23
Spyral had moved into the World Army's underground complexes beneath Hartford, Connecticut. It was to this nerve center that Ulla Paske found herself passed onto after navigating the bureaucracy in the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The switchboard supervisor relayed Little Mermaid's call there and once again she began the climb as she anxiously paced about in the secure terminal at Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris.
After a good forty-five minutes, Ulla reached Spyral's pinnacle and was speaking directly with Director Katherine Webb-Kane. Katherine urged the Little Mermaid to remain calm above all else, "I need you to describe exactly what transpired before, in and outside, the Dome. The ISA is collecting reports from the French police but we're gathering some conflicting accounts. Your first hand knowledge could prove to be invaluable."
Ulla did her best and then requested that Spyral send agents to Paris, "I know Agent Grayson has direct experience dealing with the Legion of Doom. As Nightwing he fought them when he served in the Justice League Unlimited before they lost their UN sanction."
"But I'm afraid Agent 37 is already on a mission," Katherine told her, "The Legion has mounted multiple attacks across the globe staged across several hours. The attack in Paris coincided with an attack here in Gotham. Previously they had struck at Philadelphia, Coast City, and the Gem Cities. Those attacks concluded prior to the assault on the Dome. But as you personally witnessed, they reaped the reward of persuading the JLU into joining with the Legion before marching on Paris."
"So Agent Grayson is leading the mission in Gotham? He's ideally suited for that as well," Ulla boasted of her lover's capabilities.
"Ms. Paske, I know you and Agent 37 are…intimate. So let me advise you of one thing: I do not take mission recommendations from personnel outside my agency regardless of their United Nations' affiliations," Katherine said sternly, "Agent 37 is serving under Matron's guidance for the duration of this mission."
She heard Ulla's sharp intake of breath and grew angry, "Agent 37 does not have the necessary field command experience to lead this mission."
"But Dick led the original Teen Titans before leading missions with the JLU," Ulla protested.
"And the original Teen Titans were defunct within three years of their founding, even before Agent Grayson switched out his Robin persona for the Nightwing identity," Katherine grated, "And Nightwing led exactly one JLU mission in Chicago, to mixed results according to the official reports."
Katherine could hear Ulla's angry breathing, "Matron, on the other hand, has successfully led nearly a dozen missions in her five year tenure with Spyral. All of these missions have been resounding successes, including the two she conducted with Agent 37 under her leadership. So don't think for one moment I have under- or overestimated anyone in my agency. And if you say one more damn word, I will pull Agent 37's ass off his mission before he can deploy. Understood?"
"But Agent Grayson and Agent Wayne have…personal issues," Ulla reminded Katherine.
"And they'll either work through their familial difficulties or die trying," Katherine advised Ulla.
"I'd prefer they'd avoid dying," Ulla said dryly.
"Me too," Katherine confessed, "But these things have a way of resolving themselves when the individuals are under fire."
"And our situation?" Ulla asked.
Katherine appreciated that Ulla thought in the terms of a team plural but also knew the Little Mermaid wouldn't like her answer, "The Justice League of America and the JSA All Stars are en route to you. A fact you must be cognizant of or you wouldn't be at the airport. They'll have the combined might and firepower to liberate the Justice League International from the Legion."
"And if they end up brainwashed like the JLU?" Ulla asked.
"The teams I mentioned or the JLI?" Katherine asked.
"All of the above," Ulla grimly answered.
"Then heaven help us all," Katherine shared Ulla's mood. She hung up and moments later Ulla got a call. It was from the Dome's command center. Gypsy remained free and was reporting the Legion's activities to the ISA.
Spyral utilized a wide variety of aircraft and vehicles to insert agents into hot zones. These included service types from across the world in almost every conceivable branch of service. Today's excursion was happening in a CH-53 Pavelow transport helicopter preferred by the US Air Force, US Army, and US Marine Corps to insert special operations personnel. And, in an added bonus for Spyral, the craft was being flown and manned by agents of Blackhawk Express.
Blackhawk had the sticks and Lady Blackhawk was his co-pilot. Nikki Nemzer and Randall Wildman manned the weapons and communications stations respectively. Attila and Irishman manned the guns in the rear. Blackhawk's wife, Galatea Hamilton, was also known to the world as Power Girl. And she and the JLA were running from one consecutive mission to another today. Frankly, Blackhawk felt like watching something get blown up.
In the rear, Matron was giving her mission outline based upon reports coming in from the Gotham City Police Department of which Legionnaires were involved in the attack. And it seemed to simply be an attack since no demands had yet been made. Each member of her team was assigned to a particular Legionnaire or cluster of Legionnaires.
Dick Grayson tried to listen patiently as Helena Wayne switched topics, "There have been no sightings of Batman. Apparently he's finally turned coward and stayed at home, pressing his tights."
Dick knew Helena didn't know Bruce Wayne was Batman or the comments would have been even more scathing. She was Lincoln March's daughter. Lincoln had been presumably killed in the womb in the car crash that nearly took Martha Wayne's life. Instead, she'd carried out the pregnancy in seclusion at a private clinic. Upon giving birth, Martha gave Lincoln up for adoption. And so he had been raised by the March family.
No one knew that the Court of Owls had revealed his true parentage to him. They fed his bitter hated of the Wayne family after the revelation. And he had recently confronted Bruce Wayne with the truth of his existence. Upon confirmation by DNA testing, Bruce tried to reconcile with Lincoln. But Lincoln wanted nothing to do with Bruce but everything to do with his sizeable share of the inheritance.
