28
Queenie Hart planned to make good on her escape, "Prepare to abandon this site."
Her capo prepped the security detail. All of the vehicles' engines had already been warmed and bodyguards surrounded each armored SUV. Unlike Julia Sazia, Queenie preferred to ride with a militaristic security detail rather than a glorified tank disguised as a limo with a minimal human detail. The designs were manufactured by a corporate joint venture between Hauser Arms, Caldwell Armaments, and the MARS Corporation. They called it the ARMS Control venture.
LuthorCorp had declined their invitation to join to concentrate on the Team Luthor armor systems and the Everyman Project. Intergang no longer "officially" dealt in black market LuthorCorp weapons. But individual 1000 and 100 leaders still did a brisk trade in LuthorCorp Defense Systems arms. Queenie herself had reconsidered eschewing them altogether when Lena Luthor took over the corporation. Mercy Graves had been a goody-goody and Queenie didn't want any rollback from her.
Lena talked a good game but the proposed sales targets for the Team Luthor battle suits had been obtained by Intergang. Mercy's vision of glorified law enforcement agencies was nothing compared to Lena's military contractors that were already pre-purchasing the perfected models. And Intergang had an auction in place with the Auctioneer's roving sales circus whereby the four largest arms manufacturers could engage in a multi-billion dollar bidding war for the E Dials. Add the super villain crowd with the Syndicate Underground and Global Concern and Intergang would heap gold bars upon itself.
Queenie placed one dial apiece in a wrist watch sales carton clamshell and locked each dial in a separate lockbox secured with matching strongboxes in addition to four empty identical boxes. And the strong boxes were randomly placed in the SUVs. Not even Queenie or her support staff knew which case contained what.
"Let's roll!" Queenie raised her voice be heard and placed herself in the rear of a random SUV. Three bodyguards rode inside with her. A fourth was in the cargo bay with a strongbox. The only other SUV so arranged was the one occupied by her capo, a woman recruited from the devastation of the Bertinelli Family. Every other vehicle boasted five guards apiece. For a total of six armored vehicles and strongboxes.
The Falcones and Tobia Whale had proven to be unwise when they ordered the destruction of the Bertinellis. Two cock ups had gone down. First Helena, the daughter, had survived and was rumored to be the face behind the Huntress' mask. The second was Frank Bertinelli's financials had been lost. They lay frozen, accumulating interest and dividends until Helena reappeared to make sizeable withdrawals. And then the funds underwent a series of bank transfers until they were occluded in mystery as to their final depository. And Helena herself vanished once again and then the Huntress had begun dismantling the Five Families' holdings outside of Gotham. And the Huntress had personally dealt with Tobias Whale.
Helena Bertinelli had recorded testimony for Gotham's DA but refused to attend court for reasonable fear for her own "safety". And the judge allowed it, setting a new precedent in judicial procedure in Gotham's courts against organized crime and so-called "super" criminals. The truth had actually been, Helena wasn't certain she wouldn't kill the heads of the families if she was there in person.
The five men and a multitude of goons were sentenced to Blackgate. But Carmine Falcone inherited his father's position. And he proved to be an unholy terror. Only the Question's counsel kept her from raining death and destruction upon the Falcones. And then she learned of Kittyhawk, a young vigilante with intimate knowledge of the family's operations.
Eventually Carmine deduced his young teenage niece, Kitrina was Kittyhawk. It took Catwoman intervening to save Kitrina from his wrath. And so Selina Kyle unexpectedly took on an apprentice they dubbed "Catgirl". And with Selina joining Kitrina's fight, Helena heeded her husband's advice.
And now Queenie knew the 100 had a mole. And even then, only a dozen persons inside the 100 had known the location of the dials. Sen. Henry Ballard, as the Intergang Chairman knew, of course. Knightfall and Sazia were thick as thieves. Beauty and the Veiled Lady were also in the know. The 100 Director knew every detail. Brains and her Gang of Ms. Mesmer, Bulldozer, and Kong were aware of the details. And the newest leader within Intergang, known as the Crime Boss had been briefed.
No one knew anything about Crime Boss and thanks to his hooded mask, no one knew his identity. But Ballard trusted him so implicitly he'd made Crime Boss his second. Frankly, Queenie thought Crime Boss was off his nut but he outranked the 100. And Ballard was inflexible in handing over daily operations to the masked man so that he could concentrate on his congressional posting without alerting the world that he led Intergang.
But a potential source of good news was that every villainous organization in contact with Intergang was reporting a massive recruitment spike. And it consisted of hundreds of failed, would-be superheroes. Those that sought notoriety and were no longer concerned on how they achieved it or burned out on doling out a feeble justice for a system that failed at every turn. The largest beneficiaries were the Secret Society of Super Villains and the Legion of Doom's junior varsity Legion of Annoyance.
Most of the would-be vigilantes had come from smaller and po-dunk municipalities where they were the only game in town but crime wasn't as rampant as a major metropolis but just as virulent. Others had been squeezed out of the action in such cities as Seattle, Portland OR, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, New Orleans, Central City, Keystone City, Dakota City, Miami, Washington DC, Gotham City, New York City, Metropolis, Boston, Philadelphia, and Fawcett City, Hub City, Opal City, Starling City, Superior City, and Coast City to name a few. So these mystery men and women turned to criminal activities to stay relevant. And even then, they were too small to warrant interventions by the Justice League, Mighty Crusaders, or Justice Society. Even ARGUS ignored them.
So, frustrated and enraged, they'd put out feelers amongst the criminal set and ended up with invitations to join the Legion of Annoyance or the Secret Society after auditions were completed. Cluemaster was irritated that Libra generally recruited a higher caliber of disgraced hero. The Legion received the scraps but even they were plentiful. He still regarded his assignment with the Masters of Disaster, redubbed the Legion of Annoyance by Luther, wasn't a proving ground grooming him for greater things amongst the Legion of Doom. Rather, his people were cannon fodder to distract the world from the senior Legion's activities. Even Stephanie no longer doggedly thwarted Arthur Brown's criminal enterprises. And if he didn't warrant Spoiler's attention, what did he even still have?
"Lord Ultraa, the flagship is announcing Maxima's arrival," General Trysta announced.
"How did that vainglorious bitch get past our detection net?" Lord Ultraa grated.
"She came by courier boat," Trysta explained, "Apparently she knew her yacht would be observed. We lost all of our surveillance on Almerac."
"Kalea-El," Ultraa fumed.
"The third fleet signalled the arrival of its commander," Trysta warned him, "And Maxima has ordered all ships to Phantom jump to the interception point."
"Of course she has," Lord Ultraa grumbled sourly.
