26
The Blackhawks made their way through Gotham's continually war torn streets. The average citizen still wasn't recovered from the stress of the Court of Owls bringing the Injusticers and Leviathan to their city a mere two weeks ago. Two-thirds of the police force was still listed among the wounded, the Heretic had died, and Leviathan had collapsed.
The cult-like Leviathan's members were quickly snatched up by rival organizations. Basilisk, HIVE, and Kobra were among the largest to reap a harvest. But those were facts known only to the highest echelons of Spyral, ARGUS, and the Order of St. Dumas. The Blackhawks were still blissfully ignorant of the shifts in global power projection. They wouldn't be for much longer.
Blackhawk peered around yet another street corner and quickly pulled back under cover, "Our path is blocked by the Psycho Pirate. I don't really have to warn you that the one thing you can never do is look at his face. If you do, he will own you."
"Can't we just call your wife in and have her hand him his ass?" the Ukrainian called Irishman asked.
"Tea is a little busy right now with some world class threat of her own," Blackhawk disappointed him, "That's why Spyral was in town in the first place."
"So how do you want to play this?" Lady Blackhawk refocused the group. Blackhawk considered her the ultimate wingman.
"He looks content to just sit in the middle of the street. And this boulevard lies directly between GCPD headquarters and the rest of the Legion of Doom," Blackhawk pointed out, "So my guess is he's the roadblock. Our job is to fight him on all sides so he is constantly under threat while only being able to respond to one threat from any one direction at a time."
"And how do you want to do that?" Attila was curious.
"Nikki, you take Wildman and go up the adjoining block and then come in behind him. Attila, you're on these rooftops. Irishman, you're on the opposing rooftops," Black hawk instructed.
"And if he pursues me?" Irishman asked.
"He won't," Blackhawk assured him, "Tea has told me stories about this guy. He's lazy and overconfident because his mystical Medusa Mask gives him control over other people's emotions. But that only works if you watch him contort his facial expressions. He likes screwing with people without getting physically involved."
The Blackhawks broke up and Blackhawk and Lady Blackhawk watched with satisfaction as Psycho Pirate ignored the seemingly fleeing Irishman. LBH changed the subject, "So I take it we're going straight up the center."
"Problem?" Blackhawk was surprised by her question.
"Not really. I just wanted to be sure," LBH clarified.
"Now you are," Blackhawk went back to discreetly spying on Psycho Pirate.
"Does Tea really have an idea about what we do these days?" Lady Blackhawk suddenly asked as Blackhawk pulled his head back.
"Where's this coming from?" Blackhawk was growing concerned.
"Just answer the question," Lady Blackhawk requested.
"She knows the mission statement but not the particulars of the missions themselves," Blackhawk explained, "But she lives under the same restrictions because ARGUS has stipulated that no information beyond the official press releases will ever be leaked around the activities of the Justice League of America. Why are you asking me this?"
"Anatoly knows the missions statement but he's getting very curious as to what we actually do on a daily basis," LBH sighed, "Red Trinity never deployed before they came stateside. And they weren't selected from the Russian Army or FSB. They had no practical training or indoctrination. That was supposed to all happen after they returned to Russia. Instead they stayed here and started their business."
"Kapitalist Kouriers," Blackhawk knew the name.
"They have an incredibly high security clearance but Anatoly, Bobeck, and Cassiopeia aren't cleared to view what they carry across the globe. And the United Nations hasn't cleared me to discuss our work with them," Lady Blackhawk complained, "When we're together, he describes his day of running all over the planet and I'm thinking about how we did something like destroy a dirty bomb factory in Tehran that afternoon but I can't say a damn word."
"Tea and I have discovered there's a lot of life outside of work to discuss," Blackhawk shared, "You and Anatoly have to decide what's best for you and whether or not you're willing to make compromises and sacrifices to make the relationship work."
"Anatoly is the sweetest guy I've ever been involved with and it's the best relationship I've ever been in but I want some goddamned bragging rights too," Lady Blackhawk fumed.
"Love isn't a competition. It's teamwork," Blackhawk stared at her before peering around the corner again.
"When did you get so smart?" Lady Blackhawk inquired, realizing the validity of his words.
"When I started dating, and then married, a woman that has killed a Superman on another Earth," Blackhawk said grimly, "Try to compete with that."
"Oh. My. God," Lady Blackhawk breathed, "That's what happened on Earth-2?"
"She's afraid to tell anyone but Waller and Col. Steve Trevor of ARGUS. She's afraid of everyone else labeling her as reverting to super villain type," Blackhawk shared, "But what she did broke the back of Darkseid's occupation of Earth-2."
"Helluva choice," Lady Blackhawk agreed, "Respect the sanctity of life or overthrow the vilest dictatorship imaginable."
"This is hardly the first time Tea has killed in the line of duty," Blackhawk reminded LBH, "And you have to keep in mind her entire sense of justice and code of conduct was shaped by CADMUS and then remolded into a new shape by Black Adam. He's hardly the poster child for Superman and Batman's oaths to preserve all life. And the two of them are now working together at the sharp end of the stick with the JLA."
"Why do I suddenly have a cold chill running down my spine?" Lady Blackhawk inquired.
"Because ARGUS in general, and Waller in particular, feel they have Power Girl and Black Adam under control. But Tea and Adam won't bow before any authority. If they cooperate with a legal entity it's because their paradigm is aligned with that entity's. Should the organization shift or change its mind, they will proceed on their own initiative."
"I'd wondered why Director Bones at the DEO had always kept Galatea and Black Adam in the threat files," Lady Blackhawk fully realized.
"Now you know why," Blackhawk shared, "ARGUS' profilers are just as competent and insightful but the leadership refuses to accept the truth at face value."
The other groups began signaling their readiness through the Blackhawk issued earpieces. Blackhawk began the engagement, "On a three count. Three…two…one!"
He and Lady Blackhawk came around the corner and began shooting at Psycho Pirate. The Pirate faced them and they turned away. Nikki Nemzer and Randall Wildman engaged from behind him. Blackhawk and Lady Blackhawk swung back into the action as Psycho Pirate whirled to face Nikki and Wildman.
