9 Justice League the Corps
If I had my way, I would tear this old building down.
Well Delilah was a woman, she was fine and fair,
She had good looks, God knows, and coal black hair,
Delilah she gained old Samson's mind.
When first he saw this woman, you know he couldn't believe his mind.
Delilah she climbed up on Samson's knee,
Said tell me where your strength lies if you please.
She spoke so kind and she talked so fair,
Well Samson said, Delilah cut off my hair.
You can shave my head, clean as my hand
And my strength will become as natural as any old man.
If I had my way, if I had my way, if I had my way,
I would tear this old building down.
You read about Samson, all from his works,
He was the strongest man that ever had lived on earth.
One day when Samson was walking along,
Looked down on the ground, he saw an old jawbone.
He stretched out his arm, God knows, chains broke like thread,
When he got to moving, ten thousand was dead.
If I had my way, if I had my way, if I had my way,
I would tear this old building down.
Now Samson and the lion, they got in a tack,
Samson he crawled up on the lion's back.
You read about this lion, he killed a man with his paws,
But Samson got his hands around that lion's jaws.
He ripped the beast till he killed him dead.
The bees made honey in the lion's head.
If I had my way, if I had my way, if I had my way,
I would tear this old building down.
-Shirley Manson
Sinestro led his Corpsmen towards Zamaron. They breached the atmosphere and as expected it was breathable to most humanoids. Convergent evolution assured that. He was dully aware of Lyssa Drak's proximity to him. She was still seeking to get back into his good graces. He was also aware of Arkillo and Karu-Sil's efforts to push her out of sight and mind.
A thin smile formed on his face as he used his ring to track their movements. Karu-Sil swung in close, apparently too close for Lyssa swatted her away with a hand construct. Karu-Sil unleashed her beasts. Lyssa swiped at them with a sword.
Sinestro never slowed or wavered. The Corpsmen followed his example. It wasn't until Murr and Slushh passed them by that the two women were aware of the passing of the others. The Corps had rapidly descended through the atmosphere and they were left in near space.
"Truce," Lyssa offered.
"For now," Karu-Sil countered.
"Works for me," Lyssa agreed to the terms.
They both dove for the surface of the apparently uninhabited world. Their Lord said the Star Sapphires and their Zamaron mistresses could be found here. It had to be seen to be believed.
Dela picked herself up off of the rocky ground. This area was dominated by coarse sand, small pebbles, and various shrubs. A lizard estimated its chances of taking a piece out of her. She killed it with a scythe construct.
She tested her jaw to make sure it wasn't dislocated. She'd underestimated the Earther, if she truly was human, and it had cost her. It took a larger chunk out of her pride than it did her body. But still, her body was still smarting. Tomorrow she'd discover bruises in places she didn't know she had.
She looked up, to see if her neck was still working, and she saw yellow streaks in the sky. They weren't natural. She probed the occurrence with her ring and it revealed to her the presence of the Sinestro Corps.
Excellent! She thought and burst off of the ground and headed off to intercept Sinestro. She had an offer for him that she thought he couldn't refuse.
"They're coming," John announced as his ruing pulsed and displayed a map.
"I'll go to them," Carol offered.
"It'll be dangerous," John countered.
"We have to see if this can be ended without violence," seeing his doubts, she added, "It's me he's after. Maybe I can make some sort of concession that will satisfy him."
"Doubtful," John proclaimed.
Carol wore a wan smile, "I doubt it as well but the effort has to be made."
Carol instructed Fatality to keep the Sapphires in reserve. The former refugee was acting as her general. Shayera approached John.
"She'll be okay," she assured him.
"Why do you say that?" he wondered.
"Sinestro owes her. His method of repayment will be twisted but he'll guarantee her safety while he dictates terms," she deduced.
"He'd better," Fatality said darkly, "For his sake."
John and Shayera exchanged rueful glances.
Dela intercepted the Sinestro Corps. Sinestro called a mid-air halt and he looked Dela over with a smirk on his face.
"Well, you're certainly a pretty prize that Carol has sent me but you'll not distract me. The Star Sapphire Corps will be crushed," he haughtily declared.
"Look, you idiot, I'm not here as a peace offering. I'm here to hand you Carol Ferris' head on a platter," Dela announced.
Sinestro was intrigued despite himself, "Do tell? And what is the price of this exchange?"
"I want to be the Sapphire Queen. I'll topple the Zamaron High Priestess and I'll be crowned and the Sapphire Corps will never interfere in your operations again. In fact, we'll even aid you. After all, an iron hand often needs a soft heart to smooth out what it dictates," Dela offered. Seeing his doubt, she explained further, "Carol will drop all else to rescue her patron and while she's distracted you can destroy her."
Sinestro mulled it over, "Honor dictated that I leave Carol in possession of the star sapphire but if you're willing to wrest it from her grasp, I'll weaken her to the point that your victory is assured and then your service to me can begin."
"Our alliance will reshape the cosmos," Dela eagerly said.
