Previously on Supergirl:
How intense was Kara vs Non + J'onn vs Indigo?
So J'onn got a full pardon and got his job back! Yay! On the side, what do you guys think of an Eliza/J'onn pairing? She seemed to be genuinely "curious" in J'onn, plus he's already in the role of de-facto step-father to Alex and Kara (not saying I'll do it, but just a thought).
So it looks like SG has been renewed for a 2nd season, and the producers may be moving to CW. I'm curious at to how this will appear on the show if they'll stick to the multiverse or if they'll have a "Crisis" kind of event.
Previously on Arrow:
Loved how this episode flashed back between the death of Tommy and Laurel (and it fits perfectly with what I'm planning for this fic!).
But how amazing was Paul Blackthorne's acting? He really brought out just much Det. Lance is hurting; the guy deserves an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor, don't you think?
I've also just started playing Batman: Arkham Knight – who do you think handled the loss of their daughters better: Lance or Gordon?
And what the hell is with Thea sleeping with the villain's henchman? Now she's trapped "Under the Dome"! Bwahaha!
As always:
Arrow, Supergirl, Justice League and Young justice are properties of CBS, Warner Bros and CW. I claim credit for nothing.
.
CHAPTER 9: Séance
Quentin Lance sat at the bar nursing a full glass of whiskey, trying to decide whether to drink or walk away.
Does it matter? He thought. Take the drink, nothing to lean on. Walk away, nothing to fall on.
"If you're trying to decide whether to drink that or not," came the voice of a man who sat next to him who produced a cigarette lighter, "you're not alone."
Quentin couldn't but smile. "Jim!"
"Quen!" James Gordon replied as the two men embraced. "Sorry I couldn't make it to the funeral."
Lance sighed. "You didn't miss anything. I just…" His voice trailed off.
"It's okay…"
"No, Jim, it's not," Lance started. "Laurel, she was the B-"
"Black Canary?"
"How do you-"
"She became friends with Barbara just before this all happened. Just around the same time CatCo lumped together my 'friends' with yours."
"I read that article. Apparently 'Kara Danvers' calls me incompetent for not reining in on vigilanties."
"Welcome to my world."
"Can I ask you something, Jim?" Lance asked. "It took me years to trust the Arrow – despite all the lies, manipulation and disappointments he put me and Laurel through. What made you trust the Batman?"
"I could just as easily ask you the same question," Gordon took a long drag of his cigarette. "But to be quite honest: After nearly ten years… I don't. At least not completely. Sure, his eldest partner, Nightwing, is approachable and Batgirl sure has brains. But Batman, he's all business. Never lets the sun rise without solving a case. And that's why I haven't put up an APB calling for his arrest."
"Consistency," Lance replied. The two were interrupted as Lance's cell phone rang.
"This is Lance… You're going to try what? Alright."
Jim cocked an eyebrow. "Mutual friends?"
Lance nodded. "And they've got a damned crazy idea."
.
STAR CITY CEMETARY, 8:30PM
The Justice League stood surrounding Laurel's gravesite. M'gann and J'onn were quick to remove the soil while Hal used his ring to lift the coffin.
"Easy, Hal," Barry instructed.
"Slow and steady," the Green Lantern replied as he lowered the coffin onto the ground.
"You sure this will work?" Kara asked.
"No," Barry replied. "Open it."
Batman took a batarang and snapped of the hinges before opening the coffin.
"The smell!" Nightwing winced.
"That means decay is setting in," Batgirl replied. "We have to hurry!"
"Now this is the icky part," Barry instructed. "I need someone to open her mouth so I can drill the electrum into her teeth."
"You know that if she wakes up she's going to need a lot of mouth wash," Thea said as she pried Laurel's mouth open while Barry inserted a dental drill.
"The serum," Barry instructed.
Oliver produced a vial of Lazarus water and poured the contents into Laurel's mouth.
"Now I guess all we can do is… pray," Batman said softly.
"You know," Superman started, "If Laurel can be brought back-"
"-Don't say it Clark," Batman answered. "Not now."
They waited patiently as Laurel's body remained still.
A cough.
"Laurel?" Batgirl asked.
Kara nodded. "I can hear a heartbeat!"
Laurel's skin smoothened and her lips – pale and chalky – started to become pink.
