Solomon Grundy obeyed Goldilocks like a loyal terrier. Shayera Hol and Goldilocks were the only people with any kind of sway over Grundy. Shayera was still with the Justice League Unlimited. But now, married to power ring-less John Stewart and a mother, Shayera had become the JLU's Intelligence Chief. John became the Training Officer and Chief of Security for the Hall of Justice. He also oversaw security arrangements for the Justice League Global Guardian's headquarters at the Dome in Paris, France and the Justice League Outsider's tower in downtown San Francisco. Dark Justice headquartered in the roving House of Mystery that only allowed whom it would inside. So John was relieved of any responsibility in securing it or the mystical prison called the House of Secrets.

Goldilocks had used her influence over Grundy to help parlay her way into leadership over the Injustice Society. The veteran Injusticers, lacking Icicle and Tigress' leadership and the original Wizard being dead and Johnny Sorrow had vanished, it seemed Goldilocks with her series of successful heists before garnering the exclusive right to operate inside Superior City, became the leader by default. She had her own squad of loyalists and had recruited over two dozen new members. Most were powerhouses to rival Grundy himself. Everyone realized Goldilocks had her own endgame in mind but they were getting rich and were legitimized by their work for Superior City. So Homeland Security forced the Justice League and Justice Society to look the other way as Injusticers committed crimes outside of Superior City.

Grundy faced two unfamiliar foes. Carapax the Invincible Man wore mechanized combat armor that granted him strength rivaling Grundy's and durability to match. In addition, it ferried in-board weapon systems to make most enemies run for their lives. But Solomon Grundy wasn't most enemies. The Faceless Phantom had tried, unsuccessfully, to recreate Tom Strong's alosun formula derived from an ancient Egyptian alchemiac formula. It granted him super strength and durability almost on par with Tom Strong but it ravaged his face, that he now hid behind a skull mask. Faceless Phantom also adopted western gear and cowboy hat to portray himself as a classical bandit-villain.

"Can I kill him now?" Carapax's mechanized voice asked.

"He's already dead," Faceless Phantom reminded him, "He's animated by Chaos magic. The most we can hope for his to subdue him long enough to ferry him far out to sea and drop him in the Pacific far enough away he'll never find a shoreline again."

."Can we at least try to kill him?" Carapax asked again.

"Do your worst," Faceless Phantom sighed.

"Gold Hair say stop you so Grundy stop you," the zombie behemoth said.

"Do your worst," Carapax's weapons ports opened and he fired. Concussive beams erupted from his palms. Missiles flew from his ribs. Flame throwers ignited and spewed death from his shoulders. Knee pad launchers fired mini grenades. All of which struck or detonated around Solomon Grundy. When the smoke and asphalt chunks cleared and quit falling, Grundy still stood, looking angry rather than his previous impassive expression and demeanor.

"Now you've made him mad," Faceless Phantom warned Carapax.

Carapax charged like a bull and Grundy caught him. The Invincible Man's armor was tested against Grundy's strength. First it began to buckle under Grundy's grip, then it began to shriek as metal tore as Grundy used those handholds to tear the armor in half. Carapax's helmet listed off of his head. Inside was demure man frightened to death.

"Don't kill me!" Carapax pleaded.

Grundy hit him with a flick of his finger and set the engineer flying out of his armored harness.

"Guess it's just you and me now," Faceless Phantom challenged Grundy.

"Why bone face want to hurt Grundy?" he asked, "What Grundy do to you?"

"Not a blessed thing," Faceless Phantom shrugged, "But people want you dead. Permanently this time."

"Grundy not care what people want," he told his opponent.

"Doesn't matter. They're used to getting what they want," Faceless Phantom approached just out of arm's reach, "Now, we can stand here and wait for your executioner or we can fight it out."

"Grundy not care what they want," the zombie bristled.

"That's what I figured," Faceless Phantom moved and struck as hard as he could with a right cross that would caved an armored tank in or punched a hole in a naval vessel. Grundy leaned as he absorbed the force of the blow. He spat out a tooth and then growled.

"Shit," Faceless Phantom knew then that he wasn't going to be able to stop Solomon Grundy. But he could delay him while the Titans got their act together. So he adopted a boxing stance.

"You hit Grundy. Now Grundy hit back," he warned his foe. Faceless Phantom managed to block the swing but he skidded several feet away from the force of it as it continued to swing through. He tried kicking Grundy in the balls. The brute barely noticed it.

"Figures those would be dead too," Faceless Phantom braced himself for the next attack. This time Grundy smashed two fists into the ground and the street buckled from the force of the blow. Sewer pipes and water mains caved in, spewing forth their contents. Faceless Phantom was grateful for his wide brimmed hat keeping the flying feces out of his eyes. But Grundy charged through it and delivered a haymaker that sent Faceless Phantom flying into a car that caved in from the force of the impact.

"Figures it's aluminum and plastic," Faceless Phantom managed to wheeze as Grundy stomped his way towards him. The Secret Society member hefted a parked semi tractor trailer off of a long hauler truck and swatted Grundy with it. Grundy simply caught it and through it over his shoulder.

"Why skull face have to fight?" Grundy was curious, "Grundy do nothing."

"Like I said, people want you dead. Forever this time," Faceless Phantom could barely move from the injuries sustained from getting hit just twice. He decided to go out fighting. He charged again and threw a punch that should've caved in Solomon Grundy's breastbone. Instead his fist simply stopped as it hit Grundy's flesh. Faceless Phantom was grateful he hadn't broken his hand in the attempt. But now he stood helpless against Grundy's wrath.

"Go away," Grundy's swat sent Faceless Phantom sailing down the street until he finally impacted a series of parked vehicles that he plowed through. He was unconscious before his body stopped moving.

"Now what Grundy do?" he wondered. He wasn't renowned as an original thinker. He decided to seek out Goldilocks. She always knew what to do.


A private jet plane banked over Superior City and flew down its streets. Getting a signal from the Wraith, the pilot opened fire with wing rockets and machine guns. All of which were useless against the Gentleman Ghost. The plane went to VTOL mode and Ghost disembarked after the landing and was joined by the Wraith.

"Are we quite finished with the unprovoked hostilities?" Gentleman Ghost asked, "You can see you can't harm me."

Ghost and the Wraith each slipped on a set of brass knuckles. Ghost's face was masked by his helmet but he chuckled and that signaled his feelings on the matter, "You might want to reconsider that hubris."

"Dear chap, I've been walking this Earth longer than your grandparents were alive," Gentleman Ghost advised Ghost, "Two hooligans like you are a waste of my time."

Ghost threw a punch at where the Gentleman Ghost's head would've been. The Nth metal knuckles impacted the spiritual being and knocked his top hat off, dislodged his monocle, and dropped the Gentleman Ghost to the ground.

"See my point?" Ghost asked the sprawled Gentleman Ghost.

"Sucks to wear white while groveling in the street," Wraith joined with an evil chuckle of his own.

"Where did ruffians like yourselves acquire Nth metal?" Gentleman Ghost had heard that Hawkman controlled all the Nth metal on Earth, excepting Sparrow Hawk's arsenal. And that was one Thanagarian that wouldn't share with low rent thugs.

"Thanagarian black market, or so I'm told," Ghost replied, "You see, our current employer is very well connected."

"So I see!" Gentleman Ghost recovered his walking stick and the knobby handle fired a bolt of energy. It passed through Wraith and Ghost was already on the move to reposition. Gentleman Ghost fired at the traffic lights above them and electrical cables and the lights themselves fell. He retrieved his monocle and top hat while Ghost vacated the area leaving the objects to pass through Wraith.

Gentleman Ghost's monocle burst out a bolt of energy that Wraith punched with his Nth metal knuckles, "Ectoplasm. Very astute."

That confirmed for Gentleman Ghost that spiritual energies and substances could affect Wraith despite his immunity from physical harm. Gentleman Ghost dropped into the street and phased his way behind Wraith while Ghost took a swing at where he'd been. But he received a "face" full of Nth metal when he positioned himself behind Wraith.

"Old trick for an old specter," Wraith taunted him.

Ghost hit a button on his wrist cuff and a Nth metal net dropped out of the hovering Ghost Plane and draped over Gentleman Ghost. It discharged as it came into contact with him, subduing him. Ghost and Wraith each punched him just to be certain he was immobilized. Then they wrapped the spook up in the net. Ghost lowered a rope ladder and climbed back into the cockpit. Reeling in the ladder, he applied thrust and flew off to circle the city and pick up Solomon Grundy. Only he'd be disappointed in that effort.


Ragdoll contorted his body in several ways to evade golden arrows flying at him from different angles, fired seconds apart. Impressive for a human archer that wasn't Arrow, Red Arrow, or Nyssa Raatko. Even the new Tigress and former Artemis couldn't release that quickly with pinpoint accuracy. But Ragdoll's would-be attacker wasn't aiming to kill him but to wound his limbs and immobilize him. Unfortunately for the aptly named Golden Arrow, Ragdoll was triple jointed and could literally fold himself into a small cardboard box. Twisting away from flying arrows was simplicity itself.

Mime and Carnival presented more traditional threats with submachine guns and pistols. They were each aptly named as well for their themes. All three women fanned out to try and box Ragdoll in. Peter Merkel Jr. Wasn't having it though. But they were joined by Ferret and yet another Cheetah. This one was a stranger to Ragdoll.

Trish Rich was the daughter of the recently rejuvenated original Cheetah, Priscilla Rich. Barbara Minerva might have been the most infamous Cheetah but the others were all family. Trish's cousin, Debi Domaine was also a Cheetah. Debi, unlike the Riches was imbued with physical powers by the Kobra Kult. But she wasn't transformed into a cat creature like Barbara. But Trish was an exceptional athlete and possessed Olympian level speed and stamina.