Of course, the legalities were murky at best but Bruce made a generous offer and Lincoln inherited a third of the Wayne estate. Most of which Lincoln then sold to Derek Powers to enable Powers' hostile takeover of Wayne Enterprises. Now Derek Powers ran the reinvented Wayne-Powers Enterprises and Bruce subsided off the remaining two-thirds of his trust fund.
Helena had been raised to hate the Wayne family for their "crimes" against Lincoln. But she'd proudly changed her name from March to Wayne, stating, "I'm truly a Wayne so everyone had better damn well get used to it."
She knew Dick was Bruce's ward. She also knew Dick had as great a resentment towards Bruce as she did. But she still rebuffed his every effort to reconcile or even be friendly. Their joint missions had been professional successes and personal failures.
A red light flooded the cabin and Irishman announced, "We're five minutes out. Take your positions."
The Ukrainian lowered the rear ramp and then manned his gun. He and Attila chambered their weapons at the same time. No one knew how hot the landing zone was going to be so they were prepared for the very worst. There was a bump after the wheels deployed and the light turned green.
"Go! Go! Go!" Irishman yelled at Spyral. And the team deployed.
The Legion moved throughout downtown Gotham. Still recovering from the Court of Owls recent alliance with Nyssa al Ghul's Injusticers, two-thirds of the GCPD was currently medically declared unfit for duty. State Police and County Sheriffs' deputies were filling in for the off duty officers as well as off duty NYPD officers specially deputized as reservists. The President had personally declared Gotham a national disaster and FEMA funds had been released to assist in the repairs and the staffing issues. Gotham, like so many banks during the recession, had been declared "too big to fail."
Major Force was near the GCPD headquarters in order to knock helicopters and dirigibles out of the sky. His secondary objective was to force the newly appointed police commissioner into lighting the Bat Signal. Only, Barbara Gordon had done what her father would never do, and Maggie Sawyer didn't dare do, despite her venomous loathing of all things Batman. Barbara had dismantled the signal and removed it from the roof.
Barbara could see the validity of costumed heroes, in as much as they operated with legal sanction as officers of the law. Bruce would never comply so he was outdated in her opinion. His roughshod ways were a tinge of Gotham's past and not its future. The GCPD was the city's future now. And she would insure the future was bright for the people of Gotham the very same way her father had cleaned out the bulk of the police corruption when he became commissioner.
The Riddler had taken over a wing at Gotham's chief telecom hub and was using the servers to blanket the internet and social media with riddles designed to lure Batman downtown. Outside the building, Query and Echo controlled traffic in and out of the building. Basically it was a transit freeze in place. Which suited all of the players in question.
Psycho Pirate and Killer Croc were using their powers and appearance to drum up mass hysteria and general looting. Major Disaster added to the panic by creating ground quakes that shook buildings and shattered windows. Big Sir stood over him like a gargantuan bodyguard.
Bronze Tiger prowled rooftops and alleyways looking for the best approaches Batman might use to intervene. Tala used her sorcery to try and divine Batman's current whereabouts. And above them all, Cosmic King's flight ring let him lord it over the cityscape as he waited for the Dark Knight to arrive. But he didn't expect to almost be killed by the Blackhawk Express helicopter nearly clipping him with its rotors.
Cursing Major Force's incompetence, Cosmic King chemically altered the helicopter's rotors so that they peeled and flaked away under the stress. Cosmic King saw Blackhawk was still going to manage a survivable crash so he employed his magnetic powers in addition to his transmutation abilities.
Like all Braalians, he'd been born with the ability to control magnetism. Braal was a world filled with heavy elements so the abilities had proven useful in carving out habitable niches. It wasn't until Laevar Bolto had worked as a scientist on Venus that he'd accidently endowed himself his mastery over chemicals.
In response, the authorities had panicked. In part because of the havoc Laevar could unleash if so inspired and the other part was because of the recent slaughter of the people of Trom over their similar powers over elements. Roxxas had carved an infamous niche in history by successfully executing a mass genocide with a lone survivor. And that survivor was the equally famous Jan Arrah, known to the universe as Element Lad of the Legion of Superheroes.
Laevar went on the run but only after skirmishes with the Science Police. Those skirmishes grew in intensity as they pursued him across the United Planets. Dozens of officers had been killed and dozens of civilians had been collateral damage. That was when Mekt Ranzz had found him.
Mekt's sibling, Garth, had been a member of the founding Legion trio, Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy, and Saturn Girl. Mekt, Garth, and their sister, Ayla, had all received their electrical powers at the same time. But they'd later discovered Mekt had received a greater portion of the ability.
Mekt had left the agricultural world of Winath to seek his own fortune on his own terms. Garth had left to find Mekt and stumbled into the assassination plot that brought him galactic fame. Ayla had remained on Winath until Garth apparently died and taken his place as Lightning Lass.
Ayla's powers had been modified so she remained with the Legion as Light Lass after Garth returned. But Mekt had eventually kidnapped her after she finally quit and jolted her until her true powers returned. And then the giddy trollop had rejoined Garth's Legion to take his place once again.
