Prologue

- - - Washington DC, January 1st, 2010 - - -

J'onn followed Diana through the exhibition halls, trying to ignore the emotions surging through the crowds around them. The Amazon princess practically radiated joy, feeling comfortable in her role as the esteemed ambassador of Themyscira and finding deep pleasure in the art display that Bruce had organized in her honour. J'onn found far less comfort in his official duty, being acutely aware of the other guest's reaction to his Green Martian appearance. Clark would have made for a better representative of the extraterrestrial peoples, yet he had insisted on manning the Watchtower today.

J'onn tried to focus on the sculptures instead of the humans around him. The Wayne foundation had composed an exquisite 'New Year's Exhibition' of both antique and modern busts and statues, all of them representing strong women or women warriors. Some of the figures were clad in red or blue dresses, garments or uniforms – an obvious reference to Wonder Woman's legendary armour.

As J'onn inspected the sculptures, one display caught his attention: A young woman with a long blue dress draped around her delicate form. Her pose was peculiar, half-turned, one arm outstretched, her mouth open as if she was yelling a command. It was her eyes that drew him nearer, displaying neither anger nor fear, just deep bewilderment.

J'onn took another careful step towards the statue, focusing all of his senses on her.

'Batman, Wonder Woman', he gently called his colleagues through a quickly established telepathic link. 'You might want to take a look at this.'

- - - England, July 1st, 1942 - - -

Mary pushed open the large wooden doors of the cathedral's library. "Welcome to the central reading hall, children. You are about to enter the largest collection of prose and poetry of our entire county. Please try to be quiet while you take a look around, and don't disturb the other visitors!"

She watched as two dozen scrawny children scurried past her, heading for the windows or the stairs. Their faces were hollow, but there were still sparks in those young, curious eyes. It had been kind of their teacher, old Mr Sumner, to organize this excursion – especially since the field trip would end with a hearty meal for all his protégés. It was a shame that the old veteran could not lead the excursion himself, yet Mary knew his stiff left leg could not have taken the strain. She had gladly agreed to help him out.

"Toby McCain, don't you dare climb on the book shelves! Ann and Susan, please go and fetch Mr Parrington, the librarian. Mr Sumner told me you were all reading Shakespeare in class the other week. Mr Parrington can show you were to find more of his plays and sonnets."

She had often marvelled how the two-story building supported the weight of so many book shelves. Only the most valuable manuscripts had been removed for save-keeping two years ago, when the war started. Thousands of books still remained. The air smelled like paper and dust and oak wood, warmed by the soft light of the afternoon sun.

"You didn't find Mr Parrington at the reception desk? Just wait here for me then, I'll look for him on the upper floor."

Mary ascended the central stair case. At the top, she paused shortly, looking down into the reading hall, checking once more on her students and reveling in the sight of the well-filled shelves beneath her.

She was about to step forward, when all hell broke loose.

It started with a crash, as something large and heavy smashed straight through the roof.

'But we didn't hear any sirens', Mary thought desperately.

"Run children! Run to the town hall bunker!"

She could see the huge projectile that had embedded itself amongst the upstairs book shelves, a clump of broken metal amongst paper and wood. It had not detonated – why had it not detonated yet?

Any further impacts might set it off.

"Run to the bunker!"

The students were already rushing out of the building, they knew the drill.

Were there any children still on the top floor? Mary vaguely remembered seeing John Gillian and Benny Wilson clambering up the stairs earlier, while she was yelling at Toby McCain. And where was Mr Perrington?

"Is anybody up here?"

Something moved inside the wreckage. Something brown. A hairless creature, clawing its way out through the metal. Some new biological weapon? No other missiles had crashed down so far, this was no typical air raid.

There were several brown things crawling out from the missile now. Reptilian creatures, about as tall as a large dog, long tailed with a dexterous snout. One of the them bared its white fangs and bit into an oaken book shelf. Mary watched in horror as it tore a chunk out of the wood, chewed it and swallowed.

Definitely some new kind of weapon.

She did not dare to raise her voice again. Where were Benny and Jonny?

Creature after creature poured out of the crash site, baring their terrible teeth and beginning to devour the shelves and books around them.

There, a little figure, crouching in one of the corners between two shelves. "Benny, is that you?", she whispered. "Please stand up Benny, you need to get out of here! Is Jonny still up here?"

The boy stared at the creatures with wide eyes, but her firm grip on his arm woke him from his stupor. He managed to face her, shaking visibly.

"He went back there, to the windows..."

"Get down the stairs, Benny, I'll find him. Make for the bunker, you hear me?"

The boy hurried off. The stairway was still free of the brown-skinned intruders, but for how long?

Mary turned towards the alcoves in the back of the library. Most of the central aisle was already swarming with creatures, feeding on anything in their path. Yet they had not moved to the parallel side walks yet. She had to find Jonny.

"Be gone, demons!" A male voice shouted defiantly.

The sound of crunching wood stopped.

Passing some smaller shelves, Mary was able to discern the tall silhouette of the librarian. Mr Perrington stood right in the centre of his library, facing the brown creatures, a heavy old book clutched closely to his chest.

The lizards were staring at him, expectantly.

"Be gone?" he repeated, less certain now.

One of the monsters jumped.

A terrible scream echoed through the building, as the first brown lizard sunk his teeth into poor Mr Perrington's legs. Three or four others joined in the fray, and with a terrible crunching sound, the screams subsided.

Stifling a sob, Mary hurried on.

So far, none of the creatures had taken notice of her. They just continued the slow destruction of the library. Some were feasting on the floor boards now, biting their way through the planks. The air was willed with the sound of splintering shelf boards, ripping paper and moaning wooden beams.

And a whimper.

There, in the large window alcove at the end of the central aisle. A small boy, huddled in a wide woolen jacket, his back pressed against the glass.

The scared boy whimpered again, trying to dampen the noise with his too long sleeves.

Yet one of the creatures noticed, his lethal gaze suddenly fixed onto the helpless child.

"Jonny, break the window and jump!", Mary yelled. Of course the monsters heard her, too. It did not matter. If the boy just got out...

But Jonny just stood there, frozen in terror.

And then the glass behind him exploded.

Mary stumbled, trying to shield her eyes from the flying shards and the sudden blinding light.

Golden light.

A golden-caped man stood behind Jonny, just outside the window, just outside of the first story window, calmly floating in the thin air beside the library.

A threatening hiss went through the lizard-like creatures.

The first of them jumped.

A golden cross manifested in front of the creature, shielding the boy and the golden knight from its attack.

A knight with a golden helmet – what kind of soldier wore a golden knight's helmet?

What kind of soldier could fly in the air?

"Don't just float there, get Jonny out of here!"

The knight seemed to notice her for the first time. She was surrounded by lizards now, and nowhere near the windows yet. There was nothing he could do for her. "Just get the boy out to safety!"

The gnawed floor boards below her creaked menacingly.

There was a word, a spell, a powerful surge through her body.

"MEDURA", she heard him shout.

And her world went dark.