Blackhawk and Lady Blackhawk sighted in Psycho Pirate but they held their fire until Nikki and Wildman sought cover. Attila put a bullet through Psycho Pirate's shoulder. He ducked below the roof ledge as Irishman took a shot while the Psycho Pirate was distracted. His round went through the wounded arm's bicep. Blackhawk and Lady Blackhawk shot his legs out from underneath him.
Attila bounced a bullet of the Medusa Mask. It couldn't penetrate the magical construct but Psycho Pirate's head felt split in half, "I give already! Jesus! Stop shooting, for Christ's sake!"
"Take off the mask," Blackhawk shouted at him.
"What mask?" Psycho Pirate yelled back.
Irishman bounced a second bullet off the Medusa Mask. Psycho Pirate knew he probably had a concussion now judging by the whiteout and stars in his vision. He peeled off the mask and flung it out of reach.
"LBH, get on the horn with the GCPD and get this man some medical attention as well as have the locals take him into custody," Blackhawk instructed, "Nikki, Wildman, meet me at the prisoner's location. Attila and Irishman, continue high coverage."
As Blackhawk approached Psycho Pirate he spotted the three dead Spyral agents that had been sent after him. He suddenly wished he didn't have qualms about executing helpless prisoners. Life would be so much easier if he didn't.
Bette Kane, Agent 41, violently swore as she witnessed Major Force retaining enough power to hurl quantum blasts at Matron. Helena Wayne wasn't even remotely close to being a friend but she was relying on Bette to save her. Her heart still burned at how she'd abandoned the Teen Titans during the Atlantean assault on NYC.
Bette discarded the rocket launcher she'd dragged out of the Blackhawk flown helicopter to this location. Opening the elongated case she'd drug along with the launcher, she pulled out the massive Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifle. Attached to the case was a bag filled with ten, ten round clips.
The ammunition was specifically designed to penetrate the containment suits of beings like Captain Atom and Major Force. Each bullet was composed of depleted uranium molded into an armor piercing point and Teflon coated to ease penetration of the hardest body armor. The bullets were also packed with the highest concentration of grains of gunpowder.
Bette grabbed the pack and hefted the rifle. Taking a seated position behind a bicycle stand with her legs spread, she laid the rifle across it as an ad hoc tripod. Locking a magazine into place, she pulled the bolt and chambered the first round. Adjusting the scope as she took aim and fired.
The first round cleanly penetrated the back of Major Force's "head" and ripped away his "face". He groped at his ruined containment suit as his essence began to leak. He totally ignored Matron at this point. He swung to face Bette and she fired a second round through his shoulder. Finding another gaping tear, the arm began to deflate.
Major Force raised the other arm and extended his palm to fire a quantum burst. Bette put a round through the hand. Energy poring through the holes in his containment suit, Major Force flew off as quickly as he could. His only hope lie in reaching the Hall of Doom before he dissipated. If he arrived in time, he could transfer his essence into a whole containment suit.
"I see you didn't get me killed after all," Matron sniffed as she approached Bette.
"I told you I wouldn't," Bette hadn't expected gratitude. Helena Wayne's sense of entitlement was legendary amongst Spyral agents. And this was the woman Katherine Webb-Kane was grooming to replace her one day.
"Yes well, get this damn gear stowed away. We have a rendezvous to keep," Matron instituted
"You could always help pack and carry something," Bette grated.
"Don't be ridiculous. That's why you're here," Matron said disdainfully, "Now hurry up."
Mr. Minos broke and ran. As he dodged through the network server center, Riddler fired off stray rounds. But Mr. Minos managed to disappear before Riddler could get a solid bead on him.
Riddler departed the telecom's nerve center and returned to the lobby. There, the sounds of gunfire penetrated and filled the entire floor. Riddler got close enough to see who Query and Echo were fighting. He sighed when he realized it was two bottle blondes. Query's damn libido was probably in overdrive. And they'd managed to cut off the exit route.
"Follow me, ladies," Riddler ordered, "Lay down cover fire as we retreat."
""I'm bringing those bitches in with us," Query demanded, "I'm going to…"
"Tell me later," Riddler insisted, "Echo, make certain she comes with us."
Echo rolled her eyes as Riddler moved off. Riddler consulted a floor layout and headed for an emergency exit. Query and Echo fought their way as they followed him. Nancy Morgan and Penny reached the shattered window panes beside the doors and came in on opposing sides that way.
"Cover me!" Morgan requested, "They're headed for the emergency exits. This is about to become a street chase."
Alarms resounded throughout the building, "Damn!" Morgan began to sprint.
"We got time!" Penny called as she chased down Morgan, "They're on foot!"
"So are we!" Morgan shouted back.
The pair of Spyral agents burst through the emergency exit into an alley between buildings. Riddler had a male hostage by the throat with his pistol pressed against the man's temple. Echo looked overconfident. Query looked…like she'd just wet her panties.
Morgan had seen that type of lust in people's eyes during her time with the Chicago crime families. But she'd been Eel O'Brien's girl so she'd been protected. When Eel vanished and became Plastic Man, Morgan had vanished as well. Penny had seen that predatory lust before too but in the eyes of Plastic Man's enemies, never directed at her. Disco Mummy came the closest to an equal opportunity sexual predator.
"You're not going anywhere," Morgan promised, "You drop the hostage and you'll be dead next to him."
"Engaging sentiments but what if I chose to kill you instead? Your life for his? And then I could turn your fair companion over to my salivating associate," Riddler mused.
"Go to hell," Morgan steadied her aim.
"C'mere you blonde piece of tail. I hope you don't shave your…" Query began before Penny shot her leg.
Query stumbled and looked utterly horrified so Penny put a second round through her shoulder. Query dropped and began crawling towards the rifle she'd lost her grip on. Penny shot her hand. Query rolled over and really began using colorful imagery.
Penny aimed at her forehead, "Ah really would shut up if Ah were you."
As soon as Penny, fired Morgan shot Echo's shoulder before putting a round into her leg. Echo drew a knife to throw at Morgan so Morgan didn't bother to waste time and shot her in the side. Echo collapsed and Morgan joined Penny in kicking away discarded weaponry.
Riddler knew the only reason he himself hadn't been shot yet was his human shield, "You'll suffer for that."
