8 Justice League the Corps

The clash began with a thunder. The sound of constructs slapping together made the noise. The air trembled as the noise rolled over the combatants. The Sapphires were quickly being overwhelmed by the bloodthirsty Sinestro Corpsmen. One dropped her personal shield and Murr struck. She died screaming as her flesh melted off.

Captain Marvel Junior was close by and the horror of it launched him into action. He pelted Murr with punches but the Melting Man kept his field up and shrugged most of them off. He dropped his field in order to grab Junior. The young Marvel cried out but his flesh resisted Murr's touch. Although concentration did nothing for his physical abilities, Murr focused on Junior with all of his might. He moved his hands about, trying to find a vulnerable spot.

As it was, the Marvel was experiencing intense pain. So intense in fact that he couldn't mount a resistance. It wasn't until Superman intervened that he found a respite.

Junior broke off as Superman attacked Murr. The Kryptonian grunted as searing pain afflicted his flesh where it came in contact with Murr. The Yellow Lantern resorted to shielding himself which freed Superman up to intensify his pummeling. Murr erected a wall but Superman shattered it. His fists relentlessly pounded on Murr's form. The Melting Man finally fled by streaking off into orbit.

Clark turned to Captain Marvel Jr, "How's the face?"

"Great now that he's not touching it. The Endurance of Atlas may grant me invulnerability but some things still hurt," Junior admitted.

Clark joined him in a rueful grin, "I understand. Invulnerability doesn't necessarily make you impervious."

Superman studied the young Marvel. He seemed eager to get back into action.

"Let's get back into action. It looks like some of the Sapphires could use help," Clark suggested.

"I'm on it!" Junior said and went off to aid the struggling Sapphires.

Clark looked for Diana.


Miri, Race, Miss, and Diana were dealing with Tri-eye, Low, Romat-Ru, and Kryb. All of the Yellow Lanterns had murder on their mind. These Sapphires withstood the assault better than most. They were equivalent to Sinestro's Elite. Diana faced Kryb. Kryb wore her pack but she'd left her captive babies behind. If they survived the neglect, they would go back into captivity upon her return.

Kryb cackled, "You're ripe! Soon I could add your offspring to my collection. But you're not a Green Lantern so I suppose I'll leave you be."

Diana's mind stumbled over those comments. Was she implying that Diana was pregnant? She'd felt off over the last day or two but that didn't mean anything.

Kryb read her eyes and laughed, "Yes, you young fool. You're with child, but never fear, I'll kill the baby before I leave this place."

Diana wasn't quite certain she believed Kryb but she immediately began to feel protective of her womb. She knew that if she was pregnant then the danger was very real. She'd been there for Shayera's ordeal and she had no intentions of falling into that particular pitfall.

Kryb formed manacles around Diana's wrists and ankles. She then used a hammer to drive her into the ground below. She landed in a gurney that spread her legs and strapped them down. Diana had been subjected to such an indignity during a recent gynecological exam and she'd broken the female doctor's nose. She couldn't imagine such a violation at the hands of a man yet she'd heard that it was done.

Diana's hands were clamped by her sides and her knees were bent as well. She writhed and Kryb added a waist belt to hold her down even further. Diana struggled with all of her might but it was futile. In her mind she desperately called out to Hera and begged her to send Clark.

Kryb constructed a corkscrew above Diana's body. The hag cackled, "This is going inside of you. I don't know if you'll survive but your baby certainly won't."

Diana studied the blue skinned creature, trying to find an exploitable weakness. She knew Bruce, J'onn, or Wally would have already deduced her psychological weaknesses and begun exploiting them by now. Diana was a physical combatant, like Clark and John. Shayera was the wild card. She had the deductive skills to deduce Kryb's greatest fears and weaknesses and the brawn with which to finish her off once the infernal bonds disappeared.

And another thing, Diana oddly mused, why were there so many alien women with blue skin? Two of Sinerstro's Elite bore blue skin. She didn't know Kryb's name or Lyssa Drak's and she didn't care to. Of the Sapphires, two of those Diana had allied with bore blue skin. They're names were Miri Raim and Miss Bloss. She'd been happy to learn those names. And then there were Race and Arven, who also came in odd colors. Maewen was mostly devoid of color and appeared sickly.

