Knights or Justice?

by astrocitizen

Once more, the shadow of Britannia has fallen upon an unsuspecting land, and a city now lies in ruin. Again, cries of retribution call out for the fall of the Empire. But whose shall be answered? Those of Lelouch the Black Prince and his vengeful knights? Or those of a strange band of squires and their mentors, the Justice League?

7. Chapter Six

Knights or Justice?

Chapter 6: "Watch and Learn"

by AstroCitizen

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The Watchtower

Low-Earth orbit

The Retaliation plus three days

"You don't have super-powers. You're just human, and that makes you one of the most fragile and pathetic creatures in the universe. Trust me, I know." As the audience guffawed at his twisted advice, the Mylar-covered man then held up his arms in a mock super-hero-in-flight pose as he made his exeunt.

Left onstage were two grown men needlessly rescued from a trivial "danger" anyone with common sense could deal with. One was dressed in oversized boys' clothes, complete with a propeller beanie, while the other was in a paramedic's uniform. "Gee, thanks, Captain Atom," they both chorused, the former with feigned childlike sincerity while the other's tone of voice was plainly dubious, eliciting a few more laughs with his straight-faced delivery.

Flicking his eyes between the television screen and the computer monitor with its series of read-outs and information updates, Green Arrow continued to watch as this year's hot new movie star popped up back in frame, still wearing his faux Captain Atom costume. Directing his face at the camera like an "I Want You" recruitment poster, he added to his earlier nugget of wisdom:

"Next time, be a hero... by remembering you're not."

With the "moral" of the skit complete, the audience applauded just as Showcase broke to a commercial. In spite of himself, Green Arrow chuckled too. He was a good and loyal teammate, but frankly, Atom rubbed him as a bit of a stiff. Nor did it help that his powers were the sort of thing he'd protested against during his days in college.

The ones I can remember anyway, he thought wistfully.

Frankly, he needed the distraction. Months before, the Justice League had been taken over with mind control apparatuses by a conspiracy known as The Light. Spearheaded by an immortal conqueror named Vandal Savage, the Light claimed to believe the existence of super-heroes was stagnating the evolution of Man. Whatever they planned for the League had been narrowly quashed, but not without frightening revelations. The worst had been how the Light had seemingly turned his ex-partner Speedy, a.k.a. The Red Arrow, against them.

"More super-hero comedy, huh?"

Green Arrow jumped a little in his seat as the unexpected voice shocked him from his reminisces. Turning his head, he saw where Captain Marvel had practically snuck up behind him.

"Which one of your gods was a ninja, kid?" he grumbled a bit.

He had no problems with this Captain, but he'd been as put off as anyone else in the League when they'd learned he was really a middle-school student with access to a magic word. So he couldn't resist needling Cap a little bit, hence the "kid" remark. Disappointingly, "Bulk van der Huge-in-a-cape," as G.A. privately called him, took it all in stride.

"Mercury was kind of a sneak, but none of them, really. You're just lucky it's me and not Batman," Cap responded earnestly. He had a better attention to detail than most suspected, and it was obvious Green Arrow had let his wander, something their current chairman would have nagged him about. "Of course, maybe it's that hood of yours cutting into your field of vision. Maybe you should switch back to the cap; it's more 'Robin Hood' anyway," he said trying to be helpful.

The costumed archer glared back at the supernatural muscleman, an act cut down by his domino mask with its opaque lenses. "I've read my William Langland and, trust me, this is more 'Robin Hood'," he said as he grabbed the sides of his hood, adjusting it with a snap.

Cap just shrugged, deciding to let dogs sleeping dogs lie. Returning his attention to the TV, he asked about what G.A. had been watching.

"Just a fake PSA skewering Atom. Captain Atom," he hastily added. Despite laughing about him during a membership drive a few months ago, Cap had become rather attached to the so-called Tiny Titan. "They picked the right one of us to go by, you ask me."

This earned him a critical eye as Cap's mood turned serious. "It could be any of us, Green Arrow. People are scared by all that's happened, and since they don't know… can't know all we've done about it, they're a bit angry at us right now. Some people think we're a bunch of morbid adventure-seekers going after easy wins to begin with. A little satire's good for blowing off steam." He glanced away as he pondered his own words. "Of course, spending some positive time in front of the camera would do us some good as well."

In spite of himself, Green Arrow considered Cap's words, not for the first time forgetting how insightful the normally over-exuberant hero could be. That being said, he couldn't let the kid have the last word in, either.

"You mean like when you and Abby Cadabby showed kids the difference between up and down?"

Cap simply shrugged back at him. "Like I was gonna say 'no' to them?"

Green Arrow grunted as he returned to monitor duty, the words of a long-dead comedian – "You can't cheat an honest man" – popping into his head. And you can't shame transparent sincerity, neither, he thought to himself.

He then had the second of two near-heart attacks for the day as the specialized Zeta-Beam platform powered up without warning. Jumping out of his chair, he ran up to it as he knocked one of his more damaging trick arrows.

"Alert: In-coming trans-dimensional Zeta-Beam transmission," the computer belatedly spoke in its usual stilted tone.

Captain Marvel flew alongside as a few other Leaguers assembled around the platform. Their apprehension all died as three familiar figures appeared in glowing outline, then resolved into their normal physical forms. Well, normal for two of them, anyway.

"Recognized: Martian Manhunter, zero-seven. Captain Atom, zero-twelve. John Stewart, zero-fourteen," the computer announced after they'd all clearly appeared.

"Thanks, 'Majel,'" the archer snarked at the computer voice. Its vocal protocols for overseeing the Zeta-Tubes was always halting and a little over-enunciated, but something about the platform's trans-dimensional feature had exacerbated the problem and they hadn't been able to fix it yet.

He then noticed that there may be a more significant programming error. "'Martian Manhunter'? But that's Wonder Woman," he said, looking at the third, misidentified member of the League's diplomatic mission.

"Are you sure?"

"Not easy to confuse her, Pretty Bird," said Green Arrow as he turned around, already knowing who'd spoken. It was Black Canary, his occasional partner in crime-fighting and, for a bit longer than he'd hoped, fiancée. She had on a self-satisfied grin as she walked up to him along with…

"Wonder Woman?!" he yelped.

Even as he did a double-take between the two identical women, Green Arrow realized the truth. Sure enough, the newly arrived "Wonder Woman's" form shifted, gaining height, her limbs thickening, her… torso adjusting itself, her costume expanding and growing a cape, her hair retracting into her skull which elongated slightly, her flesh tones changing, the irises and pupils of her eyes disappearing. Now standing beside Atom and Stewart was the imposing form of J'onn J'onzz, the Manhunter from Mars.

"How did the meeting go?" the true Amazon princess asked the trio.

"As well as can be expected," the Green Lantern responded. "We made some noise, made some trouble, and returned Marshal Cornelia and her men. Hopefully, they're getting medical treatment now."

"Assuming they don't eat their injured like sharks," Green Arrow muttered, shouldering his bow.

"I believe my façade was successful, Wonder Woman," the Martian said. He then cocked his head in thought, remembering the expression on the Knight of One's face. "In fact, I may have played you too well."

J'onn had been assigned to the diplomatic team so he could get a better feel for the imperial family with his telepathy. Before leaving, he explained his plan to approach them while disguised as Wonder Woman with his shape-shifting powers so as not to put them on their guard too much. In addition to assuming her appearance and mannerisms, Manhunter also took a psychic reading of the Amazon which he'd broadcasted on a low-level telepathic wavelength, thus patching up any holes in his masquerade.

Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't get a chance to ask as the League's current elected leader sidled up to J'onn. "Were you able to take telepathic scans of the royal family?" asked Batman.

"Yes, for what good it did," he answered. "For many of them, their minds held little depth, concerned only with petty desires, sometimes to a frightening degree. They hold all the real power but it is their military officers and political advisers that do the real thinking for them, I believe, finding ways of making their demands a reality. The only ones of interest were their chancellor Prince Schneizel, Japan's military governor Prince Lelouch, and Princess Euphemia, the marshal's sister."

He became a little distracted as he reviewed his impressions of them, his thoughts straying to the young lady. "An unusual example of the Britannian elite, unjaded and untouched by the lust for revenge endemic of her caste. Another reason I wish an appointment with Lelouch's sister."

"Wait… 'lust for revenge'?" Cap said, ignoring that last interesting little tidbit. "What have they to be angry about? They're the ones who attacked us. From what we've learned, they start pretty much all their fights. They're an international gang of bullies," he added angrily.

"That's not how they see it, 'Ca–', uh, Captain," said Wonder Woman. "As far as they're concerned, they're the injured party in all of this."

