9 Justice League Night Falls
Batman, Nightwing, and Catwoman were single handedly wiping out a squad of SWAT officers. Police Lt. Barbara Gordon turned to Black Canary, "See the problem?"
Green Arrow hovered nearby as Black Canary asked the obvious question, "What's Nightwing doing in Gotham?"
"He was conferring with Selina Kyle on a case of his back in Bludhaven," Barbara explained, "Apparently Batman has Kyle's brownstone under surveillance despite her being in the Justice League now and when he learned Nightwing was in town, he dropped by for a little confrontation."
Seeing Black Canary and Green Arrow's surprised reactions, Barbara added; "The downstairs tenant heard arguing and it got to be so disruptive he called the cops. I was the duly elected representative to try and talk them all down. As you can see, my efforts were a rousing success."
"Did they suddenly turn violent when it became dark?" Black Canary inquired.
"Yes, it was like the darkest part of them came to the surface. Frankly I got the hell out of there and called for backup. It's just been escalating ever since. I talked Commissioner Sawyer into calling in the JLU," Barbara admitted, "It wasn't an easy sell."
"Well, you've already figured out this is widespread," Green Arrow consoled her.
"How wide?" Barbara asked.
"Try the whole planet by now," Green Arrow said distastefully, "But it seems to have started in Detroit."
"What's in Detroit, I wonder?" Barbara pondered that one.
"Obsidian went off the reservation," Black Canary explained, "He seems to be the root of it all."
"He was always a volatile one," Barbara recalled, "You have a team on it?"
"The Justice Society went in first and then the League dispatched a team to find out why things keep escalating," Black Canary answered, "Frankly, this is just proving that having two teams instead of one is idiotic."
The Atom approached, "Excuse me, but I just noticed something on my signal device."
"What is it?" Green Arrow asked.
"Nemesis is here as well but he wasn't dispatched from the Watchtower," the Atom described the situation.
Barbara exploded into action, "Oh hell!"
Green Arrow's neck was hit by a dart. The electrical jolt put him down but the anesthetic contained within the dart would keep him there for hours.
Barbara had her pistol in her hand and she was looking for the shooter, "I don't see him."
Animal Man was the next to fall to a dart. Black Canary vented her anger, "Dammit! We could have used Animal Man to find him!"
"Which is why he was targeted," Barbara said as she moved behind her unmarked car.
Black Canary joined her as did Batwoman. Elongated Man was the next to go down. Black Canary let a few choice colorful metaphors fly.
"He has to be in disguise. He's even better at it than Batman," Black Canary voiced her assumption.
"Which would explain why we haven't seen him. He'll blend in with all those zombiefied people milling about," Barbara deduced.
"Waitaminute!" Black Canary exclaimed, "Where the hell is Katana?"
"For that matter, where's the Atom?" Barbara wondered.
"Hold on! I see her!" Black Canary declared.
Katana struck at the gunman. He'd knocked out three of her new comrades and she couldn't allow this to continue. According to the Atom, this too was one of her Justice League associates so he could live…for now.
Nemesis didn't stand a chance. After she was finished with him, she peeled off the layers of the disguise he wore. She found she recognized him. She was very impressed by his skills. She hadn't a clue as to his true identity before.
Katana noted that Black Canary and Lt. Gordon were joining her. Barbara seemed too intimately familiar with the members of the Justice League. Black Canary seemed comfortable with this but Katana was holding on to her reservations.
"Have you seen the Atom?" Black Canary wondered. Katana's powers of observation seemed mythical.
"He was last seen headed into the fray," Katana revealed.
"Oh shit," Black Canary scowled, "The Atom is many things but being a hand to hand combatant isn't one of them."
They rushed towards the possessed Bat Clan. The SWAT team was now down and their assailants were preparing to meet the JLU head on. Suddenly the Atom grew and punched Batman in the nose.
"Oh, he shouldn't have done that," Barbara whispered.
"Come on!" Black Canary charged to the Atom's rescue.
The Atom shrank in the midst of his getting mangled and wisely retreated. Barbara warned off Black Canary, "I'll take Batman!"
Black Canary knew Barbara had been Batman's student back when she still wore the cowl as Batgirl but was she up for this? Suddenly, Katana took the lead and came into Batman with a flying kick. She dropped into a crouch and responded to his responding punch with a throw over her shoulder. He came up to face Barbara.
The rage he displayed made her tremble inside. Batman was always on the edge of losing control but now the scales had finally been tipped. Could she stop him? Could she even survive, even with Katana's assistance?
