26
Katana observed Lex Luthor and the Female Furies from the connecting tunnels that led to the central drain off sewer beneath Fawcett City. She and Power Girl had found their way to the central distribution center from an access tunnel beneath Wet Works Security. Galatea had gone back to alert Col. Steve Trevor and the other members of the Justice League of America that were investigating Wet Works. Only, Power Girl hadn't immediately reappeared and Luthor was getting visitors as they emerged out of a recently developed boom tube.
Intergang had been created by Bruno Mannheim in cooperation with Darkseid. Intergang received Apokoliptan technology and weaponry in exchange for serving Darkseid's interests on Earth. After Steppenwolf had arranged for Bruno's death, Granny Goodness had briefly led Intergang. But as Darkseid's intentions for Earth Prime evolved so did Intergang's leadership role.
Boss Moxie had been Bruno's father. Arrested and imprisoned in the late Forties by the Newsboy Legion, Boss Moxie's incarceration had instilled a hatred of all costumed adventurers and vigilantes in Bruno. That hate had made him susceptible to Darkseid's machinations.
Boss Moxie had been paroled at the age of 89 years old. But Moxie had spent the last decade plotting his vengeance for the death of his son, which he blamed solely on Superman. So Boss Moxie had taken up leadership of Intergang and the cartel had begun to prosper once again.
While Intergang put down its rivals in HIVE and the Black Seven, Boss Moxie's agents tracked down a renegade geneticist that had once served CADMUS. Dabney Donovan was recruited to clone youthful bodies for all of Boss Moxie's surviving original gang. And the goal was twofold in that it also developed and activated gen factors within those bodies.
Desaad had delivered the psyche transfer ware to deposit the gang's consciousnesses into their new bodies. Besides Boss Moxie, there was also Moll Flanders. Flanders had been Moxie's gun moll and mistress before prison. Now she reprised that role with her ability to hurl psychokinetic bullets and blades.
Spats Thompson had all of Majestic's powers. But he could only utilize one at a time at any given second. Spats had his limitation but by transferring powers fast enough, no one had yet realized his sole weakness. And Boss Moxie found it incredibly useful to have a Superman-caliber threat at his disposal.
Tommy Shingles seemed innocuous enough. But his accuracy with conventional weaponry was uncanny to say the least. No one had ever seen Tommy miss after his "rebirth". Even practicing against Spats' super speed, he'd managed to gauge where his target would be and anticipated the throw. Only Spats' ability to turn invulnerable had saved his life on countless occasions.
Numbers Malone possessed a gen activated 12th level intelligence to rival Luthor's. He could process multiple spatial equations along with probability forecasting to accurately predict the minutest features of the future within 99% accuracy.
But Boss Moxie had also reached out to other organizations whose representatives weren't present at that time. Whisper A'Daire came from the League of Assassins. Her own gen factor was akin to Killer Croc's in granting her slightly reptilian features. But Whisper was capable of subtle shape and feature changes as well as being able to spit poison like a king cobra.
Chang Tzu's Science Squad was a criminally organized analogue of CADMUS. It was dedicated to analyzing and activating gen factors within criminally minded individuals and neutralizing and shutting down those same factors in the heroically bent.
The Religion of Crime adhered to the so-called "Crime Bible". Its religiously bent zealots saw immorality and illegality as acts of worship. It remained a highly secretive cult who only proselytized to the most successful and daring crooks. And it had studiously avoided the notoriety that would come from recruiting so-called "super" criminals.
Intergang had also recently recruited the Terror Titans. Originally assembled by HIVE. After HIVE's destruction at the hands of Intergang, the Terror Titans had agreed to work as recruiters for Roulette's meta-human arena.
The Terror Titans were all related to other super villains in some fashion. Or so it seemed. Dreadbolt was the son of the man called Bolt. Like his father, he was a career special effects engineer. His suit allowed him to channel energy and control prepared FX props and equipment.
Disruptor had been told she was the daughter of the original Disruptor equipped by HIVE. Her gauntlets interfered with super powers, neuroelectric energy, and pain receptors. And she especially delighted in the last.
Persuader wielded the Atomic Axe. No one was certain of where the axe came from or how it was forged but it could literally cut through any substance or energy. Persuader was the first to carry that name and weapon in a legacy that would stretch until the 31st Century.
Intergang had also used Apokoliptan riot gear to equip three specialists as enforcers. The first was called Wisp. He brandished a gas gun similar in nature to Sand's. But Wisp's weapon utilized a six cartridge rotary delivery system. Each cartridge contained a different kind of gas. The first was a simple knockout agent. The second was acidic. The third was incendiary. The fourth was poisonous. The fifth was a nerve agent. And the sixth was a truth telling interrogation agent.
Fly wore an Nth metal antigrav belt and a fan harness. The fans directed Fly in every conceivable direction. Gravitic plates in his gloves and boots allowed him to adhere to any surface. And his multifaceted goggles granted him near omnidirectional vision.
Line had wrist launchers that fired bolo tipped ropes. The bolos were electronically preset to capture or to snare. They could be used for rappelling and ascensions and the bolos would release on command.
Steppenwolf had ordered Boss Moxie into cooperating with Luthor. The Legion of Super Villains was leading the Legion of Doom. Once the world capitulated to the LSV, they would return to the future while the Legion ruled the world in Darkseid's name. Intergang would be the middlemen that dealt with cities while the Legion dealt with national concerns. Intergang would control the criminal vice industry the oppressed huddled masses would inevitably turn to.
Boss Moxie agreed to those terms and added that he would have to consult with his silent partner. That partner would immediately begin a global media campaign to prepare the populace for the changes ahead. The New World Order under Luthor's thumb would be installed with barely a whimper in protest.
Katana overheard the entire final negotiation. When Power Girl did return, she'd led the JLA team to Katana's location rather than let them wander the tunnels. Col. Trevor immediately sized up the situation.
"What have you heard?" he whispered to Katana.
"Intergang is joining forces with Luthor at Darkseid's behest," Katana whispered back, "I shall be most happy to file a report when we return to the Hall of Justice. But for now, may I suggest we kill this alliance before it's born? The Intergang leader called Boss Moxie referred to a silent partner who isn't present. Apparently this partner controls great influence through media outlets."
