Justice League: Past Imperfect 21
When Fate appeared, Batman was already on the prowl. The Question and the Huntress followed in a staggered formation. They were each spaced six feet apart. The Question and the Huntress were stealthy but the Dark Knight was a living shadow.
While this was transpiring, Batman wished that that he'd brought Obsidian along with them. Then they would have a literal walking shadow that could scout out rooms ahead of them. Still, they'd make due. They always did.
Batman ascertained that no one was in the immediate vicinity so he turned and spoke to Fate, "Where are we?"
"In the catacombs below the royal castle." A hovering Fate explained, "The computer network is located here. It is just five hundred feet ahead of us."
"And how do you know this?" the Huntress asked.
"My scrying stone revealed it to me. However, it did not explain what was draining the Nexus points." Fate answered.
"The what?" Huntress demanded.
The Question intervened and explained the Nexus points to her. After he'd finished, he turned his featureless face towards Fate, "Your tower sits on a Nexus point. Won't that affect you?"
"I am a Lord of Order." Fate haughtily declared, "Nothing affects me."
"We'll just see about that." The Huntress huffed.
"Easy." The Question cautioned her, "We need him on our side."
They soon discovered that the five hundred foot estimate was taken in a straight line. Their path, however, twisted and turned. Thirty minutes later they arrived in the corridor leading to a heavily guarded door.
The six guards reacted by drawing their sidearms. The officer of the watch went for an alarm panel. The Huntress shot his hand with her crossbow and the bolt pinned it to the wall. Meanwhile Batman produced a batarang and a gas pellet. He threw both.
The gas choked three of the guards and obscured their vision. The batarang disarmed the other three. The Huntress leapt into the fray and rendered them unconscious. She finished off the officer with a side kick to the head, driving it into the stone wall.
"He was incapacitated." Batman irritably pointed out, "You didn't have to finish him off."
She pulled her bolt out of the man's hand and he finished collapsing onto the floor, "That's one man's opinion."
"We need the hand you shot to get passed the biometric scanner." Batman countered, "There's no telling what'll happen with the wound there."
"Allow me." said Fate. The officer's body rose onto its feet. He stretched forth his hand and held it before him. The blood evaporated and the wound closed. Finally he pressed his right hand up against the scanner. It read the palm and then the door opened. Then the officer collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
The Huntress leapt ahead of Batman and went through the door first. As she landed, she kicked out to her left and caught that guard in the stomach. She then grabbed the guard to her right. She pulled him in front of her and drove her knee into his groin. She finished him off with a right cross.
Batman emerged and took out the other guard with a left cross. He then flicked open a batarang and threw it at the remaining guard standing post at the other side of the room. It collided with his head as he was drawing his weapon and it knocked him out.
While all of the guards had been male, the network managers were a mixed lot of men and women. Truth be told, there were more women than men. The Huntress took note of this.
"Check it out Q, the thugs are all male while the smart ones are predominantly female." She observed.
"A common occurrence." The Question replied, "Especially in despotic regimes."
"Huntress," Batman interrupted, "help me round up the technicians."
"Yes, your Battiness. Whatever you say." She remarked as she pulled her crossbow out of its holster, triggered the bow to extend and engage. Finally, she loaded a bolt.
Her other hand drew a rod out of her utility belt. Triggering it, it extended into a quarterstaff. She waved the crossbow towards the other side of the room and the techs all herded over there."
"Good job." Batman offered one of his rare commendations, "Now hold them there."
"Yes, Massa." She quipped.
Batman refrained from commenting but you could feel the disapproval oozing from his pores. The Question had taken over the computers and was poring over files. He was muttering to himself.
"We're only after Savage's operational plans." Batman reminded the faceless sleuth, "Not his entire database."
"You work your way and I'll work mine." The Question replied. That answer prompted Batman to sit at another of the stations and begin his own search.
The Legionnaires arrived near the castle next to a giant mound. Tala shook her head, "This used to be a faery mound of incredible power. Now the fey are all dead."
"Pishaw." The Ultra-Humanite scoffed.
Tala wheeled on him, "Don't mock me! A tragedy occurred here and now we can only weep for the slain."
"If the fairies living here were too weak to defend themselves then they deserved to die." Lashina harshly proclaimed.
Tala was on the verge of a heated reply when the Humanite intervened, "The fey are dead. There's nothing we can do about that now. Tala, can you determine what's draining this Nexus point?"
Tala climbed on top of the mound. Using a spell to cast illumination, she carefully looked about. Seeing nothing, she cast a spell of revelation. Now an object appeared.
She gingerly picked up the article. It was a Greek statuette of Ares. Tala's blood ran cold.
She threw into Mantis's waiting hands, "Destroy it."
Mantis energized his hands and the statue exploded. The mound began leaking mystical energy and Tala was swathed in it. Luxuriating in it until she could absorb no more, she finally stepped off of the mound. For several minutes afterward her eyes glowed.
"Feeling better, are we?" Lashina asked sardonically.
"You have no idea." Tala murmured. Refocusing, she said; "We need to breach the castle."
Tala held her hands aloft and a ghostly image of the castle appeared before them. After studying it closely, she turned to Amazo and pointed at a point on the "map." "Here's where we need to go." She said.
Amazo nodded and opened a boom tube, "Let's be off, shall we?"
Fate suddenly broke his silence, "We have company."
"Indeed." Vandal Savage said as he entered the doorway. Behind him stood a contingent of guards. Savage wore a predatory smile.
"I wondered how long it would take you insipid 'heroes' to invade my sanctuary." Savage replied, "Now meet your doom."
