Justice League Nuptials 103
Ubu brought Batman and Batgirl to a dining hall. Ra's was already seated as was Talia. When she saw Batman, she rose out of her place and ran to him.
She didn't throw herself at him, rather, she stopped at arm's length and placed a hand on either elbow, "You are looking well, Beloved."
"You are aware of my marriage?" he asked.
"Of course." Talia nodded vigorously, "But in my heart you will always be my Beloved."
Batman refused to reply. Instead, he changed the subject, "Let me introduce you to Batgirl. Neither you or your father have met her."
"Yes." Talia moved to Batgirl and appraised her with a critical eye, "You are younger than I would have supposed. You are, what, fifteen years his junior?"
"At least I don't have to worry about the younger woman." Batgirl retorted.
"Ah," Talia was delighted, "I see you have teeth, Little Bat."
"You have no idea." Batgirl warned.
"Enough." Ra's stood, "Welcome Detective, to you and your bride. I regret the timing of my invitation but it seemed opportune since you rarely leave Gotham City without a gaggle of JLers."
"May I ask how you entered my cave?" Batman asked, "I have increased security since your last visit."
"Yes." Ra's smirked, "You've effectively guarded all of the entrances except the underground river. My agents entered by means of a submersible."
"Good to know." Batman replied.
"Please have a seat. My chefs have prepared a meal. A side effect of being unconscious for so long is a ravenous hunger. You must feel it now that the gas has fully worn off." Ra's gestured.
Batman and Batgirl met this with silence. Ra's chuckled, "I am not here to kill the two of you. I could have done that already. Instead, I have an offer for the pair of you."
"Is it anything like your previous offers?" Batman asked.
"I believe this one will appeal to your sensitivities." Ra's smiled.
Back at St. Mark's Doctor Schubert and his nurse entered Gordon's room. Gordon screamed and fell out of bed. J'onn blinked several times to clear his mind and then knelt to help the terrified Commissioner to his feet.
Once the Martian had Gordon back in bed and calmed down he whirled on Schubert, "Outside! Now!"
"Ziyi, stay with Gordon." Schubert said to his nurse. He went out into the corridor and immediately became defensive, "Spare me whatever you're about to say. I'm only allowing you to consult upon this case. I'm the primary psychiatrist. If you have a problem with that take it up with Gordon's PCP."
"I can't have him jumping out of bed all of the time. He'll damage his IV line. I'll put him in restraints if I have to." Schubert warned.
"That shouldn't prove necessary." J'onn replied, "Can we return to his room now?"
Schubert and Jonzz reentered Gordon's room. Their appearance agitated him but he controlled himself this time around. Schubert tried to assert himself.
"Commissioner, Jim, I'm Dr. Eric Schubert. I'm your psychiatrist." He announced, "I'm here to assess your state of being and make a recommendation for your future treatment."
"I want to work with J'onn." Gordon declared.
"Jim, that's hardly scientific." Schubert cajoled him.
"Listen Doctor, first off I'm Commissioner or Gordon to you; secondly, you're known for sending every patient off to Arkham. Arkham is where I was tortured so it's detrimental to my mental health." Gordon ticked off the options, "Thirdly, J'onn and I have been successfully working together. An hour ago my first impulse would have been to kill you. Now, I merely tried to run from you. I call that progress."
"I must object!" Schubert declared, "This is highly irregular!"
"Doctor, if I may, I think it's time you experience some of what the Commissioner has experienced." J'onn suggested, "Are you willing to do that?"
"I…I guess." Schubert conceded.
J'onn formed a telepathic conduit between Gordon's mind and that of Schubert. Schubert relived the Commissioner's experience in a compressed matter of minutes. When the conduit closed, Schubert was visibly shaken and weeping.
He turned to J'onn, "Take all the time that you need. I'll endorse whatever you decide to do."
"Thank you, Doctor." J'onn acknowledged Schubert's give, "And what of the Joker?"
Schubert grimaced, "I was one of the Board that advocated more 'humane' treatment for the Joker. No more. Now I'll fight for employing the most aggressive methods at our disposal."
"Thanks Doctor." Gordon weakly smiled, "That means a lot."
"Get better, Commissioner." Schubert offered an encouraging smile in return, "It'll be hard but you can beat this. I saw that."
