Summary: Alfred takes on a role. The residents of three great metropolitan cities are rudely awakened by the sounds of explosions. To the surprise of the major news outlets on the scenes, the junior partners of the JLA come to the rescue.
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Alpha-Omega Protocol
By Syl Francis
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The Lair
Day 2/0430 EDT
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Now, it was Alfred's turn to impress his young audience. Taking some deep breaths, he took a moment to find his center, before going through the old exercises he remembered from his days on the stage. After a few minutes of total concentration, he looked up at the teens gathered round him.
Without any type of costume change or stage makeup, Alfred stood transformed. He was no longer the Wayne butler; he was…someone else—someone darker, more dangerous. He shoved his way wordlessly through the junior heroes, crossing toward the communications console.
As one, the youngsters instinctively took a step back. They were all shocked by his sudden change. M'Gann floated toward him, her features apologetic, but for what, she did not know. She did not get far.
"Stay back!" Alfred repeated. "What do you think this is? A convention? We have work to do!" He glared at the teens. "You—with the gills! Stay! The rest of you—?" He glared at the others. "Make like a tree!" The youngsters regarded him with various blank looks. Alfred rolled his eyes. "And leave, ya geniuses! Guess it don't take no brains to be a hero," he grumbled under his breath. He caught sight of Zatanna, as she was about to leave the communications room.
"You, with the legs!" Alfred pointed at her, leering. "Make yourself useful. Zap me a cup of coffee—I take it black."
Zatanna seemed to shrink at his tone. Then, coming to terms with the idea that Alfred had assumed a role, she jutted her chin out bravely. "Cream or sugar?" she asked.
Alfred gave her a pitying look. "Don't you know what 'I take it black' means? Never mind! I'll get a cup later. Now, scram. I got work to do."
At Aqualad's nod, the others moved out of the room.
Alfred noted that they looked a little dazed by his sudden transformation from a kindly older gentleman into an uncouth lout. As he watched them file out, figurative tails between their legs, he saw M'Gann pause at the door and look back hesitantly. She made tentative eye contact with him, and Alfred graced her fleetingly with an amused half-smile and wink. He was immediately rewarded by a grateful smile, before M'Gann hurriedly turned and left.
"It's just me'n you, fish-boy." As Alfred spoke with casual disrespect to Aqualad, he leaned back against the computer console. "I don't want no interruptions, see? I don't want the others' distracting me while I make the calls…or running the risk of their voices being recorded accidental-like. Each performance has to be flawless. There will be no second chances."
"Understood." Standing at parade rest, Aqualad nodded his acknowledgement. "If I might ask, sir. You sound completely different. Is this what you meant when you said earlier that you'd assisted Batman to affect a new accent?"
Alfred glared at him for a moment, then relaxed slightly and stepped out of character. He smiled. "Indeed it is, Master Kaldur. I shall attempt three distinctly different accents: New Jersey, South Boston, and Sarvani." He added proudly.
"Sarvani?"
"The common dialect of Sarvanistan, a country in Central Asia, I once visited. Of course, all this is only possible because, prior to leaving for his mission, Master Robin ensured that our communications can be neither traced nor recorded. Please, do not ask me how. I'm afraid such abilities are quite beyond my skillset."
Aqualad smiled at Alfred's self-deprecation. "Robin is well-versed in the inner workings of the digital world. However, I am also certain that what you are about to attempt is something that cannot be replicated by machine. This…skill-set, as you say…requires the human element."
Nodding at Aqualad's words, Alfred closed his eyes and centered himself, once more. When he opened them, a different person peered out—someone colder, more menacing.
"Let's do it."
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Cathedral Square Apartments
Gotham City
Day 2/0445 EDT
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…She was just about to accept the Kerth for best TV newscast—Take that, Cat Grant—when the phone's insistent ringing from the nightstand shattered her moment. She hurriedly, if somewhat clumsily, reached across for it, knocking a few items off the nightstand. At last, her hand closed over the phone and, still half asleep, she brought it to her ear.
"H'lo," she mumbled.
"Summer Gleason?"
"Sp'king." She was quickly falling back asleep.
"Robinson Park, this morning at 5:30 a.m.! Gotham City needs to wake up now!"
"Wha—? Who's'is?" Summer asked. She was barely half-awake, her mind confused.
"The Movement is coming! And to show you that we mean business—" The voice continued as if she hadn't interrupted.
