26
"Excuse me, Col. Flagg. I have boomerangs to dodge," Lagomorph announced. And she did so easily. The curved weapons also flew around Flagg. But while Lagomorph was distracted, he got in range to crack her temple with his rifle butt, knocking her out.
"Thanks, Harkness," Flagg offered Captain Boomerang as he caught the last of his airborne weaponry.
"Don't get all misty eyed, Colonel. I was merely looking after me own best interests. You die and I lose me pretty head. I don't care about the rest of these pack of dingoes but I'm right fond of having me head where it belongs," Digger Harkness replied.
"According to Katana your head belongs up your own ass," Flagg advised Captain Boomerang, "Of course, I'm not fluent in Japanese so it could be even more flowery. That's just Oracle's Google Translate version."
Boomerang chuckled, "I see the sheila is comin' `round to me."
"Careful, Harkness. This game of yours could literally cost you your soul," Flagg decided to take the gloves off.
"Good thing I don't have one, mate," Captain Boomerang boasted.
Flagg gave up, "Let's just find the others."
Jester hated to admit it, but Jongleur's wit was sharper and deadlier than his own. And then a blade protruded from Jongleur's abdomen. He fell to reveal Phantasm standing behind him, her scythe glove dripping Jongleur's blood.
"Pull yourself together," Phantasm's modulated voice commanded. Andrea Beaumont sounded like her father with her helmet on, "You're coming with me. I need a distraction on stage."
"I live to be on the stage," Jester promised.
"But this could prove to be a dying ambition," Phantasm warned him.
"But first, I'll be a star!" Jester boasted.
Phantasm mentally agreed. Jester would indeed be the star of his own show. For a few seconds at least.
Silver Swan found Flagg and alighted near him, "Colonel, I tried to control it but when I sang the floating man down, he landed on the crowds."
"Good thing the world already knows you as a super villain," Flagg deemed, "The mission cover legend is holding. The world will see this as a battle between rival super criminals."
"That doesn't help much," Silver Swan grumbled, "People got hurt."
"Valerie, God knows I try to keep civilians out of arms way but sometimes it can't be helped," Flagg counseled.
"Spare me the bleedin' heart," Captain Boomerang sneered, "Those blokes and sheilas wouldn't have gotten hurt at all if they'd stayed at work or home rather than come here and gawk. They wanted action and they got what they bloody well asked for."
"You are not a nice man," Silver Swan said as a condemnation.
"Damn straight," Captain Boomerang took it as a compliment.
"Let's just keep moving," Flagg interrupted.
Horned Owl's talon weapons had nearly torn Black Spider's sickles out of his hands on several occasions. Now Horned Owl concentrated on actually impaling his adversary's hands. But the German grew overeager and Black Spider sank both of his sickles into Horned Owl's chest. He plunged one into a lung and the other into Horned Owl's heart. And still, in his moment of death, Horned Owl tried one final time to kill Black Spider.
As Horned Owl faded away, Black Spider unmasked to show the white supremacist that he'd been ultimately beaten by an African-American. He witnessed the recognition in Horned Owl's eyes and watched his face screw up with racial hatred wanting to be manifested. But instead he died choking on his own blood.
Black Spider pulled his mask back on and collected his firearms. He felt good and wanted to feel better. So he went on the hunt.
Fledermaus hurled insults at Anarky in German. Anarky didn't understand a word of it but he knew the intent. And then a bullet ripped through Fledermaus' head.
"You're welcome," Black Spider told Anarky.
Anarky just glared at the one-time vigilante. He looked down on Fledermaus, "You should have joined me."
After White Canary's sansetsukon broke Usil's bow in half, he used the halves as staves to continue fighting her. White Canary was impressed by his courage. So she only broke his leg in three places and left him behind as she continued her march on the Dome. And spotted several other squaders so she chose to join them.
Enchantress' magic couldn't directly harm humans. But whatever her magic did affect could. When she'd been cursed by the Council of Magic, they'd seemed to overlook that loophole. Now Enchantress suspected Shazam had intentionally duped the others foreseeing the day when Enchantress would join Task Force X.
But she managed to rescue the United Nations' security force from her fellow teammates. And Flagg and a few others joined them as well. He was relieved to learn the asphalt column she'd raised up was hollow at the center and no cap ad been placed atop it. Then the UN-SEC force could locate and retrieve their personnel.
"This is hardly over, people," Flagg advised the Suicide Squad "Alpha" team.
"Now," Saturn Queen commanded Professor Ivo.
Shaggy Man went through walls and bodies to exit the building and meet the Suicide Squad outside. Flagg was grim, "I hate it when I'm right."
"Good thing it rarely happens," Boomerang joked.
At another entrance. Phantasm penetrated UN security and brought the Jester with her. Though it pained her to do so, she wondered where Bruce Wayne was in all of this, or more appropriately, where Batman was. She knew he'd been branded a criminal after Max Lord announced his separation from the Justice League and Maggie Sawyer's campaign to capture or kill anyone wearing a mask. But surely he wasn't so obsessed with a Gotham that now hated him that he ignored world events.