Ferret was an ex-police commissioner falsely accused of corruption. But the fake evidence was so compelling that he was convicted. Having escaped jail during a prisoner transfer when the bus went off the road and was later hit by a train. He was thought dead and decided since the world considered him a masked criminal, he'd become one in reality.

"Don't assume a crossfire," Ferret warned the others, he'll just twist out of the way and you'll shoot each other."

"Who died and made you boss?" Carnival huffed.

"He makes a helluva point," Mime agreed.

"Leave him to me," Cheetah strolled through their formation. Ferret joined Golden Archer's side and had his shotgun ready. Mime and Carnival angled their positions so they could crossfire Ragdoll without hitting one another. Carnival's brightly colored mask and body armor sharply contrasted Mime's black and white face paint and body armor.

"Look lady, I don't know what you're expecting here but I know tri-jitsu. So all you'll be getting is an epic beat down," Ragdoll warned her.

"You think you stand a better chance against all of this firepower?" Cheetah smirked.

"Yeah, I do," Ragdoll boasted.

"Your father was insolent too," Cheetah stated.

"You couldn't have known my father," Ragdoll said huffily.

"My mother knew him well. She fought beside him against the JSA on occasion," Cheetah told him.

"Your mother?" Ragdoll paused.

"The original Cheetah to the original Wonder Woman," Trish revealed.

"Pops retired because of arthritis and taking too beatings from the original Flash. What happened to your mom?" Ragdoll was curious.

"She rejuvenated. Now she's younger than I am," Cheetah shared, "She's with the Injustice Gang now. I understand your two teams recently fought."

"That was your mother?" Ragdoll didn't believe, "She's looking hot for a senior citizen. Damn straight she looks younger than you. But not by much."

"Mom will be happy to hear it," Cheetah chuckled, "Now, will you simply surrender or do we do this?"

"Oh, this is on," Ragdoll told her.

Cheetah pounced and Ragdoll bent and twisted out of her way. But she spun as she landed on her feet and her elbow caught Ragdoll in the face. His head flopped back to absorb the blow and Cheetah did a leg sweep to knock one leg free. Ragdoll's knee bent forward and he hopped away from her on a single foot.

"You're as impressive as your rep proceeds you," Cheetah decided.

"I'd say your mom trained you well," Ragdoll assumed a fighting stance but was edging away from Cheetah. A three round burst from Carnival's submachine gun halted his retreat.

"You can't dodge every bullet," Cheetah predicted.

"Maybe I don't have to," Ragdoll slipped under her punch and came up behind her and grabbed her by the waist and throat, "Stay back!"

"But you're predictable," Cheetah laughed as an arrow plowed into his thigh.

Ragdoll yelped in pain. Then Cheetah twisted the arrow's shaft and Ragdoll yowled and pushed her away. A second arrow punctured his arm and a third consequently hit his other leg seconds later. Cheetah strolled up to him with a confident smile.

"I wouldn't attempt to pull those out. The arrowheads are barbed to insure they're deeply lodged. Even if you could withstand the pain, you'd pass out from the blood loss," she told him, "But don't worry, they're all in the meat, not near arteries or major veins."

"You're not trying to kill me?" he wondered.

"That's for other specialists to accomplish," Ferret told him as Cheetah cleared away and the ex-cop blasted out Ragdoll's legs out from beneath him with buckshot, "You're just going to have to wait it out to see who is assigned to kill you. We're just here to contain you."

"But we could kill you," Carnival tittered.

"But we won't," Mime warned off her friend, "We're just here to make certain you can't wander off."

"Lucky me," Ragdoll slurred as he finally passed out from the pain.

"We could finish him," Golden Archer protested.

"That's not our contract," Ferret reminded her, "We're getting paid to subdue, not hang a murder rap over our heads."

"Now what?" Carnival asked impatiently.

"Now we hold him," Cheetah reminded her, "From escaping. From attempted rescues either by his teammates or by the SCPD. Either way, you still have a fight to look forward to."

"Good," Carnival smiled beneath her feathered mask.

"We'd better set up an ambush for anyone that isn't a Titan," Mime suggested.

"Good call," Ferret decided.


Shadow Thief inwardly groaned as she was confronted by the unlikeliest duo of Catman and Kitten alongside Iron Vic and the Masked Blackjack. Aviva Metula was one of those Injusticers that read the police reports. So she knew Thomas Blake and Katie Conn's sordid history. Catman had adopted Katie when she turned thirteen. Within months they began a sexual relationship. When Kitten, now his sidekick, turned fifteen and pregnant, he gave himself parental permission to marry his own adopted daughter. The bribed county clerk and justice of the peace looked the other way as they performed the ceremony. By age sixteen, Kitten had been pregnant twice and terminated both pregnancies.

By age seventeen, Catman was in prison and Kitten filed for divorce. Which was easily granted given the illegality of the marriage to begin with. Catman was additionally charged and tried for child molestation. After his conviction, Secretary of Homeland Security Bones arranged for a pardon in exchange for service in a new unit called the Secret Six. Catman did his time and was released. By now, Katie was twenty and Kitten was a member of the Secret Society. Catman joined to reunite with her.

Kitten refused Catman's overt sexual advances but they were natural working partners. Libra and Major Disaster were complacent, having recruited someone of Catman's caliber to the team heightened their profile. Still, Libra warned Catman against forcing Kitten into sex. Libra's own past filled with sexual assaults and human trafficking working against him. So Catman contented himself to mere innuendo, for now.

Iron Vic was a Korean woman who was also an amnesiac. But she'd apparently escaped from North Korea after undergoing some super soldier enhancements. Wearing her hair green and matching garb as well, Iron Vic was well trained even if she didn't know who she was or how she'd become gen active.

Masked Blackjack was another ex-cop turned super villain. Accused of corruption by a corrupt DA and Internal Affairs in Coral City, Masked Blackjack had decided to actually become what he was accused of being as his own personal revenge upon society. His idealism long gone, Masked Blackjack was a hardened killer now.

Shadow Thief herself was a renegade Mossad agent who'd stolen Daemonite shadow tech before the Kherabim annihilated the Daemonites on Earth and most returned to Khera. Shadow Thief herself had performed as an assassin when called upon. Now, with her shadow tech suit she could become a living shadow and manipulate her shadow form and solidify it as needed to become a living weapon.

Catman was the alpha predator of the group, "Spread out. We don't want her slipping away in any natural shadows."

Personally, Shadow Thief had her doubts the group could stop her if they wanted to. Catman, Kitten, and Iron Vic were all unarmed. Masked Blackjack was a "norm", an average if well trained, human being with no gen factor. In fact, Catman and Kitten lacked any as well. But Masked Blackjack carried a weapon of an advanced design Shadow Thief was unfamiliar with. It wasn't holdover Daemonite tech but it seemed familiar enough in design.

"Blackjack, contain her," Catman ordered next. Shadow Thief had wondered how long it would take before Masked Blackjack employed his unusual weapon. It looked like a strobe light at its emitter end. When it flashed light all over her, she felt her shadow suit deactivate. So it was Kherabim holdover technology specifically designed to counter her Daemonite shadow tech. So she went straight for Masked Blackjack only to be intercepted by Catman, Kitten, and Iron Vic.

Catman and Kitten were known quantities to Shadow Thief. Iron Vic was a complete unknown. With a wild variable like that, assumption could kill. So Shadow Thief had to assume the worst and designate Iron Vic as her greatest threat. Which was a difficult choice knowing the danger Catman presented.

Catman took the lead in engaging Shadow Thief. His martial skills had improved with his time on the Secret Six. A result of training under Col. Rick Flagg, no doubt. Catman was heavily muscled but that muscle bulk slowed him down. And he still possessed the same pressure points as any other human being. So Shadow Thief managed to paralyze his arms and legs.

Kitten approved, "I wish you could teach me that someday."

"Why is that in doubt?" Shadow Thief warily studied Kitten.

"Because you won't be surviving much longer," Kitten said.

"And you'll be the one to kill me?" Shadow Thief was skeptical.

"No, but my job is just to detain you long enough for the real killer to arrive," Kitten shrugged, "That's all I know."

"You aren't capable enough," Shadow Thief told her, "Sorry."

"I know I'm not. That's why we brought her," Kitten stepped aside for Iron Vic to explode into action. The Korean was faster than any non-gen active human could claim to be. And coupled with speed and martial arts expertise was Iron Vic's enhanced strength. Shadow Thief only had time to wonder just what the hell were the North Koreans up to before she was knocked unconscious.

"You doing all right, oh peerless leader?" Kitten mocked Catman.

"So glad you care," he retorted.

"I don't, but you can keep an eye on the prisoner. You're good for that at least," Kitten snickered.

"Just remember, here the cops will try to rescue her," Catman warned everyone.

"Yah, yah," Kitten said dismissively.


Before discovering her meta-human abilities, Becky Sharpe had relied upon the skills taught to her by the original Gambler. But Becky soon discovered while at casinos she could will for a push of luck for customers and if she rolled dice for them, it turned out fabulously or disastrously depending on the roll. Time taught her that it was a hidden psionic ability that cast good luck or incredibly bad luck towards an intended individual that came out as a result of how she rolled dice according the rules of the games of Craps.

Becky became Hazard and joined the Injustice Society under the leadership of the original Wizard. As the Injusticers' leadership died or was imprisoned to escape to Coryana, Hazard came to back Goldilocks' bid to assume leadership. She hadn't regretted that choice. Even Goldilocks if had reunited her with her long-lost half-sister, Carde Sharpe. Hazard was irritated by Carde's decision to take on the mantle of the Gambler. But so far, the Gambler had proven invaluable to their Superior City operation. So Hazard had no real recourse to complain.