Her voice carried a hint of mild exasperation, and she'd nearly spoken his title sarcastically. She had a problem with sidekicks and underage super-heroes to begin with, feeling the idea akin to child soldiers, and Marvel was a child even though he wore a demi-god's body. As such, she'd strongly objected to his inclusion on the League once his secret came out, justifying that it was tantamount to joining under false pretenses. It annoyed her when his membership had been renewed, but she was trying not to let it become a thing with her, "trying" being the operative word.

One matter that helped was Captain Marvel's valiant service in the past and present, as well as the commendable actions of "The Team." The Team was a secret squad formed of her teammates' apprentices and junior partners, meant to serve as an undercover squad as much as to give the teenaged heroes training as a group, something the League had lacked and stumbled for in the early days. Wonder Woman found the whole notion dubious in the beginning, but was slowly reconsidering, especially after they'd rescued the League from the Light over New Year's Eve.

Turning to the subject at hand, she held up a notebook where she'd been jotting her observations. She'd been studying the books on history and politics they'd brought from the other universe, and had even been translating a Braille schoolbook when the diplomatic team returned. Some were from Britannia, others were European or Chinese; from the varying view points, and by reading between the lines, she'd gleaned an idea of the Britannian way of thinking.

"This goes back generations to the time of the French Revolution on their world. It escalated into a continental affair called the Age of Revolution, which forced the aristocracy to completely abandon their ancestral holdings and start from scratch in North America. With cultural trauma like that, even though they're close to ruling half the world, they're convinced that their survival still hangs by a thread, and view their former homeland as a threat to their very existence." She paused then, and hesitantly added, "I'm… a little familiar with that kind of outlook."

Continuing, she declared the end result was a closed, militaristic society led by a privileged elite whose one goal was to attain power, no matter the cost. "Only when all potential competition is crushed will they be free of any threat to their way of life."

"At least, that's Britannia's motive as a whole." Everyone turned around at the even timbre of Superman as he joined them. "And with the Emperor out of the way, we've the opportunity to convince them their belligerence is neither necessary nor wise. There's still a chance cooler heads can prevail."

/ * YJ * /

After the diplomatic team had discussed their findings with their ebon-cloaked leader, the Justice League gathered at their conference table. Batman took his place at the head of the table with the Manhunter, Superman, and Wonder Woman by his side, the League's other charter members scattered about the table. Aside from two absent members, the entire League was present, eighteen experienced and lauded super-heroes of varying skills and backgrounds in all.

The conference room in Pendragon had looked like – and was – a gathering of the wealthy and the powerful, all dressed to impress with even the businesslike Schneizel and Lelouch attired in the finest fabrics. The League's meeting, on the other hand, could have been misconstrued as a congress of legends and mythological gods, their costumes running the gamut in form and style, from flamboyant to utilitarian, from colorful to somber.

Some had done so for an intended psychological effect, the clearest examples being Batman, whose colors and designs evoked the nocturnal predator he named himself after, and Superman, who dressed not only to inspire but, with his shield-like chest emblem, communicate his role as a defender. Others were strictly functional, such as the Flash's full body track suit and Black Canary's modified "biker babe" garb that reflected her status as a street fighter. Such as with the Green Lanterns, some "costumes" were actually uniforms, the Atlantean combat fatigues of Aquaman being another example. The most ostentatious in appearance were Hawkman and Hawkwoman; between their armored uniforms and their natural birdlike wings, they looked like an archangel and a valkyrie designed by a Warhammer enthusiast.

An onlooker would have drawn further comparisons between this meeting and its counterpart with the imperial court of Britannia. The royal family certainly would have been interested to know that their enemies' conference table was also shaped like an inverted U. They also may have assumed another bout of similarity from the look of the floor and walls, evidently made from stone, cut and polished to a glasslike sheen. One could be forgiven for thinking they were in a cave fashioned into living and working space like the Emperor's Chinese facility.

The reality, however, would have been far more frightening to them. Not mere polished stone, the meeting room was one of the few places where one could tell the true nature of the Justice League's headquarters. Only a few years ago, the team had abandoned the Secret Sanctuary within Mount Justice to find a new headquarters that met their escalating responsibilities. The end result was a semi-pyramidal skyscraper chiseled into the mass of an asteroid which now floated in geostationary orbit above Earth – The Watchtower.

Like Pendragon, it was more than just a building. It was symbolic of the Justice League's dedication to the protection of Earth from all threats that strained the capacity of standard civil authority, whether it was super-crime, natural disaster, or an invasion from beyond. It was an unspoken vow they all took seriously, especially when they'd all but failed to uphold it.

Despite their power and experience, the Justice League had been next to useless during the Britannian incursion. One moment it was business as usual, the next they were flooded with emergency calls about giant robots. Not only had the invaders been operating under a limited schedule that meant withdrawal before they could respond, but the energy surges caused by their dimensional-jump devices were only noticeable to the Watchtower's sensors when in large groups, such at Philadelphia.

On top of that, the group-surge had apparently knocked out the local Zeta-Tube entry points, forcing the Leaguers to appear outside the warzone and rush over there. It had only been Luciano Bradley's pigheaded devotion to his ghastly mission that allowed the Justice League to capture him and his minions. Even then, they'd practically been too late: Thousands were dead and large chunks of the city were gone forever, the City of Brotherly Love joining New Orleans on the short list of American cities that looked like they may have to be abandoned, demolished, and totally rebuilt.

Next to Philadelphia, military bases were hardest hit, the invaders taking soldiers to task as they did their best with their artillery, tanks, and – in two unique instances – an Apache helicopter and the cannons of a docked battleship.

The same scenario was replicated to some degree or another as soldiers in robotic battle-suits appeared across the globe, many near major cities including London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, Geneva, Rome, Moscow, and Tokyo. A few showed the gravitas to do no more than stand around and look tough, frightening the locals. Most often, however, they'd done at least some damage, smashing buildings and attacking anyone who took arms with them before disappearing en masse. Ironically, given the history of the nation's counterpart with Britannia, Tokyo was among the former, the recent earthquake having already done enough damage that evidently the invaders felt that any hostilities would have been pointless.

The only thing close to a clear win happened in England, where a single battle-suit had appeared just outside the City of London. Luckily, within spitting distance was an unofficial science symposium gathered in celebration of the upcoming royal nuptials. Many in attendance were alumni of the royal rocket-testing program and other, stranger operations that existed during the moratorium in publicly active super-heroes after the J.S.A. had disbanded. Despite being out of practice for years, "Britain's Battling Boffins" – as the newspapers named them afterwards – proved themselves yet again, throwing together with spit and a prayer an EMP device that forced the invading war machine to stall out as it crossed the Tower Bridge. Arriving soldiers were able to pry the cockpit open, only to find the pilot had committed suicide rather than be taken prisoner. The escapade, however, took on the appearance of another Pyrrhic victory when the so-called "motor disruptor" was deactivated and the battle-suit's systems rebooted. This included the teleportation device, causing the battle-suit to vanish back to its home world with its grisly cargo, leaving nothing to analyze.

In retrospect, some of the invaders' activities indicated that they may not have been entirely sure where they were or who they were attacking. This particularly held true with a trio of battle-suits, purple and peculiarly dressed with massive capes, which attacked Fort Knox in Kentucky. Easily driving away the first wave of defense, the lead battle-suit had ripped open the main building while its followers stood guard. Whatever the pilot had been expecting, finding that they'd spent so much time and effort on a gold repository had apparently not been it. From reports, the pilot had flown into a rage that may have seen the entire base destroyed had they'd not disappeared as scheduled along with the rest.

The internet had exploded with theories as to their origin, just as the United Nations exploded with representatives of old enemies accusing one another of being responsible. Makeshift memorials with photographs, candles, and trinkets for the dead popped up on every street corner not overrun with religious zealots proclaiming the invasion a sign of Judgment Day or a punishment for society's sinful inequities.

Seeing that this never happened again had already become a top priority for the Justice League even before the White House and the United Nations both contacted them. Wherever the attacks originated, the League was the world's best hope to field an immediate, palpable response to the danger posed by the so-called Empire of Britannia. And their response had been to immediately… take a careful, measured approach to the problem.

The claims of the captured soldiers, originally dismissed as misinformation or perhaps mental conditioning, were taken into consideration. Doubly so after the Tarnhelm devices, their secrets both mesmerizing and terrifying, were disassembled and analyzed. And duplicated, as the newly configured Zeta-Beam platform could attest.

