"Oliver Queen, a.k.a The Green Arrow."
"Can't we claim copyright infringement?"
Superman sighed. Couldn't they just get through these things like professionals.
"Trademark infringement."
Superman stared down the table at John Stewart. He couldn't believe the man was actually engaging Hal Jordan in jokes. The man rarely smiled.
"Superman?"
He shook himself at Aquaman's amused prompting. He looked back at the man in the same chair Steven Trevor had occupied months before.
"As I was saying. We are aware of who you are. Mainly because your thefts involved my mother."
"I'm sorry! Honest!" The costumed man said earnestly and sincerely. "I honestly thought it was stolen from the Amazons. I just wanted to return it."
"And that is the only reason the Amazons haven't personally hunted you down and killed you." Wonder Woman glared at him. "Forget the fact that you stole from the Amazon Nation, you attacked one of our beloved friends."
"Again, sorry."
Superman took over again. "We are also aware of you because you continuously attempted to insert yourself into our activities and became a nuisance to our friends and allies.
"And because Steve Trevor has persistently had your name at the top of a list of people he wanted on Shield."
"So… I'm joining you guys?" He asked hopefully.
"No." Batman growled. "We don't take applicants."
"Certainly not ones with criminal records." Aquaman said sternly.
"But… my records were cleaned." He argued weakly.
"Which does not absolve you of the crime." Aquaman responded. "The only reason we have not pushed for prosecution or simply ignored you is because you do seem to be trying to do good."
"Then why am I here?"
"Because we feel we have a duty to ensure you are not only doing good, but that you are adequately equipped and looked after."
"You're gonna babysit me?" He asked dubiously.
"We are going to help you, Oliver." Iron Man finally spoke up and deactivated his armour so he could look his childhood nemesis in the face. "We are going to make sure your bow is never going to break, your arrows only shatter when you want them to."
"We will also give you access to special healing devices that you can use on yourself and any injured civilians you find." Superman added.
"And the price?"
"Stay the path." Batman answered. "Never stray until you find you need to step back from this life."
%
"Listen, I'm grateful for the equipment and help… hell, I appreciate the offer of training… but why are you putting me in the kiddie class?"
War Machine had a firm grip on Supergirl as they stood on the Space Needle in Seattle with John Stewart and Cyborg.
The target of Supergirl's ire was the Green Arrow.
"Kiddie class?" Cyborg asked with amusement. He could see the readouts showing War Machine's armour straining against the Maiden of Might's anger.
"They are far more mature than you." The Earth based Green Lantern warned. "They've also faced more than you can even imagine."
"But they're barely out of high school!"
"You think you can handle an alien army? Nuclear missiles? Dying? Your planet destroying itself around you?" Cyborg asked.
"Erm…"
"Both Cyborg and War Machine have literally died." Green Lantern stood between his fellow Shield members and Supergirl as he stayed just outside of Green Arrow's personal space. "Supergirl survived her planet falling apart and then travelling to an alien planet with no support."
"Fine… but they are still just kids. Look at her, she's just chomping at the bit to hit me."
Cyborg and Green Lantern surprised him by laughing… it wasn't nice. "You think War Machine can actually hold her back?" Green Lantern smirked. "She's letting him. If she wanted you dead… you'd be dead."
War Machine very clearly released Supergirl's arms.
"We should let Harry or Xander train him." She scowled.
%
Green Lantern sent War Machine and Supergirl off to patrol elsewhere. It was clear that the animosity between Jason Teague and Oliver Queen would be an issue and the Green Arrow certainly didn't know how to respect his peers.
"That was an example of when you should ask me or Cyborg to slap someone for you." Jason said with amusement as he flew with magic next to Supergirl.
He had deactivated his armour as he didn't want to scare the public.
"Nowhere near as satisfying." She grumbled. "Gunfire." She said abruptly before vanishing with her super speed.
Jason counted to three and then teleported to her, activating his armour as he went.
%
Jason and Kara greeted John Stewart in civilian garb at the castle in the early morning. Aside from a gangland battle there hadn't been anything of real note for War Machine and Supergirl to handle.
"So how was Green Arrow?" Jason asked.
"If Harry gives him magic within five years I'm asking Aphrodite to kick him." John growled.
"Wow… that bad?"
"The fool hit on every female. He was worse than you."
"Hey!"
