Part 2: Unnatural Disaster
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Summary: Wally West struggles through his recovery but what happens when he gets an offer he can't refuse? What will it mean for him, for the world and for his future with the League?
Disclaimer: The DC characters are not mine. I'm just playing with them. They'll be returned eventually, not in good condition but that can hardly be blamed on me!
Author's Note: Well, this is slow going.
Warning(s): Language.
Chapter 6 - Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum
Batman pulled the safety straps tight and rechecked that the glass dome over him was secure before powering up the engine and taking off. The responsive Batwing cut through the air, quickly leaving Central City and heading east, home to Gotham. He'd just checked in with the Allen's. He wanted to make sure that they were alright. He knew that if anything happened to them it would be more than Wally could take. It had only been four weeks to since they'd rescued him from Vril too late.
As it turned out the Allen's were fine, physically anyway. Mentally, emotionally Iris and Barry were strained and financially there were in ruins. Batman was still trying to figure out a way for Bruce Wayne to help them out without making it obvious when a call came over the communications unit.
"Batman here."
"We've got a problem," Dick Grayson's voice said gravely over the speaker.
"What else is new?" Batman muttered.
"The move we were waiting for Luthor to make, he did. Tim and I have been digging through Luthor's business. Turns out he's been talking to a lot of high-up government people."
"People high enough to grant him a pardon?"
"Probably."
"So what's he giving them in return?" Batman asked knowing how these quid pro quos worked.
"I'm not sure. The details are buried deep under encryptions and codes. It looks like some sort of technology. That is what Luthor's known for." In the Batcave, Dick gave a brief nod of thanks to Alfred who handed him a bottle of water. On the screen in front of him multiple windows were showing the information they'd been searching out for so long. "Some other names have come up, names close to the Flash."
"Who?" Batman altered his flight path to avoid getting close to a passenger airliner.
"Keith Kenyon also known as Goldface and his ex-wife, Blacksmith. They're Central City and Keystone criminals. The Flash has taken them both down before. Kenyon has 'reformed' as much as any criminal can. Blacksmith is incarcerated."
"What is Kenyon doing now?" Batman's sharp mind could recall a few articles he'd read about Kenyon, the man of solid gold and his gold elixer.
"He's running a union in Keystone." Dick shook his head. "What is it with these guys and unions?"
"It's their need to help people."
"Yeah right. Anyway, from the phone records he's been in contact with Luthor. He also got a large chunk of change dropped into his bank account about a week ago. Payment for something."
Bruce dipped the left side of his aircraft and brought his plane around in a sharp turn that had him pressed hard into his seat. "I'm going to pay Kenyon a visit."
"I figured you would."
+JLU+
Keith Kenyon's large fingers dropped the stack of papers on his desk. He leaned back and looked at the two men standing before him. "You do what you have to do," he told them. He tapped the cigar against the elegant glass ashtray. The two men, not the brightest crayons in the box, glanced at each other unsure of what exactly their boss meant.
"You want us to-"
Keith stalled them with a raised hand. "I don't want any details. You'll think of something."
"Yeah, but boss-"
"Have you ever heard of plausible deniability? It goes a long way when the D.A. starts knocking. You keep whatever you do to yourselves. Just get he job done." The white bushy eyebrows raised, silently asking if he was comprehended. The two men nodded and left.
"Good help is hard to find."
The voice from the shadows startled Kenyon. Round and heavy as he was, he was hard pressed to turn to the intruder in more than a lazy fashion.
"You lost or something?" he deadpanned. The crime-fighter stepped out of the corner where a combination of poorly located file cabinets and lighting left enough darkness for hiding.
"Lex Luthor, what's he up to?"
"What no snappy line? No joke? I prefer the Flash. Kid's got spunk, y'know?"
Suddenly Kenyon was pressed against the back wall of his office, his heavy frames still seated in his chair and Batman's fist grasping his shirt and pressing against his neck. Beneath the synthetic flesh coating he could feel against his knuckles the hard metal that Kenyon had transformed his body into.
"I'm not in the mood to jest with you. You have information I want."
"And what will I get for giving it to you?" Kenyon asked though his voice was wheezy with the pressure against his throat.
"That warm fuzzy feeling." Batman pulled back and slammed Kenyon against the wall. "Luthor!"
Despite the strength Kenyon's experiments had granted him the Batman was still overpowering him. In his position he couldn't get any leverage. He was stuck. "Alright, alright! I sold him a sample of my gold elixer and a sample of Blacksmith's bio-metal. That bitch stole it from me but took it a step further, merged organics with metals almost seamlessly. It's really quite fascinating but I'm not in that business anymore."
"What does Luthor want with it?"
"Beats me. I gave him my notes too. Figured he was probably interested in making his own."
Batman released Kenyon but remained standing over him. "You strike me as the curious type," he said cryptically.
Kenyon smiled displaying stained teeth while he fixed his collar. "Not curious, just cautious. I just like to know where my stuff is going. It seems the government is interested in it. I traced Luthor's transaction to a contact in the Pentagon. After that, poof, vanished."
"You sure know a lot for a disciple of plausible deniability." Batman began to leave.
"It's a lot easier to deny something when you know exactly what it is you're denying, especially if snakes like Luthor are involved."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"So you gonna pull one of your vanishing tricks?"