Query began mouthing off again and Penny stomped on her hand. As the woman screamed, Penny gave him a dry look, "Ya'll were sayin'?"
The "hostage" triggered a thumb release hidden under fake skin on his hand and a syringe dropped out of a wrist sheath. Jabbing the ampoule into Riddler's leg, it released its contents with a satisfying hiss. Riddler staggered back and his gun began to waver in his grip.
"Wha…what have you done to me?" Riddler simply passed out at that point.
Mr. Minos' mask shifted to its blank state, "Thank you, Agent O'Brien, for recognizing my hand signal. Most rookie agents wouldn't have done so."
"`Scuse me, but Ah was with the Agency for five years before it became the ISA. Then Ah was with the Justice League for three years before movin' on to ya'll's little corner of the woods," Penny reminded him.
"Of course," Mr. Minos demurred.
Mr. Minos wandered off and Penny huffed, "He just doesn't get it."
"Mr. Minos is infamous for being the only agent as self-absorbed as Matron," Morgan warned her.
"Ah've known the type," Penny admitted.
"After the mop up, we need to go out and celebrate our burying hatchets and our budding friendship. You can play my wingman," Morgan offered, "First rounds on me."
"Sounds good," Penny agreed.
"Go bond somewhere else, you fluffed up piece of ass…argh!" Query screamed again as Penny stomped on her wound a second time.
"We're so gonna get along," Morgan predicted.
"Hold still, ya squirt!" Killer Croc demanded as he tried again to grab Talon. Last time, Talon had ducked and thrown a punch into Croc's solar plexus. This time he vaulted over his head.
"Hold still, so's I can kill ya!" Killer Croc bellowed.
"All right," Talon agreed.
He threw a knife into Killer Croc's throat and Croc gagged a few times before Talon began advising him, "You don't want to try and speak or you'll permanently damage your vocal chords. Most importantly, you don't want to pull that blade out, like you're about to attempt, because you'll bleed out in seconds. But if you do precisely as I say, you'll live."
Killer Croc was going to nod but thought better of it so he gave thumbs up gesture. Talon approved, "Head up Gleeson St. and turn right at Cutter Blvd. It's a six block straight line to Gotham Memorial. I'll have your escort waiting for you when you get out of surgery."
Croc knew he was going back to jail but that was only if he lived long enough to do so. That's when he noticed Talon had pulled a Batman and vanished. And he still had no clue who the Bird Man was.
Bronze Tiger's fight with Spyder was a blur in motion. But Spyder's advanced years, even though combated with revolutionary science, were beginning to take their toll. His reflexes were no longer quick enough. His blows were no longer powerful enough. And his blocks weren't sharp enough.
Spyder began to give ground until he was backed against the edge of the building. Bronze Tiger saw the man's hesitation and knew the moment was right. He lunged both claw blades into Spyder's chest. Spyder began to cough up blood from his impaled lungs and punctured heart.
"You haven't won," Spyder promised him.
Bronze Tiger kicked Spyder free from his claw blades and the body plummeted to the street below, "I have for now."
"Have you decided yet?" Major Disaster was still staring down Dick Grayson's fist.
Dick lowered his fist and let go of Disaster, "Plas, let him loose."
Plastic Man reverted from being a cage to being his normal self. Big Sir bounded to Major Disaster, "Look, Major Man! I's free!"
"You would seriously lock him up?" Major Disaster was incredulous, "He hasn't got a mean bone in his body."
"But he keeps bad company," Dick retorted, "You're sure you can reverse what you've done?"
"What's the point of creating a disaster that can't be quelled after the ransom has been paid?" Major Disaster asked.
"Most of your buddies in the Legion wouldn't care. They'd take the cash and run," Dick replied.
"Probably why I'm not friends with most of them," Major Disaster revealed.
The magma receded and what was left was already cooling. A slight tremor recorded the magma's descent below the regional tectonic plates. Major Disaster gave Dick a smug look.
"I don't go back on my word," he told Dick.
"Neither do I," Dick relented, "You two are free to go."
"Pack it up, Big Sir. We're headed somewhere tropical," Major Disaster informed his companion.
Dick saw Major Disaster pull a boom tube controller out of his pocket, "I thought the Legion restricted access to those."
"They do. So I swiped one, so sue me," Major Disaster grinned, "Maybe next time we'll actually be on the same side."
They vanished with a loud boom. Plas looked at Dick, "Stranger things than that have happened."
"Don't remind me," Dick begged, "C'mon, I think these two were protecting something further down this way."
Bronze Tiger approached Tala, "There are more of these uniformed types approaching from the east. What do you say to ditching this town?"
"I already have a teleportation spell prepared," Tala assured him, "But I have no destination in mind. Perhaps you have a suggestion?"
"Nanda Parbat," Bronze Tiger said readily, "I can report in to Talia and you can consult the League of Shadows' mystic scrolls."
"What about Nyssa al Ghul?" Tala asked.
"What about her?" Bronze Tiger was diffident, "She played the part of lone operator so well, Talia has cut her off from League support. She and her Injusticer squads are on their own for real now."
"Do you know where she is?" Tala wondered.
"I don't know and I especially don't care," Bronze Tiger admitted.
"Good," Tala replied, "Prepare yourself. This could get a little rough."
Cosmic King was enjoying watching Batman fight his inevitable death. But Saturn Queen spoke directly into his mind, Laevar; it's time to move on. Our temporary headquarters has been handed to us. I have secured it with our Justice League teams.
"I'm glad to hear you still consider them 'ours', Eve," Cosmic King snorted.
Is there a problem? Saturn Queen sharply inquired.
"You and Mekt are acting like this is your private operation. I helped conceive of this plan and also paid the price to enact it. You've sidelined me to this when I could have helped you score a true victory," Cosmic King complained.
You are securing a true victory. In all of those potential futures and alternate timelines we observed, every one of them where resistance was led, it was eventually led by Batman. You are sparing our world order a decade of hunting and fighting to achieve the death of one man and his followers. Or have you forgotten? Saturn Queen asked.
"I haven't forgotten anything. Including who I really am. I will do anything to shuck the shell those bastards put on me," Cosmic King snarled.
