13 Justice League Night Falls
"Look out!" Jesse Quick blurted as she streaked in and smacked a demon before it could mangle Hawk.
"Watch it, sister!" Hawk snarled and stomped off.
Jesse turned to Dove, "Is he always this cranky?"
"Male PMS," Dove smirked.
A demon lunged at Jesse but Hourman intercepted it and smashed its head into its shoulders. The caved in head stayed compacted while the demon fled. Hourman grinned at Jesse.
"I'll suppose now you'll tell me you knew I was going to do that," he chuckled.
"No, I'm going to tell you you're supposed to do that," Jesse smirked in reply, "It's all part of the marital package."
"You mind hanging around for a bit?" Dove wryly asked, "Hawk and I may not be romantic partners but he could use some role modeling in the superhero partners thing."
"Hey Dovey!" Hawk bellowed, "You comin'?"
Dove's expression turned rueful, "See what I mean?"
Jesse turned to Hourman, "Why don't you lend Hawk a hand?"
"How about a fist?" Hourman retorted.
"Now play nice, Rick," Jesse scolded him.
"Give me a sec," Hourman popped another Miraclo pill and swigged it down with water from the hourglass shaped flask he carried around his neck, "Have to recharge, you know."
He left with a jaunty grin and Jesse smacked another onrushing demon, "God, I love that man."
"You two seem well suited for each other," Dove admitted as she chopped another demon's head clean off, "Hawk and I aren't that lucky."
"We'd heard that Hawk's brother was dead and you'd taken over as Dove," Jesse admitted between punches, "I take Hawk resents you."
"Like nothing else," Dove shared, "Not that being partners with him is my idea of fun."
"Then why are you with him?" Jess had to inquire.
"I suppose someone should know," Dove sighed, "What do you know about how Hawk and I get our powers?"
"Fate said Hawk receives them from a Lord of Chaos while you get yours from another Lord of Order," Jesse shared, "Although he didn't sound happy about either scenario."
"None of the Lords are," Dove confided, "A Lord of Chaos fell in love with a Lord of Order. She reciprocated his feelings and they were both castigated by their peers. Exiled, they created Hawk and Dove as a demonstration that the two sides could successfully cooperate. And that theory held true…until now."
"Well, I understand Hawk is rather volatile. Hourman's last mission with the JLU included Hawk as a team member. He was so out of control that Mr. Terrific ordered him off of the mission. And that was with his brother still being alive," Jesse related to Dove.
Dove grimaced, "Hawk takes being the avatar of Chaos a little too seriously. The only reason I'm partnered with him is because it was mandated by my patron. Otherwise I lose my powers."
"And I take it those are important to you," Jesse mused.
Dove shrugged after ramming her pal into a demon's face, "I majored in International Relations at school because I want to help people work out their problems and differences. Being Dove is just that on a quantum scale."
Jesse smiled, "I guess it is."
"Shouldn't you be helping your woman?" Hawk demanded to know after Hourman took up station near him.
"My wife can bench press a car, so mind your manners or she'll break your beak," Hourman advised.
"I'd like to see her try," Hawk snorted derisively.
"Don't push it, Bird Brain. Jesse loves taking on challenges like that," Hourman warned.
Hawk spared a second to glance over his shoulder, "Why is she talking to Dove?"
"You sound protective of her," Hourman observed, "And a little jealous."
"She doesn't know what she's doing!" Hawk snapped, "She's goin' to get herself killed."
"Like your brother did," Hourman caught on.
"Don't you talk about my brother!" Hawk yelled.
"As I understand it, your brother died saving your life," Hourman replied, "I'd say he'd probably feel the sacrifice was worth it."
"Well, it wasn't!" Hawk angrily declared.
Hourman shrugged between punches, "That sounds more like a personal issue. But when it comes to this new Dove, I'd say a Lord of Order would make a good choice. She did the first time around. What would be different now?"
"She don't know nuthin'!" Hawk bellowed, "She…!"
"Did you or your brother know how to be superheroes when you were chosen?" Hourman sharply inquired, "Or avatars of Order and Chaos?"
"Well, not exactly," Hawk allowed.
"But you were given that knowledge," Hourman recalled from reading up on Hawk and Dove after Dr. Fate's rant about them, "It seems that part still holds true."