Batman glanced over his shoulder at the aging man. "And waste it on you?" He opened the door to the office and walked out. Kenyon, forced himself out of his chair and with the help of his cane walked to the door. He watched as his henchmen, some of the most brutal in the twin cities, stepped away from the Dark Kinght. They allowed him uninterrupted passage out of the building.
Once the dark spectre was gone many of the men turned to look at their boss. He glared at them and slammed the door shut. In the privacy of his office he released a pent up sigh of relief. "And my doctor wonders why I got hypertension."
+JLU+
"Gently," Lorelli warned. The limp body of Wally West hung between him and Petty Officer Hill, each man with one of his arms over their neck. Taking great care not to agitate him too much the two men lay the barely conscious third onto his bunk. "Hill, you stay here with him for now. We'll take shifts watching him."
Hill sat down in a chair that had been dragged into the room and faced West. "Okay, but he should still be in the infirmary. They just finished surgery." Out of all of them Hill had the most medical training and had been designated the team's field medic.
"I'm not going to leave him with them," he said with no room for argument. He could still hear Wally's hoarse voice screaming in pain while they doctors standing over him noted his response with little more than clinical curiosity. Lorelli ran a shaky hand down his face, wondering what happened to 'do no harm'. "Marks, Tanner, you're on look out for now. If somebody comes looking it's your job to keep them away." They nodded unsurely. This was beginning to feel like a mini-coup.
"What about you?" Marks asked already knowing he wouldn't like the answer.
"I have some superior officers to yell at. You're in charge."
The rest of the team watched him go for a moment before taking their positions. Nobody knew all exactly what had been done to West. The doors to the OR were sound proof and though they could tell even from a distance that he'd been in some pain only Lorelli had been forced to listen. When they finally found him and got him out of the room Eiling had locked him in, he was steady if a little pale. He'd walked past them, not answering any of their rapidly asked questions and gone straight to the nearest washroom. He locked the door behind him and had emerged a five minutes later sporting some more colour and a sharp expression in his eyes.
Like a man possessed he'd led his team into the infirmary, undid the monitors recording West's vitals and taken him out. The chief of surgery had tried to stop them but a punch from Lorelli left the man on the floor, with a major headache and a nose gushing blood.
Lorelli planned on breaking a few more noses. He wasn't sure where that was figurative of literal.
"How is he?" Onade asked Hill from the doorway. Wally was laid flat on his stomach, head turned to face the rest of the room. Even unconscious his features were still slightly pinched with discomfort and a thin film of perspiration glazed his forehead and nose.
"Okay, I guess. I'm not sure what they did to him. There's something on his back." He'd felt it, the slightly raised pattern when he and Lorelli had brought him over.
Onade shook her head forlornly. "Why are they doing this to him? First the training, now this –I thought they wanted him on our side."
Hill looked at West and then away saying, "I thought we were all on the same side."
+JLU+
Clark Kent was staring absently out the tall windows of the Daily Planet. Across his desk notes on the latest story he'd been writing were scattered from corner to corner leaving only a small space for his computer. His pen tapped rhythmically on his desk producing a sound that was soothing for him and annoying for everyone else.
The sounded ended abruptly when Clark found his fingers empty. He stared at his digits for a second before the sound of somebody clearing their throat brought his attention to them.
Lois Lane, one hand on her hip and an aggravated look in her eye, waved the coveted pen turned instrument in front of him. "Something wrong?"
She knew him too well. That or he was wearing his problems on his sleeves. "No nothing."
The blatant lie didn't convince her. Lois tossed the pen on the desk, adding to the clutter. "Spill it, Smallville."
"I'm just worried about a friend," he told her.
Lois eyed him for a moment. Clark turned his head away from her to gaze out the window again. Lois left him to his quiet contemplation for a minute or two and then began again.
"Y'know…" she trailed off and waited for Clark to look at her. When he did she opened her mouth to continue but his phone rang.
He gave her a weak smile of apology and answered.
"Clark Kent here."
"It's me." Clark instantly recognized the deep voice on the other end. For Batman to be calling him here, it meant something was wrong. Batman's next words would confirm his suspicion. "Something is going on. Luthor has made his first move."
Clark hunched over his desk and rubbed his forehead with his free hand. It was always Luthor.
"How bad?" Clark asked tiredly.
"It goes up to the Secretary of Defence, maybe even the president. The only thing I know for sure is that the Federal Prosecutor has reduced the charges against Luthor. The way this is going all he's going to get is a slap on the wrist."
Clark shook his head trying to deny what he'd just heard. "You must be mistaken. He…he's…"
"Psychotic. I know. But he's managed to convince somebody high up that meta-humans are the bigger threat, whether they're committing crimes or not."
"This is unbelievable. They're just going to leave him to his own devices? Have they already forgotten what he tried to do?" Just a few months ago Lex Luthor had been well on his way to absolute domination thanks to Brainiac. Although the threat of Brainiac was gone it didn't mean that Luthor wasn't still dangerous. Brainiac was a program, bound by its code, predictable. Luthor is a human being, a mercurial and complicated human being. He couldn't be trusted and could rarely be predicted.
"He has a deal. He's going to help with government R and D and in return he stays out of jail."
Clark couldn't fathom what they were thinking. Were they that afraid of meta-humans and the Justice League?
"I'm going to pay them a visit," Clark mumbled darkly and hung up. He got up, ignoring Lois's inquiries into the situation and left saying only that he had to go. Lois watched him wondering what had been said to put the rarely scene anger in Clark Kent's face.
