7 Justice League the Corps

The whip smashed down into the limo's windshield, shattering it. Diana had taken to the air and landed ten feet back. Lashina continued her approach, lashing out with the whip every time she thought it would reach Diana. She snapped it sideways and energized it as it flew. Diana again flew backwards. The whip sliced through a street light and it toppled over, caving in the roof of an abandoned car in the middle of the traffic lane.

Diana stayed in the air and was suddenly struck by what felt like a meteorite. Supreme laughed as Diana toppled into the sidewalk. Lashina leapt upon the opportunity and cracked the whip over her head and down into the sidewalk. Diana rolled out of the way, losing the whip that she'd previously captured.

Diana sprang to her feet with the grace of a cat. She was in a ready-combat pose. From behind her she heard Supreme chuckle.

"Look at her. She honestly believes she can stand up to gods." He said.

"You are not any gods that I recognize," Diana retorted.

"You'll pay for your impertinence," Supreme promised. He reached out and began to float through the air towards Diana.

"Touch her and you'll spend the rest of your life regretting that decision," Superman said from behind him.

Supreme spun and flew at Superman at super speed. Superman grabbed hold of his tunic and spun him over his head and then down towards the ground in a spiral. He brought him around over his head again and then threw Supreme straight into the ground. The concrete buckled and he fell into the sewer.

Rising, Supreme came up only to find Superman's fist collide with his left eye. He threw both of his fists up and jumped into the sky. Superman pursued and threw a jab into his solar plexus. Then he delivered an uppercut. Supreme landed in the intersection.

Superman came down and delivered a kick across Supreme's face. Supreme went down on his hands and knees. He tried to rise but Superman's fist smashed him back down.

Supreme spat out blood, "You've never been so aggressive before."

"You've never threatened the woman I love before. Consider this fair warning, you touch her and I'll start breaking bones," Superman promised.

Supreme jumped up only to be rocked by a right cross and then a left. Another right followed and then a jab to the gut. A knee drove into his stomach and a right cross followed.

Supreme fell onto his knees, "Enough! I give!"

"Not good enough," Clark said coldly. One last right finished Supreme off.

He studied his fallen foe for a moment. His breathing and heartbeat were resting. He could be left behind for a while. Diana might need help, so he hurried on.


Diana looped her lasso. It swung light and loose in her grip. Lashina laughed.

"And what is that supposed to do to me, little Amazon?" Lashina laughed.

"Try me and find out." Diana said resolutely.

Lashina cracked the whip. It was a sidelong snap and Diana leapt into the air. Once there she threw the lasso. It wrapped around Lashina and Diana cinched it tight.

"Drop the whip," she commanded. The lasso sparkled as its magic activated. Lashina fought. The Olympians were rivals of the Apokoliptan New Gods. She wouldn't bow before their power. She couldn't.

"Drop it! Now!" Diana ordered.

Lashina marveled as her grip loosened. The whip fell free from her hand. As amazed as she was at that, she still saw a way out. The petty little princess was still holding the lasso and the lasso was connected to her, so she energized it.

Diana was hammered by the unexpected charge. She'd assumed the magics that worked within the lasso would protect her. Her sudden collapse was as much from shock as it was pain.

Seeing that Diana had accidently let go of the lasso, Lashina reeled it in. She loosened it and lifted it off of her. Scooping up her cast off whip she snapped it through the air above her.

"Any more surprises?" Lashina grinned manically.

She was startled as a hand gripped her wrist. The grip wasn't unlike her darling Dev Em's. She turned her head expecting to see her favorite sex toy only to find Kal-El instead.

"Darling!" she enthused, "You want to pick up where we left off?"

"Our so-called 'relationship' was the result of Granny Goodness's memory erasing machines. Now that I'm in my right mind we'll never have anything again," Superman promised.

"Too bad," Lashina pouted and then brightened, "But then again, Dev Em understands dirty sex far better than you would ever hope to."

"I'm wounded," Superman deadpanned.

"By the way, have I told you that taking my whip away is useless?" she asked.

"Superman…" Diana was up on her hands and knees, trying to warn him.

Superman saw her condition and his heart grew cold, "Mind telling me why I shouldn't break your arm?"

"Because I'd consider it foreplay?" Lashina offered. Superman scowled and a feral grin spread across her face, "Then again, I can always do this."