Hazard had no idea of who was facing her. Jungle Girl was an orphan named Shirl who accidentally achieved results. Ladyhawke was a woman named Lizzy Scott who wore kinetic enhancing gloves to multiply the force of her connected blows. Ladyhawke had started out as a vigilante but found working with the Secret Society paid better. Luckyman was a former sailor with undeniable good luck. He routinely accomplished the nearly impossible.

Jungle Girl and Luckyman were handpicked to face Hazard. Ladyhawke was there to put her down. Hazard smirked, "Who's feeling lucky today?"

"I am," Luckyman said.

"We'll see," Hazard knelt and rolled her dice. She shot a seven. A water main collapsed near Hazard and water sprayed all over her and she scrambled as the pavement buckled beneath her. But she barely got to safety.

"We'll see about you," Hazard angrily targeted Jungle Girl. She rolled an eight. Now a gas line exploded, knocking Hazard off of her feet and sending her dice to Luckyman's feet.

He scooped them up, "I understand you're pretty defenseless without these."

Ladyhawke intervened and her augmented punch knocked Hazard out, "Hold on to those dice. We don't need her turn of luck to create anymore havoc because of you two."

"Aye, aye, ma'am," Luckyman pocketed the dice.

"So how did we win?" Jungle Girl asked, obliviously.


Alice the Mad Hatter was her father's daughter. She was also the illegitimate daughter of the White Queen of Wonderland. Alice had roamed the Realms of Existence one step ahead of the Evil Queen, setting up realm after realm onto a war footing before the Renfri could deploy her forces there. Still, the Evil Queen securely held Wonderland, Oz, Neverland, the Realm of Faery, the Realms of the Courts, and the Realm of the Enchanted. The White Knight, her mother's consort, had conspired with the Evil Queen to dethrone the White Queen to set up their daughter, Lily the Silver Duchess, on her throne.

The White Knight had also helped the Blood Queen convince Alice to kill her aunt, the Red Queen. This insured the Blood Queen gained control over her mother's lands. Together, Lily and the Blood Queen ruled in Renfri's name and hunted the White Queen, the Mad Hatter, and their other daughter, Ilyria the Mad Hatter. Because Alice's half-sister and cousin ruled in the Evil Queen's name, she was banished from Wonderland. She'd made the New Universe her home and dwelt there with her wife, Tinker Bell. Along the way, she'd been recruited by Goldilocks.

Alice did have the satisfaction of ordering the White Knight to kill himself before she was exiled. Alice's particular gift was to control the mind of anyone she touched. Tinker Bell, by virtue of being a pixie, was immune to her gift. Alice had discovered through combat that Renfri, by her nature as an Unseelie Fae was also immunized from her power. But with any fae folk, Alice could disrupt their thinking with her own and confuse them long enough for others to strike them.

But word of Alice's power had spread across the New Earth, so she was pitted against foes with similar abilities. Bunny was an albino who could hypnotize anyone who met her gaze. Ayesha was She Who Must Be Obeyed. Her voice was the entrancing factor for her. Anyone that heard she commanded was compelled to obey that command. So it seemed Bunny and Ayesha held an advantage over Alice.

Innocent civilians who had heard Ayesha speak or met Bunny's gazing stare mustered behind them.

Ayesha gloated, "It seems we hold all the cards here."

"It may true you have a mighty crew but I know who flew," Alice was seemingly compelled to always speak in rhymes like her father before her.

"No one escaped my power," Ayesha confidently boasted.

"I have been here for more than a year. So you have much to fear from even those that can hear," Alice replied, "Are all those behind you actually true?"

"Kill her," Ayesha commanded. Her army of servants staggered and spasmed as they sweat through dueling compulsions. Ayesha was enraged by their lack of response, "What is this? Kill her already!"

Her pawns began to faint from the battle waged within their minds. Bunny took control, "Hear me now and kill her already."

Her victims underwent the same struggle. A few made it to Alice but she merely touched them and they passed out. Alice, whose silver eyes danced and her ghostly white skin almost flushed from victory swiped a strand of silver hair from her eyes as she adjusted her wide brimmed top hat, "It seems your one and all all met with a mighty fall."

"Lay down and die!" Ayesha commanded Alice.

"It is for naught that this battle is fought," Alice warned her.

"Look into my eyes if you dare!" Bunny commanded. Alice's silver orbs seemed to gleam in the moonlight as she stared down Bunny. Bunny screamed and passed out as her own power was reflected back upon her.

"Have a care when you issue a dare," Alice tutted her, "As for you, you still much to fear from what I hear."

Ayesha pulled a knife from her gown, "I'll kill you myself. Stand still while I deliver the fatal blow."

Alice seemed to freeze in place and Ayesha marched forward, lifted the dagger high over her head and began to plunge itt down only to have her arm caught by Alice. Alice wore a gloating smirk, "Welcome to my trap as your mind I begin to tap."

Ayesha felt the dagger like penetration of her mind and she howled in fear as she too succumbed to Alice's power. She fell to her face beside Bunny as Alice backed away from them, "In your mind you will find a prison you cannot break so long as I decide how long it should take."

Alice decided to check on Tink. It took exertion for Tinker Bell to manifest at a human stature. It also limited her fairy dust derived powers. And her fairy dust was held in a winnowing supply while Neverland was held by the Evil Queen's minions. Peter Pan had joined forces with Captain James Hook to conquer Neverland for the Evil Queen before Alice arrived. The subjugation was nearly complete when Alice provoked Tinker Bell to turn on Peter at long last and they led a force of Tink's pixie kin, Tigerlily's Indian braves, and the remaining Lost Boys and Girls that were still alive.

Peter and Hook died in the counterrevolution. Tigerlily assumed control of Neverland but soon became a renegade freedom fighter again as Renfri sent her own forces into Neverland. Tinker Bell accompanied Alice on her madcap mission through the Realms and they fell in love as their lives depended upon one another and no one else. But Alice found them sanctuary within Goldilocks' Injustice Society.


Tinker Bell had long since abandoned her human size as she battled the sentient virus known as the Black Death. The infected were known by their blood red eyes and their hive mind controlled by the virus itself. The Black Death was spread through fluid transmission, including blood, semen, vaginal fluid, sweat, and saliva. When it came in contact with skin, it began to multiply in the body's cells until it harvested itself across every cell in the body and eventually controlled the host's mind.

No one, not even Libra and Major Disaster, knew where the original host was located. The infected always came to them to accompany them on missions. The Black Death had promised Libra and Major Disaster that it would not harvest the Secret Society members and by by proxy, their allies. It had been created by accident by Vandal Savage's minions but it escaped the lab and waged a war for independence from the Light. Its price for participation in this venture was Savage's bond that he would no longer pursue the Black Death's enslavement. Instead, he would negotiate terms for the Black Death to assist the Light in achieving its goals.

The Black Death had already discovered that Tinker Bell was that greatest of threats: someone immune to it. Her dissolving her human form in favor of her actual pixie size complicated things for Black Death. She was damnably fast and agile. The Black Death amassed the infected into a single area to try and contain Tink and destroy her. It had no idea that if they all shouted that they didn't believe in fairies, she'd be struck down and die an agonizing death unless someone intervened by clapping in appreciation for her. Instead, Tinker Bell led the Black Death's hosts straight to Alice.

Alice the Mad Hatter quickly sized up her wife's dilemma. The Black Death witnessed Tinker Bell land on Alice's shoulder and thought it would have the satisfaction of infecting her protector and having her kill Tink. Only, when a bleeding hosts crossed palms with Alice, the Black Death's hive mind was infected with Alice's madness instead. The Black Death felt it lose control of its hosts and severed its connection with it. Unfortunately for the infected, this was a death sentence.

Alice looked over at Tink, "The things you get into when I'm not with you."

The tingling chimes that made up Tinker Bell's voices chided Alice. Only Alice alone of all the Injusticers understood pixie tongue. Tinker Bell's natural golden glow also turned crimson red and she exuded heat. Pixies being so small, they could embrace one emotional state at a time. Right now, she felt righteous indignation and let that sweep her away.

"Patience, my love. I did not imply you were as meek as a dove. It it seems you met a foe far beyond your capacity to return a solid blow. It was a collective mind. One that I cannot find. It escapes me as well as flies free," Alice soothed Tink's ruffled feelings.

Tink's glow turned golden again and all was forgiven.


Andy Nash was the most reluctant of the Injusticers. She'd inherited her grandfather's powers and naturally white hair. Along the way, he'd impregnated an Indian woman and she in turn had married an Indian man after giving birth to a son. Her father married an Indian immigrant and Andy had been more surprised than anyone else when her gen factor was unlocked after she'd been kidnapped by Baron Bedlam to be trafficked to interstellar interests who wanted to weaponize her.

Andy's own family turned her away after the Justice League rescued her. They'd been raised on their grandmother's tales of being raped by the original Mist. Having her display the same powers seemed to cast her in the role of a villain in her family's eyes. On the run and living on the streets as a petty thief, Andy had learned her grandfather's family name and adopted it for herself. If she were to be reviled as a super villain, she decided to become one.

But she had no idea of how to begin. Goldilocks kept track of those freed from Bedlam's clutches and made contact with Andy. So Andy Nash became the new Mist and joined the Injustice Society just as her grandfather had. The Mist, like the new Wizard, was a legacy member of the team. Goldilocks personally oversaw their training. For the pair of them, the Injustice Society became the families they'd ultimately been searching for. Despite the derisive attitudes of members like Shiv, Rival, Geo-Mancer, and Killer Wasp.