"I don't believe it," Nightwing said.
Laurel sat up. "…Did I miss anything?"
"You're back!" M'gann said as she helped Laurel out of the coffin.
"I probably look worse that I feel," Laurel tried to stand but her legs felt wobbly.
"Easy there," Superman said. "You've been buried for nearly two days without food, water or oxygen-" he paused. "We've got company."
"Batgirl: fall back to the foundry and get Laurel to DEO HQ. Agent Danvers will be waiting," Batman ordered.
"Copy that," Batgirl replied. "Wait, where's Thea?"
"Help!" Thea cried out.
Everyone turned to see Speedy – being held in a headlock by the Talon, Tommy. Behind him two figures stepped into view: Damien Darkh and Malcolm Merlyn.
"It must be Halloween," Darkh smiled. "A party of grown adults in costumes huddled in a graveyard trying to conjure the dead. Good to see some familiar faces – and new ones."
"Do as you want," Merlyn told him. "My boy is dying to have a family reunion between him, myself and my daughter."
"No!" Oliver cried as he drew a bow.
"So impulsive," Darhk said. He clicked his fingers and he was joined by Deathstroke, Chesire, Livewire, Silver Banshee and Vandal Savage.
"Tell me this isn't happening," Hal said.
"Take who you wish," Merlyn ordered as he turned to face Batman. "The lost disciple is mine."
.
"Almost there, Laurel," Batgirl said.
"Where are we going…?" Laurel's voice was dry and raspy.
"Kara's sister," Barbara replied. "I know she's a doc, and you look like you could use one. Here."
The two stopped near an unlit alleyway. Batgirl tapped the comm switch on her mask.
"Activate and approach."
"ACKNOWLEDGED," came her suit's onboard computer.
Out of the shadows roared the sound of a motor vehicle as a batcycle drove itself into view. Batgirl sat Laurel onto the passenger seat before climbing on and tapping her comm again.
"Batgirl to Watchtower."
"Copy Batgirl," Felicity replied. "Did you-?"
"I'm right here, Felicity," Laurel answered.
"Thank God," Felicity said.
"I'm just outside the cemetary about to evac Laurel to the Foundry Zeta Tube," Batgirl said. "I need the shortest route."
"Sending it now."
The lenses in Barbara's mask glowed as a navigational path appeared before her.
"Hold on, Laurel!"
.
Vandal Savage marched right up to Kara.
"I don't want any trouble," Kara warned.
"I'm aware of your reputation, Supergirl," Savage leered. "I'm curious to see if you're as strong as your cousin."
Kara threw a right hook-
And Savage simply blocked it with his forearm.
What the-?
"You wouldn't be the first 'visitor' I've dealt with," Savage answered as he grabbed Kara's wrist into a lock then head-butted her face.
.
"I'll make it simple for you, Ollie," Tommy said as he held a knife at Thea's throat. "You've got to get to me, before I slit little sister's throat."
Oliver kept his bow taught as his gaze darted back and forth between Thea and Tommy.
Oliver hesitated and lowered his bow. "You're right Tommy."
"About what?"
"Family."
Thea dropped her weight from Tommy's choke.
"Eee-yah!" She kicked hard against the Talon's groin.
"Argh! You-"
Oliver shot the knife out of Tommy's hand as Thea rolled out of the way.
"Go!" Oliver shouted.
Thea was about to run, but was stopped by Chesire.
"To take on the daughter of the Magician," Chesire said she drew her sai daggers. "It would be an honour to teach the wayward daughter of the Ra's a lesson."
Oliver turned his attention back to Tommy.
"Four years of playing this silly little game, Oliver!" Tommy shouted. "And have you succeeded or failed your precious city?"
"If you really are Tommy Merlyn," Oliver swung his bow low at Tommy's knees "-thinking that this is just a game is not why I do this!"
He followed with an uppercut to the right jaw. Tommy ducked, pivoting and lashing out a spin-kick to Oliver's flank.
"We were almost as close as brothers, but the rivalry was always there wasn't it?" Tommy kept taunting. "Who could do better at school, who was the better athlete, who would end up with Laurel-"
"That we're doing this means only one thing to me…" Oliver tackled the Talon to the ground and pressed the bow hard against it's throat "…YOU ARE NOT THE TOMMY WHO DIED!"