Diana's mind cleared as the corkscrew moved into position. Diana wanted to scream Clark's name yet she was too proud to do so. She'd face injury and death with her dignity intact, as an Amazon Princess should. Still, tears came streaming to her eyes as Clark swatted Kryb away. Diana's bonds vanished and she threw herself into his arms. She cursed herself for trembling.

"It's okay," he whispered into her ear, "You're safe now."

She pulled her head back and looked into his eyes, "I need to tell you…"

"It can wait," he said. It was the tone he used when he issued orders. It made her knees go weak.

Kryb had returned, "So, you must be the father. I'll gladly kill you first to get my chance at the baby."

"You're not killing anyone," Clark declared. He moved towards her and she threw constructs up to block them. He broke every one and kept coming. Finally he had her cowl in his hand and the other hand was drawn back in a fist. Strangely, he hesitated.

"Hit her!" Diana demanded.

Clark was motionless, frozen in place.

"Fine," Diana irritably declared, "I'll do it."

She flew to Clark's side, pulled Kryb out of his hand, and began punching her in the face. Her personal field collapsed and her face was soon bloodied. Even her blood was blue but Diana ignored that fact as she pummeled Kryb.

Clark finally caught her arm as it drew back, "Diana! Enough! She isn't even conscious anymore."

"But she tried to…" Horror constricted Diana's throat and she couldn't even say it.

"Let her go," Clark said reasonably.

Diana released her grip on the cowl and Kryb collapsed in a boneless heap, "She was going to…"

"Did she say I was the father?" Clark suddenly realized.

Diana grew very still. Clark asked her, "Are you pregnant?"

"I…I don't know. She said I was," she said with an air of resignation.

"That's fantastic!" Clark hugged her so hard she couldn't breathe. She pounded on his ribs and he let go. Rather sheepishly he said, "Sorry."

"You're really excited by this possibility?" she was surprised.

"Of course I am!" he enthused.

"But Kalea…?" she brought up that specter of the past.

"Maxima wanted to raise her on Almerac. I was only invited if I came with them. I couldn't leave Earth. I have responsibilities," Superman explained.

"But this is different?" she wondered.

"Diana, we'll raise the baby together! On Earth! They'll have a chance at a normal life if they want it, not dominion over an intergalactic empire whether they want it or not," Clark's unbridled enthusiasm finally convinced.

"I hope I am pregnant," she decided.

"Oh, I hope so too," he said.

"You do realize that this means we can't keep putting the wedding off? Mother would kill me if I gave birth before I was married," Diana brought up the obvious fact.

"How's next month work for you?" he asked, his excitement growing.

"Will I be showing?" she wondered.

"Not really," Clark assured her.

"I can enlist Maven. She did wonders for the Question and the Huntress," she enthused.

"Bruce can also grease some wheels," Clark suggested.

"You want to include him, after everything that's happened?" she wasn't sure she liked this idea. Of course she had one of her own but that was for later.

"I think it's essential that we involve Bruce. It'll make him stop moping around," Clark iterated.

"If you think so," she was still dubious.

"I'll arrange a meeting between us," Clark announced.

"'Us'?" she asked,

"I was thinking we'd both approach him. He'll have a harder time saying 'no' that way," he said slyly.

Diana gave him a shrewd look, "I forget that you can be very canny at times."

"I know. I've perfected the 'Boy Scout' image but even boy scouts can be sharp," he chuckled.

"It's a plan," she agreed.

"So let's get rid of these Yellow Lanterns so we can celebrate," he suggested.

"In my condition?" she wondered, remembering Shayera's luck.

"We don't know for certain that you are pregnant," he said and then he winked at her, "And I'll be right beside you, Princess."

Despite her Amazon pride, it took that moment to make her feel safe, "Let's be about it then."

He grinned.


Sinestro barreled through the throng of Green, Yellow, and Violet Lanterns. Lyssa and Karu-Sil tried to keep up but they were unable to. Lyssa got sideswiped by Talia and Karu-Sil saw an opportunity to avenge herself upon Fatality. The battles were swift and brutal.

Carol found herself smashed into the rock walls of the city by a yellow fist. It came at her again and she flew straight up and it struck where she had been a moment before. Using the sapphire, she fired off blades the size of small swords. Sinestro countered with a shield construct.

She flew under his shield and hit him with a piston. A ball peen hammer came smashing down on his head afterwards. She never saw the hammer press that struck and drove her into the ground. Sinestro sneered as he smashed her again.

