Lucy would spend the next six months alone with the Amazons, not even Chloe would be able to visit her. After six months they would arrange for her to meet with her sister and father just off the coast of the island before continuing her sentence. There were very few males that were permitted on the island of Themiscyra, even Lex was forbidden.
After the initial visit further visits would be scheduled.
There had been a very interesting incident where Clark had received a frantic mental call from Tess whilst he was in Tokyo. He teleported in to find himself in what appeared to be an underground lab.
What was a little disturbing was Tess standing over two Lex Luthors.
"Well neither of them are Harry… and they both come across as Lex." Clark muttered to himself as he picked his way through the unconscious bodies of various scientists. "What happened here?"
"This was supposed to be a simple experiment which Lex agreed had potential and didn't have morally questionable facets." Tess scowled. She was tempted to kick her unconscious brother for this mess…both of them. "They were experimenting with Kryptonite-"
Clark suddenly tensed and began checking the area.
"Relax, I cleaned up as best I could." She assured him. "Anyway, the scientists were trying to determine the properties of Kryptonite and answer a few questions, like: What happens when you subject it to extreme heat.
"You can see this is a well equipped lab with plenty of safety measures.
"Lex wanted to observe this test, but the Kryptonite began to exceed the target temperature even after the lasers were shut off. Eventually the Kryptonite emitted a burst of energy and Lex saved the doctor there," She pointed to one of the scientists, "and took the blast himself.
"Now there are two of them." She sighed.
Kilowog who Clark had called joined them. "Hey little Poozer." He smiled at Tess.
The girls of the Castle considered Kilowog a 'sweetheart'. It didn't help that Kusano had the big alien wrapped around her finger.
"Hey Kilowog, I was just explaining to Clark about the super-heated Kryptonite splitting Lex in two." She indicated her unconscious brother.
"Huh… ain't never seen this before." He focused on his ring. "Nothing in the database about it either."
"Both are Lex… but only one has a soul." Clark said as he crouched down in his suit.
"So we just kill the soulless one?" Tess asked.
"Not until we know more." Clark shook his head. Clark focused and called in help. He was rewarded (or punished) with Xander and Neville.
"Hey! Two Lexes and no waiting! Bet Helen will be thrilled."
Neville just sighed. "I'll be the one to tell Helen what has happened."
"Xander, can you take both of these to the Castle and put them in separate cells?" Clark requested.
"Sure thing." He smiled before touching each of the unconscious bodies and vanishing with them.
"Kilowog, can you put up a warning on super-heating Kryptonite and feel out the Guardians and other Lanterns to see if they know anything about this?"
"Sure thing Kal." The Green Lantern vanished.
"How are we going to clear this mess up?" Tess asked.
"We will need a containment team. We can use Matsu and a few MBI HAZMAT teams to come in and secure this lab. We'll have them pretend to be a LuthorCorp clean up."
"What about the Kryptonite? It turned black."
"We'll ask The Vision to analyse it and see what he can determine." Clark said after a moments thought. "We should probably call in Bruce Banner as well, he's forgotten more about radiation than we can imagine."
"Helen is going to be so pissed." Tess muttered.
Back at the high school Chloe was in the Torch Office, standing in front of an irate Dawn Stiles being yelled at.
Chloe had been yelled at by the best and Dawn was pathetic… as was her topic of contention.
"Prom Queen is a time honoured tradition! It is the world's way of declaring they have found the most beautiful and popular girl and that they love her!" Dawn was getting red in the face with anger.
Chloe just gave a half shrug. "Yes, but Lana isn't running."
Dawn's right eye began to twitch as she tried to ignore the giggling girls and Ryan who were also present.
"Why are you here yapping away, Dawn?" Chloe sighed. "I just wrote an opinion piece for the paper. This is a school full of teenagers, I doubt anyone is actually going to boycott the vote."
"Because I don't think its fair to use your articles to get yourself nominated!" Dawn screeched as she held up one of the voting forms.
Chloe's eyes widened as she saw her own name down as a nomination for Prom Queen. She spun around to face her friends. "Which one of you chuckleheads did this?" She demanded.
"Don't turn your back on me Sullivan!" Dawn said incensed.
So Chloe spun back round and let her emotions out. "Alright, Stiles. Here's the deal: You're a self-absorbed, narcissistic, idiot – and if you don't know what that means then you will find that 'idiot' really hit the bulls eye. You come in here complaining about my opinion and shouting at me. Not. On. Get out of my office before I report you to the Principal, she doesn't like people like you anymore than I do and if she gets in the right mood she'll give you detention… on Prom Night."
