11 Justice League Night Falls
In Bangladesh, the JLU was trying to avert a massacre. Chinese troops had crossed the border. Indian troops had turned on civilians as well. The region was volatile enough owing to the natives trying to break away from India on several occasions. But the militarized presence was only exacerbated by the shadow demons possessing large numbers of troops.
Those that hadn't been taken outright by the shadow forces were slaughtered by their comrades in arms. Then the two military forces on the border united. Possessed civilians were throwing in with the military units, collecting small arms abandoned by the dead.
Supergirl literally blew back a column of troops while Kyle, Hal, and Carol created massive plow constructs and dug trenches in the earth to prevent vehicles from progressing any further. August General in Iron and OMAC stood across the trenches from the troops. August General shook his head sadly.
"I never thought I'd see the day I'd fight against the People's Army," he said dismally.
"You are a member of the Great Ten, a vanguard among the Chinese people," OMAC stated, "You are also now a member of the Justice League Unlimited at your government's behest. What will you do if and when those loyalties conflict?"
"And why would they conflict?" August General sharply inquired.
"It is well known that the People's Republic utilizes costumed agents in the protection of senior government officials and businessmen. These businessmen often include members of the Triads," OMAC pointed out.
August General in Iron fell silent. It was a common practice to offer protection to important leaders, directly to those in the service of the Communist Party, and to those that indirectly contributed through the realm of finance. It just so happened that some of the business leaders were also Triad bosses.
The balance between legitimate and illegal enterprise had always been a precarious one in pre-Communist China. Influence and favors were bought and sold at exorbitant prices. Of course, despite the rhetoric, the Communist Party did the same in practice if not name. Those that brought prestige and hard currency to China could be forgiven a multitude of sins.
None of the Great Ten had ever knowingly protected a Triad. In fact, Ghost Fox Killer preyed upon them in Hong Kong. Her enslavement of the souls of the wicked served to fuel the hidden kingdom she came from. They provided the negative to counterbalance the positive and therefore create the harmony that powered the astral realm.
But August General also knew that others, Darknight and Ri among them, had served in this capacity. August General in Iron knew that Ri had been sent to America to join the Justice Society. Her growing weakness found in her infatuation with Darknight had led to her exile. Meanwhile, Darknight had become leader of the Zhuguan super team. Its name appropriately translated into English as "League". And they truly were one. Where the Great Ten operated semi-independently, the Zhuguan were completely beholden to the PRC government.
"Watch Out!" Supergirl called out.
A rocket propelled grenade slammed into August General. Its explosive head made him grunt but otherwise his armored hide was unblemished. OMAC immediately began threat assessment.
"The front lines are arming themselves with RPGs," OMAC declared, "Someone should alert the Lanterns that the back rows are arming surface-to-air missiles."
"On it," Kara announced as she lifted off the ground.
"I cannot jam the RPGs. They are ballistic weapons that merely stretch forth in a straight line from their launch point," OMAC warned, "However I may be able to emit a sonic pulse that will shatter the warheads after they are launched."
"I am fine either way," August General in Iron boasted.
"But there potential civilian casualties behind us," OMAC alerted him, "Our activities have drawn a sizable crowd."
August General turned to see OMAC was right, "Damn."
"I estimate a sixty-seven percent chance of success utilizing my countermeasure," OMAC announced, "And just in time. The entire front rank is arrayed against us."
A literal wave of rocket propelled grenades was launched. Nearly half were shattered in mid-pair. OMAC opened fire with concussion beams to terminate several more. August General in Iron withstood three weapon strikes. A dozen or so got past the JLers and scattered the crowd.
August General could see a dozen abandoned bodies or so, "This cannot continue."
"In that case, I shall take the battle to them," OMAC declared and he hopped the distance across the trench. His concussion blasters went to work. Creating bludgeons, he hammered at those he didn't shoot.
Many of those atop armored vehicles opened fire at August General in Iron with mounted heavy machine guns. He withstood the barrage in order to give those clearing away the wounded civilians a chance. When their ammo belts had all run dry and they were reloading, August General slid into the trench and then climbed out to give OMAC a hand.