The Mist faced the Secret Society's three electrical members. Lightning Girl and Blue Bolt could generate their own power and throw electrical bolts and stream lightning like electrical discharges. Capt. Flash wore an armored suit that electrically stimulated her muscles and granted him super strength and enhanced reflexes. His armor could also discharge its battery pack to send an electrical pulse. Pairing Capt. Flash with Lightning Girl and Blue bolt guaranteed that his armor would never run out of power.

Isobel Blake had her gen factor activated by the Everyman Project so that she could become a superhero. But she quickly grew disillusioned with the notion and originally signed on for LuthorCorp's job referral service where she lent her superpowers to the top bidder for LuthorCorp's services. Finally, when she'd paid off her contract for her meta-gene activation, Lightning Girl went independent and was recruited to the Secret Society by the original Libra.

Blue Bolt had gained her powers accidentally when she'd been an electrical engineer working on advanced semiconductors. An accidental overload integrated the experimental semiconductor material into her body. Like Livewire, Blue Bolt now had chalk white skin and blue hair. Unlike Livewire, she wasn't composed of living energy and couldn't travel via electrical lines. But she could draw and store electrical power from them. She could even summon lightning from the atmosphere if conditions were conducive.

Capt. Flash also been an electrical engineer. But he was buried under massive student debts and working as an electrician. Defaulting on his loans, he poured all of his earnings into designing and fabricating his armor. He tried becoming a superpowered skip tracer but they pay wasn't enough for his tastes and bails bondsmen reserved the most dangerous clients for him, which weren't as plentiful as he'd imagined. So he responded to a Dark Web ad posted by Funky Flashman and joined the Secret Society.

Lightning Girl had the most experience in combat situations against superpowered foes thanks to her time working for LuthorCorp. So she was the unofficial squad leader. The group's composition had been her suggestion to the new Libra and to Major Disaster when they were assigning targets. Lightning Girl's supposition was that the Mist became a living fog but she was still an organic being. Therefore she'd be susceptible to an electrical current.

The Mist's appearance surprised the group. They weren't expecting someone so young. Andy's shock of spiky bone platinum white hair against her Indian complexion also took them by surprise. The Mist had a fan club in Superior City largely made up of Asian descent teenagers. Her brown leather jacket, pants, and boots also came as something of surprise since they unaware of how they'd been treated to transform with Andy as she became a living mist. Since her power modified flesh into fog, leather was a natural medium for her powers to extend to to transform it as well.

The Mist transformed and enveloped the trio. Lightning Girl warned them, "Watch out! She can selectively solidify to strike out."

The Mist formed a fist and punched Lightning Girl and then Blue Bolt to prove the point. Capt. Flash was protected within his armor. Lightning Girl made the call, "Pulse now."

She and Blue Bolt cascaded electricity in every direction. It simply washed over Capt. Flash while it energized the Mist's foggy form. Andy shrieked and condensed ot become human once more. Blue Bolt wore an evil smirk, "You called it."

"She's not done yet," Lightning reminded her, ":Surround her."

The Mist saw Capt. Flash looming over her and knew that his powered armor could easily disable and harm her as a human. Lightning Girl and Blue bolt had found a weakness she didn't even know she had. She'd have to warn Goldilocks about it if she managed to escape. She desperately cast her gaze around as the Secret Society maneuvered to cut off her physical escape routes. So she couldn't manage to get away on foot.

She became a mist again. Blue Bolt snorted, "She doesn't learn, does she?"

That's when Capt. Flash saw Andy's escape route as she began filtering down through a drainage culvert, "Zap her! Quick!"

Lightning Girl and Blue bolt discharged at the trailing elements of the Mist as she slipped away from them. Capt. Flash ripped apart the concrete and asphalt covering the drainage pipe, "Damn! She's gone!"

"Seems she learns after all," Lightning Girl mused, "Let's begin searching nearby for her. I can't imagine she'll want to stay in there for long."

"Deathstroke will kill us if we fail to deliver her," Blue Bolt fretted.

"I can't imagine even Deathstroke has a plan for killing the Mist as long as she's conscious and able to transform. He still needs us to knock her out," Lightning Girl replied.

"And if we can;t?" Capt. Flash asked.

"It won't come to that," Lightning Girl hoped.


Regina Hayden had stolen the Medusa Mask from her brother Roger's hiding place for it when he was committed to Arkham Asylum for raving about a past filled with multiverses and climatic battle that ended existence before it was rebooted into a single universe. Lex Luthor himself ran the calculations to prove to the world that a multiverse didn't exist. Only, the original Psycho Pirate was immune to Rebirth and his mind hadn't adapted to his adjusted memories of the new history established after Zero Hour after Final Crisis ended the Crisis of the Multiverse.

The new Psycho Pirate was just happy to have her shot at glory and riches as the new Psycho Pirate. Roger had worn an outlandish spandex costume and cape. Regina dressed the part of a historical pirate in modern times. With Medusa Mask, invisible while it was worn, Psycho Pirate's facial expressions elicited emotional responses from others corresponding with her expression.

Fear had always been a Psycho Pirate's greatest weapon. So the Secret Society squad assigned to capture her came prepared. Madame Crow, as Abigail O'Shay' had been Prof. Jonathan Crane's first lab assistant as he developed his infamous fear toxin. She'd also been detained and became Crane's first test subject. When Dr. O'Shay was liberated, she reversed the process and developed the very same anti-fear toxin that pushed Batman into almost killing the Scarecrow once.

Madame Crow had dosed her team with the serum. Velvet Tiger could push herself three seconds into the future. It seemed to make her impossible to capture by local enforcement. It took specially prepared agents to deal with her. Peyton Riley was the new Ventriloquist but Scarface was still the object of delusion and control. The Scarface personality wouldn't have been affected by Psycho Pirate but with Peyton dosed, she wouldn't succumb to the Pirate's fear inducements. Neither would Madame Crow or Velvet Tiger.

The plan, such as it was basically devolved into, was for Madame Crow and Ventriloquist boxing Psycho Pirate in while Velvet Tiger dealt with her. If Regina proved to be a capable combatant, Scarface would simply open fire and kill her for the Titans. As they pushed Psycho Pirate back against a building facade, the plan was coming together.

"You shouldn't have let them assign you to me," Psycho Pirate boasted.

"We volunteered," Madame Crow informed her.

"Pity that," Psycho Pirate assumed an expression of horror. The trio were unfazed. She tried abject terror next with the muted response. Psycho Pirate made the mistake of showing her anger on her face and Velvet Tiger became enraged and lashed out at her. With her ability to skip through time, Velvet Tiger evaded every block and punch Psycho Pirate threw to land blows all over Regina.

After the Psycho Pirate was soundly beaten and subdued, Madame Crow chuckled, "You'd think she'd have learned to school her own emotions by now."

"I didn't get ta drill her. That wasn't parta da plan," Scarface bemoaned.

"This was the plan," Ventriloquist argued.

"Not fer me, Dummy," Scarface waved his tommy gun around, "I could still drill her right now an' take care a the problem ta begin wit'."

"The plan was to deliver to the Titans. They have something special planned for her," Madame Crow warned him, "Mess with them and you'll be kindling."

"I'd come back," Scarface bragged, "I always come back."

Ventriloquist shuddered, "He's right of course."

"I see even anti fear toxin can't suppress that horror," Madame Crow sighed.


Virtuoso was Indian born but had become the original Fiddler's protege when she immigrated to the United States. Her meta-human ability to solidify and control musical notes produced by her playing her violin hadn't needed the Fiddler's technological tricks. Izzy Bowen had her gen factor activated entirely by accident by the dark matter wave of the particle accelerator explosion in Central City. Izzy had been the lead singer and fiddler for a country western band. She quickly discovered that she could project sonic wave blasts from playing her fiddle. She could punch holes in walls and armor plating when she played. It had been Virtuoso's idea that Izzy adopt the Fiddler legacy name.

Together they face a Secret Society squad made up of Mad Maestro, Micro Face, and Echo. The original Fiddler had hypnotized people with his fiddle playing. Mad Maestro did the same using a portable keyboard. Micro Face';s armor contained speaker systems so that he could amplify and project any sound he chose to. Generally he used his own voice to produce Fiddler-like sonic shock waves. Echo could deflect, reflect, or redirect any sound. So again, the Secret Society had taken a team of volunteers specifically geared to deal with the Injusticers assigned to them.

"Ya'll wonder why they sent this goon squad against us?" Fiddler asked Virtuoso.

"No. I noticed that they specifically herded us away from the others to directly deal with us alone," Virtuoso told her.

"Ya'll gotta point," Fiddler agreed, "On three?"

Mad Maestro verbally intervened, "Prepare for the hypnotic mastery of a true wizard with the ivories."

"Shut the futz up," Fiddler furiously began to play and Mad Maestro was knocked across the street and through a store front's main window.

Virtuoso began to play and her energized notes destroyed the left behind keyboard. She stopped playing, "Now that you've seen what we can do, will you simply stand down and walk away?"

"Lady, we volunteered for this part of the gig," Micro Face informed them, "We're not going anywhere."

"Do you even know who we are and what we can do?" Echo asked.

Fiddler cast a sidelong blank gaze at Virtuoso and it was returned. She shrugged, "Nope."

"Figures," Echo muttered.

"Ya'll get outta the way so we'll just move ya'll," Fiddler cupped her violin with her chin and prepared her bow on its strings. Virtuoso did the same. Micro Face chuckled and they both thought the squad members were idiots for turning down their offer.

Fiddler began to play and so did Virtuoso. Fiddler's shock wave was aimed at Micro Face. Virtuoso targeted Echo with her notes. Micro Face's microphones took in Fiddler's audio shock wave, processed it, augmented it, and his speakers projected it back at her. It smashed her against a brick wall who's mortar crumbled. She was knocked out instantly.