Summer managed to sit up in bed, fumbling for a small notebook. "Can you please repeat who you said you were? Was that 'The Movement' with a capital or a small letter?" Her inane questions were geared toward keeping the caller talking. But, as she herself wasn't operating on all cylinders, she didn't think she was doing very well.
"This is your only warning, Gotham City! Make sure that Robinson Park to the south of the central fountain is evacuated by 5:30 a.m. today, for the sake of everyone's safety." With those words, the caller hung up. As the voice had been speaking—probably reading from a written cue card—Summer had finally come fully awake.
The voice on the other end had sounded like a real wacko, but she couldn't take a chance. She sat for a moment, running over the caller's words of warning. Should she chalk it up to a crank call? Or could this be the real McCoy?
Unknown to the television news anchor, at about the same time that she'd been woken up by the mysterious caller, two other reporters were being likewise jarred from their sleep: Lois Lane of the Metropolis Daily Planet and Cat Grant of Channel 10 WGBS, Washington, D.C.
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Robinson Park
Gotham City
Day 2/0530 EDT
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The explosions shattered the pre-dawn quiet of Gotham City, startling citizens still in bed and early commuters on their way to work. The location of the disturbance was centered in and around Robinson Park. The shrill wail of sirens announced the quick-response forces of the GCPD and GCFD. To the surprise of no one, the media vans arrived first, and the television camera crews caught two teenage girls—one barely out of pigtails, the other only a little older—actually containing the latest explosion.
One television reporter, a pretty blonde in her mid-to-late twenties, immediately began reporting live to her morning news viewers:
"This is Summer Gleason of Channel 4 Eyewitness News, Gotham News Network, reporting live with breaking news at the scene from just outside Robinson Park. A series of explosions rocked the city's early morning quiet, just a few minutes ago. Upon arriving at the scene, we witnessed that the explosions were being dealt with, not by Gotham's own Dynamic Duo, but by two relatively new junior superheroes." She turned to her cameraman and asked, while pointing in the direction of one of the girls, "Les, can you zoom in over there?"
Nodding, Les panned the camera to the older of the two girls and zoomed in, adjusting the focus just as her hands began to glow in what was obviously a power build-up. In the blink of an eye, she released a massive amount of energy and aimed it directly at the explosion.
"The older, the African-American girl is projecting some kind of powerful force field that's keeping the latest explosion from expanding. She is identified as Rocket, the teenage partner of the hero, and newly inducted member of the Justice League, Icon." The camera zoomed in on the force field, showing the explosive debris fighting for release.
Next, the camera panned over to and zoomed in on Zatanna. "The second girl—in the top hat and tails—is waving what I believe is a magic wand. She appears to have just uttered an incantation, which has done something to the explosive material contained inside Rocket's force field. My producer has just identified her as Zatanna, the daughter of Zatara the Great." Summer paused in awe, watching as the girls rose silently into the air, in defiance of gravity. Flying heroes were nothing new, of course, but it was still a sight to behold for the earthbound masses.
"Oh, my! Both girls are levitating (or is it flying?), apparently under their own power. But wait! Rocket has just released the force field that was keeping the explosion contained!"
Ducking instinctively, she turned to her cameraman. "Les, are you getting this? Ladies and gentlemen, you are not going to believe this! I wish you were here so you could experience its full effect for yourselves. What would have been deadly shards of burning metal and other materials is now nothing more than a rainbow of brightly colored pieces of confetti fluttering gently in the breeze as they fall to the ground." Summer laughed out loud. "And you saw it here first, on Channel 4 Eyewitness News. This is Summer Gleason, reporting for GNN—"
The next instant, further explosions interrupted the reporter, momentarily knocking her and the cameraman off their feet. Apparently, the two junior heroes were now being attacked by Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Red Arrow, all of whom had appeared overhead, balanced on an emerald platform. The platform was a power ring construct projected by Green Lantern, who flew alongside them in a wingman formation. From the platform, the two archers were firing explosive arrows at the junior heroes, while Black Canary was directing her lethal canary cry at the first responders, who had set up a defensive perimeter.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Summer gasped as she ran. Her professionalism overriding her fear, she frantically directed her cameramen to pan around at the destruction surrounding them. "As you can see from the destructive aftermath, members of the Justice League have launched an unprovoked attack. Onsite reporters, emergency personnel, and other bystanders are being knocked around and scattered like ten pins." She paused, pointing the cameraman mutely to a fire truck that was hurtling past them. "Police cars, fire trucks, and other emergency vehicles are being picked up and tossed about like dry leaves. A few have even been ripped open—like tin cans!"