"They now surround our port and starboard units," Trysta warned.
"But we have like minded agents aboard their screening units. Maxima is weak. She won't kill her own people," Ultraa predicted.
"And Kalea?" Trysta quietly asked.
Ultraa brooded, "'Shift as much of our defense screen between her fleet and mine as can be discreetly arrange for."
"Reports also indicate the scout and courier service are enlisting with portions of the border patrol to form a rearguard," Trysta stated.
"Who in the hells authorized that lunacy?" Ultraa raged, "That expressly defies my standing orders."
"Maxima," Trysta answered, "You'd best read the dispatches from Almerac."
She handed him the tablet and his face darkened as he grew even more livid, "Those fools! Extermination alone isn't good enough. I want these vermin tortured for decades before they are allowed to die."
"If you kill Maxima herself, it will be regicide," Trysta shared.
"Kill them both. Maxima, and especially that wretch Kalea-El, have far outlived their value. I'll simply mount the throne on my own laurels," Ultraa firmly decided.
"The people adore Maxima," Trysta cautioned him.
"I don't care!" Ultraa screamed, "They will embrace me or be exterminated! They are nothing but the common rabble and useless slaves anyway. They were born to die in my name."
Trysta refrained from mentioning that rabble consisted of ninety percent of the imperial population. She'd advise him after the battle was won and she had him alone in bed. He was always amenable to her thinking after cuckolding him.
"Who in their insanity would give Kalea-El command of a fleet?" Ultraa was angry, incredulous, slightly homicidal, seeming to calm but still livid.
"It actually wasn't Maxima but her War Council. They view her as a national hero," Trysta explained.
"She's a cyborg!" he was raging again, "An abomination that only deserves death."
"And you know those laws was changed when she was a mere child," Trysta recalled.
"Base sentimentality. I should have slit Maxima's throat back then for polluting our race. Or after that repulsive democratic experiment Marcus imposed on us. Kalea-El was his lead bitch back then," Ultraa had his own colored recollections.
"And she killed him in personal combat and lifted Maxima back to the throne. Maxima's recovery programs saved the empire from bankruptcy and prepared us for the Gordanian invasions," Trysta reminded him, "And they love her for it."
"We'll have battle damage. Extensive battle damage to our targeting systems. Friendly fire incidents can be so deadly," Ultraa darkly chuckled as he schemed.
"I'll alert the gunners to sabotage our systems after the fact," Trysta acknowledged his unspoken order.
"I knew when I was given command of a mere dreadnought that Maxima would disrupt the execution of this fake ambush," Ultraa referred to his own dreadnought, the second largest vessel in Almerac's fleet, and only one of three reaming, as "mere".
But Maxima commanded the single largest and most powerful warship in the galaxy. A ship whose keel was laid during the Gordanian Wars and completed mere months after their conclusion. It had been intended as a last ditch weapon, a planet killer. Now it was the forefront of Almerac's defense. An honor rightly due to Almerac's greatest warlord and not its treacherous empress.
"Signal gunnery. I want Kalea-El's ship targeted and bracketed as soon as we emerge from the Phantom Zone," Ultraa officially ordered.
"What of our loyalists amongst her screening units?" Trysta was worried.
"They die for their lord and master," Lord Ultraa declared, "They will be grateful to do so."
Trysta thought otherwise but issued the order.
"Captain Hero," Maxima viewed an image of her Flag Captain, "They'll hit you first. Stay sharp and remember the outline of the plan."
"Yes, Milady," Hero had already learned not to call Kalea "Princess", "I'm uncertain how you intend to deal with Ultraa in the midst of a shooting war."
"I have my means," Kalea advised her without revealing anything to her. Hero needed plausible deniability should Kalea fail.
"The Empress' plan is quite complete. I feared her edge had been dulled after she sat out of the Gordanian conflict," Hero confessed.
"Who do you suppose directed Ultraa's efforts?" Kalea wondered, "Ultraa is a brawny, pretty face for the holo vids but intelligence isn't his birthright. He's a thug that knows how to kill when aimed."
"Will the Lady Maxima engage Ultraa's forces?" Hero asked.
"Not initially. Ultraa sees her as weak and unwilling to perpetuate violence against our own. He'll learn otherwise once he's focused on us," Kalea told her.
"Very shrewd. The Maxima of old," Hero was appreciative.
Given Almeracians' tremendous growth spurt the first nine years of their lives, it was easy to think of Maxima as old when she was barely twenty-five. After the first decade, aging slowed to a crawl and Maxima had a few hundred years left to her lifespan. Supposing Ultraa didn't end it today. Something Kalea was uniquely qualified to stop.
The warships emerged out of the Phantom Zone light years beyond Almerac's imperial borders into extended interstellar space. And Ultraa's fleet immediately engaged Kalea's. Maxima swore every vile oath she knew in a dozen languages.
"Shall we engage?" Hobb, her flag captain asked.
"Only the screening units, we need that capital ship," Maxima predicted.
"And how shall we secure it?" he wondered.
"I have someone assigned to that very task," Maxima assured him.
Kalea watched the displays from the boat bay. On the flag bridge a department head approached Hero, "It goes as Lady Kalea predicted."
"She's been the usurper on different occasions. She should possess a keen insight into this and the motivations behind it all," Hero said neutrally.
"Captain, we all feel you have…difficulties with Lady Kalea," she said.
"I approve of her strategy, at least the portions she's shared. I despise the woman herself. She's an opportunistic traitor who escapes punishment by virtue of her bloodline," Hero complained testily.
"But she chose you for this role," the head reminded Hero.
"We've infrequently served together since Kalea's official 'rehabilitation'. She's good. Damn good in fact. But imperfect and I'm better," Hero boasted.
"How will the Lady pilot a ship through this field of fire?" the department head fretted.
"I don't think she can," Hero admitted, "Which means we have no miraculous salvation on its way. Just old fashioned warfare."
Eric Adams had passed the bar exam in all fifty states and US Territories as a tribal affairs lawyer. Fortunately, his skills as a financial affairs litigator had been brought to the fore in multiple trials involving tribal casinos. But now he had professional investigators tracing the monies leading to Deathstroke's incursion into the GULAG. And the Marvel and Press Guardian had caught major breaks.
Deathstroke's finances were untraceable. He'd paid for nearly unbreakable security and privacy. The Titans though, had a joint operating account that fed individual accounts. And the security of all of those accounts varied by the frugalness of the account holder. The joint account was far more secure than most of the individual account with the lone exclusion of Cheshire. But the loosely secured accounts left a trail back to the secured account. So it provided a window into monies feeding into the secure account and where they derived from.