Is that what's really bothering you? Saturn Queen wondered.
"I had a wife and child. Something I never had in our time. Something I'd never considered having in any time," Cosmic King confessed, "Then I started having flashbacks and eventually I remembered everything. My wife couldn't believe it as I transmuted the water in her body to hydrochloric acid. My son was easier. I transmuted the nitrogen into hydrogen and ignited it. When I found Mekt, he was as much a bachelor playboy as ever. It didn't take long to recover his memories as well."
So now you're desperate to bury that fake life and prove to yourself it was only a bad dream, Saturn Queen realized, The mere fact you're wearing that uniform and taking part in this campaign is proof enough. You should let go of your doubts.
"Have you?" Cosmic King asked sharply.
"I have the Injusticers' location. Do you want it or not?" Saturn Queen was getting irritable now
"Give it to me," he said tersely and flew off.
"Omigod!" Dick came sliding next to Batman on his knees.
"Poison," Batman said weakly.
"Plas! Get us a car!" Dick ordered.
"Will this do?" Plastic Man simply became a car. He opened his own door, "Get him inside."
Dick loaded Batman, "Drive! I'll give you directions."
"So which hospital are we going to?" Plas wondered.
"We aren't," Dick said grimly, "We're going to the Bat Cave."
"Oo-boy!" Plas breathed.
Katherine Webb-Kane addressed the United Nations Security Council, "We've successfully secured Gotham City from the Legion of Doom. However, despite securing certain targets, we have lost seven agents. One of which was the legendary Spyder himself. My agency and my office will sorely miss his contributions."
"He was an abomination created by Nazi science," the French ambassador proclaimed, "As was the arch-Nazi himself. I do believe you recall these facts about your own father."
"I haven't forgotten a thing. You should keep in mind, my father was estranged from my mother and myself from the time I was a young age. We received financial support and little else," Katherine rebutted him.
"But you follow him in the directorship of Spyral," the French official ranted.
"An unfortunate coincidence," Katherine dismissed him, "Our prisoners are the Psycho Pirate, Killer Croc, the Riddler, and his henchwomen known as Query and Echo."
"All of whom appear to be low priority targets precisely because they are of no useful value," General Wade Eiling was sitting in on behalf of the United States government, "Tell us, have you located Agent 37 and Plastic Man yet? Or what about Major Disaster and Big Sir?"
"Not at this time, General," Katherine replied coolly.
"ARGUS is assuming jurisdiction, Director. I suggest you get your people and the Blackhawks off the ground when they arrive. They'll find your missing men," Eiling told her.
Afterwards, Katherine stormed into her offices in Hartford; still seething over having Eiling cut her knees out from underneath her before the entire Security Council and the Secretary-General who had chosen to sit in on the session. She would make him pay for that disgrace.
The long dark of what passed for night within the Subtle Realms seemed to last forever. Some spent the night fretting about the demon cries surrounding the barrier that protected the All Stars. More and more creatures gathered in an attempt to penetrate the shield and kill the occupants in their sleep.
Stargirl had difficulty sleeping. The noises kept her awake but so did her potential role in the rescue of Mary Marvel. Courtney Whitmore knew little about life outside of a super team and a costumed identity. But she excelled in those roles. But nonetheless, she felt vastly underqualified to help her friend if she'd succumbed to the darkness that had plagued her soul since joining the Justice League.
Mary had been the most innocent of the JLers and yet she'd carried within her the greatest capacity for evil. But it was an inner war Mary had waged for three years now and it always seemed as though she were winning that battle. But now it seemed, the very gifts that empowered her endangered that sense of inner balance.
Mostly, Courtney was just miserable that Captain Marvel was standing vigil throughout the night. She'd have preferred he revert back to being Billy Batson so they could hold each other until what passed for dawn broke. Stargirl had utter faith and trust in Billy, and since Billy was the soul of Captain Marvel, she extended that trust to him as well.
Anna Fortune and Atom Smasher zipped a pair of sleeping bags together. Al Rothstein wondered how anyone could mistake what they were doing for physical intimacy. Anna had stripped out of her extraneous gear but she was still fully clothed as was Al. Anna wanted to remain chaste until marriage. Atom Smasher respected her decision and admired her resolve. And a part of him regretted not doing the same for her.
Hourman and Jesse Quick also joined their sleeping bags. Rick Tyler and Jesse Chambers did enjoy marginal public displays of affection but their choice was to simply hold tight and draw strength from one another. The Subtle Realms were beginning to challenge many of their assumptions and they hunkered together to solidify their beliefs.
Commander Steel and Judomaster didn't join bags but they did sleep beside one another. Hank Heywood III and Sonia Sato had only known lives of hardship and discipline. Their explorations into romance were tentative and shy. But it was a journey they intended to take together. As Commander Steel held the untouchable Judomaster's hand, he hadn't quite grasped what an honor had been bestowed upon him by that simple act.
Others in the group slept alone. Sentinel lay awake thinking of his children. Jennie-Lynn Hayden and Todd Rice had been adults before Alan Scott met them. Jennie lived in Los Angeles as a costumer. For a time, she'd pretended she'd lost her power pulse abilities that she derived from the Green Flame. But she was back to being Jade once again.
Jennie's green skin prevented her from having a secret identity. So she was quickly learning the price of the accolades and jeers of her public persona. The LAPD had embraced Jade's public presence and gave her an official police band radio they used to summon help when things escalated beyond their control.
Jade had turned down the invitation to join the JSA All Stars. She was focused on low level threats but served as a reservist in the All Stars should she be needed. Sentinel was determined to keep her free from unwanted involvement as possible.
Todd Rice had served in the Justice League as Obsidian. But Todd, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, had floundered and fallen victim to the sights and sounds resident in his own head as well as voices and influences from the Shadow Realms where he drew his powers from. Obsidian had threatened Detroit and the Justice Society of America had exiled Obsidian to the Shadow Realms. More specifically, Sentinel and Jade had exiled Todd.
Jade had informed Sentinel that Obsidian had broken free. She knew because of the psychic link she had with her brother. Jade had been inclined to seek him out but both Sentinel and Obsidian urged her to leave well enough alone. Todd kept her abreast of how he was doing even if he neglected the what or the where of it. Sentinel longed to embrace his son again but he knew he had to wait for Obsidian to be ready for that gesture.
