It looked like a house, one built in another era. Yet, there was something…off about it. Diana could sense it. It tingled every nerve ending she had, a constant presence that…felt like it was…observing her?

Yes, she felt something was watching her, studying her. It felt…curious was the best term she had for it. It came from all directions, it seemed.

Considering Zatanna was the one to bring her and the rest of the Justice League here, magic had to be involved somehow; she just didn't know how. Throughout the foray, the rest of the League was scattered. John had helped Superman and Flash onto the floor, both of whom were adjusting themselves into more comfortable positions. That allowed John to give a cursory look around the room.

"So what is this place exactly?" he asked their host. "Something about this place—"

"Makes you feel paranoid and watched," Zatanna finished for him. "Like I said, this is the House of Mystery and it is alive—in a sense. It's not dangerous or anything, but if I were you, I wouldn't go into any other rooms. The house will want to tell you a story if you do and that can take awhile."

"A story," John repeated, sounding incredulous.

"They're actually pretty good," the magician carried on, acting as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Perhaps to her it was since she lived and breathed this world, but Diana was finding it a touch absurd. "Some are funny, but a lot of them are creepy. If you like a good horror story, then it has those in spades."

"How did you find this place?" Diana asked then.

"I know the owner," she replied simply.

"And they won't mind us staying here?"

"Does it look like I care if he knows?"

There was some undercurrent here that Diana was not privy to, but she had the feeling Zatanna had some history with the owner, and not all of it good. Back when the League was just forming, she had been so reluctant to bring them to the Batcave, even if Bruce had been assumed dead at that time.

So who was this owner and why did Zatanna not like him?

"As long as we're not getting our feet deeper into shit than we already are, then I guess it's fine," John said. "What we need to do is figure out our next move." He paused before looking back at Zatanna. "Can the Thanagarians find us here?"

"Only if the house wants them to," she shrugged. "Though it likes me, so I think it'll keep us hidden for the moment."

How…encouraging. "There really isn't much we can do until we know exactly what we're facing," Diana said then. "All we know is that the Thanagarians have taken over Earth and many of the League are either captured or MIA."

"Maybe I can do some scrying," Zatanna suggested. "It won't be completely accurate, but it'll at least give us something to work with."

"Do it," John said. "I'll see if I can get in touch with Ganthet. If there's someone not taking this lying down, it'll be him and the Corp."

In response, Zatanna raised a hand up and rapped her knuckles on a nearby wall. In response, the wooden boards that made up the ceiling suddenly began moving, splitting apart to make a dark hole. Out of nowhere, a round table and a chair dropped out of the hole, landing on the floor with a sharp thud. The wooden chair even rattled on its legs from the landing, Zatanna didn't look at all perturbed by it as she promptly took a seat in it. Taking off her top hat, she reached into it until she sank her arm up to her elbow before she pulled out a crystal ball. Placing her hat back on her head, she then laid the ball on the table before her and held her hands on either side of it. Her eyes seemed to glaze over as she stared into it.

Meanwhile, John just raised up his ring and focused on it. That left Diana to stand there and watch, Superman and Flash seemingly taking a nap. That was for the best as the two needed to recover their strength. That gravity ray had taken a lot out of them.

"You can't be serious," John growled. Apparently he had heard something through his ring that he didn't like. "How can they do such a thing?" Silence. "Yeah, I and the remaining Justice League members are laying low." A pause. "I'm not exactly sure. Not even my ring can pinpoint the location." Another pause. "I'll keep you updated on our next move." Then he muttered under his breath, "If we can figure that out at all." Then louder. "Understood. Stewart out."

The scowl that was on his face told Diana that he had heard only bad news. "The Thanagarians have placed Earth under martial law," he reported. "And they're encouraging the public to rat us out if they see us. There's even a reward."

"And how much are our heads worth?" Flash asked, sounding fatigued still.

"A million grubacks—that's about fifty million."

Flash actually perked up at that. "Each or for all of us?"

"Could be both, I didn't really ask."

"It just means we have to be extremely careful," Diana said, stopping that tangent. She had seen it many times before where wanted men were either flattered or disappointed on the bounties after them. They did not need that conversation now.

