32
Outside the Hall of Doom, transport helicopters were delivering two separate forces. The Court of Owls was supplying mercenaries under the command of an Owl simply addressed as "the Advisor". Basilisk heavy lift transports were arriving, ferrying Basilisk armored shock troops as well as Regulus and John Lynch. Majestic arrived under his own power.
And the Injustice Society simply appeared amidst a flash and a puff of smoke. The Wizard had dallied with being a stage performer back in the early 1900s and his flair for theatricality had never lessened. While the Owl mercs and Basilisk divided up the perimeter in quarter sections, the Injustice Society took charge of the entrance and the Wizard met with the Advisor, Lynch, Majestic, and Regulus for a palaver.
Inside the Hall of Doom, Calendar Man considered his options. Luthor had left him behind, thankfully, to secure the facility. Grodd had ordered him to welcome the new arrivals, and White Rabbit had simply wanted details as to whoever would eventually arrive. So Calendar Man locked down the sensitive files systems, prepared to greet the strangers, and sent off a message to White Rabbit regarding who they all were.
Calendar Man knew Grodd was still working with the LSV Founders but he wasn't certain if the newcomers were as well. So he unlocked the front gates and prepared the security systems to ambush whoever entered while Calendar Man activated the temporal option and relocated the Hall of Doom to the Northern Africa, the Middle East, or Far Eastern Asia. Anywhere that would cut the intruders off from their exterior support.
Inside the Hall of Justice's Operations Center, Sue reported to Batman, "We have a huge thermal bloom descending over the building. Exterior cameras don't show anything but the infrared images reveal a ship coming in over the Hall."
Batman found the timing to be curious. Every JL team leader was prepping their teammates for traveling to Florida alongside the JSA All Stars and the Teen Titans. Batman had to know where the threat had come from.
"Show me the readouts," he requested. An outline of a ship appeared in the thermal imagery. It was a profile Batman knew all too well, "Keep everyone indoors. I'll see who Maxima has sent."
"Maxima?" Sue yelped, "As in Almerac's Maxima?"
"The very same," Batman confirmed it.
He strode outside and as he did so, the shuttle decloaked. Then it gingerly made a landing beside the Batmobiles. Batman had to admire the skill of the pilot. But he already had a guess as to who it was.
Batman's eye lenses possessed active filters that displayed just how rapidly the shuttle's surface cooled off before the boarding ramp descended. Batman was surprised by the normalcy of Kalea's appearance but he still easily recognized her. Justice League files indicated the degree of help Kalea had provided in the Justice League's recent multiversal escapade and then how the JL had reciprocated by restoring Maxima to the throne. All at Kalea's behest.
Kalea had been sent to retrieve Maxima to stand trial by the Democratic reformers that had ousted her mother. Yet Kalea's subterfuge had turned the trial into Maxima's platform for reinstatement. Maxima had kept Kalea on as a problem solver despite her daughter's legal entanglements.
And Almerac and its subject worlds were literally fighting for their lives. So if Kalea had been sent to recruit help, she was flat out of luck. Then Kalea did the oddest things. She smiled at Batman and saluted him.
"You must be Batman. My father admires you…and wants to heat vision your feet to the ground at the same time," Kalea shared, "He once asked me to join in your efforts against him should he be brainwashed again."
Batman was disturbed that Kalea had such accurate intelligence regarding developments on Earth, "And you would say he has because…?"
"Because Almerac has monitoring systems planted throughout your solar system," Kalea smirked, "Systems I'm denied access to."
"That hardly seems to have slowed you down," Batman dryly observed.
"I was on my way home when Lobo attacked the ship and crew ferrying me," Kalea supplied some details, "The ship's captain was a friend. I take her loss very personally. Before I reduced Lobo down to a single cell he told me humans had hired him. So it seems my enemies may also be your enemies."
"What are you proposing?" Batman asked.
"A temporary alliance," Kalea offered, "I mean to liberate my father and defend my sister. Doing so with your help is a surer means of success."
"You think the Legion is headed for Themiscyra?" Batman sought clarification.
"Once you have father and have removed me from the playing board then it is a simple matter of logic to destroy Kara In-Ze, her clone named Galatea, Diana, and to secure Alexandra to be raised their servant. And they have the Kal-El and Diana of another universe working for them as well," Kalea laid out her supposition.
"Logical, but last I heard you had no love for your half-sister," Batman countered.
"At one point I had no love of anything or anyone except myself," Kalea admitted, "But in time, either the hatred consumes you or you learn another path and see just how stupid you really are."
"I can't spare anyone from the Justice Leagues," Batman suddenly declared. He could see Kalea was crestfallen, "But I have allies more suited towards your temperament. I'll free them up."
"Time is of the essence," Kalea reminded him, "And we'll need transport and a pilot who has been to Themiscyra before or we'll never find it."
"I have both available," Batman promised her.
Blue ISA signature flashes delivered the Justice League of America, elements of the Justice League Unlimited, Justice League International, and Justice League Dark beside the Teen Titans and All Stars to the swamp land surrounding the Hall of Doom. The Owl and Basilisk elements immediately swung into action sand the Injustice Society prepared to repel anyone that approached them. Majestic, the Advisor, and Regulus exited the Hall to engage the Justice League forces. Lynch remained indoors to monitor Calendar Man and the interior.
Penny flew the Invisible Jet while Blackhawk served as her copilot and Lady Blackhawk manned the weapons/countermeasures station. Kalea sat by at the communications gear.
"So you've been there?" Kalea asked Penny through the headphones.
"Yup, Ah was there a few years ago. Queen Hippolyta laid out a royal spread for me and Dr. Light. Princess Diana had Supes on the brain and it sorely tested Hippolyta's resolve," Penny shared, "Seems the queen didn't much care for the notion of her little girl marryin' anyone less than a god. `Course, when Diana's pedigree came out, it all made a perverse kinda sense."
"Diana has pedigree?" Kalea found that hard to believe.
So Penny explained. As the mystical veil parted, Themiscyra became visible before them, "There it is."
"Y'know these Amazons act all huffy but they're actually quite friendly…if ya'll are women. We're bringin' men folk in so there's gonna be trouble," Penny warned.
"You haven't seen an overreaction until Diana spots me," Kalea issued her own warning.
Aresia stopped Kalea before she disembarked, "They will not accept me here. I'm an exile, a criminal to these self righteous whores."
"Sounds familiar," Kalea remarked before descending down the ramp. Deathstroke and Nyssa each took a side of the ramp and led their processions down.
"I need to speak to your Princess," Kalea announced to the Amazonian guard assembling at the baser of the plane.
"She's brought men with her!" an Amazon hissed.
"You should know, Hestia," Deathstroke replied and removed his helmet.
"Slade?' Hestia hesitated, "You…you haven't aged."
"Neither have you," Deathstroke reaffixed his helmet.
