The Clocktower

Three weeks since Dick and Barbara had gotten married and the arson of Wayne Manor still made no sense. The perpetrators had all gone missing and no evidence could be found of who or what did it bar a large question mark burned into the ground. The Riddler. Edward Nygma had gone back to his old ways as a criminal. Dick had said as much, but clearly his memories were completely restored, since he knew who the Batman was. Not to mention Bruce Wayne, Zatanna Zatara and Dinah Lance had all vanished without a trace the night of the wedding. And not just them, but heroes had been disappearing without a trace for a while. Clark, Conner and Kara had said they were on the lookout and the GLC had been alerted, with no reply. Not even from Kyle, John or Guy. Other heroes such as the Atom, Green Arrow, Steel and Firestorm had all gone AWOL. Not to mention other reports from space weren't forthcoming. The lack of a Justice League made communication harder, and Barbara had had to send Cassandra Cain all the way to Metropolis to ask Conner for help. Not that the Superman Family might have brought anything new to the table since they were in Gotham the night of the blaze and had found nothing.

The arsonists had somehow got to ground with three Kryptonians in the city and the guards of Arkham Asylum were all butchered with no alarm going off, bar one that was immediately suppressed. The conflagration had spread through many of the estates nearby and consumed other houses with Eddie Thawne giving a sermon in Washington D.C. about how the fires of hell are coming to Gotham. He painted it as some sort of divine intervention to finish the Batman's work. Then, the bombings started. Ten days after the fire, the old Ace Chemicals factory exploded and several people in the area succumbed to illness from the resultant chemical spill. The new Mayor since "Hady" had become Vice-President, Elmore Niland, was doing nothing to help at all. He had made no effort at evacuation, and when Jim Gordon intervened as police commissioner, he had his badge stripped from him and many detectives such as Harvey Bullock resigned in protest. Things continued to get heated as the bombings happened in more and more public places, with one in the main square killing over a hundred people. Oracle was swamped having cancelled her honeymoon with Dick in Corto Maltese to sort through this mess and save their city.

Coordinating the Birds of Prey was hard enough at the moment without Dinah for support. Helena, Cass, Steph and Cissie were great, but she needed her old friend by her side at this moment. Comm links were going down whenever she tried to radio someone outside the city or pick up any radio transmissions that might indicate what the Riddler was up to. She wanted to confront Mayor Niland herself, but not even her dad had met him in person. The mayor had officially been in hiding since the bombings started, which coincidentally made him miss his own inauguration. Babs had learned never to believe in coincidence, not after all these years. It was no coincidence for instance, that Bruce disappeared again just before all this happened. Unlike the last time, there was no corpse and smoking gun to make everyone think he was actually dead. And it was no coincidence that after Thawne began denouncing Gotham as a den of iniquity, the sudden low crime rate had risen drastically to twice what it had once been. Concerted attacks on people by a gang calling themselves the Mutants in the past fortnight made things more and more difficult for the ordinary folks of Gotham. That, and Wayne Enterprises gearing itself towards weapons manufacturing under William Earle once again made the esteemed company lose favour. The city was slowly but surely sinking, with no help from outside.

Cass walked into the Clocktower with Steph and Cissie behind her. "That's another bomb handled, Babs," Steph said sounding exhausted, "Now, I'm going to sleep. Five bombs in three hours and a fight with the Mutants does not an active Batgirl make." Steph leaped onto the couch in costume after taking her mask off and began babbling in her sleep. "Use the Force, Harry. It's the only way to save Gandalf from the Romulans." Cissie laughed. "Does she always do this?" "She never seems to pass out this quickly, but yes…the talking thing is a bad habit," Oracle said with her hand on her head, "Cass, have you got any good news, at least?" "Nightwing and Robin found some clay residue on one of the bombs," Black Bat replied, "They say that…some people have gotten…sick…like Clayface. People who were hit by the bomb." "But everyone from the first bomb was discharged from the hospital," Babs retorted with exasperation. "How can Dick or Damian know—Oh. Oh, no. Not the Mutants?" The Mutants were all unique as a gang in that they all seemed to have grey skin, no hair and some were far bulkier than your ordinary human. They displayed no apparent metahuman abilities, but they bore about as much a resemblance to a human being as a very tall Neanderthal might have. "But they can't shapeshift—they-"

"They metabolised into something bigger," Nightwing said as he arrived through the window with Robin, "Clayface's clay was combined with some form of retardant which meant it only mutated them slightly. All it did was make their physical appearance more grotesque, and God knows what it did to their poor minds. Damian knocked one out tonight…you should see their eyes." Dick took out a phone and showed Babs a picture of the downed Mutant. Its eyes were a burnt yellow, with only half an iris in each, distinctly cross eyed. "That's why they wear the sunglasses then," Babs said with disgust, "But who's supplying them with weapons?" "We…got some outside help on that front." "What do you mean?" "Batwoman," he said and raised his hands to Barbara's raised eyebrow, "She's not all bad, trust me. We've worked with her before, me and Damian, so we thought it best we approach her. She says she has an ex-girlfriend who can help out in investigating the gang, while she'll keep an eye on the Narrows for more Mutant activity."

"Ex-girlfriend? Wait a minute, are you talking about the Question?"

"Yeah, we guessed that. Have you been in touch with Helena about the missing kids?"

"She hasn't reported back yet. Let's just hope those kids haven't gone the way of Bruce and Dinah."

"No word from Tim?"

"Not in a long time. I'm afraid Ra's might have…found him out."

"Even if he has, Ra's won't kill him, no more than he never killed Bruce. But I do worry for him in there."

