5

The Great Escape

He was a man of Earth in a hellish world. No matter what torture Desaad would inflict upon him, no matter how many times he had been placed before Desaad's Fear Machine, he would not be broken. He still remembered his name – Thaddeus Brown. To the astonished masses who had once seen his performances, he had been Mister Miracle, the man who could escape from anything. And now, so many years after he had been captured by Desaad (how many years had it been?), he still tried to escape from this grim world called Apokolips.

Thaddeus dared for a second to look up. It was still up there, that orb of doom. He didn't know why it was there and for what purpose. His gut told him that it was for no good. He lowered his head and continued on his way.

Clutching the device jealously in his hand, Thaddeus Brown navigated the mazes that winded through the dark ecumenopolis that was Apokolips. He passed the Hunger Dogs quickly; any one of them could betray him to a Parademon, or to Willik. Though they hated Darkseid, they feared him even more; one look from that monster was enough to erase one from existence.

Deep within his heart, Thaddeus would not blame a lowlie for betraying him. Life in the Armagetto, subject to the depredations of dark lords, wicked furies and demons always ended before it should.

But there was always hope. Even here, in this wretched world outside of the Universe, there was still hope. He pulled his hood over his head as he ran past the nearby parademons, into another corridor of steel and death.

He passed by Mantis, who did not even deign to look at him, and lost himself within the crowds of Hunger Dogs who begged for their lives.

Finally, he reached the wall. He knocked on it in an irregular manner. Deep within, he heard the whirring and buzzing. As soon as he was sure no one was looking, Thaddeus put his entire weight against the wall. The wall gave in, turning and taking Thaddeus away from the outside, and into the protection of a place that did not seem to match the rest of this accursed world. It seemed like a little bit of paradise in the midst of hell.

Thaddeus was not alone. There was another man within this small bit of paradise – although he was dressed like a Hunger Dog, he was not at all like them in appearance. He still had his hair; though it was white (Thaddeus had been forced to lose his) and he did not seem at all broken – whether it be in mind or in body. Furthermore, there was in him a willingness to help others that no longer existed amongst the denizens of Apokolips.

Without saying a word, Thaddeus pulled the device out of his pocket. He handed it to the man.

"Here it is Himon. Can you do anything with it?" the old circus performer asked.

The unusual Hunger Dog lifted the device and carefully looked at it. He smiled.

"I think I can. I remember this one very well" he said in a cheerful tone.

"You do?" Thaddeus asked, puzzled.

"Indeed. It was one of the first Mother Boxes I ever made. Where did you find it?"

"I didn't. One of Granny Goodness' orphans did" Thaddeus replied.

"Would that have been Scott Free?" Himon asked.

The man who had once been Mister Miracle, nodded with a smile.

"That boy has talent. He could take away my crown as master escape artist if he were on Earth. However, I think he got that device through other means" Thaddeus said with a smirk.

Himon gave the Earthman a sideways glance.

"You are referring to that woman?" he asked

"I think that she's in love with him" Thaddeus replied happily.

"For love to exist in such a place as this would be a true miracle" Himon said with a sigh. He looked at the device again. A slight ping came out of it. Himon smiled with affection "This Mother Box could break the bonds that keep you here, Thaddeus Brown, but I cannot guarantee your freedom, or your safety. She is too old."

Mister Miracle's face darkened and grew more somber.

"I can't live here anymore. I'm too old and I'm not getting any stronger. I can't be broken and become one of them. I don't want to die here. You chose to be here. I didn't" he said.

Himon nodded.

"I cannot argue with you" he said with a sigh "But I don't think I said that I would not help either. Unfortunately, it might not be the sort of help you would want"

"I think I would want it, especially if it gets me out of this hell" Thaddeus Brown said.

The benign Hunger Dog looked carefully at the old Mother Box. She was a bit bent and battered, and she was not like her younger sisters on New Genesis, but that would be to Mister Miracle's advantage.

As the man from Earth watched, Himon tinkered with the small box that easily fit within the palm of a hand. He took out wires as thin as a human hair and placed it within the device without the aid of any magnifying glass. She let out another ping.

Once he was done, he gave her back to Thaddeus Brown.

"She will take you back to Earth, but you must be careful. In her old age, the Mother Box needs a considerable amount of power. You will have to stand as close as you can to a fire-pit to give her that power. There is also something else you must take care of. She cannot shake off pursuers as easily as her younger sisters; she is too old for that. Make sure that you are not followed before opening the boom tube"

"I will" Thaddeus said with a nod. He looked at the Mother Box and smiled warmly at her. The old man kissed her with affection, as if she were his old grandmother. She pinged in return.

"Himon, you've been a good friend. But if I have to come back here to see you again, well, I hope I never see you again" he said warmly.

Himon smiled, "And I hope to never see you here again as well. Take the tunnel. It will take you to the closest fire-pit"

Thaddeus Brown waved his hand and he walked into the tunnel to Himon's left. The tunnel was dark and cold. Thaddeus remembered being afraid of such places as a child – it was one of the reasons he had become an escape artist – but he enjoyed the safety of this tunnel. It twisted and turned and kept on going for some while; how Himon built this beneath Darkseid's nose was a mystery. Perhaps Himon hadn't built it; there were many strange mysteries within Apokolips, artifacts of a previous world of older gods.

Unnoticed by the lowly crowd, Thaddeus Brown exited the tunnel. There in the distance, he could see the fire-pit. He usually tried to avoid them. But they did provide power for the entire planet. They would feed the Mother Box.