Summer looked around her and saw something that gave her hope. "Les, over there…Look! I don't believe it! Are you getting it on camera?" At his nod, Summer took a deep breath of relief and twirled her hand in the air. The consummate professional, she had just signaled Les that she was going to let the camera speak for itself, rather than recite a play-by-play of the action before them.
The two teen heroes had immediately gone on the offensive at the first signs of attack. Rocket sent a powerful positron bolt toward the green platform, upending it, and tossing the two Arrows and Black Canary overboard. She next turned her attention to Green Lantern.
Zatanna, meantime, magically transformed the ground immediately below the three falling heroes into a large air mattress. Before they could get their bearings, however, the young sorceress had conjured a lovely pink bubble in which to encase them. Next, she deliberately punctured the air mattress they had safely landed on, and it began to hiss as it released a reddish, gaseous cloud. Within a few moments, the three rogue heroes fell unconscious.
While Zatanna was busy with the Arrows and Black Canary, Rocket was dueling with Green Lantern—green power energy versus positron energy bolts; emerald shield versus positron magnetic force field. In the end, the duel came down to one important factor: Green Lantern's compromised will.
Since an outside force was manipulating the Emerald Knight, the hero was not performing at his peak, and Rocket was able to trap him in a containment field. As soon as Rocket had GL—an experienced, Justice League founding member—temporarily subdued, Zatanna magically transported three gas pellets into the positron force field. Not long afterward, GL joined the other heroes in dreamland.
The girls moved in quickly. Rocket surrounded Green Lantern with a positron energy field, and then knelt down next to Black Canary. She snapped a meta-negation collar around BC's neck and pressed the locking mechanism. The blinking green light changed to red, indicating that the collar was now locked in place. Rocket then zip-tied the three Leaguers.
Zatanna, meanwhile, had stepped up and directed her wand in GL's direction. Taking an apologetic look at one of her personal heroes, she uttered a backwards incantation, "Ecrof dleif, wolg wolley. Etagen eht gnir fo rewop." Force field, glow yellow. Negate the ring of power. Immediately, the force field changed from a pulsating blue-and-white glow to a bright steady yellow, and GL was a fly in the amber.
With that final act, the teen heroes rose in the air, levitating the unconscious Justice Leaguers along with them.
While everyone's eyes had been on the battle and its aftermath, unseen by anyone, a sleek black shadow shot out of the park on a southwesterly heading toward an unspecified area.
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Centennial Park
Metropolis
Day 2/0530 EDT
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"…and in an unusual twist, the explosions are being handled by, I believe, Kid Flash and Aqualad. There has been no sighting of Superman, as of yet, but it seems that the teen superheroes have the matter well in hand. Kid Flash is spinning his arms at such high speeds that he's created a cyclone effect. The super-high winds are actually helping contain the explosive material into a small, localized area. Aqualad, meanwhile, is using his water bearers—at least, I think that's what they're called—to put out any fires caused by the explo—"
The world famous newspaper reporter stopped in the middle of speaking into her mobile phone, gaping at the unexpected sight of Hawkman and Plastic Man—in the shape of a hang-glider—appearing out of the sky and attacking the boys.
"Jimmy! Are you getting this?" she yelled at Jimmy Olsen, her photographer. The cub reporter nodded eagerly.
"Lane! Olsen!" The tinny voice of their editor Perry White could be heard shouting over the open cell phone line. "Great Caesar's Ghost! What the hell is going on out there?"
"Gosh, Miss Lane! Why do you suppose the Justice League's attacking the junior heroes?"
"I don't know, Jimmy, but once I find out, I'm adding another Kerth to my collection. Come on, let's see if we can get a better angle from that rooftop."
Lois pointed at the long, one-story outbuilding that, partly owing to its central location, was used as a kiosk and snack bar during the day. At Jimmy's nod, the two reporters ran at a low crouch to the dumpster on the side of the building. Jimmy quickly gave Lois a boost up, helping her climb onto the dumpster's closed lid. He quickly scrambled up after her. From there, it was a simple job to act as her stepladder, so that she could climb to the roof of the building. Again, Jimmy scurried to catch up, and was soon lying prone on the roof next to her as they both looked down on the battle below.
"It looks like a regular donnybrook, Miss Lane," Jimmy observed, snapping away at the heroes battling each other.
"Jimmy, how many times do I have to tell you to stop hanging around Clark so much? He's ruining you."
"Gosh, Miss Lane, Mr. Kent is a great guy. You should just give him a chance."
"That'll be the day," Lois muttered. Taking out her cellphone, she settled back to, once again, report on what she was seeing, shouting over her editor's rants in order to be heard.