"Point taken," Trevor allowed, "Power Girl, you're on Stompa. Wonder Woman, you take care of Bernadeth. If you don't know who that is, don't be too proud to ask someone. Guy, you've got Malice."
"What? The freakin' kid?" Guy Gardner protested, "Where's the frickin' glory in that?"
"Glory is what you make of it," General Glory advised him.
"And the fight won't be with Malice unless you're smart about it," Trevor advised Guy, "Most of your time will be spent fighting Chessure."
"Now yer talkin' my lingo," Guy grinned.
"Guy, no one talks your lingo," Trajectory warned him.
"The rest of you take out targets of availability," Trevor ordered, "But I'm on Luthor and Boss Moxie. I have certain…questions that need asking."
So the JLA swung into action.
Moll Flanders fired psychic bullets at Trevor to keep him pinned down as Tommy Shingles herded Boss Moxie, Lex Luthor, and Numbers Malone through a boom tube. Tommy was next through the tube while Spats Thompson used his invulnerability to shield Moll as she backed her way through the boom tube. The Intergang inner circle found themselves at Galaxy Broadcasting Systems in order to meet with Morgan Edge. The boom tube collapsed behind them, leaving Trevor swearing to himself.
Batwoman used batarangs to teach Mad Harriet some respect. After four successive blows to the head, Mad Harriet was more circumspect. And then Batwoman closed quarters with her and fought her hand to hand. Mad Harriet retreated as soon as there was an available opportunity.
Wonder Woman pitted her sword and shield against Bernadeth's Feron blades. It took Artemis almost losing her arm to Bernadeth's superheated blade as it melted through her shield for her to gain a grudging respect for her opponent. Artemis disposed of the shield by bouncing it off of Bernadeth's bulbous forehead. While the New God blinked away the pain, Artemis closed in to resume her attack.
Unlike the shield Wonder Woman carried, her sword had been forged by Hephaestus himself. It had been included with Hera's armor but Diana had always foresworn it. Artemis wasn't so squeamish. With her single sword she forced the twin blade wielding Bernadeth back until the New God ordered the Female Furies into a retreat.
As Bernadeth tried to desperately gather her troops and open a boom tube, Artemis sheathed her sword and strung her bow. Then she fired arrows with the velocity of missiles at the Female Furies as they skulked away.
Power Girl was surprised to discover how powerful Stompa really was. Unlike Supergirl, Galatea had never fought the New God before. Power Girl found out the hard way Stompa's most powerful weapon was her head butting charge. So Power Girl learned to evade the charge and take Stompa to the ground each time. As long as she wasn't the one on the ground, she avoided Stompa's merciless antimatter soles. Despite her frustration, or perhaps because of it, Stompa was relieved when Bernadeth ordered the withdrawal.
Gilotina began by only using one sword against Hawkman. She'd found Thanagarians were blunt instruments content with hacking foes apart. But Carter Hall's soul was Thanagarian but he had a thousand lifetimes as a human warrior and he'd learned the lessons imparted upon each lifetime.
Hawkman seemed oblivious to any cuts or wounds as he pressed in to kill Gilotina. Grudgingly, Gilotina pulled her other sword free as well. But Hawkman's inherited memories and skills included fighting foes with two swords to his one. So he maintained the relentless pressure. Gilotina was humiliated to be grateful for Bernadeth's call.
Vibe nearly shook the Cyber Pack apart. They retreated behind their mistress' shadow. Artemiz fired arrow after arrow at Vibe. His powers literally shook them apart in midair. Then he stretched out further and knocked her off of her feet. Artemiz heard Bernadeth's order to pull out and she kept Vibe rooted where he was by firing arrows at him as she withdrew. The Cyber Pack gratefully led the way out.
Guy easily contained Malice Vundabar. But that hardly prevented her from opening a fissure to a shadow hell dimension and summoning Chessure to "play". Guy literally fought for his life against the shadow demon while Malice cheered the creature on. But she sullenly obeyed Bernadeth's command to retreat. But Chessure was the last to pull out before the Female Furies' boom tube closed.
Trajectory had no intention of letting Speed Queen even get rolling. But this time, the New God wasn't relying on technology for her speed. Boss Moxie, as agreed with Luthor, had brought a supply of Velocity 9. Speed Queen was finally capable of achieving her feats of super speed without skates and a rocket pack.
Trajectory unexpectedly faced a foe that could match her speed for speed. And Speed Queen had been bred for warfare her entire life. Trajectory had barely completed a basic course in hand to hand combat.
Bloody Mary took hold of General Glory and began to feed. But what she tapped into was the nearly limitless power source that stemmed from the Spirit of Lady Liberty. Bloody Mary was soon bloated and gorged. She slunk away trying to avoid any conflicts in her condition.
General Glory pulled Speed Queen off of Trajectory. General Glory held out his hand to the fallen Trajectory, "Let me help you up."
"I don't know where she suddenly got speed powers from," Trajectory lamented, "She didn't have them earlier today."
"She may not have them now," General Glory assessed, "She's showing signs that Velocity 9 addicts display before their metabolisms consume them."
"Velocity 9," Trajectory whispered in horror.
"In normal folks it eventually kills them when their bodies eat themselves up to fuel the speed," General Glory recalled, "That probably won't happen with a so-called 'god' but we can burn it out of her system. And the fastest way to do that is get her rolling again."
"Okay! I'm on it!" Trajectory darted off.
Speed Queen was practically foaming at the mouth when Trajectory's right cross connected. Trajectory held her wounded hand, "Damn it! That hurts!"
Then she streaked off down the tunnels and Speed Queen followed. They covered the entire tunnel network several times but Trajectory learned the system en route and always eventually steered them back to the central node.
As they raced, Trajectory noticed Speed Queen was slowing down. She cut short their usual tour and headed back to the node. When they arrived, Trajectory halted. Speed Queen collapsed.
She was haggard and withdrawn, but it wasn't from the drug depleting her body's resources. It was the open signs of crippling addiction, "I need more."
The croaking gasp was utterly pathetic. General Glory shook his head, "Addiction is such a waste."