"Wait a minute? Drake is with my grandfather," Damian said, displaying his ignorance of his adopted brother's whereabouts for the past few months, "How come I am not the infiltrator? I am ten times more deceptive than Red Robin!" Babs and Dick rolled their eyes simultaneously, as she went to give him an answer. "Yes, except Tim isn't a blood relative of Ra's. A blood relative he tried to steal the body of, at that. Not to mention he signed up for this without Bruce's say-so. He wants to help tackle Leviathan by using your grandfather against your mother. Both of them know you're too far gone to your father's side, Damian. Tim is presenting himself as the disenchanted prodigal son that Ra's can mould in his image unlike the optimistic young lad who's rebelling against the ways of the League. Seems that going after your mother has been side-lined for the minute. He thinks Ra's is with Thawne, but he can't prove a thing. You better head home, Damian. I'll call Steph's mom and say she's doing "extra credit" work at Uni, again. Cass, Cissie, you can bunk with Steph in the spare room. We all need a good night's sleep while this nightmare goes on."

The two girls nodded as Damian sped away. Dick helped Cass and Cissie rouse Steph to bring her to bed, while she was still babbling some nonsense about Frodo destroying the Death Star. Returning to his new wife, Dick sat down on the couch almost as exhausted as Steph had been. "This job's gonna' kill me. Worst honeymoon ever, right Babs?" "The honeymoon's not yet, hunk wonder. We still have to save this city, get Bruce back and save the world from Eddie Thawne, first." "So, you're saying when we're sixty we'll finally get to enjoy married life?" he quipped, his tiredness written all over his face, despite a well maintained wit. "Go to sleep, Dick," she said patting his cheek, "I'll be in in a minute. I just need to see if I can reach Helena." "Fair enough," he said as he rose and kissed her on the head. "See you in the morning." Alone again, Babs tried to triangulate Helena's signal when suddenly she got a call from her on her phone. "Helena? What the hell's going on?" "Barbara. It's the Scarecrow and Zsasz…they're taking the kids out of town. I—holy crap the truck just vanished."

Prince Orin's Quarters, Citadel of the Seven Seas, New Atlantis

Arthur sat as Mera lay behind him on their royal bed, brooding over the news she brought him of events in America. "So, you're saying this madman is some kind of High Priest?! he asked, "In the White House? That would never happen." "Yes, it's not a custom I would have associated with the Americans, Arthur," Mera replied as regally as possible, "But I imagine it is some kind of informal appointment. And there is something else occurring on the mainland. When we left, Kal-El escorted us. He said he did this for our own safety, and when I pressed him as to why he was going along with this and how this man had come to power, he told me he was some sort of prophet. That the man had resurrected the dead. I didn't take heed of him…but then I remembered this strange man who visited me in the lighthouse."

"Who was that, dear?"

"He was a fisherman of some kind. He looked as if he'd swam from here to Amnesty Bay in his surface clothes. But the thing is, Arthur…he said he was your father."

"He doesn't sound like Atlan."

"Not Atlan. The man from the surface who adopted you. Tom Curry."

"He's long dead."

"Precisely my point."

"He sounds like a madman whoever he is."

"I said the same to his face. Only, he seemed very sure of himself, and did little to confront me. In fact, he did nothing untoward. It was merely Kal-El's words that piqued my curiosity."

"Clark must have been talking about heroes, like Garth. And if I know one thing from my time with the League, only heroes rise from the dead. My dad wasn't a hero, he was a poor fisherman. No more than Bruce will see his mother and father again or Donna her son. Civilians don't come back from the dead. But somehow, us heroes tend to. I mean, I came back but our son didn't. Think on that, darling."

"I suppose. It is good to hear Garth is back. But what has kept you here, my love?"

"Orm is obsessed with using me as an ambassador to the Amazons, I can't do anything about it. Lorena wanted to go find you, but Orm insisted she stay and get to know her new status as a member of the royal family."

"Really? Then why haven't you been to Paradise Island?"

"Well, I couldn't reach Diana. And any overtures I've sent to her mother have been ignored. I don't know, Mera. Something fishy is going on."

"Well, we are home. If you can call this home. It's nowhere near where Poseidonis was."

"Sometimes I think we were more at home on the surface. Orm was so welcoming at first, now he's demanding. How is Jackson?"

"Kaldur is fine. He is not happy he can no longer be a part of the Teen Titans, but admits he was struggling to bond with them. They have all been friends for so long. He said a lot of the later members had left for similar reasons. The appearance of a clique."

"He should have spent more time to get to know them. Not his fault, I suppose. The Titans did Garth the ocean of good. Gave him friends on the surface, like the League gave me. I know Jackson is basically from the surface, like Lorena, but he needs something to tie him there further since his parents kept him in isolation on your orders. Any other news?"

"Wally West is dead."

"Ah, gods, no. A fine young man. How did he...?"

"Flying the Watchtower away from Keystone City into the Moon as it crashed."

"Noble. A fitting end. Should we see the shores of the States again, we must visit Linda and the children. Give them our condolences. How is Barry?"

"Kal-El said he retired as the Flash."

"Oh, things are darker than ever. Have you any good news?"

"Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon were to be married soon after we left."

"Ah, that is good. I wish them all the luck in the world. Bruce needs more people in his life who are happy. Might change his outlook."

"He's been friends with Clark and Diana for years and fostered an untold number of upbeat teenagers."

"Yes, well, he needs a lot more obviously."

"You have never spoken of Batman so warmly before."

"Bruce is hard to warm to, but worth having by your side. I've grown to respect him. Like him in a way. Shame he doesn't respect himself, only the persona he has created."

"Let us cease talk of the surface, Arthur dear. It has been a long time since we were alone, my love."

"Indeed, Mera. It has."

