10 Justice League Night Falls
Galatea's comm device sounded an alert. She was surprised and delighted to discover it was her husband, Blackhawk. She listened to his message and then pulled Dr. Mid-Nite away from his examination of Mary.
"We have an emergency, Doc. It's literally life or death," Galatea explained, "Lady Blackhawk has been shot in the chest. She underwent cardiac arrest but she's been resuscitated but now it's touch and go. Blackhawk is qualified as a combat medic but this goes waaay beyond his skills."
"How fast can you get me there?" Dr. Mid-Nite responded.
"Depends on whether or not you want your fillings intact," Galatea grinned.
They arrived mere minutes later. Galatea ripped open the shattered fuselage to grant Dr. Mid-Nite access. He quickly assessed Lady Blackhawk's condition.
"You've done a fine job thus far," Dr. Mid-Nite assured the pilot, "The greatest worry now is the blood loss. She may arrest again at any time if we don't replenish her blood supply. How did our emergency stores fare in the crash?"
"I haven't had time to check," Blackhawk admitted, "Tea, can you…"
Galatea was already ripping open a small refrigerated safe that had survived the crash, "Looks good. How many do you need?"
"Bring every liter," Dr. Mid-Nite responded, "We might actually need them and without refrigeration they'll go bad anyway."
Blackhawk began rigging an IV holder while Dr. Mid-Nite prepared to run a line. Within a few more minutes, Lady Blackhawk was receiving afresh transfusion of life giving blood. Dr. Mid-Nite turned to Galatea.
"We can handle this. The others may need your talents though. Please inform Sand that I'll be occupied for the time being," Dr Mid-Nite requested.
"Sure," Galatea agreed, "If I can borrow your 'nurse' for a minute."
They stepped out of the Raven's hull and Galatea addressed what was on Blackhawk's mind, "Don't let it eat you up. I'm certain it was an accident just as I'm certain LBH would understand."
"Something took control of her up until I shot her," Blackhawk recalled.
Galatea nodded, "I had a theory a mortal wound would get the demons to release their host. That's good information."
"You're not going to go around and try to kill everyone, are you?" Blackhawk quipped.
She gave him a wry expression, "Of course not. Look I have to go. Try and stay in one piece, okay?"
"I will if you will," Blackhawk retorted.
Galatea kissed him and then disappeared in a white streak.
Hourman was able to tear Atom Smasher's bonds. He thought about it for a second and then told Atom Smasher, "Relieve Judomaster. Keep Grundy busy while she frees Jesse."
"Gotcha," Atom Smasher began to grow as he strode towards Grundy's position, "Judomaster, Jesse needs your unique brand of help. I'll keep everyone's favorite zombie at bay while you're busy."
Judomaster reported to where Hourman and the bound Jesse Quick waited. Hourman turned to Judomaster, "I've noticed you have a particular knack for finding the weakest point in anything and knowing how to strike it. Care to try your luck here?"
"Certainly," Judomaster agreed. She ran her hands across the strands tying Jesse up until she reached a particular nexus. Judomaster pulled her arm back and jabbed the spot with her fingers. The nexus snapped and the bonds fell away from Jesse.
"Thank you, Sonia," Jesse said with a grateful smile.
"What's your analysis of Grundy?" Hourman asked Judomaster.
"It is as you said it would be. He simply doesn't tire. But…" she faltered.
"Go on," Hourman encouraged her.
"He is easily confused and distracted," Judomaster shared, "It is if he forgets about me until he is reminded by the internal force that is driving his actions."
"And if we were to gain some distance between us?" Hourman wondered.
"It is possible the brute may forget about us entirely," Judomaster guessed.
Hourman ran up behind Atom Smasher, "New plan, Al. Grab Grundy and throw him as far as you can."
"Do we have a target range?" Atom Smasher inquired.
"At least a city block," Hourman instructed.
Atom Smasher tripled his height and grabbed hold of Grundy. He actually threw him five blocks away. Atom Smasher dropped to a mere twenty foot height.
"He's outta the ballpark, boss." Atom Smasher quipped and then his eyes came to rest on Anna.
