An. I own Nothing
Part 2
Please Review
Batman
Batman returned to Gotham and immediately headed to Arkham to check on all the inmates. He spent a good two hours making sure that there had been no escape attempts, and that everyone was accounted for, and personally checked to make sure Joker, Harley Quinn, Penguin, and the other more dangerous villains were secured before leaving. He then called Commissioner Gordon to meet him on top of the GCPD building, the Commissioner was there waiting for him when he arrived.
"Batman," Gordon greeted "It's unusual for you to call me, what's going on?"
"The League of Assassins has are threatening to wipe out humanity by the end of the week," Batman said seriously.
"Hmph, and Bullock says you don't have a sense of humour," Gordon said literarily.
Batman's facial expression didn't change.
"Your serious," Gordon said upon seeing Batman's expression.
"I am, the Justice League is on high alert. I need you to report any and all crimes to me the moment you hear about them," Batman instructed "no matter how small or insignificant,"
The Commissioner looked at him like he was crazy. "You sure? With the amount of crime that happens in Gotham, you're going to be very busy and you won't ever stop working would never stop working,"
"Yes, without any knowledge of how the League of Assassins plans to pull this off. No crime or incident can be overlooked. If you can't reach me, report it to the Watchtower,"
"Alright, if that's what you want," the Commissioner agreed "I'll keep you updated,"
Batman nodded his thanks and then jumped off the edge of the building. After speaking with Gordon, Batman made the rounds to locations the League of Assassins had visited or used in the past both as safe houses, weapon caches, and other drop sites. However, they were all empty. Batman couldn't find any evidence that Ra's or the League of Assassins had been in Gotham.
Returning to the Batmobile after checking the last site, he noticed the comm signal was going off. The caller ID showed it came from Alfred. The old butler had been calling him on and off for the last few hours, however, he'd been ignoring the calls and focusing on finding the League and preventing whatever plan Ra's had come up with. He drove off at high speed and tapped the comm interface to answer the call.
"What is it, Alfred?" Batman demanded as he drove "I'm busy,"
"Where have you been? I've been trying to call you for hours!" Alfred exclaimed, his voice filled with distress.
"The Justice League received a threat we can't ignore," Batman summarized.
"Master Bruce, you need to come home now," Alfred insisted "Your mother and father are missing,"
He stopped breathing, and his heart skipped a beat… his foot slammed on the brakes and the Batmobile screeched to a halt. It was deathly quiet, the only sound was the low hum of the engines as he struggled to comprehend what Alfred had just told him.
"What?" Batman asked in a dark tone.
"The graves of your parents have been dug up. They're gone. The caskets are here but there is nothing inside," Alfred claimed.
"Don't. Touch. ANYTHING. I'm on my way," Batman ordered. He turned the Batmobile around and headed home; small droplets of rain began to fall from dark rumbling thunderclouds.
By the time he got back to the Batcave, a storm was in full swing. He didn't bother changing out of his costume, dashing up the stairs, through the clock door, nearly knocking Alfred over in his haste, and only pulling the cowl back once he was standing in the yard where his parents were supposed to be buried. Alfred ran behind him with an umbrella trying to keep the rain off himself and Bruce. They stopped in front of the graves and Bruce stared in horror at what he saw.
The graves were dug up, and leaning on two piles of dirt were wide-open empty coffins, with the skeletal remains of Thomas and Martha Wayne nowhere to be found. Lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating the desecrated graves, the stark shadows cast by the bright light making it much more real.
Bruce slowly moved forwards and knelt down in front of the coffin that once held his mother. He stared at it with pleading eyes, his tears masked by the rain. His eyes darted over it, critically looking for anything that would give him a clue as to who did this horrible deed. Finding nothing, Bruce moved to his father's casket, but nothing was there either. Bruce fell to his knees in despair. For all his skills and detective prowess, he couldn't find any trace of who did this. He lowered his head in shame knowing that he had failed his parents once again.
Alfred walked over to him, using the umbrella to shield Bruce from the rain. He put a gentle comforting hand on his shoulder and they stood there in silence for a moment. The wind picked up and slammed the lid of Thomas' casket shut. Alfred let out a gasp and Bruce raised his head. There, pinned to the lid of the casket by a nail, was a single small square sheet of paper with the head of a jackal in a circle and an R between its ears.
Bruce stared at it. Lighting cracked across the sky and in the flash, Bruce's shadow took the appearance of Batman. He balled his fists and anger and rage took over his facial features. He slowly stood up and ripped the piece of paper off the casket. He pulled his cowl his head and walked away from the casket to the house.
"Master Bruce, where are you going?" Alfred asked.
Batman stopped and turned back to look at Alfred.
"Out," he responded and the lighting crashed once more, giving Batman a much more frightening and deadly appearance than Alfred had ever seen. For the first time since Bruce donned the cape and cowl, Alfred was genuinely afraid of him. The second the light faded, Batman was gone and Alfred was standing alone in the rain in front of two empty graves.
He headed back down to the cave, got into the Batwing and launched his plane. As he was leaving the Gotham city limits the radio went off.
"Alucard to Batman, there is a serious situation building in Central City…J'onn is…" but Batman didn't hear what Alucard had to say as he cut the communication without a word and shut off his Justice League communicator along with the communications to and from the central Bat-computer as he flew off into the night.
There was only one goal in his mind: find his parents' remains. He wouldn't ask or call anyone from the League for help. Let them track down and stop whatever Ra's was planning. This was personal.
Flash
Flash zoomed through the streets of Central City, looking for the League of Assassins or anything that might lead to them. The problem he was facing was that he had never encountered them before. Sure, he knew about them from Batman, but they'd never targeted or done anything to Central City. Even so, he would continue the search, although it was only the first night and he doubted the League of Assassins would have time to set anything up yet. After all, it had only been a few hours since Batman had informed the Justice League about Ras and his challenge.
He stopped at the top of the Central City police station and waited for J'onn. The Martian was assisting him from the sky, while Flash searched the ground; J'onn searched from above looking for any kind of smaller crime and briefly scanning the surface thoughts of the police for anything out of the ordinary. So far, it seemed like a normal night. J'onn hovered down next to him, arms crossed.