Flash dreamt of Joan Garrick. Jay Garrick had sacrificed his secret identity to publically save Joan so she'd fully come to terms and accepted the fact he was the original Flash before they married. And she thrilled at that reality.
Joan had never seen herself as a target despite being one on occasion. She had utter confidence in Jay's ability to save her life just as she had complete confidence in those who bore the Flash legacy. Barry Allen had been like a son to her and Wally West still was. Bart Allen was erratic, excitable, and easily distracted and was her ideal choice for a Kid Flash. Even Jesse Quick and Max Mercury were welcomed into her heart as extended family members.
It was Joan that had kept Jay in the game all these years. It was her suggestion that Jay, Alan, and Ted Grant should train up a new generation of heroes that had resulted in the recreation of the JSA, then they'd merged with the Justice League Unlimited, before splintering off to create the JSA All Stars. And certainly that mission was a noble one but Flash really did it for Joan.
Aztek had let his armor disassemble before he lay down. It would reassemble when Curt Falconer wished it to. As Aztek fell asleep, he thought of Vixen.
He hoped that Vigilante would be the one to capture Mari McCabe's wandering heart. Vixen had dumped Vigilante for Aztek. Then she'd left him for Batwing. But neither the archeologist Curt Falconer nor the police detective David Zavimbe could travel in a supermodel's rarified circles. But country crooning superstar Greg Saunders easily did just that and it contributed to her returning to him. In the end, it always came down to the fact Curt just wanted Mari to be happy.
Mr. Terrific wrestled in his sleep, both literally and metaphorically. As usual, Michael Holt revisited the murder of his wife and son. That's what had driven a classic overachiever into becoming Mr. Terrific. And that impetus kept driving him on.
Still others stood vigil throughout the darkness. Sand reflected on his decades of life. As a boy, Sandy Hawkins enlisted with the Sandman to become Sandy the Golden Boy. Sandy had accidently created Johnny Sorrow.
But one of Wesley Dodds experiments into sand potions transformed Sandy into living sand. Kept sealed in an airtight vat, it took Sandy the next decade to be able to indicate he was still alive and sentient, as Wesley had predicted. A television was brought into the room for Sandy to watch and that became his only link to the outside world while scientists in Wesley's employ attempted to reverse, or at least modify, Sandy's condition.
Sandy lingered that way for seventy years before he was able to transform into a silicate based facsimile of flesh. So Sandy emerged from the vat just months before Wesley's death. Inheriting the Dodds' estate and vast fortune, Sandy transformed Wesley's brownstone into a Justice Society of America museum.
Sandy also discovered he had control over dirt, sand, rocks, and turf. And he could transform into living sand and travel through those materials. Calling himself Sand, he joined the JLU. Sentinel, Flash, and Wildcat approached Sandy about membership in a revitalized JSA after Sand had left the JLU thus making his lifelong dream come true.
Sand hadn't been forthcoming with Sentinel and Flash though. Originally Sand hadn't required sleep. But since the Sandman's specter had visited him and granted him the power of prophetic dreams, Sand now required sleep. He was just too horrified to fall asleep willingly.
Captain Marvel hated keep Billy Batson away from Courtney. As Stargirl, Courtney showed exceptional bravery but even she had limits. The Marvel Family derived supernatural courage from the Greco-Roman gods so Captain Marvel wasn't afraid. But when he reverted to Billy, he was a mere mortal again and could find his strength while helping bolster Stargirl's.
Billy and Courtney were much stronger as a couple than apart. Even Shazam had observed this and encouraged Billy to pursue a lifelong match with Courtney. Shazam had confided in Billy regarding relationship mistakes he had made with his own wife and then his children. Billy had been stunned since he'd never imagined Shazam having a spouse or children. But Shazam alluded to the fact things had not gone well with his family.
Billy supposed that was why Shazam had created the Marvel Family as an act of penance. But the wizard wasn't admitting anything beyond what he already had. All Billy knew was even Captain Marvel, as the World's Mightiest Mortal, was completed by Stargirl being in his life. And he could only wish he did the same for Courtney.
Captain Marvel Jr. reflected on Mary's plight. They'd had a window of opportunity for a brief romantic venture but they discovered they thought of each other as siblings. So the disturbing comparisons of their dating ensued.
Freddy Freeman hadn't felt this close to anyone since his brother, Christopher, had died. Shazam purposefully neglected to inform Freddy that Christopher now served the Lords of Order as Kid Eternity. Or that Kid Eternity was a founding member of the Justice League Dark.
Junior would have been dismayed to learn of Shazam's duplicity. So the wizard compounded the problem by continuing to hide the truth. Therefore Shazam had not learned a single lesson from dealing with his own children.
Metamorpho had joined the watchers because he simply didn't want to sleep. If he did, he'd dream of Sapphire Stagg. Rex Mason had married Sapphire over Simon Stagg's objections. And then he'd cut off Metamorpho's disability fund and Sapphire's trust fund. So Metamorpho had joined the JLU in order to earn the weekly stipend they paid.
When the JLU fragmented, Metamorpho was approached by several teams resulting from that split up. His choice in the end was entirely mercenary. The All Stars, funded by Sand, paid the best so Metamorpho joined them.
The JLA paid well, just not well enough. The Justice League International hadn't asked him to consider joining. And neither had the Justice Leagues Dark or Unlimited. But neither of them reimbursed their members so he would've turned them down anyway.
Despite his decidedly non-altruistic reason for joining, Metamorpho put one hundred percent of his being into every mission. And he'd never regretted it…until now.
Light came suddenly and completely pierced the veil of darkness. It also revealed the swarms of demons crowding about the barrier shield for as far as the eye could see. The All Stars calmly ate breakfast form the stores Anna had provided and then packed. An hour and a half after rising, Anna returned the items back to their various tesseracts and collected her talismans and returned them to their appropriate pockets.
Anna included Sentinel and Stargirl in the next task. She loaded a spell casing into her arm cannon and had the other two employ their power ring and Cosmic Rods at the roof of their "dome" as she fired the casing at where the beams intersected. The surging wave of raw power decimated the demon ranks far over the horizon. Then she and Sentinel deconstructed the shield barrier.