"She's going to be all right, Al," Jesse promised him, "If this really is Obsidian's doing then we'll just stuff this darkness down his throat until it's all goes back to wherever it came from."
"Yeah," his voice sounded more confident than he felt, "Let's do this!"
After walking several more blocks they reached the apartment complex that Obsidian occupied.
Jay, Wildcat, and the new members arrived at the same time. Ri had not liked Wildcat's admonition but she understood it. She was letting her prejudices get in her way. Ri had served alongside her compatriot, Darknight, in the People's Republic. He'd been selected to stay in China and lead a new super team while she had been sent to America to join the Justice Society.
Ri had to admit that she had been disgruntled by this move. Her unresolved feelings towards Darknight didn't help matters any. She felt as though they would never get resolved while she was stuck half a world away and he was free to… She refused to acknowledge those possibilities.
Seeing the easy camaraderie between Mr. America and Red Beetle had reminded Ri of herself and Darknight on many levels. So she reacted out of resentment. Wildcat had been wise and proper to call her on it. Now she had to make amends with her teammates but she found herself reluctant to do so.
"Flash, Wildcat, it's good to see you and your team again," Sand happily said, "Hourman and Jesse just brought their group in. They lost three members to demon possession."
"Is that what we're calling it now?" Jay wondered.
"It's the best description we can coin," Sand said ruefully, "The demons are basically parasites that infect a human host. We've encountered a few things to purge the demon out of the host but they seem to be fairly specific or fairly brutal depending on which method you choose."
"Well, we didn't lose any," Wildcat admitted, "We fought a lot of people who were possessed but our group didn't join them."
"I think that's a good thing," Sand said warily, "Because the entire city just showed up on our doorstep."
"Aw crap," Wildcat fussed, "I thought we left this party behind."
"Damn," Sand groused, "I thought we'd caught too much of a breather."
"What's that?" Wildcat pointed at a green light in the sky.
"It's Alan!" Jay exclaimed happily.
Sentinel came in for a landing, "I see the party is just warming up."
"Listen, you need to deal with Obsidian. According to the Marvels he's the responsible party," Sand instructed.
"Where are the Marvels?" Sentinel inquired, "Or the Black Marvels for that matter."
"They're back to being mortal. They think something happened to Shazam," Sand said to him.
Sentinel looked uncomfortable, "Has anyone tried contacting Fate?"
"Constantly but he won't pick up," Sand described Mr. Terrific's attempts.
"Whatever hit Shazam must have gotten to Dr. Fate as well," Jay guessed.
"Can you keep this horde off of me?" Sentinel inquired.
"For as long as we can," Sand promised.
"Then I'll take the fight to Todd," Sentinel promised before he took flight.
Sand began to gather the JSA and issue the order: we hold!
Kent and Inza Nelson were fighting for their very lives. Amazo-Prime had been disabled within moments of the Sins' entry. Neither Kent nor Inza had any idea who had freed the Seven Deadly Sins but whoever it was, this could only be the start of something catastrophic.
Greed had snatched the Helmet of Nabu and scarpered off with it. Meanwhile, Wrath and Pride were battling it out with the human mages. Envy and Sloth had manipulated Amazo-Prime into dueling with the Nelsons but it had been Gluttony that had finished Amazo-Prime off by encouraging him to absorb all of the ambient mystical energy until the android's body literally burst open.
Now the humans were on the run within Fate's Tower. It was a helter-skelter labyrinth that defied all the laws of the time-space continuum and the physics that governed the commonly shared reality. They'd been investigating the intrusion of the Shadow Realms into this dimension and had narrowed it down to Obsidian when the scrying stone had alerted the pair to the Justice Society's arrival.
Kent had felt relieved at that point. His history with the JSA dated back to its founding. He knew what they were capable of. Even the newest crop of recruits burned bright with hope and enthusiasm.
Inza had been the one to realize that Obsidian wasn't alone in James Rice's apartment. Of course, he shared the space with Rice himself but there was another presence. One that was hauntingly familiar. Their moment of discovery heralded the arrivals of the Sins.
"We don't have time for this," Inza panted as they hid in an ancillary alcove, "Obsidian has no idea of what he is about to unleash."