The Suicide Squad's "Beta" team was progressing on certain fronts but lagging behind on others. Katana took the opportunity to study Sparrow Hawk. Danya Helstrom's helmet was very reminiscent of Hawkman's but it had an upper and a lower beak, thereby occluding her face entirely. Katana couldn't see Sparrow Hawk's fearful expression but she could read the Thanagarian's eyes.
Sparrow Hawk had expected a challenge, not to be put in peril. Danya was the last survivor of a doomed universe and she wondered if now was the moment she joined her family in oblivion. But then Catman pounced on Katana.
But she was too elusive for him to maul. Then he combined his claws to Sparrow Hawk's sword and they attacked together. And it still wasn't enough to penetrate Katana's defenses effectively enough to even wound her. In return, the former Legionnaires were receiving grazing wounds that slowed them but didn't cripple them outright. Sparrow Hawk felt that counted for something.
Silently signaling Catman to break and run Sparrow Hawk beat her wings and generated enough lift to catch up Catman and carry him away. Despite the lack of severity to their wounds, both Catman and Sparrow Hawk were still managing to lose a significant amount of blood. They'd need to go to ground and treat their wounds.
Killer Croc grappled with Atomic Skull, a struggle entirely in the Skull's favor. Then Croc bit a chunk out of Atomic Skull's shoulder. He was blasted back by green nuclear energies.
"What the hell, man?" Atomic Skull tried to staunch the bleeding.
"Too rough fer ya?" Killer Croc chuckled.
"I'm just gonna kill ya now," Atomic Skull promised.
But Giganta's sandaled foot smashed down between them, "Shoo fly."
"Hidin' behind a skirt," Killer Croc spat.
"A hundred foot tall skirt," Giganta kicked him through the nearby wall.
"Brilliant," Atomic Skull groaned.
"What?" Giganta protested.
"We're trying to keep them out of the building not give them a revolving doorway into it," Atomic Skull explained.
"Wuh oh," Giganta grimaced, "But it doesn't matter. We're evacuating anyway. Fright has something special planned."
"I bet it'll be a crowd pleaser too," Atomic Skull guessed, "Ever since she offed the Scarecrow she's been hell on wheels."
Deadshot opened fire on the Multiplex duplicates swarming him. Each bullet caused a Multiplex to crystallize and shatter. One Multiplex lifted Hummingbird and slung her over his shoulder.
"Pardon moi, Madamoiselle. But I can't bridal carry you without injuring your wings," Multiplex advised Hummingbird.
"It is fine. Just, let us be away," Hummingbird requested.
"Oui," Multiplex happily complied.
Outside Catman, Sparrow Hawk, Lady Lunar, Volcana, Giganta, and Atomic Skull had taken an ambulance and its EMT staff hostage. Multiplex delivered Hummingbird to their care as well.
"Please stay, Monsieur," Hummingbird pleaded with Multiplex.
"Sorry, but I was never really here," Multiplex shared before the duplicate crystallized and shattered.
Volcana had regained consciousness and was being regaled by Lady Lunar with the tale of how she'd pulled Volcana out of the building. El Diablo had already gone missing by that time. A fact which irked Volcana to no end.
Reverse Flash fought against the entire tarot deck animated by Amos Fortune. Every time Thawne rallied to attack Fortune directly, the tarot creatures galvanized and threw themselves wholesale at Reverse Flash.
"Go!" a gaggle of Multiplexs shouted as they engaged the tarots. Reverse Flash didn't hesitate to evacuate. A string of Multiplexs directed him outside where the others were gathered with their captive EMTs.
Amos Fortune made to escape but as he rounded a corner, the SoulTaker nicked his neck. Katana didn't seem amused, "Going somewhere?"
"Just following your lead," Amos pledged.
Katana didn't sheath her sword.
Fright was concluding preparations to dose the entire complex at the HVAC unit outside. She radioed Signalman and gave him five minutes to clear everyone out of the building. Then she waited. Rather impatiently.
Killer Croc reunited with Katana, Amos Fortune, and Deadshot while carrying El Diablo, "I hear they wuz gonna gas the buildin'."
"Then we must stop them," Katana looked towards Amos.
"Then my tarot cards will still prove useful then," Amos boasted.
The SoulTaker demanded to consume Amos Fortune's soul. Katana ignored the blade but her hands burned with the desire to strike Amos down and let her blade absorb his immortal essence. But the SoulTaker had also chosen her based on her ability to resist its urges.
"Go," Katana ordered Amos.
While he summoned each character from the tarot, Katana led the others in searching for the Legionnaires. The sounds of gunfire echoing throughout the halls seemed promising.
Signalman's mixed force had joined up with Tala, Mad Hatter, and the Psycho Pirate. Psycho Pirate whipped the last two dozen captive Spyral agents into a frenzy. And Mad Hatter had released them upon their own comrades. The Legion joined them in the final assault. There couldn't be any survivors left behind.
Katherine Webb-Kane was the agency director but also Agent Zero. Her father had founded the agency and been the original Agent Zero. When he retired he nominated Katherine as his replacement. A nomination which was readily received by the UN bureaucracy. She hadn't known until he died that he was the infamous Nazi war criminal called Daedalus.