Fate stiffened as a ball of blue light appeared and radiated. It took human shape and solidified into a figure. The creature was male and covered in Greek armor in a shade of navy blue. His flesh was covered from head to toe in armor and chain mail. Underneath his helmet, his face was obscured by a darkness that permeated his being. Only his eyes were visible.
"Ares." Fate pronounced.
"Nabu." Ares chuckled, "What interest do the Lords of Order have in this?"
"You know the Lords are tasked with the maintenance of the Nexus points." Fate replied, "You are interfering with them. Therefore I must stop you and repair the damage."
"You? Stop me?" Ares laughed, "Nabu, I am a god. No one stops me."
"You were created by the Source just as we all were." Fate countered, "In this matter the Lords of Order supersede the Olympians. Your day is done."
"No one supersedes us!" Ares snarled, "We are eternal!"
"Then where are your legions of worshippers?" Fate coldly asked, "Where is your fount of dream essence created by the devotion of your followers?"
"I have worshippers!" Ares shouted.
"A small rank of so-called pagans." Fate said derisively, "Hardly enough to raise you to your former glory."
"That is where you are wrong." Ares wore a sly smile, "The aliens will subdue Earth. Worship of the ancient gods will become mandatory and then we shall eject the scum off of Earth and reign in a new panacea. Every 'pagan' god is united behind this plan."
"Then I shall have to cut the head off." Fate decided, "Without you the others will fade into obscurity."
"You think so?" Ares clapped his hands. The light effects returned and a woman clad in armor stood beside Ares. On his other side stood a red haired and bearded man wearing Viking armor and a horned helm while wielding a massive hammer.
"Say 'hello' to Nike and Thor." Ares sneered, "You'll find yourself powerless now, Nabu."
Ares drew his sword and it was engulfed in flames. He aimed it at Fate and the flames leapt out at him. Nike's spear shot out a brilliant yellow light and Thor's hammer spewed forth lightning. Fate erected a shield but it was obvious he was struggling.
"Hurry!" he gasped to his allies.
A boom tube developed beside where the terrified techs huddled. The Huntress griped, "This is just great."
Batman joined Huntress's side and waited. The Ultra-Humanite was the first to emerge. He held his hands up.
"Easy." He cautioned, "For once our paths are united."
The New Gods, Tala, and Amazo also emerged. Tala immediately recognized the enormity of the struggle underway. "Come on!" she urged her teammates.
Fate's shield collapsed at that point and the energies of the three gods poured into him. He cried out as his human host was assaulted by forces beyond human ken. Once the brutal attack ended, he collapsed upon the ground and struggled to pick himself up off the floor.
Tala unleashed an augmented bolt of mystical energy that struck Ares in the face. He cried out and staggered backwards. When he recovered, his eyes blazed red.
"Well done, little sorceress." He said, a touch of pity in his voice, "Can you withstand my strike?"
A gout of flame was unleashed from his sword and it overwhelmed her. She screamed as her clothes began to catch on fire. Amazo stepped in front of her and intercepted the blast.
"And who have we here?" Ares sneered.
Amazo unleashed a volley of cosmic energy that Ares caught with his sword but the spillover still caused him pain and he staggered backwards. When Amazo ceased, Ares chuckled darkly, "Well played, metal man. Now feel my wrath."
Ares threw his sword in a backhand motion. It pierced Amazo's side. Energy discharges sparked at the point of penetration and it was Amazo's turn to stumble.
"Now to finish you off." Ares laughed. The sword ignited and Amazo was engulfed in the flames. He fell to his knees and seemed to be on his last leg. Ares laughed in triumph and kept on laughing.
Mantis unleashed twin bolts of energy out of each hand. Thor deflected them with his hammer. Mantis steadily approached Thor and when he was within arm's reach, he belted him through the closest wall.
The Asgardian returned and swung his mighty hammer. Mantis caught it and ripped it away from Thor. He swung it over his head and brought it down on Thor's. The Thunder god was rendered unconscious.
Lashina wrapped one of her whips around Nike's spear. She then energized it. Nike cried out and released the spear. Lashina caught it and examined it.
"A little old fashioned, don't you think?" she asked.
It released a bolt of energy that sank Lashina to her knees. Nike confidently strode towards her. Lashina responded by wrapping her whip around Nike's ankles and yanking hard.
Finding her legs pulled out from underneath her, Nike hit the floor. Lashina rose and grabbed another of her lashes. She struck again, enveloping Nike's wrist. Energizing her whips, she made a Roman goddess scream for the first time in living memory.
Ares witnessed the fall of his allies and prepared for the coming fight. He looked to the burning Amazo and was about to retrieve his sword when the android rose. Plucking the sword out of his side, he held it aloft in a two-handed grip. Cosmic forces barraged the sword and it crumbled under the pressure.
"You fool!" Ares spat, "Do you know what a treasure has been lost?"
"Not as great as what is about to be lost." Amazo resumed his earlier attack. Mantis joined in as did Lashina with her lashes. Ares sank to his knees and then lay sprawled on the floor.
"Now that that's done." Amazo said, "Let us check on our allies."
Batman and the Humanite patted Tala down, extinguishing the flames. The Question suddenly cried out, "I've got it!"
"Collect Fate." Batman ordered, "See if he can transport us out of here."
The Question got Fate to his feet but he had to prop him up by draping the Doctor's arm over his shoulder and holding on to his waist, "That would be a 'no.'"
"Come with us." The Humanite offered, "I guarantee safe passage. All we want is the data on that disk."
Amazo stepped forward, "Vandal Savage's troops are gathering for an assault. We must leave."
He then turned to Lashina, "You will have to open the tube. I am too badly damaged to spare the resources for it."
"You got it, big boy." She said as she pulled her controller out and activated it. The boom tube opened and the Huntress spared one final glance at Batman. He seemed confident enough so she stepped through the portal.