"Rather, I think he doesn't care," Kent opined, "His life has been harsh. His only wish at this point is to literally share his pain with the world."
"But it will end this world," Inza predicted.
"And he has been promised safe haven in another," Kent reminded her, "What does he have to lose?"
"Family," Inza argued.
"He won't miss his father but he will grieve over his sister," Kent realized, "Inza, if I keep the Sins busy, can you contact Jennie-Lynn Hayden?"
"Of course I could but you can't face them alone," Inza insisted.
"I have to," Kent replied, "She may be our only hope."
"There's more to it," Inza declared, "The Subtle Realms are being woven into the tapestry and that can only mean the King of Tears is at work."
"But the King is a prisoner of the Justice Society," Kent reminded her.
"Is he still?" she asked archly.
Kent frowned, "This is turning out to be an unmitigated disaster. If the King of Tears gets loose as well, not only will two demigods be unleashed on Earth at the same time but they'll fight over it for dominion."
"If they don't simply opt for destruction," Inza retorted, "We've stymied both of their ambitions before."
Kent cocked an ear to one side, "They're coming. I'll go and you find a way to get Jennie to Obsidian."
"Just remember you're not Fate," Inza instructed.
"I know," he kissed her and grinned, "When would Fate ever kiss you?"
He disappeared and the Sins were in hot pursuit. Inza headed for Anna's chamber. She had a scrying stone and Inza's was still in the library under guard from Greed. Hopefully she could penetrate the substance of the Shadows Realms and contact Jennie. Although with the essence of Ragnarok and the Subtle Realms blurring everything, it wasn't going to be easy.
"What's our status?" Superman asked J'onn and Sue.
"We've pulled everyone that signaled us out," Sue informed him, "We have to assume anyone else isn't coming."
"Except for our European and Asian members," J'onn added, "Crimson Fox, Steel, and Rocket Red are assisting the Global Guardians."
"Steel?" Superman was bewildered.
"John Henry Irons was consulting with NATO over the use of non-lethal weaponry," Sue explained, "Meanwhile Supergirl, Kyle Rayner, August General in Iron, and OMAC are assisting the Chinese in responding to the effects of this 'darkness'."
"What happened to Dr. Light?" Superman wondered.
"She is still in Tokyo," J'onn said sadly, "News reports have her listed as among the affected."
"Oh," Superman winced.
"Bingo!" L-Ron shouted. The command team went to his station. He spoke without glancing over his shoulder, "I have a hit on some unreported members in the Washington DC area. Apparently Hawk is affected."
"There's a surprise," Sue said dourly.
"Yes, well so is Fire," L-Ron declared, "She and Ice were touring the Pentagon when this brew-ha-ha started."
"Is there a moral to the story?" Sue asked impatiently.
"Reports have Fire picking a fight and it spread over to the DC metro area," L-Ron shared, "That's where they collided into the tussle between Hawk and Dove."
"Is this the new Dove or the old Dove?" Superman asked, "Because I thought the old one was dead."
Sue grimaced, "He is. This is the new Dove. The one that won't reveal her secret identity to us."
"Considering what happened with our Library computer at the Legion of Doom's hands, I can't say I blame her," J'onn shared.
"Yeah, I wonder why they never did anything with that knowledge." Sue asked.
"Perhaps we'll never know," J'onn stated.
Hula Hula approached, "Sue, J'onn, Commissioner Sawyer of the Gotham City Police Department is on the line. Apparently Batman and a posse of JLers are wreaking havoc."
"Fortunately, we had a contingency plan for just such an event," Sue replied.
"I shall dispatch our team," J'onn announced.
Sue picked up a headset, "Hula, patch me in with Maggie. I'll let her know help is on the way."
J'onn summoned the selected members to the teleport chamber. Black Canary and Green Arrow were the senior members. Elongated Man was chosen because Plastic Man was designated to another team. The Atom was another tried and true member of the unit. Batwing, Katana, and Animal Man were the newest elements to the mix.
Black Canary and Katana were chosen for their potential to take down Batman. It was an unlikely scenario but it was felt they could keep him at bay while they sought a way to free his mind. Green Arrow also stood a chance as long as he maintained a distance.
