Chapter Thirteen
"You're doing well, Alan Scott. But then again, you've been at this for a very long time," a perspiring Sinestro sneered.
"If you're trying tell me I'm old, others have done so much better than just did," Green Lantern replied. He was focused but not showing signs of strain yet. Sinestro felt the man's very existence was mocking him. Alan Scott had been Earth's first Green Lantern but never a member of the GL Corps. A Corps Sinestro had belonged to until after Abin Sur's death and Sinestro went rogue to avenge him. The Guardians of the Universe stripped him of his Emerald power of the Spectrum of Will.
In response, Sinestro rediscovered the lost art of of harnessing the Yellow Spectrum of Fear. He was the first and foremost Fear Lantern. After Paralax was freed from the GL's Central Battery, Sinestro began forging new power rings and raised the Fear Corps. He'd built the Fear Lodge on Qward to stymie the GL Corps' searches for the Fear Lanterns. Who would think to look for them in the Antimatter Universe?
But Sinestro's Fear Lanterns had rebelled against him when he wished to abandon Almerac to the Khunds and Dominators after pledging to assist them along with every other viable Lantern Corps and like those Corps, the Fear Lanterns suffered horrendous losses. But Lysa Drak led the effort to still save Almerac. Now she lead the Fear Corps itself even having relocated it to Oa. The greatest betrayal of Sinestro's legacy imaginable. Outweighing even making Hal Jordan their temporary leader.
Now the wretched Fear Lanterns answered to a Guardian. Even if it was Krona, it was inexcusable. Having abandoned the Emotional Spectrum, Sinestro tapped into the Unseen Light. Like Volthoom before him, he led a revolutionary Corps. But instead of a fearful lot of Power Rings, he led a soon to be vaunted Ultraviolet Corps.
But he'd come to Earth to upstage Hal Jordan first. Instead he was being upstaged by a man that should have been a doddering old fool if not dead by now. The decades spent in Limbo had been timeless for those JSAers trapped there preventing Ragnarok from overtaking the Earth and allowing Surtr to destroy it. Instead, they trapped Surtr in Limbo, away from his power base in Musfelheim.
When the JSA emerged from Limbo, thirty years had passed on Earth but they hadn't aged a day since leaving it in 1952. In fact, they'd regained their youthful vigor. But now, in 2010, those that had returned were in their sixties. Wesley Dodds only dying because of a massive stroke no one had but Dodds himself had foreseen coming. Before it would occur, he passed on the curse of his prophetic dreams to the equally youthful Sandy Hawkins, the former Sandy the Golden Boy.
Sandy had been converted into a silicate life-form and isolated with only a television for company as he learned to recompose himself into a semblance of human life. The Atom was the next to die. Al Pratt succumbing to the very radiation that had given him superpowers.
No one but Dr. Mid-Nite, the Flash, Wildcat, Wonder Woman, and the Sandman knew that Alan Scott only appeared to age because he thought he should. He was essentially immortal now that his body was composed of the Green Flame. Only Limbo's connection all Twenty-Seven Realms of Existence enabled Green Lantern to survive being separated from Earth. He could only endure 24 hours away from the Earth itself because his power derived equally from the Oan Starheart and the Earth elemental. Separated from the Earth, Green Lantern's power would fade and then he would die. Limbo being a rare exception to that rule.
he couldn't even survive longer than that in orbit above the Earth. But on Earth, Green Lantern's power was only limited by his imagination. And he had no end of imagination. Finally, Sinestro broke it off and fled into space where Green Lantern knew he couldn't follow. So Alan decided to further investigate the situation closer to home. Gotham had been his home in the Thirties and Forties. He'd been its first costumed "mystery man" decades before the Batman appeared.