Afterwards, Anna became faint and Atom Smasher had to catch her as he began to swoon. The All Stars all began murmuring amongst themselves. Flash and Mr. Terrific took a moment to explain to the group what price Anna paid for her use of magic in the Subtle Realms.
Everyone looked persuaded to grant Anna some concessions in their expectations and be a little more grateful for what she'd already accomplished. Everyone except Jesse and Hourman. Anna's traditional foes.
Sand took them aside and explained to them he'd had his doubts as well, as they knew. But Sentinel, Flash, and Mr. Terrific had set him straight with their own testimony and Anna's own inadvertent confessions. The couple still reserved judgment but he could see the growing doubts regarding their position in their eyes. He let it go at that. Time would do the rest.
Sentinel created a platform with seats and handrails. Flash and Jesse wouldn't be pushing ahead on this "day". Anna slid her goggles into place.
"Mary has been on the move. She's further away now. We'll have to push hard if we expect to catch her before the darkness falls again," Anna advised Sentinel and the Marvels.
"Then we push," Stargirl said with newfound resolve.
Captain Marvel just beamed at her proudly. Anna knew how much that had cost Courtney so she made a mental note of how to reward Stargirl when they returned to Earth Prime. If they returned.
A dozen green army men began to form a crescent moon around the Teen Titans. But they didn't so far as to endanger each other with friendly fire. But they had clean lines of intersecting fire in their designated kill zone. Red Robin grudgingly had to give them full marks for that. It was almost as if they were truly alive.
"Bunker, your target is that monkey. We can't afford to let it clang those damn cymbals again," Red Robin told him in a low voice.
"I'm on it," Bunker promised.
"Very well. Skitter, you take Toyman himself. I'm about to distract everyone and give you your opportunity," Red Robin instructed.
Skitter rubbed her rear insect legs like a cricket to acknowledge his orders. Bunker suddenly asked, "And the green army men?"
"I've got those," Red Robin assured him.
"There's a dozen of them," Bunker pointed out.
"It won't be a problem. You just worry about that monkey," Red Robin insisted. He threw smoke pellets on the ground and the area was blanketed in a fog, "Go! Now!"
Bunker surged ahead and created gauntlet constructs to use to shove through the line of army men. Then he created a ram constructed as he charged up the grassy knoll where the monkey sat. Smashing into one of its wheels, it snapped off and the monkey toppled over.
"No! Not my…ahhh!" Toyman broke into a scream as Skitter stung him. Then she wrapped him in a cocoon.
"Not bad," Bunker praised her.
They watched as the smoke blew away. Half the army men were broken on the ground. They were now taking shots at Red Robin and he was only armed with a quarterstaff. But he was effectively taking apart his opponents…literally.
"Who the hell is this guy?" Bunker wondered aloud.
Skitter managed an approximation of a shrug. She didn't care. Bunker rolled his eyes.
"I know you like him but we have no idea where he came from. People don't just come off the street with a skill set like that," Bunker reminded her, "And Gar and Bart ran searches and there's no trace of a 'Red Robin' anywhere."
Skitter gave him an especially droll look. Bunker decided to do more reminding, "Remember when Terra infiltrated the Titans. This guy could be secretly working for Deathstroke and we've effectively made him our team leader."
Skitter smacked him upside the head. Bunker rubbed his offended cranium, "What was that for?"
"Have you decided on whether I'm a traitor or not?" Red Robin asked as he climbed the knoll. The green army men lay strewn about in pieces.
"There is no way you could have heard that?" Bunker was suspicious.
"You're right. I was reading your lips," Red Robin shared.
"During a fight?" Bunker exclaimed.
"Do you know a better time?" Red Robin asked.
Bunker didn't but he wasn't about to admit it. Especially with Skitter laughing at him now. Red Robin activated his augmented smart phone and called the police to come and collect Toyman and his playthings.
"Just keep an eye on him, okay?" Bunker whispered to Skitter.
Skitter was happy to comply. She thought Red Robin was attractive eye candy.
Half-Ape hit a small cylindrical "panic" button and his henchman all shoved the complaining vendors aside and yanked their weapons free. The vendors scattered and Red Hood began opening fire. Fairchild was going to protest before she realized Red Hood was going for flesh wounds.
She turned to see how Solstice was doing and she saw Half-Ape had a gun to her head. And more goons were coming from that direction. Fairchild jumped into the fray employing her Amazon-level strength to catastrophic effect.
Half-Ape aimed his paralytic gun at Fairchild and Solstice knocked him flat with a photon burst. Picking up his gun, she shot Half-Ape with it and he went completely rigid. Fairchild joined her.
"Care to repeat that little trick?" Caitlin asked Solstice.
"Happy to," Solstice agreed.
Fairchild used her phone to dial Red Hood's helmet. He was terse, "What is it?"
"Duck," was all Fairchild told him.
He did so and Solstice unleashed a photon weave that knocked out all the remaining Legion henchmen. Red Hood stood and turned to face Solstice, "You?"
"Yes," she proudly confirmed it.
"Damn," Red Hood remarked, "Okay, you can stay with the Titans."
"I was already a member," Solstice reminded him.
"But standards have gone up while you were gone," Red Hood boasted.
Fairchild and Solstice exchanged wry look. Red Hood pointed at Half-Ape, "Is he still alive?"
"Yes," Solstice was indignant that he'd imply otherwise.
"Not for long," Red Hood pulled a pistol free and took aim at Half-Ape's forehead.
"We need him to tell us where Kid Flash is," Solstice grated.
"We just need one of them to tell us," Red Hood countered.
"Why don't you ask one of the goons you shot what's in the vending machines," Fairchild suggested.
"Fine," Red Hood sulked.
"We won't be able to keep him at bay, and you alive, if you don't cooperate," Fairchild warned Half-Ape, "Will you show us where he is?"
Half-Ape managed to garble out an, "Uh-huh."
"Is he on this level?" Solstice asked.
"Nnnhhh," Half-Ape garbled again.
"What was that?" Solstice was confused.
"I think that was a 'no'," Fairchild opined.