It had been four months since the Justice League had accepted fifteen new members. Over that time they had come to prove themselves. They were no longer uncertain additions to the team but were now valued teammates.
J'onn wished them well and saw them off as they vanished in a blue flash. Now he had a second team to assemble, one that he himself would lead. Superman and Wonder Woman answered the summons as did the Flash. Booster Gold and Vigilante were on deck. Plastic Man's services were also required.
The other member of their team was already in Detroit waiting for them. He'd alerted J'onn to the fact that the worldwide event's epicenter was there. Before J'onn and the others could assemble on the teleportation disk, Sue called him over.
"The Shining Knight is declaring an emergency at JSA HQ. I have our reserve standing by. What do you want to do?" Sue asked.
"The JSA would come to our aid so we must go to theirs," J'onn confided.
"It seems we're doing a lot of that today," She snidely retorted.
"Sue, these events are too big for any team. We ourselves are on the brink of being overwhelmed. We need the Justice Society today. My feeling is they are more closely related to these events than we presently realize. For there to be a crisis at their own headquarters while their team is dispatched bespeaks of a personal element to this," J'onn chided her.
"Well, it was left undefended," Sue sniffed.
"Again you proceed from a false assumption. Sand and I discussed this possibility. Commander Steel and Wonder Girl reluctantly remained behind," J'onn revealed.
Sue was grudgingly impressed, "Okay, so the home fires are protected by a pair of powerhouses. So what went wrong?"
"I fear we shall not appreciate the answer to that query," J'onn said.
Sue grimaced, "You'd best be going."
"Agreed," J'onn stated, "Keep watch over us while we are away."
"Always," Sue promised.
"Aha!" Johnny Sorrow cried as he found the vial locked away in the medical hut.
He began to exit the facility when he saw Sir Justin and Tessa land on Winged Victory, "Oho! This may be a game changer."
He weighed his options and shrugged, "I have more important details to attend to."
With that he simply vanished…
…and reappeared in Detroit. He was near the edge of the crowd pressing in on the JSA. Among them was a revived Johnny Thunder. Johnny Sorrow approached Thunder and took hold of his shoulder.
"Kneel for daddy," Johnny Sorrow instructed.
Johnny Thunder knelt. Johnny Sorrow had chosen Thunder for two reasons. The first being he'd been a member of the Justice Society when they'd first faced Johnny Sorrow. The second reason was more sublime. Sorrow needed a magic user's body in order to successfully complete the transformation. This way Johnny Sorrow accomplished his goal and achieve a modicum of revenge at the same time.
The crowd parted to make way for what was about to happen. This cleared a line of sight for the Justice Society. Mr. Terrific turned to Galatea.
"What's he doing?" he asked.
"He's injecting something into Johnny's neck," she reported.
"Who is it?" Sand wondered and then he gasped, "Oh my God! That's Johnny Sorrow!"
Sand turned to Jay, "Do what you can!"
"I think it's already too late," the Flash opined but he streaked off only to hit an invisible wall.
"You didn't really think it was going to be that easy, did you?" Johnny Sorrow sneered.
"What have you done, Sorrow?" Jay demanded.
"Why, I've only changed the world!" Johnny Sorrow announced triumphantly.
Johnny Thunder began to convulse. He flopped over into the fetal position and spasmed. His contortions were so severe; Jay thought that Thunder was going to break his own back.
The others reached Flash's position. Johnny Sorrow howled in delight, "I brought you a present, Sandy! Just like you gave me one all those years ago!"
"Oh hell," Sand suddenly guessed what was happening, "Step back people! Now!"
The assembled JSA reluctantly moved back but then Johnny Thunder stopped moving. Sand began a mantra, "Let me be wrong. Let me be wrong. Let me…"
Johnny Thunder suddenly burst open and the bulbous mass of the King of Tears emerged from his carcass. The original members of the JSA openly gaped in horror. The newer members were shocked by the atrocity of the event but they had no idea what was in story for them now.
"Welcome to your nightmare," Johnny Sorrow tittered.