16
Saturn Queen held a meeting with Disco Mummy and Ruby Ryder. Disco Mummy had decided that the Kings of Catastrophe were her private army and Ruby was her general. With their combined wealth, their resources mirrored Charise Carnes'.
"My people will be attacking the Legion of Doom within minutes," Eve Aries told them, "Here's the gambit you'll play. Have your force oppose my people without alerting them to the fact your true loyalties lie with me. Then when they are soundly beaten and Luthor attempts an escape, he may confide in them and they'll be the perfect Trojans."
"That's a rather large if," Ruby grumbled.
"Luthor dismisses them, hence the ease of usurping control over the Kings of Catastrophe," Saturn Queen elaborated, "Valiantly defending Luthor will prove their worth and loyalty to him. Ultimately, he may trust them. Either way, they'll reveal where he fled to."
"You seem confident of his ability to escape your grasp," Disco Mummy observed.
"Lex Luthor is legendary even in the 31st Century. And it's a hard won reputation," Saturn Queen told them both, "My reign will avert a great many depravations. But if Luthor remains free and he gains power, humanity will suffer as never before."
"But even you have treachery within your ranks," Ruby estimated.
"My son will deal with them," Saturn Queen assured her.
"You have a son?" Ruby was surprised, "Teen pregnancy?"
"Nothing so drab," Saturn Queen snickered, "Ultraman is my son in name and in his mind. He's loyal to me as only an obedient offspring can be. As an orphan on two worlds, he never had the benefit of parental guidance. I fill that void and as such he'll do anything for his mother."
"Brilliant," Disco Mummy was in awe.
"I like to think so," Saturn Queen accepted the compliment, "But time is short and you need to contact your people now. So decide."
"It's an easy decision to make," Disco Mummy nodded her approval to Ruby Ryder, "May our pact blossom."
"I'm just getting started," Saturn Queen promised.
The rolling armored encased the man called Tanker. And he was plowing his third bank followed by his second barricade erected by the police. The crew robbing the derelict vaults had pooled every resource available to them in order to hire the mercenary upfront with a percentage backend. They were tired of being scores that put them in jeopardy or were too low rent to be effective financially. They wanted to retire and make history at the same time.
Tanker dealt with the guards and continually arriving LAPD without resorting to his weapons suite. He was rather bored compared to toppling a warlord or two. But his location wasn't Third World and his usual fee had been met and the backend made it personal enough for him to guarantee success.
On a nearby rooftop, Knave had to whistle appreciatively, "Impressive."
"Just a buncha spare parts," Ravager pooh-pahed.
"Our employer tipped us off so we could use the opportunity to get closer to the Monitor," Red Hood reminded the couple.
"So, dead or alive?" Ravager asked about the rules of engagement.
"We make it up as we go," Red Hood replied, "We don't have clear instructions so it's a matter of expediency."
"And killing him gets us closer to the Monitor how?" Ravager was skeptical.
"We kick down one of the Monitor's top operatives and he'll notice us," Red Hood promised.
"Having me along would do the same," Ravager boasted.
"But you've been free from your father's thumb and our website clearly lists you as a member of the team, yet no contact has been made," Knave replied, "Sorry, love."
"And since this is our first job, let's do it right," Red Hood affixed his helmet before firing his grapple gun. His one souvenir from his days as Batman's failed apprentice before Tim Drake became Robin.
"After Batman kicked Jason to the curb, the Joker tried to enlist him. But when he discovered Jason knew next to nothing about the Bat Family, he killed him. Ra's al Ghul intervened for God knows why and the Lazarus Pit resurrected them. Then he joined the League of Assassins," Ravager related the history to Knave as she affixed her own skull cap, "For Nyssa Raatko, Jason joined and betrayed the Outsiders to the League of Assassins."
"Cheery pep talks like this are one of the reasons I love you," Knave chuckled as she donned her own mask.
"Babe, I'm just saying we always need to keep that history in mind," Ravager implored Knave.
"Look, he already needs us to save him," Knave tsked.
"Time to party," Ravager leapt off the building.
Knave grappled down with her own gun from her days as the Squire.
"Lex, Grodd has marshaled and is not mobilizing his mutineers," Ultra-Humanite reported.
"Yes, seven minutes slower than my estimated start time. I've already disabled Brainiac," Luthor was unfazed by the news, "Saturn Queen promised a new future in her service. Everything was stored in a file folder labeled 'Computo' along with design schematics that will take me time to decipher. Most of the technology doesn't even exist yet."