Echo redirected Virtuoso's notes and smashed them against their creator. She too was knocked unconsious, her trademark evening gown shredded by the motes. Echo and Micro Face collected their violins and bows.

"I don't think they'll be needing these," Micro Face chuckled again.

"Should we check on Mad Maestro?" Echo dutifully wondered.

"Why?" Micro Face dismissed the idea.


Most people took in Clock Queen's steampunk attire and dismissed her as a non-threatening loon. But Tempest Fugit was amongst the most powerful Injusticers. Using the clock on her choker, she could slow, bend, twist, accelerate or simply stop time around her. Tempest herself was immune to the effect and could freely move about in a chronal field she'd established. Her gen factor alone wasn't vast but the Clockmaker and his Clock Crew developed the technology to amplify her natural ability and broaden her range.

Facing her down were Futuro, the Flame, Miss Shady, and Domino Lady. Fay Shady and Domino Lady both relied on conventional firearms. But, where Miss Shady wore no mask but wore tactical body armor, Domino Lady wore a white satin evening gown, high heels, and black domino mask to go with her pageboy haircut. Kandy Wilson was an ex-Everyman Project conscript who'd been activated and worked off the fee contracting out for LuthorCopr. Funky Flashman had recruited both the Flame and her friendly rival, Flame Girl, at the same time. The Flame was a pyrokinetic that could spark and produce flames out of thin air. She could also direct them. But unlike the even more powerful Volcana, she couldn't use them for thrust to fly.

Futuro was the specific threat to Clock Queen. Her chronal ability let her skip through small increments of time. She could also pull chronal echoes herself from her past and future to fight beside her. Futuro favored a black leather long coat, black leather pants and boots with a red silk blouse. She enjoyed the attention she drew. It was one reason she'd never bothered with becoming a failed superhero. She wanted the notoriety of being a super villain. The new Libra and Major Disaster had promised her plenty of it.

Miss Shady and Domino Lady opened fire immediately. But their bullets stopped in mid-air and they froze as time stopped around them as Clock Queen dialed her clock on her throat. Flame took issue with that, "I'll barbecue you for that!"

Flames erupted around her hands but they spread faster than Flame could control them and they consumed all of the oxygen around her and she passed out, her fires dying out as she succumbed to her own power being accelerated. Futuro had watched all of this and noted how Clock Queen habitually dialed the clock strapped to her throat before a temporal effect took place.

Clock Queen strode up to Miss Shady and Domino Lady and disarmed them. Then she turned their bullets around and flicked them towards her assailants. Dialing her clock again, the bullet streakeded into Domino Lady's bare shoulder and Miss Shady's body armor, knocking them both off their feet. Clock Queen warped time around their weapons and they corroded.

"You weren't much help," Clock Queen chided Futuro.

"I had to study you," Futuro replied, "Now, I know the source of your power is in your choker."

"Maybe. Maybe not," Clock Queen adjusted her leather, wide brimmed hat, "It could be a natural talent."

"I don't think so," Futuro summoned time echoes of herself. Her duplicates surrounded her and fanned out all around Clock Queen, "I can summon myself from any point in time to face you. There's no way you can stop every one of me."

"Except that they only appear in this point in time for five to fifteen minutes before they return to the past or future. So, your future selves already know how this went down, and you remember all too well how I beat you from your past selves," Clock Queen did the scolding.

"Time can be changed," Futuro bragged.

"Time is immutable. But you already know that," Clock Queen dialed again and all the time echoes were raced through their ability to stay within that moment, "Take it from someone whose been schooled by Glorith herself, don't bother wasting anymore of my time."

Miss Shady had tended to Domino Lady's wound and the wounded ex-vigilante was checking on Flame while Miss Shady flanked Clock Queen. Clock Queen snorted in derision of the effort, "Puh-leeze."

She dialed one last time and everyone succumbed to severe fatigue as their bodies raced through seventy-two hours of time. As they slept, Clock Queen stepped over the bodies to check on her own teammates and see how they were doing.


As a child and then a teenager, Page Monroe had been obsessed with calendars of every type. When she decided ot adopt a super villain guise, she adopted seasonal appropriately colored costumes in her role as Calendar Girl. She had no powers but had trained herself in several martial arts and was an expert marksman with her pistols.

She faced a squad from the Secret Society made up of gunmen. The Evener was a retired SAS operative that had begun a business of settling issues between disadvantaged individuals and their oppressors. But the disadvantaged couldn't meet his costs. Rich people could afford operations but he preferred to to simply steal their wealth rather than humble himself to groveling before them for work.

G-2 had been Royal Marines in the British Navy. She'd seen combat in multiple tours of Afghanistan and Iraq. Now she was in it for herself after being wounded several times in seemingly pointless battles for Crown and Country. Gunmaster was both a weapons designer and and expert at using firearms. He was the Secret Society's armorer. He needed the promised bonus for this operation to settle some gambling debts. So he'd left the armory and come along.

Force 10 had been a super soldier candidate that received a variation of the formula that created the Commander and others like him. Force 10 was considered a washout due to the psychological effects of the formula upon him. The government had recovered a single vial of mirakuru from the Imperialist Forces of Nippon. Force 10 had been given a slightly modified version. While it avoided some of the potential physical distortions from the original World War 2 version, it didn't shield him from the paranoia and hallucinations that the Japanese test subjects had suffered back on Lian Yu.

Force 10 had increased strength, reflexes, and situational awareness. He also was a psychotic that obeyed "visions" of spiritual beings telling him what to do. Evener, G-2, and Gunmaster had reluctantly agreed to work alongside Force 10. Normally, the arrangement was for Force 10 to be deployed by himself. But the Secret Society's contract with the Light frowned upon collateral damage. Force 10 often saw civilians as threats and would target them. His teammates were there to rein in that impulse.

"All this just for me?" Calendar Girl didn't know whether to be complimented or to piss her panties.

"Drop the handguns and we'll simply subdue you," Evener offered.

"I don't think that one will agree to your terms," Calendar Girl nodded towards the fidgety Force 10, "He looks ready to rain down hellfire and destruction."

"Truer words have never been spoken," Gunmaster complained. Force 10 hadn't checked his weapons thoroughly enough. Gunmaster had loaded micro charges into their mechanisms to blow the weapons apart if Force 10 should lose control of his impulses.

"Be a dear and simply surrender," G-2 said jovially.

"Two Brits? The Secret Society is importing trouble now?" Calendar Girl retorted.

"Delaying the inevitable still ends in your defeat or death," Evener warned her.

"You should be enjoying your retirement rather than pointing a gun at me," Calendar Girl poked the bear.

"It's four assault rifles versus your two semi-automatic pistols. Who do you think will win here?" G-2 asked.

"Actually, I'm banking on the twitchy one to hear voices telling him to rip you all new ones," Calendar Girl confessed.

"Never going to happen," Gunmaster pulled the detonator out of his tactical vest pocket.

Force 10 threw the micro charges at his feet, "So you're the one."

"Shit," Gunmaster sighed, "Look, I had orders."

"What are your other orders after you disabled my weapons?" Force 10 demanded to know with an edge rising in his voice.

"See my point?" Calendar Girl asked.

"Easy now. We were just worried you'd get excessive," G-2 tried to soothe his ruffled feelings.

"So you're all in in on it," Force 10 slipped the safety off on his weapon. Gunmaster and G-2 pivoted to aim their rifles at him.

"Two against one, mate," G-2 told him.

"I've faced worse," Force 10 angrily and mirthlessly chuckled, "I'm still here and they're not."

"We have a mission!" Evener was losing patience with the clusterfutz.

"I'll get to you soon enough, old man," Force 10 had his weapon raised now.

"Damn it all to hell," Evener swore as he too pivoted to aim at Force 10 rather than Calendar Girl.

"We're on your side," Gunmaster tried again as he began to sweat.

"That's you put bombs in my rifle and pistol?" Force 10 didn't buy into it anymore. Not when his personal demons were telling him to kill everyone and let god sort it out.

"They wanted you defenseless," Calendar Girl called out to him, "They wanted to kill you after they dealt with me. An 'accidental' friendly fire incident."

"She's the bloody target. Don't listen to her you stupid lout!" Evener snarled.

"She's the only one not pointing a weapon at me," Force 10 replied, "While my so-called 'friends' have weapons trained on me and were going to make certain I couldn't defend myself."

"She's moving!" G-2 warned everyone as Calendar Girl moved to come stand beside Force 10. Now her pistols were drawn, "I'm right here with you. They want me dead too."

"Looks the odds for our side are improving by the minute," Force 10 replied.

"Have you lost your futzing mind?" Gunmaster raged.

"Don't answer that," G-2 muttered.

"We came here to detain her for her own execution by the Titans," Evener reminded Force 10, "Even if you kill us you still have to deal with Deathstroke."

"All good to know," Calendar Girl gloated.

"I can take the traitor and the woman before they can react. Do you have the old man?" Force 10 asked Calendar Girl.

"Call it," Page answered gleefully. She sighted in both Evener and G-2 just in case.

Force 10 replied by putting a three round burst into Gunmaster's bulletproof vest and swiveling to put three into G-2's. Calendar Girl put additional round into G-2's chest and fired five into Evener's. As the trio struggle to rise and retrieve their dropped weapons, Force 10 and Calendar Girl kicked them away. Then, they forced them to relieve themselves of their sidearms.