And eventually, after numerous ducks and blinds, the original payee was revealed. And it wasn't a Luthor.
"Who is Candace Zither?" Eric asked.
"Zither Security Group. The single most prestigious private security contracting firm," Marvel said with disgust.
"Zither is to security contracting what Meridian is to privatized military contractors," Press Guardian clarified.
Eric was till typing information into his braille topped keyboard. But the report displayed in Romanized English, "Could you attach all the pertinent files?" the blind Hangman asked. His crow was sleeping, thereby depriving Eric of sight.
"Crrtainly," Press Guardian accessed the building file and began attaching the pertinent data.
"We should track down Zither. She's always mobile but we can learn her itinerary," Marvel drew his twin pistols, "Hank" and "Wynona", so named after Hank Williams and Wynona Judd. But he never verbally confirmed it.
"Would you put those away?" Press Guardian was exasperated, "Unless you plan on shooting your way out of Liberty Station."
Press Guardian and Marvel were the only ones that had figured out each other's secret identities. And both were freelance investigative reporters. The Marvel focused on criminal investigations while Press Guardian tasked himself with safeguarding civil liberties. Having the MLJ buy weapons and ammo had relieved their largest expenditures in their meager budgets. Both had been stealing funds from crooks and violators.
Even Elizabeth "KitCat" Fleishman hadn't uncovered their secrets. Kenny Wisdom had tried as well. The Web used the hyperconnectivity of his suit with the Internet to give it a shot but all the hacker tech gurus had been foiled.
"Why didn't Latham give this to KitCat or Wisdom?" Marvel grumbled.
"Because they know how to look but not what to look for," Eric replied, "If it doesn't fit into an easy search parameter, or its successors, they won't discover anything relevant."
"Sometimes I think you see more than the rest of us," Press Guardian clicked away at his borrowed research station.
"Nothing everyone couldn't see as well if they paid attention," Eric deflected the compliment.
"I've wrapped it up," Press Guardian announced, "I'll print it off of Latham's personal printer."
"You know his code?" Eric was surprised.
"036857," Press Guardian and Marvel echoed each other.
Eric smirked, "I should have already known."
Goldilocks physically smashed Ifirt into the wall and bounced Mindboggler's head against it a few times. General Glory pulled her off. But her hair grew and snared him and squeezed until he couldn't breathe and eventually passed out. But his mystically enhanced body took far too long to do so. And she suspected he wouldn't stay down for long. So she pressed forward towards the prize.
Darkling tended to General Glory until she realized he was reviving mere seconds later. And Darla Lang then realized Goldilocks was already long gone. She hated to have to explain that.
"That's quite a look," Owlwoman said with approval, "Where did the lantern go?"
Jack O'Lantern put his thumb to his chest, "`N there. And I'll be bolloxed to know how."
"Daniel said it was a magical construct," Owlwoman recalled, "But the Fey never chose him for this. It's a great honor, Liam."
He could hear she was impressed, "But I look like a frickin' burnin' matchstick."
"Quit complaining. It's kind of sexy in a totally intimidating way," Owlwoman gently laughed.
"Like ya `n those freakin' 'scare me shitless' talons o' yers?" Jack wondered.
"Precisely," Owlwoman approved.
"Wanna scare the bejeezus outta someone?" Jack wondered.
Owlwoman extended her talons, "Love to."
Web wrapped Swarm in an electrified net. If she made any major movements, or replicated herself, she'd get shocked silly. He spotted the ambulance and squad cars arriving for Tigress and Icicle. He wondered just what the hell Owlwoman and fiery head had been up to. He could swear she had blood splatters all across her. And he dimly recognized Jack O'Lantern's new costume if not the lack of a lantern and the pilot light head. They flew off and he decided to do a little fact finding regarding the prisoners. And what he learned seriously disturbed him.
Black Hood heard Black Hand chamber rounds into his machine pistols. Wayne Sidmonson decided to seek cover rather than endure more ballistic impacts. Black Hand blasted the chain off of the exit door and headed down the stairs. Black Hood fired his grapple gun and rappelled down the building.
John Stewart blearily smashed Adhesive Man from every side with his power ring. He bound up his wounds but the skull fracture still required more than stitches. His ring could hold the broken shards together but he'd definitely require medical attention. He liberated an uncertain Solomon Grundy.
"You help Grundy?" he asked.
"I don't want to hurt you. Just stop you from robbing these people," John explained, on the verge of collapse.
"Grundy go. Lantern Man better not try and stop Grundy," he shuffled off into the night.
"Wouldn't dream…" and Green Lantern fell back into unconsciousness but his ring sustained his knitting his wounds together.
Rival was reeling but his Speed Force enhanced body was already recovering from the concussive grenades. A fiery blast put Rivel down. STRIPE saw Jack and Owlwoman approaching. Of course, he only recognized Jack because of her.
"Seriously bad ass," Mick Dugan had partially rebooted STRIPE after the EMP. Roxy theorized it was a "kicker" designed to affect three or so blocks, "I can't help. My unit is partially down."
"That's all right, we're going into the warehouse to see what the trouble is over," Owlwoman announced.
"An' burn it the hell down," Jack growled.
"Like the `tude," Mike admitted. So did Owlwoman. The features that had made Liam McHugh an effective terrorist also drew Wenonah Littlebird tighter to him. She wondered what that said about her.
Joe Higgins collapsed as Metal Witch hovered his nanites in the air above him, "These little darlings keep you alive."
Web stunned her and the nanites rained upon Joe and transformed him into the Shield again, "Thanks."
"Who's the nudey bird?" Web was appreciating Metal Witch's lack of attire. He wondered if he and Rosie ever patched things up if she would wear a domino mask, heels, cape…and nothing else.
"Um, your suit is bulging," Shield advised Web of his erection.
"Damn!" he thought of his nun teachers. But that didn't work because he'd slept with Sister Margaret. And Sister Magdalena. And Sister Maria...and a few others he barely remembered. He'd found it funny that they'd been kicked out of the convent and two had become call girls. He'd been a regular after that. And Sister Mary Margaret had been revealed to be a pre-op transwoman.
"I'll leave her to you, unless you're too horny to refrain from raping her," Shield said.
"What kind of man do you think I am?" Web loudly protested.
"I don't know yet. And I'm almost afraid to find out," Shield shared as he walked away.
Shade was opening a portal to the Shadow Realms when Stargirl's twin energy streams struck him down. And the rift instantly sealed. Black Hood came up from behind.
"Remind me not to piss you off. Ever," he said, "See a guy in a black mask run through here?"
"Stand, yes. Run, no," Stargirl quipped.