She energized him and he cried out and sank to his knees. He let go of her arm as he went down. She placed her hand on his shoulder and energized him again.

"Silly man," she laughed, "You should have taken me up on my offer. You'd be rediscovering lost delights not the divine ecstasy of pain."


Kyle encased Slushh in a force bubble. The glob began generating a pressure field with his own ring. Bedovian fired a force beam at Kyle. Kyle rolled to his right. Unfortunately Low and Murr had put aside their differences and were turning on him. Kyle barely had time to recognize the green flash as it approached.

Katma led Kilowog, Arkus, and Tomar Re and they were flying in fast and hot. They each projected constructs at Bedovian, Murr, and Low. The Yellow Lanterns were blown clean off what remained of the penthouse.

Slushh blew Kyle's bubble apart. Arkus hit him with a shovel blade and swept him side.

"Gather your wits, Kyle. We're in for it now," Arkus advised.

A yellow explosion rocked the floor below the penthouse and the floor collapsed into the apartments below. Kyle managed to restore his personal field in time to avoid injury. A large chunk of the floor lifted and Kyle got ready to bash whoever it was.

Kara saw this and tossed the ceiling chunk aside, "Not me stupid."

"If you're there, then where…?" Kyle began but a yellow bubble burst at the opposite side of the space. Kyle frowned, "Never mind."

Romat-Ru, Tekik, Karu-Sil, and Maash all stood with their rings aglow and angered expression on their faces.

"Well In-Ze, is there someone you haven't managed to piss off?" Kyle quipped.

Kara grabbed him out of the way as a giant yellow hammer smashed the spot where he'd been standing, "You can blame yourself for them."

Sinestro was flanked by Lyssa Drak, Kryb, Tri-eye, and Arkillo. A giant bowling ball appeared and flattened the gathered Corpsmen. Kilowog came hurtling in on them.

"Heads up, ya poozers!" he shouted.

Arkillo was the first up and he met Kilowog in the air and smashed his face with a left cross. Kilowog fired a force beam into Arkillo's gut and the Yellow Lantern doubled over. Kilowog used his own fist to deliver a stunning right cross. Arkillo was down but not out.

Sinestro fired a massive beam into space. All of New York, except those around Times Square, saw the burst. With it Sinestro shouted, "Enough!"

All of the green and Yellow Lanterns gave him their undivided attention, "I am not here to battle you. I want the Star Sapphires! Carol Ferris will come for him and through him I will have her."

Kyle was still confused on this point, "Why would she come after me?"

"Why indeed?" Sinestro said in an insufferable tone.

"Look, you said she expects me to run away with her. Well, it isn't happening so why don't you go camp in orbit and ambush her when she leaves?" Kyle asked.

"Because she won't leave without you," Sinestro spoke as if to a dullard.

"She isn't getting me!" Kyle declared hotly.

"Oh, she has you already," Sinestro proclaimed, "I can see it in your eyes."

Kara grabbed Kyle's chin and turned his head to face her. She gazed deeply into his eyes, "I don't see anything."

Sinestro was bored by this conversation and it showed, "As I've said, you have the brains of a gnat."

"Why you pompous…" Kara started towards him. Kyle grabbed her with a hand construct.

Sinestro chuckled dismissively, "Keep her reined in, Rayner. I'd hate to have to chastise her."

Kara struggled against her bonds, "Let me at him!"

"Calm down!" Kyle shouted, "For once we're not fighting. Let's keep it that way for as long as possible, okay?"

Kara grated but she nodded, "Okay. Can you let go now?"

The construct disappeared. Kara pointed at Sinestro, "You got lucky."

"Hardly," Sinestro flippantly retorted.

Kara had her back to him and she glared over her shoulder and held her fist up to her chest and shook it. Kyle took hold of her hand and guided her over to a neutral corner. Katma, Arkus, and Tomar-Re joined Kyle, Kara, and Kilowog. The Sinestro Corps gathered around their leader.

"So what's the play, Kat?" Kilowog asked.

"That depends upon Kyle," she said. Her eyes scrutinized his, "Do you really want to sit around and play the mouse to the Star Sapphires' cat?"

"Not hardly," Kyle grimaced.

"So, we need to find a way to tell Sinestro that," Katma said. Turning to Kara she said, "This is a Corps problem, if you don't want to stay it'll be understood."

