A/N: Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.
Happy it may all be, the work it took to make it so ate up a lot of my time. And I'm not just talking about my writing. But I do cherish any opportunity that I get when I do. It took some time due to rewrites but this product seemed the most satisfactory over the others. Tell me what you think in the reviews.
A word of warning though, this chapter won't have the fireworks you might be expecting but it will set the stage for the ones that is to come.
Now without further ado, here is Chapter 3.
Act 1: Ambiguity
The battle against the fallen starship was arduous and no doubt intense. The skies darkened as it rained smoke and fire from the heavens. Lands were torn asunder as they impacted with awesome force and brought forth crackling seas of flame charred the earth all over the globe. The only thing that stood in its way of destroying a significant portion of the world was the Justice League who answered planet Earth's call. With them at the helm, the defense of Earth was swift and had only taken the better part of the hour for it to conclude.
The work was far from over however and the tasks that it required had stretched the League thin. A ground team consisting of heroes like the two Hawks, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Captain Atom, Aquaman, Batman, and the Flash, were found back on Earth overseeing their own assignments regarding the devastation that was wrought. Fearing that another appearance of another portal, a second team consisting of Superman, Wonder Woman, the two Green Lanterns, Captain Marvel, and Red Tornado stood vigilant in the face of the infinite black curtain of space.
The following hour was uneventful for the team. Even with the help of the Lantern's rings, they still couldn't locate a hint of an energy spike or any form of life for over thousands of miles. The black curtain of space was as silent as it always has for eons. Nothing but darkness to show the Earth's mightiest Heroes and an infinite number of swirling stars that envied any hippie aficionado who preferred living up in the mountains. The sun has already set behind the Earth's horizon.
Superman did his fair share of recon with his super-vision but like the Lanterns, he saw nothing important. A red speck at the distance caught his attention however. Squinting to get a better look at it, he found that it was Red Tornado flying off into space. Quickly reaching to his communicator, he tried calling for the Robot but all he could hear in reply every time from the channel was blurred static.
"Superman to Justice League," Superman radioed the others. "Red Tornado has flown off from formation. His radio is jammed. I'm going to see what's up."
The moment he took his finger out of his communicator, Superman sped off in a blink. He flew as fast as he could towards Red Tornado who already had a head start of a couple hundred miles from him. The robot was beyond anyone's periphery and would have already disappeared from view if it wasn't for Superman's supervision keeping him in view as he flew on. It didn't take long for him to catch up but by the time Superman caught up with the crimson robot, the latter had already stopped on its tracks. Superman found the robot hovering meticulously and regal. Like a Roman statue standing graciously in face of the vacuum with his eyes staring out towards nowhere.
"Tornado, are you there?" Superman tapped at the robot's shoulder. He was beginning to fear that his friend had become disabled like before according Hal Jordan's report.
"What can I do for you, Superman?" Red tornado asked nonchalantly much to Superman's relief.
"Did you get something?" Superman restlessly asked with a hurried tone. "You wouldn't have flown off all on your own if you weren't."
"Yes. I apologize for my abrupt actions but my sensors had picked something up. It is not much but I believe that it might be worth something."
"What is it then?" Superman asked impatiently.
Red Tornado was about to answer but paused when he noticed Superman's distress. The Robot's sensors suddenly indicated that copious amounts of stress was emanating from the Kryptonian and saw the possible reasons that were causing him to be more erratic than usual. In his naivety to human emotions, Red Tornado thought it best to comfort and assure him from his troubles.
"The reports concerning Metropolis troubles you, Superman." Red Tornado frankly stated "You have my sentiments. But that has already been taken care off now allow us to take care of this matter at hand."
Red Tornado was making mention of the news broadcast about the attack in Metropolis. The heroes only knew about it when they reconvened in the Watchtower in the aftermath of their defense of Earth. The accounts varied depending on the channel. News broadcasters stated that it was a terrorist attack. Forums in the internet stated that it was an alien invasion. While others just capitalized on the panic and laid claim to their own conspiracies and idiotic beliefs. Nonetheless, the main point was clear. Metropolis was attacked that left many casualties and destruction in its wake.
One piece of information was universal however and that was the part that it was all caused by appearance of the apocalyptic portal that appeared above the Earth and that the city of Metropolis has suffered many casualties in its wake.
"Thank you," was all that Superman could say beneath his struggle to stop scowling.
Superman was rather caught off guard by Red Tornado's sudden change of topic and reopened recent wounds. He was also quite offended by Tornado's lack of compassion and empathy when saying it. Superman however decided to cut the robot some slack due to its lack of possessing compassion and empathy. He also knew that Red Tornado meant well and was being a just friend to him in his time of sorrow. Who could remain angry for long over that?
"I'm just blaming myself." Superman sighed. "Blaming myself because I failed to protect Metropolis like I was supposed to do. I failed to safeguard my home."
"Only because you prioritized saving the rest of the world." Red Tornado stated. "The world is a big place and we cannot always be everywhere, Superman. Nor can we always protect everybody from everything and there will always be casualties in our line of work. The best we can do is to manage and limit that statistic from being unacceptable."