The next morning, Arthur spoke with Jackson and Lorena over breakfast. "So, you're telling me that Wally's two children have joined the Titans, as well?" Aquaman queried his charges. "Oh yeah," Kaldur smiled, "They're just turned thirteen and Damian Wayne is nearly there." "I never met Bruce's son," Arthur smirked before glibly adding, "Is he anything like his father?" "Worse," Jackson replied with utmost certainty, "He's like a little kid who wants to be more Batman than Batman." "He sounds nothing like Dick or Tim. Curious. And how are your teammates?"

"They're fine. Lorena will remember some of them."

"Depends who? Is Superboy still there?"

"Kon-El? Yep, he's there alright. Pretty sure he's back with Wonder Girl too. I was never really sure were they broken up or together or what..."

"It was the same before you joined. What about Amy Allen? You know, Bombshell?"

"Yeah, she's there, and she asked for you when I first showed up. And Zachary Zatara. Don't really know them as well. I kinda' just talk to Rose, Bart, Cassie and Kon."

"Fair. They are all pretty cool. Does Rose still drink a lot of booze?"

"Yup. She's gotten everyone else doing it too?"

"What? The thirteen-year olds?"

"No! I mean Kid Flash and the older ones."

"Ah. That makes sense."

They began chomping into breakfast themselves while Arthur finished his. Heading to a nearby mirror he could see he hadn't shaved in a while. He looked like he had a few years back, except now thanks to his resurrection, he had his hand back. He always wondered why he cut his hair and beard again. He did look ten times the badass, as Wally might have said, with that and the hook hand. Then, Garth entered the room with Debbie to sit at the breakfast table. "Ah, I see you're the new Aqualad," he said warmly to Jackson, which surprised Arthur. "Arthur has told me so much about you. You have Mera's powers over water, it seems?" "Yeah, my birth mother was from Xebel apparently." "Interesting," Garth said, his eyes hiding something Arthur couldn't place behind an apparent mirth "Good to have you here. Though if you're anything like me you'd prefer to be with the Teen Titans."

"Actually, no, I like working with Arthur. And I haven't seen him in a while."

"Yeah, well, he is pretty great. Though what do you think of the beard?"

"I think it suits him."

"Reminds me of when he lost his hand. By Poseidon, he was intense back then!"

"What? More than now?"

"You're seeing him toned down, kid. Wait until he starts riding a kraken into battle."

"Now, that I'd like to see."

"Before that happened. I'd have said the same. But I've seen too many good people die when it happens. Not because of Arthur, but for the reason why he rode the kraken."

An awkward silence descended between Jackson and Garth, as the former began to realise the depths of the latter's trauma. Arthur had said earlier that Garth was different. More broken than he'd ever seen him. Considering everything with Dolphin and Cerdian, Arthur had expected him to break long ago. But since coming back from the dead, there was a strange air of being too content about him, somehow strangely tinged with sadness. Particularly when he said things like that with so light an air. Arthur had tried to talk to him about it but been rebuffed. He suspected that Garth was partly happy for returning from the grave, but also unhappy he was cooped up by Orm and being forced to take a mate. Even though Debbie was attractive, he hadn't married her out of a sense of love. Just contentment and duty combined with an underlying physical attraction. Arthur really did pity his old ward deeply.

Two guards then arrived with King Orm who looked distressed. "Arthur, we have a visitor…I'm sure you know her." A tall, raven haired woman in an outfit of red, white and blue carrying a shield on her back with gauntlets on her wrists then followed behind him. "I come here as a diplomat, King Orm," Diana of Themyscira defiantly told her captor, "Not just to visit your brother. Though I have no desire to curry favour with you. Why the people of Atlantis chose a murderer to lead them is beyond me!" "Because as I told you, princess, I was there for them," Orm sneered betraying his old malevolent self once again, "My brother was in the ground and a boy from Sub Diego who looked like him had arrogantly proclaimed himself king. They were like sheep without a shepherd. So, I shepherded them here." "If you regard your subjects as sheep, you are already off to a bad start as king," was the serious and immediate reply of the princess.

"Diana!" Arthur shouted and ran to embrace his old friend. "Arthur!" she hugged her comrade with warmth, and as their embrace abated she rubbed his facial hair with her hand "Your beard's back, Going through another heavy metal phase, I see?" "Oh, back off," the former king laughed, "Last I saw you, you had a leather jacket." "Fashion accessories and facial hair are two different things." Diana then looked to the table expecting to see Mera and got the shock of her life. "Garth?!" "Hello, Diana," the young man replied, "It's good to see you. How is Donna these days?" "How…how…" As Diana babbled, King Orm smirked. "With the help of a man named Eddie…"

Diana's look of surprise turned to one of disgust. "You…" she looked accusingly at Ocean Master, "You've met Eddie Thawne." "Yes, I have," was the cold reply of their old enemy, "What of it, Amazon?" "That man is single-handedly responsible for driving our peoples from America," she bit back, "He sees our nations as worthy of destruction. We must unite…" "I have not given much thought to diplomatic relations with the primitives on the surface your people call Man's World," Orm retorted, "I am more interested in speaking with your mother. Our oracle has been having visions of…"

"A war between Themyscira and Atlantis?"

"How did you-"

"I have been having the same dreams. And I have an explanation."

"Tell us, Diana," Arthur added, "My brother is king here. You have no need to conceal secrets from him."

"Barry Allen, the Flash…he travelled back in time and stopped his mother from dying. In the world he created, our nations went to war. We used Man's World as our battleground and destroyed it. Arthur…I have deep, deep fears about this. We need to form an alliance. This man, Thawne…"

"Merely wishes to break the pretence of diplomacy," Orm interjected in as rude and boorish a manner as he saw fit, "Do not listen to her, Orin. Thawne is no threat to anyone. He has resurrected a member of the royal family without reward. What evidence have you that he wishes to attack us?"

"His preaching of fire and brimstone condemns both our peoples as heathens who should be exterminated. Even if you don't care for diplomacy, you must realise this man is a threat to you!"