Dawn paled. "She wouldn't dare!"
"If she won't, I will."
Dawn spun around to see Danielle Moonstar standing there.
"You really need to check your attitude, Stiles." Dani warned. "How long do you expect to live? Honestly now, I want a real answer. Do you think you will live past high school? College? Or will you make it beyond that?"
Dawn hadn't really thought about that before. "I- What does it matter?" She blustered.
"It matters because people don't get careers based on being a Prom Queen." Dani said calmly. "So your parents might be able to pay for you to waste your time in college, what happens after college? How are you going to get a job? People will listen to your attitude for about ten seconds before sending you away. And even if you do manage to get a job, your attitude will piss off the wrong people and you will be back on the streets.
"So that is where you will spend your post college years, Dawn. On the streets. All your looks and connections won't help you one bit out there."
"I believe Miss Stiles has gotten the point, Miss Moonstar." Emma commented as she walked up. "As has been pointed out to you by Miss Sullivan and Miss Moonstar, your attitude is unacceptable. I suggest you leave now and think about that and one last thing:"
Emma stepped forward into the girl's personal space. "Miss Sullivan is on the fast track to being a top reporter for a major paper like The Daily Planet. People like her can destroy people like you with a words."
Emma stood up straight and stood aside indicating for Dawn to leave.
Dawn straightened her back and made to storm out.
Dani stayed standing where she was, leaning on the doorframe, forcing Dawn to stop and sidle past.
"Inform me if Miss Stiles causes more problems." Emma instructed the students in the office.
"Miss Frost, is there anyway I can get my name off the ballot paper?" Chloe asked desperately.
"Only if you wish to insult the numerous people who wrote you in." Emma smirked.
"Numerous?" Chloe looked worried.
"From my point of view, the identity of the Prom Queen is a foregone conclusion." She laughed as she left the office with Dani.
"Well… shit."
"Language Miss Sullivan."
Clark, Tess, Bruce Banner, Helen and Jean were all standing in front of the two cells in the dungeon that contained the two Lex Luthors.
"The Lex with the soul is the Lex we all know and love; this is only partly true though." Jean explained. "He is lacking a lot of the instincts that will allow him to survive in even the most peaceful of societies.
"The other Lex has all of that but no empathy."
"Do we have a plan?" Clark asked.
"We could try to reverse the process with this new Black Kryptonite." Bruce offered. "We saw the video footage and have some understanding of what happened."
"Any other options in case that doesn't work?" Tess asked.
"We have Harry generate a new body and put the soul in that one." Jean offered. "A lot of what is missing from the souled body is chemical pathways related the fighting instinct, the predator side of us."
"Bruce, can you take Helen and the two Luthors back through the Door and try your method? If that doesn't work then call on Harry." Clark asked.
"Of course. We can leave straight away."
Helen, Tess and the two Luthors were stuck in the other universe for a while as neither Bruce nor The Vision would start an operation without further tests. They also used the experience to try and get Harry back into using his more analytical mind.
Harry was never going to be the model of restraint that Scott or Emma were but he had definitely become more reckless over the years since he first arrived at the X-Mansion.
In a show of solidarity all of the girls were going to the Prom stag. Even Ryan and Chiho were going separately. Chloe hadn't even bothered looking for a date as she planned to go stag. Kyla managed to convince Lana to go even though she was planning on skipping it as Jason couldn't be her date.
Kyla had roped Lois into accompanying them… a fairly hard task especially as she would be gate crashing
But Ryan had stepped up and said he would take her as his 'official' date, which made Chiho very proud.
The Sekirei would also be in attendance as chaperones. The task of choosing dresses for the fairly busty and beautiful ladies was left to Martha and Cassandra who were fairly more reserved than the rest of the women in the castle.
The news came the next day that Dawn Stiles had been in a car crash and was now in a coma at the Smallville Medical Centre. None of the doctors could figure it out, even with magic so Neville had called in the next best thing to Harry: Clark.
"She's not actually in there." Clark frowned as his head hovered over the comatose girl. "Her soul is elsewhere, not passed over as I can't call her."
"Well that would make her a ghost." Neville mused. "This town is now saturated with magic so ghosts will be visible to magicals."
"We couldn't see Gabe when he was… a ghost." Clark pointed out.
