Absolute Lords

Oliver Queen had always known becoming President of the United States of America would be the most difficult thing he'd ever done. That included his time as Green Arrow. After Dinah had died at the hands of Lady Shiva, Oliver had given up the bow and arrow in favor of politics. He believed he could do more good this way.

And he'd been right. He had fixed many problems, and made the world a safer place.

He never imagined, however, that he'd be staring at the white clad man with an "S" emblazoned on his chest with such hate.

Lord Superman picked up the American flag on the presidential desk. "You know, I remember the last time I was in this office."

Oliver's eyes gleamed with defiance. "So do I. You murdered my predecessor."

Lord Superman laughed. "Oh come on, Mr. President. It was Lex Luthor." The Kryptonian's demeanor suddenly darkened. "He deserved worse. I should have made it last."

"Murder is still murder, Clark."

Lord Superman burned the flag in his hand. "You have a choice, Oliver. You can step down, or we can… depose you."

Oliver crossed his arms. "I assume the other world leaders are being offered the same choice."

Lord Superman smirked. "You assume correctly."

Oliver slammed his hands down on the desk. "You're insane if you think I'm going to turn this country over to you! What happened to you? You came back bruised and beaten, and we thought you had actually learned something! That you're not gods! You are not the ultimate power!"

Lord Superman frowned. "Our trip to the other world made things crystal clear, Oliver. Once our powers returned, we had to do more. It's not enough to control the government. That still gives the idea that we are not in control. We are in control. We always will be. We will be the government."

For the first time since he had found Dinah's body, Oliver felt fear.

"You're not turning anything over to me. I'm taking what is mine."

"You've lost your mind, Clark…"

"On the contrary," Lord Superman's eyes lit up with red fury. "I've finally found it."

Oliver Queen didn't have time to make a sound. The twin beams sliced into his skull and through his brain in an instant. The former president dropped to the ground.

"After all, Mr. President, who could oppose us?"

Lord Superman crossed his arms in irradiation as he shifted in his chair. The rest of the Justice Lords were supposed to have returned by now. After all, how long could it take to coerce the United Nations?

Just as he was about to rise, the doors to the War Room opened. The Justice Lords entered the room. The pure power that radiated off of them was incredible. Lord Martian Manhunter, Lord Green Lantern, Lady Hawkgirl, Lady Wonder Woman, Lord Flash and Lord Batman took their respective seats.

"It's about time," Lord Superman growled.

"Oh relax, Superman," Lord Flash chided. "We have all the time in the world."

Wally West was killed by President Luthor, but a new Flash had risen to take his place.

"So they conceded then?"

"Of course." Lord Green Lantern crossed his arms. "They did last time. They know what would happen if they didn't."

Lord Superman looked at Lord Batman. "No second thoughts, Bruce?"

"Of course not," Lord Batman scowled. "The Justice League was wrong. The amount of corruption and crime that existed in their world…"

"Make sure you remember that, Batman," Lord Martian Manhunter threatened.

"I don't forget, J'onn."

"Excellent," Lord Superman leaned forward. "Now what about your home, Diana?"

"My mother continues to be stubborn, but she will -"

A sudden boom took the six meta humans by surprise. They were on their feet and ready for a fight in seconds.

"Who…?" Lord Superman approached the boom tube.

"I am not your enemy." A deep female voice rang out.

A short, stubby African American woman stepped out of the light. She was dressed in a blue business suit and her eyes were sharp and intelligent.

"I have a proposition for you, Justice Lords."

"Not interested," Lord Batman growled.

"You haven't heard what it is yet. My name is Amanda Waller. I need your help to save my world."

"And why shouldn't we kill you here and now?" Lady Hawkgirl hefted her mace.

"Because I can take everything from you. Your power, your position. Everything. But I don't want to. All I want you to do is get rid of the Justice League. Simple enough."

"I have a better proposition."

Lord Superman appeared beside Waller. He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her in the air.

"You work for us now. We will bring order to your world. Cross me, and I will kill you."

Lord Superman dropped Waller to the floor. She coughed and rubbed her throat.

"We'll bring order to their world."

"And ours?" Lord Green Lantern asked.

"I'm sure we won't be long. They know we rule now. Our world is secure."

Lord Superman grabbed Amanda Waller and pushed her through the portal.

"Let's show the Justice League what real heroes look like, and make them pay for ever crossing us."

The six Justice Lords stepped through the portal and it closed with a loud boom.

Princess Diana lifted a marble pillar off the ground. It had been a week since Circe's attempted conquest of Themyscira. The Amazon Princess had demanded her mother rest before cleaning up, and then her duties with the League had pulled her away. She was just now returning to help clean up the destruction the witch had caused.

"Really Princess, you couldn't have stopped Circe without so much destruction?"

Diana smirked. "You're one to talk, Artemis. Besides, I wasn't the one who was doing the fighting, remember? Thank Hera Kara, Zatanna and Kendra accompanied me back here to face Circe."

"Yes, I thank the gods that they were here to break the witch's spell." Queen Hippolyta entered the throne room. "Now that she has been returned to Hades, I believe we can all breathe easier."