"Did you find anything?" Flash asked the Martian.
"No, everything appears normal," J'onn stated.
"Not surprising," Flash said "Ras's and his goons have never come into my city before. Why would they bother now?"
"I do not know, perhaps if we widen our search?" J'onn offered.
"Maybe," Flash agreed. He didn't want to leave his city unprotected just in case the assassins were to try something.
"Let's do one more sweep of the city before calling it a night. I'm starting to get tired," Flash said.
"Very well," J'onn agreed. He then looked down across the street to where a large crowd was starting to gather.
"What is going on down there?" J'onn asked.
Flash was down there in a second and J'onn floated down after him, hovering above the crowd. The gathering was in front of a television store that was showing the news and Flash politely made his way to the front of the crowd.
"This is Linda Park reporting, we've just received word that the Central City express has been hijacked. We don't have confirmation on the hijacker, only that the train has over 108 passengers on board," Linda reported "We will continue to bring you any updates as we get them,"
"Oh man, someone should do something about that," Flash commented.
The crowd all stared at him. Flash looked around and noticed that everyone was staring at him.
"Kidding, I'm on it," Flash said with a smile, he looked back over at J'onn "Call this in for me," he said and raced off in a red and yellow blur.
J'onn floated upwards and once he was above the shop he tapped his communicator.
"Alucard a train has been hijacked in Central City. Flash has gone to diffuse the situation," J'onn said.
"Understood," Alucard's voice came through the com "keep me updated,"
J'onn cut off the line and flew off in the opposite direction that flash went to continue his patrol.
Meanwhile Flash reached the Central Citys train station but the train was nowhere in sight. Looking up the signboard Flash saw which station the train was set to arrive at and zoomed off in that direction. It only took him a minute to catch up and he jumped on the caboose. Opening the door and rushing inside he saw that the passengers were still in their seats. They turned to look at him oddly.
Flash grinned and walked through the train. "Hey, how are you doing? Nice jacket, where can I get one? Anyone see the game last night? Weird how I have superspeed yet I miss my train right?" he asked as he walked through. He got a different response and passed through the far door.
Once he was on the other side he let out a sigh of relief. No passengers seemed to be hurt, in fact from the odd and surprised looks they gave him it appeared they didn't know that the train had been hijacked. Flash jumped off the train and raced forward passing other carriages. A few people gave him a wave and he returned it with a smile.
He reached the front of the train and hopped in. Inside the control room, the driver was lying on the ground and a woman in a black outfit stood in front of the controls that were encased in some kind of clear container.
"Greetings, my name is Talia, I am a member of the League of Assassins," the woman introduced "I am glad you could catch this train sir Flash,"
"You're in the wrong city, Gotham's over three hundred miles in the other direction," Flash said, gesturing behind him with his thumb.
"I am aware of Gotham's geological location," Talya claimed "I however am here for you. You see our leader has deemed Justice League worthy and offers a chance to repent and join us in the world that he will create,"
"Thanks for the invite but I'm good. I just signed a twelve-month lease and I can't get out of it," Flash claimed.
"I see…then we shall move onto the trial,"
"Trial?"
"Yes, if you can pass my test, I have been ordered to tell you Master Al Ghul's plan in full and how to stop it,"
"This obviously a trap,"
"Perhaps, but with the world at stake can you afford to pass this opportunity up?"
"What if I refuse and just leave?"
"That is your choice, if you do so I too shall leave and let this train run out of control and all who are on it will die," Talya claimed.
"How's that fair?"
"It's not. Now, will you take my test?"
"Fine… What is it?"
"A test of speed and endurance," Talia said, pulling out a remote and pressing a button on it. The console lit up and the train suddenly jerked forward. Flash stumbled, suddenly off-balance, but Talia remained standing.
"The test is simple, there is a hole with a combination lock," Talya said and gestured to a small hand-sized opening. Underneath it was a rotating combination lock. "You simply have to unlock it before the train reaches eighty-eight miles per hour before the timer ends,"
"Or else what? I'll see some serious shit or the train will go back in time?"
"No, the train doors will seal shut and the train will continue to increase speed and will only stop when it collides with the next station in Star City or it will derail and explode," Talia finished.
Flash glared at Talia and made his decision, if it was a test of speed then he could easily beat it. Flash raced forward and stuck his hand in the hole, he started turning the dial, trying every combination in existence until something snapped into his wrist, and he pulled back.
"Ow…what the hell?" he asked as he looked at the odd device and the yellow light that was blinking on top.
"Congratulations, you won," Talya said "and the train will return to its normal speed,"
"What is this?" Flash demanded as he fiddled with the device.
"It's a bomb of course," Talya stated as if it was obvious. Flash stopped fiddling with it and looked at her in shock. "I hear you like movies so stop me if you've seen this one. That bomb is on a timer and it will explode exactly sixty seconds from when it was attached to you. If you do nothing it will explode, if you try to remove it, it will explode, if you start running the timer will be stopped but only when you reach a speed of three hundred fifty miles per hour. The device is halted by friction…so if you stop or slow down...," Talia trailed off.
"It will explode," Flash snapped at her. He couldn't believe he fell for something so obvious.
"Correct. You have also gained the right to the answers you seek about Master Ra's plan. However, know if you choose to run you will never see me again. So what will it be? You have twelve seconds to decide," Talia finished.
Flash glared at her with gritted teeth. He didn't need twelve seconds to decide what to do. Without thinking, he zoomed past Talia and was out the door, running away from the train and leaving a red and yellow streak behind him.
J'onn
J'onn flew over Central City continuing his patrol. Since Flash was dealing with the situation on the train, he'd take care of Central City in the other hero's absence. It had been almost thirty minutes since Flash had raced off and J'onn had been keeping an eye on the news. The reporter, Linda Park, had declared the situation handled and the train would reach its destination on time where officers from the Star City police force would be on standby to apprehend the culprit.