"There wasn't enough magic covering the town. There were around twenty to thirty magic users. Now every house has wards and the streets have been charmed for safety and cleanliness. With all the magic she can speak and we will hear her." Neville explained.
"Doctor Scanlan- oh good evening Doctors." The nurse amended as she entered. "We have a call from the Sheriff. Miss Stiles' soul appears to be visible and attempting to possess people."
"Has she succeeded?" Neville asked with astonishment.
"I think so. It is hard to tell." The nurse shrugged.
"Doctor, you might want to come with us so you can see what happens first hand." Clark advised Yaeger Scanlan.
"Dawn Janine Stiles! What do you think you are playing at?"
Dawn might now be dead… but she still responded to the stern voice of her mother just as any child would.
"I was just trying to get one of them to take me to the Prom." She said as she shuffled her ectoplasmic feet.
For whatever reason, the extra magic that saturated the area and made ghosts visible also allowed them to create their own clothes. It was probably the reason that Harry always had clothes and was definitely something Clark planned on trying to duplicate next time he died.
Clark paused mid-step as he realised how casually he now thought about dying… over and over again.
Mrs Stiles was unaware of this as she continued to approach Dawn as she berated her daughter. The three young high school freshmen girls who had decided to skip the dance were cautiously edging away.
"Girls, over here." Clark called out to them.
They quickly approached Clark, Neville and Doctor Scanlan.
"Was she able to actually possess you?" Clark asked. Clark had some experience with ghosts in Harry's home universe, he knew what they looked like and what they could do… possession was not part of their bailiwick.
"She tried, but our occlumency shields where able to push her out." The tallest girl named Marcia answered.
Knowledge of occlumency at a basic level was part of the magical knowledge that came with the Oath of Civilisation. It was nowhere near as advanced as what the Amazons learnt, just enough to prevent mild possession or intrusion.
"That is not typical for a ghost." Neville frowned.
"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Doctor Scanlan asked the girls.
"No sir, but we really didn't like it." Marcia admitted.
"I know how you feel. Being controlled by someone is really not fun." Clark agreed as Scanlan pulled out his phone.
"Someone was able to control you?!" Jennifer, the youngest and shortest of the trio asked in horror.
"It was just Harry, he would train me by putting me under his control and I would have to break out of it. Very dangerous if you don't have the right people doing it." He warned.
"Why don't you girls head over to the Sheriff and give her a statement." Neville suggested.
"Kryptonite." Scanlan scowled as he hung up his phone. "We didn't consider it because it seemed like a straight forward accident, but I just asked the nurse to run a check and Dawn's body is contaminated. I've instructed the transplant team to begin building a new body for her. Can you put her back?" He asked Clark.
"I hope so. If I can't she can just wait like this until Harry comes back." Clark smirked. "It seems like a suitable punishment."
The transplant team consisted of a bunch of doctors in North Korea who were trained to efficiently create new organs from willing donors that were then shipped to hospitals in Japan. From there, excess organs were offered to other hospitals around the world. Confidentiality was key in transplants and that was what allowed Harry to arrange for the organ donor shortage to drop significantly.
Creating a new body from an old was a similar process, they would take a piece of the original and build the body from that. It was far different from Harry who could view the actual DNA of the body and then replicate it from nothing. The Cuckoos still hadn't filled all the empty space in Harry's head from his time alone before he joined the X-Men. Every time he met someone new he would memorise their DNA. He had whole galaxies of people stored in his head.
Clark's evening was spent sitting in a hospital room with Dawn and her parents whilst they spent the time waiting for her new body berating the girl for reckless driving and trying to possess the girls.
The Sheriff had charged her with assault and used the powers given to her by the town to assign her community service. They couldn't exactly take it to the county courts as magic was involved and Harry and Clark had convinced the town to give the Sheriff minor sentencing powers for these types of crimes.
Anything bigger was sent to Harry or in his absence, Neville.
The Prom was a big success.
Chloe was mortified that she actually won. She got up on the stage and accepted the crown graciously and decided to say a few simple words about how she thanked them for the show of support.
By the end of the night her feet were sore and she regretted going stag as she had to dance with nearly every male student.
The weekend was abuzz with talk of the Prom, being a small town there wasn't really much to discuss. Dawn Stiles was handed over to Scott Summers and assigned to work as a waitress for the Talon. They hoped that she would learn some people skills and humility there.