"I'm certain of the ways and whyfores in temporal mechanics in this instance," Ultra-Humanite admitted, "But Grodd as swayed the Rogues and the Brotherhood of Evil to join his side."
"Snart is shortsighted and the Brain has always been too egotistical to serve as a subordinate," Luthor remarked, "Ironic since he's serving Grodd's interests."
"You seem oddly unaffected by the news," Ultra-Humanite observed.
"I'm just prepared," Luthor explained, "And Dr. Sivana, the caterpillar, and Professor Ivo remain faithful."
"You're certain?" Ultra-Humanite fretted.
"I'm literally staking my life on it," Luthor admitted.
"Just as we are by staying loyal," Ultra-Humanite reminded him.
Two-Face found Signalman outside the Hall of Doom. He thought he was ambushing the other man but the joke was on him. Signalman had picked this fight.
With Knightfall devouring the crime families and syndicates within Gotham, Penguin and Two-Face fought over the scraps. Signalman studied his opponent, "I suppose you have to toss your coin to decide what to do with me."
"Live or die, fifty-fifty," Two-Face confirmed his compulsion, "Hopefully I'll win the toss."
"Either way it goes, you win," Signalman replied.
Two-Face shrugged and set the toss. While it was in the air, Signalman lit magnesium flares and blinded Two-Face. The coin sank in the swamp water since the Hall of Doom was ironically located a mere hundred miles from Belle Reeve.
Two-Face wailed as a man losing his soul. He barely registered the gunshots or the impact of the two bullets. He slowly sank to his knees as he bled to death. Signalman stood by and watched just to make certain it was a final curtain.
"The coin thing made you too predictable," Signalman advised him.
Before he died Harvey Dent regretted not reconciling with his daughter Duela, the so-called Joker's Daughter and leader of the rising Jokerz gang in Gotham. A gang so psychotic even Knightfall avoided conflicts with them. They worshipped at the feet of the Clown Prince of Crime and his princess, Harley Quinn despite the fact no one had seen either of them for several years. The Jokerz just refused to accept that as their reality.
Spencer Hawk speared Hector Hammond's oversized cranium. Hammond reflexively burned out Hawk's mind. Since Hawk's vitals were being maintained by his red power ring, he died moments after it abandoned him to return to the Red Lanterns.
Blackrock blasted away at Killer Croc but Croc was in his element. All Blackrock succeeded in doing was annoying Croc and working up his appetite. No one had ever convicted Waylon Jones of eating a fellow human being but suspicions hung like a cloud.
Blackrock desperately tried to ward Croc off with his power stone. Killer Croc simply bit Blackrock's hand off and spat the power stone out into the swamp where it sank into oblivion. Croc drove his fist up under Blackrock's diaphragm, breaking ribs and spearing Blackrock's heart and lungs with the bone shards.
After Blackrock gasped his last, Killer Croc took a moment to reflect on his future. Thinking wasn't his strength. He'd still be standing there hours later when ARGUS arrived.
"I can't believe you came to kill me wearing metal gauntlets," Dr. Polaris told Electrocutioner, "Or that you're stupid enough to do so in the heart of a swamp."
"You don't have the stones, man," Electrocutioner accused.
"And now I know who chooses to side with Grodd," Dr. Polaris sneered, "Ignorance is bliss they say. You'll die happy."
Dr. Polaris used Electrocutioner's own electrical discharging gauntlets to kill him. He played with discharging shocks to animate the corpse. Eventually he moved on as Luthor had instructed. Everyone was on a tight time table.
Hummingbird stopped in midair and changed direction before Man-Bat could respond. The human-bat hybrid was growing frustrated and increasingly reckless. Hummingbird herself reflected on her own choosing Luthor's side of things when she'd allowed herself to be courted by Grodd for weeks leading up to this day.
Some of Luthor's supporters were expected to die. Blackrock topped the list in the betting pool. She decided she'd toyed with Man-Bat long enough and flew behind him and drew a pistol from her holster and emptied it into the back of his animal head. Even in death, Man-Bat never regained his humanity.
Penguin faced Catman. But Oswald Cobblepot wasn't a fighter of lost causes. Not while he had a criminal empire in jeopardy back in Gotham. Penguin's gaseous discharges from his umbrella slowed Catman down and Oswald escaped. The nerve agent would prohibit even a big game hunter like Catman from pursuing him.