"But you've lost an eye so there has been at least one change," Hestia said with satisfaction.
"Kalea!" Diana shouted her challenge as she wielded a sword, shield, and her Lasso of Truth to accompany Hera's armor, "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to help defend Alexandra," Kalea declared.
"From whom?" Diana demanded to know.
The sound of teleporter deliveries filled the air. Kalea nodded back towards the Amazon's temple barracks, "From them."
Batman and Green Lantern flew over the burgeoning battlefield. John Stewart was impressed by Batman's Azrael designed outfit, "Pretty amazing suit you're wearing now."
"It's doing its job so far," Batman dismissed the notion. John realized that while the outfit was new and different the wearer was the same old Bats.
They landed on the top of the dome formed by the Hall of Doom's upper stories. Batman looked around until he found a hatch. Activating a digital interface and display on his inner wrist, Batman picked the lock and the hatch popped open.
Batman simply dropped through the opening. John used his power ring to levitate down to the floor below. Batman led Green Lantern through the corridors, using both his natural and enhanced senses to stay alert of potential hazards. Finally, he ducked into a room filled with computers.
"It's a library of some kind," Batman explained to GL.
"Do you know whatever happened when the JLA captured Flash?" John asked.
"Yes," Batman simply answered.
"And you're not going to share, are you?" John realized.
"No, I'm not," Batman confirmed for him, "Let's go."
"Don't we need a map or a schematic at least?" Green Lantern wondered.
"It's all in my onboard computer and displayed in my HUD," Batman pointed at his eyes.
"Is Shayera still here?" John worried.
"She's here with Dr. Mist, Captain Atom, Belphegor, and Owlwoman," Batman informed him, "But Barda and Mother of Champions have been removed. They have plans of breeding Doomsday with Mother of Champions."
"Yeech," John couldn't help it.
"I agree," Batman revealed, "Don't worry, John. Shayera is still safe. But the internal security system isn't reading anyone but the prisoners and us. I find that hard to believe. The detention center is obviously a trap. So you're going to spring it."
Batman used a laser from his belt to map out where John needed to go and then carved the panel off of the wall, "This will lead you straight to Shayera."
"Where are you going?" John asked.
"There's still the Legion's temporal agent I need to secure," Batman explained.
"Won't they track you?" John asked.
Batman dialed his belt buckle and vanished from sight. John swept the area with his ring and there was still no sign of Batman, "Nice suit."
John followed his "map" and explored the Hall of Doom. He was beginning to suspect some dimensional folding was at play here. The interior was much larger than the exterior which could easily indicate the interior inhabited a pocket dimension or that sections of the Hall of Doom's interior were partitioned off into pocket dimensions. But eventually he reached the detention center.
Seeing Captain Atom staked up against a wall and suspended by siphons, Green Lantern grew angry. And because of his anger, he lost focus and Lynch was able to hurl him against a bulkhead with a psychokinetic shove. As John recovered his wits, Lynch made himself known.
"Before you attempt to do something against me with your vaunted power ring, please recall that I have your wife prisoner here," Lynch held up a remote trigger, "If I let go of this, every cell in this dungeon will be flooded with a nerve agent guaranteed to kill everything down to the cockroaches."
John had no intention of surrendering. And he knew Shayera would understand his choice. So he applied his will to his power ring.
Batman reached the chronal chamber. Seemingly undetected, he discovered the Legion's "time machine" was a sedated Chinese woman, who was kept naked, fed through IVs to reduce bodily waster, and had a catheter inserted to collect the liquid waste that was yielded up by her body. Various electrodes were attached to her forehead and a few covered vital organs.
He unbound her, pulled all of the medical equipment free and then roused her with smelling salts. She came awake slowly but when she was fully cognizant of her surroundings she began to panic. Batman decloaked at that point.
The woman nearly climbed the back of her recliner, "Who are you?"
She'd asked it in Cantonese. Then she repeated the question in English. Studying the red emblem on his chest, she finally put it together.
"Are you Batman?" she inquired.
"Who are you?" he angrily demanded to know.
"I'm Jai," she replied, eyes still darting to and fro.
"What's your professional name?" he asked sharply.
Jai was beginning to understand now, "I'm called Lady Chronos. I picked up David Clinton's mantle after he died serving the Suicide Squad. Can I have some clothes?"
Batman rifled through the dresser that sat in the room and handed what he'd found to her. The attire was similar to Chronos' old costume but tailored differently enough to be unique. Batman judged that the clothing wasn't necessary for her to use her temporal powers.
"Why are you here?" Batman tersely asked.
"I don't know," Lady Chronos had abandoned any hope of privacy.
"I don't believe you," Batman growled.
"I met with Lex Luthor and everything went blank until you awoke me," she checked her wrist display, "Oh. My. God. That was six months, three days, eight hours, and fifty-seven seconds ago."
"I wouldn't doubt it," Batman wasn't encouraging. And he was utterly without remorse or pity. She'd chosen to meet with Luthor and received exactly what she'd earned through that meeting.
"Your meter is very precise and very accurate," Calendar Man entered the room brandishing a plasma rifle.
"Don't even think of it, Day," Batman warned him.
Julian Day chuckled, "Too late for that, I'm afraid. Consider this moment a perk of the job."
Lady Chronos activated her powers on Calendar Man. He stood in place while the Earth rotated thousands of miles a second beneath him. When she released him, he reappeared in synch with the world on the Indian-Pakistani border surrounded on all sides by troops demanding he surrender. Calendar Man dully realized how he'd arrived and cursed himself for not dealing with the woman first.
Icicle started off the fight by freezing Steve Trevor's assault rifle. It shattered as the Colonel dropped it. Starling opened fire on him and he erected an ice barrier between them.
As Trevor drew his sidearm and opened fire, Starling yelled out, "I'm going hot!"
She dropped her rifle's magazine and pulled the ejector bolt to clear the chambered round. Then she slapped in a magazine filled with tracer rounds. The phosphorous within them would burn even in the ice. The rounds were also armor piercing to give them a greater impact as they penetrated.
Trevor and Starling kept Icicle's focus on them while Bat-Girl cleared the ice wall. She shot Icicle in the leg with her own pistol. He reflexively cast a cold wave at her which froze Bat-Girl on the spot.
Plainly visible to her JLA teammates, Starling saw Bat-Girl's fate, "Sonuvabitch!"
"Keep his head down as I approach," Trevor ordered.
"I'll blow his goddamn head clean off if he pops it up again down range," Starling promised.
Trevor vaulted over the ice, sliding into a crouch. Icicle ducked under Starling's ongoing barrage, "Is she nuts or what?"
"Surrender now and we can call this good," Trevor offered, "It's mid-day in Florida and even though it's winter it's still warm for you."
Icicle froze Trevor in place,"Or I could freeze you and spear the psycho bitch's heart with an ice dagger."