Kara joined Kyle in the air, "Heads up! They're arming missiles."
"Not a problem," Kyle asserted. Then he began to shake his ring hand, "Darn thing."
"What is it?" Kara grew concerned.
"Ever since my ring became a white ring it's had a mind of its own but it's been going absolutely nuts since this darkness overlapped us," Kyle tried explain.
"Save it for later!" Kara said as she spotted missile contrails, "We've got incoming."
Kyle erected a shield and it held…if barely. But Kara cried out in pain as a missile struck her and detonated. She gave Kyle a plaintive look.
"What the hell?" she stammered, "That shouldn't have hurt."
Hal and Carol joined them. Hal asked the obvious question, "Having trouble with your ring?"
"Yeah. You too?" Kyle wondered.
"It's like it's running out of power but I charged it first thing this morning," Carol stated.
Hal and Kyle added that they had as well. Kara interrupted, "I hate to bug you but why the hell did a standard missile hurt me?
Hal and Kyle gave each other quizzical glances. Carol frowned, "Whatever is draining our rings is affecting you too then. I understand you and Superman operate something like solar batteries. Right?"
"That's sorta a dumbed down version of it," Kara protested.
Carol smiled, "I never claimed to be a genius. If our rings are being drained then I guess it makes a perverse sort of sense that you would be too."
"Watch out!" Hal barked.
Nine missiles streaked at them. The JLers all broke away from their gathered position but these were radar guided missiles so they tracked the targets. The Green Lanterns and Star Sapphire were able to shield themselves but it was admittedly getting more difficult. Supergirl wasn't so lucky.
She was literally blown out of the sky by the two missiles that engaged her. Their proximity fuses resulted in a bracketing detonation that left Kara nowhere to run. She hit the ground like a lifeless husk. She struggled to rise as the mixed Chinese and Indian troops converged on her.
Kyle pushed them back with an expanding wall construct. He tended to Kara while Hal and Carol chased off more of the soldiers. Hal's ring fizzled out. He looked to Carol only to find her shaking her hand in protest.
She looked over at him, "I think we're in trouble."
"Kyle, you have anything left?" Hal asked.
"Nope," Kyle protested, "I can't even summon my power battery."
He helped Kara to her feet. She brushed the dirt out of her hair, "I feel terrible."
"I think we're about to feel worse," Kyle warned.
The combined forces had regrouped and now they were marching on the JLers.
Steel and Rocket Red finished with the armored column. The shadow demon possessed tank drivers had effectively destroyed themselves outside of the outermost and innermost units. The two JLers had dealt with those. Now Steel swept the area with his eyes. What he saw disturbed him.
"Have the Global Guardians gone nuts?" he asked Rocket Red, "They're slaughtering those NATO troops."
"Perhaps, but is that necessarily a bad thing?" Rocket Red inquired.
"I can't believe you just said that," Steel remarked, "Dmitry would never have. I can only guess that Alexei would have agreed with him."
"Dmitry Pushkin is dead," Rocket Red replied coldly, "Alexei Medvedev has been reassigned as the Rocket Red Brigade Commander. That leaves me as the Brigade's international representative."
Steel was surprised by this news. Since this Rocket Red wore the Apokoliptan armor that both Dmitry and Alexei had worn, he'd thought he was still dealing with Alexei. The armor's damnable voice synthesizer didn't help matters any. Literally anyone could be inside of the armor and you wouldn't be able to tell.
"And you would be?" Steel asked.
Rocket Red remained silent so Steel pressed the issue, "I like to know who I'm working with. You met me at the conference as John Henry Irons. Now that we've established that bit of trust, let's find out who you are and see if we can build upon it."
Rocket Red seemed to ponder his choices. Steel grated, "We don't have a lot of time here. Lives are at stake."