It would have been a very comforting thing to say but Red Tornado lacked the knowledge of the use of proper intonations. The way his tone never changed throughout that speech gave it less of an effect than its intended and actually made his message sound so ominous. Ever the boy scout who sees the good nature in anyone, Superman accepted Red Tornado's words in kind and gave him some form of peace of mind.
"Well if it weren't for you, none of us would t have a home to go back to." Superman said with an open hand. "We all have you to thank for that."
Red Tornado reacted to this in kind and finally turned towards Superman and shook his hand with a tight grip. A robot he may be, but Red Tornado isn't without a conscience and did not lack some form of emotion. As he shook Superman's hand, a twang of guilt was choking Red Tornado from the inside.
The reason being was that he already knew about the attack in Metropolis beforehand but did nothing to notify anyone about it from atop the Watchtower. Especially to Superman. Tornado feigned ignorance when the others heard about it and pretended to just discover it alongside them. Blaming himself for the grave error due to the scope that needed his attention for Earth's defense had helped keep up the façade and fooled the others to be none the wiser.
The Justice League was too few and its heroes were stretched thin to defend the Earth and he needed everyone to do their part for his plans to work. At the same time, he coordinated with the armies of many nations to assist in the defense and organized evacuations from heavy civilian populations that were far from their reach. It was a masterpiece of arithmetic calculations that no one but a robot of Red Tornado's caliber could accomplish.
The plan needed Superman most of all since he was the most powerful of them. But Red Tornado knew that Superman's love for his city would have devastated the rest of the world if he were to fly off to save it. To lose him was to lose more lives than necessary. Red Tornado would have none of that. His calculative and AI intelligence would have none of it. And so with a heavy heart, or whatever constitutes as one in Red Tornado, he coldly ignored Metropolis's cries for its savior for the sake of the rest of the world.
"I am sorry as well," Red Tornado said. It was all that he managed to say that saved him from any consequence.
"Right." Superman said. Suspecting nothing. "Now going back to business, Red. What did you find out?"
"I came here to investigate faint traces of raw energy emanating from this particular spot." Red Tornado gestured around him. "My calculations confirm that this spot here is the epicenter of the portal."
At first glance, Superman could see nothing around them. A closer look however revealed to him faded and shadowy outlines dancing around them like strings lightly blown around in the air. Or trails of smoke that rose from a blown out candle. They were translucent in color but some were in the light shades of red that slightly burned at the touch. It did not have the warm caress of a kindling flame but the stinging blade of an electric copper wire that digs into ones skin. A normal person would have burned sores and poisoned in mind and body by the raw energy but to someone like Superman, the pain was no more than a nuisance and a pinch that barely left a rash.
"That explains the heat." Superman looked to the sun that was nowhere to be found. "It's supposed to be around near sub-zero here around this time. Is it dangerous?"
"Indeed. It has been interfering with my internal systems but this is not like before. I am preparing upgrades to override it but I must make due for now. At least this is just a faint wisp as compared to the storm that the Portal has wrought."
"Any chance of us sampling this stuff?" Superman asked.
Reaching out with a finger, he caught a pale strand of the peculiar substance that began harmlessly curling around it. With his supervision, he observed this peculiar substance at a magnified level and watched as it made its way around to the tip of his finger. This strand then trailed itself into a ball and much to Superman's horror, it formed into a horrible, tortured face with a broken crooked jaw, and peering hollow eyes. If there was air in space, Superman would have heard it scream but this didn't stop him from imagining it doing so with an ear piercing screech. With that, he wildly shook his hand like he held something foul and disgusting.
"I do not have the necessary tools for that endeavor." Red Tornado pointed out. Oblivious to Superman's startling discovery. "This is a substance unknown to me. None of it is in my data base. By my guess, it is raw energy. On another, something else. Suffice to say, I cannot keep something like that in a glass jar."
"What are the chances…" Superman earnestly asked. "of something like that appearing again?"
"The Portal?" Red Tornado asked.
"Yes."
"If I were to be honest, Superman. I do not know." Red Tornado replied but added a hint of doubt in his tone. "Calculations are vague. Imprecise. But I believe that we are still in great danger."
Before Superman could react and before Red Tornado could say more, the two heroes were bathed in a bright green light as Hal Jordan came flying in towards them.
"There you are!" Hal exclaimed fervently. "Been trying to get in touch of you guys forever now."
"What's the problem, something came up?" Superman quickly dashed in front of the Green Lantern.
Even Red Tornado turned towards the Lantern to hear of his report.
"Ground team just contacted us." Hal said hurriedly. "Something very important. League meeting in the Watchtower. Hop to, Superman. Get your ass in gear, Red."
With that said, the three heroes raced back to the Watchtower together.
"Any clue what it's about?" Superman asked as he flew right next to the Green Lantern. Red Tornado lagged behind but still managed to keep pace.
"Hell if I know," Hal shrugged. "That's why we're having a meeting in the first place, right?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Most of the main roads of Gotham were in utter shambles from the aftermath of the climactic duel. The entire city was at an uproar. Cars swamped every winding street and labyrinth of alleys that blared a distorted chorale of ear piercing sirens. Accidents were common as people blindly tried escaping the madness and caused more injuries even when the guns were already silent. Worse, Gotham's people have also taken to the streets in many parts of the city.