"Please try it," Calendar Girl told Evener as he was reaching for his pistol. He used two fingers to slowly pull it of his holster and then the weapon aside. Calendar Girl gathered the discarded firearms and put them in a pile ten feet away. Force 10, in the meantime, had them remove tear gas grenades, knives, and other paraphernalia. Calendar Girl dutifully gathered them up as well and made a second pile next to the first.

"Now, drop your weapons," Force 10 took aim at Calendar Girl, who reflexively took aim at him.

"What the futz?" she demanded.

"My mission was to detain you. That never changed. You just were never a threat until now," Force 10 told her, "Drop your weapons. Now."

Calendar Girl emptied what was left of her two eighteen round magazines into Force 10. Evener tried crawling to the piled rifles while Page ejected her spent magazines and reloaded. He had it, and G-2 had pulled Force 10's pistol from his holster, by the time Calendar Girl had chambered a round in each pistol. She shot them both five times. Then she came over and put five rounds from each pistol into Gunmaster, who had attempted to grab a CS grenade from Force 10's vest. She ejected her partially filled magazines and put fresh clips in.

Stripping Force 10 and the others of his weaponry, Calendar Girl took the time to eject the magazines from every weapon and thumb the bullets out of the pistol mags. She used the 9mm rounds from the pistol magazines to reload her own Glock mags, including the completely empty ones. Now, with everything fully loaded, she took the rifle clips off of the inert bodies and stacked them together. She took up one rifle and reloaded it and waited for whichever Titan minion Deathstroke sent for her.


Elisa Fulcrum had participated in Crusher Crock's lethal Olympics to become Sportsmistress. The final challenge was killing Sportsmaster himself. She knew Artemis Brooks Crock and Artemis Nguyen Crock might come looking for their father's killer someday. Especially since the elder Artemis had been the third Tigress of the Injustice Society. Paula Brooks, who had been the first Tigress, was that Artemis' mother. Paula Nguyen was the second Tigress and the younger Artemis' mother as well the mother to Jade Nguyen, more infamously known as Cheshire.

Cheshire was a member of the Outlaws and hated her stepfather. The elder Artemis was with her husband, Icicle, and their daughter, escaped from prison and taking refuge on the island kingdom of Coryana. The younger Artemis, it seemed Crusher Crock and no imagination for naming daughters, was the fourth Tigress since her older half-sister had abandoned the title. That Tigress was a member of the Justice League Outsiders. The Outsiders were headquartered in San Francisco. At least placing her on the same coast.

According the Injustice Society's arrangement with Superior City, the Outsiders could legally operate within the town since they were federally deputized agents. But the youngest Tigress hadn't come to arrest Sportsmistress yet. Elisa often wondered why but then again she'd known that Crusher's relationship with the youngest Artemis was strained by her decision to become a superhero. Sportsmaster had also sealed his own fate by being the final challenge to claiming his legacy. Something neither of his daughters wanted to do. Instead, each emulated their mother.

Sportsmistress, like Sportsmaster before her, used common sports equipment as well specially rigged pieces of equipment to defend Superior City and commit crimes outside of it. The squad she faced was as diversified as her expertise in various sports. Grenade was well named because he specialized in using that variety of weapon. The Human Fly had begun as a Blue Beetle foe facing Ted Kord on several occasions. He'd even fought the Nazi Blue Beetle, Fritz von Straff. It seemed the Human Fly really wanted to be the Blue Beetle but Jaime Reyes and his Scarab had robbed him of the chance while Ted Kord was presumed dead. Iron Lady wore metal gauntlets to pummel foes with. Iron Jaw was a well named cyborg with shark-like metal teeth and a piston driven jaw for them.

Sportsmistress forewent Sportsmaster's hockey mask and wore a baseball cap backwards on her head instead. But she did wear a hockey goalies vest as well as carry a hockey stick and pucks as well as a baseball bat and hardballs rather than softballs. She had a baseball mitt hanging from her belt next to the pouch containing the balls. The pucks were in a pouch on her opposite hip. The stick and bat were strapped to her back.

"Everyone just want to give up now and spare yourselves an epic beat down?" Sportsmistress offered a draw.

"What makes you think you can take us all out?" Grenade loaded his M-49 grenade launcher and snapped the breach shut, arming the weapon.

"You know, Hellequin favors that model too and she's smart to carry a baseball bat as a backup," Sportsmistress advised him, "That's a ranging weapon. You're too close to effectively use it."

Grenade fired and Sportsmistress simply angled her body and the grenade flew past her and detonated as it struck a parked car. The raining debris didn't even reach their position. Sportsmistress scowled, "See what I mean?"

"Fine," Grenade shouldered the launcher and pulled a hand grenade from his belt. Pulling the pin, he flipped off the spool and threw it at her. While he was doing so, she pulled her baseball bat out of its holster on her back and assumed a batting stance. Since he hadn't counted down the five second fuse, she had plenty of time to hit a line drive back at Grenade's feet. He barely had time to dive away.

Still, the fragmentation grenade blew in all directions. Grenade's legs were perforated by shrapnel. Human Fly, Iron Lady, and Iron Jaw had been wise enough to seek cover while Grenade toyed around with Sportsmistress. He tried unslinging the grenade launcher for a desperate bid to launch 40mm grenade at her again. Sportsmistress took her time as she pulled a baseball from her pouch and tossed it in the air before batting it straight into Grenade's forehead.

"And you're out!" Sportsmistress called it as Grenade's head hit the pavement and he stopped moving. He'd need to be hospitalized to get the shrapnel out of his legs in order to walk again.

"Now that the preliminaries are done," Iron Lady rounded the car she'd hidden behind. Iron Jaw and Human Fly joined her.

"I'll be with you in a second," Sportsmistress tossed another baseball and batted it at Human Fly's head. He was canny enough to duck under its flight path. She holstered the bat and slipped on her mitt before taking out her third baseball. She went into pitching mode and fired off a baseball at one hundred miles an hour at Human Fly. This time it cauight him the chest and he staggered back and doubled over. While he was hurting, she took her fourth and final baseball and pitched another fastball into his head. Human Fly went down.

"Very amusing," Iron Lady said drolly, "Are you done yet?"

Sportsmistress cast the mitt aside and dropped one of her three hockey pucks on the ground and pulled her hockey stick loose. Taking aim, she fired the puck off into Iron Jaw's face. He caught the puck with his teeth and bit it in half. Unnerved, Sportsmistress fired the next two into Iron Jaw's chest. He staggered a bit but he still stood menacingly nearby.

Iron Jaw stomped his way to Sportsmistress. She used the hockey stick against him. Her secret with it was that the edges of the stick were razor sharp. So she gashed Iron Jaw's legs and arms but the brute still stood there. She went for a razor cut across his throat and he bit the stick's blade in half. She thrust it into his solar plexus and actually slowed him down.

Casting the ruined hockey stick aside, she switched back to her bat and broke it over his head. Iron Jaw blinked several times and wobbled. She pulled her boxing gloves from where they hung at the small of her back and proceeded to punch him until he fell. Metallic ringing announced Iron Lady applauding her.

"Well done," Doris Parker clapped her gauntlets together, "No one has taken Iron Jaw down in a long while. But you've run out of tricks."

Sportsmistress assumed a fighting stance with her boxing gloves on. Iron Lady approached and assumed a similar stance opposite her. Iron Lady wore a demented smile, "I hate to ruin such a pretty face."

"Just bring it," Sportsmistress replied.

Iron Lady expertly jabbed with her left twice in a row. Both times Sportsmistress backed away from the blows. As Iron Lady closed, she tried a right cross that also missed, but Sprotsmistress closed in and delivered a jab to her opponent's ribs followed by a left jab to Iron Lady's face while she recovering her wind.

Iron Lady backed off, "You're good. But I think this is one of your lesser expertises."

"Try me," Sportsmistress growled.

Iron Lady engaged again only faster. This time her second left connected and blood spurted out of Sportsmistress' nose. She staggered from the blow from the metal gauntlet. A hard right followed, making her spit blood from split lips.

"Ouch. That'll leave a mark," Iron Lady mocked her.

Sportsmistress went on the offensive but Iron Lady successfully blocked every blow and then connected with her left again. Sportsmistress reeled and then a right followed by a left cross left her knees buckling. The last thing she saw before being knocked out was Iron Lady's demented smile as she before she connected with a downward right cross.

"Should've stayed with your toys, Princess," Iron Lady chuckled. Iron Jaw was rousing as was Human Fly. Grenade woke to the pain of his wounded legs. Iron Lady was pitiless, "Get him on his feet. We'll get him tended to out of town."

"I owe her," Iron Jaw went to stomp on Sporstmistress' head.

Iron Lady impeded him, "She's had enough. I may have done some permanent damage to her face already. Too bad. She was cute."

"You have the worst taste in women," Iron Jaw warned her.

"It's a weakness," Iron Lady sighed.


Larissa Diaz was another legacy villain. She was the second Copperhead and a far more successful assassin then the first had been. That idiot got himself killed taking on a contract to kill Nyssa Raatko. Larissa was smarter than that. She'd killed enough people for high enough stakes to garner the attention of rivals like Deathstroke, Deathblow, and the Phantasm. She'd decided to change vocations.

Fortunately, Copperhead had also earned the interest of Goldilocks who was looking to fill the Injustice Society's ranks with loyalists. The fact that Goldilocks had recruited mostly women reflected her outlook that women were underrepresented in their profession. Those that did join super teams were largely unappreciated. Or at least, not appreciated enough. Goldilocks wanted to change that equation. She recruited young women and talent the other teams were ignoring. The few men she recruited were generally based on recommendation or legacy holders from past Injustice Society members.