Tentatively, small expeditions were sent across the dimensional barrier to the invaders' world, now designated Earth-B. What they found there in short order frightened them, unnerved them, angered them, and steeled them. And what they learned was carefully compiled as plans, strategies, and finally time-tables were drawn up. Instead of repeating the mistakes of their Britannian counterparts and hotheadedly attacking their antithesis, the Justice League spent weeks on surveillance, gathering intelligence, and trading places with those who remained to guard against further incursions. With one final sweep across the globe by Superman and J'onn J'onzz, the League approached the American President and the U.N. Security Council with their recommendations and – surprisingly – received the green light on both fronts.

To oversee how well they had done so far, Batman called the meeting to order. Contrary to popular belief, his voice wasn't a hoarse growl; rather, he spoke lowly and evenly with a tone that, while not threatening, wasn't particularly inviting either. If they thought about it, the heroes assembled around him would have wondered when they'd gotten used to it.

"With the return of Martian Manhunter and his diplomatic team, Operation Beta is now concluded," he remarked, calling by name their second wave of attacks on Earth-B. "Preliminary reports all show acceptable damage performed within planned ten-to-fifteen minute schedules. Only the assault on the Dallas Research Institute was unsatisfactory."

Further down the table, Aquaman glanced at the helmeted mystic beside him, but Dr. Fate's posture hadn't changed at all. Not that Batman's comment was meant to reproach his efforts. Despite the time spent in preparation, there had been a margin for error once the balloon actually went up. The Team's penetration of the government bureau in Britannian-occupied Japan had been one. The attack on Chancellor Schneizel's research facilities had been another.

Breaking Britannia's ability to travel across dimensions was a major concern, as there was nothing to prevent them from sending further attacks. While studying the Zeta-Tubes affected during the invasion, they learned the mass-surge in Philadelphia had not taken them offline, but rather caused an interfering Zeta-Beam resonance. The Zeta-Tube system had detected this and automatically shut down entry points in the affected area. It was theoretical they could reverse this, circulating a frequency between all Zeta-Tube entry points at all times that would block dimensional-jumps. However, this was only theory, and so far the proposed "Zeta-Shield" project had yielded nothing.

So it remained a priority to destroy or limit Britannia's functioning Tarnhelm devices, and for the moment they had come up empty. It was to be expected that the project might have been moved to a more secure facility, or been disbanded completely with production of Tarnhelms tasked elsewhere. This didn't stop Fate from leaving a goodbye gift though, weaving a spell on the institute's computer systems had rendered them useless. They would have to be reformatted from the ground up, and until then all they were capable of was sputtering out the lost or unwritten works of Emily Dickinson.

"Damage and sabotage to the Empire's military-industrial infrastructure, in tandem with Operation Alpha missions," Batman added, referring to the earlier attacks in the border territories, "equate a projected 16% loss of Britannian military capability. These actions were performed without loss of life, with potential witnesses – officers and support staff, forced laborers, and civilian bystanders numbering less than a hundred individuals – incapacitated and removed with surveillance systems sabotaged beforehand."

A number of heads around the table, those with an understanding of military matters, nodded approvingly. Sixteen percent seemed like a small reduction, and Britannia was certainly still nothing to sneeze at. But wars had been won or lost over smaller drops in an armed service's ability.

"We'll have a firmer grasp on the situation when the Atom reports in," the chairman concluded. The size-shifting hero had been left behind when the diplomatic team invaded the Imperial Palace. With his potentially subatomic size, the Atom was ideal for spying upon the royal court, as well as going to and fro their world without notice, reporting on the Britannians' plans as well as the public mood and other important details.

"Are we sure leaving him there is a good idea?" asked Captain Marvel. He shot a worried glance down the length of the table at the Atom's doll-sized chair, now unoccupied. "No matter how bad we scared them, they'll be out for blood if they happen to find the little guy."

"That's a big if, Captain. I've worked with the Atom before, and he can take care of himself," said Hawkman. "Admittedly, a long-term mission like this is new, but he's equipped with everything he needs, even miniaturized food rations." He stopped and paused at that. "Extra-miniaturized, that is," remembering his surprise when he looked at what he'd thought was a dust mote under the microscope, and saw it was actually the survivalist's equivalent of a feast fit for a king. It was now even smaller, and occupying a pouch on the Atom's costume.

"Not a lot they could do even if they did find out about him," added Green Arrow. "Small targets are hard to hit as it is, and he'll be moving and getting even smaller if someone gets lucky."

"Speaking of small targets," Wonder Woman spoke up, "there've been topics we sidestepped in preparation for our counterattack. Now that this is actually happening, we can't put it off anymore." Speaking officially, as if presenting a bill to Congress, she added, "I'd like to discuss approaching nations hostile to Britannia, including native insurgency groups in their conquered areas."

From the look on his face, one could tell Captain Atom had been with her up until she'd mentioned insurgents. "You mean work with terrorists? I'm sorry, Wonder Woman, but that's how we dealt with the Soviets in Afghanistan, and look how that turned out."

"They were successful, as I recall," she responded primly.

Atom's features pinched at that remark, but he kept quiet. In spite of her appearance, Wonder Woman was actually decades old, a former member of the Justice Society of America, and one of the oldest still-living super-heroes. She'd seen combat in World War II, and thus had a unique perspective on warfare and its impact on culture and society.

"I've worked with freedom fighters before, Captain," she continued. "Partisan fighters in Italy. The Dutch and Norwegian resistance. Free French and the Comité français de Libération nationale. I know it's not appropriate to say so these days, but the adage is sometimes true: 'Terrorists' is what the big army calls the little army."

At this, John Stewart spoke up. "Whatever you want to call them – freedom fighters or terrorists – it's not as simple as 'good rebels vs. evil empire' like in the movies. Now, if – if – we approach insurgency groups, it should be like some that you just mentioned, Wonder Woman. If I remember my history right, the Free French was formed by de Gaulle and others in the armed forces who wouldn't roll over for the Vichy regime the Nazis set-up."

"And the resistances were in support of, and recognized by, their royalty and other government officials in exile," agreed Aquaman, who'd been a king-in-exile more than once himself.

"Using those organizations as models, we should seek out groups whose intent is to realign their occupied country with their legitimate government body, and in fact may be acknowledged by surviving elements of the same," suggested Icon, trying to form a middle ground between his fellow Leaguers' preferences. An extraterrestrial, he'd been a legal mediator of sorts before his time on Earth, a skill set he used in his private life as well as League meetings like this.

"In the former state of Japan, for example, that would be the Japanese Liberation Front, which consists of remnants from their self-defense force," explained the Red Tornado in his electronic monotone.

"In the past, that may have been true," countered Icon. "However, recent events have shown J.L.F. officers taking action in which distinction between Britannian authority and civilians was clearly not afforded. Indeed, civilian population centers, such as a lakeside luxury hotel some months ago, were primary targets."

"You equate them with the so-called Blood of the Samurai organization, then?" the android queried.

The Blood of the Samurai is, or rather was, an actively militant group on Earth-B who'd been wiped out recently. Aside from abolishing Britannian rule, their charter followed an extreme form of Bushido, and held ideas of ideological and cultural purity such as re-implementing ancient Japanese class lines as during the Edo period. They'd also specialized in attacks on "soft targets" – undefended locales heavy with civilians – in the hope of terrorizing the Empire into capitulation. All in all, they'd had potential to become an extreme fundamentalist political group not unlike the Taliban if they'd achieved a level of influence.

"No, not yet anyway," Icon clarified. "The Blood of the Samurai had the indicators of a radical movement seeking to bend government policies towards what they deemed a correct path. The J.L.F. merely wishes to restore the democratic system in place before their country was occupied. However, they seek to resolve Britannia's occupation using standard military policy, which is simply beyond their capacity to achieve or maintain if successful. They either cannot or will not adapt, and so have entered into an unproductive cycle of violence."

"And revenge," Black Canary interjected, "which describes most of Japan's resistance groups. They have lofty names – 'Alliance' this and 'People's' that – but they behave little better than street gangs in a prolonged turf war."

From across the table, Green Arrow mumbled, "So what else is new?"

"That may be true, but keep in mind they're neither radicals nor soldiers, Black Canary," Superman pointed out. "They're ordinary people, trapped in a situation not of their own making, and scared of what tomorrow may bring if things don't change. They're not criminals, not most of them anyway. They're just desperate."

"In that case, give me the Injustice League any day." Sitting next to Black Canary, Hawkwoman had spoken as she held her hands out over the tabletop, the motion activating a holographic computer screen with a keyboard. "You're right, Superman, but that only emphasizes the problem. They have a general goal, but no real plan on how to make that happen, punctuated by rash decisions."

She'd continued to speak as she typed away, activating the larger hologram projector between the sides of the conference table. An image appeared, an enlargement of a newspaper article reporting the official version of the Shinjuku massacre, along with accompanying photographs.