"Smart ass," Black Hood was back on the hunt. But Courtney reminded him of his daughter and how much he missed her.
Fox impaled Silhouette with his sword, "You can render yourself fully visible now."
"I…I can't," Silhouette gasped.
Fox withdrew his sword and Silhouette was proven to be faking for the most part. But a golden blast put her down.
"Impressive," Fox sheathed his sword as Stargirl did a visual sweep for more enemies.
"I got word the cops are descending on this place so we need to hold tight to our prisoners," Courtney Whitmore advised him.
"Will do," But Fox also checked in with Kim Brand.
Silver Sorceress made herself intangible as she placed Gentleman Ghost three miles beneath Angor's equivalent to Beijing. Then she warped reality to return her to the Earth Prime Chicago. There she found the stricken John. She began pouring healing spells into him and knew her strength would be spent afterwards.
War Eagle descended upon Intergang's security force still defending the outside of the warehouse. She spotted Goldilocks moving from rooftop to rooftop and knew that location wasn't where she needed to be at.
Ragdoll and Pigeon boosted a car and reached an all night diner. She laughed after they'd had a quickie in the bathroom while changing clothes, "Actually, one of my more romantic date sites."
"I'll do better next time. I wasn't prepped for this," Ragdoll apologized.
"I wasn't prepped either so no worries. But I'm glad I met you," she confessed.
"So how did you end up with Intergang?" he wondered.
"College vandal turned pro," she laughed, "You and the Injustice Society?"
"Family legacy. My dad had my same powers and was an original Injusticer. A guy called the Wizard was in it too and formed up this version to work for a dude called Johnny Sorrow," he explained.
"Whoa! I heard he was a major badass," Pigeon admitted.
"Serious psycho, actually. He could kill you if you looked at his face," Ragdoll shared.
"I say that about my girlfriend," Pigeon hesitated, "You're actually cool with my having a sexual relationship with someone else too?"
"You're too awesome to pretend I can keep you to myself," Ragdoll promised.
"Hopefully she'll feel the same," Pigeon sighed.
"And unless one of us switches teams, it's not like we'll be hanging in the `burbs every night and weekend," Ragdoll got practical.
"Sorry, I need the money I get," Pigeon was honestly regretful.
"And my crew is like the first family I ever had," Ragdoll confessed.
"So, we meet up. Fork like mad bunnies, and go our separate ways?" Pigeon was disappointed.
"I'd like to build something real. But building a real relationship takes more than sex. I want to know you intimately and I want to share that with you too," Ragdoll shared his wish.
"Goddamn. Where have you been? First, you're like my dream partner and you fracked me until my brain literally shut down from overload. And you're cool with me being polyamorous. How do we start this thing?" Pigeon wanted to know.
Ragdoll smiled, "Watch out. We already have."
Shadow Thief knew the momentum had turned against the Injustice Society. First the Justice League interfered. She'd spotted others that could only have come from Intergang. And now the Mighty Crusaders had boots on the ground. She swatted Blue Jay against a concrete wall and he crumpled like a broken bird. Then Aviva Metula phased through a series of walls to escape the perimeter the police were establishing.
Jaguar was on her knees clutching at herself. Her entire body trembled because she could smell Dragonfly's trail of blood. Maria de Guzman could still remember the excitement of her claws ripping through Dragonfly's flesh. And besides the bloodlust, the sexual cravings had begun. She could smell Cat-Girl's musk in her nostrils and the memory drove her mad. Jaguar finally purged her turmoil by screaming into the night until she was hoarse.
Anna Fortune gathered up Virtuoso's musical notes and netted her with them. The violin, gifted to Virtuoso by the Fiddler was ruined beyond repair, as Anna had intended. And the beauty of the situation was, Virtuoso had built her own prison. Then Atom Smasher screamed.
Hazard had thrown her dice four times. One has severed Al Rothstein's ACL. A second roll had dislocated a shoulder. A third crushed his hand. And the fourth had snapped his femur and the bone protruded through the flesh. Hazard prepped for a fifth roll that might or might not kill him.
But her dice ignited and disintegrated. Anna landed and backhanded Hazard with her arm cannon. Feeling satisfied, she turned to Atom Smasher, who'd passed out. Silver healing flames patched Al up to a degree. His ACL would probably be weakened for life. The shoulder would be prone to dislocation and the hand would be permanently stiff and arthritic. And his leg would need days, if not weeks, to fully set. Any of which could end his Justice League career.
Anna didn't spot Mist short circuiting the musical cage, "Help Hazard. I can cover us but you need to get her on her feet."
The East Indian woman roused Becky Sharpe and they skulked away while Anna healed Atom Smasher. When she noted their absence she merely said, "Good riddance."
Hazard was dangerous without her dice to focus her power. Virtuoso required an enchanted violin. And the drifting fog had to be an Injusticer of some kind. But it seemed to be retreating rather than rallying for a futile gesture of an attack.
Steel Sterling had reassembled Puzzler and tapped her with a super strong finger to knock her out. And then his body froze up. A condition which was becoming more and more frequent. But he refused to tell Latham and the MLJ.
Fly Girl barely acknowledged Fox's check in. Km Brand had seen Paul Patton, Jr. around Delilah Monaco. And the Fox and She-Fox were painfully obviously still in love. Delilah was still so besotten she'd adopted her costumed persona to get close to Paul once again. And every time Delilah was at Liberty Station near Paul, both fumbled and lied about being over each other. Kim was just sick of the lie.
And the truly disgusting part was, he'd gotten Kim pregnant. Something she wouldn't share with him. It would be her baby exclusively. She'd make up stories regarding cheating on Paul so the timing wasn't too obvious regarding the father. She'd have to report her condition to Latham sooner than later and go on inactive status. But she was a tech genius and could still contribute.
Jenny Elsewhere surveyed the situation. And quite frankly it was frigged up. Queenie Hart's exit was underway so she winked in and out of existence. In two different locations.
Jenny reappeared as Destructress came into existence. Goldilocks had finally intercepted the convoy and was flipping SUVs around. Queenie had put on an E Dial and dialed to randomly become Destrucress with it. Her wrist blasters fending off Goldilocks search for the second dial. As Goldilocks retreated, Jenny whisked Destructress to the Crime Boss' estate.
Jenny wondered where Goldilocks had gotten off to. Destructress had less than an hour before she reverted into Queenie Hart again. And Jenny wanted to hand Goldilocks to her before then.
Geo-Mancer delivered Killer Wasp from their hold out location. The Shield and the Web intercepted them from supporting Goldilocks. Geo-Mancer's geokinetic power was the greater threat so Shield confronted him. With the nanites back in Joe Higgin's system, the Shield was superhuman again. And he posed such a formidable threat, Geo-Mancer sank into the ground and vanished.
