10 Justice League Night Falls
Wildcat smashed a right cross into the closest possessed person. The Flash was aghast, "Wildcat! Is that really necessary?"
"You have a better plan, Jay?" Wildcat asked as he blocked a punch and then another, "`Cause I'd love to hear a magic solution right now."
The original Flash looked around. Ri was more than holding her own. It was obvious to all that she'd had extensive weapons training. Her crescent moon spear was really a lance and she expertly handled it and she'd avoided using it to lethal effect. Her unarmed skills were also impressive. Jay guessed that Ri could easily give Judomaster a ruin for her money.
Mr. America was using his electrified bullwhip to keep the aggressors at bay. Red Beetle seemed to have several tailor made weapons as well. The most effective thus far had been her flash gun. Designed after Ted Kord's, it easily blinded people. While they were recovering, she could put them on the ground.
That left Lightning. Her electrical powers kept dozens of aggressors at bay at the same time. But she had a recharge period. She'd almost been grabbed during her respites.
Jay made a decision and he called it out, "Okay folks! Change of tactics. Put `em down and put `em down for the count. Don't kill anyone, cripple them, or maim them but any other result is up to your discretion."
Red Beetle, Mr. America, and Lightning were all relieved. Ri seemed to be impatiently thinking it was about bloody time. Wildcat grinned.
"Good call, Boss Man," Wildcat encouraged Flash.
"Yeah well, next time you get to be in charge," Jay declared.
"Okay," Wildcat smashed another person's face and Flash winced, "Do dislocations count as crippling?"
"I guess not," Jay amended.
"Good," Wildcat jerked his next opponent's arm out of its happy little home. Despite the silence imposed upon the hosts, it was plain the man would have screamed if he could.
Red Beetle took Wildcat's cue and began dislocating kneecaps. Mr. America delivered a left cross to a close by foe and then lashed one with his whip. Its electrical field stunned the victim.
Red Beetle grinned, "Handy."
"At times. Back when I was an FBI agent I would've died for that strobe gun of yours," Mr. America admitted.
"I'm surprised the Bureau doesn't already have something similar," Red Beetle confessed.
"They tried but you seem to have solved the power cell problem they encountered," Mr. America observed.
A wooden spear handle slammed into the mouth of a nearby possessed person reaching for Mr. America. Ri scolded them both, "Less talking."
Mr. America was startled by her hostility. Red Beetle smirked, "I think she's jealous."
"If that's 'jealous' I'd sure as hell hate to see 'amorous'," Mr. America quipped.
"Maybe you'll find out if you live long enough," Red Beetle suggested with heavy meaning.
"Oh Lord," Mr. America muttered.
Lightning felt totally out of place. She'd grown up on stories of her father's adventures as Black Lightning. Then it had become stories about Black Vulcan. When her own abilities developed she just wanted to show off for her father.
She'd pushed her way through high school competing in track and field. She's eventually become nationally ranked. But that wasn't good enough for her. She wanted to be a costume.
She'd given up a track scholarship to go out on her own and become Lightning. Jefferson Pierce didn't openly criticize his daughter, Jennifer, but he did make it know he wished she'd make another choice. She didn't have his experience and didn't know the price her abilities carried.
She'd made a name for herself on the Chicago streets. But the crooks seemed to only talk about Batwoman. This seriously miffed Lightning. Then the DEO had come calling. They wanted her to join a team and receive formal training.
Lightning had been ecstatic. She'd agreed before finding out which team she'd be joining. When she found out she would be a part of the revived Justice Society of America, she'd been crestfallen. Finding out Batwoman was now part of the Justice League had only rubbed salt in the wounds.
Her dad had helped her over her bruised feelings. He'd waxed poetic over the legends of the JSA. She'd looked them up and dug into news articles in Chicago's microfilm libraries. What she saw greatly impressed her. But what were these guys, over a hundred now?
Of course, the DEO had brought her up on the Justice Society's history before she actually met them. Except for Wildcat, all the original members were only her dad's age. Wildcat was a good ten years older but he seemed far younger than that. His time with the Justice League Unlimited had proven that he was still in his prime. She'd had no idea he was in his sixties.