Looking this way and that, Thaddeus made his way to the fire-pit. At first, he was discreet and slow, but soon, the expectation of returning home, and the dread of failure quickened his pace.

A Hunger Dog noticed the Earthman's hurry. Looking for a chance at a longer life, he called the attention of a Parademon. The Parademon followed Thaddeus, but lost him in the crowd. The circus performer had spent enough time on this world to know it well.

Thaddeus emerged in another street, closer to the fire-pit. He kept his head low whenever he saw a Parademon or a member of the feared Dog Cavalry. It seemed as if the trek took hours, when it in fact took only one, but Thaddeus was finally there, at the edge of the fire-pit. He took out his Mother Box, and he held it over the flames as close as he could. She pinged with joy. Thaddeus could feel the heat burning into his flesh. But the Mother Box hummed with ever more strength. She was old, but she would take him away from this accursed world.

There was a scream, and Thaddeus turned his head away from the fire-pit. The Dog Cavalry had noticed him. An obliterating ray shot past his head. He could see Willik leading a squadron of Parademons toward him. Two more shots crashed near his feet.

They were either very poor shots, or they wanted him alive. Thaddeus Brown gritted his teeth and barely dodged another shot. And soon, he wouldn't just be dodging shots; they were approaching with each step and would knock him down with their hands and jaws.

Mother Box pinged in his hand and Thaddeus let out a triumphant laugh. She was now strong enough to take him home. The escape artist dodged another shot, and he did as Himon had taught him; there was an enormous boom that nearly knocked him over.

Despite this, Mister Miracle stayed on his feet. His eyes widened with wonder. He could feel Earth from here.

The interdimensional corridor was opened. Thaddeus Brown quickly ran into it; by that time the Dog Cavalry was hot on his heels, firing their guns. The interdimensional bridge closed and several over-eager riders and their mounts fell into the fiery pit, screaming as they went down.

Dr. Doom watched the news with interest. In a city called Gotham some strange things had occurred, but the day had been saved by a Spider-Man. Not many channels focused on him however, or his mysterious female companion. Superheroes were just as common here. Doom was certain that Spider-Man's presence in the media would soon fade. Still, the fact that Spider-Man was so well received was amusing.

It contrasted with what Doom remembered from his own Earth; J. Jonah Jameson would have certainly blamed Spider-Man for the attacks upon this Iceberg Lounge and for the odd, Loris headed monster that flew above the city. This world did seem to have its own version of Jameson, but his voice was muffled by the others giving the teenaged superhero praise. And his arguments were actually good. From what Doom could see on the news, Spider-Man had appeared conveniently before the teenaged thugs had done the most damage, and he was somehow connected to the monster – it being a companion of his, it seemed. It was a miracle that no one was crying for the wall-crawler's head.

Doom turned off the television, and he set the control orderly on the bedside table. Spider-Man's appearance was not unexpected, but it did present a problem. He had earlier read the report on the doombot that had fallen in San Francisco. It was now in the custody of this world's premier superhero team, the Justice League. Doom pondered on if he should or should not recover the robot. Its artificial brain would melt upon the slightest tinkering of the skull, but judging from the pictures that had been taken on the scene, the robot hadn't disintegrated as it should have. This had the possibility of causing Doom future grief. Doom would have felt more comforted by the idea that no one knew who he was yet, but there was Spider-Man's presence to take into account. If that meddling arachnid formed an alliance with this Justice League, he could tell them about the doombot. Unfortunately, in this strange world, he didn't have the luxury to move with much haste. Besides, there was a silver lining; the webhead had no reason to believe he was alive.

A sigh escaped Doom's lips. He would have to remain calm, and not be too impulsive. He shifted his attention away from anything pertaining to his native Earth, and towards the newspaper he had left on the chair.

There was a picture on the front page of Queen Bee, Bialya's dictator. She was beautiful and dangerous; Doom remembered quite a few women like her. He had discreetly investigated the woman; apparently, her real name was Zazzala and she had the ability to enthrall men (and some women) with her pheromones. This was clear to see in the photographs taken of her; whichever man was in her presence seemed to be slightly drugged. Doom wondered what effect her pheromones would have on Horton cells.

Doom smiled. They would probably have no effect.

With the experience of an aristocratic gentleman, Doom put on his jacket and checked his visage within the mirror. With the memories he had in his brain, it was so odd to look at his own face like this, so unscarred and perfect. Clean shaven, with carefully groomed hair, impeccably dressed with no tie because the collar of his shirt was wide open, Doom looked more like a billionaire playboy, than a tyrannical, armor clad autocrat. He felt some unease. His memories were so tied to that armor that Doom felt naked.

But this was how Doom on this world would be – for now at least. Whenever he needed to be charming, he would wear a jacket; the armor would come on whenever he needed to get his hands dirty. He walked out the hotel room, and into the carpeted corridor from which expensive paintings were hung. A lady in a cocktail dress walked by him. She smiled invitingly. He returned the smile. This was something he remembered from a long time ago – but that was just a memory. Doom waved politely to the lady, but then he continued his way, entering the elevator.

The elevator doors opened into the casino. Doom walked out with a billionaire's strut and the smile of a sly conqueror. He had every right to feel confident. Having managed to amass a small fortune in just a few days was no small feat. And all he had to do was recall what had been written within the pages of Richard Stark's The Hunter. Doom still couldn't believe that that stunt in the bank had worked. But from there onward, Doom had begun accumulating capital.