.
"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
As deafening as Silver Banshee's voice would be to a human ear, with his enhanced senses the sound made Superman feel as though his skull would cave in. Each shockwave made his bones tremble within his body. He tried to move forward – it was like walking through Kansas in Tornado season.
Banshee kept approaching, her voice growing in volume with each step.
Clark wanted to raise his hands to his ears but it would be of little help.
Let her get as close as possible, he thought as she watched the rising of her ribs
"SCREEEEE-!"
A palm strike to the sternum was enough to knick the wind out her. He flew with arms reach and cupped one over her mouth. With his free arm he wrapped it around her throat and began to fly up.
"It space, no one can hear you scream."
.
"My dear Bruce, we have so much to catch up on," Merlyn smiled.
Batman reached into his utility belt and drew a batarang, throwing it straight at Merlyn's face-
And Malcolm merely plucked it out of the air.
"What's this?" he asked. "A bat shaped kunai. Honestly, it's cute."
"Wait for it…" Batman said.
POOF!
The batarang exploded, unleashing a dense cloud of smoke. Batman switched on the infrared filter in his cowl and dove into the smoke-
Where was he?
"Night vision lenses? Seriously," Merlyn said as Batman felt the back of his skull get struck by something hard. "We didn't need those when doing the blind drill back in Nanda Parbat now, did we?"
"I have something to confess," Batman answered. "Most of the time… I cheated." His hands latched onto Merlyn's body as he pulled him out of the smoke with a hip throw.
"You're finished, Malcolm," Batman growled.
"I'm just getting started, Bruce. That suit of yours, triple-weave Kevlar lined with nomex; I think I have just the thing for that," Malcolm reached under his jacket and produced a balisong dagger.
Merlyn struck again with increased ferocity, cutting and thrusting with the dagger while striking with his free hand and feet. Batman launched a left hook - Merlyn ducked and snapped right slash in response. Batman slipped his head to the side so that the cut barely grazed his cheek. A back-flip had him in the air and spinning a kick out at Merlyn, who dropped and ducked, then came up high, over the second kick as Batman came around again, this time going on the offensive at full force, but for every attack Merlyn had the perfect block and parry.
"Do you know why Ra's simply let you walk away Bruce?" Merlyn taunted. "You were just too much of an annoyance. Towards the end of your training it was obvious to me that you were just a taker. You had no real loyalty to the league. Even when the younger students looked up to you as their role model, their idol. You were the big brother Nyssa never had. Tahlia-" Merlyn brought his knee hard against Batman's ribs and forced him down "-what you did to her was unthinkable. You sullied the Daughter of the Demon."
"You're all talk Malcolm," Batman leaped up and threw an uppercut that drove into Merlyn's face. "For all your ambition, you're just an abusive father who gets a kick out of seeing your kids in pain."
.
M'gann and J'onn wrestled with Damien Darhk in a whirlwind of punches and kicks amidst flying debris. The two martians attacked and counterattacked the sorcerer while fending off a flurry of telekinetic attacks.
"I'm getting a bit tired of playing 'catch the tombstone'," Darhk said. "Let's turn up the heat shall we?"
He shot his hand forward and launched a fireball at J'onn. The martian let out a piercing scream as flames engulfed his body.
"Uncle J'onn!" M'gann cried.
Darhk threw another fireball at M'gann-
And it had no effect.
Darhk cocked an eyebrow. "Interesting. The dossier said that fire was the primary Achilles heel of green martians. So I guess that makes you.. what, special?"
"No one hurts my uncle without paying the price," M'gann threatened.
"Send me the bill," Darhk shot back.
M'gann threw herself forward, only to hit what fell like an invisible wall. Darhk stepped over to her and used his powers to lift her up so they were face to face.
"You've got guts, Miss Martian," Darhk smiled. "You put up a good fight. Still, I'm curious as to why your dear old uncle is over the on the ground trying to put himself out while you didn't so much get a scorch on that pretty blue cape of yours."
"Go to hell," M'gann sneered.
"Been there, done that," Darhk replied. He reached forward and M'gann suddenly felt a sharp pain erupt throughout her skull.
"Let's see what's really underneath all that makeup, shall we?"