"This one group caused a pogrom when they allowed themselves to be followed back to one of the ghetto areas surrounding Tokyo after committing a robbery. When they lost sight of them, the military simply attacked indiscriminately and afterwards claimed the fatalities were caused by poisonous gas unleashed by the insurgents. Keep in mind," she added, "they actually had stolen a large gas canister, and who knows what they were planning to do with it. Considering the number of civilian casualties, they might as well have used it there."

"If we're worried the apples in the barrel are bad, then let's go straight to the tree," said the Flash, paraphrasing a favorite movie line of his. "The Houses of Kyoto not only fund most of the real resistance in Japan, but they're supposed to have ties to Japan's surviving nobility. In exchange for aid, we can specify personnel and manner of tactics to be used or refused, which Kyoto has the juice to make happen. This way we can avoid groups with an agenda to push, or just looking for their pound of flesh. No more amateur hour. No more 'collateral damage'," he said derisively.

"If we can find out who they are," Hal Jordan, the team's first Green Lantern, said next to him. "They're hidden better than the Light." He then whispered "'Juice'?" as an aside to the Flash, incredulous at his friend's attempt at street lingo. Slightly embarrassed himself, the red-clad speedster simply shrugged in response.

"The Kyoto Houses are the same men as the board members on Area 11's Number Advisory Council."

Several Leaguers blinked as they looked at Batman, who'd just spoken so matter-of-factly. Speaking for the group, Green Arrow asked how he figured that.

"Occupied Japan is home to some of the most intense ongoing resistance on Earth-B. Their supply lines would require money and access to materials, lots of it. The councilors are all Japanese industrialists with close ties to the Prime Minister and the government who suddenly threw in with the Empire, supposedly to retain their wealth and privilege. Res ipsa loquitur."

A few looked doubtful that it was so simple, so he added, "Believe me, when an outlaw operation requires high-finance to continue, secret identities become rather obvious."

At that, the Leaguers exchanged glances as they considered the idea. Green Arrow, a former playboy who bankrolled his crime-fighting campaign with what remained of his fortune, simply shrugged and nodded in agreement, obviously not giving Batman's comment anymore thought than that.

Out of the corner of his eye, Batman saw Superman cover his mouth with his hand, apparently rubbing the sides of his face with his thumb and forefinger, but was actually hiding a grin. There was a twinkle in his eye that seemed to say, You enjoyed that, didn't you, Bruce?

In response, the Dark Knight tapped upon the tabletop with his index finger in Morse code, so lightly that only one man present could hear it. I don't know what you're talking about, it translated.

When the meeting settled down again after Superman's sudden bark of laughter, the discussion continued, discussing the two rival powers on Earth-B, and the possibility of approaching them with offers to help. With the conquest of the Middle Eastern Federation in recent months, this left the Euro Ultra-union and the Chinese Federation, which together consisted of nearly the whole Eurasian continent, its people, and resources.

The Euro Ultra-union was a democratic union of nations that covered Europe including Russia, and even held much of Africa until Britannia started expanding again. The E.U. was much like the European Union on their world but with expanded powers and was much, much older, having been established during the Industrial Revolution. From what they could gather, the socio-political scene following the Age of Revolution had altered the outcome of the Concert of Europe, the assembled powers choosing to accept Enlightenment and other liberal ideas rather than give in to nationalism and old rivalries. As a result, instead of the "balance of power" which led to the First World War as on their world, a pan-European confederation formed which today looked to be Earth-B's best hope against Britannian imperialism

Even more unusual was the Chinese Federation, which held all of mainland Asia, and even India and Pakistan. Some permutation of the eras of the Dowager Empress Cixi and communist revolutionary Sun Yat-sen had resulted in a unique form of government combining the features of a socialist republic and a constitutional monarchy. Despite the inherent contradictions, the Federation was in essence a communist state that retained the imperial family as cultural leaders. They had kept much of their territory by remaining neutral in most international controversies, although they had not gone unaffected by the Empire, which now partially held regions such as Korea and Cambodia. Nevertheless, China had a massive army on standby, certain to be a factor should outright hostilities with either of its neighboring superpowers ever break out.

Sadly, both had their faults.

Already hampered by a Heller-esque bureaucracy, cracks had started to form in the E.U. with some countries threatening secession. There were a variety of reasons, ranging from simple weariness over the prolonged war with Britannia, to more palpable motivation such as citizens' fear of enslavement by the encroaching Empire. Even worse, during their surveillance missions, they'd come across encoded communications that hinted at collaboration. Like any democracy, the E.U.'s national representative body, the Central Hemicycle, was fraught with politicians more concerned with retaining their positions than with long-term stability. But now some were secretly negotiating with Schneizel, effectively arranging seats for themselves on future N.A.C.'s once their respective nations had fallen.

Further damning Europe were the W-0 Units, a clear about-face from the Ultra-union's stance as a fair and equal society. Reminiscent of the French Foreign Legion, these units were formed by actively recruiting – possibly even conscripting – refugees from Britannian-occupied lands. Promised a fast track to naturalization and full civil rights as a European citizen, they were pretty much being used as cannon fodder so native-born citizens could be spared, at least for the moment. Adding to the fires of racial prejudice in Europe was supposition by some that Britannia's war was simply to reacquire their runaway Numbers.

This at least could be excused as due to pressure from Britannia's war of attrition against the Ultra-union. Wonder Woman had seen a similar breakdown in morale and civilization during the London Blitz as panic would occasionally take hold and people turned on one another. There was hope that their campaigns on the Empire's borders and infrastructure had given the besieged E.U. some wiggle room to regain lost ground, perhaps even a decisive victory over Britannia's forces. As such, the Euro Ultra-union remained a possibility they were open to discussing with the American government and the United Nations.

For all its faults, the E.U. was a land of milk and honey in comparison to the Chinese Federation. The supposed piety of many communist states to Marxism often hid a severe class gap upheld by a coercive state security system, a matter on which Earth-B's China was not only the same, but had done so with gusto. Total control of production and distribution by government officials had led to criminal mismanagement, stagnating the economy and leaving most of the population in abject poverty. The relative few who could find work were exploited, with China's inconsequential middle class hardly living any better. The bulk of the country's wealth laid in the hands of its minute but overarching upper class, which consisted mostly of the same government officials that had ruined their country to begin with and their toadies. As a result, there was rampant abuse of power, with territorial governors treating their provinces like personal fiefdoms.

At the top were the members of China's "politburo," the supreme council of both the state and the ruling party. Following the trappings of Imperial China, they styled themselves after the Emperor's advisers and ministers in olden times, and were even known as the High Eunuchs, although how apt a title the League felt no incentive to investigate. Much like the Parliament of the United Kingdom, they were supposed to be a legislative body who served at the behest of the head of state, which in this case was the Emperor of China (or "Tianzi"). The reality, however, was they were a gang of shameless despots whose only real concern was an uninterrupted life of excess. And if given the opportunity, they were likely to sell out to Prince Schneizel without a second thought.

Only China's imperial family, descended from the Qing Dynasty, could take the High Eunuchs to task, and their numbers had suspiciously dwindled over the years. Perhaps it was a secret program begun during the revolution to help ease the country into a total socialist state, or perhaps it was another sign of the corruption at the heart of the system. Whatever the reason, by the time Japan was invaded, all that remained was the current Tianzi, his queen consort, and their daughter. There was also a cousin with a family of his own, but they all died shortly thereafter, although the body of a son was never found. With the "accidental" death of the imperial couple not long afterwards, all power rested in the hands of the daughter, Jiang Lihua, a little girl who'd easily been bullied into allowing the High Eunuchs to run China as they wished since then.

"So, our options are a corrupt democracy that's losing and starting to fall apart, or a massive pyramid scheme that's just about as bad as the Brits?" Green Arrow summarized, although like many on the League he was half of the mind to pay the High Eunuchs a visit all the same. The ceremonial makeup they daubed themselves with included a three-part symbol that resembled the arrowheads sewn onto traditional British prison uniforms, and he dearly wanted to make that emblem prophetic.

"We don't need either of them to beat Britannia really," Hawkman said. "We already have the backing of the American president, and the Security Council can arrange aid from other nations affected by the attacks. So if we have to, we can go in alone."

"We can, but should we?" asked Superman. "We have rules and regulations on if, when, and how we interfere with other countries. We've bent them for the greater good before, and had covert missions using the Team, but this…" He stopped and paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "We're only going to be on Earth-B for so long. These people will have to solve their own problems, and we need to give them a hand-up, not a bail-out. And I think we may be too used to outright rescuing people to do that."

"And because of that, we could accidentally wind up playing kingmaker, and make things worse," stated Captain Marvel, sympathetic with his hero being torn over the prospect of helping too little versus outright meddling.