"Ganthet also said that the Corp is taking to the atmosphere to remove themselves from the Thanagarians' sphere of influence," John added. "It's pretty much the only move they have so that they can at least respond to the Kalanorian fleet. Otherwise, they're not going to be much help."

That was disappointing, but it was better to know that than assume they could receive assistance from that quarter. That just left whatever intelligence Zatanna could gather.

Unlike John, the dark-haired woman took quite a bit of time. Eventually, she lowered her hands to the table, her eyes focusing before she looked to the others. "So do you want bad news, or worse news?" she asked.

John grimaced. "That bad, huh?"

"I managed to find where the rest of the League was taken. They're being held on that mothership, or command ship, or whatever it's called with that Talak guy. Hawkgirl is there too and she didn't look like she was in a good spot either."

"What's going on with Shayera?" the Lantern immediately demanded.

"Far as I can tell, she's in a jail cell too. I couldn't figure out why, but I can only guess that they arrested her before coming after the League in case she tried to interfere."

Though John was clearly upset by this, Diana couldn't help but feel slightly relieved. Whatever was going on, Shayera wasn't a part of it. Still, with her being captured too, it made their task all the more difficult.

"What about the others?" Diana pressed. "Did anyone escape?"

"Escape is a strong word," Zatanna responded. "'Lucked out' seems to be a more accurate description. Green Arrow and Black Canary are keeping a low profile, but from what I can tell they weren't even on the Watchtower when it was attacked."

"Neither was Captain Atom," John brought up. "What about him?"

"He was at his day job, I guess? I saw a bunch of government types around him."

"That's at least three people we can call upon," Diana mused. "What about Bruce and J'onn? Did you see them?"

A sour look appeared on the magician's face. "No and I looked all over the damn place. I swear to God, Bruce is the only man alive that can avoid being detected by magic. The last time I had to use a pretty powerful spell just to find him, and unfortunately, I'm all out of rabbit's paw."

O…kay. There sounded like there was a long story behind that, another one that seemed to be a part of Zatanna's growing mystic. Regardless, at least they knew Bruce wasn't captured, so that was something. No doubt he'd be trying to figure out his own move for this situation.

"This isn't exactly ideal, but this is all we have to work with then," John said. "First, we need to figure out what our next move is. There's too many things happening at once to just focus on one, unfortunately. Despero is still out there and he has his planet-destroying fleet on the way. Thanagar has us in their top ten most wanted, so we need to rectify that too. There isn't enough of us to do a divide-and-conquer plan, not without knowing exactly what to do."

"I'll keep scrying then," Zatanna volunteered. "Maybe if I find something, we can start turning this turd burger around."

Honestly, that was all they really could do. It was a sickening feeling to know that no matter how powerful Diana was, there wasn't anything effective that she could do.

And apparently this House of Mystery had a story about that it wanted to tell her.

"You're not really going to turn us off…are you?"

Will had been staring at the monitor, one that had only recently been allowed to be powered up once more. LexCorp servers were still dealing with a very stubborn computer virus, but Luthor had fast tracked a terminal all so that his project could continue. Now he was supposed to use that very same terminal to put an end to it.

Gold. Gold had been the one to speak, but the question had gone into one ear and out the other. There was a feeling of surrealism, and he couldn't quite bring himself to act in the real world, such as it was.

"I-I don't mind. I-I wasn't very useful i-in th-th-the first place," Tin spoke, the stutter giving him away.

"We can't just take this lying down!" That was Iron, and his voice practically boomed throughout the lab. "We aren't some garbage to be thrown aside when the chips are down! Back me up, Lead! Lead?"

Lead wasn't answering. Probably fascinated with the broken vending machine again. It was…a little funny now that he thought about it. Funny, even though it never should have happened in the…first place.

His arm. It was still sore. That woman really didn't hold back, and that soreness was the reason he hadn't yet started the shutdown process, or that was what he told himself. Tendons and ligaments were still screaming at him, so it was perfectly okay that he could wait and rest, right?