If it hadn't been for Sandman donating his NYC brownstone to the JSA, their headquarters had originally been in Gotham. During their return in the Eighties and early Nineties, the JSA Brpwnstone had been completely excavated to include an underground headquarters beneath the brownstone while keeping the residential areas upstairs intact and Sand, Wes' heir, convincing the JSA to open the Brownstone's first floor as a museum. When the JSA went into semi-retirement before Wildcat, Green Lantern then called Sentinel, and the original Flash began serving as training officers for the Justice League Unlimited before reconvening the Justice Society to serve that role, the JSA Museum quietly sat atop the headquarters with no visitor the wiser. Young Justice came out of that mandate.
The Justice League Outsiders being composed of former Teen Titans, JSAers, and Young Justice graduates. All personally selected by the team's leader, the fifth Wonder Woman, Donan Troy. So Green Lantern, then called Sentinel, and now Earth's official Green Lantern again now that Jessica and Simon were assigned to the entire sector and rotating Earth and space duties. As such, as Earth's Green Lantern, Alan decided to get the bigger picture and ascended above the streets of Gotham.
Don Allen was fast. But he wasn't Barry fast. In fact, he wasn't as fast as Jay and the Flash had been taking boxing lessons from Wildcat through the years. So Don was getting picked apart by left jabs and right crosses. Don made a show of defending himself though. The Flash thought it was almost comical if he hadn't known who Don was or who his father and son were. Bart Allen made the family legacy proud as Impulse just as his cousin, Nora did, as XS.
XS was a standing member of the Legion of Superheroes while Impulse served in the Justice League Infinite. Jay had no idea of what those were exactly but they sounded impressive. He did find it rather sad that the 31st Century still had a Justice League but lacked a Justice Society. The LSH was headquartered on Earth under the EarthGov's sanction and served the greater United Planets. The JLI in turn resided in a Commonwealth of Planets.
Each under constant threat from within and without by such forces as the Khunds, the Dominators, the Dark Circle, the Fatal Five, the Legion of Super Villains, Mordru, and Glorith. All of whom operated within the 21st Century as well. The contemporary versions of the alien empires and Mordru posing as threats while the others relied upon time travel technology, or in Glorith's case, temporal sorcery.
Don had obviously had training with the Reverse Flash and possibly even Rival in how to use his speed lethally but never had been instructed in how to defend himself. He rtelied upon his speed to dodge and evade blows. Only the Flash was faster than this half of the Tornado Twins. Having met both XS and Impulse, Jay had to wonder how they'd surpassed the speed of their parents. Unless Barry and Iris had done something to alter their biochemistry to give them greater access to the Speed Force.
But that still account for Barr Torr and Shira Torr from the same future. They'd come to the past to become Kid Flash and Miss Quick for an as of yet unrevealed reason. Yet it was all tied together. Of all of them, Barry was the investigator. So he would've made the clues obvious. If knowing Impulse and XS couldn't remain in the 21st Century, Barry would have arranged for someone else to be able to interfere with Eobard Thawne's mission.
Yet Thawne, in his quest to destroy speedsters, had actually created a number of them to assist him. Inertia, Prof. Zoom, Zoom, and Streak Carter amongst them. Yet in the end, he would kill them as well as he recently Streak Carter. The Flash didn't know about the replacement Streak Carter because he hadn't met her yet. But Don was easy pickings for someone with the Flash's experience.
"Sorry, son. It had to be done," he told Don's unconscious form. He saw Green Lantern lifted into the sky and headed away. The Flash assumed Alan was onto something so he quickly followed. Then he learned that Gotham had become a war zone.
"Yer a punk. And a two-bit punk at that," Wildcat decoded as he landed the coup de grace on Blackwing.
The Flash streaked up to him, "Ted, we have problems."
"Not no more," Wildcat gloated.
"Do hear those cannons and guns?" the Flash impatiently asked, "Someone besides the Pax Mundi has put tanks and armored fighting vehicles on the streets. And Multiplex's duplicates are manning them."
The Flash didn't realize that the vehicles were all remotely run by AI controlled by Toyman but he'd learn soon enough.
Power Girl felt like she'd been truned inside out by Blackstarr. Still, she kept coming at her.
"You just won't quit, will you?" at least Blackstarr was showing signs of strain by now. Power Girl certainly was. Pushing forward through a miasma of energies she couldn't hope to identify, Power Girl reached Blackstarr and took her down with a single punch.