Batman gave him the briefest look of approval at that. "One of the main reasons we kept to the shadows on this one. How would it affect Earth-B's other nations to learn of us? The people oppressed by the Empire? Even assuming they believe we won't seek to replace Britannia, could we allow them to put much faith in us? Give them hope for a world free of the Empire that we may not be able to provide, not when preserving our own world is our main objective?"

"When you allow people to place all their faith in one person, you're setting them up to be betrayed. I understand that better than most think," added Superman. "It would be less damaging to stick to realistic goals. Now is not the time to experiment in building Utopia."

"Wait, what's this about us not giving them some hope?" demanded Black Canary, to which her partner answered.

"Bats means that Britannia may just back off and pursue peace once they realize they've poked the bear. We'd have to do the same in that case, and let them keep on trying to take over Earth-B. Not my favorite thought either, but we have our own world to worry about and our own problems to deal with."

Some were surprised the Robin Hood-inspired hero would back down given the opportunity. His own conscience wasn't too keen either, but he had his family to look after. Vandal Savage's takeover of the Watchtower had revealed that Red Arrow was actually a clone, the real Speedy having been kidnapped and replaced by the Light years before. The search to find him had been fruitless so far, but neither Arrow had any intention of abandoning it anytime soon. However, the sudden war with Britannia had changed things, forcing G.A. to put the League's mission first while Red Arrow continued alone.

"Nobody's saying we don't," Wonder Woman responded heatedly, "but how can we meet our obligations with the threat of invasion constantly looming over us? Everything we've seen and learned warns that any attempt to reason with Britannia will be taken as a sign of weakness. The best we can expect from them is an extended lull while they try to develop countermeasures to our powers, then they'll make a second attempt."

Sitting back in her chair, she sighed heavily as everything she'd seen during the League's spy missions rewound in her head. The hedonistic garden parties of the aristocrats. The military parade grounds and innumerable battlefields swarming with the robotic vehicles that had all but burnt Philadelphia to the ground. The shantytowns and Prypiat-like ruined cities that were the only available homes of the Numbers, the slaves and "untouchables" of the Empire. And the Britannians were proud of it. Everything that they had done for themselves and to the world was deserved.

"With their 'survival of the fittest' mentality," she said as she began talking again, "the Empire has built the sort of world Vandal Savage envisions. A world where those with the power take what they want and look after themselves, while leaving everyone else to their fate. For that reason alone we should fight them, and given they now wish to spread their empire to our world, we're justified in doing so. Whatever the social ramifications may be, we should pursue a continued war until the Britannian Empire is no longer a threat… to anyone."

"I agree," burbled Dr. Fate's voice. It had been unexpected, as the helmeted figure usually sat through meetings in somber repose, and so many Leaguers started… or flinched, rather. When he spoke, Fate sounded like two people talking simultaneously, and unlike with Batman, there was simply no getting used to it. Not with the semi-human voice of Nabu, a supernatural entity whose essence was conducted by the helmet, overlapping the natural, cultured tones of Giovanni Zatara, a spell-caster of no little ability who was the father of Zatanna, and Nabu's thus far permanent host.

"As the Martian Manhunter discovered in China, the Britannians have conspired to imbalance the laws of nature. Such actions cannot be condoned. So long as the prospect of Ragnarok lives, the safety of all worlds is in endangered."

J'onn J'onzz paused in thought as he considered the Lord of Order's words. During their espionage operations, he occasionally felt eddies in the noosphere – the psychic strata – of Earth-B. Curious, he'd used the final look-and-see of the parallel world to track their source.

He felt a significant concentration of psionic energy while over the deserts of China, which he scanned telepathically, intrusive but not so intense as to be detected. The thoughts he encountered suggested a hidden research program delving into extrasensory perception and psychokinesis sponsored by Britannia. Its presence within enemy territory aroused his suspicion, as did the presence of several young minds, the minds of children, his anger.

The day of Operation Alpha, he invaded the facility, bringing along his niece Miss Martian, who shared his psionic powers, and Plastic Man, whose malleable body left him better protected than most from whatever physical threats they could find. They entered, expecting little more than an intensive psychic warfare program. Instead they found the truth, which on this occasion was more frightening than their assumptions. Within a massive cavern which branched out into innumerable underground tunnels was a subterranean city, a modern Moria inhabited by a cultish group consisting of psychics and the scientists who studied their powers. Among them were assassins-in-training being taught to use their powers for the benefit of the Empire. Many of them were those same children Manhunter had initially detected.

Regardless of age, they possessed psi abilities backed by raw power that made them almost unstoppable. The only reason J'onn and his squad survived was the manner in which their abilities manifested, as each had one specific form of psionic power and even then they differed in the conditions by which they could use it. As such, they could not attack in unison for their powers were more likely to cancel each other out than be of assistance. Between that and the relative inexperience of most of them, the squad lasted long enough for the Martians to prepare a widespread mind-bolt that fell the entire compound, leaving only those with the strongest minds conscious.

At the center of it all, they found no one less than the Emperor of Britannia himself, Charles zi Britannia, overseeing the operation. Unfortunately, he proved to be a psychic himself with the power to rewrite memories and personalities. J'onn shivered slightly as he remembered the Emperor's power slowly but surely burrowing into his mind. Thankfully, he and M'gann had combined their powers to form a telepathic shield that resisted the Emperor's power, distracting the tyrant as Plastic Man tackled him from behind. His power dependent upon eye contact, Charles was neutralized as the Stretchable Sleuth molded himself into a living combination straightjacket and blindfold.

Usually, that would have been the end of it, but it was not to be. There had been a small child inside the facility's command center, richly dressed and with exceedingly long hair. Foolishly, they'd presumed he was another victim of Charles' experiments as neither Martian could detect his mind. While they'd been restraining the Emperor, the boy ran off into hidden tunnels and chambers deep within the cave system. Miss Martian had flown after him, assuming that he was simply frightened of them.

Instead, expressing a mentality and capacity for ruthlessness far beyond his apparent years, the boy had run to a secret hangar where he took command of a giant, modified Knightmare vehicle. As it cleared its moorings, it was plainly a prototype, and under construction to boot, as it floated in midair like a monstrous Christmas tree ornament. Still, the machine was powerful, keeping them at bay with either its rockets or flailing its anchor-lines at them as its pilot attempted to bring the entire cavern down upon them all. He was only defeated when Plastic Man used his nonconductive body to avert a portion of an electrical field around the juggernaut, allowing the Manhunter to phase through to the cockpit and forcibly remove the little terror.

As Checkmate appeared and began taking the Emperor and his subjects into custody, J'onn and his squad began taking stock of the facility. Plastic Man led a foray into the compound's computers and file rooms, the safecracking skills of his former life coming into play. Meanwhile, J'onn and his niece scrutinized a series of ruins central to the cavern, particularly the sealed archways which were the convergence point of ethereal forces he'd originally detected. And between the two efforts, they'd learned damn near everything.

The ruins, codenamed "Providence," which were the true reason for Charles' multiple invasions since taking the throne. The World of C, a solidified formation of the noosphere to which the archways served as a nexus, and the Jungian collective unconscious that manifested therein. The Ragnarok program, the Sword of Akasha, and the Emperor's mad dream to impose peace on mankind by erasing people's individuality. A mad dream he shared with his brother, the eternal child V.V. With this one mission, the entire situation had escalated from dealing with a belligerent trans-dimensional nation, to a plot to rewrite human nature itself.

On a lesser note, these discoveries had made the parallel world of Britannia just a little less alien to the Justice League…

In addition to people affected by alien encounters or episodes of magic and/or science gone awry, the past hundred years had seen the appearance of "superhumans" on their world. These were people who'd spontaneously mutated during events of extreme physical stress or environmental factors, including exposure to exotic chemicals or even radiation. As a result, instead of being killed or crippled, they'd developed extra-normal abilities that not only allowed them to survive, but thereafter possessed permanently. Multiple studies had yet to identify the genetic X-factor responsible, which appeared randomly throughout the human population, regardless of race, sex, nationality, and heredity. While the relative few who gained super-powers either split off into criminals or civic-minded adventurers, or simply hid their powers to continue normal lives, an undercurrent of equal parts hostility and opportunism had formed within political arenas around the globe.

The humans of Earth-B, on the other hand, seemed to be wholly lacking this same potentiality, the apparent tradeoff in their biology being a wider variety in eye and hair color. Learning of the mental powers called Geass – seemingly named after the curse from Irish folklore called a "geis" – and its symbiotic relationship with the regenerative-matrix known simply as Code certainly got the League's attention.