+JLU+
Wally traced the band of warm metal with the tips of his fingers. He was laying on his bunk facing the wall, back to Lorelli who sat silently in the room. He highest part ended just at the base of his neck and travelled downward, imbedded in his skin, to the rest of the pattern. He followed the design as far down as his reach allowed. It was smooth, warm and soft, strangely. He'd never felt anything like it before. When he moved the metal moved with him. It didn't pull at his skin or add any additional strain to his back. It was as though the weird metal had merged with him.
"I didn't know what they were going to do," Wally heard Lorelli apologize.
He couldn't think of a response, so he remained silent, trying not to let the memories of his mutilation surface. He couldn't remember specifically what had happened. He knew intellectually that it had hurt a lot but for the life of him he could not recall the pain itself. He couldn't remember whether it had been sharp or burning or throbbing. That probably wasn't normal but he couldn't honestly put himself in the category marked 'normal'. Not anymore. He certainly hadn't felt normal for a while.
"I've managed to wrangle you some leave. Four days. It's not much but…"
"…It's something," Wally conceded. He turned over and sat up facing his CO. "Thanks."
Lorelli didn't meet West's eyes. He couldn't. He couldn't look at the man the military, his military, was trying to control. One look in his eyes and Javier knew that all they were doing was destroying him. This mutilation was just the latest in a scared government's haphazard efforts to keep up with the evolution of power happening all around them. Anyone who had seen the marks on his back and the metal pattern over them could have told you that this wasn't the way. This mutilation wasn't the way.
"When you get back. I'll have this settled."
"Don't risk your career over this."
Lorelli stood. He didn't want to explain that if he allowed this to happen then it could happen to someone else. He couldn't adequately articulate the shame the weighed him down at the thought of what his organization had condoned. This was about more than just the treatment of one man. It was about how a man should be treated. All he told Wally was, "You can't order me around, Seaman." He considered giving the young man a friendly pat on the shoulder but refrained. For the short time he'd known West the man had been very anti-touching. Given what had just happened he could only imagine that it was worse now. "I'll see you in a few days." Lorelli walked out and closed the door behind him.
Wally glanced around his small room. He lay down again, faced the wall and willed this situation to end.
+JLU+
His trip to the Pentagon had been nothing but trouble. Superman had gotten the distinct feeling that he wasn't welcomed among the men an women that only a few months ago were eager to fight along side him. They weren't hostile, just guarded. Greetings were clipped, formal. People he knew didn't stop do more than nod in acknowledgement. The lines had been drawn and he and these people were firmly on opposite sides, whether by choice or by duty.
With Strike Force Alpha up and running the government had their answer to the new generation of super-powered threats and it followed that government employees support their own project.
Superman still had enough friendly connections that he got to meet with the Secretary of Defence between his scheduled meetings but it was short. The bald man had greeted him briskly and got straight down to business. It sounded like a rehearsed speech, as the man outlined their plan in the vague details usually given to the public. The platitudes and promises rolled off his tongue. Finally Clark had had enough. He wanted the truth. He demanded it. After all he'd done for truth, justice and the American way, he had earned it.
He got it. Meta-humans needed to be monitored more closely. They needed to serve their country in an official manner. Vigilantism was soon to be a thing of the past. The secretary of defence had no plans for a slave race of super-powered beings, serving the military from birth to death. He just wanted control and security. Lex Luthor was among the only few humans that had ever bested the Justice League and their army. He was too valuable a resource to have rotting away in prison when that brilliant mind could advance the cause of peace and security.
"With cooperation between people like you geniuses like Luthor, the United States would be a dominant force not only on this planet but on others as well."
Superman had pointed out the flaw in the plan. "You can't cooperate with Lex Luthor. He always has his own plan."
"Luthor is just a man. And a man can be controlled."
"You're underestimating him and you'll end up regretting it."
"No, you're just over estimating him. I realize that the two of you have a history but national security trumps your petty squabbles." The Secretary of Defence finished flipping through the notes he needed for the next meeting. "Things are going to change around here. Change for the better. All anybody wants is peace."
"So you're going to prepare for war?"
"One usually leads nicely into the other. You and your people are going to have to pick which side you're on. And don't be mistaken. The 'Rogue-League' scenarios have begun to shift in our favour. If you make this into a war, you won't win."
Superman could hardly believe what he'd heard. The other man had exited to get to his next meeting leaving Superman tempted to trash his office in a fit. He found his way out without breaking anything and had flown straight to his Fortress of Solitude. He needed time to think. He needed to regroup. The calming grunts and snort of the exotic animals he took care of, the frozen expanse of ice and snow in all directions, and the glowing yellow orb he'd saved from one of Brainiac's earlier vessels provided him distraction and protection. With the small orb he could visit a planet that had for a brief while achieved balance. He could mingle with his real people, a smile on his face as he tried to familiarize himself with a culture that was alien to him. When he emerged from that world he could be relaxed and no long feeling as resentful towards this planet or its fickle inhabitants.
Krypton was gone but Earth was still here. He wouldn't let Brainiac's legacy be the destruction this planet too.
+JLU+
The sun was bright, brighter than he remembered. The people around him were busy, rushing from place to place and Wally for the first time since joining the Navy and Strike Force Alpha was free.
