Dust kicked up into the air, As he came crashing down to the earth, cape torn and mouth sore. Looking up, He sought the person, or persons that had attacked him mid flite, and sent him to the desert below.
Listening to the sound of the world around him, He estimated that he was somewhere around Egypt, If not a bit further. Hard to tell, as the sounds of the world had changed since he last step foot on it. Imploring his x-ray vision, He traced the sky, and found, Not the one person who attacked him…But the four.
Lowering themselves from the sky, the four Green Lanterns that Sector 823 have been entrusted to, Surrounded the man of tomorrow, and encased him in the green light that is the fuel of their power. Taking center stage, the oldest of them all, Hal Jordan, Looked down on his former friend, and team mate, and called out to him in a voice of might.
"Clark Kent, by the power vested in me by the Guardians of OA, and the people of Earth, I hereby place you under galactic arrest, For the crime of three counts Murder."
Clark took a deep breath, and in the time it takes to blink, Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner, Jon Stewart, and Guy Gardner, Found themselves tossed to the ground by a single exhaled breath, Only to be rushed upon the moment they hit, By a blue and red blur. Lifting Hal Jordan to his feet, by way of the throat, and stared deep into his eyes.
"Hal. You want to convict me of murder…Wait till I'm done."
Squeezing, Clark watched as Hal's body begged for air, And was denied immediately. Rising to their feet, Guy Gardner, and Jon Stewart quickly moved on Kent, Only to be put back down by two well placed heat vision shots to the legs, Immobilizing them instantly. Kyle Rayner on the other hand stayed where he had landed, and instead, Pointed his ring upward, Sending a large green flare, Before being exhaled away once more, This time, Out of even Kent's line of sight.
And miles away, As he watched Rayner vanish from sight, A man, A normal, every day man, Sat behind a large computer monitor, Leaned forward in his chair, and spoke into an ear piece. Speaking a single, simple, word.
"now."
And in a fashion that gives even him goosebumps, Bruce Wayne watches, As a force from up on high shows itself to its target, and relieves the pressure from the throat of Hal Jordan, and places it in his attackers.
Ripping across the desert, A streak of red collides with Kent, and throws him to the ground with enough force to shake the dunes surrounding them. Sliding to a stop, Kent looks up with eyes glowing red, and leaps to his feet, Flying at his attacker with full speed, Only to be blasted back by a bolt of lighting, Which was conjured by the sound of a single word.
Costume sizzling, He raises his head, With teeth gritting, and looks to the two men standing in front of him. With expressions of purpose and solidarity, Shazam and The Flash stand, Prepared for battle, with only the simplest of comments for the downed man of tomorrow.
"You aren't the only one who came back from the dead, kent."
Confusion then hit. It was not the voice of the flash he remembers. But that of the one he spent most of his time missing. Barry Allen. The first Flash he ever became friends with. The one that had been at his side through some difficult times, During both JLA times, and otherwise. But this was not those times. And he was not that friend.
Standing to his feet, Kent lunged at Shazam, Only to be cut off by Flash, And cracked in the face several times over, and hit with another bolt of lighting. Miles away, Observing, Bruce Wayne spoke out to all those listening.
"Secondary, Stand prepared. Flash is going to need back up if he keeps hitting Kent like this. Secondary, Come in, Do you copy? "
From the headset, a voice snapped back, annoyed by Bruce's self-appointed leadership. "I'm hearing you, dammit. Moving in now."
Shazam and Flash kept their attack on Kent moving. Hoping that the sound of two wings flapping, and a metal mace cutting the air along side it. But they don't.
Throwing Shazam into the Flash, Kent turns and catches Hawkman by the chest, and spiking him to the ground. Watching as he tries to rise to his feet, Kent takes a deep breath, and with pure hatred, Delivers a kick to Hawkmans midsection, Sending his torso one way, and his legs the other.
And as the blood of one of Earths mightiest sinks into the sand, Hal Jordan stands. While the last words of Hawkman can be heard, So do Stewart, and Gardner. And with a scream of anger, The word shazam conurs a lighting bolt, That strikes Kent at the heart of what he once was, Burning the S from his chest completely. And they stand, Ready, and willing, To do to Kent, What Kent has done to the worlds faith in them, and their faith in each other. And they won't be doing it alone. And Kent knows it. Never leaving anything to chance, These men would not show their entire hand at once. And if this is the opening, He only wonders, What the big gun is.
Maybe it was time to bring him out.
"Okay, Bruce. You've motivated your troops to the point of one losing his life. How much further are you prepared to let this go? Are you willing to watch me dismantle every single one of them? Are you willing to have this much blood on your hands?"
Guy Gardner limped forward, Favoring his right leg more then his left, For the obvious reason that his right leg was still smoking. Gritting his teeth, Gardner said what everyone was thinking, But in his own personal way.
"Hey Alf…We wouldn't be here if we weren't willing to go down fighting. So why don't you shut your trap…and bring it on already. Some of us have lives to get back to. Wait, Did I say lives? Sorry, I meant wives."
"Couldn't have said it better myself, Guy."
Turning, Clark came face to face with Kyle Rayner, Ragman, and Mr. Freeze. Forming a circle around him, Clark Kent stared at each of his opponents, One at a time. His eyes glowing darker by the moment, and fist squeezing tighter.
And lunging forward, Flash came. A blur of fists flailing.
Leaping upward, Ragman dove, Enhancing his strength with the souls of every criminal he had within his patch work, Demanding they assist him in one, final fight.
Rings forward, The Green Lanterns took aim, And Clark Kent found himself encompassed in their green light.
Running in a circle, Mr. Freeze shot the area around Kent's feet, Taking away his footing, and giving him no choice but to take to the air.
As the battle truly begins.
Standing by a large monitor, The bearded man watches the city, 50 stories below, Thrive in its own, mediocre way. Feeling a presence in the room, He turns, And watches as The Batman lands on the floor just behind him.
"Good news, I trust."
"He's on his way there now. And unless the others stop him, We should be in business by tomorrow. We should leave now if we want to be there in time."
"Time will not be a problem, much longer..."
Removing his mask, Jason Todd joined Vandal Savage at the large monitor, and pressed a single button. Conjuring blue prints up for some sort of device. A large tube, With two large canon like objects on either side. But in the center, a small piece blinks, As the word "required" continues to blink in the corner. Looking to each other, They turn away, and vanish down a long, dark corridor, Picking up their pace with every step.