Now it was time to make a reputation, and a few connections within Bialya. He looked at the poker table. The general was there, just as he had been told. Doom grabbed a pretty girl, whispered into her ear, and she hung on his right arm all the way to the table.

A day had passed since the incident with Green Ghost Boy. Peter had since then learned that the boy's real name was Owen Keller. He was from Star City as he had said. What he hadn't said was that the nerves of his legs had been damaged at a young age by some unknown chemical agent. For the longest time, the boy couldn't walk properly – not without crutches. It was when his brother – a young man in trouble with the law, and who had some connection to a man named Merlyn – had brought him a sample of metaplex. And from there, Owen Keller became Green Ghost Boy. He also became dependant, and addicted to the drug.

For now, Owen was in the hospital, in intensive care. He was still in a coma. His mother should be arriving this day or the day after. Peter wondered if it would be a good idea to visit him – either as Peter Parker, or as Spider-Man.

Peter sighed and looked about him. He was in a small park – much smaller than the one in which Green Ghost Boy became the Theriodont – but it was quiet, and no one else was around, although Peter wasn't going to put on the mask.

He just needed time alone, to think. He wondered how Aunt May was doing; picturing Johnny doing something typically stupid. He certainly hoped that flame-brain didn't burn down the house.

Still, he was glad that Johnny was there, and not here. There was no knowing what he would do with Bette.

Actually, Peter did know, and he groaned to himself. Of course, Peter knew that he didn't have to worry much about Bette if Johnny were about. She was smart enough to take care of herself.

Bette was certainly smart enough for Peter to be careful around her; that is, if she hadn't given him so much freedom to do as he pleased. Following the fight in the Iceberg Lounge and with the Theriodont, Spider-Man had managed to slip away from Huntress and the Bat family of masked vigilantes. He returned to his room, covered in bruises abrasions and sores. The next few hours of rest had healed him up, and he woke up late without Bette asking one question.

Sometimes, he wondered if she knew, but was just playing along. She knew something about Dick; that was certain by the way they acted around each other.

Peter sat down, and started thinking about something else. When he got up from bed that morning, Bette was waiting for him. Apparently, someone had scheduled an exam for him to take in Gotham Academy, set for the next week. Most likely that rich guy, Bruce Wayne.

The youth found a bench and sat on it. He wondered if he'd ever see New York again. He hadn't even seen this world's New York.

"Hey!" a red-headed girl said, waving at him. She was wearing drab jogging outfit, and her hairs was tied in a bun behind her head. It took Peter a while to recognize her; she was Barbara Gordon, and he had seen her at the library. With Dick.

The youthful New Yorker was puzzled by Dick Grayson. When they had at first met, he assumed that he was Bette's boyfriend, but when he moved out, she didn't seem too bothered. And then, he saw him act flirtatiously with Barbara Gordon and a few other women.

Not even Johnny was this proficient. And he would have been smacked across his smug face by his exes for even blinking at other girls. The girls Dick knew easily excused his behavior. It was as if he had a superpower – the superpower to not get smacked by girls once he was done with them, and remain friendly with them – very friendly. There was just some times in which the universe used less direct means to tell Peter that his life was garbage.

"Hi there" Peter said, getting up and holding out his hand "You're Barbara, right?"

"Yes I am. You know me. Dick introduced us in the library" she said.

"Of course" the only two people he remembered from the library were the fifty year librarian, and the lovely girl who studied law. Peter then quickly recalled that Barbara Gordon was also Commissioner Gordon's daughter. The same commissioner he had saved in the Iceberg Lounge, "How's your father? Wasn't he in the middle of that horrible mess that happened the other night?"

Barbara nodded.

"I was scared, but everything's alright. My dad has an amazing amount of luck. He has no broken bones in his body. That Spider guy saved his life" she then looked at Peter in a focused manner "I would very much like to thank him if I see him."

"I'm sure he appreciates it" Peter said, "but I wouldn't know, as I'm not him."

"Dick told me that you have an exam scheduled for next week. You shouldn't be nervous or over study. I see you in that library almost every day. You have to relax" she said with concern.

"But I am relaxing" Peter said, opening his arms "This beautiful park is very relaxing"

"That's why I jog here" Barbara said "Well, it was nice seeing you. Keep relaxing, you deserve it after the hard work you put in"

That sounded strange. And then, Peter remembered. He could ask Barbara what he would certainly not ask Dick.

"Have you ever seen a girl with long dark hair and bright blue eyes? She's tall and athletic" he asked

Barbara shrugged and made a face.

"That sounds like a lot of girls I know. None of which would go to Gotham Public Library" she said. She waved goodbye and kept on jogging.

With a thump, Peter sat back down on the bench. He certainly did intend to take the day off, even if Barbara Gordon hadn't suggested it. Thinking about returning home had distracted him from the fact that he was in a new world. He certainly wouldn't waste much time in it, but he could drink up some of the scenery. He wondered how different this world's New York was to his own.

His spider-sense forced him on to his feet in a sudden blur of motion. He looked around; usually, his spider-sense would tell him from where the danger would come from, but now, something was different.

There was no one in the park now; he was the only person there. There could be an invisible man, but Peter's spider-sense would have told him where the man was.

A sudden deafening boom knocked Peter off his feet and on to his back. The teenager looked up, and he saw a bright light. As the brightness dimmed, but only a bit, he could see several rings coming from the light.