Lana took the opportunity to take some time off and spend it with her family and Jason. This was more to prevent her having to deal with Dawn in a supervisory role, Dawn considered her a rival as Lana was also nominated for Prom Queen as a write in.
She actually came in third after Uzume.
The Cuckoos came in joint fourth.
On the Sunday Clark was enjoying a nice coffee with Kyla, Lana and Chloe at the Talon.
"How's your neck, Chlo?" Clark asked with a smirk. "Recovered from the weight of the crown?"
"Mine was just a symbol Clark." Chloe sniffed superiorly. "The way Harry and the others tell it, you will actually have to hold the real crown day. Control of the world and possibly the galaxy."
"Chloe, you are a Phoenix, you are immortal." Clark said seriously. "In fact all three of you are now truly immortal thanks to Chloe. There is a fairly strong chance that all of you might hold the reigns of leadership at some point."
"But not for a long, long, long, long, loooong time." Kyla said with a shudder.
"I'm curious Clark, why don't you act any older? You're over one hundred now, so why haven't you matured?" Lana asked.
Clark just shrugged. "I spent most of that time with Harry. When I wasn't with Harry I was doing what I've been doing since I was… what? Fifteen? Nev' says I haven't had the right experiences yet. I haven't had the personal challenges."
"You've been dosed with Red Kryptonite, The Scarecrow's Fear Toxin, you've died several times, you faced the worst humanity has to offer and stopped an invasion… plus you had to deal with Jor-El." Chloe listed with a raised eyebrow. "What the hell is left?"
Clark just grinned. "Lois Lane?"
"I am so telling her you said that." Kyla laughed.
"Where is Lois?" Lana asked.
"Lois is still at MU trying not to get kicked out after another stunt… this time it was actually Kazehana's fault." Kyla sighed.
"Kazehana?"
"She decided to serve as Lois' protection detail." Kyla explained. "She is listed as a student and attends the same classes as Lois and sleeps in the same apartment."
"Wow… that's pretty generous, considering that it's nearly impossible to pry a Sekirei off their Ashikabi." Chloe remarked.
"Yeah, but we're all proud of her and Tsukiumi is setting up a rota to take some of the pressure off of her." Clark nodded.
"Ok, but how did Kazehana get Lois in trouble?"
"Some paparazzi discovered that Lois was connected to a highly ranked general. They tracked her down and Kazehana… it was first thing in the morning and very tired, they weren't dressed and Sekirei have little in the way of modesty so Kazehana didn't think twice about opening the door.
"The bastard got a shot of Kazehana in just her panties, Lois was in a bra and panties but the flash of the camera caught Kazehana off guard and he got away."
"I don't remember seeing those pictures in the news?" Lana frowned.
"No, he tried to use them as blackmail on Lois to get information on her father. She refused and the photographer sent copies to the head of the university. They then got leaked.
"We managed to track down the copies and Laura and Brunhilde put out a virus seek out and destroy them but the various anti-lesbian and pro-lesbian groups got a hold of them."
"Why would they care?" Chloe asked.
"Because the pro-lesbian groups at first praised her whilst the anti-lesbian groups condemned her. But Lois made a statement along the lines of-"
"'There ain't no way I am gay. I like my sausage.'" Kyla said gruffly with a laugh.
Clark rubbed his temple in frustration. "Yeah, pretty much that. Of course then the groups switched up support and condemnation… so Lois can't win."
"How is that her fault? Why would they boot her for that?" Lana asked.
"Because they say she and her roommate where reckless when they opened the door in a state of undress." Clark explained.
"Lois is thinking of quitting altogether. She knows we will support her financially until she finds her niche in life." Kyla added. "For now, Loki is on a rampage with Amara and suing MU for every penny they have."
"What about the photographer?" Chloe scowled.
"Xander took care of that." Clark assured them. "Scott made a comment about finally understanding where Harry gets his perverse sense of humour from when handing out punishment."
Kyla just shuddered.
"What the hell?! We've been robbed! I am so not taking the blame for this!"
They all turned to see Dawn standing angrily at the till.
"Kyla, you deal with Dawn. Lana, check the tapes and get Scott. Chloe, someone just ran out the back and you're with me." Clark instructed as he grabbed Chloe and they vanished.
"Why do I have to deal with Stiles?" Kyla grumbled.
"Because you're the only one of us she isn't pissed with." Came Chloe's mental smirk as they opened a standard magical connection. It was SOP for missions. Better than radio.
Clark and Chloe made it outside to find a boy about their age jumping into a car.