He marked the beginning of his leave by buying a new set of clothes. Nothing fancy, a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He dumped his military issue off-duty clothes in a donation bin. He was sure they had put bugs on his clothing. He'd found three on three separate occasions during searches of his room. That was why he'd only called the Allen's once since he'd been there and hadn't called the Justice League at all. If they were listening in then he'd make sure they had nothing to hear.
Today, however, he planned on visiting his family and his friends. He wouldn't be bringing along any electronic hitchhikers.
He spent all of the first day with the Allen's. They were so happy to see him. He answered as many of their questions as possible, tried to put on a brave front but at night, sleeping on the couch the front crumbled. Some strange instinct brought Iris down to check on him that night and she caught her first saddening glimpse of the broken man the world had made of her beloved nephew. She held him silently, knowing that no words could ease his pain and confusion.
She stayed with him all night, even after his eyes dried and his fitful sleep began. She didn't sleep and her eyes didn't dry.
The next day he'd planned to see Green Lantern but he too felt weary. He left the Allen house early in the morning saying good-bye only to Iris as the others were still asleep. He wandered around for hours eventually sitting down at a local café. The sidewalk porch of the small establishment was comfortable enough the staff friendly enough. He wasn't sure if they recognized him or not.
The waitress came back three times to get his order and each time he couldn't give one to her. The menu she'd brought him was still sitting on the table untouched. He'd apologized each time and she just rolled her amber eyes and went to another patron.
"I'm losing it," Wally said to himself with no hint of self-depreciating humour. It was just the truth.
Another person slid into the empty seat across from him. Wally felt the atmosphere change and knew exactly who was across from him. He looked up from the menu he'd been staring at but still hadn't touched to the newcomer. Brown hair, dark eyes, square jaw and attractively symmetrical features, it was him. For several seconds Wally didn't breath.
"What could I possibly do here, in such a crowded place?"
Wally finally took a breath. "I don't know."
"You don't look well."
"Why would you care, Vril?"
Dox ignored the question, a sunny smile brightening his features. "That's the first time you've ever used my name."
Wally felt nauseous. "What do you want?"
"I want to know who has hurt you?"
Wally laughed shakily; it could have been mistaken as crying. "Why do you care? After what…what you…"
"You can't even say it. I claimed you."
All traces of mirth left Wally.
"I claimed you and anybody who would dare to harm to what is mine, will answer to me."
Wally was stunned. What the hell was wrong with this guy? What the hell was wrong with him? He couldn't find the words to voice to Vril that he'd done the most harm. He didn't want to risk angering the powerful alien. There was a large part of him that still feared this man, didn't dare shrink back from his touch, or strike him for fear of what could be done to him, or his loved ones. This man followed him everywhere, could become anyone on a whim and had delved so deep in his psyche and messed things up that Wally wasn't sure he remembered what it had been like to be whole and safe.
It was strange that now, after he'd been somewhat rescued from this man, and now that he was on his home soil Wally finally broke. On the moon base he'd fought until the bitter ended, lashed out whenever he had the strength to do so. He'd been counting on rescue and a return to his home, ready to hide behind his walls to regroup and re-emerge strong once again. To his surprise and heartbreak, there had been no safe haven. Vril had found him, gotten in to his mind, found his sanctuary. He'd proven in one profound moment that even without his ship, without his underlings, without his weapons, and without the home advantage he could reach out and touch him; reach out and hurt him.
Finally, Wally forced himself up from his chair. The metal legs scraped against the concrete sidewalk creating a long grating sound. Wally didn't notice. With down cast eyes he deliberately pushed the chair back in lifting it to avoid more noise and then walked away. Vril's eyes, alight with something unsettling, followed him. Wally could feel them on his back. He took the first turn he came to and once out of Vril's sight he ran.
He stopped and collapsed to the grassy ground several miles outside of Keystone. He turned over to stare up at the cloudless sky and sprawled himself out. Around him the long grass shifted with the changing winds, dancing in a ballet done to the whispers of nature. Wally closed his eyes to truly revel in the solace. The shaky breathing evened out, the rapid heartbeat slowed and the strain either slipped away or sank so deep into him he couldn't tell where it was anymore.
Above him a small spec of darkness sailed by. Wally's brows furrowed in a vague sense of wonder but it wasn't enough for him to move to track it across the sky. If he had he would have seen the spec double back and grow larger as it descended to land in the flat fields.
A few minutes later a man stood over him. Cast in silhouette by the sun over the strangers shoulder and outlined in a rim of liquid gold, Wally stared up and squelched the near overpowering urge to ask if he was dead.
"Hey Bats," he greeted after a moment passed and the recognition came. "I don't like carrots."
There was a long pause before Batman responded, apparently nonplused by strange topic. "Me neither." Batman went to one knee. "Are you alright?" He wouldn't tell Wally but he'd observed from a distance the interaction he had with the man at the café. A man he assumed to be Vril. After Wally left Batman was going to strike but his target vanished into thin air so he went after the secondary target, followed him here.
"I'm okay…mostly…I guess." Wally shrugged staring up at the sky. Unbidden images of what wasn't okay flashed across his mind making the next breath he took shaky and uneven.
"What happened?"
Wally wasn't sure what Bruce was referring to. So much had happened so quickly he could barely keep up. "Nothing."
Batman knew he was lying. He also knew Wally couldn't be pushed right now.