"No," M'gann's arms were stretched out into a makeshift crucifix as agony erupted throughout her body. Eventually she couldn't hold on anymore and 'Miss Martian' reverted back to her native green martian form.
Darhk shook his head. "I'm still not convinced. Show me your real form."
"No! This is my true form!"
"You're lying. I can feel it."
"Leave her alone!" J'onn yelled.
M'gann gave one final glance at J'onn as fangs erupted from her mouth and her skin turned chalk-white.
"Please Uncle," M'gann whimpered as her voice became a guttural snarl. "GET AWAY FROM ME…!"
.
.
Nightwing spun and aimed a kick at Deathstroke's neck. But he merely raised his right hand and blocked Dick's foot.
Slade smashed the top of his head into Dick's face and immediately kneed him in the groin, driving his palm up into his chin.
"As one trained by the Bat I would have expected more," Slade said as Nightwing stepped close to deliver a side kick. Grabbing the former boy-wonder around his waist, Slade raised him over his head and threw him hard onto the ground – again, and again and again.
Nightwing's face felt like jelly as blood gushed out from his ears, nose and month until his black hair turned maroon.
"I could do this all day," Slade taunted.
"We'll see about that,' Nightwing countered as he wrapped his legs around Slade's head. He grabbed Deathstroke's right arm and waited to be thrown again. This time Dick let himself go down, shifting his weight and straightening the length of his body across Slade's arm and shoulders-
CRAAACK!
Despite having enhanced speed and strength, Dick's weight was enough to dislocate the arm.
"You little-" Slade cried as he involuntarily dropped Nightwing.
Dick drove his weight into a sweep to Slade's leg – his calves a sledgehammer to the unprotected hamstrings. As Slade went down, Dick clasped his fist together and brought them down hard on the top of the skull.
"I told you strength and weakness were fickle."
.
The Batcycle weaved through the heavy traffic of the Star City freeways.
"Are the highways always this busy this time of night?" Batgirl complained.
"Peak hour all day long," Laurel replied.
Suddenly the traffic behind them came to a standstill. Barbara checked her rear mirrors-
KABOOM!
Laurel glanced over her shoulder to see a tanker truck go up in flames. From the blaze emerged three motorcycles, the riders each carrying SMGs.
"HIVE," Barbara frowned. "Laurel, on my back!"
Laurel reached under Batgirl's cape and grabbed a metal rectangular object. She pushed a button on the top and it unfolded into a rifle.
"I thought you guys weren't into guns," Laurel said.
"EMP taser, pump action."
"I envy you," Laurel aimed the rifle at the centre HIVE agent and pulled the trigger.
ZAP!
The rider fell from his bike and onto the road.
"Good shooting!" Batgirl called.
The second one went down, his bike colliding with the guard rail. The third accelerated forward until it was parallel to the batcycle and shot at the front tires.
"Oh God-" Barbara yelled as she lost control of the bike.
The bike skidded to a halt and the two were thrown onto the asphalt. The HIVE agent came around and lifted his gun at Laurel.
"No more comeback this time, bitch," he said.
BANG!
The HIVE agent went down as a SPD squad car suddenly appeared. But even more surprising was who was inside.
"You girls need a ride?" Gordon asked.
"Laurel?" Lance said. "Is that really you?"
"Dad!" Laurel ran into his arms.
"You look… pale," Quinten said.
"We need to get her to the DEO," Batgirl replied.
.
Vandal Savage threw a punch at Kara's jaw hard enough to loosen her back teeth.
"Ten years on Earth may have given you the power to do what you do, Supergirl," he said. "Me? I've had ten thousand years to prepare just for this moment. Every human breakthrough in art, science, spirituality, military – stepping stones for my own growth."
He stepped forward and jabbed her again. Her left eye was starting to swell shut, nose probably broken. She fought back smartly, ducking and weaving while throwing precise strikes. A spear-hand to the solar plexus followed by an elbow to the ribs. Kara's steel-capped boots and bare knuckles smacked against her opponent's body; Savage merely absorbed each strike, for he was no stranger to pain.
He managed to get his hands around her neck, trying to strangle her, Kara broke the hold by clasping her own hands together and delivering an upward blow that drove him away.