Peter quickly got on his feet. His heart was racing and he gulped. Slowly, he walked up to it, despite the fact that his spider-sense was ringing hard within his head. This looked like a portal. He had to know if it was.

A shadow appeared amidst the bright light. It quickly grew, and Peter realized too late that he should get out of the way. A figure crashed into him, knocking him down on his back, once again.

There was another boom, and the brightness soon disappeared. Peter's spider-sense stopped ringing in his head. But he still had a weight on top of his body. He looked at the bundle on top of him. The closest thing to his face was a shaved head.

With a bound, the weight was off of Peter's body. He looked up, and saw a figure standing over him. The figure was a man, and if he wasn't than he was a good facsimile of one. He was an old man – the wrinkles and scars on his face were deep. His white beard seemed to have been clumsily cut close to the chin with a knife. His head was shaved, but his white eyebrows were bushy. He wore strange alien clothing.

The man wasn't looking at Peter. His attention was drawn towards the sky, and then towards the trees and the grass of the park.

As Peter got up on his feet, he could see tears welling up within his eyes.

"I did it" the old man said "I'm home." And then he let out a tremendous bout of laughter.

Peter felt like a rat for interrupting the old man's moment of joy, but he had a few questions.

"Excuse me sir, but who are you?" he asked.

The old man suddenly turned his head towards Peter. Only now did he notice the youth.

"I knocked you over, didn't I?" he asked.

"Very much so" Peter replied.

"I'm very, very sorry. I left that accursed place in a hurry. You are alright, aren't you?" he asked as he looked at Peter from head to toe.

"I'm fine. I can take a few knocks. But who are you, and what was that?"

"You saw that?"

"Yes I did. You did knock me over, remember?" Peter said, perhaps a bit too testily.

"That was a Boom Tube. A gateway to another world, a world outside this universe, a world they told me I could never leave, but I did!" and the strange man let out a hoot.

When Peter heard that the strange old man had come from somewhere outside of the universe, he became quite interested.

"You were outside of the universe?" Peter asked.

"I was on Apokolips. Believe me, you don't want to be there" the old man said bitterly. It seemed for a moment as if his mind was wandering somewhere else. He suddenly turned towards Peter "Son, who are you?" he asked.

"Peter Parker. I'm from New York" he said, leaving out the fact that he was from another universe.

"And what year is this?"

"2017" Peter replied.

The old man's eyes widened in shock, "has it been that long? It was 1971 when I left."

Peter raised an eyebrow.

"That's a long time" the youth said.

Rubbing his forehead, the old man looked around, and his eyes were on the nearby road as a car passed by.

"Are those cars on wheels?" he asked, pointing at them.

"Well, I don't think I've ever seen a car on anything else" Peter said awkwardly.

"Shouldn't they be flying? And look at you! You're wearing a sweater vest as if it were 1963!" he said, looking at Peter with shock. The teenager soon realized that the old man probably thought that the year 2000 would have flying cars and spandex.

"Believe me sir, it's 2017. It's not what you expected, but you can check any newspaper to see" it was what Peter had done, when he first got here.

"I'll do that" the old man said, nodding "And what's this sir business?"

"Well, I don't know your name" Peter said.

The old man's eyes widened again, now in embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm probably unrecognizable; it's been so many years, and I must be different" the old man took a deep breath and continued "I am Thaddeus Brown, Mister Miracle, master escape artist."

He smiled, but the expression on Peter's face was blank. The youth knew about the current day celebrities and superheroes of this Earth, but he knew nothing about people of the past.

Peter smiled, not knowing what to say, until he came up with a solution:

"I can't believe it. You look nothing like Miracleman. I mean, Mister Miracle" Peter realized that lying like that may not be a good idea, but he was desperate not to irritate this old man. He had an apparent way to travel outside of the universe, after all.

"I don't have a way to prove it at the moment, but I will. Say, this doesn't look like New York" he said, looking around.

"This is Gotham" Peter replied.

"Gotham?" old Thaddeus seemed to be thinking of something before he smiled. He turned to Peter and pointed at him "You're far from home son"

"You're absolutely right about that Mr. Brown" Peter said. He noticed a metallic brick within what seemed like a breast pocket. "What's that?" he asked, pointing at the brick.

"The Mother Box. She got me here, opening up that Boom Tube" Thaddeus patted the brick gently "I owe her my life" he looked to his right "Since we're in Gotham, that means that the JSA headquarters isn't far away. I need to see if Oberon is still alive"

Peter wondered what he was talking about when the old man mentioned the JSA. For a moment, he thought that he had been talking about the Justice League.

Mister Miracle then began to move. In a rush, Peter began to follow.

"You don't mind if I follow you, do you Mr. Brown?" he asked

"You're no Parademon, so I don't see the problem" the old man said.

Peter followed the old man through streets he had only seen at night. As they walked along, Peter wondered how he would start a conversation which would lead him to learn more about these Boom Tubes with which Thaddeus Brown had crossed over from outside of the universe.

They stopped at an old building, a big square block of dark red brick. Thaddeus simply walked up the stairs and leaned over the door's lock. To Peter, it was suspiciously like breaking an entry. The door opened as the old man leaned his weight on it.

"Come on in kid" the old man said. Peter followed him into the dark building. Mister Miracle turned on a light switch. He found himself within a normal entry of a home. There was a coat hanger and an old umbrella stand with the letters JSA stamped on it, close to the door. Thaddeus Brown walked towards the nearest door within the building and tentatively grabbed the knob. He turned it, and the door opened. Thaddeus sighed with relief.