"You're no Stargirl but you worked with Little Miss Courtney so that's enough for me. Tell Courtney 'hello' when she joins you in hell," Shiv boasted.
"Anyone ever tell you you have serious antisocial tendencies?" Huntress asked.
"You're a fine one to talk," Shiv snorted, "And I was Blue Valley High's head cheerleader. So I was expected to be a bitch. And I've got the Dragon King for a father. He just wants me to be as much of a psychopath as he is."
"How about we swap whiny family stories after I kick your shiny ass?" Huntress offered.
"Fine," Shiv huffed and tossed her serpent staff at Huntress.
Huntress caught it, "Is this a joke?"
"It is now," Shiv activated the metal python and it began trying to wrap around Huntress and crush her as it constricted, "Seems pretty damn funny to me."
Huntress stabbed the mechanized snake in the red lensed eye and thrashed the blade about until she'd destroyed the CPU and hard drive running the mechanoid. She shrugged it off, "Aw. I bwoke your little toy."
Shiv screamed as she attacked Huntress. Blades popped out of nearly every square inch of her armor. Which made it difficult to fight back. Difficult, but not impossible.
Helena Bertinelli had faced more difficult foes. Shiv's armor didn't include her head, which presented a dandy target. And her joints were all free of edged defenses. So Huntress simply gauged Shiv's skills while she prepared to inflict real damage.
Ragdoll's modified fighting acumen exemplified the full potential of a triple jointed opponent. But Question had been trained by the very best. Richard Dragon seemed to simply be a crippled recluse but he'd forgotten more about martial arts than the greatest teacher living with the League of Assassins.
The list of the world's greatest martial artist was very small. Richard Dragon had been the undisputed king of them all before Ben Turner betrayed his friend and crippled him with a sneak attack while defending a mutual goal. Turner had gone on to become Bronze Tiger.
Lady Shiva was another on that list. Lady Shiva had been sent to dissuade Vic Sage from publishing a report. After she'd beaten him half to death, she brought Vic to her old friend, Dragon.
Slade Wilson was another member of that elite company. David Cain another. Batman was considered Richard Dragon's heir apparent. But Cain had raised a daughter born of Lady Shiva. Cassandra was the ultimate expression of Cain's knowledge and experience. In time she could easily surpass her parents and even revoke the title of supremacy from Batman.
Katana and Judomaster also contended to be included in the list of the elite fighters. Ragdoll put a new twist into things but he easily settled into repeating patterns. And predictability was the foe of a fighter.
"I've heard of you," Tigress confessed to Katana, "You're the housewife turned baddest assed assassin."
"Others also lay claim to that title," Katana demurred.
"Spare me the modesty crap. I see it in your eyes and one predator knows another," Tigress smirked, "You have 'Natural Born Killer' written all over you. Almost every piece of that outfit of yours can be used as a weapon."
Katana had to respect Tigress for that deduction, "We shall see."
Tigress yanked up her crossbow into her shoulder and fired. The bolt hurled itself towards Katana's right eye. She simply plucked the quarrel out of the air and snapped the shaft between her fingers.
"Hot damn!" Tigress exuded, "You are going to be fun."
Katana had the SoulTaker free of its scabbard before Tigress could even react. She pulled knives out of the sheathes strapped to her legs, "Okay then, let's do this for real."
Tigress lunged towards Katana.
Geo-Mancer jutted a rock shelf out of the swamp and tried to crash it down on Plastic Man, Animal Man, and Crimson Fox. Plas got his teammates to safety before impact. Geo-Mancer laughed.
The ground turned to dry quicksand beneath Plas' feet and he was swallowed by the earth. Animal Man bounded at Geo-Mancer with the ferocity and speed of an enraged baboon. Dirt flew around Animal Man and corkscrewed into the earth, taking Animal Man with it.
Crimson Fox drew first blood with the metal claws mounted on her fingertips. Plastic Man had become a drill and bored out of the ground. Crimson Fox waved him down.
"Please mon ami, the fiend has buried Animal Man under the earth. You must help find him before he suffocates," Crimson Fox pleaded.
"No!" Geo-Mancer snarled, "You're mine!"
Crimson Fox instantly regretted that Geo-Mancer was besotted with her thanks to her pheromones. He opened the ground beneath her and she plunged into the hole. Plastic Man dove after her as the rupture sealed behind them.
Geo-Mancer felt like celebrating and yet he just knew things weren't over quite yet. Besides, he'd just murdered the woman of his dreams. He needed a few minutes to mourn.
Hawkman had to admit Killer Wasp's ability to hover and then dart in any direction was awfully handy. It made close quarters combat nearly impossible. And Carter was a melee fighter.
But Killer Wasp possessed a bioelectric "sting" that gave him a distance weapon. But Wildcat had confessed that Killer Wasp was a competent hand to hand opponent. But Carter had a gift that Killer Wasp couldn't compete with.
Starting with Khufu, Hawkman had reincarnated throughout history as a warrior. And he had thousands of years of combat experience, tactical and strategic planning skills at his disposal. It seemed his intuition served him just as well.
Hawkman had attached his usual sword and mace to his belt but he's also brought along a metal spear. Every weapon was forged from Nth metal. And Nth metal was an empathic metal that added to one's strength and accuracy. Carter would have loved to learn how Deathstroke had gotten enough of it to forge his armor.
So as Killer Wasp came within range to employ his sting, Hawkman used his spear to force Killer Wasp to withdraw. But Killer Wasp's obsession with Wildcat had proven he wasn't a patient man. Hawkman just had to endure and wait for his foe to become reckless.
Rival raced about beating Ri and Darknight senseless. Troia tried snaring him from the air but he always outraced her effort. And Donna Troy of Earth-52 had a new gift from Hephaestus. Instead of a golden Lasso of Truth or a red Lasso of Thunder, Troia carried a blue Lasso of Persuasion. Once she roped Rival, he'd do anything she commanded.
But Troia was too slow to capture Rival. As Ri and Darknight simply collapsed under the barrage of fists, Troia landed nearby. Her plan was to simply loop the lasso over Rival while he attacked her. But she quickly discovered that was an easier premise than an easy execution.
Donna finally understood Carter's lament regarding their lack of a speedster on staff. Or at least having one to train with for such events. Troia was determined to rope Rival even if it cost her nearly every bone in her body.
"I'd bug out if I was you, girlie," Majestic warned the approaching Power Girl, "I won't go soft on you."
"I wouldn't expect you to," Power Girl shared, "You see, I've read your service jacket, Sgt. James Bronson. I've even read portions of your ARGUS records. You were a decorated soldier before being recruited by ARGUS to join Team 7. But what you didn't realize at the time was Waller recruited based upon tour meta-gene test results and Lynch was there to activate your gen factor. The successful missions were just gravy to ARGUS. Their singular goal was to create a Kryptonian level countermeasure. And they succeeded with you."