Many wondered why the United Nations needed an intelligence service. The events at the Dome seemed perfect to bear out the necessity for an entity like Spyral. And Saturn Queen obviously regarded the service as a threat. And SHADE seemed to draw a similar crosshair. But oddly enough, the DEO had been exempted. Which either bespoke of lack of manpower or complicity between Director Bones and Saturn Queen.
Her immediate concern though was fighting off Signalman and her own Agents 2, 11, 51, and 28. She trained beside some of these men and women she now commanded. So she knew what it would take to disable them. It would leave each and every agent permanently crippled. But at least she wouldn't have to kill them. Killing Signalman would be a personal pleasure.
Even under the Mad Hatter's influence, her agents displayed a high degree of coordination. Which she would have dismissed them without cause or benefits after she got down breaking them if they hadn't. Katherine only felt bad that she was the one inflicting severe damage. After all, her agents faced the same every day and they knew and accepted the risks.
Nancy Morgan was Agent 24 simply through dumb luck of the draw. Morgan knew there was no value system attached to any agent number except zero. She'd trained to join the FBI after Patrick "Eel" O'Brien had simply vanished out of her life without so much as a goodbye. Successfully becoming Special Agent Morgan, Nancy used Bureau resources to discover Eel had become Plastic Man. And he was shacked up with a bleached blonde pilot. The fact that Morgan bleached her hair to distance herself from recognition from her former life didn't make the sting go away.
But Morgan had buried whatever hatchets there were with Plas and especially with Penny. Morgan and Penny were the tightest of friends now, having saved each others' lives numerous times. But before that fateful meeting, Morgan had transferred from the FBI to Spyral.
She was a rising star amongst its ranks. And she was going to harm and possibly kill four of her fellow agents just because they'd been stupid enough to have their brains hijacked by the Mad Hatter. Okay, so maybe they deserved it in Morgan's opinion. But in addition, Count Vertigo stood beside the four losers.
But his four inadvertent "allies" where also Vertigo's greatest weakness because he could use his inducer without harming them as well. So the Count held back while the four Spyral agents, 77, 44, 66, and 55, press ganged her.
Helena Wayne was Lincoln March's daughter, or more appropriately, Thomas Wayne Jr.'s daughter who'd reclaimed her birth name. She was called "Matron" by Spyral because she was the headmistress of a girl's academy that recruited orphans to enlist as Spyral agents. Unknown to most, she was also one of the foremost Talons of the Court of Owls. And the last surviving Talon as well.
Helena had a singular goal to destroy her uncle Bruce the way her father had been destroyed. First, she'd guided Derek Powers in his takeover of Wayne Enterprises. Next she would choke off Bruce's remaining income streams to cripple his operations as Batman. And finally she would break his body and spirit to repay what had been inflicted upon her own family.
Finally, using Spyral as her resource base, she would rebuild the Court of Owls' international network and then reclaim Gotham City. But first she had to get through Agents 45, 82, 25, and 5 as well as Dr. Polaris. She didn't care how many of her fellow agents she had to kill to get to Dr. Polaris. But she would be killing him before he attempted to flee.
Bette Kane, the current Agent 41 and former Flamebird, was surrounded by three Multiplex duplicates and the obligatory four agents. Agents 14, 67, 37, and 98 had been selected to confront her. What sucked was Agent 98 was a personal friend. They'd enlisted at the same time and trained together. And she was on friendly terms with Agents 14 and 37.
Multiplex was a weak link since the duplicates were slower and weaker than the original. The four Spyral agents weren't as free thinking and quick to react as they would normally be when Bette wouldn't stand a chance. But if she hit hard enough in a melee styled combat she could probably beat them all down. And then go looking for the Mad Hatter and Psycho Pirate.
Mr. Minos found himself surrounded by three Multiplexs and Agents 42, 90, 76, and 12. Mr. Minos was an infiltrator and an escape artist, not a fighter. So he adapted his appearance to look like a Multiplex. Which confused the hostile crowd as he slipped into them to make good his escape. Even Multiplex lost track of which were his duplicates and which was Mr. Minos.
Spyder was the training officer at Spyral. Formerly the people dubbed "Spyder" were considered the elite agent. But times had changed with the advent of Agents 24 and 41 and especially Matron. Then there was Agent Zero and Spyder's protégé. She had been scheduled for another intensive round of private training today but she'd been inexplicably late. Which worked in Spyral's favor because she had probably been the one to get word out of the agency's plight after communications had been cut.
Spyder had faced Nightwing when Agent Grayson had still been a part of Spyral. So the trainer knew he was as good as Batman's original student. And it seemed Dick Grayson had as many issues with Batman as Helena did. Helena had designs on Dick at first until she saw his relationship with Ulla Paske was unbreakable. And Helena finally realized the Little Mermaid could crush every bone in her body without exerting herself.
So Spyder decided to go through his fellow agents no matter what it cost the agency.
The Suicide Squad's "Delta " team was still occupied at SHADE headquarters. Firehawk came upon Nightshade battling Libra. Seeing that his Cosmic Transmorgriphier seemed to be his sole weapon, she transformed it into a cloud of helium.