Large mobs and scattered souls wallowed aimlessly in panic and confusion from what would be known to the media as 'The Purple Star Incident'. Most must have mistaken it for the beginning of the End Times. The Apocalypse. Armageddon. Many had swarmed to their nearest parishes and churches where they all kneeled in prayer to their gods for Penance and Salvation. They did so from the front of their altars to the cobblestone rocks outside under the dusking sky.
The other more practical and realist people of the population settled their faith by fist through many riots broke out all over the city. Even some in the spiritual community joined in the chaos as they climbed atop of their pedestals and claimed themselves as called prophets. Preaching to the masses their perverted beliefs. Calling forth purges. Fires to scorch the wicked. Water to wash the unclean off of their sins in repentance. Most prevalent of these occurred at the slums and in the rich districts where an orgy of looting and violence took place. The GCPD were stretched thin as it is as every Officer, Detective, and even the lowly Desk Jockeys all worked themselves to the bone to keep the peace.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
As compared to the rest of the GCPD, SWAT Officers Crispus "Cris" Allen and Stanley Kitch were handling a more dangerous assignment, escorting the Arbitrator as their convoy made their way back to the Main Precinct. A task that neither Officers treated lightly and enjoyed. What made their task so dangerous was the fact that they were to do it while being in the same confined space of the Armored Police Van as the Arbitrator.
The two other SWAT Officers driving the Van also fell under the same task but at least they had a solid wall of steel between them and the Van's cargo hold. The only problems they are currently dealing with was the stress of traffic. Officers Allen and Kitch were literally sitting a foot away from the Arbitrator. Dangerously too.
As a security measure, the two Officers sat separately. One sat near the door. The other sat opposite near the window to the driver's seat. That way, if ever the Arbitrator proved to be hostile, he had to deal with them separately whilst leave an opening for the other Officer to exploit. It was a plan that they wordlessly set up for each other on the fly before climbing aboard.
Effective as this tactic may be, they were still technically exposed. The only two thing they had as- means of protection were first, their guns. Specifically their MP5 Submachine guns. Upholstered, primed, and ready to fire. The other was Gordon's word to the Arbitrator that he was not to be treated as a prisoner but as a guest.
This was something that didn't sit well for the Officers because this prevented them from confiscating this strange man's equipment and – much to their displeasure - his weapons. It was hard for all of them to see what the Arbitrator thought about this arrangement. His damned helmet got in the way of that and the fact that he didn't say anything in return helped shroud the man further into mystery. The only thing he did was quietly boarding the police Van before them.
A show of faith and trust between the two parties, perhaps? A ploy the Commissioner is cooking to catch this Arbitrator person off guard so they detain him easier? Officer Allen couldn't be sure. He has always considered the Commissioner as a hard man to read. A shrewd man. Unorthodox. Stoic in one move, then brash and bold on the next.
The best he can hope for was to trust that the Commissioner knows how to play his cards right. Especially since it was their necks being set on the cutting room floor. Their lives were hanging by a thread with their safety was held together by nothing more than a simple promise. Just how long that would hold to this Arbitrator - to this alien - this stranger - is still up for grabs.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A blue 3-D map of the Planet Earth was displayed in the middle of their meeting hall with multiple red dots were scattered all over it. The other Leaguers who weren't present in the Watchtower were shown in display screens that allowed them to be present. The only person that wasn't in the meeting was the Batman despite being the leader of the League.
This did little to err any of the other heroes however. They knew better than doubt Batman's commitment to the League. They simply assumed that the Dark Knight was in a middle of something important to the bothered with their current update and the rest of the League decided to start without him.
The crimson speedster, Flash was the one leading the update. A smoking crater was seen smoldering a pillar thick pillar not far behind him.
"Kid Flash and I are in the middle of covering a dozen areas in the Mid-West and South-East Coast of the States, and West of Mexico. Hawkman and Hawkwoman are currently covering parts of South America. Captain Atom is looking into the ones in Europe. Most of it thankfully fell in the Pacific and parts of the Atlantic. Aquaman and his folk are in the middle of looking into those."
"The Seas are a fickle thing. And despite ruling it all in the palm of my hand most of what she has slips what she has past my fingers." Aquaman stated. "We've managed to retrieve a few whilst the rest were taken away by the depths. I had our findings sent to our science division who are still in the middle of dissecting them. I believe that your own scientists and personnel from Wayne Corps and Startech have these taken under their wing?"
"Yeah. I'm keeping an eye on them myself." Green Arrow pointed out. "But other Companies like Lexcorp and even Dagget are taking a piece of the action here too."
"No surprises there." The Green Lantern, John Stewart, shrugged. "This is an international incident after all. No doubt other governments and private companies would want their hands on whatever these things are and have."
"As a matter a fact, some already got their hands on them before we did." Captain Atom said. "And that's just us covering countries in the UN charter. There's nothing we can do or know for the ones that aren't for now."
"Have we found anything interesting though? The crash sites?" Hal Jordan turned to Aquaman and Green Arrow.