J'onn expected Flash to contact him and let him know he would be guarding the culprit or that he was on his way back, but he hadn't heard anything from the speedster. He was about to contact him via comm link when he picked up a train of thought.
"I know the League of Assassins plans!"
J'onn whipped around to try and identify where it had come from, but it was hard to locate. Thankfully the same thought kept coming through and was getting stronger. J'onn followed it all the way to the Central City docks and found himself above an area of piled-up shipping containers. He focused his mind and searched, trying to isolate the source.
"I'm down here," the thought came through.
J'onn scanned the area with his Martian vision but didn't see any movement.
"Come on, you won't find me up there,"
J'onn activated his communicator. "Alucard, I've found a potential lead. Send the others to my position," J'onn spoke into his comm line, however, all he received was static. "Alucard can you hear me?" he tried again but got no response.
"You won't get through, find me and I'll tell you anything you want to know," J'onn heard in his mind.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" the Martian demanded
"Our game doesn't work like that. If you don't find me soon I'll leave,"
J'onn hesitated but decided that the risk would be worth it and lowered himself down into the maze of containers. He floated through cautiously, searching for the owner of the thoughts.
"Over here,"
J'onn turned.
"To your left," J'onn turned left "Your other left," J'onn turned around and continued to follow the thought. As he made his way through the containers it would taunt him, giving him directions or telling him he was going the wrong way whenever he made a turn.
He tried to reach out and scan the area with his mind, but something was blocking him. He didn't know what it was, but it felt like the same wall that barred him from entering Hawkgirl's mind when Dr. Destiny had attacked them. Now that he thought about it, he'd never been able to enter or even read the surface thoughts of Hawkgirl's mind in all the time he'd known her.
Everyone else in the League he could at least read their surface thoughts. Batman's mind was tricky and well guarded but still readable. Even Alucard's mind was open to him, though it wasn't a place he ever wanted to go back to, given the one time he did enter he had been shown horrific scenes of humans dying and being ripped apart by hellish creatures that lashed out at him as if he was really there.
Still, he'd need to be cautious, very cautious.
"You're getting close," the thought claimed.
J'onn looked around and spotted a container that was in front of him. It was in the grip of a crane, but the bindings around it were slack and there was no one in the driver's seat. J'onn looked around a little more, but he still didn't see anyone.
"You're so close now, burning hot in fact," the thought said.
J'onn phased through the container and found himself in the dark. Using his Martian vision he looked around, only to see boxes and boxes of bottled water and vodka. However, there was no one there. He heard a beeping noise and looked closer, spotting a timer. J'onn's eyes widened as he saw the countdown hit zero. He braced himself for an explosion but all that happened was two of the larger stacks of water next to him burst open. No gunpowder or fire, or anything. J'onn was sprayed with water and now stood soaking wet in a puddle.
Suddenly the container opened behind him and standing there in the dark was the imposing figure of Ra's Al Gul.
"Congratulations, you found me," he said smugly "Let me give you your prize. By the way, that isn't water you're covered in…it's magnesium hydroxide. All the water bottles are filled with it and combined with the vodka…well. You'll be burning for weeks… if you survive that long,"
Ra's held up his hand and flicked on a flame from a small cigarette lighter and tossed it into the container. J'onn immediately stepped back and the lighter landed in the puddle. The moment the flame touched the liquid it ignited, spreading across the puddle and covering J'onn in flames in an instant.
J'onn screamed in pain as the fire ripped through his Martian physiology. He crashed into other boxes and broke them but it only made things worse as more and more flammable liquid was spread over him. Ra's grinned and closed the container doors, locking them from the outside. Normally this would not hold J'onn but since he was on fire and surrounded by it he would be unable to pass through the walls of the shipping container.
"How do you defeat a telepath?" Ra's mused to himself "Think of things you're not going to do,"
Ra's turned and walked away waving his hand as a signal and the shipping container J'onn was trapped in was lifted high into the air only stopping once it was as high as the crane would allow.
Superman
Superman and Wonder Woman were flying above the city streets of Metropolis. So far they hadn't seen any sign of the League of Assassins, when the sudden the sound of sirens caught their attention as a trail of police cars and heavy SWAT vehicles zoomed under them.
"Now where do you think they're going?" Superman asked.
"Not sure, let's find out,'' Wonder Woman responded.
The two heroes followed the trail of police vehicles all the way down the main street of Metropolis. As they were following, Superman suddenly stopped and winced; covering one of his ears.
"Ah," he hissed.
"Superman?" Wonder woman asked in concern.
"It's Jimmy's sonic watch," Superman claimed "He's calling me,"
"Jimmy?"
"A friend of mine who helps Lois, I gave it to him in case he or Lois were ever in extreme danger or there was an emergency I didn't hear about," Superman explained.
Wonder Woman looked at him and then back in the direction the cars were headed. "Go, I'll follow the police and see what's going on," she said.
Superman gave her a grateful look and flew off in a different direction while Wonder Woman continued to follow the emergency vehicles. Superman raced through the city, following the signal and he found Jimmy out the front of the Daily Planet in a large crowd. He was with Lois and Perry and Superman breathed a sigh of relief that they were alright. He hovered next to his friends.
"What's going on?" Superman asked.
"Superman, you're here. There's a woman at the top of the Daily Planet and she's going to jump!" Jimmy claimed urgently.
Superman looked up and using his telescopic vision he could see there was, in fact, a woman at the edge of the building. Her body posture looked showed signs of depression and s
Superman also noticed a gun in her hand.
"Alright, I'll take care of this," Superman said and flew straight up the side of the Daily Planet. He didn't want to scare the woman as he got closer, so he slowed down as he got to the top. Superman felt a stinging headache developing but he ignored it.
He slowed down and hovered a few feet from the edge. He got a good look at the woman, she was beautiful. A tall, slender, pale skinned woman wearing a tight fitting red dress and red lipstick, her long dark hair tied back in a ponytail. She stared blankly over the edge and only reacted when Superman got in close.
"Miss, are you alright?" the man of steel asked gently as his headache started to get worse.
"Stay back," the woman said and raised the gun, pressing the barrel against her temple.