"I don't have to realise a thing, Amazon! All I know is that the oracles speak of your people attacking us. Your people, not the government of the United States. Kaldur'ahm and Mera were living in that country illegally. Xebel has no diplomatic ties with America. He was not the surface dweller he claimed to be, and his father is a wanted criminal. As far as I can see, you were the only diplomat expelled."

"You can't be that stupid!"

"You speak to a king, princess! And if you wish to maintain your diplomatic status, you will pay me the due respect!"

"Orm, she's just passionate about this."

"But brother, surely she is happy that Garth lives? Why does she question the actions of someone benevolent? I think it is safe to say that as a great heroine she or someone she loves has received a similar boon. Well, woman. Tell us."

"I…Donna's son is alive, again."

"What?"

"I told you, brother. She's just overly skeptical even though her sister must be overjoyed as any mother would be. No doubt Eddie, brilliant man that he is, has foreseen the future as we have. He does not trust the Amazons. If you desire diplomatic relations, brother, I shall send forthwith to meet with him in Washington, D.C. New Atlantis will have an embassy there, you can be sure. With you, at its head, as I promised you."

"No. I believe, Diana. This man sounds mad. Mera told me of him. He's some kind of High Priest who denounced our people and hers."

"I'm sure the President will see it differently if I send overtures. The priests dispute with the government all the time. Though why the USA has some kind of High Priest right now I do not know. But he's not the first American to rally against their government on religious grounds. And he won't be the last."

Two guards then entered, one of them was the insidious Attalus Vulko. "King Orm, we have another visitor from the surface," he insipidly spoke, his gaze never leaving Diana or removing any contempt from his face, "He claims he is an ambassador from America." "You see," Orm beamed, "Already their wise President has pre-empted me and sent an envoy of his own. Well, send him in!" A bedraggled man who looked as if he had been drowned decades ago walked through the door covered in seaweed. "Is this who they send me?" Ocean Master shouted in a rage, "Well, this insult will not be—"

"Dad!" Arthur ran over to Tom Curry and hugged him with all disbelief Mera might have put in his head dropped. "Hello, Arthur," Tom smiled into his adopted son's shoulder, "My, how big you've grown." "Brother, who is this?," Orm asked, "He is not our father." "Orm, it's Tom Curry. The lighthouse keeper who raised me." "Oh," a sudden realisation returned to Ocean Master's face and his affected social graces returned once again, "Well then we can hardly be insulted at your President's choice of diplomat. Unlike the shrew Queen Hippolyta has sent us."

"Mind your tongue, Ocean Master. My mother did not send me, I have come of my own free will to appeal to a friend. It took a while to find this place but I have. Arthur, can't you see Eddie has blinded your brother. Now he's given you Garth and your dad. You can't—"

"Do not listen to her, son," Tom said placing his hands on his son's temples, seemingly out of affection, "She is but jealous of the goodwill her people do not follow but yours do. Pay her no heed. It is so good to see you. I am so happy to be in Atlantis." "Yes…yes, dad," Arthur droned, before regaining himself and turning to his old friend, "Diana, don't you think you're being a bit ridiculous." Diana spluttered. "I cannot believe this! King Orm, I demand a summit to be declared to discuss the United States question. Between myself, Prince Orin and this…this impostor!"

"I'm no impostor, darling."

"Well," Orm began, "I see no harm in talking to your people, seeing as your mother has not been forthcoming. And Arthur and Thomas here are ambassadors…very well. You shall have one in three weeks."

"Three weeks? But the Americans could attack by—"

"Three weeks. No more, no less, princess. We have festivities to prepare. I'm having another wedding, and we're having a parade soon for Mera's return. Not to mention we're entertaining ambassadors from Xebel in two weeks. Three weeks is what you're getting, princess. Do not waste your time of preparation!"

"I…very well." Diana looked to Arthur with deep concern as she saw him have the same indecisive look which she had seen on Clark's face at the JLA meeting during Bruce's gala. She knew she needed to find a way to solve this quickly. If neither her mother or Orm, or now even Arthur, wouldn't listen to reason she had to compel the rest of them with logic. Mera, Garth, Kaldur and Lorena would need to listen to her. They'd have to. Or it could mean war.

Central City

Burning through the streets. He need to finish the mission. Hunter Zolomon had initially started running around the world committing petty crimes in his old Zoom outfit. Now he had a purpose since Thawne had sent him to retrieve a certain object. The Entity seemed to be fighting back against Thawne's control of it. Fighting by causing his body to rot. He had looked decades older the last time Hunter had seen him. It was as if he woke up one morning after performing many resurrections and the toll had been taken on him. Still, age is nothing to a speedster. And Thawne needed the Cosmic Treadmill to truly manipulate time and de-age himself. Hunter was more than willing to do just that. Breaking the necks of all the security guards at the Flash Museum didn't matter, but he had been told to ensure that people saw him and heard him speak this time. People needed to think the Reverse-Flash that Batman had implied was Wally Wests killer was him. Zoom, not Eobard Thawne.

The Cosmic Treadmill had been initially a glorified exercise bike for Barry Allen, which became his version of a time machine. By going at full speed in one spot, he was able to break the barriers of time and space. In Thawne's time, it had been his initial means of travelling to the present day, as a relic in the Flash Museum. And he wanted it at the DEO to ensure his survival and continue using his powers of resurrection and rejuvenation to no ill effect. Grabbing the treadmill after ripping the heart out of the fat man on duty by it, Hunter used all his might to lift the thing. This would take a while, but Thawne had given him anti-grav magnets from his own time to help with the transportation from Central City to a nearby freighter plane he had cloaked with Checkmate tech.