Sparrow Hawk couldn't keep up with Roxy Rocket's flying missile sled. She waited for Roxy's slow, laborious turn and plucked her off of the sled when Roxy passed by Sparrow Hawk.
Roxy manically urged Sparrow to ascend higher and higher. Estimating they were a mile high, Sparrow Hawk released Roxy Rocket. And she screamed in pleasure and had repeated orgasms as she fell to her doom. In her universe, Danya Helstrom had known Thanagarians gone mad from warfare to do the same.
Lady Lunar warped gravity all around Duchess. But the disguised Lashina was always out of the trap before it was set. Finally, the former astronaut landed with her hands raised in surrender.
"You want Luthor? You can have him," Lady Lunar lifted and froze herself in a geosynchronous position tied to the Moon while staying in Earth's atmosphere and vanished as the world rotated beneath her.
Duchess saw her plan finally reaching fruition.
Slipknot scrambled up and down trees to escape Copperhead. Eventually he lost sight of Luthor's pet assassin. But then Copperhead ambushed and bit him with his venom sacs discharging through his fangs.
Slipknot fell into a paralysis and feared being eaten alive by the snake-like man. And he watched Copperhead's jaw unhinge and knew what was about to happen. And he couldn't even scream for help.
Javelin employed a dozen straightforward and trick spears against Metallo. Afterward, Javelin was terrified, "What are you?"
"Death," Metallo's arm snapped out faster than Javelin could react against. The metal endoskeleton that typified Metallo's kryptonite powered body easily crushed Javelin's neck, "And this is just the beginning."
Sportsmaster never had the opportunity to use one of his sports themed weapons against Count Vertigo. Like Javelin and Slipknot, Sportsmaster was the third crook to bear the name. He found that ironic as he drowned in two inches of water thanks to Count Vertigo's inducer.
Winslow Schott had passed on his company and the Toyman name to Jack Nimbell before he died in prison. Unwittingly killed by thugs in Nimbell's employ. The Toyman's arsenal was improved versions of already existing lethal toys. Nimbell had his own designs he eagerly awaited to debut after this.
But Mr. Mind was having none of it. Toyman barely escaped the swamp alive. Afterwards he didn't care if Grodd took him to task or if Luthor sought revenge for opposing him. It would be months before Toyman would consider a joint effort again.
Sivana encased Silver Banshee in a soundproofed energy cube. It resisted her super strength and it absorbed her wailing voice and dispersed the energy. It was also airtight so Silver Banshee wailed herself to death.
"Heh-heh-heh, she should have held a golden oldie recital," Sivana cackled before reporting in with Luthor.
Livewire thought Bizarro would be an easy kill next to Superman. Except for the fact that Bizarro wasn't smart enough to realize that. And Livewire was surrounded on every side by water.
Bizarro eventually shoved her into the swamp and she drained herself in one massively short circuiting discharge. Afterwards, Bizarro drowned her in fetid swamp water. She felt insulted.
Devil Ray didn't waste much time with Ocean Master. Orm was well trained in Atlantean martial forms of combat but he never expected to encounter Devil Ray's wrist laser. A well aimed shot through the eye and out the back of Ocean Master's head ended the fight.
"I wonder if Aquaman will give me a reward," Devil Ray mused.
Blackstarr faced the General, Manchester Black, Karma, and Mr. Element and his psionic construct, Dr. Alchemy. Blackstarr's ability to manipulate all forms of energy and matter made short work of them. But Dr. Alchemy's survival beyond Mr. Element's death for several seconds startled her.
Having defended Luthor, Blackstarr decided she wanted to expand her reward beyond Europe's borders to the Slavic countries as well. After all, she'd need slaves.
The active Rogues had collectively thrown in with Grodd as had the Brotherhood of Evil. But the Fourth Reich numbered among those that remained loyal to Luthor. And, as par or the day, former allies were pitted against one another in life or death struggles.
Captain Cold and his working partner, Heat Wave, found themselves fighting Reverse Flash. Eobard Thawne had assumed Hunter Zoloman's role as the Flash's polar opposite. And he refused to return to the 31st Century until he'd killed Wally West. He'd leave Jay Garrick to Rival.
"We shouldn't be fighting," Captain Cold insisted as red lightning encircled Leonard Snart and Mick Rory.
"Hear that, Thawne?" Heat Wave shouted.