"I'm not moving," Superman assured "My name is Superman, what's yours?"
"Carla," the woman answered.
"It's nice to meet you Carla, why don't you tell me why you're up here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Carla scoffed like it was obvious "I'm going to end it all,"
"And why would you want to do that?" Superman asked gently.
"Because of everything that has happened,"
"And what has happened?"
"My sisters are dead, they were murdered, their killer burnt down the home that we had lived in for years to the ground!" Carla claimed "I'll never catch the one who did it and I have nowhere to go. The police are useless… They are not doing anything!" the woman cried in distress "Honestly, what's the point of going on?"
"I'm sorry that happened to you Carla. I'm sorry that no one has been there for you, but I am here now," Superman said sincerely.
"You're just saying that, you don't mean it!" Carla snapped. She was shaking and Superman could tell that she was afraid.
"I'm not, if you give me the gun and come down I can help you bring your sister's killer to justice," Superman offered.
"I don't believe you,"
"I happen to personally know the world's greatest detective. We and the rest of the Justice league will do everything in our power to bring your sister's killer to justice," Superman promised.
Superman waited for a response as Carla didn't answer. This was a tough situation, if Carla was just threatening to jump he would be able to catch her. However, she also had a gun aimed at her own head and Superman, despite his powers, would not be fast enough to knock it away before the bullet impacted Carla's skull.
After several tense minutes. Carla nodded and lowered her gun and stepped back. "Very well," She said softly and Superman smiled "I'll trust you,"
Superman flew over and his feet touched the edge of the Daily Planet. "Can I have the gun, Carla?" he asked "Please?"
Carla once again hesitated and then smiled. However, it wasn't a sad smile, it was an evil smile filled with malice. "If you insist," she said and raised the gun pointing it at Superman and firing.
Superman stared at her in shock as his mind slowly registered what happened. He felt a wet patch on his chest and he looked down, touching his chest, and saw his hand was covered in blood. HIS blood. He looked up and the dark-haired woman's visage faded. Once it was gone, Carmilla stood there with a proud smirk. She reached out and pulled Superman in close.
Superman's eyes widened in shock as the pain coursed through his body. He didn't process or hear what Carmilla whispered in his ear as she pulled back. Liking her red lips.
"Men are all the same," she said and with the gentlest nudge, she pushed Superman off the top of the Daily Planet.
The man of steel fell, his eyes wide in shock and staring up at Carmilla as he plummeted to the ground. Blood trickled, leaking out of his wound, and Carmilla watched with glee as he fell. When Superman slammed into the pavement below people immediately ran to see if he was alright. Lois stared at him in shock. She snatched Jimmy's camera from him and used the hyper zoom function to aim it at the spot Superman had been hovering before, only to see the woman was no longer there.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman followed the police cars and the SWAT vehicles. She didn't know where they were going in such a hurry, but she would follow them. Hopefully, whatever caused the need for such a large force would have something to do with the League of Assassins plans. The convoy continued to drive down the main street and made several turns before stopping at the central park.
"Great Hera," she gasped. There in the center of the park was the Island of Themyscira. Several Amazons stood guard while others were engaged in battle with the local police. Wonder Woman stared at the island in shock. How had she and Superman missed her home island suddenly appearing in Metropolis central park?
"Take them down, men," an officer in charge shouted and unloaded his gun. The Amazons deflected the bullets with their spears and lashed out, piercing through the officers Kevlar layers and killing them instantly. The Amazons then sensed Wonder Woman's presence and looked up at her.
"Diana, you return to us!" the warrior cheered.
Wonder Woman flew down and stood in front of the warrior. "What is happening here? Why is Themyscira in Metropolis?" she demanded.
"I do not know, but we will not let these filthy men step one foot on our island," the warrior declared and ripped her staff out of the officers chest "Go find the queen, she will need your help,"
"Mother is here too?" Wonder Woman asked in surprise.
"Of course, she is in the temple of Zeus,"
Wonder woman hesitated at this and then looked back at the line of police. She needed to see her mother, but she also needed to make sure no one else died. The Amazons would show no mercy to any man. She flew over to them.
"Stop, do not attack them," she ordered "if you do they will retaliate,"
"Well, what are we supposed to do? They're killing our guys," an officer shot back.
"Then pull back, don't approach the island," Wonder Woman reasoned.
"And let a bunch of half-naked women get the better of us? I don't think so," the man shot back.
"You infuriating little man… Do you crave death? Because that is what will happen if you do not stop," Wonder Woman shouted "Our laws dictate no man may set foot on Themyscira,"
"And our laws state they be arrested for mass murder,"
"This is a misunderstanding," Wonder Woman said. However the police officer wasn't listening anymore and went back to directing his men.
Wonder Woman balled her fists, and she turned to fly to the Temple of Zeus, she'd need to speak with her mother. Hippolyta was the only one who the Amazons would obey, and if she could convince her to force the Amazons to stop their attack, then they would. It didn't take her long to reach the temple and find her mother.
"Mother, what is happening?" Wonder Woman asked.
Hippolyta turned to face her daughter, relief filling her face as she ran up to her.
"Diana, you have returned to us,"
"Mother what is going on? How did the Island come to be in the middle of Metropolis?" Wonder woman asked.
"I do not know, all I know is it was a man. He was seen skulking in the shadows of the libraries and when we confronted him he held up a red orb and vanished," Hippolyta claimed "We thought nothing of it, as nothing had been taken and only a few scrolls had been scattered. But we suddenly found our Island here and then the men attacked us,"
"Mother you have to order our sisters to stand down," Wonder Woman urged "The world of men does not follow our ways,"
"But they are the ones who didn't heed our warnings!" Hypolita claimed "Our sisters warned them not to step foot on our lands, yet they did,"
"Mother you can't kill them for it," Wonder woman urged.
"And why not? They are so eager to kill us," Hippolyta claimed.
"They do not know or understand our ways. Please let us see if we can come to an arrangement,"
"Very well Diana, if you believe it can be done,"
"Thank you, mother," Diana said. The two left the temple and just as Wonder Woman was going to take Hippolyta to the perimeter to talk to the police and hopefully reach a peaceful resolution, the ground began to shake and coming out of the trees were several tanks. While they were clearly tanks, they were painted in clown colors.
