Welcome back to The Injustice Wars. Last time, after Livewire agreed to join the Republic, Darkblood conducted his plans that involved Reverse Flash's corpse. And that plan, restore him to life with the help of Enchantress and Vermillion. It worked, and Reverse Flash made the frankly melodramatic, but we know to be true, claim that all versions of him across the multiverse would dedicate their lives to Darkblood's service. So, what awaits now? Read on to discover...
(Our scene opens up back in Legion HQ, where Livewire and Aero are exchanging intel with Black Lightning, and Flash is examining the interdimensional transporter that brought everybody here in the first place, while Blaze sits at a nearby table, writing in her journal, something we haven't seen in a long time. The entry reads in this fashion:)
"It's been two years since we were pulled back to this world. Hard to believe. And this year has been one of the stranger ones. Confronting the League of Assassins, facing space pirates, and now there's more travelers from the multiverse here! Raiden, Kuai Liang, the Turtles, Power Girl, all a strange menagerie of new faces. And all of them brought together by the first of them: Belial Aether and his new faction, the Republic.
Now that guy's a real enigma. He seems trustworthy enough, heck he's saved my life more times than I can remember. Plus, anyone who can talk Hawkgirl down from the Regime? That's somebody you want on your side. And all the reports I've heard from our mutuals are good. He seems nice, if a little flustered around Starfire. I have to wonder, does anybody else sense something between them? Maybe it's just me.
Either way, as we prepare to enter our third year with no end in sight to this war, I'm both excited and worried, but mostly worried, about the answer to one simple question. What comes next? I mean, how can this situation get any weirder?"
(With that, Blaze puts her pen down as a pair of green lights enter the scene: the Green Lanterns are here.)
Blaze: Hal, John, what've you got?
Green Lantern: Other than the surprise on everybody's face when they saw John alive? A fair bit more than we expected.
Blaze: So your mission to dispel the stories around Captain Avarice were successful?
John Stewart: Turns out there is one comprehensive file on Avarice's history. On an old Green Lantern Corps prison world.
Blaze: They used a whole world as a prison?
Hal Jordan: Only one. And that's where the problem lies.
Blaze: That being?
John Stewart: The planet in question is Ysmault.
Blaze: Ysmault?
Hal Jordan: Home of the Red Lanterns?
Blaze: Wait, there's Red Lanterns now? I thought it was just Green and Yellow!
John Stewart: Those are the big ones, but the Red ones are probably number 3 in respect to recognition. I mean more people have heard of them than the Indigo Tribe, for example.
Blaze: Looks like we're going into space then. We'll need to put together a team. You two are on it obviously. We'll need all the Lanterns we can get if we're going onto another Corps' home turf.
John Stewart: Presumably the old Javelin 7's still good for spaceflight?
Blaze: I'll have to check with Bruce and Barry, but I think so.
Hal Jordan: Sounds good.
Blaze: Excellent, we depart within the next half hour.
(With that, Blaze shuts her journal, and we transition into the sewers beneath Metropolis, where a surprising face is still running around, one that despite all of this is seemingly unkillable. It's the Scarecrow, having survived the first meeting of all six factions, and still carrying the staff that called out to him.)
Scarecrow: (Within his own mind) This is most unusual. Something about this scepter is speaking to me. Perhaps it's what saved me from certain death in that museum. Maybe even from Joker all those years ago. As if it wanted me to find it. I don't know what it wants from me, and I can't bring it to Grodd for assistance, he probably thinks I'm dead by this point. I don't have my usual resources to track this down. So what do I do?
(At this point, Scarecrow remembers something, or rather someone, a familiar purple and black dragon with glowing red eyes)
Scarecrow: (Now aloud) Yes... he may be just what I need. That dark dragon, what was his name? Darkblood was it? He may be the one I... (Looks down at the scepter) We need.
(As Scarecrow runs off further into the sewers, we see a familiar ankh gate behind him. Doctor Fate has been observing him closely since he discovered that scepter. But at this point, even Doctor Fate removes his helmet, letting Kent Nelson speak)
Kent Nelson: This is bad. Very bad. If the contents of that scepter are unleashed, it's all over. I've got to let the Legion know. The dragons will be able to stop this. Assuming we can get to them in time.
(And with that, Kent Nelson dons his helmet, becoming Doctor Fate again)
Doctor Fate: Yes... perhaps... We must contact them immediately.
(Contemplating his next move, Doctor Fate disappears back through an ankh gate, presumably back to the Tower of Fate, as our scene ends for today)
And that looks like a good place to end for today. So, as of now, we are in Year Three of The Injustice Wars. And it's starting with the continuing mystery of Doctor Johnathan Crane. How the heck does Scarecrow keep coming back? Is it this scepter? What is contained within that artifact? And perhaps most importantly, why is Doctor Fate of all people worried about this one particular item? Next time, we get the answers. And not just some, but all of them. So be sure to tune in for that. Same time... same channel!