A red streak burned through the air, a similar green giving chase. Wind lashing out at her face, Starfire eyed a skyscraper up ahead and to her right. Looking over her shoulder, the Green Lantern was hot on her trail, his arms at his sides as he fought to catch up with her.

Returning her sights to the skyscraper, she made the right turn just as she passed it, dropping in altitude somewhat as she now flew over a new street. Though she was content with having John Stewart chasing her, it had been quite some time since she had last seen Hawkgirl. She accredited that to her speed, but she had a nagging thought the Thanagarian was waiting somewhere out of sight, ready to strike her at a moment's notice. At least, that is how things played out in the movies she had seen here.

Maybe she really had lost the winged woman, she was not sure.

Looking over her shoulder again, Starfire widened her eyes as she saw a green beam racing towards her. Gliding to her left, she dodged the blast, watching as it hit the pavement further down the street and exploded. Jerking her head back, she could see John Stewart pointing his ring finger at her, charging up another attack.

Returning her attention in front of her, she saw she was rapidly approaching an intersection on the city building grid, one she made a left on, maintaining her altitude this time. There was another intersection perhaps a hundred Earth yards ahead, though as she approached it, she noticed some sort of walkway between a building and a parking garage, the bridge suspended over the street below it.

Immediately, the Tamaranean made the turn, swooping downwards as she flew underneath the walkway. The moment she cleared it, she angled her body straight up, shooting up into the sky. Twisting her body so that she could face her pursuer, she charged up a starbolt in her hand, pulling her arm back as she came to the apex of her flight.

Without waiting for a clear target, Starfire threw her attack towards the corner of the building, right at the intersection she had made her turn. Her timing was nearly spot on as the Green Lantern turned the corner around the building, coming right into the path of the approaching starbolt.

Unfortunately, the man dodged to his right, her left, avoiding her blast as it passed by him harmlessly. Without missing a beat, the Green Lantern aimed his ring at her and fired another green beam towards her.

Starfire watched its approach for a moment before she flew upwards, allowing the beam to race beneath her much like her previous attack had missed John Stewart. With both hands above her head, green energy crackling between—and soon around—her hands, the redhead let out a war cry as she threw her arms forward and launched her charged starbolt.

This time, John Stewart fired another beam at her attack, only for the beam to create a green-glowing brick wall. The starbolt struck the construct and detonated, green fire washing over the wall.

"Haaaaaa!"

Jerking her head to a side, Starfire saw the bottom of Hawkgirl's shoes closing in on her at an alarming rate. To be more precise, those feet were mere feet from her head when she got her first look at them. Less than a second later, Hawkgirl rammed her feet into the Tameranian's face, her head wrenching to a side awkwardly and painfully. For a moment, it seemed as if her body was trying not to move while her head was, which was the result of the pain in her neck she was feeling.

And then the force in which she had been hit with sent her careening through the air, passing through the gap between floor levels of the parking garage. Due to her downward angle, she crashed right into the concrete floor of the garage, causing the man-made stone to crumble from her impact. Pain exploded through her body as she burst through the floor level and hit the next one. Due to her momentum being greatly reduced by the previous floor, she only caused a spider's web of cracks to form where she hit the floor, her body bouncing off the concrete as she went skipping across the ground. Large chunks of the ceiling collapsed onto the floor, scattering smaller pieces in all directions. Starfire's bouncing quickly ended after a couple more bounces and she went into a roll, one that ended with her lying on her side, her face contorted with discomfort.

It seemed the movies were wrong about her losing Hawkgirl. Just one more lie this Earth told her.

Eyes squeezed shut and teeth gritted, Starfire slowly pushed her upper body up, her legs stretched out on the floor. Opening her eyes, she was just in time to see Green Lantern and Hawkgirl floating into the parking garage, the man holding his ring hand out in front of him while the Thanagarian had one hand dangling at her side and the other on her hip.

"This is the end of the line for you, Starfire," John Stewart told her, his ring sparking with green energy. "Your only choices are arrest, or death. Resist any further and it'll only be death."

"What happened?" the red-haired woman asked weakly. "What caused you to go down this dark path? You were not this way when I left."

"Life happened," Hawkgirl responded bluntly, dropping down so that her feet touched the floor. She stayed clear of the pile of debris as she began walking the rest of the short distance between them. Her comrade did the same, though he kept a step behind the winged woman. "In fact, you know what happened. You were still here when Flash was murdered. Losing someone close to you changes you."

"But Mr. Flash would not want you to be this way," she pressed desperately. "Even his enemies respect him. I cannot believe a man like this is willing to kill others like you do."