"Diana, what are those things?" Hippolyta asked.
Wonder Woman moved forward and stood protectively in front of Hippolyta with narrowed eyes. The tanks stopped and the central one opened and Joker's upper body came out.
"Wonder Woman, what a surprise. You haven't seen Batsy around, have you?" Joker asked.
"Joker what are you doing here?" Wonder Woman asked.
"Honestly, I am not sure. One minute I'm in Arkham and the next I'm in a tree. I spot a battle going and decide to make like the trees around me and leaf…HA HA HA HA HA! Get it? Leaf!" Joker laughed.
Wonder Woman frowned and crossed her arms.
"Bah, you're no fun. As I was saying I was leaving when these babies suddenly appeared in front of me," Joker declared and patted the tank "And they were already painted in my colors,"
"Your insane Joker, surrender and leave Themyscira before you get hurt," Wonder Woman demanded.
"Sorry lady, no can do," the Joker declared "I've got some new toys to test out. Besides I never said I came alone!"
As soon as Joker said that, many, many villains emerged from the trees. Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Harley Quinn, Clayface, Gorilla Grodd, the Ultra Humanite and many more. Wonder Woman took a step back at the number of villains and her eyes flickered to all of them.
"Mother, call our warriors back, we're going to need them," Wonder Woman instructed and she launched herself at the many villains.
Green Lantern and Hawkgirl
Green Lantern and Hawkgirl were flying through the streets of Chicago. However, Green Lantern was having a bit of trouble. His vision was blurry and it was becoming hard to see.
"Look out!" Hawkgirl shouted.
Green Lantern's vision suddenly cleared and he found himself heading straight for a building. He swerved to avoid crashing into the side and curved upwards. Once he was clear Hawkgirl flew up next to him.
"That's the sixth time," Hawkgirl commented "Are you sure you're okay? You've nearly run into three scaffoldings and two traffic lights so far,"
"I'm fine, I just need to focus," Green Lantern shot back irritated.
"You need to get your eyes checked," Hawkgirl commented.
"We don't have time for that," Green Lantern claimed "This Shaft guy could be anywhere,"
"Actually, I'm right behind you," A new voice said.
Both Hawkgirl and Lantern whipped around to see an old man in dark purple and red clerical robes floating there. The robes were fluttering in the wind and he held a purple orb in his left hand. The older gentleman eyed the two of them, critically analyzing them before he huffed at Green Lantern and Hawkgirl's appearance.
"Who the hell are you?" Hawkgirl demanded.
"Hmm…it seems the prince is associated with inferior minds," Shaft observed "And here I was under the impression that intelligent life could be found amongst the stars,"
"Excuse me?" Hawkgirl demanded.
"And you," Shaft said looking at Green Lantern "I have been told you possess the most powerful and versatile weapon in the universe. Yet you use it for something so unimaginably droll,"
"Buddy, you don't know a thing about us," Green Lantern shot back.
"And I can't imagine a greater time waster than learning or finding out about you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have important things to do," Shaft said.
"Hold on, you're not going anywhere! What are you and Ra's planning?" Hawkgirl demanded.
Shaft looked coldly at her "Did the Man of Bats not tell you? I was informed he at least had some semblance of intelligence,"
"You keep talking about Batman like that and you're going to regret it," Green Lantern growled.
"I highly doubt that," Shaft said dismissively.
"Either way, you're coming with us," Hawkgirl declared. She then activated her mace "We can do this the easy way or the hard way…please say the hard way,"
Shaft eyed her and Green Lantern again. He let out a dark chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Green Lantern demanded.
"The two of you. You believe you can do as you say, take me in. But neither of you have any idea of the situation you are truly in," Shaft chuckled.
"All I'm hearing is that you're not going to come quietly," Hawkgirl said. She lunged forward with her mace active and ready to slam it into the old man. However, Shaft simply raised a finger and a dark glow encompassed Hawkgirl and she found her limbs locked up. She tried to move but couldn't.
"For a race that has been lucky enough to attain the gift of flight though evolution, you certainly seem savage," Shaft observed "Tell me, is your entire culture this backwards or are you just special?"
He then swatted his hand towards the ground and Hawkgirl was flung into the pavement. She slammed into the road and skidded, creating a large groove behind her in the tarmac. Shaft floated down and landed at the start of the groove and slowly walked towards Hawkgirl. The Thanagarian had lost the glow on her mace and was struggling to push herself up but it was clear that she was in pain.
As he walked his foot kicked something metal and he stopped and looked down; at his feet was Hawkgirl's mace. Shaft raised an eyebrow and picked it up, looked over it critically and turned it in his hand before activating it for a moment.
"This is an interesting weapon," Shaft commented "It is not made of any material I am familer with and it seems to hold some unique properties,"
He then looked up at Hawkgirl and sneered at her.
"Yet more proof that evolution choose the wrong race," he sighed "I think I will keep this," and he tied Hawkgirl's mace onto his belt "I will put it to much better use than you ever would,"
"I don't need to beat you,"
Shaft looked back and raised his staff, pointing the tip at Hawkgirl. The staff glowed and Hawkgirl braced for whatever was coming but no magic hit her. Instead a large shadow loomed over her and she looked behind her to see the road had peeled off the ground like a strip and was twisting around her. Hawkgirl eyes widened in fear as she was encompassed and trapped in a twisted ball made of tarmac. Shaft grinned and raised his hand, stretching his fingers out and then slowly clenching them. As he did, the large tarmac ball glowed and began to shrink. The moment it started to Hawkgirl's screams could be heard, and judging by the thumping noise, she was trying to break out. Unfortunately for her, the magic glow around the ball also acted as a barrier and Hawkgirl's attempts to break out were futile. When the ball was the size of a small car, Shaft stopped shrinking it, but kept the magical energy on it.
Suddenly, a blast of green energy slammed into the ground next to him. Shaft turned and looked up with a bored and unimpressed expression at Green Lantern.