"I took this lesson from you in your dealing with your errant Star Sapphire. She likely fell to her death yet you didn't care. Where was your vaunted love then?" he challenged.

Carol could barely push herself off of the ground. The press hung in the air over her, "I love Dela so much that I won't allow her to betray her sisters. That guilt would destroy her. I care too much for her to let her live her life with that burden."

"So you killed her," Sinestro was greatly amused.

"She's alive," Carol reluctantly revealed, "The star sapphire cushioned her landing. Not enough to avoid injury but she lives."

"And why did you do that?" Sinestro was almost incensed.

"She'll see the error of her ways and embrace our cause again. Wholeheartedly this time, not full of lies, ambition, and deceit," Carol explained.

"So you taught your lesson through fear," he gloated.

Carol weakly shook her head, "I taught her that I love her enough to spare her life and welcome her back. What she learned of fear was that it wouldn't help her when her life was in mortal danger."

"Silence!" the press smashed down again. When it lifted, Carol was reeling. Fortunately for her, Sinestro took a moment to gloat. Folding his arms across his chest, he settled into lecture mode.

"I'm going to help you, Carol. I'm going to spare you the burden of being the standard bearer for such an insipid emotion. Your love can't protect you. It has failed you and you are going to die," he declared.

"If there's been a failure, it's mine. I haven't loved freely, honestly, and greatly enough," she lifted herself to a seated position and smiled at Sinestro, "And love is going to save me."

Sinestro couldn't speak because he was beside himself with rage. He mastered his fear and envisioned the press crushing her. It was about to become a reality when an emerald brick smashed him into the rock face. It pulled back and he pushed his face out of the rocks. He turned in time to see an emerald sword blade coming right at him. He barely rolled to his side in time. As it was, the edge of the blade penetrated his field and cut him along the ribs.

Sinestro gathered himself up. He needed to conquer his fear…he had to or he would face his own demise. He generated a shield construct that blocked the blade. The blade parried and thrust but the shield met it at every angle. Sinestro studied its construction, it was part rapier and part saber. The hilt was an artistic masterpiece, which could mean…

"Rayner!" he shouted, "Drop these idiotic attacks and face me like a man!"

The saber disappeared and only then did Sinestro realize that Kyle was on the ground helping Carol to her feet. The tenderness behind that moment galled Sinestro. Whatever had passed between these two had obviously affected them deeply, perhaps even permanently.

Sinestro met them on the ground, "Do you dare face me directly?"

"Yeah," Kyle wrapped Sinestro up in a bow. The yellow ring was shrouded within the construct. Sinestro channeled everything he had but he couldn't break the bonds. When did Rayner become so determined?

"Get ready to release him," Carol said.

"What?" Kyle yelped, "When?"

"You'll know when," she promised.

She started creating a conversion chamber. As it reached the limits of the bow, Kyle removed it, up until Sinestro was entombed within.

"Will that hold him?" Kyle asked.

"No. It doesn't need to," she replied.

The chamber pulsed for a few minutes and then it began to crack. Kyle was worried, "Is it supposed to do that?"

Carol frowned, "No, he's going to break free before the work is finished."

The chamber shattered and Sinestro bolted upward in a miasma of yellow light. He was screaming and his voice carried as he climbed an eventually broke orbit. The Corpsmen watched their leader break and run and then they followed. First as a trickle and then as a full blown torrent. Moments later, they were all gone, except for Slushh's remnants.

Carol turned to Kyle and leaned into him and kissed him, "That's the hero's reward."

"Somehow I knew you were in trouble," Kyle said. It was almost a question.

Carol wore a radiant smile, "Our hearts and minds are joined, Kyle. You'll always be aware of me, almost as if I'm in the next room."

Kyle grimaced, "Is there any way around it?"

"I'm afraid not. It's part and parcel of marrying a Violet Lighter," she consoled him.

"So how's that gonna work?" he wondered.

"You could always stay here with me. Then it wouldn't be an issue," she offered.

"I promised Kara I'd go back. It's where I belong. It's also where the Guardians stationed me," Kyle said. He started to fly away.

"You won't be able to forget me, I promise you that." She called after him.


Her sisters gathered around her and she gave instructions for Dela to be found, returned to the city, and nursed back to health. Miri and Race set out to accomplish the task. Carol took Talia, Ivy, Fire, Ice, Donna, and Owlwoman aside. She had some bad news for them.