Bernadeth called for a retreat and Speed Queen reached into a pocket and removed a tablet that she desperately ingested. As Trajectory and General Glory watched in horror, Speed Queen's addictive tremors ceased. Then she bolted off through the boom tube.
"I wonder if Darkseid offers drug rehab programs." General Glory mused.
"Somehow I doubt it," Trajectory said darkly.
With no offensive equipment to posses to fight against the Question, Wunda simply entered the computer network and repositioned herself across the globe where she activated her own boom tube.
Line fired his bolo rope. Huntress stepped out of its way and let him snare a nearby railing. She fired her crossbow at him. He barely managed to sidestep it as he retracted one rope and fired the other from the left wrist ejector. This one captured Huntress' crossbow while she was reloading.
"Okay, pal. No more Ms. Nice Guy," Huntress rushed at him. She pushed him into a support pillar and put a knife to his throat while she stabbed him between the fifth and sixth rib.
"That's just a body cavity. But we can go for between the fourth and fifth rib and ruin your entire life with a twist at the end. Or you could surrender peacefully before I make it a permanent one."
Line eagerly agreed to her terms.
Dreadbolt fired of electrical discharges ta Vigilante. With all of the conductive materials and water around, the shots went wild. But Vig's first hyperkinetic round knocked Dreadbolt off of his feet.
The Terror Titans had always relied upon surprise and overwhelming force to round up the NOWHERE rejects they recruited as cannon fodder from Roulette. Dreadbolt had never faced an actual hero versus one in name only. Vigilante blew him off of his feet again as he stood up. The third round knocked the wind out of him so effectively; he passed out from lack of oxygen.
Vixen evaded Disruptor's gauntleted fists with the speed of a mongoose. She also delivered rapid fie attacks through the same. Finally, more out of luck than skill, Disruptor grabbed a hold of Vixen and a short circuited her nervous system.
"Hey!" Vigilante yelled.
Disruptor turned and a hyperkinetic round knocked her backwards. She struggled to breathe as Vig checked Vixen's vitals, "How'd ya'll like ta keep on livin'?"
"You won't kill me. You're a hero," Disruptor managed to gasp.
"Yore sure `bout that?" Vigilante cockled his revolved and took center aim between her eyes.
Then he shifted to the left and blew a turkey sized hole in the concrete beside her right ear, "Now, Ah'll give ya a three count ta decide whut ya want ta do. But for yore sake, Ah do rightly hope ya'll choose to give up. It's always messy when a head goes the way of that there wall."
Vigilante cocked his revolver again and Disruptor knew she really didn't have a choice.
Wisp tried out various gases on Ri. But no matter how deadly or devastating the effects were, she always managed to heal herself before she died. And then he promptly surrendered when she attempted to skewer him with her sword.
Fly buzzed around Darknight with his harness mounted fans provided the appropriate annoying sound. Darknight tried attacking Fly from multiple approaches but the goggles the Intergang enforcer wore allowed him to be spotted at every turn. Fly's only weakness was a direct approach from behind.
So Darknight engaged in multiple feints while Ri quietly made her approach. Jamming her sword in the fan harness, it knocked out the rear fans and Fly was propelled into the opposite wall. There he tried climbing up the wall but Darknight was quickly upon him and beat him senseless with his batons.
"As ever, we make excellent partners," Darknight congratulated Ri.
"In costume and out of it," she said with satisfaction.
Katana quickly realized Persuader's Atomic Axe could cut through virtually anything. Ostensibly through the SoulTaker as well. So she applied her blade to the axe's elongated handle to block Persuader's strokes. But as deft as Persuader was, she wasn't prepared for a prolonged struggle.
Persuader grew reckless and Katana disarmed her. The remaining battle was over in seconds. Which suited Katana. Persuader had become increasingly vocal and hostile as she lost control of herself.
Trevor tallied up the situation. Luthor and Intergang's inner circle had fled together. All of the Female Furies had gotten away. But the Terror Titans and Intergang's enforcers were captured.
Trevor assigned Question to leading an investigation into why Luthor had set up here and who'd provided support. Question chose Huntress, Power Girl, Vibe, and Vixen as his assistants. Upon leaving the sewer, Trevor called in their status and Sue Dibney deployed an ARGUS collection team for the prisoners. ARGUS also motivated the Justice Department into launching an FBI investigation into Wet Works Security's ties with Luthor.
Nyssa Raatko was accompanied by four Injusticers posing as junior executives and aides. Lady Flash was delighted to participate. White Canary and Dark Archer were less sanguine. White Lightning was absolutely indignant over dressing the part. Blue Jay was circling the penthouse at bird size trying to catch a glimpse of a Legionnaire. Silver Sorceress was attempting to penetrate the skyscraper's interior with a scrying window but Tala's defenses kept her probes out.
David Cain waited in the "rented" office across the street. Aresia impatiently awaited the call to duty. Major Disaster surfed travel sites on the Web. Big Sir raided the break room fridge. Wrath was on the roof with a high powered rifle prepared to kill selected targets.
Nyssa and party were shown the development departments of each software division. The actual mass production of CD-ROMS took place in Anaheim. But the servers providing downloaded apps were housed in the facility.
At a silent signal from Nyssa, White Canary and Dark Archer escorted the only high ranking female exec out of the room to ostensibly review the books. Lady Flash had slipped away earlier and was conducting high speed reconnaissance of the building.
White Lightning spoke and seized control of the remaining male execs. Under her spell, OmniTech's relationship with Luthor came to light as well as the true nature of the secured floors. No one in OmniTech knew who occupied those levels or had any idea of when they went in or out. At Nyssa's command, White Lightning ordered everyone to forget about the meeting.
Lady Flash rejoined them and reported regarding the security of the inaccessible floors. Nyssa sent her to retrieve White Canary and Dark Archer. Then they returned to the others.
Cain's mission changed to one of observation. Nyssa would travel to the Hall of Justice and recommended Waller and Batman order an attack. Blue Jay had indicated finding three people residing in the penthouse. Two men and a woman. Which coincidence would have it matched the genders of the LSV Founders.