"Where are you aiming?" he asked.
"What the hell did you do to Hawkgirl?" Green Lantern demanded.
Shaft looked at him and then back at the small ball.
"I trapped her in that ball of tarmac, did you not see me do it?" he asked "Do not worry, she is still alive…for now,"
"What's that mean?" Green Lantern demanded.
Shaft let out a sigh "This is why I dislike speaking with imbeciles…"
"Tell me! Or else!"
"Very well. I shall simplify it so even a simpleton can understand. The lady is trapped and while that prison will not shrink any longer, I am sure it is rather a tight squeeze in there and given how she is obviously frightened of enclosed spaces I can think of no better way than to dispose of her,"
"Let her go!" Green Lantern snarled.
"Why? Are birds not best caged?" Shaft asked with sick smile "Besides I am doing her people a favor by removing her from the gene pool. It will be better in the long run,"
"If you don't let her go I am going to MAKE you!" Lantern shouted.
"I doubt it, you are blind man attempting to see, and anything I say will simply fall on deaf ears," Shaft scoffed.
"I'm not blind!" Green Lantern shouted.
"No, you did not react at all when I was trapping your lady friend and only took action upon hearing her screams. Additionally, you missed me. I was a stationary target with my back to you, and you missed. Finally, you are not even looking at me," Shaft pointed out. "I am right behind you and have been the whole time,"
Green Lantern whirled around and saw Shaft floating behind him. His head snapped back to look at the ground and Shaft wasn't there. Green Lantern was so sure he'd seen the old man down there. He backed off from Shaft, aiming his ring at the dark priest.
"When did you get behind me!?"
"After I picked up the mace," Shaft answered "How did you not see me?"
Green Lantern's vision clouded and he found it hard to see again. He tried to clear his head but it wasn't working.
"Ugh, what are you doing to me?"
"Do you want me to be honest?" Shaft answered "I am wasting my valuable time speaking the unenlightened,"
"No…My eyes," Green Lantern demanded as his vision was getting worse "What are you doing to my eyes? Whatever spell you are casting… stop it!"
"Spell? I am not currently using magic,"
"You have to be!"
Shaft let out another disappointed sigh. "So you don't even know how to identify a magical aura? You truly are blind, I, at least, thought you knew of that. I do apologize for making an assumption about you…You are clearly more stupid than I thought," Shaft turned away "I will take my leave now,"
"You're not going anywhere," Green Lantern declared and he used his ring to create a hand that reached out and grabbed him. Green Lantern smirked; he could just barely see Shaft caught in his hand.
"Again, where are you aiming?" Shaft asked. As he was no longer caught in the hand but this time floating above it.
Green Lantern's smirk faded and he looked up to see Shaft floating twenty feet above him.
"How did you get out of my grip?!"
"I have not moved from this spot the entire time I have been speaking with you," "Shaft repeated "I must say I did not expect you to be blind. It makes me almost feel bad for you…almost,"
"I'm not blind!" Lantern roared.
"Really? Your eyes say otherwise as they are glassed over and your pupils are no longer moving or even looking at me," Shaft observed.
Green Lantern wanted to retort however his vision darkened and he lost all sight of the city and Shaft. He could no longer see anything. "I…I can't see…I'm BLIND!…HEY! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Again, I have not moved. I would finish you off but I am not so cruel as to attack a blind man. Such tactics are beneath me," Shaft claimed "And quite frankly, you have proven to be not worth the effort,"
"WAIT!" Green Lantern cried out. "HELP ME!"
"Help you?" Shaft scoffed "Why would I ever do that?" before using magic to teleport away. Of course, Green Lantern didn't see that. He could no longer see anything and used his hands to reach out for anything solid to get his bearings, but being in the air meant there was nothing in arms reach that could be found. The only thing he could hear was Hawkgirl's screams and cries for help that would never come.
Alucard
Alucard was at the main console in the monitor womb on the Watchtower, he'd agreed to stay on the tower and assist the Justice League in dealing with the threat from the League of Assassins and Shaft. The news that the old priest was still alive and working with a covert group of assassins was terrifying. Alucard knew how powerful Shaft was, he'd done his best to warn the League and he hoped that they would heed his warnings. Alucard was also anxious about fighting him. Shaft was tricky and not to be messed with, his powers of recreation were great and his mastery over dark magic rivaled his father's. While Alucard was confident he could defeat Shaft due to his more versatile combat training and experience, it would still be a difficult task to do and depending on where they fought a lot of damage could be done to the surrounding environments.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when the comm line went off. It was J'onn.
"Alucard, a train has been hijacked in Central City. Flash has gone to diffuse the situation," J'onn reported.
"Understood," Alucard responded through the comm "Keep me updated,"
Alucard pondered the report. A train hijacking didn't seem like a bigger part of a world ending threat. Unless it was meant as a trap or distraction. Alucard made a note and copy of the report on file as Batman had showed him. Batman had been adamant that he do this so when he came back to the tower he could look through them and see if he could pick up any clues or get a hint of Ra's plan.
Alucard settled back into his chair and waited for Flash or J'onn to contact him again. A train hijacking would not take too long for either of them to handle. After all, Flash had superspeed and J'onn could fly and phase through objects. Depending on if the train was moving or not Alucard expected to be called back within the next five to ten minutes.
However, the call never came.
Alucard was starting to get worried as the minutes ticked by. He waited and waited, his mind working to come up with logical reason for the delay. Maybe the train had derailed, perhaps the villain had escaped, maybe there were a lot of injured and Flash and J'onn were transporting them to a nearby hospital to help out the first responders. At the thirty-minute mark, Alucard decided to call J'onn back. It was the Martian who had made the call in the first place and he was also partnered up with Flash. If Flash was still busy dealing with the train or assisting with relief in the aftermath then J'onn should know.
"Alucard to J'onn…can you provide an update on Flash and the train," Alucard requested.
"ALUCARD!" J'onn screamed through the comm line. Alucard reeled back in shock, he hadn't expected J'onn to scream like that and it sounded like he was in great pain.