J'onn came back down to Earth as Dr. Fate continued speaking, suggesting that the Providence sites be destroyed, as well as the Emperor's research used to locate and remove those possessing either a Code or a Geass-power from the general populace.

"Okay, that's just going too far!" Captain Marvel objected. "How would we like it if things were reversed? Suppose some of our bad guys caused trouble on some other world, and people came from there demanding everyone with super-powers be turned over to them so they won't be bothered anymore."

Around the table, six members suddenly felt odd, as if vaguely reminded of something they couldn't quite put their finger on. Unable to grasp the thought, they brushed it aside as the once-beleaguered Leaguer continued to speak, partially addressing Dr. Fate. "Now, I'm as willing as anyone to take the fight to Britannia for however long it takes, but what you're suggesting punishes random people who aren't involved with the Emperor's schemes," he ended, a slight accusatory edge to his voice.

"By eliminating Providence and isolating the immortality Codes, a handful suffers while the billions who remain and those yet to be born are safeguarded," Fate retorted. "As Superman said earlier, it is for the greater good."

Superman was about to say something about words being put in his mouth when Cap spoke up again. "Maybe it makes some kind of 'big picture' sense, but that doesn't change the fact that we'd be acting like we know what's good for everyone. Even when you have the best of intentions, it's the same as an evil act when you force them on others, not asking or caring how they feel about it."

"A lesson proven again and again by history, most recently by the intentions of the Emperor and his brother," J'onn said in agreement. "Furthermore, destruction of the ruins would itself lead to an imbalance in order on their world. They, the Code, and those with Geass are part of their world's unique heritage. Those who have obtained power only to abuse it should be made to answer, but we cannot deny an entire civilization its right of responsibly."

A forced cough echoed from the end of the table. Most everyone turned their attention to Plastic Man, who'd been silent through the meeting until then.

"Since we're on the topic of punishing people, call it morbid curiosity, but what's the 411 on the people we've… arrested? Taken hostage?" He ended it with a self-conscious shrug, not quite sure as to the legal status of the people they'd brought back with them from Earth-B.

Knowing what he referred to specifically, Batman activated his own holo-laptop and punched a button. The main projector hummed to life again, displaying the image of a young teenaged boy with brown hair. He was lying on a hospital bed with a respirator over his mouth, a heart monitor and a series of other devices hooked up to him. Despite his fragile state, he was in restraints, including an inhibitor collar, and no one would have been surprised to know his room was under heavy guard.

In spite of his age, he was one of Emperor Charles and V.V.'s psychic assassins, and an experienced one at that. His Geass could paralyze the perception of time over a wide area, effectively immobilizing everyone within reach, and been effective in stopping Manhunter's squad early in their invasion of the Chinese facility. His attempt to kill them failed disastrously, however, as he chose to start with shooting Plastic Man, whose power to stretch he'd badly underestimated. The result was he'd nearly been killed by ricochets off of the Leaguer's naturally super-pliant body. Plas had been distraught afterwards, the less-than-hardened ex-thief hysterically laughing for a moment that he had to go straight to become a child killer.

"Rolo," Batman said, having learned the boy's name from the Geass Directorate's files, "came through surgery, and is expected to make a full recovery, although installing a pacemaker sometime in the future has been recommended." Allowing Plastic Man a moment's relief over that, he then continued. "What happens when he's released is still being discussed with the proper authorities, though.

"Right now, many of the cultists are being detained in the high-security wings of hospitals, where child services and medical teams can examine them. Their Providence research, meanwhile, is being analyzed by staff from S.T.A.R. Labs. This includes that curious amnesia victim Manhunter found."

As he said this, the image changed to another teenaged boy, years older than Rolo, with locks of prematurely gray hair. While experimenting with opening the archway in the Geass facility, J'onn had discovered the teen within the transit way between the physical world and C's World. He'd sensed that the teen was touched with a Geass, but also amnesic with no memory of who he was or how he became trapped in Earth-B's noosphere.

He was now on their world along with the other children from the Geass Directorate, being looked after by a prolific think tank organization the League had worked with extensively. Out of love for a famous TV host-slash-hoax debunker from yesteryear, staff members had nicknamed the mysterious teen "Ray".

"The hardliners, who are the same age if not even younger than Rolo, are another factor," said Batman as he continued. "They're too young to go to Belle Reve, and too dangerous for either the hospitals or standard juvenile detention."

"Perhaps a separate section of that new prison I've heard about?" the Flash wondered aloud. "It's been done with V.V., keeping him secure but also out of general population." His comment about a new prison started whispers around the table again, for which he and Batman provided an explanation:

Nicknamed the Brain Trust, a new penitentiary had been specifically built to house criminals with advanced mental powers – hypnosis, clairvoyance, mind-reading, etc. There had always been worries that these sets of powers made keeping them imprisoned particularly problematic, as they could circumvent the system, blackmailing the guards or even taking control of them without them being aware of it. Construction had begun under heavy public criticism that it was all pork barrel politics, but then the Belle Reve scandal had happened. The invasion had stalled matters, but it had been completed and a series of inmates already moved there in recent weeks.

The very structure of the building was meant to hinder the admission of psionic energy with ironwork using magnesium-tungsten alloys and girders with cores of pure selenium. Circuitry woven into panels of the inner walls prevented astral projection and telepathic communication with the outside. In place of guards, the facility was run by a fully automated system that that saw to the prisoners' needs as well as maintaining order. The same was loaded with internal motion sensors which followed their own movements, making sure all actions fit programmed activity, as well as over a dozen redundancy systems that switched on and off randomly, preventing telekinetics or those capable of electronic manipulation from controlling them. This was backed by knockout gas under high-pressure that would be released throughout the facility should the worst happen.

As they spoke, a series of images of the new complex played out holographically. They ranged from blueprints of the building to technical drawings of the spindly-looking robots that managed the place. As if to emphasize its ability to contain malcontented mentalists, it ended with a security camera's shot of the Brain Trust's latest occupant, the Britannian Emperor, awaiting a possible hearing before the International Criminal Court in the Hague. He looked distinctly unhappy as he brooded in his cell, his stately uniform traded in for the cassock-like garb of the penitentiary which combined a prisoner's coveralls with a hospital gown, held together with Velcro straps as were his slippers.

"'Automated'… so there's no people at all involved in it?" Stewart asked, not entirely convinced that was for the best.

"The computer system is checked and managed constantly by an I.T. team located within a police station several miles from the prison itself," Batman explained. "Additionally, there are administrators on site with formidable psionic powers of their own."

"That's good. Who are they?"

Hesitantly, Batman continued. "The chief administrator is Hank Pemberton, a.k.a. Brainwave, Jr."

Many around the table who knew of the young man responded rather favorably. Hank was the son of debutante Merry Pemberton and nephew of wunderkind Sylvester Pemberton, Jr., both masked adventurers in their youth. Unknowingly, he was also the son of Henry King, a powerful psychic who was one of the earliest super-criminals, The Brain Wave. Combining the best of his parents, Hank had tremendous mental powers and was civic-minded, using his inheritance alongside a band of young super-heroes as Brainwave, Jr. Father and son inevitably met and fought, but finally reconciled not long before the former was killed. The Brain Wave psychically passed his remaining powers onto his son to continue his work, and Hank in turn changed his name to Henry King, Sr. to honor him. However, his team eventually fragmented, after which the younger Brainwave faded from the limelight. Having evidently returned to his birth name, this was the first many had heard of Brainwave, Jr. in some time.

"You said there were two. Who's the junior administrator?"

Surprisingly, Batman mumbled the other person's name, causing many to ask him to repeat it. Taking a breath, he said aloud, "Lia Briggs… Looker."

What followed was a chorus of disbelieving exclamations and cries of annoyance that she'd been given such a responsibility. "I know, I know, but she has the skills necessary for the job," Batman responded not-so-testily, as it was a decision he rather doubted himself.

Born Emily Briggs, Looker had been a plain-looking corporate administrator who'd fantasized about being glamorous and beautiful. Her dreams and more came true when she was kidnapped by agents of a subterranean society, whose royal family she descended from. The rituals of her coronation turned Emily into a stunning redhead, as well as imbuing her with a smorgasbord of psionic powers. Rescued by Batman and a loose confederation of independent heroes, she'd used her gifts to seek careers as both a supermodel named Lia and a super-heroine called Looker. Unfortunately, the two roles often overlapped, and to many who worked with her it was obvious she just wanted to bask in the public adulation. It hadn't proven all she'd hoped it would be, however, and she disappeared after the failure of her marriage. Now she'd too returned, following a career that combined her powers with her former occupation.

"Well, I suppose that handles them, but it's not just Chuck and his doomsday cult that's of concern," Hal Jordan said, trying to sway the meeting away from further discussion of the failed heroine. "There's that woman who tackled Red Tornado, and also the kid. What do we plan to do with them?"