Gunshots rang out and Lightning spun to face the assailant, "I've got them!"
Wildcat lowered her outstretched arms, "Not yet, honey. They might spasm under your attention and start firing into the crowd."
"But…?" she protested.
"Let an old man have his fun," Wildcat grinned.
If Lightning had been capable of blushing while in her meta-human form she would've blushed. Had she been that obvious? She then noticed that the Flash was missing.
Back in 1940, Jay Garrick had been a chemist who'd accidently unlocked the secret of the Speed Force. He'd been the very first but Johnny Quick had followed a few months later. Then Rival had appeared.
Rival was a precursor to Professor Zoom, the Reverse Flash. Rival wore a mock up of the Flash's costume and had embarked on a crime spree. At one time, he'd offered his services to Per Degaton for a price.
The final battle between Jay and Rival had been fought within the Speed Force. Rival, seeking more and more power, was eventually sucked into the Force and never seen again. He hadn't been the last either.
After being freed from Ragnarok, Liberty Belle and Johnny Quick had settled down and Jesse was born. Agents acting on behalf of Per Degaton had struck at the Chambers. Johnny had saved Jesse but he was lost to the Speed Force in the process.
Jesse's own Speed Force powers had been activated that day. And so had her Liberty Belle power set. Of course, Libby Chambers had disappeared after Johnny's death only to be found when she wanted to be.
Barry Allen, the second Flash, had also been lost to the Speed Force. He'd saved the entire world in the process. His nephew, Wally West, took up the mantle and he too courted disaster when fighting Brainuthor. But Wally had been pulled back to reality by the Justice League.
Jay was very careful not to accelerate past a certain point nowadays. Still, he was a literal flash when he chose to be. Jay disarmed the cops in seconds. His hypervelocity blows knocked the possessed police officers out with a single strike.
Jay dismantled the guns. He stripped them down to their base components so that no one else could simply pick them up and use them. He ran back to the JSA team and jerked a thumb down the street.
"I think we've started to carve a path through the herd," Flash grinned.
"You scout ahead and we'll be right on your tail," Wildcat urged.
"It might be best if we stick together," Flash argued.
"Trust me," Wildcat urged, "We'll be right behind you."
It finally dawned on Jay that Wildcat wanted to speak with one or more members of their little group. He nodded, "I'll be back in a… Well, do I even need to say it?"
Flash raced off. Wildcat looked to the others, "Well, just don't stand there. Follow him."
Red Beetle and Mr. America set out together. Lightning cast one last glance at Wildcat before she followed. Ri started to follow as well but Wildcat interposed himself between her and her proposed path.
"We need to talk," he simply asserted.
Ri frowned, "About what?"
"Just walk with me and let's see if we can prevent a problem before one crops up," Wildcat suggested.
"Very well," Ri said warily. She didn't think she would like this "talk". It turned out she was right.
Grundy took a swing but Hourman ducked under it. He came up with an uppercut that rattled the zombie's rotting teeth. The blow actually knocked Grundy off of his feet so Hourman checked on Judomaster and Johnny Thunder.
Whatever was affecting Johnny Thunder robbed him of his power of speech. Which meant his Thunderbolt was effectively neutralized. The Thunderbolt only responded to Johnny's verbal commands. The Thunderbolt nervously looked about at the battle he was unable to assist in, on one side or the other.
Judomaster applied a nerve chop to Johnny's neck and he passed out. The Thunderbolt thanked her as he faded from this dimension. Judomaster went back to focusing on Grundy as he rose.
Sonia Sato had a particular gift. It had nothing to do with her years of extensive martial arts training. Although it didn't hurt those skills at all.
The simple truth was that Judomaster couldn't be hit. Something, some hidden sense, alerted her to a striking blow aimed at her and she always evaded it. Not even the Flash could land a blow upon her.
So a lumbering brute like Grundy merely kept her preoccupied rather than in actual jeopardy. Hourman used her as a distraction to level Grundy again. Despite the severity of the blow, Grundy was already rising.