Sinestro warned her off from that thinking, "It will not be an alliance. My Corps will rule the universe and your Corps will make people feel good about obeying us."
Dela shrugged, "I can live with that."
A violet set of prongs suddenly tore the sapphire ring off of her finger. The violet glow surrounding her faded and she began to fall. She cried out to Sinestro.
"Save me!" she pleaded.
"And why would I want to do that? So you could betray me as well?" he asked.
Dela's scream continued until she impacted the ground, hundreds of feet below. Carol made her approach at that point. She slipped Dela's ring on. Sinestro had sudden qualms about attacking her while she bore the sapphire and a violet power ring.
"Have you come to make me a better offer?" he asked.
"I offer a truce. My people won't convert any of your Corpsmen from now on. We'll stay clear of your operations in exchange for you avoiding ours as well," Carol revealed.
"The universe only has so much room, Carol. We're bound to run into each other. It's inevitable," Sinestro declared.
"We'll deal with those instances as they arise. The basic policy of non-interference should prove an adequate guide," she replied.
"It's not enough," Sinestro decided, "Your pathetic little mob has to destroy their rings. I'm willing to leave you the stone. That should pacify the Zamarons. They'd still have one agent in play."
Carol's smile was a sad one, "Those days are over. I thought you were a realist, Sinestro. Instead you're even more of a dreamer than my Corps' members."
"Watch your words, Carol," Sinestro warned, "I could disarm you as well."
Carol laughed, which only incensed him more, "I'd dearly like to see you try."
Sinestro's ring flared to life. Carol blasted him with dual force beams, from the sapphire and the ring. His personal field kept him alive but he was hurtled miles away. The other Corpsmen gaped at this sight.
Carol flew off and returned to the lost city. Arkillo galvanized the troops, "Get after her! Crush the Sapphires! Take no prisoners!"
Lyssa and Karu-Sil saw Sinestro's limp form flying towards them. Lyssa constructed a cushion which caught her beloved leader. He was stunned but swiftly recovering.
Gathering his wits, he realized that Lyssa was propping him up. Her devotion to him truly knew no bounds. Instead of commending her he snarled, "That impudent tart! I'll destroy her for this."
"It seems as though you may be overmatched, milord." Karu-Sil remarked.
He shot her a venomous look that promised future retribution. She held up her hands, "I'm only making an observation."
"Follow me. We're ending this," he vowed as he flew off in the lead. The two ladies, united by the shared derisive thought of 'men', ruefully glanced at one another and then followed their leader.
Carol swooped in and landed before her Corps, "They're coming in right behind me and they're coming in hot."
Superman and John began marshalling their forces. Galatea seemed edgy so Mary asked her what was wrong.
"The Sinestro Corps is flying over the Javelin shuttle. What if they attack it?" she asked.
"You've got the vision powers. Why don't you take a peek?" Mary suggested.
"You're right. I…omigod!" Galatea streaked off. Mary took off in hot pursuit.
"Wait!" Captain Marvel started to pursue when Superman blocked his path.
"And where do you think you're going?" he asked.
"Mary flew off," Marvel said miserably.
"She's with Galatea. As much as I hate to admit it, Galatea's got as much training as Diana or Shayera. If she actually needs Mary's help, I'll be surprised. As it stands though, we're down by two of our mightiest members. We can't afford to lose you or Marvel Jr." Superman said.
"Yes sir," Marvel said in a despondent voice.
"Cheer up, son. Your sister faced down Darkseid. That's no mean feat. I know from experience. I'd say she'll do fine," Superman reassured him.
The Sinestro Corps chose that moment to arrive. Arkillo sent in his waves of troops. The Sapphires, the Green Lanterns, and the JLU met them in the air and the battle was well and truly joined.
Lady Blackhawk had finished bandaging Blackhawk. He was in the restroom changing into a spare, and unshredded, uniform. There was a loud clang as if something had just run into the shuttle's fuselage. She heard a strange slurping sound and it sounded as though it were approaching the hatch. She grabbed the plasma blaster and went to take a peek.
She leaned out of the hatchway and saw a green glob with bones and skulls trapped within sliding along the shuttle's chassis. She retreated as it reached the hatch.
It began to slide into the shuttle. She could swear she could hear tittering laughter as it gelled itself inside. And wasn't that a yellow ring floating inside of it? Was this a Sinestro Corpsman? If so, what the hell was it?
"Stay back, I'm warning you," she said.
The laughter only increased in its intensity. Lady Blackhawk opened fire. The slime that composed its body sizzled but no serious harm was done. The yellow ring began to glow. A hand construct stripped the blaster from her.
Blackhawk emerged from the head, "Who're you talking to?"
He saw Slushh and yelled at LBH, "Out the back! Now!"
He closed the cargo bay hatch while Lady Blackhawk lowered the ramp. They ran down it and exited the shuttle as the cargo bay hatch blew off of its hinges. Slushh saw the ramp and deduced that his prey had left the shuttle. They were on an empty plain, however, and finding them would prove easy.