"'That woman' is Major Cecile Croomy from an elite group of the Britannian Knightmare engineering corps," Hawkman responded, having escorted her to their earthbound embassy, the Hall of Justice, and the proper authorities along with his wife. "We explained that she was a noncombatant who got caught up while we were returning from our missions to Earth-B, so she's likely in protective custody right now."

At the mention of Croomy, a still from the Watchtower's security cameras appeared, showing a woman in a tan-brown female officer's uniform lying on the floor. Looking at it, Black Canary frowned but said nothing. She'd been there when Red Tornado returned with his accidental captive, and had followed her when Croomy made a run for it. Their brief chase ended when they ran out onto one of the Watchtower's observation decks, where after trading a few blocks and blows, the major stopped when she realized they were in outer space. The look on the gray-eyed woman's face, like a deer caught in the headlights, right before fainting had stayed with her. As such, she wasn't too happy with the thought of the major in a military prison.

Her thoughts were broken by a derisive snort from Green Arrow. "That's what Uncle Sam called the Japanese internment camps," he said, causing Wonder Woman to wince in remembrance. "Whatever you told them, chances are she's being sent to Leavenworth if they're not wringing her dry of what she can tell about building those walking tanks of theirs. Either way, you can bet she's in the back of a military transport with a bag over her head right now."

"Whatever her tasks were, she's still military," Captain Atom retorted. "She knew the risks when she joined. That includes not receiving the kid gloves treatment if she got caught."

"I think the Britannians are taught something different when they sign up," Stewart responded, "and the likelihood of getting caught isn't one of them."

"Or staying caught for that matter," Aquaman added. "Sir Bradley incited two riots with his men while he was kept in Guantanamo Bay. And no one can say if it was an honest escape attempt or if he just wanted to see how many people he could get killed. I doubt his men could tell us either, but they did as they were told anyway, and that can be dangerous."

"We offered to return Major Croomy as a sign of good faith," the Martian Manhunter reported. "The suggestion was instigated by comments from Prince Lelouch, although he was clearly referring to his sister."

Croomy's image was replaced with one of Princess Nunnally, taken from when Zatanna had just returned with her along with an armload of schoolbooks and some hastily packed luggage. Unconscious in her wheelchair, her face in repose, she looked even more innocuous than Major Croomy. She was an enchanted princess out of Brothers Grimm, not of the same royal bloodline as a family of conquerors.

"The Team is now looking after her at Mount Justice," J'onn explained. "I felt a group closer in age to her peers would be less intimidating and more effective in questioning her than any of us."

Beside him, Superman's expression lightened significantly at hearing she was being treated well. He looked forward to what the young princess had to offer, but didn't need it so badly to upset the girl if possible. As curious as he was, he felt partly responsible for her.

He'd found the bunker beneath Ashford Academy while on the final sweep of Earth-B. Having broken the mission's observe-only rules before to covertly aid some Japanese being harassed in the ruins of old Tokyo, the Man of Steel had flown by the boarding school where Prince Lelouch had been living in secret for many years out of curiosity more than anything else. At first, all he found was a fairly ordinary upscale prep school with dormitories and classes in the middle school to high school range. There was an inordinate amount of afterschool clubs, some of an esoteric nature at that, but he found nothing suspicious.

That was until he'd started examining the sewer lines and maintenance ducts beneath the school with his "X-ray" vision. Contrary to popular belief, lead lining did not somehow make structures invisible to him, but rather made them even more apparent than if he'd been deliberately looking for them. As such, he easily stumbled upon what looked to be a bomb shelter large enough to constitute a good-sized suburban house. It was beneath the school library, connected by an elevator shaft hidden behind a moving bookcase, whose hinges were freshly oiled.

While he could clearly see the bunker, he was still unable to see inside, nor hear anything within due to sound baffles also in its construction. At the time, he'd made a mental note of it which he passed onto the Team later when Operation Alpha was being planned. He made it a secondary mission for someone to sneak onto the academy grounds and access the bunker, find out what if anything Governor Lelouch was using it for. Aqualad had assigned it to Zatanna, who surprised everyone by popping up with a young girl who appeared to be the Britannian princess who'd supposedly died during the invasion of Japan. It was mostly conjecture, but it seemed that like her brother, she'd attended school under an assumed name during the intervening years, then went underground when the previous governor, a royal celebutante named Clovis, accidentally found out Lelouch was still alive.

I'm curious to know how he managed that, Superman thought. Part of the current governor's mystique was that he'd lived as a commoner for many years; it should be elementary to anyone that knew of him during that time that the girl who'd been his sister was also the "dead" princess. And yet, he seemed to have managed to hush that up quite well. I don't know how he did it, but Lelouch has got my glasses-as-a-disguise trick beat hands down, he was willing to concede.

His attention then returned as Red Tornado spoke again. "And you are curious to determine the extent that her afflictions are due to Code/Geass powers?" he asked Manhunter.

"It is a possibility. While her physical handicaps are sure to be quite genuine, her psychological impediment could be another matter. There is great reason to believe the attack upon her home in which she was crippled and her mother, an imperial consort named Marianne Lamperouge, assassinated was an internal affair contrary to the official version of events. Furthermore, the Emperor's files state that Marianne was fully aware of the Ragnarok program, so her death may have been related somehow. I would be surprised if, one way or another, the princess has not been touched by Code/Geass."

"Speaking of which, did you find out if the governor of Japan has it, too?" Captain Atom asked.

"Yes," the Martian answered. "I was able to feel Prince Lelouch's mind, so he is not in possession of a Code. And the variations of his psychic aura indicate he has some manner of Geass, likely some manner of hypnosis as Kid Flash reported. I am unaware of the specifics of its form and function, as I restrained myself to picking up his surface thoughts and emotions, and they were entirely focused towards his sister."

"Okay, he has a Geass power, so he might be involved in Ragnarok, but then why wasn't he worried about us screwing it up? He's also lying to the world that his sister's dead and was really keeping her hid, and that's what he's concerned about," Plastic Man recounted, considering all the facts. His elastic face twitched noticeably as a thought occurred. "Could lead have protected the kid from the Emperor's plans?"

J'onn saw where he was going with this, and was sorry to disappoint. "Lead shielding would have given her no protection at all. As it stands, I do not believe Lelouch was aware of the Ragnarok program; like most of the royal court, he was genuinely surprised and confused when we revealed the Emperor's underground facility in China."

"So-oo-oo," Captain Marvel sounded out, "he's been granted a Geass-power, but isn't involved with Ragnarok. He's met a Code-bearer, that's for sure. A Code-bearer who's given a Geass to someone close to the Emperor but with no reason to like him. Either it's a complete coincidence, or we have a Code-bearer who's opposed to the Emperor's plan."

Batman nodded at Cap's reasoning. "A strong possibility. What we've learned of Lelouch suggests he may have a secret agenda, one whose goals compliment our own. I would recommend approaching him on that possibility, so long as we can show that his sister is not being held as a bargaining tool, nor is she being mistreated. However, whatever deal we make with him, we would have to treat it the same as any other truce with one of our enemies."

Many Leaguers nodded their heads ruefully as they remembered times when they and an adversary had to put aside mutual enmity to survive. Such rare occasions carried certain rules: Stay cautious. Be aware of any attempt at betrayal should the situation be bent in their favor. Once the crisis is over, trust that the status quo is back in effect. All enforced an unfortunately very old and very real law, that cooperation did not necessarily breed friendship or respect.

As these thoughts rounded the room, the Dark Knight privately considered the sequence of events he'd developed from facts and hearsay regarding the Lamperouge children. The assassination of their mother. The sham of an investigation. Exile to a foreign land that war is declared upon just months later. Their apparent demise and the accidental(?) discovery of the brother years later. It was all so much like a story arc from Dark Mansion or The Brave and the Bold, and yet it was too ridiculous to be anything but the truth, as counterintuitive as that sounded.

Orphaned and abandoned by men beyond the reach of justice. Years to plot and plan retribution. That's the kind of deadly formula that produces an avenger determined to rebalance the scales, one who's steadily obtained the right positioning to see his mission through, he concluded. But then again, who am I to judge? Internally, he shook his head at the spider's web of tragedy and consequence that people could weave about themselves, a trans-universal truth it seemed, as he returned his attention to the meeting.

"Great!" said Cap, happy to have been of service. "Although that still leaves the matter of what to do with the princess in the meantime." Glancing at Green Arrow, he remembered his accusations of the engineer being either mistreated or exploited. "If we handed her over to the government, will they stick her in an orphanage or something?"