But in the beginning, Mekt joined forces with Laevar and Eve Aries came to them with an idea that would change galactic fortunes. Eve had found them through the simple might she had to troll the minds of trillions until she found Mekt and Laevar's location. Then they set out to create a rival Legion of Super Villains founded by a Lightning Lord, a Cosmic King, and a Saturn Queen. Their one unyielding goal was to reshape the future into a galaxy of their making. And now, the LSV would alter history to crush the LSH before it was ever created, and never would be. Batman was merely a bump in a road that would stretch a thousand years and beyond.
Matron pulled Agent 21 aside, "Agent Kane, our task is to deal with Major Force. Are you prepared?"
"Of course," Bette Kane angrily replied.
"Don't get uppity," Matron snapped, "Your stint as Flamebird left a lot to be desired. You're impetuous, prone to rash judgment, and ill prepared on most occasions."
"So Protector's death proved," Bette snapped back at her.
"This isn't a game where the prize is a man's affections," Matron scowled, "This is about life and death. My life. My death. You, on the other hand, can fend for yourself."
"You ever wonder why everyone hates you? It's pep talks like these," Bette said coldly, "Don't worry, I won't screw up and get you killed."
"You'd better not. I don't care how your family is related to Director Kane. They'll pay a price if your incompetence kills me," Matron warned.
Bette was glad for the active recorder in her sleeve pocket. Aunt Katherine would be very interested in Matron's undisguised threats against the extended family. Matron gave her one last glare.
"Be sure," she ordered and then sprinted out into the open. Using an antiproton rifle, Matron secured Major Force's attention and held it as she ran across the street.
Bette hefted the launcher she'd lugged off of the helicopter and took aim at Major Force's back. Firing, the bulbous projectile unleashed a vest-like aperture that clamped all around Major Force's torso. It bored a hole in the back of his containment suit and began bleeding his sentient energy matrix away.
"What the…?" Major Force tugged at the vest to get it to release, "Oh, hell no. I'm not some punk Captain Atom you can do this to!"
He volleyed quantum blasts at Bette. Matron opened fire to draw his attention back towards. He turned her way again.
"You want a piece of me?" he snarled, "Fine, I'll bring it!"
And he unleashed his full might at Matron.
Dick and Plastic Man were assigned to apprehending Major Disaster and Big Sir. A nearly impossible take when one considered Major Disaster literally created "natural" disasters and Big Sir, though infantile, could lift one of Gotham's smaller multistory buildings.
"Stay back," Major Disaster advised, "I haven't just been making ground quakes here."
Dick nodded at Plas and they split up. Major Disaster shook his head, "Precisely the wrong move, fellas. I get freaked out and bad things happen. I get knocked out and worse things start to happen and I won't be awake to stop them."
"Like what?" Dick asked as Agent 37 circled Major Disaster and Big Sir, causing them to turn with him.
"I've been shifting magma past the tectonic plates the city sits on," Major Disaster described despite knowing it wouldn't do any good with this type of do-gooder, "I'm the only thing standing between Gotham and a volcanic eruption."
Plastic Man looped and arm around Disaster. The ground began shaking and the streets swelled and cracked as magma began to push out of the cracks. Plas withdrew his arm.
"I hate to say it, chief. But he's telling the truth," Plastic Man commented.
"What kind of sick psycho arranges this kind of disaster?" Dick was outraged.
"It's in the name, pal," Major Disaster huffed, "And I thought it would be a good 'get out of jail free' card."
"Can it be reversed or is this a budding B-movie disaster waiting to happen when you leave town?" Dick sighed.
"I can reverse it whenever," Major Disaster promised, "But I won't if I'm trussed up and I certainly can't if I'm unconscious. The deal is when my partners finish up, Big Sir and I walk."
"No one mentioned him," Dick growled.
"He hasn't done anything but sit here and empty out that ice cream truck," Major Disaster protested, "You want to arrest him for petty theft then feel free. But don't be surprised when Mt. Vesuvius lands on your doorstep."
Dick was back to glaring again and Major Disaster shrugged, "Look, I see you've got some kind of pull here to be showing up with Plastic Man and all. All I'm saying is Big Sir and I go free and unmolested and we return everyone's life back to as normal as it gets in this burg."
"You said it, Major Man," Big Sir cheered him on.
"Honestly, you can arrest him?" Major Disaster asked.
"Fine, you'll go unmolested," Dick decided.
"Waitaminute…!" Major Disaster could smell treachery in the air.
Plastic Man formed a cage around Big Sir and even his immense strength couldn't break it, "Major Man! Haaalp!"
Major Disaster knew enough to roll with Dick's flying kick but he was still angry as he was grabbed by the tunic and threatened with a drawn back fist, "Smooth move, hero."
Ground quakes shattered windows and nearly knocked everyone off of their feet. Civilians panicked and flooded the streets and eruptions spouted up in their buildings' basements. But they only reached the streets to find magma oozing out of the blistering streets.
"Congratulations," Major Disaster dryly applauded Dick's decision.
Mr. Minos' facial feature mask contorted until he looked identical to the Clock King. He put on the spectacles he'd brought for the occasion. Then he applied a preprogrammed voce changer to his throat and applied the artificial flesh across it. Buttoning his shirt collar and affixing his tie, he effectively disguised the apparatus.
"How do I sound?" Mr. Minos asked Penny O'Brien.
"Ya'll are a dead ringer," Plastic Man's wife assured him, "Go get `em."
"Hopefully I can avoid the whole dead aspect," Mr. Minos said dryly as he emerged out of the alley and strolled towards where Query and Echo stood vigil.
