Jonathan read through everything that he had noted down, he'd spent a long time in the libraries of Windsor, and the Palace and browsing through the collections of the guardians to figure out what Sinestro was doing. Caitlin had helped, and he'd been incredibly grateful for her help, for there'd been times when he'd not known what the hell he was looking at. Together they'd collated enough evidence to present a proper case before his dad, and the other members of the League. That was why they were now in the Fortress, where his father had set up shop.
"What evidence have you found?" His father asked, dressed in golden armour, a cape of black adorning him.
"We have found evidence of collusion between Sinestro and a force of Black Lantern Corps." Jonathan said. "The Black Lantern Corps are the dead bodies and souls of those condemned to serve for eternity in the court of death itself. They are nt allowed to pass through into the Neverworld. Instead they must fight for the being who controls them and their passage. The first Black Lantern came into being during the Long Fight between Darkseid and the Old Gods, where things were created that have not yet been discovered."
"And how do you know that Sinestro is indeed working for them?" Father asked.
Caitlin answered that question. "We did some research into what had happened during the fight between the League and the Green Lantern Corps, and what movements had been made before that time. Sinestro and the Yellow Lantern Corps had spent much of the past ten years preparing and searching the galaxy far and wide for things that they could use to control the elements with. When that failed, they spent time searching for a legend. When Jonathan fought the Green Lanterns, his anger was such that a black ring fell from the sky."
Jonathan took up the story from there. "I picked up the ring and felt such anger, such rage as I have never felt before. I knew how to do what needed to be done. And as I killed the guardians and Ganthet in particular I felt as though some part of me was complete. I buried the ring in Ganthet for I feared what it would do to me should it be allowed to remain on my person."
Caitlin continued. "After Jonathan heard the exchange between Sinestro and this other being, we did some further digging. It appears that Black Rings will only fall from the sky when Nekron has himself been invoked. And as Jonathan had not said his name, it stands to reason that someone else would have done so. The only being that would be as foolish as to invoke such a being, is Sinestro. We did some reading into him as well, and we found that he had visited the realm of death on three occasions, once as a Green Lantern, once as a young man before he had joined the Lantern Corps, and finally a few years before his return to this galaxy."
There was movement at the end of the hall, Jonathan wondered what it was, but soon refocused when his father asked. "That is all well and good, but where is the true definitive proof that Sinestro did indeed agree to work with this Nekron?"
Jonathan spoke then. "The proof comes from the past few exchanges he has had. His ring has as you requested been tracked with monitoring and so, when we looked over it, we found that there were communications with a planet that was beyond what we would expect from someone on the council. We did some digging and we found that the coordinates led to Death's realm. And once we learned that we decided to have look through his belongings as they stood here. We found these." He pulled out several documents with the words of death on them. He handed them to his father, who read through them intently, then when he was done he handed them back.
"So, it seems then that Sinestro has remained as untrustworthy as we always thought he would be." Father looked at Hal then. "You mentioned that he knocked you out before killing John Stewart and many of the other lanterns with John, is that correct?"
"Yes Your Excellency." Hal replied. "When I came to he claimed that they had gone for him thus necessitating that action. But when I spoke with the other lanterns they denied that and insisted that he and the Yellow Lanterns had been the provocateurs."
"Sinestro." Father called out. And the being appeared, head bowed.
"Your Excellency?" the being said.
"You have heard the charges against you, what do you have to say for yourself?" Father demanded.
"I would reply that I have served Your Excellency as well as I possibly could. I have done all I have been asked. If I had dealings with Nekron I do not see how they would counteract what I have done." Sinestro replied.
"You do not deny dealing with a beast that wishes to harm Earth, the very place you have sworn to protect?" Father asked.
"I do not." Sinestro replied.
His father stood and his eyes were red. "Then your life and that of the Yellow Lantern Corps is forfeit. I will not stand for treason." His eyes burned and Sinestro stood and took it. However, the yellow lanterns did not, they fought, needing Jonathan to get involved. He used his powers, burning holes through their heads, whilst Caitlin and others used their powers to destroy them as well. When they were dead, their rings were destroyed and his father said. "Jonathan, Caitlin, you have both rendered a great service to Earth. Never again shall we trust the words of a liar and a cheat. Let it be known that from this day, the Yellow Ring is banned on Earth, any who wear it are to be punished by death. We shall not rule by fear."
