Chapter One.
The Justice League, the seven most powerful heroes of earth, had been betrayed. One of their own, Shayera, known to the general public best as Hawkgirl, had made them prisoners of her fellow Thanagerians. Now, with martial law in place across the world, hope seemed to have been lost for the human masses.
Despite this, some lesser known heroes put up valiant resistance against the invading Thanagerians. In the city of Calvn, Atom Smasher, godson of the original Atom, put up his own valuable resistance against the Thanagerians, before being overcome by sheer numbers and technological might. In Elmond, the Hawk and Dove organized a series of hit-and-run strikes against the flying menacies when they could no longer face them as equals. In Vanity, the newest iteration of the hero Aztek fought valiantly against the Thangerians.
Meanwhile, in the city of Almace, a new hero made his presence known to the invading aliens. A knot of Almace City law enforcement held the line against the Thanagerians' before Almace City Hall, an old gothic building, formally a museum, before being converted into its modern form just seven years before. At their head was a lone man, a giant amongst the boys in blue. He had a square jaw and black hair, with a straight nose hanging above axe-shaped cheeks. His lips looked dry, whilst his one gold-flecked green organic eye shun with moisture, a second mechanical eye shun with baleful red light.
His shoulders were broad, whilst his one lone organic eye bulged with knotted muscle, scars old and new running up and down his bare chest. His other arm, his right, was made of vulcanised rubber and a mixture of metals and exposed cabling. It ended in a too-large fist, crackling in thunder.
His name was Drest, and he would not falter.
Kressa, the leader of the Thanagerians present, saw one of his men go down under a series of vicious head-butts, his helm-mask breaking apart as he was tossed to the side by the metahuman. He was proving to be annoying.
'Clean up the left flank,' Kressa ordered, even as he changed his flight path towards the metahuman, breaking up the formation.
Three of his soldiers came with him, one bearing his shield, a family heirloom of sorts. The others peeled left, making sure none of the police officers could try to flank them and pin the superior Thanagerians already engaged.
The metahuman hero recognised the challenge inherent in Kressa's charge, and lifted his false-fist in reply, eagerly awaiting the commander. The Thanagerian took his shield from his subordinate and said, 'the hero is mine,' as he landed on his feet, one half-powered energy axe in his hand.
Far from waiting to receive an attack, the metahuman hero leapt into action and met Kressa;s charge. Shoulder lowered, arm braced, the metahuman met the relic shield at speed. The impact lifted Kressa from his feet and the hero spinning away, staggered.
Kressa crashed to the pavement a few feet away, watching the police officers hold their own against his hand-picked warriors. The hero steadied himself, realizing in that moment that Kressa would not go down as easily as those that had come before him.
'Why do you do this, Thanagarian?' The hero asked, despite his appearance, he spoke with a cultured voice, carrying easily above the din of gun-fire and shouting. 'What have my people done to you?'
Kressa almosted laughed at the human, but was willing to give him his dues. 'For my world to prosper, your world must die. For peace to reign, a sacrifice is needed.' Kressa said, tossing his shield away. He could get a new one later, heirloom or not. He drew his second energy axe.
The hero rushed forwards to meet Kressa as he got into a fighting stance, fist swinging to with sudden speed to meet the Thanagerian. Kressa brought up an axe and turned the fist aside, swung his other ace in, looking for the exposed armpit.
The head caught on chest muscle instead, a split second before he would have torn away the metahumans mechanical arm and seemingly greatest weapon. The hero crashed into him, making both tumble along the road.
Kressa rolled, using the last of the metahumans momentum to push him away before regaining his feet. The human was slower, but moved easily enough, despite his numerous wounds from previous battles. Quicker than his bulk should have allowed, the human fist ran into Kressa's gut.
It was an odd blow, more akin to a brawler's than the trained strikes Kressa was used to facing in sparring with his men, even the Gordianan's on those rare occasions that he had met them in hand-to-hand combat. 'You think that is justification for all you have done to this world, these people. We have had no quarrel with your kind before this day, Thangarian!' The hero declared.
'Kressa, my name is Kressa. Commander of these fine troops. What you say may be true, human. But my people have fought and died in a war older than any of your kind. If it means peace, I would sacrifice a hundred worlds.' This only seemed to antagonise the human.
Kressa flew at him, smacking him across the face with the head of one axe, whilst another ran the length of his mechanical arm, shearing in, drawing sparks, as it met the crackling fist, the two repelled one another, both protesting the other. 'Drest, my name is Drest,' the human said, taking a step back to regain his composure.
Again, Kressa struck out at the hero, this time a punch met him in the chest, he felt one of his ribs crack. The thunder from the mechanical fist was none lethal, though it felt as though that would have been a mercy. Kressa went down on one, knee, raising an axe to block any further attack.
Before one came, a voice in his helm spoke. 'Warriors of Thanagar, pull back. This city is lost, but success is still possible,' he said, sweeping himself up and away on his large wings. 'Drest of humanity, I wish you a quick death.'
As the Thangerians retreated, Drest the metahuman examined the scene before him. Wounded police officers were being taken into the hospital, whilst the aliens flew away to wherever they were needed now. Whatever the cause for their absence, Drest hoped that it would see humanity survive this grim invasion.
In another city, one known as Heyd Castle, the mid-forties hero who called himself Auric Hammer ran bravely and foolishly towards the Thangarians that had tried to incapacitate him. Auric Hammer had a flat-faced hammer that could crush a battle-tank or bring down a skyscraper if he were so inclined.
He was a man who relished battle. He endured the periods of calm in his city when the villains kept their heads low and the banks full with stacks of cash. This fight, against alien invaders, was one he could have never dreamt about before today. It was the kind of fight he had been born to face. Here he was, one man against a legion of aliens attacking his friends and home.
He welcomed it. They came at him again and again, insects against a Titan. Only the hover-tank had come close to ending his fighting here, its energy weapon providing enough to destroy his uncle's bakery. That was why he had charged it so recklessly.
He was a creature born to fight, having done his time for his country, now he did his work for his city, not for thanks, but for duty. 'Come at me, you dirty bastards! Or have you lost your balls, is that it, you've been scared shitless by uncle Hammer, you chicken-shit bastards!' He shouted, his voice grating and scratching through his speakers.
Auric Hammer, whose real name was George Hammer, had been born a normal man. But with a technical knowhow he had built his hammer, and then a protective suit to wade into battle. In a way, he was like the hero Steel, though his suit only had a speaker system to scare his opponents shirtless as he bet them into a coma.
That was when the second tank came. He smiled. 'About time you got serious again. I'll be gentle with you now, I know what you ladies like, here!' He shouted as he ran towards the tank, his hammer crackling.
In the end, the Thanagarian Invasion of earth would fail, and their own planet would be invaded and taken over by their great enemy, the Gordians. In recognition of this Invasion, the Justice League, now short of Hawkgirl, decided it was time to grow their numbers.
Along with the likes of Vigilante, the Question and Atom-Smasher, the man known as Drest and the Auric Hammer would be inducted into the League's ranks, along with several dozen more heroes, and hundreds of support personnel.
It was the beginning of a new age of heroism, an age of Justice.