"Earth is the closest thing to a home that I have now that Argo is gone. Besides, this lug needs me," she leaned into Kyle and nudged him with her body.

Katma smiled at Kyle and Kara, "It seems you've chosen well, Kyle. Gentlemen, and lady, I suggest we give our answer…now!"

Their rings flared and they turned as one. Force beams spread out and swept the Sinestro Corps off of the buildings wreckage. Kara was the first to move, ramming into Arkillo at super speed. The bulky, gray alien was thrown back. He responded with an uppercut that caught Kara's chin. Her head was tossed back but she merely did a back flip and came at him again.

Slushh hovered nearby and Arkillo hit Kara so hard she ran into him. Slushh's acid body sizzled her clothes as he enveloped her. Kara wanted to cry out but she needed to hold her breath. Slushh chuckled malevolently as her clothes were melted from her.

But something was wrong…her flesh should have liquefied by now. Slushh began to ponder this when Kara began to rotate within him. Soon she was spinning and she merely accelerated from there. Slushh felt himself coming apart and he released Kara from his grasp and was thrown by her momentum into the side of the apartment tower.

Kyle flew up alongside Kara while the other GLs engaged the Sinestro Corps. He looked at her rags appreciatively, "You're kinda hangin' out all over, In-Ze."

Kara covered her breasts and her crotch, "A little privacy, Rayner?"

"Sure, all you had to do was ask," he used his ring to transform her clothes into a black body suit. You've only got 24 hours though and then the body suit goes 'poof'. And just so you know, I did away with the rags you were wearing so the 'poof' will be very revealing."

"I'll try to make sure you're around for it," she offered.

Kyle wore a giddy smile but Kara interrupted his obviously lascivious thoughts, "Hate to tell you this, Ace, but we're surrounded."

Slushh had peeled himself off of the building and floated nearby. Arkillo was looking for some payback. Murr wanted a chance to see if his particular affliction would melt Kara's skin where Slushh had failed. Tekik also sought vengeance against Kara.

"It seems you're kinda popular these days," Kyle remarked.

"Great. I'm the object of desire for the 'psychos are us' club," Kara groused.


Katma threw one construct after another at Sinestro. He blocked or broke everyone of them. He laughed derisively.

"That's the spirit, Tui. Someday you'll make a fine addition to the Green Lantern Corps but today is not that day," he said snidely.

"I'm as good as the day you trained me, Sinestro." She shot back.

"Better even," he acknowledged, "But Will can only take you so far. You still feel Fear. That's the secret to my cadre. They master their fears. They control the nightmares that plague those awake."

"They are the nightmares that plague those already awake," Katma retorted.

"Which makes them perfect for controlling the criminals you seek to command through Will. We have the advantage over the criminal minds; we know what they think, what they crave, and what they fear. We are the ultimate arbitrators of right and wrong," Sinestro lectured her.

"This is the same load of dung that got you tossed out by the Guardians," Katma ducked under a swinging bat.

"The Guardians are weak minded fools. They've lost the capacity for rational thought along with the emotions they abandoned in their quest to control Will," Sinestro spat.

"You're just angry that they disagreed with you. I've heard your exile was voluntary," Katma's rejoinder cut Sinestro to the quick.

"I was the greatest among you!" he raged, "Before that fool Jordan came to be, I was!"

"You say that as though it were a bad thing," Katma fired another shot across his emotional bow.

"What good ever came from Earth?" Sinestro snapped.

"I'd say this planet does all right. They've produced four Green Lanterns. No other world or sector comes close," she replied.

"Four? Hah! Jordan is full of himself, Gardner is an egotistical misogynist, Rayner is an idealistic boy, and Stewart is a short sighted fool preoccupied with rules and regulations," Sinestro sadly proclaimed, "And now this miserable ball of mud has produced a Sapphire Queen."

"That's what really has you scared isn't it? The Star Sapphires had a dozen of your Corpsmen under their thrall when they visited us. For all their benighted mastery of fear, they fall under love's power. And for all your self proclaimed mastery of the spectrum of Fear, you're afraid of that and what it means to your Corps," Katma surmised.

"What did you say?" Sinestro demanded, truly agitated now.

"I said you're afraid," Katma taunted.

"My dear, I shall show you the meaning of fear," Sinestro decided and then his ring flashed.