Two members of the team were on a probation period since they'd been caught and arrested at bank heist in Seattle. Geo-Mancer and Killer Wasp had been captured by the local team, the Birds of Prey. Copperhead wondered how the Birds could be local since the bulk of their membership came from out of town across the country. Teleportation devices were strictly regulated and non-governmental possession and usage was illegal.

Copperhead had to wonder just how large a threat she appeared to be to Libra and Major Disaster. They'd assigned one of the largest squads to capture her. Madame Muscle, Beast, Black Angel, Black Cobra, Black Mikado and Black Phantom made up the bulk of their non-meta heavy muscle. Madame Muscle was a former weightlifter turned MMA fighter that Major Disaster had seen fight and he offered her a position on the team. Beast had been a local terror in Maine. Black Angel was a skilled fighter but not on Copperhead's level. Black Cobra was a former priestess of the Kobra Kult and was an expert combatant with her staff. Black Mikado had been ousted from the Imperialist Forces because of his deep Yakuza ties. Black Phantom was a Black Mask wannabe serial killer.

It was quite the showing just to capture one woman. But then again, Copperhead was a meta-human versus norms. Black Cobra and Black Mikado posed the greatest threats with their weapons. Black Cobra's staff was a ranging weapon and Black Mikado's expertise with a sword was renowned in the criminal world. Only his ego had kept him a grunt in super villain circles. As she expected, the hirsute Beast led the attack. Copperhead ducked low and swept his legs out from beneath while Madam Muscle rushed in to support him. A quick kick to her unprepared gut slowed Madam Muscle down long enough for Copperhead to dislocate Beast's shoulder.

Madam Muscle displayed the talent and training that had earned her spot on the Secret Society. Copperhead actually had to use her serpentine abilities to avoid getting hit or kicked. But she wrapped herself around Madam Muscle and bit her, injecting just enough poison to disable the woman she was coming to respect.

Copperhead uncoiled herself to find herself confronted by Black Angel. She was skilled but still a raw talent unlike Madam Muscle's disciplined attacks, she was more akin to the brutish Beast. Copperhead took her out with a series of quick but powerful punches and kicks. Black Phantom came close to surprising her with his knife as he went to slit her throat. He was fast, she had to give him that. He was also relentless. But unlike Black Mask, he was eerily quiet. And he exuded an intensity not born of rage but of sheer passion for the kill.

Copperhead understood that. That had been her driving force until it went away and she retired from the assassination business. Copperhead decided the only way to effectively stop Black Phantom was to break bones. So she stomped on his femur so hard it snapped in two and jutted out of his leg. Then she broke his wrist and the other arm's elbow, leaving him unable to grip his favored knives.

Black Cobra and Black Mikado actualized Copperhead's worst fear of the evening, they struck together. Copperhead had to lean into her serpentine agility and litheness in order to avoid Black Cobra's staff and Black Mikado's sword. They were synchronized and well rehearsed. Copperhead found it hard to believe Black Mikado could treat a woman as an equal. Slowly, she began to see him get more aggressive and break their rhythm. The more he did so, the more danger Black Cobra was in from his erratic sword strokes.

"Warch yourself!" the former priestess demanded.

"Get out of the way if you're afraid," Black Mikado snapped back at her. He found himself knocked unconscious by his own partner. Now Black Cobra focused in on Copperhead alone. Larissa felt a pang of fear. One didn't rise to the priesthood of the Kobra Kult without having killed a dozen people barehanded. Black Cobra wasn't barehanded. With her staff, she could injure even the supple Copperhead.

Now Copperhead saw the true mastery of Black Cobra. Before she'd held back to allow Black Mikado striking room. Copperhead endured a dozen strikes before she desperately began seeking out an escape route. But Black Cobra blocked every avenue Copperhead pursued. Soon, she began to lose consciousness from the multitude of blows she'd endured. Finally, the peace of oblivion overtook her from one final blow to the head, Black Cobra considered robbing the Titans of their prize and simply killing the hapless Copperhead herself. But that wasn't the deal. And one didn't break deals with the Light.


As with many match ups that Libra and Major Disaster had arranged for, the Wizard faced two sorcerers that rivaled her nascent abilities. Natalie Tool took a great deal of guff for adopting her mentor's legacy title. But she was trained as a sorcerer not a witch. Sp she truly was a wizard rather than a young witch. She was one of the rare recruits that had approached the Secret Society rather than having them seek her out. Goldilocks gladly took her in.

Rival, Shiv, Geo-Mancer, and Killer Wasp were far less embracing. They'd followed the original Wizard's leadership, some of them for years. They'd never heard of him speak of Natalie or her claim to his parentage. Rival flatly refused to accept that she was the Wizard's daughter claiming the man had been sterile. Her efforts to prove her relation to the Wizard fell on deaf ears.

Thankfully for her, others were more accepting of her claim. The similarity of her power to his was unmistakable to those that had met the Wizard. That alone settled the issue for them. Even if Natalie Tool wasn't the Wizard's blood, she'd certainly been his pupil.

The Wizard faced two distinct foes. El Carim was a Mexican sorcerer who employed reverse magic to a lesser degree degree of success or power of Zatanna Zatara. Stardust was an African mage who drew on the elemental forces of the Earth itself. The Wizard had never engaged in a magical duel with anyone other than her mentor. Now it was life or death, as he'd taught her it would be. But there were so few mages left in the world, she thought she could avoid this fate.

El Carim began. Strangely, he employed English to conduct his spells, ".reh dnuorrus erif fo egaC."

The expected fire cage entrapped the Wizard. She easily summoned an ice storm to drown out the flames and test El Carim's own endurance. Stardust dismissed her spell. She was afraid one of them would be powerful enough to ward of her simpler spells. Stardust beckoned and the earth swallowed the Wizard.

He felt confident the inexperienced mage would be trapped. As the earth underwent upheaval, it knocked Stardust and El Carim off of their feet. The Wizard arose riding bedrock that delivered her to them.

"Thanks to you, I'm going to have to wash my robes now. Thank you very much," the Wizard complained.

"!nwod reh ekirts gninthgiL" El Carim shouted.

The Wizard easily blocked the lightning strike, "Oh c'mon. There isn't even enough clouds in the sky to generate a decent bolt of lightning. You will shut up now."

El Carim found his voice choked off. Stardust chuckled, "It seems I underestimated you once. Not again."

A typhoon swirled and rose out of the nearby mouth of the Columbia River where it met the Pacific Ocean. It crested over the bridge connecting Washington and Oregon. It descended upon the Wizard. When it subsided, she was dry and annoyed, "You're wasting my time and taking up my evening."

Stardust summoned a gale force wind down the street that that they occupied. The Wizard stood unaffected by it, "I've defended myself against attacks like those since I was eight-years old."

"Perhaps something different then?" Stardust beckoned and flames erupted from underground gas pipes and swallowed the Wizard up. A torrential rain soaked him and doused the flames. The Wizard was still dirtier frpm soot but wasn't wet at all.

"You've had your fun. I know your mechanism form summoning spells now," the Wizard made a simple gesture and a mailbox came to life and swallowed Stardust's hands and clamped them down so they were immobile. He couldn't gesture or even move his fingers in the slightest. The Wizard smirked as she'd beaten her first magical foes outside of practice, "Now, what to do with you both?"


Big Sir came along with Major Disaster because that's what the infantile powerhouse did. The Seductress was there to distract Capt. Comet. The mystery man had made quite a reputation for himself before joining the Injustice Society. He was a power to be reckoned with. Which is why Major Disaster chose to personally face him. The Seductress and her artificially enhanced body and powers of alluring men were there to cement Major Disaster's victory.

But Capt. Comet seemed oddly focused on the real threat even in the face of the Seductress. She snorted derisively, "He must be gay or something.":

"No, he's just intent," Major Disaster told her, "Thank you. You won't be needed further. Please watch over Big Sir while I deal with our target."

"Waste of my futzing time," Seductress grumbled.

"You said a bad word," Big Sir chided her.

"Oh, blow me," Seductress snapped back at him.

"How?" Big Sir's child-like mind didn't understand the context.

"You owe me," she called back to Major Disaster as she got Big Sir to safety.

"Now, shall we do this?" Major Disaster asked.

"We don't have to," Capt. Comet told, "Simply tell me the plan and I'll see it through."

"You'll just stand here and wait for your killer?" Major Disaster didn't buy into it.

"You could lay waste to this entire city. I'd like to avoid that," Capt. Comet replied.

"So you'll just stand here while I watch you and then turn you over?" Major Disaster couldn't belkieve the offer.

"I doubt they can kill me. So what's the harm?" Capt. Comet asked.

"You obviously have never met the assassins," Major Disaster snorted.

"You'll still get paid and you won't have to do anything for it," Capt. Comet explained further.

"I'm liking this better all the time. I'll stand lookout and you play dead or unconscious when I signal you," Major Disaster offered.

"Good enough," Capt. Comet agreed.


For Winnifred "Winnie" Schott, the opposition was a novelty. For Zoe Clark, it was a pang of regret. Toygirl knew Prank's convoluted history and obsession with James Jesse. It had to hard for her ot go against the Trickster when she'd been his loyal sidekick and lover. She'd even birthed his son before giving the baby away while she was in an asylum. Prank had become Toygirl's partner in crime after Schott's Toys bought Clark Toy's out from underneath Zoe. But Winnie made it so it wasn't personal.

Instead, the two toy themed villains teamed up. They jointly designed and utilized their lethal toys. Some freedom that the Trickster's mercurial personality changes had never allowed Prank before. With the Trickster was another legacy villain. Joss Jackam had become the Weather Witch after the Weather Wizard's untimely death fighting beside the Legion of Doom. Joss had copied the weather wand and expanded its power cell and range into a staff. The Weather Witch, like Major Disaster, could rain down consequences that could destroy the city. Fortunately, the Weather Witch had never been so inclined before, even when fighting the younger Flash.