"How are the others?" The younger man sounded wary of the response. He couldn't possibly think that anyone was angry with about joining the SFA. It was pretty apparent that he'd been coerced.
"They're okay. Worried about you."
Wally's eyes closed slowly and a soft sigh escaped him. "I miss the League."
We miss you too, Bruce said in his head. As he thought about the frayed nerves the snapping tempers and the general unrest that permeated the top six and trickled down to the others Batman amended his thought. They missed him, yes, and they needed him just as much.
+JLU+
While many of the good guys were finding their ways through the tribulations laid before them many bad guys were still putting their effort towards their life of crime. As much of the world watched with unabashed interest the drama between the Justice League and legitimate governments beings like the Ultra-humanite and Star Sapphire where planning a jewel heist. Don't let the general moniker fool you. They weren't after the regular shiny pebbles that were so highly valued. No, they were looking for one specific gem, an ancient gem endowed with mystical powers.
"Why is it we always end up in some crusty old museum?" Star Sapphire complained. She picked up an artefact –a tool made by early man –and sneered. Without a care for the priceless piece she tossed it over her shoulder and continued to traverse the storage vault. The New York Museum of History held all the relics that weren't being shown in this massive warehouse of a vault.
"My dear, as much as I enjoy the sound of your voice, I'd very much like for you to shut up so that I may continue my perusal."
Behind his back she stuck her tongue out at him and went to look in a different area. Ultra-humanite was searching with some gizmo he'd made. Star Sapphire had scoffed at the device with all its antennae and blinking lights that looked as though it belonged a classic sci-fi movie. Still, if it found their treasure she'd be very grateful for his help a moment before she stole it from him. It was a foregone conclusion that one of them would be double crossed at the end. One jewel, two people longing to possess it –the math was simple.
"Are you sure it's here?" the lightly accented, feminine voice inquired from behind a stack of crates.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"I believe that's what you said about the last two museums."
"Do you recall what I said earlier about you shutting up?" Humanite said irritable. He watched the readouts of his device with great care. If he overlooked something he'd have to redo the search.
The vast room was quiet for several minutes. Only the sound of footsteps and a few objects being shifted was heard. Star Sapphire was crossing the main thoroughfare to the other side of the vault when a reflection of blue and red lights on a shiny vase in the gallery caught her eye.
The door to the vault opened to a small room where ancient Chinese works of pottery were on display. From their trek to through the museum and through the vault, she knew that there was a wall made of glass in the small gallery and outside was a main road –a main road that the police would take if an alarm had been tripped.
"Blast! Humanite, we've got company!"
+JLU+
"It's called the Goddess Window," Diana said. "It's a blue gem that a small group of Mayan followers believed to be the gateway the Mother of Earth used to control the seasons and nature itself. When they found it, pulled it from the earth, it was in the hand of man and thus the power of the goddess was theirs. Their inability to control the force led to their demise."
"It's just a story though, right?" Shayera asked, never a big believer in ancient legends.
"I hope so but I'm not sure." They'd been in too many battles where ancient fables turned out to be true to not err on the side of caution.
"Well, let's not keep them waiting," Vigilante said impatiently from behind the red bandana covering his face below his eyes. He took off towards the museum storage vault, Shayera and Wonder Woman following.
Just before she entered the building Wonder Woman turned to look skyward as a sound made it to her ears. In the dark blue, early morning sky a black helicopter was descending. It was the mode of transport for Strike Force Alpha, which meant that Wally was with them. Diana stopped in mid air and watched as the black aircraft landed on the museum roof. She was torn between going to see Wally –she hadn't seen or heard from him in what seemed like ages –and helping Hawkgirl and Vigilante.
From within the museum Diana heard Shayera's familiar war cry morph into a cry of pain. A flash of blue light accompanied the sound. Diana's decision was made. She'd see Wally after the fight was over. The Amazon princess reluctantly turned from the black craft and flew into battle.
"The Justice League has already gone in," Lorelli announced to his team over the roar of the helicopter engine. "We'll follow. The objective is not only to take down Humanite and Star Sapphire but, should the story turn out to be more than fiction, retrieve the Goddess Window. Understood?"
They all replied, either verbally of with a nod, their comprehension.
"B-typical Force Four," Lorelli ordered and the team split up into four smaller groups each with its own purpose. A moment later the side doors slid open and the team disembarked.
Star Sapphire laughed riotously as Humanite sent one hero careening into another. Vigilante and Hawkgirl tumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs and wings. "Let me try," she demanded eagerly, holding out her had for the staff she and Humanite had just found. At the top of it, held in place by a primitive network of looped twine was the blue gem they'd been searching for.
Humanite held the staff and the precious stone as far from her as he could. "Please, this isn't for amateurs."
In response the masked woman let out a powerful magenta blast from the bright pink jewel on her forehead, knocking Humanite into a tower of crates. The force was so strong and sudden that the staff was left spinning in the air. Star Sapphire easily caught it.
"You really should learn to share," she admonished the pile of wooden debris burying the Ultra-Humanite.
"You should learn to pay attention."
The shorter woman turned just in time to see a flash of gold. Wonder Woman's enchanted lasso encircled her, pinning Sapphire's arms to her side. Without the use of her hands the assailant couldn't trigger her powers.
"Please, you'll have to do better than that."