"It don't mean nuthin'!" Hawk retorted, "She's still a…"
Picking up Hawk faltered, Hourman added; "She's still a woman. Right?"
"Yes, dammit!" Hawk declared.
"Like I said before, it sounds like a personal problem," Hourman restated, "And it's one you need to fix."
Hawk wished Hourman had something he didn't already know.
"Watch out!" Commander Steel shouted a warning as he began punching demons that had flanked Vibe and Cyborg.
"Thanks!" Vibe gratefully replied, "I can take them now."
"Just stay focused on what you're doing," Atom Smasher said as he grew and towered over the field of battle, "Commander Steel and I have your backs."
"Aren't you Atom Smasher?" Cyborg asked as his sonic cannon blasted away at yet another horde of demons, "I thought you'd quit the Justice League to join the Justice Society."
"They were packing my girlfriend off to the JSA and my godfather was a founding member. So what would you do?" Atom Smasher asked.
"I'd probably pack up as well," Cyborg admitted.
"Yeah, well, things aren't always going to be this way," Atom Smasher said as he crushed demon after demon.
"What's that supposed to mean," Vibe wondered.
Commander Steel never wavered in his battle as he answered, "The founding members have basically stated they're just prepping the younger members of the JSA for League membership. So eventually the two teams will unite."
"The sooner the better," Atom Smasher opined.
"I thought you wanted to be part of the JSA," Commander Steel reminded his teammate.
"I did," Atom Smasher retorted, "I just didn't know they were going to hold us back like they do. I thought it was going to be like the old days. This is the first real mission we've been on."
"In the 'old days' the Justice Society was the only super team," Commander Steel reminded Atom Smasher.
"Well maybe in the 'new days' there should only be a Justice League," Atom Smasher suggested.
"Hey, you guys got my vote for membership!" Vibe declared.
"And mine," Cyborg agreed.
"Let's worry about the future later," Commander Steel advised, "Right now we have a demon filled world to save."
The others agreed and got busy. Commander Steel pondered Atom Smasher's words though. They made a lot of sense. He'd have to bring the point up with Wildcat and the other senior members later. The fact that his grandfather had been in the Justice Society gave him extra weight that some of the others lacked. It seemed time to exert that influence.
"Gangway! Comin' through!" Wildcat yelled out a warning as he and the newest members of the Justice Society plowed their way into the demon horde.
The JSA bolstered the JLU's flanks. Black Canary and Vigilante had been so caught up with defending Katana and Sir Justin's backs they'd neglected the approach from their own rear. Black Canary was delighted to see Wildcat, of course.
Ted Grant had raised Dinah Drake upon the original Black Canary's death. He'd taken care of her since her mother had died and had also trained her ever since Dinah expressed an interest in taking up her mother's mantle as Black Canary. He'd been disappointed when she joined the government's Team 7. He'd been happy for her that she'd met Kurt Lance and married him but he'd always felt something wasn't quite right in paradise.
And then Kurt had gone on a mission without Dinah. He'd disappeared and the United States government had declared him "lost in action" and "presumed dead". However, Wildcat wasn't certain all the facts were in.
Wildcat had long suspected Amanda Waller was involved in Team 7. Dinah hadn't reported Waller's direct involvement but Colonel Rick Flagg had directed the unit just as he later led Task Force X. Flagg had been declared MIA shortly after Task Force X's incursion into the second Watchtower to obtain the Destroyer.
Wildcat had undertaken the occasional mission on behalf of the US government over the decades. As such, he had made some important contacts. It seemed a new star was on the rise within the covert operations world. A Colonel Steve Trevor had slid from the strictly military side of things to ARGUS' bosom.
Dinah's current flame, Green Arrow, was unaware that his former protégé, Speedy, was involved with the current incarnation of Task Force X. Speedy had broken his "partnership" with Green Arrow some years ago. He'd been disgusted with his apparent lack of recognition. He'd briefly served alongside the Teen Titans.
But two things happened to break that connection: Speedy was no longer a teen. And, he'd attracted ARGUS' attention. The DEO had made the approach and brokered Speedy's induction into ARGUS. Needing a reliable field commander, Speedy had been a perfect complement to Nightshade. Nightshade hadn't wanted the top slot so she'd refused to accept command when it was offered.
