It's almost frightening how easily he slips back into being Sportsmaster. He's spent years trying to be a better man, a stronger man—and now he's fighting for his life and all the old reflexes, tactics and strategies come roaring back. He's the Sportsmaster again.
He'll always be the Sportsmaster.
He'll always be a killer.
The Team would not do this. The Justice League would not do this. Even Jade would not do it.
But he's the Sportsmaster.
He's not a hero. He's not a good man. He'll never be a good man.
So he throws a knife at Klarion the Witch Boy. He throws it with all his strength, all his speed, and with every ounce of skill that he possesses.
The blade goes in deep into Klarion's left eye and he screams in pain. He clutches his face and sobs. His cat hissing in anger and fear.
Even Vandal Savage blinks.
And then Klarion dies.
The League collapses like puppets with broken strings.
Vandal Savage blinks again. "That was … unexpected of you, old friend."
He grins at the caveman. It's feral. Wild. Like him. "Yeah, well, you brought back the Sportsmaster, Vandal. The world's greatest assassin. And then you threatened my kids. Not exactly the brightest thing you've ever done."
The League is down. Red Tornado has been disarmed … literally.
And Klarion is dead. His cat, his familiar, is batting at his face, trying desperately to wake him up.
The Team is dealing with the rest of the League … or were. If the rest of the League collapsed like the ones here, they'll be coming. Coming to save him.
Or stop him.
"You can't kill me, Lawrence. I'm immortal."
"Who are you trying to convince, Vandal? Me or you?"
Savage throws the javelin back at him. Right at his heart.
He catches it. "Thanks. I'll be needing this."
Savage is afraid.
He can see it in his eyes. He's seen it before in the eyes of other men that he's killed. He sees it in his nightmares now.
He's okay with that in Savage's case.
"Maybe I can't kill you, Vandal. But I can sure as hell try. You might be alive when I'm done, but you won't want to be."
Savage snarls at him, growling like the caveman he was 50,000 years ago. He's a killer too. He's a beast. Underneath it all, he's still the same half-animal he was when he ruled his people with a raised fist.
But Vandal's civilized enough to know death when he sees it.
Lawrence Crock walks to where he tossed his mask away when he prepared to face the Justice League. Without showing any concern over what Savage might do, he picks it up and slips it back over his face. He's done running from what he is now. "Goodbye, Vandal."
He's seen Vandal Savage do a lot of things over the years. But tonight … tonight he does something that Crock has never seen him do before:
He runs.
"The Team is coming, Lawrence," Red Tornado says in his monotone voice. "We've won."
"Not yet we haven't. No one's safe while Savage's alive."
"The Justice League does not kill, Lawrence."
"Good thing I ain't part of the League then. Goodbye, Red."
He runs after Savage.
The caveman is scared. He's running for his life. But if he can't get away, he'll fight—and he is strong enough, dangerous enough, that he might be able to kill Crock.
He can't let him.
His girls will never be safe while Savage lives. The Team will never be safe. And they will never try to stop Savage the only way he can be stopped.
But he can.
He will.
Savage manages to make it to one of the hangers before he catches up to him. "You're being foolish, Lawrence. You belong on my side, as my right hand. You are not like them. You will never be like them."
"You're right, Vandal."
Savage relaxes.
"I'm not a good man. I got rivers of blood on my hands. I've lost count of how many people I've killed. I'm no hero. I'll never be a hero. I'm just like you."
Savage smiles.
"But my kids aren't."
Savage frowns.
"They're not like me. They're not like you. They're heroes. And I'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe from the likes of us."
He's no genius. He's no engineer or scientist … but he's worked for Vandal, for Lex Luthor. He's been in space before. He knows what he has to do.
He slams his hand against the emergency release button and shaped explosive charges blow the hanger door off. Savage has time for one final scream before he's sucked out into space along with one of the League's spacecraft.
"You may not die, but you'll not be hurting anyone while you're floating around in space, Savage."