Killer Wasp had three innate advantages. The first was he could be airborne indefinitely. The second was his bioelectric shocks. And finally, he was a heavyweight boxer nearly as proficient as the legendary Ted Grant. All of these threatened Web. His proficiency in seven martial arts helped keep him alive. His suit boosted his strength and reflexes but that wasn't enough.
Killer Wasp was the current reigning champion in Roulette's Meta-Human Brawl. He was so elite that contenders had to work their way through the ranks to face him. He managed weekly bouts which still gave him space and time to work with the Injustice Society.
But Shield intervened and Killer Wasp had one remaining advantage: high speed flight. So he lifted off and went in search of Goldilocks.
Black Hood caught up with Black Hand, "Time to die."
Then Black Hand vanished. Jenny stepped out of a "solid" wall, "Aww. That's too bad. Care for a trip?"
And Black Hood found himself in Harlem.
The police tightened their net and were relieved the Justice League and Mighty Crusaders had captured several suspects. And hospitalized four of them. Steel Sterling had recovered and released Puzzler out of his grip. But War Eagle had detained an entire squad of security guards. Jack and Owlwoman's raid on the warehouse revealed it to be an advanced arms depot.
Insect Queen had discovered the location of the kick. It was primed for a second discharge. John had bene healed by Silver Sorceress using the same spells Anna had employed. Green Lantern would be unharmed but he would still endure a mild concussion. Atom Smasher was on his feet but as Anna had warned him, he still felt the pain of his injuries. Pains that would endure.
"We should get to examine the evidence first," John decided.
"No offense, Green Lantern. But this is no longer a meta-human case. But it is a domestic crime scene making it the Mighty Crusaders' jurisdiction," Shield countered.
"Of all the loads of shite," Jack spouted.
"Um…I was prowling about and I found a pool of semen and vaginal juices," Jaguar wanted to die of embarrassment.
"That's good," Shield was pleased, "We can have the DNA run and probably get IDs."
"Happy to help," Jaguar said meekly.
"We have a development," General Glory warned, "It seems Goldilocks is leading the Injustice Society now."
"One bitchin' tough boss," Stargirl remarked.
"Total video game," STRIPE agreed.
"She was here to steal things. She focused on the convoy. The signs show she took heavy fire but she ripped open six lock boxes. I believe she got what it is she wanted to acquire," War Eagle described the worsening situation.
"And what was she here to steal?" Insect Queen inquired.
"A watch," War Eagle told them all.
Kalea deactivated the magnetic shield securing the atmosphere in the boat bay after adjusting her breathing mask. Dropping into space, a flight deck tech reactivated the magnetic seal behind her. Kalea's plan had never included a vessel. She flew under her own power towards Lord Ultraa's dreadnought. Point defense lasers could barely target a missile and she was half that size. Sensors and targeting scanners would register her as debris thanks to her bionics.
A sentry rapidly approached Lord Ultraa and Trysta as they supervised the attacks from both sides, "Milord! An intruder entered through the boat bay and is shooting her way through the ship."
"It has to be Kalea," Trysta realized, "Only she would be so brazen."
"How did she pilot a ship through our fields fo fire and manage to dock?" Ultraa demanded to know. He intended to flay the gunnery section if it were true.
"She didn't use a ship. She simply made her approach and breached the magnetic seal," the sentry revealed.
"Her Kryptonian heritage," Trysta dismally deduced, "All she needed was rebreather gear. No space suit meant she could immediately go on the attack without out being encumbered or detected by our scanners."
"Where is she now?" Ultraa wanted to know.
"This deck, eight sections away and approachimg." was the last report the sentry ever made before being run through by Ultraa. As he withdrew his sword from the corpse, he began issuing orders.
"Intensify every weapons fire we have. Expend every missile. Destroy anything that rests between us and our prey," he commanded.
"What largely rests is our own loyal troops," Trysta reminded him.
"They are expendable!" he roared, "No one and nothing is necessary or needed except to get me my rightful throne."
And Trysta realized she was part of that list of expendables. Not only had Kalea infiltrated the ship almost undetected but Ultraa was turning on his own forces, making light work of it for Maxima, "Pretty damn clever."
Kalea expended all of the energetic ammunition of a rifle before discarding it and picking up a fallen soldier's as a replacement. Because of her father, she was largely immune to Almerac's standard resonance weapons. She felt them and the discharges were highly painful but not enough to incapacitate her.
So she carved a swathe of death and destruction before reaching the final defenders guarding the bridge blast doors. Her rifle was spent so she engaged the soldiers hand-to-hand. Which completely unfair and lopsided in her favor. Her mechanical arm and legs were far stronger than Almeracian norms. But her organic left arm was stronger and faster than Power Girl's and nearly a match for her acclaimed father.
Only Superman would never use his strength to literally crush or carve people up. By her own admission, Karen Starr had killed hundreds and eventually Lord Superman himself. In the strangest of ways, Kalea enjoyed cutting loose. Constantly being vigililant over her physical gifts and cybernetic replacements got tedious.
Galatea had been created to kill Superman. So she killed a Superman. Afterwards she adopted the guises of both Karen Starr and Power Girl. Kalea would suffer damnation before becoming a princess of the realm again. She wondered who she should become after this conflict ended.
After the killing had ended, Kalea smeared blood from her hands onto the corridor. Ripping the locking mechanism free, she hotwired the blast door and they opened. As expected, dozens of crystal focused resonance beam weapons began discharging. She idly waited until someone with half a brain began yelling for everyone to cease fire.
Kalea used the lull to super speed her way in and resume her killing rampage. As the weapons and defense crews struggled to stay focused, she slaughtered them to every man and woman. Navigation and helm were next. The comm techs were screaming for assistance from both within and without the ship. They didn't know Ultraa had thrown every soldier he had aboard at her. And her arrival here attested to their level of success.
Rather than approach the upper deck flag bridge through its stairwell entrance she flew up to the viewer mounted between the flag bridge and the lower bridge. It was essentially a supremely oversized holo projector giving continuous updates on demand. Kalea hefted back her fist and smashed through it. Two sentries engaged her while the remaining two forgot the countermeasures and went for the exit. The resultant explosion rattled Kalea's opponents and her left eye projected heat vision to decapitate them.
She alighted on the deck, "We have to discuss how you want to die, Lord Ultraa."