"What have you done?" Libra squeak-shrieked as he lunged at Nightshade.
Firehawk created a steel bar cage around him and he bounced headfirst off of the bars. Nightshade beckoned at him and as she drew closer, she grabbed the back of his neck and smashed his face into the bars. He recoiled as blood spurted out of his wounded member.
"Yew bwitch!" he gurgled.
"Too cool," Firehawk laughed. Libra noticed her for the first time. And he realized her nuclear fusion powered mastery over atomic structure was his true enemy.
"Let's assist the others," Nightshade suggested.
Firehawk readily agreed.
Phantom Lady had already knocked Angle Man out when Nightshade moved to join her. Nightshade hefted Angle Man's straight edge, "Let's dispose of this. The denizens will find it fascinating."
And she threw it into the Land of Nightshades.
Firehawk transformed Killer Moth's armor into gas, revealing his Mickey Mouse boxers. Mickey's face was plastered across the fly so when Killer Moth protruded, he did so out of Mickey's mouth. A sight which disturbed both Firehawk and Doll Man.
Doll Man took Killer Moth out with a micro concussion missile, "Take that, perv."
"I'll never look at a Disney cartoon the same again," Firehawk shuddered.
Buster chose Marauder as her second foe of the morning. Her energy shield deflected Marauder's weaponry and Buster's kinetic rail gun could penetrate Marauder's armor. So she fled.
Seeing Marauder retreat inspired Typhoon to do the same despite finding Rad an annoyance at best. Rowdy used one of his six guns to shoot Sting's hornet out from underneath him. The insect themed villain departed on Marauder and Typhoon's heels.
Nightshade called into Belle Reeve only to learn the DEO was now also under attack. The assailants appeared to be the Kings of Catastrophe and the surviving remnants of Flash's Rogues and the Brotherhood of Evil.
"We're on another bug hunt," Nightshade warned her team.
The Fourth Reich arrived at the Hall of Justice eager to exact revenge. At Shayera Hol's behest, Hula Hula requested assistance from the Justice Society and their students. Steve Trevor rallied the remaining JLer's still within the complex. Fortunately, Spy Smasher had arrived to brief Trevor, Shayera, and Hula Hula on the results of the investigation of the Hall of Doom.
By the time the Fourth Reich had penetrated the outer defenses, the JSA had teleported in. So Sentinel pushed everyone back to the outer perimeter and the JLU and JSA members engaged the Nazis. Each sizing up a Nazi fit for their powers or skills to deal with.
Wonder Woman chose Captain Nazi himself. He epitomized every trait of humanity that made Artemis loathe most men as vainglorious weaklings no matter what their physique could accomplish. But she found his tenacity to be as great as hers so he'd be pigheaded about surrendering. So she drew on her weapons and decided to not to bother asking him to.
The original Spy Smasher had fought the fascists in Europe and America. His great-granddaughter had expanded her repertoire to include any ideologically unstable threat to her home country and the world. And she deemed Captain Swastika worthy of her attention.
Goldilocks found herself confronted by Baron Gestapo. She thought his supposed attachment to National Socialism was a load of bollocks. He simply wanted to beat up on people and prove his supposed "superiority".
Goldilocks had been a right villain and now she was trying to honor her sister's memory. But Goldilocks was going to do it her way. And that meant she was done coddling these scumbags.
Sir Justin had wanted a rematch with Hunter. The Teutonic Knight didn't have a chivalric bone in his body. Which made the Shining Knight want to cut him down. And now he could.
Sentinel had fought Baron Blitzkrieg during the Second World War. And Blitzkrieg had escaped justice after the war ended. And Blitzkrieg didn't have the decades lost in Limbo to halt aging that Sentinel had endured. So Alan Scott was prepared to finally bring the centenarian Baron Blitzkrieg to justice.
Jay Garrick knew that Baroness Blitzkrieg could match his speed as the original Flash. But he also knew she didn't derive it from the Speed Force. It came from her mind.
But Baroness Blitzkrieg was growing in both endurance and velocity as she increasingly used her power. So while her ability was growing, Flash was getting older every day and beginning to lose both speed and endurance. But he was as tenacious as ever and he had decades' worth of experience on her. So he would stop her and incarcerate her.
Sand and Dr. Mid-Nite engaged Dr. Demon on a purely physical front while Mr. Terrific tried to hack her cybernetic body parts and shut her down. What they all were discovering was that Dr. Demon had undergone drastic upgrades since her last encounter with the JSA. So much so it was like learning to fight her all over again.
Madame Libertine chose to fight Superboy rather than his choosing her as a foe. And she was a physical match for him. And she knew enough to keep him out of contact with anything to employ his tactile telekinesis through.
Wonder Girl was a Nephilim and she was nearly as powerful as Captain Murder. But Captain Murder was a completely unhinged sociopath. And her singular goal of killing Cassie Sandsmark made her extremely dangerous.
Wildcat had gathered Miss Martian and Jakeem Thunder to assist his capturing Reichsmark. Except for the fact the Nazi was as powerful as M'gann M'orzz and twice as ruthless. Jakeem was still to hesitant and unimaginative to properly direct his Thunderbolt. And M'gann was blocking Wildcat from helping her.