A yellow gloved hand thrust its way out of Heat Wave's chest. Captain Cold yelled a grief stricken, "Nooo!"
"Yes! You traitorous idiot," Reverse Flash sneered, "We're on the cusp of history and you chose poorly."
"So you'll kill me now?" Captain Cold asked.
"No, that would be merciful and I'm not so inclined," Reverse Flash darted away having said that.
Captain Cold had to remind himself that Reverse Flash was from the future. So his words were a left-handed warning.
Cold's sister, Lisa Snart the Golden Glider, was faced with Baroness Blitzkrieg. It was a familiar battle for the Glider. Baroness Blitzkrieg was just as fast the original Flash had ever been. She supposed that left Baroness Blitzkrieg vying with Jesse Quick for the title "Fastest Woman Alive".
But Baroness Blitzkrieg was filled with murderous intent. Something no Flash had ever been. The Baroness was as homicidal as Russia's Blue Trinity. Or Speed McGee.
Tina McGee may have stabilized the Speed Force access in the Kapitalist Kouriers before their connection was permanently severed. But rumor had it Dr. McGee was working on a solution for Trajectory before she died and even for Ivana Christina Borodin Molotova, the Lady Flash, to get her off of Velocity 9. But first, Lady Flash had to hit the addict's rock bottom to be broken enough to seek and accept help.
So Golden Glider withdrew from the field of combat. Making her way through the swamp, she came across her brother kneeling in the swamp water beside Heat Wave's body. She wrapped her arms around him, her own heart still raw and bloodied by the Top's death.
"Len, we need to go," Golden Glider urged him, "We have to survive to enact vengeance."
That rallied Captain Cold, "You think you can skate your way to the car garage we rented?"
"As long as your cold gun's power cell lasts," Lisa let him know she wasn't leaving him behind.
"Okay, sis, you win," he said before they forged deeper into the swamp.
Baron Gestapo used every weapon his techno vest had against Mirror Master. After shattering the polished surfaces of Mirror Master's namesakes, Baron Gestapo easily killed him. Then he wondered what would be served for lunch.
Reichsmark endured every micro climate Weather Wizard threw at him. He waded through them and snapped the weather wand in half. Then he did the same to Weather Wizard's neck.
Pied Piper actually laughed as Hunter ran his sword through him. The Piper had finally met a foe as deaf as himself. The ironies abounded.
Baron Blitzkrieg's psionically boosted physic al attacks overwhelmed Brain and Mallah. But, in exchange for concessions, he allowed them to bribe him into taking them prisoner and insuring their survival. Baron Blitzkrieg found their homosexual relationship to be distasteful but the fact it went further into machine coupled with an ape made him revolted. Even the pedophiliac Himmler hadn't been so inclined.
Phobia first began to panic when her fear inducing power failed to register with Fright. And then Fright gassed her and her powers began to turn on Phobia herself. A hypodermic dart finished off Phobia's descent into madness and she died of extreme fright. Fright had recorded the exchange and hoped to extract whatever chemical that gave Phobia her power.
Dr. Demon's cybernetic body parts override Houngan's manipulations of nerve centers within her body. The fail safes were designed to target the source of her debilitation. So Dr. Demon hit him with every weapon in her arsenal. Then she retrieved his electronic "voodoo doll" for further study. She was hoping to find a way of integrating machine parts more efficiently with her fleshly ones.
Mammoth fought Captain Nazi to a standstill before the super soldier wiped the blood from his nose, "Well done, Herr Mammoth. Now it's my turn to reciprocate."
And Mammoth dully realized Captain Nazi had just been toying with him. And as the Nazi crippled him one body part at a time, he realized Captain Nazi was still playing with him. Finally, he drowned in the swamp's water.
Captain Nazi's great-grandniece dealt with Mammoth's sister, Shimmer. Shimmer went insane as Madame Libertine pointed out Captain Nazi's treatment of Mammoth. Her grief and rage short circuited her control over her transmutation power. And Madame Libertine added pain to the equation as she slowly killed Shimmer in the same fashion as her brother was dying.
Gemini wrapped all around the limber Captain Swastika. But couldn't capture, disable, or kill him. But he got her so tangled up she was immobilized. Then Captain Swastika broke off a tree limb to use as a spear.
"Surrender, liebchen, and I'll spare you," he offered.
Gemini took the deal.
"A filthy creature such as yourself doesn't have a right to exist," Captain Murder declared regarding Elephant Man.