"…and where the hell is Kent?" Perry demanded.
"Haven't seen him, Perry," Lois said dismissively. "Besides, we don't need him. Jimmy and I are doing just fine without him."
"I don't care! When I assign a reporter to a story, I—"
"Perry, do you want the story, or do you want to keep on interrupting?" Lois paused momentarily, making sure Perry was finished being Perry and was ready to listen as she called in her play-by-play.
"From where we are, it appears as if the Leaguers are advancing in an uncoordinated attack. The teen heroes, meanwhile, are both standing by calmly and waiting for their much more powerful and experienced opponents to fully show their intent. I don't believe this," she said over her cellphone. "Kid Flash is again creating a super-cyclone, but this time by running in a counter-clockwise circle. The high winds and updrafts are tearing off some of Hawkman's wing feathers. Even Plastic Man is having difficulty maintaining his shape. The gale-force winds are actually twisting him around into a pretzel shape."
Jimmy nudged her, calling her attention to Aqualad. "The teen hero from Atlantis is currently standing knee-deep in the park's ornate water fountain. What is he doing—?" As they watched, the Atlantean withdrew his water swords from their sheaths on his back, which triggered the tattoos along his arms and back to begin pulsating in a strange silvery-aqua glow. The pulsation quickly moved up and down his arms and onto his water swords. Moving to an internal metronome, he appeared to be dancing as he called the water forth—flinging, shaping, and twirling it in a graceful, deadly choreography.
"It looks like Aqualad is planning to do something with the water from the park's historical water fountain. It appears that he is feeding water to the cyclone that Kid Flash has created, making a giant waterspout. Oh, my! The velocity of the water is so high that when it strikes, it's with a force hard enough to—Whoa!—knock both Plastic Man and Hawkman out of the sky!"
"Miss Lane, look!" Jimmy pointed at Kid Flash and Aqualad, who were directing Hawkman and Plastic Man's fall into the fountain by slowing their descent just enough that the fall did not kill them, but still rendered them unconscious. When the adult heroes were safely incapacitated, Kid Flash disarmed Hawkman of his nth-mace and, moving at super-speed, literally tied Plastic Man in knots. Aqualad then snapped a meta-negation collar around the Thanagarian's neck, while Kid Flash did the same with the shape-shifter.
As the reporters watched, the Leaguers began to stir and appeared on the verge of regaining consciousness. They never had a chance to wake up, because Aqualad sprayed something in their faces. Whatever it was, it almost immediately put both heroes back to sleep.
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The National Mall
Washington, D.C.
Day 2/0530 EDT
"…This is Cat Grant, Channel 10 WGBS, Good Morning D.C., reporting live with breaking news from the heart of the nation's capital near the tidal basin. The National Mall is even now under lockdown by order of the Capital Police. Several federal agencies have become involved in what is quickly turning into some kind of brouhaha. Just minutes ago, the Mall was rocked by several explosions believed to be linked to a heretofore unknown terrorist group. Surprisingly, the explosions were summarily contained and taken care of by two junior members of the superhero community: Miss Martian and Artemis.
"Miss Martian is believed to be not only related to the Martian Manhunter, but also his protégé. Similarly, Artemis is reported to be Green Arrow's new protégé and, possibly, even a member of his family. As soon as the Capital Police give the all clear, we're going to move in and try to interview the two teens—"
A powerful energy bolt suddenly cut through the pre-dawn gloom.
"What the hell?" Cat cried out. "Ladies and gentlemen, you will not believe this! Dr. Fate has just appeared, literally from out of nowhere, and has launched an unprovoked attack on the two junior heroes, just barely missing them!" Cat gasped as she was suddenly grabbed by the collar and jerked back. "What the—?" Her cameraman dragged her along with him, pushing and shoving her behind their news van. "Rick, what's the idea?" she demanded.
Her answer came less than a heartbeat later as several energy blasts rocked the very spot where they'd just been standing.
"Who dares interfere with Fate?" The crowd of emergency personnel and news media looked up as one. The blue and gold figure of Dr. Fate glared down disdainfully at the crowd. His golden helmet winked in the starlight and his Cloak of Destiny billowed in the slight breeze. In the subdued lighting, the Amulet of Anubis glowed from where it hung around his neck.
"It is decreed that the two females have overstepped their bounds," Dr. Fate intoned. "You petty mortals have interfered in matters far beyond your ken. This shall not be tolerated. Fate will intervene!"