Both atop of and underneath Baker Island, the situation was deteriorating. Col. Dowd, the ranking Sandman, prioritized General Glory as the single greatest threat to the Meta-Human Response Division. The CRUCIBLE Project had hours of documented footage and interviews detailing the effect on morale that General Glory's patriotic vitriol could have in inspiring troops. And last thing anyone needed was for the Justice League Unlimited, or the wavering commitment to the cause of the Ultramarine Corps, to be inspired.
So Dowd grabbed a Psycho Trooper and decided to deal with General Glory on personal terms. The military parlance was to terminate with extreme prejudice. After all, a bullet didn't care which creed, race, or commitment you were from.
Lt. Gwen Poole commanded the two ARGUS Black Razors attached to Gen. Lane's division. But the sight of their mechs unnerved Superman. Poole hoped to unnerve him further.
"Why is ARGUS supporting Lane?" Superman demanded to know. He could hear Sgt. Herb tanner snickering in the lead Black Razor as Poole's modulated voice answered the question.
"The previous ARGUS Director approved of the arrangement. Amanda Waller renewed it as insurance should you Justice League types go rogue. The very same mission the JLA was built around. Surprise Supes, you costumed types aren't very popular amongst security agencies," Poole enjoyed disillusioning Superman
"And Col. Trevor?" Superman asked.
"Trevor's a true believer in your mission. That's why he was tasked with leading the JLA and is now attached to your lot. It keeps him out of the way of ARGUS' real work," Poole relished saying.
"Namely operating clandestine units like the Suicide Squad," Superman realized.
"Ding, ding, you can be taught. Maybe you're not quite as stupid as Lane portrays you as being," Poole taunted Superman.
"You won't goad me into a fight," Superman promised, "And those lead shield ports are hiding nothing that will prove useful to you."
"Care to wager on that?" Poole asked as she and her companion Black Razor opened those self same ports. They had hidden flecks of green kryptonite. Minute pieces in and of themselves but quarried in a great enough amount to prove harmful.
"Now, I suggest you rabbit. If you still can," Poole mocked him.
The Psycho Trooper named Capt. Bess Harding led the Sandman Pvt. Don Drapier against Green Lantern. John had felt flushed with his victory over Guardian and Agent Liberty but now he reeled from Harding's attack. He'd been unaware of her flooding his system with a localized fear toxin until the effects struck.
It was often said that a Green Lantern knew no fear. But John had tasted the lie to that platitude. So he dug deep within himself once again to find the ultimate will that lay buried within him. He would conquer his fear before doing the same to his foes. And then he would return to his wife and unborn child.
The Psycho Trooper Master Sgt. Phil Linkletter and Sandman Pvt. Valerie Hooper fought the Atom. Except after his near death at the hands of Chrysalis, Ray Palmer wasn't in a generous mood. So the attacking duo swiftly found themselves on the defensive.
Lt. Archie Goodwin was considered to be an up and coming Psycho Trooper. Still, Barda's reaction to the fear toxin took him by surprise. Instead of fear, Barda experienced extreme aggression. So Goodwin and Sandman Pvt. Jonas Jones would be lucky to escape with their lives.
Hourman was facing two Sandmen. Cpl. Steve Erwin and Lt. Tawny Kitten. Rex Tyler had originated the Miraclo formula. Originally it could be taken once a day other the physical strain and addictive qualities would kill the user. Upon returning from Limbo, Rex went back to formula. His next generation Miraclo could be used four times within twenty-four hours. But it was still horribly addictive.
When Rex passed the Hourman mantle to Rick he reformulated again. This time he removed the addictive qualities. But the psychological addiction of being superhuman was as potent as any chemical dependency. So Hourman knew he had seventeen minutes left before he could re-up his dose but his mind was already grooving on a need for a fix.
So was looking forward to a good long fight in order to give him excuses to continue dosing Miraclo.
Jesse Quick also faced down two Sandmen. They were Capt. Bryce Tanner and Sgt. Harold Stamper. Like Rick, Jesse found her Speed Force powers derived from a spoken mathematical equation to be addictive. She'd never understood her parents' dependency on being superheroes until she became one herself. Now she was as hooked as her husband and parents.
Vibe was keeping Agent Liberty at bay. Both Agent Liberty and Guardian had joined Cyclotron in renewed hostilities at the direct order of Gen. Lane. So far Vibe had kept Agent Liberty from shooting him by vibrating the man's bullets into pieces
But Agent Liberty flew circles around Vibe and fired from any direction. Vibe wanted to cripple the man's flight pack but he wasn't precise enough to hit it without hitting Agent Liberty with the vibration field. But he had to do something within a few seconds or he was going to get shot.
"I'm gonna melt you, Plastic Man," Cyclotron boasted.
"Puh-lease, better villains have threatened me and I'm alive and they're in jail," Plas yawned.
"You've never faced anyone like me before," Cyclotron was irked by Plastic Man's nonchalance.
"Sure, I have. It's called navel lint," Plas mocked him.