"Chloe, stay invisible and ask him if he stole the money." Clark instructed.
Chloe was fairly impressed with that suggestion. If he was innocent they could leave him be and he would probably dismiss the event.
"Did you steal the money from the Talon?"
"Yes."
Her disembodied voice combined with his own involuntary response startled the boy who accidentally hit the accelerator sending the car crashing into Clark.
Clark just sighed as he sent a stunner at the driver through the now busted windshield whilst the car was wrapped around him. He dropped the invisibility charms on himself and Chloe.
"It was a fairly good idea." Chloe shrugged.
"I'm guessing these are the life challenges Nev' was talking about." Clark grumbled as he began tearing the car off of himself.
That evening Superman was called to the White House which was besieged by protestors demanding that the international interim government leave the country and hand over control to Americans. The vote for the new government wasn't for another five months.
It was a well-organised group, they had a stage, speakers, microphones and even large television displays. There were nearly a million Americans assembled all with placards and chants about foreigners and America being for Americans.
The problem was that they were becoming unruly and the police were struggling.
Superman decided to make an entrance. He landed on the stage next to the leader of the protestors, a man named Alex Evell.
Evell was well known businessman with suspected criminal ties. He had tried to buy The Daily Planet but when Pauline Khan had refused he had tried to attack the trucks delivering the paper.
This had increased sales of The Planet.
He was also one of many individuals banned from running for government due to his views on America and the actions he believed they should take against Japan for their occupation.
"Mr. Evell." Superman said evenly.
"Well if it isn't the mighty Superman." Evell sneered. "Are you going to try and shut us down? There are a million of us here and millions more around the country that agree with us. Can you really stop us all?"
Superman looked at him thoughtfully. "Millions you say?"
"Possibly hundreds of millions." Evell smirked. "Each and everyone of them want you and those Slant-Eyes out of our country."
"Slant-Eyes?" Superman repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Are you aware that America makes up just four and a half percent of the world's population?" He asked. "China alone makes up about twenty percent. You just insulted over one fifth of the world with just two words."
"Like I give a damn. They should stick to their own over populated countries." Evell snarled.
"Well… that's the problem." Superman said reasonably. "They were quite happy where they were. But then the American Government decided to plunge the entire planet into a war with an advanced alien species.
"And it was the rest of the world that had to defend the planet whilst America was steamrolled over.
"As a result, the rest of the world doesn't think America is ready to govern itself as an equal amongst its peers."
"That's not for you to decide. We are Americans! This is our land, we have a right to do as we see fit." Evell argued.
"Its your right so long as you don't endanger others. If you keep insulting people and threatening them then no one is going to see you as somebody who can look after a country."
"You're the worst one of all!" Evell got up in Superman's face. "You aren't even from this planet! You aren't even human. Get the hell off our planet and leave us alone! And tell your Green Light Bulb friends the same."
"Your planet?" Superman mused. "I want you all to think about this very carefully." Superman said as he snatched the microphone from Evell. "The planet Earth is situated in the solar system, the solar system is located in the Galaxy known as the Milk Way.
"There are over four hundred billion stars in this galaxy alone and quite a few are inhabited by beings more advanced and intelligent than humans.
"What exactly are you going to do when they decide that they don't want you in their galaxy?" Superman challenged the crowd. "They could wipe you out without even entering the solar system, you can't even get off the planet, so why don't you think about how bad it would be if those aliens heard about your attitude. Then remember that the… 'Slant-Eyes'… out number you pretty badly."
Superman turned and glared at Evell before looking back at the crowd. "This is an illegal gathering. You have twenty-four hours to disperse before the police take action. You have the right to assemble, but not the right to incite hatred and violence.
"Consider this your warning."
Superman crushed the microphone in his hand before calling down a bolt of lightning that made him vanish and burnt a nice big hole in the stage.
Superman arrived back at the castle in a flash… literally… he used lightning after all.
He immediately began issuing orders to the residents as they approached him.
"Dani, get Batman here. Kyla, fetch The Flash and Hawkgirl. Brunhilde, please contact Hal and Sinestro. Loki, can you go and ask Diana to join us for a day or so. Amara, please request the Prime Minister of Japan and J'onn's presence."
He didn't have to wait long before everyone including Diana and the Prime Minister were present and everyone was seated around the table in the Great Hall.