The Doctor turned to the Martian Manhunter, "I'd like to leave my nurse here. She's instructed to provide any and all assistance that Gordon may need."
"That would be appreciated." J'onn admitted.
Schubert left and the nurse introduced herself to J'onn, "I already met the Commissioner. My name is Kwan Ziyi."
"Which means Ziyi is your given name." J'onn smiled and accepted her outstretched hand.
Ziyi smiled, "You're familiar with Chinese custom?"
"I lived in China for two years. I was married to a wonderful woman." J'onn revealed.
"Were?" Ziyi asked.
"She died of health complications." J'onn said sadly, "I can do so much yet I cannot stave off old age."
"I'm sorry." Ziyi said softly, "Perhaps you can do some good here?"
J'onn bestowed a warm smile upon her, "The reason I keep going. Commissioner, are you ready to begin again?"
In the Bat Cave, Nightwing finished analyzing soil samples taken down by the boat dock, "Yup. That's how they got in. Bruce is going to love that."
"Can you tell where they came from?" Superman asked.
"I have a general fix." Nightwing said, "Based upon the soil nitrates they were somewhere in South or Central America."
"Venezuela." Wonder Woman declared.
The other two looked to her and she grimly said, "The Legion of Doom has a protective services contract with Chavez. Ra's could easily utilize his Legion connections to openly set up a base there."
Superman grinned, "Brilliant work. I'd forgotten all about Venezuela."
"So had I." Nightwing muttered.
"Can you hold Gotham alone?" Superman asked, "You'll have Robin."
"I suppose. Everyone that's anyone is locked up…except the Joker and Harley." Nightwing replied.
"I don't think anyone's going to find him any time soon." Superman consoled him.
"Try the Question and the Huntress." Wonder Woman suggested, "If anyone outside of Batman stands a chance of finding them, it's those two."
Superman beamed at her and she grew a little embarrassed, "What?"
"Just admiring your mind at work." He confessed.
"Do you two need to be alone?" Nightwing quipped.
"No." Superman jovially replied and pulled his signal device from his belt. He talked to Mr. Terrific. In turn, Terrific summoned Fire, Ice, Starman, Hawkman, Plastic Man, and Penny and had them return to the Javelin shuttle. Wonder Woman and Superman joined them there. Superman led them while Wonder Woman sat in as Penny's co-pilot. The two women discussed men and why they were so slow to recognize the obvious.
Back at the Dome, Luthor green lighted the extraction from Arkham upon learning of the League's pulling out of Gotham. Captain Boomerang, Plastique, Bronze Tiger, Blockbuster, and the Enchantress boom tubed into the asylum. The spatial disruptors were still shredded from what Dr. Polaris did to them. The former Suicide Squaders tore the asylum apart and retrieved all of the captive Legionnaires. They were in and out before the first police car arrived.
In Metropolis, Captain Cold, the Top, the Trickster, Heat Wave, the Golden Glider, and the Weather Wizard struck Stryker's Island. The Top's cyclonic powers tore through the prison's corridors. Captain Cold immobilized every guard they encountered. The Weather Wizard created a hurricane outside to prevent outside intervention. Heat Wave melted scores of door locks while the Golden Glider skated around with the Trickster and specifically released Legionnaires.
The Glider and the Trickster reached the "red sun" wing of the prison's meta-human detention facility. Having heard the commotion, Galatea, Supreme, and Bizarro were waiting to see what was happening. Upon being freed, Galatea interrogated the Golden Glider.
"Who are you? Why are you freeing us?" she demanded.
The Glider smirked, "I'm the Golden Glider. This is the Trickster. We're enemies of the Flash. As for why we're here: we're the newest members of the Legion of Doom. Luthor sent us. Now, are you coming with or not?"
The three "supers" followed the Rogues to the main courtyard of the prison. The Legionnaires had gathered together there. Professor Zoom came racing into the area.
"I rewired the spatial disruptors." The Reverse Flash reported, "Now they'll serve as a beacon to draw in boom tubes."
"Good job, Zoom." Captain Cold chuckled. He pulled a tube controller from his belt and activated it. A wormhole appeared in the middle of the courtyard. The Legionnaires fled through it. Next, they appeared in Bailya.
Luthor awaited them, "It's good to see you all. I trust your incarcerations didn't last too long?"