Majestic gaped at her as she continued, "After the mission to secure the Eclipso stone, the survivors went their separate ways and most of you had to 'persuade' ARGUS not to continue pursuing you. So they developed the CADMUS project to start over. And that's where I came in."
"Who are you?" Majestic had to ask.
"They call me 'Power Girl' but my given name is Galatea. I'm your replacement," Power Girl shared, "And I don't see why we have to fight. We were both created for a single purpose, we abandoned that purpose, and we've found new goals to achieve."
"Except your goal has you working for the wrong side," Majestic accused.
"I used to work with the Legion. I found I didn't like it much," Power Girl revealed, "So I joined the Global Guardians first, the Justice League Unlimited when Superman got his head out of his ass, and eventually arrived with the Justice League of America."
"You're the clone," Majestic realized.
Galatea forgave him that reference despite the fact she despised it. Majestic easily matched her Argoan might, and he could fly, and move at equally super speeds, and he had an accelerated healing factor off the charts. But he lacked all her more "exotic" powers.
Majestic attacked while PG had other things on her mind. But she managed to block most of his blows. The ones that connected confirmed he was on par with her strength wise. She cracked him one when she had an opening just to test his invulnerability. It seemed that was on Argoan terms as well.
Power Girl moved in and dropped him to the ground below with a single punch. Then she landed next to him. As he swung his right arm at her, she wrapped herself around it and clamped his chest and back with her legs. The she dropped into the dirt.
"Gordansky trained you," she observed.
"Yeah, so?" Majestic wondered as he struggled to break free.
"I broke Gordansky in half," Galatea dislocated his shoulder and he screamed. Gordansky's had come out of the socket and clean off of his body. Galatea had then folded him in half, breaking his spine in the process.
Power Girl disengaged. Majestic's arm hung uselessly by his side, "Oh, you'll pay for that."
"Or I could stop going easy on you," Power Girl advised him, "You're all power with no control. I learned control at the cost of men and woman's lives. But ARGUS has no interest in you at this time. Fly away and run to some third world country to set up a kingdom in. Be someone else's problem."
Majestic thought long and hard, "What if I agree?"
"Come here," Power Girl instructed, "C'mon, I don't bite."
She counter-levered his arm and snapped it back into socket, "Given your rate of healing that should be sore for another twenty minutes before it stop bothering you."
"What if I change my mind and fight you?" Majestic asked.
Power Girl's eyes sizzled as they glowed red, "I have alternative means of persuasion at my disposal."
"Good point," Majestic launched himself into the air and headed out to the Atlantic.
Dean Higgins' gen factor was two-fold. He could control technology and influence human minds with post-hypnotic messages. So as Regulus he'd created a battle suit equal to any presumed Marvel.
Regulus found Black Adam's divinely reinforced mind now proofed against mentalist powers. But his suit was earning the faith he'd always had in it. Regulus had been part of military intelligence before joining Team 7. Having his consciousness merged with that of the Kaizen of Gamorra brought with it an epiphany that whoever controlled the meta-humans in the world would also control the world itself.
Applying intelligence gathering doctrine to obtaining the DEO's files on every catalogued meta-human, Regulus went further and determined their personal loyalties. Having deduced a hit list of nonconformists, Regulus set out to build an army to accomplish his goal. So Basilisk had been created.
Having started with smaller fish in an enormous pond, Regulus had dreamt of the day he would face a Justice League or a Marvel or Super. Today, two of his dreams had come true. The physical might provided by the armor leveled the playing field but Regulus Voulge-style polearm tipped the balance in Regulus' favor.
The extendable and retractable pole weapon's bladed cap energized the blade's edge with antimatter. So it could cut through Black Adam's nearly invulnerable flesh. But Regulus had underestimated Black Adam's divine speed.
Snatching the polearm out of Regulus' hands, Black Adam snapped it in half, "Let's see how well you do without your trinkets."
Isis caused plants to erupt out of the swamp and entangle Solomon Grundy. Then she flew straight and true for the Hall of Doom's entrance and stopped waited while the zombie tore loose of his entanglements. Then he built up steam as he trudged after Isis. Unable to stop himself, he smashed the doors to the Hall of Doom open as Isis dodged out of his way.
"Oops," Grundy said mournfully.
"Ah, an Azrael and a…I have no clue," Wizard lamented.
"Hey!" Batwoman pointed at her bat emblem on her chest.
"A bat…apparently," Wizard yawned.
"How do you know what I am?" Azrael wanted to know.
"The Order of St. Dumas has used the same crests since the mid-16th Century. I've encountered two Azraels before you," Wizard boasted.
"Impossible," Azrael hissed.
"Nothing is impossible," Wizard chuckled.
"Got that right!" Batwoman threw a batarang at the Wizard. When it struck him it transformed into a series of metal bands.
"Gah!" Wizard struggle to free himself but with his arms pinned next to him he couldn't properly channel energy through his wand.
Azrael extended his gauntlet blades and ignited them, "Now tell me everything you know."
"I shall endeavor to do my best but it may require more lifetimes than you possess, Jean-Paul Valley," Wizard managed to twirl his wand and he and Azrael vanished in a flash and a puff of smoke.
"Damn it!" Batwoman snarled. She'd promised Rocki she'd return all of the smart metal components that she carried.
The Shade enveloped Guy Gardner in utter darkness derived from the Shadow Realms. Guy laughed at him, "That the best ya got? `Cause yer mother is scarier."
"You wear a yellow power ring based on fear. So you claim to have mastered your fears," Shade pronounced from the darkness, "But I control fear itself."
And the darkness came to life.
Gypsy used her camouflage ability to turn nearly invisible against the Advisor's Owl hired mercenaries. As she randomly attacked mercs, they activated their thermal imaging. Despite the midday sun, Gypsy displayed as a ghost in their viewers. So her task was to stay close to foes in order to blunt shots from being fired at a friendly while she tried not to be overwhelmed by a trained soldier.
Praxis stunned the first four man squad by merely wishing them to sleep. The next squad held their distance. So he transformed into mental energy and tormented them.
Little Mermaid couldn't fly without presenting herself as a target and despite her pressure adapted physiology, armor piercing rounds would penetrate her skin. So she relied upon her strength to wipe out the first squad she encountered. Then she had to struggle to stay close enough in not to get shot.
Black Bat tore through the ranks. Fighting impossible odds had been part of her training regimen. Cassandra Cain just moved faster and hit more efficiently to brutalize her enemies.
Batwing relied as heavily on his body armor has his weapons and combat techniques. Eventually two squads joined together to attempt to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. But they quickly learned that it would take every last one of them and maybe more besides.
Godiva's hair simply confused the mercenaries attacking her. It was everywhere and seemed capable of anything. It didn't help their cause that Killer Frost had her flanks and back. Killer Frost seemed to delight in freezing armed soldiers. Godiva made a note to ask her why later.