The UN had decided to meet on this day, the anniversary of Lois's death, and so here he was. Kal knew what was going to happen, he had all but seen it coming since the moment he'd learned that The President had been working with The Joker. That beast was dead, and the President was in prison, and Bruce had even reached out. Still, there were things that needed to be taken care of here, and so here he was. Dressed in golden armour, with a blue cape around his shoulders, he sat where usually the head of the UN sat.
The mutterings stopped as Black Adam stood up and spoke before everyone. "We are gathered here today to acknowledge two things. Firstly, since Kal El has become High Chancellor, the wars of the world have stopped, resources have been more evenly distributed, poverty has been all but eradicated from the Earth and finally crime has been wiped out. Those who seek to do ill to this world are dead or being re-educated, those who remain at large are being wiped out. Only yesterday, we had word that Batman was willing to seek peace. And before that we captured several of those fools calling themselves the Society." There were murmurs of approval at that. "The second thing we have come here to acknowledge, is that we are stronger together than divided. The President of the United States did not acknowledge that, indeed it seems she refused to acknowledge that, as did her predecessor. Her greed led to her treating a criminal known as The Joker as an equal, and as such the Joker is now dead, and the President is imprisoned. The US Congress has decided that there will be no more Presidents and has elected Kal El as the Supreme Chancellor of the States. This assembly has now come to offer Kal El the throne of Earth."
Even though he'd expected that, he was still taken aback, though how that made sense he didn't know. He looked at the gathered diplomats and politicians and said nothing. Katar got up then, as Pharaoh of Egypt and an actual God, his words would carry a lot of weight. "I have lived for millennia; I have served the people of Egypt from their very beginnings to the present. I have defended my home with everything that I have. My time on this planet is drawing to an end, and there is no one I would rather leave to defending the Earth, than Kal El. I believe that he will bring us into a glorious era that will ensure that we never again have to fear for food, water, natural resources or homes."
There was general applause at that, then his own son Jonathan, dressed in armour black as night, with a black crown stood up and walked to him and said. "My father has done much to make this world safer. He has removed tyrannical governments; he has removed criminal gangs such as the Intergang that would try to bring the world to its knees again. And whilst there remains a present threat to our world in the form of the society, he will continue to strive to ensure that they do not make a dent on the progress we have made." Jonathan got down on bended knee before him and said. "As King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, I hereby pledge my allegiance to Kal El, as Emperor of Earth, and ruler of the land and the sky."
Kal got up and raised his son to his feet. "And I, Kal El, recognise you Kon El, as my flesh and blood, as my heir, and my son. We recognise you as the Prince of Earth and Sky."
Others got up and bent the knee swearing allegiance, pledging themselves to him through everything that would come, everything that would happen and more. He accepted their pledges, their oaths of fealty, with good grace. He knew he could kill any of them if they tried to betray him, and they knew it as well. And so, they went on and on, he only wished Lois could be here with him, and their son. Eventually, they stopped and he spoke.
"I, Kal El, Last Son of Krypton, and the Emperor of Earth and Sky recognise your oaths of fealty, I accept them, and I shall make an oath to you now as I stand before you. As long as I breathe I shall not let tyranny or torture pervade my realm, nor shall I stand for injustice, or for the lack of opportunity for any of those who wish to make something of themselves. For too long we have sat back and allowed others to dictate to us what it means to be a person of Earth. Now we decide ourselves. I invite you all to join me on this mission. Together, we shall have one Earth, one people and one paradise."
"We agree to this." Came the chorus of approval.
Arthur, dressed in armour, crown atop his head walked forward and said. "Kal El, you are Emperor of Earth and Sky, I wish to know of what you would do of the sea and the oceans. Would you seek to rule over them as well?"
Kal knew he had to approach this situation delicately, he could not assume anything about what Arthur was asking, for his friend was a proud man, and had ruled for half the time they'd known one another. "Arthur, I am Emperor of Earth and Sky, my responsibility is for all those on land and in the air. You have ruled the oceans and the seas for as long as we have known one another. I would not wish to strip you of your authority, therefore I propose a solution. You shall be Emperor of the Sea and be responsible for the oceans and the seas and all those who inhabit them, and I as Emperor of Earth and Sky shall be responsible for those who inhabit land and sky. Is that agreeable to you?"
Arthur nodded and gripped his arm. "It is." They both smiled and embraced as the watchers cheered.