"It's too soon to say but as far as we know, we have nothing yet." Flash said. "Most of what I got here are burned up pieces of debris. Too damaged to find anything intact and nothing usable. But the one I found here in Michigan however…"
Flash hesitated for a moment. He turned away from the camera for a second to compose himself. The other Leaguers saw a moment of sadness in the man's usually stoic aspect. Some, like Captain Marvel, wanted to ask what the matter was but was stopped with a gentle hand by Zatarra. It didn't take that long for Flash to look back at them and proceed with his report as though nothing happened.
"The one I found. This thing behind me was a Module. A Chamber. A living quarters of sorts. What remains of it that is. Hard to say. But I found 3 bodies inside. One was burnt to ash. The other two were impaled by the debris. But that isn't even the most shocking thing about it..."
"What is it, Flash?" Superman asked when he saw Flash having difficulty to continue once more.
"They were humans, Superman." The Flash sorrowfully said. "They didn't look it to me at first because of some of their artificial limbs but paramedics confirmed it. There were humans inside this ship."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The traffic was moving at a snail's pace. Cris saw Stan give him the same defeated look. A look that said that their trip was going to be more laborious affair and would take a while longer than they expected.
Surprisingly, they didn't need to trouble themselves with the Arbitrator as much as they expected him to be at first. The man was surprisingly docile. Cooperative even and simply spent most of the hour sitting still upright like a statue through most of the trip. His arms rested easily on his knees. Nowhere near any of his tools hanging on his belt nor to the large gun hanging from the holster on his side and a mile away from the knife strapped on his blood caked boots.
This did little to convince either Officers of this supposed civility however. The man may not be on speaking terms with them but that doesn't mean that he wasn't paying attention to them either. From under his helmet, Cris could tell that the man had his eyes on them the entire time. The fact that the man stinks made it more difficult for Cris to endure his presence
Cris was not saying this in any metaphorical sense. The Arbitrator literally stank. He could smell his musty scent of his clothes dampened by filth, grime, and guts that nearly burned the hairs in his nose even with the protection of his balaclava. Brown traces of dried blood was splattered all over him. Tiny pieces of bone and shriveled chunks were still sticking on him. It was a nasty piece of work that Cris could barely look at. Or smell.
"I'm with you, pal." Stan said to him over the radio in a hushed but obviously concerned tone. "The guy's creeping the fuck out of me too."
Wayne Tech was generous enough to provide the GCPD's SWAT with improved microphone radios for each trooper. Its most notable quirk was that it could pick up even the quietest of whispers spoken by its users for continuous communication especially when under Covert Ops Missions. The same perk can be used to discern the faintest of sounds like footsteps or heartbeats with a distance of a couple of meters away.
"Yeah." Cris hissed with a quick nod. "Even Killer Croc makes for better company than this one here."
"Hold up a sec. So let me get this straight." Stan tried holding back a laugh. "A 7 and a half foot Leather faced brute with teeth the size of ribcages that wouldn't shut up about eating you alive is a better choice in a carpool than this guy here who's just giving us the stink eye?"
"Yeah. What's your point?" Cris shrugged. "At least that freak's honest about what he want. At least I'll know what I'm in for. This Arbi-whatever –"
"Arbitrator." Stan corrected.
"Yeah." Cris waved an impatient hand. "This Arbitrator guy, isn't. Hell. The guy hasn't said zip to us since he got on board with us. He's just sitting there. Like a robot. You think he's a robot?"
"Don't think so. Because I don't usually stink THIS bad." Stan gagged. "Hmmm. But the guy has something in him that's giving me the chills. And I only usually get that from the Batman."
"I hear that. But at least Batman doesn't smash a guy's head like a watermelon in a Gallagher show. I mean, I've seen it. But I still can't believe it."
Cris wasn't saying this under the any pretenses of distress. That appalling scene didn't affect him as much as compared to the crowd behind him who screamed in terror and cried in horror. Working - and let alone living - in Gotham for years made things like that feel mundane due to how common acts of brutality are in the city. He only took that scene in the park as a reason, as proof, that this 'guest' in front of him is dangerous and so earned him a right to suspect him for the worst.
"Your first time meeting an Alien isn't it, rookie?" He heard Stan say on coms.
"What?" Cris asked since he didn't hear the man right.
"I said that it's your first time coming across an Alien, ain't it? Based on experience, all I can tell you about it is that they don't think much like us. The same way Hindus won't eat cow. Or Muslims with pork. You get used to these stuff. Even the bad ones. But that's not what's really bothering you, is it?"
"I dunno, Stan. But I know that this guy has something up his sleeve. He may not look it but this guy hasn't kept us out of his sights since we left the park. He's up to something, man."
Cris saw Stan turn his head towards the Arbitrator for a moment before falling silent for a time. He saw his colleague fix himself on his seat then lean an inch forward. But did it ever so slightly so that nobody would have noticed him. This was a sign that Stan was taking his call seriously.