Goldilocks used her own power, identical to her older sister Godiva's to rip weapons out of enemy hands and wound them and those near them. But where Godiva was trying to preserve life, even criminal life. Goldilocks wasn't so inclined. If she could disable a Basilisk trooper so be it but otherwise she'd simply kill them.
And then the armored squad moved in.
Nightshade's effectiveness was limited by her guilt. Tired of drawing people into the Night Force and abandoning them, Nightshade used it as a means to move undetected and ambush Basilisk forces. But when she ran out of traditional foes, they deployed an armored unit against her.
Black Orchid was assisted by her plant elemental powers in the swamp environment. But Basilisk advanced its flamethrower equipped troops against her. And the fight became one of simple survival.
Silver Swan's song deflected the armored troopers' bullets. By changing pitch and tone, she could create a sonic beam of energy that would cut through almost anything. The Basilisk force responding by utilizing white sound generators to neutralize Silver Swan's vocal abilities. That left her with her wings and her superhuman strength. And the armored suits were designed for those contingencies.
Enchantress couldn't harm living beings. But she could summon swarms of alligators to attack Basilisk troopers knee deep in water. And she could create walls of fire to separate them from her. Finally they deployed armor against her. She smirked because she knew this would be too easy.
Wildcat had fought long and hard but sheer numbers threatened to overwhelm him now. And the Owl mercs had broken out riot gear and had bullet proof shields and batons versus Wildcat's fists. But Wildcat was determined to display why he'd been the longest reigning champion at Roulette's Meta-Human Brawl
When Dr. Mid-Nite threw his blackout bombs, the mercenaries activated thermal imagers and broke out riot gear. Even though a single squad engaged Dr. Mid-Nite, he was woefully unprepared for them. He frantically sought a way to change tactics.
The mercs didn't even hesitate to pit three squads of riot troopers against Shining Knight. Sir Justin almost reveled in the combat. It had been ages since he'd taken on a dozen men at once.
The Owl forces fired tear gas at Hawk and Dove. Hawk simply ignored it as he bulldozed through assorted squad s of gas masked soldiers. Dove agilely tore masks off and let them inhale their own tear gas.
Where Dove dodged rifle fire, Hawk let them shoot him so he could terrify them as he healed in front of them. So the mercs switched to a grenade. Hawk's machismo almost got him killed.
As he lay with his guts hanging out, struggling to just stay alive, Dove was distracted by Hawk's plight. A rifle butt to the head sent her sprawling. A four man squad lined up to execute her.
Vibe was rattling teeth until Lady Chronos' temporal displacement. Then he was distracted and received a blow to the head. Mercs called in his disablement and awaited word on whether or not to execute him.
Lightning used her power on several merc squads at once. They'd all been standing in water. And afterwards she realized Cyclone and King Chimera had as well. She dragged them out of the water because American alligators, unlike crocodiles, wouldn't leave the water to drag prey underwater. Or, at least she thought she had the two straight.
Red Robin and Ravager proved to be a highly effective team against Basilisk. One naturally covered the other one's backside seamlessly. So when the armored units deployed, Ravager could only grin.
"Now this should be fun," she decided.
Red Robin suddenly realized the missing component in his understanding of Rose Wilson was that she was an action junkie.
Basilisk had access to all of NOWHERE's supposedly "deleted" files. So they were well aware of Superboy and his tactile telekinesis. So they knocked him out with ranged weapons.
The armor made each wearer equal to Wonder Girl's demigoddess status strength. They were also insulated against the Lasso of Thunder. And there were four to her one. She suddenly wished she'd taken Diana up on her offer to train Cassie.
Guessing M'gann M'orzz was a Green Martian, Basilisk used flames against her. But as a White Martian, she was immune to fire's effects. But the four armored troopers were telepathically shielded by a damper field. So Miss Martian was deprived of her most powerful weapon. But she chose to stand and fight on her newfound friends' behalf.
Red Hood's highly trained agility and marksmanship kept him ahead of the four armored soldier attacking him. Basilisk had nothing on Red Hood beyond that it was the Joker's original identity, and certainly nothing on how the League of Assassins had trained Jason Todd to take up that mantle. All they knew for certain was that Red Hood had betrayed the Outsiders to their deaths.
Fairchild was stronger than Superboy or Wonder Girl or Miss Martian. But Caitlin Fairchild was untrained in the use of her awesome might. So surrounded by four armored Basilisk units, Fairchild really didn't know where to begin.
Basilisk used a repulsor generator to slow Kid Flash down to a crawl. And they used an energy damper to absorb Solstice's solar powered light bursts. But neither Teen Titan was willing to give up.
Bunker and Skitter were being overwhelmed. Skitter's sting was ineffective against armored personnel and her webs were simply burned away. Bunker had been reduced to creating barrier walls to keep back the battering ram force beams the Basilisk squad was employing.
Nightwing singled out the Owl known as the "Advisor". Advisor chuckled behind his Owl mask, "I'm surprised you put that costume on again, Richard Grayson. Or do you still prefer 'Dick'?"
"How do you know my name?" Nightwing was trying not to show how stunned he was.
"You were chosen too be a Talon. Boss Zuccho was manipulated into killing your parents. But Bruce Wayne's charity hadn't been factored in. You were supposed to be raised by the Court of Owls," Advisor answered, "But we had to go with our second option and train up Calvin Rose. Now that has been a disappointment."
"Who?" Nightwing was beyond confused.
"Surely Batman mentioned him to you," Advisor suggested.
"We really don't talk," Nightwing grated, "When did you infiltrate Spyral?"
"As soon as Agent Zero and Spyder created the agency," Advisor told him.
"They're both dead," Nightwing coldly informed him.
"They've each been dead a dozen times before. Trust me, they'll get over it," Advisor was almost flippant.
"Why do you know about me?" Nightwing asked.
"Call me 'uncle'," Lincoln March said as he lifted away the Owl mask.
Kalea confronted Ultraman in the skies above Themiscyra, "So, you're the Kal-El of another universe. What brings you to the Prime Universe?"
"It's a universe filled with opportunity. Where else could I have met with my mother and fathers?" Ultraman asked, "And it's Kal-L. Not stupid old Kal-El."
Kalea caught the linguistic difference. She also spotted Saturn Queen, Cosmic King, and Lightning Lord as they made their move on the temple grounds below. They certainly fit the profile of a "mother and fathers". And somewhere below, Hippolyta and the Amazons guarded Alexandra.
"I hate to tell you this, but I have no idea of what that 'U' on your chest stands for," Kalea admitted.
"I'm Ultraman," he said proudly, "And just who the hell are you?"
"I'm Kalea-El. Strictly no one of importance," Kalea assured him, "But if you persist in trying to capture Superman and Wonder Woman's daughter I will kill you and everyone that came with you. Just a head's up."