"How we treat prisoners speaks of our character," Wonder Woman said, speaking to Cap more graciously than before. "While we should limit her movements, that does not mean we cannot house her in a manner respectful of her status." She stopped as if in thought. "Themyscira would satisfy both requirements, and could be an educational experience for her as well."

Beneath her mask, Hawkwoman rolled her eyes. "You want to use her for an experiment with that purple-ray device of yours, don't you? You want to try to reconstruct her legs with it?" she demanded, her tone equally scathing and doubtful.

The Amazon's eyes narrowed as she returned the winged warrior's glare. "You can hardly argue that previous experiments haven't yielded positive results."

As she said that, Hawkman looked over his shoulder and experimentally flexed one of his wings. His wife caught the motion, reminding her of an incident that, if not for Wonder Woman's would-be cure-all device, would have seen it amputated. Still, she refused to back down.

"I still say you were just lucky," she fairly hissed. "That wouldn't work again in a million years."

Wonder Woman crossed her arms with a smug look. "As long as you're both more careful, it doesn't have to."

Aquaman smirked sardonically and shook his head at their exchange. He stopped as the thought occurred to offer the hospitality of Atlantis, but decided against it. The deep water pressure and need for scuba equipment were constant impediments to visiting surface-dwellers, even healthy ones.

Back near the head of the table, Superman asked, "Anyone else know of a stately manor available to her?" with a facetious inflection in his voice, as Batman fairly simmered nearby.

Proposals for the princess's living arrangements were bandied about briefly. The most likely solution, it was recommended, was to leave her the responsibility of the Team, and enroll her in a local school under an assumed name. Another option was to ask Queen Perdita of Vlatava to take her in, seeing as she was royalty herself.

A restored monarchy, Vlatava was one of many central European countries that had chosen to serve as a buffer zone between the Russian mafia and the international crime cartel, Intergang. Both were dangerous as is, and preventing a French Connection-style pipeline of narcotics, arms, and various other illegal sundries had obtained Vlatava and its child-monarch no little influence. This came at the price of assassination attempts courtesy of her uncle with Intergang backing of course, which she'd been saved from by League members and associates. All in a day's work, but Perdita felt indebted to them for it, and would probably be open to hosting the princess for them. That Nunnally was close in age to her didn't hurt, as she would probably be open to a friend with a similar background.

"Currently, Princess Nunnally believes herself to be in the hands of European agents," J'onn noted. "Depending on how truthful we wish to be with her about the nature of Britannia's current war, time spent in either country would only reinforce that belief."

Across the table, Captain Marvel chuckled. "Yeah, if we sent her to an American school without telling her, she'd probably figure something was wrong the first time she heard the Pledge of Allegiance."

"They still do that?" Captain Atom and Green Arrow had asked simultaneously, but for very different reasons, reflected in their tones of voice. They each caught onto that and gave one another dirty looks.

Further away, Batman grimaced beneath his mask. "The Pledge of Allegiance"? I didn't even think about that. To cover for himself, he used this to segue onto another matter the League needed to address.

"The idea isn't flawless, but approaching Queen Perdita on the matter could also soothe some international nerves. There have always been those who've seen the Justice League as the Justice League of America. For reasons of pride or paranoia, they question the United Nations allowing us to lead the investigation of the Knightmare Frame incursions, which to them is as good as to leaving the United States in charge. The handling of the princess could be taken as a sign of our commitment to sharing responsibilities with the global community."

A number of faces tensed at the idea. It sounded like they were using the princess for political gain, a few voiced. That may be a cynical attitude to take, but he couldn't disagree.

Superman sighed heavily, knowing full well that the nonpartisan solidarity that was in effect right after the invasion was now dying. He'd been acting as liaison to the President, and so had his ear to the ground on rumblings in the Pentagon and other corridors that mattered. There was always a vaguely antagonistic relationship between the Justice League and the military hierarchy of most countries, and the U.S. Defense Department was no different.

While "grateful" for their assistance in spearheading actions against Britannia, the likes of Eiling and Lane were no-less vocal that they handle things from here on out. Those who were more… "pragmatic" would be the polite term… would simply attach Tarnhelms onto some nuclear warheads, set them to appear in vital areas of the Empire, and call it a day. Others, however, wanted to reverse-engineering Knightmare Frames so they could build their own mecha infantry, not just for the current crisis but also future warfare. If what Green Arrow suggested about Major Croomy was true, they'd soon have their wish granted.

And once America has them, everyone will want them, Superman thought as he envisioned a brand-new arms race in the near future.

In an attempt to keep further posturing by politicians to a minimum, he then suggested they have their own summit meeting with international super-heroes. He and others had already met with the likes of Godiva, the Mermaiden, Seraph, Rising Sun, and the Legionary to keep their relief efforts coordinated. Having an official gathering at the Hall of Justice or elsewhere would engender continued public support while silencing most opportunists as their countries were being, in a roundabout manner, kept in the loop.

"A good idea, Superman, but first can we settle how we're going to handle the princess?" asked the Flash.

"And the kids from the Geass cult for that matter," added Captain Marvel.

"I'm still waiting for us to settle the discussion on an alliance with Europe," muttered John Stewart.

"Or the insurgency," added Wonder Woman crossly.

"We have a litany of topics that require our attention," noted Red Tornado, "including some new numbers from the Erdel Initiative regarding the Zeta-Shield proposal, as well as projections from the United Kingdom on a refined device for disrupting Sakuradite-fueled batteries."

"Correct," said Batman harshly as he stood up. "We have many things to discuss, and we have to reach an agreement upon all of them. And it won't do any good to continue procrastinating as we've done so far."

Around the table, Leaguers exchanged looks, bewildered by Batman's accusation, before returning their attention to him as he continued speaking, more calmly this time.

"I can't be the only one who noticed it, but we've repeatedly gone on tangents throughout this meeting. As soon as we begin to argue or point out the flaws in one topic, it drifts onto another and the process begins again. I'm as guilty of this as anyone," he said, remembering his clumsy segue towards international politics to save face just a minute ago.

"I think it's because we all fear seeing any discussion through to the end, for fear of what conclusion we may draw. We are not facing a criminal plot or some other danger where those at fault and the means to resolve the situation are clear this time. The menace we face is different now, as is our role in addressing it. We are fighting a war now, and it's taking us out of our comfort zones. This means decisions of the like we've never had to make before, which carries the danger of the Justice League going down a dark path."

For a moment, his gaze dropped from his assembled teammates. Teammates, he repeated as he inwardly chided himself. He hadn't joined the League out of some feeling of camaraderie, or wish to take his war against crime to a new level. He'd grown up during an era when politicians, successors to those who'd destroyed the Justice Society, had made "hero" a dirty word. A hero was a freak that could not be trusted and may be working to undermine the community, they'd said. And in his quest to make sure the tragedy he'd suffered wouldn't befall another child, a Sisyphean task to begin with, that's exactly what he'd made himself.

He had not yet realized that when the League was born, the day when he, Superman, and a handful of others narrowly ousted a band of aliens from using Earth as a backdrop for their civil war. No, all he saw were a collection of potential quislings that were inviting him to join them, to be within arm's reach where he could do the most damage if and when his suspicions were justified. In time, the truth had shown itself, and he'd felt like a fool. It was his deep, dark secret, and he meant to keep it that way, even as he worked to atone for it. Now he needed to maintain the organization he once felt would be his duty to destroy.

"As it's been pointed out, the moral horizon here is not so straightforward. Indeed, it is not justice that is our goal, but victory. This means we must change how we've done things up until now, but without changing ourselves. As we plot and strategize and compromise, we must continue to seek opportunities to negotiate, to reach an understanding, to extend mercy, even if the move is not reciprocated. To respect the living even as we avenge the dead. This is the only way can we achieve victory and still be heroes. This is the only way we can continue to call ourselves the Justice League."

The table had quieted down as everyone considered his words solemnly. They'd assumed a role that meant decisions would have to be made. Hard decisions that would have impact not just on Earth-B, but possibly on their own world, their own people, as well. It was a responsibility, and they wouldn't be the heroes they claimed to be if they started running from that now, just because the right answers were not so obvious anymore.

The League had done good work, no doubt about it, but there was room for improvement. They'd review what had happened, and learn from their mistakes. Certainly, the Britannians' rulers were doing just that; they'd have to be fools to underestimate them at this point. Whether this meant the Empire would abandon its plans for their world, or seek a more subtle route to conquest, only time would tell. The League could only hope for the best while preparing for the worst. They were in a holding action now as the ball was in the royals' court, and until they made their decision known, there was nothing to do but wait.

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Disclaimer: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment. Young Justice is the property of DC Comics, Inc. and AOL-Time-Warner.