Diana felt light, she felt as though all the cares had been wiped from her mind. Things were much simpler, the waves lapped the shore, and there at her side was Steve Trevor, her first love, her only love. He looked at her and smiled. "You know, Diana, I don't think I've seen something so beautiful." Even though they'd been married for centuries now, she blushed.
"You're just saying that to flatter me." She replied.
Steve grinned. "No, I'm being serious. You're the most beautiful person in the world, and I wouldn't have it any other way." He leaned in and kissed her and she kissed him back and for a moment everything was beautiful, blissful, as it should be, but then.
"How touching. A shame if it were to be ripped away." A voice, a dark voice, one she knew well, it came and she watched with horror as her nightmare played out before her. Steve was killed, a sword through his chest. His eyes went white, then nothing.
"No!" She screamed. She held Steve. "Please, no, please, Steve, please, you've got stay awake. Stay awake for me, my love, please!"
Steve looked at her, his eyes were already gone, but she knew he was looking at her. "I love you Diana." There was an explosion. That didn't make sense, why was there an explosion, they were on an island, not there. But then they were. The world was going mad, Steve was saying he loved her, but she couldn't hear him, her ears were ringing. What was happening? No, why was he going, where was he going? She watched as the plane crashed, exploded, she screamed again and again. Then she felt white hot anger.
"Good. Very good. Let it wash over you. You know what must be done Diana, you have always known deep down what must be done. Embrace your true nature. Embrace everything that has happened to you, let the hate flow through you. Let it make you stronger. Wear it as your armour. These humans, they have taken your loved one from you, they have taken your lover, your father, your mother, your brother, your sisters, everything. There is only you."
Diana shook her head, she knew what he was trying to do. "I won't let you win." She growled.
Ares roared with laughter. "I have already won, your boyfriend might have removed the plane, but the war will continue. Humanity is destined to fight one another until they are all dead. I shall continue to drink on their rage until such a time that I know where they are finished. But so long as they continue breeding and hating one another, I shall always be there. Strong, and everlasting. You shall not win, Diana, you are no God Killer, only a scared little girl, with nothing."
Diana stared at him and said. "You are wrong. I have hope." She knew how the dream went, she remembered fighting him, she remembered feeling pain, feeling the things that she had never felt before. Ares had crumpled before her, but she had known that he would not die so easily. There were other ways to destroy him, and they were implementing one of them right now. Kal was, she had to get back to him, she had to make sure that everything was safe.
As she thought that something happened, the world changed, there was a fire burning somewhere, there was a stench, and then there was Steve, looking as handsome as he had ever looked. He looked at her and smiled. "Diana."
She felt as though her breath had been knocked out of her. "Steve."
"What? No hug for your favourite American?" Steve joked. Diana blinked and ran toward him embracing him and holding onto him as tightly as she could.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Well, I've come here to tell you something." Steve replied. Diana raised an eyebrow, and he laughed and continued. "It's a story about a young woman who came from a far away land, after learning about a war from a snotty nosed American. She decided that she had to help people she had never known, people she had never met before. Because she was a person who could never not help someone when they were in need. She saw things no woman should have to see. People crying, children weeping for their mothers, wives crying for their husbands, and men fighting in the trenches, struggling to stay sane. Men who had given everything they had and had nothing left to give. Through all of that she never lost the spark of hope, that people could be good, that people could stand and be counted for. The belief that no matter what nonsense humanity pulled, it would always unite together in the face of evil."
Diana stared at Steve, hardly willing to believe he was there in front of him, what he'd said hit her though. "I still believe that."
"Do you? Truly?" Steve asked.
She wanted to say that yes she did, but then she thought about it and she sighed. "I think I might have gotten a bit carried away trying to make sure that Kal got everything he needed done."
Steve nodded. "You've got to fight for what you believe in Diana. A darkness is coming, and you need to be united for that."
"Darkness?" Diana asked. "What darkness?"
"Brainiac, he's coming and he will be here very soon. He's coming for the world. Kal El will need your help, and your skills. You will need to be you Diana, not Wonder Woman, but Diana of Themiscyra. For the world, will need her more than ever." Steve moved away from her and she sighed.
"Will you not come with me?" She asked, knowing that even as she asked the question what his answer would be.
Steve laughed and ruffled his hair. "You know I cannot." There was a pause. "I love you, Diana."
As she watched Steve Trevor fade away, she murmured. "I love you too, Steve."
Diana shot up awake, she wondered where she was for a moment, then saw her mother. "I need to get to the Fortress, Brainiac is coming."