"You are so gonna die," Cyclotron was incensed now.
"Bring it. I'll still be here when you're done," Plas promised.
"Why are you fighting us again?" Supergirl asked Guardian as he used his shield as a weapon.
"I have orders," Guardian replied.
"And you have a brain. Try thinking for yourself," Supergirl demanded.
"I…I can't disobey a direct order," Guardian sounded distressed.
"Try it and see what happens," Supergirl was insistent.
"I…can't!" Guardian was desperate now.
"Hold your shield up," she was glad to see he didn't hesitate before she hit his shield and sent Guardian careening into a cave wall. Supergirl calmly approached him as he recovered, "Care to try again?"
Inza Nelson summoned Anna Fortune to the House of Mystery. Anna opted to take Gypsy with her to meet the Justice League Dark. As she reasoned with herself they'd still be serving the interests of a Justice League.
Atom Smasher fished the coughing and sputtering Reactron out of the ocean. Only Reactron wasn't grateful. And he still clutched his shard of gold kryptonite.
"Git offa me" Reactron lashed out at Atom Smasher.
"You're the git," Squire accused, "This bloke just saved your worthless life."
"I'm grateful," But Reaction's tone proved he wasn't, "Now I'm goin' back to the fight."
"I can't allow that," Atom Smasher declared.
"Good. Lets me show my 'gratitude' up close and personal-like," Reactron chuckled.
Owlwoman found it impossible to simply stand by, "We have to help the Justice League."
"Mist said hold so we hold," Belphegor demanded.
"We'll see about that," Owlwoman began to rally the Ultramarine Corps.
Superwoman was badly outmuscled by Bizarro and Bizarro Lois. And her damn father impassively watched as the two monsters slowly tore Lucy apart. What really cut her heart was his encouraging Bizarro Lois in her attempt to murder Superwoman.
"Your daughter is going to be killed," Dr. Mist warned Lane.
"Nonsense, Lois can take care of herself. Especially now," Lane replied.
Dr. Mist finally realized the depths of Lane's insanity. If the demented general wouldn't end the fight, then Mist would arrange its end. But it would end his position within Lane's organization and cast the Ultramarine Corps out into the cold once again.
The Mighty Crusaders deployed from the Simon & Kirby building as the National Guard arrived to begin securing neighborhoods that local and federal law enforcement hadn't been able to stabilize. The blocks surrounding the MLJ's borrowed building were deserted because no criminal or gang member wanted to enter the Hangman's kill zone. The surviving militia foot soldiers were fighting their way back out of Los Angeles.
Before the deployment, Black Hood had briefed the Mighty Crusaders and MLJ support staff on the nature of the Evil Brain Trust and the name of its master.
Which begged Black Hood's question, "Who is this guy?"
"His name is Malik al Thaka," Shield answered, "He's an Arabian radical Grodd sent to Bailya to overthrow the Crimson Queen. In the process of preparing al Thaka, Grodd detected a latent gen factor in his puppet and activated the meta-gene to create the Brain Emperor. Al Thaka's skull literally split open when his brain enlarged. He has every psionic ability available to humans. And he's obsessed with global domination."
"And he wants our heads because of you," Black Hood understood now, "This is why I concentrate on Intergang and the Syndicate Underground. Real crooks destroying real people's lives."
"That may be true in your estimation but we still need you tonight," Carol Anne Strander advised Black Hood.
Wayne Sidmonson debated it. He had one agenda and his enchanted executioner's hood had another, "Tell Latham after this I'm part-time. I'll work with the MLJ on a case by case basis."
Now to business, Carol had said, "We have teammates in four locations. Two are asking for assistance. War Eagle is at the port where she tracked Buzzard and Owl rendezvousing with a Soviet-era submarine."
"The Plunderer. It's Pirate Blue's base of operations. It as to be," Black Hood insisted.
"You know her then. Good. You get a rematch," Carol offered, "Jaguar and Steel Sterling will assist as well. The rest of you are headed downtown."
"Comet found an auction run for super villains. He's on site and so are Hangman and Darkling," KitCat supplied.
"I don't trust Hangman after his little stunt here," Carol confessed, "And Darkling hasn't earned any yet. So get out there and keep them honest."
"No, I don't need assistance, dammit! Radiation Rogue is turning everyone into targets of opportunity. I have enough people to protect already," Inferno switched the radio off.
"Aw, am I making it too tough for you, Bunkie?" Radiation Rogue sneered, "Then quit and leave me alone."
"We'll see `bout that," Inferno ignited Radiation Rogues NBC armor. He stripped out of it and in his panic he exposed the radioactive core that powered his weapon. He ran screaming down the road in his underwear.
"It'll take an awfully dumb cop to ignore that," Inferno dealt with the core. He took it off road and buried it in the median. It wasn't a perfect solution but it should keep those nearby from getting unnatural cancers.
Comet groaned as Elasto and Crow arrived to attack him. He was still fighting them when the Mighty Crusaders arrived. Shield took charge.
"Fly Girl, Comet needs help," he pointed out.
"Suh! Yas, suh!" Fly Girl flew off to join the fight.
"Something funny?" Shield asked Web.