"You think thousands of years of immortality gives you the home advantage?" Kara glared.
"You can't kill me," Savage smiled.
"Exactly. Ever since I started working I had to show restraint out of fear if I ever went all the way, something might get damaged, someone could get hurt. But you think you're tough enough to take the punishment, don't you? Good, because you just make me want to let go and cut loose!"
Kara hurled herself forward at full speed fists first. She didn't bother with the usual words of warning. A blur of strikes started to push Savage back. He dropped his guard momentarily to gaze upon his attacker, her eyes glowing red hot.
SZZAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSH!
.
Chesire kept advancing slowly.
She expects me to make the first move, Thea thought. But if she so much as got in arm's reach, Chesire would either use her sai to impale her with a thrust, or server her hands.
Thea only had her bow as her weapon - she had to improvise. The bow was a needle sowing a tapestry of angles and curves, swing diverting with three or four of Chesire's strikes, the rest whipping past her by centimetres.
"So the Magician's daughter knows how to hold her own," Chesire smiled under her mask as she summersaulted up, diving down with the sai pointing forward. Thea raised her bow to shield the attack, trapping the sai with her own weapon. She rolled onto her back, bringing up her foot to throw Chesire over her body, disarming them both.
Chesire spared no time recovering, her hands and feet seemed to be everywhere at once.
Thea backed away, blocking frantically, absorbing the force of the assasin's attacks. Thea tried to keep up the offensive. A high spear-hand managed to get through and strike Chesire's throat. The assassin gagged involuntarily. Seizing the opportunity, Thea clutched Chesire by the collar and brought her knee up into the face.
"Try smiling now, kitty."
.
Flash tried frantically to dodge Livewire's lightning attacks while Green Lantern was firing bolts of green energy from his ring, only to have it absorbed into her body
"Green energy? That's a new one. Tastes sweet," Livewire mocked as she hurled a volley of electricity at Hal who barely managed to raise a shield in time.
"If you have any bright ideas, now's the time!" Hal called to Barry. Livewire's attacks finally managed to break through leaving Hal exposed.
"Crud-" Hal cursed as Livewire hurled another bolt.
WHOOOSH!
"Gotcha!" Barry yelled as he grabbed Hal and pulled the two behind cover. "About that 'bright idea'…"
"Better be good."
Barry nodded. "Can you make a sphere around her?"
"What good will that do?"
"I can't attack her directly; she'll absorb my power and yours. But if we can keep her and her electricity contained in a gyrating space…"
"Physics 101," Hal smiled as he stood up. "Hey Sparky! Over here you white-trash energizer bunny!"
Livewire raised her hands. "Did you just call me a-?" She was about to attack when she suddenly found herself inside a glowing green ball.
"Flash, now!"
Barry started to run in circles around this sphere, increasing his speed with each lap. As he did, Had started to spin the sphere in the opposite direction. Inside, Livewire's body started to glow.
"What are you doing? Stop!" Livewire screamed.
"Best way to control a strong electrical current? Use a stronger magnet," Hal said.
.
Oliver kept pressing his bow against Tommy's neck.
"You can't possibly stop me, Oliver," Tommy snarled. "You may have cheated death, but I transcended it. Even you kill me, I'll just come back."
"You really need to be brought up to speed," Oliver brought the bow down hard onto Tommy's face. "The Green Arrow doesn't kill. That doesn't mean I don't make people wish he did."
Tommy threw Oliver off himself. The two regained their footing. Oliver swung a hook and followed with a heel-strike to the chin.
"So Malcom exhumed your body and got you jacked on lazarus and electrolytes," Oliver smashed the bow into Tommy's abdomen. "To become what? A league enforcer? Not even that, just recycled garbage!"
"You would dare call me-!" he glanced over to see a grenade-arrow lodged deep into the Talon armor.
beep-beep-beep
KABOOOM!
.
"Team regroup!" Batman said into his comm.
The team assembled near Laurel's gravesite. The rogues were either handcuffed or unconscious.
J'onn had passed out when the flames became unbearable. Damian Darhk continued to torture M'gann, whose form was rapidly changing to a-
"Dear God," Kara gasped.
M'gann's small frame had morphed into that of a tall, white skinned creature with long fangs and hook-shaped claws.
"She's really a-" Thea gasped.