Nightshade also still held a grudge against the government handlers that had sent King Faraday to his death. King Faraday and Rick Flagg had been on a joint mission when they'd vanished. Faraday had enjoyed a similar relationship with Nightshade that Wildcat shared with Black Canary. She'd been devastated by his disappearance.
Director Bones had briefed Sentinel, Jay, Sand, Mr. Terrific, and Wildcat on a rising trend. Meta-humans and costumes in government service were rapidly disappearing. The country with the most disappearances was the United States. The DEO had wanted the JSA to investigate.
Sand had argued that the Justice Society's current mission was as a protector of domestic interests. If the government was losing super agents, they needed to find their own way to stop the hemorrhage. Sentinel and Jay hadn't agreed. Mr. Terrific had been on the fence. Wildcat advised that they shouldn't involve themselves with the government any more than they already had.
Director Bones had dryly pointed out that the JSA hardly had an antagonistic relationship with the US government, or any other, unlike some super teams that were now sponsored by the UN. Sand was stubborn though and swayed Mr. Terrific into declining. Sentinel and Jay acquiesced but they were disappointed. They said problems like this rarely went away because they were ignored. The US tried that with Germany and Japan in WWII and it hadn't worked out.
Wildcat set all those concerns aside as Black Canary's face lit up, "Ted!"
"How's my girl doing?" Wildcat jovially asked, "`Cause you're looking better than ever."
"Flatterer," she accused as she delivered a sidekick to a demon's face, "What are you doing here? I thought the JSA was fighting some monster."
"We kinda killed him," Wildcat said dismissively as he punched one demon and then another, "Actually Stargirl saved the day."
"Courtney?" Black Canary wasn't certain she'd actually caught that.
"Yup," Wildcat proudly affirmed it, "Girl's got guts. And she's doing things with the rod and belt that neither Ted nor Sylvester ever thought about."
Black Canary nodded her acceptance of that assessment, "So who are your friends?"
Wildcat filled Black Canary in while the other filtered in amongst the JLers and began pitching in. Mr. America seemed to gravitate towards Vigilante. He used his electro-whip to explode a demon's face while Vig was reloading.
"Boy howdy!" Vigilante chuckled, "Ah'm shore glad yore on our side, pardner."
Mr. America cracked his whip again with similar results, "I just wish I could keep it up all day."
"Ah know whut ya mean. Ah'm runnin' low on ammo," Vigilante divulged.
"I've heard you use some kind on non-lethal hyperkinetic round," Mr. America shared.
"That sounds like a professional query," Vig observed.
"Sorry," Mr. America relented, "Ten years with the FBI has a tendency to leave a mark."
Vigilante chuckled, "Well, so do these."
His first shot detonated a demon skull. The round pierced the face of the demon behind it as well. Vigilante whooped it up.
"Yee haw! Ah do love it when they line up like that!" he enthused. Vigilante took aim for a second shot and asked Mr. America, "So whut do they call ya?"
"Mr. America," he shared, "Actually, I'm admittedly the second Mr. America. I'm just trying to carry on my friend's legacy as best I can."
"That's pretty durn good of ya," Vigilante expressed his opinion, "Ah'm…"
"Vigilante," Mr. America grinned, "I worked at the Oklahoma City field office. You helped us bag a few Timothy McVeigh disciples just before the Thanagarians came. I was pretty impressed."
"Thanks," Vigilante felt embarrassed, "Whut d'ya say to tryin' to herd these cowpokes my way?"
"Anything for a friend," Mr. America stated. As Mr. America moved off to reposition himself to feed demon's Vigilante's way he had no idea of the swell of pride in Vig's chest.
"Ladies," Lightning said by way of greeting, "Need a hand?"
Batwoman grinned, "I never expected to see you here."
"You don't seem to ever want to run across me," Lightning said snippily.
"Do I detect a major attitude?" Catwoman asked snarkily, "And what's with the stabby lightning bolts sticking out all over on your outfit."
Batwoman buried her face in her hand. Selina had just committed a major gaffe. Lightning wore a cocky smile.
"Watch and learn, bitch," she snorted.
Lightning stretched out her hands and held them out there as a wave of demons came galloping headlong at them.
"Waving 'bye, bye'?" Catwoman sneered.
Electrical energy surged out of Lightning's hands in tow steady stream. The demons were cut apart by the streams. Some exploded and others lost limbs or had their heads severed. They beat a retreat.
Lightning copped an attitude, "Still wanna tussle?"