"He never hits on me." Kara frowned.
John just snorted derisively. "I am not getting involved."
%
Batman had put out an emergency call for help. Location: The Batcave.
Harry was already there and making sure Alfred was alright. Batman had returned home and found Alfred unconscious on the floor of the cave.
"There are only two ways to get past my security." Batman said as he led Superman through a tight secret passage. "Magic or my biometric scanners. Only Alfred and myself are keyed in through the biometrics."
"What is so dangerous that you have it locked away but not under Fidelius?" Superman asked.
"Contingency plans." Batman led him to a tight spaced room hewn from the natural rock under the manor. There was a metal cabinet that he opened with magic. "Plans in case any of us go rogue."
Inside the cabinet were various metal cases embossed with the emblems of the Shield members.
"We ever tell you you're paranoid?" Superman smirked.
"A few months ago you were nearly possessed." Batman calmly retorted. "Iron Man has been murdered and replaced once."
Superman sighed. It wasn't worth the argument. "So this is what your intruder was after?"
"He was after you." Batman said as he opened the long metal case with the emblem of the House of El. Inside were three black katanas. There were clearly supposed to four.
"So they clearly believe that Kryptonite could kill me." Superman frowned. "They either aren't very well informed or they have a plan."
Batman closed the case and started back up the stairs.
"You didn't shield the cases with lead." Superman remarked as they walked.
"I'm no fool. I know that Harry, Xander and Logan could all get in here. I know that the Cuckoos and Ryan have probably all heard my thoughts even if they try to forget.
"The secrecy isn't to keep you out. It's to keep us safe."
"Do we know who broke in and attacked Alfred?" Superman asked as they reached the main chamber of the Batcave. Various Shield members were looking around and examining the area.
"Alfred Pennyworth." Came the response of the man himself. "Or my Earth-3 counterpart, at least.
"The security logs show my biometrics were used. Doctor Potter found no evidence that I was dragged to the scanners or manhandled aside from my head blow.
"Princess Diana was kind enough to confirm Doctor Potters claim that I was telling the truth about what happened.
"Ergo… Alfred Pennyworth was the perpetrator."
Batman stood there, proudly smirking. It was a deduction worthy of Batman himself… certainly of Batman's mentor.
"Alright, so someone out there has a Kryptonite embedded sword." Superman nodded. "Not that it will do much good against me."
"Kal… you are not the only Kryptonian." Wonder Woman warned.
"I don't know what you want to do about Supergirl, but couldn't your mother move into your home in Asgard for a bit?" Iron Man suggested. "I doubt Atomica or The Outsider could even reach Asgard."
"Odin and Frigga have always left open their home to my family." Superman said thoughtfully. "Supergirl is the real cause for concern."
"Listen, I think we've all got enough experience to know she won't be pleased if we try and send her 'to safety'." War Machine said with air quotes.
"She's smart and reasonably level headed." Batman said. "She'll at least accept a partner for the time being."
"As long as it's not Green Arrow." War Machine scoffed.
%
Supergirl was often partnered with the Amazons. It made sense as they could all fly. Only Miya could really fly from the Sekirei.
She had been a bit annoyed that she was essentially being assigned a babysitter, but Victor and Jason had promised her it had nothing to do with trust or doubts with Kara, it was just part of the rules they had about backup.
Kara had gotten her revenge by insisting Clark had a bodyguard. Aphrodite had simply ordered Diana to guard her god.
Kara wasn't quite appeased by that, but she let it drop.
%
Superman and Wonder Woman were returning to Smallville after finishing their patrols of Metropolis and Washington.
They landed in front of the castle and allowed their casual clothes to replace their armour. It was dusk and the sun was just vanishing.
"Superman."
The duo turned to see a female in a dark purple cloak, her face concealed in the shadows of the hood.
"Can we help you?"
Diana resisted the urge to smirk. It seemed impossible for Clark to be rude.
"I need your help. I need a being of absolute purity." The woman stepped forwards revealing she was holding a golden skull with rubies for eyes and a third eye in the centre of the forehead.
Both Clark and Diana took a step back.
"Please… I am Pandora. This box is my curse… but it might also be my cure." The woman said as she slowly moved her hood to reveal a dark haired beautiful woman with open wounds on her cheeks and neck.