"We have a problem," Hourman informed Judomaster, "My dad told me about Grundy. Sentinel and Grundy used to battle it out back when Alan was still the one and only Green Lantern. Grundy simply can't be stopped. Whatever brought him back to life also gave him unstoppable endurance."
"Perhaps if you weren't so busy trying to protect me, I could find a way to stop him in his tracks," Judomaster scolded him.
Hourman could feel his cheeks burn, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"Yes, you did," Judomaster snorted, "I promise. He'll never touch me."
"Then I'll check on the others," Hourman decided, "Yell if you need help."
"Unlikely," Judomaster commented as she faced the beast, "Let us see what makes you fall."
Anna seemed more than capable of casting certain spells without speaking. She'd already used a spell casing to entrap Atom Smasher. He was struggling against his ethereal bonds while Jesse presented a target too fast to hit.
Anna put her selected spell casing back in her bandolier. She began to weave energy between her fingers. Jesse switched tactics and made a fast approach to put Anna down. Anna suddenly tossed her "cosmic string" into Jesse's face. Anna sidestepped Jesse's path as the other woman was entangled in seemingly unbreakable bonds.
Jesse stumbled as her feet became entwined and she strained at her net with her superhuman strength. Nothing was breaking and Jesse realized Anna was looming over her now. Anna suddenly shifted her weight and caught Hourman's thrown fist and threw him over her hip.
"Rick!" Jesse cried.
Hourman tucked and rolled with the throw. He came up on his feet and swept his cape behind him. He raised his fists and prepared to engage Anna in a fist fight.
Anna waved her hand and orbs enclosed Hourman's fists. He didn't see how he was hindered in any other way. He strode forward and smacked Anna with a right cross.
Only, her head barely rolled with the blow while he felt the full force of it. Stunned, he threw a punch into her midsection and it felt like mule kicked him in the ribs. Hourman staggered back and reassessed the situation.
"Rick!" Jesse shouted, "She's reflecting your blows upon you somehow. Try hitting yourself and see what happens."
"Are you nuts?" he wanted to know.
"It can't be any worse than hitting her," Jesse insisted.
Hourman had to admit his wife had a point. He punched his own jaw. He barely felt the contact but Anna was almost knocked off of her feet.
Hourman hauled off and really nailed himself. Anna went down and didn't move. His bonds faded into nothingness. However, Jesse and Atom Smasher's remained intact.
He went to help Jesse. He strained at the bonds but they wouldn't tear, "What did she make this out of?"
"You have heard of the cosmic string theory haven't you?" Jesse dryly asked.
"Very funny," Hourman replied, "Except Anna purportedly doesn't do 'cosmic'. She does magical."
"I think Dr. Fate defines 'cosmic', don't you?" she quipped.
"Stop, you're killing me," Hourman said dryly.
"Look, why don't you give Al a hand?" Jesse suggested, "Maybe these traps are tailored made for each victim."
"I'll give it a shot," Hourman promised, "And then I'll come back for you."
Jesse smiled and then grew concerned, "Rick? How's Sonia doing?"
He grinned, "Frankly I don't think Solomon Grundy stands a chance."
"Hey STRIPE!" Stargirl called out, "Lend me a hand."
That was when Courtney realized the mecha was unresponsive. She blasted a few more zombies away and then clanged STRIPE on the head with the Cosmic Rod, "Aw geez. No one's home. What happened to Mike anyway?"
"Problem, Star?" Dr. Mid-Nite asked as he came beside her.
"Mike's checked out," Stargirl complained, "Thanks to that dufus we have an overgrown paperweight just standing here."
"I'm sure Mike has his reasons," Dr. Mid-Nite said, "He seems very responsible."
Stargirl gave him an incredulous look, "Are we talking about the same Mike?"
Dr. Mid-Nite wore a warm smile, "I think you're a little too close to the source to be an unbiased observer."
"Okay, I'll give you that," Stargirl allowed, "It's just another thing to worry about."
"At least we've reached a standstill between us and the possessed civilians," Dr. Mid-Nite observed.
"But what about Cyclone?" Stargirl inquired, "That creep King Chimera has her by the throat. Literally."
"I'd say Sand and Mr. Terrific are about to move on that option," Dr. Mid-Nite shared.