"Yes, but there is still the matter of this mess, my queen." Artemis swept the dust away.

"Well I did come back to help, didn't I?" Diana laughed as Artemis coughed from the dust.

"I am a warrior, not a janitor," she complained.

"Well, warrior, your queen appreciates your hard work." Hippolyta chuckled.

Artemis huffed and continued about her work.

Queen Hippolyta turned her attention to her daughter. "Diana, there is something I must show you."

Puzzled, Diana followed her mother. They strode through the palace, neither woman saying a word. When Diana expected her mother to turn right, towards her throne, she turned left instead. They entered the basement complex of the palace, down and down until the only light was that of the torches they both carried. The sweet smelling palace gave way to a damp and musty smell as they continued deeper under the palace

They came upon a large old wooden door with strange writing engraved into it. Hippolyta opened the door and the two women walked forward. The marble gave way to stone as they continued on. Water dripped from the ceiling as Diana recognized this place. She had only been here one time before.

"Who would come to see us?" The voice of an old woman echoed throughout the cave.

Three old women draped in robes sat at the end of the cave, a small fire burning beside them. None of the women has eyes, yet they could be told apart by their heads. One simply had dark hair, while another had two spikes jutting out of the side of her head. The third had what looked like a hat atop her head, with two parallel horns. All three women had odd looking smiles on their faces.

The Moirai. The Fates.

"It is I, Queen Hippolyta, come to see you once more," Hippolyta held her torch up.

"A, the Queen of the Amazons has returned," one fate said.

Another turned her eyeless face to Diana. "And she has brought the Princess."

All three women focused their attention on Diana. "We do not usually hold such an audience, Princess, but the Queen does hold some power on such matters."

"We have foreseen the fate of you and your allies. Corruption races toward you like lightning, as you face yourselves in an unseen war."

Diana's brows furrowed. "What does that mean, exactly?"

All three women smiled. "That is for you to discover, Princess of the Amazons."

Hippolyta nodded. "Thank you, Moirai."

"We will expect just payment for this, Queen Hippolyta."

The fire dimmed and dyed. The three Moirai sisters were suddenly gone, leaving Diana to contemplate their odd prediction.

Batman grit his teeth and ignored the pungent smell of the sewers. He whipped out two batarangs and whipped them down the tunnel.

Killer Croc swatted them away like flies. His licked his lips and roared.

Batman took out another batarang and primed it. As soon as Croc began to charge, Batman slung the projectile through the air. Croc went to swat it away, but once he made contact, the batarang exploded.

Batman raised his cape to shield himself before checking to see Croc's state. The massive scale-covered man simply pushed the rubble off of himself and snarled.

Batman narrowed his eyes and knew he had to get out of the sewer. There wasn't enough room to maneuver. Croc had the advantage down here.

The lizard-like behemoth charged the Dark Knight, but Batman was ready. He dropped smoke bombs and ducked under Croc's arm. He made a beeline for the manhole and swung onto the street. By the roars he could hear coming from the sewer, Croc was right behind him.

Batman unlatched his grapple gun from his belt and swung onto the nearest rooftop. He surveyed his surroundings. They had come out of the sewers on a street right outside the Gotham docks. At this time of night, the street was thankfully deserted. There wasn't much cover, and the street lights illuminated most of the street, but he could make it work.

Croc exploded out of the manhole and searched for his prey. "Where'd you go?!"

Suddenly, the street became dark. The bulbs in the street lights shattered, covering the street in shadow.

Croc's head snapped back and forth, straining to find his target. He didn't get the chance as something dropped down onto his shoulders, causing him to collapse.

Batman rolled off of Croc's shoulders, coming up to a crouch. Croc scrambled to his feet, frantically looking for Batman.

"I can smell you!" Croc roared, his arms swimming at empty air.

"I know." Batman's gravelly voice rang through the night.

Killer Croc whipped his head towards the sound, just as Batman planned. Two small spheres entered his mouth and the mutant choked. The spheres suddenly exploded, and gas seeped out through Croc's mouth and nostrils. His eyes rolled back into his head as the knock out gas took effect.

The 7'5" man fell back. The ground shook as Croc landed.

Batman removed the oxygen apparatus from his mouth, content with his work. He heard sirens in the distance, and satisfied that Croc was down for the count, Batman grappled up to the nearest rooftop and disappeared into the night.

Clark sat down and sighed in contentment. It had been so long since he'd been able to come out and see his parents. Between League business, keeping Metropolis safe, and the Daily Planet, it had been a while. Ma and Pa had insisted they all come over for a Kent family dinner. Lois, Kara, Conner and even Cassie were there with him and his parents. The only one missing was Jamie.

Clark cleared his throat, "So where is Jamie, Kara?"

Kara smirked. "Hal took him out to a football game. They've been getting close since the Amazon attack."

Clark cocked an eyebrow. "Is that a good thing?"

Lois laughed. "He may be a hot shot, but he can't be that bad."

"He's not," Clark admitted, "I just –"

"Want to control every aspect of my life," Kara finished for him, a glimmer in her eye.