Diana sucked in a breath. "I recognise her from our records, Kal. And I can feel her power."
"Why do you need a being of absolute purity?" Clark asked. "I can promise you it's not me."
"But-"
"You will be hard pressed to find a true being of purity." Clark warned her.
"Only a being of purity can withstand the evil of this box." Pandora looked down at the skull, seemingly lost.
"Pandora, if you always deal in absolutes, you will achieve nothing." Clark said. "Tell me about the box. Its history, abilities, origins."
Pandora sagged slightly in defeat, but began her tale. "I was born many thousands of years ago. I stumbled upon this box outside the Temple of Hephestus.
"I picked it up. I had no idea what it was. It opened.
"I saw horrors of all kind. It felt like an eternity.
"But then I was on my knees between two men, all three of us were chained to the floor and we were surrounded by beings of great power.
"Gods."
"Do you know which gods?"
Pandora jumped as Harry and Xander appeared from nowhere, but she composed herself. "I do not know for sure."
"Continue." Clark instructed gently.
"They called us the 'ultimate evil', a Trinity of Evil. The two men seemed to know they were guilty of crimes, but I knew nothing. They claimed I purposefully opened the box.
"They cursed me. They gave me wounds that would never heal. They made me immortal and cast me to Earth.
"I awoke to find my family and village destroyed. The box had contained the Seven Deadly Sins. They called me mother. I have dedicated my existence to destroying them.
"I thought… I was told that the box could do so."
"Told by whom?" Xander asked. More Shield members appeared with the castle residents.
"One of the gods who sentenced me. He appeared to me several months ago. He admitted that they used me to open the box and treated me like a scape-goat."
"Why would the god tell you this?" Diana frowned.
"He was dying. Whatever the box is, it has brought ruin on the gods."
"Let me see that thing." Xander said as he stepped forward, hand out.
Pandora clutched the box protectively. "Only the purest of souls can handle the box." She warned.
"Highly unlikely… but like you, I'm not exactly allowed to die." Xander smirked. "He gets upset." He jerked his head at Harry.
Diana stepped forward. "Pandora, you stand before Death and Magic, the Aspect of Existence. Superman is his Right Hand and Xander Harris is his vanguard."
"A- An Aspect?" Pandora gasped.
"Two of four they tell me." Harry shrugged.
"Pandora, long time no see." Teleute said as she appeared. She nodded to Clark who had called her. "Yeah, I've met her a time or two."
"Death?"
"Best use my name whilst the Boss is in this universe." Teleute told Pandora somewhat sheepishly. "Look, you asked me once to take your soul. I couldn't.
"He can."
"Cursed by the gods for crimes that were not yours." Harry was breathing smoke. "A curse on your soul. Those fools should be glad they are dead. I would be far less kind to them."
"Is there a way for her to survive crossing over with a damaged soul?" Clark asked gravely.
"No. It would need repairing or she might as well just carry the curse with her."
"So she needs a bond mate."
"Perhaps."
Teleute explained it for the immortal woman. "Lord Death is saying that the gods cursed your soul. Even if he killed you, the curse would remain. The pain would remain."
"I can give you three options." Harry said firmly, he had everyone's attention. "I will accept the word of my Avatar." He gestured to Teleute. "But I would ask you to submit yourself fully to my family so we can judge you ourselves. Then I will decide on which of the three options to offer you."
"Submit?" Pandora looked fearful.
"Your mind. Memories." Harry said softly. "Show me the life you lived. Show me the type of person you are."
"You will never find anyone more honourable." Teleute assured her.
Pandora nodded slowly.
She gasped as she felt a presence in her mind. It was warm and calming, but it was still foreign. And then it was gone.
"Pandora… I will grant any of the options you choose." Harry said sadly.
"I must remove the curse. That cannot be changed. It will leave you with a painfully damaged soul. But I can fix it.
"Your options:
"One. You can live forever in this realm. Free from pain. Seeking the joys you had been denied. That were cruelly taken from you.
"Two. I can send you to the heaven of any pantheon you choose or even to the after life itself.
"Three. I can erase you from existence. No pain, suffering, anger, hate… but also no love, happiness, contentment. I beg you not to choose that one… but I will respect your wishes.
"Choose either of the others and I will ensure you are happy."
The castle residents were very uncomfortable. Harry had never destroyed an innocent soul.
"C- Can I think about it?"