Nyssa sent Silver Sorceress and Blue Jay to rejoin their fellow Injustice Rogues. Cain dispersed the Injustice League to various observation points. With what remained of the Injustice Titans in Pomona, that accounted for the entire group.
The Injustice Titans had stumbled upon Grodd, Dr. Sivana, Mr. Mind, Doomsday, and even the treacherous Merlyn loitering around the OmniTech facility in Pomona. Recent losses had halved the team. Risk and Kid Crusader were dead. Match was missing. And Joker's Daughter was now so deranged as to be useless to the team.
Enigma had briefly discussed the need for new recruits with Nyssa before the injustice Titans deployed. Enigma had also requested the dismissal of Duela Dent from the unit. Enigma was calculating their chances when Santana's ring fighters exited the building. Seeing three rhino men alongside four lion men, two crocodile men, and three cheetah men persuaded her to stay put.
"They're not even trying to hide," Joker's Daughter snicker, "So let's say 'hi'."
"Inertia, drop her off at the train station," Enigma snapped.
In a rush of air, the pair disappeared. Sun Girl was saddened, "You asked Nyssa to kick Duela out, didn't you?"
"I'll try and persuade Nyssa to convince Duela to buy her life with her silence. Otherwise I think she and her Jokerz gang will be our next target," Enigma warned Sun Girl, "Her gang is strictly a Gotham affair. So if Duela shuts up and stays in the city, Nyssa shouldn't have a problem with her."
"Who would tell Nyssa if she wasn't?" Sun Girl wondered.
"A little informant known as the White Rabbit," Enigma reminded her.
Silver Sorceress magically teleported Blue Jay and herself to Blacksmith's location. Girder and Magenta were observing the production facility while Murmur tested his scalpels on his own flesh. Finding nothing of note, Silver Sorceress returned them all to Los Angeles. There, Cain put them to use.
The Shining Knight and Goldilocks were locked away in the same apartment. Sir Justin no longer had any of his knightly equipment. Goldilocks seemed hopeful because of his presence and apprehensive over it at the same time. Very much like the Goldilocks he'd been honored to come to know in recent weeks. And yet, she was nothing like that future incarnation at the same time. She wasn't the Goldilocks he'd known six months ago yet she was strangely familiar all the same. And there was a look in her eyes that haunted him.
"Milady, why art thou silent?" Sir Justin asked after a long silence.
"I…don't know. It's like I don't know myself anymore," Goldilocks hated to admit. It made her sound mental and she desperately wanted to be sane.
Sir Justin suddenly hoped that somehow her future self had found new life in her, "What meanest thou?"
"I feel different," Goldilocks struggled to express the totality of the changes, "Something inside of me has changed. Something important. I really can't explain it all."
"Dost thou remember the last few weeks?" he asked, "Say of Romania or Hungary?"
"I've never been to either country," Goldilocks informed him, "I spent the last three weeks making my way from Europe through the Arabian Peninsula to India to reach Hong Kong. I think you're more confused than I am, Sir Justin."
He froze as she smiled at him. The look in her eyes and the smile were identical to the ones Tessa had reserved for him, "Milady, would'st thou haven any memories thou can'st account for?"
"No, not memories," Goldilocks frowned, "More like perceptions and ways of looking at life and the world. It's all new and different…or maybe an old way I'd forgotten."
She saw his intense scrutiny, "You must think I've gone mad again."
"Mayhap sound saner than ever before," Sir Justin confessed, "Share your newfound insights."
"I've realized I've had a lot of misplaced anger towards people and circumstances," Goldilocks hesitantly shared until she saw Sir Justin pleading with her to continue, "Horrible things happened to me in my childhood. But I blamed my parents and Dorcas even though they didn't know anything at the time and helped prosecute the bustard when they learned what was happening. But I'd lost touch with reality and was sent to a sanatorium. There I flitted through fairy tale filled days."
"My parents came for me when I was kicked out for being naughty. And I learned about Dorcas being Godiva. After I learned how to enchant my hair, I burned the estate down and fled to become a thief. The Brain found me and offered me a place in the Brotherhood of Evil and my price was the erasure of all record of my identity. Which a legal team used to free my uncle before I paid him a visit and repaid him for past kindnesses."
Neither Godiva nor Goldilocks had ever mentioned Goldilocks killing their uncle before now. Goldilocks added to her story, "I lived under that arrangement until Dorcas freed me from it. But the past isn't a collection of records or documents. It's what we carry inside. How we live with what happened defines us and makes us into who we are. I chose to deal with things badly. But now I want to change that. I want to start reevaluating life and changing what I do with it."
Sir Justin was stunned. Goldilocks suddenly became shy, "I've been smitten with you since we met. But before it was because of what you represented to me. Now it's becoming because of who you really are. I know you've lost Tessa. Anyone can see she's no longer the person she was. And you need to time to grieve. But maybe someday there will be a chance for us? If you're so inclined and I've proven myself worthy of consideration. Then maybe we'll see if history can forge a future."
Sir Justin was speechless. What had the Tessa pretender done to her? The future Goldilocks had endured unspeakable pain to reach these same conclusions. Yet the strange woman with Tessa's face had done this simply by cupping Goldilocks' face in her hands and staring at her for a time.
The future, already wildly unpredictable after recent events, just became an enigma within a riddle.
Nyssa arrived at the Hall of Justice through one of Silver Sorceress' portals. Her first consideration was to bring her observations and conclusions of OmniTech to Batman. Afterwards, while Batman conferred with Waller, Trevor, Sue, and Nightwing, Nyssa paid a visit to White Rabbit. She in turn told Nyssa about the Terror Titans.
"I also sent Ravager on a recruiting mission," White Rabbit told her, "Altogether you have five potential candidates to join your Injustice Titans. And getting rid of Joker's Daughter is the best idea you've had this week."
Nyssa returned to Waller, "I need to interview the Terror Titans and the prisoners Ravager brought in."
"White Rabbit won't tell anyone why she had them transferred here but Batman is insisting I follow her lead on this," Waller mentioned, "I don't like following anyone."
"I intend to see if they're worthy of joining my Injustice Titans," Nyssa admitted.
"And you think I'm going to supply an enemy with more cannon fodder?" Waller was dubious.