Of course the flaw in his plan is that he's about to follow Savage into the void …
He holds onto the wall as long as he can. His hands are strong, but he's only human. And after what seems like forever—though he later finds out that it's less than 15 seconds—he loses his grip—
And a red and yellow blur intercepts him before he's lost to space.
"Got you!" Kid Flash pants as they collapse on the deck outside the hanger.
"That you did, kid. That you did." It feels like one of his ribs may be cracked or even broken—but he's not going to complain about that. Bones heal.
"Daddy!" Artemis runs up and hugs him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Red said you went after Savage. I was so afraid I was going to lose you…"
"You can thank the kid here that you didn't."
Artemis breaks away from him and looks at Kid Flash. "Thanks, Wally."
And then she kisses him.
With a great deal of effort, Lawrence Crock refrains from commenting on this. Instead, he looks away.
"Was that for saving your dad?" Kid Flash asks her when he can breathe again.
"No. That's your New Year's kiss."
"It's not New Year's yet."
And at that moment, the Justice League computer announces that it is indeed New Year's.
And Kid Flash kisses her back.
"You might not want to do that in front of Artemis's father, Kid," Dinah announces as she, Batman, and Superman walk up.
"Sorry, sir." Kid Flash blushes.
"It's all right, Kid. I ain't going to tear your head off. Tonight."
Dinah kneels beside him, her eyes burning into his. "Are you all right, Lawrence?"
He can't tell if she remembers what happened between them. "I'm fine. You?"
"I'm good."
The kids are too wrapped up in each other to pick it up, and the Boy Scout is oblivious, but he sees the subtle frown on The Bat's face and he knows that he might as well have given him a signed confession of what happened.
"Lawrence, we need to get you to sickbay. One of your ribs—"
"I figured, Supes. I've been around long enough to know when I'm hurt and how badly. It's nothing serious."
They take him to sickbay, and there's a small body covered with a sheet on the table next to his.
"The cat's gone. Zatanna says she probably won't last long now that their link has been broken." Batman is the one who's taping his ribs up.
"That's good, I guess."
"You killed him."
"Klarion? Or Savage?"
"The boy."
"Yeah. I did." He sighs. "I couldn't beat all of you—I couldn't stop all of you. Savage was the puppet master, but the Witch Boy was controlling the strings. Once he went down …"
"You killed him, Crock."
"So we're back to Crock now, Bats?" He sighs. "Yes. I did. I killed him."
"That's not what we do."
"It's not what you do. I know. I'm not you." He pauses. "You've told the Team?"
"No."
He looks over at The Bat in surprise.
"That's your job."
He nods. "You're right. It is."
The Bat finishes taping up his ribs. "I understand why you did it, Crock, but you should have found another way."
"Maybe."
Or maybe there was no other way. Not for him. He's a killer. Always has been. Always will be.
"Can I come in?" Dinah is standing in the door.
"We're done here." The Bat steps away. "I'll talk to the Team. They did well tonight. They deserve to hear that. We'll continue our conversation later, Crock."
"I'll be counting the minutes, Bats."
With that, The Bat walks away.
"Jade is fine. She woke up a few minutes ago. She's got a headache, but that's it." Dinah pauses. "There's no sign that Savage … abused her."
He sighs in relief. "Thank God."
"Lawrence …"
"Yes, Dinah?"
"The League. We don't remember everything that happened. Superman, Wonder Woman, Hawkwoman, the Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, and Batman—they were off planet for hours. We haven't figured out what they did or what happened with them."
"If Savage was involved, nothing good."
"The rest of us—the rest of us remember some things. Bits and pieces. I remember infecting you with the Starrotech …" Her voice trails off.
"And you don't remember anything else."
"Lawrence, I—"
"You don't remember anything else, Dinah." He gives her a stern look. "That's what you'll tell him if he asks."
"I—"
"Dinah." He touches her cheek. "You don't remember."
She kisses him. Once on the lips. Then again on the forehead. "You're a good man, Lawrence."
"No. No I'm not." His eyes go back to the body of Klarion the Witch Boy. "If there's one thing I'm not, it's a good man …"