Harry smiled kindly. "Of course. For as long as you need. But first, let me fix your soul."
She was so confused that she didn't even move as she was hit by a green light from Harry.
"I'm dead." The ghostly image of Pandora exclaimed as she looked down at her dead body. "The box! You need to keep away from it!"
Xander just chuckled as he stepped forward and picked it up. "Harry, I'm going to need a new body after this. A shower is not going to cut it." Xander shuddered. "I haven't felt anything so wrong since the First Evil."
"You are a paladin." Pandora said with awe.
"God no. I'm just someone who was born far too close to evil." Xander disagreed.
"Clark, can you help me out of my body?" Harry asked.
Clark stepped forward and placed his left hand on Harry's chest and with the other he took Harry's right, crossing over his arm.
Harry looked amused but nodded.
Clark slowly began to pull.
Everyone was amazed as they saw Clark carefully but firmly draw Harry out of his body. Diana caught his body and held it.
"Well, that was new." Harry gave his little brother a pointed smile.
"She's already dead. Why scare her by ripping your head off?" Clark shrugged. He was well aware that he had just done the never before thought possible. Even Harry still used the killing curse to extract a soul.
It didn't help that Teleute was staring at him with her mouth wide open.
Harry stepped up to Pandora. "Alright, I'm going to move the curse to your hand. Then I am going to cut off the hand with the curse. It will hurt, but I will fix you up immediately."
Pandora just nodded. She was no stranger to pain. Many times over her long life she had taken life ending injuries.
The assembled residents watched as Harry started to literally drag the open wounds on her soul to her left hand. It was a struggle as the wounds would try to escape and spread.
Clark stepped up and held her arm he was able to focus and help keep them in the arm as Harry worked.
"Brace yourself." Harry warned her.
Harry didn't have a scalpel, but he didn't need one. He simply pinched her arm at the wrist. Pandora screamed.
Harry moved quickly, he grabbed her now amputated forearm with both hands and focused.
There were gasps as they saw an ethereal hand begin to grow, much like when Harry regrew limbs.
When he was finished, Pandora's soul was standing there, whole and unblemished.
Harry was wincing slightly.
"The hell were you doing, Harry?" Clark growled.
Harry limped over to Diana and his body. "Making amends."
He slipped in and breathed in deeply. "Fun fact. When I leave my body, it dies. So when I go back in, I go into a corpse I have to heal.
"When I drag you lot out, I keep your bodies alive."
"Clark, what did our idiot just do?" Lorna demanded.
"You know you can't just regrow a soul." Clark scowled. "That new hand had to come from somewhere, Harry was giving her some of his."
"A soul bond? This doesn't feel like a soul bond." Lorna said as she rubbed her chest.
"It isn't." Amara said darkly, clutching her heart. "He transplanted his soul."
"Sorry." Harry said apologetically.
His bondmates immediately felt better. But not appeased.
"You idiot!" There was a clang as Loki brought her staff down on Harry's head. "Keeping the pain to yourself is not any better!"
Harry pulled her into a hug. "It's just pain. Pandora suffered for millennia. I've suffered for millions of years. A little more is nothing to write home about."
"Clark, hook us up." Scott ordered as he stepped forward with his wives.
"Seriously, it's fi-"
Harry didn't get to finish as Scott vaporised Harry's body with his eyes.
"Emma."
A flash of green left the White Queen's hand and Scott fell to the ground dead. Scott was standing there, just a ghost. He stepped forward and grabbed a grumpy Harry's hand before stepping back into his body that Jean had picked up.
Clark stepped up and placed a hand on Scott's chest, sealing him back.
Scott gasped as he breathed again. "Why do I have a major headache?"
"Because you killed me and I couldn't keep your body alive." Harry snarked.
"Is it any better?" Jean asked Lorna.
"Harry?"
Harry looked at them and raised an eyebrow.
Everyone of his bonded, from the Cuckoos to Clark gasped or screamed.
Then they stopped, breathing heavily.
"Millions of years. Hundreds of soul mates. I am always in pain." Harry told them.
"How come we've never felt this before?" Dani demanded.
"Because he blocks it from us." The Cuckoos said as one. The currently sixteen-year-old looking triplets looked extremely sad.
"You knew?" Laura asked.
"We hear everything." Phoebe said pointedly.