"At least the inside is still open" he said. Peter shot him a suspicious look.

"It's been a long time" the old man explained.

They walked into a room that was very much like a museum. There were several stands and display cases; within them, Peter could see several colorful outfits and other such objects. Along the walls, he could also see old newspaper clippings. He recognized a few of the names, like Green Lantern and Flash, but the men attached to them were different from the pictures he had seen on the contemporary newspapers. There were other photographs of heroes either retired, or long gone.

Thaddeus suddenly let out a hoot that had Peter turning in his direction.

He was holding a colorful yellow and red suit, with a green cape and a mask that was not so different from the one Peter wore.

"After all these years they kept it!" Thaddeus said, overjoyed.

"Is that your suit?" Peter asked.

"Oh yes it is. I escaped so many dangerous contraptions in these long-johns. I'm glad I wasn't wearing this when Desaad nabbed me" the old man said, folding his suit.

"What did happen to you?" Peter asked.

"I still don't know" the old man said "I was returning home from a dinner with an old friend when a boom-tube opened in front of me. It was Desaad, and another demon of Apokolips called Brol. He said he wanted to see me escape from his world. And I did"

The old man looked around and seemed to spot something. He walked towards a corner, and it was then that Peter noticed that there was a phone there. It was a pity that Peter's own phone had no battery. He would have lent it. Even if the old man probably wouldn't know how to use it.

Thaddeus grabbed the reciever and dialed. He stood there for a while, and then, he hung it up.

"Oberon's not at his home. If he still lives there" the old man said with a frown "or if he's still alive"

Peter decided not to ask who Oberon was. He did pretend to know who Mister Miracle was, and he might reveal himself to be a liar if he asked about someone he should know about. The youth now decided that it would be a good time to ask about the Mother Box.

"Mr. Brown, I was wondering if I could ask you something" Peter began to ask.

"What is it?"

Cautiously, Peter said "You said that your Mother Box got you here. What is it? Can it open portals into other universes?"

There was a strange ping sound and Thaddeus Brown smiled.

"I think you've irritated her a bit, by calling her an 'it', but she knows you're a good kid. She's a wonderful device, a miniature super-computer whose abilities I have yet to master. She's old unfortunately, and a trip like the one that I made from Apokolips to here cannot be repeated" there was another ping. Thaddeus Brown looked at Peter "She's telling me that you seem to be a bit disappointed. And that you're hiding something."

Peter looked at the escape artist, and then at the Mother Box he held in his hand. There was no use in pretending.

"I am disappointed. And I have been lying to you, for which I'm very sorry; I don't know who you are, and that's because I'm not from this universe. I was hoping that your Mother Box might help me, since you did say that she brought you here from outside of the universe" the youth admitted.

Thaddeus Brown nodded.

"I'll forgive the deception. It ain't nothing compared to the lies I witnessed in the Armagetto. Mother Box here was already telling me that you were strange. She's also telling me she can't help you. She's spent"

Peter found a seat and fell into it. And then he realized. Perhaps that Mother Box wasn't the only one. He looked up at Thaddeus.

"Tell me…" Peter stopped. His spider-sense was ringing again, in the same way it had when Thaddeus arrived. Mister Miracle's Mother Box was pinging violently. The escape artist looked at her, concerned.

"I can't believe it! They found me!"

No sooner had Mister Miracle had said that, when there was an enormous boom within the museum room. There was a violent flash of light, and out from it emerged an enormous alien clad in bizarrely designed armor, somewhat reminiscent of pre-Columbian cultures. He held within his hand a sort of staff weapon which shimmered with black dotted energy. The alien goliath looked at Peter with cold callous eyes.

"Get out of here boy! That's Protector Willik!" Thaddeus Brown yelled out. However, the Apokoliptian scourge lowered his club and pointed it at the teenager. A horrid energy made from black dots bolted from it, towards Peter.

The young superhero barely dodged it, leaping to the side while removing his shoes, and landing on the wall. The blast however, had singed his shirt, opening it up and revealing his suit beneath. The young man cursed himself. He dodged another blast from Willik and searched in his pocket for his mask and gloves. They weren't there. That was when he remembered that he had left them in his other pants, along with his boots. Peter cursed again. Fortunately, he had his web-shooters.

He stretched out both his arms and aimed. Each web landed a few feet behind Willik; Peter then stretched the web, and used its tensile strength to catapult him, feet first, on to the alien monster. The alien was hurled backwards, but he didn't fall. Peter landed on to his feet and he delivered three jabs followed by a right hook. The large behemoth of Apokolips fell down, but he did so in a manner that was more comical than actually devastating – he fell on his rear. He shook his head, and growled.

In one bound, Protector Willik got on his feet. He swung his club with ability. Peter barely dodged several swipes, until a backhand from the alien hurled him into the wall.

"Okay mister, you're tough, but I'm going to beat you up with the power of my determination! It's radioactive!" Peter said, getting out of the hole.

Again, the alien growled. He pointed his club at the youth. More energy seeped from the tip.

"Willik!"

The alien turned his head to look at Thaddeus Brown who was holding his Mother Box, his arm extended.

"Get lost!" Mister Miracle growled out. There was a ping, and a bright light emerged on the floor. Willik yelled as he fell in. The bright light quickly faded.

"What happened?" Peter asked.