Toygirl knew this was going to go to hell when Prank suddenly became jealous, "Is this your new 'partner'?"

"Look lady, we just work together," Weather Witch was on the defensive.

"So did we. We still had a baby together as a result," Prank accused the Trickster, "A son he wouldn't even acknowledge."

"I don't see him loping about you either," the Trickster sniffed.

"I don't know what I ever saw in you," Prank huffed.

"You saw your potential. Which obviously I helped you achieve. Look at this place. You're running the biggest scam I could ever imagine," Trickster resorted to flattery.

"Really?" Prank softened her viewpoint.

"Not really," Trickster sprayed her with his sleeping powder which she inhaled reflexively despite knowing what it was.

"You bastard," Prank slurred as she slowly sank to the ground.

"How about you?" Weather Witch inquired, "Will you be any trouble?"

"You bet your ass I'm trouble," Toygirl chuckled mirthlessly as robots strode up behind her and transformed themselves into giant robot dinosaurs. Toygirl shrugged, "There's a trademark lawsuit pending, and it's cliche. But damn I want to see them eat you both."

"I'm no good against dinosaurs. They're too wonderful to try and fight," Trickster was in awe.

"Your girlfriend's work, I suppose?" Weather Witch was already disgruntled.

"Maybe," Trickster confessed.

"So she's know the kill code?" Weather Witch asked.

"Probably," Trickster was feeling a little shortsighted now.

"Good job then," Weather Witch grumbled, "You could've have talked her into turning them off. But nooo. You had to powder her nose."

They began backing away as the dinosaurs roared their displeasure. Toygirl dragged Prank to relative safety and watched over her while she fed additional commands into her phone app that controlled the robots.

"She's controlling them with her futzing phone!" Weather Witch realized.

"I'll get it," Trickster used his air walker shoes to rise but that just put eye level with the dinosaurs, who took an even greater interest in him. He quickly walked his way back to the ground, "Maybe not."

"I'll ionize the atmosphere. It'll interfere with the signal and also make it harder to breathe," Weather Witch began doing her thing.

"Will we pass out too?" Trickster asked.

"There is that possibility," Weather Witch confessed, "Which, if I do, the air stagnation will get so bad we'll die from it."

"I suppose it's better than being dino chow," Trickster realized.

"Just keep them off of me," Weather Witch ordered.

"How?" Trickster yelped.

"Distract them by waving yourself around like bait," Weather Witch told him, "Trust me. Toygirl won't know what hit her."

"If I get eaten, I hope you have nightmares about it for the rest of your life," Trickster began to ascend.

"Won't be happening," Weather Witch promised him. He could take it either way but he instinctively knew she meant she wouldn't have the nightmares. Not that he wouldn't get eaten. But the Trickster had to trust her judgment.

But as the air stagnation grew worse and he exerted himself more to avoid death by metal teeth filled jaws, he began to wonder. Then he saw Toygirl struggling for breath as well. He tried to hold but close to blacking out himself when the metal monsters ceased trying to devour him.

A cool breeze immediately began to blow as Weather Witch altered the localized pattern and brought fresh air in. She looked haggard as well. Trickster descended to pick up Toygirl's dropped phone. He tinkered with the app and the dinosaurs reverted back to their original robot state.

"I like this," he grinned manically at Weather Witch as she joined him.

"Just keep those things aimed at our prisoners," Weather Witch advised him as he repositioned the robots to oversee Toygirl and Prank. Then the duo moved behind the robots. Trickster finalized the robots' instructions and then smashed the mobile phone.

"No sense in letting them off with a warning," Trickster giddily laughed. Weather Witch knew he was talking about Prank as well as Toygirl. They'd been lovers and partners yet now he'd programmed robots to kill her if she tried to escape. Joss Jackam wondered what fate he'd have in store for the rest of the Secret Society if the whim struck him.


Henry King Jr. was obviously the son of Henry King, the first man to be called Brainwave and an original member of the Injustice Society. Henry took after his mother in appearance rather than his trollish, diminutive father. But he inherited his father's telepathic abilities. His father excelled at illusion projection by fooling the mind into registering something that wasn't there, hiding something that was, or altering the perception of a person or object.

Brainwave could do all of these things as well. But unlike his father, he didn't use illusion to project a more handsome and powerful image of himself. He had no need to. Goldilocks had known when she recruited Brainwave that he abhored his father's criminal past. Henry King Jr. didn't involve himself in the Injusticers' criminal activities beyond Superior City. He was the city's vigilant, ever present guardian. Goldilocks had need of at least one such agent. Brainwave excelled in his role.

Knowing who his father was, Major Disaster and Libra pitted their psychics against him. The first was a disillusioned superhero turned criminal called the Green Lama. His nascent psychic powers had been honed and trained in Tibetan monasteries. Green Lama's powers were a match for Brainwave's. The other called herself Sweet Sixteen. She was a twentysomething that posed as a teen and had the power to compel men to obey her.

Sweet Sixteen could sense Brainwave resisting her power, "Wear him down. His defenses against me are too strong."

Neither Brainwave nor Green Lama spoke a word as they engaged in telepathic warfare. Finally, Green Lama stumbled backwards and fell to his knees. But Brainwave himself was hardly in any better condition. Sweet Sixteen decided now was the time to strike.

"Brainwave, obey me," she commanded.

Brainwave stiffened but then went slack, "I hear you."

"Come over here," Sweet Sixteen ordered. Brainwave compulsively obeyed. Now massage my shoulders."

Sweet Sixteen turned her back so he could reach her bare shoulders. He obedientally massaged them. She altered her commands, "Now, reach beneath my arms around me and cup my breasts."

He did so and she smiled, "Now, find my nipples and rub them between your fingers."

Green Lama was disgusted as Sweet Sixteen exploited Brainwave for her own sexual satisfaction. He was glad he was immune to her power. She'd sworn an oath to Libra and Major Disaster she wouldn't exploit the male members of the Secret Society. But that left their targets vulnerable to her power. Green Lama decided he couldn't watch as Brainwave backed Sweet Sixteen against a car and pulled her panties off and knelt his face into her groin and lifted her miniskirt. Listening to it was bad enough for Green Lama besides constantly overhearing her thoughts.


Capt. 3D dyed her short, spiky hair green and red. She wore a green and red jacket and green and red pants with green leather boots. Her power was to be able to shift herself into a 2d image of herself and move across surfaces as a paper thin version of herself or shift into 4D and move herself through space and time for short hops. She'd tried out the hero gig and failed miserably at it. But the local papers had made such a big deal of their "local superhero" and then wondered where'd she'd gone that Goldilocks took an interest in locating the reclusive Capt. 3D.

Now she was richer than she'd ever imagined she could be and had a dysfunctional family that was shades better than her biological family. She almost complimented by the fact that the Secret Society had devoted such a large squad to detain her with. Sting was the size of insect and could project bioelectric "stinger" blasts. Mr. Terrible fancied himself Mr. Terrific's polar opposite and had constructed T-Squares to go against his hated opposite number. Flame Girl was the team's other pyrokinetic. Linda Dale had paid her debt to the Everyman Project before Goldilocks recruited her. Fleur-de-lis was a former French national hero and a member of the original Global Guardians and Justice League International. But Fleur-de-lis had gotten involved with the fascist National Rally party and committed treason to further the party's aims. Finally, Ant Queen could command and control ants. Or so the stories went.

Sting, it seemed, could control wasps and yellowjackets. But only one at a time apparently. He rode upon one like it was his personal mount. Capt. 3D ably dodged his tiny stinger blast killed the yellowjacket he rode and stunned him by clapping her hands together. Mr. Terrible's T-Squares were formidable. And like Mr. Terrific's T-Spheres, they allowed the user to teleport. Capt. 3D cheated and shifted in time to where Mr. terrible would reappear and kneed him in the balls. Then she delivered a round kick to his jaw, knocking him out.

Ant Queen, as it turned out, could also enlarge ants to horse size. Capt. 3D went two dimensional and skirted around the ants and took their mistress out after removing her helmet and beating her senseless. Capt. 3D was just grateful the criminals didn't seem capable of coordinating at attack. That suddenly changed with Flame Girl and Fleur-de-lis.

Flame Girl ignited the air and created and sustained a hedge that Capt. 3D couldn't cross. It seemed Flame Girl had inside knowledge of just how far Capt. 3D could shift through space-time. Fleur-de-lis fingered the knives shaped in the symbol she was named after.

"Shall we make this painless, mon petit?" Fleur-de-lis asked.

"I don't see how knives are painless," Capt. 3D grated.

"Much quicker than a beating, non?" Fleur-de-lis laughed.

"I'll take the beating," Capt. 3D protested.

Fleur-de-lis shrugged and pocketed the knives, "Your choice, ma cherie. I will go easy on you."

Capt. 3D wasted no time phase shifting to being behind where Fleur-de-lis would be two minutes later. The former DGSE agent responded instantly by spinning and hitting Capt. 3D's forehead with her elbow. Another elbow strike from the other arm hit Capt. 3D's nose. Nearly concussed and now bleeding, Capt. 3D's eyes watered. A knee to the gut doubled the Captain over and Fleur-de-lis held her by the scruff of her neck and hammered her face with knee strike after knee strike. Finally, she finished Capt. 3D off with an elbow strike to the back of the head.

"You really should have let me simply kill you, but such is life. Hope springs eternal," Fleur-de-lis chided the fallen foe.

"I'll check on the others," Flame Girl offered.

"Go. I will watch over this one. But she will not be moving for some time, I think," Fleur-de-lis dismissed Flame Girl.