"Stubborn little git." Neville sighed as he stepped up. He held a hand to Clark. "You'll need to pull me out. Killing me will just see me reborn."
Clark nodded and did the same as he had with Harry.
The residents gasped as they saw the bright and fiery soul of a phoenix for the first time.
"Why didn't they look like that?" Dani pointed to the triplets.
"Our soul is shared. Diluted." Phoebe answered. "And we have already lost a lot of it."
Celeste moved away and hugged a morose looking Emma. "We forgave you long ago, mother."
"Huh, this feels pretty good." Harry mused as Neville stood back up in his body.
"And you could have avoided millennia of pain by talking to us." Jean glared at him. "Clark, we'll link the rest of us later. For now, put Harry back and finish with Pandora."
Clark smirked as he literally picked up Harry's soul and threw it into the new empty body that Diana was holding with a scowl.
Harry gasped as he suddenly had lungs again.
"We will be discussing this later, Brother."
Harry looked up at Diana with no small amount of fear.
"And do not think for a second that our sister will not be there."
Harry gulped.
Diana shoved him towards Clark and Pandora.
Five minutes later and Harry had created a fresh body for Pandora.
"Hey Harry, this thing is pure evil. Guess where it comes from." Xander grinned as he stood with Cyborg and Iron Man. In his hands was the golden skull.
"Earth-3?" Harry sighed.
"Earth-3?" Pandora queried.
"Multi-verse." Harry shrugged.
"Oh."
Everyone else was fairly amused by the interaction.
"You should go, Xander. That thing is making me… itchy." Iron Man growled. "I need more time to examine this data before I can nullify it."
Xander vanished.
"It's not magic." Lex said as he deactivated his armour. "It's science."
"That would explain why the gods could not understand it." Pandora frowned. "It would also explain why it appeared by Hephaestus' temple. A blacksmith would be the closest they have to a scientist."
"An interesting hypothesis." Harry nodded. "How advanced is the technology?" He asked Lex.
"Extremely. It is a link back to Earth-3."
"So an advanced form of technology appeared on Earth thousands of years ago?" Clark queried.
"According to my armour's sensors."
Clark turned to Harry. "I don't like this game of trying to play this Outsider. You've always taught me to choose my battleground.
"We need to end this."
Harry nodded. "We'll have to cross a few of your moral lines."
"We'll discuss them as they come."
"Everyone inside. We'll discuss battle plans." Harry ordered. "Pandora, why don't you stay at the castle for a while. You'll be safe here, able to relax and enjoy that lack of pain."
%
Bruce Wayne was utterly amazed as he looked around. He had respectfully asked Aphrodite if he could speak to her brother, Hephaestus.
He had not expected the goddess to simply take his arm and transport him to Olympus.
"Bruce, you are as close to my husband as a brother." She smiled as she hooked her hand in his elbow. "That makes us family."
Bruce had been to Athens, he had seen the ancient structures left from ages past. But they were old and faded with age. In Olympus they gleamed brightly.
"Have you been to Greece in recent history?" Bruce asked as they walked.
"Not for some decades." She admitted.
"You should take Clark. Or your Amazons. Olympus is… amazing. But the ancient remains of Greece hold… wisdom of time. I would love to walk through the Parthenon with you to hear if you have any fond memories."
Aphrodite hugged his arm tighter. "Then we shall, my brother."
They soon arrived at a large abode. Despite its darker appearance, it was still clearly the residence of a god. The sound of metal on metal could be heard.
Aphrodite placed her palm on Bruce's forehead. "I grant you my protection, Bruce. The fires of my brother's forge are hotter than any mortal could handle.
Bruce nodded in thanks and they entered.
"Brother, I have brought a guest. We have need of your talents." Aphrodite called out.
The hulking figure turned, hammer in hand. He was bare chested and did not really resemble a human. He had grey skin and sharp pointed teeth.
"Aphrodite… and a mortal." The god's voice was hoarse from infrequent use. "I assume the mortal has the need?" He dropped his hammer on a nearby table.
"For Kal-El." Bruce stated. He stood straight backed and looked Hephaestus in the eye.
"My young brother-in-law?" The blacksmith smirked. "Do tell."
"We will soon face an enemy. They will share many traits and abilities like myself and Kal-El. But one of them is an inverse version of Kal-El.