"Don't talk like you know him," John Stewart barked at her angrily. "You never met him. You wouldn't know what he'd want. We do. And we know he'd want the world as safe as possible."

Due to the openings of the parking garage, a breeze blew through the complex, causing the women's hair to ruffle in the wind. Faintly, the scent of chalk reached the Tamaranean's nose. The resolution this man and woman spoke with made Starfire question what she knew of this world. Were they doing what their late-friend would want? She did not, in fact, know the man, so she could not say for sure. Perhaps they were right and this is what he wanted.

Perhaps she should surrender herself and receive the punishment she now deserved.

"I suppose I am wrong," she spoke slowly, lowering her head in shame. "For that I apologize. Do what you will with me."

"Best decision you made all day," John Stewart said as he then pointed his ring to her. "We'll be taking you—"

Suddenly, a burst of flames raced from one side of Starfire's vision and rammed right into John Stewart and Hawkgirl, both of them cried out as they were enveloped in the fire. Blinking her eyes, Starfire stared as the torrent of flames ended, leaving a trail across the floor and a localized fire right where her former comrades stood.

Turning her head to where the source of the fire began, the redhead saw a wall with a strange woman emerging from it. She was in fact one of the most bizarre-looking people she had ever seen, what with her different colored arms and legs. Her pink hair looked marvelous, however.

"Oh, yay! I made it in time!" the woman exclaimed before she turned her head to look at Starfire. "Hi there! My name is Element Woman! I am an Insurgent!"

"Hello!" Starfire returned the greeting warmly, this new woman's friendly nature becoming quite infectious. "I am Starfire, a princess of Tamaran!"

"Ooooooh!" the pinked-haired woman squealed, "a real-life princess! I always wanted to meet one!" She then hurried over to Starfire, where she reached down with both hands, Starfire instantly placing her own in this new person's. "Let me help you up, your Highness," she said, doing just that. With both women standing up, their smiles nearly mirrored each other. "I hope you are alright."

"I am," Starfire told her. "Though I was preoccupied with Mr. Green Lantern and Miss Hawkgirl."

And then this Element Woman's smile lost some of its luster. "Oh, dear me, I'm sorry. You would think I would know not to get in the way of royalty. Oh! And you must have smelled when I was changing too! I am so, so sorry about that. It's a little chalky and it's really embarrassing, but I've been working to change that."

"I am sure you will accomplish this!" Starfire proclaimed then, placing a hand on her new friend's shoulder. "But I fear you have come at a wrong time. You see, I am being arrested for resisting the Regime."

"You're fighting against the Regime too?!" Element Woman exclaimed excitedly too. "So am I!"

That got the Tamaranean's attention. "You struggle against them? Is that why you are here?"

"It is! In fact," the pink-haired woman leaned towards her, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper, "the Insurgency is about to depose the Regime."

Depose? As in...were they...could it be? Starfire leaned in closer as well, green eyes wide with wonder. "Are you leading a coup?" she breathed lowly, even huskily.

Element Woman looked thoughtfully at that. "You know, I think you could be right. This is a coup."

Oh...my...X'Hal. Starfire could not suppress the squeal she made, feeling quite giddy as her body shook with excitement. "You really are leading a coup! Please! Let me join you! I can be of much assistance! I, myself, have been involved in many coups so my experience will be a great asset to you!"

The other woman looked at her with wide eyes. "You have? Oh! That is so great! We at the Insurgency could use someone of your expertise! I simply must introduce you to Batman! He'll know what to do!" She squealed again. "This is just so exciting!"

"Ugh, can you two stop your love-fest over there?"

Both women snapped their heads to the burning fire, at least what was left of it. Emerging from the dying flames was a green bubble, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl safely within it. There were matching scowls on their faces, revealing their displeasure. The green bubble slowly faded away, the two Regime members standing their ground.

"It seems we have another Insurgent to capture," the Thanagarian announced, one hand moving to the handle of her mace at her hip. "Though I'm really losing my patients about all of this."

"New Friend, what do we do?" Starfire whispered, even as she crouched into a defensive stance.

"Batman said that the way to beat them is to get them one-on-one," Element Woman responded quietly back. "Since there are two of us now, I say we take one each."

That sounded like a reasonable strategy. "Do you have a preference?" she asked.

"I'd like to take on Green Lantern if that is alright? Do you mind?"

"Not at all, Friend Element Woman. I will take care of Miss Hawkgirl."

"Uhh, you do realize we can hear you," John Stewart said.