A hand softly placed itself on his shoulder, the one that hadn't been hyperextended. Dully, he looked away from the monitor and up to a worried face…Platinum's face. He could practically see his reflection in her eyes as well as worry that shouldn't even be there in the first place…

"You're…you're not going to turn us off…are you, Will?" Platinum finally asked.

That's what he had been told to do. Earlier. When he had had a gun pressed to the back of his skull. Humans, there were so delicate and weak, and always, always, always led right up to disappointment. They couldn't be trusted, could never be trusted, and that was why…that was why robots were the solution.

Why were his robots acting more human than humans?

"You're really thinking about this, aren't you?" Gold gasped, a hand pressed to his solid gold head.

"Not in a million years, right?" Iron was grasping onto straws and you could hear the desperation.

He had to look down, so that was what Will did. It was over. It was all over and it hadn't achieved what he hoped it would. More time had been needed, obviously, but goddamn private sector. He should have gone government or something public. The expectations were much lower and so much more money being thrown around, and he would have kept his lab…

Humans always were disappointments. Since he himself was human, then it fit that he obey such a law like that, didn't it?

"I-I-it's probably for th-the b-b-best," Tin sighed, somehow shrinking in on himself. "At least maybe my alloy will h-help s-s-someone else."

"This is bullshit! What did we do wrong?" Iron demanded, slamming a hand down on some equipment that was definitely expensive and in which a hand-shaped dent was left in. "That alien was stronger than we thought! Why does that mean we have to be turned into scrap?"

"Musclehead is right," Gold agreed. "We can't be held responsible! Especially since no one told us what that alien could do so we'd be ready!"

"B-b-but he pulled Mercury's R-R-R-Respons-s-s-someter out of him!" Tin exclaimed, quickly covering his mouth as if speaking too loud was the worst thing he could have done. Then, meekly, "He t-t-took what makes us us and there was n-n-nothing we could have done. H-he would have done th-the s-s-same to us!"

Will found himself staring at Tin, blinking but saying nothing. The words ran about in his head, but it wasn't clicking. Not yet.

"That's just the risk we have to take!" Gold stated, punching a fist into a palm. "We're the Metal Men, right, gang? We do that which humans can't, and go where humans can't go. Even if it costs us everything. We knew the risks."

"And still lost Mercury," Platinum finished sadly.

Except the Responsometer was…was…

"Did he destroy it?" Hmm? Oh, that was his voice. He hadn't realized he had spoken.

Gold gave him a quizzical look, then turned to the others sans Lead, as if silently conferring with them. "We saw him pull it out. I don't think he broke it, or crushed it in his hand. So…I don't think it was destroyed?"

If it was in one piece and undamaged…

"Everything you are…everything that makes you all…you…it's all in the Responsometers." It was like putting the pieces together, one at a time, so slow, frustratingly slow, yet… "If the Responsometer is undamaged…all I would need to do is find some mercury and then he'd be…"

"Wait, you mean we can bring Mercury back?" Iron was standing straight with attention.

"If there is no damage, then…" Why did it feel like he was repeating himself?

Suddenly, with a loud voice, Gold exclaimed, "You heard him! There's still a chance we can save Mercury!" Wait, what was this about? "Come on! That alien still has his Responsometer, right? We can go Round 2, show this alien whose boss, and get Mercury back, and then Baldy will have to change his mind about shutting us down!"

"Now you're talking!" Iron roared with agreement.

"Come on, everyone! Let's bust out of here and rescue the world!" the gold-based android declared.

Will's blinking increased in pace as the situation was quickly spinning out of control. The energy to act snapped him back into the present, the fog that had placed him in a dazed stupor no longer holding his mind prisoner.

"But… Wait!" he cried out, holding an arm up in some vain attempt to try and regain control. "This is supposed to be shut down! You can't leave!"

Yet he hadn't stood up from his stool…

"Sorry, Will," Gold apologized, "but you programmed us too well. We're supposed to rescue and do good guy stuff, right? Saving the world qualifies. So that's what we're going to do. Because we go where humans can't, and do what you're unable to. Iron, go grab Lead; and Platinum, get us out of here."