"The fragments of Kal-El's world are poison to Kal-El. But our sun is his strength.
"This other version feeds on the fragments of his world and our sun is poison to him."
"This other 'Kal', is it a god?" Hephaestus asked.
"No."
"I have seen Kal's work. I cannot see this imposter being much of a challenge."
"I would prefer a short battle over pain and suffering."
Hephaestus crossed his arms. "Tell me then, what weapon do you seek for the God of Thunder?"
"A sword. Imbued with the nature of the sun."
Hephaestus raised an eyebrow. "A specific weapon for a specific user and a specific enemy. How… limiting."
"The weapon would aid any who thrive on the sun. Kal's cousin, Kara, for example. It would be effective against those who fear the sun. Vampires, demons."
"Sister, go find our brother Apollo. I can craft a sword, but he will need to empower it."
Aphrodite left as Hephaestus grabbed a smaller hammer. He tossed it to Bruce who caught it but nearly stumbled. "Remove your upper garments. I am aware of your work on the 'Krypton Killers', Bruce Wayne. It was good work. But you were responsible for them and you lost one.
"Now you will fix that mistake."
%
The plan was set. They would take the box to the moon. Xander had called in Brainiac and the Artificial Lifeform was able to determine how to activate it. He was also immune to its effects, so he left it with him.
"Bruce, what the hell happened to you?" Clark demanded as the dark haired billionaire appeared on the arm of Aphrodite.
Bruce was covered soot, he had minor scratches and a major sunburn. He was also topless.
"I asked Aphrodite to take me to Hephaestus." Bruce's voice was hoarse. "He agreed to make you this." He held out a golden scabbard containing a Grecian style sword. The hilt was made from an ornate silver material. "It is imbued with the effects of the sun thanks to Apollo."
Clark moved forward and placed a hand on Bruce's shoulder, healing him. "Did you have to fight him or something?"
Bruce chuckled. "No. He held me responsible for the missing Krypton Killer. He said I had to help him make it."
"Tell the truth, Bruce." Aphrodite admonished. "My brother was impressed with his work on the weapons. He wanted to see the potential of the amateur smith."
"I learnt a lot." Bruce admitted. "Here, try it." He held the sword out for Clark.
Clark took the scabbard in hand and stepped back, he drew the sword and it glowed brightly. It lit up the room without blinding everyone.
"Wow… this sword could keep me going for eternity in battle." He felt completely energised.
"And its mere presence should disable this Kal-Il." Aphrodite was clearly relieved. "You have my eternal gratitude, Bruce Wayne."
Bruce grunted. "A few years back I was part of a discussion on losing family. I've lost enough."
%
Shield quickly geared up and met Brainiac on the moon.
At the same time, Cyclops led a team with Xander, Wolverine and X-23 to apprehend Atomica. The White Queen would use her formidable mental powers to force the woman to signal The Outsider.
Whilst this was happening, Harry took Pandora, Supergirl, Ryan and Magma to deal with the Seven Deadly Sins that had haunted Pandora for all these years.
"Shazam!"
The Avatar of Magic's head snapped around to see his Aspect looking at him curiously. He then looked back at the seven creatures who were squaring up against him in the destroyed factory.
"This is not my fault." He declared with wide panicked eyes.
"Relax." Harry chuckled. "Meet Pandora. She's been fighting those seven for thousands of years."
"Erm… Hi? Is this really the time for this?"
"Hello mother." The purple clad woman known as Pride smirked. "Are you proud of us? Have you come to watch us work?"
"I have come to end this." Pandora said darkly as she drew her pistols.
She darted past Shazam, guns firing.
"Wow." Shazam watched her move. "Wow."
"Ahem."
Shazam jumped at the irritated intrusion of Supergirl.
"Well… I guess we better add etiquette lessons to your training." Harry grinned.
Shazam looked horrified. "Like… drinking tea?"
"Like how to behave in polite society. How to treat other people… women. How to dance."
Shazam waved a dismissive hand. "Dude, my moves are whack." He started to break out into a shuffle. "Ain't no one can beat me."
"I know I've got a duty… but if he doesn't stop… I'm leaving." Supergirl stated as she looked around, checking for witnesses.
There was a loud clang as Loki's staff smacked into Shazam's head.
"Ow!"