Katana unsheathed the SoulTaker. Barbara had to work fast, "Listen to me! This isn't you! You're not all about rage. You're also about hope."
Batman's hands hovered near her. Katana readied a stroke that would take his head off. Barb stood in the balance and waited to see if her gamble would pay off.
Suddenly he relaxed, "Barbara?"
She grinned, "Good to have you back."
She waved off Katana, who went to assist Batwoman against Catwoman. Barbara studied Batman, "She was going to cut your head off."
"The DEO should never have recruited her. She's a killer," Batman declared.
"You almost were as well. What stopped you?" Barbara wondered.
"I couldn't bring myself to hurt you," he said and left it at that.
"Follow me," she requested, "I think Catwoman needs to catch sight of you."
Catwoman lashed her whip out at Batwoman. Katana came in with a round kick that doubled Selina over. The fist that smashed into her jaw put her down. Catwoman coiled to strike and Katana placed the tip of her sword onto Catwoman's throat.
"Stand down," Barbara instructed.
Katana never wavered, "She is still dangerous."
"You're presently a greater threat than she is," Barbara countered, "I won't say it again, stand down."
Katana withdrew put she kept her sword at the ready. Batman confronted Selina and leapt towards him but she faltered as she cleared her head, "What am I doing?"
"I figured as much," Barbara wryly commented.
"It seems Black Canary just pounded Nightwing into the ground," Batwoman observed.
"I'll take care of this," Batman said sternly. He trussed up Nightwing, "He won't escape from that."
He turned to Black Canary, "Now get out of my town."
"You do realize you'd still be psychotic if it weren't for us?" Black Canary asked dryly.
"I would have handled it," Batman said stiffly.
"What about Nemesis and our downed teammates?" Black Canary rebutted.
"Lt. Gordon can take care of those details," Batman replied, "As soon as they're revived, they leave."
"You're really going to be a dick about this, aren't you?" Black Canary realized.
"Do you want me to make you take them with you?" Batman grated.
Black Canary turned to Barbara, "Always a pleasure. Come on, we're out of here."
The Atom returned to his normal stature and joined the group as they requested a teleport. They vanished in the familiar blue flash and Barbara eyed Batman, "She's right. You are being a dick."
"Too bad. I have a city to save," he strode off.
"You do realize I'll have to arrest you for obstruction of justice?" she called after him.
"Try it," Batman retorted.
"And this is why I divorced you," Barbara muttered to no one in particular.
Kent was on his last leg. Lust had joined in the hunt. He knew Greed was in the library. Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride were all after him. Which meant Gluttony was unaccounted for. Kent could only hope Inza wasn't being targeted as he sprang his ambush.
The Sins facing him were momentarily stunned. Order magic ran counter to their natures so he could freely use it. The Helmet of Nabu was somewhere within the tower. He had to find it before it was too late. Dr. Fate could easily combat the Seven Deadly Sins but without the helmet atop Kent's head, there was no gestalt named Fate.
In an antechamber that neither Nelson had yet explored, Gluttony examined the Helmet of Nabu. He craved its power so badly, he nearly shook from it. Finally, having exhausted every recourse towards pulling the power from it, he slipped it onto his head.
He screamed an unholy oath and collapsed flat on the floor. The eye holes of the helmet began to glow and the Sin's body twitched at random intervals. The Deadly Sin had dared the wrath of a Lord of Order and now he would pay the price.
Inza reached Anna's room without incident. Inza hadn't been in Anna Fortune's room in some months. Her dresser was littered with pictures of Al Rothstein, both singly and with Anna. Sitting atop her desk was her laptop computer and her scrying stone.
Inza moved the stone to the floor and assumed the Lotus position. She sought out Jennie-Lynn Hayden. When Jennie appeared in the stone, Inza was startled. The girl was already on the move. Perhaps there was hope for a swift resolution after all.
She shifted the focus of the seeing stone to events outside of the Rice apartment. The King of Tears had returned. The combined forces of the Justice League and the Justice Society were arrayed against the threat. But Johnny Sorrow was also in play as was Obsidian's sponsor.
She turned her gaze inside of the apartment. Sentinel was in there now. She dared hope that the father could sway the son. But as she watched Obsidian, she could read his heart and she knew he was committed to the end game. As she watched, it unfurled and she screamed in terror.
"You have to stop this, Todd!" Sentinel pleaded, "You don't know what you're unleashing."
"I know, Dad," Obsidian sneered, "I think I know better than you."
Obsidian studied him, "So why all the talking? Why not simply try and kick my ass?"