As Hunter moved across the city, his moment for publicity arrived in the form of a punch to the face. It was from a man in a red suit. This man was in his twenties with strawberry blonde hair and had a partner with him wearing a similar design who was clearly a girl of about the same age. "The Flash? Two Flashes? Lady Flash?" "We're the Flash!," they both said, "Now, surrender the Cosmic Treadmill, Professor Zoom!" Both were speaking in unison as if they were one person in two bodies. Hunter then tried to remember the lines he had been fed by Thawne for this confrontation as people took out their phones to video the spectacle. "Um…nyahaha, be warned, Flashes! I am the…bringer of darkness. The Reverse-Flash! Professor Zoom! Your Cosmic Treadmill is mine! Now stay out of my way, or I'll kill you both like I did the last Flash on the Justice League Watchtower! Mwahahaha!" The crowd gasped in awe as a fight ensued. Perfectly choreographed, as expected. Zolomon fought the two Flashes without embarrassing either of them even letting them land a few punches. Eventually, he acted as if the girl had winded him.

"It's over, Professor Zoom!" the male Flash announced with an air of ostentatiousness, "Surrender the Cosmic Treadmill!" Zoom reached into his suit and found a canister of tear gas. "Never! I'll see you in hell, Flashes!" Throwing the explosive to the ground he fled while the Flashes were bemused and stunned. Speeding out of the city limits, he went straight into the freighter plane and deposited the Cosmic Treadmill therein as they sped off invisibly into the sky. Taking out his phone, he dialled Thawne. "Eddie…what the Hell…you didn't tell me there'd be two of them!" "Oh, sorry, I forgot," was the sinister tone that spoke back to him, "They're my Flashes, you needn't worry. Neither of them is Barry Allen." "Well, who are they?"

"His children."

"Can you trust them?"

"Yes. They owe their life to me. And they believe I can give them what they want."

"And what's that?"

"What everyone who follows me will attain through loyalty. Peace. And life everlasting."

DEO, Washington D.C.

Amanda Waller had to say she really enjoyed the new regime of President Eiling (even if his father was a boor) and his pastor, Eddie Thawne, had solidified him nearly being President for life. Amanda should have cared about this undermining of democracy but, how could she? She may have been a patriot, but she never had any faith in any sort of egalitarian system. To her, defending her country was all that mattered. For Amanda Waller, a military junta being succeeded by a President for life would just allow her job to run more smoothly than the unpredictable whim of a newly elected head of state. She hadn't organised the coup against Suarez, that wasn't her purview. Randy Eiling himself had arisen as a figurehead from the ashes of his father's presidency and effectively led the coup making himself chairman of the committee. Amanda could care less, since her job was to monitor Belle Reve and Task Force X. However, one of Eiling's first appointments was to put her in charge of the Department of Extranormal Operations. Mr Bones had been side-lined in recent events but she kept him on as an important advisor. And today, she and he were going to meet Vice-President Hady at his office in the DEO, which he had deigned to attend today.

"Sir," Amanda Waller said to the Vice-President as she entered saluting, "it is an honour. To what do we owe it?" "You're such a lickspittle, Waller," Mr Bones said with every air of contempt as they entered. "The pleasure is all mine, Mrs Waller," the far more handsome and yet slightly devilish looking Hady said to her. Last she checked, the Mayor of Gotham was a drunken, overweight and corrupt oaf. But Vice-President Hady looked like he'd made a deal with the Devil for good looks and charm. "I owe it to you, Waller, to thank you for sterling work," he continued, devilishly charming as ever, "Repurposing the Secret Six into Task Force X has been exceptional. Not to mention you've managed to eliminate without prejudice…any threat that has loomed o'er our shores." Amanda seemed pleased with herself. "But there's more…" "Yes, we want you, Mrs Waller, to deal with someone we all need out of the way." "And who are they?"

"Well, this is a sensitive subject, Mrs Waller. I have an idea you know much about Father Thawne's sermons."

"Father Thawne? The priest guy. I am a believer, Mr Vice-President, but if it's all the same I think he talks utter drivel."

"Good, that will make this easier. We need you to eliminate a certain alien race that has weaselled its way into the fabric of our country."

"I see. How so?"

"They have told us they are heroes when in reality they should be our weapons. They claim they are proud Americans and have done nothing to advance the interests of our country. There is only one thing they will be. Weapons of the state against its enemies."

"What are they?"

"Kryptonians, Mrs Waller. I'm sure they are a species you are intimately familiar with."

"Indeed, but even if we had all the variations of Kryptonite on hand…Task Force X don't stand a chance."

"Which is why we won't be using them. We have someone we know can get the job done. You're familiar with the Sivana Project?"

"Our attempts to replicate Mister Mind into other worms based on Thaddeus Sivana's notes. I heard nothing had come of it."

"Well, we are interested in funding that project again. Are there any prototypes?"

"Just one. We don't know how effective it is…or if it will affect a Kryptonian."

"Well, you'll never get one to experiment on with Task Force X. There is someone we think can do it for the right price."

"And who is that?"

"Never a pleasure, Amanda," a familiar, dark voice said in her ear as she turned to see a very familiar man in battle armour with grey hair and an eye patch, "But if the government's paying, I'm more than patriotic enough to demand double." "Slade Wilson," was the concerned reply of the short woman, "Mr Vice-President, with respect…" The Vice-President stood up and put his hand on Waller's shoulder. "With respect, Mrs Waller, if Task Force X aren't up to the job, Deathstroke the Terminator certainly is. The man is a true savant in the art of killing. And if I were to sic any human on one of those Kryptonians, it would be him."

"You've got to be paying Slade Wilson something serious if you think he's going to take out Superman."

"Kal-El is not his target. And we are paying him more than handsomely, I assure you. Mrs Waller, I hear you're a woman of faith."

"That I am. Though, like I said, not the nonsense Thawne speaks of Kryptonians being angels."