"You seriously need to tone it down. None of us are soldiers. And you're an officer that got busted back to an enlisted man. So your military credentials don't carry much weight," Web explained, "You got your whole unit killed."
"I followed orders," Shield replied.
"And will history repeat itself?" Web asked, "That's the question on everyone's mind. And seriously? The elevator? Isn't that a tad gauche?"
"It's so overt it's covert," Shield grinned.
"Nice to see you're actually human after all," Web remarked.
"Same to you," Shield retorted.
"So what are we expecting to find?" Web wondered.
"A room full of trouble," Shield answered.
"Do Darkling and Hangman rate as well?" Web had to ask.
Shield didn't answer. Which Web had expected.
Fox admired She-Fox's martial arts proficiency. She was kicking the crap out of the gang fighting her. Fox wasn't doing so badly himself.
The MLJ was blazing away in his ear. They wanted to know why he'd diverted to his present location. He was reluctant to reveal She-Fox's existence. And he didn't know why.
"I have my instructions," Hangman announced to Darkling, "We may begin."
"Finally," Darkling said impatiently.
Hangman couldn't manage a laugh.
Racing against time and numbers, Jade and Thunderbolt escorted various stragglers struggling to get to the "safe" zone. Jade and Thunderbolt dealt with the pursuing crooks and gangs. And got everyone behind the electrified construct barrier Jade and Thunderbolt had erected.
Jade domed the barrier to prevent shootings from neighboring buildings. Thunderbolt electrified it to keep pests clear of it. Now it was a test of endurance to see who had the most resolve. The criminals or the heroines?
"Your purported goal is to pose as criminals to infiltrate them and kill them from within," Nyssa Raatko recited Beryl's earlier assertion, "But what separates you from them? What lengths will you go to to prove your criminal inclinations? These are questions that need answering. Especially the one that goes, 'what is your ultimate ambition?'"
That even left Rose speechless.
Wintergreen had arrived for arranging travel and lodgings in Paris the day before. The Titans had simply settled in and waited for Saturn Queen's strike at the United Nations. From what Deathstroke had gathered, Saturn Queen came from a future where Earth was governed by a tightly knit organization called EarthGov. And Earth was part of a broader canvas known as the United Planets. And all law enforcement was centralized in another entity called the Science Police.
So while Saturn Queen was now a resident of this era, she was prejudiced by her past. She hadn't fully realized the futility of trying to seize power from the United Nations, simply because they had no centralized power base. It was a work in progress to be sure but they were still a bureaucratic organization rather than a ruling body.
And Saturn Queen's focus on the UN revealed her principle weakness.
Deathstroke laid down the Titans' rules of engagement, "We have a singular target. Saturn Queen is to be killed regardless of her agents, pawns, or proxies. No one else matters."
"No problem," Arsenal agreed.
"They're all costumed criminals," Vigilante declared, "Whether their costumes are tights or suits and ties."
Deathstroke felt they were ready.
Brain Emperor was inducting his second wave of new members into the Evil Brain Trust. He was reviewing the roll call at that moment. Wolf was one of the more interesting recruits.
Manny Humphries had been infected with lycanthropy by Radil Tepish, the original werewolf. Tepish had been a slave of Vlad Drakul and gained his freedom upon Drakul's death. But Tepish had slain his "offspring" rather than see his deviancy continued.
But Tepish had lost his immortality with the demise of his master. So when Manny came upon him while running from the law, Tepish infected him shortly before dying of extreme old age. Manny was immediately aware that Tepish had wanted to restore his legacy rather than let it completely die out.
Manny discovered, as the "child" of Tepish, he could transform at will besides the obligatory transformation and lupine madness of the full moon. He could even transform during the day. Making him Brain Emperor's counterpart to the Hyena.
Applejack had been a Nineteenth Century serial killer in New Orleans. After being lynched by the Klu Klux Klan he became a spirit that occasionally influenced a killing before finding the perfect host body in a downtrodden science teacher. Now Applejack was revitalized and killing once more.
Bob Phantom was a failed journalist that had became an even greater failure at being a superhero in order to travel in the elite circles and get the interviews no one else could aspire to. But his bumbling antics made him the laughing stock of the superhero and journalistic world.
So Bob Phantom decided to become a master criminal. Together with his trained poodle, Bob Phantom had carried out several successful heists. And with his notebook full of secrets derived from the company of superheroes, Bob Phantom was an untapped resource Brain Emperor could hardly ignore.
Chromium was an early test bed of Claire Connelly's nanotech that later spawned the modern Shield. Chromium was completely encased in metal, except his eyes and lower lip. He was a natty dresser who wore his finery over his metal skin.
Released from LexCorp service, Chromium found employment as a mob enforcer and eventually rising to become one of the Patriarch's chief minions. Mercy Corp and ARGUS were each hunting for Chromium, who hid in plain sight amongst Chicago's elite.
Dolphus was a CRUCIBLE Project weapons program development. A hybrid between dolphin and human DNA, Dolphus freed himself from his captor-creators and went about destroying their oceanic based projects. CRUCIBLE had enlisted the MARS Corporation to find and eliminate Dolphus. MARS assigned the task to the Gun Club within their ARMS Control division.