"J'onn…J'onn what is happening? Are you alright?" Alucard's demanded.
"I…I'M STILL BURNING…IT WON'T STOP!" J'onn cried out.
Alucard cut the comm and immediately used the Watchtower to find and track J'onns location. Once he had it, he uttered the return spell and headed down to the Martian's location via Castlevainas transport room. When he arrived at the docks and in the maze of shipping containers, he looked around desperately for J'onn; but couldn't see him or any sign that that something was burning or on fire.
That didn't make sense… He'd gotten J'onn's exact location and coordinates from the Watchtower and used Castlevania to send himself there. J'onn should be right in front of him, but there was nothing but the cold damp ground and a crane behind him.
Alucard focused his hearing, listening for J'onn's cries of pain and after a moment his head snapped upwards. His eyes locked onto a shipping container more than a hundred feet above him, being held up by a crane. Alucard wasted no time and launched himself into the air, tapping into his vampiric strength to give him a burst of speed. He flew directly upwards, the closer he got, the more he could start to smell burning metal and other chemicals burning and J'onn's cries became louder. The only reason he didn't cut the container in half as he approached was he couldn't tell J'onn's exact location inside and he did not want to risk hurting him. Once he was at the container he grabbed the handle and ripped the door off, letting it fall back down to the ground.
As soon as the door was off, extreme heat filled the air. It didn't bother Alucard, as he was immune to fire and extreme heat, but the sight of the entire inside of the shipping container on fire was a horrific sight to behold; and in the center of it was J'onn. Alucard stepped in and immediately reached out with his magic, commanding the flames to extinguish, making the flames die down instantly and J'onn collapsed.
Alucard dashed over to him to catch the Martian in his arms.
"J'onn," Alucard said.
The Martian didn't respond, his entire body was covered in deep burns and his breath was shallow. Alucard knew J'onn's aversion to fire as it had a detrimental effect on his unique physiology, there was no way for Alucard to know how long J'onn had been burning but the martian needed immediate medical treatment if he was to survive. Alucard gathered him up and used the return spell once more to get to the Watchtower via Castlevania.
Once back at the tower, he immediately raced to the infirmary and lay J'onn in a medical tube. He wasn't sure of the setting so he just programmed it to treat Martian ailments, hoping that it would alleviate the pain and keep J'onn alive long enough for him to call Batman and get the dark knight or one of the other members of the League and walk him through it.
Once J'onn was settled in the medical tubes, Alucard ran to the nearby computer and used it to connect to Batman's communicator. The dark knight had been absolutely adamant that he be the first one to call if anything happened, as Batman had the most experience with the League of Assassins.
"Alucard to Batman, there is a serious situation building in Central City…J'onn is…" Alucard tried. However, he didn't get a response as he was suddenly cut off.
Alucard was taken aback by this. Batman didn't ever cut a call until after he'd been told what the caller had to say. Given the situation and the threats made, it didn't make sense for him to do so. Alucard tried to call him again but it didn't connect, indicating that he'd turned his communicator off.
Alucard decided to try Superman. "Alucard to Superman, come in Superman," he tried, but didn't get a response from the man of steel. He checked the system and the Watchtower confirmed that the call had gone through; Superman just didn't pick up.
A deep worrisome feeling formed in Alucard's stomach. He moved on to try Wonder Woman but only received static. Alucard then tried Flash, this time he got a response.
"Flash, where are you J'onn is…" Alucard started.
"Sorry Al, can't talk. Need to save energy," Flash responded and then cut the call. Alucard was left stunned. Not even Flash wanted to take his call? Just what was going on down on Earth?
Finally, he reached out to Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, his call got through but he only received Hawkgirl's blood curdling screams of terror and immediately hung up. Green Lantern was the last one on the League and Alucard prayed he'd be alright.
"Green Lantern, please respond…are you alright the rest of the League is…" Alucard started.
"Alucard…I…I can't see…where are you?" Green Lantern asked distressed.
"Lantern I am in the Watchtower I need to know how…"
"The tower…can you help me? I'm blind and Hawkgirl won't stop screaming…please I can't see or save her," Green Lantern claimed.
Alucard stood still in shock as he tried to wrap his head around what had happened. Green Lantern's cries for help still coming through until Alucard shut off the call. What had happened to the Justice League? Had the League of Assassins already taken them out in such a few short hours?
Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and Flash were all missing, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl in major distress and potentially grave danger and J'onn lying here on the tower nearly burnt to death. Alucard looked over at J'onn, he could tell that the Martian would die if he wasn't treated properly. The medical tubes would take the pain and let him be more comfortable, but Alucard wasn't sure if that was enough. He didn't want to leave the tower in case something else happened, but he didn't want to leave the League as they were either.
Making a decision Alucard decided he would head to Chicago and bring both Green Lantern and Hawkgirl back. Even if he was blind, Alucard was sure Green Lantern would be able to guide him with the medical tubes or use his ring to create the controls that would jump start J'onn's healing and hopefully save the Martian's life. If Green Lantern was unable to then Hawkgirl would be able to program the medical tube as well.
Alucard was about to use the return spell again in order to retrieve Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, however he suddenly felt a wave of magic gathering and the sound of a second heartbeat. Alucard turned around and saw a portal opening and stepping through it was Shaft.
Alucard immediately drew his sword, he knew it would be foolish to attack Shaft recklessly, especially given how close the old priest was to J'onn. Shaft stared directly at Alucard with cold and uncaring eyes; Alucard could tell that the older man was looking down on him. Shaft never did like Alucard, even as a child. Alucard noted that Hawkgirl's mace was attached to his hip.
"Ah, greetings my prince," Shaft said mockingly and did a mock bow "How fair you this day?"
"Shaft. So, you did survive," Alucard hissed.
"Indeed," the old man stated and he looked around the infirmary "I must say this is very impressive, it seems that humanity has come a long way. Perhaps there is hope for them yet. What are these tubes for?" Shaft asked curiously.
"Healing," Alucard answered shortly "But that is nothing you would be interested in,"
"On the contrary, I do not mind healing others. I am a priest after all, and it is my duty to spread salvation and healing to the masses," Shaft claimed.