Galatea become Karen Starr become Power Girl looked down and saw that her costume and been shredded. Exposing most of her body including her rather developed bosom.
"Ah hell," she managed to say before she fainted.
Devastation's punch put Wonder Woman through yet another wall. So far Hippolyta had been knocked through three buildings this way. Like Artemis before her, her Amazonium shield being her one protection. But the arm bearing it was broken, also like Artemis', and each blow sent mind snapping searing pain through the former queen of the Amazons. Her right hand had been broken when Devastation caught it while she'd still been able to wield her sword and crushed her fingers. Hippolyta dropped her shield. She couldn't bear its weight anymore.
"Ready to die, O Queen?" Devastation laughed.
"I wil not yield," Wonder Woman informed her.
"You'll still die regardless," Devastation chuckled mirthlessly. Wonder Woman used her Amazonium bracelet on her right wrist to smash it into Devastation's head and Deva reeled. Hippolyta pressed the attack, swinging left then right and back again in a circuit. The Titans' had endowed Deva with great strength but she lacked durability. Each blow nearly finsihed her off yet she somehow remained standing.
"Do you hear me now?" Wonder Woman raged, "I! Will! Not! Yield!"
Devastation finally collapsed under the weight of the combined blows. Hippolyta leaned against a wall and sank to the floor. Her battle was over. She didn't know the war hadn't begun yet.
Mr. Terrific immediately seized upon the idea of commandeering a tank. Master Terrific raged as Mr. Terrific blew apart the opposition and then shattered the Multiplexes with the turret's machine gun. Sighting in Master Terrific, Mr. Terrific auto loaded a sabot round and fired it off at Master Terrific. Terry Sloane retreated rather than continue fighting a lost cause. Mr. Terrific applied the throttle and moved the tank forward and over the wreckage of the destroyed Bradleys.
Dr. Mid-Nite managed to locate Count Vertigo and render him unconscious. But the cumulative effects of the vertigo inducer would take time to recuperate from. Time he would sorely lack soon enough.
Toyman's "Black Razors" took flight to engage Hawkman since the MBTs and Bradleys couldn't elevate their weapons high enough. Even the Multiplexes on the ground were useless in an aerial battle. Real Black Razors came in two models: single occupant and dual occupant variants. Hauser had manufactured both. Yet he'd never imagined them coming up against Thanagarian Nth metal weapons before. Hawkman destroyed each Black Razor clone made version to drop the chassis on Multiplexes.
Still in a quandary on how to deal with the armored units, Hawkman was dismayed when another tank and an additional Bradley rolled in from opposite directions. Yet they fired uponm the other tanks and armored vehicles. Hawkman was relieved when Mr. Terrific and Catwoman popped the hatches and revealed themselves.
"Follow me!" he called out, "I'll guide you further."
So they dutifully followed.
Sparrow Hawk wasn't disappointed. Hawkgirl's rage unlocked muscle memories from past lives lived. They'd fought to a standstill. Yet, Sparrow Hawk spotted Hawkman on approach and Green Lantern as well. So she took a cheap shot and knocked Hawkgirl to the ground and flew off. Hawkman predictably went to check on Kendra. Green Lantern continued his search pattern looking for something specific yet unmentioned.
"Are you all right?" Carter asked her.
"My head's ringing but otherwise I'll live. I didn't know I could fight like that," Hawkgirl confessed.
"You used to be able to. You tapped into the reservoir of memories that makes up your collective pasts," Hawkman informed her.
"How do I do it again?" Kendra growled.
"You just let it happen," Carter advised her.
"You all right?" the Flash asked as he skidded to a halt. Wildcat rode on by atop Mr. Terrific's tank. Catwoman's Bradley followed. A green arrow pointed in a specific direction.
"I think Alan needs me," Jay stated.
"Go. We'll catch up," Hawkman urged him. Hawkgirl unexpectedly felt gratitude over Carter's concern for her and with all of her memories and past emotions swirling about, Kendra began to remember how she'd loved him through the centuries. But she still wanted her life to be hers. How could she navigate both?