"Why?" Ultraman was confused.
"Because it's my prerogative," Kalea announced.
Ultraman shrugged, "Okay."
Kalea was beginning to realize Ultraman was a very basic creature as he sped towards her. Her responding right cross stopped him cold. Ultraman's punch spun Kalea in midair but she carried the momentum and transformed it into a backspin kick that connected with his right temple.
Ultraman crashed into the clearing beneath them and Kalea pursued him. Diana was busy fighting her husband. Just as Kalea herself wasn't quite as powerful as her father so Diana wasn't either despite her demigoddess status.
During the Justice League's multiversal escapade, Diana had learned the truth about her mother's lies. Diana hadn't been sculpted from clay and brought to life by Hera. Diana had been conceived by a union between Hades and Hippolyta. Which had explained Hades' persistent patronizing tone towards Diana. And why Diana was the mightiest of the Amazons.
Hippolyta, who'd become the first Wonder Woman during World War II, had tried to block Diana from entering Man's World because of the volatility of her semi-divine nature. Diana inherited Hades' best traits as well as some of his worst. A volcanic temper, a tendency to brood and carry a long standing grudge, as well as a raging libido ranked foremost amongst the latter.
Diana had briefly reappeared in Man's World to brief the JLU's hierarchy about her newly revealed status. And to reiterate that nothing short of the end of the world would bring Diana out of retirement. But that wasn't to say a Wonder Woman wouldn't emerge from Themiscyra.
Almerac's monitoring devices had tapped into the JLU's computers on occasion to upload all the current case files and status reports. It still did so for the Justice Leagues that utilized computers. Only three systems on Earth were immune to its observations. Roxy, Brother Eye, and the Bat Computer. But Almerac had indirect means of observing those AIs and networks.
But Kalea's immediate problem was Ultraman. She watched him staring at her as she alighted at the end of the clearing and she could practically feel her skin vibrate from his X-Ray vision. He sighed in relief.
"You're a cyborg," he thought her mystery was solved. Her cybernetics obviously gave her her great strength.
Kalea proved him wrong with a burst of super speed and a left cross that nearly toppled him. Ultraman spat blood as he staggered back, "Wha…What? That's impossible."
"My bionics are the most powerful the Techno-Organic Union could produce and yet they're barely as strong or fast as my actual flesh is or what my real legs would have been like," Kalea confused him further, "I won't even go into the eye thing."
"But that doesn't…ugh!" Ultraman was stopped by a kick to his head.
She followed that up with a series of punches and knee strikes. Ultraman was being severely abused when he shoved her away so hard she skidded twenty feet and toppled a tree. Ultraman suddenly snapped his fingers.
"I get it now," he rejoiced, "Kalea-El, you're Kryptonian."
Kalea rather enjoyed bursting his particular bubble, "Not quite."
She decided to end his misery. She raced to him and gripped the back of his head with her hands and bent him over. Knee strike after successive knee strike pummeled his face and head. As he slowly went limp and passed out, Kalea considered severing his head from his body.
But she was on her father's adopted world. Eventually he'd come to his senses once again and frown upon her actions. And she had just started down the road to establishing a real relationship with him. So she left Ultraman alive and unconscious.
"Clark, remember who I am and what they plan for our daughter," Diana pleaded.
"My daughter," Superman growled back, "You stole her."
"I took our daughter here where she could be raised to deal with her unique heritage," Diana reasoned with him.
"You lie!" Superman raged as he crossed the temple courtyard, "You've always lied."
Diana flipped him onto his back as he reached for her, "I never lied, Clark. Alexandra just changed my priorities. Something having two different daughters never did for you."
"You still left," Superman spat at her.
"Which I have explained why on several occasions," Diana was weary of the debate, "But once again, you simply refuse to listen."
Superman's blows were designed to incapacitate if not kill outright. Diana's Amazon training and semi-divine nature shielded her from the worst of it. But Clark had been getting training from someone. And it definitely wasn't her. The style and techniques had an Apokoliptan flavor to them. So it had to be Big Barda.
Barda was proving to be a far more effective teacher than Diana ever had. Superman wasn't just bulldozing his way through a fight. His strikes were well aimed and pinpoint accurate to inflict the greatest damage. Diana hated to admit it but it was like fighting Kalea.
Superman's eyes began to glow red and Diana realized Clark intended to kill her. Kalea knocked Superman's aim off with a right cross that sent him sprawling. Kalea gave her an exasperated look.
"Just don't stand there! Rope him!" she demanded.
The Lasso of Truth wrapped around Superman and he struggled but was stifled because he was under Diana's influence. She explained her limitations to Kalea, "I can't direct him to do anything but tell the truth."
"But it's like a psychic circuit breaker," Kalea reasoned, "He can't struggle beyond a minimal point between answering questions. And we desperately need information."
Diana was surprised. Kalea was sounding like a military officer rather than a petulant child. Clark had said Kalea had drastically changed after her exile on Argo. Perhaps it wasn't just his well meaning fantasy after all.
"Good point," Diana conceded.
"I know they're here to capture Alexandra but why is he serving them?" Kalea wondered. She waited and then prompted Diana, "Well? Ask him?"
Diana did so and Clark merely replied, "I must serve my Queen."
A dozen variations of the question yielded the exact same answer every time. Diana was ready to punch him to see of that would shake anything loose, "This is pointless."
"No, it's a post-hypnotic suggestion. He has to do whatever his queen commands. I'm assuming the redhead battling Deathstroke and Nyssa al Ghul is the 'queen'," Kalea surmised.
"But she's a friend," Diana protested.
"She looks very friendly," Kalea snorted.
"Her name is Tessa Richardson. She's married to the Shining Knight," Diana argued.
"Don't you people ever run out of ridiculous names to call yourselves?" Kalea was incredulous.
"What would turn her against her friends?" Diana wondered.
"You have the rope. Ask her," Kalea urged.
"But…" Diana eyed Superman.
"I have him," Kalea promised, "Just exit as soon as you free him."
Kalea got behind her father, "Do it!"
Diana unbound him and flew away as fast as she could. Kalea slapped a chokehold on Superman. He could hold his breath for hours so she cut off the arteries in his neck instead. Even a Kryptonian needed fresh blood supplied to the brain to provide the miniscule amounts of oxygen it needed to function. Superman struggled but Kalea won the day.
As he sagged to the ground, she gently touched his shoulder, "You'll forgive me some day."
Deathstroke and Nyssa intercepted the LSV Founder before they reached the Amazon detachment sent to destroy them. As much respect as they each had for the Amazon unit led by Hestia, they also realized they were far better equipped to stop the trio.
Lightning Lord found he couldn't manage to strike either of his targets. Saturn Queen was harassed so thoroughly she couldn't use her mental powers. And Cosmic King finally managed to strike the first blow by combining the hydrogen and oxygen in Nyssa's lungs into water.