Trysta attacked and found her sword blade break across Kalea's cheek but it did draw blood. Maxima's daughter snared Trysta's throat with her natural hand. The general's eyes pleaded with Ultraa to intervene. He stared at her with callous indifference. So Kalea ended her emotional pain and then tossed the body aside.
"Have you chosen the manner of your death?" Kalea asked.
"I choose to scuttle the ship. Maxima will never have it," Lord Ultraa postured.
"Whatever," Kalea shrugged.
"I'll be taking you with me you abominable bitch," Ultraa sneered.
"Maybe, but I'm willing to risk it," Kalea informed him.
For the first time in memory, someone saw fear in Ultraa's eyes that he hadn't killed afterwards. He summoned an escape pod. And waited. And continued to wait. He grew impatient, the five minute countdown only had ninety seconds to it.
"Why am I still here?" he raged again.
"Didn't I mention? While I was at the security booth, I disabled the life pods. You're with me for at least the next sixty seconds," Kalea smirked.
"Computer! Deactivate destruct count down. Authorization, 'I am god, Ultraa is the only one!'" he shouted.
"Catchy but I don't think there's anyone left to appreciate your humility," Kalea baited him.
"I'll kill you," Ultraa vowed.
"Nope. You killed yourself. She hurled herself backwards and flew up to smash through the upper life pod hatch and the gelatinous pod itself.
"I knew you were a coward!" Ultraa screamed as the reactor cores detonated to destroy the massive ship from within.
"Milady! We have a detonation of uncalculated scale. Lord Ultraa's flagship has destroyed itself," Hobb reported.
"Damn you, girl!" Maxima roared. She forcibly calmed herself, "Patch me through to all vessels."
Hobb signaled the comm techs who were already ready so she began, "Attention, I, Maxima do assert my authority to claim this entire fleet. I expect a registry of vessels in compliance with that authority. Any vessel rejecting it or in willful silence will be targeted and destroyed. I await your pleasure."
Kalea returned to her flagship and raised a viciously loud stir as she maneuvered through the corridors and up the decks to reach the flag bridge. Even Hero couldn't silence herself.
"Milady! Are you hurt?" she asked.
Kalea was confused, "No. Why?"
"You're covered head to toe in blood," Hero observed.
"Oh, none of it's mine," Kalea dismissed the worried expressions.
"Uh…we came to a relative stop during the uprising. Thrusters and main drivers are hot and on standby," Hero still couldn't get Kalea's blood soaked image out of her head even when she wasn't looking right at her.
"Dispatch screen squadrons one, seven, and thirteen to form an outer scout unit guarding our starboard. The leftovers from Ultraa and Maxima's fleet will secure our port side," Kalea issued the order.
"After our losses, that will cut our screen in half," Hero protested.
"And the Khunds and Dominators are infamous for splitting their fleet actions in half and flanking their opponents," Kalea told her.
"All right. But for goddess' sake, get cleaned up. Half the bridge crew wants to vomit at the sight of you," Hero insisted.
"Good to know," Kalea exited.
"That woman is a sociopath," Hero complained. But truer words had never been spoken.
Hero contacted Kalea in the shower, "Milady? The Empress wishes to speak with you in private."
"Pipe it throughout the ship," Kalea ordered.
"Milady?" Hero was confused.
"Maxima wanted Ultraa taken alive and the dreadnought captured intact. None of which happened," Kalea shared.
"I'm certain she'll understand the circumstances," Hero was certain.
"The last time we had circumstances I was exiled to die on a dead, frozen world," Kalea shut the water off, "I'm certain she'll be more forgiving after the battle ends. But wait, this is my mother we're discussing. I guess I'm screwed."
Hero had no idea of what to make of this. But she dutifully transferred the incoming message to every speaker.
The Star Sapphires took the Khund fleet's right flank. Maneuvering at high speed between warships over a thousand Sapphires struck and struck hard. Their principle concern being the well being of billions of imperial lives versus thousands of hellbent for war soldiers. The star sapphire giving Carol Ferris an extra punch the gem-like power rings lacked.
Some of her most trusted sisters in the Corps followed their Sapphire Queen in this conflict. All with the singular goal of ending said conflict. But the Khunds had long envied the Lantern Corps its power rings and prepared for this day when the Corps stood in opposition to Khundia's ambitions.
Carol had never seen Khund warships up close but she had noticed only half of the weapons blisters were open. Then the other half split open and deployed psionic jammers. It was an indescribable pain to have your mind torn apart. And most of the Star Sapphires lost such concentration that they purposefully deactivated their personal fields and died in agony within the vacuum of space. Carol, Race, and Miss Bloss withstood better than most but even Jillian Pearlman and Gaila died in the attack.
Carol pulled Race and Miss Bloss behind her as she cleared the fleet and its damning weapon. A few stragglers emerged as well out of one thousand Star Sapphires had died. And none would willingly reengage the Khunds.
"Carol? What do we do?" Miss Bloss was near panic.
Personally, Carol was enraged, "We find a way to victory or our sisters died for nothing."
"Count me in. But I'm not sure how much more I can endure," Race was painfully honest.
"Neither do I," Carol met that honesty with her own.
Dex-Starr alone of the Red Lanterns survived. Over a thousand power rings launched themselves out into the universe. Even Atrocitus had succumbed when even his rage couldn't sustain him. A fact which made the alley cat hiss with even more rage than usual. And Dex-Starr was rage personified. Even more so than Atrocitus it seemed. But Dex-Starr needed numbers to overcome the Khunds' weapon. So he headed for the Dominators and the remaining Red Lanterns.
Indigo-1 lost every Indigo Tribesman that had followed her to this point. So she withdrew to save a vestige of her Lantern Corps.
Slushh and Bedovian fled the scene while Bekka and Guy Gardner survived to face the threat alone of the Fear Lanterns. Sister Sercy lost all two hundred of her Blue Lanterns and like Indigo-1, she withdrew. Guy called a conference between the survivors. And everyone was dismayed to see the number that were left. The Star Sapphire survivors withdrew to Zamaron to receive the chosen selected by the loose sapphire power rings.
Katma Tui's assumption that things had been too easy was proven out when the psionics struck. The Green Lanterns were a complete loss. A crippling blow for a waffling Green Lantern Corps. And it was a stark disappointment for Guy and Carol. Bekka personally loathed Sister Sercy and Indigo-1 for abandoning the cause. No one knew Dex-Starr had survived and the Red Lanterns were considered a complete loss.
Hal Jordan and Kilowog sensed the danger even before the Dominators deployed their own failsafes. Tying weapon systems into captured Rings of Volthoom, the result was both a psychic and physical weapon guided by the rings themselves through Dominator hosts. And they wanted vengeance for the death of Volthoom. And every Lantern was a target.