"I had Mother Box send him into a volcano. I don't think he'll survive that" Mister Miracle then looked at Peter's shredded shirt, and the black spider showing through it. "It seems Mr. Parker, that you still haven't told me everything. Of course, I should have guessed. Mother Box did say that you were stronger than the average human. I don't think I could have taken that back hand so well"

Peter looked at his fists. They were beginning to go red.

"That guy took my punches very well. It was almost like punching Captain America's shield" he said.

"Your punches were good enough to have him on his ass! Now let's get out of here before more arrive. Tell me, does this world still have heroes?" Thaddeus asked.

Peter felt strange. Here he was, a youth from another universe, being asked about the heroes native to this universe, by a native of this universe. Just thinking about it made the youth a bit dizzy.

"There's this team called the Justice League. They're made up of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and I can't really name the rest. As I said, I'm new to this place" Peter admitted.

"It doesn't matter. I am befuddled by the names you just threw me. I knew Diana would still be around, but Alan and Jay?" Mister Miracle walked towards a display case that hadn't been damaged in the fight with Willik. He stretched his arm into and did something.

There was a click, and a panel of the wall slid sideways, revealing something that looked like a sci-fi version of a phone-booth.

"What's that?" Peter asked, pointing at it.

"It was a gift to the JSA from a Thanagarian friend. It's a beam that transports you to somewhere else. In this case, if I remember properly, it will take us to Blackhawk Island. We can at least communicate with this Justice League from there" Thaddeus said.

"Why can't we call them from here?" Peter asked.

Mister Miracle sighed.

"It might not be a good idea. Now let's suit up and go."

"I don't have a mask. Or my gloves. Or my boots" Peter said meekly.

Mister Miracle looked at the youth.

"I think I see them in your pocket" he said.

Peter was puzzled, and then he looked into his other pocket. His face went red.

"This doesn't usually happen" he said.

"It only happens to the best of us" the old man said. They quickly got dressed in their costumes, with Peter removing what remained of his outer clothes, while simply putting on his gloves and mask. As soon as he was in his suit, Mister Miracle now looked like a different man. No longer was he a scarred old man that would seem a bit crazy if you hadn't seen him come out of a wormhole. He looked like an honest to God hero. A man who certainly did look like he was the greatest escape artist ever to exist.

They entered the old Zeta-Beam booth and disappeared.

Spider-Man was expecting to see a beach, or a cave, or something dark and dusty. Instead, what he saw nearly dropped his jaw. He walked forwards, towards the large window from which the starry heavens could be seen.

"Mister Miracle, I can say with absolute certainty that this is not an island" the web-slinger said to the old man.

The old man was himself surprised, in spite of the fact that he had been on another world for forty-six years.

Neither of them noticed the work that had been put into the design of the interior. They didn't notice the trees that gave the place a natural feeling, nor the birds of paradise flying over their heads, as if this was their natural habitat. There was only one thing that the Amazing Spider-Man and Mister Miracle, the world's greatest escape artist, could see. Before their very eyes, they saw the curve of the Earth, her clouds, her oceans, and her continents.

"What is this place?" Spider-Man asked. There was a buzzing in his head; his spider-sense had him on his toes, turning around with speed and agility.

"You are in the Watchtower" replied a powerful looking woman.

Mister Miracle turned. He knew that voice well.

Spider-Man had seen the woman on TV several times. Despite being a wall-crawling, web-slinging friendly neighborhood amazing Spider-Man, he never expected to meet her in person. She was much taller than the television would have led him to believe.

Spider-Man was stricken speechless by her visage; however, Mister Miracle had no such failings. Fearlessly, he walked up to her.

For her part, Wonder Woman's eyes widened when she looked at Mister Miracle.

"Thaddeus? Is that you?"

The old man smiled and removed his mask.

"Hello Diana. You're still beautiful, old lady"

The Amazon walked up to the old escape artist.

"Are you really Thaddeus Brown, a man we all thought died for more than forty years?" Wonder Woman asked. It seemed as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

Mister Miracle held out his arm.

"Use the lasso" he said.

By now, Spider-Man's spider-sense was making him aware of several other people within the space station. He saw a couple with wings to his right, on a ledge high above them, leaning against a tree was a young man wearing a black shirt with a red S on it. Spider-Man recognized him from Gigi's show. Next to him stood a green skinned girl, and his spider-sense was going crazy because of her. On Spider-Man's left, a young man with dark skin, blond hair and gills stood on another ledge. Lying on the ground next to him was a green tiger. Not far away stood a man with stretched limbs and a red suit. He looked ridiculous but his powers were not; Spider-Man knew that thanks to Reed Richards.

Wonder Woman wrapped the lasso around the old escape artist's arm.

"What's your name?" she asked

"Thaddeus Brown, Mister Miracle" he replied.

Her eyes widened, and there was a smile on her face. She immediately gave him a heartfelt hug.

"Thaddeus! We thought you were dead! What happened?" the Amazon asked.

"I was kidnapped by Desaad, and taken to Apokolips to suffer a lifetime of torture and pain. I only escaped thanks to the help of Himon, a New God from New Genesis disguised as a Hunger Dog" he stopped and looked at the lasso on his arm.

"I'm sorry" Wonder Woman said, unwrapping the lasso from his arm. She looked in Spider-Man's direction.

"Hello Mr. Parker. I've heard a great deal about you" she said.

Spider-Man looked at the Amazon, speechless. He almost choked. How did she know his name? How was a woman like this aware of his existence?