"I am Gavil Ivanovich," Rocket Red allowed, "I was formerly Rocket Red 7. Now I am the Rocket Red. You are lucky I was chosen because of my internationalist views. My predecessor would have let the NATO forces destroy one another. Any of my other fellow Rocket Reds would. Dmitry was an exception. He was a good man and a dear comrade of mine."
"Talk to me," Steel requested, "Why would the Rocket Red Brigade feel hostility towards NATO?"
Rocket Red laughed, "Are you truly that naïve, Steel? The underscoring hostility between NATO and the Warsaw Pact only transformed into a deep rooted distrust between NATO and the Russian Federation. NATO's insistence on adding former Warsaw Pact nations to its membership rolls has only increased the feelings of distrust. Distrust breeds enmity."
"But NATO is acting with transparency," Steel argued, "Why is there cause for distrust?"
Rocket Red shook his head, "Does NATO not want to erect a missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic? Are these not nations under Russia's traditional sphere of influence? Would not such a shield affect Russia's nuclear deterrent? And as such, wouldn't this grant the United States and NATO a first strike option? The uneasy peace has been built upon the premise of Mutual Assured Destruction. MAD insures that no one is insane enough to destroy the world on a whim. The proposed missile shield makes this a one sided contest and creates a polarized world where a nuclear whim could be fulfilled without fear of reprisal."
"But the shield is designed to intercept rogue missiles from Iran and North Korea," Steel gave the official line despite his being able to see Rocket Red's point.
"A convenient fiction," Rocket Red retorted, "A missile is still a missile, regardless of its launch point."
Steel felt frustrated, "There has to be a mutually beneficial solution."
"There is," It was Rocket Red's turn to recite rhetoric, "Build the shield in Kazakhstan. Our allies there are willing to host such facilities. There it could be operated by both CIS and NATO forces."
"But Iran has many sympathizers in the Central Asian countries you're proposing operate this shield," Steel countered.
Rocket Red chuckled, "It seems we are at the same impasse that our nations are."
Steel shook his head, "We should be able to see this clearer than the politicians. After all, we rely upon each other for our very lives. That kind of trust should offer a clearer perspective."
"Forgive me for saying so but there is not that kind of trust between us," Rocket Red stated, "At least not yet. I believe it is possible. Dmitry had nothing but praise for his Justice League allies."
"But I never saw Dmitry as an ally," Steel asserted, "I saw him as a teammate."
Rocket Red's helmet bobbed in a nod, "Be that as it may, it still seems we have a ways to go before we achieve that perspective."
Rocket Red pointed towards the cluster of attacking Global Guardians, "It also appears as though the Global Guardians are beginning to deal with their own."
Steel took a look, "It also seems that they could use our help. Are you willing to take that first step towards being teammates?"
"I already have, Comrade Steel," Rocket Red assured him.
"Then let's go to work," Steel insisted.
Crimson Fox intercepted the surging crowd coming at Black Vulcan. He'd expended the last of his reserves and currently couldn't generate a spark much less a bolt of electricity. He marveled as she tore through the troops. Her martial arts skills were complemented by a healthy dose of acrobatics. It was like watching a feminine Nightwing. Not even Batgirl had been quite this fluid in motion.
Godiva joined in and caught up with those that slipped past Crimson Fox. Her hair whipped out and lassoed the legs and ankles of passing NATO and French troops and toppled them. Black Vulcan had idly wondered what Goldilocks could achieve if she were in control of her own mind and powers. Now he was seeing it firsthand. It was an impressive sight.
But several troops had gotten past Godiva. Black Vulcan engaged them hand to hand before they could bring their weapons to bear. As he fought them, soldiers beside him were suddenly flipped, thrown, and punched by an unseen force.
As Black Vulcan gaped he heard a distinctly feminine voice say, "Sorry `bout that."
Gypsy dropped her invisibility, "That better?"
"Weren't you a member of the original JLU?" Black Vulcan asked as he returned to fighting attacking troops.
"Yeah," Gypsy ruefully admitted.
"So why are you with the Global Guardians and not the Justice League?" Black Vulcan inquired.