Hal had coveted Jessica Cruz's ring after the supposed loss of the Power Ring Corps. He saw it as a weapon against evil. A superior weapon to his own will driven ring. A weapon combining the best attributes of a green and a yellow power ring. After all, if Jessica could conquer her ring, it would be child's play for someone as confident and willful as Hal. Katma and others had argued against his instance to have a green power ring test Jessica for worthiness while stripping of her own Ring of Volthoom. A move which could very well kill her given the ring's parasitic nature. But again, Hal saw himself as omniscient and omnipotent in this matter.
And so it was he and Kilowog barely survived the attack. And the rest of the Green Lanterns died in it. Hal suddenly had crippling doubts before he realized he alone had the wherewithal to survive. Making a Ring of Volthoom his destiny. Then he saw Kilowog had also survived and was disappointed.
Only Lyssa Drak and Karu-Sil survived alongside Sinestro. He was livid, "I advised against this action. We're leaving. Now!"
But Lyssa and Karu-Sil remained behind as Sinestro opened a portal to Qward, "To hell with you then!"
That wounded Lyssa far more than any Ring of Volthoom could, "Let's see who else survived."
Karu-Sil snarled her agreement.
A dozen Star Sapphires fled after the initial assault. Remoni-Notra found herself shaking uncontrollably. Miri Raim checked on her.
"Remoni? Are you all right?" she asked.
"We can't do this," Remoni-Notra repeated like a mantra.
"We have to. We gave our word," Miri argued.
"You gave your word not me!" Remoni-Notra snarled and opened a rift to Earth.
"Well, this is certainly going well," Miri grumbled.
Brother Wurth lost his Blue Lanterns beside Slog the Slayer's identical Indigo Tribesmen losses. They departed at once. Abyssma and Antipathy died leading a pointless charge of Red Lanterns at the very weapons killing them. Dex-Starr arrived to find the dead left behind by the fleet.
And so it was Hal and Kilowog alone regrouped with Miri Raim.
The New Guardians attempted to block the Kandorian advance. But there were simply too many of them. But Kyle Rayner distracted Ultraman even as Kara In-Ze dealt with Ultragirl. Laira Omoto gathered the others.
"We need assistance," she told the others.
"The only beings adequate to face a Kryptonian is a Daxamite," Yrra Cyvil stated.
"We could go to Daxam and petition for help," Saint Walker agreed.
"The Daxamites have a long history of antipathy towards their cousins," Munk recalled.
"There is a blockade sealing the system up," Arkillo laughed, "Will you fight it?"
"If necessary," Fatality promised, "After all, most of the blockade is Almeracian."
"I'll take these two and try a direct assault," Laira pledged.
"Now we're getting to it," Arkillo approved.
"Let's go already!" Bleez flew towards Thanagar.
"She really needs to stop doing that," Laira disapproved.
Kyle had never restrained anyone so powerful as Ultraman. And Kyle knew an Earth-3 Kryptonian was not the equal of this universe's Superman. So all of these Kandorians were ostensibly weaker but still stronger and more powerful than the mightiest Almeracians. Power Girl could probably take one or Kara but even Maxima would be outclassed. So it was that Ultraman kept breaking his bonds and Kyle kept retreating.
Kara used her ring to augment her strength. And she was already more powerful than Ultragirl. Kara Zor-L had no idea of what she faced. She'd always gotten by through sheer brutality before. That and she and Ultraman lived on an Earth where traditional Prime Universe heroes were villains and the villains as heroes were generally dead. Only Alexander Luthor stood as the Earth's one superhero. But those days were done because Earth-3 had reportedly been consumed by antimatter along with its entire universe.
Power Girl had briefed Kara on Ultraman's first cousin and bed partner. Apparently the duo were trying to inbreed "pureblood" Kryptonians from their Earth. Kara was infinitesimally relieved they weren't siblings. The yark factor would've been beyond tolerating.
"Jealous much?" Ultragirl preened, "I'm so superior to you it's obvious to this entire universe."
"Then why am I kicking your big boobed ass?" Kara wondered.
"I'm just letting you think you are," Ultragirl lied.
"Which is the lamest excuse ever," and she hit Ultragirl again.
The master plan for rebellion was to select one planet to draw enemy forces in towards them and then have the Dark Circle territories erupt in anti-cult violence. The assumption was that the power mongers on Papal Center would feel threatened to the point of withdrawing up to fifty percent of their total force numbers to defend that one world. For it contained the seat of power labelled Temple Mount.
Cascade and the Sovereign Seven all endorsed this plan. As the children or of kings, queens, lords, ladies, barons, baronesses, emperors and empresses, they easily recognized the need for such an event to occur for men and woman with such power did not lightly yield. Power Girl had known the plan and had volunteered to be there. Wonder Woman, Power Ring, Supergirl, and Killer Frost all readily endorsed the proposal. Barda was eager to begin. Only Superman declined until peer pressure persuaded him to participate, if only on his own terms.
And so an insurgency became a planetary uprising.
Blackjack managed to intercept the Outlaws after Julia Sazia made it to relative safety. Green Arrow and Speedy had their motorcycles. Red Hood had the truck. Knave and Ravager also had crotch rockets. He stood at the end of the service alley and waited to see of they'd run him over. Blackjack was relieved to find he hadn't misjudged them.
"You got Sazia to safety?" he inquired.
Having two archers with their bows drawn at him and one fiercely gun toting Red Hood aimed at his head disquieted Blackjack. But Ravager, and therefore Knave, was more inclined to be charitable, "I see you made it off the roof."
"It isn't just you. You're all teens," he realized.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ravager grew cross.
"Deathblow has never been taken down by teenagers before. It'll embarrass the hell out of him," Blackjack shared.
"Michael has always been a shithead," Ravager retorted.
"Right. He knows your father," Blackjack recalled.
"Look, I really don't want to fight Vegas' Finest. So move!" Red Hood demanded.
"Yeah, I didn't think so," Blackjack stepped out of the way, "Sazia is still in danger. You'd better warn her."
"She'll have an army of constables guarding her after this," Knave deduced.
"But the assassins will cut through them," Blackjack warned, "She needs your specialized brand of help. Obviously."
"We'll take it under advisement," Speedy stashed her bow.
The Outlaws departed and Blackjack called Police Captain Riggs, "Riggs, I got your boys with the Sazia protective detail some unconventional help. It's the same vigilantes that rescued her. They seem to be security for hire as inter-rival hits as well. But their record shows they only target criminals."
Blackjack waited for Riggs to stop complaining, "Your people are under threat from heavy hitters. The Syndicate Underground cut a deal with the locals and they've pooled assets and resources to kill Sazia. And no, I don't think we can simply hustle her out of town without court orders."