"I wouldn't know who this Mr. Parker is. I call myself your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. It's a name that suits me well. Besides, I could be a Eugene Thompson, or a Johnny Storm" he said, trying to cover himself up.

"I know about you Mr. Parker. I don't need to use the lasso for that. And I also know about how you may have come here" she said.

Spider-Man's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. What did this Amazon know?

"That's what I'd like to know. How did they get here? The security was supposed to have been beefed up since what happened seven years ago" the young man in the black shirt said.

"It's not just that. Several other things have been failing in the Watchtower lately" the green girl said; this was followed by a severe look that the winged couple and the guy with gills gave her. She looked embarrassed "Sorry. It just came out"

"Why are we worried? Wonder Woman seems to know the old guy" the green tiger said, to Spider-Man's hidden astonishment.

"Beast Boy, even so, we should be cautious" the gill guy said. The tiger then turned into a green skinned boy. The web-slinger wondered if he was related to the green girl. And if they were from Mars.

Wonder Woman kept her eyes on Spider-Man, something that left the wall-crawler slightly unnerved – in any other circumstance, he would have thought that having the attention of such a woman would be great – but this woman was serious, and meant business.

"I was not referring to the security breach, although that must be looked into" she said, turning her head slightly to the man with the S. She turned back to look at Spider-Man "Batman found traces of your costume on a robot that fell in San Francisco, from what seems to have been a portal orbiting the Earth. Can you explain that?"

Spider-Man was stunned, first, by the revelation that these strange people he hadn't even met might know where he had come from (or at least, have an idea), and secondly, by the mention of a robot. That was what shook Spider-Man up the most.

"A robot fell in San Francisco?" he asked "What did it look like?"

"Like a robot with a green cape and tunic" the boy with the S on his chest said.

Spider-Man nearly choked on nothing.

"That's a doombot!" Spider-Man said.

"What now son?" Mister Miracle asked intrigued and curious.

"It's a robot duplicate of Dr. Doom. He uses them to…" Spider-Man didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Again, for the third time this day, his spider-sense rang in that particular manner.

Almost at the same time, Mister Miracle's Mother Box pinged. He looked at Wonder Woman with shock and fear in his expression. The young man looked at the metallic brick as if he recognized it.

"They've found me again!" he said

"Who found you?" Wonder Woman asked. She would get her answer soon enough.

There was a violent boom and a bright light appeared. Out of it came several creatures dressed in green and gold. They were led by a brutish figure, much larger than Willik and dressed in more menacing armor.

"Brol!" Mister Miracle exclaimed.

"Can you do that trick you did before?" Spider-Man asked

"I wish I could son, but the old Mother Box is spent" Mister Miracle replied.

"Okay then, so we're going to have to bust our knuckles the good old fashioned way – by the way, what are these things?" Spider-Man said to the old man.

"They're Parademons. The soldiers of Apokolips"

"Parademons is it? That's just fine by me" Spider-Man said, he shot a web at the gun of the nearest approaching Parademon. With one yank he ripped it out of his hand. He then jumped and kicked him in the face. Spider-Man moved quickly. Before the others could hit him, he dodged and gave the nearest Parademon an uppercut. Another Parademon was given a kick to the gut that pushed him on to his peers.

The gun that Spider-Man had yanked landed near Mister Miracle. Although he was now too old to fight the Parademons in hand to hand combat, this gun would be an equalizer. He quickly picked it up; the many decades he had spent in Apokolips had at least taught him how to use their weapons. He began firing away, hitting several before searching for cover from which he could fire some more.

The young man with the red S dived in amidst the Parademons. He was clearly strong, as he easily tossed them about. The man with the gills entered the fracas holding two handles in his hand from which blue, apparently energetic, blades came out. The one called Beast Boy turned into an elephant and charged, while the green girl flew above everyone and used telekinesis to lift several Parademons up and use them to batter the others.

Spider-Man leapt up into the air, webbing a few Parademons. He saw the brutish figure called Brol fighting the winged couple, the red guy that reminded him of Mr. Fantastic, and Wonder Woman. They were all dangerous, but Wonder Woman was by far the most capable. Brol, now armed with an ax that the web-crawler hadn't seen before, swung it at the Amazon. She caught the blade easily on her bracelets, punching Brol in the face. The winged man and then woman began battering his back with their maces, while the red guy wrapped around his legs like a constrictor.

Brol however, was not a bad fighter himself. An energy beam came out of the ax's pike end. It hit Wonder Woman, who managed to block it with her bracelets in time, but she was still shoved across the room, and into the wall. Now that the ax was bathed in energy, he swung it at the bird couple. They were knocked away. And then, finally, as the red version of Mr. Fantastic made a hammer out of his hand and was about to strike, the Apokoliptian held his ax and the energy wave struck the elastic man.

As Beast Boy changed into a lion to maul the Parademons, and the young man with gills had changed his blades into a shield and mace, Spider-Man gave one Parademon a hammer fist, and then leapt over all the shots being fired, either by the Parademons, or Mister Miracle, and right in front of Brol. Now Spider-Man's spider-sense was going crazy. This creature was without a doubt stronger than he was – Spider-Man would have to rely on his speed, agility and his spider-sense. Brol swung his ax, and Spider-Man began to move. He ran around him at an incredible speed, even for him. To anyone normal watching, he would have seemed like a red and blue blur. And as he moved around Brol, he punched him and webbed him. He gave the alien monster every punch he knew: hammer fists, crosses, uppercuts, chambered punches, jabs, backfists, long fists, haymakers, hooks, overhands, shovel hooks, upset punches, casting punches, and finally diving punches. As his hands were in pain, he still punched, but it seemed that the monster would not fall down. The webbing seemed more effective, but the hand that held the ax was still free, and that was a mistake.