"Why don't you ask Amanda Waller?" Gypsy snapped. She looked embarrassed, "Sorry. It's a long story. J'onn tried to recruit me but he was 'overridden'. Something about my having joined the Conglomerate making me a sellout. Yet Booster Gold founded the same team and he was one of the first recruits for the new JLU."
Black Vulcan could hear the frustration in her voice, "If it's any consolation, I'll look into it."
"Thanks, but us Conglomerites stick together even if Booster screwed us. We joined the Global Guardians when we lost our corporate sponsors. It seems the companies wanted to spend their money on the Justice League. Funny thing that," Gypsy's wry humor won Black Vulcan over.
A torrential windstorm suddenly shored up their flank. Samurai approached. He bowed to Gypsy.
"It seems you and your companions have come to our aid," Samurai observed.
"Yeah, even if Crimson Fox is also a JLer like you," Gypsy reminded Samurai.
"So she is," Samurai allowed. Gypsy could tell the Japanese hero had his own reservations regarding the French heroine.
Apache Chief strode into the conflict. It seemed the Super Friends were reunited. Gypsy knew they had served the United Nations as a separate unit beside the Global Guardians during the Guardians' epoch as the world's official defenders.
"Let's help Godiva and Crimson Fox out before they either kill each other or fall in love," Gypsy jested.
"I shall hold this position and guard your flank," Samurai decided.
"Then we shall assist our comrades in arms," Apache Chief declared.
For some reason, Gypsy liked the sound of that.
The Little Mermaid intercepted Jack O'Lantern and Owlwoman. Ulla pleaded with them, "Jack, Wenonah, listen to me! This isn't right!"
Jack leveled his lantern at her. She leapt into the air as the eldritch blast splintered a tree trunk and it fell to the ground with a might crash. Jack was caught in its branches and was slowly extricating himself.
Meanwhile, Ulla was now in Owlwoman's territory. Owlwoman swept past Ulla and the Little Mermaid felt the Native American's talons slash her back. Ulla was in agony as Owlwoman simply flipped over and came at her again. Ulla caught Owlwoman's outstretched hand and punched Owlwoman with her other hand.
Owlwoman was an accomplished fighter and a gifted flyer but she was far from invulnerable. Ulla's increased Atlantean strength knocked her unconscious with a single blow. Ulla caught her and gently lowered to the ground where she lay Owlwoman down.
An energy blast caught Ulla and she was bowled over. As she clung to consciousness, she spotted Jack approach out of the corner of her eye. She managed to get onto her haunches but she knew she'd never evade his next blast.
The eyes on Jack's lantern began to glow as he took aim, "Now yer gonna fuggin' die."
Ulla believed him.
Tuatara interposed himself between Thunderlord and his prey, "Hey Xih-K'ai! Get me if you can!"
Since Tuatara already knew where the resultant sonic wave would strike, he was already on the move. Although he wanted to bolt like a frightened rabbit, Tuatara measured his pace. Finally he got to where he wanted to make his stand.
"Come on, you git!" Tuatara taunted, "Try it now!"
Tuatara tucked and rolled as Thunderlord unleashed a sonic blast that had been previously unparalled in this skirmish. Fortunately, Tuatara had seen the trajectory, the width, and the breadth of the blast several minutes ago.
It was a careful balancing act existing in the present and the future at the same time. Trying not to confuse the two was a real bitch sometimes. Fortunately, pressure put him at the top of his game. He was out of the way as the sonic wave caught the unsuspecting Olympian.
The Golden Fleece gave the Olympian a degree of invulnerability but that was to ballistic and stabbing weapons. Sound wasn't part of the package. The sonic disruption rattled the Olympian and he whirled to face his new attacker.
Seeing Thunderlord standing there, the Olympian issued a challenge in his native Greek. Thunderlord retorted in Mandarin. And the battle was on as the Olympian used the Golden Fleece to fly towards Thunderlord. The Taiwanese hero responded with a wall of sound.