"White Martian," Hal finished.
M'gann roared in agony as Darhk pressed his attack.
"The human lifeforce already gives me so much power. I'm curious as to what effect it would have if I were to take a martian's," Damian said.
"Never!" M'gann cried as she unleashed a wave of psionic energy. Damian caught it, and the two were locked in a psychic tug of war as one tried to overpower the other.
"I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else!" M'gann said as she probed Damien's mind. Within seconds his eyes rolled back and he fell unconscious.
"M'gann!" Kara called.
"Stay back!" M'gann warned as she morphed back into Miss Martian. "You've seen it. Me."
Kara nodded. She could see the look of fear in M'gann's eyes. "Meg, this doesn't change anything."
"It changes everything!" M'gann cried. Tears were streaming down her face. "You're going to put me in a cage like that other White Martian you and Uncle J'onn fought!"
"That's not going to happen," it came from J'onn who had regained consciousness.
He limped over and held M'gann close.
"He was going to kill you," M'gann whimpered.
"And you risked your life to save mine," J'onn replied. He turned to the other team members. "I guess you all deserve an explanation…"
.
CYDONIA, MARS
50 YEARS AGO
"Control, we are enroute to the location of the distress beacon," Ma'alefa'ak J'onzz said into the radio.
"Acknowledged," came the reply from the bioship radio. "Alert us of any enemy activity."
Ma'alefa'ak turned to J'onn. "Did you read the mission briefing, brother?"
"The part about the evac, or who we're picking up?" J'onn, his twin brother, replied.
"Dr. B'arzz O'oom?" Ma'alefa'ak answered. "The nut behind all those 'ancient visitor' theories?"
"Apparently he's made some important discovery at the dig site. He says it could turn the tide in the war."
The ship banked as it came closer to the Cydonia region. Lowering altitude, the two Manhunters could see the dig site: ten hectares of land had been cleared to reveal a massive pyramid made of glistening Safire.
"Ma'al, can you see it?" J'onn asked.
"Extraordinary," Ma'alefa'ak gasped.
The ship landed at the foot of the pyramid where a tall, skinny green martian was waiting for them.
"You're Dr. O'oom?" J'onn asked.
"Yes, thankyou for coming at short notice officers…?"
"J'onn and Ma'alefa'ak J'onzz," Ma'alefa'ak replied. He gestured a the pyramid. "Is this why you contacted us?"
"In part yes," O'oom replied. "Even more important is what I found within. Please come."
He ushered the two brothers into the chambers inside.
"The pyramid is identical in design and structure to those on the southern continent of Earth," the archaeologist started.
"But I take it that this was obviously not built by human hands," J'onn commented.
"No," O'oom replied. "It's Thanagarian."
"So I take it your 'ancient visitor' theories were correct, then?" Ma'alefa'ak asked.
"I was honestly excited about the discovery," O'oom's smile became a grimace. "Until I found this." He opened one of the chamber doors to reveal a room protected by a force field. At the centre was a creature that looked like a beetle.
"You alerted us because of a bug?" Ma'alefa'ak frowned.
"I assure you both that that is no mere insect," O'oom replied. "It took me three hours to trap it. When I finally examined it, I found that it had no digestive system, no reproductive organs. Just nerves and muscles encased in a basic exoskeleton."
"So how is it… alive?" J'onn asked.
"It is, yet it isn't," O'oom answered. "What you're looking at is a silicon-based cybernetic organism with a quantum level neural-net."
"That doesn't sound like Thanagarian technology," J'onn said.
"That's correct," O'oom said. "The pyramid hieroglyphs tell that at some point long ago, the Thanagarians were involved in a war with another species known as the Reach who employed living machines as weapons."
"That thing is a weapon?" Ma'alefa'ak asked.
"Indeed," O'oom said. "When I scanned the neural net, I was surprised to find a database of military weapons and technologies. I believe that this creature's purpose is not just to contain the designs, but to actually build them for those deployed on the battlefield."
"This may help us win the war after all," J'onn smiled.
"You can't have it!"
"Did you say something?" J'onn asked.
"No, I-"
"Lower your weapons and surrender the Scarab."
"Someone's here!" Ma'alefa'ak upholstered his plasma pistol. J'onn did likewise, his eyes darting across the chamber until he saw a shimmer in the wall. "There!"