A great surge of energy came out of it that knocked Spider-Man to the floor and released Brol from his cocoon of webs. He grabbed Spider-Man by the leg and he hurled him at the green girl, who came tumbling down with him.

The man in the black shirt with the S on it hurled himself at Brol, while a green triceratops charged him from the rear. The young man with the gills was also attacking Brol, hacking at him with glowing blue axes of his own. The Parademons had been dealt with.

And then Wonder Woman came back, as did the red guy and the birds. They all charged at Brol. Wonder Woman was especially ferocious, punching him, grabbing his leg, and hurling him to the ground.

Brol waved his fist, which knocked Wonder Woman just a few feet back. He used the space given to tap an odd brick similar to Mister Miracle's Mother Box that was strapped to his belt. Everyone was hurled backwards by an unseen force.

Mister Miracle came out of his cover, and he shot several times at the monstrous alien. Each shot was blocked by Brol's ax. The blade was surrounded by red energy. He swung his ax, and the blast hit the old escape artist in the chest.

"Mister Miracle!" Spider-Man shouted out in anger, and he lunged at the Apokoliptian warrior, ignoring his spider-sense. Now Brol's ax was surrounded by black dotted energy. All he did was hold it high. The blast hit Spider-Man head on. He collapsed on the floor, every cell in his body seemingly screaming out in pain. He had enough awareness to see Brol open up a Boom Tube, and escape through it, before the darkness overcame him.

Diana rushed towards Thaddeus Brown, while M'gann, Superboy and Hawkman checked on the Parker boy. Gently, she held him up. He was still breathing, but weakly. There was a horrible burn on his chest, and it seemed that his sternum had been pushed in.

Blood was beginning to trickle out of the old man's mouth. Thaddeus opened his eyes.

"Diana, is he alright?" he asked.

"Do you mean Parker? He's alive" she turned to see Hawkman take the strange boy to the infirmary. She looked back at Thaddeus.

"I think he'll make it. He's strong. Could you please thank him for me?" the old man gulped, trying to keep the blood from gathering in his mouth "I'm glad that you're here Diana. It's so much better to die in your arms than in Apokolips. Goodness knows what they would have done to my body. It is a nightmare of a world. Especially now with that war world over it. Please see if Oberon is well. And my son… tell him that I'm sorry. Don't forget to bury me in this costume. I'm Mister Miracle after all. I can escape anything. Anything but this."

Thaddeus Brown closed his eyes forever.

Bron knelt before his lord and master, and he was afraid.

"Mister Miracle has been dealt with, my lord" he said, his voice slightly quivering.

"You are certain?" his dark lord asked.

"I am certain, my lord Darkseid. I hit him with a blast he could not withstand" the warrior replied.

"And do you know if he lived long enough to tell them anything?" Darkseid asked as he stood above him.

Brol was silent.

"I am certain he died, my lord" Brol said.

Darkseid looked at his warrior with deep concentration.

"And I am certain that I no longer need you" the dark lord said. Two beams came out of the dark lord's horrid eyes. They moved quickly and in angular movements. Brol screamed and a second later, both beams had touched him. Where he stood, there was nothing.

Holding his hands behind his back, Darkseid turned towards Desaad.

"I still need you Desaad" he said. Desaad lowered his head and kept his distance.

Darkseid then turned to a deformed, yellow figure with no hair on his head.

"Esak, I want you to conceal the war world and continue working on it. I want it ready for when the time comes"

Esak bowed.

Vandal Savage approached cautiously. He had done business with Darkseid long enough to not irritate him too much.

"Lord Darkseid, my associates and I are concerned about your warriors' incursions into Earth. With what happened between Captain Marvel and Azraeuz in Bialya, and now this, the league may suspect our alliance."

"You have no need to be concerned, Vandal Savage. However, this business with Mister Miracle has brought something to my mind. Now that he is dead, Desaad can no longer come after him. He is released and in a manner of speaking, has made his great escape. However, you are immortal, and therefore, unfortunate. You cannot die. No matter how cruelly anyone tortures you, no matter how long, you will not perish. Even if you were not harmed in any way, you are not free from pain. When this universe finally ends and becomes a dark, cold carcass with nothing in it, you will be alone, and incapable of doing anything else but go mad. I think you must complain to a god about the plight you are in"

Vandal Savage bowed, and he left Darkseid's presence.

Endnote: With this one, I took a bit more time than I thought I would. That's because the chapter I had in my draft was very different from what you've just read here. The original draft had Scott Free and Barda escaping Apokolips while Peter (thanks to Bette Kane) was invited to a major party hosted by Morgan Edge which had Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Wonder Woman and everyone else on the guest list. And then the hordes of Apokolips would come in and ruin everything, revealing their influence on current events. As soon as I had finished the fourth chapter, I realized that my plans for the fifth were too similar (at least to me) to the fourth, and too convenient and sloppy. This monday, I saw a Fourth World omnibus at the store (wasn't able to buy it) and I read through it. That's where I saw Thaddeus and I got the general story for this chapter. It ties in well with the ending in my head. I hope people aren't bored by it.