They challenged him and it ended with them taking his picture and sending it on to the Riddler. Penny and Nancy Morgan held their breath until Mr. Minos was obviously passed to go on to visit the Riddler.
"So far so good, I guess," Penny heaved a sigh of relief.
"I can't believe Eel married you much less had a baby with you," Morgan complained.
"Well, Ah can't believe he evah dated you, crook or no crook," Penny replied, "Ya'll can be such a…"
"Bitch?" Morgan asked, "Have the love of your life supposedly die then turn up alive but abandoning you like you never existed. After that, talk to me about it."
"But ya'll don't have to be a bitch over it," Penny chided her, "It's a choice not a necessity."
"I just see Eel happy with you in a way he never was with me," Morgan sulked, "It just…hurts."
"Plas told me he was a real self absorbed jerk back in the day," Penny shared, "Ya'll were lucky to get out from underneath him. Back then, he didn't have anything good to offer anyone. It took being left for dead for him to realize it."
"They told me he'd died but I found a note written afterwards explaining he had to leave and not to look for him. And to get out of Chicago," Morgan stated, "Then the FBI raided the hell out of the mob after I left and I figured Eel must have turned informant."
"That how you ended up with Spyral?" Penny had wanted to ask.
"Hell, no," Morgan softly chuckled, "I went blonde and then to the FBI. After I graduated from Quantico I did the dirt assignments until I ended up with the Counterterrorist Taskforce instead of Organized Crime."
Morgan wore a slight frown, "I joined up to find out what happened to Eel and I ended getting an invitation to join Spyral. So after six years with the FBI, I joined the United Nations Intelligence Division. And that's when I learned Patrick "Eel" O'Brien was now Plastic Man and he was part of the International Security Agency after serving with you and Hula Hula in the precursor simply called 'the Agency'. And he was still with you in all the ways that counted."
Morgan sounded desolate but Penny didn't know how to comfort her, "Plas never really talked `bout his past. He never mentioned girlfriends or women from before Ah met him even though Ah knew there had to have been some."
"Not even a footnote," Morgan snorted, "Pathetic."
"Ya'll coulda made quite a fuss over Plas, Hula, and Ah joinin' Spyral but all you did was make that one play for him. And even then it was at Director's Kane's askin'. Ah'm actually kinda glad ya'll did `cause know Ah know mah man is truly mine," Penny said gratefully.
"It was actually my idea to tempt Eel," Morgan confessed.
"Plas," Penny finally started correcting her.
"Yeah, Plas," Morgan said absentmindedly. Their watch dial faces began to flash, "That's our signal."
"Ready?" Penny asked.
"More than ever. Thanks," Morgan admitted, "You still want to be the one to approach?"
"Hey, normally Ah'm stuck flyin' a plane. If Ah'm gonna be on the ground, Ah wanna contribute," Penny assured her.
"Well, you are Eel…Plas' baby mama. I'd hate to be blamed if you get killed," Morgan half kidded.
"Nope, Ah'm ready to roll," Penny promised, "Just be sure ya'll got mah back."
Morgan took up position where she could provide cover fire, "Go. I've got this."
"See ya," Penny began strolling down the sidewalk, trying to look inconspicuous between ground quakes and magma oozes…while carrying a submachine gun and wearing tactical body armor.
"Hey Peroxide! Where do you think you're going?" Query shouted at Penny.
"Ya'll should talk," Penny retorted, "Ya'll may be a few shades darker but your blonde's from a bottle same as mine."
Echo laughed, "I can't believe she went there on you, Deidre."
"I'll teach her some manners, Nina. Wait and see," Query promised, "Hey, honey. Step over here."
Nina Damfino knew the former dominatrix had a special "apology" in mind to extract from Penny, "If you hadn't noticed, she's packing weaponry and full tactical gear. She's obviously a cop of some kind."
"Which is why she has thirty seconds to drop everything and strip naked," Query warned Penny aloud, "After that, she can squeal all she wants once I get a gag ball strapped to her mouth."
Penny dove behind a nearby abandoned taxi. Query was livid, "She dared to disobey me? Oh, I'm going to punish her for days."
Morgan opened fire and Query ducked behind one of the colonnades lining the telecom's entrance, "Hot damn! Another bleached blonde with a gun. Shit! I'm so horny I'm wet."
Echo knew her partner's tastes. They were the same for male and female alike. She liked blondes, just not natural blondes. A fact that had kept the raven haired Echo from bleaching her hair despite Query's frequent demands. Penny and Morgan were Query's turn on's for the day. God help them.
Mr. Minos had been successfully directed to the Riddler by the terrified telecom employees. Riddler swiveled around to confront his supposed "ally", "Clock King, Old Man. What brings you home to our nefarious city?"
"Luthor wants an update," Mr. Minos lied.
Riddler rose to his feet and pulled a pistol out of his jacket, "You look right and even sound right. But your speech patterns are all off. The real Clock King would have bored me with pedantic description of how long it had taken him to arrive at this location, stop by stop, second by second. And Luthor's request would have been accompanied by a meticulously precise time limit to provide it in."
Riddler leered at Mr. Minos, "So now you'll provide me with a reason to wound you rather than kill you outright."
Agent 1 led Agents 8 and 33 against the Psycho Pirate. Psycho Pirate looked extremely bored, "Please, guns?"