"Of course. Are you familiar with the Prophet Elijah?"

"He was in the Old Testament. He railed against the foreign Queen of Israel, Jezebel, and her introduction of Baal worship over worshipping the God of the Hebrews. He was a bit of a political dissident, rather than a prophet."

"All the best ones are as Father Thawne will tell you. Have you heard of one of his miracles? It sounds remarkably similar to the acts of Jesus Christ."

"Yes. His most famous was raising a young boy from the dead. The act was so well remembered that when Lazarus came forth, Jesus was hailed as Elijah reborn by many of the people in Bethany."

"Absolutely. We have given Slade Wilson what Elijah gave the widow of Zarepath."

"What do you—Oh, no. You're making a big mistake if you're getting involved with that man's children."

"I rather think that's for us to decide, Mrs Waller. I preferred you when you didn't ask questions. You should learn to hold your tongue before your betters."

"Who are you?"

"What?"

"Mr Vice-President…you're not Sebastian Hady. You're far too charming."

"That's my business. No more than Father Thawne's is his own. Mrs Waller, we thought you were discreet?"

"Oh, I don't care what you want really. But the fact of the matter is I don't want someone I don't really know endangering our country by sending an assassin after a Kryptonian."

"True. Just know that I am a man of ambition with your country's best interests at heart. You're not in a position to make demands, Waller, so merely obey our orders. Slade seems more than willing."

"Very well. I was only curious. Will Mr Wilson be needing Task Force X?"

"No. Just access to the Sivana Project and a blank cheque for supplies in destroying the Kryptonian. Also…Project Rao will need to be his."

"Sir, no one knows if Project Rao even works. It could blow up in his face."

"Are you telling me you care for Deathstroke's safety? Who better to test it than someone you are indifferent to?"

"I…very well, fine. He may need it. How's he going to do this anyway?"

"His mission brief is on a need to know basis. At ease, Mrs Waller," the Vice-President seemed to glare at her from on high, "At least, you should be, if you want to keep your job." Mr Bones and Amanda watched as Hady exited almost as if he were fading into shadow, even though he had walked out the door like any normal human being. "So, Slade," Amanda said biting her lower lip, "what are you going to do?"

"All I'm telling you, Waller, is that this will all be in your benefit. You think you're doing well now…when this shit explodes, you're going to rise higher than ever before."

New Jersey

Five miles outside of Gotham, a rendezvous had been organised in the dead of night between a man with one eye which had lost sight, greying blonde hair and a scraggly beard and the Mayor of Gotham. All the resurrections and healings had taken their toll on Eddie Thawne's body, since channelling the Entity could be diminishing. He needed another dose of Speed Force energy quickly or he might end up turning eighty in eight days. Thankfully, he had sent Hunter Zolomon to Central City to secure the Cosmic Treadmill. Quite a stir he had caused too. The Tornado Twins had made their debut fighting him, with no sign of their father out as the Flash. Wally's death had broken Barry Allen, just as Thawne suspected. Even with his children returned he didn't have the gumption to potentially dishonour his late nephew. Everything was falling so correctly into place. Now the Riddler got to meet him personally. 'Niland' walked up to Thawne smiling eagerly.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't the Puritanical Pugilist. Edward Thawne. If that is the nom de guerre you prefer to go by?"

"Elmore Niland…or should I say Eddie Nygma. God, you're bad at pseudonyms."

"Takes one to know one…Reverse-Flash."

"So, you figured it out?"

"Oh, please. I figured out who the Dark Knight was, I can figure out who you are."

"It took quite a toll on me, restoring your memories from afar, Nygma. I hope you have not disappointed. How goes your new underground lair?

"Spectacular. With access to the Batcave closed off from above, it's been difficult for the Bat Clan to find us in the surrounding warrens. Those idiots at my command still haven't realised the Batman's identity. No matter. It seems he has fled us once more."

"And in your hour of need? I think I scared him off last time we spoke."

"Evidently. Ruins the fun a little. However, those brats of his dying at our hands will definitely make do."

"You're following Bane's strategy, then. Exhaust them to no end with unheard of rates of criminal activity in a short space of time, then pin them all in and crush them while they're on their laurels. Let's just hope you don't go for the theatrics like he did, and actually end them this time. Then again…hope can only go so far. I am talking to a man with a question mark cane…"

"When in Rome…I'm just going with the flow of Gothamites, both good and evil. We tend to prefer the camp, masquerade element of action even though we act all dark and menacing. It's a paradox, but then again we do have the country's highest rate of psychosis."

"I could have told you that myself living there in a few centuries time. But I hope your ego isn't bruised by the fact it won't be the Batman you vanquish."

"It doesn't matter. I only ask that you give 'Elmore Niland' a slightly more privileged position when all this is over."

"I am not the President."

"Of course not. You're the Pontifex Maximus. I'm surprised he hasn't even given you that title properly. This whole government is such a farce. I can smell it in the air. You detonated some sort of bomb."

"Well, that would be telling. I'm more concerned about another substance. Specifically, the patented product of a certain Dr Jonathan Crane. Is he here?"

"Crane!," Nygma shouted, obviously indignant at the lack of respect from his new patron, "The preacher has need of your wares!" A stooped man with glasses and a slightly scarred face made his way out of 'Niland's' limousine carrying a box. The box contained precisely what Thawne had been looking for. "Excellent. And you have the metahumans?" 'Niland' took out a flashlight and shone it in the sky. A few minutes later a truck pulled up behind them. Out of the truck came many children in rags, with their heads shaven. "Controlling social services in Gotham makes this easier. I take it it's been more difficult in other cities."

"For now. It is good you have smuggled this many to me, Nygma. They will be essential for our commerce. Metahumans make excellent slaves. And some of our clients around the world could do with them. Who knows…we might keep a few for ourselves? Crane, I must credit you for your sterling work. This toxin is far more effective than your usual stuff."