The named androids gave sharp nods, and while Iron turned to retrieve Lead who had indeed returned to the side of a certain, broken vending machine, Platinum raised a hand up, aiming for the nearest wall with energy starting to flare out from her palm.

"Wait!" Will cried out right before the world blurred and he was facing Lead's chest.

"S-s-sorry, but I-I-I can't let you b-be hurt," Tin apologized as a hole was blasted into the wall, a constant beam ripping through LexCorp until a new exit was completed. Seconds later, the alarm started going off.

"That's our cue!" Gold announced, breaking into a run and leading the team of android. "Catch ya later, Will! Don't get into any trouble!"

"Yeah, keep your head safe. We'll be back with Mercury's Responsometer before you know it," Iron agreed as he grabbed onto Lead's shoulder and began dragging the lead-based android with him.

"But…she's pretty!" Lead groaned, reaching out with one hand to the vending machine, though not putting up too much of a fight.

Platinum watched, then looked straight at her creator. "Keep safe, Will. I'm sorry we weren't good enough before…but we'll make it right this time." Tin ran past her and only then did the only-female android follow, leaving Will behind.

Behind to deal with the fallout.

"Well, shit," he said calmly.

Nathaniel Adam was a loyal soldier. He had cut his teeth in the Air Force, reaching the rank of captain. He was often held up as the model for new recruits, the ideal soldier, and one for which they should strive to become.

That lasted right up to the accusations of treason.

To this day, Adam knew he had been framed, but all of the evidence pointed in his direction. Arrested, disgraced, and waiting for his execution, he had been given a chance to save himself through the Captain Atom Project. The chances of survival were slim, but execution was certain, so he agreed.

The experiment was and still is classified, so he cannot divulge any details. Suffice to say, he survived, a government-created superhero going under the alias of Captain Atom.

His latest mission had brought him to the Gobi Desert, North Central China. His destination was the alleged Defense Shield Generator; his mission: the investigation of a Gieger spike and its source.

The degree of difficulty involved was due to the Thanagarians declaring martial law over Earth. That effectively locked down the world so that the world's governments could not act. The United States government could not allow that to persist, so he was called in to handle the situation. With the Justice League either captured or on the run, he was all that was left.

After flying through Chinese airspace, Captain Atom landed on the desert terrain the moment he could make out features of the generator. It was lit up, a glowing structure from the lights positioned around the construction site. The lights cut through the darkness, keeping him aware of his destination.

Of course, there were roving patrols, which was why he had taken to foot. The moment he was spotted, his mission would come to an end. Being a military man, he ran the distance, turning hours of walking into perhaps an hour, an hour and a half run.

Using the rocky terrain for cover, he gazed out at the generator. Satellite imaging had shown it was a large structure, but the images did not do it justice. Its sheer size was equal to a city.

Thankfully, the intelligence he received indicated the Geiger spike was at a location on the south side of the facility. As he studied the layout, he couldn't help but wonder why an alien race with advanced technology would need the use of nuclear power. There was no evidence upon their arrival that they had, so why now?

Well, that was what he was here to find out. Seeing a route into an outpost of the main generator, he did a survey of the Thanagarian patrols. One was passing close to his location, so attempting to breach was not advisable, so he held his location. The small ship passed by, not even slowing down, indicating it had not detected him. Watching it leave, Captain Atom did a second check, looking for any foot soldiers that he may have missed.

Seeing none and with no other patrolling ships coming soon, the captain went into action. Leaving his cover, he took to the air, his body horizontal perhaps a foot off of the ground. He kept low so that he wasn't immediately spotted. He flew at a brisk pace, but not fast enough to send sand up into the air and give the Thanagarians a sign that he was there. Reaching a group of inactive ships, he took cover within their numbers, making certain to stay on his guard as he moved through them. No doubt there would be guards here.

Reaching the ship that was closest to the generator outpost and the entrance he sought, he did another check, spotting a couple of Thanagarians patrolling nearby. He waited until the coast was clear and he went right for the entrance.