"Behaviour like that, in public, whilst in your costume is why you will be having etiquette lessons." She glared at the young boy in adult form.
Shazam sagged grumpily. "So why are you here? Who's the new chick?"
"The new lady is Pandora." Loki maintained that glare. "She is the one who first encountered the Seven Deadly Sins."
"Well, those guys had like… holograms in the Rock of Eternity. Where I met The Wizard."
"Yeah, the guy who gave you your power is one of the same people who cursed Pandora for something they knew wasn't her fault." Harry nodded.
"He's alive?" Shazam asked curiously.
"No. As soon as he finished with you he found Pandora and confessed before he died. I only know because Pandora shared her memories with me. The Wizard she saw had the same lightning bolt on his chest."
"The Mark of Death and Magic." Loki nodded.
"And Time if Barry has his way." Ryan chuckled.
"Harry, can those things be killed?" Magma asked as she carefully watched Pandora battle the Seven Deadly Sins.
"Hopefully… but we know they can be contained."
"Should we help her?" Shazam asked.
"Go ahead, just let Pandora take the lead." Harry nodded.
%
On the surface of the moon Shield stood with Brainiac. They all used magic to survive the harsh vacuum. Except the Green Lanterns, Iron Man, War Machine and Brainiac.
So… some of them used magic.
Superman nodded to the digital lifeform.
The being stepped away from them and set the skull on the ground.
A portal of fire and light exploded above the skull.
After a few seconds a man with long sandy hair and a beard fell through the portal. Dead.
He had a familiar trident in his hand. He was bare chested and wore skin tight green-scaled leggings. Arthur Curry scowled.
Then seven people stepped out, the portal closing behind them.
On the far left was a man in armour similar to Batman's. Only this man had an owl motif. Owlman.
Hovering in the back was a male in black and red. His head was a flaming skull. Deathstorm.
Slightly in front and to the right was a man in black and green. He wore a mask and wore a ring similar to the Green Lanterns. Power Ring.
In front of him and the Owlman was another man, dressed in red and gold with a silver domed helmet and lightning bolt motifs. Johnny Quick.
To the right of that group was clearly Ultraman. Dressed in the same colours as Superman but with a 'U' shaped emblem. He had a dismissive sneer on his face.
And on the far right was the only woman. Dressed in a black body suit with a cape that hung around her breasts and left her shoulders bare was Superwoman. She carried a golden barbed rope wrapped around the neck of a large male with a sack over his head and his arms bound behind his head.
Owlman, Johnny Quick, Deathstorm and the bound man immediately collapsed as the vacuum hit them. The Flash moved faster than even Superman could see and killed them. It was something none of them wanted, but it was on Death's orders and Barry Allen could feel the agreement of his Aspect.
Ultraman and Superwoman both stumbled as they realised they couldn't breathe, but they were both beings on par with Superman and could survive the harshness of space.
Power Ring was unaffected, although he was shocked by what was happening.
John Stewart and Hal Jordan shot forward, pounding into him… their orders to kill. Confirmed by the Guardians.
Wonder Woman drew her sword and charged at Superwoman.
Ultraman sneered and moved to strike the Amazon Princess but stumbled as Superman drew his own sword.
For the first time in his life, Kal-Il felt fear.
He never noticed Superwoman being knocked away by the angry Wonder Woman. He was too focused on the Earth's sun, emanating from the sword and shining down on them from the centre of the solar system.
The lack of oxygen was now an issue as his Kryptonian powers were drained. The cold vacuum was destroying his body.
He barely noticed his doppelganger walking towards him.
There was no sound. Not when they arrived. Not when Owlman, Johnny Quick and Deathstorm died. Not when Power Ring was blasted. Not when Superwoman was attacked.
And then… he heard the doppelganger's voice, magically sounding in his ear as a whisper. "You have been conquered."
Suddenly he was looking down at his decapitated body. His blood floating in the near zero gravity. Was this death? How could he have been so weak.
He was shocked when his doppelganger snatched out a hand around his throat and proceeded to rip his head off. It was a painful end for a man who ensured everyone else suffered.
%
Shield stood over the bodies of the would be invaders. Of the seven that had arrived only Ultraman, Superwoman and Power Ring required any force.
Superman walked to each body and vanished it and destroyed the souls hovering nearby. They then returned to the castle.
"Let's make this quick." Superman growled. "I need to shower. Not that it will do much good."