"Then do something about it," Elephant Man challenged her fully expecting to kill her.
Captain Murder began by tearing his trunk off before proceeding to rip his limbs off one at a time. Her only regret was that the Hall of Doom repelled alligators. After all, horrors like Elephant Man were only fit as hog slop, in her opinion.
Atomic Skull barely got started before he realized all three of his opponents were dead. Trinity and Garguax had been slightly challenging to deal with. General Zahal had been a ninety year old cancer patient. He'd stepped down from leadership over the Brotherhood when faced with his first cancer diagnosis.
Six rounds later, he met his demise in a swamp. And oddly, it wasn't the cancer that ultimately killed him. Rather it was congenital heart failure.
Atomic Skull would've cared less.
"Fool! You thought you could hide from me?" Grodd sneered.
"Yes, because the centrally located command center is an ideal hiding place no one would ever look in," Luthor drolly retorted.
"I'm going to enjoy tearing your over inflated mind to shreds," Grodd predicted, "Remember that airlock incident?"
"Yes, and you survived thanks to Darkseid's intervention," Luthor pointed out the obvious, "But now your usefulness to him has ended. Therefore I'm free to kill you."
"Not after I do this!" Grodd shouted.
Luthor stood impassively by, "Well?"
"This!" Grodd tried again.
"Maybe you should do a ritualistic dance to go with the shout," Luthor suggested.
"I don't understand," a baffled Grodd admitted.
"Saturn Queen used her own telepathy to create an illusion that your mental powers were restored," Luthor explained, "She'll never share power with a pawn."
"I don't need telepathy to kill you!" Grodd declared s he cracked his knuckles.
"Ultra-Humanite?" Luthor asked aloud.
The command center's atomizer defense system vaporized Grodd. Ultra-Humanite exited the security booth and Luthor addressed him, "Thank you. He was growing tiresome."
"I could have reprogrammed the atomizer and targeted both of you," Ultra-Humanite mused.
"Except for the fact that Eve Aries only recognizes three equals and none of them are present in this century," Luthor stated, "And you're all too aware of that fact."
"If Lightning Lord and Cosmic King survived the transit back to their own time," Ultra-Humanite added, "Who is the third?"
"Someone who could tip the balance in Saturn Queen's favor," Luthor marginally explained, "So it's best that she isn't here."
"Luthor!" Duchess snarled as she entered, "And don't think about reactivating the anti-intrusion defenses."
"Prepared to carve out your pound of flesh, Lashina?" Luthor inquired.
"So you've always known," Lashina smirked.
"Of course," Luthor immodestly revealed.
"So much the better," Lashina decided.
"Too bad I called in some old friends," Luthor said as Lashina's hands began to crackle with energy.
"Poor Lashina," Bernadeth mock pitied her from behind, "That outfit is simply outré."
Lashina turned to face the Female Furies, "If I have to I will go through all of you to get to him."
"If you can," Bernadeth disdainfully replied, "Which I absolutely doubt."
Outside the Hall of Doom, the Secret Society of Superb Villains arrived. They brought the Crime Syndicate, the Superior Five, Axis America and Axis Amerika with them. The Chaos Avatars chose that moment to turn on the Legion of Doom.
Professor Ivo deployed the Shaggy Man to deal with the traitors. He tore into them with a fury that exceeded their own. Shaggy Man began be rending Osprey limb from limb. Then he crushed Kestrel's head. Swallow and Swan fled at that point.
Condor was still confident he could overcome Shaggy Man. But Shaggy Man plunged his fingers into Condor's chest and ripped him open before pulling chunks apart to throw away. Power in its rawest form, that Condor had stolen by killing other Chaos Avatars through the ages, burst into the skies like a signal lamp.
Shaggy Man waited for further instruction but the Crime Syndicate forced Ivo's hand when they attacked Shaggy Man.
Ravager and Knave harassed Tanker back in Los Angeles. They were the distraction while Red Hood did what he did best. He was setting up a really big antitank gun.
"Get clear!" Red Hood radioed while he took aim.
Ravager and Knave beat a retreat while Tanker plunged ahead to kill Red Hood before he could fire. But he lost the opportunity as Red Hood fired. Tanker's armor was shattered and the man inside was a smear.
"It's Miller time!" Red Hood whooped.
"This country doesn't even know what a decent pub is," Knave complained.
"Not to mention we're all underage," Ravager grinned.