"There are a great many connections between OmniTech and Luthor. I can tell you about them…for a price," Nyssa offered.
"We'd find out anyway," Waller countered.
"These are invisible connections unless you know precisely where to look," Nyssa promised.
"Give me the information and I'll think about cutting you a deal," Waller decided.
"You'll agree to my terms before I give you a scrap of information and count yourself fortunate I'm letting you make this bargain," Nyssa declared.
"You really are Ra's al Ghul's daughter aren't you?" Waller asked.
"Absolutely," Nyssa confirmed it.
"You have yourself five candidates," Waller allowed. Afterwards she realized she would have conceded far more to obtain the data.
Nyssa visited Dreadbolt first. ARGUS had quickly indentified the three Terror Titans and assembled dossiers on them. Terrance Bolatinsky infamy came more from the fact that his father was the Bolt. The Bolt had engaged in a mid-level career as a costumed criminal before being recruited by the Suicide Squad and dying in action.
Dreadbolt had no meta-human abilities but his suit and his work with Hollywood practical FX demonstrated a genius level engineering capability. Perhaps even more than his father had. Nyssa simply offered the chance for Dreadbolt to continue doing what he did best. But for Nyssa's aim of continuing the historical work of the League of Shadows. The idea of destroying things for a noble cause appealed to Dreadbolt and he readily agreed to join the Injustice Titans.
Disruptor was Nyssa's next stop. Angelica Smith once believed the original Disruptor was her father. But she'd learned HIVE lied to her to secure her loyalty. Disruptor had never known her parents.
She'd grown up in various foster homes, bounced from house to house as she "acted up". Finally, she'd been a teenager when she became attracted to her foster father so she killed her foster mother to garner his sexual favors. Instead she'd ended up in juvenile detention.
Nyssa immediately identified Disruptor as a narcissistic opportunist. So she simply appealed to Disruptor's craven impulses. Given an opportunity to cut away civilization's dead flesh and rise above to enjoy its every reward, Disruptor leapt at the chance to join the Injustice Titans. Nyssa could easily tell Disruptor had visions of fame and fortune in her eyes as well as the ability to gratify every sexual lust.
Persuader was the last Terror Titan. Elise Kimble had lived in squalor after her father left the family. The mother was abusive and controlling. Persuader had begun lashing out at perceived abusers in junior high and beyond. Finally she graduated into killing the source of her anger.
HIVE found her engaged in a low level street conflict against pimps. They'd presented her with the Atomic Axe and the first set of Persuader armor. They invited her to forge a legacy that would be handed down through the ages. And if Supergirl had been present she could have informed Nyssa that there was a Persuader through every age through the early 31st Century and each wielded the Atomic Axe in turn.
Nyssa barely managed to describe the Injusticers mission when Persuader begged to join. But she had one price. She wanted to reunite with her father. And no questions were to be asked after the meeting occurred.
Ravager had delivered the next two potential recruits. Each had been part of the NOWHERE program. Nyssa randomly chose to meet with Windfall first. Wendy Jones was only fifteen. But her gen factor had been activated two years ago. NOWHERE had forcibly taken her and her sister from their home to train in the Arctic.
Windfall's sister had gone missing following the dismantlement of the NOWHERE base and the scattering of its trainees across the globe. Windfall had tried to go home but the DEO had been waiting for her. So she'd gone on the run.
As a junior warden at NOWHERE Ravager had access to the cadet profiles. As such she'd been able to identify Windfall's particular signature as the girl stole articles necessary to survive as she travelled across the United States looking for sanctuary. It had taken even less time to find Windfall and bring her in.
Nyssa was able to provide Windfall with everything she was looking for. Windfall's needs were quite simple: a family, a cause, a structured life, and the chance to better herself. The recruitment speech was interrupted even faster than Disruptor or Persuader had managed to interject.
The last potential recruit went by TNTeena. Like Red Robin, even TNTeena's NOWHERE profile was nearly a blank. No name or background was given. But TNTeena could project explosive energy through her fingers into anything she touched. And like a shaped charge, the detonation always blew away from her, sparing her any harm. TNTeena was also eager to enlist.
While Batman prepared the Justice Leagues to storm OmniTech, Nyssa called Silver Sorceress and had her reopen the mystical portal that had delivered her to Brooklyn. But when she returned, she brought five new members of the Injustice Titans with her. Nyssa's first task was to call off the Injustice Titans from Pomona so they could meet their new members.
Silver Sorceress found Joker's Daughter had relocated from the train station to the bus depot. Nyssa went there. In short order she guaranteed Duela Dent would live as long as she kept her mouth shut. In exchange, the Injusticers would do their best to avoid Gotham City. It was a pact easily made but with dangerous consequences for violating it.
Nyssa quickly returned to bring Aresia with her to meet two more potential recruits. This time for Blacksmith's Injustice Rogues. Scandal Savage and Knockout shared a one bedroom apartment blocks away from the Boom Boom Room where Knockout worked as a stripper named Kay. Knockout also wore a demented smile upon seeing Nyssa and Aresia again.
Scandal Savage was Vandal Savage's daughter just as Kassidy Savage and Cassandra Savage were also. In all the centuries no one had ever paid attention to the fact Vandal Savage killed every male progeny.
Scandal was from Brazil. She worked as high level security for local criminal gangs and moonlighted as an assassin. She'd met Knockout when she'd been coming to the Boom Boom Room to watch the strippers' acts. Scandal had quickly sized Knockout up and approached her for a date. One date became dozens and eventually they moved in together.
Scandal's trademark weapons were inherited from her father. The Lamentation Blades had been in the family for thousands of years. The wrist mounted blades were as effective as Azrael's and just as distinctive.
Knockout relied upon her fists and native durability. The New God had escaped Apokolips after being left to die in a fire pit after challenging Big Barda for leadership of the Female Furies and failing to win. Harmon had transited to Earth through that fire pit and Knockout followed him and discovered the hidden boom tube that led to a volcano on Hawaii's big island.
Knockout had an hour before her set started in the Boom Boom Room. Scandal was intrigued to meet the other daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Nyssa admitted she'd pinned too many hopes on Vandal Savage before but she was scaling back her ambitions. Sharing what she'd learned from the League of Shadow's annals, Nyssa invited Scandal and Knockout to join up.