The two women looked to each other before returning their attention to the Regime. Starbolts formed in Starfire's hands as fire enveloped Element Woman's hands and forearms. "I am ready!" the redhead announced.

"Me too!" her friend replied.

Together, then threw their arms out in front of them and fired their attacks.

The long boat cut through the waves, lurching forward as it bobbed up and down, the bottom of the boat splashing water up every time it hit the surface. Ra's stood at the bow, one foot on the seat, the other in the boat's bottom. Behind him, his men rowed the boat, their paddles dipping into the water and out of it as they surged forward.

There were dozens more in the periphery of his eyes, which didn't count for the number following his boat. The beach was coming closer with every second and they would soon be landing.

However, Ra's had his eyes not on the beach but the cliffs that surrounded it. Even from here he could make out the number of warriors stationed up there, no doubt with bows and arrows aimed right at them. If their positions were reversed, he would have done the exact same thing.

Yet, that was not all. He could also see the formation of columns towards the visible treeline of the island, ancient Amazonian battle armor shining in the sun, large shields and spears in each warrior's hands. He could see the classic phylax forming.

There was perhaps thirty feet between the boats and the shore. The coming minutes would determine the success of their mission, primarily if they could gain a foothold. They could not afford to be pushed back into the sea at this juncture.

Twenty feet left. Ra's stepped off the seat and kneeled down, bracing himself for landing.

Ten feet.

Five.

The boat came to a jarring stop as it slid right into wet sand. Immediately, the men behind Ra's jumped out of the boat, groups of three rushing forward with long rectangular shields in front of them. The Demon's Head waited a moment before he stood up and stepped off the boat, his boots splashing in the surf as he began walking onto the beach.

That was when the first volley came. Arrows were fired off of the cliffs, flying down towards his loyal men. As one, each three-man team raised their combined shields up, holding it above their heads. The arrows never stood a chance as they pelted against the cast iron, bouncing off of it harmlessly. Ra's did not bother with taking cover as two groups of his men came to his defense, one in front and one behind. The six men hefted their shields up held them over the ancient man's head.

By then, more boats had landed, the men in those boats following their example. Pushing several yards inland, they then began to take a formation, all while arrows rained down upon them. Ra's expected a handful of casualties from this incursion, but so far his well-trained men remained unharmed. Slowly, they began to form their own columns, all while keeping safe under their heavy shields. In fact, as the men moved closer to each other, the shields joined together, forming a larger shield over their heads.

And then, a horn sounded off. Shortly after, the barrage of arrows stopped. Someone must have ordered a ceasefire.

Moving forward, Ra's emerged from underneath the shield, coming to stand before his rows of men. From here, he could definitely see the phylax the Amazons had formed, the women marching towards them as the falls of their feet made a steady beat.

They came to a stop perhaps a hundred yards away. One of the Amazonians then pulled out of the formation, a tall, redhead from what he could tell. She walked perhaps ten, fifteen more feet before coming to a stop. "Halt!" she commanded the Demon's Fang. "Do not come any further invaders, or face the wrath of the Amazon Nation!"

"Hoo haa!" the woman warriors chanted behind her in response.

Ra's tilted his head back defiantly. "Warriors of Amazonia," he called back, taking a couple steps forward himself, but not going much further. "Before you stands the finest warriors of the Demon's Fang. I am called Ra's al Ghul, the Demon's Head. Lay down your arms and surrender yourselves."

There was a silence from the Amazons, yet, Ra's could feel the furious stares from the women. It had to have been millennia since a man made such an audacious order of them. It was probably even longer for a foe to have the might to back up their declaration as well.

"No, Demon's Head," the red-haired woman responded, rage evident in her voice. "You have set foot on an island that prohibits the presence of men. The longer you stay here only seals your fate. This is your only opportunity to board your boats and flee from this island."

Ra's coolly stared back. "Then prepare yourself, Amazon. Your people's blood shall paint this beach red."

The Amazon leader stood her ground before she nodded her acceptance. "Very well, Man. Do not die so quickly before my blade gets a chance to taste your flesh." She then held her shield up in front of her and backed herself to her brethren, joining the phylax.

Ra's turned his back to the women. No doubt they were trying to send instructions throughout their ranks and to the archers on the cliffs. They would not attempt to kill him for the moment. "Men!" he shouted, earning the full attention of the Demon's Fang. "Before you stands a battlefield of glory! You have trained yourself for this very day, a destiny that was yours before you were born. Your foe is a force out of the mists of legend. They are trained in the art of war; you are better. For some of you, Death will be your just reward; for others, another opportunity to serve your master. For all of you, immortality as minstrels will sing of your dedication and skill."