The boys back in the Precinct dubbed this 'Doing the Sherlock' like the TV trope from that British Crime Show. Some even started calling him 'Sherlock' much to Stan's chagrin. Cris had always hated that trope. Poor writing in his case. He has 2 autistic relatives from both sides of his family and neither of them could open a door without bumping into them first. Be it as it may, that stupid trope was the best way to explain his colleague's obsession with finding to smallest of detail to situations similar to this.
"I got nothing." Stan finally radioed in.
"Wanna ring that by me again, Stan?" Cris asked skeptically.
"I said, I. Got. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Nothing worth of note on the guy." Stan elaborated. "Nothing hostile as far as I can tell. But…"
"But what?"
"I mean, the man is wearing a fucking helmet with a tinted visor for god's sake." Stan said unsurely as he scratched the back of his neck. "You can see that, right? Eyes help piece these things together a lot easier but with that helmet on, I can't tell if the guy's sleeping or winking on me. There's not a lot for me to work with here."
"So what's your take on it then?"
"An 80/20 chance of us being fucked. But then again, I could be wrong." Stan despaired. "God, I hope so."
Silence ensued between the 2 men as they fell deep in thought. The only notable sound worth hearing from then was the rumbling engine that mildly shook the vehicle and the sirens blaring from outside. Thankfully those were muffled and toned down by their thick armor plated vehicle.
"How bout we…we deal with it?" Cris proposed.
"The fuck are you on about?" Stan asked but he wasn't so sure that he wanted to hear the end of it.
"Us dealing with a problem before it becomes one."
"I hope you're fucking kidding." Stan snapped. "But if you aren't, you can go fuck yourself."
"Our fucking lives are on the line here." Cris hissed. "Commissh is way over his head and trusting a hostile Alien for all we know. We might as well call ourselves expendable here. "
"You're full of shit, Cris." Stan waved off an impatient hand. "You're way too over your fucking head. Just calm the fuck down."
"I'll be come when I get back home to my kid." Cris fumed. "What's YOUR fucking deal?"
"We just don't know what the fuck is going on." Stan sighed but Cris could easily see some doubt in his look. "We're just getting way too ahead of ourselves and we're thinking too deep on shit we don't know, understand, or deal with. All we can do right now is hope that shit doesn't hit the fan."
This DID quench some of the rage that boiled inside of Cris. The fire that was burning inside his eyes, the same fire that was currently blinding him, began to falter. He then thought of a possibility that perhaps he is overreacting. That his intensions ARE selfish and he was putting their lives in jeopardy over something that neither he nor his friend could understand. That everything that he's looking at here is just his imagination running wild. His emotions going about unchecked.
Looking back at the Arbitrator however somehow rekindled that fire. He started to get angry and scared more than usual. Here was a silhouetted stranger. A murderer with literal blood on his hands. A stinking conniving Alien with god knows what under his sleeve. Cris treated the man like he would treat the gang-bangers and freaks he came across in the gutters of Gotham. With extreme prejudice.
"No." Cris pressed on the matter. "My gut's telling me otherwise and you know it hasn't gotten us killed yet. No matter what he or you or the Commissioner says. I'm gonna cap this motherfucker's ass right now."
"You're not making any fucking sense, Cris." Stan hissed in alarm. He subconsciously reached for his own weapon. But inside he wasn't sure just who he was planning on aiming it towards.
Before Cris could raise his weapon and before Stan could get in his way, a deep husky voice spoke from out of nowhere that stopped him on his tracks.
"The terminologies on this rock is…odd to me."
It took both Officers a short moment to realize that it was the Arbitrator speaking to them. The first time since they've all climbed aboard. It wasn't much but it was surprising enough for both of them to fall completely silent and turn their complete attention towards them.
"But a threat is simple to recognize, Officers." The Arbitrator said to them nonchalantly but with hints of weariness. "A very grave crime."
The metal seat creaked loudly as the Arbitrator began leaning forward with a hand resting heavily on his leg. The man then slowly turned his head towards them one at a time like something out of a horror movie with his faceless helm. Behind that tinted visor however, a bright red light emanated from inside the left side of said man's visor. The two Officers then felt a cold chill crawl up their spines and a stirring heat that was oddly stemming from their chests.
"With your backwater status and by your ignorance though. I might consider overlooking this." The Arbitrator considered. The red light behind his visor began to dim. "Just pray to the Emperor that it does not change."
He didn't wait for either Officer to speak before continuing with his tirade and made his point.
"And the feeling is mutual, Officer Allen." He said to the young man. "I don't trust any of you either."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A blinding light suddenly appeared in the middle of the Meeting Hall and bathed it everything in bright gold in a shape of a giant Egyptian Ankh. Startled as everyone were by the sudden appearance, none of the heroes stood from their seats or acted any way hostile to the newest arrival. The Golden Helmed agent of the Lord of Order and a member of the Justice League, Dr. Fate has arrived.
"Forgive me for my tardiness but I have something that should shed some light in these current events." Dr. Fate spoke as he floated down to his seat. His voice was powerful and echoed not just around the room they were in but also into the minds of those around him. He then piercing his shining gaze to the Martian. "You've had the same seizures as I, correct?"
"Yes." J'onn J'onzz replied. "I take it that it was no mere coincidence that you have experienced this yourself."