"Yes, you told me to combine it with the Black Mercy, Father Thawne."

"Brilliant. This will work a charm on anyone. Fear combined with desire can make one very indecisive. Now, go Nygma. Take your pet with you."

"But you haven't told me the next part of the plan. Vis a vis, the bombing that is."

"Soon, you will have to cease them. With enough panic, you will have Zsasz send the Mutants to attack all the civic centres within hours of the final bombing. Every attack needs to be coordinated perfectly. Then attack and kidnap as many members of the Bat Clan as you can. Once you have them, we will begin the attack and the city will be yours." The Riddler smiled. "Mayor Niland will reign supreme! If the Batman ever returns, I'll have destroyed his whole family. He will be too consumed with rage to outfox me ever again. Oh, this is wonderful. Thank you, Father Thawne." As 'Niland' and Crane departed with their cloaking device received from Thawne a month beforehand, Thawne smirked to himself at the naiveté of the egomaniac that was the Riddler. He would enjoy letting the League of Assassins slaughter him.

Ryut

"You expect us to believe you, Tamaranean?" Atrocitus said with great anger in his voice, "Why in all the sectors would Hal Jordan take you here. To fight the Psions, you say? They're on the other side of the galaxy." Koriand'r didn't want to tell the truth about what Ryand'r had said to her. That her daughter could be found in Sector 666 of all places. Now she, Lobo, Adam Strange, Lyrl Dox and Ryand'r were before the leadership of the Red Lantern Corps, expecting to explain themselves. "We are not lying. The Psions desire the Red Light of Rage as part of their plan. They have entered an alliance with some unholy evil. We were told by…we cannot say, that their growing back into power is an anomaly. The anomaly will spread to consume this sector. We need to protect Ryut and the Central Power Battery from them." Atrocitus and Dex-Starr laughed with alacrity. "Princess, you will not even name your source! The Psions are not a threat. How are we supposed to fight monsters that are not even here? The true monsters are the Guardians of the Universe. Now join our Corps and aid the fight against them or we will kill you where you stand." Kory looked to her companions with worry when Lobo suddenly piped in saying, "Sure, I'll join ya. You bastiches seem like you've got a good thing going." Kory would not describe the blighted, red landscape, scattered with crimson pools of napalm and impaled corpses, as a good thing, and she doubt her other companions did either.

"We desire beings filled with rage, Lobo. You haven't felt rage in aeons. Just glee at those you have slaughtered. You lack the capacity for rage because you always quench it along with your bloodlust. The Tamaranean princess on the other hand…like all of her species her emotions are as exposed as a victim in the crosshairs. I can see she has rage for her sister in her heart. Join us, Koriand'r…join us and destroy your sister. We will gladly help you with finding this child your brother mentioned."

"I…I…I suppose…"

Then suddenly bombs began dropping on Ryut. "What in all the sectors is that, Dex-Starr?!" Atrocitus bellowed at his feline companion. "Uh, it seems to be…Lobo, sir." "Lobo? But he's right here." "Not Lobo…Lobos. Hundreds of him." "Oh, frag," Lobo said to himself as three of him surrounded them. "Hey bastiches," they said in unison, "Give us the Power Battery in the name of the Psion Empire." Kory and Ryan blasted them with star bolts while Lobo unearthed his own weapons to blast them out of the way. "Bastiches! First they steal my look, now my lines. Brainy, Adam, cover me!" Atrocitus began fighting several of the Lobos as his corps was being massacred. "Why do the Psions use the Czarnian as their foot soldiers?" "Because they are trying to kill him and us," Kory replied, "He's the most deadly being in the cosmos, and an army of him to drop in on a suicide mission like this is perfect for their cause." "Well then get to the Power Battery!" the leader of the Red Lanterns said as he decapitated one of the Lobos, "I can handle myself. I have fought off hordes of Black Lanterns. A gaggle of mad Czarnians is no match for Atrocitus." He spewed bloody napalm from his mouth over a few more Lobos, killing them slowly and with inexecrable pain. The real Lobo was basically shooting himself several times at this point.

The fighting raged on, with Kory and Ryan covering the Central Power Battery. Eventually, Brainiac 3 realised how fruitless their endeavour was and determined a plan of action. More and more of the Lobos barraged the surface of Ryut, their regenerative abilities compensating for the resistance, who were all too mortal. "Kory, I think I can beat them," Lyrl shouted confidently. "How?" she shouted barely escaping the blow of a nearby Lobo, before her starbolts blasted it into a napalm pool. "I can only stop them if I use one of the Red Power Rings, to channel my power against them and destroy their ships," Lyrl shouted over the din, "These Red Lanterns are only able to defend themselves. They lack the strategy that should come with such rage." Lobo blanched. "How the frag are you gonna' get mad?" he chuckled at his friend, "You're a fragging Coluan. You bastiches are more stoic than the Blue Lanterns." "Well that one's easy, Lobo," Lyrl replied with a hint of malicious glee, "I will think of my father." Closing his eyes and concentrating, Lyrl envisaged his father and grandfather; the former's neglect and the latter's tyranny coalescing into a bubbling cauldron of hate in his brain.

LYRL DOX OF COLU. YOU HAVE GREAT RAGE IN YOUR HEART. YOU BELONG TO THE RED LANTERN CORPS."