Wonder Woman didn't have time to react as a bright blue light that blinded her and sent her flying into a far wall. Star Sapphire watched the Amazon crash with a smile.
Eyeing the staff and the powerful gem she said to herself, "I should have gotten this thing earlier." She looked up at the ceiling of the warehouse. "But to truly appreciate this power, I need to get to open air."
"I don't think so!" Humanite yelled. He'd pulled out one of his special weapons and fired it at his double-crossing partner. Her muffled cry of protest as the energy net enclosed around her didn't phase Humanite. He ran to pick up the staff but just as he was over it HawkGirl bowled him over.
"Get that thing back to the Tower!" Shayera ordered to Vigilante. The man quickly retrieved the weapon and made for the exit while Shayera traded blows with the giant ape-man.
"All this for a rock? Jeez, give me a damsel in distress any day," the western hero said to himself. He rounded a corner and skid to an abrupt halt. Several people dressed in dark fatigues had their guns aimed at him. The ominous sound of the weapons being cocked had him swallowing thickly. Just behind them were the glass doors of an exit. So close yet so freakin' far.
"We're all on the same side right?" he asked cautiously. He could hear the voice of Wally West, the only one of them not aiming a gun at him, trying to get the others to back off but they were still as statues.
"Drop what you have in your hand and back away!" the team leader ordered.
"Look fellas, and ladies," he amended, "Maybe we should wait until those to cretins are under control before we start playing finders-keepers. Hmm?"
The military team didn't respond.
"Fine you guys take it." He tossed it to them with every intention of stealing it back later. One man at the front quickly holstered his gun and moved to catch the object. It had just touched his hand when a sudden blast forced them all through the glass. The clear wall briefly went white as numerous cracks obscured the light passing through, before it collapsed in a sparkling cascade.
"Actually, I'll take that." Humanite burst forth from the rear of the museum and snagged the staff as it skittered across the pavement. Staff in hand he hopped along the many news vans that had assembled outside the New York City museum. Startled reporters, cameramen and technicians flinched away from him as he passed. The barraged of weapons that followed, though aimed several feet over their heads, had them ducking for cover.
"Hold your fire!" Wally yelled as he saw a brief flash of white stars, gold and pale skin fly over them towards Humanite. They didn't listen to him quickly enough and what he had feared happened. A direct shot hit Wonder Woman. "No!" Wally watched for a split second as her body jerked in mid-air before plummeting. He sped over, jumping the news vans, and caught her before she hit the ground. "Princess!" She wasn't responding. Her eyes were pinched shut in pain that Wally could recall too well. "Hold on!" He reached into one of the cargo pockets on his pant and pulled out the autoinjector of the antidote. Jabbing the short, sharp syringe in to the shapely thigh had him cringing. He felt her flinch but after a few seconds her muscles relaxed and from her face the expression of pain drained away.
Diana had never been more grateful for the often-overlooked gift of being pain-free. She tried to ask what had hit her but it came out as a moan.
"You'll be okay," a familiar voice said from over her.
She forced an eye open and caught a brief glimpse of Wally's red hair and a relieved smile on his face before her gaze went grey. It would be several minutes before she was up and ready to fight.
Wally took off after Humanite. Shayera had flown past a second earlier having recovered from the pummelling she took in the museum. She was on Humanite's trail waiting for the perfect moment to take him out. The ape-man was heading towards one of the bridges that connected Manhattan to the mainland. She wanted to get him before he got to the bridge.
She brought back her mace, electricity crackling around the spiked sphere, and swung. The blow hit the Ultra-Humanite in the back, shocking his body. He dropped the staff. Shayera made a hard banking right to turn back to where the object had fallen. Her bronze wings extend fully, her right wing angling towards that ground and the left towards the air. The smooth arc was interrupted by a streak of magenta and black. Shayera barely managed to avoid a mid air collision.
"You're too slow, birdbrain," Star Sapphire taunted as she flew by. Bullets whizzing by her a moment later exchanged the smile with open-mouthed surprise. On the ground Vigilante had caught up and was now peppering Star Sapphire with bullets. She drew her free hand to her temple and created a shield to protect herself from Vigilante's primitive weapon. Vigilante knew that he wouldn't be able to bring her down but that was only half of his plan. He worked enough with the other Justice League members to be able to think like they did. In this case it was all about misdirection.
Vigilante knew that with Star Sapphire protecting herself from him another hero could strike her from her unprotected sides. Shayera was too far away to make an assault in time, Diana was still recovering so that only left the Flash. Vigilante had automatically filed West under the Flash and put him in their group. He realized too late that the Flash was now working for Strike Force Alpha. He wasn't part of their team.
"Ah, damn," he cursed. Star Sapphire sent a pulse of bright pink energy at him. He dove out of the way. Star Sapphire was going to get away. He raised his guns again and watched, stunned as his mentally concocted plan came to fruition, though a couple of seconds later than he would have liked.
From Star Sapphire's right side and blur of dark greys ran up the side of the nearest building and then jumped off the wall to hit Sapphire where she hovered in mid-air.
"Woohoo!" Vigilante cheered as he watched the collision. Flash landed on the road. His speed carried him in a skid that sent him into the side of a car. The force of his stop only left a small dent in the vehicle. Wally shrugged. The owner probably wouldn't notice it for a week.