He passed right through a large doorway. He was greeted with the site of smooth, metallic walls. According to prior intelligence reports, such walls had not been built yet. The Thanagarians were no doubt nearing completion of the generator. Unfortunately, he did not see many areas that could be used for cover should there be Thanagarians inside, which they most certainly would have.

From here on out, anyone that spotted him could remain conscious.

As he followed the corridor, finding it curving to his right, Captain Atom retrieved a Geiger counter. Activating it, he was immediately greeted with the static the device created to indicate the presence of nuclear radiation, an infamous crackling sound that sounded slow and sluggish. Thankfully it was soft, so the sound didn't echo throughout the hallway, but it at least confirmed there was some nuclear material here.

Turning it off, he continued on his search, eventually coming to an intersecting hallway. While the hall he was using continued its curved trajectory, the intersecting hallway was straight. Such a design didn't seem to make sense, but this was of alien origin. It must have had a purpose, he assumed.

However, he wasn't certain which hall to take. Retrieving the Geiger counter, he turned it on again and began holding it out, first in the direction of the leftmost hallway, then to the one straight ahead, and finally to the one to his right. All the while he heard the static it created.

Then he heard an increase in the crackling noise it made. Stopping, he found the sound grew more frequent to the hallway to his right. When he pointed it to the other two corridors, the crackling softened. Turning it off once more, Captain Atom took the rightmost hallway, following its straight path.

Despero held the orb in his large hand. It was a curiosity he simply could not ignore.

Taking refuge in his ship, he used his fingers to turn the device around and around against his palm. He had pulled it out of that red creation that had attacked him, one of the alleged Metal Men. The moment he had pulled it out, the alleged man had fallen apart, leading to his comrades to flee.

This was quite a baffling mystery.

"Lord Despero," a voice spoke up, interrupting his musings. Turning his attention to his guard, he saw the Kalanorian prostrating before him. "There have been new developments with the occupying forces on Earth."

"Which ones?" he questioned. There were a few foreign powers here: the Thanagarians, the Green Lantern Corp, and even the Tamaraneans, or what was left of them.

"According to Earth's communication lines, Thanagar has declared martial law on the planet. They are beginning to crack down on the movements of the local populace."

That was not all that surprising; perhaps how long it actually took for the Thanagarians to take such action, but it was something to be expected. "The response?"

"There seems to be outrage by the Earthlings. There is not much they can do against such a superior force, but they appear to not approve of it."

Despero cared little for what the Earthlings thought. They were rather incidental in this entire matter. Had the Martian been on another planet, they would not be suffering his wrath. "Anything else?"

"Only that there has been activity in the planet's atmosphere. There is a sizable number of Thanagarian ships forming a perimeter. Green Lanterns have been spotted as well."

Now this was some cause for concern. Clearly a defensive perimeter was being formed so that he could not leave the planet easily. Seeing he had designs on the planet's destruction, this made it harder to accomplish the task. He needed to leave Earth to join with his approaching armada and the time for that was nigh.

What to do…

Unconsciously, he continued rotating the metal sphere in his hand. Every moment this perimeter would solidify, removing any possible way for escape. He needed something to draw the attention of these Thanagarians and Lanterns so that he could slip through.

Continuing to fiddle with the orb, he soon found himself focusing on it. This orb had something to do with the Metal Men. Faintly, he wondered what would happen if he placed it in another substance. Each of the Metal Men were of some substances if their names were anything to go by. If he were to, say, place this in water, would it create a water man?

This was definitely something to consider. Holding the orb up, Despero started at it intently. "I recovered this device from my latest attackers." He then held it out to his guard. "Study it and determine if it is something we can use. This very well may be our best option to return to the fleet."

"I will do as you command, Lord Despero," the guard replied, taking the orb and leaving with it.

He did not bother to watch the guard leave. There weren't many places to go on the vessel considering its size, which was the point. However, that meant they simply couldn't force their way from the planet, so a different tactic was necessary.

If his hypothesis was accurate, then he could definitely use this device. In fact, he was beginning to come with some ideas on what he could use it on. The possibilities were quite intriguing.