"No." Dr. Fate shook his head before turning to the other Leaguers. "None of what we have experienced were mere happenstances. The seizures were caused by the existence and the appearance of the very portal that has brought this visitor, this wounded Battlecruiser, into our Realm. It was a Tear made from pure raw psychic energy. One that does not exist in this plane of Existence."
"So this Battlecruiser is from different Dimension? One where magic is prevalent?" Superman scowled. Magic has always been a problem for him and though he disliked it, never really felt at ease around it. Mainly because apart from kryptonite, magic was the next best thing that could kill him.
"Hmmmm. Difficult to say, Son of Krypton. I can easily see that this Battlecruiser was made from materials of the Physical Plane. One such as ours. But I am unsure if it is from THIS particular universe. It has also traversed the Realm of Magic more than once intentionally it seems. This makes pinpointing its source more difficult due to the amount of raw energies that lay within it."
"If it is magical in nature, wouldn't things like ancient runes or spells be written on it or be visible for something like that." Wonder Woman asked. "
"Yeah." Green Arrow added. "And that thing looked like it was built in an assembly line than from any holy temple or something."
"Magic does not always require trinkets or runes." Dr. Fate explained. "There are many ways to tap into it. But given the amount of raw energy that has stained the ship has made it difficult to discern its source even more so that I have so little to work with at present. I can only hypothesize that the ship must have had the technology to tap into and navigate through the Realms of Magic. A dangerous endeavor but not entirely uncommon. But without the use of any runes or spells is very peculiar. This is technology that I am not familiar with nor is it something that anyone from this world possesses."
"But what does all of this have to do with the seizures that the psychics had?" Captain Marvel innocently asked. "What does magic have to do with any of this?"
"As one who is the chosen champion of Shazam," Dr. Fate turned to the young Hero. "I am surprised that you are ignorant of this field."
"It's…uh…not something we managed to…uhm… cover as much." Captain Marvel sheepishly covered with an unconvincing chortle.
"Fill us in either way," Green Arrow countered. "Some of us aren't too familiar with the mystic mumbo jumbo."
"So be it." Dr. Fate acknowledged after some deep thought. "This is a very sensitive subject and is difficult to take by the younger species. But I know of the gravity of the situation and choose it to reveal it too you. This is also a subject that has transpired for eons so I will keep things simple for all of you and the story brief. The Realms of Magic - and the many names it is associated with - is a dimension of pure psychic energy that courses throughout the many dimensions even in the Material Universes to a certain degree. Some believe it to be the direct result of first existence of sentience in the Universe. Others believe that it was created from the very first thought and belief. Only to flourish in the Eons."
The Heroes listening in were awed as by this revelation and possible truth of their very existence but no one was as awed nor was as shocked by this Revelation more than the Amazonian, Wonder Woman. Amidst the Justice League's roster, one may consider her to be the most religious one of them all. After all, she was born out of clay by her mother in Themyscira and was given life by the All-Father, Zeus. She was technically a demi god. A devout one too as she prayed to them for wisdom and called onto them for strength.
Her entire life was based upon her warrior culture of faith. But to hear of this supposed truth was by the Lord of Order was hard to take in. She considered it preposterous. Heretical even as it went against all that she believed and stood for. A part of her wanted to argue against that idea. Another wanted to raise her sword against the blasphemer. Instead she decided to listen as wisdom dictated and learn more on what was unknown. But she did so while refusing it to be facts that were meant to be believed.
"In either course," Dr. Fate continued, oblivious to the thoughts purveyed by the others, "it is directly linked to the minds of every sentient being in existence. The Tear between the Realm of Magic and Material Plane has spewed out its raw psychic energies that poured unchecked into this Universe. The influx of such power caused a psychic backlash that affected every sentient species near it in many and in different ways. But none of its effects are more felt and more potent as compared to ones that possesses psychic powers and to those familiar to the mystic arts. Painfully so, if I may add. My Host, Kent Nelson, was fortunate that he had the Helmet on else he would not have been able to have survived the experience. "
Kent Nelson was the oldest member of the League and the current host to the Golden Helmet where the Lord of Order, Nabu, presided. A man pushing in his 90's but nonetheless was still a powerful mage in his own right. Nabu in turn though a powerful entity could not exist in the Material Plane alone. Together, the two become Dr. Fate.
Turning to J'onn J'onzz, Dr. Fate said, "It is a miracle by its own right that you have managed to survive despite being in such close proximity to the Tear."
"I have none but Hal Jordan to thank for aiding me through the encounter. But what of Mars?" J'onn asked in alarm. "Every Martians is a natural psychic."
J'onn shuddered at the thought of entire populations of Martians being laid to waste from the aftermath of the psychic backlash. Their entire lives revolved around their psychic powers and telepathy down to the youngest of their broods. No doubt that his people would have been gravelly affected by the appearance of the Tear.
"I don't think they'll be in that much heat, J'onn." Stewart confidently affirmed the Martian with a hearty pat in the back. "Like the good doctor said, the portal only affected the closest thing around it. Mars is over 200 million miles away from it. I bet that all they got back there is a mild headache. The same type you get when you get stuck in traffic."