"Cool," Stargirl expressed her delight, "I hope they kick King's ass."
Dr. Mid-Nite wore a pained expression. But that was only because he shared Stargirl's opinion. He felt that was beneath him but it just seemed natural under their current circumstances.
"Please," Cyclone pleaded to King Chimera, "This isn't you. You have to fight it."
She felt his grip on her throat tighten so she tried again, "I believe in you. I know a lot of people doubt you but I really believe in you."
His grip loosened and his dark eyes seemed too waver. Cyclone pressed what little advantage that she had going for her, "I believed in you as soon as I met you. Most of the others teased me about my costume. They told me the Wicked Witch didn't belong in the Justice Society. But you didn't tease me. You shared a laugh with me and demonstrated your power by recreating a lifelike scene from the Wizard of Oz. It was like being in the movie. It was the most wonderful experience of my life. You gave that experience to me and I'll always treasure it."
She met his dark gaze with her own fierce one, "So do what you have to do. I trust you completely. If you can't save me, I'll die knowing you tried as best as you could."
The darkness oozed out of his eyes and fell off of his clothing, "Maxine? My God! I could have killed you."
"But I knew you wouldn't and you didn't," Cyclone boasted.
"I…there's so many things to say…I don't know where to begin," King Chimera stumbled about.
"Where's that infamous composure now?" Cyclone teased.
"Right here," he pulled her in and they shared their first kiss. It was gentle and tender but it also hinted at promises of more to come. Then the zombie people moved in.
"Oh hell," Cyclone fumed, "Can't we ever have a moment?"
A teleportation flash brought Mr. Terrific to their side. Sand emerged out off the ground, "Take them. I've got the others."
Mr. Terrific teleported everyone but Sand over to Stargirl and Dr. Mid-Nite's position. Sand created a ground tremor and a sinkhole formed, swallowing the affected civilians. He then jogged over to join the others.
"That'll hold that batch for a while," Sand proclaimed. He turned to King Chimera, "Good to have you back.
"Thank Maxine. I wouldn't be if she hadn't taken a risk on me," King Chimera admitted.
"There might be something to this," Dr. Mid-Nite realized.
"You're right," Mr. Terrific joined in, "It might be a localized effect of the emotional response of love."
"But not just love in general," Dr. Mid-Nite theorized, "King could have general feelings of goodwill towards any of us but it was his love for Cyclone that broke the demon's hold."
Cyclone and King Chimera both blushed. Stargirl snorted, "On puh-lease. Like we all haven't seen it while you give each other moon eyes. At least you're finally being honest with each other."
King Chimera squeezed Cyclone's hand and then held it, "I think it's time we were honest about a lot of things."
Cyclone's blush turned bright scarlet while Sand turned to Mr. Terrific, "Have you localized Obsidian?"
"I have his general vicinity," Mr. Terrific announced, "My T-Spheres haven't isolated the exact apartment. But I can tell you this, the Marvels are down."
Fear clutched at Stargirl's heart, "What d'you mean?"
"They've reverted to their mortal guises," Mr. Terrific described the imagery he was receiving, "And as of right now, Mary Batson is handing Billy and Freddy Freeman their asses."
"We can teleport there, right?" Stargirl was panicky.
"We can," Mr. Terrific looked to Sand.
"Do it," Sand ordered.
And they vanished in a red flash.
Blackhawk brought the Raven in for a semi-controlled crash. Lady Blackhawk was struggling to rise. She was shrugging aside the blow she'd received from the pistol grip he smacked her with. She came at him again as he unstrapped from his seat.
A loud report sounded throughout the cockpit as the pistol went off again. Lady Blackhawk's eyes went wide and suddenly the darkness dribbled out of them. She began coughing up blood as she collapsed onto the deck.
Blackhawk got the EMT kit and started peeling open her leather jacket. It was a chest wound and near the heart. She was frothing blood from a punctured lung. Blackhawk labored for several minutes to get the wound dressed. He had to place a valve in her chest to relieve the pressure on her lung in ten minute intervals. She stared at him with regret in her eyes and went into cardiac arrest.