"Who are you again?" Catwoman inquired.
"The name's Lightning," she declared, "Get used to it `cause you're gonna hear it a lot."
Catwoman looked to Batwoman, who shrugged; "She's Black Lightning's daughter."
"Who?" Catwoman blurted.
Lightning stormed off in a huff and Batwoman shook her head, "Did you just stick your head up Gotham's ass and get stuck there while growing up?"
"Whatever," Catwoman said dismissively, "So who was the guy?"
"Actually, he's still alive," Batwoman remarked, "Jefferson Pierce gained electrical powers and became one of the rare superheroes that existed between the Fifties and the Nineties. Once Superman and Batman showed up at the end of the Nineties, the lid seems to have been lifted off the superhero gig."
"So where and when did this 'Black Lightning' operate?" Catwoman kept an eye on the milling demons approaching them.
"Black Lightning operated in Chicago between the Seventies and the Nineties. He retired after Superman and Batman appeared," Batwoman explained, "But after he retired he helped create the man we know as Black Vulcan."
"Like test tube create?" Catwoman wondered. Seeing Batwoman's incredulous stare, "Hey! Take a look at Galatea and tell me it doesn't happen."
"Point taken," Batwoman allowed, "Black Vulcan was some kind of recruit that Jefferson Pierce dug up when he wanted to recreate the accident that made him Black Lightning. He didn't know his daughter Jennifer already had those self same powers."
"And so now he's a proud super hero daddy?" Catwoman quipped.
"Lose the attitude, Kyle," Batwoman advised, "Pierce is pleased with Black Vulcan's career and success. But he's terrified now that Jennifer is on the streets as a costume as well. She abandoned her plans to go to college in order to work full time as a masked vigilante."
"How do you know all this stuff?" Catwoman inquired.
"I'm a detective, remember? It's my profession and how I pay the bills," Batwoman reminded her.
"No need to get defensive," Catwoman retorted, "I'm a jewel thief by profession but you don't see me making a living that way anymore."
"There's a reason," Batwoman groaned, "It's hard to be in the Justice League if you're in prison."
"Look, we can argue good, bad, and indifferent later. Sparky is about to face down another mob of demons. Only it looks like they're coming at her from four sides," Catwoman observed.
"So she could use some help," Batwoman smiled, "Good thinking."
"I just don't want her getting killed until she shows me how to short out electronically locked safes," Catwoman insisted.
"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me," Batwoman smirked.
Plastic Man, Booster Gold, and Batwing were fending off another wave of demonic invaders when a red garbed woman threw herself into the fray. While Plastic Man relied on his elastic powers, and Booster and Batwing resorted to their technological weapons, Red Beetle primarily used her body and her athleticism to manhandle the demons.
"Did someone paint the Blue Beetle red and give him boobs?" Plas inquired.
"It's been known to happen," Booster remarked.
Plastic Man grinned. Booster's fiancée, Claire, had been born Christopher. With Booster's financial help and moral support, she'd finally undergone Sexual Reassignment Surgery and fully transitioned. Now they were getting married next week. Of course, Plastic Man was marrying Penny this weekend, assuming the Earth was still around two days from now.
"We should help her," Batwing decided. He used his jet pack and flight wings to reach her position and then he began to thrash demons with his bare hands as well. Red Beetle gratefully noticed this.
"Nice moves," she grinned, "And here I thought you were all about the toys."
"My equipment is useful but it has its limits," Batwing remarked, "But with my body as my weapon, my only limit is human endurance."
She noted his accent, "You're not from the States, are you?"
"No," he replied tersely, "Is this a problem?"
Red Beetle found time to laugh between opponents, "Not at all. I have an awful case of wanderlust and like to travel. I'm just wondering if I've visited your country and just forgotten the accent like a silly school girl."
"I am from the Democratic Republic of Congo," Batwing revealed.
"Okay, I've never been there so now I don't feel so bad," Red Beetle gushed relief, "Maybe I could go and you could show me around?"
Batwing was momentarily speechless. He was so stunned, a demon smacked upside the head. Red Beetle took the monster down.
"I'm so sorry. That was my fault," Red Beetle apologized.
"No, it's my fault," Batwing ruefully admitted, "You really want to come to my country and have me as your guide?"
"Yes," Red Beetle asserted.
"But you don't even know me," Batwing feebly protested.