After the collision Star Sapphire dropped the staff and she too fell to the earth. Shayera Hol swooped down towards her but rather than catching Star Sapphire she went to the staff with the large blue gem. She plucked it from the air then climbed to land on top of a low old building.
Wally looked up at her and smiled feeling like part of his real team for moment. The moment came to a crackling halt as the static-filled voice in his earpiece. "West, get the Goddess Window from Hawkgirl!" It was Eiling's voice. Wally assumed he'd followed SFA on another helicopter and was now watching the fight from a safe distance, the coward.
"The good guys have it," Wally countered touching the communications device in his ear to transmit his message to Eiling.
"That's not good enough. This is US soil, any confiscated items should be in our custody."
Wally rolled his eyes.
Eiling must have seen the gesture. "Fine. I warned you."
Yes he had. Just a few minutes before West had jumped on the chopper at the base Eiling had pulled him aside and warned that he better follow orders. "You haven't asked about what was put on your back," Wiling had said.
Wally hadn't responded, just continued to glare at his nemesis turned boss.
"You weren't cooperating. That," he vaguely gestured to Wally to indicate the web of metal fused on his back, "will ensure that you do. What you felt when they were putting the microprobes in is nothing compared to what I can do to you on a whim." Eiling said it all with a friendly smile. No turn of his lips could hide the malevolence in his eyes though. This man had nearly killed him once; clearly he was itching to hurt him again. "I have all the power over you." He patted his pocket.
"Yeah? Well I've got more hair than you!" Wally ran a hand through his buzz cut. He left without being dismissed. Eiling had been infuriated. His hair was a touchy subject.
Wally's insubordination in New York was enough to have Eiling reaching for the strange device in his pocket. A moment later Wally West was lying on the ground clutching and clawing at his legs. A voice in his ear narrated.
"I've just simulated the stimulation of every pain nerve in both your precious legs with the microprobe in your lower back. Just a small amount of electricity and the neural pathways responsible are activated and your miniscule brain perceives agony even though your legs are perfectly fine."
Wally couldn't understand any of what had been said. Through the wall of pain nothing else made it to his other senses. After about fifteen seconds the pain vanished leaving Wally quivering on the New York street.
Shayera had noticed Wally's sudden fall and was flying towards him. A blast of white energy from Humanite's gun blew past her breaking the staff she held in two pieces. In her hand she still grasped the ancient piece of wood. The Goddess Window trapped by gravity fell to the ground and landed with a clunk.
For a moment all parties were motionless, each staring at the crystal. Its glow coloured the ground around it a vibrant blue. Eyes glanced around, shifted to the others, gauging their states, determining who had the best shot. Strike Force Alpha, Wonder Woman, Vigilante, Hawkgirl, Ultra Humanite and Star Sapphire held their positions until suddenly, as though a starter pistol had been fired, they all jumped into action. Weapon's fire, bullets and blast of energy streaked the still dark streets. Chaos turned the silence in to a symphony of noise. In the middle the inanimate precious stone lay silently, the cause of all this turmoil. Off to the side Wally lay silently, unaware of the turmoil as his senses were filtering back very slowly.
His half opened eyes turned towards the motion to the right. He recognized Petty Officer Hill, even in his gear, as he crept over keeping his body low to avoid flying debris and shots.
"West! You okay?"
Wally nodded.
"Come on we've got to get the Window."
Wally shook his head as he turned onto his front. He used his shaky arms and even shakier legs to push himself up. He only made it to all fours.
"Come on, West! Get up!"
"No. I'm not going to fight my friends for Eiling," he bit out.
Hill took a quick look around to keep himself apprised of the situation. Everyone seemed to be holding their own but he knew that his team was incomplete and thus at a disadvantage. "Look, I'm not going to play around with you. I have no idea what you've been through! No fucking clue how hard these last months have been for you. All I know is that is our team needs us. I know you didn't choose us but you're here."
"You shouldn't even be in this fight! You're going to get hurt!" It was after all the reason so many super-powered being took to the streets to fight crime. They were far less vulnerable than regular humans.
"It's our choice! We've left it all up to you guys for too long! You've given up a lot for our benefit. Let us do our part!"
Wally remained firm, shaking his head.
Hill huffed. "We will fight, with or without you." His tone made it clear which choice he preferred. "All we want to do is help. To protect people, our people. I know we can't all be heroes but we can't just sit back anymore." Hill gave Wally a gruff pat on the shoulder and start back to his team. A large piece of metal from an exploding car careened towards Hill. Instinctively he ducked his head and braced for what he expected to be a jarring and painful impact. All he felt was something grasping the back of his uniform and then heat as his left side skid along the pavement.
"You gonna open your eyes?"
Hill's eyes flew open and he quickly realized what had happened. West had pulled him to safety.
"Uh," Hill's breaths came quickly as he realized how close to being seriously hurt or worse he'd come. "Thanks."
Wally was looking over at him with watchful eyes. "Somebody's going to get hurt." That last few seconds proved that.
"I know." He also knew all that he'd be leaving behind if he were to die on duty. "But it's my choice. My sacrifice. You can't keep hurting for all of us." Hill shook off the near death experience quickly and moved. "Come on."
The battle slowly moved to the bridge. Traffic had been directed away from the area by locals leaving the four-lane bridge clear of all obstructions. Near the middle of the span, illuminated by street lamps Ultra-Humanite was currently the holder of the Goddess Window. He was using its power to keep everyone else, including his former partner at bay.