"By the law enforcement authority ceded our agency by the United States government and all appropriate treaties therein, I'm placing under arrest in the name of the United Nations," Agent 1 rattled off.
"See? Boring," Psycho Pirate said dismissively. He yawned and the three agents inexplicably yawned after him and grew drowsy.
Then Psycho Pirate looked terrified and they were terrified as well as he shouted, "He's got a gun and he's going to kill you! Shoot him quick!"
And the three Spyral agents killed each other. Psycho Pirate snorted his disdain, "Amateurs."
Tala found herself confronted by Agents 2, 19, and 25. Tala was also insulted, "They send hapless mortals against me? Me?"
"Surrender and you'll be deported to stand trial before the World Court," Agent 2 explained.
"I really don't think so," Tala's Eastern European accent thickened as she grew more annoyed.
"Raise your hands and place them behind your head and then get to your knees," Agent 2 demanded.
"I'm sure you'd like me to be on my knees," Tala raised her hands but they glowed with eldritch energy, "But here are my hands. Still want them?"
"Extinguish the…whatever and place your hands behind your head or we will open fire," Agent 2 warned her.
Tala shrugged, "So open fire."
She made a gesture with her hands as they fired. The bullets would seemingly disappear mere feet from the barrels they launched from and then reappeared closer to strike the shooter. And the guns fired on their own until they were out of rounds.
The three Spyral agents were all wounded but still grasping at life. Tala opened a portal beneath them, "Say hello to Surtur for me."
They fell into Limbo to become pawns of the fire demons' intransigent wars. Tala snickered, "You can't blame me. I raised my hands just as you asked."
Bronze Tiger faced down the enigmatic Spyder. Spyder's all black body glove and mask was festooned with all types of weapons. Yet Bronze Tiger could tell by the man's movements that he himself was a living weapon. Exactly the type of challenge Bronze Tiger enjoyed.
Few members of Spyral even knew Spyder existed. Fewer still realized he was a relic from the agency's founding. Spyder had been Agent Zero's top agent for several decades. And Spyder's continued existence was a result of Agent Zero's brutal, and highly illegal, experimentations in organ transfers and genetic modifications to prolong life.
In exchange for keeping Agent Zero's Nazi past hidden, Spyder was allowed to partake of the benefits of the experiments just as he was the agent that gathered the donors. With Agent Zero exposed and his work shut down, Spyder had to prove his relevance to the Board of Directors that governed Spyral. In particular he had to assuage the newly appointed Katherine Webb-Kane, Agent Zero's own daughter.
Spyder prevailed by knowing where every skeleton was buried and how to exhume them. His vast wealth of experience was invaluable to a political appointee with familial baggage. Spyder became Katherine's principle advisor on every facet of the myriad missions Spyral engaged in every day. And he personally undertook high value missions. He rarely worked with teams but the illusion of Matron being in charge suited Spyder while Katherine had left the real authority in his hands.
It had been some years since Spyder faced an opponent of Ben Turner's caliber. And Spyder's age was beginning to show now that he was bereft of Agent Zero's handiwork. He knew that only one of the two men would live through this duel and Spyder fully intended to be that man, despite Bronze Tiger's relative youth and years of training by the League of Assassins.
Bronze Tiger had been a friend, a rival, and an opponent of both Richard Dragon and Lady Shiva. It was Turner's betrayal that had effectively crippled Dragon. Lady Shiva had not avenged Dragon because Ra's al Ghul had selected her has Bronze Tiger's backup should he fail to neutralize Dragon. Fortunately for Richard, Ra's was content to leave him in abject humiliation.
But word was both Dragon and Lady Shiva had taken part in the training of the man known as the Question. And rumor further had it Question had soundly beaten and humiliated Bronze Tiger on behalf of Richard Dragon. And Spyder knew full well that had to have eroded some of Bronze Tiger's confidence.
"And who are you?" Bronze Tiger chuckled.
"I am called Spyder," he felt confident in answering because Bronze Tiger wouldn't live long enough to repeat the name to anyone.
"Do you have a Black Spider fetish? Because I'm certain he'd want his professional identity preserved," Bronze Tiger was subtly preparing himself for the fight to come.
"Say goodbye," Spyder offered as he went for the obvious tactic of employing ballistic weapons. Bronze Tiger was fast. Faster than a non-meta had a right to be. He disarmed Spyder of every gun and grenade before Spyder could mount a reasonable defense. He finally pulled the knives from his sleeve sheaths.
"Good," Bronze Tiger unsheathed his customized "claw" knives, "I was hoping you'd go there."
Talon came upon Killer Croc before anyone else. Calvin Rose had left Leslie Thompkins' infirmary to leave the city and access a depot set up by the Court of Owls. Inside he found metabolic boosters that vastly accelerated his healing. Turning months of recovery into mere days. He then spent the rest of the week plundering caches of cash and weapons.
But he hadn't gotten there first. Which meant some of the Owls had survived the Injusticer purge. And he began to see Owl dignitaries on the news feeds and social columns. And simple inquiries revealed that the Court's overseas interests weren't violated or impeded in any way. So Calvin deduced the Court had struck a deal with Nyssa.
The gray underworld the Owls operated continued to operate despite the Wrath's purging of most of the city's lower level criminal elements. This had been in obedience to the original deal between Nyssa and the Court. The Owls' gray underworld largely became the underworld in Gotham City.