The thunderclap that resulted from the Olympian piercing the wall bowled over Tuatara despite his being ready for it. He shook his head as he strolled away, "Good luck, mate. Hope your ears survive the experience."
Rising Sun confronted Bushmaster and the Tasmanian Devil. He desperately wanted to reach the Wild Huntsman before the maniac killed anyone else but first he had to go through the other two Guardians. Bushmaster was using his venom strikes but they were only moderately harmful. The victim would be incapacitated for several hours and ill for a few days. For Rising Sun, Bushmaster's constricting abilities posed a greater threat.
The Tasmanian Devil's great strength and speed also presented a natural obstacle. Fortunately, Hugh Dawkins was normally a very compassionate man. With any luck that compassion could be reached.
Bushmaster rounded on Rising Sun. Rising Sun wasted no time on Bernal Rojas. Bushmaster was scorched with a solar blast that drove him into unconsciousness. Now the Tasmanian Devil took notice of him.
Rising Sun tried to persuade him at first but he soon realized that the Tasmanian Devil was beyond such considerations. Rising Sun began unleashing solar bolts at him. The Tasmanian Devil was an amateur boxer in his human form so he was quick on his feet and exceptionally agile. He simply sidestepped every burst of energy that Rising Sun unleashed.
As the Tasmanian Devil closed in, Rising Sun tried a Judo trick from his youth. Tasmanian Devil actually snorted his derision and clocked Rising Sun with a left cross. Rising Sun went down and felt lucky that his head hadn't been torn from his shoulders.
Rising Sun unloaded the equivalent of a small solar flare upon Tasmanian Devil. The Tasmanian Devil was overwhelmed and collapsed into a singed heap. Rising Sun rose and bowed to Tasmanian Devil.
"My apologies," he said courteously.
Suddenly, Rising Sun heard malevolent laughter. The Wild Huntsman had run out of opponents and had taken note of Rising Sun. The Huntsman's horse's reins were tied to a beheaded corpse. The Wild Huntsman's axe dripped with fresh blood and the Huntsman's tunic was coated in the spray of severed arteries.
The Huntsman issued a challenge in German. Rising Sun didn't understand a word of it. The Wild Huntsman's hound darted forward at a snapped command. Rising Sun loathed harming a hapless dog but he blasted the hound anyway. The canine fell over, seemingly lifeless.
This elicited a rant from the Wild Huntsman. Rising Sun hoped that his opponent felt better because the torrent was totally lost on him. The Wild Huntsman hefted his axe and charged forward. Now this language was universal.
Echo opted to stop her three friends formerly of the Conglomerate. Now they were all Global Guardians…yet the division still existed in every real sense. The original Global Guardians tended to stick with each other and rely upon one another in a crisis. To be fair, the former Conglomerate members still did the same. Echo had to wonder though; had that contributed to the current crisis?
Maxi-Man came at her first. Henry Hayes was a peaceable man by nature. Of course, he was even more of a showboat than Booster had ever been. But still, the rage evident on his features was strangely out of place.
Echo erected her deflection field. Maxi-Man hit it with all of his super strength. While he might possess enough strength to rival the Martian Manhunter, at least according to Gypsy, he had something of a glass jaw. Finding the force of his blow reflected back at him, Maxi-Man was knocked out with the first blow.
Reverb tried next. Rather than use his vibration waves against her directly, he shot them into the ground near her position. While he didn't exactly have tectonic powers, he could shake her up. Echo knew he'd simply shift his target area if she moved, so she stretched her field out further than she ever had before.
With the ultimate effort, she stretched it into the path of his vibrations. They reflected back into him and he almost lost bladder control as they nearly tore him apart. Echo approached him on foot while he groaned and tried to rise. Slamming him with a right cross, she yelped as he collapsed.
"Sonova…!" Echo bit off her comment, "And Maxi-Man makes it look so easy."
"You'll wish you would've let Reverb tear you apart by the time I'm done with you," Vapor promised as she began to transmute into an acidic mist.
Echo groaned. This was not going to be easy.