"Your version of salvation and healing is torturing humans and killing them with dark magic," Alucard shot back.
"Indeed, for one cannot heal the spirit while the body is weak and salvation can only come in death. The church was wrong about many things but not that," Shaft explained.
"Now then, what is this… thing?" Shaft asked and gestured at J'onn "It is clearly not human and seems to be stinking up the room,"
Alucard narrowed his eyes.
"Did you burn him?" Alucard accused.
"Hmm…no, I did not. I have met a few of your new friends but this is the first time I have encountered this one," Shaft claimed "I know Ra's had his peons hunting them down. Perhaps this thing met one of them,"
Alucard growled at that. "Why are you here? You must know showing yourself to me would ensure your death,"
"I simply came to give you a message," Shaft claimed "Nothing more,"
"And that would be?"
"That it is time for you to grow up. You have murdered your father and sentenced all his loyal followers to Hell and now you play warden and hero to primitive beings who do not even understand the concept of basic magical practice. Honestly, if your father could see what you were doing with his castle and his powers he would be rolling in his coffin," Shaft said.
Alucard raised an eyebrow at that. He knew how his father felt, before his death he'd returned to his normal self and he was filled with sadness, regret, and loneliness. Alucard was the only being on Earth who understood that, as Lisa had been special to the both of them. Additionally, the spirit of Dracula had also told him that he was elated at Alucard's choice in following in his mother's footsteps, even if he was going about helping people in a different way than she did. Alucard was still helping people and had even found those who accepted him; the spirit of Dracula was proud of him for doing so and not falling down the same dark path Alucard's alternate self and father had.
"Is that all?" Alucard asked.
"Yes,"
"I am going to have to refuse, you know nothing of what my father thinks of my actions. I am Lord of Castlevania now, and I will use it and my own powers the way I choose," Alucard declared.
"I see…so even now you still act like a petulant child. Pity," Shaft sighed "I suppose this is when we engage in the barbaric practice of fighting. I had hoped you'd grown up a bit,"
Shaft started to chant and Alucard raced forward before he could complete his spell. With quick and deadly movements Alucard swiped his sword at Shaft however the wily old man simply sidestepped.
"Predictable," he said and then he waved his hand and the portal he had come through moved and passed over Alucard. Instantly, Alucard found himself no longer on the Watchtower but standing in the centre of a small boat.
Alucard looked around: gone was Shaft, gone was the Watchtower infirmary, and all around him lay the vast expanse of the ocean. Alucard whirled around to see the portal closing and Shaft smiling. He dashed for it, but it was too late. Alucard immediately chanted the return spell, but no black flames appeared to take him back to Castlevania. He tried again and again but the result was the same. Dread and realization sinking in, he tried to summon a small fire ball in his hand but nothing happened.
Looking around for the reason he couldn't use his magic; he spotted a note pinned to one of the seats in the dingy. Alucard ripped off and read it.
My Prince,
Please forgive the poor accomadations, but I needed you out of the way. Rest assured I have no intention of ending your life…yet. Since you are all that remains of your father (even if you are unworthy to be his son) I shall not harm you as of yet. But make no mistake, I do plan on killing you.
Do note I have met your so called friends and deemed them inappropriate playmates. Since you are acting like a child and consorting with lesser beings of even lesser minds, I shall do you the favor of removing them from your life so they will no longer influence you nor will they get in the way of my future plans.
As for you, I have put you in time-out, so to speak. The small dingy contains anti-magic sigils on the base which will prevent you from using any magic. While you still have all your natural vampiric powers (gifts from our Lord Dracula that you squander) they will do you no good out in the middle of the ocean as you will be unable to leave the small boat. Do not fear, for I shall retrieve you when the time is right.
Consider this punishment for your sins against your father, the greatest man and true savior of this sorry excuse for a world. It is truly your own fault that it had to come to this, but had you been a better child and more worthy heir, this would not have happened.
Sincerely,
High Priest of Darkness, Shaft.
P.S Ra's Al Gul is not as intelligent as I was led to believe.
Alucard let out an enraged scream of frustration, he crumpled the note up and threw it with all his strength before sinking to his knees and sitting down. He gripped his head tightly with his hands.
He had warned the League to be careful of Shaft, had warned them how dangerous he was and yet he'd fallen right into Shaft's hands himself. Shaft knew how to handle vampires; he knew their weaknesses and he knew all kinds of magic. Now because Alucard was not careful, he was trapped. Shaft was right, Alucard's vampire powers would not help him outside the small confines of the boat and as long as the anti-magic sigils were underneath the boat he would be unable to use magic to return to Castlevania.
Alucard could destroy the boat. However, doing so would put him over the flowing water of the ocean and render his powers null and void. Because he didn't have the use of his magic he couldn't destroy the boat so from the air as his sword, which was enchanted by magic to heed his will, would not work nor would any of his spells.
The only way to destroy the boat would be to cut it while he was standing on it but doing so would leave him to fall into the ocean and render him powerless and likely would kill him in the end as the salt water burned his flesh and bones away slowly. The only way he would be getting back to shore was if someone came picked him up or Shaft opened a portal and collected him like the note said. However, with J'onn injured in the medical tubes, and likely dead because Alucard didn't believe for one second that Shaft would spare him. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Flash, who was God knows where and Green Lantern and Hawkgirl in Chicago, but in no way capable of, or in a position to get to the Watchtower, let alone him. Additionally, Alucard didn't have a communicator of his own, the League hadn't given him one. After all, he was not a real member of the Justice League, he just helped them out and they knew how and where to find him. So, there was no chance of the League picking him up.
Alucard took a quick glance around the boat. There were no oars or motor for him to use, nor was the boat moving apart from the gentle sway of the waves. Which meant the boat was anchored to the spot in some way and not at the mercy of the currents; so there would be no chance that he would run into a passing ship. Alucard carefully leaned over the edge and down at the water, he wondered if there were any Atlanteans about who would help him, or at least alert Aquaman to his presence…but he didn't hear any heart beats. He was truly alone on the ocean.