Calvin knew Aneesa was still the Court's chosen Talon after his abandonment of the post. But he still believed in the classical interpretation of a Talon rather than its modern equivalent. So it was up to him to redeem the title.
But Talon felt the weight of the Court's gaze upon him inside of Gotham's limits. So he needed a base to operate from outside those limits. And he needed an armorer to replenish implements lost in battle.
Talon finally understood that the Court acted against Bruce Wayne not only out of an ages old vendetta started when Bruce's grandfather, Alan, was alive but because of the rise of Lincoln March within the Court's ranks. Lincoln's fanatical hatred of Bruce and the remnant of the Wayne family would manifest itself soon enough.
After hiding the millions he'd accrued, Talon left Gotham and sought out Jediah Bishop. Bishop was the weaponeer responsible for so many of Deathstroke's implements of destruction. Fortunately, he'd already had stock on hand fitting Talon's needs and the other items were forged in a week's time.
So Talon had just returned to Gotham yesterday and had already run into trouble. He wondered if Batman would make an appearance and honestly couldn't hazard a guess because the Dark Knight hadn't made an appearance for two weeks now. Word on the street was the Injusticers had taken him into custody and he'd never returned.
So Talon felt it fell upon him to stop Killer Croc's rampage. He leapt off of the shop front roof and landed directly in front of Croc. Killer Croc recoiled at the sight of him…before becoming highly amused.
"What're ya supposed ta be, Bird Beak?" Croc snickered.
Talon had fought for his life and he'd trained to the death against hardened opponents. But no one had ever mocked him. He drew and threw a knife into Croc's shoulder.
"What the hell?" Killer Croc yelped.
He pulled the blade from his flesh and threw it back at its owner. Talon intimately knew the weight and heft of every one of his knives. So when it was within reach and the handle was aimed at him, he plucked out of the air and drew it back for another throw.
"I didn't have to spare your life," Talon advised him.
"Yeah, okay. I'm impressed all ta hell. Yatta yatta," Killer Croc said dismissively, "We gonna do this fer real?"
The Court of Owls had kept files on Batman and his archenemies. He knew Croc had been a professional wrestler early on. Despite the staging inherent in such events, Croc knew wrestling and he was frighteningly good at it. His aptitude combined with his appearance had taken him from carnivals to the highest echelons of the pro sport. Only, it hadn't been rewarding enough for Croc despite the fact he would have been steadily earning six figures a year by now instead of stints in Blackgate.
Talon sheathed his knife. Croc grinned, "Shoot! I was hopin' ya'd go fer it!"
He charged like bull with arms spread wide and forward. Talon used Croc's head as a pivot point and vaulted over Killer Croc before his opponent could wrap his arms around him. As Croc spun to face his foe, Talon phoenix punched him. Killer Croc clutched his throat and began gagging.
"Stand aside!" Batman yelled as he swung down on a grapple line.
"I'd wondered if you'd make an appearance," Talon confessed, "I can assist you."
"You've done enough damage," Batman accused, "This man may die because of you."
"Hardly," Talon scoffed, "I barely registered enough a blow to hamper an average man. Killer Croc is hardly average."
Croc rose from his kneeling position and bashed Batman with a roundhouse punch, "Yer losin' it, Bats."
Talon watched with some horror as he realized Killer Croc was uncharacteristically wearing a wristband and that he had depressed a button on said band, "Okay, junior. Now we go fer it."
Batman readied a batarang to throw at Croc's head. But before he could release it was eaten away by rust. Batman looked up to see Cosmic King floating to the ground.
"So you finally made it to our soiree," Cosmic King said dismissively, "But your reputation belies a man of your stature falling for falling victim to so obvious a trap."
Batman snapped out a second batarang. This one stopped in midair and then rusted away and the attached tow line was corroded into nothingness as Cosmic King became irritated, "This is it? Mere toys? You were this colossal legend that stretched across a thousand years. And you rely on trinkets?"
"So you're from the future," Batman tried to ferret a reaction out of Cosmic King as he studied the stranger to learn his weaknesses, "A thousand years put you in the Legion of Superheroes' era. Are you a disgruntled reject trying to prove his worth?"
"You'll have to try harder than that to get me to betray my vulnerable points," Cosmic King warned him, "And I helped found a Legion. It's just a different Legion with an elevated purpose."
"So a Legion of Super Villains," Batman realized, "Supergirl never mentioned you."
"She wouldn't dare," Cosmic King laughed, "It's too embarrassing for her to talk about it. And knowing her Legion, they probably returned her to this time to supposedly rectify what we're about to do to the timeline without ever giving her a single detail. And the beauty of it all, is their great hope isn't even on Earth when we're prepared to strike."
Batman had palmed some smoke pellets so he threw them to the ground. As Cosmic King coughed and tried to see his opponent through the haze, Batman's right cross staggered him. Then came the left jab to the gut followed by another right cross. Then Batman cried out as searing pain hit every cell in his body.
Cosmic King wiped the blood from his lips, "I just converted ten percent of the iron in your blood into arsenic. You already deserved to die, but for striking me you will die slowly. So feel free to malinger as you expire."
Ulla was still pacing when a security guard came to collect her and lead her to where the two planes she awaited were taxiing in. She chose to stand between where the Star Spangled Racer and the Invisible Jet finally parked. She was greatly disappointed by the All Stars drastically reduced numbers. And Goldilocks and Enchantress were variables she hadn't counted on and she had no clue as to who Nightshade, Silver Swan, and Black Orchid were.