"I know you're willing to put on that outfit and risk your life for total strangers," Red beetle began, "And I know you're in the Justice League. How much more trustworthy do you need to be?"
Batwing wore a wry smile, "It seems you have me."
"Good," Red Beetle was relieved to hear it, "We can talk more when we get passed this."
"Not 'if'?" Batwing inquired.
"There is no 'if'. There's only a 'when'," Red Beetle asserted, "Trust me."
Batwing decided he would.
Sir Justin saw a demon leaping for him even as his own sword plunged into the body of another. Clinically, he knew he couldn't pull his blade free in time to kill the attacker. His surprise was nearly absolute when a Crescent Moon Spear plunged into the offending demon and a young Chinese woman pushed it out its intended flight.
Ri pulled her weapon free and deftly carved the demon up. Without another word, she engaged other demons. She used the spear as a lance, a staff, and bludgeoning instrument all at the same time. Sir Justin couldn't help but be distracted.
The SoulTaker sliced another attacking demon half as it almost got Sir Justin and Katana admonished him, "You must stay focused on the battle. You were lucky I had a moment."
"Pray tell, dost thou knowest the fair maiden that came to my rescue?" Sir Justin inquired.
"Am I supposed to just because she's Asian?" Katana asked in a scathing tone.
"Has the lass done thee some wrong?" Sir Justin asked as he fully committed to the battle.
"No," Katana said irritably, "And yes, all at the same time."
"I dost not understand thy meaning," Sir Justin admitted.
Katana weighed her options carefully before plunging ahead, "I wasn't always on the side of justice."
"Aye, war can seem a great crime and thou art truly a warrior," Sir Justin praised her.
Katana felt an involuntary smile tug at her lips, "I wasn't a warrior. Although I have been trained in Bushido, the feudal warrior arts of my country, in truth, I was an assassin."
"Thou killed people for lucre?" Sir Justin was astonished.
"If you mean money, then yes," Katana revealed, "For gold, specifically. Or diamonds."
"But you dispatched your foe honorably, did you not?" Sir Justin wanted to know.
"I 'dispatched' them by any means at my disposal," Katana shared.
"This is truly vexing," Sir Justin acknowledged.
Katana was surprised to find his words hurt, "Why? Because I served my clan as I had been trained to since birth?"
Sir Justin fully comprehended the vehemence in her voice, "Nay lass. It is simply that no such creature stands before me today. You speak of this life as though it were of the past. Perhaps it well and truly is for I can find no sign of it in you."
Katana ruminated on his words before replying, "Thank you Knight-san. You did not have to be so kind. As a courtesy in return I shall tell you of when I first met Ri."
Out of the corner of her eye she registered his surprise, "Yes, she is called Ri. She has no other given name. Her government has buried her past and some say her family. She has spent her entire life perfecting her combat skills and her meta-human gifts. I met her in Hong Kong where she was assigned to protect my target."
Katana never wavered in combat as she told her story, "Ri was partnered with another Chinese costumed agent. He was called 'Darknight'. They thwarted my first attempt to kill their principle. Of course, it was only my second mission. But it ranks as only one of two failures so it is memorable."
"I not only found myself outnumbered but I also wasn't prepared for the costumed duo's skills. But I quickly deduced Ri's principle weakness," Katana divulged.
"Which is?" Sir Justin was worried about battlefield applications in the here and now.
"Do not fear. It won't be an issue here," Katana assured him, "Her weakness was her love for her partner. My briefings on Chinese meta-human agents had included Darknight and Ri. I struck at Darknight and mortally wounded him. While Ri applied her healing ability, I escaped. I subsequently intercepted the target in the parking garage and beheaded him."
"I thought you said the mission was a failure," Sir Justin wasn't shocked by her description but she realized it did trouble him.
"I wasn't supposed to be seen," Katana explained, "My being spotted could theoretically have led the Chinese back to our clan, and from there, to our sponsor."
"Then why did you let Ri live to heal her paramour?" Sir Justin had to ask.
"They weren't my targets," Katana said as though that explained everything. Seeing that it didn't, she added; "I do not believe in collateral damage."
"Proving once again that thou art honorable," Sir Justin decided. He then asked the obvious question, "Dost though thinkest that she recognizes thee?"
"That remains to be seen," Katana replied, "And it will prove to be a very interesting answer."