Another pause, "I'll check in with the local interests but Sazia's goodwill tour sold the casino franchisees, they love her now so the problem will be further down the food chain. I'll handle that end. You make certain the Outlaws aren't molested when they arrive to save Sazia's attractive ass again."
Blackjack hung up and went to change into his civvies. Once done, he was a representative of the gambling concessions and a staunch ally of every casino owner and frequently spoke on their behalf. A universal troubleshooter as it were.
When LexCorp built Lex Tower, a series of underground levels had bene attached to the storm drain tunnels. Every LexCorp-LuthorCorp high rise was similarly designed and built. The purpose being the evacuation of essential personnel in event of an emergency. Lena had already added to that work by tapping into an abandoned bomb shelter and erasing it from the city architectural records. And that shelter had been retrofitted to serve as a proving ground for the Everyman volunteers and Team Luthor.
But a way of escape was equally utilizable as an entrance. And so it was Shieldmaster led a team of Shadow Crusaders unseen into LuthorCorp. Shieldmaster had once been Dusty the Boy Detective and junior partner of Roger Higgins, the original Shield. His daughter, Denise, was with him as Flag Bearer. The Marvel and Press Guardian were present as well, insatiably curious as to the inner workings within LuthorCorp. Eric Adams had changed into the other Hangman. The one that wasn't Hell's hitman. And their Web was John Raymond's teenage neice, Jane Raymond. Jane was half-Korean and had been on her own for the last two of her fifteen years. John had never known she existed until she began stepping out as the other Web.
Jane had supported herself by writing pornographic stories to finance her illegal tenement loft. Something both John and Rosie had been alarmed by but had seen how the girl had made more than enough to support and equip herself. Although she was the first superhero based in San Francisco to rely on mass transit to fight crime.
Shieldmaster bore a shield made from Amazonium, a metal so rare off of Themiscyra that it took every scrap ever found to forge the defensive weapon. But it was unbreakable and could defy the laws of physics when hurled. And no scientist or metallurgist had known how to melt the metal until Hippolyta came to Man's World as the original Wonder Woman during World War II and through her brief tenure with the Justice Society of America. But the knowledge that a plentiful source of Amazonium existed always lingered in the back of military minds.
Gwen Cormaugh led her faction of the Suicide Squad to Liberty Station atop Destruction Island in the Puget Sound. Gen. Jack Latham led the female crew to a dining hall, "Dig in. I've been on the run and hunted in my time of service. I know how many meals and how much sleep get lost in the mist. You'll forgive the fact the wet bar is closed."
"Thank you for meeting with us," Gwen shared.
"Dir. Cormaugh, I've always wanted to shut Amanda Waller out and Task Force X down," Latham admitted.
"I thought I could change things from the inside. I was proven wrong," Gwen said forlornly.
"So why now?" Latham was curious,
"Waller and Sam Lane have maintained the existence of the Meta-Human Response Division. It isn't DoD anymore. It's ARGUS. And Lane wants to kill the President and appoint himself dictator for life. He's now obsessed with eternal life," Gwen revealed.
"You're right, you need to brief me with corroborating evidence," Latham urged.
"I have everything needed," Gwen promised.
"General! A word!" Waller bellowed through Fort Seigel's underground base.
"No one barks at me in my own command!" Lane shouted her down.
"Fort Seigel isn't your command anymore and you barely retain this secret facility at my graciousness," Waller stared him down.
"Why are you here?" Lane demanded to know.
"McKay wants your head on a platter. Dir. Cormaugh has leaked information to her regarding your plan," Waller advised him.
"So kill the bitch," Lane snarled.
"Like you've tried killing your daughter?" Waller retorted, "The ostensible goal has been to neutralize Cormaugh and her loyalists. Unfortunately, they rank as the best of Task Force X."
"My data suggests your rogues are meeting with the head of the MLJ. So unleash your convicts and kill every last organism on Destruction Island," Lane commanded.
"I am not comfortable annihilating a law enforcement agency of these United States,": Waller grated.
"They chose to side against me. The penalty is death," Lane promised.
"And once McKay is dead?" Wallewr knew the answer already.
"We've tried a republic and it failed. Democracy has likewise failed. It's time for a military solution. And I will be the Supreme General of the Ultimate State of America," Lane boasted.
And Waller had already known Lane had lost his mind when he turned Lois Lane's corpse into a Bizarro clone.
Speedboy and Freedom met with the Fighting American in Fawcett City. Speedboy had been Johnny Flagg's nameless intern when Flagg had been a radio host and Mary Loo had been his producer. But in a sad testament, neither Fighting American nor Freedom still didn't know Speedboy's real name. The young man preferred his code-name.
Jim Harper was unused ot wearing civilian clothes. He had genetic memories of being a cop in the Forties and subsequently as a clone throughout the decades. And of course, he was the original Guardian. Word was a new Guardian, a natural male and not a genetic clone, had been trained to replace Jim. But it hadn't been the military or ARGUS that had done so.
Jim's self-appointed task was to protect Superwoman, especially when she was Maj. Lucy Lane. Lucy had served in a secretive spec ops unit within the Air Force Security Police and seen combat while it was illegal for her to serve in that manner. But many black ops units had female soldiers fighting alongside the men. Just no one talked about it to avoid court martials and congressional hearings.
Lucy was flattered by Harper's unnecessary attentiveness. It was quaint how he was still the quintessential Forties' gentleman. Manners like his were an extreme rarity in the modern era. Rudeness and selfishness had replaced courtesy and politeness. But Lucy's train of thought derailed when she spotted Freddy Freeman's magazine stand. Of course, he owned a dozen of them now and she and Harper had been to five. But Freddy himself manned this one today.
Word was that the Marvel Family had surrendered their power. Lucy needed to know why Mary Marvel was now a Black Marvel. And how to find her.
Billy Batson was discussing similar matters with Freddy, "We need to check on Mary. She's been shinning me,"
"Do you even know where she is?" Freddy felt strained.
"She's in Queens and rooms with Karen Starr," Billy shared.
"The tech billionaire?" Freddy yelped.
"Karen Starr used to be Galatea," Billy revealed.
"Sonuvabitch," Freddy gasped.
"Karen volunteered to watch out for Mary and her schizoid behavior," Billy said, "Mary's even a VP in Starrware."
"Go Mary," Freddy was lightheaded.
"We need the Wizard's help," Billy decided.
"He's why there's a problem to begin with," Freddy complained.
"There might be a solution after all," Billy suggested.
Freddy waited for the rest of it.