A red streak suddenly flashed all around them, striking them one by one. Wildcat cursed, "Damn, he's even faster than our Flash."
Flash quickly abandoned hitting Power Girl, Black Adam, and Isis. He nearly broke his hand every time he did. And while they were slower, they were fast enough to nearly grab him. And the Flash tumbled to the ground. Before he could sprint off again, Goldilocks wrapped him up in her hair.
"Bravo, sister!" Godiva cheered her younger sibling as a second guard brought her to the group.
"Dorcas! You're free," Goldilocks enthused.
"For the moment," Godiva sighed, "But things look bleak."
Goldilocks threw her arms around Godiva and squeezed her tight. Godiva couldn't remember when her sister had been this affectionate. It had to have been before the…incidents began.
"I haven't seen you this way since before…" she began to say, "Well, since forever."
Goldilocks hugged her again for catching herself. No one knew about the molestation Goldilocks endured as a child. She'd alluded to the abuse and sexual slavery she'd endured in the future to spare Godiva the same. Even from that she received pitying looks she didn't want or need.
"And what have you caught?" Godiva watched as Goldilocks unwrapped Flash's head, "Ah, a slippery little sod if there ever was one. I didn't realize he left the main group as Ulla and I slipped away."
"Did Belphegor tell you where to find me?" Ulla wondered.
"She did and she was trying to describe the help we were due but the Martian Manhunter cut her off and her mental voice fell silent," Dorcas Leigh explained.
"Speaking of the Flash," Col. Trevor confronted the prisoner, "why are you here?"
"My Queen ordered me to destroy her enemies," Flash proclaimed, "I serve my Queen!"
"Hera! Are we talking the Crimson Queen again?" Troia had to wonder.
Reports were beginning to indicate that the Crimson Queen hadn't been killed by Luthor while others purported she had been killed but raised by Mary Seward before her last breath was exhaled. If the Crimson Queen were truly one of Mary's turned, then she would be finally deceased now that the vampires from Drakul's line were exterminated. But even reports stemming after Mary's death indicated the Crimson Queen still lived and still avoided daylight.
"I regret to inform that his Queen is my wife," Sir Justin announced.
"You didn't tell us that," Trevor accused Nightshade.
"Yes, I did," she insisted.
ARGUS' files on Tessa Richardson had never indicated she was related to nobility. Goldilocks rolled her eyes and explained…again…about Eve Aries' true identity. And her vaunted powers.
"So this Saturn Queen knows most of the Justice League's most intimate secrets and knowledge surrounding almost every member without regard of who she was when she learned them," Trevor summarized, "And you're supposedly from the future too. That right?"
"Goldilocks?" Godiva looked worriedly at her sister.
"It's true, Dora. I'm from the near future where the Legion of Doom won control over the Earth with the help of Lightning Lord, Cosmic King, and Saturn Queen," Goldilocks explained.
Godiva had never heard such vehemence from her sister as when she spoke those three names. Not even towards Uncle Albright despite the hell he'd put her through. Dorcas Leigh knew there was a story to be shared and she prayed she'd be worthy enough, and strong enough, to hear it someday.
"So how do I know you're really from the future and not just escaping from an asylum?" Trevor asked.
"I daresay!" Sir Justin took umbrage at Trevor's tone and words. Godiva knew that was definitely a new reaction.
"My present self will be in Romania. Today she will be doing a final reconnoiter of the State Museum in an effort to collect the Crown Jewels and the Heart of Vienna presented to the Romanian nobility by the Hapsburg Holy Roman Emperor himself in 1789," Goldilocks easily recited from memory, "If you flash my identity to the ISA and have them alert the local police, they can flush her out into revealing herself. But she'll probably get away and leave the country because I had plans to cover that eventuality so she will too."
"Will this change history?" Trevor wanted to know.
"History has already gone to shit, Colonel," Goldilocks bitterly laughed, "Preventing grand larceny won't impact the larger scheme of things."
"And why were you selected to come back in time?" Trevor asked.
"Because I made arrangements with the LSV Founders in exchange for my sister's freedom," Goldilocks slowly revealed, "Those arrangements made me privy to their secrets and an intimate to their company. They frequently boasted of how they'd conquered the world for Lex Luthor and all they were waiting for was for the current Legion to provide a workable time machine as promised."
"So you know what they're going to do before they do it?" Trevor inquired.
"To a reasonable degree," Goldilocks allowed, "My very presence is altering events from the way they previously occurred."
"I'll get back to you," Trevor moved off to board the Invisible Jet and get some privacy.
"Sister, this bargain…" Godiva tenderly asked.
"Not now, Dorcas," Goldilocks pleaded, "If we win the day…then maybe."
Godiva knew then why Goldilocks held such hatred for the LSV trio. And she understood it had been a willing choice. A choice that had spared her from the same fate. Even if time were altered and that choice was never presented again, in a very real sense it had been made once already. And for that Godiva would be eternally grateful to her estranged sibling.
"I guess you're about to be pissed off with…well, you," Lightning observed.
"I'll get over it," Goldilocks promised.
"What are ya? A quitter on top of being a loony?" Guy caustically remarked, "No one's buyin' the act, honey. So take a hike before I plant my boot up yer luscious ass."