She desperately coughed out the water and was helpless while she did so. Cosmic King smiled triumphantly at Deathstroke, "Surrender or I'll kill her."
"Go ahead," Deathstroke replied callously, "Don't let me stop you."
"He's serious," Saturn Queen was slightly alarmed. A golden lasso roped around her.
"Release her!" Lightning Lord demanded as he began building up a charge that would kill everyone within line of sight distance.
Diana simply scowled, "You'll have to kill your own companions with me to make me do so."
Cosmic King looked around, "Mekt! The Amazons! They're gone."
"So that's your ploy," Lightning Lord approved, "Find them. I'll send this bitch to hell."
"I'll simply say 'hello' to my father and come back to kill you," Diana promised.
"What'cha got there, old man?" Atomica taunted David Cain.
"You just make my bones ache all over," Cain sighed, "So I guess it's only fair to return the favor."
"With that weirdo pop gun?" Atomica smirked as Cain took aim, "There's nowhere for bullets or energy to come out from."
Cain pulled the trigger and the sonic reverb gun fired. Atomica was knocked off of her feet. She found her ears were ringing and her nose bled profusely as her teeth still rattled, "What the hell?"
"This is a little countermeasure custom built for people just like you and the Atom," Cain spoke loud enough that Atomica could still hear him, "You see, in this encounter you didn't choose me as an opponent. I chose you. Care to test out why some more?"
Atomica flipped him off as she shrunk. Cain adjusted his aim and fired again. Atomica rapidly grew back to her natural stature and was shaken too the core. The bleeding had intensified by now.
"There's no escaping sound at any size," Cain warned her.
Atomica broke and ran through the woods. Cain bowled her over with a third shot. In a panic, Atomica scraped herself off of the ground and headed for the clearing beyond the tree line.
She immediately tried shrinking again to set up an ambush but Cain just swept the area while firing the reverb gun. Atomica unsteadily returned to her normal size. She backed up against the sea wall.
"St…stay back," she stammered.
Cain kept the rifle trained on her. She backed over the cliff edge and screamed as she fell. But when he got to the edge where she'd fallen, he couldn't see her body in the surf or the rocks below. And he couldn't fire away at the cliff because it would cause a landslide.
So he decided to wait for Atomica to make her play. Because she'd certainly be coming back.
White Canary was singlehandedly tearing Wingman and Blue Beetle apart. She focused most of her efforts on Wingman because she felt he was the greater threat. But by discounting Blue Beetle, she ignored his brief tenure as a superhero before he retired only to be brought back into the game by Booster Gold to join the Justice League International.
So she dangerously wrote him off and didn't expect him to utilize his strobe gun to blind her. White Canary heard branches snapping and when her vision cleared, she realized Blue Beetle had led Wingman off into the forest. She decided she'd enjoy the chase.
Major Disaster didn't waste time of Seraph. He broke an aquifer beneath the Israeli hero and created instant quicksand. As Seraph was mired down, Major Disaster went to help Big Sir against Superwoman.
"You hit me," Big Sir sulked.
"And I'll do it again," Superwoman smacked his jaw with her fist again.
"Hey lady! Pick on someone your own size!" Major Disaster challenged her.
"You traitor! I'll kill you and feed your entrails to…ungh!" Superwoman began to vow before Big Sir intervened.
"No!" Big Sir's right cross almost tore Superwoman's jaw and head off.
"Is she okay?" Big Sir was alarmed by how still Superwoman was, "Did I hurt her? I didn't mean to hurt her."
"It's okay, Big Guy," Major Disaster patted Big Sir's shoulder, "She's just taking a nap."
"Oh goodie!" Big Sir was relieved and happy again, "Big Sir would like to take a nap too. After he goes baffroom."
Major Disaster rolled his eyes, "There's a whole forest. Just pick a tree."
"O-kay," Big Sir lumbered off into the woods.
Major Disaster just hoped he could find his way back.
Wrath systematically broke Dark Ranger down. He wasn't Batman but Wrath figured that killing a former member of Batman, Inc. would send the Dark Knight a message. Both Dark Ranger and Wrath were hunters. But Wrath also killed for sport. And he intended to enjoy Dark Ranger's demise.
Black Vulcan stunned White Lightning with an electrical bolt before she could utter a word. So he decided to check on Apache Chief's progress. He found the Native American Super Friend battling Aresia. Apache Chief's density altering tricks had run their course and Aresia had mapped out his hand to hand skills and seriously threatened Apache Chief.
Black Vulcan was amazed at the sheer amount of raw voltage it took to knock the rogue Amazon out. Apache Chief joined Black Vulcan in assisting Samurai. Syonide and Samurai were locked in combat.
Black Vulcan tried to jolt Syonide but she wore insulated clothing because her primary weapon was an electro whip. So Apache Chief did the honors of knocking her out with a super dense punch.
Power Ring couldn't get a bead on Lady Flash. Christina had imbibed some Velocity 9 before flying out to Themiscyra so her powers were at their highest peak. Power Ring finally used the Ring of Volthoom to emit an omnidirectional pulse that bowled Lady Flash over and pinned her under a series of falling trees. While the Russian dug her way free, Power Ring sought an exit.
Blacksmith transmuted Mr. Miracle into organic steel as soon as he neared her. But she could feel his will continue to fight hers. So she finished the job by doing what she rarely did. She transformed his entire body into a steel statue. Thereby ending Scott Free's life.
Girder fought the Martian Manhunter. But J'onn Jonzz was just as strong as Girder physically. And his telepathic attacks were nearly crippling Girder. So when Black smith intervened by trying to change J'onn into an organic steel slave, she hadn't taken into account just how different Martian physiology was from humans. But he retreated while screaming from the pain from the attempt.
Magenta was at a disadvantage because of the scarcity of metal objects for her to use her magnetic powers on. Supposedly the Unified Energy Field stated that she could use her magnetism to control electricity and other energies but frankly Fran Kane didn't knows how to. But her magnetic powers sensed Mr. Miracle's metal body standing nearby.
So Magenta grabbed hold of him and used him to club Fire and Ice unconscious. Then as she studied Mr. Miracle, Magenta wondered just who Blacksmith had condemned. Then she wondered if it really mattered.
Atom was all over Murmur. Literally and figuratively, driving the lunatic further insane. But when Blacksmith brought Girder and Magenta with her into the clearing, Atom made a decision. He shrank out of sight.
Silver Sorceress spared a moment to prepare her spell. And then a spatial rift sucked Starman into outer space. But she knew Gavyn could survive in a vacuum, so she didn't feel bad.
Reverb kept rattling Blue Jay's teeth. So he used an ability he hadn't employed since coming to Earth from Angor. He shrank down to the size of a literal bird. But Reverb was relentless.