Ra's spun around to face the Amazons, one of his hands raising to the hilt of the sword over his right shoulder. Grabbing it, he pulled the blade out, the sound of steel scraping against leather filling his ears. Once removed, he held his sword up over his head, the point up to the sky. In response, his men lowered their shields, placing them on the sand next to each group, the men stepping to a side so as to avoid the large metal barriers as they collapsed onto the sand next to them. They too drew their swords, the collective sound of swords being pulled from scabbards filling the air.

"For the honor and glory of the Demon's Head!" Ra's cried out before dropping his sword's tip down to point at the Amazons.

Multiple dull roars rang out from behind him, the faint sound of whistling growing louder and louder. Out of the corner of Ra's eye, he could see figures scrambling on the top of the cliffs, right before cannonballs blasted into it. Stone and bodies were flung into the air as large chunks of the cliffs were ripped off their faces and tumbled to the sea below.

Yet, that was not all. More cannon fire struck the beach in the area between the Demon's Head and the Amazons. Sand was sent cascading up into the air, large metal balls either embedding themselves into the soft earth, or were sent bouncing forward.

The Amazons, though revered for their fighting prowess, had never come up against the power of the cannon. For the cannonballs that continued forward, they crashed right into the bronze shields and immediately broke through the line. Screams of pain and alarm rang out from the Amazonians as their front line was decimated.

Though primitive, the power of the cannon was not one Ra's had discounted. It was one of the few weapons the Regime had overlooked in their conquest of the world, an oversight he had taken advantage of. Right now, that decision was paying dividends as he saw ancient shields cave in or break apart, battle-hardened warriors crushed by flying iron.

Ra's then let out a war cry as he swept his sword to a side, taking off running across the beach. His men, his assassins roared with battle lust as they followed his lead. Sand was kicked up by his feet, but it was of little consequence. The cannon fire would be stopping, so there was no fear of being hit by friendly fire.

To the Amazons' credit, they attempted to recover, but at the sight of the charging assassins, they broke their lines, screaming their own battle cries as they surged forward. Like two tides, the two forces swept towards each other until they collided.

It wasn't often Diana found herself brooding, but that was indeed what she was doing. Instead of manning her post at the steps of Kal's seat, she was leaning a shoulder against the wall, arms crossed over her chest as she buried herself in thought.

She had almost had him. She could still see Bruce tied up in her lasso, ready to see the world as it truly was. The lies would have left his mind and he'd be at her side, the right side. Kal would have another brother-in-arms, though one that probably wouldn't supplicate himself before the Kryptonian. Had she not been in a foul mood, she would've smiled at that thought. The vigilante bowed before no man and Kal would not be any different. It would've chaffed Kal, but he would've accepted it, albeit reluctantly. Such was the price for a warrior of Bruce's caliber.

But then she had been hit with the Batmobile. She hadn't expected there to be someone else with Bruce, what with his secrecy and reluctance to take anyone to the Batcave. Even more surprising was that the car hadn't made a single sound until its was right on top of her, engine roaring. The force of the car slamming into her had stunned her long enough for a sleeping agent to be given to her. When she had awoke with no sight of Bruce or the Batmobile…

Well, let's just say she hadn't taken it well.

Now he was back out in the cold. No way would he chance returning to the Batcave now. Undoubtedly, whatever he had come for was long gone. She had tried searching those lower levels, but had found nothing so far. Another search would be required, but that would have to wait for now.

For instance, they had a traitor in their ranks. Their new recruit, Starfire, had renegaded her oath and had taken sides with the Rogues. She hardly knew the Princess of Tamaran, which was why she didn't feel too betrayed, but she would be given a traitor's death upon capture. Her culture dictated as such and Kal and the rest of the Justice League had accepted that as part of their warrior's code.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Arthur had yet to return from Atlantis. He had claimed to be gone for only a day or so, but it was now day three of his absence. While she understood he had a kingdom to watch over, his responsibilities to the Regime took precedent now. Until they restored their forces, they needed every able hand available and that included him.

Not everything was terrible at the moment, though. Shazam was back on his feet, seated in his favorite spot on the steps. He had suffered some harm from the clash at the Bat Underground hideout, but once he called upon his powers as Shazam, he was restored one hundred percent. He was itching for a rematch without a doubt, but thankfully the wisdom of Solomon kept him at bay rather than rushing out throughout the world in search for the Insurgency.