Everyone at the table chuckled, while Clark sent her a disapproving look.

"Clark, its fine. He sends his apologizes, but Hal spent quite a bit of money on the tickets."

Ma Kent smiled. "It sounds like he's taking him under his wing."

Kara took a bite of the roast beef. "He is, and I think it's good for him. Jamie's always looked up to all the members in the League, but Hal's always been someone Jamie admired."

Clark smiled, despite himself. "He's coming for desert though, right?"

Kara gave a small smile. "Yes, he is."

Hal and Jamie took their seats, each one relishing what was to come. They could each sense the distinct smells of different foods, as well as hear the roar of the crowd. Both of them were excited, to say the least.

"Hal, really, at least let me give you something!"

Hal waved him off. "No, it's my treat. Seriously, Jamie, don't worry about it."

Jamie smirked. "I know you don't have this kind of money Hal…"

Hal made a face. "Okay, fine, Barry lent me some cash… But I'll pay him back soon. I'm back at Ferris Air now."

"Really? That's awesome!" Jamie couldn't help but ask. "How's Carrol?"

Hal looked offended. "What makes you think I would know how Carrol is?"

Jamie shot him a look. "Hal."

"What is with you and guessing all my secrets today?!"

"I'm just good like that," Jamie laughed.

"Well, I guess that's what friends do." Hal gave him a soft punch to the shoulder.

Jamie grinned at the use of the word friends. He'd always looked up to Green Lantern over all the other Leaguers. He always seemed like he had it all figured out. Jamie knew that wasn't really the case, but he still admired Hal for his confidence and ease. He truly considered himself lucky that the Emerald Warrior wanted to hangout. Kendra kept calling it Jamie's man crush, much to his dismay.

Hal sat back in his seat and relaxed. "I've been waiting for this all week. We deserve a break after San Francisco."

Jamie let out a long breath. "I hear ya."

As the game started, the two Leaguers began to cheer and were lost in the game in moments.

Wally West laughed as his uncle told him what he had done for Hal. "Of course he borrowed money!"

Barry Allen just shook his head and smiled. "Leave it to Hal."

Wally smiled, a little more serious now. "It's good to see you Uncle Barry. The others are all asking when you're coming back."

"Well Iris –"

"Oh no you don't!" A voice rang out from the dining room.

Iris stormed into the room, her feet stomping as she approached Barry. "I am not your excuse Barry Allen! If you don't want to rejoin the League, then tell them that!"

Barry blushed as everyone laughed.

Wally was grinning ear to ear. "You make it sound like this has happened before, Aunt Iris."

Iris just sighed. "You have no idea."

"Honey…" Barry was still blushing.

Iris sat down on Barry's lap and kissed his forehead. "If you're not ready to go back, then don't. But if you want to, go back. It's been six months since you came back, Barry. It's up to you, my love."

Barry wrapped his hands around his wife's waist, contemplating.

"Take your time. Uncle Barry. There'll be a spot waiting for you when you're ready."

Barry smiled. "Thank you, Wally."

Kendra took a huge bite of her burger, savoring the greasy taste. Roy had wanted to go to some fancy dinner, and usually she was fine with that, but tonight she just wanted a burger and fries.

Roy smiled, a twinkle in his eye. "Enjoying that?"

"You have no idea," Kendra grinned back.

Roy munched on a fry as he watched her with amusement. "It's nice to have a night off."

"I guess."

Roy laughed. "You can't even have a night without a fight, can you?"

Kendra shook her head. "Nope, it's boring."

"Not always, Kendra."

Kendra knew that tone of voice. Roy wasn't joking around. She looked up and into his eyes. They looked sad, almost pitying.

"Stop looking at me like that. I'm fine."

"Kendra –" Roy began.

"No. Shayera's gone and Carter is just going to have to deal with that. I already have." Kendra turned away.

Roy placed his hand on hers. "You don't have to go through this alone. You know I'm always here."

Kendra squeezed Roy's hand and smiled.

The pair continued talking until the diner closed, and then returned to Roy's house. Careful not to wake Lian, they snuck into Roy's bedroom and spent the night in each other's arms.

J'onn J'onzz sat in his one person apartment. The only light was the television showing black and white shows. The smell of Oreos filled the air as J'onn chowed down on the delightful cookies.

His mind was not as easily distracted as his stomach. He pondered about the League's past, present and future, as well as his own. Diana and Clark had both suggested that J'onn maybe take a leave in order to spend more time among Earth's people. He was still a stranger here, and it was not hidden.

Perhaps he could talk to Bruce, see if it was possible to set himself up with a better human identity. John Jones was good, but people knew that mask already. He needed something different…

A beeping in his ear pulled J'onn out of his thoughts. He pressed his index finger to his ear, activating his communicator.

"This is J'onn."

Bruce's gravelly voice came from the other end. "I need you at Cadmus labs in Los Angeles in five minutes. Something big is happening."

"What is it?" J'onn rose from his chair, turning off the television.

"The Watchtower picked up some odd temporal energy emanating from the labs. You can pas through them best without being detected."

"I am on my way."

With that, J'onn phased through the wall and out into the night air.