Finally a portal opened beneath Reverb and swallowed him. Blue Jay returned to his human size, "Okay, where did you send him?"
"Home to Detroit," Silver Sorceress smirked, "He should send us a post card thanking me."
"Maybe he will if his head ever clears up," Blue Jay mused.
"Speaking of which…" Silver Sorceress looked distracted.
Joker's Daughter tried time and again to hit Nightrunner with her oversized mallet. He always found someplace else to be. So she pulled out a party streamer and blew on it in his direction.
The end exploded and a dart fired into Nightrunner's chest. After he convulsed for several minutes, he collapsed Joker's Daughter's unhinged laughter filtered through the trees.
"Oh dear, I seem to have lost the antidote!" she cackled.
Hood had picked up a sturdy branch to counter Enigma's question mark crested staff. They fought for several minutes before Enigma got the opening she'd been waiting for. Thrusting the question mark into Hood's ribs, she electrocuted him with the staff.
Sun Girl and Rising Sun seemed locked in a tidal battle. Inertia was battering away at Dr. Light. But Kimiyo Hoshi was afraid to cut loose for fear of striking down Rising Sun. Finally, Dr. Light got desperate enough to volley photon charges at Inertia.
He simply relocated and snatched up Sun Girl in a bridal carry while Dr. Light's energy knocked her lover out. Then Inertia relocated Sun Girl near Dr. Light. She worked with Inertia in subduing Dr. Light.
"Now that's teamwork," Inertia raced up and bent Sun Girl over backwards while he kissed her.
Cinder started to boil Cascade away, causing the Indonesia woman to revert back to flesh and blood. Tundra had nearly been incinerated by Cinder. Cascade became water again to soothe Tundra's burns. Cinder let her go.
Then she fused Sandstorm into a glass sculpture. Turning to Cascade's liquid state body, Cinder gave her some advice, "Leave me and mine alone and I won't finish your friends off."
Cheshire struck down the Squire first with her poisoned fingernails. That act drove the Knight mad with rage and grief. His armor largely protected him but she eventually maneuvered into a position where she scratched his exposed cheek and jaw. He slowly succumbed to the poison and passed out.
Arsenal had nothing against Man-of-Bats and Raven Red personally but a job was a job. Using quarrels adapted from trick arrows from his Speedy days, Arsenal netted Man-of-Bats and then stunned Raven Red with an electro-bolt. Cheshire chose that moment to saunter up to Roy Harper.
"Am I supposed to feel bad that I won?" she asked.
"No, but I do anyway," Arsenal admitted.
Tasmanian Devil simply ignored Gunslinger's admonitions to stop where he was at. She'd rather have been damned than indiscriminately kill for Slade Wilson again, Pat Trayce shouldered her assault rifle and pulled her magnum revolver from her hip holster. She put a round into Tasmanian Devil's shoulder but it didn't do much more than slow him down. The subsequent leg wound reduced him to a crawl but the tenacious bastard wouldn't give up. But Gunslinger consoled herself with the ability to stay ahead of him.
Tattooed Man had known Maxi-Man was strong but he hadn't realized just how strong until Maxi-Man ripped apart a couple of dark essence tattoo manifestations. So Mark Richards unleashed everything inked into his body at Maxi-Man. He figured that would keep the JLer busy for a while.
Horus enjoyed his first uncontested victory as his last blow felled the Olympian. Then he wondered what he was supposed to do next. He decided to go airborne and figure out what else was going on.
Deathstroke got Nyssa safely away while Lightning Lord and Cosmic King were distracted by Diana's having captured Saturn Queen. And the Kalea presented herself.
"You!" Lightning Lord spat.
"I suppose I can thank you for Lobo's unwanted advances," Kalea's eyes narrowed.
"I should have paid him more," Lightning Lord grated, "Maybe he wasn't properly motivated."
"He was motivated to kill my friend and her crew," Kalea was dangerously close to coming unhinged. Diana knew what that looked like from direct personal experience.
Lightning Lord unleashed the full brunt of his power on Kalea. She was shaken but unharmed. Cosmic King transformed nearby stones into kryptonite. Kalea gave him a scornful rebuke.
"Painful but nowhere near what you'll be feeling," Kalea used her cybernetic right arm to grab a hold of Lightning Lord and throw him into Cosmic King, "Now's your distraction, Princess."
"Why did you turn against us?" Diana asked Saturn Queen.
"I was never for you. How could I turn against you?" Saturn Queen wondered.
"What is your name?" Diana was growing irritated.
"Eve Aries," Saturn Queen answered, "But when I first met you I thought I was Tessa Richardson. Then I rediscovered my true name and memories."
"What?" Diana was confused.
"Mental imprinting," Kalea explained, "Someone wanted Eve Aries to go away so they made her think she was Tessa Richardson. Only the imprinting didn't take or was broken somehow and she reverted back into being her true self."
"That's right. So give Saturn Queen back to us and we'll let your mother and daughter live," Lightning Lord threatened. Cosmic King had hold of Hippolyta who still held Alexandra.
"Where are my Amazon sisters?" Diana demanded to know.
"And Deathstroke and Nyssa al Ghul?" Kalea added.
"Recovering from exposure to chlorine gas," Cosmic King boasted, "Most of them will survive."
Diana looked ready to fight. Kalea advised her, "Remember Alexandra in this."
Diana released Saturn Queen. Eve Aries looked into Diana's mind and she clutched her head and sank to her knees. Saturn Queen chuckled.
"Now that we have an understanding," Saturn Queen gloated.
"I suggest you honor your bargain," Kalea threatened the trio.
Eve Aries' eyes narrowed, "You'd best let them go. I can't read this one but I've seen what she a can do. She's everything the legends make her out to be and more."
Cosmic Queen released Hippolyta and the queen marched past the LSV trio to kneel next to her own daughter. Saturn Queen touched a control imbedded in her glove and the trio vanished with blue flashes for each of them. As was true of everyone they'd brought with them.
"Those were International Security Agency tell tales. They're using the United Nation's own police arm to teleport around the world," Diana was even angrier now that she had her only daughter in her arms. She turned to Kalea, "Thank you for helping secure Alexandra's safety."
"She's my half-sister," Kalea acknowledged, "That means something to me now."
"Then you understand my paramount concern for her safety," Diana stated, "And why I'm ordering you to collect your people and leave this island within the next hour or I'll have you all executed."
Kalea didn't appreciate the tone but she could understand the intent, "Very well. But if I could, can I have a moment of your time, Queen Hippolyta?"
Diana's eyes flashed an angry warning to her mother. But Hippolyta was gracious about it, "Let me dispatch Amazon scouts to locate and escort your force back to your plane and I'll grant you a ten minute audience."
"I'm grateful," Kalea admitted, "I won't take up too much of your time."
Diana snorted and Kalea amended, "May it be a private audience, please?"
Hippolyta actually smiled, "I see your point."