'onn said suddenly, "Batman, you fought the Ultra-Humanite on the rooftop. Where is he now?"
Instantly Batman was all business again. "My guess is, he may've escaped after he tried to blow me up on the roof," he replied.
Suddenly Flash yelled, "Watch out!"
To the group's horror, a missile was streaking out of the museum entrance right toward them! Superman reacted immediately, flying in front of the missile and grabbing it by its sides. With the strength of a bull, he managed to direct it upward, and it rocketed toward the night sky, exploding after a moment.
"Are you all right?" Lantern exclaimed.
"I will be, once I find out who or what fired that missile," Superman replied.
"I'm on it!" Flash sped into the museum – and stopped dead in his tracks. "Uh, guys..."
Right before him were the two giant mechanical arms, suspended from the bottom of Humanite's helicopter above. The arms were clamped around the meteorite that had been on display!
The others in the Justice League were at the doorway of the museum, save for Lantern who was still guarding the downed villains, and were shocked at what they were seeing. Then Humanite's voice came to them over a loudspeaker. "So sorry that I can't stay to play," he remarked with a sneer in his voice, "but I have places to go to and things to do! Well, ta-ta!" And then the arms rose up, effortlessly lifting the meteorite into the air and through the hole in the roof.
"I'm going after him!" Wonder Woman prepared to fly upward, but suddenly a large machine gun underneath the nose of the metal bird pointed downward and started firing at the League. While Wonder Woman frantically deflected the bullets with her bracelets, the others rushed for cover.
"He's gonna get away!" Flash shouted.
"Better let him go if we don't want to get shot," Batman advised. "We'll get him another time, don't worry."
Savage and the stranger finally broke free from each other and stood a few feet apart, staring each other down. Suddenly there was a loud roar as Humanite's chopper emerged, the mechanical arms clutching the meteorite. The stranger turned to look at the meteorite with some surprise – and that was when Savage made his move. Charging up energy in his gauntlets, he let loose with one giant blast that hit the stranger in the chest – and suddenly the stranger was flying over the edge of the roof!
Savage shook his head as the helicopter came closer to him and he jumped aboard via the rope ladder that was handed down to him. "A shame," he said. "You were a worthy opponent." And then the helicopter took off.
On the ground, Sinestro was starting to come to. Shaking his head, he gradually became aware of the giant green energy field holding him and the other prisoners. "Let me out of here, Lantern!" he cursed.
"Not a chance," Lantern shot back.
Sinestro then glanced toward the roof of the museum and smiled. "So you'd let some innocent person die just to hold me?" He pointed upward.
Still keeping his ring trained on the villains, Lantern glanced upward out of the corner of his eye – and was horrified at what he saw. The mysterious stranger in black was falling several stories to the ground!
Forgetting about guarding the villains, Lantern quickly flew toward the falling stranger. Thrusting his arm forward, he shot out a blast of energy from his ring, in the form of a bowl, just narrowly catching the stranger in the nick of time. Turning around to face Sinestro, he was just in time to see his mortal enemy flying away, carrying the other still-unconscious villains in a giant yellow energy sphere.
"Better forget about them for now, Lantern," Batman's voice called out to him from the ground. "Bring that person here right now."
Complying, Lantern floated to the ground, depositing the unconscious stranger on the steps of the museum. "This looks like the same person who was at the Keystone City Hospital," he suddenly noted. "But who's underneath the mask?"
"We'll soon find out," said J'onn. "Remove the mask, G.L."
Lantern complied. He reached forward and pulled off the stranger's mask – and recoiled in utter surprise. "What the hell?!"
The mystery person was a woman with flowing blond hair. "Who is she?" Superman and J'onn asked in one voice.
"That looks like the co-director of this museum – Kendra Saunders!" Flash exclaimed.
That was when Batman stepped forward. "Her real name is not Kendra Saunders," he announced. As the others turned to look at him with some surprise, he went on. "Her real name...is Shayera Hol."
Jaws dropped.
NEOMAGE: Oh, man...Kaiba's suing me for stealing his dragon? This is nuts! Oh, man, oh, man...where am I gonna find a good lawyer!? (suddenly he stops pacing, and a smile breaks out over his face) I know just who to go to...
NARRATOR: Who will neomage go to in his time of trouble to look for a good lawyer? And now that the mystery person's identity in the fanfic has been revealed, what will the Justice League do now? Stay tuned!!!