Meanwhile the Flash was led to the other Flash who stood still, still in shock and uncommunicative.
"Wally?" Jay asked him, "You need to talk to me. What happened here?"
"I won, I guess," the Flash said numbly, "Thawne is dead. He has been for months but the Time Wraiths just got to him."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I truly am. But we need to soldier on right now. The world needs more than one Flash at the moment," Jay told him.
"Of course," but the Flash was still lifeless.
"Follow me," Jay urged Wally.
Robotman found Anne Droid gto be his synthetic body's equal. the diofferences lay in their computational abilities. Anne Droid was capable of calculating thousands of mathematical permutations per second. But she lacked spontaneity or cleverness. Robotman could be wildly unpredictable. Meanwhile, Anne Droid's algorithms struggled to keep with Robotman's wildly human choices. Something Anne Droid could briefly simulate until her patterns emerged. She attempted variations of the same series of attack patterns as though caught in a loop.
A loop which favored Robotman. What would have driven a human into complete frustration merely stymied Anne Droid until her processor froze up as she couldn't compute any new variances on her past attempts to kill him.
In short, she simply went into sleep mode until such time as new data and opportunity presented itself. Robotman, uncertain of how inactive she truly was, landed a last, single punch to Anne Droid's face and she simply keeled over backwards, stiff as a board.
"I won, I guess," Robotman self assessed. It was then he became cognizant of the cannon shots and gunfire erupting in the city around him. So he decided to further investigate.
Killshot took a HEAT round from one of Toyman's tanks. His cyborg body was damaged but Killshot was determined to finish his task of killing Guardian. Meanwhile, Dig's hyperkinetic rounds made short work of the Multiplexes. His military service included operating such vehicles as a Bradley so he commandeered one. Ripping apart the AI's connections, he targeted the tanks before focusing again on Killshot. Killshot was barely mobile by that point as he took a last HEAT round from an MBT before Guardian destroyed it. Then he fired a final round at Killshot to disable the hulking cyborg. Finding himself able to intercept radio chatter between Catwoman and Mr. Terrific, he also studied the AI's continuing instruction lists being fed to it by Toyman. He decided to radio his fellow heroes and coordinate their efforts
Harbinger split into a dozen copies of herself and projected energy beams at Atomic Skull from every direction. It simply overwhelmed him. Then she received an unexpected request from the JSA Brownstone and one of her duplicates teleported away while the others fanned out. One spotted Green Lantern and joined him. Another joined with Hawkman and the shaken Hawkgirl. Yet another joined Wildcat riding along with Catwoman and Mr. Terrific's forming column. Most importantly, Lyla Prime found Guardian and joined him as he maneuvered to join up with his fellow JSAers on the move with the reservist JLer.
For all Blackfire's bluster, she couldn't overhwelm Stargirl's cosmic implements. Instead, she simply wore herself down. Courtney finished the exhausted Komand'r off with a single burst from the Cosmic Staff then she decided to check on Mike's progress.
Enforcer had an experiential edge on STRIPE. But Roxy had stepped in to assist Mike so that edge was blunted. Enforcer spotted Stargirl's approach and her boosters fired and she went airborne. STRIPE also began flying and Stargirl mounted his back and took hold of a handhold to stay aboard.
"Where does she think she's going?" Courtney asked Mike.
"Dunno. Don't care," STRIPE answered.
"She's in a hurry," Stargirl noted that Enforcer was exceeding their own acceleration as she headed across Manhattan.
"Care to do something about it rather than just bitch and moan?" STRIPE inquired.
"Fine," Stargirl huffed and began using the Cosmic Staff to fire stellar bolts at Enforcer. Enforcer responded bu simply accelerating.
"Damn, she's fast," STRIPE began to slow, "I'm already redlining the systems and there's no way I can catch her."
"Better head back to Gotham then," Stargirl lamented, "We're useless here"
Multiple lightning and black lightning strikes hit Gotham.