"You could always go Lightning Mode and build a new body." Hal Jordan suggested.
"It's my soul that feels unclean."
"Even Harry hates destroying souls, Son." Xander said sympathetically. "My advice to you is the same as it was to him. Remember you just saved millions of lives with one action."
Superman nodded as he took his seat at the table. "I know. Doesn't make it any easier though."
"Where is Harry?" The Flash asked.
"Ryan reported that he's trying to figure out how to permanently kill the Seven Deadly Sins." Laura informed them. "He has them contained though."
"I'll be back." Superman sighed as he vanished.
"How did your mission go?" John Stewart asked Scott, Logan, Laura and Xander.
The four were not in costume and looked like they'd been back for a while. "We got Atomica and The Outsider. We just need to get Harry to deal with them." Scott explained.
Superman reappeared with Harry and his team along with Shazam.
"That was epic!" Shazam grinned as he took the seat Harry pointed to. "Hey!" Shazam vanished to be replaced by Billy Batson. "What the hell?"
"Relax. You don't need to wear the costume all the time. And you shouldn't." Harry told him.
Then he looked around the table and glared at the Shield members.
Costumes quickly vanished.
"Right, Clark. How'd it go?" Harry asked.
"Relatively according to plan. Superwoman was the only one who was a real threat and W-Diana handled her easily enough. The sword Bruce made for me and our selected battlefield made Ultraman too weak to do anything.
"Power Ring was handled by Hal and John."
"Lex was pivotal, actually." John countered. "Hal and I could have taken him, but Lex's advanced weapons were able to breach his shields. If we had been in atmosphere I think Victor could have used similar tactics with his sonic weapons."
"I destroyed each soul." Clark finished.
"Thank you." Harry said sincerely.
"There was an additional person with them. A prisoner. He died on arrival. It was Lex's doppelganger." Clark said gravely. "We couldn't determine anything else though."
"You destroyed his soul?" Harry asked.
"It felt as black as Lex's clone's."
"Then let's not worry too much. We'll leave the case open for more intel."
"Scott?" Clark turned to the leader of the X-Men.
"Atomica and The Outsider are in the dungeons awaiting your final judgement." Scott told Harry. "Unfortunately we uncovered a secret society of villains. I would say The Outsider was trying to build a version of the Criminal Syndicate in preparation for their arrival."
"Did you get any intel?" John asked.
"Enough to start investigating, but not enough to accomplish much in a short time. Hopefully they can give us the intel we need on Lex's twin."
"Harry?" Clark prompted for the last report.
"Billy, give them a report of what happened."
"Me?"
"You'll have to do it eventually. Might as well start here."
Billy muttered deprecations under his breath before he began. "I was heading home from school when those seven goons turned up. They said they were working for Black Adam.
"I led them away from the home and started beating the crap out of them."
"Did they give a reason for accosting you?" Scott asked.
"Erm… they were actually looking for Black Adam. They thought I killed him." Billy suddenly had a very worried look. "But I didn't tell 'em nothing about you." He told Harry fervently.
"Relax. If you ever find that you do need to point someone at me, do it. Just try and give me a heads up." Harry assured him with a smile.
"Erm…"
"Billy, if anyone tries to harm Harry, it won't just be us that comes at them." Barry assured him. "They'll have to handle everybody in this castle, the Amazons, the Sekirei and the gods of every pantheon."
"As well as every Green Lantern available." Hal nodded.
"But I get first dibs." Harry grinned.
"Are we done here?" Diana asked.
"Go ahead." Clark nodded to her.
She vanished.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
"She just killed Lois Lane." Bruce said gravely. "Not our Lois, of course, but a woman with the same name and face."
"Don't worry, I've just sent in the best people to handle her." Clark chuckled.
"Lois?" Xander smirked.
"Lois, Kusano, Aphrodite and Lana."
"Hell… I could use a hug from Ku." Bruce sighed.
"Whoa." Barry was shocked at the extremely personal revelation.
"He just helped take down what could have been his brother." Lex said softly.
There was a brief flash of fire next to Bruce and Chloe appeared, lifting Kusano onto Bruce's lap. Chloe flamed back out.
Kusano wrapped her arms around Uncle Bruce's neck and he reciprocated.
"We're finished here." Clark said quietly as he stood and walked out.