The being tried to run. J'onn was close enough to tackle, pinning it under his arms as it revealed itself – a young white martian girl.
"How many of you?" J'onn demanded as he held her down.
"I'm by myself!"
"She's lying!" Ma'alefa'ak raised his gun.
"I was sent to retrieve the Scarab!" The girl said. "They said they would kill me if I didn't bring it back."
"What's your name?"
"M'gann."
J'onn could sense the sincerity in her voice and loosened his grip.
"You honestly believe her?!" Ma'alefa'ak kept his gun raised.
"She's just a kid, Ma'al!"
"She's a white!" Ma'alefa'ak. "You know what they do, brother. They lie, they deceive and they kill."
"We do this the right way, brother."
"No, we have to act first before they do!"
J'onn kept his hand on his own pistol. "I'm not going to let you shoot a little girl, Ma'al."
"She's a monster! All of them are-"
Bang.
.
"M'gann was acting under duress. I made a choice that day," J'onn explained. "My brother's life or M'gann's. Rather than have her face the anger of my brother or the wrath of the White Martian leaders, I adopted her as my own and raised her alongside my daughters. To everyone else, she was my niece and I was 'Uncle J'onn'."
Kara turned to Batman. "You knew, didn't you?"
"I'm surprised no one else picked it up," he bent he knee so that his blue eyes met M'gann's amber. "First you tried cooking breakfast for the Danvers and you nearly set the kitchen on fire. Then you fly into a burning building to rescue those kids. A green martian would normally be afraid. And you went in regardless, because you put others safety ahead of your own – even if that meant compromising your identity."
"Cat Grant said 'No one can force it, no one can demand it'."
"Good advice," M'gann could have sworn that she saw the corner of Batman's lip curl upwards as he reached into his utility belt and produced a small gold-plated batarang that he placed in her hand.
"What's this?"
"You've earned your wings, Miss Martian," Batman said.
M'gann could only smile back. Kara reached over and hugged the other girl.
"You're not mad at me for lying?" M'gann asked.
"No," Kara said. "But just remember that even if you get to be CatCo's cover girl of the year, my looks are natural, yours aren't."
M'gann rolled her eyes. "You're a dork."
"Love you too, Megs."
Her comm chiped. "Danvers to Justice League."
"Alex?" Kara answered.
"Good news, team: Black Canary is safe and secure at DEO HQ."
The team let out a cheer. As they did, Malcolm regained consciousness.
"Well, you all did better than expected," he grinned.
J'onn strode up and picked him up by the collar.
"You know what we're going to ask," he threatened as he placed his hand in front of Malcolm's face. "You call yourselves The Light. The League of Assassins is involved, HIVE is, so is the Court of Owls. Who else is?"
"Look, J'onzz, I've spent a year at a Tibetan monastery learning how to guard my mind againt attacks like yours. I'm wise to the act," Malcolm smiled smugly.
J'onn pressed further. "I'm not going to ask twice."
Malcolm kept his mouth shut.
"Who is it?"
"I'll never…" Blood started to pour from his nose. "...Maxwell Lord."
"Just him?"
Malcolm's eyes went bloodshot. "We… never knew everyone else… everything was need to know."
"Is there another attack scheduled?"
Malcolm grimaced.
"Tell us!"
Malcolm screamed in pain.
"J'onn," Superman stepped forward.
"…Washington!" Malcolm yelled.
.
LORD INDUSTRIES, MIDNIGHT
In his private office, Maxwell Lord turned on his computer.
"What do you have to report?" A deep voice, silky and intelligent, came through the speaker.
"Our partners engaged the Justice League as ordered. Black Canary has been revived," Lord said.
"Their sense of comradery betrayed them. But the distraction by Merlyn and Darhk was more than sufficient."
"So the next phase will begin?"
"Tomorrow at the White House. Our agent will attack while the new President is being sworn in. Then the Light shall be in control of not just America, but the world."
.
A/N:
So who is the mastermind behind the light? I kind of left clues in previous chapters.
Next chapter:
Two major DC villains will make their move at the White House: one in an act terrorism, the other will seize control.
Until then, Follow, Fav, Share (if viewing on a mobile device) and REVIEW!