"Was that a 'no'?" Solstice asked him.
"Uh-huh," Half-Ape thought this was idiocy. But at least it kept him alive. He'd never had to put up with this from Plastic Man. But those were the days.
Eventually they narrowed it down to the scoreboard. Fairchild hefted Hal-Ape and carried him with them to keep Red Hood from shooting him. When they reached the scoreboard, they found Kid Flash was starting to regain movement in his arms and legs. But his jaw was mercifully clamped shut.
"You're alive!" Solstice squealed and clenched Bart with a hug tighter than his jaw.
The inadvertent expression of feelings was so obvious even Kid Flash got it. His eyes went wide as hers met his and she simply smiled with pure joy in her heart. And Kid Flash suddenly realized his hopes had come true after all.
Red Hood tortured a man until he confessed that each vending machine was a five hundred pound bomb. Calling the Oakland police, Red Hood arranged for bomb squads and units to take the prisoners into custody. The police would also handle crowd control.
Red Hood was so happy with the results he even cooperated with the detectives questioning him and taking his statement. The vendors backed him up so he was out of there in forty-five minutes. The Titans made their way back to the parking lot while the crowd was just exiting the stadium, so the Titans' departure was unimpeded.
Kid Flash was back to normal but he was till silent as he and Solstice quietly held hands and just stole glances at one another. Red Hood couldn't take it, "What's wrong with him? Normally we can't get Yakkity Yak to shut up."
"He's had a personal revelation," Fairchild shared that much but no more.
"Fair enough," Red Hood allowed, "I had one of those once."
Naval officers came running out of the campus shouting at the Titans, "There are missiles in-bound!"
They pointed at the exact direction the cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles were vectoring in from. Superboy pushed ahead since he was the fastest. He caught the first cruise missile and used his tactile telekinesis to redirect and reprogram its targeting systems. Then he hopped from one missile to another until he'd dealt with all four.
Wonder Girl used her lasso to rope the lead anti-ship missile as it skimmed the waves and swung it into the following missile in line. The resultant detonation destroyed the last two. Cassie caught up with Miss Martian as Superboy joined them.
"I'm sensing active intelligences beneath the waves," M'gann reported.
"A submarine," Superboy labeled the threat.
"The dominant intelligence isn't human," M'gann continued, "It's animalistic, but intelligent and quite malevolent."
"The Clam," Wonder Girl realized.
"They are descending quite rapidly. They are well beneath three hundred feet," M'gann assessed, "And Mars didn't have free water so my people don't know how to swim."
"I might be able to hold my breath long enough to reach the sub but if I couldn't get inside I'd drown," Superboy admitted.
"And I'd have the same problem," Wonder Girl confessed, "Let's just stay here for awhile in case they try this again further offshore. But give what little I know about the Clam's personalized submarine, I doubt they have any missiles left."
"I'd like to see them try and torpedo a base," Superboy snickered.
Wonder Girl gave him a skeptical look. Superboy defended himself, "Oh, come on. That idea is funny."
"He has a point," M'gann smirked.
"Okay," Wonder Girl relented, "It's funny. Not really, really funny but it is appropriate."
"Thank you," Superboy said with relief.
"So, just how long will we wait here?" M'gann eyed the ocean nervously.
"Just a little while," Wonder Girl promised.
"No wonder you lived in the Mojave and then Arizona," Superboy realized.
"I rarely do things on a whim," M'gann said dryly.
It was morning in Monte Carlo. Which meant it was morning in Paris. The night before, Sue Dibney had informed Catwoman that the JLA was staying overnight at the Dome.
Sue was running Selina's operation but she had a compelling reason to report in to a certain Col. Steve Rogers while he was still in Paris. She wanted him to know in no uncertain terms that she had discovered Batwoman's part of the mission. Sue had admitted she'd only found out about it after everyone had flown out of JFK and that it had been Trevor's idea to begin with.
Trevor was unflinching in the face of Selina's scorn, "Rocki Ballantine is there to assist and back Spoiler up. Other than providing you and Kitrina with a much needed distraction, she won't interface with your part of the mission."
"Steve, you had her spying on me yesterday when I met with Cluemaster," Selina drolly pointed out.
"She was there to assess Cluemaster," Trevor insisted.
"Bullshit," Selina coughed, "It's all right. I forgive you. You were worried about me…about us. I take it as a compliment. But if your concerns start making headaches for me in the field, I will chop your balls off and feed them to you before I ever get to sample them. Do we have an understanding?"
Trevor, the hardened covert ops operative, blushed the brightest crimson Selina had ever seen on a human being that wasn't choking to death, "Your concerns are noted. You should now proceed with all due diligence on your own initiative."
Selina could laughter behind Trevor before he cut the connection. So he hadn't been alone. Selina thought the audience served him right.
Trevor turned to find smiles on every face. Nightshade was the first to comment, "Well, I can see who replaced me, Col. Trevor."
Enchantress and Black Orchid also stood in for the Justice League Dark. Starling and Black Canary joined him from his own Justice League of America. Godiva and Vapor represented the Justice League International, or what was left of it.
Vapor had gotten released from the hospital with the admonition she couldn't do anything beyond sit monitor duty. Killer Frost represented God knew what on Godiva's behalf. He had his own suspicions of what that "behalf" consisted of.
Gwen Cormaugh was here in the International Security Agency's behalf. And an Inspector Gerard Jobeau stood in for INTERPOL. Much to Trevor's chagrin, the All Stars had been summoned to Gotham City last night.
The request had come directly from Amanda Waller's offices. Why ARGUS suddenly needed the All Stars in Gotham when the JLA could use all hands hadn't been explained. With the JLI effectively down to three active people and the JLD largely sitting this campaign out, that left the JLA as the leading force in this campaign.
Goldilocks was the resident expert on their opponents. Only having arrived to secure the JLI's liberation from being mentally enslaved, and failing to do so, Goldilocks was becoming increasingly distant and randomly rambling nonsense. A complete reversal of who she'd been the day before. And she had a look in her eyes that Trevor had seen countless time. The girl was terrified.
Once again, Trevor cursed the All Stars' departure. Sir Justin was their best hope at soliciting a coherent response out of Goldilocks. With him gone, it fell on the rest of them to work a miracle.