Brain Emperor had merely found Dolphus first.
Arachnus had been a technically gifted burglar that became known as a "Spiderman". Spider lamented this fact to Chromium and Lady Spider set a trap. The so-called "Spiderman" survived being thrown out of a penthouse window and the plunge to the ground thanks to a line and piton. But the future Arachnus' back was broken and his legs were paralyzed from that point on.
Building a framework with four additional limbs, Arachnus took his place as a spider-like thief. Successfully battling the Fly during several capers, Arachnus' reputation surpassed his previous incarnation as Spiderman. But his first failure came at the hands of Fly Girl on her first mission post-Web Host status.
Arachnus joined the Evil Brain Trust for the promise of avenging himself upon Fly Girl.
Void had been a janitor caught in an artificial gravity accident. He'd gotten the scientists to safety but was sucked into the gravity well. Endowed with an inhuman appearance and gravitic abilities, Void's services came with the promise of a cure.
Maxx-13 and Mann-X were products of the CRUCIBLE Project. Designed as super-soldiers, they'd been surpassed by Shield and Lancelot Strong. Only Lancelot mocked them for it. So when they were cut loose from CRUCIBLE, they ended up with the ARMS Control division of MARS Corp. And they would dance upon Lancelot Strong's grave when they learned of his death.
Meridian ran a mercenary company. It was among the most elite contracting firms of conventional soldiers for hire in the world. Meridian herself was a complete mystery to the outer world since she habitually wore a series of disguises whenever she was personally involved in a campaign. And those soldiers for hire beneath her were literally beneath her. Or serving her while undergoing degrading humiliations.
It seemed Meridian liked her sex toys emotionally emasculated and potentially lethal. Meridian's motivations for assisting the Evil Brain Trust were two-fold. The first concern was simply money. The second was defeating Web and Shield, who'd interfered in past contracts and reclaiming her and her firm's honor and sterling reputation.
The Invisible Terror stole his invisibility suit from Mercy Corp. His involvement in the Evil Brain Trust was to garner Brain Emperor's protection so he could survive Mercy Grave's wrath and keep his suit. And his suit offered him limitless opportunities.
Indigo was an NRA activist gone insane. Thirty years ago, Indigo took the White House hostage to dissuade gun control legislation from being passed and the American Crusaders rescued President Reagan. Indigo had served his sentence and now he was eager to eliminate the Mighty Crusaders so he could finish his extreme activism with President Olivia McKay. Especially since he was convinced she wasn't even human.
General Mechanix was an engineering genius with a twisted sense of purpose. He designed mechanical enforcers and death traps in order to extort major urban landscapes. He had previously held Central and Keystone Cities hostage simultaneously. His mistake came in underestimating the Flashes. Brain Emperor promised him the opportunity to eliminate the Justice League, the Justice Society, and the Mighty Crusaders. How could he refuse such an offer?
One of General Mechanix's creations was a suit of armor that induced seismic shifts. Brain Emperor had chosen the recipient of this armor. And Tremor served Brain Emperor without hesitation or remorse.
Studs was a disgraced Web Host. Kicked out by the Web and wanted by every federal law enforcement agency in the United States. But as a former Web Host, Studs possessed invaluable information regarding the Web, his Hosts, and the MLJ. And that included data on the Mighty Crusaders.
Templar was one of the sole surviving Knights of St. Dumas. But was afflicted with elephantiasis and his body was massively distorted. But he refused to let the Order die and
Brain Emperor promised him support in return for the same.
Brain Emperor's most valuable allies were the Syndicate Underground and the Global
Concern. Dr. Zadar ran the entire Global Concern. He was also the mastermind behind its creation and its multi-tiered business model. But on paper, the second level of business didn't exist despite its being the most profitable aspect. But providing manpower to super villains was hardly socially responsible.
Ariel Pryde, professionally known as the super villain "Domino", ran the Global Concern's criminal enterprises. She was the heiress to a gaming company and she saw her activities as those of being in a strategic RPG. She sold her death trap designs to such characters as the Riddler and others. She'd been the one to suggest the creation of the Evil Brain Trust to Brain Emperor and provided him with the contact information of reach member. Now she was devising strategies for specific campaigns and the elimination of "Big Boss" types such as Superman, Green Lantern, Sentinel, Flash, and others.
Other members of the Global Concern board were Adrian Hasket, a failed magician who developed a genetics process for splicing disparate species' DNA together to create what he called "Creeptures". Dr. Archer ran the world's largest synthetic narcotics ring. Hercules was the literal mythological being came back to Earth to destroy the bulk of humanity and especially to enslave all women.
The Global Concern's debt collection unit was called the "Costume Club". They retrieved payment from indebted villains for services rendered. The unit consisted of five women and four men. The women were: Spandex, Yoga Pants, Leotard, Mask, and Cowl. The men were: Boots, Cape, Belt, and Gloves. Together they'd collected fees from even the most reluctant payers.
The Global Concern, like the Syndicate Underground, was throwing every resource they had into the Evil Brain Trust. And they both knew their fortunes rode with Brain Emperor.