Goldilocks' eyes narrowed dangerously, "Gardner, if I were inclined to, I could send my hair up your nose and down your throat until you choke to death gagging on it."
"I'd like ta see ya try," Guy snarled.
"So would the rest of us," Huntress admitted.
"Up yers too," Guy snapped at her. Question held her back by blocking her path to him.
"Stop being juvenile, Gardner," Hawkman advised him, "You already lack any friends among us."
"You think I care, Beak Head?" Guy shouted, "I'm Guy friggin' Gardner, the greatest Green Lantern of them all!"
"Only now you're a Red Lantern," Troia calmly pointed out.
"Shut her flamin' yap!" Guy yelled at her.
Hawkman started to heft his mace but Donna rested a hand on his arm to dissuade him.
"Why is it they give power rings to the biggest wankers?" Goldilocks loudly asked Godiva.
"Whut?" that perplexed Guy.
"What's that mean?" Hawk whispered to Dove. She made a hand gesture she knew with certainty he'd understand.
"That's pretty damn funny!" Hawk suddenly blurted.
"Whut's so funny, Bird Man?" Guy demanded to know.
"Yer face," Hawk told him. Dove's eyes rolled behind the lenses in her mask.
"Hawk, try for once to be the adult here. If you're reasonable it will force him to be as well," Dove advised him.
"Maybe," he growled.
"Whut? Did she just cut off yer balls and eat them?" Guy guffawed.
"Hawk…" Dove ground out his name.
"Let's see ya act so tough without yer damn ring," Hawk challenged him.
Guy shut up.
"What's wrong? Yer balls just drop off?" Hawk taunted him. Dove gave up.
"I don't need no stinkin' ring ta take care of twerps like ya," Guy ripped his power ring off and handed to the closest person. Which happened to be Speedy. He missed the fact Mia Deardon tossed the ring over her shoulder without a second's hesitation and never seeing where it landed.
Guy marched straight to Hawk. Dove just shrugged. Guy drew back his fist and before he could even throw his punch, Hawk knocked him out with a single blow.
Everyone was congratulating Hawk and he basked in the accolade. Speedy couldn't believe it, "One punch. That's all it took."
Even Black Canary was caught up in the event. Katana arrived after being detained by biological functions in the plane, "What has happened?"
"Hawk leveled Guy with a single punch," Hawkman happily told her.
"I missed it?" she sounded crestfallen. She saw Huntress was crying she was laughing so hard.
"It didn't last long but damn it was worth the wait," Troia chuckled.
"I missed it," Katana murmured to herself.
"Why the hell is Guy flat on his back and drooling?" Trevor asked as he returned.
"Guy attempted his usual brand of foreplay with Hawk and he got turned down," Starling quipped.
"Good God, people. Can't I take you anywhere?" Trevor was irritated.
"It was a well deserved thrashing which consisted of a single punch," Nightshade informed.
"One punch? And I missed it?" Trevor was remorseful now, "Helluva thing."
He turned to Goldilocks, "Unless you have an identical twin, your story has checked out," Trevor informed Goldilocks.
"This is my sister," Godiva proudly declared, "I'd stake my life on it."
"You may have to," Trevor warned her.
Goldilocks had to stretch her memory quite a bit to recall the last time Godiva had been proud of her. It seemed it was before the…unpleasantness with her uncle began. Not a memory set she was eager to confront again.
"The French police are reporting to the ISA that the JLI was lined up down a boulevard and someone, presumably this Saturn Queen, merely gazed at each individual and suddenly they were best buddies with the Legion of Doom."
"So what do we do with this traitor?" Goldilocks waved Flash around in the air, "Because tempting though it is, I have no intention of detaining him indefinitely."
Trevor couldn't believe he'd just been sassed by Goldilocks. Nightshade stepped forward, "I have the solution, Steve."
She opened a portal to the Night Force, "Toss him in there."
Goldilocks happily lobbed him and then her magical hair returned to manageable length. Trevor turned to Nightshade, "You can still find him when this is done, right?"
"If I'm properly motivated," Nightshade smirked.
"No, Eve. Whatever it is you're going to ask for, the answer is a resounding, 'no'," Trevor remarked.
"You can't just leave him in that dimension," Nightshade protested.
"I'm not. You are," Trevor wore a wolfish smile.
"Oh, for the love of god, Steve," Nightshade protested.
"Take it up with the Justice League Dark, Eve," Trevor insisted, "Someone wake up, Gardner. And everyone prepare to move out. I got us a ride."
A small caravan of French police vehicles pulled up alongside the Invisible Jet. Trevor motioned towards them, "We're not waiting for anyone."
Bat-Girl knelt next to Guy and slapped him. He started to snore.
"Try more persuasion," Batwoman suggested.
Bat-Girl cracked his face so hard it hurt her hand and the snapping sound could be heard several feet away. Guy bolted awake, "Wha…?"
"Eloquent as always," Bat-Girl stood up.
"I thought ya was a lezbo," Guy frowned.
"I'm many thing but lesbian doesn't rank amongst them," Bat-Girl joined Starling and they held hands as they went to a police vehicle.
"I don't get it," Guy admitted.
"Don't strain your brain, Gardner," Batwoman hurried to join the others.
As the caravan pulled out, Guy attempted to fly after them. Only…nothing happened. He looked at his hand to find a naked finger, "Where the hell is my power ring?"
Silence met his question.