"What the hell is that?" Lady Blackhawk demanded to know.
"It's called Slushh. As you've probably figured out, it's one of Sinestro's Corpsmen. Whatever you do, don't let it suck you inside of itself. Its interior is entirely composed of acid. The only organic thing it can't dissolve is bone," Blackhawk explained.
"Hence all the bones and skulls floating about. Got it," she remarked, "So how do we kill it?"
"No one knows," he said grimly, "And with nothing to defend ourselves with, our best option is merely to avoid it."
"What about its ring?" she wondered.
"From what John told me, it uses its ring as a last resort. It likes to hunt," he described the situation.
"And he's interested in hunting us," she grumped, "Oh joy."
"Look, he's headed for us. Get moving and I'll distract him," he instructed.
"I'm not the one getting married or wounded. You run and I'll distract him," Lady Blackhawk argued.
"I don't have time to argue with you now move, dammit!" he pushed her away.
"Don't push me, you egotistical jackass!" she yelled, "You're the one that's going abandon us so get going already."
"What do you mean I'm abandoning you?" he shouted back.
"You're leaving me, alone with the guys. I can't lead the damn squadron and you know it!" she continued to vent.
"Look, I'm getting married, not leaving the League," she asserted.
"She lives in Europe, you dumbass," Lady Blackhawk pushed even harder, "The League won't let her in and I really doubt that you two will still want to live on separate continents, so figure it out already!"
"Who says they won't let her in the League?" Blackhawk demanded to know.
"Everyone!" she screamed, "So what are you going to do about it?"
"If she goes, I go," he swore.
"See? You're leaving me, you insufferable prick!" Lady Blackhawk began to cry.
Seeing her cry, he softened, "It won't be that bad. We'll work something out. Tea can move to New York. She doesn't have to join the League. Maybe she can watch Metropolis for Superman when he's out of town."
"You're leaving, goddammit, and I never had a chance to tell you how much I need you," her sobs were wracking now.
He gripped her shoulders, "I already know."
"You do?" she sniffled.
"You're not as good at keeping secrets as you think. In fact, you've got a pretty big mouth. It gets you into trouble," he said.
She broke down again, "Not with you."
"Zinda!" he surprised her by using her real name, "We'll work it out."
"But you'll be married," she wailed.
He lifted her chin so that her eyes met his, "You knew this was going to happen. That's why you went after J'onn."
"Yeah, but…" she was sniffling still.
"You knew. You've always known," he reminded her, "I…crap!"
She lifted her foot so she could check the tread of her boot, "Really?"
"No, silly. Him," Blackhawk turned her towards Slushh. The glob had caught up with them. Its resonating chuckle chilled them. It quivered in delight as it anticipated melting them down to their component bones.
A white streak suddenly slammed into it and it slid aside. Galatea looked to the Blackhawks, "Go! I've got this!"
Blackhawk hesitated and Lady Blackhawk dragged him away, "Move you dunce! Your invulnerable girlfriend says she's got it."
They headed back towards the shuttle. Lady Blackhawk climbed the boarding ramp. Blackhawk lingered at the bottom of the ramp.
"Do I have to drag your sorry ass up here?" she demanded.
"I can't just leave her," he protested.
Mary arrived at that moment, "Stay back. If he gets through Tea then he's gotta deal with me."
Galatea punched Slushh. Her fist got caught inside of it. Her glove began to dissolve. It chuckled as it used its ring to pull her inside of it. She struggled as her clothes began to dissolve. Finally she thought of Kara's plan. She began to climb higher into the sky. Heading east, she moved away from the shuttle.
Frankly, Slushh was curious as to what the meat sack thought she was up to. When Tea had moved several miles away, she began to spin. Piece by piece, Slushh began to break off and be hurled into the distance. She didn't stop until all traces of the creature were off of her.
Using her telescopic vision and sweeping the horizon she found all of Slushh's component parts. They were already oozing towards one another at an inexorably slow rate. She estimated it would take it years to pull itself together. As she searched out its parts, she spotted a yellow ring glinting in the light. She retrieved it and returned to the shuttle.
It wasn't until she was back in the presence of people that she realized she was naked. Lady Blackhawk whistled, "Now those are some massive boobs."
Blackhawk and Mary glared at her and she protested, "What? It could've been her outfit. It could act as a push-up bra. But now, seeing her in all of her glory, I am seriously jealous. If I had boobs like that every guy in New York would be knocking on my door."
Galatea's pale skin had become bright scarlet. She was mortified. People always brought up her breasts. Why?
"Why's she got the knockers?" Lady Blackhawk drove on, "Kara doesn't have them. She is a clone, right?"
"Now would be a good time to drop it," Blackhawk growled.
"No need to get huffy," she retorted. Calling out to Galatea, she said; "Come on in, honey. I think I can fix you up with a new outfit."
Galatea was so grateful she decided she could forgive Lady Blackhawk for her comments. Now, what to do about all those other statements that she'd overheard on her way here?