"Why should I?" Scandal asked.
"Because you'll move out from underneath your father's shadow and demonstrate why you should lead world affairs," Nyssa said plainly.
"Just how much of civilization are you talking about knocking down?" Knockout grinned.
"Anything that can be knocked down deserves to be," Nyssa replied.
"I like how you think," Knockout replied.
Batman brought Nightwing with him to Los Angeles. The Justice League Unlimited was nearly reunited with Barda rejoining Green Lantern, Flash, Shayera Hol, and Captain Atom. Most of the JLA was present as well as well as the entire Teen Titans except Raven and Beast Boy, all of the JSA All Stars discounting Black Mary. Nightshade, Enchantress, Silver Swan, and Black Orchid still represented the Justice League Dark. And although Vapor still manned the operations center at the Hall of Justice, Gypsy, Praxis, Black Bat, Batwing, Little Mermaid, and Godiva arrived as well.
The assault took moments for John Stewart and Guy to lift everyone to the penthouse and affect an entrance. Even after searching the sublevels, the only person they found in the entire complex was Killer Frost. Which everyone waited for Godiva's lead in reacting to.
"I waited for you," Killer Frost promised her, "The Legion traveled to New York to force the United Nations into something. I stayed behind to warn you but they must have known that because the entire place and every piece of equipment is on lockdown."
"She's right about that," Nightwing reported to Batman.
"Contact the ISA," batman instructed, "Tell them we need to relocate."
Trevor contacted Sue only to find out bad news, "The ISA just abrogated our agreement with them to use the teleporter network."
"After we arrived here," Batman hardly found it coincidental, "Call in every federal agency with jurisdiction. I want this place torn apart."
"Sue is scrambling the Invisible Jet," Trevor told him, "But the fastest Penny and her borrowed Blackhawk crew can be here and turned around is an hour."
"Power Girl, I want you to observe the UN but do not engage the Legion until we have all the teams on scene," Batman ordered.
"Will do," Power Girl reluctantly agreed.
Batman gathered Mr. Terrific, Nightshade, and Red Robin too explain to them they would be the strategic reserve. He then contacted Sue and gave her a mission to assign to Kalea and Poison Ivy.
Regulus warned the Legion of the Burners' plans. Saturn Queen reached out across the country with her mind and arranged a meeting when the Legion and the captive Justice Leagues arrived in New York City. The Burners were encouraged to pursue their plans which would ultimately suit those made by the Legion. Booster Gold and Goldstar were being held in special reserve intended to kill Rip Hunter.
But the Legion was unaware of General Sam Lane's secret meta-human agents nor were they aware of one of those agents being posted as a presidential bodyguard. With news footage of Superman leading the hostile takeover of the United Nations buildings, General Wade Eiling was given a presidential green light to authorize Lane's force deployment.
As the NYPD surrounded the UN, the US military scrambled forces to encircle the compound as well. Kalea's shuttle raised a stir when it landed amidst the barricades. And the sight of Kalea herself leading Ivy out of the craft. Both law enforcement and military officials immediately got into her face. Ivy was ignored and that suited her just fine. But Eiling led the charge at Kalea and Ivy could see in the tightening around Kalea's eyes and mouth that Eiling was moments from being tossed into the East River.
Inside the UN, while the Justice Leagues rounded up delegates and staffers alike, the Burners visited the infrastructure that held the buildings together. Intersek scrambled the minds of security officers still manning their posts. Crosscut cut through walls to expose the struts. Breakdown corroded and atrophied the supports while Lightweaver transported him throughout the structure to reach every level.
The captive Justice League International team members brought the support staffers to the General Assembly room where the Justice League Unlimited had the delegates held hostage. The Super Friends forcibly brought the Security Council to join the others.
Lightning Lord took the podium with Saturn Queen and Cosmic King, "We have humbled your Rocket Red Brigade, slain your Great Ten, and destroyed your Federal Guard. Your JLI serves us. The important members of the JLU do as well. But now we will stretch forth to strike at the Security Council's heart. JLers will eliminate the national leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Republic of France, the Russian Federation, and the People's Republic of China. Once we have established our resolve, you will vote to capitulate all national and international authority to us. Once that is done, Intergang will serve as our local intermediaries and new elections are called for to establish new governments in the wake of our takeover."
"And our plans are getting underway even now," Saturn Queen stated the obvious as blue flashes removed all the JLers except the Super Friends.
Fire, Ice, and Echo led an Intergang composed squad to 10 Downing Street where the Prime Minister was scheduled to be in residence. Fire and Ice provided cover while the Intergang enforcers stormed the official home of the PM. Three of the Anglo-Gallic Firestorms intervened.
Echo reflected a Firestorm's powers back at him. Fire doused another with her Green Flame derived powers. Ice fended off the third with her ice goddess power. Intergang pushed past security and swept the residence.
Intergang reported in that the Prime Minister had already been evacuated based on news reports coming out of the UN. Intergang's observers in Parliament reported he wasn't present there or at Buckingham Palace either. With no means of capturing the PM left to them, Intergang used a boom tube to withdraw.
The first Firestorm encapsulated Fire in a metallic sphere. She consumed the oxygen trapped within it and passed out. He then released her and made shackles out of the same material.
Firestorm number two used nuclear fueled heat to overwhelm Ice and caused the Norwegian deity to faint. He created manacles for as well. But Ice's shackles were coated in heat tape.
The third Firestorm couldn't gain an advantage over Echo. But she broke Saturn Queen's hold on her. Echo quickly surrendered and promised to volunteer any information she could provide.
Rising Sun, Dr, Light, and Seraph led an Intergang capture squad in Paris. But three Anglo-Gallic Firehawks moved to intercept them. Rising Sun's orders were to kill the President of the Fifth Republic. Yet he found himself having misgivings over his orders for the first time since "enlisting" with the Legion's cause.
As the Firehawks moved in, Rising Sun easily matched their nuclear power. As he battled one, another engaged Dr. Light. She was also capable of fighting off a Firehawk on even terms.