"Billy," Stargirl fretted.
"We'll get there in time," STRIPE promised.
Hourman crushed the last Multiplexes with a MBT. Then smashed the remaining Bradley. He felt the last dregs of his Miraclo fade away. It would be ten minutes before he could take another. He still understand how he'd found the reserves within him to liberate the three children from the alleyway. In the meantime, he'd investigate the strange weather and lightning strikes around him.
Red Tornado finished off Toyman's equipment by elevating it several stories high and then letting the winds die and the equipment smashed against the streets below. Maxine saw the Multiplexes had also shattered upon impact. Red Tornado went airborne to get a better view of what was occurring and saw the sky was filling up with fellow JSAers and a few JLers.
Judomaster maneuvered so that Toyman's machines destroyed one another.
Another Bradley rolled up but the hatch popped and Guardian came out of it, "Climb in, Sonia. We're regrouping."
"Many thanks," Judomaster offered and was delighted to find Harbinger already aboard. Mr. Terrific radioed a position in at that point and Guardian used the GPS to locate his fellow heroes.
Lady Vic only used her sword against the Shining Knight and Maid Maleen until the battle slowly turned against her then she quickly drew her pistol and shot Maid Maleen. Sir Ystin still wouldn't attend to her love until the danger had passed and her armor proved bulletproof. So Lady Vic retreated.
"My love," Sir Ystin fretted as Maid Maleen made to rise.
"`Tis all right, Ystin. She pulled the bullet between layers of chainmail links, "My armor held."
"It was still dishonorable," Sir Ystin growled.
"Fret not, my love. We shall have her next time," Maid Maleen promised her.
"And there shall be a next time," Sir Ystin vowed as they made ready mount the winged steed named Vanguard.
Tarantula's hyperkinetic rounds dealt with the Multiplexes easy enough but the armored vehicles were still a problem. Then an MBT exploded followed a second one. The Bradleys were destroyed by one of their own. A second one came in from the other direction. Tarantula didn't know whether to feel releived or not. Then she spotted Wildcat atop the tank.
Catwoman came out of a Bradley, "Going my way?"
"You betcha," Tarantula agreed.
Harbingers found the Whip overwhelmed by armored vehicles. So she/they destroyed them. Then another of her selves teleported the Whip to a new location.
"Really? That's the best you can do with the Dark Arts?" Anna Fortune was surprised. She hadn't even had to rely on a spell casing yet. Tala began summoning Chaos magic at that point.
"That's more like it," Anna relished the challenge.
Harbinger knocked Tala out with a power blast from behind her.
"Drat and bother!" Anna fumed, "I was about to have her."
"There's no time for games," Harbinger warned.
"Best get me wherever then," Anna requested.
Atom Smasher couldn't believe he was being toppled. Blockbuster growled as she continued her advance on him. Suddenly, white chains formed around her and then she screamed as the Blockbuster serum mixed with VENOM was drained out from her and she reverted back to simply being Marci Diamond.
"Marci Diamond, I believe. Mark Desmond's cousin, if I'm not mistaken," Anna said as she floated to the surface.
Harbinger simply stunned Marci, "Stop playing around."
"Albert, are you hurt?" Anna was worried.
Atom Smasher rsumed his normal towering stature, "Mostly my pride."
"Not being sexist, are we?" Anna scolded him.
"Hardly. I've never fought a Blockbuster so powerful before," Atom Smasher confessed, "I'd like to know how she managed it."
The chemicals rose from the ground, split into their separate componets and spun like a centrifuge had them.
"Alchemy and potions aren't my strengths but I'd say she blended the classic Blockbuster serum with VENOM," Anna stated.
"It's a wonder she's alive," Atom Smasher commented.
"A wonder, indeed," Anna agreed seeing Marci's splitting skin, "A thoroughly unhealthy combination."
"We need to go," Harbinger demanded.
"And we're off again," Anna sighed, "To where, only she seems to know."
Spider Queen had gummed up the Multiplexes with her web gun but Toyman's creations were about to kill her when a Harbinger destroyed them. then finshed off the Multiplexes.