A general clamor began and Luthor raised his hands, "Please! You can each submit vidcam statements. I'll contact you to get further details. In the meantime, your costumes and reserve equipment await as do your quarters and refreshments. The Crimson Queen has invited you to a banquet this evening. Business attire is suggested."
Knowing that meant their usual costumes, the liberated villains cheered. The newcomers were let in on the secret. The team seemed content.
Luthor was restless until Amazo arrived with Brainiac's components. Still, he remained unsettled until Mantis and Lashina returned with Grodd. The Simian was still severely injured but Luthor tended to him personally.
"I wasn't certain you'd send for me." Grodd confessed.
"You're my partner." Luthor made his own confession, "I'm not sure I can conquer the world without you."
Grodd weakly chuckled, "It's good to be needed."
"Mary Marvel beat you to a pulp." Luthor spoke, "She cost me my hand."
Luthor showed Grodd his mechanical hand, "I've recruited Dr. Silvana, Krull, and Mr. Mind. They'll help us exact our revenge."
"Revenge can wait." Grodd assured him, "How is our plan going?"
Luthor chuckled darkly, "67.4% of Gothamites blame Batman and the Justice League for our 'intervention' there and the numbers are steadily growing nationwide. Internationally, the polls show an 89.7% majority of those who say that super villains only strike where there's superheroes. A subsequent world-wide poll shows that 50.3% hold that banning superheroes would remove the threat of super villains."
Grodd tried to smile but the pain from such an effort dissuaded him, "Remind me to thank your polling companies."
"The AP and Gallop polls are following mine with examinations of their own. I suspect the numbers will match." Luthor smiled victoriously, "It's only a matter of time before the UN disbands the Justice League and outlaws superheroes."
"Ah, to see the day." Grodd tried to smile again but instead he hissed in pain.
"Wait there." Luthor ordered and left the room.
"Where else am I going?" Grodd muttered.
Luthor returned with a torso, head, and arms mounted on a two-wheel people mover, "Welcome Robo-Nurse. She'll attend to your basic bodily needs. Meanwhile," he wheeled in an IV, "this will help."
Luthor ran the line and Grodd grunted, "I didn't realize that you knew how to do this."
"I'm trained as an EMT 2." Luthor revealed, "I can run lines, administer venipuncture, as well as CPR and First Aid."
"A man of many talents." Grodd surmised, "How are you at veterinary medicine?"
"I'm learning." Luthor admitted.
"Good to know." Grodd leaned back into his bed, "If you don't mind, I think I'll sleep for a while."
"Get your rest and get well." Luthor said, "We…I…need you."
Luthor left his room and went to work on Brainiac. Amazo was standing in as the Legion's major domo but the android had his own agenda. Brainiac was programmed with Luthor's own personality and brain engrams. He knew how to please Luthor since he was an extension of Luthor.
Inside of the Crimson Queen's palace, Black Adam sat in audience with her Majesty, "Please, I beg you, release me from my obligation to Luthor and the Legion of Doom."
"No." she simply replied, "I need you to observe the Legion and inform me of their plans, operations, and goals. I cannot trust Jack O'Lantern and the rest of the Global Guardians for this. They each have their own agendas besides that which I gave them through my mind control techniques. You are loyal to me because you choose to be. Your love for me is genuine. I can rely upon you as I can no other."
Black Adam bowed low, "I live to serve."
The Crimson Queen smiled. It was full of warmth and admiration, "I know. You will sit on my right tonight. Let Luthor enviously learn his place amongst the other revelers."
Adam grinned, "I'm honored."
The Queen wore a mischievous smirk, "You should be. But seriously, Adam, when will you finally give up this pretense of servitude and join me in ruling this kingdom?"
"Milady, for now I serve you best as the Captain of your Meta-human Guard." Black Adam gave the old explanation, "As your consort I would be forced to deal with diplomacy."
"Adam," the Queen sighed, "as my consort you would be whatever I decided you would be."
"Perhaps that's the problem." Adam suggested, "I'm a proud man. Subservience doesn't come naturally to me."
"Yet you serve me as queen." She sadly pointed out.
"Fealty to royalty is another matter." Adam explained, "You are installed by the gods."
"Too bad." She murmured, "Very well, you will attend as my champion. Hopefully, someday soon, you will attend as something more."
He bowed again, "Time will tell, my Queen. Time will tell."