But Seraph easily fell before the third Firehawk. She in turn aided her teammates and overwhelmed Dr. Light. Rising Sun was just getting word that Intergang had failed in their mission and had retreated when he saw Dr. Light succumb to the Firehawks' fury. And he was helpless to stand before the three of them together.
In Moscow, Olympian led Tasmanian Devil, Cascade, Sandstorm, and Tundra while Intergang stormed the Kremlin to find the president. Rocket Red had returned to Russia and he led two 2nd gen prototype armored Rocket Reds against the JLI.
Rocket Red's Apokoliptan battle armor was still the sturdiest and most capable of the three. But the prototypes were more advanced than either the older Rocket Red Brigade armored suits or those worn by the Federal Guard.
Gavil Ivanovich still wore the Apokoliptan armor. He fought one on one with the Olympian. Rocket Red #49 engaged Tasmanian Devil and Sandstorm. Tundra fought her fellow countryman, Rocket Red #50, with Cascade's assistance.
The Olympian relied on brute strength in his struggle with Rocket Red. But Rocket Red matched his strength and had energy blasters, flamethrowers, and micromissiles to throw at the JLer as well. But Olympian's demigod status granted him a high degree of durability. And the Golden Fleece that he wore accelerated his healing.
Rocket Red stripped Olympian of his Golden Fleece when he attempted another head butting charge. Rocket Red then renewed his assault with full vigor and was gratified when it staggered Olympian. Which just emboldened him to press the attack further.
Tasmanian Devil was equal in strength to Rocket Red #49. But Rocket Red #49 charged his armor with an electrical current and jolted Taz into unconsciousness. Sandstorm swirled about Rocket Red #49 afterwards and tried to penetrate the armor's seals. But the improved armor had repulsor fields backing the physical seals. So Sandstorm's attack was useless. Rocket Red #49 fused the silicone JLer into glass with a heat pulse. Then he shattered the glass.
Cascade used her usual bubble attack against Rocket Red #50. But the armor sealed itself airtight. Then he also charged his armor with electricity and stunned Cascade and she reverted back to being human. Tundra visibly shook as she confronted Rocket Red #50. Finally, Saturn Queen's hold on her mind shattered.
Using her full Arctic powers on Olympian, the Greek demigod was grateful when Rocket Red knocked his frostbitten body out. Tundra willingly surrendered to the Rocket Red Brigade.
Blue Beetle, Hood, Nightrunner, Wingman, Man-of-Bats, Raven Red, Dark Ranger, and Maxi Man escorted Intergang into Beijing where Ghost Fox Killer led an army unit against them. The JLI confronted Ghost Fox Killer while Intergang fought the People's Army. Everyone but Maxi Man was merely a highly trained human. But Maxi Man was a true meta-human by virtue of his astounding strength.
Maxi Man tried to put Ghost Fox Killer down with a single punch. But Ghost Fox Killer deflected the blow and then took hold of his arm. Since Maxi Man was male, he was vulnerable to her lethal touch and he instantly died.
The rest of the JLI tried to stay out of her reach but she proved to be inhumanly fast. While Blue Beetle organized and ran the interference operation, Intergang pushed through the army and found both the country's president and premier to have been evacuated. Intergang received permission to withdraw.
Immortal Man in Darkness and August General in Iron appeared on the scene. Ghost Fox Killer was so grateful to see August General unharmed she almost began to cry. Man-of-Bats and Raven Red managed to escape before Immortal Man in Darkness collapsed the boom tube. Blue Beetle's remaining team was captured by the Chinese.
The Justice League Unlimited had been dispatched to retrieve POTUS. Superman and Martian Manhunter dealt with the varied Secret Service operatives while Atom penetrated the White House to find the president and bring him out. But Superman and J'onn Jonzz were surprised to be confronted by a meta-human agent.
Agent Liberty was the latest in a long line of government operatives that began with the Guardian during World War II. Designed as a series of "super soldiers" they'd all worn the same uniform and brandished the same shield for the last 73 years. The code name had been altered when Agent Liberty received cybernetic limbs to replace those he's lost in Afghanistan and the uniform was augmented with computerized elements to assist Agent Liberty in the course of his duties.
Having proven himself on classified military missions, Agent Liberty had been reassigned as a personal bodyguard to the President of the United States. Agent Liberty attacked Superman but the Kryptonian just lifted him off the ground with one hand.
"This is a distraction," J'onn warned, "The president has been airlifted from this location to a point unknown to any Secret Service agent. But this so-called 'Agent Liberty' is fully aware of the president's current location. But even that knowledge is a trap. We are meant to waste time extracting the data while military forces seek to counterattack."
"To what good?" Superman snorted.
A golden energy beam struck Superman and suddenly he couldn't hold Agent Liberty up anymore. As Agent Liberty's feet met the ground he struck Superman in the face with his shield. Blood splattered the shield as it cut Superman's forehead.
J'onn watched as an armored figured leapt off the White House's roof and joined Agent Liberty's attack. Fifteen seconds after the initial energy strike, Superman recovered his usual powers but the armored man hit him with a second golden beam from his chest cavity and Superman was merely mortal again.
Reactron's armor was powered by gold kryptonite. Only one sizeable stone of that variant had ever been discovered on Earth and even then it was found during deep sea oil explorations. Upon testing it on Galatea, CADMUS had discovered it removed Kryptonian powers derived from a yellow sun for fifteen seconds.
Beside Reactron a masked woman with a cape and cowl landed before J'onn. The most startling feature was that the uniform bore the emblem of the House of El. J'onn also discovered he couldn't read her mind.
"Who are you?" he asked her.
"Obviously I'm Superwoman," she smirked.
"There is already another that goes be that name," J'onn warned her.
"Not after today," Superwoman promised.
J'onn recalled Agent Liberty's thoughts regarding a military strike. The US military did possess equipment that could dampen his telepathic powers. Was it possible that CADMUS or even ARGUS had possession of a Kryptonian child all of these years. Yet Superwoman was easily ten years younger than Superman. Too young to have survived Krypton's destruction and wasn't another clone of Kara In-Ze. A survivor of Argo, perhaps? One neither Superman nor Supergirl knew about?
Atom explored the residential wing of the White House until his path was blocked by a man in a full body glove. The man canted his head to one side, "Ahem. Looking for someone?"