The other Heroes nodded to the Martian in show of approval. J'onn however was unconvinced. He turned to Dr. Fate with a concerned look.
"The Green Lantern's statement holds merit." Dr. Fate answered without hesitation.
Deep inside the crevices of his mind however, Dr. Fate had some doubts. This energy that he felt was knew that the effects of this Tear would have still been catastrophic for the Martians but as for how, even Nabu was unsure.
"Thank you, Dr. Fate" J'onn breathed out a sigh of relief.
Dr. Fate could only nod in return. But deep inside the crevices of his mind, Dr. Fate had some doubts. Raw psychic energy was chaotic in nature. Despite the distance from the epicenter the effects of the Tear would still have been felt by the telepathically inclined Martians indefinitely. For better or worse, Dr. Fate could foresee dire repercussions from this.
Dr. Fate was about to say this to the Martian but somehow, the elderly Kent Nelson reached out from his subconscious and spoke a different truth in turn. The man felt that his friend, J'onn, has already gone through too much and a little bit of hope could help the Martian go through with such a traumatic experience.
Nabu, begrudgingly agreed and let go of the matter.
"I think that I speak for everyone when I ask, where is the source of the Tear, Fate?" Superman asked.
"And will it be a threat to us?" Wonder Woman added.
"It came from somewhere I dare not cross again. A place of terror and madness beyond any hell you could ever imagine. A dimension of pure Evil and where all Demons lie." Dr. Fate spoke grimly. "The Realm of Chaos."
Dr. Fate paused after speaking these words for good reason. The revelations that he has revealed were already too much for the other heroes to process in short time. Information that is difficult to swallow due to their already existing dogmas and beliefs. If he was not careful in how he handled this situation, it would lead to dissention and chaos within the ranks of the League.
The Lords of Order may not always be on the same side of the League, even go as far as to challenge them at times, but they at least know of its importance in fighting against Chaos in this particular reality. Nabu and Nelson knows of this all too well and they will do all that they can to maintain harmony amidst the League. Even more so because of what he said next.
"The appearance of that ship into our Plane of Existence has opened the door between our Universe and theirs. Further linking the two and had allowed its taint to spread here. To what degree, I do not know. But I do know is that the world, no. This universe will need the Justice League now more than ever. To battle the evil that has begun its reign of corruption."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"How'd you—" Cris started but was quickly cut short by the Arbitrator.
"This thing isn't just for show, you know." The man tapped on his helmet. "Tap into communication devices with it. An easy task. Especially with your primitive technology."
"So you've heard… heard everything then?" Stan asked. His hands were slightly trembling.
"Everything." The Arbitrator nodded while his crimson eye kept shining brightly on them.
"That there's called an invasion of privacy in these parts, you know." Stan dared himself to point out. "And seeing as you're not from here—"
"Please." The Arbitrator scoffed. "Your rights for privacy is the last thing in my mind."
"Now I'd suggest you keep your pet mutt on a leash, Officer Kitch." The Arbitrator continued before any of the two could come up with a word in reply. He spoke to Officer Kitch while motioning to Officer Allen on the other side of the van. "Less his brat grows up without a father."
Cris had some doubts about shooting the Arbitrator before but mention his kid, then all bets are off. The chance of taking things peacefully just flied out of the window. The moment he heard the Arbitrator use his son in that threat, he already raised his gun at the man. The Arbitrator quickly grabbed onto his own pistol but Cris knew that by the time the man could shoot back, he would have already drowned him in lead bullets.
But before he could make any of that into a reality, Stan quickly jumped in between both of them with his arms raised at both of them. Selfless as the act may seem, it only pissed off Cris even more since his friend got in the way of his crosshairs and now couldn't fire.
"Wait. Wait. Wait. WAIT! Let's just take a moment to try to calm the FUCK down!" Stan cried out before turning to Cris. "Cris. Buddy. You're being stupid again. And you know what happens when you get stupid. I'm not sure I can fucking talk our way out of this one, pal!"
"Get the fuck out of the way, Stan." Cris gritted his teeth. "You're getting the both of us killed!"
"Fuck you, YOU'RE gonna get us killed." Stan retorted. "Now stand the fuck down. You don't know what you're doing you dumbass."
"Speak for yourself." Cris snarled viciously.
"Listen to me, Cris! Just fucking LISTEN!" Stan hissed in desperation. "I'm just following the Commissioner's orders, Cris."
"Kiss-ass." Stan snarked back.
"And so should you, Cris!" Stan pleaded loudly. His paper thin patience was at its peak. "You're a cop remember! Now fucking act like one!"
This pressed some buttons on the young Officer. Cris's hands faltered for a moment but his stubbornness and distrust of the Alien made his will to see reason weak.
"I advise that you listen to your friend, Officer." The Arbitrator said from behind and unintentionally fanned the flames even bigger.
"You got no fucking say in this, you." Cris spat.
"I do as a matter a fact." The Arbitrator countered. "You ARE pointing your weapon at me, after all. A serious offence."