Trevor asked Godiva to join him in the hallway outside the command center. Godiva was defensive, "Look, I know you're still angry about my pulling jurisdictional rank on you but even the ISA and INTERPOL agreed Killer Frost is my…our prisoner."
"I don't give a shit about Frost," Trevor advised her, "Your sister is losing her grip on what sanity she'd recovered and I need her to make a quick recovery. She has intelligence regarding our foes and she's the only one with a reasonable guess as to what they'll do next. So far the Legion has followed her playbook by the numbers. We need to know their next move. And right now, I'm not even certain she's on the same mental plane with us."
"I see," Godiva's eyes narrowed, "You don't give a flying flip about my sister's mental health as long as you complete your mission."
"Have you paid attention to the stakes here?" Trevor wondered, "Goldilocks said we had a very narrow window of opportunity to prevent a thousand year reign of tyranny that would consume the multiverse. And we just screwed up our big chance to sideline the Legion."
"You have no clue as to what made my sister a delusional psychopath, do you?" Godiva laughed bitterly, "Of course not. Because she won't talk about it. But the fact is, the only reason I was spared a similar fate is I was thirteen, five years older than my poor sister."
"I don't understand," Trevor admitted.
"I'm about to share the Leigh family history with you and if I ever hear word of you spreading it around, I will find you and strangle you in your sleep. Do we have an understanding?" Godiva asked.
"We do," Trevor didn't doubt her capacity to carry out her threat.
Godiva described the hellish years of sexual abuse from an uncle who was not only a pedophile predator but was a sexual sadist as well. Relief only came after he was caught in the act. But by then, Goldilocks had retreated into a fantasy realm of fairy tales to escape her wretched and cursed existence.
While Dorcas Leigh had attended private academies, Goldilocks was sent to a sanatorium. Which she was released from sat age sixteen, not because she was cured, but rather because the hospital staff could no longer control her without employing means the Leigh family wouldn't authorize the use of.
Goldilocks returned to the family manor to learn her sister had become the superhero known as Godiva. Goldilocks flew into violent rage and tore Dorcas' rooms apart until she discovered the Anglo-Saxon book of spells that granted Godiva her power. Recasting the spell, Goldilocks insured no one else could harness the magic by burning the book before she burned the entire palatial home down.
Goldilocks became a world class thief until she was approached by the Brain and he offered her a place within the Brotherhood of Evil. But through it all, Goldilocks maintained her fixation on finding a shining knight that would rescue her from her madness. And then one literally fell into her lap.
Goldilocks then left the Brotherhood in order to prove her worth to Sir Justin. His marriage to Tessa Richardson notwithstanding, she intended to prove her worthiness to him and persuade him to leave Tessa and woe her instead. A goal which drove even the future Goldilocks.
"You see, Colonel. My sister can be the weakest and the strongest of individuals I've ever met. The weaknesses are obvious. But her strengths are phenomenal. Despite all that our uncle did to her, she sold herself into sexual slavery in order to buy my freedom from Cosmic King and Lightning Lord. I was to serve Saturn Queen instead," Godiva shared what had been revealed to her in the night, "My uncle was unfit to even be called scum but Cosmic King and Lightning Lord knew no end of their perversions. There were no limits to the degradations they would inflict."
"How did she escape from them?" a subdued Trevor asked.
"They were engaged in a breath play exercise and she had finally coaxed them into letting her use her hair to strangle them. Once she began, she did so in earnest and they found her hair immune to their powers," Godiva shared, "But she incurred Saturn Queen's wrath and Eve Aries deployed an entire planetary population to find my sister. Only Dr. Fate's intervention saved her from being publically skinned alive."
"I…had no idea," Trevor admitted.
"And that's the way my sister prefers it," Godiva told him, "Just as she's sworn off the family name and even her given name. She truly is Goldilocks now."
"Which why you never refer to her by her actual name," Trevor realized.
Godiva wore a sad smile, "Goldilocks is her given name. At least now it is. Given her loathing of anything or anyone from the family I'm surprised she'll even talk to me much less sacrifice herself for my behalf."
"But that hasn't happened," Trevor pointed out.
"It did for her and that reality is unshakeable," Godiva countered.
"Look, they say you can't hate anyone as much as you can hate family," Trevor stated, "But the counterpoint is you can't love anyone as much as family. And you do both at the same time whether or not you want to. Whatever else happens between you, Goldilocks is your sister forever and always."
"Thank you for that, Colonel," Godiva conceded, "Now what do you intend to do?"
"I have to shake her up and I can't do that and play nicely," Trevor warned her.
"Other than Sir Justin, no one has reached my sister through her delusion except if she reached out first," Godiva warned him.
"Then I make her reach me," Trevor decided.
Trevor warned the command center's occupants that he was going to try and pull Goldilocks back to a semblance of sanity. Nightshade offered her own warning, "Be careful Steve, Goldilocks single handedly killed Mary Seward, the vampires' Queen of Blood. No one in five hundred years accomplished that until she stepped in."
Trevor suddenly had a very foreboding feeling about what he was about to try. He took hold of Goldilocks' shoulder and shook her. Then he shook her again. Finally he shook her so violently Godiva protested.
Seeing no other alternative, Trevor slapped her. And her responding right cross took him absolutely by surprise. Then he found her hair wrapped around his throat and constricting so that he couldn't breathe at all. It was no wonder Lightning Lord and Cosmic King had been taken by surprise.
"Goldilocks! Snap out of it and let him go!" Godiva pleaded.
Goldilocks blinked a few times, "Dorcas?"
"We have work to do, sister. And you're needed," Godiva informed her, "But if you would, please stop strangling Col. Trevor."
Goldilocks dropped and he knelt while he coughed, catching his breath. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "If you ever touch me again, I'll snake my hair through absolutely every orifice and rip you apart from the inside out. And even my sister won't save you."
Goldilocks stepped away and Killer Frost snickered, "Damn! You people are better than reality TV."
"I'm glad you approve," Trevor dripped sarcasm as she kept coughing and rose to his feet, "But we need to plan our next move and to do so we need to know what the enemy will do next."
Every eye turned to Goldilocks. She grimaced, "Oh bother."