"Who are you supposed to be?" Atom wondered.
"Oh, I've been called quite a few names. I've been called Bag O'Bones, Meltdown, and Cyclotronic Man. Now I'm just plain Cyclotron," he answered, "Care to guess what I can do?"
"Well, you seem to have a regular nuclear theme going," Atom realized, "You can crack walnuts with your teeth?"
"Care to see if I can split an Atom?" Cyclotron asked.
"Not really," Atom grimaced.
Superman tried to fight back against Reactron and Agent Liberty but Reactron faithfully dosed him with gold kryptonite every fifteen seconds. Superman had no idea that Reactron had once been Sgt. Benjamin Martin Krull of the US Army's WMD Disposal Unit. Krull had been lethally dosed with radiation during a disposal run.
CADMUS had managed to stabilize Krull's radiation poisoning with the Reactron armor. The gold kryptonite that inhibited a Kryptonian's powers also held radiation at bay within humans. When the armor was tested against Galatea, it was seen as a deterrent if she should go rogue. After ARGUS shut CADMUS down, the Army took custody of Reactron and he ended up in General Lane's black on black division.
But Reactron was dangerously unstable. So Lane had sought out other operatives. Agent Liberty had been declared KIA in Afghanistan so he was a perfect ghost for Lane. Cyclotron was another unstable element.
The original Cyclotron had been a man named Terry Curtis operating in the Forties. Ultra-Humanite altered Curtis' experiments so that they gave him nuclear powers. He was then pitted against the Justice Society of America. Curtis' power eventually began to consume him and he accidently dosed his own daughter, Terri Kurtzberger.
Terri wouldn't develop powers, but her son Albert Rothstein would become Atom Smasher. Cyclotron died fighting his unwanted "master", Ultra-Humanite. CADMUS had reconstructed the original energy projector that granted Curtis his powers and tested them on a volunteer paroled from a two year robbery conviction.
Ned Creegan was transformed into having similar powers as Curtis but an unexpected side effect had rendered Creegan's skin and soft tissues translucent. Only his skeleton remained visible. So CADMUS techs had originally begun calling him Bag O'Bones. But when that code name was attributed to several CADMUS sanctioned murders, CADMUS supplied Bag O'Bones with a new full body suit and a new name.
Now called Meltdown, Creegan was transferred to Lane's Army command and he undertook several missions before being discovered by Batman. The Meltdown persona was abandoned and Cyclotronic Man was born complete with a new costume. Cyclotronic Man fought Black Lightning in a capture or kill mission that the Super Friends intervened on. Finding himself a target of the JLU, Cyclotronic Man evaporated and Cyclotron lived again.
Reactron hit Superman with gold kryptonite blasts and hard radiation blasts at the same time. Superman finally managed to maneuver Agent Liberty into blocking Reactron long enough to recover his powers and lift off at super speed and fly out of Washington DC. Reactron was enraged.
"Damn you! You let him get away!" Reactron raged.
"We accomplished our mission," Agent Liberty said diffidently.
"Screw that! My mission isn't done until that mother is dead," Reactron flew off to try and find Superman.
Agent Liberty called General Lane.
J'onn turned invisible to slip away from Superwoman. Phasing himself through the White House walls, he tracked Atom's thoughts down. Cyclotron was blasting away trying to locate the Atom.
J'onn rendered him unconscious with a thought. Atom grew to his normal height, "Thanks J'onn."
Dialing a prepaid cell phone, he connected to their cave headquarters and transmitted himself there riding the signal carrier wave. J'onn exited before Agent Liberty located Cyclotron and revived him.
Agent Liberty and Cyclotron rejoined Superwoman outside where Reactron was unhappily obeying orders to return. Superwoman turned to Agent Liberty, "Return to the C-in-C. These JLers might still locate him."
"Ma'am," Agent Liberty departed.
"Maybe the General will finally realize that you screwed the pooch and promote my ass over yours," Reactron sneered.
"And maybe the General will finally finalize those orders for me to put you down permanently," Superwoman replied.
"Bitch," Reactron snarled as he shot her with gold kryptonite, "What'tcha got to say about that?"
Superwoman's punch put him through a nearby wall, "Not much."
"B…bu…but the gold K…your Kryptonian powers…" Reactron stammered in disbelief.
"Whoever said I was Kryptonian?" Superwoman wondered.
Rip Hunter's Waverider appeared on the UN's roof where Booster Gold and Goldstar awaited him. Goldstar's magnetic weapons disarmed Hunter and Booster's proton blasters rendered him unconscious. Together they dragged him back into the ship. Then, they set time-space coordinates and the Waverider vanished from the 21st Century.
Metropolis Special Crimes Unit commander, Capt. Mara Taggard arrived at the UN to find Lt. Dan Jurgens of the NYPD Major Crimes Unit standing in as scene commander. Mara relieved Jurgens and pulled Eiling off of Kalea.
Taggard instructed Eiling to back out of her newfound jurisdiction. Eiling called Lane and summoned the Army's Meta-Human Response Division operatives. Jurgens contemplated arresting Ivy despite not having a warrant for her arrest. Taggard fills Jurgens in that the JLI forces had all been captured. Only the JLU was out of custody. No one had a clue as to where they went.
The Invisible Plane touched down at LexCorp Airfield outside of Metropolis. ARGUS transported the Justice Leagues to the United Nations. Power Girl finally made her presence known. Eiling received word from Waller authorizing her team to take control of the situation. Superwoman, Reactron, and Cyclotron made their appearance as well and Eiling pressed for military control of Manhattan.
While the bureaucracies battled for control, Kalea departed the area and headed for Connecticut. She headed for the JLU headquarters to confront her father, J'onn, and the Atom. With Kal-El removed from Saturn Queen's presence, Kalea might finally be able to free him from the Legionnaire's control.
Batman was about to order a breach into the United Nations when Saturn Queen, Lightning Lord, and Cosmic King left the hostages in the care of the Super Friends. The Justice Leagues prepare to strike and bring the Injusticers into the fight when the Waverider reappeared, this time in the courtyard. The assembled Legion of Super Villains exited the craft and were finally reunited with their founders.