The Arbitrator followed this with him scratching his head with a massive gun to point out to them that he was now armed. Cris only saw a glimpse of it but it was easy to say that it was a fearsome looking chrome revolver twice the size of any service revolver they have in the force. It was a rectangular shaped compact weapon with two non-identical long barrels arranged vertically with the bottom barrel being twice the size than the one on the top. The barrel on the top had a muzzle break attachment. But instead of pointing the weapon at him though, the Arbitrator curiously let it hang lazily on his hand.
"I commend you for the honor you give to your uniform, Officer Kitch." The Arbitrator flatly complemented but this did little to betray his sincerity. "Now allow me to deal with the one who tarnished his."
Cris saw that the Arbitrator's pistol was a break action weapon that opened by a hinge. The man was in the middle of checking the gun's bullets that could carry up to 8 large caliber rounds before snapping the gun shut and pointed it at Cris. But much to the Arbitrator's dismay, Stan got in the way of this too.
"I…I can't do that." Stan stammered in the face of the massive gun pointed at him. "Now we…we can talk about this like civilized people. We can work something out now and…and make it back to the precinct in one piece. You have something to say to the Commissioner, right?"
"By 'can't' I presume that you 'won't' then?" The Arbitrator ignored the man's banter. Disappointment was evident on his tone. "Your loyalty is commendable Officer Kitch but misplaced. If you continue to be difficult, I will be forced to kill you and your friend with one slug. Obey or die? There will be no second warning."
"It's just my fucking luck that I end up being in the same room with two trigger happy bastards." Stan mumbled to himself sardonically.
"You're gonna get yourself into a whole lot of shit if you do this you know!" Stan exclaimed. "Killing 2 Officers in cold blood is a death sentence here."
"Self Defense, Officer Kitch." The Arbitrator corrected. "Officer Allen threatened to kill me and you stubbornly got in the way. That makes you an accessory to his crime. I have visual and audio proof of that if needs be. Either case, I have no regrets."
"What do you mean?" Stan asked.
"Proof?" Cris asked as he curiously peaked from behind Stan.
"The machine spirits has provided me with recording devices in my helmet." The Arbitrator said as he tapped on his helmet. "I am an Officer of the Law after all. Everything was put into writing. Even your biased government cannot deny the legitimacy of my actions. So you see, Officers. I hold all the cards here."
As shocking as this all was, what was even more shocking for Cris was when he noticed that Stan was at a loss of words. Coming from him, it was something very concerning. He noticed that his friend slowly began to shrink. His shoulders slowly dropped like something from a burden that he can no longer carry. His hands fell limp. Dead on his sides. His head fell morose. Deep in despair. Defeated. Lethargic in front of the face of death.
The Arbitrator appears to have taken noticed of this as well.
"So be it." The Arbitrator sighed as he raised his gun at him. "You are an exceptional Officer. May you find solace in the Emperor's side."
It was around this time that Cris finally found his nerve again by the time he heard the loud clicking of the guns hammer. Adrenalin was pumping fast in his body. His heart was beating so fast that it felt like time began to slow down around him as he fell to down around himActing entirely by instinct, as though his body had a mind of its own, he pushed Stan out of the way and then aimed his gun towards the Arbitrator.
Cris saw that the Arbitrator was caught off guard by his unexpected move and bought him a few precious seconds to blast him with a burst from his sub-machine gun. The Arbitrator was hit straight in the chest and was pushed back. Cris shot another burst at him that threw the man backwards to the Van's wall where he slid down to his seat with a heavy groan.
Before Cris could blast the Arbitrator again with another burst, he and everyone else in the van were thrown off and kissed the cold steel floor when something outside struck the van on its side. Not a second past since the first collision when they were struck again only this time they were being pushed off of the road. They heard the loud revving of a powerful car's engine and the ear piercing sound of burning rubber coming from outside before coming to a sudden stop.
Cris groaned and massaged the bruises he just earned. Fortunately for him there was nothing broken. He thought that whatever that was happening was probably over by then. Slowly, he tried getting up on his feet before a series of deafening explosions from outside sent him dropping flat on the floor. The force of the explosions made the metal walls ring like a bell and made Cris's insides uncomfortably reverberate. The loud cracking sound of concrete and the breaking of stones from beneath them followed and sent the entire Armo. With a loud screech, he felt his stomach rise to his chest and his heart rising to his throat as the entire Van came falling down.
It ended as quickly as it started. Cris and the others in the van never got a chance to react accordingly. None of them even managed to let out a scream in the confusion as they came falling. The only thing Cris succeeded in doing was hitting the floor hard enough for him to get knocked out just as the van slammed onto the ground. The force of the impact launched three passengers out of their seats. They bounced around the vehicle like ragdolls before falling completely still to unconsciousness.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A/N: Before I receive any scrutiny from the more devoted fans of the genre, I'd like to clarify that as the story is still progressing, please just bear with me. Things will get interesting as it goes on. Of course I will have made some adjustments with some of the lore so as that there will be some form of common ground between the two universes.
More shall be explained as the story progresses. But until then, I wish you all to enjoy the story and don't forget to leave a review. Theories are welcomed as they are interesting and I am open to suggestions on just how this story will play out though I already have some plots in store. Perhaps I could write those in for fillers. Lets see.