"Not in a Queen's Commonwealth country," Knave refused to budge in her opinion.
Ravager put her hands on Knave's shoulders, "Hon, you gotta let it go."
"Ahem, may we cut in?" Sac asked on behalf of the Council of Spiders.
"Awl right! A real stand up fight," Ravager thrilled.
The Outlaws swung into action but as individuals and not as a team.
Ravager chose the giant human-arachnid hybrid called Goliath. She began by lopping off his six arms. Then she took him out by the knees. Finally she put him down with a twin sword thrust through his head.
"I wonder if Orkin is hiring," Ravager snickered.
Red Hood's accuracy with a gun was uncanny even as Sac and Widower were on the move flanking him. Wolf made Jason Todd envious. The man had four cybernetic arms in addition to his two natural appendages. And he was as pinpoint precise with firearms as Red Hood.
But Wolf seemed to have to remain stationary in order to target a foe. So Red Hood forced him to go on the move even as he was already. Damaging all six of Wolf's hands, Red Hood disarmed him and put two bullets into his chest and a third into his forehead before the body hit the pavement.
Sac was an easy target afterwards and Widower was nimble but he relied solely on the knives that had replaced his fingers. All it took was a single misstep for Red Hood to kill him.
Knave disabled Recluse first while evading Funnel's web traps and Tangle's web lines. She got them to snare each other and she thought it was over. But new gunshots proved to her Red Hood's policy of leaving no criminal behind to ruthlessly efficient.
"You didn't have to do that," Knave complained.
"How long would a conventional prison hold them? Or even an unconventional one?" Red Hood remarked, "This is actually a mercy compared to what we should do with them."
"Now now, don't go all League of Assassins on us," Ravager chided him.
A green arrow embedded itself between all three of them. The archer himself was on a neighboring rooftop joined by Speedy. They used arrow guided grapple lines to get to street level.
"You will stand down," Green Arrow and Speedy had immediately nocked fresh arrows upon landing. And they were lethal tips.
"Or what?" Red Hood went for his pistols.
The archers fired their arrows. Knave deflected one with her quarterstaff and Ravager's swords took of the other. But the pair had already drawn and nocked more arrows.
"Standoff," Red Hood surmised, "So where do we go from here before the police get in the way?"
"You never said anything about killing," Speedy accused.
"Your boyfriend does it nearly every day," Ravager reminded her audience, "So don't get self righteous."
"And the police want you in custody just as bad as they will us," Knave pointed out.
"Look, Tanker was the merc we took out," Red Hood advised the archers, "His playbook was easy to read. These newcomers are the Council of Spiders. They were at Interpol's red file list. Basically 'dead or alive and preferably dead'."
"You're all coming with me anyway," a voice declared.
Everyone confronted a woman somewhat dressed in armor, floating above their heads. Green Arrow asked a pertinent question, "What if we refuse?"
"THEN YOU WILL COME WITH ME ANYWAY!" a chorus of voices announced from all sides as the woman's duplicates had surrounded them. And then Green Arrow and Speedy were simply swept up as Harbinger teleported them all to the Monitor's presence.
The Mighty Crusaders had been dispatched to Los Angeles in the wake of multiple sightings regarding the Outlaws and Green Arrow and Speedy were considered fellow criminals in need of catching. And the LAPD had proven they weren't up for the task.
Comet flew in before the others arrived via LAX. He witnessed Harbinger's abduction of their quarry. He assumed she was the reason why everyone kept eluding the police. Having been given the address of a joint agency federal building the MLJ would be using to house the team and deploy Mighty Crusader missions from it.
War Eagle took to the air as soon as she was released from the transport plane. The others accepted the rides in a federal convoy to their staging ground. Comet's report had changed everything.
Everyone discussed his observations while the support team got everything up and running and linked back to Liberty Station. KitCat and Kenny Wisdom inputted the search parameters based on Comet's description of the new player. CCTV cameras had blacked out while Harbinger was present and reactivated when she departed. Giving the team next to nothing to work on.
Shield took Black Hood, Robert Dickering, and the Web aside, "We need information fast. You all have unique means of getting it. Just remember the clock is ticking."
"I'm of no use until sunset anyway," Dickering countered, "Afterwards the Hangman will appear and he'll terrorize the criminal element."
Web took his privacy obtained outside the based to contact his Web Host network. He'd already had agents en route. Now he called everyone in. Latham's preferences be damned.