"We need to leave," Harbinger demanded, "Now!"
"I'm not arguing," Spider Queen relented.
Shazam and Black Sivana had beaten each other to a pulp.
"Time out," Shazam called it.
"On three then," Black Sivana slurred with a broken tusk and swollen lips. he counted down and then Shazam cried his own name and Black Sivana stumbled over his. The lighting strikes reverted them both back to Billy Batson and Dr. Sivana. Billy punched out Sivana before he called call his name again. Then he reverted back to his Shazam form by calling down the lightning again. STRIPE and Stargirl came to a landing.
"Thank God you're okay!" Stargirl hugged him.
"Nice punch, dude," STRIPE congratulated him.
"It's okay, Court," Shazam told Stargirl, "I'm fine now."
"We have to check on Freddy and Mary," Stargirl warned Shazam, "There've been other black lightning strikes."
"Let's go," he held her hand as she mounted STRIPE's back and they all flew together.
"I'll give you a second," Lady Marvel offered Georgia. The bloodied and battered Georgia Sivana, called down the black lightning by saying her own last name. Lady Marvel didn't spare her the opportunity to revert back. She lifted off the ground and saw lighting bolts being hurled nearby and decided to investigate.
Captain Marvel streamed lightning at Theo Sivana to no real affect. So he switched to fisticuffs. Of which Theo had no real knowledge of so he trounced the Sivana. Theo eventually backing awauy to call down his transformative lightning to heal himself. Captain Marvel shocked him again at that point. It was very effective against the mortal Theo Sivana. Captain Marvel decided to go airborne at that instant.
Amazing Man, stymied at every turn by Baron Bedlam, decided to try a riskier approach. He grabbed hold of Bedlam's arm and drew from his substance. The feedback loop knocked them both out.
Commander Steel discovered that Stranghehold could deliver a super punch but she couldn't take one. So in the end, it was the fact that he was super durable that won the day. he was met up by Hourman at that point.
"You have any idea of what's going on around here?" Hourman asked.
"Sounds like a war zone to me," Commander Steel admitted. "We'd best move on to find out what's happening."
A Harbinger arrived at that point, "Come with me."
Miss Liberty found out rather quickly that Lady Fairplay didn't live up to her name. But Miss Liberty had fought squads of Redcoats by herself. So her victory, though protracted, was assured. But she barely felt ready for the next challenge. Which a Harbinger arrived to take her to.
Yz drove Fright off but Jade was affected by fear toxin now. But Obsidian was recovering from the mixture of anti- and fear toxins working together. Jade was confronted by her worst fears. Most of them had to do with her twin brother. Who was now the one trying to talk her down. Fright bounced off Lady Marvel.
"Going somewhere?" Lady Marvel asked seconds before knocking Jonathan Crane's acolyte out.
"We could use some help!" Yz called out.
Obsidian and Yz were trying to contain Jade who was wildly using her power pulse to create constructs to fight her demons.
Green Lantern arrived, "Stand back."
He used his power ring to purge the toxin from Jade. But the effort staggered both of them.
"Jennie-Lynn!" Obsidian caught her. The Flashes arrived in time to steady Green Lantern.
A Harbinger appeared as Shazam, Stargirl, and STRIPE landed alongside the arriving Captain Marvel, "Prepare yourselves. We're not done yet."
And then she teleported them all to the new danger
Claire Voyant found Toyman and Multiplex right where she'd seen they'd be. Katana arrived as she'd expected. Claire explained to Katana how the two villains would respond in precise detail. So Katana carved her way to Multiplex and knocked the original out, crumbling all of his duplicates. Toyman injured himself jumping off the rooftop only to discover Claire Voyant had pushed away the dumpster he'd been aiming for.
"Ouch," Toyman groaned realizing both his legs were broken.
Katana smashed Toyman's controller after deactivating the few remaining active AIs. A Harbinger arrived to collect both Katana and Claire Voyant at that point, as Claire had predicted she would at that juncture.