"Thank you all for coming." Superman began. "You may or may not have heard me speaking to the crowd of protestors gathered outside the White House a few minutes ago. I have issued a warning and given them twenty-four hours to disperse."
"Those are the laws currently being enforced by the Interim Government." The Prime Minister agreed. "I was watching your encounter and you handled it very well. Much better than your last visit to the White House." He said slightly teasing which made the Man of Steel blush.
"Yes… but the reason I have asked you here is that I expect there to be trouble sometime in the next twenty-four hours as the protestors prepare to defy the civil order. I would like us to have a plan in place to make full use of all our abilities and to prevent violence where possible and show the world just how effective we can be at enforcing the law without exceeding it."
"You have some ideas already though." Batman mused.
"Just some basics along the lines of the Lanterns using their rings to shield the officers and container all the protestors. I could easily slip in and out of the crowd and remove weapons and troublemakers."
"If we are to be above reproach in terms of the law then I recommend setting up a fully comprehensive surveillance system on the crowd to catch them on tape." Brunhilde offered. "A team of technicians manning them could easily report what they see making it easier for you to move in and apprehend what you might miss."
"I can assist in removing weapons and troublemakers." Hawkgirl added.
"When Supes says 'remove', he means non-lethally." The Flash said with a slight wince.
"I know what he meant." She growled.
"I know, but after that one-"
"That was an accident and even you agreed." She said warningly.
"Barry, you're arguing with a woman." Hal said quickly.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Kyla demanded.
"It means that he should already know he's not going to win and that he should quit whilst he is ahead." Emma smirked.
Kyla just smiled smugly as The Flash zipped his lips.
"Are we avoiding magic?" Chloe asked.
"Yes, we will also be using standard identity concealment." Superman nodded. "If necessary we will use the full compliment of Amazons trained for Man's World along with the appropriate Sekirei."
"I recommend you avoid using vehicles such as APC's with water canons." The Prime Minister warned. "It will send the wrong message, one of occupation and that is what the people are protesting."
"Don't use local police." Lex said quickly. "We brought Captain Sawyer into the loop as you know and she has been giving us information that leads us to believe that some of the more patriotic members are behind the uprising."
"Couldn't these morons have waited for five more months?" Dani groaned. "They would have an American voted government in place and the interim government would be back home!"
"Dani, first, they wouldn't be in place until January." Amara corrected. "Second, they would just claim that the voted government is a pawn of the Alliance."
"Queen Amara is quite correct." The Prime Minister nodded. "But there is little we can do about it other than to make the process as transparent as possible."
"If some of the police are involved… isn't there a chance guns will be present in the crowd?" Lana asked.
"It's worse than that." Lorna sighed. "As soon as this guy, Alex Evell, popped up, Chloe and I researched him. He has suspected criminal ties. We could see gang level weapons. All the way up to rocket launchers."
"Yikes! I had to deal with a few of those back when the White Martians landed." The Flash grimaced. "They are easy to catch up to but not easy to hold."
"Why not just knock them away like I do?" Hawkgirl asked.
"The ones you knocked away were the ones I had to catch." He said dryly causing Kyla and Dani to smother their giggles.
"You humans are such fragile creatures." She sighed.
"Hey! I don't see any of your people running faster than light." The Flash said defensively.
"Getting back on topic before Bats bursts a blood vessel," Hal said quickly. "Sinestro and I can easily handle the crowd, but it might be safer to include Kilowog and our latest recruit as well."
"New recruit? A new Lantern?" Laura asked.
"Yes, another human." Sinestro offered in a relaxed manner. "He is much more… structured than Hal." He said with a glib look at his partner.
"Man has a stick so far up his-"
"Ahem!" Hal looked over to see Xander, Logan and Neville all shaking their heads and indicating the empty chair where Miya usually sat next to Xander.
"But she's not even here!"
"Hey man, if you want to chance it, fine by me." Xander scoffed.
"Hal, I got attacked by a seer for something I hadn't even done… wasn't planning on doing and only actually did because she attacked me and Harry made us." The Flash grumbled.
"You may want to turn on the news. There is an interesting interview occurring." The telepathic voice of the Cuckoos came as they maintained watch in Cerebro.
Laura quickly pulled up the screens and they saw an older man in his fifties with jet-black hair and white sideburns. He had a long thin face and was wearing a suit and tie. The news channel had him named as Jonathan Horne. He was seated at a news desk talking to an anchorman.