The power ring emerged from Atrocitus' pool of blood and attached itself directly onto Lyrl's index finger. "Lobo…quick…throw me in the pool!" "I can't," the Czarnian bellowed as a hundred Lobos advanced on them, "Otherwise all of me will kill us!" "Please, Lobo," the Coluan pleaded, "I might end up being the one to kill you all if you don't." "I'll take him," Adam Strange announced as he activated his jetpack and flew over the pool, dumping Lyrl within. There was a split second of crashing and wailing, when the genius alien shot out of the pool and began blasting the Psion fleet up above with all his power. A dance in the stars occurred which seemed to go on for five minutes, the attacking ships exploding into cascades of light. Lyrl was still taking quite a beating. Then he flew with all the power in him towards the fleet. Breathing in deeply, and drawing on his rage at the entire House of Dox, he pinpointed where he needed to go, and flew through the main reactor core of the mothership. The resulting collision of matter and anti-matter let rip an explosion that spread through the whole fleet, sparing none. Not even the man who ignited it. The remaining Lobos below all collapsed to the ground without their command signal. The cloning process had made them a hive mind whose centre was on the mothership. Lyrl had anticipated this with his brilliant mind and thus saved his teammates and the Red Lantern Corps, by killing himself.

"Frag it, Lyrl," Adam Strange said to himself. Lobo just threw himself on his knees. "He's gone," he muttered all but inaudibly, a solitary tear falling down his cheek, "That bastiche..." It wasn't like him, but he actually felt sad for one of the few people in the universe he called a friend dying. The man who murdered his own people. A bleeding but upright Starfire went and comforted him. "There, there…Lobo. Dry those tears. He would not want you of all people to weep." "I ain't fragging crying…I just got a hunk of one of my clones in my eye." "I know," she replied sincerely. Atrocitus and Dex-Starr then stumbled through the sea of corpses towards the four remaining R.E.B.E.L.S. "We would like to thank you for helping to defend our world," the leader announced sincerely, "Your friend, the Coluan made a great sacrifice this day. We would like to aid you in honouring his memory." Kory then stood angrily, leaving Lobo in the dirt.

"You certainly owe us! First, we need to find my daughter. Then we're going to take down Brainiac 2 and my sister to save the universe."

"How can the Red Lanterns possibly hope to find a child in the middle of this wasteland of a sector?"

"My brother told me you have had dealings with Merand'r, former Royal Guard of Tamaran. He has dealt weapons. We would like to know his current location and that of his father."

"Why?"

"Because the Royal Guards of Tamaran have guarded the secret of the Hybrid Messiah for over a century. It is a blood oath they take before the Priestesses. We need Merand'r to find her and stop my sister."

StarrWare Industries, New York

He was waiting quietly in the office of the woman known as Karen Starr. Waiting for her to slip up. A sniper rifle loaded with Red Sun energy by the DEO was all Slade Wilson needed to take her down. It seemed unbelievable, but Project Rao had been a dedicated research project since Luthor's presidency, one which Waller and Mr. Bones had never thought could reach fruition. And in many ways, it hadn't. None of the bullets were lethal, and none were faster than your average Kryptonian, merely filled them with the deleterious effects of a Red Sun. Someone as swift and lethal as Deathstroke the Terminator was needed to actually make sure the bullet struck ones who were faster than it. The plan was simple. Incapacitate Power Girl, the only Kryptonian immune to Kryptonite, and place the Sivana bug inside her mind. With her power, she could be used effectively as a weapon against the enemies of Father Thawne. But Slade knew who Thawne wanted him to send her after first, and he was more than delighted to accept his offer.

To mask himself, Deathstroke had covered himself in perfumes which Karen Starr herself wore and was keeping his breathing to a minimum. Only doing so once every two minutes so the Kryptonian couldn't pick up a human heartbeat in the vicinity or hear him breathe. He had to admit, this was a difficult contract, but he was coming close to outdoing himself. The rifle contained a bullet which silenced could strike a Kryptonian with enough Red Sun energy to debilitate them. Another bullet and they'd probably be knocked out altogether. One to the brain for good measure would kill them. He liked the weapon and knew it would come in handy soon. Sadly, this was the only Kryptonian Thawne and Hurt wanted him to go after. The other was far more sensitive to pain. There she sat looking not that much like Power Girl. Sure, her face was the same, but her hair was done so differently, and she didn't have the…assets she was famed for by many a voyeur on display. Kryptonians were bad at disguising themselves, Slade figured. But not bad enough that they fooled everyone except him.

As she sipped her coffee, Karen's ears perked as she heard Slade finally take a breath. "Who's there?" Without even thinking, Slade fired the red sun bullet at her. She reacted too slowly and it exploded in her hand. Power Girl collapsed in pain as Deathstroke emerged from the nearby annex he had been hiding in. "Karen Starr. Better known as Power Girl," came that silky, menacing voice from beneath his mask, "We have need of you." "Deathstroke," she struggled, "I can't say it's a pleasure." She began vomiting slightly from the toll this energy was taking on her body. "Likewise." As he spoke, Karen felt the agony rush through her body. Still, she did her best to remain defiant.

"Who are you working for, Slade?"

"The government, if you must know."

"That fascist Eiling needs to make weaker enemies."

"No, he doesn't. And what Eiling doesn't know can't hurt him. Now, hold still. This thing doesn't have much more rounds left in it." He removed the vial containing Sivana's mind parasite and let it wriggle in his hand for a minute. "What's that attached to it?" Karen managed to ask, indicating the little collar Slade had placed around the thing with her eyes, as she was currently unable to move her arms. "Insurance," was the answer given, "Just in case you're able to resist. Now, don't struggle. Just let this go in your ear." Karen went limp as the thing entered her ear. Waiting for half an hour, Slade watched her recover to full strength. There was a blankness in her eyes. She stood up then, like an obedient automation. "Who do you serve?" Deathstroke asked as he toyed with a knife, sitting astride her desk. "Eobard Thawne." "Ah good, so it works. Do you know your mission?"

"Head to Titans Tower. Eliminate Superboy and Supergirl with extreme prejudice and brook no resistance."

"Good. Now this is going to be fun…"