Unfortunately, that left two people in bad humor before Kal. The dark-haired man, to his credit, ignored their moods, calmly languishing in his seat. He pretended as if nothing was amiss, and perhaps nothing was to him.

So lost in her own thoughts was Diana that she failed to notice the room beginning to brighten. She even missed the light source appearing before her face until the light was as large as a ball before her. Blinking her eyes as she was pulled from her musings, she watched the orb of light grow bigger and bigger.

"Diana, what is that?" Shazam asked as he stood up on his feet, his body tight with tension. Before long, the light formed a large oval before the Amazon, soon an image appearing within its boundaries.

"Diana," the voice of her mother called out from the magical window. Soon, a visual of Hippolyta appeared, her face filled with concern and strain.

"Mother?" Diana replied, clearly startled. It took her a moment to recall this was her mother's way of hailing her from Themyscira, though she rarely used it these days. "Mother," she spoke again, this time with proper reverence in her greeting. "To what do I owe this call?"

Her words did nothing to change her mother's disposition. "Diana, you must return to Themyscira," Hippolyta ordered. "We are in dire need of your assistance. Themyscira is under attack."

The very blood in Diana's veins went cold. Her home...under attack? Soon, fury burned through her body as her face twisted with anger. "I am coming, Mother," she said dreadfully. "Hold the intruders off until I arrive. It will not take long."

At last, Hippolyta gave her a small smile. "We eagerly await your return, Daughter." Then her image faded into light before the light disappeared into nothingness. Turning on her feet, the Amazon marched to the doorway.

"Diana! Wait!" Shazam called after her, running to catch her. "You can't leave me alone with Superman. He only wants—"

"I don't care," Diana snapped at him, stopping with a hand on the door handle, her head turning to scowl at him. "My home is under attack and I will go to its defense. You will stay here to protect Kal at all cost. Do you hear me?"

The young man looked helpless at her. "But—" he tried again to dissuade her.

"Diana," Kal's cool voice rang out, causing the dark-haired woman to look to him. "Remain at your post. There's—"

"I will not!" she screamed before yanking the door open. "This is my home, Kal! I will not abandon it! You would do the same if it was Metropolis, or Smallville. Do not get in my way!" Without waiting for further reply, Diana passed through the doorway and rushed down the hallway. Faintly, she heard the sound of wind hitting a body and she knew Shazam was flying after her.

He may have been fast, but he was not fast enough to catch an Amazon.

Picking up her pace, Diana even took off into the air, racing down the hallways until she reached the outside, only landing long enough to open the doorway and step out. The entire time Shazam didn't catch her, but he did close the gap at the exit. "Diana! Don't go!" he shouted at her, bursting through the doorway before the door closed behind her.

Diana whipped around and openly scowled at Shazam. The look on her face immediately cowed the dark-haired youth as his body began to shrink on itself. "I am going," she said with finality. "And you will not stop me, not unless you wish to revisit the infirmary."

It took a moment, but Shazam finally surrendered. "Fine, I'll stay here," he relented warily.

Good. Turning around, Diana lifted up into the air, flying upwards before she changed her course and took off for the East. She knew her Sisters would be able to hold on until she arrived. They had millennia to perfect their skills and it would be that edge that allowed them to triumph.

And Diana would make those responsible pay with their lives.

This was not good.

Helplessly, Shazam watched as Wonder Woman sped off through the air, heading for the ocean. Deep down, he understood what the Amazon must have been going through, really, he did. If his hometown was under attack, he probably would do the same thing as she was doing.

Yet, how many times had Superman ordered them to stand down when someone they cared about was in danger? And how many times did Wonder Woman back up his order? Too many to count in his opinion, never mind that most times they were right and everything ended up going their way.

It was hypocritical, but it was hard to blame her.

Of course, that left him as the only member with Superman. It was nice to be that first line of defense and all, but it was hard to do that with someone you looked up to. It would be one thing if they were in the heat of battle, but they weren't. They were just sitting around.

"Hall of Justice, come in."

Shazam's head perked up. That was John Stewart! "This is Shazam," he answered immediately.

"Shazam, I need you to get over to Neo-Central City. We're having a—argh! Having a difficult time here."

"Say no more!" Shazam exclaimed. "I'm on my way." Without a second thought, he took off flying into the air, heading in the opposite direction as Wonder Woman had.

Though it was only the Rogues, even he knew they could stand up to superheroes and had done so regularly. Multiple ones would be tough for anyone, even Superman. Never mind that Wonder Woman wanted someone with the Kryptonian, Superman knew how to take care of himself—he was Superman after all!

And now, he was get a chance to redeem himself.