"- America is for Americans is ridiculous." The man declared. "We are the land of immigrants. Without immigrants there would never have been an America. Everyone from the British to the Spanish contributed to this country and we should remember that we did so at the expense of the true natives of the land.
"The previous government royally screwed the pooch when they unilaterally declared war on Mars. The American people suffered as a result. The Alliance has not encroached on any of our freedoms. They respect the laws and ideals that this country was built on. All they have done is cut out the cancer that was killing us and are holding us up until we can stand on our own two feet.
"If you want proof of the good they have done for us then simply look at the videos of the Martian Invasion and the damage they caused to our cities. Then go and take a look at those cities and see how much has been fixed… with money provided by the Alliance."
"It sounds like you are advocating the Alliance staying in control of our country." The interviewer offered neutrally.
"Absolutely not." Horne said firmly. "America is built on independence. We crave it. More importantly, as much as we currently need help to get back on our feet, we are not ready to be part of such a… close knit family as the Alliance appears to be.
"No, what I am advocating is that we appreciate what the Alliance has done for us. Saving our cities, civilians and even our military from complete destruction from an alien force that our previous government recklessly attacked.
"I am advocating that we remember what it was like to have strong ties with allies like Britain during the Second World War.
"We are one country on a planet filled with diversity. More importantly we are one of the youngest countries at around two hundred and fifty years old."
"But the Alliance seems to have a distinct grudge against America. They denied us the opportunity to be a part of first contact with the Martians." The newsman countered.
"With good reason!" Horne said passionately. "Not only did we try to shoot down their unarmed, fully registered and licensed space craft, the Amaterasu, but when the Alliance tried to bring us word of life on Mars and the opportunity to be a part of first contact, we acted like belligerent bullies.
"Is that really the kind of people we want to show as the face of humanity?"
"Some might argue that a show of force when dealing with new life forms will prevent them from trying to attack us."
"If by a show of force you mean having weapons and not using them, then yes. I agree that it is smart to be armed when you head into the wilderness in case you encounter predators.
"But what the previous government did was not a 'show of force'. It was an out right attempt at genocide. If the White Martians hadn't been impervious to our weapons then America would have been guilty of wiping out an entire species.
"How would that look to the Lantern Corp? Or even the rest of the planet?"
"What gives the Green Lantern Corp the right to dictate how we live our lives?" The anchorman asked curiously.
"First of all, they are not dictating how we live our lives. They are merely ensuring that we are not a threat to the rest of the world. Just like our police officers and soldiers.
"Second of all, they do so with the same authority that the our governments control our lives and economy. They see a problem, they realise they can provide a solution and then they step in and make it happen.
"They are nothing like dictators who see power and try to horde it for themselves."
"Jonathan Horne, that's all we have time for tonight. Thank you for speaking with us and we wish you all the best on your election campaign."
The screen went blank as Laura cut the feed.
"Just how honest is he?" Superman asked.
"Yeah, he talks a good talk, but what about his actions? Does he have any skeletons or criminal gangs in his closet?" The Flash asked.
"Jonathan Horne is a decent man. Former Army Captain. He has never run for office of any sort before this." Batman reported. "No known or suspected criminal ties."
"He has been fully investigated by the Alliance Interim Government as well." The Prime Minister added.
"Just a courtesy heads up, but Bruce Wayne intends to support a different candidate: Martin Suarez."
"Really? I would have thought you would have stayed well away from politics and anything that could compromise your identity." Hal commented.
"My identity is protected by magic." Batman said dismissively. "The real reason is that I have heard rumours of an assassination attempt on the man. He is decent enough and isn't pushing for anything we oppose."
"Understood." Superman nodded. "Cerebro will be manned at all times by a telepath for the next few days. There is always a chance that protests in one country will spark something in other countries."
Sensing the meeting coming to a natural conclusion, Kyla spoke up. "We should end here. Lana has a hot date with her boyfriend." She smirked.
"Shut up! You just want to steal some time with your boyfriend before he heads back to Tokyo." Lana blushed.
"Absolutely! I intend to spend most of my summer in Tokyo with Clark and the girls. Aphrodite said she might join us."
"Could we please not discuss this at an official meeting?" Superman pleaded as he tried not to blush. The Prime Minister of Japan was right there!
"Don't stop on our account." The Flash grinned as he conjured some popcorn.
Superman had decided to be a little bit sneaky about the protestors. He had started by creating a thunderstorm just off the eastern coast. He then used all of his powers to push the storm over the city.