"I never got to be your father," Sentinel said sadly, "Not when you needed one. But I can still try to be there when you need me. Like now."
"Didn't have a father?" Obsidian mocked him. James Rice was twirled through the air, "Here's the one I had."
"Just let James go," Sentinel advised, "He's suffered enough."
"He'll never suffer enough!" Obsidian roared.
"You were a hero, Todd," Sentinel reminded him, "Remember what that feels like?"
"I was a freak," Obsidian retorted, "So was Jennie. We were never good enough because we were always freaks."
"Speak for yourself Todd," Jennie entered wearing her Jade costume. Her left hand glowed with the same green elemental force Sentinel's ring possessed. She noted her father's reaction, "You don't seem surprised."
"Let's just say I suspected. People don't stay green for no reason," Sentinel confided.
"You lied to me!" Obsidian hissed.
"You wanted to join the Justice League," Jade replied, "I just wanted to go back to normal."
"And did you?" Obsidian shrieked, "Did you? Because the last time I saw you, you were still getting stared at because you're green!"
"I've accepted my life, Todd," Jade declared, "Why can't you? Sure, your childhood was shitty but you're an adult now. Why relive those crap years? Do you really want James Rice to run your life forever?"
She could tell Obsidian was unnerved, "He's running your life even now. You've become James Rice. So tell me, do you hate yourself as much as you hate him? Because I really can't see a difference between you."
"Why?" Obsidian almost sobbed, "Why can't you understand? You've always understood me. Why can't you understand this?"
"I do understand it, Todd," Jade remarked, "It just disgusts me."
Obsidian suddenly looked to his side where a particularly deep shadow stood, "Yes, I agree. It's finally time."
"Oh hell!" Jade suddenly blurted, "Get out of here! Now!"
Sentinel aimed his left hand at the wall and used his ring to blow a hole through it. He and Jade retreated. Sentinel kept his gaze upon his son.
The darkness surrounding Obsidian began to swirl. It expanded it a vortex and suddenly a gateway to another dimension opened. It was filled with flames and barren rocks.
The scent of sulfur assailed Sentinel. The landscape was all too familiar to him, "It's Ragnarok! We have to stop him!"
"It's too late!" Jade warned, "The gateway is established."
"Oh God," Sentinel's worst fears were coming true.
James Rice's apartment building ruptured as Surtur and a horde of fire demons sailed into Earth-1's dimension. The people possessed by Shadow Demons clapped their hands and stamped their feet in a soundless victory salute. Jade took a look behind her.
"Dad, what's that?" she asked.
Sentinel turned and saw the King of Tears. Now every nightmare that had haunted him since his return to Earth was now a reality. Fortunately, in the midst of the sea of this misery he saw his comrades and friends from the Justice Society. Standing beside them were the "new kids" of the Justice League.
"Come on Jade," Sentinel spoke at last, "Let's meet up with the others."
They alighted near where Sand was holding an impromptu conference with Diana and Superman. Jay Garrick stood alongside Sand as did Wildcat. Sand was grateful to see Sentinel alive.
"Alan! I'm so relieved to see you. I thought you'd gotten caught up in that cross rip," Sand said.
"Jade warned me in time," Sentinel acknowledged.
"I thought you'd retired. Something about no longer having powers," Wildcat grinned.
"Apparently they come back in a pinch," Jade smiled back.
"What I don't understand is why they're waiting to give us a chance to organize," Diana shared.
"These beings are old enemies of the JSA. They want us to sweat before they destroy us," Sentinel said grimly.
"What about Obsidian?" Sand asked.
"This is way beyond Todd," Sentinel replied, "This could literally be the end of the world."
"Then it's a good thing we're here," Wildcat stated.
Superman's signal device went off and he answered. After he finished his conversation, he smiled, "We have reinforcements coming."
Blue flashes filled the area and more JLers arrived. Commander Steel was among them. He turned to Hourman to get a situation report.
The various demons and demigods began to stir. Diana scowled, "I believe our reprieve is at an end."
"Pick your enemy," Sand recommended.
"We'll take the big guy with the flaming sword and all of his cohorts," Superman decided.
"Good luck," Sand said, "You'll need it."
The JSA gathered for the brief moments they still had. Apprised of the situation, they displayed a resolve unheard of until the fabled organization had formed in 1940. The King of Tears sent his shadow demon possessed allies first. He and Johnny Sorrow would destroy any that reached them.
The JLU gathered as well. Their fortitude was as great as their predecessors. Which is why they too were the stuff of legend. Surtur directed his demon army to attack and they were met by Earth's greatest heroes.