A well-aimed blast knocked Shayera out of the sky. Wally sped over to catch her and then bring her to safety. "Hey, beautiful."
She smiled wryly at him. "Hey yourself. Nice hair cut." She brushed her hand over the short cut. "John will like it."
He put her down. And she noticed the SFA team nearby and had to ask if he was okay. She didn't trust these people. He waved off her concern and they both turned to assess the situation. Diana was deflecting blasts of blue with her gold bracelets. A blast of pink from the side sent her flying through the air.
"I hope you're not expecting me to thank you!" Humanite yelled as Star Sapphire flew to him.
"Not at all. Hand over the Goddess Window and," she dodged a shot from some military guys and sent a blast back. "And we'll call it even," she finished. A pink blast erupted from her forehead aimed at him. Humanites agility kept him free of injury. He blasted back with his most powerful shot yet. Star Sapphire sustained a direct hit and crashed to the pavement leaving a small crater. Beneath the bridge debris jarred loose from the impact fell into the river.
"Not the nicest guy I've ever seen," Onade commented.
"I'm going to draw his fire," Shayera announced. "You guys take him out when his back is turned."
They watched her fly fearlessly towards Humanite. He began to shoot at her with the crystal but she twisted and turned, dove and climbed to avoid him. Long lines of blue from the crystal followed her around the bridge leaving deep gouges in the pavement. In his eagerness to down his flying opponent Humanite briefly turned his back on the group he considered to be a lesser threat. It was a mistake. They'd just been waiting for the right moment and when they got it they took it. The much talked about, very powerful CS-9 rifle was put to use. Along its length a white light traversed a previously dark groove in the casing before a powerful blast of energy flew unerringly towards the Ultra-Humanite. From the corner of his eye he saw it coming and raised his gemstone to defend himself. Unfortunately for him it wasn't enough and much of the shot still got him.
Humanite didn't have time to shake off the damage the pesky SFA group had caused before one of their members sped towards him. In a last ditch effort Humanite raise the gem towards him and let loose a shot of blue. At the same moments West arrived and with one hand moving at phenomenal speed he grasped the gem. The massive amount of energy in such a small area and confined to such a small amount of matter created an unstable reaction. A swirling orb of bright blue and white expanded from the crystal engulfing both Wally and Humanite.
Across New York City, a bright column of light could be seen. It passed through the night-time clouds, swirling and parting them before dissipating. Overhead, thunder rumbled the last ominous retreat of the substantial power the clash had caused.
On the bridge, heads turned back to the site now that the painfully bright light had vanished and the darkness returned. The streetlamps along the bridge were out leaving only the general haze of New York City's light pollution to illuminate the scene. There was a large depression in the middle of the bridge. To one side the ape-man lay unconscious and smoking. At the other side lay Seaman West, bruised, and burnt. He was facedown, head turned away from the origin of the disaster. His suit, military issue and made from the highest rated material just about anywhere had not weathered the event well. The material covering his forearm had provided just enough protection before it was stripped away in the flood of power to keep the vulnerable flesh underneath from being damaged. Elsewhere the material had withstood the blast but it had warped and distorted until it was a puckered mess, no longer the sleek well-fitted uniform it had been before. Strangely it was the fabric across his back, the side away from the blast that seemed to have faired as badly as the forearm section.
Something had happened, an unforeseen interaction with the web of neural probes along his spine and across his back. In the gloom the bio-metal was fairly glowing with unknown energy, small sparks jumping from place to place making the body beneath jerk in uncontrollable spasms.
Strike Force Alpha was among the first people to move. Two retrieved the Goddess window, which had been launched into the air and landed not far from them. The rest of the team went towards the two unconscious beings. Vigilante, headstrong and impatient, had been the first to move when the light faded and the dust settled. Always willing to rush in to a situation with little forethought it was no surprise that he made it to the cracked and uneven ground of the explosion first. He hopped over Humanite and went to the young man, a friend.
"Flash?" he crouched next to him hands hovering uncertainly over the form crackling with sparks. The sound of feet approaching had him drawing his guns and facing the new arrivals as though they were his new enemy, in some respect they were. Lorelli and his team stopped short staring down the twin barrels of Vigilantes silver-plated revolvers. He stood astride Wally's prone form protecting him from them, his team.
Lorelli stepped forward heedless of the guns pointed at him. "Our suits are bullet-proof."
Vigilanted was unimpressed. He pulled back the hammers of his firearms making the clicking as loud as possible. "I could still shoot you in the eye," he drawled threateningly in his western accent. "Besides it's more of a symbolic gesture of 'back the hell off'!"
Lorelli stood his ground though wisely didn't move any closer. "He needs help."
"Not from you." He didn't know what that web on the Flash's back was but he was pretty sure it hadn't been there before. Wonder Woman landed and took in the situation. She also took in her young friend's state. Vigilante stepped away and Wonder Woman gently picked Wally up. She gave Strike Fore Alpha a parting glare and took off with their most powerful member.
"You can't just steal him away!"
Vigilante eased the hammers back into place and holstered his gun. He turned and walked away with a shrug telling them, "Turnabout it fair play."
End Chapter 6 – If You Want Peace Prepare for the War
Crap! That was long! Sorry about the delay in posting. I doubt many people are still reading this story but I'm going to finish it anyway! If you are still reading thanks for being so patient. :)
Sagga…