The rain pounded the protestors all through the night and he only allowed it to dissipate as the sun rose.
More than half the protestors had left by this point and the police force had set up cordons around the White House to prevent them coming back. Security was on high alert.
The crowd got more and more restless as the day wore on and they all waited for the allotted twenty-four hours to pass and then they would have truly made their point. None of them were really sure what the point was.
Four hours before the deadline, the local Police Captain announced to the crowd that anyone still present after the deadline would be arrested and charged.
That managed to clear out a third of the remaining protestors. In total there were around one hundred and sixty thousand protestors left.
Five minutes before the deadline passed the four Green Lanterns appeared in the air and moved into position at the edges of the crowd.
When the moment came, they instantly erected a barrier around the crowd separating them from the rest of the world.
The guns of the protestors immediately came out and they started firing at the Lanterns. Superman was there catching the bullets before swooping down and plucking out the gunmen and women. Hawkgirl also moved in.
By the time they had caught all of the weapon holders the police had set up processing stations around the barrier. The Lanterns then used their rings to isolate individuals and push them out of the barrier and into the waiting arms of the police.
It was a going to be a long day but officers from around the country had been flown in to help, the Cuckoos had vetted each one. Other Lanterns were scheduled to relieve the current four when they started to tire.
"Within six months, Washington D.C. may just be the cleanest city in the country… possibly the world." Loki sighed contentedly as she sat down at the conference table with the others.
"Over one hundred thousand of the protestors caught by the Green Lantern's barrier pleaded guilty for a lesser sentence of six months." Amara explained. "The rest have been charged and will be tried, that doesn't include the one hundred and twenty eight caught with guns and the additional fifty six who fired them at someone."
"What sort of sentences are they looking at?" Chloe asked.
"It depends on how hard they fight the charges. At worst they will receive five years community service. At a minimum, a years."
"No jail time?" Kyla asked.
"We learnt a long time ago that putting people in jail solves nothing." Phoebe answered.
"Unless they are violent offenders we give them prolonged periods of community service that eats into their free time." Mindee explained.
"And as a result they end up feeling like they are in prison anyway and we get to save money on jails and public services." Celeste grinned.
"What about second chances?" The newest Green Lantern, John Stewart asked. "Don't some people deserve a chance to redeem themselves?"
"Sure, but they would have to pass Harry's approval first… or now it would be Harry or Clark's." Dani answered. "They can tell if a soul is evil and if they are worth the time."
"We have several people in the dungeons that are nearly ready to be released." Jean added.
"Dungeon?!" John exclaimed. "You keep people captive in a dungeon?"
"Well we can't just hand them over to the authorities." Dani scoffed. "They'd kill everyone in sight and escape within about ten minutes."
"What about due process? What about their rights?" John demanded.
"They have been judged and sentenced based on the laws of America by people who can actually hold them." Scott said firmly. "If we handed them over to the local authorities then we would be guilty of recklessly endangering innocent people and every crime they committed would be on our heads."
"It's why Superman wanted the President to take personal responsibility for the Joker. He didn't want the blood of Joker's victims on his hands." Hal explained.
"Whatever happened to the Joker?" Kyla asked curiously.
There was a brief exchange of uncomfortable looks between the older castle residents and the other heroes.
"Harry took a more… permanent course of action with the Joker." Scott answered carefully. "He didn't kill the body, but he destroyed the soul and wiped his memory. The Joker is now a vegetable being kept alive on life support."
"Let's be clear about this." Neville interjected quickly before John could say anything. "If Harry hadn't done something then the gods would have. The Joker committed a direct attack on Death."
"I don't care who you are. You do not go around flouting the laws of the country you are a guest in. Diplomatic immunity be damned." John scowled.
"Then remember this Mr. Stewart." The Japanese Prime Minister said warningly. "Harry Potter may operate within the borders of the United States of America, but America operates within the borders of the Earth, the solar system and the Milky Way. To say nothing of this mortal realm.
"Superman said as much yesterday when he addressed the protestors.
"You yourself are held to a higher standard as an officer of intergalactic law enforcement."
"He is right John Stewart." Sinestro agreed. "You should envision yourself being called to a planet where they have their own rules. Maybe slavery is legal there. Could you imagine yourself abiding by their rules in stead of galactic code?"
Sinestro had no idea of the fairly sore point he had touched on for the African-American man. He had put in John's mind a conflict he could relate to and as a result, set the man on the path for coming one of the best the Corp had to offer.