"Why don't you go stuff yourself, Doc?" As Artemis uttered the words, she let fly with three of her gas grenade arrows. Before any arrow could reach its mark, Dr. Fate magically grabbed them in midflight and held them aloft in arrogant triumph.
"Impudent, child!" Dr. Fate roared. As he held his arms forth, a golden ankh took shape before him, the first sign that he was about to release some serious magical forces. You would dare—?"
A shimmer in the air behind the mage was the only indication that everything wasn't as it seemed. A slender hand appeared out of nowhere, holding a miniature aerosol spray canister. Before the powerful Lord of Order sensed the attack, Miss Martian had already spritzed him directly through the eyeholes of his helmet—Dr. Fate's most vulnerable spot.
Unprepared for the attack, Dr. Fate succumbed to the sleeping agent that had been mixed in with the antidote.
Artemis, relieved that the League's powerful sorcerer had fallen for such a simple trick, laughed weakly. "I should feel insulted they only sent one guy after us. Baywatch and Aqualad got two."
"Then perhaps you should feel fortunate that you have, indeed, another opponent to face!"
Artemis and Miss Martian, who had been huddled over Dr. Fate's supine form, looked up from their ministrations. Seeing who had been sent to further challenge them, Artemis rolled her eyes. The two junior heroes stood as one and glared at Aquaman, their stances exuding attitude.
"What are you going to do?" Artemis taunted. "Call one of your whale friends to attack us?"
In response, Aquaman held out his arms, gestured with his hands, and, to the girls' shock, a wall of water began to rise from D.C.'s famous tidal basin. It soon reached the height of a two-story building, and with a sweeping wave his arms, Aquaman sent it roaring toward them.
"I don't freaking believe this!" Artemis cried out. Miss Martian grabbed her and flew them both out of the danger zone in the nick of time. "How come I didn't know Fish King could do that?" the archer complained.
"I had no idea that Aquaman could manipulate water in a manner similar to Aqualad," Miss Martian admitted. She suddenly slapped the side of her head. "Hel-lo, Megan!" she cried. "Aqualad told me once that all of his people have the ability on a limited basis, but that only those who demonstrated a gift for it when young were then mage-trained, as he was. He told me that his king, while gifted with a strong telepathic mind, is not trained in the magical arts."
"So what are you saying? That he'll drown us by accident?" Artemis pointed ironically at the floodwaters that were suddenly swamping the National Mall. A small hand waving from the top of the Channel 10 WGBS news van caught her attention. They had to do something soon, before the whole city was underwater.
"What I'm saying is that his power over water is limited. He can't manipulate it the same as Aqualad. Therefore—"
"—Therefore, he's just another two-bit super-villain who's about to go down!"
"Exactly." Miss Martian gave Artemis a look filled with determination. "Ready?"
"Hell, yeah! Let's lock and load!"
"…In the end," Cat Grant said, by way of wrapping up, "the combined teamwork of Miss Martian and Artemis, and their ability to augment one another's abilities, were the keys that brought down both Dr. Fate and the King of Atlantis. This is Cat Grant, signing off for Channel 10, WGBS, Good Morning, Washington. Back to you, Jack, in the studio!"
Also, unknown to the gutsy TV journalist, a judicious spritz of antidote and knockout gas ensured that the two unconscious heroes would not cause the girls any further problems while being transported. Artemis and Miss Martian high-fived each other in celebration after they placed a meta-negation collar around the King of Atlantis' neck.
"Oh, yeah… someone's gonna be grumpy when he wakes up," Artemis muttered.
"Too bad Dr. Fate's magic makes him immune to the collar," Miss Martian said regretfully. "I have a feeling that if the antidote doesn't take with him, he's going be a bit unhappy with us."
"Ya think?" Artemis shot an incredulous look at her teammate as they boarded the bio-ship, the unconscious forms of Dr. Fate and Aquaman in tow, courtesy of Miss Martian's telekinesis.
End of Part 6
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Author's Note: First, thanks go to Ellen for taking the time to beta-read this chapter. Believe me, it is a much better story because of her help.
Acknowledgements to . That website just seems to have information on every hero in the DCU—popular and obscure. It helped with Rocket, a character that I know next to nothing about. I modeled Lois, Jimmy, and Perry White after the characters in Superman: The Movie. The Kerth is a fictional journalism award, popularized by the TV series, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Sarvanistan and its language Sarvani are both fictional.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to DC, Time Warner, and CN; this is an original story that doesn't intend to infringe on their copyright. Feedback is welcome.
Copyright: December 2012